History ● Conjectures ● Insights
Yesterday, I threw out a challenge following a dream my neighbour shared with me about an interesting dream he had. I should have waited before sharing the dream because he called me later to give me what you might call the second instalment of his famous dancing dream. He had had a second dream. This time the dancing steps were different from those in the…
During the presidential election campaigns in 1979, candidate of the Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was asked how he would implement the Abuja project to which he answered: ‘We would hire the American Walt Disney Corporation to convert the new capital site into an amusement park.’
My neighbour shared with me his sleeping moments of two nights ago. In his sleep he was occupied with interesting dreams that overlapped. The piece that stood out from the lot was the one involving his encounter with his best friend, who danced past him with his ears covered by headphones. He did not know what to make of his friend’s unusual behaviour seeing that…
What is the true worth of the unknown soldier? How many can relive their encounters with them with fondness? How many can identify the cream of the pack, those who did not become notorious but who accepted the embrace of honour and refused the common tag of notorious, worn by many of their kind? I know of such a soldier but his story is some…
It is official: the minimum wage is now N30,000! But the news downtown is that the announcement has not raised the hope quotient of Nigerian workers in any significant way. So unlike what happened in 1975 when Nigerian workers walked with a swag. Following the recommendation of the Chief Jerome Udoji-led Public Service Review Commission set up by government in 1974, government raised the minimum…
Once upon a time, a wealthy merchant called her children and gave them various sums of money. Her expectation was that the children would trade with their share, make profit from their trade and improve the wellbeing of the collective. The wellbeing of the family. No one knew what formula she adopted in giving what to whom. To the first, she gave $59,000 (Fifty-nine thousand…
Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari was in Lagos to commission the legacy projects of the outgoing Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration, namely, the Oshodi Transport Interchange, the expanded Murtala Mohammed International Airport Road, The Renovated Ayinke House at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, among other signature projects. Expectedly, the fact that the Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, was not present at the occasion, drew…
A Singaporean national, Apiz Mikaelson, who was fined $200 by the country’s National Environment Agency for smoking, has claimed that he was given the fine despite the fact that he had only one foot outside the designated smoking area. He went to Facebook to plead his innocence but the NEA have defended their action. They insist the sanction was appropriate and in line with the…
The moment was exhilarating for the many astronomers who had set their eyes on the feat for a long time. Their efforts, time and considerable resources had delivered a prized possession as they shared news of their success with the world in Paris recently. Among the take-away from the occasion is the affirmation of the power of collaboration in tackling puzzling constructs and challenges. They…
How many know that the Justice Owen Fiebai panel set up by the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA in 1978, to pick a suitable name for the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, recommended Gurara as top of the three names that were submitted but the Supreme Military Council, SMC opted for Abuja, which was the name of one of the towns in the territory. The name…