The Nation Newspaper

Category: Online Special

  • Celebrating world blood donor day

    Celebrating world blood donor day

    On many occasions, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stressed the need for constant voluntary blood donation to save lives and contribute to healthy and reliable blood supply system.

    The organisation, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have similarly developed a global framework for action to boost voluntary blood donation across the world.

    WHO says the framework is designed to provide guidance and support to countries seeking to establish effective voluntary blood donor programmes, phase out family/replacement blood donation and eliminate paid donation.

    “The vision embodied in this framework is the achievement of 100 per cent voluntary non-remunerated blood donation in every country of the world.

    “It is based on the recognition that voluntary non-remunerated blood donors are the foundation of a safe, sustainable blood supply,’’ the organisation observes.

    The organisation’s framework on boosting blood donation notwithstanding, analysts insist there is not adequate supply of safe blood and blood services, particularly in Nigeria and other developing nations.

    They, therefore, call on stakeholders to raise awareness on the need to donate blood voluntarily as the world celebrates another edition of World Donor Day.

    On every June 14, the world celebrates the day; bringing to the fore the importance of blood donation and appreciating those people that donate blood to the sick that need it.

    Analysts observe that awareness campaign during previous observances of the day has improved the level of blood donation.

    Highlighting the importance of the theme of the day: “Blood connects us all’’, they insist that blood transfusion helps patients suffering from variety of life-threatening health conditions and stimulates them to live a longer quality life.

    According to them, the theme highlights stories of people, whose lives have been saved through blood donation, thanking blood donors for their gift of life and encouraging people to care for one another.

    However, a public health physician, Dr Baba Ahmed, who works with the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), Abuja, said an adequate blood supply could only be assured through regular donations by voluntary unpaid blood donors.

    According to him, only 62 countries have national blood supplies based on close to 100 per cent voluntary unpaid blood donations, the remaining countries continue to depend on family and paid donors.

    Ahmed said that “blood is a medium for management of health situations and for treatment of medical illnesses and there is no real product that can replace blood.

    “You can’t give goat blood to human beings and when people require blood, it must be from a healthy person.’’

    Ahmed, however, called for voluntary blood donation, saying that blood loss contributed 38 per cent maternal and child mortality in Nigeria.

    “There may be some situations that the mother or the new baby will require transfusion and if there is no blood, it can lead to death.

    “In pregnancy, a woman is predisposed to certain medical condition and she might require blood therapy.

    “So it needs to be made available, but the problem is that we practise emergency blood medicine; it is at emergency situation that we look for blood. Such practice affects maternal and child health,’’ he said.

    Sharing similar view, the President, Association of Resident Doctors in Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Dr Abdulsalam Moruf, said blood donation would benefit both the patients and the donors in many ways.

    “When you give blood, it also serves as a way of doing check-up, because blood donation requires tests including blood pressure, hepatitis, HIV and other ailments.

    “Also, people who donate blood reduce excess iron in the body which predisposes one to cardiovascular diseases.

    “Donation itself acts as a form of exercise, because if one pint is collected, one will be losing about 650 calories,’’ he said.

    To encourage blood donation, he said no fewer than 50 doctors donated blood at LASUTH for those in need.

    “The donation was part of the programmes lined up for the Annual General Meeting of the association during which 50 pints of blood were donated by the doctors,’’ he said.

    Moruf reiterated that the exercise was a way of encouraging people to voluntarily donate blood to those in need.

    “As leaders of the profession, we will take the lead, not only in treating our patients but also in donating blood to them,’’ Moruf said.

    Similarly, a volunteer blood donor, Dr Jimi Shodipo, said that blood donation was a way of giving back to the society and saving lives.

    He said there was shortage of blood in the country, adding that blood donation was a way of bridging the gap.

    Shodipo said many people did not cultivate the culture of donating blood due to belief that donating blood would affect their health.

    “This is why we doctors have volunteered to donate blood to lead by example.

    “It also demystifies the notion that giving blood will make us ill. We also want to discourage commercial blood donation where people will get paid to donate blood,’’ he said.

    But Dr Omo Izedonmwen, National Coordinator, NBTS, Abuja, said that the organisation had not been adequately funded since the withdrawal of international donor.

    He, therefore, solicited more funding from stakeholders to enable the centre meet its target.

    “Most of our equipment are obsolete and they need change; most of them do not have long life span,’’ he said.

    Izedonmwen said that NBTS needed more financial and technical aids to expand its activities by engaging more workers in its strategic drive to transform blood transfusion in Nigeria.

    He identified cultural barriers and public myths as some of the factors militating against blood donation in Nigeria, saying “there is no alternative to blood.’’

    The coordinator tasked the media to play primary role of sensitising the public to the importance of voluntary blood donation.

    “We have achieved a lot, but we have yet to be where we ought to be; on daily basis two or more persons come to donate blood; we are gradually getting there,’’ he said.

    All the same, stakeholders insist that blood donation saves lives and continues to enliven the theme of the day -“Blood connects us all’’ in the minds of Nigerians.

     

  • Ambode: A humanist and pragmatist at 53

    Ambode: A humanist and pragmatist at 53

    During the thick of the governorship campaign in 2015, the then candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, came out with an instructive advert: Let my experience work for you. In the said advert, which was placed in major national dailies, Ambode explicitly came out with his intimidating credentials and the experience he gathered during his years in the Civil Service, when he left Alausa and went back to school in the United States and came back home to become a public finance expert.

    It was therefore not a surprise that few days to his first anniversary as the Governor of Lagos State, some notable members of the National Assembly from the state, placed a centre-spread advert in the dailies to remind the electorate that they made the right choice by voting for Ambode. In the advert that was rightly captioned: ‘We say thank you Lagosians, his experience is working for you’, the lawmakers enumerated the giant strides the state has recorded in the past year, and that despite the economic uncertainty in the country, the state under the leadership of Ambode, is on a sound footing for growth and development.

    In truth, for some of us working with him at close range, it’s not too difficult to see the humanity, simplicity, compassion, pragmatism, discipline and courage in him. When we were disturbed few months after he came to power with negative media reports and slow pace of governance, the governor would always remind us that we are on a marathon race and not a sprint; he would tell us that it has always been his nature to be underrated. “Just wait and see”, he would say with a smile. And while it has been difficult to keep pace with him, we find solace in what the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu said of the governor during the launch of the BRT buses last year: “Ambode does not believe there is no solution to a problem; he believes there is always a solution to every problem”.

    Hence, the unprecedented achievements of the past 12 months should be seen within this context. Here is a man who rose to become the Auditor General and then the first civil servant to hold the positions of both the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and the state Accountant General. Needless to say that he had variously been credited with successfully managing the account of the state when the then President, Chief Olusegun Obasango withheld the state Local Government funds.

    For sure, it is this spirit of doggedness and consistency that the governor brought to bear in the way and manner he has piloted the affairs of the state in the last one year. At every critical juncture of the journey, you always have this belief that you are working with a man who knows where he is heading; a man who listens and is very meticulous in everything he does; a man who is concern about every details of what you do and say on his behalf; a man who believes the Lagos city-state should rank among the best in the world; a man who understands the transient of power and above all, a man whose love for the STATE of EXCELLENCE is unrivalled and whose passion for his job is unmistakable. Indeed, you will always win a seat on the table with Governor Ambode if you have superior argument on any issue.

    But despite all he has done so far, the governor has served notice of something even more remarkable and iconic. His administration is about to convert Oshodi into what he calls “world-class transportation and commercial hub.” The more challenging term he used is “regeneration of Oshodi.” The area would witness the consolidation of all the 13 parks into three multi-storey bus parks and terminals to stand on four floors. There would be shopping mall, recreation points, bus lanes, lay-bys, green parks to soften the environment, proper waste management, fencing and – wait for this – a dedicated fully kitted security team for Oshodi.

    Apart from this, the administration has restructured the civil service for maximum voltage performance, while creating new offices to cater for the emerging needs of the people. He has cut the cost of governance by streamlining some ministries, departments and agencies. Ambode injected compassion into governance, paying N11bn to aged pensioners who had been owed for decades. He has personally attended to the distressed, the indigent and the severely handicapped. Recently he celebrated Democracy Day with the less privileged and persons with disabilities.

    This compassionate governance philosophy has seen Ambode launch an unprecedented move to allay the security concerns of the citizens when within six months, he gave more than N6.6bn to equip the Police and other security agencies with armored tanks, brand new power bikes and scores of squad cars for Special Operation Services (SOS) for community policing. He has also launched an aerial policing of Lagos by donating three helicopters to the Nigeria Police Command in the state.
    He further launched a world class rescue operation unit, the first of its kind in Nigeria.

    Closely knit to these is a radical road infrastructure development leading to the construction and renovation of more than 500 roads in the state and 114 link roads in all the local councils and the Light-up Lagos Project meant to banish darkness from every corner of the state.

    In a pragmatic approach to massively reduce unemployment and empower fresh graduates, artisans and the youths, the governor launched the N25bn Employment Trust Fund (ETF) to ensure capital for start-up of small scale businesses with very minimal interest rate and also signed MoU with Kebbi State to ensure self sufficiency in food production thereby drastically reducing importation of rice and other food items. This will equally boost Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    And just before the first anniversary, Ambode again did what many considered an uphill task with the signing of an N844bn Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to construct the Fourth Mainland Bridge. The bridge that is expected to be completed between three and four years, would go a long way in changing the transportation system in the state. Instructively too, these achievements are anchored on the core pillar of his manifesto, which is Security, Infrastructure and Youth Empowerment.

    As you clock 53 today, the people are felicitating with you and wishing you well as you churn out more of your great signature projects.

    Happy birthday sir!

    Aruna is the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ambode.

  • In Ondo APC, Boroffice holds the ace

    In Ondo APC, Boroffice holds the ace

    Reminiscence of the days preceding the April 14, 2007 governorship contest in Ondo State, when the coinage – Iroko ravaged the length and breath of the state like an organism infested by staphylococcal contagio, active actors and meticulous observers of political happenstances and developments will concur with the assertion, that barely few months to the November 26 governorship election, the name – Boroffice has become an household name in Ondo State.

    Beyond the seeming uniqueness of the name as not many families can claim ownership to such rare identity, the name has been subject of political discourse in the nooks and crannies of the state, on radio programmes, beer parlor arguments, conversations in homes and even unprovoked attacks from the state government and its agents.

    While now sounds Portuguese, it is an anglicised yoruba that belongs to the descendants of the prominent Omololu family from the Oka-Akoko part of the state. Interesting, many persons have chosen to codify the name to various versions that suit them. While many people in the state now pronounce Boro-fix-it, some other persons especially, the aged and illiterates, prefer the Yoruba version; Boro fix eee.

    Therefore,  when a visitor hears Boro-fix-it on visiting any part of Ondo State,  it is a reference to the senator representing Ondo North senatorial district, Professor Roberts Ajayi Boroffice. A quick read on this personality will show a man with humble background. He started career as a university lecturer and rose to become acting Vice Chancellor; the highest level any lecturer can attain within the university system. He became Director-General of many federal agencies, which is the apogee attainable by civil servants, where he recorded landmark achievements of global attestations.

    And a man presently serving in the highest legislative body in the country, the Nigerian Senate. While this piece isn’t designed to look at his antecedents as only volumes of books can address that,  I will be restricted to writing about few instances that portray him as the most influential politician in the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, the platform upon which he has launched ambition to govern Ondo State.

    Though, Boroffice claims not to be a professional politician, he has a political machinery in the state through which thousands of people have been empowered and gainfully employed. The political machinery has made it quite possible for a lot of people to articulate and accomplish their political ambitions. It is a viable vehicle that has transported people to executive destinations and aided the election of a number of persons who have been sworn in as parliamentarians at both the state and federal legislatures. With the strength and intimidating successes of the structure, only a naive politician will disagree that the structure holds the ace in the Ondo State chapter of the APC.

    Some months ago, Boroffice was rumoured to have imposed the incumbent Minister of State for Niger Delta,  Prof.  Omoyele Daramola, as the minister representing Ondo State in the Federal Executive Council (FEC). At that time, it was clear the sponsors of the rumour were some leaders who crashed out from the ministerial race. Perhaps, they were deeply pained and decided to get at a perceived enemy. They must have forgotten that the President has prerogative powers to appoint whoever he likes to serve in ministerial capacity.

    When the rumour hit town, I held and still hold the view that these guys might have appropriated more powers to the senator than he actually has. By the way,  whether he indeed influenced the appointment of the minister or not is not what I can confirm. However, it is evidently clear that the senator and the minister belong to same political family and the duo share a cordial relationship that dates back many decades ago.

    One will recall that after the failure of the defunct ACN in the 2012 Ondo State governorship contest,  many party leaders including the party’s candidate deserted the state. In fact, some of the aspirants had fled before the day fixed for the poll. At about this time, the PDP-led state government, aided by security agencies, launched what appeared to be widespread attacks against members of the ACN. Party members were arrested on flimsy reasons, prominent party members were bullied, intimidated and attacked in their homes, and some persons were shot. Boroffice became the rallying point for venerable members of the party. He organised a summit for party members and encouraged them not to despair. At the summit,  he preached hope and spoke glowingly about the future like a prophet. I believe party members are joyous that the same progressive coalition has formed the federal government barely 2 years after those trying period but he who stood by the party in those trying period, he who offered hope and support to despondent party members also deserves applause.

    The crises which rocked the National Assembly after its inauguration on the 9th of June, 2015, offered another chance to mirror a senator who has unconditional loyalty to his party,  the APC.  He had options. Some were quite lucrative. But the actions of Senator Boroffice showed a reliable personality that the APC can trust through thick and thin. His actions have shown a firm believer in party supremacy in no small measures.

    One must not fail to allude to the reality of his achievements as a senator. His interventions can be felt from the home front by his primary constituents and by extension, across Ondo State. In the areas of rural electrification, agriculture, education, health, industrial establishments and financial empowerments, his interventions are noble, impactful, people-oriented and landmarks. It is on record that the senator has sponsored the building of blocks of classrooms and toilet facilities in schools in his senatorial district and a gigantic school complex at Christ Pry School, Oka Akoko. He has built Skill Acquisition Centres in Ifon and Ikaram – Akoko. There is an ICT building at Iwaro – Oka, courtesy of the senator. He built an emergency Obstetrics care unit, Iboje – Oka. The hospital is christened emergency care unit, yet massive and magnificent. He has sponsored solar powered borehole at Arigidi and many others communities. He facilitated solar powered streetlights in Ido – Ani, Idogun, Oka – Akoko and other communities. He built Gari processing industry at Iboropa – Akoko and established Cashew nut processing factory in the zone. He has sponsored rural electrification and distributed transformers in many communities in Ose and Owo axis. He also supported farmers in Owo local government with seedlings and gave them financial empowerment.  Artisans, hairdressers, vulcanisers and petty traders are not left out. They are beneficiaries of generators, grinding machines and financial supports from the senator. He has distributed scores of tricycles to constituents and empowered APC leaders, drivers and other beneficiaries with over 40 vehicles.

    With this flawless,  though incomplete, testimony on the impacts of a senator on his constituents, why many groups from Ondo South and Central are working for his election as governor should surprise nobody. It is simply decisions informed by the quest for development. Many people from other zones have confessed. They said if this man can make all these interventions without executive powers, he would make a good governor. I do not disagree. The multitude of delegates and groups that have endorsed his guber ambition are therefore on point.

    His portray into politics has not been without controversies and challenges. After he joined the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria in 2012, Governor Olusegun Mimiko deployed all his powers and political arsenal in a bid to declare the seat of the senator vacant.  The rubber-stamp state legislature was manipulated to pass a motion to recall him from the Senate. As expected, it held no water beyond the fact that it made headlines in the newspapers. Still on same plot, principal lawmakers were offered bribes in hard currency but the purpose for which bribe was offered was frustrated by the highly-intelligent strategies and political networks of the senator. Lo and behold,  he completely his term as a member of the 7th Senate.

    One will also recall that when the senator had to dump his governorship ambition to support the governorship candidate of his party in 2012 due to the political exigencies of those times, Governor Mimiko, who was facing re-election campaign, reportedly gloated at his perceived misfortune and celebrated it at Government House.

    In the 2015 general election, the machinery of the state government was practically relocated to Ondo North senatorial district. The agenda was simple and straightforward, the re-election bid of Senator Boroffice must be stopped.  In the days preceding March 28, the easiest way to make money in Ondo State is to visit the goverment house and parade yourself as aggrieved supporter of the senator,  you will not only be offered cash and sovernirs, you will also be honoured with gubernatorial handshakes and sometimes hugs. Not a few known persons exploitated the desperation of the government to make cool money in those days.  At the end,  the senator floored the governor and the candidate of the PDP at the poll because the governor actually contested the election.

    While a fair and transparent primary election is non-negotiable, the party leaders and elders alike must be forthright. They are expected to guide the delegates of the party from repeating the mistakes of the past and also prevent graver mistake.

    Without prejudice to politicians who defected to the APC after their party lost the presidential election, they cannot be trusted to implement the party manifestoes on education and industrial revolution. They cannot be trusted to adhere with party’s standards on probity and transparency because they might have only defected to the APC in the body while the soul belongs to the former party. With a history of unconditional loyalty to the party and unchanging commitment to the development of Ondo State and her people, Boroffice has the capacity to implement the agenda of change and progress in Ondo State.

    In 2015, the man, Boroffice, severally hit airwaves and headlines as being considered for the position of vice presidential candidate of the APC. At the end of the process, a professor and devoted Christian like him, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was chosen. I believe Boroffice has paid his dues, it is time for the party to compensate a loyal party man. I agree with those groups that have been speaking out and telling whoever cares to listen that the APC can only win the forthcoming election if its best aspirant is presented as its flagbearer. As a threat to the status quo in Ondo State, I believe the senator is well positioned to lead the onslaught against PDP in Ondo State.

    Kayode Adeniyi, a political analyst, wrote from Akure, Ondo State. 

  • Erectile dysfunction can’t be self managed –  Urologist

    Erectile dysfunction can’t be self managed –  Urologist

     

     

    Men have been advised not to resort to self medication in treating erectile dysfunction (ED), even as cases of ED are on the increase in the country.

    A consultant urologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Dr. Funmilade Omisanjo gave this advice while addressing `pharmacists at the one day Pharmacy Academy programme organised by Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals Limited for Retail Pharmacists.

    He said as a clinician there is a remarkable increase in ED among Nigerian men. “The figures we have with us will suggest that at least 30 percent to 40 percent who are above the age of 40 have some degree of erectile dysfunction, some are mild form of dysfunction. By the time you look at men who are 60 years and above, at least 25 percent of them have the very severe form of erectile dysfunction.

    “So what that means is that if you sit amongst a group of 50 years old you can expect one out of every two of them to have some degree of erectile dysfunction, for most of them it will be the very mild form of erectile dysfunction. Mild in the sense that the men can still have some sexual intercourse but he may find out the extent of the hardness (turgidity) of the penis is not what it used to be, because we measure erectile dysfunction not in the presence of or absence of erection, we also talk about the turgidity of the organ. So it is roughly about one in two in men above 50 years.”

    According to Dr Omisanjo presence of ED could be a sign of other illnesses in the body such as diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular challenges.

    Dr Omisanjo said, “For most people it is basically an age-related thing. As men get older one expects there will be some deteriorating in their sexual function this is likened to women who attain menopause, in men we loosely termed it Andropause. This is highly prevalent in men who are above 50 years. Age is a very important factor in ED. Also lifestyle is a very important factor.

    “Obesity is related with that, just as lack of exercise. People who do sedentary work or people who don’t do any physical activity are prone to obesity. That kind of lifestyle will also predisposed people to erectile dysfunction. Things like smoking, taking a lot of alcohol, and most of these recreational drugs that people take actually have side effects of affecting erection negatively.

    “Then of course you have various co-morbidities other diseases thing like diabetes mellitus, Hypothermia, which is a medical emergency that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature. People who have problems with high level of cholesterol in their system, high blood pressure, people who have problems with their nerves are all susceptible to ED. Then of course there are medications people take for various medical conditions that have various erectile dysfunctions as side effects. These are some of the factors that predisposed men to erectile dysfunction.”

    On how best to know one is suffering from ED, and the best way out Dr Omisanjo said, “Curiously you may find out that the local things that these men take actually do work, but sometimes even when they work, the results will come at the expense of some other things in the body system. For instance, most of the local things that people take are invariably things that have been soaked in alcohol. Alcohol in itself can be a risk factor for erectile dysfunction, besides that, chronic intake of alcohol can have other side effects on the liver and all that.

    “You can never tell what the concentrations of these things are. So in as much some of these do work they are not the things we prescribe routinely. We don’t encourage men to take herbal remedies for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. We always advise men to try and seek expert opinion and seek treatment at standard clinics or hospitals because we have well proven medications that do work.

    “And what more is important is that erectile dysfunction can be a pointer of other problems that a man may have. So in as much as you want to treat erectile dysfunction it is important you evaluate that man fully, because some men with erectile dysfunction may have some cardiovascular diseases (blood pressure) that we would need to sort out. So it is not enough for the man to feel he has erectile dysfunction and just goes on his own and goes about taking herbal remedies which like I said, even if they work, invariably, do have some other effects. So we normally advise they see their doctors and have a very open discussion and get to be reviewed, evaluated and treated.”

    Suggesting further on the professional way out, Dr Omisanjo said, “For me it will be that in as much as we like patients coming to us sometimes the pharmacists invariably are the first point of call because of the way most pharmacists stores are structured, patients sometimes find it easier to go to a pharmacy in the neighbourhood than going to a doctor that will only be available at teaching hospital setting, so the pharmacist may be the first point of call.

    “The important point to stress to pharmacists is that patients who have erectile dysfunction sometimes will come under the guise of all other sort of things. I think the pharmacists should take out time and have a discussion with the patients and when you see there is some degree of erectile dysfunction; you need to encourage the patient to see an expert.  Sometimes they may say they need an energy boost or some herbal supplements. I think experts should be sensitive to patients need. When people come with all this kind of loose complaints as it were, probe a little further.

    “Not only is it important to obtain proper treatment, more importantly, let the patient get a thorough evaluation so that you do not miss out on anything. So the pharmacists should not only be interested in dispensing the medication but it is always good to have some discussion with the patient, because that may be the only way you may pick erectile dysfunction in some of these men. Most of these men will not want to come out to tell you what they have. That will be my main message to the pharmacists.”

    On the impact of the training, Mr. Lere Bale said Pfizer Pharmacy Academy is totally about empowering pharmacists about the principles of patient management with medications and the whole objective is to enhance their knowledge, to give them tools to influence them so that they can have a change of attitude towards new medicines and see the importance of new medications, how much savings every new innovation can bring.

    Mr. Bale said every time a company comes up with a new medication, for every dollar you spend on new innovation you will save as much as eight dollars on hospitalisation. Typically which is costing the US economy 300 billion on both hospitalization and associated costs of manning for those people, and they will be able to build their skills on the particular therapy area.

    “They now have options or multiple options as to what they can do. It will also enhance their knowledge base on medication on the group of medication for that therapy area, which will therefore spur them into action to know that one can in a while they can pick the drug or they recommend the drug or pick a particular brand even though may be slightly higher in pricing it does not imply that it is cheaper overall. That you think a medicine is cheap does not mean the pharmacological profile, the biopharmaceutical profile of another, its creates more problem when the patient is going back to the hospital, the patient is going to be hospitalized, when the patient is taking a bed space that he shouldn’t have taken in the first instance, in a country like ours where we do not have enough bed space and so the compounding effects is more than imagined,” he said.

    Mr. Bale said; “We are also going to be looking at lessons to be learnt on those who will normally substitute or those who will normally say generics are better and without establishing that it is the same thing bio-pharmaceutically or in terms of bio- availability. So when this happen we believe that we will be able to learn some lessons from the experiences they will have before and begin to say NO. If somebody needed to be given this brand but you cannot use pricing alone to determine which the best to be picked is.

    “A number of people that will use pricing alone and does not have a means of protecting quality have become victims of substandard drugs; patients have had to have course perforations in typhoid. Many have been blinded on medications that they should have been able to use to manage Glaucoma. I can keep on reeling out virtually all family have been affected by failure of healthcare Practitioners to ensure and insists on people picking the right kind of medications.

    “Most times pharmacists have a particular tendency to have psychological attachment or to be emotionally moved when they see the dressing or they see the pictures of the patient in front of them and the feel oh don’t think these ones can afford, they just make up their mind. The person is seeing that he can’t afford this medication as an anti- hypertensive. The pharmacists is linking, all the total cost in a month but that same guy is taking a bottle of Guinness each day or he is buying aso-ebi which is far more expensive and so people have not actually address the value of medication as an integral part. People should know when you buy in to medication you are actually prolonging your life. You are improving your quality of life. People have put in priority in favor in other things like clothing, like parties and the rest of them. What they should be spending more money on as age is actually healthcare,” he stated.

  • Five reasons students have academic issues

    Five reasons students have academic issues

    I have once been a victim, so it is one of the reasons I decided to write on the major reasons students perform badly in their academics.

    Basically as a student, if you want to perform excellently, you should be determined and this takes me to the first reason:

    1.      Poor motivation

    If you are completely interested in education, first you need motivation, and how can you get this, the importance of education is enough motivation for you. A huge step to take is for you to motivate yourself because you may not get it anywhere if you are searching for. Then, after you have put up a conscious effort to motivate yourself, if you still lack motivation, you need to understand the cause and you can then develop a strategy to fight it.

    *Causes of lack of motivation

    • Low self esteem

    This is a very good example, once you have low self-esteem; you find it difficult to take on challenges or undertake any major task even when you are capable, you may not, just because you already have a bad perspective that it is not possible. Most students lack motivation because of the fear of failure, failure of the past and (or) even fear of what other people might say to them. Another factor is laziness which is common. If you need to improve in your education, you need to awaken motivation and enthusiasm. You can make it.

    • Lack of interest

    Most people don’t find education interesting, and makes it difficult to engage in, so if there is lack of motivation, it is difficult to sustain the attention, which can be easily diverted and as a result of this they end up with poor grades.

     

    2.      Time management

    The question to always seek answer to is…What do you have to do? You need to know how to manage your time as a student, and never allow someone use your time for you. Your daily life as a student should be properly accounted for. Speaking from experience, most students tend to do the unimportant tasks, and then do the important tasks at the last minute which can cost them the result. Carefully select friends that you know can add value to your (purpose on campus) academic success.

    * The following are ways to overcome poor time management

    • Avoid procrastination

    It is a disease, as a student, you should not procrastinate. You can overcome this by doing what is worth doing at the right time, and never allow distractions. Similarly, draw a plan for each day and follow it through diligently.

    ·         Establish your priorities

    In drawing your daily work plan, remember that it is not everything you need to do that is very important and equally urgent. You need to prioritize; know the very important tasks and separate them from the less important ones. As a student, learn that although reading, sleeping and hanging out are important, the time for reading should not be substituted for sleeping or hanging out, so learn to prioritize.

    ·         Create a to do list

    As mentioned briefly above, as a student you, create a to do list, the reason for doing this is because it will serve as a reminder to you. Know what to do at anytime and no one would spend your time for you.

    ·         Use your time wisely

    To be successful academically as a student, you need to manage your time wisely, get something to read, or walk up to the library, or a quiet place to study. If you feel a bit tired you should relax, get back to what you have to do later so put your good time to good use. Be a good time manager.

     

    3.      Sleeplessness

    Sleep is very important because sleep is very important, and getting the right amount of sleep is very essential for you as well.

    As a student, having a good sleep time may be one of the most important things you can do to help yourself. When you sleep at the right time, and for the number of hours expected (approximately 8 hours), then you are working to help yourself academically because you get active in any activity you engage in.

    Poor sleeping habit would negatively impact you, when you are meant to be sleeping, you shouldn’t spend such time watching movie, or doing some irrelevant things, this turns out to have negative effect on your academics.

    Most times, students get to class and after few minutes of lecture they start to doze, not that the lecture is boring, but they did not get enough sleep and this also might affect them, because they won’t gain anything in such class.

    • You can overcome sleeplessness by doing the following

    Avoid naps: As a student, you should avoid naps just like after coming back from class and you decide to take a nap you should avoid doing that.

     

    Regular exercise: You should learn to exercise your body regularly, this would help you relief stress, and its one step to getting regular and sound sleep.

     

    Avoid late night meal: Health experts advise everyone not to eat late at night. The reason for this is to aid proper digestion and you’d be able to sleep well.

    4.      Class attendance and assignment

    One more important thing to do in order to be successful as a student is your class attendance, participation and assignments. It is not just about the grades you get for attending the class but attending the class and participating also would help you academically.

    Assignment is also another important thing that teachers give to access the students to measure how much further they would go over what has been thought.

    Most times students miss classes for no good reason which is very bad. For any class you miss you lose knowledge of what might have been thought in class, it is absolutely important for you to attend classes you should never miss a class for any reason

    You miss a lot when you miss a class. Attending classes will do you more good than just getting the grades. Paying attention saves you less reading for later and gives you clarification and insight on what you might come across.

    Assignments are important part of CA and most students don’t know this and it also helps you have personal knowledge on how it’s been done and won’t be a problem for you later when you come across such problems.

     

    5.      Teacher student interaction

    One of the ways to be successful academically as a student is having the teacher and student interaction. You should learn to interact with your teachers. You do not have to necessarily wait till when you have problems before you walk up to them.

    Creating such relationship with your teachers would help you on a long run. It will help you understand what looks difficult and your teachers might even serve as a role model to you.

    Interaction with your teachers would give you opportunity to engage them in activities that you could do together. Many questions can lead to discussions.

    Teachers do not only help academically, they also give student the following supports;

    • Emotional support: They help students by giving them emotional supports. As a student you should not only interact with teachers on academics only they could equally give you emotional supports.
    • Behavioral management: Interaction with your teacher could go a long way by helping you correct your behaviors; they monitor to also prevent and help direct your behavior

    Students like it when teachers pay attention to them and encourage them so it is very important to give such privilege and it should be utilized by the student if it is very important for the student, interacting with your teachers as a student would help you bring out the best in you.

  • I feel fulfilled at 90, says Soun of Ogbomoso 

    I feel fulfilled at 90, says Soun of Ogbomoso 

    The Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oladunni Oyewumi, Ajagungbade III, has expressed fulfillment with his life in the last 90 years.

    The monarch, who clocked 90 years Thursday, said he accomplished his vision for his kingdom, adding that he was happy with his steps in life.

    Speaking with reporters at his palace in the ancient town, Oba Oyewumi said: “The journey has been very good. I came to the throne in 1973. By the grace of God, I have managed the affairs of Ogbomoso for over 42 years now. Glory be to God. There was no crisis whatsoever in the town. Everybody is happy with me. I enjoy my kingdom and my subjects are enjoying me as well. That is an achievement. There is no regret.

    At the time I became Soun 42 years ago, only aged people were made kings. But the aged people would spend three years or thereabout on the throne and would join their ancestors. But I thank God that I was young when I became a king.”

    The traditional ruler also believes that his simple approach to life has greatly helped him in handling the affairs of the large town. He emphasized that his leadership has been made easy by the live he has for his people and by promoting their interest always.

    His words: “It is true that uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. It is a delicate position and at the same time, it is a good position if you know how to rule your Kingdom and do what you are supposed to do. If you are occupying a stool as a king and you promote the culture of your subjects, it will not be a delicate position any longer. Then, it will be an enjoyable and peaceful reign for you.”

    Oba Oyewumi revealed that his major dream when ascending the throne was to see more Ogbomoso children acquiring Western education, a goal he said has been achieved over the years.

    He said: “I had a lot of visions for Ogbomoso right from the time I started dreaming to become a king. I had the vision that Ogbomoso would be transformed positively. God approved of the things I had in mind then. God made it easy for us to achieve them.

    One of the things I had in mind for Ogbomoso was educational transformation; I mean Western education for our children. Then, the schools we had in Ogbomoso were not enough to accommodate the teeming young people in Ogbomoso. The schools were just three in number.

    When I became Soun, education was my first priority. I pursued how we would have many primary and secondary schools and the Lord crowned my efforts with success. Now, we have many primary and secondary schools. We have more than 150 schools in Ogbomoso Thursday.”

    The ceremony is slated for the palace Friday.

    The monarch ascended the throne on October 24, 1973. He was born on May 27, 1926 in Ogbomoso to Oba Bello Afolabi Oyewumi Ajagungbade II and Olori Seliat Olatundun Oyewumi. Oba Bello Oyewumi was the Soun of Ogbomosoland between 1916 and 1940.

    The young Oladunni had his elementary education at St. Patrick Primary School Oke Padre Ibadan from 1932-1938.  In 1938, he attended the Ogbomoso People’s Institute which was later transformed into Ogbomoso Grammar School. Unable to complete his formal education due to lack of sponsorship, the young Oladunni cut his business teeth by trading in woven textiles which took him on trading trips to Ilesa and other towns.

    The then Prince Oyewumi formed a limited liability company in 1967 called J.O. Oyewumi and Co Nigeria Ltd, which specialized in wholesale and retail trading.  From a  modest beginning, the business expanded to include real estate and hospitality. He established the famous Terminus Hotel and El-Duniya Hotel in Jos.

    Through hard work, continuous self-improvement (including enrolment in evening educational schools to improve his education), he was appointed as a distributor (Factor) for the French-owned trading Firm CFAO in 1954.  Prince Oyewumi, as he was popularly known, made his inaugural business trip abroad in 1958. The trip took him to Hamburg and Bremen in then West Germany; Paris and Marseille in France and London, United Kingdom. During his stay in Europe he was able to explore opportunities for expanding his business by meeting businessmen and visiting factories.

  • What we don’t like about banks

    What we don’t like about banks

    So you have been working all day, and just out of intuition, you check the time and you realize it’s just about 20 minutes before your bank’s official closing hours. Ideally, it should not take more than 10 -15mins to finish your transactions, but because of financial and sometimes self-inflicted bottlenecks, you can’t make it. Well, asides from this here are a list of those things, most people don’t like about the Nigerian banking system.

    Bank charges

    Can you remember the first day you got a message about ATM maintenance fee? I bet you had the same reaction as mine. The only question I had on my mind that day was “Are they oiling my card or cleaning it for me in my dreams?” like seriously? Why should we pay for ATM maintenance?

    As if the above ATM fund stealing is not enough, the new CBN rule of 65 naira deduction is another very annoying thing we customers wish they could scrap. It’s not every time your bank ATM centers work, neither is it everyone that has their bank in close proximity to their house or place of work.

    I think the worst of all in all these charges is the fraudulent SMS charges. Yes fraudulent because they even charge dormant accounts money for giving bank statement that haven’t changed in months. As such they clear out your account without you knowing. Also with all the money they are making why are they charging us for sending alerts, as far as we customers are concerned the SMS alerts should be free. It’s the least they can do for us.

    Long queues

    I asked a friend last week “What do you hate most about banks?” She said “They have more customers than their capital and manpower; they can’t cater for the large crowd they desperately seek for.” Which is very true, there’s no month that goes by that doesn’t bring a bank marketer my way trying to convince me to open an account with them. I have so many banks accounts that I’m not using. The only thing connecting me to them is the monthly emails they send to me.

    This trend would have been forgivable of banks if they could accommodate us all, but unfortunately reverse is the case. Every time we visit banks, we always meet extremely long queues. I always laugh at my brothers expression each time he is sent to go pay money into the bank. You would think his whole world has come crashing down.

    Non functioning ATMS/ Bad ATM Service

    The automated teller machine at its inception was considered revolutionary in the country. It was supposed to be a life saver, well from the above ordeal of course. Unfortunately our ATMs haven’t lived up to expectation. I have visited several bank ATM centers with numerous ATM machines, that have only one machine functioning. Why have so many machines when you can only maintain one. As such the queues that the ATMs were supposed to alleviate are created at these centers. As if this is not enough, after queuing for so long, you get to the machine and “boom” it reads “temporarily unable to dispense cash”.

    This has to be the worst feeling ever. And sometimes that ruins everything the more it debits your accounts and it takes you weeks and sometimes months to get refunded. I guess this is the worst

    Poor Customer Service

    I think with all these issues, banks would have been more accommodating if they had nice and approachable staff rather than the usual “bored, grubby and frustrated” ones we see. You queue for so long only to meet a frowning cashier. You have an issue with your ATM card only to meet disinterested staffs who give you the “Can you not disturb my life” face.

    I’m sure am not the only one that hates these. I pray banks improve on these.

     

     

     

  • ‘Britain not ready to release Nigeria’s stolen funds’

    Steve Franklin is an American widely traveled journalist and author, President of Nigerian American Press Association (NAPA) a famous media association of Nigerians and American journalists with over 100 memberships. He’s a very outspoken media professional who passionately follow events in Africa. In this interview with Adetutu Audu, he chronicles several vices imbibed in Britain as they continually squander Nigeria’s Stolen Wealth kept in Britain’s Bank Account for their own rapid development at the latest  Anti-Corruption Summit in UK.

     How do you view the on-going Anti-Corruption Summit in Britain?

    As far as I am concerned, I know that from the outset of United Kingdom Anti-Corruption Summit, David Cameron, British Prime Minister had convened that meeting to embarrass and disgrace Nigeria, which was why he referred to ‘Nigeria and Afghanistan’ as two most corrupt nations in the world during his pre-summit chat with Queen Elizabeth II. Were it not the video camera that captured that scathing and derogatory statement, Cameron could have denied he did not utter it. Britain is not a saint, but very corrupt. In the present list of Transparency International Corruption Index, UK occupied 10th position with Germany, Luxembourg.

    You are aware in the UK Anti Corruption Summit, Cobus de Swardt, Managing Director of Transparency International reacted to Cameron comments regarding Nigeria, Afghanistan as ‘Most Corrupt’ when he said: ‘There is no doubt that historically, Nigeria and Afghanistan have had very high levels of corruption, and that continues to this day. But the leaders of those countries have sent strong signals that they want things to change, and the London Anti-Corruption Summit creates an opportunity for all the countries present to sign up to a new era. This affects the UK as much as other countries we should not forget that by providing a safe haven for corrupt assets, the UK and its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies are a big part of the world’s corruption problem.’

    I can tell you that majority of British politicians and Nigerians are presently condemning Cameron for trying to place Britain as a saint, immunized from stealing. In Africa, I have heard lots of people say ‘A Pot cannot be calling the Kettle Black.’ May be you don’t know yet, British opposition politicians and anti-corruption campaigners have said Cameron was ill-placed to criticize Nigeria when Britain’s own record on combating corruption was less than glorious.

    Unilaterally, they have said that corrupt politicians and business people from Nigeria and many other countries have laundered their ill-gotten gains in Britain’s property market, while London also has ties to numerous tax havens routinely used to hide stolen money to develop their country. There will be an Agreement to be signed at the end of the summit on Reparation of Nigeria’ stolen funds in United Kingdom.

    Are you sure that after Nigeria may have signed the Agreement on Stolen Funds Reparation, the UK Government will return the money?

    Based on Britain’s body language, I am sure they are not ready to return Nigeria’s stolen funds stashed in various banks which I will reveal shortly soon. They act and see themselves as Dictator, suffering from Colonial Master’s Syndrome. They want to use Nigeria’s stolen funds to build and rapidly develop their own nation to their optimal satisfaction. When they are through, they will then recycle same stolen funds into their banks and begin to give to Nigeria in piece meal after a long waiting period. They will then attach stringent conditions for Nigeria to follow in implementing the piece meal funds reparation. If they feel that the returned funds is not well executed according to British laid down rules, they will delay releasing other stolen funds.
    My position is further confirmed by a reported statement from British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, who said that the UK government had no plan to keep the money, but there are certain legal requirements that Nigeria had not met to ease the recovery of the money. He agreed that the money belongs to the Nigerian people but left a caveat that they ‘need to make sure that the money is well spent when it returns to Nigeria’. They need to make sure they ‘can do that in a proper way, which is fully in compliance with the British law.’ What an insult. Nigeria is a Sovereign nation like Britain, with laid down rules on procedures. Britain must do away with its Master-servant mentality. They cannot enforce British laws on Nigerian laws. That is why I call them dictator of the highest order. Nigeria had her independence since October 1, 1960, yet you are not willing to let the country grow, progress forward. What a shame.


    Can you mention those British Banks where British Government hides Nigeria’s stolen funds?

    Let me say here that British Government is government built mostly on stolen funds from the money pilfered by some politicians in those countries and kept in their banks. It is strange that UK knows those funds were stolen from Nigeria yet they instruct their banks to collect such funds, so that they may use the funds through backdoor and play it around in a circle, when tired, they return the funds into the banks. It is that simple. It will shock you to hear that British banks being used by UK Government to hide Nigeria’s funds are: HSBC, Barclays, Natwest, & Royal Bank of Scotland. Till date, no British bank has been publicly fined or even named by the regulators for taking corrupt funds, whether willingly or through negligence.

    Recently, an International corruption watchdog said high street banks in the United Kingdom could have helped fuel corruption in Nigeria by accepting millions of dollars in deposits from dubious politicians in the West African nation.

    How come five leading UK banks have failed to adequately investigate the source of tens of millions of dollars taken from two Nigerian governors accused of corruption in the past. Robert Palmer, a campaigner at Global Witness corroborated my position when he said ‘Banks are quick to penalize ordinary customers for minor infractions but seem to be less concerned about dirty money passing through their accounts.

    He also said ‘Large scale corruption is simply not possible without a bank willing to process payments from dodgy sources, or hold accounts for corrupt politicians in the knowledge of the government.

    I strongly share in the belief that Financial Services Authority (FSA) have failed woefully to do more to prevent money laundering through British banks. The fact that they reportedly acknowledged that in accepting the money, Barclays, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and HSBC, as well as Switzerland’s UBS, might not have broken the law is a shame on British Government.

    In Britain, banks help in facilitating corruption. Name one British bank that has been publicly fined or even named by the regulators for taking corrupt funds, whether willingly or through negligence or sacked. In United States, banks that breach the law have been fined hundreds of millions of dollars for handling dirty money. Barclays, HSBC and UBS are all members of the Wolfsberg Group, an international body set up in 2000 to try to improve global anti-money laundering procedures. This revelation was made by Robert based on court documents from cases the Nigerian government has brought in London in an attempt to get funds returned that it said were stolen by two former state governors: Diepreye Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa state and Joshua Dariye of Plateau state.

  • How to live your dreams

    How to live your dreams

    Already in its fourth year running after three consecutive editions; The Live Your Dreams Africa 4.0 held at Eventistry, Freedom Way, Lekki phase one, May 14th.
    This year’s edition tagged: “My Dream: To leave or to cleave” hosted by the Convener, Bankole Williams, featured high profiled speakers, who were determined to push the audience forward in living their dreams intentionally, through tales of their life-changing experiences and huge success stories.
    A short highlight of the Live Your Dream Africa 3.0 panelist session of both Jude MI Abaga of the Chocolate Boys Music group and Bright Okpocha aka Basket mouth was initially filmed on projector screens to thrill the massive audience, before a saxophone rendition of the national anthem was performed by Detuke Morgan.
    Williams, while giving the keynote address, spoke about the reason behind Live your dreams Africa which was majorly to let people live intentionally and spend life in a pursuit of daily happiness. Only which can be accomplished by conscious efforts on parts of individuals to live their dreams.
    He gave a little biography of his life as a banker where his colleagues constantly agonised over their banking jobs but did nothing rather than still come back to the same job the following day, just because it could pay the bills. Failing to live their dreams. He spoke on the need to break the employment mentality that troubled young Nigerians always seeking jobs from the private or public sector as a livelihood when they could start their own venture.
    He spoke on the importance of having a reference point to validate one’s dreams.
    “Reference points are important; that is why I get successful people from all works of life to share their success stories with you. The number of Reference points to validate these experiences are more than enough to motivate you to live your own dreams.”
    The lineup of eight speakers with four panelist sessions anchored by Aderonke Adebanjo for the most part of three sessions was a very inspiring period for the audience who paid very rapt attention.
    The speakers profile included: Nigeria’s King of Comedy, Alibaba; award winning songstress, Waje; renowed photographer and painter, Kelechi Amadi-Obi; Radio and Television personality Vlogger; Toke Makinwa, an outstanding fashion designer, Ejiro Amos Tafiri; CEO of Cosharis Group; Dr Cosmas Maduka,  Award winning actress; Adesuwa Etomi,  and Special Adviser to the Lagos state Governor on Education; Obafela Bank Olemoh.
    The newest award winning on screen goddess, Etomi, assured her listeners to have confidence in themselves as a ticket in living their dreams.
    “It is okay to have confidence as confidence is very different from pride,” she said, advising her listeners to know what is for them.
    When she came up, Tafiri took the audience down the memory lane on how she started her business with just #40 000 to clinch a couple of awards in grand style as a widely acclaimed fashionista.
    Similarly, Amadi-Obi and Alibaba explained how they were able to thrive in the Nigerian environment by carving a niche as both comedian masterminds cum photographer and artist; Waje and Toke preached the message of self-love, determination to succeed against all odds, donning a tough skin against social media jabs while putting God first in everything one does.
    The height of the event was the final panel session between Dr Maduka and Mr Olemoh.
    For the CEO of the Cosharis Group who narrated his marriage at the age of 19 to his delectable wife, Charity and his rise to success at the ripe age of 22; spoke of his tragic-comic loss of N22billion and the seven year crisis cycle he has always battled with in overcoming difficulties.
    Olemoh wasn’t left out of the matter as he alluded his success story to sheer dedication and hard-work as an employee to finally pay off in his business and gubernatorial appointment in the world of politics.
    The event, sponsored by series of companies featured comedy sessions, spoken word, free Origin zero drinks by Guinness, Book giveaways and Products put on display.

  • God still loves Nigeria

    We are in very trying times in Nigeria. A time when many think God has forsaken us, a time many are also asking “Where is God?”; I’ve heard Christians  ask “Why is God silent over the predicament of our nation?”  I want to tell you that in spite of all our challenges God still loves us with a perfect love; He has not forsaken or abandoned us.  There was never a time He stopped loving us, even if all other nations forsake us God will not.  The question was asked in the scriptures… “Who shall separate us from the love of God?” Is it when we have trouble, tribulation or distress, persecution, famine, poverty or in danger, when we are threatened with death, has God deserted us? The answer is NO, for Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. Not even sin can separate us from God’s love because He sent His Son Jesus to die and set us free from the bondage of sin. Jesus took the punishment for my sin and yours and declared us not guilty. Who then will condemn us, Will Christ? No! for He is the one who died for us and came back to life again for us and is sitting at the right hand of God, pleading for us there in heaven.  Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us enough to die for us. All you need do is open your heart to this love (JESUS) God sent to us. In Jerusalem there was a pool called Bethesda with five platforms surrounding it. Crowds of sick people –the lame, blind, paralyzed lay on the platforms waiting for a certain movement of the water, for an angel of the Lord came from time to time and disturbed the water, and the first person to step down into it afterwards was healed. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty eight years, his sickness being caused by his sin. When Jesus saw him and knew how long he had been ill He had mercy on him. I believe some sort of business must have been going on at the pool, where some people monitored the exact moment the water moved to quickly get in the sick person who must have paid them for the service. This man had neither money nor a helper. Since it was his sin that made him sick, maybe he was a well known armed robber, rapist, homosexual, etc. whatever his sin was, people may have also despised and ignored him because they knew him as a sinner. But Jesus didn’t ignore him; he showed him mercy. He told Jesus, he had no one to help him get into the pool at the stirring of the water.  Jesus then said to him “stand up, roll up your sleeping mat and go home! Instantly, the man was healed, he rolled up his mat and began walking.  I thought He should be the one to judge and condemn the man – NO, Jesus came to set sinners free from the bondage of sin and offer them a new life of holiness and righteousness, His own very life- have you been set free from the bondage of sin? If no, cry out to Jesus and certainly He will hear and answer you. It was on Sabbath when the miracle was done. So the Jewish leaders objected that the man should carry his mat on the Sabbath day, for on Sabbath days no one was allowed to do any work, so they told him it was illegal to carry his sleeping mat.  He answered them: “The man who healed me told me to carry my mat”. “Who said such a thing as that” they demanded. The man didn’t know, and Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. Afterwards, Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; don’t sin as you did before or something even worse may happen to you.” The man went to find the Jewish leaders and told them it was Jesus who had healed him. So they persecuted Jesus and sought to kill Him, but Jesus replied “My father has been working until now, and I have been working” then the Jewish leaders were all the more eager to kill him.  Jesus showed the sick man mercy, but his own priests don’t even love him, they weren’t happy that a man who was sick for 38 years received his healing. God will show Nigeria mercy in spite of her enemies of progress. You and I have a crucial part to play for this to be. We may reckon Nigeria to be in the state of the sick man needing help. Only Jesus can bring about the change we hope for. The good news is that Jesus who showed the sick man mercy is still at work; He hasn’t stopped working, He can’t stop showing love, His love is unconditional and has no end, it is everlasting. Jesus loves Nigeria. Yes, He hates the sin that brings separation from God, disgrace and downfall, so He died to set us free from our sin and is very willing to heal our land. He is not condemning us, but wants to heal us and save us if we are willing. Our sin is great- the constant killing, corruption, stealing, child molestation and rape, homosexuality, prostitution, fornication, adultery, idolatry, hatred, fighting, prejudice etc, but His love is greater. Sin cannot separate us from God’s love if we receive and believe in Jesus, whom He sent to set us free. Note that Jesus looked for the man after He healed him and told him what to do to remain healed and enjoy his life- he is to sin no more. That is love, not leaving him without the knowledge of what will sustain his healing and make him enjoy life. Knowing this; God loves us and desires to bring us out of our present predicament as a nation. He who did not withhold His own Son from us, but gave Him up for us, won’t He also give us everything else?  We have to allow Jesus to help us, for there is no help anywhere except in Jesus Christ; He is the one that will show us the way forward. You and I are the Nigerians to be set free from our sin and be healed. Let us ask God for what we need.  First is -the salvation of our individual souls, and the resolve to walk with Him. If we are saved Nigeria is saved, if we are healed Nigeria is healed.  You are Nigeria, I am Nigeria- our acts build or bring down NIGERIA.Therefore pray like this: Lord Jesus I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and gone my own way, please show me mercy, set me free from the bondage of sin and give me a new life, the life of holiness and righteousness, heal me of every sickness, infirmity and predicament as a result of my sin, help me to walk with you all the days of my life-Amen.To grow in your faith, please study the Bible daily and also fellowship with Godly people around you.As you continue to grow in your faith, Nigeria will be receiving the illuminating Light of God to save us from our sin and heal our land.

     

    Only keep the Light shinning so others in darkness will see your light and my light and come to the Light (JESUS).

    TEXT: JOHN 5:1-15, ROMANS 8:31-39.

    RIGTEOUSNESS AND PEACE WILL REIGN IN NIGERIA -AMEN!

    From: Faith Nwachukwu.