Eid el-Fitr: Sultan Urges Muslims To Look For New Moon Saturday

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has urged the Muslim Ummah in the country to look for the new Moon of Shawwal on Saturday, June 24.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Sultan made the call in a statement signed by the chairman, Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs, Sultanate Council, Sokoto, Prof. Sambo Wali, yesterday.

” This is to inform the Muslim Ummah that Saturday, June 24, which is equivalent to 29th day of Ramadan,1438 AH, shall be the day to look for the new Moon of Shawwal, 1438 AH.

” Muslims are therefore requested to start looking for the new moon of Shawwal, 1438 AH, Saturday.

” They should report its sighting to the nearest District or Village Head, for onward communication to the Sultan,” he said.

The sultan urged the Muslim Ummah to report the sighting of the new moon to the sultanate council on the following numbers:

0803-715-7100, 0706-741-6900, 0806-630-3077, 0806-548-0405, 0803-595-7392, 0803-596-5322 and 0803-614-9767.

Eid-el-Fitr: NSCDC Deploys 40,000 Personnel, Sniffer Dogs Nationwide –Commandant-General

The Commandant-General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abdullahi Muhammadu, has directed that 40,000 personnel be deployed nationwide to provide security during the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.

The spokesperson of NSCDC, Emmanuel Okeh, made the disclosure in a statement made available to newsmen yesterday in Abuja.

He said that in addition to the 40,000 personnel, sniffer dogs and specialised units such as SWAT, Special Force, CBRN, Surveillance Monitoring Team, Ambulances/Rescue Officers would also be deployed to strategic areas.

Muhammadu assured Nigerians that adequate preparation had been made by the Corps to protect critical areas.

Sparqlzzz News.

Early Warnings – Key Risk Indicators

RISK MANAGEMENT WATCH By Robert Mbonu

Can governments make predictions to enable the delivery of social services and projects? Can organisations foresee potential risk events? With the correct early warning signals, the answer to both questions is YES.

A well-designed Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework system provides information that allows management to understand whether key strategic objectives are being met, and to adjust strategies and tactics to take advantage of shifts in the environment that might be exploited for the benefit of the organisation and its stakeholders.

Boards have become increasingly aware of their responsibilities related to effective oversight of management’s execution of enterprise-wide risk management processes. This is due, in part, to significant external pressures that have developed recently thrusting risk management and its oversight to the forefront of many board agendas and action plans. Forward looking governments and organisations now embrace ERM as an enterprise-wide approach to risk oversight.

The idea behind ERM is to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of entity objectives. It boils down to being proactive, that is, pre-empting unfavorable situation(s) from occurring.

As time goes by, the range of uncertainty begins to increase, threatening the successful execution of those strategies. The early warning indicators used to measure the possible changes to a risk are known as Key Risk Indicators (KRI’s). By monitoring changes in the levels of risk exposure, they are critical predictors of unfavorable events that can adversely impact organisations and prevent crises.

KRI’s append themselves to the risk that has been identified, analysed and prioritised. They should be measurable. Such early warning signals tell us more about how the risk can change, how fast it can change and when it might peak or trough. Developing KRI’s require a lot of data and time, but offer rich rewards in terms of helping to predict risk.

The hardest thing about key risk indicators in a business environment is to get them right – this is the “KEY” part of it. That’s why the most important risks to the goal or objective must be picked before setting out what key risk indicators are for that risk.

Mapping key risks to core strategic initiatives puts management in a position to begin identifying the most critical metrics that can serve as leading key risk indicators to help oversee the execution of core strategic initiatives. Such mapping reduces the likelihood that management becomes distracted by other information that may be less relevant to the achievement of enterprise objectives.

Safeguarding an organization from operational, reputational and other risks, necessitates periodic and regular reviews of these KRI’s. All of this is possible through an in-depth understanding of risks which will enable proper identification, establish appropriate risk indicators, and monitor performance consistently.
Developing effective KRI’s mandates a thorough understanding of organisational objectives and risk-related events that might affect the achievement of those objectives.

While most organisations monitor KRI’s that have developed over time, it is essential for these to be regularly evaluated for efficiency and continuously monitored to highlight potential risks. Over time, they must be augmented with new KRI’s to meet the dynamic circumstances as newer risks emerge and the older KRI’s become insufficient.

An effective method for developing KRI’s begins by analysing a risk event that has affected the organisation in the past (or present) and then working backwards to pinpoint intermediate and root cause events that led to the ultimate loss or lost opportunity. The goal is to develop key risk indicators that provide valuable leading indications that risks may be emerging. The closer the KRI is to the ultimate root cause of the risk event, the more likely the KRI will provide management time to proactively take action to respond to the risk event.

As an illustration, let’s assume that management of a company is concerned about the risk that outstanding loans may not be repaid. In this example, a possible loan default would represent the risk event that is of concern. In developing effective KRIs to help management monitor the risk of default, they may look backwards to identify potential intermediate events. For example, this might involve decreases in sales in recent months. Additionally, shortages of cash or increases in the need for short-term borrowings or draws under existing lines-of-credit may provide early warning signs that a breach may be looming in the near term. KRI’s that help monitor these intermediate events put management in a better position to implement potential mitigation strategies, such as earlier discussions with key lenders before an actual covenant breach has occurred. In addition, these key risk indicators may highlight potential opportunities to increase sales or improve operations that management may wish to capture.

Using government as an example, if the deteriorating internal security due to long term economic downtime is the risk event, the KRI’s to help monitor this trend could include – employment outlook for federal government agencies and government supportive businesses; forecasts related to unemployment; rising food price index; and consumer spending trends in the economy to mention few.

Designing and setting up KRI’s is critical to a successful ERM process. While the potential advantages of creating an effective set of KRI’s has been highlighted, it is equally important to set the design elements and protocols for their proper communication and flow within the sphere of corporate governance, all within a framework.

There is more and more movement towards sound and robust KRI systems particularly in the financial services sector driven by regulation. Going beyond regulation for all sectors and investing on sound KRI systems will bring great rewards and confidence in an age when threats are becoming more apparent, regular and severe. Once the KRI system is working for the threats, then the biggest rewards come in using the same systems for opportunities. It’s worth the time and money, after all, we use KRI’s intuitively in our everyday living process.

• Mbonu, FERP, CIRM(UK), HCIB, MsRM (Stern), studied Engineering, is an experienced Banker and Enterprise Risk Management professional. Earned a post graduate degree in Risk Management from New York University Stern School of Business, and is a member of the Institute of Risk Management -UK. Can be reached on 09092092046 (SMS Only); email: rm4riskmgt@gmail.com

Sparqlzzz News.

Northern Senatorial District Ladies Celebrating 2 years of friendship with Cross Rivers State Governor and first Lady

Cordinator of  Northern Senitorial District Ladies Brr. Theressa Mogbor in a meeting with her excellency Dr. Lynda Ayade 

Northern Senatorial District Ladies celebrating 2 years of friendship with the digital governor and his beautiful wife prof. Dr. Mrs. Ben Ayade.

We wish you and your deputy prof. Ivara Isu God's protection and guidance to take Cross River State to the next level.

Happy Democracy Day your Excellency Prof. Ben Ayade and Prof. Ivara Isu

Watch Video Below..

God bless Ayade.. God bless Cross River State.. God bless Nigeria!!!

Sparqlzzz Tv.

The many reasons that people are having less sex

The average sex life appears to be dwindling – and it may reflect some troubling anxieties at the heart of modern society, says Simon Copland. We live in one of the most sexually liberated times of human history. Access to new technologies over the past 40 years, whether it is the contraceptive pill, or dating apps such as Grindr and Tinder, have opened a new world of possibilities. As the sexual revolution of the 1970s matured, societal norms shifted with it, with increasing acceptance of homosexuality, divorce, pre-marital sex, and alternative relationships such as polyamory and swinging.
Despite this, research suggests that we’re actually having less sex now than we have for decades.

In March, American researchers Jean Twenge, Ryne Sherman and Brooke Wells published an article in the Archives of Sexual Behavior showing that  Americans were having sex on average nine fewer times per year  in the early 2010s compared to the late 1990s – a 15% drop from 62 times a year to just 53. The declines were similar across gender, race, region, educational level and work status, with married people reporting the most significant drops. 
While it could be easy to dismiss this as a one-off, or a symptom of the challenges of researching people’s sex lives, this is another point in a growing trend across the world. In 2013,  the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal) found  that British people between ages 16 and 44 had sex just under five times per month. This was a drop from the previous survey, released in 2000, where men were recorded to have sex 6.2 times a month, and women 6.3 times.



In 2014  the Australian National Survey of Sexual Activity showed  that people in heterosexual relationships were having sex on average 1.4 times per week, down from 1.8 times 10 years earlier. The situation is perhaps most severe in Japan,  where recent data has shown  that 46% of women and 25% of men between the ages of 16 and 25 ‘despise’ sexual contact. Why is this happening? While there are many simple conclusions available, BBC Future dug deeper and found a situation that is quite complex. 
Porn blame An easy first conclusion to make is that increased access to technology is to blame. Two technologies are usually targeted: online pornography and social media. With the growth of online pornography, researchers have focused on its addictive potential, with  some trying to label ‘internet sex addiction’ as an official psychiatric disorder. 

As an addiction, it is argued that porn acts as a replacement for real-life sex, limiting our sexual desire in the bedroom. Porn is also blamed for its unrealistic imagery, with researchers arguing this can create symptoms such as  ‘sexual anorexia’, or  ‘porn induced sexual dysfunction’. In 2011,  a survey of 28,000 porn viewers in Italy  found that many engaged in an “excessive” consumption of porn sites. The daily use of porn, researcher Carlo Foresta argued, means that these people became inured to “even the most violent” images. According to this theory, these unrealistic images found in porn make it difficult for men in particular to get aroused when encountering the real thing,  resulting in them becoming ‘hopeless’ in the bedroom. Some researchers have even argued there is a link between porn and marriage rates.  In a study in 2014, researchers Michael Malcolm and George Naufal surveyed 1,500 participants in the United States to analyse how 18 to 35 year-olds used the internet, and what impact this had on their romantic lives. The results, published in the Eastern Economic Journal, found a strong correlation between high levels of internet use and low marriage rates, a factor that was even more significant for men who viewed online pornography on a regular basis. And it’s not just pornography. Social media in particular has been blamed as a distraction, with people obsessing over their screens instead of their sexual lives. 

This is an extension of research  that previously suggested having a TV in a couple’s bedroom significantly reduces sexual activity.  It would make sense that the intrusion of social media devices into all aspects of our lives could have a similar effect. But there are good reasons to question both of these conclusions. Researchers are split on the impact of pornography on our sexual lives,  with many debating the existence of ‘internet sex addiction’ in the first place. Others  have noted the potential for pornography to enhance sexual activity. For example,  in 2015 an article in the journal Sexual Medicine  found that watching at least 40 minutes of porn at least twice a week boosted people’s libido and desire to have sex. This study tested the libido of 280 men measured against their use of pornography. The research found a strong correlation between the amount of time spent viewing porn and the desire to have sex, with those who watched over two hours of porn per week having the highest levels of arousal. These results were noted as well by Twenge, Sherman and Wells in their research, who, despite finding overall drops in sexual activity, found no difference in sexual activity amongst those who frequently watched pornography.





Sparqlzzz News.

The Question of Human Capital By Sonala Olumhense

This week in New York, my daughter, Eseosa, will become the first of my four children to earn a higher degree.  It will be a proud moment for my family, but particularly for me.  

Why?  It is 35 years since I abandoned my quest to earn a Masters degree in Mass Communication at the University of Lagos.  After one full year, I could not justify the quest.

Thirteen of us had overcome a qualifying exam of over 250 people to get into the program.  Upon arrival, I was surprised to find how poorly organized the department was.  In the Print Media sequence in which I was engaged, only two courses were in any way challenging.  

In addition, not only were some lecturers often engaged in fighting, it was difficult to believe that a couple of them were products of a journalism program in the first place.  

For instance, one of those teachers, who claimed to have done graduate studies in the United States, taught the same “class” over and over for an entire semester, something about four categories of Nigerian journalists.  To his weekly three-hour class, in which there were students with many years of professional experience, he often arrived late and left early.  

When he appeared to be running late again for the first class of the second semester, the class resolved to end the charade.  We found him sitting in his office, where it was our surprise he was surprised to hear our mission.  

Didn’t we know, he asked us, that the course was over?  Just like that.  No substance, no concluding test, no grades. 

That was not my idea of graduate school, I told myself, and I didn’t want such a teacher on my conscience or on my resume.  If I wanted a postgraduate degree I could strike my chest about, I thought, I needed to go somewhere else.  

Footnote: a few years later, I learned with great grief that the “four categories” professor had somehow become the Head of Department.  Given the pace with which incompetence and mismanagement had continued to punt afar Nigeria’s better talent while making a temple of sewage dumps, that should not have been surprising.  

This week, Ese will be one of the thousands of Nigerian children in the US laying their hands on undergraduate and graduate degrees, and sometimes, even jobs.  Each year, those of them who were born in the United States have direct access to the opportunities of a strong educational ethos, even if it leaves them swimming in a river of student loans.  

For the others, it is a case of the cow going through the eye of the needle, as they must labor through complicated immigration and financial requirements to get into available academic or professional programmes.  

Given those odds, it is a marvel that so many Nigerian students register in American and other foreign institutions every year.  Some of them are fighting through a variety of doors closed to them at home to knock on others which are at least manned, abroad.  

Next month, for instance, 101 young Nigerians, part of a 1000-strong African contingent, will head to the US to participate in the 2017 Mandela Washington Fellowship program.  Over 22,000 Nigerians had applied.  In 2016, 100 Nigerians were chosen out of 10,000 applicants; and in 2015, 40 out of 7,000.

In comparison, there is an average of 20 from 48 other African countries who will participate in the program, in which 40 universities which will engage them in public management, business and entrepreneurship, civic leadership, and energy.

It is disquieting to consider what might have happened had the US simply asked the Nigerian government to nominate 101 Nigerians in a country in which, almost every time information leaks about government hiring, the process is found to have been manipulated.  

Last month, for instance, the State Security Service (SSS) was unmasked as having gerrymandered its 2016 recruitment to favor the North.  Worse still, more people—51—were scandalously employed from Katsina, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari and of Lawal Daura, the Director-General of the SSS, than from the South-east states combined. 

Nobody apologized.  Nobody voided the appointments.

In March 2016, the Central Bank of Nigeria was similarly exposed for secretly recruiting children and relatives of politically-powerful Nigerians without advertising the positions as required by law.  The beneficiaries included a nephew of President Buhari; a daughter of then Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase; a daughter of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; a son of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu; a daughter of a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’aba, and a son of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Abdulrahman Danbazzau.

Nobody apologized.  Nobody voided the appointments.

Against that background, we may also remember that in 2014, at least 16 people were killed in stampedes for government jobs at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.  Over 500,000 jobless persons, from whom the insensitive government had illegally collected millions of Naira, were invited to contest for fewer than 5,000 positions in open stadia with limited capacity.

Speaking of opportunities, last Sunday President Buhari returned to England to resume the medical vacation he did not complete last March.  While most Nigerians wish him well, the irony is that this continues the tradition of entitlement and lack of transparency for which he had criticized his predecessors, and which continues to deny the Nigerian child equality opportunity.

Apparently, the same tradition extends to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.  It turns out that while Mr. Buhari wrote to the Senate as prescribed by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria about his intention to return to sampling the medical delights of another country, he only wanted Mr. Osinbajo to serve in his absence as Coordinator, rather than as Acting President.  

After it became public knowledge that Mr. Buhari had made a mistake, to put it delicately, another story emerged: that he was guilty only of having failed to read the letter he signed.

That letter, for those who did not see it, comprised two paragraphs of four sentences and 72 words.  The truth is that no excuse is good enough for a political elite which is impermeable to change, unwilling to sacrifice and incapable of leading by a good example.  

This is the ailment that is keeping Nigeria sick in bed.  This is the ailment that is chasing our best away and into the hands and lands of others.  This is the ailment that is keeping our streets overflowing with an army of the unemployed, handcuffing the employed, and making those trained abroad unwilling to return home.  

While Nigeria continues to seek foreign loans, what it needs most is the heart to acknowledge its lavish gift of human capital, and to establish a policy to harness it.

Sparqlzzz News.

Unleashing the Forces of Growth, By Taiwo Odukoya

Our capacity for a greater tomorrow, whether in Nigeria or Africa, is invested in the youth. We cannot afford, therefore, to be impediments to their growth and development, the stifling of their potential, and the flourishing of their creativity. Let us, instead, create the enabling environment and let them loose.

The glory of the young is their strength – Proverbs 20:29

The future of every nation is as strong as the investment it is willing to make in its youth today. It was Kofi Anan who said “Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace. If, however, they are left on society’s margins, all of us will be impoverished.”

In 2013, Senegalese Fatoumata Ba launched Jumia Ivory Coast, an online retail platform supported by Africa Internet Group, with just 10 employees. By 2015, the staff roll had grown to more than 300, making it the fastest growing e-commerce site in Africa, with more than 500,000 visitors buying over 50,000 products. Fatoumata Ba is 29 years old.

At the age of 15, Tanzania’s Patrick E. Ngowi established the Helvetic Group with just $50. A few years later, Helvetic Group became a group of diversified companies with Helvetic Solar Contractors, one of his companies, becoming the first to offer solar solutions in Northern Tanzania. Today his company is worth over $8 million.

In 2014, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji co-founded Andela to find the brightest young people in Africa, train them to be world-class developers, and connect them with employers around the world looking for top technical talent. In 2014, Andela was named by CNN as one of top 10 African startups of 2014. In 2016, the company received $24 million in funding from Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg. Iyinoluwa is just 26.

…many young people across Africa are making strong socio-economic and political contributions without significant support from governments, but many more will flourish if we create the enabling environment.

“In Africa, over 30 percent of the population is between the age of 10 and 24, and will remain so for at least the next 20 years. This burgeoning youth population is a challenge for the region, but it also could be an opportunity – and our greatest asset.” These are the words of Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, the UN Population Fund. And they are true. The stories of young people achieving impressive feats in diverse fields is a pointer to how much we can change the fortunes of Africa if we consciously focus on harnessing the potentials of our young people.

The truth is, many young people across Africa are making strong socio-economic and political contributions without significant support from governments, but many more will flourish if we create the enabling environment. We cannot afford to keep ignoring them lest we continue to push them into the hands of those who channel their energies toward destructive ends. And our nonchalance would be betraying a whole generation.

The greatest mistake we can make is to assume our young people are too young or too ignorant to provide solutions to some of our most pressing problems. In fact studies show that succeeding generations are more intelligent than the previous ones. Joan of Arc was 19 when she inspired the French to wrest freedom from the British. Fidel Castro was 32 when he led a successful campaign against the dictatorship of Batista. Bill Gates was 20 when he co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen. Mark Zuckerberg was 20 when he created Facebook. Yakubu Gowon was 32 when he became Head of State, ended a civil war and laid the foundation for modern Nigeria. Young people have always had and still have the capacity to change the world in significant ways. Today, technology enables them to do so even more. Anywhere you want to see change, make room for the youth. It is the responsibility of governments and the older generation at large to invest in tomorrow by investing in today’s youth. And we can do this in many ways. For example:

1. Skill acquisition. We need to develop strategies and infrastructure that would help young people build the skills needed to thrive in today’s world through training, mentorship and internship programmes. This is not just a task for government, it is a task for the private sector as well, seeing they stand to benefit from a robust pool of highly skilled young people. Private investors must of necessity explore the nexus between educational institutions and the world of work, in order to bridge the prevalent disconnect between what is being taught in tertiary institutions and the realities of the 21st century workplace. Businesses have to step in to highlight the requisite skills educational institutions need to focus on building and to also empower most of our struggling institutions fulfill their mandate. And this is without prejudice to the government’s responsibility to ramp up investment in education and the youth sector.

There must be a clearly defined youth development strategy that cannot be hindered by a change in government or in political ideology. In fact, any ideology that does not support intentional youth development is poised to fail.

2. Access to funds. We also need to invest in helping young entrepreneurs access seed funding, particularly for technology based endeavours. And this must be intentional, strategic and require a sense of urgency that seems to be lacking.

3. Policy continuity. There must be a clearly defined youth development strategy that cannot be hindered by a change in government or in political ideology. In fact, any ideology that does not support intentional youth development is poised to fail.

Our capacity for a greater tomorrow, whether in Nigeria or Africa, is invested in the youth. We cannot afford, therefore, to be impediments to their growth and development, the stifling of their potential, and the flourishing of their creativity. Let us, instead, create the enabling environment and let them loose.

Thunderboltentz.

Life Does Have Its Compensations – Occasionally

At times, it seems as if there is absolutely no justice in this world, and then something wonderful happens making up for almost everything. This past week I was fortunate enough to experience one of those rare jewels of life. 

I must say not all weeks are like this. My weeks usually range from bad to worse to when will this ever stop?

A normal week for me is when I take two steps forward and get run over by a car. Or, just when I think I’m caught up, I discover I’ve been working on last week’s to-do list.

Not that I’m complaining because complaining never gets anywhere in life. At least, no place I want to go.

A man who complains aloud is a man who is not married. Wives have a way of turning their husband’s complaining into “Well, its your own fault.” It’s amazing how this one phrase can cover a multitude of sins.

So, I’m not complaining, I’m just musing on my life and celebrating a great event this week.

I got home on Tuesday and the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage was not there. I made myself a cup of coffee and got comfortable in my easy chair to rest from the labors of the day.

A good cup of Joe goes a long way to smooth the rough edges of any day. No sooner was I settled than the telephone rang. It was my wife.

“Are you home yet?” she said in a very meek and quiet voice. From the tone of her voice, I knew something wasn’t exactly right.

For a moment, I was tempted to answer her question in the negative. But then I do value my life. I knew the question was rhetorical and was not the reason for her calling. Something was up.

“Could you come over to the church right now?” she asked.

I had just settled in my easy chair and was a little reluctant to extricate myself from my comfort zone. I could, but I wondered why she wanted me to come over.

It wasn’t my birthday so I knew it was not a surprise party. It wasn’t our anniversary. And as far as I knew I was not in any trouble, which in itself does not rule out my being in trouble.

“Why,” I queried.

“I just need you to come over here right now, pleeease.”

When my wife says “pleeease,” I know there’s a very good reason for it. Namely, she is in trouble and needs my assistance. Granted, this is a rare occurrence.

“Is there something wrong? Are you all right?” I asked.

“Well,” she hesitated, “I think I locked my keys in the car.”

Life does not get any better than this.

Often this situation has been reversed. I cannot tell how many times when I called home the first thing she says to me is, “Did you run out of gas?” Or, “Did you lock yourself out of your car?”

It’s not so much what she says as how sarcastically she says it.

Out of every 100 calls I make home I would say 95 of them fit into either one of those categories very nicely. It has come to the point where I dread calling home. Then she usually concludes the telephone conversation with, “I can’t see how anybody can run out of gas or lock their keys in the car as often as you do.”

Now the sock was on the other foot. My Beloved, who chides me so often about losing my keys or locking my keys in the car, has now done the same thing herself. Isn’t life great?

“Let me see if I understand this,” I said as sarcastically as I possibly could without bursting into hysterical laughter, “you locked your keys in the car?”

A hushed “yes,” drifted through the phone line.

“Excuse me,” I said rather haughtily, “I didn’t quite hear you.”

The responsive “yes” pierced the telephone and almost knocked me on my seat. “I locked my keys in the car … are you happy?” she snapped.

I was.

Whether it was my imagination or not, somehow I felt her eyes bore into my soul and I knew even though it was her mistake, I was in trouble. This is just the way life is.

However, such trouble is more delicious than two scoops of raisins in every box.

It has been a long time since I have enjoyed an errand as much as I did going over to the church and unlocking my wife’s car door for her.

Being the gentleman I am, I didn’t say anything but I sure did smile a lot. She, being the gracious lady she is, didn’t say anything but glared a lot.

I enjoyed it all.

That evening during supper, and after supper, she was rather quiet. I was sporting a snickering smile all evening.

Finally, she said, “All right, go ahead have your laugh.”

And I did.

As a Christian, I have discovered not every day is what you might call a good day. God has a marvelous way of keeping tabs on all of this.

The verse that brings comfort and encouragement in this area is Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Occasionally, life gives you a moment that compensates for every other moment in your life.

Sparqlzzz

BE SINCERE!! You Came Back From Work & You See Your Wife Doing This To Your Mum, What Would You Do?

You came back from work and then you saw your wife doing this to your mother 

No long story 

BE Sincere – What Would You Do?

Share your Candid opinion by dropping your comment below.

For Me (Stanley) – Make I no lie.. Marriage don finish Oo. before she kill my mama for me.. 

What about you?

Drop your opinions...

Sparqlzzz News. 

Jamaican Violet Brown is the new “oldest living person in the world.”

Violet Brown

THE UNITED States-based Gerontology Research Group is reporting that Jamaican Violet Brown, who was born on March 10, 1900, is the world's oldest woman. This conflicts with unofficial reports of a 134 year-old woman currently living in Nigeria.

Jamaican Violet Brown is the new “oldest living person in the world.” Brown – who is 117 years and 36 days old – came to hold this prestigious title after fellow supercentenarian Emma Morano died yesterday at the aged 117 years and 137 days old. A supercentenarian is a person who has lived to or passed their 110th birthday.

This follows the death on Easter Saturday of Emma Morano, who was born on November 29, 1899 in the Piedmont region of Italy. She was officially the last person born in the 1800s still living.

Brown had told The Gleaner that her long and happy life was due to her living right rather than any special diet.

Emma Morano

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, Brown – who still lives in the same house in where she was born – said: “I live by the grace of God and I am proud of my age.” Brown's son Harold Fairweather shared some of his mother's favorites during the interview. “She likes fish and mutton and sometimes she will have cow foot,” he said. “But she does not eat pork or chicken.” Brown also likes to eat sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, breadfruit and fruits, especially oranges and mangoes.

"Honour your mother and father so your days may be long," said Brown, as she credited her respect for family, life and people in general, as well as a lot of hard work when she was younger for helping her to lead a fruitful life.

"Really and truly, when people ask what me eat and drink to live so long, I say to them that I eat everything, except pork and chicken, and I don't drink rum and dem tings," Brown said.

Fairweather, at 96 years old, is believed to be the oldest person alive with a living parent.

Sparqlzzz News.

STATES AND CULTURES IN NIGERIA: Cross Rivers State -(Akamkpa L.G.A)

Akamkpa Local Government Area

Akamkpa Local Government Area is in the Central Senatorial District and was created in 1976. It has a land mass of 4,300 square kilometres, and is bounded by Odukpani and Akpabuyo Local Government Areas to the west and south, Biase and Yakurr Local government Areas to the north west. Ikom and Etung Local government Areas to the north, and the Republic of Cameroon to the west.

There are ten wards in the local government area, viz.:

1. Akamkpa Urban
2. Uyanga
3. Ikpi
4. Awi
5. Mbarakom
6. Ojuk South
7. Ojuk North
8. Oban
9. Eku
10. Iko

PEOPLE AND LANGUAGE

There are two main ethnic groups in the Local Government Area, the Ejagham and Dusauga Iyong Iyong people, who speak Ejagham and Iyong Iyong languages. English and Efik languages are also widely used for commercial and other social interactions, while Christianity is the predominant religion in the area.

POLITICAL ADMINISTRATION

The Local Government Area comprises 260 villages grouped under 30 clans for political and administrative convenience.

RESOURCES

AGRICULTURAL
With the largest forest area in the state and a very fertile land, watered by many rivers, streams and springs, the people are mostly agrarian. There are a number of agricultural estates in the area. Some of these are:

• Kwa Fall Oil Palm Estate
• Ayip Eku Oil Palm Estate
• Crel Rubber Estate
• Calaro Oil Palm Estates

There is also a vast tract of reserved forest and gmelina and other pulp wood plantation, as well as privately owned rubber, oil palm and cocoa plantations and other forest products that are essential for industrial development of the entire state and country.

MINERALS
Apart from the abundance of granite rocks which has led to the establishment of many quarrying companies on Old Metim and Obung, there are said to abound other solid minerals like limestone kaolin and others yet to be exploited.

Lebuko New-Yam Festival

Akamkpa traditional wedding

INVESTMENT POTENTIALS

Akamkpa Local Government Area offers vast potentials for investment in agro-based industries, tourism, education and research into secondary uses of these products.

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
There are many Secondary Schools, a Science School and a College of Education in the area, but a tertiary Institution is yet to be established.

HEALTH INSTITUTIONS
The Local Government Area is serviced by health centres spread over the entire area, a primary health centre at Oban and a General Hospital at the headquarters, and several private health clinics.

INFRASTRUCTURE
The Local Government Area has several trunk A roads and may access roads linking the various villages are connected to the national (NEPA) grid, while headquarters will soon enjoy good water supply through the state rural water scheme. But the area is yet to enjoy telephone services.

PROJECTS
In the area of development, the council has undertaken a number of projects, some of which have been completed while others are ongoing.

Among the projects are takeover and completion of a block of six offices at St. John's Nursery School, Akamkpa, completion of six classroom block at the Comprehensive Secondary School, Aningeje, and the rehabilitation of St. John's Primary School Assembly Hall, Uyanga.

Contracts were awarded for the construction of four classroom blocks at Ekong Anaku, two sets of 3 classroom blocks each at Technical Comprehensive School, Mbeban, and three classroom blocks at Mbobui.

Apart from enhancing physical structures in the educational sector, it also provided financial assistance to secondary school students by paying their WAEC examination fees, increasing the amount paid as bursary to students in tertiary institutions, assisted financially towards the completion of their projects, and also sponsored indigenous students offering courses in specialised fields of study in tertiary institutions.

In the health sector, the council rehabilitated the equipment in the drug store and the National Immunization cold room to enhance the operation of the National Programme on Immunization.

Funds was provided to the Primary Health Care department, to enable it discharge its responsibilities. It constructed new ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrine at Government School, Akamkpa and Okomita market, and rehabilitated others at Ikot Esai, Iko Ekperem and Uyanga.

The Council also purchased and distributed medical equipment and drugs to health centres in the area, introduced mobile health clinic to complement services in the health centres, and established new health centres at Awi, Ekuri, Njaachang, Ekong Anaku, Neghe and Njaye.

The council has so far rehabilitated 30 boreholes in the ten wards in the Local government Area, reactivated one borehole at the council premises, and drilled one 9 inch diameter borehole, fitted with submersible pump and an overhead tank at the chairman's quarters in the Base Camp.

The council also awarded contract for drilling of four boreholes fitted with hand pumps at Aningeje, mile 29 village, Oban Extension, and Housing Estate, Akamkpa.

In order to ease the problems faced by commuters the council undertook grading of a 15 kilometre road to Okara, 7 kilometre road to Neghe, and the access roads in Akamkpa Urban Akamkpa Nsan.

Culverts were also constructed along Iwuru Akwa-Ibami road, Iko Ekperem Iko Essai road, while bridges were constructed along Okopedi and Efefiom streams in Akwa Ibami road.

To further boost the development of agriculture in the area, the council provided, and prepared 54 hectares of land at Uyanga for the State Pineapple Project. It also took delivery of 7,000 oil palm seedlings from NIFOR, Benin, for raising of palm nursery for distribution to farmers at subsidized rates.

The council is also awaiting the delivery of 10,000 cocoa seedlings from The Cocoa Research Institute, Ibadan. the council has equally serviced its farm machines to facilitate work at the pineapple farm, and also to assist local farmers through hiring services.

To facilitate work and enhance security within and beyond the council premises, the council repaired its 2500KVA generator soon after assumption of office, to provide electricity. It also concluded arrangement to repair the 550 KVA generating plant at Oban.

To boost commercial activities in the area, the council has facilitated the establishment of Akamkpa Community Bank, as well as expansion and rehabilitation of markets in the area.

In its bid to ease transportation problem in the area, the council had taken delivery of three mass transit buses, and 30 NY 150 motorcycles for hire to members of the public. This is in addition to existing council fleet. The council is also in the process of linking the headquarters to the outside world through Long Range Mobile Cellular Phone, the installation of Satellite Television, and the setting up of complete information unit.

In the area of general administration, the council has restructured and furnished the Chairman's, Vice Chairman's the Secretary's and Special Advisers' offices. It has also rehabilitated and finished the Council Hall, the administrative and Treasury blocks to provide conducive working environment for both political office holders and staff.

The council purchased a 504 Bestline Saloon car for the Chairman, refurbished four cars for key functionaries of the council, and also bought a bus for use of the Legislative Council.

The council also established very cordial relationship with staff through prompt payment of salaries and allowances, assistance to needy staff, and continuous staff training programmes.

Priority is also placed on the welfare of the Traditional Rulers through the prompt payment of their allowance and settlement of bills.

His Royal Highness (HRH) Ntufam G. E. O. Itokem I is the Village Head of Oban and Paramount Ruler of Akamkpa Local Government Area. He is by virtue of his position a member of the state Traditional Rulers' Council. 

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