Anglican archbishop stands by his catholic brothers in Christ, by Donu Kogbara
Last week on this page, I hailed Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Emeritus Archbishop of Abuja, for speaking up when President Tinubu responded callously to Catholic bishops’ concerns about widespread poverty and insecurity. Daniel Bwala, an accident-prone presidential spokesman, accused Onaiyekan of speaking only for Catholics. “NOT SO!” was the robust rejoinder from Christian leaders from […]
NDDC’s doctor
I THINK it is fair to say that the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has never before had a CEO who is more perfectly suited to the circumstances that prevail on his turf.
Coro and journalism
“Coronavirus” is a word that strikes terror into the hearts of millions of human inhabitants of an increasingly besieged planet earth. And I find it helpful, psychologically, to minimise the power and impact of the word by almost jokily abbreviating it to “coro”.
Reflections on the coronavirus crisis
LIKE everyone else, I was caught unawares by the global coronavirus crisis. One minute, we were being told about a deadly new zoonotic disease that had originated in the wild animal kingdom and was terrorising human inhabitants of the Chinese city of Wuhan.
A Niger Deltan laments
LAST week, I mentioned the numerous challenges faced by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, an intervention agency that has never served its constituents adequately and is famed for mismanaging the vast sums of money it has at its disposal.
My NDDC experience
THE Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has been a hotbed of controversy and friction for as far back as I can remember. Senior NDDC executives and their political godfathers in various states and Abuja often have major disagreements with each other; and these Establishment tiffs sometimes erupt into open warfare.
‘God must be a Bayelsan!’
By Donu Kogbara I WAS minding my business in my Abuja residence yesterday – and feeling depressed about the state of the nation – when my phone rang. It was an All Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain friend. “The Supreme Court has just returned Bayelsa to PDP (Peoples Democratic Party)!” he told me. “It’s a lie!” I […]
Should Maryam Sanda die?
By Donu Kogbara Maryam Sanda is the most notorious and controversial woman in Nigeria at the moment. Until November 2017, she was just one of many well-connected young women who uneventfully populate the Federal Capital Territory. The daughter of Maimuna Alliyu, a onetime Aso Savings CEO, she had married Bilyaminu Haliru-Bello, an equally well-connected young […]
Sweet and sour by Donu Kogbara
Last week, the SupremeCourt ruled against the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, and handed his seat to Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress, APC. Heated debates ensued about the legal validity of this judgment; and the controversy was partly fuelled by the fact that there wasn’t a single APC member in the […]
Opposition jokers
LAST week, the Supreme Court ruled against the Peoples democratic Party, PDP, Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, and handed his seat to Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Thoughts for 2020
THE point at which an old year draws to a close and a new year beckons is always a good time to reflect on the state of the nation and on the way in which we conduct ourselves as individuals.
