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For no reason beyond bad belle, Orishala urged Ogun to pull down Orunmila’s house. Why? Ogun asked. Orishala hinted that Orunmila had become a dangerous rival to his dominance in the pantheon of the gods. Like a hired killer, Ogun agreed. But how would he recognise Orunmila’s house? He had never been there. Orishala gave […]
Continue ReadingThe English Premier League ended yesterday with Arsenal crowned champions. But that triumph almost slipped away because, two weeks earlier, a stolen goal arrived disguised as a legitimate one. I watched the West Ham–Arsenal match of Sunday, May 10, 2026. It got me thinking about Nigeria’s past and coming elections. Deep into stoppage time, there […]
Continue Reading“Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.” — Aristotle. The Ass in the Lion’s Skin is Aesop’s story of a donkey who finds a lion’s skin abandoned in the forest. He wears it and begins […]
Continue ReadingAn old firm of architects with a rich history of project design and delivery sent a letter to the Sierra Leonean government on September 15, 1960. In that letter, the firm listed some of the projects it was handling in Nigeria. The multi-storey building called Cocoa House in Ibadan was on that list. But the […]
Continue ReadingIn a democracy, the joy of victory won through real elections has certain permanence. ‘On Your Mandate We Shall Stand’ was composed and sung for Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola because he submitted his ambition to a competitive process: he had a competent opponent, votes were cast, counted, and he won. The song, its defiance, and […]
Continue Reading“Where you have a warrior culture, you have heroes.” That is how the unusual character of Ibadan is explained on page 856 of Professor Toyin Falola’s 1,012-page history of the city. My eyes caught the line as I watched Saturday’s opposition political summit in the city. Opposition politics in Nigeria is post-apocalyptic, its script reads […]
Continue Reading“Even a corpse put in a coffin will defeat Tinubu in 2027.” ADC chieftain and northern politician, Buba Galadima, gave that promise at the ADC convention last Tuesday. He was wrong. The corpse, the coffin and the carpenter will be buried by Hurricane Tinubu in the election of next year, unless… Unless what? Unless they […]
Continue ReadingWar commanders die cheap deaths; farmers are murdered on their farms, traders in their shops, landlords vanish on their lands, tenants in their rented rooms; students abducted from their studies. What more must happen before we become what Italians would call “Paese dei Morti” (Country of the Dead); “Paese senza memoria” (country without memory)? When […]
Continue ReadingAnyone who has watched a hunting party in action will understand what is going on. What we have is a hunting expedition: beaters scour the bush, flushing the political parties—like duikers—towards INEC and the courts, where gunmen are properly positioned to take the killer shots. The PDP is in Bello Turji’s captivity; the ADC is […]
Continue ReadingIt is either Nasir El-Rufai is a very lucky man, or he is a very strong man. He was arrested by his friends, charged variously for multiple offences, none of the various courts has yet ruled on his bail application, but he arrived home in Abuja on Saturday. His jailers mourned with him and said […]
Continue ReadingI begin with Game of Thrones, a world not far removed from ours, where power, wealth, and revenge are the true currencies of politics. In Season 5, Episode 1, we hear this: Tyrion Lannister: What is it that you want exactly? Lord Varys: Peace. Prosperity. A land where the powerful do not prey on the […]
Continue ReadingA mother sits her son beside her, looks into his eyes and tells him: “Son, listen to me carefully. I want to tell you some important things.” “Okay, Mom, what is it?” The boy replies and the lesson class becomes a conversation in morality. “First, always be kind. Speak gently and respect everyone, young or […]
Continue ReadingOur power minister, Adebayo Adelabu, is now mocked as the King of Darkness—Kábíyèsi Olókùnkùn. I laugh at his traducers. They are crowning the wrong monarch. The true emperor of darkness sits higher. For more than three years, the president has wandered luxuriantly through the bush of politics while abandoning the hard road of policy that […]
Continue ReadingOn August 2, 1100, England’s King William II went hunting in the New Forest in southern England. During the chase, an arrow shot at a stag by his companion, the Norman nobleman Walter Tirel struck an oak tree, ricocheted, and pierced the king’s chest. The king died right there. The spot where he fell is […]
Continue ReadingJournalist arrived at the Government House with a proverb on his tongue. “Your Excellency,” he began after the courtesies, notebook open, “in Yoruba, there is a word: Apanimáyọdà.” The APC governor smiled faintly. “The one who kills without unsheathing a sword.” “Exactly,” the journalist said. “A + pa + ni + má + yọ + […]
Continue ReadingAlhaji Shehu Shagari first met General Murtala Mohammed in August 1974. Newly appointed Federal Commissioner for Communications, Murtala, wrote a memo for cabinet approval and needed financial clearance from Shagari, then Commissioner for Finance. Shagari recalled the encounter: “I studied the memo carefully and made a number of comments and suggestions. He replied it was […]
Continue ReadingI wanted to find out who the greatest massager in history was, but the Internet told me history keeps no such Hall of Fame. I asked Google and got no answer; I asked Google Scholar and got silence. Even super-intelligent AI hasn’t been able to help. So, should I just give that crown to Comrade […]
Continue ReadingThe headline came quietly, harmlessly on Thursday: ‘Senate wants more revenues for FG, moves to alter allocation formula.’ The report said the Senate is considering a bill sponsored by Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) which seeks to “rescue” the Federal Government by increasing its share of the federation account. A week earlier, I had discussed […]
Continue ReadingPresident Bola Ahmed Tinubu returned over the weekend, swagger intact, despite his tumble in Turkey. His face was calm; his steps steady. His left arm tucked into the left fold of his agbada; his right palm expectantly popped into the waiting hands of top appointees lined up to receive him. Ministers and governors do this […]
Continue ReadingThe Cambridge English dictionary defines ‘Wizkid’ as “a young person who is very clever and successful.” Collins Dictionary defines it as “a person who is outstandingly successful for his or her age.” Wisdom Library says “’Wiz’ is a shortened form of ‘wizard,’ connoting skill, talent, and expertise, while ‘kid’ implies youthfulness or being junior. When […]
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