It was all like a wild rumour until very recently when the strongman of Kwara politics gathered his teeming supporters at his campaign office at Olorunsogo- Ilorin to break the much awaited traditional news of who is to be voted for as the next governor in the coming election.

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan warned yesterday that Nigeria will remain among the poorest countries of the world if we continue with a business as usual approach on foreign crafted development paradigms.

Contending issues surrounding the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, currently before the National Assembly, have made it imperative for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to convene a summit of stakeholders.

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Rilwanu Lukman, has pledged continued support for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry for the benefit of the overall economy.

SOON after the bomb blast that rocked the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Independence Day, claiming 12 lives with scores wounded, many expressed reservations over the ability of our security agencies, unearthing masterminds of the tragedy. In fact, their fears were not unfounded going by the number of unresolved cases of that nature which have dotted the history of our checkered nation like a sore thumb. The list of such cases are unending.

NATIONAL Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo was, yesterday, enmeshed in a fresh crisis after members of the National Working Committee, NWC, rose against him alleging high-handedness and usurpation of the NWC’s power.

The House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution has approved 30 post-election days before the handover date in 2011, just as it adopted the 150 days recommended by the Muhammed Uwais’ Electoral Review Committee to allow time for judicial pronouncements on election litigations.

For quite some time, Bauchi State has been in the news for the wrong reasons largely due to the level of insecurity in the State. This is because cases of armed robbery, kidnapping and terrorist acts of the dreaded Islamic sect, known as Boko Haram, are all becoming the order of day and this is giving everybody a cause for concern.

Future Concerns Nigeria Limited, a specialised safety equipment solutions provider in the oil and gas industry, was recently granted rights to build a multi_million dollar service centre in Nigeria by MSA of United States, the world’s leading manufacturer of safety equipment. In this interview with Yemie Adeoye, the Managing Director, Mr. Tony Oguike, spoke on the importance of the project, the Nigerian Content Law, among other industry issues. Excerpts:

GOVERNOR Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, has assured that the state government would implement all laws so far passed by the state House of Assembly.

Conference of Registered Political Parties, CNPP, said yesterday that the BB-Minus rating of Nigerian economy by Fitch was the true reflection of the state of the nation’s economy, and blamed it on selfish policies embarked upon by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the last decade.

The declining trend on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) continued last week, as equities value represented by the market capitalisation dipped by 24.91 billion.

THE Benin zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday, rose from its emergency meeting and called on the five governors of the South East States to resign their positions for alleged attempt to turn the state universities in the South East into “ethnic enclaves”.

FOLLOWING the clamp down and sealing of illegal drug markets in central Lagos, pharmacists under the aegis of the Lagos State branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), have urged the Lagos State government to bring its full weight to bear on persons who contravene the law on the sale, distribution, and display of counterfeit and adulterated products in unregistered places or premises in Lagos State and environs.

IN an article by one John Wambai published in the viewpoint page of Sunday Vanguard of September 19, the author said that he is one of the supporters of IBB, that as Christians, we should accept whatever that comes our way as the will of God and totally submit to it.