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People Issues And Consolidation In The Banking Industry. By Dalhatu M. Sani The CBN’s directive to all banks in the country to raise their capital base from N1b to a minimum of N25b by 31st December 2005 brought a lot of pressure on the management and staff of banks. The resultant effect has been to bring to the front burner the enormous challenges facing human resources management during, and even after, the consolidation. Details
Abuja: The Dream City. By Garba A. Isa In a nutshell though, much as a lot of adhoc policies and controversies trail the development of Abuja, we have at least got an alternative to the overcrowding, chaos, traffic jam and the remoteness of Lagos. Details
Gully Erosion: A Renewed Hope? By Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe The point to be made here is that the problem of gully erosion became principally symptomatic of the sorry state of mind Ndi Igbo developed following the end of the war. The state of mind points to nihilism – hatred of ones culture or ideals. So the contention is that the neglect of gully er osion by Ndi Igbo is just a sign of a bigger problem, it points to a people suffering from cultural defeat in hands of mental slavery Details
Igbo Presidency for Who? By John Iteshi Even if we all accept that it is right to continue rotating the presidency on ethnic basis, the sad truth is that Igbo people are not ready yet. The fundamental issues of lack of cohesion and lack of ‘Igbo understanding’ among the different localities and peoples of Igbo origin mean that Igbo presidency at this stage will only benefit the individual in question and his village which would witness special presidential attention. Details
Nigeria Hajj Operations: Matters Arising. By Abu Abdullah Ahmad The Hajj operations in Nigeria for 1426 AH has come and gone but the sad echoes still remains with us. Over the years, handling of Hajj operations have been poor but this year became the worst. Details
Public Diplomacy. By E. Terfa Ula-Lisa, Esq. The question for President Obasanjo of Nigeria is, who is his public diplomacy officer? Could it be the most harangued Fani-Kayode, or do we look for another? Details
Axis Of Darkness? By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye Oh ye Nigerians, you must learn to be appreciative because, it cost your wonder-working government in Abuja a whole seven noisy years of loud promises, invaluable efforts, sacrificial work, sleepless nights, and, of course, the whopping sum of nearly three billion dollars ($3billion) to bring you this amount of blinding darkness. Details
Unionizing The Nigeria Police: That The Question Be Now Put. By Kayode Oladele However, beyond the Federal Government proposing an amendment to the law prohibiting the Police officers from forming or belonging to a trade union is the fact that the police officers themselves have to wake up and make concerted efforts as a body to struggle for the recognition of their right and freedom of association as guaranteed by the Constitution. Details
It is appalling to me that the education of our citizens seem unimportant to those who lead us. It is hard to comprehend why the education of Nigeria’s citizens is so neglected even as our educational system continues to deteriorate under the watch of our elected leaders. Details
Why Nigeria Will Remain Doomed. By Crispin Oduobuk Typical, when you think of it. Nigerians, for the most part, are incredibly docile and cowardly. We are cheated in our places of work; our landlords fleece us; our leaders literally sell us out at every turn. Yet what do we do? Nothing! Details
The Answer is Gandhi. By M. J. Akbar One reason for the anger is the conviction of gratuitous bias against Muslims. It has now emerged, thanks to a story in the Guardian, that the same Danish newspaper rejected a series of cartoons against Jesus some three years ago because they were deemed to be offensive. Details
Political Party And Democracy Consolidation In Nigeria. By Nwafor-Orizu Onwa To a common Nigerian, ‘half bread is better than none’. For how long then will Nigerians feed on half bread? And what happens to the whole bread? Democracy consolidation transcends the parochial understanding that since there is state house of assemblies, national assembly and probably the judiciary, that democracy has been consolidated. Details
Tribute To Dr. Bekolari Ransome Kuti. By Ogbeni Lanre Banjo The exit of Dr. Bekolari Ransome Kuti (Beko), the youngest son of the great Kutis and immediate younger brother of Fela, from this wicked world partly under the claws of General Olusegun Obasanjo is tragic. It is more so lamentable at this stage when all hands are expected to be on deck to chase General Obasanjo, who started the destruction of Nigeria, out of our lives. Details
Constitutional Amendment Not Sovereign National Conference is Pathway to a Reformed Polity By Adebayo Adejare Contrary to popular thought, there is in fact no new 1999 Constitution. What we have is the re-adoption of the 1979 Constitution. Decree 24 i.e. the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Promulgation). Decree 1999 states in the preamble that the Abubakar Administration has consulted with Nigerians through public hearings etc, and came to the conclusion that the general consensus of opinion of Nigerians is the desire to retain the provisions of the 1979 Constitution with some amendments. Details
The Information Minister Lied! By Sule Ya’u Sule What would you do when salt loses its salty taste, when sugar fails to sweeten, when elders conspire to cheat and mislead, when a country’s principal purveyor of information comes out to mislead the nation? Mr Frank Nweke Jr, Federal Minister of Information and National Orientation recently lied against the Kano State Government and his pack of lies cannot go unchallenged. Details
Atiku Abubakar GCON Nigeria’s Man Of The Year, 2005. By Eze Chukwuemek A Eze Atiku Abubakar has become a phenomenal and recurring decimal in the politics of Nigeria and the International Community. All political activities revolve around him. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the ruling party’s reform and re-organization are being done with Atiku Abubakar in mind, possibly to scheme him out of the party. Details
Reproductive Health : Abortion Through the Backdoor ! By Dr. Debo Adeleke A 21st century Nigeria, is littered with primary health care centers that do not even have ordinary panadol, yet you will find the most sophisticated contraceptives there. In my practice I have had many of these women come in with bleeding disorders, infertility, infections, and many other complications of contraceptives and abortion procured at the hands of specialist doctors, so don’t be quick in calling for the legalization of abortion in order to make it ‘safe’. Details
Kwankwaso: Why Ujudu Is Disgruntled; A Rejoinder To Ibrahim Ado Gwagwarwa. By Abdu Isa Kofarmata As the popular saying goes, wonders never end in Nigeria. It is funny and smack of ignorance to read a piece of article from one Ibrahim Ado Gwagwarwa raining abuses on the person of Mallam Ujudu Shariff, a respected journalist, media consultant and a columnist with the Daily Trust Newspaper. Details
Now That the Mega Banks are Evolving . By Salisu Ahmed To start with, it is no new news that the all-powerful United States of America deemed it suicidal to take the bull by the horn in 2003 by taking the war to the lion’s den alone when her ever-eavesdropping military binoculars zoomed on mysterious Weapons of Mass Destruction concocting Iraq. Koki
ANPP Now is in Disarray in Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa and of Recent Kano State. By Sani Garba Mohammed Notwithstanding the weakness of Mallam administration, it has performed wonderfully against all oppositions of retrogressive and conservative elements whom see the way he is tackling the state problems, will wipe out their influence and make them irrelevant in their political activities. Details
Making Democrats from Politicians through Education in Nigeria. By Shuaibu Ibrahim Fari Nigeria seems to be short of democrats. What is the difference between a politician and a democrat? What is responsible for this gap? How do we bridge the gap? Can the gap be bridged through education? What kind of education? What instrument of education should be used? Details
Kano PCAD: Fighting Corruption and Injustice. By Hassan S. Indabawa Kano State’s Public complaints and Anti-corruption Directorate (PCAD), evidently, was established with this reality in mind. The directorate, a two-fold government agency, is the only one of its kind in the country. It is one corporate giant, which seeks to do a lot of things in one fell swoop; by doing what several other agencies are trying to do individually.Details
President Olusegun Obasanjo Of Nigeria, I Praise You. By Abubakar Adamu Nigeria is going through trouble times. For many years your government has seen much civil strife all over the Country which included the Tiv/Fulani, Berom/Hausa, Muslims/Christians in Yelwa-Shedam, Muslims/Christians in Kaduna, Hausa/Yoruba in Lagos, The continues Niger-Delta and Ogoni peoples demands and many others. Some of the troubles were either ethnics or religious, your administration has dealt with some of the issues successful and some not so successful. I praise you for attempts to solve many of Nigeria troubles. Details
Can Nigeria Survive This “Rascality”? By Ras Ike Obineche Take for instance the case of Chief Tonny Anenih, President Obasanjo’s trusted minister (1999-2003) and campaign manager during the 2003 elections. There are allegations that the man corruptly enriched himself from the N300 billion Naira allocated to his ministry for repair of Federal Roads while he was Minister of Works. Despite persistent calls from the Presidents party men and even state Governors, none of the President’s anti-corruption agencies has invited the powerful politician for questioning. Detail
The Polity of Today With Tomorrow. By Sylvester I Ukusare Above all, Mr. President should seek the honourable stand of Mr President Mbeki of South Africa as well as Chief Nelson Mandela, thus, should be bold enough to evacuate the Presidency come May 29 2007. Details
Third Term Movement: Between Pride & Reality. By Sina Ogundipe Are the third term promoters misreading the disapproving popular signals? How long can they labour under the illusion that they can bend the will of Nigerians to accomplish the selfish objectives of such widely unpopular project? Details
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or Slaughtering People Cult (SPC) of Nigeria. By Mahamman Adarawa Bola Ige a serving Minister of Justice was assassinated in his house a year before the last elections. Suspects in the case even contested elections, rigged and won. The judge in the case resigned! Details
“Kalu: President-in-Waiting”—Odiegwu. By Carlisle U.O. Umunnah Otherwise, where in this world would someone that lacks credibility such as Orji Uzor Kalu, Abia State Governor, after destroying Aba-Ngwa the commercial nerve center of the black-world due to lack of vision and leadership would dream presidency dream. Details
Adamawa State: 30 Years In Nigerian Politics. By Zayyad I. Muhammad The Adamawa people quest to clinch the presidency of Nigeria, started 25 years far back, though through democratic means.. In 1979 professor Iya Abubakar contested the presidential primaries of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in Kaduna, In 1992 Bamanga Tukur contested the presidential primaries of the defunct National Republican convention (NRC), while Mahmud Waziri contested the presidential primaries of the defunct social Democratic Party (SDP). Details
Tithe Sef: Corrupting Entities Within the Church! (Parts I & II). By Nduwụeze Godson III If you are outraged as I am, you should no longer let these jabrata preachers use God’s name and the bible to shake you down out of money that usually ends up for the upkeep of their obscene lifestyles. Where in the bible it said a man of God must roll around town in a Rolls Royce (make that Royces, sorry for the insult, whew) or any other luxury vehicles? Details
Abacha & Obasanjo; Is History Repeating? By Yoo Ali I am not interested in who emerges as the president; what I expect is that whoever that person is he must provide us with water, electricity and good roads. But, with the stoking of the polity, a lot seems to be in the neutral gear. Details
Relocating to Nigeria. By Sabella Ogbobode Abidde But more than the aforesaid, here is the real pain and regret: people like me have wasted and continue to waste away our time and talent in this and other countries -- helping to develop our host countries while our ancestral homes continues to rot and rut. We have spent our golden years in a land that is not ours. Most don’t even know where and how to begin. Details
Murtala Day: Celebration without Emulation By Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u Nigerians have been described to be among the most religious people in the world, but what many Nigerians failed to prove is how to live by the example of what they have been taught by the religion. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been described both in the Qur’an and from his traditions as a symbol of good conduct, and nothing less is expected from the followers. This is where Murtala distinguished himself. Details
Murtala’s Revolution: 30 Years After. By Garba A. Isa It is ironic though that Murtala’s former deputy and later successor, General Olusegun Obasanjo, who honoured the promised handover in 1979, is today at the centre of an alleged plot to truncate the constitutional process of a smooth transition. This so-called Third term Agenda of President Obasanjo if it turns out to be true, will be a great disservice to the country by one of the heroes of the country’s brutal civil war (1967-1970) and a dishonour to the late General Murtala Muhammad 30 years after his death. Details
Violence and Falling Educational Standards-Are Professor Wole Soyinka and the Pyrates Confraternity Responsible? By Emma IhejietoThe disturbing trend in our campuses of sorting, sex, gifts, and money for marks by some corrupt and morally bankrupt lecturers remains a sordid pointer to societal degradation. The Honorable Minister of Information has failed to reflect upon the carry-over effect of larger society failures to our educational system. Details
On the Blasphemous Cartoons. By Abdur-Raafi Adewale Imaam The Muslims in Denmark are facing some difficulties in the sense that there is still no official recognition of Islaam as a religion; hence they could not secure permission to built mosques. Details
Nigeria’s Hajj: One Hitch Too Many. By Isa Muhammad Inuwa Aside from the carefree and shoddy arrangements for Hajj every year, the exercise has also ironically been turned into an enterprising ground where some few greedy individuals and officials alike make their field day and capitalize upon to make illegal and unlawful money, thereby bastardizing the very good intention and genuine motive behind the exercise which supposed to have its operations optimally clean and incorruptible. Detail
Modern Slavery : A Stitch in Time. By Chinedum Iregbu This type of slavery (lack of proper upbringing) makes the Nigerian society to be unstable in terms of peaceful co-existence, today Hausa Vs Igbo, Christian Vs Muslim, Hausa Vs Yoruba, Ogoni youth violence, Ijaw youth, Niger/Deltas among others, all these ethnic/religious clashes are caused by this modern slavery Details
Where President Mbeki leads…By Crispin Oduobuk These are the footsteps President Olusegun Obasanjo should humbly follow, not the muddy, tenure-extending ones of Uganda's President Museveni. Of course, they are those that would argue, as they often do, that President Obasanjo cannot learn any lessons from anyone as he has seen it all and done it all. Details
Sun Set In Northern Nigeria. By Chidi P Eze During the northern hold on power, employment, appointment and distribution of the federal resources were classified and appropriated on class basis. The first class citizens represented by the Hausa/Fulani, the 2nd class represented by the Yoruba, the semi-2nd class represented by the middle belts, the southern Kaduna and the south-south and the 3rd class represented by the igbos. Details
Frank Nweke: Playing The Ostrich. By Dozie Ikem Ezeife The hallmark of the Obasanjo administration is its perfection of the ostrich mentality. Rather than confront its abject lack of performance and its mounting Constitutional abuses, the Presidency would rather obfuscate in a bid to divert attention from the real issues. Details
Third Term Ambition: Fear Or Patriotism? By Jonathan Manok The devastating reality, which the third term promoters don’t want to acknowledge is that they are pursuing the project for the wrong reasons – with patriotism being a simulacrum behind which they disguise their ulterior motives. Since a public office will always outlive its occupant, it is fatuous to insist that Nigeria will be worse off after Obasanjo. Details
Hamas Victory: A Political Earthquake in the Middle – East. By Muhammad Sani Liman The unprecedented land slide victory of the Islamic militant Hamas in the January 25 parliamentary election in the occupied Palestine send a shock wave through the western world in one hand and a warning signal to some countries in the region most especially Egypt, Jordan and Syria who have a substantial number of Islamic resistant movements, and above all, it was simply a vote of no-confidence on the American backed government of Abu Mazin controlled by Fatah, the political/youth wing of the defunct PLO and the complete structure of the Palestinian Administration (PA). Details
Islam and the Concept of Freedom in the West. By Ahmad Usman Kollere No sensible person will like to accommodate disrespect, slander or lying against his parents, or even his relations not to talk of an entity that shaped and formed his article of faith. Details
General Victor Malu: The Other Side Of The Story. By Seyi Oduyela As far as I am concerned and know, he is still one of the best Army Chiefs ever produced by the Nigerian Army; this I know no one can take away from him. I am aware that he has his own shortcomings, but why should we close our eyes to some of the treasonable acts of President Obasanjo and blame others for it? Details
The Obasanjo, Atiku Feud: The Real Lesson. By thebridge Builders Unless some careful political analysis is made for VP Atiku, he may go down like many other prominent Nigerians who in their quest for power pitched their tent with the people too late. There is no reason for Atiku to continue to serve President Obasanjo while it is clear that the president is only waiting for the kill. Details
Who is Persecuting Atiku? By Samuel Agboola The truth known to all, except perhaps the VP and his gang in PDM who may still be suffering from their perpetual self-delusion, grandiose and other reasons best known to them, is that Atiku and his so called ‘powerful’ PDM played no role in OBJ’s second coming to power in 1999, rather it was a dying PDM, disorganized and disoriented following the incarceration and subsequent death of its founder –the Late Sheu Musa Yar’dua- that needed OBJ desperately Details
Obasanjo, The Proverbial Tortoise, Believes That Nigeria Cannot Prosper Or Survive Without Him. By Dr. Wunmi AkintideHave you ever heard of a one man country? If you have not, I present to you Nigeria, a leading African Nation whose current President strongly believes, and he plays it out, at every opportunity, that Nigeria as presently constituted, cannot stand or survive without him. Details
Those 12 Offensive Cartoons-Caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Muhamad (PBUH). By Paul I. Adujie How would Christians appreciate the portrayal of the Christian Cross and Jesus Christ if depicted and portrayed, in such depraved and violent manner? How would the Christians feel if the Cross on Christ’s shoulders is cartooned-caricatured to look like a shoulder-fired surface-to-air-missile (SAM)? Or Stinger Missile similar to the ones given to the Mujaheedeen by the CIA before Afghanistan morphed into the hands of Taliban? Details
The Constitutional Amendment Nigeria Needs. By Abdulrahman Muhammad Dan-Asabe, Ph.D. The complete scrapping of the federal legislators - the Senate and the House of Representatives - is one constitutional amendment that Nigeria needs at this moment. To start with, it is high time Nigeria considers developing indigenous democracy that takes into account our peculiarities. The current system with Federal Lawmakers has proved too expensive with nothing positive to show but harvests of disasters to the nation. Details
However, in my opinion and the likes, homosexuality is not only wrong but it is mean as well. The write-up under review think that gays in Nigeria operate in silence, hence, no need of legislation since getting the offenders will amount to peeping into bedrooms. Details
When Civilization Negates Liberalization. By Salisu Ahmed Koki Without making one self sound a little bit racist, I dare say that I almost always laugh at a Westerner whom always derive pleasure from looking down on Muslims or Blacks because to him or her we are nothing but bunch of cowards and uncivilized slavery-worthy caricatures worthy of conscription into comedians-army or rather a blockbuster animation movie. Details
A Student’s View Of Nigerian School System. By Okoh Emeka The problem of education exists in one form or the other in every country but the educational problems faced by the developing countries and Nigeria in particular are so huge that every conscious and conscience minded will not help but be seriously worried. Details
Obasanjo: The Successor He Needs. By Zayyad I. Muhammad Who is the individual that would guarantees to Obasanjo these critical items? Is it Buhari, IBB, Orji Kalu; is it Atiku or just someone out of the blue? Details
Kano Poli-Tricks. Shariah Law or Constitutionalism? By Jaafar S. Jaafar As fundamentalist theologians gained entry into today politics through Shariah during the administration of Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, people were very happy that people of moral integrity would change the state affairs for good. Kwankwaso, considering the implication of sandwiching bread with kerozined butter, he employed a traditional political subterfuge of accepting the zealots’ ideas in principle while doing nothing in practice. Details
We Must Think Of Options They May Choose. By Miles Opara With this, it appears that the rule of the Hausa-Fulani self divine rulers of Nigeria has reached it's end. All the threat by the north can not change that until people in the likes of col. Abubakar Umar takes Hausa-Fulani leadership. When you loose, you have to agree to whatever condition as to keep what is left over. Details
Still on the Clamour for Generational Change. By Abubakar Muhammad There is no doubting the fact that one of the major drawbacks to the progress of this nation, is the calibre of people we have as leaders, majority of our so called leaders past and present have exhibited gross deficiency in commitment and patriotism, a situation that has left our nation perpetually backward, but one important angle we often ignore is the old age of our leaders, majority of whom are in their sixties or above, and senility Details
An Inevitable Trap for Women By Hussaini Tukur Nigeria with over 130 million people constitute two percent of the World population and regrettably contribute 10 percent of the world annual maternal death. The figure represents 52,000 deaths annually from complications of pregnancy and childbirths. This means that 4,400 Nigerian women- mothers, daughers, wives and young girls die on monthly basis. And by extension, there are 144 of them that die every day, making it six deaths every hour and one maternal death every 10 minutes. Details
But it is difficult to see how Nigerian economy can grow rapidly without striving to become more efficient producers. Similarly, it is hard to fathom how Nigeria can eradicate poverty without accelerated economic growth. By striving to keep pace with the tempo of globalization Nigeria is more likely to develop the production culture it needed to attain it’s people’s dream of modern material prosperity. Details
Nigeria’s Paradox In The Eyes Of Foreigners. By Deji Omotunde It is pretty obvious that even foreign observers, including the Western media, cannot help chuckling away at the paradox of our domestic agenda: investing resources and lives of our soldiers to resolve conflicts in Africa while the third term agenda and the Niger Delta worsening state of violence are posing a new challenge to the nation’s very political existence. Details
That Carnival In Yola. By Babayola Toungo The people of Yola, the Adamawa State capital got lucky once again when Atiku Abubakar decided to stage the marriage ceremony of his son and daughter in the state capital. This is the second time such an occasion is taking place in Yola since the ascension of Atiku. The last time the Yola township roads got a facelift was in December 2001 when Atiku was giving out his daughter. Certain roads from the Airport to the Lamido’s palace where the wedding fatiha took place were resurfaced to give the visitors a semblance of good road network in the capital city. The moment the visitors left town, Julius Berger, the construction giant handling the construction of ABTI Academy and University, a school that belong to Atiku, packed their equipment back to their original site. Details
Chinwe Obaji and the Legacy of Post-UME/PCE Test. By Atâyi-Babs Ezekiel Opaluwah It was Confucius who once said “the man who does not take far views, will have near troubles”. This became a verified truism in the circumstances in which Nigeria’s Education Minister found herself enmeshed in following the approval given by her to Universities to conduct Post – UME tests. Given the unprecedented gamut of general discontent, uncouth distortions of facts, conspiratorial silence from even those who ordinarily shouldn’t have feigned ignorance of what the issues are and the current demand for Post – PCE test by Rectors; it would be apposite to once again enrich the avalanche of literary exercise and opinions that already abound. Details
Salute To Nigerian Armed Forces. By Max Gbanite You are ranked second only to India when it comes to deployment of forces, in Peace Keeping Operations. You were there in the First World War, Second World War, the Congo Belgian War, and currently serving in over 13 nations where conflicts exist, but most importantly you are ranked ‘Primus Inter Pares’ in the actual duty and operational activity. Details
Echoes From The Jungle. By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye Somewhere in Molete, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, there is a man called Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, who lives, speaks and acts as if there are no laws in the land, and enjoys hearing himself being referred to as “the Strongman of Ibadan Politics.” From what is regularly reported about this man, and the comments credited to him in the media, he should either be in jail now or facing trial in a properly constituted court. Indeed, such a man should have no place within the confines of civilized ambience. Details
Erosion Control Is Everyone’s
Many factors converged simultaneously to escalate and complicate erosion problems that are evident today in the equatorial rain forest belt of Nigeria. Census figures show that Nigeria’s population has more than doubled since the country attained independent rule 45 years ago and therefore, more land has to be cleared on continuing basis for agriculture and sundry human habitation needs. Details
Nigeria, “A Paradise In Hell”. By Chidi P Eze Obasanjo’s presidency is the product of the then Hausa dominated military and it’s civilian paymasters, the Yoruba and the southern Nigeria’s minorities’ complicities in their conspiracy to perpetuate marginalization, dominate, demoralize and debase Ndigbo and keep them out of Nigeria’s political equation and economic main stream. Details
When Dog Eat Dog! A Democratic Movie For Nigerians. By Ayara Dennis The Nigeria public is a gullible people, easily deceived by her leaders, they believed all their policies but its impact on them is often than not negative, the public believed every word of her leaders, but the words of our leaders are as frivolous as noise, their inaction is often understood by their action. In every statement they denied, there exist a confirmation in their denial, every unspoken word is a confirmation of what the people belief. Omeiza
President Obasanjo’s Diplomatic Finesse; Unheralded In Nigeria! By Paul I. Adujie President Obasanjo of Nigeria is respected and admired internationally. Correspondingly, however, our president is not popular in Nigeria! He continues to endure bad press, harshest of criticisms that best qualifies as destructive criticisms! It is quite easy to discern the unmitigated hatreds that are directed at President Obasanjo by his political opponents, the bulk of those in the practice of journalism in Nigeria, and even some members of his political party, the PDP Details . By Isa Sanusi A nations future depends on the quality of its system of education and youths. Going by these, Nigeria has no future at all. Our universities have became dens of rearing morally loose and desperate youths with eyes on amassing wealth by all means. A graduate of a Nigerian university is a confused person who hovers five or more years of his life between decay and hopeless lecturers who were trained entirely at the expense of the state, yet they exploit their students in all sorts of ways Details
Did anyone watch the interview with Ben Murray Bruce on Ben Television a while ago? With respects to his showbiz accomplishments but Mr Bruce should please keep his day job, when asked about what he would do if he was to be voted President of Nigeria, the showbiz impresario launched into this monologue about how he would re- empower Nigeria’s middle class, nothing wrong with that but his theories of how he can sell a million cars to the middle class within one year really got me thinking that the man doesn’t quite understand what the problems of the Nigerian people are Details
Anti-Homosexual Bandwagon as a Dangerous Trend. By Crispin Oduobuk Those who hate homosexuals are free to do so. And those of us who are indifferent are also free to take that stand. What must not be buried in any holier-than-thou rhetoric, no matter how cleverly worded, is that decent folk simply do not meddle in deeds occurring in other people's bedrooms. Details
Observing the New Islamic Calendar: 1427. By Ahmad Kollere The Islamic month is lunar, which is marked by the appearance of the new crescent moon that takes up to twenty nine or thirty days. Annually, the Islamic lunar calendar circle is about eleven days shorter than the Roman or Gregorian solar calendar. Detail
Politics Of South And North Dichotomy, An End Or A Means To An End. By Ayara Dennis Omeiza The word unity or better still, a united Nigeria is magnified for the purpose of self achievement, United Nigeria for me wasn’t the reason why Nigeria went to war but personal fulfillment or sentimental leverage on other section of the country was the main reason in my own reckoning. How can one explain the emergence of ethnic groupings in the last six (6) years of this present administration? Detail
Muhammad Bello: Not Third-Term Bid Sycophant. By Abubakar G. Ya'u It is on this note that I look at it more appropriate to appeal to President Olusegun Obasanjo not to borrow a leaf from General Babangida. Let Mr. President hand over to a civilian successor for the sake of peace and development of the country. Mr President should not be afraid to hand over power in 2007 because, I believe, there are competent hands who can lift the nation better than the way he (President Obasanjo) did. I am sure General Buhari will be the suitable next president. Details
While the President Kneels Before Adedibu…By Crispin Oduobuk Meanwhile, it is interesting to hear Vice President Atiku Abubakar waxing eloquent about his presidential aspiration at a time when the President himself is in the news for kneeling before Adedibu. Details
Political Assassinations And 2006. By Zayyad I. MuhammadIs the brutal killing of Sa’adatu Rimi a warning sign of the re-arrival of politically motivated killings? And, is it a testimony to the fears already allayed from many branches of the Nigerian society that 2006 would be gory? Details
This Injustice Will Not Stand! By Mr. Sabella Ogbobode Abidde Successive Nigerian government, the international community and the oil companies have been aware of the underdevelopment, marginalization, misery and the fetid environmental conditions of the Niger Delta -- and especially of the Ijaws. In other words, the collective poverty and underdevelopment of Nigeria’s breadbasket is not a secret to the government Details
The Yoruba Nation: What's Up? By Chidi P Eze As a child growing up, I was made to understand that the Yoruba is the most educated, most organized, most intelligent, most united, most sophisticated, best politicians and most everything under the sun. The same was said of the north minus the most educated. In my adult life I am beginning to question whether that notion is a fact or a myth. Details
Why Northeast Go Wild. By Nasiru Bappah Muhammad On the genesis of ‘hatred’, the former minister claimed it to have started right from childhood. It may be so, but the contradiction here is the answer to these questions: How did the family; the wives and the children become one, despite the long term ‘hatred’? Why did Governor Muazu nominate him for the ministerial appointment while he is not the most qualified candidate in the state? What the ex-minister said, to any rational human being, defies logic. Details
The Explosion And Implosion Of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. By Chidi P Eze Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for short, really exploded and imploded. The occasion was on the 3rd Annual National Trust Dialogue held at Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Abuja on January 19, 2006. Details
Nigeria: Is Two-Party System Best? By Habu Dauda Fika Nearly all elections are based on the 'winner-take-all' principle. Voters for the candidate who receives the most votes win representation; voters for the other candidates win nothing. In a multi party system, this is unjust and unnecessary. Details
Which is Which Nigeria: Quality of Quantity Education? By Chinedum IregbuOn JAMB, it has become a casino affair only those who are lucky enough are passed. JAMBS have a set out number on those to be passed and failed, those whose result are to be withheld and then those who came from a very influential background, who are never failed. Details
Curbing the Menace of Cultism in Our University Campuses. By Gambo Dauda Student crises on campus are becoming more ferocious and dangerous than hitherto. The intrusion of secret cults into student unionism and campus life has brought this change. Details
Sokoto Debate; Wrongful Accusations and Octopus 'Writers'. By Umar Bello Jubail Since my article on the Bafarawa administration came out, the government house in Sokoto has never had any respite. You know unease lies in the head with not only a crown but one full of lies. Details
Sokoto and the Culture of Silence. By Dahiru Maishanu The culture of silence then was golden. We all raised no voice of dissent against our rulers because we were ruled well. No official banditry, no official thievery, no intimidation, no connivance with the intent of looting public funds and no sponsoring of thugs against perceived enemies. These were the ingredients that defined and necessitated our culture of silence. Details
Forgive Our Violence To Women Our Creators. By Farouk Martins, Omo Aresa In spite of all the laws and protection available to women in the Western countries, many of us are surprised that American women do not enjoy the benefits provided to Western European women. I was surprised that a judge waiting to be confirmed for United States Supreme Court claimed that he did not realize the intention of Family and Medical Life Act is to provide women with more required time at home from work. Details
Warri: The oil City, Wither the Dream? By Sokore Collins Erebi Though not peculiar to Warri, the military interregnum in the socio political arena led to the struggle by interest group to retain vantage hegemonic positions for selfish reasons. This obviously deprived Warri the opportunity of being selected the capital of Delta state. Details
Reflections On My Journey To And From Naija. By Francis Kizito Obeya At Dulles Airport, I watched as Nigerians meticulously followed all airport rules and instructions up to the point of not only queuing to get screened but even acting as proper gentlemen and ladies as they allowed the young and elderly to be processed before them. The story was not the same on The Amsterdam-Abuja route. As soon as the gates were thrown open, it was every man for himself. Details
Imo Platform, PDP and 2007. By Emeka OraetokaCertainly, the recent re-registration exercise in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which was supposedly meant to weed out Disgruntled, Disloyal, Indiscipline and Subversive elements in it folds; has introduced an interesting dimension to political mobilization and support within the party. The idea is that PDP has been repositioned ideologically. Details
Revolution Revisited … [Part 1]. By Carlisle U.O. Umunnah Nigeria is a classical case of non-compliance of mechanical makeup that prompts nationalism, rather, she is a manifestation of de-nationalism and—a perfected congealed-consolidation of ethnicism and regionalism. Details
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