Author: Tunde Akingbondere
Here in Anyaa, Accra, capital of Ghana, I’ve come across some of the country’s leading newspapers. Their contents—news reports, opinions, vox pop, book reviews, cartoons, (dearth of these), sports, photo stories, advertorials etc.—give me a larger-than-life image of the Ghanaian society. The two oldest journals, Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times, with their sister weeklies, The Mirror and The Spectator respectively, are on parade. The later appearances, Daily Guide, The Ghanaian Chronicle, Modern Ghana (Online), The Insight, Finder, Business Ghana, Statesman etc. have also been consulted, considered or captured for this short essay. Ghana no longer has evening sheets. Kwame Nkrumah,…
As he settled in to deliver the judgment of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on April 2, 2025, presiding judge, Wilfred Kpochi, felt obliged to get one ritual out of the way. Glancing left and right, he asked each of his two colleagues on the three-person tribunal to confirm that the judgment he was about to deliver was unanimous. Justice Kpochi only proceeded after each, one to his left and the other to his right, nodded their affirmation. The judge had good reason for this preliminary ritual. 48 hours before it was due, a leaked document purporting to…
The Ondo State Government, through its Special Adviser on Infrastructure, Lands and Housing, has issued what it calls a clarification on the controversial Alagbaka Staff Quarters redevelopment project. Unfortunately, what we read was not clarity but a carefully polished attempt to spin displacement and privatization as progress. Let me be clear. No one is against modernization or genuine urban development. What we oppose is the brazen attempt to repackage a land takeover as a public-spirited intervention. The administration claims the project aligns with global best practices but conveniently omits one critical global principle which is consultation with the people most…
The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has described as spurious claims circulating online that Nigeria has been enlisted on a list of countries facing an entry ban into Saudi Arabia starting from April 13, 2025. In a statement released on Monday, Alkasim Abdulkadir, the Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, refuted the false claims. He further said that Saudi Arabian authorities have officially denied the validity of the viral memo, which falsely suggests that several countries, including Nigeria, Egypt, India, Pakistan, and others, would face visa restrictions and an entry ban. The statement…
In the wake of the crisis that struck the ancient town of Oyo following the sudden death of Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, the former Alaafin, a significant figure emerged in the Ifa world: Professor Wande Abimbola. Professor Abimbola, a former Majority Leader in Nigeria’s Senate and Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, is recognized globally as the spokesperson for the Ifa oracle. Amid allegations of manipulation by aspirants vying for the Alaafin’s throne, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State called upon Abimbola to leverage his expertise in Ifa cosmology, given his unwavering dedication to Ifa and his esteemed reputation. Traditionally, the…
The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdurasheed Adewale Akanbi, has been shown to ridicule at the coronation of the 46th Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade. Oba Abdurasheed, according to a video cited by our correspondent, attempted to gain entrance into the venue of the coronation just as other monarchs but was surprisingly prevented from gaining entry by stationed bouncers, protocol officers who held the monarch down for reasons they explained to him. The harsh treatment meted on the Oluwo of Iwo might not be unconnected to his controversial pronouncements with respect to tradition, culture and traditional worship in Yoruba land.…
President of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has said the country is undergoing a “popular, progressive revolution” and not operating under a democratic system. He added that it is difficult to discover a particular country that has developed practising democratic rule. Traore made the disclosure during a flag-raising ceremony at the Koulouba Palace last week. He said, “If we have to say it loud and clear here, we are not in a democracy, we are in a popular, progressive revolution. “We must necessarily go through a revolution, and we are indeed in a revolution. So this question of democracy or…
Protesters in Rivers State have denounced the government in the State, saying there is no government in place and that there is no connection whatsoever between the people of the State and a Sole Administrator. This is as officers of the Rivers State Police Command on Monday morning fired teargas at them while gathered at the Isaac Boro Park in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. The protesters who converged under the aegis of the ‘Take It Back Movement’ were intimidated by heavy police presence when they gathered at the protest venue as early as 9am. “Nobody can tell us…
The House of Representatives has slammed a note of caution on Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (retd.), stressing that he is not constitutionally empowered to make laws or draft a budget for the oil-rich state. Insisting that the Green Chamber might be forced to removing him with its Vote of No Confidence. Citizen Rapporteur reports that the House’s stance is a follow-up to Ibas’s announcement of plans to draft a new budget after the declaration of a state of emergency in the state in March. In an engagement with Punch on Sunday, the Deputy Spokesman for the…
In a move that can only be described as a masterclass in governmental insensitivity, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has decided to commemorate his tenure by rendering 156 families homeless. The civil service quarters in Alagbaka, built with the noble intention of housing diligent civil servants, are now marked for demolition. The reason? Apparently, the land is more valuable as a playground for the affluent than as shelter for those who keep the state’s engines running. One can’t help but marvel at the audacity. These homes, standing for decades, have suddenly become obstacles to progress. The occupants, who have…