Baba, Go Straight To Niger, Forget Daura

 By Dele Sobowale

“The evils that men do live after them…”- William Shakespeare, 1564-1616, in Julius Caesar

Outgoing President Buhari announced a few weeks ago that he might relocate to Niger Republic – if people disturb him too much in Daura. Since then, some commentators have assumed he was serious with the declaration; a few said he was only joking and his comments should not be taken too seriously. I take a different attitude.

*Buhari 

Irrespective of whether he meant it seriously or as a light joke, I think he should fly straight to Republic of Niger – where a befitting Presidential Lodge is probably waiting for him. After eight years as President of Nigeria, during which he did Niger more good than Nigeria, he should, quite rightly, expect a warmer welcome there than Daura or any place else in Nigeria.

As Nigeria Prepares For The Zoom Presidency

 By Chidi Odinkalu

Having gone to London to watch the crowning of England’s King Charles III earlier this month, a friend joked last week, that President Muhammadu Buhari extended his stay so his dentist could crown his teeth. That was how he read the line from the Presidency that Buhari had stayed back in London for a dental procedure.

*Buhari and Tinubu 

Ten days before the end of his presidency, on his return to Nigeria, Buhari commissioned the Presidential Wing of the State House Medical Centre, SHMC. Estimated to be worth N21 billion, this project provides an insight into the mindsets of Nigeria’s higher-ups. 

Saving Nigeria’s Manufacturing Industry

By Elvis Eromosele  

The manufacturing industry is crucial to a nation’s economy. It plays a significant role in generating employment, increasing productivity and driving economic growth. In Nigeria, the manufacturing industry is a critical sector that contributes significantly to the country’s gross domestic product, GDP, through job creation, wealth creation, and increased tax revenue for the government.

It has equally been identified as a key sector in the nation’s quest for diversification away from oil dependency. It can enable a country to reduce its reliance on imports, improve its trade balance, and increase its overall competitiveness. Manufacturing is almost all things good.  Unfortunately, the nation’s manufacturing industry has long struggled with a host of challenges that have prevented it from achieving its full potential. Some of these challenges have intensified in the last decade.  

Nigeria Air And Buhari’s Ministers Of Magic

By Adekunle Adekoya

You may not agree with me, but I have taken the position, for quite some time, that some of Buhari’s ministers are magicians. By the way, the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary says a magician is a person that is “skilled in using supernatural forces”. 

A synonym of magician is sorcerer, which the same dictionary defines as person “who performs tricks of illusion and sleight of hand”. We are also informed by the dictionary that sorcery is “the use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits especially for divining”. 

Beware: My Impersonators On Rampage! – Peter Obi

 By Peter Obi

My duplicates are still on the rampage, they now mimic my voice and call people. There is no limit that people cannot go to cause mischief on their target. I have been a target both locally and internationally.  

*Obi and his wife 

The latest incident happened in Abuja yesterday, 17th May at the Court of Appeal premises of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal venue, where my attention was drawn to what was going on outside the courtroom. 

A report came to me while I was seated in court that one Prince Mustapha Audu, son of the late Governor of Kogi state, held the OBIdient's Chief Spokesman, Dr Yunusa Tanko and some others spellbound – castigating and talking down on me, describing me as an ethnic and religious bigot.  

Rising Crime Rate In Nigeria 2023

 By Obiotika Toochukwu

During the campaigns for the 2023 General Elections, the known militia and pariah state of Nigeria experienced calm, peace, and safety. It was nuanced that the sponsors of terrorism, banditry and other crimes were too occupied with the electioneering campaigns. Few weeks after the elections and announcement of results, the spate of insecurity took over the Nigerian space again.

It is quite disheartening to see young men of school age involved in various crimes. Education in Nigeria has been so much degraded that most youths view it as a waste of money, time and resources. Due to incessant strikes and other bottlenecks in the high institutions, majority of the students have embraced cybercrimes, internet fraud (Yahoo plus) and kidnapping. The university professors on the other hand are used by the incumbent government to perpetuate electoral fraud and announcement of election results marred by irregularities.

Chinua Achebe, 10 Years After: ANA Unveils Programme To Mark Passing Of Africa’s Literary Icon

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 Chinua Achebe’s 10th Year Anniversary Commemoration Begins May 19, 2023 As ANA Unveils Zoom Link For Virtual Participation...

*Chinua Achebe 

The much-awaited programme to mark the 10th anniversary of the passing of literary icon Chinua Achebe is set to commence tomorrow, Friday, May 19, 2023. Organized by the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) under the leadership of Camillus Ukah, the programme will honor the enduring legacy of Chinua Achebe, whose literary contributions have left an indelible mark on the global literary landscape. 

Ekweremadu: Britain Is Nigeria’s Nemesis On Criminal Justice

 By Olu Fasan

Let me say this: I take absolutely no joy in the plight of Senator Ike Ekweremadu, former Deputy Senate President, and his wife, Beatrice, who were recently jailed by a British court for human-trafficking and organ-harvesting offences.

But those begging the new British monarch, King Charles III, to grant the couple royal pardon are misguided. Such pleas fuel the perception of Nigeria as a lawless country and expose the sharp contrast between Nigeria and Britain on criminal justice and the rule of law.

National Assembly Sovereignty: Joke Taken Too Far

 By Owei Lakemfa

As an undergraduate in Great Ife, the Obafemi Awolowo University, I was a member of the Students Representative Council, the parliament. Whenever we met, the generality of the student body surrounded the venue to observe. The idea was that the parliament represented the students, so they have a right not only to observe, but also influence it. In a far limited sense, that is what is called the gallery; except that while the gallery can be cleared, same does not apply to the parliament.

The idea that parliamentarians are autonomous and should not be influenced either in picking their officers or legislating, was ridiculous.

Igbo Adventurism In The World Context

 By Luke Onyekakeyah

Adventurism in the context used here refers to the tendency of the Igbo to migrate to other lands and consciously decide to settle, build homes and develop those lands while their homeland is abandoned in a pathetic and undeveloped state.

Some assume traditional titles and begin to command influence in the Diaspora. The Igbo proclivity is different from what obtains with other migratory peoples around the world. There is nothing wrong with migrating to other lands but there is everything wrong with abandoning the homeland, which is senseless.

Did Buhari Really Deliver ‘Change’?

 By Dan Onwukwe

To be sure, the jury has been out since on the performance of Muhammadu Buhari as President. It  is in the natural course of things for an outgoing government to appraise its performance in office and score itself  ‘excellent’ . In this part of the world, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to see an administration close to the exit door, up against the wall, to accept, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, that it has underperformed.

*Buhari 

But truth is constant. It does not fudge facts or define truth downwards. Truth does not exaggerate or oversimplify matters. It simply hits the bull’s-eye. Truth says it as it is.  Truth holds those who play fast -and- loose with the facts in derision, in utter contempt. The problem with all the President’s men is that they view admitting the truth as a sign of weakness.  In the last one month, most of the President’s men, and even the President himself, have been strutting the stage, thumbing their chests over the his accomplishments. Nothing wrong with that. But what are the facts on ground? 

Growing Poverty In Nigeria

 By Peter Imouokhome

In layman’s terms, poverty is seen as the inadequacy of financial means to sustain a needed standard of living or to afford the necessities of life. Now largely tagged a global phenomenon and a state of emergency, previously, poverty was restricted to defined territories and a people. However, this has now been overly properly dimensioned as it is known that even in developed nations of the world, poverty exists.

Today, the first goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals seeks to end poverty in all forms everywhere. There has been a prior understanding of nations of the world in a pact signed under the Heads of Nations in June 1998.

Resolving Nigeria’s Electricity Conundrum

 By Dakuku Peterside

Every Nigerian knows that we have an electricity prob­lem. It has been a recurrent sound bite in development discourse in Nigeria post- indepen­dence. This challenge is generation­al and has defied all attempts in the past to solve it. And Nigerians are gleefully looking to the incoming administration to end the search for the solution to this hydra-head­ed problem and terminate Nigeria’s electricity conundrum. Whether this administration will succeed where others have failed in unravelling the electricity conundrum depends on its careful study and understanding of the problem. 

It will entail an in-depth review of all previous initia­tives to solve the problem, and the current state of the whole electrici­ty value-chain in Nigeria as well as providing bespoke strategies to pro­vide sustainable electricity supply that meets the massive demand in Nigeria. Electricity, especially in Af­rica, connotes light, which signifies progress, knowledge, and awareness. 

Buhari’s Frivolous Medical Trips Abroad

 By Charles Okoh

When the presidency announced that the out-going (thank God) President Muhammadu Buhari would be visiting the United Kingdom for the coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen Consort of the United Kingdom penultimate Saturday, something told me that the presidency was telling its usual lies and that the president ultimately was going for a medical trip. And I said that openly to those around me.

*Buhari 

Now, the president is human and like every other human being, is liable to fall ill and deserves all the best the country can give as a nation to its president. But I dare ask, must the best healthcare be delivered outside this country? What image is the president portraying of Nigeria to the larger world? That we can’t even treat his dental challenge locally?

Political Class: Let NDDC Develop Niger Delta!

 By Tonnie Iredia

The oil-rich Niger Delta Region of Nigeria consists of Nine (9) coastal southern states of the country; namely: Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Imo, Abia, Cross River and Akwa Ibom. The 2006 controversial census recorded for the area some 31 million Nigerians – a figure that would today be about 40 million. What is certain is that the Niger Delta provides over 80 percent of Nigeria’s budgetary revenues and about 95 percent of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.

Consequently, one would have thought that the area would have on its own merit be at the front burner of Nigeria’s development framework but that has not been so. Instead, the area has been subjected to severe collateral damages caused by the multi-dimensional nature of oil operations thereby completely devastating the environment.

Why Nigeria Must Join BRICS Alliance

 By Femi Falana

About five years ago, the Federal Government of Nigeria and China entered into a currency exchange agreement.

*Leaders of BRICS countries 

The transaction, which was valued at Renminbi (RMB) 16 billion or N720 billion, was aimed at providing adequate local currency liquidity to Nigerian and Chinese industrialists and other businesses, thereby reducing difficulties encountered in the search for the United States Dollar. The swap was also designed to improve the speed, convenience and volume of transactions between the two countries.

The Dignity Of Labour

 By Victor Ofou

A talented Nigerian musician, Adekunle Gold, in one of his popular songs entitled: Work, encouraged people to work hard. This is in harmony with what God’s word, the Bible, recommends in Ecclesiastes chapter 9, verse 10, where it says: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might.” Work – whether paid or unpaid – is good for our health and well-being. It contributes to our happiness, helps us to build confidence and self-esteem, and can reward us financially. Work is an essential tool through which individuals can achieve their goals, flourish, and live happy, meaningful lives.

Work has different dimensions, such as work for making a living and work for developing one’s talent and potential. For example, a little girl in one of the corners of the world who goes to kindergarten and learns how to count, draw, or write, is working. Likewise, an adult, who goes to his/her job every day, and gets paid for that, is also working. Thus, based on the age, circumstances, needs and desires of individuals, work, or labour, takes different shapes.

Where Are Incorruptible Judges?

 By Promise Adiele

Olu Olagoke’s timeless play The Incorruptible Judge is a profound literary piece. It penetrates the Nigerian social fabric, exposing the clammy, savage grip of criminality, especially bribery and dreary obsession with lucre within government establishments. The text dramatizes how a young school leaver, Ajala, in search of a job, falls victim to an immoral employer, Mr. Agbalowomeri, who demands a bribe of five pounds before employing him.

Instead of offering the bribe, Ajala reports the matter to the police. The detective in charge of the case, Sergeant Okoro, gives marked notes to Ajala for onward delivery to the corrupt employer. The bait works, and Mr. Agbalowomeri is arrested red-handed. The matter is charged to court where the incorruptible Justice Faderin takes charge.

Metamorphosis Of Tolls And Taxes On Nigerian Roads

 By Steve Obum Orajiaku

Anyone especially in Nigerian government who cries wolf that taxes are successfully evaded by the citizens cannot be more stingy (economical) with the truth. Nowhere else in the world do the people forcibly pay for tolls and taxes in different shades and styles than in Nigeria, particularly Southern Nigeria.

Sometimes it is quite resentful the manner this ad hoc tax collector in police, military, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO), Vigilante men, etc uniforms go about fulfilling their illegal duties. Many lives of unsuspecting victims in South East, Lagos State have been lost to the brutality and unconscionable treatment meted out to the road users who refuse to play ball.

Travails of Citizen Ojokoh: Open letter to IGP Usman Alkali Baba

 By Ikechukwu Amaechi

Sir,

Let me apologise from the onset for reaching you through this medium, considering that a private, albeit, official letter may have been more ideal. But two things informed my choice of open letter. First, I don’t want the letter to be lost in transit, mislaid in the miasma of officialdom. Second, time is of the essence here.

*IGP Usman Alkali Baba

So, my hope is that even if you don’t get to read this letter first-hand, someone who did will promptly draw your attention to it. I am also aware that Mr. Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC, sent a petition to you on Monday, May 8, on the same issue. This letter is to reinforce the position of RULAAC on the travails of Citizen Thaddeus Ikechukwu Ojokoh in the hands of officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force, Imo State command.