Owo Massacre: Six Months After

 By Hakeem Gbadamosi

The horrific attack on worshippers at the St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, where more than 40 persons were killed and many others injured, is still fresh in the memory of the residents of Owo and Nigerians.

On June 5, 2022, gunmen with explosives stormed the church located in the heart of the ancient town, opened fire on the congregation during a special service to mark the day of Pentecost, and left behind tears, sorrow and blood.

Whenever Buhari Tries To Be Smart, I Despair

 By Austin Oboh

More than a week after President Muhammadu Buhari spoke in the much celebrated interview on Arise TV, wherein he proffered his improvised solution to herdsmen and bandits’ attacks in states, I am yet to recover from the blatant dishonesty. The event has reinforced my belief that he is not truly willing to arrest the security crisis in the country. Whenever I come across the kind of argument the president made in that interview, I feel hopeless. And my sense of hopelessness about Nigeria is now particularly intense because I realise that nothing can be done about the situation if the man who reserves the privileging of the last word on security and defence is intentionally diverting people’s attention from the crux of the matter. 

*Buhari 

In that interview, President Buhari, who was supposed to give his opinion on the agitation for state police, as usual, went off on a tangent. He said he recently sent back two South- West governors who had come to complain to him about insecurity in their states. Deliberately or not, the president avoided stating his views on the agitation for state police – most observers would claim he was still on course; I don’t agree. 

What Do Yoruba People Want?

 By Olusegun Adeniyi

Even with a mask practically covering his face, I saw the expression of surprise when I posed this question to the Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola. Seated directly in front of his desk at the Osun State Government House in Osogbo, I was observing every gesture.

                        *Awolowo 

After a long pause, he said: “That is a very difficult question but I will answer it.” Another long pause followed during which he was apparently processing his thoughts. Then finally, the governor responded: “What Yoruba people want is a peaceful, secure and prosperous region in a just, peaceful and prosperous Nigeria that every citizen would be proud to call their country.”

The governor was candid as he explained the challenge of insecurity in the South-west, the process that led to the establishment of ‘Amotekun’, the operational guidelines and structures that are still evolving from state to state and the need not to mix security with religion or ethnicity. At the end, I left Oyetola better educated about the problem South-West governors are trying to confront and the stand of the Yoruba nation within a diverse Nigeria. The governor also explained how he was able to defuse the crisis in the Osun education sector as well as the financial engineering and alternative project funding that has helped the state to rid itself of the notoriety for non-payment of salaries while still embarking on a number of infrastructural projects. These of course are issues we will come back to another day.