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The Risen First Lady.
By
Chido Onumah
Of course, this is Nigeria. The idle cynics have
started wagging their tongues. They are questioning the First Lady’s
credibility. They want to know what has changed between late October
when she claimed she was not hospitalised and now. They say the
First Lady’s case is emblematic of the credibility crisis of the
Jonathan presidency. What else is the government lying about (apart
from President Jonathan’s asset declaration) if it can look
Nigerians in the eyes and blatantly lie about the health of the
First Lady? But, aren’t we are used to our government and its agents
lying to us? There is nothing new about the double-speak, arrogance
and disdain for truth by public officers in Nigeria. We saw it with
the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and his First Lady, Turai.
Details
An Open Letter to Nigerians in the Diaspora. By Leonard Karshima Shilgba
You may have a second nationality (US, UK,
Australia, etc.), but you remain at best second-rate in those countries
when the chips are down. A mistake some Nigerians make is to blame
everyone else but themselves for Nigeria’s problems. A nation cannot
develop beyond the intellectual reasoning of her intellectuals. Who
should build Nigeria for you to come and enjoy? Americans built America.
Europeans built Europe. Japanese built Japan. Nigerians must build
Nigeria.
Details
Cult Activities: Dent On Image Of Tertiary Institutions.
By
Charles Ikedikwa Soeze
The beginning of secret cults on campus dated back to the formation
of the pirate confraternity in the 1950's by a group of
undergraduates of the University of Ibadan among whom was the noble
laureate, Wole Soyinka. At this period, university education
was an exclusive preserve of the children of the rich or high class.
The poor children of the less privileged who managed to gain
admission into the system were made to encounter a lot of
problems through strict conventions which must be followed and
adequately obeyed.
Details
Constitution Amendment My Foot.
By Godwin Onyeacholem
It’s not as if the legislators were not warned that the
outcome of the exercise on which they wasted the taxpayer’s money going
round 360 constituencies in a misguided mission of consultation with
constituents would redound to their discredit. But they would not listen
to the voices of reason. In their typical patronising manner, they rode
roughshod over alternative viewpoints and their sponsors and generally
behaved as though Nigeria had nothing but legislators.
Details
The Assault on Public Education.
By Chido Onumah
A few months ago, the minister of state for
education, Nyesom Wike, inspected schools in
the FCT. The minister was “shocked” that some of the schools in
the FCT, including those that have the incongruous tag
“Government Secondary School”, didn’t have chairs and desks.
Some schools had converted whole classroom blocks into toilets.
So, apart from not getting quality education, the students were
also at risk of contracting diseases in the name of going to
school. It was a good photo opportunity though for the
minister and it provided the necessary sound bites. It would be
interesting to go back to those schools and see what, if
anything, has changed.
Details
Ban of Street Begging and Peddling in Kano Metropolis, A Nice Idea (1).
By Abubakar Yahaya Muhammad
Let me start by giving Kudos to the Kano State Government
under the leadership of His Excellency Engeneer Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso
for banning another two social atrocities in Kano Metropolis i.e. street
begging and peddling. This uncalled for behaviour which demeans the
cultural values and dignity of my beloved ethnic group ‘Hausa’ in the
eyes of the world should have been banned since by the previous
governments but due to the fear by some leaders with defeated psyche who
couldn’t ban it as neither Islam nor common sense encourages begging in
any form.
Details
A Commentary on the Controversy between Mrs. Ezekwesili and
Government Reputation Managers. By Dr.
Emmanuel Ojameruaye
I simply cannot understand
why the reputation managers of the GEJ administration decided to
impugn the integrity of a woman who clearly belongs to the best and
brightest of economic managers Nigeria has ever produced, and who
has represented Nigeria well abroad as a Vice President of World
Bank and a Director of Transparency International. In this article,
I will examine the errors or mistakes of Mrs. Ezekwesili’s
“offending sentence” and the unwarranted attacks by Messrs Maku and
Okupe, the reputation managers of the GEJ administration.
Details
Smart Ways To Get Valuable Work Experience Without A
Job. By Muhammed Abdullahi Tosin
Internship, volunteerism, industrial training,
chamber attachment,
placement with a multinational company,
long-term projects,
students’ extracurricular activities, etc. are all
veritable ways of gathering valuable experiences before ever getting
a job. Your experiences in managing people, planning, executing and
evaluating an event, presiding over meetings, raising funds, etc. as
a president or financial secretary of a students’ association or a
committee member should all be leveraged in proving to employers
that you have work experiences.
Details
David Mark and His Anti-Gay Crusaders. By Chido
Onumah
Now that we have laid
the incubus of “foreign interference” to rest, perhaps we can address
the other issues that rile our anti-gay crusaders. Some of those who
attack gays and lesbians say homosexuality is “abnormal” and
“unnatural”. Others have gone a step further to query why the West that
opposes polygamy supports homosexuality. This, of course, is a faulty
analogy. We can have the debate about same-sex marriage, just like
polygamy, but to criminalize homosexuality is the height of “legislative
zealotry”.
Details
APC and 2015: The Triumph of Reason. By Abubakar
Alkali
2015 is that year that Nigerians have been
waiting for in 100 years since the amalgamation of the Northern and
Southern protectorates. It is that year that will usher in the birth of
a new Nigeria where government is for all Nigerians and not just those
in it. It is that year that will see the a genuine and united coalition
of progressive elements take over power in Nigeria at the centre and
bring about the desired change that we have all been waiting for.
Details
Of Yesterday
And Today’s Men: Ezekwesili’s $67 billion
Poser.
By Theophilus Ilevbare
At a convocation
lecture of the University of Nigeria, UNN, Dr Oby Ezekwesili made an
observation about “the squander of the significant sum of $45 billion in
foreign reserve account and another $22 billion in the excess crude
account being direct savings from increased earnings from oil that the
Obasanjo administration handed over to the successor government in
2007.” President Jonathan’s government was fingered in the squandermania.
Details
An Appraisal of El-Rufai and His Epistles on Leadership.
By Godwin Onyeacholem
But one totally agrees with him that with regard to the
situation the country finds itself. We should “stop passing the buck to
God”. After all, nowhere is it stated in any modern literature that God
helped certain countries to fix their crumbled roads, rebuilt their
dilapidated schools, equipped their hospitals, provided employment for
their teeming jobless, ensured adequate water supply, built refineries,
guaranteed constant electricity and then finally dropped down from the
skies to organise elections that would be described as free, fair and
credible in the eyes of normal people.
Details
Suggested Title for this article: The Battle For The Soul
Of CAN OR Catholic Schism And Pentecostal Politicisation Of CAN OR
Schism and Politicisation Of CAN.
By
Theophilus Ilevbare
It was high time someone said the truth, CAN has
derailed!
To
aptly put in Bishop Matthew kukah's words, Nigerian Christian leaders
"…Have become more visible in relation to national prayer sessions,
pilgrimages, alliances with state power and so on. Unless we distance
ourselves, we cannot speak the truth to power. We cannot hear the wails
of the poor and the weak. We should not be seen as playing the praying
wing of the party in power." Apparently, he spoke about CAN.
Details
Offa Grams @ 70: Lessons in Vision.
By Suraj Oyewale
... to me, even more important than
flaunting our eminent old boys are the lessons to be learnt from the
establishment of this secondary school. Offa Grammar School wasn’t
founded by missionaries as was the case with many schools of its
generation, neither was it founded by government ; rather, it was
the product of the efforts of some community elders, some of whom
were even unlettered, and more interestingly, spread between Islam
and Christianity.
Details
The Prince On Foot. By Leonard Karshima Shilgba
I have
seen very busy activities by Nigerian professional politicians lately;
they work towards achieving their political desires in 2015. I have seen
the prince on foot. President Goodluck Jonathan is on foot. I see him
walking on foot, without any human security, towards the palace. The
gate of the palace is shut against him. Yes, there are guards standing
at the gate but no one opens for him. He turns around looking displeased
and hopeless at this unexpected treatment.
Details
Rose Uzoma, Abba Moro And The Rest Of Us. By
Raheem Oluwafunminiyi
The news few weeks back asking the
Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mrs. Rose Uzoma to proceed on her
pre-retirement accumulated leave, continues to raise pertinent questions
why those saddled with the responsibility of employing Nigerians into
various positions in the country usually fail to play by the rules of
fairness, justice and equity.
Details
Stop Tinkering with the Nigerian Constitution. By
Tochukwu Ezukanma
The problem of Nigeria is not
constitutional but attitudinal. Our attitude towards the law is
perverted. It is an attitude that scoffs at the rule of law, and
consequently, exalts lawlessness. The constitution is the supreme law of
the land. It is not surprising that a people given to breaking every law
have also repeatedly trampled the stipulations of the constitution, and
periodically, reduced the constitution to something of a worthless piece
of paper.
Details
Mali Ignited by Creators of
Cold-Blooded Religious Fanatics.
By Farouk
Martins Aresa
This is an opportunity to thank President
Ebele for living up to our reputation as peace keepers. We do not do it
because of gain as a Country. Appreciation must also be extended to the
Sultan of Sokoto for his courage to stand up and tell the North of
monsters we created for ourselves in Nigeria. He has been threatened
before but also vindicated by vicious attack on about 80 year old Emir
of Kano. Solutions is in our head not in our hearts or stars.
Details
Nigerian Troops And The Malian Crisis: Matters Arising.
By Theophilus Ilevbare
The "brilliant record" of Nigeria's participation in
peace mission in neighbouring African countries count for nothing when
compared to the insurmountable security challenges at home. There is
nothing ‘responsible’ about being proactive in regional conflicts when
the Boko Haram menace has claimed over 3,000 lives and counting. The
present security challenges at home does not warrant any form of
peace-keeping outside the shores of the country.
Details
A Case for the Annulment of the EFCC.
By
Nosa
James-Igbinadolor
The Oronsaye report was an exercise in patriotism and
intellectual rigour, however, like any human exercise, it lacked
perfection. What would have perfected the report would have been a
sincere recommendation for the annulment of the EFCC. The annulment
would put a closure to the tragic-comedy called EFCC, blot out the
existence of the commission from our psyche and legalise the reality
that the pretender to crime fighting never existed to truly fight
crime.
Details
Nigeria Won’t Break Up.
By Chido Onumah
Mr. President, I hate to be
the bearer of bad news, but the reality is that Nigeria is only great in our
imaginations. Nigeria is big for nothing! We are not respected in the comity of
nations; our citizens are mistreated around the world, sometimes because of
their actions, and other times simply because they have a green passport. What
is there to respect? Even with the abundance of human and natural resources, we
have one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. We are ranked
amongst the most corrupt nations in the world and we are in competition with
Afghanistan, Chad, Angola, DR Congo and Pakistan, for countries with persistent
polio transmission. To our eternal shame, while Afghanistan’s polio programme
has been described as “consistently performing at a reasonable level”, Nigeria’s
“has slipped back in a quite alarming way”.
Details
Jonathan And Obasanjo Feud - Implications For 2015.
By Theophilus
Ilevbare
Chief Obasanjo in the past was instrumental to Mr
Jonathan’s meteoric rise from a deputy governor in Bayelsa state to
governor, then vice president, acting president, substantive
president and later elected as President in the aftermath of
Yar’adua’s death in 2010. The Ota farmer was peeved by his exclusion
from Jonathan’s administration as the President now prefer his kinsmen and
sycophants as members of his inner caucus rather than seeking his benefactor’s
opinion on key national issues.
Details
Put Ojukwu, Gowon and Awo
on Trial. By
Farouk Martins Aresa
Until we put Ojukwu and Gowon
on public trial in absentia where no one has anything to lose in an academic
forum or equally represented forum with evidence tabled so that they can be
impeached, rebutted or accepted, we may lose some of history to our ethnic
champions. The only reason Awo should be included is that he gets more blame
than Gowon and Ojukwu, for no other reason than each side wished they had him.
Details
Executive Plane Crashes & Roadblocks. By
Babayola M. Toungo
Today most cities in
the north looks like conquered territories because of the high
concentration of gun totting military personnel wherever one turns. Our
society have been militarised, and if I can borrow Jerry Rawlings
cliché, “violence have been democratised”, with a human life costing
less than the cost of the bullet used to kill him. The soldiers
deployed to our cities and highways have turned out to be worse than the
Boko Haram fighters it is meant to protect the people from. Details
2015: Let the Race
Begin.
By Chido Onumah
If there was any
lingering doubt that campaigns for the 2015 presidential election have
started in earnest, that doubt was erased with the emergence last week
of the Jonathan 2015 campaign posters. The audaciousness of that action
and the feeble response from the Presidency to the effect that the
president is “pre-occupied with working to fix Nigeria and did not want
to be distracted by undue politicking about 2015”, are all too typical
of the People’s Democratic Party’s brand of democracy.
Details
Africans Loot Enough To Invest In
And Develop Africa.
By Farouk Martins Aresa
It is
alarming how many times presidents, governors and their ministers travel
out under the camouflage of bringing in foreign investments when in fact
the amount of money stashed all over them double or triple any foreign
investment. They give variety of reasons for their shuttle including but
not limited to learning about democracy so that wives could teach
husbands. Details
Philosopher King,
Realist Prince And National Unity. By
Okachikwu Dibia
o it remains very
incorrect to say that Nigeria’s unity achieved through guns should be
sustained by guns. Nigeria’s so-called unity today is so fragile and
unsustainable we must allow ideas and discussions of the issues
surrounding it. The un-discussed, fragile and unsustainable Nigerian
unity is ticking away and it is responsible for some negative attitudes
of Nigerians towards development. But will Nigerian leadership allow the
discussion process? These are fundamentals easily ignored but eating
deep into the Nigerian complex rot.
Details
In Defense Of Central Bank Of Nigeria Under Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
By Auwal Shehu
National
Assembly members should find way to stop Sanusi Lamido from saying the
truth if that is unconstitutional or they should put their houses in
order. Remarks that are sincere and touches on every individual Nigerian
by Sanusi will always find listeners and a space within the daily
papers. Honesty is the only thing that the gentleman has over them.
Details
Refugees In Their Own Land... A Reflection On Islamophobia In Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile Ife As It Clocks 50. By Ibrahim Balogun
The OAU campus remains the only university
in the whole of Nigeria where Muslim females are deprived their basic
rights even while their payments go into running the affairs of the
school. Let the school bring up its arguments for this unwarranted
persecution based on religious belief, and the hidden truth shall be
revealed.
Details
Yerwa: Terror in the Metropole. By Mohammed Dahiru Aminu
At
present it is thoroughly toilsome to accept that Yerwa—the city that
gave me too much of a good thing—is on the verge of a finish; it is not
only a scene of destruction but could pass for a theater of war, au
fait. What is backbreaking is the thought that at the moment, citizens,
be they highly placed or found in the rank and file, cannot even get on
with the daily endeavors of their lives without the fear of a
portending, brewing devilment. One shudders to wonder, could this be the
Yerwa that used to bear that popular “home of peace” moniker?
Details
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