Opinion & Columns

By Ehichioya Ezomon Let’s be clear with these parameters from the get go: Apart from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), no individual or group has the power, and the authority to manage federal and state elections in Nigeria; and no election observation entity can pronounce on the electoral process …

By Jones Abiri I was surprised to read statements attributed to one Mr. Lucky Tubotu in several online newspapers, claiming to be a member of the Bilabiri 1 and 2 communities, despite his lack of a visibly known identity in the area. I can only characterize his statements as the …

By Ehichioya Ezomon As you read this copy, the results, and the winner of Saturday, September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State is known – and declared as such by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) – in one of the most contentious campaigns that put the electoral umpire …

By Ehichioya Ezomon Robert Frost  (1874-1963), an American poet known for his realistic depictions of rural life settings, said that: “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in. But that’s not what a political party is. It does not exist to …

By Ehichioya Ezomon The 1967 hit song, “The First Cut Is the Deepest,” written by British singer-songwriter, Cat Stevens, may not be related to the discourse hereunder, but it’s a strong advice to humans, to bridle their tongues – as the Apostles admonish in James 3:8-9 – against censoriousness, and …

By Ehichioya Ezomon In the lead-up to the primaries for the 2024 governorship election in Edo State, the triple issues of not being a “homeboy,” unable to communicate in Esan language, and speak publicly to articulate plans for governance, assailed the formidable aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and …

By Hamzat Lawal After reading the book, Stepping on Toes: My Odyssey at the Nigerian Ports Authority, written by the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, I could not help the nudging feeling of triumph at how, finally, sunshine emerges in the horizon …

By Ehichioya Ezomon The August 21, 2024, edition of Vanguard highlighted reactions of local and international civil society, human rights and labour organisations to the Nigeria Police invitation to the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, to appear before it on August 20, 2024, “for an …

By Fidelis Igbogi Ordinarily, there should not have been any contest as to the true winner of the November 11, 2023 Gubernatorial Election in Bayelsa State. The data, before and after the elections, clearly showed the people’s preference among the 16 candidates to be Governor Douye Diri of the People’s …

By Hamzat Lawal The book, An Imperfect Storm: A pandemic and the coming of age of a Nigerian institution, written by the immediate past Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, with his wife Vivianne Ihekweazu, Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, is a memoir …