Opinion

FESTUS ADEDAYO (Published by the Sunday Tribune, June 8, 2025 On Thursday this week, it will be 32 years of that June 12 phenomenon. On July 9, 1998, the lifeless body of a young man adorned the front page of the Nigerian Tribune. The tear-jerking, bloodied body decorated the front pages of many other Nigerian newspapers like manacles in the hands of a convict. He had been shot dead by the police in Abeokuta, Ogun State. It was during a Southwest-wide protest against the perceived murder in detention of Chief MKO Abiola, winner of the June 12, 1993 election. The…

By SHEDDY OZOENE As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration approached its second anniversary, the atmosphere was charged with political activity. Officials from his administration made efforts to account for their performance, but these efforts were overshadowed by a loud call for the President's second term. Supporters, high-ranking party officials, even the All Progressives Congress governors and federal government officials were preponderantly focused on capturing more states and diminishing opposition parties than in showcasing their achievements.  If Tinubu opposed this distraction, he did not make it known. He prominently welcomed defectors into the APC and, during a recent caucus meeting he…

Tinubu and his 2027 game: Tinubu has used the first half of his four-year tenure to play politics rather than govern. In any democracy where votes count, the reverse is the case. Leaders use the first half or more of their tenure to work for the people, not impoverish them, while they and their cronies are luxuriating in stupendous wealth. He decided to travel that route having convinced himself that the people will not have a say in how 2027 pans out. That, in a nutshell, is the real meaning of “the game.” But that can only happen if Nigerians…

By FESTUS ADEDAYO (Published by the Sunday Tribune, June 1, 2025) An ice wall initially separated President Bola Tinubu and POTUS Donald Trump. As they sat inside the White House’s Oval Office, Tinubu was the first to thaw the ice. “How are you managing old age, Mr. President?” he asked jocularly. Apparently fazed by the Nigerian president’s boldness, Trump flashed his traditional wry smile and replied, “Same here, Mr. President. How are you coping with age?” They both laughed rambunctiously, laughter which instantly infected some of their aides on each sides of the divide. While official account claims Tinubu is…

By Kehinde Olaosebikan ‘See Paris and die’ is a phrase used to describe the beauty of Paris, the capital city of France. Not that one would die after seeing Paris, it presages that feeling Paris is the ultimate fulfillment of life’s aspirations; signifying that one could die happy having sighted the city. Seeing the city gives a sense of completeness and finality to one’s life journey after witnessing the best of beauties, Paris. But, today, as capital cities across the world outpace France in beauty, Abuja, Nigeria’s 8,000 square-kilometer capital is burgeoning towards attaining the status of one of the leading best…

By Abdullah Dan'Azumi Mohammed Golkos The United, Cohesive North 1960s-1980s Where Religion, Ethnicity Weren't Issues There was a Northern Nigeria in the 60s to the early 80s. I saw that North, I witnessed it and experienced it. It was monolithic, cultured, enlightened, multi-ethnic and multi-religious, a tolerant North in which there was mutual respect for each other. There was no competition for superiority or domination by any ethnic group or religion. Rather, the relationship between the peoples was characterised by cooperation rather than confrontation. To be a Muslim or Christian was met by the reaction: So what? People were judged…

By OREVA GODWIN This piece might trigger a lot of reactions. But this is what a lot of people face in their marriages and relationships. Writing this piece is likely to take a lot of strength from me. It's difficult not to be overwhelmed by emotions. When I write, it's from my heart. I write with passion. I put myself in the midst of people's stories and feel their pain and grief. What do we mean by making love to a shadow? Some people enjoy breaking their partners completely. They have that satisfaction that they have completely break you and…

By SHEDDY OZOENE In a country burdened by growing public distrust in government institutions, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) added a fresh layer of controversy with the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The incident has become a national flashpoint, with reported mass failures, widespread student protests, and ultimately an unprecedented admission of fault by JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede. While a plan for a reseat offers a glimmer of hope, it does not answer deeper questions of institutional accountability, the future of Nigeria’s educational assessment system and the Board’s poor response to students traumatized by its ineptitude.…