Notwithstanding, the CBN has again assured Nigerians, that the current Naira rate would be stable, as it is inappropriate for the tail (i.e. the small parallel market) to wag the dog. Nevertheless, the CBN may have been in denial of the inflationary potential on the economy of the ultimately higher market prices for rice and 40 other items recently banned from official dollar purchase.

Don’t believe the lie: all men pray. There is no man on earth who does not pray; even atheists do. Put him in a particular space where he is confronted with his humanity and man will cry out for help in prayer. He might not know who is he is praying to, but he will ask for a deliverer. However, there is only one deliverer: God.

Forget wishing anybody Merry Christmas this year; you might as well also dispense with the Happy New Year greetings for 2016. At the risk of being called, once again, a prophet of doom, let me declare right now that given the trend of crude oil prices, Nigerians are headed for the bleakest Christmas in history, and we stand to start 2016 with the worst economic uncertainty in our history.

For instance, in a meeting he held on July 29 at Blair House in Washington DC with his classmates, members of the US War College class of 1980, the President told them that John Kerry, the American Secretary of State, “read the riot act” to him, Jonathan and Prof. Attahiru Jega, former chairman of INEC. According to Buhari, Kerry reminded them that the election must be free, fair and in line with the Nigerian constitution.

I used to wonder what people enjoy in the ‘dull’ game of Billiards until last Thursday when a friend persuaded me to accompany him to cheer his cousin who was into a tournament in a recreation center in our neighbourhood.