NIGERIA is a society whose fabric has been warped by decades of misgovernance by an extremely self-centred power elite. As a result, what is considered as noble and worthy of emulation in more sedate societies are generally overlooked while valuable attention is focused on barbaric political contests which have little or nothing to do with the interests of the common people.

THERE has been a remarkable uptick in the willingness of the Judicial arm of government to assert its independence and defend our democracy since the Senate’s confirmation of Hon. Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria on March 1, 2017.

Apart from the astronomical rise in the cost of conducting the impending elections compared to 2015, the request for funds from the National Assembly is not only coming late, its source of funding is rather complicated in view of the near-war relationship between the Presidency and the leadership of the National Assembly.

The eight assemblymen were purportedly aggrieved over an alleged misappropriation of N54 billion by the Ortom government. According to them, of this amount, N22 billion was embezzled as security vote, while N32 billion was taken from funds belonging to the local governments while months of workers’ salaries remain unpaid. They served a seven-day impeachment notice on the Governor.

IN July 2017, the news that Nigeria’s first choice team goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme, had been diagnosed with acute leukaemia, came to many Nigerians as a rude shock. He had returned abnormal blood results during the pre-season medical of his English Championship club, Wolverhampton.

NO matter how one looks at it, what happened at the premises of the Umuneke Ngor Magistrate’s Court in Imo State on Thursday, July 19, 2018 was an act of gross indiscipline, lawlessness and unprofessionalism on the part of some police officers. Even though they appeared to have acted out of “righteous rage”, there is no excuse for taking the law into their hands in addressing a perceived wrongdoing. Two wrongs cannot make a right.

IN recent weeks the Federal and Lagos State governments have combined forces in a spirited effort to decongest the Lagos highways, bridges and causeways of heavy vehicles.

The lower tiers of government were virtually coerced to accept payments made by the NNPC despite misgivings over remittances made by NNPC. The states had to take what they were given due to pressures over unpaid salaries and other commitments which had accumulated.

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, justified the action thus: “The shift was done in order to give succour and relief to the people of Lagos State and other inter-state road users and support the efforts of the state government”.

IT is curious that nearly 20 years after the end of military dictatorship in Nigeria, elements in the governing circles have continued to explore ways of gagging the media. In March 2016, the Frivolous Petitions Prohibition Bill (also known as the Social Media Bill) was being pushed in the Senate. It was later thrown out due to massive opposition.