WHY should 38 people die in a single boat mishap? The reasons centre on the same neglect that attends almost all aspects of our national life. There were no emergency services to rescue them in an accident that happened in the Rumuolumeni area of Port Harcourt. It would not have made any difference if this accident was in the centre of Abuja.

YEARS back Andrew, a television character, in a public service message, said he was checking out of Nigeria. His main point was that infrastructure had collapsed and things looked hopeless. There are more Andrews today and things have worsened.

LITTLE can be done about security without the police. All the little security appendages that have been created over the years have only weakened the police on several fronts – less funding, and less political will to reform the police to standards that will serve the country well.

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan is providing leadership by words. His prescriptions for surviving the plain and plentiful pain that increasing the price of petrol will cause are examples of how he leads us. Our President is out of touch with Nigerians – it shows.

THE launching of an electric car that the students of Makerere University made has a ringing message for Nigeria on two fronts. The car – Kiira EV – will not run on petrol; it uses batteries and the university is not on strike, but runs its shoestring research budget well.