A LITTLE over six years ago, Jigawa State was rated by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, as the poorest state in Nigeria. At a public lecture in Kaduna, former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Prof Charles Soludo, after reviewing the figures from across the North, reached the sad conclusion thus: “Poverty is still a Northern phenomenon”.

IT took Egypt only two years after its first taste of democracy to give the latest demonstration of Africa’s abiding paradox: every flower of hope is turned sooner, rather than later, into the weed of despair.

THE Eastern Cape Province is the birth place of Nelson Mandela, the 94 years old ailing father of South Africa’s multi-racial society. It is the natal home of the Xhosa and arrival point of the 1820 settlers.

ONE person’s atrocity does not excuse another’s and revenge is not the motive. It is good governance.

The announcement by the US President to provide an intervention fund worth $7 billion to seven countries in Africa, including Nigeria, should be regarded as a major embarrassment to this country and a vote of no confidence in our ability to solve the power problem by ourselves.

LET me observe, first of all, that the ongoing merger effort by the political parties wanting to form the All Progressives Congress, APC, is approaching a milestone. It has got to the level of sharing of interim national offices, with the expected charged outcomes.

In the absence of the usual compliment of effusive media adverts, the special interview granted a select group of editors was probably the most public event in the recent celebration of Babatunde Raji Fashola’s (BRF) 50th birthday!

It was Tony Bekeredemo of Brila FM who called to inform me about the suspension of Rangers by CAF and I felt very bad. I wondered why Shooting Stars should protest to CAF, knowing the circumstances of such a protest.

On Saturday June 29, 2013, an election was held in Oguta constituency of Imo State. The umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, says it could not declare a winner because the contest was inconclusive. This time around, those who are usually fast at commending the Jega led INEC have been a bit cautious. The truth however is that INEC has never performed above average.

Once again, another round of insensate indefinite strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has paralysed academic activities in federal and state universities nationwide.