HAVE YOU MADE YOUR WILL?

The idea of making a Will comes as a surprise to most people and for others, it is a remembrance of death. The world is so sweet and beautiful for those who have acquired immense wealth and comfortable existence that the very idea of their demise is unthinkable. Often times, when these kind of persons die, they leave behind unresolved issues of inheritances and family disputes as to ownership of properties belonging to the deceased. If it is possible some people would carry their properties to heaven. In African societies as you would soon discover, women are considered as part of the properties left behind by the deceased and subject to inheritance, especially, if they…

Egyptians awake to uncertainty as Adly Mansour is sworn in as New Interim President

Egyptians awoke up on Thursday to an uncertain new political order, a day after the military deposed and reportedly detained the country’s first democratically elected president, put a top judge in his place and suspended the constitution. The coup that toppled Mohamed Morsy as president on Wednesday prompted hundreds of thousands of people in the streets across Egypt to both applaud and assail the generals’ decision to step into the country’s political fray for the second time in a little over two years. It also left a series of significant questions unanswered. What will happen to Morsy, who insists he remains the country’s legitimate leader, and his key supporters? Will the sporadic outbreaks of violence…

Sunday Readings: THIRTEEN SUNDAY OF THE YEAR (30/6/2013)

THIRTEEN SUNDAY OF THE YEAR (30/6/2013) OPENING PRAYER Father, you call your children to walk in the light of Christ. Free us from darkness and keep us in the radiance of your truth   FIRST READING A reading from the first book of the Kings 19:16. 19-21 Elisha rose and followed Elijah The Lord said to Elijah: “Go, you are to anoint Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel Meholah, as prophet to succeed you.” Leaving there, Elijah came on Elisha son of Shaphat as he was ploughing behind twelve yoke of oxen, he himself being with the twelfth. Elijah passed near to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left his oxen and ran…

Man who put mum’s body in cupboard Banished …Also baby factory suspect

Imo State traditional rulers have banished Dr. Chimezie Osigwe, in whose home was found the embalmed body of his 73-year-old mum declared missing 10 years ago. Also banished is the proprietor of the Ahamefula Motherless Babies Home, “Madam One Thousand” where 26 expectant teenagers were rescued. “Madam One Thousand”, is no longer to reside in the state, the traditional rulers ruled. Dr. Osuigwe, a native of Ezuru Umuagwu village in Ejemekwuru Autonomous  Community, Oguta LGA Imo State  is a member of the Satguru Maharajji sect. Announcing the verdict, the Chairman of Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Samuel Agunwa Ohiri, said the action of the duo desecrated the land, warning that henceforth all forms…

APGA Leaders storm Ehime-Mbano -As SOLAD urges Governor to vie for 2nd term

Chief Mrs. Chioma Ogoke, the Sole Administrator of Ehime Mbano Local Government Council, on May 10, 2013 implored the Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha to consolidate his achievements by running for a second tenure in the 2015 gubernatorial elections. She made this appeal through the State Working Committee of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) which visited Ehime-Mbano. According to her “the monumental achievements of the present regime and its benefits will manifest fully if Governor Okorocha serves another tenure”, she said.  She urged the Governor to shelve his presidential ambition for now. In address at the event, the State Governor represented by Chief Vitalis Anyaegbu, the State Secretary of the party postulates that…

Nigerian Physicians and Our Right to Know

Chioma called again! You remember her? The woman her boss was pressing for an affair (See https://theleaderassumpta.com/category/columns/ethics-corner/ or www.csaaeinc.org/blog for full story). I thought she was going to talk about this affair.  No. This time it was about her sick mother. “Could you please pray for her, she is in a hospital at Owerri”, she said. I know her mother, a 65 year old “rural woman”.  I called this woman. “Mama, what’s the matter?” “The Doctor has not told me anything”, she answered. “What medication has he given you?” “He did not tell me, he just said that I will be fine.” I have heard this several times, especially from poorer and less educated Nigerians. Regardless…

Irete youths and the display of hostility to non-indigenes

Undoubtedly, we are living in a precarious and hostile society.  A society where brutes and brutality are the order of the day.  This is indeed a society where atrocities are committed with impunity.  A lawless and barbaric society replete with animals in disguise in the name of human beings.  While the youths in civilized societies are busy making great impacts on ground-breakings and wonderful innovations, their Irete counterparts are busy wallowing in unethical behavior, violence and abuse of human rights.    This inference is drawn because of the attitude these young men exhibited at Mrs. Ibenye’s store on Friday at about 7.52pm, March 1, 2013.  Although similar dastard and barbaric acts had filtered through in the…

War against Boko Haram begins – We’ll crush them – Defence Headquarters

With a massive deployment of troops and equipment, the army, navy, air force and other security agencies have begun operation to “rid the nation’s border territories of terrorists’ bases and operations. President Jonathan had in a nationwide broadcast admitted that the Federal Government no longer controlled the entire territory of Nigeria. Three states where the emergency action was declared share common borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger.  These border communities have become bases for training, insurgency and other criminal activities against Nigeria. The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) gave indication that the time was up for the Boko Haram sect and other terrorists groups in the country as it announced the deployment of massive troops to take…

Community Government: Is it viable?

Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha has on several occasions enumerated what Imo people stand to gain from embracing his Fourth-Tier System of Government, otherwise called, Community Government.  The novelty of it all, being that the state power base will, as it were, relocate from Douglas House Owerri (Government House) to the various autonomous communities in the 27 local government areas of the state. According to the new structure, the duly recognized traditional ruler of each autonomous community will preside over the Community Government Council (CGC), which will include: a Government Liaison Officer (GLO), a Community Liaison Officer (CLO), a Woman leader, Youth leader and Secretary.  The concept is to bring development close to the people as…

ACHEBE AND THE INVENTION OF AFRICAN LITERATURE (1)

came strong on the world stage with the publication of his first novel, Things Fall Apart. It is a work widely considered to have defined African literature and brought balance to world literature. This is despite the fact that there were other pioneering efforts regarding African prose by African indigenous writers. By 1933 Omenụkọ by Pita Nwana had been published, followed by the Onitsha Market Literature through which Cyprian Ekwensi published pamphlet stories like Ikolo the Wrestler and Other Ibo Tales (1947) and When Love Whispers (1948). These were before Amos Tutuola’s The Palm-Wine Drinkard (1952), which many regard as the pioneer novel form in English language by an indigenous African. However, it is Chinua…

Jonathan imposes emergency rule on Adamawa, Borno, Yobe

President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.  However, the governors of the affected states are to continue in their constitutional roles.  In a nationwide radio/television broadcast on Tuesday, President Jonathan ordered the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, to deploy more troops to the affected states for more effective internal security operations. The soldiers had been given full orders to take necessary action, within the ambit of their rules of engagement, to end the impunity of insurgents and terrorists. Full texts of the President’s broadcast on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 reads. It has become necessary for me to address you on the recent spate…

The morality of sharing money to Pupils in Imo (2)

Wrong Formation: St. Paul’s foremost warning to Timothy is, “The love of money is the root of all evils” (1Tim. 6: 10). The worst offense any parent could commit against his child will be to introduce him to money as a standard for either consolation or love. Using money to attract a child is like using bone to attract dogs. When the bone is not available, the dog refuses to listen to the voice of the owner and could go wild. And scripture says, “Teach a child how he should live, and he will remember it all his life” (Prov. 22: 6). Let us therefore expose the harm which this practice of sharing money to…

READING FOR PENTECOST SUNDAY 19/5/2013

OPENING PRAYER God our Father, let the Spirit you sent on your Church to begin the teaching of the gospel continue to work in the world through the hearts of all who believe.   FIRST READING A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 2, 1-11 Theme: they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak When Pentecost day came round, the apostles had all met in one room, when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on…

CMO Day at CKC Parish Umuoba Uratta, Owerri North

The Parish Priest, of CKC Umuoba, Uratta Rev. Fr. Jude Ihejieto has charged Christian father to always emulate their, Patron Saint, St. Joseph who accepted the will of God in his life. Preaching during the Father’s Day, May 5, the priest said that every Christian father is expected to be a role model by living, an exemplary life worthy of emulation by his children and neighbours. He said that the resurrection power of Jesus Christ is the manure of the Catholic Church. The resurrection has made us to experience the presence of Christ in our lives of practice the faith with confidence. Reflecting on the first reading, he said that only those who obey and…

IMO GOVT PAYS STIPENDS TO SCHOOL CHILDREN

Imo state government has flagged-off the payment of stipend to school children as well as distribution of school materials to public schools in the state. While flagging- off the programme at Owerri City School, the state governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha said the exercise is aimed at encouraging school children in their studies and further create conducive environment for learning. The governor  who was represented by his wife, Her Excellency Nneoma Nkechinyere Okorocha, said secondary schools students will receive N500 while their counterpart in  primary schools receive N300 every term. “I am here to flag-off the payment of your stipend. Of course, you know that the governor loves you so much with much interest in your…

SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR C 12/5/2013

OPENING PRAYER Father, help us keep in mind that Christ our Saviour lives with you in glory and promised to remain with us until the end of time.  FIRST READING A READING FROM THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 7:55-60 Theme: I can see the son of man standing at the right hand of God. Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven  and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand.  “I can see heaven thrown open”, he said, “and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” At this all the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands; then they…

PASTOR’S CONER – COME, LORD JESUS!

A shout of love expresses the tension of Christ-spouse and of the Church (humanity)-spouse towards the definitive encounter at the end of the history of salvation: when the Passover of all creation will be accomplished through new heavens and new earth which the Lord will perform; when the love with which the Father loves the Son will be in the disciples in a perfect communion (Gosp).  Vat II speaking of the eschatological nature of the pilgrim Church and of its union with the heavenly Church (LG48), confirmed the vision of hope which the inauguration of the new humanity in Christ brings with itself.  The same Spirit which raised Jesus Christ-spouse of the Church from the…