Author: Kazeem Akintunde

THE Federal Government, through the Ministry of Health and one of its agencies, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has been engaging stakeholders in the industry on the need to stop the production and sale of alcohol in sachets and small bottles (below 200 ml) in the country since 2018. I know for a fact that several stakeholders’ meetings were held where the dangers of the continued production and consumption of alcohol in sachets and small bottles poses great danger to public health, especially the youths. As Special Assistant, Communication and Strategy to the former…

NIGERIANS once again, woke up to the sad news of the gruesome murder of over 160 men, women, and children in Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government area of Kwara State last week. The attackers, numbering over 100, who came from the neigbouring Kainji Lake National Park, were on a mission that was purely to maim and destroy the entire community. The sin for which the targeted community had to pay the heavy price for was their temerity to report the terrorists’ activities to security operatives. Earlier this year, locals of the community got news from the terrorists,…

IN the last five years in the five South Eastern states of Anambra, Imo, Abia, Enugu, and Ebonyi, Mondays have been declared sit-at-home days, meaning a no-work day. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in 2021, ordered that Mondays be observed as a no-work-day in those states in solidarity with their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who was arrested in Kenya, and ferried back home to face prosecution over his agitation for the creation of Biafra Republic out of Nigeria. The sit-at-home protests, enforced by IPOB and its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network, since 2021, has transformed from a symbolic act…

THE trend of abductions and kidnapping for ransom as a big business in Nigeria is worrying and should be declared a national disaster. The planned, well-coordinated criminal enterprise is growing, with a large number of people providing different services to feed the ‘supply chain’. There are the snitches, who provide information on soft targets. They monitor the movement of those who have been marked for abduction and give the information to those that would execute the plan. The ‘execution squad’ carry out the operation, with their job being to pick the target up and lead them to a ‘’safe house’’…

IN the last couple of months following the installation of Oba Akeem Owoade as the Alaafin of Oyo, the Ooni of Ifa, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi added new nomenclature for himself. He is no longer just the Ooni of Ife, he now goes about with the unnecessary and mouthful titles of The Permanent Chairman of the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council (SNTRC), Arole Oodua Olofin Adimula, and the Natural Head of the Oduduwa race worldwide. Not to be outdone by the craze for highfaluting words that actually mean nothing, the Alaafin of Oyo soon added his own. Oba Owoade is…

IN the last couple of days, Rivers State has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Since the 2023 general elections that returned Siminalayi Fubara as the Governor of the State, the state has not enjoyed any semblance of peace beyond six months. The state and its development has been bogged down by two men who have big-sized egos and have been torn apart by the lucre of office. Rivers State as an oil producing state, is amongst the top three states in the country that is associated with the highest monthly revenue figures from the federation account. At…

ONE issue that would dominate discourse this year is the new tax laws which came into effect on January 1. Asides partisan politics, the tax issue would command significant attention. Already, many Nigerians are apprehensive on what to expect and how much the tax man (President Tinubu) is likely to take from their pockets. Banks have already sent out notices to their customers on the payment of a N50 stamp duty on any transfer above N10,000. E-hailing Cab drivers have raised the alarm on what they termed double VAT deductions from their fees. Some Nigerians are considering closing down their…

IN the next forty-eight hours, the world would bid goodbye to the year 2025 and usher in a New Year. As it is our practice, The Discourse will today, review the outgoing year, point out areas of progress in our national life, and offer suggestions on what we can do better to make life more meaningful for Nigerians. At the beginning of 2025, the economy was still weighed down by high inflation, elevated interest rates, and weak consumer demand due to the high prices of goods, especially food items, as well as subdued business activity following subsidy removal, exchange-rate liberalisation,…

NIGERIA’s oil sector rumbled last week, when the Chairman of the Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote alleged that the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, was spending millions of dollars on his children’s education in Switzerland, an amount far beyond his means as a public servant. Prior to that, he had accused the same Ahmed of economic sabotage for undermining domestic fuel refining efforts in Nigeria. Dangote insisted that the leadership of the NMDPRA under Ahmed was colluding with international traders and oil importers to frustrate local refining through…

SENATOR Abdul Ningi of Bauchi Central depicted a sorrowful figure last week on the floor of the upper chamber when he complained bitterly that his orderly had been withdrawn on the order of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He was amongst those politically exposed Nigerians, top business executives, musicians, and several others whom the Nigerian state provided police protection for, but have now been stripped of the privilege. In fact, the President’s directive is now forcing those affected to look elsewhere for protection. Raising the issue under ‘’matters of national concern’’, Ningi, like a child whose toy has been snatched, told…

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…