EMELIFONWU PIUS BLOG

Diego Amando Maradona of Argentina kicked the bucket on the 25th of November 2020, like me he was born in 1960. On the 22nd of November 2020, I saw death face to face. I was on my way to the mainland to pass the night with my immediate elder brother for our journey to our village for our older brother's burial. First I boarded a bus to CMS bus stop from Chevron Bus Stop. At CMS, I boarded another bus to Oju Elegba. At Costain Bus Stop many of the commuters from CMS, alighted to be replaced by other commuters. At Alaka the bus made a forced stop as it was jerking. A few minutes later, the bus was fixed only to stop again between the National stadium and Baracks Bus stop in Suru Lere. A minute after the bus stopped pandemonium broke out . I was seated at the back seat of the Volkswagen bus. In a flash from.I know not where, a gun and a knife were thrust into my consciousness and the next I heard was we will shoot o and a shot rang out and a man seated in the front seat of the bus was

                       Bill Gates  The Federal Government is reportedly about to bow to the demands of ASUU. And I ask for when the next strike will

                          Lai Mohammed Lai  Mohammed is a Lawyer and he is asking for the bodies to prove that there was shooting and killing at Lekki

  For sometime now, a way out of unemployment in Nigeria is to pick an appointment abroad and come home to be heralded as an expert from abroad. I recall that when I went to boarding house in the village, one of the drawbacks for me was that I lost my position in my Lagos based football team. Then I did not understand until years after, when I went to train with my Lagos based secondary school team and I could not locate my position on the field as a left half back. I did not know the position had changed to a left legged centre back. The above are illustrations of the importance of where you have been and where you are coming from. The Lekki Massacre was dismissed initially by the Nigerian Army as Fake News and later they recanted but still gave a false account of the events. Pat  Utomi gave an account of what happened on that day. Dj Switch, filmed it Live. Channels TV's maverick reporter Olu Philips gave a live account on TV, yet the Government did not budge. Now that CNN have r

             Dr. Mo  Ibrahim Each time, I think of the Mo  Ibrahim prize for leadership, I feel sad. I feel sad that Nigeria is no where near winning the Prize.  The criteria are not out of this world. They are not unattainable: respect for Civil Liberties, Care for the Environment and a healthy dose of anti corruption Measures. What pains me more is that the prize is not a foreign prize but a local prize by an African for Africans. When I remember that Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia once won the prize, I shudder more. I know our leaders may not find the prize attractive, but the prize can do a lot for the image of our country. Mo  Ibrahim, the Sudanese - British Billionaire has joined in condemning the way the Nigerian government reacted to the EndSARS protests.  For a man who began in Africa and made money as a mobile telecommunications magnate, thinking the prize should nudge African countries in the right direction, is not wrong. However, he is deeply disappointed. Having put his

 Bello Matawalle Zamfara State Governor It was a younger man who enlightened me on the cause of banditry in Zamfara State. The simple answer is: Gold. In my primary school days, we were shown map of Nigeria and its mineral resources, and I recall then that there was Gold against the terrain of old Sokoto State, then comprising present day Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto. The chickens have come home to roost. It is now a source of friction. I am aware illegal mining thrives in the north. Whatever happened to the Nigerian Mining Company. The present debacle came from the office of the governor of Zamfara State, asking the Central Bank of Nigeria to pay Zamfara state Government, N5bn for Gold. Ordinarily, this should be a matter for the National Economic Council but for indolent and clueless Governors who are making a mountain out of it. The issue of resource control is settled except that those in charge are too obsessed with Oil to know what to do. There are extant laws to take care of the si

                    Olusegun Obasanjo  Many years ago, my friend Geoffrey Iwuoha, pointed out that when he was in school, Obj said that the youths were leaders of tomorrow but several years after leaving school, Obj was back in office. So he wondered when the youths were going to lead. Now Obj is calling on 30 - 35 year olds to come out and rule. When we were in our 30s, Obj was ruling with his ilk, now that we are in our 60s Obj is asking 30 - 35s to come out. What becomes of us? How old is Joe Biden. Please, it is not about age, it is not about gender. It is about competence and integrity. Obj has voiced his opinion which for now is populist. It is possible but age cannot be a sole criterion to qualify or disqualify any person. Let our past speak for us.

 Governor, Babajide Sanwo - Olu Who can blame Governor Sanwo - Olu for his current travails? He must have seen it coming. There is a saying that when a slave sees another go into the ditch, it should know that when the time comes, it will go the same way. In signing up for the office of Governor of Lagos State, Sanwo - Olu must have done so, fully aware of the hurdles faced by Fashola and the travails of his successor, Akinwunmi Ambode. In the chess game of power, there will always be fall guys. A friend of mine, had a problem with one of the banks, a bank for which he had a long standing relationship, as a contractor. What did the bank do? They got a Deputy Inspector - General of Police, to lock up my friend for days. In turn, my friend got people to appeal to the IGP, who summoned the DIG. To placate my friend, the DIG picked up the Head of Legal department of the Bank, and not the Bank MD. That Head of Legal Department, became the fall guy, meanwhile, it was powers above the Head of

Nigerian National Assembly Complex   Not too long ago, the News broke out of the collapse of the National Grid. That

  It is elementary Economics that goods with inelastic demand, give more revenue when their prices are increased. From the days of IBB to the present day the Federal Government has been raising more revenue from fuel hikes either due to comparatively lower prices or removal of imaginary subsidies. The Bread levy is in the same vein except that it is new. Yahaya Bello like Margaret Thatcher wants to etch his name on the wrong side of history. Just like Fuel is an essential commodity, so too is Bread. I recall a story once told by Benson Bello titled the 'Bread Loving family' in definition of Inflation. As the story went, Benson Bello at National University Games, being a Basket Ball Player at University of Nigeria Nsukka found himself in the midst of other students discussing Inflation. In terms of definition, several definitions were given and his was in the shape of the story about Bread. When he was going to the Federal Government College, an uncle gave him one Naira and aske

 At the age of 32 John Jerry Rawlings as a Flight Lieutenant in the Ghanaian Air

Godwin Emefiele: CBN Governor While I sympathize with those whose accounts are frozen, I make bold to

Recently, six Nigerians were given various prison terms by the government of the United Arab

                         Dj Switch Catherine Obianuju Udeh widely known as Dj Switch, the young lady

  For sixty years of Nigerian Independence, the army was in power

                         Aisha Yesufu Two are musicians and one a business woman. They are all activists in their own ways. Wizkid won an endorsement worth $3m and Davido               Davido advised that rather

Sanwo - Olu: Executive Governor, Lagos State The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry into the EndSARS protests and

2020 started with Covid -19 pandemic and as the year gets to the eleventh month, the pandemic while still very

                  Donald J Trump Strange things are happening and stranger things are about to happen. I

                  Abubakar Malami  According to Barrister Folarin Falana, lawyer, comedian, musician and

Scarcity in the midst of plenty is a saying that can constantly be used to

          Rtd Justice Doris Ojuwobi In a constitutional democracy, the military are answerable to civil authority. That is what is expected of

 I honestly thought the events of the recent past will leave a lasting