The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Out

  • Garbage in, garbage out

    •Nigerian cows worst milk producers, says minister; they are probably the worst fed too

    Popular wisdom is that you cannot give what you do not have and this will apply to Nigeria’s agricultural sector where even in the face of the best efforts, results have not been quite salutary. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, (himself a renowned farmer) has in the last two years had a daunting task convincing his compatriots that going back to land is the way to go.

    However, the harder he tries, the less the perceived impact on the economy. For instance, the country still suffers huge post-harvest losses in almost every crop ranging from tubers to citruses, tomatoes, pepper and nuts. Not much strategic effort has been made to develop processing and preservation facilities in major food belts of the country. Neither has export capacities been developed as a first measure to tackle what may have become Nigeria’s agric conundrum of lack in the midst of plenty and wastage.

    At another level, a large quantity of such common repast like poultry products consumed in Nigeria are still smuggled through Nigeria’s land borders; tomato puree and the bulk of cooking oil are still imported. The market for Nigeria’s major staple, rice is also dominated by foreign smuggled varieties. Milk is imported in large semi-processed form and repackaged in Nigeria by foreign firms.

    These items are daily dining table needs in nearly every household across the country and the import of this is that we spend billions of dollars in foreign exchange servicing these commodities that can be sourced in abundance locally.

    Milk, for instance, which is the subject of this editorial, is of a peculiar report. Chief Ogbeh at a function in Lagos lamented the fact that Nigerian cows are the worst milk producers globally. The average cow in Nigeria, he said, produces less than one litre of milk per day. Whereas the Dutch cow does about 50 litres per day while the American cow would deliver nearly 100 litres of milk per day; the Nigerian example is sure pathetic.

    This is really a dire picture and a source of worry. The minister attributed the situation to the nomadic cattle-rearing method in Nigeria which ultimately affects meat and milk production. He said that the earlier farmers started developing ranches, the better for the entire animal farming value chain.

    One of the remedies being worked out by his ministry to give the agric sector a boost is the imminent restructuring of the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) to create a branch in every local government so as to bring finance to the rural farmers.

    While we commend the minister for identifying some of the problems in his sector and initiating some solution, the matter of animal husbandry in Nigeria and the production of such essentials as milk and beef require a more robust approach, both for the political upheaval arising from the activities of the itinerant cattle breeders and the huge economics of providing these vital proteins for Nigerians. There is also the need to check the outflow of huge foreign exchange.

    It is not enough to set up rural branches of the BoA as finance is not a key index limiting the setting up of ranches or modern cattle breeding enclaves. It is also not enough to blame the cows for what we feed them is what they give back. For a start, the minister could use his good offices to liaise with some governors and private investors to set up private pilot full process commercial ranches in three or four states of the country.

    These farms would not only serve as models of modern animal farming, they would immediately minimise the itinerary of herders as they could easily supply these ranches cows for milk and beef.

    Many states of the northeast and northwest have ample land for this experimentation. Investors are not in short supply; what is lacking is official will to take practical steps.

  • ‘Way out of recession’

    ‘Way out of recession’

    The atmosphere was charged as worshipers thronged the church auditorium, bearing palm fronds and singing praises to God for the opportunity to witness another Passover Feast. It was a gathering of the faithful to celebrate the risen Christ.

    This was followed by a procession from the main auditorium, even as the worshippers stooped to make their heads to touch the earth, in total submission to Almighty God who was in the beginning before the beginning began.

    During the grand finale of the 21-day annual Jesus Passover Feast (Perfection Day) of The Saints Gospel Church of Christ, also known as Hand of Fire, Igando, Lagos, people expressed happiness and hope that the resurrection of Jesus Christ will make all things come anew in their lives.

    The founder and General Overseer of the church, Pastor Jacob Shodeinde, who recounted the journey to the Passover Feast, said it is a mysterious programme ordained by God to deliver people from their problems.

    His words: “After my calling, God ordered me to go on a seven-day marathon and after that, He revealed the ordinances of the Passover Feast to me; it’s an ordinance of old.

    ”Everything started in the Tabernacle of Moses. They used palm fronds during their Passover so we pray with palm fronds to replicate the days of old. Expect that we don’t offer sacrifices with animals because Jesus was offered as a propitiation for our sins. A dead woman came back to life during the Passover Feast after the palm frond was put into her hands.

    “During the triumphant entry, the people laid down palm fronds to honour Jesus Christ as he rode into Jerusalem. It’s part of the mystery of the call.

    “In Nehemiah chapter eight, the people gathered on the street to mark the Passover. That is what we are doing today; bowing to worship the Lord who does wonders, except that we don’t offer sacrifices because Jesus was offered as a sacrifice for us. It is a Biblical mystery which we have been holding on to since 1996. We are celebrating the blood of Christ, which is the mystery of the Passover.”

    The cleric emphasised the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to the feast, saying it gives man hope that life will be better, especially at this time of recession. This, he added, was the purpose of the feast–to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus who shed his blood so that man could be free from condemnation and triumph over evil.

    “That is why we gather annually to celebrate the blood through the Passover Feast. The purpose is to deliver the people from their mountainous problems and to gather the candidates of heaven in Mount Zion. That is why testimonies can never cease here because Mount Zion is the house of the Lord.

    “Every Christian must be involved because the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for the whole world and not for a select few. That is why as Christians, we have the hope of life after death and a certainty that our faith is not in vain. We are also freed from every condemnation,” he said.

    Pastor Shodeinde, who credits God for his strength and testimonies recorded during the feast, urged Nigerians to serve Him faithfully and with sincerity of heart as it is the only way out of crisis.

    “My reliance and dependability in the blood of Jesus Christ has been my source of strength. When you have a calling and you abide by all rules guiding the call, be sure God will provide the needed strength. When the challenges came, I cried to God and he assured me I will prevail and today we are rejoicing.

    “If God has performed miracles in people’s lives, they should serve Him wholeheartedly and with sincerity of heart. The answer to Nigeria and Nigerian’s problems is Jesus Christ. He is able to set the country free if everybody surrenders totally to Him and serve Him sincerely,” he added.

    A member of the congregation, Pastor John Adeyemi, said it was through the Passover Feast that man has hope of a greater tomorrow.

    According to him, revelations about generational battles, as well as strategies to fight and win, were revealed to him during the programme.

    “Passover is the feast when I knew about battles existing in my lineage in the last 100 years and these battles were won. Every sorrow is turned to joy and every battle is conquered,” he said.

    Pastor Ayodele Afuwape said the feast is a covenant between God and founder of the ministry, adding that it’s a multi-dimensional calling and an embodiment of so many things.

    “It’s specially created by God and it’s done thrice a year–April, August and December. There is healing, deliverance, victory over the power of the enemy, blessing and recovery.

    “Personally, I’ve experienced healing. My wife developed complications during pregnancy but she was delivered of the baby safely during the feast in 1997.  My sister had fibroid but she received her deliverance during one of the programmes,” Afuwape said.

  • When she truly sees him inside and out

    FOR the first six months, Teniola could not really fathom what was going wrong in her relationship. Of course she knew that something was wrong but just did not know what it was.  Now that it is all over, the whole episode flows smoothly and now she knows that it was not meant to be from the outset. Flashing back, she discovered that she only got caught up in a flirtation that led to an affair.

    Why not! Having those unsuccessful trials, just anything would do. Thirsty, it was sweet sipping from the affectionate stream. It wasn’t clean and didn’t taste right, yet it was better than nothing at all. Relaxed, she allowed herself to imagine that this was love and it was better to be blind to all the inadequacies.

    It felt so good at the time and it all happened so quickly. This lovebird felt attractive, sexy, and alive for maybe the first time in years. Teniola allowed herself to get lost and just did not stop to consider the consequences of what she was doing. Now that she is back to reality, this heart wished she never made it this way because her heart has been disorganised more than ever.

    For some people, moving in and out of relationships can be real fun. For those in this category, life is simply sweet. They know how to manuevre themselves, having an easy time creating the kind of connection desired. Some great heart here understands the emotional environment and knows how to turn and transform a few typical “dates” into the beginning of an amazing relationship.

    Conversely, you also have those who are not as emotionally y gifted as the first set of hearts. Unfortunately, if you fall into this category, then you are likely to find it more difficult than you think it should be to find a great heart and go from the person just feeling “casual” about dating you to wanting and needing you on both a physical and emotional levels.

    Therefore, if you fall into the latter category, it is better to reorganise and restrategise to get better emotional results “to win the right man’s heart.” Interestingly those things that matter on the emotional roundtable are little details. They are the things that a lot of us do not talk about, but they are also the emotional ingredients that we just cannot do without. It is important to pay attention to these details because they can actually drive your partner wild when they recognise them and experience them in you.

    So, when you discover these details and put them to use in your love life, the right heart would melt for you and the person would always see you as that unique and special person that the heart just has to have and behold forever.

    Real men are mature and grounded on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. They might not have everything they want in their life. But they are on a great path and open to growing on a deeply personal level. If you are unlucky to fall into the hands of the opposite of a real man, then your heart would constantly be in a dilemma. Handing your heart over to a boy is the greatest disservice you can do to yourself. Unfortunately for those in this category, you may not discover the emotional tide that you are running against until it is too late.

    So, the next question that you are likely to ask yourself is how you know if what you have is a heart for a man or that of a boy. Well, the first thing you would notice is that a boy will become uncomfortable when he gets too close to his own emotions, or too close to a woman who truly sees him inside and out, for better and worse.

    The story, however, is different with a real man. This kind of heart certainly knows his emotional onions. It is a heart that knows who he is and will listen, learn, and communicate even when he sees or senses that the woman in his life is unhappy or disapproving of something about him or his actions.

    The things that will make a real man appreciate and admire a woman are often things that a “lesser” man would be annoyed, frustrated, or put off by.

    Understanding these issues means that we all need to appreciate people for their differences and relate with them appropriately. For a lot of women, you must know how to talk to a man about your feelings and needs.

    The easiest and most straightforward way for a man to engage in his emotions with you is by doing things with him that do not require talking, but allow you to be playful with him to dial up the emotional intensity to make him more attached to you.

    Not all men love sports or are great at them, and you might not like them either, but that’s not the point here. The point here is to play a sport with a man because it involves aspects of a “game”.

  • Not well-thought-out

    •INEC’s suspension of action on additional polling units suggests defective structure

    As suddenly as it announced the decision to create additional polling units in all parts of the country, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has opted to suspend the decision. The commission, while not ruling out revisiting and giving effect to the matter, said the units would be warehoused until the next general elections would have been conducted.

    The very controversial creation of the units provoked national outcry. While some Nigerians were suspicious of the motive behind the decision, others kicked over alleged lopsidedness of the distribution of the units. The loudest protest came from the South East that got only about 1,167 units to the 1,200 allocated to the sparsely populated Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The North West was allocated almost 7,906 units while 8,414 were allotted to the three zones of the South.

    The North, including the FCT got 20,715 new polling units. The commission explained that it took the action to make units more manageable in the forthcoming elections; claiming also that apart from the number on roll, distance played a major factor in distributing the new units. But, disbelieving voters in the South have argued that the distribution was designed to favour a region and reinforced a supposedly false assumption that the North is more populous than the South, arguing that Nigeria is the only country where the savannah region is deemed more populous than the rain forest region.

    Beyond claiming that the creation of the units was purely based on scientific parameters, the electoral commission has failed to satisfactorily respond to the queries about the distribution. Officials responsible for interfacing with the public on INEC’s activities were sorry sights when put through grilling questions on that matter by journalists, thus suggesting that they were either as ignorant of the underlying rationale or as unconvinced as the general public.

    News filtering out of the commission and published by the media were not helpful either. There were reports that its internal decision-making mechanism had become defective, fractured along North-South lines. This is bad news for a country that has desperately looked forward to the conduct of credible general elections that meet up international standards.

    We call on the commission to quickly put its house in order if it is to engender the confidence of all Nigerians. The idea of announcing such a major decision and then reversing it based on public outcry is an indication that INEC lacked conviction and was not sufficiently rigorous in considering the pros and cons of the matter. The commission, headed by a professor of political science and comprising experienced public servants ought to have subjected the matter to extensive debate before the final decision was taken and announced.

    The commission and other sensitive public bodies also need to incorporate consultation with critical stakeholders into the processing of such national issues. Bowing to public pressure after running into a storm is the consequence of putting the cart before the horse. In a democracy, it is trite that the will of the people is supreme, and in electoral matters, the national interest should drown all others.

    How INEC would upturn the suspicion generated by the poorly handled exercise remains to be seen. The commission has a duty to assist in pulling down strongholds that have held down Nigeria over the years. It has a responsibility to help in dissolving age-long distrusts, rivalries and unhealthy competitions that have largely accounted for the disharmony in the country’s public life. In the run-up to the next general elections, the commission has a duty to allay fears that it has been ‘captured’ to pursue narrow rather than the general interest.

  • Minister orders Maigari out

    Minister orders Maigari out

    Nigeria’s Sports Minister, Tammy Danagogo, may have further muddied the waters in the ongoing Nigeria football crisis, following his utterances on Tuesday.

    Danagogo, while speaking with sports journalists in Abuja, declared that he has not told out going NFF President, Aminu Maigari to resume work at the NFF Secretariat.

    World football governing body, FIFA, had clearly told Nigeria that they expect the Aminu Maigari led executive committee to hold a congress, and organise a fresh election.

    But the minister disclosed that he was shocked by the news of Maigari’s return to the Glass House, insisting that he had ordered all parties in the lingering crisis to stay away from the NFF’s secretariat in the interest of peace and for amicable resolution of the crisis.

    “We asked all the parties, Maigari, Giwa and everybody involved in this crisis to stay clear of that place (Glass House) so that we can amicably resolve this issue”, Danagogo said.

    “Up till [Tuesday] morning, the report I got from Musa Amadu was that they were out of that place. I don’t want them to go there to fight and it will be in the best interest of everybody involved to maintain the peace we have achieved up till this moment”, he said in a move that can be translated as government interference.

    Maigari, however, insisted that he was not told to stay clear of the Glass House, saying his return to office was on interim basis and not for full time.

    The angle that is still not very clear, is the FIFA response to the case against it that was taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sports by a group of FA Chairmen, led by Obinna Ogba.

  • Speak out that Idea!

    Most great thinkers and successful persons in the world, both past and present, have, at one time or the other, associated their successes to good ideas. Several books have been published on this valuable seed called idea and how it can be capitalized upon for great achievements. We cannot over emphasize the fact that good ideas rule the world. When ideas become a passion, they consume the proponent so that he or she becomes unstoppable. Victor Hugo said, “An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.” Great ideas cannot be restricted; they find their ways around every obstacle. According to Benazir Bhutto, “You can imprison a man, but not an idea. You can exile a man, but not an idea. You can kill a man, but not an idea.” Not only are good ideas characteristically bigger than their proponents, they also mostly outlive them. In this respect, John F. Kennedy said, “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. Ideas have endurance without death.”

    As valuable as ideas are, however, we will be making a big mistake to think that they are all it takes to succeed. Ideas don’t fulfil themselves, they must be put to use, and the first step of this is expression. What are ideas without expressions? Have you ever seen an army commander who instructs his troupe with his mind? No matter how skillful or tactful he is, he must issue clear commands, either by speech or by gesture, for the soldiers to act. Can a teacher teach a class without words, gestures, or other technical aids? Unless the subject matter is “silence,” the students would receive nothing. Likewise, ideas are nothing unless they are expressed.

    People cannot get into our minds or read our thoughts; hence, they cannot access our brilliant ideas unless we express them. Lois Wyse said, “The only people in the world who can change things are those who can sell ideas.” In whatever endeavour we are engaged in, our ideas will be no good if we cannot convince the necessary stakeholders of their authenticity.  If we don’t know how to present our ideas, they may die in our minds.

    Some people spend their entire lives merely brooding over some ideas because they believe the ideas are not good enough to be shared. According to Brian G. Jett, “We think good ideas to death, when we should be acting them to life.” I am of the opinion that we don’t know the value of our ideas until we share them.  Have you ever had the experience, probably when you were in school, that your teacher asked a question, to which you knew the answer, but you were afraid to be wrong, so, someone else spoke exactly what you had in mind and was correct? How did you feel? Whether in the same scenario or a similar but more complex one, the effect is usually the same. Though you tried to console yourself that it wasn’t really a big deal, deep down, you felt a sense of loss. That is what happens when we don’t share the valuable ideas we have; we lose them to other thinkers. Some other people believe that no one can be trusted, so they hoard their ideas. While the ideas are safe in their minds, neither they nor any other person benefit from that.

    Ideas get bigger when they are shared effectively. George Bernard Shaw said, “If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples, then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.”

    Having established that ideas are invaluable, and that they are of no use when we keep them to ourselves, the next question is, “How do we share our ideas?” There are several ways to share our ideas; in fact, there are many more ways than we can talk about here. But I can assure you that one of the major and most effective ways is through speaking. Of course, you may write a proposal, but you are most probably going to need to make an oral presentation of it at some points. Some people write winning proposals but are screened out only because of their inability to come across convincingly in their oral presentations. When a business proposal is particularly brilliant, and the presenter is particularly poor, the assessor naturally concludes that the idea is stolen. Think about this: why is it that we hear some people accuse some popular musicians of stealing their songs, yet it’s not a hit when the supposed owners perform it? Why does a student explain a course to another and the latter passes while the former fails? The answer is simple- some people are good at getting ideas, some are good at expressing them, and some are good in both. “But is this fair?” You may ask. Well, that may be a discussion for another day. In the mean time, know that you can learn to express your ideas effectively and win your audience to your line of thinking. Organize your thoughts, support it with facts, create the context in which it can work, and be passionate as you speak. You are closer to achieving your dreams than you know.

  • NFF staffers vow to lock Giwa out

    NFF staffers vow to lock Giwa out

    Chris Giwa may be locked out of  the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) glasshouse office if he tries to defy FIFA’s order and force himself into the premises today.

    This is because worried staffers of the federation are prepared to take their destinies into their hands by ensuring that Giwa who has been parading himself as NFF president does not gain entry into the office.

    Last Wednesday, FIFA in  a strongly worded letter signed by General Secretary, Jerome Valke gave Giwa up till this morning to vacate the office of NFF president or Nigeria will be banned from international football.

    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has already warned on its website that if FIFA hammer falls on Nigeria,the Super Eagles will be automatically disqualified from the 2015 AFCON qualifiers.

    SportingLife learnt that the NFF staffers, who are apparently apprehensive that they could end up in the labour market if Nigerian national teams are stopped from participating in competitions have vowed to carry out their plans of locking the office as a last minute effort to save their families from hunger.

    “This is our only means of livelihood and we will not allow anybody to deprive us of our source of income”One staffer told SportingLife on condition of anonymity.

    “How are we going to feed our families if Nigeria is banned because it could force the management to downsize the workforce if there is not work to be done.”

     

  • ‘Agric can bail out Nigeria’

    For Nigeria to attain a virile economy, the President, Jonathan Trust Foundation (JTF), Mr. Abiodun Dada, in this interview with JOHN OFIKHENUA, advocates that the primary assignment of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) be farming for the country to create more jobs.

    From your point of view the president seems to have done all. Is there any need for his re-election ?

    The main strength of every economy in modern time lays on the accessibility to uninterrupted power supply. We acknowledge the huge step that has been taken in this area. After the 2015 elections you will see improvement in all the areas of the economy. We will start to see the positive impact of the privatisation of the Power sector. More and more companies, local and foreign will invest in power generation, transmission and distribution. The foundation has already been laid. Nigerians should expect to see major improvement in the Agricultural and Mining Sectors of the economy. Our past was Agriculture and Mining and so is the future of this country. These two sectors are capable of employing millions of Nigerians and also generating foreign earnings for the government through export. Imaginging if we stop posting our NYSC members to government and private establishments where they are underutilised and put them into farming. If we create NYSC Agricultural Scheme and   the state government allocates hundreds of hectares of land to scheme in their various local government council for farming where every corps member will carry out their national primary assignment, what impact do you think it would have on food production? Some corps members will even take to farming after completing their service thereby creating jobs. This will reduce the dependence on what more? the government for job creation. This administration from 2015 will create entrepreneurs that would employ Nigerians and drastically reduce the unemployment rate in the country. It worries me to see how an important ministry like the Ministry of Mines has been underfunded. This is a ministry through which millions of our youths can be employed. One out of every ten jobs in Canada is directly or indirectly associated with mining. The same situation is obtained in Australia and South Africa. Ghana, Botswana and Brasil are some of the countries whose economy relies heavily on mining. With proper funding of the sector, the government will not only create jobs but also ease the agitation for resources control. This is a country where solid minerals are everywhere. Look out our steel industry, what is happening to Ajaokuta steel complex, neglect and controversies. The administration of President Jonathan is working to get the Ajaokuta Steel back on track. Tens of thousands of Nigerians would be employed by the time the Ajaokuta Steel is up and running.

  • El-Kanemi captain out of Rangers’ match

    El-Kanemi captain out of Rangers’ match

    • Team arrives Enugu today

    El-kanemi’S long severing captain Bamai Bukar has been ruled out of Sunday’s week 20 Glo Premier League tie against Rangers International at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu.

    Bukar told SportingLife that he has some family issues to attend to.

    “I will not be in Enugu for our match against Rangers. I would have loved to be in the match but I have a family issue to attend to. I have informed the management and they’ve given me permission to stay behind,” Bukar told SportingLife.

    “I want to use this medium to thank the management for their understanding, Insha Allah I will be back for the next game. I am with the team in spirit and I will be praying for them. The spirit in the team is high and we will get a draw in Enugu if not a win. I am not underrating Rangers but I have confidence in the players that will make the trip to Enugu,” the midfielder said.

    The players and officials of the team will arrive in Enugu this morning ahead of tomorrow’s game against Rangers.

    SportingLife understands that the team left Maiduguri on Friday and passed a night in Makurdi before heading to Enugu this morning.

    According to the club’s welfare officer, Ba’aji Hassan, the club travelled with new signing Oyekachi Okoye  and Eugene Obi.

    He added that the Flying Eagles duo of Ifeanyi Mathew and Sulieman Abdullahi will be available for the match.

    “We are well prepared for this match, we are also coming with two of our new players,” he said.

  • Carroll ruled out of NZ friendlies

    Carroll ruled out of NZ friendlies

    West Ham striker Andy Carroll has been  ruled out of two pre-season friendlies in New Zealand due to ankle soreness.

    The England international, 25, developed a sore left ankle during training, according to a statement from the Premier League club.

    Carroll missed  West Ham’s clash against the Wellington Phoenix in Auckland yesterday and will equally miss the tie against  Sydney three days later.

    The former Newcastle and Liverpool striker was hampered by injuries in 2013-14, making 15 league appearances and scoring just twice.

    A West Ham statement read: “After assessment by the club’s medical experts, it was decided to let the England international rest for both remaining games and receive intensive treatment to ensure he is fit for the start of the season.