Public Affairs Analyst

It’s May 29! So soon the Buhari administration is a year in office. Exactly this day last year, President Muhammadu Buhari was inaugurated as the fourth executive president of Nigeria in this Fourth Republic after his epochal win of the March 28, 2015 presidential election. It was a tortuous journey to victory as it was the president’s fourth attempt at becoming a civilian president even though he has been privileged to serve as Nigeria’s Head of State from December 31, 1983 to August 27, 1985. The man Buhari though a professional soldier have had the privilege of serving in various government in different capacities. He had been a Military Governor, a former Petroleum Minister, a former chairman of Petroleum Trust Fund among others.   Though the incumbent president rode to electoral victory on the mantra of change, many people are still wondering if indeed the change has come. If we go by ‘Buharimeter’,   an online platform set up by the Centre for Democracy and Develo...

Formed in 1998 by a Group of 18 and later 34 eminent personalities which cut across different bourgeoisie class – military, business, political, bureaucratic elites, the political association known as Institute of Civil Society was later registered as Peoples Democratic Party by the Independent National Electoral Commission as a political party alongside the All Peoples Party (later transmuted to All Nigeria’s Peoples Party) and Alliance for Democracy. That was in 1998 December after the conduct of the Local Government election of that year. Since its formal registration, PDP has come a long way winning majority of seats at all levels of governance (federal, state and local government) in four out of the five electoral cycles viz. 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011 before meeting its political waterloo during the 2015 General Elections it fell electorally to its arch-rival and political nemesis, All Progressive Congress which was formed in 2013. Buoyed by its strings of contrived elector...

“There is no subsidy to remove because no provision was made for subsidy in the 2016 budget. Last year, the government paid out N1tn in subsidy, and that’s one sixth of this year’s budget. We can’t afford to pay another N1tn in subsi dy” —Alhaji Lai Muhammed, Minister for Information and Culture, while addressing the media on Monday, May 16, 2016. Since the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, announced the hike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol last Wednesday, May 11, Nigerians have been sharply divided on the increase. While some support the move, others have kicked against it. In the past few days, I have been on several radio and television programmes to offer my candid opinion on this controversial matter. While many Nigerians who called in saw reasons with me on why we needed to support this move by government, a few others disagreed with some even calling me a government paid agent. Well, I take it in my stride as one of...

Begging is as old as human existence. Virtually everyone begs for one thing or the other given the fact that human resources are not infinite. People beg for assistance which could be in kind or in cash. In Nigeria, the phenomenon of street begging has become a popular culture. From the north to the south, east to the west, beggars are found on major streets and highway pleading for alms. These mendicants are also found at motor parks, market places, banks, vicinities of worship centres like mosques and churches, theaters and party venues. Many of them are in rags, filthy and unkempt. However, there is another category of beggars who are called corporate beggars. They are well dressed and very articulate, even in English language. They usually come up with tales to hoodwink people to give them money. Some will say they travel from far distances to see relations whom they did not know have left their last known addresses and as such they are stranded and need to be supported with t...

There is no gainsaying that Nigeria is on tenterhook given the myriads of security challenges the country faces at present.   Everywhere you turn, security reports give goose pimples. It will seem banditry has become the order of the day.   Incidences of armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, and insurgency are daily dominating the headlines. Was it like this in the past? No! I recall with nostalgia the days of yore when life was blissful and peaceful in Nigeria. Those were days when farmers sell farm produce by using pebbles to indicate the cost while they go on with other chores and buyers buy and put the monies their for farmers to come later and pick.   That was when night life was devoid of fear and molestation and people can go partying till day break without let or hindrance. I am talking of a point in time when Nigerians were not living in fortresses and cages as they are wont now; that was when perimeter fence of a house was part of decoration which is optional and...

“As I said in my New Year message, living in the State House does not in any way alienate me from your daily struggles. I read the newspapers and listen to the TV and radio news. I hear your cries. I share your pains…. The budget is intended to signpost a renewal of our commitment to restoring the budget as a serious article of faith with the Nigerian people. This Administration is committed to ensuring that henceforth the annual appropriation bill is presented to the National Assembly in time for the passage of the Act before the beginning of the fiscal year.” – President Muhammadu Buhari while signing the 2016 Appropriation Bill on Friday, May 6, 2016 It is heartwarming that after protracted controversies on Nigeria’s 2016 Federal Government budget which was presented to the parliament on December 22, 2015 and passed by the National Assembly on March 23, 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari eventually signed the appropriation bill of N6.06tn into law on last Friday. It is commend...

The international workers’ day also known as May Day was celebrated last Monday. May 1 of every year has been dedicated since 1880s to celebrate the labour force globally.   In Nigeria, the day was marked with march past at stadia and symposia. Most significantly is the formal demand by Nigeria labour unions viz. Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress for a new minimum wage of N56, 000. This has been generating a lot of furore since it was made public. While a segment of Nigerian society believed that the workers unions are in order to demand for upward review of their wages; a sizable number of people have been castigating the labour unions for making unreasonable, ill-timed, and unrealistic demand. The latter group believed that with about 27 states allegedly owing backlog of salaries and pensions under the current minimum wage of N18,000; while many private enterprises are not able to break even let alone make profit due to the high cost of doing business in Ni...

Nigerians are indeed a special breed. Our scant regard for the environment is legendary. All across the nooks and crannies of the country are people who, perhaps out of ignorance or mischief, treat their natural habitat with disdain. This is quite unfortunate! All facets of our lives are replete with negative examples on how a civilised people should not relate with their surroundings.   Take for instance our solid waste disposal methods. I’m sure many of us reading this have seen and are indeed complicit in reckless waste management. Some of us empty our dustbins in the gutters thereby blocking drainage and causing flood. Many of us are also fond of the dirty habit of throwing our thrash through the windows of moving vehicles.   Open defecation is still the norm in many rural and urban communities as there is no provision of toilet facilities in many homes. A November 2015 report by the United Nations Children’s Fund revealed that over 50m Nigerians do not have access ...