Recently, a stowaway was found dead in the wheel compartment of an aircraft belonging to a Nigerian airline after it landed in South Africa. A few days later, the news just fizzled out. Some people apparently did not want the news on the front burner for long. Bringing it back to the front burner is not my intention here, so let sleeping dogs continue to lie. But I must express my discomfort with the security breach that made it possible for the stowaway to hide in the wheel compartment of the aircraft. It is a disincentive to travelling by air.

A piece of good news that heralded the New Year in the West African sub region was the successful transition of power in Ghana on January 7. It was a sign that democracy is taking root in our region in spite of the latter day antics of Yahya Jammeh of Gambia; it was a sign that the voice of the people can resonate and make a difference; it was also a sign that John Mahama, the out-going President put a system in place that allowed some transparency and level playing field.

THOSE who signed the July 4, 1776 American Declaration of Independence gave humanity one of the most imperishable declarations: “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

IN most of the policies we dish out, we are only clever by half. A case in point is the recent Federal Government pronouncement on the partial restriction on the importation of many products into Nigeria. Henceforth, there are items that cannot come into the country through the land borders. Such can only be brought in through the seaports. Meanwhile, the authorities are silent on whether those commodities can come in through the airports.

TWO days ago I read on- line, a seven-man gang-list –said to have been read out by the Nigeria Television Authority NTA- of suspects that kidnapped former Minister Bagudu Hirse. It was a list predominantly of South-Southern or South-Eastern characters confederating with some Northerners of ethnic minority extraction. None was Hausa, none was Fulani or Hausa-Fulani. In fact, none was a Muslim. Quite an unpalatable list you would say especially to cry-wolfers of hegemonic Hausa-Fulani agenda for the extermination of Christians and the Islamisation of Nigeria.