I kid you not. Being in the presence of The Pope is an awesome experience. The aura is truly beyond description. My first encounter with the Holy Father was in 1952 when at the insistence of my aged grandmother Maria, all the children in our household trooped to the Race Course (now known as Tafawa Balewa Square) Lagos to meet Pope Pius XII.

AT the time Buhari ruled, Enebeli Elebuwa was the face of Nigeria. He played Andrew, a comic, in a short propagandist documentary widely circulated through the government media particularly the NTA which was at that time the veritable vehicle of government propaganda with its Siamese twin, Radio Nigeria. This was way before the advent of privately owned radio and television stations. The NTA opened and closed with the national anthem and pledge. News was broadcast only at 9pm.

WHEN Governor Adams Oshiomhole mounted the saddle as Governor of Edo State in November 2008, he met Edo in a sorry state.

Infrastructure was in shambles. The roads were impassable; schools were not even fit for chickens; the state-owned hospitals and health centres were at best death centres; industries were shut and non-functional; unemployment was at its highest level as previous governments had imposed a freeze on fresh employment; workers and pensioners were owed months and months of arrears; water was a scarce resource in parts of the state, especially, Edo Central and the state was bleeding from corrupt practices from those who were at the helm.

Infrastructure was in shambles. The roads were impassable; schools were not even fit for chickens; the state-owned hospitals and health centres were at best death centres; industries were shut and non-functional; unemployment was at its highest level as previous governments had imposed a freeze on fresh employment; workers and pensioners were owed months and months of arrears; water was a scarce resource in parts of the state, especially, Edo Central and the state was bleeding from corrupt practices from those who were at the helm.

NJC’S recommendation on the reinstatement of swiftly-suspended president of the Appeal Court , Justice Ayo Salami, one of the few men of conscience and courage the country can still boast of, headed for its final resting place under the carpet.

THE International Community marked the International Day for persons with Disabilities on Monday 3, 2012. The theme of the day’s event was “Removing Barriers to create an inclusive and an accessible society for all”

I HAVE just commenced my thank-you tour to the great nations of the world. As the newly elected first executive president of the world’s newest democratic republic, I am naturally expected to observe this important diplomatic ritual.

MOST subjects that expose students to classic were removed. The study of subjects like Civics were merged with social studies.

I ALWAYS said this about the militancy in the Delta while fully condemning it: The truth remains that militants tapped into a groundswell of frustration.

THOUGH we have metaphysics, ethics, logic and other branches of philosophy, epistemology is one of the most important branches of philosophy because it has to do with knowledge.

AGAIN, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mallam Sanusi Lamido is at the centre-stage of controversy with his recent volatile suggestion that the civil service work force should be reduced by half.

Fake goods are easy to come by, especially here in Africa. One doesn’t have to go very far to find someone willing to sell you anything from a fake mobile phone to a fake weave.

EQUITABLY, it will just be fair that the governorship position of Delta State is reserved, and served on a platter to the patient waiting Aniomas come 2015.The argument in favour of the Aniomas is as succinct as it is convincing.

THE occasion was auspicious. The personalities were news-creators from diverse critical government ministries, department and agencies, MDAs and the host is the Embassy of the United States of America in Nigeria.

IN his 2013 budget speech proposal to the National Assembly three weeks ago, President Goodluck Jonathan had set $75 as the upper limit benchmark for oil price. The House of Representatives is pushing for $80.