Dr. Adetolu Ademujimi

  Happy workers’ day to Nigerians who work hard and even smart, but unfortunately earn less than political office workers who receive rewards in exaggerated proportions. The fact that I’ll soon be a member of the country’s political class wouldn’t deter the sincerity of my thoughts expressed in this and many more writings. So, I pen this article with the consciousness that the question is also directed at me. Now that it appears the political terrain in Nigeria is a very fertile ground that is astronomically more rewarding of the ‘hard work’ of politicians than the diligence of millions of non-political professionals & entrepreneurs, a pandemic arising from such detrimental political reward culture is apparently about to consume the rest of us. The crux of this commentary, therefore, is to interrogate this destructive trend of exorbitant privileges along our political corridor that has become more addictive than pornography. This patriotic piece of writing attempts to speak t...

  It wasn’t an  April fool  report in the second week of March, 2023, that Ogun State police command arrested five suspected “ritualists who had been exhuming corpses from their graves and removing parts of their bodies for ritual purposes”. Be it as rituals or rites, the religious undertone of these barbaric and bizarre beliefs of spewing money from mysterious doings justifies turning the heat on religion in Nigeria, during these dark days, in an urgent effort of “recovering our social architecture”. We need to analyze the theory of long spoons constantly dining with the devil for metaphysical liberation from poverty. Has it ever occurred to Nigerians that there’s no nation of the world without some degree of economic downturn at least at one period of their national lives? Afterall, many African countries have, and continue to experience famine, wars, political instability and so forth with socioeconomic backlash. Yet, how many of their citizens have embraced ritu...

  Section D : Remodeling of Political Culture In conclusion of this momentous question series, the new political culture that Nigeria requires her next democratically elected President to facilitate by starting with his political party on May 29, 2023, is one encapsulated in my article titled “ From Tea Parties To Political Parties: Formatting The Highfliers Of Democratic Regression To Livewires Of Demonstrable Progression”. The piece was published on the 12 th day of June, 2022, in commemoration of Nigeria’s 2022 Democracy Day and the 30 th anniversary of the annulment of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election believed to have been won by the late Chief M.K.O Abiola. If politics is not all about power-grabbing but intended for good governance, and good governance is in turn intended for service, imagine both the ruling and opposition political parties in Nigeria taking up a new culture that entails; 1. Civic volunteering & community service: Without contravening th...

  Section D : Remodeling of Political Culture The inducement of voters (before, during or after primary & general elections; around or outside voting venues) is a criminal political culture that is prevalent in Nigeria and requires more than lip service to tackle. Save for the shabby planning and implementation of the currency redesign by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and its consequent needless hardship on majority of Nigerians, its intention to stifle the ability of corrupt politicians & political parties to procure votes with already-stashed naira notes is welcome. Nonetheless, it is important to stress that not all monies expended during elections are for electoral malpractices as INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) officials and party agents legitimately require logistic support, via funds, for smooth conduct of elections. However, the morally decadent and generally destructive behaviour of voters-enticement at primary elections as well as at the...

  Section D : Remodeling of Political Culture The siren-blaring cars conveying several political office holders has become a largely oppressive act in Nigeria. Ask a regular politician something he/she finds most ‘inspiring’ about political power and you’ll be amazed that one honest response includes being driven around with sirens and security men; a culture that massages their egos, confers the feeling of being above the law and satisfies their urge for conquering their ‘subjects’. Why should citizens over whom you rule feel terrorized by you? Naked display of absolute power, even in a democracy! In the full glare of their principals, most convoy drivers and the security personnel attached to Governors, Deputy Governors, Ministers, Senators, House of Representative members etc. have caused other road-users untold hardship such as unwarranted road traffic accidents, sustained panic & trepidations, intentional damage to fellow road-users’ vehicles, infliction of bodily i...

  Today’s text is in honour of two distinguished Nigerian bureaucrats of Ondo State origin: Pastor Niran Adeyemo, mni, Head of Service (HoS) of Ondo State, who gloriously retires from service on the 2 nd day of August, 2022 after a remarkable tenure; and Mr. Dare Aragbaye, his immediate predecessor, who as at today is the Special Adviser to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Labour Unions Matters & Special Duties.   Mr. Aragbaye commendably initiated the Ondo Service Improvement Programme (ODSIP) while he was HoS and Pastor Adeyemo laudably perpetuated this public service reform agenda during his tenure all in a bid to stimulate in every civil servant of the State, a burning desire to live up to ODSIP’s mantra - “ to give my best to better the society .” Profusely, I thank my teachers at Kings College, Lagos, who taught me, among other things, never to leave the various little things undone while in pursuit of the very large stuffs. While canvassing for a reform of our g...

  It’s time to ‘think aloud’ against Nigeria’s pervading insecurity that has nearly collapsed our social architecture. Check it - our children can no longer just socialize with other children in the neighbour’s house without parental anxiety over their safety. To even have them ride their bicycles within your well-fenced and gated compound makes you pray, fast, pant and keep vigil an extra minute. It feels like the next person is until proven otherwise, either the kidnappers’ informant or the unknown captor. Sadly, armed robbers, ritual killers, bandits, insurgents and other clusters of non-State actors appear to have the leeway and ‘master key’ to lock or unlock, truncate or elongate, and wage or cage at will, our public peace & security under the watch of security agencies. Here’s an urgent brainstorming effort at security restoration and the implied “recovery of our social architecture”. Of course, to fight insecurity, please tell the 2023 Presidential candidates in Nigeri...