“In spite of the effusive enthusiasm of this Administration, some Nigerians refuse to celebrate the recent debt relief conditions granted by our major creditors of the Paris club. “Under the terms of the Paris club deal, Nigeria will see $18bn of its total debt of $30bn canceled on condition that it pays the remaining $12.4bn between now and March 2006.

Let me at this point admit some of the constraints you and the president have. His selection and emergence as president have elevated some people into positions of prominence which will be lost if he steps aside. He is also keenly aware of the constitutional provisions stipulating that the vice president should take over if he resigns his office. Since the office of president was zoned to the North in 2007 that would mean that power will rotate back to the South in less than four or even eight years.

SUCH a technocrat, with a track record of good performance in his or her chosen field, of course, should be supported by deputy vice-chancellors who are thoroughbred academics.

The beauty of the project is the re awakening of our zeal for the things of God. The project for me took God out of the Bible and I saw real life miracles happening all around. The Bible says “they overcame with the blood of the lamb and the words of their testimony”and I know many people will overcome when they hear the testimonies that prove that God is still very much in the business of everyday miracles.

The nation’s political atmosphere is heating up unnecessarily over the issue of President Yar’Adua’s ill-health. This is putting the entire question into a negative perspective altogether.