Category: Opinion

Nigeria these days reminds me of the popular children’s novel back in the day, One Week One Trouble, written in 1972 by Anezionwu Nwankwo Okoro, a Nigerian writer and medical practitioner. The protagonist, Wilson Tagbo, begins secondary school, but his flaws soon put him at odds with the school system, and no week passes without him landing in fresh trouble at the school. In our country, these days hardly a week passes without the public space being thrown ‘one trouble’ that would have everyone huffing and puffing for a while…

“Everything is my business. Everything. Anything I say is law…literally law.” Barbara Geddes, et al in their How dictatorship works (2018) quoted Malawian dictator, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, as having once said the above. In Nigeria of a little more than a week ago, they all came in quick successions: A National Assembly where libido ran riot; a son who said his father was Nigeria’s best president; a corps member who condemned that same father as terrible and that president, when he wakes up and looks at the mirror, like Banda,…

Rivers State is now under emergency rule, and it’s likely to remain so for the next six months, unless a drastic change occurs. If not managed carefully, this could mark the beginning of a prolonged crisis.   In situations like this, opinions tend to be divergent. For instance, some people hold the notion that the security situation and the need to protect the law and public order justified President Bola Tinubu’s proclamation of a state of emergency in, and the appointment of a sole administrator for, Rivers State. However, others…

The concepts of power, privilege and governance are complex and multifaceted. Power refers to the ability to influence others, while privilege denotes unearned advantages. Governance encompasses institutions, structures and processes that regulate these dynamics. Together, these concepts raise fundamental questions about justice, equality and resource distribution. It emphasizes the importance of considering marginalized groups’ experiences and perspectives.   The main problem in Nigeria today is its political economy, which is rooted in rent-seeking and fosters a mindset that prioritizes patronage over production. The country’s politics are characterized by a patron-client…

Between March 6 and 10 , 2025, the workaholic FCT Minister , Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike broke the yoke of public officials particularly at the Minister’s level in the FCT, when he made a maiden State visit to Lombardy, far away Italy to broker a global relationship that entangled both economic, social, agriculture among many other ties for the benefits of the residents of the Federal Capital Territory FCT and Italy .   Leading the potential team of Nigeria delegation from the nations city , Barrister Wike met with the…

The political crisis began in December 2023, when Governor Siminalayi Fubara ordered the demolition of the state House of Assembly complex, which remains unrebuilt to this day. This act has effectively paralyzed the legislative arm, disrupting the state’s system of checks and balances.   The Supreme Court highlighted the severity of this situation on February 28, 2025, emphasizing the absence of a functional government in Rivers State and the executive’s role in collapsing the legislative arm, thereby creating a governance void   Additionally, recent reports indicate that militants have been…

The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is most unfortunate and it is a sad day for democracy.   Largely, it has not helped to enrich our democratisation experience as a country and is a total failure on the part of politicians.   It is a shame that political elites persistently work for democratic reversals, rather than expected maturity.   Siminilayi Fubara was unfortunate and appears not to have shown mastery of the art of politics all through his ordeals. He was…