The reign of confusion that has bedevilled the 2016 Appropriation Bill continues to reverberate with the allegation that the two chambers of the National Assembly distorted the infrastructure development agenda of the Federal Government before forwarding the Bill to President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent.

Minister of Agriculture, Mr Audu Ogbeh, has revealed President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive for him to establish 50,000 hectares of grazing reserves within six months. According to him, this is meant to end the conflicts between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in the country.

Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, offered a useful and wise piece of advice to the Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mrs Ibim Semenitari, when she recently visited his office in Umuahia, as part of her tour of the eight states of the Niger Delta.

The Sunday, March 6, 2016 ghastly road accident that claimed the lives of the Minister of State for Labour, Chief James Ocholi (SAN), his wife and son, was another instance of avoidable deaths on our highways. Taiwo James Elegbede, the driver of the ill-fated Lexus sports utility vehicle, died in a hospital the following day. The fatal car crash which occurred along Kaduna-Abuja road was attributed to over-speeding.

Last week Wednesday, 30th March, 2016 marked exactly one year when Nigeria boldly joined the league of nations with civilised democratic behaviour following the peaceful conclusion of the presidential election.

The recent killing of a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Samuel Chukwudumobi Okonta, during last month’s legislative re-run elections in Rivers State, has again provoked serious concerns over the safety of corps members deployed for national assignments.

THE Judiciary as an independent arm of government plays a pivotal role in deepening the roots of a young democracy like ours. The 1999 Constitution emphasises this importance and makes sure this arm of government does not rely on other arms of government in discharging its functions. This underscores its inclusion in direct first line charge in terms of funding as provided in Section 81(3) of the Constitution.

WE join other concerned Nigerians to register our disappointment over the spate of inconclusive elections which have taken place under the watch of the Professor Mahmood Yakubu-led Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which some now cynically refer to as the “inconclusive” National Electoral Commission.

THE Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) appears bent on enforcing the introduction of the Speed Limiting Device (SLD) come September 1, 2016 in spite of furious opposition from some quarters, particularly transporters and members of the House of Representatives.

NIGERIANS are passing through a survivalist phase as they are daily confronted by skyrocketing prices of goods. Cost of living is at an all time high owing to the high rate of inflation sweeping through the economy.