The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Nurturing your relationship (1)

    Dear reader, I welcome you to this wonderful month. It is my prayer that all that the month holds will be delivered to you speedily. In this teaching series for the month, I shall be exploring the topic: Nurturing Your Relationship.

    God instituted marriage so that man can enjoy the power of relationship. God saw that the first man – Adam, was in need of companionship. And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him (Genesis 2:18). God wanted it to be for man “as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). So, He gave man the gift of relationship. This means that God believes in relationships and they are important to Him.

    Relationship means “to connect with someone else or to be in touch with someone.” But it is important for you to understand that although God initiated the idea of relationships, it is our duty to develop and sustain it. We sustain our relationship by nurturing it with all the right nutrients necessary for it to grow.

    To nurture means to care for, to look after and to take care of somebody or something. You nurture your relationship with your spouse, just as you nurture your baby to adulthood. You should learn to feed and care for your relationship, if it must be a success. Food here does not mean what we eat physically, but there are physical, spiritually and emotional nutrients you must give your marital relationship so that it can grow and be well-nourished.

    How to nurture and grow your relationship

    I will be sharing with you on certain factors that can help you nurture and grow your relationship with your husband, wife and family members.

    Commitment

    Any man or woman who is genuinely committed to God is bound to be committed to the success of his/her home, because he/she will endeavour to obey God. Someone once said that what the spinal cord is to the body is what relationship is to your marriage.

    The level of your commitment to your relationship with your husband, wife or family members will ultimately determine how heavenly your home will be. For you to be committed to your husband, wife and family members, first and foremost, you must be committed to God if commitment to your spouse will yield a positive result.For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God(Hebrews 3:4).

    That means all your efforts to build a heavenly home will amount to nothing without the help of God.

    The Bible says, I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).

    Let me say this to singles, before you marry any man or woman; ensure that he is genuinely committed to God, because if he or she is not, it will affect the success of the home.

    I remember my husband (then my fiancé) writing a paper titled “Sailing Under Sealed Orders.” One thing that struck me most in that vow of commitment to God was the phrase, “Christ is either Lord of all or not Lord at all…” I rejoiced when I read and even had to sign that I will allow him to serve God completely and unreservedly. That is why I am not surprised at his commitment to our home, because his commitment to God is unquestionable.

    However, commitment to God must find expression in your commitment to your spouse and family members. Commitment to God and to your spouse is like a bicycle. Each wheel represents these two levels of commitments.

    Commitment is what drives a man to love his wife despite how he feels or what she has done or failed to do; and it is also a driving force in a woman that is submissive to her husband. Any man you see who finds it difficult to love his wife or makes excuses for not loving her is not committed to making that marriage work.

    If you are a stubborn and naughty wife who refuses to submit to her husband, your problem is simply lack of commitment! If you are committed to the success of your marriage, you will not need anyone to advise you, you will willingly and excitedly submit to your husband, and your husband will express his love for you.

    A lady once wrote me and said, “I started reading your article in one of the daily newspapers after I got born-again in November 1998. I gained a lot from most of what you discussed in the articles. I am married with four children and used to do many things that were not right to my husband. But as soon as I read your articles, I made a change. Whenever I want to fight my husband, I remember your article on how to be patient with our husbands, and I stop. You have taught me a lot about marriage, so I don’t miss that newspaper.” It is time to get committed if you desire a heavenly home.

    You need Jesus Christ to be committed and maintain commitment in marriage. If, peradventure, you are not born again and you want to accept Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour, then say this prayer in faith: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for delivering me from sin and satan to serve the living God and thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.

    Congratulations! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now born again and a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

    With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name! Call or write to share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org, 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

    For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored)

  • PDP salutes Kaigama at 61, says Bishop asset to Plateau, symbol of peace

    The Plateau Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has described Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, the Apostolic Administrator of Jos and Coadjutor Archbishop of the Sea of Abuja, as “a symbol of peace and an asset to Plateau”.

    In a message to congratulate him on his 61st birthday, the PDP said that the Cleric’s contribution to the search for peace in Plateau had been “outstanding”.

    “We rejoice with you as you turn 61. Humanity will thank you for your commitment to ending the violence in Plateau and promoting mutual love among its inhabitants,” the party said in a statement signed by John Akans, its Publicity Secretary.

    The statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Friday in Jos, urged Kaigama to deploy his unique competence, experience, long standing involvement in ecumenical activities and many years of strategic into ensuring a better world for all.

    “Your many years of outstanding work and contributions to peace building in Plateau and Nigeria in general, and the Church, to which you have offered your years, will remain indelible.

    “You have remained the pillar we can count on; your generosity to the poor, profile contributions to the spiritual and moral vision of the people remain a key guide to us all,” he said.

    Akans prayed God to continue to aid the Archbishop with the energy that would spur him into winning more souls for Christ.

    (NAN)

  • Shi’ite Protest: Buhari pledges support for families of late DCP, Corper

    President Muhammadu Buhari has assured families of the Police Officer, Usman Umar and that of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Precious Owolabi, who both lost thei lives in the line of duty.

    Umar and Owolabi died during a clash between the Police and members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), in Abuja.

    Late DCP Umar, before his death, was the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Police Command, while Owolabi was fatally shot while on an assignment for Channels Television.

    A statement by Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Friday, said the President made the pledge through a three-man presidential team he sent to condole with the family of late Umar.

    President Buhari maintained that the late Police Officer had paid the highest sacrifice for the nation, an act that would never be forgotten.

    President Buhari condemned violence in the name of protests, describing it as ”a gross abuse of the rights of citizens of Nigeria who are free to protest within designated areas in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).”

    The President’s delegation, made up of his Senior Special Assistants, Sarki Abba and Garba Shehu in charge of Domestic Affairs and Media and Publicity respectively and the State Chief of Protocol, Amb. Lawal Kazaure, was received by the older brother of the late Officer, CP Usman Belel and the widow, Busrah.

    They both expressed their deep appreciation to the President for sending the delegation.

    Prayers were offered for the repose of the late DCP Umar as well as for peace and stability of the country.

    NAN reports that the Islamic Movement of Nigeria has since been proscribed by the Federal Government.

    (NAN)

  • Police deploy detectives to hunt killers of Catholic Priest

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Adamu, has deployed detectives from the Force Headquarters to hunt for the killers of Rev. Fr. Paul Offu, a Catholic Priest in Enugu State.

    The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), DCP Frank Mba in a statement on Friday in Abuja said the IGP had ordered massive manhunt for the killers of the priest.

    The priest, who was shot dead on Aug. 1 by unknown gunmen, was in charge of St. James the Greater Parish Catholic Church, Ugbawka, Enugu state.

    “Crack detectives from the IGP-Intelligence Response Unit (IRT), the Forensic and Homicide sections of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) have been deployed to Enugu State.

    “The deployment is to complement the Enugu Command of the Force in their investigations into the unfortunate incident.

    Read Also: Police arraign two for stealing 17 prepaid metres

    ”In addition, the AIG in charge of Zone 9 Headquarters has been directed to mobilize more units of Police Mobile Force (PMF) personnel to black spots in Enugu State,” he said.

    He said that intensified operations had commenced for the rescue of RCCG Pastors who were abducted along J3 Area of Ogbere on their way to Lagos from the Eastern part of the Country.

    According to him, Tactical and Operational assets of the Force have been deployed with the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command taking the lead-role in the search and rescue operations.

    He said the IGP, while condemning the killing of the Catholic Priest and the abduction of the clergymen, called for calm and assured that the perpetrators would not go unpunished.

    Mba said the IGP urged the public to avail the police with credible information that would assist in apprehending the criminals.

    (NAN)

  • Obaseki, Okowa, Obiano eulogise late Chief Onyema

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, his Delta and Anambra counterparts, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and Dr. Willy Obiano have paid glowing tributes to the life and times of late Chief Michael Chukwuka Onyema.

    The governors joined other dignitaries at the funeral mass held in honour of late Chief Michael Onyema at the St. Patrick Catholic Church in Mbosi, Ihiala, Anambra State, on Friday.

    The Edo State Governor said late Chief Onyema left behind a great legacy which he urged the  children to emulate and ensure that they contribute their quota to the development of society.

    “You can tell from the attendance here that he was a great man and his children have done very well. The Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, is a very successful businessman.  He is an accomplished entrepreneur, who is doing a lot for us in Edo State. His children have to represent him well and keep his legacy alive as the shoes he left are quite big.”

    Anambra State Governor, Mr Willy Obiano, said late Chief Onyema  left a great mark on the sands of time and urged guests at the funeral service not to grieve but to celebrate the late chief who lived a great life.

    Obiano said, “This is a celebration of life. It is always our prayers as children to bury our parents at old age. Papa died well, took care of his children and had a good time. We believe he is in heaven praying for us.  He has contributed his quota to make Anambra State the safest and one of the most peaceful places in Nigeria.”

    The eldest son of the deceased and Chairman, Air Peace, Allen Onyema, thanked the guests for finding time to attend the funeral mass, stressing that his father was a religious man who showed love for the things of God and lived his life for the service of God and the Church.

    Reflecting from the Bible book of Romans 14:12, the Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, extolled the exemplary life of late Pa Onyema while urging the children to emulate the good life their late father lived.

  • List of Senate committee chairmen

    The Senate has announced the release of 69 standing committees’ chairmen and their deputies.

    President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan made the announcement at the plenary on Tuesday.

    Sen. Jubril Barau (APC-Kano) is the Chairman, Appropriation Committee,

    Sen. Adeola Olamilekan (APC-Lagos); Finance Committee and

    Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele (APC-Ekiti); Judiciary Committee.

     

     

     

  • Five things you didn’t know about Nigerian-born UK Minister, Olufemi Badenoch

    A British – Nigerian politician, Olukemi Badenoch, was appointed as the junior minister for children and families by Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

    It may be known to many that she was appointed following her election as a Member of Parliament (MP).

    But here are a few unknown facts about the new junior minister:

    1. Olukemi lost an election for a seat in the London Assembly but was later selected after two other members gave up their seats in 2012.

    2. A jack of all trades, Olukemi worked as a systems analyst before pursuing a career in consultancy and financial services, working as an associate director of private bank and wealth manager Coutts and later a director at the conservative magazine The Spectator.
    She was also previously a school governor at St Thomas the Apostle College in Southwark and the Jubilee Primary School.

    Read Also: Boris Johnson appoints Nigerian as children’s minister

    3. At an early age of 25, she joined the Conservative Party and contested against Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates.

    4. Olukemi was listed at Number 96 on Conservative political commentator Iain Dale’s “100 most influential on the Right 2017”.

    5. She confessed to hacking into the website of a Labour MP in 2008 and was reported to Action Fraud, the UK’s cyber crime reporting centre.

    Badenoch acknowledged the appointment on her verified Twitter handle on Monday, where she said, “I’m humbled to have been appointed a junior minister at the DfE. A huge privilege to be able to serve and make a positive difference on a number of issues close to my heart. I look forward to working with the ministerial team and everyone at @educationgovuk.”

  • BREAKING: Dybala’s agent in London for Man Utd transfer

    Paulo Dybala’s agent is reportedly in London to discuss a move to Manchester United.

    Tottenham and Manchester United are both interested in Dybala, who is believed to be open to moving to the Premier League.

    Dybala’s agent is presently in London for talks with United over a potential swap deal for Romelu Lukaku.

     

    Details Shortly….

  • C’ River to budget N500m for Green carnival in 2020

    Prof. Ben Ayade, Cross River State Gov. on Tuesday, disclosed that the state would budget N500 million for the “Cross River Green Carnival in 2020”.

    Ayade made the disclosure at the 2019 Green Carnival with the theme: “Calabar Green Canopy Scheme” on Tuesday in Calabar.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Cross River Green Carnival is an annual event that usually holds annually in December.

    This is the first time the event will be held in July and part of

    the event is the 2019 carnival and planting of one million trees in the 18 local government areas of the State.

    The governor said that the state had earlier budgeted N100 million for the 2019 event.

    He said that the state planned to increase the budgetary allocation for the carnival in 2020 because of its importance as a business venture.

    “I know you look at this as a carnival, but I look at it like a business because by next year, every young resident of Cross River is expected to have a small nursery because they know the carnival is coming and we will need the trees.

    “We had to go to all the nursery farms from Benue to Abia, to be able to get the number of seedlings we have here today.

    “So if you know you are interested in making money out of that N500 million, you better start owning your own nursery, so that we can come to you and buy.

    “As young people you have the opportunity to do business with the state,” he said.

    According to him, the active cultivation of young trees is very critical for carbon dioxide assimilation and makes Cross River, the head quarters of the absorption of the deadly gas in the atmosphere.

    Ayade said that with the planting of one million trees, the state could go before the international community and Federal Government to ask for Green Bond for a financial reward.

    “You must note that Cross River has over 58 per cent of the entire forest cover of the country and our plan is to achieve 68 per cent. So we can go to the international community and ask for a Green Bond.

    “We will tell the world that we are indeed planting one million trees as a justification to support the deforestation process for construction of the super highway and industrial farms that are yet to come.

    “You cannot create a farm without causing deforestation,” he said.

    Similarly, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, Gov. of Abia, who was a guest at the carnival, said each time he came to Cross River, he learnt something new.

    He said that planting a million trees would once again put Cross River and Nigeria in the world map, adding that Nigeria should be marketed from the window of Cross River.

    He however added that Abia would be coming to purchase rice seedlings from the Cross River Rice Seedling Plant to enhance rice production in Bende LGA of Abia.

    The Chairman of the Green Carnival committee, Mrs Alice Ekwu, said that the Green Carnival was all about planting trees.

    Ekwu said 2000 trees would be planted during the carnival but the process would be continuous until a million trees were planted.

    She thanked the governor for creating a Ministry of Climate Change and Forestry that took care of trending issues of global warming. (NAN)

  • Communal clash: Ondo towns petition IGP, accuse Akeredolu of bias

    Some Ondo towns of the Ikale speaking areas of Ago Alaye, Agirifon and Basola in Odigbo Local Government have petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.

    In a petition by their lawyer, Olusanmi Tobase, they alleged bias in the handling of a communal clash with the neighbouring Araromi Obu, who had been trespassing into their land.

    According to a copy of the petition received at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on July 25th and made available to journalists, trouble started on July 16 when a group of Ikale young men and their tenants were on their way to hunt and farm on their land located along the road to Araromi Obu.

    The petition said: “While on their way, they were ambushed by some Araromi Obu boys who were armed with all manners of guns including sophisticated ones, matchet and axes. On the road, they halted our clients and requested for their mission and our clients asked them of the basis for the questions. The response was a volley of gunshots on our clients.

    “In the ensued melee, our clients were forced to defend themselves even as they fled but it was not without serious and life threatening injuries to them. In the process, the Araromi Obu boys deployed a sharp object on one of our clients and ripped open his bowels.”

    The petitioners stated that it was not the first time the people would be attacked on their land which was duly awarded to them via a court judgment.

    Read Also: No snake dropped on me during plenary, says Ondo Speaker

    They alleged that their people, who were victims of the unprovoked attack, had been placed under 24 hours curfew by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, hounded all over and dumped in prison while Araromi Obu where the aggression originated had been given a field day, so much that Ikale citizens resident there had been forced to flee for their lives.

    They stated that an earlier petition sent to the Commissioner of Police in the state had not been acted upon.

    The petition added: “It is to redress this one sided and extremely oppressive investigation that we write to you to save our clients souls.

    “It has become a pattern that when our clients are attacked, it is covered up by powerful forces but every time our clients act in self defence or exercise a given right against Araromi Obu people, all hells are let loose.

    “Without hearing our clients side of the story, the governor placed our clients’ community of Ago Alaye under 24 hours curfew after visiting Araromi Obu. As soon as the governor left, Araromi Obu boys resumed their acts of violence against the Ikale using the MOPOL.

    “While the Araromi Obu enjoy the license, our Ikale clients are being hounded and detailed on the charge of murder of Araromi Obu boys who allegedly died in the attack they launched on our clients.

    “We have our client’s instruction to place the above facts before your esteemed office for impartial consideration and necessary actions as nothing generates peace like justice. It is difficult to keep repressing a people and getting them to keep quiet.”