Author: Tunde Rahman

A MAJOR human foible is the tendency to pursue symbolism at the expense of substance. It is not a particularly Nigerian flaw. But the desperation that has characterised our politics, especially amongst the opposition, often makes it seem so. An example is the criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s inability to personally attend the recently-concluded 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80). Meetings are memorable, not just for the faces present, but also for the things said. Those who take unnecessary umbrage should look for something else to do with their time. The point should not be about…

LONG before President Bola Tinubu decided on Vice President Kashim Shettima, who turned 59 last week, as his running mate in the last presidential election, both of them had first collaborated across boundaries and different political parties several years ago to the present, when they are working together at the helm of Nigerian affairs. President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima continue to march on in harmony and deep partnership. Their relationship is borne of mutual respect and trust and fired by patriotic zeal and the need to promote democracy, good governance, and economic development. That bond has continued to wax…

HARVARD University has always held a special attraction for me. And why not? Its awesome reputation as a remarkable citadel of learning, knowledge and research never fails to stir a sense of pride. So when an opportunity recently came my way to undergo a course in Strategic Leadership, I grabbed it with both hands. Going to Harvard offered a good chance to glimpse the city. Located in Cambridge, a city in Middlesex County, Boston Massachusetts, it is one of the oldest cities in the United States. Being one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the US, Harvard has…

TWO years in the saddle, has President Bola Tinubu undercut the Northern region in the management of the country’s affairs and distribution of political appointments and development projects? Has he reneged on the promise made to the Northern elites three years ago in Kaduna that he would run an all-inclusive government, protect the national interest and be fair to every part of the country and the North in particular? It was in a bid to answer these important questions that governors, ministers and other top government functionaries from the Northern region converged on Arewa House, Kaduna on July 29 and…

NENTAWE Goshwe Yilwatda may not roll easily off the tongue or be instantly recognisable to many Nigerians. Its provenance is the Ngas ethnic stock, also known as Angas, in Plateau State, which produced the late Joseph Gomwalk, the first military governor of the defunct Benue-Plateau State. Yilwatda hails from Dungung, Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau. Although Yilwatda, the newly-elected National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), cannot be described as a political veteran, his journey in public service began in earnest when he was appointed Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Benue State in 2017, a position he held…

AS if blessed with clairvoyance or possibly having a premonition of President Muhammadu Buhari’s imminent death, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, seemed to have stirred up the debate around the former President’s political strength and likely impact on the 2027 election, even in death. On Wednesday, July 9, 2025, just four days before Buhari’s death, the former SGF claimed President Bola Tinubu did not make Buhari president in 2015. He was speaking at the public presentation of a book, titled “According to the President: Lessons From A Presidential Spokesman’s Experience,” written by Mallam Garba…

PRESIDENT Donald Trump never ceases to amaze with his haughty and self-aggrandising governance style, endless huffing and puffing, brinkmanship, and tendency to weaponise America’s often-stated exceptionalism and unilateralism. Last weekend, as member states of the fledgling association of the Global South and a growing economic bloc, otherwise called BRICS, were holding their 17th Summit in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, Trump threatened to impose a fresh tariff hike on them, labeling the group a gang-up against America. He warned that any country aligned with the policies of the BRICS alliance that diverge with US interests, would be hit…

AROUND this period in 1993, precisely on June 12, 1993, the day of that historic election, this writer operated in two different but mutually reinforcing capacities. While I was the Political Correspondent of the old Daily Times, covering the then-unfolding electoral process in Abuja, I was also an officer in the Nigerian Election Monitoring Group monitoring the poll in the federal capital. It was an important day in the nation’s life, as it was in my journalism career. The late Professor Omo Omoruyi, an intellectual giant and the brains behind General Ibrahim Babangida and his transition programme, who designed most…

ECONOMISTS and commentators have written and said much about the positive trajectory and indicators signposting Nigeria’s economic growth. These indicators indicate that the reforms embarked upon by President Bola Tinubu since assuming office two years ago have begun to engender successful outcomes. The reforms are paving the way for economic recovery. The facts are self-evident and they speak for themselves too. According to a World Bank report, the GDP grew 3.4% in 2024, the highest in a decade. Inflation is tumbling and is currently at 23.7%. The government is meeting its debt obligations. After the Central Bank of Nigeria cleared…

“When the debate is lost, slander becomes the loser’s tool.” IT looks like the Greek philosopher Socrates had Nigeria in mind when he made the statement above. How does one rationalise a situation where notable opposition figures choose the rather pathetic path of self-immolation instead of putting their political camps in order, strengthening their ranks, and presenting actionable alternative ideas to the people? These opposition figures have made a mountain out of a molehill. They are crying foul over the gale of defections to the governing All Progressives Congress and lamenting the so-called trend toward a one-party state. Recently, Delta…

THE special relationship between President Bola Tinubu and former President Muhammadu Buhari has witnessed many remarkable moments. It has experienced dramatic and exciting times, just as there have been challenging moments. Life changing and sweet memories abound between the two great leaders. Between the two great men, there are recollections of might-have-beens. There are also open testimonies about the gains of the partnership and words of commendation as well as scornful moments. Nonetheless, the two leaders have trudged on to the admiration of their mutual friends and associates, and bewilderment – I dare say, disappointment – of others who would…

EMPHATY is a defining feature of leadership and one of the qualities a good leader must have. How a leader acts at every point always gives us a sense of how he has internalised and embraced this important virtue. On Tuesday, February 4, President Bola Tinubu approved a whopping N758 billion to settle longstanding pension liabilities under the Contributory Pension Scheme for federal workers nationwide. The approval, given during a Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, was a historic decision. It marked a watershed moment in Nigeria’s pension administration. It was the first time the Federal Government would commit funds…

AS the leadership crisis rocking Rivers State escalated into the destruction of vital oil and gas infrastructure amid looming impeachment threats against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy Ngozi Odu, President Bola Tinubu wielded the big stick last Tuesday imposing a state of emergency on the oil rich state. He suspended the governor, his deputy and the inflexible state House of Assembly for a period of six months, and appointed former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), as the administrator of the state. Following his inauguration on Wednesday, Ibas has begun the critical assignment. The ex-Naval chief…

SINCE Afenifere leader Pa Ayo Adebanjo passed away on February 14 at 96, many have praised his significant contributions to Nigeria as a frontline nationalist, a key role player in the politics of the first and second republics, and an uncompromising devotee of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Active in the First Republic Action Group, the Second Republic Unity Party of Nigeria, and Alliance for Democracy from 1999, Baba Adebanjo fought tirelessly for democracy. He consistently advocated for true federalism and the country’s political and economic restructuring based on the 1963 Republican Constitution. Pa Adebanjo was also a well-known activist…

OPPOSITION politicians have revved up their engine again ahead of the 2027 election. They are busy meeting, engaging in visitations, regrouping, and strategising under various platforms. And recently at a two-day event in Abuja themed “Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Pathway to Good Governance and Political Integrity,” some of these opposition figures huffed and puffed, upbraiding the present government and disparaging President Bola Tinubu and the governing All Progressives Congress. Some of them, like the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, have taken advantage of various public speaking opportunities to condemn the government’s policy options and decisions but offered little or no alternative…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu’s one-day visit to the Southeast, his first of 2025, was not just a routine event. It was laden with symbolisms, from the enthusiastic reception to the subsequent positive comments. The import of this visit, with its many remarkable aspects, was not lost on anyone. While many have spoken favourably and commended the visit, it equally throws up some questions. Is President Tinubu’s January 4, 2025 visit to Enugu, the old capital of the Southeast region, during which he inaugurated Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s landmark projects and made important pronouncements a new level in his relationship with the…

KEMI Badenoch’s ill-advised denigration of Nigeria has refused to go away. Her belittlement of the country of her ancestry is still generating passionate public discourse within and outside the media space, and it appears the matter will not go away anytime soon. Exasperated by Kemi Badenoch’s misguided attacks on Nigeria, Vice President Kashim Shettima recently counseled her to drop the Kemi in her name and bleach her ebony skin to white to further appease her Tory party and British establishment. And perturbed and seemingly lost by all that, my daughter, Kemi Mushinat, who recently graduated in Communication Studies, asked what…

IT is received wisdom that supportive, high-quality friends in good places are important in human relationships and in advancing personal and group progress. It is also the case in strengthening relationships among nations. Since his assumption of office, President Bola Tinubu has activated the friendship he has built over time in his quest for Nigeria’s development. The President has embarked on reforms to reposition the economy and put the country on the right track for optimal development based on his Renewed Hope Agenda. To realise this lofty objective, he is leaving no stone unturned, including leveraging his friendship and international…

MONTHS after the rumours of imminent cabinet reshuffle had filled the air with newshounds speculating which of the ministers would be dropped or retained, President Bola Tinubu eventually took the bull by the horns last Wednesday. He effected the ministerial changes, scrapping two ministries, discharging five ministers, reassigning ten and nominating seven new ones. It would mean six ministers had given way if you add the initially suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Betta Edu. A new minister, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, has been nominated to replace her. It was the first cabinet reshuffle by President Tinubu 17…

“ALAKE on Rescue Mission” is much more than a photo book of activities, events and work of the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Oladele Henry Alake, in one year in office. It’s a serious-minded and exciting piece of writing on the minister’s stewardship. If you see it as the official book on the Minister’s achievements in one year in office, you will hit the nail on the head. Appointed on August 15, 2023, Dr. Alake has spent around 14 months as Minister of Solid Minerals, meaning one year has actually passed on his watch of the ministry. The book’s…