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By Dakuku Peterside . Nigerian politicians are notoriously optimistic. That is a source of energy for them, but it also blurs out their reality. The optimism of the average Nigerian politician often conflict with the disillusionment and pessimism of the average Nigerian. As the country prepares for the 2023 general elections, politicians will give permutations ...
By FEMI ADESINA We set forth at dawn, because ahead lay a long haul journey. Fifteen hours of flying, as we headed to Seoul, South Korea, to attend the first World Bio Summit. It was not the longest journey one had taken. We had been to Japan, which was 16 hours. As much as I ...
By FEMI ADESINA If you spend your life expecting a storm, then you may never enjoy showers of blessings. Each time it rains, you expect your roof to be blown off, and anytime the sky is overcast, it sends you into trepidation. Apprehension. Nervousness. That is the mindset of those who continue to talk of ...
By Femi Adesina The news came like a bolt from the blue. I had been slated to receive National Honours Award in the rank of Officer of the Order of the Niger, OON. Who, me? I almost couldn’t believe it. Astounded is the word. But the person telling me was neither flippant nor frivolous. And ...
By FEMI ADESINA It's an oxymoron, isn't it? You can't physically see footprints on water, but then, that's what President Muhammadu Buhari has done with the country's waterways. He has planted his footprints on them, and they are some of the things that will stand him in good stead as he exits May 29, next ...
By FEMI ADESINA Each time I read of killings by gunmen in the South East, I go into the doldrums. I get mortified by the sheer waste of precious lives, the wantonness, malevolence and viciousness of it all. And I mean killings on both sides. The innocent law enforcement agents, mowed down in cold blood, ...
The exchange rate between the Naira and the US dollar continued its depreciation as it recorded a fall of 0.42 per cent on Wednesday morning, 28th September 2022, to trade at N725/$1 at the parallel market, compared to N722/$1 traded on Tuesday, the previous trading session. This is according to information obtained from black market ...
By Dakuku Peterside Nigeria is a land of mysteries with too many unexplained and unexplainable phenomena. It is inexplicable that it has not secured a place in the Guinness book of records on account of socio-economic mysteries . Mysterious social occurrences defy logic and common sense and happen in everyday national life. One of the mysteries ...
By FEMI ADESINA This is the last that we shall dance together," Wole Soyinka wrote in Kongi's Harvest. And that was what President Muhammadu Buhari did Wednesday at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States of America. The President had his last dance, and how dainty and dignified were the steps. He ...
By Dakuku Peterside. Autolycus in Ancient Greek mythology achieved fame and notoriety for being a successful robber and trickster whom no one could catch. He was a source of trouble for the king and the kingdom in Ancient Greece. Autolycus, were it be in today’s Nigeria, would have been a trainee in Nigeria’s crude oil-thieving empire, ...
By Dakuku Peterside A critical chapter in the history of the British empire was closed on Thursday, 8th September 2022, and a new one opened. Queen Elizabeth 11 died at her holiday home in Balmoral castle in Scotland. Her over 70-year-old reign on the British throne meant no monarch reigned longer than her in more than a ...
By FEMI ADESINA Have you keenly followed updates on the security situation in the country, particularly with regards to insurgency and banditry? You should, because security is everything. At least, when the evildoers seemed to predominate, people didn't keep quiet. The singsong was about 'worsening insecurity,' in the land. Now that the tables appear to ...
By Dakuku Peterside A significant chapter of global history was closed on 30th August 2022. On that day, an equally substantive champion of reforms passed and bequeathed us a mixed assessment of his contribution to the new world order. Mikhail Gorbachev is that man. He was not alone in this powerful club. His best-known contemporaries ...
By FEMI ADESINA Unless you are the discerning type, listening to public discourse today, you would think the only thing happening in the country is insecurity. Yes, Nigeria has battled, and is still battling grave security issues. But it will win. As sure as night follows the day. In fact, insurgents and bandits are being ...
By FEMI ADESINA When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground, says Amadou Hampate Ba, Malian writer, historian, and ethnologist (1901-1991). And so it was with frontline journalist, essayist and image maker of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) military administration, Chief Duro Onabule, who passed away August 16, 2022. It was about ...
By Dakuku Peterside We are in a Profound national crisis, notably in the economic and security spheres, and there is no easy way out. The choice we make in 2023 will substantially determine the future of our country and the next generation. So much is at stake! I forewarn all that there is no messiah ...
By Dakuku Peterside It is not always that an election in one part of the world can function as a mirror in another part of the globe. Societies differ in demographics, political and historical evolution, and the general economic issues that shape elections. The general election in Kenya that took place on Tuesday 9th August is in ...
By Dakuku Peterside . Rome is burning, and Emperor Nero and Roman elites are busy revelling in gladiator rendezvous and despicable hocus-pocus with the empire's future. The leadership in Nigeria is playing Nero, and the Nigerian elites are side-tracked by the macabre dance of preparing for the next elections. Whilst neglecting the harsh truth that ...
....N24 billion disbursed to States, 732 water facilities, 494 health facilities, 616 schools built, yet some people say Buhari is not working By FEMI ADESINA It's an eternal battle between light and darkness, truth and falsehood. In fact, they are in mortal combat, and at times, there are fears that the forces of evil might ...
By Dakuku Peterside Once upon a time, Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital, was a serene and sprawling city that accommodated persons of all faith, social strata, and economic pursuits. Abuja, to the elite, offered an escape from insecurity, hustling, and bustling that plagued other major cities in the county. It was a city in which most ...
By Femi Adesina The week began on a dolorous note. Gloomy, sepulchral. Early Sunday morning, a ghoulish video began to make the rounds, in which abductors of the train passengers held since March 28 were being brutally beaten up, with their captors threatening fire and brimstone against everyone in the country. It was a very ...
By Dakuku Peterside . Barring any last-minute change of mind, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) will, this week, embark on a nationwide protest in solidarity with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which has been on strike for more than six months forcing students to stay at home endlessly. The planned protest by the mother ...
By FEMI ADESINA Let me start with some clarifications. I’m from Osun State, and my homestead is Ipetumodu, in Ife North Local Government Area. And I am not Osun in Diaspora. I was born in Osogbo, capital of the State, when my father was Principal of St Charles Grammar School in the 1960s. When he ...
By Dakuku Peterside . As we await the festival of elections in 2023, a few polls this year are increasingly signposting the nature and manner of the general elections. The last of these off-season state elections (Anambra, Ekiti and Osun) took place last Saturday - the Osun State gubernatorial election. The conduct and outcome of ...
By FEMI ADESINA Some people would wail about anything and everything in the country, particularly if it comes from President Muhammadu Buhari. Early in the week, that honest and forthright man said it was tough leading the country (is it not?), and he was looking forward to finishing his second term next May 29. The ...
