Public Affairs Analyst

On Tuesday, June 16, 2020, Nigeria’s war against corruption claimed an eminent personality. Nigerian Army’s general court-martial found Hakeem Oladapo Otiki, a Major General due to retire this year, guilty of corruption charges and ordered that he should be sacked with “disgrace and dishonour”. What a tragic end to an otherwise illustrious career. Truly, call no man fortunate until you see the end of his life! Otiki was the General Officer Commanding, Nigerian Army, 8 Division in Sokoto in July 2019 when he sent five soldiers to haul cash from Sokoto to Abuja by road before the money allegedly got missing. The court, headed by the army’s Chief of Policy and Plans, Lt. Gen. Lamidi Adeosun, found the former GOC guilty of disobedience to service orders, theft of public property, diverting operational money and engaging in private businesses. The tribunal ordered he be demoted from Major General to Brigadier General and subsequently dismissed. The court also ordered that all the money ...

Politics, globally, is an interesting game. It can make or break.   There are those who have been very lucky in the game, just as there are many have suffered irreversible losses as a result of not knowing when to leave. There are those who learn the rope and serve under the tutelage of a politically savvy leader, yet, there are those who just got lucky because they have strength of courage and boldness to throw their hat into the ring even at a time considered most inauspicious. In politics, if you’re afraid of throwing a dice, you will definitely never throw six. It is often said that the only thing that is permanent in politics is interest. In the lead-up to the 2016 governorship election in Edo State, the former Secretary to the State Government, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, was the one most members of the inner caucus of Adams Oshiomhole favoured to succeed him. In a curious twist of fate, Oshiomhole neither backed his deputy, Dr. Pius Odubu, nor Ize-Iyamu. He rather picked a technoc...

Last Friday, May 29, 2020 marked the fifth anniversary of Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) as a civilian President. Buhari, as you may recall, was a former Head of State between December 31, 1983 and August 27, 1985. He could be said to be a favoured child having previously served a military administrator, minister, Chairman of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund, Head of State and now a civilian President. In the annals of Nigerian history, only he and Olusegun Obasanjo had served as both military head of state and thereafter as President. However, his journey to becoming the President did not come on a silver platter. He only got lucky at the fourth attempt after botched attempts in 2003, 2007 and 2011. But he made history as the first person in Nigeria to have defeated an incumbent president in an electoral contest! Buhari means several things to several people. His admirers call him “Mai Gaskiya” that is, one who is honest to a fault. He is portrayed as a puritan, austere ...