This was first written on the 18 of April 2022. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was founded in 1978. Its predecessor, the Nigerian Association of University Teachers (NAUT), was formed in 1965 covering academic staff at the University of Ibadan, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, University of Ife and University of Lagos. According to its founders, ASUU is a trade union whose objectives include regulation of relations between academic staff and employers, encouraging the participation of its members in the affairs of the university system and the nation, and protecting and advancing the socio-economic and…
Author: Editor
Gentlemen of the Press, let me firstly thank you profusely for considering me fit and eligible to stand before you today to present what I will prefer to call an engagement, rather than a lecture, in commemoration of your week. I consider my choice as a great honour because there are thousands of my equals you could have opted for rather than me. I will therefore be ever grateful for giving me this opportunity, privilege and honour not only to be part of your celebration today, but also to generate new knowledge or rekindle the existing knowledge you have about…
An election promise or campaign promise is a promise or guarantee made to the public by a candidate or political party that is trying to win an election. All over the world, with sufficiently patient voters and candidates, there are many equilibria that characterize the range of credible promises to which candidates can commit. Campaign promises provide a mechanism for voters to select among multiple equilibria in a repeated game, much like a focal point. In this sense, credible promises solve a coordination problem that arises naturally in the context of multi-principal agency problems, where the many principals must somehow…
I am very pleased to be here today to present the 2023 Budget Proposals at this Joint Session of the National Assembly. This is the last time I will be laying the budget of the Federal Government of Nigeria before the National Assembly. 2. Mr. President; Mr. Speaker: As I address this Joint Session on the Budget for the last time, let me highlight some of the progress that we have made in last seven and half years, in just two important areas of Critical Infrastructure and Good Governance. 3. We have made transformational investments in Infrastructure, notably: a. Establishing…
“For First Time, Buhari Excludes Ex-Senate President, Saraki, from National Honours”. This was how the ThisDay newspaper of October 3, 2022, reported the story of the 2022 National Honours ceremony scheduled for October 11 at the State House in Abuja. Other newspapers also wrote the story from the Saraki angle. Before the ThisDay report, the media had reported that the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) had raised alarm that there was a deliberate attempt to deny Senator Saraki his place in history by excluding him from the National Honours list. The CNG also pointed out that whereas Saraki served as…
On September 29, 2022, the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) rolled out the names of sixty-two legal practitioners deserving to be conferred with the prestigious Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN. People have different views about the Rank depending on which side of the divide they stand; some want it abolished completely, reasoning that it is unfair trade practice to confer special privileges on certain persons by way of ranking. Some others believe that it is good to encourage healthy competition but that a lot of reform is required to make it more merit based. The life and power…
I must confess, from last year to date, no article elicited uncountable reactions from my readers more than this article, which was published last week. On the website of Blueprint, there were 79 shares, on my Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, personal blog, Telegram, etc, there were over 100 shares and countless comments. Only one comment was at variance with my write-up. That comment was from an obscure personality, perhaps, a foot-soldier of the hawks, people behind the sluggish and lackadaisical handling of the FGN-ASUU imbroglio. All other comments appeal to the Federal Government under the leadership of the people’s president, President…
Transport infrastructure is imperative for the economic and social development of any nation. This is the reason why countries all over the world invest heavily on it. Countries like China, United States of America, Japan, United Kingdom have invested massively to develop their road, air and water transport infrastructure. Although Nigeria Many governments in Nigeria since 1960 have made tremendous efforts towards ensuring growth in the transportation sector. However, Nigeria’s transport infrastructure has continued to yearn for expansion as the population and purchasing powers grow. According to Statista, a data bank, as at 2018, the Federal Government has built 36,000 kilometres of…
In June this year, writing under the title ‘Of Atiku’s sucker punch, Wike’s tantrums and APC’s only door,’ we said, “In reality, the primaries had long been done with because Atiku started early. He had those in control of delegates on his side. Anyone conversant with Nat Geo Wild documentaries on how animals hunt might have seen lions in action. The lions have those who lay in ambush to disorganise herds and those who shepherd the prey to the trap, akin to wingers in a football derby lobbing the ball to their main striker to score. Atiku’s people, like Adamu…
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness” – Desmond Tutu Officially, in spite of the state of hopelessness in Nigeria, the 2023 campaign for political offices has started. It therefore offers Nigerians a window of HOPE, as it gives them the opportunity to address the many challenges facing the nation through their votes. Clearly, the current situation is very hopeless with inflation above 20%, which is reflected in the high and unaffordable prices of goods and services. The 33% unemployment rate (with an unemployment rate among young people of about 53%) exacerbates…