THE FRAME

The quality or state of being poor or  indigent ; want or  scarcity  of means of  subsistence ; indigence; need. Any deficiency of elements or resources that are needed or desired, or that constitute richness; as, poverty of soil; poverty of the blood; poverty of ideas. The above is the definition of poverty, universally acknowledged and it outlined all that is need to understand the impoverishment of our lives. The rate of political corruption in Nigeria is progressively increasing with an upsurge in the number of cases where apparatus of government has become an instrument for the enrichment of members of political elites. From pre-independence era to date, political corruption and its attendant problems in forms of vote buying, election rigging and manipulation, outright embezzlement by politicians have negatively affected the lives of Nigerians. This has led to increased political apathy and distrust in the country’s fledging democratic ideals. In vi...

In 2005, Obasanjo wished to convene a National Conference and there was much talk about restructuring.  Jideofor Adibe, publisher of the London-based The African Renaissance,now a columnist with the Daily Trust Newspaper requested me to submit an input for publication in the journal. He gave me the contribution of Prof. Ibiyinka Solarin, a Nigeria living and teaching in the University of Texas, to review for that purpose. It seems nothing has changed for over a decade now. I intend to share the essay with you on these pages as it appeared in the African Renansance. It was originally titled,  Re: Nigeria: Towards A Better Union. Re: Nigeria: Towards a Better Union Many a times, historians, analysts and system thinkers tend to forget the need to locate the history of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the history of the world when it comes to analysing the nature of the socio-political crisis   bedevilling the nation. They overlook the fact that it is always what hap...

On May 30, 1967, following a chain of events in Nigeria, and following weeks of serious consultations between Ojukwu who was the Military Governor of the then Eastern Region and a cross section of the people, Ojukwu made that historic announcement which proclaimed the sovereign state of Biafra. The day he made that proclamation, the hall at Enugu was filled to capacity. The finest brains from this part of the country were there. Leaders of thought, Traditional Rulers, soldiers, members of the academia, etc. In his opening speech that day, Ojukwu said... "YOU, THE PEOPLE OF EASTERN NIGERIA... After outlining several powerful preambles, he said... HAVING MANDATED ME TO PROCLAIM ON YOUR BEHALF AND IN YOUR NAME THE EASTERN NIGERIA TO BE A SOVEREIGN STATE, NOW THEREFORE, I LT. COL CHUKWUEMEKA ODUMEGWU OJUKWU, MILITARY GOVERNOR OF EASTERN NIGERIA, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY AND ABOVE RECITALS DO HEREBY SOLEMNLY PROCLAIM.... Ojukwu was a wise man. He studied history at Oxford. He u...

Has any of our leaders especially the governors etc ever read this leadership classic letter to Malik al Akhtar by Imam Ali, the fourth Caliph? If our political leaders can submit to this advice, our country will be good and our people will be happy. ******-******-******** HOW TO LEAD PEOPLE JUSTLY AND FAIRLY - A Letter of Caliph Ali bin Abu Talib to Malik  Al-Ashtar.......A leadership classic and a must read for all! "Know, O Malik, that I am sending you to a land that has been through many regimes, both just and unjust. People will look at your administration with the same critical eye with which you have looked upon previous administrations, and will speak of you in the same way as you have spoken of those other rulers before you…. Remember that righteous men are recognised by what God utters about them through the voice of His creatures. Let your most cherished treasure be your accommodation of good deeds, and this treasure can be collected only through keeping your ...

Manage the life as it is, the disease that caught up with us, trying to downgrade our efforts while humanity give no room for remedy. Brand or how. Brotherhood become so low and nobody give a damn of what, We thought of self aggrandisement and failure to acquire the self assertion then the egocentrism lead our permutations. The extreme lack of knowledge of life,  add a conflagration to every conflict and the serendipity  is with the Vim of having a dream to make sure we have the best.  Our Youths is our concern,  and our primary determination is to be a flag bearers of our burden.  Let us confront the boredom and however to adopt the brinkmanship.  I pity that so-called  of many youths organizations that represents nepotism, issuing out a reality of our division and the useless partisanship that will only drag us to the centuries of barbarism and hatred. The 1994 Rwandan Intrahamway genocide was promoted by the indolent groups of youths...

“It is either I do not understand economics and how exchange rates work or a vast majority of us Nigerians still don’t get how we have wrecked our country with our own curious choices. Just this morning, I was listening to the radio and the lady on air went on and on about how she thought CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele was incompetent and should be sacked because the Naira was now exchanging at 309 or so to the USD. “That view pretty much echoes the sentiments expressed by many people I know and it amazes me that there are Nigerians who actually think there is some magic POLICY that can make the Naira strong in the near term. If my economics and my understanding of the way the world works are right, then that is as far from the truth as Jesus Christ is black. “The simple fact of the matter is that apart from oil that accounts for over 90% of our revenues, we really don’t have much of an economy. We hardly produce anything, we import even toothpicks, so ex...

On Cultural Documentation in Africa In this engagement I would like to closely look at the issue of documentation in African cultures. When I say documentation here, I refer to the whole gamut of media, tools and methods used intrinsically to record  cultures and realities. This ranges from artifacts to buildings to literature.   History they say is a narrative couched in the subjective view of the narrator. And he narrates what he sees through 'his' lense to narrate the story. All over the world we have narratives that  have more or less been accepted as 'history' of peoples. But we may well ask how authentic are these narratives? Are there missing links?   Indeed Africa has been a victim of plunder and rape as much from foreigners as from her progeny.   From artifacts to people, from the Cape to the Horn and the vast stretch westwards across the Sahara touching the banks of the North Atlantic, Africa's essence has continually been pi...

Mostly a cacophony slacktivism,  the performance of GMA administration in the past two years can be access in just a paragraph,  or a simple single sentence of "Not quite good representation".  The garrulous Governor always trying his top most best to polish his under performance with an excessive rantings about his predecessors. The talking about the so-called debt on the treasury,  the country's recession position the most pressing of all,  the issue of Civil Servants work force and the verification exercise to sanitize the payroll,  to have a consolidated payroll to achieve what many people think as governor's motive to save more money for only God knows.  After assuming office,  the first International trip he took was to Czech Republic,  His Excellency claimed to have pursued an abandoned M.O.U signed by his predecessor, The Government of Malam Isa Yuguda signed a memorandum of understanding with a Zlin zoo for upgrade of the Yankari...

Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, a decent technocrat turned politician, was destined to serve with a beckoning, while the prolific Medical Doctor was busy saving lives, promoting humanity and provision of good healthcare facilities, while the Turk was busy doing what he knows best, the Government of Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan eyed him to be the potential minister of State for Health. Appointed in July 2011 to serve his country, which he did with pride, although he later resigned from the Ministerial post for a job in the United States Of America. Born on September 6th, 1968, Pate, an accomplished medical guru was brought up in an academic family, his father was a prominent Academics, a reputable administrator and a community leader, I can say the Professor get a hereditary conscience. That's why he does what is best to make realities and help people.  Pate is an accomplished philanthropist. As experienced health personnel and professional, we believe he will be th...

So what if Bayajidda legend is fabricated! by Prof. Abubakar Liman Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu in an interview with BBC Hausa service proclaimed that the Bayajidda legend was nothing but bunkum, a sheer fabrication by those who constructed the mythology, perhaps for the purpose of deconstructing age-old narrative, which chronicled and reaffirmed the autochthony of the “being and becoming Hausa”. According to the disclaimer put on the story that is widely considered as mere folklore, this narrative must have come from Arab scholarly sources going by the way and manner it resolutely privileges the ascendancy of Islam and Arab culture in the territories of Bilad al-Sudan. That BBC interview was of course a follow up to the paper Uba Adamu presented on the same subject some couple of days back in Abuja. My grouse with his submission is not over the authenticity or inauthenticity of such a narrative, but with the definitive authority he canvasses his position on an issue that is ...

In his opening remarks during a senate committee on a Hearing on Constituencies Development Catalyst fund (Establishment etc) Bill 2017 (SB.103). On monday 6th February, 2017. Senator Malam Ali Wakili, mni. Bauchi South, and also Chairman Senate committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social welfare, had this to say... "We are not quite unaware of the great negativism, stereotypes, perceptions rigidity and the bad public image of the successive Assemblies including ours, since when the constituency intervention projects was introduced. To some of them, those funds meant for such intervention project that were aimed at bringing government closer to the people, spread of even development, basic needs of the people to fight the scourge of poverty via provision of potable drinking water, health clinics, schools, rural roads and provision of the basic amenities of life are Siphoned and misused by the members of the Legislature, in active connivance with the Bureaucrat". Ser...