“Every government is run by liars and nothing they say should be believed”. I.F Stone. US Journalist, 1929. (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS p 80).

“What sort of people do they think we are?” Sir Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister during World War II, in reply to Hitler’s demand for the British to surrender while under German bombardment.

Two friends, Professors, intelligent but not wise, were among several millions who proclaimed that they voted for GEJ but not PDP last year. One, a top ASUU executive, repented early when Jonathan failed to redeem the pledge he made to them before the election.

For a nation so heavily dependent on export of crude oil, our greatest fear should have been a global recession substantially reducing the price of crude because that would take us back to 1983-86 when the price of crude went below $15 per barrel. Today, we will be in dire straits if it fell below $90. The revolution so glibly invited by some leaders of thought will occur sooner than they think.

President Nixon succeeded Lyndon Johnson, who voluntarily rejected the second term bid once he found his country sharply divided, and, he, the President was the centre of all the raging and violent controversies. Nixon was later consumed by a crime called the Watergate Affair.

Commonsense is not common; otherwise the majority of voting adults in Nigeria who were announced according to the results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, could not have marched to the polling booths, nationwide, April last year, freely and overwhelmingly voted for Goodluck Jonathan, despite warnings on this page, only to now turn around now and wring their fingers while the “bull” they have pulled into our “China Shop” is wrecking the joint.

Poor Justice Isa Ayo Salami, the embattled former President of the Court of Appeal who was recommended for reinstatement from suspension by the National Judicial Council, NJC. The Council, undoubtedly, must have been inspired by the admonition of Lord Mansfield, 1705-1793, the English jurist, who left the world with the immortal words: “We must not regard political consequences, how formidable so ever they might be, if rebellion was the certain consequence. We are bound to say: “Fiat justina et ruant coeli (let justice be done, though the Heavens fall)”.

Last week I ended this series by stating that President Jonathan does not know those behind the Boko Haram threat; neither does the National Security Adviser, NSA. They don’t know, not because they are incompetent or lack the will, as some have asserted but because we are engaged in a guerilla war in which the opponents of government forces know the JTF and Police but the forces cannot readily identify the terrorists.

First of all, let me apologise for my error about the Rt. Reverend Oladunjoye. He is still the Bishop of Owo Diocese and not retired. My sincere regrets on this Sir!

“I CAN TELL YOU THAT President Goodluck Jonathan knows those behind this ugly act. He is taking it with levity; he has refused to expose them. The President is demonstrating his weakness and telling the whole world that he is not capable of ruling the nation.

“This world is a comedy to those who think; a tragedy to those who feel”. Horace Walpole, 1676-1745.

HE personally authorized the disbursement of N50m for 109 senators then, as well as other sums of money, which amounted to an excess of N8b to pass the third term bill into law”.

“Money makes everything legitimate; including bastards”.Jewish proverb. (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS p 163).
And in no country is that statement truer than in Nigeria. Given loads and loads of cash, a certificate forger can be given an award, nay several awards, for integrity. It has happened before. It will happen again.

When the new acting Inspector General of Police, IGP, first ordered the numerous police check-points, nationwide, to be dismantled, few people believed him. To be candid, I never did; and for good reason. Every IGP since Babangida’s administration, had announced that those illegal and shameless toll gates be removed – without success.

When Abacha died on June 7, 1998, the world changed suddenly for a lot of people. But, for one man, Major Al-Mustapha, the world as he knew it for over four years, as Abacha’s Chief Security Officer, came to a disastrous end. For a man who headed our intelligence outfit, it was shocking that he failed to understand that he was in mortal danger. So, on Sunday, July 12, 1998, I had published the article below on this very page. If, I may say so myself, the accuracy of the prediction, after the death sentence passed on Mustapha amazed me. Read on.