All journalists like to receive articulate and respectful reactions to their articles or columns. Churning out thousands of words week after week sometimes feels like a thankless task. And thoughtful responses from readers who take the trouble to read what we write, then share their views with us (without being too long-winded!), are much appreciated, even if […]

The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, was established to deal with the chronic pollution that is undermining human health and economic activity in my native Ogoniland.   I have, on this page and on my YouTube channel, bitterly complained about unscrupulous contractors who take HYPREP for granted.   And I have categorically stated that I […]

According to an article in a Bloomberg publication: “The average government expenditure per capita across Africa is approximately $500. These funds go toward servicing a country’s debt, building infrastructures, developing institutions, paying salaries, defense, security, education, healthcare, and social protection programs. “In France, Norway, and the United States, government expenditure per capita is $24,000, $41,000, and $30,000 […]

I, meanwhile, cannot understand why so many big men in PDP are so lily-livered and so reluctant to disobey or expel Wike, who also is a de facto member of the APC

When Herbert Wigwe, the former CEO of Access Bank, died in February in a plane crash, several VIPs lavished tributes on him as they indulged in public outpourings of grief. Herbert was indeed a colossus who deserved to be eulogised. His outstanding professional achievement aside, he launched so many laudable philanthropic initiatives and helped so many people. […]

His stubborn refusal to cave in to sabotage has enabled him to give Nigerians fair prices and humble foreign airlines that were shamelessly overcharging us for decades.

By this time last year, Tinubu had been declared the winner of the February 2023 presidential election and I was outraged. Peter Obi had been my first choice. Atiku Abubakar had been my second choice and I was convinced that either Obi or Atiku was the real victor because I hardly knew anyone who had voted for […]

I’d like to draw your attention to two comments that caught my attention this week: a sardonic observation that was made by Robert Mugabe, the famously witty late President of Zimbabwe, and an excerpt from a 2023 speech by Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, the famously insightful Nigerian President of the African Development Bank. According to Mugabe: “To applaud […]

Herbert was one of the leading rebels in our Class, yet his strong test scores and obvious intelligence, served as proof of his talent and skills

The Federal Government is about to begin the implementation of the Stephen Oronsaye report,  12 years after it was first compiled. It should help slash the cost of governance and I heartily approve of its recommendations, including the scrapping and merging of 220 out of 541 government agencies, management audits of 89 agencies and discontinuation […]

I MAKE no secret of my anti-government tendencies. I was born with a rebellious, iconoclastic, outspoken streak; and even when Obasanjo (the best president we’ve ever had, in my opinion) was head of state, I occasionally lobbed verbal and written missiles at the authorities. Now, with Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the hot seat, I am almost […]

One of the hats that Reno Omokri wears is social media influencer; and he recently made an interesting point on X (formerly known as Twitter) that really appealed to me (not least because it was devoid of the disappointing and seriously depressing anti-Igbo sentiments that he frequently shares with anyone who cares to listen. Since I have […]

Ex-Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State was recently quoted in various WhatsApp groups as making the following comments: “Nigeria cannot break up because members of the elite are united in preserving their advantages over the masses irrespective of their differences of tribe and religion. Nigeria is too weak to break… “…Who will break it? The […]

Tomorrow, Ambassador Judith Sefi Atta will receive an award in Abuja from the Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria, ARCAN. It is an honour she richly deserves.   I first met her when, in a blaze of Catholic enthusiasm, I got married in Rome in 1993. I was based in London in those days and […]

I recently came across this catchily-titled article from The Conversation Africa, an excellent independent source of news and views from the academic/research community. The Conversation project started in Australia and now has branches in many other countries. It aims to promote understanding of – and encourage quality public discourse about – complex current affairs issues. […]