What Future For The Yoruba After Tinubu’s Presidency?

 By Olu Fasan

At some point, whether in 2027 or in 2031, the Yoruba will face a future without President Bola Tinubu in power. Following January’s presidential election, Tinubu will either retain the presidency for four more years or lose it and leave office in May next year! Whichever way, either sooner, in 2027, or four years later, in 2031, the Yoruba will face a future without Tinubu as president.

*Tinubu

But what kind of future awaits them, and how would they handle it? To answer the question, we must examine two things that have happened to the Yoruba under Tinubu’s presidency and consider their long-term implications vis-à-vis the Yoruba’s age-old political tradition and temperament.

Peter Obi: Month Discount On Petrol: From Reactive Policies To Flawed Outcomes!

 The announcement by the APC led Federal Government offering a 30-day discount on price of petrol to relieve the acute hardship and hunger caused Nigerians by its unplanned removal of subsidy can only be described as another very reactive and confused approach to governance that is now the culture of the Tinubu Government.

*Peter Obi

I had delayed in reacting to the announcement just to give the benefit of doubt and watch the outcome of the policy. Now, having assessed the outcomes, the policy is a substitution of political optics for sound policy.

As Nigerians will recall, President Bola Tinubu on May 29, 2023, most carelessly removed fuel subsidy without any consultation or proper assessment of the negative impacts of such policies on our economy particularly on the livelihood of ordinary Nigerians.

Ohanaeze At 50: AI-KO’s Insider Story

 By Ochereome Nnanna

I first met Russia-educated Agbeze Ireke Kalu Onuma (AI-KO) in 2002 when I went to an Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo event in the Enugu residence of retired Justice Eze Ozobu. He had just emerged as the President-General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a young Abiriba man involved in the affairs of Ohanaeze. Usually, it was the elderly ones such as retired Commodore Okoh Ebitu Ukiwe, Prof Anya O. Anya, Dr Mang Egwuronu and a few others that mingled with the leadership of the group. On getting acquainted, Agbeze and I immediately became friends. We later went to the residence of his uncle, Dr Egwuronu, a Russia-trained pharmacist and avid historian. They come from a prominent Abiriba family.

When Hypocrisy And Doublespeak Define A Nation

 By Ikechukwu Amaechi

On October 1, 66 years ago, Nigeria gained flag independence from Britain. Within these years, the country reached another milestone – 27 years of unbroken civilian rule, which many confuse as democracy. Ours is not yet a democracy. 

*Tinubu during the 66th Independence ceremonies

It may well be with time, but democracy and civilian rule are poles apart. In a civilian rule, power is concentrated and recklessly abused by the political elites without public oversight but the idea of democracy calls for something more fundamental: it requires popular participation, free and fair elections and strong institutional checks and balances.

How Long Can Nigeria Go Under Tinubu?

 By Promise Adiele

I have always been fascinated by a phrase in the marital vows of Christians during wedding rituals: “till death do us part”! My candid understanding of the submission is straightforward – husband and wife accept that the only thing that can come between them, to put them asunder, is death, that final arbiter of human existence.

*Tinubu

Another marital expression that amuses me is: “what God has joined together, let no man put asunder”. The big question is – how many marriages did God join together? Many times, the speed with which some couples abandon the “till death do us part” vow bewilders my critical mind.

Wike, The Emperor!

 By Donu Kogbara

Nyesom Wike, the former Rivers Governor and current FCT Minister, has become the most visible, voluble and overbearing individual on the Nigerian political stage. He is more assertive and aggressive than his boss, Mr President.

He hosts more pro-government media interactions, grants more interviews and issues more statements than the Minister of Information and presidential spokesmen. He is far, far louder than any other member of Tinubu’s cabinet. He boasts that APC would have won the recent Osun gubernatorial election if he had been in charge.

As Tinubu’s Dark Past Imperils Nigeria’s Future

By Ikechukwu Amaechi

It is indubitable, all pretensions to the contrary notwithstanding, that this is not the best of times for President Bola Tinubu. Granted, he is a hard guy – tough, unyielding and some will say lacking in empathy – but even the hardest of men have their vulnerable moments.

*Tinubu

This must be such a moment for Tinubu because nothing can be more unsettling for a leader than when the past, thought to have been successfully buried returns like a phoenix, an apparition of sorts, with old memories and unresolved events, haunting like a sudden ghost. But make no mistake about it. Nigerians are not spared because it is a nightmare for a people to have a leader who is haunted by his dark past.

Our Vanishing President Jets Out Again!

By Steve Osuji 

Let it be stated that I am ashamed of my president. Yes my president and supposed president of Nigeria, Mr. Bola Tinubu. It’s not because he’s not good looking. I am not particularly good looking myself. It’s not because he’s not from my ethnic group. No. My best friends and benefactors are not of my tribe.

*Tinubu

I am ashamed of my president because he never gets anything right. He is what we used to call a bumblebee in those early school days. But worse is that he doesn’t seem to know nor does he care. He carries on like someone so much out of his depth, out of his league and doing all the wrong things.

Tinubu And The Agony Of Road Users In Delta–Edo Axis

 By Christian Chime 

It is shameful that major roads in the heart of oil producing states such as Delta and Edo are in a sorry situation with government leaving road users and residents of the areas wondering if actually they are part of Nigeria.

The Auchi-Abuja road which leads to Delta State, especially from Uromi-Ubiaja leading to Asaba, the Ebu-Illah Road roads are critical arteries linking various major cities in Edo, Delta, the entire South-South and South-East to the rest of the country, have totally collapsed.

Also, the Ubiaja Ewohimii road that leads to Onicha–Ugbo, Asaba-Benin Expressway has been totally cut off while the Uromi- Igueben road leading to Agbor is also write off.

Tinubu And The Agony Of Road Users In Delta–Edo Axis

By Christian Chime 

It is shameful that major roads in the heart of oil producing states such as Delta and Edo are in a sorry situation with government leaving road users and residents of the areas wondering if actually they are part of Nigeria.

The Auchi-Abuja road which leads to Delta State, especially from Uromi-Ubiaja leading to Asaba, the Ebu-Illah Road roads are critical arteries linking various major cities in Edo, Delta, the entire South-South and South-East to the rest of the country, have totally collapsed.

Also, the Ubiaja Ewohimii road that leads to Onicha–Ugbo, Asaba-Benin Expressway has been totally cut off while the Uromi- Igueben road leading to Agbor is also write off.

Welfare Of Nigerians And Politics Of Fuel Subsidy

 By Adekunle Adekoya

Again, the matter of fuel subsidy has dominated national discourse in the last few days, with President Bola Tinubu, former vice-president and ADC presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, NDC presidential candidate Mr Peter Obi and a host of others have had not a little to say about the issue.

The matter was reignited when Alhaji Atiku Abubakar said that if he should be elected, he would return subsidy on fuel energy. Expectedly, presidency officials descended on him, and in the exchanges that followed, harsh, near-uncivil words were used. The exchanges went as far as dredging up the matter of over $16 billion spent on the power sector during the Obasanjo administration. It just shows how deeply the issue of subsidy is affecting lives.

Fake Independence: So, Tinubu Can Tell EFCC What To Do!

 By Olu Fasan

Some Nigerians commit the delusional sin of believing that once a state institution has the word “independent” prefixed to its name, it is, indeed, independent.

They believe that critical state agencies created by statute or the Constitution to ensure security and law and order, to guarantee justice and rule of law, to safeguard electoral integrity and democratic norms and to fight corruption and malfeasance in public office do, in fact, discharge their responsibilities dutifully without fear and without favour, deliberately removed from presidential control.

Presidency-Catholic Bishops Saga: When Defenders Are Attackers

 By Adekunle Adekoya

I really don’t think there is anybody living in this country at the moment that is satisfied with the state of affairs. Don’t let me bore you — everyone knows where it’s pinching hardest — whether in the cost of transportation, or the risen and rising cost of food, or near-unaffordable accommodation, sky-high cost of fuel energy (gas, petrol, diesel), insecurity, etcetira. If there is anybody as yet untouched by these, such a person, or group of persons must be doing things we can’t do, or know not how to do to make money. As a result, people are worried, and perplexed at the state of affairs.

*Tinubu with the Catholic Bishops

This Friday morning, not a few people would have woken up from disturbed sleep caused by an empty stomach, and worse, they can’t even see the prospects for a breakfast, no matter how little. So, when top clerics of the Catholic Church, specifically the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria sought and obtained an audience with the president on this undesirable state of affairs, I think they were doing a duty to seek better options for all of us, irrespective of our diverse faiths.

As Bola Tinubu Plays God

 By Ikechukwu Amaechi

Listening to President Bola Tinubu’s response to the plea of Nigerian Catholic Bishops that he should make the yoke of Nigerians lighter, I couldn’t help but remember the Biblical story of King Rehoboam in 2 Chronicles 10:1-15.

*Tinubu

After the death of King Solomon, Rehoboam, his son, went to Shechem to be crowned king and the whole assembly of Israel supplicated: “Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you must lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

Rehoboam asked for three days for consultations. And, indeed, he consulted, first with the elders who had served his father during his lifetime.

“How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked. “If you will be a servant to these people and serve them this day, and if you will respond by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever,” they riposted.

Tacking Poverty In Nigeria: Onus On Crony billionaires, Not Self-Made Musicians!

 By Olu Fasan

Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Nigeria’s irrepressible first lady, recently made two controversial interventions on the country’s socio-economic situation. First, she told the jobless to start selling akara, roasted corn or kuli-kuli to eke out a living. 

Then, she admonished rich young musicians to help the poor. She received a torrent of criticism for the comments. Yet they contain a kernel of truth and a fundamental flaw. I explore both here, arguing the remarks are more deeply flawed than valid.

‘Fake’ Agency: Tinubu’s Amoral Rule Breeds Impunity, Abuse Of Power!

 By Olu Fasan

There is a shocking paradox, a bewildering moral hypocrisy, at the heart of President Bola Tinubu’s leadership. On the one hand, he is actively prosecuting previous public officers for corrupt practices, claiming to have secured over 7,000 convictions since he came to power three years ago.

Yet, on the other hand, he presides over a moral cesspit, where ministers routinely abuse power and act with utter impunity, where some are so powerful they can literally get away with murder, protected by their fealty and sycophancy to the president, where governance is utterly devoid of transparency and accountability, and where conflicts of interest are so blatant, with a total blurring of public and private interests. These malfeasances are the subjects of this intervention, but we must start with the ongoing “fake” agency saga.

Nigeria As Federal Republic Of Asiwaju? Why Not!

 By Ikechukwu Amaechi

At the rate some public officials are going, no one should be surprised if a bill surfaces in the National Assembly tomorrow seeking to rename the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the Federal Republic of Asiwaju. When that happens, we will seize being Nigerians and become Asiwajuans! What a great name. Anyone saying God forbid as Nigerians are wont to do is not reading the signs correctly.

*Tinubu

In a country where public officials – elected and appointed – are falling over themselves and elbowing each other to please one man, God is not in the business of forbidden anything. Come to think of it, how long did it take the National Assembly to pass the bill that changed the national anthem in May 2024? Six days!

The Plots Against Peter Obi And Threats To Democracy

 By Emeka Alex Duru

Make no mistakes about it; democracy is not a sure bet for emergence of good leaders. It is also not a guarantee for good governance. But it allows the electorate a voice on how they are governed and grants them the freedom of choice and participation in the affairs of the state, at least, ideally.

*Peter Obi

It is this people-content that separates democracy from other forms of government. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was therefore right in defining democracy as the government of the people, for the people, by the people. Take away the people-factor, it is no longer democracy, no matter how benevolent it may seem. A system that is shorn of democracy, is an aberration. But then, democracy, if not properly managed and protected by the relevant checks, can be abused by even elected leaders. This is part of the reasons why every Nigerian must ensure that the current democracy in the land, is not truncated.

June 12: Nigeria’s Annual Ritual Of Glorifying A Sham ‘Democracy’

 By Olu Fasan

The decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to name June 12 as Nigeria’s “Democracy Day” was motivated by self-serving politics, not principled conviction. Before he became president in 2015, Buhari never once publicly condemned the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

*Tinubu and Buhari

However, in 2018, as he prepared to seek re-election the following year and faced deepening unpopularity in the South-West, Buhari changed the annual “Democracy Day” from May 29 to June 12 to curry favour with the South-West, which had turned the annulment into an ethnic issue. Professor Wole Soyinka said at the time that Buhari took the decision “with an eye on electoral fortunes, undoubtedly.” He was right!

2027: Atiku Only Cares About Running, Not Winning!

 By Olu Fasan

To several Nigerians, Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, should not run for president next year. Some cite age, others zoning. On the first, the general view is that, at 80 years old by the time of the next presidential election in January 2027, Atiku would be too old to run for president. On the second, many posit that the South, which currently holds the presidency, should be allowed to complete the conventional second term.

*Atiku

Thus, Atiku, being a Northerner, should respect the unwritten zoning rule, and desist from seeking the presidency next year. But while there are some merits in the age and zoning arguments, they are not the real obstacles to Atiku becoming Nigeria’s president next year if he decides to defy the zeitgeist and run for the presidency.