Tinubu’s taxman: Another surgeon without painkillers, By Abimbola Adelakun

When the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, recently averred that implementing comprehensive tax reforms in Nigeria is a pain Nigerians must endure, what struck me was how he seemed to think he had said something truly original. How many times in the past have we not […]

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2026: The year before the election, By Abimbola Adelakun

In Nigeria, and in many countries with underdeveloped economies, the most important periods are the year right before a general election, the year of that election (when the winners emerge), and two years after that election (all the time the losers need to seethe over their losses as they await another opportunity). Elections are, of […]

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Terrorism after the Christmas Day bombings, By Abimbola Adelakun

Anyone who expected Nigerians to push back against foreign intervention in the country’s insecurity and insist that their national sovereignty be respected would have found themselves awfully wrong by now. Not only did people seem excited, but the euphoria that accompanied the Christmas Day bombings in Sokoto showed how quickly we can set aside partisan […]

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Who is ‘de-marketing Nigeria’?, By Abimbola Adelakun

Lately, Facebook memories brought to my attention a November 1, 2015, post by Femi Adesina, media aide to late Muhammadu Buhari, in which he took issue with then the Peoples Democratic Party’s spokesman, Olisa Metuh, who had accused the President of “demarketing Nigeria”. Adesina had insisted, “President Buhari will not, in the guise of marketing […]

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Mrs Tinubu’s crassness meets Adeleke’s indiscipline, By Abimbola Adelakun

The video of Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, chastening the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, during her coronation ceremony in Ile Ife reminded me of what I think was my first encounter with her about 14-15 years ago at their party secretariat (then, it was still Alliance for Democracy) in Lagos. I was a reporter […]

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Ambassador list: Who is the new INEC chair working for?, By Abimbola Adelakun

Now that the names of ambassadorial appointment nominees include the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, it has become pertinent to ask the newly appointed successor, Prof. Joash Amupitan, where his loyalties lie. Does he take his appointment as an opportunity to entrench Nigeria’s democracy, or is he working […]

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Guns will not save Nigerians from bandits and terrorists, By Abimbola Adelakun

Whether Nigerians should be given the right to bear firearms or not is an argument that recurs each time there is an uptick in security issues. It is a solution that has been proffered by ex-Generals like Theophilus Danjuma; politicians such as former House of Representatives majority leader Alhassan Ado-Doguwa and Senator Kabir Marafa, during […]

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Of Christian genocide and the search for justice, By Abimbola Adelakun

In his responses to USA officials who amplify the narrative of “Christian genocide in Nigeria”, the Special Assistant to the President on Information/Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, counters by listing the various avenues Nigerians do, in fact, get killed. You see, when your entire professional skillset is honed to battle Obi-dients on Twitter, this is how you […]

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Rivers State and a Nigerian story of poverty, By Abimbola Adelakun

Some reports emanating from Nigeria succinctly tell a story of how the multi-level dysfunction that affects the country can converge on individuals. Figures are one thing, but stories give flesh to the bare bones of statistics. According to recent reports, a pregnant woman in Rivers State had unfortunately died about a year ago while having […]

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If a coup happens in Nigeria, who will fight for democracy?, By Abimbola Adelakun

The Defence Headquarters officially disproved the story of a planned coup in Nigeria, but that has not made it any less believable. The cancellation of Independence Day activities to opt for a “low-key” celebration, which excuses the President from appearing in public, suggests that the media reports might be on to something. Refuting the report, […]

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Next time, Umahi should go to NTA, By Abimbola Adelakun

Minister of Works, David Umahi, got into an acrimonious exchange with Arise TV news anchor Rufai Oseni recently when he refused to answer a question the latter posed to him. Our culture preaches deference to elders and for that reason alone, some commentators could not believe the audacity of standing one’s ground when dealing with […]

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Iyaloja-General: Another Tinubu searches for relevance, By Abimbola Adelakun

First, let us get rid of the worthless argument that fallaciously equates the case of the self-appointed “Eze of Lagos” with the ambitions of Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, the woman who parades herself as the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria because she happens to be the daughter of the President. Pitching one against the other to make a case […]

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And so we confront another Wike impasse, By Abimbola Adelakun

There are three problems that the All Progressive Congress government, since 2015, has promised to resolve, and everything in Nigeria seems to conspire against the President achieving greatness in each: the economy, insecurity, and corruption. People are so impoverished that when Bola Tinubu went to his home state to show off who he has become […]

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$100,000 prizes: When too much is inadequate, By Abimbola Adelakun

When the Super Falcons, the Nigerian women’s national football team, won their tenth WAFCON title in Morocco recently, the President splashed them with a $100,000 prize, conferred the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger on all 24 players, and then gifted each of them a three-bedroom apartment. Staff of the team’s […]

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Charly Boy: Of bus stops and last stops, By Abimbola Adelakun

Future historians of this period will one day note that the 2027 presidential election was one of the most remarkable in our national history, as it was the first campaign to begin even before the 2023 election was properly concluded. We know that in Africa, time ordinarily orbits around elections and electioneering. Since elections are […]

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The real injustice of Nnamdi Kanu’s trial, By Abimbola Adelakun

During a recent interview, Peter Obi was asked how he would address political agitations across the country if he were the president. He responded that he would dialogue. Referring to the detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, Obi added that his incarceration “does not make sense”. He said, “Some people said because he (Kanu) used vulgar […]

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