ONE: The aftermath of the attacks in Kano that targeted police stations, immigration offices, the local headquarters of the secret police claiming at least 143 lives continues. This could possibly be Boko Haram’s deadliest assault so far. President Goodluck Jonathan has promised that Boko Haram will be brought to justice but so far, his tactics leave much to be desired. [...]

2011 started with a bang in Nigeria, Jos was on fire and everyone was on edge. Nothing has changed so far. The country is plagued with constant traumas and general unrest. But with all of these things going on, Nigeria still had important moments of grace. In this column we will attempt to review the good and the bad. We [...]

  ONE: Time Magazine declared this week that the 2011’s person of the year is the protester. Not to be left out, Lagosians took to the street on Saturday to protest the their state’s terrible infliction of pain and injustice by forcing them to pay toll fees when using the newly completed Eti-Osa -Lekki Expressway. It was not clear what [...]

ONE: It is time for that great tradition of setting priorities for the upcoming year. This year promises to be filled with intrigue as the president and his team gets set to present to the Nigerian people his vision for the country for the upcoming year. We already have an inkling of what is to come. The Coordinating Minister for [...]

ONE: The Nigerian Legislature made into law a bill that criminalizes homosexual marriage, activity, activism and association. The bill had been in the senate for a while and we covered it on this column. One is not aware of an epidemic of homosexual marriages warranting such a confusing, ill thought out, and punitive law. More surprising is the hate filled [...]

ONE: 136 people were killed yesterday when Boko Haram led a siege on the Nigerian Northeast. Roadside bombs, suicide attackers and gunmen ransacked the cities of Damaturu, Maiduguri and Potiskum just days ago. The group claimed responsibility for the attacks and the senseless deaths. Churches were burnt, police stations were bombed and a country was shocked, in a raid that [...]

  ONE: A total number of 71,135 ghosts and ghouls have invaded the Nigerian Federal Civil Service and the government has been paying these non-people regularly to the annual tune of N28 billion. To make room for the ghost workers, 44,320 real pensioners were dumped out of the system by the administrations of the scheme. A biometric exercise administered by the [...]

ONE: The US Supreme Court decided last week to hear a case that accuses Shell of engaging in extensive human rights abuses in Nigeria. The plaintiff claims that Shell was complicit in the brutal execution of Ken Saro Wiwa and 7 other Ogoni men by then military government of Sani Abacha. The case is on behalf of the dead men [...]

ONE: The Nigerian Government’s youth ministry has just launched an initiative to encourage entrepreneurship among the young people of the country. The business plan competition that is funded by the government’s vast resources might possibly lead to a reduction in the atrocious unemployment rate of this population. While most young people are in support of this, we are certainly with them, [...]

by Temie Giwa
A review of the past week’s top stories.