₦airaland Forum

[b] Well well well, a lot has been said about the possible causes of suicide. The thought of doing it could go through anybody's mind.
Instead of over-flogging the issue of the causes, I'll rather suggest some solutions if suicidal thoughts come to one's mind:

Seek the help of a Clinical Psychologist. Since Clinical Psychologists do not advertise their offices, most people do not know where to find them. The simplest way to find a Clinical Psychologist is to walk into any higher institution nearest to you (University, Polytechnic or College of Education). Ask of Psychology Department, look for their lecturers (the ones that majored in Clinical Psychology of course) and you are good to go!

Talk to your Pastor or Imam. Confide in him/her and pray with him/her.

Always talk to a trusted relation or friend whenever you are going through any difficult or threatening situation. Do not bolt it up. Locking up your emotions without confiding in someone could lead to suicide thoughts. A problem shared is a problem solved.

Learn to love your self, love your self sooooooooo much that you can never allow anything to make you kill yourself. Have you ever asked yourself why The Bible says you should love your neighbour as you love yourself? It's because God expects us to love ourselves and not to hate ourselves. Some people in this world hate themselves and feel so worthless and believe that they are good for nothing. I don't blame them though, because something must have happened to them which made them feel that way.
However, when you learn to love and appreciate yourself, whether rich or poor, tall or short, meeeehn! You'll realize that nothing on earth is worth killing yourself for!

May God help us all, Amen!!! [/b]

~Bluetooth:
They are spending billions renovating buildings when there over 10 million children out of school,several youths without employment or stable source of livelihood,extreme poverty,insecurity everywhere caused by societal dysfunction which metmorphosed into kidnapping,armed robbery among others.

Nigeria problems isn't about renovating airport but rehabilitating the larger masses who are the real owner of government but left out to participate in the workings of government.

This is nothing but a waste of fund and misplaced priority !

While you think of the several problems of Nigeria, also try to take out time to appreciate the good things you see, no matter how little. Learn to balance your mind and your thought process, make you no go get High Blood Pressure or even craze kpatakpata. Shey na only problems problems u dey see for Naija? Haba!

Her Muslim name after the marriage is FARIDA. If you doubt me, search for Sound Sultan on Wikipedia to confirm.

deandavid: Death sentence for stealing maybe 2 million naira. Wat abt Bankole, ibb, obj, lucky igbinedion, peter odili and all those polithiefcians that stole in million dollars. Not until we youths of dis country, do d egypt thing, the poor and weak will continue to be oppressed.

Do the Egypt thing at your own risk: Police accidental discharge and tear gas activated

They were running for their "dear lives" when they themselves have been threatening people and causing mayhem in the community. I'm happy they were re-arrested.

Those guards on duty really have some questions to answer. They must explain why the robbers were even able to escape from the doors f he courtroom. What if they had snatched a gun from any of the guards, it would have been a bloody situation in that out that day.
This should serve as a lesson for everybody given any responsibility, no matter how small, to carry it out judiciously. We must learn to do away with laxity and I-don't-care attitude.

While I'm saying RIP to the dead, I wish to also say that Whoever posted that first picture must be high on something. because that's a picture of a student that was shot in the leg by a policeman some weeks ago.

Now, who even know whether that very picture actually belongs to the boy. Or it could be a copy-and-paste from another earlier incident. Our journalists are just getting toooooooooooo lazy nowadays. We don't even know what to believe anymore.

The absence of fixed frontiers in border areas has attributed largely to the persistence in smuggling activities across the country making it difficult to control entry and exit points in border areas.

According to the area Controller of Customs Oyo /Oshun command, Richards Oteri, this is due largely to the fact that there are very few fixed frontiers among thousands of illegal routes that smugglers use daily across the country.

Oteri said that this hurdle made it imperative to re strategize using meagre resources for better efficiency and these have been yielding results in the amount of seizure made under the command in the past 2 months.

He added that there is urgent need to approve more border stations in strategic points across the country.

The latest seizure of 19.750 cartons of frozen turkey valued at 98 million naira is perhaps the largest single seizure of poultry products under the command in recent time, but the command says there is no stopping until smugglers get the message.

Despite repeated warnings, huge seizures running into billions of naira annually and jail terms in some cases, the activities of smugglers remain unabated in many parts of the country.

He disclosed that in Oyo state, there are only 2 approved border stations in Ayegun and Ighokoko to cover more than 8 local governments with more than 5oo illegal border routes.

Oteri added that this necessitated a change in strategy and renewed commitment among less than 800 members of staff under the command.

The latest seizure for the command is this staggering amount of frozen turkey. Customs value the 19,750 cartons at 98 million naira the contraband was carefully concealed with 530 iron rods and 36 sheets of iron plates.

The leader of the team that made the seizure, DCS Alajogun Joseph explained that officers followed the smugglers for 3 days before finally catching up with them at Bakatari along old Abeokuta road.

The command again enjoined people to desist from smuggling as it will not rest in efforts at discouraging smuggling.

Source: Federal Ministry of Information
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=566901296696116&l=d5c9b476b7&refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FOkbuLoSeui&_rdr

Federal Government

Education: Established Federal Universities in nearly all the states of the federation

Aviation Industry: Refurbished the airports across the country and brought them up to standard.

Power: Increased power generation all over the nation. The only challenge now is proper distribution and then sabotage on the part of Phcn workers. The FG would not do its part and still come and do the PHCN staffs's own part. They should learn to take their job serious and stop short-changing consumers.

Health: FMC's across the country now render quality services as they are beginning to be better equipped more than before.

Empowerment/Employment: Lots of beneficiaries of the YouWin programme and Sure-P can testify

Really? I've never been charged any extra amount for using POS to pay for anything. I'm yet to experience this.

sleekymag: The truth is that according to CBN, the charges that will be paid by owners of the POS is only 1.25% of the transaction amount or a maximum of N2,000 per transaction. So in this case, 1.25% of N80,000 is N1,000. In other words, even if they are supposed to pass the charges to you, you should be paying N81,000 and not N83,000.

This is a good development. But I just wish this would not bring about untold hardships and confusion for the elderly and illiterate ones. They should not just stop at implementing the cashless policy. They have to educate the masses on how this works, so that they won't mistake it for victimization.

I'll vote for the Nigerian boy. He's cute and his swag is on point.

Rate the Swag

strangest: ^today it may be PRIVATE in their bedrooms but tomorrow they will start looking for churches that will wed them and it will be PUBLIC. Then our kids will want to learn from them. Stopping it at the nick of the bud is one of the best thing that has ever happened to this country and if anyone see it differently he is supporting them. Professor just talked poo.

Do not mind the man and those supporting him on this issue. I used to have respect for him. He forgot that once you give those psychologically challenged set of people, any little opportunity, they will surely turn it not a public affair, creating eyesores in public places. It's better the way they've been subjected to the hide-and-seek game. We don't need public display of gay/lesbian practices in our society. We already have enough evil and moral decadence on our hands to correct.

Rubbish headline with a rubbish intention.
Why I'm not really in support of PEJ's excessive pulic appearances and social engagegements during this trying period in Rivers State, while her initial mission was to attend her grandfather's burial, I still want to maintain that she wields no political influence in the political structure of Rivers State. So all these misleading media reports should stop.
These journalists should rather channel their energies towards following up cases of some past significant events such as Cynthia Osokogu's case and the Aluu4 case in court.

Shobayo Emma: Good achievement by the mr president there. God bless NIGERIA.

Amen to that

I got this mail from my Bank and thought it wise to share:

CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA'S CASHLESS POLICY EXTENDS TO SIX MORE STATES

We write to inform you that the Central Bank of Nigeria's (CBN) cash-less policy will commence in the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), Abia, Anambra, Kano, Ogun and Rivers States effective July 1, 2013.

The cash-less policy, which is currently operational in Lagos State, aims at reducing the amount of physical cash circulating in the economy, and encouraging more electronic-based transactions (payments for goods, services, transfers, etc.).

This policy will drive development and modernization of our payment system within these States as all individuals and corporates will be encouraged to adopt electronic payment and banking options.

The following modalities will thereby apply in the above mentioned States from July 1, 2013:
 

1. The cash-in-transit lodgment and cash evacuation services will no longer be available to customers or merchants.
2. For individual account holders, charges will apply when daily withdrawals and deposits are in excess of N500,000
3. For corporate account holders, charges will apply when daily withdrawals and deposits are in excess of N3,000,000

Please find the applicable charges below:

  Deposit Withdrawal
Individual 2% on excess 3% on excess
Corporate 3% on excess 5% on excess
 

Kindly note that the above limits apply so far as it involves cash, irrespective of channel i.e over the counter, ATM, 3rd party cheques cashed over the counter etc. For example, if an individual withdraws N450,000 over the counter, and N150,000 from the ATM on the same day, the total amount withdrawn by the customer is N600,000, and the service charge will apply on N100,000 - the amount above the daily free limit of N500,000

Exemptions have however been granted on lodgments and withdrawals for accounts operated by Embassies, Diplomatic Missions, Multilateral Agencies, Aid Donor Agencies, Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government (revenue collections only), Microfinance Banks (MFBs) and Primary Mortgage Institutions (PMIs).

According to the quoted part, she only thanked the people for promising to stand by her husband "if" he decides to run in 2015. That does not amount to flagging off of her husband's re-election campaign.

About 16,447 housing units were added to the national housing stock through various interventions by the Federal Mortgage Bank, Federal Housing Authority and Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

Similarly, 238 housing units under the prototype housing scheme and 2,009 housing units under the public private partnership/contraction finance programme were also executed.

The Minister of lands, Housing and Urban Development Miss Ama Pepple announced this at the 2013 mid-term Ministerial platform in Abuja.

She explained that during the period under review 7,510 housing units through estate development loans were also provided by the Federal Mortgage Bank.

The Minster also noted that the Ministry is currently establishing 150 fully serviced residential plots per site in 12 States of the six geo political zone of the country and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Miss Ama Pepple also announced that the Ministry in collaboration with Aso Savings and Loans Limited and Federal Mortgage Bank is developing 144 mixed housing units of 1-3 bedroom apartments in Lugbe.

However, the Minister expressed unhappiness that despite the efforts of the Ministry lack of funds has become a huge challenge in the housing development sector of the economy.

While speaking earlier, the Minister of Information Mr. Labaran Maku said the Minster of Housing has produced a workable housing policy for the country, adding that Miss Pepple has delivered excellently on the mandate of the Ministry.

http://fmi.gov.ng/over-16000-housing-units-developed-in-two-years-of-jonathans-administration-pepple/

VENTURES AFRICA – The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a leader in global payments services, on Tuesday said that Nigeria is at the forefront of the company’s expansion plans in Africa – facilitating reliable cross-border payments with a growing retail agent network and expansion into new channels with mobile payments and account-based money transfers.

On a two-day visit to Nigeria, which according to the World Bank is the world’s fifth largest remittance receiver, Western Union’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Hikmet Ersek, said: “Speeding financial inclusion, giving more people access to basic financial services, is at the heart of Western Union’s investment and commitment to work with partners in other industries to offer new products and services. We are already demonstrating this in Nigeria with remittances into retail, direct-to-bank and through mobile.”

“Nigeria is at the forefront of leading our commitment in Africa,” he added.

According to Aida Diarra, Regional VP, North Central Africa, Western Union, the company moved money from only 69 countries into Nigeria when it commenced services in the country.

“In 2012, we moved money from 196 countries. The possibilities for the future here in Nigeria are strong,” she said.

The company said in an official statement that its first bank agent in Nigeria, First Bank of Nigeria (FBN), inked an additional five-year agreement this month.

It also runs with two Nigerian banks, Account Based Money Transfer (ABMT), a service that allows the receipt of funds transferred through Western Union directly to bank accounts.

Western Union also plays a key role in financial inclusion in Nigeria, which goes beyond enabling consumers to receive money. The company and the Western Union Foundation have partnered with the Tony Elumelu Foundation, the Bank of Industry (BOI) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support entrepreneurship and help create growth for small- and medium-sized business enterprises in Nigeria and across Africa.

Through the unique opportunity, provided by the African Diaspora Marketplace and related programs, Nigerian businesses have been empowered with – development grants, business training and access to pitch to investors and bankers for equity and loan financing.

With more than half a million locations in 200 countries and territories, Western Union has been present in Africa since 1995 and has more than 27,000 Agent locations spanning 50 countries across the continent. In Nigeria alone, Western Union has more than 4,800 locations represented by a majority of Nigeria’s banks.

http://www.ventures-africa.com/2013/06/western-union-president-says-nigeria-is-key-to-africa-expansion/?utm_campaign=business&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter

~Bluetooth:
1) Do Not Marry Potential:  

Oftentimes men consider marrying a woman hoping she never changes while a woman considers marrying a man she hopes she can change.  This is the wrong approach on both accounts.  Don’t assume that you can change a person after you’re married to them or that they will reach their potential.  There is no guarantee, after all, that those changes will be for the better. In fact, it’s often for the worse. If you can’t accept someone or imagine living with them as they are then don’t marry them.  These differences can include a number of things such as ideological or practical differences in religion, habits, hygiene, communication skills, etc.


2)Choose Character over Chemistry:  
While chemistry and attraction are no doubt important, character precedes them both. A famous quote follows, “Chemistry ignites the fire, but character keeps it burning.” The idea of falling “in love” should never be the sole reason for marrying someone; it is very easy to confuse infatuation and lust for love.  The most important character traits to look for include humility, kindness, responsibility, & happiness. Here’s a breakdown of each trait:

Humility: The humble person never makes demands of people but rather always does right by them. They put their values and principles above convenience and comfort.  They are slow to anger, are modest, and avoid materialism.

Kindness: The kind person is the quintessential giver. They seek to please and minimize the pain of others. To know if a person is a giver, observe how they treat their family, siblings, and parents. Do they have gratitude towards their parents for all that they’ve done for them? If not, then know that they will never appreciate what you do for them. How do they treat people they don’t have to be kind towards (i.e. waiters, sales associates, employees, etc)? How do they spend their money?  How do they deal with anger; their own anger and their reaction to someone else’s anger?

Responsibility: A responsible person has stability in their finances, relationships, job, and character.  You can you rely on this person and trust what they say.

Happiness: A happy person is content with their portion in life. They feel good about themselves and good about their life. They focus on what they have rather than on what they don’t have.  They very rarely complain.


3) Do Not Neglect The  Emotional Needs of Your Partner:

Both men and women have emotional needs and in order for a partnership to be successful those needs must be mutually met. The fundamental emotional need of a woman is to be loved.  The fundamental emotional need of a man is to be respected and appreciated.  To make a woman feel loved give her the three AAAs:  Attention, Affection, & Appreciation.  To make a man feel loved give him the three RRRs:  Respect, Reassurance, & Relief.  It is the obligation of each partner to make sure the other is happy and this extends to intimacy as well. As long as each partner is fulfilled by the emotional needs of the other, the intimate relationship will thrive.  When a man takes seriously the emotional needs of his wife she will feel more encouraged to fulfill his intimate desires. Likewise, when a woman takes seriously the emotional needs of her husband he will feel more encouraged to give her the affection, love and appreciation she wants from him. Working together in this way encourages both giving and receiving.

4) Avoid Opposing Life Plans:

  In marriage you can either grow together or grow apart. Sharing a common purpose in life will increase the chance that you will grow together.

You must know what the person is into. In other words, what are they ultimately passionate about?  Then ask yourself,

“Do I respect this passion?” “Do I respect what they are into?”
The more specifically you define yourself, i.e., your values, your beliefs, your lifestyle, the better chance you have of finding your life partner, your soul mate, the one you are most compatible with.
Remember, before you decide who to take along on a trip, you should first figure out your destination.

5) Avoid Pre-Marital intimate/Physical Activity:

Recognize that there is incredible wisdom in why God has ordered us to refrain from intimacy before marriage; they are to prevent great harms as well as to keep sacred what is the most blessed part of a relationship between a man and a woman.
Aside from the obvious spiritual consequences, when a relationship gets physical before its time, important issues like character, life philosophy, and compatibility go to the wayside. Consequently, everything is romanticized and it becomes difficult to even remember the important issues let alone talk about them.
Intellectual commitment must be established before emotional or intimate commitment.

6) Avoid Lack of Emotional Connection: 

There are four questions that you must answer YES to:

Do I respect and admire this person?  What specifically do I respect and admire about this person?
Do I trust this person?  Can I rely on them?  Do I trust their judgment?  Do I trust their word? Can I believe what they say?
Do I feel Safe?  Do I feel emotionally safe with this person?  Can I be vulnerable?  Can I be myself?  Can I be open?  Can I express myself?
Do I feel calm and at peace with this person?
If the answer is “I don’t know, I’m not sure, etc.” keep evaluating until you know for sure and truly understand how you feel. If you don’t feel safe now, you won’t feel safe when you are married.  If you don’t trust now, this won’t change when you are married!

7) Pay Attention to Your Own Emotional Anxiety:  

Choosing someone you don’t feel safe with emotionally is not a good recipe for a long-lasting and loving marriage.  Feeling emotionally safe is the foundation of a strong and healthy marriage.  When you don’t feel safe, you can’t express your feelings and opinions.  Learn how to identify whether you are in an abusive relationship.  If you feel you always have to monitor what you say, if you are with someone and you feel you can’t really express yourself and are always walking on eggshells, then it’s very likely you are in an abusive relationship.  Look for the following things:

Controlling behavior: This includes controlling the way you act, the way you think, the way you dress, the way you wear your hair/hijab and the way you spend your time.  Know the difference between suggestions and demands.  Demands are an expression of control and if the demands are implied, than you must do it or there will be consequences. All of these are clear indications of abusive personalities.

Anger issues:  This is someone who raises their voice on a regular basis, who is angry, gets angry at you, uses anger against you, uses put downs, and curses at you, etc.  You don’t have to put up with this type of treatment.  Many people who tolerate this behavior usually come from abusive backgrounds.  If this is the case with you or someone you know, get help right away.  Deal with those issues before getting married or before even thinking about getting married.

8.) Beware of Lack of Openness In Your Partner:

Many couples make the mistake of not putting everything on the table for discussion from the onset.  Ask yourself, “What do I need to know to be absolutely certain I want to marry this person?” “What bothers me about this person or the relationship?”  It’s very important to identify what’s bothering you, things that concern you, and things you are afraid to bring up for discussion. Then you must have an honest discussion about them. This is a great way to test the strength of your relationship. Bringing up issues when there’s conflict is a great opportunity to really evaluate how well you communicate, negotiate, and work together as a team.  When people get into power struggles and blame each other, it’s an indication they don’t work well as a team.  Also important is being vulnerable around each other. Ask deep questions of each other and see how your partner responds.  How do they handle it?  Are they defensive?  Do they attack?  Do they withdraw?  Do they get annoyed?  Do they blame you?  Do they ignore it?  Do they hide or rationalize it?  Don’t just listen to what they say but watch for how they say it!

9) Beware of Avoiding Personal Responsibility: 

It’s very important to remember no one else is responsible for your happiness. Many people make the mistake of thinking someone else will fulfill them and make their life better and that’s their reason for getting married.  People fail to realize that if they are unhappy as a single person, they will continue to be miserable when they are married.  If you are currently not happy with yourself, don’t like yourself, don’t like the direction your life is going now, it’s important to take responsibility for that now and work on improving those areas of your life before considering marriage.  Don’t bring these issues into your marriage and hope your partner will fix them.

10) Watch Out For Lack of Emotional Health and Availability In Your Potential Partner: 

Many people choose partners that are not emotionally healthy or available. One huge problem is when a partner is unable to balance the emotional ties to family members, the marriage ends up having 3 (or more) people in it rather than two. An example of this would be if a man is overly dependent on his mother and brings that relationship into the marriage; this is no doubt a recipe for disaster.  Also important to consider are the following:

Avoid people who are emotionally empty inside.  These include people who don’t like themselves because they lack the ability to be emotionally available. They are always preoccupied with their deficiencies, insecurities, and negative thoughts.  They are in a perpetual fight with depression, never feel good, are isolated, are critical and judgmental; tend to not have any close friends, and often distrust people or are afraid of them.  Another clear indication about them is they always feel their needs are not getting met; they have a sense of entitlement and feel angry when they feel people should take care of them and they don’t.  They feel burdened by other people’s needs and feel resentment towards them.  These people can not be emotionally available to build healthy relationships.
Addictions can also limit the level of availability of the partner to build a strong emotional relationship.  Never marry an addict.  Addictions are not limited to drugs and alcohol.  They can be about addictions and dependency on work, internet, hobbies, sports, shopping, money, power, status, materialism, etc.  When someone has an addiction, they will not and can not be emotionally available to develop an intimate relationship with you!

Additional Points to Consider:

The fact is no one looks 25 forever.  Ultimately, we love the person we marry for more than their appearance.  When we get to know someone we love and admire, we’ll love them for their inner beauty and overall essence.
Once we find someone, we consciously or subconsciously want so badly for it all to work that we decide not to question or see what is clearly in front of our eyes: they were rude to the waiter, speaks ill of others, is rude to you, etc.  We don’t stop to ask, “What does all of this mean about their character?”
Never separate someone from their family, background, education, belief system, etc.  Asking clear questions can clarify this.  Ask questions like, “What does it mean to have a simple lifestyle?” “What are your expectations of marriage?”  “How would you help around the house?” Compare your definition with theirs.
Be flexible.  Be open-minded!
Giving in a happy marriage should not be confused with martyrdom.  It should be about taking pleasure and seeing the other person as happy because of your connection with them.
Morality and spirituality are the qualities that truly define someone in addition to beauty, money, and health.  The morally upright and spiritual person will stand by your side during adversity and hardship.  If someone isn’t God-conscience and doesn’t take themselves into account with God then why should you expect them to fulfill their rights owed to you? The ideal partner is someone who considers giving a gain and not causing a loss.  Having a mutual and shared spiritual relationship will foster a successful marriage.  Furthermore, a successful marriage is one that keeps the laws of family purity which require a certain degree of self-control and self-discipline, as well as the belief that the physical side of the relationship includes the spiritual and emotional side as well.  Finding commonality and balance between the spiritual and emotional aspects of a relationship is a strong key to a healthy and thriving marriage.


The above article was [in part] inspired by and adapted from a presentation by Rabbi Dov Heller, M.A.

Thanks for the tips. It' quite beneficial to both single and married.
Pardon me pls, just wanted to save this on my timeline. Thanks 4 your understanding

This is a nice job dear. More power to your elbow. Keep it up, and don't forget to do your work with utmost zeal and dexterity.

A political pressure group, Concerned Patriots of Nigeria, CPN has knocked the recent comments credited to former military head of state, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari in which he had referred to the federal government’s military campaign against the insurgent Boko Haram as unjustified, urging him to stop playing politics with the lives of Nigerians.

It will be recalled that Buhari had blamed President Jonathan for the Boko Haram insurgency and asked him to resign, “Jonathan should vacate and give way to competent hand to govern the country.”

The national coordinator of CPN told Nigerian Pilot during the group’s inauguration in Aba there was no justification for what he described as, the former head of state’s unguarded utterances, because when Buhari overthrew Shagari in 1983, the security situation in the country was not as bad as Jonathan met it.

“When Buhari sacked Shagari’s civilian administration in 1983 was the security situation in the country similar to what Jonathan met?” he asked.

He continued: “When Buhari was the head of state would he have allowed the Boko Haram insurgency to thrive?”

Speaking also, Barr. Ahmed Umar Farouk, the national secretary of the group said that the declaration of state of emergency by the President in three northern states of Yobe, Adamawa and Borno is in order and justified in view of the high threat the Boko Haram insurgency constitutes to Nigeria.

He added: “It is only an irresponsive leader that would not have taken the action President Jonathan took to bring to an end the continued indiscriminate and unnecessary shedding of blood of innocent Nigerians.”

Barr. Clement Orji, the national publicity secretary, who said that the Boko Haram insurgency was a threat to national security, noted that “it was their firm belief that President Jonathan’s action was both wise and timely.

He further urged all patriotic Nigerians to support the President irrespective of their religious, ethnic and political differences.

http://www.nigerianpilot.com/stop-playing-politics-with-lives-of-nigerians-group-tells-buhari/

Nigerian drivers must ltry to learn to be safety conscious while on the wheels. They must learn to avoid overspeeding and other risky acts while driving. We must begin to have some level of respect for human life.

May God comfort the girl, heal the injured ones and grant the dead eternal rest.

One of the victims was killed five days after his wife gave birth.

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) on Tuesday in Lagos held a commendation service for three slain staff members, with a vow to keep alive their memories.

The staff members killed during the course of the recently-concluded 2013 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), in Yola, were Peter Gwalasha (45), Boniface Emmanuel (45) and Daniel Alexander, whose age was not stated.

The Head of the WAEC National Office, Charles Eguridu, made the vow, saying that their labour would never be in vain.

The deceased worked at the WAEC Office in Yola, Adamawa, before they were murdered on April 19 by unknown gunmen near Damboa, Borno State.

The officers were said to be conveying to Maiduguri scripts of the May/June 2013 WASSCE belonging to candidates in Adamawa and Taraba when they were attacked by suspected Boko Haram members.

Mr. Eguridu expressed regret that the deceased were murdered while serving their country. He said their demise is an immense loss to the families of the deceased, in particular and the country, in general.

“I give God the glory that in spite of the challenges, threats, injuries and deaths, the May/June WASSCE in Nigeria has come to an end. The trauma that attended the conduct of this examination will forever remain indelible in our minds.

“The conduct of the examination was fraught with risks, pains and loss of lives, but it exposed the courage, dedication, determination and commitment of WAEC staff to go to any length to ensure that the Council discharges its mandate.

“I have witnessed for myself the dedication and passion of men and women who are willing to lay down their lives in the service of their nation.

“They paid the supreme sacrifice in the service of our country, their labour will never be in vain and words cannot bring them back.

“But the assurance that we have is that they are resting in the satisfaction that they have done their bit in service to God and country,” Mr. Eguridu said.

He announced that all the three wives of the deceased officers would be given automatic employment as members of staff of WAEC, with effect from July 1. He said this was one of the measures the Council had put in place to support the families the deceased left behind.

“May I use this opportunity to plead with you all to be vigilant and security conscious wherever you are, during the marking exercise.

“As the Almighty God watches over us, ensure that you order your steps and do not place your lives and the joy of your families in jeopardy,” he pleaded.

In his exhortation, the guest Pastor, Johnson Kalejaiye, the Regional Evangelist of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, prayed that God should continue to provide for the bereaved families and WAEC.

Mr. Kalejaiye noted that it was unfortunate that innocent and God-fearing people, who should have been celebrated for adding value to life, were brutally killed.

According to him, there is nothing a man of God can do now except to beseech God to uphold the families of the deceased and support them throughout their moment of grief.

Responding, Fibi Gwalasha commended the management and staff of the council for their support and urged them to keep the Council’s flag flying.

Mrs. Gwalasha said that the bullet-ridden remains of her husband and his colleagues were found 18 hours after their demise, noting that it was too tragic a scene to behold.

“Perhaps, the most painful is that my husband left behind a five-day old baby, Alexander, who is still in hospital following an after-birth ailment.

“The spirit of these courageous gentlemen will only rest in peace if the Council is able to keep their memories alive,” she added.

http://premiumtimesng.com/news/137652-waec-offers-employment-to-wives-of-three-employees-killed-by-boko-haram-in-borno.html

Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr Sam Amadi, on Monday in Abuja assured Nigerians of increased electricity generation from 5,000 to 7,000 megawatts by 2014.

Amadi who gave the assurance during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said the increase was to meet the yearnings of Nigerians.

``By our projection, we will get up to 10,000 megawatts by first quarter of 2014, but the commission prefers to expect a much lower figure, which is 7,000.

``This is because, with what is on ground and the activities which are going on, we would have done well based on the expectations in the market,’’ he said.

Amadi also said Nigerians would soon have access to a variety of renewable sources of power, other than hydro-power generation.

``We are going to have solar and other forms of renewable power sources, because the county is making investment towards that.

``Currently, there are private firms that are licensed for solar.

``So, we believe that in the next couple of years, we should have a mixture of power source from solar, gas, hydro, wind and all that,’’ he said.

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texazzpete: I expect no morality from him, all i expect is for him to do his job well...and based on all the awards he's winning, i'd say he's doing an excellent job.

You think I give a crap if GEJ was f***king 5 different Abuja girls every night? All I care is he does the job well. If GEJ gives us good roads, power, healthcare, security and education, I don't give a rat's arze if he screws 10 different girls every night.

But if he eventually does that and we hear the news, you may likely still be among the first to scream how GEJ had become morally bankrupt.

I expected SLS to address the boyfriend-girlfriend issue in that report. This is because people expect high morality from him and were disappointed by the report from Premium times. It would be better for his public image if he also addresses that part of the report.

There is a cognitive challenge about thinking when the rational takes flight, or when one is just plainly conceptually ignorant and analytically unable. With this sort of loss of reason and the rational, it is sad for our nation for we may be in more trouble than we think. Governor Jang, his gang of governors, and their irrational “God”, confirmed this frightening irrationality that is on rampage in the land. But before we engage Jang’s gang and their irrational “God”, let me again make a public disclosure. Governor Jang professes the Christian faith. I do. But this is where it ends. Political religion, or nascent theocracy (Christian or Islamic), theocratic temperament of any hue or color no matter how mild or burgeoning is problematic for our country because the flippant use of God by “religious” people of all sorts is often self-serving, morally and intellectually dubious and has not been helpful in the nation’s public life. Therefore, I do not see how Jang’s irrational “God” can be my God even when the gang has a right to its irrational “God” that approves election rigging.
But do not hang Jang. “I can assure you that my emergence as the chairman Nigerian Governors’ Forum was the will of God”, he said. On the allegation that a faction of the NGF rigged the elections in his favor, Governor Jang gave a bang! “God is a democrat, does not support rigging but if you rig and succeed, that means God approves of it.” On 2015, Mr. Jang did not hang up, he said: “I believe that God has anointed who will be President of Nigeria in 2015 but only he knows who it is.” Jang hung onto all these in a church. With these three propositions- a factual claim, an interpretation and the last a projection, Governor Jang is hanging Nigerian democracy, and he is using God to hang it.
Given that election and voting are at the heart of democracy, by inserting God as an electoral “divine” active agent and subject, Jang introduced theocratic agents, practices, assumptions – no matter how incoherent, uncouth and mild – through the backdoor into governance. We know how Christian and Muslim politicians dubiously use God’s name for purely personal and cultural projects that have nothing to do with faith or spirituality. So if in Jang’s case God approved his rigging, is that God a Christian or a Muslim God in view of the fact that his rigging sponsors are both Christians and Muslims?
For the rationally inclined, this is the reason the use of religion in state and public matters is very problematic for our nation. If Mr. Jang is right, it means the Christian and Muslim God helped him rig. Now suppose I decide to resist him and the fraud he and his Christian and Muslim Governor colleagues have just committed-it would be said that I am resisting the act of God and Allah!

This type of irrationality is partly the conceptual linkage between the abuse of God and religion and terrorism. Why? Because my hypothetical resistance will be brought down by force, fury and fiat of a presumed living God and Allah who will not allow his “divine” “words” to go “unfulfilled”. This is because my resistance would be seen as a resistance against the “word” of God and Allah! In the twisted mind of the terrorist, the terrorist act is conceptually the “divine” “fulfillment” of the “word” of a “God”. This irrationality may partly contribute to why Governor Jang has been unable to resolve the feud among citizens of different faith and ethnicity in Plateau state.

The tragedy in Mr. Jang’s irrationality is compounded because Mr. Jang may already know who will win the 2015 elections when he openly said God had anointed Nigeria’s president in 2015 and beyond because “the current controversies being faced by government at the moment is a foreshadow of what is likely to happen at the 2015 general elections…” In other words, Governor Jonah Jang’s God (and perhaps assisted by earthly Christian and Muslim cleric citizens and politicians in society, in state houses and the presidency) already knows (two years before the election) the person who will win the election in 2015 because what happened at the NGF forum-where he and his supporters declared him the Chairman in an election he lost is a foreshadow of 2015.

Governor Jonah Jang expresses the absurd and irrational limit of a fledgling theocratic temperament among Nigerian cleric politicians and citizens, their abuse of God and use of religion for fraudulent reasons in state and public matters. His latest act symbolizes the regular practice by cleric politicians and citizens-both Christians and Muslims, to smuggle religion into state and public matters and use it to validate projects that have nothing to do with spirituality. Nigeria is replete with such abuse when our so-called Christian and Muslim rulers and citizens appeal to Allah and God after their abuse of our being. No amount of religious language and symbols deployed to capture our minds should be allowed to screen off this ethically questionable and irredentist agenda of cleric politicians and citizens.

Adeolu Ademoyo is reachable on aaa54@cornell.edu.

Nigeria's Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment has flagged off the University Entrepreneurship Development Programme (UNEDEP) to promote self-employment among the youth, right from institutions of higher learning.

UNEDEP, which will be implemented by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, is also aimed at enhancing and re-orientating the values of undergraduates; providing a mentoring platform for students and reducing poverty and youth unemployment, among others.

Speaking during the unveiling of the programme in Abuja, on Tuesday, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, said that the programme would give students the opportunity for practical hands on experience to enable them to successfully manage their own businesses.

He said, "UNEDEP’s mission is to 'catch them young'. The programme focuses on entrepreneurship development of undergraduates and aims to create future entrepreneurs; encourage self-employment; embed business ethics amongst the youth and consequently reduce the incidence of poverty. We will achieve this by using the existing Network for African Student Entrepreneurs club structure and deriving a standard schedule of activities for all members across all universities.

“Part of our strategy is to assess existing scalable student businesses to determine ways to enhance these and then creating a platform for student mentoring by successful entrepreneurs.

Our goal is for students to receive the necessary capacity building as part of the activities of the entrepreneurship clubs. Proposed activities include zonal and national business plan competitions whereby zonal winners will embark on the task of operating their businesses for a given period."

“We have seen this model achieve success in other countries and even in Nigeria through the Student for Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) and Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE). UNEDEP will give the opportunity for practical hands on experience whilst receiving the necessary Business Development Service training and assistance from SMEDAN and other BDS providers,” he added.

In order to address the problem of lack of access to capital, the minister said that UNEDEP would increase access to finance for young entrepreneurs by exposing them to investors that would fund their businesses.

He said, “As a Ministry, we are aware of the pressing lack of access to finance for entrepreneurs, which is particularly high amongst youth entrepreneurs. The National Survey on MSMEs conducted by SMEDAN, in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics, revealed that 84 per cent of enterprises secured their start-up funds through personal savings whilst only four per cent of enterprises secured start-up funds from financial institutions.

“As such, UNEDEP aims to increase access to finance for young entrepreneurs by exposing its participants to panels of investors.”

Mr. Aganga stressed that investment in youth empowerment through the promotion of entrepreneurship was one of the surest ways the country could address the twin problems of unemployment and poverty, adding that the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment would collaborate with other stakeholders to achieve this objective.

He said, “Investing in youth empowerment by making our youths become entrepreneurs and employers of labour, is one of the most invaluable investments we can make in this country. Of the 17.2 million MSMEs in the country, the majority of these businesses are owned by individuals in the 36-50 year-old age bracket. Such statistics confirm the notion that there is an obvious need to galvanize the youths and increase their participation in enterprise activity.

“Our goal as a ministry, therefore, is to promote entrepreneurial activity, first at the University level, and later in polytechnics, among youth corpers and other school leavers.”

Speaking during the event, the Minister of Education, Mr. Ruqayyatu Rufai, said there was a need for the country to promote the culture of entrepreneurship among students in order to reduce unemployment and achieve sustainable economic growth and development.

“All over the world, entrepreneurship has been identified as the major driver of economic growth and development. The success of many economies can be traced to entrepreneurs who started small and then grew to become multinationals,” she said

Source: Federal Ministry of Information
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