|
The Correct Construal Of Vision 2020. By Anosike Wilson Vision 2020 has become a mantra in the Nigerian society—that symbolic year when Nigeria will emerge as one of the twenty best or leading economies. The proclaimed year, whose right of passage is being celebrated by the consolidation of banks and the restructuring of the economy by the economic team and other governmental agencies, championed by Prof Soludo and his former deputy Shamsudden. Details
Rewarding Loyalty – The Obasanjo/Andy Uba Story. By Akintokunbo A Adejumo Story even had it that it was Obasanjo who used to walk Andy Uba’s young child to and from school on a daily basis. Andy Uba was housing and feeding both the Obasanjos, paying their medical bills and supporting them throughout their stay in the US, without any inkling or consideration for what this man might become in future. Details
Yar 'Adua and the State of PHCN. By Usman Falalu Funtua The failure of NEPA has, by extension, robbed many Nigerians of income as countless youths whom were denied white collar jobs that are self employed, who eked a living as barbers, hair-dressers, laundry operators and so on, have not been able to run their business without private electricity generators. Details
This piece takes a historical, analytical and patriotic view at the raging controversy between the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Its thrust and intention is to dilate on the historiograghy and vision of the space programme of the Federal Government; the misinterpretation of the National Telecoms Policy and orchestrated media spin to rubbish both the space technology programme of the Federal Government and the House of Representatives resolutions on the matter. Details
A Street Car Named Nigeria. By Abdullahi H. Mohammed It all began in the early sixties when the Brits handed over a shiny new car to Nigerians. Not really a charitable act since the car was cobbled together with disparate parts from different parts of that blessed patch of land the Brits once lorded over. Ambitiously they named the car NIGERIA, handed over the keys and left for their dreary island, sniggering in the presumption that the glue binding the parts won't hold and the car will fail. Immediately Nigerians got aboard eager for adventure. Details
Nigerian Universities: Hedgehog Shells? By Abdullah Musa No matter who is going to scream; no matter who is going to strike; no matter who is going to be fooled into burning university properties, when in a position of authority I would either privatize the universities, or give out it their management to international consortium. All the hues and cry about culture, about sovereignty, about the rights of Nigerians to run their own varsities will fall on deaf ears. They have not and they cannot ever run their own universities.Details
Open Letter to My Hausa Brothers. By Ndiameeh Babrik At the beginning of this write up, I began by saying I am not trying to have a go at the Hausa man but just trying to set records straight so that we can use it to make peace. I believe we have had too many bloodshed between the Hausas and their host communities. Please please let peace reign in Nigeria and particularly on the Plateau the 'Home of peace and Tourism' Details
I am Tired. By Hakeem Babalola If I embraced realism, I believe the world would not laugh at me. They would stop mocking me as an idealist hypocrite. There are many advantages in this. If I adopted the English mixture of extreme practicality and dreaminess, even if I looted the treasury, people would not attack me as much as if I were an idealist. I want to hide under the hide. A thug who kills is not as shocking as a saint who kills. Details
MUT’A: Temporary Marriage in Islamic Culture and Religion. By Mr. Sabella Ogbobode Abidde Considering the nature of Islam, and considering also what a few people have been doing in the name of the religion, there are those who will automatically reject its code of belief. That’s understandable, but not acceptable. In the learned estimation of Huston Smith, “of all the non-Western religions, Islam stands closest to the West -- closest geographically, and also closest ideologically; for religiously it stands in the Abrahamic family of religions, while philosophically it builds on the Greeks. Details
Religious And Political Exploits Exposed Like Monopoly Money. By Farouk Martins, Omo Aresa Many of us never had a million of anything worthwhile, and we are not bound to. My head spin when I hear about billions of anything paraded in Nigerian courts. Most of us are familiar with the loot of the politicians by reading or hearing about it, so their influence in many circles is not that surprising. There is a difference when it comes to religious fellows. They’ve always had an influence; even money is not that new in churches and mosques. What is new is the naked and indulgent displace of wealth that rival those of politicians. Fela said Pope and Imam “na gbaladun”. Details
The Consequential Effect Of Political Mediocrity And Stolen Mandate. By Prince A.O. Olukoga One cannot forget to quote from our political sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo; (may his blissful soul rest in perfect peace) when the astute politician says; “There was never a time I regarded myself having monopoly of ideas; the trouble is that, when some men and women in position of rulership and leadership are carousing themselves in the streets and pubs with men and women of less virtues; I, like every other persons, always busy at our duty posts, looking at the country’s problems and ways of solving them. Only the deep, can call to the deep.’ Details
The Nigeria Police And Public Safety. By Akintokunbo A Adejumo However, when a security force’s boss decides to measure his force’s success by the number of people, called armed robbers, that they have killed within 3 months, saying that the Police had killed 785 suspected armed robbers in his first one hundred days in office, representing an average daily killing rate of nearly eight persons, you know the Nigerian public is not safe from the Nigeria Police. Details
Personal Reflections On Our Political Orientation. By Akintokunbo A Adejumo So, why am I bringing this about? The reason is to demystify that myth that all Nigerians in Diaspora, or at least, let us put it this way, all Nigerians who have travelled and lived abroad for a considerable period of time, are capable of bringing positive change in the political orientation and governance of our country. This is far from being the truth, a fallacy. The facts remains that you can take a man out of the bush, but not necessarily take the bush out of him. Details
Bakassi, Obasanjo, And Senate. By Max Gbanite If compelled to discern the truth between the two statesmen, I and many Nigerians would be on the side of Senator Ken Nnamani. Obasanjo during his 8 tormenting years of Maladministration, misappropriation & misplacement of funds, institutionalization and absolute Indoctrination of corruption (both political & economical) into our national psyche, has told us many lies, and the most profound being his recent denial of even wanting a third – term extension. What a shame! Details
Highway Terrorism by Zamfara Governor’s Escort. By Ibrahim Dan-Halilu What will you describe a Governor whose Escort and security details terrorize innocent citizens on highways in the name of providing protection for His Excellency? This has been the case in most Nigerian cities, and it was my experience last Sunday in the hands of the Escorts and Security details of the Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Mahmuda Aliyu Shinkafi. Details
The OIE, Nigeria, And The Fire (Epidemic) Next Time. By Edmund Orok Edem OIE emphasized again to the Nigerian authorities that the influenza virus very often spreads through the movement of affected birds and therefore it was extremely important to instantaneously stop the movement of poultry and their products from the affected areas, in order to contain the spread of the disease. Details
Mrs. Etteh’s Tears. By Tochukwu Ezukanma For a seemingly dispassionate woman to completely lose it and weep was poignant. What really struck her and completely stripped her of her composure? Definitely, hers were not tears of joy because she had just been forced to resign from her coveted position, the Speaker of the House. It was a position she, in line with her mentor’s (Olusegun Obasanjo) do or die politics, tried to cling on to with terrifying tenacity. Details
A Response To Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye’s BBA: Debasing Self For A Fee. By Prince Pieray C, P Odor As my conclusion, I would say, as I cannot resist not saying so: shame and condemnation to Ofunneka, to her parents, to Nigerian federal and state governments, including Nigerian legislators, all Nigerian mothers who kept silent, all Nigerian agents of our communication with and worship of god who kept silent, and to all the people who approved or promoted that clearly and absolutely corrupt, highly capable of corrupting, immoral, dissolute, shameful and condemnable programme. Details
Sabella Abidde’s Vitriolic and Ill-Informed Articles. By Mr. Ebimo Amungo I am the Chief Press Secretary of Governor Timipre Sylva, the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. What that means is that I have the responsibility of letting the world know about the governor’s daily activities, plans, visions, etc. .I also have the job of putting the facts about the governor’s activities before those who need to know or want to know. Details
Ethnic Blending: Any Hope For Nigeria? By Abdullah Musa During the eight-year tenure of former President Obasanjo, at any time a Chief executive was mentioned for a federal institution or parastatal, you would not err three out of four times when you came to the conclusion that the anointed holder would be a Yoruba man or woman. Details
The 2007 Nigerian elections were the worst in Africa in contemporary times. All observers, whether domestic or international have attested to the massive rigging, irregularities and deliberate sabotage during the elections. Even smaller countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mauritania and Niger conducted better elections than Nigeria. Obasanjo planned the evil of election rigging and Iwu executed it. Infact, Obasanjo told the whole world that the election was a do or die affair for him. Details
Kano: Elections, Arson, and Public Opinion. By Abdullah Musa Ironically, and really most saddening is the fact that the only recognized opposition to ANPP in Kano State is the PDP. And today, we do not know of tomorrow, control of Kano State PDP is in the hands of former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso. If the elections turn out the way they do, it must be questioned as to why resort must be had to violence? We do not ascribe truth and uprightness to ANPP. Details
Commending Zamfara State Government on Education. By Dr Yusuf M Adamu We hope that the Government would conduct a baseline survey in order to establish a benchmark that would serve as a basis for monitoring the progress it sets to make in the coming years. This amount of money that would be invested must yield sweet fruits. Details
To Kwankwaso With Apology. By Abdu Isa Kofarmata From 2002 when he was a governor to 2007 when he voluntarily relinquish his ministerial appointment to contest for the governorship in Kano state, Kwankwaso happened to be one politician that I daily criticized. Though in almost all my write –ups I always tried to make it clearly that my criticisms were not born out of malice or personal hatred but purely political and disagreement based on national issues as they affect our state. Kwankwaso’s persistence and notorious loyalty to the former president Obasanjo was the root cause for all his political tribulations, defeat and lost of relevance in Kano. Details
Somebody Please Stop Julius Berger Drivers! By Abdullahi Usman Anybody plying the ever - busy Lekki - Epe Expressway in Lagos on a regular basis cannot help noticing the daily antics of the dreaded Julius Berger Nigeria Plc drivers, who ferry the company’s labourers to their various construction sites scattered around the metropolis. These drivers, who can be seen conveying mostly non-skilled workers in company - owned trailers and trucks that can only be fit for transporting animals to the slaughterhouse, thrive on intimidating other road users with reckless abandon. Details
Of Pfizer Drug Victims And Saboteurs. By Isa Muhammad Inuwa It is good eleven years now, since American based giant pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, committed an atrocious crime to humanity, using hundreds of kids in Kano Nigeria, as guinea-pigs for testing its “Trovan” on the patients of Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis (CSM), killing many children and leaving hundred others with permanent bodily damage. Details Big Brother Africa: Debasing Self For A Fee. By Ugochukwu EjinkeonyeI am not a fan of the Big Brother nonsense, and all such shows, like beauty pageants, where people are paid and cheered on to throw their honour and dignity as human beings to the dogs, to satisfy the depraved taste of irredeemable voyeurs. There are also those useless Latin-American transcribed series being aired by AIT that are polluting the minds of our young women and taking most of their precious times in the evening. I couldn't understand why the legislators did not ban these series along the BBA. Details
Poverty Destroys Dignity. By Bala Muhammad May you never be embarrassed! About ten years ago, when I was working at the BBC World Service in London, a story broke that a Nigerian had been ‘arrested for stealing toilet tissue paper’. Not one or two or three rolls of tissue paper, but half of a whole year’s supply for the toilets of a particular Local Council in South London. Details
Nigeria And The Keepers Of Her Economy Shopping Complex. By Jibo Nura In fact, Nigerians have every reason to commend Yar’ adua. Even posterity will live to judge by forgiving him for giving them a budget than providing them none at all. One can at least, for now boasts of having a budget unlike in the year 2002 when OBJ deliberately refused to release any. Besides, in any democracy, if a government claimed to have best intention and respect for the rule of law, once it fails to deliver, there can only be one possible sanction and/or punishment and that is losing next general election. Though the experience in Nigeria is that if a government fails, it simply develops a thick-skin and gives itself new powers. Details
What Should We Do About Our Africa? By Mr. Sabella Ogbobode Abidde One cannot be an African and not feel sorry for the continent. And even for non Africans, the findings of empirical data, along with the reality on the ground, makes them wonder what the problems are, with Africans. Even with its bounteous resources, the continent is still a sea of debilitating poverty, primitive-ignorance, sadistic conflicts, internal and external exploitation, ecological disasters, contagions of known and unknown sources, and of self-immolating tendencies. Details
Since the recent decision of the Nigerian Supreme Court declaring Amaechi as the duly elected governor of Rivers state, there have been a plethora of views condemning the decision as bad in law and unsustainable in logic. Perhaps two of the strongest grounds canvassed against the decision are as follows Details
Amaechi, Iwu And The Resurgence Of Equity In Modern Nigeria. By Aloy Ejimakor Those criticizing or bewildered by the ruling of the Nigerian Supreme Court in Amaechi versus Omehia seem to have missed the real point implicated in that ruling. And that is: before the invention of the written law, societies were guided by an ordinary set of clear rules of conduct and engagement that must be in comportment with the societies’ reasonable standards of fairness or Equity, by other definition. It is even in the Bible in more plain terms, where we have seen the ecclesiastical injunction that we must ‘love our neighbor as we love ourselves’. Details
It’s Time For Election Monitors To Back Off Maurice Iwu And Nigeria. By Ibrahim Danlami Get the idea? Well, hear this: Ever wondered why European monitors wanted to come back to Nigeria on Atiku’s invitation to testify at the tribunal against Yar’Adua and Iwu? Atiku already talked to them and they assured him that their testimony will sink President Yar’Adua. If you doubt this, go and ask any lawyer and he will tell you that no lawyer worth his silk or robe will ever proffer a testimony that will impeach his case. In my opinion, Atiku and all the monitors that wish to help him went too far to breach international protocols imposing a duty on foreign monitors to desist from interfering (or even appearing to be interfering) in the internal affairs of any nation they monitored. Details
Towards Efficient Information and Communication Management. By John Odey The theme of the conference of National Council on Information and Communication is “Information and Communication Management to Foster Service and Democracy”. The inherent wisdom of this theme derives from the fact that our world today is ICT- knowledge driven, and for Nigeria to remain relevant and indeed maintain its position among the comity of nations, we must as a matter of utmost necessity and urgency, begin to think of how to perform even better on the Information and Communications super highway, under a democratic dispensation.Details
To Fund or Not to Fund Political Parties, that is the Question. By Kabiru Muhammad Gwangwazo Today Umaru Musa Yar’adua, the younger brother of Obasanjo’s Deputy in 1979, late General Shehu Musa Yar’adua with whom they had handed over power to NPN has being handed over the baton of running Nigeria by Obasanjo while General Muhammadu Buhari, the man who led the sacking of civilian democratic political structures in 1979 is still in court challenging this handover as a contestant in the 2007 musical chairs for the leadership of Nigeria. Details
KADUNA PDP: The Odds Against Namadi Sambo. By Ishaq Alhassan Qauranmata His Excellency, Architect Mohammed Namadi Sambo has, over the last six months left no one in doubt that he is a man who likes to keep his promises. Since assuming office as governor of Kaduna state, his efforts to fulfill campaign promises especially in the areas of Education, Healthcare and water supply have been receiving commendation from all interests within and outside the state. Details
DPP’s Futile Effort in Sokoto. By Ali Liman Abubakar Sokoto was perhaps the only state that the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) made a popular choice of a candidate at the last April general elections in the country. There, the party did its homework so well that it left no one in doubt of its readiness to secure a landslide victory. The then president Olusegun Oabsanjo, hell-bent on picking his own pound of flesh from Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, the then executive governor of the state, sent emissaries to study the political terrain in Sokoto, and to ascertain PDP’s chances of upstaging the almighty Bafarawa. This was despite PDP’s seeming anointing of Alhaji Muktari Shagari as the party’s flag bearer. Details
What Manner of Governors. By Abbas A. Dikko To say the least, whoever think, the eight years of democratic experiment in Nigeria under the leadership of Obasanjo was not a ruse, his brain needs to be examine by medical expert. Our political and ruling class learnt nothing beside manipulation of the electoral process, mismanagement and fraud, encumbrance to the rule of law and good governance, and total insensitivity to the unveiling issues at hands. Details
If I were Yaradua. By Zainab Usman If I were Yaradua, I will give Ribadu all the backing he needs to ensure some of these ex governors serve some jail time. This will serve as a deterrent to serving governors to keep their hands off public funds. Details
When Spider Web Unite! By Hussaini Ahmad The issue of marriage amongst the students of Aminu Kano Collage of Islamic and Legal Studies ‘AKCILS’ has been the animated discussion bestowed with the privilege of dominating the oral-cavity of its extended family and well-wishers for almost a couple of months. This issue of miscellaneous viewpoints has re-awakened the slumbering agony of some lecturers that they, without further ado, started unleashing a thunderous storm of remonstration upon the proposal. Maqari
Exotic Schools Are Programmed To Fail Us At Home And Abroad. By Farouk Martins, Omo Aresa Those of us who are not expert in education know there is something missing because in spite of the comparatively huge investment we made in education, our institutions have not produced dividends needed to move our local communities in the Continent forward. Simply put our, values are programmed to that of western world and our gratification comes from the recognition and award which these countries deemed proper and acceptable in the “civilized” world. Details
El-Rufa’i: So the Rich Can Also Cry. By Dikko A. Abbas To date, el-Rufa’i remain one among my admirers and mentors, he is indeed, intelligent but, need to be more versatile to blend. At 25, he was able to break the barriers of who he was, where he was, what he want to become and where to begin. Within that age bracket, he was already an accomplished young man and that remain his history to date. But, exuberance and emotionality are minus in the acts and conduct and management of the affairs of people, their polity, economy and environment, these are thoughts and facts, el-Rufa’i is encumbered with and he never wither. Details
Good for El-Rufa'i. By Isyaka Barau He deprived the motorcycle commercial riders popularly known as 'Okada riders', the rights to economic living in Abuja under non-existing law. If this had happened in Zimbabwe, America would have called it human rights violations of ' Okada riders'. Details
In Nigeria, and in fact in much of Africa, religion is the hope of our people. As Barrister Bob James tells us, in Northern Nigeria, “for most people, their religious convictions are their most cherished assets. For them, it is a matter of life and death” (James 1997:21). Thus it has been said, and rightly so, that Nigerians and Africans are very religious. Ironically, we tend to leave religion in the periphery in our discussion of crucial matters. Details
Technology is the Root of All Evil. By Philip Emeagwali Africa’s lack of substantial technological knowledge of the Internet and its potential may lead it to be assaulted or manipulated in unexpected ways, just as it was devastated generations ago for the lack of a simple compass. We didn’t recognize the power of the compass then; the danger is that we don’t recognize the power of technology today. Details
Kano and Politics with Bitterness! By Kabiru Inuwa Tsakuwa Where is the political sophistication, that has long been associated with Kano, if elections can not be conducted under a peaceful and civilised atmosphere? What happened to the maturity and sense of collective reasoning that, will not allow civility to take a centre stage in our approach to politics? Details
Emeka Ngige Is Wrong On The Effect Of Iwu’s Dual Citizenship. By Obi Mbanaso In the public interest, especially as it concerns the rights of millions of Nigerian citizens in the Diaspora, I write this piece to oppose statements credited to Emeka Ngige, SAN, published by the Leadership Newspaper on December 3, 2007, quoting Attorney Ngige as postulating that Professor Maurice Iwu is ineligible to hold office as INEC Chair on grounds of Ngige’s allegation that Iwu holds dual nationality – of Nigeria (by birth) and the United States (by naturalization). Details
|