Sometime in January this year I was in my hometown Abeokuta. I was interested in seeing how governance had fared and a close friend had driven me around the town, showing me the modernisations. New flyovers decked major intersections, revamped roads gleamed under the sunlight, and pedestrian bridges brimmed everywhere. It was an impressive makeover. … Continue reading
Several days ago, on a trip from the Lagos mainland to the Lekki peninsula, I saw a sprawling heap of trash by the Obalende junction. It seems absurd to call garbage ‘unkempt,’ but this one did look neglected. It was even more surprising that the waste oozed, spilled and piled around and out of several … Continue reading
The advent of election season in Nigeria is, for a sane observer, a tortured exercise in the suspension of disbelief. For those few months, the drama of political convenience opens across the country, wiping off whims of informed politics. A cast of zany characters determined to ingratiate their way into favours with Aso Rock crops … Continue reading
The continuing mystery of President Buhari’s illness and the handling of the saga by his aides is more evidence that Nigeria’s political system works almost independently of the individual nominally in charge. If we had a responsive and functional political system in Nigeria, the independence of the system from political actors would be a good … Continue reading
For some reason – one I suspect is connected with my recent articles on the Nigerian political system – I have had several young Nigerians, people in their 20s and 30s, send me messages proposing or requesting ideas on the reform of Nigeria’s political system. Some of these ideas include organising an exclusive ‘youth’ party … Continue reading
Over the last few weeks, the political actors of Nigeria served us fresh drama. This time, the plot revolved around the ownership and purpose of some millions of dollars discovered in a flat in Lagos. Like any good thriller, it contained the elements of crime and corruption, heroes and villains, suspense, political intrigue, betrayal, and … Continue reading
Sometime last week, the Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria visited the rarely remarked Otodo Gbame, a fishing settlement at the Lagos waterfronts. This foreign leader had gone there to assess what has become an emerging refugee crisis in the Otodo Gbame community and to offer them his encouragement. When we wonder why the West seems to … Continue reading
