IKHIDE R IKHELOA Soldier of Fortune: Early Years and Formation BORN on 8 November 1938 in Kano, Murtala Ramat Muhammed emerged from the elite Barewa College, Zaria, into a generation of young officers who would shape Nigeria’s post-independence history. Trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he was commissioned in 1961 and quickly developed a […]
By AROH ANTHONY Re-examining the Origins of “Onicha” FEW place names in southern Nigeria generate as much historical debate as “Onicha,” more commonly rendered today as “Onitsha.” Across Delta and Anambra States, several communities bear the prefix — Onicha-Ugbo, Onicha-Ukwu, Onicha-Olona, and the well-known commercial city of Onitsha. But what does “Onicha” actually mean? Is it […]
By OGHENETEGA PINTO When History Meets Law: The Sapele Land Controversy and the Limits of Narrative A well-researched essay by historian Odjegba Victor recently struck a chord in Delta State’s ongoing debate over land ownership in Sapele Local Government Area. It touched on centuries of settlement, jurisprudence and recorded tradition — not just folklore or contemporary […]
A Kingdom at a Crossroads: Ovonramwen’s Early Reign WHEN Oba Adolo died in 1888, his eldest son, Prince Idugbowa, ascended the throne as Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, taking a name that signified grandeur: “The Rising Sun” and “which spreads over all.” By most historical accounts, he was imposing in stature and voice—tall, stout, commanding. Yet beneath the […]
By HON IBRAHIM KABIRU GAGARAWA A Summit Meant to Fix a Region — But Who Showed Up? WHEN stakeholders gathered in Kaduna for the North-West Development Commission Summit — a meeting billed as a turning point for a region battered by insecurity, poverty and unemployment — expectations were high. The North-West is not just another geopolitical […]
By IKHIDE R IKHELOA A Different Voice from the Villa IN moments of political turbulence, tone becomes as important as policy. And few figures in Nigeria’s current power structure project tonal contrast as sharply as First Lady Oluremi Tinubu. While President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains the lightning rod for criticism over economic hardship and security […]
By ENUBUZOR CHUKWUDI Re-examining Ukwuani Identity A renewed conversation about the historical roots and cultural identity of the Ukwuani people of Delta State has stirred debate across Anioma communities and beyond. The discussion, sparked by commentary circulating within cultural advocacy circles, questions long-standing assumptions about ethnic classification in southern Nigeria. At the centre of the debate […]
SAMMY Asaba, October 1967: A Town That Was Not a Battlefield IN early October 1967, the town of Asaba was not positioned as a theatre of combat. It was a riverine commercial hub — a community of traders, farmers, civil servants and families navigating the uncertainty of Nigeria’s unfolding civil war. The war, which erupted […]
By MUNYASIRI MUHINDI ANGELA A Vast but Hidden Slave Network THE Arab-led Indian Ocean slave trade spanned centuries, targeting East, Southern, and Central Africa for human capture. Africans were taken from modern Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Zambia, then shipped through ports like Mombasa and sold at Zanzibar. The trade extended to Arabia and Central […]
Low Turnout in 2023 Sets a Dangerous Precedent NIGERIA’S 2027 general elections may see the lowest voter turnout in the nation’s democratic history, experts warn, as concerns over credibility, security, and public trust intensify. In the 2023 presidential election, only 26.71% of registered voters—approximately 24.97 million out of 93.47 million—participated, marking the lowest engagement since […]