THAT Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark is an enigma is an understatement. That many Nigerians are aware of his true pedigree and launch-pad is an overstatement.

IN his book on visionary leadership, Burt Nanus made an apt quote that pertinently captures what is currently happening in Nigeria’s aviation sector. Nanus wrote: “There is no more powerful engine driving an organisation toward excellence and long range success than an attractive, worthwhile, achievable vision for the future, widely shared”.

I NOTED with interest the response from Amedu Ogbole Ode, the spokesperson in the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (‘Nigeria’s Foreign Policy – in Decline or Robust?’, Vanguard, 13 and 14 May 2013; and The Guardian, May 15 and 16, 2013) to my article ‘Decline of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy’ (The Guardian, May 6, 2013).

Loads of critics will arise after reading this essay. Many African feminist critics could come for my jugular. I hope though that they will appraise the issue objectively and address it effectively. On my part,I will try as much as I can to be very objective and underline my points with verifiable facts, and keep it short.

REALISING the importance of knowledge, skill acquisition and job creation, the Kano State government through its Kwankwasiya slogan is fighting ignorance, street begging and other vices through massive investment on education and critical infrastructure.

Today, in this country, the craze for money has infiltrated every segment of our society. From the religious leadership through to the traditional and the political, there is no difference. The things being done and said in order to enrich ourselves with money are no longer moral. Immoral ways and means are, today, the norm in every facet of our national life. We read in our dailies of men and women who bear names that identify them as “Church-goers” who steal money meant for either those they are paid to serve, or used for the welfare of those who voted them to be in power.

Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, is currently being celebrated by members of the opposition parties and some critics of President Goodluck Jonathan over what they termed his “sweet victory” over the president and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership following his re-election, last Friday, as chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).

For many political office-holders, delivering on promises made upon occupying the golden stool is not only an arduous task, it determines the operations of the time-tested principle of recall.

Several times I tried to write this piece but each time my emotional strength failed me. The reality, however, is that I cannot continue to delay it even if I have to do this misty-eyed as is the case now.
But there is a background to the void this sad event has caused in my life.

The story of road development will never be told in Nigeria without giving special credit to President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. He, not only put road infrastructure at the front burner for economic acceleration, but also harnessed some of the finest human resources to initiate viable reforms for the sector.

NIGERIA’s path to democracy is chequered. Once we lost it to the 1966 coupists, several military leaders thereafter, made unsuccessful attempts to return the country to democracy.

SINCE May 29, 1999 when Nigeria’s ongoing nascent democracy commenced, the giant of Africa has set this date for an annual ritual of celebrating a continuous and unabated democratic rule aimed at consolidating this global political value as well as creating awareness on the need for our democratic operators to improve on its dividends.

TRIBUTE
OUR hearts are broken by the passing of Dee (Uncle) Pini Jason, a legendary Nigerian journalist. We have lost a tireless advocate of social justice, whose role on the public stage will always be missed. I heard about the sad event on Saturday morning, May 4, 2013 from my elder brother, Emmanuel, who called from his Abuja base. Like most people, I was sent into a state of rude shock with many questions bothering my mind relative to the actual cause of his death.

Aware that they have failed to get a fully-fledged peacekeeping force up and running, African leaders now plan a rapid-deployment emergency force, but analysts question whether it can deliver.

IT is curious how a single word evokes diametrically opposite reactions from people. And yet this contrasting opposition, in more ways than one, spices piquantly people’s use of languages generally and the English language particularly.