Lessons from Pope’s resignation

The sudden resignation of the pope or abdication of his authority or papacy or reign came to all Catholic faithful and indeed religious people all over the world as a shock.
This the pontiff attributed to old age and his inability to be strong to continue in his capacity as Saint Peter’s successor and head of the Catholic fold.
This hasn’t happened in the history of the church for 400 years. This brings to mind the recent retirement of His eminence Anthony Cardinal Okojie, Emeritus Archbishop of Lagos, and many other religious and clergymen.

Maturity and an understanding of the rigors associated with their offices informed their decisions. Our prayers is for the Catholics all over the world to be guided by God to have a worthy successor to the pope and grant the pope blessings, favors and sound health in retirement. This we import to our own situation in Nigeria albeit Africa where our leaders and men in authority sit tight and want perpetuation or die in power. Being an ex-leader makes one’s input and opinions well-sought after and encourages one to put one’s house in order in case of the eventuality.
Leadership is about service even in retirement; elder statesmen and other men and women of repute are always a crown to the development of any community or nation. Like the saying goes, health is wealth. Our leaders should know when to call it quits or draw the curtain on their careers for it is better and far honorable to bequeath a legacy in one’s lifetime. A word, they say, is enough for the wise.
InformationNigeria

FG records N420.8bn deficit in 4th quarter 2012 –CBN

 by Idris Ahmed

CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

The Federal Government recorded an estimated deficit of N420.81 billion in the fourth quarter of last year, the Central Bank of Nigeria said in its fourth quarter economic report pasted on its website.

It said that while the FG retained N821.24 billion revenue for the quarter, its total expenditure was N1.242 trillion.

The budgeted deficit for the period was N284.05 billion. In the fourth quarter of 2011, government incurred N489.54 billion.

The report said that total federally collected revenue in the fourth quarter of 2012 stood at N2.4 trillion, representing a decline of 0.4 and 13.3 per cent below the budget estimate and the level in the preceding quarter, respectively, but an increase of 101.1 per cent above the receipts in the corresponding period of 2011.

At N1.8 trillion, oil receipts, which constituted 75.6 per cent of the total, exceeded the budget estimate and receipts in the corresponding period of 2011 by 9.91 and 151.2 per cent, respectively, but declined by 5.8 per cent below the receipts in the preceding quarter.

The increase in oil receipts relative to the budget estimate was attributed, largely, to the rise in the receipts from petroleum profit tax, royalties and domestic crude oil and gas sales during the period.

Non-oil receipts, at N589.98 billion, was below the budget estimate and receipts in the preceding quarter by 22.8 and 30.3 per cent, respectively.

The decline in non-oil revenue relative to the preceding quarter’s level, reflected largely the fall in corporate tax, Federal Government independent revenue, as well as customs and excise duties during the review period.

At N13.95 trillion, aggregate banking system credit (net) to the domestic economy, rose by 4.4 per cent at the end of the fourth quarter of 2012, compared with the growth of 0.4 and 37.4 per cent at the end of the preceding quarter and the corresponding quarter of 2011, respectively.

The development relative to the preceding quarter’s level, reflected, largely, the 15.1 and 2.3 per cent increase in claims on the federal government and private sector respectively.

Banking system’s credit (net) to the federal government, at the end of the review quarter rose by 15.1 per cent to N1.3 trillion, in contrast to a decline of 13.3 per cent in the preceding quarter.

The development was accounted for, largely, by the 35.3 per cent increase in banking system’s holdings of federal government securities, particularly FGN Bonds and Treasury Bills.

At the end of fourth quarter 2012, banking system’s credit to the private sector rose by 2.3 per cent to N15.2 trillion, compared with the increase of 1.6 and 27.7 per cent at the end of the preceding quarter and the corresponding period of 2011, respectively.

DailyTrust

Husband Catches Wife In Bed With Another Man, Commits Suicide The Next Day

The man whose wife was recently caught red-handed sleeping with another man has committed suicide.
Tichakura Zadzi (31) caught his wife Karen Phiri in bed with a trader only known as Zenzo.
The incident took place Mbare, Zimbabwe. On the night before Zadzi committed suicide, there was an impasse as to who should take the wife prompting the hubby, wife and boyfriend to share the same room.
Zenzo promptly offered Zadzi US$100 as a one off payment for taking his wife and to stop the latter from making noise which would alert neighbours with resultant risk of mob justice. This did not go down well with Zenzo who shot down his relatives’ advice of leaving the wife alone.
A furious Zadzi later bought a pesticide which he is reported to have taken while in the house. Realising what had happened, Zenzo is said to have fled their apartment along with Karen. Due to pain, Zadzi reportedly informed the neighbour only identified as Mai Muchaina about the pesticide he drank.

Prior to Zadzi’s death, he is said to have been counselled by Karen’s elder sister Lucis Phiri but to no avail. Karen’s mother Gogo Memory Mandikumba last night absolved her daughter of any wrong doing.
“I am so surprised to hear that my child was cheating on her husband who married her while she was still underage. At one point, we refused that she got married because she was very young and she was also honest as was confirmed by the neighbours. We only heard that she started dating Zenzo after her husband left for South Africa where he took almost a year without sending anything for the kids. In fact, Zenzo was the one looking after Zadzi’s family and that’s why he had the guts to remain in the house when Zadzi came back from South Africa,” she said.
Zadzi is survived by his wife Karen and two kids aged 5 and 2. He was supposed to be buried yesterday in Chivhu.
InformationNigeria

Oba Of Ogun Sent To Prison For Being Disrespectful

An Ota High Court, Ogun State, southWest Nigeria has sentenced Lasisi Kolapo Ogunseye to two months imprisonment for contempt.
Chief Fatai Alani Matanmi, the Onijoko of Ijoko-Ota filed the contempt charge against the convict on 17 May, 2012 at the Ota High Court.
In his application, Oba Matanmi alleged that after he had won several cases against the convict at the high court on the tussle for the stool of Onijoko of Ijoko-Ota, Ogunseye continued to ignore the judgments of the court and has been parading himself as Onijoko of Ijoko by attending public functions with the full regalia of an Oba.
Barrister S. O. Ola, the leading counsel for Oba Matanmi while moving the motion for the committal to prison of Ogunseye told the court that Ogunseye has been behaving as if he is above the law and has continued to flout court orders with impunity without regard to the rule of law, moreso, when he was properly served with all the court processes.
“He has refused to show up in court to answer to the contempt charge against him or send a representative,” he added.
Ruling on the motion, the presiding judge, Justice Mobolaji .A. Ojo frowned at the attitude of Ogunseye, saying he thinks that he is above the law but the fact remains that the law is above everyone.
“I  hold that this is an appropriate situation in which the court may punish the contemnor for his contempt.
“This application therefore succeeds and it is granted as prayed. The respondent/party cited is guilty of the orders of this court. I hereby order that the respondent, Lasisi Kolapo Ogunseye, be arrested forthwith and remanded in prison custody for a period of 60 days in the first instance until he purges himself of his contempt of this court,” the judge ruled.
Justice Ojo also ordered that a copy of the order should be served on the Area Commander, Nigeria Police, Ota, the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, the Attorney-General of Ogun State and the Governor of Ogun State.
He concluded by saying “each and everyone of the above mentioned shall exercise his constitutional and statutory powers and authority to execute this order without delay.”
Naij.com

Fashola Splashes N54.5 Million On Super Eagles

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has splashed N54.5 million on members of the victorious Nigeria’s Super Eagles for winning the African Cup of Nations tournament in South Africa. The governor also gave the supporters’ club N4.5 million for supporting the Super Eagles throughout the tournament.

Governor Fashola with his deputy, Orelope Adefulire, Coach Stephen Keshi, Mr Seni Adetu, MD Guinness Nigeria
Fashola, who hosted the Eagles at the Banquet Hall, State House, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria today praised the team for doing the nation proud at the tournament and called on Nigerians to support the team in subsequent matches. Fashola announced N2.5 million for the Head Coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi and N2 million for the immediate Assistant Coach of the team, Daniel Omokachi, while four other Assistant Coaches of the team got N1.5 million each.
The governor further gave each of the 22 players that did the nation proud N1 million and N1.5 million to the team captain, Joseph Yobo. Fashola also gave out N15 million to the 11 backroom staff of the team and gave out N500,000 for each of the 11 goals scored at the tournament in South Africa. The money will go to the players who scored the goals. The total sum of money given out by the governor to the team and the supporters’ club amounted to N59 million.
The governor reminded the team of their next World Cup qualifying game against Kenya in few weeks time and urged them to prepare adequately to do the nation proud in June at the Confederation Cup in Brazil. He said the performance of the team had catapulted it to becoming the 4th best team in Africa and 30th in the world from the abysmal position it was before the tournament, adding that the team could improve on its FIFA rating as it was in 1994 when the Super Eagles was the 5th best team in the world.

Some royal touch: Fashola passes the AFCON trophy to Oba Akiolu
According to Fashola, if the Super Eagles do well at the Confederation Cup, it would enhance the team’s seeding at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, if it qualified for the tournament. The governor warned members of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF to stop interfering with the job of the coach, saying that the era "where people barged into the dressing room during the 15 minutes break to interfere in the work of the coach should stop immediately. The NFF should stop this act." Fashola said the team won the tournament due to the resolve of the coach to believe in the capability of the team to go far in the tournament, stressing that "everybody needs to support Keshi and anyone who becomes the head coach of the Super Eagles in the future."

Fashola, Keshi and some Super Eagles
On the way forward, he said the NFF and the National Sports Commission, NSC had lots of work to do, to integrate a talent development programme, to hunt for new talents for future development of sports in the country. The cup was formally presented to Fashola by the managing director of Guinness, Mr. Seni Adetu.
Naij.com

I’m Reaping Reward Through My Son – Oboabona’s Father

Father of one of the latest soccer stars in the country, Mr. Jonathan Oboabona, has said that God has decided to reward his soccer talent through his son, Godfrey. The young Oboabona featured for Nigeria in the just concluded African Cup of Nations in South-Africa.

Oboabona who shared his experience in an interview with our correspondent on Wednesday said he relocated to Ondo town since 1966 from Ohodua in Esan South East Local Government area of Edo State. He described himself as a football addict.

He said his love and passion for football made him to encourage all his five male children including Godfrey who is the youngest of them all, in to engage in sporting activities.

Apart from Godfrey, Oboabona said two of his sons – David and Daniel – are also deeply involved in sports and had represented Ondo in national competitions. He described Daniel as a volleyball star while David is good in badminton, javelin, and cricket among others.

He said, “I congratulate my country, Ondo State, and my son, Godfrey who is the youngest of my seven children because it was a surprise but fulfilling to me that one of my sons is among the players, who brought glory to our great country.

“Within my I had always known that the boy was a star since he was born. I had seen the soccer interest in him since he was a toddler and I encouraged him. When he was in the primary school, he used to play football both in the sun and in the rain and he would stay there whether he eats or not. I didn’t stop or discourage him.

“All his brothers are sports-loving people, even his elder brother, Daniel, plays volley ball, another brother, David plays lawn tennis, badminton and hockey for Adeyemi College of Education and he had featured in the state competition in the past.

“Godfrey, our baby of the house is very gentle, loving and respectful, even when he was in Akure, he would call me every day to know how I was faring. We spoke almost every day while he was abroad; he is a good son.

“We assist him a lot in prayers. Everybody in the family watch him play all the matches and we support him with prayers before and after each match. I am a Catholic. The secret of our success is prayer to my God for him and God has really answered our prayers concerning him.”

Oboabona said Godfrey decided to buy a Toyota Camry car for him last year “when he discovered that after retirement from Adeyemi College of Education in 2004 having worked for 31 years, I was still going about on Okada (motorcycle).”

He said the dream of the family for him was for the new soccer star to secure an engagement with a club in Europe.

Godfrey’s mother, Mrs Victoria Oboabona, a petty trader said she was very happy for her son and specially commended Coach Stephen Keshi for exposing her son to limelight.

She said, “I thank God for him, he has been playing football since 2yrs of age, he would not let me rest until I buy ball for him every time, from his primary school days, and I supported him, despite the fact that he always got injuries.

“At a point I felt like stopping him from playing football; I always felt like crying whenever he got injured. I would shout at him asking why he was putting himself in trouble. And in all he would say ‘mama don’t worry just leave me alone’.

“So I would let him alone and pray for him. I used to pray and fast because of him whenever they wanted to go for any football competition.”

And going by the windfall from the African cup for Godfrey and the rest of Eagles it was good that he was left alone to play his football.

Mr and Mrs Jonathan Oboabona with the car Godfrey bought for them TalkOfNaija

Entrepreneur Bertin Nahum, ranked the fourth most revolutionary hight-tech entrepreneurs in the world.....

Entrepreneur Bertin Nahum, ranked the fourth most revolutionary hight-tech entrepreneurs in the world by the Canadian magazine Discovery, coming after Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and James Cameron, poses at his office on November 6, 2012 in Castelnau-le-Lez, France.

( Patrick Aventurier, Getty Images ) Bertin Nahum is CEO of Medtech, a French company which specializes in robotic surgical assistance that helps guide surgeons, doctors and biologists during biopsies, implants,and general surgery. Nahum holds a Master of Science degree in robotics from the University of Coventry and is a native of Benin West Africa. In 2012, he created ROSA, a robot that helps surgeons perform brain surgery that is used in hospitals around the world.

ChicagoTribune