WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Pope says countries should not "play games" with Ukraine on arms aid

Pope Francis suggested on Saturday that some countries were "playing games" with Ukraine by first providing weapons and then considering backing out of their commitments.

Francis made his comments aboard the plane returning from a trip to the French port city of Marseilles. He was responding to a reporter's question about whether he was frustrated that his efforts to bring about peace had not succeeded. He has sent an envoy, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, to Kyiv, Moscow, Washington and Beijing to meet with leaders there.

He said he did feel "some frustration" and then began talking randomly about the arms industry and the war.

"It seems to me that the interests in this war are not just those related to the Ukrainian-Russian problem but to the sale of weapons, the commerce of weapons," he said.

"We should not play games with the martyrdom of this people. We have to help them resolve things ... I see now that some countries are moving backwards, not wanting to give (Ukraine) arms. A process is starting in which the martyr certainly will be the Ukrainian people and that is an ugly thing," he said.

Asked for a clarification, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope was not taking a stand on whether countries should continue to send weapons to Ukraine or stop sending them.

"It was a reflection on the consequences of the arms industry: the pope, with a paradox, was saying that those who traffic in weapons never pay the consequences of their choices but leave them to be paid by people, like the Ukrainians, who have been martyred," Bruni said.

A number of countries, including the United States, face internal political pressure to stop or curtail spending on weapons sent to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to U.S. lawmakers on Thursday for continued support amid doubts by some Republicans over whether Congress should approve more aid.

Francis has condemned the international arms trade in general but said last year that it is morally legitimate for nations to supply weapons to Ukraine to help the country defend itself against Russian aggression.

** Ukrainian heavy artillery inflicts 'hell' on Russian lines near Bakhmut

The use of heavy weapons supplied by the West in the fierce battle raging on the outskirts of Bakhmut, which was captured by Russia in May, is inflicting a significant toll on enemy lines, Ukrainian commanders have told Reuters.

Buoyed after the capture last week of the key village of Klishchiivka, Ukrainian troops have lauded the 155 millimetre howitzers as key equipment being provided by the United States and its NATO allies.

Unit commander Oleksandr said Ukraine's armed forces "very much rely" on heavy artillery, including the Polish-made Krab gun and the U.S.-made M109 self-propelled howitzer.

"Even one gun can completely turn the situation around. An attack can be stopped with one such gun," he said.

"The main thing is to aim where needed. They (the Russians) hate our hardware. That's what we gather from our intercepts. We hear that we keep giving them hell and they keep wondering how much ammunition we have left."

Oleksandr, 30, described Klishchiivka - a village on the heights south of the devastated town of Bakhmut - as "one of the places they (the Russians) were clinging to."

"We will see what's next. We will develop our success," he said.

Ukrainian commanders have described the capture of Klischiivka and nearby Andriivka as stepping stones to taking back Bakhmut, which fell to the Russians after months of some of the war's heaviest fighting.

The gains have been among the most significant in Ukraine's counteroffensive, which began in June and has struggled to break through entrenched Russian lines.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and senior officials have hailed the advances and rejected criticism in the West that the counteroffensive is progressing too slowly.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Kiev’s counteroffensive unlikely to achieve its goals – US officials to NYT

Officials in Washington have suggested that Ukraine’s military forces won’t be able to cut Russia’s land bridge to Crimea as part of their counteroffensive or achieve other key goals, the New York Times has reported.

“Some American officials have said that the Ukrainian counteroffensive appears likely to fall short of its strategic goals,” the paper reported in an article on Friday.

Kiev’s forces are struggling to achieve the aim of reaching the Sea of Azov in Russia’s Zaporozhye Region, because the minefields set up by Moscow’s forces, they say, have proven to be “a potent defense,” the Times added.

According to US officials, conducting offensive operations would also soon become even more difficult for Ukraine “as the ground becomes soft and muddy” in the region.

The NYT also said that some in Washington have warned that “within a few weeks, the Ukrainian army will need time to rebuild their stockpile of equipment and to rest forces exhausted by the summer fighting.”

The Ukrainian counteroffensive was launched in early June, although Kiev has so far only reported the capture of a handful of small villages some distance away from the main Russian defense lines. President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month that Ukraine has lost more than 71,000 troops and over 540 tanks since the beginning of summer, while failing to achieve any significant results on the battlefield.

On Friday, President Vladimir Zelensky told journalists in Washington that Kiev “will do everything not to stop during difficult days in autumn with poor weather and in winter.”

Zelensky claimed that Ukraine has a “very, very comprehensive plan” to “de-occupy” Artyomovsk (known as Bakhmut in Ukraine) and two other cities, which he refused to name, in the coming months.

Ukraine suffered huge losses trying to defend Artyomovsk and the strategic city in Donetsk People’s Republic nonetheless fell under Russian control in May, after months of fighting.

The NYT pointed out that US intelligence and military had warned the Zelensky government against spending its manpower and resources in Artyomovsk, suggesting that it would be better focused on operations in Zaporozhye Region. “Some American officials say the fight in [Artyomovsk] has become something of an obsession for Mr Zelensky and his military leaders,” the paper said.

** Russian forces destroy Western-made weapons in Kherson area

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr has destroyed Ukraine’s Western-made weapons in the Kherson area, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"Russian artillery units continue to perform their combat mission in the special military operation, hitting the Ukrainian armed forces’ artillery positions, wiping out defenses, suppressing enemy command points and firepower. Msta-B crews of Battlegroup Dnepr destroyed Western-made weapons and equipment of the Ukrainian army by counter-battery fire in the Kherson area," the statement reads.

The Defense Ministry added that Russian forces were using high-precision munitions to cause as much damage as possible to the enemy’s armored vehicles and troops. Drone operators monitor the work of howitzer crews, adjusting fire and reporting the results of attacks to those in firing positions in real time.

"[They] mostly try to cross [the Dnieper] at night; most of the action and the work take place during the night as we try to prevent the enemy from reaching this bank," said a crew commander with the call sign Cuba.

The Msta-S is a self-propelled 152 mm howitzer designed to wipe out and suppress various types of enemy combat hardware and troops, destroy defensive sites and deny the maneuver of enemy infantry and tank reserves. The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly released video footage showing these howitzers hammering enemy targets in the special military operation in Ukraine.

Reuters/RT/Tass

When Obafemi Awolowo died in 1987, amid a deluge of musical tributes in his honour, a line among those offerings stood out, evergreen. Sang by Fuji music lord, Kollington Ayinla, while extolling Awolowo’s panegyrics, he sang: “ookan ile l’osa gbe, Baba Yinka//eyin t’o funfun kii gbe koro enu.” This line profoundly articulated the open life of Awolowo, as well as his trackable history and pedigree. As short as the lines were, they drilled deep into the most granular of Yoruba’s concept of openness and transparency. Literally translated, it means that shrines that a people are proud of are erected in open family compounds and, it is a misnomer to cover a set of sparklingly white teeth with flabby duvet of lips.

Shrines in Africa were held, partially or wholly, as reserved places for magico–religious or even ceremonial functions. Their traditional worshippers or priests consider them sacred and as groves where ancestors lived. Those groves were also places and channels of communication with humans by the gods and were dedicated to the worship of deities, war heroes believed to have transformed into ancestors, or sites of burial of nobles in a community. Trees, water and rocks are wrapped round these shrines and altars and they together form an important totem of the environment, corpus of the Yoruba belief system. As important as these shrines are, most Yoruba deities and shrines are erected in the front of compounds.

So, whether as Christians, Muslims or animists, there is a unity of prayer points of parents that God should give them blessings that cannot be hidden. One of such blessings is that the children on whom they spend so hugely, excel upon graduation, especially with a first class. Every week, newspapers celebrate such achievements in interviews with such graduates. Those are blessings that cannot be hidden. In support of full disclosure of a worthy past, Yoruba say that only a malformed or deformed hand is hidden under the bowels of a garment – “owo ti o sunwon ni gbe abe aso.”

On Sunday, October 17, 2021, TheNews magazine published what it said was the “Most Comprehensive Tinubu interview about his early life, struggles abroad, against military, governorship, others,” a “a marathon interview he granted” where he “spoke about his rugged beginnings, studies in the US, struggles against the military for the actualization of June 12, the current democracy and others.” In the interview, the man who would later become the Nigerian president said he performed so brilliantly at the Chicago State University (CSU) so much that, “at the end of the term, and still on the Dean’s list, Professor Jesse came around to inform me that he would employ me to manage the Accounting laboratory for the institution… I was given a scholarship to become a tutor…I was challenged and severely under pressure to keep up the grade as each semester rolled by, because if my grades should drop, I would lose the scholarship. It was quite challenging and in the end, I graduated top of my class and I was recruited as an Accounting major…I was on the Dean’s list; I was in line for the award for the overall best accounting student as well as that of the university scholar’s award….”

Recently, in a September 7, 2023 press release from Aso Rock, on the fringe of the G-20 Summit, during an interactive session with Nigerian students studying in the South Asian country, Tinubu recalled his academic prowess while he was an undergraduate at the Chicago State University, describing himself as a brilliant student. “Good education brought me here and I am happy to stand before you here as the President of Nigeria. I started small. I was a security guard. I was a tutor in school. I was a brilliant student. I joined Deloitte and was trained by one of the biggest accounting firms in the world, because of my education.”

Those are indeed words of encouragement. His grass to grace story should encourage any youth that they too could reach for the zenith of achievements in life if a US cab driver could become the president of the most populous Black country in the world. So when, shortly before the judgment of the Presidential Election Petitions Committee, ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar was rumoured to have approached a United States of America court to subpoena CSU so as to obtain university schooling records of Tinubu, many of us laughed him to scorn. Why would Atiku take politics to this demeaning level? We reckoned that Atiku would be so legally gas-lighted in the US that he would not try this nonsense again all his political life.

In the application, Atiku had alleged that Tinubu’s academic records were inconsistent. In a dramatic way that stunned virtually all of us, the American court granted Atiku’s application through a judgment it delivered last Tuesday, September 6, by magistrate Jeffrey Gilbert. He then ordered the production of the school documents of Tinubu in 48 hours and deposition of the administrators of the CSU under oath. If granted, Atiku sought to demonstrate that the man who occupies Nigeria’s foremost office was nothing other than a criminal forger who was ineligible to be president of a country like ours. As Olatunji Dare once wrote in his profound mastery of the English language, this was becoming curiouser and curiouser. Atiku’s reliance was on sections of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which unambiguously voids the aspirations of anyone who willfully tampers with their certificates for the sake of vying for political office.

Both Tinubu and his alleged alma mater, the CSU, have maintained that he attended the institution. CSU is however demurring from authenticating his certificate under oath. The man who in newspaper interviews excitedly mouthed his first class degree at CSU is also now spiritedly arguing against the release of the results to Atiku. His argument became the untenability of the documents in Atiku’s appeal at the Supreme Court. The former Vice president was however unwavering. Before the order could lapse, Tinubu suddenly approached the court under a Ms Nancy Maldonado of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago, for an application to delay the order and submitted that releasing his school documents to Atiku had a fatal potential to damage his life. “Severe and irreparable harm will be done to Bola Tinubu if the records are released,” the president’s lawyer told Maldonado. Arguing further, the lawyer said that if the court released the documents to Atiku, great harm that “cannot be taken back to the bottle” would be done on him. Immediately, Ms. Maldonado agreed with Tinubu’s lawyer on the severity of granting the order on the part of Tinubu and thus stayed the order pending further arguments on the matter.

In all this, I am at a loss. Methinks somebody proud enough to grant interviews articulating his academic brilliance should have no issue at all mounting his First-Class certificate on global billboards for all to see. That done, political enemies like Atiku would have had no other option than to lick their wounds.

The Chicago court drama reminds me of one of Joseph Folahan (JF) Odunjo’s folklores with the title, Afose d’elede – Afose has morphed into a pig. Literary critics and folklorists say that the past and the present inter-relate in a strong way. Writer, educator and politician who was best known for his works in Yoruba children's literature, Odunjo, in 1951, won a seat to the Western House of Assembly and was later appointed Western Region’s first minister of Land and Labour by Awolowo. He communicated Yoruba values through folklores and myths. Folklore, a strong imprint from our past, relates strongly to present social and sociological conditions. Odunjo, just like D.O. Fagunwa, was greatly respected for having shaped the minds of generations of Yoruba of western Nigeria, especially through his highly famous 

Alawiye series. The series transformed into book form the oral folklore and stories of traditional society told at moonlight after dinner. With this, he was able to communicate values, beliefs and literary skills of the people. Using fictive characters (human or non-human) like tortoise (Ijapa and his wife, Yannibo), ghomids, (ebora) streams, animal kingdom, human kingdom, etc, he intermixed itan (myths) and alo (folklores), the latter more believable because they are factual, dependable and historical than myths, to convey the reality of the time. The calamity in this however is that such folklores have not been preserved into posterity like Tom and Jerry.

Afose d’elede is themed to preach that, regardless of how long they gestate, flourish or span, hidden evil manipulations will go awry someday. The narrative is centered round a gang of felons in a village who specialized in nocturnal theft of villagers’ property. This particular day, they had stolen a very huge pig called elede and, to escape scrutiny, gilded the hapless animal inside a wooden coffin. Local hunter sentries however lay ahead of them that night. As they advanced from their village into the town, two men shouldered the casket like a mourning party. One of them stood in the front of the casket with his left hand tightly holding a full-grown cock. He plucked its feathers intermittently with the right hand. As he did this, following in the ancient tradition and custom of the Yoruba, he invoked incantations, amid a cultic rendition of a sober song interceding for intervention of the spirits for the dead.

What this man with the cock was acting was what is called the tradition of “adiye irana.” In order to seek easy earthly passage to the hereafter for the dead, Yoruba believed that, in adiye irana, with its process of plucking the feathers of a live cock as the first in line of a hearse party, the enchanter was interceding for the dead so that the spirits could grant them eternal sojourn. In another way, the cock was meant to “ra ona” – literally, buy the road/way – for the dead. The cock is the cash, the bribe if you like, for the sentry of heaven – Onibode Orun – to wave the dead in and on to eternal bliss. Elasticizing it into an aphorism, Yoruba say adiye irana kii se ohun a je gbe to remind us of the inevitability of justice, now or later, in this life or in the hereafter.

The sentries however confronted the advancing “mourning” party and demanded to see what was inside the coffin. Sounding shocked at the temerity of the sentries, the gangsters told them that right inside the casket was the body of the late Afose, a notoriously powerful medicine man from their village renowned for transforming into all manner of animals in his lifetime. His notoriety and native medicine powers transcended his' to other villages. In death, Afose still retained his powers, said the gangsters, so much that if the coffin was opened, Afose could, as usual, transform into any animal he desired. Not dissuaded, the sentries stubbornly demanded that the coffin be opened, nevertheless. Upon being forced to lift the lid off the coffin, a pig’s oink confronted them. This necessitated the gangsters to chorus that the body of the notorious medicine man had indeed transformed into a pig – Afose d’elede! In the melee of the pig that had suddenly been set free from its imprisonment, the felons burst into the song, “Afose d’elede, a ti wi tele!” and escaped into the bush.

The way it stands, the age-long miasma of cloud shrouding Tinubu’s certificate and past may become an Afose d’elede that is fast coming home to roost, confirming indeed that, regardless of how long it gestates, flourishes or spans, manipulations, like the felons’ casket, will go awry someday and the world will see the original content of the casket.

No matter what part of the political, ethnic or class divide one may belong, the ongoing judicial tackles in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago should bring huge embarrassment to every Nigerian. That a country which advertises a surplusage of academic laurels and achievements among its citizens in America, Europe and in very many parts of the world is being administered by a man who rushes from pillar to post to spread thick pullover over his academic documents is enough embarrassment to last Nigeria a lifetime.

The drama in that Chicago court is sickening. As lawyers say, the objective test to determine what a reasonable person who is faced with the kind of allegation against Tinubu will do is to allow Atiku have his way at the CSU through the court. Muzzling Atiku off those academic documents, for whatever reason, is akin to carrying a coffin containing elede and staving off all entreaties to open the content of what is claimed to be the dead body of Afose.

By the way, let us play the devil’s advocate by interrogating what may lie at the back of the president’s mind for seeking to block the revelation of the results. Ego? Why should Atiku act as an interloper in a matter that does not concern him as Tinubu’s academic documents are strictly his business? The answer is that Tinubu is no longer a private person and by poking his nose into political office, he has lost every right to his privacy. As such, anybody interested in his academic records should be allowed access to them. Then, the president’s lawyer exploded what sounded like a nuke inside the Chicago court. According to him, granting Atiku access to Tinubu’s certificates will cause “severe, irreparable harm”. With this last averment, I am of the opinion that our president must sack this lawyer for this very incriminating statement and for attempting to deny the proud alumnus of CSU the opportunity to put Atiku to shame and an opportunity to buga with his First-Class Honours degree in Business Administration.

I have attempted severally to navigate through this claim of “severe, irreparable harm” by the president and I must confess that I am marooned on a desert island. How? It stands against reason that a man will pay foreign lawyers multiple of thousands of dollars legal fees to argue in court that a tight lid be put on documents relating to an academic journey he had flaunted to the world as excellent. When has harm ever come the way of anyone simply because details of their academic records became public document? Why would a man who promised to run a transparent government demur from same transparency when it comes to openness of his past? To an ordinary and reasonable person, it would appear that releasing the result, on the contrary, stands to benefit the president immensely. First, the growing community of tarbrush of fraudulence, forgery and shadiness being affixed to his name would cease. It could even put a lie to and render unfounded the allegation that the president’s ancestry is wrapped in shawl. Releasing documents of his schooling in Chicago would afford us an opportunity to harangue Atiku as indeed a meddlesome interloper who is shopping for straws to hang on to in his quest for the Nigerian presidency. More fundamentally, a Tinubu who rose to power on the cusp of attracting A-list technocrats should never be found with the inelegant act of hiding details of his own academic records. Did he appoint those A-list persons without peeping into their certificates?

The optics of this “severe and irreparable harm” thesis is very dispiriting. And annoying too, if you ask me. It seems to reinforce the belief by haters of the president that his past is shady, unwholesome and not worthy of being known by a global audience which thirsts after purity. That is why I think he should fire his US attorney. I am very sure our noble, pure president never sent him to make that demeaning claim. As bad as Nigerian leadership has been since the collapse of the First Republic, never had Nigeria been confronted with a graphic acquiescence to narratives of forgery by its leadership as this. This global embarrassment is almost proportionate to the disaster of Hiroshima and Nagazaki. To reinforce how bad things are, an Encyclopedia Britanica search on our president comes up with this embarrassing entry “Many of the details of Tinubu’s early life, education, work, and finances are unclear”. They all feed the trough of this unfair claim of forgery and obfuscated past.

The uncommunicated, but unwillingly communicated communication arising from this helter-skelter run to hide Tinubu’s certificate in Chicago provokes the question, is our president an Akudaya? Did he spring from Mars? Akudaya is an ancient core Yoruba belief that roaming spirits of the dead acquire human flesh like a living wraith, get disconnected from their past and begin life de novo elsewhere. There have been stories of akudaya who married, gave birth and lived life to the fullest; until those who knew their past suddenly surfaced. Its closest synonym is the British apparition, a resemblance or prototype of the living or dead, or the German doppelganger. The doppelganger, mostly used in horror literature, is a dip into German folklore which doubles down on the concept of the existence of a spirit double, “double walker” or a person’s non-biological look alike. So, which one of these is Tinubu?

To further compound the unpleasant narratives, this great man’s biography, detailing his youth, friends, challenges and victories, his humongous achievements and rise from zero to the pinnacle of office have never been written as a biography or autobiography. I am told there are no plans to ever avail of us of this potentially rich narrative. Curiouser and curiouser still, I must confess.

From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? ~ Mark 6:2b.

Introduction

As we think about the life of Jesus Christ, we stand all amazed in every way! For example, we can’t mistake the uniqueness of the circumstances surrounding His coming to earth — His conception and His birth. All the works He did, and is still doing, both for us and through us, are simply wrapped up in absolute wonders.

Indeed, Jesus Christ performed wonders without number! He defeated evil forces everywhere He went. He made the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the infirm to stand (Mark 1:21-27; 7:31-37; Luke 9:37-43). He fed multitudes of people with supernatural meals. He also walked upon the sea, raised the dead, cleansed lepers, etcetera.

He once called forth an incredible draught of fishes at the same location and time where great toils had produced none (Luke 5:9). Peter was a veteran fisherman, but he toiled all night and caught nothing until Jesus intervened. At His Word, Peter cast his net again, and he caught a boat-sinking and net-breaking multitude of fishes!

We are amazed at His life, His baptism and His supernatural operations. At only twelve years of age, He was already about His Father’s business, discussing very intelligently with the elders in the temple (Luke 2:49).

In His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ spoke with an unusual authority (Matthew 7:28; 13:54; Luke 4:32). He also dazed the whole world with His incredible wisdom and mighty acts, to the extent that His generation asked: “Is this not the Carpenter” (Mark 6:1-3). They missed it by a very wide margin. Jesus Christ is the One in whom “dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9-10).

Meanwhile, as incredible as this may sound, the truth is that the believers were recreated in Christ Jesus to live in the same realm of wonders as Jesus did. Everything Jesus did we're supposed to do, and in whatever way He manifested we're meant to manifest, “because as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17).

The day we became born-again, we were born into a family of wonders. No matter your stature, present position or social status, the moment you're born-again you become a walking wonder. And, irrespective of where you were born or live, you’re no longer a wanderer but a wonder on earth (Psalm 71:7).

The Bible uses the word “sons” in John 1:12, not “sons and daughters”, intentionally. No variant of religious discrimination or misogyny, such as was characterized under the Old Testament, is any longer tenable under this new dispensation of grace. Women are now co-inheritors of God's riches and divine nature.

The total truth is, as children of the Most High God, we’re spirit beings, not just lumps of flesh (Hebrews 12:9). God dwells in you (Colossians 1:27). You're a God-carrier, and therefore, the Headquarters of the Universe is inside you!

This is an incredibly dizzying truth indeed. No wonder Jesus Christ said the believers carry a staggering capacity for wonders, in the class of the works He did and even greater works (John 14:12-14).

How Jesus Did It & How We Too Can Live In Wonders Today!

We may ask, how did Jesus live, walk and operate so easily in the realm of wonders? He never failed; no, not once.

On one occasion, the tax collectors thought to embarrass Him by demanding tribute from Him. At His word, the mouth of a fish became a money dispenser! But how did Jesus operate in such a superlative status? He simply operated in the power of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:1-3; Luke 4:14, 18-21; Acts 10:38)!

The essential question of destiny at this juncture is: how can we also live in the same supernatural realm as Jesus did? By simply following in the steps of Jesus, living and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit as He did in all our daily operations.

The early Church practically operated in the realm of wonders at the instance of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:1-7). The Apostles acted, and the people in their generation marveled because they operated the way Jesus did. Today, if we also dare to live our everyday lives in the realm of the Holy Spirit, operating in the realm of the supernatural will be a given.

Creating The Enabling Environment for Wonders

In order to walk in wonders, we must devote quality time to dwelling in God's presence. Jesus Christ often retreated into lonely places to be in the presence of the Father, to commune with Him as well as to renew His strength. The early disciples also spent quality time with Jesus Christ before their practical manifestations in the power of God (Acts 4:13).

Unfortunately Christianity has become so modernized by our modern-day errors to the detriment of the realm of wonders. Our generation is rather far too noisy, too gregarious and too toxic to attract the glory of God's presence for any appreciable length of time.

No one ever thinks great thoughts in a noisy atmosphere. Excessive joke-cracking, laughter, mirth, talkativeness and noisiness bring much pollution to the soul. Those who talk too much cannot think or do so much, neither can they enjoy the sweet presence of the Holy Spirit.

As such, no one that’s immoderately engrossed in the socio-political dimensions of social media — WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter etc — should hope to operate fully in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Most importantly, serious-minded Christians cannot afford to be given to impetuous cursing, bitterness, caustic and combative words for any reason and still expect to relish in the wonders of God’s presence.

I am most amazed at the moment when Jesus, after staggering under His load to the crest of Calvary, said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”(Luke 23:34). This is a higher order of amazement! How could He forgive His tormenters at that moment? With all that pain? With blood dripping from every pore? Still He was thinking of others?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus also gave something of a last requirement for walks of wonder. He said all must “love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

This is one of the most difficult things to do; yet, Jesus Christ did it. Through it all, He would not condemn those who persecuted Him. We also must strive to emulate this, if we ever hope to live in the realm of wonders.

Furthermore, to enjoy the realm of the supernatural, you need a regular devotion and an aloneness with Jesus. Being with Jesus, giving quality time to dwell in His presence will always enable you to reflect His glory and majesty, and generate amazement amidst God’s people, even today (Zechariah 10:1).

We must be focused, diligent and determined under God to give supernatural living all it takes: holiness, prayers, fasting, and a diligent pursuit of God’s glory. When we do, Jesus Christ, the Wonder of All Ages will also tip us forward to our era of wonders. Never forget: He’s living in you! Beloved, you will fulfill destiny, 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

Bolaji Ogundimu had only recently been appointed as my secretary when she put in an application for a housing loan. I had put aside a lump sum of money that could be borrowed by my staff interest-free. This was operated as a round-robin. As some pay back every month, new loans could be disbursed.

However, Bolaji’s chances of getting a loan in the short term were slim because many others were in the queue before her.

But then two “good Samaritans” came to see me. They insisted that Bolaji should be given a loan right away.

What kind of favouritism is this, I wondered? “Bolaji has just applied,” I pointed out. “There are so many others who applied before her and are yet to receive. How could you, in good conscience, argue that she should leapfrog over those she met in the queue? Won’t people say she is being favoured because she happens to be my secretary?”

Bolaji’s “lawyers” were not easily dissuaded. “The problem,” they said, “is that Bolaji’s condition is a bit desperate. We have seen where she lives and feel something needs to be done for her very urgently.”

“How would you feel,” I asked them, “if you were one of those who applied before Bolaji? Would you be so understanding then?”

I put my foot down. “We must do things by the book. We must be fair and be seen to be fair. Bolaji will be given a loan when it is her turn. In the meantime, there is nothing I can do.”

Guilty as charged

I was on a trip to New York when the Lord revisited the issue of Bolaji’s housing loan. Suddenly He asked me:

“Femi, do you love Me?”

“Of course, I love you,” I replied immediately.

But then the Lord continued: “Femi, you don’t love Me.”

I was nothing less than devastated.

“How could you say I don’t love you?” I protested.

“So how come you did not give My son a housing loan?” He continued.

Then I knew I was really in trouble. When the Lord reprimands you concerning someone and then refers to that person endearingly as “My son,” you know you are really in trouble. If the Lord calls Bolaji (who happens to be a woman) “My son,” what does that make me?

“But Bolaji is not qualified for the loan,” I insisted. “There are many other people in the queue before her.”

“What would qualify Bolaji for the housing loan?” the Lord wanted to know.

By this time, I was past argument. My face was simply covered in tears. The Lord pointed out that He had sent two people to me to impress on me the deplorable state of Bolaji’s housing condition. Nevertheless, I failed to respond out of adherence to my so-called principles of fairness.

Then came another bombshell. “You have to make up your mind whether you are going to follow your principles or follow Me.”

I cried non-stop for the next two days. It was deliberately on a weekend, and I could not reach Bolaji until Monday, as she did not have her phone. On Monday morning, I phoned her in my office to apologise to her. I asked her to forgive me for being insensitive to her housing situation.

I told her to take the money for her rent from my office safe, which she operated. “It is not a loan,” I said. “It is a gift from me.” That way, the procedure of the housing loan scheme was not violated. Nobody could accuse me of discrimination. But the love of God had found a way to deal with Bolaji’s urgent housing problem.

The set-up

I thought I was in the clear until the day I was leaving New York to come back to Lagos. First, I wasted some time by haggling with the taxi driver over the fare from Canarsie to John F. Kennedy Airport. It is normally 20 dollars, but he insisted it was 25. Then the queue at the Swiss Air check-in section was slower than usual.

When I finally got to the counter, there was a malfunction with the computer. The lady attendant sought the assistance of a supervisor, who came to fix the problem. I waited, while they discussed, analysed, and fiddled with whatever was on the screen. This went on for about twenty minutes when suddenly another gentleman came to announce that the counter was closed.

Closed? I could not believe my ears. “How could the counter be closed?” I protested. “I have been waiting here for the last twenty minutes while your colleagues have been trying to fix a fault on this terminal.”

I heard the man’s response correctly. I was supposed to hear him. He said to me: “According to the principles of Swiss Air, this terminal closes at six o’clock. Once it is six o’clock, no more passengers are taken on board the plane.”

The man was not one to argue. After he dropped this bombshell, he simply walked away.

I was in a panic. My situation had become rather desperate. I had only $100 left on me. I could not afford to stay any longer in New York. I just had to get on that plane.

And then I heard that still small voice of the Holy Spirit. “So, Femi,” He asked, “how do you intend to get on the plane? They have principles too at Swiss Air.”

Reversal of fortunes

I had been set up by none other than the Holy Spirit. The Lord had brought about a reversal of fortunes. With the housing loan scheme, I was the one who had the prerogative of mercy (or so I thought). With my flight back to Lagos, I was the one in need of mercy. It was time to plea-bargain.

I told the Lord: “I thought you’ve forgiven me concerning Bolaji.” I pointed out that I had not waited until I got back to Lagos to make restitution for my heartlessness. I phoned Bolaji from New York and gave her the money.

“Please, Lord Jesus,” I prayed. “Only Your love can get me on this plane. Please get me on this plane for Your name’s sake.”

Just then a gentleman came and tapped me on the shoulder. He was wearing a Swiss Air uniform. “What seems to be the problem?” he asked. I gave him chapter and verse of everything, including the computer malfunction. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Come with me. But you are going to have to bring your luggage.”

I promptly put my luggage back on the trolley and followed this good Samaritan. This instrument of God’s salvation took me to the Swiss Air boarding gate, got me a boarding pass and put my luggage on the plane.

“Where are you from?” he asked me. I told him I was from Nigeria. He smiled and pointed out that he was from Kenya. I would not have guessed it because he was white. Then he said to me:

“The only thing I don’t like about Nigerians is that you always beat us in football.”

He then shook hands with me and went away.

In both your business or personal lives, there will be times when you need to persuade people to do what you want, or to see your side of things. 

But it’s easy to go about it the wrong way, and instead of winning people over, you may wind up alienating them.

As language psychology experts, we’ve found ways to be more convincing to other people without being manipulative or irritating. It’s just a matter of saying the right words in the right way at the right time.

1. Use “you” more than “I.” 

This is the simplest and most effective strategy. Studies show that people react well to the word “you.”

When you address someone using “you,” you’re personalizing your message. You make it clear that you’re talking directly to them and considering their individual needs, thoughts and interests. 

When you let the listener know you care about them, they’ll be more open to listening and agreeing with your persuasion efforts.

2. Use “you” when speaking to large groups.

It’s tempting to be more formal when you’re addressing a group, like giving a speech or writing an email to a list of recipients.

But research has shown that loosening up and using “you” in group settings works to your advantage because it comes across as more casual.

It’s called the “generic you,” and its results are definitely not generic! It makes what you’re saying seem more personal and relatable, which will help you win people over.

3. Include yourself in the picture with “we” and “us.”

“We,” “us” and “our” are inclusive words that show you consider yourself as part of the team. This creates a sense of unity and mutual collaboration. 

When you position yourself as a partner to your listeners or readers, they’ll be more receptive to what you’re talking about, since you’re working with them, not preaching to them or ordering them to do something.

4. Refer to the person you’re talking to by name.

People like hearing their own names. It makes them feel like you really see them, and that they’re important to you.

Just don’t overdo it! If you keep using the person’s name over and over again, you wind up sounding insincere and will erase those goodwill feelings you had initially evoked.

5. Repeat yourself, but not in the same way.

Repeating the main thrust of your argument and certain key phrases can make what you’re saying more memorable and create a feeling of persuasive familiarity.

You don’t want to sound like a broken record, but you do want to reiterate the idea or concept you are pitching two or three times, in subtly different ways. The last part is key. 

6. Don’t reel off statistics or abstract concepts. Make it personal.

Studies have found that people are more inclined to understand, remember and accept “sticky ideas.”

So when you’re trying to persuade someone to go along with your suggestion, don’t just state it flat out. Use someone specific as an example, even yourself, to explain why it works. Stories about people are more compelling than dry facts and figures. 

7. User “power words” with intention.

Power words evoke a strong emotion in listeners and readers, sometimes without them even knowing it. 

Of course, the specific words you’ll use depends upon what you’re trying to persuade someone to do, but some examples include: “proven,” “easy” and “new.” 

It’s a common practice to use them in sales and advertising, but they work in personal or business situations, too.

8. Ask rhetorical questions.

Rhetorical questions — queries that don’t need an answer but can have one — get people thinking.

The result is people are usually more interested in what you’re talking about because you’ve engaged their imagination. And they’re subtly guided to the conclusion you want them to come up with, without having to hammer it home.

9. Explain your request or idea with a “because” clause.

After you’ve mentioned your main point, follow up with an explanation of why you’re bringing it up: “I need you to do this because…” or, “This new concept will work for us because…”  

It’s human nature to react well to rational explanations. So when people hear “because,” they think you’re being reasonable and you’re sharing legitimate justification for your request. This makes them more inclined to go along with it. 

Even if your “because” explanation isn’t that great, people will likely still be open to your proposition, because it sounds legitimate.

In that same vein, words and phrases that indicate “cause and effect reasoning,” such as “accordingly,” “consequently,” “due to,” “for this reason,” “since” and “therefore” can also help you craft a more persuasive and effective argument. 

Kathy and Ross Petras are the brother-and-sister co-authors of “Awkword Moments: A Lively Guide to the 100 Terms Smart People Should Know,” “You’re Saying It Wrong” and “That Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means.” They co-host the award-winning NPR podcast ”You’re Saying It Wrong,” and have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post and Harvard Business Review. Follow them on Twitter @kandrpetras.

CNBC

The World Bank has approved a fresh $700m loan for Nigeria to enhance adolescent girls’ learning and empowerment.

It disclosed this in a statement published on its website on Friday.

The new loan is to provide additional funds for an ongoing project known as the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment.

The statement read, “The World Bank approved additional financing of $700m for Nigeria to scale up the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment programme whose goal is to improve secondary education opportunities among girls in targeted states.

“The additional financing will scale up project activities from the current seven states to eleven additional states and increase the targeted beneficiaries to include out-of-school girls, those who are married, and those who have disabilities.”

It was noted that Nigeria had over 12 million to 15 million out of school children in the school- age group, with many of them in Northern Nigeria.

It was also noted that an estimated one million children were affected by increased insecurity around schools in 2020-2021.

The statement added, “In the seven AGILE programme implementing states – Borno, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, and Plateau – the number of girls in secondary schools has increased from about 900,000 to over 1.6 million.

“Under the programme, over 5,000 classrooms have been renovated and over 250,000 eligible girls have received scholarships.

“The AGILE programme has supported construction and rehabilitation of WASH facilities in secondary schools and the installation of computers and solar panels which make attending school more convenient and conducive for both girls and boys. Life skills, systems strengthening, and advocacy are other key aspects of the program which address social norms impeding girls’ education.”

The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri, stated that, “Closing the gender gaps in economic empowerment by ensuring girls have access to education and skills is key for Nigeria’s development and economic prosperity.

“Nigeria’s working population will soon be one of the youngest and largest around the world, which means that investing in adolescent girls is imperative when addressing overall economic prospects and growth.”

The statement noted that aside from the girls that would benefit from the financing, others included over 15 million students and beneficiaries, such as teachers, administrators, families, communities, and staff in existing and newly constructed schools.

It added that the new fund would push the project to 18 states and help Nigeria to achieve better education and health outcomes for girls.

This is the third loan facility approved under the administration of Bola Tinubu.

The first was approved on June 9, 2023, with a loan of $750m to boost Nigeria’s power sector.

The second was a loan of $500m to help Nigeria drive women’s empowerment, and was approved on June 22, 2023.

Punch

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said Olayemi Cardoso has assumed office as the acting governor of the apex bank, as he awaits the approval of the senate.

In a statement on Friday, Isa AbdulMumin, director, corporate communications at CBN, said Cardoso took the relevant oaths of office at a brief ceremony held at the bank’s headquarters in Abuja.

Also, the deputy governors nominated by President Bola Tinubu were sworn in and assumed their duties pertaining to the monetary and financial sector policies of the federal government.

The development followed the resignation and suspension of Godwin Emefiele, former CBN governor, and Fola Shonubi, who was appointed temporarily to the position.

The deputies working alongside Shonubi — Aisha Ahmad, Edward Lametek Adamu, and Kingsley Obiora — also resigned.

Commenting briefly on Cardoso’s profile, CBN said: “An Economic and Development Policy Advisor, Financial Sector Leader, former Chairman Citi Nigeria and Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget in Lagos, Cardoso brings over three decades of managerial experience on board.”

Cardoso, according to the bank, is an alumnus of Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom, “where he studied managerial and administrative studies”.

“He also holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, United States of America,” the CBN added.

Cardoso was nominated as CBN’s governor on September 15, 2023.

He was expected to head the apex bank’s monetary policy committee meeting on September 25 and 26, but the CBN postponed the meeting without giving a reason.

The new date has not been communicated.

The Cable

Amina Augie, a supreme court justice, has retired from the bench having reached the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Augie’s retirement further depletes the number of justices at the apex court to 11.

In July, the number of justices at the supreme court was reduced to 12 after the death of Chima Centus Nweze, a member of the bench, as against the maximum requirement of 21.

Speaking at a valedictory session held in her honour on Thursday, Augie decried the workload that the apex court justices have to deal with.

She added that a constitutional amendment is needed to limit the cases that come up to the court.

“One remarkable day, we found ourselves entertaining an appeal in an unusual criminal case,” she said.

“Surprisingly, it was not the accused or convict, who had filed the appeal. It was the state. The case involved an incident of arson where 12 goats were set ablaze. 

“As we grappled with the load of pending judgments and the stack of files awaiting review for our upcoming conference- a sacred ritual in this court- I could not help but voice my astonishment.

“Something must change. This court is the apex court, and its final decisions shape society’s social order. Justices should be able to focus on what truly matters.

“They could issue directives for formulating specific policies or amend existing ones to better serve their intended purposes. 

“But how can they do that when they are drowning in an overwhelming caseload?

“This marks the final instance where my voice will be heard in any court and I wish to use this opportunity to directly address the 10th National Assembly, through distinguished Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who was once my student at the Law School. 

“I had the privilege of teaching him evidence and I trust that he learned well. 

“Hence, it should be evident to him that swift action is needed from the 10th national assembly to accomplish what others could not – amending the Constitution to enhance the functioning of our courts in Nigeria.”

In his speech, Lateef Fagbemi, attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice, said the federal government is committed to improving the welfare and condition of service of judicial officers in the country.

“President Bola Tinubu-led government shall guarantee excellent conditions of service and remunerations good enough to appreciate the onerous duties of judicial officers at all levels,” Fagbemi said.

Earlier in his speech, Olukayode Ariwoola, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), described Augie as “a rare gem and unblemished symbol of humility and piety”.

“Her judgments are not only incisive but equally analytical and rich in content and context,” the CJN said.

“Her robust contributions to the development of our jurisprudence are fascinating and captivating, too.

“Her impeccable attention to detail in every matter that came before her is alluring and salutary as well.”

The Cable

Gunmen broke down doors, shattered windows and abducted 24 female students from hostels of a university in northwestern Zamfara state in the early hours of Friday, witnesses said, in the latest kidnapping to hit the state.

As they marched their victims away, the armed men also took a security guard and 10 construction workers who were sleeping in a makeshift shelter on the premises of Federal University Gusau, local officials said.

"The armed bandits arrived on motorcycles and started shooting sporadically, that's when I woke up. They went to the girls' hostels near the campus, breaking windows and doors and shouting for the students to come out," said student Hussaini Abubakar, who lives in a nearby hostel.

The students were marched through bush paths at the back of the university campus, which is not fenced, said Abubakar.

Armed gangs have plagued the northwest in recent years, kidnapping for ransom, looting and destroying communities and murdering civilians. Security forces' attempts to halt their rampage have met with little success.

Zamfara is one of the hot spot states for kidnapping.

The state governor's spokesperson said 35 people from the university were taken in the first major abduction involving students this year.

Another student, who identified himself as Sodiq Moshood, said he was woken by the sound of gunfire.

"I was very scared and the gunshots lasted several minutes. It was around 3 a.m. (0200 GMT) and there was commotion outside," Sodiq said.

The university is 20 km (outside Zamfara state capital.

Six students had been rescued by security forces, the university spokesperson said.

A long-running Islamist insurgency festers in the northeast, kidnappings for ransom remain rampant in the northwest, gang and separatist violence in the southeast continues to claim lives and dozens have been killed during farmer and herder clashes in the central belt.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Poland says it will no longer supply Ukraine with weapons

The Polish government said on Thursday it will only carry out previously agreed weapons deliveries to Ukraine but has not ruled out deliveries in the future.

The latest comments come on the heels of an announcement by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who said on Wednesday that Poland would no longer send weapons to Kyiv and instead focus on its own defense.

Warsaw has also summoned Kyiv's ambassador amid a growing row over grain exports.

What did the Polish prime minister say?

"We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine, because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons," Morawiecki said.

"Ukraine is defending itself against Russia's brutal attack, and I understand this situation, but we will defend our country," he said.

His comments were made in response to a question from a reporter on whether Warsaw would continue to support Kyiv despite the disagreement over food exports.

Poland to carry out previously agreed deliveries

Poland's state assets minister Jacek Sasin confirmed the halt, but said future deliveries were not out of the question.

"At the moment it is as the prime minister said — in the future, we will see," Sasin told Polish media.

Government spokesperson Piotr Muller said on Thursday that Poland will only carry out previously agreed supplies of arms and ammunition.

He emphasized Poland's role early on in Russia's invasion, and said an international aid hub will continue to operate out of Poland.

"In the first months of the war, when other EU countries discussed support, Poland consistently helped during Russia's invasion," Muller told the Polish press agency.

Polish officials push back against criticism

Polish officials defended the move, saying that Warsaw "already sent Ukraine what it had in stocks" and that Poland was faster than other countries to send aid to Kyiv.

"I understand that there is an ongoing, heated debate but we need to see a bigger picture regarding Polish central role in helping Ukraine resist the Russian invasion," a Polish official told DW in Brussels, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The United States has also sought to allay concerns that the move could lead to splintering among Ukraine's allies.

"At the end of the day we're all human and there are moments of tension and there can be frustration on all sides," a senior US government official told DW.

"That doesn't mean that there's going to be some dramatic shift in alliance unity or even Poland's fundamental position and determination to support Ukraine for as long as it takes," they added.

Poland summons Ukrainian ambassador

Earlier Wednesday, Poland said it summoned Kyiv's ambassador over remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the United Nations General Assembly.

Speaking about grain exports, Zelenskyy said some nations feigned solidarity with Ukraine. Warsaw denounced his comments as "unjustified concerning Poland, which has supported Ukraine since the first days of the war."

Poland has played a key role in arming Ukraine through its unilateral supply of military equipment such as MiG-29s and Leopard tanks and by allowing foreign allies to store and transport arms over the Polish border into Ukraine.

It was the first NATO member to pledge fighter jets to Ukraine in March this year and started to make deliveries in early April. Poland is also host to some one million Ukrainian refugees.

Tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv have intensified in recent days over Poland's ban on Ukrainian grain imports to protect the interests of its farmers.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has shut down Black Sea shipping lanes that were used before the war. Russia agreed to a deal that allowed maritime exports from Ukraine but withdrew in July.

This has resulted in the EU becoming a vital transit route and export destination for Ukrainian grain.

The EU agreed to restrict imports to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia in May, with the aim of protecting farmers in those countries who complained the imports had caused a slump in prices on local markets.

The measures had meant that the products could keep transiting through the five countries but were not sold on their own markets.

However, the European Commission last week said it was ending the import ban, claiming that "the market distortions in the five member states bordering Ukraine have disappeared."

Poland, Hungary and Slovakia immediately said they would not comply, while Ukraine said it would file a complaint with the World Trade Organization.

** Ukraine attacks Russian Black Sea navy HQ in Crimea

At least one Ukrainian missile struck the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea navy in the Crimean port of Sevastopol on Friday, and a major cyberattack interrupted internet services on the peninsula, Russian-installed officials said.

Russia's defence ministry said one serviceman was missing after the attack, revising its earlier statement that the man had been killed. Air defences had downed a total of five missiles, the ministry said.

Ukraine's military confirmed it had attacked the Russian Black Sea fleet's headquarters, but gave few details.

"On September 22 close to 12:00 (0900 GMT) Ukraine's defence forces successfully struck the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea fleet command in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol," it said on the Telegram messaging app.

The Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, reported that emergency services had brought a fire in the building under control.

"But an equally important stage of work is now actively under way - the pouring of water on sections of the building and dismantling damaged structures," he wrote on Telegram.

Razvozhayev said some nearby roads could remain closed during this work. He also said that Sevastopol residents gathered in the streets, singing the Russian national anthem.

"Today showed that nothing can break Sevastopol," he wrote. "And the most beautiful thing about this is that this event was spontaneous."

Razvozhayev had earlier said there were no civilian casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure in his account of the missile strike posted on Telegram.

Ukraine has intensified attacks in the Black Sea and Crimea, which was seized and annexed by Russia in 2014, as Ukrainian forces press on with a nearly four-month-old counteroffensive to regain Russian-occupied territory.

Ukrainian officials have described attacks on Russian military targets in Russian-held territory as legitimate.

Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's Security Council said there were two options for the future of the Russia's Black Sea fleet - voluntary or forced "self-neutralisation".

If it did not choose the voluntary option, it "will be sliced up like a salami," he said on X.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Crimea "will definitely be demilitarized and liberated". Moscow says it will never give up the peninsula.

Russian-installed authorities said air defences downed another missile on Friday near the town of Bakhchysarai.

Separately, Oleg Kryuchkov, an aide to Crimea head Sergei Aksyonov, said internet service providers on the peninsula were under an "unprecedented cyberattack", leading to interruptions in service.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Тwo Leopard tanks destroyed in Ukraine – Russia

Russian forces have destroyed another two German-made Leopard tanks in the Kupyansk region, according to a report issued by Russia’s Defense Ministry on Friday.

It stated that Russia’s “Western” military group had opened fire on Ukrainian forces near the settlements of Artemovka in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic, as well as Sinkovka, Berestovoe and Ivanovka in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region.

The ministry claimed that Kiev’s forces had lost a total of 20 servicemen, two Leopard tanks, and three other vehicles in the attacks.

RT has obtained footage purporting to show the destruction of the German tanks. According to the commander of the brigade that destroyed the tanks and supplied the video, the vehicles were discovered at night and destroyed at 8am using Lancet UAVs.

The Defense Ministry also reported that Russia’s Southern Group of forces repelled four Ukrainian attacks near the settlements of Vodyanoye and Maryinka in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The ministry’s latest report suggested that up to 200 Ukrainian servicemen had been killed and wounded in those attacks, and that two infantry fighting vehicles and three cars were also destroyed.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has reportedly been rejecting some Leopard deliveries from its Western partners. According to German news outlet Der Spiegel, Kiev refused to accept a batch of 10 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks, arguing that they were in need of extensive repair and maintenance work requiring special parts and technical expertise that Kiev simply doesn’t have.

It follows confirmation from Denmark that it was using tanks from museum exhibits to train Ukrainian crews how to operate them.

In February, Berlin vowed to deliver more than 100 Leopard tanks to Kiev in a joint effort with the Netherlands and Denmark. However, according to a Die Welt report in early August, only 10% of the pledged tanks had so far been delivered. 

After Kiev rejected the delivery, the German side reportedly dispatched a team of specialists to Poland, where the tanks were supposed to enter Ukraine. 

After examination, the specialists allegedly concluded that the Leopards were “already quite worn out after the training of the Ukrainian soldiers in Germany and needed repairs.”

** West preparing to ‘dump’ Zelensky – Lukashenko

Washington has given the go-ahead to its partners to “dump” Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky as he has become a nuisance, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko claimed during a government meeting on Friday.

Lukashenko pointed to the ongoing grain dispute between Poland and Ukraine as an example of this new policy, noting that Warsaw had been one of Zelensky’s staunchest supporters but is now sharply critical of its partner.

This shift occurred after Poland, along with Hungary and Slovakia, unilaterally banned the import of Ukrainian grain despite the EU having chosen to lift its bloc-wide embargo. In turn, Kiev filed disputes against the three countries with the World Trade Organization.

“Do you think that Poland is putting pressure on poor Ukraine today for no reason? No, they have been given the go-ahead from overseas: We need to dump this Zelensky, we’re tired of him,” Lukashenko said.

He noted that the US has an upcoming presidential election and suggested that no one will care about Zelensky at that point.

At the same time, US President Joe Biden stressed on Friday that Washington would stick with Zelensky throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict and announced that US-made Abrams tanks would start arriving in Ukraine next week.

Meanwhile, Zelensky, who is on his second wartime visit to Washington, insisted that Kiev’s continued fight against Russia relied on sustained US military assistance and reportedly said that if it doesn’t get the aid, it “will lose the war.”

So far, the Biden administration has spent $115 billion on military and financial aid to Kiev, recently asking for an additional $24 billion to be approved by the end of the month. However, a growing number of lawmakers, predominantly from the Republican Party, have started to oppose the financing of the Zelensky government with US taxpayers’ money.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri stressed on Wednesday that the US should stop endlessly pouring money into Ukraine, especially since Kiev has “nothing to show for it.” The senator was apparently referring to Kiev’s much-touted summer counteroffensive, which has failed to yield any significant territorial gains.

Hawley insisted that the US should not spend “a dime more on Ukraine”and should instead conduct an audit of the billions that have already been provided. He also suggested that Germany and other European allies should “step up to the plate” to aid Kiev.

DW/Reuters/RT