Sometime in May 2015, in Abuloma, Port Harcourt, a man named Charles was harassed, beaten, and robbed by his neighbourhood security watch. What was his crime? He was perceived to be homosexual. When he reported this incident to the police, he was advised to leave the area if he wanted to avoid future ‘embarrassment’. In … Continue reading
The beginning of an autocracy When Muhammadu Buhari won the 2015 presidential elections, the country was deeply divided between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). As I remarked then, the results of the elections showed that Buhari was not the will of all Nigerians. Give or take a couple of … Continue reading
In just a couple of weeks, Nigerians will get to vote for their president. On 16 February, the people will have a choice between 72 candidates – though in another sense, they will have no choice at all. The only two nominees with a realistic chance are President Muhammadu Buhari and former vice-president Atiku Abubakar. They come … Continue reading
The Nigerian military is sick and requires urgent intervention. Clearly, public intervention in military affairs is a sensitive issue, and our politicians generally avoid commenting on military issues except when it affects their electoral interests. However, the rest of us must not remain mute when it is clear that an intervention is needed. In the … Continue reading
Nigeria is not progressing in any meaningful way. Except that modern technological advances continue to insulate us from the worst effects of bad governance, we are deteriorating rapidly in several ways. In particular, the last few years have seen a rapid decline in Nigeria’s indicators. Between 2016 and now, Nigeria has been ranked as having … Continue reading
Last week, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria opined that social injustices and a disregard for the rule of law were much more damaging issues in Nigeria than the theft of public funds. Although this statement made headlines, this thinking is not novel. For example, back in the late 1980s, Dele Giwa once described Shehu … Continue reading
One thing can be said about the Buhari administration: it does not shy away from explaining why the social and economic challenges of ordinary citizens are not its problem. Back in April 2016, Femi Adesina – the presidential spokesperson – glibly remarked that Nigerians who had been experiencing power failure should direct their complaints to … Continue reading
