A UK-based newspaper, TheNigerian News, has announced Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State as the winner of its International Peace Prize Medal Award 2023.

A statement by the company’s Chief Executive Officer, David Young, said the award is in recognition of Governor Fubara’s purposeful leadership and firm belief in democracy and the rule of law.

Young said the governor has also demonstrated outstanding performance and sterling qualities of a trailblazer with a deep commitment to the unity and progress of his people.

He noted that Fubara has shown unwavering courage amid intimidation and oppression to promote peace, harmony, and stability in Rivers State and beyond.

According to the company, the Rivers State governor understands that any political crisis would hinder his developmental plans, adding that only a man with the genuine interest of the masses will tow the path of peace.

He said, “Governor Fubara emerged among other nominees for his courage and passion for his people. An exceptional leader, he has shown an unwavering commitment to promoting peace and unity across the world.

“His dedication to improving the lives of Rivers people has earned him this well-deserved recognition. Governor Fubara is an inspiration to societies striving towards ideals of diversity, transparency, and democracy.

“We can’t over-emphasize the importance of peace in driving economic prosperity. Governor Fubara understands this simple principle.

“We, therefore, urge him to remain focused on his goals and ignore distractions. His pure and clear heart will continue to make way for him.

“We want him to see this award as a higher calling towards deeper commitment to peacebuilding in Nigeria, Africa, and the world at large.”

Fubara, has in the last couple of months been locked in bitter rivalry with his predecessor, who is the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over the control of the state.

The contest has led to resignation of most commissioners, destruction of the state House of Assembly Complex as well as the decimation of the membership of the state Assembly.

The Federal Government and states likely to feel the impact of the proposed release of huge volumes of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon on Sunday advised affected residents to leave the areas to avoid  impacts on human lives and valuable assets.

According to the National Emergency Management Agency officials, no fewer than 11 states including Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Cross River are likely to feel the negative impacts of the opening of the dam, and prevent deaths and other disasters associated with floods. These are states along the path of River Benue in Nigeria.

It was gathered on Sunday that Cameroon informed the Federal Government that it would soon open its Lagdo Dam.

The Director of the African Affairs, Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Umar Salisu, said in a letter dated August 21, 2023, that the ministry received a note from the High Commission of Cameroon as regards the opening of the dam.

The letter, which was addressed to the National Emergency Management Agency, read in part, “I have the honour to inform that the ministry is in receipt of a Note Verbale from the High Commission of the Republic of Cameroon informing that Cameroonian officials have resolved to open the flood gates of the Lagdo Dam on the Benue River in days ahead due to the heavy rainfall around the dam catchment area in Northern Cameroon.”

The letter stated that it was pertinent to note that when the release of water became necessary, the authorities of the Lagdo Dam would be releasing only a modulated variable small amount of water at a time in order to mitigate and avoid damage that the released water might cause along the River Benue basin in both Cameroon and in Nigeria.

“In view of the above, it would be appreciated if the esteemed agency takes all the necessary proactive steps and actions that will mitigate the damage as well as sensitise the populace living in such areas to vigilance and all necessary precautions.”

Lagdo Dam, located 50 kilometers south of the city of Garoua on the Benue River, often releases huge volumes of water when overflowing and this leads to flooding in various states downstream of Nigeria.

Based on this development, some states to be affected by the opening of the dam confirmed on Sunday that they would demolish structures on waterways, while others earmarked some schools to serve as camps for internally displaced persons.

Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency said 11 states were along the path of River Benue and are going to be affected by the opening of Lagdo Dam.

Although they noted that there was no cause for alarm, they named the states to include Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Cross River.

The Head of Media and Public Relations, NEMA, Ezikiel Manzo, said the agency had informed the state governors, adding that the states had been advised on what to do to mitigate the impact of possible floods.

“We have introduced this into all our awareness programmes and in addition to that, NEMA has written to all the governors to alert them. We have also mentioned the things that they need to do in order to mitigate the impact of the flood.

“So what this means is that with this information concerning the excess water being released from the dam, it means that all the state governments along the River Benue axis, the time has come for them to match action with the information that has been given to them in anticipation of this flood.

“And some of the things they need to do is for them to immediately monitor the people and communities along the flood pathway and begin to move them away from danger.

“They (Lagdo Dam) are just beginning the release of the water, we don’t know, but if the rain increases and the release of the water continues, it means the people will need to move quickly out of the floodplain.”

Manzo, however, stated that ‘if after this initial release we do not have much rain again, then it means they are going to stop. I’m saying this because we don’t want to send people panicking that the release means that they should run away completely from the river bank.

“But what we are saying is that the time has come for the people to be conscious of the risk that is lying beside them in terms of the likelihood that the river will overflow its bank.”

Asked to name the states that are likely to be affected, the NEMA official said, “They include Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi. Then from Kogi, we have states like Anambra, Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa.”

The punch

By Tolulope A. Adegoke

“Don’t ever say somebody is useless. You are not even insulting the person; you are insulting the God that created the person. – Chris Imafidon

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron made an odd bet with Chris Imafidon, a Nigerian-born professor at Oxford University, a few years ago. At the age of six, Imafidon’s kid had recently completed the UK’s General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) test. Because GCSE is mostly taken by teens in secondary school, Imafidon’s daughter’s performance was a magnificent feat that surprised the whole country and the globe at large.

The Prime Minister, on the other hand, saw the youngster’s accomplishment as not entirely surprising — after all, her father had been a highly clever scholar himself. However, Imafidon made it plain to the Prime Minister that his daughter’s success was due to excellent care and mentorship rather than genetics. Still, the Prime Minister was skeptical; in his opinion, those who excelled in academics or in life did so because they were born to be exceptional.

However, in order to demonstrate to the Prime Minister that everyone has the potential to succeed with the right attitude and motivation, Imafidon asked the British leader to allow him to work on the worst performing students in the worst performing schools in the UK for just nine months to see the difference. Cameron, of course, brushed it off as a joke, and hence the bet – 25 million dollars for whomever was correct.

To the Prime Minister’s surprise, the chosen kids had been changed from appearing slackers and never-do-wells to geniuses and go-getters nine months later!

Life-Changing Secrets

What was the seasoned professor’s secret that gave him such confidence, to the point of placing such a massive bet? And how did he become so skilled at changing “dullards” into “prodigies”? In fact, when everyone’s attention was focused on the highest performing students at the University of Ilorin (Nigeria) convocation event in 2014, Imafidon purposely requested the so-called lowest performing students so he could grant them scholarships — much to everyone’s surprise. Why, once again, did he have to do so?

The following is an answer he provided in a recent interview, and I want you to pay close attention to it because it lays the groundwork for the life-changing truths you will find throughout this write-up (leadership manual):

“Shakespeare claimed that some individuals are born great, while others earn greatness, and yet others have greatness implanted in them, implying that when God creates people, He creates some one way and others another.” God is not idle to create humans with half brains. Never, ever call someone worthless. You’re not even attacking the individual; you’re insulting the God who created the individual.”

That is the primary point conveyed in this article (leadership manual). Nobody was born with the intention of living and dying as nobody (without fulfilling purpose). According to psychologists and educationists, every kid enters the world with a blank mind (tabula rasa) that is hungry to be nourished and grown into something extraordinary. Unfortunately, very few individuals take the time to work on themselves so that they may live and die as heroes. Why is this the case? Because they are the ‘few’ who choose to be empowered and encouraged to make a mark on earth in order to leave their footprints in the sky, while the remaining majority are frequently too uneducated or careless about their latent potentials to take the required measures that will release their greatness.

A Pleasant Surprise

Contrary to popular belief, zero may be compared to a number (0) (i.e. pregnant with aspirations and ambitions, or an endeavor); it does not indicate ‘nothing.’ The reason for this is that, while the number ‘nothing’ may have no hope or represent hopelessness, the number ‘zero’ has hope because it is a feminine number (i.e. having a tendency to become greater or better, which, when empowered by applying some strategic principles, has the power to reproduce other greater numbers until infinity!

This indicates that, as a feminine number, zero has the intrinsic ability to mother and multiply other numbers when empowered! In other words, zero is a latently loaded entity that, when properly enabled, is capable of surpassing expectations.

You may be asking how this relates to you. It’s right here. It’s probable that others around you are making fun of you in certain parts of your life. They see you as a zero, believing that you are worthless and can achieve nothing major in life. The good news is that you are not nothing as long as you have God’s breath of life in you. Yes, it may look that you are a zero since you have not accomplished anything big in your life; nonetheless, I repeat – you are not nothing!

Nothing signifies “nothing at all.” But you are here! God created you in a specific manner to exist for a reason. This is the secret you must uncover and awaken to.

Here’s what I mean: A zero can only be worthless for as long as it stays unchanged. That zero, with the correct efforts and connections, may, however, transcend other numbers. Only when you stop striving to succeed, when you stop arming yourself with the appropriate information and abilities, and interacting with the right people, can you genuinely be called a failure. I tell you that no matter what others have said about you or how many times you have failed or “messed up,” you can nevertheless, like the historical Jabez, who was labeled as a zero in life, become much more “honorable” than everyone else (1 Chronicles 4:9-10).

Rejoice, My friend. Whatever label of negativity has been assigned to you, you must simply refuse to accept it. You must not stay on the floor, no matter how many times you have failed! Only zeros that are not enabled by ‘additions and multiplications’ will stay fixed. Don’t stay stuck in obscurity, defeat, regret, and humiliation. Rise up and take charge!