The Nation Newspaper

Tag: 2

  • Who owns the oil? (2)

    The oil debate can also not be divorced from the complaints by Urhobo and Isoko leaders against what they see as the one-sided negotiation on how to solve the economic sabotage by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA). These leaders believe government should treat the Avengers, which many believe are Ijaw, and others damaging the economy as criminals and not negotiate with them.

    One-time Secretary-General of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) Chief Frank Kokori said he expected those involved in the destruction of the nation’s assets to be treated as criminals.

    The Urhobo and Isoko, speaking through the chairman of OML 30 Community Development Board (CBD), Morris Idiovwa, warned the Federal Government against dialoguing with those destroying oil and gas assets. They believe doing so can degenerate into a fresh round of ethnic wars in the region.

    Sensing marginalisation, some militants who are of Urhobo stock have threatened to also destroy critical oil and gas assets if that will get them the Federal Government’s attention. The Urhobo said they are the largest ethnic group and have more critical facilities in their domains  than the Ijaw, who  they feel have blackmailed  the government to talk to them by destroying some assets.

    Idiovwa said:”What we have been seeing in Delta State is terrifying; especially in the way a single ethnic nationality is taking over the identity of the entire Niger Delta.  What is happening is outright criminality and we, as the largest ethnic group in Delta State, are not in support of this.

    “We have never been criminals and we don’t want to be criminals. We believe the best way to approach issues is dialogue. But with what we are seeing now, the intelligence we are gathering and what is in the media, a set of people decided to take up arms and disrupt the existing peace in the Niger Delta region because of their selfish interest.

    “The Federal Government has already started inciting an ethnic crisis in Delta state because as we speak now, we have been receiving series of mails, SMS and calls from different regions and groups in Urhobo and Isoko.

    “My office is responsible for ensuring safety of life and property here and if the people are aware that the same advantage they have, in terms of assets and production, is what some people in another part are using to get the federal government to come to negotiate with them, because those people have taken to arms struggle and are destroying the assets in their areas, what would you expect from those who have been law abiding, calm and watched over the facilities in their domain?

    “So you want to disregard them because they have not taken up arms. This is one move we will resist. Government should tread carefully. We are not in support of any criminality by any set of people. We have not mandated Egbesu to negotiate for us, we have not mandated the Avengers, MEND, JNDLF or IYC to negotiate for us. We have not mandated any group to negotiate for the Urhobo or Isoko.

    “We are standing on our own and we are telling the Federal Government that whatever is done for any group should be replicated across the entire Niger Delta states or host communities that are producing, otherwise the outcome will be disastrous.”

    Another interesting part of the oil debate is known as resource control. The last National Conference put in place by Jonathan showed how serious and how difficult it is to resolve the questions around oil ownership.

    The Devolution of Power Committee of the National Conference agreed to retain the 13 per cent derivation fund for the oil producing states. Resource control exponent and ex-Akwa Ibom State Governor Obong Victor Attah spoke of how deliberations on derivation went.

    His words: “Some came to this Committee that dichotomy must be introduced; some insisted that payment on derivation must be reduced, while some want the states to own and operate all resources within their areas and only pay taxes to the government.

    “We went through all positions and it was unanimously agreed that the last position was not achievable because it is a constitutional issue and amendment must be made before that can be achieved because as it is now all minerals belong to the Federal Government.

    “Given that understanding, those people agitating for that dropped their position and opted for 50 per cent as minimum payment on derivation. This obviously seems like irreconcilable positions. Maturity and patriotism of the members came to play at this point as we recognised that there were so many mineral resources left unexplored which is causing discontent.

    “We also recognised that the 13 per cent given to community with the resource is not enough and some still want government to reduce it because it was felt that with the 13 per cent, the people are still impoverished because it was not judiciously applied.

    “More than anything, we felt that we must try and maintain the equilibrium that we have in this country today  so that there will be no loser or winners. At the end, everyone withdrew their positions and we reached a unanimous decision that a special fund must be set up to enable the country, with the participation of the states to develop the mineral deposits within their areas.”

    We all know what has happened to the report. But, let’s even assume it is implemented, it will still not solve the oil riddle. So, it is useless in this regard.

    For me, I think the debate about which ethnic nationality in the Niger Delta has more oil should be relegated. What makes sense to me is that each oil-bearing community deserves special attention. A documentary “Poison Fire,” shows that one and a half million tons of oil had been discharged into the region’s farms, forests and rivers since oil drilling began in 1956. The documentary also shows that hundreds of kilometers of rain forest have been lost to the oil spills. The spills have also led to deaths and diseases. So, it is just fear that these people who bear the brunt should also enjoy the spoils. And not just that, efforts must be put in place to ensure the brunt they bear is reduced to the barest minimum.

    I also believe oil has overshadowed everything. It has blocked our vision and made many of us unable to see beyond our noses. Even the Federal Government is so blinded and confused by oil and things are not moving as expected.

    The Federal Government, at the moment, has too much on its hands. To say the least, many of the things the central government gets enmeshed in now, such as construction of roads, water projects and so on, should be none of its business. Its focus should be more on Foreign Affairs and Defence.

    I must point out this important facts I came across about how oil revenue sharing has changed with time.

    In 1958, oil producing states were said to have retained 67.4 per cent of mining rents and royalties. The Federal Government got 20 per cent of mining rents and royalties. Non-oil producing states got 12.6 per cent.

    Twelve years later, the Gen. Yakubu Gowon administration passed Decree No. 13. Under the decree, oil producing states kept 45 per cent of mining rents and royalties. The Federal Government got 55 per cent and non-oil states got nothing.

    In1975, the late Gen Murtala Muhammed introduced Decree 6, which reduced what the oil producing states were getting to 20 per cent of mining rents and royalties. The Federal Government got the lion share of 80 per cent. Other states got nothing.

    After Mohammed’s assassination, Gen Olusegun Obasanjo, who took over from him, set up the Aboyade Technical Commission. This committee ceded all oil revenue to the Federal Government, which introduced the Consolidated Revenue Fund. The responsibility of the Fund was to share the money in the central purse to all states.

    In 1979, the Shehu Shagari administration set up the Okigbo Commission to review the sharing of oil revenues. The Commission retained the Obasanjo formula with some alterations. It introduced the use of parameters, such as population, land mass and equality in the sharing of the revenue.

    The constitution, I sincerely believe, should be amended to allow states own and operate all resources within their areas and only pay taxes to the central government. That done, all states can mine their resources and make money enough to develop their land and people. It makes little sense for all natural resources to belong to the Federal Government. Changing the status quo will in the long run reduce the do-or-die attention on the centre.

    My final take: Ijaw, Urhobo, Itsekiri,  Isoko, Ibibio, Efik and Annang need not be involved in oil ownership scrabble. Cooperative élan should be embraced by all. May be a way to start is to take to heart the injunction that the land and all therein belong to God. Since God has deemed it fit to situate them on mineral-rich enclaves, they should peacefully make the best of it. They should learn from the mistakes of the past and make the present and the future fantastic.

     

  • Time to rejig the NOA (2)

    Communication can bring people together, but can also tear communities apart. If you followed developments leading to Britain’s exit from the European Union, you will agree. I say this because we are living in an era of rage and polarization and how we manage the communication process is critical. As a country, we are not immune from developments happening elsewhere which is why a repositioned National Orientation Agency (NOA) is being advocated.

    Alleged herdsmen are on an unstoppable rampage killing and maiming in their tracks, militants in the Niger Delta are blowing up critical national infrastructure, the harsh economic situation is biting harder and the poor keep on increasing astronomically, the economic climate remain uncertain and businesses are yet to pick up after the forex crisis. These and many more are daily challenges we grapple with. Regardless of these, the people need to be told about what government is doing.

    This is why the first set of objectives of the NOA is to ensure that government programmes and policies are better understood by the general public; mobilise favourable public opinion for such programmes and policies and encourage informal education through public enlightenment activities and publications.

    Are we better informed about government policies and programmes? I doubt if 20 percent can answer in the affirmative. It is therefore logical to assert that if the people are skeptical it will be difficult to mobilise them to support policies they know little about.

    The agency is also saddled with the responsibility of establishing feedback channels to government on all aspects of Nigerian national life and establish appropriate national framework for educating, orientating and indoctrinating Nigerians towards attitudes, values and culture which project individual’s national pride and positive national image for Nigeria.

    It is highly debatable if this objective is close to being achieved. There is a huge distrust of government institutions and officials; even with the ongoing war on corruption some still feel it is not far reaching and deep enough and that those in the “opposition” are being targeted. On the values point, it is crystal clear that a holistic campaign is needed for the word to have meaning in Nigeria today.

    What about “awakening the consciousness of Nigerians to their responsibilities to the promotion of national unity, citizens’ commitment to their human rights to build a free, just and progressive society; develop among Nigerians of all ages and sex, social and cultural values and awareness which will inculcate the spirit of patriotism, nationalism, self-discipline and self-reliance?” I leave this to you – the reader – to answer.

    The final set of objectives include encouraging the people to actively and freely participate in discussions and decisions on matters affecting their general welfare; promote new sets of attitudes and culture for the attainment of the goals and objectives of a united Nigeria State; ensure and uphold leadership by example; foster respect for constituted authority; and instill in the citizens a sense of loyalty to the fatherland.

    Again, it is debatable if these set of objectives are being met. For you to achieve this, you have to address the skepticism, cynicism and distrust of government by the people. What they’re being told and what they observe are entirely two different things. Changing people’s mindset on issues is one of the most difficult tasks to achieve. The NOA thus has its work cut out for it on how to get Nigerians to believe in a “united Nigeria State.” Can this be done? I believe it can.

    Why has the agency been performing dismally? The simple answer is leadership. Whereas its progenitor, MAMSER was to most people, an indisputably proactive organization, majority do not know NOA or disposed to accepting it. Most knew the eloquent pioneer Chief Executive of MAMSER – Prof Jerry Gana – and how he was able to galvanise the populace to believe in the government of the day. He had the difficult job of convincing Nigerians to believe in the government of General Ibrahim Babangida.

    Not able to match this, NOA took off on a weak note and progressively dwindled. To start with, its ubiquitous grassroots structure with which it could easily permeate the entire nation with effective publicity programmes was left to wither away. Most importantly, its operational arrangement whereby its workers were to function in their places of origin and publicise their messages in the language of each local community was distorted through poor personnel recruitments and deployments.

    This was followed by the era of under the table deals regarding budgets and its approval. “Lobbying’ thus became the in thing. Being poorly funded, NOA – understandably – could therefore not undertake meaningful public enlightenment and mobilization programmes other than the payment of staff salaries. In essence, people were being paid for doing nothing.

    A far more critical factor and undoing came to the fore when in contravention of its enabling law; government placed on it a stigma of partisanship. Whereas the law specifically stipulates that the agency should be headed by non-partisan persons, government started appointing members of the ruling political party, to the post. At state level, political stalwarts also assumed the power to nominate their party members as State Directors.

    With little or no knowledge of even the basic rudiments of the job, such political appointees displaced officials who had been groomed over the years in the techniques of mobilization. It is instructive to note that the implications of bringing such partisan novices into an agency that was supposed to convince people to have faith in government were not even considered.

    It is ironical that an orientation agency set up to teach the people the virtues of doing things right worked – and still working – at cross purpose away from its own objectives. It jettisoned Jerry Gana’s “if you teach, teach well; if you lead. Lead well…” catch phrase.

    When the present democratic dispensation began in 1999, a panel set up to restructure government bodies, recommended that the agency be scrapped and its functions transferred to an arm of the information ministry as if bureaucrats can mobilize the people. Interestingly, government accepted the recommendation but as usual did not implement it. Rather, in disregard of the rationale for the establishment of NOA, it was converted to a parastatal of the ministry of culture and tourism.

    The policy somersault returned the polity to the dilemma of the past which featured a huge gap between government and the people.  A classic example was the nation-wide fuel subsidy protests during the last administration which fully exposed the implications of public cynicism and lack of faith in government where anything positive about government and its agencies is viewed with skepticism while everything negative is believed.

    The agency and other government officials failed to convince Nigerians with highfaluting statistics through mainly elitist channels of communication which does not resonate or enlighten the average citizen. Fast forward to 2016 when subsidy was removed and fuel price increased; this was better managed, but sadly not by the NOA.

    Presently, the agency has branches in all the 774 local government areas in the country. This was expected to position her, not just to transmit messages to the people directly, but to be close to them through an effective manner like the one-on-one and house-to-house satisfactory explanation of issues. But the question to ask is this: What impact has this had on information dissemination? Again, it is highly debatable whether this model is having a positive impact on the people.

    This notwithstanding, it is time to rejig the NOA and equip it for effective performance bearing in mind that all public policies or projects belong to the people. This is more apparent with a virtual breakdown of the nation’s ethos. As I pointed out in the first part of this article, what is needed now is for seasoned communications professionals with vast knowledge of integrated marketing communication to be appointed or contacted to draw a roadmap on how to navigate the challenges of the 21st century.

    The challenge of change, fear and uncertainty are features of the present. The speed of transformations of our volatile and hyper-complex world makes it increasingly difficult to read social reality and to act meaningfully. These challenges are enormous and the tools of yesterday definitely won’t cut it.

     

     

  • From paradise to hell (2)

    CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK

    ‘Somalia is complex, ambiguous and uncertain’

    The Somali National Army (SNA) has won some spectacular victories against Al-Shabaab with the help of AMISOM troops, but it is far from being a standard army by all standards. The SNA was hurriedly put together by AMISOM and it consists of former militia and clan lords. A large section of the army also consists of teenagers and young adults whose only qualification is that they are susceptible to being recruited by Al-Shabaab.

    It is not unusual to see the soldiers in tattered uniforms in an SUV, driving furiously along Mogadishu’s violent streets, rifles pointed to heaven or at any object that caught their fancy. We encountered some of them during our tour of the city and one youth wearing an army camouflage trousers under a dirty singlet caught the reporters’ attention. He was surrounded by his colleagues who wore ferocious and unfriendly looks.

    As we rushed to interview him and take his pictures, Lt. Sekito warned us. “Absolutely not!” he screamed. “Do not talk to him or take his pictures.” The boy himself had given us a look that rendered Sekito’s second warning unnecessary. We retreated into the safety of our IFV.

    We understood later that due to lack of opportunities, the government had to recruit some of these youngsters and every willing body into the army. “If you give an illiterate teenager a gun with the power to use it, you can imagine what he will do with it. But if they are not in the SNA, the other option is to be recruited by Al-Shabaab,” one of our handlers told me.

    Yet the challenges facing AMISOM is far greater than teenager soldiers. Troops who were more accustomed to peace keeping missions where a ceasefire agreement is already in place were simply unprepared for the surprise that awaited them in Somalia.

    “We didn’t come here for war. We thought it would be like the other missions, but this is real war. Many of our colleagues are dead. We are faced with land mines, suicide attacks and bomb blasts. This is not peace keeping mission,” a soldier said.

    There is the problem of rebuilding of infrastructure, especially roads which have suffered during the years of chaos. Lack of accessible roads made it difficult to move supply to soldiers fighting in the frontier. The terror group had lined up IEDs along the routes of supply.

    Gen Lakara said: “Somalia is complex, ambiguous and uncertain. When Al-Shabaab vacates an area, they destroy the water and food sources. This is to make life difficult for the people so they could long for the rule of Al-Shabaab.”

    It is a dilemma for AMISOM in newly liberated regions. The people yearn for public infrastructure which the federal government cannot provide, and humanitarian agencies which would have filled the void refused to move into the regions, describing them as unsafe and would not allow AMISOM distribute relief materials.

    There is the problem of asymmetric attacks which had left the troops very vulnerable, especially the Nigerian Mobile Force which has the responsibility of preventing such attacks. There have also been attacks on the base camp. Last year, about 50 Burundi soldiers reportedly lost their lives when eight insurgents infiltrated the camp. The insurgents also periodically fire mortars into the camp, with minimal damage however.

    Rebuilding the institutions has been a major challenge with the Federal Government lacking the resources to finance such projects. During the war, there was massive destruction of homes and government buildings. The society itself is fragmented and disunited. Schools were closed for years and just reopened in 2014. Out of the 50 universities in the country, about 10 have managed to commence academic work.

    Remoulding the young population which has known only war and strife is also a challenge, as many have either joined the terror group or are conscripted into the Somali army.

    With an insolvent Federal Government, Somali soldiers sometimes go months without salaries. Even the police recruitment is halted until a suitable funder is found for the training, equipping and paying of salaries for at least three years.

    There is also the problem of former police officers in the regime before the war who wanted to have the privileges and positions they occupied before the war restored to them in the new dispensation. “They are the most difficult to embrace change. They want things to go back to what thy were  before. They didn’t know that policing has evolved,” Police Chief Pillay said.

    Pillay believes his men are already performing wonders despite the challenges in the country.

    He said: “Everything is a challenge in Somalia. We have 95 IPOs and FPU. We have to cover a big area of Somalia, different teams in charge of different aspects.

    “With what they are doing, they are performing miracles. Funding does not restrict us from doing our work. We have knowledge we want to share, and that is what we are focused on. It is our main aim.”

    Perhaps no one carries the weight of optimism more than the Special Representative of the African Union Commission for Somalia (SRCC), Ambassador Francisco Caetano Jose Madeira, who believes that Somalia has what it takes to be the best.

    He said: “Some people try to give the impression that Mogadishu is a hopeless place. It has the potential to get better.

     

    ‘AMISOM police is very good’

    “On the military side, we are doing very well in three regions where they have pushed Al-shabaab out and maintained peace.”

    But Jose Madeira cannot deny that Somalia is a complex situation and that governance has taken a long time in coming. He accepted that the SNA has not been able to sustain the liberated cities. “Terrorists can leave the town during the day and come back in the night to assassinate people. They have only one phrase, ‘You Die’,” he said.

    But the SRCC said the intention of AMISOM is to continue to take towns from the terrorists, develop capacity to defeat the land mines and IEDs.

    “We need air surveillance to detect the movement of the enemy. We need an intelligent base approach to pursue, harass and destroy individual Al-Shabaab moving in small groups. We need humanitarian organisations to help with provisions,” he said.

     

    Lessons for Nigerian warmongers

    Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Rex Dundun, sat in his office at the Hanane base camp. The room was small but he managed to even carve out a conference space from it. Dundun serves as the Police Chief of Staff and the highest ranking Nigerian police officer in Somalia. He believes the extent of damage from the war is a lesson for all Africans, especially the elements in Nigeria who shout for war at the slightest provocation.

    “Do you know what the war has done to this country? There is no family that didn’t lose at least two people and no house in town which you won’t find bullet holes. I sometimes wish that the Nigerians shouting for war should be put in a plane and brought to Somalia. They will surely keep quiet after that,” he said.

    Dundun is the only Nigerian officer in the senior leadership team and has worked hard to preserve the reputation of the country. His experience in peace keeping and police training is huge and he believes the Nigerian contingent has done creditably well.

    “We have 140 FPU and 25 individual experts in various fields of training. We have done excellently well. When we go on international missions, we get accolades, but the dynamics and environment at home is different,” Dundun said.

    Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Akpoilih Albert is one of such experts. Trained in the United States as a bomb expert, he is one of the highly skilled officers in Somalia. Albert said as Nigerians, they have cultural differences with colleagues from East Africa.

    “We are holding our own against other nations, but we have cultural differences, especially with the East Africans. When we talk, they feel we are shouting and they just don’t understand where we got our energies from,” he said.

    Albert misses home as there is no social life in Somalia. “This is war, not peacekeeping. So we are greatly restricted even from interacting with the local population. It is from your hostel to the office. I don’t even go to the mess. I cook my own food.”

    Being Nigerians also has its disadvantages. At the Marine Market where the officers patronise, local merchants only need to know you as a Nigerian and the price would go at least five times over.

    “They always shout Nigeria is big. Nigeria has money. You can afford any price,” Albert said.

     

    Night patrol in search of Al-Shabaab

    One of the highpoints of our mission was the night patrol with the SNP and FPU of Nigeria and Uganda. The FPU has been responsible for preventing several attacks in Mogadishu. In the thick of this operation are the 140 strong Nigerian mobile policemen and women who brave the odds to prowl Mogadishu’s dangerous streets night and day. The officers are kept at the stadium camp in Yawshid District on the outskirts of the city. The camp is heavily fortified by a contingent of soldiers.

    The stadium camp has a not too sterling past as it was the recruitment and training camp for AL-Shabaab. It was also the death camp where amputations and executions took place. Before the war, it was where sporting talents were discovered and nurtured. Now it houses the FPU from Nigeria and Uganda. Not a few of my colleagues developed apprehension about our night mission, which could prove deadly for everyone involved. The fear was more pronounced as one looked at the bomb-ridden stadium camp which sent cold shivers down our spines. Images of blood and elaborate executions were hard to delete from the mind.

    We arrived at the Nigerian camp into the waiting arms of enthusiastic and friendly police officers. Hands were pumped, banter exchanged and introductions made. SP Eze welcomed us and insisted on showing a bit of Nigerian hospitality.

    The Nigerians must have sacrificed much of their supply as we were lavished with a Nigerian three course meal of pepper soup, main course and desert. Then Eze gave us a pep talk: “This night, we will go out with you to see how the FPU are performing their duties in Somalia. You will patrol some flash points and we will meet with the Ugandan FPU at the parliament.

    “We want you to observe some security tips. Our patrol team will give you covering fire as you do your jobs as journalists. Please heed their advice. Somalia is getting better, but we won’t like anything funny to happen tonight. We want your coverage to be hitch free.”

    Eze didn’t receive any applause at the end of his speech. In fact, on hearing “covering fire,” I lost taste of the food I was eating. I know what ‘covering fire’ is and it wasn’t a pretty thing at all. I certainly didn’t want ‘covering fire’.

    At 9 pm, we left in a convoy of four IFVs with heavily armed mobile policemen and headed northward. The police officers wore tense and grave countenance. Although Mogadishu had been cleared of all forms of insurgents, it is still a deadly city as members of the terror group had successfully infiltrated the population and no one is safe until you are on your bed.

    We passed through Sayidka Maka Road and all around, we could see the Somalis living their lives as quietly as possible. After about 30 minutes of bumpy ride, we arrived at the centre of Mogadishu where the seat of government was located.

    Here we met with the SPF mobile men and began an aggressive stop-and-search exercise. In the past, this has yielded much result with deadly attacks prevented. The FPU played a supervisory role here as the SPF team took charge.

    Eze said: “The mandate is to give operational support to the SPF. So we do every operations together. We mentor, advise and train them. We have conducted stop and search to check the activities of the miscreants. We have mentored the SPF, bearing in mind the fact that they must observe human rights.”

    We left after about two hours. The FPU were anxious about getting us back to safety. I was a little disappointed as we did not make any arrests. Neither did we uncover any Al-Shabaab insurgent. I must have been alone with this thought as many others were too happy to return to the safety of our bunkers.

     

    ‘Living in Somalia as a journalist is life and death’

    Mohamed Moalimuu has just been elected as the Secretary General of National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) in the first election to be held in over 20 years. Moalimuu is a former British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reporter and a cat with nine lives, having cheated death twice. In 2013, a suicide bomber jumped on his car and detonated his explosives. The car was completely burnt but Moalimuu escaped. He was again targeted by Al-Shabaab on January 27, 2016 at Liddo beach. This time, he wasn’t so lucky. He has a horrible scar on his head as evidence of how close he had been to death.

    Osman Robleh was not an ordinary student; she was one of the active female journalists in the country, a high profile producer at the state run Radio Mogadishu. She was also an active member of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ).

    On Sunday, June 5, 2016, Osman Robleh left the gates of her university forever. Three minutes after she came out, armed men with pistols pumped several bullets into her chest, heart and head. They ensured that she did not survive. Done with their heinous occupation; they fled, leaving Osman Robleh in a pool of her blood, her beauty disfigured by the ugliness of death.  NUSOJ called it an assassination and she became a statistic, the first Somali journalist to be killed in 2016.

    Journalists in Somalia have the most dangerous jobs in the world as reporting the atrocities of Al-Shabaab earns them death sentence. For many years, journalists were unable to practise outside their clan enclave. Unionism was proscribed and those who tried to be heros ended in the funeral palour.

    “Somalia is one of the most difficult countries that journalists work. You can see the marks on my face. This is the situation in which we work. It is terrible. But we are trying to change it. Living here in Somalia as a journalist is life and death. Many have fled the country. We want a safe environment to work,” Moalimuu said.

    According to Aladala Yussuf of Somalia National News Agency (SONNA), Somalia is getting better and the media has been trying to promote good news like opening a new hospital or industry, because “people are tired of bad news.”

    He said there are correspondents in all the major cities of the country but acknowledged that safety of journalists is not 100 per cent. “It is getting better. In 2012, we lost 30 journalists and in 2013, we lost 19 reporters. This year, we haven’t lost anyone. So things are getting better.”

    As NUSOJ settled at the Jazeera Palace Hotel to hold another meeting, most of the practitioners of the pen profession are young people; many are born into the conflict. One could see the determination on their faces, one which shows they have chosen courage over fear of terror.

     

    Meeting the President

    Finally, we met the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, at the Africa Day celebration which had the theme: “The Africa we want.” It was a gathering of all the top brass in Mogadishu, and as expected, security was so tight I would have preferred to stay away from the event.

    The President arrived shortly after 4 pm, looking well groomed in a blue checked suit. The event marked several song and drama presentations from troops representing the different countries. The event also reinforced hope for Somalia. And when the President spoke, he addressed the heartfelt issues every Somali faced.

    “Today,” he said, “Somalia is a much better place because of the ultimate sacrifice made by our African brothers. We are better and moving towards the polls for the election. We have realised our major objectives, and that is for elections to happen.”

    Mohamoud also expressed optimism about defeating terrorism. “Al-Shabaab has been degraded, not eliminated. We have victory within us. We will defeat them wherever they are in Africa.

    “They have degraded our humanity. They are in Somalia because large parts of Somalia were ungoverned. Today, we have a government. Yes, Al-Shabaab still controls some small parts of Somalia, but we will defeat them.”

    Then he paid tribute to the fallen AMISOM officers: “Somalia knows the sacrifice you have made. We are not ignorant of your pains. Many tears were shed. Children are orphaned, women are widowed. In many parts of the Troop Contributing Countries, we know your pains. Thank you.”

     

    Bright future for Somalia

    Nobody could be more upbeat about Somalia’s progress and future prospects than Information Minister Bekos, who believes despite the country having one of the longest conflicts, “Somalia will be a model for Africa.”

    He identified the country’s greatest problem as security, saying the people are determined to find peace and move forward.

    “We Somalis are determined to find the solution. We are building our country with the help of other Africans. Many politicians have died but we will overcome.”

    Bekos said the prospect for an indirect election in 2016 is good, but the country looks forward to an open election by 2020.

    He has a message for the rest of Africa: “We are one of the founding fathers of the African Union. We are one and we should make our policy as United States for Africa.”

    But for the officers who are daily treading the harm’s way to bring the peace to Somalia, it will require more than optimism and political talk. For General Lakara, a multi-prong approach is required, including governance, tolerance and service delivery.

    He says there must be a semblance of governance with the provisions of basic infrastructure which has been destroyed by the terror group. So the people will know that life is better without the Al-Shabaab.

    1. Kibet said Somalis are one of the most industrious people in Africa and the country has the capacity to become one of the richest on the continent. With its agricultural, livestock and marine resources, Somalia can regain the years it has lost due to the conflict and become one of the success stories on the continent.

    But that success story may not come easily. On Wednesday June 1, 2016, Al-Shabaab fighters planted a bomb at the Ambassador Hotel located on Maka al-Mukarama Road, in the centre of Mogadishu, a place we had done the patrols less than a week earlier. When the bomb exploded, the fighters seized the opportunity of the chaos to gain entry and began to shoot everyone in sight.

    The attack lasted less than an hour. And when the smoke was cleared, about 40 people were wounded. Ten others, including two members of parliament, were dead. The Medina Hospital was overcrowded. Relatives and sympathisers mingled with the wounded and the dead.

    “I was the first person to reach the scene. My brother and his son are among those injured. The hospital is overcrowded with injured people. I have never seen something like this before,” Dr. Adbulkadir Andirahman Haji Aden said.

    Somalia is calm but unpredictable, Col. Kibet had said. Once again, Mogadishu bowed its head in mourning, despite the gallant work and sacrifice of AMISOM officers like Superintendent Eze and his 140 daring mobile force, of the army commanders, the women who go to war, ACP Dundun, Lt. Sekito and other gallant officers.

    But Adouw has words for Al-Shabaab. To the leadership, he said: “Don’t go on killing people. You can’t get to heaven by doing that or by oppressing people. Come and surrender to the government.”

    To the young terrorists, he counselled: “If you are told you will have four young girls, they are here, not there in heaven. You only need to come and negotiate with them.”

  • How to create trust in relationship (2)

    IN this second part, we will be looking at more helpful counsel on how to build trust in relationships. Remember, last week, we listed the barriers to building trust. Therefore, in order to build trust in a relationship, we have to overcome these barriers and ensure they don’t act as stumbling blocks. Here are some useful tips that might be of great help.

    Have an open mind: It is important in a relationship to be as open and honest as possible. Sometimes, husband and wife lie to each other to avoid lying to each other. That is something they should think about when they are indulging in the dishonest act, not at the time of disclosure. If you think twice about what you’re doing and how it will hurt your partner, if you really care for him/her, you won’t do it. If you’re constantly hiding things and not being sincere, it affects the relationship and kills trust.

    Effective communication: Communication forms the core – an integral part of building trust and sustaining a relationship. Communication does not involve one person doing all the talking. Communicating effectively involves both partners, contributing their fair share to the conversation and listening when the other talks. It involves laying your cards on the table and telling it like it is, talking about your deeper emotions and feelings. It means being straightforward about your needs and expectations. So that you don’t go on saying that your observation is not your expectation.

    Forgiveness: Building trust in a relationship also involves being able to forgive your partner for the hurt he may have caused you in the past. If you can’t do that and insist on clinging to petty problems or keep bringing up old issues, the relationship will die a natural death. Or one or both of you is or are going to be extremely unhappy. If you decide to continue in a relationship despite the hurt your partner may have inflicted on you in the past and would like to work on rebuilding the trust, you have to be willing to wipe the slate clean and start all over.

    Ability to put oneself in another’s place, or feeling for the other person (empathy)

    when problems come up or difficult situations arise, as they are bound to, it is important to show concern for your partner’s feelings and be sensitive to their needs. Even if you do not agree with the course of action and he does not take your advice, support him in his time of despair. If you understand his deepest desires and identify with his interests, he is more inclined to trust you with his feelings. If you throw them back in his face, ridicule him or rub it in when he’s stumbled and fallen, he will not be inclined to trust you.

    Learn to maintain positive feelings: If your partner has never given you reasons to doubt him, then don’t. What’s that line about someone not being guilty unless proven otherwise? If you’re always suspicious and doubting his motives, jealous and quick to jump to conclusions (often the wrong ones), it will be very difficult to build trust. Treat your partner just the way you would want to be treated  with love and respect.

    Building trust in a relationship doesn’t come with a snap of the fingers. It takes hard work and commitment, but once you have it and work to keep it alive, you will reap the fruits of it.

    Be truthful: Unless you’re planning a surprise party for your spouse, you should never lie to your husband or wife. Even small lies  such as saying you’re working late when you’re shooting pool with your friends  are a bad idea. You’ll likely get caught in the lie, and suddenly your spouse will be wondering what else you’re lying about.

     

    Be reliable: Follow through on your promises big and small. If you tell your spouse you’re going to meet him or her at 8 p.m. at your house, be there on time. Promised to bring home milk? Bring home the milk. Of course, the big ones, such as fidelity and being there through sickness and health, for richer or poorer, also fall under this umbrella.

    Set boundaries: The green monster, jealousy, tends to rear its ugly head and threaten trust when couples don’t set boundaries with those outside their marriage or relationship, if you know it bothers your spouse when you flirt with that co-worker, then keep it professional. Don’t set up lunch dates with that ex who always calls. Make sure your spouse knows that he or she is your number one priority. Let your spouse know that he/ she comes first, and that there’s nothing going on. Talk about everything, keep no secret.

    Be trusting yourself: Unless your partner gives you a real reason to mistrust or doubt his or her honesty, you should trust him or her. This means that you should never accuse your spouse of cheating or lying to you unless you have hard evidence. Without proof, you’ll just create an air of mistrust. It’ll make your partner doubt your honesty too. You should have faith in your husband’s or wife’s faithfulness and honesty. You must believe what he or she tells you.

    Be fair: Don’t let your partner pay for the sins of your exes. If you had unfaithful or dishonest exes, you should have worked that out with them. Your spouse is his or her own person and has already chosen to commit to a life with you. He or she should be judged on his or her own actions.

    Trust yourself: Your heart led you to this man or woman. Your emotion told you that he or she was worthy of your love. Your mind told you to marry him or her. If you trust yourself, you know you made the right choice. And that’s a strong foundation on which to build trust.

    Trust, after all, is the glue that holds relationships together  even when they face great challenges. Without trust, relationships might be more likely to split in times of crises, fail at getting intimate and have doubts about each other. Spouse who trusts each other has security and probably feel closer.

     

    Harriet Ogbobine is a counsellor and a motivational speaker. Send your questions and suggestions to her on bineharriet@gmail.com or text message only 08054682598. You can also follow her on twitter: @bineharrietj, blog: liwh.com.ng

  • Building trust in your relationship (2)

    DEAR Reader, You are welcome to a time of refreshing in God’s presence.  Last week, I taught on trust and this week, I want to teach on Relationship.

    What is Relationship?

    Relationship simply means association, contact and interaction with people. It means to be involved or to link up with somebody else. However, if your relationship with people must be successful, and not cause you problems but rather benefit you, then you need to understand and know yourself.

    Every relationship you are into has you as the principal actor. That is why a good understanding of yourself will help you to succeed in that relationship whether it is with a member of the opposite sex or someone of same gender. I have observed that many people don’t know themselves and have never really bothered to find out just who they are. They just want to focus on others and what they are doing well or not doing well. You need to take time to find out who you are.

    Relationship with God

    This kind of relationship only comes when you have given your life to Christ, and God becomes your Father. The Word of God says: Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3). There is no way you can walk with God without being in an agreement with Him. Redemption is the only way to have a relationship with God. The Bible says: Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).

    You and I were created for the pleasure of God. That means, the greatest relationship that you can have with anyone is with God. Once that relationship is intact, it will set a pace for your relationship with men (Revelation 4:11). Your relationship with God will always guarantee you wisdom, direction, peace, etc.

    Relationship with Others

    There are general rules for getting along with other people. These keys will work for you as you apply them.

    • Walk in love: It is the love of God that makes it possible for you to relate successfully with all categories of men, both the lovable and the unlovable. That love is made possible by the help of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5: 5-6).
    • Be understanding: Generally, people like to be understood. They want you to make an effort to understand why they do things the way they do them, their various temperaments, backgrounds, etc. You must strive to treat people the way you want to be treated.
    • Beware of invalid expectations: The reason many times we have misunderstandings with people is that our expectations are very high. We expect too much from people. People will always be people! You must make allowance for their errors and weaknesses.
    • Concentrate on the good: If you look carefully, you will observe that nobody is hundred percent perfect! Since that is the case, every one has weaknesses and strengths. So, you can either concentrate on their weaknesses or strengths per time. As such, we must learn to look beyond people’s mistakes.
    • Treat people well: A wise man once said, ‘What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you’. That means, if you treat people well, whether they repay you or not, God will make it happen for you!

    Relationship with members of your family

    A family comprises of a father, mother and children (it also includes relations or those living in your house). If you are a wife or a husband, you must realise that you can get along with your spouse. All you need to do is appreciate his/her place and each of your responsibilities as God has declared in His Word. Let the wife start by understanding the leadership role of her husband and give him his place. She should also make sure that she respects, obeys and submits to him. For the man, you must make sure that you love your wife passionately, deeply and expressively. You will not fail in Jesus’ name!

    To be able to relate with God and others, you need to surrender your life to Christ. You can do so by saying this prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the living God. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom”.

    If you prayed this simple prayer, you are now 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).

    Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org; OR 07026385437 and 08141320204.

     

  • How do we tackle poverty? (2)

    When I set out last week to write about poverty, my intention was for it to be an introduction to an issue that cannot be effectively discussed in just one write up. The enormity and complexity of the poverty matrix has the potentials of endangering social fabrics, undermining economic development and the environment, and threatening political stability in many countries – including ours that is performing woefully according to all available indices. One of the factors we cannot therefore rule out in the security challenge the country is passing through is poverty.

    My plan tweaked when Dr. Dan Mou, an Abuja based public policy analysis expert reacted to the piece. I first met Dr. Mou on this page when he reacted to my piece “Books on my mind.” That virtual meeting has since gone personal because of our shared belief for intellectuality, credible leadership and informed citizenry. We met again – on this page that is – when he reacted to last week’s piece on “How do we tackle poverty?”

    “Many thanks for your very interesting article with the above title; published in The Nation of today (May 19, 2016),” he wrote, “I noted with interest that your title for the article was a question: how do we tackle poverty?

    “This matter has also agitated my mind for a long time. I have also found what I feel is my answer to your question, even before you asked it. On the 16th March, 2016, I had also forwarded my answer to this very question to President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief, Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “Rather than repeat myself writing another article to answer your challenge and question I have decided to forward to you the Executive Summary of a Memorandum that I had already sent to the President containing my proposals on how to tackle the poverty challenge in Nigeria. My proposal included the creation of a National Poverty Eradication Commission.

    “I hope you find it useful. It is not that classified to the extent where it cannot be released as a public letter to Mr. President. It is also of public rather than private interest, as you can see from the contents.”

    A little background to situate this memo will suffice here. Dr. Mou has had a robust and distinguished public service. He was opportune to serve under three different National Security Advisers (NSA) during his public service. He is not new to intervening in public discourse and governance. He has done this from the regimes of General Ibrahim Babangida to former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    His interventions amazingly led to the creation of key organs of governance like the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), the Ministry of Niger Delta and the Presidential Amnesty Programme amongst a host of other adopted memos which are published as appendixes in his book “Making of an African Giant: State, Politics and Public Policy in Nigeria.” The sad part of it all was that his efforts were not even acknowledged when these and other organs of governments were formed – headed by people who knew next to nothing of their emergence.

    What further drew me to this gentleman was his absolute lack of bitterness. “Agbo, I am a patriotic Nigerian who wants the very best for the country I love dearly. I will never stop intervening on issues of public interest no matter the outcome. I believe one day my effort would be acknowledged,” he told me when we met in January this year for the first time.

    So why did he write the memo to President Buhari calling for the establishment of a National Poverty Eradication Commission when past efforts had failed? The executive summary of the memo titled: “Proposal for establishment of a national empowerment and inclusive growth commission to carter for 71% (seventy one percent) of Nigerians still in mass poverty, excluded from enjoying dividends of democracy and development in their own country” answers this.

    Its main thesis is that 71% of Nigerians living in mass poverty is indeed a time bomb. He backed it up by reminding the president that the “participation revolution” going on in the world has engulfed the Nigerian society as well. Social cleavages based on groups and social classes that had been docile, are now becoming very active or even militant. They are also asking not just for the form of democracy but also for its substance. “By social cleavages here, I mean, those divisions in the society that are based on ethnicity, religion, region, gender, class, race, language or even caste.”

    Prior to the memo, Dr. Mou had done extensive work on poverty and public policy analysis already published in several books, including: Making of an African Giant: State, Politics and Public Policy in Nigeria, Volumes 1 & 2; State Power, Agrarian Policies and Pleasant Welfare in Nigeria and other books. He argued that the economic, political and social problems challenging national security, development and the social order in Nigeria would get “better or worse, depending on what happens to poverty eradication, job creation and inclusive growth. In other words, it depends primarily on what happens to the 71% of Nigeria’s population still in poverty.”

    He pointed out that after the scraping of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) – contrarily to the advice of the Stephen Orasanye Committee which had recommended merger with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), to create a National Empowerment and Employment Agency – there is no poverty eradication, job creation and inclusive growth Agency or Commission at the national level that can assist in the task of implementing the N500 Billion approved.

    He therefore made a strong case for the Federal Government to create a National Poverty Eradication, Job Creation and Inclusive Growth Commission to NAPEP that was scraped last year.

    So what are the other key policy recommendations made?  Subordinate groups, classes and other social cleavages hitherto very docile should be heard. “If avenues are not created by the Nigerian Government to allow them opportunities to participate in the developmental process, it could be grounds for political, social and economic instability that will further threaten our national security situation and development.”

    There is also the need to promote coordination, monitoring and valuation of poverty eradication, job creation and inclusive growth efforts at all levels of Government in Nigeria. “There is therefore, the great need for Nigeria to follow the example of South Africa, and other nations to establish a Ministry of Monitoring and Evaluation. It should be part of its responsibility to keep a keen eye on how Nigeria is doing in the areas of poverty eradication, job creation and inclusive growth.  Without accurate data and analysis, the Government and other stakeholders may not be able to know how well or otherwise Nigeria is and will be doing in these and other areas.”

    He regrets that to date Nigeria has no National policy on poverty eradication, job creation and inclusive growth. “While serving as the Secretary of NAPEP, I had volunteered and produced a draft of such a National policy. I presented it to my colleagues and it was well received.  However, with my posting out of NAPEP shortly after that and the subsequent scraping of NAPEP, nothing has been done in that regard.  There is need for the Government to take immediate action on this matter.”

    The National Empowerment and Inclusive Growth Agency or Commission – when approved – “should be mandated to take over the staff, assets and liabilities of the scrapped National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP). That way, there will be no need to worsen the unemployment situation in the country by sacking any of the NAPEP staff currently being paid, but basically idle at the moment. It will also not cost the Government much to set it up in that NAPEP already has furnished offices, vehicles and other assets across the Nation that the Commission or Agency can simply takeover. It will also be given, the mandate to administer a part of the N500B already approved in the 2016 Budget.”

    Some of the key attributes of great leaders are their lack of bitterness and ability to see challenges before they emanate. I see traces of these in Dr. Mou and hope the government not only embrace his timely intervention, but get him involved.

     

     

  • Why you should not use abusive words in relationship (2)

    IN this second part, we will be looking at more useful counsel on verbal abuse, a quick reminder of what is regarded as verbal abuse. The use of words that undermines someone’s self-worth and security through insults or humiliation with the intension to control the victim.Spoken words are very power in relationships. “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”. Contrary to this old saying, verbal abuse can severely damage a person mental health and social development, living lifelong psychological scars.

    Verbal abuse eats up a home slowly because a woman who is constantly humiliated, insulted, called names and yelled at by her husband will have some reservations when it comes to giving her all to the relationship.

    Remember that you can only receive what you give so if you give out love and respect, then you will get same in return. A person you disrespect cannot show you love. Therefore, your behaviour towards your spouse or partner will affect the state of your marriage. Every woman loves to be appreciated and acknowledged by her husband or partner, no matter the situation or circumstances.

    Marriage  gives you the true personality of your spouse, his or her strengths and weaknesses, bearing in mind that you don’t love a person because he or she is perfect. Instead, you love in anticipation that you will be able to bring out the best in the person.

    Husband and wife should learn to speak kind words to each other at all times, most especially in the presence of their children, knowing that children mostly copy and practise what they see their parents do. In addition, comparison should be avoided. Never compare your spouse to someone else, whether a co-worker, a friend’s wife or husband.

    Meanwhile, the truth is that a person you see from afar is easy to admire because your interaction with him or her is superficial. You really don’t know her flaws.  Total acceptance, tolerance and correction with good intension are the keys to a happy home.

    Furthermore, intimacy in marriage is to be enjoyed by husband and wife, so a situation where a man only shows love and care to his wife only when he wants to have sex portrays the woman as a toy with little or no value. If you want a good wife in bed, you must start being nice to her from the beginning.

    You cannot be nasty to your wife all day and expect a good wife at night. That’s really not possible because most women find it difficult to switch from one state of mind to another.  As a human being, our feelings affect our moods most times. You can only be in the right mood when you feel right.

    In the first part of this article, I stated that living with verbal abuse can take a great toll on someone’s health and general well-being, if not handled properly.

    Another way of dealing with issue of verbal abuse is to have effective communication with your spouse about how the way and manner he talks down on you affects you and the relationship and discuss the attitude in a very calm manner, not with a quarrel. If you are not getting any headway through  this means, your next step is to  visit a trained counsellor or speak out to a member of the family for help.

    Don’t be silent because your abuser gains more control when you don’t talk . He might kick against it at the beginning. Learn not to make a force, but keep at it in a nice way and don’t forget to take your situation to God in prayer while you add action to it by doing the aforementioned.

    Think more about yourself than your situation; take good care of yourself and be happy, take up a hobby that you enjoy, register with a gym if possible, exercise is a form of relaxation that makes you feel good with yourself. Nobody have the right to make you miserable.

    Don’t regard his attitude towards you as your fault. Another step is to avoid isolation. Instead, surround yourself with true friends and family members for support.

    Avoid engaging in conflict with your abuser. Be calm when he or she is upset. Don’t give room for him to call you names. Work away if possible without an attitude. Verbal abuse if not handled properly can give room to other form of abuse like physical abuse.

    Don’t get me wrong. I am not an advocate for divorce, but safety is very important and must not be neglected as they seek healthy ways to restore the right attitude towards one another because there is no moral justification whatsoever for a spouse to verbally abuse his or her spouse no matter the action. Take care of yourself and each other.

     

    Harriet Ogbobine is a counsellor and a motivational speaker. Send your questions and suggestions to her on bineharriet@gmail.com or text message only 08054682598. You can also follow her on twitter: @bineharrietj, blog: liwh.com.ng

  • Making a difference (2)

    DEAR Reader, You are welcome into God’s presence! May you be blessed as you read this article in Jesus’ name! My focus is still on Making a Difference. Last week, I shared with you, woman as God’s last born. This week, I will teach on the Productive Woman.

    Every woman is created to make a difference and not to be a burden. God’s intention is that wherever a woman is found, she becomes an asset, not a liability. Remember, when Eve joined Adam, life was supposed to be better for him; she was to be an asset to him, a help not a hindrance. The Word of God says: And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed (Genesis 2:8).

    Some time ago, God spoke these words to my heart, “Faith, you are born a blessing not a burden”. I picked up my Bible and wrote those words down. In every new Bible I get, I write them down on the first page, because I am determined to be a blessing to my world and not a burden.

    No matter your status as a woman, you must be productive and work with your hands, in order to make a difference. You are a creature of value. As I said in the first segment of this teaching, you are God’s crown of creation. As a crown of His creation, you have been made perfect. You have all it takes for you to be productive. Your beauty, value and worth are determined by how productive you are. There is no man who wants a wife that is a burden; every man wants to marry a woman who is an asset. If a woman is not productive, she will invariably be burdensome to her husband.

    There are many things your hands can find to do; all you have to do is open up your heart to God for divine ideas. When those ideas come, arrest them and don’t let them go. What I do is that wherever I am, I have a piece of paper and a pen to write down ideas that may drop into my spirit. Sometimes, certain ideas come to me while in church. The virtuous woman is productive; her hands are never idle. She is creative; her hands are ‘finding hands’. The Word of God says: She perceives that her merchandise is good: her candle goes not out by night (Proverbs 31:19).

    Productivity Entails Diligence

    I talked about Lydia in the first part of this teaching. She was a productive woman. She was a seller of purple (Acts 16:14). A productive woman is also a diligent worker. She rose up while it is still dark and went about her household chores. The Word of God says: She rises also while it is yet night, and gives meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens (Proverbs 31:15). This means that at the time other women were still tossing and turning in bed, she has awakened and begun seeing to the affairs of her home.

    The productive woman is orderly and organised. …And giveth meat to her household… In essence, she programmes her day by the help of the Holy Spirit. God believes in planning; that is why He allocated a particular time to sleep and a time to awake (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

    When it is time to work, go about your job, business or ministry diligently. Never let a day come and go, when you cannot define clearly what you accomplished. If your type of job gives you a lot of extra time, invest that time; don’t while it away.

    Perhaps you are a homemaker, that is, you are at home, full-time. Don’t say, “I don’t have a job”. A wise man once said, and I believe it very strongly, that the greatest factory where the most important product on earth is manufactured, is the home. That is true, because the home is where the next generation of human beings are produced.

    If you are a homemaker, be one with a difference! Let your family feel your impact. Be up early, tidy up the house, prepare sumptuous meals and get their clothes ready. Be diligent at your chores. Let your home be an example for others to follow.  The Word of God says: Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men (Proverbs 22:29).

    As a woman, see whatever is committed to you as a business, and be diligent at doing it. Sometimes, except you see your assignment at home as a business, you will not be diligent at it. Don’t only see it as a business, however, approach it as such. So, be diligent!

    I have discovered that diligence begins from the thoughts, then reflects in the words of the mouth and then shows up in the actions. The Word of God says: The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenty; but of every one that is hasty only to want (Proverbs 21:5). If you are lazy in the thoughts of your heart, you will find out that all you do is complain about your job and plan ways to rest at home. You may even pretend to be sick, just to get away from your place of assignment.

    However, it is important to know that the thoughts of the diligent lead to actions of diligence and those actions lead to God’s blessings. Diligence and productivity are essential tools for making a difference in our generation; we must embrace them. Peace!

    To be productive, you need God. To have access to God, you have to confess your sins and surrender your life to Christ. If you are ready for this new birth experience, please say this prayer: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to you today as a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. I believe You died and rose on the third day for my sins. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.

    If you prayed this simple prayer, you are now 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).

    Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org; OR 07026385437 and 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).

  • T.H.E.S.E Ambode sef (2)

    AS a fan of arts and entertainment, I always pray that men who appreciate the creative sector to be in power, because through them can one see the creative beauty of the ‘cerebral’ flowers in the day. The situation is not the same with politicians who see entertainers as sheer praise singers.

    What is this thing about the beauty of the flower in daylight, you may want to ask. Going by their nyctinastic trait, many types of plants open in the sunlight and close in the dark. Plants usually perform this movement to save their flowers from night-time nectar thieves like bats and moths or to protect themselves from night-time chill and other forms of harsh environmental conditions.

    Governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State is one of the few leaders in the country who seem to understand this socio-economic phenomenon, akin to the life of these smart species of plants. Given his background as a public finance and management consulting expert, he sure understands the role of arts and entertainment in the heart of his much touted Lagos tourism drive. Suffice to say the entertainment industry is like that ‘cerebral’ flower that has come to rescue our GDP from the ego and threats posed by oil, even as it remains an alternative means of IGR for the State.

    Tonight, as countries all over the world celebrate the UNESCO’s International Jazz Day, the Lagos State helmsman is living true to his campaign promise of providing the right platforms for entertainment to thrive. This is a part of the T.H.E.S.E acronym which as a whole bellies ‘Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment/Arts Sports for Excellence’.

    Ahead of today’s show, Ambode, on Wednesday, played host to key promoters of jazz music and concerts at the State House, where he shared his vision of Arts and Entertainment with them, and considered ways that government could be of support to the creative industry.

    I particularly like the ‘think big’ factor in the governor’s speech to his visitors when he said: “We want to emulate and even surpass the International Jazz Festival in Cape Town, South Africa, and then be on the world stage and that is the significance of this collaboration that we have decided to go into.” And talking in Naira and Kobo, Ambode’s constant reminder of the economic power of entertainment is commendable. “We want to use entertainment to grow our economy, create jobs for the people and create that global picture of what Lagos is and what Lagos is not,” he emphasised.

    Tagged “Lagos in tune with the world,” it is obvious that this show is preparatory to the bigger vision for Lagos tourism and build-up to a grand stage concert in 2017. Same for last December’s ‘One Lagos Fiesta,’ a five-day concert staged across five Lagos communities – Ikorodu, Epe, Agege, Badagry and Lagos Island – and parading performing artistes too numerous to mention.

    I eagerly wait for that day when all the tourism potentials in Lagos State will be harnessed for the all-important social and economic benefits that Ambode craves: the entertainment centers, historical sites, cultural events, natural landscape and topography traversed by sea and lagoon waters, enormous beaches and waterfronts, sea foods and other numerous delicacies that define a true metropolitan city.

    With 114 roads earmarked for construction and reconstruction by the incumbent administration, the Blue Light Rail project from Marina, and the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge, there is no doubt that traffic jam which is a major put-off for even visitors to Lagos from other states, many will soon begin to rethink their destination of choice.

    Meanwhile, let us enjoy the Jazz shows taking place at different Lagos venues today, including the one being hosted by the Governor, with Gbenga Adeyinka and Dare Art Alade as anchors and an impressive line-up of artistes such as Lekan Babalola (a two-time co-Grammy winner), Herbert Kunle Ajayi, Bright Gain, Adeh and the Spectacle Band, Ubong Ntia and, Sam and the Jazz Apostles featuring Dera.

  • Secrets to marital bliss (2)

    DEAR Reader, last week, one of the secrets to marital bliss, which is wisdom, was unlocked to us. This week, we will yet be looking at another secret, Effective Communication.

    There are many families on this earth that are not alive, but dead. They are just existing by name. When it comes to how each member relates to the other, there is no life, no communication. You won’t believe that such people are from the same family by the way they treat each other.

    Being a family by name alone means bearing the family name e.g. Ademola’s family, Olushola’s family etc. When it comes to common characteristics e.g. love, discussions, doing things together, etc., they are poles apart. This ought not to be so, but the life line (communication) is not functioning properly, and in some cases it has been cut off. To prevent your family from merely existing, instead of thriving (growing strong, healthy, prospering etc), don’t just talk to each other at home; rather, you must learn to communicate effectively.

    The difference between talking and communication is: talking is one way and may not necessarily be sincere (truth and sincerity are probably absent), but communication and the right kind is two-way – both parties are airing their views and truth, and sincerity are involved. To communicate means to share or exchange information.  You may ask, “This is what I think; how about you?   What do you think?” It also means to consider the other person’s view; or to be connected.

    It is coined from the word communion, which means “sharing in common.” A wise man once said, “If you talk together, you will stay together” and the opposite is true too. Any conversation which is one-way falls short of God’s ideal in the family.

    For instance, if as a couple, you as the wife are always talking and never allowing your husband to speak or properly express himself, you will find out that most times he will end up doing things that surprise you. You may feel, “He never discussed it with me”. Probably, you didn’t give him the time to discuss with you; rather, you controlled the conversation most times. My husband once said, “Poor communication is the major cause for brutality”.  Since they can’t communicate effectively, such couples resort to physical combat and violence, in order to express their deep feelings.

    Most times, you find out that your children are not opening up to you all of a sudden, and you are panicking because they are becoming strangers to you. Maybe you haven’t created time to spend with them and discuss or you have been the only one talking in your discussions with them and not encouraging them to share their minds and feelings with you, or you scold them too often. Try and think of when the breakdown in communication started.

    Effective communication begins with having a good relationship with Jesus Christ. This is done by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. If you are ready for this new birth experience, please say this prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the living God. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”

    If you prayed this simple prayer, you are now 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).

    Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org; OR 07026385437 and 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).