ARABS would not forget Ariel Sharon soon. The Israeli soldier, politician and statesman, who his compatriots loved and hate, in proportional measures, was to some a hero, while Palestinians call him a murderer.

A YEAR after they were tortured – one of them died – and their suspected attackers were strutting the streets in sheer defiance of the law; justice may come to three women assaulted in Ejigbo Central Market. The Lagos suburb gained a place in the map when about 1,000 people perished in its canals while fleeing the Ikeja bomb blast 12 years ago.

ANYONE who looks through the list of ministers the President has submitted to the Senate would move from surprise to wondering what ministers really do. In that list, the President appears to have set out only to fulfil the constitutional requirement that each State should be represented in the cabinet.

IT is obvious the Nigerian economy is in a precarious situation. Is it anything new? Even oil theft, and the unclear accounts of oil receipts, coupled with corruption that are speedily draining resources available to governments, are not new.

EKPO Una Owo Nta, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has narratives about corruption that make the issue seem more academic than practical. His experience in the federal public service should serve him well in the second year of his five-year tenure as head of one of Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies.

CASES of kidney failure are alarming. Afflicted Nigerians would appreciate efforts to ameliorate the situation. The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, said more than 5,000 Nigerians travel to India and other countries monthly for medical attention.

STATISTICS on rape incidents may still not be a good reflection of the extent of the crime. Stigmatisation of rape victims keeps the numbers low, a further armoury to the criminals.

THE United States of America positions itself as a great country.

IT would be dangerous to keep overlooking rising security challenges in Rivers State. The police and the state government have tangled over security issues for almost a year. Things are getting worse.

THE Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has decided that candidates in the 2014 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, UTME, would compulsorily register only one university, one polytechnic, one college of education and one innovative enterprise institute. It is considered a solution to challenges with admissions to higher institutions.

ELECTIONS next year without the tumultuous crisis-ridden six North-East States of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe will bear grave consequences for the constitutional directions of the country.

SOMEWHERE in the midst of the self-excusing reasons that are being given for the bombing of courts in Ahoada and Okehi, Rivers State, the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has adopted the same self-defeating posture that has failed to improve the country’s security.

AN interesting debate is going on over South Africa’s 2013 public school matriculation results, where candidates achieved a 78.2 per cent pass rate, the highest since the examinations were administered country-wide from 1994. The University of the Cape of Good Hope conducted the first examination in 1858. The 2013 mark was also 4.3 per cent points higher than last year’s 73.9 per cent.

IT is condemnable that some groups and individuals try to profit from the security challenges Nigeria faces. Their comments, while reacting to government’s efforts to end the attacks that have been a major challenge since 2009, tender to ignore the complexities involved.

POLITICS is steadily being reduced to the contest for power at all costs. The biggest casualty to date is the people. Politics should be about service to the people through enhancement of opportunities that should sustain society.