By Jerome-Mario Utomi The mission of any government should be to promote creativity and to understand that the continuous humiliation, degradation and criticism stifle creativity- Mohammaed bin Rashid AL Maktoum. There are clear thinkers, muddled thinkers and people that fall in between. Clear thinks -are the ones that can cull everything down into the right

By Jerome-Mario Utomi It is general knowledge that President Muhammadu Buhari, precisely on Friday 28th February, 2020 approved the suspension of the Cordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, and Professor Charles Dokubo, with a promise to set up a caretaker committee to run the affairs of the agency. As expected, this development has elicited reactions from stakeholders

By Monoyo Edon I watched with disappointment a viral video by an ex-agitator of Niger Delta, Alhaji Asari Dokubo, who was vociferous in his inexpert attempt to give the Presidential Amnesty Programme an ethnocentric label. It is anticlimactic that Alhaji Dokubo, who should be a unifying voice in the Niger Delta after laying down arms

By Jerome-Mario Utomi Sixteen years ago, precisely on Friday, December 3, 2004, at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos, I listened with real curiosity to the current Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Professor Charles Dokubo, then a staff of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), speak passionately to underline his position and express the depth

By Jerome-Mario Utomi   For the well foresighted Nigerians and the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), that are conversant with the excruciating environmental pains and socioeconomic deprivations the coastal dwellers in the Niger Delta region, South-South, Nigeria, daily contend with, it will not be an exaggeration to characterize as historic and the greatest victory of this period,

By Godknows Igali One name that will continue to reverberate in our memories is that of one of Nigeria’s most outstanding social critics, essayist, thinker and scientist, Professor Tamuemi Sokari David-West,  who passed on 11th November, 2019. Born on 26th August, 1936, he was 83 years when he passed on at the University College Hospital

By Ekanpou Enewaridideke  The time uncanny and the place mysterious Otuaro was recently caught dancing prolongedly for a woman. Some term the prolonged dance a skillfully choreographed ballet, tango and waltz of the end time when the tide still flows with vigour. For Otuaro to be caught dancing it naturally becomes a canal for the

Ken Saro Wiwa, the infamous Ogoni leader, was born on this day October 10th in 1941. An award-winning activist, his impact in the struggle for the cleanup and improvement of the lives of Ogoni people have continued to remain unmatched. Saro-wiwa was not just the mouthpiece of his people; he was a firm believer in

By Odimegwu Onwumere They called him Lewis, Viscount Harcourt, Secretary of State for the Colonies of Britain. Harcourt was said to have founded a port in the year 1912 now known and called Port Harcourt, which is the capital city of the present day Rivers State, Nigeria. But Rivers State was created, as a state

By Jerome-Mario Utomi It is a time-honoured suggestion that during a period of rapid economic growth, nations as well as corporate organizations must continue investing even though it may not be clear how much investment is appropriate. Over investment is not a serious worry, since the excess is likely to be absorbed by future growth.

By Ekanpou Enewaridideke This mad world is mad. This our mad world has gone mad; the madness of the world derives muscles of reinforcement from daily engagement of the dialogue on terrorism. Almost on daily basis there are claims and counter-claims of casualties (as one would say in JP Clark’s ‘The Casualties’) as regards the

By Odimegwu Onwumere The recurring dislike-of-foreigners in South Africa by South Africans especially against Africans from other countries resident there is too bad an act. But if we look beyond this dastardly act, we could see through history a time there was Industrial Revolution, World Wars, Cold War, among others. While we condemn xenophobia in

By Utomi Jerome-Mario Going by the words of President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, August 19, 2019 at the retreat for the ministers that; ministers will be responsible for the development and implementation of policies, programmes and projects in their various ministries, departments and agencies in line with the government priorities; and also ensure that agencies

By Mpigi Barinada Strong indications have emerged that the relative peace now enjoyed in the Niger Delta can be elusive. The reality is that beneath this camouflaged peace lie bottled-up emotions over pending environmental concerns and development matters.  It is a truism that youth restiveness, for instance, is simply hibernating and may be awakened for

By Odimegwu Onwumere The Deputy Governor of Delta State, Barrister Kingsley Otuaro is a man that can be trusted, especially in this era, where and when some governors and their deputies, political Godsons and Godfathers, political allies and friends and sundry are in loggerhead. Observing the steadiness in Otuaro, the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi

By Odimegwu Onwumere As the Yobe North lawmaker, Senator Ahmed Lawan has emerged President of the 9th Senate, crossing the margin of 54 votes needed to win the election today, June 11 2019, there are little things we need to look into. It’s not about defeating Senator Ali Ndume of Borno-South senatorial district who polled less

By Jerome-Mario Utomi Gordon S. Black of The University of Rochester, in his theory of political ambition; Career choices and role of structural incentives’’ posited that; as a politician rises to new positions of power and prominence, his motives for seeking political advancement becomes subjected to intense public scrutiny. In most cases, politicians try to

“What’s the use of a fine house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on.” These words of Henry David Thoreau underscore the emerging conversations as we mark yet another World Environment Day (WED). The World Environment Day (WED), which takes place annually on June 5 is the biggest event to celebrate and promote environmental awareness and sustainability

By Prince Akpo Abugo It was a gathering at a news-stand, with members united by their frustrations at the economic stagnation and injustice that the Nigerian state has meted out to the Niger Delta the despite human and economic contributions it has made since 1956 when oil was discovered in the area. Crude oil is