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Tag: mind

Contest for mind, medals in Imo

To build young minds and healthy competition, Imo State Deputy Governor Eze Madumere co-sponsored a contest in the state schools. OKODILI NDIDI reports

As they sprinted, loud cheers erupted from the crowd. It was not just their mates applauding. Their parents and teachers were hailing too.

It was the Prince Eze Madumere Athletics Championship staged at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, the state capital. The goal is to develop young minds and help the youth to aspire to the greatest heights.

The young athletes proved their mettle as they competed for the medals to the amazement of the fans, who were shocked at their speed and level of fitness. The school teachers were also caught in the frenzy as they shouted, jumped and hugged their victorious students.

The competing athletes tested their skills in ten track and field events ranging from 100 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, 4×400 meters, 800 meters, long jump and high jump for both male and female.

In the keenly contested men’s 100 meters race, Nwachukwu Ekene of Nguru Secondary Commercial School in Aboh Mbaise Council Area of the State set an enviable record of 11:9 seconds to emerge winner, the first runner up, Amadi Clinton of Methodist High School, Egbu, Owerri, finished up at 11:59 seconds and the second runner up, Master Osuchukwu Chukwuebuka of Government secondary School, Owerri, finished up at exactly 12:00 seconds.

In the female category of the 100 meters, Agu Chidinma of Holy Rosary Model Secondary school, Amaimo, Ikeduru Local Government Area, finished up at 13:00 seconds to emerge first, while Osuagwu Chinecherem of Nguru Secondary Commercial School, Aboh Mbaise, came second at 13: 09 seconds and Uzoagba Lilian of Umuroha High School, Mbaitoli Council Area, finished at 13:11 to place third.

•The Deputy Governor shakes hands with one of the athletes

In his remarks, the Deputy Governor who assured that subsequent editions will be better organised and bigger in terms of the number of participating schools and prizes to be won, described the event as the beginning of the realisation of his aspiration to drive sports development in the state.

He said that his love for sports is hinged on its proven unifying factor.

According to him, the dearth of interest in track and field events among other sporting activities motivated his choice of the event.

He reminded the students of famous athletes from the state who have made the country proud, including Chioma Ajunwa, Charity Opara, Chidi Imo and a host of others.

He urged the school management board to ensure that the students engage in sporting activities to discover talents and promote healthy living.

Madumere further commended co-sponsors of the event, Monarch and Company and their Managing Director in West Africa, Mr. Gerald Uche Lebechi for giving back to the society.

The state governor Rochas Okorocha, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Sir Jude Ejiogu, commended the Deputy Governor for re-invigorating sporting activities, noting that sports once placed the state in an enviable position.

July 24, 2015
It’s a thing of the mind

ALL, dark and handsome. Those were the qualities she had always wanted in a man. Somehow, she ran into a gentleman who almost fit into her dreams but it just didn’t work out. At a point, Debbie thought it was better to change her emotional criteria and give others a chance. It was at this point that Afolabi walked majestically into her life. Was it a dream come true?

Well, for about 18 months it looked like it was a dream come true. Midway through the love adventure, this lily-livered lover began to make a u-turn. Was it going to hit the rocks and crumble or was it something she could still salvage? At the crossroads, he struck with a wedding invitation with another lady. Shattered, the reality of the game hit her and she was stranded. It took her another two years to stand on her emotional feet again.

Now, she’s dreaming about a man who would be committed; someone who would be ready to keep a long-term relationship. You have to work for it and make sure that the emotional ground has been properly prepared. What you actually need is a ‘mature man’. Maturity does not have to do with age or anything physical.

It’s actually a thing of the mind. An emotionally mature man is a man who would never shut you out the minute things get stressful in his life. He would always be willing to share his feelings, no matter what he is going through.

Here, we are talking about a man who would allow the woman in his life to ‘see’ what he is passing through, no matter what. If you invested energy in a man only to painfully discover that the apple of your eyes is deceiving you or simply could not sustain the relationship, then it can be really sad.

In those good old days, Tayo was actually the best thing in her life and Labake just could not find her bearing without his dose of affection. But to her utmost surprise, the relationship took a deep emotional nosedive. What went wrong? Was it her fault or his fault? Well, she just could not place a finger on what really went wrong.

Interestingly, a lot of women often wonder why the men who once swore to die for love suddenly chicken out of the race.

Naturally, it isn’t going to be for the same reasons because it is usually different love strokes for different love folks. Indeed, there are a number of reasons, whether emotional or not, that can make a man stick in no matter the odds or fall out, even at the slightest provocation.

Growth and moving to a deeper level of commitment in a relationship depends on your determination. You must be convinced about making it work as well as understand that things work differently for a man than they do for a woman.

If you don’t understand why they should think in a different manner, then you’re likely to have some problems relating with him. Once that special bond is lost, then you can be sure that things would begin to fall apart and your ‘love centre’ would never hold again.

Knowing the basic skills and how to make use of these skills can be very helpful indeed. You also need to understand the personality and the crucial role gender plays in the total input and output.

The truth of the matter is that women find it easier to move on to the commitment stage in relationship once they’ve found what they are looking for. It is not so easy with men; first they have to contend with the many ‘love voices’ they are hearing in the background. Sorting the voices can be really difficult for some and even when this is sorted out they move into the next stage.

Here, the man in question wants to be sure that he is not being boxed into an emotional corner. He wants to be certain that this ‘love mine’ is for real, that there is something to treasure as he gets deeper and deeper in this love train.

The woman is at a critical stage too. If there is one nagging question that women love to ask, then it must be what’s inside the mind of the men they love and admire?

If only they had a clue to these burning love questions, then their relationships would not have crashed in the first place. The best thing to do is to try your best to make it work out. You also need to constantly look out for new ways to make it more interesting. Once you have discovered these love tricks, then you can start thinking of gaining incredible new insights as you move on.

And when you are moving on, you also need to ask some basic questions like: Is your man able to handle adversity, criticism or even intense politics at work and remain level headed, relatively calm, or even compassionate?

If the answer to these questions is in the negative, then he is likely to be spiteful.

The kind of man who talks about solutions and not problems, is compassionate and possesses the ability to handle complex mental and emotional situations without coming unglued or doing negative or harmful things to other people is one of the best signs of emotional maturity and sensitivity.

In addition, the type of people he spends his time with also matters a lot. A man’s closest friends and peers are one of the very best windows into his mental and emotional world. Does he have any married friends who have stable relationships where both partners are relatively happy and fulfilled? You need to ask yourself these questions about the man you are considering investing your heart in.

May 10, 2015
Without apartheid on her mind

The death, last week, of Nadine Gordimer, South Africa’s literary giant and 1991 Nobel Laureate for literature has again depleted the rank, writes Edozie Udeze

When she began to write at the age of 15, Nadine Gordimer’s intention was to use her works to create an entirely new world for South Africa. Born in 1923 in Transvaal of Jewish parentage, and at the height of apartheid, Gordimer grew up in the midst of racial segregation and prejudices which inadvertently helped to mould and shape her thinking and the direction of her writing. Her death last week at the age of 93, has indeed deprived the world the opportunity to continue to have this rare gem, a quintessential writer whose boldness, courage, fearlessness and love for what is right and just is unequalled.

She rose through her works to be one of the foremost and fiercest anti-apartheid campaigners and political activists. At a point in the early years of Nelson Mandela’s struggle to liberate the people from the heinous hands of white overlords, Gordimer became his speech writer and staunch supporter. Even though she was white, born into a privileged home, her parents who also detested apartheid and those who were behind its numerous obnoxious policies, she deliberately chose to be a writer so as to find reasons and avenue to hit hard at the people she described as core racists and enemies of humanity.

Educated at a Catholic Convent School in Transvaal, she wrote her first book in 1937 at the age of 15. The Quest for Seen Gold, her first collection of short stories became an instant hit and turned out to be a pointer to the direction her later works would take. In it, she questioned the few racial issues she could see and experience around her vicinity. The reception of this first book propelled her to publish yet another more compelling book named Come Again Tomorrow at the age of 16.

With her studies at the famous University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, coming to an abrupt end in 1948, Gordimer left to continue her writing. There she was able to mix with people of all races and then came away with more informed insight into how apartheid was operated in a wider perspective. And so in 1948, she moved to Johannesburg. In 1949, she wrote Face to Face, chronicling her contacts with those whom she described as inordinate individuals sitting on the progress of South Africa. In 1951, she published A Watcher of the Dead and then in 1953, her novel the Lying Days finally exposed the inner workings of the apartheid era.

She wrote more than 30 books in her life time, including short stories, poems and so on. In 1958, she wrote one of her most world-acclaimed books called, A World of Strangers. In 1963, The Occasion for Loving, and in 1966 her book, The Late Bourgeois World dominated the literary discussions in the Commonwealth that her next book, A Guest of Honour published in 1970, won the total admiration of the world.

In 1974, she won The Booker Prize with her book, The Conservationist. After that, in 1979, Burger’s Daughter, a novel that hit apartheid below the belt was also published. This was followed by July’s People in 1981; The House Gun 1998 and so on and so forth.

In 1991, she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in which the Swedish Academy recognised her as a woman, “who through her magnificent epic writing has, in the words of Alfred Nobel, been of very great benefit to humanity”. And so having become one of the best and most renowned literary giants the world has ever seen, she swung into more action.

She once said: “The reintroduction of censorship is unthinkable when you think how people suffered to get rid of censorship in all forms”. In an interview with this reporter in 2006, she said concerning a post-apartheid South Africa, “Oh yes, it is good to see apartheid dismantled…when I look through my window and see both white and black children playing together I feel good, extraordinarily happy. But more needs to be done. A lot of people still do not want to welcome this change; do not as yet see a free South Africa as a new glow for all of us”.

As she takes her final bow, it is most heartwarming that her dream of a free South Africa which she lived and fought for became possible in her lifetime.

July 27, 2014
Mind Builders graduands ‘prepared’ for the world

Sunday’s valedictory service and graduation gave the Primary Six graduands of Mind Builders School, Ikeja, Lagos, the opportunity to recap lessons from their finishing school session with the Education Director, Mrs Bolajoko Falore.

The 20 boys and girls, who completed their primary education from the Omole and Central Business Districts (CBD) branches of the school, were reminded of what they learnt about how to sit, stand, criteria for choosing friends, and communication skills.

Mrs Falore said it was part of their preparation for the world of secondary education, where they would be expected to manage themselves with greater responsibility than the primary school level.

“The future belongs to those who prepare for it. I want you to use your past experiences at Mind Builders to create a beautiful future for yourself. I am sure you will excel among your peers. You must have big dreams. But before you can achieve it, you must work,” she said.

Plaques and certificates were presented to all the graduands for fully completing their primary education up to primary six, unlike many of their peers who left in Primary Five. Photos of the graduands and their families, as well as their bio-data, prefectship post held, and their future ambitions were projected on the backdrop of the stage for all to see.

Chairman of the occasion Mr Ailuelohia, who was also the father of the head boy, Oseghale, was one of the proud parents who counseled the pupils.

He told them that their graduation from primary school represents the end of a phase in their lives and the start of another.

“This is my message to all graduating pupils. This phase has prepared you for the next phase. And Mind Builders School has played a principal role in that preparation. It is your responsibility to take the things you learnt and use it for the next phase. Your parents will not be there for you, especially for those going to the boarding house. You will be responsible for yourself,” he said.

The school administrator, Mr Olatunde Opeyemi, charged the graduands to believe they can do all things through Christ; while the Head Teacher, Mr Ezekiel Awe, said they should not forget the 12 pillars of character, namely, goal setting, self awareness, value achievement, value others, self control etc.

Highpoint of the event was the cutting of the graduation cake.

July 24, 2014
Mind Builders gets Maths Clinic

Principal Mind Builders High School, Alausa, Lagos, Mr Francis Fasuyi has identified lack of multiple and logical intelligence as a major reason for failure in mathematics.

Though this deficiency is natural in some pupils, Fasuyi believes with time and proper intellectual training, learners can get over them.

“We have various types of intelligence – verbal and logical. Most students have verbal intelligence. They can talk well but when it comes to logical intelligence, not all of them are endowed. So we have to develop this multiple intelligence in each child.”

To help pupils of Mind Builders to improve in the subject, Fasuyi said that the school has partnered with Maths Clinic International to establish a laboratory in the school.

The Mind Builders Maths Clinic centre boasts of about 20 computers with earphones, and a large flat screen television to serve the teacher. All the computers are loaded with a software that treats all topics in the mathematics curriculum for secondary schools as well as past questions for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and comes with audio-visual demonstrations.

“The centre consists of animations, videos, graphic and text resources. The interest of students in Mathematics is being stimulated using the audio visual approach which is totally different from the traditional approach that they are used to. It provides enhanced and augmented learning experience for pupils.

This is further boosted with each student getting the opportunity to learn at his or her pace. It makes explanations for otherwise abstract mathematical concepts better delivered to the delight of the students. It has boosted the learning experience and performance of students as far as mathematics is concerned,” he said.

Fasuyi said the centre was opened to simplify the story of mathematics. He added, that the ICT tools are learner-friendly.

Given the importance of the subject to tertiary education, Fasuyi said the centre justifies the school’s attempt to develop multiple intelligence in its pupils.

“They must have a little of verbal, logical, mathematical intelligence and a little of inter-relationship,” Fasuyi added.

“In the past, the impression was that if you want to go for law you don’t need Mathematics so with that the students start avoiding Mathematics. But today, there is no subject you want to go for in the university that you don’t require a credit in Mathematics. So, we have to encourage them to make sure they do their best in mathematics and English.”

A member of staff of Maths Clinic International Mr Emmanuel Isibor who manages the centre said the pupils can do different things at the same time depending on their topic of interest.

“That is why they had personal computers in front of them. We have general classes too where we use the flat screen television set,” he said.

Isibor blamed the fear for mathematics to a poor foundation caused by not being taught properly over a long period of time by unqualified teachers.

“We discovered that Mathematics is not simplified for students in most cases which make it easy for them to pull away from the subject.

“We decided that there must be a change of attitude toward the subject and came up with the Maths Clinic. The child will sit down, watch the topic that is difficult and then solve until he scores 80 per cent before the computer will allow the child progress,” he explained.

He said the programme was designed in such a way that if a child goes through it, the child can score distinction in an external exam no matter how complex the topic is.

The outgoing Head Girl of the school Tobiloba Olajiga, said the clinic has helped her improve her mathematical skills and has helped other pupils too.

The outgoing Head Boy, Damilola Awoyemi, said he was an average pupil in Mathematics before the clinic was introduced; but is now very good.

Though he complained that the centre came when he was in SS3, he was glad that it came before he wrote his West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) because it helped them prepare for the examination.

He said the school made a wise decision starting the centre because pupils are very ICT compliant these days and prefer to do things on computers instead of pen and paper.

“Computer makes learning easy and interesting, doing it in class on pen and paper is very boring. Computer makes the mathematics class exciting and fun,” he said.

July 10, 2014
Healthy body, healthy mind

Being healthy, according to World Health Organisation (WHO), is not merely the absence of disease but a state of physical, mental and social well-being.

To maintain a healthy life and prevent muscular diseases, medical experts recommended physical exercises.

In line with this recommendation, the University of Ibadan (UI) Health Services, as part of its New Year resolution to keep students and staff fit, held a Workplace Wellness Programme, a physical exercise.

The participants, led by the Director of Health Services, Dr. Olufemi Akingbola, converged on Jaja Avenue before embarking on the exercise. The participants moved from the Jaja Avenue to the university gate and Central Administration, where they visited the Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Isaac Adewole.

While waiting for the VC, the participants performed some aerobics . They arranged themselves to spell “coconut” by bending to the left, right, stretching hand back and forth. They impressed the on-lookers with the choreographed exercise, singing nursery hymns such as “My head, my shoulder, my knee, my leg belong to God”.

The UI Director of Public Communication, Mr. Olatunji Oladejo, who addressed the participants before the VC’s arrival, pledged the university’s support for the exercise.

Addressing the participants, Prof Adewole described the human body as a vehicle that requires prompt and adequate attention to avert unnecessary ailments. He charged the participants not to take part in the exercise for fun, but to maintain a healthy life.

“Taking breakfast at appropriate time is germane to health of individuals as it will serve the basis for brain to function normal,” the VC said, urging Nigerians to give priority to their health status through medical checkup. “This will enable someone to know his or her blood pressure, blood sugar and caution on what to eat,” he added.

The VC urged the participants to sensitise the public on health issues, noting that there were still people who did not know their blood group and genetype to prevent sickle cell. He announced that the university would establish four special clinics in to attend to body pains, hypertension, diabetes and orthopedics.

Dr Akingbola said he was excited that the programme came at the time the university was preparing to resume for work in the New Year. He said it was a New Year campaign to sensitise and educate members of the university community on health issue.

“We don’t want people to fall sick before they visit the clinic; we want those who are healthy remained healthy and those that visit clinic frequently can have respite,” Akingbola said.

He praised the VC for taking the bold step to establish the clinics, saying the move would reduce mortality and morbidity rates.

The Co-ordinator of the programme, Dr Bayo Oluwasanu, described the exercise as significant to maintain a healthy nation. He added that without good health nothing could be achieved.

He stressed the need for people to consider medical implication of everything they do. He charged participants to check their health monthly.

January 9, 2014
How creative minds can be lifted

Governor Ramalan Yero has said Kaduna State will continue to play a leading role as promoter of peace and harmony among Nigerians irrespective of tribe, religion or geographical divide. He spoke at the opening of the maiden in-house exhibition of artworks by workers of the National Gallery of Art, at Hamdalla Hotel, Kaduna. He described art as a viable alternative workshop; a sweeter option to the devil’s workshop that has nothing to offer but destruction.

“I assure you that we are all one in the service of the nation through art. We can use this medium in the promotion of our oneness using our various cultures,” he added.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Tourism, Culture and National Orientation Senator Ahmed Hassan Barata, who chaired the event, said the exhibition reflected the practical side of these artists who are compelled to combine professionalism with their administrative responsibilities. He added that the exhibition titled From Within, is reflective of the realities of those creative products generated from within.

“The generic capitalisation of art as an instrument of education comes to the front burner here as the artists have taken us through various segments of our national life–be it philosophical, economic, social or political. This reminds of our individual responsibility in the collective contribution of our quota to the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan-led Administration,” he noted.

He hoped that the exhibition would expose the in-house artists to the mainstream art market, thus reflecting on the formidable presence of skilled, talented and trained artists in the public service. He however, urged the exhibiting artists not to be distracted from their primary work by the sway of financial inducement.

According to him, ‘what better expectation can we then have other than turning the initiative into an annual ritual from which the artists can continue to oil the wheel of their art practice while benefitting immensely from the same on a yearly basis?’

For the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke said the exhibition would do more than create an interactive platform between the artists and the viewers, noting that it would also help promote professionalism at workplace and create synergy between official responsibility and individual creativity.

“To visit this exhibition is to build appreciation for Nigeria’s creative spirit because you cannot come away from it without appreciating our artistic attributes as a people. The exhibition is therefore an invitation for Nigerians to celebrate with a sense of pride, the fact that they belong to a long, proud history of culture and artistic creativity,” Duke added.

He assured that his ministry would continue to support initiatives such as the exhibition, not only to promote creative abilities but also to create hub for economic activities in the areas concerned.

The Director-General National Gallery of Art, Mr. Abdullahi Muku, observed that since the establishment of the gallery over twenty years ago, there has been unfortunate neglect of in-house artists who are bona fide members of the Nigerian art community. The exhibition, he said, was designed to provide a solid platform of expression to the artists with a view to re-introducing them to the larger community of stakeholders while focusing on the possibility of empowerment.

“As is presently constituted with its workforce, the National Gallery of Art boasts of a considerable number of staff members who are artists. Due to the demands on their job or lack of zeal from others, most of them have abandoned art practice.

I have also observed that one of the biggest challenges facing these civil servants/artists is the strain of combining art practice with official responsibilities. The cardinal objective of this project is to rejuvenate and harness the great potentials, rare skills, passion and the creative spirit of the said staff members. Theses potentials, if not harnessed, are bound to dissipate and filter away,” Muku said.

Continuing, he said: “This show is a potpourri of creative and artistic contributions with various art works of different genres expressed in diverse styles and techniques. They are selected from all the outstations of the National Gallery of Art spread across the federation and the headquarters in Abuja. The exhibition offers an opportunity for wealth creation and encourages the Artist to take his/her art practice to the next level – irrespective of the challenges of his/her profession and career.”

September 4, 2013
The mind of Albert Einstein (1)

Last week, this column reflected on the confluence between the political thought and ideological orientation of the great physicist and Nobel laureate, Albert Einstein and, the radical economist and theoretician of revolution, Karl Marx. While Karl Marx is renowned as a foremost critic of capitalism and passionate advocate of communism, it was through his article titled ‘Why Socialism?” published in the very first edition of the Marxist journal, ‘Monthly Review’, in 1949 that Einstein’s expressed his radical ideological orientation and affection for socialism. In the fascinating collection of his writings titled ‘Ideas and Opinions’, first published in 1954 with the 23rd impression re-issued in 2008 by Rupa paper Back, we catch further glimpses of Einstein’s philosophical outlook and attitude to life.

This book, which has 377 pages, is divided into six parts focussing on the following themes: ‘Ideas and Opinions’, ‘Politics, Government and Fascism’, ‘The Jewish People’, ‘On Germany’ and ‘Contributions to Science’. Einstein writes with such clarity and simplicity that reminds one of Chinua Achebe or the great jurist, Lord Denning, in his book, ‘The Due Process of Law’. The second essay in the book titled ‘My first impression of the U.S.A, offers an insight into Einstein’s philosophy of life. In his words: “The cult of individuals is always, in my view, unjustified. To be sure, nature distributes her gifts unevenly among her children. But there are plenty of the well-endowed, thank God, and I am firmly convinced that most of them live quiet, unobtrusive lives. It strikes me as unfair, and even in bad taste, to select a few of them for boundless admiration, attributing super human powers of mind and character to them. This has been my fate, and the contrast between the popular estimate of my powers and achievements and the reality is simply grotesque”. Can you imagine such modesty and humility on the part of a man of such towering intellect who is easily one of the supreme geniuses of our time? We can thus understand why he would be inclined in favour of a society organised in a way that minimises the degree of inequality between social classes.

Einstein’s unassuming almost ascetic attitude to life is again vividly portrayed in another article in the book titled ‘The world as I see it’. According to him “A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labour of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving. I am strongly drawn to a frugal life and am often oppressively aware that I am engrossing an undue amount of the labour of fellow men. I regard class distinctions as unjustified and, in the last resort, based on force. I also believe that a simple and unassuming life is good for everybody, physically and mentally”.

Einstein reinforces this view in the essay titled ‘Society and Personality’. He contends that the individual can only exist within the context of society since the food he eats, the clothes he wears, the houses he lives in are the products of other human beings. Even the greater part of the individual’s knowledge and beliefs, Einstein contends, has been communicated through the medium of an inherited language created by other people. He thus argues that “The individual, if left alone from birth, would remain primitive and beastlike in his thoughts and feelings to a degree that we can hardly conceive. The individual is what he is and has the significance that he has notso much in virtue of his individuality, but rather as a member of a great human community, which directs his material and spiritual existence from the cradle to the grave”.

Must the individual, therefore, forfeit his uniqueness and simply become an unthinking member of a given human mass? Einstein in no way makes such a suggestion. As a matter of fact, there is a fine balance in his thought between the need for man to express his individuality and the imperative of promoting communal harmony as well as social cohesion. His advocacy of a just, fair and equitable society, which he believes can be attainable under a genuinely socialist order, is indeed to help the healthy development of man’s unique individuality. As he puts it “Only the individual can think, and thereby create new values for society, nay even set up new moral standards to which the life of the society conforms. Without creative personalities able to think and judge independently, the upward development of society is as unthinkable as the development of the human personality without the nourishing soil of the community. The health of society thus depends quite as much on the independence of the individuals comprising it as it is on their close social cohesion”.

Even though he wrote the essay, ‘Society and Personality’, in 1934, Einstein observed that economic and technological developments had intensified the struggle for existence to the detriment of the free development of the individual personality. The book contains many short epigrams that vividly encapsulate Einstein’s philosophy of life and his advocacy of a fair, just and compassionate society. For instance, his reflection on ‘The true worth of a human being’, reads “The true worth of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self”. And his view on wealth is that “I am absolutely convinced that no wealth in the world can help humanity forward, even in the hands of the most devoted worker in this cause. The example of great and pure individuals is the only thing that can lead us to noble thoughts and deeds. Money only appeals to selfishness and irresistibly invites abuse. Can anyone imagine Moses, Jesus, or Gandhi armed with the money bags of Carnagie?’’

We can thus understand the values that informed Einstein’s advocacy of socialism as the best ideology for society. It is then not surprising that Mahatma Gandhi is his hero and the great physicist, in exactly 102 words, paid the following glowing tribute to Gandhi on his 70th birthday in 1939: “A leader of his people, unsupported by any outward authority; a politician whose success rests not upon craft nor the mastery of technical devices, but simply on the convincing power of his personality; a victorious fighter who has always scorned the use of force; a man of wisdom and humility, armed with resolve and inflexible consistency, who has devoted all his strength to the uplifting of the people and the betterment of their lot; a man who has confronted the brutality of Europe with the dignity of the simple human being, and thus at all times risen superior. Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth”. Gandhi then symbolizes Einstein’s idea of the good life and the ideal leader. In the second part of this piece, we will reflect on his ideas on morality, religion and God.

July 31, 2013
ACN to Abati: mind your language

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has decried the growing propensity of presidential spokesman Dr. Reuben Abati to resort to the use foul languages against critics of the Jonathan administration.

It said such crude verbal attacks may boomerang on the presidency if left unchecked.

In a statement in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said there is a difference between a vicious verbal attack, which Dr. Abati now engages in with relish and a robust response to critics of the administration, which is what is expected of him.

“Contrary to what Dr. Abati may think, ‘attack’ and ‘criticism’ are not synonymous. An effective presidential spokesman is not the one who employs gutter language to respond to critics of his principal, or one who makes more enemies than friends for his boss, but one who is able to convey the activities and achievements of the President to the citizenry with dignified language.

“By virtue of what is believed to be his sound education, professional training and exposure, Dr. Abati should be well-placed to know how to tell a man to go to hell and the man will still be smiling.

“To be sure, the use of dignified language by a presidential spokesman is important because whatever he says is believed to have emanated from his principal. It is, therefore, unimaginable that President Goodluck Jonathan will resort to the use of the kind of language that has been spewing out of the mouth of his spokesman in recent times. To the best of our knowledge, no presidential spokesman in Nigeria’s history has employed such base language in defence of his principal,” it said.

ACN said using such words as ‘ethically-challenged’, ‘hypocrite’, ‘medieval-era ignoramus’, ‘habitual indolence and brainlessness’, ‘descent into moral abyss’, ‘mental indolence’, ‘bootlicking’, ‘hideous and second-rate characters’, and ‘foolish’ to describe the critics of the President is rude, crude, uncouth, unconscionable and uncalled for, and that those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

“Dr. Abati, while you are free to exhibit your bombastic prowess, the rarefied realm of the presidency is not the ideal place for that, because when those who are being assaulted with such words respond in kind, it debases the presidency and ultimately hurts the occupier of the office. In a truly global world, such unrestrained response to critics of the presidency also hurts not just the President but the image of the country.

“Even if some critics use words that Dr. Abati finds annoying and insulting or engage in criticism that he deems unfair, it is still incumbent on him to avoid responding in kind, simply because he is not speaking for himself but for an institution. It is, therefore, not enough defence for him to say he is responding in kind to critics of his boss.

“May we also remind the presidential spokesman that there will be life after that office, and that he should remember that in an era where the power of the written word has assumed more potency for various reasons, it is important to be more circumspect in tongue-lashing critics of the President.

“We will like to advise and encourage the presidential spokesman to learn to use facts and figures to counter whatever he considers an unfavourable criticism of his principal, instead of subsuming such under verbal pugilistic,” ACN said.

June 14, 2013
Oge Okoye’s present state of mind!

THE life of an entertainer is bliss when it comes to all the glitz and the glam, but industry followers know that it is not for the faint-hearted. Apparently, Nollywood actress, Oge Okoye, with all the controversies surrounding her career, is not finding it funny with her critics. The actress’ PR consultant recently issued a release directed at those who use social media to hurl invectives at her.

The release stated: Ok, let me just say this upfront……… If you’re a celebrity, people are bound to gossip and talk about you, and usually it’s the bad stuff that always comes up, so get used to it.

“Do you want to kill all our celebs with your bullying? I thought you had learned after Goldie. Celebrities are humans and have feelings. In her attempt to re-brand herself, you bullied Oge Okoye and made her hypertensive. ‘She’s an mgbeke…she’s this…she’s that…’ you kept firing! While you were busy bullying her for nothing, more talent scouts were noticing her.

“You were too busy putting her down to even notice the beautiful concepts. Only few with the trained eye and who genuinely understand art left meaningful comments. Look at all the magazines she has covered, yet instead of encouraging her, you bully her even more. Her first big screen movie with Hollywood stars was just premiered in Lagos and instead of congratulating her, you continued abusing her when you saw photos, with some abusing her dress even though she looked hot. Oge is an only child; please don’t kill her for mother.”

June 9, 2013