Perspectives
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A personal tribute to Olu Jacobs (1942 – 2026) — by Tunde Kelani
I first crossed paths with Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs—fondly known to many of us as Uncle Olu Jacobs—in 1978. A small collective of Nigerian classmates at the London Film School, including Adefolu, George, Femi Aloba, and yours truly, had banded together for our final graduation project. We set out to adapt Amadu Maddy’s novel No Past, No Present, No Future into…
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Meet Nigeria’s first female professor, still publishing at 99 — by Tope Fajegbensi
At 99, Professor Adetowun Ogunsheye is still writing. That single fact, more than any title on her long resume, tells you who she is. Born in Benin City in 1926 to a missionary-teacher father and an Ijebu-Ode mother, Ogunsheye grew up in a household that treated her education as non-negotiable at a time when most Nigerian families didn’t extend that…
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Lagos 2027: Rhodes-Vivour and the curious resurrection of 2023 argument – by Seye Oladejo
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour has apparently decided that the road to Lagos Government House in 2027 must pass through the courtroom of 2023. His latest intervention questioning the eligibility of the APC governorship candidate, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, over an alleged United States oath of allegiance is not a new discovery. It is a resurrection of an argument that was already deployed in…
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Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello: The woman who bent a university towards excellence — by Olabode Opeseitan
In the long, often winding arc of Nigerian academia, few figures have managed to combine intellectual rigour, administrative steel and an instinctive feel for human complexity quite like Professor Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello. Her tour of duty as Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, which ended this month, was not merely a tenure. It was a demonstration of what happens when preparation…
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President Tinubu: The leader Nigeria may appreciate better after his tenure — by Bolaji Tunji
There is something peculiar about transformational leadership: its true value is often better appreciated in retrospect. Long after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would have left office, Nigerians might look back at that period and come to a conclusion that is difficult for some to contemplate today — that he was one of the consequential leaders of his generation, perhaps deserving…
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Can religion free El-Rufai? — by Lasisi Olagunju
Is Nasir El-Rufai’s problem because he is a Muslim? Even he would say it is not so. There was this statement from the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) issued in the middle of last week. The NSCIA said it had initially regarded the El Rufai matter as a “standard judicial process” but now suspects an “underlying religious bias.”…
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Nigeria’s $1 trillion dream and the great corporate exodus — by Blaise Udunze
Nigeria’s economic story is increasingly beginning to resemble a tale of two countries, which is a troubling contradiction at the heart of Nigeria’s economic story. The tale is that on one side of the country, the numbers on the government’s economic dashboard are improving as being celebrated. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 4.43 percent in the second quarter of…
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Why your data bundle disappears faster than expected and how to track it – by Monsurudeen Olowoopejo
For millions of Nigerians, checking a data balance has become a routine part of using a mobile phone. But when a data bundle appears to disappear faster than expected, the more important question is often not how much data remains, but where the data has gone. Nigeria had more than 157 million active internet subscriptions as of May 2026, with…
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Steve Osuji’s 2027 prophetic fantasy — by Sunday Dare
There is a distinct, exhausting genre of Nigerian commentary that mistakes cynicism for sophistication, bitter partisanship for objective analysis, and venom for editorial depth. Steve Osuji’s intervention on the 2027 presidential landscape fits squarely into this well-worn mould. Dripping with unwarranted condescension, frantic hyperbole, and a palpable disdain for institutional reality, Osuji attempts to paint a picture of an imperiled…
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Obi, Makinde and hurdles against opposition coalition — by Tunde Rahman
A fresh thaw in relations between National Democratic Congress presidential candidate Mr Peter Obi and Oyo State Governor Mr Seyi Makinde is fueling renewed talk of a possible opposition coalition to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027. The two leaders, who were on opposite sides during the 2023 election cycle, were seen together recently at a private meeting in Ibadan,…
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