Author: Omoshola Deji

Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is giving humanity its toughest challenge since 1918 – when influenza killed more people than during World War I. Since its outbreak late last year in Wuhan, China, Covid-19 has infected over 3.3 million persons and killed more than 234,000 globally. The fatality keeps mounting as the virus is alive in every region, except Antarctica. As of May 01, in order of fatality, Europe announced over 1.4 million confirmed cases and 132,543 deaths. The region of the Americas declared over 1.2 million cases and 74,591 deaths. Additionally, the Middle East announced 176,928 cases and 7,304 deaths. Western…

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The novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is ravaging the earth as economic and social restriction continues with no end in sight. As of April 14, COVID-19 has infected over 1.9 million persons and killed almost 200,000 globally. In Nigeria, the confirmed cases are still fairly low – but on the rise. 323 cases and 10 deaths have been reported as of the aforementioned date. For one thing, COVID-19 has proven to us that the world is a global village and we are one single family. When Nigerians heard about a virus outbreak in China late last year, many never thought it would…

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These are very abnormal times. The earth we laboured to build is shutting down before our eyes and we have no magic wand. Although we’ve faced several challenges in our lifetimes, overcoming them never made us thought something so disastrous could surface that would cause us to be still. Suddenly the novel Coronavirus, otherwise called COVID-19 struck. It rose to the pandemic and the earth stood still. We are striving not to perish, but have only made tiny progress after a tiring race. Who will save us from COVID the viral virus? China struggled to restrain COVID to its origin…

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Abraham Lincoln described democracy as “government of the people, by the people, for the people” during the American civil war in 1863. His notion later became the often-quoted definition of democracy and a benchmark of rating its success globally. More than a few nations have actualized Lincoln’s thought, but Nigeria is lagging behind. Her quasi-democratic arrangement is what the writer terms Judicracy: representative government via the verdict of law lords. J-u-d-i-c-r-a-c-y is a flawed democratic system in which the court repeatedly determines who rules, instead of the electorates. 2019 general election is the worst in Nigeria’s history as it produced…

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In Athens, 510 BC, Cleisthenes instituted democracy to foster greater: accountability of institutions and leaders to citizens and the law. Today, the tenet is being flouted with impunity, especially in developing nations, where most of the heads of parliament are puppets of the president. Nigeria tops the list. While her legislature is failing in oversight and overlooking misconducts, that of the United States (US) prosecuted President Donald Trump and almost removed him from office. This piece evaluates the two countries legislative conduct, based on the proceedings of Trump’s impeachment trial. Process and History of US and Nigerian President Impeachment Article…

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Security is the principal obligation of the government, because it is the most important need of man. Life is universally considered sacred, but only the lives of the ruling oligarchy are sacred in Nigeria. Being alive is a privilege as Boko Haram, killer herdsmen, kidnappers, armed robbers, ritualists, trigger-happy officers, and other messengers of death are around you, ready to send you home. Governors of the six Southwest states moved to combat the insecureness by establishing the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Operation Amotekun. The initiative has been sternly criticized in the North and declared “illegal” by the Northern dominated…

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First Osun. Then Kano. Now Kogi and Bayelsa states. The spate of violence during election brings doubt on Nigeria’s ability to get it right. Unlike other nations, Nigeria seems to have no magic formula; no means of solving a problem without creating another. Democracy initially seemed an opportunity to annihilate tyranny but has instead increased it. Rule of law, freedom of speech and other democratic ethics are consistently being violated by the ruling elites and “converted democrat”. Nigeria is fast becoming the worst country for democracy as a franchise has become an object of attack. This piece appraises the flaws…

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Democracy is earning the power to govern through free, fair and credible elections. Nigeria is a democratic state, but the leadership recruitment process is largely undemocratic. Material and financial inducements determines victory, the security agencies are political, and the umpire lacks the capacity and will to conduct credible polls. Public sovereignty is departing the ballot for court as the 2019 general elections produced about a thousand petitions. Subjecting almost every electoral victory to judicial confirmation is making voting lose its essence. Like every human, judges are prone to errors as much as they have preference. Hence, their verdicts can’t always…

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The assault of Nigeria’s former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu in Germany is unsurprising, but shocking. Unsurprising because it’s certain Nigerians would revolt against their leaders misrule someday. It is shocking because many never envisaged such could happen now, and in this manner. The popular support, but low turnout at Omoyele Sowore’s Revolution Now protest, and the fading outcry for his release is a pointer that Nigerians want a revolution, but are reluctant to revolt. Aside shocking the reluctant populace, Ekweremadu’s assault also stunned the revolution vanguards. Most never imagined any tribe could, at this moment in time, revolt against…

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One of the primary responsibilities of government is to provide – or regulate the provision of – efficient service to the populace. Successive Nigerian government has failed in this regard. It has become a convention to get inefficient service, despite paying high. Both private and public institutions are culpable, but the latter errs more. Public officials are more of exploiters than service providers. The uniformed ones are worse. You are bound to pay extra before being attended to. Such is the case of the Nigerian Immigration Service. This piece brings you a firsthand account of the anomalies and corruption going…

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Nigeria’s 2019 presidential election has ended, but the contest is ongoing at the tribunal. Politics is a mean game – and politicians devise every means to win. That ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar is challenging the result doesn’t mean he won. He may have indeed lose and still be imploring the tribunal to return him elected. In the same vein, President Muhammadu Buhari’s insistence that he won doesn’t mean he actually did. He may have robbed Atiku and still be persuading the tribunal to pronounce him validly elected. Aside determining who really won, two major issues are before the tribunal: Atiku’s…

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After several knocks and post-inaugural countdown by Nigerians and the media, President Muhammadu Buhari bowed to pressure. He sent 43 ministerial nominees name to the Senate for screening. This action relit the Buhari leadership competence debate. The Buhari apologists applaud the president for making such crucial nominations in almost two months of his second term; a radical improvement from the first term which took him six months. On the other hand, the opposition contends that Buhari’s ministerial nominees list is uninspiring and untimely. They knock Buhari for not imitating Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and Boris Johnson of the United…

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