Last week, General Muhammadu Buhari made what looked like a ‘seditious’ statement to which the federal government reacted in 2 ways. First, it cautioned all politicians and not just Buhari against unguarded statements. Second, it used perhaps more unguarded and intemperate language on the former Head of State.

Julius, my brother, says he is justifiably upset with me for staying back in Abuja instead of returning to our home town-Benin City- after retiring from the Public Service. He imagines that if every Benin citizen in Diaspora declines to return home, our city may shortly become a ghost town.

On April 10, 2012, a Presidential Committee on the Rationalization and Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies submitted its report. Since then, many critics have hit hard on the report while some have used the opportunity to vilify the person of the committee’s chairman, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye, a former head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

The revelation that the rationale of this year’s Appropriation Act was distorted through the jacking up of the budgets of some sectors is rather unfortunate. Thus, while signing the budget on Friday April 13, 2012, an angry President Jonathan threatened to sack heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) who lobbied to get their budgets increased by the legislature.

The Military in Mali was no doubt living in the past when on March 21, 2012, it imagined that if it effected a change in its nation’s government, civilians would once again be as gullible as before to rejoice over it. That didn’t happen and is not likely to happen any more in any part of Africa as everyone now appears to know that government by the gun is anachronistic.

The process of selecting the next President of the World Bank has reached its final stage as three nominated candidates are being interviewed in Washington DC, from tomorrow, Monday April 09, 2012. The candidates are Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala; Jose Antonio Ocampo, former finance minister of Colombia and currently a professor at Columbia University in New York and Dr. Jim Yong Kim, a South Korea-born, naturalised American who is the current President of Dartmouth College, New Hampshire.

If the current Senate President, Senator David Mark decides to contest the next Presidential election, he would surely be missed for his contributions to legislation in Nigeria, particularly his leadership of the National Assembly for two consecutive terms. This is thus a good junction to draw his attention to a subject which if reorganized under his watch can leave his name in gold.

Each time I hear the slogan which says ‘the Police is your friend’ I am always short of evidence in support of it not-with-standing that that I have never personally had a raw deal with the Police. I think poor public opinion and bad press may have done the damage.

It is now obvious that South Africa over- reached itself when it decided on the first day of March 2012, to deport 125 Nigerians on account of what is generally regarded as a rather flimsy reason that they possessed fake yellow fever inoculation certificates.

This column drew attention some two weeks back to the need to reduce the cost of governance in Nigeria. The existence of bloated governments in Nigeria which was attributed to ‘petroleum mentality’- a mindset which encourages irresponsible spending (squander mania) was roundly condemned.

Last week, one of our old colleagues, the legendary James Iroha, alias Gringory Akabogu of the new Masquerade Television Drama fame passed on. May his soul rest in peace. A retired Director of Television Services at the Abia State Broadcasting Corporation, Gringory had for awhile reportedly suffered from an eye ailment for which he repeatedly cried for help but none came.

Many Nigerians had looked forward with hope to year 2000 when the good things of life were expected to be realized by them according to a government slogan. Later, the date of the vision moved to year 2010 before President Yar’ Adua classified all the good things of the vision into 7 and shifted the expected date to 20-20-20.