A leader like Jacinda Ardern, By Azu Ishiekwene
A leader like Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand doesn’t come in tens. Not even in twos. And so, it was such a bright day on […]
Azu Ishiekwene
Why We Love Expensive Rituals, By Azu Ishiekwene
In over two decades since Nigeria’s return to constitutional democracy, this is the longest politicians have had to campaign before a general election. And […]
What you might expect in 2023, By Azu Ishiekwene
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will be shaken to its foundations, but it will survive. The most problematic question for the party of course […]
Amidst chaos, 13-year-old boy vows to rebuild broken bridge of hope
By Azu Ishiekwene If he could, he might have built a highway to Sharm el-Sheikh where the world’s great and mighty gathered between November 6 […]
A letter to Sam, By Azu Ishiekwene
Dear Chairman, It was about this time eight years ago, wasn’t it? I’m talking of course of when you took what was perhaps the most […]
America, watch your back!
By Azu Ishiekwene Former US President Donald Trump didn’t just happen to the United States. He hit the world like the climax of a horror […]
LEADERSHIP Editor-In-Chief, Azu, Wins Columnist of the Year Award
Senior Vice Chairman/Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP, Mr. Azu Ishiekwene, has won the Columnist of the Year Award in the 30th edition of the Nigeria Media Merit […]
The letter, the spirit, and The Letterman, By Azu Ishiekwene
If there was a prize for Nigeria’s number one letter writer, journalist-turned-lawyer and one-time minister, Tony Momoh, would appear to be the undisputed champion. The […]
In Love, As in Football, Size Does Not Matter. Here’s Why
By Azu Ishiekwene It’s a great time to be a football lover. It might not feel exactly so if your country is not one of […]
Court ruling: Enugu LP awaits Abuja directive, says Chairman
The Enugu State Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Mr Casmir Agbo, has said the chapter is waiting for directives from the party’s Headquarter to conduct fresh gubernatorial primary.
Will Ghanaian President Survive This Storm?
Not so long ago, he was the poster boy of what looked like an African renaissance. Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo didn’t only know what to say, he also knew when and how.
Briturkey, Britaly and fear of Britainistan
Azu Ishiekwene In a widely shared story last week, The Economist likened the political carnage in Britain to the situation in Italy in the 1940s. Italy was […]
A professor’s pay-slip and lessons from ASUU strike, By Azu Ishiekwene
After eight months’ strike, one of the longest in the country’s history, university teachers finally returned, at gunpoint, to the classrooms on Monday.
Pathetic Stories Washed Up by Floods, By Azu Ishiekwene
Back in the day, weather forecasts were a joke. And I mean literally. The weather forecast segment which used to come at the end of […]
Why is Africa playing with fire? By Azu Ishiekwene
There is fire in Ouagadougou. And who’s to say where it’s catching next? For the second time in eight months, the military in Burkina Faso […]
Anatomy of Wike’s endgame, By Azu Ishiekwene
When the row between Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), spilled onto the streets after the party’s presidential […]
Do campaigns have to be bloody to win? By Azu Ishiekwene
If this were a compulsory exam question, a number of politicians would simply answer: it depends. On what? On what is at stake. What the […]
Have the hustlers finally ousted Kenya’s Dynasties? By Azu Ishiekwene
One of the ironies of politics is how easily fiction becomes reality, and reality, precedent. Before our eyes, the president-elect of Kenya, William Ruto, who […]
Politicians and the jeopardy of trial by ordeal, By Azu Ishiekwene
“I’m going to waste my vote,” a friend told me recently. “And don’t argue with me,” he added. “It’s my right to do so.” I […]
On the Podium with Tobi Amusan, By Azu Ishiekwene
When a proud Oluwatobiloba Ayomide Amusan climbed the podium in faraway Eugene, Oregon in the United States, as the World Champion in Women 100m Hurdles, […]
Asking for trouble, By Azu Ishiekwene
After BBC Africa service promoted a story on Friday of an interview with the bandit warlords of Zamfara State, a senior Nigerian journalist, Kadaria Ahmed, […]
Will machines replace journalists, too? By Azu Ishiekwene
The advent of any significant changes in technology has often triggered concerns about the fate of journalism. Even at the infancy of social media, TIME […]
Tinubu, Shettima and the Christian vote
By Azu Ishiekwene If the presidential flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu thought a placeholder would be a lightning […]
Matawalle’s Guns, By Azu Ishiekwene
Nigeria is awash with arms – guns, bullets, charms, drugs and local stuff. Not just Nigeria. The entire Sahelian and sub-Saharan African region is drowning […]
She Can Keep Me, For One Month, By Azu Ishiekwene
Until she asked, I didn’t know it was a problem. Her problem, I mean. When people say whatever gets your time and attention gets you, […]