FORMER President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, recounted his experiences in prison when he declared that he knew from the onset that he was going to come out of incarceration alive, but was not sure when and how.

Chief Olufemi Lateef Okunnu, was 34 years old when he became federal commissioner for works and housing. In just about seven years, he brought his radicalism to bear on the administration of General Yakubu Gowon.
In this two part interview, you will read about the administration of General Gowon and how the cabinet meetings were conducted. For a 33-year old army officer who became Nigeria’s head of state, it is interesting that he surrounded himself with, perhaps, the best brains of that era without prejudice to their age.

Life said to be in stages. Let’s look at yours as a case study.You want me to go into history but I will be very brief? My name is Senator Munirudeen Adekunle Muse. I was born in Lagos, precisely on the 7th of May 1939.

Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi has his own way about things. Sometimes you wonder if his status as a state governor is either yet to catch up with him or he remains just his own person – this relates to his sense of simplicity in appearance and approach to issues.
In this encounter, Amaechi, whom many say is turning Rivers State into a huge construction site, spoke about the issue of militancy and how his administration was able to succeed and return life back to Port Harcourt city. Hear him: I am more assured of destroying them because I have the federal government, I have trained soldiers, I have the Navy, I have the Air Force and I have the Police. These are young boys who are not even up to 100,000 holding everybody to ransom.”

Alhaji Liad Tella, former National Concord chief and MD, The Monitor Newspaper, is currently National Commissioner, National Hajj Commission. He spoke to BASHIR ADEFAKA on how he became a journalist against his wish.

The Rivers State Government has set in motion a machinery to transform Port Harcourt into a city befitting the 21st century with the establishment of the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority.

The concluding part of the first part of this interview last week dwelt on a group of Northern leaders. The question asked was: “Yes! This issue of coming from the North, some people might say, well, Dalhatu Tafida is not a good Northerner that is why he is heading the Jonathan Campaign? And for a dose of mischief, the name of Sambo would not appear when they mention the campaign team? Well, if people come out and say I am not a good Northerner, they should come and tell me what they have done that will make me a bad Northerner and they, good Northerners. I am thinking of this country, its future and its prosperity”.

Former governor of Oyo state, Alhaji Lam Adeshina lives in a bungalow devoid of opulence, with hardly a parking space for his two simple cars. Adeshina, a progressive of the Obafemi Awolowo’s school, speaks with BASHIR ADEFAKA at his residence in Ibadan, Oyo State, recently

Kolade Oshinowo is perhaps one of Nigeria’s most important artists. He has had about 22 solo and over 90 group exhibitions of his works in and outside the country. Some of his works are currently on display in the exhibition hall of Terra Kulture as part of Nigeria’s anniversary celebration.

Responding to a question on why he, coming from the North West geo-political zone, the zone where the late President Umaru Yar’Adua hailed and the zone which, had Yar’ Adua not died, might still have pursued a second term in office, should not be seen as a bad person on account of his present posting, Tafida, Dr. Sarki Dalhatu Tafida, the medical doctor/politician/diplomat, who is the Director General of the Jonathan/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation, said, smiling.
“Yes! This issue of coming from the North, some people might say, well, Dalhatu Tafida is not a good Northerner that is why he is heading the Jonathan Campaign? And for a dose of mischief, the name of Sambo would not appear?

The Esogban of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri who marked his eightieth birthday last week, in this interview reviewed Nigeria’s 50 years as independent country and declared that the nation has failed the founding fathers of the nation .

This is the second part of the Jonathan Zwingina interview. You would not need to read far to know that he is committed to the Jonathan project. But he also goes down memory lane to explain the contradictions which whittled the initial momentum of the June 12 struggle. On June 12, for instance, Zwingina said: “What then happened was that the military, first and foremost, gave us the impression that if the Abiola team participated in the emerging government, that the June 12 situation would be revisited.

TY believes that a stable Plateau and Kaduna state means stability to the Middle Belt and the North because of what Kaduna and Plateau symbolise to the two regions

If you are tempted to conclude that Senator Jonathan Zwingina is merely supporting President Goodluck Jonathan because of the name-sake mentality, you would be forgiven. However, for this teacher endowed with oratorical skill, his
arguments regarding the raging issue of zoning would be difficult to fault. “You have been president for 35years but you still have appetite for another four years and you are telling the president who has never tested the presidency not
to have appetite! Can you imagine the incongruity in the argument? If occupation of the presidency gives advantage, what more advantage do you need after having it for 35years?

Assuming that somebody went
into the University in 1999, if by now he has not graduated, won’t you begin to wonder why? The politicians who are complaining about the military should by now have overcome those problems which they believe and claim
the military caused