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Tag: Beware

  • Beware of alternatives!(1)

    Beware of alternatives!(1)

    • Text: James 1:2 -4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds

    What makes or mars the destiny of a life, family, enterprise or nation is the rightness or wrongness of the choices made. It is not about what seems right but it is on the exactitude of your decisions under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Proverbs 16:25 says that “there is a way that seemeth right unto a man but it is the way of death”. As there are right ways and associations which have the capacity to lead to your Promised land, there are also the wrong paths and people that have the power to derail your life purpose. If you desire heavenly blessings here and a place in heaven when the labor of the laborers shall end, you must be very intentional about doing what is right and associating with the right people, under divine leading, and not do what you like or befriend anyone who appears good. You must incline your ears and heart to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 30:21 that, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to your left”. The choice you make will either make you or mar your life.

    Your decision concerning who to marry for instance is a determinant of whether you will endure marriage or enjoy it. Lots of people are in marital bondages today because their decisions were made based on outward beauty, seemingly promising careers and wealthy family background to the neglect of the more important inner Christian values. Any decision taken without divine leading will lead ultimately to challenges and a crash. Paul told the Romans in Romans 8:6 that, “To be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life but to be spiritually minded is life and peace”.

    The choice of what career to pursue or who to partner with in business can either bring out your stardom or elevate your nuisance value. Everything in life is about choices, and your life success is hinged on your deliberate intention to do what is right and not what you like.  The children of Issachar were men of understanding because they knew what they were supposed to do hence all their brethren were at their command (1 Chronicles 12:32). When you follow the right path, God will bless you beyond your imagination because, “He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that can ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). When you take the right steps, God will restore your past years and great shall be your reward. Joel 2:25 says, “And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you”.

    James, supposedly the half brother of Jesus Christ, a man who had experienced the gruesome murder of a brother in the presence of Mary their mother, the Saviour who was accused of what He never did and was deserted by all He assisted and brought joy to their lives. James wrote, with a benefit of hindsight, that, dear brothers and sisters, whenever you get to a life crossroad, whenever you encounter troubles or people gang up against you and you are faced with the choice of asking, “Lord, Why me?”, he declared that the option to be picked is praises to God. He concluded it that with that right decision, you shall grow into maturity and you shall lack nothing.

    Dear beloved, the first alternative which you must be wary of is not serving God. God said in Exodus 23:25, 26, that, “You must serve the Lord your God. If you do so, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long lives”. You were created to serve God with all your heart, soul, body and strength (cf Mark 12:30). Anyone who does not serve God will shortchange His divine blessings, will not be protected from sicknesses, will experience miscarriages of the good things of life, will have testimonies of failure at the edge of breakthroughs and live a frustrated life. The second thing you must be wary of is the alternative of Fear or doubt. James 1:6-8 says that, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed of the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the God”. Fear or doubt makes things very difficult for children of God. It also makes prayers said not answered; but when you have faith that tomorrow shall be alright, the mountains and challenges in your life shall be moved. This shall be your portion during this season of Lent in the name of Jesus Christ.

    Read Also: Tinubu seeks support for Africa’s battle against arms proliferation, others

    The third choice you must flee is when to put your trust in any human being. In Jeremiah 17:5-10, God said that, “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes”. When you put your trust in God absolutely, He will open your eyes to see good when it comes and great shall be your heritage.

    During this time of Lent, you need to ask God to come into your life, you must repent of your sins, ask God to open your eyes to your past errors, pray for grace to be able to amend your ways and it shall be well with you in the name of Jesus Christ.

    Prayers: Lord, give me by the power of the Holy Spirit to be able to make the right choices in the name of Jesus Christ.

  • Beware…social media makes, mars business

    The rise of and acceptance of social media platforms could either make or mar businesses, an information communications technology (ICT) expert, has warned.

    Speaking during an event hosted by Redwire Marketing Group in partnership with Social Media Week at Oriental Hotel, Lagos, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Syracuse Digital, Sunkanmi Ola, warned that social media such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and many others which have become veritable digital marketing platforms are double-edged swords because of their capability to either grow or kill businesses.

    Redwire Marketing Consulting is an insights-driven marketing and brand consultancy committed to helping its clients build and sustain transformational brands and marketing programmes.

    Speaking on: Measuring the Returns on Social Media Investment, the theme of the forum, Ola said while traditional marketing appeals to local audience, difficult to measure, expensive to run, static because there is no way to interact and get feedback, he said digital marketing has an infinite audience-appeals to local and global audience, allows for customer interaction, viral and it is measurable.

    He said for businesses to plan influencer marketing campaigns, there must first be research and discovery; strategy and planning; identification and engagement; campaign management; measuring and reporting; and finally maintenance.

    He urged businesses to be careful about how they manage crises on social media, warning that if the right approach was not deployed, it could worsen the situation and become counter-productive.

    In crisis managment, Ola said the first step was to detect what the crisis was all about, listen on the appropriate platforms, identify the negative key words and act swiftly before the matter went viral.

    He said those involve as well as the issue and why it happened must be identified and resolved amicably.

    According to him, response to crisis must also be in a thoughtful, polite and transparent manner, adding that precaution must be taken so that there will not be a repeat of what happened. He urged small businesses leveraging social media platforms for brand exposition to keep listening and take note on feedbacks received through interactions.

    The event, which was independently held under the Social Media Week also featured a panelist session consisting of professionals from various endeavors who have leveraged social media and other digital channels in building brands and generating significant business revenue.

    Doyinsola Ajayi of Redwire Marketing Group said the purpose of the event was to provide key insight and educate the audience – comprising leaders in the marketing industry, business persons and young professionals – on ways of maximising social media marketing budgets to get the best returns, in terms of engagement, financial profitability and overall brand value.

  • Beware of adverse effects of common currency, Emefiele warns

    Countries of the West Africa Sub-region have failed to meet all the convergence criteria for a common currency and unified monetary zone.

    Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele has cautioned member countries of the sub-region not to let the desire for a common currency and economic prosperity for their people blind them to the adverse and contagion factors associated with a unified monetary area and common currency.

    Speaking at the 37th Meeting of the Committee of Governors of Central Banks of the West African Monetary Zone in Abuja yesterday, Emefiele cautioned that “our desire for greater economic prosperity for our people through a common monetary union must not vitiate our awareness of the potential adverse and contagion factors associated with unified monetary area and common currency.”

    Specifically, Emefiele noted that “the unfolding trade war between the United States, China and the West portends both opportunities and challenges for our region’s economy, depending on how we approach it individually as nations. Nonetheless, while the shocks to individual economies might vary in magnitude and intensity, it might yet be an opportunity for us to look inward and strategize on how best to fill the trade gap that would ensue.”

    Going forward, Nigeria’s Central Bank Governor advocated that “now is the time to create the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) Commission to drive our common interests and aspirations. We must intensify our level of cooperation and collaboration through strong bonds to work as a unit within the ECOWAS monetary union programme to achieve our shared objective.”

    Emefiele stated that “it has become imperative for us to bring this collective resolve to bear as we embark on a thorough review of the economic conditions of member countries vis-a-vis their levels of preparedness for the monetary union and economic integration of the sub-region.”

    For this reason, the report of the 33rd Meeting of Joint Technical Committee that is scheduled to be submitted in course of the WAMZ meetings he said “should be meticulously and objectively studied for the purpose of gaining more clarity on the level of preparedness of member countries  for regional integration.”

  • Beware of fake news, Minister tells Nigerians in Diaspora

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has urged Nigerians in the Diaspora not to believe everything they read on the social media about happenings in the country, saying most of what emanates from the social media is fake news.

    The minister who was addressing the staff of the Nigerian Embassy to the United States in Washington, DC, at the weekend, said they should rely on credible sources for news from home.

    He said the federal government recently launched the National Campaign against Fake News in order to stem the spread of false and misleading information, which is capable of threatening the peace and security of the country.

    The minister, who was in the US to interact with past and current senior US government officials and stakeholders in the US policy on Africa, under the auspices of the think tank Atlantic Council, said the picture being painted in some circles of an ethno-religious crisis in the country was far from the truth.

    According to him, ‘’Despite such crises as the farmers-herders clashes and communal conflicts, Nigerians – for the most part – are living together harmoniously. Nigeria is not at war.’’

    He said the tempo of the killings arising from the farmers-herders crisis was going down, and that the government was committed to ending the incessant clashes once and for all.

  • Girls, beware of Gifts from guys

    Girls, beware of Gifts from guys

    DEAR Sister Temilolu, You have been a blessing to me and my sister through your articles in The Nation on Sunday. I call it my Sunday school lecture. I pray God will bless you even beyond your imagination in Jesus name.

    Moyinoluwa, Kwara State

     

    Dear Aunty Temi,

    I’m a guy but I love reading your articles. I’ve been dating a girl who claims she’s a virgin and wishes to remain so and because of this, I decided not to bother her about sex. Since we began dating, I have spent my school fees and project fees on her because of her pride. But all of a sudden, she changed and said that she can’t marry me because I’m a Christian. Now, I have decided to force her to have sex with me unless she refunds all the money I’ve ever given her and returns the techno phone I presented to her on her birthday. If she doesn’t, I would rape her and deflower her. Aunty, please reply now before I take action. Thanks.

    Bosun

     

    Happy Independence dear Nigerians!

    My darling, precious, glorious, dignified, world-famous and heavenly celebrated Nigerian sisters,

    As Esther found favour and grace before the king in the 10th month and was crowned queen, so shall you find favour with God and man this month in Jesus mighty name. Happy new month!

    When I read Bosun’s text, I flew up from my bed and immediately called him. I had to plead with him in God’s name to ignore the girl and move on with his life. I also subtly berated him for giving out his school and project fees. He didn’t have to do that because he’s not the girl’s brother, uncle or father who has to deny himself to send his sister or daughter to school. After pleading with him and encouraging him to leave things to God and also expect a reward from God for not taking out his revenge on the girl, he promised to let her be.

    It’s good to be generous but not when the generosity is in expectation of having a sexual relationship. Unfortunately, that appears to be the order of the day. Men are not Santa Clauses and this is a time when an average girl would do anything to have some money, so 90% of them expect you to be ready to give them some sexual favour in return for their largess on you. It doesn’t matter that he hasn’t asked you out or made any amorous advances. In fact, the smarter ones would keep dazzling you with their generosity just to conquer your heart and weaken your resistance so by the time they are ready to launch their attack on you, you are left with little or no choice to become their sex slave and most especially when you are so carried away by what you’ve been enjoying and can’t imagine living a life without these goodies. A lot of you could say after all the entire world is engaging in it, your parents could even be encouraging you but I tell you, you are polluting yourself and may be denying yourself what could make you rich enough to buy yourself an aircraft and more before age 40! Why can’t you preserve your goodness and in future enjoy what all the men chasing you can never give you? I bind every lothario chasing you! May God arise and send you help from His sanctuary!

    I invite you to follow me on facebook –TEMILOLU OKEOWO (not Temilolu okeowo girls club or TEMILOLU OKEOWO Girls Club group).

    Scam Alert: Temilolu okeowo girls club page and group as well as Temilolu cares for you are fake facebook accounts.

    Are you still engaging in pre-marital sex? Each act devalues you! Your wonders are waiting to start. God is waiting for you to become a secondary virgin!

  • Romantics beware!

    oruba romantics, whose fanciful solution to Nigeria’s crisis of nationhood is the creation of a Republic of Oduduwa, would do well to observe the “neo-Kiriji War” going on between two neighbouring Yoruba states, Ondo and Osun, now latterly escalated in a third, Ogun.

    The opening shots boomed at Akure, Ondo State, during the Ondo public hearing on restructuring, organized by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Bola Ilori, Ondo native but commissioner for Regional Integration in neighbouring Osun, stepped outside the venue of the hearing to have a media interview.  Before you could call “Bola”, or utter “Ilori”, the thugs had come descending on him, mugged him black and blue, and made a yawning rag of his clothes.

    The thugs’ grouse?  That Ilori had the audacity and temerity to show his face at Akure, claiming to be an APC partisan — the same place he had led the campaign thrust of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) candidate during the Ondo gubernatorial election, which APC candidate and sitting governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, won.

    Ilori had fingered a top official of the Ondo government behind his assault, a charge which the other party has denied.

    But virtually before this bout of accusation and counter-accusation ended, another theatre of war had opened in coastal Ogun State.  It was a football match, in Ijebu Ode, between Ondo’s Sunshine Stars of Akure and Osun United, based in Osogbo.

    Well, Sunshine dimmed United, with two un-replied goals.  But that wasn’t the story, for in sports one side would win and the other would lose.  The sad news was that the “war” that started Akure, had continued in Ijebu-Ode!

    It could be logical to hold that since Osun United lost the match, their bad-tempered supporters and bad losers just descended on the victorious side.

    But then, the Osun side also regaled everyone with pictures of their vandalized buses, as part of the post-match fracas at Ijebu Ode.  This is a very unfortunate development, especially for a region that fancies itself the champion of restructuring, regionalization, regional integration, and allied buzzes.

    In pursuing their re-federalization advocacy, not a few went emotively overboard, telling themselves the South West was better off carved out as “Republic of Oduduwa”.  Since the Yoruba were the best to ever come out of Obatala’s nativity mill, for Olodumare’s vital breath of life, the moment the Yoruba leave Nigeria, their land would transform into instant paradise.  Some dream!

    Now, the Ondo-Osun tango is not between the Lagos-Ogun coastal elite, and the up-country Yoruba folks they, with utter condescension, dismiss as “ara oke” (up-country denizens).  It is rather within the “ara oke” themselves, up-country fellow code be damned!  Is that the sheer el-dorado that awaits the beatific Oodua Republic?

    Nigeria has its own issues, many of them grave and grievous, which must be addressed fast for the country to make progress.  But the solution is certainly not in ethnic enclaves, where former Nigerians would suddenly become angels, that would live happily ever after.  That is sheer fantasy.

    Balkanization cannot solve the Nigerian problem.  Only an inclusive and productive federal arrangement can.  That demands punishing thinking not luxurious emotions, that dream up Oodua, Biafra or even Arewa republics.

    Let Ondo and Osun stop this show of shame.  But it is living proof that disintegration, by ethnic escapism, is no quick fix to current Nigerian problems.

  • Nigerian parents beware

    What we see in some homes, even churches and mosques, and finally in society, point to nothing but the dreaded end time sodomy

    My article: Seriously Thinking – Nigeria and Religion of 6 August, 2017 was so well received I believe Nigerian parents should benefit from the following piece which revolves around private universities to which they send their children and wards at great cost. The worst mistake any parent can make is to say, no, my daughter cannot do this. Satan, by its own confession, is “going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it” (Job 1:7), and peer pressure can be very strong. I therefore urge a sober reading of the piece, though apocryphal, it may very well be. Slightly edited for our purpose, this being a family paper, it is signed off as indicated at the end. After all, if the exertions of newspaper columnists go to nothing for our politicians, segments of our society should, once in a while, find them useful.

    … It was a pool party.

    And they were there.

    Men who have achieved.

    Money, power and fame.

    Men in their prime, who tell time to hold still since they have refused to age, and it grudgingly obeys.

    They dress young, they dance young, and act young.

    They are current on all fronts.

    Most of them parents themselves but mentally and emotionally single.

    At this party which they threw in a high brow residence in an exclusive part of Ikoyi there was an abundance of food, drinks, drugs and real youth.

    Girls in their late teens and early twenties.

    Well spoken and extensively travelled.

    Daughters of the very rich.

    All of them students.

    All of them wearing nothing.

    Some were in the swimming pool, some at the bar, some danced under the cabana, others were hobnobbing with the men, all in swimming trunks clad men at the specially lit pool area that stood under the starry night sky.

    And I sat with one of them.

    She was caramel smooth, finely contoured, delicately featured and doll like.

    She was twenty going on twenty-one.

    And a sophomore at?  university.

    To every question I asked, she took a drag from the reefer in her hand, blow out the smoke through her mouth and nostrils, took a sip from her glass of Hennessey and coke on ice before she responded.

    Her voice was sweet.

    And her smile, rapturous.

    “I heard students need permission to leave your school. How could you get out this late and stay overnight?”

    “We have our ways.”

    “We?”

    “Yeah all of us.”

    “From? University ?”

    “Not all. Some from Covenant, Redeemers, Madonna, ABUAD, Pan African, etc.”

    “No UNILAG or UI?”

    “They ain’t boujee.”

    “Boujee?”

    “Yeah. They are crass. Men like you guys don’t want to roll with local cats like those, right?”

    I looked at her silently as she took a drag from her reef.

    The aroma assailed it. It was caustic yet not aggravating.

    “What’s that?”

    “Comorado.”

    “What’s that?”

    She laughed.

    “It’s good stuff. Hits you slowly and then makes you soar like superman.”

    I looked around and saw the girls doing one thing or another in their nudity.

    She was staring at me.

    “Is this your first party?”

    I nodded.

    “No wonder you are asking all these hang questions.”

    “Why do you do this?”

    “I’m young. I need to live life before it becomes too serious and I have to be all grown up.”

    “But why the drugs?”

    “Because.”

    “Because what?”

    “Because this is how we roll. Everyone has their poison. If you not on reef, you do codeine or cocaine or heroin or speed or AZT or ecstasy or royfenol or fentanyl or meth or oxy or worst case you inhale glue and get your high.”

    I stared at her as she inhaled and exhaled languidly.

    “Why the parties?”

    “You get your hit for free here. You have fun. You make good money.”

    “But for you to attend those schools you must be rich.”

    “My parents are not me.”

    “But they give you money.”

    “They pay the tuition and all. Not like they can give me a million in cash.”

    “Do you get a million here?”

    “Well two or three parties can make me that.”

    “Aren’t you afraid of running into your Dad at places like this?”

    “Naaaa… my dad is too square and busy but even if he is not then it is his problem after all he came here for what I came here for, so he can’t tell me nothing.”

    I fell silent and watched her inhale and exhale smoke.

    “But you know, your folks put you in schools like that to protect you?”

    “To protect me?”

    “Yes.”

    “They are too busy to even bother.”

    “No they are not.”

    “Yes they are. They think the school will be both my teachers and my parents.”

    “I think they are just worried about you getting corrupted.”

    “I was balling like this under their nose and they didn’t even notice. Funny thing is that even the innocent Jane gets influenced in school, so what was the use of all the headache of keeping us locked up in all these secondary schools that front as universities.

    “They did it out of love and with the belief that those schools are way better than the public ones.

    “Well they fucked up.”

    “Fucked up?”

    “Is this an interview or what?”

    “No I am just intrigued.”

    “And I am horny.”

    I fell silent.

    She dragged, exhaled, took a drink from her glass, sucked on one of the ice cubes in her mouth and asked in a whisper.

    “Are you going to do anything about it?”

    Jude Idada Copied.

    Below are a few comments on the forum from which I first saw the piece.

    Kunle, a business consultant, quipped: Again we are seeing the effects of failed parenting! Parents are the first teachers, trainers, mentors and the all-time mind builders. These girls did not get to all these in a dash. What we see in some homes, even churches and mosques, and finally in society, point to nothing but the dreaded end time sodomy.

    And Goke, a widely travelled geologist, wrote: I am speechless!  Speechless that it is confirmed to be a culture of many of our children in these private and restricted colleges.

    I am not particularly surprised as about two years ago I ran into some students (male and female, in their late teens and early 20) from a popular university at the poolside of a popular hotel in town and I couldn’t but turn up a parent’s instinct. I called them up from the pool side as they were rowdy, licentious, and appeared to be high on something. They were openly smoking cigarettes and drinking liquor like there would be no tomorrow. I gave them a lecture on the need for decorum in public places and the need to be less adventurous on the road to perdition. I honestly thought we were up to something with my ‘sermon’ until one of them asked me to buy them more drinks and cigarettes, a request which they all endorsed.

     I was aghast and sad.

     The reader will be free to make, his or her pick of the above. But let us conclude this homily by this sobering thought, offered by another commentator.

    “The government, parents, the legal institutions, the educational system, the faith-based organisations and public morality have all failed. In this kind of situation there cannot be a snow-white family apron. Even when you have a gracious parentage, the offspring surely will be influenced by peer groups and the decadence of human existentialism, which is the lot of Nigeria today. When you have extremely bad governance, at all levels, the negative impact creates the osmosis that sinks into the fabric of the entire filthy edifice of our nation. Bob Marley had wondered why we were building universities only to produce thieves and murderers. What, for instance, has government done to extirpate the violent cultism in our institutions of higher learning? Absolutely nothing!!! If you want to have a feel of how many miles Nigeria has been walking backwards, just pay a visit to the primary school you attended.”

     

  • Whistleblowers, beware!

    It would be interesting to know what thoughts are going through Abubakar Sani’s mind right now. As a result of a court order, he will be remanded in prison custody till the case in which he is the accused comes up for hearing on November 2, three full months away.

    Sani was arraigned before Justice Aliyu Tukur of the Kaduna State High Court, on July 13, accused of  providing false information and misleading a public officer while on lawful duty. His trial was triggered by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on the grounds that his information had prompted a fruitless raid on the Kaduna residence of former Vice President Namadi Sambo on June 28, by ICPC and Directorate of State Services (DSS) operatives.

    A report said: “Counsel to the commission, Elijah Akaakohol, said the accused had provided the false information to an official of the commission on June 21, 2017. Akaakohol told the court that Sani had claimed to have transported boxes of money in local and foreign currencies from Abuja airport to the house at Ungwan Rimi GRA, Kaduna in 2013, which he suspected to be ill-gotten wealth and still at the house. The counsel added that it was based on the claim that the accused “made officers of the commission to carry out a sting operation that turned out to be false.”

    Interestingly, the report continued: “Sani, who appeared at the court without legal representation, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.”  This may well mean that Sani is unapologetic, which may further mean that he knew what he was talking about when he gave information about alleged hidden ill-gotten wealth to the agency.

    It is noteworthy that Sani reportedly claimed to have participated in moving the said money to the said house. Or could he have lied about this? Why? He should know what he is talking about. Sani would have arrived at a rough idea of what his reward should be like for providing such information.  His calculation would have been informed by the Federal Government’s publicised range of reward for such whistleblowing.

    This is how the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, presented  the whistleblowing aspect of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s anti-corruption strategy for the recovery of stolen public funds: “The whistleblowing policy is a very simple policy through which we encourage Nigerians who have any information about the violation of our rights, commission of a crime, fraud or corruption or any Nigerian who knows where certain money is being held or kept to anonymously contact us. We will protect his or her identity and if the information leads to the recovery of money, he or she will be entitled to 2.5 per cent or 5 per cent of the money recovered.”

    Predictably, Sani must have had huge dreams of a huge monetary entitlement, considering that the information he supplied had to do with alleged boxes of money in local and foreign currencies.

    It is intriguing that there is no defining portrait of Sani. For instance, who is he and what is he? How did he get involved in moving the said money? Was he paid for his role?   If he was, who paid him? How much was he paid? If he wasn’t paid for his role, why wasn’t he paid? Should he have been paid?

    Why did Sani blow the whistle?  This question suggests the possibility that he had a real reason for whistleblowing, meaning a fact-based reason for whistleblowing.  The so-called whistleblowing policy, unprecedented in Nigeria’s political history, presents two choices: To blow or not to blow. It may not be as easy as it sounds.  Where the whistleblower blows the whistle, it reflects a decision that whistleblowing is what to do in the prevailing circumstances, whether in obedience to moral influences or in obedience to less noble influences. Where there is a deliberate decision not to blow the whistle, it may well be that there is no burden of responsibility, and there is no desperation to make easy money.

    Whatever might have been Sani’s spur, what he is going through because of it raises questions about the workings of the whistleblowing policy. In the first place, is there convincing evidence that the information he supplied was contrived? Not finding the said money at the said house doesn’t necessarily mean the money was never there. Also, it doesn’t necessarily mean the money was there at some point but is no longer there.  What it means is that a thorough investigation is necessary to establish whether such money was ever there.

    This particular whistleblowing case is particularly fascinating because it also involves former Vice President Namadi Sambo.  About two weeks before the whistleblower was arraigned, Sambo had issued a statement through his spokesman, which said of the June 28 raid:  ”This raid brings to four the number of times the residence was searched within a period of six months… At the end of the whole exercise, the officers, who carried out the search were satisfied that nothing incriminating was found.”

    It is thought-provoking that the statement described the search as “a fault-finding mission,” adding, “We are apprehensive that a repeat of such episode will not be surprising if an incriminating object is planted in his residence in order to willfully and deliberately incriminate him.”  The suggestion that Sambo may be the target of a frame-up is food for thought.

    About two weeks after Sambo’s statement was publicised, Sani appeared in court, charged with misleading the ICPC by supplying misleading information to the anti-graft agency.  Now that Sani has been exposed as the source of the information that necessitated the search of Sambo’s house, will it make Sambo less fearful of a possible plot against him by the security agencies?

    Considering Sani’s experience, those who want to be whistleblowers at this time need to be sure that the information they provide to anti-corruption agencies is correct and up to date. In other words, they need to provide current information about what they want to expose. So, whistleblowers, beware!

  • Beware! Recycling contaminates plastic toys

    Beware! Recycling contaminates plastic toys

    Some banned toxic flame retardant chemicals are now found in recycled plastics in form of e-waste, which are being made into several toys for children to play with. It is believed that the popular magic puzzle toys called “Rubik” contain these harmful chemicals.

    Though these chemicals are already banned, the Stockholm Convention is however yet to address their use in recycled form, so the case is for the Convention to take action in extending the ban to their not being used in recycled plastics, which is considered a threat to children’s health. The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) is an international environmental treaty, signed in 2001 and effective from May 2004, that aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of POPs.

    Observers see the situation as a case of another toxic dump on Africa by Asian countries, where most of the toys come from.

    Indeed, a new global survey has found out that recycling plastics containing toxic flame retardant chemicals found in electronic waste results in contamination of the world’s best-selling toy along with other children’s products. Ironically, the chemical contaminants can damage the nervous system and reduce intellectual capacity but are found in Rubik’s Cubes – a puzzle toy designed to exercise the mind.

    The study was performed by IPEN (a global civil society network), Arnika (an environmental organisation in the Czech Republic) and SRADev Nigeria (a national NGO). The toxic chemicals, OctaBDE, DecaBDE and HBCD, are used in the plastic casings of electronic products and if they are not removed, they are carried into new products when the plastic is recycled.

    The survey of products from 26 countries, including Nigeria, found that 90 percent of the samples contained OctaBDE or DecaBDE. Nearly half of them (43%) contained HBCD.

    In Nigeria, SRADev purchased 18 rubik’s cube-like toys and sent them for analysis to the Czech Republic. Fourteen samples were chosen for laboratory tests. The analysis found that all 14 samples contained OctaBDE and DecaBDE at elevated concentrations. One of the samples from Nigeria  tested with the highest concentration of OctaBDE among 111 samples from 26 countries. These chemicals are persistent and known to harm the reproductive system and disrupt hormone systems, adversely impacting intelligence, attention, learning and memory.

    “Toxic chemicals in electronic waste should not be present in children’s toys,” said Leslie Adogame, Executive Director of SRADev Nigeria. “This problem needs to be addressed globally and nationally.”

    The result of the study emerges just a few days before the global Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Stockholm Convention will decide whether to continue allowing the recycling of materials containing OctaBDE and possibly make a new recycling exemption for DecaBDE. The treaty’s expert committee has warned against the practice.

    “Recycling materials that contain toxic chemicals contaminates new products, continues exposure, and undermines the credibility of recycling,” said Joe DiGangi, IPEN. “Governments should end this harmful loophole.”

  • SON to tyre users: Beware!

    SON to tyre users: Beware!

    Mrs. Ebere Okoye bought four brand new 15 rim tyres from a man simply identified as Emma from his shop at No. 38 Fatai Atere Way, Mushin, Lagos, as she prepared to travel home for the Christmas.

    On the fateful day, her driver gripping the steering wheel of the Honda Accord car with confidence calculated that at a steady speed of 100 kilometres per hour, he would be able to enter Onitsha under six hours barring any incidence especially as the car has been fitted with brand new tyres.

    He had gone to a professional to fit the tyres and, immediately after, took the car for wheel balancing and alignment just to make sure that everything was perfect as he was embarking on the long journey with a family of four.

    Leaving home as early as 5a.m in order to beat traffic hold ups, he was happy that after about three hours, he was almost at Ore, Ondo State. But all of a sudden, he heard a big burst and everyone in the car screamed ‘Jesus’ out of fear.

    Alarmed and gripping the steering hard, without applying brakes, he managed successfully to steer the car off the highway. Relieved that no further damage was done, they successfully got a vulcaniser after about 45minutes. After changing the burst tyre with the spare, they continued the journey though very apprehensive and mindful that they had no spare tyre now.

    At Ore town, they had to buy another spare tyre at a very exorbitant price. The question on the mind of every occupant of the car was: how could a brand new tyre bought just a week ago burst just like that?

    As he continued the journey, just after Benin Bye Pass, he heard a big blast, intimating him that one of the rear tyres has gone burst. Pulling over, to his surprise and chagrin, he realised it was one of the new ones that was recently bought and not even the spare tyre.

    The third tyre went burst on Niger Bridge. Out of annoyance, Okoye searched through her bag and pulled out the receipt she was issued when she bought the tyres. In annoyance, she called Emma threatening to get him arrested anytime she gets back to Lagos. Feigning surprise, the seller explained that other people that bought the tyres did not complain and that even if the tyres were substandard that he did not manufacture them.

    Just last week, Engineer Kester Ajayi left his house in Surulere in his Mercedes car to his office at Alausa, Ikeja. Not up to five minutes of driving along Ikorodu Road, one of his front tyres which he attested to be brand new went burst, causing the car to somersault several times before finally resting on its side. The only occupant, Ajayi, sustained injuries.

    Most of us are quite familiar with the story of Chief James Ocholi, the former Minister of State for Labour who died with his wife and son as a result of an accident occasioned by a burst tyre.

    Explaining how the minister, his wife and his 20-year-old son died, Kaduna State Sector Commander of FRSC, Francis Udoma, said the rear tyre of the SUV they were travelling in went burst, while the vehicle skidded off the road and somersaulted several times into the bush. The minister and his son died on the spot while the wife died later in hospital.

    Okoye, her family and Ajayi were lucky, but the minister, his family and many others were not lucky. The stories are endless.

    The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has been on their toes trying to curb and stop the importation and smuggling into the country of substandard tyres

    Last weekend, many were speechless and taken aback when SON conducted journalists to a massive warehouse beside Navy Barracks, Ojo, Statellite town, Lagos, that was filled with over two million substandard tyres imported into the country by the duo  of Taolung Shen and Xu Jing Yau, Chinese nationals.

    Abuses were hurled at the callous importers as they were paraded before journalists. People wondered at the cruelty and lack of regard for human life they exhibited by bringing into the country tyres which from the look and texture of most of them were already weak and not likely to withstand any road pressure.

    Tempers ran even higher as people examining the tyres noticed that they were also post dated. Some of the tyres had manufactured dates as March, January, February 2017, while the day of this inspection was February 25th 2017.

    The first comment from the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of SON, Osita Aboloma, as he walked into the premises, horrified at the sight of the huge number of substandard tyres, was, “this is a terrible shame.”  A terrible shame that importers could sear their conscience and endanger human lives like that. A terrible shame that with all the warnings and everything that the agency has put in place to deter such unscrupulous importers from such wickedness they still engage in it.

    The tyres described by the agency as the largest seizure of substandard tyres in one swoop in the history of Nigeria is over two million and worth over N5 billion.

    The DG and CEO of SON, who took journalists round the warehouse, described the tyres as dead on arrival, adding that allowing them to enter the market amounted to surreptitiously taking away the lives of millions of Nigerians.

    Apart from being substandard tyres, the two arrested Chinese importers were also cloning different sizes of tyres in the warehouse under brand names of Powertrace, Aptany, Harmony, Daraturn, Bearway, City Tour, Winda, Glory, Chachland, City Grand, Grandsonte [Tyre Type] and Sunny [for tricycle], among others.

    Many of the tyres arrived the country with about five tyres stuffed into one resulting in the tyres bending and most of them ruptured and looking weak and slack.

    The Chinese then adorned them with new tyre labels and shining linings to create the impression of being new and strong.

    According to the SON DG, “We have over 60 containers of tyres, actually stuffed tyre to be precise. Again, even if these are to be standard tyres, the fact that up to five of them were tucked into one, with operators using rods to separate from one another when they reached Nigeria, the tyres will naturally become substandard.