Author: Chief Editor

By Godwin Uyi Ojo The initiative conceptualises a post-petroleum economy for Nigeria that is related to an energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources in Nigeria. The groundbreaking research toward a post-petroleum economy was commissioned by the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) to provide some cost-benefit analysis of oil and gas and the prospects of renewable energy for Nigeria. It is to help policymakers to take the bold step toward a post-petroleum economy for Nigeria while depending less on oil and gas revenues. The research which builds on decades of a campaign to “leave the oil…

By Simbo Olorunfemi Born on November 20, 1942, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.’s political career started in 1969, at the age of 27 when he was elected a Councillor. In 1972, at only 29, he beat Caleb Boggs, the Republican incumbent, to get into the Senate, defying the odds stacked against him, which at a time was 30 percentage points. He ran a campaign with “almost no money”, relying on family members to staff his campaign, with his energy and ability to connect with people getting him over the cliff with just 1 percentage point and less than 4000 votes. It…

By Bertram Nwannekanma  “Without strong watchdog institutions, impunity becomes the very foundation upon which systems of corruption are built. And if impunity is not demolished, all efforts to bring an end to corruption are in vain”. — Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel laureate. One of the derivable positives from the recent nationwide protests against the now-dissolved police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) is the rise in citizens’ consciousness towards governance in Nigeria. Before now, citizens’ participation in governance has been at low ebb especially among the youth, who are often labeled lazy by some public commentators. However, experience from the #EndSARS protests revealed…

I will like to start by thanking the leadership of Arewa House for the great honour of inviting me to speak at the golden jubilee of this great institution. I also want to congratulate you, both for this historic moment and for the wonderful work you have done in the last fifty years; mobilising and interpreting our history to explain the present and illuminate the path to our future. Through a faithful and relentless engagement with history, Arewa House has indeed built a great history for itself. Congratulations. This institution was founded with clear and deliberate intentions. One, to immortalise…

For the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the many stakeholders working to promote credible elections, 2020 will surely go down as a defining, but very challenging year. Firstly, the entire electoral process had to grapple with the realities of the new normal as imposed by the outbreak of the Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19). The pandemic forced INEC to quickly return to the drawing board with the objective of working out strategies to ensure the electoral process does not become a super-spreader point, which could go on to multiply the number of COVID-19 fatalities. In fact, the Commission had to…

The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, SAN, says the Federal Government is set to end impunity for crimes against members of the public including journalists. Malami made this known in a statement issued by Dr Umar Gwandu, his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations in Abuja on Sunday. In a message to commemorate the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, the Minister said it was gratifying to note that Nigeria is no longer among the countries with impunity for crimes against journalists. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that…

The Minister of Works and former governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, was in the news for the better part of last week, as he was pilloried by some Nigerian youths for discovering a “mystery camcorder” at the Lekki Toll Plaza, after many rounds of cleaning. They’d insinuated that the camcorder was not only planted but part of the game plan by the government to decimate the facts of the alleged Lekki shooting by soldiers. But, how about getting a bit experimental? First off, Fashola was not at the scene alone or by accident. He was there on…

Hope or despair beckons as the Judicial Panels of inquiry ordered by the presidency across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, to investigate allegations of grievous human rights violations by the defunct Special Armed Robbery Squad, set sail. Louis Achi writes According to the late US Ambassador to the UN, Richard Holbrooke, “Freedom is the Century’s most powerful idea, but the struggle is far from over.” Modern discourse over the nature of evil is still an infectious subject. The debate goes back to Socrates, who argued that anyone acquainted with good could not intentionally choose evil instead. As…

Regardless of how the #EndSARS protests might have turned out, Nigerian youths have made a statement, a valid one, writes Amby Uneze The eruption of protests by Nigerian youths tagged #EndSARS protests, which began almost a month ago, has indeed opened the eyes of many to the fact that for the country to be great again, its success lies in shared ideas. What the people want is what they get in terms of achieving greatness. But in an orderly way, when people are tepid over the affairs of their country, definitely, it takes a miracle for such a country to…

The World Trade Organisation is currently engaged in frenzied activities to ensure Nigeria’s Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who came tops in the election process having secured cross-regional backing against strong US’ opposition, is given the job she deserves. Nosa James-Igbinadolor looks at why the U.S is opposing the candidacy of Nigeria’s two-time finance minister, and why she will surmount the challenge and win again For a few keen observers of the unending hunt for a new Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the hurriedly organised meeting in mid-October, in Abuja, between Nigeria’s candidate and former Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala…