Category: Opinion

There is no gainsaying the current macroeconomic realities on the ground, which have tempered the high expectations for Nigeria’s economic growth in 2026.   Ordinarily, economic growth, in its real sense, should positively impact households through improved living standards, price stability, employment generation, reduced import dependency, increased productivity, and other developmental outcomes. Unfortunately, the Nigerian experience remains different, given the prevailing harsh economic conditions and high cost of living.   However, there is little doubt that several projections on Nigeria’s economy suggest an upward growth trajectory in 2026, despite the…

The upcoming August 15, 2026, governorship election in Osun State is not just another routine change of leaders, it is a major test for the state’s future. Elections in our state are rarely just about party logos; they are a deep agreement between the people and the government on how things should be run. As voters prepare to head to the polls, the main issue is clear: Osun has reached a historic crossroads where proper governance, economic growth, and careful spending must finally beat showmanship and empty promises.   To…

My mother and Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu’s wife have been close friends for decades. My earliest memories of the family are rooted in our home at Bayero University Kano New Campus Senior Staff Quarters, Area C, over three and a half decades ago. As a child, I remember I was fondly called “Maigida” by Professor Abdalla’s wife because I share the same name as her husband, an early, personal reminder of the many coincidences and intersections that bind our families. In the early 1990s, when only a few households had…

In a country where stories of public officials enriching themselves at the expense of the people often dominate the headlines, acts of honesty have become so rare that they immediately capture public attention. Yet, every now and then, an individual emerges to remind us that integrity is still alive in public service. Such was the case when the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, Malam Mustapha Muhammad, returned an excess payment of SR6,000, about N2.4 million that was mistakenly paid to him during the distribution…

In Oyo State, a woman has four grandchildren and a daughter-in-law abducted from a school by terrorists. They are still in the bush; their abductors are unyielding.   An Ekiti man took N10.5 million to kidnappers and still failed to secure the release of his 80-year-old mother.   On Saturday in Katsina, a Major General, former spokesman of the Nigerian military and his wife were abducted in broad daylight and dragged into the bush.   The woman with four grandchildren and a daughter-in-law in captivity was a ghostly sight to…

For no reason beyond bad belle, Orishala urged Ogun to pull down Orunmila’s house. Why? Ogun asked. Orishala hinted that Orunmila had become a dangerous rival to his dominance in the pantheon of the gods. Like a hired killer, Ogun agreed. But how would he recognise Orunmila’s house? He had never been there. Orishala gave detailed directions and added one crucial clue: Orunmila’s house, unlike his own, had no white cloth on its roof. But Orunmila had ears everywhere. He heard the plot and acted swiftly. Under cover of darkness,…

Seeing how empires die, strongmen collapse and kingdoms go up in ruins, Yoruba seek to showcase the brevity of life. In this, they attempt to demonstrate that all life’s attainments are perishable. In metaphors of the masquerade festival and the morning dew that perches on leaves by sidewalks leading to the farm (enini), they bring out the certainty of finality very succinctly. In two short allegories, they perfectly capture the fleeting, short-lived nature of political influence and authority. So, they say, the yearly masquerade festival will soon come to an…

Amazing experience, my brother, count yourself lucky to have been in Al Shifa hospital. What amazes me most is the fact that despite the gravity of your sickness, you were able to note the details of staff and what went around you. Even in sickness, you were still with that razor-sharp brain. Kois.   Fatsuma Dada Mohammed       You are a very strong man, Mr Hassan.   Shawkey Ibrahim (Nurse at Al Shifa Hospital, Makkah)       Quite touching. This has moved me to tears. Alhamdulillah that…

Decades ahead, a fastidious, dispassionate scholar will cast his gaze upon one of those who kept his reputation unblemished and acknowledge him in remembrance of times past. A key factor in the choice of subject will be tracing how a man distinguished himself without becoming mired in the quicksand of a society enmeshed in moral decline during the very epoch in which he operated and reached great heights. Wole Olanipekun fits the bill for such a persona. Even within his own lifetime, he has become a role model for aspiring…

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) is undergoing one of the most strategic institutional transformations in its history. At the centre of that transition is the Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed, whose leadership is steadily redefining operational efficiency, institutional discipline, digital enforcement and public engagement within Nigeria’s lead road safety management agency. In a country where road transportation remains central to commerce, mobility and national integration, the responsibility placed on the FRSC is enormous. Every festive season, millions of Nigerians travel across highways often burdened by traffic congestion, reckless driving, infrastructural…