By Funke Egbemode

I love watching the musical video of Asake’s Joha. There’s just something about it that makes me smile, cheers me up even. I still can’t place a finger on it. Maybe it’s the dance steps, the moves. But this is not a review of musical videos. It is actually about brides, today’s brides dancing as if they are auditioning for musical videos. As if it is not bad enough that they have their breasts in the faces of the wedding guests, they dance as if they are performing for a concert audience with the ‘family jewels’ jiggling so ferociously people like me fear they will pop out of their corsets and embarrass cringing decency. The groom’s men openly ogle their best friend’s private property. The lecherous old men leer and smack their lips while pretending to act fatherly. Is it their fault? Window shopping is free from here to Australia. The brides are providing it and everybody is enjoying it.

By Lizzy Okoji

With air strikes in Khartoum, Darfur, and other cities of Sudan resuming just hours after the ceasefire, one would only wonder what next to expect in the conflict-torn country.

By Emeka Obasi

What we call elections may not pass any test across the border. I hinged all hope on Mahmood Yakubu, a man so exposed to decency and organisation, to change the face of INEC and leave the stage an eternal hero. Unfortunately, everything went awry.

By Bola Bolawole

The piece you are about to read was first published by me on 30th September, 2015, almost eight years ago and just four months into retired Major-General Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency. With little editing to whittle it down to fit into the space allotted,, it is as relevant today as it was then. Enjoy it!

By Funke Egbemode

If largeness of breasts and flatness of stomach is what floats your boat, then Floxy is right up your alley. She is cutely curvaceous, knows it and takes full advantage of it. Not that she is a bimbo whose only unique selling point is her body, no. She is actually a brilliant business executive. Just that there is something about her that makes her unapproachable, at least by young struggling guys. She is more mature, wiser and more focused than her age. She is north of 30 by the way but she has in the last two years accomplished a lot, plenty of thanks to her wily, single-minded new approach to life. Ask her why young single men are no longer part of her vision and she’d tell you she’d had enough of them to last half a lifetime. For now, she loves them married. It’s either the man is married or she would not dignify him with even a breakfast date. Does she want to be a second or third wife or a mistress for life? No, she just finds the married men’s encumbrances useful to her cause and the single men’s blatant uncreative lies unattractive.

By Emeka Obasi

Secondary Schools soccer in the old East Central State was dominated by Holy Ghost College (Hogosco ) Owerri until 1975 when some Protestants from Onitsha stopped the Catholic School.

By Dr Chidi Amuta

In a tragic sense, Sudan is somehow lucky. Its leading political figures, who also happen to be combatant generals, have not hidden their differences beneath a façade of mutual deceit. They have instead allowed their differences to blossom into an open bloody confrontation. The two top generals who also happen to be the top political citizens of a nation with many hidden wounds have spared no effort in coming into the open to display their differences and clashing ambitions. These differences also happen to reflect the many hidden complications in Sudan’s national life: religious differences, economic interests, political ambition, a politicized military, big power transferred aggression and the aggressive strategic goals of big powers.

By Dr. Jona N. Ezikpe

The CBN announced that some Naira Denominations namely: N200, N500 and N1000 notes would be redesigned. The old notes of the same denominations would be withdrawn and cease to be legal tender. They will be replaced with the newly redesigned notes. Dateline for the cessation of the old notes was initially given as 31st January, 2023 while the new notes, would begin to circulate concurrently with the old notes beginning from December 15th 2022.

By Godknows Boladei Igali

1. Nigeria’s most ranking female career diplomat, Lady Nkemjinka (Nkem) Ulaku Wadibia-Anyanwu’s recent attainment of the age of 75 years is being celebrated at large as a symbol of the sustained national service of Nigeria’s womenfolk, particularly in the world of international affairs. Ordinarily, rising to be appointed and adorned with those ubiquitous epitaphs of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary is the apogee of the diplomatic service. However, for one such as Wadibia-Anyanwu, whom many simply call “Lady” from the Catholic knighthood which she was bestowed with, the journey of toil for fatherland went beyond to the ultimate attainment of the rank of a Federal Permanent Secretary. After 35 fruitful years in the global scene, not unexpectedly, toasts and accolades emblazoned from her protégés and international contacts from the most unexpected ends of the world. For many reasons, topmost being her commitment to nationhood, commitment to service, and commitment to the highest ideals of humanistic and Godly existence.

By Bola Bolawole

Going through heaps of files, old newspapers and other records in my library a few days ago, I came across pieces of unsolicited advice I had offered mint-new President Muhammadu Buhari on how he could make a success of his tenure as the country’s fourth president circa the Fourth Republic, which started its run in 1999. One of the materials, titled “That Buhari’s anti-corruption war may not become ephemeral”, was published on 25th September, 2015 by The News, PM News, Daily Independent newspapers, among others.

By Azu Ishiekwene

Hadiza Bala Usman's new book, "Stepping on Toes," is a cautionary tale for anyone hoping to work in public service in Nigeria, particularly in the Federal Government. It's an incredible story by the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) of how to break your heart, if not your spirit, in public service.

By Simon Kolawole

There are endless peculiarities, I must here admit, about the 2023 presidential election, the least not being the outing of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). With the post-election brouhaha and hullaballoo, a cursory observer would be forgiven for thinking the February 25 poll was a two-way contest between Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP). Atiku came second with 6,984,520 votes. Therefore, whether it is Tinubu that won, as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), or Obi, as proclaimed by his supporters, Atiku is still ranked as second best.