Will the army eradicate Boko Haram?

In December 2011, former President Goodluck Jonathan promised to eradicate terrorism in six months but failed to do so throughout his tenure, nobody could do anything to him.

So, President Muhammadu Buhari has taken the same path. He gave a three-month ultimatum to the Army to eradicate the Boko Haram terrorism, knowing it is impossible, and that none of his own kith and kin would be affected. The Army is cooperating as in GEJ’s days, displaying pictures of captured Boko Haram kingpins, but releasing scanty details of loss of soldiers and civilians. That way, government and unaffected Nigerians continue life as usual, while the northeast counts its own losses.

Government is saying Boko Haram is getting defeated when still killing many Nigerians in northeast towns and villages! Does the Army not understand that those who surrender are not die-hard Boko Haramists? The die-hard ones will fight-on, even if they remain only one person. A child doesn’t know what is called war, and is asking war to come.

Was Buhari trained in guerrilla warfare/war of attrition or in conventional warfare? War can take any dimension. The Army is said to have reported that Boko Haram has started poisoning water sources: rivers, wells, ponds, etc., due to which many cattle have died; hopefully human beings will not follow suit.

If GEJ accepted dialogue in December 2011, when Boko Haram proposed it through Mama Sarah Jubril, even the bombed churches wouldn’t have been bombed in 2012. If he accepted dialogue in 2014, when Boko Haram proposed it, the Chibok girls would have returned to their families. If Buhari was not desperate about defeating Boko Haram, but seeking peace, all the bombings rocking northeast since he took over wouldn’t have happened. After bombarding Sambisa forest, he is asking for the Chibok girls!
Appease Boko Haram to avert further unforeseen measures (like poisoning water) by the group. Without peace, there can’t be progress.

30 Boko Haram insurgents killed in Adamawa

No fewer than 30 members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect were killed in a gun duel with Nigerian troops assisted by the local vigilantes in the early hours of yesterday at the border villages between Adamawa and Borno states.
This came as Boko Haram members on Sunday invaded Gwoza local government area of Borno State, killing nine people and destroying houses.
On the Adamaa incident, Nigerian troops had laid an ambush on the insurgents between the border villages of Kirchinga and Imirsa, which had come under attacks of Boko Haram insurgents in recent times, leading to the death of innocent residents.
A local vigilante operative who participated in the campaign, told Vanguard that following intelligence report about the movement of the Boko Haram insurgents, an ambush was laid for them which resulted in the killing of many of the insurgents.
“Following information about the movements of the Boko Haram insurgents we got, we decided to lay an ambush in the wee hours of Monday.
“Our efforts yielded results as we succeeded in killing over 30 of the insurgents after a fierce gun duel.
“We confiscated many weapons from the invading terrorists, including AK 47 assault rifles, bows and arrows and other dangerous weapons,” the source said.
The onslaught against the insurgents followed increased attacks on parts of Madagali local government area, leading to the death of three soldiers and abduction of one senior military officer alongside his operational vehicle.
A vigilante operative had told Vanguard that Boko Haram insurgents had disguised as local vigilante operatives and in the process, killed unsuspecting residents and soldiers.

PDP Complaints Can’t Stop Arrests, Says APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said protests and criticisms cannot prevent the federal government and the anti-corruption agencies from investigating or inviting suspected corruption persons to answer to charges.
The party also said the President Muhammadu Buhari administration would not micromanage the anti-corruption agencies, adding that it was wrong for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to accuse the APC-led federal government of unleashing the agencies against the opposition.
In a statement issued monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also dismissed the allegation by the PDP that the anti-corruption war of the Buhari administration was selective, calling it a worn-out argument.
This came as the opposition party yesterday warned the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, to stop embarrassing Buhari on his attempts to counteract facts presented by the party that this administration was dictatorial and selective in its fight against corruption.
Meanwhile, the APC in the statement, said: “The ceaseless cry of selective anti-corruption battle is a bogey invented by the PDP to intimidate the anti-corruption agencies, and it will not work. It is the PDP’s strategy to stifle the fight against corruption.
‘’How can the PDP claim to support the anti-graft battle when every time any of its members is called in for questioning, it runs to the media to shout that the battle is ‘selective’? Is it possible that anyone who is invited for questioning will not belong to a party, an ethnic group or a certain faith?’’ It queried.
APC said the anti-corruption agencies have a duty to investigate petitions sent to them, irrespective of who is involved, but noted that invitation for questioning was not the same as conviction.
‘’Those who have nothing to fear must be willing to clear their names by honouring any invitation, and only the guilty needs be afraid. The PDP must stop being hysterical over such invitations which are not going to stop simply because the opposition has called a press conference to cry wolf where there is none,’’ the party said.
However, the PDP in a statement issued by Richard Ihediwa, Special Assistant to Metuh, argued that Adesina, “in his habitual deceptive and diversionary manner, was fond of leaving critical issues of governance raised by party by insulting it.”
It referred to the Sunday’s press conference addressed by Metuh, saying as usual, Adesina left the issues to embark on insults, shadow-chasing and fouling of the media space with uncouth language.
He added that Adesina was not conversant and knowledgeable in politics and intricate issues of governance, urging the president’s spokesperson to save the presidency the embarrassment of an arrogant attempt to wave off very serious questions hanging in the face of the present administration.
The statement said: “Our attention has been drawn to a vacuous statement by the media aide to President Buhari, Mr. Femi Adesina, in his futile attempt to counteract facts presented by the PDP that this administration is dictatorial and selective in its fight against corruption.
“Adesina, in his habitual deceptive and diversionary manner, left the critical issues of governance raised by Sunday’s press conference addressed by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Metuh, and as usual, embarked on insults, shadow-chasing and fouling of the media space with uncouth language.
“This office has noted Adesina’s several previous unwarranted personal attacks and insults deliberately targeted at the person of the PDP National Publicity Secretary, in his desperate attempt to impress his paymaster and retain his job.
“Our answer remains that inasmuch as we know that this presidency aide lacks depth on his current assignment and has no credible defence, being overwhelmed in his job of trying to launder the image of this government, the characteristic resort always, to lies, malice and vituperations should not be an option.
“While we appreciate the fact that Adesina is not conversant and knowledgeable in politics and intricate issues of governance, he should have applied the common sense of covering his hollowness in this regard and save the presidency the embarrassment of an arrogant attempt to wave off very serious questions hanging in the face of the present administration.
“May we remind the presidency that Nigerians are still waiting for its response to salient national issues raised by the PDP National Publicity Secretary bordering on relentless abuse of power, selective application of war against corruption, witch-hunting of opposition elements and perceived political opponents, threats to democratic institutions and government’s clear of lack direction on economic issues.”
According to the opposition party, “How can Adesina explain the fact that while former PDP governors and ministers are being arrested, their APC counterparts, who have more damaging petitions with anti-graft agencies are being rewarded with ministerial positions, with yet others granted APC tickets for Kogi and Bayelsa States governorship elections respectively?
“Perhaps Adesina is confirming that the nation now has two separate laws for prosecuting the war against corruption; one, to nail PDP members and perceived opponents of government, and the other to protect APC members and friends of the present administration.
“We challenge Adesina, in the euphoria of trying to satisfy his paymaster, to defend him by showing Nigerians any APC member who has so far been invited or arrested by any anti-graft agency, other than PDP members and perceived political opponents such as Senate President Bukola Saraki.
“It is unfortunate that in trying to wear his master the garb of a democrat, Adesina has instead muddled up and bungled his assignment with his arrogant posturing on important national issues. Whereas this media aide may have done well in the confines of his newsroom as a media professional, he has so far succeeded in making a mockery of the office of a spokesperson of the president of a country like Nigeria.
“Our final take therefore is that the Presidency must note that Nigerians are still waiting for a proper response on the issues raised instead of invectives from an aide who apparently talks before he thinks.”

25 Crazy Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Google

Google the world’s biggest search engine, has lots of fascinating and crazy facts about them. In no particular order of importance, here are 25 of them.

1. Google was originally called “Backrub”.

2. When a Google employee dies, their spouses receive half pay from the company for 10 years and their children US$ 1000 per month until they turn 19.

3. Google intends to scan all known
existing 129 million unique books before 2020.

4. Every day 16% of the searches that occur are ones that Google has never seen before.

5. Google hired a camel to create the street view of a desert.

6. Microsoft pays you to use Bing instead of Google.

7. The “I’m Feeling Lucky” button costs Google US$ 110 million per year, as it bypasses all ads.

8. Every minute, 2 million searches are performed on Google.

9. Because Gmail first launched on April 1st of 2004, many people thought it was an April fool’s day prank.

10. On April fool’s day of 2007, Google sent an Email out to its employees warning that a python was loose in the facilities. It was not a joke.

11. Google first tweet ever was “I’m Feeling Lucky” written in binary code.

12. Google got its name by accident. The founders misspelled “Googol”, which refers to the digit 1 followed by 100 zeroes.

13. Google prefers dogs to cats. Their official code of conduct specifically states that they are a dog company.

14. On August 16, 2013, Google went down for 5 minutes and in that time, the global internet traffic dropped by 40%.

15. The first Google doodle was dedicated to the “Burning man festival” attended by Google founders in 1998.

16. Google’s search index is more 100 million gigabytes in size. It would take 100,000 one-terabyte personal drives to contain the same amount of data.

17. The world watches 450,000 years of YouTube videos each month, over twice as long as modern humans have existed.

18. Google uses reCAPTCHA to teach computers how to read text. With 200,000 million CAPTCHAs solved each day, Google’s computers learn how to identify words scanned from books even if they’re warped.

19. Its main page is so sparse because Sergey Brin and Larry Page didn’t know HTML. For a long time you could only search by hitting the return key – it didn’t even have a submit button.

20. On average, Google has acquired more than one company every week since 2010.

21. In 2011, 96% of Google’s $37.9 billion revenue came from advertising alone.

22. Google has photographed 5 million miles of road for its Street View maps.

23. Around 1,000 of Google’s employees
became millionaires when the company went public in 2004. One of those millionaires was masseuse Bonnie Brown, who worked at the company giving back rubs for $450 a week back in 1999.

24. Almost all of rival company Mozilla’s money comes from Google. The firm pays $300m a year to be the default search engine on Mozilla’s web browser Firefox.

25. A new Google employee is known as a “Noogler” and a former employee is referred to as a “Xoogler”.

Anticipate Lagos Sate Student fashion Week 2015

#LASUanticipateLSSFW2015

The Lagos State University (LASU) is the Official Host Institution of the Lagos State Students Fashion Week (LSSFW) 2015. The Lagos State University Students Union (LASUSU) is the Official Partner of the fashion week, which is scheduled to hold at the main campus Ojo, Lagos State.

#LSSFW would showcase cre
ative student designers and also Top Professional designers.

Runway Show | Performances | Awards | Gifts

VENUE: Lagos State University (LASU) Indoor Sports Hall, Ojo. Lagos State.

DATE: 23rd October, 2015.

TIME: 3pm
We are Proud to Announce WILSON’S LEMONADE as the Official Drink Partner of the Lagos State Students Fashion Week.

#GuesswhoIsComing?
#LasuReBranded
#LSSFW2015

Lagos State Students Fashion Week (LSSFW)
08050706283
BB Pin: 232640FB

Chipped nail? here's how to Fix it! (Ladies)

You have taken time to get your nails done only for one of the nails to get accidentally chipped while trying to retrieve something from the kitchen cupboard.
We all know how annoying a chipped, dented or smudged nail can be especially if you are about to attend an important occasion. A lot of ladies can’t stand their nails when they’re chipped.
The most annoying thing is when the tips of your nail polish are all chipped off and you feel like peeling the whole nail polish off but have no time to get to the salon. Don’t worry, the next time your nail breaks or polish gets chipped, don’t panic. There are several tricks you can use to fix the damage quickly.

Here are some quick fixes:

Clip it: If you find just a little bit of wear on the tips rather annoying, you can always slightly file the tip to get rid of it.
With a nail clipper, snip off the chip without shaving too much length off the nail, and adjust your other nails to match. Once you’ve eliminated the chip, paint on clear topcoat and wrap the polish along the tip of the nail.
Patch it up. Carefully apply a thin coat of polish to the chipped area (not the whole nail) before using topcoat to feather out the edges of the wet blob. This will ensure the patch blends into the rest of the nail.

For broken tip : You can use a toothpick as your ‘brush’ to dot on polish to the inside of the chip. Then simply allow it to dry if the nail is not totally broken off.
You can also quickly patch up the broken tip with super glue or nail glue. Gently press the tube of nail glue until a small bead of glue comes out.
Grab this bead with a toothpick and spread it over one side of the broken nail, creating a thin coat of adhesive. Gently press the nail together using your toothpick.
Wipe off excess glue with nail polish remover. When dry, use the rough side of a nail file to gently file down the rough, exposed edge of the tear.
Apply a protective top coat when dry. Most of the time, you may not have the same polish that the salon used on your manicure. Go for a fun glitter or metallic colour that you can use to cover up the chip. It will just look like you decided to opt for a fun manicure.

Fix with glitter top coat : If the tips of your manicure get chipped, you don’t have to worry your head. Just quickly run to a cosmetic shop and buy glitter polish.
Paint it on right over your chipped polish for an instant fix. The chunkier the glitter, the better this works, so try one with larger flakes and still come out looking glamorous.

#goodluck

'You are a dictator', PDP tells President Buhari

Says APC’s anti-corruption crusade a sham, Presidency disagrees
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday accused the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government of hypocrisy, describing its ‘trumpeted’ fight against corruption as ‘orchestrated.’
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, who addressed journalists in Abuja, accused the Federal Government of double standard and dictatorial proclivities in its anti-corruption fight.
But the Special Adviser to the President on Media, Mr. Femi Adesina, in a text message to The Guardian, said: “The opposition seems to have run out of ideas so soon,” he said. “Daily, we hear the same jaded, hackneyed allegations from them. I think they really are to be pitied; they need help. A broken record that repeats itself ceaselessly is of no use than to be thrown away.”
The PDP said whereas the party “has, overtime, restated its support for a credible, holistic fight against corruption, unfolding events have confirmed our position that this administration is only using the anti-corruption posture as a tool to witch-hunt PDP members and perceived political opponents of APC government.
“We are aware that having realised that Nigerians have seen through their propaganda, deceit and lies, as well as their ineptitude in handling governance, the APC government is now mortally afraid of the on-going rebuilding in the PDP to take over power in 2019, and is as such, applying every negative means to decimate our great party, including the relentless victimisation of our key members.
“It is clearly manifest that the same dictatorial tendencies manifested during the military regime of 1984 are being at present, applied in the polity in the attempt to discredit PDP members and weaken our great party ahead of 2019.
Metuh accused APC and its government of having been busy denigrating the PDP and trying to appropriate its achievements, while at the same time blackmailing, hounding and harassing its elected members with the aim to cow and force them to leave the PDP and join their party.
“We have verifiable reports from our key members that agents of the APC have been approaching them to join the APC with threats to use the EFCC to victimise them should they refuse. The APC and its agents have been boasting that they have the powers to deal with or spare any person, depending on the party such person belongs to,’’ the PDP said.
This, it said, “clearly explains why the so-called fight against corruption has been selective and focused against PDP members, despite counsels by stakeholders that it should be holistic and in accordance with the due process of the law.
“The best example of the curious nature of the war against corruption is the fact that former PDP governors and ministers are being hounded and arrested over apparently orchestrated petitions, while their APC counterparts, who have more damaging petitions are being nominated for ministerial positions.
Even other APC former governors who have on-going corruption cases in court are being rewarded with APC tickets for the forthcoming governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa.
“On the issue of Senator Godswill Akpabio, we invite Nigerians to note that in the three states of Akwa-Ibom, Rivers and Lagos states, there were petitions against their former governors.
Whereas the former APC governors of Lagos and Rivers were rewarded with ministerial nominations, their Akwa Ibom PDP counterpart and the current Senate Minority Leader is being hounded by the EFCC.
“This is in spite of the common knowledge that Akwa-Ibom under Senator Akpabio is arguably the least indebted state in Nigeria, and where the governor appropriately applied available resources to effectively transform the state. We challenge the APC to show Nigerians any of their governors that matched the feats achieved in Akwa-Ibom under Senator Akpabio, whose only building in Uyo is uncompleted and being built with verifiable bank loans.
“The PDP, therefore state categorically that the orchestrated investigation of Senator Akpabio is politically motivated and targeted at weakening the PDP for 2019 elections, by virtue of his being the face of opposition in the National Assembly.
“ It is also part of the fight by the Presidency to weaken the legislature as an arm of government and prevent it from effectively carrying out its constitutional role of checks and balances in a democracy.
“As we speak, no APC member, despite the public petitions of corruption and squandering of state funds, has been invited or questioned by the EFCC. We challenge the EFCC, as an anti-corruption agency, to show Nigerians any member of the APC it has so far questioned, not to talk of being arrested since the emergence of this administration, despite petitions against them.
“Recall that even the case of former Adamawa state Governor Murtala Nyako started before the advent of the current administration but is now reportedly being worked on ostensibly to extricate APC members involved.
“This government has established itself as a hypocritical regime that accommodates corruption, profligacy and sleazes in government quarters while hoodwinking the people and witch-hunting PDP members.
“The hypocrisy of this administration came to the fore with the show of insensitivity to the mood of the nation as copiously demonstrated in Saturday’s ostentatious thanksgiving party (with hundreds of millions of naira spent) by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SFG) Engr. Babachir David Lawal, at a time the people of the North East geo-political zone, where he hails from, are being ravaged by insurgency.
“Finally, we request Mr. President to end this dictatorial proclivity of selective anti-corruption war that has characterised the APC government.”

Basketmouth Announces He’s Set To Feature On CNN, Releases Details

Veteran Nigerian comedian Basketmouth, seems to be reaching new horizons every day.
The stand-up comedian has just announced that he’s set to feature on CNN’s African Voices on October 23, 2015. Basketmouth took to social media to reveal his show time on the channel.

He wrote: –

Friday: 08:30

Saturday: 02:30 & 12:30

Sunday: 10:30 & 17:30

Monday: 09:30

Tuesday: 03:30

(All times GMT)

Glo takes music concert to Surulere

BUBBLY suburb situated in the heart of Lagos, Surulere got a kick last Saturday as telecom outfit, Globacom stormed the community with its spectacular concert, Glo Slide ‘n’ Bounce.
The evening kicked off when the show’s host, Okey Bakassi invited both young and adult guests on stage for a singing competition. The subscribers battled among themselves to exhibit their talents.
At the end of the contest, Kareem Arafat, a student of Oke-Ira Junior Grammar School, beat Queeyano Onumoh of Ethelbert School, Gbagada to the third place, while Samuel Peter, a resident of Orile who recently completed his senior secondary education, came first ahead of a 300 level student of Political Science at the University of Otuoke, Bayelsa State, Ikenna Odunukwe.
Next to perform were some budding entertainers including Mddie, Cleo Thelma, Joerel, Jhesulobha Crew, Tripstar and Black Dot, who all entertained the crowd.
Comedienne, TV host and Glo ambassador, Helen Paul, was also in the house, and she sent the audience reeling with laughter with her jokes. She also answered some personal questions from the cheering audience.
Sammy Okposo, with his band members dressed in cute uniforms, came next, and he took the audience on a spiritual journey that left many soaked in the moment.
Other artistes that thrilled the crowd were Di’ja of Mavin Records, her label mate, Korede Bello and alternative soul singer, Bez Idakula
Glo Ambassador, Funke Akindele and Africa’s leading hip-hop singers, Psquare also partied with Surulere residents.

World Bank Says Abacha’s Loot Is Too Huge To Handle

The World Bank has said it would take a lot of time to give a comprehensive response on how the late Sani Abacha’s loot was disbursed.
World Bank’s president Jim Yong Kim (left) needs a lot of time to give comprehensive information on Sani Abacha’s huge loot.
Following a request by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), the World Bank representative responded that the Bank requires additional time to provide comprehensive information on the spending of recovered funds looted by the late military ruler Sani Abacha during his reign in Nigeria.
“In response to your request we would like to inform you that we are still considering your request and need additional time to provide you with a more comprehensive response, ” told Ann May of the World Bank’s Access to Information Team in the letter dated October 15.

She informed SERAP representatives that though in most cases it takes up to twenty working days to respond the request for information, under special circumstances it can take much more time. The special circumstances include the complex and voluminous requests that usually require consultation with the World Bank’s board of executive directors as well as the internal units and external parties.

“ We regret any inconvenience that a delay may cause you and, if one does occur, will aim to minimize it as much as possible, ” concluded Ann Mayin the letter, adding that the World Bank “ will notify you promptly of any updates to the status of your request.”

The estimates of the funds stolen by the late military ruler Sani Abacha during the period of his reign from 1993 to 1998 vary. While it is estimated that the stolen funds make up at least $ 4.3 billion, some experts claim that the sum of the stolen assets is much higher and might be as huge as $ 7 billion. Thus, Abacha, who ruled Nigeria for five years after a 1993 coup, is believed to to be among the ranks of Congo’s Mobutu Sese Seko as one of Africa’s most avaricious looters in power.

Adetokunbo Mumuni, the SERAP’s executive director, speaking on the delays with the initiative to recover Abacha’s loot, told: “ we welcome the Bank’s decision to thoroughly consider the request. This thorough process shows the seriousness the Bank attaches to the request, and will hopefully contribute to a positive outcome that will serve the interest of justice and millions of Nigerians who want to know about disbursement of Abacha loot. ”

SERAP sent its request to Jim Yong Kim, the World Banlk’s president, on 21 September, 2015, asking him to release documents relating to disbursement of recovered funds stolen by late General Abacha.
The SERAP’s request stated: “ The World Bank has been involved in overseeing the transfer, disbursement, spending of recovered funds from General Abacha, and other similar initiatives to repatriate stolen funds to Nigeria. As such, the World Bank is not a neutral party in this matter. ”
On September 7 the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the involvement of the World Bank in the repatriation, management and spending of stolen funds.
The SERAP executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni stated that over $2billion stolen by the late head of state, General Sani Abacha, was repatriated back to Nigeria during the General Abdulsalam Abubakar and former president Olusegun Obasanjo administrations.
A year ago two senior lawyers from the United States of America have asked the Attorney-General of the country, Eric Holder Jr., to without delay repatriate the $458m assets stolen by a former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, and his accomplices to Nigeria.
A global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption, Transparent International, has made it known that the Abacha regime embezzled between $3 billion and $5 billion of public funds. The Justice Department suit filed in November 2013 saying that Abacha, his son Mohammed Sani Abacha, their associate Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and others embezzled, misappropriated and extorted money from the Nigerian government.
They laundered funds by buying bonds backed by the United States using U.S. financial institutions, prosecutors said. The assets were held in banks that included Deutsche Bank AG, HSBC Holdings Plc and Banque SBA, according to the lawsuit.
Last year, after a 16-year legal battle, Nigeria recovered from Liechtenstein $228 million stolen by Abacha and his associates. Besides that, Nigeria had recovered about $1.3 billion of Abacha’s money from various European jurisdictions.

Boko Haram Leader Behind Maiduguri Bombing Detained( PHOTO)

The military detained alleged mastermind of the recent deadly suicide bombings in Maiduguri.

The Nigerian troops detained a suspected Boko Haram leader. The suspect is allegedly a mastermind of the second deadly bomb explosion at Ummudari Molai area of Maiduguri and is possibly related to other terrorist attacks in the Borno capital. The investigation is on-going.
A suburb known as Mulai in Maiduguri capital city of Borno state at about 6.20pm on Thursday, October 15, was greeted with the echo of two deadly explosions sending residents of the area scampering for safetyю
Civilian Joint Task Force representatives, who took part in the evacuation of the dead bodies from the scene of the twin suicide bombings in Maiduguri, informed the press that at least 26 people were killed on the spot when the suicide bombers detonated their devices in a mosque in the suburb of Borno state capital.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has restated the military’s commitment to end the activities of the deadly Boko Haram sect. According to him, the military was determined to meet the set deadline of defeating the insurgents by December.

Umunede Community Eats New Yam Festival In Style

Umunede is a town in Delta State, strategically located along Benin-Asaba Expressway.
Travelers from the South Western part of Nigeria and some parts of the North  to the South East and South South can bear witness to the fact that the town is synonymous with trade and agriculture.
The busy town in Ika Local Government Area of Delta State is a one-stop hub for quality food and agricultural produce.
But beyond farming and trade, Umunede is equally rich in culture. With a history that links it with the Benin Kingdom, the town boasts of a unique cultural heritage.
An aspect of the town’s culture featured last week in Abuja when Umunede sons and daughters under the umbrella of Umunede Progressive Union (UPU) celebrated the 2015 New Yam Festival.
The ceremony which held at the Tourism Village of Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) attracted dignitaries from the town including a Senior Special Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Professor Professor Sylvester Monye and Director, Administration, NTDC, Mr. Boniface C. Eboka.
Celebrants who adorned themselves in local fabrics produced by the people of the area entertained their guests with cultural performances and traditional cuisine.
The highlight of the day was the symbolic cutting of the new yam. The task was performed by the President of the Union, Pastor Destiny Ikem.
Ikem, following the ceremony cutting of the yam, raised it and prayed fervently for the good health and prosperity of Umunede people both at home and in the Diaspora.
Speaking at the end of the programme, Ikem said the celebration of New Yam has been an age long practice, when people show appreciation to God for survival and increase in the land.
He said: “It is a time we celebrate our harvest and show people that our land is fertile. It is also time for unity as the festival bring people together in celebration.
“ We dance and eat. We are mostly farmers, we are not warriors. We are peaceful people and the symbolic cutting of yam annually signifies the beginning of harvest in the farming season.
Adding: “Umunede is rich in culture. Our culture is not only rich but unique, having originated from Benin City that is known for rich cultural heritage. Our dress culture is displayed by our women, our dance is supported with local musical instrument.
“An average Umunede person is a good dancer. Once we hear musical rhythm, we dance to it. We do not brandish bow and arrow”.
Ikem added that in the face of globalization, his people have tried to uphold and protect their tradition and culture jealously.
“It is one of the reasons we chose the tourism village to celebrate our new yam. Our dress culture also reflects our culture. The only thing we do not do is ritual. We do not perform fetish practices; we do not worship idols and ancestors”, Ikem stated.
To ensure the younger generations are not left out in the practice, Ike said: “We have tried to carry the younger generations along in the propagation of our culture.
“In Umunede Progressive Union, we have the youth wing, where the younger generations are involved in the affairs of the town. Even my young son is here, participating in the festival.
“We come with our children to learn about community development. Any child that is 18 years and above is expected to join the Union or face sanctions.
“Aside learning our culture, there are benefits derived from such associations. For instance, job opportunities are reserved for members”.
Ikem also used the forum to appeal to Nigerian youths to have confidence in the country and stop migrating abroad where they serve as slaves.
“Our youths should stop traveling abroad  where they live as slaves. No country can be better than your own. I still believe that Nigeria shall be great again.
“I believe the wind of change will encourage the youths to aspire. In the past, it was never-do-wells that elope to foreign land while intelligent people stay back and develop the nation”, he noted.
Also speaking, the Secretary General of the association, Richard L. Eziokwu. He stated that such associations avail youths the opportunity to socialize and learn about their people’s beliefs and values.
“The New Yam festival is a yearly event held in the month of September and performed in the palace of the traditional ruler of Umunede. Subsequently, those in the cities across Nigeria will choose convenient dates to celebrate their own.
“ The festival symbolizes unity and an avenue to showcase our tradition and culture. The old and young come together and in the process, the tradition and culture are transmitted to the younger generations.
“Now, nearly 80 per cent of our youths has registered with the association. Everybody loves to join because there are lots to benefit socially and politically”, Eziokwu said.