News, Events, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Fashion, Beauty, Inspiration and yes… Gossip! The Only Place It Happens!
In March 2014, at a time Boko Haram terrorism ravaged the country, 12 northern Nigeria governors travelled all the way to Washington D.C. to make a case against President Goodluck Jonathan before his American counterpart Barack Obama. These governors, who got a chance to meet Obama’s National Security Adviser, Ms. Susan Rice, accused Jonathan of […]
Continue ReadingFollowing a viral video in which police escorts attached to a prominent Kano-based musician, Dauda Adamu Kahutu Rarara were shooting bullets into the air like village hunters, authorities in Abuja have waded in. “The NPF has condemned the unprofessionalism and act of indiscipline displayed by the policemen caught in the video that is trending where […]
Continue ReadingIn my experience of presidential elections in Nigeria, I must necessarily admit that 2023 is the most dramatic so far — and something tells me I have not seen anything yet. I am not talking about the drama of candidates winning or losing in unexpected places. That is lovely. That is what I live for […]
Continue ReadingThe “Obidients” – supporters of the mission and vision of Mr. Peter Obi, candidate of the Labour Party in Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential election had it coming. And now they are getting their “comeuppance” served in flagellating doses, from Professor Wole Soyinka, grandmaster in the art of dissent, debate and reasoning who has all it takes […]
Continue ReadingMy mystery Hausa friend has been busy with me lately. He has been firing a series of probing (invasive) messages. Sometimes, he asks questions; other times, he comes plain and provocative. On March 28, my friend told me “Igbos and Yorubas have been Nigeria’s problem since colonial times. They are still the problem. They heat […]
Continue ReadingOver the weekend, there was a news story that the Lagos State Government had banned non-indigenous traditional titles over a video made by the Eze Igbo of Oshodi-Isolo, Fred Nwajagu, in response to the ethnic attacks on Igbo during the last election. It was reported that he was promptly arrested by the police and Department […]
Continue ReadingAt the Admin Block, where I had to pay some fees and do some paperwork, something instructive happened. I came before a registration officer, who was in high spirits. He greeted me in Igbo but I answered in English. He looked at me from head to toe, and asked in Igbo what my name was. […]
Continue ReadingParables from Our Recent Polls I The journey from hate to holocaust is perilously short. . . .* In the national ballot just concluded: Many voted their tribe Many, their tongue Many saw nothing holier than Crosses and Crescents In the polling booth Utterly mesmerised by The poisonous correspondence Of region and religion Many […]
Continue ReadingOne of the issues that has generated great concern among voters in the run up to the Nigerian presidential elections is religion. Many Nigerians see the mixing of religion and politics as an impediment to progress and development. This idea can be traced to Europe. The Middle Ages were a time when religious authorities and political authorities clashed in European […]
Continue ReadingI deployed creative threads in imaginary Facebook conversations to drive home my point about how Nigerians tear one another to shreds on the internet in my column, ‘Hate in the Age of Charlatans’ on 31st August 2017. Unfortunately, with such recurring madness, the Nigerian social media landscape has become renowned for unbridled toxicity. In fact, the […]
Continue ReadingOnce again, the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission imposed a heavy-handed fine on Channels TV, following a petition by an aide of Bola Tinubu. Ironically, the petition was based on some comment by the Labour Party vice presidential candidate Datti Baba-Ahmed who, during a live interview, said something to the effect that swearing Tinubu into office in May […]
Continue ReadingScenario One: Nigeria’s so-called secret police, the Department of State Services, on Wednesday announced that it had “identified some key players in the plot for an interim government in Nigeria.” “The Service considers the plot, being pursued by these entrenched interests, as not only an aberration but a mischievous way to set aside the constitution and undermine […]
Continue ReadingSome huge, evil men surround a big, black pot. It is apparent that a food is being cooked. The men strung round their waists black cloths like priests of a dreadful god. Their torsos are naked like the day of creation. Their countenances are scary, with eyes dilating like pebbles immersed in crimson syrup. The […]
Continue ReadingLike Nigeria’s multiple-award winning poet, Professor Niyi Osundare, I am also “farmer-born, peasant-bred.” Like him, I “encountered dawn in the enchanted corridors of the forest.” A powerful pastor once came to our village with drums and flutes. It was supposed to be a one-off visit but that first arrival was a harvest of blessings for […]
Continue ReadingA tree is bent when it is still wet — African proverb Our family is very large and intensely political. Our father came from Mauritania to Nigeria in 1920 and died 1987. He was also passionate about sharing Islamic knowledge and rendering public service. Northern political and traditional establishments embraced, and trusted him to help […]
Continue ReadingOPEN LETTER TO BAYO ONANUGA My dear Bayo, I hope you are now happy and satisfied, that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has sanctioned CHANNELS with a N5 million fine, following your petition over the Datti Ahmed’s interview on CHANNELS. Chief Gani Fawehinmi and Dr Olu Onagoruwa ( both of blessed memories) were the best […]
Continue ReadingIt was a warm July 2018 evening in Pittsburgh. People from all around the world gathered in an apartment to discuss careers, dreams, and global issues. We introduced ourselves to each other. It was my turn: “Hi, I am Pelumi. I am from Nigeria”. My friend from the other side of the world suddenly developed […]
Continue ReadingBy setting free the woman who stabbed her husband to death, the court seems to have set a bad … (precedent, precedence). Here comes another pair of words that are tricky to handle. They sound and are spelt alike but they are not to be interchangeably used, although only few people realise this. Well, what […]
Continue ReadingI Death Twilight-zone, Afterlife, What-Mays, and Whatnots; Questions that transcend mortal thoughts. Uncertainties plucked by the hands of certainty pondering life beyond the galaxy. Philosophies, religions, and sciences; Ancient lenses to dissect and ponder. Beliefs, opinions, and standpoints in their multiplicities; Scalpels that open the heart of certain death Blazing free the skins of uncertainty. […]
Continue ReadingOn Saturday 18 March 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted the gubernatorial and State Assembly elections to mark the second and concluding round of the 2023 elections. On that day, INEC, the law enforcement agencies and the Nigerian populace were presented with a golden opportunity to demonstrate to the rest of the world […]
Continue Reading