I wrote this article on Monday, but more recent events, notably the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, have overshadowed this matter. Nigeria is a real movie scene. Anyhow, ogoro (frog) must jump, so here we go. I took time to listen to the TikTok video, where an NYSC member and content creator, Ushie […]

I have a very close friend whose father made him an executor to his will ahead of his much older siblings in a large, but affluent polygamous family. That was rather uncommon in a typical African setting. It gets even more uncommon. The very detailed will gave mere stipends from a rather expansive estate to some of […]

By Dr Segun Odegbami  Why is it that it is only Uyo, a small, laid back emerging metropolis located in the southernmost part of Nigeria, that has the only stadium facility with FIFA’s approval to host Nigeria’s Grade A international matches?  It is ridiculously unbelievable, yet it is true. With Nigeria’s records of achievements and […]

By Donu Kogbara I am so upset about the unfair imposition of a state of emergency on Rivers State. I have totally lost faith in President Tinubu, FCT Minister Wike, their supporters and the National Assembly. I have complained extensively about this crisis on YouTube. Today I am feeling too emotionally drained to write anything, so let me […]

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s proclamation of emergency rule in Rivers State on Tuesday surprised me for reasons different from those for which he has been severely criticised. The mildest criticism is that Tinubu’s failure to call the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to order was responsible for the crisis. The more severe criticisms […]

LAST week, I opted to write on the way the Federal Government was “dashing” out universities in various parts of the country. The Tinubu administration even moved further by “adopting” a state-owned university, the Tai Solarin University of Education in Ogun State. Already, Ogun State is the university capital of the country. There are about 10 […]

I never personally met Fidel Castro Ruz, one of the iconic figures of the 20th Century. I only saw him once in the streets of Havana while he drove and the crowds cheered. On November 25, 2016, this African-Latin American ancestor joined the pantheon. When on Friday, March 14, 2025 I visited the Fidel Castro Ruz […]

Recently, fate dealt Nigeria a cruel hand when death took two of its greatest patriots and elder statemen in the space of one week. Pa Ayo Adebanjo, 96, who died on February 14, 2025, and Pa Edwin Clark, 97, who died three days later on February 17, 2025, were Nigeria’s conscience and moral compass. Until they […]

Writer’s block, the nemesis of scholars across disciplines, can transform the exciting prospect of articulating one’s research into a daunting ordeal. This phenomenon, characterised by an inability to produce new work or a creative slowdown, is particularly challenging in academic writing, where the pressures of deadlines, methodological rigour, and contribution to the field can exacerbate feelings […]

Visiting Ogoniland last week after my first visit in 1996 was a bittersweet experience. It was like traversing two worlds in less than three decades. Unbelievable! I went to Ogoni for the first time to chronicle the mess oil industry and the Nigerian state had made of Ogoniland. Before oil was discovered in the Ogoni community […]

The fight between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senator Godswill Akpabio looks like a case of ‘see finish’, to state it in local parlance. Her familial relationship with the President of the Senate (only they and, perhaps, their respective families know the true nature of this relationship) appears to have undermined the respect she has for […]

Thirty years ago, the Ogoni people’s struggle finally pierced through the iron curtain of the international community’s attention. It took the spilling of blood and emasculation of the Ogoni elite for the world to take note. In April 1994, I had the privilege of encountering foremost author and Ogoni activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, at a seminar in […]

A simmering broadcast news recently has been the story of Multichoice Nigeria jacking up subscription rates on its various packages in order to remain in business in Nigeria. Coming on the heels of other similar developments like the 50 percent hike in telecoms tariff, and the stratospheric increase in electricity tariffs last year, Nigerians were outraged, […]

In the 1930s parents put premium on the number of children they had. Hence, polygamy was the order of the day. The reason was that the more children they had, the more hands would be available to help on the farm. The only occupation then was farming. I believe this was one of the reasons why […]

“Yet even in the stress of work, it is often sound policy for a man to halt for a moment and collect his thoughts“- John Buchan I believe it is necessary that Nigerians should pause for a while and collect their thoughts even in the stress of day-to-day living, and reflect on the governance situation to […]