Tag: Prof Sunny Ahwefeada

Atare Otite, Were You A Brief Candle?

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By Sunny Awhefeada The sudden death of Professor Atare Otite on Saturday 2nd August 2024 was shocking to all who knew him. A professor of political science, he was ebullient till the last moment and gave no inkling that he was about to breast the tape of life. He drove himself for a distance of about one hundred kilometers, made some stopovers and those who saw him said that he was his usual energetic self. He spoke with some persons, scheduling appointments for the weekend and cancelling others as he…

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Is Nigeria Worth Calling A Country?

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By Sunny Awhefeada,   The harsh and disparaging title of this essay was uttered by a sixteen year-old girl, fresh out of secondary school. It was her response to her mother’s correction on a family whatsapp platform that the name of a country should be spelt with an initial capital letter. After thanking her mother for the correction, the lass fired the salvo, “Is Nigeria worth calling a country?” The worried mother then realized that the daughter’s scripting of Nigeria as “nigeria” was a deliberate act of negation and revolt…

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Economy: An Oil Producing Country Without Fuel

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By Sunny Ahwefeada,    The ongoing energy crisis manifesting as scarcity of petroleum products has for the umpteenth time portrayed Nigeria for what it truly is, a failed nation. Our failure is monumental and tragically so. A friend drew the analogy between Nigeria and a household that grows cassava, but lacks garri and the children from that home go plate in hand starving and begging whereas their parents’ farms hold thousands of cassava stems with robust tubers ensconced in the womb of the earth. Nigeria prides herself as a leading…

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My Dear Teacher, Ademola Dasylva, @ 70

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By Sunny Awhefeada   It was with mixed feelings that I received the news of Professor Ademola Omobewaji Dasylva turning seventy and retiring from active university service. Mixed feelings because I rejoice with him on his attainment of this landmark age in good health, but at the same time I look back and see how time flies and undo a lot of things. Looking back, it appears as if it was just yesterday that the then Dr. Ademola Dasylva taught my postgraduate class in the Department of English at the…

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Analysis & Opinion: Omotetobore and Our Vanishing Names

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By Sunny Awhefeada,   Growing up, whether it was in Kaduna, Ibadan, Evwreni or Ughelli, we were given indigenous names that reflected significance and wisdom. Some of our names were influenced by happenings and cultural nuances. A mere mention of such names evoked memories, good or bad, of such happenings. The generations before mine had even more profound and significant names than ours. Parents, grandparents or whoever it was that gave names did so after reflections before settling for what was considered apt. Names were not just given. Names were…

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News Feature: A Distressing Visit To The Past

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By Sunny Awhefeada   AN abiding relationship exists between our past and present. The farther we move away from our past through ageing, time or travel, the fonder we are of it. Our past ensures our rootedness and provides a compass for navigating a world that has become so complex that one is daily baffled and astounded with happenings. Our past remains with us, individually or collectively. Our past is not just enshrined in our memory, but it is lying in wait and active whenever we summon it as a…

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Economy: Why Nigeria is in Debt

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By Sunny Awhefeada       I must begin with a confession that I am not an economist! My dabbling into a topic with its moorings in economics is the consequence of provocation by those who rule, run and ruin Nigeria. The ruling class too often feels that the rest of us do not think and are therefore bound to swallow opinions hook line and sinker without asking questions. This tendency to undermine the people is also traceable to our docility and inability to follow through clamours for accountability and…

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News Feature: Crude Oil Theft And The Ogo Onovworo Syndrome

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By Sunny Awhefeada   The Urhobo people, like other peoples of Africa and Nigeria, have a rich repertoire of expressions manifesting as proverbs, aphorisms, idioms and variegated figures of speech. The linguistic virtuosity of Africans attests to their high innovative, imaginative and creative aptitude. The African genius asserts itself in a number of ways and the verbal arts remain a forte for the manifestation of the validity of a rich cultural ethos that is not inferior to any other culture. The remarkable achievements of Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, J. P.…

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Education: With ASUU For Nigeria

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By Sunny Awhefeada The lad clad in a neat sky blue school uniform could not have been more than eleven years of age. But his conviction, innocent as it was, rang true and it was enough to tug at the heart of a Hitler, Mussolini. Idi-Amin or Abacha. Together with his school mates, this unknown school boy, yes the cognomen unknown is the buzz word in today’s Nigeria, joined other people of goodwill to protest against the Federal Government’s insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians in the provocatively shoddy manner…

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Education: Delegate Tea Vs. ASUU Tea

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By Sunny Awhefeada   Our country has, before our very eyes, snowballed into something close to an irredeemable tragi- comedy. We are daily confronted with oddities which leave us astounded. Meaninglessness and chaos of tragic proportions have become our lot as we wallow in pity and looming danger. We have become so inured to pain, fear and ill-omen that we can now poke our fingers into fire not minding whether we will get burnt.   We seemed programmed for doom. Ours has become a country where illogically trounces logic and…

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