If young people are economically empowered and reoriented to think productively, then Nigeria can be sure to overcome corruption and wastefulness. This is the conviction of Rita Omovbude, the Founder/Project Leader of Street Project, a social enterprise in the heart of transforming the lives of young people.

In his thought-provoking riposte on Nigeria entitled The Trouble with Nigeria, Prof. Chinua Achebe explained that the principal reason for the horrible state of affairs in the country has nothing to do with geography or climate or the kind of food Nigerians eat. Rather, he says, the trouble with Nigeria is the recurrent blizzard of mediocre and corrupt leadership.

All eyes were on Rome for the inauguration of Pope Francis. On addressing the devoted and the world leaders immediately at the Mass where over 200,000 gathered, he called on world leaders and people all over to defend the weak. He seemed to address the leaders directly that the young, old and those in need were often neglected and ignored.

On the day that Saudi Arabia announced the beheading of seven men for stealing, Nigeria announced a presidential pardon that included two people who were convicted for stealing.

Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, PhD, GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Commander of the Armed Forces, must know something that the rest of us do not know. He wants another term in office, a desire which certain sections of the nation vehemently oppose. We all know that.

Let it never be said of our public servants that they are not working. Neither can you accuse them of lacking in long-term vision. I also dare anyone to say they lack that intrinsic intuition necessary for inspiring leadership.

PRESIDENT Jonathan has attracted near-universal condemnation, both in Nigeria and internationally, for pardoning Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, under whom he once served as a Deputy.

It can be safely assumed that democracy returned to Nigeria after the death of that military dictator, General Sanni Abacha. The return of democracy started in 1999 after the often forgotten character named General Abdusallam Abubakar terminated the 16 army rule that featured General Buhari, General Babangida and General Abacha. Thus, the Nigerian democratic experiment started in 1999 under the 1999 Constitution (as now amended).

OUR quotation above was taken from the impromptu speech made at the weekend, by Godswill Akpabio, the Akwa Ibom governor, during the South-South leg of the PDP’s reconciliation tour. As newspapers all reported last Monday, the six South-South PDP chairmen all chorused that they were truly “hungry”, and before anyone could spell Uyo, Akpabio gave a total of N6 million to the “hungry” chairmen for “lunch”.

CERTAINLY, there is something the Northern Governors Forum and Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, know about the Boko Haram which the rest of us do not know. That’s how it should be, though. It is not everything they know about their people that we should know.