08042018 - Education in free fall! •Sector gets paltry N3.9 trillion out of N55.19 trillion in 10 years

How prepared are you to rise
above challenges?
Today’s edition is still
about the essence of
Easter and today’s
Christian.
Our evidence that Christ is
risen is not in doubt. Our
authority is found in Matthew
28 vs. 5 & 6, which tells us what
happened when Mary
Magdalene and the other
Mary went to the tomb of
Jesus.
“ And the angel answered
and said unto the women,
Fear not ye: for I know that ye
seek Jesus, which was
crucified. He is not here: for
he is risen, as he said. Come,
see the place where the Lord
lay”.
Christ rose that we might
have eternal life.
For a moment let’s look at
the behavior of some of the
people around our Lord Jesus
at the peak of his trial and
crucifixion and how this may
be crucial to our
breakthrough.
The character being
considered here is Pontius
Pilate. Luke 23 vs. 1-6 but for
this purpose we’ll quote only
verse 4 “ Then said Pilate to
the chief priests and to the
people, I find no fault in this
man”. Note- That Pilate was
The art of giving a gift shows
your ability to be generous
appreciative and kind. It
takes more than just going to
buy or acquire a gift for
someone. There are different
reasons for giving gifts all year
round, depending on a festive
occasion or a personal one.
Gifts are usually a delight to
receive, the joy, excitement and
surprise one experiences when
it comes to opening the gift is
great. However today
receiving gifts comes with a
lot of caution, at times there
are legal implications bound
by giving and receiving gifts.
It is important to be
knowledgeable about the
protocol of giving and
receiving gifts as it applies to
varying geographical
locations.
I have a few etiquette
strategies you may want to
consider as you are buying a
gift for someone in the near
future.
Gift Giving Taboo.
Professional Vs Private
Buying a gift for a friend is
quite different from buying for
a colleague, team mate or
sure Jesus wasn’t guilty of any
of these accusations, not even
one.
Matthew 27 vs. 17-20. Let’s
see what happened when
Pilate asked the protesters
who he should release, Jesus
or Barabbas?
Verses 19 &20 is our
reference here “ When he (
Pilate) set down on the
judgment seat, his wife sent
unto him, saying, Have thou
nothing to do with that just
man: for I have suffered many
things this day in a dream
because of him. But the chief
priests and elders persuaded
the multitude that they should
ask Barabbas and destroy
Jesus”.
Note the Divine revelation
to the wife of Pilate.
How do you respond to
Divine revelation given to you
directly or to a friend and he/
she comes to tell you? Do you
act prayerfully on it or just
dismiss it? .
From our Biblical studies,
we find that these two reasons
might be the reason Pilate
symbolically washed his
hands off the case of Jesus.
Was that the best he could
do?
Matthew 27 vs. 24 “ When
Gift Giving Taboos
supervisor not to mention your
boss. If your gift is within the
office space it is official, either
to mark a national
celebration or an internal
personal celebration, your gift
should have no hidden or
underlying message that
suggests anything unethical.
In the office setting, gifts are
better presented jointly as a
team, department or group.
Private gifts in the office may
connote a negative message
or implication. It is wrong to
give a gift that appears
personal, fancy or exorbitant
in price, avoid breaching the
office policy by recognizing
what is acceptable or not.
In receiving a professional
gift it is sensible to recognize
who and where it is from. If it
comes from an organization
that has just put in a bid or a
business transaction of
interest and the gift is likely
given to influence your
decision, such a gift should be
refused and returned, this is
considered unethical work
practice.
Sensitivity
Pilate saw that he could
prevail nothing, but that
rather a tumult was made, he
took water, and washed his
hands before the multitude,
saying, I am innocent of the
blood of this just person: see
ye to it”.
Before this, act of Pilate, let’s
see another action of Pilate.
According to Holy Bible,
Luke 23 vs. 7 “ And as soon as
he knew that he belonged unto
Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent
him to Herod, who himself
also was at Jerusalem at that
time”.
Note what happened in
verse 12 of Luke 23 “ And the
same day Pilate and Herod
were made friends together:
for before they were at enmity
between themselves”.
Brethren, did you get the
message. Two men who used
to be enemies suddenly
became friends, because they
found a common threat in
Jesus who must be dealt with.
In the light of this, can one
really say that Pilate was
sincere when he washed his
hands off the case of Jesus?
Or did he decide to wash his
hands off the case because of
the dream his wife had?
The issue here is, can you
and I stand for the truth in the
midst of pressure?
Will you as a sister in law
stand for the truth in a family
meeting where your brother’s
wife is being accused of
unfriendly attitude, pride and
all sorts of accusations?
Have you not been attending
family meetings where people
are planning to use whatever
means to force your brother’s
wife out of her matrimonial
Proper thought needs to be
applied when deciding what
to buy as a gift for anyone.
Group consultation is advised
when going for professional
gifts while for personal gift it
is safer to buy what will be of
value to the user. Sensitive
gifts should be avoided, they
are considered gifts like
underwear, perfume from a
superior to a subordinate, or
sharp items like knifes cutters
or glass items. Gifts that have
no relevance to the receiver is
considered blindly insensitive.
They may appear to be
awkward to the receiver, at
times quite embarrassing.
The implication is that he
gifts will be abandoned and
unused, forfeiting the gift
objective altogether.
Culture
As much as gift are common
worldwide, culture plays a big
part in choosing what to buy.
There are many cultures that
are color specific, certain
colors do not go down well
home because she is yet to
have a child?
Are you not plotting to put
your colleague in the office in
trouble because you want to
take his post? Yet you claim to
be a Christian?
After all that Pilate did, he
could not escape the pressure
of his conscience.
According to John 19 vs. 19
“ And Pilate wrote a title, and
What do we say to a
Christian girl who for
the love of money
abandoned her faith to
become a second wife
to a married man of
another religion?
put it on the cross. And the
writing was, JESUS OF
NAZARETH THE KING OF
THE JEWS”.
Still troubled by his
conscience, let’s see another
action of Pilate as recorded
in John 19 vs. 38 “ And after
this Joseph of Arimathaea,
being a disciple of Jesus, but
secretly for fear of the Jews,
besought Pilate that he might
take away the body of Jesus:
and Pilate gave him leave. He
came therefore, and took the
body of Jesus”.
Brethren, you could see that
Pilate was never free from his
conscience but was not bold
enough to set Jesus free. Did I
hear you say, his action was
to fulfill what has been written
about our Lord Jesus?
What about you? You know
with them. Purple flowers in
Brazil are a sign of bad luck,
black and dark colors in
Indian is a NO NO when
buying a gift. Some cultures
do not allow you to buy a gift
for a woman who is not your
wife. Some cultures insist you
buy a gift for the host of an
event regardless of the size,
just something to appreciate
the invitation gesture. A gift
in Asia should be well
wrapped with care. It is
expected that at times the gift
be refused a couple of times
before finally being accepted,
this is normal cultural
behavior. It is also not out of
place to open a gift in the
presence of the giver in some
countires, it is not the size but
the kind gesture that matters.
Religion & Beliefs
Yes. it is a must that you be
religion sensitive when
buying a gift whether it is for
professional or personal
reasons. Many religions are
against certain practices that
SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 8, 2018, PAGE 37
what is true but you are not
bold enough to stand up for
it? You know that as a
Christian, you have no
business with cultism, visiting
herbalists or sorcerers but you
still do . All because someone
has told you that it is taking
too long for God to answer
your prayers. Therefore as a
single lady, you take all steps
to force yourself on a married
man just to have a child.
You may not realize what
you have done but within a
short time, you will find that
your so-called short cut to that
challenge is the fast track to
everlasting pain.
God remains a miracle
worker and not a magician.
Or are you like Joseph of
Arimathaea, as a rich man,
you must not been seen
reading your Bible. You don’t
even want to seen dancing too
much in the church. Or you
don’t even have time to attend
church services. Your attitude
is, whenever the church asks
for donation, I will send it.
Brethren, donations,
offerings are not the keys to
the salvation of souls. Christ
expects more from us.
Do you in anyway identify
with Christ?
I’ll share with you, the story
told by a Reverend at Anglican
Church, Ikosi.
He said a Christian young
man went to another part of
the country for the
introduction and
engagement ceremony for his
fiancée. The lady’s family
produced a list that included
alcoholic drinks. The groom
insisted he would not use his
money to buy such drinks. The
can be reflected in some gifts.
Smoking and alcohol
consumption are common
religious objections. A bottle
of drink is also a favoured gift
but act with caution. Some
clothing items may not be
appropriate among certain
people due to their style,
exposure and nature of
acceptability. There is no
point in buying a skirt or dress
for someone who is bound by
religion to covering fully from
head to toe. In receiving gifts
too there are some beliefs that
say collecting your gift with
your left hand is bad, it is a
superstition and considered
quite rude. Follow the general
practice to avoid being In
breach of protocol.
There is also a belief in the
African continent that it is
better to gift physical cash
that is money instead of the
physical item. Money they feel
is more valuable and has its
own versatile usages. Be
mindful though as the amount
you gift may tell or read
meaning into the value you
have of that person you are
gifting. The larger the amount
the valuable or worth of your
giving.
Symbolization
It is not uncommon that
certain objects have different
symbolized meanings in
different cultures and
countries. There are gifts that
symbolize life, death,
goodluck, badluck, wealth,
lady’s family insisted he must
buy the drinks. After about
two days of deadlock, the
groom told the lady’s family
that he would rather call off
the ceremony. He stood his
ground. When the family saw
that he was ready to leave, they
then asked him to convert
every bottle of hot drink to two
cartoons of malt drink. The
groom agreed and the
ceremony eventually took
place.
Brethren, do you and I have
the courage to uphold our
Christian values at all times?
Do we not quickly give in to
pressure in the name of
culture even when we know
that such an action could have
serious implications for our
Christian life?
What do we say to a
Christian girl who for the love
of money abandoned her faith
to become a second wife to a
married man of another
religion?
Initially, she seemed to be
enjoying every bit of it but
today as I write, the man is
languishing in jail for
defrauding his company and
our former Christian lady and
her children are experiencing
the worst form of poverty.
Our prayer is that she
retraces her steps back to
Christ who is ready to save
every sinner.
However, the issue is how
prepared are you to rise above
challenges? Do you believe
that with Christ you will be
victorious?
Hold on firmly to Jesus and
your break thorough will
surprise even you.
Shalom!
happiness and more. Try to
recognize if there are any
hidden meanings behind
certain gifts. Also tie your gift
to the religion, culture and
ideology of where the gift is
coming from, the country you
are in and the hidden
messages they may hold.
Cost
The cost of the gift is
sensitive and subjective. How
affordable it is to the giver
plays am important role.
However, if the gift is
expensive there could be an
underlying ulterior motive
behind it. Some people weigh
the level of relationship based
on the cost of the gift. Some
people also look down the gift
just because it appears cheap.
Alternatively some people
react to an expensive gift
because it may imply that the
return of an equally expensive
gift. The personality,
character, style and status
makes all the difference when
choosing a gift for anyone. It
is wrong to leave the price tag
on a gift just to be recognized
or validated. Ensure the price
tag is removed especially
before wrapping.
Regifting
it is poor conduct regifting
a gift that you receive from
someone else. Never regift a
gift that is outdated, expired,
old, tattered or obsolete.
Good luck as you buy your
next gift
janetadetu@gmail.com
Gov Okowa assures Delta HOSTCOM of support
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa
of Delta State,a has
reassured the state chapter of
Host Communities of Nigeria
( HOSTCOM) of adequate
support to ensure lasting
peace and development to the
oil producing communities
and areas in the state.
Governor Okowa, who was
represented by the Chief of
Staff, Hon. Tam Brisibe, at the
inauguration of Delta State
Executives of HOSTCOM, at
PTI, Effurun, Delta State, also
charged HOSTCOM to
ensure implementation of the
Local Content Act by
multinationals operating in
the communities to engage
indigenes profitably.
Also, the immediate past
Delta State Chairman of
HOSTCOM, Dr. Peter Kelly
Edegegbe, called on
HOSTCOM and Deltans to
support the re-election of
Governor Okowa in 2019,
saying the Governor has
contributed immensely to the
growth and welfare of
HOSTCOM in the state.
Meanwhile, the new state
chairman of HOSTCOM,
Evang. Gabriel Isibeluo, in his
speech after the inauguration
of the executives assured Delta
State government, traditional
rulers, leaders of host
communities, that
HOSTCOM will continue to
provide enabling
environment for increased oil
production.
Isibeluo was sworn in with
other 31-man state executive
of HOSTCOM by the acting
national chairman of
HOSTCOM, High Chief
Benjamin Style Tamaranebi.
By Festus Ahon
A
chieftain of the
People's Democratic
Party, PDP, in Delta
State, Chief Emmanuel
Okumagba, has told
politicians, especially those
seeking for elective positions
not to see politics as a do-ordie,
insisting that only God
gives power.
Okumagba who stated this
when Mr George Eburu, an
aspirant for Delta State House
of Assembly in Warri South
constituency II, paid him a
consultative visit, told them to
go about their electoral
campaigns peacefully.
2019: Politics is not do-or-die affair,
Okumagba tells aspirants
He said "politics of
bitterness promotes acrimony
and creates hatred and
disunity".
Chief Okumagba charged
Mr Eburu to go about his
campaigns peacefully and
"leave the rest for God; there
is time for everyone to
occupy the position God has
destined for him or her".
Speaking earlier, Eburu
who was accompanied by his
supporters' group, Grassroot
Mobilization, told Chief
Emmanuel Okumagba that
he was in the House of
Assembly race to impact
positively on his people.
He said he was inspired to
contest for the position to
enable his people get the
dividends of democracy in all
ramifications, adding that "I
am ready to put smiles on the
faces of my people".
To this end, Eburu called on
the people to support him,
promising not disappoint
them when elected.