Am I a sissy after all? Last night, my eyes filled with tears as I considered the timely intervention of Western allied forces that temporarily saved the people of Libya from further humiliation by their leader. I hated the coordinated deadly attacks from US, Britain and France, for the simple reason that it could happen […]
Columnists
Profile of a Statesman
IN my humble view, Nigeria has had only three statesmen at its highest level of governance. These are Zik, Balewa, and OBJ. A statesman is a senior male politician widely respected for integrity and an impartial concern for the common good. If we go beyond the politician, I would add the names of Ernest Shonekan […]
Yar’Adua’s ‘Untimely’ Death
Vanguard 12 May 2010 THERE is an aspect of the life and times of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua worth examining. This aspect holds the key to understanding the way that the late president sought to exercise power and to reshape the post-Obasanjo presidency he inherited. When, on 29 May 2007, the late president declared the […]
Guns Against the Journalist
Vanguard, May 5, 2010 IT was as if someone poured cold water over me the other day when I read from a friend’s posting on Facebook that Tayo Lukula, a journalist, was murdered, somewhere in Ogun State. I do not recall ever meeting Tayo face-to-face, but I remember him with pleasure as one of the […]
The Abuja Way
I sat in a popular fast-food joint the other day and listened to two friends argue over “office” matters. It was obvious that the two were close friends, and from the nicknames they shared, it was also apparent that they knew each other well, long before they came to settle in Abuja and work in […]
Memo to Bala Mohammed Kaura
I feel a sense of urgency in writing this letter to you, Alhaji Bala, regarding your recent appointment and confirmation as Minister of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory. I wish to draw your attention to the fact that the FCT Administration supervises a territory that is oppressive and wicked to the poor. It is a matter […]
Second Guessing Jesus
On the Easter period just ended, I reflected on the mindless quest for materialism by Nigerian Christians, especially our pastors and priests. It is worrisome what this tendency is doing to our collective sense of values. Christians are united in the person of Jesus Christ. The Christian faithful is called upon to model their lives […]
The Coming Acid Rain
LAST week, my wife and I received text messages warning us of the possibility of acid rain in Abuja, Nigeria. The message was said to have originated from NASA in the United States, thus lending it the required weight and authority. My wife was afraid but I dismissed the message instantly. With the authority of […]
Macebuh was not a Nigerian
THE recent passage of Dr. Stanley N. Macebuh closes a chapter in Nigeria’s golden age of journalism, inspired by two New York imports. Macebuh was one, Dele Giwa the other. Macebuh and Giwa were both hired from New York to work in Daily Times. In his tribute to Giwa, who was assassinated in 1986, Macebuh […]
The British Virgin
RICH and powerful Abuja businessmen are in love with the British Virgin. There are 60 such “virgins” but the affluent in Abuja are attracted to only four of them. These four do not bear British-sounding names: Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke. Of the original 60 virgins, 44 can still claim to be […]