If these occurrences were diseases induced by germs or viruses we would have raised a national alarm for them to be eradicated. Since August 15, 2010 when a loaded trailer sent 42 people to early graves, nothing less than 50 others have met the same fate courtesy of the monsters on wheels.

For the sake of those who might not be familiar with the way trouble started let me quickly summarise. Mrs Jonathan was a guest of the people of Okrika because she is (emphasis mine because this has an important bearing on the case) an indigene of Okrika. As protocol, or “apple polishing”, demanded, the Governor accompanied her and even planned a dinner for her after the visit to Okrika.

“Why not “step aside”, to borrow the words of another failure, and let Nigeria march to her destiny? Perhaps, his departure might even help to undo the harm done by a cynical former president”.

As usual, his supporters wanted to know if there was something personal in my remarks. They could not, of course, accuse me of tribalism that time. Yar’Adua/Jonathan followed with the unwieldy seven-point agenda; I counseled three – power, roads and resolution of the Niger Delta conflict for the first term and others for the second –if ever there was a second.

In the year 1987, after an exhaustive study, personally funded, I sent a detailed report to Babangida’s Minister of Transport (name withheld for personal reasons) pointing out that in a few years, motorcycles (okada or achaba) would become the major means of urban transport on account of SAP.