life & times winter edition

WINTER 2015 LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE 3

I have heard of Dr. Godwin Maduka,popularly known as the Lion ofAfrica, a Nigerian Doctor in Las Vegaswho employs over 50 other Doctorsand owns 5 hospitals

Finally at the Mbano Daughters U.S.AInauguration 10/17/15 I met the man.We had produced the event brochureand he told me we did a great job of itand asked me to do one to celebratethe last Ofala of his late uncle the Igweof Umuchukwu in Aguata Local Gov-ernment Area of Anambra State. Iwent to my car and brought him somecopies of Life and Times Magazineand after flipping briefly through themagazines he looked impressed andtold me he would want us to profilehim in the magazine

Las Vegas can be truly dramatic.However nothing prepared me forthis Vegas encounter. The depth andreach of what Godwin Maduka hasachieved, since coming to America in

the 80s and qualifying as a Chemist and going on to obtain a Doctorate de-gree in Pharmacy and a Post GraduateMedical Degree from Harvard, is trulyamazing.The story of his life has the makings ofa legend or fairy tale...From excruciating poverty to beingeducated in Harvard as a medical doc-tor and just in his early 50s controllinggreat wealth and power. In about 25years of practice he has built four fullservice hospitals from the scratch anda fifth one is under construction. Hispractice the Las Vegas pain institutehas been rated the top #1 Pain Man-agement in the U.S. by the health in-spection community. He also inspiresand teaches medical students as an ad-junct clinical professor at the TouroUniversity school of Osteopathic med-icine.----His work schedule is so full that it issimply amazing how he is able tocombine all of these roles and stay ontop of his game...

Besides his work in Las Vegas, Dr.Maduka has transformed his home-town of Umuchukwu- building over50 homes for kinsmen, building atown hall, a police station, a church, amonastery and presently constructinga 15 storey building that he wants toconvert into a college of medical sci-ences.

He has also awarded full scholarshipsto hundreds of needy students all overEastern Nigeria and donates gener-ously to several humanitarian causesin the United States and Nigeria.

The amazing thing is that this man de-spite all his success attributes nothingto his abilities but credits God for allthat his life has become and all that heis doing..

Listening to him and talking to him forover 10 hours thoroughly transformedme and made me come to terms withthe fact that with hard work and di-

vine blessings...you can rise aboveyour circumstances and be all that youcan be.

We devote the cover profile of this edi-tion to and interview with and spot-light on this truly Nigerian Diasporasuccess story. A clear personificationof the goal of LIFE & TIMES which isto spotlight the successes of greatachievers amongst us to help dispelthe negative stereotypes that we havebeen associated with in the Westernmedia

We also bring you other spotlights onachievers within our community-Ambassador Nonye Rajis-Okparawho went home from the Diaspora tobecome Nigeria's Ambassador to Sin-gapore and Dr. Akumbu Obioha ayoung medical doctor who is blazingthe trail in her profession, plans to goback to Nigeria to help in the revolu-tion of the Public health practice.Akumbu is also a talented fashion de-signer and we sample some of hergreat designs in her fashion line- Lux-ury Kouture.

This bumper edition also brings youhappenings in our community fromAtlanta to Las Vegas in our picture es-says- PEOPLE & PLACES.

Its our 5th anniversary and holiday2015 edition that you have to get inyour collection.

Thanks again to all our readers, sub-scribers and advert patrons and corpo-rate advertisers who have supportedthis dream for the past five years..

Wishing you a very merry Christmas,a happy holiday season and a pros-perous 2016.

Chike NwekePublisherDecember/2015

4 LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE WINTER 2015


CONTENTS8

58

3. From the Desk of the Publisher8. Cover StoryDr. Godwin Maduka, Harvard Trained Doctor and Philanthropist26. Profile in ExcellenceAmbassador Nonye Rajis-Okpara33. Beauty of the MomentNonye Madu34. Profile in ExcellenceAkumbu Obioha M.D.44. People and PlacesThe Glamour Of Life and Times Fiesta 2015 58. Fashion and StyleFashionably Idu66. News and PoliticsAre We Truly Ready for Change?70. People and PlacesLola weds Ade Adebukunola86. People and PlacesUmuada Mbano Inauguration92. People and PlacesEnugu USA Convention 2015

70

86


CONTENTS102. People & PlacesInauguration of Atlanta Umuada Ndi Igbo in Diaspora110. YouthThe Power of the Idea112. Health & WellnessIt Takes More Than An Apple A Day To Be Healthy117. SpotlightPlateau State Nigeria, Home of Tourism122. Gracie’s Corner What Matters?124. Iruka's CornerDeciding How Long They Stay127. Country ProfileCameroon: All of Africa in One Country 130. IssuesMonetization of Igbo Marriages135. Music & EntertainmentThe P Square Phenomenon139. ReligionHave You Received Your Own God’s Christmas Gift?

102

127

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Cover Profile


Cover Profile

The story of his lifehas the makings of alegend or fairy tale...

From excruciatingpoverty to beingeducated inHarvard as amedical doctor andjust in his early 50sdoing so much toserve God andhumanity.

The depth andreach of whatGodwin Maduka has achieved,since coming to America in the80s and qualifying as a Chemistand going on to obtain aDoctorate degree in Pharmacyand a Post Graduate MedicalDegree from Harvard, is trulyamazing. In about 25 years of

practice Dr. Maduka has builtfour hospitals from the scratchin the Las Vegas Nevada areaand is constructing a fifth one.His Las Vegas pain Institute hasbeen rated the top #1 in PainManagement in the U.S. by thehealth inspection community.

Besides his work inLas Vegas, Dr.Maduka hastransformed hishometown ofUmuchukwu-building over 50homes for poorkinsmen, building atown hall amagistrate court, apost office,, a policestation, a policebarracks, thedivisionalheadquarters of theState anti Robbery

Squad (SARS), a catholicchurch, a home for the catholicpriests and reverend sisters, amonastery and presentlyconstructing a 15 storeybuilding that he wants toconvert into a college of medicalsciences.

“In about 25 years of practice Dr. Madukahas built four hospitals from the scratch

in the Las Vegas Nevada area and isconstructing a fifth one.

”


Cover Profile

He has also awarded fullscholarships to hundreds ofneedy students in his town andall over Eastern Nigeria anddonated a lot of money to helpseveral communities aroundNigeria. He has given away alot money in free grants inmicro finance schemes tokinsmen to start severalbusinesses...

The amazing thing is that thisman despite all his successattributes nothing to his abilitiesbut credits God for all that hislife has become and all that he isdoing..

Listening to him and talking tohim for several hoursthoroughly made a major

impact on me come andreaffirmed the fact that withhard work and divine blessingyou can rise above yourcircumstances and be all thatyou can be...

Following are excerpts of Dr.Maduka's interview with ourPublisher- Hon. Chike Nweke

1. Q: Who is Dr. GodwinMaduka?

A- This is the first time someonehas ever asked me who I am,and maybe today while I’mtrying to tell you who I am, Iwill discover who I am myself.Well, I will try and keep it verysimple. I guess to explain who I

am is to start with what Ibelieve in. Number one, I havethe fear of God. That makes mewho I am. I also believe that Ihave been blessed fromchildhood. So, being who I am, the personthat I am, whether it’s myeducation, my business, mychildren and family all roots frommy belief in God’s supernaturalpowers and blessing.

As I look at who I am, I do knowwho I am not. I don’t believe inseeing anybody suffer while I justwatch, without trying to help. Iknow what it feels like to suffer; soI do not even wish to see myenemies suffer. I won’t causesuffering for anybody. I believethat happiness sometimes comesfrom the goodness we show toothers. If you do something good


Cover Profile

for someone, it will make themhappy and also gives youhappiness. I also believethat we are all createdequal and that Godchooses to give talent ormoney or other attributesto whom he pleases.

I am someone whobelieves in eternal life andwant to be accountable tomy maker when I get toheaven. I am someonewho also likes to have fun.I like people around meand enjoy good company.I don’t like confrontations.However, if confronted, Ican push back. The people I don’tlike on earth are those who arenegative and evil people who goafter someone who have notwronged them. I am the guy that

believes that nobody should be

discriminated against because ofgender, race, religiousbackground, age etc. I also believethat success comes from hardwork. You also have to have faith.

2. Q: Tell us a little bitabout your growing upyears and early educationin Umuchukwu?

A-My formative yearswere very exciting andinteresting. My parentswere very responsible anddetermined to raise us tobe responsible andproductive adults. Period.That’s why it is veryimportant that we raiseour children to becomeresponsible. When weleave them alone theywon’t know how to handle

things. If you start teaching a childthe secret of success bydesignating time to play, time torelax etc, then they grow up and

Las Vegas Pain Institute

“I am someone who believes in

eternal life and want to beaccountable to my maker when I

get to heaven.

”


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become responsible. If you teach achild early enough to learn to takeresponsibility it becomesengrained in their brain. So frommy earliest childhood it wasalready engrained in us that hardwork is the only way to succeedand that we have to takeresponsibility for our actions.

Our parents loved one anothervery much and were strongparents that complimented eachother very well. They had nine ofus. Some of us were born beforethe war of 1966. But growing upin those days, we had one lovewhich was the community ofpeople that works directly witheach other. The people actuallycan see you doing somethingwrong and would correct you.Parents would not say, “How dareyou talk to my child” if you triedto correct them. It was the

community that helped raised thechild.

In retrospect, I had a wonderfulchildhood. I remember as a childjoining masquerades, dancing tothe rhythms of the talking drums.I remember dancing in themoonlight and playing moonlightgames. My childhood was one offetching water from the villagestream, one of going to the farm,planting yam and cassava andwaiting for a bountiful harvest. Itwas also a life of climbing the palmtrees to harvest nuts for food andto sell for school fees or the nextmeal. Also, it was one of going tothe stream to fetch water to cookand eat before going to school.Looking back now, it was bareexistence, but back then evenwhen we were in poverty, wenever felt poor. We were contentwith what we had and we were

happy. We were enamored todevout Catholicism in those years,praying with our rosary, andpraying to Virgin Mary all thetime. Those were years of being inthe choir, one of going to Biblestudies and respecting theReverend Fathers and Clergy. Thecurious thing was that my parentswere not Christians. Yet, theyfully encouraged us to embrace thefaith. I still don’t understand it.But our parents made sure we goto church every Sunday, yet theydid not go. I did ask my mother tobecome a Christian but she onlyagreed to do that when I stayed 12years in America without cominghome. As a result, she went tochurch just so I can come homeand she became a devoutChristian.

Growing up in the village was a lotof hard work too. We struggled for




Cover Profile

money, for food and school fees.My early years were even tougher.Though it was beautiful, I had somany mishaps that I should noteven be alive today. Due to thefact that we always had verymarginal income I had tobecome a man before Iwas a child. Can youimagine your child at 13years old climbing a treethat is about 50 feet fromthe ground to get thepalm nuts and make oilout of it? That is how wesustained ourselves topay our school fees tostay in school. Withmarginal income myfather would bring fromthe native doctorbusiness, and the workthat my mother wouldget from the little farmingwe do, they were able tosend off all their childrento school. Although, theywere able to send all their childrento school, as children we had tocontribute too. The unfortunatething in my childhood that I don’tenvy was when I fell from thepalm tree seven times to the pointof being disfigured. As a child Iwas placed in risky and harmfulsituations just to survive. At thattime I did not think much of it

because it was all that I knew. Theonly time I knew something waswrong was when I was insecondary school with my oldestbrother whom has passed awaynow. He and I went to the hospital

back then and found out that I hada spinal compression from all themultiple injuries sustained fromfalling from the palm trees. I wasactually meant to be 6 foot 4, but Iam close to 5’8, 5’9 because I had aspinal compression. So you see Ilived by the mercy of God. Mybody is one of a miracle. Even mymere existence is a miracle. The

last fall I had, my head wassandwiched between two sharpobjects. So even then, God wassending his angels to guide mebecause God had predestinedwhat He wanted me to be. At 13

years of age, by his divinepower, God prevented myhead from being crushed bythose sharp objects.

3. Q: You really put ittogether. Your personalitycomes through as a verypositive and forwardthinking person. You haveso much interest inappreciating God, and youbelieve in humanity, andyour love for humanityshows clearly as one whobelieves in lending ahelping hand where youhave the opportunity. Iknow this is driven byyour love for your creator

God. Now, you studiedchemistry, pharmacy and later onmedicine. What was your drivingforce in getting yourself thistogether and launch yourself intowhere you are today.

A-I grew up in an agriculturalrural community with myparents. I saw my parents work

“I was actually meant to be6 foot 4, but I am close to

5’8, 5’9 because I had aspinal compression. So

you see I lived by themercy of God.

”


Cover Profile

hard. My mother worked hard asa petty trader, farmer and homemaker. My father was a nativedoctor and a very good one. I sawhim relieve a lot of people’s pain.I saw him give hopeto women withinfertility. I saw himtreat the people withdignity. I saw himas a happy man.

In those days 80% ofthe men in myvillage were nativedoctors. Theytraveled all overEastern Nigeria topractice their trade.There were over2,000 native doctorscalled “Dibia.” Notall were good. Someengaged in evil andvoodoo magic. Thegood “Dibia” made diagnosis andtreated the sick and gave themhope. What I have become todaywas inspired from thoseexperiences frommy childhood.This is not to makeit sound good, butthat is where it allstarted. Myfather’s professionas a native doctorwas my firstmotivation tobecome a chemist,a doctor andpharmacist. Iwanted to knowthe composition ofall those herbs myfather would giveto his patients andthe effect of howthose medicationsworked. While inschool in Nigeria, Iconcentrated onexcelling in

sciences to fulfill my dream ofbecoming a doctor and followingin my father’s footsteps. However,I had no one to sponsor myeducation to train as a doctor in

Nigeria. One of my relative whomwas sent to America by thesupport of the community hadsent applications home to his

brother, and I took one of thoseapplications to fill out. Myyounger brother and two otherrelatives came up with the moneyI needed to travel to the US. When

I got here, I studiedvery hard and tookextra classes. Igraduated in a yearand a half with summacum laude inChemistry, class of1984 from Rust Collegein Mississippi. Thatwas the starting pointof this goal in strivingto reach to the top. Atthat point I knew that Istill believed in livingthat childhood desire.God has been mercifulto me in actuallyletting me live out mychildhood dreams anddesires. I studied

chemistry in my first degreebecause I believed like they all didin Nigeria that a Chemist isequipped to administer

medication. I laterfound out in Americathat it was amisconception, and thata Chemist is just ascientist and that youhave to be a Pharmacistto administermedications.

4. Q: You studiedPharmacy @ Mercerthen went on toUniversity ofTennessee MedicalSchool and GraduateMedical Training atHarvard. Whatpropelled you tocombining pharmacyand medicine as careerchoices?

15 storey building under construction in Umuchukwu

“My younger brother and two otherrelatives came up with the money I

needed to travel to the US. When I gothere, I studied very hard and took extraclasses. I graduated in a year and a half

with summa cum laude in Chemistry.

”


Cover Profile

A-After I graduated with a degreein Chemistry from Rust College, Iwent on to Pharmacy School atMercer University, and obtained adoctorate degree in pharmacy in1988. After the Pharmacyprogram, I proceeded to Medicalschool at Universityof Tennessee Schoolof Medicine to startthe next phase ofmy journey. WhenI obtained mymedical degree itwas time to figureout what professionI wanted topractice. Iconsideredchemistry,pharmacy, andmedicinebackground. Then Idecided thatpursuingAnesthesiologywith Interventional Pain wouldmake use of my education andtraining . At that time, for a littlepoor boy from a rural Africanvillage, it seemed like I had comea long way. But, I was still notsatisfied. I continued on. I appliedand was accepted to the graduatemedical trainingat HarvardUniversitySchool ofMedicine inBostonMassachusetts totrain as ananesthesiologist.By beingaccepted intoHarvard andgraduating fromthere as ananesthesiologist,proved to methat there is anomnipotent God,a God of all

possibilities…

The Harvard program was verytough and challenging, but Godsaw me through. I graduated fromHarvard and worked for one anda half year with other folks before

The Las Vegas Pain Institute andMedial Center of which we have 5locations in the Las Vegas Area.We have also been rated the top #1Pain Management in the U.S. bythe health inspection community.

5. Q: You are also an adjunct

clinical professor @ TouroUniversity school of Osteopathicmedicine. How do you find timefrom your hectic practice to teach?

A-I have always loved theacademia and being an adjunct

professor at TouroUniversity School ofOsteopathic Medicine ismy way of fulfilling thatdream of being in theacademia and givingback to the community.This also gives me theopportunity to inspireand impact positively onthe up and comingstudent physicians.

6. Q: You have builtover 50 homes, schools,a civic center etc. in yourhome town ofUmuchukwu in

Orumba South LocalGovernment Area and helpedseveral other communities. Justlast weekend you donated a largesum to Mbano women torenovate schools in Mbano. Whatpropels you to give so much?

A-The reason for my philanthropicwork is to give backand thank God forall he has blessedme with. I believethat it is from Godthat all blessingsflow and I cannotpossibly out givehim. I do that withthe overwhelmingconviction andbelief thateverything that youdo, whatever youare, came from Godhimself. So you seeif you believe that,when you make adonation it does not

“We have also been rated thetop #1 Pain Management in

the U.S. by the healthinspection community.

”


bother you. I also believe that it iswhat you do when you are stillalive that matters.

So that is the reasonwhy I went home tomake a little changein my home townUmuchukwu. I leftfor America in the1980s and came backin the 1990s and thecommunity was stillas it was. Most ofthe people were stillpoor subsistentfarmers. So manypeople were verypoor and thesickness wasabundant. It wasthen that I decidedto help thecommunity growand develop with the blessingsthat God has poured into my life.That is how we started sendingchildren to school, secondaryschools, and Universities to trainas lawyers, doctors, pharmacists,engineers, school teachers etc. Wealso started a microfinance program to givefree grants to people tostart a vocation or atrade. Several peoplecame to mecomplaining that theydid not have a decentroof over their heads.So we developedseveral thatched huts inthe town and westarted helping peoplewho did not havehomes. We builtseveral homes whichwere given to people.We also helped build amonastery for theMother of PeaceCongregation which is a UnitedStates based Catholic

congregation. We also helped thecommunity build a CatholicChurch, residence for the parishpriest, a police station, police

barracks and the State Anti-Robbery Squad Divisionalheadquarters. Other projectsinclude the town hall, a fillingStation, a magistrate court and weare currently constructing a 15floor multiplex planned to house

Offices and the Medical College ofthe Anambra State University

College of Medical Sciences.

I attribute all these, not to my ownpower but to the goodness of the

Almighty God. Iwant to thankandacknowledge thefirst born childfrom mymother’s wombChief JosephMaduka, lateMarcel Maduka,late Obi Maduka,HycinthMaduka,BarristerKennethMaduka,Barrister IfeomaMaduka-Arisa,and my nephewsDoctor andEngineerKingsley

Maduka, and Chukwudi Ogbonnawho were on ground inUmuchukwu supervising andactually doing the constructionwork over the years. I want to alsoacknowledge Arc. NnaemekaOkpara who designed most of

these projects. I alsohave very fondmemories andgratitude to my lateUncle Pius Onwu inmentoring andencouraging meduring my earlyschool days inNigeria. I will neverforget thecontributions of mylate uncle, IgweMichael N. Ukaegbuwho is the foundingfather ofUmuchukwu andwho created theenablingenvironment for allthese developments.Of course I could go

on and thank many morewonderful people but the list will

“It was then that I decided to

help the community grow anddevelop with the blessings

that God has poured into mylife.

”

Trinitas Hospital, Umuchukwu

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be too long. But I do want to giveback all the praise to God whomade all these possible.

7. Q: There hasbeen some pastcontroversyregarding thechange of nameof your hometown toUmuchukwu.Please addressthis issue andyour role in thename change?

A-Like I told youearlier, a lot of mykinsmen wereherbalists ornative doctors.There were twocategories ofthem. Those like my father whoused their knowledge of herbs tohelp people with ailments-infertility, malaria, and other sortsof diseases to get better. Therewere however, the other categoryof evil “dibia” similar to witchdoctors and voodoo men who didterrible things such as burying 16year old virginsalive to harvesttheir spirits forevil deeds.There was somuch evil in thetown because ofall these evildeities thatthere was noprogress andthe peopleremained poorand indarkness.Developmenteluded us. Wehad no motor-able roads, notown hall, nochurch parish.Yet, we hadgrooves for the deities inabundance. In fact the name

Nkerehi- was linked to fetish anddeity worship. The people of thetown felt they had had enoughwhen worshippers of these deities

wanted to resist all developmentcoming into the town likeconstructing of the town hall andthe Catholic Church because theyclaimed the land upon which theywill be built belonged to the deity.That was why a majority of thetown decided that they had hadenough and destroyed all the

deities and had a referendum tochange the name of the town from

Nkerehi to Umuchukwu- whichmeans- Children of God. Thisreferendum was organized by theState Government under

Governor Peter Obi andan overwhelmingmajority of about 90% ofthe town voted for thename change which wasthen gazetted as law bythe State Government.Subsequent challenges bythose opposed to this incourts of law have beendefeated and the namechange was approved bythe overwhelmingmajority of the townstands. The town hasexperienced so muchpositive growth anddevelopment since thename change.

8. Q: What propels your drivefor excellence and achievement?

A-What drives me is the desire tobe the best in what I do and toleave a positive name and markfor posterity.

9. Q: Tell us alittle about yourfamily and howsupportive is yourwife to all that youdo

A-I have awonderful, beautifuland supportive wifenamed Stella and weare blessed with fiveadorable children.Our children ages,range between 8 and16, so you canimagine how busyour daily life is. Mywife immigrated toAmerica when Ifinished trainingfrom Harvard and

was starting my own practice.When I think about her, I

“What drives me is the desire

to be the best in what I do andto leave a positive name and

mark for posterity.

”

Cover Profile


remember how supportive shewas during the dark hours of mypractice when there were a lot ofpush backs and bigotry whichmade it difficult to succeed. In theearly years, before we hadchildren she used to go to workwith me and patiently waited inthe lunchroom so we can go hometogether. She was there for meevery step of the way and wenever stopped praying.

I also remember when I needed aloan to build the practice; shewould accompany me through allthose meetings with variousbanks in the city. She is anintelligent woman. Shecompleted her Bachelor’s degreein Business and is currentlypursuing her Master’s degree.Being strong at home and

basically raising our children onher own, has allowed me todedicate the time and hard workneeded to accomplish what I havedone so far.

10. Q: What is next for Dr.Maduka?

A-I will go where God leads me. Iwill not go before him, but waitupon his divine guidance.

11. Q: What are your hopes anddreams for Anambra state andNigeria.

A-I dream of an Anambra Stateand Nigeria that is moreprosperous, where people live inabundance and plenty, where thedividends of development will

reach every home and everycitizen.

12. Q: What advice will you giveto a new African immigrant onsucceeding in America? Whenyour work is done, how will youDr. Maduka, like the “Lion ofAfrica” want to be remembered?

A-My advice to immigrants thatcome to America especially thosefrom Africa is to follow theirdreams and not be deterred bywhatever challenges they mayface.

When my work is done, I wouldlove to be remembered as a loverof God and as a man who did hisutmost best to help humanity.

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Las Vegas Pain Institute Facilities


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Development Projects by Dr Godwin Maduka in Umuchukwu


Profile in Excellence



Her Excellency Nonye Rajis-Okpara is afirm believer in Nigeria. However herworldview has been shaped by severalyears of studying and living abroad. Sheleft Nigeria when she was about 17 yearsold. She trained as an economist and inTransport management obtaining her 1stand master's degrees in Bulgaria.

She moved to the United States and UnitedKingdom for further studies before settlingdown in the United States. She went backto Nigeria about 1998 to support theObasanjo/Atiku ticket for the Presidencyand later worked as Director General of theRochas Okorocha Foundation.



After an unsuccessful run for theSenate she was appointed Nige-ria's High Commissioner to Singa-pore in June 2012. Her tenurewhich witnessed great strides inNigerian/Singapore bilateral rela-tions and economic cooperationended on July 12, 2015.In this interview with ChikeNweke- she talks about the greatstrides she made as in her threeyears as Nigeria's High Commis-sioner to Singapore, her life, andher future.

Q. What are some of the chal-lenges you have faced in life andhow did you overcome them?

One of the greatest challenges Ihave faced in life and work placeis the fact that I am a woman but Iam not sorry that God created meas a woman, on the contrary. Youare constantly being underrated/estimated in terms of yourcapability and ability to perform.

Sometimes you start out what youconsidered a great and perfectwork/business relationship, onlyto be cut up sooner or later in anawkward circumstance. If youdon't handle that stage well, youwill end up in a scandal, lose yourposition or lose a greatwork/business relationship. Myattitude is that Beauty and Brainshould be an asset, and added ad-vantage not a disadvantage. If youmust hire or accept me, my Brainnot my body must be the yard-stick for measuring my ability andcapability. If you maintain yourintegrity and sanctity, people willrespect and accept you for whoyou are and what you are worth,without compromise. And if itdoesn't work out, I close the doorand take a walk. You might looklike a big looser but believe me,God always got your back if youtrust Him and walk up right. Ifone door closes, He opens sevenother better doors.

Q. What life's lesson did you learnthat molded you into the womanwhom you are today?

I learnt that tough times do notlast but tough people do. Womenare very resilient, hardworking,go getters, nurturers , and nothingdies in our hands. We are the onlyone that can stop ourselves frommaximizing our potentials andfulfilling our divine destiny. Ileant that being a woman is not adisadvantage. I equally under-stood that hard work, dedicationand commitment pays; and forevery labor there is profiting.Even when it seems that men haveforgotten you, trust me God re-wards us all in due season. Q. Why did you choose to studyEconomics and Transport Man-agement at the university overother professional courses?

My Dad was an accountant and



like most parents, he wanted meto study accountancy in univer-sity, unfortunately I was not agreat Math student. My desirewas to become a lawyer not an ac-countant, but when I arrivedSofia, Bulgaria everythingchanged in terms of my choice ofcourse. Bulgaria was a countrythat practiced mix economy,studying law under such systemwas not to my advantage so Iswitched course. My admissionwas in the National University ofEconomics and economics wasone of my favorite subjects inschool. It was easy for me to enrollinto school and subsequently spe-cialized in Economics and Trans-port Management.

Q. What were the challenges ofbeing Nigeria's High Commis-sioner in Singapore?

Upon my arrival in Singapore andduring the course of my several

meetings/interactions with hostgovernment and the private sec-tors, I discovered the lack ofawareness and knowledge of thegreat investment opportunitiesand potential that lays in African'slargest economy and most popu-lous nation.

One of the major challenge that Ifaced and still facing is that of sell-ing Nigeria as #1 investment des-tination and attracting ForeignDirect Investment (FDI). I believethat Nigeria still remains the bestcountry for FDI, despite the recentinsurgency problem in some partsof the Northern region, inade-quate infrastructure base and con-tinuity in government. I tellinvestors intending to invest inAfrican that: Nigeria is Africa'sgetaway, #1 choice in the conti-nent for investment and if you arenot in Nigeria, you are not inAfrica period.

I took steps to address the chal-lenge by sensitizing governmentand private sectors through seriesof talks, speeches and lectures atvarious fora. The most significantstep was to organize the first everNigeria-Singapore Business andInvestment Forum(NSBIF2013), incollaboration with Singapore Busi-ness Federation(SBF) and Interna-tional Enterprise(IE), Singapore inOct. 2013. The first edition wastagged: " Nigeria The New Fron-tier - Unlocking Investment Op-portunities in Africa's largestMarket." The second edition ofNSBIF was held on Aug. 4-5,(NSBIF2015), with the theme:"Deepening Nigeria- Singapore Bi-lateral Relation."

The forum brought together highlevel public and private sector of-ficials from Nigeria and Singaporeto explore Businesses and Invest-ment opportunities, aimed at ben-eficial business projects. It equally



provided a good opportunity forthe States Governments to pro-mote their investment opportuni-ties to Singapore prospectiveinvestors as well as, for both sidesto learn from each other's experi-ences. The forum was organizedfor Policy Makers; InvestmentPromotion Agencies, Infrastruc-tural Development Agencies;Banks and Financial Institutions;Investors; Entrepreneurs, ChiefExecutives; Captains of Industries,Maritime and Ports and Manage-ment Agencies etc.

The key focus areas were:Maritime and Port Manage-ment; Education-Technicaland Vocational; Housing andUrban Development; Infra-structure Development; Agri-culture and Agro-alliedIndustries; Manufacturingand Service Sector; Power andEnergy; Water Treatment andManagement; Tourism andHospitality; Oil and Gas; En-trepreneurship and SME De-velopment, etc.

The events also witnessedsigning of various MOUs andthree major bilateral agree-ments were supposed to havebeen signed at the sideline ofthe last forum, but unfortu-nately that did not happen due toGovernment and Ministries un-readiness at the time of the forum.It's worthy to note that some ofthese three agreements, DTA, IGAand BASA has been inconclusiveover 5-10 year but two out of thesedormant agreements are 100%and one is 98% concluded withinthe last three years. It's my prayerthat the relevant government min-istries and agencies will sign thepending agreement as soon as

cabinet is formed.

As you may be aware, the NigeriaHigh Commission in Singaporewas recently upgraded to a fullmission with the appointment ofmyself as the High Commissionerin 2012. On assumption of duty, Iwas faced also with the challengesof lack of proper Chancery, Resi-dence, Representational and Op-erational vehicles, I am glad toinform that most of the challengeshas been sorted.

Q. Which of your Achievementsare you most proud of as the HighCommissioner and why? Givenmore time, what achievementswould u like to see come to pass?

It's very difficult to single out aparticular achievement as the onethat I am most proud of consider-ing the significance of the variouschallenges that I faced upon myarrival in Singapore. But I canhonestly say that pursuing the

three pending bilateral agree-ments to their logical conclusionand strengthening our bilateral re-lation brings me great joy. Theseagreement are the bed rock andkey to advancing our bilateral re-lation with Singapore to the nextlevel. It will also foster sustainabledevelopment and encourage moreFDI into Nigeria from Singapore.As Ambassadors one of our keyagenda is to promote and attractFDI into Nigeria, while protectingthe interest of our citizens and in-tegrity of our dear nation.

Given more time,what achievementswould you like to seecome to pass? I don'tthink that I need moretime in Singapore, be-cause I have given itmy best and anotherperson can build onthe foundation laid bymy predecessors andmyself. Let me bor-row LKY's quote - Mr.Lew Kuan Yew, Ar-chitect of modern Sin-gapore, said - "As forme, I have done whatI had wanted to do, tothe best of my ability.I am satisfied."

Q. How would you measure suc-cess? What does it take to be asuccessful female diplomat?

Success is a relative term. Beingsuccessful is not luck. Success hasnothing to do with money orwealth. It's simply accomplishingwhat you were born to accom-plish in life. Becoming exactlywhat you were born to be in life,accomplishing purpose. I am born

Exclusive Accolade Award 2015 Atlanta GA, Most re-markable Female Ambassador, presented by the Vice

President ECOWAS, Dr Mcintosh to AmbassadorNonye Rajis-Okpara



to serve and impact my genera-tion at various level. And I haveseen God take me from one phaseto another. I was recently nomi-nated by an organisation as thebest Female Ambassador, believeme, I don't know how they cameabout that and I don't think that Ihave performed more than otherfemale Ambassador. U can doeverything and still be a failure ifyou didn't do what you were sentto do.

Before I left Abuja to Singapore, Iwas very clear on my assign-ment/purpose, and what was ex-pected of me from both myGovernment and Singaporean au-thority. The Singapore govern-ment made it very clear that theconclusion of the three pendingbilateral agreements was very keyand important to strengtheningour economic relation; and Niger-ian government was equally clear

on our mandate as Ambassadors,male or female -Foreign Direct In-vestment (FDI), is the cure of ourforeign policy. One thing I amfully persuaded is that - As forme, I have done what I was man-dated to do, to the best of my abil-ity and I am satisfied.

Q. How do you combine your du-ties as the High Commissionerwith that in your family? Do youplay any role in your children'scareer choices? Very little isknown about your husband, howdid you meet and what were theinitial attraction?

It's very difficult combining bothroles; nevertheless it's possible toachieve both, because I can do allthings through Christ whostrengthens me. Playing both rolescomes with its challenges but Godhas helped me to maintain bal-

ance without compromising eitherof the two most important role ina woman's life- I am very fulfilled.I definitely play a very significantrole in my child's career choicebut I don't make the choice forhim. I stay in the place of prayer24/7 and ask God for divine di-rection. I advise him to prayer toGod to discover his purpose, pur-sue it with passion and I give him100% support and guidance.

For my friends and family I don'tbelieve that very little is knownabout my late husband. He was aprivate person and was not in pol-itics like me. We met in Washing-ton, DC at my work place. Myattraction was that he was a Godfearing man, he was also from myState and same zone. I was happythat I could serve and worshipGod freely with him and while inpublic we could communicate pri-vately in our local language. We


both supported each other in ourvarious career. He was a business-man and I was a career womanand later got involved in politics.We are blessed with a child -Chimdinma.

Q. What are your hobbies? I enjoy reading, table and lawntennis as a sports lady. It has beendifficult lately unwinding. It hasbeen work ,work and work in thelast few years and I am lookingforward to a good vacation andtruly unwinding soon. Q. You have looks that belie yourage, what beauty routines do youindulge in to stay young andbeautiful?

Should I take that as a compli-ment? I do not do anything specialat all. It must be the grace of God,and I don't indulge in harmfulhabits or reckless lifestyle. When Iam not working, I stay home and

give my body a deserved rest.

Q. How would you describe yourstyle and how do you like todress. You are mostly spotted intraditional attire, do u fancy west-ern clothes too.

I like to dress simple and decent. Idress to suit the occasion, basedon my assignment and functions.The way you dress to functionand occasion is also an expressionof your respect for the occasionand people around you. Here inSingapore, 98% of invitation cardsor letters contains a dress code. Ifyou ignore or violate it, you mightend up embarrassing yourself orlooking out of place/stupid.

I am a strong believer that peoplewill address you the way youdress. You will never have a sec-ond chance to make the first im-pression. I am trained to live

ready, and not get ready. It's truethat am mostly spotted in tradi-tional attire that is because I lovemy traditional wears. Nothing bitsour traditional wears, and for meit's also a way of promoting cul-tural diplomacy. I like my westernclothes too and I wear them ap-propriately.

Q.-What advice will you give tothose seeking to go back to Nige-ria from the Diaspora on achiev-ing success back home-Develop a niche for yourself, takesomething of value from here thatwill be needed back home, be pre-pared to make sacrifices and en-dure the little hardships of settlinginto Nigeria...if your persevereand with God on your side, suc-cess will definitely come to you!



Beauty of the Moment

Nonye MaduPharmacist, wife, mother

and above all a God fearing woman.

Favorite quote:"I derive joy in helping people and absolutely believe

in the saying, "be nice to those you meet on your

way up because you might meet them on your way

down"


Dr. Obioha is a sterling youngresearcher at the Children’s Center forCancer and Blood Diseases, Children'sHospital Los Angeles. Her researchfocuses on the effects the threetreatments of cancer (chemotherapy,radiation and surgery) can have onchildren. With this study, she hopes toreduce memory loss and increaseexecutive functions in childrenfollowing these treatment rounds forcancer, thus allowing them to leadhealthy and functional lives.

Alongside this research, Dr. Obioha ispursuing a master’s degree in PublicHealth. The vision behind this is to lenda helping hand to public health inNigeria, particularly in the areas ofpreventive medicine and infectiousdiseases. Her findings have shown that

poor preventive medical practices andunacceptable sanitary measures are theleading causes of many healthproblems in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr.Obioha intends to apply herself in theseareas in order to improve the healthcareand living standards of all those in theregion.

In her spare time, Dr. Obioha plies herpens as a sketch artist and fashiondesigner. She is the Creative director ofLuxury Kouture, a haute couturefashion house based in Bel Air,California. She draws her inspiration todesign from her love for colors, Africanprints, and from trendsetting fashion ingeneral. Her designs are avant-garde,playing on a medley between westernand traditional African looks, thuscreating very classy and contemporary

private blends. Luxury Kouture’sprivate collection is tailored for bothmen and women with fabrics sourcedsolely from the most exclusive vendorsin the world. In this interview with Lifeand Times Magazine, she samplessome of her designs exclusively fromLuxury Kouture. These samples can be seen in thefashion and Style section on pages 37-42For enquiries on how Luxury Kouturecan cater to you, please [email protected] more information on Dr. Obioha’sresearch, her public health initiatives,and other healthcare related enquires,please email: [email protected]



Fashion and Style


People and Places


People and Places

It was a gathering of the crème dela crème of the AfricanCommunity in the United Statesat the 5th Annual Life and TimesFiesta and award ceremonywhich held at the urbane CarsonCivic Center, Carson CA onSaturday September 5th, 2015.Guests were welcome withserenades from a jazz band underthe moon light in the center’sfoyer followed by a glitteringawards night and dinner insidethe main banquet hall of the civiccenter.This year’s awardees were Dr.Iheanacho Emeruwa,Professional Excellence Award,Dr. Eugenia Busola George-Educational Service Award, Dr.Chinedu Chris Ikeanyi-Community Service Award, Dr.


People and Places

Ifesinachi Ugwuonye- Community ServiceAward, Dr. Olufemi Saliu- ProfessionalExcellence Award and Dr. Solomon Gochin-Entrepreneurial Excellence Award.

The occasion also featured comedy by Ace co-median- Wamilele who co hosted the show withSouth African TV Star- Babalwa. There was alsoa smashing dance performance by the youthfulAzonto Dancers and the crowd was serenadedby the sultry performance of Soloist- Queen Uf-fiahGuests also danced the night away to music byLA’s toast DJ- Paul Aninyei.The event has been adjudged by most attendeesas the best choreographed and organised eventin our African Community this year…Following are photo highlights of the event..


People and Places


Fashion and Style


Fashion and Style

I am Idu and I write theblog Fashionably Idu. I ama self driven fashion enthu-siast and I showcase myunique style on my blogFashionablyidu.blogspot.com. My motivation comesform the ability to inspireother gals to be better todaythan who they were yester-day as they pursue theirdreams. It’s exciting to getto share my artistic side inthe form of fashion(makeup sometimes) withthe world. Do stop by toread and hopefully enjoymy adventures in style andfashion. And while there,

don’t be a snob, join in onany trending conversation.Want to advertise yourbusiness on the blog? Col-laborate with me to marketyour products? Or needstyling tips? Email me at [email protected] andlet’s talk. Follow my blog to keep upwith new posts,Fashionablyidu.blogspot.comFollow me on Instagram@fashionably_idu and Twitter @idugirl.

Stay fabulous, Xo.


Fashion and Style


The idea of change suggests a desire to learn fromthe mistakes of the past in order to improve the con-ditions of the present. Change does not occur in avacuum but reflects a determined effort on the partof a people to design a process that leads to im-proved conditions. Within the context of the desiredchange in Nigeria and in light of the persistent cor-rupt practices at every level of society, one must askwho and what is to change? Corruption, often seenas embezzlement of public funds and bribery seemsto be the focus of change that most Nigerians seek.What is often overlooked, however, is the fact thatcorruption is symptomatic of a more fundamentalproblem, absence of the rule of law.

Recently, I suggested that the euphoria following thepresidential election be tempered with a keen senseof responsibility and accountability at every level, ifthe change that the election represents is to material-ize. But Nigerians seem to place their hopes forchange on the new President to single-handedly turnthe deplorable national situation around. This is anunrealistic expectation and a recipe for failure. Whatthe President has is an abundant measure of self-dis-cipline. This is what the country needs at every level.

But this is not a transferable trait that can be copiedon a floppy disc and uploaded, like a computer pro-gram, into others whose cooperation he would needto stem the tide. Neither can such self-discipline becopied and uploaded to the all of us. Nigerians byand large, must imbibe the same level of self-disci-pline, as their president, if the desired change is tomaterialize. Nigeria needs exemplary leadership atevery level and good followership at every villageand hamlet.

I recently had the privilege of spending eight weeksat home after two previous trips in the last year. Itwas an exploratory trip to see what opportunities arethere to contribute to my native community in mypost retirement years. After a few short weeks athome, it became crystal clear that eradicating cor-ruption is going to be a long road to hoe. Most Nige-rians belief that the change they desire is one that theother person has to make, rather than the one theyneed to make. The general perception is that the onlygroups that need to change are the political class andthe bureaucracy. While it is difficult to argue that thepolitical class and the bureaucracy need to be put incheck, they alone are not responsible for the moral

Ayo M. Akingbemi, Ph.D.

News and Politics


decadence that has gripped the nation. They are a re-flection of the society from which they emerged.

Any casual observer can attest to the fact that ours isa country suffering from many intractable problemsincluding absence of the rule of law, obsession withimported goods, and the worship of money. The cel-ebration of overnight millionaires and billionaireswith no verifiable income sources, and the constantallegations of embezzlement of funds by public offi-cials, bear witness to the level of decadence to whichour society has sunk. So, where must the changebegin?

The Buhari administration has declared its commit-ment to putting the heat on those suspected of feed-ing at the public trough. At the same time, thedubious and duplicity of the average Nigerian de-serving equal measure of attention, seem to go unno-ticed and therefore unchecked. There has to besomething at the core of our being as a people thatmakes us easily prone to greed and financial malfea-sance of immeasurable proportion. The readiness toenrich oneself without regard to who suffers the con-sequence is an all too familiar trait of who we have

become as a society. The Nigerian mind seems to bewrapped around one thing only, to be the envy ofothers, no matter how such status is attained. In thepursuit of the almighty naira, we seemed to havelost ourselves. In my travels in Lagos, Oyo, Edo andOndo states, I observed with dismay some behaviorsthat bordered on the ludicrous. The level of exploita-tion to which the average Nigerian is subjected hasbecome intolerable. Who is going to save us fromourselves? A few observations to underscore where Ithink we are:

Nigerians’ obsession with imported goods and dis-dain for locally produced items clearly demonstratesthe absence of national pride. It is a large contributorto the problem of corruption for those who wish tomaintain a foreign lifestyle while resident in Nigeria.The average Nigerian without regard to status is en-amored with imported goods which are often muchmore expensive than goods produced locally. This ismore evident among the so-called elites. To maintainthe imported lifestyle of the European without thenational pride of same, is an expensive undertakingdriving the rent seeking and bribe seeking behavior

News and Politics


of those charged with providing public service. Wehave become what Dr. J.K. Aggree warned against,the poor copies of Europeans, albeit with a weirdtwist. Let’s remember that the naira has suffered se-vere devaluation relative to most international cur-rencies and that makes these imported goods veryexpensive. In order to afford the acquired foreigntaste, most resort to unsavory rent seeking behavior.

In the pre and immediate post independence years,Nigeria was a popular destination for used clothing,mainly from Europe. Over the years, the appetite ofNigerians for the discarded housewares from theWest has grown to insatiable proportion. It is not un-usual today to find European second-hand itemsranging from used clothing to shoes, curling irons,furniture, undergarments, and home appliances. It isas if we have become a dumping ground for itemsthat belong in European landfills.

While it might be acceptable for this kind of businessto flourish in an environment of poverty, it translatesinto some form of social malady when the same peo-ple who embrace European discarded goods, seemto have total disdain for brand new items made inNigeria. This mentality is not unique to those at the

bottom rung of the economic ladder but even morepervasive at the upper echelon of society. MostNigerian elites resident in Nigeria have their medicalfiles in the West and the Far East. Most travel abroadfor their annual physical examination, while somego for issues as insignificant as acid indigestion.These so-called men of means fail to realize that themedical facilities they run to overseas were madepossible by the sweat and investments of citizens ofthese countries. What’skeeping us from emu-lating that which isgood in others andbuild such facilities inour own country?

Ayo M. Akingbemi,Ph.D.writes from Rialto, Cal-ifornia

****Article to be con-cluded in the SPRING/2016 EDITION OF LIFE &TIMES MAGAZINE

News and Politics


People and Places


People and Places

It was a story book classy wedding as theravishingly beautiful Damilola Okunubi said Ido to her dashing beauIMG_5116_2 thehandsome gentleman AdegoroyeAdebukunola at the picturesque St. Vibiana’sCathedral in downtown Los on Sunday July 5,2015.Before a crowd of well heeled witnesses,friends and family who travelled from all overthe world- the Senior Pastor of InternationalChristian Center Los Angeles Dr. OladipoKalejaiye joined Lola and Ade as man andwife at a ceremony which many in thecommunity have come to describe asbeautiful, royal and magical…Pastor Dipo in his short sermon charged Adeand Lola to remember that marriage is acovenant and not a contract as they have madea commitment by getting married to eachother to be together till death do them part, insickness and in health and for richer or for


People and Places

poorer. He also told them toalways give 100% to each otherno matter the circumstance.Guests were later hosted to agrand reception at enchantingTaglyan complex on Vine Streetin North Los Angeles wheremother of the Bride, LaraOkunubi recited the familyOriki for Lola and danced withthe bride to the bride’s selectionof WIND BENEATH MYWINGS by BETTE MIDLER.Lola said she choose the song toespouse the strength and virtueof this great woman who raisedthem up despite the vacuumcreated by the loss of herhusband their father when theythe girls were still very young.


People and Places

Guests were treated toa sumptuous andlavish cuisine ofAfrican andcontinental dishes, afree flowing bar, musicby DJ Tosin and a liveAfrican band from LasVegas Nevada.Attendees had somuch fun that theparty lasted till theearly hours of Monday7/6/15. Following is aphoto essay of thewedding.


People and Places


History was made in theNigerian Community in theUnited States on Saturday10/17/15 when Las Vegasbased Medical Doctor, Phar-macist and PhilanthropistDr. Godwin Maduka popu-larly known as the Lion ofAfrica broke all fundraisingrecords in the Nigerian com-munity in the U.S.A. whenhe donated $100,000 (Onehundred Thousand Dollars)to the Mbano Daughtersfund to rehabilitate dilapi-dated schools in Mbano. Theoccasion which was chairedby Dr. Julius Kpaduwastarted on a high note whenMrs. Ngozi EgbulezeNnorom- President of theMbano Daughters U.S.A. inher welcome address spoke

about the vision of thewomen to rehabilitate dilap-idated schools throughoutMbano. She said members oftheir organisation will notjust gather to have fun butare driven by the desire tolend a helping hand to thepoor and needy youth backhome. The occasion also fea-tured a dance performanceby the Mbano women andand a rendition of NwaMbano- a highlife album byMbano son- Sir Chris Eme-dom. Attendees were alsolavishly entertained anddanced the night away withlatest Naija songs played byDJ Solo AzuomaFollowing are picture high-lights of the event and a col-lage of the members..

Dr. Julius and Dr. Mrs. Stella Kpaduwa

People and Places


People and Places


People and Places

The Enugu Associations – USA Inc. was es-tablished in 1998 as the umbrella organiza-tion of all Enugu state people in the UnitedStates of America. The Association held her17th Annual National Convention from July23rd -26th, 2015 at the Palace Station andCasino Hotels, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.The convention’s theme is, “Perfecting Rela-tionship between Enugu-USA and allEnugu State people”. The convention waskicked off on Thursday, July 23 with An-nouncements from the National President,Dr. Sinachi Ugwuonye, and the ConventionPlanning Committee Chair, Chief Chidi Ug-

wueze, and then followed with registrationsof all Convention Attendees. The Post Med-ical Mission Conference topped the list witha review of the 2014 Medical Mission focus-ing on lesson-learned and suggestions mov-ing forward. The Medical Mission teamfrom Nigeria and their US counterparts ledthe discussion. Registration continued on Fri-day July 24 and was rounded up with com-mittee meetings and the usual welcomeparty.

The business meeting on Saturday, July25th, was made up of numerous plenary ses-

sions with speakers from broad spectrum ofcommittees and organizations discussingEnugu-USA, Medical Mission, Education &Youths, Economic Developments, WomenAffairs, Banking, Real Estates & Investments,etc. The highlight of the convention was thekeynote speech delivered at theDinner/Gala night via Live Skype videocon-ferencing by the Deputy Senate President,Federal Republic of Nigeria, His ExcellencyDr. Ike Ekweremadu, CFR titled, “TheEnugu State of My Dream”. The conventionended with fundraising, awards and recog-nition at the Gala Night.

Dr. Sinachi Ugwuonye, The National President, Enugu U.S.A

July 23-26, 2015


People and Places


It was a show of the pomp andpageantry of fine Igbo culture onAugust 30, 2016 as the beautifulwomen of the Umuada ndi Igbo inDiaspora- International movementadded 49 members to their fold attheir latest induction in AtlantaGeorgia. Officiated by the indomitableand indefatigable women leader andfounder of the movement- LadyAdaozo Chinonyelum Grace Agude,the newly inducted members werecharged to uphold the dignity of Igbowomanhood and fight for what is justand right like the Aba women of old.They were also charged to upholdunity in their families and love fortheir husbands, children and fellowwomen and eschew everything thatwill lead to disunity within the familyand our community. The occasionwas witnessed by hundreds ofUmuada and their supporters fromaround the globe including adelegation from Nigeria led by theImo State Commissioner for Economic

Planning and Development Dr.Adaora Ijezie. The occasion alsowitnessed the start of thelaunching of the “Umuada ndiIgbo- Cassava Mills Project”- aproject which Lady AdaozoAgude explained will lead tothe establishment of 7 cassavamills and creation of hundred of

jobs in all seven Igbo speakingstates in the country. Dr. Ijeziepledged the support of ImoState Government to the projectthrough donation of land for themill construction in Owerri.Following are photo highlights ofthe occasion-

People and Places


People and Places


As someone who is verypassionate aboutentrepreneurship and what it cando for the entrepreneur and thesociety at large, I never pass upon any opportunity to talk aboutit to others. And when I start, Icould go on and on. One of themost common responses I haveencountered is that of no capitalor finance to start one’s ownbusiness. The lack of start-upfinance is a very major obstacle,but is it enough to prevententrepreneurship?

Mark Amaza, Abuja, Nigeria

Youth


One thing I have noticed, both from my experiencesand observations is that you rarely ever have enoughcapital to get that your ass-kicking idea off theground. This is especially so in Nigeria where thereare barely any venture financiers willing to take riskswith a new venture, where the banks are also scepti-cal about lending to small businesses, and have cut-throat interest rates. In other words, to start abusiness here, you must have enough personalfunds or have family to support you and in the rarecases, be able to convince investors.I remember my first business idea when I was 18, aninternet music start up for which I needed a modestfew hundreds of thousands of naira. It wasn’t thefact that I had the capital that spurred me to createthat idea, because I didn’t have the money. What Ibelieved in was the power of the idea and its im-mense potential. I knocked on doors with my busi-ness plan and travelled to meet people whom I couldpitch my idea to. Even though the idea never tookoff eventually, I learned an invaluable lot from thatexperience, especially in trying to raise venture fi-nancing. I learned that in looking to be an entrepreneur, youshould work on a solid idea and business plan firstbefore looking to raise the money. Looking to raisemoney before having developed a bankable businessidea is akin to putting the cart before the horse.A lot of peopple who are quick to use their lack thecapital to start businesses as their main excuse fornot being entrepreneurs do not even have in the first

place any ideas to work with. Instead, they are wait-ing for the capital to land before they then start look-ing for ideas. I have had people come up to me andsay, ‘I have N1m, what business do you think Ishould go into?’ to which I always lack what to tellthem. As far as I am concerned, that isn’t entrepre-neurship.Entrepreneurship starts with idea generation, not fi-nance. You have an idea that you are so passionateabout, and then you persist in trying to see it get offthe ground. The hustle in getting it to work, leverag-ing contacts, making the most of what you have andthe constant refining of the idea is a large part of thefun of being an entrepreneur. If all entrepreneurswere to wait until they had enough capital beforesetting out to change their world with their ideas,only a fraction of today’s enterprises would exist.It reminds me of the Bible verse in Ecclesiastes 11:4:“Farmers who wait for the perfect weather never plant; ifthey should watch every cloud, they will never harvest”.Waiting for the perfect conditions before you set outon that road of entrepreneurship is as good as neversetting out on that road: the conditions will never beperfect.

Create that idea and believe in its power. Start wher-ever you are.

“Start weaving. God will provide the thread”– German Proverb.

Youth


A few months ago, a col-league asked, “Why are youdrinking that?”-as I poured myvegetable smoothie into a cup.“All you need to do,” he con-tinued, “Is drink a cup of coffeea day to protect your heart.”This claim is similar to the sug-gestions to drink a glass ofwine a night or eat a handful ofnuts a day to reduce risk forcardiovascular disease. Whileeach of these may be true andhealthy, none of them is suffi-cient on its own- they are just afew of the numerous compo-

nents of a healthcare strategy.Following one piece of healthadvice is like sealing one ofmany holes in a leaky waterpipe.

Despite the saying “anapple a day keeps the doctorsaway,” there is no single foodthat can keep away the doctorson its own. To reduce the riskof chronic cardiovascular dis-eases, diabetes, obesity, andhigh cholesterol, numerousstudies have shown that every-day we need to eat variety ofvegetables, such as kale, broc-

coli, lettuce, spin-ach; legumes,nuts, as well as fruits such asapples and tomatoes. A plantbased diet provides a wide va-riety of vital micro- andmacronu-trients. But there ismore to diet than eatinghealthy foods.

To eat well, people mustalso avoid foods and drinkswith added sugar. Wheat prod-ucts should also be avoided asstudies show that they raiseblood sugar level more thansugar itself. People with dia-betes should especially avoid

Olufemi Y. Saliu, M.D.

Health & Wellness


wheat. If you have wheat flourat home or bread in yourfridge, trash it before you con-tinue to read this article. Unfor-tunately wheat and addedsugar are in virtually everyprocessed food available. Myrule of the thumb is if the foodis in an artificial package, I donot eat it- except during familybirthdays or at airports wherethere may be nothing healthy toeat. Eighty to ninety percent ofmy food is vegetables, beef,fish, and chicken. I have heardpeople complain that “vegeta-bles are boring and unpleasanttasting.” So is pounded yam orany “swallow” food withoutdelicious egusi or ogbono soup.When I began my dietary trans-formation four years ago, Iused variety of delicious veg-etable soups to eat my salad:okra, ewedu, egusi, and gbe-giri. You may drink vegetable

smoothie with baked fish,chicken, Isi ewu, akara, moin-moin, nuts, and beans. My wifelikes to make scramble eggswith raw spinach. However, ittakes more than diet to be trulyhealthy. It should be adoptedas an element of the personalhealth strategy:The Triangle ofHealth.

The second element is ex-ercise. Numerous studies haveshown the benefits of diversi-fied age appropriate exercise.Benefits include weight control,decreasing cardiovascular riskthrough boosting high-densitylipoprotein(HDL), reducing un-healthy triglycerides, improv-ing mood by boostingendorphins, and maintainingbetter posture. There are vary-ing levels of daily physical ac-tivity and it is advisable toen-gage in all them. The firstlevel is not usually considered

physical ac-tivity by most peo-ple, but is still good for yourhealth. Getting up from thecouch to fetch a remote controlthat is six feet away rather thanasking your son who is a hun-dred feet away or on anotherfloor to get it is a form of exer-cise. Helping out in the kitchento do dishes, blend pepper andprocess vegetables is good foryour health. And packing yourcar as far away as possible inthe parking lot for an opportu-nity to walk is a level one phys-ical activity. Taking long walk,jogging, and cycling are in thesecond level of exercise. Thethird level involves using vari-ous exercise equipment athome or at the gym. It is impor-tant to remember that our bod-ies are similar to those of ourdistant ancestors-the huntergatherers. They were always onthe move: walking, running,

Health & Wellness


and swimming as they huntedanimals, picked vegetables andfruits, and fled from predators.They were not cave bound; sowe cannot be couch bound.This is my motto: if you canstand, don't sit and if you canwalk, don't stand. Exerciseshould be a life style; not achore.

The final element of thetriangle of health is stress con-trol. The state ofmind is often ig-nored but it is themost important tothe devel-opmentof disease.Two ofthe most commonemotional statesthat may lead tochronic stress areelucidated here:1. Worry-Peo-ple worry about is-sues in all spheresof life: education,career, business,marriage, children,in-laws, finance,politics, sports,traffic, health, and religion.Valuable time and energy aredi-verted away from perform-ing the tasks at hand and to-wards fixing the wrongs of thepast and building a ‘golden cas-tle’ in the future. More wouldbe accomplished in our lives byfocusing our re-sources-mentalenergy and timeon the tasksof today. Perhaps, that is thereason Jesus said, “Thereforedo not be anxious about tomor-row, for tomorrow will be anx-ious for itself. Suffi-cient for theday is its own trouble.” SirWilliam Osler, a physi-cian,and one of the four founding

professors of Johns HopkinsUniversity Hospital, said thesame thing in a different way inan ad-dress to Yale Universitystudents in 1913: “Live in day-tight com-partments, shuttingiron doors on the dead yester-day, and the un-born tomor-row.” In the same address heurged the students to begineveryday with a simple prayer:“Give us this day our dailybread.”

2. Inability to forgive: Manexpects mercy from God, butasking for forgiveness fromothers or forgiving them isoften like losing ‘a pound offlesh.’ But Jesus implored us toforgive our neighbors “seventytimes seven” times.

There are consequencesfor unaddressed chronic stress.Worry, resentment, anger, andother emotional states of mind,if unresolved, can manifest asconditions such as depression,stomach ulcers, hy-pertension,diabetes, and coronary arterydisease. Dr. Russell L. Cecil (1881-1965),

a famous authority on arthritis,listed four of the commonestcauses of arthritis:• Marital shipwreck• Financial disaster andgrief• Loneliness and worry• Long-cherished resent-ments

Similarly, Dr, Joseph F.Montague said in his bookNervous Stomach Trouble,“You do not get stomach ulcers

from what you eat.You get ulcers fromwhat is eating you.”And much more re-cently in 2010,Pouwer et al wrote inDiscovery Medicinethe potential path-ways linking chronicemotional stress andtype 2 diabetes melli-tus:• Behavioral mecha-nism: unhealthy lifestyle leading to pooreating habit, low ex-ercise levels, smok-ing, and alcoholabuse.

• Physiological mecha-nism: activation of hypothala-mic-pituitary-adrenal axis andsympathetic nervous system. • Immune system: activa-tion of immune system leadingto secretion of among manychemicals, cortisol responsiblefor behavioral changes such asdepression.

Due to the health impli-cations of chronic stress, it iscrucial that stressful situationsshould be resolved. But the ap-plication of Christ’s teachingsof staying in the moment andforgiving seventy times seventimes can be very challenging-

Health & Wellness


more difficult than overhaulingyour diet and doing regularphysical exercise. However,using books and lessonslearned at Church, I came upwith two exercises that I use tomanage stress in my life. 1. Scripture Of The Day ap-proach: At the sound of myalarm before dawn, I gostraight to my home office. I se-lect the verse that speaks to mysituation on that day in bible-hub.com. The scripture pops upin various translations withcross references and commen-taries. After a quick review, Iuse it to pray. Finally I write iton a new slide in Scripture OfThe Day- slide presentation Iset up with Keynote, an Appleapplication. Through theiCloud, the scripture goes to allmy devices. Wherever I may beon that day, all I need to do isgo to the slide in Keynote andmeditate on it when my mind

tries to engage in a futile activ-ity of fixing the wrongs of the‘dead yesterday’ , building agolden castle in the future, orcoming up with negative sto-ries about the ‘unborn tomor-row.” I use the scripture of theday to ‘renew’ my mind-andstay in the moment.2. Face it Approach: This isan adaptation of various tech-niques in Dale Carnegie’s bookHow To Stop Worrying andStart Living. It is a writing exer-cise.

What exactly am I worry-ing about?

What are the possiblethings I can do about it?

What I am going to doabout it? Here I find prayerhelpful in making the rightchoice from the list.

When do begin to imple-ment my decision? If I am to stay in the moment orlive in Sir William Osler’s ‘day-

tight compartment’ it is today,not tomorrow because I am toshut out-with ‘iron doors’ : the‘dead yesterday’ and ‘the un-born tomorrow’. The urgencyof now in conflict resolution isalluded to in Christ’ teachings:“….first be reconciled to yourbrother, and then come andpresent your offering.” Prayeris needed for spiritual strengthto act today, not tomorrow. If the stressful situation is toooverwhelming to carry out thisanalysis or one is unable to acton the decision of face-it analy-sis, it is im-portant to reach outto family and friends. To thisend I am blessed with a sup-portive family, a bible basedlife transformation group, anda Church-The InternationalChristian Center.

It takes more than anapple a day to keep the doctorsaway: it takes eating right, exer-cising regularly, and managing

Health & Wellness


stress- they are crucial to healthand happy life.

References:1.Exercise, heart and health.Nam GB - Korean Circ J -March 1, 2011; 41 (3); 113-21.2. Does emotional stress causetype 2 diabetes mellitus? A re-view from the European De-pression in Diabetes (EDID)Research Consor-tium.Discovery medicine.Pouwer, Frans; Kupper, Nina;Adriaanse, Marcel C. PublishedFebruary 1, 2010.3. A review of resistance exer-cise and posture realignment.Author - J Strength Cond Res -August 1, 2001; 15 (3); 385-904. Exercise for bone health: ra-

tionale and prescription.Schwab P, Sacalapino K-CurrOpin Rheumatol - March 1,2011; 23 (2); 137-41.5. Review: diet and exercisecounseling improve intermedi-ate health outcomes in personswith CV risk factors.Annals of internal medicine.Kanaya, Alka M. Published De-cember 16, 2014.6. Correlation between sportand depression.Psychiatr Danub - November 1,2014; 26 Suppl 1 (); 208-10.7. Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat,Lose the Weight, and Find YourPath Back to Health2011 by William Davis, M.D.;Rodadale.

Dr. OLufemi Saliu

Health & Wellness


SpotlightPlateau State in Nigeria (WestAfrica) derives its name from the ge-ographical description of the land-scape that predominates in this partof Nigeria which is often referred toas the Jos Plateau. The Jos Plateau isthe higher of the two plateaus foundin Nigeria; the other one being theMambilla Plateau. Whereas, agreater part of the PLATEAU ismade up of slightly undulatinghighlands of an average height of3,500 meters above sea level, thereare areas such as the Share Hillswith peaks of over 5,000 metersabove sea level.


Spotlight

Jos, the capital of Plateau Stateis situated approximately onlatitude 9.6 degrees North andLatitude 8.5 degrees East. Thecity lies close to the geographi-cal center of Nigeria. For vari-ety and scenic beauty, Jos isnon - peril.

Plateau State is a miniatureNigeria. Apart from harboring

an area of fascinating contrastof scenic beauty embracing asome-what cool temperate cli-mate, it has a rich blend of dif-ferent, yet friendly peoplemostly Christians. This is oneof the few states in the countrywhere there is no particularethnic group that enjoys mo-nopoly of any sort. Instead onefinds here a multiplicity ofsmall ethnic groups that seeand appreciate the need formutual co-operation for thesurvival and progress of the en-tire state.

Climate Generally speaking, the climateof the state is milder than thatof the rest of the country. It isinvigorating, and the nearestequivalent to a temperate cli-mate in this tropical zone. It isfor this reason that we have Josand its environs the largest con-centration of resident expatri-

ates in the former British WestAfrica. In fact, in the colonialdays, Jos was regarded as anasylum where colonial officerscame to spend their local leaveand enjoy the healthy sur-rounding.

Temperatures on the Plateauare several degrees lower thanthose in the rest of the county.Recorded mean temperature is81.7F (27.6C) Maximum and51.7F (10.9C) Minimum. Thereare neither extreme dual tem-peratures nor too much differ-ence between the rainy and dry

season.

In the rainy season, there areintermittent rain falls andsometimes drizzles on end. Oneinteresting aspect of Josweather is that it may be rain-ing in one part of the town yetother parts may remain dry andsunny. Besides, drainage is gen-erally very good.

Because of its climate, and fas-cinating topography, Jos hasbecome a magnetic holiday re-sort most especially for Euro-pean tourist.

Markets & places of interest onthe Jos-Plateau; Building Mate-rials and Vegetable Market,Faringada Tomatoes Market,Langtang Street, Mangu Mar-ket, Rukuba Road Market, Jen-gre Market, etc. The Jos-Plateauin Nigeria is also the place tofind the following in abun-dance and at good wholesale


Spotlight

and retail prices. Commoditieslike; vegetables (including Irishpotatoes, Cucumber, Cabbage,Tomatoes, Green pepper, Greenpeas, water melon, Water,Onions, Carrots), fruits (includ-ing; Oranges, Bananas, Mangos,Pineapples, Strawberry, Grape),(including Cow, Calf, Goat,Sheep, Goat, Chicken Eggs,Broiler chicken), and gemstones (including Topaz, Ruby,Tourmaline Blue, Pink Tourma-line, Aquamarine, Quartz, Sap-phire), and many more.

GOVERNMENT:The Plateau State administra-tive structure consists of theState Cabinet, the House of As-sembly and Local GovernmentAreas.

The state government is run bythe Governor (chief executive),Deputy Governor, and Secre-tary to the state government,Commissioners (cabinet mem-bers), special advisers, perma-nent secretaries, board

chairmen and general man-agers. The current governor isJonah David Jang.

The House of Assembly con-sists of 25 members and 11 spe-cial advisers. The Speaker ofthe house is currently Rt. Hon.John D. Clerk who was electedafter the 2011 poll by his fellowmembers. Local Government isheaded by a chairman, who isthe chief executive, while hiscabinet consists of elected coun-cilors who make up the legisla-tive arm.

Plateau State is also dividedinto chiefdoms and emirates,each encompassing ethnicgroups who share commonaffinities. Leaders of the chief-doms are elected by the peoplefrom amongst several contest-ants who may not be related toany past chiefdom leaders,while succession to the positionof an emir is hereditary.

TOURISM IN PLATEAU

STATE:Plateau State is celebated asThe Home of Peace andTourism and there is plenty tosee.The Wildlife Safari Park sits inthe middle of 8 km2 (3.09 sq.miles) of unspoiled savannabush, about 4 km (2 mi) fromJos. It offers a wide variety ofwild animals within easy view-ing. These include buffalos,lions, leopards, baboons, mon-keys, derby elands, pythons,crocodiles, chimpanzees, jack-als and the rare pygmy hip-popotamus, which is beingsuccessfully bred in the 'hippopool’. The park also boastsgreat, panoramic views of Joscity.The National Museum in Joswas founded in 1952, and isrecognised as one of the best inthe country. It is renowned forits archeology and The PotteryHall has an exceptional collec-tion of finely crafted potteryfrom all over Nigeria. The mu-seum boasts some fine speci-


Spotlight

mens of Nok terracotta headsand artifacts dating from be-tween 500 BC to 200 AD.The Museum of TraditionalNigerian Architecture is adja-cent, with life-size replicas of avariety of buildings, from thewalls of Kano and the Mosqueat Zaria to a Tiv village. In ad-dition, articles of interest fromcolonial times relating to therailway and tin mining can befound on display.Jos Zoo is located in Jos city, be-side the museum. It has a goodstock of animals, birds and rep-tiles and was established in1957.Assop Falls is perhaps, themost notable of Nigeria's manywaterfalls. Located at the edgeof the Jos Plateau, about 40miles (64 km) from Jos city, on

the road to Abuja, this is a pop-ular tourist stop for picnicking,swimming and enjoying thescenery. Assop Falls has alsoproved popular with peopleshooting local soap operas andadvertisements.Kurra Falls is an area of mag-nificent scenery some 77 kilo-meters southeast of Jos. It is thelocation of the State's first hy-droelectric power station. It is abeautiful area of rocks hills,and lakes, ideal for boating,camping, and rock climbing.There is tourist accommodationavailable.Wase Rock is a striking dome-shaped inselberg which juts outof the ground to an incredibleheight of 450 meters. It is lo-cated about 216 kilometerssoutheast of Jos near Wase

town. It is one of the only fivebreeding places for the Whitepelican in Africa. Because ofthis, the government now pro-tects about 321 acres (1.30 km2)of land around the rock as abird sanctuary and for wildlifedevelopment.The Kerang highlands are lo-cated about 88 kilometres fromJos. These beautiful, volcanicmountain hills are the source ofnatural mountain springs,which supply the popularspring water company(SWAN).The Shere Hills include some ofthe Plateau’s highest peaks.They are a scenic range of hillsto the east of Jos which offer aprime view of the city below.They offer fantastic opportuni-ties to mountain climbers and


Spotlight

hill walkers alike.Riyom Rock is one of nature'smost spectacular rock forma-tions, located 25 kilometerssouthwest of Jos, near Riyomtown.Pandam Game Reserve is awildlife sanctuary. It is a pro-tected region of natural habitatand is home to Hippopotami,Crocodiles and snakes of alltypes. Local park rangers tracklocal game on foot and guidepeople to the best viewingareas. This area is still virtuallyunspoiled by human contact. Itoffers sports fishing facilitiesand tourist accommodation isavailable.Kahwang Rock Formation is a

set of beautiful basalt rocks,second to one of its kind foundin Switzerland. Located in Ban-gai village of Bachi District inRiyom Local Government ofthe state, the Kahwang rockshave received tourists from dif-ferent parts of the state, thecountry at large and on occa-sions, from outside Nigeria,who visit the site to see forthemselves the wonders of na-ture. This site is however, stillawaiting the attention of thePlateau State Tourism Corpora-tion to meet modern standardsand to serve as another sourceof revenue generation to thestate.Miango Rest House is a retreat

and conference center locatedin Miango established by mis-sionaries (SIM Nigeria) in 1914.It is located next to Kent Acad-emy, a non-denominationalmissionary school. The RestHouse provides visitors withplenty of opportunities to hikein the surrounding area. Theproperty also features a man-made dam, a farm and is lo-cated at the foot of small hill(Mt. Sanderson) that provides abeautiful view of the area.Article Source:1.http://EzineArticles.com/51934022. Wikipedia.com


The holidays are almost here, and in between thenew outfits and purchases, gift shopping and tryingto decide whether or not to go back home for Christ-mas (OK if you’re still thinking about this, just as-sume you’re not going because those ticket prices…)we often find ourselves stressed out, trying to holdonto at least some of our sanity, and our money.

I recently lost my grandmother; at age 84, her timeon this earth was up. As it often happens, losing thematriarch of the family can leave the family divided,with bickering about how best to say goodbye andwhat to do with all that material in her closet (Imean, seriously, was she trying to open a store withall that fabric?) Family members often lose sight ofthe important things about life and instead engage inunwinnable battles. The most basic decisions becomea tug of war, with the “winner” often feeling de-feated, anyhow.

As I reflect on my grandmother’s life, I am remindedabout how much time and energy we invest inthings that do not matter. We often expend our-selves, lending our energy to meaningless tasks,until we no longer have any to put towards the realthings in life: sharing quality time with loved ones,doing those things that make us feel alive, allowing

our gifts/talents/creativity to grow, working on ourspiritual walk etc. Consider how much time youhave spent worrying, only for the concern never tomanifest. Instead of solving it, we indulge in pro-longing the problem, often by repeating it to asmany people that will lend us their ears and energy.Many of us get stuck in our heads so long that welose sight of the reality around us. And we miss itall: quality time cheering our children on, encourag-ing those around us, being loving to those that mat-ter most. As I listened to a friend recently lamentabout work, I realized that we had stopped talkingabout her children. Instead we were focused onsome strangers, whose actions might matter at work,but are inconsequential to the rest of our existence.

It is very easy to follow a cycle of “I can’t wait untilit’s Friday” to “Thank God it’s Friday” to “I hateMondays”. At every point of our week, we are look-ing forward to getting out of where we are or look-ing to move to something else. And before we knowit, it’s been three years since we called that friend ortook our partner out on a special date.

So this holiday, what are you allowing to steal yourlight? Do you have to spend time with some in-lawswho have called you every name in the book? Do

Gracie's Corner


you have to share your time with a sibling youhaven’t forgiven? Do you have to depend on thegenerosity of a boss who seems bent on creating acustomized hell-on-earth for you? Whatever is it thatis stressing you out, making you miserable, and sim-ply stealing your crowning moments will likely notmatter tomorrow. What is it that you can do today tocreate a better world for yourself? Remember thatwe cannot change others, only ourselves and ourperceptions. How can you make the situation livablefor yourself? Your life, literally depends on it.Use your five senses wisely:

See the world in a new light. Lend your eyes to thosethings that uplift you. Read a good book; watch amovie with someone that shares your interest. Avoidwatching those things that leave you empty andangry.

When was the last time you smelled the roses, liter-ally? Take time to stop and smell some of nature’sbest. Or cook your favorite dish, savoring the smellsthat fill your home.

Goat soup, Jollof rice, khebabs, meat pie, chin chin,biscuits, and ice cream. Have you indulged lately?

P-square, Davido, Flavour, R2Bees, Israel Houghton,Donnie McClurkin. What are some of the soundsthat leave you uplifted? Take some time to listen toyour favorite tracks and bust a move or two! Avoidgossip and self-destructive conversations.

When was the last time you offered someone a handshake? Or a hug? Take time to share intimate mo-ments with your spouse, your children and otherloved ones. Sometimes all a person needs is a longhug from someonewho cares.

I hope you get tospend your holidayswith people that makeyou laugh and makeyou feel special. MerryChristmas and aHappy New Year.

Grace Neequaye MPHCHES

Gracie's Corner


Deciding How LongThey Stay

Iruka A. Ndubuizu

I am loyal. I wear it as a badge ofhonor. I am quite proud of havingthe loyalty gene. Whatever the rela-tionship is, I apply the loyalty prin-ciple. I am the ever loyal friend,employee, daughter, sibling, wife,mother, boss, confidant, etc. Justname it! This is supposed to be agreat thing, but it hasn’t alwaysworked well for me. The problemis, I am an equal opportunity “loy-alty applier”. I continue to be loyalto people who no longer deservemy commitment. It really is nottheir fault. It is all on me because Ilove building relationships. I investin and maintain relationships. How-ever, experience has shown me thatsome relationships have an expira-tion date. Yet, rather than throwthem out, I let them occupy spaceon my shelf. I continue to dust andmake space for them because of my

Iruka's Corner


inordinate belief that the re-lationship may be renewedor revived. So, I stay commit-ted and let them stay on theshelf. I also believe in second(and even third) chances, butI have realized that it maynot always be the best optionin this circumstance.

There are relationships thatno longer serve us well thatwe are reluctant to let go of.Expending energy on rela-tionships that are not worthmaintaining are exhaustin-gand can impact one nega-tively. It also encroaches onthe time that can be devotedto true friends and relation-ships. You have probablyheard the saying that somepeople come into our life fora reason, a season, or a life-

time and that we decide howlong they stay. This soundsquite simple but it can bevery difficult to sever rela-tionship ties particularly if itis someone who was veryclose to you or had a positiveimpact on your life. If theloyalty gene runs throughyour bloodstream, you willnot make the decision onwho stays or who goeslightly. Embarking on an an-alytical decision tree processto make that determinationcan be very helpful.In addi-tion to acknowledging yourrole in the breakdown of therelationship, some factorsthat may be considered are -

Length of the relationship–How long has this personbeen in my life? Understand-

ably, there are people whohave been in our life brieflybut have made a great im-pact. Thus, one cannot easilydismiss a relationship just be-cause it is fairly recent. Forlong term relationships, con-sider its level of importancein your life and try to figureout when it went awry andwhat caused the shift.

Shared Values–Do we stillshare the same values? Ashumans, we are constantlyevolving and friends whohad a lot in common canwake up one day and realizethat they are on very differ-ent tracks. Trying to maintaina relationship with someonewho does not understand orappreciate the journey youare on is challenging. You

Iruka's Corner


Iruka's Corner

find yourself not sharing asmuch with them becausethey either discourage or di-minish your dreams, goals orvalues.

How do they make you feel?– This is important becauseyou want to surround your-self with people who lift youup. If they make you feel badabout who you are or whatyou are doing (assuming it issomething positive), then it istime to let the relationshipgo. Who you are around de-termines where you aregoing. If you find yourselftip-toeing around what toshare and what not to sharein conversation with them,then maybe they should notbe in your life.

Lessons – What did you learnfrom the relationship? Is it anongoing lesson?If you pay at-tention, relationships can besuch a wonderful classroom.It can teach youhuman dy-namics and how to navigate

them. You can never trulyunderstand human behaviorwithout interacting closelywith people. It also helps youunderstand yourselfbetter.Some relationshipsteach patience, how to man-age emotions, and how to bea better communicator.

Healthy – Does the relation-ship impact you positively ornegatively? Unhealthy rela-tionships are quite toxic andcan feel like carrying excessweight which can literallymake you sick. When this oc-curs, it is time to detox andrid yourself of the relation-ship.

Commitment – Do they de-serve your loyalty? Havethey given you reason to be-lieve they are committed toyou? Do they look out foryou? Loyalty is a preciousgift. Only those who deserveit should receive it.

As the year is winding down,

consider putting your rela-tionships through some typeof analysis and decide whostays. If they fail the test, it isokay. Take the time to dis-cover what they were meantto teach you, master the les-son, thank them for it andmove on. If you fail to learnthe lesson, you have wasted agreat opportunity and willlikely repeat the same mis-take.Taking the time to gothrough the process gives usa great opportunity to appre-ciate those who made the cutso we can devote our time,talent and resources to nur-turing relationships that mat-ter.

Marilyn Monroe summed itup nicely when she said “…everything happens for a rea-son. People change so thatyou can learn to let go, thingsgo wrong so that you appre-ciate them when they'reright, you believe lies so youeventually learn to trust noone but yourself, and some-

Iruka A. Ndubuizu is a “contractguru”, attorney, entrepreneur,consultant and trainer. She is anAssistant Director for ContractsAdministration at Emory Uni-versity in Atlanta, Georgia andthe Founder of Eureka Consult-ing, LLC (www.eurekaconsult-ingllc.com). You can reach her [email protected];678.224.1960.

times good things fall apartso better things can fall to-gether”.

Some of my relationshipscame as a lesson, and most ofthem as blessings. I am eter-nally grateful for all of them.Thankfully, I have the powerto decide who stays and whoto let go. And so do you!


Country Profile


GeographyCameroon is a Central African nation on the Gulf ofGuinea, bordered by Nigeria, Chad, the CentralAfrican Republic, the Republic of Congo, EquatorialGuinea, and Gabon. It is nearly twice the size of Ore-gon. Mount Cameroon (13,350 ft; 4,069 m), near thecoast, is the highest elevation in the country. Themain rivers are the Benue, Nyong, and Sanaga.

GovernmentAfter a 1972 plebiscite, a unitary republic wasformed out of East and West Cameroon to replacethe former federal republic.

HistoryBantu speakers were among the first groups to settleCameroon, followed by the Muslim Fulani in the18th and 19th centuries. The land escaped colonialrule until 1884, when treaties with tribal chiefsbrought the area under German domination. AfterWorld War I, the League of Nations gave the Frencha mandate over 80% of the area, and the British 20%adjacent to Nigeria. After World War II, when thecountry came under a UN trusteeship in 1946, self-government was granted, and the Cameroon Peo-ple's Union emerged as the dominant party by

campaigning for reunification of French and BritishCameroon and for independence. Accused of beingunder Communist control, the party waged a cam-paign of revolutionary terror from 1955 to 1958,when it was crushed. In British Cameroon, unifica-tion was also promoted by the leading party, theKamerun National Democratic Party, led by JohnFoncha.

Cameroon Becomes an Independent RepublicFrance set up Cameroon as an autonomous state in1957, and the next year its legislative assembly votedfor independence by 1960. In 1959 a fully au-tonomous government of Cameroon was formedunder Ahmadou Ahidjo. Cameroon became an inde-pendent republic on Jan. 1, 1960. In 1961 the south-ern part of the British territory joined the newFederal Republic of Cameroon and the northern sec-tion voted for unification with Nigeria. The presi-dent of Cameroon since independence, AhmadouAhidjo was replaced in 1982 by the prime minister,Paul Biya. Both administrations have been authori-tarian.

With the expansion of oil, timber, and coffee exports,the economy has continued to improve, although

Country Profile


corruption is prevalent, and environmental degrada-tion remains a concern. In June 2000 the World Bankagreed to provide more than $200 million to build a$3.7 billion pipeline connecting the oil fields inneighboring Chad with the Cameroon coast. In Aug.2006 Nigeria turned over the disputed oil-richBakassi peninsula to Cameroon—Nigeria had beenresisting the World Court ruling since 2002.

Constitutional Amendment Allows Biya to Remainin PowerParliament amended Cameroon's constitution inApril 2008 to allow President Biya to run for a thirdseven-year term in 2011. He won the 2011 election ina landslide, taking 78% of the vote. His opponentsand international observers alleged the election wasunfair.

Boko Haram Targets Civilians in CameroonBoko Haram, the fundamentalist Islamist sect basedin Nigeria, began kidnapping civilians and attackingvillages in northern Cameroon in 2013. The govern-ment deployed about 1,000 troops to the border withNigeria in May 2014 in an attempt to thwart thecross-border incursions by Boko Haram. The deploy-ment further emboldened the militants, and they es-

calated their attacks. In January 2015, Chad sent2,000 troops to Cameroon to help in the fight againstthe group. Boko Haram is opposed to Western edu-cation, political philosophy, and society, and seeks tooverthrow the government and implement shariathroughout the country. The group's name translatesto "Western education is sinful."

Tourism in Cameroon:

Tourism in Cameroon is a growing but relativelyminor industry. Since the 1970s, the government ofCameroon has cultivated the industry by creating aministry of tourism and by encouraging investmentby airlines, hotels, and travel agencies. The govern-ment describes the country as "Africa in miniature",promoting its diversity of climate, culture, and geog-raphy. Cameroon's wildlife draws both safari-goersand big-game hunters, as Cameroon is home tomany of Africa's iconic animals: cheetahs, chim-panzees,elephants, giraffes, gorillas, hippopotami,and rhinoceroses. Impediments to further growth ofthe tourism sector include poor transport infrastruc-ture and corrupt officials who may harass visitorsfor bribes

Country Profile


IssuesExperts have long predicted thatIgbo language will become ex-tinct during the next twodecades. The larger picture isthat our entire culture (of whichlanguage is a part) is becomingextinct. As such, the current ef-fort to preserve Igbo languagemust be expanded to includeother aspects of our culture thatare at risk. The tendency to re-place many symbols of our cul-ture with money and other quickfixes is damaging.


Issues

Using money as a substitute forobserving our cultural normsand practices is not only injuri-ous to our culture but showsevidence of a total disregard forthe relics and traditional normsthat make our people uniqueand special. Cultural preserva-tion must include adherence tothe procedures and timelinesfor performing the rites associ-ated with our traditional insti-tutions, activities and events.To preserve the beauty of Igboculture, we must promote thesymbols, products, and artifactsused to perform those riteswithout cutting corners. And tothe extent practically andlegally possible, we need toabide by the timelines pre-scribed for traditional Igboevents. Let me illustrate with the ritesand rituals associated with Igbotraditional marriage. I wish to

state upfront that I am ap-proaching this issue as an Igbocultural enthusiast, not an ex-pert. My intent is to shine alight on the aspects of our cul-ture that are becoming extinctlike our language. My expecta-tion is for people to participatein expanding this debate, hope-fully to save our customs andtraditions. In Igboland, usingAnambra state and my owntown Enugwu-Agidi as an ex-ample, there are five basicstages involved in a marriageceremony. Each of these stagesrequires the performance ofcertain rites in order to ensurecompletion and adequate com-pliance to our tradition. Somestages may require more stepsthan others, but are no less im-portant. The five stages of tra-ditional Igbo marriage are: 1.Inquiry (Iku Aka), 2. Dowry(Ime Ego), 3. Traditional Wed-

ding (Okuku Onye Nolu Uwa),4. A Feast for the Father of theBride (Igbu Ewu Nna or IgbaNkwu), and 5. FamiliarizationVisit (Ogo Malu Uno). Below, Iwill offer a brief description ofeach step, the purpose it serves,as well as the cultural expecta-tions. The Inquiry Stage (Iku Aka) iswhen a suitor who finds a po-tential bride takes the necessarysteps to inquire about her fam-ily background. The first acthere is to visit his prospectivefather in-law with a bottle ofliquor to discuss his intentions.Ideally, the visit should occuronly after the suitor has ob-tained an assurance from thewife-to-be that she is interestedin the relationship. However,this does not preclude someoverzealous suitor from knock-ing on that door, knowing fullwell that a father can easily


Issues

override his daughter’s wish.The traditional item to takealong for this inquiry visit isjust one bottle of liquor, not abag of Ghana must go (wads ofcash). Don’t monetize it. Keep itreal and original.

Payment of Dowry (Ime Ego) isthe second stage. This stage fol-lows after both families, thefamily of the bride and thegroom, have inquired abouteach family’s social-moral up-rightness, criminal back-grounds, values, longevity(average age of death amongthe members of each family)and predisposition to certaindiseases, including mental ill-ness. They then determine if ei-ther family is “clean enough” tobe associated with in marriage.The inquiry must include thefamily lineage of one’s birth toensure that neither family is an

outcast dedicated to a deity. Anoutcast or osu is a descendantof a family who was presentedto a god or goddess as a gift. Itis also believed that certain osupeople voluntarily sought re-fuse with deities. It is consid-ered a taboo or an abominationto accept those people or inter-marry with them. For this stageto be performed with fidelity,certain tangible items must bepresented and utilized duringthe ceremony: a bundle ofbroomsticks, cases of beer,kolanuts, and money. Thesenorms and customs constituteintegral aspects of our culture.They should be practiced andsustained as originally con-ceived. For example, thebroomsticks are used to negoti-ate the bride price, which is asymbol of love. The purpose isto underscore the fact that abride is not a commodity that is

being bought or sold, and thatis why real money is not usedor mentioned during the nego-tiations. Dowry payment issimply a gesture of apprecia-tion as well as the significanceof a wife in a man’s life. The re-cent trend, however, is to by-pass these specific rites andsimply pay for all the items incash.

Just recently, I took my Ameri-can-born son to a marriageevent to observe the Dowry cer-emony. I promised him an op-portunity to see my storiesabout the marriage rites inpractice. Unfortunately, wewere totally disappointed, asthe event did not live up to ourexpectations. None of the ex-pected rites was performed.The father of the prospectivesuitor simply handed over alarge envelope of cash to the


Issues

bride’s father, and everyoneclapped and continued todrink. The suitor’s fatheradded, “This envelope will takecare of everything on the listgiven to us. If you want more,let us know. Anyi noo down!No shaky! ”Every aspect of theceremony was monetized. Noteven the kolanut that was pre-sented at the beginning of eventwas from Igboland. My sonwho had waited in vain to wit-ness the dowry negotiationwith brooms was disappointed.It was a gross abuse of our cus-tom. I emphasized the phrase“continued to drink” becauseideally, no participant at aDowry event should drink oreat anything with the exceptionof the “welcome kolanut” be-fore the potential bride hasopenly confirmed that she willmarry the suitor by kneelingdown, taking a sip of wine andhanding it over to the suitor tofinish. It is only after this ac-ceptance is made that the mis-sion is considered to beaccomplished. Only then arethe rest of the partici-pants free to eat anddrink anything of-fered to them.

The third stage ofmarriage is the Tradi-tional Wedding(Okuku Onye NoluUwa). Again, usingEnugwu-Agidi town,as a reference point isthe rite performedwhen a bride informsthe spirit of the per-son who reincarnated her thatshe (the bride) is getting mar-ried and transitioning into a

new phase of life. The Igbos be-lieve in reincarnation; they be-lieve that when someone dies,the spirit of the deceased re-turns back to the family in theform of a newborn. The pur-pose of this ceremony is to no-tify the spirit of the deceasedperson whom the family be-lieves to have reincarnated asthe bride that the bride is aboutthe leave the family to begin anew life as a married person.During this event, which alsooccurs at the home of thebride’s parents, a fowl isslaughtered and used to cook ameal for the couple. This cere-mony marks the first time thebride and groom will eat a mealtogether. This stage is actuallyperceived as the traditionalwedding as well as the mostimportant stage of marriage.Why is this stage the most im-portant in any traditional mar-riage? Because a husbandcannot claim as his, any childor children born by the coupleif this ceremony is not per-formed before the child’s birth.

Without this stage, any childborn to the couple legally be-longs to the bride’s family, ac-

cording to Igbo custom and tra-dition. The recent trend in somefamilies is to monetize or by-pass this stage and acceleratestraight to the church weddingand stage four – Igbu Ewu Nnaor Igba Nkwu. It is a mockeryof our culture and should bediscouraged.

The fourth stage is the Feast forthe Father of the Bride (IgbuEwu Nna or Igba Nkwu).Again the venue for this eventis the residence of the bride’sfather. This is the time whenthe new son in-law slaughters agoat for the father of the bride.This stage involves many morepeople beyond the immediateand extended families of thecouple. Unlike in other stages,this may be the first time thehusband will be inviting all hisfriends, well-wishers, col-leagues, classmates and the en-tire public to his marriageevent. Even though this stage isthe most famous and most cele-brated stage of the marriagerites, it is not as important as

stage three. The tradi-tional Igbo marriageis not about crowds;the significance ofwhat each stage rep-resents is important.This event is usuallyvery costly and in-volves lots of plan-ning because the sizeof the crowd has gonebeyond the membersof the couples’ imme-diate families. Thetradition dictates that

a specific number of items beused for this stage, including atleast two goats, drinks (alco-


Issues

holic and non alcoholic bever-ages), kolanuts, loaves of bread,wraps of tobacco or bottles ofground tobacco, yam tubers,packets of cigarette, cookies,and chewing sticks. The recipi-ents of these items are usuallygrouped into four categories:Men, Women, Male Youths andFemale Youths. All thesegroups are from the bride’s vil-lage where theceremony willtake place. Thegoats mentionedabove are signif-icant. One ofthem will beslaughtered forthe feast, and thesecond goat re-turned back tothe husband as agesture of ap-preciation. Then,depending onthe size of thecrowd invitedby both families,adequate arrangements will bemade for feeding the guests.

The fifth and final stage is a Fa-miliarization or Formal Visit(Ogo Malu Uno). This is thetime when the husband extendsa formal invitation to his wife’sfamily to visit him for a feast.The first four stages of the mar-riage rite occur at the bride’sfamily home, and up until thisfifth stage, it is assumed thatthe bride and members of herfamily have not been to thegroom’s home or town. Eventhough the bride may havegone to her husband’s houseafter the payment of the dowry,it was not considered a formal

visit. The goal of the familiar-ization visit is to formally intro-duce the bride and othermembers of her family to herhusband’s compound so thatthey will know how and whereto locate their daughter when-ever the need arises. Duringthis stage that involves only themembers of the bride’s andhusband’s nuclear families,

food and drinks will be con-sumed as the families engage indiscussions in a lively and low-key atmosphere. Additionalquestions about family affilia-tions, beliefs, and interests willbe addressed on both sides. Theimportance of this stage is thatif it is not done and there werea death or an important eventin the husband’s family, mem-bers of the bride’s family wouldtraditionally be forbidden to at-tend. Even if they attended, tra-dition precludes them fromeating or drinking anything of-fered to them during such avisit.

The specifics of each stage of

the marriage rites will be dis-cussed in later series. Eventhough there may be differ-ences in nomenclature for eachstage or slight variations onhow each stage is performed indifferent regions and towns ofIgboland, the concept is essen-tial the same – a traditionalIgbo marriage rite involvesmultiple stages and the presen-

tation of differentitems that symbolizeour deeply held cul-tural values. None ofthese stages must besacrificed at the altarof expediency,thoughtless socialfads or unnecessarydisplays of opulence.It is our collective re-sponsibility as peo-ple born andsocialized in Igboculture to strive topreserve and handdown to our chil-dren. These are my

views; yours are welcome.

Chinedu Chris Ikeanyi, Ph.DLos Angeles, California


Music & Entertainment

(Continued on flip page)


P-Square are a Nigerian R&B duocomposed of identical twin broth-ers Peter and Paul Okoye. Theyproduce and release their albumsthrough Square Records. In De-cember 2011, they were alsosigned to Akon's Konvict Muziklabel. In May 2012, they alsosigned a record distribution dealwith Universal Music SouthAfrica.

The story of P-Square began in St.Murumba secondary school, asmall Catholic school in Jos, Nige-ria. Identical twins Peter and Pauljoined their school music anddrama club where they begansinging, dancing, and mimicingsongs by MC Hammer, BobbyBrown and Michael Jackson.

They later formed an aappellaquartet called "MMMPP" (M Clefa.k.a. Itemoh, Michael, Melvin,Peter and Paul). Drawing inspira-

tion from their music idol MichaelJackson, they began break danc-ing, formed the group called"Smooth Criminals" in 1997.Theydropped M Clef from the group"MMMPP" which later waschanged to "MMPP". Their artistictalent and precise dance routinesoon made them householdnames in the city of Jos, wherethey performed at school func-tions and other occasions.Later in 1999, Peter and Paul re-turned to music school to developtheir skills on keyboard, drums,bass and rhythm guitar. Theirwork includes the soundtracks fora number of films like Tobi, MamaSunday, Moment of Bitterness andEvas Later in 1999, they applied tothe University of Abuja to studyBusiness Administration. TheSmooth Criminals disbandedwhen its members left to variousother universities. SubsequentlyPeter and Paul formed their own

group, variously called "DoubleP", "P&P", and "Da Pees", untilthey eventually settled on"PSquare". They are managedby Bayo Odusami aka Howie T,a seasoned concert promoterand the CEO of Adrot NigeriaLimited.

In 2001, "P-Square" won the"Grab Da Mic" competition,and hence Benson & Hedgessponsored their debut album,titled Last Nite, which was re-leased under Timbuk2 musiclabel. P-Square was also nomi-nated as "Most PromisingAfrican Group" in the KoraAwards three months after therelease of their debut album.They eventually won the 2003Amen Award for "Best R&BGroup".




In 2005, P Square released theirsecond album, Get Squaredunder their own label, SquareRecords. This album was mar-keted nationwide by TJoe En-terprises, although they werestill managed by Howie T ofAdrot Nigeria Limited. Thevideo for the second albumheld the #1 position on theMTV Base chart for fourstraight weeks.

They have an ever growing fanbase across South Africa with aparticular stronghold ofdiehard fans in Cape Town.

The group has performedalongside the following inter-national artists like Ginuwine,Sean Paul, Akon andBusolaKeshiro. The members of P

Square are now located inLagos.

Late in 2007, they released theirbest selling album so far, GameOver. It has sold 8 millioncopies worldwide.

In 2009, P-Square released theirfourth studio album, Danger .The album features collabora-tions with 2face Idibia, J Mar-tins and Frenzy. The first singlecalled "Danger" is a hip hopsong with cutting synths and afrog bass baseline similar to anEminem song. The video af-firms this with the presence ofclowns and staggered move-ments in front of the camerareminiscent of comical videosby Eminem They are alsoknown for the close resem-

blance which the twins have toAmerican R&B Superstar,Usher Raymond.

On 4 April 2010, P-Square wasnamed the Artist of the Year atthe KORA All Africa MusicAwards inOuagadougou, Burk-ina-Faso while they were inLondon for a Concert at theTroxy, and they will receive awhopping sum of $1 MillionDollars as the Award Winners,in Ebebiyin City.

Albums

2003: Last Nite2005: Get Squared2007: Game Over2009: Danger2011: The Invasion


International singles 2009 /2012: "E No Easy" (P-Squarefeat. J. Martins)

2012: "Positif" (Matt Houstonfeat. P-Square)

2012: "Chop My Money (IDon't Care)"

2012: Alingo

Won

2006 Hip Hop World AwardsBest R&B Album (Get Squared)Best Music Video (Get Squared)Album of the Year (GetSquared)Song of the Year ("Bizzy Body")2006 City Mag 9th AwardsShow - Best Hip Hop Group2006 Nigerian Music Awards

(NMA)Album of the year (GetSquared)Music Video of the year (GetSquared)2007 Channel O Music VideoAwards- Best Duo or Group2008 Channel O Music VideoAwardsBest Duo or GroupVideo of the Year ("Do Me")MTV Africa Music Awards2008 - Best GroupMTV Africa Music Awards2009- Best Group2010 KORA Awards - Artiste ofthe Year2010 LIL PERRY PRODUC-TIONS Producer of the Year2012 Channel O Music VideoAwards - Best Duo, Group orFeaturing Music Video ("ChopMy Money" with Akon and

May D)Nominated

BET Awards 2010 - Best Inter-national ActKORA Awards 2003 - MostPromising African Group(Nominated)MOBO Awards 2006 - BestAfrican ActMOBO Awards 2008 - BestAfrican Act

.* MTV AFRICAN MUSICAWARDS- 2008

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-Square



Religion


Religion

“For unto us a child is born, unto us ason is given: and the government shallbe upon his shoulder: and his nameshall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,The mighty God, The everlasting Fa-ther, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

“Glory to God in the highest, and onearth peace, good will toward men”.(Luke 2:14 )

“I’m telling you these things while I’mstill living with you. The Friend, theHoly Spirit whom the Father will sendat my request, will make everythingplain to you. He will remind you of allthe things I have told you. I’m leavingyou well and whole. That’s my part-ing gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave youthe way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t beupset. Don’t be distraught”. ( John 14 –25 -27 ( The Message )

If there is anything our world has al-ways needed and desperately craves

today, it is peace – peace in marriages,peace in the classrooms, peace on theplaygrounds, peace in the workplace,peace in the movie theaters, peace atthe restaurants and even inside thechurch! Terrorists have struck fearsinto the hearts of the world’s inhabi-tants and it appears no one is beyondtheir reach. People go out and neverreturn. Families travel and never re-turn. Children go to school and neverreturn. It is not confined to one specificcountry or a specific race or religion.Everyone is a fair game.

The world established the League ofNations to help bring about peaceamong the nations but it was a colos-sal failure. Many wars were foughtstill. The name changed to United Na-tions. But it is clear that the United Na-tions is a united nothing. A fiasco. Aninternational joke. Wars not only con-tinued, terrorism and impoverishmentof nations were added to it bringingabout monumental refugee problems.

Why? Why are all the efforts to usherin peace failing ? Because there can beno true peace until the Prince of Peacecomes. But you can enjoy peace evenin the midst of all these turbulence andtempests of terror. All you need is thePrince of Peace Himself to come intoyour life.

A patron asked a painter to paint apicture of peace. First, he painted aquiet-looking deserted street bereft ofany hint of disquiet. The patron re-jected it. Then he painted a field ofgently swaying beautiful daffodils in asunset by the seaside. The patronturned it down. Finally he painted atempest roaring through a farmlandand trees being uprooted andbranches breaking and being hurledoff by the wind. In the “eye of thestorm” is a tiny bird perched andsleeping away in the midst of the tem-pest on a half broken branch of a tree!“Yes ! Yes!! Yes!!!” Screamed the pa-tron. “This is peace! This is peace!! This


Religion

is peace!!! Indeed, seeing a tiny birdsleeping in the midst of a tempest on ahalf broken tree branch passes all un-derstanding. I present to you thisChristmas Jesus Christ, the Gift ofpeace that can offer you “the peace ofGod that passes all understanding”Philippians 4:7.

The Gift of Peace with God

Romans 5:1 says we havepeace with God through ourLord Jesus Christ. Thismeans that we are recon-ciled back to God becausethe barriers of hostility andenmity that separated usfrom God have been re-moved by the person andwork of Christ. For he him-self is our peace, who hasmade the two one and hasdestroyed the barrier, the dividingwall of hostility, Ephesians 2:14 . Onthat glorious night when Jesus wasborn, the angels sang, "glory to God inthe highest, and on earth, peace.

The Gift of Peace with Man

Do you know that the Prince of Peacecan actually make your enemies to beat peace with you? Believe it or not,that cantankerous and obnoxious

spouse, neighbor or child can bemade to be at peace with you.

Proverbs 16: 7 says “when a man'sways please the Lord, he maketh even

his enemies to be at peace with him.”

You do not need to be in hostility withthose who are hostile towards you.Once you have the Lord Jesus as yourLord and Savior, peace with all men isyour heritage. In the Old Testament,

Jacob had run away from home be-cause he stole his brother’s blessingby deceiving their father Isaac withthe help of his mother Rebecca.Esau, his brother therefore swore tokill him so he fled for his life to livewith his mother’s brother. He wasthere for at least fourteen years andGod prospered him. His prosperitytriggered envy from his Uncle andhis children to the extent that theUncle pursued him to force himback after Jacob had left him. Godappeared to Laban, the Uncle, in adream and warned him to steer clearof Jacob and leave him in peace. Infact he must not as much as offend

Jacob in speech! ( Genesis 31:24). Godwas Jacob’s Peace. When Jacob heardthat his brother Esau was coming with400 men to meet him, he was scared todeath knowing what he did to him

“Do you know that the Prince of

Peace can actually make your

enemies to be at peace with you?

”


Religion

years ago and how vengeful hisbrother was. He divided his familyinto different segments and kept thosethat he loved most at the rear thinkingthat evil was determined by Esau to-wards him. But the Prince of Peacehad gone ahead of him. When Esauboth brothers finally met, Esau “ran tomeet him and embraced him, ad fellon his neck and kissed him, and theywept.” ( Genesis 33:4). God was HisPeace.

When you make Jesus your Peace, Hewill be your peace even in “little”things. He cares so much about youthat even “the very hairs of your headare numbered” Luke 12:17. For exam-ple, an elderly woman wrote a letter toGod a week before Christmas but shehad no money for stamp or envelope.She made an envelope herself thatlooked ragged and messy. The postalworker found it while sorting out let-ters. Out of curiosity he opened it andread that the writer was in great dis-tress and lost all sense of peace be-cause she had lost all her savings ofabout $150 to online theft. She had no

money for food or anything else forChristmas. Fellow postal workersheard about it and took contributionsof $100 for the woman. The moneywas mailed to her that same day in aplain envelope, with no note or any-thing. A week later, the same postalworker noticed another unstampedletter that had been addressed to Godin the same handwriting. In it, hefound a brief note:

“Dear God, Thank you for the $100that you sent me for Christmas, whichwould have been so bleak otherwise.P.S. It was $50 short, but that wasprobably those thieving workers at thepost office. “

I present the Prince of Peace to youtoday. He is the Christmas Gift fromGod to you this season. Have you re-ceived Him?

Oladipo Kalejaiye holds a Ph.D degreein law and was a litigation attorney inNigeria, Europe and the United Statesfor over 17 years. He entered into fulltime ministry in year 2000, and cur-rently serves as the pastor of Interna-tional Christian Center, Los Angeles (You can contact him by Email: [email protected], Web: www.iccla.com,Facebook: iccla/facebook, Twitter:@DipoKalejaiye)

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