Biodun Jeyifo (1946-2026), by Obi Nwakanma
There are these times when uttering words feel too overwhelming, because words sometimes weigh like stones. Such moments are like now, when we must make offerings to the memory of a man like Biodun Jeyifo – BJ for short. At his death, I was too tongue-tied to make appropriate tribute. In these times, when vulgar […]
Christian Chike Momah: 1930-2022
By Obi Nwakanma C.C. Momah would have been very well known among his peers just a generation ago, because he was one of the luminous stars of that generation of which General Ibrahim Babangida, in honoring J.P. Clark on the award of his National Order of Merit in 1990, described as Nigeria’s “Aristocracy of Knowledge.” […]
Stealing Nigeria
By Obi Nwakanma All things bright and beautiful; all creations great and small; all things bright and wonderful, Nigeria ruins them all. This is a twist on the song many of us sang in the Nursery and Primary Schools of yore. But the last twist was first made to it by the late eminent historian, and […]
Oluwajuyitan and the lessons of history
By Obi Nwakanma My first instinct was not to respond to Dr. Jide Oluwajuyitan’s revanchist drivel, “Between Zik and Obi: Lessons of History,” published in the APC-controlled Nation Newspapers on September 22. But I have had to rethink it. A full response to Oluwajuyitan piece, given what I think, is a poorly hidden hack job. In the […]
Madiebo, Anwunah: Two titans
By Obi Nwakanma General Alex Madiebo, and General Patrick Anwunah died within months of each other. Alex Madiebo, General Officer Commanding the Biafran Army was buried on August 22 at his Awka country home in Umuokpu, Awka. Last week, within three weeks of his burial, Patrick Anwunah, his friend, classmate and fellow Awka man followed […]
Ndi Igbo-through Agunze Ikokwu’s prism
By Obi Nwakanma Agunze Chibeze Nnaemeka Ikokwu writes with the depth and panache of a man exposed to the finest tradition of the letters. His book, Learning about Ndi Igbo is very simply titled, but the directness of this title belies its range, and only helps to amplify the rich, thoughtful and delightful depth of […]
Holding talks
By Obi Nwakanma The playwright Ola Rotimi was very prescient in his play, Holding Talks, written in the absurdist style to reflect on the stultifying inaction of official talks in the Nigerian situation. Talks that trail into absurd directions. Meaningless talks. Talks that are rather busy but they do nothing. Talks that hover around ways […]
On this ASUU matter
By Obi Nwakanma I was at the University of Nigeria in February to give the keynote to a conference jointly organized by Nsukka’s Institute of African Studies and the Harris Center of the University of Chicago. I remember the gaunt listlessness of the campus, because I arrived there the very day the ASUU strike began. […]
Issues in this campaign
The election season geared towards electing a new president for Nigeria is now upon us. In about two weeks, according to the rules of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), the official bar on campaigns will be lifted, the whistle will then blow for the parties now currently on their marks, to take off.
Omatseye’s death wish
What was Sam Omatseye thinking? That he could traduce an entire Igbo, and get resounding applause for his hackery? Everyone knows that Sam Omatseye does a hack job in contemporary Nigerian politics, and since he could not fit in properly at the Denver Post, where he did the last bit of real journalism inside him, he went to the dark side.
Impeach Buhari now
On Wednesday, opposition senators walked out of the plenary session of the Nigerian Senate in defiance of the Senate President’s underhanded attempts to muscle the senators into silence, and ensure that discussions on the senate floor on the security situation in Nigeria was not scheduled.
