Joshua King's Free Press

Lagos residents in 2008 received news of a Bus Rapid Transit System. It was a plan in which luxury buses would provide better transportation services at cheaper rates compared to what existed at the time. Dedicated lanes on certain roads were created with the buses given exclusive permit to drive on this lane. The buses soon arrived and were subsequently commissioned. A lot of publicity work was done to promote the availability of the buses, prevent regular buses from driving on the dedicated lanes, the routes available as well as the ticket costs. Lagosians soon began looking out for these buses and indeed they provided some immediate relief to the teeming population. Lagos has forever remained plagued by traffic jams. A trip that should ordinarily take 30 to 40 minutes usually becomes an endurance test running into 4 hours at times. On some occasion, people leave their cars, seat at road side bars to wait out the traffic while commuters have often left commercial buses and contin...

Before now, football had been the one sport or contest to generate so much passion in Nigeria. It enjoyed this monopoly of passion but always united Nigerians. Our politics and elections however are another sport that now generates more passion and tension compared to football but unfortunately fails to unite us. It’s finally 2015 and a lot has already happened in the build up to this piece. General Buhari for the fourth time is running on the platform of the All Progressives Congress or "Conpidence" the first successful merger of political parties in Nigeria. The elections were postponed; Obasanjo asked his PDP card be torn. PVC distribution has remains shoddy while there have been sparks of violence in a few places. I have been a critic of the president. On several issues like the subsidy management, rule by committees, refusal to say amen to a prayer on corruption, his refusal to give a damn about the number of shoes he owns, I disagreed with the pre...

Millicent Chinasa Duru brings exceptional commitment and integrity to bear in her quest to give Oru East LGA better representation in the Imo State House of Assembly when elected. With an MBA in Finance from the University of Wales, Millicent Chinasa Duru is a passionate young woman who brings integrity, dedication and passion as her strongest attributes to the people of Oru East LGA at the forth coming 2015 Imo State House of Assembly elections. In an era where constituency representation is given less and less attention and budget oversight is not given the critical evaluation by informed minds, Oru East Local Government Area is not getting the bestt in terms of representation. Millicent Chinasa Duru a native of Oru East Local Government area is successful business woman with years of experience is suitably qualified to represent the Oru East Local Government Area in the Imo State House of Assembly. Positively in touch with the community and understanding their yearnings fo...

The Guardian in Nigeria has remained one of the most independent newspapers and has over the years become trusted for taking a stand with the Nigerian people. The paper's objectivity is noteworthy and deserving of accolades. As a student in secondary school, my class teacher initiated me into following the Guardian's editorial page. The language style, presentation of facts and argument has remained a voice in defence of truth in Nigeria. The editorial reproduced here was the paper's objective commentary on a contemporary Nigerian issue at the time and thank God for it. Wole Soyinka, once said: records are not only kept to aid the memory but to guide men into the future. Before you do anything with your PVC on Valentine's day 2015 be informed about the APC's candidate and how a vote for him would be a disservice to Nigeria, an injustice and an end to the progress being made. The Guardian: Editorial of Friday, August 30, 1985 The Arrogance of Power It could ...

“Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world.” The All Progressives Congress or the APC for short began its march to fame on the charge of saving Nigeria from the exploitation of the ruling PDP. The party enjoyed some immediate success with some governors joining its fold from the PDP. Some honourable members of the House of Representatives also dropped their umbrellas for the APC's broom. Indeed, the PDP looked at the time to be a ship in troubled waters. The party's publicity secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed made sure the government was constantly on its toes with incessant criticism. Alhaji Lai by his constant presence in the media helped promote the APC's popularity as a brand and to a large extent he argued that the APC would do better give...

Blog Plus Xtra your favourite blog on contemporary Nigerian issues took a long break to work on another project. We are on our way back. In the mean time, we are promoting for the time being our new product which also covers a contemporary Nigerian issue - events. Introducing:  www.eventfulnaija.com Nigeria's free event listing and promotion website. Eventful Naija will eventually list more than events. For now, visit and never miss an event in Nigeria anymore. Every event is categorized so look up the event category that interests you and visit.

I rode on a motor bike to the venue. Upon arrival, the rider asked me what time it was. I looked at my watch and told him: “7.30pm.” “Only 7.30 na im everywhere be like this?” There was nothing wrong with the neighbourhood where the commercial motorcycle operator had dropped me off. Nothing except that everyone in a usually noisy street had gone in to watch a live football match leaving the street deserted. It is mid month in May 2013 and the country already is like this. Thick with plots and intrigues as though it was an election year. While some plots are obvious and plain, another plot is clearer by its darkness. The battle for the soul of Nigeria’s presidency come May 2015 began soon after May 29, 2011. The denials of the president that he is committed and focused to his tenure fool only those who have just returned from a vacation in Baga where the number of civilian deaths was exaggerated. There are seven more months left in 2013 and another 12 months in 2014 but the pol...

                  Results of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board examinations taken 27th April have been released. The results thus far show the continued decay in Nigeria’s education sector. Over one and half million young Nigerians took the examination in hope of gaining admission into over 80 universities. Somehow, the secondary school system continues to train students no good enough to gain admission into the universities as proven by results in public examinations like WAEC and JAMB. Going by the last Senior School Certificate Examination results or trend in the past five years, the decline continues to worsen. The pass rate for English and Mathematics shows a fluctuating trend in our secondary schools. 2009 - 26% 2010 - 25% 2011 - 40% 2012 - 20% 2013 - ?        There is a real problem with our secondary schools. For years, the emphasis has been on the poor standards of lear...