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Understanding Prof. Yemi Osinbajo - Abraham Ogbodo

Abraham Ogbodo I am trying to understand Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Often, he speaks out of character. That is, he talks as if he is Vice President before he is a professor of law, even when I know that the latter comes first. The man wasn’t like this when he was the attorney general of Lagos State and a teacher at the Law Faculty of the University of Lagos. Then, his statements were measured and as a seasoned lawyer, based on facts. But today, Osinbajo is sounding like Adams Oshiomhole, a union leader, who by the grace of God, became governor of Edo State for eight years. The revelations about big thefts in the economy had come more from Adams than even Ibrahim Magu, chairman of the EFCC. It was Adams who said former petroleum minister; Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke alone stole 13 billion British pounds from the national treasury. That is like saying she stole in raw cash almost twice as much as the entire fortune of Alhaj

President’s men and perception management tragedy - Martins Oloja

Martins Oloja This is not about competence and suitability of the president’s spokesmen and strategists. They are just victims of certain circumstances beyond their control. Some of us who have had the privilege of covering the presidency for years have had some knowledge of how the State House works and how complicated it can be for reputation managers. Most times, public relations tragedies may depend on some critical factors that that may not be far removed from the attitude of the President. We may sometimes hide under Afghanistanism in journalism and some insincerity in our purpose to blame a cabal or the president’s men for some complications inside the sprawling State House. But we can’t hide from the truth that the real determinant of public relations outcomes, which shapes perception, most times is the attitude of the chief executive of the federation. There is little or nothing a Frank Jefkins can do to enhance the reputation of government or governance system

Buhari's Economic Blueprint Does Not Address Nigerians' Need - Bill Gates

Sahara Reporters The present economic templates being used by the Muhammadu Buhari government do not have the ability to address the unique needs of Nigerians at present, American business magnate, Bill Gates, has said. The philanthropist and founder of Microsoft corporation however said Nigeria has the ability to approach ‘upper middle-income status’ like Brazil, China and Mexico, but added that achieving this status depends on ”the choice Nigerian leaders make”. Mr. Gates, at the special and expanded National Economic Council, held in Abuja on Thursday tasked Nigerian leaders to sincerely invest in not just infrastructural development but also human investment. The theme of the meeting was “Role of human capital investment in supporting pro-poor and economic growth agenda”. The investor said though Nigeria is rapidly approaching upper- middle income status, the country has ”unmatched economic potential and what becomes of that potential depends on the choice Nigerian

Concerns grow over Alexis Sanchez and Paul Pogba's mental state at Manchester United

Telegraph UK Jose Mourinho is facing a serious battle to revitalise his star signings Alexis Sanchez and Paul Pogba amid growing concerns about their state of mind at Manchester United as Zlatan Ibrahimovic quit the club to join Los Angeles Galaxy in the United States. Sanchez has admitted his struggles at Old Trafford in the wake of his January move from Arsenal have left him “emotionally and psychologically exhausted”. And Pogba has appeared relieved to join up with the French squad this week and escape his current club woes under Mourinho, with France coach Didier Deschamps admitting the midfielder’s problems at United were “complicated” following heart-to-heart talks between the pair. Concerns over Sanchez and Pogba came as Mourinho launched yet another defence of his reign at United and brand of football and LA Galaxy prepared to announce on Friday that Ibrahimovic has signed a two-year deal to join the Major League Soccer outfit after his short spell at Old Trafford w

José Mourinho’s miserly brand of football has gone out of fashion - Oliver Kay

By Oliver Kay In an ill-judged attempt to hark back to his prime, and to miserable days that others might have forgotten in Manchester United’s glorious past, José Mourinho found himself telling us that defeat in the Champions League’s first knockout stage was “nothing new” for Manchester United. He reminded us smugly how he inflicted two of those defeats himself, beating Sir Alex Ferguson’s team with Porto in 2004 and Real Madrid in 2013. It was also a reminder of something else: of how different Mourinho seemed when he swaggered into the English consciousness 14 years ago as the supreme leader and strategist behind Porto’s Champions League triumph. At 41, he was the charismatic, hip, young gunslinger to Ferguson’s grizzled sheriff. Memories endure of his celebratory sprint down the Old Trafford touchline when Costinha secured Porto’s 3-2 aggregate victory. Less widely remembered is how Mourinho, disdainful of any reputation but his own, infuriated Ferguson after Porto’s 2-1

Much ado about the foreign reserves - Nonso Obikili

I have received a lot of questions about the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) foreign reserves recently. The CBN has of course been touting the reserves growing from a low of about $24bn to the approximately $42bn it is now. The questions typically centre around why we are keeping so much in reserve when the economy is struggling, and we have poor infrastructure? Why don’t we use the reserves to reduce the poverty that is rampant? The question typically betrays a little bit of misunderstanding over what the foreign reserves are and how the entire thing works. Hopefully, after reading this we will have a better understanding of what it is and what it can and can’t be used for. First, what is the “Foreign Reserves?” It is the amount of foreign exchange that the central bank has at its disposal at any point in time. Some of this is in cash and some in other liquid assets, that is assets that can quickly be turned to cash. Some of this is in US dollars but sometimes it’s in other c

A ‘debt trap’ awaiting aspiring governors? - Anthony Osae-Brown

In the early pages (11 and 12) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) economic report for the fourth quarter of 2017, there is information hidden between the technical language that may have significant implication for ‘wanna be state governors’ in the country. It is the fact that the current governors are piling up debt that the incoming governors would have to deal with in 2019 when they assume the title of ‘His Excellency.’ For those without a strategy to deal with this, that could signal the beginning of their troubles in that exalted office. The CBN fourth quarter report shows that while the federal government is cutting down its exposure in the domestic debt markets, state governments are fast filling up the space with new debt. The report notes that banking systems credit to the federal government at the end of the fourth quarter of 2017 went down 28 percent compared to corresponding period of 2016, when the federal government exposure to the banking sector was up 38.7 percent

The story of how Nigeria’s census figures became weaponized - Feyi Fawehinmi

By Feyi Fawehinmi The story of Nigeria’s 1962 census never gets old. Southern politicians seeking to end the north’s dominance of Nigerian politics decided that the only way to do it was through the census. Population figures at the time determined not only parliamentary representation but also revenue allocation and employee distribution in the civil service. In May 1962, the first census under an independent Nigerian government began. There had been a frenzy of mobilization by politicians in the south of the country using pamphlets, radio, schools, churches and mosques. Although the final results were not made public, the preliminary results were quite clear as to what had happened: the north’s population had gone up from 16.5 million in the last census in 1952 to 22.5 million, an increase of 30%. But in some parts of the east, the population had increased by up to 200% and more than 70% in general. The west also reported an increase of 70%. What the preliminary results showed

International Women's Day

By Proxiview March 8th is the International Day of the woman. It recognizes the woman and her role in the human society. The International Women's Day is not a quest for division, discord or competition between sexes. Neither is it an attempt to actualize the superiority of the female gender. It is rather a recognition of the woman and her role in the collective human struggle for progress in leadership, politics, economy, arts, technology and all human endeavours. It is a reminder to not fall back to yesteryears -dark years- when she was boxed to exist without her realization of her worth or substance in important affairs in the society. The momentum towards achieving the environment of our dreams is highest when all contributions, from all sectors and all people, are considered valid and important. IWD raises the awareness on the importance of individual contributions from all groups and assemblies in nation building. IWD is not just the day of the woman, it i

Boko Haram’s campaign against education and enlightenment - By Landry Signe

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Boko Haram, the Islamist terrorist group originating from Nigeria is frightened by this enlightening power of education. Unsurprisingly, on Monday, February 19, the group, whose name often translates to “Western education is a sin,” stormed a girls’ school in the village of Dapchi in northern Nigeria to abduct students. Of the 907 schoolgirls who were in the school the day of the attack, more than 100 are still missing as of Sunday. Since it became violent about a decade ago, Boko Haram’s actions, through these and other types of bloody attacks, have resulted in horrifying consequences. Human Rights Watch estimates that Boko Haram has left at least 7 million in need of humanitarian assistance, 2.1 million displaced, and 20,000 civilians dead. Local leaders claim the number is significantly higher. Despite such causalities, it took Boko Haram’s massive kidnapping of 276 sch

Inside Fulani Settlements in Kebbi - By Olusegun Adeniyi

By Olusegun Adeniyi From the Gayawa Fulani settlement in Birnin Kebbi local government where I encountered more than 200 children of school age whose parents are desirous that they be educated but seem helpless; to Ruggar-Era, another Fulani town in Argungu local government—where more than a hundred women gathered to receive me along with their young children who also have no school to attend—I came face to face with the contradictions of the Nigerian condition on Monday in Kebbi State. The visit also opened my eyes to the danger that confronts our nation if we continue to ignore what has become the class dimension to the ‘Fulani crisis’ as well as the endless possibilities of what can be gained if we do the right thing. The Permanent Secretary, Kebbi State Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Alhaji Usman Umar Dakingari, who served as my tour guide and interpreter, had with him a few other government officials as well as the Financial Secretary of the Kebbi State Miyyetti