.

ProGSM:


In Nigeria?

Don't call police for your parents... or else ull start feeding and paying your school fees by urself.

Best travellers know that each country has its own traditions and it is very important to be aware and to consider them when you are travelling abroad. Below are some travel mistakes people do abroad. Always remember to research your travel destination before leaving.

France – Don’t talk or ask about money (asking about money is impolite in many countries, especially in France).
Ukraine – Don’t give even number of flowers (in most Slavic countries, people bring even number of flowers to the cemeteries).
New Zeland – Don’t honk otherwise you’ll insult people (honking is often intended to insult another drivers).
Japan – Don’t leave tips (provide the best service is normal in Japan, without waiting for the tips).
Mexico – Don’t get offended at locals’ jokes (they love to make jokes and they are really fun).
Norway – Don’t ask about going to church (this question would be rude to ask cause many Norwegians don’t go to church).
Turkey – Don’t show OK gesture cause it’s very offensive (this is an obscene gesture).
UK – Don’t ask how much people earn (this can make people uncomfortable).
Ireland – Don’t try to imitate Irish accent (because they don’t think have any accent at all).
Germany – Don’t congratulate on birthday before the day (Germans believe that the person may not live to the birthday if congratulated before).
Kenya – Don’t call people by name first (wait until someone has called you by the name first).
Chile – Don’t eat with your hands (here manners matter).
Singapore – Don’t eat in public transport, don’t feed birds and don’t throw garbage and don’t spit on the street (also here manners matter).
USA – Don’t forget to leave tips (it is obligatory and there are differences for any service you use).
Italy – Don’t order cappuccino in restaurants (course you can do it, but the waiter will be surprised, because Italians drink cappuccino for breakfast).
Hungary – Don’t click glasses when toasting (it’s an old habit, but some people still prefer to avoid especially when drinking beer).
China – Don’t give clock or umbrella as a present (it is believed this bring bad luck).

1. Close Relationship with the Creator

At the core of Islam is the focus of an individual’s personal relationship with God, their Creator. It encourages a believer to have sustained awareness of God which is a key to lasting happiness.

Islam teaches that God is the source of peace. By focusing on this important relationship and following God’s guidance, believers will be able to acquire inner peace and tranquillity. Seeking lasting happiness through other means, such as following one’s desires or the accumulation of material possessions, will never fill the void we have. This need can only be filled with the awareness of God.

True contentment is found in acknowledging and obeying the Creator: “Truly, in remembering God do hearts find rest.” Quran 13:28

The primary reason for this close relationship is that Muslims have a direct connection with their Creator. There is no intermediary, such as praying to, or through, others, in worshipping God.


2. Positive Outlook on Life

Islam gives a person a clear perspective on the events that happen in their life, both good and bad, as they are, in fact, tests from God. It encourages a person to understand events in the context of the overall purpose of life, which is to acknowledge God and obey Him. He created humans with intellect and free will to test them as to who will wilfully choose to follow His guidance. This life is an ultimate testing ground and although we cannot control everything that happens to us, we can control how we react. Islam encourages a person to focus on what is in their control, to be grateful to God for blessings, and to be patient during hardships. Patience or gratitude – this is the formula for a happy life.

Islam encourages the believer to remain free from the extremes of worldly happiness that may cause one to forget God, and the extremes of sadness that may cause one to lose hope and blame God. By not being overly attached to the material world, a Muslim is empowered not only to better handle any calamities, but to be beneficial and generous to society. This leads to a more balanced and optimistic outlook on life.

3. Pure and Clear Concept of God

Unlike other religions, Islam is not named after its founder or the community of its birth. Islam is an attributive title that signifies obedience to God, the Creator of the Universe. One of its main beauties is that it acknowledges the complete perfection, greatness and uniqueness of God with absolutely no compromises. This is reflected in Islam’s pure teachings of the attributes of God.

God is One and Unique:

God has no partners, no equals and no rivals.
God has no father, mother, sons, daughters or wives.
God alone is worthy of all worship.

God is the All-Powerful:

God has full authority and power over all things.
Obedience to God does not increase His Power, nor does disobedience decrease His power.

God is the Most High:

There is nothing above or comparable to God.
The attributes of God do not resemble that of His creation.
No part of God is present in anyone or anything.

God is Perfect:

God does not have any human limitations, such as resting on the seventh day after He created the universe.
God always maintains attributes of perfection and does not do anything to compromise this perfection such as “becoming a man” as claimed by other religions. God does not do ungodly acts, so if God became man and took on human attributes, he would, necessarily, no longer be God.

4. Emphasises Both Evidence and Faith

Islam is a religion in which faith is based on clear proof. It encourages people to use their God given intelligence to think and ponder over their life and the universe. Although this life is a test, God has provided sufficient signs and guidance to people who are open-minded and sincere to be able to acknowledge the truth.
“We (God) have certainly sent down Signs that make things clear: and God guides whom He wills to the straight path.”Quran 24:46

Unlike other religions, there are many clear proofs, signs and miracles that the book of Islam, The Quran, is from God.

The Quran:

Is free from any errors or contradictions, despite it being revealed over a period of 23 years.
Is preserved, word-for-word, since it was revealed in its original Arabic language, unlike other scriptures which have been distorted, changed or lost.
Contains a simple, pure and universal message that has a profound effect on all those who are sincerely searching for the truth.
Contains a unique and inimitable style of language that is universally known as the pinnacle of Arabic eloquence and linguistic beauty – yet the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who was known to be illiterate.
Contains many amazing scientific facts which have only been discovered recently, despite being revealed over 1400 years ago.

The most rational explanation for the many unique and miraculous aspects of the Quran is that it cannot be from other than God.


5. Forgiveness of Sins

Islam encourages a balance between hope in God’s mercy and fear of His punishment – both of which are required to lead a positive and humble life.

We are born sinless but have the free will to commit sins. God created us and knows we are imperfect and commit sins, but the key is how we react to committing those mistakes.
“Do not despair of God’s mercy; He will forgive you of all your sins.”Quran 39:53

Islam teaches that God is the Most Merciful and will forgive and pardon those who sincerely want to repent. The beautiful steps for repentance include being sincere, remorseful, refraining from committing the sin as well as having the intention not to repeat it. Islam encourages a continuous process of self-development and self-purification. This process happens directly between the individual and God – there is no need for sins to be shared or “confessed” to a righteous person/priest. Furthermore, God does not need to sacrifice himself to forgive sins, nor is anyone “born into sin”.



6. Accountability and Ultimate Justice

Islam teaches that God is the Most Just and that each person will be held responsible for their own actions on the Day of Judgement. Each person is accountable, as they have freedom of choice and intelligence to discern between right and wrong.

It is an absolute demand of justice that there be a Day of Judgement where every person is rewarded or punished, otherwise life would be unjust as not everyone receives true justice in this world.

Islam teaches that ultimately we will be judged for how well we fulfilled our responsibilities and exercised our free will. We will be judged by God, the All Knowing and All Wise, who knows and sees everything we do. This encourages a more harmonious society and gives people contentment knowing that justice will ultimately prevail.


7. Practical and Balanced Way of Life

Islam provides the right balance between faith and action, as both are required for a stable life. It provides guidance for all situations and circumstances. It is a practical religion with practical acts of worship that are designed to fulfil the spiritual, physical, psychological and social needs of people.

Examples of practical acts of worship that have numerous benefits include:

The five daily prayers – Enriches the soul by satisfying the spiritual need of being in regular contact with God (especially in today’s busy lifestyle); makes one humble by bowing and prostrating to God; removes any barriers/pride/racism between believers praying in congregation; helps one refrain from committing sins given the person stands regularly before God.
The obligatory charity – Purifies a person from selfishness; encourages empathy to the poor; reminds one of the blessings of God; helps reduce poverty; bridges the gap between rich and poor.
The fasting in Ramadan – Promotes spiritual self-purification, self-restraint and growth; scientifically proven health benefits; empathy and awareness of those less fortunate; trains people to acquire the habit of obeying God.
The pilgrimage – Unites people of every colour, race, status and nationality, as pilgrims wear simple and similar clothing, while performing a range of good deeds in congregation.

Given that Islam is from God, every command found in the religion is ultimately good and beneficial to the individual and society when practised correctly. Quranic examples include being honest, forgiving, truthful, kind to one’s wife, patient, fair, moderate, modest, sincere, and respecting parents, family and the elderly. There are also many principles in the teachings of Islam that prevent or reduce many of the individual and social ills facing the world today.


8. Universal and Timeless Message

Islam has a message that applies to all people at all times, from the creation of Adam up until the Day of Judgement. It is applicable today as it always has been.

God is accessible to everyone. People may distinguish themselves and earn God’s favour through belief and righteous actions only – not through race, wealth, gender, nationality or social class.


Conclusion

Islam’s timeless and beautiful message is the same message of all Prophets, including Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them all). They all called their people to “Submit to the One True God” which, in Arabic, means to become a “Muslim”. This submission to God enables one to fulfil the purpose of life by acknowledging the greatness of God and sincerely worshipping him alone. In doing so, one will acquire the countless benefits of Islam mentioned above.

When people are faced with any issues, wants or needs, the first thing they do is look to others to find a solution. When things go wrong, this is when they turn to Allah for help.

However, one of the qualities of piety and righteousness is that the believers ask Allah FIRST and foremost for whatever their needs are, rather than leave their reliance upon Allah as an afterthought.

Allah’s Messenger SAW said: ”Who will guarantee me that he will not ask mankind for anything, and I will guarantee for him Paradise (in return)? So Thawban said, “I”, and he added, “And I would never ask anyone for anything.” [Abu Dawood]

For the righteous who place their full trust in Allah, seeking ALL good from Him and Him alone, Allah will send help for you from places you didn’t even know!

The best of adhkar to say in this regard is:

فَقُلْ حَسْبِي اللَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ

Hasbi-allahu la ilaha illa Huwa ‘alaihi tawakkaltu
wa Huwa Rab-bal ‘arshil ‘atheem

Say: Allah is sufficient for me. None has the right to be worshiped but He, in Him I put my trust and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne [Quran, 9:129].

The Prophet SAW used to say this seven times in the morning and evening – so commit this to memory and ensure that from now on, you ask EVERYTHING from Allah, no matter how big or small it is. The reward for this is no less than paradise!

They have been tagged Fulani herdsmen and they are on a killing spree never before known in the country. It appears to me that these merchants of death are happy to be referred to as Fulani herdsmen because it plays into an ethnic fireworks that may eventually blow up on everyone face. It is possible that the initial confrontations and killings may have been between farmers and real Fulani herdsmen. But the scale and modus operandi of the recent killings are clearly indicative that another death horseman is galloping across the country while government looks on. These attacks have nothing to do with cattle rustling. They are well planned and executed wars gradually spreading across Nigeria. And government is complicit. It is very difficult to think otherwise. There is no display of outrage. There are no condemnation of these obnoxious acts as you should expect. In fact, it fast becoming the new normal. Indeed, everyone is beginning to beg the issue. One minute, we are told about cattle rustling. Another minute we are told that these people are not even Nigerians. They are either from Niger or Chad. Yet another minute, we hear of a grazing reserve across the country to take care of the herdsmen. If the herdsmen are Nigeriens and Chadians, when did our country become a game reserve for foreigners who are blood tasty. If these cold killers are indeed foreigners, why are we treating them with kid gloves as if they are a special breed of people with international license to kill anywhere they wish. Again, government subtle justification for the killings as a revenge for cattle rustling is even more frightening. Are we saying that the victim of any robbery has the express permission of the state to kill the robber as well as everyone in the robber’s community? Why are the security forces scared to even investigate who these killers are? Why are they afraid to go after them to make arrest. What is really going on here? How can Arase, the IG of Police be issuing a fatwa on petrol hawkers who are providing beneficial down stream services to stranded motorists instead of mobilising his men after the cold and serial killers invading our communities? Does Arase even know that police officers also buy or sometimes steal petrol from hawkers. Does he understand that artisans buy petrol in kegs to power their generators and households do same to power their homes. By the way, under what law will Arase prosecute hawkers of petrol? No wonder twenty four hours after Arase’s empty threats, hawkers of petrol are going about their normal duties. Nevertheless, returning to this article’s main concern, who on earth authored that vexatious and inciting statement from the department of state security about the killing of some Fulani herdsmen in Eastern Nigeria? Is Marilyn Oga still there or has another strange fellow taken up her ignoble role? Is there something Nigerians should know about Mr President’s lethargy over the death of thousands of Nigerians slaughtered in their home land? Why would a President who is pained about inheriting an insurgency and is doing all he can to put a stop to it, allow another form of insurgency to take root right under his watch? Don’t we not have enough distractions already? How come the National Assembly is just waking up to acknowledged an issue which has endured over the years? Are they just realising that the people they represent are dying like fleas? Why would the governor of Enugu, the chief security officer of the state simply resort to weeping and declaring two days of mourning as a proper and adequate response to the killing of the people he has sworn an oath to protect. How come communities around the country are simply waiting to be the next victims? These are the questions bugging the minds of Nigerians at the moment. Just how much is the life of a Nigerian really worth? Across the country, on a daily basis, Nigerians are either raped, kidnapped or killed. Most of the perpetrators of these crimes just walk away to commit the next crime. In some cases, they even get help from security officers, especially the Police. A friend told me that when his brother was kidnapped and he reported the matter to the Police, he over heard one of the officers calling someone to ask “na una do am”, meaning are you the ones that did the kidnapping. What manner of a country are we building? Those who think they are protected because they go around with a horde of security men should think again. There have been several unsolved high profile killings too. Those maltreated, over worked and dejected security personnel they depend on for security often turn to be their betrayers. Everyone will live in peace when and only when we build a society were every life counts. The culture of violence and killings that has become normal will eventually terrorise everyone and we will one day all become victims directly or indirectly. Government must act now against these merchants of death dubbed herdsmen and and all other groups that are watonly taking the lives of Nigerians.

Who are we to blame for this suicidal composition of simple sentence by our so called future leader? should I say beauty without brain?

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Feel free to add the funniest pictures on your phone. The number of "likes" you get shows how funny it is, while "share" shows that it's not funny.

pinceprinz:
Why do you wanta stop having sex in the first place?

Cos I'm not married

Kenneth4u205:
I have abstained from sex for the past 10 years. last time was in the year 2006.you can't do it on your own strength man.the holy spirit must be living inside of you to take away the desire for sex and replace it with the desire to see the lost saved.

I'm not saying I want to b a Reverend.... Just want to stop Premarital!!!

Kenneth4u205:
I have abstained from sex for the past 10 years. last time was in the year 2006.you can't do it on your own strength man.the holy spirit must be living inside of you to take away the desire for sex and replace it with the desire to see the lost saved.

I'm not saying I want to b a Reverend.... Premarital!!!

Decker:
Whether or not abstaining from sex has medical implications, I can't really say, because I am not a medical practitioner. But I don't think it does. A lot of men like you have done it and not had these implications you are referring to, but still, a medical doctor is the best person to give an answer to this question.

But what I can say for sure is this: You can only last as long as your will is. Your decision to abstain from sex is just like every other resolution we make in various areas of our life, and as such, it is guided by the same principles of determination, discipline and self control in other to achieve it.

You want to abstain because your creator says it's the right thing. So the first thing you need to do is to ask your creator to give you the enablement to do his will. Then you try as much as possible to avoid falling prey to all forms of temptation. Better still, as much as you can, try to avoid anything that might lead you to fall short in your decision. Then finally, you need to be disciplined, determined and committed to achieving your goal.

God bless you

Pls NL how long can a man stay without sex. I mean a man that has always indulge in the act for close to 6 years. Can such abstinence lead to medical issues? The major reason for this abstinence is due to the fact that our Creator is against premarital sex. I know say body no be firewood, but I just have to stay by this my decision. Pls your contributions are needed in order to know if I'm safe biologically and medically.

Do you agree with the picture?

Jazakallah. May Allah (SWT) bless us all

nnvv

Even his blood is Ghana Must Go

If I can get hold of this type of boobs... Then to hell to the missing Nigerian Budget... Pls

Tolexander:
It is a ram, not a goat!

It's a sheep not a ram! ok?

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Ministry of Finance
to commence immediate audit of the accounts of all revenue
generating agencies. Among agencies to be audited are the Federal
Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety
Agency (NIMASA), the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian
Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and
Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
The decision is part of strategies by the Federal Government to plug
all revenue leakages and save monies to fund critical infrastructure.
Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, who briefed State House
Correspondents yesterday at the end of the Federal Executive
Council (FEC) meeting alongside the Minister of Information and
Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said government was concerned
about the continued failure of some agencies to remit funds into the
Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).
Adeosun said that agencies like the National Communications
Commission (NCC) and other ministries, department and agencies
(MDAs) in the past generated and spent government revenues
without any control. Under the provisions of the Fiscal
Responsibility Act, Section 107 (, such revenue generating
agencies are expected to remit 80 per cent of whatever is accruable
to the CRF.
“Let me remind you that under the FRA, these boards and
corporations who generate revenue are supposed to generate and
keep operating surplus, 80 per cent of which is to be credited to the
Consolidated Revenue Fund. “But we have discovered that many
agencies have never credited anything including some whose
salaries, overheads, capital is paid by the Federal Government. “We
also discussed that in some cases, some agencies have a track
record and history of making sure that every Naira they earned is
spent.
We will go in and audit agencies under Section 107 ( of the
Financial Regulations,” she added. Adeosun explained that the
Accountant-General of the Federation has the powers to go in and
make inquiries about how public money is spent. “So, we will be
sending in auditors to some agencies where we believe that their
cost is simply excessive and not in keeping with our expectations,”
the minister said. According to her, government hopes to raise a lot
of savings with which to fund part of the deficit in the 2016 budget.
“We are going to make every naira count and in order to make every
naira count, we have to know how much is coming in and control
how it goes out. “All the ministers concerned agreed that enough is
enough and they even identified boards and agencies under them
where they know that revenue is being diverted,” the minister noted.
She said the Ministry of Finance had, in December last year, issued a
circular requesting that MDAs send their budget in line with the new
initiative of tracking revenue leakages. “What we discussed today
was the responsibility of the ministers to ensure that whether those
agencies have boards or not, those budgets are prepared that the
Ministry of Finance is going to sit down with the supervising
ministers and with the boards concerned, where necessary, to go
through their budgets and make sure that they are reasonable, that
the costs are not inflated,” she stated.
On speculations that the 2016 appropriation bill already submitted to
the National Assembly may have been withdrawn from the
parliament for possible adjustments in the estimates, the minister
said that there was no truth in the report. “But let me make it very
clear the budget is not being withdrawn or replaced.
The budget has been presented and will go through normal process
whereby MDAs defend their budgets. Adeosun, however, explained
that it is possible in the process of scrutinising the budget, that the
National Assembly made adjustments.
“You know the legislature is not a rubber stamp, their job is to
scrutinise the budget and to approve that budget. So, there may be
some changes that occur as a result of that interactive process, but
that process is normal everywhere in the world where a budget is
presented. So, I think it is important to make that clarification,”
Adeosun explained.


http://dailyindependentnig.com/2016/01/fg-begins-audit-nnpc-firs-npa-nimasa-customs/

A Court sitting in Abuja has on Thursday, January 7, sentenced a 27-year-old man, Sunday Vincent, to three weeks imprisonment for public nuisance.
Speaking to the court, the prosecutor, Zeerah Doglass, said that the convict was arrested by the police patrol team attached to Ademola Adetokunbo street, Wuse 2, Abuja, and taken to Kado Police Station Abuja, on January 1, 2016.

The convict, of no fixed address, was convicted for wandering around the streets without satisfactory explanation on what he was doing.

She said the offence is punishable under Section 198 of the Penal Code.

At the Kado Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, the Judge, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, gave Vincent an option to pay N3, 000 fine and warned him to desist from committing crimes.

http://www.nigerianbulletin.com/threads/court-jailed-27-year-old-man-for-roaming-the-street-of-abuja.162817/

Nigerian Parents will put "beware of dogs" on their gate till their daughter clock 30 and not married, then change it to "iced block is sold here" when they realized that their daughter is almost entering her menopause.


Pls feel free to add your hilarious observation about Nigerian parents.

Do you know that because of your fallen b.reast your man can run away from you and look for some other girl, with standing breast.? Thats one of the reason i want you to take this article seriously.Breast feeding can lead to fallen breast,but this can be taken care of with the right size of bra.If you noticed that your breast have started falling the first thing you have to tackle is your bra.the wrong fit or style of your bra can cause your breast to fall. Get a professional opinion about the kind of bra that suit your body well. Don’t be shy asked the attendant at the counter about the kind of bra that will enhance your features best. You can also try using a reshaping bra this will help if you are breastfeeding and experiencing emptiness as a result of breast feeding. Start massaging your breast daily,spread olive oil on the palm of your hand and massage each breast for ten to fifteen minutes in circular motion this helps to prevent blood circulation in the area and prevent further falling and sagging.Always massage upward and inward to prevent sagging.Please never massage your breast without oil as you will damage delicate skin tissue. Any natural oil could be used for massaging e.g.almond,coconut oil .olive oil are all natural oil and are good for massagin Start swimming,and learn the butterfly stroke,this help to make the breast muscle firm and strengthen the breast.start doing push ups to enhanced the size of the breast. Used breast enhancing cream,they increase breast size,they also help in case of sagging breast. Another way to enhance your breast is to add coconut oil to your food,replace your olive oil and butter with the oil,but remember that it is extremely high in fats and you must avoid consuming it in high volume.Whether your beast is falling,or sagging or even shrinking please don’t be annoyed with your self, but thank God that your breast have not been cutoff.I have seen many women whose breast have been cut off due to breastcancer and other terminal diseases

Barcelona researchers believe that blood transplants can rid the body of HIV.

Doctors in Barcelona, Spain, announced earlier this month that they believe they’ve found a cure for HIV, according to the Latin Post . But don’t hold your breath, it’s not going to be available overnight. Similar to the report published by Harvard researchers, the Spanish research team hypothesize that a blood transplant from a donor with a genetic mutation could prevent HIV from entering cells and replicating. The announcement is based on results of an experimental treatment given to a 37-year-old man who contracted HIV in 2009. The “Barcelona Patient” developed lymphoma in 2012. He received chemotherapy and a transplant of blood from an umbilical cord of a donor who had a genetic mutation that gave the donor a heightened resistance to HIV. “We suggested a transplant of blood from an umbilical cord but from someone who had the mutation because we knew from ‘the Berlin patient’ that as well as [ending] the cancer, we could also eradicate HIV,” Rafael Duarte, the director of the Haematopoietic Transplant Programme at the Catalan Oncology Institute in Barcelona, explained to Spanish news site The Local . People with the CCR5 Delta 35 genetic mutation that leaves them without CCR5 cellular receptors, which act like doorways to the cell. HIV uses CCR5 receptors to enter white cells for replication. This heightened resistance to HIV occurs in about 1 percent of the population. The Spanish medical team sought to replicate the results of Timothy Brown, an HIV-positive man dubbed “the Berlin Patient,” who received an experimental bone marrow transplant from a donor with the mutation. Brown had leukemia and HIV but six years later shows no signs of the virus. The treatment seemed to work, as the Barcelona Patient was HIV free after three months, but unfortunately died due to cancer. The development spurred Spain’s National Transplant Organization to back the world’s first clinical trials of umbilical cord blood transplants for HIV patients with blood cancers, according to the Latin Post. Javier Martínez, a virologist from the research foundation Irsicaixa, is quoted as saying that while their trials are aimed at helping HIV-positive cancer patients but it could “allow us to speculate about a cure for HIV.”

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This is what I call "nonsensical display of unwarranted illiteracy at the zenith of stupidity through the unconventional movie making by some miscreants who are at the peak of what I call e-madness".

She earned the definition and status of the pride of Africa’s women entrepreneurs. She floated the very first air-operated emergency medical service – Flying Doctors, in West Africa, an uncommon vision she pursued with passion, tenacity and, without exaggeration, aggression. An African of Africans Olamide Orekunrin was born in 1987 in London, England and grew up under the care of foster parents in Lowestoft, a small seaside town in the South-East of England. Ola did not only graduate from Hull York Medical School at the age of 21, becoming one of the youngest medical doctors in the UK, she specilised in trauma and pre-hospital care and also broke into field of trainee helicopter pilot. Dr. Ola, as she is fondly called, acquired practical knowledge at the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK where she worked for almost a decade. Her meteoric rise in the field of medical studies took her to Japan as a result of her being awarded the MEXT Japanese Government Scholarship. There, she conducted clinic research in the field of regenerative medicine at the Jikei University Hospital. However, the catalyst for a major life and career decision came when her sister became very, very ill on holiday whilst staying with relatives in Nigeria. The local hospital was unable to manage her sickle cell anemia condition, and as a result, Ola and her family started to search for an air ambulance so that she could be safely transported to a suitable medical facility in the country. The tragedy for the family was that there were no air ambulances to be found, even though the search took them from Nigeria, to Ghana, Sierra Leone and Cameroon, and across West Africa. The only one to be found was in South Africa, 5 hours away, but by the time the logistics had been arranged, Ola’s sister had died of her condition. That incident sparked off the vision she pursued with passion and aggression even without a dime to start with. She was also inspired to assuage the problems of emergency medical services in the Nigeria. Undaunted by difficult challenges, The rocky beginning That she pioneered West Africa’s very first Air Ambulance Service – Flying Doctors Nigeria, a thoroughly professional healthcare dedicated to bringing trauma care to the most remote parts of West Africa would be like telling her story from the end back to the beginning. Hear a bit of the extremely rough beginning that scripted the lyrics for the song that made her a symbol of courage, a model and a challenge to any African still struggling with their visions: “Getting your business funded can be an exhausting process,” she wrote in her entrepreneur play book. “It’s the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, without a doubt. Now my company is actually running I can laugh at all the times I spent carrying my laptop around sourcing for funding and coming home in tears. A member of the American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine, Ola addressed one of the biggest obstacles that contended with her vision and she eventually ‘hacked’ it down. “Foreign investors looking at Africa often say that while the prospects are exciting, the infrastructure is lagging. I believe that existing infrastructure can be hacked – which in itself is a huge opportunity. “So I reasoned that the term ‘hacking’ means modifying the features of a system to achieve a new goal. In development, it can describe rapid changes made by a society to advance without going through the intermediate stages. Rather than following developed nations’ roadmap to progress, Africa can leapfrog by experimenting with emerging tools, models and ideas. Controversy In her passion to get healthcare wherever possible for needy patients, Ola has been accused of trying to get free NHS treatment costing £45,425 for a gas worker who suffered severe burns in an explosion in Nigeria at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. She had told the General Medical Council tribunal that she had told a QEH doctor that the burns victim was to be treated as a private patient but said that he ‘misunderstood or misremembered our conversation. “Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s smallest number of motorized vehicles but the highest rate of road traffic fatalities, with Nigeria and South Africa leading the pack. Trauma has become a silent epidemic in Africa, an epidemic that will only spread as the economy grows. More and more Africans are buying cars and working in heavy and dangerous industries. At the same time, infrastructure is poor, safety laws lax, and cars badly maintained.” On her dream project, Flying Doctors: “We take pride in being the first Nigerian indigenous company to do this. We are training more people to go into the air ambulance sector and I think our paramedics now have a huge amount of management skills. I just think that we need to start thinking outside the box and be more confident in the concept of African innovation.” On her capacity to deliver: “We have a mixed-pool of more than 20 aircraft that we use for different types of evacuation, and about 30 staff all employed in different capacities with us and branches in three major cities in Nigeria.” Author and editor-in-chief of London based publication Melanie Hawken, said of Orekunrin: On any level, Ola Orekunrin is an inspirational Lioness of Africa, making not just a difference to the lives of patients in Nigeria, but across Africa and the globe through her example. She is a successful woman entrepreneur and inspirational leader in a world that needs more like her. Currently in its third year, the Lagos-based company has so far airlifted about 500 patients, using a fleet of planes and helicopters to rapidly move injured workers and critically ill people from remote areas to hospitals. It has helped hundreds of patients, particularly employees in the country’s oil and gas sector, who are among Flying Doctors’ top clients. (The for-profit company’s client list also includes governments across West Africa, wealthy individuals and corporations.) “From patients with road traffic trauma, to bomb blast injuries to gunshot wounds, we save lives by moving these patients and providing a high level of care en route,” says Orekunrin. “Many of our roads are poorly maintained, so emergency transport by road during the day is difficult. At night, we have armed robbers on our major highways; coupled with poor lighting and poor state of the roads themselves, emergency transport by road is deadly for both patients and staff.” The company now employs around 30 people across three branches in Nigeria and has won a number of awards and accolades. On the future, the entrepreneur hopes to keep improving access to treatment and focusing on pre-hospital and in-hospital management of injuries. “Eighty percent of the world trauma occurs in low-middle income countries just like Nigeria,” she says. “I feel there should be more focus on the trauma epidemic that Africa currently faces.” Subsequently, she says being back in Africa has given her a chance to “re-integrate myself back to my roots”. “I really do love Africa and Nigeria in particular because it is my identity. I have since realised that the earlier I re-integrate myself back to my roots, the better for me,” she told Financial Juneteenth. “I grew up in all-white environment and went to an all-white university. To be honest, until I moved back to Lagos, I never ever thought that Nigerians were capable of doing or achieving anything on their own.”

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