Opinions

 “Between an agenda for a national restructuring and 2015 presidential election, my priority will be the convocation of a sovereign national conference.” – Ayo Opadokun Like many Nigerians I am suspicious of the national conference or dialogue proposed by President Goodluck Jonathan. But unlike some of those who have expressed their apprehension about the conference, […]

Many previous attempts to reposition and entrench values in the public service yielded nothing. So, the assurances given Wednesday, in Abuja, by Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, while inaugurating the Steering Committee on Public Service Reforms (SCR) sounded like another ventilation of gas that could not have raised any […]

Enugu State Government House has always been associated with acts that suggest cycles of wife hostage, wife sacking and wifeless tenures of governors. During the era of the charismatic Governor Jim Nwobodo, it is a well-known fact that his first wife never surfaced at the Government House. The duo had fallen apart and Jim remained […]

Not too long ago, while glancing through one of the social media platforms for further details and information on the gloomy election recently held in Anambra state, this writer came across a bold comment from someone who warned harsh critics of everything that has come to typify Nigeria of firstly removing the specks in their […]

My original intention this week was to write a sequel to the piece on the challenge of youth engagement; but i had to suspend that to address something else that has gotten me so worked up in the past few days! Nevertheless in the next couple of days i will still get round to the […]

Pope Francis took the United Nations General Assembly in New York by storm (and by surprise).  There was no entourage of aides.  According to the official United Nations programme, the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu was to be the last speaker but even before he finished his five minutes address, most of the press […]

As university undergraduates, we were taught that the main function of a political party was the organisation of people for the purpose of securing power.  The people, so organised, must share certain goals in common as well as commitment and determination to pursue such goals.  For effective organisation, the party must have a constitution, rules […]

With the tributes that have been pouring in across all strata of the society locally and internationally, there is no doubt that the academic world in particular and Nigeria in general has lost one of its most distinguished academician, author, foremost humanist and unionist with the death of Professor Festus Iyayi in the unfortunate accident […]

There is certainly more to the postponement of President Goodluck Jonathan’s budget speech to the National Assembly, than meets the eye. Like an annual ritual that never fails, the postponement of the November 12, 2013 date when the President was scheduled to present the 2014 Appropriation Bill once again highlighted the frosty relationship between the […]

Do people shape society or does society shape people?” This is the question of the century and my answer is as follows. The sheer power of vision, creativity and strength that the human mind harbours and is capable of harnessing is truly remarkable. If properly channeled and developed it does not only have the potential […]

The car accident involving the convoy of Kogi State Governor, Captain Idris Wada, was tragic for the loss of life it occasioned, but the probability that the tragedy could have been avoided is indeed regrettable. The crash epitomizes, in a dramatic fashion, the rampaging culture of impunity and marks yet, another unwholesome reflection of the […]

The late literary icon, Prof Chinua Achebe was at his proverbial best when he stated in one of his novels that the house the enemy wanted to pull down has caught fire on its own. Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, who had massed a lot of enemies following her landmark reforms in the sector, […]