TENSION, yesterday, enveloped Jos, Plateau State capital where 32 people have been confirmed dead and 74 others hospitalised following multiple blasts which rocked the metropolis on Christmas eve.

Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State is fighting for his political survival. His critics are from within and outside his political party, PDP. They want him out of Government House, Uyo. Some of the allegations against him border on the crime rate in his state, while others are simply a product of political manoevrings ahead of the 2011 polls.

It is Christmas again! It is my favourite time of the year – when the languid air smells of good fare: the sharing of goodwill; the visit of friends and family; the return of migrants from various corners of the earth; the salute to the belly by all forms of gormandizing acts – the sheer sense of completion of another cycle of life and of the seasons. All these amplify the significance of this time of the year.

Christmas is here again, an indication of the cyclic nature of time.
The fever has gripped all the nooks and crannies of the globe. In the major cities of Nigeria, Santa Claus’s cheery face is emblazoned at shop entrances and windows.

Senator Abiola Ajimobi has paid his due as a major player in Nigerian politics. After a very successful career in the oil and gas sector spanning over three decades where he became managing director/chief executive officer of the National Oil and Chemical Marketing Company, he felt there was need for him to seek public office to be able to give back to the society what the society had given to him.