1999 Constitution and the future of Nigeria, By Ponle. S. Akande

Given the constitutional history of Nigeria and appreciating that the 1999 constitution is essentially unitary, agitations for devolution of powers, from the national government to the subnational government or the constituent or  federating units, will continue without break until devolution is achieved. What many may not appreciate is that there may not be restructuring to […]

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As Ariwoola takes the judiciary to the top of the grease pole, By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

At the end of July 2017, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) issued a joint report on the public experience of and response to bribery in Nigeria. Among its findings, the report ranked several institutions with reference to public perceptions or experience of demand for bribes from […]

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Nigeria, Africa and LGBT panic, By Abimbola Adelakun

When information minister Mohammed Idris addressed the public on the Daily Trust’s recent controversial report, he took the worn path of adding moral panic to the existing one. Rather than address the matter at stake straightaway, he first went on self-justificatory explanations before whipping out the All Progressives Congress’s favourite allegations of ethnic bias and how everything […]

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George Ogunde, firstborn of theatre legend, Hubert Ogunde, is dead

George Ogunde, the first child of the late theatre legend, playwright, theatre manager, and musician, Hubert Ogunde, has passed away. His sister, Dayo Ogunde, shared the sad news in a Facebook post on Thursday. Dayo Ogunde wrote: “It’s hard to say goodbye Brother mi, our first child in the Ogunde clan. But we take solace […]

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The Illusion of Local Government Autonomy, By Olusegun Adeniyi

The controversy began in April 2004 following the creation of 37 Local Government Areas (LGAs) by then Lagos State Governor, now President Bola Tinubu. Riled by what he considered to be an impudent act, then President Olusegun Obasanjo directed that funds for the LGAs in the state be withheld until Lagos reverted to the 20 […]

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Rule by judges is not rule of law, By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

“The judiciary has immense power. In the nature of things, judges cannot be democratically accountable for their decisions. It therefore matters very much that their role should be regarded as legitimate by the public at large.” — Jonathan Sumption, Law in a Time of Crisis, 121 (2021) FOR a cumulative period of 17 years between […]

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Three Takeaways from the UK Election, By Simon Kolawole

Many Nigerians just love the parliamentary system of government without knowing it. That was my first take-away from the UK general election, which saw the Labour Party chase the Tories out of No 10 in one of the most comprehensive defeats in the country’s history. Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, assumed […]

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Yoruba language On Decline, By Akin Osuntokun

It is a platitude to restate that Africa has been impacted negatively by colonialism and imperialism. In varying degrees, English has come to supplant Nigerian languages as the dominant mode of communication. Inevitably, this has bred an attendant recession of pre colonial traditional languages. Moreso the Yoruba, who were unarguably the first to receive Western […]

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A Tale of Two Judgements, By Onikepo Braithwaite

Congratulations to the new British PM, Sir Keir Starmer of the Labour Party. I hope Nigeria will take cue from the forming of his cabinet with the 24-hour alacrity that serious governance demands. Nigeria concludes her elections three months before the actual swearing-in into office, yet, cabinet members are not chosen in advance, but, months […]

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UK general election: British democracy shames Nigerian ineptocracy, By Olu Fasan

Trust Nigerians, some will scoff at any comparison between Britain’s democracy and what Nigeria calls democracy. But if democracy is, as Abraham Lincoln famously defined it, “government of the people, by the people, for the people”, then Nigeria must be held to universal standards. The critical electoral link between the government and the governed must […]

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Interpreting court judgments in Nigeria, By Tonnie Iredia

During Nigeria’s First and Second Republics, not many people had faith in the country ’s judiciary. To start with, court cases dragged on for too long; making it practically impossible for litigants to enjoy the fruits of judicial victories. In other cases, many criminals were set free on account of some technicalities couched in Latin […]

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Powerless: Nigeria’s unending struggle with electricity, By abiodun KOMOLAFE

Available records show that the first public electricity generation took place at Pearl Street Station in New York in 1882 and that electricity generation in Nigeria began in Lagos in 1886. Therefore, one can safely say that this year marks the 142nd anniversary of commercial electricity globally. It also means that all this talk about […]

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Serial marriage is not a trophy!, By Chukwuneta Oby

“Social Media will bring your legs outside” was my reaction to the hullabaloo that greeted an actress’ marriage recently, after a blog claimed that their union is her groom’s fourth attempt at marriage. Don’t be surprised that, that information was leaked by someone the couple considered a friend. It’s not in all cases that a […]

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