President Ebele Jonathan is easily recognizable, by virtue of his surname, as a Christian. He is also apparently the church-going variety with an appreciably increasing frequency in his public appearance in churches over the past two years, or so.

The first time I visited the hinterland of any Niger-Delta region was for a funeral. It was over 30 years ago, but that visit has been etched in my memory since then. Dusk, and a light shower, were darkening the skies as we got to Warri.

Last Saturday the world celebrated the International Women’s Day with pomp and pageantry. Wonderful; but what about the continued dehumanization and degradation of the womenfolk? What about girl-child discrimination in our society?

I was very pleased when I heard that Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, had been appointed Vice-Chair of the upcoming National Conference. I know Akinyemi personally and respect him enormously and have long regarded him as one of Nigeria’s best human resources.

When calls for the invitation of Mikel Obi to the national team became loud and pressure on Keshi was evident I was compelled to reveal, in this column, why Keshi left out Mikel at that time.

IN 1992, (then) Rev Father Matthew Hassan Kukah wrote an interesting book entitled: Religion, Politics and Power in Northern Nigeria. Though the focus was on the North, it ended up a great eye opener to understand the mentality of the Northern establishment that inherited power from the British colonialists. That book shot (now) Monsignor Kukah to national and international limelight as an intellectual titan.

STRONG man, Sani Abacha, had no reason to begin to provide for failure since he was sure that nothing was going to prevent him from transforming himself to the life president of Nigeria. Such a man had no cause to begin to disguise his loots. He was, therefore, an archetype of a Nigerian thief who could steal with impunity.

NEXT Monday, the National Conference will be inaugurated in Abuja. From that date, at least 490 Nigerians (looks like the opposition APC is determined to push a boycott of the process) will begin what will certainly be one of the most controversial gatherings in recent Nigerian history.

THE pattern is clear. The more bloodcurdling the atrocities of Boko Haram the louder the calls for dialogue with the band of murderous psychopaths whose official name is Jama’atuAhlissunnahLidda’awatiWal-Jihad.

ACTIVITIES marking Nigeria’s centenary climaxed a fortnight ago with an elaborate award ceremony in the country’s capital, Abuja. This was to honour Nigerians from diverse fields for what we were made to understand was their contribution to the development of the country.