As the Lagos Education Empowerment Resource Network, LEARN, prepares to draw the curtain on the six-week summer school that has successfully taken 3,500 children off the streets throughout the long vacation, Vista Woman spoke with Mrs. Bisi Awoyomi, Project Director, LEARN, about the objectives behind the programme which officially closes on Tuesday, September 18.

I returned from Berlin on Wednesday nightwhere I had participated in the International Festival of Literature courtesy of Ulrich Schreiber, and met another delight: the just released copy of Chinua Achebe’s latest book, There Was A Country lying in wait for me.

In a typical society, the maintenance of law and order which may involve a drastic crackdown on some elements in the society is essentially a civil matter. It is not expected to involve the military; hence most countries hardly call out their military to deal with such matters that are clearly less than war. It used to be so in Nigeria as every infraction was usually left for the police to handle.

Where are the blueprints from the Ministers? Three months have gone already, when will Jonathan start working? He should read the mood of the Nigerian people more carefully, the ordinary people, I mean. They are impatient.” Now, in essay B, the ‘new’ Reuben, having followed Jonathan “everywhere” and eaten at the President’s sumptuous table (and developed a follow-follow mentality as a result) says that Mr. President “is doing his utmost best to transform Nigeria… President Jonathan is a clever, methodical and intelligent man, who is very adept at wrong footing all the persons who make an effort to second-guess or underestimate him.

Some readers were vehemently against my view that we’re not quite ripe for establishing State Police, because we lack the maturity to handle it in a way that would bring us peace, and give justice to all.