Category: OPINION

File photograph of the late Msgr. Prof. Johnbosco Akam in academic regalia By Don Adinuba The death of Monsignor (Professor) Johnbosco Uchechukwu Akam, the proprietor of Tansian University at Umunya, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, is a sad development. He was an exemplary son of the state. He loved God with all his being, hence his decision to leave all the glamour and enticements of life and society and joined the seminary to train as a priest, with vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty. He must have done…

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By Tunde Rahman Twenty years in the life of a nation may be a short period of time. But when such a span of time embodies something meaningful and impactful, it is extremely noteworthy. And so, Nigeria at present is celebrating two decades of uninterrupted democracy since the democratic restoration of 1999. Considering where the country is coming from- a long period of coups and counter coups, 30 months civil war, three previous short-lived attempts at democratic rule, military dictatorship of the worst form occasioning all kinds of experiments and…

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By Rev. Fr. Ben Ogu As of today, the students of government/public owned secondary schools in Imo State are in dire frustration, suspense and confusion, regarding the registration and siting for WAEC examination. The reason is the lingering crisis of strike in the state as a result of the unpaid salaries and other sundry arrears owed to the teachers who are left to wither away in hunger and penury while working for the government. Does it matter to the government of the day if eventually the students of Imo state…

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By Azubuike Ishiekwene Whether Jean-Jacques Rousseau mis-credited the words to Marie-Antionette in Confessions or not, Nigeria is happy to supply a modern-day princess who has earned the title of Her Royal Spite-tress without controversy. And unlike Antionette reputed to have tossed the infamous pate, “Let them eat cake”, out her window when the mass of ordinary people in France were dying for breadcrumbs, her Nigerian cousin travelled thousands of miles to find her groove. Ebele Obiano is the wife of Willie, governor of one of Nigeria’s five south eastern states,…

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By Gbolahan Oluyemi The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) was established in 2010 basically to recover non-performing loans. However, 10 years after AMCON’s creation, it is still battling with unrecovered debts. Just recently, the corporation disclosed that the N4.4 trillion owed by debtors was greater than the federal government’s entire capital expenditure budget. The amount owed to AMCON is greater than the budgeted personnel cost of the federal government. AMCON Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ahmed Lawan Kuru Over the years, AMCON had sought more powers to enable the…

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By Babafemi Ojudu It took a lot of self-persuasion to decide on a trip to Ado Ekiti on December 18 to attend the funeral of my friend’s dad. Kay as we call Kayode Afolabi has been my pal since primary school. I therefore considered it an obligation to join in the traditional obsequies for his dad. His parents are like mine. It took a friend like Kay to take me out of my home to office routine since the outbreak of the pandemic almost a year ago. I am finicky…

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By Paul K. Adegboyega The reported appeal by a group identified as “a group of local investors with stakes in Arik Air” to President Muhammadu Buhari calling for the airline to be returned to its former owners lacks both credibility and substance. The appeal confirms that some of the individuals whose mismanagement of highly indebted firms have led to Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) intervention have no sense of remorse or responsibility for their terrible handling of the affairs of the companies in question. The public appeal to the…

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By Lasisi Olagunju The president is in Katsina State, he is not on leave, yet the Federal Government sent a delegation from Abuja on Sunday to ‘commiserate’ with the Katsina State government. I do not know if you also find that very awkward. Is that how it is done? What is happening? I know there are persons in Nigeria who fear President Muhammadu Buhari more than they fear God. I could feel them frantically fighting the winds over reports of Friday’s abduction of schoolboys in Katsina. Their problem is not…

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By Bisi Kazeem, fsi When the Federal Government of Nigeria established the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) on 18th February 1988, it was generally seen as the culmination of all past efforts to address the growing menace of road traffic crashes in the country which put Nigeria road as the most dangerous to drive vehicles on, second only to Ethiopia. The responsibility of bringing down the rate and fatalities of the crashes fell on the founding fathers of the organisation who had earlier proved their mettle in road crash management…

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By Ogu Bundu Nwadike, M.A For those of us in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the bye-election in Okigwe Zone on Saturday December 5, 2020 has come and gone. A winner has emerged, and losers have emerged. Fortunately, while PDP, with their candidate, Chief Emmanuel Okewulonu won, others led by the All Progressives Congress (APC), lost. This short essay is conceived to situate concisely the how and why PDP, with Chief Emmanuel Okewulonu emerged winner. But before we elaborate on that, let’s quickly report that APC expectedly lost because it…

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