News
Opinion: Zero As a Nation, Hero As Great Nation
By Tolulope A. Adegoke
“It takes rising up to the call(s) of destiny for any group or individuals of any nation or community(s) to reach the destination of their quality state! You cannot change the world that you live in until you change yourself from within! You can get up, yes! You must get up! Be inspired! Be responsible!” – Tolulope A. Adegoke
Here, we shall be painting Japan of the year 1945 after the Second World War as a picture of a Zero on the descriptive canvass of a nation, but her story didn’t end there. The Second World War started in 1935 and ended in the year 1945 as a result of the political and military intervention of the United States of America who formally adopted the policy of Isolationism. Her involvement before the war was mere economic participation; through which she was able to accrue financial strength for herself in building what was needed for her global recognition. During the war, Germany, Italy and Japan wanted to form a “tripartite policy” so as to have hegemony over all nations of the world. Germany under Adolf Hitler wanted to have total control over Europe; Italy under Benito Mussolini wanted to control entire Africa, while Japan intended to take over the whole of Asia. However, Adolf Hitler of Germany and Benito Mussolini were eventually conquered while Japan was ordered to step down so as to end the war, but she remained adamant (stiff-necked); The United States of America saw this as a threat to their global intentions because Britain and France had been weakened as a result of the war. America, therefore, took the responsibility of participating in the Second World War politically and militarily by launching the ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’ against Japan. Japan’s two largest economic cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed to the ground which recorded countless of lives and properties that were lost. The effect of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing by the United States of America is still real till date on the Japanese to show the extent of the destruction of the former popular and fertile land into deserts (Zero).
In the early 2000s of the 21st century, the Prime Minister of Japan at the anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing said: “If they gave Japan enough time to move her people, they can bomb Japan anyhow they like, and even, if they put Japan in the desert, they would rebuild Japan to the second-largest economy in the world in a short time.”
Japan is an example of a nation that does not have enough steel to produce bonnets, they do not have enough silicon to produce side-mirrors, and Japan does not have rubber to produce steering-wheels but Japan is the highest exporter of cars in the world. Where am I driving at, Japan rose up to be responsible from Zero, despite the odds and pains to climbing the ladder of being a global Hero among nations of the world against all odds of being crushed to a Zero. Every Zero has a bounce-back power if dutifully worked upon. The wealth of any nation, therefore, will not be found under the feet of its people but in-between their “ears” i.e. the contents of their brain and character (applicability capacity)!
Life is the undeniable mysterious (powerful) gift given to man by God embedded with so many hidden treasures…its usage (maximization) is up to us (Man), but only the deeds of men pollutes it! There is always a reason for doing something and a reason not to doing it…it is called ‘EXCUSE’. It is God’s duty to deposit valuables, treasures in the form of talents, potentials or gifts into our Earthen vessels, but it is left to us as individuals to search very deep with the true light for its unveiling, utilization and maximization to our own advantages for His (God Almighty) glory.
Nigeria as a nation fits into this context described above in order to re-orientate her leadership and followership, especially the young ones via this blatant truth in the utmost reality of existence and living. It is important to state clearly that the wealth of Nigeria is not in the Niger-Delta (South-South region), the wealth of Nigeria is not anywhere in the ground, neither is oil our wealth, it is none of the mineral resources that we have around us, but it is the people that you can see around, right where you are…We are the wealth of Nigeria, because in us lies the grace, splendour and prowess to harness and utilize those mineral resources and one another to meeting the sure demand of the Creator! The so-called natural resources that we so much crave for under the ground are not really the ‘true resources’, but the remnant i.e. the left-over qualities of the untapped ‘divin-istic treasure’ of those that died before their time with their treasure in them… These ones did not die empty! A working resource(s) is the quality treasure(s) that is encrypted in a living bodily sized being called Man, located in-between his two ears (his brain)! These treasures that were given to Him by God is unlimited because he was created for specific purposes towards meeting needs, thereby delivering possibilities (beyond the norm) of Peoples, Corporates and Nations. The human brain is a mysterious (powerful) biological machine through which we can connect our heart(s) to the supernatural. We must therefore, be determined, and be prepared to die empty by exhausting the treasures that lies within us for the glory of God Almighty and the betterment of mankind and its environment).
When a man prays to God for money, God gives him a downpour of ideas that would turn his destiny around, then connect him with fellow men who were created to chart causes that are Earthly or supernaturally related to the fulfilment of the desired purposes of these ideas…These people are called helpers of destinies!
The more we pray to God for solutions, God sends another man in form of babies who are carriers of divine solutions via divine order or inspires, reveals and illuminate another grown man with the relevant and required capacity to fulfil the solution in an active and visible manifestation! The more man fails due to Earthly distractions or forces, He sends another man to replace and function in His desired intentions. God is never in a shock as a result of man’s failures or loopholes…He always has alternatives prepared to continue the missions of delivery(s) of purpose(s).
We ensure that we per time carry within us this mentality that ‘we are the wealth our generation(s), located at a specific geographical area for the divine purpose(s) of fulfilling a divine mandate all to the glory of God and for the reliefs of men from grieves and agonies and pains. Your nation(s) needs your endowments to be engaged for her to prosper, without you there will always be loopholes in that specific area of your calling(s) as a result of your refusal to yielding to it! I charge you now, to rise up to your divine calling(s). And it is then; you can end up a LEGEND (Hero)! You can only take control (charge) of your gifts…Do not die a Zero! It is the gifts of a man that will make a way for him…he shall stand before kings and not mere men! This blatant fact is this; your nation will remain a Zero without your positive impacts! It takes rising up to the call(s) of destiny for any group or individuals of any nation or community(s) to reach the destination of their quality state! You cannot change the world that you live in, until you change yourself from within!
You can get up, yes!
You must get up!
Be inspired!
Be responsible!
Learn and Apply. Thank you!
Watch out for the Book titled: “The Power of an Empowered Zero” (From Zero to HERO) by Tolulope A. Adegoke. Foreword by Dr Yomi Garnett (CEO/Chancellor, Royal Biographical Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania U.S.A., U.K., Abuja, Nigeria.) Edited by Ola Aboderin.
Education
2026 CB-WASSEC Kicks Off As WAEC Decries Decline in Male Participation
By Eric Elezuo
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has announced the kickoff of the 2026 West African Second-term School Certificate Examination, saying it would be computer-based, and decrying the decline of male participation as against their female counterparts.
The Council made the disclosure on Monday, while addressing the media at its National Office in Yaba, Lagos, on steps so far taken to ensure a hitchfree 2026 Examination.
In his address, the Head of National Office, Mr. Jacob Josiah Dangut, remarked that the 2026 computer-based WASSEC, started on April 21, 2026 with practical test papers, stressing that the nitty gritty parts of the exercise will kick off on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, therefore the reason for the sensitization of the Nigerian public on the exams.
He noted that nearly two million candidates registered to sit for the examinations.
In his words, “A total of 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools enrolled for the examination.
“Of this number, 958,564 candidates (48.92%) are male, while 1,001,072 candidates (51.08%) are female. This reflects an increase in female participation and a decline in male participation compared to last year.”
Dangut called on policy formulations to take the matter serious so as to reinvent the urge for education among the malefolks.

Meanwhile, Dangut informed the public that candidates are being tested in 37 subjects across 97 papers, supervised by about 29,000 senior secondary teachers nominated by state ministries of education.
Dangut said the rise in computer-based entries followed the successful debut of the format in 2025, with more schools and offshore institutions adopting it for its efficiency and alignment with global standards.
The 2026 exercise will run through to June 19th.
News
2027: Rivers APC Screening Committee Disqualifies Fubara’s Loyalists
The simmering political battle in Rivers State appears to have taken a fresh turn, following the screening of aspirants for the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly primaries, with several loyalists of Governor Siminalayi Fubara failing to make the party’s final list.
In a development already stirring political intrigue across the state, former Obio/Akpor council chairman Chijioke Ihunwo and serving lawmakers Sokari Goodboy and Victor Oko-Jumbo — all widely regarded as strong allies of Governor Fubara — were among those not cleared by the party’s screening committee for various reasons.
Political observers are interpreting their failure to scale through as more than just a routine internal party exercise. They say it is the latest signal of the deepening political fault lines in Rivers, where Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Minister Nyesom Wike, remain locked in a prolonged struggle for political supremacy.
On the other side of the divide, the list of cleared aspirants appears to favour established political figures and returning lawmakers, largely seen as loyal to the Wike camp.
Among those cleared are:
Maol Dumle
Major Jack
Enemi Alabo George
Tonye Smart Adoki
Tekenari Granville
Their emergence is being viewed as a reinforcement of the influence of the former governor within the APC structure in Rivers State.
The screening exercise, announced by Rivers APC publicity secretary Chibike Ikenga, comes at a politically sensitive time, with alignments already forming ahead of future elections and control of the Rivers State House of Assembly remaining a critical battleground.
For many political watchers, the outcome raises fresh questions: Is the APC in Rivers consolidating into a single power bloc? And does this effectively shut the door on Fubara’s loyalists seeking alternative political platforms?
Fubara, elected under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, joined the APC last year, following a political dispute with Wike.
News
APC Govs’ Forum Splits As Uzodimma, Abiodun Lead Rival Factions
The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has been factionalized ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The rival factions emerged after its chairman, Governor Hope Uzodimma, was reportedly removed on Thursday.
While Uzodimma insists that he remains PGF chairman, Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun and his Kwara State counterpart, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, are reportedly leading a separate faction.
Another bloc within the forum has reportedly queued behind the duo of Abiodun and AbdulRazaq.
The development, which comes amid growing political realignments within the ruling party, marks a significant crack in the ranks of APC governors ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to reports by Arise TV, details surrounding the disagreement remain unclear, but sources within the party said tensions have been building over internal leadership control and strategic positioning ahead of the next election season.
As of the time of filing this report, none of the factions had made an official clarification regarding the alleged division.






