Penultimate Friday, the Federal Government inaugurated a new board for the Nigeria National Merit Awards, NNMA, with Professor Francis Idachaba as Chairman. The Board is saddled with the responsiblity of ensuring that the right people are nominated and honoured by the Goodluck Jonathan administration which pursues promotion of merit, hardwork and intellectuallism in the nation’s quest for sustainable development.

Some developments in the continuing saga of uncontained terror visited on Nigeria by the Boko Haram terrorists are becoming frightening. They indeed need to be carefully evaluated as their implication may call for a better apprehension of our predicament, and thus the ordering of a more adequate responsibility in our conduct.

The situation in Eagles is similar to the current one in our track and field where Nigeria has become a one-athlete nation. Blessing Okagbare is the only world class athlete Nigeria has and the whole country, for now, banks on her for medals from the Olympics to the World Championships. Our hopes crash if she falls sick or fails in any of these events.

A few weeks ago, yet another illegal baby-making factory was discovered in Akute, Ogun State. Eight pregnant girls, among them three under-aged girls, were found. What started as a hush-hush affair has become a monumental national embarrassment and huge moral burden.

EHUD OLMERT, who was Israel’s Prime Minister between 2006 and 2009, was convicted on Monday of collecting bribes totalling 560,000 shekels ($160,000) to fast-track government permits to build a housing estate in Jerusalem.