God, in His in finite mercies, has granted every individual special talent to live a life of success. I daresay if opportunities are expanded enough, everybody will be a celebrity. William Shakespeare (Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi and Wole Soyinka) wrote poems and thrilled people with stories.

NOW, the eyes of the world are on us. We have set a new, macabre world record, beating strife-torn, sectarian violence-wracked Iraq to it. Before the penultimate Friday bombing of the United Nations, UN, building in Abuja, the highest death toll suffered by the “world government” was 22 people killed. And that took place in Baghdad, Iraq.

The bombing of the United Nations building in Abuja by a suicide attacker (it was clearly a suicide attack) has resurrected the South South People’s Assembly, SSPA, or at least some of its elements.

THE top echelon of Nigeria’s Judiciary is in separate pieces, struck by a political hurricane. The three highest presiding officers – the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN and Chairman, National Judicial Council, NJC, Aloysius Katsina-Alu; the former President of the Court of Appeal, Ayo Salami and the Federal High Court, Ibrahim Auta, have been sucked into the vortex of this diabolical gale. The Judiciary, which is supposed to be the final bastion of our democracy and the last hope of the common man, is now in need of redemption because of a series of leadership failures.

War is a mess, besides being a tragedy. Today, as I write, the forces of the National Transitional Council, NTC, of Libya (still termed “the opposition forces” because they had yet to assume power) had taken over the famous Green Square in Tripoli. The capital of Libya saw scenes of delirious jubilations by both elements of the victorious rebel forces and the ordinary people.

I NEVER really wanted to comment about General Ibrahim Babangida turning 70. Babangida is no longer news. He is history, and what comment I am making here today is based on IBB and history.

In this second part, I will endeavour to discuss how we can make the “indigenisation” legislation work. But let us start by observing that six months is too short for a total stranger to stand for election in his new community, even though he can vote if his voter registration detail permits.

President Goodluck Jonathan’s rumoured constitutional reform ideas hit me hot and cold at the same time. I don’t know if the Presidential Advisory Committee headed by General TY Danjuma, with Professor Ben Nwabueze, SAN, is still functioning for him and he is still giving them a listening ear. I don’t think so. Otherwise, we would not be having these bits and pieces of sometimes half-chewed, sometimes ill-timed “rumours” about his intended constitutional reforms.

WHEN Comrade Adams Oshiomhole’s victory at the 2007 governorship poll was restored by the Benin Zone of the Court of Appeal on November 11, 2008, one of the questions that excited media reporters asked him was how he would react when workers went on strike under his administration. “I will join the strike”, was his humorous reply.

THIRTEEN years into hisdetention and trial, it had seemed that Major Hamza al Mustahpa was now ready to spill the beans on Yoruba leaders.