Gowon welcomed people who had expert advice; Ojukwu shunned them Prior to the unsuccessful Enugu peace meeting between Ojukwu and Awolowo, Col. Gowon had been showering honors on Awolowo. For instance, when Awolowo first arrived at the Lagos Airport from Enugu, upon his release from the Calabar Prison in early August 1966, Gowon welcomed him with an honor guard. In the days following the May 1967 meeting in Enugu, after it became clear that Ojukwu...
“A president who avoids the media; who does not speak directly to the people on a weekly briefing particularly during a national emergency has something to hide. That is fact one. Buhari seems to be hiding something about himself and his ability to govern as a result of his health from Nigerians.” The health of the president of any country is a National Security priority. Elaborate structures are put in place to secure the capacity...
Recently, Professor Ibrahim Gambari was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to manage the affairs of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Nigeria. Prof. Gambari’s appointment comes with many years of service in government and bedrock in academic responsibilities, including a plethora of accolades. The President has made a far-sighted decision and must be exalted. Occupying the Office of the Chief of Staff means that Prof. Gambari is responsible for the management of the Presidential Villa and...
There are important issues of accountability and probity, all linked to transparency. The absence of transparency can be disastrous to good governance and economic growth in Nigeria. Whether they are loans from China or from anywhere else, opaque loan contracts and under-stated loans (hidden by the lack of transparency) are not good for Nigeria. Could COVID-19 liberate Nigerians from the Chinese Debt Empire? That is the question on the minds of some members of Nigeria’s...
This will be the absolute last time I will be drawn to the travails of the Nigerian polity. Oh well, that is not exactly true: I am talking as a father to a wayward daughter whose exertions on life are deplorable. He would swear he was done and would come back for the GA-zillionth time to render one more treatise on the virtue of ethics and morality. (I may have to revisit this issue sooner...
The misconceptions of governance among citizens of Anambra state is that good leadership is popularly judged by road construction, sinking of borehole, and payment of salary. Apparently, Anambra governors take advantage of these mundane expectations and continue to run around a circle instead of taking the bold leap forward. For instance, between 1999 and 2003 Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju was declared a failed governor for his inability to pay salary which then led to striking action...
One cannot be arraigned for declaring a war, which every ruler has to do once in a while, but only for running a war badly. — Bertolt Brecht What Ojukwu did to senior Igbo military officers to make them irrelevant in authority he also did to the most senior Igbo politicians. In May, 1966, military governor Lt. Col. Ojukwu arrested and detained the very popular and revered ex-Premier of the Eastern Region, Dr. Michael I....
One of the greatest misconceptions of Nigerians or Africans about age in leadership is being unable to differentiate age from wisdom Minutes after Professor Ibrahim A. Gambari was announced the Chief-of-Staff of Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, the social media went wild with commentaries and analysis. Professor Gambari replaces the former Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, who died on April over COVID-19 complications. While the majority praised him as a level-headed intelligent leader...
The basic psychology of a dictator is entrenched in unrestrained power, fear, and anxiety. Out of anxiety and paranoia, he resorts to extreme vendetta which impedes the process and permeates his ability to make rational decisions. But there is one irony about a dictatorship that people always ignore. Often, dictators are created by those that would become their victims. In Nigeria, such is the case, because the man who currently serves as the Governor of...
The fact is, COVID-19 apparently has come to stay, and frankly, there may be no such thing as post-COVID-19 except to the extent that we are prepared to create new reality moving on, notwithstanding. The latest events from South Korea leaves indelible lessons on how post-COVID-19 may likely be created. South Korea is one of the leading lights in the fight against COVID-19 and among the first countries to reopen after swift repression of the...
