It takes courage to stand up and say when something isn’t right. But all too often, we meet these acts of integrity and accountability with suspicion and resentment.

“People are dying, Scott, you’ve got document after document here telling you why, and you haven’t said one word. I wanna know. . . . How the hell you sleep at night?”
Erin Brockovich (2000)

In the movies, whistleblowers are usually portrayed as courageous individuals willing to brave serious harm to their reputation, livelihood, and even their lives, to speak truth to corruption or other grave misconduct. From All the President’s Men to Erin Brockovich, we romanticize these characters as avatars of integrity. But the harsh truth is that whistleblowers rarely get a Hollywood ending, in part because of the very language we use to describe their actions.

Murray v UBS Securities, LLC

On February 8, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that UBS had to pay around $900,000 to Trevor Murray, a former analyst who claimed he was fired after refusing to yield to pressure to produce “illegal” and “unethical” reports that supported UBS business strategies. Murray complained to his supervisor in December 2011 and January 2012. About a month after that, UBS eliminated his job, which prompted Murray’s lawsuit. His legal victory at the Supreme Court doesn’t just vindicate his experience, but it significantly strengthens the whistleblower protection provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley, which prohibit companies from retaliating against whistleblowers. Thanks to this recent Supreme Court decision, ex-employees in Murray’s position no longer have to prove that their former employers reacted with “retaliatory intent” when they fired them. 

This brings U.S. law more in line with the European Union, which doesn’t just specifically forbid whistleblower retaliation, it goes one step further than Sarbanes-Oxley and requires employers to prove that they didn’tretaliate when letting whistleblowers go. Perhaps it is this evolution in whistleblower protection that prompted powerful U.S. trade groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), Airlines for America, and the American Association of Railroads to line up behind UBS in this matter, claiming that expanded whistleblower protection would inundate employers with meritless claims. 

For anyone familiar with what actually happens to people when they speak up about workplace misconduct, however, the notion that anyone would do it frivolously is simply ridiculous. Indeed, there are state, federal, and international laws prohibiting whistleblower retaliation. But whistleblowers also routinely face ostracization by their peers, lost promotion opportunities, workplace bullying, and more. It may not rise to the level of Japan’s infamous “banishment rooms,” but spiteful employers can, have, and do carry out all kinds of soft retaliation against employees deemed disloyal for having the integrity to raise their hand when something is amiss—instead of acknowledging the reality. An employee raising an issue early is the best way to resolve problems before they become a four-alarm reputational fire.

Four steps to combat workplace retaliation 

This may all sound dire, but there are actions that organizations can take to avoid becoming the next headline and court case.

Develop a formal anti-retaliation policy. This sounds basic, but it all begins here. Does your organization formally prohibit retaliatory behavior? Does it clearly describe how to report suspected retaliation? Is it written in language that all employees can understand? Companies that lead the way in this area establish build meaningful policy language around this, and back that up with properly resourced ethics and compliance departments that work closely with HR to ensure that employees feel empowered to speak up when they see that something is wrong, secure in the knowledge that they will not be overtly or covertly punished for their integrity.Train your managers. Managers are your culture’s linchpin. They’re the tone setters, and those best-positioned to prevent retaliation in their teams. Even at organizations with sophisticated and well-advertised employee hotlines, the reality is that employees usually first raise concerns with their managers before elevating matters. If your people managers are not trained to prevent retaliation, then the gap to allow for retaliation will only widen. According to Ethisphere’s research, the most common topics covered in non-retaliation training for managers include:

The importance of not treating reporters differently (94%)The need to avoid suspensions, terms, or layoffs (90%)The need to avoid potentially retaliatory transfers or changes (88%)Viewing reporting as a positive opportunity to address an issue (83%)Observation to prevent retaliation from co-workers (77%)

Equipping managers well in advance will pay dividends in protecting your organization, your culture, your reporters, and your managers themselves.

Develop a culture of integrity. Many companies that have been found guilty of retaliating against whistleblowers also had formal policies forbidding such behavior. These policies are only as good as the culture they are a part of, and they can’t exist in a vacuum. Culture can be measured and benchmarked, and when you have hard data around how well your culture stacks up against your peers and industry best practices, then you have a sense of just how much your organization means it when it says it won’t retaliate. But when it comes to preventing retaliation, the first and best defense is to encourage speaking up. Reporting isn’t an act of disloyalty. It is an act of integrity.Stop calling it whistleblowing.Depending on where you look, the origins of the term whistleblower either refer to a police officer blowing a whistle to halt traffic, a referee blowing a whistle to stop play, or a train engineer blowing a whistle warning people to get out of the way. Whatever the origin, it all comes down to a kind of necessary evil: a shrill, unwelcome, and potentially hurtful noise that interrupts business as usual. Even when calling out truly criminal and reprehensible behavior, “whistleblowing” is still often equated with cynical tattling. 

When we couch speak-up activity in this way, is it any wonder that it is so misunderstood, and that those who do it often face retaliation for it? Maybe we should call employees with the integrity to call out misconduct upstanders instead. After all, the words we use to describe ourselves matter. And those among us who live up to the expectations of business integrity in the most meaningful way possible deserve to be addressed properly: as model employees.

Erica Salmon Byrne is chief strategy officer and executive chair for Ethisphere.

Fast Company

A son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has attacked his father’s successor, Uba Sani, over his complaint about the loans burden he inheritted from Mr El-Rufai.

Governor Sani said his administration was finding it difficult to pay workers’ salaries because of the repayment of the state’ huge debts.

The governor said the administration inherited $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities from the administration of Mr El-Rufai.

Mr Sani lamented that due to the rise in the exchange rate, the state is now paying back almost triple what was borrowed by the previous administration.

Reaction

In an apparent reaction to Mr Sani’s remark, the son of the former governor, Bello El-Rufai, in a tweet on X said the governor was only trying to cover his administration’s incompetence.

Mr El-Rufai claimed that the governor had “deflected” from his responsibilities and abandoned his duty as governor.

“These guys have realised that they are wholly incompetent and the only way to mask the nonsense is to deflect. From a Governor who is always sleeping in Abuja to a litany of incompetent aides who were only rewarded for foolish political reasons,” he said.https://x.com/BashirElRufai/status/1774112565737500778?s=08

Kaduna’s debt burden

Daily Trust newspaper had reported that Sani made the statement in Kaduna on Saturday while addressing a town hall meeting. The governor said the huge debt burden was eating deep into the state’s federal allocation.

He explained that N7 billion out of the N10 billion federal allocation for the state in March was deducted to service the state’s debt.

The governor lamented that the N3 billion left from the allocation was not enough to pay salaries, as the state’s monthly salary bill stands at N5.2 billion.

However, Mr Sani said despite the debt inherited, his administration has not borrowed “a single kobo” in the last nine months of his government.

“Despite the huge debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities sadly inherited from the previous administration, we remain resolute in steering Kaduna State towards progress and sustainable development.

“We have conducted a thorough assessment of our situation and are sharpening our focus accordingly. It gladdens my heart to inform you that despite the huge inherited debt on the state, to date, we have not borrowed a single kobo,” the governor said.

The governor further said the key priority areas of his government include safety and security, housing, education, healthcare, and support for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

He said his government would also prioritise inclusive development by investing in human capital, stimulating the economy, and providing affordable housing.

Governor Sani at the town hall meeting highlighted some of his administration’s top priorities for 2024 including safety and security, infrastructural development, education development, housing and urban development, social intervention, and investment drive, among others.

PT

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has removed the limits and restrictions on transactions on the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS).

This is contained in a circular dated March 12, signed by Hassan Mahmud, CBN’s director of trade and exchange department.

PAPSS is a cross-border financial market infrastructure enabling payment transactions across Africa, bridging trade challenges in a continent with over 41 known currencies. 

In June 2023, PAPSS signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with five African multinational commercial banking groups such as UBA and Access Bank for seamless cross-border trade payments.

One month later, the apex bank pegged the amount for transactions in PAPSS at $200,000 per quarter by authorised dealer bank (ADB) and $20,000 per quarter for a customer.

However, in the latest circular, the CBN said all limits and restrictions on PAPSS, including the amount to be paid quarterly, have been removed.

“Following the recent liberalization of the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) initiatives to boost foreign exchange inflows, particularly through the facilitation of intra-Africa continental trade, we hereby revise our Circular Ref-TED/FEM/PUB/FPC/01/005 issued on July 25, 2023, on the above subject,” the circular reads.

“Removal of all restrictions and limits on Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), including US$20,000 and US$200,000 quarterly limits per Individual and authorised dealer banks (ADBs), respectively.

“Removal of the restrictions of ‘only’ Trade backed and inwards transactions

“ADBs are allowed to source for FX for settlement of PAPSS transactions through the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market with no recourse to the CBN.

“All export proceeds repatriated under PAPSS shall be subject to certification by the respective processing banks.”

The apex bank also said all documentation requirements stipulated in the foreign exchange manual and extant circulars will continue to apply.

The Cable

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced fees that Nigerians are required to pay to modify the data on their National Identification Number (NIN).

NIMC last weekend disclosed that corrections can be made to name, date of birth, and phone numbers incorrectly registered with their NIN on a newly launched mobile application.

The application and online portal allows visitors to register to use the service.

Thereafter, it requests for visitors’ NIN, last name, and email address before launching the data modification channel.

NIMC did not initially announce a fee for the modification of data until seven days later amid complaints from users about technical glitches on the mobile application.

The commission said different fees for specific self-service options for modification of data – name, age, date of birth, phone number, and email address – on the NIN.

This is not the first time NIMC will list fees for different services that involve modification of data on NIN.

In 2021, NIMC announced that fees between N5,000 and N15,000 had to be paid to rectify incorrect data on NIN database.

The charge, according to NIMC regional coordinator in Alausa, Lagos at the time, Mrs Funmi Opensanwo, varies from correction of details like name, address, card renewal or replacement and date of birth.

“The money we charge is for modification fee,” Opensanwo said on Channels TV in January 2021.

“For the date of birth correction, the processing fee is N15,000. For card renewal or card replacement, there is a processing fee of N5,000.

“For a modification of your name and address, there is a fee of N5,000.”

She noted that the fees “are for services and (things) to be corrected. They are payable to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and not to anybody.”

Modifying data on NIN has been challenging for Nigerians. Hundreds of people besiege NIMC offices in different parts of the country to either register for the NIN or requesting to correct their data.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has mandated banks to compel bank account owners to link their NIN to their banking data or risk having the accounts suspended.

The Guardian

Ships with a second round of aid for Gaza have departed Cyprus as concerns about hunger soar

A three-ship convoy left a port in Cyprus on Saturday with 400 tons of food and other supplies for Gaza as concerns about hunger in the territory soar.

The World Central Kitchen charity said the vessels and a barge carried enough to prepare more than 1 million meals from items like rice, pasta, flour, legumes, canned vegetables and proteins. Also on board were dates, traditionally eaten to break the daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

It was not clear when the ships would reach Gaza. The first ship earlier this month delivered 200 tons of food, water and other aid.

The United Nations and partners have warned that famine could occur in devastated, largely isolated northern Gaza as early as this month. Humanitarian officials say deliveries by sea and air are not enough and that Israel must allow far more aid by road. The top U.N. court has ordered Israel to open more land crossings and take other measures to address the crisis.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s state-run Al Qahera TV said truce negotiations between Israel and Hamas will resume Sunday, citing an unnamed Egyptian security source. The channel has close ties to the country’s intelligence services.

Just one weeklong cease-fire has been achieved in the war that began after Hamas-led militants stormed across southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 others hostage. On Saturday, some Israelis again rallied to show frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and urge him to resign.

Families of hostages vowed to take to the streets across Israel. “Give the negotiations team a wide mandate and tell them, ‘Don’t come home without a deal, bring back our loved ones,’” said Raz Ben Ami, wife of hostage Ohad Ben Ami.

Nearly six months of war has destroyed critical infrastructure in Gaza including hospitals, schools and homes as well as roads, sewage systems and the electrical grid. Over 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million has been displaced, the U.N. and international aid agencies say.

In the coastal tent camp of Muwasi, mothers said they feared young children were losing memories of life before the war. “We tell them to write and draw. They only draw a tank, a missile or planes. We tell them to draw something beautiful, a rose or anything. They do not see these things,” said one mother, Wafaa Abu Samra. Children piled up for turns on a small slide twice the length of their bodies, landing in the sand.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says 32,705 Palestinians have been killed, with 82 bodies taken to hospitals in the past 24 hours. The Health Ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its toll but has said the majority of those killed have been women and children.

Israel says over one-third of the dead are militants, though it has not provided evidence to support that, and it blames Hamas for civilian casualties because the group operates in residential areas.

Israel’s military on Saturday acknowledged shooting dead two Palestinians and wounding a third on Gaza’s beach, responding to a video broadcast earlier this week by Al Jazeera that showed one man falling to the ground after walking in an open area and a bulldozer pushing two bodies into the garbage-strewn sand. The military said troops opened fire after the men allegedly ignored warning shots.

Israel’s military said it continued to strike dozens of targets in Gaza, days after the United Nations Security Council issued its first demand for a cease-fire.

Aid also fell on Gaza. The U.S. military during an airdrop on Friday said it had released over 100,000 pounds of aid that day and almost a million pounds overall, part of a multi-country effort.

The United States also welcomed the formation of a new Palestinian autonomy government, signaling it was accepting a revised Cabinet lineup as a step toward political reform. The Biden administration has called for “revitalizing” the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority in the hope that it can also administer Gaza once the war ends.

The authority is headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who chose U.S.-educated economist Mohammad Mustafa as prime minister this month. But both Israel and Hamas — which drove Abbas’ security forces from Gaza in a 2007 takeover — reject the idea of it administering Gaza. The authority also has little popular support or legitimacy among Palestinians because of its security cooperation with Israel in the West Bank.

More than 400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank or east Jerusalem since Oct. 7, according to local health authorities. Dr. Fawaz Hamad, director of Al-Razi Hospital in Jenin, told local Awda TV that Israeli forces killed a 13-year-old boy in nearby Qabatiya early Saturday. Israel’s military said the incident was under review.

Israel has said that after the war it will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza and partner with Palestinians who are not affiliated with the Palestinian Authority or Hamas. It’s unclear who in Gaza would be willing to take on such a role.

Hamas has warned Palestinians in Gaza against cooperating with Israel to administer the territory, saying anyone who does will be treated as a collaborator, which is understood as a death threat. Hamas calls instead for all Palestinian factions to form a power-sharing government ahead of national elections, which have not taken place in 18 years.

AP

Zelenskiy says without US aid, Ukraine forces will have to retreat

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview published on Friday that if Ukraine does not get promised U.S. military aid blocked by disputes in Congress, its forces will have to retreat "in small steps".

"If there is no U.S. support, it means that we have no air defence, no Patriot missiles, no jammers for electronic warfare, no 155-milimetre artillery rounds," Zelenskiy told the Washington Post.

"It means we will go back, retreat, step by step, in small steps," he said. "We are trying to find some way not to retreat."

Shortages of munitions, he said, meant "you have to do with less. How? Of course, to go back. Make the front line shorter. If it breaks, the Russians could go to the big cities."

Democratic President Joe Biden has urged the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives to endorse the military and financial aid package, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has held up the matter for months, citing domestic priorities.

Zelenskiy told Johnson in a telephone conversation on Thursday that approval of the package was vital.

Russian forces captured the eastern town of Avdiivka last month and have made small gains since, but the front lines have changed little in months.

In his interview, the Ukrainian president said Ukraine was making up for shortages of missiles with home-produced weaponry and air defence systems, "but it is not enough".

More than two years into the war, Russia has intensified attacks on energy and other infrastructure in recent weeks. Ukrainian troops have been unable to advance, and Zelenskiy said Kyiv intended to pursue attacks on targets in Russia, including oil refineries.

He said Washington's reaction to the wave of Ukrainian attacks was "not positive", but Kyiv was using its own drones.

"We used our drones. Nobody can say to us you can't," he told the newspaper. If there is no air defence to protect our energy system and Russians attack it, my question is: Why can't we answer them?" he said.

"Their society has to learn to live without petrol, without diesel, without electricity. When Russia will stop these steps, we will stop."

** Ukraine power firm hit by Russian attacks warns repairs could take 18 months

The head of Ukraine's largest private energy firm, DTEK, said on Saturday that five of its six plants had been damaged or destroyed with 80% of its generating capacity lost after two weeks of Russian attacks and that repairs could take up to 18 months.

Russian missile and drone attacks hit thermal and hydro power plants in central and western Ukraine overnight on Friday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address on Saturday, said Russia was carrying out "vile strikes" designed to cause the "bleeding" of Ukrainian energy.

"America, Europe, our other partners, everyone knows what we need," he said. "Everyone knows how important it is right now to help us protect ourselves from these strikes."

DTEK, which meets about a quarter of the country's needs, has seen its thermal power stations and other facilities repeatedly hit by Russian missiles, drones and artillery in more than two years of war.

DTEK Executive Director Dmytro Sakharuk said in remarks shown on national television that waves of attacks on March 22 and March 29 had hit thermal and hydro production "in almost all regions" and that distribution facilities were destroyed.

"To be specific, five out of six of our stations were severely damaged, some units were destroyed, some were damaged by 50% or more," he said.

"This applies to both the western regions and the central regions, and both the equipment necessary for the production of electricity and for transmission from the station to the grid were damaged," he said.

His company suffered losses amounting to $300 million for equipment alone, he said, while labour costs would require as much as half as much again. "We have determined that 80% of the available generating capacity is not working now," he added.

A senior official at the Centrenergo generating company said the 10-unit Zmiivska thermal plant in northeastern Kharkiv region had been destroyed in the March 22 attacks.

DTEK spent $110 million restoring 10 blocks hit by Russian attacks last year, Sakharuk said, with two-thirds of those now destroyed again.

It will require months of repairs, he said, and in some cases as long as a year and half.

"It takes time to manufacture a turbine or a generator or a transformer, so you need be prepared for the fact that the power will return gradually," he said.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

‘Odessa will fall’, Musk warns Ukraine

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has reiterated his belief that Ukraine’s position is weakening with each passing day of the hostilities, warning that the “real question” is how much territory Kiev will lose and how many lives it will waste before sitting for talks with Moscow.

The entrepreneur claimed in a post on his X platform on Saturday that “any fool could have predicted” that Kiev’s much-touted counteroffensive last year would fail, adding that even if Kiev had followed his recommendation to “entrench and apply all resources to defense,” it would be “tough to hold land that doesn’t have strong natural barriers.”

“It was a tragic waste of life for Ukraine to attack a larger army that had defense in depth, minefields and stronger artillery when Ukraine lacked armor or air superiority!,” Musk wrote.

Kiev has lost over 444,000 troops killed and wounded in two years of hostilities against Moscow, including more than 166,000 during last year’s counteroffensive, according to last month’s estimates from the Russian Defense Ministry. However, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed in February that Kiev’s forces lost only 31,000 soldiers killed since the start of the conflict.

The billionaire went on to argue that “the longer the war goes on, the more territory Russia will gain until they hit the Dnepr, which is tough to overcome.”

However, if the war lasts long enough, Odessa will fall too… Whether Ukraine loses all access to the Black Sea or not is, in my view, the real remaining question. I recommend a negotiated settlement before that happens.

Elon Musk has shifted his position on Ukraine several times since the conflict began in early 2022. He initially supplied Kiev with free Starlink internet terminals and access to the satellite-based network, but declined to activate the service near Crimea for fear that Ukraine would use it to guide drone attacks on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. If this had happened, he explained last year, SpaceX would have been “complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.”

Musk has also used his X account to speak extensively about the trajectory of the conflict. More than a year ago, he proposed that Kiev abandon its claim to Crimea, declare neutrality, and allow the four new Russian regions – Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye – to hold fresh referendums on joining the Russian Federation. This proposal is similar to the terms offered by Russia to Kiev and the Western powers before the conflict began, except Moscow initially called only for autonomy in Donetsk and Lugansk.

Moscow has stressed that it remains open to meaningful talks with Kiev and has blamed the lack of a diplomatic breakthrough on the Ukrainian authorities, who refuse to accept the “reality on the ground.” Ukraine must take into account the fact that its borders have changed drastically since 2022, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday, commenting on Zelensky’s suggestion that a return to 1991 borders was no longer a precondition for negotiations.

Reuters/RT

“I know the arithmetic of the budget and the numbers that I brought to the National Assembly, and I know what numbers came back… Those who are talking about malicious embellishment in the budget; they did not understand the arithmetic and did not refer to the baseline of what I brought,” President Bola Tinubu declared at the State House, upper Friday. And there was ominous quiet on the home front. He was hosting the leadership of the Senate at the breaking of Ramadan fast. Do you remember the fuss generated a couple of weeks ago by the allegation of N3.7 billion budget-padding leveled against the senate by Abdul Ningi? Its most fitting description is the relations between the cattle and the egret. While some Nigerians worry that Tinubu was offering presidential shield to parliamentary fraud, the anecdote of cattle and egret best explains it. It is an Aso Rock cattle and National Assembly egret, both in dalliance for self survival. Hapless Nigerian people had nothing to do with it.

Except on a closer scrutiny, it may be difficult to explain the odd alliance between cattle egret and the cattle. The cattle egret is a famous bird which feeds on ticks and flies. It is a parasite on cattle. Often found taking shelter on their back, feeding fat pecking ticks off their skin, the alliance between these strange fellows is for the sake of self. Egrets get their daily meal by helping the cattle take away their discomfort. They reduce the number of flies on the cattle’s body. The cattle could, in anger, flick their horns or tails to haunt the egret to death for the audacity of climbing their back. The cattle however allow the egret endless stuffing of its guts with their tick irritants. And there is mutual satisfaction. So, when Tinubu said, “Thank you very much… But your integrity is intact,” you would imagine the cattle speaking at an Iftar gathering of cattle egrets.

Tinubu put a final wedge on the controversy last week. With statistics? No. He flung his self-acclaimed knowledge of arithmetic, ostensibly as an accountant. What is the recency of the president’s knowledge of accounting and arithmetic? Comparing his' with, for instance, Seun Onigbinde of BudgIt’s, who statistically confirmed the padding allegation, our president’s may be rusty arithmetic. Not to worry. With that smooth presidential assent, the president, a man of integrity who recently celebrated an iconic 72nd birthday on earth, removed his age-long and highly acclaimed apparel of integrity and wore it on each of the 109 senators. Now that the president has thus pronounced, our Senate now wears angelic, cocaine-white apparel. Onigbinde had said: “TETFUND should not just get an allocation. What are you spending money on? INEC is collecting a huge chunk of funds but there is no public details about what the funds are used for. If you put all these together, that is around N3.5 trillion to N3.7 trillion. So, if Ningi wants to interrogate that there are components of the budget where there are no breakdown, that is very factual.”

Don’t mind Onigbinde. The president’s arithmetic is hippopotamus-sized. The trillions of Naira allegedly padded have received their lost integrity. Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s N90 billion constituency projects inserted into the budget have become angelic. They have shed their quills of fraud and self-centeredness, a la the president. The N500 million Opeyemi Bamidele confirmed “ranking” senators got infused into the budget, totaling N17billion, has removed its sleaze waistcoat feathers. The president, a man of highly burnished morality, is happy. The senate is glad. Nigeria is moving on regardless, even if you insist it is on wobbly legs.

On this Mount, today is however not a day for arithmetic. Not a day for fraud arithmetic. It is a day for birds, singing and drumming birds. While the president flaunts his arithmetic knowledge, let us flaunt biology. The biology of birds. Do you remember what that irritable American ex-president, Donald Trump, once called quid pro quo? In the Nigerian lingo, it is better rendered as, You Rub My Back, I Rub Your Back. It is benefitting the need of one without posing any noticeable risk to the other. When you carry a shameful swarm of ticks and ants on your back like the Tinubu presidency does, you need Akpabio’s cattle egrets to feed fat on them for your peace.

Sorry, I digressed. Rather than peer further light into Tinubu’s vacant, Rub My Back, I Rub Your Back, Paddy Paddy budgetary arithmetic, I elect to veer into society today. The social schism among Nigerian singers and drummers particularly bothers me. Most likely due to my biographical work on a Yoruba Apala music lord, Ayinla Omowura, I have received several calls to do a review of the recent back-and-forth accusations and allegations between Yoruba Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde, also known as KWAM 1 and his erstwhile lead drummer, Kunle Ayanlowo. My work, entitled Ayinla Omowura: Life And Times Of An Apala Legend (2020), dwelled tangentially on the crisis in Omowura’s musical group – between him and his drummers, and his band manager, Bayewumi, who eventually killed him. This recent musical ruckus was shot to the zenith of discourse, especially in the southwestern part of Nigeria, by Ayanlowo. The drummer had complained that in decades of drumming under the Fuji musician, KWAM 1 fed his guts the fattest gains from the organization’s huge takings, leaving him in the cold. The musician debunked the claim. Without drummers, Ayanlowo submitted, musicians are in the cold. This is true.

This is leading me right into a short history of drumming and singing which tear singers and drummers asunder. Àyángalú is known to be the progenitor of drummers, the deity spirit of the drum. It is drummers’ guardian spirit. In one of his SOS calls in the social media against KWAM 1, Ayanlowo brought out a drum as witness to his allegation against his former boss, asking Àyángalú, the twine that solders them together, rather than the Bible or Quran, to judge between them. This is a recognition of the spiritual potency of drums and the abiding spirit of Àyángalú who is often symbolically acknowledged and represented in drums. For instance, out of all the ensemble of drums, the one called Gudugudu, with a pot-like shape, represents the sacred symbol and spirit of Àyángalú. When going out for major performances, an appeasement and invocation of the guardian spirit of Àyángalú is often done. Drummers pour libations, mostly of dry gin alcohol, on their drums, with prayers to the spirit of Àyángalú to wear them like garment.

Music is as old as the Yoruba society. The Yoruba music world is a complete confetti of drum, song, chant and dance. In the Yoruba world of music, drums and musical instruments deployed for melodious rhythms and tones acted as bridge between humans and different deities called Orisa. They constituted the age-long rituals with which society communicated directly with their deities. There is no way the concourse between spirituality and ritual performances can be discussed without the agency of traditional drumming and singing. Drummers and musicians played mediatory roles in meeting the spiritual and the social needs of the communities where they lived. They invoke deities to provide assistance and guidance to their earthly worshippers. Both singing and drumming were thus traditionally perceived as sacrifices to the Orisa. When the deities were sufficiently roused up by enthralling songs, they got thrilled enough to intervene in the people’s individual lives. The mystical and supernatural nature of drums is demonstrated in that, if the hearts of a warring party is as hard as stone, drumbeats tenderize them like flesh. In the heat of fierce battles, a drummer only needs to drum the eulogy of the warriors and an armistice is procured. It was why they followed warriors to the front.

The Àyàn family is reputed to be the family of drummers. Àyàn is the family that produces assorted sorts of Yorùbá drums. To keep the family tree intact, animals are killed by members, their skins tanned for the preparation of drums. They also prepare generations to come for drumming. In the olden days, the Àyàn family went to war with warriors, showering eulogies on the fighters, chanting and invoking their praise poetry. This spurred them into victory. During the wedding of Àyàn daughters, a special memento of a specialized Dùǹdún drum, festooned with tiny bells called Saworoidẹ, is given to them as gift by the Àyàn family.

Before KWAM 1’s Ayanlowo, many Yoruba made fame out of their drumming craft. One of such was Shittu Ọ̀kánjúà, a drummer of the late Atáọjà of Osogbo, Oba Adénlé; Babátúndé Ọlátúnjí. The list also includes Ọba Adetoyese Láoyè, the late Timì of Ẹdẹ, in Osun State who, with his scintillating drumming of the Dùǹdún drum, 

produced the renowned 

signaturetune of the Western Nigeria Broadcasting Station.

By either happenstance, location in history or abiding connection with Ayangalu, forefather of drum ancestry, Ibarapa people of Oyo State constitute the highest number of drummers in history. Ranging from Ramoni Adewole Alao, a.k.a. Oniluola, (said to have migrated to Abeokuta from Idere in Ibarapa Central Local Government) Alhaji Mutiu Jimoh, a.k.a. Mutiu Kekere (Ebenezer Obey’s drummer, who hailed from Idere) to even Ayanlowo, who is a major cast in what has become drummers’ eventual tiff with their musician bosses, the list of Ibarapa drummers who helped traditional musicians to stardom is endless. Other famous musicians who also eventually had issues with their singing bosses were Kamoru Ayansola (Sikiru Ayinde Barrister); Orikanbody Ayanwale, who drummed for Kollington Ayinla; Aromasodun, who also drummed for KWAM 1; Rafiu Ojubanire (Haruna Ishola) and Shittu Shitta Alabi, the drummer of Yesufu Kelani who slumped and died on stage in 1972, drum in his hands. Recall Kelani’s elegy to Alabi entitled “Iku O Mo Olowo” – death is no respecter of wealth.

Drumming was more revered than singing by the deities because it provided links between the supernatural and the physical world. Entertainment came only as a latter function of drums and singing. So, aside being used for communication purpose, mourning, praise-singing, declaration of hostility and sober reflections, each drum and drumming indicate what they communicate. The different drums like Gángan, the talking drum; Ìyá Ilù; Dùndún; Ómèlè; 

Bátà and the Ṣẹ̀kẹ̀rẹ̀ were all totems of different gods, each of which was associated with a drum. Cylindrical drums like Ìgbin, Ìpèsè and Ógidàn bore paternities with individual Orisa, spirit or deity. While the Ìgbin drum has causal link to the snail called Ìgbín by the Yoruba, the deity’s paternity it bore was Ọbàtálá, arch-divinity associated with procreation. Ìpèsè drum was a ritual performance for the deity Ọ̀rúnmìlà and Ogidan drums were solely for the veneration of Ogun, the god of iron. Ìgbin was made with the skin or dermis of the deer called Ìgalà. Till today, in the Èjìgbò area of Ọ̀yọ́ State, the Ìgbìn drum is still the totem of worship of Ọbàtálá during the people’s New Yam Festival. The Bembẹ̀ ̣ drum on its own is peculiarly beaten with hands and not sticks, accompanied by two bells and has as its totem, the worship of the river goddess of Ọ̀ṣun and Ọya. The Àshíkò drum, a cylindrical and tapered drum, made of hardwood and goatskin hide, is also used during festivals. Other drums were Agidigbo, Osán, Sákárà, Gúdú Gúdú, Gbèdu etc.

Drums and drummers maintained their superiority until the late 1960s in Yorubaland. Their hold however began to wane when drums ceased being primarily agencies of ritual spiritual performances. During this time, drummers were kings as virtually everyone not only enjoyed the rhythm they produced but could access the words communicated with their drum sticks. During my research, I spoke with drummers like Adewole Alao, lead drummer to Ayinla Omowura, who told me of how he had acquired quite formidable following before his fans asked him to look for a singer to accompany his drumming rhythms. Adewole thus told me he had to scurry almost the entire Abeokuta city before he found the melodious-voiced Ayinla. They had hardly been together for a decade before fight for superiority tore them apart. Adewole went his way, while Omowura picked another drummer named Adenekan, a.k.a. Yebere, who was principally apprenticed as a barber but who drummed for leisure. Ayinla was together with Yebere until another tiff spiraled among them, which led to the return of Adewole to the musical fold.

In one of his live plays, Omowura, who was killed during a scuffle in 1980, sang a song which will seem to capture the disagreements that occur between musicians, their drummers and even band organizations in general. In the song, he provided the allegory of an imaginary husband who gave his wife money to prepare a bowl of soup. When the soup was ready and a plate of accompanying eba was placed before him, the husband removed his clothes and fled the house. The lyrics goes thus in Yoruba, “K’eyan o f’owo obe si’le o/K’obe wa jina/ k’an gb’eba sí’le, k’o f’ere ge...” He sang the song when Bayewumi, the man who was to later stab him to death, decided to pull out of the band. In the song, Omowura likened Bayewumi’s abrupt pull-out to one who had invested immensely in a cause but when it was time to reap its fruits, amazingly, of his own volition, fled the pot of honey.

When asked what led to the disagreement between him and Omowura, just like in the KWAM 1 and Ayanlowo case, Adewole put it to sharing of proceeds of their musical sweats. In virtually all the scuffles among musicians and their drummers, this has always been the case. In 2019, when I got to Adewole’s house in Abeokuta, I was more than shocked. It was barely habitable for any human being. He had no presentable chairs for guests to sit on. Noticing my discomfort, the old man burst into tears, amid sobbing, “Se bi ile gbajumo se ye ko ri niyi?,” meaning, "Is this how a socialite’s house is supposed to be?"

So, why do drummers always engage in a tango with their singer counterparts? Sometimes in the late 1970s, billed for a recording at the EMI studio in Lagos, Omowura was shocked to discover that all his drummers and backup vocalists suddenly disappeared. The bus that went to their individual homes could not see any of them. It was like the trade dispute of today. They alleged that he was short-circuiting them from the takings of the band. Ibadan drummer, Alamu Tatalo also had a dispute with Amuda Agboluaje, the vocalist he recruited, leading to a bitter rivalry that was never sorted out till both died. So also did Awurebe exponent, Dauda Akanmu Ade-Eyo, a.k.a. Epo Akara who had a bitter feud with his drummer, Lalere.

Why do virtually all drummers live in penury? Why don’t they harvest the fruits of stardom like singers? The truth is that both singing and drumming are beggarly vocations, from time immemorial. This may thus not be unconnected with the poverty-stricken fate that comes their way. Anyway, some of them maintain that the singers are not in the real sense their bosses; that each of the musical ensemble, to which drumming is one, is a critical component that makes the musical medley. When I asked Adewole why he left the Omowura group, he said the Apala lord turned him, the boss, to a servant – “o so oga d’omo ise.” I submit that contemporary crises among musicians are a resurfacing of the ancient rivalry that has always existed between drummers and singers and battle for supremacy between drums and songs. Does standing in the front as lead vocalist make the singer the leader? This was the question that the Jamaican Wailing Wailers, the musical triumvirate of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Neville O'Riley Livingston also confronted in the early 1970s. When Briton Christ Blackwell of Island Records, on a UK tour he organized for the group, announced to the British audience that the group was Bob Marley & The Wailers, rather than a trio among whom rotated lead singing of tracks, the road to the eventual disintegration of the group was already paved.

Illiteracy, the challenged beginning of most drummers and the violence-ridden nature of music, especially traditional music, are the roots of confrontations that often occur between singers and drummers. The way out is insistence on legal agreements and representation by all the parties. This will spell out the terms of their engagement. In this way, frictions will be reduced among these men and women who soothe our souls with melodious music.

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ ~ 1Corinthians 15:56-57.

Introduction:

Happy Resurrection celebrations to all our friends and brethren around the world! May the power of Christ’s resurrection continue to bring renewed hope, love, peace, power and God’s endless blessings to you and yours, in Jesus Name. Amen.

Christ’s resurrection is, unarguably, one of the greatest and most momentous events in human history. It is the key-stone of the arch of our holy faith, and therefore, very central to true Christianity. It is our firm foundation, promising us restoration and eternal life through our Saviour Jesus Christ.

During Easter, we celebrate the almightiness of God, the incredible depth of His redeeming love, the vicarious sacrificesof Jesus Christ and the matchless power of the Holy Spirit that raised Him from the dead. We also rejoice in the matchless hope that is now ours because of the gracious event of the first resurrection morning.

Yes, the story of Jesus’ resurrection is quite familiar to many people; albeit, its profound messages of love, hope and new life in Christ for all of humanity must never lose their resonance.

This victory of Jesus Christ over death is not just a testament to His divine power, but also a promise of new life for all who follow Him in true faith. Through His resurrection, we now have the noble opportunity and the matchless grace to rise above the shadows of despair and hopelessness that life sometimes casts upon us.

The Resurrection Story In Our Difficult World!

Yes indeed, we all occasionally face challenges that leave us feeling trapped and without a ray of coming sunshine. Whether it’s on our career paths, in our life’s assignments, in family life, in health or in whatever looks like a valley of despondency, we all experience times when we need our hopes to brighten up again.

Besides, generally, these are difficult times in the world today! There are wars, rumors of war, political instabilities, as well as stress and distress in many quarters of the world, resulting in general economic downturns, with a large chunk of the populace finding things unpalatable on many fronts.

The sociopolitical life also follows the same pattern, with many people feeling terrible, dissatisfied, depressed and disappointed on many counts. Suffering and struggling to barely survive, they have resigned to eating their bread without butter!

Yes, we might counsel that governments at all levels worldwide should devise more effective ways of reaching the masses with palliative measures and other subsidies at this time, even as well thought out policies are being rolled out to improve the national/global economic outlooks.

No doubt, these may go a long way to rescuing many people from their social quagmires, boosting their morale and making it easier for them to restore some of their lost confidence in the government.

Nevertheless, I dare say that there’s an even better way to live, whereby we can progress in life despite all the economic realities around us. It is by encouraging ourselves to live, walk and operate in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, every day.

On this mode of faith in Christ’s resurrection power, you don’t struggle to survive because the abundant life of God in Christ works in you, for you and through you (John 10:10). You thrive by grace without rigour, and soar to greater heights without flapping.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ brings virtues to the darkest issues of our lives. In His victory over death, we find confidence that no circumstance is beyond supernatural intervention, no lack beyondHis sufficiency, and no social challenge beyond turnaround.

Death, the last enemy of man, has been swallowed up in victory publicly, perfectlyand permanently (Revelation 1:18). Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and thus demonstrated God’s supremacy over death. Consequently, there should be nothing left to fear. This truth should instill confidence in us, and make us fearless, no matter what happens around us.

In this regard, my admonition to all citizens of the earth at this time is that we should allow this resurrection season to revive us, and increase our faith and confidence in God for the emergence of better and greater human communities.

We should place our hope in God, instead of becoming engrossed in thinking of what the government should do for us. God, being our very present help in times of need, will certainly help us as we place our implicit trust in Him.

Friends and brethren, in times of prevalent uncertainty or despair, let us cling to the hope we gleaned through Christ's resurrection. His victory assures us that even amid trials, God is at work to give us joy in the place of our mourning.

The Resurrection of Christ is not just a historical event, but a present reality. When we open our hearts to the power of Hislove, we allow Him to work in us and through us, bringing new life to even the darkest situations of our lives.  

Alleluia! Jesus Christ died for us, and was buried. But, He didn’t stay dead, and the grave couldn’t hold Him captive! He arose on the third day at the first resurrection morning, and He lives on forever more!! Yes indeed, He is alive, even today!

This enduring truth should provoke in us boundless joy as we celebrate the Lord this season and every day! Nevertheless, we must cling to this hope and allow it to fill our hearts with courage and peace, no matter what challenges we face as individuals or in our nations, any day. You won’t miss it, in Jesus name. Happy Resurrection 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

Kingdom Dynamics

Everything happens before it happens. Everything that is happening has already happened. Solomon says:

“That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10).

According to this principle, the same Jesus that was crucified in Jerusalem is: “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8).

The Bible also says the works of Jesus were finished before the creation of the world. “The works were finished from the foundation of the world.” (Hebrews 4:3). But it was on the cross of Calvary that Jesus said: “It is finished.” (John 19:30).

Jesus is God: He does not change. He is: “The same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, He was King, He is King, and He will be King.

Jesus was King even at His birth: “Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:1-2).

When He entered Jerusalem triumphantly on a donkey, Matthew proclaimed the fulfilment of one of the Messianic prophecies:

“All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: ‘Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” (Matthew 21:4-5).

Nevertheless, Jesus is the King that is yet to come. He is the soon-coming King who says: “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” (Revelation 22:12-13). 

So, Jesus is the King that is soon to be King. He is the King of the kingdom that is already here but is soon to come.

 Conflating the Present With the Future

Jesus presents this kingdom dynamic again and again. He says to the Samaritan woman:

“The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24).

The hour is coming and now is. The hour is coming when people will neither worship God on Mount Gerizim nor in Jerusalem. The time is coming when people will neither worship God in Healing Wings Chapel nor Fountain of Life Church. The time is coming when people will only worship God in spirit and truth. That time is coming and it is already here for those who have received the Holy Spirit. 

Resurrection of the Dead

Jesus says: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.” (John 5:24-25).

The time is coming and has now come. The time is coming when Jesus will call the dead in their graves back to life. But Jesus also demonstrates that the time has already come by raising Lazarus back from the dead:

“He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth!’ And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him, and let him go.’” (John 11:43-44).

The time is coming when the dead in sin like Femi Aribisala will hear the voice of Jesus on Airport Road in Lagos and come back to life. This is what happened to me in 1993.

Some will hear Jesus’ voice by a quickening in their spirit. Some will hear His voice from reading the scriptures. Some will hear His voice by being prayed over by a child of God. All who hear His voice will receive newness of life. All who hear His voice will pass from death to life.

And then the time is coming when I will be reunited with my dead old man, T.S.B. Aribisala. I will be reunited with my dead mother, Ronke Aribisala. I will be reunited with my brother Kola Aribisala who died of sickle cell anaemia. I will be reunited with my sister, Yemisi Aribisala, who died prematurely at the age of eighteen. We will be reunited with our dearly departed ones.

Then we will fully realise Jesus’ assertion that: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4).

For God will wipe away every tear from our eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things will have passed away. (Revelation 21:4).

Infallible Proofs

Jesus provided infallible proof of the existence of the kingdom of God. He cast out demons, demonstrating the overthrow of the kingdom of Satan. He raised the dead, signalling the triumph of life over death. He healed the sick, announcing the end of human suffering. He multiplied loaves of bread, pointing to the satisfaction of all physical needs. He stilled the storm, heralding the emergence of peace on earth. And He forgave sins, proclaiming the dawning of righteousness.

He said to His Jewish adversaries who adamantly refused his miracles were done by the power of Satan: “If I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Luke 11:19-20).

He then sent out His disciples as ambassadors of the kingdom of God. He told them:

“Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:5-8).  

“Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” (Luke 10:8-9).

When we preach about the kingdom of God, God validates our preaching with signs and wonders.

Application to Believers

This is how this kingdom dynamic applies to believers who are citizens of the kingdom that is already here but has not yet come. The writer of Hebrews quotes the psalmist:  

“‘What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honour and put everything under his feet.’ In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet, at present, we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because He suffered death so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.” (Hebrews 2:6-9).

Even though believers may not yet see everything subject to us now, we must know that everything has already been subject to us. We must walk by faith in the consciousness of the fact that what will be has already happened.

The future has merged into the present to proclaim a done deal. Therefore, Paul writes in the past tense what is yet to happen in the future:

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” (Romans 8:29-30).

Accordingly, even now, whatever our situation or circumstance, we must be joyful and thankful that:

“God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3-5).

John also acknowledges the merging of our future with our present in the following manner:

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3).

Even though it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, nevertheless, we are children of God NOW.

The time is coming when all our prayers will be answered.

Then we will realise that no prayer is ignored.

The time is now to recognise that God answers all our prayers.

The time is coming and now is when we will realise that every word of God in the scriptures is true:

“The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6).

I’ve written a lot about what makes love, and life, last. Over and over again, those who are in happy relationships or have lived many satisfying years, cite the importance of positivity. 

Harold Terens, 100, and Jeanne Swerlin, 96, are no different. The two SuperAgers, who met three years ago, are getting married in France this June. Though they’ve both experienced loss and grief, they continued to put themselves out there and even in their advanced age were able to find joy in one another. 

“The secret to longevity is to minimize stress,” Terens says. “We have two words that are part of our vocabulary [and] those two words are: ’So what?’ What if it rains today and we were supposed to go out and have a picnic? So what? Tomorrow, it will be nice.”

Swerlin echoes her soon-to-be husband’s positive outlook. “It’s a good life,” she says, “but you’ve got to make it [one].”

The idea of a good attitude being key to a long life always seemed far-fetched to me. What about genetics, or access to good health care? Surely those are better predictors of lifespan. 

But reading their story I will say I’m a bit more convinced that a good attitude is key to love and longevity. If Terens and Swerlin were more jaded, they might not have even made it to the first date, and would have lost out on the chance to find love once again.

CNBC