The Unfamiliar Familiarity. By Mr. Sylvester I UkusareMost of the present leaders are hard criminals and not bona-fide governance but the real leaders that supposed to rule the country were ignorably left behind because of the corruptive electoral commission that rigged the past elections to their favours as such gave births to these delinquents that presently demonstrates themselves as elected leaders. Details
Please Give Governor Goje A Chance. By Musa Kalamullah The Governor was known in buying houses from his kinsmen including his brother, an ex-convict, who build a house at GSADP Quarters, the Goje’s so called new GRA, the house initially constructed at the cost of 13 Million Naira in 2004, was over valued to a tune of 120 Million Naira, and bought over by the government in 2005. Details . Presented by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu WHAT IS THE TROUBLE WITH NIGERIA? The answer to this question can simply be answered in one word, “Corruption”. However, there are a myriad of factors that contribute to the crisis of corruption we are facing in Nigeria today. I want to isolate a few of them that I think are at the heart of the matter. Details
The Niger Delta Question: Incubating the Future Suicide Bombers of Nigeria. By Hosiah Emmanuel But, I see a progression in sophistication of the Niger Delta millitants. They get more and more fearless by the day; fear less of death. Are we breeding the first set of suicide bombers for Nigeria? This is a country that has no capability to respond to the minutest disaster. The other day, an international airport in PortHarcourt watched helplessly as children burnt to death when a Sosoliso aircraft caught fire. Details
Is It Ladoja Or Akala? Quo Vadis? By Dr. Wunmi Akintide I am ashamed that the old wild, wild West remains the right cliche to describe my own part of Nigeria. The January 15 Coup that became the mother of all coups in our country could be traced back to the breakdown of Law and order in the old Western Region Details
Peter Odilli Has To Hand Over To An Ogoni Man, Come 2007, In Rivers. By Cornelius Akata Is now about thirty six years after the creation of Rivers state, an Ogoni man has never been allow to lead the executive cabinet of Rivers state, the last time an Ogoni man contested and almost win the gubernatorial race in the 80s, he was boorishly addressed as ‘monkey’ by Melford Okilo. Details
IBB: The Unresolved Conflict Between Conviction And Conspiracy. By Al-Sheriff dan Koko Margaret Thatcher captures IBB thus, “he was a forceful, intelligent man trying to put Nigeria’s economy on to a sounder footing and in due course, we hoped, to create the conditions for a restoration of democracy.” (Please see p.525 of “The Downing Street Years”). O…….Babangida is extremely kind, warm, intelligent and very easy to get along with”. “……. n the other hand, Professor Ojetunji Aboyade described him this way “…Babangida is a gamesman. Even when he feels convinced on an issue and he finds that he is alone or he is not carrying his team with him, he backs out” (extracts from Newswatch, May 16, 1988). Details
That in order to sustain our indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation (words taken directly from the preamble of the constitution) defending our Constitution is a price worth paying in a truly democratic society where the values of justice, fairness and equity prevail. Details
Cornelius Dumerene’s Olympic Summersault: “Why Governor Chimaroke Nnamani, Shunned Ogoni & Saro Wiwa in an All-Souths’-Unity Congress”. By Nduwụeze Godson III People whose disposition is to lure Ndiigbo to perform miraculous impossibility on survival matters must first convince of their own super intelligent design to overcome and endure such first. Alas, the constant rule changes mid game are designed to keep the Igbo down and away for them to feel sense of triumph. What the Igbo experience is is an echo that returns back what you give to them, be it hot load of crap, kindness or whatever Details
Economic Restructuring and the Power of Productivity. By Victor E. DikeNigerians had expected that the present sociopolitical and economic restructuring would improve their living standard, but it has instead created more miseries because many people have lost their livelihood. The reforms have not yet improved productivity and competition and health of the nation because the supply of petroleum products and electricity is still substandard and this spurs inflation. Details
What Is A Nigerian’s Life Worth? By Bashir H. Adamu mnia In Nigeria we all know the danger of arriving at an hospital without policemen in case of an accident. One can die right in the hospital, in front of the emergency staff. if there was no policeman to confirm that ones injuries were not sustained “illegally” – and I leave illegally to the reader’s imagination! Details
While it is very difficult to place the blame for the looting of African treasury at the door step of foreign creditors alone, it is submitted that this sordid state of affairs in Africa was caused by interplay of poor economic management, bad political leadership, the ever-increasing interest rates on loans, grants, and the growing debt burden. All of this act in concert with unconscionable backing of corrupts leaders in Africa by the West. Details
Obasanjo In A Democratic Romance With Johnson-Sirleaf, Boos Weah. By Nduka Uzuakpundu The other day, somewhere near the Eagle Square, in Abuja, Obasanjo was visibly mad with a certain irresponsible journalist who put it to him, while he was jogging, that, if the Johnson-Sirleaf historical, democratic phenomenon was any guide, it presupposed that whenever he chose to leave office, Nigeria’s equivalent of Johnson-Sirleaf – in terms of international exposure and political experience – Finance Minister, aggressive Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala – who’s also a former labourer at the Bretton Woods institutions – would naturally step into his shoes. Details
That IBB Alliance : Buhari, Be Careful ! By Muhammad Bashir Usman I am not yet convinced if IBB is not part and parcel of this present regime in Aso Rock. Or what are people like Abubakar and their likes, whom we all agree are foot soldiers of IBB, from yesterday through today to tomorrow, scheming together with Obasanjo if really as they want us to believe the president has since parted ways with the general in Minna? Details . By Crispin Oduobuk Moreover, staking out his own spot under the sun, Ribadu said, "Our fundamental problem is that we are a lawless people." His solution? A strong law enforcement and justice system. The thunderous ovation the man got left one in no doubt that many Nigerians are aware of the considerable role the EFCC chairman is playing. Details
CNN and Nigerian Governors - Insanity laughs! By Angel Walker Permit me to use this forum to ask the governors of Zamfara, Delta and Enugu what they intend to achieve by advertising their states on CNN. Having watched in pure pain, the hideous advertisements screened, I simply want to know the objective of the advertisements. Details
Third Term: A Monster We Nutured? By Nnaemeka Oruh Quite a lot has been said about President Olusegun Obasanjo, and third term as a president. The argument seems to be going round in circles, round the man who appears to keep mute on the issue. The most nauseating of all those statements seems to be the one credited to one Mr. Chinedu Offor (“a Washington Correspondent”), to the effect that the US is against Obasanjo’s third term bid, and has further short listed five possible successors, “screened and approved” by the US. Details
Government Plan To Outlaw Same-Sex Marriage! By Tony Ishiekwene was very disturbed when I read in Nigerian dailies recently, of a bill been proposed by the presidency to be sent to parliament for approval, of the federal government plans to ban same-sex marriage or relationships. Details
Salvaging Hajj Operations in Nigeria: The Samanja Approach By Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u The failure to execute a successful Hajj operation is one of the strong signals that good governance has been hospitalised in Nigeria and a clinical investigation is required to diagnose which part of the Nigerian structure is not functioning Details
Our Nation In Wrong Hands. By Saleh Yamusa Let me pause for a moment here and give Baba, (as most of his associates call him) a piece of advice. Let him not allow his chronic addiction to power guide him make political miscalculation for it may likely show the way to a gigantic political uproar, God forbid. Alas! He is already missing the steps. Details
When Talk Alone Is Cheap. By Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia We have to note that there has been a pattern amongst past and present Nigerian leadership. More often than not, they are anti people, morbidly corrupt, oppressive and utterly totalitarian. The result has been the continued deterioration of every facet of life of the Nigerian people. Details
The Heart Of Africa Project. By Uche Nworah Should the Nigeria image project be discontinued? Not really, but in order to benefit from the 600 million naira budgeted for the project, the Nigerian government should involve the states and local governments as well, so that they will all be singing from the same hymn book.Details
Ahmadu Bello: Forty Years After. By Ahmad Usman Kollere Ahmadu Bello’s administrative abilities in Nigeria is above board and matchless. From the foregoing, we may conclude that Ahmadu Bello was a historical convenience, whose untimely loss was a historical mistake that is bitter for all of us in this nation to eschew. Details
Bauchi State: How Far? How Much Further? By Nasiru Bappah Muhammad As far as Governor Mu’azu’s policies are concerned, from the state’s capital to the smallest and remotest ward in the state are what make up the state. Unity, education, welfare, health care, agriculture, urban and rural development, security and many more are the priorities of his administration. That is why Governor Mu’azu was re-elected in 2003 so that he can continue his good works. Details
Yobe: A Visit Home. By Isa Sanusi No road in Yobe state is good today with the exception of the one leading to the governors village which has built expensively and is hardly of use-except when the governor visits. From 1999 to date the people of Gashua and Nguru have been going through a lot of pain resulting form bad leadership. Details
MPP3 The Giant In Community Development. By Samuel Uwhejevwe-Togbolo The vision of MPP3 in the development of the Niger Delta region is a laudable programme which most be commended by all stakeholders. MPP3 as in recent time assistant in community base projects, which is directly savoring the hardship, the people are going through over the years. Details
Nigerians Under Siege: Re-thinking Exit Strategy. By Murtala S. Sagagi Ph.D. At present, Nigerian politicians are preoccupied with 2007 election quagmire. The irony is that the current political debate is focused on where the next president would emerge from and which of the ex- rulers would be recycled. It is also evident that the current leadership is reluctant to let go power.Details
The Blabber, The Bunglers And The Undertakers. By Kennedy Emetulu Was it reasonable for Gbenga to assume that the information he was giving freely was being given off-record without him making a formal request that this be so before the conversation or at any time during same? Details
Why The Aspirants Are Shy. By Garba Abdul-Majid Surely, Gen. Obasanjo’s third term ambition has thrown Nigeria at the crossroads, thereby shooting the country’s political temperature to one of its most frightening levels in our political history. Details
Hajj Pitfalls: The Adamawa Case. By Zayyad I. Muhammad The general consensus among Nigerians is, the recent stranding of pilgrims throughout the country’s Airports and Hajj camps is due to shoddy preparations and official negligence at both the national and state levels. Details
Obasanjo has neither said nor reputed that he has 3rd term agenda. But indicators like the constitutional amendment, fury over the Honourable Speaker’s pronouncement that there will be no extension of political tenure beyond 2007, North-South divisive tactics and others, have raised 3rd term agenda to the point of harnessing resistance from progressive groups to the unholy agenda. Incidentally sir, you are becoming the rallying centre for northern standpoint. Details
Citizens As Journalists. By Uche Nworah Gbenga Obasanjo in the said interview remarked thus; ‘One day, I was at Abeokuta with the Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniels; these press guys came in and started asking hard questions. The moment they were served with food, they left their scrap papers and rushed the food. Of course the next day, their reports were very shiny. That’s the way it goes over here. The press boys are a hungry bunch’. Details
In the meantime, in a country called Nigeria, at no time did her trained accountants question the credibility of Parish Club, question its financial balance-sheets when its financial records are comparatively placed side-by-side with those of Nigerian financial balance sheet[s]. Conversely, some financial think-tanks and critics against this arrangement believe that Nigeria has long paid off its debt believed owed Paris Club and as such a remittance of additional nickel to this entity is deemed as account irresponsibility by default. Details
There Could Be Some Method to Obasanjo's Ways of Doing Thing. By Dr. Wunmi AkintideIn my last article on Obasanjo, I concluded there is a chance the enigma of a uniter could end up a divider of our country and an embarrassment to his Yoruba base. I still hold that prediction to be self-evident, but I am having a rethinking on some of what the President has done. Details
Don’t Give Corruption A Good Name Emulate The People Of Anambra. By Farouk Martins, Omo Aresa This fight against corruption is now taking a new turn that must be guided against before we throw out the baby with the bath water. The people of Anambra have demonstrated to us that they can tell the difference between goats and sheep. Most Nigerians are very decent people even though we are sometimes misled by the unscrupulous leaders. Details
A Celebration of the Trivial and the Third Rate. By Mr. Sabella Ogbobode Abidde A celebration of the third-rate. A celebration of the treacherous and the iniquitous. A celebration of mediocrity and the unintelligent; of thievery and thuggery. A celebration of lawlessness and the trivial. A celebration of Ubanism and Adedibuism. These have been the order of politics since the advent of the current republic. Details |