Independence Installment Part Two
A Shaky foundation. In the run up to the General Election of 1959, something curious happened to Arithmetic. Parliamentary seats were supposed to be allocated on the basis of one seat per 100,000 population. The results of the 1952/1953 census were as follows: North—10.9m. Western Nigeria including Lagos —-6.09 million. Eastern Nigeria—-7.2 million. Based on…
Independence Installment Part One.
66 Years or 112 years? The Amalgamation of Northern Protectorate and Southern Protectorate of Nigeria happened in 1914. At the time, Lord Lugard famously or infamously said—-depending on who’s looking at the matter that he was putting together a forced marriage between a “Poor husband—-Northern Nigeria with a Rich wife—-Southern Nigeria” with no prospect of…
Bloodied yet Unbowed
When we were growing up, Mr. Tortoise was presented to us as a very wise fellow. For all intents and purposes, given his naturally slow disposition, his extreme slowness notwithstanding, his brightness, intelligence and cunning always found Mr. Tortoise coming out on top. Eventually however, even Mr. Tortoise would sometimes run out of luck. Mr….
Random Musings: Celebrating Academic Excellence.
Wonders shall never end. Or else, how can one describe the news that Osasere Okundaye, a 16-year-old girl is today a full fledged Chartered Accountant? She’s also a national record holder as the youngest ICAN graduate in Nigeria. She was recently congratulated effusively at a public reception organised by the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele…
The Art of the Non-Deal.
At an annual White House Correspondent’s Dinner in 2011, Obama took an opportunity to mock Trump after releasing the long form of his birth certificate in response to Trump’s conspiracy theory that Obama was not a natural born American. Trump laughed quietly. It is believed that he caught the fire to run for president that…
How Diaspora Nigerians Unknowingly Demarket Their Country
I always spend time musing about the conduct of Nigerians who have managed to travel abroad to live or work.It’s as if they have hit a lottery jackpot and that those that are back home are actually scavenging food from garbage dumps. The JAPA gang that travelled between 2019-2023 or so are actually the rambunctious…
Tinubu’s Fourth June 12th as President.
Tinubu was supposed to be one of the victims of that dark era of political limbo. 33 years after, he presides over Nigeria. By June 12th, 2027, a new face may be President or Tinubu may yet be. One thing is for sure—-the great show called life of which Nigeria is a part, must go…
Abracadabra Everywhere.
Until January 6th, 2020, we had assumed that democracy in America was unimpeachable. A man lost. He refused to accept that he lost. He picked up a phone to beg, pressure and threaten the Georgia Secretary of State for 11,780 votes for him to do his own magic of winning, African style.He’s probably never been…
Celebrating World Environment Day: 7 Pathways to Green Lifestyle
The side effects of climate change are particularly evident in the bipolar nature of our weather and seasons today. The rainy season stretches beyond its alloted time. The dry season extends into unnerving territories. The heatwaves also have become exhausting and irritating. The harmattan season creeps up whenever it chooses. It’s even worse in the…
Cheating Extravaganza: Who’s Better at Cheating? Men or Women?
The sophistication and digitalization of the world seems to be exemplified by the comfortable airing of otherwise taboo subjects on social media. Our ancestors must be reeling with shock in their graves about the casual disclosures online. Or how can one place the free film shows on offer to whom it may concern of recent…
