SANMI ADEKOLA BLOG

  I have not heard an order given that any cattle herder caught with sophisticated firearms be instantly disarmed, arrested, placed on trial, and his cattle confiscated… Let me repeat, and of course I only ask to be corrected if wrong: I have yet to encounter a terse, rigorous, soldierly and uncompromising language from this leadership, one that threatens a response to this unconscionable blood-letting that would make even Boko Haram repudiate its founding clerics. Herdsmen, let us appreciate, are perhaps humanity’s earliest known tourists. They must be taught however that there is a culture of settlement, and learn to seek accommodation with settled hosts wherever encountered. The leadership of any society cannot stand idly and offer solutions that implicitly deem the massacres of innocents mere incidents on the way to that learning school. Culture is closely intertwined with tourism – the former, in fact, often drives the latter. The destination uppermost in th...

The last few weeks have been turbulence for our dear country Nigeria. It is as if we can never get tire of heating of the polity. Sorry, I mean it is like the political usurpers and custodian of our common heritage cannot get tire of creating political tension and unrest. Day by day, the drama gets dramatic and the song remains the same. We continue to merry-go-round in a cyclical cycle while lives of the present and the future generations are being mortgaged day in day out. Indeed, nothing seems to be working, and every progress made seems to be in retrogression. Unfortunately, the supposed solution providers to our myriad of problems seems to be sleeping or deliberately embarking on sabotage of  our collective destiny. How do we describe the intentional removal of projects that can help to fast-track the development of the country in the budget such as the Lagos -Calabar Rail project, Second Niger Bridge project, among others in preference of self-aggrandizement projects b...

As a student of International Politics, I cannot but agree with my erudite Minister of Power, Housing & Infrastructure on the frequent traveling of PMB because of its many gains; though his absence could also do some harm, so a lot of balancing act needs to be employed. In making this public intervention, I seek to highlight the benefit of global relationships and cooperation in a world that is changing daily as a result of globalization and transborder economics, social and even criminal activities where no one is safe, except all are safe, and to leave the dispassionate observer his opinion after deep reflection on the value, or lack of it, of the President’s foreign trips.  This way I hope every Nigerian who cares about our country will have some information about what their President is doing about the things that concern them. First I will start with context. Barely 2 decades ago (between 1994 and 1998) we would not have quarreled with the description that we were a ...

Communication is an important tool in management and leadership, hence, the stakeholders in this governement will go a long way to assuage the feeling of many Nigerians if messages like this are disseminated from time to time. Below is the latest of the three articles by Mrs Kemi Adeosun, Nigeria Minsiter of Finance.  Writing this, my third article on the economy, I’m keenly aware that the question Nigerians want answered is: what is government doing to address our economic challenges? The first thing to state is that there are no quick fixes, but our strategy is clear and the expected outcomes are pretty compelling. Our immediate economic imperative is to provide a Keynesian stimulus to reflate the economy. The 2016 focus is underpinned by a desire to radically reposition Nigeria’s economy. This administration believes very strongly that the previous direction was far from optimal. We are pursuing a fresh direction consistent with our belief in building a resilient economy. T...

Every society, great and small, in every age is faced with certain challenges and problems that must be frontally tackled and worked upon. In the course of finding solution to such problems, heroes are made and villains are submerged. Nigeria at present is bedeviled with a number of problems and challenges that must be addressed head-on.

Nations rise and fall. Government comes and goes but society moves on. In short space of time, I have seen the emergence and disappearance of leaders; while so many factors could be attributed to the Waterloo of leaders, the common denominator has been the lose of touch by most leaders with the people that they are leading.  For instance, in 2010, many Nigerians canvassed for the enthronement of erstwhile President Jonathan to be made substantive Acting President against the wishes of the power that be. In the same vein, people overwhelmingly voted for him in 2011 to become the first minority person to rise to the highest position of leadership in Nigeria. Sincerely, his popular quote of - "In my early days in school,  I had no shoes,  no school bags.  I carried my books in my hands but never despaired;  no car to take me to school but I never despaired.  There were days I had only one meal but I never despaired.  I walked miles and crossed ...

In the midst of all the complains, grumblings, mudslinging and sudden demonstration of "expertise of all fields" by some Nigerians, which by the way is one thing we know how to do very well. I do not need anyone to tell me how tough it's out there as we are all going through it. I also concern that the current handlers of Nigeria affairs seems to be loosing grip of the situation, either as a result of being too careful or don't want to be labeled wrongly, however the case is, it is gonna be very tough decision to turn things around and I am not deluded about that at all. However, I think some few positives worth paying attention to. One of the two positives I will like to mention is the change in perspectives when it comes corruption, which was elevated to the level of official statecraft during the last administration. Gradually, though uncomfortably and painfully to some, we are coming to terms with the level of recklessness perpetrated in recent times. To say ...

Overtimes, we often took for granted the little things that matter. In our search for progress, success and breakthrough, we often berate the progress we have made; such that appreciating those who have contributed one way or the other for our present level do not get the gratitude they deserve. God inclusive. Search your mind, when last did you say THANK YOU LORD for the journey of your life so far? How about that relatives, friends, colleagues or boss at work? The fact of life is that the race to the top is an unending one, and if cares is not taken, one might forget to say thank you when it is necessary because our eyes is always on the bigger picture. Being grateful does not change our lives. It only make others to see us in a better way. Friends, as we begin the first quarter of this year, it is time to do the right thing. To have a grateful heart, always remember:  - you are in  the middle: there are those ahead of you and there are those behind you. The pre...

In my days back in school, one of my favourite quotes was that of Aristotle which says: man is a political animal ; but through reading and personal discovery I have since discovered that man is more of a social animal than a political animal who needs to co-exist and interact with others towards the attainment of his full potentials. Indeed, we cannot live in isolation, as without people we are nothing but  beasts. This realization should no doubt help us to understand the pivotal roles that people play in our lives. Thus from critics to friends, we need all to become the best we can. This is because inherently in all our actions and in-actions, there are far-reaching consequences that not only affect us but also others. What this means is that whether we decide to be good or otherwise, there are people who are affected by it. If we put this in mind, we will be mindful of what we do or fail to do. Therefore there is a great call on all of us to be better man and woman if we ho...