Opinion

The saying that a prophet is not appreciated at home may well be referring to former Ghanaian president, Jerry Rawlings, who died last Thursday from Covid-19 related complications, three weeks after his mother was buried. Ghana is in seven days of mourning, but Nigeria is crying more than the bereaved. Among Nigeria’s political elite, there has been a “condolence contest.” And among the wider public, the outpouring of grief and tribute on social media makes Ghana look like Rawlings’ distant second home. Rawlings’ life was a big deal in Nigeria. A very big deal. He was a regular presence in…
After watching the massive MAGA rally in Washington on 14th November 2020, Mr. Oluyemi Olubunmi Adeleye wrote the following: "Your rally yesterday was great! Giant crowd, positive energy and enthusiasm! This should be the beginning of a new revolution against corruption and fraud in the presidential election! Rallies and giant crowds are important! You are strong President Trump! Most people love you and support you. Looking at the giant crowds, parades and rallies that were supporting you all over the country, I've seen positive energy, love and support that I've never seen before! I've never seen an American President that…
Not many women, single moms in particular, are sincere and humble enough to admit their need of men or companions in their lives. There are those who even solicit and crave for nexus to potential male partners through friends, colleagues, family members and even patronise online dating sites to get mates. I appreciate such women for their sincerity and efforts. Conversely, those who pretend and shy away from the reality of their need of conjugal fulfilment by citing sundry reasons to console themselves with excuses to embrace staying single. Whereas deeply in their hearts, they groan for love, companionship and…
Bolaji Akinyemi once said that in certain circumstances “a tree can make a forest.” The former foreign minister upended the usual saying that “a tree does not make a forest” in a remarkable tribute to the exceptional courage and consistency of radical lawyer Gani Fawehinmi as a historical figure. In many respects, Akinyemi’s phrase could be borrowed in appreciating the place of President Jerry Rawlings, who died last Thursday, in Ghana’s post-colonial history. Rawlings was a giant tree that actually constituted a thick forest in the Ghanaian political firmament. For more than 40 years, Rawlings loomed large on Ghana’s political…
Wednesday, 18 November 2020 05:51

The death of JJ Rawlings - Bola Bolawole

Fewer deaths had shocked and left me dismayed as that of JJ Rawlings, who died on Thursday, November 12, 2020 a few weeks after he had buried his mother; he was aged 73 years. The death, by car assassination, of Walter Rodney, Guyanese radical scholar, political activist, and author of the seminal “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” shook the Left when it occurred on 13 June, 1980 in Georgetown, Guyana; he was aged 38 years. The government of Forbes Burnham was eventually implicated in Rodney’s death. The death of reggae icons Bob Marley (Jamaican), Lucky Dube (South African), Brenda Fasie (South…
When, on November 2, the political and religious leaders of Northern Nigeria assembled in Kaduna to deliberate on the state of affairs in the region, so much was expected. Hosted by the Northern Governors’ Forum, it was intended to reassure the people of a pathway out of the cycle of killings and insecurity that had doomed the region. In their midyear report, Amnesty International tracked some killings across the North and reported about 1,126 deaths, with at least 380 kidnapped, in just 8 of the 19 states in the region between January and July. The report recounted how, during an…
Nigeria is a troubled federation. Its federal character has been a subject of debate since the return to democratic rule in 1999. Various groups have claimed to be marginalised and not sufficiently represented in the central offices of the national government. Some say it’s not even a federation so much as a unitary state, created by the military. The oil-producing communities of the Niger Delta are among the groups that have militated for change. They feel neglected in development and dissatisfied with environmental degradation. Their call is for control of the wealth from resources in their region. Some state governors…
Tempestuous, querulous, petulant, unpredictable….yet I’ve also heard him called ẹja àrọ̀, that fish which always thrashes back to its turbid depths – and so on and on. All these may hold in parts but of course, there is that contributory side of JP Clark that is closed to many: an unresolved mix of a deep poetic sensibility with an intense political discontent, frustrations from a nation that constantly short-changes itself. Such companion unease tends to manifest itself in inner turbulence that takes vengeance on justly bewildered heads, even without apparent provocation. Those who wish to delve deeper into, or dispute…
The collective wisdom of the Yoruba race speaks to the fact that we should never speak tongue-in- cheek for the simple but unassailable fact that if we speak the harsh, bitter truth, we shall die; whether we are killed for speaking to truth or we die a natural death, we shall die. And if, for any reason or for fear of death we run from speaking the truth, we shall die all the same. Death is a necessary evil; a debt that each and everyone will pay, whether we like it or not. So, the Yoruba say: Baa wi, a…
Sunday, 15 November 2020 05:04

The starved lion of Kaduna - Festus Adedayo

Photographs evoke metaphors, imageries and diverse interpretations. Remember the award-winning photograph of Kevin Carter, which appeared in The New York Times of March 26, 1993? It was the picture of a famine-struck Sudanese boy, initially thought to be a girl, whose name was later found out to be Kong Nyong. He had collapsed of intense hunger and lying on his face in the hot dessert sun of Sudan, with an empty food bowl hidden beside his face, a beaded necklace of his Sudanese nationality jutting out of his feeble neck. He was said to be on his way to Ayod,…
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 14, 2024

Ancient wall carvings suggest women used 'modern' accessory 12,000 years ago

Researchers have discovered ancient wall carvings depicting what appeared to be handbags designed with a…
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 21, 2024

Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 351

Top Hezbollah commander among 14 killed in Israeli strike on Beirut Israel killed a top…
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…
August 31, 2024

3 days after NFF’s announcement, Labbadia rejects offer to coach Super Eagles

Bruno Labbadia has rejected his appointment as the new head coach of Super Eagles of…

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