Almost everyone agrees that the problems in Nigeria or failure to address problems is a consequence of the country’s failing institutions. Others argue that there are no institutions at all; if there are, they do not just function. The current band of lawmakers responsible for enacting laws cannot do away with ambiguities to strengthen institutions; if they do, many of them will have no role in government, going by their antecedents.
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People and Culture
STILL ON NIGERIA’S POLITICAL FOUNDATIONS.
It is far-fetched for anyone to think that Nigeria will just wake up one day to become like Singapore, one of the world’s most successful societies since human history began or even to frog jump to the level of the United Arab Emirates, UAE, a country that has achieved mastery over natural barriers to emerge as a model of social cohesion, creative innovation and a cultural melting pot to the rest of the world. Both societies by sheer planning and commitment to process have within a generation scaled over the basic needs of human existence, such as food, shelter, healthcare, education and employment. Each of these countries functioning well under carefully foundated template. And so, the leaders now have set their eyes on the future.
CBN Forex Policy: another war against legitimate enterprise
For many in Nigeria, living abroad is synonymous with wealth and affluence. But just like the coin, there is always the other side of dwelling abroad. Hardly do people talk of the other side. That other side is indeed what paints the real picture. The side most talked about is more of the facade.
Why Are Nigerians So Loud On Phone?
Have you ever been asked in a foreign land ‘why are Nigerians so loud on their mobile phones?’ Have you ever wondered yourself or, have you been embarrassed when fellow Nigerians talk on the pinnacle of their voices in the train, bus, shopping malls or at any other public places while away, overseas? But, wait, is it only Nigerians that love to swagger and yell, whenever they use their mobile phones, or is this an unfair generalization?
Reversing The Shame Of Africa
Recently the EU coast guard dug up from beneath the Mediterranean Sea several hundreds of bodies of young Africans drown in a desperate attempt to cross to Europe. The desperation tells another sordid story. Young Africans full of life have been short changed by a myriad of misfortunes in their native homes.
Love for European football transcends violence in Northern Nigeria
Some Almajiri know more about English Premier League than the Quran.
The word Almajiri strikes an innocent observer as a young child that wanders through the towns of Northern Nigeria; out of school, looking tattered, bare-footed, un-catered for, and often recruited to vend violence against non-Muslims and opposing groups.
In Jos ‘Gwote’ is a delicacy
In Jos, the capital of Plateau state ‘gwote’ is a much sought delicacy in the area, the meal when prepared in its traditional form, is made of yakuwa (sorrel leaves) acha (hungry rice) and garden egg as its main ingredients. It is then served like porridge in a calabash bowl and taken with a calabash spoon (a type of gourd). Continue reading
How Council Officials Sap the Treasury Dry
Hajiya Aisha Umar is a senior community health extension worker with a Primary Health Care unit in the headquarters of a local government area in Borno State. She has worked with the local government authority for close to ten years. She, like a lot of her colleagues in several Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state, owns a ‘decent house’, performed pilgrimage three years ago, and sponsored that of her beloved mother during the last Hajj.
Fishermen Use Chemicals to Catch Fish Out of Desperation
Dr M.I. Ahmed is a specialist in aquatic medicine with the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri. He has done a lot of research on heavy metal content in fish in the Lake Chad. In this interview, he explains how global warming has forced some fishermen to use organophosphorus chemicals to catch fish and the implications of eating this fish by man.
The Chains around Journalism
Before the widespread literacy in many parts of the world, information was generally related to people by word of mouth. The few educated people wrote letters and manuscripts but much of this information, as many could not read, were delivered to the common population through town criers or by administrators who read out laws and proclamations to their subjects.