President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is scheduled to travel from Abuja to Makkah, Saudi Arabia, to perform Umrah, an Islamic pilgrimage, as part of a spiritual exercise focused on Nigeria’s peace, unity and national development. The Presidency announced the planned trip on Wednesday, October 28, stating that the President would use the religious visit to pray…
Artificial intelligence is advancing at extraordinary speed, but society must confront an uncomfortable truth: technological progress does not automatically translate into human progress. We are living in an age where machines can write, analyse, create images, imitate voices and perform tasks once considered exclusively human. Artificial intelligence is transforming industries, reshaping economies and challenging our…
Every June 12, Nigeria marks the anniversary of its return to civilian democratic government in 1999, the occasion represents an important national achievement: the end of the latest period of prolonged military rule and the restoration of an elected civilian administration. Yet anniversaries should not become opportunities for celebration without reflection. They should also provide…
Some historical events alter not only the lives of those directly affected but also the policies, fears and political priorities of countries thousands of kilometres away. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, did precisely that. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in the United States and reshaped international security policy, military strategy, airport screening,…
Economic crises are frequently discussed through statistics: falling markets, declining production, rising unemployment, shrinking national income and increasing government debt. Yet behind every economic indicator are human beings whose lives can be transformed by decisions they had little power to influence. The Great Depression, which began in 1929 and continued through much of the 1930s,…
Students are often described as the leaders of tomorrow. Yet history repeatedly demonstrates that young people can also be among the most important voices challenging injustice today. The Soweto uprising of June 16, 1976, remains a powerful example of students confronting a government policy they regarded as discriminatory and oppressive, the protests began in Soweto,…
When African countries began gaining independence in the mid-twentieth century, the moment carried enormous expectations. Political freedom promised the opportunity to determine national priorities, build institutions, expand education and use domestic resources for the benefit of citizens. Yet decades after the end of formal colonial rule, many African countries continue to struggle with poverty, unemployment,…
A country may change its constitution, elect a new government and officially abandon a system of oppression without immediately eliminating the inequalities that system created. South Africa’s history provides a powerful reminder that political freedom is a necessary beginning, not the final destination of justice. For decades, apartheid institutionalised racial segregation and discrimination in South…
Genocide does not begin only when people are killed. Long before mass violence reaches its most horrific stage, societies may experience the spread of dehumanising language, organised propaganda, political manipulation and the gradual normalisation of hatred. The 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda remains one of the clearest and most painful demonstrations of this…
On November 9, 1989, an event unfolded in Europe that became one of the most recognisable symbols of political change in modern history. The Berlin Wall, which had divided East and West Berlin for nearly three decades, was opened, allowing people to cross a barrier that had separated families, restricted movement and symbolised the division…