PROFESSOR Gates piece was published in The Nation Monday, April 26 2010 edition. As to be expected the problem he was addressing was elegantly stated in the introductory paragraphs reproduced below:

GOSPEL preacher, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, once said something about poverty which opened my eyes wider on the subject. I started seeing the subject in a different light thereafter. Being one of the Christian evangelists who preach prosperity and the reality of miracles, Oyakhilome enjoined his adherents and viewers never to link themselves with poverty.

Just like anger, I try not to be swayed by euphoria or charm, its best to wait till reason and facts emerge before acting. It is possible to feel trapped in a strait jacket of expectations to be nice even when people take undue advantage and are rude. So I had my day. Luckily I didn’t snap anyone’s head off and apart from sounding like a serial killer on the phone, virtually no damage was done; it was just one of those damn days.

A window into the bizarre and dysfunctional state of justice in Nigeria reveals that some judges use silly legal technicalities to protect Very Important Criminals (VICs),particularly those that occupied (or are occupying) top political positions nationwide.

The argument was reinforced and enforced by the population of the North which they claim they can move to decide who rules Nigeria. I am beginning to hear that the South South are saying that they have the oil which they can decide who takes control of! They say you must use what you have to get what you want. So, you see, the stakes are rising