Whistleblowers certainly have a role to play to promote accountability in public administration; however, when a nation’s Central Bank Governor turns whistleblower on an issue of substantial revenue misappropriation, then, alarm bells must ring, as the credibility of the administration, which the same Central Bank Governor serves would be called to question.

What will it take for the government to act and cleanse the nation of these cold blooded killers who are attacking, abducting, maiming and killing at will? What will it take the government to throw in the towel and admit they are powerless and clueless to stem the frequencies of the killing of innocent people, young defenseless students and teachers going about their normal business? How can we let terror reign unabated and we have our government peddling empty, meaningless and unconvincing sound bites?

President Goodluck Jonathan’s government published the list of individuals it honored to mark Nigeria’s centenary and not unexpectedly it roused serious public umbrage. This administration is just simply plodding from one misstep into another, for in releasing that list, the Jonathan administration showed a total ignorance of history and the symbolism that accompanies every historical proclamation. Again, here, the president was offered poor guidance in the choices that he announced publicly.

The authorities of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, ably led by the Honourable Minister, have been working very hard to rid the nation’s capital of undesirable elements. Ever since that great friend of poor people, Malam El-Rufia, formerly of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, became Minister, they have been demolishing homes and shops, as well as the dwellings of poor people, which they call shanties – as if any really destitute person can afford palatial mansions. Malam El-Rufai is now a leading member of the All Progressive Alliance, APC, the opposition party – some of whose governors have also been demolishing buildings like the demon.

It started out as a Sunday morning service like every other one in a Lekki, Lagos parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). One of the church workers was at the podium briefing the congregation on the up-coming events of the week. Nobody thought anything was unusual when the pastor’s wife came to the pulpit and asked to address the church. Nobody thought that to be out of the ordinary, until she started speaking.

This is one of the root causes of politics-with-bitterness, largely responsible for the notion noted at the beginning of this discourse that politics in Nigeria is a dirty game. If politicians conduct themselves within constitutional bounds, political excitement is less likely to cause problems. But our politicians are yet to internalise self-restraint, democratic culture and patriotism that will dampen the urge to cause trouble by channelling political excitement to harmless or less destructive outlets.

The indisputable breaking news of the immediate past week was the killing by suspected insurgents of several students of the Federal Government College, Bun Yadi, Yobe State. Whereas, different accounts of what transpired centred on about the same content, everyone had a different version of the number of students affected. During a sympathy visit to the school by the state governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, a Senior Master in the institution, Ibrahim Abdul, confirmed that Twenty-nine students were killed. He added that 11 other students sustained gunshot wounds in the attack. Abdul’s report was corroborated by the Commissioner of Police in the state, Sanusi Rufai who also confirmed 29 dead.

The art of stargazing is a pleasure confined to history, to easier times when life wasn’t running at such a frantic pace. Most heads are so bowed by problems they don’t ever look up at the sky, even if they caught brief glimpses, the sight of a glistening cosmos is blocked by pollution, giant buildings and artificial lights. To most people the stars are barely there, they don’t shine like in the stories!! The reality is that stars have become shadowy, hidden and obscured.

When the news broke that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Africa’s biggest oil producer, is facing questions about where billions of dollars in oil money is going amid suspicions of fraud and it being siphoned among other things, the first thing that came to my mind was how my own family missed out on the whole thing.

The media outlets have been full of the news…on the television, in the radio and newspaper. The CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has been suspended.