By Robert Egbe NIGERIA’s DECISION to earmark SIN taxes – levies on alcohol, tobacco, and sugary drinks – for health financing, signals a firm commitment to prioritising citizens’ health. It also aligns with long-standing calls from Nigerian public health advocates and the World Health Organisation (WHO). The move could not be timelier. Earlie...
By Sunday Dare IT WAS another journey to Kaduna by President Bola Tinubu. It was one to demonstrate the depth of friendship and showcase the value of commitment to the ties that bind. Kaduna, once the undisputed epicentre of northern Nigeria’s politics, still retains its aura as the crucible of power and influence in the […]
By Olukorede Yishau It happened before America became home. ‘You think it’s funny? I’ll show you what is funny. Stand back.’ The United States Customs and Border agency official barked at me in the expansive arrival hall of the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas. The blond official’s eyeballs ...
By Owei Lakemfa THE AMERICAS tilted towards war this week as the United States, US on Monday September 15, 2025 and the next day, attacked and destroyed two boats it said are Venezuelan. The attacks in which an unspecific number of people were killed, followed a similar US announcement on September 1, 2025, that it […]
By Comrade Gerald O. Katchy MILITARY INTERVENTIONS in Africa are no longer the exception; they are fast becoming a pattern. In many countries the arrival of juntas is greeted with hope for reform. But soon enough, the bright promises of “restoring order” darken into mechanisms that ensure rulers remain seat-tight: constitution-tweaks, delayed...
By Olabode Opeseitan RECENTLY, THREE reputed international media organisations highlighted a transformative narrative about Nigeria that often escapes domestic headlines. Reuters documented the rise of millionaire cocoa farmers—visionaries leveraging innovation and scale to revolutionize agriculture, a sector foundational to Nigeria’s economi...
By Reuben Abati ON THURSDAY, 18 September 2025, the six months state of emergency declared in Rivers State on 18 March would have expired and this has led to high expectations among the people. The hope that this would be the case was further raised when Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), […]
By Babafemi Ojudu A few days ago, I shared a short reflection on my page about the anomaly of labeling Ekiti people as “stubborn” simply because they stand by principle and resist oppression and wrongdoing. The response was overwhelming. Many fellow Ekiti sons and daughters reached out, urging me to expand the thought into a […]
By Owei Lakemfa Aliko Dangote is a likeable man. He is into philanthropism, smiles and even dances in public. However, the issue is not his person but his businesses. In the last few years, he has been engaged in endless fights over the operation of his refinery. But one of the most unnecessary is his […]
By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu IN JANUARY 1993, Ibrahim Babangida was the military ruler of Nigeria. He was supposedly in the last year of an interminable transition at the end of which he promised to hand over power to an elected civilian administration. Moshood Abiola was actively canvassing to inherit that mantle. As Chief Justice of […]
