REMEMBERING THE COMMANDMENTS

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Monday, June 6

Deuteronomy 4:9-14

REMEMBERING THE COMMANDMENTS

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen ….” Deuteronomy 4:9, NIV

There are certain things God would not want His people to forget. He wants them to always remember His commandments and their experiences in walking with Him. In his valedictory message to the people of Israel, Moses poured out the mind of God to the people. One major part of his speech is that the people should always remember how they got to where they were. They should always remember the guiding principles (the Ten Commandments) he received from God for them. They were instructed to pass this to their children and generations after them.

Italy: Country elects mayors for its largest cities

Italians began voting on Sunday, July 5, to choose mayors for its largest cities in elections that will test the popularity of Prime MinisterMatteo Renzi and could produce a big breakthrough for the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement.

Only in Turin is the candidate of Renzi's Democratic Party (PD) a clear favourite. Renzi has said the elections will have no repercussions for his left-right coalition government.

If, as polls suggest, no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the initial city votes, run-offs between those who come first and second will be held on June 19.

Afghanistan: 7 killed in militants’ attack on provincial court office

Police said seven people, including a senior local judge were on Sunday killed and 19 others wounded, after militants stormed a provincial court office in Afghanistan's eastern province of Logar.

Nisar Abdulrahimzai, Deputy Provincial Police Chief, said the initial report was that five civilians were killed and 19 others wounded in Sunday morning's attack on Logar provincial appeal court office building.

He said the attack took place at around 11:00 a.m. local time in the provincial capital Pul-e-Alam city.

Muhammed Ali, the Greatest, Goes Home, By Tony Okoroji

This is dedicated to one of the greatest Africans that ever lived.

A few hours ago, news broke that the incomparable Muhammad Ali, the boxer who flew like a butterfly, stung like a bee has gone on. At 74, Ali finally fell to Parkinson disease in an Arizona Hospital.

Muhammed Ali occupies a significant place in my list of the top ten black people of all times. These are the people whose lives have reshaped the perception of the world about the black person. By their stubbornness, they transformed the African from being a hewer of wood and fetcher of water for the rest of mankind. From being merely slaves, Africans may today compete with the rest of God’s children for God’s bounties. If the truth must be told, without the likes of Muhammed Ali, there never would have been a Barack Obama, an American President of African heritage.

Why we need better universities, not more By Martins Oloja

Let me confess from the outset that the fantastic title of this article is not original to me. It belongs to a concerned foreigner, Keith Richards who in an article on a similar subject in 2006 drew our attention to the implications of meretricious proliferation of universities without concomitant quality.

I would like to provoke some thoughts and even debate this week on the present and future of this country that is at some crossroads at the moment. Too many big trees have fallen on trees and we should naturally begin to remove the topmost first through suggestions to our elected representatives in the 36 state capitals and Abuja, the nation’s capital. I mean that we are all well aware of the most torturous, the already globalized Boko Haram insurgency in the North East even as the “technically defeated” religious sect is still a nightmare. We know enough now to know that the mystery (Fulani) herdsmen that are causing mayhem all over the country too have ‘technically defeated’ the ancient evangelistic ministry of the social crusaders south of the Niger. But the political support that they (herdsmen) are suspected to be getting from some ‘unknown soldiers’ (some say authorities) in Abuja and some far countries may have some unintended consequences sooner than later. Some deep throats are saying that the central government has provided in the national budget a 55, 000 hectares worth of lands nationwide for cattle grazing. This is a serious discussion point.

THE GOOD EXAMPLES FROM GHANA By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, please permit me to take you on a trip to Ghana today. I’m sure a lot of my readers have been to that beautiful country at one time or the other. My romance with Ghana started about 21 years ago, July 25, 1995, to be precise. On that fateful day, I had managed to escape from my dear beloved country Nigeria days after my wife was tipped off about my impending arrest by the dreaded dictatorial regime of General Sani Abacha. That moment would forever remain one of my worst days on earth.

I never planned to live outside Nigeria. I used to wonder, myopically with hindsight, why anyone would abscond from his own country to become a refugee in another man’s country where he would probably have to operate like a tramp, advertently or inadvertently. But man proposes and God disposes. Unknown to me, what was supposed to be a simple election on June 12 1993 was going to dislocate and scatter many lives to the winds and throw families into total commotion and frustration. I have told part of this story and the rest has to another story for some other day.

A sumptuous lunch with Mr. President By Olalekan Adetayo

History was made in the Villa on Monday when President Muhammadu Buhari hosted State House correspondents to a lunch to mark his one year in office. He had earlier met separately with editors of selected newspapers and members of the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria.

That gesture was a rare one. Outsiders often believe that reporters enjoy the affluence that they suspect pervades the seat of power, but the opposite is the situation. Most Presidency officials treat journalists with disdain and suspicion for reasons best known to them. When events such as dinner or lunch are held, chairs and tables would be marked and reserved for different categories of people, except journalists.

The democracy lies By Muyiwa Adetiba

The month of May, especially the latter part of it, is usually the best time of the year for me to travel out of the country. The weather is kind to tropical birds like us and the air-fare is kinder still on the pocket. It is no wonder then that I have missed many a Democracy Day celebration. The advantage in being out of the country at this time, is that it makes me feel somewhat detached from the half-truths, to the down right lies and the ill disguised political commentaries often masked as state of the nation analyses. PRESIDENT BUHARI  This year’s May 29, was no different.

God Is Close, and He Understands

God Is Close, and He Understands
       
BOLA ADEOYE — JUNE 6, 2016
       
“The Lord is near to all who call on him” (Psalm 145:18a NIV).

God is not as far away as the furthest star. He’s as close as your next heartbeat. He’s right there with you every moment. The Bible says in Acts 17:27, “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” (NIV).

You might feel like God is a million miles away. But your feelings and reality don’t always match — we all know that’s true. The truth is, God is with you right now.

Muhammed Ali, the Greatest, Goes Home, By Tony Okoroji

This is dedicated to one of the greatest Africans that ever lived.

A few hours ago, news broke that the incomparable Muhammad Ali, the boxer who flew like a butterfly, stung like a bee has gone on. At 74, Ali finally fell to Parkinson disease in an Arizona Hospital.

Muhammed Ali occupies a significant place in my list of the top ten black people of all times. These are the people whose lives have reshaped the perception of the world about the black person. By their stubbornness, they transformed the African from being a hewer of wood and fetcher of water for the rest of mankind. From being merely slaves, Africans may today compete with the rest of God’s children for God’s bounties. If the truth must be told, without the likes of Muhammed Ali, there never would have been a Barack Obama, an American President of African heritage.

First, service the engine of change By Sonala Olumhense

Having just experienced Nigeria for myself for the first time in several years, I am convinced there can be neither change nor true progress without a fundamental attitude shift by Nigerians.

That includes the very government of President Muhammadu Buhari, the byword of which is change.

My first proposition is that Nigeria is sadly less secure in mid-2016 than it was in mid-2015. Yes, there is greater potency in the nation’s onslaught on Boko Haram.  As we celebrate our relative success, we must keep in mind that the militant group was the unanimous enemy of everyone to begin with, and that we are not counting the human rights costs of our onslaught at this time.

The President in their Labyrinth By Tatalo Alamu

In his dying moments, trapped and ensnared in a maze of intrigues and subterfuges he has woven round himself and his people, Simon Bolivar, the great Latin American revolutionary hero aka the liberator, was known to have exclaimed: “How am I ever going to get out of this labyrinth?”. So close to his chest did the liberator play his cards that nobody could predict his next move or military gamble. One of his aides was known to have quipped: “only my master knows what my master is thinking about.”

I’m on strike too, says Fayose …

•Ekiti youth demand Gov’s resignation 

Can a state governor go on strike apart from the annual leave he is entitled to? Is it constitutional for a state chief executive to embark on an industrial action?

This is the drama unfolding in Ekiti State where Governor Ayo Fayose has told the people of the state that he is now on an “indefinite strike” in solidarity with civil servants who have been on strike for almost two weeks to protest the non-payment of their five months salaries.

Government business and academic activities in public schools have been paralysed since May 24 when the labour unions in the state declared an indefinite strike action over the arrears of salaries owed them.

Looters return N78billion, $185m, £3 million to FG …

•Why govt didn’t name and shame culprits 

N126b, $9m forfeited pending trial of suspects
•$321m, $6.9m expected from abroad
•Interim report on financial, assets recoveries released

The Federal Government’s anti-graft war is truly on. Three hundred and seventy-one days into its tenure, much of which it spent chasing looted funds and the perpetrators, government yesterday said it had recovered  N78,325,354,631.82 (Seventy eight billion, three hundred and twenty-five million, three hundred and fifty-four thousand, six hundred and thirty one Naira and eighty two kobo); $185,119,584.61 (One hundred and eight five million, one hundred and nineteen thousand, five hundred and eighty four US dollars, sixty one cents); 3,508,355.46 Pounds Sterling (Three million, five hundred and eight thousand, three hundred and fifty-five Pounds and 46 Pence) and 11, 250 Euros (Eleven thousand, two hundred and fifty Euros) of the money.

Terrorists planning mass bombings during Ramadan – DHQ …

The Defence Headquarters has raised the alarm that the members of the Boko Haram sect are planning large-scale bombings during the Ramadan festival.

The Acting Director Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubakar, said in an electronic mail on Saturday that the insurgents had a plan to carry out massive bomb attacks during early morning and evening prayers in the month of Ramadan.

Abubakar urged religious organisations to take necessary security precautions during the period.

He also called on the members of the public to be on the look out for strange objects and report all suspicious movements to security operatives for prompt action.

He said, “Information available to this Headquarters indicated plans by terrorists to use the Ramadan period which usually attracts gathering of large number of persons

Scrapping post-UTME, a tragic mistake — Afe Babalola, others

Education stakeholders, including a legal luminary, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), and the former Vice-Chancellor of the Caleb University, Imota, Lagos, Prof. Ayodeji Olukoju, on Saturday, faulted the scrapping of the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

While Babalola, who is the founder of the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, described the directive as a tragic mistake, Olukoju as well as the Academic Staff Union of Universities said the action ran contrary to the autonomy conferred on the universities.

The Education Minister, Mr. Adamu Adamu, had while declaring open a Combined Policy Meeting on admission to universities, polytechnics and other higher institutions, on Thursday in Abuja, said it was unnecessary subjecting candidates to another round of examination after the UTME conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.

Abdulsalami ignored MKO’s health till he died — Abiola’s son

Jamiu Abiola, a son of late Chief MKO Abiola and his late wife, Kudirat, on Saturday said the late former military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), allegedly refused to release his father from incarceration when his health was failing.

He also said some Nigerians would have made a hero out of Abdulsalami’s predecessor, the late Gen. Sani Abacha, who incarcerated Abiola till his (Abacha’s) death, if he was alive today.

Abiola’s son said this during the 20th anniversary of Kudirat’s death, organised by the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy and the Campaign for Democracy.

Jamiu also described the assassination of his father and mother as a turning point in Nigeria’s history, adding

Mohamd Ali: Inside His Last Hours....

Muhammad Ali, the iconic three-time world heavyweight boxing champion who died Friday, had recently shunned the public spotlight he once seemed to revere.

His last known appearance was at a Parkinson’s fundraiser April 9 in Phoenix, according to the Arizona Republic.

At the annual fundraising event for theMuhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute, one of the most recognizable faces on the planet was shielded in part by dark sunglasses, according to a photo posted by the newspaper.

Ali had missed the gala the previous two years, the newspaper reported. On that April night, however, one of the most beloved athletes of all time would receive a final standing ovation.

Frequently visible at political rallies, Mexican flag takes on new symbolism ……… FOX

It’s a flag seen at many protests against presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. It also can be spotted at immigration rallies, on murals in cities with sizeable Latino populations and at Mexican National team soccer games held on U.S. soil.

The flag of Mexico has a long history in the United States, despite being a symbol of a nation south of the border. It became a topic of discussion last week after a violent anti-Trump protest in Albuquerque.

Trump lashed out on Twitter after protests outside his Albuquerque rally sparked a riot that caused thousands of dollars in damage, condemning “thugs who were flying the Mexican flag.” His comments turned the emblem into a political symbol for those voicing their opposition to Trump’s controversial rhetoric against Mexicans and his insistence to build a wall between the two countries.

Within minutes, images of protesters waving the Mexican flag were shared on social media. Conservative radio talk show hosts repeatedly mentioned the flag as anti-Trump demonstrations moved to San Diego and Fresno, California.

Set to red, white and green bars, the Mexican flag contains in the center an eagle sitting on a cactus eating a snake. The central emblem is based on an indigenous legend of the Aztecs settling in present-day Mexico City on what was originally a lake-island.

The democracy lies By Muyiwa Adetiba

The month of May, especially the latter part of it, is usually the best time of the year for me to travel out of the country. The weather is kind to tropical birds like us and the air-fare is kinder still on the pocket. It is no wonder then that I have missed many a Democracy Day celebration. The advantage in being out of the country at this time, is that it makes me feel somewhat detached from the half-truths, to the down right lies and the ill disguised political commentaries often masked as state of the nation analyses. PRESIDENT BUHARI  This year’s May 29, was no different.

First lady Obama takes swipe at Trump …… FOX

First lady Michelle Obama on Friday jumped into election-year politics by criticizing leaders who engage in “name calling … anger and intolerance,” a clear reference to presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Obama made the remarks in a commencement speech at City College of New York, in Harlem, praising the school for having a diverse student body, which she said “some folks” fail to value.

“They seem to view our diversity as a threat to be contained rather than as a resource to be tapped,” she said. “They tell us to be afraid of those who are different, to be suspicious of those with whom we disagree.”

She also said Americans “don’t build up walls to keep people out because we know that our greatness has always depended on contributions from people who were born elsewhere but sought out this country and made it their home.”

Trump has vowed, if elected, to build a wall along the entire southern U.S. border to keep out illegal Mexican immigrants, including “rapists” and “drug dealers.”

The first-time candidate, in the aftermath of a series of recent terror attacks inspired by radical Islamists, also called for a temporary ban of Muslims entering the United States.

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Trump has also used derogatory names for his primary opponents to help him win the GOP race and is now targeting Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, whom he calls “Crooked Hillary.”

The first lady on Friday also said some people “act as if name-calling is an acceptable substitute for thoughtful debate, as if anger and intolerance should be our default state rather than the optimism and openness that have always been the engine of our progress.”

City College is the flagship school for the City University of New York, and among its graduates are Jonas Salk, the son of Polish immigrants and who discovered the vaccine for polio, and Colin Powell, the son of Jamaican immigrants and who became secretary of state.

Obama said she is reminded of such American stories “every single day” when she wakes up in a house “built by slaves.”

On Wednesday, her husband, President Obama, also entered the 2016 debate in a speech in Indiana, saying the “Republican nominee” has “crazy” ideas, including one to deport the roughly 11 million immigrants now living illegally in the United States.

Sanders, Clinton talk immigration, battle for Hispanic vote before big California primary ……. FOX

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are spending their final weekend in California, before the state’s big primary Tuesday, rallying voters over immigration issues and warning the state’s diverse electorate about the perils of electing Republican Donald Trump.

On Saturday, Sanders expressed confidence that he could win a majority of votes next week in California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota and North Dakota.

However, the Vermont senator acknowledged that he’ll need a high voter turnout, like those that have helped him win previous state contests.

“It’s going to be an uphill battle” Sanders said a press conference in Los Angeles, repeating what he has said many times recently.

Muhammad Ali, ‘the greatest’, remembered as boxer who transcended sports …….. REUTERS

The death of Muhammad Ali, the former heavyweight champion known as much for his political activism as his boxing brilliance, triggered a worldwide outpouring of affection and admiration for one of the best-known figures of the 20th century.

Ali, who had long suffered from Parkinson’s syndrome which impaired his speech and made the once-graceful athlete almost a prisoner in his own body, died on Friday at age 74.

The cause of death was septic shock due to unspecified natural causes, a family spokesman said on Saturday. Ali was admitted to a Phoenix-area hospital, HonorHealth, with a respiratory ailment on Monday.

“He’ll be remembered as a man of the world who spoke his mind and wasn’t afraid to take a chance and went out of his way to be a kind, benevolent individual that really changed the world,” the family spokesman, Bob Gunnell, said at a news conference in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Clinton hits rivals on immigration in California campaign swing …

Hillary Clinton fought on two fronts in California on Saturday as she sought to wrap up her battle with Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination, taking aim at him and at Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, with attacks on their immigration stances.

Both Clinton and Sanders campaigned across California, stopping in immigrant communities, big cities and the agricultural heartland on the final weekend before Tuesday’s primary in the nation’s biggest state.

Clinton used a stop at a Los Angeles-area college to criticize Trump for making “hateful, very prejudicial” statements about immigrants and Sanders for voting against a 2007 comprehensive immigration reform bill.

“I was in the Senate then, so was President Obama and so was Senator Sanders. President Obama and I voted for it, Senator Sanders voted against it. And that ended it,” Clinton said.

You Can Count on God

You Can Count on God
       
BOLA ADEOYE — JUNE 5, 2016
       
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17 NIV).

When everything’s changing around you, it’s important to remember that God is a consistent Father. He will never let you down. He can be counted on. He is reliable. He is worthy of trust.

James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (NIV). God is an unchanging, consistent Father.