Category: Opinion

Natashagate: It’s the Leadership, Stupid! By Olawale Olaleye

Emporium Reporters

From the very first day she resisted a re-allocation of her seat in the senate and how the male-dominated chamber pushed back with evident lack of emotional intelligence and maturity, it became obvious that, beyond Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Nigeria might have entrusted her life to the most impossible Senate in her political sojourn.   Women and drama are 5 and 6, and it’s been so since the creation of man. An intervention of sensible men at that point in time, perhaps, dissolving into an executive session, and trashing it all…

Open Letter to HE, Godswill Akpabio: Before this issue becomes another crisis!

Emporium Reporters

Your Excellency, because this borders on the economic development of our dear country, I am driven by a sense of patriotism to reach out to you through this medium. Right away, Your Excellency, you are certainly not as bad as you are portrayed in certain quarters. Your real challenge concerning image and reputation lies squarely with the way those who “love” you more than the rest of us handle your public affairs. Your Excellency, except for other considerations, these people merely love you to the extent of what your influence…

Natasha and her Osun goddess By Lasisi Olagunju

Emporium Reporters

A short four minutes, thirty three seconds video of what looks like Kogi senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, worshipping at the Osun shrine in Osogbo is trending. If she is truly the one in the video, then his traducers better back off before the deluge comes with its fury. You do not beat the child of the goddess and get its applause.   Professor Karin Barber is a foremost authority in Yoruba praise names (Oríkì). In a 1990 piece, she tells two Osun goddess stories which may guide those fighting her daughter.…

Monday Lines 1 Balling with Bola Tinubu at 73 By Lasisi Olagunju

Emporium Reporters

The Nigerian presidency is an energizing elixir. It has proven to be very effective in breathing life into dry bones. To old creaky engines, it gives deep cleaning; it replaces worn parts and upgrades the lubrication system. Olusegun Obasanjo went in there and got transformed from an imprisoned stork to a clean-shaven ladies’ egret. The Balogun Owu has since refused to age. Muhammadu Buhari entered the Villa peaky, ill and ailing. He left the place with his engine and chassis reinvented. His successor, super rich Lion of Bourdillon, broke the…

A Day After the Uromi Murder… By Abdullahi O Haruna Haruspice

Emporium Reporters

The charred remains of the slain Kano hunters have been buried. Perhaps the peace they couldn’t find on earth will come to their souls now, for they did not die in their natural state but in a hurried and brutal fate. Dying while fasting may offer some consolation to the 16 murdered Kano-bound travelers at Uromi. With unmitigated grief and collective calls for justice, now is the time to critically examine the issues at hand. The North continues to lose its most productive citizens at an alarming rate. Every day,…

Why America Will Attack Iran, by Hassan Gimba

Emporium Reporters

“Today, nearly everything is made in China – except courage; it’s made in Palestine.” – Anthony Bourdain. Anyone conversant with world affairs knows what’s happening in the Middle East. One does not have to belong to a particular faith to take an interest in events there because, where humanity is concerned, all divine religions agree on the sanctity of human life. Even though Nigeria has unending problems, that does not mean one should shut out other humans and their suffering. It’s like saying we don’t have enough food, so we…

House Public Accounts Committee recovers additional $14million from Oil Companies

Emporium Reporters

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has recovered an additional $14.2 million (₦21.4 billion) from four oil and gas companies, bringing the total amount retrieved in its ongoing financial probe to $33.44 million (₦50.1 billion).   This latest recovery followed an earlier announcement on March 16, 2025, when PAC reported securing ₦28.7 billion ($19.24 million) from companies found to have financial discrepancies in their dealings with the government. The newly recovered funds included $1.9 million from Platform Petroleum Ltd, $1.578 million from Midwestern Oil and Gas Ltd, $523,845…

“Our Doc, who art in the National Palace” By Festus Adedayo

Emporium Reporters

On April 23, 1971, the New York Times did a feature on Haitian tyrant, Francois Duvalier, infamously known as Papa Doc. It reported Duvalier as getting Haitian children indoctrinated with a political catechism which parodied Christians’ The Lord’s Prayer, thus: “Our Doc, who art in the National Palace for life, Hallowed be Thy name by present and future generations. Thy will be done at Port‐au‐Prince and in the provinces. Give us this day our new Haiti and never forgive the trespasses of the anti patriots who spit every day on…

IF EL-RUFAI RAN FOR PRESIDENT TODAY, I WOULD VOTE FOR HIM _His Consistency on the Twin Issues of State Police and Resource Control is Unparalleled_ -by Frank Tietie

Emporium Reporters

You don’t have to dislike Mallam Nasir El-Rufai based on other people’s opinions. Instead, consider his track record as a public administrator and politician. One of his most notable traits is his consistency and predictability.   Therefore, I was not surprised when, in 2022, as the APC Governor of Kaduna State, he stood firm against the pressure surrounding his political benefactor, President Muhammadu Buhari. Against all odds in Northern Nigeria’s political landscape, he insisted that power must shift to the South. He rallied the Northern APC governors to agree that…

Alumni treasure and national transformation By abiodun KOMOLAFE

Emporium Reporters

Ayodele Aluko, a veteran journalist and communication consultant, was recently elected as the National President of St. Patrick’s Grammar School, Ibadan, Oyo State. (SPACO) Alumni Association. A member of the 1975/1980 set, he took over from Dayo Mobereola, who now serves as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). Under Aluko’s leadership, the SPACO Alumni Association has pledged to undertake several initiatives, including launching the SPACO Alumni Library Day, spearheading a book donation drive, securing sponsors for a multi-sports complex, and deploying a strategy to…