“From twice forecasting that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar would lose (2019 and 2023, he’ll lose again in 2027), months before the election, to predicting that at least five ministers would be fired in 2025 (seven were fired), nothing has given me greater pleasure than the Nostradamus-like thrill of watching a situation foretold unfolding”
What You Might Expect in 2026: A Valedictory Edition Read More »
At the end of the year, we are faced with the same conundrum as Power faced when he was contemplating his love life: “If only I had been more lucky, wise, sensible…” But life is lived forward
What’s the Cost of a Merry Christmas? Read More »
Ahmed has fallen, but he may have fallen to save the system. While the war raged, he not only represented a regulatory agency, but he was also the nexus where pioneer desperation and entrenched power collided
Ahmed’s Fall, the Dangote Challenge and a Rentier System Read More »
We are also not told of the extent of scrutiny by the Senate committee – only that the committee was so impressed it may well have approved the N140 billion for three months blindfolded. But the details provided in the LEADERSHIP report of Friday, October 3, capture the elephant in the room. It gives details of the three-month budget, with an imprint all over of the type of concession typically made when parties are in an overwhelmingly delicate position behind closed doors
What Will They Eat When They Finish the Money? Read More »
Okotie-Eboh, whose first appointment as Labour Minister was “like a child presented with the keys of a sweet shop,” sold government assets and pocketed the money without fear of a reprimand because he was as serviceable to British political interests as he was to his own. The British handed over the reins of power to a significant number of notorious politicians who, over the years, would make a fine art of notoriety
How to Drink from a Poisoned Cup: Harold Smith and the Nigerian Story Read More »
When we thought the Dangote ship was out of troubled waters, the cabal showed up with another nasty and clumsy tackle. They can’t believe that the lucrative “subsidised” petrol fraud, from which they cornered about N2 trillion in questionable claims or N50,000 per petrol truck, is ending
A Cabal in Plain Sight Wants More Read More »
Among beneficiaries of the squalid mess – who would also be pleased by another futile round of multi-billion dollar rehabilitation – is a contractor responsible for importing “blend” from Malta, from which the Port Harcourt Refinery produces something like petrol and diesel. This is the trap Ojulari is walking into as he contemplates keeping the refineries.
Nigeria’s Top Oil Boss Walking into A Trap Read More »
The problem with Haske is two-fold, each fold highlighting Ojulari’s naivety. Reports indicate that even though Haske’s company had had problems with NNPCL over some turnkey projects, it was to Haske that Ojulari turned to provide jets that flew the board and management for a retreat in Kigali, Rwanda. If there had been a lull in Haske’s business with NNPCL, Ojulari’s tenure has been something of a Haskean revival
What Happened In the Matter of Bayo Ojulari? Read More »
In two years, Nigerians will ask themselves if their lives have improved in the last four years of the Tinubu government. It’s a question that strips economics of its jargon, whether GDP or HDI, and goes straight to bread-and-butter issues.
If President Joe Biden’s claim of a better life for Americans, even though essentially statistically correct, was insufficient to save him, then the Tinubu administration must roll up its sleeves
Adesina, Onanuga and the Matter of Being Better Off Read More »
I forecast that by May 29 or earlier, the president will replace ministers, especially those who have since outlived their IOU value. As pressure mounts ahead of the pre-election year, no fewer than five of them will be replaced or reassigned by the end of 2025
What You Might Expect in 2025 Read More »