FIRE GUTTED ACCOUNTANT GENERAL’S OFFICE: AN ARSON OR ACCIDENT?

It is no longer news that the Capital Unit of the Treasury House where the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation is located, was gutted by fire on Wednesday morning, 8^th April.

      The Capital Unit in the OAGF’s office is where the money to be spent by the ministries, departments, and agencies of government are made and released.

      As would be expected, this incident sparked reactions, albeit, negative ones from the polity. The first vitriolic reaction came from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). According to reports gotten from highly credible national dailies, the party’s national publicity secretary made its position known by wondering why the fire incident should occur when it did.

      According to reports from the national dailies, the PDP was highly suspicious of the timing of the fire incident. They wondered why the incident should occur at the time calls were being made for “a forensic audit into the hazy oil-subsidy regime of the President Buhari-led administration for which trillions of naira are being claimed to have been spent”.

      The main opposition party’s spokesman, according to reports, went further by saying that; “this is in addition to recent demands”, into allegations of financial wrongdoings and fraud in relation to the alleged diversion of COVID-19 intervention funds and, the administration’s social investments programmes since 2015. He went further by saying that, the PDP spearheaded the demands by Nigerians to the National Assembly to investigate these social incentives programmes spending.

      Thus, the PDP demanded an unbiased investigation into the unfortunate fire incident.

 The body’s spokesperson wondered why the fire incident occurred a few hours after a normally “docile and pliant National Assembly” raised issues of suspicion of fraud and misuse of public funds running into multiples of billions of naira.

       Speaking on the same fire incident according to highly respected national dailies. The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), viewed the incident with huge disapproval. The body’s spokesperson wondered why the fire incident occurred a few hours after a normally “docile and pliant National Assembly” raised issues of suspicion of fraud and misuse of public funds running into multiples of billions of naira.

          The HURIWA spokesperson wondered why a fire would suddenly gut the OAGF’s office only hours “after the Senate uncovered an alleged monumental heist in the Federal Government’s school feeding programmes.” They insisted that a forensic investigation be carried out, to ascertain the true causes of the fire.

         The human rights organisation and other highly placed personalities in the human rights community were highly cynical about the timing of the fire incident. They couldn’t help pointing out how shoddy the management of government resources was. This they said was evident from the fact that media reports are always claiming that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), and other entities; claimed to have generated billions of naira in revenue for the government. Yet, the minister for finance still has to run helter-skelter, with cap in hand, seeking foreign loans. This makes the government’s position very watery.

           However, when all is said and done, was this truly an accident; or an act of economic sabotage? The answer to that will always be highly speculative. Now, let’s take a closer look at the issues.

         No government in the world, no matter how backward, deals with physical cash in its operations. Although countries like Nigeria are still relatively unsophisticated compared to the western world, money issues are mostly electronic. This means that no really significant sum of money could have been lost in the fire, except, petty cash used in running the office. It would be extremely absurd for anybody, no matter how disturbed, to torch a government building to cover up the stealing of petty cash.

          Conversely, the loss of extremely sensitive documentation would be staggering. Files, internal memoranda detailing sensitive instructions, sensitive intra-departmental policy thrusts, top-secret documentation, etc.; would definitely have been lost to the conflagration. Unless all documents also existed in soft copy, which is highly unlikely, given the sensitivity of certain documents, some things of importance are gone forever. Then there’s the issue of continuity, which cannot be done in an electronic format.

        However, the authority’s explanations that the fire was caused by a faulty air conditioning unit are also highly plausible; since that has been known to happen. Air conditioning units have reduced many houses to ashes. This is a fact. Unfortunately, the timing of the incident makes it highly suspicious.

        Whichever way you look at it, the losers in this unfortunate incident are Nigerians. So, what do you think happened? Let me know through your comments below.   

            

                   

THE POISONED HAPPINESS (PART 4) (FICTION)

To really enjoy the story read Parts 1,2&3 first

      Although some people hinted at this, I knew that it wasn’t true. I had seen Vicky, and I knew she didn’t need to use charms on any man. I guessed she would be between 25 and 27 years of age, and she was truly beautiful. She was very light-skinned, in fact, in Europe, only her features would have given her away as a coloured person. She had the face of an angel and, a body and figure that could only have been designed by Satan himself. I have never seen any woman who could have competed sexually with her. Giorgio wasn’t under any magic spell; he was simply besotted. He was a middle-aged man who had fallen hard for a sexually attractive younger woman and was trying to relive his youth through her.

      Things reached the climax about a week later. Giorgio had not come home for about four days, and Maria was worried. So, she decided to go and check up on him in the office. When she got there she walked in unannounced, and she was greeted by a scene out of a horror movie.

      Vicky was wearing high-heeled shoes and was naked from the waist down. She was bent over from the waist and was holding her ankles. Giorgio was standing behind her; he was also naked from the waist down. He was “doking” her vigorously.

      Maria was too stunned to talk or react. The people coupling saw her but continued their exertions in disdain of her presence. They simply didn’t care.

      She left the office in a daze. I don’t how she managed to drive to our office without having an accident. In between sobs, she told me about the whole sordid scene she had witnessed. I gave her two sleeping tablets and told her to calm down. After she fell into a troubled sleep, I went to see our parish priest. By the time I came back, Maria had left. I called her and found her at home. I advised her not to do anything crazy.

 Vicky was wearing high-heeled shoes and was naked from the waist down.

      Maria simply packed up and left Nigeria with the children as soon as she got home. The strange thing was that Giorgio was completely oblivious of the fact that his family had left him for Italy. He just carried on as if everything was normal. He was completely mad. His desire for Vicky was like possession. Giorgio was completely in her power.  I was completely mystified.

      I tried desperately to reach Maria in Rome but was unsuccessful. Her brother said that she trying to come to terms with the situation, and should give her time. I was worried and ashamed at the same time. Although it was unjustified, I felt guilty about what had happened. Yusuf told me that this was unreasonable. However, I still felt that everything was my fault.

      About three months later, Yusuf came home with some disturbing news. Giorgio, Yusuf, and a lot of other people including security agents were searching for Vicky. Apparently, Vicky had made Giorgio transfer all his personal and cash assets to her and, had then vanished into thin air. Vicky had disappeared with everything including the company’s cash and paper assets. The business simply collapsed.

        Investigations later revealed that Vicky had absconded with a young man who had been working in Giorgio’s company as a member of the accounts department. He had actually been employed by Vicky with Giorgio’s approval. She had told him that they were cousins. They had run away with US$7 million.

       Giorgio went into a deep depression and suffered a massive stroke. He died before help could get to him. His corpse was flown back to Rome where he was buried in the same church he had married in.

        I had thought that this was the end of this horror story, but it wasn’t. About two years later, I got a surprise call from Maria. She sounded upbeat and happy. I cautiously asked her about how she was doing, and she filled me in with what happened after Giorgio’s death.

       A lot of people in Rome had been very unhappy about what had happened to Giorgio and Maria, and some “friends” decided to take up the matter.

       The “friends” and their “friends” came to Abuja and, traced the money all the way to the United States where Vicky was living with her boyfriend in baronial splendour. They were both picked up, and “persuaded” to return the money they stole. This they eagerly did. A little over US$6 million was recovered from them. But that was not the end of the matter. Somehow, Vicky and her boyfriend got themselves involved in an FBI “sting operation” and, an FBI agent had been killed. At this moment, they are serving life sentences in American high-security prisons. Their lives might as well be over. It was nemesis!!!!

THE POISONED HAPPINESS (PART 3) (FICTION)

To really enjoy the story read Parts 1&2 first

With both families now in agreement, Giorgio and Yusuf entered into discussions. This went on for about a month. Everything was discussed in detail, especially, the corporate and political infrastructure of the business. Giorgio secured the necessary technical support and Yusuf cemented the necessary political and bureaucratic pillars that would make the business a success. Both husbands visited Rome and Abuja several times to fine-tune the business and, within six months they had a workable business machine in place.

        A year later, Giorgio, Maria, and the children relocated to Abuja, and business commenced in earnest. Maria partnered me in my interior design business and we were having the fun and times of our lives. It was like when we were in the university, we were reliving our youths. The men were also having their fun. Money was rolling in, one job after the other was being done. Life was good.

       Seven years later, and completely out of the blues, things began to go sour. Maria came to my house one evening, very distraught. I calmed her down and listen to what she had to say. She claimed that she believed that Giorgio was having an affair. She said that he was now coming home at odd hours and, he always seemed to have “foreign” smells on him. She said she was getting tired of his lies, and his excuses were becoming ridiculous. I told her to be calm and watchful. She should also have a serious heart-to-heart with Giorgio, she should remember that they’ve been together for a long time.

 Giorgio’s madness now seemed total.

       A week later, Maria told me that she had information that Giorgio was having an affair with his secretary, who was employed six months earlier. I knew she was not given to flights of fancy, and whatever she was saying was the truth. I advised her to take the matter to our local parish priest. She agreed to do so and did.

       However, things didn’t get better. Giorgio continued with his bad behaviour. He continued to behave horribly, coming back to the house at odd hours. Things got to a head when Maria asked for housekeeping money. Instead of paying it into the account meant for that purpose, as usual, he told her to come to the office. After a bitter argument, she reluctantly agreed.

      Maria went to Giorgio’s office the next day as agreed, only to meet his absence. He left a message that she should collect the money from Vicky. This really infuriated her, but she went and confronted her tormentor. To her chagrin, Vicky had the guts to ask her what she needed the money for. Maria was so furious that she beat her up, took all the money in the office and wrecked the place.

      Giorgio was very mad when he got home. He scolded Maria and they had a terrible fight, and they weren’t on speaking terms for a week. The situation at home became progressively worse and it started affecting the children. The hostile atmosphere was very palpable.

      Giorgio’s madness now seemed total. He went everywhere with Vicky and the whole city was agog with scandal. This was a very horrible time for Maria and the girls. Imagine the shame of everybody knowing and seeing, that your husband is openly having an affair.

       I told my husband to do something about the situation, in fact, I begged him. In fairness to Yusuf, he did his best to correct Giorgio’s errant behaviour but; Maria’s husband was beyond salvation. His behaviour at home and in public became more and more obnoxious. It was as if he had been bewitched.          

This amazing story is to be concluded in Part 4. Watch out!!!      

       

THE POISONED HAPPINESS (Part 2) (FICTION)

To really enjoy the story read the Part 1 first

This couldn’t work out because Yusuf was on a government scholarship and was ready to return to his country as soon as he finished his studies. On my part, I was ready to follow him anywhere he went, even to the ends of the earth.

      When it became obvious to my parents that I was going with Yusuf, come what may; they accepted the inevitable.

     We got married in my neighbourhood church in 1988, and less than a year later returned to Nigeria.

     Around the same time, I was getting involved with Yusuf, Maria was also falling in love. Maria’s beau was a young and handsome civil engineer called Giorgio. Giorgio worked in his uncle’s construction firm. He was a nice, easy-go-lucky chap with curly red hair, something very unusual in an Italian. Maria and Giorgio had a fairy tale romance and got married around 1989, just as I was leaving for Nigeria with Yusuf.

       In Nigeria, the federal government took up Yusuf’s employment and, his rise within the bureaucracy was very rapid. By 1992, we moved from Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria to Abuja the country’s capital. All this time, I was in constant communication with all my family and friends in Italy. This was before the internet, so all communication was by telephone and snail-mail. Maria and I were still very close and, the distance didn’t change anything.

 Little did I know then that my seeming act of benevolence would be the disastrous seed that would destroy a close, loving, and kind family.   

      By 1995, we were both mothers of three daughters each. Maria’s husband was now a partner in his uncle’s construction business, while my Yusuf was not doing badly. The two families were progressing nicely and everybody was happy.

      After the transfer of power to civil rule in 1999, my husband found himself in a position where he could exert considerable influence on the nation’s policymakers. With this in mind, we started thinking of expanding our fortunes.

      In Nigeria, the government is the biggest customer of any good or service, and the best goods or services to sell to the government are either related to oil or infrastructure. Nigeria is an infrastructure poor country, and as strange as this may sound given the country’s economic resources; the need for construction work was enormous. With this in mind, I discussed the idea of inviting Giorgio to Nigeria with Yusuf. My husband thought this was a good idea, and told me to discuss it with Maria. I agreed to do this.  I called and discussed my thoughts with her, she liked it and, promised to discuss the issue with her husband.

       Maria called back a week later. She said that she had spoken to her husband about our discussion, and he liked the idea. The plan was that they will come to Nigeria, make their fortune in 10 years, and retire rich in Italy.

      I was thrilled to hear this. Imagined all the fun that Maria and I would be having within the high-octane expatriate community in Abuja. Little did I know then that my seeming act of benevolence would be the disastrous seed that would destroy a close, loving, and kind family.    

This amazing story is to be concluded in Parts 3-4. Watch out!!! 

ARE COVID-19/CORONAVIRUS PROPHECIES REAL?

The coronavirus appeared suddenly, completely out of the blues; and is ravaging the world. As of the last statistical count, over 300,000 have been infected and more than 20,000 have been killed; and there seems to be no end in sight for the pandemic.

      Social media has been awash with stories, prophecies, and conspiracy theories related to COVID-19. However, the most interesting of all are the prophecies related to the pandemic. The most interesting ones are related to three individuals, namely, Michel de Nostradame a.k.a Nostradamus; Dean Koontz, and Sylvia Brown. Let’s look at what they had to say and, what people are saying, starting with Nostradamus.

      Michel de Nostradame a.k.a Nostradamus was a 16th-century scientist and philosopher who made predictions about the future in four-lined poems called “quatrains” around 1555 and 1556. Check out these two amongst many, which seem to be related to the COVID-19 pandemic and, tell me what you think of them.

      The first goes like this –

      “From the vain enterprise honour and undue complaints,

        Boats tossed about among the Latins, cold, hunger, waves,

        Not far from the Tiber the land stained with blood,

        And diverse plagues will be upon mankind.”

According to prophecy aficionados, the interpretation of this cryptic poem is as follows -

Line 1: From the vain enterprise honour and undue complaints – This refers to the alleged artificial creation of the virus and, the stupidity of the reality.

Line 2-4:         Boats tossed about among the Latins, cold, hunger, waves,

                        Not far from the Tiber the land stained with blood,

                       And diverse plagues will be upon mankind.   

This refers to the people of the Mediterranean, especially Italy. The River Tiber runs through Rome and Italy and, the way the disease has ravaged the region is a classic example of a plague.

So what do you think?

       The second Nostradamus prophecy goes like this –

        “The sloping park, great calamity,

          Through the lands of the West and Lombardy,

          The fire in the ship, plague, and captivity,       

           Mercury in Sagittarius, Saturn fading.”

     Prophecy aficionados claim that the correct interpretation of this cryptic poem is as follows –

Line 1: The sloping park, great calamity, - According to reports, Hankou Jiangtan Park in Wuhan, actually slopes down to the river and, people can walk into the water. The supposed accidental release of an alleged bio-weapon is the supposed great calamity.

Line 2: Through the lands of the West and Lombardy – Everyone knows that the West is America, Europe, Australasia and Lombardy is in Italy.

Line 3:  The fire in the ship, plague, and captivity, - Ships are symbols of commerce and wealth. Fire in the ships symbolizes the destruction of these, for example, stock price plunges and obstruction of global trade and activity. Plague is the coronavirus and, captivity is the social and physical lockdown of countries and cities.    

Line 4:  Mercury in Sagittarius, Saturn fading. – According to astrology freaks, this line supposedly refers to a period of waning?...

So what do you think? 

Prophecy freaks are falling over themselves trying to predict the pandemic's rise and fall

       The second supposed prophecy we will look at is that of Dean Koontz who published a work of fiction in 1981, titled, “The Eyes of Darkness”. In Koontz’s novel, the Chinese had an ultra-secret bio-weapons manufacturing laboratory in Wuhan. It was there that a deadly virus called Wuhan-400 was created. So do you think Koontz saw into the future when he wrote that novel?

       The last prophecy we’ll be looking at (although there are many, many more), is that of late American psychic, Sylvia Brown. Brown published a novel in 2008 titled “End of Days”. Here is an excerpt from the novel which people are claiming proves that she saw into the future – “In around 2020 a severe pneumonia-like illness will spread throughout the globe, attacking the lungs and bronchial tubes and resisting all treatments. Almost more baffling than the illness itself will be the fact that it will suddenly vanish as quickly as it arrived, attack ten years later, and then disappear completely.”

        So what do you think?

THE POISONED HAPPINESS (FICTION)

This very pathetic but, true story, was narrated to me by a friend of the victim. The lady who told me this story is an Italian woman and married to a Nigerian. Her name’s Sonia. This is Sonia’s story. 

I was born in the suburbs of Rome. The neighbourhood was middle class and, childhood was great. We all knew each other and, it was like living in one huge extended family. This was how I met Maria, my friend, the person whose story I’m now telling you.

      Maria and her family lived two houses away from ours. Both our fathers worked in the same Agnelli Techniko plant situated a few kilometres outside the city, and our mothers were good traditional Italian housewives. We both belonged to large nuclear families and, even larger extended families. In fact, you could say that Maria and I had a lot in common.

      With such similar backgrounds and being born and growing up so close to each other, it was natural that Maria and I were not just neighbours, but friends; almost like sisters. We both attended the same Catholic basic and middle schools. Later on, we were both fortunate to be admitted into a university in Roma.

      Even though Roma has been the greatest city in the world for over two thousand years, and we were indigenes of this great city; attending the university was a unique experience for both of us. At the university, we were exposed to people from different parts of the world. The staff and student population at the university were like a tiny United Nations, with scholars and learners coming from different parts of the world; just like in the days of the ancient Caesars. It was in this environment that our lives changed.

My decision to marry Yusuf was very disturbing to my parents and all my friends.

      I was in my second year at the university when I met Yusuf. Yusuf was a young and exotically handsome African who hailed from the northeastern part of Nigeria. He was studying engineering on a government scholarship and had just a year left to finish his programme. Our meeting was both strange and funny. I had just finished confession and was leaving the church when this tall African fell in step with me. He said that he would have loved to be my priest and know what a lovely creature like me had to confess. The way he said it and the expression on his face, made me burst into laughter; and that is how we hit it off.

      Over the next few weeks, we kept seeing each other and, within a few months, we were inseparable and deeply in love. It was at this stage that we decided that we were going to spend the rest of our lives with each other.

      My decision to marry Yusuf was very disturbing to my parents and all my friends. My parents couldn’t understand how I could decide to marry an African, abandon my family and everyone I knew, to return to Nigeria with him. They used every trick in the book to try and dissuade me from marrying Yusuf; including committing suicide and pretending to have a stroke, but nothing worked. My brothers threatened to harm Yusuf, but I made it clear that if anything bad happened to Yusuf; something bad would happen to me. After some time, they shifted ground and gave their permission for the union, but they insisted that we remain in Italy.

 This amazing story is to be concluded in Parts 2-4. Watch out!!!       

                                                                                                                                                               

3 Reasons Why Coaches Are Sacked

This is probably one of the most trying periods in the career of mercurial football coach and manager, Jose Mourinho. For the first time since he came into international limelight as a world class team manager, a team he’s managing is struggling.

        Mourinho’s blues started a while ago when he was unceremoniously sacked as the manager of Manchester United for alleged team non-performance. However, football watchers claim that it was due to his inability to handle certain influential players in the team who were brainwashing their fellow team mates.

 But, truth be told, Spurs problems have not been that of approach play but scoring goals. 

       Within the space of a season and a half, he was back in the premiership with the mission of rescuing Tottenham Hotspurs from slipping into oblivion. However, the successful execution of this mission seems to be going hopelessly wrong. Spurs run of bad form has not stopped. This was what led to the sacking of Pocchetino in the first place.

        Check this out – Since their first leg champions league home loss to RB Leipzig on the 19^tah of February, Spurs has been winless in six consecutive matches. Their recent form has been no wins, two draws and five losses. This was not what the Spurs board where expecting when they sacked Pocchetino and replaced him with Mourinho.

      But, truth be told, Spurs problems have not been that of approach play but scoring goals. Kane, Son and Erickson are out due to injury and the possibility of purchasing replacements are nil this season. However, Mourinho has always been a lucky man. The coronavirus enforced break may just be the gap he needs to save Spurs and his job.       

WHY YOU'RE ALWAYS SELLING SOMETHING

Money is the invisible string that connects all of us together in this plane of existence. Society is an environment of human and group interdependence. No man is an island and, for the sake of survival no man can afford to be an island. Aristotle, one of the greatest philosophers of antiquity said that any human being who can survive alone, without interacting with other human beings is either a god or a mad man. Think about it for a minute and you'll realize the absolute truth of this statement. We all need each other to stay sane and, to survive. Since nobody can survive on their own, it means we have to exchange "valuables" and "values" with each other. Those valuables and values can either be tangibles (like goods and services), or intangibles (like emotions and social status). However, one way or the other everything can be reduced to a monetary value. Believe it!!! I know that some people will say that love is free but, remember this: It is much easier to fall and stay in love with a rich man than a poor man. Value for value is what you bring to the table. Lack of the necessary financial and material lubricants is the death of most marriages.

     So, my true believer, from the very moment you came out of your mother, you've been buying and selling. In other words, the world is a market. We're all buying and selling whether individually or, in groups. Whether organized or, unorganized. We are all buying and selling. You don't believe this?! Some people will say, what about government? The gang that calls itself the government where ever you're living is constantly trading with you. In the most obvious way, the taxes you are paying are payments for certain social goods and services. Are you getting your money's worth? If you're living in the developed world, you're probably getting a comparatively good deal. If you are living in the 3rd world, you are definitely being robbed both by the local gang and their foreign collaborators. If you complain, you'll end up being locked up in a place not fit for even animals. Thus, understand and accept that the world is a market.

Lack of the necessary financial and material lubricants is the death of most marriages.

                                                             - Ayo Sodipo

        Therefore, knowing fully well that all things need the lubrication of cash within this material existence, how are you getting yours? In other words, what are you selling? How does money get into your wallet? Don't doubt it, you're definitely selling something. A beggar sells pity. A priest (in any religion) sells hope. A con artist sells lies. A comedian sells laughter. We can go on and on. What are you selling?

        Thus, to get money morally into your pocket you must be selling a "want" or, a "need". Let's look at these two concepts.

        Wants are desires and are things you can always do without. Wants are always emotional, and they create habits. On the other hand, needs are things you must have. Needs start with your biological needs - air, water, food, and sex. Then basic physical needs - clothing, housing, safety, social presence, and contact. These are the most basic of needs. It is after these are met that psychological needs come into it. In most countries of the world, basic needs are not met. Remember: Needs exist on their own. Wants can be created. You become rich by satisfying needs... On the other hand, you can create a "want" within a need, or, conversely find a "need" within a want. We will be discussing this in greater detail in other articles.         

3 REASONS FOR DESTRUCTIVE LIFESTYLES: ENEMIES OF THE LEOPARD'S CODE (Part 2)

 To really enjoy this article, read the part 1 first

      The next step is to embark on a fast. Since all abused substances are chemically wired into the user's bio-system, the natural purification method has to do with flushing. The individual must embark on a 15 days’ water-fast. In other words, the individual must not eat any food for 15 days but must drink lots and lots of water daily. At least 20 - 25 cups of water must be consumed daily. Depending on how long the body has been contaminated and abused; purification will usually take between 7 – 10 days.  The fact of nature is that any form of change is resisted. The body will protest vehemently to the process of detoxification and the removal of poisons from it. There will be withdrawal symptoms in the form of pain and feelings of sickness. This is where common sense and discipline must rule. By the tenth day, all that would have disappeared and the rest will be the sweeping up of the dregs.

       On the sixteenth day, the fast is broken with raw fresh fruits and raw fresh vegetables. The second stage of the operation must now start. From the 16th to the 30th day the process of recharging the body must now commence. During this period, you eat lots and lots of raw fresh fruits, raw fresh vegetables, and water, only. No animal products. No grains. No cooked or, processed food. No type of drink except ordinary water. On the thirty-first day, normal eating and drinking can be resumed. However, it is hoped that the individual will have enough sense not to revert to old habits and not be a masochistic a**hole !!
       In the case of obesity, the same approach is used with some modifications. Depending on the severity of the obesity case, the thirty-day programme mentioned above may or, may not be first implemented. If the individual is really obese then the programme above must be carried out. However, if it’s just a case of being moderately overweight or, just out of shape then the above programme should be skipped.
        Now, let’s look at the Feast-Fast method. This is for people who are moderately overweight or, just out of shape. If you are really obese you must do the 30-day detox programme first before continuing with the Feast-Fast method lifestyle. The Feast-Fast method is really simple and it works like this: You can eat and drink anything you like from sunrise to sunset on the day you are starting. You stop eating after sunset and fast on water throughout the next day. You break the fast with fruits, and, or, raw vegetables on the morning of the third day. It is very simple. You eat whatever you like on one day and nothing the next day. You make sure that you're hydrated all the time. You should drink like 16 cups of water or more daily.

Simple, average, everyday consistent action will always produce better results than super-aggressive, high-energy inconsistent action. -Ayo Sodipo

        At first, depending on the level of your lack of fitness your system will revolt. You will feel weak, nauseous, have headaches, etc. These are all withdrawal symptoms. Make sure that you are drinking lots and lots of water all the time, and engage yourself in activities that will take your mind off food and your body. The withdrawal symptoms will soon disappear, and within 45-60 days you will notice and experience vigour, virility, and wellness flooding your being. Make this your permanent lifestyle and you will understand how a person can enjoy every second of life without experiencing "debilitating old age". This routine even produces better results if you can add a disciplined regimen of resistance/weight + aerobics training to it. The best strategy with this is to start with a very, very small training target; and then increase the intensity as time goes on. You always get better results in life with consistency than aggressive spurts. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? Simple, average, everyday consistent action will always produce better results than super-aggressive, high-energy inconsistent action. However, the best physical exercise is the one designed by the body by nature - walking.

 Believe me - There's nothing more delicious than having a sharp 65year-old mind and a fit 35year-old body!! - Ayo Sodipo

        

Thus, you feast half the time, and, you fast half the time. This programme is no secret.    

         And, it has never been a secret! It has been known and practiced since pre-history! It was one of the "power blocks" of the military-religious aristocracy of antiquity. And, it is still practiced by the "top-ranking" today. I'll tell you this - What hurts and frustrates most people is that by the time they get to their fortieth birthday and are just getting wise enough to figure "what it's all about", their bodies begin to fall to pieces. Believe me - There's nothing more delicious than having a sharp 65year-old mind and a fit 35year-old body!!

        In order to reap the benefits of the Leopard's Code, all you need is discipline and consistency. You can also visit our review page and see products and services that are guaranteed to change your life positively - physically, materially, and mentally

3 REASONS FOR DESTRUCTIVE LIFESTYLES: ENEMIES OF THE LEOPARD'S CODE

It is strange that despite all the information and advances we have in medicine, health care, and whole-some living, most people in the world are still grappling with trying to have a healthy body. This problem can be traced to a number of reasons. First, big government. Second, big business. And, third, the shrinking society. Each of these reasons impacts negatively on our lifestyle choices and, makes it more difficult to live according to the Leopard's Code. However, we must realize that each of these reasons acts separately and together.   

      First, is the issue of big government. Depending on which part of the world you live in, will determine how much influence government has on your life. If you live in the developed parts of the world like Western Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan; you’ll find that government is highly efficient and highly pervasive. Governments in these parts of the world are successfully fulfilling their obligations of providing top-quality social goods and services for their citizens. The pole positions these countries occupy in the global economic system means that they decide the economic fate of the rest of the world. Consequently, their societies are awash with cash. Although some people may want to dispute this, it is a verifiable economic fact that 75% of the world's population lives on less than a dollar a day. Being poor in Britain, U.S.A and Japan is totally different from being poor in Sudan, Bangladesh, and Haiti. In the former, you are poor but still human. In the latter, your poverty gives you the quality of life of a sewer rat. That is why economic migrants are flooding the developed world daily. These 3rd World chaps know that no matter what happens, where they are going will always be better than where they are coming from.

It is strange that despite all the information and advances we have in medicine, health care, and whole-some living, most people in the world are still grappling with trying to have a healthy body. - Ayo Sodipo

       Therefore, because these societies are awash with cash there's a lot of food and money to indulge in vices. In fact, there's verifiable evidence that the developed countries produce enough food yearly in an amount that can feed the globe five times over. Food is being thrown at people from every angle. There's is so much food available that dieting is an industry that rakes in billions of dollars annually for its businesses. According to alliedmarketresearch.com the weight loss and weight management diet market size was valued at 192.2 billion American dollars in 2019 and is projected to reach 295.3 billion American dollars by 2027. The developed world is effectively feeding their societies to death. The abundance of so much food makes healthy eating an uphill task.

      The second reason militating against healthy lifestyle choices is big business. Big business means big advertising and advertisements. Big advertisements mean big persuasions. You are just persuaded to eat, eat, eat and eat. Although the food industry does not have the exposure of the tech industry or, the glamour of the garment industry, it is colossal in assets and politically very, very influential. Thus, government policy will always be in favour of you eating more, more and more.  

      The third issue militating against healthy lifestyle choices is the shrinking society. Please don't get me wrong, I don't mean that the population is shrinking. I mean that organic human interaction is reducing at an alarming rate. One of the top ten enemies society has right now is loneliness. People are having less and less quality time with other human beings. So people sit in front of their TVs and eat, eat and eat!
        Obesity is the result of all these issues. Obesity can be traced to all sorts of internal organs failure, limb, and joint malfunction, and myriad debilitating ailments. We should consciously avoid choices that we know are destroying our lives. Death is easy, it is the end, but, suffering is difficult. One should not consciously put him/herself through the hell of poor health.
       How do we naturally get back to good health after we've messed up through bad lifestyle choices? The answer is common-sense and discipline. The vices of substance abuse and obesity are the result of continuing degeneration and regression of organic social interaction but, the cure has to be carried out individually. Nobody will help you get a better quality of life except yourself. Your personal health is your business and its attainment is in your hands. Now let's look at the issue of substance abuse first.           

 The very first step to be taken is that you must remove yourself from social situations that encourage the vice. This is very important. If you don't do this, the possibility of you ditching the vice (especially if it's hard drugs) is very slim. I'm not saying that it's impossible. I'm saying that it will be difficult. This is because most vices as habits are socially hard-wired. For example, if you are a cigarette smoker, the probability is very high that your circle of friends are also all smokers. Thus, you must first remove yourself from social situations that encourage it. As of necessity, you may have to change your social circle. The easiest way to do this is by embracing religion. This has nothing to do with fanaticism. Religion, anyone will do, and I hope you have enough common sense to distinguish between a religion and a cult lest you go from the frying pan into the fire. In this case, religion is used as an instrument of social circle replacement. The fact is that most religious circles find any form of substance abuse anathema and, are sympathetic and supportive of anybody who is trying to liberate themselves from that kind of bondage. You'll use this to acquire a new social circle and believe me, you'll not miss the old one

The Bully And The Nag (Poetry)

A bully is a nag,

A nag is a bully,

There’s really no difference,

They’re one and the same.

A low self-esteemed creature.

A true coward by nature.

A fool reveling in false power,

Trying to make up for its obvious inadequacies.

A person of empty bluster.

A noisy barrel with no substance,

Externalizing internal misery.

Thus, a bully is a nag

A nag is a bully,

There’s really no difference,

They’re all one and the same.

Ayo Sodipo (February 2020)

5 REASONS WHY AFRICAN RULERS CAN'T MANAGE POLITICAL POWER

If there are two things that everybody wants more of, it’s money and power. Both are intricately linked. The more money you have, the more power you have and, it goes the other way also; the money always follows the power.

      Power makes things happen. Power allows the wielder to act. Power is the ability to do. Power moves things.

      There are different kinds of power – physical power, chemical power, spiritual power et al. However, the true power, the one that makes a difference in social relations is, political power. On the macro-level, it is the force that arranges social hierarchy. In other words, the rulers at the top of society and the slaves at the bottom. On the micro-level, it is the force that arranges hierarchy within groups; it decides who leads and who follows. Both on the macro and micro levels it decides who does the sharing of resources.

      In Africa, from antiquity, power has always been an issue of great importance. It is not different from other societies where the struggle for societal control dominates social life. In Africa of antiquity, there were only two ways or, a combination of two ways, by which an individual can acquire political power. First, through the agency of the warrior and, second, through the agency of the shrine.

        The agency of the shrine is the avenue through which all forms of political leadership came into being. This is universal. All societies in antiquity had been initially led by the priesthood class.  

        Those who had access to the unseen realms or, claimed to have access to it, led all primary societies. This is because early societies had limited knowledge of their environments. There were so many things they did not understand. The man or woman who could rationalise what was happening around them automatically led the group.

 In fact, pretensions to democratic ideals in recent times has not changed this scenario. It seems that any form of political power sends the power wielder into a form of drunken madness. - Ayo Sodipo 

       Political power revolves around decision-making and the sharing of resources. Those who gravitated towards the priesthood were naturally more intelligent and less intimidated by their environment. This gave them social hegemony. Their power came from their ability to manipulate the fears of the group.

      However, along came the man of violence. His natural endowments automatically made him feared in his group and, this gave him rights in the acquisition of the group’s resources. The “priest”, recognising the need for such an individual, both for the group’s survival and their continued place of prominence in it; bonded with him to form the first royalty.

      In Africa, the surest path to political power was through the agency of the warrior. This has always been how it is, and the advent of colonialism did not change anything. The nature of this power-matrix seems to be ingrained in the psyche of the African. This is that political power is transferred only at the death of the power wielder.

      Thus, the moment the colonialists left and self-rule was attained, practically all countries in Africa became dictatorships. The educated elite that took over from the European overlords suddenly dropped any pretence to democratic ideals and, wore the toga of traditional demi-god royalties. Any form of criticism was frowned upon and usually attracted harsh sanctions, and; any form of opposition to the government, the ruling party, or ruler was considered to be treason. The penalty for this was death and, this sometimes included the family and friends of the erring party. It is this rabid intolerance to any form of opposition that led to the many and, continuing fratricidal wars and conflicts that have plagued the continent.

       In fact, pretensions to democratic ideals in recent times have not changed this scenario. It seems that any form of political power sends the power wielder into a form of drunken madness. The nature of the personality change is always immediate and radical. Campaign promises are forgotten immediately. Predecessors are demonised and hounded into prison, exile, or death. Moves are overtly made for self-perpetuation. And, the cycle of demonic infantile rascality, conspicuous consumption of the country’s resources and, egomaniacal personality shifts start over.

      That disputes and struggles for power have made Africa remain grounded in the quick-sands of underdevelopment, is an understatement. Despite the enormous riches in human and material resources, the continent has remained rooted in the contradictions of visionless leadership. Leaders who espoused clear and meaningful plans jettison them in drunken madness the moment they come to power. All their focus is now placed on how to pocket the country and die in power. This is pathetic.

      The great masses of the African continent are left with little choice but to promote pro-democracy elements and, hope they don’t become tainted with madness. The implications for the continent if things continue the way they are are too dire. Already, masses of African youths are risking their lives in perilous journeys to Europe rather than remaining in the land of their births. These are some of the best and brightest. They would rather chance desert crossings, slave selling gangs, and hazardous sea crossings, than stay at home in hopelessness.

      Things just have to change. I recommend the administration of anti-mad dog serum to all political officeholders.

FOUR COPS MURDERED IN OPERATION FREE THE BOSS

That Honduras is fast becoming a failed state is very obvious. Extremely powerful and wealthy criminal gangs have almost formed a parallel government in the country. The authorities in the impoverished and dangerous central American country have been battling these criminal gangs for the soul of the country.

 "MS-13 also known as Mara Salvatrucha and other drug gangs have ravished Honduras". - Ayo Sodipo 

      According to Honduras’ security ministry, about 20 members of the notorious and powerful drug-funded gang, MS-13; planned and staged the successful escape of one of their bosses from custody.

      On Thursday, 13^th February, outside a courthouse in El Progresso, 140 kilometres north of the country’s capital, Tegucigalpa; Porky a.k.a Alexander Mendoza was rescued by loyal gang members.

      In the daring daylight rescue of the gang boss, four policemen were killed and, another four grievously injured in the gun battle that ensued between police and MS-13 mobsters.

      Porky had been serving a 20 years jail term since December 2016 for the murder of two prosecutors.

The country’s security ministry has announced a reward of one million lempiras (about $40,000) for any information that can lead to the recapture of Mendoza, who was described as a dangerous criminal.

      MS-13 also known as Mara Salvatrucha and other drug gangs have ravished Honduras. This is what is responsible for the large-scale migration of its citizens to the United States in search of a better life.

       According to global security reports, Honduras has a 44 in 100,000 inhabitants murder rate, making it one of the most dangerous places in the world to live in.