Author: Abiodun KOMOLAFE

There’s always a general tendency which is often ignored at the peril of governments, and that’s the fact that bad governance brings exposure. Of course, this exposure comes in all ramifications. When people get dissatisfied at home, they look abroad for succour. Human beings are like that. What has helped the Francophone countries to remain silent for too long is the principle of assimilation – to be brainwashed like robots; unlike other colonizers who allowed people to be themselves. That’s why countries like Nigeria and Ghana experienced coups decades ago because, from the British culture, they saw bad governance and…

The world is a complex place, and the influence of the media in its representation and its power of communication and interpretation is a remarkable amplifier of emotions, and of illusions.- Tariq Ramadan. The marriage or inclusion of the media in politics is inevitable. The only credible institutional link between the government and the people, other social institutions and the masses is so interwoven with the reality of the society that, when Bola Ahmed Tinubu started his own media outfits, he had already known what he wanted before setting out for it. It’s not just for self but for the…

In an interview with journalists recently, the Elegboro of Ijebu-Jesa in the Oriade Local Government Area of Osun State, Oba Moses Oluwafemi Agunsoye stated that “no one can sit on the throne as a monarch nowadays without having good money”. According to the first-class monarch, “Gone are those days when people brought things to the palace, where the Kabiyesi would sit down and expect manna from heaven. Now, it is the palace that is giving out … So, an Oba must be up and doing, must have a job, or source of handsome income and he cannot rely on the…

Abba Kyari, CFR, OON! Remember him? Kyari was the Chief of Staff (CoS) to former President Muhammadu Buhari. Born on September 23, 1952, he served in that prestigious position between August 2015 and April 2020. While in office, little was actually known about Kyari in the public realm. Unfortunately, too, his name actually symbolized an uncanny error of namesake. The Borno State-born lawyer and banker shared a name with somebody who once had a favourable public perception until Satan smiled, and the ‘super cop’ lost it! Kyari died on April 17, 2020, following complications from COVID-19. In the case of…

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State deserves a pat on the back for instructing the three senators representing the state in the Upper Chamber to “mobilize support for former Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s nomination as Minister” during last week’s screening exercise. Of course, it is a gesture that could not be caged! But beyond sheer propaganda, did the senators’ support amount to anything? Are we saying that, as senators, they cannot reason or talk unaided? If Osun senators have spoken against Nominee Oyetola, would the senate have rejected him and would the president have dropped him? How many ministerial nominees have…

In a nationwide address last Monday, President Bola Tinubu announced some palliatives to mitigate the impact of the high cost of living brought about by the fuel subsidy removal. Great speech! Excellent delivery! So, kudos to Mr President! However, some Nigerians frowned at the speech because ‘it was one-sided’. According to this group, the president only pleaded with the masses to persevere without telling Nigerians what the elite and the privileged clique would sacrifice to make Nigeria great again. Though Nigerians have never doubted Tinubu’s capacity to be to Nigerians what Prophet Elijah was to the widow of Zarephath, they…

“Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.’” – Nehemiah 2:17 The belief in some quarters is that the Bola Tinubu presidency is being confronted by two enemies: the cabals and the masses. Well, while Nigeria’s real enemies are the impenitent and chauvinistic cabals, the fact remains that the masses have consistently been at the receiving end of successive governments’ bad policies and programmes. Nigeria’s real enemies are…

Not long ago, Adeola Olatunde (not his real name) fell ill and was admitted to the hospital. At a point, his condition became so critical that help had to be sought from public-spirited individuals. Eventually, former Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State heard about it and took up the challenge. Nigerians remain grateful to the Iragbiji, an Osun State-born politician for this benevolent act. Obviously, Olatunde was fortunate because a Good Samaritan intervened when help was most needed; otherwise, the story would possibly have been worse. But then, his case was not that of one indolent beggar or non-possession of…

On May 29, 2023, Bola Tinubu assumed office as Nigeria’s president, 16th leader. Nigerians wish him success in the onerous tasks ahead. All the same, it is important to note that President Tinubu’s Nigeria is home to an array of folks: the diligent and the intelligent, the determined and the focused, plus the great boasters and the little doers; and they cut across her socio-political geography. Tinubu’s country harbours the progressives and the conservatives, the strong and the weak, the praise-singers and the faultfinders, the slippery and the flippant, the perpetual pessimists and the embittered opposition. Above all, it is…

Change is inevitable! The trouble however is that, most times, one doesn’t see it coming; not even the military; otherwise, all coups would have been preempted and suppressed before they were eventually executed. So also, it is reasonable to say in public administration that, in the few weeks of Bola Tinubu’s administration, there have been many upheavals and things that quite a few Nigerians never believed were possible that have been announced and addressed. The nation has remained the same, even stronger. Going forward, President Tinubu wants to fly in the air at 1 a.m. He wants all the youth…