Editorial

Tackling light arms proliferation

Tackling light arms proliferation

The proliferation of small arms and light weapons across Nigeria is not a distant threat; it is an immediate, corrosive reality that bleeds communities dry of security, livelihood and hope. Pistols, assault rifles and improvised firearms have become the currency of violence, multiplying the lethality of banditry, kidnapping, communal clashes and organised crime. Where once […]
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Nigeria at critical juncture

Nigeria at critical juncture

Over the years, several conditions such as incompetent leadership, official insincerity, economic failure, police brutality, corruption, youth unemployment, strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU; herdsmen attacks, banditry, kidnapping, Boko Haram terrorism and many other horrible conditions, have coalesced into a national anger to bring Nigeria to a critical juncture. As Daron Acemoglu […]

Where was the promised security?

Where was the promised security?

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, as the Commander-in-Chief, promised to provide “adequate security” for the 2023 general elections. The president promised: “Your vote will count.” Securing the election and preventing its corrupt monetisation were central to the high confidence the electorate approached the elections with. To further reassure the people of the readiness of his government to […]

Where went electronic transmission?

Where went electronic transmission?

An estimated 87 million Nigerians who collected their Permanent Voter’s Registration cards, PVCs, filed out on Saturday, February 25, 2023 to vote for Presidential candidates, Senate and House of Representatives members of their choice. The confidence of the electorate had been massively buoyed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s, proactive adoption of technology to […]

Let us vote wisely!

Let us vote wisely!

TOMORROW,  Saturday, February 25, 2023, is upon us as a nation. Barring any last-minute force majeure, Nigerian eligible voters with their valid Permanent Voter’s Cards, PVCs, will file out to vote for a new President. It will be the culmination of politicking and electioneering which kicked off with the selection of presidential candidates and their […]

INEC and the scourge of underage voters

INEC and the scourge of underage voters

THE Plateau State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Oliver Tersoo Agundu’s recent assertion that the Commission has “completely taken care of” the scourge of underage voters is a statement most Nigerians may take with a pinch of salt. With the presidential election just about 48 hours away, there is no surefire way of ascertaining how true […]

Buhari’s election security assurance

Buhari’s election security assurance

“I urge every citizen, therefore, to go out to vote for their candidates of choice without fear because security shall be provided and your vote shall count.” IN ordinary times, the above statement by Muhammadu Buhari, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, would not be taken seriously because Nigerians have seen a […]

Buhari’s firm defence of Naira policy

Buhari’s firm defence of Naira policy

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has continued to surprise his critics and well-meaning Nigerians with his no-nonsense stance towards the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN’s, Naira redesign/cash swap policy and commitment to a free, fair and credible election without executive interference. If he had adopted this governance attitude from the first days of his administration, he would […]

Need for INEC to shuffle the RECs

Need for INEC to shuffle the RECs

THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, appears to have secured the confidence of majority of Nigerians in its capacity and commitment to ensure the conduct of free, fair and acceptable general elections this year. The manner in which it pursued the development of relevant technology and supported the process of obtaining President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent […]

Aviation sector as essential service

Aviation sector as essential service

THERE is a protracted controversy in the aviation industry over the declaration of it as an essential service sector. This is mainly because of the lack of trust between the employer/regulatory groups and their workers’ unions. In September 2022, that coalition of aviation workers’ unions, made up of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, […]

Arson attacks on INEC facilities

Arson attacks on INEC facilities

THE violence which followed the EndSARS protests of October 2020, culminated in systematic attacks on facilities of the Nigeria Police and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, by hoodlums who were dubiously dubbed “unknown gunmen”. Between October 2020 and now, no less than 15 INEC offices have been hit, particularly in the South-East, South-South and […]

Dousing ‘emir’ of Aba controversy

Dousing ‘emir’ of Aba controversy

AS if Nigeria was not already overburdened by ethno-religious crises, evil-minded and unpatriotic Nigerians are still looking for ways of exacerbating social disharmony in the nation. They are coming up with schemes which are bound to create avoidable conflicts and possibly bloodshed. The highly-provocative news of an alleged impending plan to install one Shehu Bello […]

Buhari’s proactive transition plan

Buhari’s proactive transition plan

IF there is anything history cannot deny Muhammadu Buhari of as Nigeria’s leader, it is his firm commitment to one of the most honourable transitional plans we have seen since 1999. Last week, Buhari mandated the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SFG, Boss Mustapha, to announce a 22-member Transition Committee whose job is […]

Sending varsity students home to vote

Sending varsity students home to vote

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari’s government deserves commendation for granting university students a three-week break to enable them to go home and vote in the 2023 general elections. Last week, the good news came that the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, had instructed university vice chancellors to send their students home for the polls. This was a […]

Bad governments breed unpatriotic citizens

Bad governments breed unpatriotic citizens

ON Friday, January 27, 2023, during the Vanguard Personality of the Year Award 2022, Mrs. Eunice Onuekwusi, a 60-year-old widow and petty trader from Amagu village, Ukwulu in Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State, made history. Mrs. Onuekwusi was given a special recognition alongside state governors, captains of industry and other prominent Nigerians who […]

The sanctity of February 25, 2023 election

The sanctity of February 25, 2023 election

DUE to some prevailing crises in the polity, there have been doubts expressed over President Muhammadu’s promise to successfully conduct the 2023 general election as scheduled. Some sceptics still believe that the president and his loyalists are merely deceiving Nigerians; that close to the election dates, obstacles designed to derail the electoral process will be […]