WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russian strikes on Ukraine's Kharkiv region kill at least 11

Russia struck a busy lakeside resort on the edge of Ukraine's second largest city on Sunday and attacked villages in the surrounding region, killing at least 11 people and wounding scores.

The missile strikes were the latest in what have been constant Russian attacks in recent weeks on the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, where Russian troops have launched an offensive.

Valentyna, 69, had blood running down her face at the lakeside resort area where her home had been destroyed and a busy restaurant nearby was obliterated. Her husband was killed near the lake, she said, gesturing to an area close to the shore that now was the site of a crater, rubble and corpses.

"To lose my husband, to lose my house, to lose everything in the world, it hurts, it hurts me," she shouted through tears "They (the Russians) are animals. Why do they need to kill people?"

Prosecutors said six people were killed there, one was missing and 27 were wounded. Rescuers said the initial strike was followed by a second strike around 20 minutes later, targeting emergency crews at the scene in a "double tap".

"There were never any soldiers here," said Yaroslav Trofimko, a police inspector who arrived after the first strike and was then caught up in the second. "It was a Sunday, people were supposed to be here to rest, children were supposed to he here, pregnant women resting, enjoying a normal way of life."

Another five people were killed and nine injured later in the day in two villages in Kupiansk district. Local Governor Oleh Syniehubov said Russian forces shelled two villages of the district with a self-propelled multiple rocket launcher.

Prosecutors said one person was killed in Russian shelling in Vovchansk, a town in Kharkiv region 5 km (three miles) inside the border at the centre of a Russian incursion launched just over a week ago. Three people were wounded.

Russian forces pushed their way into northern areas of Kharkiv region last week and the Russian military says they have captured at least 12 villages. Ukrainian shelling across the border injured 13 on Sunday in Russia's Belgorod region.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy again called on Western allies to supply Kyiv with additional air defence systems to protect Kharkiv and other cities.

"The world can stop Russian terror - and to do so, the lack of political will among leaders must be overcome," Zelenskiy said on Telegram.

"Two Patriots for Kharkiv will make a fundamental difference," he said, referring to Patriot missile defence systems. Air defence systems for other cities and sufficient support for soldiers on the front line would ensure Russia's defeat, the president added.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Air defenses down 103 Ukrainian drones, 12 ATACMS missiles, 4 Hammer bombs over day

Russian air defenses downed 104 Ukrainian drones, as well as 12 ATACMS missiles and four Hammer bombs over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry reported.

"The air defenses shot down 103 drones, including 62 fixed-wing drones destroyed over the territory of Russia at night, one Tochka-U tactical missile, 12 ATACMS operational-tactical missiles produced by the United States, four French-made Hammer guided aerial bombs, two US-made HARM anti-radar missiles, as well as nine US-made HIMARS rockets," the military said.

Russian forces also hit concentrations of Ukrainian manpower and equipment in 112 areas over the past 24 hours.

TASS has summarized the main successes of the Russian armed forces in the special military operation zone.

Battlegroup North

Russia’s battlegroup North continues advancing deep into the Ukrainian defenses in the Kharkov Region, defeating the forces of the Foreign Legion and three Ukrainian brigades, the Defense Ministry said.

"The northern battlegroup continues to advance deep into the enemy's defenses. It defeated the manpower and equipment of the Foreign Legion, the Ukrainian 24th, 42nd mechanized brigades, the 125th territorial defense brigade near Lukyantsy, Veseloye, Radgospnoye in the Kharkov Region. The battlegroup also repelled five enemy counterattacks near Volchansk, Liptsy and Tikhoye in Kharkov Region," the ministry said, adding that the Ukrainian military lost up to 230 servicemen, a tank, two armored fighting vehicles, 10 pickup trucks, a 122 mm Gvozdika howitzer, as well as a Grad MLRS.

Battlegroup West

Russia’s battlegroup West has taken more favorable positions and destroyed up to 440 Ukrainian servicemen and eight units of equipment, the military said.

"The western battlegroup occupied more favorable positions and defeated the 63rd Ukrainian mechanized brigade near Torskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic. The Ukrainian forces lost up to 440 servicemen, two vehicles, three US-made 155 mm M777 howitzers, a 152 mm Msta-B howitzer and two 122 mm Gvozdika howitzers," the ministry pointed out.

Battlegroup East

The Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 105 servicemen and a Marder infantry fighting vehicle in the zone of responsibility of Russia’s battlegroup East, the ministry emphasized.

"The battlegroup repelled two counterattacks by assault groups of the 123rd Ukrainian territorial defense brigade and the 21st National Guardd brigade near Urozhaynoye and Staromayorskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic. The Ukrainian forces lost up to 105 servicemen, two infantry fighting vehicles, three vehicles, a UK-made 155 mm FH-70 howitzer, as well as a 122 mm Gvozdika howitzer," the Russian military said, adding that the battlegroup also occupied more favorable positions, as well as defeated the manpower and equipment of the 128th territorial defense brigade near Velikaya Novoselka and Makarovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.

Battlegroup South

Russia’s battlegroup South has improved its positions along the front line and repelled a Ukrainian attack near Novomikhailovka, the ministry reported.

"The southern battlegroup improved its frontline positions, defeating the manpower and equipment of the 79th Ukrainian airborne assault, 93rd mechanized, and 81staAirmobile brigades near Antonovka and Belogorovka in the Donetsk People's Republic. In addition, a Ukrainian attack was repelled near Novomikhailovka in the Donetsk People's Republic. The enemy lost more than 680 servicemen, two tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles and 10 vehicles," the ministry said, adding that the Russian forces also destroyed Ukrainian equipment and two warehouses with enemy ammunition.

Battlegroup Center

Russia’s battlegroup Center has improved its tactical positions and repelled seven Ukrainian counterattacks, wiping out up to 345 servicemen, the Defense Ministry said.

"The central battlegroup improved the tactical positions and defeated the 71st Ukrainian infantry, 47th, 100th mechanized brigades near Yevgenovka, Novoalexandrovka, Rozovka and Novgorodskoye of the Donetsk People's Republic. The battlegroup also repelled seven counterattacks of the 59th motorized infantry, 24th, 47th mechanized, 142nd, 143rd infantry brigades near Shumy, Netailovo, Novokalinovo, Umanskoye and Solovyevo of the Donetsk People's Republic," the military said, adding that the Ukrainian forces lost up to 345 servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, two cars, as well as a 152 mm Msta-B howitzer.

Reuters/Tass

President Bola Tinubu’s first year in office has been one like no other. He has willfully turned Nigerians into destitute in their land of plenty. In a country that is officially not at war and has not experienced failure of rainfall, and drought, it is very painful to see citizens, predominantly women and children, go through the humiliation of queuing up for cups of rice as one sees in war-torn Sudan or Gaza Strip.

This harsh and intolerable condition is a result of Tinubu’s inhumane, World Bank-prescribed economic policies of sudden removal of fuel subsidy, massive devaluation of the naira, and interest rate and electricity tariff hikes. These misguided policies have resulted in galloping inflation now at a 28-year high of 33 per cent, and food inflation rate of 40 per cent.

In a country with 133 million, 65 per cent of its population, already in multidimensional poverty and over 20 million children out of school, these policies have added millions more citizens into multidimensional poverty and millions more children into out-of-school kids because their parents cannot pay for their school fees.

Millions of Nigerians, predominantly women and children, go to bed hungry with no certainty of anything to eat when they wake up. Heads of households are absconding from their homes, abandoning mothers with children because they cannot feed their families.

The government’s answer to this self-imposed hardship is to provide food palliatives. On February 8, 2024, Tinubu directed the release of 42,000 metric tons of grains from the strategic grains reserve to be distributed free of charge to vulnerable Nigerians. It is now almost four months but no vulnerable Nigerian has received anything.

The truth is that the Federal Government knows well that all its silos are literally empty. A Northern governor that was co-opted into this ruse went as far as declaring five work-free days for distribution of what he very well knew were non-existent palliatives. It is depressing that 64 years after independence, Nigerians are being turned into beggars by their leaders.

Our children’s education has never been more imperiled than now because of the return of mass school abductions by terrorists. Ten years after the tragic abduction of 276 school girls in Chibok by Boko Haram insurgents, Nigeria has witnessed five mass school abductions (in Gusau, Dutsinma, Gada, Ekiti and Kuriga) in the first eight months of this administration. In spite of these school abductions, neither the state nor federal governments are doing anything to secure our schools because only the children of the poor are at risk.

Nigeria’s healthcare system is in shambles, with many hospital wards across the country looking distressingly like abattoir. The Primary Healthcare Clinics have been abandoned. The healthcare financing system has been hijacked by “middlemen” called Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs) to the detriment of patients and healthcare providers.

The recent hike in electricity tariff poses an existential threat to the survival of healthcare services in Nigeria. Many hospitals will not be able to pay the new tariffs, as exemplified by a video clip of a Doctor lamenting after receiving an electricity bill of N25.3 million.

There has been a mass exodus of healthcare workers out of Nigeria because of the conditions of our healthcare facilities, lack of work tools and poor pay for healthcare workers. Recent report by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) revealed that there are 130,000 registered doctors in Nigeria serving a population of 200 million, giving a doctor-to-patient ratio of 1 Doctor serving 1,500 patients (1:1,500).

The WHO’s recommendation is that one Doctor should serve 600 patients (1:600). This ratio is much higher in many states, signifying that all Nigerians, regardless of their station in life, live in a very high-risk medical environment.

Millions of Nigerians have simply stopped taking their medications because they cannot afford them and have resorted to traditional medicines and prayers, resulting in increased disease-related complications and deaths.

Recent data from the Nigerian Hypertension Society suggests that of the 70 million Nigerian adults with hypertension, half (35 million) are not on treatment due to the skyrocketing drug prices, consequently, Doctors are now seeing more and more hypertension-related complications like stroke, kidney failures, heart failures and deaths.

Last year, hospitals across the country recorded an exponential rise in the number of children admitted with diseases of severe malnutrition (Marasmus and Kwashiorkor). Children of the poor continue to die needlessly from vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, diphtheria, diarrhea, pneumonia and meningitis due to lack of access to healthcare.

Contrary to the official propaganda and half-truths about improvements in Nigeria’s national security, the reality on the ground, particularly in the Northwest and North Central part of the country, is different. Terrorists still control a large swath of the country’s rural areas years into the wars against Boko Haram and other terrorist groups.

The land is still drenched in the blood of innocent people. Villages are being ransacked and pillaged while thousands of the villagers have been chased out of their homes or abducted for ransom. Farmers are chased out of their farmlands or levied on their harvests. Major highways still remain unsafe from terrorists who attack travelers, killing and abducting passengers at will for ransom. Ethno- religious conflicts and killings continue unabated.

The 400 women and children abducted by Boko Haram insurgents from IDP camps in Gamboru Ngala, Borno State on March 3, 2024 have been forgotten by the government.

The morale of members of the military is at its lowest because active duty personnel are increasingly being ambushed and killed by terrorists all across the country. In the last eight months, over 500 officers and soldiers have been reported killed in such attacks.

The recent unplanned withdrawal of the military from two terrorists-infested areas in Maru Local Council, Zamfara State and Shiroro Local Council, Niger State, where the military suffered unfortunate losses, could very well be a sign of frustration and battle fatigue in our soldiers.

While their house is on fire, 10 northern Nigeria governors went to America looking for solutions to problems they are complicit in creating because they control the drivers of insecurity in their states. I have said it again and again that all our security problems are local, and their solutions must be found locally, not in Abuja, New York, Washington DC or anywhere else. The armed militias created by some of these governors in their states have done nothing but worsened the bloodshed.

It is no secret that both the American and French governments have been lobbying the Nigerian government to open bases and station their troops on Nigerian soil following their expulsion from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. The real concern is that the timing of the invitation to the 10 northern governors by the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) may not be unconnected with this lobby.

Addressing Nigeria’s intractable security challenges will require a sincere, strategic, holistic approach involving all stakeholders, instead of the disjointed fire brigade approach currently employed.

Tinubu’s economic policies have caused a cost of living crisis in Nigeria, resulting in unbearable hardship on all citizens. Workers’ salaries cannot pay for rent, water, food, clothing, school fees, transportation, and other basic necessities of life.

Runaway inflation has pauperised citizens and worsened hunger in the land. Managers of the economy are at a loss as to what to do. Their attempt at borrowing and hiking the interest rates to artificially prop up the value of the Naira against the Dollar has not and will never work.

It is voodoo economics to think that taxing citizens beyond their capacity to pay will revive Nigeria’s comatose economy. Taxes do not grow economies, production does.

The Federal Government has quietly resumed paying for the same fuel subsidy it removed on May29, 2023. The simple questions to ask are, why is the pump price not back to where it was before the removal of subsidy, were these payments provided for in the 2024 budget, and who are the new Cabals benefiting from these payments?

The attempt by Tinubu’s administration to impose this so-called cyber security tax on citizens is nothing but a desperate effort to elevate the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to a level that was never intended by the authors of our constitution.

The National Assembly saw through this desperation when it defeated a bill presented to the Senate seeking to grant additional powers and creation of armed agencies under the National Security Adviser (NSA).

The attempt to create a taxpayer-funded Cybersecurity fund appears to be a continuation of this effort that would make the ONSA far better funded than the Ministry of Defence, the armed forces, the Nigerian Police and Nigerian Intelligence Services. This will be a very dangerous development that will be fatal to our democracy.

We cannot elevate or give power to an appointee way beyond a representative elected by the people. So to create a fund in the name of whatever aspect of national security is to arm and empower an appointee of the President.

History should teach us of the dangers of allowing appointees of the President to amass so much unchecked powers as was the case with J. Edgar Hoover who became the most powerful FBI’s chief serving as Chief for 48 years under 8 United States Presidents.

Never in the 25-year history of Nigeria’s return to democratic rule have we seen such a brazen impunity by Tinubu in alleged unilateral award of a N15.6 trillion contract for Lagos-Calabar coastal highway to his longtime friend and business associate in violation of all procurement and due process laws and procedures. Such an amount could complete all the inland roads in the country with some change to spare.

This is a classic case of the term State Capture, which is defined as a situation where narrow interest groups take control of the institutions and processes through which public policy is made, directing public policy away from the public interest and instead shaping it to serve their own interests.

Tinubu is already setting his sights on his re-election bid in 2027. Consequently, he is aggressively cultivating five major constituencies: Members of the National Assembly, who refuse to ask the right questions as representatives of their people, Governors, who keep their people quiet by throwing at them palliatives of cups of rice, Religious Clerics, that supported his Muslim-Muslim ticket and the Security Services, whom he thinks will  protect him from citizens’ anger. The last constituency is Hausa Praise Singers, who have been contracted to sing his praises and songs that would distract restive northern youths from their daily sufferings.

It is unfortunate that by his actions and inactions, the lives, livelihoods and welfare of Nigerians do not matter to this President. Tinubu’s impulsive and amateurish handling of the aftermath of the July 2023 coup in Niger is largely responsible for the exit of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso from the ECOWAS, thereby jeopardizing the survival of the organization created 49 years ago. The exit of these three countries from the ECOWAS, acceptance of Russian troops on their soil and the frenzied lobby of the French and Americans to relocate their military bases to Nigeria are all harbingers of bad things to come.

It is concerning that while many Francophone African countries are breaking free from the shackles of oppression and exploitation of their colonial masters, Tinubu is dragging Nigeria blindly into the embrace of France.

Nigerians have lost faith and trust in this government due to continuing hardships, increasing cost of living, insecurity, corruption in government, youth unemployment and hopelessness. Leaders continue to live lives of vulgar opulence, corruption, and impunity while citizens live in penury.

Tinubu’s tenure has thus far been a catastrophic failure in governance. His policies have plunged the citizenry deeper into poverty, imperiled our national security and compromised the integrity of our institutions. Tinubunomics, under the guise of reforms, is only intensifying hardships in the land. The misallocation of resources and corruption reflect a leadership that prioritises personal enrichment over the public interests. This administration’s actions are disappointing, morally reprehensible and go against the principles of democracy and good governance. We cannot and will not remain silent.
** Yusuf is a Professor of Haematology-Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation.

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to promoting businesses, but there are strategies that can be used based on a business's unique needs. This CEO shares four effective and practical ways to promote SMBs.

Businesses in any industry invariably encounter marketing and advertising challenges. In the U.S., small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) wrestle with the top challenges of budget constraints and lead generation. Difficulties also arise when it comes to returns on investments (ROI), expertise and competition. In the AdTech sector, content creation, data privacy and ad fatigue are marketing pain points.

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to promoting businesses, but there are strategies that can be used based on a business's unique needs. In this article, I'll share four effective and practical ways to promote SMBs based on my experience as the CEO of Mitgo Group.

Team up with a strategic partner to set up proper monetization

Publishers looking to monetize their projects should focus on setting up monetization correctly. This involves a dual approach: monetizing through users and monetizing through advertisers. While the latter is an old business model, it's still the biggest and most well-established. Conversely, the user-focused model is gaining traction with subscriptions, donations, and content sales.

To set up the monetization model correctly, SMBs must choose strategic partners. The primary value for SMBs working with such partnerships is to gain access to large webmasters (like loyalty programs, cashback services, coupon websites or content websites) who typically engage only with enterprise-level clients. This opens up new opportunities for growth and collaboration previously limited to larger businesses.

Embrace the control and transparency of partner marketing

Trust is the bedrock of success, and trust starts with transparency. Partner marketing, a collaborative strategy for businesses to promote each other's products, is built on transparency. In this mutually beneficial agreement, you know exactly what you're spending and the direct returns you're getting. This means you have control. When you have both the necessary knowledge and control, you can optimize your campaigns without overspending.

An affiliate program is a specific type of partner marketing. While trust in a new affiliate program takes time to develop, the long-term benefits, including clear expense tracking and controlled spending, make it a valuable strategy for SMBs.

Prioritize tools over marketplaces

Promoting on marketplaces like Amazon and Shopify, as well as on social platforms like Facebook and Instagram, has pros and cons. Yes, these platforms can potentially generate traffic, but the operative word here is "potentially." You can't fully guarantee traffic and sales. You need to acquire that traffic, and you do that by shelling out money. However, any form of paid advertising is expensive. If that's the route a small business wants, it has to make many financial sacrifices.

I'm not saying that online marketplaces are a no-go. They also have many benefits like visibility, but don't rely solely on them. Instead, leverage tools and technologies to have more independence and control of your brand. Tools also give you more flexibility and customization. Best of all, you can choose a tool or a solution that fits best with your business.

Leverage on brand experience

The movie "The Intern" follows the story of an old widower who became a senior intern at an online fashion retailer. There is a scene in the film where the owner passionately explains to her senior intern how packaging is crucial for the overall customer experience. She takes pride that her small business ensures that each product is meticulously and aesthetically packaged.

I used the movie as an example because it accurately depicts the unique advantage of SMBs in providing personalized and memorable brand experiences. Small brands can focus on attention to detail and provide exceptional customer service, something you can't really get with marketplaces. Although they offer convenience, personalization for each transaction is out of the question. Meanwhile, SMBs can capitalize on their ability to provide a more personalized touch to develop positive brand perception and customer loyalty.

Expand your horizons

Promoting SMBs takes an assortment of strategies and a wider perspective. You can't have an "I'm only going to be here and nowhere else" attitude because that doesn't work. It limits your reach and eventually hurts your business. As a leader, I firmly believe that a multi-pronged approach gives SMBs (as well as larger enterprises) advantages across the board: expanded reach, achievable goals, increased opportunities, enhanced freedom, flexibility and all the elements that can propel the business forward.

List your business in marketplaces and compete for traffic there. Set up affiliate programs on your websites. Use tools for optimization. Create a more personalized approach. Adapt these strategies according to your needs to help you build a thriving and scalable business.

Entrepreneur

The Federal Government has dismissed the proposed alliance between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi.

According to the Presidency, President Bola Tinubu is not concerned about the potential alliance, stating that he is not losing sleep over the political maneuverings of Atiku and Obi. Atiku ran for president in 2023 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but lost, while Obi, representing the Labour Party (LP), came third in the election.

Recently, Obi held a private meeting with Atiku and other PDP leaders in Abuja. He also met separately with former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido and former Senate President Bukola Saraki, prompting speculation about a possible coalition for the 2027 general elections.

In an interview on Friday, Atiku expressed his willingness to support Obi if the PDP decided in 2027 that it was the South-East’s turn to field the presidential candidate and selected Obi. He reiterated, “I have said repeatedly that if the PDP zones the presidential ticket to the South or South-East specifically, I won’t contest it. If Peter Obi is chosen, I won’t hesitate to support him,” he told BBC Hausa Service.

Atiku suggested that a merger between the PDP and LP was possible and stressed that party members would decide their fate in the 2027 elections. He noted that his recent meeting with Obi might signal a possible alliance leading up to the elections. “It was just a normal friendly meeting, particularly among us in the opposition parties. Such meetings are healthy for Nigeria’s democracy,” he said.

When asked about the potential for a merger, Atiku confirmed, “Yes, it’s very much possible. We can merge to achieve a common goal. The choice of a presidential candidate will not be an issue.”

Tinubu Unbothered – FG

Reacting to the planned alliance, the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, stated that the Federal Government was not worried. He emphasized that the government was focused on delivering on its mandate. “The government is not thinking about them at all. We are focused on delivering on the mandate handed over to Tinubu,” Idris said.

He highlighted recent achievements, including the inauguration of critical gas infrastructure projects in Imo and Delta states and ongoing social security and farming initiatives. “With the good works the government is doing, he [Tinubu] is already the toast of Nigerians,” Idris added.

A presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, also dismissed the alliance, describing Atiku and Obi as sore losers. “We are only surprised that they are plotting just one year after an election they lost. They are still behaving like sore losers,” Onanuga said.

He stressed that President Tinubu remains focused on fulfilling his promises and resetting the economy. “President Tinubu is a true statesman who is concerned about fulfilling his promises to Nigerians,” he concluded.

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has asserted that Nigeria experienced a collapse following the inauguration of President Bola Tinubu on May 29, 2023. Speaking on Trust TV's Daily Politics, Lawal criticized Tinubu's sudden announcement of fuel subsidy removal on inauguration day, which he believes triggered a severe economic crisis before a cabinet was formed.

Lawal highlighted that the immediate removal of the fuel subsidy caused a significant increase in transportation costs, which is essential for both businesses and the general populace in Nigeria.

He argued that implementing such a drastic policy without having a cabinet or Federal Executive Council in place to manage its repercussions was a critical mistake by Tinubu, resulting in what he described as the collapse of the country.

Reflecting on the situation, Lawal remarked, "On the very day of inauguration, impactful policies were enacted like a cowboy move to remove the subsidy. However, there was no minister of planning to foresee the outcomes, no minister of finance to evaluate the impact, and no federal executive council to approve the measures. There was no one to advise on potential consequences."

Lawal shared his personal experiences as a farmer to illustrate the policy's effects, noting that transportation costs skyrocketed immediately. He recounted, "Before, I paid N270,000 per truck to transport animal feed from Zaria. Following the announcement, the cost jumped to N1 million. Similarly, transporting farm equipment from Kano, which previously was manageable, now costs N3 million for three tractors in a single trailer."

He concluded that the abrupt policy implementation led to widespread economic hardship, significantly inflating costs and effectively deflating the nation's economy.

The Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadir, has raised concerns that rising insecurity is compelling many manufacturers to cease operations. In a recent television interview reported by Thisday, Ajayi-Kadir disclosed that manufacturers are spending more on security than on government taxes.

Ajayi-Kadir also cited multiple taxation and high energy costs as significant challenges for manufacturers in Nigeria. He urged the federal government to mitigate the unintended consequences of its reform policies to improve the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector. “Insecurity is a major challenge. We have lost between 56 to 60 percent of our members in the North-East due to insecurity. They have stopped production,” he said.

He highlighted the financial burden of security expenses, noting that it surpasses tax payments. “Insecurity is a serious challenge. It is a disincentive to manufacturing and other businesses, and the government needs to intensify its efforts.”

Ajayi-Kadir remarked on the tough business environment in Nigeria and called for prompt action to address issues arising from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reforms. “We needed to float the forex rate and remove the subsidy, but how do we manage the negative fallout? How do we ensure business survival?” he questioned. He emphasized the importance of effective and truthful engagement with industry operators to minimize the adjustment period and achieve reform objectives with less pain.

“These are tough times, and we need all hands on deck. Government cooperation with stakeholders is essential to navigate this challenging period, not only for businesses but for individuals as well,” he explained. Ajayi-Kadir stressed the necessity of a synergy between the private and public sectors to make progress, highlighting the government's duty to ensure adequate security policies and measures.

He noted that the manufacturing sector's underperformance is not due to a lack of competent entrepreneurs but due to environmental constraints. He pointed to electricity tariffs as a critical issue requiring resolution between the government and the private sector. “We understand that costs cannot remain static. We are not opposed to tariff increases, as all prices have risen. Power suppliers are businesses too, and their costs are increasing,” he said.

Ajayi-Kadir called for adherence to processes to ensure value for money. “Power is not charity; there must be engagement and adherence to laws and regulations. Following these processes will enable DISCOs to operate, manufacturers to produce competitively, and ordinary Nigerians to have access to power.”

He concluded, “It is essential for all parties—DISCOs, manufacturers, and consumers—to benefit. I must be able to buy power, produce, compete, be profitable, and operate effectively.”

Member of Israel's War Cabinet says he'll quit the government June 8 unless there's a new war plan

Benny Gantz, a popular centrist member of Israel’s three-member War Cabinet, threatened Saturday to resign from the government if it doesn’t adopt a new plan in three weeks’ time for the war in Gaza, a decision that would leave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahumore reliant on far-right allies.

The announcement deepens a divide in Israel’s leadership more than seven months into a war in which Israel has yet to accomplish its goals of dismantling Hamas and returning scores of hostages abducted in the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack.

Gantz spelled out a six-point plan that includes the return of hostages, ending Hamas’ rule, demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and establishing an international administration of civilian affairs with American, European, Arab and Palestinian cooperation. The plan also supports efforts to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia and widen military service to all Israelis.

He gave a June 8 deadline. “If you choose the path of fanatics and lead the entire nation to the abyss — we will be forced to quit the government,” he said.

Netanyahu in a statement responded by saying Gantz had chosen to issue an ultimatum to the prime minister instead of to Hamas, and called his conditions “euphemisms” for Israel’s defeat.

Gantz, a longtime political rival of Netanyahu, joined his coalition and the War Cabinet in the early days of the war in a gesture at national unity. His departure would leave Netanyahu more beholden to far-right allies who believe Israel should occupy Gaza and rebuild Jewish settlements there.

Gantz spoke days after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the third member of the War Cabinet, said he would not remain in his post if Israel elected to reoccupy Gaza, and called on the government to make plans for a Palestinian administration.

In what was seen as a swipe at Netanyahu, Gantz said “personal and political considerations have begun to penetrate into the holy of holies of Israel’s security.” Netanyahu’s critics accuse the prime minister of seeking to prolong the war to avoid new elections, allegations he denies.

Polls suggest Gantz as the most likely candidate to be the next prime minister. That would expose Netanyahu to prosecution on longstanding corruption charges.

Netanyahu is under growing pressure on multiple fronts. Hard-liners want the military offensive on Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah to press ahead. Top ally the U.S. and others warn against the offensive on a city where more than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million had sheltered — hundreds of thousands have now fled — and they threaten to scale back support over Gaza’s humanitarian and hunger crisis.

The U.S. national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will be in Saudi Arabia and Israel this weekend to discuss the war and is scheduled on Sunday to meet with Netanyahu, who has declared that Israel would “stand alone” if needed.

Many Israelis, anguished over the hostages and accusing Netanyahu of putting political interests ahead of all else, want a deal to stop the fighting. There was fresh frustration Friday when the military said its troops in Gaza found the bodies of three hostages killed by Hamas on Oct. 7. Israel on Saturday announced the discovery of the body of a fourth hostage.

Thousands of Israelis again rallied Saturday evening to demand a deal along with new elections. Some police in Tel Aviv responded with water cannons.

“This government is taking the country to places that I don’t want to see my country go,” said one protester, Noam Fagi.

The latest talks in pursuit of a cease-fire in Gaza, mediated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt, have brought little.

A new effort to deliver desperately needed aid to Gaza appeared to falter Saturday. Several Israeli tanks fired warning shots in an apparent attempt to clear the way for trucks ferrying food supplies on their way from a new U.S.-built pier. One Palestinian was killed, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene. Hundreds of Palestinians gathered around the stopped trucks and carried away boxes.

The Hamas Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage. Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more. The Israeli offensive has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza, local health officials say.

Netanyahu has said Israel will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza and partner with local Palestinians who are not affiliated with Hamas or the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. But Netanyahu said it is impossible to plan for such a postwar authority before Hamas is defeated.

AP

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine struggles to hold eastern front as Russians advance on cities

For Ukrainian gun commander Oleksandr Kozachenko, the long-awaited U.S. ammunition can't come fast enough as he and his comrades struggle to hold off relentless Russian attacks.

His unit's U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer, which once hurled 100 shells a day at the encroaching enemy, is now often reduced to fewer than 10.

"It's a luxury if we can fire 30 shells."

America says it's rushing ammunition and weapons to Ukraine following the delayed approval of a $61 billion aid package by Congress last month. As of early May, though, two artillery units visited by Reuters on the eastern frontline said they were still waiting for a boost in deliveries and operating at a fraction of the rate they need to hold back the Russians.

Gunners with Kozachenko's 148th Separate Artillery Brigade and the 43rd Artillery Brigade, both in the Donetsk region, said they were desperate for more 155mm rounds for their Western cannons, which had given them an edge over Russia earlier in the war.

Resurgent Russian forces, which significantly outnumber and outgun the Ukrainian defenders, have been mounting multiple attacks across the eastern Donbas region in recent months and along the country's northeastern border last week.

The drive has marked an inflection point in the conflict spawned by Russia's full-scale invasion more than two years ago.

Russia has gained more territory in 2024 than it lost control of during Ukraine's much-hyped counteroffensive in the summer of 2023, according to Pasi Paroinen, an analyst with Black Bird Group, a Finnish-based volunteer group that analyses satellite imagery and social media content from the war.

Moscow's forces have claimed 654 sq km since the beginning of this year, outstripping the 414 sq km lost to Ukraine between June 1 and Oct. 1 last year, Paroinen said. Russia has gained 222 sq km of territory since only May 2, he added.

Russia's defence ministry didn't respond to a request for comment for this article, while Ukraine's military didn't immediately respond.

Colonel Pavlo Palisa, whose 93rd Mechanised Brigade is fighting near the key strategic city of Chasiv Yar, said he believed Russia was preparing a major push to break Ukrainian lines in the east. This echoed the commander of Ukraine's ground forces who said last week he expected the war to enter a critical phase over the next two months as Moscow tries to exploit persistent delays in weapons supplies to Kyiv.

"Without a doubt, this will be a difficult period for the armed forces," said Palisa, adding that he believes the Kremlin wants to capture the entire Donbas industrial region by the end of this year.

CITIES BRACE FOR RUSSIAN ADVANCE

Russian forces are gradually making inroads that could come to threaten several big cities in the east including Kostiantynivka, Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, which serve as key military hubs for Kyiv's war effort.

Some gains are striking fear in the heart of the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians living in those Donetsk region cities as the enemy grinds ever closer.

"We live only for today," said 31-year-old school teacher Nina Shyshymarieva, standing with her young daughter outside a church in Kostiantynivka as artillery thundered in the distance.

"We don't know what will happen tomorrow."

Russian cannons are now easily within range of Kostiantynivka; the closest Russian position at the start of 2024 was about 20 km away, according to open-source maps that show shifting positions along the frontline. Now it is 14 km.

Shyshymarieva and the fighters on the frontline were among more than a dozen soldiers, commanders, residents and evacuation volunteers interviewed by Reuters in eastern Ukraine over the last two weeks. They painted a picture of deep uncertainty.

Much of the Donetsk region, which along with Luhansk makes up the greater Donbas area, is under daily bombardment, typically targeted at least a dozen times a day by Russian artillery or air strikes, according to regional governor Vadym Filashkin.

Ruins of homes, apartment blocks and administrative buildings are common sights in towns and cities.

Oleksandr Stasenko, a volunteer rescuer, said his team was receiving more evacuation requests particularly from Kostiantynivka and Kurakhove, another town further south, among other settlements.

Russian forces have encroached toward Kurakhove, too, advancing 2-3 km along the road running east from the town so far this year.

"Wherever the front line is approaching, people in those places are trying to leave as soon as possible," said Stasenko, adding that his group, East SOS, evacuates around two dozen a week, many of them elderly or infirm.

'TIME IS NOT ON OUR SIDE'

Ukraine has roughly 1,000 km of frontlines to defend in the east, north and south.

Some of the fiercest fighting in 2024 has centred on Chasiv Yar, which commands important high ground 12 km away from Kostiantynivka. It lies west of the devastated city of Bakhmut that Moscow seized last year after months of costly combat.

Russian advances near Chasiv Yar, and further south around the village of Ocheretyne, could drive wedges into territory relied upon by Ukraine's war planners for logistics, analysts said, because they would expose key roads to Russian fire.

A major highway leading west out of Kostiantynivka is already under threat. Cutting it off entirely would mean transit hubs further north, including Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, both numbering well over 100,000 people before the war, would lose a crucial supply line.

Russia's fresh assault on the northeastern Kharkiv region, which began on Friday, also risks diverting stretched Ukrainian forces from the eastern front, further compromising their ability to hold the line, according to said Emil Kastehelmi, another analyst at Black Bird Group.

"At the moment, it seems the goal of the (Kharkiv) operation is to cause confusion and tie remaining Ukrainian reserves to areas of lesser importance," he said.

Jack Watling, a senior research fellow at the London-based RUSI think-tank, said Russian forces would likely mount further attacks on northern and southern points of the frontline in order to stretch Kyiv's defences.

"Once Ukraine commits its reserves in these directions, the main effort will see the expansion of the Russian push in Donbas," he wrote in a May 14 commentary.

A new law strengthening Kyiv's mobilisation effort, which has been hobbled by public scepticism, takes effect on May 18. Experts and commanders say it could take several months before fresh recruits reach the front and reinforce exhausted troops there.

Even if Ukrainian forces can hold out until all the American ammunition and weapons get through to the front, the challenge ahead remains daunting, according to many of those fighting.

"I would say that it is unlikely that time is on our side, since a long war requires more resources," said Palisa, the colonel with the 93rd Mechanised Brigade, speaking hours after Russia launched its ground incursion in Kharkiv.

He added that it would be critical to impose as heavy a cost on Russia as quickly as possible.

"The enemy's resources, whether in terms of manpower or the materiel, cannot be compared with ours. It's extraordinarily large. That is why a long war, I think, is not in our favour."

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Zelensky blasts West for wanting conflict to end

Ukraine’s president has claimed Kiev’s forces would be more successful on the battlefield if they were not banned from using Western-supplied weapons to hit targets in Russia.

Russia’s ability to strike Ukraine from its own soil is giving Moscow the edge in the conflict, Vladimir Zelensky said during an interview with AFP news agency on Friday.

"They can fire any weapons from their territory at ours. This is the biggest advantage that Russia has. We can’t do anything to their systems, which are located on the territory of Russia, with Western weapons,” he explained.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Kiev earlier this week, said Washington has “not encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine, but ultimately Ukraine has to make decisions for itself about how it’s going to conduct this war.”

However, on Thursday Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh clarified that Washington’s position that Kiev should not target Russia with US-supplied weapons remains unchanged. Such arms can only be used to “take back Ukrainian sovereign territory,” Singh stressed.

Earlier this month, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron insisted Ukraine has the “right” to use UK-supplied weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia, if it decides to do so. Moscow reacted to the statement by warning that if such an attack were to take place it could target British military facilities “on the territory of Ukraine and beyond” in response.

The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Kiev has urged Washington to provide intelligence on targets on Russian soil amid setbacks in Donbass and Kharkov Region. According to the NYT, US officials are currently reviewing those requests, despite previously turning them down.

Zelensky said Kiev now finds itself in a “nonsensical situation” due to the stance of the West, which “is afraid that Russia will lose the war. And it does not want Ukraine to lose it.”

“Ukraine’s final victory will lead to Russia’s defeat. And the final victory of Russia will lead to Ukraine’s defeat,” he added.

The Ukrainian authorities “want the war to end with a fair peace for us. Of course, the West wants the war to end. Period. As soon as possible. And, for them, this is a fair peace,” the president stated.

On Friday, Russia President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Moscow “never rejected negotiations unlike the Ukrainian side,” referring to a 2022 decree by Zelensky, which officially forbade him from talks with his Russian counterpart.

However, Putin stressed that Russia will not yield to “ultimatums” from Kiev and its Western backers as they try to gain through diplomacy what they have failed to gain on the battlefield.

Reuters/RT

Have you noticed that in the last two weeks, Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State seems to have acquired an inexplicably large dose of boldness and courage? Conversely, you must have equally observed that, in the last couple of days, FCT Minister, the very loquacious Nyesom Wike, has taken an uncharacteristically large overdose of meekness and humility. The thawing of the ice of Wike’s flippancy baffles watchers of the combustive politics of the oil-rich state. To many students of the semiotics of Nigerian power struggle, Fubara’s sudden temerity can be found in a robust wise-saying of the Yoruba. They say, the moment a child is decorated with the costume (agò) of a masquerade, he becomes the Old One (Tí wón bá gbé agò wo omodé, ó ti di baba àgbà). Fubara seems to have suddenly worn the “agò” of a masquerade. He now talks with the boldness of an Old One. What is responsible for this transition? What could have made the coy Fubara of few months ago transit into King Cobra? Known as the most aggressive snake in the world, king cobra is Janus. In one breath, he is shy. In another, his aggression against the enemy is unrivalled as he furiously spits his lethal venom.

Apart from a recently acquired boldness, Fubara’s lingo has transmuted, too. It is either “the jungle has matured” or there is an invasion of rats. Fubara said he had found the rat troubling Rivers State’s sack of gari and promised to kill it with Otapiapia, the local rat poison. While receiving the Ijaw Youth Council, (IYC) which paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Port-Harcourt, last Thursday, Fubara proclaimed that he had already defeated ‘them’. “I am happy that you’ve told me this morning that when I call on you, you will respond. But there is nothing to call on you for because we have already defeated them,” he said. Defeat “them” with a seemingly bad case in the courts?

Fubara has also started speaking in the language of the forest. Anyone who wanders into the jungle is bound to see spirits. Only those who just returned from the ancestral grove, the “Igbó Ìgbàlè” speak with such Fubara boldness. Igbó Ìgbàlè is where the uninitiated are taken to be sacralized. When a sacral is put on a child, he is sanctified as having acquired the power of the spirit. 

It may be worth one’s while to find out the invisible and invincible drummer beating the drum to which the Fubara water bug is dancing on the river. Convinced there is an invisible underwater genie, Yoruba translate this to say, “Ìròmi t’ó ńjó l’ójú omi, onílù rẹ̀ wà nì’sàlẹ̀ odò.” Before now, the meek Fubara apparently didn’t want to see spirits that reside in the ancestral grove. His case was analogous to that of the proverbial man who wanted the head of a tortoise, its legs and arms but didn’t want its full body. The elders counsel that Fubara must purchase the whole tortoise in its entirety. So, if he seeks to find spirits in Rivers, Fubara must go the whole hog. Recently, the governor is beginning to show that he does not desire the half measure of the tortoise. If they are seized by the awesome behemoth powers of the African ruler and want to find spirits, the Fubaras must be prepared to encounter demons.

It was same way Ògbólú, sixteenth century Aláàfin of Ọ̀yọ́, was seized by the awesome powers of his throne and became a ghost-catcher. Toying with the possibility of relocating the capital of Oyo Empire from Ìgbòho back to its initial site of Katunga, the Aláàfin’s proposal met stiff resistance from even his council and palace courtiers. This bred a gang-up by the dissenters who got paid agents to go into Katunga masked as ghosts. So, when Aláàfin Ògbólú sent emissaries to Katunga, they reported back to him that the land was infested with venial ghosts. D. O. Fagunwa called any hunter brave enough to confront such demons Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmole. Hunters are regarded in traditional Africa as the third eye that could penetrate opaque scenes to reveal otherwise mysterious beings. The troubled Ògbólú then assembled six of the hunters to reconnoitred this ‘ghost-laden’ Katunga. The hunters unmasked the troublous ‘ghosts’ who were then dragged down to Ìgbòho in chains.

African governments are powerful ghost-catchers. They are Duppy – ghost or spirit – conquerors. ‘Duppy’ is a word with African origin, used commonly in the Caribbean Island among Bahamans, Barbadians and Jamaicans. So, when the trio reggae music singers of Bob Marley, Neville O'Riley Livingston and Winston Hubert McIntosh of the Wailers fame majestically proclaimed themselves ‘Duppy Conqueror’ in their April, 1973 album, they meant that they were ghost-catchers. A huge percentage of Caribbean folklore is built around Duppies. Last week, Fubara, like one who was looking for Duppies, publicly proclaimed that his administration would probe the Nyesom Wike immediate past government as the jungle has matured. But, Ex-Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, in the early days of the Fubara government, warned him against wandering into the Igbó Ìgbàlè because, in that forest of a thousand demons, he would find ghosts. Fayose must have known that governors leave Duppies behind while exiting Government House. At a public forum, Fayose warned Fubara not to attempt to “see more than what you are supposed to see” because the moment he does this, he “will begin to see spirits.”

If you see the recent boldness of Fubara, you will conclude that his hands have firmly gripped the sword (Èèkù Idà). Yoruba say that until the son’s hands have firmly gripped the sword, he must never ask who killed his father. “Any man who cocks a gun, shoots it,” Fubara said last week. If, for one reason or the other, the gun refuses to shoot, the man should know that he is a dead man. “So, if we have a way to bury that person, we will bury them!” he proclaimed with maniacal emphasis.

In an earlier piece I did on this crisis (As Fubara presses the nuclear button, December 17, 2023) I cited Percy Amoury Talbot, an early 20th century British historian and colonial administrator’s unflattering description of Fubara’s stock, the Ijaw. In that highly authoritative 1926 book, Peoples of Southern Nigeria: A Sketch of their History, Ethnology, and Languages, with an Abstract of the 1921 Census, Talbot described the no-nonsense Ijaw race on page 333, as “Up the various creeks and branches, the waters are infested by a wild piratical set who live almost entirely in their canoes, and who subsist by plundering traders while on their way to the markets, often adding murder to their other crimes.” Did Wike not investigate the roots of his erstwhile Accountant General before making him governor? You can connect Talbot’s thesis with the maniacal semiotics of killing and burying in Fubara’s words last week.

Wole Soyinka, in his A dance of the forests, gave an inkling into the composition of spirits who live in Igbó Ìgbàlè. According to the Crier in the play, living in the forest are: “Rock devils, Earth imps, Tree demons, ghomids, dewilds, genie Incubi, succubi, windhorls, bits and halves and such Sons and subjects of Forest Father, and all That dwell in his domain.”

What is however not in doubt in Rivers is that war has begun. What you hear from both sides of wardom is akin to the shrill cry of the pied crow, a bird the Yoruba call Kannakánná. 

Though it feeds mostly on ants, the Kannakánná’s most cherished meal is the hatchling of a sparrow (eye ègà). The sparrow itself is a social, homely, very small, seed-eating bird with conical bills. It will fight its assailant to a standstill if provoked. That is why when a spat is in the offing between two giants, the Yoruba say that they smell a fight in the proportion of what happens when the crow attempts to beat the hatchling of a sparrow – “Kannakánná na omo ègà…” When you look carefully at the anger on both sides of the Rivers state conflict, you will conclude that the Kannakánná has indeed beaten the sparrow’s hatchling.

In the jungle, the language is deconstruction. Recently, on my favourite Animal Channel, I saw a lion devouring its dead child. That is the nature of the jungle. Not only does a cackle of hyenas eat the zebra’s flesh and bone, big snakes swallow one another and fishes swallow fishes. One artist famously known for using his pen to deconstruct is South African influential political cartoonist, Jonathan Shapiro, who goes by the pen name, Zapiro. Then leader of the African National Congress, (ANC) who was to later become South African president, Jacob Zuma, got deconstructed by Zapiro serially through series of cartoons. With his strokes, Zapiro depicted, humourized and escalated the implications of Zuma’s trials and tribulations. Two of such stood out. The first was a cartoon in the Mail & Guardian edition of June 28, 2012. Employing the satire form, Zapiro drew a Zuma who was presenting a speech, naked. Such leadership nakedness is a taboo in African tradition and also in contemporary ethics. Even in Zuma’s nakedness, he was oblivious. Zapiro says with his strokes that the naked Zuma was presenting untruth to the people. On the head of the Zuma figure drawn by Zapiro, was a shower tap.

To explain the shower tap on Zuma’s head, in my piece (Buhari’s serial abuse of Nigeria’s Lady Justice, March 6, 2022), I made elaborate use of the second of Zapiro’s cartoons where I tried an explanation. Recall that Zuma was, in late 2005, accused of raping an HIV-positive family friend. Swiveling from denial to qualified acceptance when arrested, Zuma later admitted that though he had consensual sex with the lady, he took his bath immediately. In South Africa, it is widely believed that taking bath immediately after a sexual encounter reduces the probability of infection with the virus. So in his Sunday Times cartoon of September 8, 2008, apparently taking his cue from the rape trial, Zapiro triggered a huge ball of fire with his cartoon named “Rape of Lady Justice”. He had Jacob Zuma, loosening his trousers’ zipper for a sexual romp. He had a shower tap placed on his head. An impish but salacious smile lit his face. Before him, flung on the bare floor, was a blindfolded lady and a lapel hung on her chest on which was inscribed, “Justice System”. The scale of justice had fallen down beside the Lady Justice.

Four hefty and menacing-looking men knelt by the Lady Justice’s side, holding down the “wench” whose skirt was half peeled. They were political surrogates of Zuma in the ANC which included Julius Malema, Gwede Mantashe, Blade Nzimande and Zwelinzima Vavi. Mantashe smilingly beckoned on Zuma to rape Justice by saying, “Go for it, boss!” That cartoon shot Zuma into a fit. He immediately sued Zapiro for the sum of £700,000.

Last Tuesday, Fubara, like Zapiro, drew a naked portrait of Wike. Like Zapiro’s second cartoon, too, Wike ran a dictatorial government as Rivers governor that you can compare to the Zuma binge. There, the Lady Justice lay prostrate on the floor, with the Rivers Leviathan attempting to play Zuma. Wike was egged on in the binge by his own Malema, Mantashe, Nzimande and Vavi. He was the biblical Leviathan whose strut and gruff loomed large as the frightening image of the rule of might. In a revelation that amounted to a deconstruction of the image Wike built for himself in eight years, Fubara revealed that his administration inherited a huge debt burden on projects handled by the Wike government. So much for “Mr. Projects”!

To the Wike group, however, Fubara’s dog has eaten the entrails of the Pouch rat – Òkété. The Yoruba believe that the day the hunter’s dog eats the entrails of the Òkété, it will run mad. Many people believe that Wike may have been stung by the deadly venom of Lagos power vipers. Lagos politicians play deadly politics that is blind to kindred, friendship, blood or pleasant past affinity. From 1999, whoever was the Rivers state governor has always been a Big Masquerade in Nigerian political calculus. Even though the Lagos politico tries to dud memories of hurt, as Nawal El Saadawi wrote in her Children of Isis, to the politico, memory, like wine, grows mellow with time. Wike is a rebellious and petulant character who, in the long run, may be unreliable, a trait the Lagos people in the Villa must have factored into their analysis. He is at war with every Rivers leader since 1999. From his abandonment and betrayal of Peter Odili and wife; Rotimi Amaechi; Iyorchia Ayu and Uche Secondus, it should be obvious to any calculating person that Wike will ditch anybody once he has a full dosage of his favourite lovely drink. You don’t use such ants-infested faggot to cook a broth as huge as the 2027 presidential election. Yes, Wike was instrumental to the coming into office of the Lagos Boys but it may be time to begin to build a power base outside of him. The moment the bellicose character no longer has access to the Rivers till, he is like a castrated dog.

Now, in his speeches, Fubara has begun to interweave his government with the Tinubu self-acclaimed Renewed Hope. He refers to Tinubu as “our father” and Rivers’ recent developmental strides similar to Tinubu’s. He has acquired balls of one who has been to the Igbó Ìgbàlè. He is giving ultimatum to local government chairmen and the 27 lost cats of the Rivers parliament. In talking to IYC, Fubara urged the Ijaw to key into the ongoing liberation. “By the special grace of God, what they thought that they would have done to us while we were celebrating our one year in office, they are the ones sleeping with their two eyes open. It shows that we have the Ijaw blood,” he said.

Fubara critics who said he didn’t know how to use power must have found out otherwise. His dog is not alone and the Yoruba say that when a dog has backers, it can kill a troop of monkeys. The Lagos Boys seem to have worn on Fubara, that erstwhile child, the costume of a masquerade. He has become the Old One. It appears as though whoever beats Fubara now will pay with a heavy propitiation of a fat cat to the Olú Igbó, the king of the forest. What Wike does not know is that, even the person who costumed the Egúngún is subject to the masquerade’s whiplashes once the masquerade returns from the grove.

Wike’s silence may also be that he has understood that ancient counsel of my musical idol, Ayinla Omowura. Omowura counseled that it is not every forest that the herbalist forages for herbs, nor is every palm tree a resort for every palmwine tapper. Some forests are reptiles-laden while some palm trees have hung around them poisonous mambas. The Fubara forest and palm tree may, for now, be beyond the Wike herbalist and tapper’s ken. Could it be as a result of Fubara’s quest to seek the spirits inside Wike’s eight-year government or the Lagos Boys’ resolve do “business” with Fubara in the quest for 2027? When asked for comment on Rivers about two days ago, the Wike who, only a few days earlier, vowed to redress his mistakes apparently by sacking Fubara, told the press that he was too busy in Abuja to bother about Rivers politics. A wise elder runs away from the monstrous cow by stealth!

As it is now, Fubara could be the proverbial child of the Gaboon viper (Omo inú oká) whose birth is said to ultimately lead to the death of its mother. For Wike, an Edan may be on its way to dying. The Edan, a ritual tool, signifies deep cultural significance for the Ogboni fraternity. In this Yoruba fraternity, the Edan is a two-metal staff crafted from copper, brass, or bronze. It is believed that whoever sights the Edan will be mesmerized. To reinforce this myth, the Ogboni made the Edan immortal. So, they say that the Edan never dies (a kìí gbó ikú edan). If the suspected furtive romance between Fubara and the Lagos Landlord does not flounder, then it means that the spinal cord of Wike’s Edan may have been broken. But, can the Edan die?

But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day ~ Proverbs 4:18.

Introduction:

Life remains petty, unalluring and insipid until it is beautified with progress. However, pettiness and tastelessness are inconsistent with our status as God’s children. It would be an unusual degree of dissonance for our Father-God to be the Most High God and we, His children, to be left to struggle like the most low on earth. Certainly, it is very ungodly for us to be unlike God.

Progress in life is not what God wants us to beg Him for, but one of those precious gifts He's always ready and willing to give to His covenant children (Deuteronomy 1:5-8). He is never happy seeing our destinies rot or stagnate. Hence, He always seeks to empower us for constant progress in life (Deuteronomy 8:18; Psalms 35:27).

The Bible is replete with passionate prophetic promises, which God made regarding covenant progress, and I am sure that these promises are very much applicable to His people till today (Ezekiel 36:35-36; 3 John 2).

Generally speaking, to progress means to advance, to increase,  and to break forth. Thus, covenant progress signifies gaining higher heights, doing better and getting to the next level of accomplishment by the help of the Lord.

Covenant progress also connotes a sense of excelling increasingly in your life's assignment and soaring to the top by the grace of God (Deuteronomy 28:13). Indeed, it is God’s primordial passion that those who are connected to Him by covenant should grow up and move forward in all ramifications of life and godliness (Malachi 4:2).

We are Christ’s ambassadors on earth, and His end-time agenda for us encloses supernatural enlargement, enviable strides and strange advancements. He delights in presenting us to the world as living testimonies of His redeeming power and love, and He is never done with us, not even when our heads touch the top (Psalm 118:15).

Dress up, Fight On and Keep Moving

You are a great soul of unquestionable dominion, created to matter to your generation (Genesis 1:26-27). You were not designed to be colourless, but to be distinguished, to excel and be majestic in life (Psalm 8:4). You were destined to grow and wax very great (Genesis 26:12-13). Thus, to reject covenant progress is a high spiritual crime of personal injury.

In this regard, it is required of us all to fully cooperate with God in the interests of God’s kingdom and of our own destinies on earth. If you want something badly enough, then quitting is simply not an option. You either find a way or make one, leaving nothing undone till you get it.

Similarly, when you have the true reason to embrace covenant progress, viz, to influence the world for Christ, you won’t let down in believing God for it. You’ll work passionately, praying all prayers until you’re empowered to find it in your trails (Ephesians 6:18).

In his classic book, “The Art of War,” Sun Tzu notes that warriors will fight more ferociously when they believe they are fighting to the death, and that there is no escape route. He also observed they would do otherwise if they believe there are other options or means of escape in case of failure.

Extrapolating this principle, when you find the inescapable heavenly goals that you must achieve in life, you will fully determine to pay the price and cheerfully burn all your get-out-clauses, the bridges, and the escape routes. You will also readily neutralize the excuses, the blame-shifting games, the small-goat mentality, the mediocrity, and the complacency, which easily limit our progress in life.

Friends, we must “cross the rubicon”, intentionally committing ourselves to courses with irreversible consequences to make it impossible for us to return to low-living, and prayerfully gun to reach and stay at the top. That’s the "I can do all things through Christ" mentality that always wins through, and that’s the irreducible minimum for those who will ever become the best that God wants them to be (Philippians 4:13).

The Holy Spirit and Divine Enablement

Satan will always try to contest with you every time you want to move to a new phase. Every time beauty wants to emerge, darkness struggles to fight it. At a point in the history of creation, God wanted to bring beauty out of chaos, and Satan came and introduced darkness (Genesis 1:1-3).

Happily, in spite of the global cast of wickedness, the Holy Ghost is always there with limitless capabilities to help those who desire to make significant progress here on earth, especially those in the purpose of God for their lives (1 John 5:18-19). It is the anointing of the Holy Ghost that brings forth beauty out of ruins, silencing the enemy and restoring dignity, progress and advancement.

Meanwhile, every form or level of advancement is traceable to the quality of information received and the readiness to align or make necessary adjustments. We already have all that’s required for our progress in God’s Word, but it is when we honestly engage them that the anointing is released to open up a floodgate of testimonies of continuous progress to us (Isaiah 14:24).

Undoubtedly, the covenant has settled it for believers in Christ to advance (Genesis 12:1-3; 22:16-17). We are affirmed as Abraham’s seed by our faith position in Christ, and this especially puts us in the spiritual place of covenant progress and all-round increase (Romans 4:13-18; Galatians 3:13-14,16).

However, there are yet some covenant demands that give the traction and keep us moving forward. These include: implicit obedience to God’s Voice (Jeremiah 11:2-5), cheerful kingdom services (Psalms 89:3-4) and a lifestyle of faith (Hebrews 4:1-3).

In conclusion, beloved, please note that progress may sometimes come in phases, but it will certainly come for God’s covenant practitioners. It is not a crime to begin small, but you must always keep in mind that God created you for covenant advancement, and you can still command supernatural strides that will catch the attention of whole nations.

I prophesy that no force from the pits of hell will be able to hold you down any more. Every obstacle on your path, and every discomfort in your life is ending today! God is destroying sicknesses, failure, delays and diseases, and a Holy Ghost rain is washing away the shame of desolation from your life, right now!

No doubt, we are still in the midst of foes, but we also carry the "touch not" anointing (Psalm 105:15). Anyone that wants to arrest your progress must go for it. Your head must touch the top; and when you get to the top, you won’t forget God. You will begin to eat in plenty, as of Eden! You were created great, you shall not die uncelebrated, in Jesus Name. 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