October 20: The #EndSARS Memorial, By Reuben Abati

“Credible intelligence at the disposal of the Command has revealed clandestine plans by some youths, individuals or groups to embark on a protest today in commemoration of one-year anniversary of ENDSARS… In view of the volatility of the situation in the country, and the breakdown of law and order which the planned protest might cause, […]

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Concession Plan for Four Nigerian Airports, By Reuben Abati

Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation has since announced the proposed concession of four of Nigeria’s major airports: Murtala Muhammad International Airport Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt International Airport, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. Despite huge investments in these airports, they have continued to operate at sub-optimal levels, and have […]

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CSOs, NGOs and Their Discontents, By Reuben Abati

Civil society groups, including Non-Governmental Organisations are a positive force for change and progress in society, oftentimes helping to bridge the gaps of alienation between government and the people. In developed parts of the world, CSOs and NGOs have been in the forefront of making our world a much better place by helping to fight […]

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Notes from Osun at 30, By Reuben Abati

On Thursday, September 9, I participated in a Colloquium titled “Osun at 30: Celebrating a Milestone, Building a Prosperous Future”, which as the title indicates was a commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the creation of Osun State. On August 27, 1991, the Babangida administration created nine additional states: Abia, Delta, Enugu, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, […]

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Kaduna And Electronic Voting: Lessons for Nigeria, By Reuben Abati

“We don’t believe in cheating or rigging elections but also we don’t want other parties to cheat us, and that was why we encouraged the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission to come up with a fool-proof voting process.” – Nasir el-Rufai The prefatory statement above belongs to Nasir el-Rufai, the Governor of Kaduna, one of […]

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Igboho’s Cats, Kanu’s Interception and Buhari’s ‘Language’, By Reuben Abati

When a few weeks ago, President Muhammadu Buhari declared that those who seek to overwhelm and undermine the Nigerian state would soon be spoken to in the language that they will understand, this was immediately interpreted to serve as a signal of a declaration of war against the people of the South East because the […]

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INEC Polling Units and The Future of Elections, By Reuben Abati

Some of the major challenges bedevilling the electoral process in Nigeria, and thus abbreviating the integrity of democracy in the country include over the years: lack of access to polling units, the location of polling units in problematic parts, overcrowding, conflict, violence, the designation of places like shrines, mosques, churches and private residences as polling […]

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Interviewing President Buhari, By Reuben Abati

I have been privileged to interview quite a number of world leaders in the course of my journalism career. These include President Olusegun Obasanjo, President Ketumile Masire of Botswana, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Commonwealth Secretary General Shridath Ramphal, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan etc..not to talk of holding the microphone across the world in the […]

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Nigeria, Twitter and Other Stories, By Reuben Abati

“Omo, I see you are still on Twitter. How you dey take do am? Come and teach your brother…” “Eishhh, Ishhh…Will you keep quiet?” “But I noticed you tweeted something not long ago, despite the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria” “Hey…hey. My family offend your family? This man. I commit crime to know you? […]

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The Death of Ahmed Gulak, By Reuben Abati

The cold-blooded murder of Hon. Ahmed Gulak, former Speaker of the Adamawa House of Assembly, former Special Adviser on Political Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan, former national co-ordinator of the Goodluck Support Group (GSG) and former Governorship aspirant under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is yet another tragic indication of the crisis […]

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Nigerian Air Force and Its Crashing Planes, By Reuben Abati

The Nigerian Air Force is the youngest arm of the Nigerian military having been established only on April 18, 1964. In the course of its 57 years of operation, defending the air space of Nigeria and the country’s territorial integrity, the NAF has seen action in many theatres of operation: the Nigerian Civil war, Liberia, […]

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The Asaba Declaration by Southern Governors, By Reuben Abati

On Tuesday, May 11, 2021, 17 Governors of the Southern States of Nigeria met in Asaba, Delta State to discuss issues of common interest. They came up with a 12-point communique in which they raised key issues about the future of Nigeria and the Southern region. This was not the first time Southern Governors would […]

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