The convention of examining a new government after 100 days in office seems not only disturbing but also misleading. While many, if not all, politicians aspiring for office promise goodies to the people within 100 days, if elected, one should not lift the issue to undue prominence. Governance is a continuous process; hence…
Rulers Who Feast in the Morning
By CHINAZO-BERTRAND OKEOMAH Every great leader obeys a law called the law of delayed gratification. Simply put, the law expects one to shift enjoyment of certain benefits to the future if such act will make the future better. Thus anything we do today that puts our future in jeopardy is a breach of the…
A 21-Gun Salute for Our Uncommon Economy
A look at Nigeria’s economy shows it as one that is not only complicated and complex but also interesting in several ways. Once a word and /or phrase enters Nigeria’s lexicon, it is teased, abused and its usage becomes blurred. I am referring to the word “uncommon”. According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, “uncommon”…
Subsidy: Between the Masses and the Cabal
By Izielen Agbon If we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria – Muhammadu Buhari, 2015 The fuel subsidy struggle in Nigeria has entered a critical phase. The cabal and its agents are agitating for President Muhammadu Buhari to increase fuel prices under the guise of removing ‘fuel subsidy’. There is no subsidy on…
Let’s Give Buhari Time to Plan
By CHINAZO-BERTRAND OKEOMAH Nigerians are a very impatient lot. We act like the proverbial tortoise cast into a pit for some time. But one day his captors came to release him; whereupon he began to cry, asking them to make haste because he was choking to death from the smell of faeces. Did we not…
Let’s Give Buhari Time to Plan
By CHINAZO-BERTRAND OKEOMAH Nigerians are a very impatient lot. We act like the proverbial tortoise cast into a pit for some time. But one day his captors came to release him; whereupon he began to cry, asking them to make haste because he was choking to death from the smell of faeces. Did we not…
The Central Bank, Devaluation and The Economy
The Nigerian economy is under enormous stress, depending on the kind of socio-economic fundamentals being examined. Some commentators perceive that since the growth rate is positive (almost 6 per cent) and inflation is single-digit (8.6 per cent) and foreign exchange could cover at least 3 months of imports, then the economy is on the right…
What Happened to the Centenary Games?
When Nigeria celebrated its centenary last year in grand style part of the icing on the cake was to be a convergence of athletes for the National Sports Festival, NSF, in Calabar towards the end of 2014. More than 12,000 athletes from each of Nigeria’s 36 states were expected at the 19th edition of the…
The Challenge of Jega’s Successor
While appraising the herculean task ahead of Attahiru Jega, the immediate past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, I recently wrote in this space that I am nominating the amiable academician as Nigeria’s “Man of the Year” because “my gut instinct tells me Jega will deliver free, fair and credible elections despite all…
A Sad Affair at the States
For most workers in Nigeria there is no calendar period more important than the end of the month. That is when they get rewarded for work done. But for workers in many states of the country the end of the month is now associated with more desolation than elation, because they are not getting paid…