By Abraham Ogbodo In this country, corruption is so pervasive. People become billionaires overnight. They only need to hold political appointments to make it big. And because things are what they are, our sense of fair judgement has become accordingly tainted. Over time, we have come to accept in this country...... more
Tomorrow, the crème de la crème of the Urhobo nation will gather in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area as the Urhobo Renaissance Movement (URM) holds her first inaugural lecture. Here, a leading scholar, himself an Urhobo son, Prof Sunny Awhefeada, previews the gathering. Happy reading. URM And The Future Of...... more
RE: FG TO DRAG JUDGE BEFORE THE NJC FOR GRANTING SOWORE BAIL. Our attention has been drawn to the story published today in the Nation Newspaper, under the above caption. The story, quoting undisclosed sources, states that the Federal Government of Nigeria is determined not only to appeal the decision of...... more
By Augustine Avwode Beyond the historical significance of May 29, 2019, marking the beginning of the Second Term of Sen. Dr Ifeanyi Okowa as the Executive Governor of Delta State, it also offers Deltans, admirers, followers and well-wishers of the Governor the opportunity to mentally imagine what his next four years...... more
On Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari suspended the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen. He immediately swore in Justice Tanko Muhammad as his interim replacement in a development that had precedence in what happened over four decades ago under military rule. The president said his action followed an order he obtained from...... more
By Festus Adedayo Every government always has what I call the Jega moment. Even in advanced democracies, in spite of the sophistication of their governance, politics and powerful institutions, the Jega moment always comes. Broken to its brass-tacks, the Jega moment is that feisty moment that tests an administration’s capacity to...... more
By IKECHUKWU AMAECHI On Thursday, November 22, the Nigerian Election Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) announced schedules for the 2019 presidential election debates. The vice-presidential and presidential debates, which will hold on December 14, 2018 and January 19, 2019 respectively at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja,...... more
By Musbau Rasak On his election as the Speaker of the 8th Lagos State House of Assembly in 8 June 2015, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, assured Lagosians then, that he will preside over a Legislative House they will be proud of. Rt. Hon. Obasa assured that under his Speakership, the...... more
By Agbonsuremi Augustine Okhiria The challenge of mobilising Nigerians to play their civic roles at elections is enormous. Nigeria is a society with complex socio-political and cultural issues that affect the electoral process. In 2011, the late President Umaru Yar’Adua had 22,495,187, (58.89 percent) of the total 39,469,48 votes cast. By...... more
By Chidi Onyemaizu Soon after he was sworn in as Cross River governor on May 29, 2015, Professor Ben Ayade quickly assembled a team of visionary young men to help him kick start his administration. This dynamic and result oriented team of young Cross Riverians was also to help the governor...... more
By Chiedu Uche Okoye Since our colonial masters left the shores of Nigeria, after they had entrenched the egregious political culture of imposition of political leaders on the people(s) of Nigeria, as exemplified by their helping Alhaji Tafawa Balewa to become our Prime Minister in 1960, Nigeria has been bedeviled by...... more
By Remi Adebayo Consultation is part of politics, no doubt. The standard practice in democratic contest is that a candidate with eye on the ball immediately mends fence and engage fellow contestants to guarantee electoral victory. Often the so-called party primaries are bitterly fought, which in itself is not unusual, bearing...... more
By Louis Odion, FNGE Those tempted to view corruption only in materialist terms, overlooking the abstract subversion of norms and values, will perhaps be forced to have a rethink by simply following the farcical drama currently unfolding at the National Health Insurance Scheme. Equating his kinship with President Buhari to a...... more
By Charles Okogene At a time, the word equity was the sing song, especially, among the political class in the oil-rich Delta State. It was a word introduced into the state’s political lexicon by the then governor of the state, Chief James Ibori. He not only mouthed it, he implemented it....... more
FULL TEXT OF CHIEF OLUSEGUN OBASANJO’S SPEECH ENDORSING ALHAJI ATIKU ABUBAKAR ON THURSDAY IN ABEOKUTA, OGUN STATE (OPINION PAGE) Let me start by congratulating President-to-be, Atiku Abubakar, for his success at the recent PDP Primary and I took note of his gracious remarks in his acceptance speech that it all started...... more
Delta State stands on a tripod. This presupposes that Deltans all over the world are obsessively and consciously aware of their cultural diversity as a people. Over the years, this reality has played out in Delta State’s political activities especially with regard to elective offices and individual seeking votes. Proponents of...... more
Fellow Nigerians, I’ve always wondered what drives or propels the man, former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. For real, I have never seen a man so fastidious about his dream and so obstinate about achieving a lifelong ambition to be the number one Nigerian Citizen. I’ve followed his trajectory...... more
Every conceivable attempt is being made by critics and political jobbers to cast aspersions on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa over the salary arrears imbroglio in the 25 Local Government Councils of Delta State. Just last week, a shadowy group known as the Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged, CENTREP, issued a...... more
There's nothing really anyone can do to prevent him from contesting as it is his right to contest and leave his fate to the votes. The way I see it from my preliminary analysis, 2019 will be between Atiku and Buhari. It's very clear. Yes, from all indications, PMB is going...... more
"I just love this country, I won’t lie” “What have you seen again that has suddenly turned you into a gushing patriot?” “I mean, just look around, in spite of everything, Nigerians always give you an opportunity to laugh.” “And if I may ask…” “Did you read the report on what...... more
The unfolding “Mainagate” which is rocking the pretentious Muhammadu Buhari presidency is classical Nigerian drama. Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the defunct Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, who was accused of dipping his fingers into the pension honey pot, and fled the country in 2015, sauntered back noisily as...... more
What is it about South African President Jacob Zuma and statues? Two statues in one month- generating controversy from the streets of Pretoria to the streets of Owerri in Nigeria. In the first week of October, a 30-feet monument was unveiled in honour of President Zuma in the North West region...... more
By Ahmad Umar Truth is, it is easier to destroy an enterprise than to build one. It's no brainer to imagine the amount of hard work that had gone into building the company from a one container company to what it is today. Steadily and consistently the company has grown from...... more
…I recall a particular episode when we were going to Saudi Arabia for the Third OPEC Summit, in November 2007. Before we left for the airport, someone had given me copy of a publication by a foreign website dedicated to oil and gas reporting. The publication detailed how oil lifting licences...... more
The current NNPC debacle is probably the most embarrassing, even if mercifully, eye-opening crisis in the history of that nationally strategic institution since its creation in 1977. I seek in the following commentary to offer a number of observations that would probably throw some light on the muck and confusion...... more
Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is on a quest for rebirth having been miraculously resuscitated from its near interment state, all thanks to the surgical intervention of the Supreme Court. Now hope is renewed that the party can indeed fulfill its role as the main opposition party...... more
The determination by the Ondo State governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, to make the state unsafe for criminal elements has begun to yield fruitful results. The recent arrests of two suspected Boko Haram terrorists and other criminal elements in some parts of the state by the police is said to be...... more
Being text of a Speech recently delivered at Chatham House Londom Protocols. Let me begin by extending my deep sense of gratitude to the Royal Institute of International Affairs, for inviting me to participate in this current series of discussions on, Next Generation Nigeria: Accountability and National Cohesion. The involvement of...... more