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Phone conversation with Hafeez, my politician friend

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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 ...
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Asorogbayi Jide Ojo at 57

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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...
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Exemplary conduct of three Yoruba traditional rulers

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  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...
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President Tinubu goofed comparing Nigeria to Kenya

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  My school principal at Bishop Onabanjo High School, Bodija, Ibadan, Mrs Dupe Adeleke, said to us during our valedictory service in 1985 that “comparism is odious”. A Yoruba proverb has it that adanwo se ototo, which means individual challenges are different. President Bola Tinubu committed a gaffe in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, last Friday when he asked Nigerians to be thankful because, in his opinion, we were a lot better than Kenyans and many other Africans.   The PUNCH, in its April 10, 2026, online edition, reported that “President Bola Tinubu on Friday urged Nigerians to count their blessings relative to Kenya and other African countries, which he said were grappling with deeper economic crises. This was as he acknowledged that fuel prices were inflicting hardship on citizens and promised measures to ease the burden on vulnerable Nigerians.” I had the pleasure of dissecting this statement on News Central TV news at 10pm last Friday. I minced no words in calling out Presid...
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Radio Nigeria at 75: Viewpoints on Jide Ojo

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Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria clocked 75 years on April 1, 2026. As one of the content providers for the station for over twenty years, I decided to do a vox pop targeting producers, presenters and some selected management staff of the station that I have interacted with over the years. The intent is to gauge their thoughts on my style of analysis. The simple question I asked all of them is “FRCN just celebrated 75th anniversary of its establishment. I have been a resource person for the organisation for over twenty years. How will you rate my analysis?”. Here are the responses I got so far: 1.      “Indeed, your analysis and discussion have amazingly contributed towards the socio-economic and political development of the country. Very good 👍 Thank you.” - Sani Suleiman Masun Wunti, former Director News FRCN. 2.      “Your inputs have been helpful in shaping public opinion and in awakening state actors to the need for people-orient...
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FRCN @75: My odyssey with Radio Nigeria

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  An online source said, “Guglielmo Marconi is generally credited with inventing the first practical radio system in the mid-1890s, earning him the Nobel Prize in Physics and the title “father of radio”. However, the invention was a culmination of work by several inventors, with Nikola Tesla holding key patents and Heinrich Hertz discovering radio waves.” According to Lifeline Energy, in a world filled with mobile phones, tablets and computers, people often ask us, ‘Why radio’? The answer lies in its unparalleled reach extending to millions without internet access. Radio’s enduring power to educate and inform in everyday life and in emergencies is just as important today as it has always been for 100 years – and possibly even more so today.” According to UNESCO, “Radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse. Its unique ability to reach out to the widest audience means radio can shape a society’s exper...
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APC, PDP 2026 conventions and political realignments

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  It’s season of politics in Nigeria and quite a lot is going on in the political ecosystem of the most populous black nation in the world right now. The gale of defections subsists while political parties are busy with registration of new members and revalidation of old ones. Several political parties are also holding their congresses and conventions. Over the weekend, two of the twenty-one registered political parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress and the former governing party, Peoples Democratic Party both had their conventions in Abuja. While APC held its own at the Eagles Square from March 27 – 28, the PDP chose the Velodrome of the MKO Stadium for its own from March 29 – 30, 2026. APC had 8, 453 delegates in attendance while PDP had over 3,000. It's important to situate what just happened in the PDP and APC in the Nigerian Constitution. Section 223 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as altered says in subsection (1) that “The constitution ...
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