FEW measures taken by the Buhari administration in the bid to promote rapid economic growth, recovery and development can be compared with the recent announcement by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, that the Federal Government has set  up a committee on the possibilities of concessioning two foremost airports – the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja.

WE are worried at strenuous efforts being made to shackle activities of civil society groups, otherwise known as Non-Governmental Organisations, NGOs. If allowed to pass, our democratic and civil liberties will suffer a terrible blow, rather than expand, after 19 years of unbroken civil rule.

IN view of the rising spate of man-made and natural disasters, some of which come nearly every year, there is an urgent need for permanent shelters for displaced persons to be erected in communities throughout the Federation.

KENYA’S democracy defied the usual expectations of judicial rubber-stamp of incumbent presidents in Africa on Friday, September 1, 2017, when it nullified the August 8 presidential poll and ordered a new one within 60 days, citing unconstitutional conduct by the Kenya Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission, KIEBC.

In recent times, there   have been several reports of deportation of Nigerians from different parts of the world, including neighbouring African countries. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, report revealed that   about 1,134 Nigerians illegally residing abroad have been forcefully returned home this year.

LATEST data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, shows that Nigeria’s economy is technically out of a recession.  The gross domestic product, GDP, has grown by 0.55 per cent in the second quarter of 2017 (Q2’17) fully returning the economy on the path of positive growth after five consecutive quarters of negative growth.

THE recent decision of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, to peg admission cut-off mark at 120 for universities and 100 for polytechnics and  colleges of education has continued to generate ripples from stakeholders in the education sector. This is not surprising because issues bordering on university admission in Nigeria have always been highly contentious.

THE Treasury Single Account, TSA, introduced two years ago to great applause by financial experts, was designed to curb corruption in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, despite its initial adverse impact on banks’ liquidity and job losses. Interest rates initially went up but are now moderating.

Though countries routinely deport illegal foreign nationals and migrants, news of the arrival of Nigerian deportees from various countries have become pervasive of late.

Friday last week’s interactive meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and leaders of the two major political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC was a significant milestone in the polity.

News that the Budget Office of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Finance have commenced the processes for preparing the 2018 budget of the Federal Government must have delighted champions of fiscal discipline.

The seeming muscle-flexing between Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,AGF, Abubakar Malami SAN, and Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, reflects an absence of coordination in the Federal Government’s prosecution agencies.

We join millions of well-meaning Nigerians in welcoming President Muhammadu Buhari from his  medical vacation in the United Kingdom. It is gratifying that he is back to resume his duties.

The year 2000 was once the magic year when Nigeria was projected to reach most of her developmental goals, but as we have seen, this did not happen. The President Olusegun Obasanjo regime signed the Millennium Development Goals, MDG, but Nigeria failed to meet the targets by its 2015 deadline.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has embarked upon another “indefinite and total” strike, which has shut down no less than 40 Federal and 44 state universities.