Consensus and the Atiku Abubakar Challenge. By Aonduna Tondu

Whether or not one is in support of Atiku Abubakar as a potential presidential candidate of the PDP, one should know that in the eyes of many a Nigerian, he has come to symbolize opposition to those polarizing and centrifugal forces of impunity that have congregated around the former tyrant, Olusegun Obasanjo, who prides himself as a mentor and ally of President Jonathan. Details

Re-Thinking Our University Education System. By Jideofor Adibe

In conclusion, the idea of establishing six more federal universities seems hastily conceived, and oozes of political agenda. In this sense, what will ordinarily have been a good idea risks compounding the problems of university education system. Details

Let Goodluck Jonathan Be. By Ubanese Nwanganga

My quarrel with the party’s rotational arrangement is that it did not take into account the fact that the north had monopolized power in Nigeria since the end of the civil war. A northerner is a northerner, in uniform or agbada. Details

White Coats or White Ghosts? Silence Over Compensation for Victims. By Adullahi Shinkaffi

Pfizer have played a cunning game with Nigerians. Knowing that the country is prone to shooting itself in the foot in relation to distribution of money, where the elite benefit and the people suffer, its has set up a clever scheme whereby its hands are clean. Their optimism was encouraged through the settlement with Kano state: While they were sued for over a billion dollars the settlement has come down to $75 million. A ‘cheap deal’. Details

Professor Dora Akunyili, Free Speech and Naija. By Suleman Dankano

This article focuses on Professor Akunyili’s recent outburst on the use of the word Naija. I totally understand Akunyili’s ignorance here because I was once caught in this ignorance. When I first went to the United States in 1993, I was appalled by Nigerians who were referring to Nigeria as Naija. I opposed as many as I could, and described them as unpatriotic. When attending any Nigerian function, I made it a point of duty to try to tell Nigerians that the word Naija was pejorative. Then suddenly, I began to study jingles in my anthropology class and why peoples call their countries certain names. I discovered that the Americans called themselves Yankees, the Australians call themselves, the Aussies or Kangaroos and the British call themselves, the Britts. I then asked myself, so what is the problem Nigerians calling Nigeria Naija? Details

Nigeria’s Call for AU Not to Interfere in its Internal Affairs. By Jideofor Adibe

It should be recalled that the NBA had in its presentation at the 48th session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights in Banjul, Gambia, called on the AU to press on the Nigerian Government to prosecute those behind the recent crisis in Jos in which many lives and property worth million of naira were lost. Pius Otey of the Ministry of Justice, who read Nigeria’s reply, was reported by the Vanguard of November 15, 2010 as offering the warning. Details

Strikes for Decent Wage Provoked By Jumbo Salaries. By Farouk Martins Aresa

The politicians’ lion share of salaries and allowances are paid from the same pool where sheep’s share of minimum wage is taken. The solution is to cut the number of politicians and reduce mushroom jumbo salaries at every level to pay the workers’ minimum wage. There is a screw missing in the logic where a country can afford to pay billion naira and millions US dollars to lawmakers and administrators; leaving very little for poor workers and intellectuals. Consolidation of everyone’s pay will reduce inflation, level the playing field and bring prices down so that we can all buy basic necessities and more locally. Details

Time to Redefine Who Our Friends Are. By Solomon Iliya

First there was the twin bomb blasts near Eagle Square (imagine the embarrassment if the bombs were actually able to have been placed within the cordon of the Square itself, what with all the foreign visitors we had then). Now there is the current imbroglio over the shipment of weapons from Iran. While we are reeling from the shock, another discovery of a shipment of high grade heroin or cocaine just got discovered having originated from the same Iran. Meanwhile the so-called Islamic Republic of Iran is keeping mum over all these embarrassing discoveries Details

Should Nigerians Listen to Lester C Thurow? By Abdullah Musa

Thurow says: no outside agency can force Africa or India to make the social changes necessary to make universal education a reality. If a country can run a good school system, it undoubtedly has the social organization to engage in economic development. India is classified together with Africa because India has a caste system that makes a significant percentage of its citizens ‘untouchables’; they are not to be educated. In Nigeria we do not run a good school system, nor do we have a universal education scheme. We can thus not be economically developed. Vision 20:2020 is thus simply wishful thinking. Details

President Jonathan and the New Foot-Soldiers of Impunity. By Aonduna Tondu

With a faltering campaign that is enmeshed in avoidable gaffes due mainly to a schizophrenic president whose tactic of manufacturing enemies through the courting of primitive loyalties is  alienating decent citizens everywhere, the Jonathan team seems to have made a conscious but potentially fatal decision to escalate their ‘war’ by resorting to the services of a new breed of foot-soldiers.  Sharing a common strand of desperation with their principal, these ‘apparatchiks’ in high places are loudly showing their disdain  for democracy and the rule of law. Governor  Suswam of Benue is proving himself as the new face of strong-arm politicking by proxy in Nigeria Details

Fashola Vs Sahara Reporters – 19^th November Seminar at the London School of Economics. By Olusegun Claudius-Adeniyi

If a government performance were to be measured by the performance of its head at a public forum consisting of citizens of the state and country at large, then Governor Raji Fashola would have been chastised for disgracing Lagos State at the interactive seminar titled: "Lagos: Confronting Change in a Global Megacity", which took place at the London School of Economics on the 19 November 2010. This was a forum that was well attended (for obvious reasons) by Nigerians. Details

Just Returned from Nigeria: Reporting Politics and Etc. By Okechukwu E. Asia

Everywhere you go to in Nigeria these days you see potential candidate’s posters and beneath these posters are politically motivated killings and kidnappings going on in every state, every local government area, organized and sponsored by some politicians to silence their critics and opposition. And looting of state and federal treasuries has reached an unprecedented proportion. Some state governors vowed to use the entire state federal allocation to execute their second term election. Details

For an Egalitarian and Just Northern Nigeria. By Ndiameeh Babrik

What some of us are totally against are when some sections are classified as core north and others peripheral north. Be that as it may. We have an existing more acceptable and equitable regional system on ground now, the six geo-political zones; North-west, North-east, North-central, South-west, South-south and South-east. Any honest politician who wants the Nigerian unity in diversity will agree that the six geo-political zone system will solve that riddle finally. Details

Between ASUU, Southeast Governors and Common Sense. By Jideofor Adibe

In summary what is needed in this face-off is for common sense to prevail. Any resolution must not just be about meeting lecturers’ demands but also the demands of the states as their employers, including sanctions for illegal disruption of the school calendar, sexual harassment, and soliciting or accepting bribes from students. Details

Both Houses Of Thieves Legitimize Coup De’ Tat. By Farouk Martins Aresa

Does any soldier deserve military pension more than the principled late Nzeogwu; or Mohamed that forfeited all his loot? It is not the amount of pension militricians are going to be paid that matters to them since they have more loot, it is the fact that a civilian government makes a law that encourage and legalize military coups. The law itself clearly spelled out that impeached leaders cannot get pension, yet military leaders that were overthrown or set/step aside for whatever charges, which is equivalent to impeachment in a civilian setting will be entitled to this pension. Details

Nigeria Educational System: Drift Needs Urgent Attention. By Ogwu Paul Okwuchukwu

The rate of failure of the candidates in the educational system is a reflection of not only the students, their teachers, the government and the parents but also the society. The students have neglected reading and preparation for examinations instead they depend on examination malpractice. Details

NEC Was Wrong on New Foreign Policy Proposal. By Jideofor Adibe, Ph.D.

The recent report that the National Economic Council (NEC) has taken a decision that Nigeria will no longer play ‘big brother’ to countries in trouble without getting anything in return, and that henceforth the nation’s foreign interventions and assistance will be guided by ‘national interest’, made headlines. Briefing journalists after the Council’s meeting at Abuja, Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State was quoted as saying: “…we are going to shed that belief that we are big brother where we go to help other people and we never get something in return…So, wherever we go or whoever we relate with, must be because it will help us develop, rather than, as we normally say, that we have gone to help these or that people without getting anything in return.” The NEC’s resurgent ‘nationalism’ raises a number of issues: Details