LAGOS Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, made an interesting foray into column writing last Monday (June 30, 2014) on the back page of THISDAY newspaper as a guest columnist with an article entitled: “Ekiti Poll: My Take Away”.

I AM returning to the sensitive issue of the 486 Northerners (mostly indigenes of Jigawa State) nabbed in Abia State on suspicion that they were members of the Boko Haram Islamic terrorist group. Both states are of particular interest to me.

ON Friday, June 13, 2014, a grand reception was held for the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Bank Plc, Dr Alex Otti, by the umbrella body of traditional rulers in his native Ngwa land, Abia State. Alex is widely believed to be warming up to contest the Abia governorship election on the platform of the PDP come 2015.

Nyako, a retired admiral of the Nigerian Navy and mainstreamer during the military era that lasted between 1984 and 1999, had retired to his large mango farm in his native Adamawa. It was not even clear if he was a card carrying member of any political party when, in August 2006, he was conscripted by then President Olusegun Obasanjo and his long time ally, Professor Jibril Aminu, to govern the state, which had just been snatched from the control of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Since 2011 when the Boko Haram Islamic sect transformed into a terrorist gang, targeting churches, crowded places and security establishments, I have always lived in dread of the day when they might be tempted to export their demonic activities to the South. Up till now, the Islamists have restricted their activities to their core native areas in the North East, Abuja and environs as well as selected targets in the North Central.