Author: Kazeem Akintunde

NINETEEN Northern State Governors alongside their traditional rulers met in Kaduna last week Monday to rub minds and possibly work out practical solutions to the insecurity crisis that has not only engulfed the region, but threatening to consume it. At the end of their parley, the Governors came up with recommendations that they believed would provide solutions to what is gradually becoming an intractable crisis facing the region. On top of their recommendations was the call on the Federal Government to place a six-month suspension on mining activities across the region. They blamed illegal mining activities for the worsening insecurity…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu, last week Wednesday, declared a nationwide security emergency in response to the escalating wave of kidnapping, banditry, and terrorist attacks in most parts of the country. The declaration involves several directives aimed at bolstering the country’s security architecture in a bid to save the nation from the hands of marauding terrorists. He ordered the Army, Police, and intelligence services to immediately expand recruitment and deploy thousands of additional personnel to the field. The Police and Army have been directed to recruit 20,000 additional men. Tinubu also directed the Department of State Services to deploy all trained…

A MEMBER of the Christ Apostolic Church, (CAC), Oke Isegun, in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government area of Kwara State, Dare Daniel, usually live-streams the Church’s activities on his Facebook page. According to Daniel, that was his own way of spreading the gospel of Jesus. Last week Tuesday’s Church service was not an exception, as Daniel positioned his phone in a strategic corner of the Church while the congregation sang and danced. But the service was abruptly terminated when terrorists marched in, guns a’blazing (apologies to Donald Trump). The congregation became alerted to danger when they heard sporadic shooting, which became…

NIGERIA is gradually becoming a nation where we witness drama on the daily. In our everyday lives, it is these dramatic episodes that keep Nigerians entertained. In the last couple of days, a new series from Senator Ned Nwoke and one of his estranged wives, Regina Daniels has been streaming. On Tuesday last week, the drama involving the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and a young Naval officer, Lieutenant Ahmed Yerima, took the limelight. Their tango was over a piece of land in the FCT. Wike, by virtue of his office, is the landlord of the whole…

PRESIDENT Donald Trump of the United States of America is threatening fire and brimstone over what he termed the “persecution of Christians in Nigeria”. He has already directed the Department of War to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria. The American President has also threatened to immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, just as he has boasted that the US military action will completely wipe out “Islamic terrorists responsible for the killing of Christians”. In absolute obedience to their Commander-in-chief, the United State military has already submitted a contingency plan for potential strikes on Nigeria.  In fact,…

THE title of this piece was influenced by the Book written in 1972 by Walter Rodney titled ‘’How Europe Underdeveloped Africa”. In the book, which became a Bible of sorts for those who are interested in studying African development and post-colonial theory, he detailed how Africa was deliberately exploited and underdeveloped by European colonial masters. Rodney argued that a combination of power politics and economic exploitation of Africa by Europeans led to the poor state of Africa’s political and economic development. According to Rodney, European exploitation through the Transatlantic Slave Trade and colonialism intentionally hindered Africa’s development while fueling Europe’s…

FORMER Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, took to the podium last week to call the attention of the leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to the growing disaffection within the ruling party. At an enlarged Lagos APC stakeholders’ forum where President Bola Tinubu was endorsed for a second term, Fashola queried why the number of votes garnered by the party in the state has been on a steady decline since 2011. The former Minister also expressed curiosity about whether the party maintains a meticulously documented registry for its members, which could facilitate voter engagement and mobilization. He…

THE Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), gave a soft landing to his boss, President Bola Tinubu last week Thursday, when he stated that the 175 names on the list of those granted presidential pardon is still open for review. The process, according to the number one law officer of the federation, remains at the final administrative stage, which includes a standard review to ensure that all names and recommendations fully comply with established legal and procedural requirements before any instrument of release is issued. As part of activities marking the 65th anniversary of the nation’s independence, Tinubu,…

THE former Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, last week resigned from the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu over allegations of certificate forgery. It was alleged that he forged his first-degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificates. Concerns about Nnaji’s credentials first surfaced shortly after President Tinubu nominated him for a Ministerial position in 2023. Reports questioned the authenticity of the Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Microbiology which he claimed to have obtained from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). During his screening for the ministerial position, Nnaji presented copies of his academic and NYSC…

EVERY year since 2004, except when COVID-19 reared its ugly head, the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas, (NLNG) sets aside a $100,000 grand prize as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to celebrate scientists who have through their work, impacted Nigeria and humanity. This year’s event to announce the winner of the Nigeria Prize for Science award was held at the Lagos Continental Hotel few days back. On the high table were senior staff of the NLNG and the Advisory Board for the award led by its Chairman, Professor Bart Nnaji. Nnaji however dropped a bombshell when he told the…

IN two days’, time, Nigeria will clock 65 years as a sovereign Nation. We should all be rolling out the drums to celebrate and be merry. The theme of this year’s celebration is ‘Nigeria @ 65: All Hands On Deck For A Greater Nation’. The theme, we have been told, was chosen to emphasize the need for unity, collaboration, and patriotism amongst all sectors and citizenry towards building a nation characterized by sustainable peace, prosperity and progress. However, are we building a peaceful country when bandits and kidnappers have made life a living hell for most Nigerians? Where is the…

THE suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, returned to Port Harcourt last week Friday, after a six-month forced holiday. I watched in amazement as political jobbers and hangers-on swarmed him immediately, he alighted from the private jet that brought him to the Port Harcourt International Airport. A day earlier, thousands of his supporters had taken over the Government House, ostensibly to welcome him back to work, while several others kept vigil at the Salvation Ministries Headquarters in Port Harcourt, with the hope that he would be there to give thanks to God for his return to the Government House.…

WITH less than two months to the Anambra State Governorship election, the political campaigns have taken a nasty turn, with the leading candidates descending into ugly debacles that partisan politics is noted for in this clime. It is so bad that even those who claim to have professorial titles amongst them are sitting in the front row in the show of shame. Although politics has been variously described as a dirty game, no self-respecting individual should be proud of the brand of politics coming out of Anambra State at the moment. It all began when the Governor of the State…

IN the next few days, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) will release the result of what led to the derailment of the Abuja-Kaduna train on August 26, during which not less than 14 passengers sustained varying degree of injuries. NSIB’s investigation, we have been told, will focus on identifying the direct and underlying factors that led to the derailment, with the aim of issuing safety recommendations to prevent a recurrence. The derailment caused significant damage to tracks, sleepers, and switching mechanisms, forcing a temporary suspension of services along the Abuja-Kaduna corridor. When the train derailed, a total of 618…

THE people of Ipetumodu, a bustling community in Ife North Local Government area of Osun State in 2019, selected Prince Joseph Olugbenga Oloyede to be the new Apetu of Ipetumodu after the demise of Oba James Adedokun Adegoke Akunraaledoye II who joined his ancestors in 2017. The two-year gap of enthroning the new Oba was to ensure that the necessary rites and traditions were fulfilled so that the new monarch would be the choice of Ifa, which the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria believed would lead to the peace and progress of the town. In Yoruba land, the Ifa…

Kabiyesi o, k’ade o pe lori, Ki bata pe l’ese. May your reign be long! SIR, I am compelled to write this open letter to you in view of the recent letter you wrote to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on a matter that should not warrant such a degrading letter. I want to believe that you did not see the content of the letter purportedly signed by your media aide, Bode Durojaiye, before it was made public. You come from a lineage that is well loved and respected in Oyo State and beyond. I still have fond…

IT was George Orwell in his satirical allegorical novella, ‘Animal Farm’, first published in England on August 17, 1945, that wrote that “all animals are equal but that some are more equal than others”. The novella was a critique of the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union under Stalin. The story follows a group of farm animals who overthrow their human farmer, hoping to create a society where all animals are equal. However, the pigs, being the most intelligent, gradually seize power, becoming as corrupt and oppressive as their former human rulers. The pigs, led by Napoleon, manipulate and exploit…

MUSICIAN Wasiu Ayinde Anifowose was in the news for the better part of last week for the wrong reasons. His big-sized ego and half-baked education eventually became his undoing. Scheduled to board a morning flight from Abuja to Lagos, Anifowose, who has rebranded his name and music on more than four different occasions, proceeded to take onboard a ValueJet Aircraft, a golden flask containing some liquid substance. When told that having liquid substances on board an aircraft was against standard aviation rules, he became unruly, asking the aircraft hostess ‘’Do you know who I am?’’. Hear the full account of…

NORTHERN politicians, eggheads, traditional rulers, and opinion leaders, on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, gathered in Kaduna to assess the two-year administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The ‘assessment parley’ was put together to enable them to make an informed decision on whether to go along with him in 2027 or dump him for another candidate. Their verdict at the end of the talk shop wasn’t that favourable, as the North gave him a long shopping list which literally said “Perform in these areas, or you will not enjoy our support in 2027.” The assessment parley, tagged: ‘Two-day Interactives session…

RETIRED Police officers took to the streets across the country last week Monday to protest poor retirement benefits and meagre monthly pensions. One of the protesters who retired as a Chief Superintendent of Police, Manir Lawal, aged 67, painted a gory picture of what most police pensioners are passing through. Let me quote him: ‘’I am 67 years old. Many of us here are in our 60s and 70s. We have served this country faithfully and deserve to retire in dignity. This Contributory Pension scheme has impoverished us. It is our right to demand better’’. Another protester said: ‘’I am…