Author: Kazeem Akintunde

ONE of the etiquettes parents ingrain into the consciousness of their children is that they should not talk while eating or with their mouths full. Parents, particularly Yoruba mothers, are known to dish such an erring child a dirty slap or a knock on the head, to teach him/her to learn some manners and correct some wrongs. That was the training most people born in my generation received while we were young. I doubt if today’s mothers bother about such things as table manners and etiquettes anymore. However, according to medical experts, the real reason why it’s bad to talk…

THE Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and it’s twin sister, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have begun another round of negotiations with the federal government and other stakeholders on the amount of money the least paid workers in Nigeria should earn going forward. The two trade unions believe that the N30,000 minimum wage fixed by the Muhammadu Buhari administration in April 2019, after series of negotiations with labour leaders, is no longer realistic in today’s Nigeria. The Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration seems to agree with the labour unions as it’s twin policies of removal of fuel subsidy as well as the…

LAST week, some residents of Aba in Abia State were in celebration mood after enjoying uninterrupted power supply for more than 48 hours. They could not hide their joy as they believed that epileptic power supply to their homes has now become a thing of the past. In fact, they took to social media to celebrate the feat, which was a dream come true for them. Earlier in the week, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu commissioned the 188 megawatts Abia Geometric Power Plant 20 years after the project was initiated by Professor Barth Nnaji. The Engineering Professor did all within his…

NIGERIA’s maternal and infant mortality rate is still among the highest in the world, with 540 babies out of 100,000 dying before the age of five. The giant of Africa only came second behind India, a report authored by the World Health Organisation (WHO) titled ‘Improving Maternal And Newborn Health And Survival And Reducing Stillbirth: Progress Report 2023’ stated. The report noted that in 2020, 788 women and children died out of 100,000 in India and 540 women and children out of 100,000 died in Nigeria. In the same year, India accounted for 17 per cent of global maternal, and…

THERE was an unusual kind of protest in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, few days ago. The protest was unusual because the protesters were young women in their prime who were fed up with what was happening in their marital life. The women, mainly from Mile 2 and Mile 3 areas of the densely populated Diobu settlement barricaded the office of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC), near the popular Isaac Boro Park, lamenting that their husbands no longer have sex with them at night and they put the blame at the door steps of the PHED, that…

THE nation has been in celebration mode in the last couple of days due to the superlative performance of the national team, the Super Eagles at the just concluded 2023 African Cup of Nation held in Cote D’Ivoire. Though we came back home with a silver, both young and old, men and women temporarily forgot about the biting economic hardship in the land to celebrate the performance of the team. For now, the whole nation is united – we have forgotten about tribe, religion and ethnicity. Nobody is asking of where the players come from. That is the power of…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu should be back in the country this week to take charge of governance. Our Commander-In-Chief left Nigeria few days back for France on a private visit. His penchant for travelling out of the country for sundry issues made former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, to give him a new title – ‘Tourist-In-Chief’. In his absence, the nation’s economy swiftly headed south, with Nigerians complaining of the hardships they have to endure every day. Our Naira is taking a humiliating beating against major world currencies and many opine that this is not a period Mr. President to be out…

SOME Northern politicians have been huffing and puffing since it came to light that some departments in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), are to be moved to Lagos for administrative convenience and to cut down cost. First to react was Yarima Shettima, the spokesperson of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF). He told the world that the plan would jeopardize the growth and development of the North. I am still scratching my head for the correlation between the movement of those departments and the anticipated development that the…

MANY residents of Ibadan, the sprawling capital city of Oyo State, won’t forget in a hurry, what befell them on Tuesday, January 16, when dynamites stored in a residential area exploded and shattered the relative peace in the state. To those close to the epicenter of the explosion, it was like a scene in a horror movie. Many were left wondering if the rapture had finally taken place. The effect of the blast would stay with many for the rest of their lives. The people were about retiring to their homes when there was a loud explosion that shook the…

IT WAS Karl Marx who said that religion is the opium of the people. Marx was a German Philosopher and Economist who coined the phrase in 1843. In his opinion, religion is not only used by those in power to oppress the workers, (masses) but it also makes them feel better about being oppressed when they can’t afford real opium. He thought that if the comfort blanket of religion was taken away, the workers would have to do something about their terrible condition. In most developing countries, Nigerian included, religion has been turned into an instrument to oppress the poor.…

THE Federal Ministry of Education wielded the big stick last week, when it announced that it would no longer recognise certificates from some universities operating in Republics of Benin and Togo. The directive came on the heels of an investigative report in which a reporter allegedly enrolled for a four-year course but ‘graduated’ within six weeks after negotiating and paying for the certificate. The report literally set fire on the behind of Tahir Mamman, a Professor, Lawyer, and Education Minister, who has vowed fire and brimstone over the embarrassing revelation. But Oga Minister, certificate racketeering from Benin Republic and elsewhere…

FINALLY, the New Year is here. Congratulations to all my readers. We eventually made it to year 2024. I pray that the new year will favour us all. I also hope we have all made appraisal of 2023 to effectively plan for 2024. Today, we are looking back at how Nigeria, our dear country, fared in the outgone year, so that we can project how the New Year would treat us. The year 2023 will go down in the history of the country as one of the toughest for most Nigerians. This is due directly to the action that took…

IT’S Christmas. A time for merrymaking and holidaying. Whether you believe that December 25th is actually the birthday of Jesus Christ or not, Christmas has become a universal holiday and a money-spinner for most businesses. What is important is that we are alive and still kicking. Just last week, I lost a brother and friend, Abdul Imoyo. He was the Head of Media and Publicity at Access Bank. He was hale and hearty the last time we spoke, just last month. I never knew that would be our last conversation. Abdul was a jolly good fellow; a good man. He…

THE Christmas Season is finally here. It is a period to make merry and rejoice. It is also a time to reflect on the outgoing year; look back at what was achieved, the lessons learnt, missed opportunities, and to also plan for the coming year. Most Nigerians are simply happy that they survived the year due to the harsh economic policies being implemented by the current administration which has made life more difficult. With that, however, Nigerians are faced with yet another political drama series acted and produced by the elite politicians from the Garden City. Even though the plot…

THE people of Tudun-Biri, in Igabi Local Government area of Kaduna State on December 3rd had gathered to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Muhammed, (SAW). It was a night to rejoice and make merry. A yearly celebration in which both the young and the old take part. It is customary to cook, eat, dance and recite the Holy Qur’an, and after that, ask God for fruitful harvest and a prosperous community for the coming year. Majority of the people are farmers who are proud of what they do. However, this year’s celebration turned into one that they won’t forget in…

THE Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, was in Lagos last week, and took time out to pay a courtesy call on the Governor of the state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. During the visit, he told his host that his forefathers were the founders of Lagos. Even before he made his mind known, the revered Oba knew that his comment would generate another round of controversies as the issue has been one that majority of Lagosians find distasteful, even as the motive behind the Oba’s rhetoric is still unclear to many. This is what the monarch told his host: “It is in…

FORMER President Olusegun Aremu Okikiola Obasanjo has several appellations. Some call him Balogun Owu, others refer to him as Baba Iyabo, but one alias that he cherishes is Ebora Owu. Ebora in Yoruba dialect is like a deity, a living spirit or jinn. It also connotes presenting an offering. And when the sub-ethnic group where he comes from, Owu, is added, it could mean Owu-born living legend or spirit. Since he came to national prominence as a young military officer during the Nigeria Civil War, Obasanjo has always found a way to remain relevant in Nigeria’s socio-political milieu. He remains…

OUR lawmakers have started receiving their N160m SUVs. We should be happy for them. After all, it is not easy to win elections into either the House of Representatives or the Senate. If you begrudge them, go and run for office. Lawmakers in the House of Representatives were the first set of beneficiaries. And the distribution process was transparent. Female lawmakers were the first on the list, perhaps, in the spirit of ‘ladies first’. Then the gesture was extended to the elderly among the members in the Green Chamber. They need the comfort of the lush interior of their jeeps…

NIGERIA is gradually becoming a huge joke the world over. This is due to the kind of news emanating from the country which many sane people find funny. One of such is the purported acquisition of a presidential yacht by the Nigerian Navy without budgetary approval. A yacht, going by its definition, is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising or racing. Again, Collins Dictionary 2020 edition, defines a yacht as a large boat with sails or a motor, used for racing or pleasure trips. Going by the definition above, the Nigerian Navy may not necessarily be in…

THE Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, for now, cannot afford to sleep with his two eyes closed. Although President Bola Tinubu, PDP governors and the court have given him a temporary reprieve, he cannot be complacent or he would kiss his job goodbye. He has stepped on the tail of a cobra and it is either he fights and kill the snake or he will himself become food. Siminalayi, an indigene of Opobo Town in Opobo Local Government of Rivers State became the Governor just five months ago, but the man whom he took over from, and who ensured…