The Nation Newspaper

Tag: love

  • Love. Marriage. And Death

    “THEN said Almitra, ‘Speak to us of Love.’

    And he raised his head and looked upon the people, and there fell a stillness upon them. And with a great voice he said:

    When love beckons to you, follow him,

    Though his ways are hard and steep.

    And When his wings enfold you yield to him,

    Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.

    And When he speaks to you believe in him,

    Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden. . .

     

    THEN Almitra spoke again and said, And what of Marriage, master?

    And he answered saying:

    You were born together, and together you shall be for evermore.

    You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.

    Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.

    But let there be spaces in your togetherness.

    And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

    Love one another, but make not a bond of love:

    Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls ….

    And stand together yet not too near together:

    For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

    And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow. . .

     

    THEN Almitra spoke, saying, “We would ask now of Death.”

    And he said:

    You would know the secret of death.

    But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?

    The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.

    If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.

    For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.

    IN the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond…

     

    —Excerpted from Khalil Gibran’s ‘The Prophet’.

     

    Many tragic conclusions to numerous love stories had ignited that famous question in one of Whitney Houston’s unforgettable oldies, “Where do broken hearts go?” Love, they say, is a beautiful experience that conquers all. Yet, it has its irony, its paradox. It is dangerously wicked. On its bad patch, it destroys all. It is soft with an angelic tenderness but destructively hardened. It has made nations and it has brought empires down to rubbles. At one moment, it lights up an indescribable passionate fire. At the other, it bursts into a ravaging plume of fire. In the Shakespearian play, Romeo and Juliet died for love. However, the experiences of quotidian living show that people now kill for love. Dreams deferred. Homes destroyed, families shattered and bonds broken. Then you ask what is it about love that it makes mincemeat of common sense?When in love, every silly act makes sense!

    Men, who have become tragic heroes of love, often blame it on the devil. Who is that by the way? If only the devil could react with the speed of light, he would have slapped hell or common sense into some brains. When fathers violate their daughters, was that love or the devil in action? When fathers marry daughters and turn them into mothers, was it propelled by love? When husbands pummel their wives to death in fits of uncontrollable anger, was love the propelling factor? When wives plot the end of their wayward husbands or when they kill them to inherit their properties, could love have been involved? What sort of love makes one to commit suicide just because a partner wants out of a romantic relationship? Could it be love or could it be the ubiquitous devil? Could it be plain madness?

    In the Nigerian society, the issue of love, marriage and death is rarely brought to the front burner of discourse. Because we are willing slaves tethered to the rope of religion and cultural orientations, we hardly interrogate the matter with the utmost urgency it requires. I dare say that we are too sold to the ideal when common sense demands something more malleable to present realities. Even when it is clear that those key nuggets that ought to hold marriages together no longer exist, it is common to find ‘concerned’ relatives, friends and well-wishers asking the affected parties to keep hope alive. Yet, all we have ever offered after every tragic twist to a love gone sour is the usual platitudinous cant of an inconsequential hue. All this while the victim lies cold in a lonely morgue!

    As the casualties of domestic violence and romantic flare-ups grow daily, Nigerians, more than ever before, are becoming conscious of the need to speak out and address this glaring danger. Truth is: the rate at which couples maul one another to death or inflict permanent incapacitation over issues of love is no longer tolerable. The latest victim of that unfortunate incident being Mrs Ronke Shonde (nee Bewaji) who was allegedly clobbered to death by her husband, Lekan Shonde. First, let me say that the heated debates the Shondes case generated in the social media and the attention given to it by a generality of the nation’s print media were unprecedented. Two, going through the commentaries, it became manifestly clear that most marriages are hurting. Wives, husbands and partners cover the hurt with plastic laughter in the public space while they die quietly with the condensed bitter bile piled inside of them.

    Do you really want to know the scary truth about why conjugal irresponsibility is growing in leaps and bound these days? The social media is one major factor. It has cheapened promiscuity and lascivious lifestyle. It has helped in destroying whatever sacredness was left of that institution called marriage. The quantum of carnal rascality that goes on daily in the social media is unimaginable. It erodes trust and plants shadows of doubts in the minds of couples. Many homes have been broken by the flirtations that go on in the name of social media interactions. A careful reading of the Shondes’ saga shows how a mere suspicion of his wife’s alleged infidelity, mode of dressing and a possible romance with a colleague in her office eventually led to her death.

    Love.Marriage.Death. That is the defining paradox of conjugal bliss. Why should love unleash the beast in us? I am sure that Lekan Shonde would not have imagined that the Year 2016 would herald hisentry as the poster boy for all that is bad about love, for playing the lead role in the death of someone he vowed to love till death do they part. Would Ronke have been alive today if he had not become jealous of her secret activities onWhatsApp and postings of sexy photographs on Facebook? Would he be holed up in a dingy cell at the Lagos Police Command today if he had not succumbed to the temptations of filtering through his late wife’s text messages? Would he be the villain of a love story gone sour if he had ignored that caller who told him that Ronke was in Abuja for four days with a lover boss? Did he even care to verify Ronke’s side of the story when he eventually summoned the courage to confront her about the tales of infidelity? Moreover, even if the stories turn out to be truth, was snuffing life out of the mother of two lovely children the best option?

    No matter how we try to rationalise it, Lekan committed a grave error and he would have to live with consequences of his action or inaction for the rest of his life. Ronke is dead and gone but quite a sizable number of women are already voicing their frustrations against a society that criminalises the woman on matters of infidelity and domestic violence. They ask questions that should prick the conscience of every cheating man: If a wife, girlfriend or partner decides to turn violent or plot the death of every cheating male, how many men would be alive today? Why can’t the men walk away or seek for divorce in the case of glaring infidelity instead of turning women into punching bags or cold remains in body bags? Why do men think they have the right to serial cheating while the women should remain eternally faithful? Why do we turn into beasts when we catch a glimpse of our wives’ flirty attitude but assume they should take it as one of those things when we are the culprits? Some would even tell you, with tone of finality, that African men are naturally promiscuous. Excuse me?

    No matter how we look at it, these nagging questions still come down to one thing: Where do the broken-hearted go? In denying responsibility for the murder of his wife, Lekan painted the imagery of a depressed partner who probably committed suicide. I simple laughed. Lekan, I dare say, was the depressed one. He was so broken that, in his own words, he contemplated suicide. That was shortly before the ‘devil’ pushed him to ‘stroke’ a fatal blow on his wife. The rest is history. I pity him just as I pity countless others who are walking time bombs waiting to explode. I may not know how many more are reading this that would end up as victims of a love so brutal. I may not know how much longer those in hurting, abusive and failing marriages can endure before they take that deadly step. All I know is that the time has come for us to remove those shibboleths of deceit in marriages. It is high time we redefined the rules guiding how man and woman should bond in conjugal bliss before we all become nut cases!

  • A governor’s uncommon love for workers

    A governor’s uncommon love for workers

    Since he became Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade has scored many firsts. He is the first to pay workers’ salaries every month. Between 13th and 20th of every month, salaries are paid. And to set a new record, he paid this month’s salaries on the first day of the month. Not because he was out to play any stunt but as a demonstration of his love

    The governor paid April salaries less than two weeks before paying May’s. April salaries were paid on the 20th.

    Ayade’s feats will make more sense when juxtaposed with the fact that states with ten times Cross River’s revenue are owing arrears of salaries.

    To enhance purchasing power and reduce poverty, he signed into law a bill that exempts minimum wage earners from paying taxes and he has just introduced a car ownership scheme for civil servants. Also, he has removed a 23-year old embargo placed on employment into civil service.

    Ayade, in his inaugural speech, vowed that no workers in the state will go hungry which have resulted in his faithfully ensuring the regular and prompt payments of salaries of the state work force every month.

    Others initiatives by Ayade to enlarge the labour space in the state include the establishment of the Calabar garment factory where over 2500 cross Riverians will be given employment and the Green Police where another 1000 jobs have been created.

    The ongoing construction of the Calabar Pharmaceutical industry and the Thai Africa Rice city where over 3000 people will be engaged and given a means by the Ayade’s government to provide food for their families are also initiatives which show the governor’s love for his people. The Organized Labour in Cross River State recently declared him the Most-Labour Friendly Governor in Nigeria.

    The Chairman, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Comrade John Ushie, said the workers in the state are very happy with the governor for his pro –workers policy and pledged total support of all the workers in the state to his administration. The NLC state chairman stated this when he led executive members of the NLC, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Public Service Negotiating Council in the state on a courtesy call on the governor at the State Executive Council Chambers in Calabar.

    According to Ushie, “The Organised Labour has resolved to single you out in the whole Nigeria and West Africa as the Digital and Best-Labour Friendly Governor.”

    He explained that Ayade was chosen for the award for a number of reasons, including prompt payment of workers salary and the courage to embark on economy changing projects like the 260km superhighway, the Bakassi Deep Seaport, the Calabar Garment and Textile Factory and the establishment of Green Police.

    His words: “Since your assumption of office, every 13th to 18th day of each month, workers smile home with their salaries. We have gone through the records and across all other states since our colleagues exist in all, we have also found that you have surpassed your colleagues in Nigeria and have gone far to surpass the Federal Government especially in the area of payment of salaries. “

    The NLC chairman who reiterated the resolve of the Organized Labour in Cross River to work in harmony with the governor, prayed God to grant him the needed wisdom to steer the ship of the state.

    “We will not deceive you as we will speak out on anything we feel strongly about. As you know, Labour leaders cannot be coerced, and nobody will instigate us against your government. We also believe that nobody will instigate you against us.”

    Ayade applauded the Organised Labour in the state for the honour and promised to do more for workers in the state despite the downturn in the nation’s economy.

    “I thank you for all your kind words. For labour to find me worthy of an award calls for celebration because you are a people who cannot be bribed. You are not a people who can be sold, you very courageous people,” the governor said.

    Touched by the plights of retirees who have to wait for their benefits for long after service to their fatherland, Ayade said “society will be so unfair if this continues,” stressing that “the primary thing for a man who fears God is to ensure that those who toil do not do so in vain.”

    The governor assured that issues of pensions, promotions and gratuity will be looked into.

    He also lauded the Organised Labour in the state for their concern towards good governance in the state.

    Certainly, there is more in the goody bags for workers in the state and for the workers, this seems to be the beginning. And Ayade deserves praises and not condemnation.

    • Daniel sent in this pice from Calabar.
  • Bloody love in hard times

    Bloody love in hard times

    Does anybody care about this terrible trend?

    People committing murder with ease. Many threatening to commit suicide and some actually committing suicide or attempting to end it all when they can no longer bend it.

    There are also many cases of husbands killing their wives and wives killing their husbands in a macabre reversal of deep and psychic spousal affection. The Sophocles era all over again?

    Why do people kill their loved ones? The reasons are as many as the stars in the sky, but how many of them are rational? Psychologists, psychoanalysts and psychiatrists really have their jobs cut out for them. But does anybody care?

    The other day in Ibadan, a lawyer reportedly pounced on her sleeping husband and knifed him to death. A court is sitting over the matter, even as the man’s family is crying for justice.

    In Benue State, a 17-year-old boy killed his mother for, according to him, being the architect of his libidinal problem “in the last few years”. It doesn’t get more tragic. He shot his mother after accusing her of witchcraft, the police said.

    I wonder what the Lagos dockworker whose wife’s body was found in their home after a row will be telling the police now. According to his friends, Mr  Lekan Shonde had accused his wife of infidelity before the light suddenly went out on her life . “He has never been violent. I have known him for the past 33 years and I can tell you he is a gentleman,” Mr Sunday Nwobi said of the suspect who is now in police custody.

    After learning of his wife’s death, Shonde reportedly decided to commit suicide, but his friends prevailed on him to surrender to the police so that justice could take its course. The authorities will have to rely on scientific clues to determine the cause of Ronke Shonde’s death , which her husband insists he did not cause.

    Why did Shonde contemplate suicide if he was damn sure he didn’t do it? Is it true he called the man with whom his wife had an affair? Will the police question the suspected philanderer? Shonde said he called his mother-in-law to say that he had decided not to kill himself and the woman said she had forgiven him.

    At what point do people decide to commit suicide? When do they try to give up? And why? Cowardice? Isn’t thinking about suicide an element of cowardice? Should a man be hopeless? Is suicide a symbol of bravery? How will the victim know what the world thinks about him? Is the “final solution” a sign of honour and ultimate defence of integrity? This is neither here nor there.

    Songster Tiwa Savage should be gathering the pieces of her shattered marriage now. First we learnt of her husband  Tunji “Tee Billz” Balogun’s attempted suicide. He chose a fantastic site – the top of the bridge that links Lekki and Ikoyi, where the rich and powerful move in exotic cars; not on Eko Bridge with all those funny passenger vans. Set to jump into the water, he decided to make some last calls –in place of a suicide note? – and, as if it was all planned, his pals stormed the place to dissuade him from jumping. He obliged them.

    In the manner of the kiss-and-tell stories that usually swirl around  celebrities, the budding entertainment impresario accused his wife of infidelity, ingratitude and betrayal. Besides, he said her mother was behind his fate – an allusion to some unstated and unproven psychic forces Tee Billz believes the woman possesses.

    Tiwa picked up the gauntlet. She painted a mesmerising picture of her former manager and estranged husband’s life. A rock star’s champagne life – of drug, wine and women. She said Tee Billz had put her in debt and she needed to salvage her career.

    Trust Nigerians, these love-turn- sour stories- some of them are major calamities, no doubt – have revved into action the remarkable fecundity of the Nigerian mind. It is all in an attempt to explain that some of the situations that propel couples to end it all are not as harmful as they seem if we are patient. Consider this sent to me by a friend:

    “One day oga decided to give his wife a surprise package. He moulded a big heart cake, with the assistance of the house help. The project took almost a whole day. Madam returned from work to meet the house help snoring. She was fast asleep.

    “Madam: ‘Silly girl, will you get up now! What have you been doing since morning?

    “House help: ‘Welcome ma. A beg; no vex. Me and Oga dey make love since morning. Na now we finish. Na im I sey make I lie down small …”

    There is also this that tries to define love, that seemingly phantasmagoric and gripping feeling to which men and women ascribe some of their behaviours, and death – the end of all. It says: “What is love? Love is when your husband catches you in bed with another man and says, ‘baby, dress up; let’s go home’. What is death? Death is when you follow him.”

    In other words, when a couple begin to hurl at each other allegations of infidelity, it is time to watch it. They need not wait for the “final solution” for the resolution of their differences. Once suspicion elbows trust out of a relationship, what is left?

    Tee Billz was lucky to have got people to dissuade him from taking that fatally final plunge into the dark, murky river to cool off in the hereafter. So was Senator Kashamu Buruji. Remember the other day how drug law enforcement agents laid a siege to his home in a controversial bid to seize and ferry him to the United States where they insist he is wanted for drug offences. The distinguished senator said he had no case to answer in America. When it was obvious the operatives were set to storm the house and ferret him out, Kashamu threatened to commit suicide rather than being bound and bundled onto a flight to uncertainty.

    Then th e courts supervened. Now the senator is sitting pretty in the National Assembly, making laws for good governance and well being of the country. He even finds time, despite the mental exertion that lawmaking demands, to occasionally issue press statements commending the Muhammadu Buhari administration’s anti-corruption battle, urging Nigerians to back it. Ah! If only truth could talk.

    There are people who commit suicide or threaten to wave the final farewell to the world for the hardship they face.  An Abia State civil servant has just hung himself because he had not been paid for four months. De Nwakwo had a family of four. He couldn’t feed them, according to reports on the incident. He left a suicide note for his family, which said he couldn’t foot his children’s education bill and could not afford to buy a dress for his wife to wear on Mother’s Day. “I have no other place to go ; no hope, nothing to give to my children to eat and no salary for the past four months. I am sorry I have to do this,” Nwakwo wrote. Poor fellow.

    Last Thursday in Lekki, a Cameroonian, Frederick Gino, climbed an electric pole and threatened to kill himself. A report said it was all to avoid a mob that pursued him after he was suspected to have burgled an apartment. Another quoted him as telling the crowd that had gathered to rescue him: “Give me N5million or I jump!” He was brought down and taken to the hospital.

    Was it all a stunt? As many asked, if Gino wanted to end it all, he needed not have taken the trouble of looking for a ladder to climb the pole  and causing a nuisance. Why didn’t he just take a stroll to a humming transformer and just give the hot machine a bear hug?

    Is the law that bars a man from taking his own life still alive?

     

    Cameron’s cameo

    British Prime Minister David Cameron has been under attack since the news broke of his description of Nigeria as “fantastically corrupt” during a discussion with the Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Right Rev. Justin Welby.

    Mr Cameron has not said anything new. What he has failed to say is that the Muhammadu Buhari administration is waging a war against corruption. He is forging ahead despite criticisms in some quarters of the style of fighting the war and what to his opponents is the utter neglect of other areas.

    Besides the fact that Cameron’s statement is undiplomatic and impolite, it is hypocritical. Most of those who stole Nigeria’s wealth live in Britain, their loot is kept in Britain, their kids school in Britain, their investments – mostly in property and stocks- are in Britain.  When Great Britain stops being a haven for looters, the greedy would have lost a great ally. And the time to do that is now. Cameron should lead the way instead of insulting Nigerians, most of who are living honest and clean lives.

  • Obi: birthday is opportunity to share love

    Obi: birthday is opportunity to share love

    Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has said a birthday should not be a time to “show off” but to think about the celebrator’s life and ask how faithful he has been to himself and God.

    The former governor also said a birthday provides the time to share love among people, “especially the poor among us”.

    Obi spoke yesterday when he and the Anglican Bishop of Amichi, Rev. Ephrian Ikeakor, visited Holy Child Convent School at Amichi, Master Vessels School at Osumenyi and the Diocesan Hospital, also at Amichi, as part of his birthday celebration.

    The former governor donated N2 million: N1 million  to  Holy Child Convent and another N1 million to the Diocesan Hospital  for further infrastructural upgrade.

    He promised to return to Master Vessels School.

    Obi urged the pupils of both schools to always face their education and submit themselves to positive dispositions that would make them useful to themselves, Anambra State, Nigeria and humanity.

    Describing Bishop Ikeakor as among men of God who practise what they preached, the former governor said his choice of celebrating with the pupils reminded him of his policy of requesting those who would always present him with luxury material gifts to rather support him with essentials, such as computers, buses and generators to donate to schools.

    Bishop Ikeakor thanked God for His mercies upon his people.

  • Differentiating lust from love

    DEAR Harriet I am an easy-going person with a good job. I am 40 and in a relationship with a lady of 31. We have been dating for six months now. She is always concerned with her own interest, pleasure and happiness without putting what will benefit us into consideration. She only plays nice when she needs money from me. Her financial demands are beginning to scare me from taking the relationship to the next level in spite of the fact that I love her. Please, I need your counsel. Thanks.

    Chuks. Lagos

     

    Thanks for your text message. I must commend you for being very observant.  Many are financial providers without knowing it, a situation where you are only relevant when the person needs you.

    This is an indication that the person is only in a relationship with you because of what she or he stands to benefit from you.  Such people can be regarded as manipulators. And they are selfish. Selfishness cuts across all ages. It can be traced to a person’s childhood.

    One thing you need to understand is that people get manipulated, not because they are weak, but they have these feelings that they might stand to lose something by not giving in to this person. This is mostly common in romantic relationships, a situation where one partner always gives in to the other partner just to please or to avoid offending the other.

    People who lack assertiveness in their personality have the tendency to bring out the manipulative aspect of people they date. If you are the type of person that  cannot  say  ‘no’ or who has a hard time stopping yourself from doing favour for someone, even if you don’t want to do it, you will be attracting manipulators like moths.

    The yearning to give and receive love throbs in the heart of everyone. People try in many ways to discover true love, real love, a love that is strong and deep, a love that lasts. Yet the pursuit of love has caused more bitterness than all diseases and conflicts among nations.

    Many times people feel they are in love, but what they are feeling actually is lust. Lust and love are often confused in our minds. We need to understand that love is actually different from lust. Love gives, but lust takes. Love values, but lust uses. Love endures, but lust subsides.

    The fact remains that people going into relationships with one common thing in mind and that is their why (reasons). Some are in it for the affection they have for their partners. Some are in it for what they stand to benefit, while some are in relationship for marriage.

    Therefore, it is very vital for you to know how your partner sees you, and of what value are you to her or him. The worst thing that can happen to somebody in a relationship is when the person is being used. Affection works in both ways, so once this starts lacking, it is nice for you to question your relationship because it can be devastating when you feel someone is on the same page with you when the person is only with you for his or her selfish aim.

    The decision really is for you to take because you are the person in the relationship and you know the reason.  It will be nice for you to assess what is keeping you in the relationship, knowing that you are being used. Is it the fear of the unknown, pity or  are you afraid to be alone?  So what  exactly are the factors that keep you stuck?

    There are two ways to handle selfish relationship. Fix it or end it because staying in such relationship will only lead to frustration and heartache.  If you decide to stay, you will need to take a firm stand to change the act by effective communication. Bring everything in black and white on the table for discussion. Openly without reservation, state the effect on you and the relationship.

    Also talk about your aim for the relationship and your stand if things continue the way they are. Make her realise that she only shows interest in you because of what she stands to gain. Having an open discussion with her about her attitude will give you a form of relief and a better understanding of her position and prepare you against future occurrences.

    On the other hand, in case you choose to end the relationship after an effective communication with her, you must understand that ending a relationship, no matter how unhealthy it might be, is heartbreaking and can be overwhelming. It is a loss of something you have spent significant time building and is only natural that it will take time to heal.

    Therefore, you need to be prepared to face all that comes with it, but the interesting aspect is that you are actually putting an end to a toxic  relationship, a relationship that is based on what I can get, not what I can give.  Selfishness causes a lot of problems in a relationship, if not dealt with immediately.

     

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

  • For the love of their alma mater

    For the love of their alma mater

    They left school 25 years ago. Yet, memories of Government College Surulere, Lagos still linger in their memories. Longing to go back and see how the school has fared all these years, they discovered it lacks some necessary infrastructure.

    Worried by the development, the ’92 set of the college quickly mobilised its members on the Whatsapp platform where many of the old boys at home and in the Diaspora had a forum to discuss the well-being of their alma mater.

    On January 28, they sent delegates to the school on a fact-finding mission as directed by the National President of its Old Boys’ Association, Niyi Aromolaran.

    Following the unsavoury report by the delegates, the group, in conjunction with the social intervention imitative-Lend a Hand-of the national body, visited the school. Mindful of the infrastructure deficit in the school, which invariably affects teaching and learning, members of the ’92 set presented some items to some of the students. A total of 141 students benefitted from the gesture.

    Each Senior Secondary three (SS3) student was presented with beautiful desk and chair on which to sit and write their West African Examination Council (WAEC) examinations. The junior secondary school students (JSS) were given three white marker boards and markers; 66 pieces of Prada rubber sandals for some of the students; the drum set was refurbished and the students were treated to a feast.

    At the ceremony, there was laughter, dance, excitement and refreshment for both staff and students.

    In an address to the students, the set’s coordinators Lekan Adesanya and Opeoluwa Adeshoye hoped that the presentation will spur them to perform better than their predecessors.

    The old students also said there were many things they would have done differently better if they had made some conscious effort to realise their dreams.

    “If we had known, we would have paid more attention in class. Back then, we thought we were smarter than our teachers. Instead of paying attention to what they were teaching us, some of us flunked class to listen to mindless music and hang around with wrong friends. We thought we were smart, but how wrong we were. Don’t make the mistakes we made. Pay attention in class and listen to your teachers.

    “We would have read more books. The motto of this institution is Knowledge is Light. You don’t get knowledge from playing truancy, you don’t get it from fighting, but you get it from reading. Readers are leaders. If you don’t read, you can’t lead. Read books that will make you dream and make you great.

    “We would have discovered our purpose of life on time. It took time for some of us to find out what we wanted to do with our lives. We played and wasted time when we were supposed to be focused on our future. Don’t let that happen to you. Find out what you want to do with your life and start pursuing it now. We are available for mentoring and guide to help you find your way,” Mr. Adesanya said.

  • ‘Explore virtues of love during Easter’

    Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly Martins Okechukwu Azubuike has called on Christians to use the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to explore the virtues of love, religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence.

    A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Clinton Uba, noted that Easter is for people to reflect on how to redeem the state and not merriment alone.

    The statement said: “Easter should not be for merriment alone, but more of a season of sober reflection, forgiveness, humility, selfless service and sacrifice by all Abians to redeem our state.

    “Mr. Speaker admonishes Abians to pray for the internally displaced persons and to extend love to the vulnerable, stressing that showing care and help for the needy will better our society.”

    Azubuike thanked Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for his humility, selfless service, sacrifice and commitment to re-write the story of Abia, which is in line with the spirit of Easter

    He also thanked the lawmakers for their visionary contributions and support to the government, while assuring Ikpeazu of the support of House.

  • Pope seeks use of’ weapons of love’ to fight terrorism in Nigeria, others

    Pope Francis yesterday urged the World to use the “weapons of love” to combat the evil of “blind and brutal violence”, following last week’s attacks in Brussels, the Belgian capital.

    Delivering his Easter homily at St Peter’s Basilica, after a week of sombre religious events commemorating Jesus’ death and resurrection, Francis, speaking under tight security for tens of thousands of people, spoke of violence, injustice and threats to peace in many parts of the world.

    “May he (the risen Jesus) draw us closer on this Easter feast to the victims of terrorism, that blind and brutal form of violence which continues to shed blood in different parts of the world.

    He mentioned recent attacks in Belgium, where at least 31 people were killed by Islamist militants, as well as those in Turkey, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Iraq.

    “With the weapons of love, God has defeated selfishness and death.

    The 79-year-old pontiff urged people to channel the hope of Easter in order to defeat “the evil that seems to have the upper hand in the life of so many people”.

    The pope condemned the Brussels attacks several times during the past week, including at a Good Friday service where he said followers of religions who carried out acts of fundamentalism or terrorism were profaning God’s name.

    Francis expressed the hope that recent talks could resolve the conflict in Syria in order to end the “sad wake of destruction, death, contempt for humanitarian law and the breakdown of civil concord”.

    He urged Europe not to forget those men and women seeking a better future, including many children fleeing from war, hunger, poverty and social injustice.

    The European Union and Turkey have agreed to stop the flow of migrants to Europe in return for political and financial concessions for Ankara.

    Turkey and The Aegean islands have been the main route for migrants and refugees pouring into Europe in the past year.

    Francis called for dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, and resolutions to conflicts and political tensions in Yemen, Iraq, Libya, Burundi, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Ukraine

    Terrorism was a dominant theme Sunday, from the scores of police and military personnel checking bags and scanning crowds to the pope’s message of rebirth, which he said he hoped would “draw us closer to the victims of terrorism, a blind and brutal form of violence.”

    The Vatican and Rome have attracted repeated threats from extremist groups in recent years, something Francis has tried to confront in part by reaching out to other faiths. On Good Friday, for example, he washed the feet of Christian, Muslim and Hindu migrants.

  • Akpabio, Obasa preach love, unity

    Akpabio, Obasa preach love, unity

    Senate Minority Leader Godswill Akpabio and Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa have felicitated with the Christian faithful on Easter, advising them to continue to live in love and harmony.

    Akpabio, who spoke in a separate message through his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, noted that Easter “is about love and the sacrificial death of Christ. It is about showing love to others and living lives worthy of emulation.”

    He urged Christians to imbibe Christ’s qualities of love and sacrifice.

    The former Akwa Ibom State governor called on Nigerians to pray for Nigeria and continue to seek its progress.

    He noted that “together in unity, we can overcome challenges facing our country”.

    “And to achieve that unity, there must always be love among us, irrespective of our religious, ethnic or political differences,” the Senate Minority leader said.

    Obasa urged Nigerians to see the Easter period as an opportunity to increase their efforts at showing love and promoting peace among mankind.

    The Speaker, in his Easter message, urged Nigerians not to relent in supporting the All Progressives Congress (APC) governments at the centre and state levels in their efforts to put in place programmes and measures to improve the standard of living of Nigerians.

    Obasa, in a message by his Chief Press Secretary, Musbau Rasak, urged Nigerians, particularly Christians, to emulate Jesus Christ, who, he said, through his love for mankind decided to sacrifice his life for people to live.

    “Easter is a period to share love and promote peace. Jesus Christ lived and died for peace and love to reign and we can emulate the exemplary life of Christ by becoming promoters of peace and love.

    “No society achieves greatness and growth in the absence of love and peace, hence, the need for us to continue to show love and spread peace among ourselves ,” the Lagos Assembly Speaker said.

    He urged Nigerians to rededicate themselves and redouble their efforts at supporting and cooperating with the President Muhammad Buhari administration and the Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led government.

    “Government alone cannot revive the country. We need your support and cooperation always because in salvaging this country from the past maladministration, all hands must be on deck,” he said.

  • Love for selective amnesia

    SIR: “Maybe they were saying chains when we thought it was change”, blurted a certain social media senator, who has made the cyberspace his default “chamber”. And before you could say Jack Robinson, a hashtag, #ChangeToChains, emerged on twitter with various irascible characters jumping on the bandwagon with little or no understanding of what they were saying. Worse still, they could not muster concise and intelligent reason(s) for their anger aside the fact that they just want to be seen as angry.

    What seems to be the cause of their anger in the first instance? Some said there were fuel queues; others said the economy was in comatose etc. Most of the folks pouring expletives actually have conveniently forgotten so soon where we were coming from. As at middle of May 2015, most of the telecommunication companies were sending emails and text messages to their customers appealing to their understanding on why they should expect serious disruption in services due to the twin problems of power failure and lack of petroleum products to run their offsite generators.

    Yes, Nigeria is not yet an Eldorado, sadly so, but while we are not where we ought to be, the truth is that we are not where we used to be. For those screaming economic downturn, I am won’t to ask what economy? We have been a country with no economy aside being the dumping ground of finished goods from China and other countries. While the Asian Tigers are competing on how to be the best in terms of production, privileged elites in Nigeria are competing to outdo one another on consumerism.

    Our shame as a nation reached abysmal levels when we became the butt of jokes of others as it relates to a product that we used to be its sixth largest producer. Petroleum was our major, if not the only product, yet we unashamedly sold it in its raw form, and then spent our hard-earned foreign exchange to import the same product in its refined form, thereby costing us not just several by products but millions of primary and secondary employment.

    Make no mistake about it, the Nigeria that President Buhari inherited was almost a broken entity characterised by dwindling revenue due to the plummeting international crude oil prices, mounting domestic and foreign debt, tumbling foreign reserves and a wicked gang up of supposed leaders who were doing nothing but stealing and looting the country with reckless abandon.

    Recall that when this administration took over, 27 states owed between 5-12 month arrears of salaries of civil servants. Yet, I hear people wailing that the President Buhari has done nothing? Bombs were exploding all over the country like firecrackers, but today we have relative peace and people still think the president is sleeping? Military chiefs saddled with security of our lives and properties are today singing like canaries and confessing to how much they stole individually and collectively, and I still hear some trumpeting that Buhari has done nothing? Over N3 trillion which would have been stolen by have been saved due to strict adherence to TSA yet some say Buhari isn’t doing anything?

    Agreed that Nigeria deserves more than it is getting, but who can build without a foundation? President Buhari is uniquely placed to rebuild Nigeria from the shambolic country he met. But to make Nigeria work for Nigerians, the one they fondly call Mai Gaskiya needs the unalloyed support of the long suffering masses because as John Kenneth Galbraith posits “People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage. Intellectual myopia, often called stupidity, is no doubt a reason”.

    • Ayobami Oyalowo,

    Abuja.