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On 17th April, 2020, my world came crashing down and my heart shattered into a billion pieces. Upon receiving the news of my father’s passing, I immediately felt the most excruciating pain – a pain I would not wish on my worst enemy. My biggest fear in the world had materialised. Most people knew my […]
Continue ReadingHello, Excellency!” “Hello Mr. President. It is always so good to hear that: Excellency. It is wonderful. People like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, they never call me that.” “It is not a problem, Excellency. I know you are very busy, Excellency. They said you wanted me to call you?” “Oh really, who? You know […]
Continue ReadingIt was at the church service for the 90th birthday of the legendary matriarch of the Awo dynasty Chief Dr Hannah Dideolu Awolowo in Ikenne that the thoughts that prompted this article began. Some well known highly placed gentlemen and their wives were called upon to partake in the wine sipping, bread breaking ritual called […]
Continue ReadingThe most important universal shock that has flowed from the COVID-19 pandemic is that most governments in the world were unable and often unwilling to address the crisis in a manner that protected peoples’ health, welfare and lives. They have shown very poor governance abilities but demonstrated great skills in lying to the people. Their […]
Continue ReadingThe Daily Trust of April 22 reported that there are at least “37 APC top shots” competing for the position of the Chief of Staff to Buhari. The names include serving governors and ministers. There’s no precedent for this in Nigeria’s history. Now, ask yourself: why would governors and ministers want to give up all their guaranteed privileges […]
Continue ReadingSometime in 2019, I got a text message from Mallam Abba Kyari, the late chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, who was on a visit to the UK. It was very short: “Simon, I’ll be in London this afternoon. If you have the time, let’s catch up over coffee.” Why not? There were plenty […]
Continue ReadingAs you enter the menopausal stage of life, it is not unusual to wonder if you can still get pregnant. It’s important to understand this transitional time of life. Even without the hot flashes and irregular periods, it doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant. It only means you’re probably a lot less fertile than you […]
Continue ReadingTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Ethiopian microbiologist who heads the World Health Organisation (WHO) is simultaneously engaged in perhaps the two biggest battles of his 55 years on earth. He is leading humanity’s fight against the treacherous COVID-19 virus, and a battle to remain in office against the expressed wishes of the United States of America […]
Continue ReadingFellow Nigerians, every now and then, aggrieved persons run to the media seeking refuge from State persecution or hoping for opportunities to attack competitors. Examples of the former abound more than the latter. In a country where unemployment is of chronic and pandemic proportions, it is sad that the State finds it hard to resolve […]
Continue ReadingAny objective analysis of a long-winded essay, “COVID-19: Can Africa Afford Lockdowns?”, by Chukwuma Soludo, would wonder if the renowned economist is suddenly cast with a voodoo spell. Mr. Soludo needs no introduction. A distinguished professor of economics, with advanced degrees—both academic and honoris causa—from the prestigious University of Nigeria, he was a former Governor […]
Continue ReadingOn Monday, April 27, 2020, British oil and gas giant, BP, became the latest in a growing number of energy firms to declare a massive quarterly loss. Their loss was in the region of $4.4 billion dollars. Bear in mind that this was a conglomerate that posted a $2.6 billion profit in the corresponding quarter of 2019. The challenges that […]
Continue ReadingOur banks did not pay anything into the accounts of their customers, as evidence of goodwill to enable them cope with the lockdown and hardships imposed by the COVID 19 Pandemic. But they donated billions of naira to the federal government, to distribute as raw cash to the poor. The banks also did not reduce, […]
Continue ReadingOrdinarily, one should ignore the director of Muslim Rights Congress, Prof Ishaq Akintola. His predilection for inciting controversy via religious conspiracy, mostly for its own sake, makes him a public nuisance. However, we have been Nigerians for long enough to know religious matters easily escalate. Besides, inflammatory words thrown around amidst a pandemic can gain […]
Continue ReadingIf there is any lesson we have learnt from the past five weeks, it is how difficult it is to enforce a meaningful lockdown or social distancing in Nigeria. All over the country, wherever restrictions are imposed, the pushing and shoving that occurs during market hours have themselves become serious risk factors. Last Friday, two […]
Continue ReadingWith the death of Chief Richard Akinjide on April 21, 2020, Nigeria lost one of its brilliant and historical politicians of an era. The exact date of his birth is not documented, but Akinjide was said to have been born at Ibadan in 1930. His aggregate of 6, upon the completion of secondary school at […]
Continue ReadingMy opposition to the Buhari government for the last five years has been as constant as the northern star and it remains as strong today as it ever was. I warned Nigerians what would happen if he came to power in 2015 and I was proved right. I warned them again in 2019 and again […]
Continue Reading“In spite of our age difference, he encouraged me to call him by his first name Abba, but I always preferred Mallam Abba. Forget what anyone might tell you, Mallam Abba was a decent, humble and simple gentleman who delighted himself with intellectual and higher pursuits. He was cerebral. He was a technocrat, a workhorse […]
Continue ReadingChief Richard Osuolale Akinjide was born in 1930 to an influential family in Ibadan, Oyo State. He attended Oduduwa College in Ile-Ife from where he passed out in Grade One. Like most privileged members of his generation, Chief Akinjide travelled to the UK in 1951 for the proverbial golden fleece. He read Law at the […]
Continue ReadingThe global economy is in a tailspin. IMF and the World Bank have both predicted a contraction of the global economy with developing economies likely to be worst affected. This situation is the direct result of the menace of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the energy crisis that the world faces. With many businesses and factories […]
Continue ReadingEarly in my relationship with God, the Holy Spirit engaged me in discussion over my obsession with going to heaven. “Femi,” he asked, “why do you want to go to heaven?” I could not answer him directly because my interest in heaven had little to do with heaven. Instead, it had to do with my […]
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