Opinion

Audacity is a word made popular in our own time by the erstwhile United States of America president, Barack Hussein Obama. A relatively little-known Black man, in a country still seething with racial discrimination against the people of colour - as Blacks, African-Americans, Latinos, etc were called - decided to go for not just the highest office in the land but the most powerful, most respected, and most feared in the entire world. He was not really a national icon at the time but a little-known state Senator just serving his first term in the US Senate. Though talented with…
Nothing seems to be more definitive of the human experience as hypocrisy is. It is the reason why some, not of as much moral constitution as they would wish the world to believe, would describe others as immoral, primitive, uncivilised, or incapable of being able to organise their societies within the frame of higher values. Yet, our shared history as humans speaks otherwise, and points out primal similarities, while also revealing that the ability to point at others and call them needless names is essentially a function of power. One of the greatest theatres of hypocrisy is certainly the sphere…
I read the response from Defence Headquarters (dated 9. 7. 2022) to my video about the insecurity in the country and the attack on Kuje prison and I was utterly amused. Given the gravity and seriousness of the deteriorating security situation in our country I did not know whether to laugh or cry when I read through it. I would advise strongly that the military High Command and Defence Headquarters spends its time facing up to and fighting the terrorists that have turned our nation into a functional killing field and horrendous bloodbath and abattoir over the last few years…
In the book titled the ‘protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism’ the German sociologist, Max Weber attributed the development of capitalism to the protestant ethic (protestantism is a form of christianity that originated with the 16th-century reformation, a movement against what its followers perceived to be errors in the Catholic Church). What then is the protestant ethic? Inclusively it consists of of the dynamic interaction of the the following elements, asceticism, discipline, virtue and the doctrine of predestination-as amended. Of all these elements, Weber argued, the reconceptualisation of the doctrine of predestination is the most decisive determinant in the…
In January 2019, the Daily Trust newspaper had its Maiduguri office shut down by the military over its reportage on the fight against insurgency. This made me think about governments and the failure of leadership, or, aptly, the king whose subjects saw through him. And so on January 14, 2019, on this page, under the title “The Military, Press and War Against Insurgency,” I gave that brief story. There is this fable of a king who, together with his palace courtiers and subjects, was scammed by a con artist who knew that people, rather than acknowledging the truth, would always…
For those who watch the complicated Nigerian security mess from afar, the killing of Japanese ex-Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe in Nara, Japan last Thursday and the ambushing, two days earlier, of President Muhammadu Buhari’s advance convoy in Dutsinma, about 152 kilometres from his hometown of Daura, Katsina State, both speak to rising global insecurity. A few hours after on that same Tuesday, that joke went burst. Approximately three hours after shelling the president’s advance convoy with an assortment of bullets, killing two people in the process, around 10pm, terrorists stormed the Kuje Custodial Centre in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)…
Friday, 08 July 2022 07:04

Matawalle’s guns - Azu Ishiekwene

Nigeria is awash with arms – guns, bullets, charms, drugs and local stuff. Not just Nigeria. The entire Sahelian and sub-Saharan African region is drowning in deadly small arms and light weapons – so-called because of their portability and ease of use and adaptation. The firearms may be out of the line of sight, but they are making the rounds in cars and motorcycles or as headloads and hand luggage, concealed in unimaginable places. Many are also believed to be siphoned from the armouries of security agencies, and are making their way into the hands of “unknown gunmen” with destructive…
I woke up in the early hours of 1 July 2022 around 2 am. I felt in my body some kind of chilling feelings, broke into praise worship, read the day's portion of the Bible and said my prayers. Usually I should have read Akanni Aluko's usual new month message forwarded at the end of every month but did not see it before I went to bed. I went to his message platform at 4.45 am still it was not there. I shrugged it off and shifted to doing other things. At 6.02 am, my phone rang. Lo and behold!…
The much-anticipated realignment of political forces has begun in earnest. That which was predicted would follow the outcome of the presidential primaries of the two leading political parties – the APC and PDP – is already upon us! We have seen a gale of defections and carpet-crossing from APC to PDP and vice-versa but it would seem the PDP has the upper hand at the moment in that more big wigs have moved in its direction than away from it. So intense and alarming was the gale of defection from the ruling party that the president and leader of the…
At this stage in his campaign, Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, should be laying out the policy ideas and ideology that will define his government and building a team of competent managers who can run with his vision. For a man who has accumulated a growing band of self-motivated and organic following in a short period, he needs to make the best of the interest he is generating. The last thing—the very last thing—he needs at the moment is wringing his hands and apologising for the zeal of his supporters. Nothing they are doing is new. That is the…
September 20, 2024

PZ Cussons set to exit Nigeria, following trend of departing multinationals

British consumer goods giant PZ Cussons Plc is contemplating a partial or complete withdrawal from…
September 21, 2024

Edo gov election holds today amid INEC’s integrity issues, security concerns

As the 2024 Edo State governorship election kicks off today, all eyes are on the…
September 22, 2024

If you answer 'always' to these 7 questions, you’re more resilient than most

We can expect to face a growing number of setbacks, distractions, and challenges in our…
September 21, 2024

Father installs surveillance camera on daughter’s head to keep an eye on her

A Pakistani father fearing for his daughter’s safety made her wear a surveillance camera on…
September 16, 2024

Nearly 300 prisoners escape Maiduguri prison after floods

Devastating floods collapsed walls at a jail in Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria early last week,…
September 22, 2024

What to know after Day 941 of Russia-Ukraine war

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine says it hit two Russian munitions depots overnight Ukraine said on Saturday…
August 28, 2024

New study says China uses 80% artificial sand. Here’s why that’s a big deal

The world is running out of sand. About 50 billion tons of sand and gravel…
September 22, 2024

Dubois knocks down, knocks out Joshua to retain IBF heavyweight world title

In an astonishing upset, Daniel Dubois delivered a career-defining performance, defeating former two-time world heavyweight…

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