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.”

Dennis Akagha is the first Nigerian to have opened up after surviving the dreaded Ebola virus in Nigeria.

Last week, I told you that I was abducted from my Port Harcourt residence last month and held by kidnappers for nearly 13 days in a remote creek location. This terrible experience has inspired me to reflect deeply about the meaning of Life and has taught me a few lessons that I’d like to share with you: Before the kidnappers abducted me, they entered my bedroom and demanded my jewellery.