President Bola Tinubu’s proclamation of emergency rule in Rivers State on Tuesday surprised me for reasons different from those for which he has been severely criticised. The mildest criticism is that Tinubu’s failure to call the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to order was responsible for the crisis. The more severe criticisms range from accusations that the …

The past few months have seen dramatic political developments in South Korea and Nigeria, two nations grappling with internal crises that have tested the resilience of their democratic institutions. In South Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived declaration of emergency martial law in December 2024 triggered a swift backlash, culminating in his impeachment by the National Assembly. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, …

An ancient Yoruba anecdote narrates the destructive nature of the tongue. Its moral is specifically targeted at leaders who take unconscionable decisions as dictated by their fleeting passion. It is the tragic life and reign of King Odarawu. Odarawu was an Alaafin in the old Oyo Empire. His brief reign in the late seventeenth century, after he succeeded his father, …

Former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai caused a mild stir last week. Though the resignation of his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and gravitation towards the Social Democratic Party (SDP) did not come as a shock, the ruckus that attended them have been instructive. Torrents of negative comments have been heaped up as reactions to his decamping. …

President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday articulated the rationale behind his administration’s economic reforms, saying the primary motive was protecting the interests of future generations. Receiving a delegation of his former National Assembly colleagues from the aborted Third Republic, President Tinubu, who was a Senator for Lagos West in that era, said: ‘For 50 years, Nigeria was spending money of generations …

At a point I was in a quandary on how to address Hon. Mudashiru Obasa. What unfolded at the Lagos State House of Assembly presented a dilemma similar to that which confronted journalists after the annulment of the 12 June 1993 presidential election, won free and square by Moshood Abiola. Should we address Abiola as president-elect and winner of the …

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC)  Prof. Attahiru Muhammadu Jega, as Adviser and Coordinator of the Presidential Livestock Reform. Announcing the appointment Friday, the President hoped to drive meaningful progress in the livestock sector and further strengthen national development efforts. Former Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Jega co-chaired the Presidential Livestock Committee …

President Bola Tinubu has observed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo regular interventions in national affairs have helped shape public policies and acted as a check on leadership. In his tribute to commemorate the 88th birthday of Obasanjo, who first served the country as military Head of State (1976 to 1979) and later civilian President (1999 to 2007), President Tinubu pointed …

On Wednesday, 25 February 2025, a very toxic but innocuous advertorial was published in The PUNCH newspaper. It was authored by a group which called itself De Renaissance Patriots Foundation. Entitled, “Systematic Marginalisation of Lagos State Indigenes”, and signed by Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (rtd.) and Yomi Tokosi, the advertorial explains the legislative gangsterism currently going on in Lagos State, …

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the Muslim faithful, and said that the period has a ‘special significance as it coincides with a period of renewed hope and progress for our nation’. According to the President, his almost two-year-old administration’s bold and transformative policies are beginning to yield positive results, ‘as evidenced by the gradual stabilisation of our economy’. He gave …