For obvious reasons, Muhammad Babangida, the first son of the most talked about Nigerian in the history of Nigeria, the indomitable General IBB marked his glorious forty years on earth on Thursday, 2nd February, 2012 in what typifies the humility of a family that has since become role model to many.

The appointment of the new Inspector General of Police did not come as a surprise after all, following public outcry that the immediate past IGP had reached his professional nadir and cannot offer anything new or creative to checkmate the menacing force of unreason of members of Boko Haram.

Why does the country appear insecure and spineless in the last one year or so? Each time one expresses an opinion, no matter how logical and objective, what you get are phone calls from anonymous callers threatening hails and brimstones. When has it become a crime to express an opinion?

President Goodluck Jonathan bared his fangs two days ago by announcing the unceremonious removal of the EFCC chairperson, Mrs. Farida Waziri in a manner that defeats the anti-corruption crusade. Under the universal rules governing anti-corruption, you cannot hire and fire anybody just like that; trying to use corruption to fight corruption, without stating the reason for the removal.

There has been a systemic underestimation of the achievements of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in Edo State to the extent that newspaper advertorials are easily published to rubbish whatever he claims to his credit. Amongst the several presentations by these respective “visioners”, who in their moralizing tedium claim to be representing the aggregate views of Edolites, the position of Edo Collectives on Oshiomhole’s NUT award is at best indubitably misleading.

As much as one tries to find succour in the fullness of the socio-political maladies in the country, one gets trapped in the vainglory thoughts of non-performance in all sectors of our economy.

Just as I was about putting pen on paper to put down my thoughts for this weekend, I saw screaming headlines about the plan by Federal Government to remove the much-talked about fuel subsidy which has dragged on for so long. Reactions to the subsidy removal proposal have been expectedly interesting; each one threatening hails and brim tones, the usual Nigerian way.

In the midst of a plethora of happenings around the country, one is often at sea as to what should occupy one’s attention. Nigeria is a country that is usually entrenched in fluctuating moments, with palpable fear walking on the streets. Everywhere you turn, the fear of fear grips you with uncultured fervor. Yesterday, it was bomb scare, today it is bomb blast. Only God knows what tomorrow holds for us.

This week and weeks to come,altercations and counter-altercations would form the theme of the political discourse in Jos, the Plateau State Capital over the directive of Mr. President that there should be an occupation of soldiers in that troubled but once serene and peaceful conclave in the middle-belt part of the country.

I had a rare opportunity to interview the highly celebrated political scientist and author, the Chicago-born Professor Francis Fukuyama on Tuesday, September 27, 2011 during his visit to Nigeria as a guest lecturer at a conference organized by Muregi Associates.