Public Affairs Analyst

According to Dictionary.com: “Volunteerism is the policy or practice of volunteering one's time or talents for charitable, educational, or other worthwhile activities, especially in one's community.” Volunteers are driven by passion to leave a noble legacy of service to humanity. Talking about the power of volunteerism, United Nations Volunteer Programme observed that   “People the world over engage in volunteerism for a great variety of reasons: to help to eliminate poverty and to improve basic health and education, to tackle environmental issues, to reduce the risk of disasters or to combat social exclusion and violent conflict. In all of these fields, volunteerism makes a specific contribution by generating well-being for people and their communities.” UNVP went further to emphatically state that attainment of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 is impossible without people offering free services to support it. Indeed, national development is u...

On February 7, 2017 Mr Ibe Kachikwu, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources said Nigeria will stop importing refined petroleum products by 2019. He made the disclosure at a public hearing on the review of petroleum pricing template for Premium Motor Spirit organised by the House of Representatives. The minister said, inter alia , that the country currently refined eight million out of the 20 million litres of petrol being consumed locally. He also espoused that the country is borrowing a leaf from other Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries by planning to stop export of crude oil in the near future and substituting that with export of refined petroleum products.   Good thinking, I dare say! I was guest on ”Burgami” a popular radio programme on Vision 92.1 FM Abuja last Thursday to discuss the feasibility or otherwise of this laudable effort. Without mincing words, I am of the firm believe that it is doable and possible to stop importation of refined petroleum ...

This is an interesting time in Nigeria. The most trending news in the country since January 19, 2017 has been that of the purported vacation of President Muhammadu Buhari in the United Kingdom which his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina said will also entail routine medical checkup for the number one citizen. The 10 day vacation was to be from Monday, January 23 - February 5.   It would be recalled that the president in June 2016 had similarly gone to UK to see Ear, Nose and Throat specialist for a nagging ear infection. No sooner had the president left for the current holiday than the rumour mill agog with the news of his alleged death while some other news said he is terminally ill and is on admission in a London Hospital. Expectedly, his media team rose in stout defence of the president, debunking the news of his death or ill health. Pictures of his meeting with Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, as well as another one in which he   and his wife wer...