The INEC timetable had indicated that the Federal elections (Presidential and National Assembly) would take place on 16th February 2019 while the State polls (Governorship and State Houses of Assembly) would hold on 2nd March 2019. But the National Assembly while not altering the dates published by the INEC, amended the Electoral Act putting the National Assembly election first and the presidential poll last.

As reported, the economy, in the fourth quarter, Q4, of last year grew at 1.92 per cent compared to 1.4 in the third quarter, Q3, of the same year and -1.73 in Q4 of 2016. There is certainly some progress, but 0.82 for 2017 is far from the full-year result in 2014 and even 2015. In reality, any growth less than one per cent is not regarded as growth at all.

One of the reasons that President Muhammadu Buhari gave for making himself the Minister of Petroleum Resources was that he wanted to sanitise the oil industry, especially the NNPC.

In 2017 alone, about 160,000 migrants successfully crossed into Europe but nearly 3,000 drowned in the Mediterranean, according to the International Organisation for Migration, IOM. The most pathetic case was the death of 26 Nigerian girls aged between 16 and 20, whose bodies were hurriedly buried by the Italian authorities without proper identification.

The problem has even been noticed by international stakeholders such as the International Monetary Fund, IMF, which has called on the Senate to confirm the appointments of members of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN’s, Board of Directors and Monetary Policy Committee, MPC, members to enable them join in the efforts to strengthen the economy which is just climbing painfully out of recession.