Nigeria: An Economy In Decline

 By Nick Dazang

On Monday, July 21, 2025, the Statistician-General of the Federation, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, offered us a partial glimpse into the Nigerian economy. According to Prince Adeniran, our economy, following the rebase of our Gross Domestic Product, GDP,  grew by 3.13 per cent in the first quarter of 2025 from 2.27 per cent as recorded in the same period of 2024.

Furthermore, the economy, which was rebased from 2010 to 2019, grew to N372.82 trillion from N205.09 trillion. The growth in the economy is said to be attributed to wider coverage of areas which were either hitherto glossed over or were under reported. These areas include: Fin Tech, Telecommunications, Real Estate and activities in the Informal Sector of the economy.

Why Peter Obi Is Their Major Threat

 By Dan Onwukwe

On a fine, rarefied atmosphere, December 16, 2009, just eight days before Christmas, a clutch of reporters had gathered at the magnificent Holy Trinity Cathedral field, Onitsha, the commercial hub of Anambra state. The reporters, from print and electronic media, had assembled for one of those political events, that was, in retrospect, of great importance in election season. It was the flag-off of the governorship campaign to re-elect Mr. Peter Obi for a second term in office. The election took place on February 6, 2010. 

           *Obi    

All eyes at the Cathedral ground were on Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the leader of All Progressive Grand Alliance(APGA), the party on which Mr. Peter contested the election. It was not for nothing that the presence of Ikemba Nnewi riveted attention that day. He had a lot to say about Obi that would define the direction of the campaign and perhaps determine the outcome of the governorship election. And it did. Known for his gift of the gab, Ojukwu looked at the mammoth crowd and said: “You  know I am getting old now, and one favour I ask of you at this time is to vote my political son(Peter) into office again to enable our people to continue to enjoy the dividends of democracy”. 

The New Face Of Corruption In Nigeria

 By Tonnie Iredia

Seventy-three (73) years ago, the Northern House of Chiefs made history when it passed a motion moved by the Emir of Gwandu mandating all native authorities to fight the disturbing trend of corruption among public officials in the colony. Other parts of what became Nigeria embraced the laudable motion.

From then till now, our successive political and military leaders have all taken several steps to continue with the fight, but the malaise has refused to go. To name just a few efforts, General Yakubu Gowon’s ‘Public Officer (Investigation of Assets) Decree’ of 1968, resulted in the forfeiture of corruptly acquired assets by culprits. The Murtala/Obasanjo military government sacked no less than 10, 000 public servants deemed to be corrupt. To invigorate our Code of Condict Bureau, President Ibrahim Babangida in 1989 added to it the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

Femi Adesina Made Buhari’s Hypocrisy Worse

 By Dele Sobowale

"Silence is golden when you can’t think of an [intelligent] answer” – Mohammed Ali, 1942-2016.  

Buhari’s death has exposed more horrors about the real attitude of those who held the highest posts in his government – which was largely a failure based on lies and hypocrisy.

*Buhari and Femi Adesina 

Last week, my column addressed Garba Shehu’s confession that he told Nigerians lies about Aso Rock rats to cover up Buhari’s infirmities which might have rendered him unable to preside. 

Today, it is  Femi Adesina, another top official of the government, who is under scrutiny for what he said in defence of his late boss.

To be quite candid, if only the dead can be aware of what their “friends” say about them, they would seek the forgiveness of their enemies.

Adesina just rubbished Buhari’s reputation for simplicity and honesty by his recent utterances on a television show.

Tinubu: Too Supercilious, Often Superficial And Too Selfish

 By Ugoji Egbujo

Tinubu’s government has become a propaganda factory.  A government obsessed with spectacle over substance and relentlessly pursuing self-congratulation. A governance style that prioritises the trivial over the transformative.

*Tinubu
Tinubu’s government is devoted to celebrating small, often inconsequential achievements while the nation is racked by hunger, insecurity, and economic stagnation.  From commissioning incomplete roads to extracting political capital from funerals, Tinubu’s leadership appears trapped in superficiality. This penchant for gestures and gimmicks masks a troubling failure to check the nation’s drift.

Ojukwu: Nigeria: The Truths Which Are Self-Evident!

 Being the full text of the lecture delivered by Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Ikemba Nnewi, on the occasion of TSM's 2nd Diamond Lecture to mark the fourth anniversary of the magazine on February 22, 1994

*Odumegwu-Ojukwu

Before I say anything, I would wish first of all to congratulate The Sunday Magazine on this occasion of its fourth Anniversary. In particular, I must thank Mrs. Chris Anyanwu and her courageous hand of Pen-Warriors. Madam, permit me, on behalf of those whom I am proud to represent, to say how proud we have been of the various assaults you have launched and waged successfully and the numerous assaults on your establishment which you have withstood with equal success. Madam, we thank you for your availability to those voices who are relentlessly drowned by the clamour of prejudice and the distortions of mischief. Madam we thank you for the truth which your team publishes, for the high journalistic standard which, for four years, your magazine has exemplified. Madam, on behalf of Nigeria, I thank you for ensuring that despite the cacophony of deceit and personal ambition, despite the menace of intolerance and despite the very real antagonism and the meanness of a rabid mob, like Horatio in Macaulay's Lays of Ancient Rome, stood firm and held the Bridge. In holding the Bridge, Nigeria remained conscious of the fact that there are always two sides of the coin. Ladies and Gentlemen, I salute The Sunday Magazine and I recommend the Magazine to all those who wish to keep a balanced viewpoint on Nigerian affairs.

Armageddon>>Obi: The Promethean Mandate

By Steve Osuji 

IT'S NOW OR NEVER: Let Nigeria get ready. Indeed, let the world get ready for, it is now or never.

The epic battle for the soul of Nigeria shall be fought in 2027. It shall be a showdown between day and night; light and darkness; good and evil. Let's call it a sort of liberational Armageddon! Let everyone bear it in mind and determine today, on which side he shall be fighting!

Peter Obi And The Success Story Of Kano’s UMZA Rice

 …Peter Obi: The Leader Nigeria Needs to Transform the North and Beyond!”

By Ibrahim Hussain Abdulkarim

Fellow Nigerians, let’s unite for a brighter future and reject the divisive traps of religion and tribalism. 

The time has come to rally behind Peter Obi, a leader whose actions prove he’s committed to uplifting every Nigerian; North, South, Christian, Muslim, or otherwise—through agriculture, economic empowerment, and poverty alleviation. 

Which Way Nigeria, Which Way?

 By Basil Onwukwe

The dream of lasting peace in Nigeria remains a fleeting illusion until fundamental human rights are equal and guaranteed for all. Without this, the pursuit of economic growth and political stability can never be fully realised. Righteousness exalts a nation, and doing things right is not an option? Let’s not pretend that political alignment is about public interest.

Nigerians will be waiting to see whether they will establish a legal framework that enables the reconstruction of the nation’s failed issues. Let’s call it what it is: a carefully masked attempt to fund elite wasteful spending. Any change from frying pan to fire cannot be tolerated anymore, or state capture that offloads systemic failure onto the backs of the masses will not be acceptable.

What Nelson Mandela Might Say To Nigerian Leaders Today

 By Ebuka Uko

I arrived in the United States in the fall of 2021 to start postgraduate studies, only to find myself engaged in conversations about Blackness in ways I had never experienced in over 30 years of life in Africa.

*Mandela 

Suddenly, I constantly faced questions that never really came up for me before. What does it mean to be Black? What does it mean to belong? I have always been a global majority, and that’s all I knew.

In that wrestle, I stumbled on something James Baldwin said in 1961: “To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage, almost all of the time.” Reading those words, I felt exposed. It also gave me a new understanding of Nelson Mandela’s long walk to freedom.

Politics In Bola Tinubu’s Nigeria!

 
By Ikechukwu Amaechi

At best, Nigeria’s democracy in this Fourth Republic has been wobbly, standing, as it were, on feet of clay. And a quarter of a century thence, rather than getting better, things have got worse as the politicians are busy dismantling all the guardrails of democracy – civic participation, which undergirds every genuine democratic project; the rule of law, that norm which says no one is above the law and makes a democracy function properly; separation of powers and checks and balances, democratic values which ensure that no individual or institution would have too much power over others;  federalism and limited government, which Dr. Meena Bose, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, at Hofstra University, described as “principles that ensure that the American political system protects liberty and natural rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Remembering General Ironsi And Colonel Fajuyi

 By Ejike Anyduba

Major General Aguiyi Ironsi has been dead for five decades and nine years. July 29, 2025, made it 59 years since Nigeria’s first military Head of State Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi Ironsi and his host, the Governor of Western Nigeria, Lt. Colonel Francis Adekunle Fajuyi were whisked away from Government House, Ibadan, and shot over the brooks of Iwo, Osun state.

*Fajuyi and Ironsi
Ironsi was on the last leg of his nation tour when the army struck. He had visited about three regions, commencing with the North, East, the Midwest and West in that order. It was while in the West, the last region on the tour list, that he was abducted by soldiers alongside his host, the governor of Western Region, Lt. Col Fajuyi.

Ghana Looks Into History To Hear From God

 By Banji Ojewale

Ghana, Black Africa’s oldest independent nation, is preparing for two landmark events in 2026 and 2027. In 2026, the Black Star land will be looking decades back, recalling 60 years after the tragic overthrow of the legendary Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, its founding president.

*Mahama

Then, in 2027 Ghanaians and the international community will celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the country’s bold and befittingly blistering break with colonial servitude. The one sought to kill the foundation for a different approach to governance adopted by Nkrumah in a world weighed down by imperialistic paradigms. The other, an unforgettable African narrative scripted by Africans, will bring back the story of how one country triggered the revolution that consumed the Western imperatorial order imposed on the continent since the 19^th Century.

Peter Obi And A Buffoon Called Monday Okpebholo

By Ugo Onuoha

Who is a buffoon? I will not put my thumb on the scale so that I will not inject my personal bias and anger in the definition of a buffoon. I will simply ask MetaAI. Please AI who is a buffoon? “A buffoon is a person who behaves in a silly, foolish, or absurd way, often causing amusement or annoyance. The term can imply someone who: acts foolishly or absurdly; makes a spectacle of themselves; lacks seriousness or judgment; [and/or] engages in clownish or ridiculous behaviour”. 

*Obi

AI elaborates by saying that “In modern usage, ‘buffoon’ can be used to describe someone who is seen as ridiculous, incompetent, or silly, often in a way that’s entertaining or annoying”. It went on to illustrate: “He’s such a buffoon on social media, always posting ridiculous videos”. Which one of these descriptions does not fit the governor of Edo state, Monday Okpebholo? He is silly. He acts foolishly. He is absurd in conduct and utterance. He causes amusement and annoyance at the same time. He makes a spectacle of himself. He never appears to be a serious person. Indications are that he is a dullard. 

Benue Killings: When Silence Becomes Complicity

By Oluwafunbi Awe

The recent wave of killings in Benue State which reportedly claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent citizens is yet another dark reminder of Nigeria’s ongoing security tragedy. Once again, communities have been razed, families shattered, and livelihoods destroyed. While statistics estimate over 200 people dead in just a few weeks, the human cost cannot be measured in numbers alone. Each life lost represents a voice silenced, a future extinguished, and a nation’s conscience bruised further.

The people of Benue have become unwilling tenants of violence.  In scenes disturbingly familiar, these communities were invaded, homes torched, and residents slaughtered without provocation. It is a cycle that has persisted for too long—so long that public outrage has dulled and official responses now sound robotic, recycled, and empty. The real tragedy, however, is not just the killings themselves but our collective indifference.

Buhari’s Aso Rock Rats And Matters Arising

 By Dele Sobowale

“Every government is run by liars; and nothing they say should be believed…” – I. F. Stone, 1907-1989

I was halfway through with the article intended for this week when two things happened. Former President Buhari, 1943-2025, passed on in a London Hospital; where he undoubtedly had gone to save his life.

*Buhari 

Unfortunately, the man might have realised that only Allah gives life. Without Almighty Allah’s approval, all the best doctors on Earth labour in vain. Incidentally, I almost went a few days before Buhari.

I was given extended tenure above ground by an overworked doctor in a General Hospital in Nigeria.

So much for overseas’ treatments! Garba Shehu, a former Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Buhari, had launched a book titled, ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience’, in which he confessed to telling reporters a lie about the former President’s health condition.

Buhari Is Dead? So, What?

 By Obi Nwakanma

Let me begin here by saying that Mr. Femi Adesina is a very dishonest interlocutor of Nigerian history. I really do wish to emphasize the word “dishonest.” Perhaps a stronger word might even suffice, but I am in no mood for invention. I would like it to be as clear, and as plain as possible, that Adesina, a one-time newspaper editor is bent towards hagiography. Buhari found his Shadwell in Adesina. His memoir of his time as Buhari’s factotum, for whom he spent eight in Aso Rock as Spokesman, Working With Buhari, is an annoying insult on Nigerians. In this book, Adesina launched an EMP on truth in aid of Buhari. 

*Adesina and Buhari 

Nigerians cannot recognize the Buhari in that book, nor fathom the credentials of the writer of that tome full of all kinds of subaltern cliches that no serious writer should now be caught using, e.g. “ straight as an arrow…clean as a whistle” Very elementary use of language.  Too many tired phrases that to me, indicate the stasis in which Adesina lived. But that is not the real point. The real point is that, that book, as much as its subject is a lie. When a book is a lie, it marks its time on the shelf. Eventually, it will end up in the dustbin of history; certainly not among the great chronicles of an era.

Nigerian Voters Have A Constitutional Right To Join In Election Petitions

 By  Chidi Anselm Odinkalu 

“The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.”

–Article 21(3), Universal Declaration of Human Rights

In April 2017, Maina Kiai changed the face of presidential elections in Kenya. He is neither a politician nor was he a candidate or aspirant seeking political office. Maina trained as a lawyer. For five years, from 2003 he Chaired Kenya’s National Human Rights Commission. In 2011, Maina became the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association. He held that position until 2017.

Flooding And Property Loss In Nigeria: Case For Urgent Action

 By Amos Jolaoye

What was once viewed primarily as a natural or humanitarian issue has now evolved into a pressing threat to real estate investment, infrastructure, and sustainable urban development across the country.

Flooding occurs when water overflows onto land that is typically dry, often due to heavy rainfall, inadequate drainage systems, or overflowing rivers. However, beyond natural causes, it is essential to acknowledge the man-made dimensions of this crisis. Poor urban planning, lack of maintenance of public infrastructure, and a general absence of proactive policy implementation have significantly worsened the situation.

Empowering African Youths With Phebe Ejinkeonye-Christian, Trade Skills

By Phebe Ejinkeonye-Christian 

There is a growing sense of restlessness among today’s African youth. Many are questioning the systems that surround them. They want more than just formal education or another training program that leads nowhere. You find it in the way they talk about soft skills, tech, crypto, side hustles, and remote jobs. They ask questions at conferences, on X, and even in WhatsApp groups.