In today’s piece, I tried thinking along with you about how you could scale and become a formidable team member in the workplace.

The following are simple tips to help you remake your success moments or outdo them this year:

• Vision – Start with a clear vision. No one gets ‘any where’ who wasn’t really going ‘somewhere’.
• Personal Development – Prioritise reading relevant books, following a personal development icon, joining a growth network, practising to become better daily, get a mentor, etc.
• Be a value-adding team member anywhere, anytime and everywhere.
• Be a conscientious and hard worker. Get the job done as and when due.
• Be responsibility oriented.
• Be excellence driven.
• Be business minded, even as an employee.
• Be a smart/power dresser – outlook that makes you matter is your Initial Assessment Index.
• Be creative with deployment of company products and services.
• Be innovative in your thinking and be an ideas person.
• Be assertive in personality, and emotionally intelligent.
• Be subtle and wise in your approach to issues.
• Be prompt in delivering results (ensure to combine speed with accuracy).
• Be a great team player as much as it depends on you.
• Be passionately loyal at work – favour general interests over personal interests.
• Be dogged and tenacious with your pursuits and go-getting.
• Be professional, especially in corporate communication. Communicate effectively.
• Be great with people management.
• Be patient, always display candor.
• Be sincere with your strengths and weaknesses. Seek help.
• Be fearless, bold, courageous and self-confident.
• Build a strong following/community by respecting people.
• Be wary of excuses.
• Be ambitious
• Be a fantastic time manager.
• Be humble, modest with your achievements, but not proud.
• Be futuristic, greatness is not a sprint!
• Be generous and benevolent. Give to even great people.
• Be excellent minded.
• Listen, learn and feedback to stakeholders.
• Understand the core of your organisation.
• Be proactive, not just reactive.
• Make the required sacrifices to rise to the peak, if they align with your personal values.
• Be solutions and productivity-driven, not just activities.
• Learn the push-and-pull balance of your office politics.
• Be friendly with all your colleagues for work sake.

I’m sure this piece will help you as you resume work this 2026. Let me know when they do. I’m super excited to be your #BetterMe partner in this journey.

You can also get additional support from unique brands I have created such as: digital courses, physical training modules and published book; all centered around promoting character development, ethical leadership, and business trust culture, customer service excellence; all reflecting my expertise as a Character Development Trainer, Trust Culture Strategist, and Best Workplace Attitudes Advisor. I can be reached through the attached telephone number.

Keeping minding your character as you enjoy the rest of your week.

READ ALSO: 

Tinubu nominates board members for NMDPRA, NUPRC

Highways of life, not death, By Tunde Akanni

Anticipatory asset declaration: When oversight becomes complicity

APC national chair condemns Niger State killings, says it is barbaric

Troops neutralise 25 terrorists, rescue hostages across theatres

Army rescues 13, recovers 27 bodies in Nguru boat mishap

Manchester United sack manager Amorim after Leeds draw

Tinubu-Kagame photo in Paris not AI-generated –Presidency

AFCON 2025: Cameroon edges S’Africa 2–1 to reach quarter-finals

Army foils bandits’ movement, neutralises three in Kogi

Multiple rape allegations: Lagos police invite Pastor Chris Okafor

2026 and the tax man, By Kazeem Akintunde

2026: Sanwo-Olu pledges to consolidate administration’s gains

Venezuela’s interim govt says it remains united behind Maduro after his U.S. capture

The post A New Year changes nothing, you do appeared first on Frontpageng.

To God Almighty is the glory, as we have safely arrived 2026.

It is therefore another season for us at FrontPage (frontpageng.com) to express gratitude to Him for the special grace.

It is also the time to express our sincere gratitude to you, our Esteemed Readers, Advertisers and other Stakeholders for being part of our journey, through your loyalty.

How truly wonderful you have all been to the nourishment and growth of our enterprise, inspiring our commitment to remaining professional, ethical, creative and strong despite the sometimes unpredictable climate.

Thank you all for being worthy partners.

We appreciate your trust, love, kindness, support and encouragement. They are quite overwhelming.

We look forward to a more prosperous and generally rewarding relationship with you in 2026 and beyond.

By His grace, happiness is assured in the New Year.

This is FrontPage. This is Where The News Is.  

Welcome to the New Year.

Happy New Year.

READ ALSO: 

APC speaks on Peter Obi’s defection to ADC

Gunmen abduct ex–Ogun lawmaker in mosque

Police recover gun from suspect during stop-and-search in Lagos

FG speaks on alleged plan to unlawfully prosecute opposition figures

Let’s bring back the short story, By Banji Ojewale

The colourful year called 2025 (I), By Funke Egbemode

New tax laws will commence Jan 1 as planned -Tinubu

Nigeria: Close of year accounting – sequencing from reform to relief

SHORT STORY: No Xmas dinner for the fisherman

Police apprehend 14 suspected traffic robbers in Lagos

EXTRA: Ashimolowo, Chris Okafor, CAN and PFN

The post It’s 2026! Happy New Year to all –FrontPage appeared first on Frontpageng.

How many people know the difference between another year and a new year? When, on the eve of a new year we shout “Happy New Year!”, how many have an understanding whether the new year they are ushering in will be just “another” year or they actually want it to be a “new” year different in many respects from the outgoing year? Someone said the new year, much like birthdays, should be celebrated with all sobriety because they move us closer to the grave! Rather than say “I am a year older today”, we ought to say that we are a year closer to our grave! This must be what scripture means when it admonishes us in Psalm 90:12 : “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

Many rejoice at the prospect of escaping the outgoing year because of the calamities, frustrations, and disappointments it might have visited on them. So, it is good riddance to bad rubbish! For others, it is not themselves but others that have been so unfortunate. Therefore, they give thanks that they did not partake in the troubles that were the lot of others. New year offers an opportunity to make good what went wrong or what didn’t add up in the outgoing year. Where lines did not fall in nice places (Psalm 16: 5), the new year offers another opportunity to set things on proper footing and hope – plan – for the best.  Unless you know it and consciously work towards it, the year that rolls in may just be “another” year – and there may be nothing “new” in it or about it.

READ ALSO: Court orders temporary forfeiture of $378, 000, exotic car to FG

For those who have everything working well for them, will they still covet a new thing in the new year? The answer, I think, is yes! Everyone wants add-ons, regardless of how well served they have been in the past or are at the moment. Human needs, we have been told, are insatiable; so, everyone wants a turnaround that will make their best even better. Oh, there must have been many with bad memories of the year that was winding down who would never want to be reminded of it!

For such, the desire is something different, refreshingly different, in the new year. They want to forget their sorrows. They want to shut the door firmly against the past and look forward with hope towards the future. In the new year, they must recover all! And they must march forward and forget all the sorrows of the past.

Isaiah 43: 18 – 20 is apt here, for it says: “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it will spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.”

These are comforting words for anyone trying to put the past behind him or her and looking at the new year not just as “another” year but as a “new” year in truth and in deed: A year that forecloses the pains, anguish and sorrow of the past; that makes a way where there had been no way and brings hope where there had been hopelessness.

The wilderness is one place where someone can easily lose his way; the wilderness of life is a place of hopelessness where, whether one moves forward or goes backward offers no reprieve. Making a way there immediately brings hope – the hope of seeing light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how long. I have been in the desert of northern Nigeria before and I know that the most prized commodity there is water – not gold or rubies. Water in the desert means life. The absence or lack of it means sure death – slow and painful death.

A new year that brings happiness as opposed to another year with its drudgery, however, comes with a price. Newness of life, newness of hope, and newness of aspiration must consciously be harnessed. Scripture tells us how this should be done in Luke 5: 37 – 39 when it says: “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved…” Old habits that profited nothing in the previous year must yield way for new habits that will make the new year not “another” year but a “new” year indeed. New ideas, new thought processes, new and better ways of doing things are imperative to making the new year “new” indeed.

Scripture says “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). If you can say it, believing it, you can do it! If you believe you can fly in this new year, then, believe you me, you will fly! If you can dream it, you can achieve it. Most of the inventions we know today started as dreams. And some were even mistakes! So, don’t be afraid to make mistakes if you really want 2025 to be a “new” year and not “another” year – drab, lacklustre and uneventful in all its ramifications.

The quotes from the bible here do not foreclose anyone. If you are a Christian, fine; but if not, no hassles. Only “if thou canst believe…” (Mark 9: 23). God has constructed our mind as a powerhouse. What remains to be seen is the use to which the individual puts his or her own mind. This year, to make the year truly “new” and not “another” year, put your mind to positive use only. Hold on to the word of God that says: “Behold, I make all things new”. And as if He knows that you need further assurance, He follows this up by saying: “Write: for these words are true and faithful”!

May 2025 be a happy new year and not just another year to all my esteemed readers in Jesus mighty name!

A new year that brings happiness as opposed to another year with its drudgery, however, comes with a price. Newness of life, newness of hope, and newness of aspiration must consciously be harnessed.

FEEDBACK

And the man died…

Death will come when it will. It is the eventual end of all living things. Physical life is temporal.

Yes, you are right to demand for Government policies that will intervene in some cases but remember the case of Abiola’s first wife? Money was put to shame! The woman died. Methuselah lived for over 900 years, but he still died. Once “Olojo” beckons, there is no controversy! The senseless destruction of life in some parts of the country and elsewhere in the world is a case of the wickedness of man. Even God regretted creating man (Gen. 6:5 & 6). Can you still remember the physical appearance of your progenitors 150 years ago? So in another 150 years, will your children’s children remember you? It is a natural thing to die! If we were not to die and people like Adam, Abraham, Isaac and the others are still walking around today, how will it be? I believe God’s plan for man to live for a while and die is the best. How the individual utilizes the opportunity will determine how people will remember him –  and for how long. Sango was a king in Oyo, people turned him into a deity and still worship him up till today. Oranmiyan and many others were human beings who died but are still being remembered till today. Awolowo’s actions in the old Western Region make people still talk about him. –  Pa E. K.  Odeleye. 

Add to your write-up on the above subject-matter the state of our hospitals where we have qualified doctors willing to work but lack of medical equipment to handle patients with complications hinders them. There is nothing they do abroad that we cannot do here if the enabling environment is provided. You can imagine that UCH did not have electricity for months last year and the mortuary was becoming a health hazard! The problem is that we have arm-chair ministers, heads of departments and parastatals who should be on their feet to see that the work is done. Until we put sincere, selfless and hard-working people in positions of authority, Nigeria will forever be crawling. -Chief (Mrs.) Jumoke Anifowose.

That was very philosophical, cogent and reflective! Lo, of all the appropriate questions asked, the most useful to livelihood and to humanity is “What is the purpose of life, after all?” Lo, how beneficial it would be if people of power and means, and all of us, can ponder and make necessary amends!  But most unfortunately, as the Scripture says, “The heart of man is desperately wicked, who can know it?” -Elder Olaitan Makanjuola.

Death is an in-built mechanism. All animals, anything with life, are programmed to die. The universe itself is programmed to stop existing one day! – Afuw 7777.

*Bolawole (turnpot@gmail.com 0807 552 5533), former Editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-chief, was also the Managing Director/ Editor-in-chief of the Westerner newsmagazine. He writes the “ON THE LORD’S DAY” column in the Sunday Tribune and “TREASURES” column in the New Telegraph newspapers. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.

The post 2025: Another year or a new year? appeared first on Frontpageng.

The president made the declaration on Wednesday in his New Year message to Nigerians.

He assured that by the grace of God, the New Year would be “a year of great promise in which we will fulfill our collective desires.”

“Though 2024 posed numerous challenges to our citizens and households, I am confident that the New Year will bring brighter days,” he added.

He said there were indications that the nation would improve economically.

He expressed the commitment of the federal government to boost food production and promote local manufacturing of essential drugs and other medical supplies.

Tinubu, while expressing gratitude for the confidence Nigerians placed in him, promised to continue to embark on necessary reforms to foster sustainable growth and prosperity for Nigeria.

He gave the assurance that sacrifices made by Nigerians in the past 19 months would not be in vain, as he sought the cooperation of all to ensure nation-building.

READ ALSO: Ahead of midterm, emerging signs favourable for the Tinubu administration

The statement reads in full:

Fellow Nigerians,

As we enter 2025, I wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year. May you be rich in joy, success, and good health.

As the new year dawns, it brings many hopes, aspirations, and prospects for better days. By the grace of God, 2025 will be a year of great promise in which we will fulfill our collective desires.

Though 2024 posed numerous challenges to our citizens and households, I am confident that the New Year will bring brighter days.

Economic indicators point to a positive and encouraging outlook for our nation. Fuel prices have gradually decreased, and we recorded foreign trade surpluses in three consecutive quarters. Foreign reserves have risen, and the Naira has strengthened against the US dollar, bringing greater stability.

The stock market’s record growth has generated trillions of naira in wealth, and the surge in foreign investment reflects renewed confidence in our economy. Nevertheless, the cost of food and essential drugs remained a significant concern for many Nigerian households in 2024.

In 2025, our government is committed to intensifying efforts to lower these costs by boosting food production and promoting local manufacturing of essential drugs and other medical supplies. We are resolute in our ambition to reduce inflation from its current high of 34.6% to 15%. With diligent work and God’s help, we will achieve this goal and provide relief to all our people.

In this new year, my administration will further consolidate and increase access to credit for individuals and critical sectors of the economy to boost national economic output.

To achieve this, the federal government will establish the National Credit Guarantee Company to expand risk-sharing instruments for financial institutions and enterprises.

The Company—expected to start operations before the end of the second quarter—is a partnership of government institutions, such as the Bank of Industry, Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation, the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Agency, and Ministry of Finance Incorporated, the private sector, and multilateral institutions.

This initiative will strengthen the confidence of the financial system, expand credit access, and support under-served groups such as women and youth. It will drive growth, re-industrialisation, and better living standards for our people.

On a personal note, thank you for placing your confidence in me as your president. Your trust humbles me, and I promise to continue serving you diligently and wholeheartedly.

We will continue to embark on necessary reforms to foster sustainable growth and prosperity for our nation.

I seek your cooperation and collaboration at all times as we pursue our goal of a one trillion-dollar economy. Let us stay focused and united.

We are on the right path to building a great Nigeria that will work for everyone. Let us not get distracted by a tiny segment of our population that still sees things through the prisms of politics, ethnicity, region, and religion.

CITIZENSHIP

To achieve our national goals and objectives, we must become better citizens and uncompromising in our devotion and allegiance to Nigeria.

Citizens’ moral rectitude and faith in our country are fundamental to the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda. In 2025, we will commit to promoting adherence to ethical principles, shared values, and beliefs under the National Identity Project.

I will unveil the National Values Charter, already approved by the Federal Executive Council, in the first quarter of 2025. I will launch an ambitious national orientation campaign that fosters patriotism and love for our country and inspires citizens to rally together. The Charter will promote mutual commitments between the government and citizens and foster trust and cooperation among our diverse population and between the government and the citizens.

As far-reaching and foundational as our reforms are, they can produce the desired outcomes only through shared common values and identities and unconditional love for our country.

The Youth Confab will begin in the first quarter of 2025, a testament to our commitment to youth inclusiveness and investment as nation-builders. The Ministry of Youth will soon announce the modalities for selecting the conference’s representatives from our diverse, youthful population.

Dear Compatriots, I urge you to continue believing in yourselves and keeping faith in our blessed country.

Let me use this New Year’s message to urge our governors and local council chairpersons to work closely with the central government to seize emerging opportunities in agriculture, livestock, and tax reforms and move our nation forward. I commend governors who have embraced our Compressed Natural Gas initiative by launching CNG-propelled public transport. I also congratulate those who have adopted electric vehicles as part of our national energy mix and transition. The Federal Government will always offer necessary assistance to the states.

To all citizens, your sacrifices have not been in vain over the past 19 months. I assure you they will not be in vain even in the months ahead. Together, let us stay the course of nation-building.

The New Year will bring us closer to the bright future we all desire and the Nigeria of our dreams.

God bless you all, and may God bless our beloved country, Nigeria.

Happy New Year and a prosperous 2025 to you all!

Bola Ahmed Tinubu,

President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

January 1, 2025

The post New Year: 2025 comes with hopes of better days –Tinubu appeared first on Frontpageng.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Ministry of Interior’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Magdalene Ajani, on Monday in Abuja.

According to Ajani, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said that the public holidays were to enable citizens to celebrate Christmas, Boxing Day and the New Year respectively.

“The Christmas season is a good moment for both spiritual reflection and national renewal.

“As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, let us demonstrate kindness and extend goodwill to one another, irrespective of our differences,” the minister said.

Tunji-Ojo emphasised the importance of the season as a time to foster harmony and to strengthen bonds across families and communities.

READ ALSO: 3SC stun Rangers in Enugu, as Remo Stars regain NPFL leadership

He assured citizens of the federal government’s continued commitment to ensuring peace, security, and prosperity across the nation.

He further expressed confidence in the renewed hope agenda of President Tinubu’s administration for a better and prosperous economy in 2025.

The minister, on behalf of the federal government, sent warm greetings to all Nigerians, urging them to use the festive period to reflect on the values of love, peace, and unity that the season signifies.

Source: NAN

The post FG declares public holidays for Christmas, New Year appeared first on Frontpageng.

The Deputy Director, Public Relations, NRC, Mr Yakub Mahmood, made this known in a statement, on Wednesday in Lagos.

Mahmood said that the announcement was in compliance with the federal government’s directive, through the Federal Ministry of Transportation.

“This end-of-the-year special train service on scheduled passenger trains, is part of government’s gesture towards an enjoyable end-of-the-year celebration.

“Dates and modalities of the end-of-the-year special train service shall be communicated in due course.

“We wish all our esteemed customers, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in advance,” he said.

Source: NAN

The post FG to run end-of-year special train services –NRC appeared first on Frontpageng.

Orajiobi was delivered of two girls and a boy in a private hospital.

Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Orajiobi, who live at Ologo Quarters, Uwani Enugu, said when she became pregnant in May 2023, she knew it would result in triplets.

She added that labour started on Saturday but she visited the hospital on Sunday and on Monday was delivered of the triplets.

“I am a hair dresser, I have two girls already before this pregnancy came in May, but I never knew I was pregnant with triplets until scan said I am carrying twins.

“So, today, around 7 a. m., God gave me a January gift and New Year bonanza and throughout the period of this pregnancy, the babies did not give me challenges.

“I even carried the pregnancy to work even when my legs do swell. People will be telling me to go and rest but I kept struggling to do the work to find what my family will eat,” she said.

She, however, called on Nigerians to come to her aid, saying that it would be difficult for her and her husband to take care of the babies.

READ ALSO: Police confirm abduction of passengers in Cross River

“I am pleading to Nigerians, especially the governors of Enugu and Anambra states, to come to my rescue.

“They should come and assist us with anything. Doctor has put my bill at N450,000 because I delivered through Caesarian Section.”

The husband, Mr Cornelius Orajiobi, a trader, said they both hailed from Obiofia in Nnewi North local government area of Anambra State.

He said he felt excited when the scan showed that his wife was pregnant with twins but never knew it was a set of triplets.

“I have two kids and never planned to have triplets before God surprised us.

“Nigerians should please assist us because this gift is bigger than what I can cater for alone,” he pleaded.

All efforts by NAN to speak with the Medical Director of the hospital proved abortive as he did not answer his calls.

Meanwhile, a nurse from the hospital, who pleaded anonymity, told NAN that the hospital provided what was used in delivering the babies as the family could not provide any.

Source: NAN

The post New Year: Hair dresser gives birth to triplets, pleads for assistance appeared first on Frontpageng.

Governor Sanwo-Olu in his New Year message assured Lagos residents that bigger and greater things would happen in the New Year.

The governor said his administration was committed to impacting the lives of the citizens in the New Year with legacy and iconic projects as well as critical infrastructure that would be commissioned in the state during the year.

He said 2023 was the year his government would act with speed to deliver more dividends of good governance to Lagosians. He promised to continue to deliver steadfast leadership that would lead to an even better life for Lagos residents.

“I wish every Lagosian a Happy New Year. We are thankful to God for the grace to see the New Year and we welcome 2023 with hope and faith.

“2022 was a year of great strides for us in Lagos. It was indeed a year that pushed us to constantly restrategise and act with wisdom.

“2023 is the year we will act with speed to deliver more dividends of governance that you voted us in for. As your governor, I promise to continue to deliver steadfast leadership that will lead to an even better life for Lagosians,” the governor promised.

Governor Sanwo-Olu also urged Lagosians to perform their civic responsibilities during the 2023 general elections and the National Population and Housing Census holding this year.

“The Year 2023 is very important for our country because it is a year for the general elections. It is also a year for the National Population and Housing Census. So, we all have to be on the same page. We have a responsibility as citizens to perform our civic role in all of these activities,” he advised.

Governor Sanwo-Olu while wishing Lagos State residents a Happy New Year during the Greater Lagos Fiesta programme held at Eko Atlantic City said 2023 would be a blessed year for Lagosians.

Sanwo-Olu was represented by his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat at the annual end-of-the-year entertainment tagged ‘Greater Lagos Fiesta’, where thousands of Lagosians danced and prayed into the New Year.

He said: “We thank God that we all made it to the New Year. We thank the Almighty father for preserving our lives because a lot of people could not make it. And it is not because we are better; it is because of the grace of God.

“The Year 2023 will be our blessed year. It will bring better things for all of us. Lagos is rising; may we not fall back. Lagos is moving forward, may Lagos not fall back. As Lagos is doing a lot of great things; we will not be victims of accidents, we will not be victims of kidnappings, and we will not be victims of any disaster.

“Lagos is moving forward. We are going higher and higher. I want to congratulate every one of us for making it to 2023 and I pray that we will celebrate another one next year in good health and with a lot of great things. We thank God for all of us.  We wish you a peaceful year.”

The post New Year: Sanwo-Olu promises more impacting governance appeared first on Frontpageng.

This is the Year 2023! As the New Year comes, it is custom for people to look towards new things. Unarguably, improvement over the present has always been the desire of human beings. The same goes with nations, which collectively look forward to improving their lots. Just as human beings make predictions, nations, too, do make projections. With a particular reference to Nigeria, to say that her present situation is revealingly appalling is not an overstatement. So, she needs prayers for the cure of her maladies and the betterment of her future!

As Nigeria approaches the 2023 general elections, it needs to be noted that the mood of the season is not smiling. Generally speaking, the society has become more polarised along ethno-religious divides and theatrical performances. It is like a moribund situation! At the base of this are negative social indices such as terrorism, banditry, armed robbery, kidnapping and arson, all which have become frighteningly alarming! The pressures of Yuletide, fuel scarcity, among others, have not helped matters either. Even when the much-celebrated subsidy regime is alive and kicking, Nigerians are already feeling the pains of its looming removal. They are already bearing the brunt of a nation that’s blessed with so much but dwelling in the kingdom of ‘so little.’ To say the least, the country is at the tipping point!

So, our Father and our God, we beseech Thee, shower on our leaders the wisdom to dream dreams and the energy to pursue them to fulfilment.

Matter-of-factly speaking, events around us have again shown that empires, by philosophy, are destined to collapse. They rise and they go away! In the global civilisation agenda, democracy is also key! It is the only legitimate way of getting the impossible done! However, in this clime, the institutional attributes of democracy have been compromised. Hence its inability to yield optimum benefits to the people. For the wise, therefore, the destiny of an empire is enough lesson that what goes around must surely certainly come around.

Party discipline has taken flight in Nigeria. Of course, without party discipline, there can’t be reasonable order; and, without reasonable order, there can’t be feasible and sustainable development. Tragically too, the leadership of the Church has no clear vision as to what it should stand for. Hence, it’s being propelled by the sour broth of the passion and impulses of the political gladiators.

READ ALSO: The Mafia paradigm, By Abiodun Komolafe

The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo once said that in a society where dogs kill tigers, grave danger is on the prowl! Needless to repeat that Nigeria presently harbours a spiral chaotic social situation; and the social response of individuals, groups and social institutions has been largely negative, selfish, divisive and un-coordinated. Out of sheer ignorance, people are working against the interest and survival of the country. It is a chaotic situation with no remedy in sight. The emphasis here is about cohesion in a democratic society, not a concoction of forced orderliness through dictatorship or state-induced society-policing, which is outright repression. For Nigeria to survive, there must be collective political will to survive!  The more reason Nigeria needs prayers!

Time it was in Nigeria when seeing a corpse by the roadside was a major issue. Then, the affected local government officials would not only do all that was necessary to remove the remains in record time but also deploy environmental health experts to sanitize the area to prevent the possible spread of epidemics. Even traditionalists within the locality would want to conduct ‘special prayers’ to ward off evil spirits. Since times and things have changed, these days, watching in amusement while the victim groans to death has become a trophy for civilization.

In the olden days, if a report was made to a Local Government Chairman about dilapidated portions of a road in his or her domain, rest assured that he or she would not rest until such a road was fixed. These days, the chairman will even sponsor social media campaigns to discuss ‘Rome-burns-Nero-fiddles’ tales, just to divert the people’s attention and sway opinions from such a burning issue.

Many years ago, Professor Ango Abdullai described Nigeria’s university system as ‘a bottomless pit’, notorious for collecting money without producing anything. Well, that was many years ago! It is unfortunate that, many years later, the university system still produces nothing! While institutions of higher learning elsewhere are attempting, even solving problems of various patterns, what Nigerians have on their hands is a country whose town is being deliberately tormented by the gown. For instance, where is the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) in the scheme of resolving Nigeria’s socioeconomic woes and what’s its impact on the exchange rate currently threatening the country’s economy?

Once upon a country, Michelin Tyre Factory was sited in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and Dunlop was in Lagos State. Berec Battery, Hegemeyer, Chellarams, UTC Motors and others also pitched their tents in Nigeria’s future ‘Centre of Excellence.’ Ditto for Kingsway and Leventis Stores in Lagos and Oyo States!  Osogbo Steel Rolling Mills and Nigeria Machine Tools were established in Osogbo in the old Oyo State. Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited was in Kwara before relocating to Kogi State! At a point in Nigeria’s chequered history, we were not importing rubber because it was readily available in our backyard. Buying a good car battery wasn’t also a problem because Exide Battery, among others, was being manufactured in Ibadan. However, these industries have long walked away and it’s as if the gods were angry!

Compare also the contents of Coke in the 1980s with what we now have and one will realize that a society without firm control will soon become a lawless society! Yet, nobody is drawing world attention to what is likely to kill us dead!

Fellow Nigerians, this is a New Year! It is also another defining moment in the life of Nigeria. Precisely, it is a year power must change hands at her topmost political level! As a praying nation, we are optimistic that, with God taking the front seat in the affairs of dear country, the Year 2023 will bequeath to us fresh hopes and new gifts; new opportunities and new beginnings!

You’re the Prince of Peace! You are also our Buckler and the Key of Life! As we go to the polls early this year to elect new leaders for this ‘Giant of Africa’ and its component states, command peace to our country!

Great things, they say, start with little steps and those who cannot manage stardom cannot manage crises. So, our Father and our God, we beseech Thee, shower on our leaders the wisdom to dream dreams and the energy to pursue them to fulfilment. Grant them the wisdom to use the opportunity that the situation presents to become masters of brilliant ideas and innovations that’ll push development forward. In this hurting world of mixed fortunes, teach them to rearrange the eye of governance with a view to repairing the country’s problems. Grant unto them the power to picture into a future that is waiting to unleash its punishment for their failures.

You’re the Prince of Peace! You are also our Buckler and the Key of Life! As we go to the polls early this year to elect new leaders for this ‘Giant of Africa’ and its component states, command peace to our country! Deliver us; be our stay! Light our candle and enlighten our darkness. Gird us with strength and subdue under us those that rise against us. ‘Lift us up above those that rise up against us and let our cry come before You, even unto Your ears.’ Steer our country’s ship of state away from the locust years of uncertainty and ravenous culture of impunity and give us a Nigeria where, in the words of Governor Nyesom Wike, “every Nigerian can have hope of becoming something tomorrow.”

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!

*Komolafe wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)

The post 2023: Let us pray for Nigeria! appeared first on Frontpageng.

It also declared Monday, January 2, 2023, as holiday to mark the New Year.

The announcement was made by Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, in a statement issued by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Shuaib Belgore, on Thursday in Abuja.

The minister felicitated Christians and all Nigerians at home and in the diaspora on the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Aregbesola enjoined Christians to emulate virtues of Jesus Christ in deeds and follow his teachings, especially on faith, hope and love.

“We must imbibe the life of Jesus Christ in his practice and teachings on humility, service, compassion, patience, peace and righteousness that his birth signifies.

“This will be the best way to portray Christ and celebrate his birth,” he said.

The minister emphasized that peace and security were critical conditions for economic development and prosperity.

He therefore urged Christians and Nigerians to make the best use of the festive period to pray for the total eradication of any vestige of insecurity in the country.

Aregbesola reminded Nigerians that 2023, was an election and political transition year, as such they should make it a huge success by voting peacefully and avoiding anything capable of undermining the exercise.

He assured that the federal government had put in place effective measures for the security of lives and property.

The minister, however, said getting the desired peace required all Nigerians to support the efforts of security agencies by providing timely and useful information that would assist them to discharge their duties effectively.

He urged Nigerians to be security conscious at all times and report any suspicious persons or activities to nearest security agency and through the N-Alert application on Android and IOS.

“When you see something, do N-Alert, as this would elicit prompt response from security agents,” he added.

“The celebration calls for spartan discipline to protect lives and properties of everyone in our community and the nation as a whole,” he said.

The minister advised Nigerians to celebrate moderately, act responsibly and refrain from spreading fake news on the country, the government and people around them.

Aregbesola admonished all citizens to remain focused, assuring that  the 2023 would be a better year for everyone.

He wished Nigerians happy Christmas, and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.

Source: NAN

The post FG announces Christmas, New Year holidays appeared first on Frontpageng.