DID President Jonathan play Nero last week, fiddled while Rome burned? Was he at anytime in South Africa to celebrate the centenary of the African National Congress when Nigeria was held in the throes of a paralysing strike to restore oil subsidy?

THE recent national strike has brought to the fore two striking issues, our hypocrisy as a people and the need to re-examine the way we live.

REFLECTIONS in the media marking years of Democracy in Nigerian are by definition the microanalysis of Nigerian Democracy.

BEFORE I discuss Happy New Year from President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) let me start this write-up from the appropriate beginning by wishing you Happy New Year 2012, late as it may seem. My people say whenever a man wakes up is his morning. Mine comes without pains.

Different strokes for different folks.The NLC tried to make us believe that going on strike was the best way of making the government to restore the fuel subsidy. I believed them.

I am amazed and saddened by the theatrics of the government team as they push for adoption of subsidy removal by Nigerians. The tragic cast could be contenders for Nollywood Oscar Awards for superb acting skills.

“When those in office regard the power vested in them as personal prerogatives, they inevitably enrich themselves , promote their families, favour their friends. The fundamental structures of the modern state are eroded Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s Prime Minister.

“If we don’t bring sense to the public finance, we can’t do any of the good things that we want to do”-Nick Clegg- Deputy Prime Minister of United Kingdom.

Her passion is to see every child surmount autism just the way she was able to help her son who was diagnosed with the developmental disability at age 2 overcome it and move on to mainstream society. Autism is a complex neuro-developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life as a result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain.

The president flew out to South Africa just as the streets became hot last week and not before he dropped a bombshell. In a church service at Abuja, Dr. Jonathan had declared that his cabinet, Nigeria’s National Assembly, the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigerian Intelligence Services have all been infiltrated by the terrorist group, the Boko Haram.

The pattern of public communication in Nigeria has over the years been poor. Public policy is hardly ever well publicized. The people are always in the dark about a policy especially the roles they are to play to ensure its success.

Inadequate supply of power is the most critical factor crippling our drive towards economic development. It is asphyxiating the real or manufacturing sector of the economy, as many companies – small, medium, and large – have either closed down completely or moved their factories to countries with more reliable electricity, such as South Africa and Ghana.

It is very encouraging to know that our citizens are becoming more and more health-conscious, and the days of accusing our ‘enemies’ of being responsible for any ailment we or members of our families suffer from, are fast running out.

The so-called complete deregulation of the downstream sector and the removal of subsidy may seem like a purely economic policy decision, but it is so tied to larger Nigerian questions that it ought to be more rigorously debated, and government should make haste slowly. As at this moment, Nigeria operates a partial deregulation regime in the downstream sector.

The loss of a child at birth is heart-breaking; forget that you may not have even named him or her. A healthy, thriving baby should be the reward for nine months of labour.