ATTENCAO

These are uncertain times in Nigeria, which demand deep introspection and coming together with one purpose to tackle the multiple problems which are now facing the country.  The mutually assured self destructive actions  of farmers and herdsmen in Benue, Taraba, Kaduna and some states in Northern Nigeria is worrisome and must not be allowed to degenerate  further  by acts of revenge  or other unhelpful retaliatory actions.  This crisis and others are problems which can easily be solved by building dairy and animal husbandry industries around farmers and herdsmen or pastoralists in the country.  Countries with large populations, like Nigeria rely on dairy farming to fight hunger, malnutrition and unemployment.  India is a good example with its 130,000 cooperatives, 300 million cows and buffalos produce 160 million tonnes of milk annually, the largest in the world and 10 per cent of world’s output.  This is followed by USA, China, EU, Pakis...

The most popular response from Nigeria   to the shithole insult from the United States President Donald Trump is, perhaps, the one that goes like this: Trump’s statement hurts, but he is telling the truth about the African condition. For this group of critics, that is the moral of the unfortunate story.  An attempt is being made to infuse some logic into an insane statement. In dismissing the case for immigrants from Africa, Haiti, El Salvador and other places Trump reportedly asked: “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Despite some attempts to deny the story, some American congressmen who were at the meeting have insisted they heard Trump say so. In any case, that Trump is an incurable racist and irredeemable bigot is hardly deniable. Besides, what is the moral fibre of Mr. Trump, who is now providing the clues for some commentators to criticise the African condition? Only eight months ago, in a rare pursuit of the public good 27...

Explains letter of apology, why three others remain suspended By Ayoola Omole While reacting to reports making the rounds on his reinstatement after being suspended along with three others by Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) for inciting students against school authorities, John Udeh said he battled travails alone as students whose interest he had advocated abandoned him to his predicament, carrying on with routine academic activities. Jacob Tosin, Omole Ibukun, Oluwalade Babatunde and John Udeh were suspended by institution for involvements in anti-school activities during protest of a power outage that extended five days in October 2017. Since news of John Udeh's reinstatement broke a few days ago, students have expressed different views on the development with some tauting his writing of an apology letter in compliance with conditions set by the school management to restore his studentship, while others alleged foul play, noting that three other students who were sus...

The day after the summer transfer market closed Barcelona’s sporting director, Albert Soler, and their director of football, Robert Fernández, ran through a PowerPoint presentation, specially prepared for the occasion. They sat in the press room at the Camp Nou but might as well have sat in the dock. As they talked their way through it, player by player, deal by deal, those that happened and those that did not, they sought to justify what some considered the unjustifiable. Barcelona were in crisis and they stood accused. The interrogation was intense, the explanation not always convincing. Instead it was contradictory, as if they could not always get their story straight. More importantly they had not got their man. Neymar had left for Paris, barely a fortnight after the vice‑president, Jordi Mestre, declared himself “200% sure” the Brazilian was staying and they had been unable to stop him. In his place there was no sign of Philippe Coutinho, the man they had so publicly pursued. Ev...