The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has said that with the daily deaths being recorded across the country, it has become clear that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari no longer values the sacredness of human life.
In his Christmas message at the weekend, Kukah lamented that the government seems to have moved on by ignoring the fate of Nigerians in the custody of people he termed evil men, stressing that the moral scar of shame on Nigeria cannot be wished way.
According to Kukah the silence of Abuja was only feeding the “ugly beast of complicity in the deeds of the evil people who have suspended the future of entire generations of Nigeria’s children.”
The religious leader also stated that President Buhari owes parents and citizens answers as to where the children are and when they are coming home or when the abductions, kidnappings, and endless massacres of citizens will end.
Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say at least six people have died in a suicide bomb attack on a crowded restaurant in the eastern city of Beni.
Police prevented the bomber from entering the building, but he blew himself up at the entrance killing himself and five other people.
Another 13 people were injured.
The officials blamed Saturday’s attack on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militant group said to be linked to the so-called Islamic State (IS).
So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Security forces in Sudan have fired tear gas at pro-democracy protesters in the capital, Khartoum.
The demonstrators converged on the presidential palace for the second time in a week, but were met by a heavy security presence.
Earlier the military government restricted phone and internet services in the city as protesters gathered, reports say.
Other cities, including Port Sudan, have also seen demonstrations. Last weekend, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched through Khartoum demanding civilian rule be restored after the military coup on 25 October.
More than 100 people were injured in clashes with police in last week’s protests. The security forces were also accused of sexually abusing more than a dozen women and girls.
FILE PHOTO: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, co-chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), addresses a news conference before his departure for the United States, August 19. [Tutu announced that the TRC had documents in it's possession implying Western involvement in the 1961 death of United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarsjkold in an air crash in Zambia. ] REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
Archbishop Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, spent his life campaigning for human rights. The activist and hero to millions tragically died on Sunday (26 December), aged 90.
South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa described Tutu’s passing as “another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa”.
Desmond Tutu was a major opponent of South Africa’s apartheid system and worked for universal suffrage, equal rights for women in the Anglican Church his controversial support for LGBT+ rights and advocacy regarded by many as contrary to African cultural values put him at odds with many on the continent.
The protagonist of the name Rainbow Nation” given to south Africa was a mark of his push for acceptance of western LGBT+ values on the continent.
In a video for the United Nations Free and Equal campaign in November, the UN’s “global campaign against homophobia and transphobia”, Tutu said: “I have to tell you, I cannot keep quiet when people are penalised for something about which they can do nothing.
The video was shared by LGBT+ Rights Ghana, one of the few groups advocating for the human rights of queer Ghanaians, whose members literally put their lives on the line.
The group celebrated “Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu [calling] for an end to punishing people because of who they are or whom they love”, a message particularly pertinent to the LGBT+ community in Ghana.
Public hearings began this month on the country’s Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021.
While gay sex is already illegal in Ghana, the bill would go even further, targeting LGBT+ identity itself. It would specifically criminalise anyone is “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, pansexual, an ally, non-binary, or any other sexual or gender identity that is contrary to the binary categories of male and female”.
All of those listed, even allies, could face three to five years in prison if found guilty of the crime, which would become a second-degree felony.
The bill would not only criminalise being LGBT+, but also every aspect of queer life, from affirming medical care to public displays of affection like holding hands.
When he publicly declared his Gay status going against christian tenets it drew the ire of the Anglican community in which he represented and further dividing an institution that had managed cracks of discord between traditional members and new age followers seeking liberal freedom.
However his imapct on the continent remain undeniable Nigeria’s Former President Olusegun Obasanjo described the death of Tutu, as a personal loss.
In a condolence letter forwarded to the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, Obasanjo said Tutu played a vital role in Nigeria’s journey to debt relief with the Paris Club in the early 2000s.
Analyst hold that he will be fondly remembered as Africa’s elder stateman with his push for a rainbow nation is the only dark shadow cast on his legacy.
Oshodi and chess should not be mentioned in the same sentence but the game has become a survival ticket for some from Oshodi
Blue BRTs, lively commercial motorcycle operators (Okada), humming tricycles (Keke Marwa), groaning yellow public buses, private cars, and a relentless stream of pedestrian traffic tell you are in Oshodi.
This bubbling metropolis, which is not for the fainthearted, offers a virtual and aural cacophony of sights and sounds that will leave an imprint on your memory long after your visit is over.
Oshodi is a growing community, daily fed with immigrants pouring in from neighbouring states in search of a better life.
Chess in Slum Africa
It is home to some; some found it, while some others have gotten trapped in her squalid city delinquencies.
I have always been intrigued, but not interested in Oshodi because of the manic stories I heard. Oshodi brings out the fear of the unknown in everyone, irrespective of where you are coming from.
On arrival, you come face-to-face with a bunch of stern-looking young men reeking alcohol and cigarette, who go about their daily collection of dues from frustrated bus drivers.
Get carried away by their aggressive approach and your phone or cash could suddenly develop wings and be gone.
Except you own nothing worth stealing. Only then can you be safe around this notorious neighbourhood where gunshots, mugging, and stabbings plus mayhem are the norms.
Provocatively positioned between slummy Mushin and bourgeoisie Ikeja-Oshodi has a reputation for nefarious activities. And the stories are true. So dangerous is Oshodi that even a bag full of debris stands the risk of being snatched in broad daylight.
You are just the icing on the cake if your face looks unfamiliar in some areas. Resist being robbed and you might just get a dagger hole in your body in a Spartacus style.
Bright spot
Amid this thuggish chaos, there is a tiny light at the end of its tunnel as Chess In Slum of Africa recently turned the lives of 51 Oshodi-based children around.
Fawaz Adeoye is a former bus conductor in Oshodi, but he is determined to find his way past the stifling hopelessness and poverty.
It was the slings and arrows that 18-year-old Fawaz carries on the daily job that pushed him to take part in a chess training organised by former Chess Champion Tunde Onakoya.
They selected Fawaz alongside other street kids to undergo the rudiments of chess training, with much emphasis on mental mathematics.
With training done and dusted, it was time for the kid to prove to the world that good things can come from unlikely places, even though Oshodi and her inhabitants have been written off by many high-placed brows.
“51 homeless children in one of the most dangerous ghettos in Nigeria showed up every day for our chess training because they saw an opportunity to learn — a new lease of hope,” Onakoya said.
“Some of them are orphans, while some ran away from their villages to seek greener pastures in Lagos,” he added.
Fawaz had always dreamt of becoming an actor and comedian, but he knew that chess in the slum project was an opportunity too good to miss.
He knew that when the desirable is not available, then the available becomes desirable. He enrolled in the training and that was the beginning of his life’s turning point as Fawaz combined hard work and versatility full of common sense to emerge the champion of the pilot ‘Chess In The Slum of Africa’ project.
“Adeoye Fawaz, an 18-year-old boy who works as a bus conductor and has lived years of his life under Oshodi bridge emerged as our overall champion in both chess and mental math.
A Star Is Born,” Onakoya wrote on his Twitter handle.
Chess in Slum Africa
“The final phase of the mental math competition was fast and furious, but Fawaz aced the questions. Now imagine if you gave these boys a proper education?! Imagine if you gave them coding?! Imagine how many of them we’ve lost to the streets because no one paid attention,” he said on a Twitter thread.
It was an emotional moment as tears welled up in the eyes of onlookers who came around to celebrate Fawaz’s heroic performance.
Dressed in a traditional Yoruba Buba and Sokoto attire, his cap epitomised hope amid the hopelessness as jubilant fans carried him shoulder high. To the downtrodden, Fawaz’s story is a clear sign that as long as there is life, there will always be hope.
“Those that see us as never do well now treat us with more dignity,” Fawaz said during an interview (conducted in Yoruba) with the BBC.
The widely celebrated chess champion revealed that while he lost his mother in 2019, he had been long separated from his father as a three-year-old.
He said: “When my mum died, her family members ‘shared’ me and siblings between them. I know the whereabouts of two and I don’t know where the other two are.”
Fawaz recalled he was more concerned about getting food to eat than taking part in the Chess classes when it started.
“I asked uncle Tunde if he wanted me to die of hunger when he was talking about teaching us Chess.
“At the initial stage, I did not understand the game at all but along the way, I reasoned the game could help in changing my life.”
That proved to be a smart choice by Fawaz, who confessed he never dreamt of becoming the champion.
“I have never emerged first in my life, but I did that in the Chess competition and I am very happy. Those that don’t want to be associated with me at all now talk with me freely.”
Journey to Oshodi
According to Fawaz, he had an altercation with his aunty then at Iyana Oworo and threatened to return to Ibadan.
However, while he got to Oshodi, he saw some familiar faces and decided to stay with them, intending to make some money, before he proceeded on his journey to Ibadan.
For the 18-year-old, staying under the bridge has helped him in a way by becoming a chess champion being celebrated across borders.
Already looking ahead to a better future, Fawaz has his eyes on becoming a Chess Master, returning to school to get educated, and also taking a shot at fashion designing.
Chess In Slum Of Africa Project
For a non-profit organisation with a vision geared towards taking vulnerable kids off the street by providing education through chess, it won’t be a bad idea if the sports ministry can identify with Onakoya’s laudable initiative.
Certainly, the sports minister, Sunday Dare, cannot deny that ‘Chess In Slum of Africa’ has channelled a course for other sports federations to follow.
The emergence of Fawaz and other Oshodi street kids in the just concluded Chess tourney shows that there is a cloud on the horizon.
Their success stories ignore one of old life’s impressions: that nothing good comes from the slums. These early signs promise an excellent future for Chess in a neighbourhood reputed for preference for football and music.
Everyone knows where Adeoye Fawaz is from.
What remains to be discovered is how far he can go in the sport that announced him to the world.
As for Oshodi, it has once again proved that “white pap comes from black pots”, and what the community needs is just an opportunity-the crucible that can turn coal into a diamond.
The two teams registered identical 3-0 victories in their first home matches in the new season.
Rivers United and Remo Stars were the biggest winners in the matchday 2 games of the NPFL played across the country on Sunday.
The two teams registered identical 3-0 victories over Katsina United and Heartland FC respectively in their home duels.
In Port Harcourt, Rafiu Kayode got Stanley Eguma’s side up and running with a goal just before the half-hour mark.
Rafiu continued from where he stopped in the second half as he doubled Rivers United’s lead in the 57th before Chijioke Akuneto sealed victory five minutes after with the third goal for the hosts.
In Ikene, newly-promoted Remo Stars showed once more they are in the NPFL this time to stay.
Gbenga Ogunbote’s men followed their opening day 2-0 win in Lagos over MFM FC with another comprehensive win this time against the Naze Millionaires.
Quickfire goals from Andy Okpe in the fourth and fifth minutes gave the Sky Blues the perfect start they craved for and in the 71st minute, Samuel Anakwe sealed victory with the third goal for the home side.
Elsewhere, Enyimba continued their perfect run under coach Finidi George as they snatched a 1-0 win against Rangers to win the Oriental Derby in Nnewi.
Emeka Obioma scored the decisive goal two minutes from time.
The People’s Elephant had defeated Abia Warriors 2-1 in the season’s first Oriental Derby.
In Ibadan, champions Akwa United were held to a 1-1 draw by Shooting Stars.
Utibe Archibong shot the visitors in front just before the half-hour mark after he was teed up by captain Friday Ubong. Ayo Adejubu saved 3SC from home defeat when he restored parity for the hosts on the stroke of 90 minutes.
At the New Jos Stadium Plateau United, recorded their first win of the season courtesy of a 1-0 win against Kwara United.
Kano Pillars’ poor start to the season continued on Sunday as they were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Lobi Stars in Kaduna.
The encounter between Nasarawa United and Gombe United also ended in a stalemate as both sides settled for a 1-1 draw.
Abdulateef Balogun scored the winning goal as Wikki Tourists pipped Niger Tornadoes by a lone goal.
Elsewhere, Sunshine Stars lost 1-0 to Abia Warriors in their away match with Paul Samson netting the only goal of the game in the 28th minute.
There are several colors which are traditionally associated with Christmas. This site uses Red, Green and Gold. But why do we have them and what do the colors represent?
Most the colors and their meanings come from the western/northern European traditions and customs, when Christmas is in the middle of winter and it’s dark and cold.
Green
Christmas Holly
Evergreen plants, like Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe have been used for thousands of years to decorate and brighten up buildings during the long dark winter. They also reminded people that spring would come and that winter wouldn’t last forever!
The ancient Egyptians used to bring palm branches into their houses during the mid-winter festivals.
In many parts of Europe during the Middle Ages, Paradise plays were performed, often on Christmas Eve. They told Bible stories to people who couldn’t read. The ‘Paradise Tree’ in the garden of Eden in the play was normally a pine tree with red apples tied to it.
Now the most common use of green at Christmas are Christmas Trees.
Red
As mentioned above, early use of red at Christmas were the apples on the paradise tree.
Red is also the color of Holly berries, which is said to represent the blood of Jesus when he died on the cross.
Gold
A Gold Five-Pointed Star
Gold is the color of the Sun and light – both very important in the dark winter. And both red and gold are the colors of fire that you need to keep you warm.
Gold was also one of the presents brought to the baby Jesus by one of the wise men and traditionally it’s the color used to show the star that the wise men followed.
Silver is sometimes used instead of (or with) gold. But gold is a ‘warmer’ color.
White
A Snowflake
White is often associated with purity and peace in western cultures. The snow of winter is also very white!
White paper wafers were also sometimes used to decorate paradise trees. The wafers represented the bread eaten during Christian Communion or Mass, when Christians remember that Jesus died for them.
White is used by most churches as the color of Christmas, when the altar is covered with a white cloth (in the Russian Orthodox Church Gold is used for Christmas).
Blue
Mary Being Visited By The Angel
The color blue is often associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus. In medieval times blue dye and paint was more expensive than gold!
So, it would only be worn by Royal families and very rich people. Mary was often painted wearing blue to show she was very important.
Blue can also represent the color of the sky and heaven.
Purple
During Advent, purple and sometimes blue is used in most churches for the color of the altar cloth (in the Russian Orthodox Church red is used for advent).
Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi announced the final squad list of the defending champions that will take part in the impending Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021, which is scheduled to kick off on January 9th, 2022.
Algeria won the last edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2019. The Desert Foxes also won the FIFA Arab Cup, which was held in Qatar this month.
Algeria’s final list includes 28 players, led by the English Premier League stars Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City and Said Benrahma of West Ham, as well as the best player in the FIFA Arab Cup, Yassine Brahimi, and best goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi.
Algeria plays in Group E of the Africa Cup of Nations 2021, besides Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone. They will start their title defending campaign by facing Sierra Leone at the Japoma Stadium in Douala on January 11, 2022.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Rais Mbolhi (Al-Ettifaq, Saudi Arabia), Mustafa Zaghba (Damac, Saudi Arabia), Alexandre Oukidja (Metz, France)
Victor Osimhen who earlier in the week declared himself fit for the challenges at the Africa Cup of Nations has been named by interim head coach Augustine Eguavoen as one of the 28 players for the tournament.
Also in the roaster is returnee, Odion Ighalo who had earlier retired from the team but made a sensational come-back in the closing glee of the World Cup qualifying group stage.
With just two weeks to the tournament, NFF’s director of communication, Ademola Olajire on Christmas Day released the list of Nigerians for the 33rd edition of the African premier sports competition.
In the list are Wilfred Ndidi and Ahmed Musa who will most likely be the most international capped player at the tournament.
Musa’s international appearances officially stand at 102 matches. Nigeria, a record third-place winners of seven will be attempting a fourth victory at the competition.
The three –time winners will confront seven-time and record winners Egypt, Sudan and debutants Guinea Bissau with venue in the northern town of Garoua, and a mouth-watering clash with the Pharaohs in the group opener on Tuesday, 11th January means the Eagles must hit the ground at blistering pace.
Former Nigeria captain Eguavoen, who coached the Super Eagles to third-place finish at the finals in Egypt 15 years ago, has selected four goalkeepers, nine defenders and five midfielders.
Though a hard-tackling defender in his playing days, Eguavoen possibly have an attacking philosophy going into the African Cup of Nations. He has invited 10 strikers.
In his first stint as Super Eagles’ coach, he amassed a whopping 10 goals in just three matches against Libya, Algeria and Zimbabwe in 2005.
His list indicates a return to the group for former U17 World Cup –winning captain Kelechi Nwakali, forward Emmanuel Dennis and 2016 Olympics star Sadiq Umar.
All invited players, bar the UK-based crew, are expected to arrive in camp in Abuja on 29th December, with the UK-based players expected to start arriving on Monday, 3rd January.
SUPER EAGLES’ SQUAD FOR 33RD AFCON CAMEROON 2021
Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (AC Omonia, Cyprus); John Noble (Enyimba FC); Daniel Akpeyi (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa); Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Midfielders: Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Galsgow Rangers, Scotland); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Chidera Ejuke (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Kelechi Nwakali (SD Huesca, Spain)
Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Fatih Karagumruk, Turkey); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Victor Osimhen (Napoli FC, Italy); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Sadiq Umar (UD Almeria, Spain); Taiwo Awoniyi (Union Berlin, Germany); Odion Jude Ighalo (Al-Shabab Riyadh, Saudi Arabia); Alex Iwobi (Everton FC, England); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Emmanuel Dennis (Watford FC, England)
The word Carol actually means dance or a song of praise and joy! Carols used to be written and sung during all four seasons, but only the tradition of singing them at Christmas has really survived.
Christmas, remembering the birth of Jesus, then started to be celebrated at the same time as the solstice, so the early Christians started singing Christian songs instead of pagan ones.
In 129, a Roman Bishop said that a song called “Angel’s Hymn” should be sung at a Christmas service in Rome. Another famous early Christmas Hymn was written in 760, by Comas of Jerusalem, for the Greek Orthodox Church.
Soon after this many composers all over Europe started to write ‘Christmas carols’.
However, not many people liked them as they were all written and sung in Latin, a language that normal people couldn’t understand.
By the time of the Middles Ages (the 1200s), most people had lost interest in celebrating Christmas altogether.
This was changed by St. Francis of Assisi when, in 1223, he started his Nativity Plays in Italy.
The people in the plays sang songs or ‘canticles’ that told the story during the plays.
Sometimes, the choruses of these new carols were in Latin; but normally they were all in a language that the people watching the play could understand and join in!
The new carols spread to France, Spain, Germany and other European countries.
The earliest carol, like this, was written in 1410. Sadly only a very small fragment of it still exists.
The carol was about Mary and Jesus meeting different people in Bethlehem. Most Carols from this time and the Elizabethan period are untrue stories, very loosely based on the Christmas story, about the holy family and were seen as entertaining rather than religious songs.
christmas decorations
They were usually sung in homes rather than in churches! Traveling singers or Minstrels started singing these carols and the words were changed for the local people wherever they were traveling. One carols that changed like this is ‘I Saw Three Ships’.
When the Puritans came to power in England in 1640s, the celebration of Christmas and singing carols was stopped.
However, the carols survived as people still sang them in secret. Carols remained mainly unsung until Victorian times, when two men called William Sandys and Davis Gilbert collected lots of old Christmas music from villages in England.
Carols were sung as folk songs in places like pubs but they often weren’t thought of as ‘proper’ or ‘nice’ songs by the middle or upper classes.
Before carol singing in places like churches became popular, there were sometimes official carol singers called ‘Waits’.
These were bands of people led by important local leaders (such as council leaders) who had the only power in the towns and villages to take money from the public (if others did this, they were sometimes charged as beggars!).
They were called ‘Waits’ because they sang on Christmas Eve (This was sometimes known as ‘watchnight’ or ‘waitnight’ because of the shepherds were watching their sheep when the angels appeared to them.), when the Christmas celebrations began.
Also, at this time, many orchestras and choirs were being set up in the cities of England and people wanted Christmas songs to sing, so carols once again became popular in churches and concert halls.
Many new carols, such as ‘Good King Wenceslas’, were also written in the Victorian period.
New carols services were created and became popular, as did the custom of singing carols in the streets. Both of these customs are still popular today!
One of the most popular types of Carols services are Carols by Candlelight services.
At this service, the church is only lit by candlelight and it feels very Christmassy! Carols by Candlelight services are held in countries all over the world.
The most famous type of Carol Service might be a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, where carols and Bible readings tell the Christmas Story.
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