Sachet alcohol: A N100 threat Nigeria must not ignore
Thousands of Nigerians begin their day with something far more dangerous than tea: cheap alcohol. At bus stops, motor parks, roadside kiosks and places frequented by young people, sachets and tiny plastic bottles have made spirits remarkably easy to obtain. The small package may look harmless. It is not. The Federal Government, through the National […]
Nigeria and the global efforts to save the environment
LAST Friday, at the official unveiling of the Hyundai Kona electric car by the Stallion Group, Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, NADDC, Mr. Jelani Aliyu, announced the Federal Government’s plan to begin Electric Vehicle Pilot programme in three universities – the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto; University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the […]
Okonjo-Iweala’s challenges as WTO DG
COME March 1, 2021, Nigeria’s Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will assume office as Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO, to pilot world trade till August 31, 2025. She will not only be the seventh Director-General of the organization, she will also be the first woman and African to be saddled with such a prestigious but […]
Need to avoid ‘vaccine nationalism’
WITH at least 14 vaccines now in play, it is not surprising that powerful nations such as the USA, EU, UK, Russia, China and others have rushed to stockpile them for the benefit of their citizens. This is more so as these countries, despite their sophisticated healthcare systems, have been severely affected by the coronavirus […]
Buhari’s disavowal of amnesty for terrorists
Last week, President Muhammadu Buhari came out with a clear and resounding message on the current debate as to what best to do to end the menace of insecurity across the country by armed hoodlums: there will be no amnesty for them from the Federal Government. In a message he sent to the meeting of […]
Bridging the COVID-19 vaccine divide
THE recent pledges of COVID-19 vaccines from a number of rich Western countries towards assisting poorer countries to acquire enough doses of the vaccines to roll out their vaccination campaigns are edifying. By making new commitments to effectively end the COVID-19 pandemic through sharing of vaccine and increasing funds to the COVAX facility, world leaders […]
Drop draconian NPC, NBC Bills
THE media and civil society advocacy sectors have had their hands full battling the many draconian policies and legislations which have routinely ruffled the democratic space since the present regime assumed power in 2015. These include bills to strangulate the social media, shackle the citizenry through a new Quarantine Act, the Twitter Ban and the […]
Minister Nanono’s N30m mosque largesse for herders
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has confirmed that the “leaked memo” circulating in the social media about the approval by the Minister-in-Charge, Mohammed Sabo Nanono, of N30 million for the construction of a mosque for displaced herdsmen is “authentic and appropriate in all ramifications”. The note of defiance in the statement said […]
Rethinking NYSC at 48
AS the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, scheme clocked 48, a bill in the House of Representatives is seeking to have its scrapped because it is no longer living up to its ideals. The scheme was established by the General Yakubu Gowon military regime on May 22, 1973, as one of the strategies to heal […]
Revisiting the 1963 Constitution
It should not come as a surprise that many Nigerians are not paying much attention to the ongoing zonal public hearings for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution. Nigerians are severely distracted by the security challenges that threaten to capsize our ship of state. All the killings and kidnappings that are making it difficult for […]
Upsurge in rail track vandalism
It would appear that the latest crime in town is rail track vandalism. Reports of rail tracks and clips being removed by hoodlums are being reported throughout the parts of Nigeria where railways are found. The month of May 2021 has been a nightmarish one for the struggling Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, as no fewer […]
AFN crisis and Nigeria’s participation in Tokyo 2020 Olympics
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, is in crisis. On June 14, 2021, there were two separate elections. One held in Abuja and the other in Kebbi. Predictably, two presidents emerged. Abuja produced Tonobok Okowa, the Delta State Sports Commission Chairman as the new AFN President, while the Kebbi elections returned the erstwhile incumbent, Ibrahim […]
CBN’s Anchor Borrowers in danger
When the Muhammadu Buhari assumed power in May 2015 he took an inordinately long time to appoint key officials into his government. He took even a longer time – two years – to unveil his Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, ERGP. Perhaps due to these delays, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, in November 2015, […]
Jihadists’ threat against Delta State
Ordinarily, the threat letter issued by a self-styled “Fulani Jihadists” group to attack Delta State should not merit more than an idle glance. The faceless group had pasted its threat letter in strategic places in Asaba and Agbor, including the perimeter walls of the Delta State Government House over the past fortnight. Their complaint was […]
Passing the security buck to Governors
President Muhammadu Buhari, in his interview on ARISE TV recently, recounted how he turned back two South West governors who came to Aso Rock Villa requesting him to provide security for their people being killed by herdsmen. “I told them, you campaigned to be elected and you are elected… go back and sort out yourself,” […]
Revisiting the 1963 Constitution
It should not come as a surprise that many Nigerians are not paying much attention to the ongoing zonal public hearings for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution. Nigerians are severely distracted by the security challenges that threaten to capsize our ship of state. All the killings and kidnappings that are making it difficult for […]
