It could only happen in Port Harcourt, the city now referred as the World Book Capital. Here, literature has become so common that even wedding feats are now turned into literary festivals, thanks to the Garden city Literary Festivals, and the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, Rivers state branch.

THE Federal Government has scrapped the Presidential Implementation on Maritime Security and Safety (PICOMSS), following its refusal to merge with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

EMINENT Nigerians, yesterday, disagreed on the progress so far made by Nigeria in its 100 years of existence to warrant celebration but agreed that corruption and impunity must be ruthlessly tackled for the nation to move forward.

Comfort Msurshima Ajem is a 300 level student of Mass Communication and the Kumashe u Tiv of the Benue State University, Makurdi. In this interview, she talked about her experiences and public misconception about her crown.

WARRI—THE founder and General Overseer of Truth Ground Prophetic Ministry International Inc., Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State, Pastor Thomas Joshua, has been arraigned in court for allegedly setting ablaze a shop in Ebrumede Police Barracks, Effurun.

The Ogun State Government has given a hint that the free education system running in the state was being threatened, even as it harped on the need to include civic education into the curriculum of all the public schools in the state.

The ICC prosecutor opened preliminary examination into the situations to determine if Nigeria’s international justice obligations have been breached. The April 2011 post election violence, incessant cases of kidnapping, assassination, terrorist bombings and attacks on police and military formations, armed attacks on hapless civilians, etc demonstrate the urgency of addressing the situation as a matter of priority.

Lemi Ghariokwu,self taught Nigerian born artist is the famous illustrator of late Afrocentric king Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s record labels. He also illustrates so many other artists and his creative album designs tell beautiful stories about music and carries along strong message from the artists across through visual capturing of metaphoric thoughts of the artists. Designing about twenty six of Fela’s album covers, and over two thousand other album covers in the last thirty eight years, Ghariokwu has no doubt carved a niche for himself.

The prosecution of Mr Iorwase Hembe and Azubogu Ifeanyi, both members of House of Representatives for stealing $4,095 estacodes given to them by Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC to travel overseas had attracted comments both in Nigeria and overseas.

IF everything goes on as planned, soon the nation’s Power sector will be fully private sector controlled following the recent agreement between the Federal Government and Labour over payment of terminal benefits for workers in the sector. In this interview with Labour Vanguard, General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, Comrade Joe Ajaero, speaks on issues of job losses among others, declaring that trade unionism has come stay in the sector. Excerpts

What Oxfam will not say, is that neoliberal capitalism has put loads of money in the pockets of the Aliko Dangotes and Femi Otedolas (with their new yachts toys), but it has pauperized the mass of Nigerians.

The newly appointed Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State, Mr Patrick Hussaini, has said that insecurity is stifling the economic development of the country.

It is however, not just enough to wish that Nigeria should not “wither”. It is more important to work to ensure that it does not. In this context, there have been and there remain legitimate concerns about the direction and future of Nigeria and our theme ought to read “Whither Nigeria?” That is the theme I set out to address in the remarks that follow.

FIVE unions in the health sector under the aegis of the Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU, yesterday, began a nationwide rally to protest against the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu , threatening strike should President GoodLuck Jonathan refuse to relieve the Minister of his job.

Asaba—DELTA State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, yesterday, appealed to lawmakers in the state to “help facilitate the passage of the 2013 budget to enable the executive actualise set goals this year.”