IT is beside the point, whether the four lynched students of the University of Port Harcourt were cultists, serial rapists, or robbers.

NIGERIA is in its longest stretch of civil rule. The 13 years of uninterrupted civilian administration has expanded the yearning for more democratic space in politics and in the handling of our individual and group affairs.

WHAT would the world be without teachers? October 5, World Teachers Day passed quietly. Nigerians agree on the importance of teachers, except that the importance is addressed with words. It is sad.

WOULD the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, use Ondo State to continue its learning processes? Since INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega came into office two years ago, INEC has promised to be better with every election.

THE two days the Senate Committee on Constitution Review has proposed for a public hearing — 11 and 12 October — will not be enough time for Nigerians to be heard on their future.

NEITHER the official reaction, nor the reasons adduced for the killing of more than 40 students of tertiary institutions in Mubi, Adamawa State, can excuse another round in the loss of lives.

THE easier part is to find who to blame for the worst flood in Nigeria, according to official records, “since 1936”. The tougher part — Nigerians would be interested in — is what can be done to forestall such devastation.

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan knows about renewed hope. “I bring to you today, a message of renewed hope and faith in the immense possibilities that lie ahead,” he told Nigerians in his 52nd independence anniversary broadcast.

THERE must be something great about Nigeria. Or there should be a uniqueness about Nigeria that makes it defy predictions about its pendulous greatness or the immensity of its proclivities for fumbling.

IF the Central Bank of Nigeria thinks publishing the list of top bank debtors indicates it is doing its work, it has failed to understand the huge debts owed banks is a mark of failure of the regulator. Where else does the Central Bank wait for banks to accumulate bad debts?

THE new Lagos State traffic law if executed to the letters will soon take up all the prison spaces in the country. The lesson may just be that awareness about traffic laws is so low that governments should invest more on education if they intend to make the roads safer.

WHAT do Nigerians make of the money and national honours President Goodluck Jonathan splashed on paralympians after their victories in London? Are celebrations of the paralympians over, as they were in 1996?

IT is annoying to suggest that the most important issue in Nigeria’s politics is who becomes President in 2015. Unfortunately, it is true that the only issue defining Nigeria’s politics is the succession agenda — and it runs through all tiers of government and all the political parties.

SENATE President, Bonaventure Alechenu David Mark has pedigree in Nigeria’s political landscape. His critics are many and they are wont to treat any Mark position with the uttermost scepticism. When he makes an important point, he is dismissed as just playing to the gallery.

TODAY is the International Day of Peace. The United Nations dedicated this day to peace, to underline the importance of peace for human cohabitation and social progress.