Last week, it was about the riddle of political stability and economic prosperity.
Today, and as this administration, which came to power on the crest of massive goodwill, continues its push for the removal of the subsidy on petrol, the riddle is about the chicken and the egg.

Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz, Economics Nobel Prize Winner, 2001, in “Undoing the bankruptcy of capitalism”.
In part one of this review of the MTFF, it was pointed out that the authors, ably led by our Federal Minister of Finance, were merely indulging in semantic and cosmetic changes. Multiple-year economic plans are as old as the Gowon administration. Until now, they were called Medium Term Economic Plans, MTEP. And none has worked from the 1970s till now. Is there anything in the MTFF which is so radically different as to induce confidence in its pronouncements?

EUPHORIA has its place, as Libyanswould find out soon. When a man rules a country absolutely for 42 years it is not easy to do without him whether he was booted out of office, he died or was killed.

Dr Bernard Harris, the first Africa-Americanastronaut to walk on outer planet who visited Nigeria and other African Countries recently to encourage our children and stakeholders in the sector on the need to revamp the continent’s passion for science and technology has served as an example to Africans at home and in diaspora to think on what they can offer their country.

Between political stability and economic prosperity, one must come first!

The two are not mutually exclusive.

In Nigeria’s case, the puzzle is whether we should pursue economic prosperity with a long term view of enthroning political stability; or vice versa!

In those pleasant days when Nigerian schools still taught kids anything worthwhile, Romeo and Juliet, was every secondary school student’s favourite love story –irrespective of gender. The name given to the nation’s latest attempt to re-introduce fiscal discipline should induce in those old enough to remember when budgets were sacrosanct the quip, “What’s in a name?”

Prof. Akpan Ekpo, Director General, West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM), owned by the Central Banks of Anglophone West Africa (Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Gambia and Liberia)

If only the residents of Alimosho knew that living in that area would pose unending hardship on them, they would rather have taken a second thought. The burden of living in that area is so unbearable that lots of people have either lost their jobs or resorted to taking their fate within their hands.

The storm is already gath ering once again over the Federal Government’s recent decision to remove subsidy from the price of fuel from next January.

Lab results presented Thursday at Dr. Conrad Murray’s involuntary manslaughter trial show that Michael Jackson’s fingerprints were not found on medical evidence taken from his bedroom at a rented Holmby Hills mansion.

At a time when the Federal Government of Nigeria and its component states are just agreeing to pay the new minimum wage of N18,000, the planned removal of subsidy on petroleum products would no doubt throw another spanner in the works. This report would show that at best, the ritual of a massive industrial action would again be performed, while at the same time the real benefits of the subsidy may suffer undue discount in the face of an insincere approach to subsidy removal – for the umpteenth time.

Although by no means representative of the aggregate views of the membership of the national assembly, a few senators and members of the House of Representatives told Sunday Vanguard that the removal of subsidy at a time like this would only inflict more pains on Nigerians, mind you, without prejudice to the supposed benefits.

Government has over the years insisted that the subsidy it pays on petroleum products are too much for it to bear and that almost all the funds go into private pockets at the end of the day. Therefore, government’s position is that it would be better if it removes the subsidy so that the few fat cats reaping the country off would no longer do so. Below is a compilation of the way governments over the years have removed what it claimed to be subsidies on petroleum products.

Anywhere in the world, building roads, con structing culverts and bridges are perfunctory chores, but in Nigeria, the projects are a hard road to travel. In Kaduna, a dry, plain and savannah land, spreading laterite and asphalt is proving as difficult as rocket science.

IT was a triple celebration for the second in command to the paramount traditional ruler of Ondo Town, the Osemawe, the Lisa of Ondo town, High Chief Ilemobayo Akinnola, popularly called ‘Ojo gbogbo bi Odun’ which literarily means no dull moment.