Author: Obayomi Abiola Benjamin

I posed this ‘quote-like’ question to a young man recently who was on the verge of giving up. I asked him, do you remember that guy that gave up? At first, he was shocked, wondering what man was that. After sometimes, he responded by saying ‘No’. So, I told him me neither. No one would ever remember that man or woman that gave up on their dreams and aspirations. The world only celebrates people who didn’t quit. Even, heaven will not rejoice over that soul that gives up. Circumstance and situations would push to the point of wanting you to throw in…

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and workers cooperative societies were top of considerations as experts gathered in Abuja recently to discuss the way forward for affordable housing delivery in Nigeria. Though the REITs market is still evolving in this country, it is considered a good opportunity for financial intermediation in the housing sector and, according to the experts who gathered for the 11th edition of the annual Abuja Housing Show (AHS), cooperatives have the capacity to amass and coordinate household savings towards homeownership. But to achieve the 2030 target of affordable housing for all, Kecia Rust of the Centre for…

By Fareed Zakaria There are many ways to evaluate the Trump presidency at the six-month mark. What I am struck by is the path not taken, the lost opportunity. During the campaign, it was clear that Donald Trump had many flaws, but he tapped into a real set of problems facing the United States and a deep frustration with the political system. Additionally, he embraced and expressed — somewhat inconsistently — a populism that went beyond the traditional left-right divide. What would things look like at this point if President Trump had governed in the manner of a pragmatic, jobs-oriented…

There is this feeling that immediately surfaces when you are expecting God to come through for you in a particular situation and He didn’t show up. Sometimes, it could be that you are expecting God to heal you from a particular ailment, but He didn’t until you probably ended up in the hospital. Another could be that you needed a job so desperately, and then this interview came up; and you prepared well for it, put your entire trust in God to perfect the rest; but somewhere along the line, He didn’t show up and then, you lost the job.…

The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday said Nigeria is one of the greatest countries in the world, saying the country, in another ten years might probably be among the 15 largest economies in the world. Osinbajo disclosed this in his remarks at the palace of Emir of Gusau, Alhaji Ibrahim Bello, during his one-day visit to Zamfara State. This was contained in a press release, signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President on Media and Publicity, Mr Olaolu Akande and made available to DAILY POST. Osinbajo opined that the greatness of Nigeria is not contestable…

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered a temporary forfeiture of  an estate in Banana Island area of Lagos reportedly owned by former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison Madueke. The court also ordered the forfeiture of $37.5m alleged to have been fraudulently siphoned by the former minister. Details later.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has decried the power situation in the country despite the humongous investments made into the sector by the government over the years. According to him, it was the pathetic power situation that has forced Nigerians into committing N5b annually on procurement of generator set. While he described the situation as unacceptable, the Speaker pledged the resolve of the House to work with the Executive towards finding a permanent solution to the power generation and distribution challenges in the country. Towards this end, he disclosed that the House is reviewing some of…

By Reuben Abati “To live in Lagos Island, these days, one needs to engage the services of rainmakers during the rainy season”, a friend who lives in that part of Lagos told me the other day. The job of a rainmaker, as known in our traditional communities, is actually to stop the rain from falling or to divert the rain to other locations, to allow people to hold an event without the threat of a heavy rainfall disturbing guests and participants. In those days when social parties used to be held more on open fields rather than event centres, the…

By Taiye Edeni/ Lizzy Okoji The House of Representatives has decried Ministries Departments and Agencies’ (MDAs’) duplication of projects funded by international donors in their budgetary proposals. Alhaji Babangida Ibrahim, the Chairman, House Committee on Finance, made the feelings of the house known at a retreat organised by the House Committee on appropriation in Abuja. Ibrahim, therefore, urged the executive to identify projects being funded by international donors but were re-presented by MDAs in their budget proposals. “I am aware that as a house, we have been facing a lot of challenges when it comes to the issue of identifying international donor…

By Chinyere Nwachukwu/Lagos Some  214,952 candidates cheated in the May-June West African Senior School Certificate Examination(WASSCE) and their results have been seized by the authorities. Mr. Olu Adenipekun, Head of National Office of the West African Examination Council, WAEC, announced this in Lagos as he also announced the cheering news of a seven percent improvement in the number of candidates that passed the examination with five credits. Last year, 52.9 percent of the candidates recorded the feat. The number jumped to 59.22  percent this year, out of the 1,559,662 candidates that  sat for the examination. Adenipekun said WAEC is still…