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May I seize this opportunity to send my deepest sympathies in advance to whoever succeeds President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2023. The next president is going to inherit an agelong and entrenched misconception in Nigeria: that the progress of the country rests solely on his shoulders. That is what I have observed since we transited […]
Continue ReadingNigeria is a rich country. You have heard this a million times, haven’t you? What exactly do people mean by “Nigeria is rich”? They believe we have enough money to build all the roads in every nook and cranny of the federation, provide piped water to every house, build world-class hospitals in every village, and […]
Continue ReadingTwo years ago, when Senator Uba Sani, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna state, pushed through a major reform of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) Act, many Nigerians missed the fine print. AMCON had been set up by the federal government in 2010 to prevent another round of […]
Continue ReadingMy friend sent me a WhatsApp chat shortly after President Olusegun Obasanjo announced his endorsement of Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party. “What does the Obasanjo endorsement mean?” he asked. I smiled to myself and replied: “It means he is bored!” Like him or hate him, Obasanjo is a headline maker […]
Continue ReadingWhen you are told there is a problem, what is your response? There is the “ntor” corner that will usually gloat: we told you so, we warned you, serves you right, etcetera. There is the corner that amplifies the problem with the help of innovative superlatives and unrivalled adjectives. In another corner, they are more […]
Continue ReadingThe best way to enjoy electioneering seasons is to be emotionally detached. The moment you are a player — or you are emotionally invested — you cannot have fun to the fullest. There will be too much tension and excitement racing through your blood. Too much prejudice will block your sight. You will cry when […]
Continue ReadingNearly 10 years ago, my childhood friends and I bought land in the village. My thinking was that I would, once in a while, spend the weekend at the countryside to experience a different ambience away from the hustle and bustle of Lagos — my home for the past 33 years. I had to abandon […]
Continue ReadingIn October 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel over its occupation of the Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula, two Arab territories. With the now-defunct Soviet Union (read Russia) backing Egypt and Syria, the US automatically queued behind Israel. Arab countries, in solidary with Egypt and Syria, retaliated by placing an oil […]
Continue ReadingIt has now become a tradition for me to analyse the psychology of the Nigerian voter ahead of every general election. Why? I am sitting in my balcony watching people pass by as they argue and pontificate on who will win — or who should win. I hear people argue about merit, power rotation, generational […]
Continue ReadingIn 1996, my cousin, born and raised in Kaduna, came visiting us in Lagos. In fact, she came to start her tertiary education. We were driving one Sunday evening when she saw a dead body on the expressway near Charly Boy bus stop. The body had apparently been mutilated by a number of speeding vehicles. […]
Continue ReadingFirst, a caveat: I am not in the business of endorsing or demarketing any presidential candidate. But what Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP flagbearer, said in Kaduna last weekend generated so much heat that I felt compelled to throw in my perspective. Speaking to a group of northerners at the interactive session of the Arewa […]
Continue ReadingIn 1999, as President Olusegun Obasanjo was getting set to assume office, Channels TV sampled the opinions of everyday Nigerians on their expectations from the new government. One woman memorably said: “I want Obasanjo to bring the economy down!” You can laugh all you want, but her message was very clear: the economy was fundamentally […]
Continue ReadingThe best time to enjoy Nigeria is when elections are at hand. Boy, this is what we live for. We were created to play politics, to engage in intense politicking, to create, perform and watch political drama. We forget all our sorrows and dive into the fray headlong, jumping up and down, chit-chatting morning, noon […]
Continue ReadingMay I herein solemnly bear witness that Nigerian politicians are geniuses at playing politics. They can scheme and strategise, manipulate and manoeuvre, plot and politick for 40 days and 40 nights non-stop just to score a political goal. They, however, do not know — or care about — the core purpose of politics and power. […]
Continue ReadingBefore the 1999 presidential primaries, crisis engulfed the All Peoples Party (now part of the All Progressives Congress, APC) over the ambition of the late Dr Olusola Saraki. He was bent on running even though the slot had been zoned to the south. The late Chief Arthur Nzeribe, who played a major role in the […]
Continue ReadingSometime last month, a young Bolt driver asked me: “Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi… who should we vote for?” I’ve been asked similar questions many times by those who respect my views. I usually give them an analytical answer — devoid of emotions — by highlighting the strengths, weaknesses and chances of each […]
Continue ReadingOn Wednesday, May 21, 2003, Dr Olu Agunloye, then minister of power and steel, presented a memo to the federal executive council (FEC). He sought its approval to award a build, operate and transfer (BOT) contract for the Mambilla Hydropower Project to Sunrise Power and Transmission Ltd, a company promoted by Chief Leno Adesanya. The […]
Continue ReadingLet’s call it a tale of two WhatsApp broadcasts. On June 5, 2022, I received this chat from an older friend whom I call “uncle” because of the age difference: “Today in Owo at St Francis Catholic Church Owaluwa street Owo, Fulani herdsmen on rampage.” It was accompanied with videos of the terror act in […]
Continue ReadingNext month, campaigns for the 2023 elections will kick off officially. I used the word “officially” advisedly: campaign has practically taken off on TV and Twitter. Many presidential candidates are already marketing themselves. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his All Progressives Congress (APC) opponent, even […]
Continue ReadingReceiving some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the recent Eid-al-Adha festival, President Muhammadu Buhari made a statement that sent out curious signals: “I wish the person who is coming after me the very best. I am eager to go. I can tell you it has been tough.” I initially read this in […]
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