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.