Author: Jonathan Nda-Isaiah

LAST weekend’s bye elections for the National Assembly held in some states of the federation provided an interesting political barometer. For political observers like myself, it was an opportunity to see if the new kid on the block, African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by former vice president Atiku Abubakar, former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, and former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, could show their political strength. However, it was not to be. According to official results, the All Progressive Congress(APC)won 12 of the 16 constituencies contested across 12 states. The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) secured two seats, while…

JUST when you think you have heard the most absurd thing in Nigeria, you get hit on the face with a new tomfoolery. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is working with the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) on the voting rights of inmates. INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this while receiving the Comptroller General of NCoS, Sylvester Nwakuche, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja. According to Yakubu, the Appeal Court has granted inmates the right to register and vote in elections, and INEC is exploring how to implement this. “We are aware that the right to vote is…

PETER Obi has done it again. The Labour Party’s former presidential candidate has thrown the political space into another frenzy with his recent declaration that he’ll serve only one term if elected in 2027. As expected, politicians and armchair analysts are falling over themselves to either praise this “statesmanlike” gesture or dismiss it as another campaign gimmick. My thoughts on this? I think we’re having the wrong conversation entirely. Don’t get me wrong – I understand the political chess game Obi is playing. He’s reading the room correctly. Most northerners who supported a southern candidate in 2023 are already positioning…

LAST week, the Super Falcons of Nigeria did what they do best – they made us proud. Against all odds, they defeated host Morocco 3-2 to clinch their 10th Women’s African Cup of Nations title, cementing their status as the undisputed queens of African football. For a moment, all Nigerians forgot their tribal and religious differences and celebrated as one people. It was beautiful. Then President Bola Tinubu did something remarkable. On Monday, he hosted these heroines and announced national honours of Order of The Niger (OON), three-bedroom houses in Abuja, and a cash donation of $100,000 to each player.…

HERE we go again. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has packed his political bags once more, this time pitching his tent with the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The man who has made party-hopping an art form is at it again, and predictably, Nigerians are having a field day with their criticisms. “Is it by force to be president?” they ask. “Doesn’t he know it’s the South’s turn?” others wonder. Even I have taken my fair share of swipes at the Waziri of Adamawa on this very page. But today, I want to take a different approach entirely. Let me ask…

HERE we go again. Like a broken record, Nigeria has returned to its favorite pastime constitutional tinkering. Every few years, we dust off this tired debate about whether we need a new constitution or should return to the parliamentary system. It’s like watching a movie you’ve seen a hundred times, except this one never has a happy ending. The latest round of constitutional evangelists are out in full force, preaching their gospel on television stations across the country. Some are waxing lyrical about the 1963 constitution as if it were the holy grail of governance. Others are convinced that a…

LAST week, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede made another passionate appeal to the National Assembly to pass the unexplained wealth bill. For over a year now, he has been begging our lawmakers to criminalise unexplained wealth, and frankly, I don’t blame him. I am 100 percent in support of the bill. We have too many overnight millionaires in Nigeria whose lifestyles don’t match their known sources of income. How does a civil servant earning N200,000 monthly suddenly acquire properties worth N500 million? How does a fresh graduate driving a N50 million car explain his source of wealth? These are the questions…

SO the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security wants us to pray away hunger. Yes, you read that right. In a country where millions go to bed hungry, our brilliant officials have discovered the ultimate solution: prayer and fasting sessions for “divine intervention.” I nearly choked on my morning tea when I read this. After the predictable public outcry, they quickly backtracked, claiming they’re not organising prayers to address food insecurity. Too late, the cat is already out of the bag. But wait, there’s more. We’ve watched governors organise prayer sessions for security and development. I remember one governor…

ANOTHER day, another massacre in Benue State. This time, over 200 innocent souls were cut down in cold blood in Yelewata and Daudu communities in Guma Local Government Area. Just 48 hours before this latest carnage, 25 people had been slaughtered in two other communities in Makurdi LGA. My thoughts on this? We have reached a point where condemnation has become a useless ritual. We have perfected the art of outrage without action. As usual, we are getting the same tired script from our leaders. President Bola Tinubu directs security agencies to fish out the killers. Opposition members blame the…

ON Thursday Nigerians marked another June 12 Democracy Day celebration, and I can’t help but wonder if we’re celebrating or commiserating. Twenty-six years of unbroken democracy – that sounds impressive on paper, doesn’t it? But when you peel back the layers, what exactly are we celebrating? Let me be clear from the start – I’m not one of those armchair critics calling for military rule. God forbid! Anyone suggesting we return to khaki rule should have their heads examined. But that doesn’t mean we should be popping champagne either. The irony of celebrating democracy on June 12 is not lost…

I THOUGHT the former minister of transportation Rotimi Amaechi was being misquoted as usual when he said he is hungry. You know the fake news epidemic we have in this country. I had to google the quote to see the full story. Hear him: “We don’t want to move the country forward. My passport was seized in Germany, I did nothing. My offense is that I’m carrying a green passport. They kept me for nearly 30 minutes and I was going for a medical check up in Vienna. So if you’re not ashamed, I’m,” Amaechi said. “Nigerian elites are not…

THE Peoples Democratic Party has outdone itself this time. When the Federal Capital Territory Administration task force sealed their national headquarters on Monday over unpaid ground rent, the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, declared it “the height of irresponsibility” and a threat to democracy. I had to read Damagum’s statement three times to be sure I wasn’t hallucinating. So when did paying your debts become an assault on democracy? When did fulfilling basic obligations transform into political persecution? Trust our politicians to always turn molehills into mountains and make themselves martyrs when caught red-handed. The PDP owes ground rent…

JUST when you think you have seen it all, our lawmakers have come up with a brilliant idea that would make even the most creative Nollywood scriptwriter green with envy. A Bill for an Act to Amend the Electoral Act, 2002 to make it mandatory for Nigerians of maturity age to vote in all national and state elections has scaled second reading in the House of Representatives. Let that sink in for a moment. So these are the same lawmakers who have consistently failed to deliver on their basic legislative duties, the same ones who have turned the hallowed chambers…

JUST when we thought we could finally sleep with both eyes closed, when we heard the fairy tale that Boko Haram was technically defeated, the terrorists have returned with a vengeance that should make every Nigerian shake their head in disbelief. The audacity! The sheer bloody audacity of these animals. They didn’t just return quietly. No, these degenerates decided to announce their comeback by sacking entire military formations, carting away weapons worth millions, and leaving our brave soldiers fleeing to their villages like civilians. Is this the same military that was supposedly winning the war against insurgency? Five soldiers killed…

NIGERIA’s political landscape is being reshaped before our very eyes. The chess pieces are moving across the board with calculated precision, as defections sweep across the nation like wildfire in the harmattan season. Make no mistake about it – we’re witnessing a high-stakes power play that threatens the very fabric of our democratic experiment. Last month, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori shocked the nation by defecting with his entire cabinet to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). As if that wasn’t dramatic enough, Delta lawmakers in the House of Representatives followed suit, effectively turning a PDP stronghold since 1999 into…

SO the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has struck again, this time arresting popular Lagos socialite and businessman, Emeka Okonkwo Daniel, known to many as E-Money, for allegedly spraying United States dollars at an event. According to sources within the commission, he was picked up on Monday night at his residence in the Omole area of Lagos for violating the Foreign Exchange Act. But E-Money is not alone in this crusade against “currency abusers.” I also recall that popular crossdresser Bobrisk was arrested on April 4, 2024, for Naira abuse, which eventually led to a six-month conviction by Justice…

RECENTLY, former Minister of Defence, General T Y Danjuma (rtd), once again hammered on the need for citizens to defend themselves against marauding bandits and terrorists. His statement, made during a staff get-together in Taraba State, has reignited the debate on self-defense in a country drowning in insecurity. “The warning I gave some years ago is still as valid today as it was then. Nigerians must rise and defend themselves,” the elder statesman declared, insisting that citizens cannot continue sitting idly by while criminal gangs massacre people unchecked. To be sure, this isn’t the first time Danjuma has made such…

IF the kidnapping of a retired Brigadier General doesn’t shock you, then perhaps nothing will. When I heard that former National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) Director General, Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga, spent 56 days in captivity, I was stunned. But what left me completely dumbfounded was learning that military brass had to gather money to pay his ransom. Let that sink in for a moment. A General – not some random civilian like you and me – a General! To be sure, Brigadier General Tsiga was violently taken from his home in Tsiga Town, Katsina State on February 5, along…

JUST when we thought there was a lull in the killings across the country and we were beginning to praise the service chiefs, violence has resurged with alarming ferocity. The peace we briefly enjoyed has been shattered by a wave of attacks that have left communities across multiple states reeling in grief and fear. The recent bloodbath in Plateau State paints a grim picture of our security situation. Death tolls continue to rise as search teams comb through bushes, recovering bodies of those who fell victim to senseless violence. In Bokkos Local Government Area alone, 52 people have been confirmed…

ON a week meant for celebration, 16 northerners traveling home for Sallah festivities met their end in the most horrific way imaginable – burned alive by a mob that appointed itself judge, jury, and executioner. What crime warranted such barbarism? Simply being northern hunters with Dane guns returning to Kano. Trust our citizens to always take matters into their own hands when it comes to dispensing “justice.” The Uromi incident represents everything wrong with our society’s approach to security and ethnic relations. I’m still struggling to process how a community can harbor so many savages ready to douse fellow humans…