A man who has lived the greater part of his life in opulence having made money early in life and the latter years in superlative opulence—according to the picture of one of his homes that went viral—having allegedly appropriated the commonwealth of his people, recently changed his address, albeit unwillingly, to a much poorer abode.

In any case, Tunde Fowler is gone. He has been replaced by a man of lesser visibility if not pedigree. The same day, Muiz Banire, the Chairman of AMCON was removed. Some will say rather unceremoniously. Some will say it was in line with the provision of the institution. Both are Yoruba men. Both were replaced with Northerners. Ordinarily, it shouldn’t matter where a replacement comes from as long as a better man gets the job.

It was palpable; this air of expectancy. I felt it as soon as I drove into Police College Ikeja, for the second of my twice weekly exercise. I felt it in the banners that were conspicuously placed in strategic places; I felt it in the white chairs and the huge tents that took over the playing fields; I felt it in the huge loudspeakers that faced outwards rather than inwards; I felt it in the kiosks that were already bursting with activities; I felt it in the excitement of the young men and women as they trickled in with tracts in their hands; I felt it and I sighed. It is that time of the year again. What I had just seen were the trappings of another end-of-the-year vigil.

I cringed when I read the word ‘reckless’ in the comment attributed to President Buhari at his party’s NEC meeting. It was allegedly said when he was trying to disabuse the minds of Nigerians through the party executives, on a possible Third Term Agenda. He had used age and the constitution as his defence.

My phone ‘died’ on me for nearly two weeks last month. It was an unnerving experience. Unnerving because I didn’t realise how dependent I am – we all are – on that little flat gadget we can’t seem to let out of our sight for a second. It is, for many, more faithful than a dog, more intimate than a lover and more efficient than a secretary. Unfortunately, it could also be more addictive than cocaine. It is the ultimate alter ego. Embedded in those tiny chips is the entire life of their users including secrets they would not want even their best friends to know. Phones come in various shapes and sizes. But whatever the shape or sophistication, the aim is the same; to take over the life of their owners. And we willingly let them. To the extent that all you need is a day with someone’s phone and you would be able to profile the person accurately enough to live in that person’s world comfortably.