Category: Opinion

WHEN I LOVED POLITICS TOO MUCH. By Mogaji Wole Arisekola

Emporium Reporters

There was a time in my life when I was deeply in love with politics. I was so consumed by it that I practically lived and breathed political discussions. I followed politicians everywhere, attended rallies, and stood by them like a loyal disciple. I was that person you would always find in the company of a politician, smiling, cheering, and defending them with all my heart. I argued with friends, lost relationships, and even quarreled with family members—just because they supported the opposition. My loyalty was fiery. I believed in…

NDLEA intercepts Cocaine hidden in Religious Books, arrests Bandits’ drug supplier and uncovers drug warehouses nationwide

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking with a string of high-profile interceptions and arrests across the country, including the seizure of cocaine cleverly concealed in religious books destined for Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday, April 15, 2025, NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) uncovered 20 parcels of cocaine weighing 500 grams, hidden within 20 sets of religious books at a courier company in Lagos. The consignment was being prepared for export to Saudi Arabia.   In a separate…

Ciroma, Coomasie: We Celebrate Life, We Thank God for It, by Hassan Gimba

Emporium Reporters

Sometimes in life, one comes across people whom one is at a loss for words on how to present to the public. This is not because there are no words or that you lack them. No—it is mainly because you know them closely enough that you do not want it to look like you are buttering your words. After all, you know them.   Take the case of Bala Ciroma, who recently retired as a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG). When he was a newly minted police officer in…

Nigerian leaders as CBEX Ponzi chancers By Festus Adedayo

Emporium Reporters

On Page 28 of his very provocative book, The Present Darkness: A history of Nigerian organized crime, (2016) Stephen Ellis, British historian and Africanist, compared Nigerian politics to con artistry. Their practices, he said, were not different from acts of fabulists and fraudsters. Ellis’ take on Nigerian leaders synchronizes with a Henry Louis Gate’s The New Yorker piece of September 25, 1995. With the title, “Powell and the Black Elite,” the piece quoted ex-American Secretary of State, Colin Powell, as saying, “Nigerians as a group, frankly, are marvellous scammers… I…

Student loan scheme and the emerging sabotage By Dr. Muiz Banire

Emporium Reporters

One of the policies of the present administration that is so far impactful but quietly and systematically executed is the student loan scheme. This scheme was launched by the federal government in May, 2024 with the basic aim of assisting indigent students to meet their financial obligations by way of tuition fees, charges and upkeeps while studying in tertiary academic institutions as well as vocational and skills acquisition institutions within Nigeria.   The scheme was established under the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Repeal and Re-enactment Act, 2024. Although…

Trump tariffs and the irony of governance By abiodun KOMOLAFE

Emporium Reporters

Basically, Trump tariffs and ‘Liberation Day’ declaration have again exposed Nigeria’s lack of preparedness and institutional memory. In 1967, the same Nigeria demonstrated remarkable foresight and brilliance in responding to the British Pound Sterling devaluation, leaving the British government bewildered. Some British cabinet members weren’t even aware of the devaluation until after it happened, privately wondering if Nigeria had an insider within their ranks.   Nigeria’s lack of preparedness for Donald Trump’s presidency is especially noteworthy, given the publication of ‘Project 2025’, a manifesto by the American Right that forms…

Rahma Saidu, Adesina, and the New Arewa Reality By Abdullahi O Haruna Haruspice

Emporium Reporters

A quiet but deeply unsettling cultural shift is unfolding in northern Nigeria. The Arewa region—long admired for its deeply rooted values of respect, modesty, and social decorum—is facing an identity crisis. A wave of defiance is rising among the youth, fueled largely by social media. What was once a society anchored in reverence for elders and moral restraint is being steadily overturned by a digital generation enamored with provocation.   Recent events paint a troubling picture. A young man was publicly disciplined by his family for obscene social media behavior.…

NERC: Electricity Value Chain and Power Sector Overview By Bola Bakare

Emporium Reporters

A regulatory agency in the electricity sector is responsible for overseeing and enforcing laws and regulations specifically within the power industry with duties including but not limited to Licensing and permits to businesses and individuals operating within the regulated industry, Enforcement by conducting inspections, investigations to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, Developing and implementing rules and regulations to govern the industry, Monitoring and Reporting analysis data to industry trends, compliance, and performance, Protecting consumers by ensuring that businesses operate fairly and transparently, Overseeing the industry to ensure that businesses…

2020-2030 Decade of Action; Harnessing Regional Potentials to Consolidate Voluntary National Review VNR on SDGs. BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF

Abubakar Yusuf

The desire of SDGs in Nigeria under Princess Adejoke Orelope- Adefulire as Senior Special Assistant SSAP -SDGs of the program to the President, through the comprehensive review of the third Voluntary National Review (VNR), is to streamline the global activities in the country with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.   Therefore, to achieve the stated objectives and address both global and local demands, the initiative of crisscrossing the six geopolitical zones consisting of South- West, South -South, South -East, North- West, North -Central, North -East…

Wike’s Investment in Education in FCT, BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF

Abubakar Yusuf

The state of both primary, post primary secondary schools and tertiary institution’s in the Federal Capital Territory FCT before the assumption of duty of Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike as Minister was pathetic, as virtually both infrastructural decay , demoralized and inadequate manpower, poor funding, lack of adequate attention from stakeholders handling the activities in the FCT, except window dressing , made him to declare state of emergency in the nation’s city education sector at all levels.   Since Education is the bedrock of any development in the society, the need…