Curator

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Denrele Animasaun “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity”-Horace Mann The world woke up to the news that eighty -two Chibok abducted school-girls have been released by Boko Haram in an exchange deal. Following this current release, 113 Chibok schoolgirls remain missing. We must not forget that thousands of people have been killed and a further 1.6 million have been internally displaced as a result of the eight-year insurgency by Boko Haram. It was the brutal abduction of the 276 Chibok school girls in April 2014 that captured the world’s attention and the murderous activities of Boko Haram on the people of the region. Prior to that, the terrorist activities only got partial coverage, if any. Three years and a month must have felt like an eternity for their parents and loved ones who have prayed and agonised for their safe return. The  condition of their release, we were told, was in exchange for five Boko Haram commanders. Of co...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Yinka Ajayi Amid the ongoing anti-corruption fight by  the Buhari administration and the introduction of the whistle, blowing policy, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Team Building International, TBI, Yinka Olugbodi,  has called on the federal and state governments as well as the private sector to modify the policy by enrolling the nation’s workforce on  executive retreats and workshops that would shape their attitude on anti-corruption and fraud prevention. Speaking at a retreat  in Lagos tagged: ‘ Developing Integrity In The Work Place,’ Olugbodi commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s bold step in fighting corruption. “ President Buhari has proved his zero tolerance for corruption  with  the confidence he showed in  the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu .The whistle-blowing policy may be the brain-child of the Buhari  administration but we are determined to help the...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Funmi Komolafe In our last edition, we discussed briefly the essence of prayer. In this edition, we will take a deeper reflection on prayer and its effect in our lives. As Christians, we were all taught to pray.  Most, if not all of us are aware of the Lord’s prayer given to us by our Lord Jesus. However, in this modern age, people hardly find time to pray.  Many are too busy to spend time to talk to God even for their own needs.  Not a few also find it a burden to carry the Holy Bible to the church.  They would rather use the Bible as saved on the mobile phones. For several others, it’s just that life has been so good to them, they are not involved in the search for anything, so why take Christianity seriously. There are people who believe that praying is a waste of time as it may not bring instant results, so they would rather depend on fellow human beings or some other supernatural powers. One can go  on and on to discuss reason...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Emem Idio Y ENAGOA —ALL is now set for this year’s annual Isaac Adaka Boro Memorial Festival billed to commence Sunday May 14 . A statement by the Chairman of the organizing committee, Mr. Inemo Samiama, yesterday, in Yenagoa, indicated that the festival would begin with a candle light procession at Kaiama, country home of the late Ijaw hero on  May 14. According Samiama, the official opening ceremony is scheduled for Monday May 15 at the Rev Proctor Memorial School field Kaiama, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area and would have in attendance Governor Seriake Dickson and the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Committee, Brigadier- General Paul Boroh, (retd), as special guests of honour. Other highlights of the week-long festival include; football competition, wrestling championship, beauty pageant and a symposium with the theme: Izon Unity and Development: A New Strategic Partnership, wit...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Onozure Dania L agos— A staff of a new generation bank in Osogbo, Osun State, Abidemi Wasiu, who allegedly stole N8,449,000, from the accounts of two customers,  was, yesterday, charged before an Igbosere magistrate’s court, Lagos. Wasiu was arraigned before Magistrate O. O. Owunmi on a three-count charge of stealing. The defendant was arrested by officers from the Bar Beach Police Division, following a complaint from the bank’s headquarters at Victoria Island, Lagos. The prosecutor, Sergeant Friday Mameh, said the defendant committed the alleged offences between November 2016 and April this year, during working hours at the bank’s Lagos headquarters. Mameh also told the court that the defendant, without authority, unlawfully withdrew N4,000,000 from the account of Ogunmade Victoria and N4,449,000, from the account of Olalekan Abiola. He said: “Wasiu allegedly transferred N8,449,000 to the accounts of his friends, Ojeleye Tawakalitu and Wisdom Marshal...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Olayinka Latona WORRIED about high rate of moral decadence in the country, Founder/Senior Pastor of Trinity House, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo has admonished par-ents to inculcate good morals in their children early in life to ensure that they do not grow up to become wayward. Making the call while briefing journalists on the national parents and teachers’ conferen-ce, tagged: “Operation Critical Rescue”, organised by Breach Repairers, a non-governmental organisation, Pastor Ighodalo said individual’s success or failure depended on the quality of parental upbringing he/she received when he/she was young. The cleric argued that since parents played a vital role in the lives of their children, they have to build a solid foundation for them to enable them live decent lives.. Calling on government at all levels and the media to faithfully and effectively discharge their responsibilities towards restor-ing morals and values into our society, Ighodalo urged relevant to...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Quickteller said it’s targeting a larger chunk of not less than N450 billion from the N6 trillion electronic payment market worldwide. The company also said it will use referral initiative to achieve its target so as to deepen financial inclusion, stressing that top three referrers at the end of every quarter will get N3 million, for referring friends. The Marketing Manager, Quickteller Interswitch, Mr. Adetayo Teluwo, at the maiden edition of the Quickteller   Referral Initiative and prize presentation ceremony said “ the company is looking at tapping into the N6trillion total market size in bill payment. “Again we are looking at the excess of N5trillion and N550billion opportunities waiting to be captured. “These are gaps that we believe that for us to close, we need to grow our user base, we need word of mouth on our existing users, we need that sense of trust, and you need to tell people about the convenience you were able to enjoy using Quickteller.” ...

http://ift.tt/2qckn2q ….All they do is sleep with men every night and spend the proceeds on drugs By Chioma Obinna Playing Ludo as early as 10 am, it was obvious that all was not well with these young Nigerians.  Mostly in their thirties, none of them seemed  to be in a hurry to leave.  Although they were excited as the game went on, it was evident from their looks that .   they were victims  of drug abuse and prostitution.  Some of them are single parents living with their kids in dingy hotel rooms where they chill out to smoke. They cast the look of desperation, helplessness, homelessness, suicidal and dissolute. As they played Ludo, there were arguments and counter-arguments. Then the presence of our correspondent was announced by one of them:  “We have a visitor”. Getting their attention was not a  problem as our correspondent was introduced as an NGO worker that had come to help them.  Meanwhile, they insisted  that ‘some...

http://ift.tt/2qKhJ19 By Tony Nwaka Although he had given Udoka a year within which to settle down and repay the two thousand naira he had loaned him, occasionally, Isioma, his first wife, would come asking for repayment of the money. Udoka would absorb the embarrassment, apologize and plead for more time. A particular incident over the two thousand naira debt remained etched in the memory of Udoka and his wife. It was an Afor, which was the traditional market day of the community. It held every four days at the central market place. The thatch-roofed market stalls stood in rows, held up at their four corners by planks, sticks or iron rods. Amina had just purchased a bottle of Nku cream and a packet of Omo detergent from one of the stores and had hardly stepped out of the place when Isioma’s voice rang out from behind. “So you have money to buy all these things? Oh, that’s good.” Amina had stopped and swung around. She had not suspected that Isioma had been lurking around the corne...