Paul maintains that Abraham is the father of believers. He says:

“(Abraham) received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe.” (Romans 4:11).   

“Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.” (Romans 4:16).

However, Isaiah says: “But now, O Lord, you are our Father.” (Isaiah 64:8).Jesus confirms Isaiah’s position by insisting that his followers have only one Father and only one family, which has nothing to do with Abraham. He says:

“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.” (Matthew 23:9).

Children of God

The Jews see their link to “father Abraham” as their guarantee of salvation. However, rather than guarantee their salvation, their link to Abraham impeded it. The salvation that Jesus preaches comes through God replacing all earthly fathers and becoming the Father of sons of men. 

Even in the Old Testament, God looked forward to the day when He said:

“You shall call me, ‘my Father.’” (Jeremiah 3:19).   

Jesus declared that day on His resurrection when He appeared to Mary and said to her: 

“Go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'” (John 20:17).

Accordingly, John says in the New Testament:

“As many as received (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13).

Children of God must relinquish their earthly fathers in preference for the heavenly Father. However, the Jewish insistence on being the children of Abraham ensured that they could not become children of God.

Everlasting Father

God does not change. He is the same: “yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8-9). But we did not know that God has been our dwelling place “in all generations;” “even from everlasting to everlasting.” (Psalm 90:1-2). He has also been our Father from everlasting: 

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called…. Everlasting Father.” (Isaiah 9:6).

Isaiah knew by revelation that Abraham could not be the Father of Israel. He says to God:

“Doubtless you are our Father, though Abraham was ignorant of us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O Lord, are our Father; our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.” (Isaiah 63:16).

Abraham and Israel (Jacob) were ignorant of their so-called children and could not acknowledge them because they died, and the children came after their lifespans. But we have an Everlasting Father. Jesus came to proclaim this Everlasting Father to us. 

At the end of His ministry, he told God He had fulfilled this ordained purpose:  

“I have manifested Your Name to the men whom you have given me out of the world.” (John 17:6). 

“I have declared to them Your Name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26).

What is this name of God that Jesus manifested to us and what is the significance of this name? 

The name Jesus came to declare is “Father.” He reveals to us that God is not distant, foreign, and fearsome, as we presume; but that he is our Father; close intimate, and loving. Therefore, He says:

“When you pray, say: our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Luke 11:2). 

What name of God are we now required to hallow? 

We are required to hallow the name “Father.” It must now be of exclusive application to God and God alone. Jesus says:

“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.”(Matthew 23:9).

Therefore, do not call any man on earth by the Name of God.

Joseph

When Jesus was only twelve, He went with His parents to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. But on coming back home, they discovered He had not returned with them. After what must have been an agonising three-day search, they finally found him in the temple, engaged in discussion with the teachers of the law. His mother said to Him:

“Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought you anxiously.” (Luke 2:48).

However, Jesus is unrepentant. He says to them, “Why did you seek Me? Don’t you know I must be in My Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). 

The father Jesus is talking about here can certainly not be Joseph because the temple is not Joseph’s house but the house of God. In effect, Jesus refuses to acknowledge Joseph as His father. He has no other father but God. 

David

The Jews believed the Messiah would be the son of David. However, Jesus, the Messiah, denies He is the son of David. Instead, He maintains the Messiah could never be David’s son:

“While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, ‘What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?’ They said to Him, ‘The son of David.’ He said to them, ‘How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool’? ‘If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” (Matthew 22:41-45).

But if the Messiah is not the son of David, then whose son is He? He has no other father but God.

Abraham

Jesus also denies to the Jews that He is a son of Abraham. He refers to Abraham with abstraction as “your” father:

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day.” (John 8:56). 

Moreover, He insists He is older than Abraham and therefore, Abraham cannot be His father:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58).

Jesus made these denials as prefaces to one of His most radical and revolutionary claims of all. He declared that God was His Father, making Him the Son of God: 

“I and My Father are one.” (John 10:30).

No man had ever made such a claim before and the Jews were extremely outraged by it:

“The Jews sought all the more to kill (Jesus), because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.” (John 5:18).

Price of Eternal Life

The eternal life that Jesus gives comes with conditions. One major condition is that its recipient must forsake his father, among others. Jesus says:

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, He cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26). 

Jesus only promises eternal life to those prepared to forsake all natural relationships:

“Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29).

By implication, anyone who is not prepared to fulfil this condition will not inherit eternal life. The heir of salvation must have no other father but God.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; www.femiaribisala.com

Last month, we wrote a post where older adults from the BuzzFeed Community shared things they "took for granted" in their 20s and 30s. In the comments, even more readers shared their own responses. Here's what they had to say:

1. "I assumed my immediate family would always be there. Within three years I lost my beloved Nana and both of my parents. As a cruel coda, my very much alive sister has completely cut me off. Sometimes I feel like the last person on earth. I came from a family with lots of loving aunts, uncles, and second cousins on my mother’s side. Now, they’re all gone."

"It’s a shock to the system to realize that you, yourself, ARE those family members now. It’s very hard to put yourself in the position of a 'matriarch,' etc. because in my mind, I’m still the child of the family. Lots of psychology there!"

—applesauceandchops

2. "My family’s health. Most of them are still here, thank goodness, but I can definitely see how the age is starting to creep in and trips to a doctor and hospital stays are becoming a common fixture."

—eklimen

3. "I took my beautiful, youthful skin for granted. I cannot believe I used to put BABY OIL on and lay in the sun! Wear sunblock!!!"

—lanamarie

4. "I love being 36 and am more comfortable with myself than I've ever been, but I will say that my vanity is noticing the wrinkles starting to creep in, and I have to remind myself every day to appreciate my face and body the way they are now because they're only going to keep aging. (Nothing is wrong with wrinkles; it's just hard to ignore the voice in my head telling me I'll stop being desirable as a woman as soon as I look 'old')."

"I will also say that I have zero regrets about my decision to not have children because every day I wake up grateful that I am emotionally and financially responsible only for myself and that my free time is my own. It's bliss."
​

—aabee

5. "Things I took for granted: 1) FREEDOM. I feel so bogged down with people I have to take care of. My son, all the pets, all the bills, food for the family... 2) Also, money. I knew I would make more as I advanced in my career, and I have. I just didn't know that inflation would jump so high that it's devoured that increase and more."

—oliviab4e967f9ac

6. "Teeth! I had braces, and my teeth were perfect. I had (have) a fear of the dentist, so I used the fact that I had one perfect checkup after a long time; I told myself I didn't need to go (for a long time). I also used to open things with my teeth. All of a sudden, they started just coming apart. I'm about to start major, expensive work to fix everything, and it sucks!"

"I was so cute with my pearly whites. Now, I can hardly look in the mirror."

—luckyangel30

7. "I always thought that someday, I would have my sh*t together. I'm 36 next month, and I categorically do NOT have my sh*t together at all. But on the other hand, I also know now that nobody really has their sh*t together — we're all just doing the best we can."

—gemface

8. "Two things I realized even as I entered into my late 20s and think about now, long past my late 20s: 1) I wasted a lot of my youth thinking I was better and smarter than the people around me and that someday, I'd find my crowd. I have few friends from HS and no friends from college, mostly because I went to a state school instead of NYU as I dreamed for financial reasons. But now, I realize that a lot of people do have long friendships dating back to HS and college and that many of the people I thought I was better than back then were actually cool as hell, and I missed my chance to get to know them."

"2) I always felt like, at some point, my 'real' life would begin and that everything I was doing was just provisional...until I realized that all of this provisional stuff was just my real life — that there was no true beginning or ending and that change is constant. This is still hard for me to process even on a day-to-day basis."
​

—jshamwow

9. "I regret I wasted time fretting about the way my body looked instead of reveling in the sheer joy of how well my body worked. I’m glad I danced, climbed mountains, and canoed rivers then because I can’t do it now. Today, you are as young as you will ever be again, and age is not just a number. It’s aching joints and bad balance and less stamina."

—erinsmith5

10. "I regret putting up with toxic behavior from relatives 'because they are family.' I wish that I'd set my boundaries and been done with that much earlier. Nobody should put up with bad behavior."

—61, Arizona

11. "I took time for granted. Time to travel, time to try new things. Just time. Do wild stuff while you're young."

—44, Illinois

12. "Always having money. I wish I'd started putting money aside for my retirement earlier."

—56, Canada

13. "I regret listening to what OTHER people thought I should do. Now, I find that I have lost who I am and never listened to that spirit that I was."

—jm2007

14. "I took for granted eating and drinking anything I wanted and never working out and fitting into all my clothes. Also, having adequate sleep and the ability to heal instantly from the smallest bump or sprain."

—55, California

15. "I took joint and spine health for granted. The body is an amazing machine, but some parts of it just wear out and are never the same. I wish I had kept up with the core exercises throughout my 20s and early 30s instead of letting the muscles go while I worked a desk for 10 years, ending up with a herniated disc. I’m keeping a strong core now, and it’s done wonders (much more than the doctors could do) but there’s pain and limitations that will always be there now."

"As to the positive, I think back on my younger self and cringe thinking about what a fool I could be. I’m grateful for the increasing knowledge and wisdom that can come with age if you keep an open mind. I also don’t miss being poor. So, there are pros and cons. What’s the saying? Youth is wasted on the young? Lol."

—norty

16. "Growing up in the 1960s, we knew we would eventually grow up, but never grow old. We thought the fun decade would go on forever. Now, I am old, and my friends are dying from not taking care of themselves. I sort of took care of myself and am not doing too badly. I just don't want to be alone, and the old friends are all gone."

—spindru

17. "That life happens, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the great. You may not have received the promotion you hoped for, or were hired for the job you dreamed about, or went on a date with your crush. But with faith, luck, and determination you will be in a job you are good at with a good team of coworkers and get to go home at the end of the day to your loved ones."

"Also, we used to give each other big gifts, now we do experiences. I can't remember what we've given each other over the years, but I remember all the trips we've been on and concerts we have been to since we made the switch."
​

—41, USA

18. "My parents being that steady presence in my life that I could count on to always be there."

—ginnyjensen
​

"My parents. I miss them every day, and I wish I could have them around for my kids. They’re not here to watch their only grandkids grow up, and I get sad about all they are missing. They were great parents, but they were awesome grandparents!"

—faithy29

And finally...

19. "The independence and freedom that comes with being fully able-bodied. Due to progressive blindness, I’ve had to give up a lot over the last decade. I miss driving, walking my dog (not a guide dog), going shopping by myself on a whim, being able to recognize people without them telling me who they are, being able to go someplace new by myself and just roaming comfortably. Hell, I even kind of miss my corporate management job sometimes."

"Some things that happen to you in life just happen, and you will have zero control, so all I will say is enjoy all the little things because you just never know what might happen tomorrow."

—jbdnco

BuzzFeed

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) says Nigerians will have to pay for the new multipurpose national identity card due to limited government revenue.

Peter Iwegbu, head of card management services at NIMC, spoke on Thursday at a two-day press conference in Lagos.

Iwegbu said paying for the identity card would ensure it is produced for only those who needed it.

He said the decision was made to avoid repeating the mistake of past efforts to issue physical cards to Nigerians for free, which many did not collect.

The NIMC official said over two million cards were produced in a previous attempt to issue free national ID cards by the commission

He said many of them have not been collected till date.

“Before we stopped due to funding, we produced more than two million cards but a lot of them are still in our office, people didn’t pick them up because they didn’t need it,” Iwegbu said.

Aside from low collection, Iwegbu said the government could not fund the production of ID cards due to limited revenue.

“The government’s limited revenue is also a major factor in the decision to make Nigerians pay for the new ID card,” he added.

He said  NIMC is also working with banks across the country, which will make it possible for people to walk into any bank closest to them and request the card.

‘GOVERNMENT HAS MADE PLANS FOR LESS PRIVILEGED PERSONS WHO CAN’T AFFORD IT’

Also speaking, Lanre Yusuf, director of information technology at NIMC, said the idea of a free national ID card did not turn out well in the past.

Yusuf described the new ID card as a post-paid identity card, which means that individuals must need the card before initiating a request for it.

“To get the new national ID card, Nigerians will need to make a payment, select a pickup location, and then collect their card from the chosen location,” the director said.

“The government has implemented programmes to make the card accessible to the less privileged Nigerians who cannot afford it but require it to access government support.

“This initiative demonstrates the government’s commitment to inclusivity and equality.” 

Yusuf also said the multipurpose ID cards are expected to launch soon, with sample test cards already received.

“The new national ID card is a multipurpose card that can serve the purpose of identity verification, payments, and even government services,” he said.

In April, the federal government unveiled plans to launch a multipurpose national identity card.

The card, powered by AfriGO, is in partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Inter-bank Settlement System.

The card is enabled for all government intervention and services across multiple ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).

The Cable

The supreme court has nullified the enforcement of provisions of the National Lottery Act 2005 in the 36 states of the federation.

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday, the seven-member panel held that the national assembly lacks the powers to legislate on issues pertaining to lottery and gaming.

In March 2005, former President Olusegun Obasanjo signed the national lottery bill into law.

The legislation provides the framework for the operation of the national lottery and the establishment of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission.

The commission is charged with regulating the business of lottery in Nigeria as well as establishing the national lottery trust fund.

In 2008, the Lagos state government filed a suit against the federal government on whether the control and regulation of gaming and lottery businesses in each state is under the exclusive list.

In October 2020, the Ekiti government joined Lagos as co-plaintiff in the suit.

In November 2022, the supreme court joined 33 state governments as co-defendants in the suit.

In the judgment, the apex court ruled that only state assemblies have the powers to legislate on lottery and gaming businesses.

The supreme court ruled that legislation cannot be enforced in all states, except the federal capital territory (FCT), since the national assembly is empowered to make laws for the country’s capital.

The Cable

The federal government's plan to sell crude priced in the local currency is faltering, with refiners, including the giant Dangote Oil Refinery, saying they are still unable to secure adequate supplies.

To address challenges in accessing foreign currency, the government in July said it would sell crude priced in naira to local refineries for an initial six months starting in October.

"We need 650,000 barrels per day, (state oil firm NNPC Ltd) agreed to give a minimum of 385,000 bpd but they are not even delivering that," said Edwin Devakumar, head of the Dangote refinery.

The refinery built by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote in Lagos aims to compete with European refiners when operating at full capacity but it has struggled to secure sufficient crude supplies to run optimally.

While Devakumar declined to give specific figures, he described deliveries from NNPC under the scheme as "peanuts".

Still, Dangote is the only one of 8 operational refineries in Nigeria to have benefited from the naira-denominated crude sale arrangement, said Mathins Obaze, an acting executive director of the Crude Oil Refinery-owners Association of Nigeria (CORAN), a trade group of refiners.

"Members are still unable to access crude in naira and are currently engaging the government for a resolution," Obaze said.

The reason for the shortfall was not immediately clear. NNPC did not respond to a request for comment.

The Dangote refinery in August urged the oil regulator, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to enforce a rule that compels oil producers to supply local refineries.

NUPRC did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.

Dangote, with a current capacity of 425,000 bpd and a year-end target of 85% operational capacity, has turned to international markets for supplies.

It purchased two million barrels of U.S. WTI Midland crude on Wednesday, its first U.S. crude purchase since August, according to trade sources and shipping data.

Meanwhile NNPC is pursuing new markets for its crude oil. The company was in London on Wednesday seeking term customers for its new Utapate crude oil grade.

Reuters

Israeli airstrike hits central Beirut, security sources say

A powerful Israeli airstrike targeted central Beirut early on Saturday, security sources said, shaking the Lebanese capital as Israel pressed its offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

Several powerful blasts shook Beirut at around 4 a.m. (0200 GMT), Reuters witnesses said. At least four rockets were fired in the attack, two security sources said.

Sirens could be heard as ambulances raced to the scene of the blast in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood.

Footage broadcast by Lebanon's Al Jadeed showed at least one destroyed building and several others badly damaged around it.

It marked the fourth Israeli airstrike this week targeting a central area of Beirut. On Sunday an Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah media official in the Ras al-Nabaa district.

Israel launched a major offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon in September, following nearly a year of cross-border hostilities ignited by the Gaza war, pounding wide areas of Lebanon with airstrikes and sending troops into the south.

The conflict began when Hezbollah opened fire in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas after it launched the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Putin announces mass production of Oreshnik missiles

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Friday the decision to begin serial production of the new Oreshnik ballistic missile system.

The announcement came after the system was used in combat for the first time earlier this week in Ukraine.

Speaking during a meeting at the Kremlin with the leadership of the Defense Ministry and defense industry representatives, Putin outlined that the Oreshnik missile system, one of Russia’s latest military advancements, is not a modernization of an old Soviet weapon. 

Instead, it is a new development based on cutting-edge hypersonic technology and modern materials. “It is the result of work done in the conditions of New Russia,” Putin said, highlighting that the system was created to meet contemporary defense needs.

Putin confirmed that several Oreshnik systems are currently undergoing testing in Russia, and that the decision to embark on mass production had already been articulated. “You can assume that the decision on production has been made. In fact, it is organized,” he added. More of the missile systems are expected to be delivered to Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces in the coming months.

The first combat use of the Oreshnik missile took place on Thursday, when it was used to strike a Ukrainian defense facility in Dnepropetrovsk. The target was Yuzhmash, one of Ukraine’s largest defense-industrial facilities inherited from the USSR that produces missile equipment and other weapons.

Putin said the use of the missile was in response to Kiev’s attacks inside Russia with Western-supplied long-range weapons such as American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles.

The Oreshnik is described as a medium-range, hypersonic weapon designed for high precision strikes. According to the Defense Ministry, “all warheads” of the missile “reached the target”during this week's deployment. 

The president praised the missile’s successful test and combat deployment, expressing admiration for the speed at which the system had been developed.

Putin also emphasized the importance of continuing testing and increasing production rates. “I congratulate the military on the successful tests and support the adoption of the system,” he said.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia says hypersonic missile strike on Ukraine was a warning to 'reckless' West

The Kremlin said on Friday that a strike on Ukraine using a newly developed hypersonic ballistic missile was a message to the West that Moscow will respond harshly to any "reckless" Western actions in support of Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was speaking a day after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had fired the new missile - the Oreshnik or Hazel Tree - at a Ukrainian military facility in response to Kyiv striking Russia with U.S.-made and British-made missiles this week for the first time after the U.S. granted its approval.

"The main message is that the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries that produce missiles, supply them to Ukraine, and subsequently participate in strikes on Russian territory cannot remain without a reaction from the Russian side," Peskov told reporters.

"The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns are not taken into account have been quite clearly outlined," he said.

Moscow has said it regards Ukraine's firing of ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles into Russia as proof of direct U.S. and British involvement in the war. It says satellite targeting data and the actual programming of the missiles' flight paths must be done by NATO military personnel because Kyiv does not have the capabilities itself.

Putin said Moscow had struck a missile and defence enterprise in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, where missile and space rocket company Pivdenmash, known as Yuzhmash by Russians, is based.

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that all of the missile's warheads had hit their targets and hailed what it said was its first successful use of an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile with conventional warheads in combat.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Russia's use of the new missile amounts to "a clear and severe escalation" and has called for strong worldwide condemnation.

Peskov said Russia had not been technically obliged to warn the United States about the strike because the missile used had been intermediate-range rather than intercontinental, but he said Moscow had informed the U.S. 30 minutes before the launch anyway.

He said Putin remained open to dialogue, but that the outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden "prefers to continue down the path of escalation" and urged it to heed a warning Putin issued in September.

Putin said at the time that the West would be directly fighting with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles, a move he said would alter the nature and scope of the conflict and force Moscow to take "appropriate decisions" based on the new threats.

In his televised remarks on Thursday, Putin said that Russia had fired its new missile after Ukraine, with approval from the Biden administration, had struck Russia with six U.S.-made ATACMS missiles on Tuesday and with British Storm Shadow cruise missiles and U.S.-made HIMARS on Thursday.

Peskov said he hoped that the U.S. had received and understood Moscow's message.

"As for openness to dialogue, even in yesterday's statement the president stressed his readiness for any contacts - both with a view to de-escalation, to avoiding further escalation, and to reaching a peaceful trajectory," said Peskov.

"Yesterday's statement (from Putin) was very comprehensive, clear, and logical. We have no doubt that the current administration in Washington had the opportunity to familiarise itself with this statement and understand it."

The UK Conservative Party was created in the mid 1800s during Queen Victoria's reign 'to Conserve the White sociocultural, economic and political sphere', following the 1830s abolition of African slavery. This  Conservative mantra, to institutionally restrict freed Blacks from competing with Whites, spread across Western Europe as Christian Democratic Parties and to the US Republican Party. Therefore it is oxymoronic for an African to be a Conservative of the Western or any other civilization. A Black White Supremacist. This was why Kemi Badenoch has to publicly deride Nigeria, the world's most populous Black nation, the origin of humanity and source of the indigneous African civilization.

Nee Kemi Adegoke belongs to the Yoruba ethnicity, the oldest full sized humans genetically dated to 89,000 years, and the most populous Indigenous African group. Unfortunately, the Yoruba were the most enslaved African group in the Americas, and the British were the largest slave traders. By virtue of being the source of indigenous African civilization, Yorubas should lead the Black Race to global economic and sociocultural racial parity. As fate would have it, Yorubas are currently being employed by White Supremacists to act as counterrevolutionaries, both home and abroad. In Nigeria as president and in UK as White Conservative leader.

Some simpletons might argue that slavery and colonization are long gone, as Kemi would like to portray, but as Yorubas say, 'a lie never goes amiss, if the liar doesn't know, the person lied to knows. It is true that Africans are traditionally Social Conservatives that reject LGTBQ, therefore recently shunning left wing parties to join US Republican and UK Conservative Parties. However, the racial conservative roots of Conservative Party remain very much alive, due to the fear of genetic annihilation of unfretted miscegenation. Some claim Kemi is just being used to Whitewash their racist foundations to fool Black voters, and will be dropped before the next election, knowing their supporters who are majority racists will not vote for her.

A similar political game and optics were played with Rishi Sunak, the Indian made a party leader and prime minister by Conservative Party handlers. It has been alleged that Rishi was never intended to go for elections, but before he was replaced with Boris Johnson, he rushed to elections and sunk the party with its greatest election defeat since its creation.

Kemi might not only be used for racial optics but racial capture in what is termed Empire 2.0. The Conservatives pushed for Britain's exit of the European Union, the Common Market created in the 1950s to augment the loss of African markets due to decolonization. Like Trump's 'Make America Great Again' mantra, the UK Conservatives that had spearheaded the 1800s African colonization believed they can make Britannia Great Again by recolonizing the Black Race of Africa and Caribbean islands.

Frighteningly, Kemi is Bad Enough to accomplish Empire 2.0, like Helen of Troy bearing gifts to Nigeria and other Black nations. Unlike the initial British Empire built with war, Empire 2.0 was to be accomplished with soft power by offering to strike economic partnerships with their neocolonies. After social engineering neocolonial guards to destroy African economies with IMF and World Bank Neo-Conservative economic policies, the British will offer to site their factories here, like sweatshops, to exploit Africa’s natural and human resources, while shipping away the profits. Elevated neocolonies like India and Japan.

Like the iron axe with a wooden handle kept cutting trees, Kemi Greek gifts will be hard to resist as Yorubas will relate to her father, family and church. Kemi is everything that Coloniality of Being has conditioned the average Nigerian to want to be, Whiter than White. Racial inferiority complex that breeds self hatred as Kemi continues to portray to integrate herself into the White civilization. Her comments on slavery and colonization are based on ignorance inspired by coloniality of knowledge that denigrates her indigenous African civilizational knowledge for Western civilizational values.

Some will argue that she is doing what is necessary for her personal advancement. The same logic that inspired Yoruba Baloguns and Iyalodes at the center of indigenous political system, to engage in slave trade to get European guns, to prevent European inspired and armed bandit coast kingdoms with European guns from overrunning them. With the evolution of slavery to colonization came coloniality of the economy whereby to make it professionally and financially, you had to submit to the European racist economic caste system. Those who could not gain access to sellout their human and natural resources migrated to the Western countries as economic migrants.

The worst scenario is that if the civilizationally conscious and protective Northern Nigeria Afroasiatic civilization resists the British civilizational imperialism, Yoruba and Igbo separatists might be armed to break up Nigeria, and the resultant smaller uneconomic tribal nations will have no choice but to sign as neocolonial satellites of the British Empire 2.0

 ** Justice Faloye,

President ASHE Foundation

Prioritizing your joy can feel like an abstract assignment that, frankly, many of us don't have time for. When work and family obligations are crowding an already stressed schedule, adding one more to-do to your list can feel overwhelming — even if that to-do is supposed to increase your own happiness.

But what about something that takes no more than 10 minutes? There are plenty of quick, therapist-approved tasks that even the busiest person could execute.

Here are three science-backed ways you can boost your mood today. And, they all take less than 10 minutes.

1. Text or call a friend

Texting or calling a friend to let them know you're thinking about them is an easy way to nurture the positive relationships in your life, says Vienna Pharaon, a therapist and author of "The Origins of You."

"It makes us feel really good to do for others, and the bonus is that it also creates much needed connection," she says

It can feel awkward sending an out-of-the-blue message, but, according to a 2022 study, people consistently underestimate how much their friends want to hear from them. An unexpected phone call or text is actually very appreciated. And the research shows that the more surprising call, the better it's received.

2. Do something hard that you've been avoiding

We tend to remember undone or interrupted tasks better than completed ones, a psychological phenomenon known as the Zeigarnik effect. This creates cognitive dissonance which can actually distract us from tackling other projects.

Crossing even the smallest to-do off your list can relieve some of this tension and cause your brain to release dopamine.

"Addressing something you've been ignoring lightens the load and allows you to accomplish something that's been weighing you down," Pharaon says.

There are so many tasks we dread that only take a few minutes. Scheduling a dentist appointment or vacuuming your rug might not seem like it will bring you joy, but science shows it probably will.

3. Give someone a compliment

We can make ourselves feel better by complimenting another person, says Laurie Santo a psychology professor at Yale Univeristy and host of The Happiness Lab podcast.

Even if the prospect of complimenting someone gives you anxiety, you're likely to feel better after the act, according to a 2020 study

"Tell a stranger that you like their shoes or their bag," Santos says. "Reveal to a colleague that you thought they did a nice job at a work meeting, remind a friend how much you appreciate them, or compliment a colleague on something you've long admired."

The effects, Santos says, will last well beyond the interaction: "That quick compliment may boost your mood for longer than you think."

CNBC

Nigeria has become less stable in the past year and can now be categorised as ‘vulnerable’ based on an instability risk index, according to a new report.

SBM Intelligence, a pan-African think tank, ranked Nigeria as a ‘vulnerable’ country and one of the “biggest losers” in sub-Saharan Africa on its instability risk index. This was disclosed in its recent Africa Country Instability Risk Index (ACIRI) which assesses the political, economic and social factors frustrating stability in African countries.

The report spotlighted 48 West, Central, East and Southern African countries. These countries, according to the report, “were grouped by region as delineated by the African Development Bank.”

However, the think tank explained that North Africa was “exempted because of the sub-Saharan focus of this study.”

Although Mauritania and Western Sahara are mapped to West Africa, they were exempted from the study due to what the SBM Intelligence described as “a paucity of data, geopolitical considerations and a cultural and economic affinity with North Africa.”

The report sheds light on three key factors — history, economy, and geopolitics, as well as leadership and governance — and how they contribute to political instability in these countries.

It also evaluates the stability of the 48 African countries by considering indices like ethnic tensions, coup history, dominant ethnic groups, food security, poverty rate, debt sustainability, conflict and vulnerability, and economic diversity.

Countries are therefore categorised into six levels of stability — Red Watch, Critical, Warning, Vulnerable, Stable, and Safe.

The firm explained that a higher score indicates a higher level of political risk to business. According to it, a country that scores 70 and above is categorised under Red Watch.

Countries that scored between 60 and 69 are categorised as critical while those that score between 50 and 59 are placed under warning. Countries like Nigeria that scored between 40 and 45 are marked as vulnerable. Those that scored between 30 and 39 are marked stable while those that scored below 30 are marked safe.

“A lower score shows how stable a country is, while a higher one tells the opposite,” the firm noted.

‘Biggest losers, biggest gainers’

Countries like Botswana, Seychelles, Namibia and Zimbabwe joined Nigeria to earn the title of biggest losers.

Analysis by SBM Intelligence showed that Nigeria’s instability worsened as it ranked 45th this year, unlike the previous year when it ranked 39th and was marked “stable.”

This deterioration could be blamed on unfavourable government policies that weakened the country’s currency and eventually forced some big investors out of Nigeria.

It would be recalled that some multinational companies, including Kimberley-Clark, Procter & Gamble (P&G), GlaxoSmithKline Consumer (GSK) Nigeria, Equinor, Sanofi and Bolt Food, recently withdrew from the Nigerian market.

The exit was attributed to various challenges, such as foreign exchange shortages, rising energy costs, and declining consumer purchasing power amid high inflation.

“Botswana experienced a GDP decline of nearly 2% in the first quarter of 2024, and Zimbabwe experienced economic challenges such as debt and currency crises,” SBM Intelligence says, adding: “Nigeria, Africa’s fourth largest economy, ended the year with a score change of -6, following the exit of foreign businesses over weaker currency, rising inflation and other economic challenges.”

Meanwhile, five countries were crowned the “biggest gainers.” They include Angola, Burundi, Chad, Togo, and Madagascar.

“A cutback on governance costs drove Angola’s performance, while Madagascar’s GDP growth improved to 4.4 per cent in 2023 from 4.3 per cent in 2022,” the think-tank noted.

Regional perspective

The report indicates that Central African countries had the most representation in the top ten, with four countries present: Angola, Central African Republic, Chad, and Gabon.

West Africa followed closely in the top ten with three countries: Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

“The regions with the lowest representations are East Africa, with 20% represented by Burundi and Madagascar, and Southern Africa, at 10%, with Eswatini as its sole representative. The worst-performing entities are shared by Eastern and Southern Africa, at 40% each–represented by countries such as Seychelles, Kenya, Mauritius, and Comoros on the East side and Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Zambia on the South,” the report noted.

However, Southern Africa retained its spot as the most stable region for the second year with a score change of -1.3, the report disclosed, noting that “Central Africa was the least stable, ending the year with a score change of 6.78, performing worse than East (1.07) and West (2.47). This performance can be explained by an improvement in South Africa’s economy, which grew by 0.4% in the second quarter of 2024 from 0.1% in the first quarter.”

While the raging conflict between the Rwanda-backed M-23 militia and Congo “contributed to the relatively poor performance in Central and East Africa”, attempted coups and Islamist insurgencies “contributed to West Africa’s poor outing.”

PT