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Allah says: “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.” [2:183]. Through prayer, fasting, and justice, Nigeria will overcome her challenges. -AA

I have been inundated by reports of the absence of the president and vice president from the country. It is unprecedented that the two leaders will be absent from the country at the same time, especially now that the nation is faced with daunting challenges. The question that readily comes to mind is who is in charge of government at this point, or is it right to assume that we are on autopilot? -AA

To truly celebrate Prof Wole Soyinka, You Must Set Forth at Dawn. And that would be after a Telephone Conversation. The man of Ake, despite all the Trials of Brother Jero, and at a prime age of 90, remains a virile hunter in our Forest of a Thousand Daemons. Neither Death nor the King’s Horseman has stopped The Interpreter from his bountiful Kongi’s Harvest and the Chronicles of his happy life on Earth. Yet, The Man Lives, even in this Season of Anomy. Happy birthday and congratulations, Sir. -AA

The judgment of the Supreme Court earlier today affirming fiscal autonomy to local government councils in the country is a win for the people of Nigeria. The court’s ruling is a step in the right direction and a major corrective action in greasing the wheels of national development across the country. The decision by the Federal Government to consolidate disbursements of local councils’ revenues into the state government accounts was a decision that was borne out of politics of hasty compromise. I align with the decision of the Supreme Court that the structure of the Nigerian government is portioned in three layers, and of these, the local governments should be centres of development. I also share the belief that fiscal autonomy to the local governments should not be limited to revenues from the Federation Accounts, but indeed, should apply to Internally Generated Revenue from the respective local government authorities. Many of our states, especially those in the ultra urban areas with high density economic activities, have become notorious in muscling local councils from generating revenue on items that border on motor parks, outdoor advertising, rents and many more. The verdict of the court is in tandem with the core functions of the Supreme Court as an arbitration court between and among governments. -AA

Recent developments in the country has seen a growing tendency of state governments exerting influence in distorting the modalities of enthroning traditional stools. It is a reality that stares us in the face from every corner of the country. While it is understandable that the institutions of traditional rulership is in the exclusive purview of the state government, although through the local government authorities, it must be established that traditional institutions constitute a component of our governance structure. And thus, traditional institutions must be protected from the arbitrariness of state governments that threaten their stability. When the structure of ascension of traditional rulers is unstable, it will become equally difficult to maintain peace and orderliness in communities. Although our constitution, in its current format, does not ascribe any recognition to traditional institutions, yet our experiences show clearly that they perform enormous roles in the economic life of their domains, as well as maintenance of peace and security in communities. I wish to remind that the traditional institutions formed the governance structures before the advent of the colonialists. And they governed well. Consequently, they are institutions we must protect and preserve and not destroy. It is, therefore, on this basis that I lean towards the advocacy that calls for constitutional reform that will not just recognize traditional institutions in our body of laws but also define the responsibilities of their offices. This reform is even more important in view of the collective drive to stem the ugly tide of terrorism and sundry security challenges at the local levels. In conclusion, I must also appeal to state governors to accord the necessary respect to the offices of traditional institutions. The customs that our traditional rulers represent is the totality of our heritage as a people. -AA

Tinubu’s policy on age limit for tertiary education admission belongs in the Stone Ages. The recent policy of the Federal Ministry of Education pegging age limits for entry to tertiary institutions is an absurdity and a disincentive to scholarship. The policy runs foul of the notion of delineation of responsibilities in a federal system of government such as we are pratising, and gives a graphic impression of how the Tinubu government behaves like a lost sailor on a high sea. Otherwise, how is such anti-scholarship regulation the next logical step in the myriad of issues besetting our educational system? To be clear, the Nigerian constitution puts education in the concurrent list of schedules, in which the sub-national government enjoys more roles above the federal government. Therefore, it is extra-constitutional for the federal government to legislate on education in a manner similar to a decree. The best global standard for such regulation is to allow the sub-national governments to make respective laws or rules on education. It is discouraging that even while announcing this obnoxious policy, the government inadvertently said it had no plan to cater for specially gifted pupils. That statement is an embarrassment to the body of intellectuals in the country because it portrays Nigeria as a country where gifted students are not appreciated. The irony here is that should the federal government play any role in education, it is to set up mechanisms that will identify and grant scholarships to gifted students not minding their ages before applying for admission into tertiary institutions. This controversial policy belongs in the Stone Ages and should be roundly condemned by everyone who believes in intellectual freedom and accessibility. -AA

I have been inundated by reports of the absence of the president and vice president from the country. It is unprecedented that the two leaders will be absent from the country at the same time, especially now that the nation is faced with daunting challenges. The question that readily comes to mind is who is in charge of government at this point, or is it right to assume that we are on autopilot? -AA

Allah says: “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.” [2:183]. Through prayer, fasting, and justice, Nigeria will overcome her challenges. -AA

The judgment of the Supreme Court earlier today affirming fiscal autonomy to local government councils in the country is a win for the people of Nigeria. The court’s ruling is a step in the right direction and a major corrective action in greasing the wheels of national development across the country. The decision by the Federal Government to consolidate disbursements of local councils’ revenues into the state government accounts was a decision that was borne out of politics of hasty compromise. I align with the decision of the Supreme Court that the structure of the Nigerian government is portioned in three layers, and of these, the local governments should be centres of development. I also share the belief that fiscal autonomy to the local governments should not be limited to revenues from the Federation Accounts, but indeed, should apply to Internally Generated Revenue from the respective local government authorities. Many of our states, especially those in the ultra urban areas with high density economic activities, have become notorious in muscling local councils from generating revenue on items that border on motor parks, outdoor advertising, rents and many more. The verdict of the court is in tandem with the core functions of the Supreme Court as an arbitration court between and among governments. -AA

To truly celebrate Prof Wole Soyinka, You Must Set Forth at Dawn. And that would be after a Telephone Conversation. The man of Ake, despite all the Trials of Brother Jero, and at a prime age of 90, remains a virile hunter in our Forest of a Thousand Daemons. Neither Death nor the King’s Horseman has stopped The Interpreter from his bountiful Kongi’s Harvest and the Chronicles of his happy life on Earth. Yet, The Man Lives, even in this Season of Anomy. Happy birthday and congratulations, Sir. -AA

Recent developments in the country has seen a growing tendency of state governments exerting influence in distorting the modalities of enthroning traditional stools. It is a reality that stares us in the face from every corner of the country. While it is understandable that the institutions of traditional rulership is in the exclusive purview of the state government, although through the local government authorities, it must be established that traditional institutions constitute a component of our governance structure. And thus, traditional institutions must be protected from the arbitrariness of state governments that threaten their stability. When the structure of ascension of traditional rulers is unstable, it will become equally difficult to maintain peace and orderliness in communities. Although our constitution, in its current format, does not ascribe any recognition to traditional institutions, yet our experiences show clearly that they perform enormous roles in the economic life of their domains, as well as maintenance of peace and security in communities. I wish to remind that the traditional institutions formed the governance structures before the advent of the colonialists. And they governed well. Consequently, they are institutions we must protect and preserve and not destroy. It is, therefore, on this basis that I lean towards the advocacy that calls for constitutional reform that will not just recognize traditional institutions in our body of laws but also define the responsibilities of their offices. This reform is even more important in view of the collective drive to stem the ugly tide of terrorism and sundry security challenges at the local levels. In conclusion, I must also appeal to state governors to accord the necessary respect to the offices of traditional institutions. The customs that our traditional rulers represent is the totality of our heritage as a people. -AA

Tinubu’s policy on age limit for tertiary education admission belongs in the Stone Ages. The recent policy of the Federal Ministry of Education pegging age limits for entry to tertiary institutions is an absurdity and a disincentive to scholarship. The policy runs foul of the notion of delineation of responsibilities in a federal system of government such as we are pratising, and gives a graphic impression of how the Tinubu government behaves like a lost sailor on a high sea. Otherwise, how is such anti-scholarship regulation the next logical step in the myriad of issues besetting our educational system? To be clear, the Nigerian constitution puts education in the concurrent list of schedules, in which the sub-national government enjoys more roles above the federal government. Therefore, it is extra-constitutional for the federal government to legislate on education in a manner similar to a decree. The best global standard for such regulation is to allow the sub-national governments to make respective laws or rules on education. It is discouraging that even while announcing this obnoxious policy, the government inadvertently said it had no plan to cater for specially gifted pupils. That statement is an embarrassment to the body of intellectuals in the country because it portrays Nigeria as a country where gifted students are not appreciated. The irony here is that should the federal government play any role in education, it is to set up mechanisms that will identify and grant scholarships to gifted students not minding their ages before applying for admission into tertiary institutions. This controversial policy belongs in the Stone Ages and should be roundly condemned by everyone who believes in intellectual freedom and accessibility. -AA