On May 27, 1967, the then Head of State, General Yakubu Dan-Yumma Gowon (91), said: “The main obstacle to future stability in this country is the present structural imbalance in the Nigeria Federation”. No doubt, the General’s statement is as true today as at when he made the broadcast. It was in the broadcast that he […]

By Dele Sobowale One of the paradoxes of economics is threatening to create a food crisis later during the year. Last year January, escalating food prices dragged headline inflation towards 35 per cent. A 50 kilogram bag of rice was going for N80- 100,000 – depending on location. Governor Bago of Niger State was contemplating placing embargo […]

Nigerians and Africans have no friends in Israel. They may, amongst the Israeli people, but not in its establishment which is wedded to a philosophy of violence, repression, exploitation and genocide. Therefore, Nigerians must be on alert and view with suspicion, Israel’s overt and strenuous attempts to befriend the continent, particularly Nigeria. These were part of […]

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Nigeria’s Interior minister stands out among President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ministers because since his appointment, he has consistently worked silently to create a new image for his hitherto notoriously corrupt  sector. He is neither publicity conscious nor does he usurp the role of agency heads he is mandated to supervise. As Minister, Tunji-Ojo […]

“But, fortune’s honey turned to gall…thus Fortune, with a slight turn of her will brings men [and nations] from joy to sorrow”. Geoffrey Chaucer, 1342-1400, VBQ, VBQ p 64. A meeting with one of my oldest friends three weeks ago ended with both of us, 80+, almost in tears. We went back to memory lanes; […]

Proverbs 27:6, says that “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” Such wounds or truth from a sincere friend are better than many kisses or lies from an enemy. One truth which many Nigerians failed to accept was the one Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima told them in 2005 […]

Recently, there were reports of the existence of a ‘Rape Academy’ online. There is a website on the dark web where men go to teach and learn how to rape their unsuspecting wives and partners. There are at least twenty thousand videos on this site, and in March, there were 62 million views. 62million. I […]

Let’s begin with thanks to the Almighty God that has brought us to the last Sunday in the month of April.  Glory be to God. Brethren, having gone through four months, we all know that we have eight months left in the year. Within this period, a lot can still happen but what happens depends on […]

They carry history, signal intent, and often reveal more than the speaker realises about how power imagines the people it seeks to lead

There was a time when love did not feel like a system under pressure. It was not described in the language of performance or evaluated like a portfolio

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has again stepped into the eye of the storm, not so much for what he said as for what his words now represent in a country increasingly impatient with the language of power. His latest assertion he is praying that insurgency in Nigeria will end in 2026 has reopened a familiar debate: the […]

A young man and his partner came to see me for a possible interview a couple of weeks ago. They own a Public Relations outfit together. According to them, an encounter with some mass communication undergraduates made them realise ‘something’ was missing in the education of these young students. They decided to introduce some ‘doyens’ of the […]

Leadership by example makes all the difference. Seeing Plateau State governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang address grieving families, from an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), after yet another blood bath, made me blink a tear. If he could commandeer such bullet proof machine from the police, what stopped the governor from using the same weapon to pursue the killers […]

Pith. Some say wistfully that the alliance has come four years late.  Its optimistic supporters insist that a ticket promising equity, unity and prosperity is never late. It was first mooted in 2022, but bloated egos would not let it thrive. Fortunately, the last elections cleared some delusions. Perhaps the alliance has arrived at its appointed […]

My father knew I loved playing football.  I enjoyed every minute I spent on the football field with friends kicking a ball around, dribbling to the delight of onlookers and scoring goals. It is the goals that make every one to momentarily go ‘mad’.  It is that ‘madness’ that Pa Jacob Adebola Odegbami knew would […]