So, where will Buhari get the additional funds to bail out the States and also remediate those critical infrastructural deficits that urgently cry out for attention on the federal level, particularly in the areas of Education, Health and Transportation. Regrettably, rather than deploy the modest proceeds of the Excess Crude Account directly to critical infrastructure, these funds were stashed away as idle deposits and then gradually, simply whittled down, as recurrent consumption expenditure.

NIGERIAN Students were in disarray in 1981. After their heroic but deadly battle against military dictatorship three years earlier, they were now in factions. The Obasanjo regime had in 1978, sought to smash the Student Movement by banning the National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS). Students had responded by establishing a bigger umbrella, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) which incorporated students from all tertiary institutions.

A LOT of Nigerians who believed General Muhammadu Buhari was a befitting replacement for former President Goodluck Jonathan are now being given reason to have second thoughts. The irony of it is that Pa Muhammadu Buhari, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is the one deflating their balloons of enthusiasm.

Jide Akintunde told me a story about an exemplary Christian in his former church who was unemployed. Everyone in the church was impressed with his piety and devotion to God. Therefore, the prayer squad took it upon themselves to fast and pray for him to get a job.

The Seventh National Assembly, NASS, ended on a disgraceful note when it passed forty six(46) bills, on which they have been seating, in ten minutes. Some of the jesters, called Senators even tried to add insult upon injury by defending the absolutely indefensible. The former Senators probably never heard that “it is better to keep quiet and be considered a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.” If the 7th Assembly ended in disaster, the 8th had started in chaos which might have doomed it from the start. Yet, these possibilities were pointed out in 2013 – when the APC first got started. In August 2013, the following columns were published on these pages.