Public Affairs Analyst

The die is cast! All is set for the Edo electorate to choose a new leader to govern them for the next four years. The governorship election had been shifted from the earlier scheduled date of September 10 at the prompting of the police and Department of State Services to enable them deal decisively with undisclosed security threats. The journey had been tortuous since the Independent National Electoral Commission, in March 2016, published the timetable and schedule of activities for the state governorship election. The actors and stakeholders keyed into the announcement and had been gearing up for today, September 28, 2016. Come November 12, the Dennis Osadebey Government House in Benin will have a new host, the fourth governor in the state since 1999. Chief Lucky Igbinedion governed the state from 1999 to 2007. Prof. Osarehmien Osunbor took over from him until November 11, 2008 when the Court of Appeal nullified his election and declared the incumbent Adams Oshiomhole as the winner

It is no longer news that Nigeria is in economic recession. Inflation is officially at 17.1 per cent, unemployment is said to be at over 18 per cent while more people are dropping below poverty line for not being able to afford one dollar per day. The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been greatly criticized for being long on lamentation and blame game of past administrations for our present economic woes. Opposition Peoples Democratic Party has called on the president severally to resign; a call that has been scorned by the ruling All Progressives Congress. Of recent, different ideas are being pushed forward to tow the nation out of her economic quagmire. Some have called for restructuring, diversification, reduction in the cost of governance and just as the National Assembly resumed from its six weeks recess last Tuesday, September 20, 2016, there have been cacophony of voices about the need or otherwise for the country to sell some of her critical national assets.

Congratulations to Team Nigeria’s contingent to the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games for their sterling performance which fetched the country the best performing African nation at the global event. For the umpteenth time, our special athletes wiped our tears, did us proud and burnished the dented image of our dear country. Unlike their Olympian counterparts who participated in 10 events with over 80 athletes and won one bronze medal in men’s football to take 78th position overall, 23 paralympians participated in three events – para-athletics, powerlifting and para-table tennis – to cart away 12 medals (eight gold, two silver and two bronze) which placed them 14th position on the final medals table and number one in Africa. Of course, the victories did not come cheap. According to the report in Sunday PUNCH of September 18, 2016, “Nigeria’s preparations for both events were in tatters, right from when the athletes began camping in May in Abuja and Lagos, and it remained so until both cont

"The implementation of the Goals must be underpinned by a strong and active civil society that includes the weak and the marginalised. We must defend civil society's freedom to operate and do this essential job. On this International Day of Democracy, let us rededicate ourselves to democracy and dignity for all." — UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon September 15 of every year has been earmarked by the United Nations as International Day of Democracy. The theme for this year’s celebration which took place last Thursday is “Democracy and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.   According to the information gleaned from the website of the UN, ”In September 2015, all 193 Member States of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development -- a plan for achieving a better future for all, laying out a path over 15 years to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and protect our planet. At the heart of the Agenda are the Sustainable

By now, we would have known the next occupier of the Osadebey House in Benin City. I mean the next Governor of Edo State, a state that prides itself as the heartbeat of the nation. That will have to wait till September 28, 2016 when the over 1.9 million eligible voters across the 18 Local Government Areas and 192 Wards of the state are expected to file out to cast their votes. Right from March 2016 when the Independent National Electoral Commission issued the timetable for the governorship election meant to hold on September 10, 2016, various stakeholders had keyed into preparations for the all-important off cycle election. INEC on its part had conducted the Continuous Voter Registration to enable those who missed out of the pre-2015 general election registration to enlist on the biometric register. The commission had equally spent a lot of resources procuring sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the polls, recruited and trained poll officials, conducted massive voter education

“It is safe to say today that honesty, hard work, Godliness have given way to all kinds of manifestations of lawlessness and degeneration in our national life. This is why we have among our cardinal objectives ‘change’, which implies the need for a change of attitude and mindset in our everyday life.” -           President Muhammadu Buhari at the launch of “Change Begins With Me” on September 7, 2016. Last Thursday, September 7, 2016 at the Presidential Villa in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari launched a new national re-orientation campaign, titled “Change Begins With Me”.   In attendance were people from all walks of life from ministers to governors, media practitioners, business moguls, members of parliament, representatives of the judiciary as well as members of the civil society. The president was at his oratorical best as he waxes philosophical about Nigeria’s ethical challenges.   There were so many sound bites from the president’s speech. He was very much on point in

It is no longer news that Nigeria’s economy is in recession. Austerity measures are now trending at both personal and corporate levels. Growth is shrinking; inflation is now officially 17.1 per cent; interest rate on lending is in double digits; unemployment soars and poverty deepens. A time like this calls for introspection and retrospection. At a personal level, I have been “restructuring”. As my disposable income becomes lean, I have had to adjust my lifestyle accordingly. No more expensive clothes and shoes.   I now cook more and eat out less. Oh, you’re asking why I cook? Well, it’s part of the “restructuring”. Other family members now live in less expensive parts of the country while I alone slug it out in Abuja and retreat frequently to meet the rest of the family in our new home. Unfortunately, many Nigerians still live in Fantasy Land. They still hold lavish parties and indulge in their excesses, even doing so on credit. There are many who still can’t eat without soft drink

There has been series of jailbreaks in Nigeria in recent time. Four has happened in the last three months. A report in Daily Trust of August 20, 2016 entitled “Prison break galore: Why jailbreaks persist in Nigeria” chronicled them as follows: Kuje Medium Prison jailbreak of June 24, 2016.   That incident led to the escape of two high profile inmates, Solomon Amodu and Maxwell Ajukwu (both standing trial for culpable homicide).   They are still at large. Again, on July 30, 2016, thirteen inmates escaped from the Koton Karfe Minimum Prison in Kogi State. The Nigeria Prisons Service claimed it had recaptured six of the escapees who are pre-trial detainees. However, the remaining five are still at large. On August 8, 2016, there was another jailbreak in Nsuka, Enugu State where 15 inmates, comprising 10 pre-trial detainees and three convicts allegedly escaped from the prison. Just ten days after, there was an attempted jailbreak, this time, in Ebonyi State.   The Abakaliki Prison,