THE first and only time I met Mahfoud Ali Beiba a veteran of the continent’s liberation wars was in December 2009. As a twenty-year old in 1973, he and some youths led by his friend, El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed had founded the Popular Front For The Liberation Of Saguia El Hamra And Rio de Oro (POLISARIO) to fight for the independence of their country, Western Sahara from the colonial grip of Spain. Sayed was the General Secretary of the movement and Beiba his deputy.

THE present crop of governors in charge of the affairs of states of the South East zone has represented the Igbo heartland extremely well. They have demonstrated an admirable degree of collective purpose, which was not there between 1999 and 2007, when each of the previous governors behaved like crazy political buccaneers.

Last week, the Digital Bridge Institute; an international centre for communication studies running currently in the country in conjunction with Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Georgia Tech University and the MacArthur Foundation presented a 3-day workshop on the Enhancement of Civil Society use of ICTs in Nigeria.

Global hardware makers and printing solution providers, HP has unveiled a new category of web enabled printing solutions designed for the cloud that will, for the first time, allow people to Print from any email device to any new ePrint-enabled printer from anywhere in the world through the new HP ePrint technology ( as well as s tore documents or files in the cloud and print direct when needed.

These are the best of times for Nigeria football. I swear.At times like this all you need to do is,wake up in the morning, send someone to buy you the dailies and digest them with glee.

THE Federal Government’s hosting in London last week of the two-day summit on our 50th independence anniversary continues to draw fire from critics. The summit which saw an impressive outing by ministers, state governors, National Assembly members and leaders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is being characterised as a waste of federal and state government resources; a needless depletion of our foreign exchange paying for travels, upkeep and generous foreign travel allowances.

Though, even back in the olden days, the act is usually received with mixed feelings among diverse people. However, with the era of male supremacy gradually fading out, and more women gaining financial and educational leverage, many, including men, now see wife battering as an attack and abuse of the supposedly weaker sex. Add to this is the enactment of laws by at various levels of government in the country against domestic violence, some of which attract stiff penalties if found guilty of.

AFTER many nail-biting years of wondering what to do with the national football team, the Super Eagles or Super Chickens as some derisively call them, a Nigerian government finally seems set to begin the process of returning football from an agonizing and disappointing exercise of nerves to a game that has been the source of both personal and collective joy to hundreds of millions of Nigerians.

COLONIAL governments determined the security and orderly governance of colonial societies. From this structure of the provinces of the British Empire arises the statecraft challenges of the post-colonial society of independence Nigeria.

I have always taken every opportunity to say that this country is so unique that you cannot find its like any where in the world.

While their association lasted, stories often made the rounds about how “Mother Excellency” imperiously stormed the Government House to remind the Governor of the sacrifices she and her son made, especially the huge amount they allegedly spent from their family purse to put him in office.

The issue of the removal of petrol subsidy is one area that has exposed our government’s characteristic indecision and prevarication.

Hi readers! I do my bit to play the Good Samaritan, whenever I can and extend largesse to people, but I draw the line when it comes to being nice and generous to those who I know do not wish me well.

Someone told me that it is what the country did to Amodu Shuaibu, displaced Super Eagles coach, that God rewarded us for in South Africa. Was it not clear that something mysterious was happening to us? Argentina scored a goal that was queried after the event! But it led us nowhere.

They categorically did not witness any rancour except the one manufactured in the imagination of the reporter.
Akingrogun Osoba, a veritable reporter, was askance. He did not witness anything of such. Two natural rulers spent about six hours at the reception and did not remember any misbehavior. Rather there was talk of the many courses of food there were available. An Eastern Igwe was sure there were five or six – made up of snacks thrown in.