Mandela Obasi Empowers His Constituents With Cutlasses And Hoes In Abia

 


  Ohafia North  Lawmakers have got to do better in the aspect of empowering their constituents. Just when we thought we've seen it all, comes this shocker.
Honourable Mandela Obasi, the member representing Ohafia North State constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is in the news for empowering his constituents (mostly old women) with cutlasses and hoes.

According to reports, the lawmaker did to in order to encourage the people to be more productive.

Boko Haram Attacks GGSS Dapchi In Yobe, Students Feared Abducted

FLASH: Fresh fears of mass abduction of high school girls as Suspected Boko Haram terrorists attack Government Girls School, Dapchi in Yobe State

 

UNSOLICITED PROJECTION OF RT.HON. SIR UDE OKO CHUKWU,THE SITTING DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF ABIA STATE...

UNSOLICITED PROJECTION OF RT.HON. SIR UDE OKO CHUKWU,THE SITTING DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF ABIA STATE...


It has come to our attention that some persons sponsored by enemies of the state have perfected plans to flood the social media with posters of the Deputy Governor of Abia State,Rt.Hon.Sir Ude Oko Chukwu,as the governorship candidate come 2023 general elections. This gesture is unsolicited and smacks of mischief and wickedness.. For the records and for the information of the good people of Abia state and the general public, the Deputy Governor of Abia state, Rt.Hon.Sir Ude Oko Chukwu is not privy and will never be,to any such plans or arrangements and has not commissioned any person or group of persons to do so in his behalf rather,the Deputy Governor as a major stakeholder and partner in the present administration in the state under the watch and direction of Dr.Okezie Victor Ikpeazu,is fully preoccupied with how best he can support his Boss in the governance of the state and fulfillment of electoral promises made to the people of Abia state during the electioneering campaigns that brought them to power. As the chairman of the Internally Generated Revenue Council and state Boundary committee among others,the Deputy Governor is busy doing the best he can in liaison with relevant agencies and bodies to ensure that the State's IGR is significantly improved and various boundary issues concerning the state are fully and amicably resolved in the interest of the state and her people.
The Deputy Governor at the moment, does not need any distractions as his focus, loyalty, support and commitment to his Boss and Governor of Abia state and indeed his covenant with Abians remain undiluted and unshakable. As a Man of outstanding and tested integrity, the Deputy Governor has no room for any compromise. Like the great literary giant of our time,Late Professor Chinua Achebe of blessed memory posted ,"one of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised. " Again,in the words of Ernest Hemingway, it is the Deputy Governor's strong belief and conviction that " Now is no time to think of what you do not have, but time to think of what you can do with what there is". Therefore anybody or group doing anything in any form with a view to blackmail the Deputy Governor or create disaffection between the Governor and his Deputy is mischievous and will of course fail woefully and be disappointed. The Deputy Governor is a man of integrity and it has been proved beyond doubt that people with integrity do not have divided loyalties and do not pretend. They are "whole" people that can be identified by their single-mindedness.
If there is anything that the Deputy Governor is seriously concerned about now,it is nothing but the success of the present administration under the able leadership of Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu his Boss ,which will provide the pedestal for his reelection come 2019.Nothing more,nothing less and nothing else . The Deputy Governor therefore, wishes to remind all and sundry ,that good things come to those who believe, better things come to those who are patient and the best things come to those who do not give up. Above all,it is God who gives power and authority to whomsoever and whensoever he wishes...
OBASI OKIBEH ONWUKA
chief press secretary to D.Gov.

10 Traits That Prove You Were Born to Be a Musician

 



It's not a secret that musician brains are a little different from "normal" brains. As with any skill or profession, most of it can be learned, but certain things that you need to be a good musician come from nature, not nurture.
Do you show the symptoms of musicianship? Here are 10 established correlations.

1. You’re naturally curious

That door in your apartment that’s nailed shut? You’ve got to know what’s behind it. That trail through the woods that you see when you’re riding the bus? Sooner or later, you’ll get off a stop early to explore it. What happens when you put a bunch of big ball bearings on piano strings? You’re just the person to find out. Curiosity, exploration, and experimentation are bread and butter for musicians.

2. You're not slowed down by rejection

Like salespeople, musicians have to hear “no” on a regular basis. No matter how great your act is, it won’t be right for every gig or every venue. No matter how talented you are, you’ll lose opportunities to someone who got there just a little sooner, someone who knows someone, or someone who sounds a little bit more like that club owner’s favorite artist. Although these rejections always sting, they also don’t deter you. You believe in your own voice and will keep working until it’s heard.
[The Artist Pep Talk: 10 Tips for Staying Positive in the Face of Rejection]

3. You have systems and rules for yourself and your surroundings

If musicians have a hard time accepting external structures, we tend to be eager to impose rules and restrictions of our own making. Musicians know intuitively what the right thing is. We're likely to have strong opinions about domestic issues like dishwashing, laundry, and home organization.
A musician might have a no-eating rule in his or her car, or insist that all T-shirts have to be hung up rather than folded. This sense of correct practice is what builds the conventions and habits that form an artist's personal style.

4. You're reasonable in your dealings with others

Musicianship takes a lot of teamwork. You collaborate with bandmates, session players, studio staff, live sound techs, and (of course) your audience. You might be the brightest light in the room, but it’s highly unlikely that you’re the biggest diva.
If someone has unreasonable expectations or inflexible demands, it’s not you. Whether this skill is learned through your art, or whether your natural talents led you to become a performer, you’re always more likely to be peacemaker and negotiator than an instigator.

5. You don't stay down for long

Ever work in the studio all day and hate the result? Ever lose a bandmate right before a series of shows? If you tackle anything passionately, you’ll have lots of little triumphs and little disappointments along the way. But if you’re moping on Monday, you’ll be back in the studio or on the stage on Tuesday. You don’t let a bad mood engulf you and color what you’re trying to do.
[6 Simple, Effective Ways to Motivate Your Bandmates]

6. You have a lot of empathy

What makes a good songwriter? It's not just wordsmithing – it's empathy. How many great songs have been written about hardworking people crushed under some harsh system? Songwriters feel for others, so much so that they write songs from others' points of view. This is why you'll see so many musicians who have day jobs in caring professions, particularly helping the disabled in schools or job-coaching environments.

7. You get along well with animals

That empathy also translates into a love for animals. Tons of musicians have pets and many are animal lovers. Quite a few are animal rights activists. I challenge anyone to think about Sarah McLachlan without visualizing that ad with the sad puppies and hearing "In the Arms of an Angel." You probably cried, too, even if you're in a nasty punk band and have a safety pin through your nose.

8. You like science fiction books and movies

The real world? Boring. Artistic types like to create new worlds and explore worlds created by others. We like sci-fi and fantasy for this reason, and enjoy shows in which new viewers would be completely lost because they don't understand the complex backstory.
Of course, since we're veterans of creating things ourselves, we also tend to deconstruct scripts, calling out predictable lines that actors are about to utter. We like making fun of bad special effects, clunky direction, and bad acting.

9. You like fixing and building things

Music is a hands-on field, made to order for people who hate lectures and chalkboard notes and want to just jump in and do it. That's why so many musicians modify their instruments, customize their band vans, and build all sorts of hacks in the studio or rehearsal space. A lot of us are drawn to carpentry, computers, electronics, and mechanics. We're not afraid to rip things apart and see what makes them tick.

10. You laugh a lot

News cycle got you down? We're all stuck on planet Earth, dealing with violent extremism, climate threats, and atrocious fast food. And we all have two weapons to battle the blues: art and humor.
Musicians are some of the funniest people you'll meet, especially in groups. Ride to a show with any band that's been together for a while, and you'll be spitting out your drink. It's a kind of amazing, vulgar, politically incorrect banter that screenwriters rarely get right. If we could just record chunks of that, we'd have enough material for a stand-up routine... or the lyrics to our next album.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu ONGOING road projects in Abia North

© 

Ibem Onwuka Ibem 

 

Some road projects in Abia North recently funded by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.....

1. Nkpa Road contractor has been Mobilized to site with N200m (to receive additional #150m this month)
Brand new road.

2. Abiriba-Nkporo Road contractor received N100m for the project. (Expected to receive additional N100m this month)

3. Ozu Abam-Ndi Okereke-Arochukwu Road. Contractor re-mobilized with N200m in September 2017. Contractor to receive additional N150m this month to ensure completion of project before Christmas.

4. Umunneochi-Anambra Road contractor mobilized with N100m

5. Idima-Abam Road project contractor received additional N100m.

6. Abiriba Ring road project received N100m with commitment to pay additional N100m in December.

7. Ohafia Ring Road contractor mobilized with N100m.
Fresh project!

Please monitor the projects for quality, timely execution and suitability. If you have any feedback contact Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Enyinnaya Appolos

Meanwhile I am personally celebrating the work going on at Nkpa road in Bende LGA. Folks from there have suffered too much from failed promises.

Attached pictures are from Nkpa road.

Buhari’s presidency: We’ve nothing to show for being in power –North

The North has disagreed with those who have branded President Muhammadu Buhari a sectional leader, saying there is nothing in the region to show that he has favoured the area more than other parts of the country. Leaders across the North, who were in unison on the position, therefore, challenged those crying marginalisation to come out with verifiable statistics to show in which areas Buhari’s kinsmen have advantages over others in his administration.

President Buhari has come under fire over a statement credited to the President of the World Bank Group, Mr. Jim Yong Kim, last Thursday, that Buhari specifically requested that the bank shifts focus to the northern region.

But, a cross section of northern leaders and groups, in separate interviews with New Telegraph at the weekend, described insinuations that Buhari is favouring the North as unfounded.

According to majority of them, the North only has the presidency, while the South is holding power. Among those who spoke with our correspondents were Second Republic presidential adviser and Chairman of Northern Elders’ Council (NEC), Alhaji Tanko Yakasai; former governor old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa; elder statesman and chairman of Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), Dr. Paul Unongo; Second Republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed and leader of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF), Yerima Shettima.

The groups were apex northern group, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and Arewa Youth Forum (AYF). ACF, which spoke through its National Publicity Secretary, Muhammad Ibrahim Biu, said the insinuation that Buhari is favouring the North against other regions is uncharitable and preposterous.

The group added that the cry of marginalisation is without facts and has caused mistrust among the people. ACF said: “President Buhari was elected as the president of Nigeria and not that of the North or South. In the last two years, he had presented national budgets to the National Assembly, which contained developmental projects for the entire country being his constituency.

“The budgets were passed into Appropriation Acts and implemented according to available resources, which Nigerians are fully aware of. It is, therefore, the considered view of the ACF that ascribing primordial considerations to projects to where the president comes from is preposterous and uncharitable.

“The claims of favouritism or marginalisation by one part of the country against the other, which have created unnecessary mistrust among the various components of the country is, in most cases, not based on facts, but rather on speculations.” AYF also insisted that the South has benefited more from the Buhari government.

The Arewa youths stated that the North only have the Presidency while the projects are in the South. “The South is in charge and any fair-minded Nigerian will tell you that. It is only in this government that someone from the South, Babatunde Fashola, is holding three ministries.

“Most of the projects executed in the last two years are in the South, the North only have the president and some appointees to show for it. Which project can anybody point at by this government in the North? Please tell me, I want to know,” ACF National President, Alhaji Gambo Gujungu, told New Telegraph.

Yakasai, who faulted those twisting President Buhari’s comments on World Bank’s support to the North-East, said the same thing was done by General Yakubu Gowon to the South-East shortly after the Nigerian/Biafran war He reminded critics of the president that in the two and half years of the present administration, the South has benefitted more than the North, adding that even the president clearly told the South-East leaders recently that their zone got senior ministers against most northern states, which have only junior ministers.

He said the comments of the president that the World Bank should focus more on the North-East was the right thing to do by every right thinking leader because the zone was totally destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents. His words: “When Gowon was Head of State, he took money from the national treasury to rebuild the South-East after the war, nobody called him a sectional leader, but today, for asking for the reconstruction of the North-East, Buhari is a sectional leader.

This is unfair. “Government then had money to rebuild the South- East, but in the case of Buhari, the nation has no money, so even the World Bank’s assistance is a loan payable in a long time and there is no crime in him wanting the ravaged North-East rebuilt.”

On the cry of marginalisation, Yakasai said: “I want you to ask those who are talking about marginalisation to tell us where and where they are marginalised. The North-West, where I come from, don’t have four senior ministers and, which government’s position is bigger than that of a minister? “Let me tell you, after the president and the vice president, minister is the next important position in government.

These people have four senior ministers and North-West don’t have four senior ministers. “On the issue of projects, let government tell us any project it has brought to the North that is more than those in the South.” Unongo, a Second Republic minister of steel, in his reaction, also dismissed the impression that Buhari is favouring the North, warning that such statement is capable of breeding disunity.

He said the Buhari administration has been fair to all the six geo-political zones of the country, adding that the zones still crying marginalisation are those agitating for disintegration, particularly the South-East. The NEF chairman said: “It is not possible to say that Buhari is favouring the North to the detriment of other regions.

The North occupies over 80 per cent of the total landmass of Nigeria and it has the population as well. If everything was given to the North proportionate to its size and population, it wouldn’t be so backward the way it is today.” Unongo further said that if any group is to protest against marginalisation, it should be his Tiv nation, which, according to him, constitutes the fourth largest ethnic group in the country, but has no representation in the national scheme of things despite voting overwhelmingly for the party in power. Junaid Mohammed, on his part, told those saying that Buhari is president of the North and not the president of Nigeria, to go to hell.

His words: “I believe in assessing a man, particularly a politician like Buhari, you assess him not only on what he says, but on what he does. If you look at the cabinet, it is clear that most of the important assignments (portfolios) went to the South, particularly the South-West. They have Finance, Health, Power/ Works/Housing and Communication.

So, for anybody who is rational, that statement made about Buhari asking World Bank to concentrate its activities in the North was false. “In fact, if you move ahead and you assess his words and deeds, you will find out that Buhari hasn’t done anything to advance the interest of the North in any way whatsoever.

The infrastructure projects that have been carried out in the last two and half years are the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway; the Second Niger Bridge at Asaba; the ongoing East/West Road; the rail project from Lagos to Calabar. Go and check them out.

These are the key projects of this administration and none of them is in the North. “For those who are using the mischievous report to say that Buhari is now president of the North and not the president of Nigeria, let them go to hell.

The facts are there and anybody who wants to check should go and check.” Also speaking, Balarabe posited: “This is a mere allegation by people from the South. I have not seen anything in the North to justify that assertion until we have figures. I believe the North and South-West are in this government together.

This government is a political conspiracy between the South-West and the North; that is the truth. But, as far as marginalisation is concerned, we can only talk with statistics.

“When people talk about appointments, I will appreciate if they line up the names and portfolios for us to see. I believe they cannot talk about marginalisation in economic matters or political appointments, when they cannot show us who and who is involved.” Also insisting that Buhari is not favouring the North, former Deputy National Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abdullahi Jalo, said there is nothing in the region to show that the president is disposed to the area.

“Buhari has done nothing to the North since he became president. Almost all the roads are bad, poverty is still there,” he said. He also disputed the appointments made by the president, saying: “Buhari has been taken over by the Yoruba. Most of the lucrative positions go to the Yoruba. Fashola has three ministerial positions.”

AYCF leader, Shetima, who described the criticisms against Buhari as blackmail against the North, said: “The president is on track, there is no big deal in what he said; we need to develop another part of this country that belongs to all of us. “What happened to the North-East can happen to any part of this country.

How could anyone be happy with the state of the North-East and the plight of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)? We must do away with sentiment and rally round this government and international community to move our people out of this despicable situation. Enough of all these petty politics; let us face the reality the situation demands.”

I Don’t Know The Whereabout Of IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu' – Abia State Governor

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state says he does not know the whereabouts of the missing leader of the now-outlawed secessionist group, Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu. Recall that after the September 14th 'invasion' of the Umuahia home of Kanu by military officers, his members alleged that he had gone missing. They accused the military of taking him into hostage, an allegation the military has denied. Kanu who is standing trial for treason, is expected to be in court tomorrow, October 17th, for the resumed hearing of the case.

Governor Ikpeazu while speaking to newsmen in Abuja, said it would be unfair for anyone to ask him of Kanu's whereabouts.

"I don’t think that is a fair question. I don’t have the capacity to determine where Kanu is. I have never visited him. I have never called him on phone and he has never taken me into confidence as to what he does, where he goes. So, those who are close to him would answer. I don’t have the capacity to monitor him and know where he is, maybe Journalists through investigative journalism will know.” he said

Speaking further, the governor said the people of the South-East believe in Nigeria more than any other part of the nation.

“Fundamentally speaking, I think that if the question we ask in this country today about whether there are inequalities, whether there are gaps or there are people who don’t feel that they have been fairly treated either as an individual or as a family or as a geopolitical zone, the answer is yes. There is agitation in the northeast, there is an agitation in the south-west, of course there is agitation in the south-east but I dare say that there is no other ethnic group in this country that has as much faith in the Nigeria as a country, one united country than the people of the south-east, that is why they are in Sambisa. You can count how many big businesses belonging to the southwesterners that are in Aba. You can count how many big businesses belonging to the people from the northeast, north-west, north-central that you can find in Owerri. You cannot find a four-storey building belonging to somebody from the northeast anywhere in the south-east. But if you go to Kano, you don’t count three hotels before you count that of somebody from the south east. What it means is that we are the people that have demonstrated faith in the united Nigeria'.

Continuing, the governor said "Post war experience is that everybody started receding and then we started moving everywhere and then at the end of the day, our people are beginning to feel that we are not being trusted enough with certain strategic positions despite the fact that we have demonstrated in particular times that we love Nigeria more than anybody. We have faith in this country more than anybody. That coupled with the fact that there is huge potential energy within the youth community in Nigeria that is unused because of the problem of unemployment in Nigeria, for me, as a biochemist, I look at it as mismanagement of energy; people have too much energy but can’t use it anywhere. If you have a 2year old child in this house today and that child doesn’t go to school, he doesn’t go anywhere, before you go out and come back, you will discover that somebody with a lot of energy is residing with you here. So, the idea is that all these agitations bottled up and all that created what you call IPOB. And then the federal government over time started watching from the sideline because IPOB was getting money from elsewhere, setting up radio stations, indoctrinating people, all that went on. But while that was going on, at a point, the leadership of the south-east through Ohaneze, through the governors started engaging Nnamdi to say we know that there are issues. Can we find alternative channels to discuss them? Can we make a studied and intellectual presentation and confront the federal government with these arguments? But he felt that his own strategy was better and all that. So, I think it got to a point when the federal government began to feel that the red line was threatened and unfortunately some of us as governors were not taken into confidence as to the details and plans and intentions of the federal government and it is the irony of this thing they governors chief security officers; chief security officer but you are not controlling the CP, the soldiers around you, the navy around you, you cannot tell them to stop, you cannot tell them where to go and all that. So, that clash came upon us in Abia state and I was confronted as a leader to make a choice between the oath I swore, what was politically expedient and what was right and I think what was right was for me to do everything to protect the lives and properties of Abians and those that are doing business in Abia. So, all that I did, the press releases, my actions, all that I did was geared towards fulfilling my mandate which was to protect lives and properties of not only Abians but of everybody that was within Abia doing business. I did not wish for one soul to die, whether IPOB or a Fulani man or a Kogi man. I didn’t want anybody to lose his life or for us to begin to spill blood in my state. Like I told some people, my mother told me that everybody should do everything to make sure that war does not ensue in his mother’s kitchen because the pots will break, the plates will break and after the war, with what are you going to eat? So, I do not want a war in my kitchen. If there must be war, let the war go elsewhere not in my kitchen. And then I thank God and I give him all the glory that he gave us the wisdom to take the steps we took.” he said

Muslims have a right to Islamise Nigeria —Bishop Badejo

Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Oyo, Most Reverend (Dr) Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo, speaks on the concerns regarding Islamisation of Nigeria; how his father reacted when he was ordained a deacon more than 30 years ago; how the experience has been, 10 years as a bishop, among other issues. Rita Okonoboh provides excerpts:

WHat attracted you to the priesthood?

The church has always been right that the family is the first formation for a child. I’m happy to have been born a Catholic with a disciplined upbringing and the fear of God and I thank God for that. For as long as I have been aware, I had always wanted to be a priest. As a child, my family was very welcoming to priests and seminarians. My road to the ministry was charted by divine wisdom. After my primary education, I entered into St. Kizito’s minor seminary at Ede. I was around 9 at the time. When I got to class 3, I was delayed for a year because I was considered quite young. The rector sent me home, but my father also sent me back to the seminary, saying I couldn’t be at home. Eventually, I had to take Class 3 twice because of my age. I finished there at the age of 15 but I couldn’t go to the major seminary because they could only take from age 16, so I was sent home again. Thankfully, someone got me a job as a teacher at CAC primary school at Ifo-Osun at the time. In fact, sometimes, the pupils and teachers found it hard to distinguish me from their mates and a few times, the headmaster had to bring me out to the assembly and tell them I was a teacher and not a pupil. It got worse when I was asked to teach English at a nearby secondary school at the time to students who were preparing for their school certificate examination. I had to teach them to accept me first, because I was much smaller than some of the students. Eventually, I reached the required age for the major seminary, and joined the Ss Peter and Paul Seminary, Ibadan. I am really grateful for those delays that helped me mature in the journey to priesthood.

You have been a priest for more than 30 years. Is there any particular experience that remains memorable?
There are too many. To put it a bit more ideologically, one experience that will stay with me all my life about the priesthood is what my father did the day I became a deacon and which I have seen all through the priesthood. It was in October 1984. When I came back from Ife that day, my father was sitting with other elders in the family when I came in. As expected of a Yoruba boy, I prostrated before all of them in greeting. However, my father asked me to stand up and said henceforth, I shouldn’t prostrate before any of them, stating that I was now their father. That was a huge shock to me. I looked at the faces of other people present for approval, and it seemed he was saying their minds. I didn’t argue, but that has stayed with me. In all my life as a priest, the kind of dignity that God has given to the priest, and the kind of respect people – Catholics and non-Catholics – have for Catholic priests, even in the world today, where people have gone secular, and in some cases, anti-clerical, it is still clear that the Catholic priest still has that extra edge – on the roads, with policemen, at the marketplace, in public buses. You can see that there is something about the dignity of the priesthood, once you’re ordained. And it’s not an ordinary thing; it is what Christ said that: ‘the spirit of the Lord has been given to me.’ It’s something we must never lose; it’s something we must continue to appreciate.

How did it feel when you received the news that you were appointed bishop 10 years ago?
It felt like one had run into a tipper while riding a motorbike. I had just returned from the US and I felt it was my time to have a long, drawn-out time after work at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria. I had worked at the Catholic Diocese of Osogbo because my bishop had agreed I would work for two years after which I would go on a sabbatical. In the seventh month, I came to see my Dad who was 90 at the time, and go back. At that time, I was working on my doctorate, which was on the spirituality in Nigerian movies, because at the time, there were concerns that Nollywood films were too fetish and I realised that beneath those concerns, was the call for spirituality, because even an outcry against fetishism is a desire for spirituality deep down. I had gathered materials to work with because I had spoken to families, who also gave me access to actors and actresses even in Hollywood. I had got a scholarship in Rome to write the doctorate there too and I had sent even my books, laptop and other materials to Rome. It was on my way back during that period after visiting Fr (now Bishop) Ajakaye that the call came that I should come to the nunciature. I told the caller I had no business there, but the person insisted that I should come. I assumed it was about my visa, so I went. For days, I didn’t agree to go to Abuja, until my bishop then, now Archbishop Abegunrin, told me I had to go. So, I went. It wasn’t an easy day at all. There was quite a bit of argument and in the end I was sent to the chapel, but even after visiting the chapel, I didn’t feel any better. But I didn’t have a choice and I was asked to choose a date for announcement. I’m still surprised today that I’m Bishop of Oyo, not because I’m afraid of work, but because I never dreamt I would be bishop of anywhere. I was really enjoying being a priest, doing what I was told to do, in the most creative way possible. However, today, I thank God for giving me the privilege to serve at this exalted position. It’s a huge responsibility and I can feel the weight of the responsibility, and I also thank those who have, so far, worked with me to carry out those responsibilities in the Catholic Diocese of Oyo. These past 10 years, I have seen the goodness of God and of a lot of people, who have been contributing to ensuring that the challenges are tackled – the clergy and the laity. These past 10 years, we have seen that there is nothing God cannot do.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), again, claimed there were plans to Islamise Nigeria – following the Sukuk loan acquisition. Do you think there is a plan to Islamise Nigeria?
I’ve always shared the view of one of our leaders, John Cardinal Onaiyekan. I believe that Muslims have an Islamisation agenda, and they have a right to have it. Do Christians have a Christianisation agenda? Yes, I hope so and we have a right to have it. The Muslims are pursuing an agenda; why are we not pursuing ours? Nigeria, for many many years, let’s be honest, had a larger number of Christians in power, in the past, than Muslims. What we should be doing is a mea culpa, that we failed when we should have worked, and that even now, instead of trying to catch up on our lapses, we’re busy pointing fingers. It’s part of Islam to Islamise; is it not part of our own programme too to evangelise? How much of it are we doing? The education curriculum, which caused so much row recently, was approved when a Christian was chair of the body. Why don’t we turn, first of all, to the – so to speak – ‘terrorists’ within our own clan, who are not allowing the church to breathe and move, before going out to ‘fight?’ Till today, Christians are still not an insignificant population in Nigeria. The next question to ask is: what kind of Christians? A large part of Christians today are Christians in name, who pursue power, position, privileges. That’s not Christianity. And that’s where I come to the issue of the prosperity gospel. We have not yet done research on how much damage prosperity gospel has done to the psyche of Christianity in our country. Prosperity gospel provides cheap solutions to complex realities of life and so many people have heard it, so often, that they begin to believe it; that it is actually possible to have cancer and pray it away, when doctors are actually available; that it is possible to fail exams, and still become the director of a bank, if you pray enough. People believe that in Nigeria.

Is that why we have many churches in Nigeria and no seeming marked difference positively?
Another of our leaders, Anthony Olubunmi Cardinal Okogie, just addressed that. Many of these churches are business centres and shops. Why do you need five churches on a street? Is it right or wrong? Your guess is as good as mine. But, we have not done enough research on this matter that has shifted the attention of Christians from working hard to achieve a goal that is Christian from that to just praying and seeing visions. The church has a role to play to make a positive difference. We must restate our commitment to getting our messages into the mainstream of public discourse, so that the Christian religion would not be rubbished in the mud as it is at the moment.

Jacob Zuma Bags Chieftaincy Title In Imo, Nigeria (Photos, Video)

South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma was on Friday evening conferred with a chieftaincy title in Owerri, Imo State.

Zuma was given the traditional title of “Ochiagha Imo” by Eze Imo, HRH Samuel Ohiri.

The chieftaincy title certificate was presented to him by former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

The conferment of chieftaincy title on the South African president is part of the activities scheduled for his two-day visit to the country, following a State visit to Zambia.

Governor of the state, Rochas Okorocha revealed earlier that Zuma would also be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Rochas Okorocha Foundation and Zuma Foundation during the visit.

Also, the South African president would be expected to assess the planned over 20,000-hectare, Egbema Industrial Park estimated to cost over N2 billion and the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport.

NEWS Biafra: Nnamdi Kanu’s family reacts to ‘recovery of weapons’ in IPOB leader’s

The ​f​amily of leader of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu​ ​has ​dismissed claims by Abia Commissioner of Police, Anthony Ogbizi that police recovered lethal weapons when, in a joint exercise with the Army, raided their compound at Afara Ukwu on October 8.

Kanu’s family spokesman, Emmanuel Kanu​, told newsmen by telephone that if ​any weapon found​ within the premises must have been planted by security operatives.

The family accused Ogbizi of fabricating the story to justify ​the​ ​”​illegal ​raid” and also to appear as if he was working​.

​His words: ​“This new CP was the same man who came to our house two days after the September 14 invasion with two Hilux vans and his Prado SUV and pulled down the car porch and destroyed the vehicles parked outside.

“This same CP hurriedly after the invasion on the October 8, issued a press release telling the whole world that they discovered bombs in my house. The army on the other hand, denied that there was no invasion and that they never went to my house, what a contradiction.

“A house that there has not been any person inside except our guard who we asked to look after the house, all of a sudden they invaded the house and came back to say they found a den gun, double barrel gun and petrol bomb. Who manufactured them? Who kept them there? That is the question to ask.”

“The policemen came to our house and ransacked the entire compound including my mum and my father’s rooms, removing my mum’s boxes, our TV and generator sets, bags of rice and many personal belongings without knowing that we had a CCTV recording their activities in the house.

“​But when they got clue about the CCTV and in order to concoct whatever that they would present to the public to label our family bad, they came back and removed the CCTV from where they were hung.

“I am telling the international community to prevail on this people. What the Police and other security agencies are doing in my house, my community, in my state and the entire Biafran Land is evil. It is clear that out of desperation, they are trying to cover their tracks and they have failed.

“Nobody can tag IPOB a terrorist organisation. We don’t carry arms and arms never solved any dispute. They should engage IPOB leadership genuinely. We are not violent. We don’t give life and we can’t take one. They have rubbished the name of the country called Nigeria, that’s why we are called Biafrans.

“They invaded the house and took away the CCTV now they said that they discovered petrol bomb and the rest of it, when we had only one person in the house. How possible is that? Who planted them?”

Kanu further stated, “If Ogbizi was serving in his Cross River State, he wouldn’t have raided the palace of the Obong of Calabar under any guise the way he raids my father’s palace and boasted he would raid it again, this can only happen in Igbo land.

“And let me tell you something, the reason they removed the former CP (Adeleye Oyebade) was that he knew that IPOB has been non-violent in their activities and he stood on the side of truth, he refused to be compromised that was why they removed him and brought this one from Cross River State who is on a mission he will never accomplish.”