Enugu Electricity consumers set for showdown

By SUCCESS UCHIME

Electric consumers in Enugu under the auspices of Enugu Electricity Consumers Forum (EECF) are heading for a showdown with the Enugu Electricty Distribution Company (EEDC) over the recent outrageous light bills sent to their members.

EEDC Staff at work

     In a statement by its National Chairman, Rev. Okechukwu Obioha (JP) he said that his organization has given a two-week ultimatum to Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to mandate EEDC to take positive action in elleviating their suffering, after which their members we go all out to protest the irregularities on the part of EEDC.
    He noted that in their letter, they bitterly complained the act of shortchanging of their members by the EEDC, adding that though they were not getting light as they aught to, still outrageous bills are being sent to them monthly as estimated consumers.
    “Now we have reached a melting point in our patience and long-suffering, we have decided to issue a “Save Our Soul” appeal to NERC. Our recent October bills which was increased five to six hundred percent, is to say the least strangulating, as every economic life both domestic and commercial in us is being sniffed out” he stated.
    According to Obioha, if NERC does not wade in with the big stick quickly, they will all perish in darkness; hence their members have gone individually and written both to NERC office in Enugu and EEDC headquarters also in Enugu.
     He stated: “EEDC told us that there is nothing they can do, with the reason that they distribute the cost of light as they buy. We have advised our members to pay the amount on their previous bills while we await the response of NERC and they have complied. EEDC nevertheless, had gone ahead to disconnect a lot of members and still going on massive disconnection.”
     He said that there are hues, cries and violent anger among their members and that they boiling and spoiling for combat and confrontation if nothing is done urgently, adding that they do not want a breakdown of law and order in this zone, hence their call for “Save Our Soul” without delay.
      Obioha recalled that his group had called a very crucial meeting last November 22 at Okpara Square, Independent Layout, Enugu, where they demanded among others that the EEDC should stop disconnection and immediately reconnect all those who have paid their October 2016 bill without expense on them.
     He noted that hey also demanded that EEDC should stop billing estimated consumers covered by EEDC as a distribution company, until every consumer is metered with prepaid meter, and also that bad transformers and lines should be replaced and consumers’ complaints attended to speedily without bureaucratic tendencies and no demand for gratification sought by EEDC staffers will be honored before such repairs and services are rendered.
      “Since several petitions have been written to EEDC on account of the above anomalies and other specific related electricity distribution/consumption problems, and they did not respond, we have persuaded our members to sheath their swords of violent anger and reaction and wait for EERC response” he further stated.

Eze Ikelionwu praises Gov. Obiano on N20M donation

*Marks New Yam festival in unique way

By SUCCESS UCHIME

Eze (Prof.) Chukwuemeka Ike, the Eze Ikelionwu X1, the traditional ruler of Ndikelionwu, Orumba North, Anambra State has praised the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willy Obiano for the donation of N20 million to the community.

Eze (Prof.) Chukwuemeka Ike during the 2016 Iriji Festival Ndike
Photo by: Ogene


The Eze stated this during the 2016 New Yam (Iriji) festival of the town held in Ndikelionwu on September 4, “we express immense appreciation to His Excellency, our dear State Governor, for the N20 million he is providing for the development projects in the town.”

 According to him, the fund will be used to complete the ongoing work on the town’s hall and the fencing of the health center adding that the Eze-in-Council is determined to ensure the

transparent use of the fund in order to yield maximum benefit to the town and its people.

He urged Ndikelionwu indigenes to offer direct labor as well as professional service and building materials to the contractors handing the projects to ensure they also benefit individually from the project.

Eze Ikelionwu also appreciated Gov. Obiano for the impressive, invaluable support given to him during the 2015 commemoration of his Golden Jubilee as a published Creative Writer.

He recapped that following a state-wide appeal by the Government for donation of land for development projects, Ndikelionwu offered a large expanse of land to the Government noting that nothing has been done in the recent time to kick-start the project.

“We urge speedy resolution of any obstacles, to enable both the Government and our people to benefit from the economic development of the town. The extensive parcels of land offered are Ndikelionwu’s food basket, the food producing villages of Aronota, Okpunifite and Umuochu. These food producing villages have one glaring need in common. They need motorable roads for the evacuation of their products” he stated.

On the 2016 Iri ji Ndike Festival, the Eze Ikelionwu observed that because Ndikelionwu developed from an agricultural community with yam as its dominant crop, the two festivals, Ikeji festival held in March/April at the start of the yam planting season and Iriji festival on the first Saturday in September, at the onset of yam harvest are tied to yam cultivation.

He noted that with the advent and spread of Christianity in Igboland, some modifications have been made over the years to modify or eliminate objectionable elements, assuring their Christian guests that the Iriji Ndikelionwu is devoid of pagan practices.

He said that one unique feature of this year’s festival is the title conferment ceremony, adding that due to the monetization of title awards in many communities, as well as their Aro culture and tradition, they have not been unduly anxious to rush into the conferment of titles.

Eze Ikelionwu noted that nine eminent indigens of Ndikelionwu, eight men and a woman, who have demonstrated untiring commitment to the welfare of the community, have been considered and are being conferred with the ultimate honor and title of Ugwu Ndikelionwu, the Pride of Ndikelionwu.

Ogene notes that the awardees include: Mazi Peter Ilora, an educationist and former Secretary General of the Town’s Union, Sir Samuel Nwafor, the Ezeogo Obunikpa and a retired Permanent Secretary, Mazi Peter Nwankwo, an Estate Surveyor & Valuer, and one-time Lagos branch Chairman of the Town’s Union, Chief (Dr.) Uche Nwene, a medical doctor and retired General Manager, Hospital Services, Nigeria Natioanl Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Others are: Sir Nwabuonu Ogbaji, a serving Permanent Secretary with Anambra State Government and one-time President General, Igwebuike Age Grade, Ndikelionwu, Mazi Umezurike Okereke, a Chatered Accountant and a retired Auditor with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Patron, St. Margaret Anglican Church, Ndikelionwu, Dr. Obinani Okoli an Associate Professor and former Palace Secretary of Eze Ikelionwu X1 of Ndikelionwu, Sir (Engr.) Emma Kanu a retired Principal Manager with Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), now Enugu Electric Distribution Company (EEDC), and the only woman conferred with the title, Chief Edna Nwobi (nee Ogbanufe), retired Director, Industrial Trust Fund (ITF) and Founder& Chairman, Edna Nwobi Diabetic Care Foundation (Endicare).  

Ndikelionwu women laud Mrs. Obiano on grassroots projects

 By SUCCESS UCHIME

 

The Ndikelionwu women under the auspices of Ndikelionwu Home and Abroad Women Meeting (Nzuko Inyom) has praised the immense contributions made by the wife of the State Governor, Chief (Mrs.) Ebelechukwu Obiano for continuing to execute her husband’s development attitude to the  women at the grassroots.

 

The organization’s President-General, Lady Star Ngozi Nwafor stated this during this year’s August General Meeting held in Ndikelionwu adding Ndikelionwu meeting wholeheartedly appreciated the tireless efforts of Mrs. Obiano in meeting the needs of rural women in the state.

 

Lady Star Nwafor (1st left) with her other executives
                        (Pix by The Ogene 2016)

She noted that the women’s achievements in the past year are worthy of commendation adding that after the August meeting of 2015, they made a donation of N100,000 to the Town Union in support of the reconstruction going on at the town hall.

 

“The executive approved the impress of N10, 000 each to the three health posts for maintenance in the year ending in August. We bought plastic chairs, table and a generating plant for secondary school. We also carried out maintenance at the health center and supplied water to the center all throughout the year” she stated.

 

Mrs. Nwafor further said that at present, reconstruction of the front walls of the center is being negotiated and that the contract for the reconstruction and installation of gate will soon be finalized.

 

On the upcoming New Yam festival coming up on September 3, she observed that the women participated actively during the 2015 event and will also be fully involve in this year’s event adding that her executives joined other well-meaning Ndikelionwu indigenes to pay homage to the Eze of the town, Eze (Prof.) Chukwuemeka Ike, the Ikelionuw X1.

Speaking on the Conference theme: “The God Fearing Woman Obeys the Word of God,” she admonished the women of the fact that simple obedience to the word of God is sublime and that it is the word of God that brought everything into existence.

 

Quoting Psalm 33:6 which says: “By the word of the heavens were made and all the hosts of them by the breath of his mouth,” she noted that God created the world with the word of His mouth and that everything obeyed Him as He spoke.

 

We’re repositioning education in Orumba North – Dr. Kanu

BY SUCCESS UCHIME

 

The Education Secretary, Orumba North Local Government Education Authority (LGEA), Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Kanu said that her office is making frantic efforts to reposition education in the local government.

 

She stated this during a 3-day workshop/training for head of teachers/staff of the LGEA organized in the area, adding that they intend to achieve this feat by showing deep commitment to their work in order to sustain the standard, vision and mission of the education sector.

 

She appreciated the immense contributions made by the head teachers, staff, and sectional heads in the LGEA who have cooperated very well with her especially during their field works notwithstanding the difficult terrain they were operating in.                                                                              Dr. (Mrs. Kanu during the workshop
                                                                                                                 (Pix by The Ogene '16)

 Dr. Kanu also appreciated members of the Association of Primary School Head Teacher of Nigeria (AOPSHON) who have worked tirelessly in order to sustain education in the area, “we worked as a family in practical terms and the kind of love they showed to me was unquantifiable. Their prompt and quick response in submission of returns to headquarters was quite commendable, and I pray that the tempo be sustained.”

 

She praised the efforts of Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB) for its effort in organizing a state wide in-house retreat for head teachers in the primary school system adding that the retreat was the first of its kind in recent times in the state as a result of its Information Communication Technology (ICT) base.

 

Dr. Kanu said that since her assumption of duty as Education Secretary in 2014, serious efforts have been made to improve both qualitative and quantitative education in the LGEA through improved access, retention and completion rates.

 

She enumerated some of her achievements as, the purchase of two sets of computer with its accessories, punctuality to duty, immense academic performance stating that all these were achieve because of the effective monitoring of head teachers/teachers in the schools.

 

“There has been an upward performance in both the internal and external examinations. This is reflected in their performance in Quiz, Mathematics, Home Economics, Science and Igbo competitions. LGEA took first position in Erimeri Igbo competition in 2015, 100 percent pass in the First School Leaving Certificate. Seven pupils from primary school, Oko and Okoko Primary School, Oko gained admission into Federal Unity School” she stated.

 

Dr. Kanu noted that her office also organized regular management meetings with Head Teachers, Head of Sections and staff whenever the need arose stating that the need for this was for them to keep acquainted with the policy direction of ASUBEB and also be in touch with the demands of the Board Desk Officers/Staff of the LGEA.

 

She stated: “We ensure that nobody is left out in their capacity building in their specialized areas. Most importantly, we usually pay their allowances during these trips.”

 

 

 

Eze Ikelionwu confers chieftaincy titles on Ndikelionwu indigenes during New Yam Festival

By Success Uchime

 

This year’s New Yam (iriji) festival in Ndikelionwu, Orumba North promises to be a special one with the conferment of chieftaincy title of Ugwu Ndikelionwu to distinguished sons and daughters of the town.

This is contained in a statement by the traditional ruler of the ancient town, Eze (Prof.) Chukwuemeka Ike, the Eze Ikelionwu X1 during this year’s women August meeting of Ndikelionwu home and abroad members

According to him some few years ago he was conferred with the Ugwu Aro title by the Eze of Arochukwu, and it becomes necessary for him to confer on other distinguished Ndikelionwu people the Ugwu Ndikelionwu as a mark of honor for their contribution to the growth and development of the town.

“The Yew Yam festival will be coming up on September 3rd, and it’ll be held at the Hockey play ground (Ilo Hockey) Ndikelionwu since our town hall is still under construction. “On a Sunday before the event we shall have an interdenominational service to thank God for a fruitful harvest. Then on Friday before the festival, we’ll institute the Eze’s cabinet” Eze Ike stated.

He said the title will be conferred on eight men and one woman, adding that Ndikelionwu women must not be left out in such a prestigious event, “we’ve carefully selected these people on merit. It is only for people who have contributed one positive thing or the other in the town.”

Eze Ike noted that on that day also the town will officially receive an Ndikelionwu daughter, Bar. (Mrs.) Amaka Ilobi (nee Ogbaji), who was appointed Commissioner for Commerce & Industry by Gov. Willy Obiano administration, “Ndikelionwu people are happy with the appointment and we want to show her our appreciation on that day also."

On the N20 million donation made by the state government to Ndikelionwu, Eze Ike said the fund was a donation by the government to all the towns in Anambra state stating that Ndikelionwu will invest the fund on the completion of the town hall and fencing of the health center.

According to him a committee comprising himself and the Town Union’s President and other distinguished indigenes has been setup and they will ensure that the fund is judiciously used for the purposes it was meant for. “We must be very strict on how the fund is spent. There will be no diversion of the fund. The government will want to know how the fund was spent, so we shall give a good account of it.”

“I thereby call on all Ndikelionwu people to come back home in their numbers with all their friends, in-laws, nwadiana etc for this epoch making event. As I said earlier it will hold on the popular ilo hockey field situated by the St. Margaret Church Ndikelionwu” Eze Ikelionwu further stated.

To read more reports on The Ogene Newspaper, please click here:http://theogenenewspaper.blogspot.com/

Health /Wellness

Stories By Ikenna Nwosu

10 health benefits of taking honey
There is something undeniably enchanting about honey; the product of flower nectar transformed by bees, as if by alchemy – but in fact through the far less-poetic act of regurgitation – into a sweet, golden elixir. Honey has held sway over humans since ancient times.
     But aside from honey’s seductive color and flavor, it has some scientific super-powers that add to its appeal. Honey has an unusual chemical composition, one which makes it keep indefinitely without spoiling; as is seen whenever ancient pots of honey, still perfectly preserved, are found during excavations of early Egyptian tombs. It is uniquely low in moisture and extremely acidic, making it a forbidding environment for bacteria and microorganisms. On top of that, bees add an enzyme, glucose oxidase, to it that creates hydrogen peroxide as a byproduct. According to experts, honey is hygroscopic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and has remarkable debriding action.
     With this bonanza of properties, honey has been used for millennia as a medicinal remedy. As experts also say, that the earliest recorded use of honey as a curative came from Sumerian clay tablets, which conveyed that honey was used in 30 percent of prescriptions at the time. The ancient Egyptians used honey regularly to treat skin and eye problems; as did the Greeks, Romans, and a number of other cultures. 
     Ever since, along with being a favored gift to the gods and employed for sweetening cakes and drinks, honey has been used to treat that which ails us. It has been hailed as a fix for everything from scrapes to cancer. The following are some of honey’s best-known health benefits; whether confirmed by science or passed down through folk tradition, they prove honey to be as efficacious as it is delicious.
      1. It soothes cough
A 2007 study from Penn State College of Medicine that involved 139 children, found that buckwheat honey out-performed the cough suppressant, dextromethorphan (DM), in calming night time cough in children and improving their sleep. Another study published in Pediatrics included 270 children aged one to five with night time cough due to simple colds; in this study, the children who received two teaspoons of honey 30 minutes before bed, coughed less frequently, less severely and were less likely to lose sleep due to the cough when compared to those who did not get honey.
       2. It boosts memory
According to research reported by Reuters, 102 healthy women of menopausal age were assigned to consume 20 grams of honey a day, take hormone-replacement therapy containing estrogen and progesterone or do nothing. After four months, those who took honey or hormone pills recalled about one extra word out of 15 presented on a short-term memory test. That said, some critics of the study say that it was not scientifically sound because it was small and did not last long. But still...
      3. It treats wounds
In numerous studies, honey has been found effective in treating wounds. In a Norwegian study, a therapeutic honey called Medihoney (a New Zealand honey that undergoes a special purification process) and Norwegian Forest Honey were found to kill all strains of bacteria in wounds. In another study, 59 patients suffering from wounds and leg ulcers – of which 80 percent had failed to heal with conventional treatment – were treated with unprocessed honey. All but one of the cases showed remarkable improvement following topical application of honey. Wounds that were sterile at the outset remained sterile until healed, while infected wounds and ulcers became sterile within one week of applying honey.
     For the treatment of burns and wounds, experts say that honey is applied directly or in a dressing which is usually changed every 24 to 48 hours. When used directly, 15 ml to 30 ml of honey has been applied every 12 to 48 hours, and covered with sterile gauze and bandages or a polyurethane dressing.
      4. It provides nutrients
According to experts, honey contains small amounts of a wide array of vitamins and minerals, including niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Thus, using honey instead of sugar provides you with more nutrients for your calories.
    5. It potentially prevents low white blood cell-count
Experts also note that honey may be a promising and inexpensive way to prevent low white blood cell-count caused by chemotherapy. In one small trial, 40 percent of cancer patients who were known to be at risk of neutropenia (very low blood count), had no further episodes of the condition after taking two teaspoons daily of therapeutic honey during chemotherapy. More research is needed, but the remedy could hold great potential.
     6. It may relieve seasonal allergies
Many people swear by honey’s ability to lessen symptoms of seasonal allergy. As honey has anti-inflammatory effects and is known to soothe cough, it may not seem like much of a stretch; but honey’s efficacy for treating allergy has not been proven in clinical studies. That said, some experts say that honey can contain traces of flower pollen, and exposure to small amounts of allergens works as good treatment to combat reactions. Whether it can be proven by science or not is one thing; but at its worst, it makes for a delicious placebo. (And do not knock the healing power of placebos!)
    7. It kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria
In clinical studies, medical grade honey has been shown to kill food-borne illness pathogens like E. coli and salmonella, as well as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, both of which are common in hospitals and doctors' offices.
    8. It may help metabolize alcohol
This one is for you cocktail-swillers, experts have revealed that honey taken orally might, increase the body's ability to metabolize alcohol, thereby limiting intoxication and more rapidly reducing alcohol blood levels.
    9. It makes great workout fuel
Many athletes rely on sugar-laden sports drinks and gels for carbohydrates to fuel their bodies before and during endurance events, and afterwards, to help muscle recovery. At 17 grams of carbohydrates per tablespoon, honey makes an excellent source of all-natural energy that is superior to other conventional sources since it comes with added nutrients. Experts recommend adding honey to your bottle of water for an energy boost during workouts. Snacks with honey can be eaten before and after, and honey sticks can be used during endurance events.
    10. It resolves scalp problems and dandruff
In a study involving patients with chronic seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff, the participants were asked to apply honey diluted with 10 percent warm water to their problem areas and leave it on for three hours before rinsing with warm water. In all of the patients, itching was relieved and scaling disappeared within one week. Skin lesions were completely healed within two weeks, and patients showed subjective improvement in hair loss as well. When applied weekly thereafter for six months, patients showed no sign of relapse.
     All of that said, there are two important things to remember about honey: One, just because it proffers numerous health benefits does not mean it is not caloric; one tablespoon yields 64 calories. Also, it is crucial to remember that honey is not appropriate for children younger than 12 months because it can contain the bacteria that cause infant botulism.

Health tips for healthy living (Mental health)

Healthy living involves more than physical health, it also includes emotional or mental health. The following are some ways people can support their mental health and well-being.
1. Get enough sleep daily
Experts  recommend the following by age group (naps inclusive); 12-18 hours from birth to 2 months, 14-15 hours from 3-11 months of age, 12-18 hours for 1-3 years of age, 11-13 hours for 3-5 years of age, 10-11 hours for 5-10 years of age, eight and a half to nine and a half hours for 10-17 years of age and those 18 and above need seven to nine hours of sleep. Elderly people need about seven to nine hours, but do not sleep as deeply and may awaken at night or wake early, so naps (like kids need) allow them to accumulate the total of seven to nine hours of sleep.
2. Take a walk
Always take a walk and reflect on what you see and hear at least several times per week.
3. Try something new
Always try something new and often (eat a new food, try a different route to work, go to a new museum display).
4. Be involved in mind exercises
Do some mind exercises (read, do a puzzle occasionally during the week).
5. Focus on a process
Try to focus on a process intensely and complete a segment of it over one to several hours, then take a break and do something relaxing (walk, exercise, short nap).
6. Socialize with others
Plan to spend some time talking with other people about different subjects.
7. Make some leisure
Try to make some leisure time to do some things that interest you every week (hobby, sports).
8. Make frantic objections
|Learn ways to say “no” when something occurs that you do not want to do or be involved with.
9. Have fun
Have fun (go on a trip with someone you love, go shopping, go fishing; do not let vacation time slip away).
10. Always seek help
Seek help and advice early if you feel depressed, have suicidal thoughts, or consider harming yourself or others.
Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/healthy_living/page4.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOOK REVIEW

Book title: Chukwuemeka Ike: 50 Years as a Trailblazing Novelist
Author: Kanchana Ugbabe (Ed.)
Name of publisher: University Press Ibadan, 2015
Reviewer: Prof. Joy Eyisi
Number of pages: ?
Price: ?

On reading Professor Kanchana Ugbabe’s description of Ike in her introduction to the current volume, “Chukwuemeka Ike: 50 Years as a Trailblazing Novelist,” I was provoked to momentary relapse into an old habit of mine for which I am yet to find a cure. While possessed by this habit, I had wondered what Professor Chukwuemeka Ike could have been were he not to have been a novelist. Having known the man in his grandeur and tenacity, I arrived at the conclusion that Professor Ike could have been an athlete, a king of the track. Perhaps he did not become one only because he did not try or simply because he was possessed quite early by the spirit of the Muse. Whatever the case might have been, I attribute the doggedness of Professor Chukwuemeka Ike, his sense of fair play to traits relating to the athlete, which he never became. Here is a man who retired into work, first as King of Ndikelionwu and then, as Chairman of Nigerian Book Foundation, a platform that helps fight book piracy as well as supports and improves reading culture among Nigerians; and he is not found wanting in any of these challenging assignments.
    As Chairman of the Nigerian Book Foundation, Ike’s purposes were simply altruistic, to use his towering global influence to bridge the educational material gap in Nigeria. He attracts current and powerful books from publishers abroad and distributes these free of charge to Nigerian students, academics, schools and libraries. Once, Ike confronted me with his frustration. He had encountered people on many occasions and in different locations, putting up for sale at exorbitant prices, the books he, through the Nigerian Book Foundation, had given out to them free for institutional use. In anger, he had contemplated legal action against the culprits, but what he actually did and still does, is to brainstorm on possible ways to avoid such abuses.
      Perhaps what the profiteers did not know was that not only were the books secured on the strength of Ike’s reputation, he also used his personal resources to clear them from the Nigerian ports. I was privy to those times when consignments of books accumulated demurrage in the ports simply because Ike was late in raising capital to pay duties for them. It is a disappointment that our governments that granted all sorts of ridiculous waivers to profiteering merchants did not find it worthy to grant waiver to Ike.
     Therefore, occasions like this present us in the academia great opportunity to call for removal of all forms of duties on educational materials. Serious nations should not tax the education of their citizens in whatever guise.
      They say that the pen is mightier than the sword. Possibly, the inventors of the saying did not anticipate the convergence of the pen and the sword in the hands of one man as is the case with Professor Chukwuemeka Ike, the writer and the king. In a setting where the pen and the sword were construed as tools of destruction, Ike has stretched our imagination.
      Here, I want to make reference to the Italian writer, Umberto Eco, who speaks of the limitless power of the interpretative mind. It is this interpretative mind that enables us to transcend the description made of screwdriver, for instance, as instrument of tightening screws. Eco holds that the screwdriver can also be used for other things like scratching the ear, committing a homicide, opening a package, and so on, and so, its description as tool for tightening screws is not in any way imposed by the nature of the screwdriver itself but by human subjectivity. We are grateful that a man, like Chukwuemeka Ike, in whose hands the gods chose to place two destructive instruments, as they were, decided to rise above human subjectivity.
     With the pen and the sword firmly in his hands, Ike chose to be a potter. The two instruments in his hands became his wheels. As a potter, Ike chose to mould the character of youths and challenge the seeming moral failures of adults. He traced the path of national unity, challenged stereo-typing, redirected the trajectory of our educational system and dreamed up the Nigeria he wanted for us all. It is clear from this that Ike’s books are teleological.
     Arts for him, as it is for most African writers of his generation, is never for art’s own sake. It served a purpose. Thus, why you may be excited to laugh out loud at Obu’s outlandish mannerisms as you read The Potter’s Wheel, Ike will leave you in no doubt at the end of the story, that the wits you enjoyed in the book were just like the smooth water that enabled you to digest the harder bones of the book which his messages often are.
     For me, as a person, the most enduring and unforgettable of Ike’s didactics was simply “chew your stick in the privacy of your bathroom.” It was a message about how not to assault the cultural sensibilities of others, about how not to embarrass oneself in the midst of others, and how to live peacefully with dignity in a pluralistic world. I have borne this quote in my head for close to thirty years, and Professor Chukwuemeka Ike has no way of knowing that the very first day I met him in flesh and blood that this was the saying of his that played in my mind.
      It is not just because it contained my favorite quotes of Ike, but also because it was the first of Ike’s novel I read and the one that introduced me to some other books of his that gave The Bottled Leopard a pride of place in my heart. Until a couple of years ago, the idea of a bottled leopard has always struck me as an imaginary creation of a restless writer. However, just few years ago, I was regaled with real stories of leopards and other animals as real alter egos of people in cultures of some localities in Igbo land. This awareness alerted me about how thin the line separating reality from myths is. Indeed, what we regard as myth may in actual sense be a distance reality.
      One thing that sets Professor Ike apart from others is his ability to write to different classes of audience. Some scholars, however, have tended to view Ike’s novels as autobiographical. But are the novels really so much about Ike as they are about anybody who has had even the remotest experience of the cultural settings of his novels? In this sense, if the charge in some quarters that Ike’s novels are a fictional representation of himself is true, it will also be true that they are biographies of many a good number of people who relate themselves with the stories in most of his books.
     Thus, the truth about Ike’s books is that at times, he writes as an eavesdropper, a silent observer who reports your little secrets in public. Subsequently, I think that the strength of Chukwuemeka Ike as a writer rests on the details he pays attention to. Since those details are about our fears, our idiosyncrasies, our labors, our love and joys of being Africans, Ike can be regarded as a humanistic writer. The characters in his books do not live in a moral height; rather they are normal human beings with normal human flaws.
      Since the battles of life are not always won either are they always lost, some of these flaws were overcome by the characters whereas others were not. If fifty years down the line, readers still seek out Ike’s novels, it is because they could relate themselves to the novels. It is also because the novels are written in their own language, simple and ordinary language.
      Just as Kachana wrote, Ike’s works could be read for different purposes. Some read them for pleasure; others see them as pieces of work that call for deeper scholarly investigation, while some read them simply because of their pedagogical nuggets. Whatever reason one has for reading any of Ike’s works, it is worth it.
    Agadinwanyị anaghị aka nka n’egwu Ọ maara agba! At 80, Professor Chukwuemeka Ike is still soaring like the Eagle he has always been. The number of intellectuals and academics who contributed to this work shows how much Ike is loved in the literary domain. His readiness to help and support young writers is both commendable and unparalleled. Indeed, we are celebrating okeosisi-oji (a great iroko tree) and a rare literary icon - a man whose works stand as masterpiece, magnus opus, and whose contributions in the world of literature are invaluable.
     In sum, a diviner is not needed for one to know a person who has wrestled with a lion and defeated it. Professor Chukwuemeka Ike has indeed, wrestled with the lion in the academic sphere and emerged a champion. As a trailblazer, he has not gone to where the path leads; instead, he has gone where there is no path and left a trail. An icon!

Bussiness/Commerce

Developing entrepreneurial skills, investment opportunities in old Aguata

The reoccurring phenomena in the Old Aguata have been the problem of poverty, and the greatest challenge has been on means and ways of empowering the people to be self reliant. PROF. BENJAMIN OSISIOMA, who was a resource person at the Old Aguata Day celebration 2015, in this paper he presented at the occasion, addresses this and other challenges facing Old Aguata and the way forward.

Introduction
The United Nations (UN) has time and time again, mobilized global resources for the socio-economic and developmental challenges of our times. In 2000, the goal was the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); in 2005, the world had metamorphosed into a new global challenge, the     Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The bottom-line however, revolves around the trinity of problems – the core and critical factors of poverty, ignorance and disease. As disparate as these problems are, they touch on the crux of the global developmental problem, which is the need for wealth creation and the improvement of the quality of life of the ordinary people.
      Poverty is deprivation, destitution, debasement, inferiority, cheapness and dearth of resources to live at a level considered normal or comfortable. The North-South divide at the global level is a wealth poverty divide. The rich and more naturally endowed South has provided the brawn-hewers of wood and drawers of water for the far less-endowed but more developed North. It was the late United StateS President, J. F. Kennedy, who warned that a free society which cannot feed the many citizens who are poor, will not be able to protect the few that are rich. The rich and mighty in society cannot sleep because the poor are hungry and awake. The challenge for Nigeria (and indeed the Old Aguata Union OAU), is how to redress the problems of poverty, ignorance and disease, and acquire the knowledge required to improve the quality of life of our people. The urgent task is to employ the entrepreneurial tool in the venture of creating, nurturing and prospering in wealth.
     At the outset, we need to identify some basic assumptions that underline the quest for wealth creation:

• Wealth is measured by a person’s ability to survive so many day forwards without working;
• The world is filled with talented poor people; they are not poor because of what they know, but because of what they do not know.
• Schools are designed to produce good employees instead of good employers. So children spend years in schools, studying subjects they will never use, preparing for a world that no longer exists;
• Most people if given more money, will only get into more debt. Skills in making money are not nearly as important as skills in keeping money;
• The rich buy assets; the poor only pay expenses; the middle class incurs liabilities;
• Long hours and hard work are good; but they do not necessarily translate to wealth and riches;
• The battle to get out of poverty begins with a change in mind-set;
• Enterprise is the workshop that turns out riches.  Enterprises skills are required to convert dreams into reality, and ambition into achievement.
  Certain questions need to be asked! Is there anyone who deliberately prefers rags to riches? Is there a short-cut to wealth? Can schools teach wealth/value creation?  Can an employee in a corporation really be wealthy?
     This paper shall attempt to identify entrepreneurial skills that will aid in the inculcation of wealth-creating capacity among our people, and lead in the definition of approaches to gainful investment.
       Entrepreneurship defined
  Entrepreneurship is:

• The combination of initiative, innovation and calculated risk-taking associated with identifying market opportunities, mobilizing resources and managing them efficiently in the operation of productive, viable and socially-responsible enterprise;
• The result of a disciplined, systemic process of applying creativity and innovation to needs and opportunities in the marketplace. It involves applying focused strategies to new ideals and new insights to create a product or a service that satisfies customers’ needs or solves existing problems;
• The dynamic process of translating dreams, visions and ideas into economically viable entities.
      It involves casting the vision and defining the path to the future, refusing to accept the status quo and taking risks in the pursuit of over-arching goals. Entrepreneurship is not a project or a mission. It is first and foremost, a mind-set, a life-style - a process of creative destruction with an eye on profit, a value adding and wealth-creating process. There are various spin-offs to the entrepreneurial drive: intra-preneurship, which is corporate entrepreneurship, co-preneurship, referring to a partnership of entrepreneurs, cyber-preneurship, referring to the repeated commencement and growing of new businesses to sustainable size before striking out again to fresh fields, and agir-preneurship,  the application of entrepreneurial skills in the area of agriculture.
       The entrepreneur creates a new business in the face of risk and uncertaintly for the purpose of achieving profit and growth by identifying significant opportunities and assembling the necessary resources to capitalize on them. He shifts economic resources out of an area of lower, into an area of higher productivity and great yield. He causes resources to undergo a level of manipulation to achieve set goals – invent new products and services, develop new technology, discover new knowledge, improve existing products or service, and find different ways of providing more goods and services with fewer resources.
       Indeed, the hallmark of entrepreneurship is finding new ways of satisfying customers’ needs; inventing new products and services; putting together existing ideas in new and different ways; creating new twists on existing products and services.
       Linda Turner was in an exercise class where she noticed a pregnant woman struggling to keep up with the pace of the exercises. She began to wonder about practical underwear for pregnant women that would meet the problems in hand. After hours of extensive research and countless interviews, she decided to try out combination of two products: a jog bra and a heavy girdle. She sewed them together to make what she called Bellybra. It looked ridiculous, but it worked. And as prominent women magazines gave her product rave reviews, she took out a patent on her product and began production. She created a successful business by taking two everyday items that have existed for many years and combining them in a different and unique way.               
      The entrepreneur brings to light a differentiator, something unique, which represents values in the eyes of the buyer or customer; he sees change as normal and healthy - searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.
         In the 1940s, the Swiss had over 80% of the market in wrist watches sewn-up. They made and marketed the best watches, and their industries employed over 80,000 employees. A manufacturer approached the Swiss watchmakers with a new product in the 1950s: the digital watch. He offered them the new product. They rejected it. They already had the best watches globally. The man went elsewhere with his invention, and sold it to Seiko of Japan. Today 80% of all watches are digital, and the famed Swiss watch makers are left on the fringes, and with a dwindling market. Today, their industries employ less than 18,000 employees while the boom has gone elsewhere. Firms which refuse to change, choose to die.
       He perceives or senses opportunity where others fear rejection and failure. He talks not of obstacles but challenges. His mind-set is tuned to success. Though he is aware of possibility of failure, he does not allow it to pre-occupy him.
       The entrepreneurial model seeks to create a dynamic fix among four inter-related components – people, context, deal, and opportunity.

• People - These are those who actively participate in the venture or contribute resources to the venture. They provide the skills, attitudes, knowledge, contacts, goals, and values which provide the resource mix critical to ultimate success. With their multiple motivation and capacities, they create the energy and determine the nature of the outcome. 
• Context - These are elements outside the control of the entrepreneur, yet are active determinants of success or failure of the endeavor. They include the macro-economy, tax and regulatory structure and socio-political environment – specific contextual factors that can frame the opportunities and the risks that a new venture faces.
•   Deal – This is the substance of the bargain that defines who in a venture that gives what, who gets what, and when deliveries and receipts will take place. They include economic benefits, social recognition, autonomy and decision rights, satisfaction of deep personal needs, social interactions, fulfillment of generative and legacy desires, and delivery on altruistic goals.
• Opportunity - This is any activity requiring an investment of scarce resources in hopes of future return. Stevenson defines entrepreneurship as the pursuit of opportunity, beyond the tangible resources that one currently controls. Thus, the entrepreneur needs to know how opportunity can be recognized, the process of committing to an opportunity, gaining control over the resources, managing the network of resources, and the reward system for  all stakeholders. The entrepreneurial organization thus, focuses on opportunity not resources.
       Opportunity in terms of business entrepreneurship refers to circumstances of the moment which lend themselves to profitable and beneficial appropriation for a business man who has an eye for gain. It is an occasion, a business opening, a sudden economic development, which offers the possibility of a successful application of industry, which a sharp business man can utilize to his benefit. Thus, opportunities abound in terms of: 

• A product needed in a locality, but is not being produced or sold;
• A market niche not filled by any entrepreneur;
• A technological breakthrough which may improve the efficiency of production if properly applied:
• An abundant source of raw materials not used or exploited by any producer, but which can offer advantages to an entrepreneur.
        The law of opportunity holds that opportunity offers itself to men in direct proportion to their ability, their will for action, their power of vision, their experience, and their knowledge of business. The only men who consistently cannot find opportunities are those who are unprepared to take advantage of them. Thus, it has been said that there are three kinds of persons in our world today: those who see problems in every opportunity, those who see opportunities in every problem, and those who do not know the difference between problems and opportunities.

• Wealth creation involves making the most of the opportunities available to us.
• Beyond that, it involves creating our own opportunity
• Good things do not just happen; people make them happen.
• Be creative. Originate ideas for new products, new method of distribution, increased productivity, labor-and-cost-saving devices, better handling methods and improved information storage.
• People who provide these ideas, get recognition for their contributions.
          Prof. Benjamin .C. Osisioma, is a professor of Accountancy, and lectures at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State.

Point Blank 3rd edition

Checkmating Fulani herdsmen
|By Success Kanayo Uchime

The clandestine activities of the Fulani herdsmen have got to a crescendo. Farmers in community after community leave tales of agonies and frustrations with their unending complaints.
     The herdsmen have done more good than harm; by causing intense havoc to lives and farmlands anywhere they register their presence. It has been one outcry after the other, and the questions are, when will this come to an end? Who will deliver farmers and their various communities from the hands of these almighty lords?
     The thing is that the herdsmen seem to be untouchables; they have become “gods” of a sort, to the extent that their fear has become the beginning of wisdom. It has become like the case of the biblical Goliath and David. The question is then, who is the David that will be able to confront the almighty Goliath? Who will dare speak up?
     Their activities can be likened to the old adage, “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” I strongly believe that this is the time the government at all levels will speak out. Let a spade be called a spade for goodness sake!
    Our farmers are losing their lives and farmlands on daily bases, while the Fulani herdsmen are gaining their cattle. Who then is fooling who? Why must Peter be robbed to pay Paul? It does not and cannot work that way anymore.
     I believe we are running a civilized society, where there is supposed to be peace and harmony. Where we all are supposed to coexist and hibernate together in an atmosphere of brotherliness. Why is it then that these herdsmen have decided to make themselves lords and semi-god, in a country where everyone is required to express his or right fundamental human rights? This is very pathetic putting into consideration the level of destruction of life and property this group of people had been engaged in.
     I believe there is no community in Nigeria that has not grievously suffered in the hands of the Fulani herdsmen, and the irony of it all is that the government at all levels is not taking proactive steps to forestall or checkmate these herdsmen. Do they want to wait until the people are destroyed before concrete actions are taken to save the souls of innocent Nigerians?
     It is believed that clashes between herdsmen and host communities have been at the forefront of the 19th and 20th century Nigeria, and that so many communities have been left shattered and devastated. It is to be observed that before now, most of the conflicts between the herdsmen and their host communities usually occured in the North-Central and North-Eastern parts of the country.
     But just recently, the “battle-field” has shifted downwards to the South-East and South-West parts of the country, and cases of the inordinate conducts of the herdsmen have continued to increase unchecked. They have left thousands, if not millions, either homeless or dead. Women have been said to be raped and killed by the herdsmen. A very pathetic incident was reported in one of the communities in the South-East where a herdsman overpowered a woman, “butchered” her to death and collected the woman’s child, said to be the child she gave birth to, for the herdsman. These are very unfortunate to say the least. 
     Just recently, the Ugbene community in Awka North local council, Anambra state received what one may term “new year gift.” The people woke up that faithful morning to see their over 75 hectares of rice-farm go in flame. The two villages involved in this dilemma - Umualor and Umuagunwoke can never forget this incident all their lives. Imagine losing over N20 million of their hard-earned investment in a twinkling of a eye for no justifiable reason.
     The community alleged that the herdsmen’s action was as a result of the lingering feud between them, occasioned by the herdsmen trespass to their land. Their resistance drew the irk of the herdsmen, who in turn brandished assorted weapons of war on the innocent community.
     The questions are these, who pays for the malicious damages done to the farmland? What efforts have been made to arrest and bring the culprits to justice? It pains me that no one is talking to the Ugbene community at this their time of “mourning” and grief. The Awka North Chairman must speak up now! 
     The case of the Ugbene people is just a pinch of the cake, considering other havoc caused by the herdsmen in other parts of the country. In Eke community in Udi local council, Enugu State, suspected Fulani herdsmen killed one Chief Tamgbo Ogueji, 85, a member of the traditional ruler’s cabinet. He was said to be shot in his house in the early hours over an undisclosed issue. In the same community, the herdsmen had in the past killed two young men, Matthew Aniugo and Chiagha Chigbo, in their farms. This is very worrisome to say the least!
     It was recently reported that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of Lagos State Police Command quizzed two Fulani herdsmen, Mohammed Musa and Manu Hassan over alleged armed robbery. It was learnt that their favorite area of operation was the Oghere area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The gang was said to be fond of blocking the highways, armed with dangerous weapons, robbing unsuspecting motorists and passengers.
     What of the recent news of the kidnapping of the former Secretary to the Federal Government, Chief Olu Falae on 21 September, 2015. The Fulani herdsmen were fingered as the masterminds of the dastardly act.  This singular act prompted the Yoruba socio-cultural organization, Afenifere, to issue an ultimatum to the Fulanis in the South-West to forthwith vacate the region.
      These clandestine activities of these people made the General Secretary, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Musa Asake to describe the activities of the herdsmen as mercenary and arm robbery. This was part of their communiqué at the end of their National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja.
      The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, had at different fora recommended that a ban should be placed on the activities of night grazing by Fulani herdsmen in Ekiti state. This is in an effort to forestall the unwanted killing of innocent Nigerians by the herdsmen.
       It is said that most communities in the South-East have tactically made the herdsmen to vacate their various communities. This, they have successfully done by denying them grazing lands, as they believe that the moment you give the herdsmen one step, they will match the second.
      We cannot afford to seat and watch fellow Nigerians die unjustly. This is the time for the government to be proactive in their approach to this issue of the herdsmen and the host communities. Decisive steps must be taken now. As my people would ask proverbially, is it not someone that owns the cloth goat is eating? Let us act now while the sun is still shining, because when the darkness comes, which is sure to come, taking actions will definitely not be feasible. Here I rest my case. Thanks and God bless!