[Posted December 20, 2012] - [Editorial] December 15, 2012 will ever be remembered by Nigerians, especially the people of Kaduna State, as a black Saturday. It was the day the nation lost some prominent citizens in a fatal plane crash. Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa of Kaduna State, former National Security Adviser, General Oweye Andrew Azazi, and four others lost their lives when the helicopter conveying them from Yenagua, Bayelsa State, to Port Harcourt caught fire mid-air and crashed killing all six passengers on board. Governor Yakowa had travelled to Bayelsa State on a condolence visit to Mr. Oronto Douglas, a presidential aid, who had lost his father. Yakowa was 64. The affable governor’s sudden departure was a rude shock not only to the people of Kaduna State, but also to Nigeria as a whole. Indeed, death has robbed the nation of the services of a great patriot, a consummate leader and a shrewd politician. There is no d...

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he nation's dwindling fortunes in the education sector, in recent years, elicited serious national disquiet against the background of mass failures in public examinations. Various arguments have been advanced for the reasons behind this rather disturbing trend. While some Nigerians have blamed the ugly situation on parents and the students themselves, others blamed teachers, most of whom, they say, do not possess the minimum prerequisite for teaching. Yet others laid blame at the doorstep of government for not reviewing the nation's policy on education to address the problem. Whatever it is, we dare say, all these contribute, one way or other, to declining quality of education in the country. The setback in the education sector affects not only primary and post-primary institutions, but also tertiary institutions. The National Universities Commission (NUC) boss, Prof Julius Okojie, said recently that the training...