The Elephants in PDP and APC’s rooms, by Hassan Gimba

We are in a new phase of politics hitherto never witnessed in our country. Sure, politicians that lost out in their parties are known for changing platforms. That isn’t new. They call it cross-carpeting. We should, of course, know that the word “Cross-carpeting” does not exist in the English language. Politicians coined it in Nigeria to describe a common phenomenon by which politicians switch political allegiance just to achieve their personal political goals. Here, this is fueled by the politicians’ desire to attain political office or truncate someone’s march towards…

SMEDAN; Dawn of A New Era, By ABUBAKAR YUSUF.

The Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria SMEDAN witnessed a change of baton in June, as a result of leadership vacuum created by the exit of the former Director -General/CEO, Dr Umar Dikko Radda that led to the appointment of a new Director- General, Chief Executive Officer CEO, Dr Olawale Babatunde Fasanya.   A seasoned civil servant, technocrat and bureaucrat of high calibre, Fasanya who rose through the cadre of the civil service was elevated from his antecedents and track records of achievements as an expert, a…

My gratuity not enough to pay ransom, wife of kidnapped UI don pleads

Dr Adebola Agbaje, wife of Prof. Adigun Agbaje, the kidnapped University of Ibadan (UI) don, has pleaded for the release of her husband, saying her expected gratuity was not enough to pay the N50 million ransom demanded.   In an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday, the distraught wife said that the news of the abduction of her husband on Friday evening was shocking and traumatic.   Prof. Agbaje, a lecturer in the department of Political Science, UI, was among yet to be ascertained number of…

Police arrest housewife for allegedly killing Chief Imam with poison in Borno

The Borno Police Command said it had arrested a housewife, Fatima Abubakar, 25, for allegedly killing her husband, Goni Abbah, who was a Chief Imam, with poison.   The Commissioner of Police, CP Abdu Umar, who disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria in Maiduguri, said that the suspect was arrested on October 19 by men of the Command at Anguwan Doki.   Umar said that the victim, who was the Chief Imam of the area, returned from the mosque when the suspect, who was the second wife, allegedly…

Nigerian troops neutralise 7 terrorists, capture arms, ammunition in Kaduna

Nigerian troops under Operation Forest Sanity, have killed seven terrorists and captured arms and ammunition during a major operation in Kaduna.   The operation was confirmed in a statement made by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu on Sunday.   He said, “In continuation of the onslaught against terrorist groups in the North West, troops of 1 Division Nigerian Army on Operation Forest Sanity conducted clearance operation to Maidaro, Kagi Hill, Kusharki and Anguwan Madaki in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State during which…

Abuja bloodshed warning and Nigeria’s Cassandra complex By Festus Adedayo

Greek mythology, in the Aeschylus tragedy called Agamemnon, told the story of Cassandra. She was a pretty damsel highly sought after by the god, Apollo. The god promised that if Cassandra gave in to his advances, he would give her the power of prophecy. Though the damsel accepted the proposal and was immediately proclaimed blessed with the gift by Apollo, Cassandra refused to return the affection. Enraged by this insolence, since the god Apollo lacked the power to revoke a divine pronouncement, he placed a curse on Cassandra, to wit…

Adigun Agbaje: A Value so Rare By Omoniyi Ibietan, PhD,fnipr

Professor Adigun Agbaje, an uncommon political scientist occupies a great place in the pantheon of Nigeria’s political scientists. As a scholar whose works brilliantly and lucidly storied the intersection of media and politics, Agbaje is one of Nigeria’s finest dons leaving their marks in interdisciplinary studies. For those who are familiar with his writings and publications, many of them would agree that the rarity of the likes of Agbaje is better illustrated by the fact that if we have a museum of political scholarship (not necessarily as large as Smithsonian),…

Let’s Take Nigeria Back! By Omoniyi Ibietan,PhD,fnipr

In the preface to his classic and development treatise, FROM THIRD WORLD TO FIRST–The Singapore Story: 1965-2000, published 22 years ago, Lee Kuan Yew, founding Prime Minister of Singapore, stated that he wrote the book “for a younger generation of Singaporeans who took stability, growth, and prosperity for granted. I wanted them to know how difficult it was for a small country of 640 sq. km with no natural resources to survive…”. In the Foreword to Yew’s book, Henry Alfred Kissinger, PhD, one of United States’ most influential Secretary of…

JUST IN : Flamingos wins Nigeria’s first trophy at U-17 Women’s World Cup after defeating Germany

Flamingos has defeated Germany 3-2 on penalties to win Nigeria’s first-ever trophy at the Under-17 Women’s World Cup.   The team’s coach, Olowookere, and his wards went into this match against Germany as wounded lions having lost their semifinal game against Colombia in a painful situation.   Flamingos had the chance to beat Colombia in the penalties, but Edafe missed the decisive chance before the Americans won 6-5.     Before facing Germany, NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau, boosted the morale of the players as he backed them to make themselves…

Gambian Minister lauds Nigeria’s strides in telecom regulation

The Gambian Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Ousman Bah, at the weekend in Abuja, said Nigeria’s giant strides in telecom regulation were the reason that the nation’s telecoms development has become a reference point.   Bah, who led a Gambian delegation, including industry regulators on a courtesy visit to the management of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Abuja, said the visit was prompted by the success, which Nigeria has witnessed in the sector, and the need for The Gambia to follow the same path of success.   He…