COLUMNS

Mob Murders and Why the North Must Heal Itself

Daily Dispatch June 30, 2026

By Zainab Suleiman Okino The barbaric lynching to death of a young female teacher, Islamic preacher, and mother of four, Ummulkhair Usman Aliyu, in Kaduna penultimate week, over allegations of child kidnapping should jolt the North to action, wake it from its slumber, and set the internet on

COLUMNS

The Missing Numbers in Education Metrics

Daily Dispatch May 19, 2026

By Zainab Suleiman Okino  At the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) policy meeting last week, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa said Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education are admitting thousands of students without checking whether they have anywhere to sleep. He gave an example of a polytechnic with a population of over […]

COLUMNS

Agitations for Reparation a Dying Cause?

Daily Dispatch April 8, 2026

By Zainab Suleiman Okino The recent UN resolution that recognised the trans-Atlantic slave trade as the “gravest crime against humanity” did not reverberate across the world as it should have, not even among Africans in the diaspora or those back home. I had expected the resolution to be amplified far and wide for the world […]

COLUMNS

Opposition’s Final Capitulation

Daily Dispatch March 17, 2026

By Zainab Suleiman Okino In the August 28, 2024 edition of my column, titled PDP on Self-Destructive Path?, I touched on the dangers of a lacklustre opposition and how the then PDP might be heading towards self-immolation if the party continued on the same trajectory that led to its defeat in 2015. That certainty of […]

COLUMNS

Ransom payment to terrorists: The lies, deception and politics 

Daily Dispatch March 4, 2026

BY ZAINAB SULEIMAN OKINO As it stands today, almost every Nigerian knows or has some information about how the payment of ransom and the release of victims are negotiated, ever since abduction became part of our daily lives. The process typically involves secrecy, anxious moments, uncertainties, non-involvement of law enforcement, and a discreet payment system […]

COLUMNS

Tinubu and the US-Nigeria Health Cooperation of Controversy

Daily Dispatch January 13, 2026

By Zainab Suleiman Okino Perhaps, as part of efforts towards rapprochement and strengthening US-Nigeria relations after weeks of diplomatic row, a new health deal between the two countries was sealed and made public on 21 December 2025. However, there are concerns over the content and spirit of the pact, which many have described as biased […]