To speak Lawalese, the Zamfara State governor or any governor in Nigeria’s North West, who is interested in tackling insecurity, might need more than executive authority to succeed. They would need, in addition to state police (which I support fully), to understand the social psychology of the enemy they’re dealing with. Otherwise, we might be worse off in two times twenty months or whatever time Lawal might need
An Unusual View of Banditry Read More »
It is speculated in some circles that his separation from his first wife and mother of his first five children, Safinatu, was due to what he considered extravagant overtures made to her by Babangida’s wife, Maryam, while he was in detention. Until the end, there was no love lost between Buhari and Babangida – a fact once made bare in Buhari’s angry response to my question about the report of a military panel that advised Babangida’s removal before the 1985 coup
Musings on Muhammadu Buhari Read More »
I died and rose many times during the two-hour fifteen-minute trip, consumed by fear and sustained by a lingering sense of adventure that dying at 60 is not dying too young. Unknown to me, my wife had sneaked a rosary into my bag, with a small bottle of anointing oil
Danger of the Single Story (DSS) Read More »
From her appearance, she seems a full-blooded Nigerian woman, likely from the Southeast. As we neared landing, she unleashed a torrent of fake accents. She concluded by welcoming passengers to “Asaaabhaaa,” pronounced like a JJC would say Asaba, with enough drawl of the “Icheku” variety (the Nigerian TV drama series based on the foibles of the colonial courtroom) to spice the miserly inflight passengers’ lunchbox. Where did she acquire that accent from?
Understanding the Flight Announcer Read More »
The appearance of shock and outrage amongst politicians and the security services is hypocrisy disguised as empathy. They can fool themselves all day long. Unless they begin to rebuild trust in communities and people – whether farmers or herders – can see that there are consequences for breaking the law, Uromi will not be the last tragic crime scene
Fake Outrage and The Making of the Uromi 16 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 »
“I paused in confusion. I have read many stories of graduate drivers or professionals doing odd jobs. Working odd jobs is hardly news in a country with 33 percent unemployment, mainly among young graduates. However, being a paediatrician Uber driver in a country with a paediatrician-patient ratio of roughly 1:525 was new for me”
An Accidental Christmas Story Read More »
If you are already “vibing”, millennial-speak for “losing oneself in great music or conversation”, or feeling “shook”, the colloquial noun or verb for “surprise”, then welcome to the evolving vocab world of young adults fostered by the Internet. From activism to fashion, sports, and dating, the language topography is changing, leaving older adults in a trail of incomprehensible slang
Word of the Year 2024 Read More »
With improvements in infotech and biotech, it seems that what AI can not do does not exist… Journalists, for example, used to think of themselves as the masters of storytelling in a hurry and God’s gift to the world as gatekeepers. We’re humbler now
Is AI Coming for the Journalist? Read More »
It’s not the business of police officers, the state security service or special advisers to run the government. That’s not their job. They cannot abridge the people’s freedoms in a quest for ascendancy. Those who breach the law in exercising their liberty should not face the justice that reminds us of Hopkins’ England but a process consistent with modern progressive society, one that Tinubu was voted to uphold.
Ghost of the Witchfinder General Read More »