The ground floor was full. The crowd would have been over 80 per cent diplomats. There were, of course, a number of Nigerian government officials and journalists. As the delightful broadcaster, Kemi Asekun and I conversed, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, walked through the crowd towards where we stood. […]

AS each day dawns in Nigeria, the economic omens are getting more and more bothersome, sending  wave after wave of apprehension about how to make ends meet down the spines of most of us, except, perhaps, those permanently connected to sources of unending funds, like politicians, clergymen, and motor park operatives, known as agberos. These three classes […]

My friend,  Ambassador Okey Emuchay MFR, Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, spoke for many of us (my mother was Igbo) when he penned this heartfelt lament and tribute to the most recent past President-General of the respected organisation.   It is addressed to Mr Jide Iwuanyanwu, the PG’s eldest son: “It is with a deep […]

Who will tell Bola Tinubu that his 16-month-old presidency has reduced Nigeria to a living hell? Who will tell Mr President that there is great suffering in the land? Who will tell him to stop insulting Nigerians by his off-handed comments? Who will tell Tinubu that Nigerians are reeling from his ill-digested reforms and the […]

EVER since the presidency confirmed that Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s ineffectual president, would reshuffle his utterly incompetent cabinet, speculations have been rife about who would be in and who would be out. The Guardian newspaper set the hares running with a front-page story titled: “11 ministers, senior officials may go as Tinubu reshuffles cabinet.” Then, Dr […]

As the digital landscape evolves in its  communication styles, a new player has emerged and is rapidly gaining popularity: the voice note. This audio messaging format, which allows users to record and send short verbal messages, is transforming the way we communicate in both personal and professional spheres. But as with any new technology, the […]

Nigeria’s external debt is the largest amongst all sub-Saharan African nations, despite the fact that it received debt waivers from the Paris Club, London Club or from Independent Creditors. The arrears of this debt have accumulated inexorably, putting Nigeria in the bad books of international financial communities.  Also, Nigeria’s huge debt profile has negatively affected its […]

“I saw not victory after the war, but a new and happier world after the victory” – John Buchan Nation-building is an arduous task requiring great patience, intrepid courage and sagacity. It also requires an expansive disposition that accommodates diversity and differences of viewpoints and ideas. Aggregating diversity and achieving uniformity marks the culmination of a […]

“I’m bigger than Peter Obi politically, I’m his elder brother, I’m a PhD holder, I performed better than him when I was a governor of my state. I’ve no problem with deputising Peter Obi, but only if certain conditions are met…” Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in a recent interview. Let us analytically examine the above statement, and […]

LET me serve you this whiff of good news in case it had sped by unrecognised. Dr Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman, EVC, of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, declared in Lagos, last week, that the SIM-NIN Linkage Policy, which enjoyed a convoluted tenure, has formally been completed. With that declaration, it means every phone number […]

Nigeria’s wobbly economy appears to have humbled everyone. If they are to be taken seriously, not even the big men of the immediate past and the few others used to feeding off the sweat of the struggling majority are spared. Food prices are soaring even as the cost of energy increasingly spirals out of reach. A […]

Nigeria’s external debt is the largest amongst all sub-Saharan African nations, despite the fact that it received debt waivers from the Paris Club, London Club or from Independent Creditors.

A coalition government is in no position an inferior government nor illegitimate; power sharing is good for democracy; it helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups. Power sharing makes people dependent and responsible

THE economic crisis in Nigeria, marked by inflation soaring to around 33 per cent and food prices rising by more than 30 percent as of August 2024, has created widespread hardship across the country. Citizens of all classes, in both rural and urban areas, are struggling to afford basic necessities such as food, healthcare, and […]

The death of messianic or saviour politics THE current state of ennui is to a large extent the result of the death of messianic or saviour politics. This is politics that revolves around a charismatic leader who is ascribed redemptive or saviour qualities. Until he became President in 2015, Buhari’s supporters passionately promoted him as an […]