"The Offside Musings Podcast" Okey Ndibe with Emeka Onyeagwa

"In the end, the whole jamboree strikes me as less about Nigeria than about the participants’ personal interests. Obasanjo patented the code that each of his successors has used to undermine Nigeria. Haunted, perhaps, by that dubious legacy, he has missed no opportunity to position himself as a solicitor for Nigeria’s development – a fervent advocate of positive change." Follow us on Substack @off...

"It took him four months and counting to find an opening in his calendar to see the beset relatives of abductees. In countries that take their citizens seriously, where the meaning of leadership is understood, leaders act with alacrity." Follow us on Substack @offisidemusings@substack.com. For the article accompanying this episode Listen to episodes of "The Offside Musings Podcast" here. Subscribe...

"The signs are certainly troubling. Nigeria, I’m afraid, currently exhibits disquieting morbid symptoms." Follow us on Substack @offisidemusings@substack.com. For the article accompanying this episode Listen to episodes of "The Offside Musings Podcast" here. Subscribe to The Offside Musings Podcast’s Youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLHMewgDizgRMm9aRscGugw/featured Follow Th...

"Last week, President Muhammadu Buhari took off on a visit to Liberia. Of course, presidents make foreign trips all the time. Yet, numerous critics carped about this particular presidential trip." Follow us on Substack @offisidemusings@substack.com. For the article accompanying this episode Listen to episodes of "The Offside Musings Podcast" here. Subscribe to The Offside Musings Podcast’s Youtube...

"For long, Tinubu appeared to fancy himself some iteration – if not an improved version – of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. For good reason, the Yoruba hold Awo as a peerless icon. If they revere the late statesman, it’s because – despite his flaws – he earned every bit of their adoration. He oversaw the modernist transformation of the Western region, a feat he achieved by championing free education and h...

“Of course, like everything Nigeriana, the prison is organized as a hierarchical two-tier structure. If you’re a certified member of the gorging class, then you’re entitled – even in disgrace – to residency in the prison’s plush section. By contrast, if you were a peasant outside prison, you’re guaranteed to remain a peasant inside the jail as well. The wretched of the Nigerian earth are consigned...

"In the field of politics, Nigeria tends to be dominated—if not monopolized—by men who are utterly broken in physical or psychic terms. In fact, it might appear to an observer of our political life that Nigerians go out of their way to recruit or embrace leaders who, in spirit, body or both, are verifiably diminished." Follow us on Substack @ offisidemusings@substack.com. For the article accompany...

Days before the PDP held its primary, the former governor seemed to realize that the contest would be won, not by the soundness of one’s ideas but by primordial considerations and—of course—the size of one’s war chest. He announced that he was quitting the PDP. Then he crossed over to Labor Party, easily securing the ticket of that much less established political organization. The force of his pol...

“In the event that most Nigerians elect to sustain their fraught union, then they must agree on the terms of that coexistence. These terms must define the relationship between the federal and other units. They must also invigorate the various levers of power, especially the judiciary and legislature. In the end, they must spell out the irreducible rights of citizens.” Follow us on Substack @ offis...

"Nigeria has a macabre way of making one’s case for one. In this instance, the argument is that the Nigerian state, as constituted, is irredeemably failed—indeed too failed to contemplate general elections in 2023." Follow us on Substack @ offisidemusings@substack.com. For the article accompanying this episode Listen to episodes of "The Offside Musings Podcast" here. Subscribe to The Offside Musin...

"Being almighty, God could mete out instant punishment on any wrongdoer. Why, then, did some humans—puny, fallible and wretched as they are—feel it’s their place to rush in as capital avengers of all-powerful divinity ?" Follow us on Substack @ offisidemusings@substack.com. For the article accompanying this episode Listen to episodes of "The Offside Musings Podcast" here. Subscribe to The Offside...

Healthy societies do not disdain wealth. No, they realize that wealth has its place in the scheme of things. However, they recognize that values are not reducible to the value of cash. Kids in such societies would not announce a desire to become a millionaire as the acme of their aspirations. Follow us on Substack @ offisidemusings@substack.com. For the article accompanying this episode Listen to...

"The dispute between the government and ASUU is rooted in what and how to pay university teachers. Yet, even if Nigeria were to pour all its cash into education, that won’t revive the comatose sector. It requires far more than money." https://offsidemusings.substack.com/p/is-nigeria-faring-just-fine-on-ignorance The Offside Musings Podcast has been featured in Feedspot Top 35 Nigeria Podcasts: htt...

“Minister of state is another name for a junior minister. In Nigeria, such ministers have little or no influence. They’re filler positions, far more forgettable and dispensable as most of the country’s deputy governors. Why should older men and women, often with terrible records, occupy substantive ministerial posts while youth with vibrant ideas to fuel Nigeria’s transformation are consigned to t...

Let’s never forget that the Nigerian constitution stipulates no role for the first spouse – first lady or first guy. Unfortunately, this absence of constitutional warrant has not curbed ostentatious behavior by many presidential or gubernatorial spouses. They’ve relished being called “Mama” or “Mummy” by obsequious government officials. The Offside Musings Podcast has been featured in Feedspot Top...

Ultimately, the measure of Soludo’s stature as a leader will rest on one question. Does he possess the stamina to stay the course? Is he able to ignore all distractions, focusing on translating his agenda into reality? Or is he unable to keep his eyes on the prize, open to the temptation of taking the much easier road to mediocrity? The Offside Musings Podcast has been featured in Feedspot Top 35...

Wasn’t it just like yesterday that Nigeria’s officialdom, media and others toasted Abba Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, as arguably the country’s finest officer? When the man’s name was mentioned, it was often bracketed with the descriptor “super cop.” He led the elite Intelligence Response Team (IRT) at police headquarters, overseeing high-profile investigations. Indeed, he was credited a...

"Those in or near Nigeria’s centers of power often seem bent on provoking hapless Nigerians with acts of mindlessness. One such outrage came with a recent viral video. In it, members of the Nigeria Governors’ Wives Forum were in Dubai serenading Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, on her 51st birthday. Some might say, what’s wrong with a contingent of Nigerian governors’ wives eating...

In last week's podcast, we discussed why a set of would-be presidential candidates disavow their desire to seek Nigeria’s highest political office in 2023. We mentioned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Governors Bola Tinubu, Orji Uzor Kalu and Rochas Okorocha as exemplars of the species of politicians who should abandon their presidential aspirations. Or face electoral humiliation s...

A bunch of self-aggrandizing politicians are lining up to jostle for Nigeria’s highest office, the presidency. Among them: former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and former Governor Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Rochas Okorocha, and Orji Uzor Kalu. On paper, these men – and several others of their ilk – are formidable candidates, even frontrunners. Yet, on deeper reflection, each of these men’s most notable c...

The Nigerian federal Judiciary's expected decisions on recent elections give us food of thought on the future of Nigeria and Nigerians politically.  Follow us on Substack @ offisidemusings@substack.com. For the article accompanying this episode Listen to episodes of "The Offside Musings Podcast" here. Subscribe to The Offside Musings Podcast’s Youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ch...

The annual report states that the funds released to the National Assembly were reported as expended within the period under review without evidence. Follow us on Substack @ offisidemusings@substack.com. For the article accompanying this episode Listen to episodes of "The Offside Musings Podcast" here. Subscribe to The Offside Musings Podcast’s Youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel...

As the 2023 elections in Nigeria approaches, with a lot of the ageing political guard still in the picture, is there any possibility for revolutionary change and leadership? The type which can a country mismanaged from inception with such a young population needs.  Follow us on Substack @ offisidemusings@substack.com. For the article accompanying this episode  Listen to episodes of "The Offside Mu...

The END SARS movement thoughts what that might bode for the future of Nigeria. Support and follow us on Substack @ offisidemusings@substack.com Listen to episodes of "The Offside Musings Podcast" here. Subscribe to The Offside Musings Podcast’s Youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLHMewgDizgRMm9aRscGugw/featured Follow The Offside Musings Instagram:  https://www.instagram....

An overview of what happened before, during and after the election results was announced? The outcome and possible takeaways.  The 2023 elections are less than 18 months away, we being to look at the possible impact this election may have.  Support and follow us on Substack @ offisidemusings@substack.com   Listen to episodes of "The Offside Musings Podcast" here.  Subscribe to...