A great drama is currently playing out in the federal government which might yet define the Jonathan presidency. It is a powerplay between the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and one of the most flamboyant public servants of the moment, Mr. Sanusi Lamido, Governor, quondam, of the Central Bank of Nigeria. On Thursday, the president, through a letter signed by the Secretary to the Federal Government, Mr. Pius Anyim, suspended Mr. Lamido from office as the Governor of the apex bank.

Rivalry is another strong motive in politics. It involves competition between at least two individuals or groups. In moderation, rivalry is good because it tends to foster healthy competition. However, if it becomes pathological, as in when an individual considers winning elections at all cost an end in itself, then many negative things are bound to happen. For example, there is some reason to believe that unhealthy rivalry between Dr. Azikiwe and Chief Awolowo was exploited by the Northern Peoples Congress, led by Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, to make political inroads in Western Nigeria, which eventually caused breakdown of law and order in the region in the early sixties.

Trust is a very big thing for most of us; trust is the key that opens the door of our hearts. Once we give someone our trust; we hand over the key to the strong room of our soul. Sadly placing trust in our fellow man can be hazardous; the Bible agrees and if you split the good book right in the middle you will find that Psalm 118 verse 8 says and I quote ” It is better to trust in The Lord than to put confidence in man”.

Are we then at war? Can we admit it at last? The proclamation that slapped a state of emergency on three States—Yobe, Adamawa and Borno —would seem to suggest that much especially from the launching of all-out hostilities on certain areas of the region.

It was over two years ago that I had the closest encounter with Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. He is a man whose dress sense is always very striking.

Increasingly, a lot of young men are entering their late 30s and early 40 and are still single. One of the reasons for the delay, according to them, is “lack of finance.”

It is generally believed that the year 2015 would mean different period to several people both in Nigeria and friendly countries. However, to the local politicians, especially the Opposition, it is the year of ‘change‘. The pessimists think otherwise – the year 2015 will signify the doom of the country.

EARLY this week, the Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima was in Abuja to brief President Goodluck Jonathan on the heightened insurgency in his state. It was coming against the background of the massacres perpetrated by Boko Haram insurgents in a huge swathe of the state. So alarming has the situation become that the Northern Governors’ Forum convened to explore issues of the widening insecurity in the region as well as efforts to find solutions. These are the worst of times indeed for innocent, often very poor people eking out a desperate livelihood in ecologically challenged environments.

EVIDENTLY, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has been quite loquacious. Since his ascendancy to the position of CBN Governor, there has been no holding the parrot’s mouth. He has made his opinion readily available on every topic, including those vexatious political issues that had nothing to do with his role as the CBN Governor.

FOLLOWING the emergence of Alhaji Adamu Muazu as the new National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, a stampede of goodwill visitors to his Wadata Plaza, Abuja office started. One of the stakeholder groups that paid him a visit was the delegation from Abia State led by the Governor, Chief Theodore Orji.