“This Archbishop must truly believe that THE BODY OF CHRIST, is his to grant. I say, screw him.” ―Don Okolo Sometimes, I find myself thinking the way atheists do. Atheists must have rationalized all tidbits of data their minds feed them before every one of them concluded that there is no God. Neil Degrasse Tyson, the astrophysicist, contends that if one can’t scientifically prove the existence of God, then God does not exist. A brilliant...
The brutal murder of college sophomore evokes conflicting visions of citizenship and political identity in Nigeria. Last week’s gruesome murder of Deborah Yakubu, a home economics sophomore at the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, comes at a time of escalating social and economic tension in Nigeria, and will most certainly raise the political stakes as the country enters electioneering season in preparation for next year’s presidential election. Ms. Yakubu was thought to have...
In 2015, Goodluck Jonathan was clearly unwilling to leave Aso Rock, Nigeria’s seat of political power, but he had to leave because that was his only available option since he needed to be alive to enjoy power. The odds were against him, if not, Goodluck Jonathan, like most other political leaders, would never walk away. It is in the nature of power that those who wield it are often unwilling to let go of it...
What in the world is God waiting for? Why is He not Pissed-off as I am? ―Don Okolo Lay Deborah Yakubu among the lilies. Bury her with a ton of roses. Let the barren State of Sokoto, her sullied, morally bankrupt denizens, her faithlessness in that certain faith dry out into the sands that work her hills. Let her valleys, and the bedrocks roiling and steaming with the hellish brand of fire remain unquenchable. Let...
By Ezinne Onwuka (Senior Reporter and Opinion Writer) Ahead of the much anticipated 2023 general elections, there have been widespread speculations bordering on the question of who the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), will produce as its presidential candidate. As of the time of writing, over 20 aspirants have picked the party’s N100 million expression of interest and nomination forms. Interestingly, other politicians, undettered by the outrageous cost of the forms, continue to join...
President Hassan’s emphasis on economic growth and political liberalization in Tanzania are especially compelling to the United States in the context of a generally troubled East Africa. Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan made the most of her recent trip to the United States, signaling a desire for an improved relationship and deeper bilateral economic ties. Given U.S. interests in a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic East Africa, and the worrying trends in the region, her charm offensive should...
PERSPECTIVE Domestic violence as witnessed in the case of a popular gospel singer in Nigeria reveals that most often the abused covers up for the abuser; could it have been out of love, naivety, or matters of belief? Given Osinachi Nwachukwu’s accomplishments, her continued stay in the toxic relationship clearly was not out of financial dependency on the abuser but something deeper, her belief as insinuated by her mum in an interview granted on BBC...
African countries’ justifiable disaffection with the West should not override their commitment to Ukraine and liberal values. There is nothing quite like a war when it comes to resurrecting old grudges, and in this regard, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has hardly disappointed. Invoking historical rough justice and persistent infantilization by the West, African countries have, to widespread astonishment, refused to give full-throated backing to Western sanctions against Russia. Seventeen of the thirty-five abstainers from the United...
As the DRC becomes the newest member of the East African Community, the regional organization confronts multiple challenges in its effort to tackle insecurity in eastern Congo. The East African Community (EAC) wasted no time in wading into the complex and murky security issues bedeviling its newest member, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The DRC, which is also a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern...
By Abba Dukawa (Guest Columnist) The purpose of government is to enable the people of a Nation to live safely and happiness, government exist for the interest of the governed and not for the governors” (Thomas Jefferson 1743 – 1826). Dear Mr. President, with the utmost respect to you and your office, I hope you are well in spite of the recent backlash against your administration’s wrong decisions. I am sure you never forget those...
