The United States (US) visa is the most sought-after in the world for relocation because of the exceptional life opportunities attached to it.

The US government issues US visas, which allow Nigerians and other non-citizens to enter the nation for specific reasons including travel, employment, or education.

The application process might seem overwhelming. However, with the right approach, it can be manageable.

Here are some tips to help make your application stronger and simplify the visa process:

1. Research your visa category

As a US visa applicant, you must thoroughly research the visa category that best suits your purpose of travel and gather all the necessary documents accordingly.

2. Prepare all documents

Present your supporting documents in an organised manner, making it easier for the consular officer to review and verify the information. 

3. Show Strong Ties to Nigeria 

Demonstrate clear reasons to return home, such as a stable job, family responsibilities, or business ownership.

4. Prove Financial Stability 

Ensure your bank statements show a steady income and sufficient funds to cover travel expenses. Large unexplained deposits before application can raise red flags

5. Provide a Detailed Travel Itinerary

Clearly outline travel dates, destinations, accommodation bookings, and planned activities.

6. Honesty

Be honest and transparent during the interview, because offering false information can lead to serious consequences and future visa rejections.

7. Avoid Overstaying Previous Visas

A history of overstaying visas in any country can negatively impact future applications.

8. Apply Early and Be Patient 

Avoid last-minute applications, as delays or errors in processing can affect your travel plans. Some embassies experience high application volumes, so apply well in advance.

9. Seek Professional Assistance If Needed 

If unsure about the application process, consult a professional immigration expert. Avoid visa agents who promise guaranteed approvals—no one can guarantee a visa.

10. Choose the Right Visa Type and Follow Application Guidelines

Apply for the visa category that accurately reflects your travel purpose (e.g., tourist, business, student).

[TheNation]

Binance’s Head of Financial Crime Compliance, Tigran Gambaryan, has refuted claims made by the Central Bank of Nigeria regarding the alleged outflow of $26 billion from the country through the crypto exchange platform.

Gambaryan, who was arrested in February 2024 on charges of money laundering and tax evasion, spent eight months at the Kuje Correctional Center in Abuja. The charges were dropped and left Nigeria in October 2024, following concerns about his deteriorating health and diplomatic considerations.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Gambaryan stated that the $26bn figure quoted by the CBN was misleading, emphasising that it represented a cumulative trade volume, not actual funds leaving Nigeria.

“The $26bn figure they kept pushing publicly as some mystery money escaping Nigeria is complete “bullshit.” This information was provided in response to their request and was simply cumulative trade data for Nigerians on the platform,” he stated. 

“This money didn’t leave Nigeria—it was just people buying and selling crypto. For example, if you trade $100 a hundred times, that’s $10,000 in trade volume, but in reality, you only used $100. Again, just another example of them lying to cover up their “bullshit” investigation.”

In February 2024, CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso claimed during a press briefing after the CBN’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting that Binance Nigeria had been involved in suspicious financial flows amounting to $26bn in transactions from unidentified sources.

“We are concerned that certain practices go on that indicate illicit flows, going through a number of these entities and suspicious flows. In the case of Binance, in the last year, $26bn has passed through Binance Nigeria from sources and users who we cannot adequately identify,” Cardoso said at the time.

The Binance executive further criticised Nigerian authorities for blaming Binance for broader economic problems, including the devaluation of the naira.

“They all knew that the naira’s devaluation was a direct result of Tinubu’s monetary policy, which depegged the naira from the dollar. I’m not saying this policy decision was wrong, but everyone understood that removing government intervention would lead to extreme devaluation. Instead of acknowledging this, they used Binance as a scapegoat,” Gambaryan stated.

Binance exited the Nigerian market in March 2024, following significant regulatory scrutiny and accusations. The CBN had expressed concerns about crypto exchanges handling illicit transactions, and there were calls for a ban on Binance and other platforms.

Gambaryan was arrested in Nigeria alongside his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, a British-Kenyan dual national. Both were detained after arriving in Nigeria for meetings with government officials regarding Binance’s operations.

On Wednesday, I attended a valedictory session in honour of the late Stanley Shenko  Alagoa JSC, OFR, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court…which is where the ceremony took place.

I was invited because I am close to some of his relatives and I felt immensely privileged to be there while the Chief Justice (Madame Kudirat M.O. Kekere-Ekun) and other super-senior lawyers fulsomely praised Alagoa’s character and professional achievements.

Alagoa is remembered fondly and respectfully for several good reasons. A quintessential Niger Deltan gentleman from a premier league Bayelsa family, he was totally unmaterialistic, admirably erudite, appropriately reserved (hanging out with big men was not his thing) and so obviously principled that he is one of the few Nigerian judges who has never been suspected of collecting bribes.

Here is what the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice – Lateef Fagbemi, SAN – had to say about him:

“He was a stickler for rules and standards…[and] constantly insisting on the need to insulate the court from external influence and to protect the sanctity and integrity of the halls of justice.

“In the valedictory session held in his honour upon retirement from the Bench, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 70, His Lordship made the following bold pronouncements, which continue to resonate to this day:

“‘I will be failing in my duty especially at this time if I do not say a word or two about allegations of corruption in the judiciary. Time was when this canker worm was confined to the Magistracy and Customary or Native courts. With time, it is said to have spread and has now gained ground in the High and say say appeallate courts.

“’This trend must be worrisome to any discerning person as some highly placed persons including distinguished and respected retired Justices of the Supreme Court and other legal luminaries have expressed grave concern over this ugly trend…

“The greatest challenges to the judiciary are politicians followed by businessmen. Traditional rulers must also share in the blame. It is this class of persons that bribe, intimidate, harass or influence judges to depart from their sacred oath of office and the path of honour and rectitude…

“’A judge who hobnobs with this group may well be unwittingly allowing his position to be compromised and possibly jeopardised….A judge who is more at home in social circles may do well to question his suitability for the bench as the two are incompatible….

“’A judge must hold fast to his faith in God and be bold. This done, this class of persons, like bees, can only buzz around but must certainly lack the power and ability to sting….Only men and women of proven integrity and courage should be picked to sit on the bench…’”

You could have heard a pin drop when Fagbemi was reading his tribute to Alagoa; and I wondered, as I scrutinized the inscrutable faces of the judges in the chamber, whether any of them felt guilty or ashamed.

Many Nigerians have completely lost faith in the judiciary, mostly because of dubious judgements linked to election cases.

I am not saying that every single judge except Alagoa is dodgy or that every judgement I disagree with was arrived at dishonestly. I am simply saying that the Nigerian judiciary has a SEVERE image problem and urgently needs to cleanse its tarnished reputation.

Too many professions in this country, including my own, have lost credibility because of the actions of bad eggs who throw ethical considerations to the winds and sell out to the highest bidder, thereby betraying citizens who depend on them for objectivity, truth and fairness. Too many judges, politicians, etc, become greedy grabbers instead of the moral custodians they ought to be.

It is so sad.

DITCH THE WIGS!!!

My many friends and relatives who happen to be lawyers will be furious with me for saying this, but I have yet to come across any lawyer who looks good in his or her traditional headgear!

Those archaic white woollen wigs look absolutely ridiculous on pale skinned foreigners and even worse on black folks.

Whites at least have an excuse for wearing wigs…being that doing so is based on centuries-old Anglo Saxon culture. But what, may I ask, excuse do African lawyers have for copying them in the 2lst century?

Unattractiveness aside, the practice is downright slavishly colonial!

It is time for Nigerian lawyers to emulate their American counterparts who, if you ask me, look a zillion times more stylish.

Valentine’s Day is finally here! While some will go all out with luxury gifts and getaways, not everyone has the budget to splurge—especially with rising living costs in Nigeria.

But love isn’t about how much you spend.

Here are five thoughtful, budget-friendly last-minute gifts to make your partner feel special:

You can never go wrong with chocolates. Whether it’s Ferrero Rocher, Lindt, or a budget-friendly local brand, a sweet treat paired with a heartfelt note makes a simple but romantic gift.

Perfume

A good fragrance is always a winner. You don’t need designer brands—affordable, long-lasting scents from local perfume houses work just as well.

Movie Date

Skip the stress of shopping and enjoy a cozy night at the movies. Tickets range from N6,000–N9,500 per person, making it a fun and affordable Valentine’s plan.

Data Subscription

In today’s world, gifting data is the ultimate love language. With plans starting from N5,000, you’re giving the gift of seamless communication—because nothing says “I care” like staying connected.

Dinner at Home

Instead of an expensive restaurant, why not cook together? A home-cooked meal, good conversation, and a movie night can be just as romantic—without the hefty price tag.

At the end of the day, it’s the thought that counts. Choose a gift that speaks from the heart, and your partner will surely appreciate it!

[Vanguard]

Tigran Gambaryan, an executive of Binance Holdings Limited, has accused three federal lawmakers of demanding $150 million bribe during the conflict between Nigeria and the cryptocurrency firm.

Gambaryan alleged that the legislators demanded that the kickback be paid into their personal digital wallets.

The executive was detained by the Nigerian government from February 2024 to October 2024 over the activities of Binance in the country.

Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance regional manager for Africa, were arrested in Nigeria in February 2024.

The federal government had accused the cryptocurrency firm of manipulating FX rates in Nigeria and destroying the country’s economy.

Both men were arrested after they travelled to Nigeria for a meeting with officials of the federal government.

A month later, Anjarwalla escaped from custody, leaving Gambaryan to face prosecution.

In a post published via X on Friday, Gambaryan said he and Anjarwalla met with some officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) in January 2024.

The Binance executive said the meeting was a prerequisite to the planned meeting with members of the house of representatives.

He added that the DSS officials asked them to comply with whatever the federal lawmakers asked them to do.

“At the House meeting, there were three members present. They set up fake cameras and media to make the meeting appear official, but the cameras weren’t even plugged in,” he wrote.

“As you may already know, this ended with them asking for a $150 million bribe, paid in cryptocurrency into their personal wallets. A Mickey Mouse operation at its best.”

Some Unknown Facts- you can read the rest in the Wired article and the NPR story.

The DSS was involved in the House of Representatives matter. We met with them at their office on Friday, January 5, 2024, as a prerequisite to our meeting with the House of Representatives. They…

— Tigran Gambaryan (@TigranGambaryan) February 14, 2025

 

In May 2024, Richard Teng, the firm’s chief executive officer (CEO), alleged that some unknown persons in Nigeria demanded $150 million in digital currency to make their problems in the country “go away”.

Reacting to the allegation, the federal government accused Binance of blackmail.

[TheCable]

The Labour Party leader and Presidential Candidate of the party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, is mourning the demise of his arch-supporter and the leader of the Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, who passed at 96 years today.

Obi in lengthy condolences in X handle recalled Pa Adebanjo's words to him still stressing justice and equity

In the condolence, Obi said, "My family and the Obidient Movement got the shocking news of the passing on of our dear father and leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, who was a great pillar in the struggle for a new Nigeria.
"We extend our deepest condolences to the family and the Afenifere organization.
"His death is a profound loss to Nigeria and to all who cherish justice, equity, and truth. As the leader of Afenifere, Pa Adebanjo remained a steadfast advocate for a united and progressive Nigeria. His unwavering commitment to fairness and his relentless pursuit of a better nation have left an indelible mark on our country's history.
"One thing my political journey in life taught me, for which I am eternally grateful to God is bringing me close to a few great minds who helped to shape my perception of this land as a great country.
"One such person is Pa Ayo Adebanjo, the quintessential Afenifere leader
"I remain deeply grateful for his support during my presidential campaign. His endorsement was not merely a political gesture but a testament to his belief in the ideals of equity and inclusiveness. "He stood firm in his convictions against all odds demonstrating his dedication to the greater good of Nigeria.
The last time I spoke with him, his words left a lasting impression: “Always stand on the path of justice.” That advice remains a guiding principle in my life, and I reaffirm my commitment to upholding it in honour of his memory. In my association with Pa Adebanjo, I come to appreciate Nelson Mandela's words, “I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.”
"As we mourn his departure, let us also celebrate a life well-lived in service to humanity and commit ourselves to upholding the values he so passionately championed.
"May his death not be in vain. Instead, let it serve as a renewed call to action for all who believe in justice and fairness. As we extend our condolences to his immediate family and the Afenifere organization, may we find solace in the enduring impact of his remarkable life?

Signed
Umar Ibrahim
POMR Spokesman

Afrinvest West Africa Limited provided the above headline in its maiden ‘Afrinvest Monthly Update’ for 2025, as a rider to the main title of the publication. The headline suggests that there is an illusion about Nigeria’s economic progress; and goes on to question whether the nation is now stuck in this illusion of making progress.

It therefore becomes necessary to probe whether Nigeria has actually been making any economic progress, specifically in the past close to two years under the current Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration. This investigation is best done via an assessment of the state of a number of key economic indicators. 

In May 2023, when President Tinubu was inaugurated, inflation rate stood at 22.40 per cent; it rose steadily to stand at 28.92 per cent in December, 2023. It continued the spiraling until July and August 2024 when the rate dropped marginally to 33.40 per cent and 32.15 per cent respectively. The rate resumed its surge, and closed 2024 at 34.82 per cent.

In pursuit of the illusion of economic progress, however, the Federal Government seems bent on re-basing the measure of inflation—the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This, apparently, is to come up with an inflation figure that will give credence to a stable and growing economy. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has, in the past couple of weeks, been working assiduously to realize the ‘desired’ result. We wait!   

On its own part, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), since May 2023, has deployed everything in its armory of monetary policies to ‘tame’ the rampaging hyper-inflationary trend. Unfortunately, rather than depressing the inflation rate, the continued hike of the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) which the CBN adopted, has caused unintended collateral damage to the economy.

The benchmark or indicative interest rate—MPR—that was at 18 per cent by May 2023, has been hiked to 27.50 per cent by end-2024; a jump of almost ten per cent. One of the upshots of this has been the prevalence of outrageously high interest rates charged by the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) for all their (credit) facilities.

These interest rates have been ranging between 30 and 35 per cent per annum: rates that have pushed bank credits beyond the reach of most businesses, especially the Micro, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (MSMEs). The CBN has also gone ahead to hike the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) from about 30 per cent to 50 per cent during the same period.

CRR is the percentage of deposits that banks (DMBs) must keep with the CBN, rather than lending out to customers. Fifty per cent CRR means that for every 100 naira deposited into any DMB, the bank is required to hold 50 naira in reserve with the CBN, and can only lend out the remaining 50 naira to customers.

So, both the high MPR and CRR pose a very tight constraint on the credit creation capacity and other functions of the DMBs, especially in a weak economy. Although the CBN has deployed the hiked MPR in structuring such facilities as the Treasury Bills to attract massive patronage, the gains remain too short-lived and disruptive to the economy.

Specifically, the highly priced (handsome yields) Treasury Bills have been attracting some quantum of foreign portfolio investments (FPIs)—but this is ‘hot money’ that has no capacity to bring stability to the volatile macro-economy. This market environment has also enabled the government (via debt instruments) to remain dominant in the capital/money market; thus, crowding out a good number of private sector participants.

It has therefore remained an illusion that the CBN has generated a huge foreign exchange (FX) inflow to strengthen and stabilize the naira. The ‘hot money’ generated through the FPIs have been leaving the Nigerian shores shortly after they come in. Their impact has been largely on paper, as captured in the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) periodic ‘Capital Importation’ reports.

The state of the naira exchange rate vis-à-vis the dollar and other hard currencies in the past 21 months is even more worrisome. From an official level of below N500/US$ in May 2023, the naira had crashed to a level of almost N2000/US$ before inching up to about N1500/US$ currently. The full floatation of the local currency mid-June 2023 practically rang the death knell for the Nigerian legal tender.

The policy of exchange rate determination by market forces (demand and supply) exposed the acute shortage of FX—leading to lingering excess demand over supply in the market. Although the CBN has tried so many initiatives to arrest the situation, the naira exchange rate has remained sticky at between N1700-N1500/US$.

Again, the battle (by the CBN) to strengthen the naira and stabilize the FX market is yet to be won. The minimal gains of the naira (though unstable) in recent weeks have remained shrouded in propaganda and self-adulation by the monetary authorities. For a currency exchange rate that dropped from N475/US$ to N1560/US$ in 20 months, any perceived progress (or gain) is certainly an illusion.

Another indicator (the price of fuel) presents even a more woeful and pathetic picture of illusion about so-called economic progress of Nigeria in recent times. From below N200 per liter at end-May 2023, the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) has shot up to over N1000 per liter. On May 29, 2023, President Tinubu announced the fuel subsidy removal, and PMS’ price jumped instantaneously to about N700 per liter. This trajectory has been sustained.

The catastrophic impact of the subsidy withdrawal on the economic wellbeing of Nigerians is yet permeating all nooks and crannies of the country. Unprecedented level of high inflation; hunger and penury unleashed on the citizenry. Government’s resort to dispensing of palliatives at all levels of the polity to assuage the pains has proved ineffective and unsustainable.

Institutions like the IMF and the World Bank have been alerting Nigeria on the number of its citizens that have been pushed into poverty trap by the impacts of Government policies. Food insecurity has become an existential threat to millions of Nigerians that have been pauperized by the fallouts of economic policies. Staple food has gone out of the reach of millions—pushing the Government to ‘toy with’ the idea of ‘tax-free’ importation of some food items. But almost one year on, this policy is yet to yield any results!

In handling the ‘volcanic eruption’ caused by the unplanned fuel subsidy withdrawal, the Government, rather than expediting action in improving local refining, had resorted to issuing licenses to many more people to be importing PMS and other refined products. This is such that Nigeria has continued to depend almost hundred per cent on imported PMS for its local needs. 

Efforts of private concerns like Dangote Refinery to improve the bad situation met with deadly intrigues, chicanery, and even sabotage by the officialdom. Today, although Dangote Refinery has recorded a pyrrhic victory, the refining industry has been made scary for other discerning investors. Numerous hidden obstacles and landmines are set up for existing and intending investors in spite of liberalization. 

Even the much-publicized repair and re-streaming of some Government-owned refineries are yet to improve the horrible PMS supply situation in the country. The pricing of the commodity has gotten linked to the vagaries of oil price movement in the international market, and as such, local players (like Dangote) remain perpetually exposed to external headwinds.

This is why recent celebrations of the return of the Port-Harcourt and Warri refineries were only but part of the economic ‘progress illusion’. The issues (corruption) that saw the collapse of those national assets (refineries) over the years are yet to disappear. In point of fact, since the publicized repair, those refineries have remained in fits and starts. 

Government remains yet undecided as to whether to privatize those refineries or to keep on sinking huge public funds, running into billions of dollars, into endless maintenance of the ‘dead’ refineries. Or, perhaps Government is only content with parading the repairs of those refineries as part of its ‘illusory progress.’ Whichever way, every gauge of the economy reveals the nadir of hope.

This has become most obvious in the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) monthly (national) income sharing by the three tiers of government. From some hundreds of billions of naira usually shared by the Federal Government and the sub-nationals every month in the past, the amount has ballooned to trillions of naira in recent times.

But this seeming ‘bumper harvest’ is a mere ‘money illusion’—where the ‘huge’ sums doled out to the tiers of government are not worth much. Money, in Economics, is what money can buy. Therefore the thoroughly devalued and inflation-deflated naira being shared by FAAC has little value to tangibly improve the wellbeing of the people.

It is illusion, all over!

·      The author, Okeke, a practicing Economist, Business Strategist, Sustainability expert and ex-Chief Economist of Zenith Bank Plc, lives in Lekki, Lagos.   

With a heart full of gratitude for a selfless life spent in the service of God, the nation and humanity, we announce the passing on of our beloved patriarch, Chief Samuel Ayodele Adebanjo. 

He died peacefully this morning, Friday, February 14, 2025 at his Lekki, Lagos Nigeria home at the age of 96. 

The foremost nationalist, elder statesman, distinguished lawyer, very distinct politician, apostle of true federalism, former organising secretary of Action Group and the national leader of Afenifere is survived by his 94 year-old wife, Chief Christy Ayo-Adebanjo, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

We will forever cherish his commitment to fighting for truth, equity and justice. His belief and struggle for a truly independent and progressive Nigeria was total and this he fought for until he breathed his last breath. 

The family is consulting with Papa's friends, associates, numerous interest groups across the length and breadth of Nigeria and beyond, to fine tune plans for a befitting funeral details which will be communicated in due course.

A condolence register is open at his residence in Lagos (8, Ayo Adebanjo Close, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos) and  his country home in Isanya Ogbo, near Ijebu Ode Ogun State.

SIGNED: 

Mrs. Ayotunde Atteh (nee Ayo-Adebanjo)

Mrs. Adeola Azeez (nee Ayo-Adebanjo) 

Mr. Obafemi Ayo-Adebanjo

For The Family

Those who bear the name Valentine dread the month of February like a plague. Besides close friends who always demand that you celebrate your name in grand style, most confront you with all manner of questions bordering on the concept your name is supposed to embody. Thus, you are asked whether you were born on the 14th of February or whether you were a by-product of a love affair that took place in the month of February. One fact I have come to discover over the years is that people consider those who bear the name Valentine as experts in all known techniques of love, from its fundamentals to its metaphysics.

Despite much research, we cannot say unarguably the exact date the feast started, nor by what route it entered into history. Perhaps it is connected to the life of a certain St Valentine, who was said to have suffered martyrdom in Rome, as Church hagiography would have us believe. Perhaps, as the legend of the saint’s heroic faith suggests, it grew out of the love shown to prisoners by the saintly Valentine. Perhaps it has to do with the period in the year when birds of the earth look for mates. Perhaps it is another case of the substitution of a pagan feast by a Christian feast as a subtle way of blighting paganism at the bud. We do not know. Valentine’s Day is part of history, whose beginning has been forgotten and whose end we shall never reach.

The popularity of Valentine’s Day could be linked to the nature of the theme it celebrates – love. Writing about love, Archbishop Fulton Sheen called it “the most used and the most misunderstood word.” The misunderstanding inherent in the nature of love often provokes people to ask questions such as: How much of what we claim as love is love indeed? Does love have different levels and spheres? Is it possible to love our neighbour as ourselves, as the Holy Writ prescribes? What is love? These are the questions with which the most comprehensive theories, treatises, and analyses of love find it necessary to begin.

To the Greeks, love could be Eros, Philia, or Agape. Plato’s Ladder of Love in the Symposium has different loves for its rungs, up to what we commonly call Platonic Love. St Thomas Aquinas distinguishes between love in the sphere of passion and love as an act of will. The former he assigns to what he calls the “concupiscible faculty” of the sensitive appetite; the latter, to the rational or “intellectual appetite.” Sometimes, people talk about metaphysical, contemplative, material, and acquisitive love, among others.

Whatever form love takes, it implies a complex psychical experience of strong attraction to, intense desire for, vivid appreciation of, and a profound interest in one’s object of love. The object of love could be a fellow being, an institution, a cause, or even nature. It involves tender affection, sympathetic understanding, admiration, and loyalty in reference to its object.

But apart from a few people who recognise the plurality of love in their analyses, most of us, especially the youth, talk abundantly of love, commonly in the sense of amorous appetite. These are people who confess their love for the object of their affection more than for their own mothers. Our elders consider this form of love to be a kind of “possession” or “madness” and would frown at anyone who proposes it as a fit guide in the choice of a marriage partner. They do this knowing that once the erotic side of love diminishes or fades away altogether, the disinterested element fades too; interest in the other’s happiness evaporates, all tender feeling is eroded, and the one desire is to get away. This is what Lucretius called “erotic befuddlement,” what Diderot derisively described as “the voluptuous loss of a few drops of liquid.” It is a spark thrown off by the contact or nearness of two opposite bodies.

In pursuit of this type of love, there is nothing that human beings have not done, or are not capable of doing. The love potion that some ladies brew for men they suspect of unrequited love has no platonic aim. It is not out of generosity but rather to secure the object of their longing. Men spend vast amounts of money wooing women, and women themselves do as much. To attract men, they dress in ways designed to arouse precipitate passion. Eyelashes are darkened with gum ammonia. Cheeks and lips are painted with sticks of minium or alkanet roots. Adjustable eyebrows are used and often pencilled with lampblack or pulverised sulphuret of antimony; sometimes they are thinned into diverse shapes or shaved off entirely and painted as “crescent moons” or other forms. Eyelids are shaded with kohl. All sorts of things are rubbed on the face in the hope of enhancing beauty. Some wrap their fingernails overnight with henna leaves to make them purple. Padded brassieres are used to make the breasts appear poised and … There is no part of the woman’s body, in pursuit of men, that has not been perfected, decorated, refined, stretched, squeezed, bleached, reformed, compacted, or shortened.

Have you heard about Suleiman the Magnificent? While at the apogee of his glory, he had many concubines. During his daily evening walks around his compound, his women would line up along the paths he would take. Usually, Suleiman would examine them like a man inspecting dogs in kennels. He would hand a white kerchief to any woman who attracted him on a particular day. That night, the recipient of the kerchief would return it. This was his method of pursuing amorous satisfaction.

Higher than the aforementioned form of love is what is often called genuine friendship. In this type of love, altruistic motives predominate. It springs from mutual admiration. Here, love is thought to precede desire and to determine its wishes. Marriages built upon this type of love are often successful. Mature lovers discover that marriage transcends the act of procreation or the fantasy of sexual acts. There are some men who think that all a woman appreciates in a man is his ability to brandish the erectile organ to her satisfaction. No. Marriage is more than that. It demands deep understanding and maturity from both partners.

All the foregoing classifications and distinctions—exhaustive though they may seem—belong to the theory of human love. But the diversity of love extends to the Christian understanding of it. Christianity brought about a fundamental shift in man’s thinking about love. Christianity does not see love in terms of emotion or passion but rather in the infinite perfection and creativity of God. God Himself is love (1 John 4:4). “Love ye one another.” In this profound sentence, God summarised all the commandments. Love rules the world and was, perhaps, as Parmenides thought, “the very first thing created by the gods to rule the world.”

The key to peace in the world is for men to embrace the ethics of Christ—love. Confucius taught a version of it in his rule of reciprocity (the Golden Rule). Immanuel Kant espoused it in The Metaphysics of Morals through what he called the “Maxims of Categorical Imperatives.” All great religions teach it. Until we begin to imbibe this Golden Rule (love), the battle to remake the world might as well be labelled a utopia.

The sooner we use Valentine’s Day to promote this kind of love, the better the world will become. Here we are again, celebrating another Valentine’s Day. How do we make it serve the purpose of making the world a better place? This is the central question.

NOTE: I came across this great reflection by Bishop Godfrey Onah of Nsukka Diocese. Kindly share with us: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19sfkWvVFF/?mibextid=wwXIfr

(From the Archives, 2001)

There was a popular song when I was a child titled ‘Come and see American wonder.’ It was not so much about the celebration of the perceived wonders of the United States, US. It was more about the incredulous things emanating from ‘God’s own country’.

Some of us thought that as far as the US was concerned, we had seen it all. But the bizarre ways of President Donald Trump and the antics of his fellow billionaires like Ellon Musk, tell us: ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet’; the worst is yet to come.

How does a rational being wake up in his home and say he is donating the population of another country, 10,726 kilometres away, to other countries? Who, but a clown, would say he wants to turn a land like Palestine, which many had fought and died for, into an holiday resort, perhaps into a private golf resort?

But Trump must not be taken for granted because, in his mind, he might have mapped out Gaza, the hotels he hopes to build on the corpses of the Palestinians, and the private profits he and his fellow business people hope to make by seizing the territory.

Nobody should take the American President for a clown. Or if he truly is, then he is a deadly one willing to carry out genocide for the profits he hopes to make.

This is not the first time he wants to donate lands, that he does not own, to other people or business. He has done more bizarre things. Four years ago, as he was leaving office, Trump issued an American Presidential Declaration donating an African country and Member of the African Union, the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, SADR, better known as Western Sahara, to Morocco.

This year, he says he has renamed the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America. That is a name that has been in existence for over four centuries. In trying to implement this brainwave, Trump’s leg men gathered information that some media were not adhering to the pronouncement. So the Associated Press, AP, reporter was barred from the White House because the news agency insists on sticking to the international name.

He also renamed the 100-year-old Panama Canal owned by Panama as the American Canal. In January 2025, he threatened to seize the canal for allegedly making too much profit. Then a month later, he repeated his threat to invade and take over the canal but this time, for allegedly allowing the Chinese to run the canal.

He also threatened to seize Greenland from Denmark for America’s “economic security”. Trump has also asked neigbouring Canada to become the 51st state of the US and erase its 5,525-mile long border with it. He said of Canada: “If people wanted to play the game right, it would be 100 per cent certain that they’d become a state.”

Interestingly, Canada with a land area of 3,855, 103 square miles is bigger than the US with 3,794,083 square miles. So, if Trump’s clowning is to be taken on face value, USA should join Canada and become its 11th province.

However, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in February 2025 warned his country’s business leaders to take Trump’s threats seriously. He told them the Trump administration is “very aware of our resources, of what we have and they very much want to be able to benefit from those (Trump) has it in mind that one of the easiest ways of doing that is absorbing our country.”

Trudeau who had dealt with Trump in his first term as US President, added: “Not only does the Trump administration know how many critical minerals we have, but that may be even why they keep talking about absorbing us and making us the 51st state.”

Trump had gone on to impose a 25 per cent additional tariff on Canada and neigbhouring Mexico which, he says, he has suspended for one month. Meanwhile, he has imposed an additional 10 per cent tariff on imports from China.

In his first seven weeks in office, the Trump administration rounded up 14,000 undocumented immigrants some of who were packed into aircraft and dumped in their countries of origin.

He has also ordered the construction of another immigrants detention centre in the Guantanamo Bay, a Cuban territory US has occupied since 1898. The administration says it is targeting 600,000 immigrants whom it alleges have criminal records.

He is also working hard to cripple the American public sector. He sacked more than a dozen prosecutors who worked on cases involving the January 6 riot. He is also scrutinising thousands of Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, agents who investigated the riot. So, he has no qualms punishing public servants he perceives as enemies, even when they were merely doing the job they are paid to do.

He is also dismantling the US Agency for International Development, USAID, in such a cruel manner that hundreds of its staff posted across the world have no idea what to do. They are virtually abandoned abroad with their families.

Today, US democracy has delivered what is perhaps its most unique verdict and most powerful President since its July 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence. Trump, operating outside the majority Republican Party, seized the party with his Make America Great Again, MAGA, group which is now the dominant faction.

He won both the popular and Electoral College votes. The party he dominates, controls both the Senate and House of Representatives. Additionally, his party has a 6-3 majority in the Supreme Court. So, perhaps for the first time in US history, one man has control of the Executive, Congress and Supreme Court. But for the fact that this is happening in the US, it would have been called a dictatorship.

Conscious of his powers, Trump is even by-passing the Congress and, side-tracking the US constitution by trying to run the US based on Executive Orders. Given their number, it would be a miracle if he can remember the Orders he is signing. 

Having cornered and virtually conquered his country, Trump is trying to rule the world with sanctions and threats. Europeans who have always been allies of the US are on edge. They are not sure what to expect. So they are meeting to plan some resistance, and possible retaliation if he imposes tariffs and sanctions on them. He will certainly be resisted, but he can do much damage.

Trump is a product of American democracy; the American electorate have to live with their choice, may be for the next four years. Africans say if you give birth to a problem-child, you have to take responsibility for him. Americans have the duty to rein in Trump before he does incalculable damage to both the country and humanity.