SAM OHUABUNWA'S PARADIGM

   That the militant Fulani herdsmen have become the greatest security challenge of this Nation must be obvious to all who wish this nation well. In fact many objective watchers have declared that the raids by the nomadic Fulani herdsmen is the biggest security threat facing Nigeria after Boko Haram. Indeed in 2016, more people died in clashes with militant herdsmen than Boko haram attacks .And yet our political leaders are handling the problem with kid gloves.   True the Fulani herdsmen and Farmers clash did not start today. It has been long but was limited to parts of the North East and North Central states. Indeed between 1996 and 2006 (Ten full years) only about 121 farmers were killed by the Fulani herdsmen, largely in Bauchi, Plateau and Gombe States. But since late 2014 and early 2015 and ever since, the intensity and regularity of the attacks have maintained a steady crescendo engulfing most of the central and southern regions of Nigeria. According to the g...

  Last week I was thrilled to read that PMB threw a very interesting question to State governors who were owing arrears of salaries: How do you sleep when your workers are unpaid and hungry? In some States in Nigeria, we hear that workers are still being owed up to 6 months and pensioners up to 9 months, and that is after the federal government's bail out packages and the recent Paris Club debt reimbursements.   For some of us things begin to get difficult just after two weeks of our last month's pay, and if the next pay day is delayed for any reason whatsoever, we become anxious and dysfunctional. I cannot contemplate how we can survive with two months of salary arrears and yet we hear that some 'poor' civil servants can still transport themselves to work even when salaries have not been paid for six months or more. How? Is it from previous savings, iou, book me down, support from family and friends or from egunje? We need to hear from them please.  The question...

  I am drawn to believe that many Nigerians have seen some improvement in electricity supply in the last few months. I just hope that this assumption is indeed true. In Lagos where I live, I have noticed an usual availability of electric power, so much so that for some weeks, we have not been using much of the generator. Yes, often the supply is disrupted, but before you can start the generator, the power is restored. Every once in a while there is a collapse of the system but it quickly comes back to life. In my family home in faraway Arochukwu, in Abia State, I have also been surprised by some improvement in electricity supply in recent times. In fact, the change has been most dramatic in Arochukwu. For years, I had never arrived home to find the lights on. We would have to start the generator to have light to get into the house and most times, we could spend a whole week without electricity from the mains. Indeed, we had come to the conclusion that "NEPA" people inten...