ABOUT one hand a half years when Mr Temisan Omatseye emerged as the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) , the consensus in the maritime industry is that he has within that short period of time contributed immensely to the development of the sector and by extension the economy.

THEY may come from all works of life, including teachers and educators, sportsmen, broadcasters, scholars, artists, administrators, civil and public servants, religious leaders, traditional rulers and more.

THE constant closures of academic institutions over the last several decades, through arbitrary actions on the side of government as well as of students and academic unions incessantly going on strike, has not helped the situation any. Permanent institutional constructs must be put in place to overcome this endemic dislocation of the academic system.

FOLLOWING the recent announcement by Mr. Adetokunbo Kayode, the Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that female candidates will now be admitted into the Nigerian Defence Academy with effect from the 2011 academic session, many of those who read my book, ‘Thunder, Lightning & Storm’ have made contact to express ‘solidarity’ with me.

THE resilience of the Nigerian people, their ability to absorb so much and yet still keep going with little loss of confidence or even of their signature sense of humour, a quality which underpins their ability to survive under the most undesirable and challenging conditions, is something that Nigerians deserve to commend themselves for and celebrate.

LECTURERS are on strikein the South-East not because they are owed salaries but because they want to compel the poor governments of Enugu, Imo, Abia, Anambra and Ebonyi states to pay them what the rich and mighty Federal government t is paying federal lecturers!

THE idea of a world-class medical centre that was conceptualised after tedious negotiation process in far away United States, the United Kingdom and many other parts of the world was soon developed into a model.

THE Nigerian people require an unreserved urgent apology from the leadership of the National Assembly for subjecting the nation to this avoidable legislative blunder.

A virgin at 50 is still a virgin. A man at 50 is a legally accountable adult whatever his contradictions and idiosyncrasies. A nation at 50 is of age and firmly answerable for its condition and conduct, whatever its history or circumstances.

Dele Sobowale, the syndicated columnist of Vanguard and National Life newspapers, is fast gaining notoriety today as the ultimate patriarch of journalistic inconsistencies in Nigeria. Column-writing is surely a sacred privilege which, in turn, demands of the writer to constantly bring to bear the ethics of the trade: objectivity, fairness and accuracy.

IN a democratic set up like ours, the legislature is the chief custodian and preserver of the constitution, the executive is the chief custodian and preserver of the policy of government and its execution, whilst the judiciary is the custodian to the interpretation of the constitution. By this configuration a constitutional tripod is established.

BIOTECHNOLOGY, the practical use of biological processes in industrial production, is no more an arcane term, neither is it a new science.

THE Mapo Hall and Cocoa House are two tourists’ sights that make a visit to the sprawling Ibadan city complete and exhilarating. The two edifices have profound historical significance for the Yoruba people of south western Nigeria.

WE should be talking about national integration, politically and economically, possibly, culturally and socially also.

CAN a man who flies out to Europe or Dubai at the drop of a hat, on one occasion just to repair a torn ligament, can a man who obviously measures his fitness for office in terms of the gap between him and the average citizen, in terms of personal wealth really make a good president? Does Nigeria at this time need a plutocrat or an oligarch as its president?