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Soyinka: Beating The Drums Of Intolerance And Sectarian Regimentation. By Aonduna Tondu Wole Soyinka’s mischief-laden diatribe against the Buhari candidacy should be exposed for what it is, namely, a rabidly intolerant intrusion in our public discourse that is reactionary to the extreme. Couched in the language of atavistic proselytization, the outburst by the Nobel laureate will no doubt be music to the ears of those who have since 1999 sought refuge in the divisive politics of the current tyrant at Aso Rock - the ‘born-again’ Olusegun Obasanjo, a debilitating symbol of disunity and sectarian regimentation. Details
No Doubt, This House Has Collapsed! By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye Also, Nigeria has never been as insecure as it is now! If you were told some years ago, specifically before 1999, that a time would come when both the police and the people they are hired to protect would all become a mass of helpless, hapless, vulnerable and frightened victims of a growing army of an all-conquering and seemingly invincible hoodlums, would you have believed it? But that is exactly the case today. Details
Fani Kayode and Obasanjo’s Presidential Lounge of the Airport. By Nuhu Shuaib It is only in a country like Nigeria that certain things do happen. What looks so absurd in other civilized societies appears to be normal in this part of the world. That is the truth of the matter. Therefore, it is not strange to seek solace in the dictum ‘doing it the Nigerian way’ when you do something wrong against all sense of purpose. Details
Nuhu Ribadu, EFCC and Adamawa Politics. By Zayyad I. Muhammad It is saddening and heart-bleeding to noticed that ‘street talks’ are fast becoming a medium of peddling sensitive operational information of the EFCC, all in the name of getting an edge over political opponents, one salient thing is, politicians who are busy in this act, are masquerading as Nuhu Ribadu’s family relation, or politicians who have the ear of president Obasanjo, or self-acclaimed kingmakers who are parading themselves as people who have the power to dictate to the EFCC Details
Atiku The North And 3rd Term. By Dr. Siraj Abdulkarim The opportunity given to the north by the 3rd term agenda to come out more united should be consolidated. From the phantom National Political Reform Conference to other debates and the opposition for 3rd term, the north became more united and wiser. Details
Why Not Atiku? By E. Terfa Ula-Lisa Esq. We know that Nigeria is not the United States but our politicians and representatives are given a modicum of respect by virtue of being leaders of a distinct set of people. A situation where the Potomac home of a sitting Vice-President of Nigeria is searched after due consideration of facts and a judgment call by the diplomatic purview of persons versed in those nuances in regard to ongoing criminal investigations of the FBI should cause that person pause if he seeks to be leader of the most populous black nation on earth. Details
The “Africans” Of Devon England Again. By Farouk Martins, Omo Aresa The ship wreck in Devon, England has brought into focus again the dilemma faced by philosophers and law enforcement organizations all over the world about human needs, greed, avarice or desperation in our behavior. We know what would happen if those looters and scavengers in Devon, England were of a different color of people in the same or different places. Coast guards, police, troopers or soldiers could have been deployed with orders to shoot looters on sight. Details
The North and the Poverty Phenomenon. By Salihu Moh. Lukman “Very high levels of poverty is essentially a Northern Phenomenon”! That was the judgement of Prof. Charles Soludo while making his presentation at the Stakeholders Meeting on the Economy on Tuesday, January 9, 2007. The three northern regions were reported to have an average poverty incidence of 70.1% as compared to 34.9% for the three southern regions. Details
Education and Democracy in Nigeria: Vision 2020. By Sadiq A. Abdullahi, Ed. D In December 2006, Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili, the Minister of Education, issued a report for education reform and intervention. Vision 2020: The Role of the Nigerian Education Sector. I have not had the opportunity to review the content in the report, but early commentaries suggest that it once again failed to address the main problems facing education in Nigeria Details
Atiku: His Return and the Prospects for the April Polls. By Lami Dauda Of all the emotions that coursed through Nigerians in the days leading to the return of Vice President Atiku Abubakar from his annual leave, the strongest was solidarity. Nigerians were, and still are, extraordinarily on the same side with the VP. He is a man who stood with us against the Evil third term agenda. Details
Appraisal Of The 2006 Provisional Census Figures. By S. A. Tanko Yakasai Going through the above analysis, it is not reasonable to accuse the National Population Commission of any bias against either the North or the South given the balanced nature of the annual growth rate recorded in the census, which are basically the same for both the North and South. Besides, the ratio in percentage term between the population figure for the North and the figure for the South reflects almost their respective share in the national identity card registration carried out in the year 2003. Details
Thanks For That History Lesson, Kongi. By Omotope Olulana On a final note, it is a sad trait of the Nigerian polity to dwell on people instead of ideas. What is even worse is to dwell on people of the past. The idea of a retired General such as Buhari (who must be closer to age seventy than sixty) to be a candidate for the presidency in today’s Nigeria after so many decades of despotic Military rule portrays Nigerians as a people in the throes of abject masochism. Details
Nigerians Beware: A Vote for Yar'Adua is a Vote for Obasanjo. By Musa Ilallah A vote for Yar’adua in the April 2007 elections means a vote for Obasanjo. This by implication means that Nigerians will continue for another four or even 8 years in poverty, joblessness, erratic power supply, bad and deadly roads, poor portable water supply, decline in our health care services, stagnation in our economic growth and insecurity among others. Nigerians are now wiser.Details
Obasanjo’s Provocative Declaration On The Niger Delta Question. By Senior Fyneface For President Olusegun Obasanjo to publicly describe as “criminal,” the protests and the associated style of drawing attention by the Niger Delta young men was an outright expression of the hereditary insensitivity of President Obasanjo and other rulers of the country to the plight of the Niger Delta people. Truth be told, the act of hostage -taking became an option to the agitating youths of the Niger Delta as result of the nonchalant attitude of the Federal Government in addressing the genuine and legitimate agitations of the people of the area. Details
Can Ribadu Arrest Obasanjo? By A. Mohammed Bashir Shuwa Since EFCC was able to recover the Abatcha loot we are also expecting that it would recover the OBJ loot soon after he vacates power. Otherwise all the hoolabaloo about fighting corruption can be viewed as a mere facade aimed at discrediting and fighting the enemies of OBJ. Details
Atiku’s Seat: Between Constitutional Order And National Security. By Emeka Oraetoka The obvious implication of these positions is Constitutional stalemate. But an objective look at the position of opponents of President Obasanjo’s action suggest two diametrically opposed points: In the first place, there is the view that Obasanjo should have informed the national Assembly of Atiku’s action and wait for their action -here, there is silent belief that Mr. President acted right, but was rather in a hest. Details
Urban Poverty in the Niger Delta Environment. By Joachim Ibeziako Ezeji The Niger Delta, the world’s third largest wetland, is the main source of foreign exchange earnings for Nigeria. Since 1975, more than 90 per cent of Nigeria’s export earnings have, on average, been generated from the region’s oil resources. However, the Niger Delta as represented by its big cities remain the filthiest and most unregulated in physical sanitation terms. Details
Solid Waste or Solid Money. By Joachim Ibeziako Ezeji Many of our graduates are busy updating their curriculum vitae without any iota of thinking that out of these heaps of refuse could emerge moulds of business opportunities. This is very true especially when critically examined beyond the common thinking that refuse is meant to be collected and disposed by that truck that comes once in a while from the local council office. Details
Towards A Sanitation Friendly-Ethic In Schools. By Joachim Ibeziako Ezeji I am well aware that many tertiary institutions in Nigeria lack basic facilities like a latrine. You can visit any university anywhere in Nigeria and request to use the latrine. It is either you find your way to the students’ hostel were you will be faced with very dirty and filthy latrines or you endure the discomfort that goes with unexpected urge to defecate (a.k.a. call of nature) at odd times. Details
Soyinka’s Despondency, Obasanjo’s Diatribe on Buhari’s Candidature. By Ibrahim Dan-Halilu It is inconceivable that while ordinary Nigerians like me can see Buhari’s transformation quite manifestly, a personality of Professor Soyinka’s sophistication and exposure has failed to see an iota of this change in orientation of the man. If I were to write an epithet on Buhari’s statue, I will put the inscription: “This is a most misunderstood personality of our generation. Details Dr. Wunmi Akintide The same Wole Soyinka has repeated the same spectacle when he sided with Odumegwu Ojukwu and our brothers in the East of the Niger for initiating the move to break away from our country by declaring the Biafran War. He was in the minority at the time, but he was right and the majority of us were wrong. He did it again when Buhari took over power from Shehu Shagari, and he started executing a number of draconian policies Soyinka and Nigerians who think like him could not support. Details
Action Congress and Adamawa Governorship Race. By Zayyad I. Muhammad The PDP is presenting Admiral Murtala Nyako as its flag bearer; Admiral Murtala was a military Governor some thirty years ago and was deputy joint chief of staff during the IBB days, despite this his intimidating credential , the man is from top to bottom not a politician both in temperament and disposition, Details
The Adamawa PDP Gubernatorial Malcontents. By Babayola Toungo Another one of those complaining about the “imposition” of Nyako is Senator Jonathan Zwingina, a man dogged by corruption right from his days as a Commissioner in Adamawa State. It was during his watching brief as Commissioner for Water Resources that giant distribution pipes meant for the Jimeta – Yola waterworks were sold to people outside the state, thereby derailing the project completely. Details
Bayo Ojo and The Sokoto State Legislative Crisis. By Dahiru Maishanu The story of the defection of 20 members of the Sokoto State House Assembly from the ANPP, the party under whose platform they were elected in 2003, to the DPP, a newly registered party is not news anymore. The crisis that this action brought to the political stability of the state is bringing itself to bear on the people of the state. Details
Stop This Senseless Giving Away of Nigeria's Lucrative Oil Blocs. By Senior Fyneface To the best of my knowledge, Nigeria remains the only OPEC country where the nation’s apex oil concern have been stupidly encouraged to be more interested in generating peanuts from foolish lease of very lucrative oil blocs to jokers in exploration and development rather than fashion ways of doing more serious minded business with such acreages. Details
Soyinka On Buhari: A Blunder, A Weak And An Unnecessary Analysis. By Mr. Sabella Ogbobode Abidde True, some of the actions and pronouncements of the Buhari regime are inexcusable; in totality however, he gave the country a taste of civility, hard work, accountability and good governance. We -- we the people -- remember the spark of hope and possibilities. Details
I Came, I Saw And I Destroyed Obasanjo, PDP And The Nation. By Abdu Isa Kofarmata The free and qualitative education promised by PDP and Obasanjo in 1998 is also not left out of the so called reform. People with little or no knowledge of education and its administration are appointed as ministers and chief executive officers of the education ministry and parastatals. Details
History reminds us that Anioma people have been marginalized, isolated, and discriminated against by the federal government and neighboring ethnic groups. Dr. Kunirum Osia, the first national president of the Anioma Association, USA, said that the organization was formed to provide a forum for Anioma people in America to speak with one voice on important issues affecting their lives in America and at home. Details
Without doubts, Ohanaeze’s 2006 Declaration on Igbo politics, explicitly or implicitly, does not support an Igbo whose politics would be to go public to liken any Northerner with Islamist, when such a claim is unsubstantiated. And if the person who made this potentially, inflammatory comment is Dr. Eddy Oparaoji, and the person being characterized as Islamist is Umaru Yaradua (unsubstantiated); then, someone must stand up against such irresponsible behavior. Details
NEITI Vs NNPC On Fraud: What Dakouru/Na Must Do Now. By Ifeanyi Izeze Revelations in audit findings by the Hart Group, a United Kingdom-based audit firm for the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) could best be described as a small fraction of the massive diversion of revenues from crude oil sales and fraud that has been going on in the NNPC and all its subsidiary companies including NAPIMS, Calson Bermuda etc since 1999. The report raised alarm that about 65 million barrels of crude oil could not be accounted for by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) between 1999 and 2004. Unknown to NEITI, the case was just one in a plethora of dirty stories of diversion of proceeds from crude oil sales. Details
A critical question that should preoccupy citizens as they anticipate the watershed elections scheduled for later this year is to what extent the people are prepared to go in order to defend their vote and by extension their sovereignty. This issue of protecting the sovereign will of the Nigerian people needs to be reiterated in the light of an increasingly worrisome development which has seen the dueling President Obasanjo and Vice-President Atiku apparently competing with each other for the attention of soi-disant Washington power brokers. Details
Access To Justice And The Justice Sector Reform In Nigeria. By Dr. Muhammed Tawfiq Ladan It is a paradox that Nigeria is a rich country inhabited by the poor. Her poverty profile in statistical figures according to a recent study[1] indicates that Nigerian people live in one of the twenty poorest countries in the world. For instance, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in 1998 was estimated at US Dollars 130, compared with US Dollars 950 in 1980-85. In other words, poverty has been rapidly increasing of recent rather than decreasing. The report has also revealed that two-thirds of the population (66 million) lived below poverty line in 1996 compared to one third (18.3 million) in 1980. Certainly, according to its analysis, per capita income at USDollars 310 is very low for a resource rich country like Nigeria. It also states that the average for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) is USDollars 315, meaning that Nigeria is even lagging behind the poorest African countries which do not have the kind of resource she has. Details
Enforcement Of Electoral Law And Electoral Violence In Nigeria. By Dr. Muhammed Tawfiq Ladan The recently intensified worldwide struggle by people for free and fair elections, often at great personal risk, demonstrates how important this right has become to individuals everywhere. Countries and peoples across the globe have recognized that free and fair elections are a crucial point on the continuum of democratization and an imperative means of giving voice to the will of the people, which is the basis of governmental authority itself. Details
What Governor Yerima was saying was that with the North determined to produce the next President of the Nigerian Federation, support for the PDP in the region could erode if its presidential candidate were to come from somewhere else. With Yoruba politicians seemingly uninterested in the presidential ticket, not least because the current president is a member of their group, the logic and sentiment in our nation’s presidential politics is there for all to see. Details
Far from dwelling on Alhaji Umar Musa Yar’adua’s Presidential candidacy and spewing out the most predicable of Nigerian clichés, I am more concerned about the intolerable pressure that led to Donald Duke’s forced capitulation at the PDP convention. Obviously, the qualities Nigerian’s admire about Duke, and his achievements as governor in Cross River state inherently counts for nothing when placed in the context of realpolitik. Or, did the PDP “wise-men” mistake Duke’s deterministic vision for over-ambition and compromise dynamism and savvy for personal preference? Details
A Governor and His Illiterate People. By Mohammed Ngala Governor Ali Modu-Sheriff of Borno State had a disturbing revelation for the world the other day: 95 per cent of the citizens of Borno State cannot read nor write. If this wild and irresponsible claim had been made by an outsider, one would have expected the governor to use all facilities available to him to protest on behalf of his people. The governor would have been expected to challenge this ignorant claim, request for empirical evidence, interrogate the data and query its methodology. But this group slander on Borno people was committed by the governor himself. It is amazing that a governor would heap gratuitous insults on his own people, the people who supposedly voted him into office, and the people he should cater for, defend and protect. Details
Fanaticism In A Fragile State. By Anthony A. Akinola Anyone electing to write the story of the Olusegun Obasanjo presidency should not allow misgivings over the ludicrous third term ambition or the embarrassing feud between President and Vice President to obscure the administration’s success or otherwise in conflict management. Hurricane, sharia and ethnic militia politics once presented our nation with such a dilemma that it would be unwise to quickly forget the dangers they posed. Details
2006 Census: Between Critics and Others. By Sani Garba Mohammed It is very unfortunate that people who are supposedly educated turn out or chooses to be ignorant. Since the beginning of census in Nigeria, its entire outcome has been trail with opposition and rejection, by those who think they know Nigeria better than others. Details
The Population Census Abracadabra and Stalemate. By Dr. Wunmi Akintide Wole Soyinka the conscience of our Nation has said it all. The enigma called Obasanjo has so many jokers in his arsenal that he may be attempting to foist the Census result on our nation as a way to resurrect his third term plan through the back door. Details
An Account of the High Population in Kano State. By Aliyu Salisu Barau In an ethnically diverse and multi religious society like Nigeria, the politics of population numbers is crucial and occasionally heightened to the level of brewing and breeding tension on the political landscape. Details
Census Figures: Is this a Chicken Population from Ota Farm? By Kunle I Sowunmi If Kano state was that much in population how come it has fewer number of students in schools despite free and compulsory primary education or how come the figure of those taking the WASC does not tally with the state population? How many cities and state hospitals are there in Kano states? How many schools, and businesses are there in this so-called heavily populated state, what type of jobs do they do in Kano state apart from being the headquarters of Islamic right wingers. Kano remains one of the least developed and backward places in the black race. Details
Niger-Delta Agenda for the Next President. By Maxwell James The next government must know that maintaining the status quo as per using corrupt individuals that never made a single sacrifice to find lasting solution to this unabated crisis is tantamount to producing more armed robbers, touts, gangsters and sea pirates from the region. Details
The Coming Anarchy and Low-Intensity Conflict. By Mr. Sabella Ogbobode Abidde Events in, and the news coming out of Nigeria indicates two things and two things only: (1) President Obasanjo is making mockery of our collective intelligence, our institutions and our collective destiny; and (2) the low-intensity conflict currently underway in the Niger Delta is likely to engulf the country, or at the very least, weaken the economic and political life of the country. Details
We should stop working with ridiculous ratios if we want to attack unemployment, poverty and low productivity. The teacher – student ratio in the educational sector, doctor- patient ratio in the health sector, police- citizen ratio, etc are ridiculous when compared to our abundant human and material resources. Details
Jaafar’s Sophism and Shekarau’s Human Development. By Ali M. Ali Malam Ibrahim Shekarau’s human development policy is the be it all panacea. It is all encompassing, all embracing leaving nothing, including everything. Shekarau firmly believes in the development of the individual. Physical transformation will perish if the individual is comatose. Details
The Guilty are Afraid: Bafarawa’s mystical N13Nb Reserve. By Dan Azumi Kofarmata If Governor Bafarawa wants the general public to take him seriously about his mysterious N13bn reserve, he should ask the EFCC to commission a nationally reputable accounting/auditing firm to audit both the Sokoto State Government and the 23 Local Governments Accounts and publish the details independently. Details
Managing HIV/AIDS Among Females in Nigerian Law School. By Marshall Ifeanyi For instance, the more than 900 students of the Nigerian Law School, Bwari, Abuja, who gathered at the main auditorium of the school in the one-day programme to create awareness on the disease among students and staff were not happy because Phenodom (the rubber sheet worn by females for protection against HIV/AIDS during sexual intercourse) was not distributed to them the same way condom was distributed. Details
Abuja@30: The Reality of Capital City. By Yushau A. Shuaib The dream of the FCT Administration to complete the 1000 affordable housing units for the poor in a satellite area and arrange the takeoff of metro railway project to connect the districts and councils for smoother rail system must be pursued vigorously and realized before the expiration of Elrufai’s tenure. Details
Dissecting Governor Adamu’s Theory Of
Selfish Ambition. By Bilyaminu Mailafiya
The Falsification Of Population Results. By Saliu Iyanda For instance, how can Kano State have higher figures than Lagos State, and Katsina State have more people than Oyo State. Or Kwara State that had 2million people 12 years ago retaining the same figure in 2007. The fact of the matter is that, the outcome of the census result is not supported by demographic theory, which states very clearly that coastal regions are more densely populated than areas that are closer to the desert. Details
Coping With A Mess. By Anthony A. Akinola Vice President Atiku seems fortified by the conviction that the constitution is in his side. He has not resigned his position, the state of his health is not in question, he is not dead and he has not been impeached. By declaring the position of the vice president vacant, President Obasanjo has merely assumed a power which does not belong to him. What President Obasanjo can do, if he is desperate of getting rid of his deputy, is to bring the full weight of his influence to bear on loyal supporters in the National Assembly to initiate an impeachment procedure against the ‘erring’ vice president. Details
Economic Eureka In Multiparty Ideas Across The Niger. By Farouk Martins Vigorous competition amongst various parties is not new in Nigeria. It was the time many of us like to reminiscent about. If you wonder why many young people have no attachment to our Country, it is because they never enjoyed regular flow of water, light, free flow of train and buses. Details
The Moral Bankruptcy of Nigeria’s War Against Corruption. By Dr. Mustapha Malam With recent unfolding events particularly in the last one to two years since the conflict between President Obasanjo and Vice-President Atiku Abubakar got worse at the peak of the tenure elongation debate in the National Assembly as a result of the former’s interest for a third term or possibly even life Presidency and the latter’s attempt to succeed him in 2007, critical Nigerians see the EFCC as fast becoming more of an active security arm of the PDP federal government, similar to Chachesku’s Romania’s Securitati, rather than a non-partisan professional agency established to fight corruption irrespective of political color. Details
Need for Ethical Politics and Values. By Victor E. Dike Few Nigerians would deny the fact that there is lack of basic human values in the society today. Some fundamental questions are appropriate: What happens to respect for human life and basic social values in Nigeria? What criteria should guide the activities of the politicians? Details
Nigerian Education Reform --- It Takes a Village. By Prof. Manny C. Aniebonam With the reform blueprint in place, however, it is not yet uhuru for Nigerian education sector. Implementation, and eventual evaluation of the outcome remain major challenges. With the support of major stakeholders including students, parents, institutional administrators, government and the private sector, there are major implementation issues that must now be considered, if not already contained in the roll out plan. Details
A Plea From An Avid ANPP Supporter. By Ibrahim Dan-Halilu The labeling of Buhari as a religious bigot is not my opinion. I was only stating the views of many people I have heard speak or write about him and his aspiration, people who matter in Nigerian politics and many of the average Nigerians in the middle and lower classes that constitute the bulk of the Nigerian voters. I was not whipping up sentiments as Yunusa insinuated. Details
Buhari: - The Last Man Standing. By Shehu Yakasai As for the presidency, and for now, Buhari is the last man standing, and may all those who believe in the project Nigeria, come out and support this wonderful, patriotic Nigerian of proven integrity, courage and honesty, and indeed track record of selfless service to this beloved country. Details
Umar Yar’Adua – Understanding the Mindset of PDP Presidential Flag-Bearer (Part 1). By Oyeyemi Olodo If Nigerians could only be honest with themselves, they know that Umar Yar’Adua will be the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria except he is just another riddle in the whole masterplan of the present Command-in-Chief. Details
2007 Polls: Trying To Understand Obasanjo’s Game Plan. By Senior Fyneface No doubt, Nigerians are presently witnessing the glorification of mediocrity, deceit, double standards and intolerance in governance. Worst of all, the current situation is putting our democracy under unnecessary tension just because of the selfishness of a crop of self-centred people. Only a few Nigerians would disagree with the view that the uncoordinated acts of President Olusegun Obasanjo and his cronies or rather aides clearly suggest that they are confused by their myopic agenda to stay in office for life. Details
Chief Ume-Ezeoke Further Made the Following Comments. By Usman Yerima Let's be honest here, for the past four decades, a campaign of political suppression has been waged against the Igbos and by the extension the greater south. I am hoping Chief Ume-Ezeoke is not suffering from early stages of Alzheimer's. He keep referring to "somebody" trying to prevent the Igbos from rising. If that is true, who else in Nigeria is so interested in standing in the way of the Igbos? Is it the spineless Yorubas? Not likely. Details
Nigerian Police, What Manner of Investigation? By Abdallah Mailafia Shaibu It is common knowledge that the Nigerian Police is always in a hurry to arrive at a conclusion whenever a murder or attempted murder case is being investigated. Why they have chosen this part of absurdity is still a mystery to most of us. It appears as if a thorough and detailed investigation is a taboo that must be avoided at all cost. Details
When Reality Kicks In. By Bonkoo Tombari Tobby To make any tangible economic and political progress in Niger Delta, the president must get out of the way of the EFCC and the ICPC who have conducted massive and extensive investigations on various conduit pipes of Odili’s looting of the state treasury. We hope that in the days ahead, the president who was presented with a comprehensive reports by the EFCC on the manifolds of Peter Odili and Rotimi Amaechi’s illegal business deals since 1999, will let justice reign and repudiate enemies of the land. Details
Islamic Terror and All That Jazz: A Letter to Mohammed Haruna. By Chima Ejiofor Mallam, I think that the burden Muslim intellectuals and leaders who, in vain seek to distance their religion from the violent activities of Islamic activists (used, again advisedly since fanatic isn’t apparently a word the Aishas of this world admire) - that is, insisting that the individual Muslim or the group who/which attacks a non-Muslim does so outside the tenets of the faith since the faith is all about Peace - bear is the same burden that insists that there is no separation between the religion and its politics. How do you convince others of the truth in the two when both reinforce each other? Details
The Renewed Clampdown On Media Organisations. By Ladi Ibrahim Although, we are under a democratic dispensation, the Obasanjo led government has become increasingly intolerant of criticisms and opposing viewpoints. It would be recalled that, it is in this connection that Godwin Agboroko was recently murdered in what has come to be described as a state sanctioned assassination, in view of the very principled stands he consistently took against government excesses and unpopular policies. Details
Why Bush Killed Saddam. By Garba A. Isa Part of America’s dilemma in the region is the choice between “Islamic fundamentalism” and “Arab (secular) radicalism” both which are a threat to its region’s trump cards; Oil and Israel. The American policy of “Regime change” in Iraq following the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, was informed by the desire to repeat the Afghan model by installing a puppet president in the garb of Hamid Karzai. But is Karzai a good model to copy? This is a Western installed so-called president who was holed up in the capital and few urban areas guarded by foreign forces while the Talibans controlled much of the countryside. Details
Who wins Kano? This is the billion naira question. It is on the lips of every citizen of Kano old enough to know the difference between men and mice. The question again. Who wins Kano gubernatorial polls? Who gets sworn in on May 29th? Is it the incumbent, Shekarau? Is it the challenger, Kwankwaso? Is it the new kid on the block, Riruwai? Or is it a total dark horse, barely known and heard of probably with a forgettable name? Hardly. The question remains and is begging for an answer. Details
The Fall of Nzeribe. By Emeka Oraetoka Perhaps the real reason Olusegun Adeniyi hates Nzeribe and his politics is probably the constitutional and legitimate court process he explored in seeking the cancellation of June 12 election, believed to have been won by MKO Abiola of blessed memory. Details
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