January 2015 Edition by Nigerian Canadian News

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ONDO STATE, NIGERIA AND AWARD WINNING US CHOCOLATIER STRIKE DEAL

NIGERIAN LAWYER TAKES LEGAL ACTION AGAINST FEDS A ON EBOLARELATED TRAVEL BAN

WHETHER YOU ARE BUYING OR SELLING, UNIQUELY QUALIFIED TO BE THE MAN

Matt Esekie

By Paul Njogu

bout 180 visa applications have been denied since the Canadian government enforced a policy on Ebola-related restrictions in October last year according to reports. With this, a Toronto based lawyer, Joseph Osuji,

has filed a lawsuit in Federal Court claiming the travel and visa ban, on people from countries affected by the Ebola virus outbreak, is discriminatory and unconstitutional. Osuji is taking legal action against the Canadian government on behalf of the Just Society

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RICHARD ODELEYE

By Dele Akintilo

As part of Nigeria’s Transformation Agenda, Ondo State Governor, Doctor Olusegun Mimiko, has on behalf of the state’s cocoa farmers in conjunction with Federal Government of Nigeria struck an unprecedented deal with SPAGnVOLA (pronounced SpangVola) chocolatiers. The deal which aims to improve the cocoa continued on p(18)

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THE HELP YOU NEED WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST www.lawyer4me.com VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

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ACCOMPLISHED & VERSATILE NIGERIAN NEWS PERSONALITY WITH GLOBAL NEWS

s a veteran journalist and three-time Olympian, Rosey Edeh is a dynamic and engaging news personality. Born in London, England and raised in Montreal, Rosey has not only travelled across Canada but also all over the world. Her global excursions, long-standing career in journalism, passion and verve make her an engaging News at Noon anchor and host of The Morning Show. Rosey was acquainted with news at an early age; her first job was a newspaper route. She later began her career in the media industry as a sports reporter with CFCF News Montreal before becoming a weather and entertainment reporter with Global Montreal. In 2001, she moved to the United States to work with CNN’s American Morning and later worked with MSNBC’s Early Today morning program. As a senior reporter for Global’s ET Canada, Rosey spent seven years travelling the globe speaking with many of the most prominent celebrities in the industry. In her current role as The Morning Show co-

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

host and News at Noon anchor, she continues to meet fascinating, newsworthy people. Some of the more notable names include actor Ryan Reynolds, actress Halle Berry, Academy Awardwinning writer/director Paul Haggis, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, Olympic athletes, as well as former Prime Ministers Joe Clark, Brian Mulroney and Paul Martin. Not only is Rosey a driven and successful journalist and reporter, she is also a world-class athlete. A Rice University and Concordia University graduate, Rosey was a four-time All American. She also represented Canada in the Summer Olympics three times in 1988, 1992 and 1996. Additionally, she won medals in the Commonwealth Games and the World University Games. To this day, Rosey holds the record in 400m hurdles. Rosey studied for a Master’s degree in art history while in university, an education that she still finds valuable on a regular basis. Today, in addition to her day-job with Global News, Rosey is also a motivational speaker who devotes her

time to numerous charitable organizations. She hosts many fundraising events and consistently finds ways to give back to the community. She fervently supports women’s rights, women in leadership and women in media. She has also done charitable work in Tanzania and works extensively with Plan Canada and Best Buddies Canada. Rosey is still a health and fitness enthusiast who puts a lot of emphasis on staying in shape. She is vegetarian and particularly enjoys green and white tea. She also has a daily cross-training routine that includes running, weights and stairs. When she isn’t in the studio, spending time with her daughter or maintaining her workout regime, Rosey enjoys reading, photography and visiting art museums. Don’t forget to tune in to The Morning Show, weekdays from 6:00am-9:00am ET in Toronto and nationally from 9:00am-9:30am ET/PT, 10:00-10:30am AT for more on Global’s Olympic medal journalist, Rosey Edeh, whose favourite travel destination is everywhere.

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VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

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THE REDEEMED CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF GOD GRACE ARENA PARISH, MISSISSAUGA

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VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

HEALT H I S W E A LT H , TA K E C A R E OF YO URS

Disclaimer: In no way are any of the suggestion herein meant to take the place of advice given by a licensed health care professional. Please always consult your doctor before commemcing any medical treatment.

Colic and other Natural Disasters

What is a perforated bowel?

By Joe Buck

By U. Mirna

Think you’ve got it all under control, do you? Your newborn has been home for a month and things are settling down nicely; your spouse is handling feeding, diapering and otherwise meeting the needs of this little life that you’ve created. The baby seems happy and content; all is right with the world. Give it another month, and you may be singing a different tune...or more likely howling right along with your little sweetums. I’m talking about colic. I know of no other word that will send mothers running to check the expiration date on their birth control. I speak from experience; I have been through it. There ought to be a colic support group, like they have for people who have been through other traumatic events, like wars or going to prison. Mothers could meet at Olive Garden and blearily pound down Sangria as they exchange horror stories of how their sweet little babes have overnight turned into miniature Navy SEAL drill sergeants. For those of you who are unaware, colic is defined as a general condition of distress, usually gastrointestinal in nature. This translates into an inability for your baby to feel comfortable; she can’t sleep, is generally cranky, and often will cry for hours at a time. The “hours at a time” is no exaggeration; when my daughter went through it, she would wail for a good 45 minutes, calm down just enough to get her breath back and then keep going. Opera singers wish they had the resonance, endurance and vocal range of a colicky baby in full flow. Doctors have no idea what exactly causes colic; it seems to be gastrointestinal in nature, but at the same time, they have also linked it to smoking (the parents, not the baby), the time of year your baby was born in, sunspots, alien abduction, and the deficit. The reality is that your guess is as good as theirs. Colic is also a transmissible condition; just dealing with a colicky baby for a few days will give the parents upset stomachs, irritability, discomfort and loss of sleep. However, I have a theory. Colic typically works its

A perforated bowel is a medical condition caused by gastrointestinal perforation. It happens when a part of the gastrointestinal tract, or a wall that lines the stomach, large bowel or small intestine, gets completely punctured and results in the flowing of intestinal contents into the abdominal cavity. It often causes blood infection, and if it doesn’t get treated on time, one of the outcomes may be immediate death. A perforated bowel can be caused by medical conditions which include Crohn’s disease and diverticulitis, as well as traumatic injuries. Perforated bowel symptoms include fever, nausea and extreme abdominal pain. It often leads to intense vomiting which, in turn, causes dehydration, and the abdominal pain gets even worse when the person starts moving. A perforated bowel should be treated immediately, especially in the cases of previously diagnosed diverticulitis or Crohn’s disease. Patients suffering from either Crohn’s disease or diverticulitis are usually the subjects of frequent and

evil magic somewhere in the two to three month old area. Babies, having had no previous experience of the world, no vocabulary except what they make up as they go, are starting from scratch, intellectually speaking. They have no frame of reference. So, they spend the first two months of their lives outside the womb taking it all in, exploring their senses, accumulating and registering data about their environment. Then they compare it to what was going on before, wombwise - the view may not have been great, but food was on tap 24/7, it was warm and comfortable, and you didn’t have to deal with all of this pooping. They realize that they’re never, ever gonna have it that good again - that’s why they’re upset. There is no real remedy for colic. You can find good solid basic advice for how to deal with it in just about any baby book. Typically, they run from changing the type/brand of formula (if you’re not breastfeeding); trying out a new bottle some of them have clever valves that prevent air from being swallowed by your baby. They also recommend using different holds, burping frequently, swaddling, rhythmic motion, “shushing”...any of these may work. Or they may not; there’s no way to tell unless you try everything until something works. We ran the gamut of purported colic cures. We tried changing bottles, but my wife doesn’t care for vodka, and our tippling didn’t seem to be having any affect on our daughter, anyway. Swaddling worked for about 4 days - until Makayla figured out that she could yell just as effectively wrapped up as a baby burrito as she could with her full range of motion. We got a rocker and I broke that sucker going back and forth for

hours. I burped her every five swallows of formula. I “shushed” until I darn near hyperventilated. We were three weeks into this assault on our sanity. It was 1:30 A.M. and no one was asleep. My wife was at the end of her rope, Makayla was going at it like there was no tomorrow. Selena kicked me into consciousness (it was a work night) and told me to do something - or else. She had strapped Makayla into her car seat and put her on the dryer - the baby books said this sometimes worked as the sound lulled babies to sleep, but all that happened was she increased her volume to compensate; now she was hot and cranky, with tears rolling down her face, overtired and too uncomfortable to do anything about it. There was only one thing left to try. Selena put on a pair of slippers and a robe and so did I. Makayla was still strapped in. We got a bottle, just in case, and bundled our wailing sweetheart into the car for a latenight drive. There was no one up and out except us. As we drove around the neighborhood, Makayla calmed down; her eyes closed and she started to drift off. My wife had calmed down and was starting to destress while we tooled down the quiet streets. All was right with the world, and despite the events of the evening, we began to realize that colic wouldn’t last forever, that we could do this parenting thing. We talked about this and that, softly, as our child slept in the back. After a while, we headed home. As we pulled into the driveway, I made a monumental error. I put the car in park, gave a loving glance at my little baby, snuggled up next to my wife and said, “Want a boy next time?”

much closer observations, since the risk of them developing a perforated bowel is higher than in the rest of the population. Crohn’s disease increases the possibility of intestinal inflammation which leads to blockage, a direct cause of bowel perforation. Since the disease is incurable, the treatment includes reducing pain and swelling. When the bowels are blocked, they stop passing waste and make it accumulate instead. When the body becomes overloaded, bowel perforation occurs as a result of the increased pressure. This is why it is so important to regularly evaluate patients with higher risk of intestinal inflammation, specifically those with Crohn’s disease. Diverticulitis is a term referring to the inflammation of diverticula, the small pouches on the surface of the colon. The most common symptom of diverticulitis is the increasing abdominal pain. It can be treated with antibiotics, although in some cases a surgery cannot be avoided. When left untreated, the condition can cause perforation of both bowels and intestines.

Traumatic injuries of the abdominal area are another cause of bowel perforation. They include both penetration injuries, such as stab wounds, and lacerations, or wounds caused by a blunt blow. X-ray computed tomography is used in diagnosing bowel perforation in the cases of such injuries. Before a perforated bowel gets repaired, the abdomen needs to be surgically cleaned, at least in most cases. The treatment sometimes requires a colostomy as well, a procedure in which waste material gets excreted by drawing an end of either colon or large intestine through an incision made in the abdominal wall. The post-operative treatment includes taking stronger doses of antibiotics, which prevent peritonitis from occurring and, if needed, continue fighting the infection. Patients who suffered from a perforated bowel need to have regular checkups, and receive treatment for the conditions that caused it in the first place. In most cases, the doctors manage to prevent it from happening again, so it is advisable to continue consulting the physician even after the initial treatment.

Nutrition is key to diabetes management’ Diabetes sufferers have been advised to take bitter kola, okro and cucumber, among others to lower their blood sugar level. According to a naturopath, Dr Gilbert, Ezengige, regular consumption of these natural plants will help in stabilising their glucose level. “Medicinal plants possess the ability to re-generate pancreatic beta cells, promote insulin release and fight the prob-

lem of insulin resistance,” he added. Ezengige said bitter kola (garcinia kola) known as Orogbo in Yoruba and Aki-ilu in Igbo and bitter leaf ’s extract (Vernonia amygdalina) can lower blood sugar level.

“It contains a bioflavonoid that has a blood sugar lowering property,” he said. He said okro (Abelmoschus esculentus) improves insulin sensitivity, adding that cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is one of the most important vegetables for diabetics because “it regenerates the pancreas.” Also, guava (Psidium guajava) which is rich in fibers lowers glycemic index, continued on p(45)

Nigerian Canadian News Supports

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I still have the scars....

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

Know your Sickle Cell Status. Get tested today

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Michael Ansu (President)

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EDITORIAL

THE NIGERIAN CANADIAN NEWS

Upcoming Nigerian Presidential elections slated for February 14

Publisher

Ngozi Ugoh admin@nigeriancanadiannews.ca publisher@nigeriancanadiannews.ca

ncnewsoffice@gmail.com www.nigeriancanadiannews.ca

Mailing Address: 10661 Chinguacousy Road, Brampton P.O. Box 70032 Ont. L7A 0N0 Canada

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Youth: Dinma Ugoh

admin@nigeriancanadiannews.ca

Advertising Executive: Ogo Anozie admin@nigeriancanadiannews.ca

> Contributors

Pastor Taiwo Odubiyi (USA) Richard Meseko Akadu Frank Ofili - Nigeria Agathar Edo Dima Ugoh D.Downes G.Goodman Dele Akintilo Chinelo Nwagbo Albert Williams Godwin Ihesie D’Prince J. Babalola Paul Njogu N. Agarwal Darlington Ugoh S. Deepthi Nikky Adigwe

> Graphics & Layout Mevlana Media Solutions Inc.

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AWARD WINNING NEWSPAPER

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*Member Of The National Ethnic Press & Media Council Of Canada, Inc. The Nigerian Canadian News and The African Canadian News are published monthly by The Nigerian Canadian Business & Resources Directory. Views expressed in newspaper do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. All rights reserved. No part of the newspapers may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher.

In February 2015, Nigerians will go to the polls in the 5th quadrennial general elections, since the end of military rule in 1999 to elect the President and Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The elections to be held on Saturday, 14 February, 2015. They are expected to be free and fair elections, and the presidential candidates are reported to have asked their supporters to accept the election’s results. As well, abstain from post-election violence. The supporters are also expected to preserve the lives of other Nigerians as they exercise their democratic rights. It is also believed that a fair election may help prevent violence following concerns raised after a botched governor’s election in Anambra State. The country’s election commission has, however

promised a better election process. Nigerian voters are expected to elect the President, who from the contending candidates will have attained the highest number of cast votes and with a quarter of at least two-thirds of all the states and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja. Following fierce fighting between Boko Haram and Nigerian troops, the elections come at a time when there are reported cases of killings and kidnappings by the al-Qaidalinked group leaving many people displaced. The United States secretary of state, John Kerry made a recent brief visit to Nigeria to appeal to the main presidential candidates to ask their supporters to refrain from violence after the polls. The 2011 election victory for President Goodluck Jonathan, triggered riots in

parts of northern Nigeria that left about 800 people dead. According to the general elections timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the presidential elections slated for February 14 will be followed by the governorship and state houses of assembly elections on February 28. The Nigerian Canadian News wishes the people of Nigeria both a democratic and a peaceful election process as they preserve the unity of the nation in a free and fair election. We will look forward to a better newspaper as we expand our reach with new readers and new content while staying true to what our regulars are used to, appreciate and enjoy about Nigerian Canadian News. We wish all of you excellent health and

unlimited success for 2015 and going forward. May everyone here and abroad, have peace and joy in their lives. Finally, to those of you who have shared our paper with your friends and family, and have brought attention to or placed our newspaper in locations where we do not usually distribute them... Thank you, whoever you are (you know who you are)! Yours very truly, Ngozi Ugoh Publisher Nigerian Canadian News

This is the story of a farmer who, one day, was sitting on his front steps. At the time it was planting season, so when a stranger come upon the farmer’s house to ask for a drink of water, the farmer did not find the request stranger nor out of the ordinary. As the farmer returned from inside his house with a glass of water for the stranger, the strangers asked the farmer, “How’s the wheat coming along?” The farmer responded, “I didn’t get around to planting anything this year.” The stranger, shocked to hear the farmer’s reply asked, “Really? I thought this land and this place was ripe for wheat planting.” The farmer put his hands in his pocket. Looking down, he started to play with something on the porch with his feet. Without looking up, he said to the stranger, “I didn’t plant anything ‘cause I thought it wouldn’t rain.” The stranger, stipping sipping on his water, said to the farmer, “That’s okay. But I’m sure you did well this year with the corn crops!” “No. No corn crops either. Didn’t bother ‘cause I thought they’d be ruined. ‘Cause ‘o the blight, you know,” the farmer said, this

time looking the stranger in the eye. “What? You’re saying you didn’t no corn either,” the stranger asked, quite perplexed and slightly perturbed. “Okay. So let me ask you this: What did you plant? Did you plant anything at all?” the stranger shouted at the farmer. The farmer responded in-kind, “I didn’t planting anything! Not a single thing! I didn’t want to take any chances, so I played it close to my chest!” What is the point of this story? Simple. Henry Ford a simple thought about increasing the supply and accessibility of automobiles for everyone. The Wright Brother also had thought. They wanted to make humans fly. What do Henry Ford and the Wright Brothers and so many other people like them have in common? Again, simple. They stopped dreaming , took their dreams out of their heads, and made their dreams a reality. Why is this important? Almost every single invention known to us, has been the result of someone acting on a dream, which their detractors thought was the product of ridiculous musings. Og Mandino says: “I

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will act now. I will act now. I will act now. Henceforth, I will repeat these words again and again, each hour, each day, every day, until the phrase become a habit as my breathing and the actions which follows become as instinctive as the blinking of my eyelids. With these words, I can condition my mind to perform every act necessary for my success. With these words, I can condition my mind to meet every challenge.” Aristotle said: “Whatever we learn to do, we learn by doing it; men come to be builders, for instance, by building, and harp players by playing the harp. In the same way, by doing just acts we come to be just: By doing self-controlled acts, we come to be self-controlled; and by doing brave acts, we become brave.” People will judge you by your actions, not by your intentions. You may have a heart of gold – but so does a hard–boiled egg. Do that which you have been putting off. Do not wait for opportunities to fall in your lap. As Oprah once said: “There is no such thing as luck. “Luck” is when preparedness meets opportunity. So, if you prepare you will be ready for the moment when the opportunity presents itself.” However, if no doors are opening for you, despite the fact that you have planted your dreams, and you water them with prayer and hard work each day. Maybe it is time you stop looking for the obvious door or the obvious window – and take it upon yourself to make a hole in the wall.

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

You'll never LEARN if you don't make MISTAKES You"ll never be SUCCESSFUL if you don't encounter FAILURE

Wishing A Prosperous New Year

Playing Safe By Uju Onyechere

You'll never be BRAVE if you don't HURT.

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Tony Elumelu Foundation launches US$100M entrepreneurship programme BY GABRIELLA MULLIGAN The Tony Elumelu Foundation has announced the launch of a US$100 million entrepreneurship programme, aiming to create 10,000 businesses spanning the African continent. The Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP) is intended to create at least one million new jobs, and aims to contribute at least US$10 billion per year to Africa’s economy. “The opportunity and challenge in Africa is scale – in our people, our resources and our horizons. In my business and philanthropic journeys, I have always sought ways to help inspire a generation across our continent. This programme brings together my own entrepreneurial experience and my fundamental belief that entrepreneurs – women and men across Africa – will lead Africa’s development and transform our futures,” said Tony O. Elumelu, CON, founder of The Tony Elumelu Foundation. “The Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme will offer a structured, multi-year op-

portunity to access funding, knowledge and perhaps most importantly mentoring, on a scale that is unprecedented in Africa – it is our opportunity to empower a generation,” he said. The Foundation said the new programme is backed by “a commitment to giving startups and entrepreneurs with a dream the funds, the mentorship, and the network, to become the next generation of global business titans from Africa.” 1,000 startups will be selected from applicants invited continent-wide, with the successful applicants to participate in a comprehensive training programme, which is designed to prepare the entrepreneurs to build successful businesses capable of adding value. The programme will include seed capital funding, a 12 week business skills course, mentorship, an entrepreneurship boot-

camp, participation in the Elumelu Entrepreneurship Forum, among other benefits. “Entrepreneurship is the cornerstone to African development and the key to local value creation in Africa. I am determined to ensure that Africa’s next generation of entrepreneurs have the platform they need to turn their entrepreneurial aspirations into sustainable businesses that will drive economic growth and job creation across Africa,” Elumelu said. Applications can be submitted between January 1 and March 1, 2015, via the progamme’s website,http://www.tonyelumelufoundation.org/ teep/. Applications are accepted in English, French or Portuguese. Source: http://disruptafrica.com/

Lo Ba Tan! B’Haram Releases Photos Of Children Boko Haram A media group associated with Boko Haram has published two images revealing child soldiers in a military training camp in North-East Nigeria, according to Newsweek magazine. The organisation, alUrwa al-Wuthaqa, shows the children dressed in dark clothes with their heads covered with garments. In one photo, the children are seeing aiming their guns while in another they are posing with their weapons. The Long War Journal claimed that both young girls and boys were present in the photos, while some were holding AK47 assault rifles, others were holding cut-outs of weapons. According to Max Abrahms, professor of political science at the Northwestern University and member at the Council of Foreign Relations, Boko Haram uses child soldiers in order to boost its membership.

“Terrorist organisations have power in numbers; the more members in the group, the greater its capability. There is a correlation between the membership size of a terrorist group and its ability to inflict bloodshed. Terrorist groups will often try to amass the most members as possible even if they’re young boys or girls,” he said. Andrew Noakes, coordinator of the Nigeria Security Network, said the group had been struggling to recruit fighters, having “started alienating local people across northeast Nigeria with their brutal tactics.” He said, “To fill the gap they’ve turned to recruiting children and recruiting in neighbouring countries. “Boko Haram often uses its child soldiers and other forced recruits to form the first wave of an attack, before sending in the more experienced fighters to finish off operations.”

Back to School: Odunlade Adekola attends University of Lagos By G.Goodman

President Jonathan commiserates with King Salman and people of Saudi Arabia on death of King Abdullah President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has joined other world leaders in commiserating with King Salman Ibn Abdulaziz and the people of Saudi Arabia on the death of his predecessor, King Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz. In a condolence letter to the new Saudi Monarch, President Jonathan said that King Abdullah will be long remembered for entrenching the process of progressive reform in his country. The President said that he was confident that the existing cordial and mutually-beneficial relations between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia will be maintained and further strengthened under King Salman. “I have received with great sadness, news of the death of His Highness, King Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz at the grand age of 90. “On behalf of the Government and people of the

Salman Ibn Abdulaziz

Federal Republic of Nigeria, I wish to express my heartfelt condolences at the sad loss of this illustrious monarch and revered leader. Our thoughts go out to the people of Saudi Arabia and, particularly, the Saudi royal family at this time. “King Abdullah will be remembered for entrenching the process of progressive reform, enduring stability and economic consolidation in Saudi Arabia, while preserving the Kingdom’s place as the universally acclaimed centre of the Islamic faith. “While the Govern-

ment and people of Nigeria share in your loss, we are hopeful that you and the entire people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would be comforted by the enduring legacy of selfless service that King Abdullah leaves behind. “As Your Highness ascends to the throne as King of Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, I am confident that the excellent fraternal relations and productive partnership that have always existed between our two countries and peoples will be further strengthened and deepened in the years ahead,” President Jonathan wrote in the letter to King Salman Reuben Abati Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) January 23, 2015

Abrahms also believed that because the group had ambitions of creating an eternal caliphate, in the same vein as the ISIS, it had been indoctrinating children in the hope that its message would be continued by the young soldiers. “(ISIS) has ambitions in building up a caliphate for eternity. I think Boko Haram shares this aspiration certainly in Nigeria and the indoctrination of youths is important not just for fielding an army against the Nigerian military, but also breeding a future generation of like-minded sympathisers,” he said. A number of other terrorist organisations have resorted to using child soldiers to boost their numbers. ISIS had previously released videos of children training at a combat camp, where they were seen being beaten by their instructor and taught how to use a gun. Osun Defender

Yoruba actor, Odunlade Adekola has decided to return to school. Odunlade has always considered education as a great investment in one’s future. Despite, not having completed his studies during his stay at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Odunlade was accepted into the University of Lagos’ (UNILAG) Business Administration program in 2014. Odunlade may have

Odunlade Adekola been motivated to return to his studies, as a result of being passed over for several potential career boosters. When he first debuted in Nollywood, seasoned industry profession-

als thought his skills were limited, and his success would not last. Despite the naysayers, however, Odunlade has made great strides, becoming a heavy-hitter in Nollywood’s Yoruba-language film sector. Odunlade is a former Globacom Ambassador. He is also credited with producing several notable movies, which could, when combined with the completion of this degree, propel him into more management or production roles within Nollywood.

NYC clinic sued for malpractice by daughter of Joan Rivers By S.Ratko

In Manhattan clinic, Joan Rivers lay in bed, sedated. Meanwhile, some unauthorized medical procedures have been done by her doctors. They even managed to snap a selfie with the comedian, while the Joan’s signs of life deteriorated. All this and more is said in a malpractice lawsuit filed by her daughter,

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

Melissa. The 81-year-old star of “Fashion Police” has died on September 4, a few days after she underwent a routine endoscopy at Yorkville Endoscopy. The lawsuit pictures a cocky and careless doctors and staff and suggests that Joan died because of their lack of care and incompetence. Damages sought are still unspecified. The lawsuit itself has been

filed to the Manhattan State Supreme Court. Daughter of the comedian, Melissa Rivers, gave a statement in which she said that the filling the lawsuit was probably the hardest decision she ever had to make. “What ultimately guided me was my unwavering belief that no family should ever have to go through what my mother, Cooper (her son) and continued on p(39)

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Nigerian and 5 others executed for drug trafficking in Indonesia By S. Ratko Daniel Enemuo of Nigeria, Tran Thi Bich Hanh of Vietnam, Ang Kiem Soei of Netherlands, Namaona Denis of Malawi, Marco Moreira of Brazil and Rani Andriani of Indonesia have been executed by firing squad despite the fact that International community sent pleas in effort to spare their lives. They were executed somewhere around midnight on January 18. Tony Spontana, attorney general’s official spokesman told AFP that “the execution of the six convicts has been carried out.” Governments of both Dutch and Brazil made

great efforts to save their citizens lives, but failed. Ambassadors of the two countries have been recalled from Indonesia for consultations. Brazilian President Dilma Roussef was distressed and outraged by the execution. “Using the death penalty, which is increasingly rejected by the international community, seriously affects relations between our countries,” her spokesperson said to the press. “My heart goes out to their families, for whom this marks a dramatic end to years of uncertainty. The Netherlands remains opposed to the death penalty,” said Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders. On the other hand,

Indonesia’s Attorney General, H.M.Prasetyo said that the executions are not “something pleasing or fun”, but it had to be carried out according to the law of the country. “Indonesia must be saved from narcotics… this is a crime against humanity that damages the morals of the younger generation. I hope everyone can understand this,” Prasetyo said in his statement. These death penalties were the first in this country since Joko Widodo became President in October last year. President Widodo has apparently disappointed many human rights activists who expected that he will finally stop the executions due to his public image as a reformist.

JP Found Guilty Of Sexual Harassment Once Again By S.Deepthi

Justice of Peace Errol Massiah has been found guilty of sexual harassment and ogling his female court staff yet again. This is his second time being found guilty of sexual harassment in less than 3 years. Massiah was found guilty of judicial misconduct by justices of the Peace Review Council, the same one which disciplined him in 2012 for sexually harassing another female staff at a different courthouse.

Complaints against Massaiah alleged that he would inhale and then exhale while making sexist comments on women and scan their entire being with his eyes. In the hearings of 2012 and now, Massiah denied the allegation and challenged the council’s jurisdiction, however his arguments were dismissed. The complaints of sexual harassment against Massaiah started from May 2007, when he was appointed a justice of peace, until 2010. In the most recent hearing, 13 witnesses took

the stand against Massiah, accusing him of touching, making sexually offensive comments to female clerks, prosecutors and defendants in Whitby’s Durham Provincial Offences Court. One female provincial prosecutor told the review panel that Massiah leaned towards her, with his mouth close to the ear and said “Oooh, lady in red.” On another occasion her said “Mrs. HH looking good” as she walked past him in courthouse. She also told the panel that he raped continued on p(35)

Nigeria: Challenge Arena Game Show Debuts By D.Downe The Challenge Arena Game Show will debut in Nigeria, after overcoming some implementation hiccups in relation to Nigeria’s business sector. A program developed for youths between the ages of 18 and 50, the show is a mixture of quizzes and games. Creators and producers hope the show will help promote sports and entertainment in the Nigerian context. Forward-looking,

the show pushes the limits of innovative entertainment and social and new media. Challenge Arena is a digital

program, with virtual participation from viewers. The game show will continued on p(35)

the Connection | mag

Canadian government: Flogging of Saudi blogger was “a defilement of tellurian dignity” By S. Ratko Punishment of Saudi Arabian blogger is a “violation of tellurian dignity”, said the Department of Foreign Affairs of Canada. Saudi blogger Raif Badawi has been condemned to 10 years in prison, needs to pay 1.000.000 Saudi Arabian riyals (around 315.000 US dollars) and 1000 lashes for creating an online blog and a forum for open discussions and scomful of Islam. Canada has been called by Amnesty International to do more for Badawi’s case. François Lasalle, spokesmen for a Department of Foreign Affairs, said that although Badawi isn’t a Canadian citizen that they are “following his box closely in a context of tellurian rights and have lifted his box in dialogue with Saudi Arabia.”

Raif Badawi

“The graduation and insurance of tellurian rights is an constituent partial of Canada’s unfamiliar policy. Canada has an ongoing, deferential discourse with Saudi Arabia on a number of issues, including tellurian rights,” he said in an email. Badawi has started to get his punishment with initial 50 lashings done in a open block right after morn-

ing prayers. According to the Amnesty International, the punishment will be carried out during next 20 weeks. The United States have made an effort and asked Saudi Arabia to cancel of the punishment sentence of 1000 lashes. Badawi’s wife and their 3 children are currently staying as refugees in Sherbrooke. Ensaf Haider said that she has feared for her and her children’s lives in Saudi Arabia. She first fled to Egypt, then to Lebanon and finally made it to Canada in October 2013. A deputy from Amnesty International, Parti Québécois MNA Carole Poirier and Quebec Solidaire’s Amir Khadir are going to hold a news discussion in the next few days. After the discussion, some defensive proofs for Badawi will be considered.

Women in Motion: Mohawk College hires two VPs By D.Downes

HAMILTON, ONTARIO – Mohawk Colleges commences 2015 with two new additions to its team, managing academic programs and corporate services, respectively. Meet Dr. Christine Bradaric-Baus and Deborah Brown. Brown is a Ryerson University alumnus of the School of Journalism, the Ivey School of Business’ Executive Program and the Rotman Director Education Program. She spent 15 years in Ontario’s public service sector, holding numerous leadership position among them Chief Administrative Officer and Assistant Deputy Minister, and notable director positions, too. A resident of Burlington, Ontario, Brown becomes Mohawk College’s VP of Corporate Services. Dr. Bradaric-Baus is Master University alumnus with a Ph.D. in Chemistry. She previously held the position of Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering Technology at Seneca College. As well as the Dean of Niagara College’s Technol-

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

Deborah Brown (left) is Mohawk’s new Vice President Corporate Services while Dr. Christine Bradaric-Baus has joined the College as Vice President Academic.

ogy Division. A resident of Stoney Creek, Ontario, Bradaric-Baus becomes Mohawk College’s VP of Academics. In an official press release, Mohawk’s president, Ron McKerlie said, “We (are) proud to have Christine and Deborah join Mohawk College…. Deborah and Christine are highly experienced and well-respected leaders who will work alongside faculty and staff to make Mohawk a great place to learn and work.” Dr. Bradaric-Baus and Brown will sit on the college’s Executive Group

with their colleagues Wayne Poirier (VP of Student Services), as well as Trish Loomis (Director of the President’s Office). Ranked number one overall for the past four (4) years, Mohawk College has dominated student satisfaction rankings when compared to other colleges in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). The college both educates and provides services to more than 22,000 full- and part-time apprenticeship and international students at its three Hamilton-based campuses.

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PDP called Buhari to clean the air surrounding his health status By S. Ratko Muhammadu Buhari, candidate for president of the APC (All Progressives Congress), must come clean on issues surrounding his health, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) insists. The Director of Media and Publicity of the Presidential Campaign organized by PDP, Femi Fani-Kayode called out Mr. Buhari on the news conference held in Abuja. Mr. Fani-Kayode said in his statement that the call became inevitable since issues regarding Gen. Buhari’s certificate and health became majorly discussed

Muhammadu Buhari across the country. He also said that the request is a standard procedure all around the world and added that PDP is not trying to antagonize Mr. Buhari by making the call. Mr. Fani-Kayode made clear that the PDP is not making any insinuations or allegations, but merely asking Mr. Buhari to

come clean about his health status which has been discussed for some time now. “We are not impressed by the fact that his campaign organization and his party have tried to speak for him on this matter,” the spokesperson said referencing the APC statement claiming that Gen. Buhari is hale and hearty. “We would prefer that General Buhari himself clears the air and tells Nigerians himself that he is not mortally ill. The rumour that he is suffering from prostate cancer is exceptionally worrying and it is incumbent upon each continued on p(50)

7/10 Voters In Brampton Poll Want Ex-Mayor Susan Fennell Charged By Paul Njogu In a recent poll carried out in Brampton, seven out of ten respondents support municipal fraud charges against ex-mayor Susan Fennell in the spending scandal that rocked the city hall last year. A forensic audit by Deloitte Canada found Fennell and her staff to have violated city spending rules 266 times over seven years. After the audit results were reported, the council took back $144,150, which was used to pay for Fennell’s trips using private limousine services, from her city remuneration, since she didn’t prove they were for the city business. The council also resolved that she could only get the money back once she provides

ex-mayor Susan Fennell documentation proving the car and driver were used to do her job. Fennell later claimed she was cleared of the audit findings and that there were only two violations remaining from the 266 mentioned by Deloitte Canada after an arbitrator’s decision. A dispute resolution arbitrator reduced the total amount of expenses Deloitte had said she was to pay back from $34,118 to $3523 excluding the $144,150 for the limousine trips.

From the 843 Brampton residents that participated in the poll, 66 per cent also believe that some senior city staff have to leave in order to end the spending problem at city hall, while 17 per cent do not know and 16 per cent disagree. Additionally, 47 per cent believe the new Mayor, Linda Jeffrey, is able to clean up the mess left after the spending scandal at the Brampton City Hall, while 25 per cent do not know and 28 per cent think she will not clean up the mess. Jeffrey’s approval ratings are at 66 per cent according to the poll which the forum says its results are accurate plus or minus 3 per cent points, 19 out of 20 times.

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Leslie Roberts has resigned his place as senior news anchor on Global Television, after Torstar conducted an investigation about conflict of interest which involved public relations Company partially in his ownership. “I am resigning my position as News Anchor and Executive Editor of Global Toronto effective immediately,” Leslie Roberts stated. “I regret the circumstances, specifically a failure to disclose information, which led to this outcome,” he added. Internal investiga-

Leslie Roberts tion has been conducted by Global Television, but they remain silent about who conducted it. “Global News remains committed to balanced and ethical journalism produced in the public’s interest”, it was said in Global TV statement. According to the Torstar story, BuzzPR has been

founded two years ago by Roberts and his partner, Toronto auctioneer Kashif Khan. During the investigation, Torstar discovered that many clients of the BuzzPR company have appeared on Global, very often being interview by no one else than Roberts on the Global Morning show or nightly news. “Over the past 15 years, I have worked within a news organization and among colleagues who are the best in the business. For that privilege, I will always be grateful,” Roberts concluded his statement. Leslie Roberts has been suspended last week by Global Television.

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Apotex Brantford on spotlight over shoddy manufacturing By Paul Njogu

Apotex, a Canadian drug giant is once again on the spotlight over accusations by a health regulator of cutting corners and shoddy manufacturing practices at its Ontario facilities. The company has recently been also accused of manipulating drug safety data at its plants in India and is reported to have been repeatedly cited for manufacturing violations. Inspectors from the US Food and Drug Administration have found out that the Brantford facility terminated an internal review that found contaminated equipment that were later used to manufacture drug products under the same suspect conditions

in September 2014. According to the FDA inspectors the company did an internal review at the Brantford facility in 2013 and found unacceptable levels of contamination in the swab tests. Apotex later shelved the review until they find an effective cleaning procedure according to a memo reviewed by the FDA inspectors. Apotex then made multiple batches of a drug product using the same equipment cleaning methods despite it having failed the cleaning validation. Apotex manufactures drugs that fills one of every five prescriptions in Canada and US FDA and Canadian regulators, both inspect the company’s facilities. Health Canada

reported that they are still finalizing on their report from the July inspection while the company’s spokesman, Elie Betito, said Apotex had already responded to the FDA and cannot comment further on the reports. According to a drug researcher, Alan Cassels, after reviewing the inspection report, the case is a serious concern and in his opinion, he feels the company might be confident flaunting the rules expecting no repercussions. The most common contamination is reported to be most likely bacteria or trace amounts of another drug or antibiotic manufactured using the same machine according to another industry expert.

International students enrolled at Mohawk College increased by mohawkmatters

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more than 40 countries studying at Mohawk College this September, an increase of approximately 300 international students

from last Fall. The countries sending the most students to Mohawk are India, China, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

Pay equity cheques received by 10,000 from Canada Post By S.Ratko Over 10.000 individuals have finally received compensation from Canada Post. Thousands more should also get their cheques in the country’s longest-running pay equity dispute. “To date, we have paid out to about 10,000 individuals. We have paid out to anyone for whom we have contact information,” said Canada Post

spokesman Jon Hamilton. Canada Post has started working with the Canada Revenue Agency, using the tax office to reach other people on the post office’s behalf. As an additional effort, Post is planning to distribute a series of ads across the country during the next few months to alert potential recipients. It is really hard to find all those owed money, mostly because the case is closed after more than thirty years. The first file

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of the complaint was done by Public Service Alliance of Canada back in 1983. More than 2,300 cleric workers have signed the complaint, arguing that most of the female workers have been doing very comparable work to the male carriers and letter-sorters, but their earning were by far lower. The battle of lawyers continued for years as they went to the Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal and the Canadian Human

the Connection | mag

Leadership training for women funded by UNESCO By S. Ratko Low response of people willing to address issues of leadership and governance just before Nigeria’s general elections has worried the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO decided to engage women on series of courses and trainings to help increase women participation in governance and leadership of the nation. Title of the training was “Gender Transformative Training Workshop” and it has been held in Gombe and Lagos before the Rivers State and four other international organizations supported the training program. According to organizers of the training it was meant to help women to unleash their potential and help the development of Nigeria. Professor Funmi Soetan of the Department of Economics, Ile-Ife, Obafemi Awolowo University, a Gender and Development Specialist said that the training workshop was really need for making changes: “We’ve noticed that although women constitute roughly 60 per cent of Nigeria population, when it comes to their participa-

tion in leadership and decision making, they are less than 10 per cent. What this means is that we are neglected, wasting, overlooking roughly half of our human resources, their contributions and potential. They cannot contribute their potential to development.” “This is a great loss to our nation, and we want to rectify it. It is for this reason that the UKaid, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), European Union (EU), and United Nation Development Programme (UNDP), are supporting United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), to organize the workshop,” she said. Profesor Rosemary Oko of Department of AgricEconomics and Delta State University does not believe that serious Christians are not for politics. Instead, she encourages Christians to become active and embrace politics. Oko said: “One of

the issues that have been identified as hindrance to women participation in politics and other leadership position is the mind-set that politics is not for certain group of people, women, Christians, among others.” “For the Christians, men and women, I don’t believe that God is against politics, but sin.” Dr. Eteng Etobe, a lecturer in the Department of Sociology of the University of Calabar, called women in Nigeria to take the lead. “Our women in Nigeria have been relegated to the background to the extent that their potential/ contributions to societal development have been shielded off.” “I am advocating for a chance for women in core leadership positions in the country. The ideas some men hold about women being too tough, stringent in their decisions among others are the stereotype we are strongly campaigning against.” “I call on women to rise up against this injustice on them by coming out en mass and embrace politics and leadership and give massive support to their colleagues when they come out in the next year’s general elections,” he concluded.

Rights Tribunal. During ten years (1993-2003) more than 415 days of hearings were held resulting in 279-page decision from the tribunal where the union was said to be right and over 150 million of dollars in payouts have been ordered. The payment itself has been delayed while the two sides fought over the amount of interest that should be paid. Eventually, agreement has been made in 2013 and Canada Post accepted to pay 90 percent of the settlement. The newspaper ad campaign is also a part of the agreement. According to the estimates of the

union, there are as many as 30,000 individuals who should receive the compensation, but more than half are people who worked on short-term, in some cases, only a few weeks. With interests, estimate value of the compensation could reach 250 million dollars. “From the day we won our case at the Supreme Court, the PSAC recognized that the payment process was going to be extremely complex and timeconsuming. We were very disappointed that Canada Post did not immediately recognize this,” said Robyn Benson, PSAC national president, in an email.

“We hope that eligible members and former members will receive their pay equity payments soon,” she added. “The people we are looking at now are those who worked a smaller amount of hours. These would not be people who worked for us full time for an extended period of time,” Hamilton said. He also said that some people may be in five or more different files, because they worked temporarily on a few occasions. He also said that Canada Post is dedicated to do this job right, although he admits that the process has been slow.

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PASSION This Time Around Continued from last issue Antonio continued. “Look, I traveled down immediately, that should tell you something. I have to see both of you and settle this. I don’t have all the time in the world.” “I want you to know that I and my daughter don’t expect anything from you. You are not under any obligation to do anything.” He cut her off. “Let me be the judge of that, will you? When and where are we seeing?” “I don’t know.” “Can you come over?” “No,” “Would you prefer I come to your office then?” Office? And have people start gossiping about her? “No,” She answered. “No? So, how do we meet?” He asked, looking perplexed. “Look, can’t we just discuss whatever it is on the phone?” He gave a short laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous, Misan. How can we talk on phone?” He was beginning to feel annoyed at her behavior. “Look, you have to come over. We could meet at the restaurant, here in Hilton Hotel.” She took a deep breath. She would like to see him again. “Okay, the restaurant then.” “And don’t worry,” he added in a low tone, “you’ll be safe.” She ignored his comment as she said, “I’ll meet you at the restaurant of the hotel at - er -” She would need enough time to fix herself up and let him know she was in control of her life. “Let’s say six.” “Six? Good. I’ll expect you, have a nice night.” “You do the same.” Antonio pressed end on the phone and gave it back to Akin. “Will I see you again before your wedding?” “Yes. I’ll come with Ruth tomorrow to be sure you’re comfortable. We can also take you out to see the city.” “Oh, I’ll love that.” ********** Misan phoned Mary when she got home and told her Antonio had come. “Really? So, what did he say?” “He wants me to come with Weyin at six tomorrow.” “So, go.” “I will but I won’t take Weyin with me. Let me hear what he has to say first.” “Fine.” “Please, can I bring Weyin over to your house tomorrow when I’m going to meet him?” “Sure, that’s okay.”

Pastor Taiwo I.Odubiyi “I knew I could count on you, thanks.” That was settled. What about her, what would she wear? She remembered the way his eyes perused her dressing on the ship. She got up and threw her wardrobe open. She had to look good. She felt excited somehow as if she was going on a date. Then it occurred to her, he might be married! She hadn’t talked to him on the ship but Ruth did. Did Ruth mention that? She tried to recollect her conversation with her. She didn’t think Ruth mentioned that he was married. What did it matter anyway? Even if he was not married, there couldn’t be anything like a relationship between them. Misan searched her wardrobe. She needed a dress that would announce that she was successful and responsible, a dress that would make him know that she was not the same person he met four years ago. She was now mature, in control and did not lack anything. She searched and eventually found the right one. She pulled it out, - yes, this will do. It was a pale pink gown that reached her knee. She brought out her pink suede shoes which had a black bow in front. She got a matching bag and the right accessories and laid them on the bed. She wanted him to know she was not desperate for a man. On bed in the night, she wondered what he would say or do. But he seemed so full of surprises that she couldn’t predict him. His being in Nigeria was also a surprise. The following day, as she sat under the hair dryer, she was happy she fixed 6PM. That would give her enough time to fix herself up. She got her hair done and then left for home at 4PM. She had a shower and dressed up, checking her reflection in the mirror on the dressing table. Hmm, she liked what she saw. She dressed Weyin up and they left. She dropped her daughter off at her friend’s place and then headed for the restaurant to meet Antonio, all the while

praying under her breath. There was nothing between them, this was more like a business meeting - not a date. She would make him know her child was fine and then leave. ********** Antonio left his hotel room at 5.30PM, after checking his reflection in the mirror. It wasn’t long that he was brought back by Ruth and Akin. He had enjoyed himself. The city was clean and beautiful, nothing like he had imagined. When they came up to the room with him, he gave them the wedding gift he brought for them. As he waited for the elevator to take him to the ground floor, he realized he was excited about seeing Misan again but he couldn’t explain the excitement. His meeting with Misan was supposed to be like a business meeting and nothing more. Why did it seem like a date? The elevator arrived and took him to the ground floor. The restaurant had automatic doors that slid open when a person got close to it. He stepped in and looked round. Misan had not got there. He sat down at a table for two and waited, taking in his surrounding. He saw her immediately she stepped in, taking his breath away. She looked gorgeous in the dress she wore. She is not bad, at all. He thought silently. No, he wasn’t supposed to think that. He wasn’t supposed to feel anything for her. He should just deal with the issues. At any rate, she was not right for him. He tried to think of reasons why she was not right for him, why he should keep her at an arm’s length. One, she was a Nigerian, two, she seemed like a loose girl considering their meeting four years ago, three, he had a lady waiting for him in America. Good, he’d better keep all these in mind. He stood up and checked his watch as she approached. Misan looked around and saw him. Taking a deep breath, she approached his table. When she reached him, he greeted, “Good evening,” he reached out his hand. Their eyes met. Misan saw the familiar smile appear. “Good evening,” she said, shaking hands with him. “I’m sorry I’m a bit late. There was a little traffic on the way.” She tried not to notice what he wore. He pulled the chair continued on p(50)

Share a problem with Auntie Agatha

I Want My Mother-in-law to Leave Dear Agatha, Before I say anything I want to appreciate your commitment to your God given assignment. Having read other columns like yours, I make bold to say yours is way above because of the seriousness as well as honesty you bring to bear on issues. God is really using you and I pray He will also solve your own problems too. Please help me recover my home. How do I make my mother-in-law leave, wean my husband from her apron strings and keep his family at bay? For the six years I have been married, I haven’t enjoyed any moment of peace in my home. If my mother-in-law isn’t breathing down my neck, it is one of my husband’s siblings asking for something. Whenever I complain, he says it is because I don’t like his family coming close to him. The recent incident that is making me share my story with you and the public has to do with the issue of his determination to send their last born to a private university. Although the lady has since resumed at the Covenant University, the dust generated by this decision of his is threatening to the peace of our home. This is because I also have to send my younger brother to school and need the money to pay his school fees at a private university I also wish him to attend. My salary can’t afford the fees and he is refusing helping me to pick the bills whereas, he would gladly do it if the request coming from his own side of the family. He said he would pay the fees being demanded by the University of Lagos and that if I move him out of the place to a private university, he won’t pay. He is our only boy and I want the best for him. Because of this issue, he has stopped coming home early saying I am nagging him. Weekends he takes off with the children leaving me on my own. He seems to be avoiding my company all because I insist he pays my brother’s fees. Is it right? If I have tolerated him wasting funds on his family, coped with his mother’s constant present, her harassment and criticism, why is it difficult for him too to make me happy by doing this for me? Don’t I have the right to make demands on him? Are my people too not en-

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

Agathar Edo gatedo@yahoo.com agatha@gmail.com titled to his income? I am really hurt and it is all beginning to affect my marriage. I now see him as being wicked, uncaring and insensitive to the things that are important to me. I honestly feel like ending it all. Please help me Agatha because I am fed up. Hurting Wife. Dear Hurting Wife, Be careful you don’t import a foreign problem into your marriage. What would be your excuse for ending your marriage? That he is caring for his family, repaying a debt he owes his mother who from the day she conceived him to the day you married him, was there by his side or because he offered to pay for your brother’s university education in a Federal Government-owned university, instead of the private university, you want him to go on account of your husband sending his sibling to a private one? You are allowing the jealousy of your husband’s close relationship with his family prejudice your handling of this matter. In the first place, he hasn’t said he won’t help your family just that he cannot afford to send him to a private university. As a good wife, you should first of all appreciate this gesture on his part because in all sincerity, it isn’t part of his responsibility to train your brother. That he is offering to, underscores his love and respect for you, so say thank you first for this offer. We get the best out of people when we learn to appreciate the little things they do for us first. Telling him thank you could make him change his mind about his decision but insisting he does the same thing he is doing for his family for yours isn’t right in the sense that this family made him the finished product you love and are living with today. If his mother didn’t train him, care for him, pro-

vide him with all the support base for the realisation of his dreams, would you have gone out with him or married him for that matter? Whatever he is today comes from that woman you now think has no right to his money and time. Those siblings you think don’t deserve his attention taught him how to care and be responsible. Without them to help him learn how to relate with other people, take into consideration their emotions, perhaps he wouldn’t be so perfect for you. Whatever the flaws you see in him are the very things that made him so special to you and ideal enough for you to marry. Learn to appreciate this very important thing if you hope to be happy and enjoy peace in this marriage. Don’t forget you are also a woman, a mother who would one day become a mother-in-law. How would you feel if your daughter-in-law in later years prevents her husband from helping the same people he grew up with? Stop you from visiting your son and making demands on his money and time on account of her being his wife? In this woman’s shoes how would you feel? Happy that you are no longer welcomed in the house of the man you gave life to, made sacrifices for, endured long hours of anxiety when sick or depressed? Don’t forget this woman could have stopped you from coming into her family if she wanted to. She didn’t because she felt you could make her son happy. If you are accusing her of putting unnecessary pressure on her son to do her bidding what would you call what you are doing, putting pressure on him to pay your brother’s tuition? If you are really desirous of your sibling attending a private university, why not make up the difference since he has offered to pay the fees in his current university? Why would you want your brother to attend a school you cannot afford to pay for? Being your brother and your desire for him to have what you think is the best, collect whatever your husband is offering and balance it for the sake of peace in your home. If you play your cards well by being grateful and full of respect for him, he might decide to pay the fees in full not because he has the money but to reciprocate your respect and appreciation of his person. It isn’t just you but your continued on p(50)

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YOU AND THE LAW

The Case of the dutiful Dad

I hear that the law is changing and that it will be harder to get and keep Canadian citizenship. What are some of the important changes?

ANSWER:

While the changes will affect everyone who applies, they will affect you even more if you are: • 55 to 64 years old • 14 to 17 years old

Here are some of the important changes:

After the rules change If you are 14 to 64 years old, you will have to: show language ability in English or French, and prove your knowledge of Canada in English or French You can apply only after you have lived in Canada as a permanent resident for: at least 4 out of the last 6 years, and at least 183 days each year for at least 4 out of the last 6 years Only time when you are in Canada will count as living in Canada. You need to file your income tax returns for 4 out of the last 6 years. You must plan to continue living in Canada. If you leave Canada and live somewhere else, the government may be able to take away your Canadian citizenship. Source:yourlegalrights.on.ca

Before the rules change Only if you are 18 to 54 years old do you have to show language ability and knowledge of Canada. And you may be able to have an interpreter in your own language to help you prove your knowledge of Canada. You can apply after you have lived in Canada for 3 out of the last 4 years. And you may be able to include time that you lived here before becoming a permanent resident. Time when you are outside Canada may still count if your permanent home is here. You do not have to show that you have filed income tax returns. You do not have to plan to live in Canada. If you become a Canadian citizen before the rules change, you cannot lose your citizenship only because you live somewhere else in the future.

Demurrer:

A statement by the defendant in a lawsuit claiming that

even though the plaintiff’s accusations are true, they are not suf-

An ankle monitor or bracelet is a device used to send information about its wearer to a remote receiver or monitoring center. The technology it uses to function is either radio transmission or GPS technology. The device is designed to lock in place so the wearer can be monitored at all times. One of its main purposes is to control the movement of people who are on parole or under house arrest. An ankle monitor can also be used in cases of alcohol-related offenses. Most ankle monitor systems have three main components: the bracelet and two receivers, an on-site and a remote receiver. The ankle bracelet can be set to send readings continuously or periodically. It can also be used to take readings of different types of information, but its most common purpose is to monitor the wearer’s location. The on-site receiver is usually placed in the wearer’s home, while the remote one usually serves as a source of information for the police. If the readings show a possible breach of rights, the monitoring system notifies the authorities which then take the matter in their hands. In most cases, the only

way of ensuring an accurate and continuous monitoring is to lock the ankle monitor in place. This is the reason why the device is commonly known as tether. Some of them even have sensors, the purpose of which is to detect any attempt to interfere with the performance of the bracelet. This is a system used by the police to prevent any unauthorized removal of the devices. An ankle monitor is used, in most cases, because the wearer was sentenced to either house arrest or parole, and by using the monitoring system, the authorities try to avoid having to assign an officer to each of the offenders. The advantages of such a system are a subject of discussion, especially since there have been studies showing that it could be less effective as a way of rehabilitation. An ankle monitor can also be used to measure alcohol consumption. It does this by analyzing the wearer’s sweat. It is used to this purpose only in the cases of alcohol-related offenses, the most common of them being driving under influence. Since in this case the device prevents its wearer from drinking alcohol, it can be a form of punishment or part of a rehabilitation program.

THE ARTICLES ABOVE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY. PLEASE SEEK PROFESSIONAL ADVICE.

At the time Chiyere married Babatunde, she was a widow with two children. She and Babatunde lived together for several years, and had two children, Ayo and Onyiye. Babatunde liked all the children and the two children from Chiyere’s first marriage equally. He provided all four children with food, shelter and love. Unfortunately, the marriage hit rough water and Chiyere sued Babatunde for divorce, claiming support for all the children, even his two stepchildren. Babatunde

countered that he would gladly support Ayo and Onyiye, but not the children of Chiyere’s first marriage. The court did not agree with Babatunde’s offer. Since he stood in loco parentis (in place of a parent) to the children of Chiyere’s first marriage, he could not unilaterally withdraw his support obligation. The family was considered to be made up of four children because of the loving way Babatunde had treated them all. -Reader’s Digest

Bankruptcy Pay off one credit card. If you plan to file for bankruptcy, try to pay the balance on one major card. A credit card that is paid off

before you file bankruptcy papers will be exempt from the procedures and can be used to help you reestablish credit.

Collection Agencies TAKE THE INITIATIVE. If you have to miss a payment on a debt, talk to the creditor right away. You may be able to work out an extended payment plan before the matter is turned over to a collection agency. LEGAL LIMITS. Collection agents are not

ficient to compel the defendant to come to court to answer them

What are Ankle Monitors?

By U. Mirna

the Connection | mag

REAL LIFE, REAL LAW

QUESTION:

The law is changing. It will be harder to get and keep Canadian citizenship. The government is expected to make certain changes by June 2015.

supposed to call you before 8a.m. or after 8 p.m. Resist pressure don’t agree to a re-payment schedule that you can’t afford. Be honest with creditors about your finances and come up with realistic plans for paying off your debt. You’ll rebuild your credit quicker if you make payments on time.

What is: Ex post facto? Latin for “after the fact,” referring to a law that makes an act punishable as a crime even

though the act was committed before the law was passed. Ex post facto laws are constitutional.

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FAMILY

Five Best Dog Breeds for Children

How to handle teacher and child issues By Paul Njogu Common issues that are major turnoffs to teachers include students talking in class, disrespect for school property, habitual tardiness, snapping chewing gum and sloppy schoolwork. If you have heard the phrase, “The teacher hates me”, don’t merely brush it off but discuss the situation sympathetically and get the facts straight by asking your child open-ended questions, followed by examples that may guide you to know what you are dealing with. Sometimes, children exaggerate when making such claims but there is also the possibility that the teacher may

have had a bad day or may be more demanding than most. It can also be a personality conflict issue in which the child needs support and help to avoid the situation having a serious effect on the child’s learning. Even though you may be feeling upset, avoid storming into the teacher’s classroom but instead write a note requesting for a conference and indicate the topics you would like to discuss. During the meeting it is better to focus on solving the child’s problem by asking and giving suggestions on how your child could improve before you express your concerns on what you think the teacher

and the school are doing wrong. Also solicit your child’s input in part of the conference and forge a plan together to help the child be more receptive to possible solutions. If the situation does not improve and there is not enough response from the teacher, you can go to your child’s counsellor and if necessary request a meeting with the principal. If you also decide to drop the matter, let your child know that you are not abandoning him/her but giving the situation time to see if it will work itself out. Also if things still don’t improve, be ready to help the child cope by opening up communication and getting involved again.

By Tim O’Dell

A dog is one of the most valued of domestic pets. These animals are great to have around. A gentle, loving and playful dog is a great addition to the family. However, get the wrong kind of dog, and the situation is reversed. There have been many tragic cases where the family pet has turned into a wild terror, maiming, or even killing, young children. So which dogs should the prospective pet owner choose with safety in mind for their children?

Ring in 2015 together with these lifelong learning tips: • Aim High. Gather your family together and have everybody write down at least three New Year’s resolutions. When everyone has finished, take turns reading your resolutions out loud and discuss ways you could help each other to achieve them. • Read Together. Start a book club with friends and family! Pick a new book to read as

a group, or re-read one of your old favorites. No matter what, don’t forget to discuss the book when everyone is done, it will help improve reading comprehension and vocabulary. • Math Challenge. With a partner, take a deck of cards and place them facedown on the ground. Starting with two cards each, see who can add the numbers on their cards the fastest. Keep going and see how many cards you both can do! Being able to do simple math on the go will come in handy when it comes to calculating tips, estimating interest, and figuring out your change.

• Dream Vacation. Just because the holiday season is over, doesn’t mean you can’t still get away. Work together as a family to plan your dream vacation! Begin with an imaginary budget and see how many places you can go, or activities you can do, while staying within your allotted expenses. Get Involved—Join schools, libraries, families, and literacy organizations across Canada on January 27th and celebrate Family Literacy Day! Visit www. FamilyLiteracyDay.ca or follow @abclifeliteracy on Twitter to find out how you can get involved.

Students: take advantage of tax credits and benefits By NC staff (NC) Post-secondary education is expensive. Every semester starts with paying tuition and buying textbooks. You may need a new laptop and school supplies – and don’t forget about all the coffee you’ll need to survive the all-

nighters cramming for exams. These costs can pile up which may push you to sift through the couch cushions for all the coins you can find. THE SOLUTION? Even though you may not have any income to report, you may be able

to take advantage of some tax savings to put some money back in your pocket. Here are a few tips to help you out: FILE YOUR TAXES To take advantage of the tax credits and benefits available to you, such as the GST/HST credit, you

Sweet, loving dogs, Beagles make gentle pets. They can be wilful but good training and plenty of exercise will keep them calm. Beagles are tolerant and extremely loyal. They also love to play so are great around children. Beagles are hunting dogs so they can be aggressive around other pets, but rarely cause issues if they are brought up with other domestic animals from puppyhood.

3 LABRADOR RETRIEVER.

This most popular breed is friendly, loving and affectionate. The Labrador has a steady temperament which makes it an excellent family dog. They are eager to please, and intelligent, making them an asset to any family. This amiable breed are devoted to their family and make great watchdogs, hence an ideal choice for children. 4 STAFFORDSHIRE Bull Terrier. Although

2 THE COLLIE. Intelligent and sensitive, the Collie has a gentle disposition. They are docile and extremely loyal, often becoming protective of their family. They do need strong leadership from their master to stop them becoming wilful and stubborn. Mainly, however, the Collie is a playful breed that is

this breed looks aggressive it has a great reputation for interacting well with children. The “Staffy” is usually docile as well as being affectionate, and loves to play. A word of warning, however, the Staffy has to know the human is in charge. Without strong authority from all the humans in the family, the Staffy can

have to file your taxes. Do it online – there’s a wide range of software, including some that’s free.

transfer or carry-forward any unused credits.

SIGN UP FOR DIRECT DEPOSIT When you combine online filing with direct deposit into your bank account, you can get your refund in as little as eight business days. CLAIM YOUR TAX CREDITS • Tuition fees Most tuition paid to a post-secondary institution in Canada can be claimed. You may also be able to

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

become unruly and hard to handle. However, give it the leadership it needs and it’s a great dog for kids. 5 GREAT DANE. This is a very large

1 THE BEAGLE.

Ring in 2015 with Lifelong Learning! The start of a New Year provides a wonderful excuse to get together with friends and family and brush up on your literacy skills.

great with children.

• Education amount You can claim $400 for each month you are enrolled in eligible fulltime studies and $120 for each month you are enrolled in eligible part-time studies. • Textbook amount If you are eligible for the education amount, you can claim this too. You can claim $65 for each month you are enrolled in full-time studies, and $20 for each month

breed but their size is matched by their gentle nature. The Great Dane is an affectionate dog and is patient with children. Because of its size it needs strong handling, and can be overwhelming for very small children, but it has a loving temperament to offset these issues. The Great Dane is loyal and obedient as well as being a great watchdog. These qualities make it the ideal family pet where children are around. Dogs are truly man’s best friend. The most intelligent and responsive of all pets, the dog has been mankind’s companion for centuries. Most dogs can be child friendly, but some breeds are more predictable and respond extremely well to young family members. With good training, and plenty of exercise, these five breeds make the best pets for families with children. They can be playmates, guardians and friends. What better pets could your children have than one of these gentle dogs by their side? References: a n i m a l . d i s c o v e r y. com/breed-selector/dogbreeds/family-dog-breeds. html [accessed 25/8] dogbreedinfo.com [accessed 25/8]

you are enrolled in part time studies. • PUBLIC TRANSIT AMOUNT Generally speaking, you can claim the amount you spent on a monthly public transit pass, but not tickets or daily passes. • GST/HST credit You can get payment of up to $70 every three months to help you keep on top of your expenses. You can find more information for students at www.cra.gc.ca/students.

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the Connection | mag

LETTERS TO THE PASTOR DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM? WHY NOT SHARE IT WITH OUR PASTOR Dr. Benjamin Akinriola, Ph.D, D.C.C, D.C.P.C I TOOK AN OATH WITH MY DEAD HUSBAND I met my husband when I was 21 and he was 23. We were so much in love and we took an oath never to be with another person. We got married and both travelled abroad. We are blessed with three children; 2 boys and a girl. We were both prosperous, we built 2 houses in Nigeria and bought one here in Canada. Unfortunately, he fell sick and passed away unexpectedly. To my greatest surprise his family took over everything without consulting me. They cut me off completely. They don’t call and refused to pick up my calls. We went through so much to the extent that the only property that we have here was repossessed by the bank because of my inability to pay the mortgage. I am in my late 30. I would like to continue with my life because it has been five years since his passing and we no longer hear from his family. My fear is the oath we took. What should I do? “Eliza” Dear Eliza, Kindly accept my condolence on the passing of your late husband. I know it happened 5 years ago but it seems you are still grieving especially considering the behavior of the family members of your late husband. You did not mention the kind of oath you took with your late husband. Note that if it was a normal marital oath, the scriptures state in Roman 7: 2 “…a woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive,

but if the husband dies; she is released from the law of marriage”. However, if the oath has anything to with spiritist or occult practice, you will need to have that bondage broken through deliverance. For further spiritual help contact: www. Kingmint.com BETRAYED BY MY LOVED ONES I am a registered nurse and my husband works with a very good company. We tried to get a nanny here but it didn’t work out because I work different shifts and my husband’s schedule. We had to sponsor my sister to come to Canada as a live in nanny. The sponsorship went through fast. We were all happy and my 2children love her dearly. I did not suspect anything and my children were too young to tell me anything. I came home early from my shift only to find my sister and my husband in our bed. I went crazy and sent them both packing. I am so depressed. My parents are no longer alive. Some advised me to reconcile with my husband because he was tempted by my sister, some said I should forgive my sister that my husband should know better. I am torn. I took time off work to sort things out. I feel betrayed what should I do? Dear Betrayed, Indeed such a betrayal will make anyone feel torn apart. Note though that the behaviour of your husband and sister is not your fault. They are responsible for their actions. For your own peace of mind, try to forgive both of them.

To avoid further heartache though, be careful not to allow either of them into your life without evidence of repentance and possibly restitution. Whatever the case may be, your husband and sister shouldn’t be living with you at the same time whatsoever. One will have to find another place and you will need to rearrange your work/life schedule in the light of the new reality. I wish you the best. READY TO MOVE ON I am 55 years old lady. Employed, in good health and very active. I have been divorced for about 5 years now. I would like to remarry, but my children are against it. I don’t know why they are against the idea, their father married a year after our divorce. They are in colleges and Universities and very soon they would move on and leave me. What becomes of me then? Esther Dear Esther, For now try and listen to your children, they are the best ally you got. It may be difficult for now but ask God for the grace to deal with the situation. Certainly, they will not want you to be alone when they are out of the college / university; you can then have this conversation with them again. Meanwhile, look into how you can make productive use of your time. Fellowship with Christian believers can also be beneficial. PATERNITY IN QUESTION I am a happily mar-

Sony Corp closing all its 14 stores in Canada By Paul Njogu Sony Corp announced it will close all its 14 Sony Stores across Canada as it struggles

to reshape its business amidst years of losses with weak TV and smartphone sales. The move will affect many of its employees as it scales back retail operations in all its

stores in cities including Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver. Sony however didn’t say the number of jobs that will be affected by the decision. The memo sent

Two Brampton company directors jailed after worker’s death By Paul Njogu

Two Brampton Com-

pany directors have been jailed for 25 days each after pleading guilty to safety violations that led to

the death of a warehouse worker. The two executives of New Mex Canada Inc., Baldev Pura and Rajinder

ried man with children but I have been having an affair which resulted in having two children outside my marriage. I take care of my responsibilities towards the kids. My wife at home is not aware of this. Recently I paid a visit to the kids and they mentioned that I may not be their father. I asked their mom and she said the same. The children in question are 3 and 5 years old. I am afraid to ask for DNA because I don’t want my wife to get to know about it, but at the same time, I cannot walk away not knowing. I want to tell my wife and bear the consequences. Sam Dear Sam, What goes round comes round, huh? Anyways, you may want to find out why the children from the other woman say what they said (You may want to ask the children privately) and after that ask their mother. I appreciate the fact that you want to come clean to your wife and I encourage that. However, do your spade work first and think of constructive way of dealing with the consequences so there will not be further damage than there is already. Above all, Hebrews 13:4 says “Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed undefiled, for God will judge the adulterer and the sexual immoral”. So change your ways! Repent, and times of refreshing shall come from the Lord.

vorce, but my mom is begging him not to. We don’t know why he’s bent on divorcing mom. I have told mom to let him go because this has been going on for years. Dad is not happy, mom is not and the children are not. Mom said she does not want to be the only one not married among her siblings and friends. I say, who cares what others think. Am I insensitive? Laura Dear Laura, I quite appreciate your concern for the happiness of the members of your family. It didn’t seem as if you were insensitive in your suggestion to your mom. Rather, it appears as if your mom wants to stay in her marriage for the wrong reason. Instead, both parents (Dad and mom) should seek marriage counselling to reach a mutual agreement on how to move forward with their relationship. I wish them the best. HUSBAND UNREASONABLE

My dad wants a di-

I desperately need to go on vacation but my spouse thinks going to Nigeria is good enough. My co-workers are planning a trip to the Caribbean Island. My husband would not hear of it. He reminded me that I am a married woman and we both should take vacations together. My co-workers are not going with their spouses. He said going alone is just an excuse to misbehave. I have been married to him for more than 10 years, it hurts to hear such things from him. What should I do? Uju

to its employees indicated the retail store will be closing its stores in two months came on the same day that US based Target announced it is withdrawing its operations in Canada and clos-

ing its 133 stores. In the last one year, Sony has sold its Vaio personal computing business and also spun its TV manufacturing operations and is reported to have made losses amounting

AM I INSENSITIVE?

Saini, were sentenced to a jail term and ordered to take a health and safety course within the next 60 days. Their company, New Mex Canada Inc., an importer and retailer of furniture accessories was also fined $250,000 as continued on p(50)

Dr. Benjamin Akinriola Dear Uju, Vacation with coworkers can be tricky. The fact that you are co-workers does not mean that you share same values or moral views. It may hurt to hear your husband object to your intention but his warning may prevent further heartache down the road. You may want to be more creative about going on vacation (not necessarily to Nigeria) with your husband or a trusted family member /family friend your husband approves of. Take care. FOR MY CHILD’S SAKE Our son is having some challenges at school. I told my husband that we should put him a private school, we both have very good jobs. He said he said no that he turned out okay without a private school. I don’t want to go against him and also I cannot do it alone. How do I support my son? Osareti Dear Osareti, You did not mention the type of challenges your son is facing at school. However, you may not want your son’s issue to become a point of dispute with your husband. Assess all the support you can get from the public school first and after awhile if there is no improvement in your son’s situation, it will be evident to your husband that he actually needs a private school. Try not to take the issue too personal. Be patient and prayerful. Prayer changes things.

to $1.9 billion in the current fiscal year ending in March. It is also reported to be exiting the TV business entirely as it considers the option of its lacklustre cellular phone division.

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Table manners tips you should know By Paul Njogu The main objective in learning table manners is to feel comfortable as possible when dining with others. The host is generally the leader at a dinner or meal. While the guests are expected to emulate the host by matching their speed and consumption of the meal/dinner. Always remember to use your napkin and do one thing at a time. It is only when choking that you can sip or swallow the drink while chewing. However, in other circumstances wait until you have finished chewing. Remember to use the appropriate cutlery and avoid slurping food or liquids/beverages; smacking your lips or blowing your nose. When unavoidable, cover your nose or mouth when sneezing or coughing with a napkin and use a handkerchief to blow your nose with your head turned to the side and not with the napkin, in an emergency. To avoid obstructing your dinner partner, place your other hand on your lap when holding a utensil with one hand and place

both on the lap when not holding any utensil. Avoid reaching across the table for something and only reach for items that are closest to you. If the item is far away, politely ask for it to be passed to you, and always say, “Excuse me” before you leave the table. Also place your napkin on the side of the plate when you wish to leave and always wait for your host to indicate that the meal is complete before pushing your chair back and thanking the host for the meal. Do not put your fingers in your mouth or pick food out of your teeth at the table, instead excuse yourself and go to the bathroom. Also, do not

serve yourself the last of a meal item until you ask if anyone else would like some and always take small bites to avoid situations where you have a large mouthful of food. This can be especially embarrassing if someone at the table – especially your host – were to ask you a question. If you drop food on the floor or on the tablecloth, discreetly use the napkin to retrieve it, and ask the waiter for a new napkin and if anything unintended comes out of your mouth, quietly excuse yourself but do not make a big scene. Remember to sit up straight and bring the utensil up to your mouth and avoid bringing your face down to the plate.

What Is a Mackerel? By U.Mirna

A mackerel is a fish whose natural habitat consists of both moderate and tropical waters. They can be found in waters around the coasts of the United Kingdom, Morocco, and the United States. The term includes more than a single species because the name ‘Mackerel’ refers to a category of fish. Most mackerels are a part of the Scombridae family. The rest can be categorized under either Auxis or Rastrelliger families. The fact that Mackerel is a category of fish makes it impossible to provide a description of the appearance of all fish that fall under this classification. Most of these same fish, however, are either round or shaped like a torpedo. Many species considered part of the mackerel family/group are striped with dark colors, and their skin is iridescent (seems to change colours when viewed at different angles). The scales of the species - with these characteristics - are small, and in most cases, the scales cover only their bodies. Some species belonging to the mackerel group

are known for their ability to dive deep at a very high speed. This occurs because these fish do not have swim bladders, compared to fish that have swim bladders, and do not have this capability. Chub, for example, have a swim bladder and are not able to dive a high speeds. Perhaps the most fascinating fact about Mackerels is that they are known for being carnivorous because they hunt and feed on small crustaceans; smaller fish, and fish eggs. What a mackerel consumes also depends on what food source is readily available in its environment. However, despite being carnivores, mackerels must avoid being eaten by sharks, dolphins and well…humans, too. Mackerel migrate in large shoals, which can extend up to several miles. However, their movement is limited since they rarely enter the colder waters, and are not used to these colder temperatures. Being

surface feeders, mackerel often swim just below the water’s surface in search for food. The reproduction of mackerel tends to be quick, resulting in higher numbers of eggs. Reproduction typically occurs during April and May. A single female mackerel is capable of producing half a million (500,000) eggs. The chub female considered one of the most fertile of all the mackerel species, is capable of releasing a million (1,000,000) eggs in a single reproductive cycle. After being released, the eggs float for about a week before hatching. People catch mackerel both for food and for sport. Considered delicious, the oily meat is not easily prepared and/ or consumed. By eating mackerel meat that has not been treated properly nor on time, those who consume the meat are at higher risk for food poisoning. Scomboid food poisoning is characterized by hives, headaches and symptoms similar to those of a common cold. It is important to start preparing mackerel meat by curing the meat immediately after the mackeral are caught.

Fruits and veggies could be the key to living longer (NC) We’re living longer than ever, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States. The average life expectancy south of the border is now just shy of 80 – coming in at 78.8 years of age. So, what’s behind this positive trend? According to the CDC, people are living healthier lives and that includes eating better and exercising more. The result has been a reduction in cancer rates, heart disease and strokes. We can all remember our parents urging us to eat our fruits and vegetables if we wanted to grow up big and strong. As it turns out, they were right. Studies show that people who eat diets with plenty of fruits and vegetables can significantly reduce their risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke. In Canada, we have

access to abundant supplies of produce all year round. Part of the reason for this is modern agricultural innovations, like crop protection products, that help farmers produce abundant yields. In fact, in Canada, some 65 per cent of vegetable crops would be lost to weeds, insects or diseases without pesticides. Similarly, almost 70 per cent of fruit crops would be lost. And pesticides are

thoroughly regulated by Health Canada to ensure they are safe so Canadians can enjoy their daily dose of fruit and veggies without a worry. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency most produce in Canada has absolutely no detectable levels of pesticide residue on them and in cases where they do, the amount present is much too small to have any negative impact.

YAM PORRIDGE This recipe is also known as “Asaro”. Made with Yam, vegetables, your choice of seafood(Titus fish, shrimps OR crayfish). Makes for a great dinner idea. INGREDIENTS • Yam • Palm Oil (to color) • 1 smoked fish (titus/mackerel) OR Dry fish • 1 tablespoon ground crayfish • 1 medium onion • Fresh green vegetable e.g Pumpkin, Parsley or Scent leaf (Effirin or Nchanwu) • Habanero or Chilli Pepper • Salt – to taste

• Knorr Cubes OD

PREPARATION METH-

1. Peel & cut the yam tuber into medium sizes. Wash the yam cubes and place in a sizeable pot. 2. Wash & cut the onions into tiny pieces. Grind / Blend the chilli pepper. Set these aside. If using dry fish, soak and pick the bones at this time.

3. Pour enough water to cover the yam cubes and start cooking at medium to high heat. If you are using dry fish, add it now. 4. When the yams have got a good boil, add the onions, ground crayfish, pepper, Knorr cubes, palm oil & the smoked fish. 5. Cover the pot and continue cooking till the yam is done. Add salt to taste and stir very well. Cook at high heat for about 5 minutes. 6. Add the green vegetable, stir and leave to stand for about 3 minutes then serve! Source:www.knorr.ng

continued from p(1) sector via construction of an in-country base for premium chocolate production was announced by Eric and Crisiore Reid. According to the aim of the deal, emphasis will be placed on improving the quality, production, and transformative economic opportunity for cocoa farmers in Ondo State. Sequel to a positive experiment which started in 2013, the elongated interventions will afford farmers the opportunity to achieve as much as a five-fold growth in cocoa revenue. The cooperation will continue to be directed by Dr. Peter Aikpokpodian and Eric Reid on behalf of Ondo State Governor. Dr. Aikpopdian is a world renowned scientist and part of his contributions is the release of eight hybrids of cocoa in Nigeria. He is also the team leader of the Cocoa Transformation Agenda. While speaking at the

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

event, the Governor raised the question “How can our cocoa farmers get a better share of their cocoa?” The answers were evident the unique, single estate, superbly tasting, premium chocolate manufactured by the Oda Estate in Ondo which is used in the production of chocolate bars were manufactured at SPAGnVOLA’s chocolate factory in Gaithersburg, MD, US. Eric Reid while speaking revealed that farmers will be equipped with the tools which will improve their production. He said “This is only the beginning and we look forward to the next phase of our partnership. We want to elevate our relationship with Ondo State and provide the farmers with the tools to successfully improve the quality of their beans so they can grow the best, most flavorful cocoa in the world.” Ondo State has a population of about 3.5 million

inhabitants. In terms of population density, Ondo State ranks 18th out of the 36 state in Nigeria. Ondo state is the largest cocoa producing state in Nigeria in the sense that it produces 75,000 metric tons of cocoa per year and the state derives its revenue from its natural resources which include oil, petroleum, solid minerals, and agriculture. SPAGnVOLA is located just outside of Washington, DC and has been changing the world of chocolate since 2009. Today, SPAGnVOLA represents the finest singleestate chocolates derived from the hands of farmers. Also, SPAGnVOLA is a vertically integrated chocolatier whose premium chocolate is manufactured from cocoa harvested form their farm on the mountain slopes of the eastern part of the Dominican Republic. SPAGnVOLA is partners with a lot of cocoa producers internationally.

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TRAVEL

What to consider before travelling abroad By Paul Njogu Before making reservations when travelling abroad, research the country you are planning to visit and get information about your destination from the country’s tourist board (usually located in major cities such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver), a travel agent, or from the public library. Additionally buy a good guidebook and a foreign dictionary or phrase book. It may be best to prepare and apply for a passport and round trip transportation. Some countries may require you to have a tourist visa for visits of less than three months. Check the country’s embassy, your travel agent or consulate on requirements for applying for a visa or tourist card. Also if you wish to drive, you can arrange to get an international driver’s license from your automobile association.

By Margie Lazou

It is important to make hotel reservations early for your first night and confirm it before departure and carry any confirmation letters with you. If your destination is Europe it may be necessary to buy a Eurail pass that gives you discounted rail transportation across most of Europe. Also consider that you can buy one only in this country so it’s better to get one before departure. It is also advisable to pack lightly and make a list of items in your suitcase and carry it together with your passport. The list can come handy when your luggage gets lost and you are needed to make a claim indicating the items in the suitcase. For electrical appliances it is necessary to carry a current converter and a plug adaptor. Also consider the plug used in the destination country since many foreign countries use round-prong

plugs instead of the flatprong plugs used in Canada. When visiting a country with unstable political climates, check with the consular operations division of External Affairs Canada before departure so as to travel safely. Also try to fit unobtrusively in the destination country’s culture since every country has their specific customs and traditions. Avoid making negative comparisons but smile and show appreciation and enthusiasm as you learn the culture in the destination country. It is also necessary to find out what is permitted before taking photography since in some places picture-taking is taboo and in others one may be required to seek permission. Finally it is also advisable to register with your country’s embassy upon arrival, in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

Travelling to Arahova

The beautiful city of Arahova is a popular, attractive and colourful resort destination while travelling Greece. One of the oldest Greek settlements that fully retains its traditional style, with two-storied stone-hewed houses and earthen red-clay brick roofs, Arahova is sprawled on the southern side of mount Parnassus, at an altitude of 900 - 1000 meters, and provides services for one of the biggest skiing resorts in the country. Arahova’s rich history stretches back to before the Greek revolution of 1821, several monuments of which can be seen around the city itself and in the surrounding areas. Arahova’s services include beautiful accommodations, and traditional eateries that provide the visitor with an excellent taste of traditional and modern Greek cuisine, cheese and wine.

In fact, a unique regional type of cheese, called the Formaela, is made exclusively in the wider area of Arahova and the Parnassus, and is offered both for consumption and sale during specific times of the year. Arahova is situated beautifully, not only because of its unique location on the sides of mount Parnassus, but also because of its surrounding areas. The historically-minded traveler can visit several ancient settlement remains, going back to the Paleolithic era, from around 3000 B.C. onward. The Homeric small town of Anemoria lies to the west of Arahova, while another small town mentioned by Homer in the Iliad, Kyparissos, lies to the east. Very close by, at a distance of approximately 8 kilometers, is the location of the world famous archaeological site of Delphi. According to tradition, the Grand Oracle of Delphi was instrumental

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through the ages in giving advice through prophecy to many of the greatest ancient Greek leaders, including Pericles of the Golden Age of Athens and Phillip of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great. The site not only covers the extended ancient grounds but is also home to a modern museum dedicated exclusively to the temples and the oracle. A short distance from the city, approximately 30 kilometers, the traveler can visit one of the greatest monuments of the Byzantine era, the monastery of Osios Loukas. In the neighboring city of Distomo lies the infamous site of the Nazi Victims Memorial Mausoleum. Arahova is also an excellent starting point for the nature-loving traveler. Mount Parnassus provides ample opportunity for climbing, hiking, or simple walking along the rich Greek mountainscape. Guides can be found in the city to lend a hand, or foot in fact, for traversing the slopes of the mountain and reaching hiking milestones. The mountaineer can come across countless hidden paths, lush fields and secret waterfalls of ex-

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What to know about taxicabs By Paul Njogu

On airport runs, there are ways to avoid being ripped off by taxicab drivers by asking at the information counter what the fare should be before asking the driver. If the driver’s fare is exaggerated, use another cab. It is also important to look for the taxi meter before you get into the taxi and making sure the driver restarts the meter so that the previous fare is not added to yours. You should also reserve a cab a few days before departure to ensure that you won’t be stranded at the last minute and make a call in advance to confirm the reservation.

If you know the permissible charges and the list of prices usually displayed on the stickers on the taxi windows, you are assured of no unpleasant surprises or inflated prices. Before the taxi driver starts the meter, you can ask the driver of any surcharge if there is an extra passenger or any baggage so as to know the expected price beforehand. Sometimes when there is a crowd of people trying to hail cabs from one spot, it is advisable to move two or three blocks up the street and flag one down. Also you can suggest sharing the same cab with another passenger vying for the same cab to get a fair price Taxis

usually congregate in areas that get a lot of traffic such as restaurants, hotels, bus terminals and unfortunately even hospitals and emergency rooms are good places to find a cab. During rush hour it is easier to look for cabs on streets where traffic is flowing in the opposite direction and never wait on the street where the bus stops, since the cabdriver won’t see you. It is also important to jot down the cab number and company name when getting into a taxi so that in case of theft, loss or any problem it becomes easier to give the information to the police or use it to contact the taxi company.

quisite beauty, more than 80 meters in length. The rich mountain canopies, the fresh pine-smelling air and the stunning vistas will satisfy even the most demanding tastes. Much of Arahova’s reputation comes from the aptly situated skiing resort. The Parnassus ski resort is a modern edifice that provides for the needs of both adults and children, at an altitude of 1.6002.250 meters up the slopes of Mount Parnassus. The

mountain itself makes sure that snow is always aplenty, making the resort the most sought-after skiing destination in the country. It contains 19 tracks, 7 skiing routes, 10 paths and 3 mini-tracks for beginners, which span to a total length of 36 kilometers. Thrill seekers may find greater adventure on the 12 deep-snow, out-of-track routes. The resort provides medical coverage for all visitors, and it’s a national skiing favorite due to its

close proximity to Athens, and the new airport. The city of Arahova provides a well-rounded destination to the qualityminded traveler, with its beautiful natural sights, historical monuments of great significance, toprated ski resort, traditional food and rich night life. Only two hours outside the Greek capital of Athens, lies a wonderful world that will amaze, intrigue and entertain even the most inquisitive traveler.

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REFLECTIONS ON RELATIONSHIPS

Watch a good movie to keep your relationships strong By NC staff

(NC) If too much of your life seems to be hooked on a smartphone, here’s another reason to turn your leisure time attention to a bigger screen. Study after study shows that watching a movie with loved ones is good for you. It strengthens bonds, establishes family time, and builds tradition. One study from the University of Rochester found that watching romantic movies helped couples identify and deal with their marital issues more constructively, cutting divorce rates for newlyweds by 13%. Multiple studies have also found that establishing regular quality family time, such as movie nights, can help you raise more resilient kids. The benefits go beyond the immediate enjoyment of having watched a movie, because over time, the shared experiences help create a family narrative that grounds children and makes them feel bonded

to their families well into adulthood. But there is more to it than meets the eye. “To get the most benefit, movie watching needs to be an active experience,” says Kate Brennan, senior communications manager for Redbox, a leading name in new release, movie rentals. “That means selecting a movie that suits your purpose or current state of mind, immersing yourself in the story and contextualizing what you’ve just seen to your everyday life. Passive watching, such as flipping through movies or playing them in the background greatly reduces the

quality of the experience. In some ways, it has actually been found to be counterproductive, as it increases distraction and shortens attention span.” Brennan points out that for a low cost, the Redbox service offers a wide range of new-release DVDs and Blu-ray discs, featuring the most popular celebrities and characters. It’s also the best option for Canadians to view new release movies, not available on Netflix or any other streaming services on the market. You can reserve them online at redbox.ca, or make a selection in the kiosk at your favourite retailer.

ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES ON RELATIONS

Husband Abandons Me: How to Get Divorced? As-salamu `alaykum. I’m a Malay Muslim woman that got married to a Caucasian Australian man. He converted to Islam in our wedding day 3 years ago. Unfortunately he is not interested in learning about Islam & living an Islamic way. He abandoned me for over 2 years & stopped giving me nafkah for over 6 months. He rarely contacts me anymore ever since he abandoned me in Malaysia. He is now living in Australia. He is reluctant to get me a visa & has not even visited me once ever since we got married or ever since we got separated. I feel there is no more sense of responsibility in him as a husband & I no longer feel married to him. I am in a dilemma as we got married in Australia through a local imam for the mosque & in Australia there is no Shari`ah law. I don’t know how can

I get a divorce from here? We are also not registered in Malaysia & not married according to the civil law (both countries). I need your help as I am getting really depressed by this situation, having a husband that doesn’t exist. Thank you. Tammy Wa `alaykum assalamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Dear sister, first of all, we implore Allah Almighty to grant you ease and happiness in your life. We also encourage you to call Allah asking Him to help you as we, as Muslims, are ordained to so, especially in times of hardship. As for your question, you can resort to

the imam who solemnized your marriage to help you get divorced. In case he can’t do that, you should resort to the Mufti or the judge in your country to help you. In his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states, Your best choice is to approach the imam who solemnized the marriage to approach your husband to divorce you. If he does not agree to it, then he should dissolve the marriage. He may choose to do that in your specific situation, if he exercises his best judgment in accordance with understanding the spirit of Shari`ah. He may use the principle of jurisprudence, which states, “There shall be no toleration of harm or reciprocation of harm” or “the harm should be removed.” Since you are being

Getting involved with a widower? Factors to consider By: Pastor Taiwo Odubiyi A widow or widower is free to remarry of course, and the Bible confirms this. For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress even though she marries another man. (Romans 7:2-3 NIV) A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes but he must belong to the Lord. (1Corinthians 7:39 NIV) And so, if you’re considering getting married to a widow or widower, it is okay, you are not committing a sin. Today’s message is to guide ladies especially, to let them know some of the factors they need to consider and the things they must accept in this unique relationship, and how to have a successful marriage. In my novel ‘To Love Again’ which I wrote to reach out to the men and women who have experienced the loss of a spouse, Bibi fell in love with Pete, a widower with a son, Joe. She would like to marry Pete but she had some concerns and she told God, “I love Pete but the issue of his late wife is there. I will always take second place in his life and … I’m not sure that’s what I want. He also has a son. Joe is and will always be his first child. My kids will be his other children.” She shook her head sadly. “This is not the kind of marriage I want. I don’t want to make a mistake, Lord. Lead me.” Deciding to put her concerns down on a sheet of paper, she wrote: 1) She would always be his second wife. 2) Would she be able to cope with a stepchild? Would there not be a problem later on? Could he not accuse her of treating Joe differently? 3) He also talked about his late wife a lot. 4) Some of his late wife’s photos and personal belongings were still in his house even after all these years. The woman would always be a part of Pete’s life and the

new relationship. 5) People might be comparing her with the first woman. 6) Many things that she would be experiencing for the first time would not be new to Pete. 7) She would want some things changed but would he be willing to do them without thinking that she was nagging? When she told Pete some of her concerns, he said, “Becoming a widower is not something I ever prayed for. I never thought of it … my late wife hadn’t planned it, she hadn’t wished to die but it happened.” He tried desperately to look and sound okay but failed. When her mother learnt about the issue, she sat her down and told her, “There is no doubt in my mind that Pete loves you. Don’t bother your head about his late wife and her reminders. Just accept and love Pete. He is a good man. Accept and love his son too. You are supposed to help him pull through, not tear him apart.” Her mother was right. But Bibi’s concerns and doubts were also legitimate. As I have already pointed out, some factors must be considered before people go into relationships or stand before witnesses to make promises because as I have said several times in this column, there is life after saying “Yes, I do.” If you have doubts concerning your relationship, stop and reconsider. If you have to ask people, “Do you think I’m in the right relationship?” You are probably not. “Do you think she loves me?” She probably doesn’t. Go for counselling. If you have a wonderful relationship, you will know, love does not leave you in doubt. We are admonished in the Bible to always count the cost before making a major decision to ensure the right thing is being done and success is guaranteed. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower, will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king, will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten

held as a prisoner in this marriage, you have the right to seek recourse to remove it. In case the imam is

not willing to do it, you may approach the Mufti/ Qadhi in Malaysia, who should be able to help you. Allah Almighty

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

Pastor Taiwo Odubiyi thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. (Luke 14:28-32 NIV) Bibi was simply fulfilling this part of the Scripture but it was obvious she was not well prepared for the peculiarities of a relationship with a widower. There were some other things she should have put into consideration as her mother pointed out: 1) Pete loved and cared for her, 2) He was good and godly, 3) There must be acceptance if she wanted marriage to him to work. Without acceptance, there is no good marriage, 4) She was supposed to help him pull through, not tear him apart. The following are some of the factors a lady should consider. 1) Be sure you are willing to love and accept his child(ren) as your own. It will also be nice if you read books or seek advice on how to be a good stepmother. I mentioned this in one of my storybooks for children ‘Joe and his stepmother’. If you don’t want another woman’s child, don’t marry the man, don’t add to his stress. 2) Is he ready to start again with another woman? 3) Does he love you? Do you love him? 4) Are you willing to be patient and cope with his past when it resurfaces? Something about the late wife will come up from time to time. 5) Is his child ready to accept another woman in the father’s life? For widows and widowers: “Arise my darling, my beautiful one, and come along. For behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have already appeared…” (Song of Solomon 2:11) It shall be well. E-mail: info@pastortaiwoodubiyi.org.uk

knows best. Consultant: Ahmad Kutty -Onislam.net

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OPINION

BOKO HARAM Problem From Hell A

s a Nigerian, to caste vote in support of General Buhari, the former President in Military Government, will amount to supporting same failed former past President in the coming February 14th Presidential election. He has had the opportunity and, time has moved forward for someone other-than-Buhari to be President. And that someone is the current President; His Excellency, Goodluck Jonathan.

President Jonathan has kept Nigerian Federation together despite provocation and Human Right violations by Boko Haram towards the non-Muslims from the South that call North as their home – as Nigerians. But Boko Haram, with bankrupt ideology of violent extremism, has been waging a war that is quickly starting to appear as ‘shooting the wounded’; a painful reminder of the civil war that is still raw in the minds of so many Nigerians at home and in diaspora. I want simply to highlight what are at stake for those supporters of BOKO HARAM or their Standard bearer(s) in the coming Presidential Election, to know.

Consider the following costs to Nigerian Federation: Think of children denied education, and may remain in the darkest of the mindset possible, and suffer endless depression, with no future of progress and stability; the lost generations! A policy of “No Child Left Behind” will guarantee better future for Nigeria and deny BOKO HARAM its usual local recruitment base. This is one positive way to limit homegrown terrorists. Education; is one viable weapon against BOKO HARAM. Those with healthrelated issues: brain injuries, amputees, drug addiction; and PTSD sufferers (those traumatized by violence and bloody massacres) – and the cost of longterm psychiatric treatment; could run into billions if not trillion dollars. Social and psychological concerns: rape victims and the stigma attached to it. The cost for building facilities for longlasting rehabilitation and proper staffing arrangement; would be staggering on meager budget currently allocated to Ministry of Health! Relations with Nigeria’s neighbors: border disputes (toxic and frosty relationships with neigh-

boring countries); and illegal border crossing would be very uncontrollable. The collateral damage done to religious communities and deep distrust generated between Christians and Muslim communities in the North. Very troubling, indeed. The idea of promoting ‘National Reconciliation’ is very unlikely, as BOKO HARAM is not interested in any peaceful settlement. The conflict is on-going, and sectarian bloodletting which is rising, has resulted in increase numbers of victims with visible and invisible wounds. BOKO HARAM nor its supporters and sympathizers never imagined these concerns as part and parcel of the consequence for their actions. I have no illusions about the path BOKO HARAM is pushing our nation. The nightmare scenario, in my opinion, would mean that Nigeria would cease to exist as a true Federation whose government is democratically elected by the standing national constitution. The new government will turn Nigeria into an Islamic State, a government that shows disdain for democratic rules. And Nigeria would quickly be an incubator for terrorists. Its neighbors will become embroiled in perpetual conflict, with extremism and terrorism threatening the region. Democracy would be replaced by Theocracy, and the law of the land will become Sharia law (as Islamic State) and no longer Civil law as in the constitution since the Independence. There will be no separation of religion and state; a critical tenet of democracy as entrenched in the Nigerian constitution. ON EDUCATION Existing Westernbased System of Nigeria’s Education would be replaced by Islamic Education. It will be very divisive, dangerous, and hateful to Christians and other minorities who are free to practice their religious beliefs. In short, such actions have the potential to inflame mutual antagonism and distrust between Christian and Muslim communities. ON POLITICS Because the brand of democracy that Boko Haram is promoting, has its root in Middle East (Arab); government ruled by some clerics, will leave the country with fewer effective political institutions

(examples are Somalia and Yemen). And Egypt is an unraveling example of what can happen when religion is mixed with politics; its historical contributions notwithstanding. Without our current system of government, politics will remain chaotic, inefficient and sclerotic (non transparent). Sadly, BOKO HARAM has contradicted their belief by their actions. Lacking experience in both domestic and foreign policies, it would be a nightmare to envision what the situation could look like – it will not only, implode but also, explode given the contradictory impulses in foreign policy; loose border activities – simply put, will be a picture of despair, to even entertain a BOKO HARAMbacked Government in power. What is happening in Egypt with Muslim Brotherhood is a graphic example when experimenting with politics and religion. It is in the Nigerian constitution: “Church and State are, and must remain, separate”. It follows that religious freedom will no longer be permissible under BOKO HARAM-backed administration! ON HUMAN RIGHTS Civil Law will be replaced by Sharia Law (Islamic Law); that would be divisive and unwelcome in areas that are non-Muslim. The application of corporal punishments that allows amputation of arms for thefts, will contravene human right clause. And inclusion of ‘Quisas’, known as ‘the law of retaliation’, (an Eye for an Eye), would amount to serious breach of human rights according to the Secular law in the Constitution. Just as a snippet about Sharia Law: It is for Muslim or Islamic. It has a lot to do with Muslim’s and Islamic way of life. It is the moral code and religious law of Islam. In the West, it is viewed as Medieval, as it clearly and differently applied to men and women. Not treating women as equal to men as in politics, marriage, even in driving a car (Saudi Arabia). A human right issue in reference to equality. It is important to note that there are other Sects in Islam (Ahmadiyya, Shi’a, Sunni, Sufism), and each with its interpretation of Sharia Law. IMMIGRATION AND BORDER BOKO HARAM and

Vancouver clinic offers sexually active gay men a way to join the blood donor system By Matthew Coutts | Daily Brew

Gay men who have been sexually active in the last five years are currently not allowed to donate blood in Canada—a controversial deferral that has riled some and inspired others to get involved in other ways. While sexually active gay men, or MSM (men who have sex with men) as they are known in Canadian Blood Services parlance, remain unable to help address the current blood supply shortage, they are able to help Canadian Blood Services in other ways. And a Vancouver blood research facility is reaching out to show them how—holding a Rainbow blood donor clinic to promote the fact that sexually active gay men who are not able to donate blood for surgeries or transfusions are still able to donate through them. The Rainbow Donor Clinic and Open House will be held at the University of British Columbia’s netCAD facility on Feb. 4, between noon and 7 p.m. “Sexually active gay men can donate there any time. We’re just having an event to celebrate that and raise awareness,” Dr. Tanya Petraszko, associate medical director for West Canadian Blood Services, told Yahoo Canada News. The deferral of blood donations from gay men stems back to the 1980s, when a tainted blood scandal contaminated the national supply with HIV and Hepatitis C. Since then, testing has become more effective but Health Canada maintains a need for the deferral. In 2013, however, the ban was somewhat relaxed. Any man who had sex with another man since 1977 was previously denied inclusion in the blood donor process. The threshold was changed to allow any man who hasn’t had sex with another man within the past five years to donate. Some contend there is no longer a need for any type of ban. And perhaps

its activities are a magnate for ‘open border’ crossings, with loss of Nigeria’s natural border, and thus, Nigeria’s Identity. The refugee or the number of displaced people in the nation and into the neighboring countries is staggering. Those benefiting from illegal border crossings are; criminals, terrorists, Jihadists, Islamists and some Northern Nigerian-based

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

the Rainbow blood donor clinic could help make that case. “Health Canada asked Canadian Blood Services to come back at two years and demonstrate that the change in criteria—to five years from lifetime—did not result in an increase in risk,” Petraszko said. “Canada wants us to demonstrate that the residual risk of disease transmission has not changed even though some men have had sex with men since 1977 are now in the blood supply. “If we engage more of the MSM group at netCAD we can demonstrate to Health Canada even stronger that there is a group of men who really want to donate. Look how many people are excited to help? We can do more research on that blood.” NetCAD, or the Network Centre of Applied Development, is located at the University of British Columbia and acts as a replica donor clinic—meaning it operates like any other blood collection location. The collected samples, however, are only used for research. Canadian scientists that need blood samples for their research—to study the effects of adding proteins to red blood cells, for example—can apply to access the netCAD collection. On top of that, Canadian Blood Services (CBS) uses the supply to test-run new innovations. If new equipment is being considered, or a new process discovered that could improve CBS’s blood distribution abilities, the netCAD supply is used for the trial runs. The program allows CBS to save donor-approved blood for when it’s needed most. “If we’re going to bring in a new procedure or a new machine, or do something differently, we first trial it at netCAD and make sure we get all the bugs out,” Petraszko said. “We make our improvements at netCAD before we implement in our facilities across the country.” “It is vital that we do that,” she added. “We can’t

implement a new process unless we know that it is safe. These donors are vital in that regard.” Petraszko stresses that there is no chance for crosscontamination between the netCAD supply and the donations collected across Canada. Indeed, netCAD has been collecting blood from otherwise unacceptable applicants since 2003. And it is not just sexually active gay men who are left off the valid blood donor list. Those suffering from various ailments such as malaria, have a history of cancer, have recently travelled overseas, have a new tattoo or fresh piercings are also excluded. The idea to promote netCAD as a way for sexually active gay men to participate in the blood donor system was the work of Chad Walters, a gay man who discovered the facility after being rejected as a standard donor. Walters told the Daily Xtra that he felt the ban on blood from sexually active gay men was discriminatory at first, but later studied the reasons behind the deferral. “I did a lot of research, and through that research I learned a series of things,” he told the news agency. “I see why the deferral is important. One of the key points was the scar in Canada’s history. We’re talking about the tainted blood scandal by transfusion HIV and hep C, so of course there was a resistance to making changes because Canada had to really face some challenges.” Walters launched the Rainbow blood donor clinic to prove that sexually active gay men wanted to help out, and to promote netCAD as a way to do that. The end result, perhaps, is a reduction of the blood ban from five years to six months. “There are so many men who are deferred because they have sex with men, but they can donate at nedCAD,” Petraszko said. “Chad’s goal is to promote netCAD and encourage men who have sex with men to donate there.”

politicians. They follow the trails created by BOKO HARAM to enter and leave Nigeria with impunity. No control at the porous Northern Borders. This ‘open border’ will lead to massive political backlash.

vaccine management by the Federal Health Ministry, previously. But, recently, WHO (World Health Organization) listed Nigeria with Pakistan and Afghanistan as countries with high incidence of polio disease! The return of Polio to Nigeria is from illegal immigrants crossing into Nigeria from Northern borders. Secondly, it will be continued on p(50)

ON HEALTH Nigeria was successful to eradicate polio disease in the past due to effective

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Challenges of Child-RAISING By John Adedapo

Continued from the last issue Acceptance: the First Response Parents, it makes a big difference from when you were growing up; and that is why it calls for God’s wisdom and patience. Acceptance is number one antidote that I would strongly recommend as you parents are patiently seeking help and praying for God’s intervention. Accept them even with their youthful exuberance or “stupidity”. And let me say this loud and clear at this juncture that at times you would need to compromise (bend your principles a little bit more) at least to keep your marriage intact and keep you safe from criminality. For some reason the first child most of the time happens to be a “tough” guy or lass. By God’s grace, I will try to delve into the life of the first born, the mystery of the first born in the near future. There is probably something “special” about them. That said, they require and deserve a special prayer from you parents especially. Keep praying for them and let them know that you are. BEYOND THERAPY I have listened to stories of parents who have been in therapy for a long time and have also been to secular counselors millions of times, but with little or no success – nothing substantial to show for it. The spiritual therapy of course, is always the last resort. One of the vital spiritual steps in this direction is proximity to the Word of God: the BIBLE. Bible’s acronym is “Basic Information Before Leaving Earth”. You need these “Basic Information” on daily basis just like your daily meal. Daily Bible reading is a must, particularly after every other thing has proved abortive. As you dwell on the Word of God, imbibe or en-

courage positive attitude in them both by example (living it) and demand (ask for it). Similarly, teach them moral; train them to possess good character. Character is said to be “What you do, when no one is watching.” Say it time and again that it is for their own good. Keep reminding them that their future anchors on all this thing you are teaching or showing. Let them know that failure to follow it endangers their life. You may think it has no place in them, but it does. They are joyfully coming back in the future to recapitulate this guidance and instruction you give them today. Together you shall rejoice. Building a Healthy Parent-Child Relationship While I am not trying to give a magical wand-clue as par the challenges in question; I humbly submit the following list of ideas (based on some principles I had introduced in the past and they worked well with a good number of families). It is in alphabetical order, meant for both parents and children. The two parties need to read this list of suggestions, pick those ones that are applicable to him or her, and work assiduously on them. Reading them together helps you grow together as a family.

ppreciate them. Accept them as they are. Acknowledge their good deeds – a pat on the back, thumbs-up, or high-five goes a long way

Best Friends.

Make the best of friends of theirs - their confidant. Give an avenue to come to you, they will be more open.

aring Parents. Be there for them. They want protection and the assurance of being there always for them.

iscipline appropriately. Discipline should be corrective not punitive.

ncapsulate them with sincere parental love. Empower them through

durance will grant you a safe landing.

repare them in all possible ways for their own unborn family. Period of dependence is short.

uit rebellion. benefits nothing.

“R

tough love when necessary.

ailure to plan is planning to fail (maxim). Plan and pursue your dream with all seriousness.

“Goodness

and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6). Learn it by heart.

ave family prayertime. The family that prays together stays together. Prayer plus study, chatting plus laughter, picnic plus outing, all together make a healthy meaningful living.

ntegrity is a virtue that cannot be quantified in dollars and cents.

Joy, incomparable joy

will surely follow your patience, unwavering obedience, and relentless efforts. Joyfully remind them.

Keep

yourself busy with educative and beneficial things; an empty heart is the devil’s workshop. Know the child of whom you are – child of God.

ove, like respect should be reciprocal. Love God, love parents.

isplaced should be avoided diligence. Mark it low the parental tions.

priority with all and folinstruc-

ever allow history to repeat itself on a past mistake that parents had made. Learn from experience. Experience is said to be “the best master”. Your parents are endowed with it.

Obedience

and en-

emember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,..” (Eccles. 12:1).

tudy well to excel and make a better tomorrow. Do not be a mediocre, do not settle for less. Stand out among others.

ime Management, money management. Time is money, spend time and money judiciously. “Time and tide wait for no man” (adage).

nity in the home cannot be overemphasized. Children, try not to divide Daddy and Mummy. Jesus prayed that the universal church may be united for a common goal – soul winning.

ictory is certain where sincere dedication is present. Thus, stay focused on your dreams. Heaven will crown your efforts with success in due season.

ork without play makes one a dull guy. “Work while you work, play while you play, to be useful and happy, this is the way” (Poem).

-plain to them that God has a divine purpose for their dear lives – so no drug, no addiction. “DO NOT BE DECEIVED, BAD COMPANY CORRUPTS GOOD MANNER” (I CORINTHIANS 15:33).

earn for things that are fulfilling, which bring joy to parents and glory to God.

eal for spiritual growth. Education and beauty without Jesus is vanity (Eccles. 1&2). Therefore, neglect not the

significance of salvation assurance and spiritual maturity. On the Issue of Discipline Parents have not been more divided (in this context), than on the subject of disciplining of the children. Discipline is good to mold or build them and shape their future, but it should not be punitive. There is a big difference between punishment and discipline. It yields more positive or the expected fruit when you deny them what they love to do rather than starving them - food denial is an abuse, punishment, and sin. Know what they cherish and what they distaste: no spanking, no yelling, no name calling, no chores; if possible, no bathing, no combing, no toothbrushing, etc. Instead, they love electronics or modern technologies (laptop/computer, cell phone, i-pod, tablet, etc) pocket money, beautiful dresses, “swaggy shoes”, birthday gifts, movies, entertainment, recreation, sleepover, fun and camping, uninterrupted sleep till 2 PM especially on weekend, and so forth. A threat of denial of any of these things may be a checkmate, while timeout and naughty-corner are two other examples of steps in the right direction. Parents should be prudent by applying the appropriate measure of discipline at an appropriate time. If it were a dead issue just let go, let bye gone be bye gone. An Error to Avoid: Conflict of Interest Raise them with one voice. Parents should always be on the same page most especially when it comes to discipline. Put your foot down as parents, do not be divided. When one parent rebukes, while the other tries to pamper (so as to be a “good Dad or Mum”) such parent is not helping the situation; instead he/she is paving way for disunity, a crack in the marriage wall, and Satan is waiting to see that crack in

order to penetrate though. Remember the wise saying, “United we stand, divided we fall.” So, do not create an avenue for division which may spur separation and may end up in divorce. Be reminded, the journey is still long. In like manner, let the children realize the fact that they were not there at the commencement of your love. They are a blessing from God, the fruit of your love, of your unity, of your agreement, and of your labor. Now that they are here (thank God for them) they cannot separate you or break in-between for any reason. In fact this unity they witness in both of you will help them a long way to build their own future home. “They have not learnt it,” a Seminary Professor once said, “because you have not taught it.” It is somehow difficult, agreed, but God will see you through and grant you favor as you weather it together in the presence of your children. You need to bring them up together as husband and wife. Conclusion: An African adage says, “The wisdom needed to live in the house surpasses the one applied in building it.” It has never been the intention of the children to become a cord of disunity in the family, but the Enemy can hold on to anything (or anybody) for his devilish intent. So it calls for you as parents to stand your ground. Say rain or sunshine, you shall keep your marriage from collapse no matter what Satan through anybody or by any means can do or say. It is well with your marriage in Jesus’ name. Now say with me, “Because the Lord Jesus lives, my marriage shall live for the glory of God.” Rev. John Adedapo is the Senior Pastor of Fountain of Salvation Christian Assembly in Etobicoke. e-mail: pastorcounsellor@gmail.com

INSPIRATION

THE GIFT OF FAILURE By Jean Type During this Thanksgiving holiday, we are reminded to reflect on the bounty in our lives. Most of us have jobs, family, a place we call home and food on the table, and for these things and our ability to

obtain them we should be grateful. But what about those who are struggling with financial difficulties, bad relationships, or employment problems? Do they owe any thanks for their circumstances? Can failure really be a gift in disguise?

FAILURES TEACH US ABOUT PROCESS Thomas Edison tried over 9,000 designs before he created a working light bulb. A young reporter asked him how he felt after having failed 9,000 times. Edison replied, “I didn’t fail

- I just learned 9,000 ways how not to make a light bulb.” Failure is often a clue to redirect our efforts in a different direction, and to follow a different set of plans. How many times have we learned how not to sell a product, how not to

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

get a new job, or how not to judge a future mate? If a series of failures leads us to open our minds to new knowledge or information, or gives us the willingness to try different behaviors, then we haven’t failed, we’ve learned how to create different results.

FAILURES TEACH US ABOUT OURSELVES During the ‘40s, a young Jewish boy chose to forego academia in order to pursue his dream of becoming another Benny Goodman. Against his parents’ continued on p(50)

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PASTORS 2015 PREDICTIONS OF DESPAIR AND HOPE Oyedepo, Adeboye, Kumuyi, Bakare, Ignila, Joshua, Olubode, Sulaiman reveal their prophesies By Ajoke Onitolo

Great Nigerian pastors have come out with so many disturbing and some hopeful predictions for 2015. While some chose to call then prophecies, many Nigerians however, see it as mere predictions which anyone can easily say. While some chose to predict deaths, plane crashes, fire

PASTOR ENOCH ADEJARE ADEBOYE, RCCG The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye divided his prophesies into four segments such as individual, international, RCCG and Nigeria. For individual, he said; “Those who fasted for 100 days last year, the Lord said the harvest for the 100 days fast will be given this year 2015. He added that this year will be full of testimonies, those who have none before will have

this year. Daddy, as he is fondly called says many believers will swim in the river of abundance this year; there will be miraculous completion of projects; fulfillment of dreams; miraculous restoration

and the songs of many will be, The Lord has been good to me. According to the G.O, there will be scientific and medical breakthroughs, particularly in the areas of insomnia- lack of sleep, dreams and brain disorders at the international level, Ebola Virus Disease would die out, insurgencies all over the world will be considerably weakened. He asked for prayers against massive calamities like earthquakes, strong hurricane and typhoons.

‘The Chibok girls will return home alive’ -PASTOR TUNDE BAKARE, Latter Rain Assembly Senior Pastor of Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare has said that the abducted Chibok girls would return home this year. He gave this prediction during the church’s crossover service into the New Year on Thursday morning. The cleric told his

congregation that Nigeria would enjoy extraordinary

grace from God this year, which would see the return of the missing girls. He said, “The Chibok girls will be returned this year; some people will say ‘they are just using religion to deceive themselves. How will the girls be rescued?’ You will see. I didn’t say it, it is what God said and I believe it.”

disasters, famine, riots and so many woes, others gave a message of hope and blessing. Here are some of the prophecies as captured… ‘Pray against massive calamities like earthquakes, strong hurricane and typhoons’

‘Men like nations will rise in the year 2015’ -BISHOP DAVID OYEDEPO, Winners Chapel In his New Year message, The General Overseer of Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners Chapel), Bishop David Oyedepo said 2015 will be a year turn-around for every believer. This message was delivered during the closing day of 2014 Annual Shiloh inside Canaanland Ota, Ogun State. “In 2015, nobody will doubt those who serve God. It will be clear that we are only in the world, not of the world. In 2015,

my God will wipe away all your tears, there shall be no occasion for mourning or weeping. Throughout 2015, you are not permitted to bury anyone in your life because there shall be no more death. In 2015,

some things that cause you sorrow will be far from you. “Your night is over, God will be all you need for triumphant life, victorious living – all through 2015. There shall be a rise of many giants giants in all sectors of human endeavour. Men, like nations will rise in 2015. Men that will command attention of many nations, shall arise in 2015 and God has brought us into the realm of heaven on earth, where men will live like angels.”

‘Nigeria will not break up’ PASTOR W.F KUMUYI, Deeper Life The General Superintendent of Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor W.F Kumuyi in December 2014 during a media briefing ahead of the Deeper Life Bible Church three-day crusade at Eiyenkorin in Ilorin, Kwara state, said Nigeria remains an indivisible entity despite all its challenges. “God has a purpose for Nigeria. When people talk of division, the truth is that once

Pastor Kumuyi you start the process, it never ends. Once you say,

‘people in the North, go your way and those in the South, go your way,’ there are other people who will also rise up to say they too want to go their own way even within you. You know what happened in the 1960’s; several sides will begin to be asked to go away but I know that God has a purpose for bringing Nigeria together and we shall remain one.”

‘The Lord will return His Excellency, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to his presidential ‘The troubles of 2014 might spill over to seat’ PROPHET MICHAEL OLUBODE, Celestial 2015’ -PASTOR T.B JOSHUA, Synagogue Church Of All Nations Church of Christ Jonathan will have many troubles, he will defeat them all and be used by God to build the country’s economy. According to the prophet, “I want to let the people of Nigeria know that The Lord will return His Excellency, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to his presidential seat. Despite many that hate him, it pleases the Lord God of Celestial to increase his tenure

at the Presidential Villa in Aso Rock. The Lord revealed to me that the purpose of mak-

ing him remain in government is to use him to build Nigeria’s economy. He will surely bring good luck to us.” He went further to release prophesies on the economy of the nation. He stated, “Contrary to many beliefs, Nigeria will soon come out of her troubles and stride gloriously to her leading position in the midst of great nations of the world.”

‘Bola Tinubu, Idris Wada, Amaechi and Patience Jonathan should pray well to survive’-BRO. JOSHUA IGINLA, Champions Royal Assembly Prophet Joshua Iginla released more shocking pre-

dictions about events that will unfold in 2015, both

in Nigeria and the world at large. The founder of Cham-

The General Overseer of the Synagogue Church of all Nations was not left out of the frenzy. The deliverance pastor who had a problematic 2014, prophesied into 2015 during the candle light vigil held in honour of victims of the church

pions Royal Assembly, cautioned former Governor of Lagos State and a chieftain of All Progressive Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi and Kogi Governor, Idris Wada to pray very well in 2015, to avert imminent dangers and if care is not taken, the First Lady might not finish the second term with the president.

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

building collapse in Lagos. Although he avoided his usual elaborate annual revelations, he declared 2015 as The Year of Good Morning and tactically said that the troubles of 2014 might spill over to 2015 if Nigerians failed to live holy.

He said, “In my vision, I saw a giant hand bigger than the continent

of Africa upholding Nigeria. And God said there is nothing kept in His hands that can fall. The prophecy that Nigeria will split won’t come to pass. You can see the signs but it will never come to pass. “There will be shakings in 2015 and it will be so serious. Both the big and small will feel it greatly. continued on p(45)

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Lawsuits against Canada under NAFTA protections By S. Ratko OTTAWA - DetroitWindsor bridge private owner has sued Canada for billions of dollars under NAFTA. This is one of the many cases where companies use investor protection measures to sue the governments of U.S, Canada and Mexico. Billionaire Matty Moroun, which is the owner of the bridge connecting Detroit to Windsor and vice versa is suing Ottawa to claim damages because the state is planning to build a second bridge to connect Ontario to Detroit and Michigan. Moroun claims that Canada’s acts and management of the pre-construction phase of the new bridge have violated his company’s rights under NAFTA, meaning that his firm should be treated same as Canadian companies. In the initial lawsuit, he asked NAFTA arbitration tribunal for damages worth 3.5 billion dollars from Canada. On the other hand, Canada is claiming that the case should be dismissed because Moroun’s company didn’t filed a complaint within specified time deadline, which is 3 years after a complainant has became aware of an

Matty Moroun

alleged violation of rights. The case is still resting before the NAFTA dispute settlement tribunal. This is the only currently known example of lawsuits filed by U.S. or Mexican companies against Canada who say that their right have been violated by health, environmental, economic and trade regulations by Canadian government. Canadian experience with investor protections by NAFTA has moved on to the higher level when the controversy over freetrade agreement between Canada and European Union including a ISDS mechanism. There were many concerns among political groups in EU who see the ISDS mechanism as a potential danger for government’s ability to conduct regulations of the environment, public safety, health and other. “NAFTA’s investorstate mechanism and similar investment rules in other international treaties

have been rightly criticized for giving multinational corporations too much power while constraining the fundamental role of democratic governments,” said Scott Sinclair, one of the CCPA senior researchers who conducted a study about NAFTA. Canada should be paying much more attention to the influence of the investor protection measures, he said in his book. At the moment, Canada is facing 9 active ISDS claims who are questioning measures by Canadian government which allegedly are interfering with profitability of the foreign investors. Report says that Canada has already settled or lost 6 claims and ended up paying over 170 million dollars. “Investment protections have long been a core element of trade policy in Canada and Europe, and will encourage job-creating investment and economic growth on both sides of the Atlantic,” said the spokesperson for International Trade Minister during the debate over EU-Canada free-trade deal. In last two decades, there has been more that 70 claims under NAFTA Chapter 11 by investors.

Premier Kathleen Wynne announces pay raise for early child educators By Paul Njogu Premier Kathleen Wynne announced a pay raise for early childhood educators working at licensed centres. While speaking in Kingston, Ontario, Wynne said that the early childhood educators and front line child care professionals in child care settings will get a $1-anhour increase in January and another dollar rise

Premier Kathleen Wynne

next year. The wage increase was brought up in

last year’s budget to close the gap between early child educators working in the licensed child care sector and those in the publicly-funded education system. As she spoke of closing the wage gap, Wynne added that more parents will be confident in getting high quality child care and that licensed child care operators can both hire and keep the best early childhood educators.

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What Are The Best Tips For Kidnap Victims By U. Mirna

Kidnap victims are people that have been taken and held against their will. Such crimes cannot be predicted nor, in most cases, prevented, but there are several things everyone should know about surviving them. If the victims are not provided with the means for escape, the best thing to do would be to remain calm. They will have the best chances of survival if they try to make the kidnapper feel compassion for them. There isn’t a single strategy for kidnapping cases in general. Not even the experts have it. Psychologists, law enforcement authorities and other experts agree that every case is different because every abductor has a unique psychological background, as well as a one-of-a-kind set of beliefs and motives. It is advised that the victims try to unravel the kidnapper’s intensions while remaining calm on the outside. If the abductor attacks in public, the victims should try to be as loud as possible, at the same time trying to let the others know that it isn’t a case of domestic violence. The reason why this is so important is the fact that most people are very reluctant to interfere

in a family quarrel. In such cases, it is best to use one of the recommended key words and sentences, such as “Fire!”, “Rape!” and “I don’t know this man!”. Victims of kidnapping attempts should also try to make their struggle apparent to the people around them. That way they increase the chances of someone helping them - if not directly, at least by reporting the incident to the authorities. The best way of handling the situation once the kidnapping takes place is to retain composure and try to figure out the best way out of it. A victim should act differently when the kidnapping takes place at a location where there are no witnesses. In such cases, most experts will recommend offering no resistance whatsoever. This is due to the fact that it is much more likely for the abductor to act irrational with no witnesses present, especially if the victim starts fighting to escape. In such cases, there are two things the victims can do. Firstly, they will need to take a good look at the abductor, searching for features that stand out, such as moles, scars, piercings and tattoos. If the victim is blindfolded, the best thing to do would be to concentrate on the abductor’s voice and on the physical

surroundings. In most cases, it proves to be of great help in figuring out the best way to escape. Any information on the victim’s whereabouts can turn out to be crucial. Whenever it is possible, the victim should try to remember directions and landmarks, thus creating a mental map of the area. That way, even if the opportunity to escape does not appear, it will be possible for the victim to call for help and give some kind of information to the people receiving it. A kidnapping victim should never mock the abductor. The best thing to do would be to talk about personal life, family and friends. The goal should be to make the kidnapper start seeing the victim as a companion, and not an object. This is the approach that increases the chances of survival the most. The victims who are taken to be raped and tortured are forced to deal with someone suffering from severe emotional problems. It is a completely different situation when a person is being held for the purpose of extortion. Abductors whose goal is to get ransom usually do not wish for the death of their victims. Whatever the reason for kidnapping is, the most important thing is to remain calm and not lose patience.

Challenge Cup Nairobi winners announced BY GABRIELLA MULLIGAN Four startups have been named winners of the Challenge Cup 2015 Nairobi regional competition, and will progress to compete against global winners at the final in Washington D.C. The Challenge Cup is a global competition run by US incubator 1776, with competition legs held in 16 cities in 11 countries. This year’s Nairobi-based competition – with took place yesterday, (January 27) – was the sole African stop on the competition’s global journey. More than 30 startups participated in the Nairobi leg of the Challenge Cup – held at Kenya’s iHub – competing in four categories, namely, education, energy, health, and cities. The startups took part in a day of networking and mentorship, prior

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

to the competition which was divided into two rounds. The first round saw competitors give 60 second pitches to the audience; while in the second round finalists were given five minutes to expand on their pitch. The winners of the Nairobi Cup emerged as East African online bookstore eKitabu; PowerGen Renewable Energy – which provides wind and solar power solutions as well as solar powered water pumping in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Somalia; Health-E-Net – a social enterprise connecting pa-

tients to medical experts for advice and second opinions on diagnoses; and project management and tracking platform tasKwetu. The four East African winners will join the regional winners from all 16 competition locations in May in Washington D.C., for the week-long 1776 Challenge Festival where they will compete head-to-head. Winners compete for up to $650,000 in prizes as well as the chance to meet with investors and industry experts. -disrupt africa

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What happens to the oil of goodluck in 2015 presidential election By Dr. Ignatius Odianosen Okosun (PhD). The February 14, 2015 presidential election would be the most watched and most fiercely contested in the history of Nigeria. Years of political brinkmanship, reprehensible military dictatorship, corruption and irresponsible leadership have served to make nonsense of the true meaning of nationhood referred to Nigeria. The struggle for fundamental change must continue. The future of Nigeria will be determined by 68,833,476 eligible voters who will cast their ballot for the February 14th, 2015 poll. Out of all the 26 registered political parties in Nigeria, only 11 submitted names of candidates to run for the presidency. The ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, submitted the names of President Goodluck Ebere Jonathan and his vice, Arch. Namadi Sambo, while the main opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, submitted the names of Rt. Gen Muhammadu Buhari and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as presidential and vice presidential candidates. While many consider the 2015 presidential elections as a straight head-to-head battle between President Goodluck Jonathan and General Mohammed Buhari, other presidential hopeful include; Oluremi Sonaiya for Kowa Party, Ambrose Albert for Hope Democratic Party, Ganiyu Galadima of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN, Rafiu Salau for Alliance for Democracy, AD, Godson Okoye for United Democratic Party, UDP, Nani Ibrahim Ahmad of African Democratic Congress, Martin Onovo of National Conscience Party, NCP, Tunde Anifowoshe-Kelani of Action Alliance and Chekwas Okorie of United Progressive Party. With Goodluck Jonathan’s crumpling popularity, Rt. Gen Muhammadu Buhari actually stands a chance of winning the 2015 elections with a slim majority adjudicating from all indications as the election draws closer ironically for the first time in 16 years in Nigeria’s longest spell of democracy. Though Rt. Gen Muhammadu Buhari has been describe as a “perennially-loser” in previous presidential elections he is currently ahead from opinion polls in the 2015 election. On January 7, 2003 at the party prima-

ries of the All Peoples Party APP, Rt. Gen Muhammadu Buhari was the sole candidate of the party after two other candidates Rochas Okorocha and Harry Akande were pressured to step down, while Yahaya Abubakar failed to show up on the date of the primary. In the elections, Rt. Gen Muhammadu Buhari was defeated by then incumbent, Chief Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo of the PDP. On Dec. 18, 2006, he was the consensus candidate for the All Nigeria Peoples Party ANPP after Bukar Ibrahim and Pere Ajunwa were pressured to withdraw from the race on convention day but again Rt. Gen Muhammadu Buhari lost to PDP’s Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. In 2011, he contested the elections on the platform of the Congress for Progressives Change CPC which he fashioned, trailing behind Dr. Goodluck Ebere Jonathan at the election. By contesting and winning the presidential primary of the All Progressive Congress APC (the coalition of all the opposition parties in Nigeria) for the very first time his presidential ambition has been challenged. It is generally believed that Rt. Gen Muhammadu Buhari has recorded the most important victory of his political career, going by current ratings and opinion poll; he could be the next commander in chief of Nigeria if the 2015 election is free and fair. President Goodluck Jonathan surfed to power six years ago on the back of widespread national approbation. His approval rating spiked through the roof in a historically-unprecedented fashion. He was Goodluck the beloved, Goodluck the saviour, it was all about Goodluck! Nigerians from all tribes were determined to make his battle their battle; wherever he led them, they had braced themselves to follow; and his God they were prepared to make their God. The good and virtues Nigerians saw in Jonathan were probably much more than the virtue Jesus saw in Judas Iscariot when he appointed him a disciple overseeing his treasury. Currently, the President’s political fireplace has gone frigid, the fire-in-thebelly of his government has waned as Boko Haram, corruption, impunity and widespread economic uncertainties have come hitting Nigerians like an

unannounced swirling killer-blizzard. And the President’s men, like a losing kick-boxer are flailing at anything and anyone real or imagined with the sharp instruments of presidential incumbency in an attempt to win the election. President Goodluck Jonathan is in the fiercest battle of his political career against Rt. General Muhammadu Buhari, an astute, stout and sharp-witted retired Army General who is backed by undying, increasing, and resolute followers across Nigeria. Previous fights the President had won were fought by godfathers and the few powerful who believed in him. Many of the exalted positions Jonathan has so far occupied were brought to him by Goodluck. And where are those ardent and true supporters now? One by one, they have fled and found new friends in the arch-rivals of Mr. President as his ruling party, the People’s Democratic Party, continues to run out of clue. Strip by strip, the carpet of support is pulled from under his feet, and the haemorrhaging appears to have just begun. However 9 governors did not show up in his reelection declaration in Lagos; a buddy-priest of his, Enugu-based charismatic father Magnus Ejike Mbaka of the Catholic Adoration Centre Enugu, went on an endless tirade that our own Goodluck has actually brought Nigeria bad luck. Also behind closed-doors in Abeokuta, the President smooched up in a room with two reputable Nigerian clerics including Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG), Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners Chapel and his estranged benefactor, Chief Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo, begging the latter for support. Furthermore in every state, Mr. President is losing steam, ground, and men in thousands to the opposition party APC on a daily basis. It is quite amusing that in Nigeria’s history where a ruling party and an incumbent President have lost so much support in a rumbling sequence of 30 days before an election. President Goodluck Jonathan’s electoral chances in this election are getting dimmer by the day. Due to the multifarious and intricate nature of Nigeria as a country, Nigerians could have probably been more forgiving if non-performance in

government were the only shortcoming of this administration. But dismal performance conjoined with overwhelming corruption is not a contravention that Nigerians easily forgive. There is too much conscious or unconscious coddling of graft by this President. If former Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, believes that his administration should be considered an angelic regarding corruption compared to Jonathan’s, then this administration must be the unrepentant Lucifer of larceny and a dashing baron of daylight robbery that ever existed in the annals of Nigerian history. Substantial amount of this year’s budget was set aside for entertainment in the presidential villa, “estacode” for gazillion of aides travelling with the President all around the world, and the acquisition of more airplanes. The government is proposing to spend N517.9m this year on meals and refreshments for the office of the Presidency, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, ministries of power and petroleum resources as well as their parastatals. For the office of the President, N142.47m was set aside in 2015 for refreshments and meals, and N25.58m was earmarked for meals and refreshments for the office of the vice president in a country where over 100 million people live in abject poverty. Mr. James Enwistle the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, has informed the world that his country had intended to train a battalion of the Nigerian Army up to world standard; base on the agreement that the United States of America would provide the trainers and the Nigerian government, the equipment needed. After a few weeks of training, the United States government withdraw from the arrangement because no equipment were forthcoming after the Nigeria minister of finance, Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, (A former World Bank president) publicly announced that N1tn has been allocated to the military in the 2014 budget. According to her, “about N968.12bn and N130.7bn has already been disbursed between January and April 2014 to the military.” But ironically, the ragtag army of Boko Haram indomitable are still

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

Ibm cutting over 118.000 Jobs all over the world By S.Ratko IBM is allegedly planning to fire over 118.000 workers due to the 11 quarters old trend of declining sales. This could be one of biggest layoffs in corporate history. The word has been broken by El Chan in a worldwide exclusive and a series of new units meant to replace the outdated computing structure service. New equipment will include Sales & Delivery, Global Technology Service, Research, Systems, Cloud, Security, Watson, Analytics and Commerce. Well-informed sources from the industry are saying that the cuts were inevitable and will probably exceed the scale of HP’s mass redundancy program which should lead to 55,000 layoffs by the end of 2015. According to Forbes, even more job cuts are possible due to the fact that IBM is reorganizing around 26 percent of its 435.000 base of employees. These giant cuts are meant to accelerate the reorganization process named Project Chrome and many of the employees around the world are getting offered redundancy packages to leave the company in next few months. This would exceed IBM’s biggest maneuver of cutting 60.000 jobs back in 1993. Last year, Cisco replaced 6.000 workers with 7.000 new ones with difcontrolling and terrorizing more than 20,000 square miles of the Nigerian sovereign territory killing more than 17,000 innocent souls, an area larger than Switzerland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Israel and 144 other countries of the world. Presidents of nations made a surprise visits to men and women who are laying down their lives in the battle field for their countries, President Jonathan refused to join the league as he refused to visit the Boko Haram enclave of Borno state where over 100 girls were kidnapped from Government secondary school, Chibok. The President’s recent visit after 276 days the chibok girls were kidnapped, generated buzz on social networks as some consider the visit a strategy to facilitate his presidential campaign train rally slated for Ramat Square in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state on January 24, 2015. It will be his peril and pitfall to count on the power of incumbent just few days to the general election. The

ferent skills to increase sales in a cloudy era. Size of that change looked like substantial back then. Anyway, results from quarterly report say that IBM needs to make a change considering the downfall of sales for 12 percent and net profit decline of 11.3 percent. As for IBM’s CEO Ginn Rometty, she showed that things aren’t really well when she decided to abandon target of $20 EPS for 2015 set by her predecessor. “Global Services is inefficient and cumbersome, and IBM has not minimized costs and layers of management in the acquisitions it has made - it has got to become leaner and meaner,” source close to IBM said to The Channel. “But as you all know, anything can happen at IBM… and this is the time of year that IBM cuts jobs,” he added. After days of silence, IBM finally released a statement regarding the speculations. “IBM does not comment on rumors, even ridiculous or baseless ones,” the company said. “If anyone had checked information readily available from our public earnings statements, or had simply asked us, they would know that IBM has already announced the company has just taken a $600 million charge for workforce rebalancing. This equates to several thousand people, a small fraction of what’s been reported,” the spokesperson said. battle will get dirtier as we draw close to February 14. But what shines in the horizon is that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who took the center stage of global attention four years ago is not the same vibrant candidate today. No doubt, the light has dimmed drastically upon him, but he remains the President and CommanderIn-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria throughout the election period. You never know, President Jonathan may still have some oil of Goodluck left in his presidential jar. The music is fading for Mr. President, the light is dimming for the ruling PDP, and a shellacking train is about tearing through Abuja into Aso Rock taking the President on a first-class cabin back to sleepy riverine community of Otueke in Ogbia Local Government Area of Rivers State and his men to abodes of their choices. From Toronto-Canada. Email: odyseries@gmail.com

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APC CANADA CHAPTER SUPPORTS BUHARI/OSINBAJO PRESIDENTIAL TICKET Vote For ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC) The Party With New Innovation

In solidarity with the teeming masses of Nigeria and our party the APC, we want to put on record the unflinching support of the APC Canada chapter for the flag bearers of the APC in the forth coming Nigerian Presidential election, General Muhammadu Buhari and his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo. In a statement released in Toronto, Ontario by the Chairman of the chapter, Comrade Elas Abone, APC has emerged to re-shape the future of the country, its political landscape and the future generation and to act in the best interest of our nation. The true test of the Nigerian ideal is whether we are able to recognize our failings and then rise together to meet the challenges of our time. APC is a party that believes in the doctrine of social contract between the leaders and the led, a doctrine that recognizes that the public office holder is a trustee of the people and power must be used in the interest of the people rather than the interest of the public office holder. The secretary of the chapter, Mr. Yemi Adegbite expressed that at this point in Nigerian history, our dear nation needs people of impeccable, and trustworthy characters, who can redeem Nigeria from the

bottomless pit to which the ruling PDP had plunged Nigeria. He said we do not need another four more years of corruption, and directionless leadership of this present administration. He promised that the Diaspora will do all that is humanly possible to ensure that the PDP and its visionless and clueless government is uprooted in Nigeria once and for all. Mr. Bolaji Dosunmu the publicity secretary of the chapter uses this opportunity to congratulate all members of the APC for their vision and mission of restoring the past glory of Nigeria and making the people of Nigeria proud again by their choice of General Muhammadu Buhari and his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo. In our deed and actions, Bolaji vowed that the chapter will continue to collaborate and do all the needful to ensure that our party come victorious in the February 14 election and take over the government from the party that has led Nigeria in the last sixteen years only to penury and squalor. The Deputy Chairman Board of Trustees, Engr.Godwin Airuoyuwa in his statement urges Nigerians to say no to money politics, expressing

Signed: Chairman Board of Trustees: Mr. Bola Ajimotokan • Deputy Chairman Board of Trustees: Engr. Godwin Airuoyuwa • Chairman: Comrade Elas Abone • Secretary: Mr. Yemi Adegbite • Publicity Secretary: Mr. Bolaji Dosunmu • Legal Adviser: Barrister Jide Oladejo • Woman Leader: Ms. Ifeanyi Kate Azikiwe

LONG LIVE APC, LONG LIVE NIGERIA

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

that for the past sixteen years of the PDP led government things have only gotten worse; that PDP has gotten too far on this path of destruction that they are not capable of turning back. He believes that the time for change is now and urges all to rally behind Muhammadu Buhari to make this change possible; he is of the opinion that Buhari is a strong and courageous leader and one of the few Nigerian Leaders who still have the fear of God in their hearts. Engr Godwin is convinced that Buhari will help restore law and order for the safety of all Nigerians. He is therefore pleading with all Nigerians to elect Muhammadu Buhari as our next president. The Board of Trustees Chairman Mr. Bola Ajimotokan on behalf of the chapter, urges all Nigerians both in Diaspora and Nigeria to support the wind of change that is blowing all over the country at this moment and to rally behind General Mohammadu Buhari and Prof. Yemi Osibanjo for the change Nigerians are yearning for in order to salvage the nation. Long live the APC; Long live the federal Republic of Nigeria. APC International, Canada Chapter Unit 409, 245 Fairview Mall Drive, Toronto, Ontario M2J 4T1, Canada Email: apccanadachapter@gmail.com • Website: www.apccanadachapter.ca

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Canadians Praise Prison Chaplains Vital Role 2015 ONE LOVE GALA & FUNDRAISING SATURDAY, 24TH JANUARY, 2015 TAJ BANQUET HALLS, TORONTO, ONT By Muneeb Nasir TORONTO – Seeing their role as vital, Canadian Senator Don Meredith has praised the important role played by chaplains to support inmates in prisons, urging the community’s support to keep their effort going. Speaking at the Third Annual ONE LOVE Chaplaincy Fund Raising dinner held on Saturday, 24th of January evening in Toronto, Senator Meredith said, “I am proud to be here tonight to celebrate with you and to talk about the importance of our chaplaincy programs within our institutions.” “I am a strong proponent of those who sacrifice, day in and day out, to make sure they are touching the lives of those who find themselves incarcerated,” said Senator Meredith. “The chaplains are there to listen, to bring comfort, to bring a word of advice.” Senator Don Meredith is co-founder and executive director of the GTA Faith Alliance, an interfaith group that is committed to finding solutions to youth violence. Senator Meredith has been tireless in his work to counter gun and youth crime. He has partnered with churches, police, politicians and communities to organize rallies and community events that work to find solutions to youth violence. “When I started GTA Faith Alliance, it was about inclusion, it was about us coming together as a community,” he said. “We have young people who find themselves marginalized, and a sense of hopelessness sets in, and they end up in our institutions.” “I believe that we need to find ways to engage them, encourage them and empower them – that’s the triple E effect- engage, encourage, empower,” added the Senator. “I believe that our young people are not just a percentage of our population but they are a 100% of our future.” The ONE LOVE Chaplaincy dinner was organized to raise awareness about the situation of inmates in prisons and to raise funds to keep chaplaincy services in

Canadian prisons, according to the organizers. The evening’s program included speeches by chaplains from various faith communities, a panel discussion and award recognitions. MUSLIM CHAPLAINCY Donations raised at the event will support the chaplaincy services offered by the Ottawa-based Islam Care Center (ICC) that has been at the forefront of supporting chaplains in Ontario prisons. ICC also tries to ensure that inmates who are released can re-integrate into society in an easy manner. In a message to the organizers, Premier Kathleen Wynne, commended the work of the Islamic Chaplaincy Centre. “I would like to thank the Islam Care Centre Chaplaincy Service for organizing this wonderful event and for recognizing the efforts of those who help meet the religious and spiritual needs of the men and women in our correctional services,” said Premier Wynne. “Ontario has been greatly enriched by a diversity of culture, languages and religions – and our province’s Muslim community is a vital part of that cherished diversity,” noted the Premier. In his keynote address, Senator Don Meredith spoke passionately about people coming together to overcome difficulties and to support community. “I believe their (chaplains) work is transformative, their work is very critical and we ought to do everything that we can to support them,” said Senator Don Meredith. “We are about a community – we can build our communities and we can build our province and we can build a better country by being united, not divided.” “So I believe that the challenges that the chaplaincy program is facing, I stand with you tonight not just as a faith leader but as somebody who believes in community, somebody who believes in building community, building our young people, building our great nation, Canada.” - Onislam.net

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

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“The Crimes of Buhari” - By Prof. Wole Soyinka

The many ‘sins’ of President Goodluck Jonathan By Abraham Ogbodo

The grounds on which General Buhari is being promoted as the alternative choice are not only shaky, but pitifully naive. History matters. Records are not kept simply to assist the weakness of memory, but to operate as guides to the future. Of course, we know that human beings change. What the claims of personality change or transformation impose on us is a rigorous inspection of the evidence, not wishful speculation or behind-thescenes assurances. Public offence, crimes against a p olity, must be answered in the public space, not in caucuses of bargaining. In Buhari, we have been offered no evidence of the sheerest prospect of change. On the contrary, all evident suggests that this is one individual who remains convinced that this is one ex-ruler that the nation cannot call to order Buhari? Need one remind anyone – was one of the generals who treated a Commission of Enquiry, the Oputa Panel, with unconcealed disdain. Like Babangida and Abdusalami, he refused to put in appearance even though complaints that were tabled against him involved a career of gross abuses of power and blatant assault on the fundamental human rights of the Nigerian citizenry. Prominent against these charges was an act that amounted to nothing less than judicial murder, the execution of a citizen under a retroactive decree. Does Decree 20 ring a bell? If not, then, perhaps the names of three youths – Lawal Ojuolape (30), Bernard Ogedengbe (29) and Bartholomew Owoh (26) do. To put it quite plainly, one of those three Ogedengbe – was executed for a crime that did not carry a capital forfeit at the time it was committed. This was an unconscionable crime, carried out in defiance of the pleas and protests of nearly every sector of the Nigerian and international community religious, civil rights, political, trade unions etc.Buhari and his sidekick and his partnerin-crime, Tunde Idiagbon persisted in this inhuman act for one reason and one reason only: to place Nigerians on notice that they were now under an iron, inflexible rule, under governance by fear. The execution of that youthful innocent for so he was, since the punishment did not exist at the time of commission – was nothing short of premeditated murder, for which the perpetrators should normally stand trial upon their loss of immunity. Are we truly expected to forget this violation of our entitlement

to security as provided under existing laws? And even if our sensibilities have become blunted by succeeding seasons of cruelty and brutality, if power itself had so coarsened the sensibilities also of rulers and corrupted their judgment, what should one rightly expect after they have been rescued from the snare of power. At the very least, a revaluation, leading hopefully to remorse, and its expression to a wronged society. At the very least, such a revaluation should engender reticence, silence. In the case of Buhari, it was the opposite. Since leaving office he has declared in the most categorical terms that he had no regrets over this murder and would do so again. Human life is inviolate. The right to life is the uniquely fundamental right on which all other rights are based. The crime that General Buhari committed against the entire nation went further however, inconceivable as it might first appear. That crime is one of the most profound negations of civic being. Not content with hammering down the freedom of expression in general terms, Buhari specifically forbade all public discussion of a return to civilian, democratic rule. Let us constantly applaud our media those battle scarred professionals did not completely knuckle down. They resorted to cartoons and oblique, elliptical references to sustain the people’s campaign for a time-table to democratic rule. Overt agitation for a democratic time table however remained rigorously suppressed military dictatorship, and a specifically incorporated in Buhari and Idiagbon was here to stay. To deprive a people of volition in their own political direction is to turn a nation into a colony of slaves. Buhari enslaved the nation. He gloated and gloried in a master-slave relation to the millions of its inhabitants. It is astonishing to find that the same former slaves, now free of their chains, should clamour to be ruled by one who not only turned their nation into a slave plantation, but forbade them any discussion of their condition. So Tai Solarin is already forgotten? Tai who stood at street corners, fearlessly distributing leaflets that took up the gauntlet where the media had dropped it. Tai who

was incarcerated by that regime and denied even the medication for his asthmatic condition? Tai did not ask to be sent for treatment overseas; all he asked was his traditional medicine that had proved so effective after years of struggle with asthma! Nor must we omit the manner of Buhari coming to power and the pattern of his corrective rule. Shagari’s NPN had already run out of steam and was near universally detested except of course by the handful that still benefited from that regime of profligacy and rabid fascism. Responsibility for the national condition lay squarely at the door of the ruling party, obviously, but against whom was Buharis coup staged? Judging by the conduct of that regime, it was not against Shagaris government but against the opposition. The head of government, on whom primary responsibility lay, was Shehu Shagari. Yet that individual was kept in cozy house detention in Ikoyi while his powerless deputy, Alex Ekwueme, was locked up in Kiri-kiri prisons. Such was the Buhari notion of equitable apportionment of guilt and/or responsibility. And then the cascade of escapes of the wanted, and culpable politicians. Manhunts across the length and breadth of the nation, roadblocks everywhere and borders tight as steel zip locks. Lo and behold, the chairman of the party, Chief Akinloye, strolled out coolly across the border. Richard Akinjide, Legal Protector of the ruling party, slipped out with equal ease. The Rice Minister, Umaru Dikko, who declared that Nigerians were yet to eat from dustbins – escaped through the same airtight dragnet. The clumsy attempt to crate him home was punishment for his ingratitude, since he went berserk when, after waiting in vain, he concluded that the coup had not been staged, after all, for the immediate consolidation of the party of extreme right-wing vultures, but for the military hyenas. The case of the overbearing Secretary-General of the party, Uba Ahmed, was even more noxious. Uba Ahmed was out of the country at the time. Despite the closure of the Nigerian airspace, he compelled the pilot of his plane to demand special landing permission, since his passenger load included the almighty Uba Ahmed. Of course, he had not known of the change in his status since he was airborne. The delighted airport commandant, realizing that he had a much valued fish swimming willingly into continued on p(48)

The APC camp is unrelenting. It has decided that come rain or shine, the 72year old ex-general must make Aso Rock on May 29. A certificate or something that approximates that has been shown to put paid to debates on whether or not the party’s flag bearer in the February 14 presidential election is educated to a level of becoming Nigeria’s president. In effect, all things being equal, it has been agreed that Buhari is good enough in all measurements to preside over Nigeria, the most populous and biggest economy in Africa, otherwise known as Giant of Africa in the 21st century. There is little more to add. Some people are saying it is in order to try a school certificate holder or school certificate attempted and a grand old man since the PhD holder and the young man that has been running for six good years has performed below installed capacity. Jonathan himself is the cause of these wild speculations. There is a saying in Yoruba that the hawk will lose its essence if it fails to catch chicken. And as essential as salt is, it will become white sand if it loses its taste. What I am saying is that power, especially in this part of the world, is created to be exercised not to be incubated. Maybe the narrative would have changed significantly if Jonathan had tried to come out as a Nigerian head of state, something in the mould of Olusegun Obasanjo. His gentility and attempt to be democratic when he should be rough and dictatorial have not helped him at all. Even his best weapon – the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) – in this political war of attrition was not put to effective use. He has lost the purpose for which former President Obasanjo created the EFCC. If the commission had been appropriately applied, his arch-rival in next month’s presidential election, General Mohammadu Buhari would have been probably running around trying to clear himself of alleged misappropriation of N26billion of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) under him. He would not have the time and presence of mind to jump from one state capital to another campaigning to unseat Jonathan as president. Under Obasanjo, no Aminu Tambuwal would have come from nowhere to become the House Speaker against the supreme will of Baba. He would have asked for the head of the little rascal to be brought to him on a platter of wood and he

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

would pay the cost even if it meant sinking the National Assembly under the weight of Ghana-Must-Go bags. That is the way of politics in Nigeria and everywhere too. The end has a way of justifying the means almost always. But Jonathan is a gentleman. He allows the means to condition the end. He has said so many times that his ambition to remain President is not worth any bloody fight. That was why after months of sustained pummeling, Tambuwal so easily moved to the opposition to continue the onslaught against Jonathan and the PDP. The President has maintained the infuriating stance that nothing, including his political survival is worth a good fight. Tambuwal is still the House Speaker in spite of President Jonathan. I do not know of any other democracy in the world where the minority party produces the leadership of the legislature. Also, when a certain Mallam El Rufai was chased out of town under President Umaru Shehu Yar’Adua, Jonathan came fully on board to relax the conditions for his return. Now the hunted Mallam has completed a full circle and among the pack of ruthless hounds hunting Jonathan with a real threat of making a meal of him on February 14. This is the way the gentle crumbles in Nigerian politics. I can say for sure that the dirty game of politics does not have a dirtier and more brutal outlook than it has in Nigeria. And until something snaps to create a new template, its players must attend the Baba Olusegun Obasanjo School of Politics as a precondition. In effect, Jonathan needs another PhD from the OBJ academy to do good business in the Nigerian political environment. Roughness is the subjective factor in the power calculus. Without it, other factors cannot add up to tilt the scales. It is not enough to be knowledgeable, urbane, visionary, passionate and all of the ttributes that constitute a virtuous scale. When all of these are assured, an effective player must exchange a certain percentage, say

50, of his milk stock for bile to sharpen the Machiavellian instincts needed on the field of play. Jonathan has consistently missed this point and it is almost too late to return to it. For now, he can only pray that since the universe is on the side of truth and justice, things should happen in a manner on February 14 to set the bad records straight. And the record is that the APC which is loaded with rough necks and rabble rousers, from Lagos to Sokoto and from Maiduguri to Port Harcourt, saw early enough this unusual desire of Jonathan to be the only good man in Sodom and Gomorrah and capitalized on same to make life very uncomfortable for the Bayelsa born President. It would seem that while Goodluck Jonathan was lost in cloud seven conceptualising a new Nigeria where politics would be played without rough tackles, the opposition only carefully processed the playing field and returned with the verdict that the rules could not be changed in 2015 and whoever that was attempting to rework the rules should be tagged clueless and a weakling who must be changed going forward. Nothing was done to straighten issues when this scenario of a weakling was being created and foisted. It was condoned instead in the false hope of building a new political order. For instance, is it not truly a mark of weakness for a Nigerian President to declare a state of emergency in any part of the federation without dismantling the existing regional political structures to make for freer federal access to contain such emergency? Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa did not spare the regional government in 1964 when he imposed emergency rule in the former Western Region. And when Obasanjo did his in Plateau and Ekiti States, both governors were sacked. But Jonathan imposed emergency rule in the three states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa without sacking the governors. It is counting against him because these same governors are part of the crowd causing him sleeplessness. What he would have done to show strength and sleep well was to sack the three state governments and begin immediately a military air campaign to level all the cities, towns and villages with the faintest presence of Boko Haram. That is how to become a strong leader with a lot of clues in Nigeria. Obasanjo did so in Odi in Bayelsa State continued on p(50)

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Nigeria: Challenge Arena Game Show Debuts continued from p(11) consist of eight (8) contestants referred to as “Challengers.” The Challengers compete against each other in a quiz, where they must as many questions as they can within the span of 15 minutes. A computer program will score and rank the Challengers based on their speed and accuracy in answering the questions, according to the show’s Executive Producer and Project Manager, Wale Adegboyega. Those interested have three (3) unique options for participating in the game show. Option one (1) allows prospective participants to become part of the Live Studio Challenger by texting “LIVE GAME, “Your Name,” “Your Location,” to SMS code 35815. Shortlisted submissions are contacted by phone to the number provided at the time of the contestant introduction. Option 2 allows prospective participants to become part of the Home Challenger program. Simply text “HOME GAME, “Your Name,” “Your Location” to SMS code 35815. Similar to option one (1), shortlisted contest submissions are contacted by phone at the number provided at the time of the contestant submission (questions are displayed on the television’s screen). Option three (3) allows prospective participants to become part of the Online Challenger program. Simply text “WEB GAME” to SMS code 35815. The PIN number provided gives the participant/contestant access to play the game online.

The Challenge Area game show is set to broadcast over a period of 13 weeks and will air January 2015 across Nigeria. Some stations carrying the game show are LTV 8 and MiTV, (DSTV, GOTV, STARTIMES) STY Benin, CRTV Calabar, RSTV Port Harcourt, BCOS Ibadan, KSMC Kaduna. A media group associated with Boko Haram has published two images revealing child soldiers in a military training camp in North-East Nigeria, according to Newsweek magazine. The organisation, alUrwa al-Wuthaqa, shows the children dressed in dark clothes with their heads covered with garments. In one photo, the children are seeing aiming their guns while in another they are posing with their weapons. The Long War Journal claimed that both young girls and boys were present in the photos, while some were holding AK47 assault rifles, others were holding cut-outs of weapons. According to Max Abrahms, professor of political science at the Northwestern University and member at the Council of Foreign Relations, Boko Haram uses child soldiers in order to boost its membership. “Terrorist organisations have power in numbers; the more members in the group, the greater its capability. There is a correlation between the membership size of a terrorist group and its ability to inflict bloodshed. Terrorist groups will often try to amass the most members as possible

even if they’re young boys or girls,” he said. Andrew Noakes, coordinator of the Nigeria Security Network, said the group had been struggling to recruit fighters, having “started alienating local people across northeast Nigeria with their brutal tactics.” He said, “To fill the gap they’ve turned to recruiting children and recruiting in neighbouring countries. “Boko Haram often uses its child soldiers and other forced recruits to form the first wave of an attack, before sending in the more experienced fighters to finish off operations.” Abrahms also believed that because the group had ambitions of creating an eternal caliphate, in the same vein as the ISIS, it had been indoctrinating children in the hope that its message would be continued by the young soldiers. “(ISIS) has ambitions in building up a caliphate for eternity. I think Boko Haram shares this aspiration certainly in Nigeria and the indoctrination of youths is important not just for fielding an army against the Nigerian military, but also breeding a future generation of like-minded sympathisers,” he said. A number of other terrorist organisations have resorted to using child soldiers to boost their numbers. ISIS had previously released videos of children training at a combat camp, where they were seen being beaten by their instructor and taught how to use a gun. Osun Defender

What is Numerology? By M. Bond Numerology studies the influence that numbers have on our lives. Through the observation of these numbers you can learn about your relationships, your health, your career, or you can shed light on any number of situations that may occur during the year. It incorporates a range of psychology, science, and philosophy, to guide us through our lives and give us a better understanding of our personalities.Numbers contain the potential for many, many different experiences both negative and positive. Each number contains spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical elements that can be found in many dif-

ferent places at home, in the office, or even in your name. When you begin to use these numbers within numerology, you will begin to understand the patterns and cycles occurring around you. This will help you to a better understand the situations that are happening in your life.

DATE OF BIRTH AND YOUR BIRTH NAMES The date of your birth and the names on your birth certificate, or the names you were first known as, carry the most significance and have the most influence over your life.

JP Found Guilty Of Sexual Harassment Once Again continued from p(11) her up and down with his eyes, she wanted to turn on him and ask him what he was doing, but then she thought that it would be a suicide for her career. Four complaints made against him claimed that Massiah invited them into his chamber when he was in different states of undress. According to the review panel’s written decision this was an inappropriate and offensive conduct which resulted in poisoned environment for the female staff working at the court. Some court staff and prosecutors said that they lost their confidence in Massiah as a judicial officer after seeing his conduct towards the female defendants in court. An allegation was made that he would leer at female defendants; look them up and down in a sexual way as they walked away. However, Massaih rejected all the allegations during his testimony at the hearing. Ernest Guiste, Mas-

The exact time and date on which you first enter the world brings with it an alignment of energies that are available to you. You can essentially use these energies and determine the maximum potential in your life. Your date of birth reveals two very significant numbers, your personality number and your life path number. YOUR PERSONALITY AND LIFE PATH NUMBERS Your personality number is found by adding up the date of the day you were born on, so for instance if you were born on the 26th of May, you would add up the 2 and 6 to get 8. This number then gives you the psychological pattern of your behaviour and grants you an insight into your personality. Your life path number is found by adding up the whole date of your birth so for example, if you were born on 26th November, 1988, you would add the day (26) and the month together (November, 11) to get 27. Then you would add the single digits of the year of your birth together (1988) 1+9+8+8 which would be 26. Then you add those two numbers together to get 53 (27+26),

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

Justice of Peace Errol Massiah

siah’s lawyer said that the later was very disappointed in the decision. Guiste did make any more comments as the disciplinary process was ongoing. The review panel said that Massiah’s denials were unconvincing and his demeanor and his testimony at the time of testifying resembled a man who is arrogant and who perceives him to be appealing to women. Massaih worked previously as an investigator for the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Opposing council argued that this job should have taught him the legal principles prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace. In 2012 Massiah faced similar accusations

and lastly you add both single digits, so your life path number would be 8 (5+3). This reveals the bigger picture about the purpose of your life and contains the deeper understanding of the elements of your soul. YOUR KARMA OR WISDOM NUMBER Your karma number, or wisdom number as it is often referred, can enlighten you to information about past lives and lessons you may need to learn in this life. To calculate your karma number you need to translate your whole name into numbers. This is done by assigning each letter in the alphabet a number of between 1 and 9 so for example, 1=A, 2=B, 3=C, 4=D and so on, until you reach the number 9 and then you start again at 1. Once you have the whole alphabet, you then take each letter of your name and add up the numbers you have aligned with that letter. Remember that when working out any of your personal numbers you must add them up, until they are a single digit, so your Karma number will always be between 1 and 9. PERSONAL YEAR CYCLES

from Oshawa court staff where one clerk claimed that he said, “damn girl, where did the figure come from?” and another one said “any time you want to see me with my shirt off, just let me know.” Massiah was suspended for 10 days without pay and was ordered to attend gender sensitivity training courses. In 2013, after the second hearing at court, he challenged the panel’s earlier decision in the Supreme Court. However, his application was dismissed and he was ordered to pay $35,000 to cover the legal costs of the council. Massiah filed 6 motions during the recent hearing, with one claiming the panel had no jurisdiction to continue and that there were abuses in the process. Messiah is yet to be disciplined for his actions in the latest hearing which is scheduled for March. He can face warning, more training courses, suspension for up to 30 days or a recommendation to the attorney general that he be removed from office.

Personal year cycles run in 9-year patterns, starting on your birthday and running until your following birthday, over a 9-year span. They are very important because they influence the kind of experiences that you may have during each specific year and can be positive or negative. To calculate your personal year cycles you need to take the year of your last birthday, the day and month of your birth, and add them together until you are left with a single number. There are simple generalizations that can be applied to the personal year cycles. For instance, if the year cycle is a 1 then it is about a new direction, maybe moving from one career path to the next or changing perspective on an important situation in our live OBSERVING THE NUMBERS Once you begin to be aware of the natural cycle of the numbers, and the influence they have on our lives, you can begin to understand the events and situations that are occurring around you. Then you will be able to really lead a happy, healthy, and successful life.

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Flamborough Man Pleaded Guilty In Caribbean Hotel Ponzi Scheme By Dele Akintilo

The scam at Sun Village resort allegedly involved diversion of $70 million involvement in a Ponzi scheme which involved Dominican Republic’s vacation resorts, a man from Flamborough has been scheduled to face a sentencing hearing in February, 2015. The man, whose name is Derek Elliott, a 44 year old man, has earlier been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud. He however pleaded guilty as far as the charge is concerned after reaching a plea

agreement with prosecutors. Elliott has been penciled down for a sentencing hearing on February 25, 2015 in a San Francisco court. Based on his nature of his case, the stiffest penalty Elliott could face is 20 years in prison and a fine that will be twice the value of the fraud he committed. Part of the plea agreement involves Elliott to provide evidence against a Nevada businessman, James Catledge, who happens to be Elliot’s case mate in respect of the fraudulent act. James Catledge is faced with one count charge of

ica.

Derek Elliott

conspiracy to commit mail fraud and three countcharge of mail fraud in the scheme, which had to do with unlawful diversion of fund in the region of $70 million from over 1,000 investors across North Amer-

Catledge who was an important donor to the United States Republican party and the unsuccessful presidential campaigns of Republican’s Mitt Romney and John McCain has been has had his virtues been highly extolled and has been branded as an investment guru. California assistant district attorney in San Francisco, Rob Rees, refused to comment on the case. Elliott was brought up in Carlisle and served in the restaurant business and real estate prior to him pitching

tent with his father, Frederick, who since the late 1980s begun developing properties in the Dominican Republic. Sun Village Resort & Spa which is the duo’s first resort was located in Cofresi, the northern part of Puerto Plata’s city centre. The Elliots acquired an abandoned Sheraton hotel on the beachfront in Juan Dolio, about 40 kilometres to the east of Santo Domingo, the capital, on the country’s south shore in late 2004 and they put a plan in place to turn the former 268-room Sheraton into a high-end resort.

Court documents however have revealed that investors in the Dominican vacation resort bought a product which was significantly a time-share arrangement for the resort property. The investors were informed that according to projections, the product should yield them a guaranteed annual rate of return of 7 to 10 per cent, remitted quarterly, over a minimum period of five years and according to the prosecution, nearly $70 million of investors’ money was illegally diverted to commissions and other projects instead.

12 and under ride free, 10 cents plus regular fare for everyone else By D. Downes GREAT FOR PEOPLE WITH CHILDREN Elected Toronto Mayor, John Tory, recently made a public announcement that the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) would roll out a new initiative, allowing children 12 and under to ride the TTC for free.

The new program, slated for the beginning of March 2015, will remove previously sold tickets for children, which were 60 cents. However, the 60-cent tickets will still be available for sale, until the new program comes into effect. MOST THINGS COME WITH A PRICE TAG Allowing children

12 and under to ride free, will come at a cost. For teenager and adult fares, TTC riders should expect a 10-cent hike starting the beginning of March 2015, as well. Although, the 10cent hike will not affect fares paid in cash. For now, it appears riding the Rocket will remain at $3.00. 10-CENT FARE HIKE

WILL GENERATE MILLIONS The new program, Tory has stated, will create revenue for Toronto, to the tune of approximately $43 million. The City also intends on providing a $95 million capital injection into the city’s main transportation resource (TTC) . HIKES IN CRITICISM FOR MAYOR TORY

With fare hikes looming, Mayor Tory is criticized for breaking promises he made during his election campaign. “Once I was fully briefed on everything that was going on…. What I learned more than everything else is that we have to get this city moving…. I have made a difficult choice in the past few weeks that we simply cannot

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freeze fares and have a functioning transit system in this city…. Smart Track (will not) be ready for (seven) years, and we need to do something now to get our city moving….“ Mayor Tory has said. The program still requires approval of Toronto’s city council, but Mayor Tory is confident the program will proceed as planned.

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HISTORY HISTORY OF IRAN By Barnabas Oka Technically, Iran came into existence March 21, 1935 when the ancient name of the nation was changed from Persia to Iran during the rule of Reza Shah Pahlavi. Today’s Iranians continue to revere their ancient heritage, have retained much of their indigenous culture and continue to speak their native language of Farsi while almost the entire rest of the Islamic world now speaks Arabic. This article will provide an overview of both Persian and Iranian history. Ancient Persia was consolidated under the rule of Cyrus in the sixth century BCE. By the end of that century, the Persian Empire stretched from northern Greece on the west, the Caucasus Mountains on the north, the Indus River to the east and south through present-day Syria, Lebanon and Israel and encompassed all of Egypt. The Arabian Peninsula was the only part of the Middle East outside of the Persian Empire, which now included all of the ancient Middle Eastern empires and a substantial portion of that of the Greeks. The rule of the Persians was benevolent by ancient standards. The Hebrew Book of Isaiah reflects this, as does the return of the Israelites from the Babylonian captivity and the tolerance shown by the Persians for native cultures and beliefs throughout the Empire. Following conquest, the Persians ruled by taxation and military alliance. The Persian Empire was effectively dismembered by the invasion of Alexander the Great in the fourth century BCE and his imposition of rulers appointed by him throughout the regions of the Persian Empire. Following the demise of the Hellenistic civilization that followed Alexander’s conquests, the Middle East came under the domination of the Roman Empire, with whom the Persians fought a succession of inconclusive wars until the rise of the Sassanian Dynasty in the third century CE. The Sassanids eventually re-conquered most of the old Persian Empire but this did not occur until shortly before the final conquest of Persia by the Arabs, under the banner of Islam, in 651. The ancient religion of Persia through the time of the Sassanids was Zoroastrianism, whose formulation of the single god and of morality, Heaven and

Hell were to profoundly influence Judaism and then Christianity and Islam. Following the fall of the Sassanids and the Islamic conquest, the land of Persia fell to a succession of Asiatic conquerors and into a period during which its unity could only be defined by religion and geography, not by politics. Persia was again unified in the early 16th century with the rise of the Safavid Empire, founded by Ismail I. Ismail I claimed to be descended from Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed, and introduced the Shiite, or Shi’a interpretation of Islam to Persia. This was to prove to be one of the most important events in Persian, and later Iranian, history. It was during the latter years of the Safavid Dynasty that Persia began to establish significant military and commercial relationships with Europe, notably with Russia and England. The Safavid Dynasty remained in power through the reign of Abbas III, which ended in 1736. The Safavids enjoyed many notable military achievements but many reversals as well. Abbas III was succeeded by Nadir Shah, founder of the Zand Dynasty. Nadir Shah was an ethnic Turk and follower of Sunni Islam. Nadir Shah failed in his effort to repress Shi’aism. Nadir Shah’s rule, as well as the 50 years that followed, can be considered a period of anarchy. The nearly 50 years following the assassination of Nadir Shah in 1747 was dominated by tribal warfare and wars of succession. The dynasty ended in 1794 when Lutf Ali khan was killed by his rivals. Persia’s involvement in the politics, wars and commerce of Europe increased dramatically with the rise to power of the Kajar Dynasty in 1794. The English fear of Russian encroachments toward India produced a military alliance with England in 1814. This treaty was preceded by the Persians defeat by the Russians in 1813, resulting in significant territorial losses. The Persians lost still more territory to the Russians in 1828. Extensive financial and military reforms were begun during the reign of Nasir Ud-Din, who came to power in 1848. These were only partially realized due to internal dissension within the government. During this time the Russians began to drive the

Persians from Central Asia and the Persians successfully made war on Afghanistan, taking Heart in 1856. The Persian success in Afghanistan prompted the English to declare war on Persia, resulting in the independence of Afghanistan and eventually English domination of the Persian Gulf. The religious tolerance shown to Jews and Zoroastrians in Persia, with ancient roots in Persia’s glorious past, was not extended to the new interpretation of Islam known as Babism. Followers of Babism were persecuted and their founder executed in 1850. Most Babists fled to Turkey where a new leader, Baha Ulla, reinterpreted Babism into a somewhat less Islamic faith now known as Baha’i. There was serious political unrest under during the Kajar Dynasty as well. Persia was incurring growing indebtedness to both Russia and England, as those two powers contended for ever-increasing influence in Persia. Opposition to the growing foreign influence prompted a popular uprising, which caused the shah to convene a national assembly, or majlis. The first majlis drew up a liberal constitution and Persia became, in effect, a constitutional monarchy in October 1906. Two years of reactionary disregard of the majlis followed the ascension of Mohammed Ali Shah, also in 1907. The reaction ended with the assassination of the shah’s chief minister, followed later that same year by an agreement between Russia and England according to which northern Persia was essentially declared a Russian sphere of influence and southern Persia an English sphere. Central Persia was left open to exploitation by either country. The shah attempted two coups, with the second succeeding in 1908; many liberal leaders were killed. The year 1909 also proved momentous in modern Persian history. The completion of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company’s pipeline made Persia a leading producer of that staple resource. The shah was deposed by a tribal leader in defense of the constitutional monarchy and the 12-year old son of Mohammed Ali Shah became the puppet ruler. The Russians invaded northern Persia in 1911 following their unsuccessful backing of an attempted coup by the ex-shah. The majlis was closed by

a group of politicians at year’s end who governed a Russian-dominated Persia until the outbreak of World War I three years later. Persia’s declared neutrality in World War I was ineffectual as Russia entered Persia to counter German influence and then to defeat the Turks who were advancing from Mesopotamia. British forces were also active in Persia, first against the Germans who threatened from the north and then against Russian Bolshevik forces who, it was feared, desired India. Persian forces repulsed Turkish thrusts from the south on two occasions. The Persians sent a delegation to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 to seek the repeal of the spheres of influence and the restoration of lost territories. The delegation was not recognized and Persia received no concessions. Internally, Persia was in virtual anarchy but retained its independence and autonomy, unlike most nations of the Middle East. A treaty with the British in1919 sought to restore order and give Britain a leading role in Persia. The treaty fostered widespread resentment and the majlis did not ratify it. On February 21, 1921 Reza Khan led a successful coup d’etat and established a new government. What had been a gradual and often reluctant assimilation into a European-dominated world shifted into overdrive under Reza Khan. Within 15 few years, Persia negotiated the Russian withdrawal from all of Persia. The shah, Ahmad, left the country and never returned. The semiautonomous southwest was subdued despite its ties to Britain and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. A security treaty with Turkey and Afghanistan was signed; later a non-aggression treaty between these nations as well as Iraq was concluded. A national bank was established, as was a French-styled judicial system. The gold standard was adopted. The Trans-Persian Railway was completed. Standard Oil of California was granted a concession. The longstanding claim to Britishprotected Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, with its Shi’a majority and but Sunni autocracy, was renewed. A Persian navy was created. In 1925, the majlis formally declared the old shah deposed and declared Reza Khan shah, with the title Reza Shah Pahlavi. Significantly and despite

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

his efforts to Westernize Persia, Reza Shah Pahlavi made no effort to reduce or threaten the power of Islam in the nation. Reflecting this turn toward a new order in a larger world, Persia changed its name to Iran in 1935. Iranian neutrality in World War II ended in 1941 when British and Russian forces invaded. Reza Shah abdicated and was succeeded by his son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. An American military presence was also established during the war as the Allies utilized both Iran natural resources – oil – and the logistical advantages of its location. Under Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Iranian ties with the United States became very strong in the face of the threat posed by the Soviet Union. The same was true in Turkey. Iran also joined the Britishsponsored Baghdad Pact as the Cold War re-shaped regional diplomacy. Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi largely remained outside the ArabIsraeli confrontation and with enormous American assistance, created a large, modern military, focused not only on the defense of Iran but with an eye toward rapid deployment anywhere in the Persian Gulf region, despite not pressing the traditional claim on Bahrain. The new, and last, Shad deeply distrusted the power of the Islamic clergy who in turn, were increasingly vocal in their opposition to the Westernization of Iranian society, a society which was becoming increasingly divided along traditionalist and modernist lines. At the same time, the Shah sought to solidify his power by the brutal suppression of political and religious dissent. Religious opposition to the Shah became the rallying point of antiShah sentiment in Iran. The Ayatollah Khomeini, from his exile in France, provided de facto leadership and a continuity of the revolutionary message. Khomeini’s role in consolidating the opposition also ensured the religious nature of the revolution. General strikes and the sheer numbers of the opposition compelled the Shah to flee Iran in 1979. Khomeini returned and the Islamic Republic of Iran came into being. An ensuing bloodbath removed thousands of suspected and actual supporters of the Shah and members of his government, military ad police. Western influ-

ences and practices were equally suppressed and the word of the archly conservative religious leadership became law. Anti-Westernism was directly particularly against the United States, who had long supported the Shah as an ally in its Cold War confrontation with the Soviet Union. An Iranian mob seized the American Embassy in the early days of the revolution and held its staff prisoners for over a year. Anti-Americanism and a virulently anti-Israeli foreign policy became official dogma. Iran went to war with Iraq in 1980. Iran’s anti-Westernism resulted in Iraq receiving strong financial support from the wealthy oil-producing Arab states and military aid from the United States. The war lasted eight years and claimed millions of lives. It was ostensibly fought over Iraq’s desire to control the strategic Shatal-Arab waterway, oil-rich and providing access to the Persian Gulf. It has also been seen as a contest between Islamic secularism and revivalism, and as a contest between Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and Khomeini. Many saw the war as an attempt by Iran to export Islamic fundamentalism and the empowerment of oppressed Shiites throughout the region. Internal rivalries between Sunnis and Shiites never came into play in either country; nationalistic patriotism drove both. The enormous slaughter led to a peace in which most observers felt that Iraq gained slightly more than Iran. Today, Iran remains under the rule of the Islamic Revolution. Pro-democracy elements in Iran challenged the election held in 2009, resulting in even harsher suppression of dissent. Iran has ties to Syria and to the anti-Israeli force Hamas but is otherwise largely isolated in world affairs, though seen as a dangerous and destabilizing influence in the region. Many of the Gulf nations contain majority Shi’a populations, whom Iran sees as oppressed by the political, often autocratic, dominance of Sunni governments. Of particular concern to the international community on all sides is the possibility that Iran is developing a nuclear military capability and the means of delivering it. Iran’s post-Khomeini leadership has repeatedly called for the annihilation of Israel and even denied the reality of the Holocaust.

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STATE NEWS Hisbah bursts gay marriage in Kano By Abdulsalam Muhammad

KANO – Kano Hisbah Command has scuttled ‘wedding’ of two men in their twenties and detained the groom. The Commander, Hisbah Sharia Guard, Sheik Aminu Daurawa told reporters in Kano that the bride in the illegal union was at large. Daurawa, while parading the suspected groom, Faruk Maiduguri alongside fourteen others that were at the venue of the botched event, said that the Sharia Corp act-

ed on intelligence report. Daurawa revealed that operatives of the Hisbah swooped on the men at a recreational resort in Dawakin Kudu local government area. The Hisbah Commander disclosed that “we got intelligence report that some youth, all men were planing a wedding of two of their friends, and that Faruk and Abba (bride) who is on the run had under the guise of celebrating Faruk’s birthday sent out invitation on WhatsApp and printed out cards that friends should join them in the epoch-making event.”

Sheik Daurawa stated that, save for the timely intervention of his men, Faruk and his friends would have been lynched by irate youth of the adjourning community when the news of illegal union filtered to the neighbourhood. In a chat with Reporters, the suspected homosexual, Faruk denied getting married to Abba. He said that they were at the venue to celebrate his birthday and that he is not a homosexual as being accused by men of the Hisbah board. -Vanguard

Diabetes Week in Ogoniland: More than 2,500 cases found By S. Ratko As the Diabetes Week is being marked worldwide, Senator Lee Maeba Foundation and a Non-Governmental Organization collaborated with Diabetes Association of Nigeria and University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) to provide free screenings to about 2,500 beneficiaries in Ogoniland, Rivers State. They provided free Blood Pressure and diabetes screenings with treatments, too. The Senator Lee Maeba foundation has also been providing a lot for indignant members of the Nigerian society. It provided and distributed free drugs to small rural communities in the state, including treatments and free eye testing’s in Bori all, Garrison and Borokiri in Rivers State. Niger Delta Report attended the Bori intervention and wrote how some of the beneficiaries expressed their happiness. They said that the long-lasting health issues have finally received due attention thanks to the foundation's intervention. Beneficiary Mr. Samuel Kporbari said: “I have not been going for treatment since I was diagnosed of diabetes because there is no money. But the doctors that came here today have given me some drugs and advised me on the kind of foods that I should be eating and some that I should reduce. I prayed that God should bless the organizer of the programme and give him more grace to continu-

ously bear the burdens of the less-privileged in the society.” Another beneficiary, Mr. Celestine Viula decided to thank the Senator: “A marmot crowd came for the exercise and have taken drugs. The Honorable Senator in his benevolence brought health care service to our door step today. The project is so good and very beneficial to the people. The project is good and should be encouraged. I want to say a big thank you to the Honorable Senator for this good work. This has shown that if we vote for him in the forthcoming election and he wins he will have us at heart.”: “A marmot crowd came for the exercise and have taken drugs. The Honorable Senator in his benevolence brought health care service to our door step today. The project is so good and very beneficial to the people. The project is good and should be encouraged. I want to say a big thank you to the Honorable Senator for this good work. This has shown that if we vote for him in the forthcoming election and he wins he will have us at heart.” Barina Kogbara was delighted by this gesture by the Senator: “I heard the advert over the radio yesterday; I thought it will be in Port Harcourt. But when I got to Bori this morning somebody told me to come here that the programme is on. When I came down the medical team was already on ground, they tested me and the test showed that

the sugar level has reduced, so I was asked to go with some free drugs that could take care of my health. I know that these drugs can be found in the market but the poor people do not have money to buy them. This gesture by the Senator has reduced cost on the helpless people of the area. I am happy that a thing like this is happening at this time. ” Mrs. Love Nugha was happy because drugs were free. She said: “I got a hand bill when I came to the market, that medical team will be coming to Bori. When I came here the doctor that I meet asked me to go and run test after that they gave me drug. I will go home and try the drugs. I am happy with them because everything was free and less stressful. I pray that this drug should cure me because I am down.” Siabe Dum Eluanwi, State Coordinator of D'Network, an NGO working together with the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, said: “What is happening here today is to the amazement of everyone who has visited. The people have come out in their numbers to benefit from the benevolence of our son, Senator Lee Maeba.” He also said that over 2,500 people benefited from this project and added: “We are very much happy. I have never seen this kind of gesture in Ogoni before. I am happy that my people are today getting solutions to the problem that has been with them for years. If this kind of pro-

INEC disqualifies 7 gov candidates …For failing to nominate running mates ..Declares Reps candidate winner for not having opponent.. By Joseph Erunke

ABUJA—THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has declared the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP candidate for Ado/Opoku/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency in Benue State, Christian Adabah Abah, as winner of the February 14, 2015 general elections. INEC also disqualified seven governorship candidates from various parties from participating in the February 28 governorship election for failing to nominate their running mates. Explaining reasons for declaring Abah winner for the election that was yet to hold, INEC said it was because he (Abah) is the sole candidate seeking election into the House of Represen-

tative election. These were contained in INEC’s daily bulletin on the election yesterday, saying that the common offence of the governorship candidates was their inability to nominate their running mates. In a Decision Extract signed by the Director (Commission’s Secretariat), Ishiaku Gali, INEC has also approved that the House of Representatives election in Ado/Opoku/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State, being uncontested, the nominated candidate should be declared elected on the day of the election by the Returning Officer,” adding that, “Section 41 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) provides that: If after expiration of time for delivering of nomination papers, withdrawal of candidates and the extension of time as provided for in this Act, there is only one person whose name is validly nominated in respect of an election, other than to

the office of the President or Governor, that person shall be declared elected.” The parties and the states affected by the disqualification according to the INEC, are the Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN, in Delta State; Labour Party, LP, in Niger State and the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, in Ogun State. Others are the Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, in Oyo state; United Democratic Party, UDP, in Rivers State; and Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM, in Sokoto and Zamfara states respectively. The commission said: “Section 187 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) provides that a candidate to the office of a Governor shall not be deemed to be validly nominated for such office unless he appoints another candidate as his running mate who shall occupy the office of Deputy Governor.’’

Ogun confirms outbreak of bird flu in Ota, Sagamu, others

A B E O K U TA — T h e Ogun State government yesterday confirmed the outbreak of Avian Influenza otherwise known as H5N1 and also known as bird flu. The state commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs Ronke Sokefun while addressing newsmen said samples from Sango, Sagamu and Ifo live birds market tested positive to the highly pathogenic bird flu. She said samples of birds taken from another poultry farm on ObalendeIkangba Road in Odogbolu Local Government area of the state had tested positive. Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, had on January 21 in

newspaper reports, l isted Ogun State as one of the seven states harbouring the bird flu virus. According to him, the discovery was made after a state-wide surveillance and live bird market decontamination exercise initiated along the border towns of Sango, Ifo, Akute, Sagamu, and Mowe-Ibafo axis, consid-

ering their nearness to Lagos. She said: “Other markets in Abeokuta, Ijebu Ode, Ilaro and Ayetoro were not left out.” She said the samples were sent to the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, near Jos in Plateau State. Meanwhile, the state chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria, Dr. Olalekan Odunsi, however, said there was no cause for alarm. Dr. Odunsi said the association in conjunction with other neighbouring states had held stakeholders meeting on ways of containing the virus. He said: “We have sent SMS to our members on advocacy and the need for them to take preventive measures on their farms. “There is no need to panic. The areas affected are under surveillance.”

gramme continues our people will begin to live to ripe age. I commend the Senator and encourage him to continue to do this for his people of Rivers State.” Dr. Barinua Kekii Gbaranor, leader of the medical team in Ogoni, expressed his pleasure regarding the positive outcome and success of

the programme. He said that this program had a really strong and positive impact on the lives of the people in this region. Speaking at the event, doctor advised the people of Ogoni to be more health-conscious and visit medical institutions rather than relying on self-help. “I am very happy

that the Honorable Leader, Senator Lee Maeba has ensured that health care delivery gets to the grassroots, and I am glad to be part of this great project. From the turn up here today, it is clear that the people at the rural level lack the resources that will help them have a healthy living,” Dr. Gbaranor concluded.

No cause for alarm— Poultry Association By Daud Olatunji

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Mrs Ronke Sokefun

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BUSINESS

Canada goose takes full Minneapolis Based Retailer, Target Is Shutting Its Canadian Operation charge of Scarborough facility By U.Mirna

Target Canada Co. is the Canadian subsidiary of USA based discount department store chain Target Corporation, formed in the year 2011 to oversee the company’s operations in Canada. In 2011, Target took the leaseholds of 189 locations which are operated by Hudson’s Bay Company’s Zellers discount chain, with the intention of using 125 of these sites to open Target stores in 2013. The company’s first store opened in March 2013 and by October 22nd 2014 it had 133 stores. But this year Target made an announcement that it is closing all 133 stores in Canada. Target expanded into Canada 2 years ago, but struggled to make profits, and it conjured an estimated $2 billion losses. As a result of this the Minneapolis based retailer made an announcement that it is shutting down its operations in Canada, laying off 17,600 employees. The retailer has been losing money since its arrival in the country which was less

than two years ago, boldly venturing into its first expansion overseas. Target’s first international expansion has been an unmitigated disaster by all accounts. It tried to accomplish too much, too fast and with little thought, the result is a whooping loss of $billion loss. The retailer opened 124 stores at once in 2013. Instead of building its own real estate, it purchased leases on building which belonged to Zellers, which is a dying small retailer. The locations of this real estate were poorly configured and dumpy for Target’s big box layout and were in areas which were not frequented by middle class customers who are target customers of Target stores. But this too is not the real thing which hurt its sales. As its sales increased very fast, the company did not have time to develop a working supply chain in Canada. This left the stores short of merchandise and with empty shelves. The Canadian stores lacked the sales of the Target stores in the U.S. Target stores in Canada had reduced the choice of products and

higher prices than found in U.S., this lead to lack of sales. Target’s mistakes have caused hardships for thousands of Canadians. Target’s minimum wages were very low and it was very difficult to make ends meet. When profits did not meet their expectations, employee working hours were cut and it further added to the financial worries. Thousands of employees were even notified a year ago that they are no longer eligible for benefits. Target Canada filed for bankruptcy court protection from creditors, according to court documents which it filed at the Superior Court of Justice or it would not have been able to meet its employee’s payroll. Target had 133 stores at the time of liquidation. Target’s two new stores, Harbour Plaza condo project and Bayshore Shopping center were cancelled due to closure. Target then filed for bankruptcy. Zellers who was reserved to close with the arrival of Target in Canada in March, but is still an active retail banner in Canada while Target Canada is shutting down.

N1m diaspora’s scholarship for Ogun indigent students By Femi Shodunke

Indigent Egba and Yewa indigenes in higher institutions in Nigeria have cause to smile following the extension of the deadline on the N1 million scholarship fund instituted by their fellow brothers and sisters in diaspora. The Egba National Association (ENA) in US and Canada is giving out the princely money this year and had fixed the application deadline for January 31. But it has now been extended to February 13. No fewer than 20 students would benefit from this scheme which is available on the association’s website http://www.egbanationaluscanada.org/, the Chairman of the Scholarship Committee, Chief Rasak Ayoola Soetan, explained. But, while announcing the extension, the ENA Secretary General, Mr. Ramon Babatunde Solabi, stated that the decision was taken in order to give more opportunities to the applicants to meet the requirements of the

Rasak Ayoola Soetan application. “On behalf of the Scholarship Committee, we announce that the closing date of the 2015 Egba National Association scholarship award application submission has been extended till February 13, 2015,” Solabi stated in a release signed by the association’s Publicity Secretary, Mrs. Adesola Ayoola. According to the release, the ENA National Chairman, Chief Bola Amen, in conjunction with the ex-

ecutive, approved the extension and explained further that the gesture was part of the association’s contributions to reduce the level of illiteracy among their people in Nigeria. Similarly, the release added that the scholarship idea was also to support fellow indigenes who are in financial need in pursuance of higher education and to encourage younger ones to show more interest in education. It would be recalled that 14 students in various higher institutions in Nigeria benefitted from the maiden scheme last year, with the presentation of cheques to beneficiaries by the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo. The presentation was held during the last Lisabi Day in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital with the immediate past National Chairman, Chief Olutoyin Oladipo, in attendance. *Picture: Alhaji Bola Ameen,.... National Chairman, Egba National Association (ENA), US and Canada

By Dele Akintilo The producer of Luxury Parker, Canada Goose has acquired from its contractor (Grand Harbour Clothing) a manufacturing facility in Toronto region. The manufacturing facility which is 45,000 square foot in size is located in the Scarborough are of Toronto and is also the company’s second manufacturing plant in the area. The manufacturer of outdoor apparel reveals that the acquisition has increased its staff strength by 70 members and will increase efficiency by 25 percent. It is expected that Canada Goose will produce at the site its HyBridge Lite Collection which is a line of vests and lightweight jackets.

In a statement issued by Dani Reiss, the Company’s President and CEO, it was revealed that the company has a structure on ground that is tailored towards investment in new technologies and infrastructure to rebrand the facility. He said “I am proud to be leading the charge in

rebuilding apparel manufacturing infrastructure. This is an important investment that not only expands our footprint, but significantly increases productivity by transforming a great factory into a world-class manufacturing campus through innovative technologies and processes”.

Suncor To Reduce Job By 1,000 And Budget By $1 Billion By Dele Akintilo The largest Canadian Oil Company by market value, Suncor Energy Inc. has revealed plans to reduce its work force by 1,000 and decrease its capital expenditure by $1 Billion owing to the drastic reduction of crude oil prices. The company has however revealed that the job reduction when implemented will majorly affect the contractors and some

employees also. Suncor forecasted in November 2014 that capital expenditure for 2015 will range between 7.2 and 7.8 billion US dollars. As a result of the cut in capital spending, capital projects that have not been approved by the board of Suncor have been postponed. Such projects include MacKay River

expansion project and off the east coast White Rose development project. However, major projects that are currently in progress like the $13.5 billion Fort Hills Mine north of Fort McMurray, Alta., and the Hebron Field in off shore Newfoundland are being carried on. The crude oil prices benchmark of the United States settled at 45.89 US dollars recently, a price less than half of what it was in June 2014.

ity of care to their patients,” the statement from Yorkville said. The lawsuit claims that the doctors who performing Joan’s endoscopy, mishandled the procedure and then performed another one called laryngoscopy on Joan Rivers’ vocal cords without consent of the patient or the daughter. The anesthesiologist expressed her concerns over what could procedure do to the Rivers’ breathing, but she was told by Dr. Lawrence Cohen, the gastroenterologist who performed the endoscopy, that she is being “paranoid.” Doctor has resigned when the lawsuit was filled. “To put it mildly, we are not just disappointed by the acts and omissions leading to the death of Joan Rivers, but we are outraged by the lack of care and concern for Ms. Rivers on the

part of her treating physicians and the endoscopy center where the treatment was rendered,” stated Ben Rubinowitz and Jeffrey Bloom, Melissa Rivers’ attorneys. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service has ordered an investigation and found that the clinic had made several mistakes, including the snapping the cell phone photos and not keeping the proper medical documentation. It was also found that the clinic did not recorded the weight of Joan Rivers before getting her sedated and that they have failed at getting the informed consent for procedures from patients. The clinic has submitted a plan to fix the problems, but if changes are done or good enough by March 2, agency would revoke their accreditation.

continued from p(10) I have been through. The level of medical mismanagement, incompetency, disrespect and outrageous behavior is shocking and frankly, almost incomprehensible,” she said. Joan Rivers died of brain damage caused by lack of oxygen when she stopped breathing during the procedure. Official cause of her death was a “therapeutic complication.” This term is not very often in use; there are far more suicides, homicides, accidents or natural causes. There was no suspicion of negligence. If there was, it would have been listed as a contributing cause. “The Rivers family has, as it has always had, our deepest sympathies and condolences. The 51 physicians, nurses and staff who currently work at Yorkville remain firmly committed to providing the highest qual-

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by Jacqueline Woodson

by Kelly McGonigal

After years of watching her students struggling with their choices, health psychologist Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., realized that much of what people believe about willpower is actually sabotaging their success. Committed to sharing what the scientific community already knew about self-control, McGonigal created a course called “The Science of Willpower” for Stanford University’s Continuing Studies Program. The course was an instant hit and spawned the hugely successful Psychology Today blog with the same name. McGonigal’s book explains exactly what willpower is, how it works, and

Clover’s mom says it isn’t safe to cross the fence that segregates their AfricanAmerican side of town from the white side where Anna lives. But the two girls strike up a friendship, and get around the grownups’ rules by sitting on top of the fence ogether. why it matters. Readers will learn: • Willpower is a mindbody response, not a virtue. It is a biological function that can be improved through mindfulness, exercise, nutrition, and sleep. • People who have better control of their attention, emotions, and actions are healthier, happier, have more satisfying relationships, and make more money…… • Willpower is not an unlimited resource. Too much self-control can actually be bad for your health.

by Sharon Dennis Wyeth A little girl longs to see beyond the scary sights on the sidewalk and the angry scribbling in the halls of her building. When her teacher writes the word beautiful on the blackboard, the girl decides to look for something beautiful in her neighborhood. Her neighbors tell her about their own beautiful things. Miss Delphine serves her a “beautiful” fried fish sandwich at her diner. At Mr. Lee’s “beautiful” fruit store, he offers her an apple. Old Mr. Sims invites her to touch a smooth stone he always carries. Beautiful means “something that when you have it, your heart is happy,” the girl thinks……

by Dean Koontz In Innocence, Dean Koontz blends mystery, suspense, and acute insight into the human soul in a masterfully told tale that will resonate with readers forever. He lives in solitude beneath the city, an exile from society, which will destroy him if he is ever seen. She dwells in seclusion, a fugitive from enemies who will do her harm if she is ever found. But the bond between them runs deeper than the tragedies that have scarred their lives. Something more than chance—and nothing less than destiny— has brought them together in a world whose hour of reckoning is fast approaching.

As a young girl growing up in Kenya, Wangari was surrounded by trees. But years later when she returns home, she is shocked to see whole forests being cut down, and she knows that soon all the trees will be destroyed. So Wangari decides to do something—and starts by planting nine seedlings in her own backyard. And as they grow, so do her plans. ... This true story of Wangari Maathai, environmentalist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is a shining example of how one woman’s passion, vision, and determination inspired great change.

After losing both of her parents tragically Sophie is forced to drop out of college and support her two younger sisters. By chance she meets Ameer. He’s everything that she wants but doesn’t need. Married to not only the streets but to a woman as well. Sophie’s sees that Ameer is trouble from the start but she can’t seem to stay away from him. Ameer slides into Sophie’s life and changes things instantly. Some for the better and some for the worse. With an enemy determined to take Ameer and his family out trouble falls onto Sophie and the ones he loves. Ameer has a plan and good intentions but ……………

Chapter One - Johannesburg, SA, January 2004 “Funso called from London, England,” Paola said, not giving any impression to his voice. “Really? That’s interesting. Who was she calling for?” replied Kenny as flatly as he could, keeping his voice low. Paola took a sip of his regular hot chocolate, and looked in Kenny’s direction, “Who else, Kenny you keep pretending as if there is nothing between you and Funso, you like hiding behind a finger, don’t you?” Kenny used his index finger to scratch the right lower part of his head, no one could be sure whether he was reacting to the unfolding discussion where his lies are about to be exposed or he was reacting to the grey hair that seems to be increasing in his lower temples, giving im major concern. Just as Paola thought he had nailed Kenny and was about to expose him, Kenny sat up and said, “I really do not know who is telling lies in this house, Funso is my cousin not my girlfriend.

I am a Christian and I do not believe in the idea of polygamy, concubinage or keeping a mistress or mistresses. I am married and even though my wife is far away, it does not change the fact that I love her. What is the advantage anyway, of keeping a girl friend 5,000 miles away?

If I am interested in extramarital affairs, I will go out and get one right across the street, stop pestering my life.” “People really do not care how much you know until they know how much you care,” Paola teased. “What does that mean?” Kenny slightly erupted. “I mean.

What do you mean by that? I hate it when people make jest of my integrity.” “Did I hear you say integrity? Does that word exist in this timeand generation? This is why I argue with you. You are in the 1st century but you act like you are still in the Stone Age. Integrity died more than 40 centuries ago.

SOURCE: AMAZON.COM

No one in this age can claim to have an iota of integrity. Kenny stop deceiving yourself.” Paola said, determined to let Kenny know he is not in his school of thought on many issues. RiiiingRiiiing!!Riiiing!RiiiingRiiiing!! The phone rang. The double ring tone is an indication it’s a long distance call. Kenny guessed it must be Funso calling back. He did not want to give theimpression he was genuinely interested in the call so he was reluctant in answering the phone call or picking the

BOOKS AVAILABLE AT THE TORONTO & MISSISSAUGA PUBLIC LIBRARIES VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

hand set. Riiiing-Riiiing!! The phone rang again. Paola could not but laugh, “You will miss your mistress again, pick this phone.” Kenny really thought it was Funso calling, he ignored Paola’s sarcasm and went to pick up the phone. “Hello, can I help you you”, looking unimpressed he gently dropped the phone, as he walked back to his lazy chair where he was reading. “Its your call. I think it is from Nigeria or Kenya, I can’t figure out the caller.”

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Your children need your presence more than your presents” - Jesse Jackson If you’re interested in contributing to this page, please email: publisher@nigeriancanadiannews.ca

Happy New Year

May this year bring you and your household joy, peace, wealth and good health to enjoy life to the fulllest.

Please enjoy the articles below, educate yourself and send suggestions.

Stars in her Eyes Continued from the last issue By B. Sabeen Throwing caution to the wind, Selene ran towards the gate that stood at the other end of the park. She hoped to find some people on her way, but to her great misery, no one was there. She was alone in a new area, and these boys were following her. She didn’t know what to do? It would take her a while to reach the gate and the main road. Maybe it would be a good idea to hide until they passed by. She dived behind a tree, sidled over to a bush, and crawled behind some flower beds until she touched a fence. Her clothes got dirty, but she was sure that she hadn’t been seen. Selene remained there for a

long time. The boys must have run to catch her at the gate. She could leave in a little while once she was confident that they were out of the park. Her heart was pounding as she rested against the fence. As she calmed down, other thoughts began to plague her. Had she overreacted? Maybe those boys were taking a stroll in the park and she startled then with her antics. After about five minutes, she carefully held the stalks of the flowers in front of her away from her face and peered out. To her horror, the two boys were not more than twelve feet away. “Where did she go?” said one of them. “She must be hiding here. You go that way, and I will go here.” One of the boys pointed right at the bushes behind which she

was hiding. Selene let go of the stalks. What were they planning to do when they caught up with her? Sweat lined her forehead as she realized that she was probably in a bigger trouble that she’d initially realized. Now her path to the gates on either side was blocked. Selene leaned back against the fence. She was scared. Nothing in her life had ever prepared her for such a fearsome situation. She didn’t know what to do. Should she scream for help? She could call her dad. Or 911. But if they heard her talking, they might take the phone away before she could give all the details. She dared not stand up. What if they caught her? A hard knot of fear lodged itself in her gut. She tried to move but her limbs were locked in panic. She

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Phobias couldn’t think, couldn’t act. Suddenly, a car horn scared her. It came from right behind her. She realized that the only thing between her and a road was the fence. All she had to do was climb the fence and drop to the other side. Once there, she would be on a road and surely, there would be people there and cars. She would be safe. But it had to be fast. Once she stood, they would be able to see her. Luckily, the fence wasn’t high and it was made of wooden planks that crisscrossed each other so she could climb it easily enough. Selene counted to three and then jumped up. Without looking at the boys to ascertain their whereabouts, she began to climb the fence. She was near to the top when she heard one of them yell. Selene straddled the fence and looked down. One of them was right near the fence. She dropped to the other side, stood, and began to run. One of her heels was broken. She took off her shoes and threw them aside as she ran towards the road. To her disappointment, it was a side lane. She couldn’t see anyone, but across the road was a trailer park. She could hide between the trailers. Without thinking twice about her action, she darted across the road and went behind the first trailer she saw. Once she was sure that she couldn’t be seen from the road, she ran further inside, barefoot. She heard someone yell and shout. But she didn’t look back. If they were following her, she didn’t even have the time to stop. Suddenly, she ran into someone. Selene screamed as she nearly fell. “What are you doing here?” She was startled to hear Josh’s voice. A feeling of relief came over her. TO BE CONTINUED

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By Oluchi Ugoh

Agoraphobia - The fear of open space Agylophobia - The fear of crossing busy streets Amathophobia - The fear of dust Amaxophobia - The fear of riding in cars Ambulophobia - The fear of walking Anuptaphobia - The fear of staying single Automysophobia - The fear of being dirty Homophobia - The fear of homosexual Ophthalmologis - The fear of being stared at

DID YOU KNOW? 1. Cows have the ability to walk upstairs but not down stairs. 2. Female ferrets die due if they can find a mate after going into heat 3. Finger nails grow better in cold weather 4. If you eat a Polar Bear liver you will die of vitamin A overdose 5. Wikapedia banned the church of scientology from editing any articles 6. 2 days after death, ants give off an odour which attracts other ants to pick up the dead ants to the grave yard. 7. A snail can sleep for more than 3 years at a time 8. Damascus is the capital of which country Syria 9. Did you know that flamingo can only when it’s upside down 10. Canada is the world’s 2nd largest territory after Russia - donoah.com

Q&A

What is the smallest ocean? What dose an ornithologist study? What is a female peacock called? What term describes a mixture of 2 or more metals?

pele (sorry, Yoruba) ego (money, Ibo) bia (come, Igbo) una (house, Igbo) enu (mouth, Yoruba) nwa (child, Igbo) nwuye (wife, Igbo) wa (come, Yoruba) anwu (sun, Igbo) joko (sit down, Yoruba) biko (please, Igbo) oju (eye, Yoruba) enyi (friend, Igbo) iya (mom, Yoruba) ite (pot, Igbo) omobirin (girl, Yoruba) kodi (bye, Igbo) oko (husband, Yoruba) okporoko (stockfish, Igbo) iyawo (wife, Yoruba) chukwu (god, Igbo) oja (market, Yoruba) ewu (goat, Igbo) mmanya (wine/beer, Igbo) answers on page 45

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

A: Alloy A: Peahen A: Birds A: The artic ocean

Dima Ugoh

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WORLD

New hope for the six blinded by cataract surgery By S. Ratko According to certain government official, doctors may be able to recover vision for at least 6 of the 20 people who were blinded by free cataract surgery done in northern India. After the latest scandals related to poor medical care, authorities suggest that poor surgical hygiene is probably the cause of the eyesight loss after what is considered low-risk operation across the world. In India’s Punjab state there has been 20 confirmed cases of blindness by authorities. It all happened after a medical charity offered and later conducted free cataract operations on 157 people in Amritsar back in November. Punjab state government official Ravi Bhagat told to AFP that “at least six of the victims could get their normal sight back after special treatment”, after consulting with special team of doctors. They have been sent from New Delhi and Chandigarh, Punjab state capital, to help the damaged. It looks like there is more than meets the eye. According to local media reports, the number of blinded people could be anywhere from 30 up

Ravi Bhagat

to 60. These cases have once again raised big concerns about the medical hygiene standards in India. The India’s questionable health-care with over-stretched resources was in the news just a few weeks before, after deaths of 13 women who undergo sterilization surgery in central India. While the officials blame tainted drugs for these deaths, independent report said that the women suffered from septicemia which could have been caused by poor hygiene. As for the eye surgery case, the police arrested the organizer of the camp for running it without government permission, while the doctor who operated cataracts has been held in for questioning. “Our preliminary enquiries have indicated the doctor performed more than 30 operations

in a single day. Technical teams are questioning him (the doctor) on different aspects,” said Manvinder Singh, a senior Punjab police official. Also, Punjab police is trying to trace every patient who had surgery at the camp to form the total victims count. According to government doctor, the victims undergo the cataract surgery on November 4. “They came to us in a very bad condition… the infection had already spread,” said Karanjeet Singh for India’s news channel and added that “chances of restoring their eyesight” are now much lower consider the spread of infection. Authorities and volunteers every year hold medical camps to treat the poor countrymen for various ailments. Until the victims started to come forward a few days ago, authorities didn’t know that the problem existed. While planning future arrests in the case, Singh said: “Our police team is leaving for Mathura in neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh, where the NGO (non-governmental organization) has it’s headquarter.” “In Mathura, we hope to get the names of all the other people directly responsible for this illegal camp,” he said.

The Siddi people of India By Paul Njogu The Siddi people are an ethnic group inhabiting India and Pakistan that descended from Bantu people from Southeast Africa and were brought into India as slaves by the Portuguese from as early as 628 AD.

Another group of the Siddis is thought to have arrived in India in 712 AD as soldiers of the Muhammad bin Qasim’s Arab army and settled in India, during the Umayyad Muslim expansion into India. As the migrants settled in Western India, some became

farm labourers, domestic servants and others were sought out to be mercenaries due to their reputation of loyalty and strength. Other Siddis escaped slavery and farm labour and established communities in the forested areas and small principali continued on p(48)

Man sues women’s university for rejecting application OKAYAMA – A man who applied to a women’s university in the city of Fukuoka filed for damages Monday, arguing the public college’s rejection of his application amounts to gender discrimination and is unconstitutional. In the complaint filed with the Fukuoka District

Court, the man in his 20s is demanding that Fukuoka Women’s University accept his application and pay ¥660,000 in compensation. It is the first time that a lawsuit has been filed against a national or public women’s university questioning its constitutionality, according to the man’s

lawyer. The complaint says the man, who wants to train to become a dietitian, applied last November to take the entrance exam for the school’s department of nutrition and health science. But the university continued on p(48)

Historic Revamp of US-Cuba Relationship Announced By S. Ratko Barack Obama, President of the United States, has announced a major move forward in the relations between U.S. and Cuba. It all happened after the release of Alan Gross, an American who has been released by communist leaders after five years of imprisonment.

Cuban President Raul Castro and Barack Obama, made simultaneous speeches from Havana and Washington saying that they had made exchange of prisoners that each country held for years. They are also planning to increase economic and travel bonds between the two countries, which should represent the end of over 50-year-long diplo-

matic isolation born back in the Cold War. “Isolation has not worked. It’s time for a new approach. I believe this contact will do more to empower the Cuban people,” U.S. President said, explaining the re-establishment of diplomatic relations. “We have decided continued on p(43)

VP, 11 Zimbabwean Ministers Booted By D.Downes ZIMBABWE. Robertt Mugabe sacked 11 cabinet ministers as well as his Vice President, Joice Mujuru. Waiting official confirmation of the full list of those fired, at this time we can confirm that Energy Minister Dzikamai Mavhaire and his deputy Munacho Mutezo were given the boot alongside Mujuru. Long considered staunch supporters of Mujuru, Mugabe’s decision to remove them from the

government comes as no surprise. Prior to firing Mujuru and her two political allies, Mugabe, 90, denounced Mujuru, accusing the former VP of being a leader of “treacherous cabal” set on removing him from power. However, this was not the first time Mujuru had been at loggerheads with Mugabe. During a three-month campaign, Zimbabwe’s state media and Mugabe’s wife, Grace, 49, lambasted Mujuru, 59. In her first released statement since losing the

number two post in ZANUPF, Mujuru was adamant that there was a “vociferous” attempt to portray her as a murderer, traitor and sell-out, absent any evidence to support such claims. “The allegations that I, alone, or together with various distinguished comrades have sought to remove His Excellency R. G. Mugabe from office, are ridiculous,” Mujuru said in a press statement. “My loyalty to His Excellency and my continued on p(48)

Egypt writer faces charges for criticizing ram killing at Eid al-Adha By S. Ratko Egyptan writer Fatima Naoot wrote “Happy massacre” on her Facebook page during Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice held in October. Right after the incident, Egypt’s prosecutor referred Fatima to trial for allegedly insulting Islam with her writing. The criticism was referring to the slaughter of animals during the big religious festival. According to officials, animals are slaughtered during Eid to pay respects to the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son and by doing so fulfill God’s command, although God gave him a sheep to sacrifice in the end. “Massacre committed by men over the past 10 centuries and followed by men each year with a smile,” Naoot wrote on her Facebok. “Annual massacre observed because of a nightmare of one (prophet) about his son… ,” she added in

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

Fatima Naoot Arabic. “Although the nightmare has passed for the prophet and his son, each year helpless animals pay with their lives the price of this sacred nightmare.” Although she is also a Muslim, Naoot judged these sacrifices. She later deleted posts from her Facebook after controversy erupted, but charges were still raised. Judicial official stated that Fatima Naoot admitted during questioning that she wrote those posts. The 50-year-old writer and a columnist said that it wasn’t her intention to insult Islam, but

one official sad for AFP that she has also been charged for “making fun of the right to sacrifice”. “It is the price paid by those who carry torches of enlightenment at every age,” Egyptian writer wrote after being informed about her trial. Starting date of the trial is January 28. Fatima Naoot also said she posted on Facebook back in October to congratulate all Muslims Eid al-Adha and “urged them to respect the offering and not humiliate it by flooding the ground with animal blood”. Constitution of Egypt forbids insults against the three main religions recognized by the state - Judaism, Islam and Christianity. During the year, there were similar cases to this one. A female Coptic teacher spent 6 months in jail after being accused for insulting Islam. Back in June, a Coptic Christian man got sentenced to 6 years in prison for insulting Islam.

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OYAKHILOME rakes in N30m at New Year’s Eve service, – Critics of Cash-for-Gospel kick By Uche Olehi BILLIONAIRE preacher, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome might have raked in about N30 million at the 2014 Cross Over Night Service, amidst unending allegations of extortion and gospel merchandising. ENCOMIUM Weekly reliably gathered that about 30,000 people attended the annual service traditionally hosted by the President/ Founder of Christ Embassy Church, Reverend Christian Oyakhilome. Each attendee allegedly paid N1000 to be part of the New Year’s Eve Service, even as members of Christ Embassy financed the event that occupies an important space in the church’s social calendar (The Cross Over Night, as the service is also known in Christendom, is as important as the International Pastors and Partners Conference held in November and Oyakhilome’s December 7 birthday). The service, held on December 31, 2014 at the Loveworld Convocation Arena (LCA), Oregun, Ikeja Lagos, featured live ministration by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and the Director of Loveworld Music and Arts, Evangelist Kathy. Gospel music stars, Joe Praise, Sinach, Eben, Frank Edward, Chris Shalom, Eli-Jay performed live at the show segment of the service. There were equally dance performances. The variety nite witnessed the second edition of Future Africa Leaders’ Awards (FALA) instituted by Oyakhilome to encourage African Youths doing exploits by developing their communities through mentorship and empowerment projects. The winner smiled home with $25,000 (N4.6M) prize money. But controversy has been trailing the annual service themed Our Year of Triumph. Oyakhilome is receiving hard knocks for allegedly commercializing the gospel. From the social to the mainstream media and even the general public, the collection of N1,000 gate fee to access Christ Embassy’s New Year’s Eve Service has been widely criticised. Not a few are still wondering why the fabulously rich Pentecostal church would still extort money from their members and the public who want to hear the gospel and enjoy themselves at yuletide. For instance, controversial The Punch columnist Excetera took exception to

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome Oyakhilome’s merchantalist mentality in his recent article. He wrote the flamboyant tele-evangelist a long letter to this effect: “Greetings in the name of the Lord. I hope this letter finds you in the best of spirit and health. I write to you, in the same form that Paul wrote to the Ephesians expressing his advice and counsel to the followers of Jesus Christ. If I had 1,000 tongues, I could not thank God enough for your role in winning souls for the kingdom. I bless God for revealing through you the divine plans of Jesus Christ for us. Through you, a lot of people have experienced Jesus in person. “I write to you as a Christian who is saddened by the series of troubling news emanating from your church, Christ Embassy. I am worried that the seeds you have planted in us through your teachings may no longer germinate as a result of the numerous scandals coming out of the church. The roots of your messages, spiritual guidance and leadership that once brought deeper understanding of the workings of God needs a little more reassuring with the church toeing this ungodly path of collecting a thousand naira gate-fee from believers coming to hear you teach God’s Word every New Year’s Eve. Your church has opened a new chapter in what we all know today in Nigeria as church business. Over the years, this must have turned out to be a very profitable innovation. I have to admit that the economic implications of this ingenuity are mouthwatering. If some of the Christian outreaches on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway adopt this modus-operandi, they can make hundreds of millions of naira in just one night of devotion to God. This is surely the smartest innovation so far in the history of church business in Nigeria. Are we allowed to peddle the Word of God for profit? No pastor. We are not. The scriptures forbid charging for ministry (worship, preaching and teaching of God’s Word,

evangelism, fellowship of the church, psalms/hymns or spiritual songs, discipleship) in any circumstance or situation. It is stated clearly in black and white. Matthew 10:8-9, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts.” 2 Corinthians 2:1517, “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To one, a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ.” It is true that God’s people through faithful giving are to supply the financial support for the ministry. But issuing a mandate for people to pay to have access to God’s word is ungodly. A genuine ministry for the Lord cannot have an advanced price tag to pay before the ministry is given. Why? Because then it is no longer ministry, but commerce, employ, trade or entertainment. You are in the ministry of rendering services to God; and with Christ as example, you are to give all that you are for all that He is. It is even wrong to charge honorariums and tickets to religious concerts. The Lord deeply warned us through his Word that there is no justification for every charging for the work of the gospel. Think of what you are doing: charging people to pay a ticket to come to a church or civic venue to hear that which is eternal, is wrong. After all you take offerings from the same congregation. Matthew 21:12 “Jesus entered into the temple of God, and drove out all of those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers’ tables and the seats of those who sold the doves. 21:13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers!” The greatest prooftext your followers will misuse out of the Bible to try to “justify” charging for the ministry of the Lord is this familiar phrase: “the workman is worthy of his hire.” Yes, I fully agree with

Historic Revamp of US-Cuba Relationship Announced By S. Ratko

Barack Obama, President of the United States, has announced a major move forward in the relations between U.S. and Cuba. It all happened after the release of Alan Gross, an American who has been released by communist leaders after five years of imprisonment. Cuban President Raul Castro and Barack Obama, made simultaneous speeches from Havana and Washington saying that they had made exchange of prisoners that each country held for years. They are also planning to increase economic and travel bonds between the two countries, which should represent the end of over 50-year-long diplomatic isolation born back in the Cold War. "Isolation has not worked. It's time for a new approach. I believe this contact will do more to empower the Cuban people," U.S. President said, explaining the re-establishment of diplomatic relations. "We have decided to re-establish diplomatic rela-

tions with the U.S," Castro said in his speech. "This decision by President Barack Obama deserves respect and recognition by our people," he added. Cuban President has also called the U.S. to put an end to the economic blockade which lasts for more that the half of the century. For the first time since 1961, the presidents of two countries had a phone conversation which lasted over 45 minutes. Barack Obama said that Gross was "one of the most important (U.S.) intelligence agents". Gross made a statement in Washington after his release and said that he is happy to be home and expressed his gratitude to all those who worked

hard on his release. Gross has been exchanged for 3 Cuban intelligence operatives who spent more than 10 years in U.S. prisons. Negotiations for Gross' release lasted around a year and Vatican played a significant role. Both presidents thanked to Pope Francis for starting a dialogue between the countries. The Vatican stated that Pope Francis has written several letters to Cuban and U.S. leaders in recent months. He has invited them to “resolve humanitarian questions of common interest, including the situation of certain prisoners, in order to initiate a new phase in relations,” and Obama and Castro seem to have done just that.

continued from p(42) Historic... to re-establish diplomatic relations with the U.S,” Castro said in his speech. “This decision by President Barack Obama deserves respect and recognition by our people,” he added. Cuban President has also called the U.S. to put an end to the economic blockade which lasts for more that the half of the century. For the first time since 1961, the presidents of two countries had a phone conversation which lasted over

45 minutes. Barack Obama said that Gross was “one of the most important (U.S.) intelligence agents”. Gross made a statement in Washington after his release and said that he is happy to be home and expressed his gratitude to all those who worked hard on his release. Gross has been exchanged for 3 Cuban intelligence operatives who spent more than 10 years in U.S. prisons. Negotiations for Gross’ release lasted around a

year and Vatican played a significant role. Both presidents thanked to Pope Francis for starting a dialogue between the countries. The Vatican stated that Pope Francis has written several letters to Cuban and U.S. leaders in recent months. He has invited them to “resolve humanitarian questions of common interest, including the situation of certain prisoners, in order to initiate a new phase in relations,” and Obama and Castro seem to have done just that.

that phrase for it is God’s Word; but they are wrongly applied when trying to condone treating ministry like a business, trade, or entertainment. It doesn’t mean we have the right to charge for “hire.” More appropriately, it means those “who proclaim the gospel should receive their living by the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14b) and do so in a manner commensurate with the gospel. Aren’t you glad that the Lord didn’t charge you to hear about the good news of the gospel unto salvation? Aren’t you glad that the Holy Spirit doesn’t charge any of us for the spiritual gifts He gives to the church? Money, be-

loved, should not be a prerequisite “. But in swift its alleged cash- for -the gospel policy, Christ Embassy was reportedly quoted as saying they took gate fees to manage the crowd that was very much eager to worship live with the influential preacher. Also, justifying the position of the church one of their members who attended the service said, there were multiple platforms to watch the programme free. He claimed that millions of people the world over were part of the Cross Over Service compared with the a little over 30,000 that stormed the LCA at the church’s inter-

national headquarters in Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos. “This great event was televised live on all satellite channels and internet platforms of The Believers’ LoveWorld and on NTA, AIT, STV, Raypower FM and Radio Nigeria, among other media”. Coming on the heels of marital squabbles rocking Oyakhilome’s home, fresh allegation of extortion and rabid commercialization of the gospel has further questioned the integrity of the highly respected billionaire preacher of the gospel whose net worth is in excess of N300 billion!\

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

-Encomium

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SPORTS

Pirlo: Manchester United Will Fail In Attempt To Re-Sign Paul Pogba

his exploit with the French team made France reach the quarter-finals before they lost to eventual winners Germany. Manchester United have been recently linked with re-signing Pogba despite Juventus’s asking price of 61 Million Euros and An-

drea Pirlo has come out to say that United should rule out Paul Pogba’s return He said "For whatever reasons they chose not to give him a chance - and that is a mistake they will have to live with now, I can’t see that he (Pogba) will ever return to Manchester United."

Martin Odegaard: I Did Not Join Real For Money By Dele Akintilo Real Madrid’s recent teenage acquisition, Martin Odegaard has come out to debunk rumours he joined Real Madrid for money reasons. The 16 year-old Norwegian sensation has been heavily criticized over his move when claims emerged that he's signed for €80,000-a-week.

By Dele Akintilo King of clay, Rafael Nadal’s six months of injuries and illness caught up with him in his quarterfinal match against Tomas Berdych as he lost the game 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (5). Prior to thetournament, Nadal said that his lack of game activities over the last half of 2014 will make him unlikely to win more than a few rounds. Nadal had played only eight matches since June 2014

By Dele Akintilo According to Manchester Evening news, midfielder Andrea Pirlo of Juventus has told Manchester United that their attempts at re-signing his teammate Paul Pogba will yield no result. United’s former gaffer, Sir Alex Ferguson sanctioned Paul Pogba’s departure from Old Trafford in 2012 after he (Pogba) discovered he was not part of Alex’s plans, and being restricted to just seven substitute appearances in his final season in Manchester. Since Pogba moved on to Juventus, he has emerged as one of the top midfield talents in Europe, guiding Juventus to successive Serie A titles and bagging the award for the best young player at the 2014 World Cup, where he

Nadal Dumed Out Of Australian Open

Odegaard said “I don’t want to talk too much about money, that wasn’t an issue. I chose the best option

for me from a sporting point of view. I think I’ll improve a lot no matter how that happens, I’m not worried about when I make my debut with the first team.” Source: h t t p : / / w w w. t r i b alfootball.com/articles/ martin-odegaard-real-madrid-move-i-dont-wanttalk-money-4060223#. VMed-slIfdo

owing to a right wrist injury and appendix surgery in November. Nadal revealed his surprise at his advancement this far at the 2015 Australian open He said "It is obvious

that I needed something more to be more competitive, as I said when I arrived here, the process always is not easy. When you have injuries, comebacks are difficult. But without being at my top level of tennis, I was able to be here in quarterfinals. Is not a bad result at all for me." Source: http://www. cbc.ca/sports/tennis/ australian-open-rafaelnadal-stunned-by-tomasberdych-1.2932887

Brooklyn Nets up for sale By Paul Njogu The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly being put up for sale by their owner, Mikhail Prokhorov. The Russian billionaire is said to have retained Evercore Partner and exploring the option of selling the team according to two people privy on the matter. A spokeswoman for Prokhorov said that as part of good business, ownership was always open to

offers and that there was nothing imminent in terms of a sale of any stake in the team. Prokhorov, the first foreign owner of a team in the National Basketball Association, bought the team in 2010 and holds 80 per

cent of the club and 45 per cent of the Barclays Center, a two and a half year old arena expected to house the hockey’s New York Islanders next season. According to Sal Galatioto, founder of New York-based advisory firm, Galatioto Sports Partners, which has sold NBA teams such as Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers, the team would garner national and international interests if put up on sale for it is a unique asset.

Ex-Eagles goalkeeper Agbonivbare is dead

Former Spurs player, Alvin Robertson arrested By Paul Njogu The former San Antonio Spurs player, Alvin Robertson has been arrested at a San Antonio apartment complex after cutting a GPS

monitor while out on bond in a 2009 case. He is reported to be on the run since January 5 and was initially charged with trafficking an underage (less than 18 year old) person for prostitution but was released out on

bond on December 12 and was supposed to be wearing the monitor. The 52 year old, former NBA star’s career ended in 1996 and according to his attorney, Brent de la Paz, Robertson is frustrated of the delays in the case.

Glossary of tennis jargon By Paul Njogu There are many different terms used in tennis and here is a guide of terms used regularly so

you are sure to pick them up quickly: Ace: a serve where the receiver fails to return. Advantage: the first point scored after Deuce. A player with the Advantage

and wins the next point wins the game. Approach shot: usually occurs when a ball is hit hard deep into the opponent’s court giving the hitter a chance to rush to

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Wilfred Agbonivbare, is dead. He died at 4:00am

on Tuesday, January 27, 2015 morning in Spain. The defunct New Nigeria Bank of Benin former shot stopper re-

portedly died of cancer in Spain.

the net. Backspin: an effect on the ball when the hitter’s stroke makes it spin backwards while moving forward, causing it to bounce backward or stop suddenly. Baseline: the line that marks the end of the

court, behind which a player serves from. Baseline strategy: a plan where the player stays close to the baseline and avoids the forecourt. Chip: a short, slicing return that is frequently used in doubles and often aimed at an opponent’s

feet.

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Chop: a sharp spin done by slicing down and under the ball with the racket. Crosscourt shot: hitting the ball diagonally into the opponent’s court. Deuce: a tie continued on p(48)

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‘Bola Tinubu, Idris Wada, Amaechi and Patience Jonathan should pray well to survive’-BRO. JOSHUA IGINLA, Champions Royal Assembly continued from p(24) No matter how powerful or well organized 2015 election is, it will be faulted. I see a lot of litigations, disagreements and court cases because the mindset of many prior to the election is so dangerous. “I am not a politician nor belong to any political party, I am just speaking God’s mind. The person sitting on the seat might not be perfect but he will retain the seat. It’s not guess work. Albeit, it will be a battle between the lion and the tiger. President Jonathan will win but he has to pray about his health and so many political blows. I pray the two people that enter the Aso Villa will leave together. That’s why we should pray for the woman beside the president. The president and his wife should pray that the First Lady would finish the tenure together and not losing one before the end of their tenure. “Shortly after the election, especially on the night of the election, there will be

great vandalisation. I see cars being burnt, lives taken. Counting from the night of the election, these evil will happen six days after the election. “I see bitterness, disappointment fire and you might note these states, Bauchi, Yobe, Borno, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers but in the midst of these battles, the storm will calm down. “We should pray and watch out for military intervention. God has instructed us to pray and fast from February 1 to February 3, 2015, against military intervention. I will leave the rest coded. “When I said there will be disagreements, it will be so strong because it’s like some people are battle ready for war but God will keep Nigeria. In 2015, so many great men will fall not only in Nigeria but at the international levels too. So many politicians and powerful people will go down. “I see a terrorist attack against a high rise building in Nigeria. We have to

pray for our financial tower and INEC office. Let’s pray against bomb blast. “Two churches will be under serious attacks. One of them is an orthodox church, while the second is a pentecostal. One of the two churches is stationed in a satellite town, and the second one is in the heart of Abuja City. “I also saw gun battles. I mean men shooting sporadically. They were imported from another city. They were shooting anyhow. We should pray for the city of Gwagwalada and Suleija downward. God will help us. We should pray about this in January and February. “I see great politicians and ministers in one aircraft. Three prominent faces were among them but the plane crashed. They should be careful of traveling in group irrespective of where they are going. I see people pointing accusing fingers at different directions. “I also see great fire outbreak in Lagos that would claim lots of lives. By

January, we have to pray and fast to avert these. “Bola Ahmed Tinubu should pray that he might finish the political fire he started, especially in Lagos to the end. The reason is that even the might of the mighty can be broken. “Specifically, Kogi State Governor should pray to survive 2015. I saw him struggling for breath. “A very popular musician, young artiste who sings secular songs should pray against death. He is like someone trying to sell his soul to the devil and it resulted to death. I am not permitted to mention his name. “I also see great stars coming out of China and the country getting bigger and better. Their rise will be a great threat to big countries like USA. They will become centre of attraction and grow economically. “America will experience great terrorist attacks. The fire they are trying to put off in other countries should not burn them in their own house. I see a dark

cloud dangling on America economy and this could render them useless. It will lead to great depression. They should prepare because it will be a tough period for them. They should also pray against mid west flood. They should also pray against three major floods that will occur in three states. American president should pray against ill health and there will be an attempt on his life. “I see a great revolution by the youths all over the world. The younger generation rioting all over the country and many bad rulers who have been suppressing their people would be dealt with and run away for their lives. The Pope will be under great criticism and attacks this year due to certain decisions he will take that will affect the image of the church. “Zimbabwean president will have serious health challenge beyond what he has ever experienced. There will be a rumor of death but he will bounce back. They

will recover and experience great revival in their churches. “South Africa economy will bounce back but there will be lots of kidnaps, robbery and many politicians will fight for their lives. Certain decisions of their president will help in their recovery. “I see two major coups and military intervention in Africa. One of the presidents of the affected countries will be killed outrightly while the other one will run for his life. Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Ameachi has to pray that his political career won’t end abruptly in 2015. “The darkness ahead of him is very great. In India, I see a top politician dying mysteriously. It will be like an assassination. It will generate lots of controversies and several arguments as to the cause of death. “Cameron president will be under attack and the opposition will revolt. It will be so great that it might lead to restlessness but, he will triumph over it.”

glycemic figure. Diabetics, Ezenige said, should take Vitamin B complex, Vitamin B6 (50mg – 100mg per day improves glucose tolerance), adding that coenzyme Q10 (100 mg/day may stabilise blood sugar in some diabetics. “Vitamin C should be taken daily to improve glucose tolerance reducing insulin while vitamin E with mixed tocopherols prevents vascular complications and as such improves glucose tolerance. Taking chromium daily, he said, can restore normal glucose utilisation and promotes efficacy of insulin. “Daily magnesium intake improves insulin production while regular consumption of zinc helps to lower blood sugar levels,” he said. Many people, Ezengige said, are suffering from diabetes without knowing how to manage it. He said nutrition can help to effectively check the disease, stressing that diabetics should not depend on drugs and insulin to manage the disease as adequate nutritional support would help in the management of the disorder. Ezengige, who is the General Secretary, Natural Integrative Medicine Practitioners Association (NIMPA), said food is medicine and medicine is food. He described diabetes mellitus as a medical condition characterised by per-

sistent high level of sugar in the blood. This, he said, was occasioned by inadequate secretion of the hormone, insulin or the ineffectiveness of the body cells to efficiently utilise insulin. The natural medicine practitioner said people should know their Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) by having a test to confirm whether their blood sugar is high or not. He identified frequent thirst, hunger and urination, as well as weight loss as symptoms. Others are body weakness, itching and tingling as well as numbness and blurred visions. Ezengige said there are three types of diabetes mellitus (DM). They are insulindependent DM (IDDM), which is also called type 1 or juvenile-onset diabetes; non-insulin dependent DM (NIDDM) known as type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes (Pregnancy induced diabetes). Diabetes, he said, is a serious metabolic disorder across the world. He said about 90 per cent of people living with diabetes mellitus have type 2 (NIDDM), adding that half of them may not know they have it. “Studies show that an estimated 2.8 per cent of the world population is affected by diabetes mellitus and that this figure may cross 5.4 per

cent by the year 2025,” he said. Nigeria, he said, is among the top five countries that have the highest number of people affected by type 2-diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa. It has about 1.2 million people living with the disorder; South Africa, 841,000; the Democratic Republic of Congo, 552,000; Ethiopia, 550,000 and Tanzania, 380,000,” he said. He listed social structure, obesity and hormonal im-

balance as factors influencing diabetes. Others are heredity and psychic stress. Ezengige said there are six tastes in foods, such as bitter, sweet and sour. Also on the list are salty, pungent and astringent. He said: “Modern day eating habits largely overlooks the simple fact that the six tastes in foods affect our physiology. The consumption of artificial sweet foods is prevalent and as such is

detrimental of other foods’ tastes.” This, he said, is contributing to various ailments affecting people, especially diabetes. He identified bitters as an important food for diabetes mellitus treatment and management. “The physiological effects of bitters among other benefits are body tonics, which tones the pancreas. Bitters increase secretion of digestive juices,” he said. The Nation

continued from p(7) thus, makes it a perfect fruit for diabetics. He said cashew (anacardium occidentale) should be taken due to its hypoglycemic property. “Fluted pumpkin known botanically as telfaria occidentalis and Ugu in Igbo has efficacious properties to help the recovery of a diabetic. “The water extract from its leaves as well as cooked seeds of Ugu have antihyperglycaemic property which makes it beneficial to diabetics,” he said. The natural medicine practitioner recommended groundnut because of its blood sugar level lowering ingredients. Consumption of peanut and peanut butter daily is important, he added. Diabetics, he said, should eat raw onions and garlic, adding that they are good as they possess anti-hyperglycemic properties. “Ginger too can be eating because it increases insulin sensitivity. It also has antihyperglycaemic property. “Water extract of basil (scent leaf) known botanically as Ocimum gratissimum; Efirin in Yoruba, Nchuanwuin Igbo lowers blood glucose level. “Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) seeds flour known in Igbo as fio-fio; Otili in Yoruba are very effective too.” The alternative medicine practitioner also recommended boiled “unripe” plantain because of it lowers

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RELIGIOUS NEWS

U.S. Army Forced to Remove “God and Country” Sign By S.Deepthi The U.S Army has ordered Arizona Recruiting Center in Phoenix to take down a sandwich board outside its office saying “on a mission for both God and Country” after receiving complaints from a liberal organization, citing a breach of protocol. The sign has been posted outside the recruiting office since last October was removed after receiving complaints. A photo of the sandwich board had gone viral online, drawing fury from atheists and church state separation advocates. The person who voiced most against the sign was Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. An article by Weinstein was published in The Daily Kos; the article decried the sign as being a “painfully pathetic poster”, “poster of shame” and a “stunning unconstitutional disgrace.” Weinstein wrote “The poster at the Phoenix armed forces recruitment hub is an abominable slap in everybody’s face who took time to digest, understand and swear the ser-

vice member’s sacred oath to protect and defend the United States Constitution, let alone those who made the sacrifice for rights and values.” Weinstein stated that he is on an aggressive fight against fundamentalist Christian extremism. It is believed that he was very influential in the removal of the sign, although the Army Times said that the sandwich board was removed after a few hours after it called superiors to ask about the display. Brian Lepley, Army Recruiting Command’s spokesperson told the Army Times that the local recruiting office made and put up the sign without being approved. Although the sign was used as a permissible image of special forces patch for the background, the text raised a problem. He said if the process had been followed, the copy shown would not have received an approval. The army is investigating who is responsible for ordering the customized sandwich board, which originally would have had a slogan, “we do not call for reinforcements. We make them.” Weinstein told the reporters that whoever in

any shape or form, allowed the design of the poster, prepared and displayed will be investigated progressively and be punished. Some were concerned about the sign display, others are even more concerned about its removal. Writer Terresa Monroe-Hamilton asserted that there is nothing unconstitutional about the sign. She also said that the sign has been around forever and during battle, the military has turned to God for guidance and comfort. She continued that “now American military and Obama’s administration have turned from God in a stark manner and God is likely to do the same in return. May God have mercy on our country” According to reports, after Navy Seals carried their mission of Osama Bin Laden execution 4 years ago, they radioed the code, “ For God and country- Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo.” President Obama was also gifted with a signed flag following the return of men, which read, “ from the Joint Task Force Operation Neptune’s Spear, , 01 May 2011: For God and country. Geronimo.”

Divorced atheist Dad objects to court judgment on taking his children to church By U.Mirna A British Judge is capturing attention for mandating that a noncatholic father must take his children to Mass at Christmas time every year. A divorced father risks jail sentence if he fails to take his children to catholic mass at Christmas. Judge James Orrell in Midlands has ordered a father to take his children to Roman Catholic mass as a part of his divorce settlement, even though he is an atheist. The divorced dad, who is identified as only “Steve” because of reporting restriction on the cases, faced this contempt of court and a jail sentence if he fails to go to church when he gets the custody of children on Christmas.

The divorced atheist father has been ordered by the judge to take his children to Roman Catholic mass for Christmas when he gets the custody of children, even though he says that his ex-wife did not request the ruling at the time of their divorce. Steve, a contributor to an atheist website and an atheist himself said that the judgment is very bizarre. He told that the judge decided that he would commit to taking his children to mass and put it in the court order. He said what is really concerning him is that it did not allow him or his children any freedom of religion. He told the tabloids that he is not catholic and the last time he went to church was long ago. Steve mentioned that

his oldest son, 10, has expresses a clear lack of belief but legally he was required to take him to Roman Catholic mass at Christmas. He said that because of the contact arrangements he now gets his children on some weekends, and now he is concerned that he has to also take them to mass on Sundays when they are with him, even though it is not part of the original court order. Steve is a 51 year old psychologist, who contributes to the atheist Sketpticule podcast. The telegraph said that it has seen the court transcripts which showed that Judge Orrell discussed his catholic faith during the course of hearing into contract arrangements for Steve’s two sons. The court order reads as “if the children

Catholics from Eritrea are to get their own Church By S. Ratko New Eastern Catholic Church of Eritrea has been established by Pope Francis in efforts to ease the position of Eritrean Catholics. There are four officially tolerated religions in Eritrea - Islam, the Evangelical Lutheran church, the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Roman Catholicism. All four Eritrean ‘eparchies’ were part of the Ethiopian Catholic Church until now. However, in recent announcement from Vatican, it was said that these ‘eparchies’ will now be under the authority of an Eritrean metropolitan archbishop. Menghesteab Tesfa-

mariam, the present Bishop of Asmara, will be the future archbishop of Eritrea. Founding of the Eritrean Catholic Church may be a calculated move which should improve church reputation in the eyes of the Eritrean government. The reason for this lies in numerous bloody wars between Eritrea and Ethiopia, including a long war for independence. The government of Eritrea has been accused for abuse of human rights by Human Rights Watch.”Indefinite military service, torture, arbitrary detention, and severe restrictions on freedoms of expression, association and religion,” is how they

characterized one of the most closed countries in the world. Estimation of The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that over 305.000 Eritreans, which is more than 5 percent of the population, left the country during the last decade. In the Lampedusa tragedy, where 360 people drowned when their ship sank, most of the passengers were fleeing from Eritrea. Estimation says that there are around 155.000 Catholics in Eritrea. All other religions (except the main four) are being persecuted. Especially Protestants and faiths like Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Irish Priest Receives Standing Ovation after Announcing He Is Gay By S.Deepthi An Irish Catholic priest made an unexpected move during a mass by coming out to his congregation, announcing he is a gay and declaring his support for same sex marriage. Father Martin Dolan of St Nicholas Church of Myra in Dublin’s Francis Street announced that he is a gay himself while he asked his congregation to support gay marriage in the upcoming Irish referendum. He was a cleric who served in the parish for 15 years; he admitted his homosexuality in a liturgy. Father Dolan is the parish’s only priest. After he announced his support for same sex marriage ahead of the Irish referendum to be held this May, Dolan told his parishioners that he is a gay himself. To this announcement the congregation rose to their feet in applause. A community youth worker Liz O’Connor told the Irish Sun that all the St. Nicholas Church go-

ers are very proud of Father Martin. He also added that father Dolan’s admittance to being gay does not change the person he was before. The Guardian reported that gay quality groups in Ireland has also applauded Dolan’s decision for coming out and taking a stand on homosexuality and same sex marriage. However, Dolan’s support of gay marriages is not echoed by the Catholic Church as it remains opposed to the same sex union. Former Pope Benedict XVI said “gay marriage denies God and devalues human dignity.” The current head of Roman Catholic Church Pope Francis, though called the

clergy and the faithful to help parents with gay children to stand by their children, maintains that homosexual marriage is still something which “has not crossed out minds”. In December 2014, Bishop Liam MacDald said during a news conference that “putting any other view of unions on the same level as Christian marriage would be disservice to the society rather than a service”. He also added that “in a same sex union, children would be deprived of what a man and woman can give to children in a stable marriage.” The Irish referendum on same sex union is scheduled at the end of this coming May. A recent poll showed that 20% of the Ireland’s population is opposed to gay marriage and 67% are for it. Ireland’s Prime Minister, Enda Kenny is one among those who have voiced their support for the same sex union. The Catholic Church stands against same sex union in Ireland and said that it is a grave injustice.

are with their father at Christmas he will undertake that they will attend the Christmas mass.” The ruling was first made in 2009 and has been contested at different levels. Steve argued that the order breaches his human rights. Judge Orell faced criticism in

2011 when he passed a ruling to remove the children from their parents care after a fifteen minute hearing was overturned. The appeals Judge Lord Justice Thorpe said he was aghast at how Judge Orrell had dealt with the case. Steve had applied

to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that the order is a breach of his human rights, the freedom of religious expression. However, the appeal judges and judicial review in the High Court both failed supporting him, as did the Judicial Conduct Investigations office.

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Father Martin Dolan

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RELIGION - FICTION & NON FICTION BOOKS Bridge Over Troubled Water

Your Pastor... My Husband

She’s No Angel

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By Sade C. Morrison Grace Bryant strives to keep God first. As the owner of Delilah’s Diner, a soul food restaurant on Detroit’s west side, she always goes out of her way to give back to the community. Grace is an active member of New Kingdom Baptist Church and she never hesitates to help those in need. Unfortunately, it’s easier for Grace to do nice things for strangers than for members of her own family. Grace has lived alone for almost twenty years. She is estranged from her daughter, Shareece, a socialite who lives in a luxurious mansion with a husband who spends his money freely. Grace’s son, Montez, has been in prison for most of his adult life. When he finally gets paroled, Montez is confronted with temptation.

Is he a Saint...or is he a Sinner? Maxine thought that she had life all figured out. Despite rough beginnings, she could finally say that above all else...she was happy. Her life changed for the better when she married the respected, adored and handsome Pastor Shelton Cartwright. To her, her husband was nothing less than perfect...at least that was what she’d thought. But soon Maxine is reminded that even Pastors have a Past.

My Soul Cries Out

Angel stumbles into church one day and ends up a First Lady when she catches the preacher’s eye, heart and soul. She is unchurched, timid, shy; just a babe in Christ trying to figure out what this God thing is all about, and at he same time how to be a pastor’s wife. She’s on the right path, until a church mother puts up a road block. All Angel wants to do is try to get into heaven. But first she’ll have to go through the pit of hell Mother Calloway puts her through with her unChrist-like antics.

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By Jaimie Bowman Breathe: 31 Moments with God {for Moms} provides needed encouragement and spiritual refreshment for busy moms. Author Jaimie Bowman takes weary mothers through a 31 day journey of reconnecting with the Lord and renewing peace and joy in their mothering journeys.

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Zack Dylan has a dream. He wants to sing on the biggest stages, for the biggest crowds, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make it come true. But Zack also made a promise to his college sweetheart when he left Kentucky to compete on the popular TV show Fifteen Minutes: If he made it, nothing would change him or his faith in God. Overnight, Zack becomes the nation’s most popular contestant, a country singer comparable to a young Tim McGraw. As his star rises, Zack is often asked to compromise and quiet his beliefs. Just as he’s on the verge of winning it all, his choices lead him to the brink of personal disaster.

A Man’s Worth

Forsaken

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The Daniel Fast 21 Smoothie Recipes - Take the Limits Off in 2015: Feed Your Soul, Renew Your Body and Strengthen Your Spirit with these Smoothie Recipes

Heaven - Here and Now: True Stories of God’s Kingdom Here on Earth

40 Things To Teach Your Children Before You Die: The Simple American Truths About Life, Family & Faith

Once in This Lifetime

By Sherri Lewis

By Brigette Manie Her first attempt at ‘happily ever after’ did not end quite that way. Having survived that experience, Julia is content with her current circumstance. A single mom, she’s focused on getting her daughter through college, keeping a roof over her head, and trying to stay ahead of the bills. She is not looking for complications, crisis, or catastrophe. The word ‘man’ in her experience is synonymous with those words. So why did she agree to a blind date?

This powerful “Essence” bestseller offers a compassionate look at the issue of Christians struggling with homosexuality and the redemptive power of God to bring deliverance.

Do Hard Things

If life is a test of sorts, a journey preparing us for heaven - shouldn’t there be bits of heaven around us already? This book unveils them! In the book of Matthew, Jesus repeatedly describes heaven - and each time He uses ordinary, earthly examples. This world has many wonderful and mysterious aspects that we might think better suited to describe something as magnificent as heaven - but Jesus uses mustard seeds, hiring workers, children, and weeds as examples.

By Alex & Brett Harris

Do Hard Things is the Harris twins' revolutionary message in its purest and most compelling form, giving readers a tangible glimpse of what is possible for teens who actively resist cultural lies that limit their potential.

By Gregg Jackson By Vanessa Miller By Nikita Lynnette Nichols Randall Loomis and Pastor Cordell Bryson were as close as two blood brothers could ever be. Like peas in a pod, their friendship was unbreakable until Amaryllis Price stepped onto the scene. The moment Randall set his eyes on her, all heck broke loose. Who knew that a woman’s beauty and sex appeal could cause a God fearing, faithful church going, dedicated man, to literally lose everything that’s dear to him?

Pastor Jerome Tyler “JT” Thomas is charismatic behind the pulpit, charming to all he comes in contact with, and lethal to those who linger too long. Since the age of twenty-two, when he prayed for God to keep him out of prison, JT knew he would preach the gospel. Bishop Turner makes it possible; but there are strings attached, and now JT isn’t sure he can stay tied down.

You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.

Buddha

40 Things provides parents with a concise and powerful resource intended to help educate and inform their teen-age/youngadult children on a number of what I as a father consider to be the most important spiritual/biblical truths on a number of vital topics, i.e., life, marriage, truth, the law, the purpose of government, salvation. 40 Things is primarily intended to combat/refute the predominant and popular teachings and philosophies of secular humanism, post-modernism, moral relativism and universalism so pervasive today (sadly even in many Christian circles) and to empower/encourage the next generation to think and act biblically.

SOURCES: AMAZON.COM & BARNESANDNOBLE.COM • BOOKS AVAILABLE AT THE TORONTO & MISSISSAUGA LIBRARIES

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continued from p(42) vip 11 country Zimbabwe is unquestionable.” Mujuru said some “forces,” which she did not name, had pushed for her to quit both her state and party posts ahead of last week’s congress. Continuing, she stated that when their efforts failed, there were “direct threats against my person and my life.” In attempt to avoid public humiliation, Mujuru opted out of attending the ZANU-PF Congress. “It was important to maintain the dignity of the office of the Vice President

continued from p(42) The siddi... even in the face of such unwarranted violence by a section (of) the party membership,” said Mujuru. Following both Mujuru’s statements and her expulsion from the party, Mugabe said, “We will choose two new vice presidents, the chairman and secretariat which will be presided over by the secretary. “I don’t want to rush it so be patient… Only heads of department will constitute the politburo, deputies will remain in the central committee. We will do a re-

shuffle, there will be disappointments but we will try and avoid factions — those who were working in factions are out. “I would also want to warn those in the central committee that if you are going to be chosen to the politburo, drop this nonsense about ‘these are my people’. I want you to learn from the troubles we have had. Trouble iyi yatiparadzanisa naanaMai Mujuru (the trouble that has separated us with the likes of Vice President Joice Mujuru),” Mugabe said.

continued from p(42) man sues.. refused to accept his application, saying it only admits women, the complaint said. Fukuoka Women’s University is the only national or public university in the prefecture that offers courses to obtain certification as a nutritionist and the qualification needed to take the exam to become a registered dietitian. “A public university is a public entity that is being maintained by

taxes,” the man said in his complaint. “If my application is rejected, the path to become a dietitian would be narrow as I will be forced to go to a university outside the prefecture or a private college.” The man argues the university’s decision violates the Constitution, which stipulates the principle of equality and the right to receive an education. The university declined to comment, saying

it had not reviewed the lawsuit. Currently there are four national or public women’s universities in Japan. Apart from Fukuoka Women’s University, they are Ochanomizu University in Tokyo, Nara Women’s University in the city of Nara, and Gunma Prefectural Women’s University in Tamamura, Gunma Prefecture.

but a cynical travesty of justice. Audu Ogbeh, currently chairman of the Action Congress was one of the few figures of rectitude within the NPN. Just as he has done in recent times with the PDP, he played the role of an internal critic and reformer, warning, dissenting, and setting an example of probity within his ministry. For that crime he spent months in unjust incarceration. Guilty by association? Well, if that was the motivating yardstick of the administration of the Buhari justice, then it was most selectively applied. The utmost severity of the Buhari-Idiagbon justice was especially reserved either for the opposition in general, or for those within the ruling party who had showed the sheerest sense of responsibility and patriotism. Shall I remind this nation of Buhari’s deliberate humiliating treatment of the Emir of Kano and the Oni of Ife over their visit to the state of Israel? I hold no brief for traditional rulers and their relationship with governments, but insist on regarding them as entitled to all the rights, privileges and responsibilities of any Nigerian citizen. This royal duo went to Israel on their private steam and private business. Simply because the Buhari regime was pursuing some antagonistic foreign policy towards Israel, a policy of which these traditional rulers were not a part, they were subjected on their

ties in Janjira Island and Jaffrabad. In religion, most became Muslims and a few became Christians but very few became Hindus as it was difficult for them to find a position in the traditional Hindu caste hierarchy. The Siddi population is small compared to the country’s 1.2 billion and it is estimated to be around 35,000 to 70,000 people living in rural areas of Karnataka and Gujarat and a few living in cities such as Hyderabad and Mumbai. The Siddis have adopted the Indian language and customs but have retained some African traditions such as the Goma music

and dance form, referred to as Dhamaal, which is derived from the Ngoma drumming of the Bantus of East Africa. Goma music is derived from the Kiswahili word “ngoma” which means drums and dance. The Siddis mostly marry from their own community and oppose marrying outside and in some cases some Siddis have been expelled from the community for marrying people from other communities. In Pakistan, the locals of Bantu descent are also called Sheedi or Makrani and technically are considered a brotherhood or subdivision of the

Siddi. They are divided into four clans; Lassi Makan, Belaro Makan, Kharadar Makan and Hyderabad Makan. It is also reported that the Siddi believe Barrack Obama to share their genepool and thus were anticipating to give him a gift of a bottle of honey when he visited India in 2010. Some of the famous Siddis include Malik Ambar – prime minister of Ahmadnagar Sultanate, Hoshu Sheedi – Sindhi commander, Noon Meem Danish – Urdu poet and Juje Siddi – former Indian national football team and Salgaocar FC goalkeeper.

continued from p(44) Ex eagles..

Source:http://www. japantimes.co.jp/

score on the last points of a game; a player must win 2 consecutive points from a deuce to win the game. Dink: a softly hit ball that is usually hit close to the net. Double fault: two faults in a row by the server, causing the player to lose the point. Down-the-line shot: a ball hit along the

sideline deep into the opponent’s side of the court. Fault: a serve that fails to clear the net or fails to land in the correct area of play. Foot fault: a service fault called when the server’s foot touches or goes beyond the baseline while serving. Forecourt: this is the part of the court that is nearest to the net.

Lob: hitting the ball high above your opponent’s head. Love: when a player has a score of zero Match point: if this point is won by a player, the player has the match. Net point: a ball that hits the net and goes over and is still in play except while serving. Net serve: this continued on p(50)

return to a treatment that could only be described as a head masterly chastisement of errant pupils. Since when, may one ask, did a free citizen of the Nigerian nation require the permission of a head of state to visit a foreign nation that was willing to offer that tourist a visa? One is only too aware that some Nigerians love to point to Buhari’s agenda of discipline as the shining jewel in his scrap-iron crown. To inculcate discipline however, one must lead by example, obeying laws set down as guides to public probity. Example speaks louder than declarations, and rulers cannot exempt themselves from the disciplinary structures imposed on the overall polity, especially on any issue that seeks to establish a policy for public well-being. The story of the thirty something suitcases it would appear that they were even closer to fifty – found unavoidable mention in my recent memoirs, YOU MUST SET FORTH AT DOWN, written long before Buhari became spoken of as a credible candidate. For the exercise of a changeover of the national currency, the Nigerian borders air, sea and land had been shut tight. Nothing was supposed to move in or out, not even cattle egrets. Yet a prominent camel was allowed through that needles eye. Not only did Buhari dispatch his aidede-camp, Jokolo later to become an emir- to facilitate the entry of those cases, he

ordered the redeployment as I later discovered – of the Customs Officer who stood firmly against the entry of the contravening baggage. That officer, the incumbent Vice-president is now a rival candidate to Buhari, but has somehow, in the meantime, earned a reputation that totally contradicts his conduct at the time. Wherever the truth lies, it does not redound to the credibility of the dictator of that time, General Buhari whose word was law, but whose allegiances were clearly negotiable. On the theme of double, triple, multiple standards in the enforcement of the law, and indeed of the decrees passed by the Buhari regime at the time, let us recall the notorious case of Triple Alhaji Alhaji Alhaji, then Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance. Who was caught, literally, with his pants down in distant Austria. That was not the crime however, and private conduct should always remain restricted to the domain of private censure. There was no decree against civil servants proving just as hormone driven as anyone else, especially outside the nation’s borders. However, there was a clear decree against the keeping of foreign accounts, and this was what emerged from the Austrian escapade. Alhaji Alhaji kept, not one, but several undeclared foreign accounts, and he had no business being in posses-

sion of the large amount of foreign currency of which he was robbed by his overnight companion. The media screamed for an even application of the law, but Buhari had turned suddenly deaf. By contrast, Fela Anikulapo languished in goal for years, sentenced under that very draconian decree. His crime was being in possession of foreign exchange that he had legitimately received for the immediate upkeep of his band as they set off for an international engagement. A vicious sentence was slapped down on Fela by a judge who later became so remorse stricken at least after Buhari’s overthrow that he went to the King of Afro-beat and apologized. Lesser known was the traumatic experience of the director of an international communication agency, an affiliate of UNESCO. Akin Fatoyinbo arrived at the airport in complete ignorance of the new currency decree. He was thrown in gaol in especially brutal condition, an experience from which he never fully recovered. It took several months of high-level intervention before that innocent man was eventually freed. These were not exceptional but mere sample cases from among hundreds of others, victims of a decree that was selectively applied, a decree that routinely penalized innocents and ruined the careers and businesses of many. What else? What does one choose to include or leave out? What precisely

was Ebenezer Babatope’s crime that he should have spent the entire tenure of General Buhari in detention? Nothing beyond the fact that he once warned in the media that Buhari was an ambitious soldier who would bear watching through the lenses of a coup-detat. Babatope’s father died while he was in Buhari’s custody, the dictator remained deaf to every plea that he be at least released to attend his father’s funeral, even under guard. I wrote an article at the time, denouncing this pointless insensitivity. So little to demand by a man who was never accused of, nor tried for any crime,much less found guilty. Such a load of vindictiveness that smothered all traces of basic human compassion deserves no further comment in a nation that values its traditions. But then, speaking the truth was not what Buhari, as a self-imposed leader, was especially enamoured of enquire of Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor both of whom, faithful to their journalistic calling, published nothing but the truth, yet ended up sentenced under Buhari’s decree. Mind you, no one can say that Buhari was not true to his word. Shall tamper with the freedom of the press swore the dictator immediately on grabbing office, and this was exactly what he did. And so on, and on, and on……

continued from p(34) a waiting net, approved the request. Uba Ahmed disembarked into the arms of a military guard and was promptly clamped in detention. Incredibly, he vanished a few days after and reappeared in safety overseas. Those whose memories have become calcified should explore the media coverage of that saga. Buhari was asked to explain the vanished act of this much prized quarry and his response was one of the most arrogant levity. Coming from one who had shot his way into power on the slogan of discipline, it was nothing short of impudent. Shall we revisit the tragicomic series of trials that landed several politicians several lifetimes in prison? Recall, if you please, the judicial processes undergone by the septuagenarian Chief Adekunle Ajasin. He was arraigned and tried before Buhari’s punitive tribunal but acquitted. Dissatisfied, Buhari ordered his re-trial. Again, the Tribunal could not find this man guilty of a single crime, so once again he was returned for trial, only to be acquitted of all charges of corruption or abuse of office. Was Chief Ajasin thereby released? No! He was ordered detained indefinitely, simply for the crime of winning an election and refusing to knuckle under Shagari’s reign of terror. The conduct of the Buhari regime after his coup was not merely one of double, triple, multiple standards

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

Osundefender

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ENTERTAINMENT NEWS By G.Goodman

Actress Georgina Onuoha Lifts Lid On Her Broken Marriage, Solicits Fans Prayers Ever charming Nollywood actress Georgina Onuoha Igwegbe has finally revealed through social media that her 10-year old marriage has been irrevocably put asunder. The immensely talented Nigerian actress who came into limelight after starring in Emotional Tears quitted acting after she got married and relocated to the United States. She is back from her acting sabbatical and has opened up on her facebook page to her fans globally about her feelings. She also thanked her fans for standing by her when the going was tough for her. She revealed “It has taken almost four years to do this; it’s taken a lot of soul searching, prayer and counseling to get to this

Georgina Onuoha

juncture. It’s not breaking news that my relationship of over a decade is over. While I do this with the highest respect for my kids, family members and friends. I also you owe you my fans my sincere gratitude for your support and prayers. A lot have been

put out there on the internet about my marriage.” While seeking for prayers from her fans, she wrote “I crave your indulgence to please pray for my family. There are no victors, no vanquish. I still have tremendous respect for the father of my kids and I ask same from you all. He is a good man, and a good father. The fact that the marriage didn’t work is our failure as full adults. I take responsibility for the part I played in it. While marriage ends, true relationship never dies. We remain good friends and parents to our two lovely daughters. We will do our best to give them the best life to offer. Once again, thanks for all your love and support through the years. Sincerely, yours Georgina Onuoha,”

Toni Lawani’s Husband Reveals His Parent Are In Support Of His Union With His Wife As the saying goes, the only thing that is constant in life is change. There was a time in Nigeria when every parent frowned at the idea of their sons marrying older women but alas, things have drastically changed. Such is the case of Nigeria’s famous stylist Toyin Lawani and her spouse, Lord Trigg, who at present are happily engaged. Lord Trigg revealed recently that the bond between him and Toyin surpasses age. He said “It is what it is. It is the bond between us and not just the age; me being younger and her being older, is about what we feel about each other. She has some qualities one can hardly find in other ladies. She has a great personality. She is beautiful, loving and very caring”. The Rivers State Artiste stressed further that they have not had a problem since he had his first child with Toyin named Tenor over a year

A top Nollywood actor, Muna Obiekwe has died, it has been reported. The veteran actor accord-

The multi-award winning Nigerian Afrobeat musician, singer and song- writer, Bisade Ologunde popularly known as Lagbaja has taken to social media to display his Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) and also declared that the incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan will be voted out of office in the forthcoming presidential election. Lagbaja posted a

sample of his PVC on his Facebook page and the post came with the caption: ‘Congratulations Nigeria! I don collect my Voter’s Card! Therefore… No 2nd Term for President Jonathan!’

The masked musician has spoken in many of his interviews about President Jonathan’s inability to rule Nigeria effectively and also revealed severally his adoration of the late former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige. Lagbaja made it known that the Jonathanled government has failed to benefit the masses the way he envisaged it to be.

Abuja Pastor Reveals Why He Gave Larry Koldsweat And Expensive Brand Of Suv Abuja’s noble pastor, Bro Joshua Iginla the General Overseer of Champions Royal Assembly not too long ago presented an Infinity brand of a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) to Nigeria’s prolific actor, Larry Koldsweat and others, it has been revealed. When quizzed as to why he dolled out the vehicle to Larry Koldsweat, the pastor explained that he did that in a bid to appreciate God. He said “I know a lot of people would think that it is because I

Bro Joshua Iginla am a show man, but that is not true. Larry is not the only person who got a car gift from me because I also gave some of my aides too.I gave them the cars not as a show off but to appreciate God. I never

believed that I could drive a car not to talk of owning one. When people labour with you and they are not blessed, it’s not good. I told them not to thank me but God”. While stressing further, the man of God said “It is a joy for me to help people interpret their dreams. I give to those who can’t pay me back. Of what purpose is it when the pastor is rich and his shepherds are poor? If God has lifted me up to this level, it’s my joy to lift others.”

YEMI SHODIMU: YOU ARE A FOOL IF YOU VOTE APC

ago and dismissed the possibility of them having any in the future. He said “So far, it’s going on well. We have never had problems and I don’t foresee that in the future. She is what I want. I don’t get both-

ered about what people think or say. I really don’t care. It’s their opinion. I am a different person so I do my things differently. This is what makes me happy; being with her makes me happy so I am cool.”

PROMINENT ACTOR OF NOLLYWOOD MUNA OBIEKWE PASSES ON By Dele Akintilo

LAGBAJA DECLARES: NO SECOND TIME FOR JONATHAN

ing to report gave up the ghost after a long battle with kidney ailment. Muna Obiekwe died on January 18, 2015 in a

hospital located in Festac, Lagos State. The Nollywood actor battled severely with the ailment for a very long

Amid preparations for the February 2015 general elections in Nigeria, Veteran actor cum TV presenter, Yemi Shodimu, recently declared his support for the ruling People’s Democratic Party and said anybody that vote for the All Progressive Congress is a fool. Yemi Shodimu made this statement at the President Goodluck Jonathan re-election campaign rally in Lagos few days ago at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Onikan. The one time aide to Gbenga Daniel, Ogun

time and did not inform his colleagues in the entertainment industry about the aliment. His situation got worse and all effort to salvage his life proved abortive as he eventually died and according to a reliable source, after Muna was found vomiting in his home, he was rushed to

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

State’s ex-Governor co hosted the rally in Lagos with his colleague in the broadcasting sub sector,

Bisi Olatilo. While warning Nigerians to be careful with their votes and stressing that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has performed satisfactorily, he said “If you vote for the APC, you are fools”. He stated further that Nigerians stand the risk of being imprisoned for 32 years if they allow the opposition party to win the forthcoming elections owing to the dictatorial spirit that General Buhari of the All Progressive Congress possesses.

Muna Obiekwe

the Festac hospital. It is a sad development that he lost the battle with his ailment and died in that same day. May the Lord grant him eternal rest and grant his family members, friends and colleagues in the entertainment industry to fortitude to bear the irreparable loss

Yemi Shodimu

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continued from p(48) is a net point on service; the ball is served again and it isn’t a fault when it hits the proper service court. Rush the net: moving

quickly forward with a hope of volleying. Seeding: the ranking or positioning of competitors based on actual or potential

ability. Service court: the two subdivisions of each forecourt; a player serving must place the ball within the op-

ponents crosscourt service court. Set: this is the unit of a match; a player wins

a set by winning at least six games with a margin of at least two games. Smash: hitting the

ball hard with an overhand motion. Volley: to hit the ball before it bounces.

in Delta State when some militants killed just one Nigerian soldier. Therefore, to think always of the collateral consequences of a narrow interest action and refuse to act to create the much-needed impression of strength is not good politics. Now, the opposition has managed to con-

vert the gentility of Jonathan to docility and it is asking that he be replaced with Buhari so that the presidency can regain its characteristic rigidity and brutality. The message is sinking because the Nigerian crowd is like the Roman Mob that listens to both

prose and poetry and acts on the last impulse. Buhari is the last impulse. Anyhow, it will amount to a change if Buhari wins the presidential election. This seems all that the APC wants from the ongoing process – just change for the sake of change. The nature of the change has

not been properly interrogated because Buhari the change agent being taunted shall flunk big time on all indices if brought under scrutiny. He is being protected and guided by sheer propaganda to the presidency. This is the danger in the Buhari choice. By

all measurements, he neither possesses the mental infrastructure nor the temperament to manage a modern state. He is just a piece of mirage defined as reality largely by the inability of President Jonathan to act decisively. Like all mirages, he shall evaporate upon arrival.

There is a saying that to teach a snake its shape, put it in a box. Our failures can be the box that teaches us our shape, and helps us to ascertain how our talents, personality, and learning ability coalesce to form the unique creation we are, and help us to fulfill our destiny and purpose. FAILURES CAN HELP PUT THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE “Be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it.” How many times have we pursued a goal we thought was important, only to find it didn’t bring us the rewards we expected? Have we succeeded or failed in our attempt? Billionaire J. Paul Getty blew through five wives and is alienated from his children. Is he a success or a failure? Our failures highlight our values, and help us to define what is important in our lives. The man who puts family first will probably not have a skyrocketing career, but can certainly be a successful

husband and father. The woman who thrives on a high-powered career requiring 80+ hour weeks will undoubtedly be a financial success, but may have to forego success in the relationship department. One truism in life is that we can have everything we want in life, just not all at the same time. Our failures may help us choose in what area we would like to have success so we can focus our time, effort and energy on that area, and we happily let the rest go to the sidelines. One of the greatest gifts of failure is the knowledge that failure is never final, unless we choose to give up. Discovering that we can turn our lives around, choose a different path, or embrace a new idea at any age or in any set of circumstances is liberating for the soul, can motivate us to seek the wisdom and experience of others who have had different experiences, and can provide the momentum we need to propel us to successes beyond our imaginings.

by the forks but did not have a guard rail around it. Also the worker was not wearing safety shoes or fall protection when he fell to his death as a result of blunt force trauma to the head.

According to the Ontario Ministry of Labour findings there were multiple violations on Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act Regulation 851 that covers industrial workplaces.

continued from p(34) and Zaki Biam, the birth place of former Chief of Army Staff, Major General Victor Malu. Baba is today adjudged a strong leader with a lot of initiatives to contain trouble. Even Yar’Adua who was sick had enough strength to send the Air Force to level Okerenkoko

continued from p(22) difficult to implement any ‘Reproductive Health Law’ in Nigeria due to porous Northern border; and the Islamic Law, which views vaccination against ‘polio’ as a secret tool to sterilize Muslim women! This assumption by Islamist is not only false, but also baseless accusation. ON ECONOMY BOKO HARAM has no concept about the shifting global economy, and has been serially wrong in wasteful policy such as its support for ‘oil refineriesto-nowhere’ (all outside Nigeria)! These activities indeed have been breeding economic misery to Nigeria until the current government stopped the unsustainable Oil Subsidy, and closed loopholes in the export of crude oil to these ‘phantom’ refineries. It will be a rocky mistake if BOKO HARAM gets its wish. That will be a death-wish for Nigeria as a Federation. BOKO HARAM activities; including random killings, kidnappings of foreign nationals, will discourage foreign investors

continued from p(23) and stifle innovation for economic growth and development. And, according to Sharia law, all behavior which is neither discouraged (Makruh) nor recommended (Mustahabb), neither forbidden (Haraam) nor required (Fard); is of the Mubah, it is permissible. Yet, BOKO HARAM contradicts the Sharia by their actions, and by the practice of radical religious politics. Its leadership lacks political heft in management of policies and the skill to provide expanded vision on economic growth. GOVERNMENT Such Islamic-based Government, will be unrealistic, too divisive, too weak, too inept politically and democratically. The society under such government will be much based on consumption, debtridden, self-indulgence, greed, social unfairness, and human rights violation. It will always be a government that is formed by use of violence and terror and ultimately will result in abuse of power. The nation will cer-

tainly be in a political flux; due to erosion of religious liberty, oppressiveness of women, and wants to be immune from imposition of Nigerian values (rule of law, human rights, religious freedom, and democracy). The Sharia law will never serve a multicultural, multi-ethnic society like Nigeria. The government created will be less stable, less predictable and certainly, less safe. And for those politicians that are covertly supporting BOKO HARAM, I have just one piece of advice: ‘The sheep being led to the slaughter (abattoir) will continue to bleat bla bla in ignorance until the knife slices its throat’. This is the situation with BOKO HARAM and its supporters. Those politicians that are covertly or openly advocating for BOKO HARAM, I say to them to truly examine their own identity, nationality, patriotism. Because, this is the sort of ‘cake you cannot eat and have’ at the same time. By, Akadu, Toronto

continued from p(17)

continued from p(12) and every one of us to pray for him if this rumor is true,” said Mr. Fani-Kayode at news conference. The former aviation minister also said that it is really important that a full disclosure regarding the state of Gen. Buhari’s health is made public, especially considering the country’s recent history; making a reference to the health status of late President Umaru Yar’Adua who died in his office back in 2010.

He stated that Nigerians deserve to know the truth about Mr. Buhari’s health before voting on Presidential elections scheduled for February 14. Mr. Fani-Kayode said that the days when things like presidential candidate health were kept a secret have long gone and urged Mr. Buhari to acknowledge this fact. “In this day and age, nothing ought to be swept under the carpet. We are therefore constrained to

urge him to prove to Nigerians that he is really as fit as a fiddle by taking a brisk walk,” Fani-Kayode said. He said that General Buhari could show his health status by jogging around the stadium before any of his speeches. He added that by doing so, fears of many Nigerians could disappear, proving that presidential candidate from APC was healthy and fit, contrary to rumors about his health status.

considering the issue of Weyin, she didn’t know what his reaction might be. Besides, there was a way she was feeling, as if she was meeting with a man. Well, he is actually a man but he’s not a man like - as in a date. She had to say the appropriate thing though. “It’s

good to see you too.” She said taking her seat. To be continued. This story is from the novel, This Time Around To order this book and others by the same author, Taiwo Iredele Odubiyi Call: 1-410-8187482 Website: www.pastortaiwoodubiyi.org.uk

continued from p(14) out for her. “That’s okay. It’s good to see you again.” Antonio, just deal with the issues, she’s not right for you - his mind told him. What should she say to that? Misan wondered. On one hand, she felt it was good to see him, really. On the other hand, it might not be a good thing to see him

wishes, he began playing in a jazz band. His musical talents were less than sterling, and soon he realized he was just another musician teetering on the brink of unemployment. Unlike many of his fellow musicians, he was able to manage the income he had, so those periods of unemployment weren’t nearly as devastating for him as they were for others. His musical colleagues recognized his talent for money management, and soon they had hired him to manage their finances - for a fee. This caused the young man to rethink his career goals, and changed the course of his life.= This failure’s name is Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve Chairman, who has been credited with performing an economic impossibility - sustaining long term economic growth without stimulating inflation. His failure taught him that money, rather than music, was his fortÈ, and we have all benefitted from that epiphany.

announced by the Ontario Ministry of Labour. The worker was moving merchandise on Jan 18 2013 using a forklift/operator that was modified and had an additional platform supported

continued from p(14) I Want My Mother-in-law to Leave brother too has to learn to show appreciation to avoid taking liberty for granted. This may be difficult for him to do if you as his sister fails to package your husband to earn the respect of your family. If you persist in disrobing your husband on account of his refusal to send your brother to a private university in the presence of your family, it may not augur well for you in the long run because they would use the same words you used against him to drag you in the mud too. Be careful you don’t use your own hands to destroy your home. You have a good husband.

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

Many men would rather call your bluff. Offering to pay the fees means he is meeting all the other obligations to you and the children. On the contrary, you are the one being insensitive, wicked to yourself and family and completely unreasonable. You have a right to his time and money but your family doesn’t. If he is doing it, it is because he loves you and has come to accept your family as being part of the package. If he were to tow your line of argument, your family should be kept outside the marriage just as you want him to keep his family out of your home. Marriage is

endurance, sacrifices, support, tolerance and plenty of trust in God. Your husband has made an important concession, in your interest you must learn to see his family as part of the package of being married to this man. If you fail to accept his people as yours, don’t nag or blame anybody when he also begins to demand your family stays out of his house. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Whatever the issues are with your marriage, invite the presence of God into it through prayers and not nagging. Good luck.

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2015 Black History Month Kick-off Organized by Ontario Black History Society Metro Toronto Convention Centre Sunday, Jan. 25th, 2015 Pictures by The Nigerian Canadian Newspaper

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InGone Memoriam Too Soon

February 25, 1963 - February 22, 2011 In loving memory of a dear friend who passed away February 22, 2011

Forever remembered. Forever missed. Catherine Houeto, Nee Ebu

Ore, I miss you o. Ngozi Ugoh

Service of Songs for Pa. Abel Adewunmi Afuwape

(The father of Mrs Catherine F. Akinrinola Father in law of Rev. Dr. Benjamin Akinrinola)

Dec. 6th, 2014 CAC Vineyard of Comfort. Toronto, Canada

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

NIGERIAN CANADIAN NEWS • To Advertise Call : 416-318-3506

KLASSIC COLLECTIONS We also carry:

• Organza Contact us for any Aso-Ebi (Big or Small)

• Aso-Oke

• Headties

• George

• Polish Lace-for Man

• Brocade

Contact Rita 416-302-5607

• Wax Print (Ankara)

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015

NIGERIAN CANADIAN NEWS • To Advertise Call : 416-318-3506

NCMMSC

NIGERIAN CANADIAN MULTI-SERVICE CENTER “Together, We Are Better”

NCMC - is a non profit, non- political, secular organization whose mission is to assist all Nigerians to achieve full integration and participation in Canada and family life while maintaining their culture and heritage.

Windows - Comprehensive Eye Examination - Contact lens - Glasses - Laser Surgery Consultation - Visual Field Examination

- To provide a drop in centre which will serve as a one stop access for information on programs and services, discussion forum for the community - To assist Canadian citizens and immigrants of Nigerian origin to fully integrate into a society and culture vastly different from their own. - To address family issues and problems with respect to women, children, youth and seniors - To provide assistance with social, personal, and employment related issues. - To enhance the quality of life through networking, educational and social functions. - To be a central body representing Nigerians in issues that adversely affect the Nigerian community in Ontario - To be recognized as a body representing the rights and concerns of our community - To serve as a united body for interaction and networking with non Nigerian organizations and service agencies in Ontario whose goals and objectives are similar to ours. - To network with all Nigerians and other ethnic and racial minority groups, to access, inform, and share information of mutual interest. - To be a non-political organization promoting fellowship and unity among the Nigerians/Canadian community - To support and promote programs and activities organized for community development through community initiatives e.g. Social Planning Councils - To promote and support activists within the Nigerian/Canadian community relating to social, economic, cultural, and educational issues in Canadian Society e.g. Schools, Police, Children's Aid Society. - To respond to the social and economic needs of the Nigerian/ Canadian community as required. - To promote conscious awareness among Nigerians and the people of Canada. - To create the spirit of understanding among Nigerians and the people of Canada - To take active interest in cultural, social, and civil actives that would benefit Nigerians residents in Canada an the Canadian community as a whole. - To promote the principles and values of good citizenship

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: NGOZI UGOH – 416-318-3506

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2015