ELECTIONS AND DEMOCRACY “Credible elections are essential to a democracy, but there are worrisome obstacles to achieving peaceful, free, fair, and transparent elections. Indeed, there are sinister factors afoot that threaten to destroy the basic assumption that underpins our democracy. …a credible election is …a very important ritual that...
OPINION
According to the World Tourism Organization, tourism generates over $1 trillion in exports annually, creating millions of jobs and stimulating local economies. Be that as it may, it is important to note that Nigeria’s vast growth and development opportunities are being overlooked due to a lack of vision and...
By PAUL EJIME – The remains of Onyeka Onwenu, Nigeria’s renowned singer, songwriter, actress, social justice advocate and journalist were laid to rest at the Ikoyi cemetery in Lagos after a solemn funeral service on the 31st of August. It is an understatement that Onyeka 72, accomplished great exploits in her...
Yes, we are at war! This much we said last week. But the curious and sad thing is that Nigerians don’t seem to know or don’t want to know, and our leaders don’t seem to care. Our security agencies, whose activities are akin to the movement of wavelengths, continue...
In the face of the challenges in the oil sector, particularly the current tightness in the supply of petrol, it has become fashionable to blame the national oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC Ltd), for everything. Last week, it was Prof. Pat Utomi who railed and...
Order in every credible democracy is a balance of compassion and hard policy choices. The hard choices, often of a reform nature, which confront new leaders only make sense if they are for the common good. Otherwise, a barrage of crushing reforms with no tinge of compassion can suffocate the...
Amidst the fierce tussle for dominance between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress(APC) in the lead up to the Edo state governorship elections, Olu Akpata, considered a third force in the race, seems to have cleverly built a political brand with an obviously well drawn-out...
Nigeria is at the moment in a precarious position, teetering like a heavy toddler due to the instability of its monocrop economy. The country’s heavy dependence on crude (not even refined) petroleum exports exposes a cumulative effect of defective political economies and the complacency of the ruling elite “who...
Since the news broke that a Chinese firm, Zhongfu Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, tried, though unsuccessfully, to take over offshore assets of the Federal Government of Nigeria through subterfuge because of an unfinished business deal between the company and Ogun State Government, there have been consistent debates over...
Fifty-five years after the civil war, the lingering effects of the war is still visible among the Igbo. Ndigbo being the worst hit of the civil war, still bear scars from the war, with ongoing displacement, poverty, trauma, environmental degradation, security concerns, infrastructural deficit and marginalization. At one time...
Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa data reveals the scale of abductions and the targeting of Christian communities Some days I cannot bear to look at Nigeria. June, just two months ago, was such a time. Pain poured from my phone each time I checked it. Pastor Paul Musa,...
Perhaps unknown to most Nigerians, the Nigerian government hosted its political opposition in the hallowed chambers of the Federal Executive Council last Wednesday. It was a unique opportunity to hear an opposition perspective on the current state of the nation right in the executive chambers of Aso Villla....
Seven years after he emerged as Nigeria’s military Head of State, in the third quarter of 1974, General Yakubu Gowon placed a telephone call to the then Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Taslim Elias. The subject matter of the call, according to Atanda Fatayi Williams, himself then a Justice of...
From whatever perspective you choose to look at him, the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Shehu Mohammed is a voyage in the transportation industry with a touch of class. One of the most outstanding safety practitioners whose efficiency, knowledge, diligence and professionalism have become another definition of standard...
By ABIEMWENSE MORU, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Earlier this year as the rainy season approached the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) in its weather forecast, as it has done in recent years, warned of impending flooding. As forewarned, the rain is here so is the flood. The consequences, though...
“I couldn’t feed my three children when my husband abandoned me five years ago. My first child was about nine years old then, while my two other children were about four and two years respectively’’. These are the pathetic words of Mrs Stella Obasuyi, a petty trader in Benin...
The escalating level of insecurity in the nation is forcing many citizens to wonder if the government can still save Nigeria. The minister of state for defence just ordered the service chiefs to relocate to the North West after militants seized two Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) armoured vehicles from...
The Nigerian politician is a most futuristic animal. He is above all else a most distractive creature, forever creating political outlets and ventilations. While our civil society remains reactive , our political class is eternally ahead in terms of setting an agenda for distracting the attention of the polity...
Executive Summary: Chinese backed locally incorporated companies are illegally mining in Nigeria in great numbers. Few are legally licensed to mine. Chinese groups are building lithium concentrators in several states. The demand for lithium ore for these concentrators fuels illegal mining, completely negating the efforts of Nigeria’s Department of...
By Ernest Ojukwu, SAN; Sam Erugo, SAN; Chidi Anselm Odinkalu; & Mbasekei Martin Obono Amid the greatest crisis of judicial authority since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 23 August 2024 swore in an Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). For the new Chief Justice, this challenge is also...