For the fifth year running the national Independence Day event was marked within the precincts of the Aso Rock Villa, the seat of government in Nigeria. First, the allocation for the event warranted a low-key celebration. President Muhammadu Buhari cut the allocation to N70 million, a far cry from the billions of naira often spent on anniversary celebrations by previous governments. But aside from keeping a low profile because of lean resources, the president had to retain the practice adopted by the Goodluck Jonathan administration following the tragic bomb blast during the 2010 celebration. It is a further confirmation that the state of security remains grievous. But considering the mandate given the military by the Commander-in-chief and the tempo of military activities, it could just be that the insurgents would not go away quietly.
Click here to download our magazines
But while the anniversary songs were being sung in hush tone – except in states where workers spoke truth to power on unpaid wages and other things – Nigerians cheered as the president made good his promise by sending the list of ministerial nominees to the Senate in the last hours of September. He did it in such a way that the list would not be officially opened until the following month [that is this week], thus leaving people and the media to speculate. We peeped into it and bring you what we have in Cabinet: Buhari’s ‘Angels’. The story, which is the alternate cover, is written by Tajudeen Suleiman, senior associate editor.
55 years as an independent nation, where are we and where are we headed? These are some of the questions agitating the minds of most Nigerians. So how do we get out of the bind? The editorial, The Making Of A New Nigeria, provided a way forward. The editorial is complimented by a story, Moving The Nation Forward. Anayochukwu Agbo, general editor and head of Abuja bureau crafted the story.
Something untoward happened last week. Yes, we concluded production of edition 40, but we ran into a hitch at the printing stage. The result was that though the finished product, in PDF format, can still be purchased on www.evendornigeria.com, we could not circulate printed copies. We offer our sincere apologies for that, while thanking you for your understanding as always.
Do have a blessed week ahead!
WhatsApp us