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Opinion

Sunday, 26 August 2018 04:41

Asa, broda ole and the fight against corruption - Muyiwa Apara.

Bukola Elemide the amiable Nigerian songstress answers the sobriquet ASA, the Yoruba name for the predatory hawk. However, better known for its predatory prowess than its chirping, still I confess that Asa’s songs easily catch my fancy despite the tyranny of the oppressive generation gap.As she croons her various hits, from “Jailer”, “Bi ba nke,” “Be my man”, to “Share my blessing”, her smash hit duet with Naeto C another young Nigerian rap artist and musician, I find myself always lost in her poetry, dozing and sleeping to her lullabies and sometimes even tapping my aged feet shamelessly to her…

Friday, 24 August 2018 05:13

Ajimobi’s giant strides in folly - Azu Ishiekwene

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State is increasingly becoming the Rochas Okorocha of the South West. With very little effort, he might surpass the latter, the self-acclaimed exponent of iberiberism (an Igbo slang which roughly translates as “the act or state of foolishness”).In a rare moment of lucidity, Okorocha, the accidental governor of Imo and its first and, hopefully, last emperor, said the political equivalence of iberibe (the Igbo wordstupidity) and its most fitting literary description, is taking much from the people and, in return, taking them for a ride.It could be boreholes or a few lampstands for hundreds of…

Friday, 24 August 2018 05:10

Why Buhari’s ‘800m walk’ makes both his health and age legitimate campaign issues - Jideofor Adibe

Do public officials owe the public full disclosures about their health status? Does the age of a political leader really matter when it comes to the leader performing his/her statutory duties?Answers to the above questions have never been straight forward even in countries like the USA and the UK where the public’s right to know can sometimes verge on intrusions into those inner sections of a leader’s private life normally shielded from the public by privacy laws and ethical considerations. However when a leader tries to use any aspect of his private life to gain political mileage such as posting…

Friday, 24 August 2018 04:59

Why prosperity has increased but happiness has not - Jonathan Rauch

In 1990, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Britain was challenged by a Labour member of Parliament on the subject of growing inequality. “All levels of income are better off than they were in 1979,” she retorted. “The honorable member is saying that he would rather that the poor were poorer, provided the rich were less rich. … What a policy!”That slap-down was an iconic formulation of a premise of the Thatcher-Reagan conservative revolution: Poverty is a social problem, but inequality, as such, is not. Governments should aim to increase the incomes and opportunities of all, especially the poor, but to…

Thursday, 23 August 2018 05:44

Electorates are the unusual suspects - Israel A Ebije

We have spent so much time, with rolled up sleeves throwing punches at the elitist class over poor leadership and devastated economy, while electorates have escaped critical lens of analysts. Ordinary voting public have always assumed the posture of innocent, hapless victims, it is often concluded they have been made poor by politicians to be used only for their vote value. The truth, which is bitter is that electorates have refused to see the bigger picture beyond the mouthful of food in exchange for printing their thumbs on ballots for a politician or political party. Electorates are yet to realize…

Wednesday, 22 August 2018 05:45

Buharimaniacs and Buharideens - Femi Aribisala

New nomenclatures have come into the national political lexicon since the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as president of Nigeria. Two that come to mind here are Buharimaniacs and Buharideens. There are other variants of these but they largely refer to the same set of people; those whose job is to insult, disparage and malign anyone who dares criticise the president and his policies.It is a waste of time trying to educate these fanatics that it is the occupational hazard of a president to be criticised in a democracy. They were loud in criticising Goodluck Jonathan as president to the point…

Wednesday, 22 August 2018 05:26

Elon Musk, Donald Trump and the second gilded age - Robert Reich

I’ve long admired Elon Musk as a technological visionary. But I worry about his sense of responsibility to the public.Last week, Musk announced on Twitter that he intended to turn Telsa, the electric-car maker he founded, into a private company. He said the funding was “secured” —a claim that sent Telsa stock skyrocketing—yet produced no evidence the money was nailed down.There are laws against corporate officials making these sorts of untethered claims, because if untrue, they could hurt lots of innocent bystanders—including unwary investors and employees. Does Musk’s behavior remind you of any other powerful person who also makes unfounded…

Tuesday, 21 August 2018 05:59

A Dry Sallah And Other Stories - Reuben Abati

“Baba is back, we thank God” “You have started your mischief again. Baba said he will be back in two weeks, and he is back, so what is special about that?” “You know sometimes when the President goes to London like that, we may then be told that his doctors have advised that he should spend another week or more. But we thank God this time oh.” “There is no way the President will spend Eid-el-Kabir outside Nigeria. Allah be praised! Did you not see how many people trooped out in Abuja to welcome him? I liked that.” “I didn’t…

Tuesday, 21 August 2018 05:27

It’s time to reclaim ‘socialism’ from the dirty-word category - Elizabeth Bruenig

A Gallup poll this month found that Democrats are warming up to the idea of socialism — or at least to the word. While 57 percent of Democrats polled said they view socialism positively, only 47 percent said the same of capitalism, down from 56 percent in 2016. Republicans, meanwhile, remain pretty enthusiastic about capitalism, with 71 percent rating it positively. Still, 16 percent of GOP voters said even they view socialism through a friendly lens, which raises the question: When Americans say they view socialism one way or the other, what exactly do they have in mind?The United States…

Tuesday, 21 August 2018 05:25

Why Facebook is running out of time to rebuild its reputation Running - John Oswald

“Silicon Valley faces many challenges, and I am encouraged that there are so many dedicated, thoughtful and skilled people continuing to tackle these challenges at Facebook.”You bet, Mr Stamos. You bet. But we’re left wondering if your former boss Mark Zuckerberg is among them. And with the investors reeling following Facebook’s remarkable dip in market value, is time running out to rebuild Facebook’s reputation?The official response from Facebook following Alex Stamos’ departure as Chief Security Officer was this: “We are investing heavily in security to address new types of threats for the people who use our services. Earlier this year…

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Monday, 20 August 2018 06:03

“Demolition” of common sense - Seun Kolade

In the early hours of this morning, agents of the Oyo state government under Governor Ajimobi stormed the premises of Fresh FM owned by Yinka Ayefele. According to reports, the demolition has been a subject of a restraining court order. The government went ahead with the demolition anyway. Amidst the furore this action generated, it emerged that the governor had spoken about this in a radio interview at Fresh FM many years ago. In that interview, Ajimobi said some of his supporters pressured him years ago to demolish the property. The reasons they gave, as stated by the governor himself,…

Monday, 20 August 2018 05:51

Why PDP is ten times better than APC - Femi Aribisala

I have said time and again that I am not a member of the PDP. I am saying it again. I have never been and will never be a member of any political party in Nigeria. I have also said I do not know personally, have never met or even ever spoken to President Goodluck Jonathan, although I remain as ardent in his support as I was during the 2015 election.Before you call me a liar, let me state here for the record that I finally had the privilege of speaking to President Jonathan a few weeks ago. A nice…

Sunday, 19 August 2018 05:29

'Kofi Annan tended the world as a sacred garden” - Dankwambo

The Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, has described the death of former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, as a great loss to Africa and the entire world. He stated this in a tribute mourning the passing on of the celebrated diplomat.The statement reads:The late Kofi Annan was, without doubt, Africa's gift to the world. As Secretary General of the United Nations, the second African but the first black man to hold that position, Anan was the perfect advertisement copy for the African heritage of diligence, resilience, brilliance, humaneness and all the virtues that make up impeccable character. On…

Sunday, 19 August 2018 05:04

Tinubu and the penalty kicked into throw-in - Festus Adedayo

Even among discographers, the exact logic in the highly famous song of Temitope Adekunle, Ondo State-born youth musician who is more popularly known as Small Doctor, cannot be deciphered. Small Doctor had caused a major eruption in national dancehalls when he released that hit song he labeled Penalty. Although delivered in Yoruba, the locale-blind nature of music all over the world ensured that this song travelled across virgin lands, penetrated tongues alien to the tongue of its delivery and burst musical charts, primarily because of its fast tempo as well as its rich garnishing with danceable vibes and rich repertoire…

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