“ It is not easy to be a pioneer — but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world.” – Elizabeth Blackwell When discussing colour printing in Nigeria, one recalls that in the beginning was Academy Press, sixty years ago. Before then, there was no Read More…
The United States of America recently declared that there was a religious war, specifically the persecution of Christians, going on in Nigeria. The Nigerian government promptly denied the claim. But the basic truth is that, whereas one may not want to join habitual pyromaniacs in further setting the country on fire, there is an undeclared Read More…
In Africa, kingship has been considered sacred from time immemorial. We invented the Divine Right of Kings before Europe copied and popularised it. We ascribed ultimate power to the Unmade Maker under whom many gods operated. Next to the gods were the kings. Thus, in Yoruba culture, the king is, “Alase ekeji orisa” (equivalent of Read More…
“Mercy is the compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. The object of our mercy may be grotesquely flawed. He may appear so inhuman as to be considered subhuman. But spiritual masters in all the known religions and mystic houses agree that the needle of human Read More…
May God save us from our ‘frienemies’; that is, enemies who pose as friends. Can you imagine the middlemen who have held the petroleum distribution sector by the jugular over the years, screaming that they have been doing it all for the sake of the people? Can you beat that? In an earlier intervention on Read More…
It is not fitting for a king to have good luck charms. He is already a king, second-in-command to the gods. Does he want to become God? Generally, especially in the traditional societies of Africa, to be a king is to attain the highest position any mortal can aspire to. Whether the position is hereditary Read More…
Once in a blue moon, something happens that throws you back to the distant past — almost like reliving the thrills of writing a cover story for DRUM several decades ago. A man, Emeka, who had died in Nigeria in 1999 showed up in the Gambia ten years later, married a lady named Amina and fathered Read More…
We are in a season of canonised madnesses. In this era where the old definition of decency makes no sense to the Gen-z, somebody has got to tell the truth as it is, even if it runs contrary to your psychedelic unwisdom. The intricate immoral dribbles navigated by the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, to Read More…
By Wole Olaoye Professor Okello Oculi was a cat with many lives. He outlived the several dictators who would have been delighted to roast him, but he has left a long trail of inconsolable mourners in Nigeria where he made a home and raised a family. In all, he lived in Nigeria for 48 years, Read More…
Ostensibly, it was meant to be a compliment of sorts. But it has backfired massively all over Africa. US President Donald Trump had invited five West African presidents to the White House to discuss “trade instead of aid”. While there were various speculations as regards the real reason behind the invitation— especially as the continental Read More…
