Author: Dakuku Peterside

MANY Nigerians believe that restructuring the country or devolving powers from the centre to the sub-nationals is the silver bullet that will solve all our problems. This belief has sustained the debate for or against restructuring for decades. As fanciful as this claim is, I disagree with this position because bad leadership is a more significant challenge than the superstructure of the country. Although the way Nigeria is structured does not make for optimal productivity and needs some form of amendment or tinkering, we need thinking and honest leadership to make progress. This kind of leadership is required at the…

AGAINST the run of play, Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State ruffled feathers with his speech at the 2023 annual Leadership Newspaper Conference and Awards held in Abuja last week. This speech was an instant hit online and trended at different times on both Instagram and X (Twitter). Governor Bago’s arguments in his speech can be summarised in three ways: First, as a nation, Nigeria cannot achieve economic freedom and eradicate poverty without being productive, especially in agriculture, where we have a comparative advantage. Second, it is indefensible for a nation with an estimated arable land of 40 million…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken both symbolic and structural actions to demonstrate his belief that the current high cost of government is not sustainable. The first was an announcement or executive order directing Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs)to slash the size of official delegations for foreign and domestic trips by up to 60 per cent – an action that resonated with the mood in the country. The second is the Federal Executive Council’s approval to implement Steve Oronsaye’s report on the merger and scrapping of MDAs. This structural action is a baby step, albeit good for proponents of a complete…

CEMENT and concrete are synonymous with strength ;the strength of the economy and infrastructural development. Cement is specifically an indicator of how we prioritise housing, roads, and other infrastructure projects that rely on it. When cement prices go up consistently, it reverberates across the country, sending cold chills down the spines of many. It means fewer people can afford homes, a fundamental human right. Although cement is just one ingredient in the construction industry, it has come to represent the industry itself, so the affordability of cement represents the affordability of houses and other concrete-based constructions. To millions of Nigerians…

CLEAN-SHAVEN, suave, upwardly mobile, and incurably optimistic ,Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe (HOW) was one of the most recognisable figures in the banking space and corporate Nigeria. His official biography could only be written by him. But I hope his example can inspire and influence us. Accurately describing Herbert in one word can be compared to explaining the mystery of centuries in a few words or a wild goose chase. It is a nuanced and complex process. He was an extraordinary businessman who died alongside his wife and son in the United States of America under exceptional circumstances. His tragic and sudden…

MOST Nigerians are tense and not at ease. The reasons are plausible. The scourge of hunger, spiralling inflation, insecurity, and a sense that the country is in distress stares us all. The cumulative effect of these is anger in the land. A combination of hunger and anger is a time bomb. It is the emotional underpinning of every populist revolt. There is absolutely nothing a hungry and angry man or woman cannot do. The signs are self-evident that the product of hunger and anger is upheaval. Ask the residents of Minna, Suleija, Kano and most recently Osogbo. They took to…

ON Sunday, August 15, 1971, the United States economy was literally facing a firing squad. The Dollar was in a mess. Price gougers were everywhere and foreign exchange was cruel to the Dollar. The newspaper headlines were of scorn and ridicule but President Richard Nixon did one thing. He faced the issue squarely. “The strength of a nation’s currency is based on the strength of that nation’s economy,” he said. Nixon nipped the problem in the bud. Everything changed. He rescued his country from financial and social crises. Today, Nigeria is in a similar situation, albeit slightly dissimilar, given that…

THE impact of insecurity in Nigeria is significant, encompassing substantial losses in terms of lives, economic setbacks ,and the emergence of humanitarian crises. Many citizens find themselves in precarious situations with limited access to basic needs. While this is the case, the effectiveness of government’s response to insecurity is debatable. Some citizens feel that there is need for decisive, prompt and coordinated action to address the root causes of insecurity and to protect communities. Many citizens are expressing a feeling of helplessness in the face of the prevailing insecurity. The inability to go about daily activities without fear and the…

NIGERIA lately has been lucky, though, for the wrong reasons. Money has metaphorically been falling from the sky when the nation is in severe economic distress and needs every dollar to meet her obligations. First, it was the series of Abacha loots. From the United States alone, approximately $332.4 million were recovered. Between March 2021 and May 2022, €6,324,627 was recovered from foreign countries, according to the former Justice Minister, Abubakar Malami. This is among recoveries from other countries. The latest is from unknown persons and unidentified sources in Jersey, a Channel Island. The funds worth $8.9m are believed to…

NIGERIA, a country with a rich cultural heritage and abundant natural resources, has grappled with the complex interplay of greed, ethics, and public service throughout its history. The nexus between these elements has had profound implications for the nation’s development, governance, and the well-being of its citizens. The interplay of greed, ethics, and public service in Nigeria is a complex and ongoing challenge that requires sustained efforts from the government and the citizens. Addressing these issues is essential for the nation’s progress and fostering a society where public servants are dedicated to serving the common good rather than their personal…

IT is cultural in Nigeria to wish your loved ones a prosperous new year. There is nothing wrong with having such lofty aspirations. Of concern is that, lately, this culture has crept into governance and development. Our leaders wish us a hunger and poverty-free new year. They extend it to make statements of intent without any plan to translate the aspiration into concrete results. It is normal to hear, “We shall have stable power this year”, and “lift 50 million Nigerians out of poverty this year “. What is lacking is a measurable plan built on an overarching vision to…

THE passing 2023 was a year of significance for Nigeria’s political and economic landscape. Reflecting on the year underscores the need for heightened vigilance against the emergence of small ,yet consequential political challenges that threaten our democratic fabric. Domestically, the ascent of Peter Obi and the Labour Party during the 2023 elections signals the ongoing momentum of our democracy. The rise of a populist candidate post–Buhari indicates a desire by some Nigerians to have a radical change and depart from the orthodoxy. The successful transition from the Buhari administration to the Bola Tinubu administration is a commendable milestone because the…

THE world is moving into a new financial epoch. The era of physical currency is fading, making way for the rise of a cashless society thriving on digital transactions. In a cashless world, financial inclusion is both a promise and a challenge of bridging the gap while ensuring security for all. However, we are far from a cashless economy in Third world countries. In Nigeria, cash is still King. This may result from our love relationship with cash and the poor technology adoption syndrome. The love for cash reaches a crescendo during seasonal celebrations. Nigerians from all regions and religions…

NIGERIA faces unprecedented economic uncertainties and desperately needs to “bend the curve” on most economic indices. Even the optimistic people among us struggle with what to hold onto to defend our slide into economic quagmire. This results from several years of economic mismanagement and the devastating global impact of COVID-19. We need urgent economic recovery, and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows are fundamental to support such recovery. We must make a great effort to restore and increase capital inflows through FDI; attracting such capital must be a key strategy of this government. Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary-General, underscores the…

JOHN Dewey, an American philosopher of the 20th century, argued that “we do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience”. At the core of this statement is the critical role of reflection in the learning process. When we reflect and analyse past experiences, we gain insights, identify lessons learned from our mistakes, and integrate these insights into our lives to make better decisions in the future. In line with this sentiment, the call for electoral reforms is usually high after every election cycle. It has become a priority public commentary issue because of its linkage to…

IN 1961, the Prime Minister of Nigeria, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, enjoined Justice Adetokunbo Ademola to “never waiver from the truth” and a charged him that if he committed a crime and was brought before the justice, he should send him to jail. Balewa understands the importance of judicial independence and the integrity of the judges in fostering an enduring democracy. He understands that the Judiciary in our democracy is the third estate of the realm, the interpreter of the law, the common man’s last hope and the society’s conscience. It serves as checks and balances of the executive and the…

IN his famous drama, Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare penned one of the most recognisable descriptions of greatness: “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” George Oppong Weah of Liberia is one who has achieved greatness in all ramifications. Neither born with a silver spoon nor had greatness entrusted to him by his Godfathers, Goerge worked his way to the zenith of his chosen careers in football and politics. His greatness is epitomised in how he handled his exit from sporting fame and power rather than by his many…

THE integrity issue in Nigerian politics and public life has been a topic of discussion and concern for many years. Like many other countries, Nigeria has faced challenges related to corruption, lack of transparency, and ethical issues in its political landscape. It lacks integrity in its politics and tolerates acts of impunity, as proven by the prevalence of vote-buying and other dishonest practices in its elections. This has severe implications for Nigeria’s democracy and deserves our attention. Integrity is not just about breaking the law. It also means living by high moral standards, consistency, fairness to all and setting good…

STATISTICS should help settle arguments, in theory. We assume they provide stable reference points that everyone – no matter what their opinion, persuasion, belief, or politics is– can agree on. However, there has been a global trend in recent years showcasing that divergent levels of trust in statistics have become one of the fundamental schisms that have opened up in both developed and developing democracies. Instead of diffusing controversy and polarisation, statistics seem to be stoking them. Apathy for statistics has become one of the hallmarks of the populists’ movements, with statisticians and statistics viewed by many as untrustworthy and…

IT is most unlikely that you will visit China and not notice its great industrialisation success. China’s mesmerizing success in creating jobs, lifting 700m people out of extreme poverty, generating overwhelming wealth, improving living standards and achieved food security for the Chinese people through industrialisation is remarkable. Her speed and precision in industrialisation is a modern-day miracle. China overtook the United States in 2011 to become the world’s largest producer of manufactured goods. Though following different routes, Britain, France, Germany, Japan and the US hitherto achieved global pre-eminence, economic strength and social stability through the same path of industrialization. The…