How could this happen in a state under emergency rule? Terrorists had four hours operation and carted away the girls without help from anybody after which they journeyed into the forest. Remember the principal was said to be there; and the next minute, they said she was at her daughter’s place. There is discrepancy about the number of the kidnapped students. At times you wonder if we have leaders.

This clearly shows that the northern leaders are not serious about the rescue of the girls. The Federal Government has not been able to rescue the girls despite the much acclaimed military might of Nigeria. Is it then wrong to seek help outside Nigeria?

Chief Audu Innocent Ogbeh, one-time Minister of Communications; former National Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and now a chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, is a politician and an administrator.
In this interview, he bares his mind on the present security challenge in the country, what President Goodluck Jonathan must do, the on- going National Conference, among other salient issues.

MIchael Opeyemi Bamidele, erstwhile Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Lagos State, Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Tinubu and once a darling of the Asiwaju crowd is today on the other side, flying the kite of Labour Party in next month’s gubernatorial election.

Professor Alphonsus Bosah Chukwurah (ABC) Nwosu was a political adviser and later Minister of Health in the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2003. Before then, he superintended the Igbo secretariat at the 1995 Constitutional Conference. At the ongoing National Conference, he is a delegate representing Anambra State. In this interview, Nwosu speaks on resource control among other issues.

Dr. Uduak Christabel Udom, the immediate past President of the African Council of Optometry, has just been elected the President of the World Council of Optometry (WCO). In this interview, she speaks about the problem of optometry in Nigeria and Africa and what can be done to move the profession forward.

Amid the raging insurgency in the North-east, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, says, contrary to the claim in some quarters, Christians, rather than Muslims, are the targets of the Boko Haram Islamist group. Oritsejafor lists six ways to end the insurgent attacks including northern leaders engaging Boko Haram in dialogue. The CAN leader spoke to Sunday Vanguard after the Daughters of Sarah convention, co-hosted by his World of Life Bible Church, Warri, Delta State.

Former Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State in this encounter with Saturday Vanguard speaks on his legacy, life after governance, APGA and other issues not connected with government.

What I would say is that it has got to the point where Boko Haram is killing people because Boko Haram is now proving a point that it can kill and get away with it. It has gone beyond religion, politics and ideology. It is a belief: ‘I can kill people and I can get away with it and let me show you I can do it.’ That is what it is now. It is a showman thing. I know most people won’t think of that because they always believe it is religious or political.

As far as I know, there is no provision for zoning in the APC constitution. And, therefore, it means that there is no zoning.

Professor Pat Utomi is an economist and a politician. He co-founded the Lagos Business School, now Pan African University. In this interview, Utomi speaks on the on-going National Conference and the economy among other issues.

I will not tell you what the agenda of the Christian body is until it is made public in the conference. As I have always said, we need to pray. Some people will say ‘but things are still rough with all the prayers’, but I tell you, Nigeria cannot survive without prayers, even for one week. Prayer is the glue that gums Nigeria together; if you remove that glue, Nigeria will break into pieces. Let us put aside tribal and religious sentiments. Nigeria has long awaited this conference; so, I advise that those who have not been chosen to attend the conference should take away malice and sentiments and pray for its success.

I think the governors there can help the security to overcome the excesses of these people. They are the chief security officers of their states; therefore they have a duty to ensure the safety of their people. These are matters that there should be outside publicity; if I have serious suggestions, I will channel them properly, not on the pages of newspaper, it will not work.

Nothing, it’s just a talk-shop. We must realise that it’s a talk-shop. It’s functions are merely deliberative and advisory. So, there is no harm in talking. If they talk for three months, something good may come out of it but, certainly, not the adoption of a new constitution.

I don’t think people should argue much about President Jonathan contesting election in 2015. The reason for saying that is that the President has performed creditably. He has been fair to every part of Nigeria. He has done a lot in transforming critical sectors like education, health, roads, etc. As is the practice world over, if a President has done well, people repay him with re-election . Jonathan is good enough for second term.