WHEN the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, announced the nationwide enforcement of Third-Party Insurance Policy starting February 1st, I didn’t need a crystal ball to predict what would follow. Like clockwork, reports of police harassment and extortion began flooding in, including a particularly disturbing video of officers assaulting a pregnant woman in Akwa Ibom State. To borrow from Nigerian street wisdom, the IGP has effectively “opened shop” for his men. In a country where police checkpoints have become unofficial toll gates, adding another “verification requirement” is tantamount to creating fresh opportunities for extortion. Let’s be clear about what’s really…
Author: Jonathan Nda-Isaiah
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WHEN I first read about the proposal for 31 new states in Nigeria, I had to check if I wasn’t reading satire. But no, this is real – the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review is actually entertaining proposals that would take Nigeria from 36 to 67 states. Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction. Let’s put this in perspective. We’re talking about creating new states at a time when most existing ones can barely pay salaries. Many governors are essentially running to Abuja every month with a begging bowl, waiting for federal allocations like children waiting for pocket money.…
THE ongoing war of words between Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed and Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Not because of the natural political rivalry between two prominent sons of Bauchi, but because of what it reveals about our political culture. Let’s begin with what triggered this political storm. During a BBC Hausa interview, Governor Mohammed expressed concerns about Nigeria’s diplomatic handling of regional issues and criticized certain aspects of President Tinubu’s tax reform bills. The Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Tuggar, responded with his own observations about governance in their home state. What makes…
WHO would have thought that a simple tax report would shatter one of Nigeria’s most enduring prejudices? Yet here we are, staring at figures that tell a story quite different from the usual narratives peddled in beer parlors and social media echo chambers. For decades, we’ve lived with tired stereotypes: the Hausa gateman in every Nollywood movie, the Calabar domestic help, and most persistently, the notion that the North is somehow a parasitic region feeding off the South’s prosperity. Trust Nigerians to cling to these prejudices with the tenacity of a tick on a dog’s ear. Let’s even talk about…
ANOTHER day, another tanker explosion, another harvest of death. The latest tragedy at Dikko Junction, Niger State, which claimed 88 lives, is just another statistic in an endless cycle of avoidable deaths that has become a national embarrassment. Let’s put this in perspective. In just five months, 265 Nigerians have been roasted alive in tanker explosions. Not from Boko Haram, not from bandits, but from their own conscious decision to risk their lives for a few liters of fuel. If this isn’t madness, I don’t know what is. President Bola Tinubu’s response – setting up a high-powered committee – follows…
SOMETHING is deeply troubling about how casually Nigerians disregard the rule of law. From our airports to our streets, there’s a growing culture of “I’ll do as I please” that should alarm anyone who cares about our collective future. Consider the recent chaos at a Nigerian airport where one passenger effectively held 89 others hostage because she couldn’t have her way. The scene that unfolded on that Ibom Air flight wasn’t just about delayed luggage – it was a perfect illustration of how entitled some Nigerians feel about breaking rules that don’t suit their convenience. To be sure, anyone who…
WHEN news filtered in that the Nigeria Football Federation had appointed Eric Chelle as the Super Eagles coach, I thought some mischief makers were at it again on social media. An African coach for the Super Eagles? Surely, this must be fake news. But as reality set in, so did the gravity of this unprecedented decision. Let’s call a spade a spade – this appointment is either going to be a masterstroke or a catastrophic failure. There’s no middle ground. Nigeria, a football powerhouse that has produced legends like Jay-Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Victor Ikepba and Mikel Obi, has never…