WADE’S concession of his defeat in the presidential run-off election has drawn understandable attention to the politics of Senegal.

Some critics would define the emerging characteristic features of the 2012 budget as unexpectedly inchoate and belated! A host of admirers had hoped that the return of the vibrant Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from the respected citadel of the IMF would signal the advent of progressive growth in economic and social welfare!

In the first part of this article, which was published last week, we gave a brief narration of how Lamido Sanusi and his predecessors as Central Bank Governor brazenly discountenanced alternative advocacy that could redeem and positively transform our economy.

This week, I had wanted to contribute to the Public hearing on sports held by the Senate last week, only to be torpedoed by the sudden death of one of Nigeria’s greatest referees, Sunny Badru.

WHEN the story broke that our Minister for Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (NOI) had been tipped for the Presidency of the World Bank, the first questions that rushed to my mind were: Will she? Should she? Not, can she? I will briefly touch ruminatively on all three.

“Government targets 10m jobs by 2011.”THE GUARDIAN, May 13, 2008. President Yar’Adua, May 12, 2008, at the Inter-Ministerial Retreat on the Harmonisation of National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) 2008-2011, at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

IN Romans, Paul says God imputes righteousness by faith alone based on David’s assertion in Psalm 32: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

One could feel the anger and the frustration behind each text message we received on our piece on how fuel pumps attendants short-change customers. Maybe many of us are still smarting from the recent hefty fuel hike, and the current exorbitant costs of kerosene and diesel; or perhaps just the stress of having to cope with many things that don’t work in our beloved country. However, everyone who wrote in was displeased with all the fuel-related problems we have to endure.

Mrs. Anne Lawal is the Senior Programme Officer of Baobab for Women’s Human Rights, a non-governmental organization in the forefront of promoting the rights of women and girls. She spoke with Vista Woman recently in commemoration of the year 2012 International Women’s Day, highlighting progress made on issues affecting women and girls. Her words:

When the new acting Inspector General of Police, IGP, first ordered the numerous police check-points, nationwide, to be dismantled, few people believed him. To be candid, I never did; and for good reason. Every IGP since Babangida’s administration, had announced that those illegal and shameless toll gates be removed – without success.