It is said that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. In the era of new media and youtube videos though, one could well say a video clip is worth a thousand photo albums, a few seconds of which could tell a compelling story better than any book, verbal explanation or detailed written analysis. This is very evident in the [...]

“Our lives begin to end the moment we become silent about things that matter” – Martin Luther King.   In the past few months, I have heard all sorts of stories about the unfortunate massacre of Muslim faithfuls in Jos, Plateau state in central Nigeria on their way to the Eid prayer in September 2011 and how their flesh was roasted [...]

I started off writing this article with the intention to share the link between the love I have for Nigeria and the one shared between couples of arranged marriages; love characterized by patience, tolerance and hope. But as things sometimes happen, I lost the write-up and my train of thought departed to another destination. Given that the original thought is [...]

“Occupy Nigeria was a test-run to a revolution” -          Kayode Ogundamisi. Citizen journalist So it was that in the wee hours of Monday 16th January 2012, the series of strikes and mass protests called Occupy Nigeria for the most part came to a grinding and anticlimactic end. Just when the mass protests were reaching an unprecedented crescendo, the Labour Unions [...]

  ANNOUNCING A CALLOUS POLICY WITH IMPUNITY A liberalization move by the government to deregulate the downstream sector of the oil industy by removing subsidy on petrol was announced on Sunday 1st January, New Year’s Day just when Nigerians were reeling from the shock of deadly bomb attacks on Christmas day and a spate of sectarian killings in Ebonyi state, the [...]

Maybe my story will make sense if I share my background. I come from a crisscross lineage. Dark as my skin looks to white people, they look amused when they learn about my Irish ancestry. Fair as my skin looks to black people, more specifically Nigerians, they already conclude what I am when they learn that my paternal grandfather is [...]

“Our world is one of terrible contradictions… Plenty of food but one billion people go hungry. Lavish lifestyles for a few, but poverty for too many others.” -          UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon 31st Oct 2011 Just two minutes before midnight on the 31st of October 2011, in the crowded Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila Philippines, the tiny Danica May [...]

The truth about Nigeria is that we are on average a very badly behaved people. And this is irrespective of which sector of the economy one chooses to look at. The artisan structures his (usually male) fees around the best replacement parts, and then proceeds to procure and fix sub-specification parts. In the case of the motor mechanic, where they can [...]

  For anyone who grew up in Northern Nigeria, the Eid-el-Adha/Eid-el-Kabir festival commonly referred to as “Babban Sallah” evokes images of wearing brand new clothes, preparation of hearty meals shared with neighbours (Muslims and Christians alike), exchange of visits between family and friends, going to gardens or parks, and most importantly, the symbolic slaughter of a ram to celebrate and [...]

by Akin Akintayo
Last week the Nigerian Senate debated the Same Gender Marriage (Prohibition) Bill 2011 which passed its second reading and it has now moved to committee stage, however, the fact is Nigeria does not need such a law because there is no prospect of homosexuality gaining any normalcy in the society because the concept of same-sex marriage can take root.