Public Affairs Analyst

  On Friday, August 23, 2024, history was made in Nigeria as the second female Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, was sworn in as the 23rd CJN by President Bola Tinubu. At 66 years of age, she is said to be the youngest woman and the fifth female Supreme Court Justice in Nigeria. Other female justices of the Supreme Court are Aloma Mukhtar, Helen Ogunwumiju, Mary Odili, and Clara Ogunbiyi. All things being equal, she will occupy that exalted position for four years. She’s expected to retire at the age of 70. The first female CJN was Hon. Justice Mariam Aloma-Mukthar who occupied that position from 2012 to 2014. I do hope the new CJN will build on the worthy legacy of her predecessors while avoiding their pitfalls. There is no gainsaying that the judiciary is one of the pillars of democracy globally. It is one of the three arms of government and the one where occupiers are not elected but appointed. For instance, the new CJN was nominated by the National Judic

  It is said that 60 per cent of the Nigerian population is made up of youth between 18 and 35 years old. Unfortunately, this is an estimated figure as Nigeria has not conducted any population and housing census since 2006. Attempts to have it done last year by the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari did not come to fruition as he postponed it indefinitely. President Bola Tinubu hasn’t come forth with a new date. There is no gainsaying that the youth of every nation is the strength of that country. They form the bulk of the students, military and other security agencies, sportsmen and women, entertainers, bureaucracy, farmers, innovators, artisans, traders and the like. Youths are citizens with valour, creative ideas and are goal-getters! Do you know that half of the people on our planet are 30 or younger, and this is expected to reach 57 per cent by the end of 2030?   Do you know that a survey shows that 67 per cent of people believe in a better future, with

  Nigeria has been on tenterhooks in the last one week since the commencement of #EndBadGovernance (or anti-hunger) protests on August 1, 2024. What started as a child’s play has resulted in humongous economic and social costs to the country. While the demonstrations were largely peaceful in the 17 states in southern Nigeria, it was bloody in many parts of the North. Fatalities were recorded in states like Niger, Borno, Kano, Jigawa and Kaduna. Some of the state governors have to declare curfew (in part or wholly) in order to stem the wanton destruction of public facilities and private property. Most shocking is the call for military takeover and hoisting of the Russian flag in some cities of northern Nigeria. In the 34 years I have been involved in media advocacy, I have been protesting against bad governance through my commentaries in print and broadcast media. As of the last count, which was Saturday, August 3, 2024, my views have been expressed in 73 print media (newspapers, maga