When I stepped out of the main auditorium of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) to welcome Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, Obi of Onitsha, to TheNiche lecture on April 23, 2026, I knew the sacrifice he made to be there. Yet, my “thank you Agbogidi for coming” greeting was gently rebuffed with a riposte: “I wasn’t […]

Beyond being an act of defiance, the terrorist attack on Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota communities in the Orire LGA of Ogbomoso, was a clear message to the Yoruba that they are not immune to the murderous antics of the invaders that have turned different parts of the north and Middlebelt of Nigeria into killing fields. These […]

Concerning DSO, there is fresh excitement, optimism and great expectation preceding the July launch, and I am happy to share in all the euphoria. After blowing over N60bn on a project that smaller African nations have since concluded but which remains in a convoluted suspense here, you won’t blame anybody for hoping once more. The word […]

“Constant in nothing but inconstancy”— Marcus Aurelius In an earlier installment of this essay, we established the urgency of Northern Nigeria’s predicament and the necessity for strategic engagement. The logical next step is to define the principles upon which such engagement must rest. For without a clear doctrine guiding its political choices, the region will repeat […]

As you read this, former president, Goodluck Jonathan (GCFR), may have swallowed the poisoned chalice of filing to run for president in 2027. As at yesterday, everything pointed in that direction. Indications were that he would run on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) faction led by Tanimu Turaki, his former Minister of Special […]

Democracy does not always die with the sound of boots, bullets, or decrees. Sometimes it dies quietly, under the cover of legality, procedure, and familiar political language. The constitution remains intact. Party offices remain open. Primaries are announced. Delegates assemble. Leaders speak solemnly of unity. Yet, behind the ceremony, the substance of democracy may already have […]

From last week continues the narrative about creation of new states in Nigeria. Ibadan state deserves to be  Anioma State was long advocated many years ago. I remember in 1979, Senator Nosike Ikpo along with Chief Martin Nwoseh, Chief Michael Agbamuche, A. N. Iduwe and G.N. Nwechue, submitted a strong worded memorandum to the National Assembly. […]

The 1970s to the 1990s were some of the most pitiless seasons in Nigeria.  Except for a four-year interregnum, the military was in power and, it was brutal. In the mid-1970s, the seemingly genial General Yakubu Jack Gowon had radical activists like Edwin Madunagu and Tony Engurube detained without trial.  But the Murtala-Obasanjo regime that succeeded  Gowon […]

I have been following the recent promotional work announcing the completion of the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) in Chicago. In the early days of the project, it was believed that President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama were building a Presidential Library, which is a standard project for former Presidents in the United States. It turns out […]

In emerging societies such as Nigeria, universities and other tertiary institutions have generally done about the same thing in the last half a century.  Those interested in establishing such higher schools always began by looking out for huge hectares of land to erect imposing structures and facilities. It is indeed, part of the requirements for getting […]