Tag: Azu Ishiekwene
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Stolen Crown, Failed Coronation and the Other Sultan – Azu Ishiekwene
Azu Ishiekwene Last week, while the eyes of the world were on Afghanistan, a fellow in one of Nigeria’s most tradition-bound states attempted the royal equivalent of a military coup. The leader of the Shua Arab in Edo, Idris Adanno, in a curious, latter-day rediscovery of his linguistic and cultural identity, arranged for his own…
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Message from the dead Borno farmers – Azu Ishiekwene
Azu Ishiekwene That the slain Borno farmers did not get military clearance is an inconvenient truth, but the real error of judgement was taking the government at its word. In his inaugural speech on May 29, 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the military chiefs – the same military chiefs there today – to relocate to…
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Eight Decades Of Quests And Conquests – Azu Ishiekwene
Azu Ishiekwene The headline of the article in that edition of Sunday Times seemed audacious: It was all caps and entitled, “Youth with the world at his feet,” published 53 years ago, when I was two. It was not about me, of course. It was about Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, who at 27, was…
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Saving Charity From Scandal, By Azu Ishiekwene
Azu Ishiekwene In the nearly two weeks of lockdown so far in most Nigerian cities, we have seen great acts of charity by individuals, groups and institutions. Many have gone the extra mile to share what little they have with friends, neighbours, and even strangers, who have little or nothing. And in one inspiring example,…
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Covid-19 And That Flight From Abuja, By Azu Ishiekwene
Azu Ishiekwene The trip was not planned. As concerns over the spread of Covid-19 grew and the country inched more and more towards the abnormal, I figured travel might be restricted before the end of the week. A call that Tuesday morning confirmed that feeling: I decided to travel out of Abuja immediately. …
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Coronavirus: Unusual story as tragedy writes book of humour – Azu Ishiekwene
Azu Ishiekwene In a world where laughter is already in short supply, the outbreak and rapid spread of Coronavirus has only left us all the more depleted. The world, as we know it, has been turned on its head. Yet, in this once-in-a-lifetime experience we have examples of fate using tragedy to write the book…
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Literature? What Literature?, By Azu Ishiekwene
By Azu Ishiekwene Literature, like other art forms, is a reflection of society. It is from the society that creative writers get their ideas. Society is the subject matter of literary expression. This is one of the reasons why literature is viewed in relation to the era or age it reflects. For instance, we have…
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One Life, Many Lessons – Azu Ishiekwene
By Azu Ishiekwene Even though the attention of the world was focused on the role of the media in elections and democracy on the World Press Freedom Day, the shadow of last year’s murderous attacks on free speech still loomed large. Will this be the new normal? In July, The Economist, quoting a report by…
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Cloned Buhari: Oyedepo and the perils of satire – Azu Ishiekwene
Azu Ishiekwene It’s difficult to say which one was worse: the original falsehood or the misinterpretation and rebroadcast of its parody as gospel truth. The fugitive and self-acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, is credited with inventing the fabulous tale that the real President Muhammadu Buhari died in London sometime in…
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IDPs As The Next Time Bomb, By Azu Ishiekwene
By Azu Ishiekwene Internally Displaced Politicians have been on a speed dial to hook up with new partners for next year’s general election. With 68 political parties and still counting – the horde of defectors, including the perennial rolling stones – would find willing partners. The real Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are, however, having a…