Ukachukwu Okorie

This is Endaâ€™s time to shine

Last update: 22:32 | 01.04.11 | © Metro Éireann

Congratulations must go to Enda Kenny on his election as the 12th Taoiseach. He deserves a pat on the back, not because the economic crunch helped but that he wanted the job and went for it with all ferocity.

Not the west's housewife

Last update: 21:59 | 01.03.11 | © Metro Éireann

The recent visit to the United States by China’s President Hu Jintao has an immense significance. It’s now all but official that China has broken America’s position as the world’s top superpower.

The power of soccer in Africa

Last update: 12:57 | 13.05.10 | © Metro Éireann

Sitting in a bar in downtown Owerri recently, I waited with a few friends to watch the much-awaited Champions League game between Inter Milan and Barcelona. While sipping my palm wine from the traditional keg, I took in the exciting debate going on among

From pain must come justice

Last update: 11:21 | 22.04.10 | © Metro Éireann

What went wrong when a normal day for a teenager ended up leaving him tragically in the hands of death? The brutal slaying of Toyosi Shitta-bey has awakened a country and its people from the slumber of the economic downturn, as the issues of racism, anti-social

Can Africans accept gays?

Last update: 13:02 | 08.04.10 | © Metro Éireann

The issue of gay rights is the latest to kick up a storm of controversy across Africa. The notion of homosexuality has always turned the faces of most Africans pale; however, South Africa made great strides towards enshrining equal rights for gays and lesbians

To forgive is divine

Last update: 12:16 | 25.03.10 | © Metro Éireann

When I first heard a reading of the letter from Pope Benedict XIV to apologise for the child abuse that occurred within the Catholic Church, I was curious to see the reaction of victims and the general public.

The World Cup is coming

Last update: 11:42 | 18.03.10 | © Metro Éireann

With spring in the air and just a few weeks until summer, the excitement of soccer lovers the world over is getting higher. Accommo-dation across South Africa has been booked out for months, and flights to the ‘rainbow nation’ are surely close

Niger coup is a danger

Last update: 10:55 | 25.02.10 | © Metro Éireann

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

Angola, here we come!

Last update: 20:40 | 17.12.09 | © Metro Éireann

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

Yar'Adua: it's do or die

Last update: 16:40 | 10.12.09 | © Metro Éireann

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

A letter from my homeland

Last update: 13:38 | 12.11.09 | © Metro Éireann

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)

Suicide isn't the answer to our problems

Last update: 04:21 | 22.10.09 | © Metro Éireann

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

Farewell to Fawehinmi, a man of the people

Last update: 02:43 | 17.09.09 | © Metro Éireann

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

Dating and the African male

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

Where has our fashion gone?

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

Who is Caster Semenya?

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.

Time to invest back home

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

Whatâ€™s the New Yam festival?

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?

First Prev 1 2 3 Next Last