WHY PASTOR ADEBOYE SHOULD RE-THINK THE SACK OF PASTOR ITUAH IGHODALO FOR MARRYING IBIDUN

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I do not belong to the Redeemed Christian Church of God, but I have the obligation of adding opinion in any happenchance that draws either opprobium or commendation in the public arena.

Pastor Ituah got married to Lucy Ann Summer in 1995 in UK under the English law. The marriage produced no child. When Ituah decided to relocate to Nigeria his wife Lucy refused following him even after persuasions. Eventually, he came back alone. Within this time, Lucy Ann got married to another man in the UK with whom she has a child now.

Back to Nigeria, Ituah met Ibidun his second wife after 10 years of having being divorced and then wedded her on 26th February, 2007, the marriage was blessed with 2 adopted children. Complaints started coming from members and Pastors of RCCG who felt that leaving him as a leader and pastor in the church would encourage other Pastors to follow his footstep. This led the General Overseer, Pastor Adeboye concurring to his dismissal since remarriage of a spouse when the other is still alive is against the constitution of the church.

On Sunday June 14, 2020, Pastor Ituah's wife Ibidun, an ex-beauty queen and event planner extraordinaire died in Port Harcourt, Rivers state where she had gone to erect some COVID-19 Isolation centers. Her funeral has been slated for Saturday, 20th June 2020 in Lagos. Pundits are of the opinion that this is a time for Pastor Adeboye and RCCG to reconsider the sack of Pastor Ituah Ighodalo and reinstate him as a senior pastor he was. This will be a way of giving a human face to the divine work.

CYNTHIA OBIECHIE, VICTIM OF NEKEDE TRAGEDY BURIED, REACTIONS TRAIL
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The remains of Miss Cynthia Ujunwa Obiechie who died with her friend Samuel Osuji at 19 Vic-Mic Lodge, around JMJ Bus Stop in Nekede last Sunday have been buried.The funeral took place at her hometown, Umuaro II, in isiala Mbano Local Government Area, Imo State on Wednesday, 17th June 2020.

While she was alive in the flesh, Cynthia was a Higher National Diploma (HND 1) student of Business Administration at the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede. She was also the former Miss CYON of Christ the King Cathedral, Aba, Abia State. Autopsy conducted on their bodies revealed that they consumed some hard drugs as some of it were found in their bodies.

Ever since her interment hit the social media, reactions have trailed in torrents. Some have prayed for her eternal repose while others have continued to vilify her, calling her names. In any case, the deceased has been laid to rest, we pray God to have mercy on her while asking God to give us the grace to learn from her mistakes. Two days after Cynthia's unfortunate death, a similar case was recorded in Ekiti, as we were bemoaning the mayhem, a lesbian killed her partner in Delta for having affair with a man. The 3 casualties must be facing their judgement simultaneously as Nigerian girls before God. But the question is, do we learn from other's misfortune? Your answer is as good as my gaze.

NIGERIA AND THE CERTIFICATE FALSIFICATION MANIA
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For some years running, the politics of certificate falsification among Nigeria public offers have been in the media. Our country has made itself a laughing stock before the rest of the world in the ongoing charade. Shockingly, the accusations have mostly hovered around serving governors, senators and lawmakers. The irony of the whole drama is that these principal officers have at one time or the other been certified fit either by INEC or any other screening body, and would later be confirmed fake by the court. However anyone interprets it, and far away from politics, Nigerians anywhere in the world are seen as people who parade fake documents, ranging from school testimonials to any other travelling document. If this situation does not worry any person, it worries Dan Ugwu.

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IN EDO, Godwin Obaseki is the current governor who has done 4 years under APC platform. At the wake of his guber campaign, Obaseki was projected by his party as a learned fellow and subsequently cleared of his credentials. He has currently lost favour with Adams Oshiomhole the APC leviathan, as a result, his credentials have been confirmed defective and he is now unfit to rule under APC. The embattled Obaseki has quickly moved to PDP where he will be admitted to contest with those certificates that are now in the media.

OVER TO KOGI. Musa Wada the PDP governorship candidate was accused of doctoring his First School Leaving Certificate. Later on, the SPD candidate, Barr. Natasha Hadiza Akpoti accused the deputy governor Edward Onoja of age falsification. Both documents are available in the media for the whole world to see.

WE ARE IN BAYELSA. The Supreme Court stopped David Lyon of the APC from being inaugurated as Bayelsa State governor, along with his deputy Degi-Eremienyo on the eve of their inauguration on th grounds that Degi submitted forged certificates to INEC. Degi who has been a Senator before his disqualification was to take back his seat at the National Assembly despite the certificate forgery which denied him a chance to become Bayelsa State deputy governor. Degi's sack subsequently gave way for Duoye Diri and his deputy Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo. Few months into their rule, Ewhrudjakpo was accused of forging his NYSC exemption certificate. Both cases and documents are in the media for the whole world to see.

WELCOME TO IMO. During the reign of Senator Rochas Okorocha as governor. He was accused of parading fake certificate from University of Jos. That accusation was later to be cleared after which his media aide Sam Onwuemodo disclaimed the allegation. In January 2020, Jackson Ude, the Nigerian-American Journalist accused Senator Hope Uzodimma of forging  a university certificate, alleging that the university in question has disclaimed the award of such certificate. The reality of that accusation is still in the spirit world. Currently, the Speaker of the Imo House of Assembly Hon. Chiji Collins is also accused of faking his NYSC discharge certificate and his PHD certificate. The accused and accusers have since been trading words in the media for the whole world to see.

As it is in these states, so it is in Adeleke's Osun and Adamawa's Jibrilla Bindow. What of
Kemi Adeosun who was accused of dodging the compulsory one-year national service for higher institution graduates. She was pushed to resign her exalted office as Minister of Finance. What about the case of Okoi Obono-Obla, the President’s Special Adviser on Corruption who was accused by a Committee of the House of Representatives of parading a doctored school certificate result which belong to his dead cousin? Obla is allegedly a graduate of Law from the University of Jos. The list is inexhaustible, but the focus sometime ago on President Buhari's educational qualification, and the opaqueness that grew around the matter seem to have motivated nosey-parkers to begin to look for certificates in the corridors of power, including certificates of participation in the National Youth Service Corps.

LET ME NAIL IT. It is now shameful that Nigerians today are also ironically poster-characters for fake certificates, 419 qualifications, and dubious academic affiliations. These stories, either from the APC or PDP or any other side, whether true or false do not help Nigeria’s image. Whoever introduced certificate forgery case as a method of victimization and political desperation is doing Nigeria much harm. I imagine that if any Nigerian were to go anywhere in the world today, and present the best, most impressive credentials, the relevant authorities would still go behind to double-check. Many of our students today who go abroad for additional educational opportunities are routinely asked to take extra tests that candidates from other countries are not required to take. This is the reason Nigerians are compelled to write English language examinations like IELTS, TOEFIL etc even when our primary language of instruction and education is english, and this does not give a thought to our leaders. When the rest of the world hears that Nigerian political leaders, the same persons who are supposed to take serious decisions about national, bilateral and multilateral relations are a bunch of semi-illiterates, draft dodgers, and peddlers of fake certificate, they are bound to look at the rest of us as imbeciles. Apart from these, the situation is also exposing incredibility of INEC and our judicial system.

A country where a hundred and thousand graduates are roaming the Nigerian streets in search of skilled and unskilled jobs, persons whose educations are under question are the ones making administrative decisions. We applaud this present government in its fight against corruption, but I believe that certificate scandal is the worst form of corruption which we must fight to a standstill. In the same vein, it is a very costly joke and mechanism to introduce issues of certificate in the Nigerian brand of vindictive and victimizing politics. In this vein, when such accusations are not real, the accusers ought to be prosecuted for defamation.

END OF RECESSION, RISE IN OIL PRICE AND DREAD OF DUTCH DISEASE
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Nigeria’s economy is exiting a painful recession period; a time marked by a historic collapse in oil prices, exacerbated by falling oil production and inadequate policies which took a major toll on the economy at the wake of Muhammafu Buhari administration. The situation became so challenging coupled with the wreckage which the entire nation had gone through as a result of acute and miasmic misrule engineered by some parasitic leaders who were having unhindered access to the proceeds of the nation's lifeblood.

Per chance it eludes us, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC remains the main influencer of fluctuations in oil prices. OPEC is a consortium that, as of 2020, is made up of 13 countries: Algeria, Angola, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. According to 2018 statistics, OPEC controls almost 80% of the world's supply of oil reserves. The consortium sets production levels to meet global demand and can influence the price of oil and gas by increasing or decreasing production. OPEC vowed to keep the price of oil above $100 a barrel for the foreseeable future, but in mid-2014, the price of oil began to tumble. It fell from a peak of above $100 a barrel to below $50 a barrel as OPEC refused to cut oil production, leading to the tumble in prices and eventual recession we delved into.

However, Crude oil prices have risen higher after the International Energy Agency (IEA), in its May oil market report, had predicted lower global inventories in the second half of 2020. Oil prices rose as new data pointed to a rebound in crude demand around the world. Following the rising oil prices, there would be new foreign exchange measures, attractive yields on government securities, and a tighter monetary policy that will make foreign exchange more readily available and help contain inflation. Consequently, this will also influence the return of investors to Nigeria. With this recent rise in oil prices, there is serious need to invest in the reduction of unemployment and address poverty in Nigeria. Already the IMF has warned that policy implementation needs to move quickly and comprehensively to facilitate economic recovery and help the country reap its longer-term potential.

For some observers like myself, the recent rise in oil price may not be too good a news for Nigeria. At the period we were hard hit by low oil prices, we were forced to look at ways to diversify our economy away from oil and consider other areas of livelihood. The huge investment made by President Buhari in the area of Agriculture is a proof of this diversification. Much of Buhari's Agro lofty feats were itemized in his 96 paragraph Democracy message of June 12, 2020. However, with oil price going up now, we may be losing the narrative. There is a tendency of returning to the 'dutch disease', an expression which was first coined by Economist in 1977 to describe the decline in Netherlands manufacturing after the discovery of gas fields in the early 1960s. Ever since this time, many African countries have also struggled to enable rising living standards after the discovery of oil. Nigeria has been guilty of this disease especially during the years of PDP regime when oily affairs were forcefully moved from economic to politics.

However, there is a sense of optimism that the economy may not collapse again soon. We have witnessed 11 quarters of consecutive GDP growth since exiting recession. According to the President, the GDP grew from 1.91% in 2018 to 2.27% in 2019 but declined to 1.87% in the first quarter of 2020 as a result of the decline in global economic activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Every single economy in the world has suffered a decline, ours has been relatively moderate. May God bless Nigeria.

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http://danchidiugwu.blogspot.com

Nnenne, June 1

Gere, June 5

Dan, June 7

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OUR RED CARPET

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The first week of June has always come as an event packed period for the Ugwu's. In our family of 10, 3 siblings have marked their birthdays together. The red carpet comes in a sequel: Our second sister, Mercy Nnedimma Uche kicks off with June 1. Our third sister, Vivian Gere Ekperi goes for June 5. Did it stop there? No. By June 7, my humble self Dan Ugwu raps up the week in thanksgiving. We have always dedicated this holy week to the Blessed Virgin Mary, our patroness.

 Floyd protest March in Lagos

HYPOCRISY OF NIGERIANS' PROTEST MARCH
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Since the ugly Minneapolis murder of black American George Flyod, Nigerians have trooped out en mass to stage a protest against the killing of their black skinned kin by Derek. In Victoria Island of Lagos, the protest has literally taken a life of it's own. Even when the late George's brother Terrence Floyd had called for calm and end of protest, Nigerians have taken to the streets with flyers demanding justice for their 'brother' who was killed by the white supremacist.

As bizarre and weird as that could appear, many people have described such action of Nigerians in the streets and in the media as a hypocrisy of people helmed in by dementia.

Now the question is: When will the world stage a protest march against the Igbo holocaust and near extermination of the Igbos between 1966 to 1970 by Nigerian government, without reparation; without regrets, without apology and with the acute suppression of the history and memory of such gargantuan evil?

When will Nigerian celebrities, politicians, elites, activists, crusaders and unionists heat up the Nigerian landscape, seeking for justice and equal distribution of the nation's resources and lifeblood? Like Dr. Bongo Adi noted, our elites have kept mute in the face of tyranny and oppression because they are enjoying the comfort of their homes. In them says Wole Soyinka, the man has died.  May the man or woman not die in all of us.