Constitutionally, Nigeria has 36 states and a Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja. But under President Muhammadu Buhari’s watch, the country seems to have added one more state – Niger Republic – making it 37. The 37th state, ironically enjoys more federal attention than some of the country’s bona-fide states. Nigeriens enjoy more rights than most Nigerians.

WHEN a friend of mine called on Monday afternoon to ask if I had read Sam Omatseye’s ‘obituary’ in The Nation newspaper, my heart skipped a beat.

Fire on the Mountain, the fifth track on her inimitable album Asa. Bukola, the 39-year-old musician, professionally known as Asa, sang this song at the launch of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, on Tuesday, July 19, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Several high-ranking government officials, including President Muhammadu Buhari, were in attendance.

THREE weeks ago, the remains of a Catholic priest, Reverend Father Vitus Borogo, who was gruesomely murdered on Saturday, June 25, by terrorists who raided his farm in Kaduna were laid to rest at the Independent Way Cemetery in the state capital. A procession was held with hundreds of priests carrying placards of various inscriptions to express their grief. Tears flowed freely. His poor mother, an old woman, collapsed.

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has finally admitted that he is overwhelmed by the job he craved and wept for. But Nigerians came to that conclusion long before him.