Last Monday June 20, 2016 one of the two pioneers’ for clean energy, Bertrand Piccard who took control of the cockpit of a solar airplane at 6.30 UTC from the JFK airport New York, cruised across the Atlantic Ocean without fuel and landed safely at Seville Airport, Spain Thursday June 23, 2016 by 05.38 UTC. The airplane named Solar Impulse 2 had a 71 hours 8 minutes uninterrupted flying time. The Flight 15 in the series of the first Round-The-World Solar Flights without fuel covered a distance of 6765 km, flying electric with solar energy of 1388 kWh, zero fuel and zero emissions. Piccard’s transatlantic adventure was anchored on research and development in aviation powered by the sun.

This country is going through a lot of stress at the moment. The proliferation of militant groups into which the tide of brigands has been flowing is gradually becoming a fixed feature on the terrain of our lives. It has removed a lot from our individual safety as well as the general security of many communities all over the country. When the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta erupted a few years back, it seemed to have a steady vision —the empowerment of the people of that area. It also had a cause. The grievance was, and is still, perceptible: the source of the nation’s wealth had nothing to show for the exploitation of the resources which left the people impoverished, while citizens of other regions benefited from the wealth thus produced. The insistence of the people thus negatively affected was left unaddressed chiefly because those in power were in the majority, and were also from the profitably affected areas. It took the episodes of Ken Saro-Wiwa and Adaka Boro to direct the sufferings and resentments of the people towards a violent resolution.

Tragedy was averted weekend as three unidentified aged pensioners slumped during the verification exercise organised by the Lagos State Local Government Pension Board, for pensioners. The incident which temporarily halted the verification exercise occurred when the pensioners were struggling to submit their forms to government officials for verification. The exercise which took place at the old Lagos Secretariat, adjacent the Nigeria Police College, Ikeja, attracted hundreds of elderly persons in their 70s and 80s.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has postponed Round of 16 matches of this year’s Federation Cup competition in the men’s category, as well as quarter-final matches of the women’s category.

Two weeks ago, we talked about getting our priorities right as spouses and parents. This is just an addendum. I do not know what the person who coined the phrase “better half” had in mind, but spouses must strive to be just that in every sense of the phrase to their wives/husbands. As a better half you have an obligation to make your spouse a better person. It is, therefore, a failing if after a while in matrimony, your spouse is worse than before you met him/her. Complement his/her strength and make up for his/her weaknesses. Your spouse should feel incomplete without you in the normal everyday living. We know we are mortals and dispensable, but as long as you breathe, be indispensable in spouse’s life. You are on shaky grounds in your marriage if your spouse can operate as if you do not exist, as if he/she is whole. If he/she is whole, who are you half to (we are not even talking of “better half” now)?