WITH the conclusion last Wednesday June 5, 2024 of the first-ever South Korea-Africa summit attended by no fewer than 30 African Heads of State and South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol, the big question on the lips of many analysts is whether a new chapter has been opened in the relations between the Republic of Korea and Africa, which began in the 1950’s. This question has become pertinent because, though the relationship between the two has always been cordial, it has not been impressive enough in terms of economic cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade and investment. Africa is…
Author: Tunde Rahman
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TO say the economy of the Republic of South Korea is a developed and strong economy is to say the obvious. South Korea’s economy had been vastly developed, and its economic structure radically transformed since after World War II in 1945 and the Korean War in 1953. The Korean War was a war of attrition between two brother-nations – North and South Koreas – accentuated by the Cold War era, and would appear not to have fully abated up till now. However, South Korea is not just a developed nation today; it is also a regional power. According to a…
DELIVERING a keynote address at a well-attended National Spokespersons’ Summit and Awards on March 26 in Abuja, former Director-General of the Nigeria Television Authority, Professor Tonnie Iredia, was excellent as he articulated what should constitute the critical success factors in the work of a spokesperson. The summit with the theme “Change Narrative, Change Society” was organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and National Orientation. Participants at the summit included communication experts, top journalists, scholars and other dignitaries. A spokesperson must build trust and credibility through transparent and truthful messaging, Iredia said.…
TODAY is President Bola Tinubu’s 72nd birthday. Instead of rolling out the drums to celebrate the day, the President directed there should be no celebration of any kind, including placing newspaper, radio or television advertorials in his honour. He urged anyone wishing to do such for him to donate the money to charity organisations. The decision was taken in deference to the present challenging times. It is a mark of good leadership for a leader worthy of that name to have compassion for the people, identify with them and demonstrate he shares in their pain. Showing empathy for the people…
THOSE who know Mr. Olayemi Cardoso will agree he got his current job as the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria on a platter of solid professional background and strong personal attributes. His pedigree is rich as his character is unsullied. Cardoso had a remarkable private sector career where he shone brilliantly in banking, stockbroking and consulting. Cardoso also came from a very solid family pedigree. Nigeria’s late Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, appointed his late father, Mr. Felix Bankole Cardoso, as the first Accountant-General of the Federation in 1963. The late elder Cardoso served with enviable record till…
IS the Non-Aligned Movement still around? Is the organisation still in existence? That was the weighty question Professor Ikechukwu Okoro, a visually impaired Nigerian and Iowa State University don, slammed on me the moment I informed him of my mission in Kampala, Uganda. Professor Okoro and I had met on our way to Addis-Ababa, me en route Kampala and he, Atlanta, in the United States. It wasn’t as if the issue he raised had not previously crossed my mind, but I did not bother much about it since I was headed for the NAM conference anyway until I encountered the…
THERE couldn’t have been a better predictor of what to expect from President Bola Tinubu in 2024 than the way and manner he began the New Year. For the President, 2024 started on a business like, work-filled note. While many were still savouring the New Year, the Nigerian leader cut short his Christmas/New Year holiday in Lagos on January 1, returned to Abuja to sign the N28.7 trillion 2024 Appropriation Bill passed by the National Assembly. It was his first assignment in the New Year. The way he did it demonstrated the seriousness and patriotic commitment he brings unto the…