The writings of Peter Enahoro who turned 80 recently played a part in my taking to journalism. I interviewed him in 1979 when he came back from a 13-year self –imposed exile. I also interviewed him in 1981 when he launched ‘Africa Now’, a pan African news magazine. These two interviews reveal a bit about his person and his craft. I have taken excerpts from them as my tribute to this icon of African journalism. Enjoy!

Rita Dominic: Rita Dominic’s heavenly skin is even more famous than her luscious lips, get-lost eyes and sweet voice and acting ability. Once asked the secret, she replies:

Imo State is one state where anyone who passes by would definitely ask questions. I am interested in one major question and that is: who is at the helm of affairs here? As simple as the question seems, it is indeed overloaded. I want to say, one would want to know the person or persons who are responsible for the developments or non-developments in the state. Should I say that I have asked the question, times without number; even though I think I know the answer.

The first time a woman came to us with a complaint that her husband was sexually abusing their three children—two girls and a boy—I told her: “Madam, two things, either you are mad to accuse your husband of such heinous deeds or your husband is mad to lay his hands on his own children.” Incest, specifically father-daughter liaison, has been with humankind for a long time. Lot not only slept with but deflowered his two daughters (please leave the drunkenness details for another day. Deflowering two virgins in two successive days without being conscious of the act must be one of the mysteries in the Bible) Genesis 19: 32-35.

It seems as if the minds of many Nigerians are finally fixed for the crucial election of February 14, 2015 even if some people have serious doubts about the ability of the electoral umpire to be fully ready for the show.

Longstanding readers of this column might recall that I was extremely unhappy when my Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, spectacularly fell out with the Presidential Duo – Dr Goodluck and Dame Patience Jonathan – in 2013.

SPEAKING last week at the Chatham House in London, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki, suggested the postponement of the February 2015 elections by three months, in order to enable the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) distribute outstanding Permanent Voters Cards (PVC). The figures being bandied around say that about 30 million of such cards were yet to be given out to prospective voters. The NSA who spoke during a Q-and-A session, told his audience that he had suggested to the INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, that a postponement by three months was allowed by law and that it would be a good idea to delay, to give INEC more time to distribute millions of biometric voters’ cards to voters.

TODAY, we shall attempt to follow petrol on its journey from 6 kobo to N97 per litre – from General Yakubu Gowon to President Goodluck Jonathan. It has been a journey in which the Federal Government has always portrayed fuel price hikes as the panacea to every problem in the economy.

THE King of Saudi Arabia recently passed away and I must confess that what interested me most in the news reports over the weekend were the images of Saudi streets, infrastructure and people. Saudi Arabia is not a democracy.

ONE of the cherished traditions of developed democracies is the creation of fora for contestants to public office to sell their programmes to the electorate before live audiences. Contestants present their party’s manifestoes and planned activities on attaining power in form of debates that are often transmitted live to audiences via the broadcast media. These events are organized and moderated by select members of the mass media and others, not party partisans. This is especially the case for contestants to high offices like that of president. Since the 1960s, no presidential election takes place in America without a presidential debate. It is just a convention of American democracy that is now widely accepted and practiced the world over. It may not be a constitutional requirement but no candidate into elective office who wishes to be taken seriously spurns it.