“Government targets 10m jobs by 2011.”THE GUARDIAN, May 13, 2008. President Yar’Adua, May 12, 2008, at the Inter-Ministerial Retreat on the Harmonisation of National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) 2008-2011, at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

IN Romans, Paul says God imputes righteousness by faith alone based on David’s assertion in Psalm 32: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

One could feel the anger and the frustration behind each text message we received on our piece on how fuel pumps attendants short-change customers. Maybe many of us are still smarting from the recent hefty fuel hike, and the current exorbitant costs of kerosene and diesel; or perhaps just the stress of having to cope with many things that don’t work in our beloved country. However, everyone who wrote in was displeased with all the fuel-related problems we have to endure.

Mrs. Anne Lawal is the Senior Programme Officer of Baobab for Women’s Human Rights, a non-governmental organization in the forefront of promoting the rights of women and girls. She spoke with Vista Woman recently in commemoration of the year 2012 International Women’s Day, highlighting progress made on issues affecting women and girls. Her words:

When the new acting Inspector General of Police, IGP, first ordered the numerous police check-points, nationwide, to be dismantled, few people believed him. To be candid, I never did; and for good reason. Every IGP since Babangida’s administration, had announced that those illegal and shameless toll gates be removed – without success.

On Wednesday (28/03/12) I heard it for the umpteenth time. It was the 4th Bola Tinubu Colloquium on the eve of the 60th birthday. Chief Emeka Anyaoku , a seasoned diplomat, said what some other Nigerians have said and what Nigerians are still saying. Even he put a fiat, and that is not also new: that to break up the country will not be entertained. And that is not to say that yours truly have not said that a number of times.

The kid-glove attitude to, and glamorisation of, high level corruption at the top echelons of business, politics, and other institutions of state by government implies that most public officials in Nigeria are corrupt, and that corruption is official in the country.

A friend of mine sent me an e-mail last week, and his question in his mail was both amusing and troubling. He asked me to confirm that “our children in America are planning to build a university in our village.” Of course, “our children in America” are planning no such thing.

If the current Senate President, Senator David Mark decides to contest the next Presidential election, he would surely be missed for his contributions to legislation in Nigeria, particularly his leadership of the National Assembly for two consecutive terms. This is thus a good junction to draw his attention to a subject which if reorganized under his watch can leave his name in gold.

A bridge by definition is a structure built to connect areas separated by uneven or unpassable terrain; bridges are built over bodies of water and they make travel by land shorter and even possible. Bridges are a necessity for travel and our cars and trains travel on them constantly.

Nigeria is surely not showing good examples as the self-acclaimed giant of Africa. From one ridiculous drama to another, Nigeria’s leadership orientation has been one that leaves many mouths gaping about our self-inflicted predicament. We preach what we do not practice.

I received a call that I was going to be on a movie set. I had not shot a film in the past one year . My script was emailed to me, I read it, studied my character, outlined my scenes and got ready to leave on March 20,2012, for my location which was in Enugu.

Once again, the National Examinations Council has had cause to bemoan the woeful results of its Senior School Certificate Examination results. The deplorable returns have been going on for some years without any sign of a change for the better. It is really an aspect of the general awful development of deterioration in our educational system. The situation in our tertiary institutions is no less appalling.

I wonder if she had any premonition of how that day was going to end for her… I’m sure her main focus was simply to get through the high profile night without any mishap. No doubt the organizers would have talked her through the process, and as her citation was being read, she must have been going through her acceptance speech through her head.

Sports minister Bolaji Abdullahi was still wallowing in his innocence when he promised to visit aggrieved members of the football family to prostrate to them and beg for peace.