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!

Agro Business 3rd edition

Agro Business
with Success Kanayo Uchime


Plantain growers receive succor

Growers of plantain in Nigeria will soon have a new lease of life with the recent launch of the ‘Stop Bunchy Top’ campaign targeted at preventing the spread of the Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD) by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ogun State.
     The campaign which is a collaboration between IITA, Nigerian Agriculture Quarantine Service (NAQS), National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), and the Ogun State Ministry of Agriculture, seeks to sensitize farmers experiencing the scourge of BBTD infestation.
    It is also aimed at creating awareness among extension workers, policymakers, and farmers in disease-affected areas and elsewhere about the danger of BBTD and control measures, which include the need to plant clean banana suckers and to prevent their fields from becoming infested.
     Speaking during the event, the NIHORT Executive Director, Adenike Olufolaji, said that as part of the collaborative project with IITA, they have already trained more than 200 farmers in Ogun State and supplied about 8000 clean plantain suckers between 2014 and 2015.  
     He noted that the training focused on how farmers can identify the disease and also produce clean planting materials adding that his organization has emphasized that clean planting materials must be collected only from certified sources because it guarantees clean orchard and consequently improves productivity.
     Also speaking, IITA Director, Robert Asiedu, said IITA appreciates the reception and high level of support from government, pledging to intensify research to ensure effective control.
     He noted that IITA is one of the world’s leading research partners in finding solutions for hunger, malnutrition, and poverty, and that its award-winning research-for-development (R4D) approach addresses the development needs of tropical countries.
    “IITA works with partners to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is a non-profit organization founded in 1967 in Nigeria and governed by a Board of Trustees,” he stated.
     He also stated: “IITA works on the following crops: cowpea, soybean, banana/plantain, yam, cassava, and maize. It is a member of Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.”

Investment opportunities in snail business

Heliculture (snail farming) is a very lucrative business which has a very low startup capital with high profit margin. Currently, very few smart Nigerians have discovered this secret, and do not want others to know about the methodology involved in rearing snails.
What is heliculture?
Heliculture (scientific snail farming) is simply domesticating snails at home, making them feel as if they are in their natural habitat (home). Heliculture is a very lucrative venture that is yet to be appreciated in the agro industry, because very few are aware of its profit potential. However, the very smart few in the business discovered this, and are making a fortune from it.
     People see snails here and there, some people take it as meat, but quite a number do not know how to go about rearing them. This is made worse because snails, which belong to the family of animal called Mollusca, is a hermaphrodite - it has both the female and male sexual organs; so one cannot really distinguish between the male and female specsie of it. Snail, also is high in protein (12-16%) and irons (45-50 mg/kg), low in fat, and contains almost all the amino acid needed by humans.
     However, the smart few in the snail farming business over time keeps the farming methodology very secret to themselves. But the plain truth is that snail farming is as easy as anything. The only thing the snails may constantly demand from you is your attention and care. They hardly fall sick. You do not have to buy their food and you may not have to spend much to build a pen (house) for them.
     The beauty of it all is that the snails reproduce rapidly; they are capable of producing hundreds of eggs, which hatch into snails. It is now possible to produce 1,000,000 snails worth more than N5 million twice a year. This is made possible because of the availability of very highly prolific Achatina Achatina species of snails, which lay 200-400 in one batch 2-3 times a year. There is the urgent need for Nigerians to have a radical shift from total dependence on government for job to self-employment.
    One of such attractive areas for self-employment is snail rearing. It is a great money-spinning business that can provide a substantial source of protein to complement Nigerians’ carbohydrate meals. Sadly, Nigerians inclination to go into business in the fields where thousands have already made their fortune, has led to the utter neglect of such lucrative area of snail farming in Nigeria or export at international market.
Income earning opportunity
     The demand for snail is higher than the supplies and as such, the market potential of snail is inexhaustible, locally and internationally.
     This technology has been approved to be the most lucrative farming venture presently, as it requires far less capital investment, while much profit is being generated in a considerable short period. It has lower risk compared to other livestock farming.
      Snail farming in Nigeria is virgin in the kingdom of livestock. As a result the earlier investors   without doubt have bright prospects in exploring this venture.  Virtually every part of snail is of vital use in food, pharmaceutical industry, manufacturing and fishing industries.  Snail is an export commodity, which has value next to gold in overseas countries. It is a foreign exchange income earner of our day. Our climate is one of the best in snail breeding.
     Snail farming in Nigeria requires small capital and the running cost is very low, hence their feeds are very local. Snail business indeed, is a gem in the livestock business. Therefore, take advantage of the opportunity of being among the fore-runners in this unbeatable venture. You can conveniently earn income a thousand fold higher than your present earning. You can keep your present job and do this on part time since it does not require much time.
     This is a real export market that earns foreign revenue without you running from pillar to post. This is not fiction, but factual. Not imaginary, but a reality. You too will share your view with others. No stress, no time consuming, no odor, no noise and no irritation. Snail farming is a practicable and viable venture, yet unexplored in Nigeria. If it has worked elsewhere, it will work in Nigeria.
The snail market
     There is a ready market for snail, locally and internationally. If you rear snail in commercial quantity, hotels, and fast food restaurants will be your regular customers. They will only need your assurance of regular supply per week. There is also good market for snail meat in the international market if only you can do a good packaging. You can make millions of Naira from this vast and inexhaustible market. Snail farmers are making huge profit as the global demand for the delicacy increases. In Nigeria, the prices of raw, matured snails go for N250 to N600, depending on the size.
    However, the annual demand for snail in Nigeria is about 7.5million kg annually. The international trade in snails is flourishing in Europe, France, China, and North America. The United States imports more than $5million worth of snails annually from all over the world, including Nigeria. France also requires about 15, 000 metric tons of the delicacy annually.
     Snail meat has been consumed by humans worldwide since pre-historic times. It is high in protein (12-16%) and iron (45-50 mg/kg), low in fat, and contains almost all the amino acids needed by humans. A recent study has shown that the glandular substances in edible snail meat could be of value in fighting a variety of ailments, including whooping cough. Snails can also be helpful to Asthmatic patients.
     You now see that this is an opportunity for you to get rich. You do not have to go in search of job when you can conveniently make millions of Naira right at your backyard with little capital and on part-time bases.
Source: This aerticle was written by Gideon-Wealth Ele, Port-Harcourt, and retrieved from his  website: http://snailfarmingng.blogspot.com.ng/ 




IFAD, developing rural agriculture in Nigeria

In its efforts to develop agriculture in the rural areas of Nigeria, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has made tangible commitments in the sector. With its recent commitment of $27 million for the development of rural agriculture, the organization has again demonstrated its firm resolve to decisively reduce poverty in at least 345,000 rural poor households in the country.
    With this effort, the organization is implementing its proposed seven-year rural agriculture finance support program which is ultimately aimed at reducing poverty in the country.
    In a statement by its Country Program Manager, Atsuko Toda, she assured that the program will in no small measure help tackle unemployment and poverty in Nigeria as well as encourage economic growth and development.
     She noted that IFAD commitment of the huge sum is a clear demonstration of its willingness to help in the fight against poverty and unemployment in rural communities and as such urged the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) to ensure smooth and transparent implementation of the program.
     Toda pointed out that IFAD has financed nine programs and projects in Nigeria since 1985, with a total loan commitment of US$187.4 million, adding that all programs and projects have addressed the livelihood needs of the rural poor, including smallholders, rural small businesses, poor fishing communities, young people, landless people and women.
     According to her, IFAD’s operations have contributed to the generating and disseminating technology to increase incomes and family food security while also introducing approaches for effective soil and water conservation and environmental management.
     She said it has fostered demand-driven and participatory approaches to agricultural and rural support services, capacity building and institutional strengthening to ensure the sustainability of successful development approaches.
      On IFAD’s strategy in Nigeria, Toda said IFAD’s support for the Nigerian government’s poverty reduction program focuses on facilitating economic and social development in rural areas. “Its particular objectives are to empower rural poor people, especially women, by increasing access to resources, infrastructure and services, and to promote the management of land, water and common property by local communities.”
    She noted that these objectives reflect the need to overcome environmental degradation in the country, as IFAD projects address issues such as erosion and the loss of soil fertility, as well as coastal zone natural resource management.
      It is worthy to note that IFAD directs assistance towards the following areas in the country: empowering small-scale farmers, landless people and rural women to generate sustainable incomes from farm and other activities. It supports pro-poor reforms and local governance to expand access to information, effective transport systems, village infrastructure and technologies, and improving access of poor rural communities to financial services and social services.
   At the government’s level, IFAD helps build capacity and strengthen institutions providing services to rural poor people, assisting with necessary policy changes, developing local organizations to enhance their effective participation, and promoting initiatives to foster rapid private sector-led poverty reduction and economic growth.

Palm Oil: Government’s revenue continues to drop

The federal government will continue to witness a downward trend in palm oil production both as a crop for export and local use as a result of low incentives in investment, dysfunctional land tenure system, transaction costs and high risks arising from poor governance.
    These facts are contained in a recent study entitled: “Nigeria: A Smallholder Case-study,” which is part of a global study of key palm oil producing countries assessing the Socio Economic Impact of High Carbon Stock (HCS).
     In a statement by Thompson Ayodele, of the Initiative for Public Policy Analysis (IPPA),
 one of the authors of the study, he said that these are the key findings in a multi-country study on palm oil recently released.
      He noted that the study discovered that small-holder palm oil farmers account for over 90 per cent of palm oil production which is not enough for local consumption alone, adding that the study also discovered that palm oil ought to provide a significant boom to local livelihoods and play a key role in poverty reduction strategy through a well-established value chain, but these were overshadowed by broader problems.
     Ayodele said the study established that the sector is plagued by dysfunctional land tenure regime which works as a disincentive for long-term investment by both smallholders and large estates. There is also lack of coordination between state and federal authorities and a general disregard by local communities of federal laws relating to land tenure, and that this has prevented investors to be wary of making large-scale investments in the sector.
    He observed that this is exacerbated, given that a range of government policies targeting the sector are either poorly implemented or grossly inadequate to tackle the challenges, and that the available option for investors is the purchase of pre-existing plantations, as is the case with few investors already in the sector.
     “In addition, the study further discovered that the global environmental concerns surrounding palm oil production has no direct relevance to Nigeria palm oil as there are much more significant obstacles to investment aside from complying with the required environmental standard imposed by environmental non-governmental organizations. The question of the impact of environmental regulations on palm oil – whether through private sector (e.g. Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) or state or national laws – on smallholders is and has to this point been a non-issue,” he stated.
     He opined that environment-driven regulatory frameworks such as High Carbon Stock (HCS) or Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is likely to provide some level of assurance to assuage environmental organizations, but their imposition or adoption is an additional burden on small-holders who can barely produce enough for the local economy. “Therefore, mandating palm oil farmers to comply with certain environmental requirements would be ineffectual in the face of poor environmental management in Nigeria which is hamstrunged by lack of enforcement capacity.”
      “The land tenure system is perhaps the biggest disincentive for investment, particularly for palm plantation. The risks associated with the land tenure system have necessitated companies to undertake extensive community consultations which have achieved positive results. However, there will always be levels of dissatisfaction in any community where consultation is one-sided with government. This will lead to some level of conflict which requires constructive engagement of all the stakeholders,” Ayodele argued.
      He continued: “Oil palm is not a key driver of deforestation in Nigeria. Environmental thresholds on oil palm will not necessarily result in environmental protection. They may simply prompt development of another crop, this is because the area available for oil palm is suffering from low productivity.”
    According to him, the environmental threshold on oil palm will not necessarily result in environmental protection largely because oil palm is not a key driver of deforestation in Nigeria, and that the population’s reliance on firewood for fuel is likely to worsen deforestation, as a weakened economy will force more Nigerians to chop down trees for cooking fuel and shelter.
      He advised that government’s policy needs to aid smallholders in order to achieve self-sufficiency in palm oil production as well as reforming the land tenure system which dis-incentivizes private large-scale plantation.

Personality Profile 3rd edition

I believe Ndiowu will move forward again – Engr. Emenike
It is the prayer of the President-General (PG)of Ndiowu Town Union (NTU), Engr. Chike Emenike, that his town will get out of the mucky waters it found itself and move forward again. In this interview with our Editor-in-Chief, SUCCESS UCHIME, he talks on that and other critical and burning issues in his town Ndiowu. Excerpt.

Question: May our readers meet with you?
Answer: Well, I am Engr. Chike Emenike, a material and metallurgical Engineer. I finished from Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Owerri in the 1990s. I run my own company, and we are into corrosion services in the Oil and Gas sector. We are based in Port Harcourt. I am married with three children and I am a native of Ndiowu.
Question: You are the PG Ndiowu Town Union (NTU). For how long have you been the PG?
Answer: By the grace of God, I have been the PG since 2011. I was re-elected in 2013, and have just two years to finish my tenure.
Question: How do you feel being the PG of Ndiowu?
Answer: Honestly, I thought it was something that will not be of stress to me, though it has to be, but I see it as an opportunity to contribute to the betterment of my community. It is not as simple as I thought. Over the years, we have this issue of everybody complaining that things were not done well and that these people were doing this and doing that. So I thought that at 50 years plus, I should be able to do something well.
Question: What motivated you to aspire to that office?
Answer: At least, those things that people complained bitterly about, I wanted to see how we can come and remedy them, especially purposeful leadership. I am talking of a leadership that is devoid of sectionalism and division.  Leadership that takes into cognition, the growth and development of the town rather than of individualism and the thinking of one’s family only. There has been the issue of divide between Mgboms and the Aros in my town. My mother is from the stalk that answers Mgbom, while my father is from the stalk that answers Aro. So I am found in-between, and it will be difficult for me to side any of these divides, but in any case, I wanted to see the possibilities of down-playing all these divisions and move on the name Ndiowu. This is so because, that is the unifying factor for all of us. So that has been my vision.    I came in at a time everyone generally agreed there was no government, that the government then had collapsed, and that their interest was collecting one million from the then government of Mr. Peter Obi and do whatever they liked with it. The leadership completely broke down, either because the leaders then did not have an idea of what to do or that they had a narrow program, and I have to start from the scratch. As a matter of fact, there was no official handover from that regime, because there were two regimes operating parallel to each other. One was championed by one Arch. Godfrey Oguoyibo, while another one called Ndiowu People’s Council (NPC) was over seen by Mazi Rasford Nwafor.
Question: So who conducted election for you?
Answer: By the time we were discussing this election thing, we were told that the two factions were in court. Incidentally and fortunately for the community, the judgment of the court came out within the same period, so NPC won the case. We were not in government then, but we approached them, and requested they give us a go ahead to conduct a single election for Ndiowu, and they obliged.
Question: Was NPC a town union or a political organ?
Answer: It was actually a town union. It was after the court that the community came together and said, “let us drop these two names NPC and NTU and go with a new one.” So we set up a Caretaker Committee that will dissolve the two and conduct a fresh election. Then, NTU rejected the agreement and went to court and challenged APC and they lost the case. The court said APC is legal because it was a child of necessity as a result of the crises and factions. But already, NTU, because of their long leg, had NTU registered with the government. So we could not let it go. So when the 2011 judgment came, we then said, since we have NTU registered with the government, let us hold an election with that name instead of getting a new one, but it will not be a continuation of that regime. It was a consensus thing, and NPC was not operating with any constitution because it was a caretaker committee set up by the community. Meanwhile, NTU said they have a constitution, and on that day of election, there were intrigues. The Local Government Transition Committee then and the Town Union and Chieftaincy Matters at the states level brought all of us together in one single election, held at one venue, and that was the election I emerged. Mind you, that election was not conducted with any constitution, because NPC that won in the court did not have any constitution, they only had guidelines. NTU had a constitution which they called 1990. It was a factional constitution which also had its electoral guidelines and putting the two side by side, we could not have been able to conduct a successful election, because their guidelines were saying different things.
 Question: So what did you do then?
Answer: We merely adopted all the provisions. It was a consensus and by the grace of God, the Local Government Chairperson then, had to be our own Hon. Emeka Aforka, and he was there present, he practically supervised the consensus and we went on with the election. By the time we entered, it was obvious to me that we could not just continue to operate without a document and we said let us have a Constitution Review Committee along the line. Agreement was reached that four years should be ideal for the tenure of the executives, and that was my first two years in 2012. In August 2013, a new election based on the two years we agreed initially was supposed to come up in December of that same year, 2013, but this agreement was reached in August to be specific. We then said okay, whoever wins the 2013 election will run for four years. The agreement was documented; people were there from all over the places. On the day of the election, it was equally announced just to reaffirm, and the election took place, and I won. The inauguration was done by the transition chairman then.
Question: Having been PG for four years, what are your landmark achievements?
Answer: Okay yes! One major achievement I think we have made was that we were able to create that enabling environment that the entire Ndiowu people now believe in Ndiowu project. Based on that, a whole lot of things that were not happening before then started happening. Like as you were coming here, I hope you saw the tarred road. Within the few years I was there, the then Governor, Peter Obi made a promise to our able Hon. Okey Ude, and it came to pass. We looked at those things as major achievements we have made, because if we did not create that enabling environment, probably it would not be possible. Again, our people used to petition whenever a good thing is coming, but to my greatest surprise, there was no single petition.That borehole there is from MDGs, solar street lights also came from MDGs, and another borehole was done by the MDGs. Question: Do you have any budget estimate for 2016?
Answer: There is no budget apart from the income we have received now. That is, the N500, 000 the state government gave this December as palliatives. So it has been difficult getting fund, because most of us work against our attempt, even some prominent persons, most of them you may know in this town, have never supported the Town Union. The fact is that Ndiowu politics is very unique. Each time the Town Union makes a move, you must find people that will counter it.
Question: Why did you say that Ndiowu politics is unique?
Answer: It is unique in the sense that right from my childhood, there has been this divide. Some people use the Ngbom as a platform, because 99% of those that claim Ngbom in this town are not really Ngbom. We all know who the Ngboms are, but people use them as a platform to fight anything that is coming into the town, why? Because they said they are being described as slaves. They say some feel the town belongs to them, and because of that, they will never allow them to rest until they too become part of Ndiowu. The real Ngboms are all quiet and calm, very good people. You cannot find them fermenting troubles or being part of the meeting of the trouble makers.
Question: Are the Ngboms agitating for the Eze?
Answer: On the issue of Eze, the Ngboms say they need to be included in the politics of Ezeship. I quite agree that people have the right to agitate for one thing or the other. But I also know that you do not ask people to give you a position. You have to come into the fold and demand for your right. You do not fight from the outside. As far as I am concerned, that does not tell me they are demanding for anything, and that is my position. I know everyone has the right to agitate, but first of all, let us come together. Let there be a forum for discussion, and there, you tender your demands.  If they have a demand, they have to come and we address the issue one after the other, not by mudslinging or by writing petitions when you hear that government wants to do something in the town, then you write petition against it. Does that entail you are making a demand?
Question: What happened with the tenure issue?
Answer: Yes, they accused me of tenure elongation and manipulation of the constitution. I was accused of all manner of things. Even I was accused of selling a whole village and pocketed the money. I was accused of arming some youths with dangerous weapons and that they, the youths, have driven away all the prominent people in the town. Well, what I did as a result of all these accusations was to sit down and put my position in writing. I called it “Matters Arising” as regards Ndiowu chieftaincy and constitution. You know I have talked about a committee, after they did what they did and we took decision in 2013, nothing much happened again. They did not complete their assignment, so in the presence of the late Eze, a decision was taken to continue with the constitution, so as to complete it. We were making arrangements on how to finish the work on the constitution when an accusation came that I was going into the constitution because I wanted to become the Eze, and also that I wanted to elongate my tenure as mentioned earlier.
Question: Let us talk about the court issue. What prompted you going to court?
Answer: What happened was that the Special Adviser to the Governor on Chieftaincy Matters who when he invited us, that is my executive and the other faction led by Hon. Emeka Aforka, as usual on the constitution matter. I gave him all the documents and write-ups, how everything went. The said Hon. Aforka brought a document which he called their constitution and gave to the Adviser. He, the Adviser, said he will get back to us, but he never did. So we discovered that he was using the supposed constitution from the other faction as Ndiowu constitution. We protested and told him he cannot give Ndiowu a constitution, that the so-called constitution they gave to him was not Ndiowu constitution, that it was a factional thing. We had a heated argument, and I saw he was bent on using that constitution, and was about to set fire in Ndiowu. I should be stupid to allow him cause damage. So I have to start a court process to stop him from using that factional constitution to empower the other faction from holding an election.
Question: Did you just stopped at the court process?
Answer: No! I also wrote a petition to the Inspector-General (IG) to stop this group from setting fire to the community. They were really prepared. They threatened to kill me, kidnap me and all that, in the presence of the entire community. It will be stupid of me to just keep quiet. That was why I had to run to the IG, and he gave instructions that no election should be held until all the naughty issues are settled.
Question: So in summary, what is the key problem in Ndiowu?
Answer: Well, the key problem has been the constitution. So what is it in the Constitution? How the Eze will rotate. Will it rotate amongst the nine villages that make up Ndiowu, or the four quarters we have in the town? I have started the process of solving this longtime problem, and once I am able to end it well, people will be able to see that we have been able to relatively solve a major problem. We have been able to have a draft constitution on Chieftaincy and the Town Union. We are distributing copies to everyone, so people can make input.
Question: Any promise or prayer for Ndiowu?
Answer: You see, when I was growing up, I never knew anyone as Ngbom or Aro. So there is need for us to get back to our first love. Until we are able to do that, we cannot progress. When we are able to select a vibrant Eze and Town Union executives, I believe Ndiowu will move forward again. Therefore, my prayer is that God will help us have an acceptable constitution.