He must have acted on a tip-off- and he acted swifty on the information provided. The information led to an unscheduled visit of Niger state governor Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu to some state owned primary Schools few months ago.

Over a year after the announcement by the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, that Value Added Tax and stamp duty would be removed from transactions in the secondary segment of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, nothing has been done.

Sitting on a mattress, under a mango tree on the land that used to accommodate their house, Sunday Solomon, a teenager, watched over what the family could salvage. Clutching the remote control to their television set, he gazed at the rubbles of their demolished house with the hope that the hand of the clock could be turned back.

As discerning Nigerians who found the so-called “before it is too late” letter from Chief Olusegun Obasanjoto President Goodluck E. Jonathan, GCFR, ill-conceived, we decided to deconstruct the content to see if it meets the minimum demands of altruistic advice, given the writer’s pedigree as a former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, an elder statesman. In doing this we were not unaware of the several public commentaries and reactions from a cross section of Nigerians, some of which posit that Nigerians should ignore the messenger and take the lessons from the message giving the critical weight of the issues raised. Much as this position may appear germane, it needs to be understood that whereas it is possible to separate the messenger from the message, it is nevertheless impossible to comprehend the meaning of a message without reference to the motive or intention of the messenger.

FOR Three years, the roofs of two-storey blocks meant to take twelve classrooms each at the Pin Margaret Secondary School in Calabar South have been abandoned by the contractor.

For about six months now, public universities, the most vital segment of the country’s tertiary education system had been closed down due to strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over sundry issues including infrastructure which seemed a major one.

The state of education in Plateau State remains a far cry from the ideal despite the efforts of the state government to revamp the sector.

For a man who enjoyed so much support to become Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief, he did not need a letter from former President Olusegun Obasanjo, his former benefactor, to appreciate the discount his administration is suffering. Fortunately for him, the messenger has poisoned the message with highly concentrated bile. However, the wise paradigm for Aso Rock to engage is a careful re-assessment of the basis of governance with a view to doing the altruistic needful in its own interest. This is the compelling argument in this piece.

REACTIONS have continued to trail the purported letter written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Jonathan that was leaked to the media, as a coalition of Civil Society Organizations has said that the letter was borne out of malice and was capable of causing political tension in the country.

It was so long a letter, well crafted and strongly worded. From the soft imprints of sentiments to seemingly harsh words of realities, the letter conveyed some pieces of information that could only be passed by someone with an experiential knowledge; someone who fears no friends or foes; someone with deep-seated knowledge and workings of Nigeria; someone who would say the raw truth and damn the consequences; someone who has repented from his own past evil deeds; someone with a renewed patriotic zeal for his country; someone who feel highly disappointed in someone else; someone so absolutely frustrated; someone who was on his kneels calling for a total rebirth. And that was former President Olusegun Okikilolo Mathew Aremu Obansanjo.

In the gallery of world statesmen of the 20th century, Nelson Mandela occupies an exceptional position. His name will be forever linked with the struggle of the South African people to end apartheid, the coping stone of the racism and the injustices to which they had been subjected for so long.

Exactly eight years ago today, 61 students of the Loyola Jesuit College (LJC) were headed home for the Christmas holidays when the Sosoliso aircraft conveying them crashed in Port Harcourt.

*The ICPC, UN connection By Jide Ajani This report reveals the genuine drive of Professor Festus Iyayi to shape the lives of young Nigerians in the path of honour and integrity.  It is also the story of how that commitment would have seen him share his ideas and ideals with other intellectuals from across the […]

By Ikeddy ISIGUZO, Chairman, Editorial Board MADIBA Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela defies classification, compartmentalisation or the type of encasement that leaders embrace as ideology. Mandela was different things to different people; the adulations following his passage on Thursday are the proofs of his stand as a humanist. “Friends loved him, followers adored him, enemies respected him […]

By Kayode Fayemi The passing of Nelson Mandela after his prolonged hospitalisation should not be a cause for sadness on any account. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and offer our prayers for them and for the people of South Africa. But we also recognize that his passing at the ripe old age […]