Thanks to various recent dramatic developments on the national stage – ex-President Buhari’s death, high-profile politicians defecting from Labour/APC/PDP, febrile coalition talk, etc – my poor, oppressed home state, Rivers, has almost been forgotten.  We continue to be controlled by retired Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas, an unelected, non-indigenous onetime Chief Of Naval Staff turned military administrator […]

APART from the fact that the power elite, irrespective of which faction is in the corridors of power at the moment, has proved itself completely incompetent in managing the commonwealth to the benefit of all of us, excluding themselves and their favoured ones, one aspect of life and living in our country that is exteremely bothersome, at […]

At best, Nigeria’s democracy in this Fourth Republic has been wobbly, standing, as it were, on feet of clay. And a quarter of a century thence, rather than getting better, things have got worse as the politicians are busy dismantling all the guardrails of democracy – civic participation, which undergirds every genuine democratic project; the rule […]

How time flies! Five years ago, about this time, I wrote a column titled “At 60, my life and undying passion for Nigeria” (Vanguard, July 23, 2020). It was on the glorious occasion of my diamond jubilee, which this great newspaper, Vanguard, covered with special features, including a two-page birthday interview. Five years later, I’m celebrating […]

I must finish this report tonight” carries a very different weight from “I have to finish this report tonight.” Both express obligation, yet they reveal fundamentally different sources of motivation and authority. Understanding this distinction can change how you communicate leadership, manage relationships, and present yourself in professional settings. These two expressions of necessity might appear […]