VICE President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has said that the Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG, sub-sector can create two million direct and indirect jobs in Nigeria.

Love him, hate him! Mr. Godwin Obaseki is an enigma. A colossus, whose kind of politics since assuming office in 2016 as the Executive Governor of Edo State has caught the traditional politicians in the state napping. It is now, “business unusual.” Edolites love him, the common man on the streets also love him, the market women adore him.

Now that the coast appears cleared for Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase to clinch the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives, the next logical thing for us to do is to begin to advert their minds to the most fundamental challenges bedeviling our nation. I deliberately chose to address this memo to the incoming leadership of the 9th House of Reps because, like many Nigerians, I have little hope in the Senate, which has now been turned to a mere retirement home for former governors. Much more so, from our experience as a nation, the lower chamber has been much more vibrant in terms legislative activities. 

With the signed proclamation for the holding of the 9th Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari, it is just a matter of days before the presiding officers of the National Assembly are known. For the House of Representatives, the race is obviously between Honourables Umaru Mohammed Bago and Femi Gbajabiamila. Honourable Nkiruka Onyejeocha is also in the race, though her entrance into the race, according to a source, may not have any tangible effect on the outcome of who wins the race between Gbajabiamiala and Bago.

Twenty years in the life of a nation may be a short period of time. But when such a span of time embodies something meaningful and impactful, it is extremely noteworthy. And so Nigeria at present is celebrating two decades of uninterrupted democracy since the democratic restoration of 1999. Considering where the country is coming from- a long period of coups and counter coups, 30 months civil war, three previous short-lived attempts at democratic rule, military dictatorship of the worst form, occasioning all kinds of experiments and fraudulent political engineering including an annulment of a free and fair election and then a brutal dictatorship during which many were either killed or maimed- having another democratic resurgence lasting 20 years, and still counting, is indeed significant.