Author: Owei Lakemfa
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Nigerian massacres: Treating ring worm while ignoring leprosy – By Owei Lakemfa
I was in Ndjamena, Chad in 2014 as the then Secretary General of the African Workers, to meet the labour leaders in that country. There was a major barracks on the road opposite the hotel I stayed.
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My plea before the United Nations: Set humanity free! – By Owei Lakemfa
Three events made Monday, June 16, 2025, a sobering moment for me. On that day, back in 1976, news filtered that the killer Apartheid security forces which had been terrorising African countries like Zambia, Botswana and Lesotho, had turned on unarmed school children in South Africa.
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Sam Amuka: The inimitable 90-year-old brand – By Owei Lakemfa
Twenty years ago, I got a message that Uncle Sam Amuka-Pemu, the publisher of the Vanguard Newspapers could not be found. It was his 70th birthday and plans to mark it were in place, but the celebrant was not responding to calls. He seems to have simply vanished.
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Violence-torn Africa gets security body to stop out-sourcing its future – By Owei Lakemfa
Africa has been so torn by violence that it has witnessed some of the most stupid wars in contemporary history.
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Jibril Aminu: The dangers of a single narration – By Owei Lakemfa
Professor Jibril Muhammed Aminu, formerly known as Aminu Song, passed away on June 5, 2025. May his great soul find eternal rest. It was with deep sorrow the ruling elites rose in unison praising his undeniable academic brilliance.
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Unto humanity a liberator’s given: 135 years of Uncle Ho – By Owei Lakemfa
It is unusual for a nation to discover its essence in a man. It is rare for humanity in their millions across continents, to be inspired; to fight seemingly unwinnable wars for freedom. Ho Chi Minh, one of the most famous figures of the twentieth century, fitted into both.
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Forgive not the APC, pardon not the opposition – By Owei Lakemfa
The bazaar of partisan politics is in open swing. The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, which has been attracting opposition politicians to itself like magnet, held its National Summit on May 22, 2025 inside the Aso Rock Presidential Palace.
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Weep not for Ngugi, our ancestor deserves petals not tears – By Owei Lakemfa
I was in my early teens when I came across the slim novel, Weep Not, Child, by the then James Ngugi. Actually, the novel laid around as it was part of the school syllabus in senior secondary school, and the seniors read it.
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The Abiola-Tinubu-Aregbesola triumvirate in politics – By Owei Lakemfa
Nigeria, this Thursday, May 29, 2025, marks its 26th anniversary ending brutal military rule, and embarking on the road to democracy. I am reminded, on this occasion, of three political figures who contributed to this situation. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged into national consciousness in 1992 when he was elected the Senator representing the Lagos West Constituency. …
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Happy survival to ECOWAS at 50 – By Owei Lakemfa
The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, suffering from serious arthritis, cerebral malaria and a splitting headache by three countries, turns 50 on May 28, 2025. It had a dream of regional integration, including a free and seamless flow of persons, services and capital, the