Author: Chief Editor

Advocates return to regionalism Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has reiterated his unswerving stance that the only way out of the present challenges plaguing Nigeria is to restructure the country and possibly return to regional government system. He spoke thursday in Lagos at the launch of a book “Contemporary Issues in Law and Society” (Legal Essay in Iyizoba’s tribute) and the inauguration of the African Women Forum for Good Governance (AWFG), an initiative of a retired Appeal Court judge, Justice Chinwe Iyizoba. Anyaoku, who lauded Justice Iyizoba as a distinguished lady who had a great…

For the second time in three months, former President Goodluck Jonathan thursday visited President Muhammadu Buhari in the State House, Abuja. Jonathan who arrived at 1.45 p.m., was ushered into the president’s office and met with his successor behind closed doors for only 16 minutes. At the end of the meeting, the president accompanied his predecessor from his office down to the fore court of the Presidential Villa at 2.01 p.m., where Jonathan boarded his car and left. There was no information about the reason for Jonathan’s visit as journalists were not even allowed near him to ask questions. Jonathan…

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State Thursday said that the South-west security initiative, Operation Amotekun was shaping up well. Makinde spoke at the 80th Annual General Conference of the Cherubim and Seraphim Unification Church of Nigeria, in Ashi, Orita Bashorun, Ibadan, the state capital. “I was with the Inspector-General of Police yesterday (Wednesday) and we had deliberation on how to make our state and country secure. “We also discussed on how Amotekun is not supposed to replace the function of the Nigeria Police Force and the community police they are setting up. Very soon, we will begin to reap the…

Eze Onyekpere The 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index released by Transparency International last week shows that Nigeria scored 26 out of a possible 100 points and ranked 146 out of the 180 countries assessed. This is two places down when compared to our 2018 ranking of 144 and a step lower than our usual score of 27. The average score across the 180 countries assessed was 43 while the sub-Saharan African average was 32. Nigeria failed to meet any of these average scores. In the ECOWAS region, we only performed better than Guinea-Bissau which was ranked 168. The report simply states…

Tunde Odesola The sun stood still and the rain paused mid-air when Huzuv, the son of Emperor Bharry, injured his head in an okada accident on Abuja highway. Like an arrow from the pit of hell, Huzuv’s brand-new motorbike shot unto the road, gleaming and gliding in a display of class, opulence and indulgent hypocrisy. Huzuv smiled as the wind gushed against the eyeshield of his costly helmet and sinfully expensive biker’s gear. “Kai, kudi alherine! (money is good!)” The road was empty. Fuel scarcity had grounded the entire land, workers had stayed at home. Huzuv gunned down the…

President Muhammadu Buhari at the weekend ordered the deployment of air fighter aircraft to support the efforts of troops and policemen combating the activities of bandits, kidnappers and cattle rustlers terrorising remote communities around Dogon Gona forest in Niger State. The deployment, the presidency disclosed last night, will take-off this week as the harmattan dust gradually eases off in the sky, to provide effective air attacks against the activities of the criminals. According to a statement by presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, Buhari described repeated attacks which have claimed several lives in the communities “as a disaster for the nation.”…

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has said many Nigerians have not felt the impact of the federal government. Speaking in Lagos at the unveiling of Airtel Touching Lives Season 5 on Saturday night, Osinbajo noted that some  Nigerians had benefitted from the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) of the federal government. He, however acknowledged that the government was “ still very far from touching the majority of those who need help”. He commended Airtel for always giving and caring. “Truly what separates humankind from all other creatures is the capacity for kindness. “So, I want to thank Segun (Ogunsanya) and his team…

A meeting between Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and the governors of the South-West states has begun at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The agenda is the security outfit, Operation Amotekun, recently launched by the states in the zone. The minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, are also attending the meeting. Recall that Amotekun had generated controversies. The Federal Government had opposed it as it declared it “illegal” in a statement released through Malami’s office. The government had said it had a policy on community policing, which had been approved by the President, Major…

Since the introduction of Shari’a law in Zamfara state in January 2000, nothing else has tested the sanctity of Nigeria’s practice of federalism like the launch of the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN), better known as Operation Amotekun (the Yoruba word for leopard), by the south-western states on January 9, 2020. The stated aim of Operation Amotekun is to complement the efforts of the federal government in combating insecurity — particularly armed robbery and kidnapping-for-ransom in the geo-political zone. Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo and Lagos states have each procured 20 trucks and 100 motorcycles for Operation Amotekun, according to…

TUESDAY WITH Reuben Abati Virtually everything in Nigeria no matter how well-meaning ends up getting ethnicized, or politicized, or religionized. So it is with Operation Amotekun: the Western Nigeria Security Network whose recent launch by the Governors of the South West, on January 9, has thrown up key questions at the heart of the Nigerian dilemma as well as the fault lines of the Nigerian state. Today, in all the six states of the South West, there is a planned Amotekun Solidarity Walk to be led by state co-ordinators who are members of a group called Yoruba World Congress –…