Perspectives
-
My travels around Dapo Abiodun’s Ogun State shocked me, by Olasile Adigun
Words can travel faster than truth. In this age of smartphones and algorithms, opinions often outrun facts, and narratives are shaped not by evidence but by emotion. From my base in Warri, I had been consuming a steady diet of social media commentaries about the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON. The tone was harsh, the language acidic,…
Read More » -
My 10 takeaways from AFCON 2025, by Olubukola Olanrewaju
This was Nigeria’s best tournament in recent years. I don’t even care that we didn’t win it. The way we played, the intensity, the belief, everything about this team felt different. We actually looked like a team that knew what they were doing. Eric Chelle deserves all his flowers for that. I hope we keep him for some years more,…
Read More » -
Oyo, power, and the limits of ancestral glory, by Gbenga Afolayan
The Oyo Empire was one of the most influential political formations in precolonial West Africa. From the seventeenth to the late eighteenth century, it exercised authority over a wide territory stretching from present-day southwestern Nigeria into parts of what is now Republic of Benin, while extending military and commercial influence beyond these areas. Its strength rested on effective administration, control…
Read More » -
Omije Ojumi, church choir and the ugly in our beauty, by Kunle Awosiyan
When a choir sings like angels, one must never forget that even Satan once led worship. The Book of Ezekiel 28:13 gives a vivid description of Lucifer as a cherub endowed with musical craftsmanship, “the workmanship of your tabrets and pipes.” His fall was not necessarily rooted in jealousy of other singers, but in pride. That lesson remains timeless. As…
Read More » -
Towards a better understanding of diplomatic terms and practice in Nigeria, by Sola Enikanolaiye
Introduction Over time, it has been observed that diplomatic terms and practices are largely misused and misunderstood in Nigeria. There are publications in the media and commentators who, in their public discourses, make glaring errors, blunders, goofs, and sometimes misinterpret diplomatic terms in the context of Nigeria’s diplomatic practices. Although diplomatic practice is universal in line with the provisions of…
Read More » -
Ibadans/Makinde’s calculated and sustained efforts at demeaning Alaafin throne, by Kola Amzat
With the governor, and all dignitaries, as well as the government functionaries already seated in an Inter-Faith event recently organized by Oyo state government, Oba Ladoja who arrived late to the occasion, greeted everyone seated on his way to his designated seat, but, opted to ignore the gestures of greeting extended onto him by Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty,…
Read More » -
Time for Alaafin to restrategize, by Azuh Arinze
The Alaafin of Oyo stool is one of the most revered traditional institutions in Yorubaland and, indeed, Nigeria. It is a throne steeped in centuries of history, cultural gravitas and political symbolism. Yet, in recent times, the occupant of that exalted stool, Oba Akeem Abimbola Owoade, has found himself repeatedly enmeshed in controversies that raise one fundamental question: is it…
Read More » -
2027: Nigeria needs a red-eyed opposition, by Ugo Egbujo
There are no visible electoral reforms. 2027 will be worse than 2023 on every negative scale. Because the ills of 2023 went unpunished, they have been reinforced. The perpetrators will double their efforts. 2023 and its aftermath have bestowed brazen impunity on the immediate political future. The opposition is endangered. The trajectory is predictable. Consequently, Tinubu has poached and plundered…
Read More » -
The Udara tree in Igbo cosmology, by Kelechi Deca
Whenever I think about the economics of culture and traditions, against the backdrop of the extent it shapes values and our belief systems, I am always amazed at the depth of such intellectual interrogations. The deeper you go, the deeper it gets. Over three decades ago, I took cognisance of the fact that most of the Udara trees my generation…
Read More » -
Ooni, Alaafin and dynamic colour of reality, by Dare Babarinsa
Prince Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi and Prince Okunade Sijuwade were good friends in the 1960s and early 70s. Adeyemi, a prince of Oyo and direct descendant of Alaafin Atiba, was a boxer before he became an insurance broker. Sijuwade was a journalist briefly when he worked with the Nigerian Tribune and from there he moved into private business, becoming a millionaire…
Read More »
Follow our WhatsApp Channel