Mr Olumide's Blog .com |
- Wonderful Prayers Good Wives Should Pray Over Their Husband
- Obasanjo''s Letter To Buhari: Matters Arising
- We Don't Have Any Data on Buhari's Government Claim of Creating 7 Million Jobs - NBS
- Petrol Crisis May Worsen As Depot Price Hits N165 Per Litre
- Frequent Corruption Probes By National Assembly Distracting Me - Fashola
- RIP! Nollywood Actress Nkiruka Is Dead
- Christians Should Participate In Politics, It’s Not Sinful - Pastor Makinde
- Woman Who Retired from Nigerian Army Killed by Her Security Guard & His Gang in Benin (Photos)
| Wonderful Prayers Good Wives Should Pray Over Their Husband Posted: 30 Jan 2018 03:41 AM PST  Check out these prayers to pray over your husband using God's Word... 1. Pray for his work "Lord, I pray that You would bless my husband's work. That he would be diligent and prosperous. That You would give him wisdom and discernment. God, I pray You would give him strength to walk the opportunities you provide. Thank you, Lord." Do you see a person skilled in his work? He will stand in the presence of kings. He will not stand in the presence of the unknown. Proverbs 22:29 CSB 2. Pray for his heart, soul and mind "Father, I praise You for my husband, Your unique creation. Please guard his heart and mind, Jesus. Protect him from temptation and fill him up with the good things he needs. You've promised to fill his soul with what he needs and I ask You to do just that." For he has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:9 CSB 3. Pray for healing from the past "God, would You heal the wounds of my husband's heart? You've promised healing to those who submit to You. Lord, please smooth the scars of past hurts and brokenness. May Your healing permeate his being, inside and out." Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved, for you are my praise. Jeremiah 17:14 CSB 4. Pray for courage "Lord, You are gracious and merciful, yet You are all-powerful and understanding. This world can be a fearful place and I pray that You would give my husband courage. Lord, infuse his character with courage for daily decisions and the difficult ones as well." The fear of the Lord leads to life; one will sleep at night without danger. Proverbs 19:23 CSB 5. Pray for his leadership "God, You have provided Your Word and I am so grateful. May Your Word guide my husband as the leader of our home. May his leadership skills be empowered by your wisdom. I trust that You will lead in his hand and heart in our relationship, his work, our home, community and church." Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God — who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly — and it will be given to him. James 1:5 CSB 6. Pray for wisdom in finances "Lord, money yields the greatest potential to cause problems in a home. Please give my husband wisdom as he seeks to honor You with finances. I praise You for the blessings You've provided and I pray that You would help him, help us, to always honor You first." Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. Hebrews 13:5 CSB 7. Pray for a heart for the Lord "Father, please give my husband a pure heart for You. May he seek to love You and trust You with everything he has and is. Protect him from opinions intended to sway him from Your Word." Don't work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God's will from your heart. Ephesians 6:6 CSB 8. Pray for his speech "Father, in a day when the world speaks with complete corruption, keep my husband's words pure before You. I pray that he would use his words just as You would have him to. I praise You for his personality and pray for purposeful conversations in our marriage." No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29 CSB 9. Pray for his friendships "Lord, I pray that You would provide encouraging friendships for my husband. That he would know he is never alone because You are with him, but I ask for others to speak into his life and sharpen him as he sharpens them." Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17 CSB 10. Pray for your husband to be a good father "God, I thank You that You are the good, good Father. Would you help my husband's parenting to reflect You? May his children know Your heavenly love personally and experience it through their earthly father." Fathers, don't stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 CSB If you know someone struggling or feeling disconnected in their marriage, share these powerful prayers with them and use this article to encourage their hearts. Maybe you know someone who longs to strengthen her marriage and build up her husband, these prayers would be the perfect tool to do so! [written by Rachel Wojo]  culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog |
| Obasanjo''s Letter To Buhari: Matters Arising Posted: 30 Jan 2018 03:31 AM PST  More than a week after President Olusegun Obasanjo released his state of the nation commentary and devastating assessment of the Buhari administration, it has remained the main subject in the public arena in Nigeria. It is a measure of the stature, influence and capacity of the elder statesman that whenever he intervenes as he has done, he sets the tone for public debate and the country's future political direction. I have already commented at length on the appropriateness, timeliness, depth, brutal honesty and shortcoming of that statement on both television and radio, more than twice, but there is an additional aspect that the statement further throws up, namely the nature and extent of presidential powers to wit: should Obasanjo blame Buhari? It is common practice in Nigeria for political commentators, either on the streets or in formal situations to make excuses for Presidents, either serving or retired. You are likely to hear statements such as: "The President is a good man, it is just that he is surrounded by bad advisers and ministers", or something like "Buhari is not the problem, the problem is that he has been hijacked by a cabal, or as the view was once expressed – "a cabal is now in charge!" The powers, style and limitations of the President are hardly ever placed in proper context. Proponents of the positivism of Presidential powers always speak in terms of "Good President, bad aides" in the Nigerian Presidential system, contrary to the norm that the buck stops at the President's table. President Obasanjo's various assessments of sitting administrations adopt a different orientation. He holds the President personally responsible for the performance or non-performance of his government. In his recent statement on the Buhari administration, he thus characteristically accused President Buhari of nepotism, lack of understanding of the internal dynamics of Nigerian politics, blame-passing, condoning of misconduct and outright incompetence. He more or less ascribes to the President of Nigeria the powers and the responsibility to provide leadership and ensure good governance. In his view, in areas where the President lacks capacity, it is his duty to recruit competent persons to assist him and where and when he fails, he is still the one to be held responsible. The underlying principle in Obasanjo's statement is that those to whom power is bequeathed must be accountable for the exercise of such power. In his only reference to advisers in his intervention, Obasanjo uses the word "so-called advisers." It is most unfortunate that in the various responses from government and its agents to the Obasanjo statement, there has been no attempt to take on Obasanjo on the issues. He has been called names by hired voices, or system sycophants, and all he got from the Minister of Information was an acknowledgement note and a patronizing "Baba-is-a-patriot", tepid climb-down, without a word of defence on the substantial question about how the incumbent President has abdicated responsibility and failed the leadership test. For me, there are a number of projected questions: Can a President actually be held responsible for the failings of the government he heads? Should the blame for an administration's failures be heaped on the head of a past government and its officials? Who can be held liable in the circumstance – a cabal, former Ministers, or those exercising delegated authority? For whereas Obasanjo holds every President accountable, I have heard persons claim that he has no moral right to do so. It is even alleged that President Buhari cannot be questioned because he is answerable only to the people whose sovereignty he personifies. President Obasanjo, by heaping the blame and the responsibility on the head of President Muhammadu Buhari, is drawing attention to the full extent of the ascribed and inherent powers of the President under the Constitution. The Nigerian Constitution in letter and spirit makes the Nigerian President an Emperor with near-absolute powers. There may be checks and balances on his powers here and there, in terms of his having recourse to the National Assembly on certain issues and having to make consultations, but in totality, the Constitution confers on him a kingly prerogative, especially on matters of policy and its execution. His powers are extensive and expansive. Under Section 5(1) of the Constitution, he is empowered to either exercise his powers directly or to delegate. His relationship with those to whom he delegates authority is akin to that between an agent and a disclosed principal. Section 5(1) is instructive: "Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the executive powers of the Federation – (a) shall be vested in the President and may, subject as aforesaid and to the provisions of any law made by the National assembly, be exercised by him either directly or through the Vice-President or Ministers of the Government of the Federation or other officers in the public service of the Federation; and Section 148(1) adds: "The President may, in his discretion, assign to Vice-President or any Minister of the government of the Federation responsibility for any business of the Government of the Federation, including the administration of any department of government." It stands to reason therefore that whatever is done by those agents, lawfully and within the bounds of Presidential approval, are within the scope of the responsibility of the President. In other words, the President cannot pass the buck. So, is it right to say Buhari is a good man, but the problem is the cabal? Or to hold heads of MDAs liable for acts that were carried out with Presidential authority and approval? The President is the custodian of the social contract with the people as defined in Section 14, and where there is a failure of consideration in this regard, the government is deemed not only to have lost legitimacy, the President is deemed to have failed. This is a key point in Obasanjo's statement, which makes it notably different from similar interventions by him in the past. The term or the group known as "cabal" is unknown to the Nigerian Constitution but the Constitution knows the President. Section 148 also recognizes that Ministers are appointees of the President, exercising delegated authority. This is why the National Assembly cannot impeach Ministers; they can only be sanctioned or relieved of their duties by their appointor, namely the President. Where the conduct of any government official is in question, it is important to establish whether or not such a person acted beyond the scope of the approval or directive given or whether or not such was ratified by the President. However, no public official is allowed under the law to carry out an unlawful directive, where such happens, such a person is personally liable. In practical terms, this has been a source of problem. Nigerian Presidents function like Emperors. How many appointees can stand in front of a President and query his authority, or turn down his directive? I align with the definition of responsibility in Obasanjo's review of the exercise of presidential authority. For instance, there are cases in court against Ministers and advisers who served under the Jonathan administration over matters such as the spending of security votes and sale of oil blocks, but to what extent can they be held responsible for obeying presidential directives? Today, in President Buhari's Aso Villa, the Chief of Staff in particular has been accused within the public domain of many things. Does anyone really believe that a Chief of Staff can act on his own without Presidential backing and not lose his job? When the matter of MTN's underpayment of sanctions sum came up and the penalty sum was allegedly reviewed downwards after some consideration, the MTN Executive that was involved was sanctioned, and Nigerians asked that certain government officials should similarly be sanctioned, but to date, nothing has happened. Could that have been the case without the President's knowledge? In the more recent controversial case of Abdulrasheed Maina, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami who was accused of protecting a man who had been sacked from service on the grounds of embezzlement, pilfering and corruption, had said that he acted with the knowledge and approval of the President. Can he possibly in the future be called to account for his action even when he was carrying out a Presidential directive, apparent or otherwise? Afterall, his explanation was further confirmed from the statement of the Head of Service to the Federation who said when the issue came up, she notified the President of the likely backlash. When the National Assembly summons a prominent government official and he or she refuses to honour the invitation, can it be assumed that any Presidential appointee can be so dismissive of the legislature without Presidential concurrence? When recently there was a face-off between the Department of State Security, the National Intelligence Agency and the EFCC, with the intelligence agencies insisting that they or their former bosses cannot be questioned by the EFCC, could they have gotten away with it without Presidential approval? It is noteworthy that the intelligence agencies report directly to the President and take directives from him. They relate to other departments of government only on a need-to-know basis. There is also that other matter between Dr Ibe Kachikwu and NNPC GMD, Kanti Baru, with the latter insisting that he had Presidential approval. Can either party be arrested in the future for "alleged corruption" in the light of the revelation by the Vice President, then acting as President, that he only gave "non-financial approvals?" Our point therefore is that everything in our Presidential democracy revolves around the President. Whereas the Constitution, upholding the separation of powers, vests the authority of the other two tiers of government: the legislature (Section 4) and the judiciary (Section 6) in institutions, the 1999 Constitution vests executive authority not in any institution, but the person of the President. The Presidency is not a collegiate; technically, even the Vice President has no powers. He can only function to the extent of powers delegated to him by the President, and even the very limited powers assigned to him can only be exercised under presidential directive. This is partly why when President Buhari went on a medical vacation and Vice President Osinbajo acted as President, there were persons who accused him of becoming ambitious and trying to seize Presidential powers even when he had been granted delegated authority. The second time the President travelled, the Vice President was directed to act only as a co-ordinator! The President is granted immunity from prosecution; while in office, he is regarded as a Messiah, such that even the powers of the National Assembly to impeach him in the event of "gross misconduct" or "incapacitation" are difficult to execute. More than at any other time, the Buhari administration has further problematized the extent of the powers of a President by calling to question virtually every act and directive under the preceding Jonathan administration. If a President gave a directive and it was lawfully carried out, without the agent going on a frolic of his own, and without any willful act of criminality, should such agents become the target of a witch-hunt? By stretching the matter in this direction, the Buhari administration may have created the basis for the growth of a political culture based on vendetta and the source of its own lack of vibrancy. This probably explains why under this administration, delegated authority is being exercised with so much fear. The Ministers and heads of parastatals and agencies are so scared because they imagine that even when they carry out directives, they may be held liable tomorrow by a different government. Already, they are being told that they are the problem and not the President. Why shouldn't a future government arrest and detain them and tell them that the execution of a Presidential directive is no protection? They may ultimately end up as victims of their current triumphalism. By demonizing former public officials, and undermining the powers of a past President to exercise power and authority through legitimate and lawful delegation, the Buhari administration may unwittingly make public service unattractive and set a disturbing precedent. Be sure, however that the Nigerian public in the future will still argue that "Baba is a good man, it was the cabal that caused his problems." Good intentions alone do not guarantee good leadership: this is the underlying moral of the Obasanjo statement. Whether or not he can mount the high horse to say this is beyond the purview of this present commentary. But here is the long-term challenge: Can a President who has been given so much powers under the Constitution be allowed to abdicate responsibility? Section 5(1) and Section 148, and other relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution on Presidential powers present grey areas that throw up jurisprudential questions that should be clarified and resolved. It is an issue on which Nigerians must make a value judgment: do we need to preserve the status quo or is there a need to review the extent of Presidential powers? There are two ways forward: a constitutional amendment of Presidential powers to make Presidents more accountable, more institution-based and less omnipotent, or a resolution of the dilemma through the jurisprudence of our courts.  culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog |
| We Don't Have Any Data on Buhari's Government Claim of Creating 7 Million Jobs - NBS Posted: 30 Jan 2018 03:01 AM PST  Nigeria's statistician general of the federation, Mr. Yemi Kale, says the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has no data on the job creation claims made by Chris Ngige, minister of labour and productivity. The data chief made this statement in an interview with Abang Mercy. Ngige had earlier said the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has created seven million jobs through its programmes. But Kale said during the interview: "We don't have the data anyway, that data of is 6 or 7 million, we don't have that. I can't comment on what other data users or data producers say but I can comment on what we produce here as the official source of data. "We have not produced any data on job creation, we produced data on people that were unemployed at the particular time and that is what we are sticking to. "We don't do politics at the NBS, the National Bureau of Statistics is the official source of data. Our law does not allow us to be countered. The law says very clearly that NBS is the official source of Nigerian data. "Everybody else can have their opinion, they can do their own computations if they want to but when it comes to national data, the authoritative source, the custodian of all data is the NBS. "So we don't comment on what other people even ministers say as far as data is concerned. Our data is for evidence based policy and decision making and that is what we do."  culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog |
| Petrol Crisis May Worsen As Depot Price Hits N165 Per Litre Posted: 30 Jan 2018 02:41 AM PST  According to ThisDay investigation, this is coming as two petrol vessels imported by the NNPC discharged simultaneously in Lagos at the weekend. Petrol scarcity, which had marred the Christmas and New Year celebrations, has persisted despite the efforts of the NNPC to successfully perform the onerous task of meeting the country's fuel need, following the refusal of the private marketers to import on account of unsustainability of the official pricing regime. A market survey conducted by ThisDay showed that only seven out of over 30 depots had stock of petrol at the weekend. The depots include Folawiyo, Fatgbems, Aiteo, Bovas, Heyden, Rainoil/First Royal and NIPCO. However, the major marketers had stock of NNPC's petrol, which the corporation was dispensing to only the major marketers' dealers and their branded filling stations at official price. It was gathered that the petrol in these depots belong to the NNPC under throughput arrangement with these depot owners. Worried that the petrol it imported and allocated to marketers did not get to retail outlets and motorists at official price, the NNPC had since stopped allocating product to marketers and resorted to throughput arrangement with selected marketing firms to have effective control of supply and distribution. However, to address the challenges, two vessels imported by the NNPC discharged simultaneously in Apapa at the weekend.  culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog |
| Frequent Corruption Probes By National Assembly Distracting Me - Fashola Posted: 30 Jan 2018 02:41 AM PST  On Wednesday, Fashola vented his frustration to the assembly while facing an investigative hearing on the transmission company of Nigeria (TCN) organized by the House Reps committee on power. "We closed here last week and we are resuming this week with this committee. Committees of the House also will be asking us of our budget performance and we just need to work in the office so that we can also perform. So, I think there's a sense here that I respectfully ask you to sufficiently use this time so we can also work to serve the Nigerian people. "We have a letter dated December 20, 2017, and that letter was issued under the name of one Nnamdi D. Onuigwe Esqr, Committee Clerk. And, it's from the House of Representatives, saying the House has constituted an ad hoc committee on the need to investigate the Fiscal Responsibility and Procurement Acts by the TCN. It was pursuant to House resolution 114/ADHOT/TCN2 of December 20. "Now, we were waiting to be invited by the ad hoc committee when we got this letter asking us to come today, signed by Ibrahim Sidi, Committee Clerk pursuant to House resolution 189 of December 5, 2017. Although, it's headed as 'Need To facilitate Swift action on management of TCN Electric Power Reforms', it goes in the body to ask us to come and explain to this investigative committee the interim management of TCN on the delay in the implementation of projects such as the Nigerian Electricity Gas Improvement project that will improve power sector in Nigeria. "So, I seek clarification in order to assist the committee in its work and if it's possible, to harmonize all of what we want to do together, bearing in mind that this House substantially is handling some possibly over-lapping issues."  culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog |
| RIP! Nollywood Actress Nkiruka Is Dead Posted: 30 Jan 2018 01:41 AM PST  The sad news has left her colleagues in the movie industry shocked. Some have taken to social media to pen down emotional tributes. One of the first to react to her death is actress Juliet Ibrahim who wrote: "I'm so scared of putting this picture up, not sure if it's the right thing to do. You were that girl that made my life change. U where that girl that made me laugh a lot you where that girl that I got so mad at. You where that girl that was friend to all. I spoke to u last. Week. You were the strongest sick person I know. I'm hurt by your death. My head still aches. Wish death was a thing that could be undone. I know God will have a new angel that makes him laugh all day and puts a smile on his face. Gone too soon. Rest in peace Nora. And look over all on earth that were genuinely connected to you. #RIPNora"   culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog |
| Christians Should Participate In Politics, It’s Not Sinful - Pastor Makinde Posted: 30 Jan 2018 12:51 AM PST  He said it was high time Christians got involved in politics and help make Nigeria truly better. Failure of Christians to participate in politics, Makinde warned, would continue to make them victims of irresponsible governance, which they would have no control over. The cleric argued that "it is not a sin for Christians to take active part in politics." Makinde said this on Monday in his sermon at the 65th birthday celebration of the Prelate, Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence Dr. Samuel Kanu Uche. The event held at the Methodist Cathedral of Peace and Excellence, Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos.  culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog |
| Woman Who Retired from Nigerian Army Killed by Her Security Guard & His Gang in Benin (Photos) Posted: 30 Jan 2018 12:11 AM PST  According to Jefferson Uwoghiren, the gang numbering over nine broke into the apartment of the retired Army Officer in the early hours of the morning, strangled he and set her ablaze before disappearing with her properties.    culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog |
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