On Monday night, terrorists attacked a Kaduna-bound passenger train that left from Abuja. They ambushed the train by detonating some explosives laid on the railway tracks. The violent implosion that followed not only stopped the train in its tracks but also imploded the myth of the progress Nigeria has made under the present regime. So far, eight people are reportedly dead, an undetermined number abducted and others still missing. Considering that there was also an attack on the Kaduna airport on Saturday and a siege laid on Abuja-Kaduna Road on Tuesday, a lot going on now is deeply depressing. The…

There are two competing scenarios that would come out of the current war. The first is that the war would further push the EU towards the US, which would be against Chinese interests. The argument is that the EU has been attempting to keep a balance between its cultural and security alliance with the US, and its economic and trade partnership with China. Beijing’s support for Russia would break such a balance. However, Chinese elites firmly believe that with or without the Ukraine war, China is without doubt the No 1 “systemic rival” that the US is determined to contain,…

“I am beginning to wonder how many fools it takes to make the term ‘My Fellow Citizens’” – Honore de Balzac, 1799-1850, in LOST ILLUSIONS. If you are a Nigerian, who has not lost hope in Buhari, you must either be a damn fool, a liar or a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, or all of the above. A government based on pure conspiracy, headed by an ill-educated leader and powered by frequently lying to itself and the people can produce no other result than what we are experiencing now. By the time Buhari is finished with…

As the crisis in Ukraine becomes more acute, so does the need for negotiations. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that Ukraine is “being decimated before the eyes of the world,” with the only reasonable option being “an immediate cessation of hostilities and serious negotiations based on the principles of the UN Charter and international law.” Though there have been talks between Ukraine and Russia, news reports have emphasized their failure to make progress. But make no mistake: a negotiated settlement is the only way forward. Even in seemingly intractable situations with intransigent actors, the power of reason can…