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on Jonathan, Opposition and 2015. By Chido Onumah I have watched Goodluck Jonathan closely since I first met him in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, in 2006 during a continental environmental conference that looked at the impacts and implications of renewed mining boom on communities in Africa, and it is difficult to put performance and Goodluck Jonathan in the same sentence, yet he won a presidential election “convincingly” in the South-west, even with the level of education and exposure of voters in that geo-political zone. We need to know what made that victory possible in an opposition stronghold. Obviously, Nigerians notice the imperative of performance in winning election as Joe Igbokwe rightly noted, but whether this imperative is overriding every time is another matter. Details
The Fools and Their Foreign Loot Nko. By Farouk Martins Aresa Our former Attorney General, Mike Aondoakaa is dead serious about his right to live anywhere he and his children please. So he took American Government to court to enforce his fundamental right to loot in Nigeria and spend as he wants in America. After all, both former AG and Chief of Police have information that qualifies them as valuable spies against Nigeria notwithstanding Boko Haram link to international terrorists. Details
Simple Questions for this New APC. By Anthony A. Kila Whilst the idea of merging many opposition parties into one is noble, smart and healthy for the country, it is also true that the need to merge many opposition parties into one party in order to be able to truly compete with the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is a clear proof that the PDP is evidently stronger than any of those parties. Details
June 12: How Can We Forget? By Chido Onumah Those of us who write about our common national tragedy, who dream of providing good leadership, should search our motives, heart, values, abilities and calling, and come out of hiding and cowardice. I am also speaking to myself. We have yielded the ground for too long to pretenders and thugs. Yes, a few true politicians have slipped through the narrow cracks into public governance; yet, they are too few to make the kind of difference our people need. Details
When We Were Nigerians. By Farouk Martins Aresa Jonah Jang of Plateau state, the head of the defeated charlatans, is not unknown to controversy. A man who set his state on fire out of jealousy and rabid ethnicity should not surprise anyone leading a shameless renegade group. I don’t know how his becoming the chairman of NGF solves the insecurity in his state. At seventy year of age what one expect of him is to retire to becoming a statesman and be a bridge builder. But, rather, he prefers courting troubles and beating the drum of war. Details
Battle for Public Offices: Nigerians Yearning to Serve? By Al-Amin Abba Dabo To put this in context, a lawmaker in India earns N3.7 million ($23,988) per annum and so will need to work for at least 49 years to earn the annual allowance of a Nigerian senator and at least 39 years to earn the N144m annual allowance of a member of the House of Representatives. The Nigerian lawmakers are unsurprisingly, the highest paid in the world. Section 70 of the 1999 constitution states that the salaries and allowances of the federal legislators shall be determined and fixed by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). Therefore, these outrageous sums are apparently in perfect alliance with the laws of the land. Details
I am Not a “Politician”. By Leonard Karshima Shilgba In Nigeria, the word “politics” has been misused and abused in a manner that this noble art and science now connotes everything that is evil with human relationships in the country. Accordingly, puritans are hateful of being referred to as “politicians”. They would say, “I am not a politician.” Therefore, a “politician”, in Nigerian lexicon, is perceived as someone who is dishonest, corrupt, and of very low moral rating. Details
The Tell Tales of The Tell Magazine; Mediocrity in a Hurry. By Mahfuz Mundadu The piece featured in the Tell News Magazine of June 17, 2013 No. 24, titled “New Security Threat: The Middle East Connection”, calls for concern. One ANAYOCHUKWU AGBO evidently authored the “fairytale” in question. To say the least the portion that seeks to define the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and its esteemed leadership as violent and evil minded goes to demonstrate how cerebrally lethargic, ill informed and fleeced was and the writer still is. It is a clear case of journalism with some numb aroma of mediocrity in a hurry. Details
Addressing Nigeria’s Electricity Deficits Through Coal. By Andrew Obinna Onyearu Over the period, government’s response in the Solid Minerals sector has taken an appropriate approach. It is clear that appropriate momentum to engender the development of coal in Nigeria cannot happen without considerable private sector involvement and investment. Details
Justice Okeke: Pension Is Rotten In The Heart Of Judiciary ByFarouk Martins Aresa It is so difficult to distinguish the sheep from the lion in Nigeria as a whole. Involvement of the Judiciary our last hope of justice in corruption, even on a small scale is disheartening. The report that one Funke Ogunbiyi, the daughter of a Justice of the Supreme Court went to Justice Okechukwu Okeke and demanded he reverse himself on a matter already executed is disturbing. If it was one of our uncles in those days, that girl would not sleep at home that night. Na who born dog? Details Of NGF Crisis And PDP’s Damage Control By Theophilus Ilevbare The hog-wash of 19 grumpy PDP governors in the aftermath of the NGF election declaring Jang as chairman, citing a purported endorsement in a pre-election agreement to form a Kangaroo faction as a belated attempt at damage control after defeat is reprehensible. That they chose to display their asinine grievances in such a manner that undermines democratic tenets leaves much to be desired of men vested with the peoples’ mandate. Details
Poverty Is Winning. By Yusuf D. Zage I will not also hesitate to express the current trend of poverty in Nigeria. I was vehemently shocked when I discovered that 61% of Nigerians were said to be living in absolute poverty and it pains too much to know that there are 20 million Nigerian youth running on the street seeking for job. Details
The Burdens of Islam By Anthony A. Kila There is no gentler way to put it; the simple truth is that more Islamic scholars and especially leaders, need to understand that there is a part of Islam that is still struggling in its bid to coexist with modern times. Just as Christian leaders and scholars have had to do in the past, Islamic scholars and leaders need to today come up with some theoretical elaborations and theological references that will deal with modernity or update their system, as my students will say. Details
Taming the Education Sector. By Raheem Oluwafunminiyi The recent release of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result few weeks back by the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB) continues to elicit both negate and positive debates among students and stakeholders. In fact, this year’s UTME has become starkly controversial than any other period in its history, simply because of the intricacies that surrounded the exam from start to finish. Many had expected positive impact or outcome from the exercise but alas, the exercise appeared as one in futility, if the results and statistics coming from the exam body are anything to go by. Details
The North’s Long Wait for Another Sardauna. By Ridhwanullah Abdullah The state of emergency recently declared in the three north eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States, following the unrelenting insurgence of the dreaded Boko Haram in that region of Nigeria is a manifestation of the open confession by General TY Danjuma earlier this year that the North is the middle of a civil war. Details
The Broken Nation. By Sunday Orjingene It’s not a sentiment but true of a trend where religious enmity crowned with brain wash, clowned under the disguise of zonal leadership of Hausa today, Yoruba tomorrow and Igbo never, is the nations’ cancer. Details
The Achebe I knew. By Chido Onumah However, Achebe did not let his love for Nigeria blind him to the fact that, “Nigeria is not a great country. It is one of the most disorderly nations in the world. It is one of the most corrupt, insensitive, inefficient places under the sun. It is one of the most expensive countries and one of those that give least value for money. It is dirty, callous, noisy, ostentatious, dishonest and vulgar. In short, it is among the most unpleasant places on earth”. Details
President Jonathan’s State of Emergency Paradigm. By Theophilus Ilevbare It remains to be seen what will now become of the work of the amnesty committee. The rug has been pulled from under their feet. They can’t be negotiating with a sect that is being shelled on a daily basis in war with the special forces. Clearly, their role in peaceful resolution of the conflict has been undermined. Moreover, who negotiates with a gun to his head as a member of NASS quipped? Details
Forbidden In Africa Taboo In Any Community. By Farouk Martins Aresa Many of us were embarrassed when Dr. Doyin Okupe, Presidential Information Officer argued on television that Ghana did not resort to terrorism when they were going through their difficult period like Nigeria. One would have thought that he would talk about implementing economic sustenance for young men and women fleeing out of the Country by any means necessary. Details
Everyone Should Embrace Piece in Nigeria. By Babandi Gumel Since the beginning of the campaign both parties were accused of crossing the line in the battle to gain supremacy. While the security forces were accused of systematic killing the insurgents equally the group were accused of waging unnecessary violent vindictive campaign of revenge causing lots of destruction and mayhem. Details
V20:2020 and the Future of Development Planning in Nigeria (1). By Jamal Akinade This issue brings me to the political economy of Nigeria. The undue emphasis and importance given to technocrats who sometimes are detached from reality, in formulating development and economic policies often lead to policies which are not implementable. For example, the ‘failure’ of vision 20:2020 is not surprising as it identified a major problem in Nigeria’s quest for development without proffering a practical solution to it. Details
To answer the question: "Where is Ibrahim Babangida", IBB is strong and alive, and has challenges with bullet shrapnel’s lodged inside various parts of his body since 1969, courtesy of the civil war, which he fought in, just to keep Nigeria together. The fact that he is seen at weddings, funerals and other social events, he chooses to attend, confirms that he is not dead, and not in any bad condition health-wise. Details
V20:2020 and the Future of Development Planning in Nigeria (1). By Jamal Akinade I very much agree with Odilim on the need to seek creative means of development but I disagree with the view of abandoning western textbooks and everything neo-liberal. This is an extreme view are akin to throwing away the baby with the bathwater. I say this because parallels can be drawn with what extreme neoliberal ideology (market fundamentalism) did to Africa in the 1980s when almost everything not neoliberal was thrown away Details
Let’s Negotiate Nigeria. By Chido Onumah Every day, we hear war drums, threats and counter threats. A few days ago, leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Alhaji Mujaheed Dokubo-Asari, while reacting to the faceoff between President Jonathan and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State vowed that, “There will be no peace, not only in the Niger Delta, but everywhere, if Goodluck Jonathan is not the president by 2015, except God takes his life, which we do not pray for”. Details
Marginalization: You Chop Alone You Die Alone. By Farouk Martins Aresa During the time of Tafawa Balewa, Okotie-Eboh was the richest man in the cabinet as the Minister of Fina ce negotiated by NCNC. By the time Obasanjo became the military President, the richest man was Babangida. So was it during the time of Shagari: Umaru Diko and Akinloye were amongst the richest men. Situation has changed since then, and we have the heads of state richer than god these days. Details
The JTF being a component of the Security apparatus of the government is under a positive duty as part of its laid down rules of engagement to observe Nigerian law, human rights and international law. The government has a positive duty under to ensure that any process leading to peace must conform to the principles of International law and consistent with the constitution. Details
Nigeria’s Amnesty And Its Infinitesimal Calculus. By Okachikwu Dibia Northern Nigeria has been unhappy with the granting of amnesty to the Niger Delta militants because it gave Niger Delta more access to Nigeria’s funds than the other parts of the country. Therefore, the North needed amnesty for Boko Haram. Details
The “fake universities” Syndrome. By Chido Onumah It is heartwarming that the NUC appears to be tackling the menace of “fake universities” frontally. But there are many questions begging for answers. What type of “investigations” is the NUC conducting? Universities are not daycare centres. How did these “Degree Mills” start off? Is there a “cabal” behind these “fake universities”? Are there no regulations/requirements before universities are accredited? Did the NUC accredit the universities it is investigating? Details
The Poor Are Not Blameless Farouk Martins Aresa The rich live in an island of false sense of security, paved streets inside their estates, regular supply of water and electricity and their own work, play and shopping centers like anywhere else in the world. So who in his right sense would label that as poverty? After all, a friend mused, there are classes of people everywhere in the world, so are Nigerians. It is true, there is no types of houses or cars you cannot find in Nigeria. Details
A Forgiving Nation, a Deceived Nation. By Leonard Karshima Shilgba I am a citizen of my nation, a nation always eager to forgive. This is a nation that offers forgiveness even when it is not asked. Mine is a deceived nation, sold the counterfeit religion in which it gloats. The messages coming from the pulpits of many religious congregations are adulterated. Nigeria is made drunk from spiked religious wine. Wrong theology has made us inured to evil and hateful of reason. Many of my people believe that reason is antithetical to true religion. But reasoning is the path to true knowledge of true religion. Details
Beyond The Recommendations Of The Oronsaye Committee Report. By Theophilus Ilevbare The scope of the Oronsaye committee should have been expanded to federal ministries. The duplicity extends to one office for ministers and another for ministers of state. Like deputy governors, it seem the constitution does not have clearly defined role for these ministers of state. And how about their numerous Special Advisers? Ministries with overlapping functions such as the ministry of petroleum and that of solid mineral resources should be merged. Details
The Nigerian Civil Service As A Threat To Social Justice. By Nosa James-Igbinadolor The social justice protests that have and are still taking place intermittently across the country are a golden opportunity to harness the rage, frustration and disappointment of many Nigerians to change the public dialogue and create a new system of social trust and values. It is a chance for the public to demand that the government make the civil service/public sector more efficient and to shift focus of public servants toward serving their clients, the tax-paying public. Details
Amnesty: Redistribution Of Income To Avoid Jungle Justice. By Farouk Martins Aresa Our best brains, children, old, young men and women wallow in wasteful administration of resources as we watched billions a.k.a. amnesty, naira spent on foreign trained militia competing for Presidency. Boko Haram and MEND fight for power as MASSOB and OPC sympathizers still fight over the Nigeria/Biafra war that ended more than 40 years ago. Details
Re-Achebe: A Non-Romantic View. By Ma’aruf Tijjani I found miffy the remarks credited to Wole Soyinka and J P Clark in the Guardian Newspaper (March 22 2013) that “Indeed, we cannot help wondering if the recent insensate massacre of Chinua’s people in Kano, only a few days ago, hastened the fatal undermining of that resilient will that had sustained him so many years after his crippling accident” not because of the impeccable, non romantic albeit Marxian analysis of the eulogies and accolades that followed the demise of what may be undoubtedly seen as a literary “giant”, if not for Professor Ibrahim Bello-Kano’s piece which brought to limelight that authors are not only judged by hyperbolizing their works that enjoyed coincidental literary fame but by the innate and salient meanings they actually transmit. I share almost completely the view expressed by Ibrahim Bello-Kano on Achebe not only because of my Disciplinary relationship with him as my teacher in the university about a decade ago but mainly because of the arrant showcasing of literary capability as a “registered trade mark” of a section of a country without due consideration of the same from other peoples within a nation. Details
This writer believes though whether in my native Nigeria or Pakistan, professional news reporters, whether being aware of it or not, are specialists in conflict. For reporters, change is news. And when there is change, there often is disagreement or conflict. There is conflict among those who like the change and those who do not, or those who want more change and those who oppose change. So journalists deal with conflict very often in their work. But many journalists know little about the idea of conflict. They do not know the root causes of conflict, or how conflicts end. They do not know the different kinds of conflict or the inter-marriage of religion and politics in festering these conflicts. Details
‘Hausa-Fulani’—the Nigerian Scapegoat. By Umar Bello In the media, the Fulanis suffer a lot of alienation much more than their 'twin' brothers, the Hausas. Apart from being always in the news for the wrong reason, they are always treated in collectives. Headlines always modify them by their ethnicity and profession. In a random Google sample, such headlines appear: Fulani herdsmen, farmers clash in Delta , Tension as Fulani herdsmen kill two in Delta, Fulani herdsmen rob on Lagos-Ibadan highway, Fulani herdsmen, menace in Idomaland etc. By using their tribe and profession as their permanent modifiers, you are bringing their livelihood and ethnic affiliation into trial by the actions of a few individuals. In essence, you don’t only focus on their crime but on their ethnic identity and livelihood as if those are also faulty. Details
The Fools And Their Foreign Loot Nko. By Farouk Martins Aresa Do not mess with Nigerians. If you back us into a wall, we are known to melt into it rather than fight back. When armed robbers started attacking rich people, we built iron around our houses. Then these robbers started attacking our cars, we imported fortified armored designer luxury cars. Some of these deprived Nigerians do not give up, so they started attacking our drivers and families to and from airport. We had to start helicopter services. Looters have options after destroying Nigeria, they can seek refugee status. Details
Defining Morality in Nigeria. By Leonard Karshima Shilgba Human life is being devalued in Nigeria, and amnesia has set in among the people. Haven’t we forgotten about the grotesque murders in Okijia forest that were exposed in 2004? Some leaders in Nigeria, including Ohaneze leaders, who made it an ethnic issue, defended such murders at that time. What has become of those who were arrested in connection with that? The national conscience has been so calloused that we hardly balk at reports of murders of even dozens of people, not to talk of “just” a single individual. Details
Please, Pardon President Jonathan. By Chido Onumah To understand Alamieyeseigha’s pardon is to understand the character of the Nigerian state. There is no case to make for his pardon other than to say it is what the doctors ordered. And by doctors, I do not mean the type our First Lady and sundry public officers scurry to in foreign lands. I refer to the ubiquitous marabouts and native doctors that have become an essential part of governance in Nigeria. Details
Daily Mourning Of Living Outside Our Community. By Farouk Martins Aresa This suicide bombing in Kano Motor Park is one too many. Where are our students, the conscience of every society? Ahmadu Bello University and other premier universities in the Country should have declared the daily mourning until the President is forced into action, not promises. After all, every region wants a real federation. Until Ebele achieve one before leaving Office, he might as well declare his time wasted. Details
Humanist Funerals in Nigeria: A Welcome Development. By Ike Francis In truth, funerals are a forum for the living. Mourning as a medium of introspection and grieving of a loss is by itself private, subjective and dependent on the quality of the relationship between the departed and the mourner. The intentions for holding a funeral however could be debatable. Are the organizers, usually family members, using the opportunity to eulogize and celebrate the achievements and life experiences of the deceased or are they seizing the forum to share their own social standing or contrived benevolence for nods of societal approval and increased stature in the community? Details
IBB’s Two Party Solution. By Chido Onumah Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, also known as IBB, must be a deeply-troubled man; a retired general haunted by his past. There is no other way to explain his constant attempt to intrude into our national psyche after ruling the country for eight inglorious years. The former military president never misses an opportunity to show how relevant he is even though history can’t support that delusion. The recent merger of major opposition political parties to form the All Progressives Congress (APC) provided a good opportunity for him. Details
Nasir El-Rufai and the Enduring Glory of Federal Capital Territory. By Emmanuel Ajibulu Former Federal Capital Territory minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai’s excellent disposition to achieve such a world class environment which is what we witness and still enjoying today in Abuja cannot be forgotten so easily. He has proven to the world that excellence and dedication to service are not jut determined by size or height but through great potentials and values within and how best one can harness and explore them in the interest of one’s motherland. Details
Saving Nigeria: Are Nigerians Ready? By Taofeek Ramat If we are going to save Nigeria and Nigerians, we all should be already in the trenches by now. We should take over the social media space tearing the docile and complacent youth from the useless and meaningless application of the social media that is sating them ready to commit the blunder of voting for the clueless guy again. We should have taken over the radio and television stations and ensure those songs tailored to waking people up from the passivity and nonchalance towards politics and governance, become a daily dose for entertainment, morning, noon and at night fall. We should have taken over the churches and mosques as well as the football viewing centers, and ensure that our people watch movies and documentary that will wake them up. Instead of the prayer and evangelical crusades, we should be showing all across the country movies and documentary such as ‘Fuelling Poverty’. Details
Niger-Delta PRO: Nobody Defecates where They Eat. By Farouk Martins Aresa There is enough blame to share but we know you cannot eat and defecate in one spot. The real devils are public relation officers of Shell demonizing everyone with their Nigerian employees, except themselves in front of foreign protesters occupying their offices. When you see Niger Delta Nigerians condemning their own in foreign countries, one must feel sorry for Africans. Details
ABU at 50: The Dream, the Vision, and the Tragedy. By Aliyu Bala Aliyu However, ABU like Nigeria reached the zenith of her distinguished scholarship as a centre of learning somewhere in between the 70s and the 80s. And like everything Nigerian as Nigeria herself, the glory was to be short-lived. Hence my generation came in and basked in the euphoria of her past glory. Certainly, ABU was not alone in this glorious fall. The premier universities all suffered similar fates. The military couldn’t stand intellectualism and subsequent democratic governments haven’t proven to have an elixir. Details
Where the Law is No Respecter of Persons. By Anthony Akinola It could not have happened in Nigeria! I mean a former minister and prominent member of a political party in a current coalition government could not have been sent to jail for merely lying. But it did happen in Great Britain. Mr Chris Huhne, a former Energy and Climate Change Secretary and his estranged wife, Vicky Pryce, were each sentenced to eight months imprisonment for “perverting the course of justice”! Details
Patience Jonathan As A Metaphor. By Theophilus Ilevbare Nigerians were yet to come to terms with the FCT Minister’s budgetary allocation of N4billion naira to the office of the first lady - that has never been recognized by the country’s constitution from 1960 to 1999 - for the proposed construction of the African First Ladies’ Peace Mission (AFLPM) Secretariat in Abuja when news filtered in of the First Lady’s half a billion naira thanksgiving party at Aso Rock Villa to celebrate her “resurrection,” or sojourn in the land of the dead. I joined millions of Nigerians to felicitate with her. Details
However, while the current youth generation has a critical role to play in the restoration of Nigeria’s dignity, the task is for all Nigerians, particularly the political leaders who must improve governance, reduce corruption, promote accountability and transparency in the use of the country’s oil and other revenues, and invest prudently in areas that benefit the poor. Details
Yellow Card and Its Persistence: India Trip Notes. By Mohammed Dahiru Aminu We found two other Nigerians there, serving their six-day sequestration. There was Mrs Kanu (not real name), a lawyer, who works with the Nigerian presidency; there was Mr Samuel (not real name), a local politician from Benue. Both Mrs Kanu and Mr Samuel completed their sixth day stay on our second day stay at the facility. The Nigerian Ambassador in India also visited the place to give some consolatory piece of advice, and beguilingly told us to see the six-day incarceration of sorts as nothing but a period of rest after weeks of work. Details
Star Struck Politicians Blow Money On Foreign Celebrities. By Farouk Martins Aresa It has never made sense that owner of ThisDay, Mr. Obaigbena, that could not pay the salaries of his workers, many times paid former presidents and celebrities just to peep at Beyonce’s boobs and grace various occasions in Lagos, Nigeria. Not to be outdone, Gov. Fashola also arranged for Ms. Kardashian to drop by and just say “Hey Naija”. Are these people star struck or suffering from some deep underlining complex? Details
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
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
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
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
Azazi, Yakowa’s Death: How Safe is President Goodluck Jonathan? (part 2). By Obinna Akukwe President Goodluck said in January 2011 that the sponsors of Boko Haram are in High places in government, judiciary security etc. These leaders of the polity are speaking in parables and expect Nigerians to decode their message. They speak in parables while the nation is boiling. All these hushed tones are carefulness in preparation for 2015.The PDP Boko Haram is fighting because of 2015; the presidency is equally speaking in tongues because of 2015. Everything has been reduced to 2015 succession politics. Who knows who will survive till 2015? Details
The Zero Development Budget Ritual of the Nigerian Government. By Leonard Karshima Shilgba In 2013, the sum of N 4.987 trillion shall be spent by the federal government of Nigeria. The capital expenditure is a paltry N 1.6 trillion, which is 32 per cent of the entire budget. But more worrisome is the established tradition of woeful implementation of budgets by the PDP governments since 2007. Details
SURE-P Chicanery And The Fear Of Subsidy Removal In 2013. By Theophilus Ilevbare In 2013 and beyond Nigerians must resist every attempt to remove the partial fuel subsidy, a policy that the President and his aides have long ago, made up their minds to withdraw, he only seem to be buying time before he completes the last lap of his systematic removal of the other half of what remains today as subsidy. Sadly, the Jonathan government is perturbed by the subsidy rather than the corruption in the scheme and other sectors of the economy and his only solution to the sleaze is to completely remove subsidy. Details
Our Not-So-Distinguished Senators. By Chido Onumah Other things being equal, Senator Mark may yet end his long and illustrious career by emerging as President of the Federal Republic, an ambition I am sure he doesn’t take lightly, the constant denials by aides notwithstanding. Senator Mark has had occasion to take shots at the Jonathan government on the problem of insecurity, poor infrastructure and the government’s fiscal policies. It is the mark of a military strategist. In all, though, he is a loyal party man; and a patient one at that. Details
Nigerian ‘Pastorpreneurs’, How Christlike? By Theophilus Ilevbare Nigeria is home to some of the largest churches, fastest growing denominations and some of the wealthiest pastorpreneurs the world over. No surprise we’re considered the most religious people on earth. This tag, like our crude oil, is fast becoming our bane as a Nation. Opulence of founders of these churches achieved through compulsory and somewhat forceful tithing, seed sowing and constantly skinning of their flock and taking its milk. Details
Taraba State, Suntai And Health Politics. By Omo Omoluabi As a Nigerian, it is unbelievable that the political class have refused to learn from history and therefore, allowed history to repeat itself. There is nothing wrong when history repeats itself, what is however wrong is to allow those horrendous and unfortunate events of the historical past run its cycle again. Such is what is happening in Taraba state. Details
Ndi-Igbo Failure Is Not An Option. By Farouk Martins Aresa Please make no mistake about it, that clearly demarcated belief is old school though we still see the vestiges of them in each group. These days Hausa honesty, Igbo hard work and Yoruba accommodation have run thin. But we must keep on reminding ourselves why we got along so well in the past and strive to recreate and renew what brought us amicable together. Details
Imagine Ondo’s Mimiko With Lagos Money. By Farouk Martins Aresa If we do not spend the money in Ondo, Lagos, Imo, Kano or Bornu where do we spend it? In foreign countries; where our looters and their couriers are disgraced at the airports for money laundering. When we spend it at home, most of it has to be in foreign or hard currencies so that it can be easily transferred out by foreign partners. Details
Helicopter Crashes And the Carriage Of Hope. By Raheem Oluwafunminiyi The death of these individuals should be a means for us all to seek redemption and reminisce on our own lives. It should be a means most especially for the political elites to understand that life is short and power is a trust which must be guarded jealously. The late Yakowa, Azazi and others did not die because of the so called conspiracy theories as many are wont to make us believe, they died because someone in government refused to do the right thing at critical times and because someone entrusted with power refused to pass the right and beneficial legislation to fix our roads.
The Nigeria’s Navy Augusta 109 Helicopter Accident: Some Matters Arising. By Dr. Emmanuel Ojameruaye The first lesson is that we must move away from the culture of conspicuous and extravagant funerals in many parts of the country, particularly in the South-South geopolitical zone. Rather than being solemn and private events, funerals have become occasions for the nouveau riche, especially politicians, to show off their wealth and “connections”. In some cases, people keep the corpses of their dead parents or relatives in mortuaries for a very long time while they prepare for what they call a “befitting” burial. People go out of their way to build new homes where the dead are buried. Details
Building and Equipping a Prepared Citizenry. By Leonard Karshima Shilgba The Nigerian who complains against the “corruption” of public officials would eagerly accept similar opportunities to engage in the same graft they complain about. When a friend of mine took leave of absence from his professorial position this year to become an “Adviser on strategy” to the governor of his state, a non-Nigerian professor colleague of mine asked me, “Is it better for him to leave his professorial position to take such position in his state?” I must confess that I did not know how to answer the question. Details
Lagos and Its Emperor-Governor. By Dr. Olusegun Fakoya If anything, I treat the poison called politics in Lagos, and in Nigeria as a whole, with nothing but a very long stick. My sanity is too precious for the conundrum of disconsolate noises and shenanigans called politics in Nigeria. It may be right to describe me as a child of anger (many thanks to opportunistic Reuben Abati). Yes, I am a pestle-welding critic and an unrelenting, self-appointed activist. But unlike the misguided Abati stated, I am not idling and neither am I twittering for fun. I have vowed to use my talent in the extremely difficult task of sanitizing the malodorous Nigerian environment. Details
Obasanjo Can Crown Or Deny Presidency. By Farouk Martins Aresa Watch out, nobody has endorsed or deny more presidencies than Obasanjo in the history of Nigeria. All you have to think about are those he crowned like Ebele, Shagari, Yar’Adua and the one he had supported as Deputy: Murtala Mohammed. On the other hand are those he denied presidency like Awolowo, Abiola, Falae, Babangida, Ekwueme, Atiku and Buhari. Apart from himself, it was only Yoruba he could not crown. Details
The Tragedy Of Nigeria’s Civil Service. By Godwin Onyeacholem Unlike what obtained in the past (and one actually refers to the glorious past), the civil service ethic, with its evident overarching kernel of service to the public, has been completely abandoned and its place taken over by a pernicious culture that has no other description beyond self-serving. The typical civil servant of these days is not just lazy, but also irrepressibly corrupt. Details
Between Sanusi's Megalomania And The Evil Spirit At The Mint. By Theophilus Ilevbare Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the volcano as he is now fondly called in some quarters, had a quick succession of eruptions in the past few weeks as he made good use of the autonomy of the CBN to fire his salvo of economic policy razzmatazz, not sparing anyone from the legislature to the hardest hit, the civil servants, calling for 50 percent reduction of federal workers and other apparatus of government, as a means of reducing the cost of governance. His diagnosis was right but his prescription not just defective but insolent with a sprinkling of megalomania. Details
Constitution Amendment, The Ruling Class And The Rest Of Us. By Theophilus Ilevbare More alarming is the recent stance by the Northern Governors’ Forum to distance themselves from their counterparts in the south from canvassing for the introduction of state police even with the rising spate of insecurity occasioned by Boko Haram attacks. Nigeria is yet to join the rest countries in Africa and beyond who have long adopted state police and in some cases local police. Lets face the truth and be honest with ourselves, If the creation of state police will address the security problems facing the country, why can’t we do that? Details
Deleterious, Vacuous Imps and The Plight of One North. By Ahmed Garba Those who are old enough to remember Sir Ahmadu Bello often reminisce about a northern Nigeria that was cohesive; headed by a Premier known to even chide his Christian friends if he found out that they had missed church services on Sundays, despite being a Muslim himself. A Premier who was astute enough to realize that ‘Sultanate power’ was not all there was; broader, more inclusive strategy had better pay off. People often recall a Sardauna who did his best to nurture, promote and groom an all-inclusive cadre of educated people, military officers, public servants, and intelligentsia that would soon be dubbed, ‘the new north’. A Premier who strived to create a northern Nigeria where a Buba and a Michael got along fairly well. Then what went wrong? How did the North become “Arewastan”? Details
Constitution Amendment, The Ruling Class And The Rest Of Us. By Theophilus Ilevbare Reports say certain proposals to the ongoing Constitution review, to redress the flaws inherent in the 1999 constitution handed down to the country by the military, was welcomed by overwhelming majority of Nigerians, civil society groups, professional bodies, regional socio-cultural groups and organisations have been resisted by some political office holders, their disposition and scepticism on critical issues militating against the growth , peace and stability of the country has become questionable, unpatriotic, anti-national, self-serving, short-changing the interest of the people they claim to represent. Details
2015 Presidential Choice: Buhari, Fashola, or Ebele. By Farouk Martins Aresa The choice of presidential candidates might be narrower and closer than the last election. The way it is going, there will be a runoff also between two of the candidates because of their running mates. The probabilities are these: Buhari will run again and Tinubu will be his running mate. So will Jonathan with a Northern running mate. The surprise candidate will be Fashola with a Northern running mate. Write these down. Details
A Governor, Three Ministers and their Burden. By Chido Onumah While Nigerians die in their dozens every day from preventable diseases, poverty, terror and associated ills, it is this brazen plunder that should concern the likes of Sanusi and Okonjo-Iweala who still have the scruples to talk about reducing the cost of governance. Details
The Fuel Subsidy Conundrum (Part 2). By Chido Onumah There is very little to add here, except to note that it is not enough for the government to wish for investors; it has to create the environment for investments to thrive. In the last one week, Nigeria has moved from the most fraudulent country in Africa to the worst place for a baby to be born. KPMG, the global audit and financial advisory firm, recently rated Nigeria as “the most fraudulent country in Africa, with the cost of fraud during the first half of 2012 estimated at N225 billion ($1.5 billion). According to reports, the firm’s Africa Fraud Barometer, instituted this year, measures fraud on the continent and assesses the fraud risk that confronts companies (emphasis mine) in their operations. A few days before that not-too-shocking revelation, it was reported that “Nigeria came last of 80 countries researched in a recent study by the Economist Intelligence Unit, as the worst place for a baby born in 2013”. Details
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