THE Niger Delta may witness a new dawn going by last Tuesday’s meeting between leaders of the Region and President Muhammadu Buhari. It was all polite; the leaders paid the normal complements and presented a 16-point Agenda that can revive and develop the Region. The President responded giving some assurances. But it was a much more serious affair.

AIRSTRIKES, the pounding of the ground by powerful bombs raining from the skies, is on-going in three countries of the Middle East. Although the targets and victims including armed and unarmed persons, the strong and the weak, children and the elderly, women and children, schools and hospitals, are the same, they elicit different reactions. This depends on who is dropping the bombs, which side is doing the killing, who is doing the dying and who benefits economically or politically.

MANY Nigerians live in a bewildering world. They cannot make sense of their circumstances as poverty struts the land like a conquering giant with its Siamese twin, hunger, battling many to submission.

THE President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC , Joseph Kabila this week, got his country’s general elections, slated for November 28, 2016, postponed to July, 2018. His tenure after two terms and a fifteen-year rule was to end this December. Now he has extended it by over 19 months; that is if he ever hands over power willingly.

NIGERIA witnessed a rare occurrence last Thursday, October 20. The 40th Oba of Benin, Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II was crowned. The last coronation which is steeped in rich history and tradition, was 37 years ago.

THE world is at war. In most parts, this year that marks the Centenary of the First World War, is witnessing horrendous conflicts. In that war, the main actors proclaimed, ‘no more wars!’ Twenty three years later, they were back in a ‘war to end all wars’.

VILLAGERS early in the morning on their way to farm found the tortoise tied up in front of his father-in-law’s house. On enquiry, the in-law narrated how the tortoise stole the yams in his barn.

AFRICA, beloved of God has many sons and daughters. Some of them in ancient Egypt gave the world its modern civilisation. It also gave Greece its philosophy which became the basis of Western thought and philosophy. However, a different race whom our Seers had warned us against, swooped and enslaved almost all of Africa’s children. In pain and in tears, through our sweat and blood we struggled for freedom. That was years before the whole humanity agreed that the right of a people to self-determination is non-negotiable.

NIGERIA is in dire financial straits. Nothing better typifies this than the free fall of the Naira in an import- dependent country. Between 2013 and 2014, the currency was quite stable at N160 to the dollar.

THERE are communities who allegedly rejoice at the prospect of war. In Nigeria, the Ijesha people in the Western part are said to be one of such. But generally, nobody or group rejoice in fighting wars unless there are territorial or material benefits to gain, some point to be made or ego to massage.