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As a Nigerian with considerable interest in public affairs, the Grand Ballroom of New York City’s Hilton Midtown Hotel, the venue of “Afro-Economics & Government Policy: A Conversation with Governor Peter Obi,” was my destination last Sunday. The engagement followed others in the United States, some of which had been mismanaged by local organisers who chose […]
Continue ReadingThe 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly opens in New York in three weeks, with the general debate scheduled for September 20-26. This means that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) could sign out with a report card on his eight years in office. It is unclear how many world leaders will […]
Continue ReadingNigerians are aghast over the ballooning list of people who want to succeed Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) as president. There were at least 40 such people last Friday. As most of these people are known to be the men of easy virtue, many Nigerians are outraged. By the time this story is published, the list […]
Continue ReadingExactly how does one describe a moment such as this in the life of a nation? A moment when that nation is exhibiting all the traits of collapse but there is no credible rebuttal by the evidence or the authorities. A moment that, it seems obvious, there is nowhere to run, nowhere to go, nobody […]
Continue ReadingThe moment I saw a woman sashaying across the stage during the inauguration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, I knew something was out of place. I did not know it was outgoing first lady Ebele Obiano, let alone that she was about to set for herself a new standard in public humiliation. In moments, […]
Continue ReadingFirst, I applaud the President, Muhammadu Buhari, for his government’s successful repatriation of over 1,100 Nigerians from the Ukraine war. Overall, it was a commendable piece of work. Sadly, many of our young people in Ukraine chose to take their chances with the wolves, the racists, and the bullets, a reflection of what our political elite […]
Continue ReadingAbba Kyari, a suspended Nigeria Deputy Commissioner of Police, appears to be heading to the United States, no visa required, as Nigeria finally surrenders to that country’s extradition squeeze. It could have been no less embarrassing. Kyari was no ordinary cop, according to the legend he was the “Super Cop.” But he may have been far […]
Continue ReadingIf you are paying close attention, the concept of a legislative arm of government ought to give you great concern. In everything but name and form, it has essentially collapsed. In the latest indication, the House of Representatives last week asked its so-called Ad hoc Committee on Arms to investigate a report in the current report […]
Continue ReadingThat former Lagos State governor, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, is the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a close confidante of Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) is widely-known. As 2021 draws to a close, leading to the year in which prospective successors will emerge, it is now also quite clear that Tinubu would like […]
Continue ReadingIn a strong editorial two days ago, Daily Trust lamented Rtd. Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s incessant yet fruitless foreign travel. It cited his December 1 travel to a Dubai exhibition, to which he was accompanied by an entourage which included 10 ministers and the heads of Nigeria’s security agencies. Pointing out that that visit came […]
Continue ReadingWhatever angle you are sitting at, Lagos is without argument Nigeria’s most important state. Abuja may be the nation’s capital, politically, but Lagos, the economic capital, is the most vibrant measure of Nigeria’s political health. If the health of the political sector is poor, Lagos is often the first to know, or to express it. It […]
Continue ReadingI commend the organisers of Wednesday’s anniversary of the historic #EndSARS protests of 2020. The mass demonstrations against police brutality, which began as a social media campaign symbolically against the murderous Special Anti-Robbery Squad, gained widespread participation by Nigerians worldwide. The protests represented a campaign against the atrocious governance of the President, Major General General […]
Continue ReadingLast Sunday, I commented on what I called “fear of responsibility”: the tendency of powerful Nigerian institutions and officials to starve the public of required information. I led with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), drawing attention to its annual failure to meet its reporting obligation. The commission reacted the same day, denouncing me in a press […]
Continue ReadingFor a long time, I was of the view that Nigerians, especially their rulers, were responsible for Nigeria’s woes. Last Sunday, Mr. Goodluck Jonathan identified for us the idiot who has held us down for over 50 years: The devil. The President of Nigeria was speaking at the First Baptist Church in Garki, Abuja, to […]
Continue ReadingOut of the blue last Tuesday, the beleaguered Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) regime, which is desperate for funds but even more desperate for recognition, spirited one Nnamdi Kanu back into Nigeria. Within hours, the so-called leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was standing before a high court judge. Not since Goodluck Jonathan […]
Continue ReadingFor the record, I am ambivalent about the restructuring question. My dream is of an indivisible Nigeria liberated to pursue its power and purpose. I know that it is fashionable to wield the sword, “restructure.” When you go on television or appear before a microphone, it seems to be the default thing to say to […]
Continue ReadingI was shocked last week to hear the President, Major General Muhamadu Buhari (retd) criticising those who “want me to fail.” He described them as sponsors and orchestrators of insecurity in Nigeria. How on earth, I questioned, is it that Buhari pretends not to know that his failure is not opinion but fact; that when […]
Continue ReadingNigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, last week hurled himself feet first into a dry swimming pool as he tried to object to a southern ban on open grazing. In the television event, Mr Malami struggled to assert himself, but was painfully unprepared and incompetent. He described the collective decision of the […]
Continue ReadingIn September 2019 in New York, Nigeria ruler Muhammadu Buhari was asked: “Nigeria has a very young population; perhaps you might highlight what a pathway for a resilient future looks like?” On the calendar, it was the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, and General Buhari was participating in the Climate Action Summit. […]
Continue ReadingA book in honour of First Lady Aisha Buhari was launched in Abuja last week. ‘Aisha Buhari: Being different,’ was authored by Hajo Sani, a senior administration official. Chief Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), who chaired the event, took it upon himself to interpret the Nigerian story. “Remember […]
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