Football is not for sale
Football is the world’s most popular sport. It belongs to everyone. From dusty neighbourhood pitches to the grandeur of the FIFA World Cup, its appeal has always rested on the belief that sporting merit, not financial engineering, determines its destiny. That is why the reported proposal by FIFA under President Gianni Infantino to create a […]
Debating The Debate
IN a serious democracy, a candidate who refuses to present himself for a major debate like the presidential debate would lose the election. Neither his reasons, nor his name would be important in the public reaching the decision on this. He would suffer the consequences of ignoring the public, and his party would be entangled in the resulting public odium his decisions would generate.
Violence Can Consume All
ELECTIONS are the best opportunities for Nigerians to say the worst things about their opponents. Threats and counter threats appear are also making increasing appearances in the news. Are they the selling points of candidates in the elections? We heard similar threats in the governorship elections that passed peacefully in Ekiti and Osun States last year.
Fighting One Corruption
CORRUPTION has been a buzzword for years. It is a minor surprise that it has not assumed a major role in the campaigns. Political correctness demands some general noise about corruption. Politiciansare more interested in “one type of corruption”, not the other, the one that affects them. Why is corruption an issue? It exists; it has devastating consequences for operations in the public and private sector. Corruption distorts economic activities, diverts public investments into private holdings.
Soludo’s Untaken Challenge
CHARLES Soludo, former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, has been accused of attention-seeking. Another accusation is that he mixed facts with fiction to the annoyance of today’s governments. He has been named a poor manager, whose skills resulted in huge bank liabilities – N5.67 trillion, according to government.
Change Nigerians Want
IF Nigeria is ours, we should protect it; we should place the interests of Nigeria above personal ambitions. We want to see such thinking in action during the elections. Change in our attitude is more important than who wins and loses the elections. The most important attributes of the elections should be the equanimity, grace, humility with which contestants accept the results. It is the responsibility of contestants to lead their supporters to change that would ensure there is no violence during and after the elections. It is an important change that would secure the lives of Nigerians quicker than the long speeches we hear.
