India, Germany, France, UK, USA, Dubai and even South Africa. These are the favourite haunts of our elites whenever they have any ailment or any discomfort.

The greater Beiram Festival of the Muslims has ended in another glorious flourish leaving in its wake the echoes of pleas and prayers for peace all over the world. It has been thus for years past.

All you have to these days is tune in to any news station to realise what a sorry state the human condition is.

I came to the United States to cover the presidential election, but I have ended up, like most Americans, paying more attention to a more powerful natural interloper; what some now call the Great October Intrusion: Hurricane Sandy.

What has gone wrong with Nigeria? Yes, I would like to come and share our success story with you in Nigeria. When I was competing Nigeria was at the same level with Jamaica. But I don’t know why you have gone down. Yes, I’ll come to Nigeria.”

LAST week, I wrote on political and economic necessities for ensuring national stability and progress. I touched briefly on the success of the completion of the Ondo gubernatorial contest.

MOST Nigerians, in speaking, pyro-technically about the country’s problems – shouting and daring any one to contradict them – say that we no longer have a sense of shame.

ALL those who say we should thank INEC and the security agencies for the Ondo war that has just been successfully prosecuted certainly know what they are talking about.

HURRICANE Sandy still held the centre-stage attention by Tuesday morning, pushing the campaigns towards the presidential election to a second place, at least for President Barack Obama.

I AM writing these lines at the Charles DeGaulle Airport in Paris. I’m on transit to Abuja, after a troubling transatlantic flight which started from Los Angeles, California, through Atlanta and over the eastern part of the US, which was literally in lockdown as a result of the hurricane. News of that dominated the airwaves in my last two days in America.

You could be driving down the waterfront close of your estate, you pull over to the side to make a call and then the next thing, you are kidnapped; whisked away to an unknown location and a ransom of 10million naira is demanded to set you free!

THE nation is being reminded that the interests of politicians is superior to all institutions, rules and processes, including the public service and procurement processes. Events are unfolding which explain why our politics in Nigeria is so anti-people, and how politicians are running our economy aground.

MILLIONS of pounds sterling. That’s how much Bola Tinubu, former senator, former governor of Lagos State, former democrat of NADECO fame (I will explain at the end of this column), says he “spent on” Olusegun Mimiko, governor of Ondo State.

THINGS seem to be happening in our country at such pace as makes it difficult to keep track of them all. The best one can do is to select from a wide range of issues and hope that what one doesn’t see others would see.

THIS is not a defence of Chinua Achebe. He does not need one. No amount of abuse can dent his global standing. Ban or burn all his books, as someone suggested, he would only feel sorry for you, not angry.