IT began like yesterday, with those sad incidents of losing loved ones, our own Richard Animam, Uche Okafor and Gideon Njoku in the early part of the year.

LAST week, I told you about a Benue Art exhibition reception I attended in Washington while I was visiting America a couple of weeks ago.

Another year has passed since Nigeria celebrated fifty years of Independence with fanfare. A year after that event, nothing spectacular has happened except the general elections including the presidential one whose result is still subject of litigation. Of course, the Boko Haram bombs are still a sad reminder of dreadful general insecurity in the country.

IN days of old, before the interlopers descended on Africa and imposed their own version of discipline and decorum, there were kings who claimed divine origin. Because of this, their subjects were not supposed to see them eating. Anyone who did, was promptly dispatched to his ancestors.

WHEN, at the middle of a public presentation, Malcolm X (1925-1965) alluded to when he was in prison, he was surprised that people were surprised.

I DON’T know about you. But for me, the speech made by President Goodluck Jonathan at the National Christian Centre, Abuja last Sunday, was the most soulful he has ever made. The President is not known for his biting, piercing or inspiring speeches. Oratory is not one of his special attributes.

THIS week, an emergency meeting of the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council, held in Kaduna. These are not the best of times for all the institutions of leadership in Northern Nigeria. The traditional rulers historically double as religious and community leaders.

THE 21st day of September is celebrated around the world as World’s Peace Day, a day dedicated to the promotion of all that is peaceful in human culture. The world sure needs peace, lots of it in these times that try the souls of even the most complacent.

In recent times, we have been lamenting the dismal results released by the West African Examination Council, WAEC and the National Examination Council, NECO. Members of the House of Representatives considered the matter of grave national importance that it tabled it for debate on the floor of the House.

IN the first essay on the monograph of the August 2009 Minna meeting of the DA’WAH COORDINATION COUNCIL OF NIGERIA, DCCN, on the “Boko Haram”, I called attention to the fact that initially the DCCN saw the Boko Haram as a Muslim matter and was primarily concerned with how the majority of orthodox Islam in Nigeria was to respond to the Boko Haram group.

From September 1-11 2011 in Ravenna Italy, Nigerians sat through a harrowing experience as their decimated beach soccer team, faced a herculean task in the 5th FIFA beach Soccer competition.

When I got the invitation to tour Nasarawa State along with four other prominent opinion leaders in the media I was excited. I visited the state as part of a presidential entourage when it was still part of old Plateau in 1992. On that occasion we made whistle stops at Lafia and Keffi where we paid courtesy calls on the traditional rulers and military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, commissioned a couple of projects.

The Dream Economy envisioned in government’s “‘Vision 20:2020’ seeks to position Nigeria as one of the top 20 economies in the world by the year 2020. In economic terms, this translates to having a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of at least US$900 billion by that date compared to about US$212 billion as at 2008″ – (Source: Nigeria Vision 2020 Economic Transformation Blueprint – pg. 26, work-in-progress as at 5/10/2009).

“If you are looking for trouble, you’ve come to the right place” Notice on the wall of a tavern in Kansas City in the days of the Wild Wild West in the America c1760.

Two Sundays ago was the anniversary of the devastation that the world would rather forget. It was 10 years ago and the world has not allowed itself to forget.