If there was one man that had a profound effect on our history, perhaps more than any other, it was Gen. Murtala Ramat Mohammed. Sadly he was assassinated 40 years ago, on February 13th 1976. In a clime and a nation in which there are few true heroes, he was certainly one of them.

When Ministers began the defence of their budgets, last week, errors in the document made the Senate to express worries over what has now been described as padding by the Executive arm arising from high overhead and personnel costs, just as this development led to the lawmakers asking the Ministers and heads of parastatals to go back and rejig the budget document and return for re-presentation.

Following growing allegations of corruption against some senior lawyers and their alleged complicity or facilitation of judicial corruption, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called “for tougher sanctions against those found to be involved if large scale political corruption is to be meaningfully combated and corruption-free judiciary is to become a reality.”

CHIEF Solomon Edebiri was the revelation during the 2012 governorship election debate organized for candidates in Edo State. His policy plans and what he would do to bring the state out of the woods when elected then endeared him to the people of the state. But then, he was contesting the election on the platform of the now defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), a party that was not so popular in Edo. He however came third in the election that was held that year on April 22.

AS the nation begins to come to terms with the private-driven power sector following the recent 45 percent hike in electricity tariff, workers in the sector have warned that for allowing privatization of power sector, Nigerians may have unwittingly played into the hands of private sector shylocks and collaborators in government whose stock in trade is to maximize profit at all costs.

A former Zonal Chairman, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Comrade Folorunso Oginni, says the hike in electricity tariff shows the insensitivity of the government to the plight of the people. “In the past, we paid so much for outrageous estimated electricity bills on what we did not consume, yet these crazy bills keep coming when there is no regular supply of power”, Oginni stated.

On February 01, 2016, new electricity tariffs approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) came into force. In a quick response, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) issued an ultimatum for a reversal of the new tariffs or else they would shut down the nation.

President Muhammadu Buhari; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; advisers and ministers still operate in the belief that good intentions and reputations are all you need to run a new government successfully. Buhari, especially, must still be thinking that his former reputation as a tough guy will cow all those who had cooperated with previous governments in wrecking the nation’s economy. Little did the old general realise that with three military Heads of State succeeding him and a recycled former military ruler returning as civilian President, Nigerians are now as scared of the men in khaki as before. He is just now beginning to realise as late President Harry Truman, 1884-1972, remarked when General Dwight Eisenhower, 1890-1969, was elected President in 1952, “You give an order as President and nothing happens”; nothing, unless you virtually sit on the necks of the officials who are supposed to get the work done and the way you want it done.

Following the controversy over the alleged padding and errors in the 2016 Budget, some corporate economics have raised concern on the implication for national economy recovery and foreign capital inflow.

Are you joyful? What is the basis of your joy? Is it based on something you have? Is it based on something exciting that happened to you? Is it because your grain and wine increased? (Psalm 4:7). If so, beware, because that is building a house on the sand. When the storm comes and the wind blows great will be the fall of your house and your joy.