Senator and former Governor Ahmed Sani, the Yerima Bakura, has finally had his way. The Nigerian Senate has bowed to his will and agreed to be silent about the age that young girls can get married in Nigeria. What this means once it is followed through and enshrined in our laws and Constitution is that girls that are as young as nine years old, provided they are deemed as having been ‘’physically developed enough’’ by their suitors, could be lawfully bedded and married in our country. That is the sordid level that we have now, as a people and as a nation, degenerated to. I weep for Nigeria and, perhaps more appropiately, I weep for the Nigerian girl-child. Yet we have no choice but to live with this new reality and to accept it as it is. After all, our representatives in the sacred halls of the Senate were not sensitive enough or ‘’man enough’’ to shoot down the whole thing, to stand firmly against the unholy agenda and to say boldly and firmly that, ‘’come what may’’, our children must be protected from sexual deviants and reprobates.

Chief Sunday Akabueze is a chieftain of Labour Party in Imo State. He has overtime proven himself to be a strong supporter of Chief Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, who is aspiring to be the next Governor of Anambra State come November 2013 on the platform of Labour Party (LP).

The tranquility hitherto enjoyed by residents of Salawu Street, along Galilee avenue in Iju area of Lagos was truncated last Wednesday, following sporadic gun shots from unknown gunmen. Gripped by trepidation, residents, some of whom were already on their way to their work places scampered in different directions for safety, while those who were jolted from sleep hid in their apartments.

Adedeji Doherty is a chairmanship aspirant for the Lagos State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and organising Secretary for the South-West.

THE kidnap of the wife of Deputy Leader, Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Mrs. Winifred Ogbu last Friday evening along Gracecourt Hotel, Abakaliki, by a six-member gang which operated with motorcycles had led to the enactment of a new policy on kidnapping by the Ebonyi State government. The policy states that any building where kidnapped victims are kept with the knowledge of the owner, the structure will be demolished; and that if the owner of a building finds out that his residence was being used to keep kidnap victims and fails to report it to security agents, the building will also be demolished.

At every emergent need of Muslims, there is invariably something to offer as far as Islamic Movement for Africa, IMA, is concerned. The current of such is the need for Muslims especially in the immediate vicinity to have a quality based hospital that would render to them effective and affordable medical and health service delivery.

Sahuur is early morning meal taken by a fasting Muslim before fajr. And Iftar is meal taken to break the fast at sunset. Both the Sahuur and Iftar must be in conformity with the rule guiding table manner in Islam in order to achieve the full reward.

Asaba—DELTA State, which is one of the coastal states in the country might be totally submerged by water, if the current global projections that the sea level is expected to rise to 15 centimeter in year 2099 is anything to go by.

It is clear that some women have the permission to leave out fasting during Ramadan due to issues such as pregnancy, menstrual cycles, and breast feeding. In providing an insight into the matter, the permission on pregnant and nursing women is slightly different from that of the terminally sick persons or the aged.

Former judge of International Court of Justice (ICJ) and founder Islamic Mission for Africa (IMA) HE Judge Bola Ajibola has appealed to the government and the citizenry to see the new month of Ramadan 1434 A.H as a period of sober reflection to shun evil vices in the society.