Author: Abiodun KOMOLAFE

‘Abiodun, stop crying; the storm is over!’ Those were the exact words of Peter Oluyinka Odumakin to me at Saint James’ Anglican Church, Aramoko-Ekiti in Ekiti State, on November 5, 2009. It was on the occasion of my wedding to the-then Miss Oluwafunmilola Awosusi. For obvious reasons, it was to be a day of joy for me; and, truly, it was! But, midway into the programme, thoughts, particularly, of the physical thistles and the psychological inflexibility of a journey, which had, at one time or the other, tended to dilute my faith, overwhelmed me, and I became drenched in my own tears. The man fondly called Yinka Odumakin understood the mood of that…

A tourism expert and chairman of Aloha Hotel and Resort in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, Otunba Soba Oyeleke, has described tourism and culture as veritable tools for nation-building and good employment-generating links, if well utilized for the benefit of the youths. Oyeleke, who is also the convener of the Kawai Hula dance, a new dance step brought into Nigeria from Hawaii in the United States of America, stated this shortly after the Kawai Hula dance was used to entertain guests at the final burial ceremony of his father, the late Pa Israel Oyeleke, in Ororuwo, Boripe Local Government…

In times past, few among Nigeria’s founding fathers recognized the pivotal role of education and the place of enlightenment in the order of a society. However, not only did those who did embrace the idea with passion, they were also quick to recognize that knowledge acquisition comes at a price, which many may not be able to afford. Therefore, they instituted financial safety valves through public institutions, such as the Nigerian Students Loans Board, to assist indigent students access education with relative ease, and at a cost to the government. As time went by, the safety net was abused and…

On a day like this, I remember President Muhammadu Buhari’s 60th Independence Anniversary Address to Nigerians and my heart bleeds! From the “directionless, unstable” and “nose-diving” state of the economy, to the deplorable security situation of the country, only a fool will fail to recognize that the story of Nigeria has become one, same, worn-out, yearly ritual. While human beings are still being callously slaughtered across the country, the symbolic retrogression is that, now, bandits and terrorists are wantonly killing military top brass. Still, the conscience of the people in the leadership of Nigeria, especially, at the centre, seems impervious…

Nigeria’s former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, will not stop amazing Nigerians! In yet another in the series of what could be described as ‘speaking truth to power’, Obasanjo recently berated the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration for mismanaging the country’s diversity. According to him, “old fault lines that were disappearing have opened up in greater fissures and with drums of hatred, disintegration and separation and accompanying choruses being heard loud and clear almost everywhere.” Well, Obasanjo may, perhaps, have made more than enough enemies – in and outside this country – for himself, it will be unwise to ignore the ‘weighty message’ bothering on nation building and survival, which he has brought up…

Next Friday, September 11, 2020, the mortal remains of my late father, Pa Sunday Alaba Komolafe, will be committed to Mother Earth. The event, which will take place at Ijebu-Jesa, his Osun State-ancestral hometown, will no doubt mark the end of an era and, of course, the beginning of a new journey that will be without the fervor of the usual fatherly counsel which any man in my shoe would always want to crave. “What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” – Helen Keller Like every mortal being, I knew it would one…

Experts have predicted that COVID-19 may remain a crisis much longer than 2022, with “up to 70% of world’s population” becoming infected. Amid this mess, elections are billed to hold in Nigeria in 2023, in line with constitutional provisions. If, in the worst-case scenario, COVID-19 subsists beyond 2022, what then does the future hold for dear country? The more reason Nigeria’s politicians, as at today, should worry about how to ensure that we have a country still populated with human beings. Impliedly, it is better to find a solution to COVID-19, which has no specifics and has not been seen to be selective in killing people, in the interest of everybody. The politician can only be relevant in the scheme of things when…

Thursday, May 14, 2020, will mark Leah Sharibu’s 17th year of existence on earth. By that day, she will also have gone deeper into her 3rd year as a captive in Boko Haram’s custody, ministering to the needs of the terrorists in an unfamiliar desert terrain. Lest we forget, Leah was abducted, alongside 109 other female students, from Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi in Yobe State on February 19, 2018. While most of the girls have since been recovered and reunited with their families, the poor girl was denied her freedom after refusing to renounce her Christian religious faith for Islam. Well, Leah’s birthday isn’t the essence of this piece. It is about…

Nigeria’s decision to ‘unwind’ or ‘relax’ the COVID-19 coronavirus disease lockdown in the Federal Capital City (Abuja), Lagos and Ogun States refers. As we strive to “balance the need to protect health while also preserving livelihoods”, can we safely say that the worst of the pandemic that has unleashed more than 2,170 cases and over-68 deaths on the country is over? If we take a chance when the pandemic is still ravaging our land, how safe are we? If we are not safe, where then lies the sunshine in dark times?With porous borders and a compromised security system littering Nigeria’s geopolitical landscape, how far can the closure of inter-state borders go in repurposing our…

Once again, the lockdown in parts of Nigeria as a way of mitigating the coronavirus, aka COVID-19, pandemic, is a step in the right direction. At least, for those who believe, disease pandemics are signs of the end of the age (Matthew 24). That settled, it is obvious that COVID-19 has come to expose the level of Nigeria’s underdevelopment. It has innocently painted a glimmer picture of the poverty in the land which, hitherto, was unknown! Tragically, as at the time of writing this piece, there is nothing on ground to suggest that our leaders are conscious of the grave implications of this malaise, let alone demonstrate the willingness to tackle it head-on. “Lockdown has immediate ramifications for individuals who live on a hand-to-mouth…

Rumours are rumours! But, if, indeed, there is any substance or element of truth in the rumoured presidential ambition of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, then, he will have to take some serious steps for it to become a reality. Charity, they say, begins at home! For him to be sellable to the majority of Nigerians, Tinubu must metamorphose into that political leader and presidential candidate with the most intense national outlook, farthest outreach, and most acceptable leadership character! He has to start working on the homogeneity of the Yoruba aspirations for a start. And there is only one thing that can unite the race, which the late MKO Abiola got…

I hope it would not amount to ‘Hate Speech’ to make some confessions, especially, with a particular reference to Nigeria’s sociopolitical landscape. First and foremost, let’s not deceive ourselves: Muhammadu Buhari has seen it all as one of Nigeria’s luckiest few, favoured by God. So, he has nothing to lose again. Having been privileged to serve Nigeria in various capacities, ranging from Military Governor, Federal Commissioner, Head of State, to a two-term tenure as president, among others, the only life that is meaningful to Buhari, going forward, is the royal life. Let the president just be fine and okay with…