The first impression you get from Group Captain Salaudeen Latinwo, former military governor of Kwara State, is of a capable individual. At home, he works physically side by side with his domestic staff- answering the door, serving guests and even working the generator.

AGAINST the backdrop of plans by the Boko Haram sect to hit some government’s targets (National Assets) on or before today (October 1, 2011), military authorities in Abuja who got cracking following the groups’ threat to dent the nation’s 51st anniversary celebrations, have arrested about 950 suspects made up mostly of foreign national from Niger, Chad and Sudan.

IT all started like a joke a few days to the celebrations of Nigeria ’s 50th independence and golden jubilee in 2010. MEND, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta had issued a warning online, that they would detonate bombs in pursuance of their agitation and the security people said they took the matter serious but concentrated their checks only on a 1, 000 meters radius in and around the Eagle Square.

Samson Osagie is the Minority Whip in the House of Representatives. In this interview with GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE in Benin, he describes the call by former President Olusegun Obasanjo for the resignation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Tambuwal from his position as the ranting of an ant.

Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Spain, Ambassador Yusuf Mamman in this interview, talks about the Boko Haram controversy, blaming it on extra judicial killings by the police. He opines also that if policemen were not careless in spraying innocent citizens who were not carrying any weapons with bullets, as shown on Al Jazeera TV, the problem would not have got out of control.

AS Nigeria marks 51 years of independence and the National Assembly begins another round of constitution amendment, President of the Igbo Youth Movement (IYM), Evangelist Elliot Uko, has called for restructuring of the polity into a true federal state to address the myriad of socio-economic, political and development problems plaguing the country, saying government must begin the urgent processes to rebuild the country after 51 years of missed opportunities.

Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa was former governor of Sokoto state and two time-presidential aspirant. In this interview, he maintains that for Nigeria to develop, all hands must be on deck and that Nigerians need to support the government to move the country forward.

THE on-going strike by the organized labour in Anambra State has taken another dimension with the state government and labour leaders trading allegations that had helped to deepen the animosity between government and workers. On Monday, Gov Peter Obi assembled who is who in Anambra at the famous Women Development Centre , Awka and made a frightening speech that sent jitters down the spine of many workers.

Our founding fathers did not negotiate that at 51, Nigeria would become the 14th failed state in the world. Neither did they agree that it would be among the nations with the least human development index, nor that it would still be crawling five decades after independence. Our founding fathers did not dream that their great grand children would be treated with contempt as a result of mismanagement of its abundant resources.

The former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN), laments that 51 years after independence, Nigeria is yet to be a nation, citing sectional and selfish interest as major drawback. Akinjide,, in this no-holds-bared interview blames the northern leaders on the Boko Haram insurgency, among other issues.

AS Nigeria marks its 51st independence anniversary today, there have been various reactions from people, especially eminent Nigerians calling for peace and tranquility.

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan on August 5 inaugurated a council to look into public companies acquired but mismanaged by private investors.

Nigeria was ranked “the third fastest growing economy in the world after China and India by the (IMF) in 2009.” It further projects a growth of 9% in 2008 and 8.3% in 2009. The IMF further projects a 8% growth in the Nigerian economy in 2011.

Geography, Power, and Politics in Nigeria NIGERIA is a state of wide cultural diversity consisting of several distinct ethnic groups. What role do these ethnic ethnic groups play in Nigerian politics and what impact do they have on political developments in Nigeria? The issue involved here is whether or not the Nigerian federation is being hobbled by the centrifugal tendencies and activities of these ethnic groups.

Former Minister of the Federal Capital Ministry, FCT, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, presented this paper entitled ‘Perspectives on the cost of governance in a democracy’ at the biennial conference of the Nigeria Guild of Editors in Benin City last week.