When Major General Rabe Abubakar (Retd), former army spokesperson, died in captivity on Saturday, June 13, all hell broke loose. Understandably. He was not an ordinary Nigerian. But knowing the country well, all it takes to forget him is another high-profile abduction. And that nearly happened when news broke on Tuesday that terrorists attacked the National […]

The decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to name June 12 as Nigeria’s “Democracy Day” was motivated by self-serving politics, not principled conviction. Before he became president in 2015, Buhari never once publicly condemned the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election. However, in 2018, as he prepared to seek re-election the following year and faced […]

Imagine sitting in on a virtual meeting where twelve people had their cameras off. The presenter kept asking questions into what felt like a void. No one responded. No reactions. No acknowledgment. Just silence. Then someone typed “??” – a thumbs-up  emoji – in the chat. That single emoji changed the entire energy of the room. […]

Nigeria is not at the FIFA World Cup 2026 holding in Mexico, Canada and the United States. This is already well known because failure cannot easily be assuaged with momentary exhilaration or euphoric response to a mundial that has already earned the status of the biggest footballing event ever, 48 national teams playing in three countries. […]

Last week ended on another note of triumph for the terrorists who are sworn to make life unlivable for Nigerians while the rest of the country mourns. We all came to the sad realization of the death in captivity of General Rabe Abubakar. He had been abducted with his wife about four weeks ago by terrorists […]

“And as his genius was destitute of judgement, he attempted every art, except the important ones of war and government.” — Edward Gibbon on Emperor Gallienus Edward Gibbon judged him a most contemptible prince. The Roman Emperor Gallienus, son of the unfortunate Emperor Valerian, was said to have received with disturbing coldness the fate that befell […]

Yesterday morning (Tuesday), Mike Arnold, an American Christian cleric, politician and founder of Africa Arise International, stirred social media. In a Facebook post he said: “The Iran deal looks done, and it’s pretty much their unconditional surrender. Trump will emerge stronger than ever. Buckle up, Nigeria is next.” Within a few hours, the message had racked […]

This  week, we continue the narrative on boycott of elections in Nigeria Chief Ojike did not introduce the slogans for people to boycott elections. Chief Ojike was born in 1912 in Akeme in Arochukwu, Southeastern Nigeria. He attended the Arochukwu Primary School, finishing in 1926 and taking up a teaching appointment with a mission. He returned […]

Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, the United States–based daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, came visiting Nigeria. An academic, she appeared to be on sabbatical and decided to spend it as an elected leader in the country. Ms. Obasanjo had been out of the political scene for fifteen years. So, she dropped in like a political exile but with […]

For the layman, FIFA means Federation of International Football Associations. It was formed 122 years ago on May 21, 1904 in Rue Saint-Honore in Paris, France. Incidentally, its first president was a French man named Robert Guérin who served for two years, 1904-1906. After him came Daniel Burley Woolfall (England): 1906–1918, Jules Rimet (France): 1921–1954, […]

Thanks be to God for life.    You are a testifier.  That we are alive to witness the first half of the sixth month is indeed a testimony. Beloved, the greatest testimony is that of life and the salvation of our souls. Sleeping and waking up, isn’t by our power.  It is God that gives […]

“I thought of Napoleon, 1769-1821, who said the word “impossible” does not exist or should not exist” – German philosopher. After the nomination of former President Goodluck Jonathan as the presidential candidate of a faction of the moribund Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on May 30, 2026, in Abuja, I am beginning to believe that nothing is […]

At last, members of Nigeria’s House of Representatives have passed the bill for state police in the country. The proposed new policing system which is aimed at addressing rising insecurity across the country saw 289 out of the 290 members in attendance voting in favour of state police while only one member abstained. But because […]

By evening, the winged termites would arrive in dense swarms around every bulb in the compound, and the entire place would change character. Children would drift out

The tournament did not erase inequality or power or conflict, but it suspended them just long enough to suggest an alternative way of seeing the world