Nov 20Is democracy right for Africa?Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria’s former president, is reported to have said that Western liberal democracy is unsuitable for Africa. Given the last 30 years, he probably has a point. But the truth is that even the traditional authoritarian governments have largely failed in Africa, so we should not be bogged down…Africa2 min readAfrica2 min read
Sep 19Quick one on cheap propagandaTo all Nigerians, what the Tinubu campaign is trying to do is to create a siege mentality first among his supporters, and then among his ethnic fellow Yoruba people. — Source The following message has been making the rounds:Nigeria3 min readNigeria3 min read
Sep 13Bringing the house downA few days ago, I posted on social media about foundations and what to do when you have a faulty foundation in a building. There were quite a few reactions to it, and sadly, too many of these people interpreted it as me talking of something as daft as…Nigeria7 min readNigeria7 min read
Sep 6The new job numbers, Dr Kale’s reaction to them, an NBS official’s reaction to Kale, and what it says about public service in NigeriaThe National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of Nigeria underwent a revision of its unemployment rate calculation methodology in 2023. The new approach aligns with the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) guidelines, recognised as the international standard for unemployment measurement. This substantially decreased the reported unemployment rate, dropping from 33% in Q4…Nigeria4 min readNigeria4 min read
Aug 22It follows you aroundI just came across this on Twitter. Not much to say, really, because what can I say? Deno Okenulowa came from a country where, if he owed some random geezer, then the police could be brought in, take him to jail, and give the key to another random geezer…Nigeria1 min readNigeria1 min read
Aug 18GSK leaves Nigeria. What does this mean?Renowned for products such as Panadol, Lucozade, Ribena, Macleans and Sensodyne that a lot of Nigerians have grown fond of, the British pharmaceutical giant — GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) has called off its operations in Nigeria after about 52 years. The GSK UK Group has halted commercialising its prescription medicines and…Nigeria5 min readNigeria5 min read
Jul 13Wasting a crisis?My latest piece for Financial Nigeria is here. It’s about President Tinubu’s removal of the petrol subsidy and devaluation of the naira, which I support and indeed advocated for before they happened. I also believe both events would have happened regardless of whether Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, or Peter Obi…Fuel Subsidy1 min readFuel Subsidy1 min read
Jul 6Beyond aid, Europe and AfricaA few days ago, I gave a talk in at the ESMT in Berlin on behalf of United Europe. My topic was “Economic prosperity beyond aid and funding from the EU: What is the African deal?” My article is reproduced in full below… When the video is ready, I’ll link…Europe9 min readEurope9 min read
May 25Nigeria’s new government has a lot to doAfrica’s largest economy, Nigeria, held an election in February that will usher in new leadership. Bola Ahmed Tinubu was named president-elect, but the election results have been marred by controversy. The opposition is currently challenging the results at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, alleging that the Independent National Electoral Commission…Nigeria6 min readNigeria6 min read
May 23Speaking of leaving places: my flight out of Nigeria only had 276 people on it. The plane can take over 400 people. Maybe it was the day of the week. Maybe it is to do with how incredibly expensive flying in and out of Nigeria now is.The Word On The Streets XXXV: The 10% Less Edition356Feyi FawehinmiSome airlines have reduced the frequency of their flights, and even those reduced flights still…Some airlines have reduced the frequency of their flights, and even those reduced flights still aren't full.1 min read1 min read
