Public Affairs Analyst

  Today, October 12, 2021 marks the 31 st anniversary of my foray into media advocacy. What started in 1990 as a child’s play has become a vocation for me. The seed of writing was sown into my heart by Emeritus Professor O B C Nwolise, a renowned Political Scientist who encouraged me and the entire Extra Mural class students he thought in 1987 / 88 to stop agonising but engage in constructive advocacy for better governance through the use of media. I did not heed this worthy advice until two years after. Anyway, it has been worthwhile. Today, occasional writing in the 1990s has become a serious endeavour as I have been engaged by two newspapers to write weekly for them. First was The PUNCH in October 2012 through the influence of the Features Editor, Joel Nwokeoma and Authority on Sunday through the invitation of Chesa Ransome Chesa between 2015 / 2016. Added to my weekly writing for newspapers in the last nine years is the opportunity granted me by Mrs. Amber Olague, the Genera...

  Last Friday, Nigeria celebrated her 61st independence anniversary having got freedom from British colonialists on October 1, 1960. I have the privilege of discussing the import of that independence and the President’s Independence Day speech on a number of media platforms, both radio and television. I also listened and read other people’s opinions on Nigeria at 61. There is a unanimity of views that though we are not where we used to be, at the same time, we are not where we ought to be. The President in his broadcast said: “I fully understand the anxiety of many Nigerians on the inability of this country to go beyond a never-ending potential for becoming a great nation to an actually great one.” What then is the missing link to our national development? I dare say a part of it is lack of equity, justice and fairness. There are some pointers to this. Right now, there is a raging controversy over the issue of power shift or rotational presidency between the North and South, the ...

  Periodic elections are one of the cardinal principles of any democracy. It is not enough to hold elections but such polls must be deemed free, fair, peaceful and credible.   This is a sensitive exercise given the fact that it is a political and governance leadership recruitment exercise. Nigeria’s electoral democracy started in 1923 after the enactment of the 1922 Clifford Constitution.   This 98-year old journey has been characterised by all manner of intrigues, charades and shenanigans so much so that the Transition Monitoring Group official report after the 2003 general election was titled, “Do the votes count?” It is noteworthy that badly conducted elections were stated among the reasons for many of the military coups. Let me affirm that controversial elections are not peculiar to Nigeria. It is a global phenomenon. In fact, the last presidential election in the US was widely condemned by the members of the Republican Party especially those loyal to former Preside...

  When the National Assembly resumed from its two months’ annual vacation last Tuesday, September 14, 2021, the lawmakers were greeted with a request by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for approval of another external borrowing. According to a media report, President Buhari is said to be seeking the approval of the National Assembly to borrow fresh sums of $4,054,476,863 and €710 million in an addendum to the 2018 – 2020 borrowing plan. The President also asked the lawmakers to approve grant components of $125 million. Recall that in July, the National Assembly approved $8.3 billion and €490 million loans contained in the initial 2018 – 2020 borrowing plan. But in the letter, Buhari explained that owing to “emerging needs”, he requires to raise more funds for some “critical projects”. He was quoted as saying that: “I write on the above subject and submit the attached addendum to the proposed 2018 – 2020 external rolling borrowing plan for the consideration ...

  The million-dollar question many are asking on the aftermath of the recent coup in Guinea is: Can there be a military coup in Nigeria again? Recall that on Sunday, September 5, 2021, Alpha Conde, the 83-year-old president of the country, was removed from office by the coupists led by the 41-year-old Colonel Mamady Doumbouya. They cited corruption and bad governance among the reasons that led them to seize power. Many political observers are however of the opinion that the amendment of the Guinean Constitution in 2019 to pave the way for Conde, who was the first democratically elected president of Guinea, to contest the third term, was part of the immediate causes of his forceful removal. He decided to follow in the stead of his predecessor, Lansana Conte – a man Conde fought hard and long to depose – who abolished term and age limits on the presidency in 2001 and died in office in 2008. A September 8, 2021 Reality Check by the British Broadcasting Corporation news online report...

  The Federal Government will in consequence apply the law to remedy the deficiencies outlined in the audit report as appropriate. This will include but not limited to initiation of criminal investigations, prosecution, recovery of funds not properly utilised for the public purposes for which they were meant for, review of the laws to reposition and restructure the NDDC for the efficiency of better service delivery amongst others. In all these instances of actions, legal due processes will strictly be complied with.”   – Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, on September 2, 2021 while receiving the NDDC forensic audit report. Finally, the long-awaited forensic audit report on the Niger Delta Development Commission has been submitted to the President. It was received on behalf of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), last Thursday, September 2, 2021 by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami. The ...