Opinion & Columns

By Ehichioya Ezomon  The other day, 18 of the over 30 aspirants of the Labour Party (LP) for the 2024 governorship election in Edo State – acting as paupers in an undisguised blackmail – petitioned the party leadership to scrap the N5m fee for Expression of Interest form, and reduce …

By Ehichioya Ezomon Previously unknown groups and talking heads have emerged in the lead-up to the primaries for the September 21, 2024, off-cycle governorship election in Edo State. Most of the groups and individuals come out openly and forcefully to promote and defend the interests of certain aspirants as “the …

By Ehichioya Ezomon  If Senator Adams Oshiomhole’s testing the waters to re-enact his 2016 imposition of a candidate on the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, he’s failed spectacularly in the plot, with pleas by members to President Bola Tinubu and the APC leadership to call him to order, to …

By Ehichioya Ezomon  He cuts a familiar figure and preaches a familiar message! Two-time governorship candidate of rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2016 and 2020, respectively, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, claims he’s a detribalised, pan-Edo politician, who sees Edo State as one family, and seeks …

By Young Erhiurhoro The Urhobo as an ethnic group in Nigeria is a blessed land with many natural resources like oil, gas, cash crops, food crops, timber and other forest products. Many communities within the group are also blessed with rivers and rivulets, comprising many marine products. All these resources …

By Pius Dukor It was Mathew Desmond who postulated some years ago that “Housing is absolutely essential for humans to flourish. Without stable shelter it all falls apart. The pathway to housing should be fair and equitable for everyone, and access to affordable housing is the infrastructure people in our …

By Ehichioya Ezomon  It’s like the kettle calling the pot black when, the other day, Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu lamented that Governor Godwin Obaseki’s betrayed him – on account of the governor “supporting an outsider” (an unknown non-politician) for the 2024 governorship, rather than his deputy of over …

By Gesiye Salo Angaye  In 2002, Nigeria’s population was estimated around 216.7 million and a total of 88.4 million, comprising 44.7 million men and 43.7 million women who lived in extreme poverty. Poverty means insufficient income, leading to lack of food, shelter, education, health-care, security, etc. Poverty persists partly because of mass …

By Ehichioya Ezomon  The hopes of Esan people of Edo Central senatorial district – that the 2024 governorship election will redeem the marginalisation of Esanland in the governance of Edo State – may be fizzling, or have fizzled out due partly to alleged handiwork or machination of some vauntily-ambitious Esan …

By Ehichioya Ezomon  The tenure of governor of Edo, Mr Godwin Obaseki, will end on November 11, 2024, and going by Section 178(2) of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, “election into the office shall hold not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 …