When market women took to the streets to protest the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike which has lingered for about four months now, it portrayed a very dangerous signal. Many wondered which of the parties involved in the face-off mobilised the market women, but I tell you, they needed nobody to mobilise them.

Languishing in the perennial traffic snarl-ups in Lagos provides ample opportunity for all manner of reflection. And as I surveyed the chaos of motorists jockeying belligerently for position around me, I recalled a mundane but enlightening incident I encountered not very long ago overseas.

When Governor Peter Obi reclaimed the mandate given to him by the people of AnambraState, all the good people of the state rejoiced and celebrated. Unfortunately,People’s Democratic Party (PDP) controlled state house of assembly contrived an impeachment proceeding to truncate the young administration that had barely settled down to govern the state. Many were amazed at the audacity with which the house was going about its impeachment threat.

It doesn’t matter how wide a gate is, the people in charge more often than not, make it narrow; intentionally. I’ve never understood the logic behind it. You have two thoroughfares, clearly marked IN and OUT to aid the easy flow of traffic and to some extent improve the security situation but no, the current Nigerian way is to slow things down…complicate things… .

Between 1960 (the year of Independence) and 1966 (the year of first military coup), many events of great political importance had taken place. The area called Mid-Western State (consisting of non-Yoruba people) was carved out of the Western Region – leaving the Eastern and Northern Regions (with their restless minorities) intact.