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A Dog Named Buhari and A Hippo Named Patience by Reno Omokri

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I never believed that true life is stranger than fiction until I read the case of Joe Fortemose Chinakwe, the young man who named his dog after his hero, Buhari, only to be arrested and detained by the Nigerian Police on the excuse that his actions were likely to breach the prevailing peace in his community of Sango-Ota, Ogun State.

Really? Is this how low Nigeria has sunk? 

About two weeks ago, Chinakwe’s hero, President Muhammadu Buhari, ordered the police to reopen the cold case murder mysteries involving Bola Ige, a former Attorney General of the Federation and Chief Aminasoari Dikibo, a one time ex-Deputy National Chairman, South-South, of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Little or nothing has been heard from the police since that order was given only for Nigeria to wake up to the almost telenovela tale of a dog named Buhari. When they are meant to deliver results, the police is busy delivering activity. Comical activity.

Perhaps what I find most interesting is that a man can be arrested for naming his dog after his hero yet in this very same country no one thought it wrong when the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, called a man, and not just any man, but a governor at that, a ‘mad dog’!

Now I get it! In today’s Nigeria, you can name a man after a dog without consequence but you cannot name a dog after a man without consequences!

Do you see how low Nigeria has fallen? Perhaps our police would like to visit the netherworld to arrest the late English novelist, George Orwell, for naming the pig in his allegorical novel, Animal Farm, after the French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte.

Didn’t Chinua Achebe write that “when an adult is in the house, the she-goat is not left to suffer the pains of parturition on its tether.”

But why should I be surprised? Hasn’t Nigeria degenerated to become an ‘Animal Farm’? Just like in Orwell’s novella, we are living in a country where animals have displaced humans.

Why won’t our morals become warped to the extent that we care more for animal rights than for human rights when elders like Professor Wole Soyinka did not see anything wrong in calling the wife of a seating President a ‘Hippopotamus’?

Why won’t our morals go to the dogs when our government is more interested in protecting the rights of cows via grazing reserves rather than protecting the lives of its own citizens by way of prosecuting killer herdsmen, who, as our president assures us, are from ‘Libya’? These marauders, who have killed thousands of innocent Nigerians in the last 18 months have for some reason become so bold even as our security agents have become so timid before them.

And the case of Joe Fortemose Chinakwe exposes a troubling pattern. We seem to have a government that cares more for the right of certain categories of foreigners than for the right of its own citizens.

Why do I say so?

Well consider that the complainant who lodged a complaint with the police against Mr. Chinakwe is allegedly a foreigner from Niger Republic (by the testimony of Mr. Chinakwe). On the strength of a complaint by a foreigner that he feels offended by the name a Nigerian chose to give his dog, the Nigerian police swung into action and became so efficient overnight that it sent its men to fetch the erring Chinakwe and locked him up for his audacity.

Then also consider that the herdsmen (notice I said herdsmen, not Fulani herdsmen) that have killed thousands of Nigerians are said, by no less a personality than our President, to be foreigners from faraway ‘Libya’ and perhaps other nations in between.

Now we have established the pattern. But why is the pattern troubling?

It is troubling because it is beginning to seem that when the interests of Nigerian citizens clash with the interests of certain classes of foreigners, the interest of the foreigner prevails over the interest of the Nigerian.

And there are more instances to prove my hypothesis.

I was recently in Nigeria to preach at a church in Abuja and I noticed that foreigners clear through immigration faster than Nigerian citizens at our airports. At foreign airports the reverse is the case. Citizens clear faster than foreigners.

I am betting that I am not the only one who has experienced this anomaly.

What is it with Nigerians? It is this same attitude that makes us worship anybody with a foreign accent. We do not like ourselves and we like foreigners and yet we expect foreigners to like us.

Foreigners are not fools, you know. They will find it difficult to like us if we do not like ourselves. After all we know ourselves better than they know is, and if we do not like ourselves then that sends a red flag to the foreigner.

And to the Nigerian police, let me say that the popular flutist Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli has a dog named Obasanjo (seriously, he does). Should he also prepare for arrest?

What more can I say? Nigeria never ceases to amaze!

Omokri is the founder of the Mind of Christ Christian Center in California, author of Shunpiking: No Shortcuts to God and Why Jesus Wept and the host of Transformation with Reno Omokri

Joachim-Chinakwe

 

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Tanzania Erupts in Protests Over Controversial Election as President Samia Faces Mounting Pressure

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Tanzania has been plunged into chaos as citizens flood the streets to protest alleged irregularities in the country’s presidential election.

The unrest, which erupted shortly after the announcement of preliminary results, has spread rapidly across major cities. In Dar es Salaam — the nation’s commercial hub with a population exceeding seven million — the situation escalated as angry demonstrators set government offices and several public buildings on fire.

The tension comes amid heightened political scrutiny of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who became Tanzania’s first female president following the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli, in 2021. Many opposition supporters allege that the current election was manipulated to keep her in power, raising concerns about transparency and fairness in the democratic process.

In response to the violence, the police have imposed an overnight curfew in Dar es Salaam to restore order and prevent further destruction. Security forces have also been deployed across key areas of the city to contain the growing tension.

Authorities have urged citizens to remain calm while investigations into the alleged electoral misconduct continue. However, opposition figures and civil society groups are demanding accountability, insisting that the people’s mandate must be respected.

As the crisis deepens, many fear the situation could spiral into nationwide unrest if dialogue and swift action are not taken.

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U.S. Revokes Wole Soyinka’s Visa, Restricting His Entry Into the Country

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Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has disclosed that the United States government has revoked his visa, effectively barring him from entering the country for now.

Speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos Island, Soyinka said he was notified of the development through an official letter from the U.S. Consulate dated October 23, 2025.

He explained that he decided to make the matter public to inform organizations and individuals expecting him in the U.S. not to proceed with any travel-related plans.

> “I have no visa; I am banned, obviously, from the United States. And if you want to see me, you know where to find me,” Soyinka said, expressing shock at the decision. “I don’t have any criminal record or even a misdemeanour that could warrant such an action. I keep asking myself—have I ever misbehaved toward the United States?”

According to Soyinka, the letter from the Non-Immigrant Visa (NIV) Section of the U.S. Consulate stated that the revocation was in accordance with U.S. Department of State regulations but gave no specific reason for the decision.

His revoked visa was a B1/B2 category, typically granted for business and tourism purposes.

Earlier in September, PM News reported that Soyinka had declined a request from the U.S. Consulate to attend a visa re-interview, saying he initially believed the notification letter was fake or a scam.

Despite the development, Soyinka emphasized that he bears no animosity toward U.S. authorities, adding that his previous interactions with American diplomats had always been cordial.

He concluded by noting that he would continue to seek clarification on the matter but does not regard the revocation as a personal attack.

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FG Removes Mathematics From Requirement For Arts Students Seeking University Admission

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The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially removed Mathematics as a compulsory requirement for students seeking admission into Arts and Humanities programmes in tertiary institutions across the country. The new directive was announced in the recently released National Guidelines for Entry Requirements into Nigerian Tertiary Institutions by the Ministry of Education.

Before now, Mathematics and English Language were mandatory subjects for all candidates seeking admission into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, regardless of their chosen field. However, under the new policy, only English Language remains compulsory for all candidates, while Mathematics will now be required solely for applicants in the Sciences, Technology, Engineering, and Social Sciences.

The Ministry explained that the move aims to eliminate unnecessary barriers that have hindered many talented students from pursuing their preferred courses. It noted that several disciplines in the Arts and Humanities do not rely heavily on mathematical skills, and insisting on Mathematics as a core requirement had unfairly restricted access to higher education for many qualified candidates.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, stated that the decision aligns with the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to create a more inclusive and equitable education system. He added that the reform is designed to broaden access, promote academic diversity, and support students according to their areas of strength.

The new guideline applies to all categories of higher education institutions in Nigeria, including universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and innovation enterprise institutions. While the announcement has been met with excitement among many students and educators in the Arts, some education analysts have called for careful monitoring to ensure that academic standards are not compromised.

Overall, the policy marks a significant shift in Nigeria’s education system and is expected to ease the admission process for thousands of prospective students who excel in the humanities but have struggled with Mathematics.

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