Oluwole Olumide, an architect and tourism promoter is dead. He was more than that. He was the Balogun of Imo, a well-known quarter in Abeokuta and the Apagunpote of Egba Land. Olumide would have been 70 years old if he had lived till May this year.

Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them – William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

This week my mind goes to the men and women who had walked on this earth and had taken their byes. I remember Nigerians who had names and not without names. I remember them particularly in this time when many of them did one thing or the other. Take for instance M.T. Mbu; Sam Aluko. Now remember the one just interred – Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, who had so many names from his Igbo compatriots.

“Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit” – Hosea Ballow.
In a packed courtroom Ibori, dressed in a dark grey suit and black shirt, appeared in the dock to enter ten guilty pleas to fraud, money laundering and conspiracy on what was due to be the first day of a 12-week trial.

Tribute From Oludotun Malomo
I am now seeing the fruits of your labour at the Yoruba Constitution Group along with other patriots coming to fruition. The work for self-determination, the frequent trips for the Igbimo Omo Oduduwa meetings in Ibadan.

I could not believe it is six years ago that we met at your office at Centre for Constitutional Governance at Ilupeju on the eve of a ‘town meeting’ taking place at the Airport Hotel Ikeja. There I sought your permission to be allowed to speak after your invited speakers might have aired their views against or in support of the Constitutional Conference of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo planned early for 2006.

It does not matter by who, what is clear now is that the police, the Nigerian armed forces including the intelligence have failed. Otherwise, why would we surrender to the rule of the mob?

There are not ten people in the world whose deaths would spoil my dinner, but there are one or two whose death would break my heart.

This is not the Nigeria and the North we inherited and for us it cannot be the North we desire to bequeath to our children. The present North was not bequeathed to us and neither our children are responsible for it. — Yakubu Gowon.
As at the end of last week we were informed that Boko Haram attacks have killed at least 935 people since they launched their terror on the people of Nigeria , according Human Right Watch.

Nigerians would do anything to attract votes- including selling their mothers. And I am surprised that Babatunde was surprised. Most Nigerians politician would do the same.

“If we don’t bring sense to the public finance, we can’t do any of the good things that we want to do”-Nick Clegg- Deputy Prime Minister of United Kingdom.

When things happen, you look for precedents. Just as the case of the subsidy removal from the petrol. You would think its not done. But there are lots of that before.

We have to do something decisively about the Boko Haram . We have decided that (have we not?). The Boko Haram group of lawless people who have decided to bring mayhem to the nation. There is nothing Islamic about them, it seems to me that they are political at best and vaguely sectarian.

You’re not to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it. Malcolm X

Your postulations in the last couple of weeks astounds me and judging from the reactions of others, I know I am not in the minority. Yes, I am a Muslim but that is not all that defines me. I am a journalist, a husband, father and a Nigerian. I have always rated you as a capable and esteemed colleague.