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Elohim, Let Me See You!
...Very inspiring music that blesses the soul! Listen, Share and Visit the Youth Page to listen to the previous albums. Then Subscribe, so you would be notified each time a new album is released...
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By Olu Fasan
Nigeria is a product of two perverse rules. One is colonial rule; the other is military rule. Virtually everything that exists structurally in Nigeria today was either created by colonial rulers or military dictators. Nigeria’s very existence and name are colonial creations. Then, Nigeria’s Constitution, system of government – presidentialism – and governance structure – 36 states – are military impositions. Nigeria’s national anthem was colonial, then military, and now colonial again!
Look around you, nothing structural, even symbolic,
is a true reflection of the collective will, or choice, of the people of this
country.
The implication is that colonialism and military rule produced a captive people called “Nigerians” who have absolutely no direct input in the creation, name, structure and even symbols of the geographical entity they call their country.
...Before the bubble burst...And good friends became fierce foes, torn apart by opposing ambitions...
*Abiola, Abacha and former Gov
Otedola of Lagos State...
By Ikechukwu Amaechi
A lot of mischief is going on in the banking sub-sector of Nigeria’s financial ecosystem since the Central Bank of Nigeria, on June 3, 2024, announced the revocation of the banking license of Heritage Bank Plc.
The not so subtle campaign by some faceless groups to demarket an otherwise solid financial institution like the Fidelity Bank Plc., however, has not escaped the attention of the discerning banking publics. But it is a mischief taken too far.
By Dan Onwukwe
Often
missing from debates on why a governing party after years or decades in
power suddenly failed to win majority seats in parliament or lost outrightly.
History of politics offers an array of arguments why this happens in many
democracies. It’s about not learning the lessons in power, the hard way.
*Tinubu and
Ramaphosa
Learning
the lessons the hard way begins when that gripping listlessness sets in, when
political power begins to slip away from a governing party. The endgame begins
the very moment the party leadership feels over-confident, and those who
surround the President feel their man has got enough power, and don’t need
anybody anymore.
By Andy Ezeani
“Without death penalty, 90% of Nigerians will continue to see corruption as God’s blessings. The anti-corruption campaign will be a huge waste of time. We are already heavily populated, why can’t we sacrifice the top criminals to save the country’s future?” – Nasir el-Rufai
Now, the House of Assembly in Kaduna State, the state Nasir el-Rufai governed until May 29, 2023, says the former governor is corrupt.
*El-Rufai
Any report of the political demise of el-Rufai may not just be exaggerated, to call up that legendary construction by Mark Twain, it may also be premature.
By Tonnie Iredia
The Nigerian Senate elevated its leadership profile in the country last week when it opted to pass the second reading of a bill which seeks to ban open grazing and establish ranches for herders in the country. The bill was passed by a clear majority of the senators when their President, Godswill Akpabio, put it to vote.
By Obi Nwakanma
There was a tradition recorded by the Roman historians, Suetonius and Tacitus, of the Naumachia, the spectacular, very large scale, gladiatorial public entertainment, which the Romans themselves also called Navalia Proelia because it was held at sea, or large lakes, or flooded arenas.
Those who were rounded up, or selected to these Naumacharii, normally prisoners of war or state captives already condemned to die, were expected to enact naval battles before the emperor and fight to the death. And on this one occasion, those prisoners already condemned to fight to death, stood before the disfigured and lame emperor, Claudius, and declared, “Ave, Imperator! Morituri te Salutamus!” (“Hail Emperor! We who are about to die salute you!” Neither Suetonius nor Tacitus remarked at any hint of, or intention for irony in making that salute by these tragically fated fighters.
By Dele Sobowale
“The jaws of power are always open to devour, and her arms are always stretched out, if possible, to destroy the freedom of thinking, speaking and writing [the truth] – John Adams,1735-1826, US President, 1797-1801.
The Nigerian media, print, electronic, main line and online, except the traitors in the industry, is under attack now as never before since the late General Sani Abacha. Now, as then, those whose principles have not been compromised by being now closer to the corridors of power must close ranks and wage this war against freedom to the end. The end, of course, means retaining our liberties to publish or broadcast the truth to the people of Nigeria – despite the ever-present wish of all governments that unfavourable reports be suppressed.
By Elvis Eromosele
“An old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb.” This is a popular saying from Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.
Many times, these days, I feel like that old woman in the saying, especially when I see skits where food is wasted and there are too many of them now. I don’t find them funny. I can’t laugh. They offend my sensibility. Food don cost.
By Ayo Baje
“Let
us work together to create a future where every child can learn, grow and
thrive. Education is a right not a privilege. Let us make it a reality for
all”
– Hon. Obidike Chukwuebuka (APC Chieftain).
By Owei Lakemfa
The loss of majority in parliament by the African National Congress, ANC in the May 29, 2024 South African elections was a sunset for the continent. It means that the unrepentant Pan Africanist organisation with its vow to the mass of the people and unrepentant commitment to humanity as manifested in its unprecedented war against genocide in Palestine, might be compromised under a coalition.
*Ramaphosa and Zuma
The uniqueness of the ANC in South African and international politics is that it has never really been a political party. Rather, it is an all-comers movement of people dedicated to freedom and social justice. It is built on a tripod: coalition of people with different ideologies and religions, the South African Communist Party which espouses socialism, and the Congress of South African Trade Unions, COSATU. The current President Cyril Ramaphosa is from COSATU.
By Dan Onwukwe
For presidential aides in a democracy, the advice has always been: Understanding of the inner workings of power is very essential. It will offer you a nuanced picture of leadership at the highest level. For spokespersons to the President, and Governors, the advice is even more direct: Always work in harmony with your colleagues, not in discord. Master your duties. Don’t lord it over others.
*Tinubu
To borrow the words of George Stephanophoous, Bill Clinton’s top media adviser during his presidency, your duty to your boss can be “compared to being an air traffic controller at a busy airport on a foggy night”. That means avoiding issuing contradictory statements that may send the wrong signals to pilots and passengers onboard the aircraft. Deviating from these rules could ignite a firestorm in a presidential plate.
By Olu Fasan
There is aparadox in the relationship between politicians and traditional rulers in Nigeria. Before elections, prominent presidential and gubernatorial candidates queue to pay homage to traditional rulers and solicit their blessing.
*Sanusi
By Banji Ojewale
There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor polite, not popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him he is right. —Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) American churchman and civil liberties defender.
*Pastor Kumuyi and his wife, Mrs
Esther
In his book, An Outline of the History of the World, Herbert Abraham Davies relates the epic story of how a cleric put himself in the path of potential backlash to deliver ancient Rome from annihilation at the hands of an all-conquering army of barbarians. The predators were already in the regions of the Roman Empire; all the soldiers needed was an order from their leader, Attila the Hun, to move in and overrun Rome. From this she was saved, (so it was said), "by the earnest entreaties of Leo, Bishop of Rome, who entered Attila’s camp and warned him not to risk the vengeance of heaven by plundering the city, and the Hun leader was so impressed with the bishop’s sincerity and intensity of purpose that he withdrew his troops."
By Olu Fasan
Dear readers, I am wearing my academic cap this week, and assessing the first-year performance of Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s president since May 29 last year. In fact, I have marked Tinubu’s first-year assessment. The result? He failed badly. He scored an abysmal 37 per cent!
*Tinubu
Earlier this week, Tinubu marked his own exam paper and awarded himself a pass mark. He said he met Nigeria bleeding and stopped the bleeding. That’s utterly ludicrous, given that most Nigerians have been trapped in unimaginable misery and anguish over the past one year, and the fundamentals of Nigeria’s economy and social fabric have crumbled further in the past year. Yet, Tinubu has cheerleaders. One of them is Dr Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, who said Tinubu “has laid the groundwork for progress” in his first year. What an outlandish thing to say! Well, for me, Tinubu failed his first-year assessment.
*The proud winners
Contestants were drawn from
the Junior and Senior Secondary classes (JSS1-JSS3 and (SS1-SS3) to form the
two categories.
From the several students that participated in the first stage of the competition, twenty names made the top performers list. These were then invited to Lagos to write the final test which held on Saturday, May 25, 2024. Six contestants were eventually shortlisted as winners, three for each category.
The event took place on the 28th of May 2024. It was a special day and memorable occasion filled with laughter, joy, and invaluable support for the children of Olusosun Primary School.
Now in its 18th edition, the African Banker Awards celebrate the achievements of individuals and institutions that have contributed significantly to the growth and development of Africa's banking sector over the past year. This year’s awards ceremony in particular saw DFIs triumph, enjoying successes, in both institutional and individual categories, and representing the increased growth they enjoy in the African financial ecosystem.
