FOR the second time in as many weeks, the Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi created some furore in Nigeria with his comments on the question of unity in the country, and what should be done about it.

IT had seemed like a crisis situation. Indeed, for many families, it was. When recently foodstuff sellers from the northern part of the country decided to withdraw their services as a result of oppressive taxation and extortion they suffered, especially in South Western parts of Nigeria , the markets ran dry of such commodities as meat, vegetables, fruits and other agricultural consumables that people, especially Lagos dwellers, had come to take for granted.

FROM the Vice-Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Professor Boniface Egboka, came yet another warning that the Niger Bridge at Onitsha/Asaba, is on the verge of collapse.

THERE seems to be no end to the barrage of bad news indicating that Nigeria is one of the most badly governed political entities in the world. We already know, through indisputable statistical evidence drawn up by credible international agencies, that Nigeria ranks among the worst when it comes to such indicators as corruption, risk of doing business, and ability of its security agencies to exert effective control over its territory.

WHEN the Acting President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, dissolved the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday March 17th 2010, most Nigerians welcomed the gesture. The number one reason for the sweeping approval of this step was that the federal cabinet was severely split into three parts.

THE public protest conducted by residents of the Games Village , Abuja recently, deserves the attention of the National Assembly Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Since ailing President Umaru Yar’ Adua embarked upon a medical vacation in Saudi Arabia without transmitting a letter to the leadership of the National Assembly to enable his Deputy, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, to emerge as the Acting President, the nation has been thrown into a constitutional chaos.

ALARMED at the frequent outbreaks of violence in Northern Nigeria, especially the Plateau and Bauchi axes, the United Nations mandated its Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Mr Francis Deng, to visit Nigeria and work with the authorities to ensure the prevention of future occurrences of such incidences, especially in Plateau State.

For about a fortnight now, patrons of Lagos foodstuff markets have been going through harrowing experiences occasioned by the strike embarked upon by suppliers of foodstuff from the northern part of the country. Commodities, such as vegetables, yams, fruits and livestock products have become very scarce and the prices of the little that are available have shot through the roof, sometimes as much as 1,000%.

WHAT happened in Warri on Monday is condemnable. That it could happen is despicable. Its implications are by far more reproachable.

BURUTU, a local government area in Delta State, should hold the world record for refineries. According to the Joint Task Force (on security), 10 hamlets in this local government area have 400 refineries – all illegal.

LIVES, so many, have been lost in sectional and sectarian clashes in Plateau State since last January. In the midst of these, all we get are squabbles about the figures, about shameless loopholes in our security and intelligence gathering methods and the obvious admission of governments that they would do nothing about the deaths of innocent women, children, the aged and some men, whose only crime could be that they live in a country where lives mean nothing.

THESE days the people of the Niger Delta are more frustrated at the little they get in return for their peace efforts. There is impatience at the pace of the authorities in Abuja in addressing the challenges of living in environments which oil and gas production has despoiled for more than 50 years.

TODAY’s gathering in Warri marks another of the many efforts to search for sustainable peace in the Niger Delta, a region that suffers from rampaging poverty ironically fuelled by the oil and gas exploration that oils the nation’s economy.

NIGERIANS are getting to the reality that every part of the country wants to free space and whatever resources it can for itself. The arguments are not about who settlers are and who are the indigenes, they are about the fact that Nigerians are now grappling with issues of citizenship. It is an issue that deserves handling with uttermost sensibility and sensitivity.