PFIPC scandal: The joke is on Aso Rock, by Ikechukwu Amaechi
Nigeria is one country where scandals break at the speed of light. As a public commentator, you can hardly keep pace. On May 15, terrorists raided three schools in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting 46 people, including 39 schoolchildren. The victims, who include seven teachers and a toddler, have spent almost two […]
Assassination attempt on Peter Obi: If I were President Tinubu, by Ikechukwu Amaechi
A common African adage says that “if a witch cries in the night and a child dies in the morning, we do not go to the soothsayer to ask what killed the child.” Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, is very much aware of this truism. In July 2025, he declared, quite unreasonably, that the presidential candidate […]
Is Nigeria still a secular state? By Ikechukwu Amaechi
When TheNiche, an online newspaper, exclusively reported on February 13, that a few hours after announcing the 2027 elections timetable, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was set to tinker with the schedule due to pressure from some Muslim groups, many were incredulous. Earlier that day, INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, after waiting endlessly for the […]
When democracy becomes just a word, by Ikechukwu Amaechi
Nigerians love clichés to bits. More often than not, you hear them regurgitate the famous “democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried” quip by former British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. The idea that democracy is the best form of government is a widely held principle in […]
As Uma Eleazu rebuilds the ramparts of Nigeria’s democracy, by Ikechukwu Amaechi
In the past decade, I developed a habit: whenever Nigeria confuses me as it often does, I visit one of the country’s elder statesmen to help me get a handle on otherwise senseless situations. No protocols. All I do is visit, most times unannounced. The cathartic experience from such discussions is always profound. Sadly, many […]
Tinubu’s globetrotting: Matters arising, by Ikechukwu Amaechi
When President Bola Tinubu stumbled and fell on Tuesday as he walked alongside the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a welcome ceremony in Ankara, his spin doctors went into overdrive in explaining away the incident. That was expected. But in doing so, they lied. His Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, […]
