THE quest for an affordable ticket had landed me with a far longer journey than necessary—a predicament that all budget travellers of the world know too well! With final destination Abuja, I had first to fly for over three hours from Austin, Texas, to New York, then nearly 6,000 kilometres overnight to Paris, before finally embarking on the six-hour trip home. I scanned the in-flight movie menu. Ali, the 2001 biopic directed by Michael Mann, starring Will Smith, was available!

When you think you have seen the ultimate in thoughtless act in Nigeria someone just emerges from the corner to raise the bar.This is what the excitable governor of Imo state,Rochas Okorocha did in the news item I reproduce below:

The news report then went on to mention various individuals making the suggestion. It is the sort of report which makes one to wonder if it is intended to be taken seriously or as a joke. But then, one is reminded of the Hubert Humphrey, 1911-1978, late Vice President of the United States, who in Madison, Wisconsin, on August 23, 1965, left the world with the gem: “The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.” The experts were wasting their time for several reasons. But before going into those reasons, it is vital to remind Nigerians of a new phenomenon in our economic landscape.

There can be no end in the foreseeable future to a do-or-die fight to be President of our nation. The unbridled struggle for the position of top dog is seemingly motivated by the prospect of exercising almost absolute power over our lives and our nation’s resources, particularly the oil proceeds from the Niger Delta. Indeed, if income derived from oil is removed from the federal purse, the federation may have to survive on less than 30% of annual budgets. Furthermore, the underbelly of the arbitrarily created 36 states and 774 local governments would also be exposed, as most of them would literarily collapse without, what some people have described as ‘blood money’ from the Niger Delta.

THE Enugu State Government refused to pay workers, Minimum Wage in 2011. The then Executive Governor, Sullivan Chime had in response to workers agitations, won or bought over some labour leaders in the state and intimidated then Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Chairman, Chumaife Nze who refused to sell out.