THOUGH the Federal Government’s early warning and disaster intervention authorities were prepared for the floods, the sheer scale of the destruction of lives and property it left in its wake still took everyone by surprise. The National Meteorological Agency, NiMET, and the National Hydrological Service Agency, NHSA, had predicted unusual flood volumes this year. A […]

JUST when we thought that the eight month-long strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, had ended, the Federal Government is still engaged in its immature, pointless and insensitive antics that could lead to the resumption of the strike. The university teachers found that their October salaries had been slashed. A statement from […]

FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo has reconfirmed his position as a pre-eminent African statesman after successfully leading the African Union peace initiative to broker a ceasefire in the Ethiopian civil war. Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country, fell into war two years ago when the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the leadership of the […]

SEVERAL state governments have indicated their intentions to arm their vigilante outfits with sophisticated weapons to protect their innocent, unarmed, law-abiding residents. The states include Zamfara, Katsina, Benue and Ondo states. These are among the most terrorised states in the country. Some other state governments, interest groups and true federalism advocates have only verbally agitated […]

THERE are some things that are disconcerting; one of them is rushing to the airport to catch a flight only to be met with a strike, picketing or shutdown of airports by the workers’ unions in the aviation sector. In the past couple of months, travellers were subjected to nightmares due to service disruptions from […]

IT is difficult to congratulate the Federal Government for taking the steps that ended the latest Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, strike. It stands totally culpable for the eight-month strike, which was avoidable. It took the intervention of the House of Representatives led by its Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, to end the seemingly intractable problem. […]

THE emergence of Mr. Rishi Sunak as the Prime Minister of Britain is no ordinary event. It is rich in history and points to where the Western world is right now compared to the rest of the world. Here is British-born Sunak with almost unadulterated Indian/Hindu heritage emerging as the Premier of the United Kingdom […]

THOUGH the flooding that has engulfed the country is a disaster foretold, even the National Meteorological Agency, NiMet, underestimated its scale in its in-season warning issued on August 17, 2022. The Agency had warned of high-risk flooding in states like Borno, Kaduna, Delta and Bayelsa, but what hit the nation covered 33 of the 36 […]

ON Wednesday, October 19, 2022, physically-challenged athletes erupted in rage in Lagos and Benin City. Their grouse was their alleged exclusion from the National Sports Festival, NSF, coming up in Delta State next month. In Lagos, they locked the National Stadium, Surulere, blocked the flow of traffic on Funsho Williams Avenue and protested with placards […]

ON September 28, 2022, the campaigns for the elections formally went into full swing, according to the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Already, some of the serious 18 registered political parties have flagged off their campaigns. We are, however, disturbed at the use of unprintable words by some political parties and candidates […]

AT the recently concluded third Ministerial Performance Review Retreat in Abuja, President Muhammadu Buhari assured that the proposed Nigeria Air national carrier would commence operations before the end of this year. He said it was already 91 per cent accomplished, and counted it as one of the achievements of his government. The national carrier idea […]

WE share the joy, relief and optimism of the government, people and residents of Lagos State over the imminence of a second airport for the city. A metropolis of more than 20 million people and a bustling centre of commerce like Lagos definitely needs more than one airport. The approval for this project was issued […]

NO credible excuse or explanation can be spruced up to justify the international embarrassment that the military authorities exposed Nigeria to in the burning of a pirate ship caught in the act of illegally lifting oil in the Niger Delta. The 87-metre long ship, which was arrested by the private security outfit of ex-militant leader, […]

MANY elected officeholders hardly grasp the import of the oath of office and allegiance they take when being sworn in. They fail to understand that it is an undertaking to obey, defend and implement the Constitution and the laws that derive from it, and not merely to use it to feather their selfish interests and […]

EXACTLY two years ago, a tragic event that has set the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos aside as a historic monument of sorts took place. A crowd of unarmed youths singing the national anthem was shot at by troops in a bid to quell protests which had lasted for nearly two weeks. The youths called […]