I mourn for Nigeria’s heroes of democracy, both the living and the dead. The recent honors bestowed by President Tinubu on them have left a bitter taste. Wole Soyinka, a literary giant, now shares the same honor as Godswill Akpabio, a symbol of political expediency. Frank Kokori’s posthumous recognition brings him alongside Nyesom Wike, a man whose […]

A nation ravaged by inflation, joblessness, insecurity, and an overwhelming cost of living crisis, words matter. On June 12, 2025 Democracy Day Nigerians didn’t expect magic, but they hoped for empathy. What they got instead was a soundbite that landed like a hammer on a bruised nation .On Democracy Day, instead of a show of leadership, President […]

I had a lengthy talk with a friend recently. We go way back to the early 70s. He was my senior in primary school. We lost touch but got reunited in the 90s. One day, we went to a restaurant to eat. I ordered rice and chicken. I peeled the skin off the chicken before eating the […]

I encountered the relic of his presence long before I met Sam Amuka, known as Uncle Sam. Inside a room in the far corner of the old Kudeti PUNCH building, predominantly constructed of plywood and steel frames, there was a wooden armchair that had been a fixture in Uncle Sam’s office when he served as managing […]

Yesterday, I got wind of the fact that my adorable Uncle Sam Amuka, the universally respected veteran journalist and owner of this newspaper (who turns 90 today), was going to get a national honour. And sure enough, when President Tinubu’s Democracy Day address was read out during a joint session of the National Assembly, Uncle Sam’s […]