IN a country of more than 42 Ministers, and more similarly ranked government officials, you would be forgiven if you have not heard about Mr. Samuel Ortom. He is the Minister of State for Trade and Investment.

Equities trading on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) , last week, slumped as the value of listed equities represented by the market capitalisation declined by N100.5 billion.

Insurance companies that insured Federal Government workers under the Civil Service Group Life Insurance Cover are to access N9 billion as first tranche payment from the N14 billon budgeted for the cover.

Former international, Willy Opara has revealed a burning desire to contribute to the revival of the once-dreaded Super Eagles of Nigeria. He offered to serve as goalkeeper trainer with the national team.

SENATOR Ehigie Uzamere, ACN, Edo South made history last April when he became the first Senator from Edo South to win re-election having crossed over from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN few months to the election.
A trained architect, Senator Uzamere was in his first term a central player in some of the major political schemes in the Senate; and was notably pivotal to the formation of the National Interest Group, NIG which paved the way for the emergence of then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President last year.

SHORTLY after the April (2011) legislative elections in Edo State, I wrote an article entitled: “Edo Central Polls: Between Oshiomhole and Hedonism”, which was published in many newspapers and on-line media. It was an incredibly wide publication by all standard for which I remain grateful to the editors of the media organisations who considered the article publishable. But Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s publicists, both former and current, reacted to it unjustifiably because the issue I addressed in the piece was clear: The outcome of the legislative polls in Edo Central. I never delved into Oshiomhole’s performance in office.

Chief Kalu Umeh is Abia State Attorney_General and Commissioner for Justice. In this interview with Vanguard, he addresses issues such as the alleged gang rape of a university student in the state, the dismissal of non-Abia State citizens from the civil service and the face-off with a telecommunication outfit.

I AM converting this topic to a two-part serial in response to a challenge posed by one of the readers. He or she did not supply his/her name, but the GSM number is 08033539191. And the text message reads: “Your article on page 49 in the Vanguard of today (Monday October 31st 2011) is not in-depth at all. You wrote about why the 1979 and 1999 Constitutions failed. You even wrote why suggestions by others will not work but you did not do a good job on how yours will succeed”. May I thank the reader for this prompting. There must be millions of others who share this view.

A TOTAL of 100 companies in Nigeria will get award for attaining some measure of best practice in the work place through managerial approach to employees.

Promasidor Nigeria, a consumer manufacturing outfit has explained that the main purpose of its N50 million consumer promo was to improve its business as well as the lives of consumers through affordable and quality products.