So once more, we're coming up to National Day, October 1, when all other cares and worries of the world take a back seat as we celebrate all things Nigerian. We flock to the streets in green and white, play 'Arise O Compatriots', and make merry as we eat jollof rice with dodo and chicken.

But why October 1? Sure, it was the date that we were gifted political independence by the British, but I honestly do not believe that its significance is felt viscerally by many present day Nigerians...

The other day, Mulan and I were having a chat about female singers with distinctive voices. Whitney Houston's name came up; so did Sade Adu's, as did Tracy Chapman's. The discussion got me thinking about other female singers with voices which were so distinctive that you could spot them in a hundred-person choir. It's not as easy as it sounds, because most people trying to make a career of singing tend to model their voices on successful singers' voices rather than doing their own thing. But two...

You know the old saying - "if at first you don't succeed..." Well obviously, it's harder to practice than to understand. Nevertheless, persistence does have its rewards - and a case in point is the eventual triumph of Malam Bacai Sanha who has succeeded in his third bid to become the elected president of Guinea-Bissau, and who took office just a week ago.

Sanha had been president before in 1999, but only in a caretaker capacity. He did run for president in the elections to choose...

If you ask most people who are somewhat conversant with US geography the capitals of the following states:

- Illinois;

- Florida;

- Michigan;

- New York;

- California;

- Texas;

- Pennsylvania;



you might probably get the following answers:

- Chicago;

- Miami;

- Detroit;

- New York;

- Los Angeles...

The interest I have for hearing the views of people I have never met goes back a long, long way to when I used to listen to 'Focus on Africa' on the BBC. I would hear the presenter read out one letter after the other criticising politicians, rebels or even the BBC itself. It made me think "Wow! So all these people out there have all these different opinions!" It wasn't long before I ventured to dip my toe in the water and send my own letters to the BBC. The toe-dipping eventually became a full blown...