If you stand in the centre of the Swali Market in Yenagoa on the busiest of its well paved internal streets, which is known as the Alamieyeseigha Line, you might gain a little insight into the reason why D.S.P Alamieyeseigha (or “Alams” as most of the ordinary people in the state fondly called him) came to be regarded as something of a folk hero.

“CHILDREN cover your body better than clothes”, an African adage says. Infertility or the failure to achieve pregnancy and childbirth after a year of trying is a public health concern and socially destabilising for affected couples causing stigmas and marital disharmony.

The thoughts of Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto as expressed in a keynote address at the conference held under the theme, The Muslim Agenda for Nigeria: Challenges of Development and Good Governance. The conference took place at Fountain University, Osogbo and organised by Islamic Welfare Foundation.

“But I think there is also a clear understanding that any such action is damaging for both sides, and unwelcome. The ball is in Russia’s court now,” he wrote in a note.

His background as a financial expert does not give room for pretences. Figures don’t lie, people say. In the same vein, Kashim Shettima, second term governor of Borno State, does not politicize issues because of the exigencies of the time; no, he would say it the way it is, especially if it will achieve the desired result. He was once criticized for his blunt assessment of the activities of the dreaded Boko Haram during the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan, but the nation soon realized that there was no better way he could have said it if he was to get the Federal Government to act. A spade is a spade, and that was what Shettima called it.