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Showing posts from July, 2024

(175): On the Dynamics of Protests in Nigeria

By Muhsin Ibrahim Decades after gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria remains a complex country in every sense. It is a nation of abundance and poverty, exceptional brilliance and widespread illiteracy, and much more. With a population of over 220 million people of diverse characteristics and backgrounds, Nigerians are found across the globe. Nigeria has the good, the bad and the ugly. Wole Soyinka, the first African Nobel laureate, recently celebrated his 90th birthday. Aliko Dangote, also from Nigeria, has been the wealthiest black man for over a decade. However, Nigeria is also known for having some of the most wanted fraudsters on the FBI list. The country also overtook India as the so-called capital poverty of the world, with 71 million people living in extreme poverty today. Like many countries with petrodollar economies, Nigeria has had to contend with a plethora of socio-political crises occasioned by long years of corruption, social neglect, prebendal politics, political exclu

(174): Messi and Ronaldo: Success and patriotism in the world of football

By Muhsin Ibrahim Messi and Ronaldo need no introduction. The stories of their long-lasting, exceptionally record-breaking careers are ubiquitous. What do you think they share in common? Many things. But their thirst for success and patriotism stand out.   As it's said, Messi has "completed" football. While Ronaldo hasn't won the World Cup, he has won several other trophies, including the Euros. Yet, both wept over the same trophies they had won in the past few days. Would a Nigerian player do the same?   Super Eagles player Victor Osimhen and former coach Finidi George recently had a disagreement. The  player  expressed his frustration on social media, speaking about the  coach  as if they were on the same level. This kind of public disagreement is rare in the world of professional sports.  Despite their  remarkable success in their respecti ve  clubs, Messi and Ronaldo have never had any public disputes  with their national team managers.   Looking beyond their foot