IN last week’s column, I adopted an objective attitude towards the Jos crisis and described Christians who have slaughtered innocent Muslims – and Muslims who have slaughtered innocent Christians – as religious renegades who are just as evil as each other. Here are some of the responses I received from readers:

Yet again, Nigeria is being highlighted in international media outlets for negative reasons. While we were struggling to cope with the humiliating global coverage of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s attempted suicide bombing in America and endless embarrassing news items about President Yar’Adua’s prolonged absence in Saudi Arabia, religious riots erupted in Jos and are further damaging the country’s image.

LAST week, I wrote that I’d heard that a significant percentage of Northerners are bitterly opposed to the idea of Dr Goodluck Jonathan becoming Head of State if Yar’Adua cannot continue. I described such elements as shameless tribalists.

EVER since Mr President took off to Saudi Arabia to take care of his health, words like “rudderless” have frequently been used to describe the country he left behind.

This morning, a South African broadcaster (who shall remain nameless) told me that when she heard that our President had signed the supplementary budget in Saudi Arabia, she was extremely skeptical and wondered whether he was really in a fit state to understand the contents or pick up a pen!

MERRY Christmas to all Vanguard readers. I pray that you can take a break from any stresses you are enduring and enjoy the holiday season with your families.

By Donu Kogbara NIGERIANS have always complained bitterly about the countless inadequacies of their country and multiple shortcomings of their leaders. But the complaints have been even more embittered than usual ever since 2009 dawned nearly 12 months ago because this has been a particularly bad year for almost everyone. Every nation contains exceptions to […]

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”.

A FRIEND just sent me an excerpt from The Dual Mandate In British Tropical Africa, a book that was written in 1922 by Lord Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, the British colonial administrator who spent 13 years in Nigeria – first as High Commissioner, of the Northern region, then as Governor-General of both the Northern and Southern Protectorates – at the beginning of the twentieth century.

LAST week, I quoted a friend who thinks that seduction is a “coping” or survival strategy within certain contexts and is absolutely convinced that predatory women who set out to seduce influential men deserve sympathy rather than condemnation.