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…