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In 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 […]
Continue ReadingA friend, who is a pastor, chatted me up on WhatsApp recently. We often discuss Nigerian politics. When he buzzed, I knew it was time for another session in view of the prevailing circumstances. “Who are we voting for o… been looking forward to your analysis,” he asked. Of course, I do not endorse candidates. […]
Continue ReadingThe rumpus over the Muslim-Muslim presidential pairing of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was, I have to say, inevitable. I would be lying to say I was surprised. Since Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the choice of Alhaji Kashim Shettima, former governor of Borno state, as his running mate, the outrage has been deafening. First, […]
Continue ReadingThe social media, where most political debates take place these days and where brickbats are exchanged between protagonists and antagonists per nanosecond, has caught fire again with reports that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), told the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that he did not attend a […]
Continue ReadingHow time flies! I met Mr Peter Obi for the first time almost 19 years ago — in August 2003 to be specific. He had come to the THISDAY head office in Apapa, Lagos state, on a visit to Mr Olusegun Adeniyi, then Sunday Editor. I was the Saturday Editor. As I saw him in […]
Continue ReadingDisappointment was powdered on the faces of many of the young people around me when Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo did not win the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC). To them, Osinbajo was one candidate they could connect with: articulate, urbane, agile and modern. One who is connected to the ordinary Nigerian — he […]
Continue ReadingIf power does not go to the south in 2023, the pivotal role of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will have to be scrutinised. His life ambition is to be president of Nigeria and his influence on the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) effectively ensured that the main opposition party did not zone presidency to […]
Continue ReadingThree months ago, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the timetable for the 2023 general election. (By the way, why do we call it general “elections”? A general election is one in which the generality of the electorate votes — as opposed to a bye-election which is for specific constituencies). The electoral umpire outlined […]
Continue ReadingA confession is in order this early Sunday morning. Although I was quite sceptical about the electioneering rhetoric of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2015 general election — in fact, I said as much in a series of articles, including one with the title: “Where is the Beef?” (March 1, 2015) — […]
Continue ReadingThe stoning to death of Deborah Samuel, a student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, over alleged blasphemy is a timely reminder that retail religious extremism is very much alive and kicking in northern Nigeria. It has been quite a while since killings over “blasphemy” took place in the north and the tendency […]
Continue ReadingWhere should the next president come from? In the unwritten code that guides matters of national politics in Nigeria, the answer is obvious. A northerner will have been president for eight years by 2023 and it is naturally expected that the next one will be a southerner. Ideally, where the next president comes from or […]
Continue ReadingProf Emmanuel Osodeke, president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has a dream: that one day, Nigerian universities will be able to compete with the best in the world; that our universities will attract the best students and best teachers; that students will start trooping to Nigeria from all over the world; that […]
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