RECENTLY, the state of the Nigerian economy came into focus when the Finance Minister, who also bears a grandiose appellation of Coordinating Minister, Dr. (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala observed the dwindling reserves in the Excess Crude Oil Account and also, the lack of co-operation of state governors on the fortunes of the Sovereign Welfare Fund (SWF).

THE circumstance has made it almost impossible to write this week’s piece. I am in Las Vegas, in the US state of Nevada, to attend this year’s NAB Show. NAB is the National Association of Broadcasters, and the show brings broadcasters and the industry together annually, in a showcase of content and the cutting-edge delivery modes.

THAT an estimated 10 million children and young adults are roaming the streets of the North as mendicants is a shame of Nigeria. But more importantly, it is the shame of Northern Nigeria, not because other regions or subcultures of the country do not have their own share of young, uneducated youth.

PURELY as a matter of self interest, I have deliberately decided to adopt an approach that is slightly different from that of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. The penultimate weekend, Sanusi tried to examine the issue of how to remove crushing poverty from Northern Nigeria.

THE bomb that went off early on Easter Sunday at the heart of the commercial section of the city of Kaduna left behind it more casualties than most other explosions witnessed since the seeming democratisation of the knowledge, skills and means to inflict massive violence on Nigerians, centred around the Boko Haram insurgency.

EVEN while commenting here last week on the new Police uniform, I knew that wasn’t the only thing to be said about the Nigeria Police at the moment.

TWICE in recent times, the media have speculated that President Goodluck Jonathan was poised to reshuffle his cabinet. As usual, the reported consequence of such speculation was that ministers were feverish with anxiety. On the one hand, during such intervals of uncertainty, public officers lose the confidence to step out and do their work.

OCHEREOME Nnanna in his piece on ‘Why The North May Remain Poor’ provides an answer to his implied question- ‘Why Is The North Poor?’

Time was when the South African football league was not worth even the effort Supersport was putting into popularizing same.

FRIDAY, March 30th 2012 was a special day in Abia State and Aba in particular. It was that day that the Governor of Abia State, Chief Theodore Orji, invited the media and the general public to accompany him to Aba to witness the commissioning of some capital projects in Aba and Umuahia over the course of two days.