Life

Thank God for BVN (Bank Verification Number), the banks will tell you there are millions of us carrying different valid ID cards… in different uncorrelated names. This is the reason why the National ID Card project is shambolic, why INEC records are rubbish and cannot be relied upon or synced by other agencies (again thank...

I have been ruminating about how we who ‘naively’ agonise about society can derive more value from our advocacy rather than being seen as fools, and are left holding the can. I was ruminating about how we would not end up as paupers or totally frustrated, as those who consider themselves smarter grab political space,...

As I type this, on the November 5, 2015, it seems the whole of working Nigeria is yet to collect salaries for October at least. The financial situation for most people is so parlous. Otherwise self-respecting Nigerians have been turned to beggars all over the place. The number of distress calls and text messages one...

Okay, actually we know it’s not just a Nigerian problem. But it is a problem all the same. The nomadic Fulanis are a phenomenon spanning many countries from the north to the south of Africa. One could say that the ‘tribe’ is one of the few bucking the trend of ‘modern’ civilisation. And they have...

The ongoing revelations about sex-for-marks at our universities would have generated a lot of dust and been overtaken by another scandal by next week. In Nigeria it is one week, one scandal as we know.   The focus so far has been on the morality of the despicable acts on the part of lecturers in...

Homer Stokes was the ‘reform’ Candidate. The prize was the governorship of the state of Mississippi. The year was circa 1934. The Great Depression had its fangs firmly dug into the American economy’s jugular, which lay bleeding profusely.  Vagabonds roamed the high streets and the countryside alike. Brothers betrayed brothers, as did Washington “Wash” Hogwallop...