This is the concluding part of this series. The first two editions were published two weeks ago. Although the article was originally written in 2022, its message remains as timely and relevant today as it was then. With insecurity continuing to ravage every region of the country, leaving citizens in constant fear and uncertainty, the issues it raises remain urgent and worthy of renewed attention. Last week, they attacked an estate in Abuja. Gunmen, bandits, Boko Haram, those who “drag” sovereignty with Nigeria, attacked Genuine Estate, within the vicinity of Gwarimpa, Nigeria’s (some accounts say south of the Sahara’s) largest…
Author: Editor
For many years, Sokoto State has featured prominently in discussions on child development in Nigeria. The challenges have been enormous, with high numbers of out-of-school children, low immunisation coverage, child malnutrition, maternal and infant mortality, poverty and, more recently, insecurity that has disrupted access to schools and healthcare facilities in some communities. These realities have shaped the lives of thousands of children, limiting their chances of growing up healthy, educated and productive. Today, however, a different story is gradually emerging. While the challenges remain, deliberate investments by the Sokoto State Government, complemented by the technical and financial support of the…
Claim: Social media users are sharing images claiming they show more than 300 bandits killed by the Nigerian military during a special operation in Gummi Local Government Area of Zamfara State. Full Text Images have recently been circulating on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), accompanied by claims that they depict more than 300 bandits killed by the Nigerian military during an operation in Gummi Local Government Area of Zamfara State. One Facebook user, Yaseer Abubakar, shared the images with the claim that soldiers killed more than 300 bandits in Gummi. Another social media influencer, Alhassan Mai Lafiya, later shared the post,…
Today, we see more clearly what history has produced – a world of centuries of wars, slavery, conquests, imperialism and colonialism. The outcome has been massive wealth on one side and mass poverty, inequality and misery on the other. The MDGs and the SDGs had to be created as policy frameworks that could reduce, not correct, the injustice. Advancement in technology and production systems made correcting some of the ills possible. Politics and power dynamics have created stumbling blocks. The current geopolitical dynamics is worsening the situation. The concentration of wealth in a few hands has increased dramatically. The world…
Renomination of Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate for the 2027 presidential election was mysteriously slow in coming. For six weeks since the President was confirmed as the ruling APC’s candidate, mum was the word about the running mate, which sent some political actors and media commentators into a frenzy of commentary. It has been unknown in Nigerian politics since 1983 for a president to change his vice president ahead of reelection. In 1982, as soon as President Shehu Shagari was renominated as NPN’s candidate for the 1983 election, he renominated Vice President Dr. Alex Ekwueme…
Confession: I am not a security expert, but my interest in security matters has led me to read widely and to write more than 10 articles on insecurity in Nigeria over the last 5 years. I also submitted a 12-page security memorandum during a stakeholders’ security interaction with the Katsina State Governor, Mallam Dikko Umar Radda, in September 2025. I also had a one-on-one interview on security challenges with the current Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa OFR (Rtd), when he was Chief of Defence Staff, and wrote a 2-part article, publishing the interview in my column and in several other…
Across Africa, conversations about economic development often revolve around attracting multinational corporations, building industrial parks, expanding infrastructure and increasing foreign direct investment. While these priorities remain important, they frequently overshadow the largest productive segment of the continent’s economy, the informal economy. Recent public discussions in Nigeria over government support for food vendors, roadside entrepreneurs and microenterprises have sparked diverse opinions. Some have questioned whether scarce public resources should be directed towards businesses that they consider too small to make a meaningful economic impact. Others argue that such interventions merely sustain subsistence rather than promote real economic transformation. Both perspectives, however,…
Despite international bans and restrictions, toxic flame-retardant chemicals continue to contaminate the environment across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), posing persistent risks to ecosystems and human health, according to a new scientific review. The study, published in the journal Environmental Research, found that polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)—a group of persistent organic pollutants once widely used as flame retardants in electronics, furniture, textiles and plastics—remain prevalent in soils, sediments, air, water and indoor environments across the region. Researchers systematically reviewed 38 scientific studies conducted across MENA countries and found that contamination levels varied significantly by country and environmental setting.…
This piece was first published in May 2022. It remains as pertinent today as it was then, given the worsening insecurity currently facing the country. Sovereignty, this eleven-lettered word, is a political concept. The concept defines dominant power. Or the supreme authority. Wikipedia says “it is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct or territory. That it entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states.” Sovereignty, as a concept in political theory, has a clear-cut definition. The state or quality of being sovereign refers to a territory or geographical area that is self-governing, with recognition…
Every economy has its insiders and its outsiders. The distinction is not always determined by citizenship, geography or even willingness to work. Sometimes, it is drawn quietly by access: access to credit, identity, insurance, knowledge, technology and the institutional pathways through which human effort is converted into economic possibility. Millions may live within an economy, trade within it, labour for it and contribute daily to its survival, yet remain strangely absent from its most productive opportunities. They are present in the marketplace but invisible to formal credit, active in enterprise but largely unknown to the financial system, economically alive but…