May 30th, 2019 represents the 52nd anniversary of the declaration of the Republic of Biafra.

I have written the following contribution to help mark that day. I hope it goes a long way to show where and when the trouble and challenges all started.

I also hope that it widens and stimulates the debate about the plight of the Igbo in the Nigerian state and to enlighten those that may not know why it is that so many young Igbos feel strongly about the concept of Biafra.

Some of the events that I have written about here are painful and deeply personal but write we must in order to educate others, in order to establish the truth, in order to ensure that history does not repeeat itself and in order to usher in an era of true reconciliation, peace, love and forgiveness in our nation. Kindly fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the flight!

In the early hours of the morning of January 15th 1966, Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna, Major Chukwuemeka Kaduna Nzeogwu, Major Chris Anuforo, Major Adewale Ademoyega, Major Timothy Onwuatuegwu, Major Humphrey Chuwuka, Captain Emmanuel Nwobosi, Captain Ben Gbulie, Captain Donatus Okafor, 2nd Lt. G. Onyefuru and a handful of other junior army officers of the Nigerian Army, who happened to be predominantly from the Eastern Region, effected a violent rebellion and bloody mutiny.

During the course of that mutiny they murdered no less than 22 prominent and well-respected leaders, politicians and senior Army officers including Sir Tafawa Balewa, the Prime Minister, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Premier of the Northern Region and his wife Hafsat, Chief S.L. Akintola, the Premier of the Western Region, Chief Okotie-Eboh, the Minister of Finance, Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun, Commander of the 1st Brigade Kaduna and his wife Lateefat, Brigadier Zakariya Maimalari, Commander of the 2nd Brigade Lagos, Lt. Colonel James Pam, Adjutant-General of the Army, Colonel Ralph Shodeinde, Head of the NMTC, Lt. Col. Abogo Largema, Commander of the 4th Battalion Ibadan, Colonel Kur Mohammed, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Colonel Unegbe, Quarter-Master General and others.

This was the first time that a violent mutiny and a military coup d’etat had ever taken place in the history of our nation and the Nigerian people, and indeed the entire world, were shocked by the brutality of the entire exercise and the ruthless, cold-blooded and clinical precision with which it was effected.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/06/02/femi-fani-kayode-a-morning-of-horror-and-the-slaughter-of-igbos/

With guns you can kill terrorists; with education you can kill terrorism- Malala Yousafzai

Let’s be frank and straight to the point here. I promise to be incisive, deliberate, concise and short. People don’t read long epistles to John again, we rather prefer a summary, at best a one minute instagram video. What can be said in a few words need not many paragraphs.

I went on a trip once with a man who believed Nigeria’s ethnicity is an eternal albatross- an Achilles heel to progress and stability. He had asked me as a young lad, if I truly knew the history of the civil war. I had told him it was a Nigerian tragedy that claimed close to two million lives and the major actors cut food supply to win a war, forcing another military lieutenant to surrender and cower to intellect.

That’s not the whole story, he interjected. It was an ethnic problem. “Sir Ahamdu Bello was killed and that was the generation of the chaos. A chaos that has continued to slowly tear us apart till today,” he said. He had videos of the 70s and the Aburi declaration. He didn’t seem to lie, so I believed him.

Now, many conspiracy theories have been flying about. Most of them are thrown to jab the Owu Chief like Sam Omatseye. But I tell you what is surprising. What is surprising is that on this matter Wole Soyinka and Obasanjo happen to be on the same page. These two have been at loggerheads for as long I can remember. What does that tell us? We have clearly not been paying attention!

What is the aim of Boko Haram and the Fulani Herdsmen? Boko Haram has made their mandate clear enough- to eradicate Western education. In their little emergence, they have bombed churches, mosques and schools. They even abducted school children to prove this aim. The ISWAP rose from the ashes of their charade and continued with the same mandate. The result is the continued captivity of Leah Sharibu which doesn’t seem to bother anyone these days. Not the emirs, governors, President or you inclusive.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/31/the-northern-evil/

Social commentator and activist, Oluyemi Fasipe has shared a disturbing story from a victim of Fulani kidnappers.

Fasipe shared the story in a series of tweets on his official twitter handle.

The disturbing story narrate the ordeal of a Yoruba family in the hands of rampaging criminals that are reported to have surrounded the South-West and carrying out nefarious activities against the citizenry.

See his tweets below…

The journey began in Auchi. We had travelled to Akure on a Monday, stayed with my husband’s relations in the outskirt of this ancient town. In the evening of Monday, we visited the palace for dinner, my husband being a close friend to son of the King.

On Tuesday, we left for Ibadan, via the Akure-Ilesa road. Our plan was that after attending the wedding in Auchi, we would travel with (my husband) to Lagos, stay for few weeks before returning abroad where I had lived with my husband and children for more than a decade.

We were in the car of a close family friend, an accountant who gave his time and energy for our comfort.

We were five in the car, myself, my husband, our daughter, a lady who is my husband’s niece who had joined us in Akure with the hope of travelling with us to Lagos.

The driver accountant maintained a normal speed. He drove professionally. That gave me a lot of comfort and I felt I could find time to sleep a bit. My daughter was next to me, just 9. She was coming to Nigeria with me for the second time.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/06/01/my-family-ordeal-in-the-hands-of-fulani-kidnappers/

Social commentator and Human Resources Professional, Tunde Omotoye has sahred an interest tips on how a good cover letter can be written.

Omotoye shared the tips in a series of tweets on his official twitter handle.

See his tweets below…

Want to include a Cover Letter on that job application? Here’s a step-by-step guide of how to complete a cover letter. Also, what it should and shouldn’t entail.

A cover letter should be a single page letter that you include with your job application. Thing is, you can always include one, unless the job advertisement clearly says you shouldn’t. Always remember to keep it short because it should be a summary and not your autobiography.

1. Follow The Rules of Formal Business Letters: Your cover letter should include: – Your name – Your phone number – Your email address – The date of the letter – The name of the hiring manager and their title – The name of the company you are applying to as well

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/06/01/how-to-write-a-cover-letter-by-tunde-omotoye/

At least 11 people have been reportedly killed and six others injured in a mass shooting at a government building in the US state of Virginia, police said.


Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/31/breaking-11-killed-in-america-mass-shooting/

The massacre began at the airport near the 5th Battalion’s home city of Kano. A Lagos-bound jet just arrived from London and as the Kano passengers were escorted into the customs shed a wild-eyed soldier stormed in brandishing a rifle and demanding ‘Ina Nyamiri?’–Hausa for ‘where are the damned Ibos?.

There were Ibos among the customs officers, and they dropped their chalk and fled, only to be shot down in the main terminal by other soldiers. Screaming the blood curses of a Moslem holy war the Hausa troops turned the airport into a shambles bayonetting Ibo workers in the bar, gunning them down in the corridors and hauling Ibo passengers off the plane to be lined up and shot.

From the airport the troops fanned out through downtown Kano, hunting down Ibos in bars, hotels and on the streets. One contingent drove their Landrovers to the railroad station where more than 100 Ibos were waiting for a train and cut them down with automatic weapon fire.


Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/31/biafra-by-femi-fani-kayode/

The Economist reviewed the first term of President Muhammadu Buhari and concluded that Nigerians became poorer during his first four years in office.

The magazine, in the publication, which was posted on its website on Thursday, said while the Nigerian economy was “stuck like a stranded truck,” average incomes fell during the four-year period covering 2015 to 2019.

The Economist in its report said based on the thinking of the International Monetary Fund, the average income of Nigerians “will not rise for at least another six (years).”

The report partly read, “The Nigerian economy is stuck like a stranded truck. Average incomes have been falling for four years; the IMF thinks they will not rise for at least another six (years).

“The latest figures put unemployment at 23 per cent, after growing for 15 consecutive quarters.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/31/nigerians-became-poorer-in-buharis-first-term-the-economist/

Two major factors crippled my hope in Nigeria: the last presidential election with the dirt, tribalism, and impunity that attended it, and a certain article by Simon Kolawole.

On the election, restructuring was key for me. Not being clairvoyant, I had no way of knowing Atiku’s genuine intentions on the subject; I had mere faith. I keep saying Nigeria is not a nation, but a loose group of people stampeding for personal and ethnic survival. Stampedes are predatory, and there is no such thing as an organized stampede.

Ethnic groups are the real nations in Nigeria, wherein people’s true patriotic passions lie, never mind the denials. Not necessarily a bad thing, for all politics is local. People can die for Yoruba, Igbo, or Hausa-Fulani causes. Except those benefitting from Nigeria’s darkness, or those totally naive, no one is willing to die for Nigeria. Nations are strong bonds of unified purpose, vision, culture, belonging. What we have is a stampede to grab resources everyone thinks belongs to no one. Which leads me to Kolawole’s article written two years ago.

The journalist writes that he was awake one night, and decided to read news reports of old newspapers to pass the night. Nigeria, cheered a 1988 story, had attained 4,000 megawatts of power supply, targeting 12,000 megawatts by year 2000. Thirty-one years after in 2019, Nigeria now boasts some 3,000 megawatts, after spending over $30 billion on power. This sealed it for me, but you can keep believing for yourself that anything will change.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/30/biafra-by-immanuel-james-ibe-anyanwu/

Today, Nigeria will inaugurate an illegitimate president who unashamedly stole someone else’s electoral mandate in broad daylight. Buhari (whom most people now call “Buharig” because of the unprecedentedly crude electoral heist he perpetrated in February) and the cabal of corrupt, clueless, and unconscionable provincials who rule on his behalf instructed their minions to rig the last presidential election because they knew Buhari had not a snowball’s chance in hell of winning the election.

In spite of their rigging, however, Buhari still came up short. He lost to Atiku by nearly 2 million votes from their own rigged figures. So he ordered INEC to invent arbitrary figures and proclaim him winner.

And degenerate, unprincipled, and morally compromised Mahmood Yakubu who has gone down in the annals as the absolute worst and most detestable INEC chairman Nigeria has ever had obliged dutifully.

That’s why nearly three months after the election, INEC has not had the courage to share the raw data of the election with the public. It’s because the numbers won’t add up. They’re still frantically fudging the figures to justify the fraudulent figures they assigned to presidential candidates.



Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/29/buharig-the-inauguration-of-an-illegitimate-president-by-farooq-kperogi/

Conspiracy theories are the palm oil of Nigeria’s politics. They give taste to falsehood, tension, fear and unrest. And often, they are ignorantly eaten, regurgitated and spewed by the unwary.

On December 11, 2013, former President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote a caustic missive entitled, ‘Before it is too late’, searing former President Jonathan and his administration. He alleged that Jonathan was “clannish” and that he was promoting an Ijaw agenda. He also alleged that the immediate past president was arming militants, and that he had pencilled down 1000 people for crucifixion. Obasanjo surmised that Jonathan was training a special killer squad like that of Abacha which would dispatch political opponents to the place yonder.

Hear him:
“…Allegation of keeping over 1000 people on political watch-list rather than criminal or security watch-list and training snipers and other armed personnel secretly and clandestinely acquiring weapons to match for political purposes like Abacha and training them where Abacha trained his own killers….”
“Mr President would always remember that he was elected to maintain security for all Nigerians and protect them. And no one should prepare to kill or maim Nigerians for personal or political ambition or interest of anyone.”

Obasanjo’s conspiracy theory turned out to be a hoax of cataclysmic proportions. But it became evident that he conjured this ruse from his pouch of tricks for political reasons, and that it was deployed in the desperation to get Jonathan out of office.

Now, the former president suggests there is a “West African Fulanisation and Islamisation” agenda – by extension Nigeria.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/29/we-must-all-be-fulani-by-fredrick-nwabufo/

A social commentator and financial expert, Feyi Fawehinmi has described the All Progressive Party, as the most intellectually fraudulent party.

He said this in a series of tweets on his official Twitter handle.

Read his tweets below...

APC is the most intellectually fraudulent party I’ve ever had the misfortune of supporting. This fraud is manifested in one particular way – making policy first and then looking for ‘evidence’ to justify it.

The original sin and biggest manifestation of this intellectual fraud was the currency crisis it engineered and which then led to the recession in 2016. Anyhow you slice or dice it goes back to that decision that had no evidence behind it

There are many other manifestations of this intellectual fraud like a baseless war on trade and belief that Nigeria can rise to glory powered by rice. But the currency one is the biggest one.

If you flush your toilet in London today, the waste will be treated in sewers built by the Victorians in the 19th century. You can drive from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts in America today on smooth roads. The people who built those roads are mostly all dead.

Today there is around $40bn of debt sitting on CBN’s balance sheet costing $6bn a year just to service it. That debt is going to be paid by children who are not yet born. It will be their inheritance.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/29/today-is-the-4-year-anniversary-of-the-plague-known-as-apc-so-let-us-insult-them/

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has stated the Nigerian State committed genocide, ethnic Cleansing, and mass murder against the Igbos during the Nigerian Civil War.

The former minister made this known in a series of tweets on his verified and official twitter handle.

He also said the country will not know peace unless it apologise to the Igbo communities for the atrocities committed against them.

He said, “Nigeria must offer an unreserved apology to the Igbo people of the SE for the genocide,ethnic cleansing and mass murder that was unleashed on them during the civil war. 3 million Biafran were slaughtered(1 millon of them children) in the space of 3 years during that conflict.”

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/28/nigeria-must-apology-to-the-igbo-people-for-genocide-committed-against-them-fani-kayode/

Few hours to the handover to a new administration, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday arrested a suspect alleged to be a brother to the Secretary to the Zamfara State Government, Professor Abdullahi Shinkafi with N60million cash.

The suspect, Murtala Muhammad, was also in possession of a Black Toyota Land Cruiser Prado Sports Utility Vehicle and one single barrel gun; one locally made Revolver Pistol.

His arrest at a housing estate was said to have followed a tip-off.

Read more: https://thenationonlineng.net/efcc-arrests-zamfara-ssgs-brother-with-n60m-cash/

Social Commentator Gimba Kakanda says sanctions are never been effective in foreign policy decision-making, in the light of US – China trade war and Trump’s decision to ban Huawei.

Kakanda said this in a series of tweets on his official and verified twitter account.

He said, ” I’m going to share a short piece on how sanctions have hardly or never been effective in foreign policy decision-making, in the light of US – China trade war and Trump’s decision to ban Huawei.”

“Sanctions are intended to signal the sanctioner’s intention or influence domestic politics of the sanctioned states, but available historical records show that sanctions are largely terrible ideas. They have never ever really produced desired outcomes. I’ll cite a few examples.”

“During the Cold War, the UN Security Council banned apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia to signal its intention towards their repressive regimes. While South Africa grew militarily, Rhodesia cushioned its economy by buying food products from neighbouring countries like Tanzania.”

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/27/why-sanctions-has-never-been-effective-in-foreign-policy-decision-making/

Activist and Social commentator, Deji Adeyanju has criticised the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari planned setting up of a radio station exclusively for Fulani Herdsmen in the country.

Adeyanju made this known in a series of tweets on his official twitter handle.

“The plan seems to be in stages: Disarm the legal owners of firearms, short guns etc. You should know why,Open a Radio Station exclusively for Fulanis with tax payers money.

“Many Nigerians understand Hausa but not Fulfude which is spoken exclusively by the Fulanis.”

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/26/radio-fulani-meant-to-dish-out-instructions-to-followers-says-adeyanju/

Chartered accountant Adewura Bello, 26, who was declared missing two weeks ago, has been found dead.

Bello had gone missing on May 15 while on her way home from work. She was said to have been on a motorcycle inside Gowon Estate and might have been carried away by flood occasioned by heavy downpour that evening.

In the course of her search, residents of the area had posted on social media that a woman about her size and age was washed away by flood through a manhole shortly after the motorcyclist carrying her was advised not to proceed.

Shortly after the warning, the flood slept them but the motorcyclist was said to have survived the mishap and was arrested, handed over to Mosalashi Police Station.

Read more: https://thenationonlineng.net/breaking-missing-adewura-found-dead-in-lagos-canal/

Islamist insurgents killed at least 25 soldiers and a number of civilians in an ambush in northeast Nigeria on Saturday morning, two security sources said, the second deadly attack on the army this week.

Militants opened fire as the soldiers were escorting a groups of evacuees from a village in Borno state, where Boko Haram and other militants have been fighting for a decade.

“They ambushed and surrounded the vehicles of both the soldiers and the civilians and opened fire on them,” said one of the sources, part of a vigilante group that fights alongside the military against the insurgencies. “They exchanged fire for some minutes before the Boko Haram militants overpowered the soldiers.”

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/26/boko-haram-kills-25-soldiers-civilians/

Valencia on Saturday defeated Spanish giants FC Barcelona to win the Copa Del Rey.

The defending champions lost 2-1 in a match that may be the last for the under-fire Coach Ernesto Valverde.

Read more: https://thenationonlineng.net/breaking-valencia-beat-barcelona-to-win-copa-del-rey/

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has raised the alarm on alleged plans by “unscrupulous and anti-democratic elements to contrive skirmishes in the coming weeks aimed at smearing his personality”.

Abubakar raised the alarm in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Mr Paul Ibe, on Friday in Abuja.

Abubakar who was Vice President from 1999 to 2007, said that it was being revealed the grand plot orchestrated by some agents of evil to stage-manage pockets of upset targeted at attacking his reputation.

“We wish to blow the whistle as an >>https://thenationonlineng.net/atiku-raises-alarm-over-alleged-smear-campaign/

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has condemned the federal government over its planed establishment of a Radio for Fulani Herdsmen in Nigeria.

The former Minister likens the Buhari administration establishment of the Radio Station to Radio Rwanda that aided the killing of more than One Million people by Hutu rebels in 1994.

He said this in a series of tweets on his verified and official twitter handle, stating that Nigerians should pray against bloodshed.

He said, “THE ROAD TO RWANDA: 6 steps to GENOCIDE: 1. The Hutu militia iinterahamwe in Rwanda started just like the herdsmen AKA bandits in Nigeria before the genocide. 2. The Govt. of, Rwanda headed by a Hutu, tactically encouraged them same as the bandits are encouraged in Nigeria…”

REad more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/23/rwanda-genocide-started-same-way-fani-kayode-says-of-fulani-radio/

A UK-based Nigerian doctor, Dr Harvey Olufunmilayo, has descirbed the ‘Pull-Out Method’ use and favoured by some men as a lie and a fraud.

He said “PullOut” has a failure rate of 27%.

Dr. Olufunmilayo made this known in a series of tweets on his official and verified twitter handle.

See his tweets below…

“Nobody’s Pull-Out Game is lit. It is a lie and a fraud. Most men are simply lucky. Or infertile. What is called “PullOut” has a failure rate of 27%. So if 100 women do it for a year, 27 will get pregnant. You can still get pregnant. Even if he pulls out. Don’t play yourself.”

What really happens is that most men are simply lucky or actually infertile But they think their “pull-out” game is “lit”. Nah. It’s most likely that the woman is not ovulating at that time (so no eggs), or their semen is useless (so no point). Pull Out is very very unreliable.

What we popularly term here as “pull-out” is medically called Coitus Interruptus (or Withdrawal) method of contraception. As I said earlier, failure rate can be up to 27% for this method. Which means if 100 women depend only on the pull-out method, 27 of them will get pregnant.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/24/pull-out-method-most-are-simply-lucky-or-infertile-says-expert/

Chairman of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission (NDC), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has accused Egypt and Ethiopian Airlines of running drug cartels across Nigeria’s international airports.

Dabiri-Erewa stated this on Wednesday during an investigative hearing by an ad-hoc Committee of the Senate set up to look into the circumstances leading to the arrest last December of a Nigerian lady, Zainab Aliyu by Saudi Arabian authorities.

Dabiri-Erewa told the committee that, “We have other foreign and local Airlines operating at our Airports. But Egyptian and Ethiopian Airlines have drug cartels operating at our International Airports. They operate alongside local collaborators. It is not Air Peace, not Arik Air, but Egyptian and Ethiopian Airlines”.

Read more: https://thenationonlineng.net/egypt-ethiopian-airlines-running-drug-cartels-in-nigeria-says-dabiri-erewa/

Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello on Tuesday walked out the Chief Judge (CJ) of the state, Justice Nasir Ajanah from a function.

The incident occurred at the Government House Lokoja during the swearing-in of the new Grand Khadi of the state.

The function was attended by top government officials and others from the judiciary.

The CJ, who was said to have been officially invited to the function by the protocol officer of the Government House, was seated before arrival of the governor.

Read more: https://thenationonlineng.net/just-in-bello-walks-out-kogi-cj-from-state-function/

African Alliance Insurance ‘s five-year financial result has revealed a worrisome outcome, The Nation investigation has shown.

African Alliance, a life insurer, which is preparing to celebrate its 60 years’ anniversary, appears to be in a critical condition.

This is going by the company’s five- year financials obtained by The Nation from the firm’s website. It showed negative in Solvency Margin, Shareholders Fund and Annuity Cover.

The result showed an erosion and depletion of Shareholder’s Fund to the tune of N281.56 million and Solvency Margin deficit of 376 per cent as recorded in its 2017 financial result.

The company solvency margin is in deficit of 376 per cent in the period under review, which is below the minimum regulatory capital of N2 billion required by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) for life insurance business.

This constitutes non-compliance with the regulatory capital requirements. The continuation of the company’s operation is dependent on its ability to meet its regulatory capital requirement and generate sufficient cash flows to meet its obligation as they fall due.

Read more: https://thenationonlineng.net/african-alliance-in-financial-crisis/

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will on Monday arraign a musician, Azeez Fashola, alias Naira Marley at the Federal High Court in Lagos for alleged online fraud, popularly known as Yahoo Yahoo.

The EFCC filed an 11-count charge of alleged credit card fraud against Fashola yesterday (May 14) in a suit marked FHC/L/178C/19.

Some of the credit cards, according to the EFCC, bore the names- Nicole Louise Malyon, and Timea Fedorne Tatar.

Read more: https://thenationonlineng.net/efcc-to-arraign-naira-marley-for-yahoo-yahoo-on-monday/

Two months after a social media strategist Olufunke Phillips (real names: Philip Esther Olufunke) was outed by freelance consultant and journalism trainer, Ruona Meyer as an alleged cocaine trafficker who absconded from trial in a federal court in Lagos, reappears on social media.

Meyer had on Friday, March 15, revealed that Phillips, who describes herself as a digital strategist and social commentator, faced cocaine smuggling charges in 2009 and, according to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in a statement published two years later, had jumped bail.

Both had entered into business relations, under the name ‘The Beverage Space’, until Meyer did a background check and found out about the questionable past of her former partner.

Meyer, who holds dual Nigerian-German citizenship, was accusing Ms Phillips of intellectual property theft after they parted ways as business partners.

Recently, Meyer who has been living in Germany before Beverage Space was formed later discovered that Phillips still continues with the business idea and is running it on a much larger scale, only slightly changing the name (from The Beverage Space to The Beverage Room).

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/15/fugitive-cocaine-trafficker-funke-philip-reappears-on-social-media/

By Bamidele Ademola-Olateju

Joe (not real name) lives in New York and works for the state's electric company. He is Nigerian by birth, but he has been living in America before he became a teenager. He is from the Southwest and speaks fluent Yoruba but his name and accent does not reflect his roots.

After Hurricane Sandy, the State of New York decided to do away with some of the old components on their electric grid. The components were working but many of them were made in the 1950's and 1960's. The state spent a lot of man hours maintaining them. They were replaced and ready to be disposed. One day, Joe was told that some people are interested in buying the discarded parts. He saw the paperwork and realized they were Nigerians. He invited them in and told them how much it costs New York with the manpower and know-how to maintain the components. Nigeria does not have what it takes to use those aging parts, he advised. The guys told him not to worry. All these while, they were speaking English. They had no idea he is Naija born.

At some point, Joe became frustrated and said; "Ẹ̀gbọ́n, kini yí ọ lè work! Ẹ lè maintain àwọn kini yi". Brother, this won't work for Nigeria! You cannot maintain these! Ẹ̀gbọ́n replied him. "Ẹ má worry! Tó bá dé orí omi á di titun!" Don't worry! When it sails, it will become new. We will repaint it and sell it as new. Joe was devastated. He had no choice. He told me he has serious doubts if Nigeria will ever be okay.

We had this conversation in 2016. Hurricane Sandy was in August of 2012. Those components are already in our grid. That is Nigeria. Full of greedy men and economic saboteurs. I don't know much about electricity or electrical stuff. Even if the country generates enough power, how about the bottlenecks in transmission and distribution? A lot hinges on law enforcement and punishment, that is what prevents most humans from exhibiting their basest instincts.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/

A UK-based Nigerian Medical Doctor, Harvey Olufunmilayo has disclosed that there are injections and other options available to ease the pain of women going through labour.

Dr Olufunmilayo made this known on Tuesday in a tweet on his verified and official twitter account.

See his tweets below…

Talking of Labour Pain, it’s no child-play at all. Whatever you think it is, it’s infinitely worse than your worst thoughts. I once read a lady say it’s like someone slamming a car door on your little finger for 8hours. Once you are in labour, make sure you ask for pain relief.

These are examples of what some women had to say: “The pain was all-encompassing” “At first I didn’t know I was in labor. It hurt, but it was bearable” “I felt like I was being run over by a train” “I begged my husband to throw me out of the car on the way to the hospital”

Apparently the description of the pain varies for women- especially for experienced mothers. But for first timers and even some second timers, it’s usually an unbelievably painful experience. One woman even said “it was like somebody put a burning candle inside my vagina”

So what’s the aim of all these? It’s to let you know far ahead that doctors have many options available to make the whole labour process absolutely bearable and pain free. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SUFFER. All you need to do is ask and discuss these things with your midwife or doctor.

Many women are not aware there are injections and options that are available to them when going through labour. It’s called “Pain Management Options in Labour”. You must make sure that you discuss this particular topic with your doctor. Especially if you are a first time mother.

So let’s talk about Pain Management Options in Labour today. Shall we? Now if you are a woman who already has a child and planning to have more, if you have never had a child but planning to have one, if you are a man whose sister or wife is pregnant- Please pay attention here.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/15/what-to-know-about-labour-pain-by-expert/

With the much awaited listing of MTN Nigeria on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, financial expert and social commentator Oluwatosin Olaseinde has provided steps on how the shares could be bought.

Olaseinde made this known in a series of tweets on her official twitter handle.

See her tweets below…

MTN Nigeria will on Thursday list 20.3 billion shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange at N90/share

Here are a few steps you need to take, if you are interested in buying them, and have never bought shares before.

Step 1: Open an account with a stockbroker

You need to open an account with a stockbroker. A stockbroker is licensed to buy and sell shares and other instruments. The NSE and SEC have a list of licensed stockbrokers you can choose from.

Requirements to open a stockbroking account are essentially the same as what you would need to open a regular bank account.

Read More: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/15/steps-on-how-to-buy-shares-by-expert/

A Military expert and social commentator known only as Edward has disclosed that the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is considering exchanging kidnapped Dapchi schoolgirl, Leah Sharibu and the only remaining abducted surviving United Nations International Children Emergency Fund with arrested members.

The military private military contractor made this known in a tweet on his official twitter handle.

Read also: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/14/iswap-considering-exchanging-leah-sharibu-unicef-nurse-with-arrested-members/

Popular Social Commentator and founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria Limited, a Medical Emergency Service has said human are never at their most objective when making decisions driven by grief and anger.

The entrepreneur made this known in a series of tweet on her official and verified Twitter handle, stating that when angry, count to ten before you respond.

See her tweet below…

Daenery’s let anger get the better of her. Her son and her best friend died. And she lost her lover. Maybe some of the tips in this thread could have helped her.

When you are angry count to 10 before you respond. When very angry, count to 100′ -Getting past no

When making decisions driven by grief/anger or both we are NEVER at our most objective.

The first casualty when you are attacked is your objectivity. That’s why William Ury from Harvard encourages anyone in a tense situation to take time out or as he puts it ‘go to the balcony’ before writing that email.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/14/leadership-lessons-from-got-were-never-at-our-most-objective-when-making-decisions-driven-by-grief-anger/

A UK based Nigerian Medical Doctor, Harvey Olufunmilayo has warned Nigerians against the use of urine as treatment for any medical conditions.

Dr Olufunmilayo gave the advise on Monday in a tweet on his verified and official twitter account, saying that no medical evidence exist to support urine medical efficacy.

See his tweets below…

“Urine can cure Apollo” “Urine can cure pimples” “Urine can cure cancer” “Urine can give long life” ALL the above are myths and lies. There is NO medical evidence for it. Apollo usually goes on its own. Urine is toxic. It can make you blind. NEVER drink it or put in your eyes.

Okay since there’s a lot of questions on Apollo and there seems to be firm belief in the fact that urine works. Let me explain a few things and let me clarify. Many of us especially in Nigeria, during our childhood when we knew nothing better, all thought WRONG it was the urine.

What is “Apollo”? It is medically termed Conjunctivitis. That simply means an inflammation of the conjunctiva- that’s the layer that covers the front of the eye and lines the inside of the eyelids. That’s the simple definition. So it’s that swollen red layer that we call Apollo.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/05/14/expert-to-nigerians-urine-is-toxic-cant-cure-apollo/