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“Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.” — Aristotle. The Ass in the Lion’s Skin is Aesop’s story of a donkey who finds a lion’s skin abandoned in the forest. He wears it and begins […]
Continue ReadingIn less than eight months, Nigeria will hold another presidential election, likely to be as fiercely contested as the 2023 version, if not more. The final cast of contestants will emerge after the primaries and possible last-minute alliances and some say by the courts. But it is not only the presidential candidates and their permutations […]
Continue ReadingDespite Standing Rules practically exempting him from serving as a principal officer in the 8th Senate, the name of a certain Godswill Akpabio was announced in plenary as Minority Leader on 28th July 2015. Having left office as Akwa Ibom State Governor just a few weeks before, Akpabio had been nominated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the […]
Continue ReadingI have fallen victim to two sets of phone calls in recent weeks about political developments in Nigeria. Between foreign friends and associates on one hand and my local elite readers and friends on the other. The foreigners have uniformly expressed consternation at recent political developments in Nigeria. They just cannot understand the peculiarities of our […]
Continue ReadingAn old firm of architects with a rich history of project design and delivery sent a letter to the Sierra Leonean government on September 15, 1960. In that letter, the firm listed some of the projects it was handling in Nigeria. The multi-storey building called Cocoa House in Ibadan was on that list. But the […]
Continue ReadingTina’s marriage to Otunba was the envy of their circles, social and political. In church, she was a reference point on what a good wife should be. She dressed elegantly always without exposing any part of her body believed to be the exclusive preserve of her husband. She was respectful and respected. Otunba was a […]
Continue ReadingI am not much into movies but there are some I can watch numerous times without being bored. Two stand out: ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Titanic’. In the latter, the scene I consider most memorable is where the captain informs the ship owner that they had hit an iceberg. “From this moment, no matter what we do, the Titanic will founder,” […]
Continue ReadingAround this time last year, the rumour circulated that ex-US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were getting a divorce because he had had an affair with a famous actress. The news made it across blogs, and even decent news outlets had to address the rumour. Like most fake stories in search of substance, […]
Continue ReadingTo several Nigerians, Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, should not run for president next year. Some cite age, others zoning. On the first, the general view is that, at 80 years old by the time of the next presidential election in January 2027, Atiku would be too old to run for president. On the second, […]
Continue ReadingThe most remarkable incident in Nigeria in less than a week, is all things considered how a political coalition has turned out as a collision, literally and figuratively, in the lead up to the 2027 general elections. On Saturday, April 25, 2026, there was a meeting, the National Summit of Opposition Leaders, hosted in Ibadan […]
Continue ReadingIn a democracy, the joy of victory won through real elections has certain permanence. ‘On Your Mandate We Shall Stand’ was composed and sung for Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola because he submitted his ambition to a competitive process: he had a competent opponent, votes were cast, counted, and he won. The song, its defiance, and […]
Continue ReadingI received this message from a young lady some time back: “After my dad died some years back, my mother didn’t want to stay in the village anymore. She said that she didn’t want to stay alone. And we began to look for work for her. Through the help of my uncle (who was sponsoring […]
Continue ReadingA man once shared a personal experience with me. He said he met a wealthy woman through a mutual friend shortly after returning from abroad, at a time when he was struggling to find his footing financially. The lady wasted no time inviting him to her base in Abuja, offered him accommodation in her house, […]
Continue ReadingBorno State, North-East Nigeria has been the epic centre of Nigeria’s longest running war between the Islamist terror group, Jama’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihad, commonly known as Boko Haram and the Nigerian state. Founded by Mohammed Yusuf, a radical Salafi cleric in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state around 2002, Boko Haram, an anti-western civilisation […]
Continue Reading“What a country? “Which country? “What other country do you think I could possibly be talking about? Nigeria, of course.” “Baba Gbeborun. Community Radio! O ya, shoot. I am all ears.” “What my eyes have seen, what my ears have heard, my mouth cannot tell.” “Leave that one. Tell me. There is no matter so […]
Continue ReadingWith Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State invoking ‘Operation Wet ẹ’ at the Ibadan gathering of the ‘Participating Opposition Parties in Nigeria’ (we can also help them by adding the acronym, POPN), Nigerians do not need anyone to tell them that another desperate season is already upon us. Makinde warned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) not to play pranks with […]
Continue ReadingPith. Some say wistfully that the alliance has come four years late. Its optimistic supporters insist that a ticket promising equity, unity and prosperity is never late. It was first mooted in 2022, but bloated egos would not let it thrive. Fortunately, the last elections cleared some delusions. Perhaps the alliance has arrived at its appointed […]
Continue ReadingHave you been following recent events in Kwara state? You don’t know what you are missing. As the 2027 elections draw near, the north-central state is shaping up for another round of the unfinished heavyweight bout between Mr AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Dr Bukola Saraki. I can bet my laptop that both men will throw everything, […]
Continue Reading“Where you have a warrior culture, you have heroes.” That is how the unusual character of Ibadan is explained on page 856 of Professor Toyin Falola’s 1,012-page history of the city. My eyes caught the line as I watched Saturday’s opposition political summit in the city. Opposition politics in Nigeria is post-apocalyptic, its script reads […]
Continue ReadingI was at Ada, Osun state, the other day, for the funeral ceremony of the founder and proprietor of the iconic Micom Golf and Hotel Resort, Prince Michael Ayantunde Ponle. Naturally, I went to commiserate with the widow, former deputy governor of Osun state and my admission officer at the faculty of social science, University […]
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