Nigeria, a country with an estimated population of 167 million people drawn from about 400 indigenous tribes is an idea that many argue should never have been in the first place. So much has been made of the decision of Lord Frederick Lugard and the British regime in 1914 to amalgamate three divergent groups of people; the northern and southern… Read More »Moving Forward (1): Rethinking the Idea of Nigeria
It feels like several millennia ago since Nigerians were touted to be the happiest people on earth. We took pride in the fact that in spite of economic hardships, we always found a way to maintain a colourful national spirit through our sports, music, festivals, local merchandise and every other source of national pleasure that we could muster. Forget the recent… Read More »Theater of Calamities
Between 1955 and 1968, African-Americans particularly in the southern region of the United States received global attention for their unending pursuit of freedom, equality, racial dignity and economic self-sufficiency. They locked arms and walked several miles, organized protest sit-ins, carried banners and placards, withstood whiplashes and fire hoses, boycotted public services, endured the horrors of jail, fasted, prayed and worked… Read More »We shall overcome, maybe
Seven days ago, Nigerians awoke from their laboured slumbers on the cusp of that was supposed to be a celebration of 13 years of substandard democratic progress, but which turned out to be the commencement of seven horrific days of avoidable mishaps. Not since the beginning of the year when we were slapped in the face by the double onslaughts… Read More »Sadly, we always move on
The year was 2010, the month was October, and it was the first day. I crouched into a seat on the third row of the 18-seater Toyota Hiace bus at Ojoo, Ibadan and committed my trip into God’s hands. I was on my way to Lekki, Lagos where I was scheduled to be guest speaker at one of the numerous… Read More »How did we get here?
In a little less than seven days, reasonable newspaper adverts will be rejected, relevant news items will be relegated, respected writers will be disregarded and a cacophony of celebratory clatter will ring far and wide across the Nigerian media space, all for one reason: Goodluck Jonathan would have officially spent a year on the throne! Yeah, May 29 is… Read More »Before The Noise Resumes
6:30pm. Saturday May 12, 2012 Twitter. Trends. Nigeria #somewhereinNigeria In one sudden flash, young Nigerians have taken to Twitter like an army of vultures on post-World War II Japan. The last couple of months have witnessed such an influx of opinion makers and shameless attention-seekers to the Twittersphere, that one wouldn’t be surprised if the elderly ones start to challenge… Read More »Somewhere in Nigeria
Fred Swaniker was only 18 years old when his father died, and his mother who was a full-time school teacher decided to establish a private school in Botswana where they lived. Having migrated with his family from Ghana at the age of four, and lived in a separate African country every four years, Fred was no stranger to challenges, but… Read More »Civic Engagement for Africa’s Future
I have refrained from making public comments about the very controversial KONY 2012 movie that shook the entire world early in March 2012, but with most of the world’s pent-up energy now spent, I’ll give a few of my personal thoughts on the documentary, Invisible Children and some of the critiques that have trailed the documentary. The documentary [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc] The… Read More »KONY 2012 (through my eyes)
Just two weeks ago, I saw the movie ‘Darfur Now’. The movie told the story of the oppression of the Sudanese people by their own government which culminated in the separation of the country into Sudan and South Sudan. It was nothing but a gory sight. There were soldiers on rampage all around the country: raping women, killing children, dropping grenades… Read More »All is not well
This article was initially written and published on November 11, 2009, and is replicated here verbatim because the conditions that warranted it haven’t changed and it’s message rings true, 26 months after. Not too long ago, the world stood still. Journalists jostled for space. Cameras clicked furiously. Statesmen surreptitiously sought audience. The media was uncharacteristically awake to every comment that… Read More »Before Obama Returns…