Nigeria: Delta’s And Bauchi’s Brutal Schools

By Paul Onomuakpokpo

How much our public schools are not yet primed for the production of the geniuses and patriots of the future is often borne out by the insalubrious developments in them that have become their regular features.

This is not a blight that is peculiar to the public tertiary educational institutions. Their sad fate roils the public imagination simply because the teachers at this educational level easily find a voice under the auspices of their associations such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to express their perennial grievances.

Yes, Atiku Should Go To Court

By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye

The decision of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, to wage a legal challenge against the proclamation of President Muhammadu Buhari the winner of the February 23, 2019 presidential election has not received the encouragement of a few informed minds in the country.

*Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar

One respected voice, for instance, thinks that Atiku should instead join hands with other well-meaning Nigerians, the civil society and like-minded politicians to help to properly set up and strengthen democratic structures capable of hamstringing the repeat in future elections of the large-scale malpractices that allegedly marred the last elections – an issue that constitutes the main plank of Atiku’s suit.

Calm Down Nigerians, It’s Only Four Years!

By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye

Early on Wednesday, February 27, 2019, by 4.40 am and four days after the presidential election held in Nigeria on Saturday, February 23, the Chairman of the ‘Independent’ National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, announced that Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been reelected Nigeria’s president. What this means is that, if the legal challenge being undertaken by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, comes out unfruitful, the next four years will see Gen Buhari piloting the affairs this country. 

*President Buhari 

President Buhari has already warned Nigerians to expect four years of excruciating hardship. He, reportedly, called it “tough times” which he said would be far worse than what Nigerians experienced in his first term, and I have no reason to doubt him. Obviously, he does not want to once again mesmerize us with tantalizing promises which would only end up advertising his inability to redeem them. He is telling us exactly what to expect so we can brace up for this really tough journey through the wilderness.

Two Easiest Jobs In Nigeria

By Paul Onomuakpokpo

Despite the varied perfidy that sullied the recent elections, they are not irredeemably impaired after all. They have provided us with some vital lessons to navigate our labyrinthine political space. Clearly, they have once again jarred us into the consciousness of our seemingly indissoluble deficit in political enlightenment. 

It is such a societal malaise that propels the citizens to cast their votes without knowing the explicit reason they are doing this. In their minds, these remain unresolved posers: Is it really for the vote-buying lucre that is transacted far from the prying eyes of other citizens? Is it on account of the candidate’s past performance either in private or public offices that redounded to the well-being of the citizens?

Nigeria: Between Election Violence And The Spoils Of Office

By Banji Ojewale

In rivers and bad governments the lightest things swim at the top — Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), American scientist and philosopher.

Nigeria’s elections are always a period of hemorrhage, seasons of internecine bloodletting, that, strangely, does not bring down our population. Just do a study of our cyclical polls. None came and went away without taking away precious souls. They have all soaked us in blood either before, during or after the ballot. Even the June 12, 1993 presidential contest we celebrate didn’t consummate its benignity. It wasn't allowed to. 

The vampires showed up to ruin the chance to dance. They annulled what Providence offers only once in a lifetime. What we got on the proverbial silver platter, we have since been looking for in a golden platter. It’s been quite an agonizing quest, made unbearable by the high toll in the lives we lose when we blow the whistle for electioneering.

Second Term: Can Buhari Reinvent Himself?

By Banji Ojewale

…we will continue to engage all parties
that have the best interest of Nigerians at heart.
Our government will remain inclusive
and our doors will remain open.
That is the way to build the country of our dream – Muhammadu Buhari, after being announced winner of 2019 presidential poll.

*President Buhari 

In our traditional winner-takes-all approach to elections, and with Nigeria more sundered now than at any other time in our history, the only sane path to follow in order to heal poll-inflicted wounds and distrust and draw all back into the common ground, is a resort to an inclusive government President Buhari is talking about. He has also pleaded with his party members and supporters to be reticent in excitement.

President Buhari’s Militocracy

By Paul Onomuakpokpo

Unless the citizens resolve to prosecute an urgent rescue agenda, the nation’s hard-won democracy would collapse at the hands of President Muhammadu Buhari. And above the rubble would be autocracy and anarchy. These are not far-fetched. We already have their precursor in the now burgeoning militocracy whose chief promoter is Buhari.

*President Buhari 

Ever since Buhari succeeded in conning the citizens with his pretensions to being a born-again democrat, he has never hidden his contempt for the obligations of his newly-found calling. Yet, the citizens make allowance for the blossoming of the democrat in him. But the more they expect him to demonstrate the readiness to abide by the tenets of democracy, the more they are disappointed.

Has President Buhari Forgotten Leah Sharibu?

By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye

As President Muhammadu Buhari, the commander-in-chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, moved from one state to another, campaigning for a second term despite nearly four years in office which has been widely adjudged a horrendous failure, a 15-year old, tender, innocent girl named Leah Sharibu remained a hapless, pathetic, traumatized captive of Boko Haram terrorists, obviously,  under the most dehumanising conditions.

*Leah Sharibu 

Given what has, reportedly, been the horrible experiences of young, beautiful girls like her who have been captured by these terrorists, one is really scared to imagine what Leah might have been subjected to for nearly one year now. Most painful is that she hardly gets mentioned again these days by those whose job it is to rescue and bring her home!