Gowon’s memoirs: Nigeria owes Awolowo an eternal debt, by Olu Fasan
Last week, I started a discussion of General Yakubu Gowon’s multi-themed memoirs, My Life of Duty & Allegiance. My focus was on the book’s general tone, which I find unduly self-justificatory. In his attempts to defend his legacy, General Gowon presents himself as a saintly figure who did no wrong as a leader, whereas some […]
The nature of man
Sometimes, when certain things occur and people react in a certain way, I wonder if it’s peculiar to us as Nigerians, or if it’s just basic human nature period. Four students lose their lives; and that is just one incidence, one drop in the recent flood of such events; in the most gruesome way conceivable.
Total Tedium
Sure, there have been some interesting and radical new developments in recent years – such as the emergence of the first-ever Niger Deltan President, his appointment of the first-ever female Minister of Petroleum and the fact that millions of ordinary Nigerians can access the internet and own mobile phones.
THE NATION’S BUDGET: Politics and the people
The nation‘s annual Budget could be carefully captured or cynically viewed in the golden words of INCOME and EXPENDITURE.
Chinua Achebe, Biafra and the travesties of war (2)
It has taken 42 years for Nigeria’s (and Africa’s) greatest writer, Chinua Achebe, to produce a book of the tremendous passion as his personal recollection of Biafra. It couldn’t have been less controversial! More fundamental is his re-engagement with our country. His old passion to see it develop is embedded in the final words of the book
Under a palliative Legislature
WE are going to impeach the President”. This is one of the most abused phrases in the Nigerian legislative arena. It has been taken to mean that the President is being removed.
