We are in a time when evil is upheld, and even defended, at the expense of the good.

Have you observed that in recent times, people hate to hear the truth about their children’s abnormal behaviour?

Have you also noticed that some “accidental parents” will call you all kinds of names and even threaten to deal with you, just because you tried to correct some error in their parenting?

This happens most especially on the social media.

And before you know it, you see thorns of abuses being showered upon you, because you made a statement that did not agree with their ill- conceived ideas of parenting.

And the summary most often is, “How does it concern you? Is it your business how other people raise their children? Can’t you mind your own business?…”

I want to tell everyone here that it is my business how you raise your children.

And it should also be your business how I raise mine, if you are a parent indeed.

🔴 It is my business because, your ill-parented children will corrupt other children, including mine.

🔴 It is my business because, you may raise more hoodlums, prostitutes, drug addicts, rapists, etc., in addition to the ones we already have in the society; thereby making the environment more unconducive and unsafe for everyone.

🔴 It is my business because, you may raise bullies and send them to the same school where normal children are.

And we cannot afford to continue losing innocent children to untamed bull dogs who pretend to be students😡.

🔴 It is my business because, I am praying to be a mother-in-law tomorrow and I don’t know who my child will bring home to me.

What if fate brings them together with your ill-parented son or daughter, whom you have craftily taught the art of deceit and pretence?

Wouldn’t that mean that I may spend the rest of my life in bitterness watching my son or daughter going through pains in their marriage?

🔴 How you parent your children is my business because, every intentionally parented child is a special gift from God to humanity.

Who knows whether that child you are spoiling or neglecting today would be my destiny-helper tomorrow?

🔴 Don’t tell me to mind my business when you are raising charlatans who will waste, rather than save lives in our hospitals; traumatise, rather than teach students/pupils in our schools; profane, rather than glorify the name of God in religious organizations, and cause havoc in every sector of the society, which all of us are meant to coexist in.

🔴 Stop telling me to mind my business because, I am a stakeholder in the upbringing of every child born in this time and season.

Every intentional parent knows that we are all stakeholders in the raising of the next generation.

Posterity will judge us if we see or hear evil and keep mute.

Therefore, my fellow intentional parents, the next time anyone tells you that, how they parent their children is not your business, calmly use these points and other points your intentional-parenting instincts will give you at that instant to educate such ignorant fellows.

I am still your friend🤗🥰

Shalom!

© Ijeoma Igwesi, 2021

The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, has extoled the virtues of the Late Sarkin Bai of Kano, Alhaji Mukhtar Adnan, who passed away at the age of 95.

The EVC praised the late Kano’s first Commissioner of Education in a letter submitted to the family of the deceased when he led a delegation of the Commission to Danbatta, Kano State on condolence visit on Friday.

At the late Adnan’s residence in Danbatta District of Kano, the EVC-led NCC’s delegation was received by the children of the deceased led by Arc. Ali Mukhtar and other members of the family.

In the letter, Danbatta, on behalf of the Board and Management of the Commission, expressed deep commiseration with the family of the deceased, who he described as ‘a nation builder’ and ‘a consummate statesman’.

The letter reads: “On behalf of the Board, Management and the entire staff of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), I wish to express my deepest condolences to the entire people of Kano State, especially the people of Danbatta and the noble family of our father, Alhaji Mukhtar Adnan, Sarkin Ban Kano, who answered the call of Allah (SWT).

“Undoubtedly, Late Sarkin Bai, who was the longest serving member of the Kano Emirate Council and also the first Commissioner of Education of our dear state, was a nation builder, a consummate statesman, a distinguished District Head, and a dedicated philanthropist who believed in selfless service to humanity.

“The egalitarian patriot, who became a fountain of inspiration to all of us, would no doubt be fondly remembered by all Nigerians, particularly the people of Kano State and Danbatta.”

While stating that the Commission identifies with the Kano people, Danbatta District and the entire family of the deceased at this period, Danbatta, prayed “for his soul to continue to rest in perfect peace. May Allah (SWT) grant him jannatil firdaus and also give members of the family the grace and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”

In a similar vein, the EVC led the Commission’s delegation to pay another condolence visit to the family of late Walin Daura, Alhaji Sani Buhari Daura who died recently.

The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN will launch Nationwide deployment and use of Virtual Court Proceedings in Nigeria’s Correctional Centres.

According to the statement issued by Dr. Umar Gwandu, the Special Assistant to the AGF on Media, “ Malami will launch the pilot project for the deployment and use Virtual Court Sitting facilities at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja on Monday the 6th day of December, 2021”.

Expected at the Occasion are the Honourable Minister of Interior; Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Controller – General of the Nigerian Correctional Service; Halilu Nababa as well as members of the Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms and Decongestion.

The Secretary of the Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms and Decongestion, Leticia Ayoola-Daniels working with the representative of the supporting organization; Mrs. Oyinye Ndubuisi of the UNDP are working assiduously to ensure achievement of the laudable project.

According to the statement, “the initiative is one of the strategic interventions by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and indeed the Federal Government towards engendering lasting reforms in the Criminal Justice Sector in Nigeria”. It is the development of the Consolidated Sentencing Guidelines (Custodial and Non-Custodial) Practice Directions, 2020.

The Ministry in collaboration with the Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms and Decongestion expedite engagement with the Nigerian Correctional Centres to make it possible for evidence of suspects in custody to be taken without their physical presence in court to avoid disruptions.

The development is part of the process to implement the Post-Covid-19 Justice Sector Plan marshaled out by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in April, 2020.

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, has said that continuous dialogues between the regulator and its various licensees is central to finding lasting solutions to issues negatively impacting licensee’s compliance with extant regulations and challenging the growth of the telecoms industry.

Danbatta stated this during the second edition of NCC’s 2021 Talk to The Regulator (TTTR) forum held at Four Points by Sheraton, Lagos, over the weekend. The theme of the discourse is, “Improving Stakeholders Satisfaction”.  The Lagos edition of the programme followed the successful hosting of a similar dialogue in Kano on 16th October, 2021.
The objective of the forum is to get direct feedback from licensees on how the Commission, as a regulator, is meeting licensees’ expectations.

The programme was also designed to identify areas for regulatory improvement, highlight areas where licensees are defaulting as well as address critical industry challenges undermining full accomplishment of the set objectives for consolidating the gains in the telecoms sector.

According to Danbatta, who was represented at the forum by NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Adeleke Adewolu, the forum is orgainsed in keeping with the Commission’s commitment to continually ensure regulator-licensee interactions to develop collaborative solutions and implementation programmes to the challenges of the telecom ecosystem.

“The Nigerian Communications Act (NCA, 2003) invests the NCC with powers and responsibilities for the regulation of both the technical and market-related aspects of telecoms infrastructure and services in Nigeria. We consider our role as regulator very vital to ensuring industry sustainability, because NCC considers consultation as the lifeblood of regulation” the EVC emphasised.

The EVC also declared that, “we have consistently deployed stakeholder engagement tools like public enquiries, private investigations, written information requests, one-on-one discussions as we are having it now and diverse consumer engagement platforms.

These tools enable us to ensure that our interventions are well-grounded and that our decisions are based on a clear understanding of stakeholders’ perspectives”.

Danbatta said that such interactions fit squarely within the five pillars of the Commission’s Strategic Management Plan (2020-2024), which include Regulatory Excellence, Promotion of Universal Broadband Access, the Development of the Digital Economy, Facilitation of Market Development, and Strategic Partnering.

“Through regular interactions with our licensees, the Commission is able to gain valuable insights to enhance our regulatory output and enabled us to drive excellence in consonance with the five pillars of our strategic vision for the industry as streamlined in the Commission’s Strategic Vision Plan (SVP), 2021-2025,” he said.

The EVC also reinforced the Commission’s belief that only through optional performance by the licensees will Nigeria be able to achieve the national objectives and targets in the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP), 2020-2025 and other national policy instruments targeted at developing the nation’s digital economy ecosystem.

He said on this basis that the Commission is, “Therefore, we intend to use this forum to seek support for many initiatives that the commission has carefully developed in our quest to enhance market opportunities for all our licensees,” Danbatta said to emphasise NCC’s faith in collaboration with stakeholders and its licensees in order to address any concerns that may impede the attainment of the relevant policy objectives.

The NCC CEO also emphasised that the Commission will continue to roll out forward-thinking and all-inclusive regulatory initiatives to provide market opportunities for all its licensees. Additionally, Danbatta said NCC is also committed to constantly reviewing licensing framework as well as key regulatory instruments so as to refresh the Commission’s regulatory frameworks and ensure better service delivery for consumers and efficient attainment of other national interest objectives.

However, Danbatta said some licensees are not doing as much as they ought to be doing. “Several licensees are struggling to pay their staff, many are unable to comply with basic licence obligations, some are defaulting in the payment of their Annual Operating Levies (AOL) while the level of interconnect and other inter-licensee indebtedness is still unacceptably high.

Therefore, we are required to ensure regulatory interventions are put in place to address challenges, bottlenecks and grievances that may arise among the licensees in this regard,” he said.

Also addressing the gathering, the Director, Licensing and Authorisation at NCC, Mohammed Babajika, said the forum was intended to foster a harmonious relationship with licensees, identify their challenges and provide feedback on licensees’ fulfilment of their licence obligations and to re-emphasise the role of licensees in ensuring good quality of service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE) for the consumers.

While intimating the licensees of some regulatory initiatives focused on licensing issues, Babajika said despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and its resultant challenges, the Commission was taking measures to further liberalise the telecoms industry by finalising the framework for Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) while also reviewing existing licensing regulations.In addition, the Director also informed the licensees that the Commission was finalising work on Information Memorandum (IM) for Fifth Generation (5G) technology deployment, which will promote emerging technology trends such as Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Over-The-Top (OTT) Services and Big Data Analytics, Blockchain, among others. 

At the event, presentations were made by Management staff of the Commission to the licensees and others, who participated actively through listening, making observations and suggestions, as well as seeking clarifications to improve the quality of discourse and the expected outcomes. 

Amid the global surge in cases of COVID-19, President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, stressed the need for world leaders to work together and reinforce partnerships to limit the catastrophic consequences of the pandemic.

Speaking at Nigeria Day during EXPO DUBAI 2020, the President declared that the theme of the very important global event, “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” has placed a moral burden on all relevant stakeholders, across national boundaries, to urgently work together for a better and brighter future.

‘‘The concerted efforts by world leaders, working together, enabled us to limit the catastrophic consequences of this pandemic.

‘‘Such level of continuing understanding and pragmatic partnerships are needed and must be reinforced to ensure that our world is a better place that addresses humanity’s common challenges to guarantee sustainable development and progress for the global community,’’ he said.

President Buhari told the EXPO that Nigeria, like other countries in the world, was impacted negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic, compounding national efforts in addressing insecurity, fighting corruption and diversifying the nation’s economy.
Nonetheless, he noted that the present administration in Nigeria has registered significant progress within a short period of time and is still making headways in key sectors of the economy.

‘‘Therefore, the Nigerian delegation is participating in this EXPO with great prospects for positive outcomes, while assuring the world of our determination and readiness to partner with relevant investors in our bid to tackle a number of challenges to make Nigeria a better country.

‘‘Nigeria is participating in this epoch-making event in order to explore opportunities that are capable of unlocking the huge potentials that abound in our country, as it makes conscious efforts to be a strategic partner of choice for the global community.
‘‘It is my pleasure, therefore, to invite all participating countries, organizations and other private sector operators to take full advantage of opportunities being provided by the EXPO 2020, by linking up with the Nigerian team, to collaborate with us in diverse areas of interests for our mutual benefits,’’ he said.

The Nigerian leader thanked Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for inviting him to the Expo and especially to attend Nigeria’s Day event, which offers a great opportunity to show-case the potential of Africa’s largest economy.

The President described Expo Dubai 2020 as the single most important global event of its kind to take place in the Middle East, Africa and the South East Asian regions in recent years.

‘‘We are proud to be a part of this dynamic evolution of pragmatic partnerships that are both creative and innovative for the progress of the country.

‘‘I heartily congratulate the UAE authorities for the painstaking work to create this state of the art complex that has connected our world within our fingertips as we share international best-practices as well as opportunities that abound in all our countries,’’ he said.

President Muhammadu Buhari Saturday in Dubai declared that Nigeria remains the most viable and attractive investment destination in Africa, adding that the country is on the path of becoming the continent’s leading industrial and trading nation.
Addressing a trade and investment forum at Dubai Expo 2020, organised by Nigerian Arabian Gulf Chamber of Commerce, Nigeria’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), the President said Nigeria is reaping from the efforts his administration has made to consciously improve the investment environment.

‘‘Nigeria’s pavilion at the Expo 2020 clearly shows why we remain the most viable and attractive investment destination in Africa.

‘‘Our location, our natural resources, our population, and our regulations are there for all to see. Nigeria is on its way to become a leading industrial and trading nation in Africa.

‘‘To achieve this, our Government focused on policies, projects and programs that support private sector investors.

‘‘We introduced numerous fiscal incentives and infrastructure projects aimed at enhancing the viability of investments.

‘‘Despite the adverse global economic environment of recent years, Nigeria’s investment environment has greatly improved both at the national and sub-national levels,’’ he said.

President Buhari assured captains of industry, and entrepreneurs, who have shown interest and commitment to further enhance trade and investment relations with Nigeria, that his administration would continue to work with them to improve the business climate especially as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) comes into full effect.

‘‘Just last month at the Intra Africa Trade fair in Durban, I reminded business leaders that most of Africa’s challenges, whether security, economic or corruption, can be traced to our inability to domesticate the production of our most basic requirements and provide jobs to our teeming and dynamic youth population.

‘‘I am pleased that this Forum focuses on ‘Unveiling Trade and Investment Opportunities in Nigeria,’ and will encourage you all to keep an open mind and look beyond the challenges.

‘‘In this room, we have Governors, Ministers and Heads of Government Agencies that can address all your questions and concerns.
‘‘We are here to support you and I hope you will all take this opportunity to move your investment decisions forward,’’ he said.

The Nigerian leader also used the occasion to express profound gratitude to his hosts, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates and the Emir of Abu Dhabi, for their unwavering commitment to strengthen trade and investment relations between both countries through various initiatives, partnerships and support.

The men of Faith Cathedral International Ministry recently held their annual convention at the headquarters of the church at Egbeda Lagos. The event was a remarkable one, the men used the event to thank God specially for what they have experienced this year and most importantly protecting them and their families these perilous times. They also used the occasion to demonstrate love for God and the church. They hosted the congregation to an Annual Love Feast one of the first in the history of the church. Love stands for more than just romantic attraction or strong feelings towards those close to you; it also stands for the truth, respect, and obedience Christians hold for God. This definition was one of the major things that encouraged men to demonstrate their love not only for their families but to the congregations and more importantly God

Speaking at the event, Pastor Fred Obetoh, the amiable General Overseer enjoined the men to be steadfast in Lord and always align themselves and family to the dictates of Christianity. In his words Obetoh said “A man must meet up to the needs of the family. A man that can’t provide for his family is worst that an infidel… So, we have to be guided as a man. Husband is the Head of the family… That is a clear instruction in the Bible. For a husband to be in charge of wife the way Christ is in charge of church. The role of a husband isn’t contestable in the family. Though some folks that are on the feminist side might see this position as misogynistic but that is the role of a man.”

He added “As a man we ought to know our responsibilities and be able to fulfil it. The role of a man puts tremendous responsibility on the shoulders as a man. Don’t let any man or pastor tell you that the woman is the Co-head. This is the position. Now that you got married as a woman, are you bearing your father’s name? This is a global norm and that means that you are under a man. This is just the fact.”

In the same way, the Men Association President, Brother Tony said “We are using this opportunity to appreciate God for his mercies throughout the year and we are using it also to celebrate this yuletide season by declaring the Feast of Love. Love is the highest commandment that was given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ. If you look at the laws in Bible, Love is the most paramount and it can be summed up into two major categories, Love of God and That of man. We are collapsing these two to one today.”

Barrister Paul Ihonre, one of the conveners of the programme/convention appreciated the way men turned out for the event. He said that men are the pillars of the church and the need for men to always be the beacon of light not only to their family but to the church and society at large. He enjoined men to always be steadfast in the lord and be of good example to their kids.

“We are extremely happy for the success of this event and convention. We believe that with unity in any place, every unit of the society starting from family will be assured. We are happy that this event turned out like this and we are also giving glory to God Almighty for giving us the ability and capacity to have this event”, Anthony Nwosu concluded.

“We are using this opportunity to appreciate God for his mercies throughout the year and we are using it also to celebrate this yuletide season by declaring the Feast of Love. Love is the highest commandment that was given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ. If you look at the laws in Bible, Love is the most paramount and it can be summed up into two major categories, Love of God and That of man. We are collapsing these two to one today.”