Category: Opinion

Monday Lines Alaafin: Some words for king and chiefs By Lasisi Olagunju

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The oba under our law is not a king; he is a chief. That is why the law governing the appointment and removal of the oba and his ìjòyè is called Chiefs Law. The colonial government made it so. The oba was not recognised as king by the law – because the English king/queen was the sovereign here, and there could not be more than one king in a kingdom. They didn’t stop at that. What the oba occupied or vacated was a ‘stool’, not a ‘throne’. Only the English…

Governor Monday Okpebholo is a blessing to Edo State, By Eigbefo Felix

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His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, the Executive Governor of Edo State has shown that he is a blessing to the State with his policy, appointments, flagging off roads construction in the three Senatorial districts and his love for the people of the state.   Governor Monday Okpebholo has started working and fulfilling his five ( 5) points agenda that he promised the good people of the state since he took oath of office.   In security, he has shown total commitment because he promised the people of Edo State that…

THE TURNING POINT: GOVERNOR OKPEBHOLO’S FIRST TWO MONTHS IN GOVERNMENT HOUSE By Henry Jatto

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A river that forgets its source will surely dry up. Today, January 12, 2025, marks two months since His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, assumed office as the Governor of Edo State. In this short span, Governor Okpebholo has demonstrated his commitment to restoring peace and harmony in the state, healing the divisive wounds inflicted by his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki.   I had the opportunity to interact with the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, who shared insights into the Governor’s achievements in the past two months. According to him, Governor…

Chess, that bomb in your hands, and masters of the game,by Hassan Gimba

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In 1984 there was a universal review of the dystopian novel Nineteen Eight- Four, sometimes written and published as 1984, written by George Orwell. More known for his satirical book Animal Farm, George Orwell is a pen name adopted by Eric Arthur Blair, an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist and critic. According to Wikipedia, “his work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to all totalitarianism, and support of democratic socialism.”   Published in 1949, after the Second World War, Nineteen Eighty-Four, as earlier observed, is a dystopian novel…

Making of an Aláàfin: Bribe or gods? By Festus Adedayo

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In a viral video, Professor Wande Abimbola, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, and the Awise of Yorubaland – head of all Ifa oracle diviners – threw a bombshell. In it, he affirmed that the Oyo State government contacted him on the divination process leading to the nomination of a new Aláàfin of Oyo. Abimbola, who hails from Oyo town, would seem to have ignited a major earthquake which struck Yorubaland and its system of choosing kings. In its strike, the earthquake disemboweled dirt…

Can Olukoyede renew our faith in the EFCC?,by Simon Kolawole

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I woke up to a WhatsApp broadcast the other day. It was a letter purportedly from the United Nations to Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In the letter dated January 1, 2024, the UN supposedly expressed appreciation to the EFCC for recovering the €2 billion allegedly stolen by Mr. André de Ruyter, former CEO of Eskom, the South African electricity company. The UN apparently wanted to use the money to build a solar farm in Namibia.   I found the letter too good…

Deadly Wish, By Funke Egbemode

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Tinu, Tola, and Rita have been friends for about 20 years. They all started small, but God has been kind to them. Their marriages are still intact too. So, we can safely say that they are lucky or blessed. That is not to say they have not had seasons that looked like God was not on their side. Tinu lost two precious pregnancies. Rita lost one of two sons, and Tola had to wait 10 years for a second child. As for their marriages, the storms came. Rita’s husband went…

Adedeji: Happy 47th birthday to a game-changer By abiodun KOMOLAFE

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The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji, should consider himself lucky because not all persons are blessed with opportunities to become game-changers. o, Happy Birthday to the man on whose shoulders so much is riding. Adedeji’s demonstrated track-record and managerial capacity motivated a far-sighted President Bola Tinubu to give him a post which is now a critical national assignment. The current post is actually make-or-break! FIRS will lead the charge of the brigade to reboot the Nigerian economy from stagnation to a production-led, modern…

Tax Reform Bills and the economic outlook for 2025 By abiodun KOMOLAFE

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The Year 2024 has been flogged to death! With 2025 now underway, it’s clear that this year will be crucial for Nigeria and Nigerians. To ensure a game-changing year, the government must develop a comprehensive framework to address the economic, social and political challenges ahead. To begin with, President Bola Tinubu should leverage his political expertise to facilitate a consensus-driven approach to the Tax Reform Bills currently before the National Assembly. This requires negotiating with regional stakeholders, addressing politically-driven concerns, and finding common ground to ensure the Bills’ successful passage.…

What you might expect in 2025, By Azu Ishiekwene

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This is the fifth in my series of annual forecasts. For a part-time Nostradamus, my record has been above average. The forecasts usually come earlier, in the last week of December. Yet, the potency of this edition is not diminished by the delay.   I made a particularly catastrophic forecast for last year, which has left a puree of tomatoes on my face and those of a significant segment of the liberal press in the US, led by CNN: that President Joe Biden would defeat Donald Trump. That didn’t happen—not…