We cannot wait until the next election, By Sonala Olumhense

First, I commend Mr. Bola Tinubu for his official recognition of the 17 soldiers who were murdered this month in Okuama, Delta State, while reportedly on official duty.  In addition to giving them national honours, he gave homes to their families and scholarships to their children. We await a proper investigation of the tragic incident, the president’s […]

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On the eve of a revolution?, By Sonala Olumhense

On May 29, 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife, Aisha, arrived at the Abuja venue of his second term inauguration in luxury and style: a customised 2019 Mercedes-Maybach S-Class S 560. Value: over N61m. President Buhari, in his decades-long self-advertisement, was not a corrupt man. Which was probably why a car, which inflicted such an egregious […]

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Temptations of the Jagaban, By Sonala Olumhense

Last September, five months after he took office, Nigerian leader Bola Tinubu recalled all but two of Nigeria’s ambassadors from their foreign posts. “The president is determined to ensure that world-class efficiency and quality, will henceforth, characterize foreign and domestic service delivery to citizens, residents and prospective visitors alike,” a presidential aide said. Four months after Nigeria’s […]

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Elections: Nigeria must go back to Justice Uwais, By Sonala Olumhense

I confess that last Wednesday, I feared I may be a masochist.  I do not know what else one diagnoses after he spent most of 10 hours listening to the Presidential Election Petitions Court. I mean, I had other things to do, and I should have moved on to them the moment I learned that […]

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Who pays for the #EndSARS massacre?, By Sonala Olumhense

The government of Lagos State denied it, as did the federal: that in the #EndSARS incident of October 20, 2020 at the Lekki tollgate, people were shot and killed. They denied that corpses had been hurriedly evacuated. No government or official was guilty of anything, they insisted. But protesters and other witnesses at the toll […]

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On Bola Ahmed Tinubu, By Sonala Olumhense

Last Monday, All Progressives Congress chieftain and one-time governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, was inaugurated President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Mr Tinubu’s inauguration was indexed in Nigerian law, which I acknowledge and respect.  The ongoing legal challenges to his election are also indexed in the law, and I am happy to acknowledge […]

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Farewell to the General (II), By Sonala Olumhense

With increasing intensity as the President, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)’s era hurtles to an embarrassing end, the truth has become inescapable: his government is as much a lie as any other. I have given him credit for some infrastructural work, but Buhari ought to be insulted that he may be remembered in that light, especially […]

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The electoral prophecies of Moshood Fayemiwo, By Sonala Olumhense

Everyone who observes Nigeria knows there is a large body of religious people and self-confessed prophets who hear, or claim to hear, the voice of God in political affairs. The Nigerian who fascinates me in this regard is Moshood Ademola Fayemiwo, the Spiritual Head & Founder of The Jesus Christ Solution Centre in Texas, United […]

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Mixed metaphors: Rotting institutions, By Sonala Olumhense

Scenario One: Nigeria’s so-called secret police, the Department of State Services, on Wednesday announced that it had “identified some key players in the plot for an interim government in Nigeria.” “The Service considers the plot, being pursued by these entrenched interests, as not only an aberration but a mischievous way to set aside the constitution and undermine […]

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To vote APC in 2023, you must first hate yourself (II), By Sonala Olumhense

Last week, I opened my case for Nigerians not to vote for the All Progressives Congress this year. I refer to Nigerians who are led by reason, not sentiment; by the facts, not conjecture; by logic, not hot air; by self-respect, not idol worship. Such a Nigerian, wherever he may be, is a witness to the perfidy […]

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To vote APC in 2023, you must first hate yourself (I), By Sonala Olumhense

With less than one month to Nigeria’s general election, one political party ought not to be on the ballot at all.  That is the ruling All Progressives Congress. If dignity was of any concern to APC or if it had any sense of character or shame whatsoever, it would have called or written to the […]

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Now that insecurity has ‘ended’, By Sonala Olumhense

Happy New Year, Nigeria!  According to the calendar of the Federal Government, insecurity is now ‘over.’ Following seven years’ worth of the President, Major General  Muhammadu Buhari’s (retd) meetings with security chiefs, various and persistent directives and orders, repeated budgetary provisions and outlays, declarations of intent and ambition, speeches at home and abroad, expensive orders of […]

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#EndSARS youth back on the chessboard, By Sonala Olumhense

Nigeria leader Muhammadu Buhari turned 80 yesterday.  The older and richer he has grown, the less respected and influential he also has become, and the greater the efforts required to sustain his desired image as a “successful” leader. For instance, Senate leader Ahmad Lawan, in a birthday message, told Buhari that millions of Nigerians are “inspired” by the […]

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At the Peter Obi event in New York, By Sonala Olumhense

As a Nigerian with considerable interest in public affairs, the Grand Ballroom of New York City’s Hilton Midtown Hotel, the venue of “Afro-Economics & Government Policy: A Conversation with Governor Peter Obi,” was my destination last Sunday. The engagement followed others in the United States, some of which had been mismanaged by local organisers who chose […]

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What will Buhari tell his final UN General Assembly?, By Sonala Olumhense

The 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly opens in New York in three weeks, with the general debate scheduled for September 20-26.  This means that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) could sign out with a report card on his eight years in office. It is unclear how many world leaders will […]

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