Public Affairs Analyst

  Nigeria is on the march again to have its eighth general elections in this Fourth Republic. Party primaries are underway in the 22 registered political parties, with the All-Progressives Congress, the ruling party, leading the pack. The party held its House of Representatives and senatorial primaries on May 16 and 18, respectively. Today, May 20, the party will hold its State House of Assembly primaries. Lesson from the APC primaries conducted so far shows that we still have a long way to go in our democratic journey. The party obviously needs to improve its internal democratic process. Amid the preparations for the next elections is the growing insecurity and dearth of welfare for the citizens. Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, as altered, said the security and welfare of citizens shall be the primary purpose of government. Unfortunately, past and present governments have failed to deliver on these two desiderata for good governance. I hate to speak ill of ...

  Politics is the authoritative allocation of values, according to David Easton. Harold Lasswell in 1936 said, “It is about who gets what, when and how.”   As I predicted in January this year, 2026 is a year of high-wire politics. This is because Nigeria is preparing for its eighth general elections in this Fourth Republic, which started in 1999. Recall that we have a quadrennial electoral process where general elections are held every four years. We have successfully had polls in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023. The eighth one is scheduled for January 16 and February 6, 2027.   Gradually, the political temperature of Nigeria is heating up. A lot has happened since January that I need to bring you up to speed on. It will be recalled that President Bola Tinubu, on February 18, 2026, signed the sixth Electoral Act into law. The passage of this piece of critical legislation was deliberately delayed by the National Assembly for whatever selfish reason(s). Niger...

  Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been buzzing with activities in the recent past. Since November 2025, the ministry has been involved in nomination of career ambassadors and the induction of about 65 ambassadors recently appointed by President Bola Tinubu. In March 2026, in adherence to the president’s charge for all minister and aides nursing political ambitions to resign, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar was among those who voluntarily resigned. We learnt he wants to vie for the governorship seat in his home state of Bauchi.   And just last week, President Tinubu upgraded Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu to the substantive position of Minister of Foreign Affairs. She’s the third female to occupy that prestigious office after Dr.   Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (2006) and Prof. Joy Ogwu (2006–2007). Information garnered from the website of Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs says “Nigeria, as a significant player o...

Hafeez: “Hello, Jyde O, happy birthday in arrears. I learnt your birthday was yesterday.” Jide: “Thanks, my dear brother.” Hafeez: “How’s work, and family?” Jide: “Lafiya lau” Hafeez: “Who taught you Hausa?” Jide: “Commot there! You think because you’re a Hausa man, only you can speak the language?” Hafeez: “My paddy, there is no time to check the time. I called you for two things. First is to greet you on your birthday. Second, I am contesting for the position of senator in the next general elections, and I need your financial support. You know politics is capital-intensive.” Jide: “Hafeez, financial support from a struggling man like me? What do I have to offer a ‘big’ man like you? You’re a banker and well-connected in government circles.” Hafeez: “My friend, every kobo counts. Haven’t you heard about crowdfunding before? Remember, that’s how POTUS, Barack Obama, was able to fund his election in 2008 and reelection in 2012.” Jide: “My dear brother, I know, but the ...

To the glory of God, I’m able to witness another birthday celebration in the land of the living; in good health and prospect of a better future. The outgone year has been very challenging for me. I was heavily indebted and struggles through life. Billing was suffocating. My consultancy business suffered setback, no thanks to POTUS, Donald J. Trump who shut down United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Some of the NGOs that I consult for are USAID funded.  So, with the closure last year, things took a turn for the worse in terms of patronage. But hey! Am still on my feet standing and surviving the odds. The heartwarming news for me in the last one year is the academic successes of my biological and foster children as they graduate and went for their National Youth Service Corps scheme. Many of them are now gainfully employed. As the popular Yoruba proverb said, “Oun tan lo na nuun; baba to fe’binrin omo re.” (that means, gradually the news of a useless father wh...

  On April 19, last Sunday, I arrived in the ancient town of Ile-Ife via Ibadan. I was there on official assignment courtesy of The Kukah Centre. It was a stakeholders’ validation meeting on the Context Analysis and Compliance Assessment of Political Parties Reports that had been drafted by the centre. Recall that the off-cycle governorship election in Osun State is scheduled for August 15, 2026, by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The interest of TKC is to know if due process was followed by the political parties in the nomination of their candidates, as well as the security and political climate of the State of the Living Spring. I am not a stranger to Ife. I have been to the town several times, but it’s been a long time since I had the privilege of sleeping over in the ancient town. Ile-Ife is believed to be the cradle of the Yoruba race. Online sources have this to say about the town: Ile-Ife is recognised as the spiritual and cultural “cradle of civilisation” f...