I PARTICIPATED in those meetings because we were friends. He was my friend; I will say a good friend. The only thing that went wrong was that the election was annulled. It did not affect our personal relationship. At best, I will say we had an ideological difference from that point.
People hold you responsible for many of the problems the country faces – the annulled 1993 election, corruption, and the economy.

AS we waited to interview General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, the most talked about person to have ever ruled Nigeria, the serenity of the Hilltop Mansion, Minna, was interrupted only by the steady humming of the air-conditioner in the waiting room. The simplicity of the place belies the myths that have been woven round the place. Once before him, the first shocker was from aides who said we had only 15 minutes. The General wanted the ground rules set. “No political questions,” he said.We agreed, provided he decided which questions were political. Again he was reminded there were other engagements, but he asked us to continue. His generosity with his time continued after, as he took us round the office, explaining other sides of the story of his life with pictures (which we copied) he took with friends and family. IBB, as he more popularly known, spoke with a carefulness that reflected his unwillingness to discuss politics beyond a certain depth…

In this interview with Gambo Lawan, aspirant for the position of national chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, he exudes an uncommon confidence about the possibility of winning the election to the position.
For Lawan, he believes his organizational abilities are more than enough to earn him the position.
On the issue of godfatherism as a factor that would determine who eventually becomes the PDP national chairman, Lawan’s sense of pride came alive: First of all, the Almighty God is my godfather.

Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Coalition, NDC, of Liberia, Professor Ambassador Dew Tuan Wreh Mayson, stands accused of being too committed to the Liberian cause. He should.
As one of those who worked for the victory of the incumbent, President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson, he expresses disappointment at the turn of events in his country. Prof. Mayson today is the presidential candidate of the opposition coalition comprising eight political parties and the figures continue to swell. Whereas it is early days yet, regarding the weight the opposition is capable of pulling in its bid to unseat Johnson, Prof. Mayson and the opposition politicians believe that “What would keep the coalition together is exactly what brought it together – the need to come together in order to win and the need to stay together in order to help raise the standard of living of our people. In our manifesto, these things are stated clearly and the points refer to some of the basic things our people need and it binds us together. Yes, there are varying ideologies in the parties but there is one consuming ideology and which is to see a better Liberia for our people by voting out this government”. He insists that October’s presidential election in the country would be a golden opportunity for the people to define a new path to greatness and unity.

Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Coalition, NDC, of Liberia, Professor Ambassador Dew Tuan Wreh Mayson, stands accused of being too committed to the Liberian cause. He should.
As one of those who worked for the victory of the incumbent, President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson, he expresses disappointment at the turn of events in his country. Prof. Mayson today is the presidential candidate of the opposition coalition comprising eight political parties and the figures continue to swell. Whereas it is early days yet, regarding the weight the opposition is capable of pulling in its bid to unseat Johnson, Prof. Mayson and the opposition politicians believe that “What would keep the coalition together is exactly what brought it together – the need to come together in order to win and the need to stay together in order to help raise the standard of living of our people. In our manifesto, these things are stated clearly and the points refer to some of the basic things our people need and it binds us together

Alhaji Sefiu Alao a.k.a Omo Oko is a Fuji music star with a mind of his own. Based in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, the recipient of many chieftaincy titles and several awards of honour in his Abeokuta home, says in spite of all his riches, “I’m still working harder to attain the height in the profession.”

Professor Julius Okojie, Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission, NUC, in this interview with Favour Nnabugwu, argues that decadence is no longer prevalent in our universities. Okojie, interestingly, insists that the education sector is fairly funded within the context of the competitive demands on government funds. He says some Nigerian universities are now ranked among top 100 in Africa.
With 117 universities- 45 private-owned, 36 Federal Government-owned and 36 owned by state governments, NUC, indeed, has a lot on its hands.
But the NUC boss says the commission is doing its best.

Those who know him well enough would have observed that virtually everybody he comes across is referred to jovially as BROS.For this multi-lingual Igbo man who speaks the Yoruba language with some deliberately twisted fluency, Frank Nweke Jnr. came to national limelight when he served as former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Information Minister between 2003 and 2007. Quick-witted and sharp-minded, Nweke Jnr. is today Director-General of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, NESG.

Those who know him well enough would have observed that virtually everybody he comes across is referred to jovially as BROS.For this multi-lingual Igbo man who speaks the Yoruba language with some deliberately twisted fluency, Frank Nweke Jnr. came to national limelight when he served as former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Information Minister between 2003 and 2007. Quick-witted and sharp-minded, Nweke Jnr. is today Director-General of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, NESG.

Dr. Adesola Taiwo, former Treasurer, Lagos State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, is a captain of industry, a Medical Director/Chief Executive Officer of Adefemi Hospital with branches spread across parts of Lagos. He spoke to BASHIR ADEFAKA about how Buhari/Idiagbon policy pulled him and his colleqgues out of the Public Health Service.