August has ended, but it has left behind the peculiar silence that follows the departure of people whose lives had become part of our own the landscape. It was, for me, an August of deaths, arriving not as a single calamity but as a succession of personal encounters with mortality, each death reopening the same … [Read more…]
Ejindu was a young man whose voice had not yet become strong enough to be heard during the meetings and conversations of elders. He had always disliked the behaviour of the King and others who were supposed to be the leaders of the community. And his closeness to his grandfather, Omee-Okachie, gave him deep insights … [Read more…]
By Sebastine Okafor, Ph.D. In the part 1 of this piece, I alluded to how I was able to extract the information of all that transpired as a well-trained columnist, investigative and interpretative journalist. I will proceed with detailing my findings in this part 2. Less than 24 hours after a meeting with the National … [Read more…]
In my earlier writeup, “The Fuel Subsidy Question,” I asked: “If Nigerians have sacrificed through the removal of petrol subsidy, where is the dividend of that sacrifice?” That question remains unanswered, and may not be satisfactorily answered. But there is a bigger question. How much should Nigerians pay for energy in a country blessed with … [Read more…]
Politics, as the saying goes, is often about timing. But in local government administration, timing alone is not enough. The quality of the man who takes over can determine whether the gains of one administration are consolidated or gradually eroded. That is why the coming transition in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State … [Read more…]
By Hon. Anayo Edeh As the 2027 General elections approach, it is imperative to emphasise the need for the People of Enugu State to collectively support Governor Peter Mbah’s re-election bid. Another four years for Mbah, will put Enugu on the path of sustainable development in all Sectors. In the past three years, Enugu has … [Read more…]
-By Abdul Mahmud Last week, I read a few Facebook posts about the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference which took place in Port Harcourt. The Uyo-based lawyer and scholar, Solomon Ekokoi’s post on the shoddy arrangements captured the mood better than most. There was, clearly, much to complain about in the organisation of … [Read more…]
By SNC Nwagu The debate over whether NATO can function without substantial American military support is essentially a European question. But its implications are unmistakably African. For more than seven decades, American power has underwritten NATO. Now, as Washington reassesses its global commitments, Europe is being forced to assume greater responsibility for its own defense. … [Read more…]
-By Abdul Mahmud Exactly 35 years ago today, on Wednesday, 28 August 1991, the gates of the Maximum Security Prison, Kirikiri, were finally flung open, and two young student leaders walked out into the Lagos morning after four months of detention by the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, carrying with them the belongings with … [Read more…]
By Sebastine Okafor, Ph.D. A few days ago, the National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, convened a meeting for all the leaders of the party in Enugu State to identify the issues affecting the party and discuss how to move the party forward. As the Secretary of the party in … [Read more…]
-By Abdul Mahmud In my op-ed last week, Nigeria’s CODESA Moment, I argued that the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) had not yet entered the kind of unmistakable electoral decline that would make its defeat in 2027 a reasonable assumption. That, however, is not the same as saying that the APC is electorally invulnerable. The … [Read more…]
By Sebastine Okafor, Ph.D. A few days ago, I saw media reports about the endorsement of a factional candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Enugu State Chapter, by 22 communities in Awkunanaw, and how his supporters were jubilating over it. I was pleased to see that the factional candidate was engaging with some of … [Read more…]