THERE was just so much going on, and no one to talk to. I attempted suicide three times with pills, and poison. I was always very close to dying but I just don’t know why it never happened. For every attempt at killing myself, I wasn’t asked why. Rather, I got beaten for making my father waste hard earned money on unnecessary medical bills.

SUICIDE rates will multiply in Nigeria not because times are hard. Times were hard during the Biafran war. The problem now is that adults are increasingly immature. The society is increasingly frivolous,  people no longer seem to have true friends and friends now see themselves more as rivals. The race is measured by wealth and nothing else. Setbacks are mourned as wasted life by those who should give love and genuine support. So a troubled man becomes the butt of jokes by those in whom he has reposed his trust.”

PORT HARCOURT — UNTIL  last night, leaders and members of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, are still at a complete loss over what struck them last Thursday at the “Garden City,” Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, where they converged for their fourth general assembly. 

Since the middle of 2014, when the price of crude oil fell dramatically, Nigeria’s finances became challenged. This is not hard to explain: we’ve historically depended on crude oil for as much as 70 per cent of government revenues, and 90 per cent of foreign exchange earnings.

Hon. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, a lawyer, is the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions. He represents Ukwa East/West Federal Constituency of Abia State. In this interview he spoke on challenges facing the passage of the PIB and the way forward,excerpts…