Tag: Muhammadu Buhari

Of A General, His Colonel, and Justice

The famed novelist, Salman Rushdie once opined that “Two things form the bedrock of any open society – freedom of expression and rule of law. If you don’t have those things, you don’t have a free country.” If these two are essential ingredients, then it may be debatable whether Nigeria, “Africa’s largest democracy”, is a “free country”; “free” in the sense that citizens are assured of the government and society’s commitment to the rule of law. Talking about commitment to the rule of law, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (Retd.) was just released after four years of confinement, with serious questions about the place of the rule of law in Nigeria.

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Metele: A Fork in History?

It is no longer news that Nigeria got screwed in the week of 18 November 2018. This article was triggered by a grievous tweet. My country just lost over 100 trained soldiers in one week. That’s enough to upset me.

Metele Boko Haram Attack: Soldiers’ death toll rises to 118; over 150 missing https://t.co/rYkX2iBoa5

— Premium Times (@PremiumTimesng) November 24, 2018

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Kemi Adeosun: Beyond a Resignation

It is no longer news that Mrs Folakemi Adeosun is no longer the Nigerian Minister of Finance. If like Jesus on the way to Emmaus, you are unaware of the events surrounding her exit, you might want to read the Premium Times (PT) article that set off the stack of dominoes. While Nigerians continue discussing her exit, amidst insinuations that the announcement was timed to obfuscate President Buhari’s latest SSS appointment, my view is that her resignation should not be an end in itself but rather, the start of a reflective process. Continue reading “Kemi Adeosun: Beyond a Resignation” →

S for Sarcasm Unscripted

Prologue: The following is a redacted chat between some members of a certain WhatsApp group. The banter is around President Buhari’s candidacy in the 2019 election. I decided to turn the transcript into a blog post. Only members of that group can identify the participants. If the “S” in “Sarcasm” has not already informed you, please be aware the following conversation is intended for humour.

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Ultra-Modern Deceptions

In Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Dispossessed”, a discussion between Shevek and Bedap provides a backdrop to today’s article.

“Who do you think is lying to us?” Shevek demanded.
Placid, Bedap met his gaze. “Who, brother? Who but ourselves?”

A look at Bedap’s response betrays a truism about human behaviour. More times than not, we lie to ourselves, deceiving ourselves or gleefully accepting the lies others tell us. In a case of blissful self-delusion, we seem to find it easier to face false constructs instead of reality. Continue reading “Ultra-Modern Deceptions” →

A Tale of a Corrupt Saint

What better quote to start this article than one by Vladimir Putin: “Those who fight corruption should be clean themselves.” In case you’re wondering if this was said by the famous (or infamous) Russian president, allow me to calm your nerves. Even I hoped this Putin is the Putin we love to hate, and alas he is the author of this starter quote. I think Putin preaching against corruption is like a beautiful oxymoron. That’s why this quote launches today’s article about Nigeria’s corrupt saint. Continue reading “A Tale of a Corrupt Saint” →

Celebrating 100 Days of Excuses

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy … therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.”

Jesus Christ (Luke 12:1 + Matthew 23:2)

In writing this article, I understand that some persons’ sensibilities would be offended; maybe a little more than some. Yet, I choose to write because we cannot continue to shy away from important issues that affect Nigeria’s existence. During the 2015 general elections campaign, the then General Muhammadu Buhari pledged to ban medical tourism by government officials. Today, we are celebrating 100 straight days of President Buhari’s sojourn in London, his second trip this year. Continue reading “Celebrating 100 Days of Excuses” →

RE: Two Years of Real Democracy

On the 29^th of May, as Nigerians celebrated “Democracy Day” and the midpoint of the Buhari-Osinbajo administration, I published an article using a selected metric to appraise their performance so far. As we have come to see in the last few years, Nigerians are generally passionate about the leaders they love or hate, and so my article attracted lots of offline reaction in some public chat groups and in personal chats I had with some persons. I have now chosen to do a public rejoinder to respond to some of the issues raised. Continue reading “RE: Two Years of Real Democracy” →

Two Years of Real Democracy

For today’s article marking Nigeria’s “Democracy Day”, a quote by Michelle Hodkin should provide a suitable explanatory introduction. The quote goes thus: “Thinking something does not make it true. Wanting something does not make it real.” Extending this, Philip Dick concisely says that “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” Combining these two quotes, I believe there is a strong enough foundation for this essay. Let us begin.

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Treating a Healthy President

I understand that the world is going through a lot right now with Trump fencing with his American comrades, Britain uncertain over Brexit, and the continued carnage in the Middle East. That is so much for the world to digest, but I would beg the world’s indulgence to allow me add more to its plate. You see, a president is missing. Well, not exactly missing, but missing all the same. Out of the abundance of my selfishness, I think we need to temporarily ignore the world’s problems and talk about this president. Continue reading “Treating a Healthy President” →