It was painful to watch him outside No. 10 on Monday. Despite his immaculate suit and well-groomed hair, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer looked like he was facing a public execution. The bespoke podium, which had been in use since David Cameron’s tenure, looked more like a stake, and Starmer’s valedictory like a miserere before […]

Imagine the following scenario: The conference room held two hundred people, but in that moment, it belonged to one woman. She wasn’t the most senior person there, nor was she the most qualified. But when she stood to present her team’s proposal, something happened. Her voice was steady, and her conviction was palpable. She didn’t just […]

At the rate some public officials are going, no one should be surprised if a bill surfaces in the National Assembly tomorrow seeking to rename the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the Federal Republic of Asiwaju. When that happens, we will seize being Nigerians and become Asiwajuans! What a great name. Anyone saying God forbid as […]

There is a shocking paradox, a bewildering moral hypocrisy, at the heart of President Bola Tinubu’s leadership. On the one hand, he is actively prosecuting previous public officers for corrupt practices, claiming to have secured over 7,000 convictions since he came to power three years ago. Yet, on the other hand, he presides over a moral […]

“The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there”, John Buchan. In the hilarious and admirable British comedy series, “Yes, Prime Minister”, Dorothy Wainwright, an adviser to the fictional Prime Minister James Hacker, once delivered a devastating verdict on the Department of Education. According […]

If you ask anyone, “who is the greatest African of all time?”, the name of Nelson Mandela of South Africa will likely pop up. I took this question to three Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms: ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. They all chorused “Dr Nelson Mandela.” While Gemini and Claude held Kwame Nkrumah in second place with Mansa […]

The holy book tells us that the poor will always live with us in our societies. It means you can never wish away the poor even if you are offended by their existence. No magic wand will obliterate the presence of the poor, except concerted efforts to change their status. Apart from individual efforts, nations and […]

With the emergence of Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN) as the 33rd president of the Nigerian Bar Association, the controversies that had preceded this year’s election would seem to have subsided despite fears that the post-election period might be mired in litigation. Such fears have so far proven only partially founded, as some lawyers have allegedly headed for […]

The controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) is no longer an ordinary disagreement between two individuals. It has become a serious test of governmental accountability, institutional integrity and Nigeria’s commitment to transparency, freedom of expression and the rule of law. The Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has reportedly […]

This week continues the series on insecurity in Nigeria However, this diversity is not and should not be a disservice but one that can be judiciously explored and exploited to promote national harmony, progress and prosperity. Our religious diversity, in particular, is not a curse; rather, it is a blessing if we are determined to […]