THE world watched in horror at the violence in South Africa, targeted at foreigners in several cities. Gangs of weapons-wielding youth descended on hapless foreigners, killing, maiming and destroying their property. Shops and restaurants were looted, and in most cases, these went on with law enforcement agents seeming to derive some pleasure from watching.

THE impeachment saga in Ekiti State is a political culture that escalated during the eight year reign of General Olusegun Obasanjo that might as well have been an extension of military rule.

TAMUNOEMI Sokari David-West’s fame as Professor of Virology at the University tends to obscure his involvement in politics where his services as Commissioner for Education (Rivers State), Minister of Petroleum, and Minister of Mines, Power and Steel, all under military regimes, are well known. He is one of those tipped for cabinet membership in the in-coming government.

NIGERIANS and their democracy are unique. If elsewhere people delight in the capacities of their government to deepen their liberties, broaden opportunities, our democracy is delivered as structures, visible and tangible. We call them dividends of democracy.

NOW that the 2015 general elections have gone, save for the few States where the results were declared “inconclusive”, it is appropriate to assess the performance of the electoral regulator and umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which Professor Attahiru Jega heads.