Osun election: Optics and prospects of redirection, by Adekunle Adekoya
THE governorship election of Osun State, which was an off-cycle election, held last week, and the winner is already known. In fact, incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party won, polling 511,067 votes to beat his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the APC who polled 444, 815 votes. All that is no longer news. […]
Break the national grid into smaller units now, by Adekunle Adekoya
SHORTLY before noon last Wednesday, the national grid registered a collapse, which on X (formerly Twitter) was described as a “grid disturbance”. The post on X, listing the event had a time stamp of 11.34a.m. Other stakeholders also took to X to inform their clients and customers. For instance, Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company reported on X that […]
Unspoken ramifications of the varsity approved for Ogoniland, by Adekunle Adekoya
LAST week, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed into law a bill establishing the Federal University of Environmental Technology in Ogoni, Rivers State. Announcement of the university’s establishment came after a delegation of Ogoni Leaders and other Rivers State personages paid a visit to the seat of power in Abuja. That was on January 21, and it was […]
The lost battle against telecoms tariff hike, by Adekunle Adekoya
THE Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC during the week told Nigerians of its intention to hold protests against approval by the Federal Government of 50 per cent increase in the tariffs charged by telcos in the country. It also added that its officials and state councils have been directed to mobilize allies and workers to give fillip to […]
Disrespecting Nigerians with endless price hikes, by Adekunle Adekoya
“You know I am not very happy with Nigeria. I have made that very clear on many occasions. Yes, Nigeria stood by us more than any nation, but you let yourselves down, and Africa and the black race very badly. Your leaders have no respect for their people. They believe that their personal interests are […]
On Okonjo-Iweala’s call for grid decentralisation, by Adekunle Adekoya
I was elated earlier in the week, when former Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, who is currently the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala lent her weighty voice to the call for decentralisation of electricity transmission in our country. Of course, Okonjo-Iweala spoke in context, as she was addressing her […]
Hunger and FG’s food import waiver initiative, by Adekunle Adekoya
IT is no longer news that Nigerians are going through the worst cost of living crisis in the history of the country, the news Nigerians are looking forward to read about or hear is that prices of foodstuffs are coming down. But that is beginning to look like a far-fetched hope as there seems to […]
Getting our men of means interested in agriculture, by Adekunle Adekoya
THE festive season that ushered in year 2025 brought out, in stark relief, the reality facing Nigerians in terms of food — its cultivation, processing, transportation, and distribution. For example, one chicken, which sold for a mere N2,500, BC(Before Change, in 2015), was sold for as high as N25,000. Of course, rice, which is both a staple […]
Deaths from giveaway stampedes: Why FG must take the blame, by Adekunle Adekoya
FOUR the many families that lost loved ones, it could not have been a merry Christmas. I sympathise with them and offer my condolences. All of those who died in the stampedes were in search of wherewithal to make the season as merry as possible. Sadly it was not to be. In all, no less than […]
When will NCC save Nigerians from 9Mobile? By Adekunle Adekoya
TODAY, my radar is on one of the telecommunications networks operating in the country. Right now, we have four. These are Airtel Nigeria, MTN, Glo, and the fourth, EMTS (Emerging Markets Telecommunications Service), now trading as 9Mobile. To be candid, the company has had quite some turbulent moments in the history of its operations in Nigeria. Initially […]
Unending collapses of the national grid, by Adekunle Adekoya
ON Wednesday, the national power grid managed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, collapsed for the 11th time in 2024, leaving the country in complete blackout. Some people said that it wasn’t the 11th but the 12th time, on the average, a collapse of once a month. Data from the National System Operator, NSO, showed […]
The case of two maniacal looters and our future, by Adekunle Adekoya
TWO major reports on the anti-corruption landscape made the headlines these last few days. Both left me wondering about the mental state of the perpetrators, given the sheer scale of what they were up to. All of us still remember the late maximum dictator, General Sani Abacha. Since his passing, it has come to light […]
GDP growth report: Whose figures? By Adekunle Adekoya
“There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910). Please note that Mark Twain himself attributed it to former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) LAST Monday, the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, released a report on the National Gross Domestic Product for Q1 2024, that is, the first three months […]
IMF’s doublespeak’ll make Tinubu’s hardship worse, by Adekunle Adekoya
DURING the work week ending today, that infamous Bretton Woods institution, the International Monetary Fund, IMF, was in doublespeak regarding the economy of many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly mentioned countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, and my dear country ( I have no other!), Nigeria. Urging Nigeria and the other countries to rethink implementation strategies of […]
On right track as hunger envelops the land? By Adekunle Adekoya
EARLIER in the week, at the 70th birthday celebrations of Pastor Tunde Bakare, President Bola Tinubu and the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, spoke for the umpteenth time on the excruciating economic and social pains Nigerians are going through. President Tinubu was represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume. Akume said […]
Trial of minors: When a dissenter criminalises dissent, by Adekunle Adekoya
FOR some time now, the detention and arraignment of under-age protesters by the Police dominated conversations at home and abroad. In August, a nationwide protest against the harsh economic policies preferred by the federal administration led by President Bola Tinubu began, tagged #EndBadGovernance. Largely driven by social media conversations, organisers sought to mobilise the populace to […]
