The economic principle of diminishing returns refers to a point in time when a worker, irrespective of incentives, cannot produce at the same rate, volume or quality. Thus, workers occasionally need some rest hence governments often declare public holidays for them. In 2010, we had many in Nigeria.

YET again, we are about to say “goodbye” to an old year that will soon give way to a new year. And it seems appropriate to inflict a handful of random thoughts about 2010 events on Vanguard readers, the first being recent Wikileaks revelations about Shell’s alleged influence within our corridors of power.

AS Africans, we face lots of challenges in the new year. But the womb of 2011 also carries what the scan shows as the continent’s newest baby: the independent Republic of Southern Sudan. A January 9, 2011 referendum is expected to give birth to the new baby which would be weaned as a separate country six months later.

IT will not be long before the furore over the death of Emmanuel Ogoli of Bayelsa United is forgotten. Soon he will become only a reference when another league death occurs. There are precedents, too numerous to recount.

IT is also a good democratic concept that Government should spread whatever it has evenly. As much as possible, development must be spread evenly across the nation. Poverty also gets an even spread among the people. And Government must introduce sanctions for all those who deviate from the norm.

MOST of our leaders have risen in one voice to shower encomiums on departed nationalist and warrior of the people, Chief Anthony Eromosele Enahoro, but I doubt if one percent of this crowd bordered to understand him. Still fewer read or appreciated his ideas but would not want them implemented.

ELOHO OTOBO, director and deputy head of the UN Peacebuilding Support Office has presented us with three possible futures of Nigeria and of course the future can only be one of the three scenarios or none of the three postulated by Otobo.

WHEN former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, made the statement that has been turned into an albatross around his neck, could he have envisaged the meaning that would be read into it or the twist that would be put on it?

The tenacity of the pro Yar’Adua cabal to hold onto Aso Rock through whatever means must be a testimony to the sweetness of power! Under normal circumstances where political and public offices are geared towards the service of the people, there will be little or no personal gain in capturing power or its retention.

Hi Readers! I was so excited about the imminent arrival of my daughter and her boyfriend in the country, that I decided to go meet them in Abuja and come up to Jos with them.