From the national honours award ceremony and the 54th Independence Day celebrations to the declaration of Muhammadu Buhari’s intention to contest the 2015 presidential election and the discovery of the first Ebola case in the United States, here is an overview of last week’s leading headlines.
CELEBRATING UNSUNG HEROES
The week kicked off on a jolly note with the national honours award ceremony where the federal government of Nigeria celebrated persons who had made important contributions to the nation’s development. This year’s award ceremony was especially inspiring, as it sent a strong message to Nigerians that honesty and dedication would not always go unrewarded. Worthy of mention in this regard is the designer of the Nigerian flag, Mr Taiwo Akinkumi who was awarded Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) and placed on salary for life as special assistant to the president, after several fruitless decades canvassing for government attention.
Other unsung heroes that were recognised include Mr Umeh Isuah, a taxi driver who modelled honesty when he returned N18m cash that a passenger left in his cab; Mr Solomon Dauda, an exemplary traffic warden; and Mr Onuh Michael, a cook who has served several generations of Nigerian heads of state and presidents over a period of more than three decades.
‘PRESIDENT BUHARI’. WOULD WE BE SAYING THIS IN 2015?
Former head of state, Muhammadu Buhari, told the APC Support Group on Tuesday that he was “offering” himself for the position of the president of the country on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). While telling his supporters that he would make a formal announcement soon, he urged them to extend their support beyond his person and always be available to the party. Imagine Buhari losing the APC primary and truly offering his followers to Atiku, for example; that will be terrible news to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its consensus candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan.
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EBOLA’S MIGRATION TO THE US
Waves of anxiety and apprehension rippled across the United States with the diagnosis of its first Ebola case on Tuesday. Ebola entered US by passenger plane through Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian who was visiting family members in Dallas, Texas. While the United States immediately swung into action, tracking down those who have had various degrees of contact with Duncan under surveillance, the Liberian authorities were aggrieved by the action of Duncan who they claimed to have lied on an Ebola questionnaire before travelling out of the country. Liberia is planning to prosecute him.
OLIVE BRANCH FOR REPENTANT INSURGENTS
Nigeria celebrated its 54th Independence anniversary on Wednesday. Speaking at the occasion, President Goodluck Jonathan urged Nigerians to live together in love, peace and unity. While lamenting the violence being unleashed by Boko Haram in some parts of the country, the president appealed for peace as he called on the insurgents to lay down their arms. He said that government was willing to “rehabilitate repentant terrorists”. This is not the first time Jonathan would be dangling this offer to the northern warriors. Will it make any difference this time?
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