THE statement by the president; of China, Hu Jinato that “Chinese people are rich and confident” on the occasion of that country’s 60th anniversary on October 1, 2009 may seem unrealistic to many people. However, a visit to the country will open the eyes of anyone to the reality of the statement by Hu.

Foreign affairs minister, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, recently represented President Umaru Yar’Adua at the 64th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York. He fielded questions on Nigeria from members of the United Nations Correspondents Association in the UN Building. Excerpts:

By Abayomi Adesida
SOME African delegations are kind of upset by the fact that whereas [...]

By Jimitota Onoyume
Port Harcourt-EXCEPT one is told one will not know that the Federal Government College on Ikwerre Road, Port Harcourt houses reformed militants under the Federal Government’s amnesty programme.
At the main gate leading into the school you find a handful of gate men. Contrary to expectation that they would be on red alert [...]

Traditionally, every independence day anniversary,  presents an opportunity to evaluate the journey so far. Perhaps readers of independence celebration stories, may predict what to read from all the  national dailies tomorrow. Your prediction or guess may be as good as mine, as each October 1, brings to fore the tragedy that Nigeria appears to have [...]

First civilian governor of Edo State, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, recently, clocked 70. In an interview, Oyegun expressed his disappointment over the way the country is being run.

By Adekunle Adekoya
VERY few Nigerians, except those who were planning it, contemplated that the nation would have to grapple with another orgy of violence, so soon after the mayhem that rocked Plateau and Bauchi States as year 2008 ended. Indeed, the commissions of enquiry unravelling the circumstances behind the Jos mayhem is yet to complete [...]

They forced my driver out of the car, pushed him down and used the butt of their gun and hit him at his waist. He slumped. Then they asked him to get up again and open the booth and the car. They removed my brief case and my suitcase containing my soutane and personal effects. They also removed the suitcase that carries my vestments and mitre for celebrating Holy Mass.

Labour minister, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, says the autonomous status of the nation’s universities has robbed the academic staff of the opportunity to negotiate with the Federal Government on the issue of salary and other matters that triggered on-going strike by the academic staff.

In essence, the minister explains there is no subsisting agreement on payrise with [...]

Dr. Sylvan O. Ebigwei, renowned dentist,  is president, Aka Ikenga, the association of Igbo professionals, formed 21 years ago to think, plan, reason on issues confronting the Igbo wherever they may be.  Aka Ikenga is an aggregation of Igbo in the core south-east, Rivers and Delta states as well as Igbo in diaspora.
It liaises [...]

*Says Osun people will decide his guber bid

Chief Femi Fani-Kayode was Minister of Aviation during the regime of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He recently paid a visit to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, for consultations  over his ambition to contest the governorship election in Osun State in 2011. He fielded questions from newsmen [...]