Messages from RCCG 61st Annual Convention 2013:

THE LORD of HOSTS by Papa E. A. Adeboye-

 

Bible Text: Psalm 24:7-10
“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.”

There are 3 categories of Christians. The first are the baby Christians who drink only milk and cannot take hard stuff (1Peter 2:2). The second category are adult Christians who can eat strong meat (Hebrews 5:12-14). Then there is a level of those higher than adult Christians, they don’t only eat strong meat, they crack bones so they can reach for the marrows (Mark 4:10-11). These mature Christians are the ones who are given the opportunity to see the mystery and hidden things of the kingdom.

You know the category a Christian belongs to by the way they respond to things of God. When you say to a baby Christian ‘God loves you’, they get all excited and it ends there. When you say God loves you to a mature Christian ‘God loves you’, they are quick to say ‘Amen’ and they also spend time pondering because they know the bible says God chastens and corrects those He loves (Proverbs 3:11-12).

For example when God had to proof that he had power over fire , his beloved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego go through fire (Daniel 3). When He had to proof that he was the Lion of the tribe of Judah, he sent Daniel and allowed him go into the lion’s den (Daniel 6).

Tonight’s message is for matured Christians who are bone crackers. The Lord of host is a man of war, He hardly looses a battle. Sometimes He can lose a battle in order to win a war but He never loses a war! When it seems like God is losing a battle, then he has a surprise coming up.

If you read through the book of Daniel chapter 3, you will realise that God kept quiet while the 3 Hebrew boys were being persecuted, He did nothing while the fiery furnace was being heated but waited to show His power when the boys had been thrown into the fire. By the time God was through with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, King Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged God as the most high.

In the name that is above every other name, God will fight your battles for you. Amen!You will have the last laugh in Jesus name… And by the time God finishes with you tonight, you will begin your journey to prosperity in Jesus name. Amen

There are battles God will fight for you. In Exodus 14:13-21, Moses told the children of Israel to be still and watch God fight for them. When you are being pursued by generational enemies, it’s only God that can fight the battle for you.

There are battles God will fight WITH you. If you read through Joshua 10, while Joshua was fighting his own battle on one side, God was raining down great hailstones on Joshua’s enemies from heaven.

Finally there are battles He will fight THROUGH you. Mark 11:23, says “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith”.

This is a way God fights your battles though you, you have to do it yourself by saying what you want. Also in Isaiah 54:17 bible says “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn”. The statement “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper” is a battle God will fight for you while the other bit “every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn” means you also have to fight the battle yourself.

Tonight God will fight for you. With you and also fight through you in Jesus name. Amen.

Many of us like to quote Psalm 68:1-3. “ Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.”

A baby Christian will simply say amen to this bible text, an adult christian might even sing it as a song but matured Christians don’t just quote it, they check to make sure they are not God’s enemies.

In 2Samuel 12:1-7, God sent a prophet to King David when He sinned against God, David passed his judgements not realising the person the prophet was talking about was him.

You also need to make sure that it is not God fighting against you. You see, God can either be for you, be against you or just be very neutral with you. When God is neutral with a man, He is neither for or against the man, He just leaves the person alone. If God leaves you for one day, you are finished!

Before you pray for God to fight your enemies tonight, make sure you are not the enemy

SEVEN THINGS THAT CAN MAKE YOU AN ENEMY OF GOD:

1) You can become an enemy of God by lying to Him. You insult the intelligence of the all knowing God by telling him a lie. In Acts 5:1-11, Ananias and Sapphira died the same day just because they lied in the presence of God.

2) Failure to pay your vows can make you an enemy of God . Ecclesiastes 5:4 says” When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools” and remember Psalm 14:1 says “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God”. In other words, when you make a vow to God but refuse to redeem it, you are indirectly saying God doesn’t exist… and when you say to God that He doesn’t exist, He tries to show you that He does exist.

3) You can become an enemy of God by not obeying Him completely. If you are not going to obey God completely, don’t bother obeying Him at all because God hates incomplete obedience.

4) Lukewarmness can make you an enemy of God. Revelation 3:15-16 “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth”. This is the one many of us are guilty of! Many atimes we have to be begged to do certain things for God. God doesn’t like lukewarmness at all, He would rather you were either very hot or so cold. If you are going to be a Christian, be a Christian but if you cannot be a Christian,GO! Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well! If you want to serve God, serve Him but if you don’t want to, stop pretending! it makes God feel insulted.

5) God gets pretty upset when you doubt him. Hebrews 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God. Bible also says whatever is not of faith is sin. Doubting God’s promises makes Him feel insulted. If His words says it, that settles it! Many of us have lost our miracles half way because of doubt

6) When you sin, you make yourself an enemy of God. Psalm 7:11 says God is angry with the wicked every day. That is quite frightening but yet many Christians continue in sin and expect grace to abound! You can not be a born-again Christian and still live the way you like.

7) God gets upset when He warns you but you keep ignoring His corrections. Proverbs 29:1 says “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”.

Many Christians have cheapened grace…we tend to say “God is a gracious God” but we need to remember that it was in this same dispensation of grace He killed Ananias and Sapphira for telling a lie. Don’t let anybody deceive you, God is the same yesterday, today and forever!

If you have not yet given your life to Christ, surrender your life to Him now! And if you are a Christian still toying with sin, ask God for forgiveness now so you don’t remain His enemy.

PRAYER POINTS

1. Father! I didn’t know that I’ve been my own enemy, please forgive me oh! Lord. I will change completely from tonight. I will serve no other god except You. Have mercy on me. I will pay all my vows. I will obey You completely. I will never doubt You again

2. Father! All the battles that I cannot win on my own, please fight them for me. All generational curses, Father deal with them for me

3. Father! I won’t doubt You anymore. Father! I’m saying to these mountains in my life: sickness, barrenness, any obstruction to my success, fruitlessness, pains to move in the might Name of Jesus

4. Father! Arise and let all Your enemies be scattered

N.B. Daddy GO says tomorrow (friday) is going to be a great day and he encouraged everyone to prepare by fasting till 6pm.

By Pastor E.A. Adeboye




 Day 2 of RCCG 61st Annual Convention 2013: 

 

Theme: JESUS. By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Bible Text: Matthew 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. When the bible says the wages of sin is death, God isn’t talking about physical death alone. The death could be spiritual, financial or even emotional death.

There is only one punishment for sin and that punishment is death. John 5:2-14 makes you realise what sin can bring into the life of a man. The man at the pool of Bethesda had been sick for 38years. He tried to get into the pool 38times and failed 38 times but one day Jesus had mercy on him and healed him. After he was healed in verse 14, Jesus said unto him:

“Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee”.

38years of this man’s life was wasted, his life had been stagnant and he was in bondage for 38 years just because of sin.

Sin and sorrow go together. Psalm 16:4 says “Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god” and in Job 15:20 the bible says “The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days”

Brothers and sisters, sin is horrible and that is why there is so much joy in salvation. When a sinner comes in contact with Jesus and by the blood the sins are washed away, all the devastations of sin can be reversed in one day. Immediately the man at the pool came in contact with Jesus, peace, joy and hope came into his life.

If you go to a man of God who promises you healing or blessing without salvation, please run away from him because what he will give you is not a miracle from God but a magic from satan. Salvation comes first before blessings.

Revelation 12:11 says “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb”. If the blood of Jesus does not wash away your sin, you remain a slave to satan. It takes the blood of the lamb to give you freedom from all forces of darkness.

When you truly surrender your life to Jesus, you begin to enjoy peace in your body, soul, home and place of work because Jesus is the prince of peace.

Did you know that there is no salvation without genuine repentance? Proverbs 28:13 says “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy”. In Luke 13:2-5, Jesus said unless you repent you will perish. In 2Peter 3:9, bible says God doesn’t want any man to perish but wants every man to repent. God wants you to change your ways so you can obtain mercy.

Many people claim to be born again but they do not have a clue about what it really means. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says godly sorrow brings about salvation. When you repent of your sins, you feel sorry and sad for all the wrong things you have done and then apologise to God with a determination to change your ways.

Genuine salvation will turn you completely into a new creature. The bible says in 2Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

How can you claim to be saved and your lifestyle remains exactly the same as before? That is a big contradiction to what the word of God says. When you truly surrender to God, old things pass away…the one who lies no longer lies, the one who used to steal stops stealing. There is transformation of character from bad to good.

When you are saved, there is no sin that is called ‘small sin’, you wouldn’t want to commit any type of sin because you are conscious Christ lives in you.

The bible says in Isaiah 3:10-11 “Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.”. If you are saved, your tomorrow will be alright but if you choose to remain in your sin, your future will be terrible.

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been attending church or whether you are a minister or worker in the church, if you cannot remember the day or period you gave your life to Christ, you need to give your life to Christ today. When you give your life to Christ, you become married to Him. If you cannot remember your wedding date, and you say you are saved, you’re saved from What?

If you have never given your life to Christ or if you did in the past but backslidded, you also need to surrender your life to God today. Confess your sins, make a decision to forsake all your sins and ask God to have mercy on you.

PRAYER POINTS
1) Father, because Jesus saved my soul, I say bye bye to sorrow, sickness, failure, and defeat.

2) Father, you said in your word that it shall be well with the righteous. Because I am Your child, let my tomorrow be alright Lord.

Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Submissiveness in Marriage.

People have written a lot about Marriage and how wonderful it is that you would think divorce will be deleted from our vocabulary but no it is not. Infact in this age and time, Marriage is no longer as wonderful as it should be, divorce is now becoming a trend and no one wants to endure with the man/woman of their youth. At the slightest appearance of difficulty and misunderstanding they want to give up. People now are quick to forget the vow they made to their partner on their wedding day.

I try a lot of times not to make my writings sound religious because to me, Christianity is a relationship with God our Creator and not something to be 'practiced' as some claimed. I do this with the intention of carrying a lot of people along. I hope I'm trying well enough.

Talking about marriage, I believe no matter your religious inclination, everyone wants to have a wonderful and great marriage and no religion preaches intolerance in marriage. I know that  all religions of the world preaches that submission is very essential in marriage and the lack of it, is one of the major problems in marriage.

A lot of marriages face problems in this times and most is because of lack of submission. See, be not confused when i say submission and don't think it is only the wife that i am talking about. The context in which submission is used here is not in relation to women alone, a man also needs to submit to his wife.

A man submitting to his spouse in marriages is building a lasting relationship. I do not mean becoming complacent and accepting folly from your wife. I mean discussing issues affecting everyone in the family and listening to your wife's advice.

We shall consider what makes a marriage great using the GREAT acrostic, GREAT meaning the following:

G---Giving:  Remember that when you give to your spouse, he will want to reciprocate. The bible says in 2 Cor 9: 6-7 that when you give/sow sparingly, you get sparingly but when you sow/give generously, you get generously. Give your time, affection and money to your marriage and you will have more joy and happiness flowing in that home.

R---Relating: Try to relate more. Talk more and doubts and suspicions will not have a foothold in that home.

E---Edifying: This is instructing especially to encourage intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement so do it gently.

A---Allowing: Allow your partner to express themselves verbally, artistically etc. Give them space. Be more understanding to what they are saying, acting out or doing. Most times, pent up emotions can increase or cause high blood pressure.

T---Touching: A touch shows affection, love, kindness, understanding and support. A casual touch of holding hands goes a long way to show support and understanding. in fact it says "I am here"  and  'you are not alone".

In the above, it shows that both husband and wife have to do the same for a great marriage. Both have to submit to each other. Both have to show more understanding and tolerance in that relationship. Don't listen to the so called friends or family members who tend to know more about your spouse more than you do. Most times they are wrong. They just want to cause misunderstanding in your relationships.

No matter what you are going through in that marriage, God will see you through. The Bible says, ---Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off. I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. (Psalms 37:34-36, 39, 40 ESV)

If you submit to your husband or wife and people think you are weak, please ignore them. Do you know most people will definitely envy how close you are to your spouse and will come up with irrelevancies to separate you?

At times they say there are looking out for you but do they really look out for you? Do they? When I had misunderstanding in my marriage, I had a lot of advice from friends and family members both solicited and unsolicited. I know I was hurt especially when I think I gave 100 percent and my husband gave 50 percent to the relationship. They all meant well. But I knew the decision lies with me to stay or move on. I was hurt, really hurt but I had to go to God and submit all.

Okay I want to ask, Is Submission in Marriage only for the wife?

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Widows drinking Corpse water

In Akwa Ibom State and most of the States in the South of Nigeria, there is a very dehumanising Custom or rite that Widows perform when their husbands die unexpectedly. I said unexpectedly and not young because even if the man is as old as Menthuselah, the community will still want the wife to perform this terrible rite.

This  Custom is the forced drinking of water used to bath the dead husband by the widow. This custom is ancient and has so many negative implications on the woman. The Spiritual implication is that the departed will haunt the woman for the rest of her life. Health wise, the body is ravaged by infections and diseases and psychologically,  rejection and condemnation plagued the woman.

Traditionally, it is believed that the men are stronger than the women so when a woman outlived her husband, then she must have killed him. In order to clear herself, she must drink this dirty and polluted water to show her innocense. If she survives, she is celebrated and if she dies, then her sins have caught up with her. Most times, these women dont survive.

Why Dont They Survive?
The Corpse being washed most times have started the process of decomposition and anything touching it is not fit for human consumption. That bathe water is not hygienic or good for drinking. A woman drinks, and is locked up in a little filthy and airless hut for days. Medically, she will have cholera and fever. When she starts vomiting and stooling, they will say her sins have come back for her instead of taking her to the hospital for medical attention. Within days, the woman drops dead and the community says, shes quilty of killing her husband.

I remembered a particular incident as a child several years ago where the woman who was my mothers friend was stripped of all her husband properties and was forced to go to the village to perform this rite. It was a pathetic incident as the woman and her children were crying and pleading to be spared that terrible experience. We all joined in the weeping fete but these wicked family members insisted she has to go if she still want to be part of the family. Eventually, she went with them and never came back. A daughter surfaced years later to tell us, the mother did not survive. For the daughter, she swore she will not marry someone from her State.

So I am  happy that Akwa Ibom State Government in a bill passed by the House of Assembly and signed by the governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, outlawed this custom and others which maltreat widows after the deaths of their husbands, declaring it as unlawful and inhuman.

In the Governor's Democracy Day speech,  29th May 2013, he declared that it had become unlawful for widows to be maltreated in Akwa Ibom, saying defaulters of the law risk fines and three years imprisonment. His wife, the First Lady of the state, Chief (Mrs) Unoma Ekaette Akpabio, commended the House of Assembly and the governor for the pro-women law, describing the passage of the law as a breakthrough for the womenfolk in the state.

This came 12 years  after Enugu State passed a similar law "The Prohibition of Infringement of a Widow's Fundamental Rights Law, 2001-A Law to Make it Unlawful to Infringe the Fundamental Rights of Widows and  for Other Related Matters". The law specifically forbids forcing a widow to drink the water used to wash her husband's corpse.

So far three states have passed laws against punitive widowhood rites. These States are Enugu, Edo and Oyo state. But implementing or enforcing the laws are the major problems here. I hope, Akwa IbomState will not fall into this category of States passing laws and not enforcing them.

Honestly, it is still normal for a widow, whether she is suspected or not, to be compelled or forced to perform this rite or other rites if she wants to be cleared of any suspicion of killing her husband.

Emem Isong, one of the foremost Producers and Directors in Nollywood, highlighted the plights of widows in her Film 'UYAI'. The Widow played by INI EDO was suspected of killing her husband that she recently married and was subjected to this rite by the women of the community. She fainted after drinking the water and was left to die.  

I pray more women will become educated and insist on their rights not to kill themselves with the poison from their wicked in-laws.

Wedding of Tu Face and Annie Idibia

 On the 23rd of March 2013, in Dubai,  Annie Macaulay & Innocent '2Face' Idibia finally said 'I DO' and were joined together in Holy matrimony.

Their love story is not a new one but its unique in the sense that they battled a lot of odds to be together. I never thought they would ever come back together after all the babies named after him but they did. This to me is true Love. Love conquers all. But, how did it begin?

They  met years ago at Even Ezra Music Studio when she was just fifteen and in her words, "I think there was some electricity that second" (whatever electricity means). They became friends and by the time they shot the "African Queen" video in 2004, they had started dating. This was confirmed during an interview.

According to Annie Inyang or Annie as she is called, the romance blossomed during her 16th birthday celebration at the Alpha Beach and they all had a wonderful time with their friends. She said it was real fun because then tuface was not a star but made her feel like a star. She said after the party, they all walked to the bus stop and when they boarded a bus, he paid for everyone and that made her very proud.

As the relationship waxed stronger, Tuface popularity  grew and so came women who wanted to be part of the fame. But Annie and Tuface struggled to keep the relationship together and also also work on their careers.

When we started hearing rumours that gave Tuface the nickname, 2baba ( meaning father of many children like father Abraham), we began to wonder what was going on with his celebrated  relationship with Annie. In quick succession, 2Face had gotten two different women pregnant – Pero Adeniyi and Sumbo Ajala.
It was later we heard that they had broken up. Within years, both ladies (Pero and Sumbo) had given 2Face four kids. I remembered one of the ladies claiming she was very close to 2face's mum. She even came to Moment with MO Abudu to say it. I then wondered if 2face mum was the link or she was just used by the Lady to get to her son, 2face? 

We were surprised when we heard that Annie miscarried and later on gave birth to 2Face's fifth child called Isabel. We were happy that they had reconciled only to be shocked by Pero's third child for 2face.

But I guess, Tuface realised that the woman who is with you and loves you when you had nothing is truly in love and everything must be done to keep that woman. Because in 2012, 2Face proposed to Annie on Valentine's Day at Jay Jay Okocha's Club 10 even though they were not dating but communicating. She accepted and  on Tuesday, May 1 2012, they legalised their union at the Court Registry and the Traditional Wedding on Friday 8th March 2013 in Akwa Ibom State. 

Altough many people criticised the lavish nature of their white wedding in Dubai, i think they deserved that and more. They have gone through so much individually and together. Tuface have been shot at severally and they have survived break-ups, make-ups, miscarriage, baby mamas' and smear campaigns.

They deserve to be happy. I wish my sister, Annie Inyang Macauley and 2face Innocent Idibia happy married life.

Why Problems?

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Why would a loving God, allow you to face problems in your life? Why can’t He just instantly give you a perfect life? Do you ever wonder if He is really interested in helping you to win and achieve in life?
Sometimes life’s challenges just seem impossible to overcome: Financial challenges are ever at your doorstep; just when you think you’re about to have a breakthrough – then something goes wrong; you have to contend with jealous co-workers ; it’s taking forever to buy that car; you have family issues – and you just don’t seem to appear to be winning in all these areas.

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

When we are facing problems in life, it can be difficult to believe that God has a plan through every challenge that we face. We can be tempted to believe that God is more interested in punishing us than in helping us. We can be tempted to believe that God would rather see us struggle than conquer.

However it is important to learn from Jeremiah 29:11 that God does not purpose in His mind to harm you. God loves His creation and you are created in His image. God is not sadistic. God will therefore never create you so that He can spend His time ensuring that only bad things happen in your life.
Believe me, God has great plans for you. God’s plan is to “prosper you” and “to give you hope and a future”.

Therefore if you are facing problems and challenges in your life, God may allow them for the following reasons:
 

1) God Wants to Build Your Character

 – God is more interested in you developing your character and becoming mature so that in Christ, you can cope with anything that life may throw at you. When you face problems, it might be that God wants to teach you specific values and virtues through your problems such as patience, perseverance, love, faith and the like. (My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. – James 1:2-5NKJV)

2) God Wants to Teach You About Himself

 – Ultimately God also wants you to know Him and to know His character. God can use problems to change your perspective about life and about Him. For example, some people who have had sickness or near-death experiences have been known to radically and positively change their outlook on life. Therefore God can use problems to help you refocus your perspective and to view Him and His plans for your life more correctly. (“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. – Isaiah 55:8-9NKJV)

3) God Wants You to Help Other People After You Have Conquered Your Problem 

– People who have overcome abuse, a tragedy or any type of problems are more effectively able to comfort, empathize and counsel a person who is going through similar circumstances. (Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.- Galatians 6:1-2NKJV)

4) God Wants to Prepare You For A Future Position or Mission in Your Life

 – God is able to use your current challenges in life in order to build your character and resilience for a future mission or role in life. You may not understand the purpose of your challenges in the present, but they will make sense in the future when you have arrived at the place that God wants you to be in life. (Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. – Genesis 50:19-21NKJV)

5) A Life of Sin Is the Reason for Your Problem 

– Living a sinful life or making sinful choices can cause problems in your life. God is not to be blamed for your problems, especially when the cause of your problems is a sinful choice or life. Sometimes we can make wrong choices on our own that land us into problems. Therefore when we live a sinful life, we then separate ourselves from God and because of sin our perspective and our approach to life’s problems become ungodly. (But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. – Isaiah 59:2NKJV)

6) God Allows Problems in Order to Test Our Hearts

 – God may allow problems so that He may test your heart and your motives. God is not merely interested in giving you the things that you want in life – but God is more interested in you having a genuine and growing relationship with Him. For example, do you follow God just for what He can give you, or do you follow God simply because He is your loving Creator? (“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. – Jeremiah 17:9-10NKJV)

It is therefore important to understand that challenges and problems are not always present so that they may destroy us. But in certain situations, God may use our problems so that He may achieve His will and His purpose in our life. And for every trial you face, God is faithful and He will provide a way for you to escape and be victorious.
It is therefore important to understand that challenges and problems are not always present so that they may destroy us. But in certain situations, God may use our problems so that He may achieve His will and His purpose in our life. And for every trial you face, God is faithful and He will provide a way for you to escape and be victorious.

Romans 8:37-39 NKJV
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Remebering Dr. Levi Ajuonuma

I Flew Dana Air to Abuja and back last weekend with my husband. In Abuja, we visited one of our family friends and when we told the man we took Dana Air, he was surprised. I asked him why and he said because it crashed last year. I told him the company is back and doing good because their flight is always on schedule with courteous crew members and always fully booked. The man was still not convinced and I realised fear which is not of God is eating him up.
Fear is not good at all. It paralyses Faith and causes a grown up man to start behaving and reasoning like a child. Soon, I will write about Fear.
While in the friends house we remembered Dr. Levi Ajuonuma, the former Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, who was one of the passengers on the ill fated Dana Airline flight that crashed 3rd June 2012.

Dr. Levi was a member of our Church then, Powerline Bible Church. He was very active in most of the fellowships and departments of the Church that he was a member. I remember that every year before our annual Power Conference, he would have assisted our Bishop to appear in most of the television shows to talk about the conference and the speakers. In fact for the years he was a member of the church, it was like a ritual and we were always having visitors flocking to the Church during those conferences.

This was possible because Dr. Levi was a broadcaster and public relations consultant with many radio and Television Stations. He was producer and presenter of such shows as Levi Ajuonuma Live, The Sunday Show and Showtime on NTA Network, as well as The Nation Today Live on NTA Channel 10. He had another show called  Open House Party on Raypower 100FM, a programme that ran for years. He was also the owner of Lasom Communications Ltd (a consortium of media and public relations consultants), engaged in marketing and public relations consultancy for a number of organisations such as the United States Information Service, Federal Road Safety Commission, Nigerian Institute of Structural Engineers etc. He also designed and produced corporate marketing and brand promotional TV programmes for corporate giants like Nigerian Breweries Plc, Cadbury Plc, Intercontinental Bank Plc and others.

Dr. Levi Ajuonuma was a broadcaster per excellence. He had been in the industry for about two years before he proceeded to the United States of America  (Huntington College), Indiana, where he bagged a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. He later got a Master of Arts and Ph.D in Mass Communication from the University of Minnesota in 1983 and 1987 respectively. 
He worked briefly as Assistant Professor at the Department of Journalism, Keene State College of the University System of the State of New Hampshire, USA.

Dr Levi Ajuonuma

When he eventually came back to Nigeria, he got engaged with productions of shows on television and radio stations. That is why the church then was always getting free air time.
He got married again in the church but one of his Shows then created problems between him and our Pastor and he had to leave but he was still in touch with my husband for his legal issues. We were really sad that he was one of the 153 people who died in the ill-fated Dana Airline crash at Agege, Lagos last year.

His hardwork paid off as he was later employed as the Chief Image Maker of the NNPC. He was able to deploy relevant communication tools to get Nigerians to understand the workings of the oil and gas industry and especially the NNPC.
His dedication to duty was not forgotten as Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, gave post-houmous award of  "The PETAN Outstanding Leadership Award" at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas, USA recently. The award was presented by Andrew Yakubu, Group Managing Director, NNPC and was was received by Michael Ajuonuma, his first son on behalf of the family.

One of his legacies in television broadcasting is the NTA Network programme, Tuesday Live, which is still running.

 I pray God will continue to be with his family and make them forge ahead as one big strong family.

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Chinua Achebe's Words on Marble 1

Chinua Achebe died at the age of 82 but his works live on. I have read almost all his books in the University as an English Graduate. His style of writing is different and simple.  He had been a source of inspiration to many writers and even critics. Later i will write on some of his books but for now, just enjoy some of his quotes that are quite interesting and at times amusing.

Democracy is not something you put away for 10 years, and then in the 11th year you wake up and start practicing again. We have to begin to learn to rule ourselves again." "One of the truest tests of

integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised."



"Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter."

"What's important is that we recognise the falsehood of the notion that the Third World should be abandoned because it's a waste of time."

"People create stories create people; or rather stories create people create stories."

"Stories serve the purpose of consolidating whatever gains people or their leaders have made or imagine they have made in their existing journey thorough the world."

"I wouldn't have wanted anyone to teach me how to write. I prefer to stumble on it."

"If you don't like someone's story, write your own."

"A man who makes trouble for others is also making trouble for himself".

''Nigeria had people of great quality, and what befell us — the corruption, the political ineptitude, the war — was a great disappointment and truly devastating to those of us who witnessed it."

"There is no story that is not true."

"Privilege, you see, is one of the great adversaries of the imagination; it spreads a thick layer of adipose tissue over our sensitivity."

"It is only the story that saves our progeny from blundering like blind beggars into the spikes of the cactus fence. The story is our escort; without it, we are blind. Does the blind man own his escort? No, neither do we the story; rather, it is the story that owns us."

"We cannot trample upon the humanity of others without devaluing our own. The Igbo, always practical, put it concretely in their proverb Onye ji onye n'ani ji onwe ya -"He who will holds another down in the mud must stay in the mud to keep him down."

"When we are comfortable and inattentive, we run the risk of committing grave injustices absentmindedly."

"Writers don't give prescriptions. They give headaches!"

"While we do our good works let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary."

"To me, being an intellectual doesn't mean knowing about intellectual issues; it means taking pleasure in them."

"Nobody can teach me who I am. You can describe parts of me, but who I am – and what I need – is something I have to find out myself."

"My weapon is literature"

"The impatient idealist says: 'Give me a place to stand and I shall move the earth.' But such a place does not exist. We all have to stand on the earth itself and go with her at her pace."

"Oh, the most important thing about myself is that my life has been full of changes. Therefore, when I observe the world, I don't expect to see it just like I was seeing the fellow who lives in the next room. There is this complexity which seems to me to be part of the meaning of existence and everything we value."

 /

Governor Adams Oshiomole warns Chief Igbinedion

EDO STATE GOVERNOR

I read in the Punch today that Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State on Monday warned the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, to stop undermining the laws of the State. Oshiomhole said this at the inauguration of the 14 newly elected Local Government Chairmen in Benin.
 
 
 ESAMA OF BENIN KINGDOM

Apparently the Esama's cup is filled because the man has been carrying on as the Lord of the manor for years even before his son became the Governor of the State and no one stopped him. For Governor Oshiomole to now get angry means the Esama is out of control.  The Governor said his government has the capacity and the will to contain Igbinedion’s excesses and he is going to do it. If you ask me, I will say the excesses of not only the Esama but all those people either in power or out of it should be checked and contained.  Hear the Governor, -

 “There is evidence that he (Igbinedion) has undermined the prosperity of the state for a very long time. Those who live in glass houses do not throw stones.
“I want to send a warning to Chief Igbinedion that he should take it easy; he has acquired a lot of government land that the people have not engaged him on. He walks as if he is above the law. He was a chief tax collector in this state, pocketing 25 to 30 per cent of every kobo that accrued while his son was the governor.
“I have not looked back because my mandate is to look forward. I want to put him on notice that if he continues with elderly rascality, I will bring him to justice.
“He must never ever underestimate the fact that I have the will and I have the capacity to deploy that will; if he crosses the law, he will be cut to size.
“Elders must teach the younger ones to behave responsibly.

The Governor further condemned what the Esama of Benin Kingdom was alleged to have done on Saturday, the 20th of April 2013, during the Local Council election in Okada, Edo State where his business empire is.

“You heard how he is using ITV ( Igbinedion Television) in a very reckless manner, in clear breach of the NBC code. He reduced himself as a high chief, leaving where he is registered to vote and going all the way to Okada on a day movement was restricted across the state.
“He got to Okada and illegally used mobile policemen to walk on the street; going to the police station where sensitive election materials were kept in order to vandalise the sensitive electoral materials to ensure elections did not take place.
“If he misleads himself into believing that he has the birth right to continue to appropriate and privatise the resources of Edo State, he is living in a fool’s paradise.”

 Oh yes my Comrade, tell him he is not above the Law ojare. He is a citizen just like every Nigerians and every Edolites. Elders must show the younger ones how to behave. No one is above the law, not even the Queen in England or President Obama in the US. If the law says no one should leave one point to the other during election day, then no one. By the way, is the Esama an electoral officer? Why was he going to inspect election materials? It's about time we behave within the law.

The Governor accused the High Chief of pocketing 25 to 30 percent of the total tax accrued to the State for 8 years, why has he not reported him to EFCC so that they can charge him to court or preferably force him to return part of the stolen state money? The State could use the money for roads construction and repairs.

No wonder the State was not developed all that time that Lucky Igbinedion was Governor. For 8 years, major roads in Benin City, the capital of Edo State were not tarred, maintained or expanded. There was no new infrastructural development in that State. In fact, some major roads in the city had turned to motorcycles  and foot paths because weeds had taken over.

Flood was the order of the day in the State as flood channels were blocked and no new channels or outlets were created as Fashola is doing in Lagos State.

I smiled when I read that Oshiomole called his activities,'elder rascality'. It reminded me of the Esama's attitude at the book launch of one of my friends father at NIIA last month. The man was at the High table with Chief S.O.U. Igbe (Author of the Book) and was really disturbing Sony Irabor the MC by calling him to come over for one correction or the other. To the Esama, It was supposed to be a show but to some of us it was unnecessary distraction. I know the MC is a gentleman but you could see, he was not finding it funny.

Anyway, the man and his son ruled the State for 8 years so he thinks he owned the State and may find it difficult to stop now except the Governor stops him.

Talking about all the lands the Esama has acquired legally and illegally, tell me who is going to challenge him? The Governor can but is he ready to do that now?

Governor, you are the chief law officer of Edo State and if someone has contravened the law, use the weight of the law to deal with the situation accordingly. If the Esama has no regards for constituted authority, do something. If he has pocketed 20-30% of Edo revenue illegally, please get it back.

/

Prophetic Prayer Points For Midnight – By Dr. Daniel Olukoya

As Christians, we are bombarded and attacked every second of the day but its more intense and severe in the Night. The bible says, they rob us in the night so we have to pray in the night especially midnight to stop them from robbing us.

The Bible says in ISAIAH 17: 14  "And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us".

Adieu! Till we meet again

We have had some unexpected sad incidents in my husband's family.

First it was the husband of my eldest sisters-in-law, Pa Iyeke that died last year. It was a shock to all because the old man was always healthy and full of life. The man had been a farmer all his life and had used that to train his children in schools and in other vocations. He was a witty old man. Always having words of wisdom or advice as he called it for everyone and was ready to counsel with or without one's consent. When we were called that morning that he had passed on after a brief illness, I felt bad. He was such a good, simple and unassuming person. He had a nice personality. Well, death crept in like a thief and took him away from family and friends.

Another sad incident was in January, when my husband's eldest brother lost his wife. It was really sad considering that the General Hospital that she was taken to did not manage her health condition professionally. Imagine a patient that was weak and tired being driven  from central Lagos to Oshodi for a test when the test could have been conducted in Ojuelegba which was closer? She came back and became weaker from the trip. We were there to see her and at the end could not because she was extremely tired from the rocky and bumpy drive.

Even when the family decided that it was a mistake to take her there in the first instance, there was no one to sign the release papers. We were told, there is only one lady to sign the discharge note and she was not readily available so we had to wait. At the end of it, she was not discharged or released from he hospital that day.

She was in the hospital for a week and no tests were conducted on her. My husband was visibly angry that a supposed specialist hospital like that can act so unprofessionally. I mean why administer drugs when you do not know what was wrong with the patient? She was not even allowed to eat. The woman was asking for food but they refused. Anyway, I am not writing about the poor services in all the Government Establishments today including hospitals where the Doctors swore to protect humans' lives. Will do that on a later date.




 Mrs. Cecilia Job Ibomhen died 16th January 2013 after being in the General Hospital for a while without adequate treatment. She left behind a husband, seven children and several in-laws and relations. She was a devout Christian and member of Deeper Life Church. May her Soul rest in perfect peace.

My husband knows i attend Power must change hands organised monthly by Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries. The programme is always every first Saturday of the month. So you can imagine my annoyance that the burial date is always fixed on the first Saturday.

My sister-in-law's husband was first Saturday of December and the late woman was first Saturday of March this year. I quarreled with my husband for being in those meetings and not insisting on the movement of the dates. The man said he is not directly involved so he cannot influence anything. But seriously, if he is used to attending this revival meeting every month, he would have insisted on the days being moved to other weekends. Whatever is the case, I still have to attend and help out.

The last one, we had to buy drinks to give to the women in the village on behalf of the children who are all in Schools. Particularly proud of the first son who despite delays, is now in University of Benin.

We can only be remembered by what we have done while on earth. Be a good christian, a good father, a good mother, a good worker, a good neighbour and a good friends. Impact your world and let people remember you as a good person after you have gone. This hymn says it all.

Fading away like the stars of the morning
Losing their light in the glorious sun
Thus would we pass from the earth and its toiling
Only remembered by what we have done.

Chorus: 
Only remembered, only remembered
Only remembered by what we have done
Thus would we pass from the earth and its toiling
Only remembered by what we have done.

Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards 2013

The Entertainment Industry in Africa received a boost on saturday with the first ever Awards to players in the industry. The numerous creative genius we have in Africa were celebrated.

People talk about African film industry which is Nollywood (Nigerian Movies) to me and nothing was done to improve content or reward the diligent and hard woking ones until few years ago when AMAA was introduced. Since then, they have been improvement in the industry. Other organisations like City People and Co had tried celebrating the artistes some years back but lack of funds and poor organisation killed the idea.

 

Thank God that The Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards has now been instituted by Multichoice Africa and Africa Magic to celebrate African film and television talent, both in front of and behind the cameras and i hope its sustained.
In total, 28 awards in 26 categories were created and celebrated. They ranged from acting, directing, script-writing, cinematography, editing, make-up, sound, lighting and costuming.
In all, there was no category for CHRISTIAN or religious films. Mike Bamiloye and others have been producing fantastic christian films both in English and the Yoruba language for years. How come a category was not created for christian or gospel films? Are they not good enough or they want to leave God out of it? I hope not. It is GOD that gives us all the talent. Without the creative juices from God flowing through all the artistes, writers, directors' bodies, they will be no ideas, concepts or filming. So whoever knows them, should counsel them well. We must give glory to God in all that we do.

These are some of the Artistes making the industry tick and the winners.


OC Ukeje
Winner / Best Actor in a Drama - AMVCA 2013


Jackie Appiah Winner / Best Actress in a Drama- AMVCA 2013



Olu Jacob receiving his Industry Merit Award



Taiwo Ajayi Lycett - veteran. Watched her as a kid on 'SOME MOTHERS DO HAVE THEM'.




Genevieve Nnaji at the AMVCA. Surprisingly 'MIRROR BOY' won the best Movie Director, Best Costume Designer, Best Writer but did not win best Actress. I am a fan of Genny so was disappointed. You know what, my Genevieve is still the best. She is a real actress in acting, dressing, grooming and general outlook. Still looking trim and posh after all these years. She is like an old wine better as its getting older. Wish her better luck next year.


 
DESMOND ELLIOTS



Majid



Osita Iheme




These are the Legends of Nollywood, Olu Jacobs and Joke Silver (Mrs. Jacobs)

This is one of the upcoming actresses, Eden Law. Nollywood and Hollywood should better look out for her. Although it would have been good if she practised what she learnt in the University. But you know, people respond to trend or passion differently.



Diezani Allison Madueke Representative of President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan described the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) as  cultural liberation for Africa. The President recalled that before the advent of Nollywood 20 years ago, Nigeria had relied on other countries for television and video dramas, but now the reverse is the case. He said that following the independence of most African countries in the 60s and 70s, the first thing on the mind of the leaders was political liberation and integration. This moved them to create Organisation of African Unity, now known as African Union (AU), and on the economic side Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). But on the Entertainment side, most especially drama, we dont have a union bringing us together except celebration like AMVCA. Hear him:

Africa recognised the fact that irrespective of the artificial boundaries that separate us, our needs and aspirations had no borders,

With the Awards scheme like the AMVCA, the President believes there is a cultural liberation of the
continent from the western world

.

Vimbai realised that night that presenting a programme on the television or Radio is different from hosting an award programme where you are standing in front of thousands of people. The tension she was going through was felt by everyone at the show and at home. Next time she will think twice before applying. Her boldness, courage and arrogance in the Big Brother House flew out of the doors. She was practically screaming as her nerves let her down.

OTELO BURNING won the best Movie of the year.
Sara Blecher when receiving the Award said it took them eight years to produce the Film. 8 years in Africa? I was really surprised because in Nigeria , the ibo merchants take 2 weeks to produce and market. We had a lot of nonsense then and honestly I dont watch. I hope other producers will emulate this  and take their time to attend to details that make a good and interesting films.

Congratulations to all winners and better luck next time to losers. I hope we will have more entries next time.

Dame Patience Jonathan thanks God

Those who operate in the public arena must understand that lying to the people who elected them is a grave matter. If the Presidency considered the illness of the First Lady a 'private' matter, why did they decide to make the celebration of her recovery a 'public' event?

Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited

Michael Jegede, a media practitioner wrote this piece about the abandonment of Ajaokuta Steel Company, a parastatal under the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and after reading, decided to post it here for all to read. Ajaokuta is a Nigerian government's company that is supposed to be producing steel of all sizes and other allied products. But like the writer pointed out, the government has deliberately allowed it to rot. No willpower by the government to fight the superpowers who are bent on stopping production on the plant.

'THE careless abandonment of the Ajaokuta Steel Company (ASCO) by the federal government, after spending about $7billion (US dollars) on the project, with less than one $1billion (US dollars) to complete it has for some time been an issue of great concern to most Nigerians; particularly those who are versed enough to know what we are losing as a nation from not ensuring the full operation of the steel complex.

All over the world, steel development is believed to be an essentially fundamental component to enhance economic growth. This is why many countries, including third world nations, have continued to do everything possible to ensure the sustenance of their steel sector. The case in Nigeria is evidently different as we seem to have closed our eyes to the numerous benefits derivable from having a sound and robust steel sector.

The New Sole Administrator, Engineer Joe Isah Successive governments, for instance, have heedlessly abandoned the Ajaokuta steel project, not minding its strategic role to the industrialization of our great country, and the significant growth and development it can bring to the economy.

In October 2002, Secretary-General of African Iron and Steel Association (AISA), Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, an expert on iron and steel matters, had in a paper observed as follows: “To industrialize, there is the need to have a sound industrial base. This will provide the solid foundation on which the industrial super-structure will be built. This industrial base is nothing other than a well-developed iron and steel industry that will be producing such critical industrial raw materials as: Cast iron (different categories); rods and bars (both high tensile and mild steel varieties); wires (in all its ramifications); structural steels (light, medium and heavy structural); flat sheet steels (plain and galvanized, and also the entire spectrum classified as flats); stainless and other special alloy steels; rails and pipes; plates (various sizes in width and thickness)”.

For Sanusi, it is only governments that can provide the initial developmental funds in view of the high capital costs and the long gestation period of steel projects. This, he noted, is the trend worldwide where all pioneer steel industries and accompanying infrastructures of any nation are public-owned.

Explaining further, the steel pundit had said: “It is after several such facilities are available and have proven themselves in a country; then the industry is privatised to allow the government to move on to other strategic areas of development. “This is how today’s industrialised nations became what they are.

Taking cognizance of the above, many third world countries followed suit and have been able to lift their economies away from third world poverty and starvation, and seriously threatening the developed countries of the world in economic wellbeing for their people. A few examples will suffice, thus; India, South Korea, Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Algeria, Libya, Turkey, Venezuela, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Mexico. The steel projects in all these countries started as serious national projects, with their Governments taking active interest in the steel development.”

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), first Prime Minster of India, who worked with Mahatma Gandhi to achieve Independence from British rule called the giant steel structures in Bhilai, Durgapur and Ruerkela in the late fifties, the “Temples Of Modern India”. Nehru must have made that pronouncement to demonstrate how much value and importance he attached to steel development.

Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Libya, Venezuela, Indonesia and Mexico are oil producing countries with excellent oil reserves. Yet, they deemed it fit to also have developed viable steel industries. In Nigeria, we have continued to depend solely on crude oil and refused to diversify our economy. Even though we have other numerous natural resources at our disposal, we choose to remain a monolithic economy with strong dependence on the oil sector.

This obsession, as it were, has made our economy to be susceptible to external manipulation and it negatively affects the planning horizons in the country.

Senator Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman, an accomplished professional with a wide range of experience in engineering, agriculture and management consultancy, visited ASCO and National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO), Itakpe, last year to assess the facilities on ground in the firms, he argued vehemently that with proper development, the steel sector can conveniently rival the oil sector. In fact, the Senator representing Kogi Central in the Red Chamber of the National Assembly, where ASCO and NIOMCO are located, said he would not go to sleep until the project fully comes to fruition, simply due to what he believes it owns not just for the people of his constituency, but for the country at large.

The Senator had pointed out: “Nigeria for the past nine years has spent over N2.1 trillion to import steel into the country. This shows that the country would have saved a lot of money if the Ajaokuta steel company was working. So, Ajaokuta Steel project is a must-do deal.”

The eventual discovery of good iron ore deposits in Itakpe in 1973 led to the formal signing of the Global contract for the implementation of the Ajaokuta steel project between the Federal Government of Nigeria and Messrs Tyajzhpromexport (TPE) of the defunct USSR on July 13, 1979 during the Administration of General Olusegun Obasanjo as Military Head of State. It was originally programmed for completion in 1986. But a combination of factors including policy inconsistency and massive corruption was responsible for the failure to meet the deadline.

Upon assumption of office in 1985, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) visited the Ajaokuta Steel Complex, and in 1986 he signed a new protocol agreement on the project with the same TPE, rescheduling its completion date to 1989. This target date was equally never met and operations at ASCO and NIOMCO had to be halted in 1992. Amazingly, the project was said to have reached 98 per cent technical completion before work on it was stopped.

With an estimated $7 billion already engulfed by the Ajaokuta Steel Company since the contract for the project was awarded in 1979, and about $650 million required for it to become fully operational, enlightened Nigerians, have contended in different fora that it would make much sense for it to be completed. Minister of National Planning, Shamsudeen Usman, for instance, had in the course of his ministerial screening on the floor of the Senate last year, wept for Nigeria on what has become of the largest integrated steel company in West Africa. He was responding to a question on the Ajaokuta Steel Company raised by Senator Abatemi-Usman, the young engineer turned politician, who appears to have become a champion for steel development in the country. The minister lamented that in spite of the huge amount of money spent on the scheme, there was nothing on ground in the steel firm to show for it.

A presentation by an official of ASCO during the visit of the 41-year-old lawmaker to the Company, painted a pathetic picture of the position of Nigeria in steel production among some countries of the world. It showed Nigeria as the least in the ranking of 41 countries according to the volume of steel production as at 2008. While China produced 489 million tonnes of steel in 2008, United States 97, United Kingdom 16, South Africa 9 and Australia 8, Nigeria could only manage to produce 0.30.

According to data provided by the World Steel Association (WSA), the total world crude steel production in 2010 was 1,413.6 million metric tonnes (mmt). China, which is at present the largest steel producing country in the world, accounted for 626.7 mmt (44.3%) of world steel production in 2010. Nigeria is not on the WSA 2010 list of 40 countries ranked on the basis of steel production volume, which showed that Venezuela the least produced 2.2 mmt. Irrefutably, Nigeria would have been among the top 10 countries in terms of steel production, if only we had properly harnessed the great potentials in our steel industry, and our economy would have been better for it.

The same TPE which had a frustrating encounter with the Nigerian authorities on the Ajaokuta Steel Company, commissioned and delivered on schedule similar steel projects in China and other countries, where steel development have had significant impact in the advancement of their economies.

There is no gainsaying the fact that the economic wellbeing of Nigeria will be enhanced to a large extent if there is the willpower on the part of government to make Ajaokuta Steel come to life. The project if completed is said to have the capacity to engage over two millions Nigerians directly and indirectly.

The high rate of unemployment in Nigeria is partly responsible for the destructive spiral of violence and criminal activities across the country. Nigeria’s unemployment rate increased to 23.9 percent in 2011 compared with 21.1 percent in 2010 and 19.7 percent in 2009 as revealed by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in January this year. 23.9 per cent of our population of over 160 million is about 38 million. Do we therefore need to be told that it will be a worthwhile investment to complete the abandoned ASCO/NIOMCO project?

President Goodluck Jonathan at his presidential electioneering campaign rally in 2011 in Lokoja, Kogi State, clearly agreed with the position of many Nigerians when he said: “One thing that is dear to Nigerians is the Ajaokuta Steel Complex and until we revive that complex, we cannot talk about Vision 20:2020. This is because for you to play big globally, you must industrialize and for you to industrialize you must produce steel. The Ajaokuta complex must be revived.”

With this comment of Mr. President, it is expected that by now he would have marched his words with action by showing total commitment to the actualization of the project that is capable of turning around our economy in line with his much-proclaimed transformation agenda. But we really have not seen much in that regard. In the 2012 and 2013 appropriation bill, nothing was allocated for capital budget in ASCO and NIOMCO, except for the infinitesimally paltry N50 million for both companies in 2012 and N47.34 million in the 2013 budget which is still before the National Assembly for consideration.

I am absolutely worried about the pitiable condition of Ajaokuta Steel Company having visited the complex. I am therefore calling on our federal legislators to use the power vested in them by the constitution to make provisions for a substantial amount of money for the project in their ongoing scrutiny of the 2013 budget proposal presented to them by the President.'

Surviving Cheating!

Read an article few minutes ago about a young woman who reacted violently to her husband's infidelity.  This affected her health and she was institutionalised for weeks before she became calmer and better. I feel for her. No woman wants to be cheated on and lied to. In her case, her husband continued the relationship despite their marriage and it was a common knowledge to her other friends and no one wanted to tell her. When she found out, she reacted badly and became a serious medical issue for her family. 

Why will anyone allowed herself to be institutionalised because of a man? I know it hurts but hurting yourself again by being violent and allowing your BP to rise is not the way to go. That is adding salt to injury. I know its not easy but Woman take it easy. If you die, the man will go ahead and probably marry the lady you caught him with cheating against you. 

I now remembered an article i read two years ago on how to deal with cheating spouses. Cheating by African men is very common. In fact not only in Africa but all over the world. Its just that in Africa, polygamy is accepted as culture and a man sleeping with many women at a time is regarded as virile and wealthy to be able to cater for all those women at the same time. 

The article was Expert Cheating Advice by Jessica Padykula. I saved it on my desktop because it was simple to read and very instructive. 

He cheated. Now what? If you've recently discovered your spouse was unfaithful, your head is probably spinning. To help you handle the initial shock and avoid an anxiety-induced meltdown, we've put together six survival strategies for dealing with a cheater. 

For expert input, we turned to argument and affairs expert Sharon Rivkin, author of 'Breaking the Argument Cycle: How to Stop Fighting Without Therapy'. 
She outlines six steps to follow when you first find out your partner has cheated.

Take deep Breathe

Finding out that your partner has cheated can be a serious shock, especially if you didn't suspect or see it coming. Ward off panic by taking some really deep breaths, Rivkin advises. This may seem like an overly simplistic first step, but it's an extremely effective way to help shift from panic mode to functionality. Unless you breathe deeply, you're going to continually feed your panic and it will be much harder to calm down. "When you're not breathing deeply, your brain is deprived of oxygen and your body tenses, feeding the cycle," she explains. "The probability of making bad decisions increases." 

Confront the cheater

Depending on how you found out, you need to confront the cheater. Sitting on the information isn't going to make you feel any better, but how you choose to deal with the betrayal is an individual decision. Who you are, how you found out, what your relationship is like with your partner, how much shock you're in, etc., will all be factors that lead you to decide what you want to do right after you've found out that your partner is cheating, explains Rivkin. "Your whole world has fallen apart, similar to experiencing an earthquake or natural disaster, so do what your instincts dictate," she says. "Do not judge or be hard on yourself for whatever you choose to do." 

Think about logistics

Even though you're in the midst of a relationship crisis, life still goes on. Things need to get done (going to work, getting the kids to school, chores), but it can all feel like a huge task. "Nothing comes easily right now," Rivkin says. Feeling overwhelmed is normal, but don't let that feeling overtake your day-to-day life, especially if you have kids.
If you have kids, and if they see you crying and/or fighting, let them know immediately that it has nothing to do with them.
If you feel immobilized and simply can't drive your kids to school and/or their activities, make arrangements for them until you feel you are okay to drive.
"Remember, you're in crisis mode, so be kind to yourself by getting some temporary help with basic functioning," says Rivkin. 

Create a support team

Because of the deep damage to trust that this kind of betrayal brings, it's important that, if you can afford it, you find a good therapist and get help as soon as possible. "I've discovered that the couples who seek help the quickest after an affair have the best recovery results," Rivkin says. Good therapy can help a couple determine their direction (to stay or go) and whether trust can be rebuilt or not. In addition to seeking professional help, creating your support team will be a huge help. "Your team and connections will help you survive and recover from the affair quicker," she explains. "Carefully assess your relationships with others to figure out who you think will be the most understanding, nonjudgmental and supportive person." 

Ask questions

After you've confronted your partner about the affair, tons of questions will flood your mind (Why didn't I know? Why didn't I trust my intuition? Why did this happen?). It's through asking questions and feeling all your feelings that the healing starts, Rivkin says. "The questions and their answers are the first step to piecing together what happened to your relationship." It's important to look at the history and the patterns of your relationship and begin to understand where the breach of trusting each other really started. 

Create a plan of no action

Most people usually have the tendency to want to take some kind of action right after discovering a cheating partner. It may help for the moment, but because you're in crisis, your judgment can be impaired, so it's wise not to make any big decisions at this time, Rivkin explains. Instead, make the smaller decisions first: Get a therapist, read a book, talk to your support system, do some writing and do some talking with your partner. "You will ultimately have some major decisions to make as to what direction you want your relationship to go, but these decisions will be made with time and clarity," she says. So for now, don't make any major decisions.


Now critically assess the situation and answer this question:

Can you end your relationship or marriage because of cheating? 
a) Yes 
b) No. 
c) It depends on the situation

Send your response.       

Adieu GOLDIE HARVEY

On the day that the World celebrates LOVE, 14th February, fast-rising Nigerian Singer and Big Brother Africa star game housemate, Susan Oluwabimpe Harvey popularly known as Goldie died. She died the evening of Thursday, 14th February 2013. So sad. The supposed day of love, giving, caring and celebration was the day of sorrow and grieving to her family, friends and record label.

I read it first on twitter but I could not relay it. Needed to be careful. I remember once,  I read that HID Awolowo was dead and i did not cross check before posting it on my Facebook page. I was embarrassed when it turned out the info was false. So i vowed that any news received via twitter or any other Social Media  must be verified first before I share it.

According to reliable sources, Goldie passed on after she returned from a trip to the United States where she went to attend the 55th Annual Grammy Awards which took place in Staples Centre in Los Angeles.
Goldie was pronounced dead in the late hours of Thursday shortly after she was rushed to Reddington Hospital,Victoria Island, Lagos.

Its only now that news is filtering out that the cause of death is Pulmonary Embolism. According to the report on National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute  “pulmonary embolism is a very serious condition. It can damage the lungs and other organs in the body and cause death. It is  “Life-threatening blood clots caused by cramped seating condition from long travels. A study  of business travelers confirms the risk, particularly for those who take long flights or fly frequently.

“Immobility is considered a major factor behind the condition, called deep vein thrombosis. People who fly four hours or more, the study found, have three times the risk of developing clots compared with periods when they did not travel. D.V.T. occurs when a blood clot forms within the large deep veins of the body, usually in the leg. If untreated, part of the clot may break off and travel to the lungs, where it can cause a pulmonary embolism, a potentially fatal condition.”

Goldie after the Big Brother Africa Stargame, has been traveling according to close friends. She was a frequent traveller, going to Kenya, Uganda, US for Jay Z Concert with Prezzo, South Africa etc. The friends confirmed that she had complained of stress in the past weeks, but insisted she was fine.Unfortunately, she was not fine at all and died before medical help could get to her. 

“It is with heavy heart that I have to inform you all that Goldie passed this night shortly after arriving Lagos from LA. May her soul rest in the eternal peace of the Lord"

The above message was posted on her twitter handle by one "admin". With this post at least we can confirmed that it was not a rumour after all. That its true! What a loss!

The singer’s corpse has since been taken to the General Hospital, Ikeja morgue.


 Goldie with Prezzo in Big Brother Africa Stargame, her in-the-house boyfriend. She showed in that game that she is humble, kind and very domesticated. What she used to portray in her music was quite different from who we saw in BBA. She was really down to earth, very caring and sensitive.



Goldie was called  Susan Filani and from Ekiti State, before she travelled to London. She changed her name to Susan Harvey on arrival from London but fondly called Goldie which she says is derived from her bronz complexion. 



 

Recently I read in the National dailies that someone showed up claiming he was her husband. Would not know how true because she is not here to defend herself, her actions or inaction. The only think I can ask is where was this man when she admitted to IK Osakioduwa, the presenter of BBA  last year,  that she cared very much for Prezzo? Was the man not watching telly or reading papers? What is the man's motive? 

Whatever it is, may her soul rest in perfect peace.