The image of Mandela’s infectious smile is etched in the minds of those who admired him. Despite the immense challenges he faced, he always presented himself with grace and warmth. His gentle demeanor and genuine kindness were reflected in every interaction he had,  whether with world leaders or ordinary citizens.

For this and other reasons, Nigeria has a terrible image internationally. Our green passport enjoys little prestige or value. Nigerians are regularly targeted for xenophobic attacks, especially right here on the continent of Africa. Unfortunately, our foreign missions have proved incapable of responding to the needs of the Nigerian diaspora due to poor funding and governance of our diplomatic sector.

By pronouncing the subsidy over with immediate effect during his inauguration, Tinubu plunged the economy into a tailspin. Petrol price tripled in many parts of the country and became scarce as marketers shut their gates.

Over the centuries, the herdsmen who used to be peaceful became violent because the grazing routes that their host communities allowed them to use to move their cattle around were taken over for the use of the exploding human population for farming and housing.

Unfortunately, vultures are stigmatised in certain cultures, mainly due to social misconceptions and folklore associating them with death and decay.

THE early Wednesday morning coup that ousted President Ali Bongo of Gabon is yet another clear signal that military intervention in our part of Africa is returning to the centre stage after a few decades of romance with democracy.

We also expect the states to initiate their own respective independent measures rather than merely lying supine to suck from the Federal Government’s feeding bottle, a pandering to dependency syndrome. The states have also benefited immensely from increased federal allocation since the subsidy removal implementation started three months ago.

How else could it be possible for candidates ostensibly screened for high positions in government are later found to have issues that should have disqualified them at the screening stage?

FROM Day One, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, committed a great blunder by its decision to announce a military adventure purportedly to flush out the junta of Niger Republic led by General Abdourahmane Omar Tchiani. A newly-installed president of Nigeria who a few weeks later was elected Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of […]

THE call by a House of Representatives ad hoc committee for the “unconditional” release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, is timely as we approach one year after the courts ordered his release. The committee headed by Obinna Iguocha, was empanelled by the Speaker of the House of […]

IT is a shame that up till today, Nigeria has not been able to fix the problems that inhibit the export of our farm products, especially foodstuffs, to other parts of the world. Back in 2017, then Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Audu Ogbeh, raised the alarm that Nigerian yams were not allowed into the United […]

WITH the unveiling of the portfolios of his cabinet nominees and their swearing in on Monday, August 21, 2023, the administration of President Bola Tinubu is fully installed and ready to go. The media and social advocacy community waited with bated breath for the appointment of the Presidential Spokesman, Minister of Information and Attorney General […]

NIGERIANS received with mixed feelings the apportioning of portfolios to President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet nominees. Some of the appointments were well-received because of the track records of those entrusted with vital posts. For instance, the appointment of former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike as the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, can revive the fortunes of […]

A SCANDAL over alleged attempts by senior lawyers to bribe the judges of the Kano State National and State Election Petition Tribunal caused a stir over the past week. The Chairperson of Panel 2, Election Petition Tribunal, Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge, alleged in open court that money had been “flying around”, and that a Senior […]

NIGERIA, a country of over 200 million people, is one of the most infrastructure-challenged in the world. We rank 143rd out of 195 countries, according to experts. What this means is that the country is backward and lacks supportive factors for rapid development. The most discouraging aspect is that the little infrastructure we have are […]