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Sai Masu Gida are aiming to build further momentum on Sunday as they take on Fidelis Ilechukwu’s side at Sani Abacha Stadium
Kano Pillars vs MFM: Olukoya Boys poised for a tough mission
By Adeboye Amosu: Morocco head coach Jamal Sellami believes the team have enough quality to beat Nigeria in Sunday’s final match at the African Nations Championship (CHAN), reports Completesportsnigeria. com.
The host nation will look to win the trophy for the first time when they take on the home-based Super Eagles who are on the same mission in Casablanca.
The Atlas Lions have impressed in the competition by playing an exciting attacking brand of football which has endeared them to both locals and neutrals.
Though Sellami attests to Super Eagles quality, he is upbeat his charges will go home with the trophy.
“Tomorrow’s (today’s) game is extremely important because we want to win and crown our efforts. After the work we put in we deserve to win the trophy because of our efforts,” Sellami stated during his interaction with the media ahead of the game.
“We have three players who were in CHAN 2014 and today we spoke to the players that it is a completely different ball game and the players are ready to deliver.
“We will be playing against a difficult opponent but all my players are ready for the game because it is a special game for them.
“Nigeria have individual players and they want to win duels but my team is prepared and we have qualities to get solutions against them.
“From the beginning of the tournament we selected players based on their physical conditions and the opponents. Despite the Nigeria team being strong we have all that it takes to win and keep the throphy here.
“I’m fully confident of my team but we respect Nigeria because they are good that is why they made it to the final.
“El Kaabi is leading us to the final and for him now is to show us tomorrow that he is a great striker. Harve Renard (coach of the main squad) is here and he is looking at him because before the tournament many in Morocco don’t know about him.
“My final satisfaction will be to win the trophy tomorrow and we are prepared for that.”
Morocco Coach Sellami: We Respect Nigeria But We Must Win CHAN Trophy
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Boko Haram completely defeated – Nigerian Army commander
Founder and leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazurike, has described the Igbo as foolish. The MASSOB founder insisted that Igbo may not become Nigeria’s president because they only fight for their pocket. Speaking with Punch, Uwazurike recalled how Igbo was pushed aside after forming […]
Igbo is most foolish tribe in the world – Uwazuruike
Igbo is most foolish tribe in the world – Uwazuruike
Small businesses play a critical role in the economy of Nigeria. It was this realisation that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) set up the N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund (MSMEDF) so that small business owners can access funds at a low interest rate. In this report, BAMIDELE OGUNWUSI, IKECHI NZEAKO, OLUSEGUN KOIKI, look at the impact on the economy and a huge part of the fund is lying in the vault of the apex bank. Excerpts:
In a report last year by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the statistical organisation said Nigeria has about 37 million Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSME), and if properly financed, it is expected that they would make far-reaching contributions to the country’s economy.
The recognition of the significant contributions of the MSME sub-sector to the economy, and to bridge existing huge financing gap, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) took a bold step by establishing the N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund (MSMEDF).
To access the Fund, the CBN asked MSMEs to apply through Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs), as its statutes do not allow it to deal directly with businesses on such issues.
According to the CBN, the PFIs are to submit requests from MSMES to the fund in a format that shall be prescribed by the CBN from time to time.
It also said that applications would be processed on receipt of complete documentation, while it would communicate the terms and conditions for the approved grant within one month of submission.
Guidelines For MSMEDF
In the guidelines for setting up the MSMEDF, the CBN said 10 per cent of the fund is devoted to developmental objectives such as grants, capacity building and administrative costs while 90 per cent commercial component would be released to PFIs at two per cent for on-lending to MSMEs at a maximum interest rate of nine per cent per annum.
To achieve the provision, which stipulated that women’s access to financial services should increased by at least 15 per cent annually to eliminate gender disparity, the CBN earmarked 60 per cent of the fund to providing financial services to women.
In addition, it stated that two per cent of the wholesale component of the fund should go to economically active persons with disabilities, excluding mental disabilities.
The CBN said eligible activities to be financed include agricultural value chain, services, cottage industries, artisans, trade and commerce and any income generating business as may be prescribed by the CBN from time to time.
The broad objective of the fund, the CBN said, was to channel low-interest funds to the MSME sub-sector of the Nigerian economy through PFIs to: enhance access by MSMEs to financial services; increase productivity and output of microenterprises; increase employment and create wealth and engender inclusive growth.
Listing the benefits of the MSMEDF, the CBN said the developmental components would be utilised for capacity building of staff of PFIs, research and provision of other financial services infrastructure.
It also stated that the long-term single digit loans at nine per cent per annum had resulted in reduced cost of borrowing, which will impact positively on the earnings of the MSMEs, adding that the Fund will provide liquidity for the sub-sector and result in general improvement of the financial system stability, while it would ensure job creation.
However, with the myriad of complaints from the expected beneficiaries of the Fund, it is becoming very obvious that many of these objectives are yet to be achieved, while the expected benefits are still far from being seen.
With its reported disbursement of N76.3 billion of the total fund, a large chunk of the money it appears, to be either still sitting in its safes or had been diverted to other purposes, which would require an investigation by the anti-corruption agencies to unravel.
While the CBN claimed that about N76 billion has been disbursed to MSMEs, investigations reveal the opposite.
Engagement with major MSME associations faulted this claim and revealed that most MSMEs have been unable to access a kobo from the Fund.
The complaint of inaccessibility was corroborated by the Bank of Industry (BoI), a major party in the disbursement of the MSMEDF, which disclosed that it was yet to access the fund for onward disbursement to MSMEs.
To buttress the country’s losses due to the poor administration of the fund, the NBS revealed that Nigeria spent N2.29 trillion on importation in the first quarter of 2017 alone.
According to the NBS, Nigeria imported cane sugar worth N38 billion from Brazil; mixtures of odoriferous substances worth N13.2 billion were imported from Ireland; chemical fertilisers with nitrogen worth N7.3 billion were imported from United Arab Emirates and milk preparations worth N4.6 billion were imported from Ireland.
Today, 80 per cent of Nigeria’s consumption comprises foreign products; and if this money had been properly disbursed to local entrepreneurs, the country’s import rate would have dropped by now — because the local manufacturers would be encouraged to produce.
Also, the inability to access funding is stunting economic growth, while many companies, mostly manufacturers, are dying daily due to lack of access to finance.
Furthermore, the CBN was discovered to be flouting some of the guidelines it put forward in setting up the fund.
One critical guideline flouted by the apex bank is its engagement with the steering committee.
Also, investigations revealed that financial institutions, mainly commercial banks, mortgage banks and microfinance banks are frustrating the disbursement of the fund, as many of them are not well disposed to the programme.
The banks are expected to lend to MSMEs at nine per cent, after obtaining funds from the CBN at three per cent, leaving a spread of six per cent for the banks.
Instead of enrolling the MSMEs to the MSMEDF, it was discovered that the banks lend their own funds to the small business owners at between 25 per cent and 30 per cent.
However, despite claims by the CBN, President, Association of Micro Entrepreneurs of Nigeria (AMEN), Saviour Iche, challenged the CBN and BoI to publish the names of the beneficiaries of the fund, while he called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe BoI.
He said, “Let them come out and tell us the beneficiaries, because some companies that are not registered are collecting money because somebody is there who knows how to exploit the system. That is the problem we have.
“If the entire MSMEs groups are saying that they are not benefitting from the fund, it means something is wrong. We the MSMEs groups meet at our level and we discuss; none of us has collected the money. Then who is collecting the money? That is the big question that we don’t know.”
The Director General of the Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, ABACCIMA, Henry Nduka, confirmed that with millions of MSMEs in Aba, only three persons have been able to access the fund.
The post MSMEs Grapple With Paucity Of Fund Despite Lifeline appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
MSMEs Grapple With Paucity Of Fund Despite Lifeline
He noted that funding is a critical component in MSMEs growth and survival, adding that lack of access to funding was making it difficult for them to develop their businesses and acquire better technologies for production, thereby stifling competitiveness.
“Specifically, we have well over 300,000 registered tailors and fashion designers in Aba, and more than 100,000 finished leather products producers in Aba. There are not more than three persons that have been able to access the MSME fund,” he said.
Noting that most of its members were not aware of the N220 billion MSMEDF, he lamented that with its huge membership base, the CBN had not deemed it necessary to approach it on how its members can benefit.
He said in most cases, officials of the CBN, BoI and other PFIs prefer to deal with the businesses directly — a situation that had further made the funds inaccessible to the small business owners.
According to Nduka, most of the owners of the businesses are not properly educated and usually rely on the assistance, advice and services of the chamber in order to provide the necessary documentation to access such funds.
Expressing his dissatisfaction at the secrecy surrounding the fund, Dikko Radda, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), disclosed that the agency was aware that the CBN had set up the fund, but it was not involved, neither was it consulted in ensuring the success of the fund.
He said on his appointment, he asked a lot of questions as regards to the fund; because he believed that it was necessary that if there is such money meant for MSMEs in the country, there should be collaboration with SMEDAN, being an agency of government that is in charge of MSMEs development in the country.
Radda argued that SMEDAN should have played the role of being a referral body, because it has more knowledge on the MSMEs in all the states of the federation than any other body.
He added that SMEDAN should have played a monitoring role and also provides business development support to the beneficiaries because that is its mandate.
He faulted the CBN for not involving SMEDAN in the programme, criticised the use of consultants for the programme, a role, which according to him, could have been given to SMEDAN.
Radda also added that he had held several meetings with the CBN, through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, which led to the setting up of a committee to work out modalities on how SMEDAN could be included in the programme.
However, he lamented that for over one year since the committee was inaugurated, nothing had been heard from the CBN on the issue, noting that SMEDAN had written several letters to the CBN to that effect, without success.
Moreover, the refusal of the CBN to publish the names of those it claimed were beneficiaries of the Fund has raised further doubts about the integrity of the bank and the fund.
The CBN stated that information about the beneficiaries would be obtained by sending a mail to its dedicated help desk, ‘contactcbn.gov.ng’, where it said relevant staff would be available to provide responses.
Taiwo Maja is the chief executive officer of Smart Space System Limited, a technology training company based in Lagos.
Speaking on access to funds in the country, he said processes of obtaining the loans are cumbersome and serve as barriers to accessing them and that has stopped his company from trying.
“We are focusing on what we are doing and hope that something will happen some day,” he said in an with interview INDEPENDENT.
Suashi Ini-Usoro is the founder and managing partner of E-business Hub Nigeria, a company that trains entrepreneurs on how run their businesses successfully.
She said companies should study their businesses properly and determine the type of external funding they require.
She said: “If you are a small business that has a very high monthly turnover, and you will want to scale up to continue to meet the demand of your customers, by all means take loans and try and access low interest loans like the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund loan or from a few other institutions that give low interest rate loans. But if your business does not have a high monthly turn over, I will advise that you either wait or try and access grants or angel investors for your business or venture.”
However, she said many need the help of an investor if they want to diversify or expand their businesses especially when their financial standing cannot really give them the desired venture.
She argued that growing a successful business is not just about collecting any fund that is offered to the company as an investment, adding that there is need for business owners to be wise and smart, taking into cognisance what the investment would cost them in the short and long-run. It is a decision the organisations have to make.
She stated that whatever way a business owner chooses to grow his business, it is expedient that before they accept an investor proposal, they should carefully go through it in an objective manner, taking into account the pros and cons. She added that businesses should not loans that would be a burden they cannot service, saying that this may lead to creating financial challenges for the business.
According to Adefemi Oluyemi, a Lagos-based small scale farmer, due to the high risks inherent in the agricultural sector and because farmers are unable provide material guarantees, producers have great difficulty in accessing funding to invest in their farms.
He said this has slowed the pace of agricultural modernisation through the purchase of production equipment that is essential to farmers so that they may increase their income and contribute to their countries’ food security. He called on government and financial institutions to make special funds available so that farmers can access them easily.
For Olawale Akinpelu, a Lagos-based consultant, what small business owners’ need is not loans but grants. According to him, taking loans by small business owners in the country put a lot of pressure on them and lead to stifle.
He posited that the Nigerian business environment is harsh and makes it difficult for businesses to survive. He called on government to set up agencies that will help business owners to access grants and training that will make their businesses to be sustainable.
Financial institutions have been called upon to collaborate with Small and Medium Scale (SMEs) business operators in the country in order to assist them to grow their business and assess the N220bn intervention funds granted them by the government.
Mr. Tunji Ope, an SME consultant in an interview with our correspondent, said that unless the financial institutions work with the SMEs, they would not be able to assess the N22bn intervention funds the Federal Government granted them some few years ago.
Ope decried that many of the financial institutions in the country show lackadaisical attitude towards the plights of SMEs, which he said is an integral part of any economy.
For the SMEs to assess the funds, he said the banks should change their structures from just granting of loans, but to also participate in the usage of such funds to beneficiaries and ensure that the funds are utilised for that purpose.
According to him, many of the financial institutions in the country have little or no understanding of how SMEs operate, stressing that different stringent measures are always attached before SMEs could assess funds.
He added: “If any financial system is going to consider an SME for funds, they are going to look at two basic things; financial statement and bank statement, apart from the full understanding of the business.
“Also, the issue of tax compliance would be looked into. If any financial institution is going to look at granting loan to the SMEs, they are going to look at their taxes and financial records and bank statements. If they are not able to provide all those documentations, there is no financial institution that will support them to facilitate the loans.
The post Tales Of Disappointments Trail MSMEDF appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
Tales Of Disappointments Trail MSMEDF
Founder and General Overseer of Holy Trinity Authority Prophetic Ministry International, Prophet James Omitade, has called for three-day fasting and prayers for Nigeria, to avert looming bloodbath, which he said would shake the foundations of the country.
He made this known in an interaction with TribuneChurch that “Nigeria needs peace and we must all pray. From the presidency to the lowest unit of our country, we must pray seriously to God to avert impending calamity.”
Omitade, who said Nigeria needed urgent prayers following the rising tension across the country, said: “Christians, Muslims, everybody must rise in prayer; let us look inwards and rise to help our country. We must now avoid sentiments and, together ask for mercy for this land.
“We must pray for mercy without sentiments and ask God to reveal the hidden hands in these killings. Let us beg God to come to the aid of His people in this battle for supremacy among powers that be in Nigeria’s security apparatus, which God said can shake this country.”
Omitade said: “The entire Nigerian nation needs intense prayer to forestall the impending calamities that may befall the country. From the Presidency to the last unit of existence in Nigeria, a three day national fasting and prayer should be declared for peace and tranquillity.
“Most importantly, the country should pray against crisis that will emanate from the security forces – operative crisis that will end up a national calamity with dire consequences – blood bath and death.
“All spiritual facets are enjoined to take this prayer seriously. The nation should wail, cry and weep unto the Lord for mercy. This prayer should come up unfailingly the first week in the month of February.”
He charged parents to pray that their children do not misuse their purpose on earth, saying “misuse of purpose on earth is the cause of the many woes bedevilling our country, because people don’t know their purpose.”
The post Nigeria needs urgent prayers to avert crisis —Cleric appeared first on Tribune.
Nigeria needs urgent prayers to avert crisis —Cleric
WHEN the British flag, the Union Jack was lowered and Nigeria’s green white and green flag hoisted in its place on October 1, 1960, Nigerians shouted freedom at last and went into joyous celebrations. It was a national merriment all over Nigeria. Even school children were feted with sumptuous meal as part of the celebrations. Everyone thought freedom had come at last, albeit on a platter of gold in comparison to some other nations like Algeria and South Africa. It was a tortuous and somehow long political journey for Nigerians.
Led by their leaders like Herbert Macaulay, Dr. Nnamidi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and other nationalists, Nigerians thought the era of political bondage would become a thing of the past immediately after the yoke of British imperialism was sent back to the owners. They and their future generation would from then enjoy the privilege of self-determination in all spheres of life.
But going by recent political developments in the country, this freedom appears to be under serious threat. Fulani colonialism is being planned wittingly or unwittingly, to replace British colonialism in Nigeria under the guise of settling Fulani herdsmen all over the country, with the connivance of the Federal Government.
The Federal Government is proposing the establishment of what it called “cattle colonies” all over Nigeria. This appears to be the government’s own solution to the incessant senseless killings of innocent Nigerians in cold blood by the fully armed but seemingly untouchable Fulani herdsmen under the guise of searching for grass to feed their animals. The government tends to prefer this approach to disarming the killer-Fulani herdsmen as a means of ending the senseless killings.
Given the nature of Nigeria as a conglomeration of various and often discordant ethnic groups, this approach by the government is quintessentially insensitive. The present level of national integration in a conglomerate Nigeria and the political antecedents of the Fulani in the country do not recommend this approach as sensible and acceptable solution. In fact, it smacks of arrant insult and unwarranted arrogance to all other ethnic groups in the country.
Those who sold this idea to the government are very smart although not smart enough. They appear to be great strategists in ethno-politics especially in a country like Nigeria. The expression, “cattle colonies for herdsmen,” should be seen as a mere semantic gymnastics aimed at achieving a political abracadabra to hoodwink politically gullible and naïve Nigerians, especially the non-Fulani groups in the country. This is why before the issue could even be thrown open to the states, some governors who are behaving like typical quislings, have started saying that they were ready to buy the idea even when the overwhelming majority of their citizens are against it. They must say what would please the emperor of the federation.
A cursory look at the expression: “cattle colonies,” will bring out the absurdity of the idea in a fragile conglomerate Nigeria. A simple dictionary definition says a colony is “a country or area that is under the political control of a more powerful country, usually one that is far away”. The dictionary goes on to say that to colonise is: “to establish political control over an area or over another country and send your citizens there to settle”.
We should not assume that the protagonists or those who invented the idea are oblivious of the above definitions and the socio-political implications. They are conscious of the operational meaning of the expression. They really understand what they are doing, hence, the seeming semantic gymnastics duly targeted at political abracadabra in ethno-politics. The ultimate aim is nothing less than colonialism in the true sense of it, albeit through the back-door.
The bitter truth is that the state governments in Ekiti, Abia, Rivers, Anambra, Lagos, Benue, Plateau, Osun and other states of the pseudo-federation called Nigeria, will have no control over the colonies imposed on them. Those in the colonies (the so-called Fulani herdsmen) who would be conferred with contextual legality in the implementation of the awkward and ludicrous arrangement cannot be controlled by the government in the states even if the states are not in the reverse order, to be controlled by the modern day Fulani colonialists.
In other words, at best, there will be two governments in every state where the colonies are imposed. In fact, going by the antecedents of the Fulani, the new colonialists would want to be in control of the states. This is colonialism through the back-door. The result of this is political confusion if not complete anarchy with its attendant catastrophic consequences. The level of conflagration that could attend this may be difficult to predict now.
From the above, it is certain that the solution to the issue at stake is not in the jaundiced approach of “cattle colonies.” If the protagonists are sincere and so desperate about finding gracing environment that will be free from rancor for the specially favored Fulani herdsmen, why don’t they take the herdsmen and their cattle to the Sambisa forest? After all, we have been told that our gallant soldiers had liberated the expansive forest from the Boko Haram terrorists. They will have enough room to operate here without anyone raising eyebrow.
The Fulani herdsmen should replace the Boko Haram in Sambisa forest rather than coming to other parts of Nigeria to foment trouble in order to pave way for them to replace the British colonialists who left on October 1st 1960 with their own 21st century colonialism. No sensible person, void of gullibility, especially in the Southern and Middle belt of Nigeria, will willingly agree to replace British colonialism with Fulani colonialism. It is absurd. It is insulting. Even to the ubiquitous quislings in the southern and middle belt political landscape, modern colonialism foisted through the back-door is unacceptable. Fulani imperialism cannot be made to replace British imperialism.
The method or procedure by both Britain and the Fulani appears to be similar. British imperialism gave birth to colonialism. In fact, the communist priests had described colonialism as the last stage or phase of imperialism. With the force of arms, British imperialists imposed their rule over the territories known today as Nigeria with the sole aim of capturing the resources of Nigeria for the development of their own country. The traumatic experience of British colonialism is still fresh in our memory.
In the same vein, the Fulani had for some time now unleashed attacks on the middle belt and southern Nigeria, killing and maiming many innocent and hapless people with unreserved impunity. After all, the federal government is not willing to curb the murderous activities of the untouchable Fulani herdsmen. To the federal government of Nigeria, the price to offer the murderous Fulani in all parts of the country, for them to stop killing innocent Nigerians is colonies, to be foisted on unwilling other ethnic groups through the federal might. This is not only an insult being carried too far; it is an insensitivity of the highest order and a reckless exercise in aberration. It is an unworkable simplistic approach to a very serious issue.
An effective solution to the knotty issue lies in complete restructuring of the country. In the First Republic under a workable federal arrangement, Chief Obafemi Awolowo did not need colonies imposed by outsiders before establishing agric settlements including ranches in Western Region. The regional government provided in abundance, what the Fulanis are today arrogating to themselves only in the country. Other regions did the same without any rancor.
From the above, it is clear that anyone who wants genuine solution to this problem and many others in the country will embrace the inevitable issue of restructuring Nigeria to steer the country off the present dangerous pseudo-federalism which has hitherto proved to be highly susceptible to abuse.
The only alternative to restructuring the polity may sound bitter. It lies in the highly distasteful Gideon Orkah solution. It could be the last resort. How it will happen, I don’t know. Our experience over the years has proved that the present system and structure, cannot accommodate meaningful socio-economic development and political stability. This is why Nigeria remains one of the poorest nations of the world even though it controls enormous and enviable resources. It is not possible for the country to remain in this quandary forever. But for now, it must be sounded loudly and clearly that Fulani imperialism cannot be made to replace British imperialism in the country.
ALSO READ: President Buhari and the deadly trap of cattle colonies
The post Fulani colonialism can’t replace British colonialism appeared first on Tribune.
Fulani colonialism can’t replace British colonialism
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The model is 8-2 picking games in the playoffs.
The New England Patriots are the betting favorite to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII, and Nate Silver's model at FiveThirtyEight agrees.
Using a rating system that accounts for margin of victory, home-field advantage, strength of schedule, and prior performance, and then simulating the playoffs thousands of times, Silver determined the probability each team had of winning every playoff game and the Super Bowl.
So far, the model is 8-2 in the playoffs, having correctly picked both the Patriots and the Eagles to win their conference title games. The only games that Silver's model missed so far were the Tennessee Ttians' Wild Card upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars' upset over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round.
Now, with just the Big Game remaining, the model is giving the Patriots a 58% chance of beating the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
The percentage translates to the Patriots being a 2.5-point favorite. As of Monday morning, most Las Vegas sportsbooks have the Patriots as a 4.5-point favorite. The Patriots opened as a 6-point favorite in Vegas.
Before the season, Silver's model had the Patriots as the heavy favorite to win the Super Bowl with an 18% chance to win it all, twice as much as any other team. The Eagles were in the middle of the pack with a 2% chance to win the championship. In fact, the Eagles were given only a 21% chance to win their own division, behind both the Dallas Cowboys (34%) and the New York Giants (25%).
The Eagles were given a 15% chance to win the Super Bowl before the playoffs started. The Patriots were at 31%.
When some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the South East geopolitical zone visited President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, in the wake of the violent killings in Benue State early January, the talk was more about 2023 than the forthcoming 2019 elections. The APC leaders adopted Buhari for the 2019 election, but the unwritten statement was all about 2013.
And around that, a theory of 4 is greater than 8 is emerging. It is a theory that would be given voice mainly in the South East of Nigeria and it is targeted at drawing the zone to the Buhari political kitty.
According to the theorists, the South East would realise its presidential ambition faster in the APC if it gives four more years to Buhari Presidency than wait on the PDP, which has already zoned 2019 to the North and whose candidate, if elected is likely to seek another four years in the 2023 elections, thus pushing the Eastern quest for the top job to 2027.
That assertion, to all intents and purposes, is a political gimmick. But gimmicks, gerrymandering and all that are welcome in politics. It is he who is being sold a piece of clay as gold that needs to shine his eyes.
First, let me tell our good brothers in the South East that living on the verbal theory such as above would simply amount to accepting the slave mentality. If the East sees itself as an integral stakeholder in the Nigerian polity, it is not by kowtowing to the man in power that you gain relevance. Rather, it is by emphasizing your right as a freeborn that gives you the right place.
Let me also remind us that the zoning arrangement being talked about is only known to the PDP. The APC does not have one. And that played out clearly in the Senate Presidency issue in 2015. Besides, the North West and the South West alliance produced the APC and the presidency is deemed to rotate in that order.
I‘ve heard another variant of the 2023 argument at a recent meeting. Somebody said that the South East kept all its “eggs in one basket” in 2015 and that it was a mistake. Today, the proponents of the argument say, the South East is being treated to the 97%/5% because of the 2015 mistake.
Was it a mistake that the South Easterners expressed their preference for the PDP in 2015? Obviously No. the people saw a preferred candidate and voted for him. If Buhari had appealed to the people one way or the other, he would also have got the votes from the zone. To turn around and claim that the zone put its “eggs” in one basket is not just slavish but defeatist argument.
Flowing from the theory above, should the South East adopt a Buhari so he would remove the curse of 97%/5%? My answer still remains a resounding NO. The people reserve the right to exercise their electoral rights freely. If Buhari believes he would punish them with only 5% dividends, so be it. But that should also tell the people to extend the scope of their alliances in a way that would get their preferred candidates into office at all levels.
And for those who subscribe to the 97%/5% or the “eggs in one basket” theory let me advert your minds to Section 14(1, 2,3) of the 1999 Constitution and direct special emphasis on 14 (3) thereof. Recall that Buhari and all elected officials swore to uphold the Constitution.
Section14 (3) reads: The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”
It is clear that the 97%/5% postulation can only thrive where the institutions are weak and the president is allowed to act the judge and the jury.
As for the South Easter presidency in 2023 proponents, let me state here that you don’t place something on nothing, like the legal minds would say. What are the indices from Buhari and the APC that suggests a liking for the Igbo candidate in the nearest future? If a regime is unable to trust the Igbo with positions like SGF, Service Chief or even commander of the Civil Defence, how does it suddenly grow to trust the zone with the most powerful position in the land?
Let me restate that no one man will give Igbo the Presidency of Nigeria, it is the Igbo who will work together with other Nigerians to produce a candidate that can win majority of the votes.
Perhaps, if anyone comes around the East of the Niger to mouth the 2023 presidency, you may need to remind them to learn from the experience of the South West.
In 2014/15, the South West took charge of the APC. The de facto leader of the party was Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He wrote the devolution of power principle into the party’s manifesto to appease the Yoruba. He ran the show and committed resources to the elections. When asked what Buhari promised him, he was said to have told those within the earshot “we will run the government together” By the time the government was constituted in 2015, the same Asiwaju could not produce a Minister or a Director General of note.
Now, if the party can deny what is written into its manifesto, why would it respect a tip of the tongue promise like the 2023 talk?
ALSO READ: Buhari’s AU post: Presidency replies PDP
The post 2023: Before the Igbos are hooked appeared first on Tribune.
2023: Before the Igbos are hooked
IN a marathon interview with The Interview magazine mid last year, Ayodele Fayose, Ekiti State governor comprehensively relayed the infamous “bastardly” encounter with Olusegun Obasanjo, his former political terror. He was quoted as saying he got so incinerated in the anger of being called a bastard by the former president, he razed up in his mind, a tremor of physical combat with the old man at the Oyinlola event. He opined that such a horror would have been deemed “two fighting” between a former president and a former governor. He was wrong. He would have been arrested as the aggressor and God have mercy on him, should Baba Iyabo end it up in the flurry of his blow. He won’t be governor again. He would be standing trial for pre-meditated murder.
Guests like IBB, who shook his hand for what would amount to infantile heroism, would possibly be shaking their heads in pity for him and their hearts in condemnation of his action, if things went “badder.” My take; ma ba obo ja ewura (don’t join the idiotic in idiocy).
That exactly is my message to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) this morning, as the supposed representative of the Body of Christ in Nigeria, indecorously engage prominent Islamic bodies- JNI and NSCIA-in war of words that should ordinarily be beneath both sides. The street will capture this as “two fighting” and when you have two inseparable tuggers, the best way is to draw a battle-line for them, circle around them, get hailers and wailers in the cheerleading orchestra and wait patiently for one to pummel the other to the pulp. That is the bolekaja style!
Is it sinful for the Christian body to be involved in the running of the nation? I don’t think so, though many would argue that God himself acknowledged the devil being in complete dominance of the world which would ordinarily include Nigeria and has put his (devil’s) own elect in charge. Without doubt the Word is infallible, and a mournful cast around, confirms who truly are in charge of global politics, policies and ideologies, including our own dear nation. But there is the argument of Christian votes being procured to install devil pikins in positions of authority, which makes it compelling for the Body of Christ to show more than a passing interest in how the mandate is being mandated. Absolutely true.
So, what is wrong with CAN’s intervention, considering the dangerous slide the nation has been experiencing from conception and the fatal hemorrhage being currently endured? Everything.
Christians (I mean genuine born-again children of God) are such simply because of Christ. If CAN can start by simply reflecting its intemperate mode of communicating what is without doubt, the collective worries of those who genuinely love the humanity that Nigeria represents, it would be crystal-clear to those running the association that one can deliver the right message, the wrong way. What about those high-sounding, reader-entertaining but Spirit-fouling adjectival phrases, clauses and insulting descriptive vocabulary! Lord, have mercy. Is this still about God or self?
Why only CAN, questions may abound. What about the “bricks” being hurled from the other end? A Yoruba wisecrack would appear a fitting answer but for its contextual inappropriateness.
When you have a body representing an interest, the best 11 of such an interest, would be assumed to people the body. Don’t they say the best should lead the rest. As children of God, we are specifically commanded (the will of God should be a direct order to His children) to be like our Father in heaven, and that should be in all things. Can CAN leaders, who now do better yabis than Fela and his inheritors like Seun Anikulapo and Alariwo of Africa, look those of us they are supposedly leading in the eye, and offer their conducts as the genuine will of God?
Yes, Christians may be having it rough under Muhammadu Buhari’s regime. The deal has also been truly raw particularly in the North. But I see the suspected Islamisation agenda as an opportunity to get The Omnipotent God to rent the heavens, for the sake of His own; but that can only be in harkening diligently unto Him in obedience. Children of God lose ground to the “enemy” when they live in disobedience and if the battle is truly The Lord’s, then care must be taken to avoid getting consumed by emotions and not the mind of Christ.
Am I saying CAN should turn the other cheek every time Christians (not church-goers) are assaulted? No. I’m saying they should seek the face of God through His Word and stop abusing the creed of “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”
Yes, the creed is in Exodus and surely in the Word of God. But is that part of the salvation package? Isn’t salvation supposed to separate us from the world and not conform to it? If the only striking difference between Christian leaders and their opponents, is just in the acronyms of their respective associations, why the disagreement then, since they are similar in all conducts. Isn’t the 30 shekels also similar, despite two different sides to the coins?
It is time for a new rule of engagement. Enough of bolekaja spirituality. If we allow God to lead the battle, no matter how scorching, victory is assured and He won’t even allow His own suffer any casualty before bringing the enemy (?) to his knees. The leaders must also be reminded where their real home is. That alone should temper them. There is no CAN in heaven, only over-comers. As for the other side, this moment too shall pass.
The post What is wrong with CAN? appeared first on Tribune.
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By Funmi Komolafe
Believers, how are you going on with fasting? If you are engaged in fasting, the Lord will strengthen you and give you a reward that will surprise you in the mighty name of Jesus.
For those who haven’t been fasting, be reminded that February 14 is Ash Wednesday, the day that symbolizes the beginning of the 40 day fasting of our Lord Jesus Christ. Take a decision to be a part of it and the power of the risen Christ will take you to a new level in the name of Jesus.
So much for fasting.
In today’s edition of Joyful homes, we ‘ll be reflecting on worries and what to worry about.
Believe it or not, everyone has something to worry about.
There are parents who worry about a delinquent child, couples who worry about failing marriages, childlessness or even lack of peace in the home.
There are brothers and sisters who worry about inability to get married, others worry about financial issues such as failed or failing businesses, financial stagnation, etc.
Yet another category of people worry about inability to complete a housing project, debt owed banks or neighbours, inability of employers to pay salaries when due and many others.
The truth is, all of these issues put pressure on us.
Therefore, we worry. Worries are dangerous to health. Medical doctors say it could lead to high blood pressure and this could lead to other ailments including failure of organs and ultimately untimely death.
In the name of Jesus, you will not die prematurely. This year, you will not bury any of your loved ones in the name of Jesus.
Philippians 4 vs. 6-7 “ Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.
Here, the word of God teaches us to submit everything to the burden bearer but continue to relate with him through prayer, supplication and thanksgiving. It takes a higher level of faith to thank God for a desire that has not manifested but it is what assures the Almighty God that you believe fully in Him.
Brethren, there are ways out of worries. Once you can act the word of God as contained in Philippians 4 vs. 6-7, the next stage is to encourage yourself.
How do you encourage yourself? Proverbs 4 vs. 20-22 is helpful. It states “ My son, attend to my words, incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh”.
Proverbs 17 vs.22 is even more practical. It states, “ A merry heart, doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones”.
Brethren you must kick worries out of your life by encouraging yourself in the Lord. Worries prevent you from reaching your goals but prayer will take you to your goals.
Reverend Sunday Awe of Christ Proclaimers Global Mission also shares this view. He wrote, “ weeping will never solve that problem, but prayers and spiritual warfare will do”.
The story of David as recorded in 1st Samuel 30 vs. 3-8 should inspire us to encourage ourselves in the Lord. It’s the story of David and the Amalekites who invaded Ziklag and took away women, sons and daughters of David’s men who had gone to war elsewhere as captives. They also burned down houses.
By the time David and his men returned, they realized they had lost all to the enemy.
By the grace of God, everything that you have lost to the enemy, the power of God will recover all for you in the name of Jesus.
For this purpose, we’ll consider verses 6-8 of 1st Samuel 30 “ And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David”.
Verse 8 “ And David inquired at the Lord saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shall surely overtake them, and without fail recover all”.
Without encouraging himself in the Lord, David would not have been able to recover all.
Endless weeping solves no problem. Looking mournful at all times solves no problem neither will any problem be solved by blaming others. The solution to every challenge lies with paying more attention to the word of God and service to the Lord.
I’ll share with you the testimony of a man who lost everything. This man was rich in the real sense of the word but suddenly, everything went down. His businesses failed, he sold his houses because he was indebted to banks. He went down financially. He then decided to travel home to discuss his predicament with his father whom he had showered with a lot of gifts. He asked his father why he wasn’t worried that he (son) had gone down financially. Seated with his father was his uncle who said to him, “ must you be the only one whose star will shine in this village. Is there anything wrong if we take the glory and give to another person?”
The man knew immediately the source of his problem and wanted to hit his uncle dead but his dad stopped him.
He didn’t need anyone to tell him that he would have to take his prayer life more seriously to recover all.
With the tutorship of a true man of God, it wasn’t long before he broke through.
His businesses bounced back, workers returned and he was able to acquire new houses.
Brethren with God all things are possible but we must live by his word.
Encourage yourself. Refuse to be distracted by mockers. Very soon, they will have no option but to rejoice with you.
God is able and He is never tired of attending to our requests provided we don’t get tired of presenting our requests to him.
The post Set aside worries; encourage yourself appeared first on Vanguard News.
Set aside worries; encourage yourself
In development, there are clear-cut, unbending principles. These often drive the manner in which policies are formed, change is pursued and new habits and behaviours are espoused and championed to engender growth in societies. When such principles are lacking or disregarded, development is often haphazard, doom-fated.
When Nigeria began experimenting with democracy from 1999, it appeared that the rogues that ran government in Edo State cloaked in their uninspiring colours as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hadn’t the faintest idea of what it meant to run a state and pivot it on solid strategic pillars for development and growth.
The symptoms of their failure to do this are still very fresh in the memory of the people of Edo State, who in the last few years have been inundated with the solid developmental strides of the All Progressives Congress-led government. Alas, it appears that Edo state came to know the true meaning of democracy only after the APC government came on board and put paid to the many lies that the PDP had claimed, mitigated development in the state.
The malfeasance of the PDP is advertised in many forms and shades. And it is not hard to see from their antecedents that they did not only have the capacity to lead or govern, but that they came into power with just three carefully-planned missions: plunder, steal, and plunder some more. Nothing escaped their litchy fingers. They did this and successfully too. So much so that the people were almost getting used to such as true hallmark of governance.
There is a case in point to buttress this point and to show how impunity was coopted as a tool to muzzle a people that had been deprived of basic dignity. There is the account of how a party chieftain was in the habit of disposing people of their properties in Benin City and deployed violence to intimidate those who dared challenge him.
This character was said to have singled out a man in the Airport Road axis to claim a property the fellow built with his hard-earned money. When this fellow learned of the plot of the PDP thug, he approached the court for redress, to claim what was rightfully his. However, on the day the court was hearing the case, the PDP chieftain stormed the court premises, descended on the plaintiff and beat him to stupor for daring to challenge him in court. Different anecdotes of this nature abound of the regretful years of the PDP in power in Edo State.
Trophies like these – earned from intimidation, theft and graft – that the PDP have to show for their years in office, years marred with the most unimaginable, record-shattering fraud that damaged the dignity of the common man in Edo, years hailed only for ignoble conduct and crass leadership.
So, one wonders why a camp that harbours such devious characters and antecedents still wants power in Edo State or would even summon the courage to challenge a government that is firmly-footed in its purpose to develop the state. If the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration or his predecessor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole had continued in the purposeless model of governance espoused by the PDP, maybe that would have given the party a fair chance at gunning for power or to lampoon the present administration.
But when the difference is clear as day, that these people have encountered a team that is way beyond their capabilities, they only need to concede to these superiors, and not go about shamelessly advertising their failure-ridden dossiers in phony tours and dispiriting engagements.
The progress being recorded in Edo State today is not only as a result of the caliber of the people at the helm of affairs, but because development is anchored on strategic developmental principles. At the moment, it is obvious that the rogues have run out of ideas, and are on a tour of shame. In the course of such shameless perambulation, the PDP tells us what noble thing they bequeathed to Edo people and not attempt to poke fingers at an aggressive and purposive team, that is going about doing good, delivering monumental, epoch-making projects to Edo people.
By Nosakhare Festus
The post Edo PDP: Of Rogues who lacked purpose, insight while in power appeared first on Vanguard News.
Edo PDP: Of Rogues who lacked purpose, insight while in power
James Harrison has a wildly expensive wellness routine that helps keep his 39-year-old body NFL ready
Professional athletes will go through a lot to stay in shape.
For aging athletes, spending money on health and wellness is an investment that can help add years to a lucrative caeer and each year could be worth millions more in income.
No player better embodies this idea than 39-year-old linebacker James Harrison, who recently joined the New England Patriots.
According to a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Harrison spends $300,000 a year just to keep his body in top form.
While younger players may get by with a personal chef and a quality home gym, Harrison, pushing 40, goes the extra mile when it comes to taking care of his body. Not only does Harrison see experts in acupuncture, chiropractic, and cupping, he even flies them out as needed.
As the report states:
For his muscles to handle the lifting sessions and the NFL grind, Harrison says he needs an acupuncturist, a dry needlist, three massage therapists, two chiropractors and "a person who does cupping."
But Harrison, 39, doesn't surf the net and read reviews like the rest of us. He goes underground for the most exclusive specialists.
"The people I use right now, you can't find none of them on Google," Harrison said.
That's where the $300,000 comes into play. Once he heard about these elite technicians and tried their services, he had to put them on the payroll. They are based in different parts of the country, including California and New York, so he pays their airfare and expenses to get them to town when he needs them.
According to Harrison, he sees each person at least once a week.
Harrison has posted photos of some of these sessions to Instagram, including the cupping treatments.
And the acupuncture.
It's something of an arduous process, especially when you consider that Harrison goes through the trouble of booking the flights on his own, and he has spent well over $1 million investing in his health. But as the report notes, that's a solid investment for a player that has made close to $70 million over the course of an extended career.
As Harrison puts it, "When it comes down to it, what I make versus what I spend, the payout is worth it based on how I feel."
This post was originally published in October and has been updated.
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