Media personality and actress Moet Abebe has confirmed that she is in a long-term romantic relationship with rapper Ice Prince.

On the “Bahd And Boujee” podcast, she revealed that they have been together for 12 years, calling herself his “baby girl.”

When asked about having children with him, she playfully dodged the question, while she affirmed to have received financial support from him, referring to him as her “boo.” 

She said, “Ice Prince is my man. We have been dating for 12 years. I’m his baby girl.”

Tolanibaj asked: “Do you plan to have children with him?”

Abebe replied :“Our babies will be fine but no. Let me not say no [laughs].”

Tolanibaj asked again: “Have you ever received a credit alert from him?”

Abebe replied:  “Why not. That’s my boo.”

[TheNation]

Aviation Securities at the Lagos Airport have handed over a 29-year-old passenger, Ayemobola Mojadesola, and her mother to the police for allegedly conducting themselves in an unruly manner.

The arrested passengers were said to have inflicted a bodily injury on a staff member, (name withheld) of the Lagos airport.

It was gathered that the passenger had earlier lent a pen from the aviation worker but an argument ensued when the staff member later asked for the pen.

Eyewitnesses said the short argument became aggravated and both Mojadesola and her mother pounced on the aviation worker, injuring her in the face close to her eye socket.

The passengers were also accused of destroying two laptops during the fracas.

In a post on X on Saturday, the publicist of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, appealed to passengers to desist from unruly behaviours, advising them to always report all issues to NCAA officers instead of going violent.

Achimugu explained that “Because she was asked to return a borrowed pen, a passenger named Ayemobola Mojadesola (born 1995) and her mother attacked an airport official, causing facial injuries and destroying two laptops in the process.

“She was arrested by AVSEC and had to buy replacement laptops and offered N50,000 cash for medical treatment of the injured staff. I must reiterate that unruly behaviour and destruction of airport equipment will not be tolerated.

“Always refer to them if you are not satisfied with the service rendered by operators. The airline offloaded the passenger for unruly behaviour and she was taken by AVSEC to Tango City before being handed over to the Nigeria Police Force.”

Achimugu further stated that Aviation equipment and staffers at every airport are there to facilitate safe and secure travel.

“They are not punching bags. I urge aggravated passengers to always seek the assistance of the NCAA Consumer Protection Officers at the terminals. They are there to help you,” he added.

[Punch]

When I wrote my column last week about being sick and tired of being sick and tired, I had not the slightest inkling that it would resonate with such vast and varied strata of the Nigerian public sphere. I merely wanted to ventilate the pent-up disillusionment that had welled up in me over time and expected most people to ignore my self-absorbed rumination.

Columnism is, after all, self-expression before it is public commentary. In fact, all forms of writing are conscious and unconscious self-portraitures. As Nobel-Prize-winning South African author John Maxwell Coetzee noted in his 1994 book titled Doubling the Point, “All writing is autobiography; everything that you write, including criticism and fiction, writes you as you write it.”

That was why I was overcome with pleasant disbelief by the unexpectedly overwhelming profusion of identification with the sentiments I expressed in my column, by the cornucopia of pleas to me to not stop writing, and by the careful, flattering chronicling by readers of the impact that my writing has had and continues to have in Nigerian politics and policies. 

Let me make this clear: I won’t stop writing, haven’t given up on Nigeria, and have resolved to resist the disempowering but tempting tyranny of cynicism and surrender. I was merely giving vent to my disillusion at our prolonged infancy as a country, and it was therapeutic.  I am glad that it also helped provide conscious language for others to articulate their bottled-up mental and emotional exhaustion. I hope that our passions will be rejuvenated after we vent because giving up is not an option. 

One of the scores of emails I received over the past few days in response to the column humorously pointed to my rather unusually caustic spat with the Supreme Court in February 2023. It noted that of the thousands of people who routinely criticize the Supreme Court, I was the first and so far the only person in Nigeria’s history (I haven’t fact-checked this claim) whom the Supreme Court considered worthy of an individual response, even if the response was an apoplectic and threatening one. “If that isn’t making a difference, I don’t know what is,” she wrote.

Others called my attention to the Nigerian Labor Congress borrowing the perspective and language of the column I wrote on the economic apartheid in socially stratifying electricity consumption into “bands,” among scores of examples they identified as solid evidence of the seepage and utility of my thoughts in arenas that matter.

Well, I am probably guilty of what I choose to call a vulgar uniformization of markers of success of endeavors, by which I mean the tendency to use the same yardstick to measure the impact of all actions.  In today’s Nigeria, for instance, conspicuous consumption—big cars, glitzy houses, expensive phones, sartorial extravagance, lavish gastronomic indulgence, etc.—has been uniformized as the only legitimate marker of success.

Even immensely accomplished, well-regarded, and far-famed professionals whose contributions to their fields will outlast them consider themselves—or are made to consider themselves—as “failures” if they are not “rich,” if they can’t flaunt vain indicators of prosperity, if they are just merely modestly comfortable. This crude uniformization of pointers of success is the main driver of the rat race for wealth by any means.

Maybe, I was guilty of uniformizing how impact is measured. Expectation of immediate, drastic, and dramatic change in policies and practices in response to sustained critical interventions is unrealistic, even quixotic. Persuasion takes time and work. Even at its best, it is often a gradual process consisting of small, incremental changes at a time.

That’s why revolutions take time to gestate and incubate before they burst forth. All revolutions start out as disparate resentments that coalesce into mass resistance, often at the rhetorical level. Mass resistance then blossoms into spontaneous, leaderless protests. If the frenzy and rage of the protests are sustained by the conditions that inspired them, they culminate in a rebellion.

 If the rebellion has a self-aware, transcendent, ideologically situated vanguard, it can achieve the status of a revolution. And it can start with something as seemingly inconsequential and belaboring as writing.

Well, as I pointed out last week, this isn’t the first time I’ve questioned the efficacy of my popular interventions and (temporarily) divested my emotions from the home of my birth (where my heart always is) in frustration. 

About this time last year, I chose to impose on myself a moratorium on active Nigerian political commentary and social media intervention, which was occasioned yet again by my temporary loss of hope in the capacity of Nigeria to reform. 

After self-reflection, I concluded that the passions, energies, commitments, hopes, and aspirations that I had invested in Nigeria through my commentaries and engagements were wasted efforts because they made no difference. I concluded that I was merely wailing in the wilderness and that no one of consequence heard me.

Even when I thought I was heard, I didn’t think I made any impact. The vitriol and threats to my life that my engagements invited, particularly during Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency, would be worth it, I thought, if I made a difference, if I galvanized enough people to set aside their primordial differences and demand good governance from whoever was in power. After more than two decades of doing the same thing with the same result, I thought I was done.

Then, out of the blues, I became aware that the legendary Professor Toyin Falola—author of nearly 200 books with some of the world’s most prestigious presses, one of the world’s most cited living scholars, and an endowed Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin and Extraordinary Professor of Political Science at University of Pretoria— had written a book titled Citizenship and the Diaspora in the Digital Age: Farooq Kperogi and the Virtual Community that chronicles, analyzes, evaluates, and engages with the social, political, and cultural commentaries in my columns and social media platforms. 

On June 15, 2023, an academic conference was also organized by the University of Pretoria’s African Centre for the Study of the United States with the theme “Farooq Kperogi, The Digital Age and US-African Diaspora Diplomacy,” at the behest of Professor Falola, where scholars from around the world discussed and analyzed my scholarship, newspaper columns, and online dialogic engagements.

I felt at once honored, flattered, and appreciated in ways I hadn’t before. I asked myself: so, someone of Professor Falola’s heft and gravitas notices my writing enough to find it worthy not just of his time but of his scholarly engagement in a book form? Had I been underrating the value of what I did?

As I said in my remarks during the conference, it was indescribably humbling when a vastly accomplished, larger-than-life, widely respected scholar like Professor Falola about whom books have been written, in whose honor annual transnational scholarly conferences are held, who is the most famous African scholar in the United States, and from whom I derive inspiration and guidance in my scholarly pursuits found me worthy to write an entire book about even when I consider yourself a mere mid-career academic who is still building his work. It’s an honor I truly believe I am wholly unworthy of but that I nonetheless embrace and cherish.

In moments of emotional weakness, which is natural when you’re the citizen of a country like Nigeria whose leaders serially violate even the most modest expectations of good governance, I will always remember the encouragement I received from esteemed intellectual patriarchs like Professor Falola, the hundreds of readers who wrote to me and left comments on my social media pages, and my heightened self-awareness that the impact of writing is often osmotic and almost imperceptive but significant nonetheless.  

I have also come away with another insight: Passionate criticism of governance is often evidence of deep devotion to the progress of the country. Its absence can be a signal of the loss of hope in the redemptive capacity of critical engagement with the state. That’s not a state any state should want its citizens to be in. 

On Thursday, I read Nyesom Wike railing against government critics like Senator Shehu Sani by saying, “The fact that many of you are activists does not mean you will do well if you were in our position. We have activists who have failed woefully in office. We have seen activists that were given appointments and yet they didn't perform.”

Well, we don’t criticize because we think we would do a better job than the people we criticize. An English proverb that I like to quote in response to these sorts of pushback from people in government, says the onlookers, not the participants, see most of the game. 

Coaches and technical advisers are needed in games not because the coaches and technical advisers are better than the players (several coaches and technical advisers, in fact, don't have half the talent of players), but because the coaches and technical advisers have the benefit of technical knowledge and, most importantly, critical detachment from the field of play, which enables them to see the blind spots that players don’t and can’t see.

As I reflect on my participation at the recently concluded Afreximbank 2024 Annual Meetings in Nassau, Bahamas premised on the theme ‘Owning our Destiny: Economic Prosperity on a Platform of Global Africa’, I am reminded about what really matters, not only in my professional capacity as the Group Chief Economist at what is aptly described as the Global African Bank-Afreximbank, but also on my role as a citizen of the continent and key stakeholder of this Global Africa movement. Being principally responsible for the intellectual sessions and segments of the three-day meetings, which featured over 100 high level speakers who gave insightful remarks and suggestions across 18 technical panel sessions, and with about 4,000 attendees, I could clearly see the imperative for Africa to harness its own resources, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit to chart a path towards sustainable growth and global influence.

For too long, Africa, despite its immense wealth, has been viewed through a lens of poverty, conflict, fragility and instability. Africa’s development has been shaped by external forces—colonialism, foreign aid, global economic dynamics, and fragmentation that traces its history to Berlin. A divided Africa – of about 2 billion people scattered across the world – has certainly not thrived in their individuality. While these narratives and influences have hindered Africa’s ability to attract investments, slowed the continent’s growth and development and left indelible marks, they have also obscured the continent’s inherent strengths, and prevented African nations from reaching their full potential.

However, our conversations in Nassau have shown that this narrative is undergoing a profound transformation, and Africa is increasingly being recognized not just for its vast natural resources and resilience in the face of global shocks, but also its globally dispersed young and dynamic population, its vibrant culture and its growing consumer class. To capitalize on this momentum, African nations are now appreciating the vision of its forefathers and embracing the need to come together to create a unified ‘Global Africa’ vision for the continent’s future. The concept of “Global Africa” is one that emphasizes the interconnectedness of Africans across the globe and the importance of collaboration and unity in achieving prosperity in a world where isolationism and neo-protectionism are increasingly prevalent

At the ‘Global African Bank’-Afreximbank, this “Global Africa” vision is a multifaceted and ambitious concept aimed at integrating Africans into the global economy while simultaneously fostering intra-African cooperation and development. By emphasizing the historical context as a critical middle passage to understanding Africa’s current underdevelopment, particularly the transatlantic slave trade which culminated in negative demographic consequences, economic disruption, internal instability and cultural erosion, this Global Africa vision aims to create a future where Africa can thrive both independently and as a dynamic player in global affairs. The concept of Global Africa is therefore not just a means to integrate Africa into the global economy but is one that seeks to promote the economic interests of all Africans irrespective of geographic location. Indeed, the gathering of Africans in the Bahamas for the 2024 Afreximbank Annual Meetings underscored the need to forge strong alliances that will enable us to deal with our common challenges in an era of rising polycrisis.

Strengthening Regional Integration through the AfCFTA and Afri-Caribbean Free Trade Agreement

A key component of this vision is the promotion of intra-African trade and Afri-Caribbean trade. Currently, intra African trade, though rising, still accounts for only about 15% of its total trade, compared to about 69% in Europe and 59% in Asia.  Afri-Carribean Trade is even smaller at under 2%. To increase intra-African trade and Afri-Caribbean trade, we must -as summarized in the Afreximbank President, Bennedict Oramah, own statement at the meetings- prioritise the establishment of sea and air link between these two regions, facilitating human resource exchanges that will foster skills, knowledge and technology transfers. Furthermore, we must collectively build strong and sizeable continental regional development financial institutions, including accelerating steps towards creating the Caribbean Exim Bank to promote Afri-Caribbean trade, to reduce dependence on exports to other regions, create new economic opportunities, and stimulate job growth. With the Global African bank, Afreximbank, championing regional integration between Africa and the Caribbean, we can significantly boost intra-global African trade, enhance competitiveness, and attract foreign investment, while promoting political stability and collective bargaining power on the global stage.

Technological Innovation and Digital Economy

Africa is home to a growing community of tech entrepreneurs, who are leveraging technology to solve some of global Africans’ most pressing challenges. From mobile money platforms that support home remittances to telemedicine services, African startups are at the forefront of digital innovation. The rapid adoption of mobile technology across Africa is a testament to the continent’s potential for technological leapfrogging. Countries like Kenya, with its M-Pesa mobile banking platform, have demonstrated how innovation can drive financial inclusion and economic empowerment.

Value Addition through Empowered Human Capital & Optimized Resource Management

Africa is rich in natural resources and boasts the world’s youngest population, with over 60% of its population under the age of 25. Correctly harnessing this youthful energy present across the globe is a powerhouse for innovation and growth. Equipping young Africans with the skills and education, particularly in STEM fields, to thrive in a digital economy can transform global Africa into a hub of technological advancement. Moreover, fostering an entrepreneurial mindset and providing access to capital can unleash a wave of startups that drive local and global markets.

Although Africa is richly endowed with natural resources, Africa must focus on value addition and end the historical pattern of exporting raw materials and importing finished goods which has perpetuated economic dependency. This means developing industries, such as the Electric Vehicle sector, that can beneficiate rare earth metals and other such raw materials domestically, thereby creating jobs on the continent as well as increasing Africa’s GDP and wealth.

Harnessing the Diaspora

The African diaspora scattered across the globe, represents a vast reservoir of talent, expertise, and financial resources that can be engaged through investment opportunities, knowledge transfer, and cultural exchange to accelerate Africa’s development. Beyond the financial capital inflows from the African diaspora, are the human capital investments made when experienced and empowered ‘repatriates’ return home to the continent to help build their countries, cities and communities of origin – particularly by leveraging their often vast and powerful global networks and net worth.

Sustainable Development and Climate Resilience

A Global Africa vision must prioritize sustainable development in the Caribbean and Africa’s fragile ecosystems. Both regions are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change with significant impacts on agriculture, water resources, and health. Africa’s path to prosperity for all Africans must prioritize sustainable development and invest in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and climate-resilient infrastructure by pioneering green technologies and sustainable practices that protect its environment and set an example for the rest of the world. An AfCFTA implementation amalgamated with climate resilient development principles provides an opportunity to address climate change issues while simultaneously pursuing development goals and driving the objectives of a Global Africa”.

Cultural Pride and Identity

Africa has a rich and diverse cultural heritage-a source of strength and resilience for its people. By celebrating and preserving this heritage, Africans all over the world can build a sense of unity, solidarity, and a shared history and prosperity that transcends borders and fosters a sense of belonging and pride. This can help to counter negative stereotypes and perceptions of Africa and promote a more positive image of the continent on the global stage.

What is the Global African Bank Doing in this regard?

Afreximbank has spearheaded several projects and initiatives that embody this Global Africa narrative. This includes:

• the Intra-Africa Trade Fair which aims to boost intra-Africa Trade by providing a platform for Global African businesses around the world to explore trade and investment opportunities,
• MANSA repository which provides reliable information about Global African businesses thereby enhancing transparency and trust in Global African markets,
• Pan-African Payment and Settlement System which facilitates cross border payments within Africa, reducing the cost and complexity of intra- Global African trade, and
• Cultural promotion programs such as the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) are aimed at enhancing Global Africa’s soft power, ensuring that African narratives and identities are represented and respected globally.

Conclusions

As we navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing global landscape, it is becoming increasingly clear that the future of economic prosperity lies in Africa’s hands. With its rich resources, vibrant cultures, and innovative spirit, Africa has the potential to not only shape its own destiny but also influence the course of the global economy.

The Global Africa narrative, championed by Afreximbank (The Global Africa Bank) is a powerful tool in reshaping perceptions and driving development. Afreximbank is not only promoting economic growth but also advocating for comprehensive and reparative justice that acknowledges Africa’s historical experiences. This narrative is essential for building a future where Africa is recognized as a dynamic and integral part of the global economy, capable of achieving sustainable and inclusive development

Ultimately, the concept of Global Africa is about recognizing the potential of the continent and the importance of Africans wherever they may be based, working together to take ownership of their destiny. By working together and embracing their shared values and aspirations, Global Africans can unlock their full potential and create a brighter future for themselves. The journey is complex and fraught with challenges, but the vision of a prosperous, self-reliant Global Africa is not only achievable but imperative.

Dr. Yemi Kale is the Group Chief Economist & Managing Director of Research and International Cooperation at Afreximbank, Egypt. He was formerly a Partner and Chief Economist, at KPMG, Nigeria. Prior to this, he served as the Statistician General and CEO of the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria.

About a fortnight ago, the Nigerian media widely reported that the house of representatives committee on national security and intelligence recommended, in a report, that the federal government should purchase new aircraft for the use of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima. The house had in May mandated the committee to investigate the conditions of the aircraft in the presidential fleet. That assignment followed a motion earlier debated by the house.

Since that house committee’s report was made public, the issue of acquiring new aircraft for Tinubu and Shettima became a controversy and a running story in the mainstream media and social media. That is normal. But it became a mischief when the president of the senate, Godswill Obot Akpabio, was unfairly dragged into the controversy.

Akpabio was reported to have said things that he did not say. And when he tried to correct the falsehood, the harder he tried, the more vested interests twisted his explanations. Their purpose is clear: mischief.

Let’s go back to Thursday 27th June, 2024, when both the senate and house of representatives reconvened to begin a new legislative year of the 10th assembly. That plenary was held six days earlier than the date scheduled for the resumption of the lawmakers. The resumption was brought forward primarily for the national assembly to consider a request by the executive arm for an extension of the implementation of the 2023 Appropriation Act and the 2023 Supplementary Budget, which life spans were to elapse on Sunday, 30th of June, 2024.

But some media outfits wrongly speculated that the plenary was called ahead of schedule for the national assembly to approve the purchase of new aircraft for Tinubu and Shettima.

It is normal for the media to speculate. But you must admit your error if events prove your speculation to be wrong. Regrettably, some of the leading national dailies involved refused to admit that they goofed. Instead, they tried to justify their error with falsehood.

At the said plenary, the chairman of appropriation committee, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, spotted an online report with the headline: “Presidential Jet: Senate Holds Emergency Session to Consider the Supplementary Budget.” He drew the attention of the senate to the report and requested permission to read out its first paragraph.

It reads: “The Senate held an emergency session to consider President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Supplementary Appropriation for 2024 fiscal year which includes funding of acquisition of a new Presidential Jet.”

The senator said he was embarrassed by the report because it is false. He then moved a motion for the reporter of the story to be invited for his explanation before the appropriate committeeof the senate. The senate unanimously granted the prayer.

The leader of the senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, had earlier seen a similar report in the social media and also drew the attention of the senate to it. In response to the observations made by Senator Bamidele, the senate president narrated his own experience to his distinguished colleagues.

However, Akpabio’s intervention immediately became another issue in the media. He was largely misrepresented. Most of the headlines did not match the stories on what he said. In some cases, the reports were embellished and took Akpabio’s contribution out of context.

The comments made by the senate leaders at the plenary were basically the same. That no request for the purchase of new aircraft for the presidential fleet was before the Senate. That in the event of any such request in future, the national assembly would look into it. That blackmail and propaganda by vested interests would not distract lawmakers from their statutory responsibilities.

Alas!, these comments curiously gave birth to headlines such as: “No Amount of Blackmail Will Stop Senate from Approving New Presidential Jet – Akpabio,” “Blackmail Can’t Stop Presidential Jet Approval – Senate,” “Akpabio Insists on Approving Purchase of New Aircraft for Tinubu, says No Blackmail will Stop Decision,” “New Presidential Jet: Tinubu’s Wish, Senate’s Command – Akpabio.”

To put the record straight, the verbatim recording of the remarks of the Senate President and Senate Leader is hereby provided to enable readers ascertain the truth and determine if those screaming headlines captured the comments of the senators at the plenary on Thursday 27th June, 2024:

Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele

“Mr President, this Senate is aware of some insinuations in a section of the media to the extent that the President of the Senate, leading this Senate, either had, at one time, indicated that we had a request that the purchase of a new plane be approved for Mr President and that President of the Senate had indicated that regardless of what Nigerians were going through, that would be approved. The Senate is also aware that Mr President tried to clarify this issue, that at no point did he say that. Then another section of the media picked on that again to say the President of the Senate, leading the 10th Senate, has said whatever Mr President likes, he should go and do, this Senate will not approve the purchase of a plane.

“And as we sat here today, a section of the Social Media has also been circulating that we had gone into executive session to discuss Presidential request for a new plane and how we are going to approve it. Mr President, the essence of my saying this is just to make it clear and to alert Nigerians that there is the presence of the fifth columnist and some other propagandists who are doing everything possible to destabilize this country and also destabilize the parliament.

“Mr President, I say for the record as the leader of this Senate, that there is no request before this Senate as of yet. So there couldn’t have been a basis for us to debate whether we are going to approve or not. It had never been discussed either on the floor of this Senate or among individual senators or the executive session. There is no such request. If the request comes, it is not about Mr President of the Senate alone. It is for 469 elected representatives of the Nigerian people to discuss and take a position – 360 in the House of Representatives, 109 in the Senate. But as we speak Mr President, there is no such request and I just want all of us to be clear about this.”

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio

“It is not good for us to run the Senate by answering people in the Social Media, because the social media is garbage in, garbage out. I was in Zanzibar, attending Inter- Parliamentary Union meeting when that information went out, that the Senate President has said that he would approve a brand new plane for the President irrespective of whether there is suffering or no suffering. There was never a time such statement came from me because I have never had any correspondence to approve a plane or not approve a plane.

“I did not want to answer but they went further to generate it as if I was saying that I did not care about the Nigerian people. We care about the President. We care about the Nigerian people. We will approve things that will benefit the Nigerian people. We will approve things that will improve the living standard of the people. At the same time, we will also take cognizance of the duties of Mr President. If his vehicle is bad, we will repair the vehicle. If his plane is bad we will approve money for the repair of the plane. So that is not an issue. There is nothing before us. I don’t think we should bother about it.

“Somebody called me and he said that he was quoting from BBC, that what I said at Senator Tahir Monguno’s house, that the statement was false and should be disregarded. That I was saying that I would not approve. That is what you may call anticipatory blackmail. The purveyors of the story know very well that maybe there is problem with the Presidential fleet and that where they will go to will be the Parliament. And so they are now trying to do anticipatory blackmail, to tell us if they bring it, do not look into it. I think we should ignore them and focus on what we are doing here.

“I have read the President’s correspondences to us, there was nothing touching on plane or no plane. But I can tell you that when you hear stories such as the death of the Vice President of Malawi as a result of defective plane and you hear stories such a as the death of the President of Iran as a result of defective craft, in fact this time it was helicopter, and all that, we shouldn’t ever dream and allow such to be our portion. It won’t be.

“The Senate is very responsible. The National Assembly is very responsible. We will look into issues that will benefit the governance of the country irrespective of anticipatory blackmail. Get the words, anticipatory blackmail. They know very well that something like that may come in future and if it is a necessity, the Senate will look into it. But there is nothing like that before us now. So they can go ahead to anticipate and blackmail the Senate President, it will not affect me.”

Awoniyi, media aide to senate president, writes from Abuja

Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the presidential committee on fiscal policy and tax reforms, says Nigeria can generate more revenue without raising taxes and avoid hurting the economy.

In an interview with Politics Today on Channels TV on Friday, Oyedele said the right way to go is not to introduce more taxes.

According to Oyedele, with the use of data, intelligence, and technology, Nigeria can close the tax gap by ensuring people who have not been paying taxes begin to pay.

He said the committee think having fewer taxes is broad-based, and easy to collect.

“Certainly, you know the whole idea is that we have done whatever we are doing now for decades, and it hasn’t produced the right result,” Oyedele said.

“We have over 60 different taxes and levies, but we are barely even collecting enough money to fix roads.

“By the way, the entire budget, that’s the Federal Government’s of about N29 trillion plus all the states in Nigeria about N15 trillion – if you add it all, it comes to about N44 trillion. That’s around $30 billion.

“That $30 billion is even less than the budget of Kenya which is around $32 billion. It is barely a quarter of South Africa’s budget at $130 billion. And of course, it’s even less than the budget of New York City, not even just New York State. So, clearly, Nigeria is a poor country with the potential to be a wealthy country.

“So, we do believe based on the analysis we have done and the data available to us that the right way to go is not to introduce more taxes. And in fact, if you’re gonna raise the rates of any tax, it has to be something that we’re doing as a result of the consolidation and harmonisation.

“We do think that having fewer taxes are broad-based, easy to collect, and do not place a burden on the bottom of the ladder of society is the way to go.

“And by using data, intelligence, and technology, we can close the tax gap so that people who have not been paying before begin to pay – who have been identified as people who should be paying – and the poor people should be legitimately exempted, particularly nano, micro businesses and low-income earners.”

Oyedele said the committee believes that with all these, Nigeria can easily more than double its revenue within a period of two to three years.

[TheCable]

I met a woman, a mother-in-law in Jordan. I mean at the River Jordan while I was on pilgrimage to Jerusalem many years ago. We were on the same bus and the same prayer group. It was an intensive 10-day of praying, fasting, except only when we were eating or sleeping. But this lady struck me in a different way. We got talking and she told me her main prayer points. As we stood in River Jordan was for her daughter in law. The poor girl, she told me she had a difficult pregnancy that saw her in and out of hospital. She could neither eat nor sleep well, and to worsen everything , she had to deliver by ceasarian section. She felt it was too much for a 28 year old girl. Her daughter in law was pregnant again and she wanted God to intervene this time.

‘I want the poor girl to have a smooth healthy pregnancy. I want her to also deliver naturally. I know God can do it, inspite if whatever her Doctor told us’. Those were are words.

She got inside Jordan and prayed passionately . Now, if you had read the story of Naaman in the Bible, that day, I understood his reluctance to pray in the Jordan as the Prophet instructed. Jordan was dirty, full of gigantic cat-fish no one dared catch, I believe, and grass cutters-like creatures who beg for sweet and biscuits.

‘My friend’ got in and prayed hard for her poor girl, her daughter in law. ‘Lucky girl’, I said to myself. What did she do to net a mother-in law who went to River Jordan to pray for her.

Anyway, I stayed in touch with this nice lady I even when we got back to Nigeria. Indeed, we set up a WhatsApp group where we all stayed in touch and prayed. God answered my friend’s prayer. The poor girl ate and slept well and delivered her baby like the Hebrew women. No CS, no episiotomy.

Who wouldn’t want a Mother-in-law like this? Who would have a Mother in law like this and not pray that her daughters and sisters find a second mother in their husband’s mother?

Gbemisola and I are members of the same women group in church. If you are a member of RCCG, you will know the name of our group. Anyways, I was in the car with Gbemi about two weeks to last Christmas and she was dishing instructions out like cheap pepper. First to the cleaner, then the caterer and then the Electrician.

‘Hello, are you planning a party that I’m not aware of’? I asked.

‘Noooo now, it’s just Christmas and New year like everybody else’. Gbemi explained in between more instructions to the plumber to go and check that all heaters and flushers worked.

‘Mama, please explain. How many people are coming to your house that you are buying so much’?

It just happened that Gbemi’s three children, their spouses, their four Grandchildren and her three siblings were all coming over for Christmas and she wanted them to all feel like they were on a proper holiday. So she was going the extra miles to fulfill a promise she made to herself years ago after years of pains in the house of her in-laws.

According to Gbemi, Christmas or any holiday with my parent in-law always left me ill and unhappy. I always ended up in the hospital after the holiday. I had to cook, clean, go to the market in addition to taking care of my three children. It was the wives duty to cook and serve the visitors. It was work from dawn to dust. It never was not a holiday for years. I didn’t look forward to sharing space with my mother in law at Easter, Christmas or any family event.

It was not as if they couldn’t afford cooks or washerman. I think my mother in law simply just enjoyed seeing her son’s spouses doing all the toiling. May be because her own mother in law out her through the same torture. Until one Christ Nas, I stood up to them all and said Christmas will be with my husband and children. That was the end of torture December.

Gbemi made up her mind that she will never put any of her daughter in law or brother in law through the ordeal she went through.

‘I employed a caterer who cater for our meal. There’s an househelp who washes. My son’s wives put up their feets. I even call Hairdresser to make their hairs. I want them and my grandchildren to look forward to coming to my place all the time.

Gbemi had a choice of perpetuating the torture December tradition. She choose to abolish it and replace with leisure December. If your mother in law put you through hell for years, it takes grace and divine wisdom not to see Mother in laws as evil.

It is wives who become Mother in law. It is Mothers who become Mother in laws. Mother in laws are also mothers to girls who have to contend with or enjoy good or bad mother in laws. So it is girls thing. It’s about women creating a tradition and watering it or being just witches flying in broad day-light shamefully and shamelessly.

Tola doesn’t wish anybody dead. She just doesn’t want ego through what her mother went through in the hand of her grandmother. She had been told that she might just be lucky and end up with a husband with a kind mother but she’s scared, I believe, irredeemably, by the trauma of her childhood. She said she doesn’t want to risk it

‘I know God is able to bless me with a great future but I believe He also knows my fears, understand my trauma. I want my marriage to last forever. My Mother wants same. She worked so hard at keeping her marriage together. She wept, prayed, did everything but because she could not give my Father a second child and a son, she was frustrated out of her home after 14 years of marriage. My mother moved out into her own small flat. My Father married a new wife who gave him five more girls. My Mother was accused of witchcraft, held responsible for my Father’s inability to have a son. My Mother worked hard all her life to solely support me. She died two years after I graduated. In her sleep, she had an heart attack, according to the Doctor. But I know heartbreak was also a huge factor. Her life was one long battle.

I know not all Mother in law are mean but I don’t want to find out I am not different. I am not different from women who will marry men who are jobless. After all, a jobless man can be billionaire next year. I’m too scared and scared dating a man whose mother is still around. Mothers are great, mine was but a man’s mother? I don’t want the troubles.

Tola has a point. On the surface, she might sound ‘wicked’. But check out her story. Perhaps, if her Mother were to still be alive, she might have helped in her rehabilitation, but the fact that she died, leaving Tola, an only child with the Father who taught his wife was a witch, leaves any girl with fear, deep seated fears.

Mother in law are witches or blessings is a matter of experience because we are all products of our experience. However, whichever way you look at, it is all about we women. All parties invited are women. Of course the men invited have been known to your gasoline on the fire, either out of lack of wisdom or plan, thoughtlessness for long term consequences. Come to think of it, men can make and unmake between their wives and mothers. Some men are just careless. May be some even enjoy the politics and tension. But I refuse to make this about the men. This is all on women. We really need to do better, especially as mothers.

On a last note, I think young ladies who say they do not want their mother in law as part of their marriage package need counseling, love, guidance not condemnation. They were not born like that, trust me. They loved their grandmothers at a point, right? Then they started seeing that grandma was not so loving. They saw their mother cried each time ‘Mama’ was around. The shout, the accusations, the fight, the broken home all leave a mark on a girl.

Women just need to do better in the way we treat one another in the school of marriage.

With an impassioned speech by Israel, except there is a miracle which can come only on an alignment of the volition of each party in the conflict, it does not appear there will be light soon at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel is getting longer with the possibility of engagement with Iran-backed Hezbollah intensifying and spreading to Lebanon’s northern border. The families of the hostages not yet released by Hamas are opposed to any cessation of hostilities and withdrawal of Israeli fighting forces from Gaza Strip until their kith and kin are back home. The Israeli speech at the UN described as breathtaking was made by the country’s representative, Miriam Novak, at the United Nations General Assembly. The UN Special General Assembly in New York was held at the request of the Leaders of the European Union and what has been described as the New Arab Bloc. I am running the speech in full for there may be lessons therein to learn even if one does not agree with every point canvassed.

Standing at the podium, in front of the green marble wall of the main UN hall, Miriam Novak said into the microphone:

“Ladies and gentlemen! As you know, 80 years ago, Europe, led by Germany, carried out an ethnic purge: it exterminated almost all the Jews who lived there. French, Belgians, Dutch, Norwegians, Hungarians, Slovaks, Poles, Lithuanians, Ukrainians—all helped the fascists. You killed at least six million Jews, including newborn babies. Each of them could have given the world children, grandchildren, so you can multiply the number of killed by four or five… And now, when we are again plundered, beaten, and killed in all your countries, and your courts release the murderers, you tell us that we have no right to defend ourselves? We have no right to warn our enemies that we will respond to a new ethnic cleansing with an even more powerful strike? Perhaps you can name another nation whose extermination is so fantastically sought by your new Iranian-led international community? And why?

For two thousand years, we have lived among you, offering you our knowledge, discoveries and inventions. We have given you the alphabet; the Bible; the Virgin Mary; Jesus Christ; the 12 Apostles; Spinoza; Disraeli; Columbus; Newton; Nostradamus; Heine; Mendelssohn; Einstein; Singer; Eisenstein; Freud;  Landau; Gershwin; Offenbach; Rubinstein; Saint-Saens; Kafka; Lombroso; Montaigne; Mahler; Marcel Marceau; Vsevolod Meyerhold; Yehudi Menuhin; Stefan; Zweig; Arthur Miller; Maya Plisetskaya; Stanley Kubrick; Irving Berlin: Edward Teller;  Lion Feuchtwanger; Paul Newman; Robert Oppenheimer; Benny Goodman; Eugene Lonesco;  Imre Kalman; Marcel Proust; Marc Chagall; Barbra Streisand; Claude Lelouch; Steven Spielberg; Anouk Aimee; Leonard Bernstein;  Norbert Wiener; Larry Page; Mark Zuckerberg; Larry Page; Mark Zuckerberg; Sergey Brin; Andrew Lloyd Webber and thousands of other scientists and educators.

Imagine how many such geniuses could have been born from millions of Jews killed by you, and then from their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. But these unborn geniuses disappeared forever in crematoriums. Burned synagogues, and mass graves. So do you really think that your resolutions, boycotts, and sanctions can bring us back to the gas chambers? No, ladies and gentlemen! Having lived among you for two thousand years, we have had to adapt to you and learn not only your languages, but also some aspects of your psychology. Otherwise, how would we have survived in Persian perfidy? In Spain without the Spanish cruelty? In Germany without German submission to discipline? In France without French avarice? In Poland without Polish vanity, and in Russia without the oaths and the Russian habit of court latrines, where one must squat and talk about one’s spiritual greatness?—(Laughter in the room.)

“And that is why I will tell frankly: yes, we are not yes, we are not angels. Among us there have been international crooks and gangsters, Lansky, Medoff and Epstein, thieves, looters, adventurers and even pedophiles.

But in all our common history, there has never been a Jewish Bogdan Khmeinitsky, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. There have never been Jewish Josef Mengele and Erik Koch, Jewish Adolf Eichmann and Idi Amin, Jewish Andrei  Chikatilo and Li Zicheng; Jewish Jeffrey Dahmer and Jean Bokassa, Jewish Fritz Haarmann and Ted Bundy, Jewish Nikolai and Albert Fish.

We have never made necklaces with human ears, never scalped, never eaten human flesh, never made soap with human fat, never made lampshades with human skin, never made mattresses with women’s hair, never burned people in religious temples, and never killed children in gas chambers. Instead, we created things that changed the world for the better. Drip irrigation, seawater desalination, Intel processors and Centrino and Core Duo platforms, the world’s smallest DNA computer and the world’s first USB flash drive, nanowire and camera pill, multiple sclerosis drug and exoskeleton, Google Glass for the blind and baby breathing monitor. The radar that can see through walls, the holographic reality artificial intelligence synthesizer, and hundreds of other wonderful things.

Representing only 0.2% of the world’s population, we have given the world 32% of the Nobel Prize winners. Yes I forgot to tell you: We have never consumed and do not consume the blood of Christian infants to make matzah. Already in 1913, three Orthodox experts on Judaism proved this at the famous Beilis trial in Kiev.

In 1962, the Second Vatican Council lifted our guilt for the crucifixion of Christ, and in 2011, Pope Benedict XVI declared that “the Christian cannot be anti-Semitic, we have the same roots.” In 2019, his successor, Pope Francis 1, said that “every Christian has a Jew in him” and that ‘one cannot be a true Christian without acknowledging one’s Jewish roots. In addition, the head of the global Catholic Church said that “the covenant between God and Jews continues to apply and that anti-Semitism includes not only attacks on Jews, but also criticism of Israel.”

Finally, in June 2020, the Rev. John Hagee, the leader of American Evangelical Christians, published his “Appeal to the World,” in which he said simply and clearly, “Why do we, eight million patriotic American Christians, support Israel? Because God is on Israel’s side! If a Christian says he doesn’t like Jesus, then his false Christianity is very dubious. God says, I will bless those who bless Israel! I will curse those who curse Israel!”

And now I want to ask the European delegates in this room: Who do you think you are? Are you Christians or not? When you pray to Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the holy apostles, are you not praying to the Jews? And when you say that you carry the image of Christ in your heart, do you not admit that you carry a Jew in your soul? Even if you are a hard-core atheist, your ancestors were Christians for two thousand years, and therefore, Judaism is in your blood –whether you like it or not!

So, ladies and gentlemen, if you insist on international boycott of Israel because you continue to hate Jews and want the total extermination of Jews on earth, then be consistent—start with yourselves, do seppuku! It will be honest ethnic purge. And now as we say here in America, I have news for you. Now, after the Christians, it is the turn of the Muslims to get rid of anti-Semitism.

Yes, it won’t be easy, but just as the Almighty helped humanity get rid of the bubonic plague, anthrax, cholera, and coronavirus, He will help you get rid of anti-Semitism. You ask: Why? Why has the Almighty brought us back to Israel and forced you to give up your desire to destroy us? For He has to have a purpose, doesn’t He? I will give my personal opinion. For according to His purpose, every nation is to bring to mankind what it does best.

The French—cooks and perfumes; The English and the Russians—writers and poets; Italians –artists and musicians; The Germans—soldiers and philosophers; And the Jews—geniuses. Geniuses who, who in all fields, are advancing humanity from barbarism and idolatry to culture, humanism and technical progress. This is our mission, which we have been accomplishing for two thousand years, despite everything! So, whether we have genetic torsional, nuclear, tectonic, cosmic or other defence weapons, that’s none of your business! Whether you allow us to have defensive weapons or not, we don’t care.

As one of the founders of our state, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, once said: “Whether you like us or not, we don’t care, we arrived before you and we will leave after you.”

You may wonder what the interest of this column is in the copiously reproduced speech by the Israeli Representative at the special UN General Assembly and what my take is on the lengthy address. The speech is hardly possible to ignore whether you are for or against Israel. Much as I consider it impossible to ignore, I decline responsibility for many areas of the content of the speech.

My aim in dabbling into the subject is to invite us into contemplation of some of the issues raised “In The Light of Truth.” We must show compassion for the suffering of our fellow men, and the Jews have gone through a lot. Mariam Novak’s speech demonstrates, for example that racism is still a gravely troubling issue in our world today despite our vaunted claim to civilization and advancement, social and technological. All human beings belong to the same spiritual family. Having different peoples and races reflects the diversity that is a veritable feature of nature. As time went on in the course of our sojourn on earth, people began to be separated into different groups and peoples in accordance with the level of their spiritual maturity.

When we have acquired full maturity, measured on the scale of spiritual self-consciousness, we return to the Spiritual Realm, Paradise, which knows neither Jew nor Gentile, but only clarified self-conscious spirits. Our sojourn in the material world thus comes to an end. The categorization and classification into peoples, placements even into towns, wards and clans are done automatically in the combined outworking of the Laws of Attraction of Homogeneous Species, the Law of Reciprocal Action and the Law of Spiritual Gravitation. This is so that no peoples disturb or hinder the other in their development. The Law of Homogeneity has been explained on many occasions in this column as meaning the same thing as is reflected in the common saying that birds of a feather flock together. In the bed of the sea, catfish will not be found in the company of tilapia, nor will giraffe be found in the circle of monkeys or elephants. The Law of Reciprocity is what a man soweth that shall he reap, and many times over. A Jew who exhibits hate against the Palestinians or vice versa would find they exchange positions in their next incarnations.

The sum total of the speech is asking the world pointedly: “Why do you hate us? Why do you hate Israel despite her great strides in nearly every facet of human endeavour and huge contribution to the advancements of our world? If you are a Christian, Christ came and gave the world His Teachings in our midst.” The moving address shows an agonized soul. She may have taken liberties to make exaggerated claims. These things, claims, and counterclaims, go on because of a lack of knowledge of the mechanisms that govern life. When people lack knowledge they are superficial, knowledge by which I mean higher knowledge that spells out other correlations that govern life. Miriam Novak gave the hint that the Jews have realised their guilt in the crucifixion of the Lord and they have been told by the Second Vatican Council that they have been forgiven! It was a widespread belief in several parts of the world, particularly among European Christians that the Jews should collectively be held responsible for the murder of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was not until 1964 that the Roman Catholic Church renounced the assertion that the Jews be held collectively guilty of the dastardly act. Even today, many of the activities in religious houses and pronouncements in different parts of the world can be said to be tantamount to crucifying the Lord again many times over!

Many of the Jews of that time, from the proven ancient knowledge and thus verity of reincarnation, must have been born, some perhaps several times, in places other than Israel, in places they deserved in accordance with the Laws–their sowing and harvesting, and levels of inner radiance or lack of it– in say Sudan, Argentina, South Africa, Germany, Afghanistan or South Korea. Wherever. After all, there have been cases of stigmatization in many parts of the world, the most well-known being that of Therese Neumann of Konnersreuth. She was one of those who reviled the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. In a later reincarnation, a Jew in Israel at the time of Christ, she was born in Konnersreuth, Bavaria, Germany. A similar case was reported by The Guardian in the 90s. He was a man who also participated in mocking the Lord on the Cross. This time he was a Nigerian.  Reincarnation can be likened to a student repeating a class or re-sitting a paper in the earthly school system so that the student can be better and make progress. He may seek a transfer to some other school. This does not rule out some of the Jews being born again in Israel. Forgiveness comes only after recognition of guilt and atonement and one personally cleaning his slate.

At this stage, therefore, what we should be more concerned with is how peace can be engendered in the conflict-ravaged Middle East and how to halt the mutual mindless killings and the destruction of property by the Israeli forces and the Hamas; worse hit being Gaza Strip. In what way does the speech advance the cause of peace in that region, one wonders?

THE JEW AND THE GENTILE

Flowing from the foregoing, which exemplifies conflicts, terrorism, banditry and kidnappings, it can be surmised that hardly do we as human beings reflect deeply on where our paths lead us after our sojourn on earth. It is at the point of death when it is one leg on earth and one leg in the beyond, when separation is taking place between the soul and the body that most people are shocked by what they are seeing or experiencing and man is gripped by self-pity or recrimination.

Here are just two examples captioned Famous Atheists’ Last Words Before Death:

ANTON LAVEY—Author of Satanic Bible and said to be high priest of the religion dedicated to the worship of Satan. One of his famous quotes was: “There is a beast in man that needs to be exercised, not exorcised.”  His dying words were: “Oh my, oh my, what have I done, there is something very wrong…There is something very wrong.”

Sir THOMAS SCOTT—Chancellor of England: “Until this moment I thought there was neither a God nor a hell. Now I know and feel that there are both, and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of the Almighty.”

THE PIECE IS TO BE RUN IN FULL NEXT WEEK.

By Valentine Obienyem

The speech at the Valedictory Session of graduates of Physiology at Nnamdi Azikiwe University at Okofia, Nnewi, where I represented Mr Peter Obi.

Three days ago, on the 26th, His Excellency Mr Peter Obi was a Guest Speaker at the 6th Annual Lecture of the Board of Fellows of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria at UNIZIK. As he left, he mentioned he would phone me about a function on the 28th, which he was struggling to plan to attend.

However, he did not call back until early yesterday morning, around 3 am. He referred to the event he mentioned, the 2024 Valedictory Session for Physiology Graduates where he was invited as one of the keynote speakers and requested I should represent him as it had become clear he would not make it. He reminded me how the event was initially scheduled for a different date, and how he was en route to attend before receiving the news of its postponement.

Next, I needed to inquire about the message he wished to convey to the new graduates, reminding him of his role as the Guest Speaker. We spent the next hour on the phone, with me diligently noting down his message. As I relay it to you now, please understand that I am merely a mouthpiece, repeating the words of the master for the enlightenment of the new graduates, who, through this very act, are being sent into the world to contribute their knowledge towards making it a better place.

Judging by the looks on your faces, most of you are still in your early twenties. In popular parlance, one might say “nyabinghi anya” or “Akwobeyi beans akwo.” When we say this of you, it means that you are still in the march of your lives. And the person speaking through me, Mr. Peter Obi, is already in the June of his life. Therefore, he speaks to you from his rich experiential pedigree – he has seen it all. He is speaking from the pedestal of wisdom.

As I discussed with him regarding the message to be conveyed, I recall a beautiful piece I read in the eighties as a young Seminarian, written by the then Mr. Hyginus Aghaulor (now a Priest). It was entitled “Arrow in the Quiver.” Fr. questioned: “Have you ever seen floods and the consequent erosion demonstrate their anger? The only grammar meaningful to them is destruction. But construct gutters, and you would have tamed the irrationality of the floods; build dykes, and their destructive instinct would be turned inside out. It becomes an opportunity. The once insane floods would then be channelled to irrigate the thirsty vegetation on the plain. Life flourishes!”

We all resemble floods at various points in our upbringing. Some of us were raw savages entrusted to different educational institutions to be refined into human beings, especially now parenting has gone to the dogs. Good institutions do their utmost, but poor institutions exacerbate matters. Regarding Nigeria, despite criticisms of academic institutions, Nnamdi Azikiwe University remains one of the finest. Therefore, you are fortunate to have been educated there.

Upon your graduation, you are conferred or have been conferred with the degrees of this University, which, like degrees everywhere, attest to moral and academic achievements. You are now released into the world to contribute to its enrichment. Thus, you are sent forth as a finished product, an ambassador of this institution.

Schools are expected to exert civilising effects on students. This is what you are expected to demonstrate. From experience, it is evident that throughout your life, the umbilical cord between you and your alma mater will not be severed. I asked Mr. Peter Obi why he believed this. Let him speak directly to you: “Did you follow Hilda Bacci when she entered the Guinness Book of Records? She was widely celebrated. As you may recall, I was among those who visited her.

Shortly after, Madonna University claimed her as their own. They proudly recounted how she was an exemplary student and how the formative influence of Madonna University prepared her for the achievement she attained. This illustrates that you continue to be an ambassador of your alma mater for as long as you live.”

Not Done, Obi continued: “On 18 May 2016, Johns Hopkins University, where Chimamanda Adichie obtained her Master’s Degree in Creative Writing, conferred upon her an honorary doctorate in recognition of her outstanding contributions to literature. Through this award, the university sent a clear message: ‘Girl, you are harnessing the knowledge gained within our institution in a truly remarkable and positive manner.”

Thus, you will find personal fulfilment, your loved ones will be proud of you, your institution will commend you, and society will applaud you when you fulfil your existential purpose as one who has been adequately prepared to tackle the challenges in society.

A few weeks ago, I attended the valedictory lecture of Rev. Fr. Professor Boniface Obiefuna, where he bid farewell to the institution he had served for many years. The lecture was a nostalgic reflection on his life, covering his birth, education, priestly life, and teaching career. He also shared with us his eccentricities and humorous anecdotes. Today, you are expected to engage in a similar reflection, assessing your life’s journey so far. While Professor Obiefuna did this at the age of seventy, you are still in your early twenties, so I say, ‘Anyabehe Anya’. But, I ask, who is the driver of your life’s journey? We shall return to this question later.

While delivering the 6th Annual lecture on the 26th of this month, Mr Peter Obi emphasized the need to dismantle the criminality that has come to define Nigeria. Today, as a result of the cumulative effects of poor governance and criminality, Nigeria is in a state of crisis, a situation that is all too real. The country has failed everyone, including those who perpetuated the criminality, who are now living in fear.

What about the youth whose futures have been squandered by the country? Let me reconnect the dots by quoting Fr. Aghaulor once again: “Like yam – -tendrils, youth is delicate and ready to take the bent he is given. He is like clay at the hands of the potter. Whatever is seen or heard immediately leaves its impression on the youth’s personality. Youth’s emotion, if not well directed can burst at any time like a dormant volcano; the consequences can be destructive as an unguided flood.”

Father wrote as if addressing our country today: Tell me, what the country has done for you that would make the idea of patriotism meaningful? This is why people like us often appeal to you not to hold the country accountable for its sins, but instead to strengthen your resolve to use your education to contribute to changing the system. You cannot achieve this by being part of the rigging of elections in the future, but rather by upholding the highest moral standards for the country.

Having disappointed you, you are now your most trusted and competent driver. What schools have done in your life is to illuminate the path or show you the way to go. It is up to you to build the barriers and channels of your life to direct your energy towards productivity. Have you experienced dejection in your life?

The least effective way to recover is not by heeding others’ advice, but by listening to yourself. Hence, the best advice is that which we give to ourselves. Therefore, your success as you enter the world depends largely on your efforts to remain focused in life, to paddle your own canoe on the understanding that you are your own safest driver. This was the reason that when Tsze-Lu asked Confucius, “What constitute the Higher Man,” he replied, “the cultivation of himself with reverential care.”

As graduates of Physiology, you are expected to have studied the subject. Beyond the 18th century, when it became an independent science, its foundational work was laid by figures such as Hippocrates, Aristotle, and Galen. The contributions of individuals like Harvey, Bernard, and Pavlov drew heavily from theirs. Even Descartes’ mechanistic view of the body, which likened bodily functions to mechanical processes, contributed to the development of Physiology. This demonstrates the interconnectedness of knowledge.

As you strive to contribute to the advancement of learning, do not isolate yourself like an island. Reach out to others, and collaborate with different fields, as humanity strives to conquer the world and build a better society.

Although Nigeria has not treated you fairly, Peter Obi encourages you to continue loving her and not hesitate to take actions that will help the country rediscover itself. However, due to limited opportunities in the country, he does not advise against travelling to other parts of the world in search of better opportunities.

He has always recommended emulating the Indians. They are often seen worldwide, striving to improve themselves through further education and thereafter engage in productive ventures, notably, bringing back the knowledge they acquire to their homeland. As some of you travel abroad, keep the Indian example in mind.

Though Mr. Peter Obi frequently emphasises the importance of STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), as a philosopher, he values how philosophy has enriched his perspectives. During our conversation that evening, he instructed me to remind you that despite the emphasis on science, you should strive to become well-rounded scholars and not allow yourselves to become fragmented. Let him address you directly once more.

“Besides acquainting yourselves with great physiologists like Harvey, Bernard, and Pavlov, dedicate at least two hours per week to enriching yourselves with these exemplars of civilisation. Befriend eminent poets such as Sophocles, Euripides, Virgil, Dante, Petrarch, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Racine, Moliere, Goethe, and Soyinka. Engage with outstanding statesmen spanning from Hammurabi to Winston Churchill, and the Ziks of Nigeria and with profound thinkers like Confucius, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Zeno, Epicurus, Archimedes, Lucretius, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Francis Bacon, Spinoza, Newton, Kant, Darwin and Ojukwu. Familiarise yourselves with exceptional prose writers such as Demosthenes, Cicero, Seneca, Rabelais, Montaigne, Milton, Voltaire, Achebe, and Chimamanda. Explore the works of eminent historians like Herodotus, Thucydides, Tacitus, and Gibbon. Lastly, seek inspiration from great saints such as Augustine, Francis of Assisi, and Tansi, as well as influential opinion writers like Okey Ikechukwu, Rueben Abati, Segun Adeniyi, Dan Onwukwe, Comfort Obi, and Robert Obiorah. I would not deem you educated unless you count many of these luminaries among your acquaintances. Nurture these relationships, and you will undoubtedly be shaped by the company you keep.”

Although Mr Peter Obi emphasises the importance of being your drivers, he also urged me to remind you of the value of having credible role models. While you may have had role models during your student days, you may need to seek out new ones with different perspectives as you enter the world. He asked me to share a fascinating story with you: When Themistocles was presented with two suitors for his daughter’s hand in marriage, he chose the man of good character over the wealthy one, saying, “I prefer a man without money to money without a man.”

This wisdom should guide us in selecting role models – individuals who inspire and guide us. Role models teach us valuable virtues like hard work, honesty, and integrity, and their noble lives enrich our own.

We should seek out individuals who embody these virtues, rather than those who merely flaunt their ill-gotten wealth, sometimes annoyingly in the conscious, but often the misplaced grandeur of their having arrived. “Finally, he requested I remind you to always remember your last day this school, and these teachers who laboured so patiently to turn you into what you are today and what you promise to become. Most importantly, he wants you to remain close to God.”

In conclusion, Mr. Peter Obi’s message is that of hope, inspiration, and guidance. He encourages you to be your drivers, to seek out credible role models, and to cultivate your minds with a well-rounded education. He reminds you that your alma mater will always be proud of your accomplishments and urges you to make a positive impact on society. As you go forth into the world, you must hold on to the values of hard work, honesty, and integrity, and strive to build bridges between science and society and contribute meaning to your communities and the world at large.