Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, former Vice Presidential candidate for the Labour Party, has responded to Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka's critique of Peter Obi, the party's presidential candidate. Soyinka had criticized Obi for failing to manage his supporters' online hostility towards opposing views, suggesting this made him unfit to lead Nigeria.

Baba-Ahmed dismissed Soyinka's remarks as a distraction, refusing to engage further. He suggested that Soyinka's comments were driven by fear of the positive changes Obi might bring to Nigeria. Baba-Ahmed emphasized that intellectual prowess does not justify insulting others, referencing Soyinka's past derogatory remarks about the late General Sani Abacha.

"The respected elder statesman, Soyinka, is preemptively worried about the positive impact Obi could have on Nigeria. His actions are a diversion, and I respectfully choose not to engage with him. We have more important matters to address," Baba-Ahmed said in an interview with Arise Television on Friday.

He added, "Soyinka's intellect does not grant him the right to insult others. I recall him severely criticizing General Abacha, who was not an academic but a soldier. Despite having the ability to say things that could destroy Soyinka, I choose not to."

Gaza ceasefire talks could soon resume but Israel-Hamas war rages on

Prospects for a resumption of mediated Gaza ceasefire talks grew on Saturday although Israel carried out new attacks in which Palestinian medics said more than 40 people were killed.

An official with knowledge of the matter said a decision had been taken to resume the talks next week after the chief of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency met the head of the CIA and the prime minister of Qatar.

The source, who declined to be identified by name or nationality, said it had been decided that "in the coming week negotiations will open based on new proposals led by the mediators, Egypt and Qatar and with active U.S. involvement."

A Hamas official later denied Israeli media reports that the talks would resume in Cairo on Tuesday, telling Reuters: "There is no date".

After more than seven months of war in Gaza, the mediators have struggled to secure a breakthrough, with Israel seeking the release of hostages held by Hamas and Hamas seeking an end to the war and a release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

Israel pressed on with its offensive in Gaza to eliminate the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas after the top United Nations courtordered Israel on Friday to stop attacking the southern city of Gaza.

Israel says it wants to root out Hamas fighters holed up in Rafah and rescue hostages it says are being held in the area, but its assault has worsened the plight of civilians and caused an international outcry.

In northern Gaza, where the Israeli military says it is trying to prevent Hamas from reestablishing its hold, Palestinian medical workers reported new Israeli airstrikes that they said killed at least 17 people.

Abu Mohammad said he had been taking shelter with his family at a school in Gaza City's Saftawi suburb with other families, when an Israeli missile struck a yard and outside a classroom where women were preparing bread.

"We were sitting peacefully, then there was boom, a missile from a controlled drone, or a regular drone, but it did massive damage," he told Reuters. He said several people were killed, adding: "Even schools are not safe anymore."

The Israeli military said it was looking into the report.

Palestinians medics said 45 Palestinians had been killed in the past day across Gaza. They do not distinguish between civilian and militant casualties.

Nearly 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive, Gaza's health ministry says. Israel began the operation in response to Hamas-led militants attacking southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

FIGHTING ACROSS GAZA

Hamas and the smaller armed group Islamic Jihad said their fighters had fired anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs at Israeli soldiers in the north.

The Israeli military said its troops in the northern district of Jabalia killed dozens of militants in close combat and airstrikes. Residents and civil emergency services there said Israeli tanks moving deep in Jabalia destroyed dozens of houses, shops, and roads.

Further south, the Israeli military said that on Friday it had killed militants, taken down part of Hamas' tunnel system and found weapon stashes in Rafah, where its forces operated in what it said were specific areas.

Earlier in the war, Rafah became a refuge for Gazans fleeing fighting elsewhere. After Rafah became a target as well, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled the city.

So far, fighting has taken place on Rafah's southern edge and eastern districts, away from the most populated areas.

Friday's ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), or World Court, is binding but its rulings have been ignored in the past, as the court has no enforcement powers.

Israeli officials said on Saturday that the World Court's order does not rule out all military action in the area.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

We must stay a step ahead of the enemy – Putin

Russia “must always be one step ahead” of its adversaries and should maintain its technological advantage in order to “guarantee” victory, President Vladimir Putin has said.

The president made the remarks on Saturday as he visited the headquarters of the Tactical Missiles Corporation, a major state-owned defense company located outside Moscow. While at the facility, Putin held a meeting with the CEOs of Russia’s leading defense corporations. 

Gaining even a slim technological advantage has a drastic impact on the battlefield, the president stated, referring to what has been learned from the Ukraine conflict. 

“I would like to emphasize that we must always be one step ahead. We have to always be one step ahead of the adversary, and then victory will be guaranteed. You know this,” he said. 

“Your specialists and you personally always remain in touch with our men fighting on the line of contact without sparing themselves to defend Russia’s interests. Whenever we manage to get an edge, no matter how slim it is, this increases our effectiveness manyfold,” Putin added.

The country’s defense industry, which has been booming amid the hostilities, must not only become more efficient in meeting the needs of the military, but also diversify and become more involved in civilian manufacturing, according to Putin.

“Delivering on this systemic objective is instrumental for streamlining the defense sector’s manufacturing potential and helping talented professionals advance their careers. Overall, this would create a more sustainable footing for defense manufacturers by offering them a solid economic and financial foundation in the long run,” he explained.

The president also touched upon the civilian crowd-funded military manufacturers that have emerged amid the hostilities. The solutions they offer – such as radio-electronic warfare devices or sophisticated drones – must be fast-tracked for adoption by the military, the president said. 

“We must also be effective when using assets supplied by the so-called grassroots defense manufacturing sector. We must enable it to develop and expand its manufacturing operations, and introduce a fast-track procedure for supplying its most effective solutions to the army,” Putin stated.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Zelenskiy says Ukrainian forces now control area where Russia pushed into Kharkiv region

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Ukrainian forces had secured "combat control" of areas where Russian troops staged an incursion this month in northern parts of Kharkiv region.

"Our soldiers have now managed to take combat control of the border area where the Russian occupiers entered," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

Zelenskiy's comments, after holding a meeting of military and regional officials in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, appeared to be at variance with comments by Russian officials.

Viktor Vodolatskiy, a member of Russia's State Duma lower house of parliament, was quoted by Tass news agency as saying Russian forces controlled more than half the territory of the town of Vovchansk, 5 km (three miles) inside the border.

Vodolatskiy was quoted as saying that once Vovchansk was secured, Russian forces would target three cities in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region -- Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk.

Reuters was unable to verify independently battlefield accounts from either side.

Russian forces pushed into border regions of Ukraine's Kharkiv region this month and Russia's Defence Ministry said they had secured control of about 12 settlements.

Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian officials had been reporting success in "stabilising" the area.

The Ukrainian military's General Staff, in its evening report on Friday said the situation in Vovchansk was "tense but controlled by the defence forces".

"The Russian army today launched air terror against this town -- eight guided bombs hit the town," it said. Attacks were launched on at least two other settlements north of Kharkiv.

A late-night report by the General Staff said Ukrainian forces had repelled 10 Russian attacks in the area, including around Vovchansk.

It also noted Russian forces had achieved "partial success" in areas near Kupiansk, further east in Kharkiv region, and the Pokrovsk sector where heavy fighting has been taking place further south in Donetsk region.

Ukrainian military bloggers said Ukrainian troops had been holding their ground around Vovchansk and Russian forces were using less infantry in the area and instead firing from a distance, with limited accuracy.

RT/Reuters

The duo of Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano State, and the Nigerian presidency stand the risk of plunging Kano back into the year 1893. Their weapon would be politics and votes of the over 2 million people of Kano. In the year 1893, in the words of highly rated scholar on Northern emirate administration, C. N. Ubah, a bitterly disputed succession battle plunged the Kano emirate into anarchy and civil war. Indeed, the Kano royal family had overtime been a hotbed of divisions and acrimony. Beginning from the first civil war fought in Kano in 1565, the royal house of Kano had been bedeviled by internal strife and bloodshed. In 1648, the house was again ravaged by a second civil war shortly after the death of Muhammed Alwali, also known as El Kutumbi. The strife continued even till 1806 when Kano became part and parcel of the nascent Sokoto Caliphate. That year, followers of Usman dan Fodio forcefully drove out Alwali, Kano’s last Hausa emir, from the city. Thereafter, in 1807, after a protracted struggle withthe Fula warriors towards the end of that year, Alwali was ambushed and assassinated at Burum-Burum in present day Kano. His assassination spelled the end of the Kutumbaw line of Hausa aristocrats in Kano, as well as the fall of the Bagauda dynasty that had been in place for 800 years.

In modern times, we have had peaceful enthronement and dethronement of Kano Emirs. For instance, one day in August, 1963, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, suddenly woke up from a belligerent side of his bed and conceived the sack of the Emir of Kano, Sir Muhammadu Sanusi. Persuaded that courtesy demanded he should inform his protégé and Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa of this move, Bello sent his friend, Alhaji Isa Kaita, Waziri of Katsina, then Northern Region Minister for Works and later, Minister of Education between 1957-1966, to Lagos.

There, Kaita met Balewa with his five ministers – Muhammadu Ribadu, Shehu Shagari, Zanna Bukar Dipcharima, Maitama Sule and Tudun Wada. When he broke the news, Balewa and the others were horrified and expressed their opposition to it. “Tell the Sardauna that he should not do it, for Kano will be on fire,” they chorused. Sanusi was a highly revered and loved monarch with a cultic following. Then Kaita rose and told the Prime Minister and the five ministers, “I am not here for permission. I am here to inform you that the Sardauna had made up his mind. I am afraid, no going back”. Bello and Balewa later agreed that Azare, headquarters of the Katagum Emirate in Northern Bauchi province, should be Sanusi’s banishment place. Two days after, Sanusi was dethroned and banished to Azare where he died in 1984.

Who will give Tinubu and Yusuff that initial counsel which Balewa and his ministers gave Ahmadu Bello? Who will tell them that, with the current weaponizing of politics and votes in the Kano royal house succession battle, in anticipation of the 2027 elections, “Kano will be on fire”?

Fifty seven years after that Ahmadu Bello dethronement of Sanusi, in the same off-handed and cavalier manner he removed him, Abubakar Ganduje also halted Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s imperial ride on the royalty of Kano. Through the State Emirate Council Law 2019, Ganduje imposed a five-emirate system, birthing first-class emirs in Gaya, Rano, Karaye and Bichi. Thus, in 2020, Ganduje peremptorily removed Sanusi over allegation of insubordination to his government. And 61 years after, Governor Yusuf walked that same Ahmadu Bello route by removing the Emirs.

Aside Ganduje’s allegation of insubordination against Sanusi, the presidency of Muhammadu Buhari, too saw Sanusi’s cup as having run over. Security reports alleged that the Emir was tampering with the president’s meaty pie. Coupled with his perceived aristocratic obstinacy, relentless criticisms of the fiscal regime and indeed the administration of Buhari in very unflattering terms, Ganduje’s disdain for Sanusi received a presidential imprimatur. He had to go.

After receiving his letter of appointment from Yusuf on Friday, Sanusi, speaking in Hausa, ascribed his return to the palace as God’s inscrutable act, because God is “the all knowing. He gives power and takes away from people in leadership. If He gives, no one can take away and if He takes away, no one can stop Him. God gives power to whoever He chooses.” Earlier, while signing the new Kano Emirate Bill (2024) into law, Yusuf had said that the decision to return Sanusi to the stool as the 16th Emir of Kano was in the best interest of the state and its people.

Both Sanusi and Yusuf must however know that they were both being clever by half. The duo merely exploited and capitalized on the mass of the people’s uncritical appraisal of existential matters. Nigerians mix metaphysical issues with the issue of existence, to their disadvantage. The plot to bring the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor back to the palace had no hand of God in it. It was a product of deft maneuvering by political gladiators playing a political chess game. Alongside the Sultan of Sokoto, Emir of Gwandu and the Shehu of Borno, in Nigeria and outside of its shores, the palace of the Emir of Kano is held in awe for its significance for both religious and political purposes.

Together, the four Emirs are historical and religious rulers who are literally deified in Northern Nigeria. On the national platform, whoever is the Kano Emir has a controlling leverage on the political barometer of the north. With Ganduje’s political hold on the state he governed withering and dithering, one permutation said the federal government needed an ally in a suave, likeable Sanusi whose preference also fits the political vendetta game that the Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso-led New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) wanted to inflict on the APC national chairman. A Sanusi as Emir, with his adorable suavity and talismanic respect in the north would inch any government with sagging electoral hold like Tinubu’s back to power in a re-election contest. So they think. The other permutation said that Ganduje got the presidency of Tinubu to send military troops to Kano to thwart the removal of his anointed Emirs.

Though there are no artillery firepower and marching troops, today in Kano State, there seems to be a reenactment of the famous Battle of Kwatarkwashi. Last Thursday, Abba Yusuf appended his signature to the reappointment of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Emir of Kano, four years after his dethronement by his predecessor, Ganduje. By that singular act, perhaps unbeknown to Yusuf, he went down history lane among leaders of Kano who engaged in the politicization of successions in the Kano emirate.

Fought in 1903, the Battle of Kwatarkwashi ruptured Kano emirate peace. It was a decisive war between the British administered Protectorate of Northern Nigeria and the Emirate forces in the Sokoto Caliphate. In that battle, High Commissioner to the Northern Region, Lord Lugard, waged war against Kano Emir, Aliyu Babba. Bent on removing Babba for what he considered his arrogance and disregard for his office, Lugard wrote incriminating memos to Britain justifying military action against Babba. First, he claimed the Emir planned to attack the Kano garrison with 10,000 troops. Then, he alleged that Babba granted asylum to Dan Yamusa, the Magaji of Keffi, who, in October 1902, allegedly murdered a Captain Moloney, Keffi-based junior Resident. Lugard then placed a price and wanted tag on Yamusa’s head.

On January 29, 1903, the battle began. Colonel Morland, Commandant of Northern Nigeria Regiment and his troops rolled their battle tanks into Kano. Emir Babba’s cavalry for the battle was no match for Morland’s 24 Officers and 722 other ranks, with their four 75mm guns and 4 Maxims. The British, after breaking the walls of Kano, stormed the Emir’s palace, killed its defender, Sarkin Shanu, who had fought them with a sword, set the Emir’s arsenal on fire and killed not less than 300 of the warriors. On February 16, the British forces then proceeded to the Northwest of Kano where they ambushed the Kano cavalry who were gathered by the great rocks of Kwatarkwashi where a 6-hour firepower ensued. At the end, the Vizier of Kano emir beat a retreat with his remnant of cavalry, to Sokoto. Many of the fighters, under Muhammad Abbas, however, surrendered to the British, leading to Muhammad Abbas, Aliyu’s elder brother, being proclaimed Emir of Kano.

Unlike the Kwatarkwashi battle, change of Emirs in a very volatile emirate of Kano is usually in an off-handed manner. Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, Second Republic governor of Kano state from 1979 to 1983, had also toed same line in his removal of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero. Rimi perhaps verbalized the disdain with which politicians regard Emirs. Speaking with respected veteran journalist, Lekan Alabi, in 1982 on an NTA Ibadan Personality Interview Programme, Speak Out, Rimi declared that traditional rulers were “mere public servants” and threatened to remove Bayero.

He exploded: “The way you press and our political opponents (regard) the Emir of Kano is not the way we regard him. As far as we are concerned (thumping his chest) – we the elected government of Kano state – as far as I, the governor of Kano state, is concerned – the Emir of Kano is nothing, nothing, nothing but a public person… he is holding a public office… being paid from public funds and whose appointment is at the pleasure of the governor of the state and who can be dismissed, removed interdicted, suspended if he commits an offence. And there is nothing unique about Ado Bayero, the Emir of Kano… believe me, if he commits any offence which will make it necessary for us to remove him, we will remove him and we will sleep soundly”.

Since the formation of Kano Emirate in 1805, two attempts have been made to split the emirate. Incidentally done by civilian governments, both attempts hung their reasons for the Emirs’ removal on the need to whittle down the powers of Emirs. Rimi was the first to create five emirates out of the Kano Emirate. A noticeable sour relationship had developed between Bayero and Rimi. In 1981, Rimi stopped the traditional homage usually paid by village heads to Bayero. So, on April 1, 1981, Rimi created four new emirates of Gaya, Rano, Dutse, and Auyo, excising some domains from Bayero’s emirate. On April 7, 1981, he also issued a “Query” to Bayero and in 1982, ordered the return of dethroned Emir Muhammadu Sanusi to Wudil in the state.

What is playing out in Kano today is a replay of the Second Republic Kano government-Emirate tango. Or the usual volatility of successions in the royal house in earlier centuries. Rimi, who became governor under the banner of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) had fallen out with party leader, Mallam Aminu Kano. From this fallout came a faction of PRP called “Yan tabo” with its loyalty strictly to the Mallam. The other faction, called “Yan santsi,” pledged its loyalty to Rimi. Unfortunately for Rimi, the electoral umpire, FEDECO, pronounced its recognition of the Aminu Kano faction. This led Rimi to defect to the Nigerian People’s Party (NPP) where he vied for a second term in the 1983 elections. As soon as he tendered his letter of resignation as governor, the “Yan tabo” faction replaced him with his deputy, Abdu Dawakin Tofa but later fielded Sabo Aliyu Bakin Zuwo as governorship candidate. Zuwo defeated Rimi. On his assumption of office in 1983, the first thing Bakin Zuwo did was to reverse the creation of the four new emirates made by Rimi. The single emirate of Kano continued for thirty six years until 2019 when Ganduje again got it splintered.

Unbeknown to the generality of the people, though Governor Yusuf had, in campaigns for the office of the governor, vowed to “right wrongs” in the emirate, his “very bad” case at the appellate court must have given him and the Nigerian power apparatchik what lawyers call consensus ad idem on the restoration of Sanusi to the palace. In the permutations of what is happening in Kano, the one suggesting that the president is most likely running with the hare and hunting with the hound is almost the most fertile. Sanusi and the current Nigerian power levers have always been allies. Giving his return a presidential push would be a worthy favour to a friend who incidentally has become a proposed weapon for retention of power.

Events unfolding since Thursday have shown that politicians are gradually dragging Kano to the Battle of Kwatarkwashi, the slab of bloodshed. As I write this, there appears to be two Emirs on a single Kano emirate stool. Presidency officials themselves are split between Sanusi and Bayero. Security apparatuses are also torn apart in their loyalty to the two “Emirs”, with Yusuf threatening to arrest Bayero for allegedly sponsoring the bid to set Kano aglow. But, is the blood of Kano people worth the politics of 2027 and vendetta?

For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host like the host of God ~ 1 Chronicles 12: 22.

Introduction

There are many subtle satanic conspiracies to keep you in a box from the day you were born till your sojourn here on earth is over. However, God has also mercifully put into the hands of some people all you will ever need to live happily here on earth.

In fact, God has positioned these people and some other elements of creation ahead of you to make your life’s assignments achievable. Just as He sent the wise men from the East to offer Jesus certain prophetic gifts, He has also sent these people to your life (Matthew 2:1-11). They are your “destiny helpers”, and all you need is to release them appropriately to work in your favour.

Your destiny helpers carry the responsibility to move you through your life’s stages of growth and development unto success and prominence, till your journey on earth is complete. This is the pattern God has set for all living beings, sinners and saints alike.

If you can undertake a discreet study of your life’s journey so far, you will discover that for every new level or open door you ever experienced, you met some people who played major and crucial roles to get you there.

No man was born to fail. God never intended for anyone to "settle down", as it were. He wants to take us from one dimension of glory to a higher one by the supernatural force of His blessings. We must leverage this to release destiny helpers today, and discover the "higher places" that God has prepared for us, in Christ Jesus.

The Importance of Helpers To Fulfilling Destiny

The notion of a manifest destiny has many components. Basically, God is our Very Present Helper (Hebrews 13:6). He can arrange situations and things to work for our greater good. But, He often uses men and women to accomplish this. He also sometimes uses non-human channels to bring us what we require.

It was the raven birds that brought bread and meat to Elijah. For Prophet Balaam, it was a speaking ass that saved him from the sword of death. However, commonly, God uses men to bring help our ways, even when they look apparently useless to us.

God used four lepers to deliver the whole of Samaria from famine. It was also men that God used to make David great. They came with different abilities to help him succeed in his life’s assignments.

Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18)! But, it is equally true that where there are no people, visions also perish. You cannot fulfill your life’s mission alone; you need the contributions and support of others. But, don’t forget to make room for them to freely operate to work in your favour.

Your destiny is the assignment God has created you to achieve as a part of His overall plan for the world (Jeremiah 1:5). Releasing your destiny helpers is very essential to the fulfillment of your destiny. You can have all the requisite qualifications, yet it takes helpers of destiny to connect you to the right quarters.

Releasing Your Destiny Helpers

Today, many people are stranded in the various “basements” of life, struggling and struggling without a terminal date in view. Why? They simply misused their ladders as firewood by failing to recognize and release their destiny helpers appropriately.

Some of our destiny helpers include our parents, pastors, mentors, friends, siblings, spouses, disciples, children, mentees, and so on. Invisible angelic helpers are also available to all of us. They come to our aid when we least expect it, and they may disappear as soon as their work is done.

Meanwhile, invariably, destiny helpers characteristically wait for enabling environments conducive for their operations before they act in our favour.

Joseph was sent to Egypt by God ahead of His people, to preserve them from the impending famine and hardship that was to come upon their land. But, he passed through the crucibles of hurts, slavery and imprisonment! Until he was released, Israel couldn’t benefit from his gracious assignment (Psalm 105:17-21).

When your destiny helpers are released to work, your destiny is catapulted overnight. Big and unforgettable things begin to happen to you, even in small places. Remember the poor cripple man in Mark 2:1-12. He remained perfectly disabled, until four earnest helpers brought him to the small house where Jesus was at that time!

Basically, a destiny in divine order attracts all divine blessings. When your destiny is on track with God, things work well because God makes adequate provisions for you before the needs arise.

There is no shortage of helpers when your destiny is on track with God. As one helper is leaving, another is coming with even greater resources. When your destiny is in divine order, you are virtually guaranteed the good life. Even if the enemies attempt to slow you down while God is still building you up for the tasks ahead, they cannot stop you (1 John 4:4).

Furthermore, in life, everything is interconnected. When you make good things to happen for others, God will make better things to happen for you as well (Matthew 5:7). Being merciful provokes the release of your helpers of destiny.

Very importantly, when helpers wouldn’t help destinies, we should set to interrogate the situations: Are there certain allowed personality defects in our lives? Do we have stingy attitudes to others? Could there be some satanic dimensions to the ugly scenario?

Men and brethren, whatever it is, let’s plead the mercy of God today for divine connection with people that matter to our destinies. Let’s follow the leadings of faith and patience, and we will certainly experience the outstretched arms of God in the circumstances of our lives, in Jesus name (Hebrews 6:12). Amen. Happy Sunday!

____________________

Bishop Taiwo Akinola,

Rhema Christian Church,

Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Connect with Bishop Akinola via these channels:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bishopakinola

SMS/WhatsApp: +234 802 318 4987

There are fundamental differences between what God does and what man does. God is not a man. His ways are different from those of men. His reward is different from that of men.

Jesus insists we must choose between the things of God and those of men. We cannot have both, not the least because the things of men are the things of Satan.

Ephemeral Rewards

Jesus identifies three instances where we must seek only God’s approval, not man’s: when we do charitable works, pray, and fast. He says if we do any of these secretly, God will reward us openly. But if we do them to be seen by men, the only approval we will get will be from men. (Matthew 6:1-3/6).

When we give to men, we must do so recognising that we are giving to God and not to men. Jesus says: “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 24:40).

Therefore, we must not receive glory or praise from men. Jesus says: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16).

The rewards of men are ephemeral. Unlike God’s reward, they do not last. Job says of men: “Their prosperity will not endure.” (Job 20:21). Men will praise us today and abuse us tomorrow. They will end up discouraging our righteousness. We will soon become tired of doing good if we seek their approval.

God cursed the Earth. (Genesis 3:17). So, nothing fundamentally good or enduring can be dug out of the Earth. Therefore, Jesus teaches that it is more blessed to give than to receive from men. (Acts 20:35).

When we fast, we must do so because we hunger for God and not for the praise of men. When we pray, we must be careful to pray only to God and not to men. Prayer must not be designed to feed our spiritual ego. 

God’s Reward

Most Christians acknowledge that God rewards man, but we do not know how. Churches primarily recognise money and riches as God’s rewards. But these can be obtained without God. Since many unbelievers are wealthy, then wealth cannot be the reward of God.

God’s kingdom is not of this world. So, God’s reward cannot be of this world. John says:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world.”(1 John 2:15-16).

The Bible says: “(God) is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”(Hebrews 11:6).

It is only logical that since God rewards those who seek Him, their reward must be what they seek, which is God Himself.

God primarily rewards those who love Him with Himself. He is by far the most precious thing in the universe. Therefore, there can be no greater reward than God Himself. David says to God: “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”(Psalm 16:11).

Accordingly, God chose Abraham by giving Himself to Abraham. He said: “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” (Genesis 15:1).

The reward of God is God Himself, and it is an exceedingly great reward. He revealed Himself to Israel, His chosen people, as Immanuel: “God with us,” leading Isaiah to declare: “Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!” (Isaiah 12:6).

When Israel came to the Promised Land, the land was divided by tribe. Some received the highlands, some the lowlands. Some well-watered lands that rivers divide, and some coastal lands.

But the Levites were not given any land whatsoever. God declared that He was their Promised Land.

“The Lord said to Aaron: ‘You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.’” (Numbers 18:20).

Rather than complain about this seeming oversight, the Levites maintained that they received the best deal: “O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; you maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance.” (Psalm 16:5-6).

Today, we have come full circle in Christ. We are not heirs of carnal things. We are not even heirs of what God has. We are heirs of God Himself: “Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.”(Romans 8:17).

So, when a man came to Jesus to seek His assistance in getting his brother to give him his share of the inheritance from his father, Jesus rebuked him for striving for the inheritance of men and ignoring that of God: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” (Luke 12:15).

God’s Open Reward 

As observed, most Christians are socialised in churches to believe that God rewards us with carnal things. We know that God rewards good works done in His Name. But we think He does this by giving us valuable things of this world. 

However, that cannot possibly be the case. Jesus says: “What is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15).Surely, God will not reward anyone with what is an abomination to Him.

Moreover, if what God gives is essentially Himself, how does He give Himself openly? Jesus says every secret devotion elicits God’s open reward. 

God does this by demonstrating openly that He approves of us. At Jesus’ water baptism, God approved of Him openly in the hearing of everybody: “Suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” (Matthew 3:17).

On another occasion, there was an open conversation between God the Father and Jesus:

“‘Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.’ Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to Him.’” (John 12:27-29).  

God rewarded Jesus openly by validating His word with signs and wonders. Thus, Peter testified to the people on Jesus’ resurrection from the dead: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know.” (Acts 2:22). 

Such open validation also belongs to followers of Christ. Jesus says: “These signs will follow those who believe: In My name, they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17-18).

God rewarded Joseph openly by making him the prime minister of Egypt and then bringing his devious brothers who sold him into slavery to Egypt to bow down to him. He rewarded Daniel openly by shutting the mouths of the lions when he was thrown into the lions’ den. He rewarded openly the three Hebrew children when they were thrown into the fiery furnace. They were unscathed.

God rewards us openly by doing something extraordinary for us that shows every bystander that the hand of God is upon us. They often come in wilderness situations. They come in ways that men cannot claim the glory, but God. They are not hidden. God deliberately broadcasts them supernaturally to the world.

When God rewarded David openly, he wrote in the Psalms: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.” (Psalm 23:5).

When our cup runs over, everyone sees it, especially our enemies.

It is not only God’s peace that surpasses all human understanding, so also do His open rewards. Everyone might be going through an economic crunch, but that is when our businesses prosper inexplicably.

Thus, Isaac sowed in famine and reaped a bountiful harvest. His harvest must have been confounding to his neighbour:

“Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.” (Genesis 26:12-14).

Every time Isaac dug for a well, he found running water and his neighbours contested with him for the well. He would move away and dig somewhere else and still find running water. He kept this up until they gave up and stopped harassing him.

“Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” But they said, “We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you.” (Genesis 26:26-28).

Everyone concluded that God must be the one favouring Isaac, so even his enemies came to reconcile with him. Solomon says: “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7). CONTINUED.

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Negative self-talk, or the experience of your inner monologue being hyper-critical, can erode your confidence. And, usually, whatever you’re worried about doesn’t actually come to pass, says Judy Ho, a neuropsychologist and professor at Pepperdine University.

In 2019, researchers at Penn State Universityhad 29 people with generalized anxiety disorder write down what they were worried about for 10 days and tracked the outcomes for the next month. Most of their worries didn’t materialize. In fact, 91.4% of worry predictions did not come true.

In her recent TED Talk, Ho describes how negative self-talk can undermine your goals.

“Sometimes we think that negative self-talk helps us to be motivated,” Ho told CNBC Make It. “So, we beat ourselves up in our head thinking, ‘Oh, this is going to motivate me.’ But, actually, we just end up fulfilling a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

To defeat the cycle of negative self-talk, you have to be mindful of what triggers your pessimism and how to distance yourself from anxiety-driven thoughts.

1. Identify what triggers you.

Pinpoint what experiences cause you to ruminate. Maybe it’s meetings at work or large parties where you don’t know anyone.

“Just notice where those patterns are, and what situations trigger you and you’re going to start finding a theme,” Ho says.

2. Question your thoughts.

Once you find out which scenarios inspire the most self-criticism you can start investigating if there is any merit to these thoughts.

“Know that thoughts are not the absolute truth,” Ho says. “There’s no way that you have tens of thousands of thoughts and that they’re all true.”

Ask yourself what evidence supports this thought, and what evidence contradicts it.

“Evidence isn’t just more thoughts,” Ho says. “Evidence is things that somebody else who was in the same room could actually observe.”

Write down your findings in two columns and compare them. Oftentimes, Ho says, there is more evidence that your anxiety won’t come to fruition than evidence that it will.

Know that thoughts are not the absolute truth.

3. ‘Yes ... but ... ’

Practice a more balanced thought process. Ho offers the following formula:

“Yes I [insert something that is not going well], but I [insert something that is going well.”

Maybe you’re worried about how much work you have to get done tomorrow and feel like you weren’t as productive as you should have been today. Instead of replaying criticism of your work ethic in your head, tell yourself: “Yes, I didn’t get as much done today as I’d like, but I did finish the top three items on my to-do list.”

4. Label your feeling as a ‘thought.’

“When we think something, our brains are naturally inclined to believe that it’s automatically true,” Ho says. “So whether we’re imagining a catastrophic future, or going back to the past to a terrible memory, or maybe a mistake that we made, self-talk, essentially, takes us right to that moment in time, as if it’s happening right in front of us.”

Create some distance between you and your self-talk by labeling your thoughts as what they are: just thoughts.

“It changes the relation to the thought because you’re basically saying, ‘I’m just having the thought and it doesn’t have to be true,’” Ho says. “It distances yourself from that thought instead of it automatically becoming part of your reality.”

Being critical of the stories you tell yourself can help you end a cycle of negativity and focus on accomplishing your goals.

CNBC

Nigeria’s economy grew at a slower than expected rate in the first quarter as a sharp currency slump and adverse weather impacted the non-oil sector.

Gross domestic product expanded an annual 2.98% in the three months through March, compared with growth of 3.46% in the previous quarter, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday. The median estimate of eight economists in a Bloomberg survey was 3.5%.

Key contributors to the slower-than-expected growth were agriculture, due to bad weather and insecurity, and manufacturing where profits have been knocked by an almost 70% slump in the naira against the dollar since last year.

Weaker growth in those sectors contributed to the non-oil part of the economy expanding 2.8% - its slowest pace in two quarters.

One bright spot was the oil sector which grew for a successive quarter because of higher oil production. Output rose to 1.57 million barrels per day in the period, up from 1.51 million barrels a year earlier, helped by better security in the Niger Delta region.

Improved oil output is expected to continue. Minister of State for Petroleum Heineken Lokpobiri said Thursday that production - which includes crude and other hydro-carbons - is now at 1.7 million barrels per day from a low of 1.1 million barrels when Tinubu took office. Nigeria hopes to further lift production by opening bids for a dozen oil blocks and concluding several divestment deals with international oil companies in coming months.

The government is targeting an economic growth rate of about 3.8% in 2024 and a return to 6% or more in the coming years, which it last achieved in 2014. The International Monetary Fund projects 3.3% economic growth for 2024, which will lower Nigeria’s ranking to fourth largest in Africa.

Bloomberg

No fewer than 200 officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria were on Friday relieved of their duties, adding to the long list of ongoing disengagements in the apex bank.

This adds to the list of 117 staff sacked by the bank between March 15th and April 11, 2024.

The termination of appointments affects directors, deputy directors, assistant directors, principal managers, senior managers and lower-ranking staff.

Impeccable sources who are staff of the bank confirmed the sacking to our correspondent on Friday, adding that the sacked personnel were more than 200.

They revealed that the latest purge included older directors who were not affected by the last round of retrenchment.

One of the sources in a 20-second call with our correspondent simply stated, “It is true and confirmed.”

The staff who could not disclose further details for fear of being tapped added that the purge had caused palpable apprehension amongst staff of every cadre as the management had not specified any known criteria for the decisions.

Another authoritative source confirmed the information, indicating that additional dismissals are expected in the months ahead, spread out in phases.

The official said, “It is real and is even more than 200 officials but the actual number is unconfirmed yet. The sacking is coming in staggered phases and that is why we can’t confirm the number yet.

“But it is not less than 200. The sacked persons include directors and other cadres but the ones that are easily known are the directors. Some of the old directors that were not affected during the last round of sacks are now affected.”

The sack letter obtained by our correspondent and issued by the Human Resources Department on May 24, 2024, indicated that the policy was to reorganise the organisation for effective operations.

The letter, lacking a signature, read, “The new strategic direction of the bank has been widely publicised. In line with our new mission and vision, the bank is currently undergoing a significant organisational and human capital restructuring process.

“As a result of this review, I have been directed to notify you that your services will not be required with effect from Friday, 24th May 2024. Your final entitlements will be calculated and paid to you in due course. Thank you”

In February, at least 1,500 members of staff of the apex bank of Nigeria were redeployed from the headquarters located at Central Area to its Lagos office.

At the time, the CBN said the action was necessitated by several factors, including the need to align the bank’s structure with its functions and objectives and redistribute skills to ensure a more even geographical spread of talent.

It added that it was also in compliance with building regulations, as indicated by repeated warnings from the facility manager, and the findings and recommendations of the Committee on Decongestion of the CBN Head Office.

Efforts to get the reaction of the Director of Corporate Communication, Hakama Sidi Ali, was not successful as she did not respond to several calls sent across to her or reply the text messages to her line.

Punch

After World Court ruling, Palestinians want action not words

Forced from her home by Israel's seven-month-long Gaza offensive, Salwa al-Masri has little hope her plight will be alleviated by a ruling from the U.N.'s top court ordering Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah.

"The massacres are only increasing," she said, as she cooked a meal on an open fire outside a tent in Deir al-Balah.

"They shouldn’t say one thing, while the action is something different," said Masri, who fled her home in northern Gaza earlier in the war. "We want these decisions to be implemented on the ground."

Judges at the World Court, also known the International Court of Justice (ICJ), ordered Israel on Friday to halt its offensive in Rafah governorate. It marked a landmark emergency ruling on a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide in its assault on the Gaza Strip.

But the World Court has no means to enforce its orders, and Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said Israel would continue its "just and necessary" war against the Hamas militant group to return its hostages and ensure its security.

Hamas fighters killed some 1,200 people in Israel in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted around 250 more, according to Israeli tallies. Gaza health authorities say more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli retaliatory offensive which has laid waste to much of the enclave.

Israel has rejected South Africa's accusation that it is committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza war, arguing that it is acting to defend itself and fighting Hamas.

"Israel doesn’t care about the world, it acts as if it was above the law because the U.S. administration is shielding it against punishment,” said Shaban Abdel-Raouf, a Palestinian displaced four times by the Israeli offensive.

"The world isn’t yet prepared to stop our slaughter at Israeli hands,” said Abdel-Raouf, who was reached by phone.

Israel began pushing into Rafah earlier this month, saying it aims to wipe out remaining Hamas fighters holed up there.

Simultaneous Israeli assaults on the northern and southern edges of Gaza this month have caused a new exodus of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing their homes, and have cut off the main access routes for aid, raising the risk of famine.

South Africa's lawyers asked the ICJ last week to impose emergency measures, saying Israel's attacks on Rafah must be stopped to ensure the survival of the Palestinian people.

Hamas said it welcomed the World Court ruling but said it was not enough "since the occupation aggression across the Gaza Strip and especially in northern Gaza is just as brutal and dangerous".

Palestinians needed an immediate halt to the war and they wanted to see action to achieve that, displaced Palestinian man Nabil Diab said. "We don’t need a declaration," he said.

Reuters