Viewpoint

By Wahab Abdul Nigeria’s pioneer non-interest Bank, Jaiz Bank Plc, clocked 10 years Thursday, since it commenced operations on the 6th of January 2012. At inception, the bank began operations with just three branches in Abuja, Kaduna and Kano. Despite paying the huge costs associated with pioneering in a difficult…

By Sam Akpe We never met closely until 2014. Even then, there was no handshake; no one-on-one physical interaction; just an ordinary “good morning, Prof”, without expecting any response. That is understandable. I do not possess the credentials that make me eligible to establish and maintain such rapport with such…

By Jimoh Ibrahim, CFR Is Obasanjo still reflecting and holding the brief of the political community of papacy and the Holy Roman Empire who went crying against the legitimacy of legally sovereign states? We are saying so because not until the 17th century were they stated just one of many…

By Sam Akpe When the Ray Ekpu Prize for Investigative Journalism was instituted in July 2021, I was one of the few people who doubted whether a clear winner would emerge at its first outing. I even suggested, silently, that the execution of the award should be delayed till 2022.…

By Udeme Nana Over the years, journalism practice has assumed the watchdog role of the society. In fact, most of the world’s democracies expressly assign to the press, radio, television and other agencies of mass media the obligation to perform that oversight function. In Nigeria, that responsibility is backed by…

  By Sam Akpe Days have passed since I read the story. Though I do not trust the obscure blog that published it, I still read it; for two reasons. First, those who published it mentioned the respected Guardian newspapers as their source. That was sufficient motivation for me to…

By Sam Amadi The report that China is taking over the Entebbe International Airport in Kampala because of Uganda’s failure to repay the Chinese loan for it will interest Nigerians. Uganda had tried to negotiate variation to the terms of the loan, but China rebuffed the move. Entebbe is the…

By ‘Timi Alaibe Nembe, an otherwise quiet, beautiful kingdom in Bayelsa State, populated by a peaceful, enterprising people, has been in the news these past weeks, sadly for the wrong reason. Dozens of already neglected communities and the people are soaked in crude oil—the same natural resource that has made…

By Udeme Nana Earlier last month, precisely on Thursday, October 7, this writer joined the entourage of Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where the Governor delivered the 2021 Founder’s Day Lecture. The other great ‘Lion’ in the delegation was Nigeria’s former Ambassador…

PICTURE: Ray Ekpu By Sam Akpe The clock seems to tick faster as the day silently approaches. All eyes are now on the panel of judges, comprising some elders, veterans and high priests of the journalism profession. Most of them were in practice at the very top long before some…