Bio fuels are solids, liquids and gases derived from living organisms and used as fuel. Unlike petrol, coal and nuclear fuels, it is environmentally-friendly and a renewable fuel based on carbon cycle. The carbon dioxide resulting from burning bio-ethanol would be equal to that soaked up from the atmosphere by the plants from which it is made. Thus, it would not damp supplementary carbon dioxide into the atmosphere like fossil fuels do. Raw materials used in making bio fuels include corn, cassava, sugar cane, soya beans, etc. The most commonly used bio fuels are vegetable oil, methanol, ethanol, and butanol. In Europe, America and Asia, bio fuels have been used to power machines, generate electricity and transport vehicles.

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The nullification of Governor Aliyu Wamakko’s (PDP) election by the Court of Appeal in Kaduna was greeted with muted reaction by the people of Sokoto State, which itself suggests that the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) will need a miracle to regain ground or recapture power in Sokoto State.

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"The Big Man wants to see you!" That was how the expatriate Senior Assistant Secretary in the Premier’s Office – put it straight to Sunday, with a chuckle and in a whisper almost inaudible. At that time, Sunday was wearing a shirt but without a tie or jacket. "You can’t enter on the big man like that," the officer said, quickly untying his own necktie and handing it over to Sunday. "There, tie this." And he took off his jacket and threw it over Sunday’s shoulders. "There, that’s better."

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When Chief Ikechi Emenike started attending international economic summits in the late 1980s, he made an observation that depressed his spirit, but stirred up a latent sense of self-worth and racial justice. Of all the publications that circulated in those fora where important global issues were discussed, none was published by an African. The implication was that while African diplomats and leaders regularly attended those conferences, they had no outlet for their opinions since few European-owned publications would deign publish their views or protests.

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Were it to be in saner climes where gallantry is accorded a pride of place, the Nigeria Police Force would by now be repositioned for maximum and optimal performance of their duty; what with the bravery they’ve exhibited for the umpteenth time in service to their fatherland. It grieves my heart each time this all-important establishment is being ridiculed and singled out as the cause of the failed status of the Nigerian state. What not a few do know is that the task of policing surpasses the combined responsibility of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

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Individuals and corporate bodies should not leave the various aspects of human and societal development to the government alone. They should consider social responsibility as part of their traditional economic function to their host community. Unless social responsibility is given equal importance to the profit maximisation function of the organisation, the society will decay.

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The recent confrontational approach by Ibrahim Mandawari faction of Filmmakers Association is a vindication of the public surmise that these people will never adjust their stand on indecency despite the public’s calls for them to do so. Long before the unfortunate Hiyana incident, different groups of people had advised the filmmakers to effect corrections in the way they portray Hausa culture in bad image via their so-called Hausa films.

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Pilgrimage is indisputably one of the five pillars of Islam. It is made compulsory on all mature, sane and financially-able Muslims to embark on hajj or pilgrimage to the holy lands of Mecca and Medina once in their lifetime. To that extent, one can confidently and without any fear of contradiction say that hajj as an essential part of the lives and times of Muslims and should not be taken for granted by Muslims and governments of Muslim-dominated states like Jigawa in the heart of the late Sardauna’s Northern Nigeria.

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was set up with the vision of being "a world-class oil and gas company driven by shared commitment to excellence" and a mission of serving as "an integrated oil and gas company engaged in adding value to the nation’s hydrocarbon resources for the benefit of all Nigerians and other stakeholders."

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Daily Trust is a rare repository of decent and constructive journalism in this age of clutter and sensationalism. The intellectual rigor of the MEDIA TRUST is erudite and deserving of our respect. It thus becomes worrisome when such a standard bearer and journalistic paper of impeachable reputation let slip a report by one of its own correspondents which at best can be explained in the context of the political philosophy of Leo Strauss, which advocates the use of deception so that the masses may be controlled more easily by an elite of supposedly wiser and more politically powerful beings.

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The collective vision of the Federal Capital city of Abuja still remains mysterious and unfathomable, (just like its Master Plan!) but I can bet that the late General Murtala Muhammed whose regime rightly conceptualized a worthy capital for the country, would not have imagined the obscene display of mutual destructive roguery in the territory in the past two weeks. In his book, the Rogue Nation, Clyde Prestowitz who is also the author of TRADING PLACES, employs Webster Dictionary definition of Rogue, (read: No longer obedient, belonging or accepted, not controllable or answerable; deviant, having an abnormally savage or unpredictable disposition) to aptly dub United States of America (USA) under George W. Bush a Rogue Nation in the mould of Sadam Hussain’s Iraq. The heuristic value of such description for analysing Abuja territory scandals in the wake of recent tons and tons of revelations and counter revelations over elitist land deals (elitist land deals alone!) cannot be overstated. The only difference here is that while the serial acts of American roguery and imperialism are targeted at other oppressed nations of Asia, Africa and Latin America, the Abuja bestiality, organized greed and entrenched pursuit of selfish agenda are callously targeted at own brothers and sisters. Witness this; the former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) reportedly allocated as many as 300 plots of land a day before he left office.

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Human beings are by nature absurd and their activities are laden with absurdities, except the few endowed with wisdom and are guided aright strictly by it in their conducts and utterances. Their absurdity is an emanation of the egotism that is an integral part of their frail physical and spiritual being.

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As a consistent and courageous fighter for the masses whose activism spans a vast terrain, there can be no shortage of deserved praises and salutations for Gani on this momentous occasion of his 70th birthday. This especially so, as he has managed to reach this milestone despite his failing health, the blame of which however rests squarely on the shoulders of Nigerian military dictatorships and their civilian collaborators who inflicted deep injuries on his health through numerous incarcerations in dungeons, called prisons, across the country.

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Challenge can only bring out the best in a man if he sees and takes the situation as such. Thus the creation of Gombe State in 1996 presented onerous challenges which no illustrious children of the land neither saw nor seized by the horns until Governor Mohammed Danjuma Goje came along in the 2003 general elections. Not many people thought at the time that he could take the state to greater heights, let alone make it an enviable one in the comity of states. But that was the tonic that spurred him on, and in five short years, Goje has proved himself worthy of taking on any responsibility, no matter how Herculean.

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A careful reading of Is’haq Modibbo Kawu’s "El-Rufai, Obasanjo and Abuja Land Grab" which appeared on the back page of Daily Trust of Thursday, April 17, 2008 brings one into a close encounter with several aspects of the comic stage craft which the Senate FCT probe has degenerated into. It is appalling that a fact-finding mission which promised so much has thus far delivered very little in terms of real substance. This is precisely so because the moment the pathetically meager facts are separated from hearsay, what remains becomes nothing but empty bombast and opinionated, self-serving commentaries in the press by very desperate people who want to fan the embers of alarm and hysteria with their lynch mob mentality.

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At the heat of the Easter festivity, a friend of mine sent me a text message, "Have you heard the latest about your friend?" I could not understand him because we usually argue over many things and in most cases remain polemic in our views. It was later that I knew he was referring to news reports about the Imo State governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, who is alleged to be having problems with London police over charges of money laundering. As usual, I dismissed his insinuations and assured him that all is well with our governor.

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"You should always be a positive thinker in life and be your brother’s keeper. God has provided you everything; it is only left for you to tap your talent" -- the late Abdulsalam Mala Kachallah

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For the umpteenth time, Nigeria was last week gripped with the confusing puzzle over the state of health of President Umaru Musa Yar’adua. The palpable confusion over his health was widely reported by various national newspapers on Tuesday, April 15, a story that overshadowed in significance the 2008 budget that was finally signed by him after many months of rofo-rofo fight between the National Assembly and the executive.

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At the heat of the Easter festivity, a friend of mine sent me a text message, "Have you heard the latest about your friend?" I could not understand him because we usually argue over many things and in most cases remain polemic in our views. It was later that I knew he was referring to news reports about the Imo State governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, who is alleged to be having problems with London police over charges of money laundering. As usual, I dismissed his insinuations and assured him that all is well with our governor.

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A careful reading of Is’haq Modibbo Kawu’s "El-Rufai, Obasanjo and Abuja Land Grab" which appeared on the back page of Daily Trust of Thursday, April 17, 2008 brings one into a close encounter with several aspects of the comic stage craft which the Senate FCT probe has degenerated into. It is appalling that a fact-finding mission which promised so much has thus far delivered very little in terms of real substance. This is precisely so because the moment the pathetically meager facts are separated from hearsay, what remains becomes nothing but empty bombast and opinionated, self-serving commentaries in the press by very desperate people who want to fan the embers of alarm and hysteria with their lynch mob mentality.

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