Opinions - Sharpedge News

Nigeria @ 64: A Nation Grappling With Unfulfilled Potential By Alaba Abdulrazak

1Oct

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Opinions, Top Stories

Nigeria @ 64: A Nation Grappling With Unfulfilled Potential By Alaba Abdulrazak

In 1960, when Nigeria became independent, the world community clearly stated that four nations would emerge to join the ranks of developed countries like USA and Japan. Those countries mentioned were China, Brazil, India, and Nigeria. Unfortunately, of these countries, only Nigeria has not emerged! The reason is simple—human resources! India, Brazil, and China have all made significant progress, but Nigeria till today is still grappling with unfulfilled potential. Despite being among the richest countries in the world in terms of human and material resources, Nigeria's potential remains unfulfilled. It is understandable that the crucial factor for a nation's greatness is its human element. Unfortunately in Nigeria, human element only comprises of 4% compared to 96% material resource...

NNPC Ltd And Challenges In The Oil Sector: Banire Misconceives The Facts, Promotes Biased Views

12Sep

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Opinions

NNPC Ltd And Challenges In The Oil Sector: Banire Misconceives The Facts, Promotes Biased Views

By Olufemi Soneye In the face of the challenges in the oil sector, particularly the current tightness in the supply of petrol, it has become fashionable to blame the national oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC Ltd), for everything. Last week, it was Prof. Pat Utomi who railed and fumed at the NNPC Ltd calling it one of the most opaque and unreliable companies in the world. Before then, The Punch had published an editorial in which it described the NNPC Ltd as a danger to Nigeria. The latest of these vitriolic attacks is by Dr. Muiz Banire, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and former Commissioner of Transport and Environment, Lagos State, who contended in his column in The Sun that NNPC Ltd is the black hole of Nigeria. Considering all that is going on ...

NNPC, Oando And Atiku Abubakar’s Attacks

28Aug

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Opinions

NNPC, Oando And Atiku Abubakar’s Attacks

By Temitope Ajayi By his advanced age and eminent status as a former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is by no means qualified to be an elder statesman. Statesmen are highly venerated and revered people to whom we go for advice, guidance and direction. But sometimes, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar behaves as if he should be removed from that exclusive club. Or how else can one interpret some of his utterances and statements? Or is the former vice president merely playing politics? But politics should have its season and time and should sometimes give way for nation-building and patriotism. Statesmen are not given to flippancy. Neither are they whimsical. They are measured in words and deeds, a quality that Alhaji Atiku has not demonstrated in public discourse since losing the...

Samoa Agreement Signed In The Interest Of Nigeria – FG

5Jul

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Opinions

Samoa Agreement Signed In The Interest Of Nigeria – FG

On 28 June 2024, Nigeria signed the Samoa Agreement at the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium. The partnership agreement is between the EU and its Member States, on one hand, and the members of the OACPS on the other. Negotiations on the agreement started in 2018, on the sidelines of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly. It was signed in Apia, Samoa on the 15th of November 2018 by all 27 EU Member states and 47 of the 79 OACPS Member states. The agreement has 103 articles comprising a common foundational compact and three regional protocols, namely: Africa –EU; Caribbean-EU, and Pacific-EU Regional Protocols with each regional protocol addressing the peculiar issues of the regions. The African Regional Protocol cons...

Kolawole Akingbade: The Best Man For The Las Vegas Mayoral Job

2May

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Lifestyle, Opinions

Kolawole Akingbade: The Best Man For The Las Vegas Mayoral Job

As the June 11 2024, Las Vegas mayoral election gathers momentum, among the fifteen candidates that will be contesting in the election is a Nigerian-born American businessman and a Man of God, Kolawole Akingbade. Akingbade is no doubt one of the noted of all the candidates that will be participating in the election. While the incumbent independent mayor, Carolyn Goodman will not be seeking re-election as she has used fourth term in office, Kolawole Akingbade looks good to succeed her and take Las Vegas to the next level. As the best man for the job, Kolawole is a smart innovative thinker who has a love for family, people, community, and God. He is forthright, dependable, and known for his exceptional honesty, integrity, and tenacity in not just one area of his life, but all th...

Tinubu: Embracing Illusion, Ignoring Reality By Alaba Abdulrazak

2Dec

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Opinions

Tinubu: Embracing Illusion, Ignoring Reality By Alaba Abdulrazak

In the annals of Nigeria's history, no leader either military or civilian that has ever admitted to having failed Nigerians as a leader. But both the military and civilian, all have one thing in common. They see themselves as the messiah of sorts and yet none has set the foundation for our greatness as a Nation not to talk of one that will convey us to the ‘Promised Land’. Unfortunately for us as a Nation, most of these so-called leaders engage in self-deception-hiding the truth from even themselves. In the process, they embrace illusions and ignore reality. By doing this, they deny evidence, logic, or reality and even rationalize choices or behaviours to serve a false narrative. That is why we continue to move in circles in Nigeria. Penultimate week, President Bola Tinubu was quoted...

Dangote Vs Rabiu: The Business War Of Nigeria’s ‘Robber Barons’ By Alaba Abdulrazak

16Nov

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Dangote Vs Rabiu: The Business War Of Nigeria’s ‘Robber Barons’ By Alaba Abdulrazak

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a group of wealthy and powerful American businessmen emerged, who were referred to as ‘Robber Barons.’ These individuals played a significant role in shaping the United States' economic and industrial growth, but their methods became a subject of debate during that period. The ‘Robber Barons’ of that period were accused of using unethical methods to monopolize industry and exploit workers. Some of the most famous ‘Robber Barons’ were John D. Rockefeller (Standard Oil), Andrew Carnegie (Carnegie Steel), J.P. Morgan (finance), and Cornelius Vanderbilt (shipping and railroads). Other notable individuals identified as ‘Robber Barons’ were William A. Clark (copper), James Dunsmuir (coal, lumber), Marshall Field (retail), William Randolph Hear...

Read Full Text Of Atiku’s Press Conference On Supreme Court’s Verdict

30Oct

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Opinions, Top Stories

Read Full Text Of Atiku’s Press Conference On Supreme Court’s Verdict

Being text of a World Press Conference on the Presidential Election Petition Judgment by Atiku Abubakar, GCON, Waziri Adamawa, former Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 Election, at the PDP Headquarters in Abuja on Monday, 30th October, 2023. Protocol. Gentlemen of the Press. Someone asked me what I would do if I lost my election petition appeal at the Supreme Court. In response, I said that as long as Nigeria wins, the struggle would have been worth the while. By that, I meant that the bigger loss would not be mine but Nigeria’s if the Supreme Court legitimizes illegality, including forgery, identity theft, and perjury. If the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, implies by its judgment that crime is goo...

Full Text Of President Tinubu’s Independence Day Speech

1Oct

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Opinions

Full Text Of President Tinubu’s Independence Day Speech

Dear Compatriots,It is my unique honour to address you on this day, the 63rd anniversary of our nation’s independence, both as the President of our dear country and, simply, as a fellow Nigerian. 2.On this solemn yet hopeful day, let us commend our founding fathers and mothers. Without them, there would be no modern Nigeria. From the fading embers of colonialism, their activism, dedication and leadership gave life to the belief in Nigeria as a sovereign and independent nation. Let us, at this very moment, affirm that, as Nigerians, we are all endowed with the sacred rights and individual gifts that God has bestowed on us as a nation and as human beings. No one is greater or lesser than the other. The triumphs that Nigeria has achieved shall define us.The travails we have endured ...

Ogun LG Funds Allocation: The Facts And Figures As Against Fallacy

9Sep

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Ogun LG Funds Allocation: The Facts And Figures As Against Fallacy

By Funmi Branco LOVERS of democracy and good governance must be troubled by the crisis in Ogun State over local government allocations. When the chairman of Ijebu East Local Government Area, Hon. Wale Adedayo, accused the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, of diverting local government (LG) funds, there were not a few Nigerians who felt outraged because the allegation was such a weighty, damning one, and it is a fact that state governments had often been accused of strangulating local governments in the country. And so, naturally, many commentators hailed Adedayo for drawing attention to what they thought was the haemorrhage going on in Ogun State. However, as they waited for evidence proving the governor’s guilt, they got none. Instead, evidence from all quarters showed that the now...

Tinubu Hails Victory At Tribunal, Wants Obi, Atiku Support

7Sep

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Opinions

Tinubu Hails Victory At Tribunal, Wants Obi, Atiku Support

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Wednesday, assured Nigerians of his renewed and energised focus on delivering his vision of a unified, peaceful and prosperous nation, following the judgment by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja. President Tinubu welcomes the judgment of the tribunal with an intense sense of solemn responsibility and preparedness to serve all Nigerians, irrespective of all diverse political persuasions, faiths, and tribal identities. The president recognises the diligence, undaunted thoroughness, and professionalism of the five-member bench, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani in interpreting the law. The president affirms that his commitment to the rule of law, and the unhindered discharge of duties by the Tribunal, as witnessed in the panel’s exclus...

Chief (Dr) Kolawole Adewoyin: Celebrating An Astute Entrepreneur, A Philanthropist At 63

30Aug

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Opinions

Chief (Dr) Kolawole Adewoyin: Celebrating An Astute Entrepreneur, A Philanthropist At 63

If we're talking about natural born leaders, we are referring to individuals who possess innate qualities that make them effective as leaders. While some people believe that leaders are born with these qualities, others believe that leadership can be developed through hard work, experience and determination. One of the few individuals that God has blessed with both talents is Chief (Dr) Kolawole Adewoyin. Chief Adewoyin born 63 years is no doubt a natural born leader who has also developed himself through hard work, experience and determination. Today, he is one of the most noted of his contemporaries who has built a network of successful businesses in Ibadan, Oyo, Lagos, Abuja and other states in Nigeria. Chief (Dr) Kolawole Adewoyin, who is the new Asiwaju General Ona Mogba of ...

Hadiza Bala Usman Current Issue on Remittances of the Surpluses of the Nigerian Ports Authority Remittances to the Consolidated Federal Revenue Account

10May

By Felix ShammahNo Comments

Opinions

Hadiza Bala Usman Current Issue on Remittances of the Surpluses of the Nigerian Ports Authority Remittances to the Consolidated Federal Revenue Account

By J.D.EPHRAIM. I like the statement in a Facebook account of what has happened to MS Hadiza Bala Usman on the management of her REMITTANCES of the operating surpluses to the Consolidated Federal Revenue Account. That post Saud that Hadiza will be judged by the RECORDS. Yes, " BY THE RECORDS" So, let us not be too emotional, either positively, or negatively, about what has happened to Hadiza and her management of the Ports Authority. I am a Lawyer and I am not guided , or controlled by emotions, but by the law and the facts as revealed. Therefore, my compatriots, I refer you to the query directed to her by the Chief of Staff to the Presidency as a result of the memo to the President by her supervising Minister, Rotimi Amaechi of the Ministry of Transportation. Look at the query s...

6May

By Felix ShammahNo Comments

Opinions

The symbolism of CAMP NEYA

By Sufuyan Ojeifo Last week, a friend sent to me, via WhatsApp, a video on YouTube entitled: “CAMP NEYA: The home of Dr Orji Uzor Kalu,” showing his expansive and palatial residence in his Igbere village in Abia state. My friend must have decided to share the video with me knowing that I enjoy some friendship with the former governor of Abia state (1999 -2007) and current Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate (where he represents the good people of Abia North Senatorial zone). I was not too eager to watch the video simply because I had a rare privilege of visiting the place in 2004 with the former governor while he was in the leadership saddle. I was traveling with him to Abriba en-route Igbere to the country home of Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (retd), who was celebrating his retirement from...

Understanding Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Active Life @ 84

5Mar

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Understanding Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Active Life @ 84

It has become a yearly sacramental that during this season, friends and associates of Nigeria’s former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo converge in the hilly town of Abeokuta, Ogun State, to mark his birthday. On this occasion, Friday, 5th March 2021, the gathering celebrates this most outstanding African and global citizen as he is supposed to turn 84 years, or admittedly, something slightly higher. (more…)