Opinions

In general, human societies that use the ballot to select a leader or a representative, seek the most qualified. They look for a dignified and respectable achiever who is dedicated to the best interests of the society. It is not an emotional decision, and the ideal is not always achievable. What is most dangerous and […]

This piece has nothing to do with what is happening in Egypt. Ultimately, Nigerians, based on their experience and the existing reality, will determine the trajectory of the current impasse. It was spurred by the recent call for revolution by Aminu Tambuwal, a 2015 presidential wannabe. Last week, the speaker of the House of Representatives […]

In the absence of the usual compliment of effusive media adverts, the special interview granted a select group of editors was probably the most public event in the recent celebration of Babatunde Raji Fashola’s (BRF) 50th birthday!  In a rare commentary on himself, BRF wittingly fielded questions with fluid unscripted responses; possibly, the only question […]

Ambivalence! That is the most common of the failings of men.When points of view clash, in equal proportion and quantum, the human mind suffers. That is why there is temptation, sin and repentance – but we can leave repentance out of this. The human is categorized as being different from animals because he has the […]

The recent disclosure by Shell Producing Development Company (SPDC) that the nation’s economy lost a whopping $4.3 billion to oil thieves in the last two years at an average rate of $2.15 billion annually, underscores the urgency of the problem of oil theft that has assumed alarming proportions in the Niger Delta. The activities of […]

In an attempt to apprehend the 30 year old American whistleblower, Edward Snowdon, a plane that was carrying the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, wasdiverted to Austria on its way back to Bolivia from Russia. France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, based on intelligence reports from the Americans, closed their airspace to the plane because they […]

It all seemed a joke when, in 2008, foremost lawyer and human rights activist, Festus Keyamo filed a lawsuit naming the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Attorney General of the Federation and all service chiefs as defendants. In a most controversial ruling on the case, Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High […]

We must state unequivocally that we have no illusion about the present order. We do not think that the present system can solve the fundamental crisis in the nation or bring succour to our people. The impoverishment of millions of our country men and women, the wanton abuse of rights, the unmitigated corruption, alienation, internal […]

Once again the issue of minimum wage is reverberating in the Nigerian media following the consideration by the National Assembly to move it from the exclusive list to the concurrent list in the 1999 Nigerian Constitution. By that proposal of the National Assembly, Part I, item 34 of Second Schedule will be amended to move […]

Prologue: This article was first published on Sahara Reporters on May 6, 2012. I was one of the commuters trapped in the agonizing traffic jam caused by the “Thank You” visit of the President’s wife to the commercial city of Lagos last year. I decided to re-publish in support of Punch Editorial of July 1, […]

In his book, The Age of Turbulence, economists and former Chairman of US Federal Reserve (1987 – 2006), Alan Greenspan asked the question, “How do we reform government and return money and power back to the American people”. This question is perhaps more valid today in Nigeria than could have been the case in the […]

Last week, our conclusion as citizens and students of politics was that the most fascinating political formation in the country at the moment is the newly formed All Peoples Congress (APC). We noted also that the APC is of interest to us because it is an entity still in embryo. We shall have to call […]