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.

Early results from an Ebola trial using the experimental drug Avigan (favipiravir) showed Monday it was somewhat effective at saving lives if given early in the illness, but not later.

PERHAPS, if we called the Minister of Power the Minister of Electricity, we would have been speaking the same language about the poor state of electricity supply. The Minister speaks about “power generation”, we are interested in “electricity supply” to places we need them.

AS dates go, 10 November 2012 may not have a place in our political history, but it was the day the House of Representatives held simultaneous peoples’ public sessions in Nigeria’s 360 federal constituencies – they all started at 10am. People offered their views on amendments to the Constitution, the only time the people have had a say in the making of the document that governs us. On 24 July, 2013, the House of Representatives voted in tandem with the people, another landmark of the amendments.

AFTER investing billions of Naira in fighting corruption, the verdict of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is that corruption persists in Nigeria because we do not have institutions, systems and processes to prevent corruption. She should know.

POLITICIANS are suddenly awake. The smartest beings in existence think it is time they said a few words to the Nigerians. Power belongs to the people, it is time to wrest it from them democratically.

THERE are only 19 days to the last chance for voters to collect the permanent voter’s card, PVC. How many Nigerians know if they are eligible voters for the elections? It is doubtful if any Nigerian with certainty can say his name is on the list.

The Anambra State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Tony Nnachetta has debunked claims that he was interested in contesting for the chairmanship of the state football association in an election holding later this month.

THE scandalous performance of governments, with very rare exceptions, should be one of the issues to be judged as Nigerians vote for their future,a future that exceptional incompetence has suspended in the past 16 years. It is frightening that those who failed to make positive changes in Nigeria’s affairs, are once again at the verge of hijacking it to sustain their selfish interests.

TWO ignored factors that emphasise governments’ insensitive to Nigerians – overwhelmingly unacceptable sanitary conditions and the abysmally low levels of access to medical services – have helped in the ricocheting cholera outbreaks. Contaminated water, unhygienic handling and poor food preparations are among factors that aid rapid spread of cholera. Its high mortality rate is evidenced by the number of States reporting deaths.

IF we are to judge the future of Nigeria by the promises that appear on election posters, Nigeria is about to become one of the most developed countries in the world. Candidates and their parties have managed to capture issues affecting Nigerians and listed them for solution, once they get our votes. Are we not used to politicians and their pranks? What is different from what they promised in 1999 and 16 years after?

HOW much longer would the journey of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB that began in 2000 last? The bill deals with concerns about transparent management of the oil and gas sector

ANY number of reasons could be given for the postponement of the elections billed for February 14 and 28, but none would ameliorate the disappointment of Nigerians that the numerous experiments the Independent National Electoral Commis-sion, INEC, has performed since 2011 came to such sorry conclusion. INEC never indicated it was not ready for the elections.

THE annual World Cancer Day – February 4 – is set aside by the World Health Organisation, WHO, to raise awareness on cancer, encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment, passed quietly with appropriate speeches that have been recycled over the years.

IN a serious democracy, a candidate who refuses to present himself for a major debate like the presidential debate would lose the election. Neither his reasons, nor his name would be important in the public reaching the decision on this. He would suffer the consequences of ignoring the public, and his party would be entangled in the resulting public odium his decisions would generate.