Opinion

When five power blocs came together in April to support the governorship ambition of Prince Dapo Abiodun, the narrative they sold to the electorates was that the current situation across Ogun state was unacceptable and PDA, as he is fondly called, possessed the magic wand to bring about the drastic …

“Our country is bedevilled… (by) multifarious security challenges by which each agency must bring its wealth of experience and comparative advantage to compliment the effort of another”– DG DSS The current Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi Magaji made the above remarks in his keynote address, …

Disruption has transformed from being a business cliché to a fearful reality, especially if businesses intend to be relevant in the coming years. Disruptions have changed the banking sector, the telecom sector and recently, the e-commerce sector. A little over 20 years ago, Nigerians spent an average of one hour …

  turnpot@gmail.com  0807 552 5533 The whole history of progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of earnest struggle. If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favour freedom and yet, deprecate agitation are men …

  The creature hit the internet with a huge hump. In no time at all, the image had gone viral. Call the phenomenon “Anambra cattle” or “Efi-Igbo” – a new star has made its majestic appearance in the Nigerian firmament. It was at a press conference in Lagos addressed by …

By making public the contents of his asset declaration form submitted at the Oyo State office of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) in Ibadan on Monday, July 15, 2019, Governor Seyi Makinde has, on the double, fulfilled one of his many campaign promises. That action counts for something in …

  turnpot@gmail.com 0807 552 5533 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice – Proverbs 21: 3 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? – Psalm 82: 2 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting …

  It may seem early in the day but the signs are good; very good indeed. It is such an exhilarating feeling to observe all the good behaviour and best practices one had written about and wished for in the last three decades unfold before one’s eyes. It is not …

The Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under the leadership of the State Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, for all of eight years that Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was in the saddle as governor, harangued him over security votes and their deployment in dealing with flashpoints and other security …

Dionysius of Halicarnassus once said: ‘Let thy speech be better than silence, or be silent.’ Unfortunately, Bola Bolawole, who anchors the column:  *On the Lord’s Day,* in the _*Sunday Tribune*, acts contrariwise, week in, week out. I wish to observe that my right of reply to the *Sunday Tribune* column …

turnpot@gmail.com 0705 263 1058 I have published Gov. Kayode Fayemi’s rejoinder to my piece “Eventually, Fayemi wins the argument” of 9th June. The rejoinder was signed off by one of his media aides, Segun Dipe. Having fulfilled my promise to publish Gov. Fayemi, I hereby also fulfill the promise to …

    Today is exactly 35 days since Buhari was inaugurated for a second term in office. It is also exactly 127 days (more than four months) since the President was presented a Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission after being declared the winner of the presidential …

  turnpot@gmail.com 0705 263 1058 Great editors make great newspapers – Alhaji Nojeem Jimoh, the editor who recruited me into THE PUNCH, while congratulating me on the Supreme Court verdict of Friday, 14th June, 2019. Penultimate Friday, the Supreme Court, which is the apex court of the land, drove the …

turnpot@gmail.com 0705 263 1058 Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti State, has responded to this column’s “Eventually, Fayemi wins the argument…” of 9th June. In so doing, His Excellency, or his media handlers more appropriately, played clever by half, abandoning professionalism to the bargain. They sent their reply straight …

  turnpot@gmail.com 0705 263 1058 With the late Oba Folagbade Olateru-Olagbegi 111’s rites of passage completed, the race for the selection and enthronement of another Olowo of Owo has started in earnest. I understand many princes from the royal family are interested in ascending to the throne. I used to …

President Muhammadu Buhari’s second tenure began with a low-key inauguration at the Eagle Square in Abuja, a scenario that decidedly flowed from the President’s persona of prudence. His kitchen cabinet’s counsel must have also been contributory. The observance of June 12’s maiden Democracy Day edition drew from the same spirit. …

Once again, unscrupulous politicians are beating the drums of secession. It’s not new. Whenever the political atmosphere seems charged, one potent way of extracting concessions from the other side is to play the ethnic or religious card. Reputable academics, professionals and politicians have been implicated in this crime of creating …

One would imagine that business papers like economic success stories; apparently not. Instead, they feast and thrive on negatives. Financial Times, for instance, is worried about a government policy that is enabling boom in rice production in Nigeria. And the Economist is panicky about toothpick manufacturers springing up following tariffs …

  Those who were young (men-about-town) in the 80s will remember the 1979 hit track by McFadden & Whitehead, titled Ain’t no stopping us now. The lyrics goes thus: Ain’t no stopping us now! We’re on the move! Ain’t no stopping us now! We’ve got the groove! And if you …

Same-sex marriage will, effective this Friday, be legalised in Taiwan, the first Asian nation to do so. President Tsai Ing-wen will assent to the bill passed by the country’s parliament last Friday. The news has delighted gay rights activists in Asia and other parts of the world. My reaction was to post …

  I do not look into crystal balls. That is not my preoccupation.  I certainly lack the endowment of predicting the future. That enterprise is better left to the confident fortune-tellers. Agreed it is their forte, there is the possibility of their getting it wrong sometimes and such times could …

turnpot@gmail.com 0705 263 1058 Between the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, and the Kano State governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who would you say is in the eye of the storm? Emir Sanusi is not new to controversies. In his days as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, he …

The history of modern politics in Nigeria, especially since return to civil rule in 1999, cannot be written without generous space devoted to the personality of Right Honorable (Chief) Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi. Chief Amaechi is currently the Minister of Transportation and in the last general elections, was the Director General …

Nobody knows the actual population of Nigeria today.  Not even the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) which intermittently releases figures knows. The foreigners, it seems, conduct censuses from their air-conditioned offices in New York. In its 2019 State of the World Population report about to be released, UNFPA says our population …

  turnpot@gmail.com  0705 263 1058 As would be expected, a flurry of activities is hallmarking Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode’s last days in office. Last Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari was in Lagos on a one-day working visit during which he commissioned many signature projects of the Lagos State governor. Critics say the …