THE Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, B&MGF on January 22 launched its annual letter for the year 2015. An annual event, the letter lays out the view of Bill, Melinda and the Foundation on key development issues. This year’s letter focuses key breakthroughs in development. The 2015 Annual Letter, tagged “Our Big Bet for The Future”highlighted achievements of the foundation in many areas, and expectations in the months ahead. Vanguard interrogated the letter, and Ayo Ajayi, B&MGF’s Director for Africa provided answers to questions in a cyber conversation

It is an interesting development to see Nigerians of different persuasions and political ideologies coming together to sign peace accords or agreements in preparation for the 2015 General Elections. This is indeed something worth commending the initiators and the participants for.

There is a great fable of a race ran by the tortoise and the hare. Both animals are healthy, capable and very able to live well and survive their environments. They are as different in looks as they are in gifts and abilities, they each had different tastes and different needs but they were an integral part of the animal society they lived in.

If you talk to Nigerians, you’re bound to hear an increasing chatter; a perception in Nigeria that the United States of America is currently waging a covert economic and cultural war on Nigeria. This is not even in the north – but in the south – traditional bastion of pro-America sentiment, where they love all things America.

In Nigeria, any claim whatsoever can easily be made to look correct; all that is required is to repeatedly make the same claim overtime and after a while it sticks in the sub consciousness of people. The claim in Benin, the home city of this writer that there is an oracle which has capacity to determine the political direction of the people falls into this theory.

Following the commissioning of four naval vessels by President Goodluck Jonathan, the first time in history such a feat is achieved by any administration, Move on Nigeria, group promoting good governance and transformation agenda, has called on Nigerians to rally round the president and the military in the fight against Boko Haram.

Activities of cyber criminals have continued to cause more harm than good. For 12 years on, Google has been celebrating Safer Internet Day to raise awareness for organisations, groups and individuals on the need to stem the tide of cyber-crime and insecurity on the Internet.

Tension heightened yesterday in the coastal enclave of Bayelsa following the threat by the Nembe communities to shut down the oil exploration activities in their domain. The area alone produce about 200,000 barrel of crude oil per day.

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that the epileptic power supply in the country would soon come to an end.

FIFA U-17 World Cup reigning champions, the Golden Eaglets yesterday secured a semi final berth at the ongoing African U-17 championship and a ticket to the 2015 U-17 FIFA World Cup billed for Chile later in the year. The Eaglets achieved the feat after a 3-1 thumping of the Junior Chipolopolo of Zambia in their final group match of the tournament in Niger.