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?

I REMEMBER being mischievous as a kid on the streets of Warri in the former Bendel State. I was always with the big boys. Participating in their escapades, I was seen as a hero by my peers.

THE country will take its rightful place among the comity of nations. In partnership with like–minded politicians that abound in other parts of the country this new crop of Northern liberal leaders will ensure that Nigerian politics will return to the politics of values and openness that make for the vibrancy, stability, dynamism, consistency and competitiveness seen in other lands.

MONTHS ago, around mid-August, I expressed my displeasure with General Ibrahim Banbangida (rtd) for throwing his hat into the 2011 presidential election ring. I am afraid I have to follow that up with more comments on his style of campaigning, which not only unexpectedly but also unjustifiably has gone personal and in bad taste.

Nigeria has had many summits, seminars and conferences. The country has formulated quite a number of education policies, collected voluminous proposals and blueprints from both local and international experts, on how to salvage the education sector. Yet the problems in the education sector persist.

ELDER statesman and founding member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Benjamin Apugo is a respected grassroot politician in Abia State and there is no doubt about it.

THERE are indeed useful lessons from the recent flooding in parts of Lagos and the attendant chaotic traffic situation!

THE growing cases of reports of epidemic diseases at various states in Nigeria have become a source of worry to every right thinking individual.

PROMINENT citizens, including elders, traditional rulers and political leaders in Uyo Senatorial District in Akwa Ibom State, have continued to reject any third term aspiration to the Senate by aspirants in the forthcoming 2011 elections.