The arguments over the legality and propriety of the onshore-offshore dichotomy are likely to get louder and more involving in the next few months. It is safe to assume that this issue will feed existing faultlines in the nation, and will quite probably play a pivotal role in determining security issues around oil and gas, and even the 2015 elections.

As for labelling critics of the President, so-called pestle-wielding cynics, self-appointed activists, idle/idling twittering children of anger distracted by social media- those Abati now see as confused alaseju (busybodies)- as for labelling this group of Nigerians who might in the long run turn out to be Jonathan’s best friends, alaseju, Dr. Abati got it wrong.

This title is actually a tinkering of the title of a paper delivered by Chief Phillip C Asiodu at a forum recently. The paper was titled: “Is There Any Hope For Nigeria?” (The Nation, 3 September 2012, page 21).

The Central Bank of Nigeria and its agents have been very active, as should be expected, in promoting the merits of the proposed N5000 note. To this end, the apex bank also set out to dispel what it alleges to be disinformation regarding the proposed exercise.

Last Saturday was indeed a busy one for Nigerian football with the country involved in three key matches. First to kick off was the third place match in the FIFA U-20 Women World cup and the Falconets lost 1-2 to Japan.

To this, Napoleon Bonaparte, I769-I82, added, “An army marches on its stomach”. Either as civilians or as uniformed men and women, Nigerians are heading for the worst food crisis in over hundred years. Few people alive in this country today have never experienced such deprivation as is now becoming increasingly imminent; not only in Nigeria, but globally as well.

I READ a very interesting interview that Leadership Newspaper’s Midat Joseph had with retired Air Vice Marshall Muhammadu Yahaya published in the paper’s online edition on September 2, 2012, and I decided to discuss it with you today.

It is priceless when God calls a nonentity to ministry. It is especially marvellous when he validates this with infallible signs.

Violence in its varied forms has assumed such gigantic dimension all over the world that it has become the monster which has the world in its grip. Anywhere you turn there’s one form of violence or the other – both outdoor and indoor.

Barr.(Mrs.) Olufunmi Oluyede is the Chairperson for the Lagos State chapter of the International Federation of Women Lawyers-FIDA, an organisation committed to the well-being of women and children. As FIDA Lagos prepares for a proposed 3-day summit geared towards combating sex and labour trafficking, Barr.Oluyede speaks passionately about the scourge of human trafficking and also gives an insight on the summit which would be coming up in September.