Medical Miracle and a New Life for Matthew
November 2012
At seven years old, one cannot say life has been kind to Matthew Ndik. He is a sickle cell carrier, but what made his case pathetic, is the fact that he was struck by a life-threatening stroke at that young age. His parents had given up hope believing he would not live long. Yet, a miracle came their way. Today, the young boy has been given a new life. Thanks to a group of medical personnel at UBTH. He no longer has sickle cell and he is on the way to full recovery. Mathew was born a sickle cell anaemia child. The disease, which is chronic and life-long, had caused two of his elder siblings’ deaths. Individuals who suffer this are most often well, but t…..Read More
DANA: 'Let reporters put themselves in the shoes of those grieving'
June 2012
Six and half years after a major air disaster occured in Nigeria, the nation witnessed another on Sunday, June 3, when a passenger airplane crashed few minutes away from the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. All 153 people onboard lost their lives. The McDonnel Douglas (MD) 83 aircraft operated by Dana Airlines had been travelling from the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja when it crashed shortly before landing. The aircraft plunged into residential buildings at Olaniyi Street, Iju, a suburb of Lagos, killing an undetermined number on the ground. Investigations are currently underway to determine what caused the crash…..Read More
The Press and the Boko Haram threat
May 2012
In the years of terror when Charles Taylor, the butcher of Sierra Leone and Liberia, shot his way into the high office of Liberian presidency, some of the scalps that Taylor claimed as spoils of war belonged to two Nigerian journalists—Krees Imodibe of the Guardian and Tayo Awotunsin of the Champion. Both men had gone to Liberia to report for their newspapers the carnage that was spreading through Liberia and Sierra Leone and the danger it posed to the West African region in the early 90s…..Read More
A Reporter's Day of Glory
April 2012
It was an unusual book launch for an equally unusual book. Even by Nigerian standards, the March 22nd turnout was impressive; the high table, overflowing with guests. On the front row were 33 guests featuring two former Heads of State, representative of the serving president, two serving governors, four past governors, and captains of industry, media chieftains, and leading politicians. A second row was occupied by another 17 Nigerians, including retired senior military officers, businessmen, and media executives. The 1500-large audience from different walks of life, seated classroom-style joyfully followed the proceedings in Muson Centre’s Shell Hall….…..Read More
People, Media and Protest
January 2012
A referendum
It started as a protest against the New Year’s Day 116% rise in the price of petrol from N65 per litre to N141. But by the second day it had become clear that the resistance was more about poor governance in Nigeria and “a referendum on the federal government”. Streams of people had heeded the call by organised labour and civil society groups to come out January 9 to protest what was termed “government’s insensitivity”. For the public it was an opportunity to assert their sovereignty and convey their angst against Nigeria’s stilted democracy.…..Read More