Daily Archives: Jan 6, 2013

President Gooodluck Jonathan in Abuja on Sunday admonished the Church to champion the course of nation building through character moulding of the citizenry.

The President gave the charge in Abuja at the 30th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service of John Cardinal Onaiyekan’s, Episcopal ordination as a Bishop and appointment to the College of Cardinals.

``The church, the government and the political actors have the same responsibilities and we believe that the church is at the centre of society building. ``Some of the challenges we faced today is because of the character our people have. If the church moulds the people, especially starting from the children, Nigeria will be a better place,’’ he said.

The president also seized the occasion to appreciate efforts of the church at promoting inter-religious dialogue in the country. He recalled that in March 2012, the Pope sent a Cardinal in charge of inter-faith dialogue at the Vatican to Nigeria for inter-face in inter-religious cooperations.

``There is no doubt that immense progresses have been made in this critical area and I am grateful for all the work that had been done by the church. ``We all know that no religion preaches or encourages violence. The two major religions in our land preach brotherhood, love and peaceful co-existence which are their foundation.

``Those who do otherwise, do not worship God because it cannot be the same person, who worships God that will encourage killing people, who are also created by God. ``We believe that God created all of us and anybody who raises weapon to kill the very one created by God cannot be said to be worshipping God.’’

Jonathan noted that the appointment of Onaiyekan to the position of cardinal was a clear recognition by the Vatican of the immense contributions of the church in Nigeria to the worldwide catholic movement.

``I see in his appointment as a recognition for those who work and toil for peace, bringing hope to their people and building bridges for reconciliation among men. ``I also see it as a great privilege to our country at this time, and in particular to me, since I am serving as the president now.’’

He described the cleric as ``a simple, humble and totally unassuming man yet a man of great distinction, learning and knowledge who always sees himself as a citizen and of course a messenger and servant of God’’. Jonathan noted that the smooth progression of the cleric in the church hierarchy stood him out as a man of great piety and intellectual strength.

The president expressed the hope ``that one day, and I pray it will not be too long, we will also celebrate a Papal Father from Nigeria’’. Earlier, in a sermon, Onaiyekan said the circumstances of the birth of Jesus Christ, a ruler of justice and peace, should be a great lesson for the country, particularly in the area of religion.

The sermon was centred on the story of Epiphany and circumstances of the birth of Jesus Christ, ``the infant king of Bethlehem’’. Onaiyekan noted that a true religion ``must be open to all, embrace peace and devoid of blood shedding.

That Nigeria is deeply religious is a precious asset. ``It is, however, sad that our image abroad is tainted with fanatism, religious intolerance, killing and shedding of blood. ``We must not allow this to continue. We have to strive to live in peace in our nation with our differences of tribe, culture, tradition, language and religion.

``We must see the image of God in everybody around us and apply the golden rule that we should do to others only what we can do to ourselves,’’ the cardinal said. He said that the congratulatory messages he had received since his appointment cut across religion, tribe, business and politics.

He said the thanksgiving service was in commemoration of his 30 years of ordination as a Bishop and his appointment into the College of Cardinals by Pope Benedict the XVI. He recalled that on Jan. 6, 1983, he was ordained Bishop by Pope John Paul II at St. Peters’ Basilica in Rome.

Onaiyekan said 14 of them were ordained on the fateful day among which were two Nigerians and four Archbishops. The cleric also noted that the date Jan. 6 was significant in his life as remarkable things in his life had fallen on that date.

According to him, he was ordained a Deacon on Jan. 6, 1969; Bishop on Jan. 6, 1983; took over as Bishop of Ilorin Diocese Jan. 6, 1985, Bishop of Abuja Diocese on Jan. 6, 1992 and the thanksgiving on his elevation to Cardinal on Jan. 6, 2013.

The Senate President, Sen. David Mark, in a goodwill message said the church in the country was faced with many challenges brought about by few disgruntled elements.

He, however, said the challenges could be addressed with the prayers, understanding and unity in the church. Mark thanked the president for sending him as head of the Federal Government's delegation to the Vatican for the consecration of Onaiyekan.

The Deputy Governor of Kogi, Chief Yomi Awoniyi, who represented Gov. Idris Wada at the service, said the occasion was a moment of pride for the government and people of the state.

He said Onaiyekan, who hailed from the state, rose from a humble beginning to the peak of his Episcopal career. The Coordinator of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), Prof Ishaq Oloyede, who represented the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar at the service, underscored the need for religious tolerance and cooperation among various religions.

He described Onaiyekan as a ``genuine man of God, academician per excellence, promoter of peace and a pride to the nation and Africa’’.

Born on Jan. 29, 1944 in Kabba, Kogi, Onaiyekan attended St. Michael Secondary School, Aliade, Benue, and later enrolled at the Major seminary of St. Peter and Paul, Ibadan, Oyo State, and ordained Priest on Aug. 3, 1959.

He was consecrated into the prestigious College of Cardinals on Nov. 24, 2012 in Rome and five other cardinals from the US, Lebanon, Colombia and Philippine. Onaiyekan is the fourth Nigerian Catholic priest to be appointed a cardinal.

Those that preceded him are late Dominic Ekandem, Francis Arinze and Olubunmi Okogie.

Cardinals are the Pope"s closest aides in the Vatican, running in key departments around the world where they head dioceses to oversee the more than 1.2 billion members of the Roman Catholic Church.

NAN also reports that Onaiyekan was the immediate past President of the Christian Association of Nigeria and former President of English Speaking Bishops in Africa among others. (NAN)

New things are bound to happen in a new year, and one thing to avoid when it comes to relationship are gossipers. Blessing Ukemena writes on how doing away with such people could enhance relationship.

Gossip is unconstrained and often derogatory conversation about other people, and can involve betraying a confidence and spreading sensitive information or hurtful judgements. Research shows that people who gossip the most have very high levels of anxiety.

They are generally not particularly popular, because they cannot be trusted. Spreading private information or negative judgements is painful to others, and reflects poorly on the gossiper. Gossip has been known to destroy relationships time and again. In the new year, it is best to focus on developing one’s self and ignoring matters that are not  related to us.

Olufemi Joseph, a single guy who resides in the FCT, told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY that he was once in a beautiful relationship with a lady three years ago called Hannah. They were both undergraduates in the University of Abuja, and they had met in school. They later broke up because his friends had said somethings that were untrue about her. He had gotten angry and left her, and refused to listen to her pleas.

Till today, he still regrets his action as he was yet to find another love like hers and would gladly marry her today if she agrees. He still kept contact with her even when she was engaged to be married to someone else. Some would say that men do not gossip, but rather discuss other people. Gossiping is gossiping, no matter how it is described.Both men and women gossip.

Why people gossip
Certainly, there are a lot of reasons people gossip and they include:
To Feel Superior: People who don’t feel good about themselves temporarily feel better when they judge others negatively.

Out Of Boredom: When people can’t generate interesting discussions, based on knowledge or ideas, gossip can rouse people’s interest.

Out Of Envy: People gossip in order to hurt those whose popularity, talents, or lifestyle they envy.

To Feel Like Part Of The Group: People gossip to feel as though they belong to the group. Yet, when acceptance is based on being “in on a secret,” it is not based on a person’s identity, but on exclusion or maliciousness.

For Attention: A person gets to be the centre of attention temporarily while divulging a piece of gossip. Yet, spreading gossip or rumours is like buying attention; it’s temporary and has little foundation.

Out Of Anger Or Unhappiness: A person can derive a sense of retribution with disparaging remarks.

It is wrong to always talk about others
There are times when we cannot just help hearing a little juicy tale of what happened to somebody, but you have been dying to meet up close and personal. Most people have a natural curiosity about what’s going on among people in the community.

Some of the best books are biographies that tell the life stories of other people. They are not based on one-sided, offensive judgements of the person. Gossip, especially as it concerns relationships, is negative.

What to do? In any case, when you happen to walk into a gossip group, do the following:

1. Firstly, you need to be prepared  not to participate in gossip in any shape or form. This means not being the first person to introduce a new gossip topic, and it also means not adding fuel to the fire, by joining in  any gossip. This can be hard as we are surrounded by lots of gossip, but take one day at a time, and soon, it will become easier. Make it clear to others that you will not participate in gossip and that you don't want to listen to any gossip. This can be scary, as gossip is often a (unhealthy) way of bonding friendships and groups. Be courageous and stand your ground. Don't be a willing participant.

2. It’s best to simply change the subject. If they were talking about Jane for example, here are some other possible responses:“I notice that you talk about Jane a lot. I’m curious why she interests you so much?” “Let’s take a look at it from Jane’s side.” “I am more interested in what you are up to.” “Let’s talk about something more positive or decide what we’re going to do this afternoon.”

“I feel uncomfortable listening to negative judgements about people, unless we figure out how to help them.”

In conclusion, gossiping shows others the gossiper’s insecurity and meanspiritedness. It also leaves everyone involved feeling as though they’ve just eaten a bad apple.

Ultimately, the right insight into the intricacies of human relations and behaviour is more interesting, uplifting, and enlightening than one-dimensional judgements and rumours. In case it's one of your habits, make a decision to change it this new year. So, have a refreshing and gossip-free new year.

Do you know that the most beautiful place to spend your leisure is in a garden? A well decorated garden, with beautiful flowers, enhances the quality of air that circulates in the environment.

Gardens are usually situated in a serene environment and encircled with both scented and beautiful flowers, basically for relaxation after the hard day's work.

Due to the aesthetic nature of gardens, they are used for different occasions such as birthday, wedding, child dedication, burial and other social events.

Before creating a garden, one should consider the soil texture available in that particular location. Apart from the soil texture, you should also consider the availability of water in the area, because for the garden to look charming, it must be watered regularly.

You must also consider the type of flowers and plants to cultivate that will hardly breed mosquitoes, and at the same time, attract patronage from customers.

Maintaining The Garden
It is very essential to water the garden at least twice daily, preferably morning and night so as to prevent the plants from withering.

Always consult a horticulturist for the maintenance, since it’s their area of specialty. However, the plants should be treated with insecticides to prevent pests and insects from eating up or destroying the flowers which may likely shrivel.

Give attention to the flowers and plants by trimming them at least once a month so as to retain that beautiful and charming looks.

Do not dispose hot liquids or foods on the flowers. It withers immediately just like vegetables.

Do not play with sharp objects or spray harmful chemicals that are not meant for plants, in order to increase the lifespan.

Onion can serve as ornamental, vegetable, spice or medicine. It’s good for vegetarians.

It is effective for curing many bacterial infections including bacillus subtilis, salmonella, and E. coli.

Onion is not as potent as garlic, since the sulfur compound in onion is only about one-quarter the level found in garlic. There are many different varieties of onion such as red, yellow, white and green. The species has both mild and strong flavour. Onion can be eaten raw, cooked, fried, dried or roasted. It is commonly used in salads, soups, pastries and other dishes.

Health Benefits Of Onions
According to healthdiaries.com, onion fights bacterial and urinary tract infections.

During World War II, the swap vapours of onion paste were used to reduce the pain as well as accelerating the healing of soldiers' wounds.

The high content of iron in onion makes it beneficial for the treatment of anemia.

Just by eating half a medium raw onion daily can significantly lower cholesterol and help prevent heart attacks.

The anti-inflammatory agents in onion are useful in reducing the symptoms of inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and gout.

Onions help to lower blood pressure naturally. It also thins the blood, dissolves blood clots and clears the blood of unhealthy fats.

It helps to reduce the risk of tumours developing in the colon.

Add plenty onions in your cooking as it helps to relieve chronic constipation and flatulence.

Chromium in onion helps diabetic cells respond appropriately by bringing down the insulin level and improving the glucose tolerance.

Studies revealed that by applying onion juice on the scalp twice a week for two months will enhance hair growth.

The pungency increases blood circulation and causes sweating. It is useful in cold weather to ward off infection, reduce fever and sweat out colds and flu.

Mix equal amounts of onion juice and honey. Take 3-4 teaspoons of this mixture daily. It helps dissolve mucus and prevents its further formation.  It is also one of the best preventive mixtures against common cold.

President Goodluck Jonathan will on Thursday inaugurate a professional Code of Conduct for the Nigeria Police Force, Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubabar, has said. Abubakar announced this yesterday while hosting newly promoted junior offi...

Last year mass flooding in Kogi State and others on the coastline was not caused by the dredging of the Lower Niger River, the managing director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Arch.Ahmed Yar’Adua,has said. He told LEADERSHIP S...