Deep Thought

 Nigeria 2023: Nigerians, Mercilessly Beaten by Cashless Policy By Prof. MK Othman In the last two weeks or so, millions of Nigerians were living in a hopeless situation of economic desperation, misery, hunger and desolation. This type of situation was never experienced within the last three decades. Marriages and other social festivities were hurriedly canceled or postponed ad-infinitum. No one has an idea about when the situation will improve. Although the presidential election is very close, the people are not as enthusiastic. I met a top-ranking professor, whose single statement, in a seminar can mar or make an academic the quality of the presentation, in a queue at a filling station with a “black-market” price of N345 per liter, bowing to a fuel attendant; he wanted to transfer N5,100 for a fuel of N3,000 and then be given cash of N2,000. The attendant gave only N1,000 on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. Reluctantly, the professor agreed because he had no option.  Yet the POS machine,

 Qatar 2022 World Cup: Other Winners and Losers By Prof MK Othman The 2022 World Cup tournament tagged “Qatar 2022” came and gone, left sweet memories, and accentuated lessons for future tournaments. The billions of soccer fans across the seven continents watched with painstaking amazement 64 matches played by 32 countries during the 29-day tournament. Qatar was the first Arab- Muslim country to host a such gigantic event since the world cup tournament started 93 years ago. The country’s excellent performance in hosting the event was very commendable. Qatar went the extra mile to give the tournament a distinctly Arab and Muslim flavor, achieved huge success, and made it unique. Qatar has raised the hosting standard to high-heaven.     When Qatar won the hosting right in 2010, there were agitations and protests among the players and supporters against the hosting because of alleged human rights abuses and its anti-democracy stance. Many believed the hosting right would be withdrawn befo

 Outrageous Cost of Cashless Policy in Nigeria By Prof MK Othman The Nigerian economy was once described as a “voodoo” economy, “the more you look, the less you understand” as it defies all kinds of known remedies. The mystery of Nigeria as a nation is not limited to its economy but includes socio-political and cultural dispositions. Longtime ago, western pundits postulated, hypothesized, and predicted the disintegration of Nigeria by the year 2015. Time has since revealed their empty prediction; regrettably, however, the nation is still sliding into the abyss of squalor and poverty, exacerbated by the population explosion – a kind of time bomb that must not be allowed to detonate.  Perhaps, it was the voodoo affair that made the current Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele to fast-track the full implementation of the cashless policy by redesigning the higher denominations of Naira, the Nigeria currency. It was reported that over three trillion Naira were in circulation but just a li