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Tag: New Year

New Year: Keep faith with your country, NOA boss advises Nigerians

The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa- Onilu has charged Nigerians to keep faith with the country in the coming year.

Onilu, who stated this in his new year message, assured Nigerians that the year 2025 promises growth and development for the nation.

Onilu in a statement signed by Mr. Paul Odenyi, Deputy Director, Press added that the planning for a transformational nation has started yielding positive results.

He therefore urged Nigerians not to be distracted by the antics of the enemies.

Onilu also called on Nigerians to rally round government policies and programmes.

The statement reads: “The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa- Onilu has urged Nigerians at home and abroad to increase their faith in the country in the coming year, saying that the promises of good planning for a transformational nation has started yielding positive result.

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“Onilu said this in his New Year message to Nigerians, expressing his appreciation to the people of Nigeria for standing by the government and the nation throughout the year 2024 especially in the support for critical economic reforms and war against insecurity taken by the present administration under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“The DG stated further that the challenges of the past year were neutralized as Nigerians resolved to close ranks in support for the government’s policies. He then enjoined Nigerians to sustain the ‘tempo of resilience against internal and external forces,’ assuring that Nigeria would remain an ‘indivisible entity.’

“I felicitate with Nigerians at home and abroad. The year 2025 promises growth and development for our dear nation. We should not be distracted by the antics of our enemies. A united Nigeria will be greater and prosperous,” said Onilu.

The NOA boss also assured Nigerians that adequate security has been put in place to ensure hitch free celebration adding that Nigerians should continue to be law abiding and security conscious.”

December 31, 2024
FULL LIST: Nine countries already in year 2025

In Nigeria, 2025 is less than 6 hours away and the excitement is already building.

However, some countries have already entered the year 2025.

Here is a list of countries already in 2025

1. New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean that consists of two main landmasses, the North and the South Island. Wellington, New Zealand is 12 hours ahead of Nigeria. New Zealand is currently in 2025.

2. Fiji

The Republic of Fiji is an island country in the south Pacific oceanic with its capital in Suva. Fiji is 11 hours ahead of Nigeria and Fiji is currently in 2025.

3. Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. Although the country has four time zones, they are all already in 2025.

4. Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Tokyo, Japan is 8 hours ahead of Nigeria. Japan is currently in 2025.

5. North Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is an eastern Asian country. The country shares borders with China, Russia and South Korea. North Korea is 8 hours ahead of Nigeria. The country is currently in 2025.

6. South Korea

South Korea, a county in East Asia, would have already been in the year 2025. South Korea is 8 hours ahead of Nigeria. South Korea is currently in 2025.

7. Singapore

The Republic of Singapore is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. Singapore are 7 hours ahead of Nigeria. Singapore is already in 2025

8. China

The People’s Republic of China is the most populous country with a population of 1.4 billion people. The country is 7 hours from Nigeria. The country is already in 2025.

9. Indonesia

Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. The country is 6 hours ahead of Nigeria. Indonesia is already in 2025.

December 31, 2024
Four countries that won’t celebrate New Year

In less than 12 hours, countries around the world will be celebrating a New Year – 2025.

However, there are some countries that will not join in the celebration as their calendars differ from the rest of the worlds’.

Ethiopia, Nepal, Iran, and Afghanistan are four countries that won’t be celebrating New Year’s Day 2025.

Here are four countries that won’t celebrate the New Year

Ethiopia: The Ethiopian calendar

Ethiopia is a land of ancient traditions and unique cultural identities, including its own calendar system. The Ethiopian calendar, based on the Coptic calendar, comprises 13 months—12 of which have 30 days, while the 13th month, Pagumē, has five or six days depending on the leap year.

The Ethiopian New Year, known as Enkutatash, falls on Meskerem 1, which corresponds to September 11 or 12 in the Gregorian calendar. Interestingly, Ethiopia is about seven to eight years behind the Gregorian calendar, meaning that as the rest of the world enters 2025, Ethiopia will still be in 2017.

Nepal: Vikram Samvat and Nepal Sambat

Nepal embraces two traditional calendar systems—Vikram Samvat and Nepal Sambat—making it one of the most unique timekeeping cultures globally. Vikram Samvat, a lunisolar calendar, is the official calendar of Nepal and is approximately 57 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar.

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Additionally, the Nepal Sambat, a lunar calendar, is used by the Newar community and runs on its own timeline, adding another layer of distinction to the nation’s calendar traditions. The official New Year celebration in Nepal, called Bisket Jatra, typically falls in April. Hence, January 1 is not a significant date in Nepal.

Iran: The solar Hijri calendar

Iran follows the Solar Hijri calendar, which is one of the most accurate solar calendars in the world. This system begins with the vernal equinox, marking the first day of spring. The Iranian New Year, known as Nowruz, falls around March 21 and is celebrated with elaborate customs and rituals that date back over 3,000 years.

For Iranians, January 1 is an ordinary winter day, with their focus firmly set on the arrival of spring and the renewal it symbolises.

Afghanistan: The Solar Hijri Calendar

Afghanistan also uses the Solar Hijri calendar, aligning its timekeeping closely with Iran. Similarly, Nowruz marks the New Year in Afghanistan, celebrated with feasts, family gatherings, and cultural events.

Afghanistan’s rich history and adherence to its traditional calendar reflect its cultural pride and resistance to adopting the Gregorian system, making it one of the few nations where January 1 holds no special significance.

December 31, 2024
New Year resolution: Nine Churches that have commenced fasting, prayer for 2024

In alignment with New Year resolutions, some general overseers have proclaimed periods of fasting and prayers within their churches to seek God’s direction and guidance for the year 2024.

Below are nine churches that have embarked on fasting and prayers for the year 2024:

1. Mountain of Fire Ministries (MFM): Members commenced fasting and prayers on January 7th and they would end it on February 7th, 2024.

2. Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel): Members began their 21 days of fasting and prayers on 8th January and it will come to an end on 28th January 2024.

3. Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG): The Church began its 50 days of fasting and prayers today, 11th January and it will come to an end on 1st March 2024.

4. Foursquare Church: Members began their 21 days of fasting and prayer from the 8th of January to the 28th of January, 2023.

5. Harvesters International Church: Members are currently on their new year fasting and prayers which began on the 8th of January and will end on the 28th of January.

6. Gracemade Christian Centre: The Pentecostal church began its 12 days of fasting on January 2nd and will be ending on the 13th of January, 2024.

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7. Salvation Ministries: The church headed by Pastor David Ibiyeomie began its prayers and fasting on 8 January and will end on 28th January 2024.

8. Streams of Joy International Church: The church led by Pastor Jerry Eze began its fasting and prayer session on 8th January and will be ending on 28th January 2024.

9. Celebration Church International (CCI) began its fasting and prayers on 8th January and will end on 20 January 2024.

January 11, 2024
New Year cross over dilemma

There are times events happen in ways that tend to interrogate the correctness of our responses to certain beliefs and practices. This is more so in our clime where all manner of leaders including the religious and traditional capitalize on some doctrines (known and invented) to command their adherents to certain ways of conduct and behaviour.

High poverty rate, ignorance, illiteracy and disease combine to reinforce peoples’ attachment to nature, the mundane and superstition. The combined forces of all these can sometimes be very confusing even to the most discerning.

One of such is the concept of cross over to the New Year. Cross over as applied to the New Year, is a relatively new concept. Its origin and how it became a dominant paradigm to denote the movement from an outgoing year to a new one is not very clear. But it gained popularity and traction from the yearly activities invented by sundry religious bodies to mark the end of the year and the commencement of a new one.

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defined crossover as the process or result of changing from one area of activity or style of doing something to another.

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The midnight of December 31st being the last day of every year has become the bridge through which people walk across the New Year. It is characterized by a flurry of activities-midnight church services, prayers and night vigil all in preparation for the eventual movement to the New Year. Cross over has become such a big deal attracting such significance that one begins to wonder if there is any special barriers hindering people from moving from 31st December to January 1st.

Put differently, what is really special in moving over to the New Year? Apart from being the commencement of another year, what prospects does it offer that cannot be found in crossing over from any other day of our lives to the other? Or is the suggestion being made that all those who managed to cross over to the new year will have life in abundance bereft of all the vicissitudes of nature?

So why the impression that the new year will bring equal opportunities, equal favours and life in abundance to all those that managed to cross over to it? There is a story of a certain pastor who raised one of his legs across a table during a cross over church service and commanded his followers to pass through it. And his flock followed one after the other in the apparent belief that doing so will see them through in the new year where perhaps, all the problems of their lives would be solved.

That is the ridiculous extent some people can go in their dramatization and implementation of the concept of cross over and the prospects the new year holds for all those who were able to make it. But does the new year possess that magic wand to wipe out all the misfortunes of life? Apart from being the commencement of a new year, how is it different from the other 30 days in that month?

These questions are raised because the good, the bad and the ugly events we wish away in the outgoing year still find themselves in the coming year in one form or the other. The New Year may bring some favours to some people; but the misfortunes of life will also follow it.

Yet, everybody celebrates the cross over to the new year and looks up to it for the best life can offer. Even governments are not left out in this optimism on the prospects the new year offers. We saw President Tinubu in his New Year broadcast marshalling his programs to give Nigerians hope of a better future.

That is at the level of the government and it is in order. Both at the corporate and individual levels, businesses and families offer prayers and make plans for the New Year. There is also the dimension of New Year resolutions. All these can be admitted.

But it is a different thing entirely when the impression is conveyed that mere movement from an outgoing year to a new one holds the solution to all our misfortunes and challenges. It does not. As a matter of fact, it could turn out so calamitous for some very early in the New Year that you begin to wonder if the previous year was not better for those people. That is the irony in the rising tendency by some religious groups and their pastors to skew the concept of crossover to sometimes, mislead their members. That is the challenge of giving false hopes and raising expectations on the wonders of the New Year.

This dilemma was brought closer home by the unfortunate death of four people who had gone to make some purchases in a supermarket at a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on the second day of January 2024.

Reports had it that the four persons were among many others who were in the supermarket located in One Man village, near Mararaba in the Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State when four armed gun men entered and began to shoot sporadically. The hooded men who were said to have concealed their arms in their flowing gowns opened fire immediately they entered the supermarket which saw customers scampering for safety.

They fired indiscriminately as they made quick to ransack the supermarket apparently looking for available cash. When the confusion created by the attack settled, four men were discovered lying in a pool of their blood. One of them was said to be wearing the identity tag of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The state police command confirmed the death of the four customers. Their bodies have been deposited at the hospital even as the police and other security agencies have commenced investigations which they promised to make public. That is the sad end of the four people a day after the New Year. They may have gone to the supermarket to make purchases for their families who may be waiting at home for those items.

They may have been part of the crowd that celebrated the cross over from last year to the new one. They may have been part of the people told by their religious leaders to perform some rituals as a gateway to the Eldorado the cross over offers.

They may have been part of the night vigil church services or its cross over variant. But see where they found themselves two days after the celebrated cross over. It is none of their fault. They neither committed any known offence nor are they more sinful than many of us still alive. But they have fallen to act of wickedness by some demented persons in search for quick money. May their souls rest in peace!

They are just victims of the inordinate ambition of some rogue elements bent on making money by all means. Why kill innocent people who came to shop? Why waste precious lives just because you want to steal? Since their intention is to steal, why not satisfy that vaulting urge and spare innocent lives?

Elsewhere, we have also witnessed some other unfortunate incidents since crossing over to the New Year. In Oyo State, no fewer than five people were killed on the New Year day when a man was said to have deliberately rammed his car into a group of friends in a party.

Two children died in a New Year accident that occurred along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. These are just a few of the unfortunate events of the New Year. The intention here is not to highlight calamities as the New Year would also come with its positive sides for many.

The goal is to arouse our collective consciousness and redirect our minds on the way and manner we perceive the transition from an old year to a new one. That these unfortunate incidents happened the day we celebrated the magic cross over and a day after, would suggest there is nothing really special in the fanfare and drama that accompany the movement from December 31st to January 1st.

We are free to celebrate that day – usually a public holiday in this country. But let nobody be deceived by whatever prospects cross over as a concept is touted to hold for the living. Some have successfully crossed over only to meet their untimely death. How do you explain that?

January 8, 2024
Let’s be positive this new year

When I read newspaper columns or posts exchanged with friends and colleagues nowadays, I ask myself whether there was ever a time when our benighted country, Nigeria was ever in a better shape than we presently are. I try to go back in a journey of retrospection and I zeroed in on the period between 1951 and 1962 when most of my readers were yet unborn. Most of them would probably say we do not care of what happened in the past especially faced with the hardship of the present.

I understand their predicament because not everyone has an idea of historical perspective. Yet without a perspective view of what happened in the past, we really cannot grasp the importance of the present and the now and whether there is a prospect of a better future. If we all agree about our golden past and how we got from there to the deplorable position now, we can probably go back to the past to achieve a better future.

When we began our golden era was when we constitutionally practiced a system of fiscal and political federalism in truth and indeed unlike now when we deceive ourselves by practicing a unitary form of government and yet calling it federalism with essential powers concentrated in the hands of the federal government in not only just in the creation of states but even local government areas (LGAs) as well. What an absurdity which we should have deprecated but instead, we always asked for more states and local governments to satisfy our greed and not need. We thus created a monstrosity of the most administered land and people in the world. We create mini and miniaturised states whose finances were more or less tightly controlled by a powerful central government which had seized most of the financial resources and revenues generation of the constituent states. This destroyed innovation and local talent with everyone going to the centre where there is more recognition and unfortunately more resources to toy around with and to loot for the greedy ones among us.

In my youth which coincides with my idea of the golden era of Nigeria, all men of talents and innovation remained in the regions where the action and the resources were most needed. This was the period when like Canada, Australia and the USA and smaller federations like Belgium and Switzerland, the constituent states of the union, created the centre rather than the situation in Nigeria after the coup d’état of 1966 where the centre created the states/ regions thus creating a situation in which the federal government stood on its head so to say. It was not just a question of distribution of power between the centre and the constituent regions but of resources because in the past before 1966, the regions kept their wealth and used it for what they considered most important for their peoples’ wellbeing. If it was building primary schools which admitted all children old enough to attend school that they considered important, that was what their money was used for. Every region had graded areas of priority and each state developed at its own pace. To a certain extent there was positive competition and no one was slowed down for others to catch up with the rest.

In order to maintain power, the military emphasised our ethnic differences and maintained them to create states based on ethnicity but the more states and local governments that were created, the more fissure was created yearning for closure. There was no ending to the division of states until states littered the Nigerian political environment without the satisfaction of all.

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Since we cannot really go back to the golden era, the question to ask is what then do we do? We are persuaded that we need to overhaul our economy and build a powerful economy if the political edifice is to survive. If we have the most clinically constructed constitutional architecture without money in our pockets simply put, we labour in vain. We have to build this economy based on comparative advantage. We must base our production on what is available or what we grow in our neighbourhood. If we are going to industrialise, it must be based on what we are going to add value to and share with our compatriots at home and the wider global community. If we are truly over 200 million, we should make this huge market available for those who can provide for the multitude of our people’s needs.

I am not suggesting a kind of autarky but a system of economic independence unlike what we currently have in an economy of overwhelming dependence on importing household goods from China and India and industrial, chemical and engineering goods from Europe and America. We cannot do this suddenly but through a gradual process of weaning ourselves from the feeding bottle of the west generally over the shortest time possible.

At the period of trial, we must not expect home grown industries to produce at optimal levels of quality but overtime as had happened in other parts of the world the quality will improve. When it becomes increasingly profitable, the economy will leap forward and the question of constitutional structure will almost become irrelevant. In the most sophisticated and advanced countries of the world, how many people really worry about the constitutional arrangements when their bellies are full and there is money in the banks and in the pockets to have a shelter over their heads and money to pay for their children’s fees?

Alexander Pope the English philosopher, I believe was right when he said “For forms of government let fools contest, whatever is best administered is best”. This a credo that would minister to most of us in this country and many academics will agree with it because any serious scholar can write a critique of any form of government as an academic exercise! The same way we can write about our past and present governments. What we need to do is to be a little more positive and make critical suggestions that can lead us from the economic doldrums in which we find ourselves. We all know our economic malady is one of conspicuous consumption without shame and this tendency is based on rampant corruption in which the few sit on the necks of the many and gorging on what belongs to all. If we continue like this, the entire territorial edifice will collapse. It seems as if our rulers cannot help themselves and this is why we have to call to order those who are over indulging themselves in affluence before the on-looking mass of the poor take on them and those of us who are looking unconcerned. We are all in danger and we must all join in the rescue of the states and its organs because if we don’t do this, there will be no state to rescue. If we want our contribution to be taken seriously, then it must be on the side of positive change rather than on the side of destructive criticism characterising most of criticism. It is quite clear to us that we cannot continue for long in a situation where we frequently run out of ordinary currency printed money backed by state power and where the national currency has become a chiffon de papier and almost totally worthless and saving for the future is a fruitless effort in the face of devaluation, depreciation and decline.

What was a national asset of a big market is now an albatross round our neck because internal travelling has become hazardous and dangerous. It behoves us to firm up the security apparatus in the country to guaranty the critical environment necessary for economic intercourse and communication with all the parts of the country rather than only what intrepid adventurers can now indulge in. Government has to rise to the level of guaranteeing the minimum level of security available to citizens of government in all countries of the world. This is the least we can expect from our government and we do ask for it and in asking for it we should pledge our support because this is right and our bounden duty as citizens.

January 4, 2024
New Year resolutions: A personal journey
- By Aisha Abdulkareem Yakubu
The year 2024 is here and usually, the start of a new year serves as an opportunity for most people to set new goals which they hope to abide by and commit to better habits. But how many of such New Year goals or New Year resolutions come to fruition after the excitement of a new year? This brings to mind the question of how long does the average New Year’s resolution last?

Failing at New Year’s resolutions is so common that there are even unofficial dates commemorating such failures- some cite ‘Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day’ as January 17 while others denote the second Friday in January as ‘Quitter’s Day’.

The Forbes Health/One Poll survey found that the average resolution lasts just 3.74 months. Only 8% of respondents tend to stick with their goals for one month, while 22% last two months, 22% last three months and 13% last four months.

I am probably one of the few that have successfully kept to my 2023 New Year resolution as I resolved to be a vegetarian from January 1 2023. Today, it will be exactly one year since I took that decision of becoming a vegan.

There’ll be no new resolution for me as I’ll use this opportunity to recommit to my 2023 resolution of being a vegetarian. June 1 is unofficially known by many as ‘New Year’s Resolution Recommitment Day’ but having passed that stage, I’ll use the beginning of 2024 as a time to hit the reset button of my 2023 resolution.

Nigeria is primarily a non-vegan region with less than 0.2% of its population being vegetarians. In Lagos alone, an estimated 164 trailers come daily with 6000 cows slaughtered for various purposes. Being a vegetarian in this kind of country is not easy, especially the northern part with the culture heavily dependent on meat in their diet.

It’s my most dreaded conversation on why I am a vegetarian.

Some people argue with me and try to convince me to eat meat again. They ask me all sorts of questions like; where do you get your protein from? Or don’t you feel like eating meat again since you are from a non-vegan family? I’ll always answer them with; I get my protein from other sources like; beans, nuts, tofu (Awara), lentils, avocado, soybeans and spinach.

And yes, sometimes I get tempted to eat meat again since it’s my first year in the journey into living a vegan life. When I think about the health benefits of being a vegetarian and that I’m into it for my well-being, I can’t give up that soon. But these answers don’t seem to always placate them since they think meat is the main or only source of protein.

What triggered the idea of becoming a vegetarian started one night when my father told me that his line manager in the office has a daughter that’s a vegetarian and I was like, that’s crazy; I can’t go a day without eating meat or fish.

A few days later, I started to develop interest in why would someone want to become a vegetarian and I found that there are tons of reasons. Everyone’s journey is unique, yet has so many similar and familiar aspects. Many choose to become vegetarian for health reasons, others for environmental or ethical reasons.

I then focused on the health benefits of cutting down or completely quitting the intake of meat and fish looking at its predisposition to cause certain disease conditions. According to a study published by Harvard University, researchers found that vegetarians consume less saturated fat and cholesterol than non-vegetarian. They also have greater intake of vitamins C and E, dietary fibre, folic acid, potassium, magnesium and other plant nutrients.

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With this interest, I found out that there are different types of vegetarians or diets vegan (exclude meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products and food that contain these products). There’s the lacto-vegetarian, which exclude meat, fish, poultry and eggs as well as foods that contain them, but allow dairy products such as cheese, milk, yogurt and butter in their diet. The ovo-vegetarians exclude meat, poultry, seafood and dairy but allow eggs in their diet. On the other hand, the lacto-Ovo vegetarian diet excludes meat, fish and poultry, but allows dairy products and eggs. The pescatarian exclude meat, poultry, dairy and eggs but allow fish.

I then decided to be a lacto-ovo vegetarian.

After taking the decision, I then took the first step by informing my father and luckily for me he was not against it. But it was a different ball game with my mother, who vehemently kicked against the idea as according to her, it’s against our religion and culture. The reasons she posited was that our religion allows us to slaughter and eat animal meat for different occasions while vegetarians say that it’s the maltreatment of animals.

I told her I wanted to do it for the health benefit but she still would not agree. However, after so many trials, I was able to convince her but on the condition that I consult an Islamic scholar to find out more on the religious (Islamic) perspective to the issue. I went ahead and asked a scholar in our community and he said yes I can decide to become a vegetarian for personal reasons, such as not liking the taste of meat or for health purposes, with the understanding that only Allah (SWT) can prohibit or permit eating meat.

I thus started the journey by reducing the amount of meat I eat; like having three meatless days in a week but fish was ok. On the other four days I had a choice as to what I ate (meat or not). I thought I was doing my part and that was good enough for me. I could still eat meat when I wanted to but by reducing it drastically.

I became a full-fledged vegetarian on January 1 2023. At first it was very hard for me being the only vegetarian in my family and friends. I have to contend with people eating meat in my presence or trying to convince me to eat meat again. But after some time, I got used to people eating meat around me without getting tempted to relapse in my decision. I no longer feel like an alien among my friends and family with my meatless food.

Every new journey has its own difficulties but the only difficulty I encountered when I started this journey was when I attended my friend’s wedding in Ganye Local Government Area of Adamawa State. It was a really tough time for me because that was my first time being a bridesmaid, with a very busy day and at the same time looking for my type of food to eat in the midst of the abundance of meat.

What makes me happy about being a vegetarian is eating food without any worry or concern about my ingestion of cholesterol. Even though we don’t have vegetarian restaurants in Yola we have a variety of food for pescatarian lacto, Ovo and lacto-Ovo vegetarian. That’s why I don’t have a tough time when going out.

If I was told a few years ago that I would become a vegetarian, I think I would have laughed at what I might have thought was an impossibility. But on one random night, everything changed.

Happy New Year!
- Ms Yakubu writes via abdulkareemyakubuaisha@gmail.com
January 1, 2024
Why we won’t celebrate New Year
- Halimah Balogun
The Chief Priest of Eledumare Ministry, Owolabi Salis, has stirred a controversy, saying January 1 as New Year has “idolish origin.”

He added that one of the objectives of Eledumare Ministry is to recover devotees from stories of men and bondages.

He said: “Everyone born with a soul is a member of the ministry but may not be a devotee. The ministry is founded by Eledumare, the Lord Almighty. We are just promoters,” he said.

According to him, all the major religions claimed to be directed from one God have different calendars including New Year, different rules and so on.

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“One will direct that you eat pork, another will direct that you should not. One will direct that you should not work on Sunday or Saturday or Friday, another will direct that you work on Sunday, or Saturday or Friday. Which one is right we do not know and they all claim to come from one God who is consistent. One uses the solar calendar, others uses the lunar calendar and so

“They all have different new years, one celebrating January 1 as new year. January, if it is true that it was named after Janus, a Roman god of beginning and doorways, then celebrating January 1 means celebrating the birth of that Roman god. Many other religions have said no to January 1 but have different

“When did the planet Earth really start revolving around the Sun? None of them can say with certainty the day, using the solar calendar, when the earth starts revolving around the sun. The chance that it is January 1 is 1:365.25 because we have 365.25 days in a year.

What we are all sure of is our individual new year’s, that is, our birthdays. All these inconsistencies are what is called religious programming or religious racing; every religion selling its idea to gain more membership.”
December 29, 2023
New Year: Heavy traffic resumes in Lagos

Some commuters and motorists in Lagos, on Tuesday expressed their frustrations with the resurgence of heavy traffic in some areas, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

The traffic had reduced during the yuletide with the break in most commercial activities and closure of offices; as well as reduction in population when many residents traveled, making movements easier for people.

With the holidays over and the resumption of normal commercial and social activities in the ever busy Nigeria’s business hub, commuters and motorists have started experiencing the usual gridlock.

A NAN correspondent who monitored the traffic situation along the Iyana-Ipaja – Oshodi route and Ikeja, reports that traffic was heavy around the area.

A commercial bus operator, Mr Ebenezer Adeyemi, who plies the Yaba – Iyana-Ipaja road, said that the traffic was getting worse by the day.

“This traffic is bad because of road construction, I am tired. Going is not easy and returning is also very difficult. How long are we going to continue like this?

“I am telling you the truth; the government cannot say it does not know about the chaotic traffic situation in the state, especially on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

“It does not matter how early you set out from Iyana-Ipaja to Oshodi, you will be frustrated; government should find a solution.

“I am already tired of driving. I left Iyana-Ipaja by 11 a.m., this is 2 p.m. now and I am still at Ikeja.

“This is not normal, most of this construction work can be carried out in the night,’’ Adeyemi said.

The driver urged the contractor to take one lane at a time instead of working on the both sides simultaneously.

A private car owner, Mr Seyi Adigun, who was on his way to Yaba from Ifo, Ogun State, said that he could not believe he would still be at Ikeja by 2 p.m. ins pite of the fact that he left home as early 9 a.m..

Adigun said: “This is bad, this does not show that there is government in place, this is affecting everybody.”

Another commercial bus operator, Mr Ismaila Raheem, said that motorists had incurred losses, both materially and physically because of the traffic situation.

A commuter, Mrs Anita Iboima, urged Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode to call the construction company to order to ensure free flow of traffic.

“I had an 8: a.m. appointment at Mary Land, this is 2: 45 p.m., I am just about to get to my destination, this kind of situation did not start today, we have been facing this kind of traffic for some time now.

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“How I wish the governor will consider the plight of the people and solve this problem,” Iboima said.

A LASTMA official, who preferred anonymity, said that he walked from Agege to Ikeja to resume work.

He told NAN that a political campaign around the area; as well as the early morning protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress compounded the issue.

NAN reports that many commuters were seen alighting from their vehicles to stretch their legs having spent hours in the traffic.

Some others resorted to the use of commercial motorcycles who take one-way to their destinations, while others just simply returned home.

Many commuters were also seen trekking.

January 8, 2019
Saraki urges Nigerians to remain positive in New Year

Senate President Bukola Saraki has called on Nigerians to remain positive and hope for better days.

In a statement by his media aide Yusuph Olaniyonu, Dr. Saraki said the current social, economic and political challenges would give room for better times if Nigerians remain hopeful and collectively work together to ensure a turnaround.

The statement reads: “I congratulate all Nigerians who are today ushering in a New Year in an atmosphere of peace. While a lot need to be done to increase the level of security in the land, revive our economy, gainfully engage our youths, the New Year gives us another opportunity to take steps that would lead us to our desired destination as a nation.

“We can only overcome our challenges if we remain resolute in fighting for what is right and doing the right things. We should ensure the coming general elections are peaceful, free, fair and credible. All of us should abhor any illegal or violent activity.

“We need to also remember our fellow countrymen and women in troubled areas of the country and pray to God to restore peace in all the nooks and cranny of the country, defeat insurgency and successfully restore the displaced people to their homestead.”

January 1, 2019