Today: Thursday, March 18, 2010

Ukachukwu Okorie

Article list

Niger coup is a danger

Last update: 10:55 | 25.02.10

West Africa was thrown into turmoil yet again last week after the military coup in Niger. What has been a normal Thursday afternoon in the capital of Niamey turned sour and frightening for its residents as gunfire raged in the presidential palace, where mutinous

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Angola, here we come!

Last update: 20:40 | 17.12.09

When the Confederation of African Football announced that Angola would still be hosting the continent’s greatest soccer fiesta, I thought that was a very prudent decision. Much pressure had been on the CAF to shift the African Nations Cup to South Africa

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Yar'Adua: it's do or die

Last update: 16:40 | 10.12.09

Until last week, there were rumours milling around concerning the deteriorating health of Nigeria’s President Umaru Yar’Adua. Since he took power in 2007, Nigerians have frequently speculated upon their leader’s medical fitness, and this

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A letter from my homeland

Last update: 13:38 | 12.11.09

As I took off from Dublin Airport last week, my thoughts were still on the recession ravaging the Irish economy. It was having a direct effect on my own plans: after being made redundant, I have to be careful with my money, so I chose the cheapest (and longest)

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Suicide isn't the answer to our problems

Last update: 04:21 | 22.10.09

I witnessed a horrible sight one evening on the way to work at my previous job. As I got out of my friend’s car, I saw a group of people standing at the gate leading to the underground car park beneath my workplace. As I approached I saw an ambulance and

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Farewell to Fawehinmi, a man of the people

Last update: 02:43 | 17.09.09

And old proverb from home says that ‘truth is like pregnancy – it cannot be concealed’. It’s prominent in my mind as I think of my days as a teenager in southeast Nigeria, when the struggles of Nigeria’s foremost human rights activist

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Dating and the African male

Last update: 15:54 | 10.09.09

What is dating? There are many things these days that are involved in the run-up to marriage between a man and woman. But before I proceed, I am quite sure that the word ‘dating’ means different things to different people. This difference in understanding

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Where has our fashion gone?

Last update: 13:29 | 03.09.09

I’ve often stopped to wonder, why do many Africans outside the continent ditch their traditional wear for the suit-and-tie trappings of the west? Although some love to express themselves when it comes to African fashions, the greater number dress just

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Who is Caster Semenya?

Last update: 12:50 | 27.08.09

Those familiar with African prose will recall The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born, a tale of a man who tries his best to live according to his incorruptible principles while the world around him sees otherwise.

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Time to invest back home

Last update: 01:47 | 13.08.09

In this hard economic period, countries, corporate bodies and individuals around the world are devising new strategies to crawl out from the danger zone.

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What’s the New Yam festival?

Last update: 17:27 | 06.08.09

The vintage prose of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart allows western readers a glimpse into Nigeria’s New Yam festival. In fact, your Nigerian neighbours could be celebrating it next door. But what’s it all about?

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If I were Taoiseach...

Last update: 12:58 | 30.07.09

A few days after finding myself out of a job, I stood on the Ha’penny Bridge one afternoon, taking in the view of the River Liffey stretching out towards Dublin Bay. I observed the people and all that transpired around me; I could see the impact of the

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Telling the truth about the Niger Delta crisis

Last update: 12:46 | 23.07.09

The Niger Delta crisis has been a major talking point among interested observers as of late. But in all this discussion, there are some truths that have yet to be told.

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Africa expects, Mr Obama

Last update: 17:49 | 16.07.09

Whether you agree with me or not, one of the greatest forces of nature is that of the human spirit. Indeed, many instances have proven that a resolute spirit can tackle issues head-on in spite of whatever trials or tribulations stand in the way. When Barack

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Presidents & disco lights

Last update: 12:02 | 09.07.09

Little did I know I would have the time of my life when Ghana’s President John Atta invited me to Osu Castle for an exquisite evening of dining and dancing with selected dignitaries.

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Black politicians and white votes

Last update: 15:44 | 02.07.09

Before the local elections last month, many onlookers saw the posters of African faces strapped to the telegraph poles as a signal that we were moving further along the path to integration. But at the end of the day, of the 30-odd Africans who contested the

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Africa must copy Iranians

Last update: 16:08 | 25.06.09

An old adage says that freedom is priceless. Many freedom fighters died in their struggles and we are aware of the incarceration of more still.  In the intellectual realm, debates as to the definition of a freedom fighter have failed to reach a logical

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The impact of Westminster’s corruption

Last update: 12:52 | 18.06.09

When the parliamentary expenses scandal in the United Kingdom hit the headlines, there were negative reactions from all interested in the former colonial power’s affairs.

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