Daily Manna: Imminent Judgment. Thursday 31, October 2013

Daily Manna: Imminent Judgment

Thursday 31, October 2013

TEXT: ISAIAH 23:1-18

KEY VERSE: “The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth” (Isaiah 23:9).

A Boston shoplifter was caught in a peculiar way. He had stolen a hat in a department store and ran with it to the escalators; but instead of boarding the one going down, in his haste, he took the ascending stairway. He tried hard to run down, but was confronted by the ascending passengers while all the time the steps were rising. Finally, in spite of his frantic efforts, he was borne back to the head of the stairs again, where he found a policeman waiting for him. This is the picture of the difficult ways of sinners. The Bible declares the ways of sinners as hard.

Noah preached to the antediluvian people to come into the ark for salvation but they thought they were smart and wise - animals replaced them in the ark. Lot preached to the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah before the rain of God’s fire came down. But, Lot was like a comedian to the homosexuals there. God mandated Isaiah in this passage to preach to Israel and all her neighbouring countries to repent before Nebuchadnezzar, His “Whip”, was sent to deal with them. They all disregarded the warning of Isaiah. The rest, as they say, is history.

Strangely, sinners are becoming more hardened to the warnings of God. However, if Noah, Lot and Isaiah were faithful to their commission of preaching the goodnews, we cannot be less passionate and enthusiastic about ours. Why not avoid the folly of joining with the multitude to do evil. Instead, align with the few on the strait and narrow way to heaven.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: God’s wrath and indignation surely await the impenitent.

Good Morning!

Daily Manna: The Unmistakable Mark. Saturday 26, October 2013

TEXT: 1 SAMUEL 18:22-30

KEY VERSE: “And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David…” (1 Samuel 18:28).

In so many African countries, tribal marks were used to differentiate families and tribes from others. It was easy to tell a person’s origin merely by looking at his tribal mark. This practice is becoming extinct because the conditions that warranted it hardly still exist. In any case, there are more decent means of identity now.

Similar to the African tribal marks, believers have distinguishing marks that differentiate them from the people of the world. Grace, dignity, wisdom and divine presence are the marks. David possessed it. Saul, driven by envy stemming from the high esteem accorded David in Israel for his exploit in killing Goliath, was looking for an opportunity to kill David. But he could not because of the divine presence with him.

To ensnare David, Saul offered to give him his daughter, Michal, as wife, asking for no money but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines for dowry. He had hoped that David would die in the hands of the Philistines in the process of procuring the strange dowry. But the plot failed; David succeeded. Observe what the Bible says here: “And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David...” If you are a child of God, that mark is there. Even your enemies will notice it and, like the case of Saul, will be afraid of you because they know that with the mark upon you, you are destined for a glorious end.

It is godliness and holiness experience through repentance and faith in Christ that brings the divine presence.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: No holiness, no divine presence.

Have A Splendid Weekend.

Why Nigerian Graduates Are Unemployable – F. U. T. A. VC

The Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Prof. Biyi Daramola, says Nigerian graduates are unemployable due to the lack of self discipline and commitment to vigorous academic pursuit.

Daramola said this in a lecture entitled; “The Role of Science and Technology in Human Resource Management”, he presented at the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, on Thursday.

He spoke at a forum organised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria.

The Professor of Agricultural Economics said it was regrettable that many Nigerian graduates could not secure jobs after years of applications.

He said that the lack of exposure to science and Technology was also a major factor responsible for their plight.

The vice chancellor said it was high time the country’s education curricula be fashioned in a manner to make mathematics compulsory for all courses at all levels.

This, he said, would boost students’ interests in science and technology from their tender ages.

Daramola urged governments to ensure proper funding of science and technology at all levels of the academic cadre, adding that “they should also help in the establishment of monotechnics and polytechnics or universities of technology that would expose students to skills acquisition.

“Over the years, Nigerian education policies have recognised the importance of science-based courses in the nation’s education curricular and thus pursued the policy of giving more attention to science-oriented courses during admissions into the nation’s tertiary institutions.”

He said that the empahasis on science and technology would facilitate the actualisation of the country’s desire to join the comity of developed economies by the year 2020.

In her remarks, the Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Prof Modupe Adelabu, who was represented by the Commissioner for Education, Mr Kehinde Ojo, said the distributions of 48,000 laptops to students and teachers, as well as renovation of all schools by Gov. Kayode Fayemi-led administration underscored the importance placed on education.

The President/Chairman of Council, Mr. Victor Famuyibo, who was represented by the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer

of the Institution, Mr Sunday Adeyemi, pledged that the council would continue to live up to expectations in its

commitment to the management of human capital for maximum productivity. [NAN]

Text of Address by the Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo during the Official Commissioning of the 2X60MVA, 132/33KV Transmission Sub-Station in Karu, Abuja on October 21, 2013.

Protocols,

I stand tall today, giving all glory to God, for another opportunity to witness the birth of and indeed be the one to commission another power facility to bring the desired and well-deserved change to the lives of numerous Nigerian citizens.

Let me begin by recalling that barely two weeks ago, His Excellency President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan commissioned the 434MW Geregu 2 Power Station in Kogi State and just two days ago, commissioned Omotosho 2 Power Plant with a 500MW capacity. These developments kick-started the releasing of nearly 5,000MW of electricity into the national grid within the next few months from the ten completed NIPP plants under the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Ltd. And this is only part of the power generation plans under the reform programme.

Also related to today’s event, permit me to recall that on the 23rd of September, 2010 in Kubwa on the other side of the FCT, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan commissioned a project similar in scope and complexity to the one we’re unveiling today, resulting in tremendous improvement in power supply in that area.

It is not difficult to see that this occasion of the official commissioning of the World Bank - Assisted 2x60MVA, 132/33kV Transmission Sub-Station in Karu under the National Energy Development Project (NEDP) is equally life-changing, important and significant in more ways than one.

For the large and highly industrious population of Karu, Mararaba and environs, the epileptic nature of power supply became a familiar but tortuous experience over the years. But change has come.

With today’s commissioning, the transmission inadequacy in Karu Area has been squarely addressed. Moreso with the upgrading of the over-stretched 33KV transmission line all the way from the Apo transmission substation to the current 132KV line at the door step to reduce technical losses, the hitherto inadequate 30MVA power transformer capacity has now been upgraded to 120MVA to accommodate the higher load demand forecast in Vision 20:2020.

This project will certainly act as a catalyst for the development of small and medium scale businesses, promotion of industrial growth in these areas, and subsequently impacting positively on the well-being and overall living standards of individual families.

The GM, PMU Engr. Ciroma has already outlined some of the benefits to be derived from this project and I think it is worth celebrating that electricity consumers in Karu, Mararaba, Nyanya, Masaka, Jikwoi, Karshi and neighbouring parts of Nasarawa State will now enjoy about 15 to 18 hours quality supply of electricity daily as against the previously unpredictable supply patterns.

I wish to announce that by the Grace of God, this new experience for the residents of Karu and environs is just a taste of the new lifestyle that the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is ushering in for urban dwellers as well as the large population in the rural areas.

Let me seize this opportunity to intimate you with Government’s plan to stimulate the development of renewable and alternative energy for rural electrification and farm clusters by exploring these energy sources for viability in producing electricity. For each rural community, the Ministry of Power will implement micro-off grid wind or solar powered lighting systems to light up homes, community common areas or centres and major inlet/outlet roadways into communities. This scheme will provide access to electricity for the rural areas with distributed or low capacity supply in few kilowatts and solar or wind-powered energy-efficient lighting systems in two phases by the end of 2014.

Concrete results are beginning to manifest from the tireless work of all stakeholders in the electricity industry, especially in the past two years of the Jonathan administration. We must give Mr. President the credit for making power a cardinal point of his Transformation Agenda and for
launching and proactively driving the Power Sector Reform Roadmap.

Evidence that the reforms are working is also seen in the success story of the ambitious power sector privatisation exercise which is the largest and most transparent so far in Africa; the sustenance of generation and distribution infrastructure ahead of privatization even in the face of zero budget provision in the current year and the peaceful resolution of labour issues, among other things.

Acutely aware of the need to brace up to evacuate the expected huge volume of power to be generated in the coming weeks and months, we have since activated the contract with Manitoba of Canada for the management of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and we are also consciously and consistently strengthening transmission infrastructure across the country.

The Jonathan administration early in the day re-constituted and strengthened the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Bulk Trader, the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company Limited (NELMCO) and the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) all in the massive effort to deliver sufficient power to Nigerians, via deregulation.

For the development we’re celebrating today, I would like to profusely thank the World Bank for the funding. I need to put on record the fact that the World Bank is one of our greatest partners in overall national infrastructure development with particular emphasis on power. The presence of the World Bank Representative attests to this noble commitment.

While the Federal Government is partnering with security agencies to effectively check the menace of vandalism, let me end by making a passionate call on beneficiaries of this new facility to take necessary steps to ensure the safety of these installations.

Thank you all for joining us in this joyous event. And to the residents of Karu and environs, I say congratulations and welcome to your season of the good life!

Source: FMI*

INEC introduces online training for adhoc staff

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Attahiru Jega says the commission is to introduce an online training and certification programme for persons that will be enlisted as ad hoc staff in future elections.

He said with the full implementation of programme, those with the certification will stand a better chance of being recruited as adhoc staff for the INEC’s future elections.
According to a statement by the his press secretary, Kayode Idowu yesterday, Professor Jega was speaking as a presenter in one of the plenary sessions during the four-day 6th Global Electoral Organisation (GEO) conference at the weekend in Incheon, South Korea.
The programme, Jega will be conducted by The Electoral Institute (TEI), a training and research agency of INEC and form part of concerted efforts to professionalise electoral duties that will enhance the integrity of elections in Nigeria.
While noting that the “inadequacy or lack of professional cadre of electoral officials is one of the major challenges confronting an Election Management Body (EMB) in a transition to democracy,” the INEC chairman said that “an EMB may do one, some or all of recruitment to regenerate staff, training and retraining, specialized skills provisioning, restructuring and reorganization.”
There are enormous challenges of capacity building and professionalisation of staff. It is to address these challenges that the commission has repositioned the Institute to be an excellent resource centre for research and training of electoral staff - not only for INEC, but also for State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and other EMBs in the West African sub-region, Jega told the participating countries.
“We are also drawing lessons from other EMBs and especially countries with existing institutes such as in India, Mexico and South Africa,” he added.
In one of the plenary sessions, the Director of Electoral Programs, National Democratic Institute (NDI), Pat Merloe, lauded INEC for “showing the way” in the deployment of social media platforms for citizens engagement as well as voter and civic education.
The conference drew participants from 90 member-countries, with more 400 participants and 94 organisations, including Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

Source : #‎DailyTrust

Rufai 'comes clean' on 98 WCup1

Former Nigerian goalkeeper, Peter
Rufai has exclusively told
supersport.com that he was not
prepared to go to the Fifa World Cup
when he got the call to represent the
Super Eagles at the 1998 edition in
France.
Rufai conceded nine goals in Nigeria’s four games
at the competition managing just one clean sheet
in the Super Eagles’ second preliminary game
against Bulgaria on June 19 at the Parc des Princes,
Paris.
The 50-year-old has now lifted the lid on the
controversial nature of his inclusion in the squad
following late injuries to Dosu Joseph and Ike
Shorunmu who were both expected to man the
sticks for Nigeria at the tournament.
“To be honest, I didn’t feel good about the 1998
World Cup. I had been out of the team and I was not
expecting to go to France. I was in Madrid at the
time with several friends of mine on the books of
Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
“We had already planned a joint holiday in Cuba.
That was when I received a call from the Nigerian
football authorities asking that I report to the
team’s camp,” Rufai said.
Nigeria won her two opening games at the World
Cup against Spain and Bulgaria with Rufai manning
the sticks but heavy defeats followed, the nadir
represented by a shock 1-4 loss to Denmark in the
round of 16.
Many blamed Rufai for the defeat but the former
Deportivo La Coruna goalkeeper revealed that he
had a choice to turn his back on the nation when he
was initially asked to join the squad.
“When I got the call, I could easily have said no but
I didn’t. I spoke to my parents who advised me to
honour the call.
“They told me that I would be tagged unpatriotic if I
refused to report to the camp so I heeded their
advice. Besides the passion to represent my
country had always fired me on in the past,” he
said.
Rufai eventually teamed up with the Nigeria squad
with just days to the first game against Spain and
was put through his paces by the coaches in several
intensive training sessions.
“A few hours after I got the call, I boarded a plane
and left Spain for Switzerland to join the rest of the
squad.
“When I eventually arrived (in Switzerland), less
than 24 hours after the call, I was so tired. I wanted
to rest but was told that the coaches had planned a
special training exercise to ascertain the state of
my fitness.
“The coach (Bora Milutinovic) and all members of
the backroom staff joined in the training session
with me. It was rigorous and afterwards Bora called
me aside and spoke to me.
“He shook my hand, looked into my eyes and said,
‘Peter, I am sorry for not inviting you all along. I
was told by Nigerians that you are finished. I was
told that you are no longer playing anymore. Even
in this your state, you are the best goalkeeper in
Nigeria’,” he said.
Rufai added that he had a premonition the team
would fail in France after the Super Eagles suffered
a 1-5 loss to the Netherlands at the Amsterdam
Arena in a friendly game on June 5.
“I conceded two goals in the first half of that game
and asked to be substituted at half time.
“I was shocked to have conceded two quick goals in
the first half and I wanted to observe from the
sidelines in the second half.
“I knew something was wrong immediately,” he
said.
© supersport.com

Daily Manna: God’s Judgment Day Saturday 19, October 2013

TEXT: ISAIAH 22:15-25

KEY VERSE: “In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it” (Isaiah 22:25).

On April 1, 2001, four same-sex persons were married by the mayor of Amsterdam to usher the first legal gay union in the world.

Since the Netherlands became the first country on planet earth to do so, several other nations have followed suit, with great pressure mounting on mainly the developing countries to join in this futile assault on God’s sacred law for His creatures. Leading prosperous Western nations sanctioning this travesty have threatened to deny economic aid to African nations which are resisting their overtures on this perversion. In November 2008, South Africa fell prey, becoming the first Africa country to bring in marriage for gay couples.

How far will these nations and their governments forming an army to upset the plan of the Creator on gender relations go? God promises to overthrow all those who progress in error in defiance of His laws like the heathen nations around Israel and Judah. Kir, Elam, Dumah, Egypt, Zoan etc., trampled on God’s injunctions concerning idol worship, marriage, respect for His prophets etc. and thought they had gone beyond God’s reach with their sinful institutions.

However, God sent His prophet to warn them that the laws sustaining evil and giving it a semblance of acceptance “shall be cut off... and fall.” God Who is “of purer eyes than to behold evil” (Habakkuk 1:13) has not changed His attitude to sin. Only those who repent of their sins to live righteously and piously will escape His indignation and judgment.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Evil nations will not progress in error for long.

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Nigeria: 160,000MW Feasible By 2014 – Power Minister

The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, on Thursday said Nigeria was capable of generating 160,000 megawatts before the end of 2014. Nebo made the remark in Abuja at the Nigeria International 4th Power Expo and Conference organised by the Ministry of Power and BKG Company.

“Two weeks ago, the Geregu Power Plant was commissioned by Mr. President and he would commission all the 10 NIPPs’ power plants by the end of 2014.

“Nigeria produces and consumes 4,000 mw of electricity, only 2.5 per cent of what South Africa is producing and consuming.

“Nigeria needs to increase electricity generation by 40 joules before the end of 2014, then it would be talking of 160,000 mw”, he said.

Nebo stressed that opportunities to make this happen abound in the country, adding that this also depended on investors venture into power sector by utilising the 4th expo conference.

Nebo added that the services companies – generation, transmission and distribution network – were to ensure that all the plants were running very well.He stated that the ministry was partnering with investors to ensure that rural areas not connected to national grid were connected even to renewable sources of electricity.

He listed the renewable energy sources as biomass, solar, gas turbine, hydro turbine and wind, among others.

Nebo said that when the rural communities of Nigeria had been electrified, it would have multiplier effects on development, stressing that income, standard of living and job opportunities would increase.

He said that President Goodluck Jonathan in August 2010 inaugurated the Power Sector Roadmap in order to liberalize the sector from public driven economy to private driven one.

He said there were only 150,000 telephone lines for over 150 million people when NITEL was not privatised, but with privation, the country now had over 120 million lines.

Earlier, Mr Ifeanyi Agwu, the Executive Director of BKG, commended President Goodluck Jonathan for ensuring that the power sector was privatized. (NAN)

Nigeria moves up in FIFA rankings

Nigeria has moved up three places to 33 in the latest world rankings released by FIFA on Thursday.

However, Nigeria is still number four in the Africa, behind Algeria (3rd) who dropped three places, Ghana (2nd), who moved up one place and Cote d’Ivoire (1st), who has moved to 17th in the world, MTNFootball.com reports.

The October ranking saw the Eagles garner 724 points which is an improvement from the 707 points recorded in September.

The Nigerians are expected to improve their rankings by next month when they host Ethiopia in a World Cup playoff return leg in Calabar.

Source: Nation*

Healing power of bitter kola

Bitter kola is a type of nut mostly found in several parts of Nigeria and West-Central Africa as a whole and the tree grows in the (tropical) rain forests. Its biological name is “Garcinia kola” and belongs to the family of “Guittiferal”. Bitter Kola has been identified as a potent antibiotic which could be effective in the treatment of many diseases. The fruit, seeds, nuts and bark of the tropical tree have been used for centuries in traditional medicines to treat many forms of ailments.

Chewing bitter kola relieves coughs, hoarseness, bronchial and throat troubles. Several studies discovered bitter kola to be a remedy for dysentery, osteoarthritis, antidote against poisoning and considered an aphrodisiac.

Improves lung functions

Bitter kola has been used for centuries to treat chest colds in traditional medicine, but research has taken a look and found out why it is effective. A study in the 2009 issue of The Internet Journal of Pulmonary Medicine, performed on mice, reports that Garcinia kola improved respiratory function after 28 days of use of a Garcinia extract. Written by Simon Adekunle of the Ekiti State University in Nigeria, the study shows that Garcinia kola works by dilating the alveolar ducts and sacs in the lungs by improving the strength of the fibers in the lung tissue. Bitter kola’s beneficial lung properties are attributed to its high antioxidant content.

Bitter Kola health benefit for malaria

Considerable experimental studies found the chemical constituents in bitter kola have anti-malaria properties. That aside, traditional healers have for many years prescribed bitter kola for the treatment of malaria infections. Researchers who reported that bitter kola had anti-malaria effect in the 2010 issue of Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, from a survey of plants used by traditional healers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, attributed this to its quinones content.

Further more, kolaviron, the powerful chemical compound found in bitter kola, was reportedly tested on a malaria parasite and found to inhibit malarial activity.

Source : #‎Punch

Damning verdict: Nigerian Tennis players are inexperienced-ITF official declares

After two days of competitive tennis action in the pro circuit at the ongoing 13th Lagos State Governors cup Tennis competition, International Tennis Federation representative and Supervisor, Anton Rens has described the standard of play in the competition as good.

Speaking with Brila FM, Rens also stated that Nigerian players are inexperienced and needed more competitive outings and exposure together with other African Tennis players.

"It’s been a general good standard of play so far but unfortunately, the lack of experience from Nigerian tennis players was exposed and I can also say the same about other African players on the continent including South Africa, which is my country, I just believe that we need more opportunities and exposure”

Meanwhile, three Nigerian Tennis players have been knocked out of the ongoing Lagos State Governors cup competition by the Indians in 2 men singles match and 1 women singles match.

2011 champion in the men singles and Tournament 8th seed Ranjeet Virali has attributed the series of losses recorded by Nigerian players in the competition to inexperience.

"It’s just that we have more experience because we play more matches and we also travel a little bit more and I think that’s not the case of Nigerian Tennis players, I only see them in Nigeria”
“It can be really difficult if you’re just playing only two tournaments in a year but we have many tournaments in India and that’s why we are better players than Nigeria” Virali said.

Source: Bila Fm

PHCN: We Shall Resist Any Physical Hand-over Until All Payments Are Concluded – SSAEAC

Claims by the federal government it had paid most of the workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, their terminal benefits ahead of hand-over to new owners, have been dismissed by the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, SSAEAC, saying only a few workers had been paid.

The association, in a petition to the Minister of Power, claimed that the money purported to have been paid to the workers after the October 2 agreement with the government never entered the workers’ accounts, reiterating its position that no new owners would take physical possession of PHCN assets until all workers had been paid their terminal benefits.

SSAEAC President-General and Secretary General, Bede Opara and Abiodun Ogunsegha, in the petition warned that workers would shut down the sector should effort be made to physically take over the assets without full payment of workers’ benefits.

“We state here that in our meeting with the Chairman, Implementation Committee, Permanent Secretary, Federal Minister of Power on Wednesday 2nd October, 2013, it was agreed that payment of terminal benefits of PHCN staff entitlements will be concluded in two weeks from that date. However we note that up to this moment, only a handful of payment has been made.

“What we heard or read in the Newspapers is that Government intends to physically hand over the PHCN infrastructures to the investors on 1st of November, 2013.

“We state that this will negate and violate the understanding and agreement reached with the unions and we stand clearly to state again that we shall resist any physical hand-over until all payments are concluded.

“Information available to us is as follows: Benin 50 per cent not paid yet, Jos 55 per cent not paid yet, Sapele 77 people not paid, Egbin 60 people not paid yet, Ughelli 61 people not paid yet, Afam 67 people not paid yet, Kaduna 100 per cent yet to collect – nobody has been paid. Jebba 219 yet to be paid, Abuja over 1000 not paid, Transmission -none has been paid and, Retirement Savings Account, RSA, entitlements not paid to anyone.”

“Government had said and made us to believe money needed was available. We also got the assurance of the Accountant-General of the Federation that money is available to pay. Who is holding the money or refusing to release to the beneficiaries. Government should act now; else no one should blame the Labour Union for any action that should be taken,” the petition said.

Facing challenges? It must be for a reason.

Life's challenges are meant to fulfill a purpose in your life. God allowed them for a reason. Goliath came to prepare David to be a king; Joseph was sold to prepare him for the great leadership position; Hanah's barrenness drove her to make that great vow that brought Samuel to existence; the man that was born blind was so in order to have God glorified through him; the early church faced persecution in order to help the gospel spread. That challenge in your life must be for a reason. Who would have known that God can save one from the lions if Daniel was not cast into the den. would you imagine that God can save one from the fire if Shedrach and co where not cast into the furnace of fire.
  Be positive because that challenge you are facing now must be for a reason. If it did not happen to me I will not believe that someone who scored 87 in UME will finally graduate with a second class upper. Neither will I know that it is still possible to get a Direct Entry admission to University with an ND without paying a dime as an up-front appreciation.
  May be you are still asking God "...why me?". You still feel your situation is the worst. May be you have considered suicide as an option. Remember if you faint in the days of adversity, then your strength is small.  Gold has to pass through the fire to be pure. The refining of crude oil needs heat; and definately God wants to bring out a better you. It is not yet the end of the story of your life rather it is just beginning. No storm can swallow the ship where lies the master of ocean and seas. Do not give up on God because he cannot give up on you.

Super Eagles to play Italy in London

Nigeria is already preparing for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.Moments after securing victory over Ethiopia, the Nigeria Football Federation and its match agent, Jairo Pachon confirmed an international friendly against Italy.

The match against the former world champions will be played in London on November the 18th.

Meanwhile, the home based Super Eagles will play Jordan in Omman on October the 28th in a match that will serve as preparation for CHAN 2014 in South Africa.

NFF Reports Ethiopia Attack To FIFA

Real Betis midfielder Nosa Igiebor has been hurt when angry Ethiopia fans attacked the Super Eagles bus following Sunday’s home defeat.

NFF Vice President Mike Umeh said the incident has been reported to the FIFA security team at the match venue and he hopes action will be taken.

Igiebor, who was a second-half sub in Sunday’s showdown, was the unlucky one as the stone slashed his right palm leading to profuse bleeding that was immediately attended to by team doctor, Ibrahim Gyaran.

Source : #‎Channels TV

PwC Nigeria Graduate Recruitment 2014

The Company
PwC firms help organisations and individuals create the value they’re looking for. We’re a network of firms in 158 countries with more than 180,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax and advisory services. In Sub-Saharan Africa, we're the largest provider of professional services with offices in 26 countries and close to 8 000 people. This enables us to provide our clients with seamless and consistent service, wherever they’re located on the continent. Our in-depth knowledge and understanding of African operating environments enables us to put ourselves in our clients’ shoes and offer truly tailored Tax, Assurance and Advisory solutions to unique business challenges.
Copyright info
© [2013] PwC. All rights reserved.

PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity.
Roles & Responsibilities
Your learning with us begins with a structured eight week induction course. This is the first element of a development framework that will help you build business awareness, technical, personal and management skills throughout your career.
Self-directed, career-long training is a key feature of life here at PwC. The entire working environment is designed to empower you to learn.
You will have access to a wealth of critical knowledge, such as best practices documentation and methodology tools. We will provide you with continuous on- the-job guidance, and you will acquire key knowledge about industries, business strategy and practical business issues faced by our clients through your daily experiences.
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Additional Information
These positions are for our various Lines of Service


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Daily Manna: Whose Voice Do You Listen To? Tuesday 15, October 2013

TEXT: 1 SAMUEL 17:25-37

KEY VERSE: “David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee” (1 Samuel 17:37).

A Christian woman found herself in a dilemma in a war-torn zone following the invasion of her residence by enemy forces. The stomping, fierce-looking soldiers entered her house and demanded food, probably intending to deal with her after the meal. She set the table and told her guests that her tradition was to pray and read the Bible before eating. She read from Psalm 27 and closing her eyes, began to pray. She heard footsteps and by the time she opened her eyes, there was no soldier at the table. The woman did not panic or fear but latched on to the Word of God which had said, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD (Psalm 27:14).

The same recipe delivered David when his brothers and Saul attempted to scheme him out of victory that would exalt the name of God and free His people from fear and bondage of the Philistines. Young David shoved aside the apprehension of Israel’s soldiers as he countered the “uncircumcised Philistine” who defied the armies of the living God. And refusing to listen to Saul, he spoke of the God that delivered him from the lion and the bear, saying confidently that the same God would rescue him from the enemy. God did not fail David.

So, if you are at the crossroads of conflict and confusion today, settle it in your heart not to fret or compromise. Do not panic either. Follow David’s path by listening to God’s voice: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me (Jesus)” (John 14:1).

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: When in trouble, tune in to God’s frequency.

***Share your thoughts and what you've just learnt in the comments section below. Don't forget to SHARE!

‘They set our house ablaze with my 3 children inside’

By Chidi Nkwopara
OWERRI – The post-presidential election violence in the North reverberated at Okwelle, Onuimo Local Council Area, Imo State, weekend, as survivors in Mr. Anthony Eburu’s family returned home to tell the horrifying tale of how they lost three grown up children in Katsina State.
The children are Miss Chinelo Eburu, a post- graduate student, and her sister and brother, Charity and Andy, respectively.
Narrating his horrifying ordeal to his bewildered kinsmen, Mr. Eburu recalled with grief that their three children were in their residence when the riot started.
“The rampaging murderous gang first dragged our three innocent and harmless children into our residence, locked them up in the house before setting it on fire,” Eburu narrated amidst sobs.
He also told his kinsmen that he barely managed to scamper into an Army barracks for safety, while his wife, Caroline, equally took refuge in another  place.
Any chance of giving their children a decent burial in their home town, Okwelle, was lost with the news that victims of the riot would be given mass burial in Katsina.
The community leaders appealed very passionately to the Federal Government to intervene and ensure the release of the corpses to the family so they could be given decent burial at home.

Provision of meters for all electricity consumers - a priority

The new owners of power distribution firms is to provide all electricity consumers with meters as soon as they take over the successor companies of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, the Federal Government has directed.



The Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr. Sam Amadi, stated this, while speaking at a two-day workshop organised by the NERC for the successor companies and other stakeholders in Abuja, adding that arbitrary billing by power firms would not be tolerated.

He said, "The new PHCN successor companies should see metering of all their customers immediately they take over ownership of the PHCN companies as their major priority to avoid bills estimation."

The NERC boss explained that in the new power reform agenda, both the accounts of the distribution companies and their customers should be balanced and maintained.

He noted that one of the concerns of the commission was to ensure that the rights of the discos and their customers were not tampered with, stressing that one of the rights was to meter electricity consumers.

According to Amadi, metering all electricity consumers would assist the customers to effectively monitor their energy usage as well as enable the Discos determine their revenue.

The NERC chairman said the commission would need to reach an agreement with the Discos on how long it would take the power firms to ensure that all their customers were metered.

The new owners of the power firms are expected to take over their respective companies on November 1, 2013.

Djokovic still fighting for No 1 spot

Shanghai Masters champion Novak Djokovic said he still has unfinished business this season after delivering the perfect response to being knocked off the men's top ranking.

The soon-to-be-married Serb ceded the world No 1 spot to Rafael Nadal, but his reaction has been emphatic with an unbeaten run in China adding two titles to his collection.

Immediately after Nadal returned to No 1 by reaching the China Open final, Djokovic proved he was not about to go away by defending his title from the Spaniard in straight sets.

He then swept all before him in Shanghai to retain a trophy for the second time in two weeks, outlasting Juan Martin del Potro in Sunday's thrilling final to win his 20th consecutive match in China.

Djokovic said he had not yet contemplated next year's Grand Slams and was still focused on 2013, with the Paris Masters, World Tour Finals and Davis Cup final still to come.

"Well, I'm still in this year. It hasn't finished," said the world No 2, after his 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3) win over del Potro on Sunday.

"I really will try to do my best till the end of the season, then I'm going to start thinking about what my goals are for next year."

Nadal has unquestionably been the stand-out player this season after making a phenomenal return from injury to claim 10 titles including the French Open and the US Open.

But Djokovic has been no slouch, retaining his Australian Open crown, narrowly losing to Nadal in the semifinals at Roland Garros and again in the final at Flushing Meadows. He was beaten by Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final.

Djokovic's chances of finishing ahead of Nadal as year-end No 1 are slim as the Spaniard, who was out injured this time last year, has no points to defend in the rolling rankings.

"I put myself in a better position right now with back-to-back wins," Djokovic said of his hopes of returning to the top spot.

"But the fact that if I would win, I would put myself in a better position, did not affect my motivation. My motivation is there always, especially when I'm playing finals of such a big event.

"I wanted this title as much as my opponent. That's what's going to stay forever."

The six-time Grand Slam winner has won five titles this year. He will now defend his title at the World Tour finals and attempt to win the Davis Cup for a second time in next month's decider against the Czech Republic.

The Serb leaves China showing no signs that his love affair with the country, and its fans, will end any time soon. It's a formula that works well – as seven titles in total suggest.

"What I'm impressed the most with is the appreciation that they have in really being able to come every single day in front of the hotel, morning and evening, and wait for you, wish you luck, welcome you," he said.

"For me that's unusual because I don't get to experience that in the other tournaments. I really respect that a lot and I feel that love, and try to return that as well."

Also on the agenda for Djokovic is his impending marriage to his fiancee, swimwear model Jelena Ristic, who can often be seen courtside at his matches.

"I will leave most of the organisation for the wedding to my fiancee. I'm sure she's going to handle it better than I do," admitted the 26-year-old.

© Sapa - AFP

Nigeria To Regularise 2,500 PHCN Staff Appointment

Nigeria's Government has concluded plans to regularise the appointment of 2500 casual staff of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) before the payment of their entitlement.

According to a signed statement by BPE's Head of Public Communications, Mr. Chigbo Anichebe, Mr. Dikki disclosed this on Friday when the House of Representatives Committee on Commercialisation and Privatisation visited the Bureau on its oversight function.

The BPE DG added that verification exercise for another 6,700 staff would be concluded before payment of their entitlement.

The BPE boss said in order to fast track adjudication of privatisation cases, the Bureau had concluded plans to establish Privatisation Tribunal to handle privatisation cases. This is even as he added that the Tribunal will also assist the Bureau in enforcing privatisation contracts.

Mr. Dikki informed the lawmakers that the Bureau had received full payment for 14 power generation and distribution companies from the core investors and that 38,000 workers of PHCN who were verified would be paid by the Office of the Accountant General of Federation (OAGF) by Friday, October 11, 2013.

Speaking, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, Mrs. Khadijat Bukar Abba-Ibrahim commended BPE's effort in the privatisation process of the PHCN successor companies.

Mrs. Abba Ibrahim also charged the Bureau to at all times “operate in strict compliance with the Public Enterprises Privatisation and Commercialisation Act” of 1999, stressing that BPE should strictly follow the laid down guidelines as approved by the NCP in all its transactions for transparency and credibility.

The Chairman said deliberations with the BPE management during the visit were exciting and had helped bridged the communication gap between the Bureau and the Committee, stressing that the committee members were now better informed on the activities of BPE.

She called for regular interactions between the Bureau and the Committee “as communication gap often breeds mistrust and misunderstanding”.

Source: Frontiers*

CBN Says New Smaller Denomination Notes Out In December

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Friday said that the new smaller denomination notes that will come in paper form would be in circulation before December .

Mr Tunde Lemo, Deputy Governor, Operations, said this while briefing newsmen on the sideline of the ongoing Annual meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The smaller notes are N5, N10, N20 and N50 notes.

· Cued in lemo 1

``The smaller denomination notes are being supplied by the printers and before December, you will no longer see tattered notes all over.

``As I said, I have apologised to Nigerians that the reason we had old notes that are still in circulation was because of the issues around Project Cure.

``We had earlier thought last year that we will transmit to a better note family which we code-named Project Cure.

``But because of the issues around N5,000 notes and the resentments of changing the N5, N10 and N20 to coins, we had to go back to the drawing board and that was what has caused the delay.’’

· Cued out lemo 1

According to him, the new smaller denominations will be in paper form with their features.

· Cued in audio (lemo 2)

``They will be on paper since we didn’t succeed in convincing Nigerians that those smaller denominations should be in coins.

``But there will be a time in the future when we will all understand why they have to be coined.

``But now, we are back to status quo ante; that is they will reappear in the old form that they were except that they are going to be in paper not polymer.’’

· Cued out audio 2

Lemo said that since 2009 the spending on printing of currency had been on the decline.

He attributed that to the efficiency in distribution of the currency and printing of more of the higher denomination notes.

``We used to spend N13 printing N1000 notes, if we had succeeded in printing N5,000 notes, we would have spent only N18; that meant that would have also reduced the cost of printing.

``That was the message we were trying to transmit to Nigerians,’’ he added

On the difference in the cost of printing in polymer and paper, he said that it was cheaper printing in polymer.

· Cued in audio ( Lemo 3)

``We would have spent less printing polymer because polymer substrate lasts four times longer than paper and it costs only 150 per cent more.

``Unfortunately, whereas the substrate lasts four times longer, the ink fades pretty faster and so what’s the use of the substrate whose ink has faded and that was partly why we disengaged from polymer.’’

· Cued out Audio (Lemo 3)

On the cashless policy, he said that there had been improvement in the use of electronic channels for money transactions in the country.

``As at the close of business today, we had over 35,000 point of sale transactions valued more than N540 million; we had Nigerian Electronic Fund transfer of more than 131,000 valued at N59 billion.

``We had NIPS instant payment of more than 86,000 valued at N58.4 billion.

``When you sum all of these together, they are three times more than the volume of cheques; that we had today recorded was a little over 69 thousand totalling N33 billion.’’

He said that N11 billion transactions were made through mobile payment last month, adding that more activity had been going on through the electronic channel unlike before.

Source: NAN*

Electricity workers threaten power sector shutdown By TONY EDIKE

ENUGU — THE National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, yesterday, gave the Federal Government seven days to resolve the strike embarked upon by Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, or face a total shut down of electricity facilities in the country.
The union said that it could no longer sit back and watch those in positions of authority destroy the future of young Nigerians who have remained at home for weeks on account of the Federal Government’s refusal to meet the legitimate demands by ASUU.
General Secretary of NUEE, Mr Joe Ajaero, who spoke at a training workshop for labour leaders in the power sector in Enugu, said that electricity workers across the country would be directed to join other progressive labour unions “to shut down the country” as a way of expressing anger over the lingering face-off between the Federal Government and the academic staff.
He said: “We can no longer sit back and watch this disturbing drama going on between the Federal government and ASUU.  If the strike is not addressed within the next one week, NUEE and other progressive unions, will shut down the country.
“It is unfortunate that those in power are not bothered about the closure of the universities. They are less concerned because none of their children are studying in Nigerian universities.
“Their children are overseas just as they travel overseas for medical attention because they have allowed our hospitals to die. Whether our children are out of school or not they are not bothered but we are going to join our children to stay at home from next week.”
Ajaero called on the National Assembly to make a legislation banning public office holders from sending their children to study abroad just as overseas medical trips by public officers should be outlawed to enable government address the numerous problems weighing the nation down.
“Our public institutions are dead because those unpatriotic leaders have nothing to do with them but when they are banned from traveling overseas to access improved facilities, they will have no option than to look inward and address our numerous challenges,” he added.
According to the NUEE General Secretary, the payment of their members’ entitlements had remained slow explaining that the government’s promise to conclude the payment before weekend might not be feasible as majority of the workers were yet to be settled.
He urged the Federal Government to stop playing politics with electricity workers’ entitlements, Ajaero reiterated the union’s resolve not to allow the new investors access to the power stations until all the workers were fully settled.
He, however, expressed regrets that some of the workers who had received their entitlements were already living in luxury by buying expensive cars and traveling overseas instead of investing the funds on rewarding ventures.
Ajaero stated that the training workshop for the union leaders was intended to enlighten them on the need to encourage their members to engage in investments that would be beneficial to them and members of their family after disengaging from service.

source: Vanguard

NNPC Restores Vandalised Benin-Warri, Kaduna-Jos Pipelines -

The management of NNPC, on Wednesday in Abuja, said it had successfully repaired the vandalised Benin-Warri and Kaduna-Jos pipelines.

A statement issued by Ms Tumini Green, the Acting Group General Manager, Public Affairs, NNPC, said pumping of petroleum products had resumed through the affected pipelines.

The statement, however, decried the persistent attack on pipelines, adding that pipeline vandalism had cost the corporation several billions of naira that would have been used to improve the national economy

It stated that ``as soon as we got wind of attacks on our Benin-Warri pipelines and Kaduna-Jos pipelines, we mobilised to the areas affected.

``As we speak, the pipelines have been repaired and we have resumed pumping of petroleum products through them.

``Unfortunately, the vandals attacked our personnel who were on hand to effect repairs on the vandalised pipelines.’’

The statement noted that two lives were lost in the Kaduna-Jos incident, although no life was lost in the Benin-Warri incident but that two persons were injured and were responding to treatment.

The NNPC stressed the need for state and local governments, community leaders, relevant stakeholders and the public to join hands in protecting PPMC pipelines and other infrastructure in their domain.

It said curbing pipeline vandalism would help the Federal Government to generate sufficient revenue from petroleum products that would be used to provide infrastructure across the country.

Source : #‎NAN

THE PREACHER WITH THE WATERPOT.

John 4:28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ

The command to preach the gospel is an express and direct command from our Lord Jesus Christ himself. It is the duty and responsibility of every believer to obey this command. The consequence of not obeying is so dreadful.
Nothwithstanding, certain conditions have to be met to be qualified to carry out this assignment. The Samaritan woman left her waterpot with Jesus and went to tell others about the gospel. Unfortunately today, we say preachers still carrying their waterpot. They believe the important thing is to spread the gospel not matter how you do it. The scripture told us that many will claim they have done wonderful works for the Lord but they will be disappointed on that very day. They will be rejected together with their work. They failed to leave their waterpot of sin. Their believe is that God is very merciful and understands that man will always sin and hence will always have mercy. Yes God is merciful that was why he sent His only begotten son Jesus Christ to die for us on the cross of Calvary. But the question is, "shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid". Don't you know that he that is dead is freed from sin. Whosever commits sin is of the devil. Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin, he CANNOT sin because the seed of God remains in him.
Please take a break, check your life, are you still carrying your waterpot? Are u still involved in the habits and behaviours you were into before Christ met you? No matter the activities you may think you are involved in for the Lord, it won't count unless your name is in and remained in the book of life till the very end of your life. Think about this. Are you a preacher with the waterpot still?

NAFDAC impounds N50m unregistered products in Lagos

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has confiscated goods worth N50m from major supermarkets, open markets and suspected warehouses in Lagos State.

Among the markets where the goods were impounded are the popular Oke-Arin, Balogun, Idumota, Mushin and Oshodi markets. Trade Fair Complex; and some major supermarkets located in the Apapa, Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Ajah areas were also affected.

Apart from the markets, some suspected warehouses in Isolo, Badagry expressway and motor garages and loading parks were also visited during the three-day exercise.

A statement by the agency on Monday said, “During the exercise, products of various ranges worth over N50m were confiscated while the warehouses were sealed and three trailers suspected to be loaded with unregistered regulated products were equally impounded.

“The three-day exercise which took most of the shop owners by surprise coupled with the presence of stern looking security operatives was a huge success.”

Director, Enforcement Directorate of the Agency, Mr. Garba Macdonald, said the exercise was to ascertain the level of compliance of the products in circulation.

He said it became imperative to storm the locations because surveillance earlier carried out indicted the places visited.

He confirmed that the products confiscated would be subjected to further laboratory analysis before final decision could be taken.

“Field reports indicated that most of the products were smuggled into the country from the neighbouring countries and those arrested or invited will be of help to furnish us with useful information that will assist to forestall future occurrence,” he added.

Source: Punch*

NYSC bags UN award

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme has bagged a UN award for its active participation in a recent offline survey conducted by the international body.

Alhaji Abdulwahab Obomeile, the Director, Community Development Service and Special Projects Department of the corps, made the disclosure on Monday in Abuja at the award ceremony.

He said that the award; ``My World: A Global Survey For Citizens’’, was an initiative from the UN, which is an options survey carried out through creative Online and Offline methods.

``It allows people across the world to tell the UN in particular and the Secretary-General’s High Level Panel, the most important issues they would like the Post-2015 agenda to address after the expiration of MDGs agenda,’’ he said.

He added that the NYSC in Nigeria, using the Corps Volunteers of NYSC MDGs Advocacy Programme, was actively engaged in the offline survey, which took place across the country in March.

``We partnered with the UN Millennium Campaign Nigeria, OSSAP-MDGs and CISLAC, and engaged over 1,000 youth corps members as field volunteers to administer the questionnaires in the 774 local government areas in Nigeria,’’ he added.

He said the survey was structured to capture two persons per 100 households in each of the 774 local government areas.

``The total number of the votes came to 145,672 citizens, 67.2 per cent of which were rural dwellers, 45.5 per cent were youths and 46.5 were female.

``It is worthy of note that some of these areas face security challenges and cultural barriers where women are not allowed to express themselves, but the Field Volunteers worked around these situations,’’ he said.

Obomeile saluted the resilience and hard work of the corps members who remained committed and resolute in carrying out the exercise within five days.

Also speaking, Hilary Ogbonna, the National Coordinator, UN Millennium Campaign, Nigeria, said the MDGs had made a huge impact on the lives of many Nigerians.

``But there is still much more to be done to address extreme poverty, diseases and environmental crises among many others,’’ he said.

Responding, the NYSC Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Nnamdi Okore-Affia, said he was most excited to receive the award on behalf of the NYSC.

``I am dedicating this award to Mr President, the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, NYSC Staff and the entire corps members nationwide, who worked assiduously to merit this award,’’ he said.

Source: NAN*
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Nadal Returns To No. 1 By Reaching Beijing Final Beijing, China by ATP Staff | 05.10.2013

Rafael Nadal will become No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday after reaching the China Open final.

Nadal will contest his 13th championship match of a remarkable season after World No. 5 Tomas Berdych retired at 2-4 in the first set in their Beijing semi-final on Saturday with a back injury.

"I barely can sit, I[can] barely can stand up [or] walk," said Berdych, who described the injury as new. The Czech No. 1 said he tweaked his back as he ran for a backhand slice.

Berdych voiced his respect for Nadal. "It's really incredibly well done in how short [a] time he [became] No. 1 again after [his] comeback... That's really an achievement."

Since returning from seven-month absence due to a left knee injury in February, Nadal has compiled a 65-3 match record on the season. He has won 10 titles from 12 finals, including the Roland Garros (d. Ferrer) and US Open (d. Djokovic) crowns plus five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophies.

The left-handed Nadal extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head over Berdych to 16-3. He has now won his last 15 clashes against Czech.

The 27-year-old Spaniard has had two stints at the summit of men’s professional tennis for a total of 102 weeks. Nadal first became No. 1 on 18 August 2008 for a period of 46 weeks. He regained top spot from Roger Federer on 7 June 2010 and added 56 weeks to his tally until relinquishing No. 1 to Novak Djokovic on 4 July 2011.

By reaching the final, Nadal is one win away from claiming his first China Open title since 2005.

He'll attempt to retain the year-end No. 1 ranking for the first time since 2010 and the third time overall (also ’08).

The Federal Government yesterday announced that it had resolved the disagreement with workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria.

The Federal Government yesterday announced that it had resolved the disagreement with workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria.

The workers had on Monday embarked on a nationwide protest following Federal Government’s decision to hand over share certificates to the core investors in the PHCN successor companies.

 A statement issued by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Dr. Goodnews Igali, read ''The payment implementation committee had resolved all contending issues and promised that before the end of this week, at least over 38,000 PHCN workers would have been paid their terminal benefits.

He blamed the hiccups experienced in the course of the payment on the large number of people involved, adding that the government had enough fund to complete the process.

Igali commended the PHCN labour unions for their show of patriotism, saying that, 47,000 employees, 45, 366 persons had so far been captured, and that the remaining persons would be captured after the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation finalises its processes.
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/48714.html

Address by His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR On the Occasion of Nigeria's 53rd Independence Anniversary.Tuesday 1st October, 2013

Address by

His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR
On the Occasion of Nigeria's 53rd Independence Anniversary.

Tuesday 1st October, 2013


FELLOW NIGERIANS,

1. Today marks 53 years of our Independence as a nation. First and foremost, I would like to say congratulations to us all. Through thick and thin, we have built this country together. Through triumphs and trials, we have developed a Nigerian identity in our own way.

2. In truth, Nigeria is still a work in progress and we are challenged everyday to keep building in spite of the various obstacles that we face. Our strength has been in our diversity. If we look back over the years, we can say confidently that there is every reason to celebrate.

3. Today's Independence anniversary is unique because it is the last before we mark our centenary. On January 1, 2014, Nigeria will be 100 years old as a country, following the amalgamation of the Protectorates of Southern and Northern Nigeria in 1914.

4. Beloved country men and women, traditionally, the Presidential address on this symbolic day has served two purposes. It has, quite rightly, been used to remind all Nigerians about our heritage. It has also allowed my predecessors and I to comment on our stewardship to the nation and make political capital out of a state occasion.


5. But this year, I will not. Because, today of all days, we should not be scoring political points. On the contrary, in this last year of the first century of our Union, we should be addressing our future as a Nation and a people!


6. I admit that these may not be the best of times for our nation. Our people are divided in many ways – ethnically, religiously, politically, and materially. I cannot hide from this reality. I cannot hide from my own responsibilities.


7. As we prepare to mark the centenary, therefore, today offers us an opportunity to reflect on our long journey to nationhood and the progress we have made so far. Whatever the challenges that we may face, we have every reason to be proud of our national accomplishments; we have every reason to remain proud and optimistic. Our collective national journey has witnessed great watersheds, thanks to our spirit of endurance, perseverance and sacrifice. Getting the rest of the job done with determination and courage is just a matter of time. We are Nigerians, a nation of talented people, endowed with resources, potentials, and Divine Grace.

8. In our journey to greatness as a nation, we have built an economy that is robust and erected enduring infrastructure and institutions of democracy. Our social system is now more inclusive, open and compassionate. We are waging a steady battle against poverty, unemployment, and corruption. Our sense of community, solidarity and shared expectation is strong and capable of withstanding the present social, economic and political challenges that still confront us.


9. In saying this, I am reminded of the comments I made a week ago to a cross-section of Nigerians in New York during the 68th United Nations General Assembly. I declare now as I declared then: we have a duty as Nigerians, whatever may be our differences or prejudices, to always put Nigeria first.


10. Our politics should be an art of patriotic labour and selfless service to the community, particularly by the political elite who are placed in positions of great trust and responsibility. Politics has its own high moral principles which abhor distracting and divisive rhetoric. As men and women in leadership, we must continually focus on service, duty, responsibility, and the next generation. Those who are elected to govern at all levels must focus on improving the lives of our people, not selfish ambition.


11. In the words of the American theologian and author, James Freeman Clarke, ‘a politician thinks of the next election; a statesman of the next generation’. Whether we are Muslims or Christians; rich or poor; from the North or the South; East or West; regardless of our political affiliations, this is the time for every one of us to be a statesman!


12. My clarion call therefore, on this special day, is that we should begin to align our political utterances and conduct solely to the nobler passions that unite our people. Politicians do not make a nation; ordinary folks do.


13. Our nation is made great by the big and small efforts of regular citizens. These are the teachers and men and women in academics who inculcate the knowledge and wisdom that transform into tomorrow’s wealth; the traders and market women who tend to our everyday needs; the farmers whose labour feeds the nation; the artisans whose work ensures that our homesteads are well maintained; the doctors, pharmacists, nurses, accountants, bankers, engineers, and other professionals who add value to our lives; the sportsmen and women and those in the creative industry who bring honour and fame to our nation;


14. And the men and women of our armed forces and security services who toil day and night so that you and I may live in a safe and secure nation.


15. It is the individual and collective heroism of these regular folks that has placed our nation on the path of greatness. Politics and politicians sometimes distract the people and create unnecessary tension.


16. But our independence celebration is about the same people, the people of Nigeria: their industry, sense of mission and purpose, and their patience and perseverance as we navigate historical turns in our march towards prosperity and self-sufficiency. Today, I salute the people of Nigeria.


17. My Compatriots, history has proven that nations take time to evolve. We should rejoice in our democracy because it enables us to be united by our differences, not destroyed by them. And, there is no more crucial time for us to be united than now.


18. The threats we face may be real and immediate. But we are not alone in this regard. It is a difficult season for much of the world: industrialized or developing; rich or poor. What matters are the lessons we learn, the wisdom we demonstrate, and the victory we snatch from the jaws of likely defeat.


19. And I tell you, more than anything else, there are lessons to learn, and every cause to be thankful. If I must cite one example, take Syria. As we all pray and work for a return to normalcy in Syria, it would be helpful for us to reflect on the fact that Syria was once a peaceful, thriving, multi-cultural nation which played host to a mosaic of religions and ethnicities.


20. But that once idyllic nation has today become a theatre of human misery of unimaginable proportions as a result of the activities of extremist forces.


21. Fellow Nigerians, the spectre of extremism haunts every democracy in every corner of the globe. While we celebrate our independence and good fortune, our hearts must grieve for those who have lost loved ones in numerous terrorist activities around the world.

22. Back home, I admit being overtaken by deep feelings of grief, whenever news reached me of the appalling atrocities in some of our States, especially the North Eastern part of our country. Just two days ago, terrorist elements attacked the College of Agriculture in Gujba, Yobe State killing a number of innocent students of the institution and other residents in cold blood, most of them in their sleep. This act of barbarism is a demonstration of the extent to which evil forces will go to destabilize our nation. But I assure you, they will not succeed.




23. My heart goes out to the families of all those who have fallen victim of these dastardly acts. Our Administration will not rest until every Nigerian is free from the oppression of terrorism. I reassure you that no cost will be spared, no idea will be ignored, and no resource will be left untapped in the quest to enable our people live without fear.




24. On this day, I implore every Nigerian – wherever you are, whatever language you speak, whatever your religious persuasion, whichever Political Party you support -: let us join together to fight this evil of extremism.


25. On behalf of us all, I commend our Armed Forces and security agencies for their dedication and bravery in the face of grave danger, and in the name of our collective liberty.

26. Fellow Nigerians, this is a time to pull together behind the national cause: the cause of our freedom, and our future. We must rekindle the spirit of Nigeria, to ensure that every democrat and every lover of peace in this great nation continues to live in a free, peaceful, and secure Nigeria.


27. On my part, I re-dedicate myself completely to the service of this great country. I was elected President to continue the process of building a prosperous nation where hopes, dreams and aspirations would be fulfilled. Nigerians, home and abroad, want a country they can be proud to call their own. I am pleased to affirm that, no matter the challenges we face, we are on the right path to greatness. Our Transformation Agenda, which is part of the overall vision of making Nigeria a land of greatness, has been delivering positive and encouraging results.


28. On May 29th this year, I presented to the nation a mid-term report of my Administration’s Transformation Agenda. This was conceived as an integrated policy aimed at reconstructing not only institutional governance for effective and efficient service delivery, but also a re-orientation of national norms and values. The document captured the essence of our agenda in relation to core objectives and achievements.


29. I have been consistently mindful of the weight of public expectation to find solutions to the challenges that confront us because the mandate we have is a free and sacred one. In all that I have done, I have been guided by this sacred obligation, to work hard for the good of Nigeria and to make life better for Nigerians. I want to assure everyone that Nigeria, under my leadership, will not fail.


30. Exactly 53 years ago today, Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa urged us to ‘move with quiet dignity to our place on the world stage’. I am sure that there have been times when every one of us must have questioned how closely we have followed that injunction.


31. But again, I can reassure you that Nigeria’s place on the world stage today is strong and safe, and it is certainly a place of dignity and respect. We must continue to build on this by remaining a nation and a people committed to ideals, the noblest humanitarian values, and the rule of law.


32. Our Constitution is anchored ultimately on the idea of freedom and fundamental rights: freedom of expression; freedom from discrimination; freedom to vote and be voted for, and the right to human dignity. These are the core values of a true democracy. These are the values of which we must never lose sight.






33. In my address to the UN General Assembly last week, I emphasized the crucial role of democratization in improving the fortunes not just of this country, but of our entire continent. Democratic values encourage diversity. They encourage discourse. They encourage disagreement. This is the joy of democracy.

34. It enables us to have an opinion. And ultimately, the ballot box gives us all the opportunity to instigate change. When democracy works, it does not destroy a nation. It unites and defines it.


35. Fellow Nigerians, our Administration has taken cognizance of suggestions over the years by well-meaning Nigerians on the need for a National Dialogue on the future of our beloved country. I am an advocate of dialogue. When there are issues that stoke tension and bring about friction, it makes perfect sense for the interested parties to come together to discuss.

36. In demonstration of my avowed belief in the positive power of dialogue in charting the way forward, I have decided to set up an Advisory Committee whose mandate is to establish the modalities for a National Dialogue or Conference. The Committee will also design a framework and come up with recommendations as to the form, structure and mechanism of the process.


37. The Committee will be chaired by Dr. Femi Okurounmu while Dr. Akilu Indabawa will serve as the Secretary. The full membership of the Committee will be announced shortly.


38. I expect the Report to be ready in one month, following which the nation will be briefed on the nomenclature, structure and modalities of the Dialogue.




39. Fellow Nigerians, the past 53 years have seen Nigeria evolve on an epic scale. Our progress since independence has not always been smooth. This is, after all, our Fourth Republic; but despite all its flaws, it has lasted longer than all the previous three put together. That is progress and it proves that, our differences – real and imagined - notwithstanding, we are, in every sense, a united nation.


40. This is no time for the harmful clutches of parochial sentiments and the politics of bitterness, impunity, arrogance and unhelpful indiscipline. We must stand as one, with absolute commitment and resolve to resist any force that threatens us and the sanctity of our union.


41. I want to thank all our country men and women who have stood by this Administration in the midst of mounting challenges and enormous expectations.


42. I recognize that it is not easy to keep believing in the possibilities of our greatness when our faith is constantly challenged. But let me assure you that, if we do not despair, we shall reap the reward of our labour in due season.


43. It is my prayer that, another 53 years from now, our children and grand-children will look back on our effort and be thankful that we kept the faith.


44. May God continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.


45. I wish you all a very happy 53rd Independence Celebration.


46. I thank you.