Opinions

We may begin by recalling two key propositions that have so far emerged in the current discussions on the political responsibility of the Nigerian Left in this period. And, for clarity, by “this period” I mean the 20th year of the Fourth Republic, a period defined by the approach to a general election, worsening of […]

The attention of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning has been drawn to a recent publication on the World Poverty Clock by World Data Lab in Vienna, Austria, indicating that Nigeria’s poverty rating was getting worse. The Ministry of Budget and National Planning has reviewed this report and would like to assure Nigerians that […]

The street with the police station on it has one street light burning. The police station itself was dark and still. The City’s cheap road crunched loudly under my feet, as I hurried to catch up with Mr Onyenna (not his real name). The clock in my head said it was past two in the […]

Repeated killings across the country show that the Buhari APC government and capitalist ruling elite lack the capacity to maintain security and peace in Nigeria The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) condoles with the people of Plateau state over the brutal killing allegedly carried out by herdsmen over the weekend in which at least 86 […]

FACT: The Federal Government’s programme of Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) of former agitators in the Niger Delta region of the country as part of the Amnesty Programme brought calmness to the country at its commencement. It floundered and wobbled due to irregularities until the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari put it back on track. […]

When the United States President, Donald Trump and his North Korean ‘peace-ally’, Kim Jong Un were planning for the just concluded historic bilateral summit, the question of venue was a matter of greatest concern. The stakes were high from the point of view of ambience, security and effect. So top political appointees, ranking diplomats and […]

Growing up in a rural community in Bendel State now in today’s Edo state, I remember fervently how candidates and parties use to bring bags of salt, rice and boxes of sugar as “gifts” for the women folks in the community. The men got cartons of Aromatic Schnapps, packets of cigarettes and maybe cash all […]

Insertion! This word entered my offender’s register in 2016. At the time, Abdulmumin Jibrin, former chairman, house committee on appropriations, was a caterwauler; he cried out, alleging that the leadership of the house of representatives was involved in impassioned “insertions”. Jibrin claimed that four principal officers of the house, including Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the […]

There has been nothing in recent memory like the build up to Nigeria’s first match at the on-going 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament in Russia. Football is Nigeria’s greatest unifier: when it is football, our compatriots drop all ethnic, religious and ideological differences and profess the missing faith and ideology of one Nigeria. They have […]

My worries about the several months of delay in passing the 2018 Budget of Consolidation were abated as the Senate finally approved it on Wednesday, 16th May. But my heart turned to jelly as I read the breakdown of the budget. I became fearful, not only because of the fiscal deficit of N1,954,464,993,775 and a […]

Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, which is currently running, was born on May 29, 1999—with Olusegun Obasanjo as inaugural executive president. A year later, on May 29, 2000, the president proclaimed May 29 of every year Nigeria’s “Democracy Day”. The day was also added to the list of the country’s national public holidays. It was a unilateral […]