Today, October 1, 2025, is Nigeria’s 65th anniversary as an independent nation. In reality, Nigeria, which was amalgamated on January 1, 1914 by joining the Southern and Northern Protectorates with the Colony of Lagos, is exactly 111 years and ten months old. Nigeria’s greatest problem, historically, is lack of unity. The British colonial authorities, with […]

The continued relevance of the United Nations Organisation, UN, is a topic of endless debates around the world. This issue is even more topical, as the 193-member universal organisation clocks 80 this year. The UN came into effect when member nations (made up of independent, sovereign states) signed the United Nations Charter on June 26, […]

On Saturday, September 27, 2025, the world celebrated World Tourism Day, WTD, a tradition that began in 1980 at the proposal of a Nigerian, the late Ignatius Atigbe. This year’s theme, “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation”, underscores tourism’s unique power to drive economic growth, preserve culture, and foster human development. While the United Nations World Tourism […]

The nation dodged the proverbial bullet recently following the quick and amicable resolution of the battle of wits between Dangote Refinery and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers, NUPENG, over the former’s alleged anti-union activities. The refinery planned to deploy 4,000 to 10,000 Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, trucks for nationwide fuel distribution […]

Jihadist terrorism, banditry and kidnapping have become parts of the daily experience of Nigerians. These violent crimes which directly target the citizens and their communities, have gradually become mainstreamed in many parts of the country, while governments, which should be all-out against them either crave their indulgence through “negotiations” or bark like toothless dogs. In […]

Penultimate weekend, the Federal Government and stakeholders in the livestock breeding sector met in Abuja to look for ways of keeping cows off the Abuja metropolitan area. The intractable problem of cows roaming the streets of our Federal Capital Territory is attributable to the weak political will on the part of the Government to stop […]

Nigerians are assaulted daily by disgusting sights of people defecating in the open. Beyond the obvious revulsion it evokes, this practice poses a great risk to citizens and the environment. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, as of 2021, about 46 million Nigerians still engaged in open defecation. The figure could be far […]

It is only in Northern Nigeria that we frequently hear the calls on the Federal Government and State Governors to negotiate with and grant amnesty to terrorists and bandits. This was a narrative they picked up from advocates for the Niger Delta militants who flooded the media with this call. The late President Umaru Yar’Adua […]

Nigerians are outraged at the prospect of an additional tax burden following the Federal Government’s announcement that it will soon start implementing a five per cent tax on fossil fuels for roads and bridges construction and maintenance. The tax is built into the Nigerian Tax Administration Act, NTAA, which President Bola Tinubu recently signed into […]

Over the weekend, Administrator of Rivers State, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, started wrapping up his controversial assignment. This was a clear indication that the six-month suspension clamped on Governor Siminalayi Fubara and all democratic structures in the State would not be extended. The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, issued […]

The subtle war of interests between domestic refiners of petroleum products and their counterparts who import same is normal in a liberalised economy like ours. The letters and spirit of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, 2021 intend that both should exist side by side, and this has ensured adequate, reliable and sustainable petroleum products availability, […]

The vexed issue of evolving a professionally designed and operated National Social Register, NSR, to help the most vulnerable elements of our society came up once again at a stakeholder forum in Lagos last week under the theme: “Advancing Social Protection Through the National Social Register, NSR”. At the event, the National Coordinator of the […]

The United Nations International Children’s Education Fund, UNICEF’s, warning is clear: every child has the right to education, but Nigeria is failing to uphold this most basic of rights. With one in every five out-of-school children in the world found in Nigeria, the crisis has reached a breaking point. Indeed, Nigeria holds the dubious “world […]

Iran’s escalating water crisis serves as a chilling harbinger for nations grappling with similar vulnerabilities, including Nigeria. Iran faces one of its most severe droughts in decades, exacerbated by chronic water mismanagement, climate change, and overexploitation of resources. A nationwide rainfall deficit of around 45 per cent has left reservoirs critically low, with 80 per […]

The latest report by SBM Intelligence should jolt Nigeria’s leaders into reality. Between July 2024 and June 2025, kidnappers demanded more than N48 billion in ransom. SBM Intelligence’s study titled: “The Locust Business: The Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry – A 2025 Update” confirmed that N2.56 billion was paid as ransom, with 4,722 civilians abducted […]