At this time two years ago, Nigeria’s telecommunications sector was far from thriving. Consider the industry debts—both those among operators and those owed to them by banks. Or the Federal Government’s NIN-SIM linkage policy, which had suffered seven postponements since December 2020. Then there were the tariffs. They had remained static for a decade, and…
A most charitable friend has been plucked from our presence. He was jovial, perpetually funny, hearty even at his lowest moments, and eternally spirited. I cannot ever recall meeting my dear Francis at a low point. He consistently put up a smile regardless of the circumstance. He was a friend to many, a foe to…
At about 11 am, on Friday, November 12, 2021, there was a buzz among tax aficionados: Muhammad Nami, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) boss had been elected the President of the Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators (CATA). He is the first Nigerian in the history of CATA to be so elected. CATA is an…
On the 28th of June, my friend, Dr. Abu called me to inform me that he had tested positive for the dreaded coronavirus. Four days before the 28th, we had a meeting where he began feeling dizzy — I broke the social distancing protocol to help him up when he tried to lay down, but…
Re: Buhari Curious Request on Loot Recovery (Guardian Editorial, 16th October, 2018) This editorial is curious. It maintains a suspicious ambivalence all through. In one breathe it suggests that it decries President Buhari’s plea on the international scene requesting for an international common ground against illicit transfer of our nation’s wealth, in another it suggests…
by Johannes Wojuola This legal relationship, forged by the letters of our constitution has been a rocky romance from its coming together again in 1999. Break-ups, cheating, distrust, late nights, bribery, and even padding have been the phrases that we have oft heard of the affair. But this is not uncommon, or unexpected. Different…
So, Who Won The Buhari Challenge? Scattered across the FCT are sand-filled trucks, Caterpillars and the evidence of their work: bridges and roads under construction, some finished, some still in progress. Residents of the FCT can testify to the abundance of construction sites that are reminiscent of the El-Rufai years. Drive here or there, alas,…
Insecurity in Nigeria: Tough times don’t last, but tough people do – By Johannes Tobi Wojuola For President Buhari, history is in his favor when it comes to tackling insecurity – his reputation precedes him. The quelling of the Maitatsine Uprising in the 1980’s is to his credit – and formed a selling point for his election…
Globalization: Implications for Buhari’s Economic Agenda By Johannes Tobi Wojuola President Muhammadu Buhari’s determination to boost the nation’s economy does not seem to click with the tenets of globalization of trade as enunciated by the Western world. This is because the West, including the neo-liberalist and the Brettingwood philosophers, see the peculiar nature of the…
NASS exceeded bounds on 2017 budget By Johannes Wojuola There has been a lot of back and forth as to the powers of the National Assembly (NASS) to initiate projects and tinker with the budget presented to it by the Executive. The Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, was quoted as…