Opinion

Whenever I see a paragon, champion of transparency and accountability, I remember Muhammadu Buhari, retired military officer and gentleman, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Whenever I hear that a man has shunned greed, avarice, rapacity, I remember Buhari. Whenever I see anyone …

Felix, what is happening? Will you guys continue to sleep and allow this man to ride roughshod over Afenifere once again? Wetin we go do now, Yinkus? Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a Yoruba project. Therefore, all Yoruba people should queue behind him, including Afenifere. As the foremost Yoruba socio-political group, …

Not so long ago, he was the poster boy of what looked like an African renaissance. Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo didn’t only know what to say, he also knew when and how. I still remember 2018. Barely one year after Akufo-Addo was inaugurated, he was on the big stage.  He was …

Monday, 7 November, 2022 I want to write about the civil war in Egbe Afenifere, then I remember what happened to the lame orphan who thought he could be the referee in a fight of witches. He was too ‘small’ for that magisterial job. I am too, and so, I …

Recently, I was opportuned to listen to a presentation titled “Nigeria’s Economic Prospects” by one of Nigeria’s foremost Economists, Dr Ayo Teriba. He articulated Nigeria’s current economic woes and situated them in the global context of Post COVID era, European geopolitical tensions, and the resulting energy and commodity price crises. …

turnpot@gmail.com 0705 263 1058 Mother, mother/Why/Why was I born Black? – Okot p’Bitek in “Song of Lawino” As I woke up on Friday morning, lay in bed and performed the routine of prayers, meditation, and introspection, it ministered to me that we die every day but also wake up every …

It is very amusing to hear people try to denigrate the achievements of the anti-corruption war under President Muhammadu Buhari. But facts are stubborn things. The more you try to deny or contemn them, the bolder they stare at you in the face. Boldly, even rudely. President Buhari and his …

Bad news has almost become a regular feature of Nigeria’s daily narrative and recently, it’s been like a flood of it (pun intended). But the news of the ordeal of two-month-old Miracle Chikwe at the hands of his father in Owerri, Imo State, takes the flood of bad news to …

There was an invasion of Awka, the capital of Anambra State, by a troika of Nigeria’s savviest journalists, and another guru served as a supporting voice from the United States of America. The invading journalists happened to be all my friends and former colleagues and bosses. Sully Abu, former Editor-in-Chief/MD …

We are in another election season. Political parties, jobbers, and candidates deploy everything to convince innocent voters that they mean well and have a clear agenda to transform society. Most people – con artists, comics, and patriotic citizens – attempt to present what they intend to do when elected to …

Monday, 31 October, 2022 Ancient Greek and Roman authors wrote about a lost city called Helike (Helice) which suffered utter destruction in 373 BC. I remembered reading about this capital city when the American government evacuated its officials from Abuja last week and the regime of denial in Abuja asked …

Being the contributions of Abubakar Sokoto Mohammed, mni, Department of Sociology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria at an INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AFRICA’S ECONOMY. THEME: “AFRICA’S ECONOMY: THE WAY FORWARD.” Organized by Global Patriot Newspapers, VENUE: The Rotunda, Newark City Hall, Newark, New Jersey, United States of America. DATE: Saturday, 22nd October 2022.   Characteristics …

The end of Lizz Truss the UK Prime Minister after a total of 44 days was clear to seasoned observers of British politics. To them it was a question of when not whether. But I doubt that most of them expected her to go as quickly as she did as …

Mrs. Sola David-Borha is Chairman, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc and former Chief Executive for Africa Regions, Standard Bank Group. Introduction: Development is complex. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has developed from the extractive economies of the colonial period to cash crop economies in the sixties, infant industries in the seventies and eighties …

Monday, 24 October, 2022 The Washington Post of May 29, 1979 reported an exchange between President Idi Amin Dada of Uganda and an agent of a British money-printing firm. The Ugandan dictator asked the man to help him print two million Ugandan shillings worth of 100 shilling notes. The Briton …

If you spend your life expecting a storm, then you may never enjoy showers of blessings. Each time it rains, you expect your roof to be blown off, and anytime the sky is overcast, it sends you into trepidation. Apprehension. Nervousness. That is the mindset of those who continue to …

After eight months’ strike, one of the longest in the country’s history, university teachers finally returned, at gunpoint, to the classrooms on Monday.  It was the 16th time university teachers would be striking in 23 years. Frustrated parents and distraught students just couldn’t wait to hear that the strike had …

The soft, gentlemanly features of Dr. Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme belie the heart of steel inside the late first ever Vice-President of Nigeria. Back in 1998, Nigeria’s Head of State, General Sani Abacha, had perfected plans of transmuting from a military leader to a civilian president. Abacha got all the five …

Monday, 17 October, 2022 Peter Obi’s enemies are very clever and audacious. They are determined to ruin him and the promise of his movement. Imagine, they appointed for him a certain Mr. John Ezeigbe Ughulu as his campaign coordinator for Lagos State. Lagos is a Yoruba state in the South-West. …

This year, 2022, the floods seem to have united different parts of the globe. The World Bank report estimates that 1.18 billion people or 23% of the world population, face significant flood risks. The floods have hit 27 of Nigeria’s 36 states and impacted around 1.4 million people, according to …

The news came like a bolt from the blue. I had been slated to receive National Honours Award in the rank of Officer of the Order of the Niger, OON. Who, me? I almost couldn’t believe it. Astounded is the word. But the person telling me was neither flippant nor …

Back in the day, weather forecasts were a joke. And I mean literally. The weather forecast segment which used to come at the end of the news bulletin on Nigeria’s national broadcaster, NTA, was the butt of cruel jokes amongst folks. Often when the forecasters said it would rain, we …

Monday, 10 October, 2022 While standing before a judge, any judge, you are a ‘petty man’ even if you are a professor of law. I am not being rude. You shouldn’t have any problem getting my drift if you go back and read William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (Act I, Scene …

Most societies do not trust their politicians, so it is not an anomaly peculiar to Nigeria. Whether it is an advanced democracy or a developing country does not make any difference. For instance, 63% of British people believed their politicians were mainly interested in themselves alone, according to the IPPR …

My very beloved Rt. Honourable Speaker Emeritus, Rt. Hon Bright Omokhodion, you have written it as you feel it. Thanks for being true to yourself. I appreciate your standing out for what you believe in even if strange and lonely. However, Nigerian politics is a shrewd study in mysterious political …