ARCHBISHOP Nicholas Dikeriehi Orogodo Okoh joined the Nigerian Army during the civil war in 1969 and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. On September 15, 2009, he became the Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion). Today, he is also the president of Southern Christians Association of Nigerian, SCAN. Last Sunday, the Primate returned to a familiar terrain, the All Saints (AHQ) Cathedral, Abalti Barracks, Surulere where he was the foundation vicar in his army days, this time to preside over the 70th birthday/thanksgiving service/holy communion of a family friend, Mrs. Ibiyemi Olatomi Odeka. He obliged our SAM EYOBOKA the following interview which centered mostly on the security situation in the country.

Perhaps, had Labaran Maku, Information and Communication Minister, been one of the bereaved parents of youth corps members who lost their lives in the wake of the violence that erupted after the April, 2011, general elections, he would not have spoken so gleefully about an assurance by the federal government to parents whose children are now being posted to troubled areas in Nigeria’s North East geo-political zone.

But for Mr. Dele Momodu, the session would not have held. Even then, there were terms of engagement: Mike Effiong, Editor, OVATION magazine, had to extract a commitment that the session would hold but there would be no verbatim reproduction. And because Kola Abiola, first son of the late Bashorun MKO Abiola, undisputed winner of the June 12, 1993 election rarely speaks out, it was an opportunity – not withstanding the conditions. Details of this session would be reproduced in OVATION magazine, published by Momodu, this month. The panelists included Femi Adeshina, Sun; Segun Adeniyi, ThisDay,; Felix Ogbuejiofor Abugu, The Guardian; Mobolaji Sanusi, The Nation; Steve Ayorinde, Mirror; Uncle Momodu himself and Effiong.

All in black attire, which signified mourning, the displaced people of the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula, numbering over 500 marched to the Governor’s Office, Calabar, Cross River State, to protest what they described as perpetual neglect and the Federal Government’s insensitivity to their plight.

We all enjoy light. Except some awkward people who hide under the cover of darkness to perpetrate evil, everyone desires it. No wonder, when the Power Holding Company of Nigeria restores light after hours of power outage, the shouts of “UP NEPA” rent the air.

Cosmas I.B. Okoli is President/CEO, Mobility Aid and Appliances Research and Development Centre (MAARDEC). In this piece, Okoli, who celebrated his 50th birthday on Tuesday, unfolds the Hope and Possibilities Ride from Lagos to Abuja with Manual Tricycles by him and two other polio survivors. The event, according to him, starts November 4 and ends December 3. And barring any changes, the route will be from Lagos through Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Benue, Nasarawa.

1 Kasuwan Magani in Kajuru LGA, 1980, when Hausa traders tried to take over Adara land, claiming that the land belonged to them.

2. Yarkasuwa, then in Lere District in 1986, during the contest for the district headship of Lere, when the Kurama were blamed for the crisis caused by the power mongers there, who were opposed to the candidature of a prominent Bakurmi Muslim, who “dared’ to contest for the District Head’s office reserved for the Hausa Fulani of Lere town.

The United States of America Diversity Visa (DV) Program, also known as Green Card Lottery, and congressionally mandated by the Department of State in 1995, has become an annual ritual which has given many Nigerians free passage to the US.

June 1, 2012, will forever remain indelible in the memory of the Anyinye family, in Idumu-Ugbe quarters, Ogboobi viillage, Onitcha Ugbo , Delta State, following the murder of a member of their family, Ifechukwude, 32.

The aura of integrity and authority which Hon. Farouk Lawan used to radiate within the chambers of the House of Representatives evaporated on Friday when his colleagues within the Green Chamber removed him as Chairman of two important committees; the controversial Adhoc Committee on Monitoring of Subsidy Fund and the Education Committee.

Senator Lekan Balogun is a great politician . Beyond that, he is Osi-Olubadan, an Ibadan traditional stool that entitles him to become the Olubadan of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State. In this piece, Balogun tells the story of his life as a private person and politician.

I was involved in the three stages in the election process that produced what we call today ‘June 12’ Those of us who worked on the three stages never, never planned for its cancellation or annulment. For the reader, the three stages of an election process according to the standard text in election planning are the pre election day activities, the election day activities and the post-election day activities. In 1993, we passed the first and the second and the problem arose as we approached the third stage.

…Options before Mr. President, PDP and opposition parties
This is a build up to President Goodluck Jonathan’s first year in office as an elected leader. But there appears to be a stasis in the affairs of the nation, occasionally shattered by the bombing raids of insurgents. Yet, the political class is enmeshed in a controversy about succession come 2015. Worse, the body language still Mr. President and his minders suggests that it could be a go for him.

The gun-totting bandit was just some four metres from the big man. Pointing his gun at him, he barked, “bring out your money everybody” – he was actually talking to other car owners and passengers who had been abruptly forced to a screeching halt. There was pandemonium.

There is no gainsaying that the state of infrastructure in the country is nothing to write home about. From hospitals to airports, most of the nation’s critical infrastructure are begging for urgent attention and possible rehabilitation.