Tag: UPS

  • Coping with ups and downs of health

    Some What, I was off my rockers last weekend. My blood pressure, averaging 110/70, lost a few points both ways. Usually, such loss is good news for my pulse, which revs up, sometimes part 70, sometimes hitting 80, against a minimum reference of 60 for my age. Last weekend, however, the pulse continued a downward drive to about 49. I looked straight with some concern, into the eyes of Yinka Peter, the young nurse who takes and keeps my records.

    “It’s not so good daddy”, she managed to say.

    “Yes, I know”, I replied, suspecting I may have over driven my blood pressure down with diet or I have to abandon a beta blocker eye drop brand I use for glaucoma and return to Bitter Kola eye drop, which logistic makes it more difficult for me to obtain. Bitter kola eye drop is more soothing to the eyes and heart and does the job of helping the eye drainage system to keep open, without the side effects, including low blood pressure and asthma, associated with the all-chemical beta blockers. To douse Yinka’s worry, I told her I would get a jar of Ubiquinol right away. Ubiquinol is the more bioactive form of CoQ10(co-enzymeQ10). The other variant, the Ubiquinone, has to be converted by the body to Ubiquinol before it can be effectively used, and lots of it may be lost in the process.

    Dr. Karl Folkers devoted most of his research life to the study of CoQ10. In one study in which he collaborated with some medical doctors in the Netherlands, medicine witnessed the healing of some cases of breast cancer with nutritional supplements, the prime of which was CoQ10.  Dr. Folkers & Co. gave 90mg of CoQ10 to terminally ill breast cancer patients on a nutritional therapy. But nothing unusual happened for three months until one of the women unilaterally increased her daily dosage of CoQ10 to about 390mg. Her doctors declared her terminal breast cancer cured. Many heart doctors find Ubiquinol helps the heart of their patients. In fact, Dr. Folkers has shown that the largest proportion of CoQ10 in any organ is in the heart, and that heart troubles, including heart failure or heart attack, may occur when CoQ10  level in the heart drops below 25 percent. So, as I left Yinka, I went straight for a bottle of CoQ10 soft gels, taking two gels of 100mg each two times a day, each time with a meal and ensuring there is some oil in the meal to facilitate optimal absorbtion of the supplement. While waiting for the next check on my condition, I filled the time with thoughts about the challenges of other people. Nurse Yinka Peter had told me of a Jehovah Witness woman who had surgery to remove some nagging fibroid tissues from her womb. They had been previously removed surgically but they regrew. This time around she lost so much blood that she required blood transfusion. Jehovah Witnesses do not mingle other person’s blood with theirs. So, a crisis developed, and she would rather die. Ordinarily, she would have accepted a transfusion with “blood expander”, a chemical inducer of blood formation which their faith endorses. But this was not readily available.As a last resort, she opted for beet root which this column often suggests for cleaning and building the blood.And it has worked for her, as her fellow faithfuls have discovered. Just in case they have not heard about Dr. Victor Umoh and his encounter with a Jehovah Witness case at his Ajaokuta Clinic, I would tell this story.

    met Dr. Umoh when he worked at Duro Soleye Hospital on Allen Avenue in Ikeja, Lagos about the 1980s. Then he left to found Ajaokuta Clinic. One day, he encountered a Jehovah Witness ectopic pregnancy case. She was losing blood, and would not agree to be transfused another person’s blood. A few years before then, I had told Dr. Umoh about a new product in town which the studies carried out at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital College of Medicine suggested could be the world’s fastest replenisher of blood in anaemia related conditions. He filled the information away somewhere in his memory. He retrieved it when this case arose, rushed someone to Lagos for that product, Jobelyn, administered it expertly as the patient was no longer accepting food and, to every-one’s surprise, she came round. I am not a Jehovah Witness in the strict sense of the definition of an adherent of this faith. But,I share the sect’s belief about the need for care not to pollute ones blood with another’s. I do not know how the sect came by its own doctrine about the human blood. My understanding is that (1) The spirit makes the blood (2) Fatal blood circulation is not established until the soul incarnates in the growing body midway through pregnancy (3) The bodyceases to live when blood flow stands still, and this is when the spirit leaves the body in what we earthmen call death (of the body), affirming that blood formation and circulation are related to the spirit (4) As there are no two similar human spirit, as evidenced in finger prints, the blood of one person must be different from the blood of another . In fact, author Herbert Vollman says in his KNOWLEDGE FOR THE WORLD OF TOMORROW that today’s discoveries of blood groups and genotypes may in the future appear like Stone Age knowledge when higher recognitions of the mystery of the blood pave the way to a drop of blood, like the fingerprints, to become each person’s identity card.  Infact a section of the book is title The Blood Has An Identity Card.

    Within the limits of today’s spiritual knowledge, it can be said the spirits makes the blood to use it, as a communication medium with the body.

    Therefore, when one person’s blood is mixed with another’s, the composition and radiations of the bloodstream become altered, thereby becoming not optimally usable by the spirit. It would in this light become necessary for the blood to be recomposed by the Spirit to status quoante, if healing or normalcy is to occur. It has been suggested that not only health abnormalities, but also psychic ones as well, may trail people who are transfused with another person’s blood. In extreme cases the spirit may become so unable to function properly with the new radiation that it health life may be completely wasted.

    Cases of insanity have been linked to weakened blood radiations. For when the radiation is weakened, it provides a bridge for disembodied or other entities to take over the body and control it. This may be evident also in cases of split personalities and abnormal behavior generally. In this scenario, a soul crosses the bridge to the body with a view to taking over the brain. Thus, the brain of the abnormal person may be receiving instruction from his own spirit and from the invading spirit. Only confusion and abnormality can arise from this.

    We live in a world of perpetual warfare. So to avoid a bridge being formed and let down to entities wishing to take over the body, in drug addiction for examples, the blood must be well composed.

    A former employee of the central bank in Abuja, who believes he is a constant target of attacks from out of the darkness, always asks me how fortifications against them can be built in and around the blood. Two ways always, I answered. One through spiritual (not religious) activity and two: through the diet. How diet may help, this column often mentions the green and chlorophyll. One of such columns was titled “LET US DRINK GREEN THE WORLD IS NOT GREEN FOR THE FUN OF IT”. Reference was made to four scientists who won the Nobel Prize for revealing in their work the similarity of chlorophy and heamoglobin is the red pigment of the human blood; chlorophy is the green pigment of plants.

    Chlorophy is composed by carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. Minerals magnesium holds them together. The same composition is present in heamoglobin. But in heamoglobin, iron links them together. So when greens are consumed the magnesium of the chlorophy is removed and given to muscles, bone, teeth e.t.c. and the structure is filled with iron as welding atom to recharge the blood according to the nature of the spirit. This probably accounts for the increasing popularity, worldwide, of such plants as Alfalfa, Barley grass, Karnut grass, Spirulina, Wheatgrass, Kale, Chlorella e.t.c. Recently, I told a drug addict who was struggling to free himself from his addiction, that molecules of the drug have attached themselves to the molecules of his body, are transforming there molecules negatively, overcharging and weakening them. To get rid of these killer invading molecules he must decree their ingestion gradually or, if he can, drop them in a swift U-Turn, infuse his body everyday with the molecules of these routing and cleansing green plant. The healing green molecules, being antioxidant, would attach themselves to the killer free radical molecules and drag them out of the body. He has to fortify his liver, lungs and kidneys for the excretion of these killer molecules Ditto the skin.

    Lest I forget. Like the astringent Shepherd’s purse, some of these green plants are also good for controlling or stopping bleeding. A young man who bled from the gums thought his end had come. He feared that his teeth would fall away and he may become socially obscured. His fears were worsened by his doctor’s explanation that bleeding gums may be or late warning that some internal organs had been bleeding for some time. The young man wondered if this could be the source of his seemingly unexplainable weakness for some months. Anyway, the Vitamin K in Kale and Chlorella helped stop his gum bleeding.  The places or roles of high dosages of  Vitamin C (sometimes about three grammes) and Lime Juice cannot be raced out.

    nd what about the woman with vaginal itch and discharge of whites (leucorrhoea)? Her case reminds me of that of another young woman who had laboured to find a man who would marry her, and just when the stage was set, her body threatened to wreck her chances. The gentleman was in England. They met during his last holiday to Nigeria. A few weeks from when he was to return from their marriage, the woman developed Vaginitis, pain and bleeding. Golden Seal Root taken orally and applied in the Vagina helped her overcome these conditions. The latest case has a choice between Golden Seal root powder and Mango Seed Extract powder. The latter has many uses.  In India, women use it as a contraceptive by pasting the Vagina with it.  The paste kills the sperm. It is obvious from this that Mango Seed Extract Powder paste would kill vaginal germs as well. Water may not be used in the making of the paste of the extract or any other meant for delivery into the vagina, as it may help the germs to grow. Propolis cream or Aloe Vera cream should offer a good carrier base for it. I imagine Coconut oil should help, too, given its anti-microbial prowess. But I am familiar with the egg white. It is a protein the vagina is said to tolerate well. After the healing of the vagina, it is suggested that friendly bacteria flora, killed along with the dangerous germs, be re-established, so the vagina can continue to enjoy the protection of this Brigade of Guards of sort. This means nightly insertion of a capsule of probiotic (friendly bacteria) for about one or more weeks, especially after the menstrual cycle. Depending on the severity of the condition, this may be proceeded by the use of Happy Woman or Guffebau, as this Tampax –like product is called in Nigeria. It is inserted into the vagina or the second day of the cycle being over and left on for between three and five days, to extract impurities from up to the tubes. When the battles is all over and won, it is suggested that a woman always line her brief with a pant liner. There are all sorts of them on the NIGERIAN market today. The one which appeals to me most to recommend is Long reach’s brand because long way action benefit for the user, namely… (1) Many Nigerian women hang their briefs to dry in the toilet. When the water closet (WC) is flushed, the pressure of in-rushing water displaces air, which is evident in the odour that follows a flush. With the displaced air comes displaced germs as well. If they settle on the briefs, and the briefs are not ironed to kill them before they are worn, the germs may infect the vagina. But an antibiotic pant liner would kill them before they do. (2) Droppings from the vagina may contain germs. As a brief is worn almost throughout the day, this gives the micro-organisms enough time to reproduce and re-infect the vagina. An antibiotic part liner destroys them before they can grow out of control. Even briefs hung outdoor to dry do attract germs in dust or pollen from plant. This may wreak havoc if the brief is not ironed before it is worn. The long reach brand also deodorise the virginal, it is claimed by the producers that one proof of this is that, when it is worn inside shoes, men with foot odor who would not pull off their shoes in public because of the embarrassment of doing so, find the cause of their fear is swallowed or absorbed into the pant liner.

    Last Monday, nurse Yinka Peter rechecked my blood pressure and random blood sugar. Despite a breakfast of four banana and four mangoes, washed down with orange juice, the random blood such count was 96. Perhaps the credit for that goes to KYOLIC BLOOD SUGAR. A blood sugar burner from kyolicwakanuga which supplies FENUGREEK and other sugar burning herbs in one ware house. The blood pressure was 102/68, against a normal for many years of 110/70. The pulse gave me joy, receiving up from 49 Last Saturday to 69. It is too early to say of Ubiquinol my choice brand of coq10, is doing its job. For, last Monday, I skipped the beta blocker eye drop till after the check to see if it is the culprit behind plummeting of the heart pulse.

    Last Tuesday, I recorded a pulse reading of 60, even after using the eye drop. Time will tell what is going on. This week, I have found myself back on my rockers. Mercy, Chris and Stanley at Laybol Business Centre can testify to it.

  • UPS rewards customers, assures on efficient service delivery

    UPS rewards customers, assures on efficient service delivery

    It was a fun-filled afternoon at United Parcel Service Lagos, as the customers of the global leading courier and logistics firm, thronged the premises to mark the company’s 2014 customers’ appreciation and award-giving day.

    The customers received different categories of awards and gift items for their loyalty to the brand in the last one year.

    Besides, there was a raffle draw, which rewarded customers with top quality phones, wall clocks, movie tickets at Silverbird Cinema for couples, buffet dinner at Sheraton Hotels, among others.

    The highpoint of the event was recognition awards of varying degree to UPS esteemed customers. Starting with the Silver Award to Alcatel and Airtel Spares which was in recognition of their compliance with and utilisation of UPS’s WorldShip, a time-saving IT platform that uploads customers’ information, provides shipping alert, tracking and exporting of shipment data, error free.

    This was followed by the gold level category awards to First Bank Nigeria, Diamond bank, Unilever, World-Wide Commercial Ventures (WWCV) and Union Bank.

    Commenting on the occasion, Emeka Nwangwu, the Business Development Manager for UPS Nigeria, applauded the commitment of the recipient companies for their tech savvy, which include Nigeria Breweries, VFS Global, United Bank of Africa (UBA) and Standard Chartered Bank for their outstanding relationship with UPS throughout the year, adding that the Customer of the Year award went to First Bank Nigeria.

    Echoing similar sentiments, the Managing Director of the courier firm, Mr. Ralph Ozoude, said the programme is a yearly event organised by the company in appreciation of its customers for believing in them, despite challenges of the economy; and most importantly,organised to get feedback from the customers on how to serve them better.

    Speaking on the programme, he said, “I’m happy that we have a very good turnout of customers. There is a remarkable difference from what it was last year. Every year, we try to introduce varieties into what we are doing. Last year, we started giving awards to customers, those, who have been with us for over 20 years. This year, we tried to ensure that every customer goes home with something.”

    Expressing his views on the programme and award, the representative of one of the awardees, Mr. Femi Adedeji, of WWCV said it wasn’t a surprise that his company bagged the award, especially going by the volume of transactions his company has initiated with UPS.

  • COMMENT

    COMMENT

    For Olatunji Dare

    I read your backpage article…. and I laughed my head off. May be the documents contained a new plot to take over the world. Sometimes we are lost at what to do when international companies fail in their service agreements.I hope UPS has access to this publication.From Ernest

    Re-Beware, sender: A UPS experience. Quite interesting a story, it was. Whatever US might have had as her motive, we know you have an International repute. Let’s thank them that at last, it was released. In some climes and in a particular clime, it would have been tampered with, shred clearly, with impunity! From Lanre Oseni.

    Your UPS experience seems to me to be unbelievable ! I can just believe it . Are you sure UPS is telling the truth ? If it is true,you must consider legal action for a redress .Take legal action against UPS and join Border protection Agency. Its not for pecuniary gain but to let them know as human, you have your rights. Thanks. From A Lawal,Lagos

    There was every posibility that you would have been invited by the Custom and Border Protection Agents for questioning, possibly with some form of impunity measures also conducted on you, was there anything incriminating found in that your parcel. Now that nothing of such was discovered therein, I think its still proper you institute a court action against them for obvious reasons.That they may invoke the so-called National Security issue and all that as a cover or defence shouldn’t serve as a deterrent at all.You would be suing the UPS oragnisation and not the American government. The Border and Security Agents can only be joined in the suit to complete the circuit. Aside claiming damages for the breach of contract it is also expected that you should in the process be  able to find out exactly whether such embarasment was specifically meant for you or has truly become the new general practice with sending out  such document through UPS these days. From Emmanuel Egwu

    For Gbenga Omotoso

    The reason why soldiers commit crime and escape, stands on the fact that their names and numbers are not sewn on their uniforms. If this can be mandated, it will deter them. Anonymous

     

    For Segun Gbadegesin

    Sir, you have said it all, Governor Aregbesola owns the key to the development of osun. Ogbeni no shaking.From Jacob Viashima

    The governorship election in Osun is so crucial to the presidency because of one major reason: PDP has lost credibility in all the Hausa states and therefore desperate to win in all the states in South West in order to enhance its victory at all cost in 2015, it is a straight fight between the PDP and APC, and therefore we need to be very very vigilant to thwart all calibrated measures designed by the PDP to manipulate the outcome in favour of Omisore. Anonymous

    Governor Aregbesola is of man by God. I have never met him before, I don’t think I wil ever meet him in my life but, God almighty wil protect him to save Nigeria in the future. I’m praying earnestly that Allah wil make him Nigeria’s president after his second term. From Zakariyya Adam, Minna.

    Sir, kudos to your analysis of the governorship candidates in Osun state, it is a good write-up, I dont think Osun will rubbish themseslves as Ekitis, we are watchng with keen interest. From Chief Akeredolu Tayo, Odooro,Ikole local government.

    For Osun people tomorrow their destiny remains on ability to exercise franchise properly, police same and shun intimidation like Imo State. From Ugbo Umeoha, Enugu.

    On a fine day in an ideal and utopian society where intergrity  and respect for societal norms are held in high esteem with special premium for the rights and priviledges of the masses  Governor Aregbesola should win election convincingly. This of course is predicated on his unequalled and unparalleled achievements over a shortwhile of his leadership in Osun state. From Chief Obinwa Akanwa,Port Harcourt.

    Your piece “A clear difference”is quite intresting, and to me it is very unconvincing. I am not convinced because you are not being objective in this particular piece. Are you suggesting that Governor Aregbesola has no flaws throughout his almost four years in office. There is a difference between performance and personality. From Ojo A Ayodele.Emure-Ekiti.

    It turns out to be as you authoritatively prophesised in your Friday 8/08/2014 Titled: A clear difference Thanks for your objective projection of the outcome of  2014 Osun Governorship Election, devoid of journalistic sentiment. From Na’ali Mohd,Lafia.    

     

    For Tunji Adegboyega

    Re: How they bleed Nigeria. With the weighty content in the above subject-matter, I would want to believe that the Federal Government, the National Assembly and the Secretary to the Federal Government would either be retroactive by replying you, invite whoever the culprits are to assuage the unimaginable pain such wastage in delay as well as depreciation of Nigerian livelihood! Otherwise, I dey laugh and still dey laugh o. That write-up is such a responsible government must not take with a pinch of salt no matter the hatred for you! Pain! Pain!! Pain!!! Is the word for thestory of the abandonment. On the Osun election result, Ogbeni Aregbe won, so, who had the militarisation favoured with no thuggery and no death and no ballot boxes snatched? Let us all be open-minded in all we do and see. Commend what is good and condemn the bad. From Lanre Oseni. 

    INEC has declared APC governor Aregbesola winner of the Osun State election. A glorious second term begins. Anonymous.

    God bless you Mr. Adegboyega for the write-up. I wish all the media houses and civil society groups can take this up against the PDP (Jonathan) government as it was done during the fuel subsidy removal protest, the aviation saga, etc. and currently Chibok girls’ abduction, so that Nigerians can forever ‘quarantine’ the PDP come 2015. Meanwhile, I congratulate APC for its victory in Osun; they should adopt grassroots policies/strategies as other elections draw near. Once again thanks and God bless. From Ndubuisi M. Nnam, Makurdi.

    PDP is an assemblage of all kinds of dubious characters. The threat by Nebo is an empty one; those involved must either be PDP members or their sympathisers. Jonathan’ll not make any comment on it. His priority now is 2015 and nothing more. From Alhaji Adeboye Lawal.

    My greatest surprise is that you are wondering whether the Federal Executive Council monitors the  money approved for projects. Was it not in this same country that a sitting minister of works took over N300bn to construct roads and the nation’s roads became worse under his watch? That same man is currently one of the three most powerful and influential characters in the ruling party. All you need to get away with any crime is to belong to the ruling party  . If there’s one word to describe this country considering how the leaders treat the citizens and resources, that word is waste! From Simon Oladapo.

    It has been in our leaders’ character to abandon projects and equipment. Now that Prof Nebo has cleared power equipment that was abandoned at the port for years, it is clear indication that Nigerians would soon see regular power supply because of his vision and mission It is a welcome move to ensure that there is regular power supply. Kudos for that; let all Nigerians that there will be light at the end of the tunnel as clearance had made over the issue. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and allow him fulfill the promise he made when he was appointed power minister. From Gordon Chiika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.

  • Beware, sender:  A UPS experience

    Beware, sender: A UPS experience

    Problem: 

    You have some time-sensitive documents to rush to a foreign destination.  Only originals accepted; no scanned documents attached to e-mail, and no facsimile (fax, for short) and no photocopies of any description whatsoever, please.

    Solution

    Take them to any of those global courier services promising delivery anywhere in four or five working days.   For a package containing just four sheets of copy paper, the price will be close to, if not exceed, Nigeria’s minimum monthly wage of N18, 000 that some state employers are yet to honour.  But you will have the satisfaction of getting what you paid for.

    Until two months or so ago, that would have been my advice to anyone seeking to rush time-sensitive material to a foreign situation.

    Now, based a recent personal experience, I would have to say:  Beware, sender.

    Let me explain.

    Just before the United Parcel Service Business Office along Oworonshoki- Apapa Expressway  on June 6, 2014,  I handed to the clerk a package containing some notarized documents for transmission to my home address in the United States.  The official papers, all eight pages of them, had no commercial value whatsoever.  Unlawful interception would have breached my privacy somewhat, but would not have redounded to the financial advantage of any Four-One-Niner.

    I was assured that the package would be delivered within three working days. The transaction took place on a Friday.  Saturday is a working day for UPS, but even granting that it is not, and allowing for Sunday which is definitely not a working day, the package was set to be delivered Wednesday of the following week, latest Thursday.

    Given the time-bound nature of the documents, I could live with the N14, 600 I was invoiced.

    Wednesday came, but no package was delivered.  Thursday came, no delivery.  The week ended on the same disobliging note.

    By the middle of the following week, delivery would have been too late to serve the purpose of courier freight.  But there was nothing to indicate that it was even imminent.

    Armed with the payment receipt and other documents relating to the transaction, my assistant went to the UPS office to demand an explanation.  He was told that the parcel was being held up at a Customs and Border Protection post in the United States and would be forwarded to its final destination as soon as the officials were done.

    Why had they not told me this at the point of transaction?

    That is the practice now, and UPS could only urge the relevant agency to clear it not a moment later than was absolutely necessary, my assistant was told.

    By now, the addressee was thoroughly frazzled and had begun to doubt whether I had actually couriered the documents.  So, I sent down an electronic copy of the shipment transaction, to be used to petition the nearest UPS office to find out what was going on.

    Same reply.  The parcel arrived in the U.S. within three working days, and has since been in the custody of the Customs and Border Protection agents.

    For how much longer?

    They could not tell.  They could only promise that it would be rushed to the addressee as soon as it was officially cleared.

    Was there a phone number or some other contact information through which one could reach the agency in question to have some idea of how soon they will be done inspecting the parcel?

    None that they knew of, the UPS people said.

    In the event, the parcel was delivered 14 working days after it was accepted for transmission, when it could no longer serve the purpose for which I had been charged an amount close to monthly minimum wage.

    My layman’s sense of the law tells me that a breach of contract has occurred, for which I should be able to recover at law.  After all, the contract was for delivery to the addressee within three working days, not to some inspecting agency.

    But the claim will immediately collide with, and be vapourized by considerations of “national security,” the “doctrine of necessity” and “raison d’état” and all that.

    At any rate, what were they looking for in a parcel containing printed matter and weighing all of 0.5 kilograms?

    The Ebola fever scare was still some seven weeks away.  So, they could not have been subjecting the parcel to microscopic analysis just to be sure it did not harbor the deadly Ebola virus.

    Boko Haram had stepped up its nihilist campaign of murder and mayhem, the sophistication of which has led to widespread belief that it must be enjoying foreign logistic and financial backing, and to fears that it might be seeking new operational theatres aboard, perhaps in the United States itself, the bulwark against international terrorism.

    Could it be, then, that the U.S. Customs and border protection agents were scouring the parcel for coded messages that might on deconstruction lead them to pre-empt a Boko Haram strike in the homeland or on the soil of any of its NATO partners or, horrible thought, its eternal ally, Israel?

    Again, could it be that they were looking for something that might help them crack what they call “the Nigerian Connection” here, the network of persons engaged in syndicated crime covering credit card fraud and advance-fee fraud, the type that has brought to grief many Americans who believe that staggering wealth can be conjured out of nothing?

    Perhaps they were looking for something that might help them figure out how Nigeria leaped from the bottom ranks of the world’s least developed nations to the League of the Top 20 in a matter of months.  I am told that the United States and its European allies are deeply troubled      by this quantum leap, and are fearful that two more of that kind would push them out of their accustomed places and take away the obscene benefits they have been reaping from such positioning.

    Or something that might help the international community understand why, more than 40 days after Boko Haram abducted more than 200 girls from their school hostel in Chibok, President Goodluck Jonathan had not deigned to meet with their parents and had instead been demanding that they “cooperate” with his administration.

    They might for all I know have been looking for hints about where the girls are being kept, a secret that the combined intelligence services of the United States, the United Kingdom, France,  France, Australia and Israel have been unable to prise from the Nigerian authorities.

    I wish I could say exactly what the U. S. inspectors were looking for or indicate where to turn for answers.  What I can say at this time is that since the parcel was released without inviting me or the addressee for questioning, we have not been declared “persons of interest.”  But that is not to say that the story is ended, given the mysterious ways “security issues” move here and everywhere.

    There was no sign that the parcel had been tampered with or its contents compromised.   But that is poor comfort, knowing that I could have had the same parcel delivered for N1,000 in less than ten days by regular mail.

    Remember the good old post office.