NIGERIAN Students were in disarray in 1981. After their heroic but deadly battle against military dictatorship three years earlier, they were now in factions. The Obasanjo regime had in 1978, sought to smash the Student Movement by banning the National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS). Students had responded by establishing a bigger umbrella, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) which incorporated students from all tertiary institutions.

ONE of the most controversial personalities ever to don the cassock, is on his way to sainthood. After a quarter of century of protests and resistance, including by the church in his country, Oscar Romero has been beatified by the Catholic Church. This is coming eighteen years after then Pope John Paul II personally took up the battle to honour him.

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, is not a party in itself, but a party for itself. The mere fact that a coalition declares itself a party does not mean it automatically becomes a party which is a political movement built over a period-based defined principles. A political party is like a child that needs to grow, even if that child is a weird one that defeated his father in a contest.

Canada is perceived as a liberal country. Compared to neighbouring United States of America, USA, Canada’s racial tension seems lower, and the government accepts that it has the responsibility to provide basic services, including welfare, healthcare and social insurance. Opportunity for education is so good that many from the under-developed world make it a place of first choice.

The contest for the Senate Presidency yesterday, was billed to be one of the major fights of the current political dispensation. It was one between Senator Ahmad Lawan backed by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and his fellow party man, Senator Bukola Saraki who refused to step down despite losing the party’s endorsement.