Editorial

Few hours from now, the much-anticipated Edo State Governorship Election in Nigeria will finally take place, precisely on Saturday September 21, 2024, across the 18 local government areas of the state. For a state popularly nicknamed ‘the heartbeat’ of the nation, it is one of the most crucial or important states sitting on a strategic location in the South-South geo-political …

It is pathetic that many Nigerian political leaders are not interested in democratic governance – the attempt at nation-building has been perfunctory, superficial, and inhabited by insincere, unimaginative, corrupt and uncommitted ruling class. Worst still is the unbridled and celebrated culture of political brigandage that have come to characterize governance by state governors in Nigeria. In a brazen and dubious …

Not many Nigerians saw it coming the way it did, otherwise they would have drawn a word of caution from the words of William Shakespeare in one of his classic works, McBeth where he said: “And be these juggling fiends no more believed, That palter with us in a double sense; That keep the word of promise to our ear, …

President Bola Tinubu’s most significant appointments till date have been those of the Service Chiefs. The import of this is understandable: the level of insecurity in the country is still perilous. Wanton killings and kidnapping for ransom by non-state actors have continued on an industrial scale. The high level of insecurity in the country has defied all military solutions so far …

Retirement, which ordinarily is a phase in life redolent with a sense of fulfilment and happiness in other parts of the world, is a nightmare in Nigeria. Workers in the public services in the states of the country retire without being paid their pensions and gratuities for about a decade. Many have slumped and died in endless queues, while undergoing …

When Peter Gregory Obi was impeached as Governor of Anambra State in November 2006, his political adversaries, who used the State House of Assembly, heaved a sigh of relief, that they had gotten rid of a man who brought unusual, but progressive leadership style into governance. Obi sought redress in court and the impeachment was overturned, making it possible for …

For Nigerians, 2023 is about choice, and with choice comes responsibility. We face critical decisions on many issues that will define our future as a country and as citizens. The most obvious consequence of this choice is the general election. We will be voting at various levels and constituencies to elect leaders that will pilot the country’s affairs for the next …

The abuse of public office in Nigeria should not be allowed to fester. Any veil over acts of corruption does not serve this cause. The unabashed stealing of funds belonging to local government areas by state governors was put on the front burner of national discourse by President Muhammadu Buhari recently, when he said that the criminal indulgence was responsible …

Buhari’s seven years’ experience in the vetting and signing of budgets are enough to put him on guard against those intent on corrupting budgets with illegal insertions and distortions. With the benefit of hindsight, the consideration of the 2023 transition Appropriation Bill by the National Assembly, calls for a thorough scrutiny. The budgetary proposal contains an expenditure of N20.51 trillion, out …

A pay rise for public officers is an incongruity that should not be contemplated at all at this point in time, except for court judges. Notice has been served of the imminent upward review of salaries of public office holders in Nigeria by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). The Chairman of the Commission, Mohammed Bello Shehu mentioned …