NO doubt about it, the North betrayed Goodluck Jonathan in the last election. The greatest ally of the North in Nigerian politics has been the South-South. Therefore, it was not asking too much for Jonathan to expect the North to return the favour under his administration; when he is clearly carrying the mantle of the South-South.

Regrettably, delayed payments of verified subsidy claims, may inadvertently also further bloat the already oppressive service charges on loans obtained to finance the 2015 budget deficit and other earlier government debts. Curiously, the imminent federal and state elections, may have forced government to accede to pressure from marketers to pay the demanded balance of N256.2bn, which they claimed included core subsidy as well as interest on delayed payments and exchange rate differentials.

IN early 2012, a television station invited me, as Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to its early morning programme in Abuja. I was to discuss the State of the Nation with particular reference to the economy and well being of Nigerians. I arrived as scheduled, but was told the live programme was to be delayed as two other persons had been invited.

It is just as well that over seventy per cent of the current representatives in the National Assembly will not be returning. This is probably the least productive legislative branch in the world today. Unproductive, that is, in anything which could be beneficial to the people of Nigeria. It might however be the front runner for mischief and idleness.

Nigeria hosted the First African Youth Athletics Championship (AYAC) in Delta state and came out tops. An apostle of grass roots development of sports, that event for me was of great interest in a country where all our athletics eggs are heaped in the basket of Blessing Okagbare.