Spring Edition 2014 Life and Times Magazine

SPRING 2014 latestTICCO v10b_Layout 1 14/04/2014 03:26 Page 1


SPRING 2014 LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE 3

We are settling into the year 2014 with all thepromises that it holds.

The year 2013 had its mixed blessings, it put a lotof our economies on the road to recovery and created

many new opportunities around the world.The economic gains of 2013 appear to be solidify-

ing in 2014 and it appears that the global economic re-cession is coming to an end. Obama recorded asymbolic victory over his political foes in the Republi-can party as the unemployment rate dipped to 6.6 per-cent in January 2014 with 175,000 new jobs created inFebruary 2014 and as his signature legislation, the Af-fordable Care Act (A.C.A)- popularly known asObama Care- against all odds recorded 7.1 Million en-rollments at the end of the open enrollment period thatcame to a close on March 31, 2014.

The U.S. unemployment rate which came downfrom highs of almost 8.8 percent during Obama's re-election campaign and the dire predictions of Repub-licans that Obama care was domed even heightenedthe joy of these successes.

We also had cheering news that the Nigerian econ-omy is growing at a robust 7% and certain redenom-ination have placed the economy as the largestpresently in Africa.

Despite all these successes several events in thefirst quarter of 2014 remind us that the world is still adangerous place.

The Ukrainian pro Russian Prime Minister wastoppled in February 2014 and Russia invaded Crimeaand hurriedly held a referendum to give its annexa-tion of that Ukrainian region a stamp of legitimacy. Itis yet to be seen how the Ukrainian crisis will play outas the United States and its allies have imposed sanc-tions on Russia and threatened more action. TheWorld is yet to figure out what actually happened toMalaysian Air flight 370 and its 239 passengers andcrew that disappeared on March 8, 2014. In Nigeria theBoko Haram terrorists continue to plunder villagesand cities in North Eastern Nigeria while PresidentGoodluck Jonathan has convened a national confer-

ence to discuss ways and means of Nigerians co-existing peacefully together and building a truly greatnation.

Despite all the above uncertainties, we havebrought you another vintage edition of Life andTimes- we celebrate the richest black man, Alhaji AlikoDangote who turned a N500,000 (about $500,000) loanfrom an uncle in 1977 into a $25 Billion fortune inabout 37 years and today straddles the African busi-ness landscape like a colossus. We do a spotlight onU.B.A, Africa's truly global bank and we take you tothe alluring and enchanting small nation of Gambia-West Africa's tourist heaven.

This edition also features PEOPLE and PLACES;the Love fest by the Household of Christ Church inCapitol Heights Maryland, the induction of UmuadaNdi Igbo in Diaspora Inc. New Jersey Chapter, theHand in Hand celebration of marriage by the Interna-tional Christian Center (I.C.C) Los Angeles and otherstaples that you have come to associate with youraward winning magazine- Life and Times.

It is yet another edition that you will love to readfrom cover to cover..

Chike NwekePublisherSpring 2014.

FROM THE DESK OF THE PUBLISHER


contents3. From The Desk Of The Publisher

8. Cover Profile:

ALIKO DANGOTEThe man With The Midas Touch16. Spotlight:

MODUPE OZOLUA: Restoring Beauty22. Profile In Excellence:

VIOLET ARENE: Management Consultant empowering women through ‘Voice of Eve’26. People And Places:

Hand in Hand Celebration of Marriage 2014by International Christian Center38. People And Places:

Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas(ANPA), S. CA 2013 banquet48. People And Places:

YABA TV- BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION, 201453. Beauty of the Moment:

Joy Osayande54. People And Places:

UmuadaNdi Igbo inDiaspora Inc.New Jersey InductionNov 10, 201362. Fashion & Beauty:

Yere Designs: Designer to expect @ the Life and TimesFiesta 2014.64. People And Places:

JOY & OSAYANDE Forever as one72 Youth

DARING TO REACH FOR YOUR DREAM74. Health

THE CURE FOR CRAVING SALAD FOR BREAKFASTBY OLUFEMI SALIU, M.D

8

16

72

4 LIFE & TIMES MAGAZINE SPRING 2014


133

114104

77. Subscriptions78. Spotlight ANAMBRA STATE: The Light of the Nation91. Subscriptions82. Money & Finance The UBA Group Africa’s Global Bank Brand84. Fashion & StyleMocolate Fashion House90. People and Places Los Angeles Wake for Lady Priscillia Nkolika Obiamalu98. People and Places Household Of Christ Church, Maryland 2014ANNUAL LOVE FEST102. FeatureThe death of my mother and grandmother hasbecome our cross to bear. By Melvin Emesibe104. SpotlightTHE ALLURING GAMBIA

108. Music & Entertainment WIZKID: AFRICA'S ARTISTE OF THE YEAR 2013111. Art & Culture The Launching of The Divine Fragrance of Life Abook by Mark Eda114. GRACIE'S CORNERDealing with Cultural Identity CrisisBY Grace Neequaye 113. The Law & YouIS YOUR MARRIAGE VALIDIN THE UNITED STATES?120. Life IssuesAre You a Thermometer or aThermostat? By Iruka A. Ndubuizu122. Life Issues10 steps to Personal Empowerment (for Parents)124. RELIGION & SPIRITUAL AFFAIRSWinning in Life by making goals By Pastor DipoKalejaiye

108



COMPANY BOARDCEO/Publisher: Chike Nweke

MEMBERS:Dan Musa, Ph.D

Lara OkunubiEbere AnakwenzeClem Ainabe, Ph.DArthur Abraham, JPHalilu Haruna, CEA

Joachim 'Joe' Nwude, JDAmaka Akudinobi, Esq

Frank OtiJoe OduozaUmar Baba

Eugene Edoga, LLD(Head, Abuja-Nigeria Bureau)

Arinze Egbuna(Regional Director-NE,U.S.A)

Iruka Udeagha Ndubuizu(Director S.E, U.S.A)

EDITORIAL BOARDChair, Clem Ainabe, Ph.D

Deputy Chair, Jude Akudinobi, Ph.DExecutive Editor: Arthur Abraham

Correspondents:Chinyere Ifeacho

Osayande AghazebamwanStella JohnsonYemi AbiodunTommy Musa

COLUMNISTSDr. Dipo Kalejaiye- Religion

Victor Onwaeze Esq- LawDr. Olufemi Saliu- Health

Nkem DenChukwu- Life's issuesChris Abili- News and Politics

Ijeoma Nwawka- YouthPhotographers:

Devere WheatfallAde James

Frank OsaemekaKingsley Nwamadu

Uju Anokwute

HEAD MARKETING/ADVERTISINGJude "Majid" Nwosu, MBA

LIFE AND TIMES MAGAZINE is published by Life and Times Network Inc. a publishingand Public Relations Company, 7095 Hollywood Blvd, #485 Hollywood CA 90028Tel: +1-424-204-2703 Fax: 310-626-9754, Email: [email protected],

[email protected], www.lifeandtimesmagazine.com




Cover Story

ALIKODANGOTE

THE MAN WITH THE MIDAS TOUCH



Cover Story

Africa’s richest man, AlhajiAliko Dangote, plans to investup to $8bn to build a Nigerianoil refinery with a capacity ofaround 400,000 barrels a day bylate 2016.

This will almost doubleNigeria’s current refining ca-pacity.

“This will really help notonly Nigeria but sub-SaharanAfrica. There has not been anew refinery for a long time insub-Saharan Africa,” Dangotesaid in an interview.

The country currently hasthe capacity to produce some445,000 barrels per day amongfour refineries, but they operatewell below that owing to

decades of mismanagement andcorruption in Africa’s leadingenergy producer.

Nigeria, the continent’s sec-ond-biggest economy, relies onsubsidized imports for 80 percent of its fuel needs.

A surge in domestic capacitywould be welcomed by investorsin Nigeria, but it would cut intoprofits made by European refin-ers and oil traders who wouldlose part of that lucrative market.

Dangote said the country’sability to import fuel would soonbe challenged.

“In five years, when our pop-ulation is over 200 million, wewon’t have the infrastructure toreceive the amount of fuel we

use. It has to be done,” he said.Past efforts to build refiner-

ies have often been delayed orcancelled, but analysts havesaid Dangote should be able tobuild a profitable Nigerian re-finery, owing to his past suc-cesses in industry and hisstrong government connections.

Nigeria has two refineries inits main Port Harcourt oil hub,one in the Niger Delta town ofWarri, and one in Kaduna in theNorth that serve 170 millionpeople. Not one of them func-tions at full capacity.

Analysts have said previousattempts to get the refineriesgoing have been held back byvested interests such as fuel im-



Cover Story

porters profiting from the statusquo. Dangote said this con-cerned him.

“The people who were sup-posed to invest in refineries,who understand the market, arebenefiting from there being norefineries because of the fuel im-port business,” he said. “Somewe are going to try to interfere.”

Nigeria’s government subsi-dizes fuel imports to keeppump prices well below the

market rate at a cost of billionsof dollars a year. Fuel subsidiesare the single biggest item onthe country’s budget.

Dangote said making a newrefinery run at a profit wouldwork even if the governmentfailed to scrap the subsidizedfuel price that has deterred oth-ers from investing.

Alhaji Aliko Dangote, MFR,GCON was born April 10, 1957,in Kano, Nigeria. His estimated

net worth of $25 billion as ofMarch 2014 makes him the 23rdrichest people in the world andthe richest black person. Basedin Lagos, Nigeria, he is theowner of the Dangote Group,which has interests in com-modities, banking, oil and gas,real estate etc with operations inNigeria, Benin, Cameroon,Togo, Ghana, South Africa andZambia.

He is the first black man toContinued on page 11





Cover Story

make the Forbes Top 25 World’srichest list in modern history.

Dangote has had interests inbusiness right from childhood.He would buy cartons of sugarboxes and sell them to makemoney. He studied business atthe Al-Azhar University inCairo, Egypt and thereafter re-turned to Nigeria. He startedhis business at the age of 21after a loan of �500,000 pro-vided to him by his uncle.

Established in 1977, the Dan-gote Group is now a multi-tril-lion naira conglomerate withmany of its operations in Benin,Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo. Atpresent, Dangote has enlargedhis line of businesses to alsocover food processing, cementmanufacturing, and freight. TheDangote Group also dominatesthe sugar market in Nigeria andis a major sugar supplier to thecountry's soft drink companies,breweries, and confectioners.The Dangote Group has movedfrom being a trading companyto being the largest industrialgroup in Nigeria and includesDangote Sugar Refinery, Dan-gote Cement, and DangoteFlour.

In Nigeria today, DangoteGroup with its dominance inthe sugar market and refinerybusiness is the main supplier(70% of the market) to the coun-

try's soft drinks companies,breweries and confectioners. Itis the largest refinery in Africaand the third largest in theworld, producing 800,000 tonsof sugar annually. Apart fromthese, Dangote Group owns saltfactories and flour mills and is amajor importer of rice, fish,pasta, cement and fertilizer. Thecompany exports cotton,cashew nuts, cocoa, sesameseed and ginger to several coun-tries. It also has major invest-ments in real estate, banking,transport, textiles and oil andgas. The company employs over11,000 people and is the largestindustrial conglomerate in thewhole of West Africa.

Dangote has diversified intotelecommunications and hasstarted building 14,000 kilome-ters of fiber optic cables in Nige-ria. As a result, Dangote washonored in January 2009 as theleading provider of employ-ment in the Nigerian construc-tion industry.

Dangote played a veryprominent role in the funding ofOlusegun Obasanjo’s re-elec-tion bid in 2003, to which hegave over N200 million(US$2M). He also contributed$500,000 to the NationalMosque under the aegis of"Friends of Obasanjo andAtiku". He also contributed

N200 million to the ObasanjoPresidential Library. Thesehighly controversial gifts tomembers of the ruling Party[PDP] have generated signifi-cant concerns despite highlypublicized anti-corruptiondrives during Obasanjo's sec-ond term. This has left many toattribute Aliko Dangote's for-tunes to his closeness and ex-cessive favoritism he receivesfrom the Nigerian government.

On 23 May 2010, Britain'sDaily Mirror reported that Dan-gote was interested in buying a16 percent stake in Premiershipside Arsenal belonging to LadyNina Bracewell-Smith. Dangotelater denied these rumors.

On November 14, 2011,Dangote was awarded Nigeria'ssecond highest honor, GrandCommander of the Order of theNiger (GCON) by the Presidentof Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan.

Dangote reportedly added$9.2 billion to his personalwealth in 2013, according to theBloomberg Index, now makinghim the 30th richest person inthe world in their ranking, inaddition to being the richestperson in Africa.

***Sources: Reuters, PunchN e w s p a p e r s - N i g e r i a ,Bloomberg and Wikipedia

Continued from page 10








Spotlight

MODUPEOZOLUA

Restoring Beauty



Miss Modupe OzienOzolua was born in BeninCity, Nigeria in October 10th1973. She is the youngest offour siblings born to Chief J.I.and Chief Mrs. M.S. Ozolua.

She had her early educa-tion in Nigeria, attendingUniversity of Benin Primaryand Secondary schools, andQueen Idia Girls College inBenin City. Her secondaryeducation was completed atApata Memorial High School,Isolo, Lagos.

After her secondary edu-cation, Miss Modupe Ozolualeft for the United States ofAmerica.

She went to South West-ern College, San Diego andDevery International Univer-sity, Los Angeles, California.In both schools Miss Ozoluawas on the Dean's list forbeing a student with excep-tional performance. Modupestudied Graphic Design andBusiness Administration.

She was also recognizedin the 1994-1995 edition ofthe NATIONAL DEAN'S LIST.This is a publication that listall the acclaimed students allover the United States ofAmerica, that constantlymake the Dean's list in theiruniversities.

Her interest in Cosmeticand Reconstructive surgerywas awakened after she wentthrough some Cosmetic Sur-gery procedures. As awoman born in Nigeria, sheknew the importance of awoman wanting to look and

feel good aboutherself. And hence,she decided tomake Cosmeticand ReconstructiveSurgery availablein Nigeria.

Miss Ozolua wasstill residing in LosAngeles with herhusband and sonwhen she initiallyopened Body En-hancement in Lagos,Nigeria. From Los An-gels she ran her officein Lagos. Making regu-lar trips to attend toclients.

After her divorceand the death of hermother, she relo-cated to Nigeriawith her son.

Modupe Ozoluahas received nu-merous awardswhich include,Nigeria WomenAwards, DameInternationalFor Pioneer-ing ActionA w a r d2003; CityPeople ForF e m a l eAchieverIn TheBeautySector2001;

Spotlight



Spotlight

Moremi Hall Executive Coun-cil, Oba Femi Awolowo Un-versity For Award OfExcellence 2002; City PeopleFor Beautician Of The Year2001.

Miss Ozolua felt that nu-merous individuals in hercountry, Nigeria, would wantto improve their appearance.Therefore, she opened a‘Body Enhancement’ opera-tion in Nigeria to give indi-viduals a “new lease of lifewith either cosmetic or re-constructive surgery”(Ekunkunbor, 2007). Whenshe pioneered cosmetic sur-gery in West Africa, MissOzolua was running her BodyEnhancement Company inNigeria from Los Angeles.She finally relocated to Nige-ria with her son after thedeath of her mother and herdivorce in 2001. MissOzolua’s ‘Body Enhance-ment’ company has been inexistence since 2001.Ozolua’s company seems tobe a very prosperous com-pany that sets out to pro-mote health and give asecond chance to less privi-leged. Indeed, Ozolua's com-pany, Body Enhancement,has put Nigeria in the spotlight in relation to cosmeticsurgery in Africa. She is con-tributing to the improvementof Nigeria’s National image.By all account, Miss Ozolua isclearly an ambitious woman.

Miss Ozolua describesherself in her interview withAdeseun (2004) as a

“workaholic” –to which onemight add; intelligent andan ambitious woman. Shedresses to impress thepublic. Ekunkunbor(2007) describes her as“a woman of manyparts”. Ozolua has beenrecognised by the pub-lic through her follow-ing awards: • NigeriaWomen Awards. •Dame Internationalfor Pioneering ActionAward 2003. • CityPeople for FemaleAchiever in theBeauty sector2001. •Moremi HallE x e c u t i v eCouncil •



Spotlight

Oba Femi AwolowoUniversity for Award ofExcellence 2002. • CityPeople for Beautician ofthe Year 2001. Like-wise, Ozolua has beenfeatured on CNN, BBCand many other inter-national media publi-cations. In Africa shehas been featured innumerous magazinesand press publications.For example, Pridemagazine of the unitedkingdom, GuardianNewspaper [Londonand Nigerian editions],Ovation InternationalMagazine, Tell Maga-zine, Society Interna-tional Journal, AfrikanBeatz magazine, TheEmpress magazine,Reality Internationalmagazine etc. She hasappeared on numerousradio stations and TVshows, including BBCand Nigerian TelevisionAuthority.

Source: Wikipediaand http://www.onli-nenigeria.com/mem-ber/content.asp?contentid=567








Profile in Excellence

VioletAreneManagement consultantempowering womenthrough ‘Voice of Eve’




Dr. Violet Arene has been se-lected as a recipient of the Lifeand Times 2014, “CommunityService Award”. This award willbe given to her at the LIFE andTIMES 4rd Annual Fiesta whichwill take place on Saturday Au-gust 16, 2014 at the RaddisonHotel LAX, 6225 Century Boule-vard, Los Angeles CA 90045 at6PM. This honor is given annu-ally to a person who has distin-guished his or herself as aCommunity leader who servesthe needs, yearnings and aspira-tions of our Community. TheLIFE and TIMES board consid-ered her trailblazing efforts insingle handedly piloting the pro-duction of the Kith and Kin aprogram on the Nigerian Televi-sion Authority (NTA) Networkon fostering Unity, Peace and

Progress from 1994- 2001 and the“Voice of Eve’’ from January2013- till date on the same NTANetwork as Voice on Nigerian na-tional Television for Women’s is-sues and family unity. Prior tothat she used her position as aGeneral Manager, Total QualityControl in the office of the GroupManaging Director, Nigerian na-tional Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) to train and empoweryoung professionals.

Ms KEMI AJUMOBI of Busi-nessDay Newspaper, Lagos Nige-ria recently had an interview withDr. Arene which was Publishedon February 7, 2014. Below is atranscript of the publicationwhich shed an interesting light onDr. Arene's background, goalsand motivations.

We all have our stories ofchildhood – some bitter, somesweet. My Leading Woman forthis week tells me hers was tough.“My father’s name means ‘theking has arrived’, but I did not seemuch wealth,” she says. “What Isaw was much love. It cushionedoff the struggles. I also saw my fa-ther believing in me, and taking arisk to send me to school and tothe university when it was againstsocial expectations as girls weretraditionally expected to be mar-ried off early, and only needingminimal education. I learned tobe loving, compassionate andkind because I got those virtuesfrom my parents and my familyexperience. I also learned hardwork and perseverance because Icould not afford to fail, and de-spite all odds, to aim high in life,

In Voice of Eve Studio


a trait that has remained in me,and which has been boosted bymy strong faith and trust in God.”

I managed to catch up with herto share her story with me beforethe show started as I was invited asa guest speaker for her televisionprogramme on NTA called ‘Voiceof Eve’. Violet Arene is my LeadingWoman for this week!

She bagged a 2nd class upperdegree in History from Universityof Ibadan, a PGD in Education, anM.A. in Education from ArizonaState University in the UnitedStates, and a PhD in Educationfrom University of Lagos. A be-liever in social contributions andlegacy, she was NTA networkpresenter for ‘Kith & Kin’, a fam-ily social programme, for sixyears. She is a motivator who em-powers women through her TVwomen enlightenment pro-gramme called ‘Voice of Eve’. Amanagement development con-sultant and trainer, she is thepresident/founder, Lydia RockConsult Nig. Ltd, a managementconsulting and training firm.

Arene had several years of ex-perience working in the public

sector, which, she says, enlargedher heart and patriotic fervour.“In both my experience in theFederal Ministry of Educationand the Nigerian National Petro-leum Corporation, I gave myservice with passion and predilec-tion for excellence. I think I didvery well because I have manymerit awards for distinction inservice, in management and lead-ership,” she tells me.

She not only had experience inthe public sector but also with theprivate sector, and she speaksabout it. “My experience in Indus-trial and General Insurance (IGI)after my statutory retirementfrom the NNPC, after more thanthirty-five years in the publicservice, exposed me to the cultureof the private sector. I combinedmy experience in the Federal Min-istry of Education and in theNNPC to give management train-ing programmes to the IGI groupstaff,” she says.

Back to the reason she invitedme over, to be a guest on hershow, I thought it wise to ask herwhen and why she started theshow. She explains that she

started the ‘Voice of Eve’ a yearago, as an independent producerand presenter, to provide a TVplatform dedicated to airingwomen’s voices over women’s is-sues and national affairs.

“As you know, women are keystakeholders and contributors tothe project-Nigeria, today and inhistory. It is also to give womennot only a voice, but visibility. Itserves as a platform for women tobe given the opportunity to par-ticipate in serious reflections onissues of national development,democracy, and the future ofNigeria for our children, and toparticularly advocate for the girl-child’s protection and educationas potential mothers of the nation.Women’s education and enlight-enment, we believe, will acceler-ate national development and thegrowth of the national economy,”she tells me.

She adds that the response tothe ‘Voice of Eve’ has been veryfavourable both here in Nigeriaand with Nigerians in Diaspora,since the episodes are also onYoutube and “we are also likedand commended on Facebook”.



Special Guest -Attorney Iruka Ndubuizu




In yonder days, I used to rushto catch up with ‘Kith and Kin’.That programme turns out to beArene’s first TV experience.“‘Kith and Kin’ was a family pro-gramme which aired for aboutseven years from 1994,” she says.“I was surprisingly invited to bethe presenter by the NTA net-work. It was my first experiencein television, but it went verywell, people never seem to forgetabout it. I learnt a lot from itabout social values and how im-portant this soft side of life is toNigerians.”

Arene tells me that her heart isnaturally oriented to people. “Ican call myself a natural humandeveloper. That is why I havegreat success in teaching, training,preaching, mentoring coaching,and counselling. I did mentionthe pathogenic society in my firstbook, ‘Personality Excellence’, tosensitise the gap between whatespecially the underdogs in oursociety have been made to befrom neglect and sub-human liv-ing, and what they could have be-

come with better attention andprovisions. The developing worldpresents this unhappy scenarioand it takes a toll on their humancapital, their greatest asset,” sheexplains.

I asked her what drives her,what’s her philosophy, and shesays: “My philosophy in life is tolive a purpose-driven life, God-honouring, unrelenting servant-hood, loving and giving, deeplycompassionate, and legacy-minded. I love to build, and I ambuilding all the time, whether phys-ical structures or human beings,from nothing to something, andfrom good to better, with relentlessfaith in possibilities that have madewhat would have been a very ordi-nary woman one worthy of your in-terview today. I am an unrepentantoptimist, and unstoppable, becauseI have faith in God.”

Arene shocks me with one ofthe most fascinating responses Ihave received from my guests onthis page when I ask what theirprofessional and personal chal-lenges are.

“The main professional chal-lenge now is ‘who will inherit mylibrary?’” she says unequivocally.“All my children are medical doc-tors. None is into managementconsultancy and training.”

We both laugh at her re-sponse, but she tells me, seri-ously, that she is exploring ideasof what to do with the books.

Ever grateful to God for all hehas done for her, Arene con-cludes: “At my age now, I can say,like King David in the Bible: ‘Ihave been young, and now I amold, I have never seen the right-eous man forsaken, nor his chil-dren begging for bread.’ Moneyis not everything. If we knowGod, His love, grace and mercy,we will try to be like Him wher-ever we are, and to live an ac-countable life.”

Source: Kemi Ajumobi inBusiness Day, Nigeria(Archived) under- LeadingWoman, 1st Published- February7, 2014

Panel Discussion



Hand in HandCelebration ofMarriage 2014 by International Christian Center

[I.C.C.] Los Angeles

People and Places

It was a select gathering ofcouples at the Los Verdes golfCourse, Rancho Palos Verdes,California at the 13th Annual"Hand in Hand Celebration ofMarriage Event"

by the International ChristianCenter [ICC] Los Angeles onSaturday 15th March 2014.Couples were challenged to stepinto their God-ordained rolesand live up to their marriagevows.

Couples celebrated their lovefor each other, renewed theirvows and spent a great time inall manner of fun activites,feasting, fellowship with othercouples and dancing.

Past. Dipo & Nony Kalejaiye



People and Places

Cruz & Diana JimenezChike & Mercy Nweke

Benjamin & Nancy AuduDcn Badewa & Taiwo Olukunle

Dcns Tunde & Ronke AtaneAustin & Nkechi Eneh


People and Places


Fola & Laitan AdebayoPastor Emmanuel & Pastor Grace Oyebobola

Mcs Pastor Pamela Williams and Dcns Daisy AnajembaDada & Tosin Ojeisekhoda


People and Places


Femi & Bosede SaliuErasmus & Ijeoma Ibebuike

Emmanuel & Onyinye ChukwumaEmmanuel & Chinalurum Opara

Ehis & Linda InegbenoisePastor & Pastor Mrs Promise Adeyemi


People and Places


Dcn Godwin & Wunmi ObeleMr. and Mrs. Dipo and Funmi Fashakin

Gibson & Lamide AnugwomGbolahan & Nike Oshodi

Gabriel & Chisom OgbondaFrancis & Kadijah Dibia


People and Places


Ken & Catherine OguJonathan & Ifetumi Audu

Jerome & Therese Okonkwo

Ike & Chika OnyebaluIjezie & Kristine Mbamalu


People and Places


MR & MRS CHARLES & ANN SMITHMin Laja & Sumbo Ibraheem

Kevin & Mrs. AnokwuteKester & Annah Ezuma

Kenny & Jummy OjuteKenneth & Min Ijeoma Udeh


People and Places


Mr. & Mrs. IdahMr. & Mrs. Atanga

Mr. & Mrs. AniemekaMR and MRS REX & AMAKA ANYAOHA

MR & MRS UGO & CHIOMA ORANUMr. and Mrs. Gibson and Comfort Ojukwu


People and Places


Onuka & Uchechi IrohaOlukunle & Ronke Bamishile

Oliver & Dcns Daisy AnajembaPastor Oje & Dcns Helen Uwadia

Muyiwa & Pastor Pamela WilliamsEugene and Vivien Odega


People and Places


Saturday & Sophia AisuanDcn Segun & Pst Nkiru Benson

Dcn Phemi & Pst Yinka Adeniran

Ugochukwu & Elizabeth Agim

Onyeka & Ify Mbachu


People and Places


Pastor Wole & Dcns Bimbo AdefesoDancing Time

Tony & Maureen Adigwe

Ugo & Nkiru Ene

Ernest & Nnena Ekejiuba






The Association of Nigerian Physicians inthe Americas (ANPA), Southern CaliforniaChapter held their 2013 End of Year Banqueton November 16, 2013 at the LAX WestinHotel. The event was one of many avenues tocelebrate achievements and raise funds forANPA projects such as medical missions andmentoring programs.

The National body, the Association of Nige-ria Physicians in the Americas (ANPA)-20thYear Convention that will hold in Anaheim CAfrom the 18-20th August, 2014. The 20th An-niversary Gala that will hold at the SheratonPark Hotel at Anaheim Resort on Saturday July19, 2014.

To join hands with ANPA in its humanitarianmissions and programs or be a sponsor for the2014 ANPA 4TH ANNUAL Golf Classic Saturday,July 19, 2014 7:00am at Coyote Hills GolfCourse, please contact:Dr. Kpaduwa : [email protected], or Dr. Popoola :[email protected] ANPA P.O.Box 414209, Kansas City, MO 64141Tel: 913-402-7102, Fax: 913-273-1140Email: [email protected], website: http://www.anpa.org/

Following is a photo essay of the ANPA, S.CA 2013 end of year banquet..

Photo Credit: Red Carpet Films

Association ofNigerian Physicians inthe Americas (ANPA),S. CA 2013 banquet


Dr. Popoola and Dr. Kpaduwa


People and Places


GuestsDr. Popoola interviewing Mrs Sheila Quintana

Dr. Stella Kpaduwaand Madame Kofo

Mrs. Popoola, Dr. Popoola and Mrs. Sheila Quintana

Dr. Nkem Chukwumerije Guests


People and Places


Dr. & Prof. (Mrs.) UgwuezeA cross-section of guest with Dr. & Mrs. Nkem Chukwumerije

GuestsSkidmore Family, Peju, Tyler, Jeannie, Alan

Dr. Popoola with Family, Dr. Alvin, Dr. Fola May, Zea May, Lillie Popoola, Dele Popoola


People and Places


Vicky ArinzeGuests checking in

Adanna DuruCo-Host, Ife

GuestsGuests


People and Places


GuestsDr. and Mrs. Olu Oredugba, with Dr. and Mrs. Tunde Ajilore

GuestsGuests

Dr. PopoolaDr. Clifford Eke

Mr. Marty Adebowale


People and Places


Chuddy & Chita OjeLillie Popoola, Dr. Don Umoren, Gilla Olowopopu

With Dr. Bisi WaddellWith IJ & Adanna Duru

GuestsGuestsMr. & Mrs. Amene


People and Places


Mrs. Ogunidimu & GuestAtty. Sam & Dr. Chinelo Ogbogu with guests

Comedian Wamilele cracking up the crowd

Bukky Ogunpola & Dr. OyeyemiWith Mr. & Mrs.Marty Adebowale


People and Places


Uchenna Nworgu & FriendsGuests

GuestsGuests

GuestsWith Pamela Anchang

Mr. Eric & Mrs. Joy EzukaNony Nwasike & Friend



People and Places

A cross-section of Unique Ladies LA

GuestsGuests

Mrs. Ada Okoro & Mrs. Uche OtiChike Nweke & Dr. Comfort Nwachie





Since 1992 the Yaba TVShow has been promotingAfricans & African-Ameri-cans on TV. The show is designed to bridge the cultural divide betweenAfrican Americans andAfricans and aims to fostercultural empowerment,inter-cultural exchange andeducation.

The annual Black HistoryMonth Celebration, Banquetand Fundraiser is one ofthe avenues employed byElizabeth “Sia Sia” Yiaba thefounder of Yaba TV at attainingthese laudable goals set byYaba TV.

Come and enjoy foodfrom Nigeria, Ghana, andSierra Leone, African cul-

tural dancers, fashion show and awards to deservingachievers within the AfricanDiaspora and African Ameri-can Community.

Following is a photoessay of this great cere-mony . . .

People and Places

YABA TV- BLACKHISTORY MONTHCELEBRATION, 2014TORRANCE CIVIC CENTER,SATURDAY FEB 8, 2014

A cross section of the high table



People and Places

"Sia Sia" receiving an Award from Mayor Jim Dear

Fashion show by Mrs. Lola Oluyide

Cross section of Guests Cross section of Guests

Dr. Otiona Okach, Chairman of the occasion

Speech by Mr. and Mrs. David Burnting


People and Places


Dr. Ukeje, Atty. Chijioke and Chioma Ikonte

Cross section of Guests

Cross Section of Guests Cross Section of Guests

Cross Section of Guests

Redeem in Motion Dance Troupe

UC Riverside African Students Dance Troupe


People and Places


Award to Prof Amaka Donn

Award to Dr. Cardin Gill

Award to Dr. Ukeje Agu

Award to Rebecca Osborne




New Bride, PalosVerdes CA

Beauty of the Moment



It was a gathering ofUmuada Ndi Igbo in DiasporaInc. from all over the worldfor the New Jersey ChapterGrand Inauguration of the

p r e -

mier organization of IgboWomen in Diaspora at BestWestern Robert Treat Hotel,50 Park Place, Down town-Newark NJ. Led by ChiefAdaozo Grace Nnonye Agudeand members of the national

Executive, the occasionsaw the induction of

about 80 new mem-bers of the chap-

ter and thecrowning of

Dame IvyO n y e -

jekwe,New

Jersey Chapter President asthe Ugochinyere Umuadandi Igbo for her relentless ef-forts in building the New Jer-sey chapter. Anotherhighlight of the occasion wasthe award of two round tripArik Air tickets to a luckywinner by the Vice PresidentArik Air Americas, Mr. RobertBrunner who attended theoccasion with his beautifulwife.

Following is a photo essayof this event covered exclu-sively by Life and TimesMagazine is the officialmedia house to Umuada NdiIgbo in Diaspora Inc.

People and Places

Umuada Ndi Igbo inDiaspora Inc. New Jersey InductionNov 10, 2013


Dame Ivy being crowned Ugochinyere Umu ada Ndi Igbo by Adaozo


People and Places


Members at business meeting

Dame Ivy Onyejekwe and Lady CeciliaOkoliCruz & Diana Jimenez

Ozo Ibekwe, Christy Ejiogu, Chime Okafor Adaozo and Erimma

Nnenna Anokwute, Amaka Okpala,Mary Meregini and Carol Egbo

Carol Egbo, Adaozo,Odera and Vero Aneke

Cross Section of Umuada Members at business meeting


People and Places


Amazing Hall Décor Mr and Mrs Brunner with Dame Onyejekwe

Ladies Ozo Ibekwe and Christy Ejiogu Umuada NJ Getting ready for induction

Christy, Dame Ivy, Nnenne and Uloma MC- Mrs Victoria Ezebuiro

Chief launcher Chief Collins Akparanta Barrister and Mrs. Ogbozor


People and Places


Baltimore MD, Umuada members

Ushering In Chief and Lolo Udenta Mr Anikwenwa, Chairman Igbo USA NJ

Chief and Lolo Polly Uba- Chairnan People'sClub- NJ- Princeton Branch Chief Ada Ozo, Adazuruigbo

Cross Section of NJ Princesses Chief Ulomma- grand entrance


People and Places


Eze Duruaku- entrance Adaozo, grand entrance

Receiving city of Newark proclamation Umuada dancing in

Cross Section of NJ members

Award to Mrs. Eva Ezike Award to Chief Chike Nweke


People and Places



People and Places



People and Places


Chief (Lady) Adaozo Nnonye Agude

Cutting the unity cake



Fashion & Beauty

Designer to expect @ the Life and Times

Fiesta 2014.

YereDesignsContact: [email protected]





People and Places

On December 28th, 2013,Osayande and Joy in a simple,but elegant culturally rich tra-ditional wedding ceremony ex-changed vow in presence oftheir family and community inWarri, Delta State. Nigeria.

Their vows reflected in theirtraditional Urobo and IsokoDelta State culture exemplifythe very best of love and com-mitment.

Rtd. Assistant InspectorGeneral of Police, Hon. DanielEdore Obiuwevibi andChief Hon.O s a z u waw e r e

Chairmen of the occasion. Hon.Nosa Aifuwa nd Chief Adodowere speakers of the occasion.Hon. Victor Obogho as the fa-ther of the bride surroundedwith his brother and sister gra-ciously exemplifying the verybest of Africa’s loving hospitality.

As Osayande and Joy ex-changed vows of a joint life for-ever… as husband and wife, theatmosphere was welcoming,and most importantly inclusive and culturally rich intraditions. The lengthy list of

guest s and theo v e r a l l

warm andloving at

amosphere made the weddingceremony special. The cere-mony Included music, songs,poems and readings that fur-ther emphasized the rich reli-gious and African culturaltraditions that was theme of thewedding.. “A wedding built onthe love and blessing of Christ”.

Following is a photo essayof this match made in heaven…

Warri- Nigeria, December 28, 2013

JOY & OSAYANDE

Forever as oneGroom Osayande spraying beautiful bride, Joy



People and Places

Beautiful bride, Joy

Bride and groom attentively listening to Pastor Igbadumeh

Handsome groom Osayande



People and Places

Pastor and 1st Lady Dele Igbadumeh blessing the occasion

Best man,Kenneth holding the mic as groom recite the vows Best man,Kenneth holding the mic as groom recite the vows

Groom embraces mother-in-law Bride's maid with couple



People and Places

Groom signs marriage certificate

Bride signs marriage certificate

Groom's father: Retired AIG of Police:Daniel E. Obiuwevibi signing as witness

Bride's mother signing as witness Bride's mother signing as witness



People and Places

Best man signing as witnessBride's maid signing as witness

Pastor Igbadumeh signing as witness Couple first dance

Couple surrounded by family members in church Couple dancing with well wishes



People and Places

Couple at the church service

Couple with officiating ministers Couple with groom's father and a relative

Couple dancing Couples with relatives



People and Places

Couple with relatives A Relative

Couple with bride's family With Church choir members

With bride's mother and brother With brides' friends



People and Places

Couple with bride's maid and friend Bride dressed in traditional outfit

Couple during traditional ceremony Couple during traditional ceremony

Couple receiving blessings from family Couple dancing


In my stay so far on thisearth, one man that has in-spired me so much is the USPresident Barack Obama. Notjust by his intelligence, or thefact that he is the first blackman to be president of theUnited States, but the courageand the conviction to pursuehis dreams.

There is a story of whenBarack was dating his wife,Michelle, she asked her brotherto go with him to a basketballgame in order to form an opin-ion of him. During the game,Barack’s future brother-in-lawasked him what his ultimatelife goal was. Barack replied,“To be the President of the US”.The answer sounded so crazyto Michelle’s brother that herefused to mention it to his sis-ter, seeing that she liked theyoung man so much and hedidn’t want her to leave him. Itwas inconceivable to him that a

black man would become theAmerican President. This wasnot just the opinion of oneman. The generality of blackAmericans did not see it hap-pening then. Yet, all these didnot deter Barack as he went onto have one of the most excit-ing political campaigns in his-tory and make history as thefirst American President. Thisstory of a man with convictionof what he wanted to be andwhat he was passionate about,combined with courage anddetermination is one I con-stantly remember to keep memotivated.

I have come to realize thatmost, if not all people havedreams and ambitions thatsound crazy to others. Theysound crazy either because noone has done that before orbecause others around themdo not have the size of theirdreams. It ends up putting in

us a latent fear of failure sostrong that we do not even tryto reach for our dreams. Even-tually, we scale down the sizeof our dreams to be in con-formity with what the worldaround expects of us. We thenend up living mediocre lives,beyond our potentials; or welive unfulfilled lives even if weare in comfort and wealth. It isreally a sad thing to watch;even worse to experience.

I believe that in every per-son, God gives us passions anddreams which are linked to apurpose. The purpose for thispurpose is that we use ourpassions, talents and dreamsto serving others. For me, aneasy way to discovering whatmy purpose was this 3-steptest:

1. What is that one thingor collection of things you dothat comes to you very natu-rally, in no matter raw a form?

Youth

DARING TOREACH FOR YOURDREAMS

BY MARK AMAZA



Youth

2. What are those thingsthat when doing, you lose alltrack of time and can do forhours without end even withoutthe promise of pay?

3. Whenever you dreamabout yourself in the future,(and we all do), what is thatthing or what are those thingswe continually see yourselfdoing?

These 3 steps culminate in ajob or vocation that achievesyour purpose by benefiting oth-ers. This might be a job that isnot in existence right now orone that very few people aroundyou are involved in. But here isthe catch: when God puts thosedreams and passions in yourheart linked to a purpose, onlyyou feel those passions and en-vision those dreams. Peoplearound you can only notice it,and that is for those who arediscerning. That is why it is veryeasy for them to discourage youabout reaching for yourdreams.

In spite of this, I believe thatno dream is beyond beingachieved. Infact, my desire foreveryone is that they live topursue their passions andachieve their dreams. WheneverI meet, hear or read of someonepursuing his or her passions, Iget energized myself. Butdreaming is not enough – onemust also work towards achiev-ing them.

You cannot be passionateabout being the best cardiolo-gist in the world and spendmost of your time playing Foot-ball Manager rather than en-

grossing yourself in medicalknowledge. Also, you cannotdelude yourself about beingpassionate about for what youhave absolutely little or no tal-ent in. that is why the first of the3-step formula to discoveringyour purpose starts with takingnote of that which comes to younaturally.

You have to start where youare to begin to pursue yourdreams. If it requires educationand reading, throw yourself intoit. Find people who are also onor close to your career path andlearn from them, either by per-sonal interaction or by readingwhat they have written. Find amentor who will help you de-velop. But most importantly, donot wait until you have every-thing in order before you startto put into practice what youhave learnt and what you desireto do. Remember, perfect is theenemy of done. As you start,you will learn from your mis-takes and gain experience morethan what books can teach you.

Pursuing your dreams is alsomore a function of what youshould not do than what youshould be doing. You have tomake the radical decision to sayno to engaging yourself in ac-tivities that do not fit into yourdreams, and would just be adrain of your energy and a dis-traction. You have to focus onwhat you are doing.

My last point deals with howto overcome discouragementfrom those around you. Onceyou are convinced of what youwant to do and where you want

to go, talk about it a lot withthose closest around you. Thisnot only shows them how seri-ous you are, but also commitsyourself to that path. It is saidthat 9 out of 10 times you voiceout your plans and intentions,you go on to achieve them. Thenext thing is to immediatelystart working out your dreams,no matter how rough it is ini-tially. If your dream is to oneday have a world-class anima-tion studio, start with makingroughly animated cartoonsketches on your PC. If your de-sire is to one day have a world-renowned youth footballacademy, start with involvingyourself with a neighbourhoodsoccer team. These things go asan indication to those aroundyou about how serious you are.It also visualizes for them whatyou have been seeing in yourmind for a long time, and startsto win their support.

Whatever dreams and pas-sions you have held in yourheart for a long time is divinelyput for a purpose. Do not let itgo to waste. Dare to reach for it.Do not let the fear of missingthe ball keep you from playingthe game.

Remember, the impossible ismost times simply the untried.

Mark Amaza runs MINDcap-ital, a branding and businessmodel development focused onsmall and medium-sized busi-nesses. He is also an onlinecolumnist and blogger




Why do we crave coffeelike we do? In offices people goaround hugging their coffeecups! Now energy drinks suchas 5-Hour energy and red bullare becoming popular amongyouths, and adults. A collegestudent once told me in his classvirtually everyone sips from acup of a favorite stimulantdrink. Last fall, out of curiosity Iasked a friend at work why helikes to drink so much coffee. “Igot to stay awake,” he retorted.Also in 2013 another friend withnormal Body Mass Index raiseda different issue in frustration:“I get tired easily!” And ofcourse, I had my own issue withcaffeine:I drank 5-7 cups of cof-fee on week days-and cravedcookies, bagel, donuts, and po-tato chips.

To address the issues offood craving, and fatigue I’llrefer to the works of a renownnutrition researcher, Dr. JoelFuhrman. He is a frontrunner inthe concept of nutrient-caloriedensity of foods: the number ofnutrients packaged in a calorieworth of foods. These nutrients

are vitamins, minerals, and phy-tochemicals such as antioxi-dants. It’s an index that may beused to compare the nutritionalvalues of foods. This researcherhas a very comprehensive chartfor virtually all foods. For in-stance, 1000 nutrients are con-tained in a calorie worth of kalewhile a calorie worth of potatochips has just 11 nutrients. Mostcommon foods are covered inthe chart.

To drive home my point,I compiled two tables from Dr.Fuhrman’s chart. The averagenutrient per calorie score fortable1 is about 300; the aver-age score for table 2 is 30. Inother words if most of thefoods you eat are fromtable1, you are taking inabout 300 nutrients forevery calorie offood.But ifthey are fromtable 2, you areconsuming just30 nutrients forevery calorie offood.

On that basis, a moderately ac-tive 30 year old female who re-quires 2000 calories a dayconsumes 600,000 nutrients aday-2000 multiplied by 300-Ifshe chooses most of her foodsfrom table 1. The daily nutrientintake would however be just60,000 (2000 multiplied by 30) ifher foods are from table 2. Butif, like most people, she choosesfrom the yellow zone of table 2

Health

THECUREFOR

CRAVINGSALAD FOR

BREAKFASTBY OLUFEMI SALIU, M.D



where the averagenutrient per calorieis 12, her daily nu-trient intake wouldbe much lower:24,000. So her dailynutrient deficitwould be 576,000.

This deficitis huge. When thetank is low on gas,the yellow reservelight alerts thedriver to fill up thetank. Similarly, thehuman body-stud-ies have shown-isendowed with acomplex system ofsensors, chemicalmessengers, neuralconnections, andorgans in the gut,blood, and brainthat detects the ad-equacy of nutrientsconsumed. Whenadequate, there’dbe no desire to eat.If inadequate, suchas when a moder-ately active 30 yearold female con-sumes 24,000 nutri-ents instead of600,000 there’d be a surge in ap-petite. This craving is an alertfrom the brain to consume morenutrients to fill up the ‘imagi-nary nutrient tank’.

When the brain asks formore nutrients we habituallyconsume nutrient poor coffee,carbonated drinks, donuts,croissant, bagel, bread, cereals,and muffin. If we yield by giv-

ing the brain what it needs:more nutrients, the signal-crav-ing- would disappear, just likethe yellow reserve light van-ishes when the gas tank is filledup.

Furthermore, the foodsin the yellow zone are also highglycemic; when eaten in themorning-and other times,through insulin action, the

blood sugar followsthe roller-coasterpattern-swinging upand down. Thebrain occupies arigid box so there isno space to storesugar in form ofglycogen or fat: itextracts it’s glucosedirectly from theblood. So during thedownward swing,paucity of glucoseleads to mentalcloudiness or fa-tigue. The solutionto this problem is tomaintain a normalblood sugar at alltimes; glucose is thenatural fuel, not caf-feine. For this rea-son, if your child hasattention deficit is-sues in school, seek-ing a professionalhelp would help butdo your own part byhelping to maintaina steady blood sugarlevel.

In order toachieve this bloodsugar pattern

thereby alleviating mentalcloudiness, fatigue-and cravingcaffeine, and sugary foods youneed to make the low glycemic,and nutrient rich foods of table1 the cornerstone of your diet.They’d also help to prevent, andcontrol-as shown by studies-chronic diseases such as dia-betes, high cholesterol, obesity,cardiovascular diseases, and

Health

TABLE 1 NUTRIENT PER CALORIE SCORE (EXCERPTS)

MUSTARD GREENS 1000 STRAWBERRIES 212

KALE 1000 TOMATO 158

TURNIP GREENS 1000 PLUMS 158

COLLARD GREENS 1000 RASPBERRIES 145

BOK CHOY 824 CELERY 135

SPINACH 739 MUSHROOMS 134

RED PEPPER 420 BLUE BERRIES 130

CABBAGE 420 LETTUCE 110

ROMAINE 389 ORANGE 109

BROCCOLI 376 GRAPEFRUIT 102

CAULIFLOWER 285 CANTALOUPE 100

GREEN PEPPER 258 KIWI 97

CARROTS 240 BEETS 97

ASPARAGUS 234 EGGPLANT 97

ZUCCHINI 222 WATERMELON 91

JOEL FUHRMAN, M.D.

TABLE 2 NUTRIENT PER CALORIE SCORE (EXCERPTS)

APPLE 76 PASTA 19

LENTILS 68 WHITE BREAD 18

PINEAPPLE 64 BAGEL 18

BLACK BEANS 58 PIZZA 17

OATS, COOKED 53 CHEESEBURGER 15

SOYBEANS 48 PRETZELS 13

PEARS 46 WHITE RICE 12

SOY BURGERS 45 POTATO CHIPS 11

AVOCADO 38 VANIL ICE CREAM 9

GRAPES 31 VANILLA FROZEN YOGURT

9

POTATO 31 HOT DOG, BEEF 8

BANANA 30 FRENCH FRIES 7

SOY CHEESE 27 SUGAR COOKIES 5

CORN 25 CREAM CHEESE 4

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

25 HONEY 1

Joel Fuhrman, M.D.



Health

cancers. That is what I’ve beendoing since the fall of 2011. Andthat was my recommendation toJoyce, a 40 year old mother ofthree who went to the emer-gency room because of dizzi-ness. At 5’5’’ she weighed 204pounds-and presented with ablood pressure of 198/110 inJanuary of 2013. She recountedthis experience to me, as a col-league, last June. Concernedabout her fluctuating bloodpressures on the screen the doc-tor said, “if you want to bearound to see your grandchil-dren you must do something.”She changed her diet shiftingfrom yellow zone to table 1foods. After three weeks she lostdesire for coffee-and by Augusther weight was down by 20pounds. On 2/27/2014 when I ap-proached her for permission touse her story, she has lost 29pounds so far. Last Novemberher doctor told her: “continue todo whatever you’ve been

doing.” Herblood pressureis now normal.Joyce has intro-duced her husband,and the children toher new life style.

I follow my dietstrictly. My typical breakfast, 6am on weekdays, and 9 to 10 amon weekends, consists of foodsmainly from table 1:

Kale2 ouncesBroccoli8 ouncesBell Pepper (yellow, red or or-ange) 3 ouncesRaw Walnut1 ounceRaw Cashew Nut1 ounce1- 2 Boiled Organic Eggs (wildfish, free range chicken orgrass fed beef) 1 Bottle of water

Depending on how cold thesalad is, I warm it up for 60 to90 seconds in the microwave be-fore eating. I don’t use anydressing. Choose your favoritefoods from table1; if you can’tchew them like I do, make asmoothie-and make it yourbreakfast: the enzymes that di-gest vegetables at lunch or din-ner are there to break down thesalad at dawn. This is my pre-scription for curing food crav-ing in your office: salad forbreakfast.





Country NigeriaDate created: 27 August 1991Capital AwkaGovernor Willie Obiano (APGA)Total 4,844 km2 (1,870 sq mi)Area rank 35 of 36Population (2006 census)1• Total 4,055,048• Rank 10 of 36• Density 840/km2 (2,200/sq mi)

GDP (PPP)• Year2007• Total $11.83 billion• Per capita $1,615

Time zone WAT (UTC+01ISO 3166 NG-ANcodeWebsite anambrastate.gov.ng

Spotlight

ANAMBRASTATE

The light of the nationAnambra State is a state

in south-eastern Nigeria.Its name is an anglicizedversion of the original 'OmaMbala', the native name ofthe Anambra River. TheCapital and the Seat ofGovernment is Awka. Onit-sha and Nnewi are thebiggest commercial and in-dustrial cities, respectively.The state's theme is "LightOf The Nation". Boundariesare formed by Delta Stateto the west, Imo State andRivers State to the south,Enugu State to the east andKogi State to the north. Theorigin of the name is de-rived from the Anambra

River which is a tributary ofthe famous River Niger.

OVERVIEW: LOCA-TION & PEOPLE

Anambra has one of thehighest population densi-ties in Africa. The statecomprises numerousthickly populated villages, anumber of small towns anda few major towns; someareas are so thickly popu-lated that the estimateddensity is 1500-2000 per-sons living within everysquare kilometre. Most ofthe population is rural, al-though over the last two



decades the rural-urban mi-gration has stretched themeagre urban services to abreaking point. This patternof human migration hasposed serious problems forthe state's resources, fragileinfrastructure, environmentalsanitation, erosion controland social services. Thispressure is especially evidentin its huge commercial city ofOnitsha. Consequently,portable water, electricityand decent housing for theresidents of Onitsha havebecome a luxury. The oner-ous task before the new gov-ernment of Chief WillieObiano is to reverse thedecadence of the past andturn things around for theteeming population of Onit-

sha in particular and and theentire state generally.

Most of the population ofAnambra State are membersof the enterprising Igbo eth-nic group who are renownedfor their resoucefulness andspirit of entrepreneurship.The Anambra Igbo are ubiq-uitous and can be found inall nooks and cranies ofNigeria, as well as in virtuallyevery region of the world.Wherever they find them-selves, the entrepreuneurialskills of the Igbo stand themout in all their fields of en-deavour. Indeed, AnambraState is a very exciting placeto visit by anyone who wantsto experience the vibrance ofauthentic Africa.

Resources:Anambra is rich in natural

gas, crude oil, bauxite, ce-ramic and has an almost 100percent arable soil.

In the year 2006, founda-tion laying ceremony for thefirst Nigerian private refineryOrient Petroleum Refinery(OPR) was made at Aguleriarea.The Orient PetroleumResource Ltd, (OPRL) ownersof OPR, was licensed in June2002, by the Federal Gov-ernment to construct a pri-vate refinery with a 55,000b/d capacity.

Furthermore, Anambrastate is a state that has manyother resources in terms ofagro-based activities likefishery and farming, as wellas land cultivated for pastur-ing and animal husbandry.

Spotlight

E Chief Willie ObianoGovernor Anambra State

Government House, Awka

Igbo Ukwu Pot

Anambra Maidens


Spotlight

Currently, Anambra Statehas the lowest poverty rate inNigeria.

TOURISM:Agulu Crocodile Lake is

located along Awka road inAgulu, Aniocha Local Govern-ment Area of the state. A po-tential tourist site, it is home

to an estimated three hun-dred crocodiles and waterturtles. Fishing is not allowedon the lake and the croco-diles, being sacred animals tothe people, cannot be killed.Legend says that these croc-odiles were instrumental indelivering the town fromenemy soldiers during theNigerian civil war. It is be-lieved that these sacred croc-odiles and turtlestransformed themselves intobeautiful ladies and lured thesoldiers unawares into thelake where they disappearedwithout trace. At noon thecrocodiles and the turtles ap-pear at the banks of the laketo take in sunlight.

Ogbunike Caves, listed byUNESCO as a world HeritageSite is one of the most visitedtourist sites in AnambraState. It is classified as aSandstone cave (Lateriticsandstones of Campanian-

Miocene age). It has very sce-nic vegetation with attractivewaterfall. It is situated in theOgba hills Ogbunike, acrossthe Ugwu-Aga EscarpmentUmunya by the Enugu/OnitshaExpressway and lies in the coordinates of N06 11 11 andE06 54 21.

Igbo Ukwu Museum is anancient town known for astonishing metalcrafts andhas remained an attraction totourists because of its bronzeartifacts. The bronzes whichwere first noticed in 1938and later excavated byThurstan Shaw (an English archaeologist) date back toabout the 9th century, are of high value and historic relevance.

Uzu-Oka: Awka is historicallyknown for the great metalfoundry, Uzu Craftmanship.Imo-Awka is an annual festivalcelebrated by the natives.

Nickname(s): Light of the

Igbo Mask

Niger Bridge - Gateway to Anambra

Igbo Culture





United Bank for Africa (UBA)Group is one of the leading fi-nancial services brands in Nige-ria and Africa. With operations in19 African countries includingNigeria, UBA has become a behe-moth in the financial landscape,evolving from single country op-erations to continental player inmulti-jurisdictions. As it offondly referred to as “Africa’sGlobal Bank”, UBA offers univer-sal banking services through 700business offices to more thanseven million customers across 19African countries (includingNigeria) with offices in London,New York and Paris. UBA Plc, thebank, is listed on the NigerianStock Exchange (NSE).

The UBA brand resonateswith people with people across

age groupings, social cadresacross Nigeria, Africa and the restof the world. With the diverserange of products and servicesacross its African subsidiariesand global financial centres, thebank has successfully brokenboundaries through its electronicchannels and mobile bankingplatforms to ensure customersare not limited by location in car-rying out day to day businesstransactions.

Driven by the need to providebanking services in easy and con-venient ways, UBA offers differ-ent debit and prepaid cardservices to fit different customersegments in the economy anduses most sophisticated mobilebanking platforms. These chan-nels offer real time transfer of

funds to different individualsand also for payment of servicessuch as: utility bills and other feerelated services. The bank’s in-ternet banking platform also pro-vides tailor made products andservices to its different corporateclients for different purposessuch as: bill collections, fundstransfers and payment for goodsand services.

Operations in Africa The UBA Group, outside

Nigeria, operates in 18 Africancountries. Its African spread cur-rently covers all regions exceptNorth Africa. The Group haseight West African subsidiaries inGhana, Guinea, Liberia, Coted’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, BurkinaFaso, Benin Republic, and Sene-gal. In Central Africa, the UBAGroup is present in Cameroun,Tchad, Congo, Gabon and CongoBrazaville. In East Africa, theUBA Group is present in Kenya,Mozambique, Tanzania andUganda while in Southern Africa,the Group is present in Zambia.UBA’s Africa’s subsidiaries con-tribute about 25% of the Group’sbalance sheet with a target to

Money & Finance

The

UBAGroupAfrica’sGlobal BankBrand



raise their contribution to 50% inthe medium term.

Supporting AfricanBusinesses

In each of the countries theUBA Group operates, it activelysupports the growth and wealthcreation among individual, localbusinesses, institutions and gov-ernments through active lendingto the local business communityas well as financing cross bordertransactions thereby facilitatingintra Africa trade. The UBAGroup had total loans portfolio ofN870 billion. The Group’s lend-ing portfolio was spread acrossthe critical sectors of the Africaneconomy including; Oil and Gas,Power and Energy, Manufactur-ing, ICT, Construction, GeneralCommerce and other sectors.

The UBA Group also activelysupports the spending plans ofthe governments in the countriesit operates by actively investingin sovereign debts and securitiesto help governments finance crit-ical infrastructure needs, reducedependence on external borrow-ing and development assistance.

Building a savings cultureand capital formation

While supporting growth inthe countries it operates, the UBAGroup drives capital formationby encouraging a savings culturein the countries in which it oper-ates. With an array of highly at-tractive retail banking products,innovative e-banking offeringsand tailored corporate solutions.The funds mobilized mobilisedas deposits go into lending to in-

dividuals, local businesses, insti-tutions and government to sup-port critical sectors of the localeconomy.

AwardsOver the years, UBA Group

and its subsidiaries have wonawards and recognitions for sup-porting their local economy. In2013, two UBA Group sub-sidiaries were named the ‘BestBanks’ in their respective coun-tries. UBA Cameroon and UBASenegal on March 19, 2013 werenamed among ‘World’s BestBanks in 2013’ in their respectivecountries by Global Finance mag-azine, based in New York.

Corporate SocialResponsibility at UBAGroup

As Africa’s leading panAfrican bank, UBA takes seri-ously its commitment to drive foreconomic development across thecontinent. The Group’s CorporateSocial Responsibility (CSR) ini-tiatives are thus geared to sup-port initiatives that entrenchessustainable economic growthacross the continent. UBA Foun-dation; the bank’s corporate so-cial responsibility arm which isfunded wholly by the bank iscommitted to the socio-economicbetterment of African communi-ties. Through its focus areas; ed-ucation, economicempowerment, environment andspecial projects, UBA Foundationis positively touching lives.

A key project of UBA Founda-tion is the “Read Africa” initia-

tive. The project is aimed at rekin-dling reading habits amongAfrican youths. It is executedacross all of the group’s sub-sidiaries in the 19 countries theUBA Group operates includingNigeria. The project involves theprovision of recommended Eng-lish literature books for juniorand senior secondary school stu-dents across the African conti-nent.

The Read Africa initiative iscomplemented with another ini-tiative on prostate cancer aware-ness across the continent in a bidto reduce death from this deadlydisease. There are also specialprojects carried out by the UBAFoundation which includes; re-ducing infant mortality throughdonation of Incubators to hospi-tals across the country, buildingof Hostels in universities, renova-tion of classrooms and buildingof Information and Communica-tion Centers (ICTs).

Money & Finance

Mr Phillips Oduoza

The Group Managing Director of the United

Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc



Fashion & Style

Mocolate Fashion House


[email protected]


Fashion & Style



Fashion & Style



Fashion & Style



Fashion & Style



Fashion & Style




People and Places



People and Places

LOS ANGELES,MARCH 1, 2014

Family and friends of LateLady Priscilla Nkolika Obia-malu, Nee Nwagbo), gath-ered to pay their last glowingtributes to a wife, mother,sister, grandmother, aunty,cousin and friend who diedin Los Angeles on January25, 2014 at the age of 77years. Mrs. Obiamalu lived alife of true Christian virtues

and was a natural leader whoimpacted positively on somany during her life time.

Mourning groups in-cluded The Knights of SaintJohns & Ladies Auxiliary, theIgbo Catholic Group of LosAngeles & Priests, the Anam-bra Association of SouthernCalifornia, Nnewi SouthernCalifornia (Umu-Anedo), theCommittee of Friends, Nige-rians In Diaspora Organiza-tion, The NAS organization,

and the Nigerian Embassy,Washington DC.

The funeral service washeld at St. Eugene’s CatholicChurch Los Angeles and thetraditional wake keepingtook place at Our Commu-nity Hall Carson CA wherefestivities lasted till the earlyhours of the next morning.

Following is a photo essayof the funeral service andwake…

Mama's body lying in State



People and Places

Lady Obiamalu Cover George Obiamalu Jnr

Rico and Maureen Obiamalu Mourners @ the service



People and Places

St. Eugene's choir A cross section of the Obiamalu family

Dr. Stella Kpaduwa and others Mrs. Meg Emeruwa and others

Raymond, Vivian and children Crowd at wake



People and Places

Rico Reading the lesson Doreen Oranuba-nee Obiamalu

Pall bearers

Prince Ikeanyi and FriendAda Dollars, Larry, Chuck and Dr. Solo



People and Places

Obiamalu family Uzo, Ebube, Chinye and Ngozi

Sir George Obiamalu Snr, Doreen and friends Sir George, Doreen and guest

Cross section of Anambra men



People and Places

Raymond Obiamalu Mrs. Akpamgbo, Doreen and Mrs. Ugochukwu

Youth Dancers Vivian and friends

Mourners



People and Places

Mourners Govt college Umuahia old boys

Amambra S. CA

Mourners



Household of Christ Church (HOCC) locatedin 1203 Marblewood Avenue, Capitol HeightsMD 20743, held its annual Love Fest, February28th 2014, to celebrate married couples andsingles alike.

The event was filled with glitz, glamour, joyand laughter, with all the couples and singles

getting their groove on. The following aresome pictures from this life transformingevent.

Check out the remaining pictures on ourwebsite: www.hocconline.org and you couldalso follow us on facebook @: household-ofchristchurch/facebook Enjoy!

People and Places

Household OfChrist Church,

Maryland2014 ANNUAL

LOVE FEST Rev. Stella & Pastor Chris Uyanwune



People and Places

Andrew & Glenn [Speaking On What's love Is All about] Pastor Moses & Ifeyinwa Ike

Event Organisers [Seun, Yomi, Genius, Cherece, Uchechi, Chuks, Tola & Nnenna FoxyP [MC]

Ajoke, Yetunde & Toyin Pastor Ifeanyi EzenaguIsabelle & Koku Logossou

Cruz & Diana JimenezJumoke & Charles vonGoinsModestus & Chioma Anyanwu



People and Places

Carolyn & Dr. Stanley Onye Chichi & Chris Onwuakpa

Chief Ugo & Chief Stella Nwosu Chika & ND Okoroafor

Agnes, Inocent & Vivian Nwachukwu

Julius & Esther Niranoluwa Lily, Mimi, Martine & Friend

Chima & Nne Chimuma



People and Places

Fate & Sam Fashola

Amaka, CJ & Lilicent Chief Nancy & Chief Emma Amaechi

ND & Nnena Ejeh Peju & Tayo Akinto

Tosin & Adetutu

Mr. and Mrs Genius Ndukuba



As an occurring theme inAmerica, we see more and more,Nigerian men taking the lives oftheir Nigerian wives. My story isno different. My father, CharlesEmesibe, took the life of mymother, Ibiene Emesibe, and ma-ternal grandmother, LeticiaAbili, on the fateful day of Au-gust 5, 2002.

What is done has been doneand cannot be altered. This storycan be found anywhere on theinternet with a click of a button,making it no longer exclusivebut public knowledge. So due tothe accessibility and lasting sen-sitivity of this story, I will nottouch base on it.

However, my agenda will beto educate and elaborate on thecircumstances and characterflaws that lead to this unimagin-

able event. The life of my familyand loved ones have been for-ever changed, so please under-stand that even after twelveyears we are still not ready to di-vulge or commentate on thisspecific aspect of our history.

Also, respectfully know, wedo not invite your pity or griev-ances. It is our cross to bear andour eternal quarrel with God.Before I begin, there are impor-tant facts that need to be under-stood and eternalized to give thisstory value. One, nothing hap-pens without cause or reason;and Two, God is in control.

When horrific events such asthese take place, we are so quickto cast stones and condemnwithout weighing all interest.Simply understand that oftentimes, where there are episodes

of great anger, it is stemmedfrom great love. A mistake noterected from malicious intentbut of passionate misunder-standings.

Our Nigerian culture is stillslowly evolving from archaicfoundations. Established onaged hierarchies that continue toinfluence interactions betweenhusband and wife today. ThisHusband-Wife hierarchy isclosely associated with that ofthe abolished Master-Slave hier-archy, where men feel like theyown their wives.

This trend has since beenpassed down to where the oldand young alike can remembertheir fathers beating their moth-ers. I do not know nor do I find itrelevant to address where thissocietal and cultural norm comes

Feature

The deathof my motherand grandmotherhas become ourcross to bear- Melvin Emesibe



from. I do however; see the issueof its longevity perpetuatingmuch of the same outcomes, acall to action. Claiming some-thing as property gives theowner sole discretion on the out-comes and likelihood of the be-longing. Whether it flourishes inthe sun or is left to decay in thefield is a choice left to one.

Associating this ideology tohuman beings is very problem-atic. We cannot own or controlanother human being, becauseGod the father gives us our ownfreewill. This along with otherelements is to why the Master-Slave hierarchy is no longer inexistence in America. It simplycannot be done, but from my un-derstanding this is the root ofproblems that capture Nigerianmen and women. Trying to pre-serve the old ways in a newworld proves to be costly. Thiscreates problems to for the men,who are not the owners, and thewomen, who are not property.

A prevalent character flawthat exists not just in Nigeriansbut in all groups across the spec-trum is the fact that our prideand egos get in the way. Some-times it’s just too hard to say“I’m Sorry” or to admit doingwrong. In life we are all going toface this great challenge and thedecision that we make is goingto be undoubtedly bigger thanthe ego we are trying to protect.This gets in the way of all rela-tionships from friend to mother,daughter, father and brother.

To some it’s not as big of afactor but from my understand-ing, us Nigerians are as proud asthey come.

Lastly, nothing in this worldwas made to last. If you pushhard enough the floor beneathyou will give. Knowing that, wewill still consciously push eachother to the brink of no return.For selfish reasons distorted byemotions. I’m sorry may settlethe fire but it won’t alleviate thedamage done by it. Relation-ships are no different. You canonly handle so much before yourroof is collapsing into the floor.

The outcome of my story

may be more radical than yourstories but there is a commontheme that binds them together.So please, let this be a lessonlearned, respect and love one an-other as equals. Never left thingsget so damaged and so far gonethat we can no longer talk aboutwhat's going on. Don’t let angersit. As the bible says, “In youranger do not sin” Do not let the sungo down while you are still angry,do not give the devil a foothold.”Ephesians 4:26–27

I make these claims, underthe confidence that they will beread but now I will give you rea-son to emphasize with the wordson this page. At twenty-twoyears old, a fourth year PoliticalScience major and educationminor at the University of Cali-fornia Los Angeles (UCLA), Iwear these claims as a blind foldover my eyes that I can nevertake off.

Meaning, this is all I haveknown and it distorts my visionof the world around me. I am afirst generation Nigerian Ameri-can. My parents immigratedhere in their adult hood, wearingtheir accents as a clear signifierthat they were not from thiscountry and bore different stan-dards and values from that ofAmerica. I witnessed these firsthand, grew in these values, laterto have some of those same val-ues shackling my spirit.

At twenty-two years old I ama walking reminder of how pre-historic ideology cannot survivein changing times. I am a walk-ing reminder of clashing egosand the realistic envisionment ofwhat pride can do if notchecked. I am also an envision-ment of a relationship pushed toits breaking point. The memoryof parents is survived throughmy family and me. I make theseclaims on the point that theunimaginable happened to meand my blindfold prohibits mefrom seeing it any other way.

-Melvin Emesibe, 22

Feature

A prevalent

character flaw that

exists not just in

Nigerians but in all

groups across the

spectrum is the fact

that our pride and

egos get in the way.



Gambia, is officially knownas Republic of The Gambia, re-public (2005 est. pop. 1,593,000),4,361 sq mi (11,295 sq km), WAfrica. It is bordered by the At-lantic Ocean on the west and sur-rounded on the remaining threesides by Senegal. The capital isBanjul. It is the smallest countryin mainland Africa.

The smallest country on thecontinent of Africa, The Gambiacomprises Saint Mary's Island(site of Banjul) and, on the adja-

cent mainland, a narrow stripnever more than 30 mi (48 km)wide; this finger of land bordersboth banks of the Gambia Riverfor c.200 mi (320 km) above itsmouth. The river, which rises inGuinea and flows c.600 mi (970km) to the Atlantic, is navigablethroughout The Gambia and isthe main transport artery. AlongThe Gambia's coast are fine sandbeaches; inland is the swampyriver valley, whose fertile alluvialsoils support rice cultivation.

Peanuts, the country's chief cashcrop, and some grains are raisedon higher land. The climate istropical and fairly dry.

HISTORY &GOVERNMENT:

The Gambia's population con-sists primarily of Muslim ethnicgroups; the Malinke (Mandinka)is the largest, followed by the Fu-lani (Fula), Wolof, Diola ( Jola),and Soninke (Serahuli). Almost atenth of the population is Chris-

Spotlight

THE ALLURING

GAMBIA



tian. English is the official lan-guage, but a number of Africandialects are widely spoken. Dur-ing the sowing and reaping sea-sons migrants from Senegal andGuinea also come to work in thecountry.

Portuguese explorers reach-ing the Gambia region in themid-15th cent. reported a groupof small Malinke and Wolofstates that were tributary to theempire of Mali. The English won

trading rights from the Por-tuguese in 1588, but their holdwas weak until the early 17thcent., when British merchantcompanies obtained tradingcharters and founded settlementsalong the Gambia River. In 1816the British purchased SaintMary's Island from a local chiefand established Banjul (calledBathurst until 1973) as a baseagainst the slave trade. The cityremained a colonial backwater

under the administration ofSierra Leone until 1843, when itbecame a separate crown colony.Between 1866 and 1888 it wasagain governed from SierraLeone. As the French extendedtheir rule over Senegal's interior,they sought control over Britain'sGambia River settlements butfailed during negotiations to offerBritain acceptable territory incompensation. In 1889, The Gam-bia's boundaries were defined,

and in 1894 the interior was de-clared a British protectorate. Thewhole of the country came underBritish rule in 1902 and that sameyear a system of government wasinitiated in which chiefs super-vised by British colonial commis-sioners ruled a variety oflocalities. In 1906 slavery in thecolony was ended.

The Gambia continued thesystem of local rule under Britishsupervision until after World War

II, when Britain began to encour-age a greater measure of self-gov-ernment and to train someGambians for administrative po-sitions. By the mid-1950s a leg-islative council had been formed,with members elected by theGambian people, and a systemhad been initiated wherein ap-pointed Gambian ministersworked along with British offi-cials. The Gambia achieved fullself-government in 1963 and in-

dependence in 1965 under DaudaKairaba Jawara and the People'sProgressive party (PPP), made upof the predominant Malinke eth-nic group. Following a referen-dum in 1970, The Gambiabecame a republic in the Com-monwealth of Nations. In con-trast to many other new Africanstates, The Gambia preserveddemocracy and remarkable polit-ical stability in its early years ofindependence.

Spotlight

Yahya Jammeh

President of the Gambia

Gambia River



Since the mid-1970s largenumbers of Gambians have mi-grated from rural to urban areas,resulting in high urban unem-ployment and overburdenedservices. The PPP demonstratedan interest in expanding the agri-cultural sector, but droughts inthe late 1970s and early 1980sprompted a serious decline inagricultural production and a risein inflation. In 1978, The Gambiaentered into an agreement withSenegal to develop the GambiaRiver and its basin. Improve-ments in infrastructure and aheightened popular interest byoutsiders in the country (largelybecause of the popularity of AlexHaley's novel Roots, set partiallyin The Gambia) helped spur athreefold increase in tourism be-tween 1978 and 1988.

The Gambia was shaken in1981 by a coup attempt by junior-ranking soldiers; it was put downwith the intervention of Sene-galese troops. In 1982, The Gam-bia and Senegal formed aconfederation, while maintainingindividual sovereignty; by 1989,however, popular opposition andminor diplomatic problems led tothe withdrawal of Senegalesetroops and the dissolution ofSenegambia. In July, 1994, Jawarawas overthrown in a bloodlesscoup and Yahya Jammeh as-sumed power as chairman of thearmed forces and head of state.

Jammeh survived an at-tempted countercoup in Nov.,1994, and won the presidential

elections of Sept., 1996, fromwhich the major opposition lead-ers effectively had been banned.Only in 2001, in advance of new

presidential elections, was theban on political activities by theopposition parties lifted, and inOct., 2001, Jammeh was reelected.

Spotlight

Gambia Sheraton

Gambian Beach



The 2002 parliamentary elections,in which Jammeh's party wonnearly all the seats, were boy-cotted by the main oppositionparty.

There was a dispute withSenegal in Aug.–Oct., 2005, overincreased ferry charges across theGambia river, which led to a

Senegalese ferry boycott and ablockade of overland transportthrough Gambia, which hurtSenegal S of Gambia but also af-fected Gambian merchants. Gam-bia subsequently reduced thecharges. A coup plot led by thechief of defense staff was foiled inMar., 2006.

Jammeh was again reelectedin Sept., 2006, but the oppositiondenounced and rejected the elec-tion for being marred by intimi-dation. In the subsequentparliamentary elections ( Jan.

2007), Jammeh's party again wonall but a handful of the seats. Thepresidential election in Nov.,2011, was again won by Jammeh,and again denounced by the op-position and criticized by foreignorganizations. Opposition partiesboycotted the Mar., 2012, parlia-mentary elections; the outcome

mirrored that of 2007 elections.Jammeh's rule has been markedby the often brutal treatment ofreal and percieved opponents. InOct., 2013, the country withdrewfrom the Commonwealth of Na-tions, accusing it of being a neo-colonial institution.

The Gambia is governedunder the constitution of 1997.The president, who is both headof state and head of government,is popularly elected for a five-year term; there are no term lim-its. The unicameral legislature

consists of a 53-seat National As-sembly whose members alsoserve five-year terms; 48 mem-bers are elected and 5 are ap-pointed by the president.Administratively, The Gambia ismade up of five divisions and thecapital city.

ECONOMYDespite attempts at diversifi-

cation, The Gambia's economyremains overwhelmingly de-pendent on the export of peanutsand their byproducts and the re-exporting of imported foreigngoods to other African nations.About three quarters of the pop-ulation is employed in agricul-ture. Rice, millet, sorghum, corn,and cassava are grown for sub-sistence, and cattle, sheep, andgoats are raised. There is also afishing industry. The main indus-trial activities center around theprocessing of agricultural prod-ucts and some light manufactur-ing.

Tourism, which suffered fol-lowing the 1994 militarytakeover, rebounded in the late1990s. Besides peanut products,dried and smoked fish, cottonlint, palm kernels, and hides andskins are exported; foodstuffs,manufactures, fuel, machinery,and transportation equipmentare imported. India, GreatBritain, China, and Senegal arethe country's leading tradingpartners. The Gambia is one ofthe world's poorest nations andrelies heavily on foreign aid

Source: infoplease.

Spotlight

Arch 22 main road into Banjul



Music & Entertainment

Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogunpopularly known as WIZKIDwas born on July 16, 1990 in Su-rulere Lagos. He comes from alarge family, and is the last ofsix children. He started his mu-sical career in the church at theyoung age of 11 with the release

of a 7 track album in the year2000 under the label of the ofOJB Jezreel one of the most cel-ebrated music producers inNigeria. When he began hismusical career, Ayodeji usedthe name "Lil Prinz" butchanged his stage name to WIZ-

KID at the age of 17 in 2006when he began to gain stardomand national acclaim.

The debut album was wellreceived by Ayo's family,friends, other artists and thechurch. He went back to the stu-dio thereafter to perfect his

AFRICA'S ARTISTEOF THE YEAR 2013



skills and develop his talent. by2006 when he took on the stagename WIZKID he was muchmore matured musically andstarted working with some ofthe big names in Nigeria's mu-sical landscape like Neto C andIkechukwu.

His music has continued toenjoy sustained radio playssince 2006 while he continued toenjoy collaboration with the ex-isting big names in the industry.WIZKID's major break in theNigerian music industry camein 2009 with his collaborationwith one of Nigeria's best rap-pers MI Abaga on the "FastMoney Fast Cars" track whichdrew major attention to WIZ-KID's sultry voice, engagingstage personae and uniqueswagger and style.

WIZKID is also a songwriter and writes most of hissongs. He has also been fea-tured in several TV commer-cials the most recent was thePEPSI 2011 advert where he fea-tured alongside female superstar TIWA SAVAGE. He alsofeatured in the TV commercial"Turn by Turn" by KEL's .

1n 2009 he signed a multimillion naira deal with Nigerianleading R & B artist, producerand manager- the versatileBanky W who owns the Empiremates Entertainment 9EME)recording label. WIZKID hascontinued to release hit songswith EME records since 2009and he presently enjoys star-dom all over Africa and

amongst Africans all over thediaspora. He has performedinternationally withrenowned artists like ChrisBrown, Sunny Ade, Akon,Kardinal official, YoungJeezy etc.

The release of his hitsingles," Do't Dull", "Hollaat your boy" and "Teaseme" in 2010 confirmedWIZKID as a Nigerianmusical star. After therelease of his debutalbum "Super Star" inJune 2011 WIZKIDperformed sold outconcerts in Nigeria,the United Statesand in the UnitedKingdom.

In 2012,Wizkid signeda one year en-dorsementdeal withPepsi, al-l e g e d l yw o r t h$350,000 U.Sdollars. Hetraveled toBeirut, Lebanonwith Tiwa Savagefor a Pepsi commercialshoot.On May 28, 2013,Premium Times re-ported that Wizkidsigned a one year dealwith MTN Nigeria.Moreover, the newssource reported thatWizzy's Pepsi con-tract was renewed





for another two years.OnOctober 23, 2013, Bellanaija re-ported that Wizkid signed anendorsement deal with Guin-ness for the "Guinness World ofMore" concert. The concert washeld at the Eko ConventionCentre of the Eko Hotel andSuites in Victoria Island, Lagos,

on November 3, 2013.His work and contributions

to the Nigerian Music Industryhas earned him several achieve-ments, including a BET Awards,a MOBO Awards from twonominations, a Channel OMusic Video Awards from sixnominations, three Nigeria En-

tertainment Awardsfrom eleven nomina-tions, a Ghana MusicAwards from two nom-inations, two DynamixAll Youth Awards fromthree nominations, twoCity People Entertain-ment Awards from 4nominations, and a Fu-ture Awards, amongothers. In addition, hehas been nominatedthree times at the MTVEurope Music Awardsas well as four times atthe World MusicAwards. He was ranked5th on Forbes and Chan-nel O's 2013 list of theTop 10 Richest/Bank-able African Artists.InFebruary 2014, Wizkidbecame the first everNigerian musician tohave over 1 million fol-lowers on Twitter.

Wizkid's most no-table songs include"Holla at Your Boy","Don't Dull", "Love MyBaby", "Azonto", "Paku-rumo", "Tease Me/BadGuys", "Dance For Me"with EME, and "JaiyeJaiye", "Caro" amongothers. His discographyresume includes collab-oration with interna-tional and domestic actssuch as Bracket,Angel[,Lynxxx, Iyanya,WandeCoal, Ice Prince, R2Bees,

Wale, Young Jeezy, Akon, andFemi Kuti,] among others. Wiz-kid's debut album Superstarwas released in 2011, He is cur-rently working on Chosen, hissecond studio album scheduledto be release in 2014



Prolific writer, Mr. MarkEda's latest book - THE DI-VINE FRAGRANCE OFLIFE- A BOOK waslaunched in Los Angeles onSATURDAY MARCH 8TH,2014.

This book is a powerfultool to help couples fosterGodly and enduring rela-tionships. According toMark Eda " The issue ofsolid and stable relation-ships is the bedrock of ourfamilies".

Following are highlightsof the ceremony in pic-tures..

Art & Culture

The Launching ofThe DivineFragrance of LifeA book byMark Eda

Guests at the book signing

Author, O. Mark Eda, signing a book



Art & Culture

O. MARK EDA (AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER) with LESLEY TIMMONS

DRUSILLA MOORE ,EMMANUEL AMESI, BENEDICTAOGBONNAYA ,O.MARK EDA

PATTI MARIUS & MUDIA AIMIUWU



Art & Culture

BRENDA MIXON,O.MARK EDA ,RON ATIBA and friend MATTHEW OBA ,ALEX TAIRE and friends

Friends L-R ALEX ,MARK , FRIEND, MARTIN, RON

MATTHEW,GODWIN,SEBASTIAN,MARK WILLIAM ONWUKA & FRIENDS



In this new world of globaliza-tion, we are no longer confined tothe four corners of our city, townor village. Thanks to technologywe are exposed to theworld...through the internet,music, dance, religious affilia-tions, movies, newspapers andother media. There's almost no ex-cuse for not having knowledgeabout what's happening in otherparts of the world.

The changes of the last 50years or so in many African coun-

tries have gar-nered us free-doms that wedid not experi-ence under ourvarious colonialmasters. While itis true that manyAfrican coun-

tries have ongoing wars and arestill feeling the effects of colonial-ism, it is safe to say that mostAfrican countries are moving up,right along with the world andare getting our share of exposure.Immigration to other parts of theworld has steadily risen post-colo-nialism, which means that immi-grants are faced with newchallenges and new opportunitiesfor growth.

I left Africa in the 1990s. Starryeyed, looking for new opportuni-

ties and a chance to reconnectwith my father- I landed in Amer-ica in 1998 with hopes and bigdreams for the future. The excite-ment of this realization was sooverwhelming. I had just finishedwriting the most difficult exam ofmy life, celebrated my birthdaywith the family and was headingto the airport to start the newchapter of my life! Here wegooooo! It was all amazing …Iwas about enter the fairy taleworld of the United States ofAmerica…via the lovely state ofOhio! Oh such disillusionment!

My identity crisis startedshortly upon arrival in Cincinnati,Ohio. School started, I got on thewrong school bus, missed homeroom (what exactly is that, any-way), and missed my entry intothe school system; I had no idea

GRACIE'S CORNER

Dealing with

CulturalIdentityCrisis

Grace Neequaye MPH CHES



where to go and there was no onereally to ask. Around 5th period, Ifinally spotted someone wholooked a little like me, with verylong braids that my motherwould surely disapprove of. Iasked her where she was from.She took one glance at me andsaid very indignantly, America?!Sorry, I thought you were like me.

Over the next three years, Ifielded various questions aboutliving in trees, having access totelephones and learning how towear clothes. I was shocked as tohow little my classmates thoughtof my homeland. They had thisidea of jungles and lions andscenes from “The Gods must becrazy”. This, of course, put me ina defensive position and I becamea pioneer for Africa, spreadingtruth about my beautiful mother-land. After a series of mishaps in-cluding being classified as an ESLstudent (but I’ve been speakingEnglish all my life and I surelyspeak better English than most inthis school), I graduated fromhigh school.

During my first year of col-lege, I was classified as an AfricanAmerican student. As part of ef-forts to seamlessly integrate stu-dents of color into a mostly whiteschool, a big brother/sister pro-gram was set up. We were allowedon campus before the rest of theschool population and startednew lifelong friendships. We wereall astonished as to how manystudents of color were on cam-pus…until the remaining 20,000plus showed up and made it ob-vious that there were fewer than

1000 students of color on campus.I joined various African Americanprograms and as far as everyoneknew, I was a sister. On campus, Iwould hear various conversationsincluding some in languages fromGhana. I would chuckle because Iunderstood them, but they gener-ally thought I was African Ameri-can. I finally felt a part of asystem; there were no questionsabout my accent, no one asked meto repeat what I said several timesand no questions about whetheror not I knew how to wear clothesand if I missed my pet lion.

By my second year it allstarted to change. I had met a fewAfricans on campus and startedattending “African” events. It did-n’t take very much time, but Isoon lost my identity as AfricanAmerican and became the Africangirl. I became different again, butthis time with no real anchor. Inthe African American world, I wasthe African; in the African world, Iwas the African American. MostAfricans did not believe that I wasone of them, since I spoke like anAmerican and many were con-vinced my featuresdidn’t quite fit. Nowinstead of just beingAfrican, I had noreal connection toeither culture.

The challenge ofgrowing up insomeone else’scountry is learningto adapt/assimilatewithout losing too much of your-self. My values, which are directlytied into my upbringing in Ghana

had to shift, because I had found ahome in a new country. As immi-grants we often have to pick theculture with which we most iden-tify. Many of us are comforted bythe usually strict African upbring-ing and tend to “go back to ourroots”; rejecting the more liberalculture of the Western world.

I have learned that my “roots”have actually changed since I lastlived in Ghana. While I’ve beentrying to avoid assimilation, manyback home have fully embracedthe new world. The ultra-strict,usually religiously influencedAfrican values have been replacedwith values of the world. Thethings I remember are mostly nolonger valid; life is moving on inAfrica as well.

At some point, all immigrantswill experience some kind ofidentity crisis. We will either re-late better with our new lives, orattempt to hold onto what we re-member. In my world, I havelearned to live in both worlds’ bestas I can. I enjoy the opportunitiesafforded by the US, and still taketime to stay true to my roots by

keeping connectionswith my people.Thanks to technol-ogy, home is not asfar away and I can al-ways stay in touch.

Grace NeequayeMPH CHES

GRACIE'S CORNER



It is a common practice formany Nigerians who live in theUnited States to enter into a mar-riage ceremony in Nigeria in ad-dition to or in lieu of a marriageceremony in the United States.The phenomenon presents itselfin different scenarios.

Some couples already mar-ried in Nigeria emigrate togetherto the United States and do notundergo another ceremony in theUnited States after their reloca-tion. In other cases, both coupleas single persons live in theUnited States, but decide to cele-brate their marriage in Nigeriaand do not undergo any cere-mony in the United States. Someother couple go through someform of ceremony in Nigeria andthen another ceremony in theUnited States.

In another scenario, only oneof the couple live in the UnitedStates while the other lives inNigeria. They undergo someceremony in Nigeria and thenwhen the other spouse emigratesto the United States, they un-dergo another ceremony in theUnited States, while some makedo with the ceremony in Nigeriaalone. The last scenario is wherethe spouse who lives in theUnited States is in a marriagewith a United States citizenaimed towards regularizing theirstay in the country and duringthe subsistence of that marriageundergo a ceremony in Nigeriawith a third party in Nigeria tostart the ball rolling towardseventually bringing the thirdparty spouse to the United States.A variant of this last scenario is

where both spouses actually livesin the United States but while oneor both of them are in subsistingmarriages with a United Statescitizen towards regularizing theirstay in the country undergo an-other marriage in Nigeria.

The question is whether themarriages contracted in Nigeriaunder the several scenarios aboveare valid marriages as far as theUnited States is concerned. Ofcourse whether such a marriageis valid or not has far reachingimplication for the spouses andtheir children for the purposes ofdissolution, property and inher-itance.

The general rule is that a mar-riage that is valid according toNigerian Laws will be recognizedas a valid marriage by a court inthe United States under the full

The Law & You

IS YOUR MARRIAGEVALID IN THE UNITEDSTATES?- PART 1By Ogochukwu Victor Onwaeze

IS YOUR MARRIAGEVALID IN THE UNITEDSTATES?- PART 1By Ogochukwu Victor Onwaeze



faith and credit clause and will begiven all the incidents of a validmarriage in a United StatesCourt. The most important re-quirement then is that the mar-riage that is before the UnitedStates Court must be valid ac-cording to Nigerian Law.

These marriage ceremoniesdescribed above take differentforms but usually are marriagescontracted under native law andcustom. However there are threetypes of marriages recognizedunder Nigerian Law; The Act or“Christian” Marriage, IslamicMarriage and Customary Mar-riage. The word “Christian”Marriage is some sort of mis-nomer since the Marriage Act ofNigeria refers only to Act Mar-riage, Islamic Marriage and Cus-tomary Marriage, but the ActMarriage, which essentially is aceremony celebrated in front of acourt Register has become some-what synonymous with a mar-riage celebrated in church, hencethe term “Christian” Marriage.

The Act or Christian Mar-riage is akin to a marriage asknown in the Western worlds andit is a marriage conducted ac-cording to the Marriage Act, Lawof Nigeria 1914, re enacted asMarriage Act of 2004. A Statutoryor Act marriage as it is called isdefined as “a voluntary union ofone man and one woman to theexclusion of all others during thecontinuance of the marriage.”Section 18 Interpretation Act2004. As such a person that ismarried under the Marriage Actis incapable of contracting an-

other marriage with a third partyduring the existence of the ActMarriage.

Therefore a couple married inCourt or in Church in Nigeriaand then emigrate to the UnitedStates do not need to undergoany further ceremony for their

marriage to be recognized asvalid in a United States Court. Sotoo for couples who while bothresident in the United States de-cide to go back home to celebratea church wedding in Nigeria, ei-ther alone or in addition to a cus-

tomary marriage. They need notundergo any further ceremonyupon returning to the UnitedStates. Also a United States resi-dent while unmarried who goesto Nigeria and undergo an Act orChristian marriage with a spouseresident in Nigeria need no other

ceremony in the United States forthe marriage to be given validity.

Islamic Marriage is a mar-riage entered into according theLaws of Islam. Under the IslamicMarriage, the Husband can takeup to four wives and more if he

The Law & You



can afford it. As such polygynyis recognized under Islamic Mar-riage but only in the sense ofpolygamy. Polyandry is not rec-ognized in an Islamic Marriage.An Islamic marriage will be rec-ognized as valid by a UnitedStates Court and it is irrelevantthat it is a polygamous marriage.

As such a Nigerian Man whowhile resident in the UnitedStates goes to Nigeria and entersinto multiple Islamic Marriageswill have all such marriages rec-ognized as valid by a UnitedStates Court. So too is the resultif the Man is already marriedunder Islamic law to differentwomen and then emigrate to theUnited States with his wives. Themarriages would still be re-garded as valid. As will be seenlater, it is important that the na-ture of the marriages remain thesame as contracting another mar-riage under a different system oflaws has serious implications onthe validity of the previous mar-riages.

A Customary Marriage is amarriage entered into accordingto the Native Law and Custom ofthe place where it is con-tracted. For NativeLaw to the

enforceable it must meet the re-pugnancy test, meaning that thecustom under which the mar-riage is entered into is not con-sidered repugnant. As such,although Customary Marriagesare ordinarily valid, certain typesof Customary marriages such aslevirate marriages, widow inher-itance etc would not be regardedas valid since such Native Lawand Customs would be and havebeen deemed repugnant andagainst public policy.

Therefore a Nigerian couplewho while living in Nigeria hasentered into one of these kinds ofmarriages, even though recog-nized as valid by the customs ofthe area where the marriage iscontracted, would upon emigrat-ing to the United States have suchmarriages invalidated in a UnitedStates Court. So too, if a personresident in the United States goesto Nigeria and then undergo anysuch ceremony. An interestingquestion is whether the UnitedStates Court has thepower to de-c l a r e

a customary marriage invalid byreason of repugnancy or publicpolicy, where a Nigerian Courthas not decided such issue.

It is the opinion here that aUnited States Court borrowingfrom precedents in Nigeriancourts of similar cases wouldhave the power to do so andwould not violate the full faithand credit clause in the process.

In a Customary Marriage, theHusband is at liberty to marry asmany wives as he desires. There-fore, although most spouses mar-ried under native law and customremain married to themselvesonly, a customary marriage is bynature and definition polyga-mous. However as in IslamicMarriages, polygyny as practicedunder customary marriages islimited to polygamy and notdoes not admit of polyandry.

Therefore a Nigerian Couplewhile living in Nigeria undergo a

The Law & You



Custom-ary marriage need not un-dergo any further ceremony inthe United States upon emigrat-ing. The result is the same if cou-ple living in the United States goto Nigeria and undergo a cus-tomary marriage. There is noneed to also celebrate a “white”wedding or church wedding ei-ther in Nigeria or upon returningto the United States to validatetheir union.

A more difficult question iswhere the customary marriage isone of the new so called proxymarriages. The “proxy” mar-riage is quite common. This iswhere one or both of the spousesfor various reasons do not attendthe actual marriage ceremony.Someone stands in their steadduring the ceremony or a pictureof the spouse is used for symbolicpresence at the wedding cere-mony. It is doubtful if this is acomplete marriage. It is com-monly practiced and assumed tobe valid, but the issue has neverbeen tested in a Nigerian Court.As a fairly new phenomenon, theNigerian Courts have not beenfaced with determining if themarriage is valid without thepresence of one or both spouses.

More-over, because thepersons who en-gage in this proxymarriages live outsideof Nigeria and the question of thevalidity of such marriage willarise in a court outside Nigeria, adefinite statement on the issue isunlikely to come up soon. It isvery possible that a United StatesCourt will hold such a marriageas invalid or at best incomplete.

This is because in the Act orChristian Marriage under Niger-ian Law, (which is the closest tothe concept of marriage in theUnited States) a proxy marriageis not recognized. One of the es-sential requirements for the va-lidity of an Act or ChristianMarriage under the NigerianMarriage Act is the appearance ofboth spouses before a Priest orCourt Registrar for the celebra-tion of the marriage.

Because there is a high andreal possibility that a proxy cus-tomary marriage will not be rec-ognized in the United StatesCourt, it is advisable that Nigeri-ans who have undergone suchproxy marriages undergo an-other ceremony here in the

United States to give theirunion a stamp of validity. And

the sooner it is done the bettersince the incidents of marriage

will attach to the coupleonly after the second cer-

emony is done.The

p r o x yi s s u easide, a

Niger ianMan in the

United States can marry as manywomen as he desires under cus-tomary law if in fact he keepsgoing back home and enteringinto the several unions accordingto the native law and customs ofthe place where the marriagetakes place. All such marriageswill be recognized by a court inthe United States under the fullfaith and credit clause. Just likein the Islamic Marriage, the Manwho wishes to undertake such aventure must be careful to ensurethat each of the marriage cere-mony is contracted under thesame system of law.

***Article to be concluded in theSummer 2014 edition

** The writer Ogochukwu Vic-tor Onwaeze is an Attorney practic-ing in Los Angeles California andfocuses his practice on family law,real estate and personal injury liti-gation. He can be reached at [email protected].

The Law & You



As we approach the end of thefirst quarter of 2014, it’s a goodtime to check our temperature tosee how we are doing with ourNew Year resolutions. If you usedthe S.M.A.R.T principles (Smart,Measurable, Achievable, Realisticand Timely) to prepare yourgoals, you are more likely to stickto them than those who did not.However, despite our best inten-tions, our enthusiasm sometimes

wanes when things don’t happenas quickly as we hoped or ex-pected, or if we encounter someroadblocks. I’ve always won-dered how when this occurs,some folks give up entirely andabandon their plans while someintensify their efforts and stay fo-cused on achieving the goals theyset. I have since realized that, it isnot that those who stay thecourse are stronger or wiser than

those who give up; rather theydecide what meaning to ascribeto events that happen in their life.They view an unfavorable out-come as an opportunity forgrowth rather than a sign of fail-ure. We have the power to chooseand yet sometimes we choose thenegative path.

Lately, when things are notgoing my way, and before I startdoubting myself, I stop and ask

Life Issues

Are You a

Thermometeror aThermostat?

by Iruka A. Ndubuizu



whether I amoperating like athermometer ora thermostat.This reallyhelps me chart acourse of actionthat yields better re-sults. A thermometerjust takes the temperaturein the room while a thermostatsets the temperature. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a ther-mometer as “an instrument usedfor measuring temperature” anda thermostat as “a device that au-tomatically adjusts the tempera-ture in a room … to a desiredlevel”.

One of the most powerfulhuman qualities is choice. Thus,we have the power to decidewhether to REACT or RESPONDto what is happening to our welllaid plans. You can choose toreact by feeling hopeless, frus-trated, angry, discouraged or bit-ter in which case you are athermometer merely reflectingwhat’s happening around you. If,however, you choose to respond(rather than react) to the glitchesin your plans, you are likely toget a more controlled outcomebecause you are in charge. A ther-mostat responds by regulatingthe desired temperature. Essen-tially, you decide what you wantthe temperature to be and adjustit accordingly. The thermostatsignals the air conditioner or theheater to cool the room down orwarm it up as the case may be.

If you have abandoned any ofyour goals or plans out of fear or

frustration,consider re-v i s i t i n gthem andbelieve that

you will getthrough them.

Look at themagain with the eyes

of faith and from aplace of strength, no matter howinsurmountable the obstacle mayseem. Let faith, not fear rule yourthoughts and actions. Don’t liveyour life like a thermometer sit-ting around and measuring yourenvironment. Be an active partic-ipant in what happens aroundyou by boldly taking charge ofyour plans and take steps to cre-ate the environment you desire. Ifsomeone slams a door on yourface, shift gears and knock on adifferent door. You have thepower to choose how you re-spond to your circumstances.French philosopher, Jackson Kid-dard reminds us that "… life is ajourney. If you got everything youwanted all at once there'd be no pointto living. Enjoy the ride, and in theend you'll see these 'setbacks' asgiant leaps forward, only you could-n't see the bigger picture in the mo-ment. Remain calm, all is withinreach; all you have to do is show upevery day, stay true to your path andyou will surely find the treasure youseek."

So if things are moving slowerthan you want them to, fear not.Do not succumb to bouts of de-pression and hopelessness. Al-though it is normal to feelfrustrated when things don’t go

our way, we should try not todwell on it. When you choose tosee every setback as a learningopportunity and not the final out-come, you are likely to take thetime to come up with creativeideas and solutions to resolve theproblem. Like they say, “a delayis not a denial”.

So, use your power. This prin-ciple can be applied not just togoal setting, but also to other as-pects of our lives. View setbacksand disappointments as opportu-nities for growth and learn fromthem. See failure as one stepcloser to success. Resolve to be assmart and as in control as thethermostat. Take charge of yourdestiny by creating the environ-ment you want in your relation-ships, businesses and workplaces. Most importantly, re-member to adjust it according toyour desired level.

Iruka A. Ndubuizu is a “con-tract guru”,attorney,entrepre-neur, con-sultant,trainer andlover of life.She is anAssistantDirector for

Contracts Administration at EmoryUniversity in Atlanta, Georgia andthe Founder of Eureka Consulting,LLC(www.eurekaconsultingllc.com).You can reach her at [email protected]; 678.244.1960.

Life Issues


We’re heading towardsSummer 2014 and a newschool year. It is the seasonto begin thinking about therenewing of self. A time tobegin again. A time to turnover a new leaf – to em-power yourself as a parentand to empower your childtoo, in the process.

In my daily work withparents and children, I havecome learned that a parent’smental, physical, emotionaland intellectual well-beingimpacts their children. Thereare two components of per-sonal empowerment:

Life Issues

10 steps toPersonalEmpowerment(for Parents)by Nicoline Ambe. Ph.D



1. Personal Care:Personal care has to do with

how a parent takes care ofthemselves. Things they do torejuvenate and renew theirphysical and spiritual well-being to ensure that they havethe stamina to support theirchildren. Personal care is an im-portant element of parentingbecause it contributes to ahealthy, happy family. Createdaily routines and practices tode-stress yourself. Take time tofind greater balance, enjoyyourself and focus on yourwell-being. There are five ele-ments of personal care.

Namely:1. Eating Healthy2. Exercise3. Spiritual Nourishment4. Good Relationships5. Mental and Emotional Health

2. PersonalDevelopment:

Personal development has todo with a parents internalgrowth processes – A parent’smindset. How they see them-selves and what they believeabout themselves. Their ownpersonal goals, ambitions,dreams and self-awareness. Thevision they have for their ownlife and the personal fulfillmentthey enjoy from living theirdreams and satisfying their owninternal desires. As a parent,you must have the ability to as-sess yourself, visualize yourideal life. Think about how yourfuture looks like when yourchildren leave home, or when

you retire from the professionalworking world. Think aboutwhat steps to take to move inthe direction of your dreamsand personal goals, career orotherwise. Your level of self-confidence will determine theheights your child can reach. Ifyou are lacking in your ownconfidence, you will find it hardto believe in your child’s abili-ties. If you are out of commis-sion, so will your child. Thereare five elements of personal de-velopment. Namely:

6. Your Mindset

7. Your Passion &Goals

8. How you handleDistractions

9. Your Personal Brand

10. Your personalgrowth

In Conclusion:In the coming months, we

will discuss each of these em-powerment steps in detail. Staytuned for future issue of Lifeand Times Magazine as we ex-

plore these topics in detail. Inthe meantime, it’s important tonote that as a parent you mustcare for yourself first so that youhave enough in your tank tocare for your child. When youfeel strong by taking the rightsteps to nurture and empoweryourself, you will have whatyou need to give love and atten-tion to your child. When youfeel empty, you will be resent-ful, angry, and impatient. So,take time to fuel your tank as aparent and to bring yourself tocomplete fullness. This willallow you to give your child thebest of yourself. You are worthit. Your child is worth it.

Dr. NicolineAmbeSpeaker. Educator. Author.Parent andYouth MentorHelping Parents RaiseHigh Achievers!

www.nicolineambe.com

Life Issues




RELIGION & SPIRITUAL AFFAIRS

Winningin Life by

makinggoals

By Pastor Dipo Kalejaiye


It is good for a soccer team toplay hard. Great when they playsmart. Mesmerizing when we be-hold the tapestry or symphony ofSpain's national soccer Team's"tiki-taka" - "a nonsensical phrasethat has come to describe thethree Ps - (short) passing, pa-tience, and possession". But whathas made this team to be rankednumber one in FIFA ( Federationof International Football Associa-tion) world rankings, and what

made them win their last threemajor tournaments: the 2008UEFA Euro Cup, the 2010 FIFAWorld Cup, and the 2012 UEFAEuro Cup is not the "tiki-taka". Itis scoring goals. They could haveplayed all the "tiki-taka" theyknew how, without makinggoals, they would not be winninggames. Winning in life's journeyis not too dissimilar. Setting goalssets you up for the trophy be-cause on the way to reachingyour goal, regardless of whetheryou do, you are inevitably scor-ing winning goals.

Please read on.

1. GOAL-SETTING ISA COMMANDMENT

Corporations sets goals, par-ticularly production and fiscalgoals so that they can maximizetheir performance and profit.Athletes set goals so that they canbecome the best : Kobe Bryant'soff-season workout has beencalled the 666 program becausehe spends 2 hours running, 2hours on basketball, and 2 hoursweightlifting (for a total of 6hours a day, 6 times a week, sixmonths a year). No wonder he isalready being celebrated as a bas-ketball legend. The bible saysJesus Christ came "in the fullnessof time", namely, at the time ap-pointed. God himself set thatgoal. He is a goal-setter and hecommands us to be. The biblesays we should write the vision

down ( the revelation, the plans,the goals) and make it plain.

Apostle Paul wrote to thePhilippian Christians:

" I do not mean that Iam already as God wants meto be. I have not yet reachedthat goal, but I continue try-

ing to reach it and to make itmine. Christ wants me to do

that, which is the reason he mademe his. 13 Brothers and sisters, I

know that I have not yet reachedthat goal, but there is one thing I al-ways do. Forgetting the past andstraining toward what is ahead, 14

I keep trying to reach the goal andget the prize for which God called methrough Christ to the life above.

Those who set goals in life






live purposefully. They have adestination. They know wherethey are going. They have goals.They are not living by neglectand ceding their lives to others torun. They are in charge, adjustingand responding to life's vicissi-tudes not reacting, knee-jerkingand drifting through life. Theyidentify and determine what isimportant in life and they plan"scoring" goals as they propeltheir lives in that direction. Agoal-less life is a direction-less lifeand a direction-less life is a pur-pose-less life. Take charge of yourlife and start setting goals.

2. GOALS ARE YOURFAITH MANIFESTO

Politicians unveil their mani-festo to announce their promisesto their constituents regardless ofwhether they are able to keepthem or not. At least they are ex-pressing their desire and hopethat the promises will be kept. Atwedding ceremonies, couples ex-change vows expressing state-ments of faith and fidelity to eachother. My wife and I founded theInternational Christian Center inour small apartment in 1999. Weset a goal that we would move toone of the best Hotels in townwithin six months. God honoredit and moved us to the Hilton andTowers Hotel within the timeframe. Again we set a goal thatthat we would move into ourown owned facility within oneyear. God honored it and we

bought a prime property in aprime location within the timeframe. Five years later, we set an-other goal and believed God tomove us to a bigger multi-pur-pose facility. He did. He neverfails. But without setting thosegoals, without making thosestatements of faith and prayingthem through, I am not sure wewould be where we are today.When you set a goal, you are sim-ply saying that I trust God's wordto give me the desire of my heartwhich is to achieve or attain to soand so by so and so period in mylife. That is faith and becausefaith honors God, God in honorsfaith. Jesus told those he healedthat it should be unto them ac-cording to their faith. So startmaking big and fantastic state-ments of faith. God can handlethem. He says open your mouthwide and I will fill it. Read eph-esians 3:20 and it will "wow" you:

Now to Him Who, by (in conse-quence of) the [action of His] powerthat is at work within us, is able to[carry out His purpose and] do su-perabundantly, far over and above allthat we [dare] ask or think [infinitelybeyond our highest prayers, desires,thoughts, hopes, or dreams].

Think about that! Superabun-dantly, far over and above all thatyou dare ask or think!! Infinitelybeyond your highest prayers, de-sires, thoughts, hopes, anddreams!!! So what are you wait-ing for? Start dreaming big andputting deadlines on those

dreams turning them to goals.Goal-setting is not only a

commandment from God, goalsare also your faith manifestowhich God will honor if they aregodly.

( To Be Continued )

Oladipo Kalejaiye holds a Ph.Ddegree in law and was a litigation at-torney in Nigeria, Europe and theUnited States for over 17 years. Heentered into full time ministry inyear 2000, and currently serves asthe pastor of International ChristianCenter, Los Angeles ( You can con-tact him on the web: www.iccla.com,Facebook: iccla/facebook, Twitter:@DipoKalejaiye)




Documents

Spring Edition 2014 Life and Times Magazine