good move...

.

nice

Make the authority attend to them naaa...
I don't want what happened in 1776 to happen again ooo...






So I'm FTC... Now I know how it feels...

good publicity for Agege bread...

we will

.

now the NBA should keep quiet...


so i actually make FTC, will like to thank olamipapa and shadow for the inspiration, nothing else...

we should

maybe ... maybe not

na so jare ...

nice...

congratulations...

she will be found...

okay...

Verses both in the Bible and the Quran dictate how humans should co-exist and live in peace with one another. But sophisticated environment and evolution of mankind over time have greatly affected the ways and manners the dictates of God are adhere to and obeyed.

For instance, Nigeria is a nation blessed with both mineral and human resources and we can as well say the population is more Christian and Muslim than pagan.

Today, religion in Nigeria is vastly different from what it used to be. In December 2015, one of my colleagues told me a joke. When the Oyinbos (colonial Masters) came to Nigeria, they saw our green land filled with rich oil and other beautiful natural resources that we as a people do not have the capacity to tap. They asked us to close our eyes to pray for us. By the time we opened our eyes after the prayer session, all we saw was Bible and Quran in our hands while all our resources landed in their control.

The Oyinbos took us through a long route by dominating all our resources using religious dust to cover our eyes. Only few educated members of elite were able to mingle with them. This was made possible by language barrier: they needed to communicate with the powerful people like the obas, ezes, emirs and politicians of that time who could not speak English, and hence the need for them to train Nigerians as interpreters.

After Nigeria gained independence in 1960, the ruling elites began to handle economic matters, businesses and FDI began to increase. Religious activities were localized and granted indigenous status. When churches and Islam were introduced, many Nigerians saw their purpose to serve God almighty according the Bible and Quran.

Churches for instance started off as missionary pre-independence. Dominating and ruling the Nigerian people, the Oyinbos established some of the now popular schools like CMS Grammar School in Bariga, Lagos, Our Ladies of Apostle, St Gregory College, Kings College, and host of others

Their intention then was to ensure that the people of Nigeria believe that everything belongs to God to the extent when they will not challenge them for exploring these mineral resources.

Religion is no doubt one of the key elements that have helped our world to stay stable. People who truly believe that God’s teachings must not be offended try to refrain from doing wrong and evil.

Fast-forward to our modern-day practice of religion in Nigeria. Imo state governor, Rochas Owelle Okorocha, wants to start taxing churches in his state to raise funds to run government. I am not a fan of Okorocha, but on this one, I am totally on his side. I asked one simple question: what made the famous pastor Mattew Ashimolowo of KICC and many others to relocate back to Nigeria with their churches?

The answer is simple. In the United Kingdom, the government does not do things based on religious sentiment. They tax almost everything, including churches, to run their countries. When the UK government slammed flamboyant pastors with massive tax, many Nigerian ones, who could no longer cope with the tax regime, ran back home because they know anything and everything goes here in Nigeria. Here in Nigeria, every Tom, Dick and Harry can wake up and claim God has called them to service and begin to conjure all manners of preaching just to extort money from people.

Only in Nigeria, pastors or religious leaders will be quick to quote a particular portion of the Bible to frighten you. “Speak not again or do no harm unto a man of God.” In fact, some of them will buttress this statement with a prescribed curse if you speak against them to continue to milk and suppress the people. This industry is multibillion dollars venture.

People should not get me all wrong, I am not saying there are no genuine people called to service by God. All I am saying are known facts to many, especially those who have not allowed themselves to be religiously caged.

The fact that we want to serve God does not deter us from asking questions where necessary. We should not allow pastors or imams to cage us with convenient pages of a holy book to their own selfish gains. But Nigerian ways and attitude to religion is more like to a business enterprise.

Churches around the world are public entities, they are not privately owned unlike what we have here in Nigeria. No one can lay claim to the ownership of Catholic, Anglican and other churches that have global tentacles.

Religious bodies, especially most of the popular new-generation churches, are not public entities in Nigeria. The news we read on a daily basis about ownership structure, struggle for leadership and succession at some of these religious places make one to wonder if they were originally set up for the service of God, or for commercial purposes.

People dump their professions and careers to venture into religious activities because, apart from government, religion is the second largest lucrative ways of making money in Nigeria.

As Africans, we mostly believe our problems are more spiritually than naturally caused. The best way for many to solve them is to turn to religious people for spiritual help. Consider several most recent news: in a particular state, dead bodies were exhumed around a church building; a particular pastor was caught trying to bury charms in his church premises.

All of these are struggles people embarked upon to attain “powers” to bind, cast and become famous with massive wealth in this industry. I am not one of those who doubt the powers of God. The Bible says that in the end, many fake prophets will heal the sick and command in His name.

I think, since churches and other religious bodies in Nigeria are not public entities, they must be registered as businesses for the purpose of taxation (I propose 40%).

As part of the change agenda we are all pushing for, it will be moderate and reasonable for Nigerian government, both at states and federal levels (since we are all talking of diversification and exploring new opportunities to raise funds to run the nation), to look at the option of raising funds by taxing churches and mosques.

We are the limitations and barriers to our own progress, using all sort of sentiments and blackmail like religion, ethnicity and other nonsensical tactics to stall our growth.

Corrupt people who are friends to pastors and imams now use religious places to launder illicit funds since there are no taxes.

The first step the government must take is to make CAN and MAN register and account for all churches and mosques we have in Nigeria. They should register properly with the CAC. All other separate subsidiaries such as universities and other allied businesses should be declared for proper tax filing.

These religious bodies are so smart that they do everything possible to evade tax as many of them tactfully invested the proceeds from religious activities massively into education because it does not attract government taxes.

If you are an ordinary person who’ll be quick to defend religious leaders who own universities and other side business that they started via your offerings, first fruit, building projects and other endless harmless giving, ask yourself if it’s affordable for or your wards attend those educational institutions.

Let us do away with sentiment. Religion should not be used for material gains. Contributing tax from churches and mosques is still part of service to God as it helps alleviate the sufferings of the poor. God wants us all to live in a beautiful world devoid of scam, cheating, fraud or swindling.

https://www.naij.com/717157-church-taxation-nigeria-adelaja-adeoye.html

next...

lanwrex:

Dyu go to school at ol? if you actually did ur English teacher should be ashamed

i dey very sure say this man no dey alright... next jare

STAKEHOLDERS in the forest sector, have urged governments at all levels to invest heavily in the sector because of its huge potential in addressing the nation’s emerging environmental, social and economic challenges.

They made the appeal last week at the 14th Annual Chief Shafi Lawal Edu Memorial Lecture, organised by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, NCF in collaboration with Chevron Nigeria Limited, in Lagos.

•Logs of wood …aftermath of logging
•Logs of wood …aftermath of logging
The stakeholders expressed dismay that Nigeria is blessed with a large expanse of land and different vegetation types that are not sustainably used or managed, with the attendant impact of climate change.

Impact of climate change

Those who spoke at the lecture which had Valuing Nigeria’s Forests: Issues and Context as its theme were the Chairman, National Executive Committee, NCF, Chief Ede Dafinone; Director-General, NCF, Adeniyi Karunwi and the President, Board of Trustees, NCF, Izoma Asiodu, among others.

The guest lecturer and President, Forestry Association of Nigeria, FAN, Prof. Labode Popoola said Nigeria with a total land area of 923, 678km square has a forest area that has been on a continuous decline owing to its increasing population among other factors.

According to Prof Popoola, heavy demand for construction, wood and other purposes by the wood-based industry encouraged logging which led to large scale deforestation of Nigeria’s forest. He noted that non-forest policies, particularly, energy policies, continue to pose grievous threats to the forest sector.

The don however noted that in Nigeria, forest statistics are appallingly unreliable, even when available.

He said: “The last major forest resources assessment in Nigeria took place between 1996 and 1998 through a $4m grant provided by the African Development Bank. The database established from that assessment was expected to be updated frequently through a Forest Information System, FIS in each of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, with a terminal at the Federal Department of Forestry.

“The gains of the Forest Resources Assessment of 1996-1998 have been completely lost. As of today, there is nothing on ground in this regard. Also, there has not been any updating since then. Forest cover remains under pressure as a result of human activities such as agricultural development where vast lands are cleared without conservation considerations, large-scale per-urban housing project development, fuel-wood generation, uncontrolled forest harvesting, including poaching for logs and poles and urbanization.”

Prof. Popoola who highlighted the environmental, socio-economic, socio-cultural services forests provide, however, lamented that the deforestation rate in Nigeria is about 3.5 annually, adding that this translates to a loss of about 350,000-400,000 hectares of forest land annually.

Citing paucity or lack of data/information, obsolete forest laws, poor funding, governance issues, education and research, corruption, among others as factors militating against valuation of Nigeria’s forest, Popoola said: “Moving forward, Nigeria will need to invest heavily in the forest sector because of its continuing topicality in the global discourse for sustainable development and the inherent huge potentials the sector has in addressing emerging environmental, social and economic challenges.

“Forests remain Nigeria’s most under-valued resource, and as long as planners and policy makers continue to disregard the economic importance of the forest sector, as well as those of sectors and activities that depend or impact it, so will forests continue to be degraded and lost, and their potentially vast economic opportunities will be lost. We can no longer afford the business as usual approach in the forest sector.”

Earlier, the Director-General, NCF, Adeniyi Karunwi said the NCF has been successful in implementing projects such as restoration and conservation of dry lands and wetlands habitat in the Sahelian region to wetland and coastal restoration for improved livelihood in the coastal region of the country, noting that this has made NCF the foremost leader in conservation efforts in Nigeria.

He however, added that the Memorial Lecture also serves as the platform for the presentation of awards to grantees of the Chief S.L. Edu Memorial Research Grant for PhD studies, pointing that the grant has been sponsored by Chevron Nigeria Limited for over a decade and has tremendously strengthened research in biodiversity conservation in Nigeria by building the capacity of young conservation professionals.

On his part, Asiodu said valuing Nigeria’s forest, as well as investing heavily in the sector has become imperative in the country’s economic history.

He said: “With the downward fall of crude oil prices, Nigeria’s leadership is at last beginning to show a determination to diversify Nigeria’s economy. There are great opportunities in agriculture and solid minerals both which depend on environmental sustainability. It is our responsibility therefore to guide decision makers on the economic valuation of forests so as to justify the necessary investments for the protection and restoration of these fragile forests and their ecosystem services.”

Dafinone who spoke at the event said “as part of NCF’s efforts aimed at domesticating climate change actions, we intend to respond to the clarion call for the vigorous pursuit of the implementation of the reforestation programmes in order for Nigeria to meet the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) recommended 25 percent forest cover of total land area.

“Our decision to bring out our collective consciousness the need for proper economic valuation of Nigeria’s forest is not only timely but very appropriate as part of the efforts after the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference (COP21), to strategically position the country for the real climate change action.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/02/why-nigeria-must-invest-heavily-in-the-forest-sector-stakeholders/

was the record bent before ni ?

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has said it was wrong for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the April 11, 2015 governorship election, Dakuku Peterside to have described himself as an “orphan”. Wike was making reference to statements made by Peterside at a stakeholders’ meeting he held with the hierarchy of the APC led by its National Chairman, Chief Odigie Oyegun, where the former had allegedly referred to APC members in the state as orphans.

Speaking at an event held in Port Harcourt, the Governor urged Peterside to come and work with him to develop the state. "Dakuku said they are now lIke orphans when they went to visit him (Oyegun). Dakuku, you are not an orphan. I am your father. I am here. “How can you have a father and you say you are an orphan. I am your father. Come, I will bless you.

http://thesummary.com.ng/index.php/news-categories/politics/item/5817-i-am-your-father-governor-wike-tells-peterside

At least six students of the Polytechnic, Ibadan, reportedly died in a fatal motor accident which occurred on Ibadan-Oyo express road yesterday. 13 others were said to be criticallly injured. The accident, it was gathered, happened at Omotunde Village, Oyo. The accident which occurred around 6.00pm involved a Hummer Bus of the Quantity Surveying Department of the institution. The tyre of the vehichle reportedly burst before somersaulting several times killing 6 persons on the spot.

The Public Relations Officer, The Polytechnic Ibadan, Mr Soladoye Adewole, said "I just got the news not quite long. We have not been able to ascertain the number of deaths, but we have actually recorded some deaths. Our Director of Medical Services and Registrar, Mr Ezekiel Fehintola has gone to the scene. We have not been given full details of the incident". However, confirming the accident, the State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Adekunle Ajisebutu said it happened this evening (yesterday).


http://thesummary.com.ng/index.php/news-categories/education/item/5815-6-poly-ibadan-students-die-13-critically-injured

me will never divorce her.... what for ?

i need a break seriously...

we all know.... next

that guy above me sha.....
next...

nice one...

noted....

sue their ass....