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Opinion

Friday, 21 May 2021 05:37

The travails of Nasir El-Rufai - Azu Ishiekwene

The list was long and the contents harsh and threatening. The notices may have been issued separately, but they landed like a packaged digital bomb in my WhatsApp inbox. Eight unions, apart from the central body, had collectively declared war on Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai. The die was cast. The unions were the Nigeria Union of Railway Workers; National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees; Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees; Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions; National Union of Electricity Employees; National Union of Teachers; National Union of…

Friday, 21 May 2021 05:35

‘Chasing’ is love language women enjoy to hear - Michael West

It is not surprising that last week’s topic generated so many reactions such that BECKY OLORUNPOMI, a certified relationship & marriage counsellor, author, conference speaker and convener of an annual Singles' Summit, decided to deepen the topic in her elaborate response. Love language, she argues, is what the ‘chasing' all about. Please read on: In his column of May 14, 2021, Michael West, in a piece entitled: “Why Do Men Stop ‘Chasing' in Relationship?” addressed an issue that often generates suspicion and tension in relationships. Reading the article, I, being a woman, came up with some perspectives to the topic;…

Thursday, 20 May 2021 05:34

Nasir El-Rufai’s courage - Bayo Onanuga

Governor Nasir El-Rufai is fighting a new war that both the Federal Government and other 35 States government and the leadership of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are shying away to confront, choosing instead to cower in fear of the blackmail of labour. How much of state resources should be spent on governance, in paying salaries, pensions and other emoluments of civil servants and political appointees? 40 per cent, 60 per cent, 80 per cent, 90 per cent or even all? Aregbesola confronted this question as governor of Osun State, leading to his innovative formula of paying a percentage of…

Thursday, 20 May 2021 05:32

Just thinking aloud... (III) - Bola Bolawole

As the two lost-but-found friends lap up the remnants of their pepper-soup, washing it down with the last drops in their beer bottle, one of them suddenly went Afghanistan, as it were. He dipped his hand into his bag and brought out a black book saying, as he did, “The word of God is forever settled. It is written: The sword shall never depart from the house of David” And he began to flip through the pages of the black book, which turned out to be a Bible. “Yes, it is in II Samuel 12:10: ‘Now, therefore, the sword shall…

Thursday, 20 May 2021 05:31

Biden and Trump agree more than you think - Charles Lane

Biden has brought a dramatically more decent and professional style to the White House, and changed Trump’s course on climate, taxes and relations with traditional U.S. allies. Meanwhile, Republicans attack his administration as a leftist threat. The two parties are locked in racially tinged battles over the rules of U.S. democracy, from voting rights to law enforcement. The importance of this moment can also be measured, however, by the issues politicians are not arguing about. In several key areas, Biden’s policies resemble those Trump probably would have pursued if reelected. Entitlements: For decades, reducing the long-term costs of Social Security…

Wednesday, 19 May 2021 05:31

Why an ‘international community’ does not exist - Hamza Karčić

When Bosnian Serb forces unleashed their genocidal violence against Bosniaks in the early 1990s, Bosniaks appealed to an "international community" for help. For three and a half years, these leaders sought to marshal the support of said community to their cause to no avail. There has hardly been a conflict, crisis or mass display of violence over the past three decades in which a beleaguered nation or ethnic group did not appeal to the world's community at-large to come to their aid. Who exactly do these persecuted parties appeal to? In appealing to the international community, a suffering party projects…

Tuesday, 18 May 2021 05:34

Keeping discussion free - Peter Singer

Last month, the Journal of Controversial Ideas – of which I am a co-editor – published its first issue. The journal is a response to the shrinking boundary, even in liberal democracies, of acceptable discourse. It is specifically designed to provide a forum in which authors can, if they wish, use a pseudonym to avoid running the risk of receiving personal abuse, including death threats, or of irrevocably harming their careers. There was a time when the threat to academic freedom in democratic countries came primarily from the right. The free speech cause célèbre of the early twentieth century United…

Monday, 17 May 2021 05:47

Now that the South is stirring... - Bola Bolawole

They say better late than never; and that necessity is the mother of invention. If you push a sheep to the wall, as meek and toothless as it is, it will turn and bite. Napoleon Bonaparte, speaking concerning the then toothless China, warned that we heed the word of the elders and let the sleeping dog lie. The murderous Fulani killers, their sponsors and backers, being audacious, rapacious, and pugnacious, have spurned all wise sayings. They sowed the wind - and will now reap the whirlwind. They dug the pit - and will now fall into it themselves. The evil…

Monday, 17 May 2021 05:45

The end of Israel’s illusion - Shlomo Ben-Ami

The sudden eruption of war outside and inside Israel’s borders has shocked a complacent nation. Throughout Binyamin Netanyahu’s 12-year premiership, the Palestinian problem was buried and forgotten. The recent Abraham Accords, establishing diplomatic relations with four Arab states, seemed to weaken the Palestinian cause further. Now it has re-emerged with a vengeance. Wars can be triggered by an isolated incident, but their cause is always deeper. In this case, the trigger, the eviction of Palestinians in favor of Israeli nationalists in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, touched all the sensitive nerves of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel’s occupation of…

Sunday, 16 May 2021 05:48

Baba, no tell me dat nonsense again - Tatalo Alamu

After surviving a major altercation at the police station at Okolonbo, Okon was livid with indignation and was in no mood for taking hostage. He had gone to report the theft of his personal items in a commercial vehicle. But the desk sergeant sat him down to a lecture on civic responsibility. “Oga, armed robbery na number one industry for Kontri. Everybody dey do am. Make dem kukuma legalise dem thing. Even dem godogodo man for inside dem Asshole Rock, dem remove even him Tuwo Shinkafi and him Lawani…”, the gap-toothed devil noted. “Wetin dat one get for my complain?”…

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Sunday, 16 May 2021 05:47

On the Asaba revolt by southern governors - Simon Kolawole

If you are a keen observer of Nigerian politics, or should I say politicking, you must have noticed many unusual things about the meeting of the 17 southern governors in Asaba, Delta state, on Tuesday. In the first place, that the southern governors met at all — and, mind you, every single governor was present; none was represented by a deputy — is one of the most unusual occurrences since the dawn of this democratic era. While the 19 northern governors meet regularly, the last time southern governors met as a bloc, from my records, was in October 2017. And…

Sunday, 16 May 2021 05:45

Aburi ghosts, Asaba secessionists and waffles in high places - Festus Adedayo

When you listen to Nigeria’s Senate President, Ahmed Lawan’s skewed submission on Southern governors’ meeting in Asaba, Delta State last week, you will realize that people in high places too are not immune from marketplace waffles. Miniature logic can proceed from the minds of huge, prarchute-like babanriga wearers after all. More importantly, from the tragic Lawan ill-logics, the much talked about January, 1967 Aburi Accord will present to you as the quintessential Julius Caesar’s ghost promising to meet its nemesis at Philippi. Finally, you will find out that Nigeria is trapped inside this pit being because it lacks critically thinking…

Sunday, 16 May 2021 05:44

God, our refuge and sure help in trouble - Taiwo Akinola

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed ~ Psalms 46:1-2a. Introduction: If glorifying God and fulfilling your destiny on earth are your highest goals in life, then divine help is your most essential need. When there is no merit, half is gone; but, when there is no help, all is gone. It is common knowledge that help is most usually cherished at the hours of dire need (Deuteronomy 33:29). However, we need God even in the infinitesimal details of our lives. Missing God is missing…

Sunday, 16 May 2021 05:42

Article of faith: Jealous God - Femi Aribisala

God is a person with a personality. He is the most important person in the universe. It is imperative to know His likes and dislikes. The only authority on God is God Himself. How does God say about Himself? “You shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (Exodus 34:14). God is not only jealous, His name is Jealous. He says: “And now, O priests, this commandment is for you. If you will not hear, and if you will not take it to heart, to give glory to My name, I will…

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