Do you want to live long? If yes, read the secrets of longevity from his Royal Majesty, Ovie Richard Layeguen Ogbon, Ogoni-Oghoro 1, the Ohworode of Olomu Kingdom, Delta State: “First and foremost, the secret is God Almighty; it is a special gift from God to be alive till this moment. I cannot say because I am a king, hence I have long life…I take good care of myself, I don’t eat anyhow, I regulate whatever I eat and avoid any food that would have negative effects on my health.

You have to be courageous to make predictions of any sort. Or foolhardy. I don’t consider myself to be either. But as a journalist and a Nigerian, I have seen predictions come and go. I have seen some that are very vague and ambiguous. One revered man of God once predicted ‘All is well that ends well’ at the onset of Ebola and the raging Boko Haram insurgency. Was that really a prediction or edging a bet? It reminds one of the story of a native doctor who told a pregnant woman that was brought to him that the pregnancy would produce a healthy baby.

Last year, I was approached by a young man who was looking for a job. When I checked out his CV and references and heard his intelligent answers to the difficult questions I asked him, I concluded that he had a good character and sophisticated brain…and would be very useful to anyone who hired him.

IN the days of innocence, the preachment was ‘Blessed are the peace makers’. In these days of globalisation, rather than make peace, nations tend to stoke the fires of conflict. So is it with the Saudi Arabia-Iran spat which began with the January 2, 2016 mass execution of forty seven persons after trials which even the usually complacent United Nations described as raising “serious concerns over the nature of the charges and the fairness of the process”

2016 is here! As the old year hurtled into memory, we can look forward to the portents for the New Year. Every country plans against the backdrop of expectations built within the context of the old year. We had exited last year with the excitement following the 2015 elections and change of government, tempered by the hard reality of a serious economic crisis. Household budgets have taken a severe knock as Nigerians go through a very difficult time; but we averted the danger that would have descended, if President Goodluck Jonathan’s PDP administration had achieved re-election. Nigeria pulled itself from the edge of a precipice, by voting for change, but for change to be more than just a slogan, there is a lot of work on hand for all of us. Nigeria must abandon the old ways and consciously make a different set of choices. But this is where the problem lies. The more things change, the more they have remained same in our country