Nigeria’s Famously One - Sided Peace Pacts with Criminal Gangs and Agitators. By  Abdullahi Usman

Indeed, a significant quantum of public resources has been expended on the promotion and execution of our preferred one-sided truce over the course of the last several years to date, with varying degrees of success, and several of these hardened criminals have been smiling their way to the bank as millionaires and multimillionaires, as a result. We, in fact, even have a few veritable examples of billionaires that have proudly emerged from such generous application of public resources by way of appeasement in their favour in the past. Details

Matawalle's Theory of Nonsense. By M. A. Iliyasu

Lastly, governor Matawalle and any individual who shares similar pattern of thinking should become able to understand the sensitive differences between reality and fiction. Because in their laughable attempt to introduce the former into the latter, they risk mixing reason with nonsense. The supremacy of rule of law, in whichever circumstance, is nonnegotiable. Crime can be relative but not in a constitutional society. And where politely governed society is concerned, a spade is called by its rightful name. Details

Nok University:  Providing Courage and Impetus for Development in Southern Kaduna. By Abachi Ungbo

Southern Kaduna is a melting pot of diverse ethnic groups. Together, they have woven a rich tapestry of interconnectedness through religion, marriages and also culture. Instructively, a lot of the groups are known to bestraddle shared boundaries therefore effectuating cultural assimilation. And, they ‘re known to possess engaging identity and vibe that makes them stand out. Details

Strategic Reorientation of African Children Must Start Early. By Farouk Martins Aresa

The reason our Youths lost faith, confidence, in culture and our early civilization is because other cultures, history and old civilizations got to them earlier. Most African elders learned about European history much earlier before they realized African history existed, just before graduating from high school. Details

Our Money Launders Create Abject Poverty, Terrorists, and Bandits. By Farouk Martins Aresa

Money laundering is the main difference between African leaders of today and the past leaders that pursued Independence angrily. When you leave a country in the hands of a privileged class that has never struggled and felt the hunger for excellence, mediocrity prevails. Instead of learning from the struggle of the past, their children look for salvation in the hands of their past oppressors. Details

Further Notes to the Nigerian Left. By Edwin Madunagu

The central question around which the debate – bitter, even by Leftist standard – was waged was the existence, or otherwise, of the national question in Nigeria. This central question broke itself down or was broken down into concrete specifics: “resource control”, “fiscal or true federalism”, “sovereign national conference” and “geopolitical restructuring”. Since the mainstream newspapers of the time showed more than average interest in the debate, research in the matter will not, today, be difficult for any interested student, political activist or academic.  Details

Fulani in a New-Found Land. By  Ismail Iro, Ph.D.

Herding predates farming in Nigeria and they cannot be stopped. While farming provides the bulk of the carbohydrates, herding supplies the main source of protein consumed by the teeming population in the country. Ranching has commercial objectives and cannot replace open range grazing, which is still the most efficient, most ecologically sensible, and most feasible method of raising livestock. Those who are advocating ranching as an alternative to open range animal production are doing so without understanding pastoral nomadism. Details

“Not Everything Past is Simply Nostalgia.”-- (Ibraheem A. Waziri). By  Abdulhaleem Ishaq Ringim

In an interaction with The Governor of Kaduna State Malam Nasiru Elrufai, he asked, “Was Nigeria designed to fail?”.  And I answered in the affirmative stating how the two sections of the country were initially kept separated from each other consciously, considering stark differences in almost everything. But later by virtue of economic considerations and administrative efficiency were welded together in an unconsensual manner. Details

Where was the Genocide? By Tochukwu Ezukanma

For our own good, we must start freeing ourselves from the psychological, emotional and sentimental fetters of Biafranism. Despite the intrusive availability of accurate information on the civil war, many Igbo prefer to cling to the falsehood of the Biafran propaganda. Thus, they remain captives to the past, Biafra, and giddy with the excrescence – abnormal outgrowth – of Biafra, neo-Biafranism. Neo-Biafranism is a flight into fantasy. Details

Insecurity in North West Nigeria: Armed Banditry or Boko Haram Expansionism? By Abdulhaleem Ishaq Ringim

However, the level of organization and coordination of attacks recently conducted by the “bandits”; the well established interstate networks and syndication and their sophisticated weaponry have started sparking a question of whether North West Nigeria is dealing with “Banditry” in conventional terms or it has metamorphosed into a higher from of organized terror. Details

Recession: Nigeria in Need of Expansionary Economic Policy. By Abdulhaleem Ishaq Ringim

Most people believe Nigeria is in recession because the whole world seems to be plunging in to recession due to the effects of COVID-19 on the world’s economy. Although partly true, I still believe it is not a justification that because world countries are experiencing recessions, Nigeria should/must too. Details

Who Is Mallam Sa'adu Zungur And Why He Should Be Immortalized. By Elder Adamu Bello Karofi

Having graduated from Katsina Higher College, he was the first Northerner to cross over to the South to study at the Prestigious Yaba Technical College in Lagos. Mallam Sa'adu Zungur distinguished himself as the best student in all the schools he attended. He earned a certificate of Pharmacy Technicians from the Yaba College and went on to School of Hygiene Kano to teach. Details

Need Of Exigent Regional Industrial Reforms And Policy. By Abdulhaleem Ishaq Ringim

While I still frown at the BusinessDay editorial for rendering the project economically non-viable, it is with the same passion that I would like to call the attention of Northern State governments to a statement made by Milton Friedman, one of the great economists of the 20th century that “One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results”. But the question is, how do we achieve reaping the expected benefits of this massive and capital-intensive project? Details

Making Sense of El - Rufai’s Seeming Disparate Stance on Citizens’ Rights. By Abdullahi Usman

That said, Governor El-Rufai's strong-willed stance against Almajiranci as a veritable means of protecting the rights of the children, and his latest position in support of protecting the constitutional right of all Nigerians to live anywhere they may choose to, are not mutually exclusive at all, and should not be made to appear to be so. Details

When Lagos visited Abuja; what happened? By Okachikwu Dibia

The FRSC should stop treating offenders with kid gloves. They are too lenient with offenders. One way to see drastic reduction in poor behaviours of drivers on Nigerian roads is to INSIST on punishing offenders not minding ethnic affinity. Details

President Buhari: The Inability to Make Hard Choices. By Tochukwu Ezukanma

The former American Secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, once summed up the follies of the Nigerian power elite, “They have squandered their oil wealth, they have allowed corruption to fester and now they are losing control of parts of their territory because they won’t make hard choices”. Despite his much-hyped incorruptibility and moral courage, President Buhari, like earlier Nigerian presidents, has failed to make hard choices. Details

Facing 2021: Notes to the Nigerian Left. By Edwin Madunagu

The questions were: “So, judging from the multitude of crises partially listed in the opening paragraph of this piece, has the Nigerian state failed? Is it failing? Is the summons: “revolution or state failure” real? In other words, is a fundamental change of agenda called for in the Nigerian Left?” My answer, which I called provisional, deliberately avoided a direct contact with the questions because it would have been unhelpful to attempt to answer them directly. Details

Insurrectionists and Boko Haram Hallucinate the Same Ideology. By Farouk Martins Aresa

Tolerance as long as it is not abused is the focus and salvation of all relationships. Anger over the loss of privilege has often been used to retaliate, oppress and suppress protests of the victims begging for relief, is not a just-cause. We are now at a point where the difference between begging for life, live and let's live has been blurred. Free Speech is not the freedom to drum up support to burn down the house, drum out the speech of those you disagree with until you have your way. Details

Trumpism: The Lessons for Nigeria. By  Tochukwu Ezukanma

Following the 2015 Nigerian presidential election, leadership, as personified by Goodluck Jonathan brought out the best in Nigerians. Many Jonathan supporters were ready to reject the election results and slug it out with the opposition. They were roiled and ready for trouble. It was the words of Jonathan that engendered the triumph of decorum over savageness in that inner duel among his supporters. Details

Engaging the Diaspora for Development. By Abachi Ungbo

If Nigeria were to be a dark firmament the diaspora population would be the constellation of stars. Some may have sullied the country’s image. However, not a few have invalidated the negative narratives and stereotypes. They have evinced a distinctive vibe and mentality. Yes, they are the embodiment of the ‘immigrant mentality’ that have drawn them from the fringes of their adopted homelands. Details

An Open Letter to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. By Sung Bauta, Ph.D.

Due to your position as chairperson of the International Summit Council for Peace (ISCPC), and as Special Envoy of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), it is necessary for your cordiality with Buhari’s government. But the cordiality is blinding you to the failures of this government, especially its brazen attempts to suppress legitimate protest. Details

Demystification of the American Democratic Process. By Anthony Akinola

The world will not forget the presidency of Donald Trump in a hurry. He has run a show, negative in many respects, which many American presidents were not able to do in  two terms of office. His presumptive successor, President-elect Joe Biden, has a lot of mending to do. His first task would be to heal the divisions which Trump has stoked for political advantage. Details

When Votes, Persuasions, and Protests Fail, Violence Resorts. By Farouk Martins

The recent elections in Britain and the United States have exposed the frailty of humans no matter where we are. If we add the nefarious surveillance and subtle interference of Russia and China, not only in the developing countries but boldly in Britain's Brexit Referendum and United States Election in 2016, the pictures become clearer.  Details