Since the 2015 defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party in the presidential election and the exit of President Goodluck Jonathan from Aso Rock, Abuja, most prominent politicians of the PDP stock have unfolded their political fangs and persuasions. Those politicians were only interested in the benefits that come with political power, and in the words of Olusegun Obasanjo, the sweetness of the honey pot. And who is that foolish man that would stay around when the honey pot is dry and nothing to lick? Multitude of politicians are jumping ship and defecting to the APC despite the admonitions of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun to such people to remain in their party and build a formidable opposition party.

Presidents, the world over, are known to rely on the services and friendship of dependable allies, party members and even family members outside the defined and regular cabinet appointees throughout their tenure. It does not matter whether that president is Barrack Obama or Vladimir Putin, or even any of the African presidents. As a matter of fact, it was reported most recently in the media that an inner ring of President Muhammadu Buhari’s circle of friends has started digging in and influencing all the appointments made so far by him. Like it or not, that is how the presidency works, especially in a democracy. And that was how the presidency of Goodluck Jonathan operated until he was voted out of power in 2015.

IN an ironical twist of fate, West Africa has been declared free of the two-year Ebola epidemic just as the sub-region is facing a renewed disease epidemic threat in the guise of Lassa fever. For most West Africans, particularly Nigerians that had an unpalatable taste of the devastating Ebola outbreak, it isn’t yet time to heave a sigh of relief. The West African Ebola outbreak was the worst in history. Between December 2013 and November 2015, Ebola infected almost 29,000 people and claimed 11,315 lives across the sub-region and even beyond.

As the protagonists of Biafra intensify efforts for the realisation of their secession agenda, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, described the move as a dead agitation borne out of sheer ignorance and error of judgment. The former President said those involved in the current agitation for Biafra were embarking on hopeless and futile exercise, which no serious-minded Nigerian should engage in.

As Nigeria battles with the ongoing Lassa fever outbreak months after the success over Ebola, the federal government has been advised to provide Lassa rapid test kits to detect the disease on the spot.