FOR most Nigerians, the new driver’s license and vehicle registration number scheme is nothing but a ploy to skim more money out of the pockets of hapless citizens for government officials to embezzle.

THIS is a tribute to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) as the sun sets on the party in Kwara State. As a Nigerian living in England, I have a keen interest in what happens back home. Certain state governments, such as Kwara, where I hail from, have shown remarkable purpose and progress within a short time in office.

THOSE who bear Valentine dread the month of February like a plague. Besides close friends who always demand that one celebrates one’s name in grand style, most confront you with all manner of questions bordering on what the name is supposed to embody.

THERE is no doubt any longer about the challenges and threats of climate change to humanity. One issue that has however continued to impede speedy progress among nations towards combating the threats and putting in place adequate adaptation and mitigation measures is finance. Finance in the developing countries especially Africa nations has posed major obstacle.

FELLOW Nigerians, the events of the last few days regarding the removal of subsidy on petrol have shown me how deeply patriotic you are and how passionate you are about the growth and development of this nation and how robustly you are ready to defend our democracy and exercise your rights as citizens.

THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, zoned the presidency. They agreed that it will rotate between the different geopolitical zones of Nigeria. After eight years of South West presidency, it was the turn of the NorthWest to produce the president.

AN uncommon wave of excitement ran through the entire Delta State when news broke last month that the former Governor of the state, Chief James Onanefe Ibori would not face any corruption charges as such charges have been dropped from the allegations against him in a London court.

WITH less than 10 months into the governorship of Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, there are covert signs that the race to succeed him in 2015 has begun in earnest.Political discourses have tended to be focused on that quintessential candidate who will fly the banner of the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, among the motley crowd of emerging aspirants who have shown subtle interests in taking over from Dr. Uduaghan on May 29, 2015.

IT was also within the administration that solar was installed in Ipene, Umon Island and Community Secondary School, Adim in Biase Local Government Area, while boreholes have been provided in Betem and Iwuru in the Area. There is now also electricity in Nkim-Osokom and borehole and solar in Buda in Boki.

The author was not surprised when President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Nuhu Ribadu to Chair the Petroleum Task Force. Short and simple, the presidency is in desperate search for credibility, especially since the fuel subsidy removal and the monumental exposure of corruption surrounding the oil subsidy.

IN the words of Anon, ‘Ordinary people think of spending time: Great people think of using it.’ Isak Dineson summed up his own words of winning this way: ‘don’t count every hour in a day; make every hour in the day count.’

FOR quite a long time now, it is obvious that the activities of the Abia State government have been getting negative publicity, most times fabricated or twisted for selfish and mischievous purpose by a particular national daily owned by a former governor.

THE average un infested Nigerian’s main needs amongst others, is to see government at work, pursuing the provision of his basics that would make life worth living like good roads connecting the rural with the urban, transportation at affordable rate, health facilities stocked and water.

WHILE the killings of Southerners,Yorubas and Northern Christians continue unabated in the North, there is a recognisable systematic effort to locate the perpetrators among the victims or at least to obfuscate the source of culpability for the on-going mayhem. The articles written by Hakeem Baba-Ahmed and Ishaq Kawu in the Vanguard of 11 and 12 January respectively are an example of such attempts.

Though much of the world has never heard of diseases like lymphatic filariasis or schistosomiasis, these and other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a daily reality for many living in Africa and across the world. These terrible diseases affect more than one billion people worldwide, disabling, disfiguring and blinding their victims, and making it difficult for the world’s poorest communities to lift themselves out of poverty.