Tackling light arms proliferation
The proliferation of small arms and light weapons across Nigeria is not a distant threat; it is an immediate, corrosive reality that bleeds communities dry of security, livelihood and hope. Pistols, assault rifles and improvised firearms have become the currency of violence, multiplying the lethality of banditry, kidnapping, communal clashes and organised crime. Where once […]
The New National Assembly
CHANGE, no matter its dimensions, can fundamentally alter the way we do things. We believe that change is on its way to the National Assembly, which has undergone its most profound makeover, in composition in the past 12 years.
NASS: Away With ‘Ranking’, Zoning
AFTER the swearing in of the President and Governors, attention has shifted to the legislature, especially the National Assembly, which will be inaugurated next week. Shortly after, the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives will be decided.
Are Bombs Here To Stay?
IS it possible government has decided to allow Nigerians to live with the bombs that have been flying in different parts of the country since last year? There are reasons to be worried about the attitude of government to the insecurity that have been pinned to the elections.
Trust Nobody With Freedom
ENTHUSIASM that the media will have more access to information with the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill remains muted. Silence has greeted the bill from the President. Expectations of a passage of the bill “soon” have withered.
The challenges for Jonathan
THE events of the last fortnight, precisely of April 16, 2011 cannot pass unrecorded for history and posterity. I am one of those who will not take the risk of allowing that day to pass like any other day because it is not. I will thus proceed to put the Goodluck Jonathan victory in the presidential polls of April 16, 2011 in its proper perspective and in its proper historical context.
Not Just Another Day In May
AS the children march today to mark Children’s Day, more profound matters are being settled all over the country. Governments are being formed; politicians are doing their best to remain the circle that decides others’ future.
Time Waits For Dignitaries
Time is what keeps everything from happening at once — Ray Cummings, Science fiction writer, 1922.
The President Must Remember
DAYS to his being sworn in we think President Goodluck Jonathan should remember the stirring speech he made last September while declaring his intention to run for office. In his speech, he cut the image of the President for the poor, or what others may call the peoples’ President.
Legislators – always about them
WITH weeks to the end of the life of this National Assembly, there are no apologies to Nigerians about how men and women elected to make laws for the good of the people dedicated themselves to self-serving causes.
Speechifying Poverty Among Children
OUR children are assuming less importance daily. We are not ashamed to lament the growing poverty among children – apparently forgetting that poor parents will raise poorer children.
