Ruyi's World of Books & Stories

Adeniyi Kunnu I have fervently consumed the remarks as well as the generality of missives bordering on the Yoruba Summit. While I have great respect for the Think Tank from the South West, and I heave a sigh of momentary relief over the decision to now speak definitely on the position of the region concerning Restructuring /Devolution of Power, it is utmost desiderata to examine the pragmatics and theorems of its perceptive failures or successes, particularly its introspections. It amazes me, that 30 years after the demise of the Great Sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the fact that he still remains both rallying and reference points show his outstanding unifying mien, but of course, and on the other hand, the stark failure of a region to produce another, not necessarily after Awolowo's kind, but a result-oriented adaptive persona, colossal enough not to be out weighed by Nigeria's Titanic debacles, but also light enough in kilogrammes to be able to empathize and sympathiz...

There is a certain Nigerian demographic that is being raised by my generation. All of a sudden, the kids of many of my course mates in the University are now undergraduates. My generation is raising Nigerians in the 17 – 25-year-old bracket. Millennials. I have called them the orphaned generation because they have been left to their own devices at too many levels owing to the complete collapse and atrophy of Nigerian society and nation. My generation could still peep into the political public sphere and bask in the symbolism of credible and worthy role models. Today’s millennials have no such luck as the Nigerian political public sphere is peopled exclusively by unprincipled brigands and Ishola Oyenusis occupying political office and every space of public symbolism. If you are working for a political office holder today and making politically correct noise to defend them on social media, chances are that in the safety and privacy of your bedroom and your conscience, you wi...

1999 is not history for people like me. President Obasanjo did not inherit a great legacy from chains of visionless military governments. There was no oil boom when Obasanjo took over. But once he took over, he looked up and not down. He looked forward and not backward. Not even the mind-blowing looting of Abacha's government, a government President Buhari served could dissuade Obasanjo from looking up to a brighter future. Did we need to recover and repatriate the Abacha loot? Yes , But Obasanjo was more interested in using the budget at the time to meet our challenges. He did not go about branding Nigeria and Nigerians as a rogue nation or thieves. Obasanjo assembled the right people. Charles Soludo made the Banking smooth. Ernest Ndukwe engineered the GSM Resolution. El Rufai fired from BPE. Oby Ezekwesili and Okonjo Iweala were drafted to teach him what he didn't know about international financial and economic community. Nuhu Ribadu and EFCC and ICPC were brought t...

North Korea remains defiant in the face of an international uproar over its latest nuclear missile test. Amid an international uproar over North Korea's latest and biggest nuclear  weapons test, one of its top diplomats says it's ready to send "more gift packages to the United States. Han Tae Song, ambassador of the Democratic People's  Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the UN in Geneva, on Tuesday addressed the UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament two days after his country detonated its sixth nuclear test explosion. "I am proud of saying that just two days ago on the 3rd of September, DPRK successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test for intercontinental ballistic rocket under its plan for building a strategic nuclear force," Han told the Geneva forum. "The recent self-defense measures by my country, DPRK, are a 'gift package' addressed to none other than the US," Han said. "The US will receive mo...

The argument over the desirability of Biafra by some Nigerians in India has been blamed for the death of N. Chigozie, a 33-year-old who came to India with a student visa. Indian police in Bengaluru are already probing the death. The body of the Nigerian was found near the railway gate in Hennur, northeast Bengaluru, in the wee hours of Monday. Chigozie, a resident of Hennur, was found with head injuries at 2 am; his motorcycle had skidded off the road. While the body has been shifted to Ambedkar hospital for autopsy. Kothanur police, based on his brother’s statement have registered a murder case, reports the Times of India. “It seems to be an accidental death. Preliminary evidence shows Chigozie, who was speeding on his bike, crashed into an iron railing and died of head injuries. He was not wearing a helmet. But his younger brother Nieskho claims he was murdered,” police said.  On Sunday evening, Chigozie, Nieskho and four other Nigerians partied at African Kitchen ...

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Tuesday that ramping up the "military hysteria" around North Korea's escalating nuclear and missile tests could lead to a "global catastrophe." He also questioned the effectiveness of tightening sanctions, as the U.S. has suggested, saying that they will not change the behavior of Kim Jong Un and his regime. North Korea "would rather eat grass" than abandon its nuclear program "as long as they do not feel safe," Putin said. The Russian leader urged dialogue with Pyongyang. "In this situation, pressing on military hysteria will not bring anything. This may end up in a global catastrophe and huge amount of human life lost," Putin told reporters during a visit to China. His comments came two days after  Kim's government detonated its sixth and largest nuclear test . On Monday, South Korea responded by firing missiles into the sea to simulate an attack on the North with ...

As the night took her place in the scheme of things, bats paraded the outside world. They grabbed their meals from the restaurant for the evening. The mammals ate with a streak of meanness as if there was no tomorrow. The frightening movement of rats on a lazy evening to escape the ugly blows of their adversaries was a torture to the creatures tormented by the unjust manipulations of nightfall. At daybreak, mischief withdrew from the street and rested on the bosom of sudden death.            In the perilous night, I could hardly see beyond my little nose. No thanks to our mutual friends, the stars and the moon that were a shadow of themselves. Their dismal presence on the bare chest of the sky wrote frustration on the face of the old earth. Weaker than a drudge under the spell of sleep, they took cover like a militia in the wood. The gloomy monuments stood on the belly of the wandering cloud. It was dark.     ...