MRS. OKONJO-IWEALA may want Nigerians to believe that her father, a respected professor turned monarch, is a trustee of ASUU as her spokesman seems keen to advert

THEY are extremely ambitious and determined. They also wield enormous powers and are without the shred of a doubt the most influential clique of President Goodluck Jonathan’s kitchen cabinet.

AS I got down to write this a day after the Muslim holidays one of the items in a review of newspapers on television is the report that airline fares have been increased. Above the headline of this report in the National Mirror was a photograph of the Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, whose tenure seems perpetually steeped in controversy ranging from charges of corruption, ethnic bias to highhandedness.

EVEN though he obviously wants another term in the presidential villa in spite of his reluctance to make an open declaration of it just yet, it should worry us all that President Goodluck Jonathan seems to be swamped by the demands of his office. The office appears to be taking too much out of him.

For the third time in as many years the national Independence Day celebrations usually marked with pomp and ceremony were held in the relatively safe confines of Aso Rock Villa. Eagles Square, venue of the event in Abuja since the movement to the Federal Capital, is now a no-go area for such matters even though the states still manage to hold relatively public celebrations at parade grounds and parks.