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When the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) declared “Super Cop” Abba Kyari wanted on Monday following his alleged involvement with an international drug cartel, I was very happy. Very, very happy. But my joy had nothing to do with Kyari, the deputy commissioner of police already indicted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation […]
Continue ReadingIbadan is easily the most historically utilitarian Yoruba city. It is the fountain head of the social political transformation of Yorubaland and in certain respects Nigeria itself. Think of the iconic educational institutions like the first tertiary educational establishment in Nigeria, the University of Ibadan, the one time contender for the topmost secondary school in […]
Continue ReadingSince the report of suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari’s alleged involvement in a drug ring hit the airwaves on Monday, the question of whether he will be extradited to the United States of America to face justice for pending infractions has also resurfaced. About nine months ago, the Federal Bureau of Investigation had […]
Continue Reading“Have you ever heard how they catch monkeys in Brazil, Julie? Let me tell you. They put a nut in a bottle and tie the bottle to a tree. The monkey grasps the nut, but the neck of the bottle is too narrow for the monkey to withdraw its paw and the nut. You would […]
Continue ReadingLast Tuesday at the public presentation of my book, ‘Cowries of Blood’, a reporter asked me to crack the title. I smiled the question off. I hope my quizzer reads this and connects the silhouetted dots. It is not only about cows and forest boys grazing in farms and killing grumbling farmers. It is about […]
Continue ReadingOn Friday, the Supreme Court of Nigeria in a split decision voted 6-1 to nullify Executive Order 10 through which the Federal Government of Nigeria had sought in 2019, to give effect to Section 81 (3) and Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution, as altered by the 4th Alteration Act No. 4 of 2017, with […]
Continue ReadingThey wear the nation’s green-white-green flag as uniform. They have their own army, arms and ammunition. Their constitution is superior to the laws of the land. They’re state-backed bandits. They’re a clan of killers. They’re the National Union of Road Transport Workers. Though Lagos is the centripetal force in this discourse, it’s no breaking news […]
Continue ReadingIn a jaw-dropping revelation, Ade Lawyer, the self-confessed hired killer, accentuated how subsequent Lagos State governments of Tinubu, Babatunde Fashola, and Akinwunmi Ambode, had indirectly made life unsafe, cheap and nasty through the abetment of NURTW activities in the state. In a front-page story, “Confession Of An Alleged Assassin: How I Killed People For Money – […]
Continue ReadingAfter celebrating “Made in Nigeria, Enjoyed Worldwide” in my previous article, I was immediately confronted with the other side of our beloved country as we slipped into the “Only in Nigeria” mode again. It emerged that motorists had unknowingly been buying off-spec petrol. Their car engines were getting damaged. Apparently, the authorities tried to downplay […]
Continue ReadingIf the idea of crowdfunding for former governor Peter Obi to contest the presidential election works, it will be one of the most decisive changes in Nigerian political history. Proposed by data analyst and social advocate, Segun Onigbinde, crowdfunding is a relatively uncharted terrain in Nigeria’s recent politics. Translating the idea into concrete action needs […]
Continue ReadingThe politics of zoning is likely to make or mar the 2023 Presidential election, with implications for the stability of the country. It is one of the most contentious issues in Nigeria at the moment particularly in the two major political parties: the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), which both […]
Continue ReadingI experienced him for the first time as he was introduced as Imam Orímádégún. He was asked to preach at a Muslim burial service last Saturday in Osogbo, Osun State. He picked the microphone and announced that he was not going to preach about the dead. He said his sermon would be for the living. […]
Continue ReadingThe godfather of Lagos politics, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in 2015 led the South-West into an alliance with the North to birth the All Progressive Alliance (APC). His decision, evidently, was informed by the expectation that the two geopolitical regions will share power, invariably to the exclusion of the Eastern bloc. And ultimately that he, […]
Continue ReadingHave you flown an aircraft before? I just did. At the first attempt, I was nervous and crashed as I tried to take off. I laughed, shrugged and gave it another try. At the second attempt, my instructor was more than impressed with my lift-off. He confessed this was a rare feat for a novice. […]
Continue ReadingThis title is not original. When he published his memoirs in 1995, Jerome Udoji, the distinguished Nigerian public administrator whose name became synonymous with the failed inflation-proofing of public service earnings following Nigeria’s discovery of petro-dollars in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War, titled it Under Three Masters. The book, a tale of his encounters in succession […]
Continue ReadingA Mexican migrant to the U.S. is five times more productive than one who stays home. Why is that? The answer is not the obvious one: This country has more machinery or tools or natural resources. Instead, according to some remarkable but largely ignored research — by the World Bank, of all places — it […]
Continue ReadingTwo contending perspectives have emerged in response to one of Nigeria’s most pressing public policy challenges: Restructuring. These may be classified as the “Unitary Federalists” and the “Restructuralists.” The term “unitary federalists” is an oxymoron. But that is the puzzling juncture where Nigeria is ensconced: Operating a unitary system behind the façade of federalism. The […]
Continue ReadingPresident Umaro Cissoko Embaló survived Tuesday’s “failed attack against democracy.” But the situation in Guinea-Bissau remains unclear. That the fragile West African country is the fifth to catch the military coup bug in recent times should be disturbing to leaders within the sub-region. Only two weeks ago, President Roch Kabore was toppled in Burkina Faso. […]
Continue ReadingThe country is in a bind. It must borrow three trillion if it chooses not to discontinue subsidising petrol. That’s what the government has said. But, on the other hand, if it removes the subsidy on petrol, it could set itself aflame. Against the backdrop of a huge budget deficit and weak income streams, borrowing […]
Continue ReadingLast week, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), took disappointing action on the petrol subsidy removal. However, when analysed properly, his action was not out of character. While the debate was on over the removal of petrol subsidy, Buhari intervened by suspending the subsidy removal and postponing its implementation for another 18 months. It […]
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