OWOLOWO

Our Nothingness! A Summation of Our Collective Insignificance    All praise and glorification is due to Allah: The Lord of all the known and unknown worlds. The Creator of everything that exists, but was not created. The Beginning, without a beginning, and the ending, without an end. The essence of our being, and the Being of our essence. The One. The Absolute. The Initiator.  We are currently living in unprecedented times; the world has been shook by the “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus” (SARS-CoV-2) or Covid-19. As the pandemic unfolded, I remembered the joke about the atheist insisting on seeing God as a condition for accepting God’s existence, but running scared from what can't be seen. Evidently, the “seeing is believing” mantra is not always applicable, especially in this unprecedented scenario!   In actuality, though the coronavirus can't be seen with normal human vision, there are some specialized equipments that can be utilised...

US Protests and the House Negro Syndrome Since the George Floyd protests started, opposition has come from a particular demographic – outright racists and non- racists who are in denial about their role. However, a particular group of individuals caught my attention – ‘blacks’ that are countering the efforts of anti-racists who come from various backgrounds. White supremacist ideologies must never be condoned in any way, shape or form. Those at the receiving end will never see anything good or beneficial in protests. To the beneficiaries of social inequalities, protests portend a change in status quo. Protests by their very essence are spontaneous, and could take many forms – riots to revolutions. For example, the French Revolution would not have been encouraged by the ruling elite, but it was a catalyst that led to societal change. In analysing intricacies associated with the protests, Malcolm X's ‘House Negro’ terminology comes to mind, with particular emphasis ...

June 12: 20 Years of Democracy     Over the years I have celebrated June 12, and to commemorate the event I usually wrote articles. Some of those articles include:  “June 12: Hope and The ‘Dividends’ of Democracy”, “June 12: Sacrifices, Unity & Politics of Division and “June 12: Blood Democracy & Spirit of Reconciliation”. This year I am in a celebrative and reflective mood, and this will probably be my last commemorative June 12 article. When President Muhammadu Buhari made the June 12 pronouncement in 2018, his critics wrongly assumed it was primarily about his 2019 re-election bid, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The President has since won his re-election and could have reneged on his promise if the pronouncement was solely about electioneering. However, being a man of his word, President Buhari marked June 12 in grand style. The President graciously postponed his inaugural speech and associative events from May 29   to June 12, 2019;...

  PDP and Alan Greenspan - No Thank You!    By M.B.O Owolowo I saw a picture of Alan Greenspan with PDP's “commonsense” Senator and a notorious prevaricator famed for fake news "Wendell Simlin” and it underpinned why PDP must not be given the privilege of running Nigeria’s economy again.  If after 16 years of mismanaging Nigeria, Alan Greenspan is PDP's epiphanic solution, then Nigerians are better off weathering the economic storm ingeniously.  There are so many brilliant Nigerian and African minds – neocolonialism free – across the globe, to engage for solutions to Nigeria's challenges. I am convinced these brilliant minds would do a far better job than a 92 year old man who has been widely blamed as a major architect of one the worst financial crisis in world history - the 2008 global financial crisis.  Personally, the global financial crisis affected my business and investments, though it affected other people in more devastating ways. There w...

President Muhammadu Buhari’s Timely Homily   President Muhammadu Buhari’s piece titled “ Don’t Politicise Religion in Nigeria” published by Church Times can be viewed as a timely homily that is very crucial to our existence as a nation. The citation of a biblical apophthegm in Amos 3:3 should resonate with all peace-loving people genuinely interested in peaceful coexistence. Though, religion has already been politicised, Nigeria can still manage the manifestations of religious politicisation. In the article, President Buhari stated, “Along with the millions of Christians in Nigeria today, I believe in peace, tolerance, and reconciliation” . He further mentions his belief in “compassion” . Having analysed Nigeria from a socio-religious viewpoint for decades, religiosity without compassion is very much prevalent. The lack of compassion towards others, especially those of other faiths, including the faithless, is becoming more widespread, and the pulpit is partly to blame f...

Kemi Adeosun: Inherent Systemic Challenges  Since the news surrounding Kemi Adeosun's NYSC discharge certificate broke, I decided to reserve my comments until hearing from the horse's mouth. It’s wiser to hear all sides before excoriating. In her own words, Kemi Adeosun stated: "Upon enquiry as to my status relating to NYSC, I was informed that due to my residency history and having exceeded the age of thirty (30), I was exempted from the requirement to serve. Until recent events, that remained my understanding.  On the basis of that advice and with the guidance and assistance of those I thought were trusted associates, NYSC were approached for documentary proof of status. I then received the certificate in question.  Having never worked in NYSC, visited the premises, been privy to nor familiar with their operations, I had no reason to suspect that the certificate was anything but genuine." Understandably, her prolonged reticence may have irked some ...