Opinion

turnpot@gmail.com 0705 263 1058 News broke recently that the Yoruba nation has been admitted into the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) as its 45th member. President of the Yoruba World Congress (YMC), emeritus professor of History and African Studies, Prof. Banji Akintoye, gleefully made the announcement in a press …

turnpot@gmail.com 0705 263 1058 “Home is where the hatred is/Home is filled with pain/And it might not be such a bad idea if I nev…” – Gil Scott-Heron. Some Sundays ago I announced that as the Ondo governorship election draws nearer, I will be taking a hard look at the …

Those who are regular on group and interactive social media platforms would be familiar with the phrase used here to headline this piece. It has become a popular refrain to those who are not in agreement with or frustrated by certain developments. Often times, they refer to government’s perceived incapacity …

Let’s tell the story of Venezuela, because it bears striking similitude with that of Nigeria. Just like us, Venezuela is rich in oil, very rich. At a time, the county’s problem was not money, but how to spend it. Just like Nigeria. And quite like us again, the South American …

turnpot@gmail.com 0807 552 5533 Bill and Melinda Gates and or their Foundation have been in the news for the wrong reasons. There are lots of conspiracy theories swirling around the Gates; apart from the Chinese, I do not think there is anyone as vilified as the Gates today. The other …

turnpot@gmail.com 0807 552 5533 So much has been said about Mallam Abba Kyari, the fallen Chief of Staff to the president, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retired). He has been painted as hero and patriot who died on active service and, therefore, deserves to be lionised. Many people in government, including Buhari …

The news came like a bolt from a stormy Sky. Brother Willy had made his last Sale. But it was not closing Bell time at the Exchange, I thought to myself , so it could not be true. But Chris Asoluka assured me it was true. A friendship that began …

  May 1, 2020 You have possibly watched the 1998 action-thriller film with the above title, starring Will Smith. It was the box office hit story about a group of people plotting to kill an American Congressman, and the tape of the plot was discovered. Well, an Enemy of the …

turnpot@gmail.com 0705 263 1058 In addition to coronavirus, the demise of Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, is the rave of the moment. Controversies over Kyari’s death and roles in government have raged – where he died, when he died, how he died and how he was …

Prof Soludo is a professional colleague that I have tremendous respect for. He is very brilliant, deeply knowledgeable and smart. I took time to read his piece, titled COVID-19: Can Africa afford lockdowns? I believe the erudite Professor is just concerned and rightly thinking aloud about the Economic consequences of the …

On a good day, Abimbola Adelakun is a compelling read. But writers do have dry days, when the muse fails the quill abysmally. Such must have been the misfortune of the columnist in her April 23 outing. The tragedy was however not her failure to deliver; the real catastrophe was …

This piece summarizes my contribution to an African debate. From Johannesburg to Lagos, Cairo to Dakar, Kinshasa to Kigali, Nairobi to Accra, etc the debate on how Africa should respond to the global coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is raging. At an African regional policy platform, I had expressed some of these …

He told us he would be back at his desk soon. I believed it. But now, it would never happen. Not tomorrow, not next week, not forever. Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, has gone the way of all flesh. Our last contact was on Friday, March …

turnpot@gmail.com 0807 552 5533 So many “quotable quotes” played on my mind as I fixed my heart on writing this piece. The first was John Donne’s “Any man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in Mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls …

Book: Sons of A Priest Editor: Odili Tony Ujubuonu Publisers: Brand Aristotle, Lagos Pages: 286 Reviewer: Simon Ibe The book, Sons of A Priest, by Odili Tony Ujubuonu, is a rare gift to the present generation and generations to come. The book, which is, generally speaking,  “Testimonials of Past CKC (Christ …

Even the oracle in my village can correctly predict the state of the nation’s economy by the third quarter of this year. The IMF therefore deserves no compliment for projecting that Nigeria would enter its worst recession in 30 years. Covid-19 is bringing about a new world economic and social …

Dr. Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili is the former vice president for the Africa region at the World Bank and the former minister of education for Nigeria. She is the co-convener of Nigeria’s #BringBackOurGirls Movement. The covid-19 pandemic has dealt a severe injury to Africa’s development prospects and worsened the conditions of …

Evangelist Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko, the founder, Igbo Youth Movement, IYM, bares his mind on some issues of the moment. Q: You have been very quiet for a while, how is the COVID-19 forced holidays treating you people in the East? A: There’s nothing inspiring going on. It’s like we’re all standing …

turnpot@gmaail.com 0807 552 5533 As we were saying here last week, efforts by some land-grabbers masquerading as developers to mangle the Lagos State master plan, seize and build a housing estate on the Magodo wetland, thereby destroying the fauna and environment of the area in question, with attendant dire consequences …

In the Book of Revelation, the Bible describes 666 as the mark of the Beast or Anti-Christ. As churches conduct services and other meetings these days through the internet, videoconferencing, etc., I got reminded of an article I published last December in my “Treasures” column (every Wednesday in the New …

turnpot@gmail.com 0705 263 1058 “Beware of the Greeks bearing gifts” is an allusion to the story of the wooden horse used by the Greeks to trick their way into the city of Troy. Troy was well fortified and also well defended. Roman poet, Virgil, recorded it thus in his Aenid …

turnpot@gmail.com 0807 552 5533 Last week we published “When Lagos State Government self-destructs…” based on the complaint of Mr. Yacoob Abiodun, a passionate urban development planner and advocate for safe and wholesome environment who retired as a Director in the Federal Civil Service, that the Magodo master plan was being …

The Covid-19 pandemic has created several tragi-comic double jeopardies which are peculiar to Nigeria – the politician or elite who previously felt too “big” to attend local hospitals, but is now forced to either eat humble pie or die; the doctor whose job puts him at the greatest risk of …

To All My Fellow Nigerians – Good day and I hope this message finds you safe during this unprecedented Coronavirus pandemic. Nigerians have faced many harrowing challenges since our country’s inception, not the least of which have included the Nigerian Civil War, Boko Haram, and the high mortality rate of …

turnpot@gmail.com 0807 552 5533 Before COVID-19 broke, the apprehension in Lagos surrounded the prediction that most of Year 2020 would witness heavy rains – and that they would be really, really heavy. What it automatically means is that Lagos, ever prone to flooding, would experience the “Mother of all flooding” – …