Blog

Scripture Text: 2 Chronicles 26:4-21

Years ago while I was on a business trip, I found myself talking with a leader of a large Christian organization. We were together for a short period of time, and after a few minutes, he smiled and said, "Charles, we're at the top of our game. No one is doing what we have done. We're the leader, and I don't think anyone can catch us." Immediately my heart sank — not because I wanted to be number one, but because I could sense God saying, "Don't ever let that idea cross your mind."

At that moment, it felt as though the Lord had sent an arrow straight into my heart. I knew exactly what He was saying to me. Pride brings destruction, and it does not belong in the life of a believer. At least, not the kind of pride that lifts self up and fails to glorify and honor God. Perhaps this man did not recognize what he had said. Or it may have been that God wanted to send a word of cau tion to me. Regardless, pride can and does explode God's plan for our lives.

Many times, we begin our Christian walk well. Our focus is set on God, and our hearts are fully committed to Him. Then without warning, pride begins to rise up, pre venting us from being all God wants us to be by blinding us to His ways. It tempts us to believe that we know better than He does. If left unchecked, pride will alter our attitude toward God and the route He has chosen for us to take.

As believers, we need to be aware of Satan's goal, which is to deeply wound and destroy the lives of God's children. He never gives up on his quest to reach this goal and will wreak as much havoc as possible in the life of a believer.

Of all the struggles we face, pride is the one that has the most devastating results. Many of our problems result from pride's work in our lives, but too many people fail to realize this. They become prideful over the good things God has given them — jobs, children, churches, pastors, education, neighborhoods and much more.

God is very specific. He hates pride. In fact, it is at the top of His list of sins that He despises: "Pride and arrogance and the evil way…And the perverted mouth, I hate" (Prov. 8:13). The New International Version translates this bluntly: "I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."

Each morning, the enemy lays out his landmines in our lives. If we are not dis cerning, we will fall prey to his tactics. The landmine of pride can tear a gaping hole in the life of the person who yields to its folly. It is one of Satan's chief modes of operation and favorite weapons of warfare because it tempts us to take our eyes off God and place them on ourselves..

In his book Power through Prayer E. M. Bounds writes, "[Today] somehow, self, not God, rules in the holy of holies…Self ability in some wicked form has defamed and violated the temple which should be held sacred for God." No matter how hard we try to cover it up, excuse it or justify it, pride produces the same result — arrogance and rebellion against God..

“‘You were the model of perfection,

full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13You were in Eden,

the garden of God;

every precious stone adorned you:

ruby, topaz and emerald,

chrysolite, onyx and jasper,

sapphire,^b turquoise and beryl.^c

You were blameless in your ways

from the day you were created

till wickedness was found in you.

Your heart became proud

on account of your beauty,

and you corrupted your wisdom

because of your splendor.

So I threw you to the earth;

I made a spectacle of you before kings.

President Goodluck Jonathan has declared that Nigerians living in the Diaspora will not be able to participate in the 2011 general election until a particular provision on general elections in the constitution is amended.

Jonathan, who was responding to an appeal made by Nigerians in Diaspora for the extension of their voting rights to their places of residence to ensure that they exercise their franchise in the 2011 general elections, said it was not feasible since the general election is a few months away.
He stated that time is too short to include Nigerians in the Diaspora in the voting exercise, adding that Nigerians are determined to get it right this time, therefore the process of registering which is yet to be done in the country cannot be extended to them if it has to be concluded before the elections..

The President who was represented by the Secretary of the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed made the disclosure at the 4th National Diaspora Conference with the theme Nigeria at 50: the Role of the Diaspora in National Development yesterday in Minna.
Jonathan assured the Nigerians in Diaspora that despite that the National Assembly is yet to resolve the issue of their inclusion in the voting exercise of 2011, he promised that everything will be done to make it possible for them to exercise their franchise if not in 2011, the next general elections.

“I note with sadness that Nigerians in Diaspora have not been exercising their fundamental rights as Nigerians. This is essentially a constitutional issue but as a responsible Government, we shall do everything to promote the fundamental rights of Nigerians wherever they are”.
 Speaking to the 288 Nigerians in Diaspora from about 20 countries who converged in Minna to discuss on issues that affect the development of the country, Jonathan encouraged them to continue to be ambassadors of the country wherever they find themselves, adding that the attitude of Nigerians living abroad will prove to the world that the country is serious with its re-branding
campaign.

According to the president, the conference was held with the purpose of pooling resources and focus of the development challenges facing the country and to proffer solution to them, especially the area of turning the brain drain syndrome to brain gain for the country.
 
Speaking earlier, Niger State Governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, said it was imperative for the organisation of the conference to enable Nigerians in Diaspora to contribute their wealth of knowledge to national development.
 
Aliyu encouraged them to invest in Nigeria , adding that their commitment and investment in Nigeria will encourage foreign direct investment into the country.

Forbes List billionaire, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has learnt that in indeed the law is no respecter of persons. For failure to show up in court today, as prescribed by a Lagos federal high court presided by Justice James Tsoho, the billionaire was declared WANTED

Delivering his ruling, Justice Tosho said that Alhaji Dangote, who stayed away from the court’s last deliberation, was in perpetual contempt of court and ordered him to be arrested and detained till October 26^th.

Huhuonline.com checks reveal that the once powerful Dangote has fled to Dubai, a country that has no extradition treaty with Nigeria. However, sources told that the court may enlist the services of Interpol, if necceasy, to execute its warrant.

Nevertheless, Aliko Dangote becoming a fugitive from Justice, will negatively impact Dangote Groups, as he must sign approvals above five thousand naira. said a company source.

It is recalled that Justice Lambo Akanbi had on March 12, 2010 , nullified the election of Dangote as the President and Chairman of the Council of NSE following an application by some shareholders of African Petroleum (AP).

The shareholders had argued then that after a court had on August 4, 2009 , ordered all the parties to maintain the status quo in a suit they instituted, challenging Dangote’s membership of the Council of NSE, the NSE went ahead and conducted its election on August 2009, where Dangote allegedly emerged president. An action that made the shareholders, in a form 49 (motion for committal) filed a suit against Dangote, Okereke-Onyiuke and Igbinosun, saying that the trio conspired by allowing Dangote to preside over the affairs of NSE despite the existence of the order.

At the court proceedings, counsel representing Dangote, Ricky Tarfa (SAN) had argued that before the court can consider the issue of contempt, it must first entertain a motion challenging its jurisdiction to entertain the case by citing the judgment of the Supreme Court in the case of Ebhodaghe and Okoye..

But in his response, Aniakor, counsel for the shareholders, flawed Tarfa’s argument, saying it was not the true position of the judgment of the apex court and urged the court to issue a warrant for the production of Dangote and Okereke-Onyiuke, who were absent in court.

“The Supreme Court added a proviso to the judgment to the effect that in the event that if there was an application seeking to protect the integrity of the court and another one challenging the court’s jurisdiction, the court would have to first determine the one that had to do with its integrity.”

After reviewing all the arguments by both counsels, Justice Tsoho upheld Aniakor’s submissions, and held that the contempt proceedings must take precedent over any other application, being the one seeking to protect the integrity of the court.

In addition, the court has struck out the name of Ndi- Onyuike from the case.

It took a few weeks for Chioma Akachi to accept that her money was truly gone. She had saved N2,000 daily for 22 days with the local ‘ajo’ man popularly called Mr. Matthew, who made rounds every week day at shops and homes in Fola-Agoro and Akoka areas of Lagos. ‘Ajo’ is a Yoruba term that refers to contributory savings, usually by workers, petty traders and small scale business owners, and managed by an individual who gets a percentage of the money gathered at a time as his or her benefit.

Operating under the business name ‘Matt Daily Savings’, he collected an agreed amount from interested savers for 31 days and deducted one day’s savings before returning the customers’ money. However, sometime last month, after collecting over two weeks savings from a number of his customers, he disappeared without giving them any notice and has not been seen since then.

It was not her first time of saving with Mr Matthew, she said. She had been his customer for six months and had some amount of trust in him.

“I have been doing ‘ajo’ with Mr Matthew since I got this shop in January. When I started, I was saving N500 every day. Then later I increased it to N1,000, and then to N2,000. I have been seeing him every weekday for the past six months, until he disappeared last month with a lot of people’s money.”

Even after rumors of his disappearance spread, Mrs Akachi said she still believed that he would show up but had recently given up hope. She said she was introduced to him by a friend who has been his customer for more than two years. The friend, a certain Beatrice Nnaji who sold food stuff and drinks, had a shop two blocks away from hers. Mrs Nnaji recounted a sorry tale. “Because of Mr Matthew, a lot of people are now fighting with me. I introduced him to more than 10 people and he ran away with all our money. They have reported me to my pastor and my husband. Some of them even wanted to take me to the police because they thought I was working with him. He has just spoilt my name.”

No trace.

The only insurance Mr Matthew’s customers had was the fact that he was well known in the area and had most likely been introduced by a loyal customer. However, it proved useless when the only thing most people knew about him upon his disappearance was that he used to ride a bicycle, wore a black cap always and wrote the details of his customer’s savings in a big, hardcover note book.

His Somolu address which was printed on the small booklet he gave to his customers was a dead end as it revealed a recently vacated one room apartment which the landlord had already put up for rent. His phone number was expectedly switched off. One of Mr Matthew’s customers, Ugochi, confirmed that he changed the savings booklet in April, a move which she and most other people did not count as suspicious.

“That Somolu address is different from the one he was using before. He changed the books we were using in April and brought new ones. It was after he ran away that I remembered that the address on the former book was in Palmgrove, and I can’t remember that one.”

It’s a risky affair

Lanre Sofowora, a member of a taxi drivers’ cooperative group in Somolu says that cooperatives are more credible for such daily savings. “People should learn to form co-operatives,” he said. “This way, their money is safer and they can even get loans for their business. The age of doing daily ‘ajo’ with an unknown person is over. This is not the first time I’m hearing about this sort of thing and I’m surprised people still patronise them.”

Nike Bankole, a marketer with a bank says that people should save their money in banks rather than with people who aren’t trustworthy.

“There are banks everywhere now - in markets, in commercial areas. People don’t need to do ‘ajo’ anymore. It is not safe to trust one person with your money like that.” But Mrs Akachi said that her reason for patronising Mr Matthew’s services is not because of an ignorance of banks.

“It’s not that I don’t have a bank account. I do. But when someone comes like that every day to collect money from you, it makes you save more. This ‘ajo’ has really helped me before. I just don’t know why Mr Matthew disappointed us.”

Speaking anonymously, a police officer at Somolu Police Station, where the case was reported admitted that he had heard about the incident but that investigations were hampered by the fact that those reporting the case had no photograph of Mr Matthew and very little information about him.

BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhuanet) -- The Spanish recipient of the world's first full face transplant has appeared in public to thank surgeons, and his donor's family, according to media reports Tuesday.

Photo:Oscar, the world first full-face transplant patient, poses for the photographers as he attends a news conference at the Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona July 26, 2010. Oscar, who underwent the transplant in April by a 30-member medical team led by Spanish doctor Juan Barret, accidentally shot himself in the face five years ago.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)

The patient, who is known as Oscar, appeared at a press conference at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona where he underwent surgery. He spoke with difficulty just two months after regaining his voice, "I am very happy and I want to thank the surgeons and the donors especially the man who gave me the new tissues I received."

He added that he was looking forward to tasting his favorite lamb dish and going for a beer with friends..

In the last four months Oscar has had to overcome two rejections of his new face following a process that saw him receive a transplant that included skin, facial muscles, nose, upper jaw and cheekbones.

At the moment Oscar is still unable to eat solid food and has problems speaking as he is still unable to control the central area of his lips..

The surgeon who carried out the operation, Joan Pere Barret, explained that his faces does, however, have feeling and that although he will still need many hours of rehabilitation, he should be able to talk and eat normally in the future.

Oscar is also unable to fully close his eyes, but once again the surgeon assured that he will be able to do so in the future.

"He will do that soon. He has recovered the movement in his eyebrows and he is also able to smile. There are two Oscars: one before and one after the operation," conformed Dr Barret.

The PDP in Osun East senatorial district declared on Monday in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, that it had disqualified governorship aspirants in the area who had less than N500 million in their bank accounts. Duro Famojuro, the party’s deputy leader of Ijesa Elders’ Caucus, said this at a news a conference in Ilesa, organised to present the party’s aspirant from the area.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Gbenga Onigbogi, a House of Representatives member, who was adopted by the group, formally declared his intention for the 2011 governorship election. Mr. Famojuro said the caucus investigated the background of about 14 aspirants, to determine their legibility and financial strength through their bank accounts. He said the scrutiny was necessary to avoid the mistake of the past when the party sponsored campaigns for aspirants.

“Anybody who has less than N500 million can’t go for the governorship race. It is the caucus’ decision that nobody will give aspirants the money to campaign.”

Mr. Famojuro said Mr. Onigbogi met the criteria and had been adopted as the only aspirant qualified to run the race in Ijesaland for the governorship seat..

He also said that many young aspirants were eliminated because they had not contested for even a councillorship position before aspiring to become governor.

Paupers are not welcome

Ebenezer Babatope, a PDP chieftain and a member of the caucus, said the race was not for paupers. On complaints by some aspirants that the group was exploiting them, Mr. Babatope said they failed to meet the requirements.

The former minister of transport said a committee was set up to scrutinise aspirants who were required to pay money for the exercise. He said that though many of the aspirants failed to pay the levies, the caucus did not stop anyone from pursuing his governorship ambition.

“If the party at the state level conducts free, fair, and open primaries, we, the elders here, are ready to embrace whoever emerges as the PDP candidate for the election,” he declared.

Onigbogi, who represents Ijesa South federal constituency, pledged to embark on an agrarian revolution to turn around the agricultural fortune of the state, if elected.