BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON

The Nigerian Patriots or ‘Playtriots’

[GAMJI WRITER]

Loads of ‘failed leaders and politicians’ would be jostling for political offices, as the next level train commences, none with a blueprint to excel, none with a patriotic spirit but rather all is about self aggrandizement. It’s very okay to criticize Mr. Buhari, blame the APC or PDP, but to wish him or them failure is akin to wishing your pilot to sleep while piloting a craft you are inside. Nigeria is in dire need of patriots, where are they, can they stand and be counted—Only time will tell. Details

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BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON Nigeria, again unchaining the dogs of war

“Nigeria is not at peace and unity and cooperation with itself. Great chasms yawn between ethnographic, ethnofaith and ethnocentric groups. Our unhappy Nigeria is torn and tortured, and the peoples of this country walk in fear lest, through no fault of theirs, the dogs of war are unchained once again.” Details

BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who watches Mr. Buhari

We spent, and are still spending time chasing the last administration, they failed, we agreed; brought you on board to correct, and start to chart a new course but my President and his teeming supporters don’t understand that coffee poured in water cannot be retrieved. For the solutions we craved, we became the new bride of the octopus handed problems of insecurity, poor health infrastructure, estranged civil servant relationship, cat and rat legislative/executive bickering, including a continually abused, used and misused judiciary. Details

BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON Naija--There's no light at the end of the tunnel

Transmission company people are doing loads of hard work but truly it amounts to nothing when there are many questions and no answers, I agree that we are a difficult people, it is probably only in Nigeria that PHCN owes NNPC for fuel supplied, and NNPC has not paid for electricity supplied and state houses owe utility bills, while citizens that have not paid bills in years have power as long as there is power to spare. Details

BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON Abuja Prostitutes, almajiris, and the future

If we refuse to address the issues like a state government paying for people to get married, primarily not addressing the problems of a population explosion, arresting prostitutes would be the least of our problems, these days girls are part of the alamajiris and human trafficking has become integral. Our sociologists are quiet, as is the case with Nigeria we are too lazy to do any form of ‘ideological remoulding’ to alter our current positions. We don’t want to dig gently into the earth to investigate the taproot, digging deeper to understand its power. Details

BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON Before all of us waka go abroad

What hope do we have, many Nigerians in Diaspora, every year count and say this is the last year for me but as December reaches, it is obvious that one year more is in the horizon, the situation at home is nothing to write about. The so-called conducive environment is illusionary. Nigerians in diaspora go through a lot just to eek out a living and yet have to cater for family at home. Through winter, summer, the struggle continues both legit and the shady ones. Details

BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON Chibok Girls—Symbol of a nation

In the five years that has been Chibok, I have done a sizable amount of work on not just Boko Haram but also the Chibok girls, killings, abductions and Nigeria’s conflict torn Northwest region. I have visited Chibok four times, I have spoken to a few of the girls that were released, spoke to one that escaped, I have spoken with several of the parents, and that includes a few that are now dead. Details

BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON Exodus—regular and irregular migration of ze people

How many of us saw the screaming headlines the other day, "Nigerians heading to Canada" or that report of more than 50% of young Nigerians who are eager to leave Nigeria...Ooops did you miss the video that went viral of Nigerian trained Doctors that were being interviewed to leave the country to go practice in Saudi Arabia. Details

BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON Do we have a Nigerian Police?

The edifice called the Police is a case of epilepsy, from the change of uniform, to increased recruitment of illiterates that can barely spell their names. The problem is not necessarily just that of the Nigerian Police but that of a nation whose leaders have thrown their responsibilities to the gutters. Details

BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON How much is a Nigerian life worth?

In the words of Bello Lukman, a social commentator, I pray we don't experience serious accidents that warrant us needing sophisticated health machines. If the CT scan and X-ray machine at the National Hospital were barely working, then, where else would they work?  I recall the alarm that was raised by the Nigerian first lady on the state of the Aso Rock clinic, no one has checked to see if anything has changed. Details

BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON South of Nigeria and Bourgeois Yan Iskas

In our sensational North South dichotomy, we have in every sense approached most problems sectionally thereby creating all kinds of unnecessary petty-culture-ethnic parapoism and bourgeois mentality in dealing with our national issues. Dichotomy is one that is used by political apologists as a socio-economic weapon. Details

BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON North of Nigeria and Iberiberism

His Iberiberism has left a region on her knees, no other time than now has the North faced an identity crisis and fight within herself. Who are the Hausas, who are the Fulanis, and how about the Hausa- Fulanis, what really is the place of the Islam North, real, media creation, how about the Christians in the North? Details

BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON Divided; a people, versus a nation

The Nigerian leadership is yet to produce a system of governance that can exploit our differences only leaders who have simply made long speeches to the point of confusing themselves. Details

BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON Good morning and Congratulations Mr. Buhari

Before I go far, let me state the following facts…as of today ‘comparatively seen’ Mr. Buhari is a decent man… (Note my words, comparatively). He is not as tainted as most players in our power block. However trust me, he is tainted! He may have not helped himself to the treasury till, but he is culpable for several indecisions, comments and actions that are ludicrous. And with this election he’s messed it all up. Details

BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON Nigerian elections and right to life

It is equally a fact that one of the many reasons that Boko haram may continue for a while is because many still do not know what the group is all about, does it have an ideology, what really is it about…a CIA conspiracy or a thing about poverty? I also know that based on what is out there, many experts on the subject matter are foreigners and one wonders. Details

BURNING POT BY DR. PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON From the phrasebook of the past--Postponing Nigeria

That Atiku is even pulling weight is indicative of how disillusioned Nigerians are today as against when the roll coaster change mantra came on board. Nigerians despite all the questionable statistics and indices are actually HUNGRY, FED UP, and in the quick fix manner may (and here again MAY) be favorable disposed to bringing in Mr. Let's make Nigeria Work Again. Details

PeeCeeJay By Jideofor Adibe

Managing Perceptions of the 2019 elections

[GAMJI WRITER]

While I am happy that Buhari showed some sensitivity to public opinion in not extending the tenure of Idris Kpotun, (now retired), I am rather disappointed that he failed to utilize the opportunity of appointing a new Inspector General of Police to further demonstrate sensitivity to public concerns - this time the complaint from the Southern part of the country that the country’s security architecture is overwhelmingly dominated by people from the North. Details

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PeeCeeJay By Jideofor Adibe

Osinbajo and the Politics of 2023

 Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, who accompanied the Vice President to the visit, reportedly went a few steps further. He was quoted as saying: “This coming 2019 elections is between Hausa and Yoruba on one hand and Hausa and Ibo on the other side. It is only a bastard in Yorubaland that will not support APC.” Earlier the Secretary to the Federal Government Boss Mustapha became the highest ranking government official to use 2023 presidency as a bait for Igbo votes. Details

PeeCeeJay By Jideofor Adibe 2019 and the road to Damascus

For non-Christians and others not conversant with the Bible,  the ‘road to Damascus’ is an allegory used to refer to a sudden turn-around in the trajectory of one’s life. It is based on the biblical conversion of Saul, a persecutor of Christians, to Christianity, on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians. With his conversion Saul was renamed Paul. The road or the journey to Damascus was a defining moment for Paul.For the main political gladiators, 2019 will be a defining year: either dreams die first or they are actualized when they confront reality. Details

POLICY INTERROGATION, DISCOURSE AND DEBATE BY  OSELOKA H. OBAZE

A  Time to Reflect

[GAMJI WRITER]

Boko Haram infiltration of herdsmen: The notion that the attacks attributed to herdsmen may be traceable to Boko Haram is widely presumed. Acceptably, in highly polarized environments, terrorists seek cover under any guise. Whilst it remains plausible that the successes of the Multinational Joint Task Force, (MJTF), might have compelled Boko Haram insurgents to seek cover for movement and intelligence gathering by embedding themselves within the ranks of herdsmen, the evidence of operational collusion has not been confirmed. Details

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POLICY INTERROGATION, DISCOURSE AND DEBATE BY  OSELOKA H. OBAZE The Rule of Law in Nigeria 

Yet, what separates a well-functioning democracy from non-democracies or illiberal democracies is the rule of law. In its broadest and best construction, the rule of law means that all persons are equal before the law, constitutional norms are supreme and must be strictly adhered to, and when there is doubt about the application of the law; the courts are the only arm of government that is empowered to interpret and clarify the situation. Details