The economic principle of diminishing returns refers to a point in time when a worker, irrespective of incentives, cannot produce at the same rate, volume or quality. Thus, workers occasionally need some rest hence governments often declare public holidays for them. In 2010, we had many in Nigeria.

When a few weeks back, Mrs. Ayoka Adebayo, the Electoral Commissioner who ‘supervised’ the rerun Ekiti Governorship election reportedly resigned her appointment, it was hasty if not scaring to rejoice over the cheering news. We doubted it because to start with, we could not immediately verify the story.

Anyone who regularly monitors our legislators would, like this column, easily see the correlation between legislation in Nigeria and dance steps. For us the experience has been overwhelming.

In major cities of the world, highways are usually beautifully expansive. Each one is built to serve as a dual carriage-way with multiple lanes of traffic in each direction, separated by a central barrier.

A University convocation lecturer is expected to make fundamental statements for the progress of society. Indeed, the occasion is not for generalized comments that add nothing to nothing. Rather, it is an apt opportunity to take a hard look at society, point to its most problematic areas and take a stand.

Chief Edwin Kiagbode Clark is one foremost Ijaw leader who has become a household name in Nigeria on account of his struggle against the oppression of minorities by the larger ethnic groups. He has singlehandedly and severally helped to raise legal teams to assist minority rights activists.

Some people imagine that the 2011elections would be successful because of the calibre of the present INEC. They have a point. But if Jega’s team follows the ‘jack of all trade’ posture of its predecessors, then we have cause to fear.

Many societal problems have defied solution in Nigeria. Poor public power supply and failed elections are among those which easily come to mind. But the king of them all is the issue of corruption- a phenomenon which has been part of our national life from time immemorial.

It was heart warming some two weeks back when in far away Vienna, Mrs Deziani Alison-Madueke was celebrated as Nigeria’s first female oil minister. Lucky woman!

Since the Court of Appeal flawed the Ekiti Governorship re-run election , many analysts have called for the removal of Mrs Ayoka Adebayo, the then Ekiti State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC).

The first Electoral Commission of Nigeria (ECN) was set up in 1958. The name later changed to the Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO). For a while, each of the Commissions operated like a task force that was dissolved now and again thereby depriving the system of continuity.

Accordingly, the PDP would understandably continue to speak from the two sides of its mouth on the subject until D-Day. It will still win elections because it is the ruling party in a nation where there is no opposition party.