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Iya Kabiru and Other Stories

Ihesiulo Grace 27 November 2018 0

“Iya Kabiru must be the luckiest woman in Nigeria today” “Who is that? I don’t know anybody so-called” “You don’t know Iya Kabiru? But you know Baba Kabiru?” “Do they know me?” “This is the problem with you. You only think about you, you, you. I am sure when I tell you now who Baba […]

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With one Police to 796 Nigerians, why won’t there be insecurity?

Ihesiulo Grace 22 November 2018 0

According to available statistics, Nigeria has about 334,000 Officers and Men policing the entire 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. The 36 state commands of the Nigeria Police are grouped into 12 zones and seven administrative organs. The current figure was revealed in Abuja on Tuesday 13th November, 2018 by the Inspector-General of […]

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Ndigbo And The Search For A Surrogate Mother

Ihesiulo Grace 22 November 2018 0

One of the pictures that went viral last week of Ohaneze Ndigbo leader, Professor Ben Nwabueze, hugging former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, was mischievously exaggerated. One version made Nwabueze look like a frightened, forlorn child embracing its mother. Of course, it wasn’t meant to be anything of […]

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“Transition Hours”: President Jonathan writes back

Ihesiulo Grace 20 November 2018 0

“There was no bitterness in him after he left power. He did not look back. He did not look down. Instead he looked up and after looking up, he looked forward and went on pressing ahead. That forward movement has resulted in this work of statecraft and statesmanship of which I am privileged to write […]

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What Does It Take To Be A Governor In Nigeria?

Ihesiulo Grace 20 November 2018 0

A governorship election just took place last week in Osun state in which candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after a rerun. About three months ago, a similar election took place in Ekiti State and the winner of that exercise will be sworn in […]

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Losing Sleep Over The Economist, Other Predictions

Ihesiulo Grace 15 November 2018 0

It matters a lot to our politicians what the foreign press or agencies say about them, especially about their electoral chances. If foreigners, particularly those in London or New York, say something nice, our politicians take it to heart and repost as far and wide as they can. If not, they get mad. In recent […]

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Aig-Imoukhuede and the Initiative for Public Governance

Ihesiulo Grace 13 November 2018 0

A week ago, I stumbled on an article titled “Africa and the burden of Leadership” (The Guardian, Nov. 7), written by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, banker, investor and entrepreneur, former Managing Director of Access Bank Nigeria, our compatriot. The piece was actually excerpted from a speech he delivered at the graduation ceremony of government and public policy […]

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The irony of wage increase and workers diminishing purchasing powers

Ihesiulo Grace 12 November 2018 0

The Nigerian government and the nation’s labour force are currently flexing muscles in what should be the minimum wage payable to workers of the government at the Federal, State and local levels as well as those working with the private sector of the economy. As at Sunday night, a truce was arrived at by the […]

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Buhari’s Certificate And The Long Knives

Ihesiulo Grace 9 November 2018 0

After former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party at the Port Harcourt convention in October, the party said it looked forward to an issues-based campaign and challenged the ruling All Progressives Congress to roll up its sleeves. There are many issues to debate with the APC whose […]

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A country without “rubber bullets”

Ihesiulo Grace 6 November 2018 0

Many years ago, I was in Abuja to attend an international workshop on one of those human development issues that used to engage a lot of attention in those days: sustainable development goals, maternal mortality, maternal morbidity, adolescent sexuality, women’s political representation, the Beijing declaration, HIV/AIDS reporting… Those were hot topics in those days

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The national shame called private schools

Ihesiulo Grace 31 October 2018 0

Every year, Nigerians, especially the elite, pay out hundreds of billions of Naira as fees to schools owned and operated by individuals, corporate organisations and foreign missions that collude with local businesses as well as proprietors of churches in order that their children and wards may receive quality education while the children and wards of […]

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How much is the life of a Nigerian worth?

Ihesiulo Grace 31 October 2018 0

On Monday, 29th October 2018, over a dozen people were reportedly killed during a clash between Nigerian security forces and members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) otherwise known as Shiites. The clashes too place within the Mararaba/Nyanya/Karu axis of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that share boundary with Nasarawa State. According to media […]

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The Spirit of the Jews in Squirrel Hill

Ihesiulo Grace 30 October 2018 0

What was assaulted in Squirrel view, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States on Saturday, October 27, was not just the 11 persons that died and the six injured, or strictly the Jewish community in the United States. It was an assault on the entire humanity itself. It was terrible. It was horrendous. It stands condemned by all […]

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Anthony Anenih: A personal and political portrait

Ihesiulo Grace 30 October 2018 0

Anthony Anenih, the political leader, chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party who has died aged 85, was one of the most important figures in the story of Nigeria’s return to civilian rule, and a founding father and a major influence in the party that ruled the country for an unbroken stretch of 16 years. I […]

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Dagger In Shehu Sani’s Back

Ihesiulo Grace 26 October 2018 0

As the senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, failed to get the re-nomination ticket of the All Progressives Congress last week, not a few looked for blood in the hands of Governor Nasir El-Rufai. His pitchfork is never far from him. When El-Rufai fights, he doesn’t use his size or pick an enemy in his […]

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Empowering Rural Women through Social Protections

Ihesiulo Grace 23 October 2018 0

Social protection policies of any government play a very important role in giving women access to the labour markets. Addressing economic risks faced by working class women, be it at the formal and informal settings by making sure that poor families and households meet their basic needs. Social protection has become prominent in the global […]

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With Love, from India

Ihesiulo Grace 18 October 2018 0

My first instinct when I got the WhatsApp message was to dismiss it as fake news. But I held back because the sender is a serious guy. It was a memo from a certain school in Rajasthan, India, called Amity University. In the three-paragraph memo, the Registrar, Vishwadeepak Singh, a retired military officer, had given […]

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Executive Order, suspected looters and rule of law

Ihesiulo Grace 14 October 2018 0

Last week, the Federal High Court upheld the constitutional validity of the controversial Executive Order 6 (EO6) issued by President Mohammed Buhari on July 5 this year. Based on the court ruling the federal government has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service and other security agencies to place no fewer than 50 high profile persons directly […]

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Who Will Vote For Buhari Or Atiku?

Ihesiulo Grace 11 October 2018 0

Soon after the results of the presidential primaries of the two major parties were announced on Sunday, a friend called me sounding despondent. He had voted for President Muhammadu Buhari since 2003, and was ecstatic when Buhari finally won at his fourth attempt in 2015. Three years on, however, he is struggling to give Buhari […]

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2019: Atiku vs. Buhari

Ihesiulo Grace 9 October 2018 0

There has been some clarity about Nigeria’s 2019 Presidential election, with the end of the October 7 deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of party primaries at all levels. On Saturday, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at its convention held in Abuja, ratified the choice of incumbent President […]