Crimes have been committed in Akwa Ibom State – murders, kidnappings, arson, abduction, extortion – most of which had not been solved by the Nigeria Police or the SSS till today. By 2009, according to the Annual Report of the Nigeria Police, Akwa Ibom, hitherto low on the league table of states for crimes had risen to the number one position. It was definitely not the sort of “trophy” any state governor would like to keep on his shelf.

Ebola is a virus that causes a potentially lethal illness called hemorrhagic fever. It renders the body’s blood vessels porous and they start to leak, causing catastrophic internal bleeding. It is said that up to nine out of ten people who contract the virus will die without immediate medical attention. It is actually pretty hard to catch Ebola. It is not airborne and contrary to the rumour mill, unless if bodily fluids was. The major outbreak of Ebola disease has killed at least 672 people so far in West Africa and British airports and airlines are on high alert to stop passenger’s disease, Passengers thought to have virus are being barred from taking flights to UK as Ebola can spread through sweat and saliva and there is no vaccine or cure yet.

It’s absolutely amazing to me to find that deep inside ourselves is the one place we will never look for answers. Quite a lot of people are terrified to look within for answers, they find it easier to blame the environment, their parents, bad luck or even their situations, and anybody but them is the source of all discontent and failure. We like to follow the path of least resistance, taking on suggestions and established truths of others so we don’t have to dig for our own inner truths! Once upon a time, it was an established truth that the earth was flat; the man who thought it round was considered a heretic; so founding our lives on established truths is tricky as truth changes ground once new information is available!

At the personal level, self-knowledge, attitude and behaviour are crucial. Knowledge or self-awareness in this context involves accurate understanding of our own feelings, preferences, goals and values, grasping how others feel about us and applying that information in our daily transactions. A positive attitude for success grows by cultivating a “can-do” or winning mentality and believing in ourselves, overcoming self-doubt and taking reasonable risks, being assertive and not aggressive, being goal-motivated, admitting mistakes, and moving on after each setback. With respect to behaviour, the focus is on how to act appropriately in stressful situations, putting our emotions under reasonable control, adaptability and balancing rational and emotional considerations.

Joe, my friend was greatly agitated some two weeks back over the appointment of General Theophilus Danjuma as chairman of a new committee to help government cater for victims of the current wave of insurgency in Nigeria. Joe thought that the Danjumas of this world have had more than enough of public assignments insisting that recycling such individuals in a nation overflowing with dynamic and bubbling human resources suggested the failure of government to ponder outside the box.