Category: Opinion

The military high command has come out to say that the gunmen who abducted schoolchildren and murdered their teachers in Ogbomoso were JAS men. JAS (Jama’tu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad) is a splinter of Boko Haram. One of the kidnapped teachers was beheaded on camera by the terrorists who flung the video into cyberspace to our collective horror. So, finally, in Yorubaland, they have come. I can count two, three, four people around me who watched that video and fell ill. Yet those who did it felt normal and may…

The Arbiter The nurses at Al Shifa Hospital in Makkah are well-trained, diligent and passionate about their work. They are very active as well. When I started to come around — returning to this world through the gate of the other world — I imagined the hospital as an army unit and the nurses as soldiers. Mostly Egyptians, they were active, agile young men aged between 23 and 35. Among my favourites is Walid Abdel Elah Ahmed, an Egyptian. A strong, good and cheerful young man with a wife and…

Nigeria has become the proverbial forest of the heartless, the Igbó Òdájú. It is where mothers must take extreme care to double-strap their sucklings to their backs. Even when they do, these Òdájú, the heartless, violently yank suckling infants off their mothers’ back. Politicians are indistinguishable from bandits. Like vultures, both of them have talons soaked in blood. It is difficult to say we have a government. Or a country. Thomas Hobbes must be smiling in his grave now. His famous 1651-propounded theoretical state of the life of nature, wicked…

In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true followers. Dear brothers and sisters! Know that generosity is an act of pure worship and a reflection of a Muslim believer’s Iman (faith). Giving selflessly cleanses the soul, purifies wealth, and brings one closer to the ultimate Provider, Allah, Al-Karim, The Bountiful One. It is not…

This morning, while listening to Splash FM 105.5 FM during the “State Affairs” programme anchored by Edmund Obilo, I became deeply concerned by the dangerous direction of the discussion surrounding insecurity in Oyo State and parts of the South-West region.   During the programme, references were repeatedly made to kidnappers and criminal gangs operating in parts of Oyo State as “Islamic jihadists,” with claims that they have now invaded the South-West in a bid to conquer the region and establish dominance. Such sweeping and emotionally charged narratives may attract public…

Approaching the midpoint of a momentous year already defined by dramatic twists and turns, a critical mid-term review and scenario planning for the remaining months is not out of order. To be meaningful, any such exercise must anchor itself on how we interpret – in view of our immediate realities – the very concept of a social contract within a democracy.   Look across the board and answer this question unpretentiously: Is our kind of democracy serving the purpose for which it was originally intended, and how far has it…

Let us begin with a confession. There is something unsettling about a politician who no longer appears to struggle.   In the turbulent theatre of Nigerian politics, where noise is often mistaken for relevance, where primaries resemble wrestling contests and delegate management demands the instincts of a hostage negotiator, a man who walks in unopposed does not merely win. He transforms the entire contest into a rehearsal.   On Monday, May 18, 2026, at Methodist Primary School, Ukana, in Essien Udim Local Government Area, Senator Godswill Akpabio did exactly that.…

As the Osun State governorship election approaches, the good people of Osun State are preparing to make a choice that will shape their future for years to come. For those who care to know, August 15, 2026, is more than just a contest between two political parties; it is a choice between two distinct ways of leading. On one side is the current government, which often focuses on the advantages of showmanship and public displays. On the other is Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, aka AMBO, who represents a deep, quiet…

“Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.” — Aristotle.   The Ass in the Lion’s Skin is Aesop’s story of a donkey who finds a lion’s skin abandoned in the forest. He wears it and begins to terrify other animals who mistake him for a lion. Delighted by the fear he inspires, the ass grows bold and starts roaming everywhere with counterfeit majesty. But one day, unable to contain himself,…

The reported neutralisation of Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) globally and one of the most influential commanders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), along with scores of other terroristts, through a joint operation involving the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the United States military, represents an extraordinary milestone in the long and arduous countertrerrosim efforts and war against terrorism in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin. If sustained and properly consolidated, this unprecedented feat may well be remembered as one of…