7,000 Stranded Nigerians, NIDCOM And Worth Of A Nigerian Life

 By Magnus Onyibe

The recent revelation by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), that more than 7,000 Nigerians are currently stranded in Libya, inspired this intervention. Her statement revived painful memories that moved me, eight years ago in March 2017, to publish an article lamenting the surge of illegal migration by our young men and women in search of greener pastures abroad.

That desperate pursuit often ended tragically, as countless Nigerians lost their lives attempting to cross the Sahara Desert on foot via Libya into Europe or navigating the Mediterranean Sea in rickety wooden boats into the Lampedusa islands, Italy.

Wike’s Rants: Blame The Media, Not The Minister

 By Ikechukwu Amaechi

The conduct of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, in the public space is quite unbecoming. It is not enough to dismiss him as unhinged as many are wont to do because to do so is to ignore the fact that for whatever it is worth, he is a Nigerian political elite, a member of the privileged club that makes the authoritative allocation of our collective values.

*Wike during a media chat
In any sane society, such privileged position demands some level of politesse and dignity in public conduct. His actions, at any given time, violate the acceptable standard and respect for others. To put it mildly, they go beyond the bounds of decency.

₦142 Billion For Bus Terminals: Another Evidence Of Misplaced Priority, By Peter Obi

 

The difference between the success and failure of the development in any nation is how you prioritise your scarce resources. 

The recent announcement that a sum of ₦142 billion has been approved by the Federal Government for the construction of one bus terminal in each of our six geopolitical zones further affirms the lack of competence, lack of focus and poor leadership. 

My Meeting With Peter Obi In 2022

 
By Ade Damola

For my security and the privacy of some comrades I will try to be discreet about certain things, but I will try to safely say some things.

I met former Governor Peter Obi in Abuja for the first time and at his instance and invitation in 2022…He didn’t offer and I didn't expect him to give me any money…

I hope I won’t appear be too arrogant if I say I would have considered it an insult if he had offered me any money...

In fact it was at the end of our conversation that he apologised for not even offering us water to drink after discussing for hours… I   think I mentioned this publicly after that meeting; my response then was that there was nothing he could have offered us that would have been more than the time spent.

How Private Sector Can Help To Tame Soaring Rents

 By Ignatius Okafor

The crisis of rising rents in Nigeria’s major cities has become a painful reality for millions of households. From Lagos to Abuja, tenants face ever-increasing demands for two to three years’ rent upfront, while landlords insist that inflation and high construction costs justify their actions. 

With the country’s housing deficit now estimated at 28 million units, soaring rents are unlikely to abate without urgent reforms. Over the years, successive governments have launched initiatives to address this crisis, yet the impact has been minimal.

The Japan “Hometown” Hoax

 By Ochereome Nnanna

One of the fallouts of President Bola Tinubu’s recent trip to Japan was the news that Japan had created a “hometown” for Nigerians in Kisarazu, a suburb of Tokyo. The impression it gave was that Japan would issue special visas (perhaps something like the American Visa Lottery), to enable willing Nigerians migrate to Japan, settle and work.

When I made a social media post asking Nigerians if they would like to “japa to Japan”, a good number of young people seemed excited about the “opportunity” and sought more information. The Japanese Foreign Ministry has since clarified the issue, but in a manner that poured ice water on the enthusiastic expectations of those seeking to become Japanese overnight.

African Leaders And The Renewed Scramble For Africa!

 By Adekunle Adekoya

Many readers might have read or heard about the initial scramble for Africa, as recorded by historians. It was a movement that culminated in a major political and economic exertion by the major and minor powers, largely of European origin.

The end result was colonisation. In a bid to continue to sustain the economic wealth of their countries, many European countries saw that they needed resources not immediately available in their territories to sustain the new ways of life that promises more wealth as the Industrial Revolution took off with inventions being rolled out one after the other and investors commercialising them. 

Wike’s Lives Hang On A Slender Thread

 By Dele Sobowale

In all matters, one must consider the end” – Jean De La Fontaine, 1621-

“A man cannot be too careful in his choice of enemies”– Oscar Wilde, 1856-1900.

*Tinubu and Wike
Every active and deliberately controversial politician in a deadly political environment has two lives to protect – his real life and his political life. Occasionally, the two lives are imperiled at the same time on account of circumstances brought about by him or beyond his control. For a long time in the history of partisan politics, a politician has placed his two lives in jeopardy. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has inadvertently boxed himself into a very tight corner.

Nigeria’s Passport Fees: Need For Caution

 By Tonnie Iredia

From the take-off of the current federal government in Nigeria till today, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the nation’s current minister of Interior has been seen by many as one of President Bola Tinubu’s best appointees. Young, agile and proactive, Tunji-Ojo has left no one in doubt that he would sustain high performances all through his tenure.

Indeed, at the beginning of year 2025, his presentation of his account of stewardship was received with general ovation. At a ministerial briefing in January, Tunji-Ojo gave Nigerians hope with revelations of what his ministry and its agencies had swiftly achieved. First, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) had at the end of 2024 successfully issued a total of 1.8 million passports while clearing a backlog of 200 applications.

The Clans Gathered For Brother Okello Oculi As He Paddled Across

 By Owei Lakemfa

The clans gathered. The intellectual clan surpassed the academic. The former flowed into the radical. The radicals bowed to the revolutionary. The revolutionary clan flowed into the Pan-Africanist. The Pan-Africanist made way for the traditional.

*Late Professor Oculi

We did not cry. It is not our culture to mourn the elderly who paddles to yonder sea. Rather, we rejoice for we have gained one more ancestor to watch over us.

Before Okello was 82, and decided to leave without fuss, he had spent the last 48 years in Nigeria. This Nigerian ancestor began his earthly journey in Dokolo, Northern Uganda. Then, we in Nigeria owned him, but he was a famous son of Africa; a priest who reminded us that so long as we are Black, we’ve got the identity of an African.

Nigeria: A Nation’s Planlessness Is Wasting Away Youth Lives

By Olugbenga Ogunmoyela

In recent months, it should have become very clear to every discerning mind that almost every family must be sharing in the present burden of our youths, many thousands of who have been “sitting at home” some for upwards of close to two years or more after graduation, without being able to mobilise for the National Youth Service Corps Scheme. There is seeming confusion in the land and no one seems to care; no one sees the social and health dangers that are looming in this national burden.

For example, I have seen a number of brilliant young minds idling away, waiting for NYSC mobilisation. I have a very brilliant nephew who studied Applied Mathematics with Statistics in one of our Universities and graduated with a First Class Honours and has not been called up for over one year for NYSC and yet cannot be gainfully engaged or employed because of the archaic law that prohibits our graduates from being employed without the NYSC Certificate.

Restructuring: Is Nigeria’s Problem The Constitution Or Its Operators?

By Olu Fasan

The commonest riposte by opponents of the call for political restructuring in Nigeria is that Nigeria’s problem is not its political system or its Constitution but the operators. I refer to this as the “culture versus structure” argument in my forthcoming book In The National Interest.

Put simply, those blaming the operators of the Constitution, and not the Constitution itself, subscribe to the “culture hypothesis”, which attributes a country’s poverty or prosperity to the culture and behaviour of its leaders and citizens, and not the kind of institutions it has. By contrast, adherents of the “structure hypothesis” posit that the nature of institutions, governance structures and political systems determines the success or failure of a nation. The nature/structure dichotomy is central to the restructuring debate in Nigeria.

Nigeria Trapped In Elite Capture

 By Dan Onwukwe

The halls of politics and power in today’s Nigeria are littered with the remains of politicians who had desperately sought and acquired power not to use it for what it ought to be: power for great purposes, that’s, to serve the people. Rather, they are deviously determined to make politics and government run like a money-spinning business.

*Akpabio and Tinubu

This is the reason our present democracy has failed to deliver the much-expected dividends because, serving the people is of secondary importance to our politicians. The problem here is that, without vision beyond their own advancement, Nigerian politicians are paralysed once that selfish interest is achieved. Our pain is their gain. Nigeria is trapped in an inescapable situation.

GEJ: Please, Don’t Go There!

 By Oseloka H. Obaze

Good day, President Jonathan.  In the local parlance of Otu Eke and Otu Nkwo, I come in peace.  Sir, may I ask a question you need to ponder deeply before you respond? Did you forget anything at the Aso Rock Villa?  Regardless of the answer, Sir, here is the generalized message. 

*Jonathan 
 Please do not under any circumstance be lured or swayed by any individual, group or political party into seriously considering running again for the Nigerian presidency, especially in 2027. GEJ, please, don’t go there.

The Enemies Of Warri’s Progress

 By Sunny Ikhioya

The vultures are gathering again. Those whose sources of income depend on the crises in Warri and environs have started beating the drums, and the zombie foot soldiers are going about destroying and scattering without caring about the consequences of their actions. They are not moved by the fact that Warri, a once bubbling and welcoming city, is now a shadow of its former self. 

They are not bothered by the facts that a city that was once the centre for commerce and industry now witnessed skilled and qualified hands migrating out in droves. They are contented by the activities of local warlords who lack wisdom and understanding. The other day, Saturday 23rd August 2025, I was with a group of friends when someone ran to us, telling us that some cutlass wielding youths are terrifying the whole area, attacking the procession of a happy people celebrating the anniversary of their king. 

GPAAN Decries Vote-Buying That Marred The Recent By-Elections

 The Guild of Public Affairs Analysts of Nigeria (GPAAN ), the nation's foremost organization for public affairs analysts and political commentators has raised alarm over the recurring ugly decimal of both vote-selling – by some gullible electorate and buying by the corrupt politicians – which have become endemic in our political clime. 

The disturbing dimension to the electoral process marred the conduct of the recent by-elections across 12 affected states in the country. 

How To Stand Tall For An Independent Bar

 By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

In 1981, Chief Gani Fawehinmi was already 16 years at the Nigerian Bar and one of its brightest stars. Already a breakout litigator, Gani had also become a pioneer in the enterprise of legal publishing. One decade earlier, he had served the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) as its national publicity secretary. Among the lawyers of his or, in fact, any other generation active at the Bar, there were few who could claim to be more accomplished.

*Fawehinmi

The hallmark of excellence in legal practice in Nigeria, the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), was a mere six years old at the time. Then – as now – the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) was the statutory body established to consider and determine eligible applicants for the rank. As always, it was chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). By any measure, Gani Fawehinmi was more than eligible to take the rank in 1981.

Rethinking School Celebrations And Tackling Out-Of-School Challenges

By Olasunkanmi Arowolo

Education policy often involves striking a delicate balance between cultural traditions, financial realities, and long-term learning outcomes. Two recent interventions in Nigeria highlight this challenge: the Imo State government’s ban on nursery and JSS3 graduation ceremonies, and the Federal Government’s new literacy drive with cash transfers to mothers. Both have generated strong reactions, but each offers lessons worth deeper reflection.

The graduation ban: Beyond social fanfare
I recalled I was on a short weekend visit to a family where one of the persons in the gathering showed me a viral video of glamorous graduation ceremonies by nursery pupils; so, even featuring red carpets, grand arrivals like prom events in the western part of the world, asking what my thoughts were about it. I simply said: “this is an indicator of misplaced priorities.” 

Root Causes Of Child Trafficking And Panacea

 By Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko

Amongst the many socio-economic afflictions of Nigeria of the 21st century, is the menace of trafficking in children by persons who have since made child trafficking and trafficking of persons billions’ dollars business franchise.  

The problem became hydra-headed so much so that Nigerian state, under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, set up the anti human trafficking agency known as NAPTIP to tackle the menace which, incidentally, is a global criminal network. But NAPTIP is a ghost of its old self and is almost dysfunctional. But the crimes of child trafficking is a crime that offends our national psyche and sensibilities. 

The Pressure To Appear Rich In Harsh Economy

 By Timi Olubiyi

In Lagos, Nigeria, like other African cities, Johannesburg, Cairo, Nairobi among others the pressure to appear rich has reached disturbing heights. Amid a backdrop of rapid urbanisation and economic uncertainty, social media platforms have only intensified this pressure, making it feel as though success is synonymous with material wealth. From sleek cars on the streets of Lekki, Victoria Island, or Ikeja and flashy social media posts make it hard to ignore the overwhelming desire to flaunt wealth in Lagos Nigeria.

In recent time the extravagant parties and designer clothes, the pursuit of outwardly projecting affluence has become an obsession, leaving many trapped in a cycle of debt and despair. The unfortunate paradox here is that it’s difficult for a broke person to keep up the appearance of affluence for long, while a rich person, paradoxically, can play broke every day of the week without breaking a sweat.