Browsing: Reuben Abati

I consider Dr. Abati’s article an expression of his dislike for modern pop culture. He has form in this regard. In a scathing 2009 article, he dismissed modern Nigerian music as meaningless and devoid of morality, saying the country’s musical output, based on its perceived hollowness, will not be remembered in years to come. I suspect that Malawians, Ugandans, Kenyans, Tanzanians and citizens of other African countries, where Nigerian music is currently the rage, will disagree

There is nothing in this life that cannot be fixed and there lies the futility of suicide

The job of a Presidential spokesman is definitely the second most difficult job in the Presidency. We were told for 50 days that President Buhari was hale and hearty, but he came back and said: “I have never been so sick!”

While Buhari was away, Osinbajo did, wittingly or unwittingly, and how serious that was became obvious when a Buhari aide had to inform Nigerians that there is a single Presidency and that Osinbajo, as Acting President, took instructions from his boss in London. It was a sorry moment, with the President’s men trying to pull back the Acting President’s men, and struggling so hard to preserve the President’s image and hold on to power

No writer should be placed under pressure to explain his own message. Language is invariably embodied, iconic, symbolic, semiotic and hence open to interpretations relative to levels of perception

In a country where retired Generals take new wives and disappear into the sunset, and few persons are interested in reading and research, it is refreshing to see the likes of General Gusau investing in human capital development with their resources

The chosen seven countries that have been shut out have not in any way been responsible for most of the acts of terror in the US in recent times. Trump leaves out Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and other Muslim-majority countries, but the kind of chaos that has been generated makes every Muslim going to the United States vulnerable

A female member of our entourage who had gone to the restaurant alone, later returned – visibly shaken and alarmed and what was her problem: one of the male ushers in the hotel had asked her if she would need a man to keep her company so she could have a real taste of Gambian hospitality

This process becomes even more intriguing when the children begin to treat you like you are “old school”, a social dinosaur, and you no longer seem to understand the latest fashion or music, and worse, those pretty young ladies who look tempting begin to put a tag on you: Uncle Philip! Or they may even call you Da-dd-y!

Let no one forget this: Abuja is a strategic city. Those who travel there do so with a purpose

If you like, summon the Holy Ghost. We have never had a Christmas like this one. On Christmas eve in Lagos, come and see people just going about, many of them aimlessly. The kind of shopping that heralds Christmas was absent. For the first time, I could see the real colour of sadness, frustration and regret on the people’s faces

The incumbent Governor in Ondo State also did as much if not more to manage the politics of succession in the just concluded Governorship election in that state. He anointed the candidate of his party, followed him everywhere, and “fought” for him, even in the courts and on the streets of Akure. The election was more about Dr Olusegun Mimiko and what he wanted. The situation was not helped by the fact that Mimiko’s choice, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN hails from the same Senatorial district with him, but by far the biggest problem was the division within the PDP, which produced two candidates on the same platform for the same election, with the courts having to decide mid-way and at the late hour, with a superior court overruling the lower court. This confusion created a scenario whereby Jimoh Ibrahim emerged for a while as the party’s candidate, only to be dismissed through a court order two days to the election

He was hated and loved in almost equal measure, praised by those who admired him, and denounced by those who objected to his politics and style. This much was illustrated as the news of his death spread: while Cubans in Havana and across the country mourned the death of the El Commandante, the father of modern Cuba, and perhaps the last of the iconic revolutionary figures of the 20th Century, 145 kilometres away to the North, in Miami, Florida, many Cubans in diaspora celebrated the death of the man they consider a tyrant who drove them away from their homeland

The triumph of the APC in the 2015 elections resulting in victory at the Presidential level, in 23 states out of 36, and also in the legislature, state and federal, was propelled on the wings of the people’s embrace of this slogan of change

It is left to the Nigerian government not to behave as if these statements do not matter

Uwujaren told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja that the former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan was released to a surety without further conditions

The anti-graft agency said on its Twitter handle on Tuesday: “Former Special Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, on Monday, honoured an invitation by the EFCC at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja

Readers and fans feel betrayed. The defender of the people’s interest is accused of “joining them” to go and “eat”. This is the dilemma of every Nigerian journalist who has taken up the job of spokesperson in whatever governmental capacity

He said he was proceeding right-away to buy a dog and name it Reuben Abati and that he would bring that dog to my neighbourhood, with the name inscribed on both sides of the dog and he would in my presence call out the dog: “Reuben Abati, come and eat, Reuben Abati, stop shouting, Reuben, stop being stupid, Reuben, you this idiotic dog!” and he’d like to see my reaction

The police are not investigating this threat, but they seem so excited about dealing with the poor trader called Joe, for having the effrontery to name his dog, Buhari