Nigeria’s Stanford warning: When institutions normalise abuse of power, by Dakuku Peterside
Sometimes, a nation confronts scandals that appear unrelated: corruption in one institution, brutality in another, and troubling questions of legality elsewhere. Yet beneath the shifting headlines, a deeper pattern may be emerging. Recent debate has involved allegations of corruption, extortion, torture, and degrading treatment in correctional centres; claims that constituency projects are distorting the federal budget; […]
How lecturers underdeveloped the universities (2)
Most lecturers who detest frequent indefinite strikes are pusillanimous about speaking out openly; they prefer to hide their real opinions rather than endure intemperate verbal attacks from vociferous pro-strike colleagues. In most universities nowadays during congress meetings to decide on strike, lecturers who refuse to jump uncritically into the ASUU bandwagon are derided as pro-government saboteurs.
‘Women’s health, index for national wellbeing’
With the 2015 target for the Millennium Development Goals-MDGs just around the corner, female doctors have reminded Nigeria of the need to strive to attain goals 4 and 5 which seek to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health.
Inconclusive INEC!
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has since 2011 established for itself; certain constant canons of behaviour which Nigerians need to appreciate whenever they seek to participate in an election in the country. One of them is that no matter the election; be it nationwide or in only one state or indeed in just a single constituency, election personnel and materials must arrive late for the event. The present INEC opened its tenure with it in April 2011 when it postponed the National Assembly elections because of late arrival of materials. Since then, that principle of lateness “due logistics reasons” has become part and parcel of INEC just the same way, our airlines run permanently delayed flights “due operational reasons”.
The beautiful ones have done it again
Jones Usen, a popular broadcaster with the FRCN at a time, and self styled ‘man with the golden voice’ called the golden eaglets the beautiful ones after their exploits of 1985 in far away Asia. Those young boys dazzled and glittered in China and made our heads swell with pride as they delighted the world with skilful and purposeful football. In celebrating our moments of euphoria, Jones had declared ‘the beautiful ones have now been born’.
Pity, Jega failed this test
It was the picture of Tony Nwoye, the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Anambra gubernatorial election on the front page of Sunday Vanguard of November 17, 2013 that touched me the most. The candidate looked beaten and frustrated, sweating profusely after he could not find his name in INEC voters register.
