Fulani herdsmen now operate quite a distance from home—wherever that may be. Offspring of arid regions, a nomadic lifestyle is stamped on their nature, incensed by the perennial need for water both for themselves and their cattle. But their herds need more than that; they also need food by way of grass and shrubs which do not grow in their native areas.

In the last 14 years, my wife and I have been sponsors to 10 couples getting married. The job of the sponsor in the church has nothing to do with giving financial support to the couples marrying, although no be crime if sponsors give. The sponsors’ job is to encourage, guide and advise new couples to make their marriages successful. Ordinarily new couples are advised to work out their differences and avoid bringing third parties into their marriages.

As we marked Nigeria’s 55th Independence anniversary two days ago in what was low key, we examine with introspection our journey in nationhood and how patriotic or otherwise we have been or would have been in managing our petroleum resources and assets for the greatest good for the greatest number. It is time to acknowledge the fact that management bandwidths are determined by individual capabilities.

I own a green passport. In the days around Independence, this I was told, was a great privilege. A story was told to me—and I can vouch for its authenticity—by a man who was a student in England at the time of our Independence. He was to travel to a couple of European countries for some projects and a UK passport would have meant a visa free, and therefore a hassle free travel. But he declined.

The living are ever disappointed in themselves and thus crave for a return to the past. This appears escapist but it has become normal. That is why we hear statements like “the good old days.” In his play, to commemorate Nigerian independence, A Dance of the Forest, Soyinka makes the living to formally ask for the presence of all creatures at a celebration identified as “The Gathering of the Tribes.”