There is arguably none in the corridors of power today that may have endured as long as the President of the Senate, Senator (Brig. Gen.) David Mark.

I must confess that I have never had that rare opportunity of meeting Sanusi Lamido Sanusi in person or read anything about that enigmatic personality until he was appointed the Managing Director of First Bank of Nigeria.

One thing became indisputably clear [as the din increased as to whether Mr. President was alive or not; whether he had formally handed over to his deputy, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan or not; and whether the VP was under pressures to resign or not]; and that is that the political elite in Nigeria must hold the common Nigerian in great contempt, and so they deem us, at best, worthy of no more than to be treated as mindless buffoons who must swallow whatever the leaders vomit.

Coach Amodu Shuaibu was reportedly at TB Joshua’s last Sunday to thank him for helping Eagles qualify for the World Cup. Amodu, according to reports, believed TB Joshua helped Nigeria qualify and he visited his Synagogue Church of All Nations to thank him. That is the news in the media now.

WE excel in different areas. Crises excite us, we seem not to be able to do without them. Unlike in other places where crises lead to some peace when they are resolved, here, we make all the noise, get attention, relapse to inexplicable placidity only to wait for doom.

They were General Yakubu Gowon, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor Chinua Achebe and Chief Gani Oyesola Fawehinmi. My reason for embracing the project was to give honour to whom it was due and encourage others to live the life of heroes who will inspire the young and old of this nation to great endeavours.

It is very painful to accept it, but everything Lord Lugard said in 1922 is still true today. He was prophetic. Today, Ikedi Ohakim, the Imo State Governor, confirms that “Nigeria has become the black sheep of the world oil producing community for her lack of accountability and unproductive use of the oil revenue.” If you think Lugard was harsh, read Ikedi Ohakim’s “The Courage To Challenge”.

She doesn’t know that I have spies in her shop who give me full details of what she does there. She has a new boyfriend who has entered her system, so she can’t reason properly anymore. I was told by my spies that they were discussing my affairs at the boutique over a bottle of Stout. Can you imagine? Maybe she was drunk then, because I still find it difficult to believe.

The taxman must, if he would survive, pay people to come up with more and more ways his people can be taxed without them feeling as though they are overtaxed; or he dies. Lagos has done this and continues to do so most admirably, putting more emphasis on identifying the better-to-do and taxing them accordingly.

Although a White man, Brown became the patron saint of the Black people, and the American government under President Abraham Lincoln had to invoke his name to mobilise Black people to join the American army. One of the leading Americans of his day, Henry David Thoreau said on the day of Brown’s hanging: “I plead not for his life, but for his character- his immortal life …some eighteen hundred years ago Christ was sacrificed; this morning, per chance, Captain Brown was hung.