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Opinion

Tuesday, 09 May 2017 03:37

The 82 Chibok Girls and other stories - Reuben Abati

“E ku amojuba awon 82 Chibok girls, o” “What is that supposed to mean in plain English? You better watch your tongue. It will be politically incorrect and suicidal to start making a joke out of something that serious.” “Where is the joke?” “In your tone. I know you when you want to start your mischief.” “I am a born-again Christian” “I know. Like Stephanie Otobo telling Apostle Suleiman that she is born-again after maligning the man’s reputation. Don’t just say anything until you have confessed your sins. Confess. Confess, now.” “I am not a politician. I am neutral. And…

Monday, 08 May 2017 03:04

Do you know what aluta continua means? - Pius Adesanmi

I was wet behind the ears. I was a Jambite. It was matriculation day at the University of Ilorin. After matriculation on the main campus of the University, I returned to the mini-campus in the company of new friends – fellow Jambites. At the entrance gate to campus, we ran to a chaotic mass of policemen, soldiers, tanks, guns, tear gas. Students, advanced, retreated, advanced, retreated, screaming, chanting, rallying. In all the chaos, the protesting students (Nigerian authorities always demean their struggles by calling them rioting or rampaging students) had one rallying call which fascinated us as Jambites: A luta…

Sunday, 07 May 2017 16:49

The options before Buhari - Simon Kolawole

If you’re like me, you would hesitate to comment on the health of a fellow mortal in a sarcastic and malicious way just for the sake of politics. It doesn’t matter if it is the person next door or the president of a country. My grandmother never failed to warn me, when I was much younger, to not laugh at anyone’s deformity. “Nobody chose to be deformed,” she would say, and then add ominously: “Some of the deformed people you see today were once like you, but accidents happen in life.” Since nobody goes to the market to buy cancer…

Sunday, 07 May 2017 02:54

A patriotic Buhari would set Nigeria free of his ill-health - Sonala Olumhense

That Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is sick is now worldwide news. But he is not sick; he is very sick. We know that because the tea leaves tell us so. We have been here before, a sad set of dynamics that, while it is one human life in danger, it is the lives and fate of 150 million people that really are. For the second time in under 10 years, the poor health of Nigeria’s leader, rather than public policy and its implementation, has become THE issue. When Umaru Yar’adua took office in 2007, it immediately became clear a nation…

Sunday, 07 May 2017 02:52

The president and his handlers - Jibrin Ibrahim

On Wednesday, President Buhari was once again absent from the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting. An explanation was offered. We were told that his doctors had asked him to rest. Ordinarily, this should not be a matter for discussion because any human being could be medically advised to stay away from work at any time. The issue however was that on Tuesday, the day before, the Presidency had announced that the president had resumed work after taking time to rest and had two sessions in his office with the Attorney General of the Federation and with the Group Managing Director…

Saturday, 06 May 2017 02:36

How fake news wins - Aleksander Dardeli

In response to the wave of fake news that inundated the recent presidential election campaign in the United States, much attention has been devoted to those who produce or spread those stories. The assumption is that if news outlets were to report only the “facts,” readers and viewers would always reach the right conclusion about a given story. But this approach addresses only half of the equation. Yes, we need news organizations to deliver reliable information; but we also need those receiving it to be savvy consumers. For decades, the US government has supported programs to foster independent media in…

Friday, 05 May 2017 03:23

Lessons from Nnamdi Kanu’s detention and release - Jideofor Adibe

There are important lessons to be learnt from the detention and recent release of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), a breakaway faction of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra. MASSOB was formed in 1999 by Ralph Uwazurike, an Indian-trained lawyer ostensibly to realize the Biafra. In 2005 he was detained for two years and when Peter Obi became Governor of Anambra State, he was so appalled by the group’s activities that he ordered a ‘shoot-at-sight’ of the members. The activities of the group continued in somewhat muted fashion throughout the administrations of…

Thursday, 04 May 2017 16:19

Buhari’s health challenge - Olusegun Adeniyi

I remember that Segun, as SA media to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, passed through a path which I also passed through recently and I learnt a lot from those who worked with him, and who are still working with me in the same office. When President Yar’Adua had that medical challenge, I was the editor of Daily Sun newspaper at the time. I remember that nobody could reach Segun. He just went underground. His secretary then, who is my secretary now, pointed my attention to the sofa in my office. She said Segun would put off his phones…

Thursday, 04 May 2017 03:56

The uncertain presidency - Opeyemi Agbaje

The defining characteristic of the Buhari Presidency from inception and arguably earlier has been uncertainty! As President-elect, Buhari did not utilize the two-month transition window to clarify his policy intentions, set up his administration or communicate with Nigerian voters. I noted at the time that many of the pronouncements during the transition period came from the Lagos wing of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is stronger on policy and execution, but I worried that it was naïve to assume they would have as much influence on governance as they hoped. Others, such as optimistic (as well as naïve and…

Tuesday, 02 May 2017 16:24

Buhari's ill-health: Declare office of President vacant - Ebun-olu Adegboruwa

Since I personally got to know of the ill health of General Buhari, I've changed a lot of my views concerning his government. We are all human after all, and no one can play God or rejoice over another man on account of his ill health. I then decided to pray for the President and also to lie low, in respect of my usual assessment of his policies, in order to give him enough time to fully recover. But hard as I tried, I couldn't just convince Uncle Lai Mohammed or any other member of General Buhari's cabinet, to publicly…

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Tuesday, 02 May 2017 04:43

In defence of Titilayo Momoh - Reuben Abati

On March 24, one Ms Taiwo Titilayo Momoh, attempted suicide at the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos. Both the police and concerned citizens rescued her from killing herself. The said Ms Momoh was arraigned on April 21, at the Ebute Meta Chief Magistrate Court on a one-count charge to wit: “That you, Titilayo Momoh on the 24th day of March 2017 at about 10.00 hours at the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos did attempt to commit suicide by jumping into the river and thereby committed an offence under Section 235 C.17, Vol. 3 of the Criminal law of Lagos State 2015.” The…

Sunday, 30 April 2017 17:15

Goodnight Senator Adeleke - Wale Ojo

The righteous, the Bible says, is taken away ahead of evil day. And so, my Boss, my brother and my friend Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke has gone to sleep with the Lord. His sudden departure from this sinful world even in times of peace as we are in is a warning to heaven bound individuals that we should be prepared at all times to meet with our creator. The circumstance of his death is still shrouded in mystery. His entourage to both Kuta and Iwo venues of the last events he attended on Saturday, April 22, 2017 and who were…

Sunday, 30 April 2017 17:11

Buhari and the enemy within - Simon Kolawole

President Muhammadu Buhari’s government is seriously challenged. That is the truth and nothing but the truth. We can choose to play the Ostrich and sink our heads deep in the sand but then our nakedness is obvious from the back. The impression I am getting is that the factionalisation, or is it the fractionalisation, of Aso Rock has become so deep that except something drastic is done now, the damage may last even beyond the life of this administration. In my young life, I have never seen a Nigerian government so openly divided against itself as this one. This is…

Friday, 28 April 2017 03:33

The thing that ails Buhari - Abimbola Adelakun

The Chief Security Officer to President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Abubakar, reminds one of the proverbial he-goat that thought if he frowned enough, nobody would price him in the market. On Monday, Abubakar railed at PUNCH journalist, Olalekan Adetayo, for deconstructing Buhari’s health challenge and its debilitating impact on governance. Abubakar summarily humiliated and childishly expelled the bemused journalist from Aso Rock. Abubakar’s high-handedness is not the first time an Aso Rock CSO will go above and beyond the remit of the office. Hamza al-Mustapha, the CSO to the late Gen. Sani Abacha, was a scandalous prototype for Abubakar and his…

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