Author: Editor

Is ECOWAS ready to go to war with our closest ally (Niger Republic) to protect “democracy”? Is ECOWAS prepared to face the armed forces of Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic backed and trained by Russia’s Wagner? The military governments in Mali and Burkina Faso warned of an armed intervention in Niger and will counter with force. Guinea also sided with the putschist leaders. Can we ignore the angle of widespread arms in the region in the hands of miscreants, which the war will promote? We know that in many parts of West Africa, armed groups are swarming like ants on sugar, pulled by a mixture of weak states, bleak economic prospects, burgeoning populations, a punishing climate, and bad and irresponsible governance. Can we worsen the situation by igniting a disastrous war in the region? After Niger, Nigeria may be the primary target for destruction, and then Ghana and other countries. No, it is not worth maintaining the kind of liberal democracy we have in place. Based on living conditions, social amenities, and corruption, some people cannot distinguish between liberal democracy and military dictatorship. The lack of difference between the two types of governance is why ECOWAS is losing the support of its citizenry to take military action against the Junta in Niger. Nigerians unite against military action in Niger due to its tremendous regional catastrophe. Despite the ECOWAS resolution backed by the AU and the UN, many Nigerians oppose military intervention in the neighboring country. The Islamic clerics who met with Mr. Tinubu, last week volunteered to mediate in the crisis due to their opposition to war and the close ethnic and religious ties between Nigeria and Niger.

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Towards the end of 2022, as his country began preparations towards general elections scheduled to take place in the penultimate week of August 2023, Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, contracted an unusual bout of generosity denominated in United States Dollars. First, he disbursed US$500,000 to his ministers, comprising twenty cabinet ministers, thirteen deputy ministers, and nine provincial ministers supposedly as housing loans. Next, he doled out US$350,000 to directors of Zimbabwe’s Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). The 270 Members of parliament – both elected and nominated – each received $40,000.

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Just when we thought the peak in tax collection was attained, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) brought forward another harvest of revenue collection, peaking any collection in our nation’s history. The tax agency recently announced a total tax revenue collection of N5.5 trillion for the half-year period of January to June 2023 signifying the highest tax revenue collection ever recorded by the Service in any first six months of a fiscal year.

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