The natural tendency of people is to isolate Jesus Christ as a spiritual phenomenon. However, he lived as a human being within a family and society, and in a polity in which there were rulers, governors, judges, the practice of politics and the exercise of political power. Read More
Why is it that the Church in Nigeria does not appear to be engaged in any significant manner with some of the most important challenges confronting our nation? Most Nigerians will agree that Nigeria has been held down by deep-seated corruption, in government and the private sector; the will of the majority is being subverted by an unrepresentative democracy; society is held captive by an unenlightened and rapacious elite; and the vast majority of people are victims of social injustice particularly poverty, oppression, insecurity and abusive use of power. Read More
This week’s article is the only new one of my 5-part serial of spiritual recollections. All the others in the series were written a decade or so ago and I will conclude these particular recollections next week with another piece from the past. Read More
Last Christmas, I wrote Part 1 of this article. I had reason to suspect that I would one day write the second part, but was not quite sure when. In that first part, I recounted the origins of the church after the resurrection and ascension of Christ, and the intense persecution and suffering that the faithful endured. Read More
In the early days after the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, the immediate lot of the Christians was persecution-intense persecution. Stephen and James were executed. At the height of Nero’s persecution, Peter was killed. Apostle Paul who had himself been a persecutor-in-chief of the Church before his conversion was imprisoned, beaten and eventually church historians record that he was executed between AD65-68. Read More
Yesterday I discussed four country case studies on economic reforms on social media—Singapore, India, China, and Britain under various leaders—Lee Kwan Yew in Singapore, multiple Indian leaders including Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Narasimha Rao, Deng Xiaoping of China, and Britain’s Margaret Thatcher. The broad theme of my exposition was to suggest based on the evidence that the road to successful economic reforms may be long and often painful and to call for leadership dedication and popular endurance as we sustain the journey. Read More
Let me make some comments on economic reforms. I teach a business environment course that focuses on the economic, political, and social environment of business. These days, we also include legal/regulatory, technology, and global environments.
On Thursday August 8, 2024, I discussed four country case studies on economic reforms on social media-Singapore, India, China and Britain under various leaders-Lee Kwan Yew in Singapore, multiple Indian leaders including Indira and Rajiv Ghandi, Manmohan Singh and Narasimha Rao, Deng Xiaoping of China, and Britain’s Margaret Thatcher. Read More
I start this review of Nigerian economy and policy at this critical time by highlighting the difference between strategy and tactics. Strategy encompasses a long-term, comprehensive, “strategic” aspiration or direction for the firm or nation, and decisions and actions directed thereat while tactics are short-term, isolated actions taken as components of the “strategy”. While strategy, right strategy is critical, tactics matter, especially in relation to implementation-a viable strategy may be enhanced or subverted by poor tactics! My hypothesis is that while the evident strategic aspiration of current policy towards a market-driven economic policy is desirable or even compelling, some tactical implementation approaches may be questionable or at least debatable.
Opening Thoughts
His Excellency Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN former Governor of Lagos State from 2007-2015 and Federal Minister of Works, Housing (and for four years, Power) from 2015-2023 has written a very insightful book. The theme of the book, titled “NIGERIAN PUBLIC DISCOURSE: THE INTERPLAY OF EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE AND HYPERBOLE” is to draw attention to the penchant for many Nigerians in public conversations to speak without empirical evidence (data) and consequently to engage in hyperbolic claims, i.e., grand exaggerations, often misleading the public.
