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When people abandon us at times of need, God will never abandon us.

2Kings : 1-7

Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.

6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

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Controversy continues to trail meetings the Oyo state Governor has with various interest groups in the state. In his reaction, the Eze Ndigbo of Ibadan and Oyo state, who is also the chairman of the Association of Traditional Heads of Non-Indigenes in the state, Ez(Dr.) Alex Anozie opines that there is no way members of the association will ignore the state Governor, who invited them for a meeting.

Excerpts: Mixed reactions have trailed your association's meeting with the Oyo state Governor what is your position?

As the Governor of the state, he invited the heads of the ethnic groups for a meeting. We had no option but to attend the meeting. There is just no way we can ignore the Governor or disrespect him; we must honor him as the Governor of the state where we reside. If we do otherwise, that means we are not law abiding because we should be working together as partners in progress, as the leaders of the ethnic groups in the state. We didn't know why he invited us and when we got there, he informed us of his intention to run for a second term and I don't think he has committed any crime by informing us of his intention to run for a second term. To continue the work he is doing and the constitution also allows him to do that if he is voted in by the people. And I do not think that we have committed any crime by honoring his invitation as the Governor of the state. He spoke and we listened to him. That is all. I do not see any crime he or we have committed. We are all working for the peace and progress of the state. That is our target. Anyone at any time who becomes the state Governor, that invites us, we will not disrespect him. If God answers his prayers and allows him to come back for a second term, that will be the end of his mandatory two terms. After this, if he, again, invites us that he wants to continue after two terms, we will tell him pointblank No, that he is going against the constitution . After his second term, anyone that God brings in to become the state Governor, if he invites us in that same manner, we will honor the invitation and listen to him or her again.

ampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Reginald Roberts (22, Lakeland), a/k/a/ “Rudy,” Nathaniel Keith Carr (28, Riverdale), a/k/a “Nate,” and Chrishawn De’Earl Butler (22, Brooksville), a/k/a “Baby,” have each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, Hobbs Act robbery, and brandishing and discharging firearms in the commission of crimes of violence. Each faces a minimum mandatory sentence ranging from 14 to 21 years, up to life, in federal prison. Sentencing dates have not yet been set.

According to the plea agreements, and as depicted in the attached photographs introduced at the initial appearance hearing on May 12, 2021, between December 2020 and April 2021, Roberts, Carr, Butler and others engaged in a conspiracy to rob individuals they suspected of distributing narcotics. During that time, the conspirators engaged in numerous armed robberies in Hillsborough, Pasco, Polk, and Lee counties, some of which resulted in shootings. While committing these offenses, the conspirators impersonated law enforcement officers by wearing black clothing, gloves, and masks, often with law enforcement insignia, or vests with “Sheriff” affixed. In addition, during certain robberies, the conspirators drove a black Dodge Durango and white Chevrolet Malibu equipped with blue lights and sirens. 

Co-conspirator Jasmine Weber (28, Tampa) has also pleaded guilty, and is pending sentencing. Indicted co-conspirators Daniel Jackson and Darius Hudson are pending trial. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Bartow Police Department, the Lakeland Police Department, the Dade City Police Department, the Cape Coral Police Department, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, the Arcadia Police Department, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Source-FBI

The funding of education is a major challenge in Nigeria.

Sadly, education funding has been reduced drastically over the years.

In addition, the poor remuneration of teaching staff at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels has also contributed to the deterioration of education.

Furthermore, the attitude of parents and guardians towards their children and wards' education is nothing to write home about, including the low quality of training teaching staff pass through have both contributed to the worrisome state of education in the country.

The quest for wealth is now the focus of parents and guardians at the detriment of the future of their children and wards.

All the above mentioned have impacted negatively on the academic performance of pupils and students at all levels of education.

It is high time the Federal Government increases the budget funding for education to the 26 per cent benchmark recommended by UNESCO.

Above all, the government should strengthen institutions to eradicate systemic corruption and also ensure that the recruitment of teaching staff is transparent based on merit.

Lastly, the trend is now to promote students who fail to enmasse. This is not good for education. Those who do not exhibit the capacity and capability to learn should either be made to repeat or shown the way out.

Dr. Amenaghawon is of the Department of Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Nigerians need to be grateful to God who gave us the opportunity to have a successful election exercise that eventually produced a President Elect against all odds and without fatalities.

The President Elect therefore needs to know the areas of credence and professional capability of his Vice, with whom he must work together for good.

The challenges ahead generally calling for earlier secession bid of some sections in the country, constitution amendment, need for ease of restructuring to aid and enhance accelerated development for the Nation under them must be promptly addressed.

The four major areas needing prompt attention and purposeful focus are:1. National Security 2. National Unity3. Effective Economic Management4. Foreign Affairs with good international relations principles.

It is of common knowledge to the lovers of Nigeria and their agitators' counterparts that Nigeria is already heading for the precipice due to value degradation and collapse of all agents of socialization.

Value restoration is therefore germane to effectively reinvent Nigeria into a rebranded Nation where democracy will work on the two legs of Justice and Equity for its dividend to produce Peace and Sustainable Development.Regeneration and resuscitation of our past Glory anchored on the theme of our National Anthem - that the efforts of our heroes past shall never be in vain, needs to be our guiding principles.

The expectations of all Nigerians are high based on the President Elect's antecedent of strategic planning that truly transformed Lagos State into the dream of a mega city for Nigeria and upon which your successors Governor of Lagos State build their feet.

Your being there as President Elect, therefore, is a matter of no lost hope and fulfilment of destiny for Nigeria to be rightly transformed.Right funding that would be enough to promote functional education is desired.  

Motivation for teachers and lecturers, and facility updates for dynamic educational institutions is primarily sacrosanct. Enhancement of orientation for students on self-employment with focus on vocation for SMEs as feeder packages for full industrialization is equally a necessity.

The APC government target on promotion of zero tolerance for corruption and institutional indiscipline must be pursued to sustainable realization point for true accelerated development with enhanced high indicators of development to be achieved.  

Dignity of labour too must be restored to avoid further waywardness and frivolities in wealth acquisition by Nigerians.

Above all, sanity must be restored in the key areas of human dynamics vis-a-vis cultural setting, institutional/professional ethics, religious institutions, as well as credibility in leadership for good governance.

When the socio-spiritual state is normal for all Nigerians, the environment will be able to enjoy the necessary spiritual interventions.May God, the Almighty Allah, bless Nigeria and endow  the President Elect with the knowledge , wisdom and power of a discerning mind to steer the boat of Nigeria safely into the right destination of restoring and reclaiming our cap of giant of Africa.

Your good performance in office will redeem our image abroad.

Prof. OlagokeJP is the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide

God our creator knows our thoughts,difficulities and needs. Let us rely on HIM in all situations.

1(To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.) O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. 5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. 7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

The Oyo state council of the Nigeria Labor Congress has declared that some of its members decided to feature prominently in the second term campaign of the state Governor as a show of appreciation for meeting their demands.

This declaration was made by the secretary of the nlc, Comrade Adebayo Aritbatishe.

''The Governor has responded to their demands and they go in groups to campaign venues to show appreciation for what the Governor has done for them. It should be noted that affiliates of the union have various agitations and demands. These demands are tailored through the Joint Negotiation Committee(JNC). And when such demands or agitations are met, it is only proper to show appreciation. They have every right as affiliates.'' Comrade Artibatise also disclosed that the state Governor has paid three out of the five-month unremitted union dues deductions, adding,'' he has promised to pay the remaining at the end of the month.''

God always speaks to us through His Word, through the apostles and other faithful servants of old. Deuteronomy 30 : 1-20

1And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. 4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: 5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. 7 And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. 8 And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. 9 And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: 10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. 11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. 15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.