EDITOR’S NOTE

The state of insecurity in Nigeria is becoming increasingly alarming.

Only about five weeks ago, a young lady, Bamise Ayanwole went missing and was eventually confirmed dead after boarding a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) vehicle. And now, bandits attack a train travelling the Abuja-Kaduna route, leaving people, including a young lady, Dr. Chinelo Nwando, dead.

What is happening in Nigeria? Have we even carried out proper investigations to find our kidnapped brothers and sisters who were on that same trip? Do we even know the identities of these missing citizens? And the bandits; who are they? Is it possible the police force has a good idea of who and where to find these bandits but poverty in Nigeria shrouds their humanity and so, more often than not, may need some kind of 'encouragement' to do their job and avoid prolonging the search or even worse, never finding the perpetrators?

A few weeks ago, we had adulterated fuel circulating in Lagos, Nigeria, causing damage to a lot of cars and generators. Naturally, during our cover interview with The Executive Secretary of The Nigerian Content and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, the question of why this happened was raised. In his response, he pointed out one of the possible reasons. “One is because we are not refining locally; we are import-dependent on refined products, so anything can happen if you don't have a process to quality-check the products that come in. Take it or leave, anywhere in the world, people get involved in all manner of things to maximize profit and if you're not looking properly, you will be a victim to it.”

While Wabote might be right, some people spent millions of naira fixing their cars, and yet, we have heard nothing about who and why we had bad fuel in circulation. This has to stop! Enough with the 'e go better' coping mechanism.

On a lighter note, the other pages in this issue feature exciting fashion, beauty, and lifestyle articles, including the most talked-about Oscar moment thus far, 'the slap heard around the world.'

Until next week, enjoy your read.