The quality of civic life in Nigeria is the most critical gap in the development of a free society and a robust democratic culture. Nigeria’s transition to democratic culture after over thirty-five years of military rule, out of its slightly over fifty years of political independence from colonialism, feels like the slow ride of the tortoise.

This column could easily have been titled JONATHAN’s TAG TEAM SLAMMED and it would still have been appropriate. A wrestling champion who selects his tag team partners from the geriatric ward, in a contest with young and agile opponents, should expect a wicked body slam.

THE commissioning ceremony of a street light project had been sceduled for 9.00 a.m. last Saturday but as early as 7.00 a.m. reports have started fittering out that a combined team of soldiers, Policemen and NDLEA operatives had condoned off all approaches to the notorious Akala community in Mushin area of Lagos for raid. At the end of the exercise which threw the entire neigbhourhood in confusion, several bags of what was suspected to be narcitics and dangerous weapons were said to have been carted away including several miscreants.

John Obuh is no newcomer to the world of FIFA youth competi-tions. In 2009, he led Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets to second place in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Two years later he was in charge of the Flying Eagles as they campaigned in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia and later this year he will again lead the Nigerian U-20 side when they compete at the showpiece event of world youth football in Turkey. FIFA.com spoke recently to Obuh about his preparations for the tournament in Turkey and about youth football on the African continent.

It is no longer news that Benin City is one of the richest in cultural heritage all over the world. Most of these cultures were preserved till date of which the National Museum plays a very prominent role.