Let’s All Defect, Now!

 By Adekunle Adekoya

Earlier this week, Tuesday precisely, Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah of Enugu State, elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ditched his party, and with his entire political machinery, defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. He was not the first, and will not be the last.

*Mbah and Tinubu

His colleagues of the PDP that had defected to the APC much earlier include Governors Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State and Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State. With the way things have turned out in Rivers State, we should expect another defection from there anytime soon.

Obasanjo And The Haunting Ghost Of His Third Term Agenda

 By Olu Fasan

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria’s former military ruler and former civilian president, is a bundle of contradictions. One could write a book on Obasanjo’s strengths, and another on his flaws. Of course, Obasanjo is his own hagiographer. He has written many books on himself, with such self-referential titles as My Command, Not My Will and My Watch. But as the biographer Lytton Strachey said, discretion is not the better part of biography. And so, most of Obasanjo’s books are an exercise in self-glorification, with highly disputed narratives. 

For instance, Obasanjo’s My Command, an account of his role during the civil war, was so controversial that it provoked General Godwin Alabi-Isama to write his own book, The Tragedy of Victory, to correct what he described as “Obasanjo’s Tissues of Lies”.

Senior Advocates Of No-Consequence (SANs)

 By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

The ritual of the “Call to Bar” is the formal ceremony for the admission of new entrants into Nigeria’s legal profession. The responsibility for administering it resides in the Body of Benchers (BoB), a statutory entity described by law as “a body of legal practitioners of the highest distinction in the legal profession in Nigeria.”

The solemnity of the Call to Bar is guaranteed by the presence of members of the BoB who administer the ceremony resplendent in ceremonial gowns supposed to testify to their high distinction in matters legal. The criteria for the determination of this threshold requirement of “highest distinction” antecedent to membership of the BoB are, however, opaque.

Air Peace Expands Horizon With New Abuja-London Route

By Fred Chukwuelobe

On October 26, 2025, Air Peace Airlines Limited will add the lucrative Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja (IATA code ABV) and the London Heathrow (LHR) route to its network. The airline will also in 48 hours after, add the ABV – London Gatwick (LGW) route. This will bring to three the number of UK destinations Air Peace will be flying into, that is, in addition to its highly successful Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS) Lagos to London Gatwick (LGW) it currently operates.

Last August, Air Peace received another Boeing 777-200ER aircraft with registration number 5N-CEG, bringing to four the number of wide-body aircraft in its fleet to service these new routes. The upcoming London routes will increase their share of passenger volume into London, a market that had for years been dominated by foreign “big players” in the aviation industry.

Nigeria: Beautiful Nonsense As Governance

 By Owei Lakemfa

Senate President Godswill Akpabio issued a very powerful statement to the world on October 11, 2025, titled “The Trials and Triumphs of a Resilient Nigeria’s 10th Senate.” He vowed   that: “The Senate cannot and will not be held hostage by the disruptive instincts of any of its members.”

*Akpabio 

He declared: “Democracy thrives only when its institutions are respected and its rules upheld…The discipline of parliamentary conduct is a universal marker of political civilization”. The Senate President mentioned no names, gave no instances, referred to nothing. It was just a bland statement that said nothing. It gives the impression of an idle leader finding it difficult to get out of bed. 

Certificate Scandal: Minister’s Resignation Not Enough!

 By Tonnie Iredia

The uproar generated by the allegation that Uche Nnaji, Nigeria’s immediate past Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology forged both his degree and NYSC certificates has simmered considerably following the Minister’s resignation. But why he resigned is not clear. Did he resign because he was weighed down by the enormity of the scandal? Could it be that he wanted to save the government from further bad press or was he forced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to quit? This unclear end to the scandal is one of the many reasons why the resignation is not enough.

*Nnaji

If Nnaji was not guilty as some of his supporters forcefully argued, it is unfair to sacrifice him over some purportedly concocted allegations. Considering that it was not just a fake degree certificate but also a bogus NYSC certificate, the allegation became one too many. On this score, the former Minister cannot blame those who concluded that he has a propensity to be blame worthy. A spokesperson for Nnaji had argued that there was a PDP faction within the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN who ganged up against his principal. If so, did the same political group permeate the NYSC to conjure the wrong official to sign Nnaji’s bogus discharge certificate?

Minister Nnaji: Is Tinubu’s Cabinet An Oluwole United?

 By Ugoji Egbujo

Atiku says the federal cabinet is an assembly of serial forgers, money launderers, election bandits and identity thieves. While it can’t be described as a total rogues’ gallery, it harbours far too many shady figures, granting too many reprobates access to the pulpits of power.

Tinubu, the acclaimed talent hunter, wanted a minister of innovation, science and technology and chose Nnaji. That is telling. Of all the brains in Igboland, of the constellation of Igbo intellects, Tinubu chose an Nnaji to lead innovation. Perpetuating the pattern. The third-class students march into politics to govern the first-class students, their footsteps echoing their hollowness in the corridors of power. Had Tinubu placed country above cronies, summoning scholars and inventors to ignite science and technology, he would have spared himself and the country this festering mess. And spared Nnaji this life-bending humiliation.

Plagiarism: The Silent Crime That Robs Nations Of Ideas

 By Stephanie Shaakaa

The first time I saw my own words staring back at me under someone else’s name, I felt an ache I cannot quite describe. Every sentence, every metaphor, every night of reflection poured into that piece stolen. Not borrowed, not referenced, but taken whole.

Plagiarism is theft. I know, because my original article carefully researched, deeply thought through, and published in Vanguard Newspaper on August 23, 2025 was stolen, rebranded, and published in a business newspaper in Nigeria under the name of Udo Maryanne Okonjo, who even had the audacity to call it “Side-Chick Economics: The Hidden Billions of Secrecy (Part 1)”. Part 1! As though she intends to build an entire series on an idea that is not hers.

Rufai Oseni And The Courage To Ask Questions That Burn

 By Stephanie Shaakaa

There are journalists who report and there are journalists who interrogate reality. 

*Oseni

Rufai Oseni of Arise TV belongs to that rare, unbending category of truth-tellers who refuse to be hypnotized by power or intimidated by titles. He has mastered the art of peeling away official veneers and exposing the hollow core beneath the rhetoric that too often passes for governance in Nigeria.

Some journalists report events. Rufai Oseni dissects them.

He doesn’t just anchor the news he interrogates reality.

The Tragedy Of Public Office In Nigeria

By Sam Amadi

The tragedy of holding  public offices in Nigeria is not only the prevalent bad governance we see everywhere. It includes the damage it does to those who hold such offices. 

*Amadi

Many of our political leaders are well trained professionals. Some of them have held top management positions before turning to political offices. But they never get back to doing any other meaningful work after holding high political office except continuing to politick. The reason for this captivity to politics is that Nigerian politics is corrosive. It destroys that quality of corporate usefulness such that once you have tasted it, you are never fit for anything else except Nigerian politics.

Rescuing Nigerians From The Talons Of Some Leaders

 By Owei Lakemfa

The resolve, determination, precision   and speed with which the Petroleum and Natural Gas   Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN   took on Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, frightened the ruling elites.  

They clearly had written off the Nigerian working people and their ability to strike if necessary. The elites   had come to the conclusion that the Nigerian people are conquered and can be trampled upon at will. The labour reaction which started with the resolve of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, to stand up to the Dangote Plc and its attempts to trample the rights of workers into the dust, was also a warning   to elites who seek to enslave the people. So, after   being staggered, these elites are admonishing labour for setting a bad example. 

Certificate Integrity And The Future Of Nigerian Leadership

 By Peter Obi

It is commendable that the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Mr Uche Nnaji, has resigned following the controversy surrounding discrepancies in his academic certificates. 

That is a decent and honourable step. Similarly, we can recall that during President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, then Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, resigned after issues were raised concerning her NYSC certificate. These instances remind us that such matters are not trivial; they constitute serious criminal offences. 

As we approach the 2027 general elections, INEC and all relevant agencies must take decisive steps to verify and authenticate all academic and professional certificates of every candidate—from the President down to local government councillors. We cannot continue to allow dishonesty and criminality to sit at the heart of leadership.

ASUU Vs FGN: Renewed Hope, Renewed Struggle

  By Jeff Godwin Doki

One can say with considerable justification that our politicians do not know the meaning of honor. And this is because honor is a very expensive gift, and that is reason you cannot find it among cheap Nigerian politicians. For example, some of the salient attributes of honor include integrity, honesty and the keeping of a promise or an oath.

Nowhere is this idea of honor illustrated with more completeness than in the poem, ‘The Franklin’s Tale’ written by Geoffrey Chaucer (1342-1400), the first English poet. The story goes like this: Dorigen’s husband had traveled out of town when a young man came earnestly asking for her love. Jokingly, Dorigen gave the young man an almost impossible condition which is that: he can only get her love if he is able to clear away all the rocks from the sea.

Wilful Destruction of People’s Investment in Lagos

 By Uzor Maxim Uzoatu

These are trying times for Nigerians. The diabolical nature of mankind is in full expression. For me, it has come down to the harsh truth that I never really knew my so-called friends. It’s indeed embarrassing to come to terms with the realities I see in modern-day Nigeria.

As Thomas Paine wrote in his time, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” The one consolation as ever is this knowledge: “Even this too shall pass…” 

The issue at hand does not need for me to pontificate. There was massive demolition of some buildings in the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos. The matter raised so much dust across the primordial divides of Nigeria. The talk was that the buildings were demolished because they were built without the requisite approvals. There was also talk that they were erected on canals and water channels. 

Forgery As State Policy: Tinubu, His Cabinet, And The DSS Must Be Held Accountable

 By Atiku Abubakar

Tuesday’s resignation of Uche Nnaji, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, has once again brought to light the deep moral crisis at the heart of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration. What should ordinarily be a matter of national shame is now being disguised as a “voluntary resignation”, an attempt to whitewash yet another scandal that typifies the forgery-ridden character of this government.

*Tinubu and Atiku

Let the truth be told: Uche Nnaji should not have been allowed the courtesy of resignation. He should have been summarily dismissed and prosecuted for deceit and falsification. By permitting him to quietly exit through the backdoor, the Tinubu administration has once again demonstrated that it is an assembly of forgers, impostors, and morally bankrupt individuals masquerading as public servants.

For Nigeria, 24 Million Reasons To Fear The Future?

 By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

When Olusegun Obasanjo took over in the middle of 1976 from the slain Murtala Muhammed as Nigeria’s military Head of State, the regime was already committed as a matter policy to transition power to an elected civilian administration in 1979. This was a big deal alright but not one over which he had much say as such.

As military Head of State, General Obasanjo identified two issues to define his personal legacy. One was food security. To address that, he launched “Operation Feed the Nation”, better known by the acronym (OFN). Those were the same initials of Obasanjo Farms Nigeria, the name of the company under which the General would later pursue his post-retirement vocation in agriculture. The coincidence was not lost on many.

Igbo-Yoruba Rivalry, Bridging The Harmony Route

 By Tony Iwuoma

On a hot afternoon in Lagos, Alaba International Market buzzes like a living organism. Igbo traders call out prices for electronics in quick Igbo-English pidgin, while Yoruba shopkeepers argue with them in Yoruba-laced banter. 

Bargaining is intense, voices are loud, but behind the noise lies a rhythm of trust: credit extended across ethnic lines, partnerships formed in cramped offices, apprenticeships that cut across ancestral origins.

At one stall, Chijioke, an Igbo importer, laughs as his neighbour, Bamidele, a Yoruba distributor, jokingly accuses him of being “too sharp.” Chijioke fires back, “And you Yoruba, you like to calculate everything!” Both men laugh. The stereotypes are alive, but in this moment, they are softened into jokes, not weapons. They know their livelihoods depend on each other.

Echoes of ‘Iya Shukudi’ In Trade Fair Demolitions

 By Ugo Onuoha

Many issues have been playing out in Lagos state between the government and residents, especially with those of Igbo extraction. There appears to be no love lost. It has been a cat and mouse relationship since after the February 2023 presidential election in which Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi [an Igbo], defeated a ‘son of the soil’ Bola Ahmed Tinubu, candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress [APC] political party.

*Sanwo-Olu and Tinubu

The defeat of the Jagaban, who was a governor of the state between 1999 and 2007, was deemed an insult, an assault, and a sacrilege. It came as a shock of ‘tsunamic’ proportion because Tinubu, now president of Nigeria, was regarded as the builder and owner of Lagos, a claim that is blatantly untrue. He was regarded as a wily politician and a political strategist like no other. For once he was outed as a giant with clay feet. 

The 15 Best African Safaris To Add To Your Bucket List...

 Why Is Nigeria Missing?

Few travel experiences rival the magic of an African safari. To embark on one is to surrender to the rhythm of the wild: rising before dawn for a game drive as the bush stirs awake, and closing the day with a sundowner as the horizon dissolves into one of the continent's surreal sunsets.

Unbeknownst to some travelers, safaris take many forms: open-vehicle game drives across sweeping plains, intimate walking safaris with expert trackers, canoe journeys along river channels, and even ocean safaris that unveil a world of hidden coral reefs and aquatic species.

Peter Obi: The Danger Of Making Crime A Norm

 Whenever I talk about Nigeria being a crime scene, those who are part of the criminality and their hirelings will quickly start their noise-making, attacking and blackmailing me.

*Peter Obi
But how do you tell people that those whose integrity, character and behaviour are supposed to be exemplary and emulated in society have become the very source of the nation’s decay? How do you tell young Nigerians to be honest and upright when those they are supposed to emulate are the least to be emulated because they are criminals and dishonest? 

Certificate forgery is a serious criminal offence in all countries of the world. It is one of the most corrupt practices heavily punished.