THE sparks are still flying on the controversial strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities in state universities of the South-East since July 2010. For obvious reasons, the situation should not be allowed to linger.

THE Senate’s rejection of a clause in the amended Electoral Act 2010, which sought to make the federal lawmakers automatic members of the National Executive Committees (NEC) of their political parties, doesn’t seem to impress many discerning democratically-minded Nigerians.

DESPITE the widespread rejection of the attempt to amend the Electoral Act 2010 by the National Assembly, the federal lawmakers seem pig-headed in their determination to pooh-pooh public opinion, which was stoutly expressed during the public hearing on the issue.

AS the 2011 elections draw near, one man I don’t envy is Attahiru Jega, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

THERE is no doubt that the new found love between the Presidency and the National Assembly regarding the consistent efforts to amend the 2010 Electoral Act is geared towards rigging the 2011 presidential primaries in January.

THIS year I have written about two articles that chronicled the tragedies that befell our students. I still remember with nostalgia the gruesome murder of Grace Ushanga, the serving Corps member who was allegedly raped to death by the infamous religious sect, known as Boko Haram, the drowning to death of about 43 students from Kwara State who went to a neighbouring country in search of Education, the kidnapping of 15 school children {now released } at Aba, Abia State, the kidnapping of Corps members in Rivers State. Earlier, in 2006, the Ilafor family lost their three children in a Sosoliso plane crash.

THE emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the Northern consensus candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primaries has been attended by much controversy. It generated widespread comments from a cross section of the Nigerian pubic. Most of these comments were uncomplimentary, and sometimes, utterly detracting.

IT surely is stale news that at this moment Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan is just another Deltan, donning the vintage black hat and the swaggerstick of the cultural milieu. Indeed many a man would call him the ex-Governor.

ALL of these glaring shortfalls notwithstanding, there is much that still could and must be. And done properly this time, we will not need to spend another 50 years correcting the mistakes of the past.

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.