Public Affairs Analyst

  Fraternal greetings to you all from Bauchi where I’m attending a two-day capacity building workshop for journalists from both print and electronic media. The gathering tagged, Journalists against Corruption Workshop, is organised by the Centre for Information Technology and Development better known as CITAD, a non-governmental organisation with its head office in Kano. The funding support came from MacArthur Foundation, an international NGO. I was one of the resource persons at the programme.\ It was not my first time in Bauchi, I have been there several times but my last time here is five years ago. I was thus very impressed with the developments in the state. Bauchi now has an Air Force base and a brand new network of roads among other infrastructures.   In case you do not know, what is today known as Bauchi State was created in 1976 from the North-Eastern State. With a population of about 5 million according to the 2006 census. Unknown to many, Bauchi State has a tota...

  It’s season of politics and it is important to continue to enlighten different actors and stakeholders in the electoral process on what the legal regime says. There are several legal provisions guiding election in Nigeria. They include the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended; the Electoral Act 2022 and the Guidelines, Handbooks, Manuals, as well as Codes issued by the Electoral Management Bodies, i.e. the Independent National Electoral Commission (in accordance with section 148 of the E.A. 2022) and the 36 State Independent Electoral Commissions.   There are also international covenants, protocols and conventions such as those of ECOWAS, African Union and United Nations. Each political parties also have their constitutions and electoral guidelines. There are a number of sunshine provisions in the country’s electoral laws. By that I mean anti-corruption provisions. These provisions are to be found in the Nigerian Constitution, Electoral Act and ...

  The unprecedented is happening in Nigeria’s electoral process in the lead up to the 2023 general election. At no point in the country’s history was the political process so highly monetised. It is a bizarre bazaar. The All Progressives Congress, which is the ruling party, is leading the pack. Jesse Unruh, speaker of the California Assembly from 1961 to 1968, is quoted to have said, “Money is the mother’s milk of politics… For better or worse, mostly worse, I think money is seen as the life force and energy behind politics and elections.” Here’s what some of the 18 registered political parties contesting the forthcoming general election are charging as Expression of Interest and Nomination fees according to BBC (Pidgin) of April 22, 2022.   APC nomination form price list is as follows: House of Assembly, N2 million; House of Reps, N10 million; Senate, N20 million; Governorship, N50 million and Presidential, N100 million. Nomination forms for female aspirants and persons wit...

  ACCORDING to Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, human beings’ basic needs are three-fold — food, clothing and shelter. Most people, whether rich or poor, aspire to build or own their own houses or offices. In fact, wealth assessment in Nigeria is done not only in terms of cash at hand or in the bank but houses and other properties owned. Thus, if you own houses in cities and towns across the country, you’re deemed to be very successful and wealthy. Unfortunately, when houses or buildings come down like a pack of cards, killing and maiming its occupants, it becomes a source of concern. For the umpteenth time, another building collapsed in Lagos on the night of May 1, 2022. It happened at Ibadan Street in the Ebute Metta area of the “State of Aquatic Splendour.” May we not sleep to death. News reports have it that the building, which has been marked for demolition having been discovered to be distressed, gave way around 10:30 pm when many of its occupants were already asleep. I...