Has slave trade ever been really abolished? Many would give an emphatic ‘NO’ as their answer to this question.

Nigerians are intensely political people, full of fire and outrage in their support or ability to undermine any figure of authority. Ours should have been the greatest of democracies, given our profound interest in public affairs. Unlike many Western countries where belief in any ideology is waning and voter turn-out is lacklustre, Nigeria is a country where fortunately and unfortunately dogma endures: we believe in many things (many unsubstantiated, antiquated convictions with destructive powers) but we differ from our Western counterparts in our unwillingness to critically assess and scrutinise said beliefs, hiding behind ethnicity and religion to justify those mysteries which enrich a few at the expense of the many.

The 2016 Rio Olympic Games took off to a slow start last week, precisely August 5. I didn’t watch the opening ceremony although I had looked forward to it. There was less to see by way of recorded broadcast of the opening activities even after the events.

I was going to call Gen Yakubu Gowon out three weeks ago to say something on the raging debate in the country over the structure of Nigeria.I had written the piece half-way before I archived (no pun intended!) it after an inner voice told me to still hold on. I titled the write-up “Gowon,should we go on this way ?”

The present racial war in the United States reminded me of my first visit to that country. There was really fear of Blacks as a race. Blacks were afraid. The fear was palpable.