This week, I am in Niamey, Niger Republic engaged in an initiative to create a pathway that could free the Sahel from the existential crisis it faces. In September, a high level panel was inaugurated with an open mandate to galvanise African intellectual and political power in seeking solutions to the insecurity raging in the sub-region and placing development back on the agenda. The Panel is led by the former President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, who working with four other members from the continent. The Panel is supported by the United Nations, the African Union and G5-Sahel and has been…
Author: Editor
As election year draws closer, it is important that the health sector should be one of the main talking points of political conversations. This is because, it is only when one is well and healthy that he/she will begin to think of any economic, political or social activity. However, this has not been the case as ethnicity, religion and other issues have remained on the front burner, forgetting the popular saying that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. This maxim makes it imperative for political office aspirants to articulate a comprehensive health financing mechanism to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC),…
The desire by man to meet his needs necessitated his movement from one place to another. Aircraft provide one of the fastest means to achieve that objective. In addition to the movement of people, the aviation industry also plays a major role in the movement of goods. It promotes commerce and industry, two of the major determinants of the Gross Domestic Product. Aviation experts describe the industry as a catalyst for socio-economic development. The aviation industry in Nigeria has witnessed various trajectories in its growth. Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, the Managing Director, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), recently said that…
My first and last encounter with the honorable speaker, Olufemi Hakeem Gbajabiamila was at the public hearing of an Agricultural Bill after the commencement of the 9th Assembly. He walked into the venue of the event quietly and seamlessly without the paraphernalia and dust-raising protocol, talked to the audience, prayed for fruitful deliberation, and then walked out. I was impressed by his business-like look, core humility, and simplicity, and hardly believed he was the speaker of the National Assembly. Over the years, the conducts or misconduct of the National Assembly members leave much to be desired. Their conduct from the…
It gives me great pleasure to welcome everyone to the 3rd Year and my last Ministerial Performance Review Retreat organised to evaluate the level of progress made in the implementation of the Nine Priority Agenda of this Administration. 2. I am particularly delighted to welcome His Excellency, Uhuru Kenyatta, the immediate past President of the Republic of Kenya and members of his delegation, and specially thank him for honouring our invitation to be the Keynote Speaker at this Retreat. We look forward to hearing about your experience especially around the last months prior to the handover to your successor. 3.…
The Arbiter I had wanted to write about the awards conferred on deserving – and not so deserving – individuals on Tuesday by President Muhammadu Buhari. I thought I would be reading it today in Geneva, Switzerland. I should have been in Geneva, today, attending the 2022 World Cancer Congress organised by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) taking place from the 18th to the 20th of this month. I was not going to the congress as a journalist covering an international event. No. I was going there as a delegate from Nigeria because I founded a foundation -…
Our system isn’t working; I mean the basic administration in Nigeria. In a report, Ghana deported over 16 Nigerian Yahoo-yahoo guys. We have seen foreigners, who have dealt with Nigerian laws even without remorse, name them, Chinese, Lebanese and Indians. These guys had gotten away with their various atrocities with little or no prosecution. Section 1 of the 1999 Nigeria’s constitution as amended states that “the constitution is supreme and it’s provisions shall have binding force on all authorize and persons throughout the Federal Republic of the Nigeria”. This implies that the law is applicable to everyone whether a Nigerian…
Before I delve into the issue proper, we need first to understand how Governor Yahaya Bello’s mental furniture is arranged. I believe no one will disagree with me that as much as he exhibits youthful vigor and exuberance, he also exhibits equal energy in clamoring over controversies. He is a governor that can publicly flaunt his disregard for the law, considering the fact that he was once reported to have registered twice with INEC and we all know double registration is against the law. To me, his greatest absurdity was at its height during the Coronavirus Pandemic when on June…
This week, Nextier organised a workshop to deliberate on a report by the Institute of Security Studies in South Africa on “Nigeria in 2050: Global Player or Poverty Capital of the World”. It’s a trend analysis of where we are headed if we keep to the current pathway – annihilation. It is therefore above all a warning that to survive as a people, we must change our ways and move away from the massive level of public corruption that makes it virtually impossible for governments to do their work of producing public goods for the people – security, welfare, good…
Sometimes early this year, I read a post and I was marveled due to how the writer succinctly described the three categories of people you can easily see in Africa. That episode explains the political space of Nigeria and Nigerians who are practically involved in politics. In what should be described as prophecy, the Nigerian popular musician 2face Idibia in one of his music albums has described politicians as only concerned to tell the story of lies when is election period. According to the writer, “Unless you understand your role in society, you can never make any meaningful contribution”. According…