Opinion

By Dare Babarinsa Every ascension of an Alaafin is an important moment in Yoruba history. So is it with the coming of our father, Alaafin Abimbola Akeem Owoade, who began his reign with the symbolic outing in Oyo on Saturday March 29, 2025. The Alaafin traditionally represents Yoruba military power. So potent was his power that one of the panegyrics of Olodumare was Alaafin Ode Orun; the Alaafin of the celestial space. The empire is gone now, but the symbol and the relevance are still there. Therefore, it was not surprising that the Oyo people put up a great show…

By IKECHUKWU AMAECHI Monday, March 24, 2025, was Emeka Ihedioha’s day in the sun. Granted, some will say he had already achieved a lot in six decades. Having been a three-term member of the House of Representatives, where he served as Chief Whip, Deputy Speaker and even Speaker, albeit temporarily, and Governor of Imo State, nothing can be truer. Yet, his 60th birthday marked with a colloquium at the Abuja Continental Hotel, was epochal. It was not only a day of recognition, it was also a day of validation and triumph for a man who suffered, perhaps, the most grievous…

By Justice Malala When a state of emergency was declared in parts of Nigeria in 2013, Bola Tinubu, then a fiery opposition leader, was apoplectic. He condemned the declaration by former President Goodluck Jonathan as a “ploy to subvert constitutional democracy” and warned it was “a potentially destructive path to take.” Now, as president, Tinubu’s words have come back to bite him. Hours after the March 18 explosion on the Trans-Niger Pipeline — imperiling the 245,000 barrels of crude oil and condensates it transports daily — in Rivers State, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the richly endowed “oil…

By IKEDDY ISIGUZO THE constitutional aberration last Thursday in which an indeterminate number of the National Assembly members ousted the provisions of the Constitution to please President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a reckless step in democracy worsened by the intentionality of its execution.Section 305 of the Constitution interprets a state of emergency as a situation of “national danger, disaster or terrorist attacks in which a government suspends normal constitutional procedures to regain control.” There are parts of Nigeria that meet these conditions. Did the President impose a state of emergency? The President has the constitutional power to declare a state…

By OREVA GODWIN What is witchcraft? It is the practice of sorcery, black magic, or the use of supernatural powers to influence or predict events. For Christians, witchcraft is highly condemned. Deuteronomy 18:10-11 of the Bible states: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead". Relatedly, Exodus 22:18 says, "You shall not tolerate a sorceress", while Leviticus 20:27 states: "A man or a woman who has a…

By AZU ISHIEKWENE President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s proclamation of emergency rule in Rivers State on Tuesday surprised me for reasons different from those for which he has been severely criticised. The mildest criticism is that Tinubu’s failure to call the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to order was responsible for the crisis. The more severe criticisms range from accusations that the president has subverted constitutional rule to charges of potential destabilisation at the behest of Wike. A common point of agreement is that a civilian president should never have to declare emergency rule. That is the ideal. But…