Rethinking Nigerian footballers’ entitlement mentality, By Azuka Onwuka

Nigeria’s ex-international, Taribo West, stirred the hornet’s nest last week at the funeral rites of former Super Eagles’ captain and goalkeeper, Peter Rufai. In a viral interview, West blamed the Nigerian Football Federation and the Lagos State Football Association for abandoning Rufai and the family. West said inter alia: “What kind of nation is this? […]

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Bigotry will end Nigeria if conscious integration steps are not taken, By Azuka Onwuka

The recent rise in ethnic nationalism and intolerance in Nigeria is a cause of concern. Many people often assume that there is nothing wrong with nationalist ideologies, believing that those who promote them are bold individuals who deserve to be celebrated. Reasons and justifications are given for their actions and utterances. But that was how […]

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Are we approaching Bola Ahmed Tinubu Republic of Nigeria?, By Azuka Onwuka

Last week, it was announced that the International Conference Centre, Abuja, was renamed Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike. The curious thing was that the ICC was not built by Tinubu but only renovated by him. And while the ICC was built by General […]

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How churches, mosques, Nollywood promote ritual killings, By Azuka Onwuka

Recently, the public was hit by the horrific story of killings attributed to a money-flaunting native doctor in Enugu State. Many were shocked but did not realise that their belief and words could have contributed to that incident. The sad reality is that many people will continue to disappear in different parts of Nigeria as […]

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The seeds Nigerians planted abroad are bearing fruits, By Azuka Onwuka

Something exciting happened at the Super Bowl, which was held about a week ago in the United States of America. About nine players of Nigerian descent played in both teams: two for the Philadelphia Eagles (Moro Ojomo and C.J. Uzomah), who won it, and about seven for the Kansas City Chiefs (Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Charles Omenihu, […]

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Why are foreign women ‘rushing’ Nigerian men?, By Azuka Onwuka

Anyone who pays attention to what is happening on social media knows there is a high demand for Nigerian men by women from other countries. In the past, the assumption was that most of the marriages between Nigerian men and women from other countries were mainly to acquire official papers that would guarantee the Nigerian […]

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A Christmas letter to my motherland, Nigeria, By Azuka Onwuka

Merry Christmas to my motherland, Nigeria! Born in 1914, you are 110 years old now. In the realm of motherlands, you are no longer a baby. But the traumatic experiences you have had– rape, robbery, battery, verbal abuse- have left you in diapers when you should be a sage among other motherlands. You have gone […]

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Nigeria needs more Dele Farotimis, By Azuka Onwuka

Last week’s arrest of good-governance activist and lawyer, Mr Dele Farotimi, in Lagos by police from Ekiti State got many Nigerians angry for many reasons. Farotimi was arrested based on the petition by Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, that Farotimi defamed him in his book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System. The uproar was not because […]

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The truth about Igbo not selling property to non-Igbo, By Azuka Onwuka

Last week, when I saw the myriads of social media posts criticising newspaper columnist and TV presenter, Dr. Reuben Abati, over his comment on Arise TV on the issue of the Igbo not selling land to non-Igbo, I searched for the video and watched it in full to hear his exact words and understand the […]

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Should there be female and male duties in marriage?, By Azuka Onwuka

One question that crops up regarding modern marriages is: “Are there duties that should be reserved for males and females, or should couples share duties like cooking, school runs, car repairs, etc? As a bachelor living alone, I cooked all my meals. I hated eating outside. I would close from work, go straight for choir […]

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Kagame of Rwanda is repeating the same African leadership mistake, By Azuka Onwuka

Last week, Paul Kagame of Rwanda was sworn in for his fourth term in office, thereby adding another five years to the 24 he has spent. By the time this new term is over in 2029, he will have officially governed Rwanda for 29 years without taking into consideration the unofficial six years he was […]

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Nigeria doesn’t copy good things from the United States, By Azuka Onwuka

Just slightly over a week ago, the political landscape in the United States went 180 degrees with the announcement by President Joe Biden that he was withdrawing from the presidential race. Before then, Biden had been recalcitrant that he would not withdraw from the race. He insisted that he was strong and healthy and was […]

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Nigeria is ridiculously materialistic, By Azuka Onwuka

Something devastating happened to the psyche of Nigerians in the mid-1980s from which they have not recovered. A culture change occurred. That period coincided with the entry of General Ibrahim Babangida (retd.) in August 1985 as the head of state of Nigeria. Concepts like advance-fee fraud and drug trafficking became widely known. Drug trafficking had […]

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I miss the years of handwritten letters, By Azuka Onwuka

Tech-wise, our younger days in the 1970s, 80s and 90s cannot be compared to these days, but they were not boring. We had no Facebook, Twitter (now X), Instagram and TikTok. We only had radio stations, TV stations, videos, music, novels, magazines, and comics. But most importantly, we had the handwritten letter, which we sent and received. We took our time […]

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Has Tinubu abandoned restructuring and true federalism?, By Azuka Onwuka

Since the Alliance for Democracy was founded in 1998, under which President Bola Tinubu became the governor of Lagos State in 1999, the key ideologies he and the party have pushed have been “restructuring” and “true federalism.” The two principles followed the AD when it became the Action Congress and then the Action Congress of […]

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Many Nigerians don’t know Ghana is larger than southern Nigeria, By Azuka Onwuka

One ridiculous point some Nigerians raise any time they want to prove their supremacy over Ghana is that Ghana is the size of one state in Nigeria. And many people who don’t bother to investigate things lap it up and repeat it during discussions and debates. Many people say it is mere social media banter […]

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