Perspectives
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Aáwé’s day of glory and development challenges, by Prof. Tunji Olaopa
July 5 2024 was a historic day in the political and cultural annals of Aáwé town. That day was the memorable culmination of more than thirty years of a struggle to achieve the status of a beaded monarch for the Alaawe of Aáwé, Oba Cornelius Taiwo Oladokun. And the Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, made this feat possible by…
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LG autonomy: Supreme Court ruling and the vindication of Sanwo-Olu’s Lagos, by Segun Ajayi
While many state governors waited with bated breath for Thursday,11 July Supreme Court ruling on full autonomy of local governments in Nigeria, one of them stood out, unperturbed by the development. For Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the suit brought before the apex court seeking to strengthen the local government councils by granting them financial autonomy has only vindicated…
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Why Governors should align with President Tinubu on LG autonomy, by Tunde Rahman
Governors have been acting tongue-in-cheek in their reactions to last Thursday’s verdict of the Supreme Court, which stripped them of their suffocating grip over the money meant for local governments in the country. As a collective, the governors unreservedly endorsed the judgement. Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRazak AbdulRahman, who spoke on behalf of the…
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Osoba: You never can tell, by Azuh Arinze
I was all smiles and “head shaking” on Saturday, July 13, 2024 at the Convention Centre of Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. This was at the 85th birthday and public presentation of Chief Olusegun Osoba’s new book, My life in the public eye. In case you are wondering why I was smiling and shaking my head, well, it’s…
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A new dawn with LG autonomy, but…, by Kola Amzat
The recent Supreme Court verdict that granted autonomy to Local Government Council administrations is a watershed in the annals of the country democratic journey. The landmark judgment remains the best gift in recent times that the Apex court bequeathed on a nation in dire need of developments at the grass root level. No wonder, the historic verdict was greeted with…
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Let the third tier breathe: Implications of the S’Court verdict, by Bayo Onanuga
The Supreme Court judgement on July 11, granting financial autonomy to the 774 local councils and recognising them as the third tier of Nigeria’s governance architecture, was truly historic. It was perhaps the most remarkable judgement ever delivered by the apex court in recent times, as it used its power to interpret the law to give a different meaning to…
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Like father like fraud, by Sam Omatseye
A tweet went viral last week from the fingers of lawmaker and son of former Kaduna State governor, Bello El-Rufai. I did not see it until quite a few people forwarded it to me. A former minister also sent it to me with a comment, “This little prick needs to be put in his place.” What did Bello, a member…
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Championing the people’s voice: Obasa’s dedication to grassroots representation, by Dave Agboola
Have you ever wondered why Rt Hon Dr Mudashiru Obasa is well loved by people, especially those from his constituency? Well, don’t wonder further! It has been discovered that he is a grassroots politician! In the realm of politics, few things are as crucial as providing a platform for the voices of ordinary citizens to be heard. The essence of…
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Beyond Satire: Columnist as moral compass, by Louis Odion, FNGE
Treacherous was the moment. Most editors got a whiff of the story but were either afraid or reluctant to publish. Meffy (Godwin Emefiele, then CBN governor) had gone rogue in a perfect depiction of either state capture or paralysis. Unfolding before the nation was a farcical drama in which Meffy, long declared wanted by DSS for a raft of alleged…
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Kongi! A decade short of a century and the wonderful ‘drama of existence’ By Omoniyi Ibietan
Early in July 2005, just a week before Prof. Wole Soyinka turned 71, my boss and mentor, Dapo Olorunyomi, recalled me to Lagos from Port Harcourt, where I was serving as the Regional Media Researcher for Freedom House. Freedom House was founded in 1941 by Eleanor Roosevelt and some other persons. It is America’s oldest non-profit NGO founded to promote…
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