Everything that has a beginning must have an end. For every hello, there will eventually be a goodbye which in its turn contains the seeds for another cry of welcome. There is a lesson to be learnt in the fall of any empire or kingdom or dynasty. Every dictator looks unconquerable until Father Time ticks Read More…
Wole Olaoye
Between Babalola & Farotimi
Much ado about a book! There will always be hawks and doves on both sides. It is at such times that I appreciate the admonition of Gordon B Hincklrey: “A small publication that came to me some years ago carried the following: ‘Once a man who had been slandered by a newspaper came to Edward Read More…
Liberation of Almajiris
“Out of the 251 million Almajiris worldwide, 163 million are from Africa with Nigeria accounting for over 30 million. It is estimated that about 81 percent of almajiris in Nigeria are domiciled in the northern states where they have become part of the landscape. Tons of newspaper pages and countless hours of TV and radio Read More…
Backstroke
I am always fascinated by backstroke swimming. You can’t comprehend the incredible power of propulsion at the command of human limbs until you analyse a race in reverse gear, complete with the athlete’s natural compass which facilitates lane discipline. Having watched recent developments regarding constitutional amendments and suggestions on changing from the current presidential system Read More…
In Memory of Nigeria?
Like a pack of biscuits on the shelf beyond the expiry date, the country called Nigeria already expired in 2014 — ten years ago! It therefore ought to be baked afresh. That was the view of the convener of the Northern Elders’ Forum and a former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Ango Abdullahi at Read More…
A scapegoat called Dangote
The rich also cry. I have seen wealthy and successful people break down in tears and despondency. You would think that some people have everything made in their favour; the sun smiles at everything that they do. The gods are queuing to crack the rich man’s kernels lest he bites his tongue while attempting the Read More…
Ali Pate’s Call
In popular parlance, wherever you turn, you hear: “Naija no dey carry last”. That’s the Nigerian’s way of self-consolation, even self-motivation. In whatever circumstance he finds himself, a Nigerian is supposed to come out tops, whether the playing field is level or not. It is that self-assurance that other Africans mistake for arrogance. It is Read More…
The last soldier standing clocks 75
I have never made a secret of my admiration for Col Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (Rtd). Right from the time he broke into public consciousness with his brief stint as Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Housing Authority to the time he came unto his own as governor of old Kaduna State (including the present Katsina Read More…
Between Popularity and Notoriety
The quest for fame is a global pandemic. From time immemorial, man has craved recognition and social pre-eminence through various means — even if he has to be anti-social to attain social recognition. In this pursuit, the line between popularity and notoriety thins out. Most people would rather be notorious than be unknown. Every Tamuno, Read More…
Salute to the Lagos Aborigine
It seems the contrived, ill-advised controversy over the ‘ownership’ of Lagos will not go away anytime soon as more and more agent provocateurs are deployed on the worldwide web to drive a wedge between the historically liberal aborigines of Lagos and non-Yoruba residents of the mega city. That development is an unkind payback to the Read More…