Presidential Candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has said Nigeria needs political office holders who have identity and authentic credentials.

Obi said this in the United States where there is an ongoing case on President Bola Tinubu’s academic record.

Recall that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who contested the presidential election on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is digging for the academic and personal records of Tinubu, from Chicago State University (CSU).

A court ruled in favour of Atiku, ordering CSU to release Tinubu’s record, but the Nigerian president filed an appeal against this.

Speaking at the Chinua Achebe Symposium at Princeton University, US on Friday, Obi said Nigerians must start working towards a country driven by competence and commitment to fighting corruption.

He submitted that leaders in Africa’s biggest economy must be committed to the rule of law.

“We must have leadership that is committed to the rule of law… that has an identity and credentials that can be verified. We can start thinking of a new Nigeria with competence, and capacity that is committed to fighting corruption. Is it possible to fight corruption? The answer is yes!

“The trouble with Nigeria is self-inflicted. If Achebe was alive, he would have taken back the book. When he wrote it, there was no trouble. Now, there is real trouble in Nigeria. Rascality has become a measure of success in Nigeria. That must change.”

Obi is one of those who filed an appeal at the Supreme Court to challenge the tribunal’s ruling that upheld Tinubu’s victory.

Daily Trust

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

British defense chief wants to send UK troops to Ukraine

In his discussions with the Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, Shapps also reportedly said that Britain’s Navy could play a role in “defending commercial vessels” the Black Sea, according to The Telegraph.

“Britain is a naval nation so we can help and we can advise, particularly since the water is international water,” he said without elaborating what kind of help he offered Zelensky.

The UK military conducted an official operation to train and arm Ukrainian troops since 2015, which has since shifted out of the country. British Royal Marines also conducted several high-risk “discreet operations” in Ukraine last year, according to one general, but officially London never admitted to having any significant presence in the country after the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022. However, several classified US military documents that leaked online earlier this year suggested that some 50 British special operatives were still active in Ukraine.

The open deployment of British military personnel would be yet another escalation, after the UK became the first NATO country to supply Kiev with depleted uranium shells as well as long-range cruise missiles which Ukraine has since repeatedly used in attacks against Russian infrastructure.

Moscow has repeatedly described the conflict in Ukraine as one between Russia and the “entire Western military machine,” while Russian President Vladimir Putin said last year that there are entire military units in Ukraine “under the de-facto command of Western advisers.”

British intelligence experts were also involved in studying ways to blow up Russia’s Crimea Bridge using divers or maritime drones, according to independent news website The Grayzone. Last year’s attack on the bridge was carried out using a truck bomb, rather than the options discussed in the UK analysis, but in July Kiev used two suicide sea drones in a deadly strike that damaged a span of the road and killed two civilians.

Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused UK and US intelligence agencies of helping to coordinate the latest Ukrainian strike on Sevastopol, Crimea, which targeted the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

The newly-appointed Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, has unveiled ongoing discussions about expanding the UK-led training program for Ukrainian troops and potentially relocating British instructors into the country itself, as well as offering Kiev unspecified naval support in the Black Sea.

“I was talking today about eventually getting the training brought closer and actually into Ukraine as well,” Shapps told The Telegraph after a visit to a Salisbury Plain training ground, on Friday.

During his trip to Kiev earlier this week, the new defense chief, who got his post in a government reshuffle a month ago, apparently saw an “opportunity” to “bring more things in country.” Shapps explained he meant “not just training,” but also weapons manufacturing, as he praised the British arms giant BAE Systems for its plans to localize in Ukraine.

“I’m keen to see other British companies do their bit as well by doing the same thing. So I think there will be a move to get more training and production in the country,” he added.

** US Congress passes bill to fund government without aid to Ukraine

The US Congress has approved a bill to extend the funding of the country's government for 45 days (until November 17) without providing aid to Ukraine, according to the vote broadcast on the website of the upper house of the Congress.

The initiative, which includes $16 billion for the elimination of natural disasters in the US, was supported by 88 lawmakers, while nine opposed it. Earlier, the House of Representatives approved the bill.

Lawmakers in the upper chamber of Congress spent several hours debating the initiative approved by the House. Senator Michael Bennet (Democrat from the state of Colorado) delayed its approval, saying that the document lacked a provision to support Ukraine. He demanded a commitment from Senate leaders that lawmakers would pass a separate aid bill for Kiev in the coming days. Before the vote, the Senate's Democratic majority and Republican minority leaders, Chuck Schumer of New York and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said they would seek approval for additional funding for Ukraine. In addition, Bennet told reporters that there would be a joint statement from Senate leaders after the vote.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine shoots down 30 drones over south, centre, officials say

Ukraine's air force shot down 30 out of 40 Iranian-made "Shahed" drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack on central and southern regions, regional and military officials said on Saturday.

The South Military command said that 20 drones were shot down in the central Vinnytsia region and another 10 over the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions in the south.

Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for the southern command, told Ukrainian TV that Russia continued to attack port infrastructure, including on the Danube river, and was also attempting to strike critical infrastructure facilities in other Ukrainian regions "to impact the economy".

Russia has intensified air attacks on Ukrainian grain export infrastructure on the Danube River and in the port of Odesa since July, when Moscow quit a U.N.-brokered deal that allowed safe Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea.

Serhiy Borzov, the Vinnytsia regional governor, said that an infrastructure facility was hit in the region, causing a powerful fire. He gave no other details about the damage.

Regional authorities also said that three people were injured in the southern Kherson region which is close to the frontlines and frequently comes under artillery shelling.

** Ukraine lures Western weapons makers to transform defence industry

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday he wants to turn Ukraine's defence industry into a "large military hub" by partnering with Western weapons manufacturers to increase arms supplies for Kyiv's counteroffensive against Russia.

He was speaking at a forum his government convened with international producers to discuss how to jointly develop industrial capacity to build and repair weapons in Ukraine despite constant Russian bombardment.

"Ukraine is in such a phase of the defence marathon when it is very important, critical to go forward without retreating. Results from the frontline are needed daily," Zelenskiy told executives representing more than 250 Western weapons producers.

"We are interested in localizing production of equipment needed for our defence and each of those advanced defence systems which are used by our soldiers, giving Ukraine the best results at the front today," he told the forum in Kyiv.

Zelenskiy said that air defence and de-mining were his immediate priorities. Ukraine also aims to boost domestic production of missiles, drones and artillery ammunition.

Kyiv began its counteroffensive in early June to try to recapture territories seized by Russia, which still controls about 18% of the Ukrainian territory. Kyiv reported advances in several directions and liberated over a dozen villages, but so far has not managed to retake any major cities.

Ukraine critically depends on Western financial and military support and has had tens of billions of dollars of such help since the start of Russia's invasion in February 2022. But the war created a constantly growing demand for arms and ammunition.

Executives from weapons producers from over 30 countries attended the forum. Some said they were depleting their stocks quickly and had struggled to find supplies to be able to ramp up production to meet Ukrainian demand.

Ukrainian officials see the development of domestic defence production as a boost to the economy, which has shrunk by about a third last year due to the war.

Several leading Western producers like Germany's weapon production giant Rheinmetall and Britain-based BAE Systems have already announced plans to team up with Ukrainian producers.

The Foreign Ministry said Ukrainian producers signed about 20 agreements with foreign partners for joint production, exchange of technology or supply of components to make drones, armoured vehicles and ammunition. It did not identify the companies.

The Ukrainian government plans to create special economic conditions to draw Western investment into the domestic defence sector including a fund to support new technology development.

"It will be a mutually beneficial partnership. I think it is a good time and place to create a large military hub,” Zelenskiy said during a separate meeting with U.S., British, Czech, German, French, Swedish and Turkish weapons producers.

Humour and laughter often serve as a powerful tool in driving home words that may otherwise be difficult to communicate. An example is Nigeria celebrating her 63rd anniversary and yet enmeshed in several dysfunctions that cannot be explained. One of the many popular jokes about the Nigerian crisis available on the streets has attempted to humourize the ailment and drive home the complexity of the Nigerian problem. It goes thus: “There is absolute (turmoil) – economic collapse, political commotion, wars, social dislocation, tsunamis, etc – in the world, and all nations decide to meet God in Heaven to ask for when their great tribulations would come to an end. Every single country that comes before God does so in sublime supplication and with torrents of tears, pleading for knowledge of when its problems would come to an end. The Almighty obliged each country, telling it when all would be well. Some got 10 years, others were promised 25 years, others about 50 years. When Nigeria staggers before the Almighty to ask God for when her problems would be over, God bursts into tears…”

Although an engaging comic, the humour speaks to Odolaye Aremu, late Ilorin, Kwara State Dadakuada musician’s song. Odolaye sang that when a calamity grieves the heart beyond measurable limit, even tears become incapable of articulating the tragedy, precipitating the need to employ laughter as well. “Oro t’o ba j’ekun lo, erin laa fi rin”, Odolaye sang. Perhaps, God later laughed? He had endowed Nigeria with too much potentials to warrant her getting this stuck in the mud.

Today marks Nigeria’s 63rd Independence Day celebration. In the midst of all diseases that ail Nigeria, apart from the need for gratitude to God by her citizens over their individual existence, there is hardly any cause for cheer. When a situation appears hopeless, the babalawo’s words become poignant in his bid to articulate the sorrowful climate. He says birds have refused to chirp as they are wont to, and rats have lost their squeaks. This equation appears to be Nigeria’s. Nigerians are agreed that today, there is no reason for celebrations.

If anyone ever doubts that there is a synchrony between living and non-living things, dead and the living and that life can be better lived if we take lessons and messages from situations around us, Late Alagba Adebayo Faleti reinforced this binary. In Saworoide, Mainframe International’s satiric movie, a critique of bad leadership that has become a pestilence in Africa, Faleti played the role of an elderly palace staff called Baba Opalanba. Opalanba is a Yoruba name for broken bottle. Anyone who ever once mistakenly stepped on smithereens would remember the discomfiture and pain shards inflict. A knowledgeable and respected thespian and broadcaster steeped in, and a repository of Yoruba culture and tradition, Faleti’s role in this movie was that of a sage. His lacerating words, delivered through music, chastised evil and evil doers. Opalanba demonstrated that music can be used to straighten the curves of bad leadership. Pretending to be asleep while chiefs gathered to hatch details of their evil plots, Opalanba deployed his sagely musical lines to chaperone them off their path of destruction. He warned that birds that perch on rooftops don’t do so merely to rest their aching legs but to gather information. He expressed this as, “Oro l’eye ngbo, eye o dede ba l’orule o, oro l’eye ngbo o”.

Nigeria must be one of the most researched countries in the world. Scholars have dissected her stunted growth from all prisms. At inception, the country held huge promises for the Blackman all over the globe. Three months into Nigeria’s independence in 1960, in its December 5, 1960 edition, the Time magazine, super-excited about her prospects, had written, “In the long run, the most important and enduring face of Africa might well prove to be that presented by Nigeria,” while adding that Nigeria was a “sober voice urging the steady, cautious way to prosperity and national greatness.” On the front page of that Time edition, the picture of Queens English-speaking Tafawa Balewa, Nigeria’s Prime Minister, adorning his native babariga 

announced to the rest of the world that the Blackman had arrived the global scene. Gradually, like the destructive cells of cancer, Nigeria began to destroy every of those potentials.

Since the destruction started to manifest, from military rule to civilian dictatorship, different theses have been propounded on what led to the quashing of such massive investments of hopes. Not only has Nigeria proved to be a total letdown to the rest of the black world, she has been a major letdown to her citizens themselves.

So many descriptions have been coined to express the colossal letdown that Nigeria is. My teacher at the University of Ibadan, Eghosa Osaghae, labeled the Nigerian fall as that of a crippled giant. Karl Maier, American-born ex-African correspondent for the London-based newspaper, Independent, in a locus classicus biography of Nigeria’s rot, said it was a house (that had) fallen, even remarking that, “(w)ith the benefit of hindsight, it is clear that such optimism (the like of Time magazine’s) was naïve” and that, in retrospect, Nigeria was “the bastard child of imperialism.” To the duo of Nigerian scholars, Wale Adebanwi and Ebenezer Obadare, “Nigeria is the predicted ‘giant’ that has become a disappointing, even aggravating Lilliput.”

In the case of Nigerian rapper, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, professionally known as MohBad, and his fatherland, there may be a synchrony, some kind of Faleti’s bird that perches on the rooftop to gather information that will serve to reinforce its essence. A few weeks to today’s Nigerian independence anniversary, specifically on September 12, 2023, hitherto sparsely-known Mohbad suddenly died, aged 27. At death, MohBad seized the klieg like a pestilence, calling global attention to the life he lived, the state of Nigerian music and the ordinariness of death in Nigeria. Apart from being a rapper, he was a singer, songwriter and formerly signed to Naira Marley’s Marlian Records. His hits that have since shot him to top ranking dancehall charts are Ponmo, Peace, Beast and Peace, Sorry, Feel Good and KPK (Ko Po Ke).

Mohbad’s convoluted death has evoked all manner of theories on what exactly could have led to his untimely departure. From suspicion of his having been poisoned, gas-lighted to his grave or probably remote-controlled to his death through native talisman, the likelihood of resolution of the cause of Mohbad’s death, even after the release of an autopsy report carried out on his exhumed body, may be slim. However, at death, Mohbad’s hidden glory became manifest. By September 15, three days after his sudden death, his Beast & Peace, which was the opening track of his Blessed album, oscillated at Number Four and his Feel Good track flicked at Number Five of global music ranking. In the same vein, between September 12 and 14, a space of two days post-death, his streams peaked at 702%, from 990,000 to 8.02 million. During the week of September 2023, 

Peace, one of his tracks, debuted on Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart, occupying its prestigious Number Two. Equally, on September 18, 2023, Blessed 

peaked at Number Four, and Light hit its first on the chart entry, becoming Number 20 on the Nigerian Official Top 50 Albums chart. On September 21, streams of Blessed 

catapulted to the top by over 530%, while on September 23, Mohbad rose to become the 46th best-selling digital artist, sidestepping recognized international artists like Nicki Minaj, Eminem, 21 Savage, Lady Gaga and Chris Brown.

Though not as beloved alive as in death, the rash attempt to beatify Mohbad, both as a brand and due to the tragic circumstances of his death, has made apportioning him blame for his own death very unpopular. The truth however is that drug addiction among Nigerian youths and specifically, among musicians, played a major role in the circumstances of his early passage. From testimonies about his life, it was obvious that Mohbad got trapped in the puddle of that destructive belief that drug consumption was an enabler of musical inspiration.

Drug consumption has, from time immemorial, been the bane of music and musicians. It is an affliction that didn’t just start today; it has dragged many notable musicians down the sepulcher, in their scores. Even outside the shores of Nigeria, there exists this subsisting but notorious notion that drug consumption contributes highly to artistic inspiration. While scientific studies locate a liaison between these two, no study has been able to strictly confine inspiration strictly to drug consumption. In other words, there have been artists who got to the topmost height of their careers but who did so while maintaining wide social distancing from drugs. What this means is that, yes drugs can be enhancer of inspiration, other less-dangerous pastimes can evoke even higher inspirations as well. You could count artistes, in remarkable number, who never had any consonance with drugs.

In my book, Ayinla Omowura: Life and Times of an Apala Legend (2020), I drew on a canvas the tragic life of Ayinla, an equally highly talented Yoruba musician whose life was cut short in his prime in 1980. While drug consumption, which he was notorious for, couldn’t be strictly isolated as the cause of his death, it was obvious that if Ayinla had escaped the bar-room violence that eventually took his life, another death lurked in the backyard for him in his addiction to drugs. Many of today’s musicians are enmeshed in a binge of drugs consumption. A couple of years ago, the name of hip-hop singer, Davido, was identified in a messy puddle of group drugs allegation, when some of his friends were caught with the substance, a pastime that claimed the lives of some of them. For this gang in the musical and showbiz world, it is almost an anathema not to be involved in the culture of drugs, which I once dubbed “the water bottle culture.” This has proved to be the graveyard of many in this category.
Whenever the issue is about drug addiction, one musical star close to my heart, which dimmed unceremoniously and whose fatal life I always cite, is Brenda Fassie. A highly talented South African singer, who was so talented that the great Nelson Mandela was not only fascinated by her song and danced with her on the dancehall, Madiba and million others, including me, were her fans. Born on November 3, 1964 in Langa, Cape Town, Brenda was a wonder to watch. Her album, Memeza (Shout), which was released in 1997, is rated as the top of her musical success. It went platinum on the first day of its release. After Yvonne Chaka Chaka, arguably, no musician from that country possessed Brenda’s waltz and voice. She also made a huge contribution to Miriam Makeba’s famous hit, Sangoma, as well as Harry Belafonte’s anti-apartheid song, Paradise in Gazankulu. She was once voted 17th in the Top 100 Great South Africans. Unfortunately, Brenda was a suicidal drug addict and addictively wedged to lesbianism.

Brenda was not only talented but possessed the tantrums of divas, so much that the Time 

magazine dubbed her the Madonna of the Townships. The world, however, began to notice hiccups in her life when her weird passion spilled into the limelight in 1995. Brenda was found in a hotel room with the remains of her lesbian partner, who passed on during an orgy. She had died of an apparent drug overdose. Brenda herself must have gone in and out of a rehab for about 30 times and on one occasion, sure she had overcome drugs, screamed, “I’m going to become the Pope next year. Nothing is impossible!” A few years after, Brenda reportedly collapsed in her brother’s arms, flung her last cocaine straw on the kitchen floor of her home in Buccleuch, fell into coma and died on May 9, 2004, shortly after suffering from a brain damage. Postmortem report even claimed she was HIV-positive.

Today, hundreds of musicians and emerging stars, especially in Nigeria, are trapped in waltz of drugs. Their excuse is that it is a performance-enhancer. They however fail to come to terms with two facts: one, that you could perform resplendently without drugs and second, drugs could cut your life short at the cusp of stardom.

While hopefully, autopsy should tell us what actually killed Mohbad, the fact that this talented artist stomached innate, bountiful glory in him for 27 years of his earthly existence, while glorying in peripheral stardom, is an area of interest to me. At 63, scholars, spiritualists, international agencies, comity of nations, etc. who speak disappointingly of Nigeria’s Mohbadglory, even as she is bedeviled by underdevelopment and bad governance, have not ceased to marvel.

In the same way as what led to Mohbad’s death and his stunted glory while alive has been a subject of intense debate, in the last 63 years, no conclusion has been reached on what actually led to Nigeria’s stunted growth. For instance, scholars who sought to unlock the secret of the Nigerian crisis, like famous writer, Chinua Achebe, in his The Trouble With Nigeria, have submitted that leadership is at the cusp of the crisis. Osaghae, in Crippled Giant, follows this same conversation. So also did Wole Soyinka, who, while conducting a postmortem on General Sani Abacha, reckoned that Nigerian leaders have “no idea of Nigeria (and) no notion of Nigeria.” Some others even said that Nigeria was such a queer contraption that “it is within disorder or adversity that many social actors in Nigeria have derived profit or advantage.”

Some other scholars locate the Nigerian stunted glory in what they called the “resource curse” thesis, in that the oil find in Nigeria ruined her growth. This thesis is padded by a joke which allegedly transpired in the 1950s between the Nigerian economic minister and the Prime Minister. The minister had told the PM, “I have some good and bad news for you” and the PM asked for the good news first. When told that Nigeria had just discovered a large swathe of petroleum buried deep in the bowel of her soil, excited at the immeasurable possibilities for growth of the find, the PM then asked for the bad news. He was told that, “The bad news is that we have just discovered vast reserves of petroleum!”

To some others, Nigeria’s Mohbad-like stunted glory is due to the fact that blood was not shed in the struggle for her independence, as was done in South Africa and some Southern African countries. I disagree with this thesis because our forefathers indeed sacrificed their lives in the cause of the 1960 independence. Yet, some said that the quality of the led is Nigeria’s problem. This appears very profound because the havoc which followers have wrecked since independence is indeed colossal. To some, it is a sustained history of corruption in Nigeria that has made us a Mohbad.

I tend to agree with those who concluded that Nigeria’s major problem is leadership. We thought 2023 would give us what has clearly posed a stumbling block to our growth. The last four months have been very opaque and do not speak to any hope in the horizon. We still need to continue to search for that leadership. French historian, Fernand Braudel, has argued that “any nation can have its being only at the price of forever being in search of itself.” Unfortunately, Nigeria hasn’t begun or is hypocritical about the search. Leadership makes a huge difference in the life of a people. A comparison is often made about a Nigeria that seems to be free of natural disasters like cyclone, earthquakes, hurricanes and tremors which afflict other countries at the drop of a hat. When such disasters happen in those countries, leadership comes to their rescue. Nigeria, on the reverse, seems to be afflicted by a more tumultuous and deadlier disaster – leadership.

Yet, many others have predicted that it is only when Nigeria dies, like Mohbad, that her glory can materialize. It is then that all her trapped glorious stars (nations) will reach for their utmost heights. This is after she may have been granted opportunity to breathe as independent entities.

Good night, Mohbad.

For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed ~ Isaiah 50:7.

Introduction:

Focus is very important in anything you do. It is a major key to progress, and a quintessential elevator to higher performances in life. Those who focus on what they want to achieve, prosper; those that don't, struggle all through life.

Lack of focus is the main problem that stalls many people in their journeys in life. Those who have lost focus rarely arrive at their desired destinations. If they ever do, it won’t be on time and it’s most unlikely that they will arrive in top shape because they would have expended so much energy and resources on managing distractions.

Once your goals in life are well defined and your perspectives are right, being focused is the next priority thing you must do to become unstoppable. Hence, the world's most successful people take the subject of focus seriously (Joshua 24:14-15).

Nevertheless, there are many things the devil easily flings to occasion distractions, and make people lose focus. Two of his most subtle implements of distractions are mockery and discouragement, which may sometimes come from close friends and acquaintances.

Whenever insults and mockery come, ignore them and channel your energy towards more profitable ventures (Isaiah 51:7). Winston Churchill said: “You will never reach your destination if you stop to throw stones at every dog that barks”.

Oftentimes, when a man is on a destiny-transforming journey, or an organization is engaged in projects that could produce major breakthroughs, the enemy strikes with subtle distractions through naysayers who could skillfully trade in unkind words and discouragement.

When the Jews wanted to rebuild the broken wall of Jerusalem, Sanballat, Tobiah, with the support of the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites emerged to distract them from the noble task by making jest of them.

Fortunately, Nehemiah, their leader refused to give attention to those mockers. He rather took the matter to God in prayers, and made the people focus on the task before them, and the wall was built (Nehemiah 4:1-23).

If you can only keep yourself busy with your assignments, the distractions won't even get to you, let alone get you down. Remember Paul (Philippians 3:12-14).

Harnessing the Incredible Power of Focus

There are many common pressures that every working-class believer faces: time pressure, financial pressure, work-life balance, etcetera. However, it generally takes grace, plus maturity and a good grasp of royal ideas to master and scale over them.

Firstly, those who are looking forward to developing excellence in their lives and in their walks with God must intentionally promote and adopt godly habits as a lifestyle.

Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do”. Your habits today determine the quality of your future. You must choose to eliminate bad habits and replace them with godly ones. Yes, this may take some time, but building goodly habits is ever crucial to an excellent life.

Secondly, the types of relationship that surround you matter. Positive relationships can have upward spiral effects, effusing success; while toxic relationships are spiritually, mentally and emotionally draining. Please, choose your friends carefully.

Thirdly, being intentional in your day-to-day actions is important in helping you achieve your life’s goals. Procrastination is usually a symptom of loss of enthusiasm, faith, courage, energy, confidence or passion. It is also an unmistakable label of laziness.

Be decisively focused on what matters to your destiny now and hereafter. “Tomorrow” is the name of the road that leads to the city called “Never”. Undoubtedly, procrastination is a stealthy enemy of destiny.

Give serious attention to your heavenly calling. Develop and deploy your natural endowments and capabilities. Cultivate and invest your energy and corporate strength, wisely.

Most importantly, focus on Jesus Christ, and insist on leading a balanced Christian life, habitually. Focus on Him without ignoring other areas of spiritual importance, like your family life and your career.

Stop running helter-skelter, or looking hither and thither, if you don’t want to be overwhelmed with human disappointments. The face of God is the sure cure of shame (Psalms 34:5). When you seek God’s face, His Hand will deliver you.

He fed three million people for forty years in the wilderness without any hitch. Certainly, you can’t have any debilitating need when you look up unto Jesus Christ, the Owner of all things (Hebrews 12:2).

Focusing for Decisive Victory

You are a victor and not a victim! No matter what you have been through, you're still here on the platform of victory. You may have been challenged, hurt, beaten and betrayed, but nothing has defeated you. Your victory is ever secured in Christ Jesus!

However, once you lose your spiritual sight, you cannot follow Jesus Christ on His pathway of blessings and victory (Mark 10:52). That’s why Satan wages a continuous battle against focus, and sets to vengefully attack the believers, particularly at decisive moments in their lives. 

Immediately Saul became King, Nahash thought it was the best time to attack Israel, setting a very ridiculous condition for peace: “Your right eyes or else!” (1 Samuel 11:1-11).

Why the right eyes? Surrendering the “right eye” is a dreadful recipe for defeat and servitude. In those days, warriors used their right eyes for military advantages: to accurately sight the enemy without getting too close, aiming and shooting without missing. So, Nahash wanted them to surrender the right eyes so as to make them helpless against his naked aggression.

In today’s world, the enemy still constantly looks for the "right eyes" of people to pluck out, spiritually speaking, so they won’t be able to discern it when he launches his wicked attacks against them from the pit of hell, nor even sense the gracious move of God around them (Job 9:11)!

Believers should be sensitive concerning things of the Spirit, and be prepared to strike accurately against the hordes of darkness (Joshua 22:31; 2Kings 4:9). However, once a believer loses his focus, his vision becomes blurred, fuzzy, meaningless and downright confusing.

The serious consequences of this is that he cannot “see” the enemy diverting his blessings into satanic warehouses, while he is left wondering why so many of God’s promises are not being fulfilled in his life (Proverbs 29:18). 

Friends and brethren, whenever you notice you’re no longer sensitive to what’s going on in the spirit realm, immediately declare a spiritual state of emergency, and rise up at once in prayers to disrupt, disappoint and dismantle the plans of the enemy (Job 5:12).

Let’s heed this red alert! The new faces of the invisible satanic aggressors today are ignorance, lukewarmness, lassitude, self-deceit, nonchalance, casual sin, prayerlessness, disloyalty, disobedience, pleasure seeking tendencies etc.

Dismantle them in your life outrightly! The “walls” of your defense will become strong again and, sooner than later, you will begin to reap the rewards of success, and enjoy evergreen victories without sapping your health and happiness. You won’t miss these, in Jesus name. Amen. Happy Sunday!

____________________

Bishop Taiwo Akinola,

Rhema Christian Church,

Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Connect with Bishop Akinola via these channels:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bishopakinola

SMS/WhatsApp: +234 802 318 4987

A third of trans children treated with puberty blockers had their mental health deteriorate while on the medication, a new analysis of a landmark study reveals.  

The original study found that 44 children, aged 12 to 15, who took the controversial drugs experienced no change — good or bad — to their mental health. 

This report, produced by experts from the NHS's Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at Tavistock and University College LondonHospitals (UCLH) in 2021 eventually led to a lowering of the age children could access puberty blockers. 

But a fresh analysis of the data used in the report found 34 per cent of the gender-questioning youth saw their mental health deteriorate while using the drugs.

This compared to 29 per cent who had their mental health improve and 37 per cent who experienced no change.

The reason for the difference in results is the original study looked at the overall average of participants' mental wellbeing over a 12-month period.  

This resulted in patients whose mental health deteriorated and improved essentially cancelling each other out, producing the overall no change finding.

The re-analysis instead tracked individual patient scores to produce its results and showed greater variation among participants taking the medication.

According to the authors, this method allowed a finer sense of how individual patients were faring in a study and is approach that should be adopted in the future. 

'It is possible, using this approach, to look at patterns, such as who is benefitting and who is not,' they wrote. 

'We recommend that these approaches be incorporated into new gender dysphoria services being established in the UK as well as new research studies being designed.'

Like the original study, the new analysis is limited.

It concerns an overall small group of participants for which there was no control group, a cohort of children not taking puberty blockers.

As such, while children's mental health could change while on puberty blockers, it cannot be proven this due to the medication and not other external factors. 

The new analysis, which was uploaded to the preprint service for health studies medRxiv, has yet to be peer reviewed.

Puberty blockers are a controversial medication used in treatment of trans children to stop the physical changes of puberty like breast development or facial hair. 

They are given under strict criteria for children with gender dysphoria, a condition where they suffer unease or distress from their gender identity not matching their biological sex.

Feelings of gender dysphoria can become heightened during puberty as the body undergoes changes in tune with the person's biological sex.

Puberty blockers are also the pathway for teenagers to eventually be given opposite sex hormones to change their bodies to fit their gender identity. 

The NHS acknowledges that little is known about the long-term effects of puberty blockers on children. 

Although the physical effects of pausing puberty can be reversed if medication is stopped, the psychological effects are still unknown.

There is also some concern about the potential impact of puberty blockers on the development of the teenage brain and children's bones. 

In June, NHS England announced that puberty blockers will now only be given to adolescent gender dysphoria sufferers as part of clinical research.

The announcement was made as part of the health service's new gender incongruence service for children and young people, which will replace the clinic at Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.

Tavistock was heavily criticised in an interim review carried out by paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass in July last year, which called its model 'unsustainable'.

The clinic has been accused of rushing children onto puberty blocking drugs by former patients who feel they weren't challenged enough. 

Dr Cass has called for 'rapid' research on the use of the drugs after she found 'insufficient evidence' on their benefits. 

Tavistock is due to close in May 2024, to be replaced by two regional hubs in the north and south of the country. 

The Cass review was commissioned by NHS England in 2020 amid concerns there was 'scarce and inconclusive evidence to support clinical decision making'.  

There have also been concerns about the sharp rise in referrals to GIDS. 

More than 5,000 referrals have been made in recent years, compared to just a few hundred a decade ago. 

On the new analysis a Tavistock and Portman Trust spokesperson said: 'We are grateful to all of the clinicians and academics who have contributed to this study over the years, and we welcome new peer-reviewed analyses of the evidence around how to support these young people.

'The analysis plan for the original study was independently produced by experts in medical statistics, and the underlying data was published so that other researchers might conduct further analyses.'

While the Cass Review has put out an interim report to the NHS a final version is expected by the end of this year.

A spokesperson told MailOnline the new analysis would taken into account in its final recommendations.  

MailOnline

Have you ever talked to someone who, every time you shared something, would twisted the interaction around to make it all about them?

You may have encountered a "conversational narcissist."

The term, coined by sociologist Charles Derber, describes a person who often dominates the conversation, with little regard for the viewpoints of others.  

Hogging a conversation could reflect inflated self-esteem or even deep-rooted insecurities, and it can be draining to be on the other end.

Don't miss: If you answer these 10 questions correctly, you have higher emotional intelligence than most people

As a Harvard-trained behavioral scientist, here's exactly how I spot — and respond to — a highly narcissistic person:

1. They don't ask you questions.

You ask someone a question and they happily dive into a monologue about all that's happening in their life. When they're finished, rather than reciprocating, they move on to a new topic.

How to respond: Gently steer the conversation back to a more balanced dialogue. Use a technique called "conversational threading" to pick up on keywords or topics that they mentioned and incorporate them into your response.

For example, "That sounds like an action-packed weekend. Mine was similar …" This creates a natural segue for you to re-enter the conversation.

2. They're oblivious to their excessive chattiness.

You're talking to someone who is so passionate about what they're speaking about that they seldom pause to gauge your reactions. You end up feeling like a convenient audience member for their latest monologue.

How to respond: Use tactful lines like, "I have a few thoughts on that, too," or, "I'd love to share some of my own experiences." This is an assertive but polite way steer the conversation towards a more mutual exchange.

If that doesn't work, prepare an exit strategy. It could be a pre-scheduled phone call or a meeting you need to get to that conveniently cuts the conversation short.

3. They always bring it back to their own interests.

The moment the conversation veers away from them, they find a way to redirect it. You share your excitement about an upcoming holiday to Spain, for example, but without fail, they bring up the trip they took to Italy three years ago.

How to respond: You could use the "I need advice" technique, which involves asking a direct question and prompts the other person to stay on topic.

For example, "It sounds like you had a great time in Italy. Do you have any travel tips for me to keep in mind as I prepare for Spain?"

Or, use the "acknowledge and segue" approach: "That sounds great! What I was trying to share about my own situation is …"

4. They constantly talk down to you.

A friend or colleague uses patronizing or condescending language — it may be unintentional, but sometimes that can be hard to gauge — and it feels like they want you to see that they are the most knowledgeable person in a room. 

How to respond: Set clear boundaries and resist the urge to respond defensively. You could say, "I'm happy to continue this conversation as long as we keep it respectful."

If you're in a group setting, you could facilitate someone else to enter the conversation with something like, "Jess has experience in this area, too, right? What are your thoughts on it?"

5. They repeatedly one-up you.

Whenever you share an accomplishment, they counter with their own bigger and better win. You might share, "I finally got that promotion I've been working so hard for!" And they reply, "When I got promoted, it came with a corner office and a company car."

How to respond: Confronting every instance of one-upmanship can be exhausting. But calling a narcissist out is often the most effective approach.

You could say, "I've noticed that whenever we talk our conversations turn into competitions. I'd really like it if we could share without trying to surpass one another." Remember, you're never obligated to continue with a conversation that feels unfulfilling.

CNBC

The organised labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, Nigeria, on Friday, boycotted an emergency meeting with the Federal Government scheduled for 3pm at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Federal Government had called an emergency meeting with leaders of the organised labour at the Conference Room of the Office of the President’s Chief of Staff.

Among other goals, Friday’s meeting was meant to talk the labour movement out of its planned nationwide strike from Tuesday, October 3, 2023.

On September 26, NLC and TUC disclosed plans to commence an indefinite strike on October 3 to protest the cost of living crisis after the scrapping of petrol subsidy by President Bola Tinubu during his inauguration on May 29, 2023.

The unions also directed their state chapters and affiliates to mobilise for the shutdown of critical facilities and infrastructure such as airports, seaports, electricity grids and fuel supply nationwide.

“It’s going to be a total shutdown…until the government meets the demand of Nigerian workers, and in fact, Nigerian masses,” the union leaders affirmed in a joint statement on Tuesday.

They accused the Federal Government of refusing to “meaningfully engage and reach agreements with organised labour on critical issues of the consequences of the unfortunate hike in the price of petrol, which has unleashed massive suffering on Nigeria workers and masses.”

Despite several deadlocked talks, the Federal Government, after Thursday’s National Economic Council meeting, appealed to the unions to continue negotiations, warning that an indefinite strike could devastate the economy at this time.

Although the government fixed Friday’s meeting for noon, it postponed the gathering around 3pm to enable labour to contact its leaders outside Abuja.

The government sent the invitation to the meeting through the Ministry of Labour and Employment on Friday morning.

However, one of our correspondents observed that although light refreshment was positioned on the table, signalling an expected meeting, the Conference Room was empty by 4pm as labour representatives had yet to arrive.

It was also gathered that the Minister of Labour, Simon Lalong, was in the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

A source, who spoke to Saturday PUNCH in confidence said, “They (representatives of labour) are supposed to be here by now. We have been expecting them since. The place is set and the Chief Of Staff and Labour minister are upstairs waiting.”

Around 5pm, Gbajabiamila was seen exiting the Villa premises. He was said to be headed for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to await the arrival of Tinubu from Paris.

Aviation unions, NUBIFIE join strike

Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, and Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals have indicated an interest in participating in Tuesday’s strike by organised labour.

A joint notification of the impending strike was issued by the unions on Friday, emphasizing the dire circumstances that necessitated the drastic step.

The letter, signed by representatives of the unions, including Frances Akinjole of ATSSSAN, Umoh Ofonime of NAAPE and Abdulrasaq Saidu of ANAP, outlined the collective decision of the labour organisations.

“NLC and TUC have directed all Nigerian workers to embark on an indefinite nationwide strike as a result of massive suffering, impoverishment and hunger in the land due to the hike in the price of petrol,” it read in part.

The unions further called on their members to mobilise effectively for the nationwide strike and directed all branches of their respective organisations to collaborate with the Joint Action Committee and coordinate with the state councils of the NLC and TUC.

Similarly, the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions’ Employees on Friday advised financial institutions not to prevent their workers from taking part in the strike.

A communiqué signed by the General Secretary, NUBIFIE, Mohammed Sheikh, stated that the strike action was to draw the attention of the government to the perilous survival condition of the generality of Nigerians whose basic survival was becoming a nightmare.

NUBIFIE said the National Executive Council meeting held on September 26, 2023, deliberated extensively on the current state of the nation, especially the excruciating economic hardship being faced by the citizens and the apparent scornful disregard and disdain of the Federal Government to the plight of its citizens.

It noted that it was unanimously agreed by the two NEC-in-session to embark on a total strike from Tuesday, October 3, 2023.

The communiqué noted that the NLC and TUC arrived at the decision as a last resort, as the government had continued to show disdain for all the peaceful overtures offered by the two unions.

The communiqué added, “The Federal Government thus far has shown no inclination for amicable resolution of the socio-economic issues that require urgent attention. Rather unfortunately, it appears to be preparing to act like a wild bull in a China shop, ready to intimidate and silence the legitimate cries of a pauperised citizenry.

“Monitoring team will move around to ensure compliance; so, be guided accordingly.”

ASUP mobilises members

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, on Friday, said it would mobilise its members across the country for the strike.

The National President, ASUP, Dr Anderson Ezeibe, made this known in an interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja.

When asked if the union would mobilise its members for the strike, he said, “Yes, we are an affiliate of the NLC. Our members have been instructed to mobilise for the strike in line with the directive of the NLC.”

Punch

The federation account allocation committee (FAAC) says it shared N1.1 trillion among the three tiers of government in August 2023.

The figure represents an increase of N192.46 billion compared to N907.54 billion in July 2023.

The committee disclosed this in a communiqué issued on Friday at the end of its September meeting in Abuja.

According to the communique, the N1.1 trillion (N1,100.101 billion) comprises of total distributable statutory revenue of N357.39 billion, distributable value-added tax (VAT) revenue of N 321.94 billion, electronic money transfer levy (EMTL) revenue of N14.10 billion, exchange difference revenue of N 229.56 billion, and augmentation of N177.09 billion.

FAAC said the total revenue of N1,483.902 billion was available in August 2023. While the total deduction for the cost of collection was N58.755 billion, total transfers and refunds of N254.046 billion and savings were N71 billion.

The communique said from the N1.1 trillion total distributable revenue, the federal government received a total of N431.24 billion, states were given N361.188 billion, and the local governments got N266.538 billion.

For August, the committee said the gross statutory revenue of N891.934 billion was received — an amount lower than the N1.15 trillion received in the month of July 2023 by N258.49 billion.

FAAC said from the distributable statutory revenue of N357.39 billion, the federal government was given N173.10 billion, states got N87.8 billion, and local governments received N67.69 billion.

On the other hand, the gross revenue available from VAT was N345.72 billion. This was higher than the N298.78 billion recorded in the month of July by N46.93 billion.

From the distributable VAT revenue of N321.94 billion, the committee said the federal government got N48.291 billion, states received N160.97 billion, while the local governments were given N112.67 billion.

According to the communiqué, from N14.10 billion EMTL, the federal government received N2.11 billion, the states got N7.05 billion and N4.93 billion was allocated to the local governments.

FAAC also said from the N229.56 billion exchange difference revenue, the federal government received N114.44 billion, states were given N58.04 billion, and the local government got N44.75 billion.

A total of N12.32 billion in revenue went to the relevant states as 13 percent derivation.

Meanwhile, in the month of August 2023, VAT, import and excise duties, and EMTL increased considerably; while petroleum profit tax (PPT), companies income tax (CIT), oil and gas royalties, recorded significant decreases.

FAAC said the balance in the excess crude account (ECA) remained at $473,754.57.

The Cable

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russian attack hits site in western Ukraine, limited evacuation ordered

Authorities in the western Ukrainian region of Vinnytsya ordered an evacuation early on Saturday, saying an infrastructure site had been struck in a Russian attack.

"At this time there is no need for a general evacuation, apart from the immediate area around the site of the hit, said Vasyl Polishchuk, head of administration for the town of Kalynivka, according to the town's website.

It did not say what target had been struck or what weapon had been used. Regional Governor Serhiy Borzov had reported the hit on an unspecified infrastructure site, a term Ukrainian officials sometimes use to refer to facilities involved in power generation or other industries.

Earlier reports said drones had been operating in the area.

** Seven countries order ammunition under EU scheme to aid Ukraine

Seven EU countries have ordered ammunition under a landmark European Union procurement scheme to get urgently needed artillery shells to Ukraine and replenish depleted Western stocks, according to the EU agency in charge.

The orders - placed under contracts negotiated by the European Defence Agency (EDA) - are for 155mm artillery rounds, one of the most important munitions in the war of attrition between Ukraine's troops and Russian invaders.

The scheme was set up as part of a plan worth at least 2 billion euros, launched in March with the aim of getting a million shells and missiles to Ukraine within a year.

Some officials and diplomats have expressed scepticism that the target will be met but the initiative marked a significant step in the EU's growing role in defence and military affairs, spurred by the war in Ukraine.

Until now, defence procurement has largely been the preserve of the bloc's 27 individual member governments.

"Seven Member States have already placed orders for 155mm ammunition through the EDA’s fast-track procedure," the agency said in response to questions from Reuters.

"More orders, for instance for national replenishment purposes, could materialise in the coming weeks and months."

The EDA declined to name the countries or state the size of the orders, saying much of the information was confidential.

In response to queries from Reuters, Lithuania and Luxembourg said they were among the seven.

Luxembourg's defence ministry said it had earmarked 2 million euros ($2.1 million).

SCRAMBLE FOR AMMO

Kyiv's Western allies have been scrambling to procure artillery ammunition for Ukraine and boost production capacity as the combatants have been firing thousands of rounds every day.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Kyiv on Thursday that the alliance now had overarching framework contracts for 2.4 billion euros' ($2.5 billion) worth of key ammunition, including 1 billion euros of firm orders.

"It was ... not sufficient only to deplete our own stocks," he said.

The EDA said the EU deals were for both complete shells and for components such as fuses, projectiles, charges and primers.

It said the scheme covered four "modern firing platforms designed and produced in Europe ... and most commonly used by the Ukrainian armed forces", naming them as France’s CAESAR, Poland’s Krab, Germany’s PzH2000 and Slovakia’s Zuzana C/2000.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

By placing orders before the end of this month, the countries are eligible for reimbursement from an EU-run fund, the European Peace Facility, for ammunition procured for Ukraine - although Luxembourg said it would not request this. ($1 = 0.9452 euros)

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian defenses stronger than expected – UK military chief

Russia’s defensive lines have proven to be more resilient than the West had initially anticipated, Admiral Tony Radakin, the chief of the British Defense Staff has admitted, noting that the Russia-Ukraine conflict could drag on for some time.

Speaking on ‘War on the Rocks,’ an American podcast, the military official stressed that the West must be “very careful of rushing to easy judgments” about Kiev’s counteroffensive and stated that expectations about what Ukraine’s forces can achieve in the near future should be “adjusted.”

Radakin pointed out that at the start of Kiev’s summer counteroffensive, it was still looking for more equipment and ammunition, the lack of which had impacted the operation. There was also the issue of incorrect assessments of Russia’s strengths. “In actuality, some of those Russian defenses have been stronger than first anticipated,” the admiral said.

Nevertheless, Radakin claimed that Kiev was “grinding through and making progress.” To that end, he insisted that Kiev’s Western backers must continue supporting Ukraine, as its ability to prevail in the conflict depended on it being able to outlast Russia.

“It’s the military that wins battles, but it's the economics and that sustainability that tends to win wars,” he said.

When addressing the challenges surrounding the counteroffensive’s limited success, the admiral cited the current hindrances faced by Ukrainian generals. These challenges primarily included managing a diverse range of military vehicles within their forces and addressing concerns related to the insufficient training of their soldiers.

“[Kiev’s] force is not a professional soldiers’ force; it’s a citizen army,”Radakin said, noting that there's a “humility and sobering element” to the fact that it is yet unclear how to get a citizen army to fight in a way that could overcome Russian defenses.

Ukraine launched its offensive in early June but has so far failed to gain significant ground, losing many Western-supplied tanks and armored vehicles. 

This week, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Kiev’s forces had lost over 17,000 service members and more than 2,700 pieces of military equipment in September. Earlier this month, the ministry also claimed that Kiev’s forces had suffered 66,000 casualties and lost over 7,600 pieces of heavy equipment since the start of the counteroffensive operation.

** Putin congratulates Russians on reunion with new regions

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated all Russian citizens on the occasion of the Day of Reunification of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions with Russia.

"A year ago, on September 30, a defining and truly historic event took place when agreements were signed to incorporate four new constituent entities into the Russian Federation," he said in a video address.

He pointed out that "millions of residents of Donbass and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions made their choice to be with their Fatherland."

"This conscious, long-awaited, hard-won and genuinely popular decision was made collectively through referendums in full compliance with international norms," the Russian leader noted.

"People showed courage and integrity in the face of attempts to intimidate and deprive them of their right to determine their own future, their destiny, and to take away something every person values, namely, culture, traditions, and mother tongue, in a word, everything that was loathed by nationalists and their Western patrons who orchestrated a coup in Kiev in 2014 and then unleashed a full-scale civil war and terror against dissenters and organized blockades, constant shelling, and punitive actions in Donbass," Putin said.

Reuters/RT/Tass

* I'm a frequent traveler who has stayed in dozens of hotels and Airbnbs around the world.  * I prefer to book Airbnbs over hotels because they feel lived-in and offer more unique experiences.  * Through Airbnb, I've booked tiny homes, cozy cabins, and even a livable art sculpture.  Would you rather spend the night in a luxury hotel or a wine barrel that's been converted into a tiny home?  Last year when I was in Switzerland, I chose the latter — thanks to Airbnb. I remember when I first discovered the booking website. I was in college. Like many of my peers, I had the travel itch, but I had hardly any money to get anywhere. During the winter break of my freshman year, three friends and I wanted to go to Colorado. So we booked an apartment in Boulder that we found on Airbnb. For four nights, it cost us $350, which we split between the four of us.  We booked the Airbnb to save money, but once we got there, I thought to myself, "This is so much cooler than a hotel." Unlike a hotel, the apartment made me feel more immersed in Boulder. We cooked meals in the kitchen, spent nights on the porch, and enjoyed the comforts of a place that felt lived in. I didn't mind that the steps creaked or that I had to make my own bed. Staying in a home helped me feel more at home myself.  Nearly a decade later, I still prefer the unique attributes of Airbnbs over the comforts of hotels. I work as a travel reporter, and I've stayed in luxury hotels around the world — from the Versace Mansion in Miami to the Bulgari in Milan. I've enjoyed the pleasures of room service, plush robes, and pillow menus. But none of these high-end experiences have been as memorable as the Airbnbs I've stayed in. My favorite part of Airbnb is the wide variety of unique places to book around the world. I've stayed in tiny homes, tents, and cozy cabins. Once I stayed in a geodesic dome in the woods of Ontario, Canada. Another time in Miami, I slept in a lifeguard tower overlooking the Florida Everglades. But my most memorable stay was in Rome, when I booked two nights in a livable art sculpture made out of scrap wood, broken tiles, and recycled car windows. Nowadays, I still stay in hotels sometimes, but only when I've scoured the location on Airbnb without finding a unique stay that excites me. Hotels offer me a comfortable place to doze during my travels, while Airbnbs give me another new adventure. And I prefer the latter.  Insider