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By Efio-Ita Nyok

As Nigerians inch closer towards the 2015 presidential election slated for 14 February by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) as headed by Professor Attahiru Jega, a handful of virtual trends characterise our political clime, notable among which is the hash tag #WhyGEJ.

As at last week it was #GEJ_Wins2015 that was the toast of the Nigerian electorates on Twitter. Now, it is #WhyGEJ.

This hash tag is inciting a number of reactions from Nigerians as to why his second term ambition is endorsed or perceived to be other wise. In some of these reactions, some of the achievements of President Goodluck Jonathan are highlighted as premises for their support for him, whereas some angry reactions emphasise on the failures of his administration.

For instance, one of the tweets incited by the trending hash tag #WhyGEJ by one The Amazing Jona submits that, ‘Rehabilitation of the Lagos-Jeba-Kano Rail line, and Ilorin-Offfa Rail line’, and ‘Rehabilitation of the Ilorin International Airport’ explains why GEJ should be elected for a second term. On his part, one Andre Sly rationalises his support for GEJ’s re-election to the premise that, ‘When America refused to give him Ebola serum, he used prayer to kill…’. For one Badmus Bello Shuaibu, ‘President Goodluck Jonathan aims and shoot in one fell swoop and we want him back in office in 2015’.

However, on other social media platforms some Nigerians have expressed their disappointment with the Jonathan administration especially the inability to find a solution to the captured Chibok schoolgirls. For these lots, security of lives and properties of the citizenry should be the priority of any government.

Be that as it may, one should look out for how long these virtual trend will last, and what is likely to overtake it.

By Samuel Ekun

By Samuel Ekun

By Samuel Ekun

By Samuel Ekun

By Efio-Ita Nyok

Beginning from last week, the Nigerian political space had been awash with the debates attempting on one hand, to demonstrate the literate status, and other the other hand, the illiterate status of the presidential aspirant of the All Progressive Congress(APC) -the person of Muhammadu Buhari.

What is understood to have sparked the row in the first place is when Muhammadu Buhari is said to have deposed for the third time before INEC that the Secretary, Nigeria’s Military Board, is keeping his certificates. If we recall, in the 2007 and 2011 General Elections, the Peoples’ General only deposed affidavits. Why did he not get them from the military after twenty-seven years of retirement and seven years of contesting for the same office? The foregone questions are yet to be reasonably answered by either Buhari  or his cronies.

However, we proceed to inquiring into the subject under review. What are the premises upon which the APC Presidential Screening Committee cleared Major General Buhari?

According to Section 131(d) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution  as amended, it is submitted that a person shall be qualified to be elected into the office of president if ‘he has been educated to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent’.
  
Tunji Abayomi, a member of APC Screening Committee, contends that the constitution does not say such a candidate should present a certificate, rather, he should be educated to the level of SSCE.The implication is that Buhari can as well stand for elections because he is not barred by any valid constitutional proposition.

Mr. Abayomi explains that when the committee sat on this matter, they submitted that GMB in view of his military experienced could be said to have the met the educational requirement of SSCE. The question is: Can’t M. Buhari make available in hard copies the educational certificates he claims to have bagged by displaying them/it at INEC office? Why is Buhari and his cohorts insulting Nigerians?

While I agree with the argument that the presence of the hard copy of a certificate does not equate to the fact that an individual in possession of such is educated, the quandary is with the dishonesty and double-dealings with which the subject has been managed. It suggest something fishy is under cover.

To my mind, it is either Major General Muhammadu Buhari did not attend formal education or he had very poor results that are not fit for public consumption, especially such that may not be in synch with the perfectionist picture that revolves around his person.  

Nevertheless, my grouse borders around the embarrassment Buhari and the APC have caused themselves and this country in the international community. It compels the thinking electorates to hold in profound doubt the quality in the notion of change the APC is seen to tout. In truth, the assertion by the late Chinua Achebe in his 1984 booklet, which reads unequivocally that ‘the trouble with Nigeria is the failure of leadership…’  still holds water.

By Efio-Ita Nyok

Keith Harrel has categorically said that one of the fundamental things that every person who wants to improve his or her life should work on is his or her attitude. Because, your attitude determines so much about how your life and how far you will go in life. Jim Rohn intoned that if you want to succeed in life, you need to work harder on yourself than you do on your job. This is to make you become better and of more value which also affects whatever you are involved in.

Your attitude is like the engine that runs the car. The more finely tuned that engine is, the better the car will run. The same is true with your life. If you keep your attitude up, if you make it fantastic, you will see so much about your life open right up and flourish.

Attitude is not predisposed or genetic. Attitude is usually acquired or developed. That is why William James, a great psychologist-philosopher said ‘The greatest discovery of my generation is that people can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind’. One of the greatest realisation of our time is that everyone has the potential to improve the quality of their personal and professional lives. That is why humans are potentially created to be progressive. But you must be willing to acquire the skills that will guide you to a place of self discovery, where you can then tap into the power of your positive attitude. You may not be able change your height or your body type, but you can change your attitude. That is why each of us has the power to develop and maintain a positive attitude that works for us, that improves the quality of our lives and enables us to accomplish our lifes’ objectives. Keith Harrel advised that, ‘your attitude should be an indication of where you desire to go in life and not a reflection of what you have been through’.

Thus, no matter your age, your current position, or station in life, your gender, or marital status, a positive attitude can make an incredible difference in your life and in the lives of others. Attitude is the foundation and support of everything you do, a key element in the process of controlling your destiny and achieving mastery in your personal and professional life. The most beneficial change that can turn one’s life around is a change for positive attitude. But if you want an attitude that works for you, that improves the quality of your life and enables you to accomplish your dreams, you have to work at it. You can’t just sit around and wait for a positive attitude to come over you.

Culled from the Prophetic Watch Bulletin(Bible Christian Crusaders Mission).

By Blessing Dickson

A British nurse who contracted Ebola in sierra Leone is in a critical condition. Doctors have been unable to use the Zmapp vaccines as there are no more global supplies.

Cafferkey, who normally works as a state-employed nurse in Scotland, had been volunteering in Sierra Leone’s Kerry Town with the charity Save the Children when she contracted the deadly virus. while offering assistant to Ebola patient in sierra Leone 


Doctors said that the case of the British nurse Cafferkey has deteriorated badly on Saturday.
“The condition of Pauline Cafferkey has gradually deteriorated over the past two days and is now critical,” the Royal Free Hospital in London said in a statement.


The patient has been treated with blood plasma from an Ebola patient who had recovered from the administration of the Zmapp vaccine. Doctors hope that the antibodies contained in the fluid could help her fight the virus. 
“We are giving her the very best care possible. However, the next few days will be crucial,” said infectious diseases consultant Dr. Michael Jacobs at the time. “The disease has a variable course and we will know much more in a week’s time.”