Opinions

The emasculation of Osun’s elected government is not an isolated misjudgment. It is part of a wider and deeply troubling pattern in which partisan fiat appears increasingly comfortable replacing constitutional restraint. For over a year, local councils in Osun have been illegally occupied by unelected loyalists of the ruling party, according to the account underlying […]

Nigeria has never lacked for strongmen. What it lacks chronically, tragically, is strong institutions. And so the country finds itself once again in familiar territory: a federal government behaving not as custodian of a constitutional order but as a conquering army laying siege to a province. The freezing of Osun State’s local government and government […]

Nigerians love to complain, and often we have every right to. But every once in a while, a story comes along that deserves to be told simply because it is true, it is working, and it is changing lives in the most unglamorous corners of this country. That story is the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), […]

Since the Catholic Bishops’ visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the storm of reactions to the event has not abated. For a visit that was supposed to be private, the meeting provided an opportunity for the respected Catholic bishops to share their thoughts on the present suffering of citizens and the challenges the president must […]

There is a peculiar species of post-governmental pathology that infects the retired statesmen of the developing world, wherein the dignity of former high office is systematically bartered for the cheap thrills of a schoolyard brawl. In Nigeria, this affliction has found its ultimate expression in the ongoing, decades-long mud-wrestling match between Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and […]

Did anyone notice that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu personally signed the statement directing the EFCC to return to court and vacate the order freezing the accounts of the Osun State Government? That is highly unusual. Presidential statements are ordinarily issued through designated aides. The President’s decision to sign this one himself must therefore have been […]

More than a week after the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) visited the president, reactions to the encounter by some of the country’s most influential clerics at Aso Rock presidential villa have lingered. That visit continues to spark controversy, with public commentary and heated arguments refusing to abate, especially across social media. Interestingly, the […]

President Bola Tinubu said something last week that should have made headlines for days, not hours. Kidnappers who abducted victims in Oyo State didn’t just want money; they wanted the Federal Government to release their fellow gang members already in detention. The Presidency said no. Not a soft no, not a negotiated no, a flat […]

There is an old African saying that a king who surrounds himself only with praise singers soon mistakes applause for progress. Every leader, however powerful, needs people who are willing to speak uncomfortable truths not because they dislike him, but because they care about the nation he leads. That is why the recent visit of […]

Every democracy occasionally presents a defining moment that reveals not merely the disposition of those who govern but also the resilience of the democratic culture they profess to uphold. The recent controversy arising from the meeting between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria is one such moment. Unfortunately, what should […]

There is something wonderfully revealing about the Nigerian Presidency’s response to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference: when confronted with an uncomfortable diagnosis, it has chosen to quarrel with the physician rather than examine the patient. The bishops met President Bola Tinubu, presented their assessment of Nigeria’s economic distress, insecurity and democratic anxieties, and apparently did precisely […]Read More

The expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has attracted commendations from various quarters, with some analysts describing the restructuring as strategic in turning the tables against the wave of insecurity ripping through some parts of the country. The decision to increase the current divisions from 8 […]