From the desk of the Publisher Meeting with Dr. Olusola Oyemade had special significance for me. At 25, he graduated from medical college in 1967, the same year I was born. Dr. Olusola Oyemade has spent the last 50 years of his life taking care of children. However, his upright gait, cadence of speech and youthful vigor belies his age. You can walk away in an encounter with him believing that he is just in his early sixties. Dr. Oyemade graduated from University Of Edinburgh, Scotland in 1967. He completed a residency at Children's Hospital in Buffalo New York. He is board-certified in pediatrics and he served his fellowship in pediatric nephrology at Georgetown University. In addition, Dr. Oyemade holds a Master's Degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. He currently practices as a Pediatrician at Olusola Oyemade MD Inc. in Rancho Cucamonga, California. He is affiliated with San Antonio Community Hospital. Dr. Oyemade is a proud Recipient of the Patients' Choice Award, 2008, the Compassionate Doctor Recognition, 2009–2012, & the 2013 Humanitarian Health Services, San Antonio Com-
munity Hospital. Besides his work as a medical doctor, Dr. Oyemade has become a pillar in our community playing an elderly role in many of our community causes, sponsoring events and lending a helping hand whenever the community needs it. Dr. Oyemade is a very private person despite all these great achievements and it took me about three years of running into him at community events, most recently at the Nigerian American Public Affairs Committee (NAPAC) picnic in the Summer of 2016 to convince him to tell his success story so as to inspire the youth in our community and new immigrants from home, on achieving success in America. As usual, this bumper edition contains staples that you are used to in your award winning magazine: Iruka's corner, Health & wellness by Dr. Olufemi Saliu, Religion & Spiritual Affairs by Pastor Dipo Kalejaiye and a look at the social circuit at the Hand in Hand Celebration of
Marriage 2017 held at the International Christian Center. This again is a collector's edition you cannot afford to miss. Chike Nweke Spring 2017 Chike Nweke
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3. From the Desk of the Publisher 10. Cover Story Olusola Oyemade - A Doctor & a fine Gentleman 20. Profile in Excellence Osato Osemwengie - Nigerian who sends drones to space 24. Profile in Excellence Valentine Ike - Managing Partner, VI Equities LLC 28. People and Places ICC Hand in Hand Celebration of Marriage 2017 42. Health & Wellness Diabetes is No Fun
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CONTENTS 45. Beauty of the Moment Mercy Nweke - Outstanding Social Worker, beautiful wife and incredible mother 46. Spotlight Katsina State - Home of Hospitality 52. Country Spotlight Accra - The Heartbeat of Ghana 54. Iruka's Corner Disrupting the Status Quo 58. Life’s Issues Husband Scarcity 62. News & Politics Meeting David Koren - the Man who fed Biafrans 66. Religion How much are you worth this Easter Season?
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Cover Profile
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Cover Profile
r. Olusola Oyemade has spent the last 50 years of his life taking care of children. However, his upright gait, cadence of speech and youthful vigor belies his age. You can walk away in an encounter with him believing that he is just in his early sixties.
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Dr. Oyemade graduated from the University Of Edinburgh, Scotland in 1967. He completed a residency at Children's Hospital, Buffalo, New York. He is board-certified in pediatrics and he served his fellowship in pediatric nephrology at Georgetown University Medical School, Washington, DC.In addition, Dr. Oyemade holds a Master's Degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
Upland and Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, Pomona, California Dr. Oyemade is a proud Recipient of the Patients' Choice Award, 2008, the Compassionate Doctor Recognition, 2009– 2012, & the 2013 Humanitarian Health Services, San Antonio Community Hospital, In this interview with our Publisher, Dr. Oyemade talks about his growing up years, his 50 years of practice, his family and his hopes and dreams for the future: Please tell us about your earliest memories as a child, growing up in Lagos Nigeria?
I was born in Lagos at the Massey Maternity Hospital, where the late Dr. MajekoHe currently practices as a Pedunmi delivered me. diatrician at Olusola Oyemade At the time, my dad was a post MD Inc. in Rancho Cucamonga, office worker during WWII, deCalifornia. He is affiliated with ciphering the Morse code mesSan Antonio Regional Hospital, sages. SPRING 2017
My mother was a school teacher at Anglican Girls’ School where she taught students such as the future Nigeria President Chief Sonekan, Professor Olukayode Oyediran, and other well-known Nigerians. Lagos was a quiet town in those days. Growing up in the Onola area in central Lagos was unique. The field was the site of several political rallies, addressed by famous names such as Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Herbert Macaulay, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Mazi Mbonu Ojike.It was thrilling to stand by our balcony and watch as these politicians delivered historic speeches. Where did you obtain your primary and secondary education and what life lessons did you learn in those years? I went to Primary School at St. Peter's Faji, Lagos, from where I proceeded to King's College, LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE 11
Cover Profile
Lagos (K.C.). Those days were pivotal in my formative years. The legendary fame of K.C. is well known and the discipline and leadership skills I learned there have been the bastion of my career. The experience certainly has helped me in pursuing my career. It was the pre-independence era, and we were going to be the future leaders.
math. I took Science subjects in "A" Levels at Taunton School, Taunton, Somerset in England, and proceeded to Edinburgh University in Scotland, which I chose because of its historic prestige as a medical institution. You might recall that Edinburgh Medical School is the second oldest such school in the world.
At what point in your life did you decide that you were going to be a doctor and what motivated that? Which medical schools did you attend before settling down to practice?
Please tell us a little about your early years in medical practice and where did you practice in those years?
As soon as I graduated from Edinburgh in 1967, I came to As far as I can remember, I dethe U.S. to start my internship cided I wanted to become a and residency. Those were exdoctor at the age of 6 years. My citing times: a) Civil rights dad had just returned from the protests were in full swing and UK as a lawyer and I wanted to as a young man I wanted to be balance this by becoming a doc- part of that historic movement tor. Hence, even though I had for blacks. b) Independence better grades in History, Litera- movements were in full swing ture, and Geography, I was hell throughout Africa and Presibent on pursuing the more dif- dent Kennedy inspired many of ficult Science subjects as well as us. c) The prospects of better 12 LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE
professional opportunities were very attractive to me, much to the chagrin of my parents; the common adage then was that American education was inferior! I completed my internship at the Genesee Hospital, Rochester, NY, and my residency in Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital, Buffalo, NY. I proceeded to Johns Hopkins University in 1970 to obtain my Masters Degree in Public Health, after which I underwent a Fellowship in Pediatric Nephrology at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. My greatest ambition at the time was to become the Deputy Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO). I actually requested and got to stay with and understudy the then Deputy Director General, Professor Adeoye Lambo. My first jobs were as Assistant Professor atMeharry and VanSPRING 2017
Cover Profile derbilt University Medical Schools, Tennessee. After one year, I accepted a similar offer at Howard University Medical School, Washington D.C. where I also served as the Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics from 1973-1977. During this time I had the singular privilege of organizing the children's outpatient department of the then new building of Howard University Hospital. You went back to practice in Nigeria in the 1970s/80s and had a stint teaching medicine in the University of Jos. What experiences did you have in those years and what motivated you to come back to America? I went back to Nigeria because in those days you went abroad to achieve the "golden fleece" and came back home to serve your country. Also, I returned for family reasons. I wanted to return to be with my parents who had sacrificed a lot on my behalf. I taught at the University of Ibadan as a Senior Lecturer and worked as a Consultant at the University College Hospital
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(UCH) Ibadan from 1977-1983. It was a rewarding and bittersweet experience because I learnt a lot but regretfully came to the conclusion that I could not contribute much to health care in the country, given the lackadaisical approach of the authorities to solidify the health care system. Time has proven me right in that the health system has continued to deteriorate to deplorable levels. At UCH, we had a thriving Pediatric Faculty with various specialties well represented. There was so much to be done but little motivation to do it, for example, as a Pediatric Nephrologist; I did not have access to Electron Microscopy and Fluoroscopic examinations of biopsy specimens. Thus, academic progress depended on writing flimsy papers. That was the key to my decision to return to the United States. In addition, when I tried to apply for the position of Professor at the University of Jos I was essentially informed that expatriates were preferred to any indigenous professional.
One of the unintended results of my sojourn in Nigeria was the apparent influence I had on several of my former students at the University of Ibadan to come to the US for their postgraduate training. It is a source of joy and pride for me to see a large number of these former students flourish in their various specialties and subspecialties all over the best medical institutions in the US. Tell us a bit about your family and your children? I am happily married to my lovely wife Buky, nee Ogunpola, who is an Educator of 27 years with the State of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. I have five children and thank God they are all well and are successful in their careers. Adewale, my oldest son, is a child Psychiatrist practicing in New Orleans, having graduated from UCLA and Howard University. Oluwatoyin who graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago earned a Master’s Degree from Claremont Gradu-
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Cover Profile ate College, Claremont, CA, is a math teacher in the Los Angeles School District. Oluwakemi graduated from the University of Southern California’s (USC) Marshall School of Business and is now working in an Arbitrator's office in Los Angeles. Adeola, who also graduated from USC, is the Regional Accounts Manager for All State Insurance’s South Eastern U.S. for the Nissan Division.Opeyemi, my stepson who is in his final year of college makes the family complete. Your late father, the late Justice Oyemade was revered as Chief Justice of the old Western Region because of his sterling character. his uprightness, his honesty and dedication to duty as a Judge. Please tell us about this great man and the lessons you learnt from him and the legacy his left behind. All I can say about my father is the old adage "A Good Name is better than all the gold in the world". He was a quintessential man of honor, who valued his name and his dignity more than anything else. He was incorruptible. He was my hero, my friend and my mentor. I am sure he must be rolling in his grave when he observes the present state of the judiciary! He and my mother were a team that raised a very successful family.I have four sisters, all of whom are college educated, one a doctor, another, a lawyer and banker, the third a graduate of the University of Lagos, and the fourth who graduated from the University of York, England. I believe we have all been able to carry on the legacy of my parents and have successfully inculcated these virtues into our children. Two examples stand out in my memory: The first occurred when I was a teenager in high school and I came home on vacation. A visitor came to the house while my parents were out. He left me some yams, chickens, and gari to give my dad. When they returned, I gave the message to my dad. I also gave him the name of the individual. He said he did not know who it was. My dad admonished me never to accept any gift that anybody brought while they were not home. Next day, it turned out this fellow had a case in court before him. The poor guy was ordered to come and take his gifts and was cited with “contempt of court”. A second incident, which made a deep impression on me, was when he had just been appointed Chief Justice of Western Region, Nigeria. We were talking in his library when he showed me a pile of letters, one of which came from the manager of one of the big banks in Ibadan. Briefly stated, the manager congratulated him on his appointment, and then offered to help him develop any property he wished to develop. My dad had filed the letter away and his comment was “If I took up this offer, what will 14 LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE
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Cover Profile
I do if this man were to appear before me in Court?� I could give further instances but those instances made a deep impression on me in terms of my approach to life. He always advised me that when two people were fighting and come to you with their problems, always listen to both sides before jumping to conclusion. This has been a keystone of my life. What year did you start your private practice in Rancho Cucamonga and waht impact has Olusola Oyemade MD Inc. made since it began practice in the community I started my pediatric practice in August 1987 in Rancho Cucamonga, California, which at that time was "the boonies". I think the impact of my pediatric practice on the community in essence and my work in the community can be gauged by random acts of recognition and appreciation shown by members of the community. I feel honored when I see the number SPRING 2017
of parents who have stayed with my practice since the birth of their children. More so, when these children, now in their 20's and 30's bring their town children to me. The practice sometimes feels like one big happy family. I was a foundation member of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA). In the past 21 years, ANPA has blossomed into the major representatives of Nigerian doctors in the diaspora. I have been a member of the medical team, which has undertaken several medical missions offering free medical services to the needy in various parts of Nigeria over the past several years. The missions have had a tremendously positive impact on the local population.
tion to me, especially being a steady hand in our partnership. I am indeed quite grateful for her presence in my life. What advise will you give a new immigrant from Africa about settling down in America and achieving success? This is my message to the new young immigrant coming from Africa, in just a few words: focus on your plan, work hard, and avoid bad company and success will be yours. When your work is done, how would you want Dr. Olusola Oyemade to be remembered? Wow, my epitaph: I would like to be remembered as a hard-working man who really cared and loved his children and family; a doctor who cared immensely about his patients; a man of integrity and honesty that cherished his friends.
Please tell us about your darling wife! My Dear Wife, Buky, has been a source of support and inspiraLIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE 15
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Profile In Excellence
Nigerians are connecting bright dots on the map of the world; breaking new grounds, setting new records, and as Osatohanmwen Osemwengie will put it, “researching what doesn’t exist yet”! Osemwengie, who hails from Edo state, left the country in the early 80s and has become a force to reckon with in Robotics Engineering. If there was a Nobel for Robotics
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Profile In Excellence Engineering Osato, as he is called, may have won one. He still holds on to his strong ties in Nigeria and May have visited the country in December 2016, after his mother’s 85th birthday. “My mom is celebrating her 85 years birthday today…you are very special, mom! Happy birthday! I am looking forward to celebrating Christmas and New Year with you in Nigeria this year,” he wrote in a note to his mother.
SIX MASTERS, FOUR PHD
WORKS WITH NASA, SENDS DRONES TO SPACE
Many years ago I worked on prototype of Mars Curiosity Rover that has roam Mars for more than 4 years and counting,” Osato said of his work with NASA. “We are now working on the next rover set to launch in 2020 . Osato and a team of engineers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, California, “received a signal from 540 million miles across the solar system, confirming our Juno spacecraft has successfully started orbiting Jupiter, the largest planet
The robotic genius, who was a star at the 2008 world robotics championship, also works with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and has succeeded in sending drones to different planets, Mars and Jupiter inclusive. “NASA’s Next Mars Rover Progresses toward 2020 launch. SPRING 2017
The academic, who has bagged six masters degrees and four doctorate degrees, served as an administrator at the College of Education, Benin, where he was named educator of the year. “Six master degrees, not bad. I was in the State of Ohio on Monday December 12th, 2016 for my Masters of Business Administration (MBA) graduation.
“This is my 6th master degree and will begin work on my 7th master degree in January 2017, and my 4th PhD. degree at University of Texas at Dallas in September of 2017. “You know the proverb, ‘all work and no play makes jack a dull boy’ well, for me, all work and my play is acquiring graduate degrees. Learning is relaxing and takes my mind of my job projects.”
in our solar system”. Speaking on the new grounds broken, he said “now my team’s turn to land humans on MARS. Go NASA, Go Vertical”. HE’S A CEO, OWNS AN AMERICAN UNIVERSITY, WORKS FOR US ARMY Osato owns a drone company, by the name Ubiquity Interface Inc., which is being run by himself as CEO, Ken, his brother, a retired LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE 21
Profile In Excellence
lieutenant colonel in the US Army, and a team of foreign engineers. His latest research released in February, 2017, has been submitted to the US Army, and is titled “QuantumDB API for Database Security and Integrity Enhancements”.
Robotics University. The University, which was powered by Google+, awards bachelor, masters and doctorate degrees in robotics engineering for free. The university headquarters is in Ohio. Open Robotics University currently has students in 45 cities in 25 countries. It is unclear if the university still exists. Some claim, it went defunct in 2013.
“QuantumDB is a database system required for implementation of secured database management system by the Army and Department of Defense within HE IS ALSO A FAMILY MAN non-clustered environment in tactical space where computing and storage resources are limited,” In 2016, he visited his major US base, in Ohio, where he met with the research abstract reads. his family and shared how much he will miss them, when he reIn 2011, he founded the “world’s turns to Florida. first tuition free, engineering de“My greatest moment from my gree-granting university,” Open
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visit to Ohio for my graduation was spending some time with my children. I have not seen them in two years,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “My daughter has been working in Japan for two years, and my son busy with college and now returning to graduate school. Sad to leave Ohio, again, I will be going to visit brothers in Texas for four days, before returning to my base in Jacksonville, Florida.” Osato was a facilitator for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundationsponsored Ohio Leadership for Integrating Technology Initiative (OLIT).
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Profile In Excellence
Relentless, ambitious and driven, are words synonymous with Valentine Ike. At 27 years old- Valentine has already become a player to be reckoned with in real estate development, urban renewal and 24 LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE
the re-development market in the United States. He started studying Finance at California State University, Los Angeles, but in 2012 the real estate market values had just crashed and he felt it was the perfect time to go into business, so he left school.
Through his company VI Equities LLC, founded in the year 2012, Valentine has redeveloped, facilitated and represented clients on over 100 deals worth over 50 Million dollars. He has set his eyes on even bigger and bolder development projects. SPRING 2017
Profile In Excellence Valentine did not have a smooth start. He was raised by a single mother who was widowed at a young age. At the age of 13, Valentine’s mother sent him to America to give him a new hope and a new life. She has not been disappointed as Valentine blazes his trail in real estate development, his sister Stephanie writes award winning books while assisting Valentine in his real estate ventures and his brother, a banker in Canada who just purchased his first investment property which he will be re-positioning and marketing for sale. In this interview with the Publisher/CEO of Life and Times Media Group, Hon Chike Nweke, Valentine talks about his growing up years, his education, his real estate career and his plans and dreams for the future... Tell us a little bit about your growing up years, the loss of your dad
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and coming to America? Growing up in Nigeria prior to moving to America was quite interesting, I lost my father at a very young age, we watched our mom who held a degree in biology scratch and claw to put us in the best of schools, there was food on the table 3 times a day, we had clothes on our backs and never truly saw or understood all she had to go through until we got older and she felt more comfortable expressing her challenges as a single mother in Nigeria with no assistance but the grace of God. How did you adjust when you arrived America as a young teenager and how easy or difficult was it for you as a fist generation immigrant with an African accent to integrate into the American society? It was quite difficult for me in the beginning as I had to learn and under-
stand a different culture and way of living, having a strong Nigerian accent at the time didn’t make it easier for people to understand me also, but the fact that I played sports and was quite good at basketball I was able to make friends eventually and integrate myself into the American society. Please tell us a little bit about your primary, secondary & university education and how it prepared you for what you are doing today? Honestly I give much credit to the schooling I had in Nigeria. We had the privilege to attend one of the best private schools in Nigeria from Avi-Cenna in primary to Atlantic Hall for my secondary school education which I left to travel to the states going into 11th grade. However, when I came to America I had to be pushed back a couple grades because I was only 13-years-old and
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Profile In Excellence they couldn’t have a 13-year-old in the 11th grade. I always say it’s the discipline and organization the private schools gave me in Nigeria accompanied with the people skills I learnt in America that equipped me for my business. In the real estate business you have to be able to walk in different shoes; as a developer you need the focus and organization to put together your team of architects, engineer s and contractors in order to deliver a great product to market. As an agent
you have to be able to work with people, putting their needs first and making sure you're not only giving them great customer service but also keeping them informed about the property the y 're purchasing and the purchase process, especially when it’s a first time buyer, an international buyer or high end developer.
stuck with me and it birth the obsession of wanting to get into the business and start flipping homes.
tating and then it grew to flipping homes just in the areas I was familiar in. Presently, we have done deals in Chicago, majority of our recent deals are in northern California, we have deals in Dallas to begin construction and for the past year I’ve been working with Cameron Crockett at ultraunit architectural studio designing our first spec development in the city of Los Angeles, 5 minutes away from dodger stadium and 15 min-
What was your motivation in starting VI Equities LLC, how did you get to and close your first deal? My motivation into starting VI Equities LLC is that I want to eventually build out cities, but we all have to start somewhere. In the beginning it was just to facilitate deals and sell my position in the deals I was facili26 LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE
Was real estate development your first career choice, if not, how did you end up going into real estate
development? Real estate wasn’t my first career choice, initially I desired to be a professional basketball player until I suffered a knee injury. Nevertheless, real estate was something I'd always been interested in from the design and architectural stand point; designing modern homes, condos, and even cities. I got into the business after watching a house flipping show, “Flipping Out with Jeff Lewis.” There was something about it that
utes from downtown L.A. Tell us about your triumphs, setbacks and the high points of your career so far? Business is a roller coaster, we have done a lot of great deals and we have had some tough deals but we haven’t had to take a loss on any of our projects. One of our biggest deals is actually one of our more recent deals which we sold in Oakland. The property was purchased for SPRING 2017
Profile In Excellence
$387,000 in March of2016, which I designed, managed, marketed and sold for $715,000 in August of 2016, setting a new benchmark for the area and achieving the highest price in the area for the year. Tell us a little bit about all the great developments you have done around the country and which ones you consider the most challenging and the most rewarding? Our most challenging project is actually our most rewarding project. On one of our projects, we worked with a new contractor who lacked morals and integrity, he created more damages than solutions to the job he was paid for, but after we released him and brought in one of our trusted contractors whom became free from completing a personal job, things began moving along. We had to correct a lot of issues, pull the necessary permits and we ended up selling the house within the first open house. Another rewarding project would be my first deal out of state in Chicago, Il. It was a Single family residence purchased in the south side of Chicago for $32,000 and sold for $125,000. It wasn’t the most rewardSPRING 2017
ing financially but it was mentally as it gave me all the confidence to know that I can go anywhere in the country, focus in on the numbers, work with the local agents and contractors that are highly skilled in the area and know I can deliver a product that would get a great response from the end-user. You started very early, you arestill in your twenties and believing God for strength and good health, you have a long future ahead of you.Where do you see VI Equities LLC & your real estate development career- 5, 10, 20 & 50 years from now? If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail. As an entrepreneur this is very true, so as you ask where do we see ourselves in the next 5-50 years from now, we have put plans on ground as to where we hope to be 5 years from now which is to be well into the commercial side of real estate and having capabilities in construction as I am now taking classes to be licensed as a general contractor. 10 years from now to have developed our first condo project and having an in-house team proficient in asset management.
mersed in all facets of the real estate business from single family and commercial development, to marketing and sales, construction, financing, and management. Am sure a lot of young girls reading this will be asking if this young, handsome, achiever is married? Are you single and there any plans of settling down soon? I’m not married, and no plans to settle down soon. I am a firm believer that whatever you do, you should give your 100% attention and focus. At the stage my business is in, I can’t afford to have the distraction. What would be your advice to a young immigrant just arriving in America about achieving success like you have done and living their American dreams? Be focused! Cut all distractions! Believe in yourself! And most importantly don’t be motivated by the money in any career field you choose, be motivated about being the best at what you do, always have the end-user in mind and never compromise on quality service.
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People & Places International Christian Center, ICC, Hand in Hand celebration of marriage Feb. 11, 2017 The International Christian Center (ICC) Los Angeles held it's 15th annual Valentine event; Hand in Hand Celebration of Marriage on
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Saturday February 11th 2017. Themed - "One Indeed", the Marriage Seminar and Workshop was aimed at illustrating in diverse ways the foundational truth that every couple's goal in marriage should be oneness.
Hosted by Pastors Dipo & Nony Kalejiaye, this year's event- heavily subsidized by the church took a different tone as singles were also invited as part of getting them ready to enter into the sacrament and covenant of marriage
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Health & Wellness
by Olufemi Y. Saliu, M.D. Whenever I see commercials on new diabetic medications, I always come up with the impression-hopefully I am wrong- that the actors are having fun by the way they high five each others, or
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twist and turn. Whatever the commercials show, being diabetic can be devastating. In three decades of medical practice, I have seen diabetes mellitus in all of its dimensions.
On Thanksgiving Day in the year 2000, I was called to the hospital for an emergency surgery. As I headed to the locker room, the surgeon told me he had just met with the seventy year-old
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Health & Wellness diabetic patient’s family. “Dr. Saliu,” he said, “The patient is too sick to have surgery.” “I told the family,” he went on, “He could die on the operating table.” Because of the surgeon’s concerns, the family had declined to consent to below the knee amputation. I told the surgeon to give me time to assess the patient and talk to the family. The patient’s left foot had turned black from gangrene, or tissue death, his consciousness was impaired, and he was hypotensive, so I was concerned. The toxins released by the blackened foot caused his serious sickness. In other cases like this, once the source of the toxins is amputated, patients usually get better. I planned to use that possibility to convince the family to consent to surgery.
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There were about twenty people in the waiting room: daughters, sons, and grandchildren. It was supposed to be a Thanksgiving reunion, but when the patriarch of the family fell ill, they all headed to the hospital. After I talked to the family, they gave consent, surgery was done, and his awareness improved after surgery. The old man, and his oldest daughter were all smiles when I returned for the post-operative visit the next morning. Having a below the knee amputation was just the first battle won by this diabetic patient. First, he had to learn to use a prosthetic leg. Then, he had to comply with his medications to mitigate further amputation of the limb stump. Not all diabetic patients are adherent to treatments needed to maintain their health. A noncom-
pliant patient I had several years ago told me: “I don’t like medications,” just before he was taken in for an above the knee amputation after having had a below the knee amputation years earlier. I have had patients come in for hip disarticulation: removal of the limb stump from the hip joint. There are other long-term complications of diabetes. Eye complications may include vitreous hemorrhage (bleeding in the eye), proliferative retinopathy (pathologic growth of blood vessels in the retina), retinal detachment, and of course, blindness. Patients may also develop chronic kidney disease that culminates in a need for dialysis. Other conditions that coexist with longterm complications of diabetes are hypertension and-coronary and cerebrovascular diseases that increase the risk of heart attack and
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Health & Wellness stroke. I strongly recommend, regardless of your state of health or physique, thin or overweight, that you visit your doctor at least once a year to be checked for diabetes mellitus. The tests are simple: fasting blood sugar and hemoglobin A1C levels are measured from a blood sample. If you are pre-diabetic, you will be advised to cut down your refined carbohydrate intake, eat more vegetables, fruits, and nuts, and to exercise more frequently. If you are diabetic, on top of the previous advise, you will also be asked to take certain medications. Taking diabetic medications is not an excuse to continue with your old, unhealthy lifestyle. Be compliant with medications, and go to your follow up appointments. As Africans, it is relevant here to examine how our culture affects our health. Our ancestors had no automobiles, so they went
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everywhere on foot. Constant movement was a way of life. It can even be considered a form of treatment in accordance to what Hippocrates (c.460-c.370 BC), the father of Western medicine said thousands of years ago, ”Walking is man’s best medicine.” This is worthy of emulation. Walk with a friend or a spouse on a regular basis; join or form a walking club or work out at a gym. Helping out with chores at home is another opportunity to be active. Do not be couch bound. Hippocrates emphasized the therapeutic value of walking further when he wrote, “If you are in a bad mood go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood go for another walk.” What we should deviate from in the ways of life of our ancestors is eating overcooked meals without raw vegetable salad on the side. It is customary to eat a big bowl of rice, pounded yam, and other swallow foods without
raw vegetables. Eating rice or pounded yam just before bedtime, like I used to do, is bad for your health and weight. Up till five years ago, I would eat like that, even if I got home at midnight and then go to bed. What I do now is different. It does not matter what I eat at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, there is always about two handfuls of raw vegetable salad on the side, and absolutely, no carbohydrate based foods after 5 PM. The only thing I eat after 5 PM is vegetable soup with meat, chicken, or fish. That is how I eat less diabetogenic refined carbohydrate while still consuming large amounts of raw plant-based foods that supply my body with required micronutrients. I will conclude this article with another quote from the father of Western medicine: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
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Beauty of the Moment
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LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE 45
Spotlight
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Spotlight Katsina, usually referred to as Katsina State to distinguish it from the city of Katsina, is a state in North West zone of Nigeria. Its capital is Katsina, and its Governor is Aminu Bello Masari, a member of the All Progressives Congress. In 1987, Katsina State was formed from part of Kaduna State. The Hausa people (sometimes grouped with the Fulani as Hausa-Fulani) are the largest ethnic group The state is predominantly Muslim, and Gobarau Minaret is an important building. Sharia is valid in the entire state. The Church of Nigeria has a Diocese of Katsina. The Redeemed Christian Church of God and the Roman Catholic Church are fairly
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by Zamfara State. According Bureau of Public Statistics (NPS) the state ranks fifth (5th ) most populous in the country with the population of approximately 5.8 million based on the 2006 census and current estimate of 7.60 million with the growth rate of 3.0% per annum. Over fifty percent (50%) of this population are made up of young, agile men and women of between the ages 15-64 years. This gives the state LOCATION: Katsina is situated at the the advantage of sustainable extreme Northern part of the workforce. Nigeria, approximately between AND Latitude 11o 30' and 13o 32'N CLIMIATE and Longitude 6o 52' and 9o 02'E VEGETATION covering an area of about 24,192 In terms of physical setting, km2. It is bounded to the North Katsina state has a Tropical by Niger Republic, East by continental Climate with high Jigawa and Kano States, South mean annual temperature over by Kaduna State and to the West 27o C. The weather varies present in the state. Katsina State is renowned in educational history of Nigeria both formal and informal. Currently it has Federal College of Education, Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic and state university; which is named after late President and son of the state, Umaru Musa Yar'adua University
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Spotlight
according to the season of the year, but mostly it is cool in the morning, hot in the afternoon and cool again in the evening. The chilly harmattan weather last between November to February a little below average temperatures. The wind is dry from January to April signalling arrival of rainy season. The season last from June to October. The vegetation is Sudan Savannah with short scattered trees, shrubs and grasses. The relief is made up of land between 399-600 meters above sea level (Abegunde, etal, 1991).
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occupies the lives of about 80% of the total population of the state. The state for long has been a major collection centre for cash crops such as cotton, groundnuts and food crops such as maize, guinea corn, millet, and vegetables. The range of livestock in the state is essentially cattle, sheep, goat and Poultry. These provides huge opportunities for setting up of large Scale Agro-allied industries such as Sugar Processing Industry, Rice Milling, Oil and Flour Milling, Textiles, Dairy Products, Confectioneries, Meat Farming and rearing of animals processing, Tannery, Hatchery OPPORTUNITIES IN AGRI BUSINESS The economy of the State is basically agrarian in nature with a cultivable Land 2.4million hectares out of which 1.6million is under cultivation, leaving land area of 800,000 hectares, equivalent to one third of the total cultivable land available for investment. The state also has over 61 water bodies suitable for irrigation farming with a capacity of 1121CU.m while the major ones have a total capacity of 558CU, located at Sabke, Jibia, and Gwaigwaye.
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Spotlight
and Poultry production, etc. The state has the following ranking in agricultural production and in other business endeavors in Nigeria; · Largest producer of Cotton; · Second largest producer of Sorghum; · Produces 13% of total Nigeria's Sugarcane making it second in Nigeria's ranking; · The World Bank ranked the State 7th in ease of doing business ahead of Lagos, Kano, Rivers and Cross Rivers; · The State ranks 12th in the prevalence Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME); · The State was ranked 17th in Gross State Product with average per capita of $6,022; and · Major producer of other cereals and legume crops SPRING 2017
OPPORTUNITIES IN SOLID MINERALS The State has abundant reserves of the following solid minerals in commercial quantity: Kaolin, Silica Sand, Feldspar, Asbestos, Gold, Marble, Quartz, Talc, Precious Stones, Granite. OPPORTUNITIES IN HOSPITALITY AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES The State has rich cultural heritage epitomized by Ruma Landscape, Kusugu well, Emirs Palaces of Daura and Katsina and Antiquities of Durbi Takushiyi. These are complimented by third biggest operational thirty-five-thousand Seater Ultra Modern Stadium in the Country, Racecourse, Polo ground, 18 - holes Gulf Course
and Opened Air Theatre. All these make the State to have high investment potentials in the Sector. These include; · Hotels Development of all categories; · Holiday Resorts; · Games Reserves; · Tour Operators and Travel Agencies; · Transportation; and · Amusement Parks/Zoo; and · Physical Fitness and Sports Canters OPPORTUNITIES IN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT The huge potentials for property development in the State are quite high and attractive. The State has been opened up with a good network of roads especially the State Capital that LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE 49
Spotlight has been complemented with a 40Km ring road encircling the City. With a population of over 7 Million and estimated housing deficit of 690,000, the potentials of property development are endless! Specifically opportunities exist in Small and Medium Housing, Shopping Malls, Conference and Event Management Canters, Hotels etc. ENERGY With the increasing advancement in technologies aimed at harnessing the power of the Sun and increasing rate at which solar farms are globally springing, Katsina state with its location is attractive destination for investment in Solar Power.
scale enterprises and trading. There are over ten mega Markets and other medium and smaller ones throughout length and breadth of the state. These Markets provides the largest supply of Grains and Livestock in Nigeria and other West African Countries. They also serve as feeder to the famous Dawanau Market in Kano. INFRASTRUCTURAL FACILITIES Katsina state is accessible by road, air, communication network of telephones, post office, courier services, and Global System Mobile (GSM). There is also a railway link from the seaport of Lagos passing through the cities of Ibadan and Kaduna among others to Funtua in Katsina state, stretching up to Kauran Namoda in Zamfara state.
OTHER ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES Other economic activities available in the state are banking, transportation, small Katsina state has adequate road
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network across its length and breadth as all the 34 local governments areas of the state are accessible. Also In terms of intra city roads, the state capital is well served as all the roads within the state capital were smoothly tarred. For manpower development, there are four (4) universities, a polytechnic, two colleges of educations, Ahmadu Bello University School of Basic and Remedial Studies. Also, there are a number of Business apprenticeship training centres established to provide vocational training to unemployed youth in various skills such as brick laying, auto mechanic, electrical works, welding, carpentry, refrigeration, GSM repairs, catering and hospitality services etc. ng, Tannery, Hatchery and Poultry production, etc.
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Spotlight
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Spotlight
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Iruka's Corner I was recently introduced to Gretchen Rubin’s works on pursuing happiness and good habits; she believes that, to successfully change a habit, you need to understand how you
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respond to expectations. Her quiz, The Four Tendencies, describes how one responds to expectations – Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel. These “labels” are self-
explanatory so I already knew where I would land even before taking the quiz. I still took the quiz for good measure and unsurprisingly landed on Questioner! As a child, I asked
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Iruka's Corner
“why” all the time. It drove my parents and the adults around me crazy. It also drove me crazy when my children asked too many questions. Questioners are not satisfied with answers such as “because I said so” or “just do it”. These answers inevitably lead to more questions from the questioner, sometimes, much to the annoyance of the person being asked. I love information and have always had a curious mind, so I attributed my knack for asking questions to knowledge acquisition; apparently, that’s not all there is to it. Ms. Rubin’s quiz categorizes Questioners as those who resist outer expectations, but meet inner expectations! According to her, as a Questioner, I always “do
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accommodate my questions. These questions have led to better working relationships, trusting environments, and improved processes. Those who never question what they do not understand are usually afraid of challenging the status quo. I often felt bad about being labeled as someone who causes disruption, but not anymore. Throughout history, change came about because someone questioned the norm. For example, medical breakthroughs occur today because researchers are asking why and exploring better treatment options. Disruption is not a bad word; moreover, a healthy amount of disruption can lead to In most of my career, I have been innovation. According to Ronald fortunate to work with people Reagan, “status quo … is Latin who are secure enough to for the mess we're in”. If you what I think is best, according to my judgment. If it doesn’t make sense, I won’t do it.” Essentially, logic and reasoning motivate me. As an adult, this tendency has proven inconvenient at times in both my personal and professional lives. I have been called stubborn, resistant, uncooperative, difficult, etc. when all I asked for was a logical reason for what I was being asked to do. When Cassius disagreed with Brutus’ battle strategy in Shakespeare’s Julius Ceaser, Brutus asked him why. Cassius gave his reasons and Brutus asserted that “good reasons must, of force, give place to better.” This is my battle cry!
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Iruka's Corner have great ideas or know a better way to do something, speak up. What are your inner expectations? Take a look at your life, job, environment, friends, projects, community, the way you dress, beliefs, etc. Is there a part that makes no sense? Do you have ideas on how to improve it? If yes, question. Disrupt. Challenge. This could be risky and may not always be easy. Do it anyway. Check fear at the door and go for it. Why? Becausethe payoff could be tremendous. You cannot discover new vistas if you are afraid to step away from what feels comfortable or what is expected.
workplace. Do not assume they are questioning or trying to undermine your authority. Support them, for they may hold the key to your next breakthrough. If you are a questioner, keep asking. Ask some more. Why? How? What if? Furthermore, ensure that your questions are motivated by a need to enhance your environment and not sheer defiance. My flair for questioning has not always been a positive experience for me, but that will not stop me. There is nothing wrong with having a healthy dissatisfaction with the way things are. The benefits outweigh the risks. It is purely a case of disrupt or be
If you have a questioner in your life, take the time to provide disrupted. Thankfully, I prefer do the disrupting. reasons for your position. This is to particularly important in the Questioners embrace change
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and will rather transform, than conform.I’m in good company. Iruka A. Ndubuizu is a Negotiations Expert, Speaker, “Contract Guru”, Consultant, and Trainer. She is a Contracts Manager at LifeNet Health in Virginia Beach, Virginia and Founder of Eureka Consulting, LLC www.eurekaconsultingllc.com info@eurekaconsultingllc.com +1 678.224.1960.
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Life’s Issues
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Life’s Issues This may not be the best time for me to write on this because of misinterpretations, but I can no longer resist the push. "Husband Scarcity" has become one of the challenges faced by many young girls today. If you go to prayer houses, majority of the intentions are prayer for a life partner. And this calls for concern. Casting our minds back to the time of our mothers and grandmothers, was there really much of a "Husband Scarcity" problem? Or, maybe there were more men than women then, or there was an adequate corresponding numbers of both genders. I don't think so. Maybe then, the women had values and were prepared to build a
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home and not park into a built home. Then, once a young man comes of age and can at least feed himself and his wife, he goes out in search of a wife and the woman really appreciates him and helps him to build a future. What am I really trying to say? We created what we now see as "Husband Scarcity" for ourselves. Today, the reverse is the case. Ask an average girl to define her dream husband; you get things like "he has to be tall, handsome, fair, and rich, own a house at least, and be presentable" and then she adds "God fearing" in order not to sound so worldly. Then, check the
number of girls around you and the number of men that meet that standard, and you will see the problem. You hear girls say, "I cannot suffer in my father's house and then go and start suffering with a man." What a wonderful dream! What if from the beginning, you have everything you want and there is no suffering, and later in the marriage, the table turns around, then comes suffering? Will you run away? No one prays for suffering, but it is good to start small and end big, than start big and end small. The problem is that the description majority of girls give of their ideal man is virtually the
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Life’s Issues same. When 50 girls want the same kind of man and the man that fits what they want is just 1 man, and the man can only pick one. Then, what becomes of 49 others? They simply start lamenting of "Husband Scarcity". Another irony of our time is that it is hard, due to the face of our economy to find a man who is of marriage age who possesses all those things these ladies want, legally (except those involved in Internet fraud); even the number of those in Internet fraud is not enough to match all those searching for already made husbands. If you look around, majority of the ladies of substance, of good value and virtue, who are ready to build a home with a man who has prospects, are married and not complaining of husband scarcity.
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The easiest way to find a husband now, is to change your view of who a husband is. A husband is that man God made and then saw that it may be hard for him to really actualize his purpose for making him, without a help mate and then made the woman and gave to him, and he felt complete and fulfilled MARRIAGE IS NOT A POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAM. It is a mission of building the family of God here on earth. For those who see marriage as a way out of poverty, it is a way into bondage. are HOME BUILDERS, not HOME WARMERS... DON'T CONFUSE A MAN'S PATH WITH HIS DESTINY. Where he is today, may only be a route to where God has destined him to be tomorrow. Another truth is that YOU MAY BE THE ONLY FAST
MEANS TO THAT HIS DESTINATION. Join in alleviating "husband scarcity". PICK UP THE RIGHT VALUES. I am not saying that you should pick anyone that comes your way and talks of marriage, not all men are husband materials. What I am saying is that you should stop setting your standard on material acquisitions or physical appearances. Look beyond the physical. WHAT MAKES A MAN WHO HE IS, IS NOT WHAT HE OWNS OR HOW HE LOOKS, IT IS WHAT HE IS MADE UP OF. And that which he is made of is, most times, not seen with the physical eyes, only its effects can be seen. Marriage is a permanent thing. Whatever is seen is temporal and that which is not seen is permanent.
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LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE 61
News & Politics
ne of the fortunes of my frequent travels is that I meet fascinating people at different locations, even when I have no inkling of the possibility of such en-
O
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counters. In stops in such cities as Los Angeles, Abuja, San Francisco, Johannesburg, London, Washington, DC, Houston and Austin, Texas, I have met classmates from my ele-
mentary, secondary school and college days, childhood playmates, former students of mine, elders who knew my parents before they were married, those who knew me as a
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News & Politics snotty nosed, impish child, and folks had found his recollections memowith whom I had communicated for rable. years, by email or telephony. Via email, Ndaeyo introduced me to Last week, I put out a notice on the rescue activist. Mr. Koren and I Facebook and Twitter that I was then spoke over the phone. I told spending a month in Pittsburgh, PA him I was a child of the Biafran War, to give several workshops and lectures as well as present my memoir, “Never Look an American in the Eye: Flying Turtles, Colonial Ghosts, and the Making of a Nigerian American.” I received a note from Ndaeyo Uko, once one of Nigeria’s wittiest and most popular columnists, who is now an academic in Australia. Ndaeyo, who was a star writer at the Guardian and Daily Times, now holds a PhD. For his dissertation, he researched the daredevil motley of adventurers and philanthropists who discounted unimaginable risks to ferry food and, in some cases, arms, into Biafra during Nigeria’s ruinous thirty-month civil war. Ndaeyo’s message was simple: I was not to miss the opportunity, before leaving Pittsburgh, of meeting David Koren, an American who was part of that team of expatriates—Americans, the British, and Europeans—who, at grave risks to life and limb, undertook the perilous missions to fly-smuggle relief into Biafra. He explained that he had flown from Australia to Pittsburgh to interview Mr. Koren—and SPRING 2017
and directed him to a link to my piece titled “My Biafran Eyes,” a series of vignettes based on my childhood recollections. On reading my essay, he responded, “I read ‘My Biafran Eyes.’ It was a touching story.” Last Saturday, Mr. Koren (accompanied by his wife, Kay) and I met at a
bookstore run by the City of Asylum, the organization that arranged for my monthlong fellowship in Pittsburgh. It was an emotional experience, for both of us. First, Mr. Koren gave me a copy of his book titled “Far Away in the Sky: A Memoir of the Biafran Airlift.” On the cover of the book is a photo of a youthful David Koren standing in front of one of the DC-7s that airlifted food into beleaguered Biafra. In the photo, the bespectacled youngster holds a gigantic spanner, sports a pair of boots and an unbuttoned shirt over a pair of pants. His wide smile, head slightly cocked, belies the grimness of the atmosphere. In fact, something about the photo evokes a certain sense of uneasiness. There is a palpable incongruity between the beaming young man, scholastic in bearing despite the odd fact that his body and clothes are smudged with grease, and the exposed propellers of the aircraft, looking all gray, cranky and mindless. It’s the portrait of a young man as a stubborn idealist, unwilling to give up, seized by an endless faith in the human capacity to confront and transcend any, every, challenge. For me, that haunting photo and the story—the stories—it tells is LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE 63
News & Politics worth the price of the book. Mr. Koren signed the book to me with the Igbo inscription, “Uwa di egwu” (roughly translated, “The world is full of marvels”). That statement could have been a caption for the cover photo. Mr. Koren’s first encounter with Nigeria was as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nigeria from 1964 to December 1966. His primary assignment was to teach English and science to students at Ohuhu Community Grammar School near Umuahia in present-day Abia State. Soon after his return to the US, Nigeria—unable to manage the task of welding itself into a coherent geopolitical community—finally ventured over a precipice. It descended into a war that claimed more than two million lives, most of the victims Biafran children and women who perished from starvation. David Koren could have cocooned himself in the United States and gone on living a relatively hasslefree life. But he was attentive to the tragedy in progress in Nigeria. He learned that Biafra was blockaded, which meant that the young men and women he taught at Ohuhu were in harm’s way. He couldn’t shake off that dire prospect. When UNICEF made a call, he and five other Peace Corps volunteers enlisted to help unload planes that made clandestine trips from Sao Tome into Biafra, laden with tons of food. Even though he had no training, he said, he helped mechanics to repair the airplanes that ran shuttles, many of them in rather dismal shape.
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The airlifts were done at night, as the operation required the cover of darkness, to elude Nigerian MiGs commissioned to shut down the secret relief missions. Mr. Koren described how the flights landed at the Uli airstrip with little or no light. Sometimes, Nigerian jets, hovering about the strip, would commence bombing as the relief planes taxied. Given the precarious nature of the operations, it was no surprise that some of the airlift planes crashed, claiming the lives of numerous young men who, far from being thrill seekers, were idealists in the noblest tradition: wishing, above all, to be their brother’s keeper.
less, sunken eyes, big, bony heads, wrinkled skin, and limbs so emaciated they resembled desiccated tree limbs. In David Koren I met a veritable hero. No, he is not the kind of hero that Hollywood or Nollywood rushes to immortalize. Yet, he’s the truest, grittiest kind of hero—by the measure of the difference he made, the depth of his humanity. Yet, he came across as unassuming, the kind of man quick to deflect attention away from himself.
I am grateful he has written a book, an account of what he and others did when life was awful and dreary I explained to Mr. Koren and his wife for people like me and men and that I was one of the millions of Biwomen of courage were needed to afran children who lived in the do whatever it took, often at steep shadow of that horrendous war. personal cost, to keep the final disLike others, I trembled before the aster at bay. As I began to read his cold, implacable clutches of hunger. book, I realized how deeply in his And my waking and sleeping hours debt I was. were haunted, what with the prospect—in other words, the real- Please follow me on twitter ity—of Nigerian Air Force jets @okeyndibe, swooping down at all hours, shit(okeyndibe@gmail.com) ting bombs all around us with deadly, diarrheic rage. I was one of the tormented children of Biafra, but also one of the lucky ones. I survived where many died. I told David Koren that his uncommon sacrifice and stupendous courage saved many, many lives, mine included. I was also luckier than many fellow survivors. I was never afflicted with kwashiorkor, that terrible aftermath of severe malnutrition that wreaked havoc on the physiques of victims. You knew a kwashiorkor child from their bloated stomach, discolored, listSPRING 2017
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Religion
Oladipo Kalejaiye, Ph.D The Father of Nicholas Longworth was introduced to Longfellow, who remarked upon the similarity of names“Yes, Mr. Longfellow, but I have the advantage of you. Worth makes the man and the want of it the fellow” – New York Press. I am not asking about your net-worth - the value of your home, car, savings, stocks, investments,income properties, businesses and all your other material possessions because the life of a man does not consist in the abundance of what he possesses. Rather ‘am asking of your self-worth. What is your life worth? What value do you think your life will attract? I am writing to declare to you this Easter season that your self- worth is the highest on planet earth 66 LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE
regardless of how much you can boast of in your account, how small your apartment or studio space is, or what challenges your business or career is going through right now. And I am going to prove it to you. How do you determine the worth of a thing? First, by identifying its maker. This is why brand names of medication are more expensive than the generic and why designer clothing and accessories cost more than those with unknown name brands.Secondly, you determine the worth of a thing by the price someone is willing to pay for it. When the housing market collapsed, prices plummeted and their values were re-set by what people were willing to pay for them. It was no use for a home owner to insist that he bought it for a
higher value. So what is your self-worth using these two yardsticks ?The Bible says God created you in his image so your Maker is Elohim, the Creator of heaven and earth. He isOmniscient(He knows all things even the thoughts of humans before they think).He is Omnipotent (He is Allpowerful over all powers in heaven, earth, in the sea and under the earth). He is Omnipresent (He is everywhere every time– both in space and in time continuum.)This is the God that made you. Therefore, nothing on earth has more worth than you do. Secondly, God the Son gave his life for you by dying for you in order to ensure that you live with him forever! His life was the price he was willing to pay for you. Again, nothing in heaven or on earth is more valuable SPRING 2017
Religion than the life of God Himself! Therefore, you are of inestimable worth.
brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.”
I want to believe that the most famous verse in the Bible is John 3:16
Similarly, Habakkuk 1:13:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It is instructive that the first twelve words speak about God’s love and what he did and the last twelve words speak about man and what he should do and about the eternal, inestimable value of the attendant reward. In between the two set of twelve words is a word, “Son”, referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. What is so significant about this sentence structure? The Son is the link between God and man, reconciling the fallen sinful world to God. Corinthians 5:19 says: “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” God had to approach the sinners “in Christ.” If he had come directly in his holy consuming fire nature, we would, like wood, have been consumed in an instant completely. The Psalmist captured it well in Psalm 11:6: “Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and SPRING 2017
“thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?”
And Hebrews 10:30-31: “For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.” “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” and 12:29: “For our God is a consuming fire.” Redemption The reconciliation of man to God was done by redemption. “Redemption” means the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil. By reconciling us to God,
Jesus Christ saved us from sin, error and the evil of eternal damnation-separation from God forever and spending eternity in the fires of hell.There are three Greek words in the New Testament translated into our English word “redemption.” The first is “agorazo” which means “to buy at the market place.”This is the meaning as used in 1Corinthians 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” This is like visiting the grocery for shopping and paying for the groceries. Jesus Christ “purchased us from the market of life.” He ended our humiliation in the spiritual slave market where we are routinelyused and abused by the forces of darkness, thereby hindering us from living the best life that God has for us. The second Greek word in the New Testament which translates into our English word “redemption”is “exagorazo” which means “to buy out of the market for one’s own use.” As you know, you can buy something out of the market and store it away as a gift or restitution or resell it and make a profit. In such a case, you have no emotional attachment to what you purchased. However, “exagorazo” implies buying, never to resellor give away but to keep. This is the LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE 67
Religion understanding of redemption that Paul meant in Galatians 3:3 when he said “Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” In other words, Christ has purchased us with a price to keep us so that we would not be exposed for sale again in the spiritual slave market of life, but live, move , and have our lives in Him as opposed to living our lives again according to the dictates of the carnal nature and in self righteousness. The third Greek word translated “redemption” in the New Testament is “apolutrosis”- a compound word. “Apo” which means “away from”, “going away from something or some condition” and “lutrosis” - “ to be free” or “to be loosed.” Therefore, “apolutrosis” means to be loosed away from something or condition. Jesus did not just go into the market to purchase us. He did not just go there only to purchase us to keep never to be exposed again on the shelves for sale but he purchased us also to loose us or liberate us from the bondage of sin and when he did, we became free indeed. He
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loosed us away from eternal death. He loosed us away from poverty, sickness, oppression, depression and all forms of demonic affliction. Conclusion However, even though the Lord Jesus Christ has loosed you from the bondage of sin and reconciled you to God and made you to be of inestimable worth through the gift of redemption to you, until you stretch out your hand and receive this gift you do not have access to it. This is the whole essence of what Christ did on the cross at Easter. I appeal to you to accept his gift this Easter season and your life will never be the same again: Light will replace darkness; peace will replace turmoil of soul; your burden will be lifted; joy will replace sorrow; prosperity of your body, soul and spirit will be ensured by the Lord.And when you are asked again what you are worth, you can confidently respond that because of the gift of Jesus Christ, your selfworth is of inestimable value. If you want to accept this gift of redemption, please say with me: Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you
for your gift of redemption to me. I receive this gift today and I thank you for forgiving me my sins and giving me eternal life. Please come and live in my heart. I receive the promised gift of God’s Holy Spirit by faith now. Amen.
Oladipo Kalejaiye holds a Ph.D degree in law and was a litigation attorney in Nigeria, Europe and the United States for over 17 years. He entered into full time ministry in year 2000, and currently serves as the pastor of International Christian Center, Los Angeles ( You can contact him on the web: www.iccla.com, Facebook: iccla/facebook, Twitter: @DipoKalejaiye)
SPRING 2017