29092019 - 2023: Controversy over Pastor Tunde Bakare's prophecy on Buhari's

PAGE 28—SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEMBER 29, 2019
You can rec<strong>over</strong> all
n the next couple of days,
Iwe should be moving to
the end of September, while
many are singing new songs
of joy, others are waiting to
celebrate and be celebrated.
Life is a mixed bag of ups
and downs but as Christians
we have a redeemer in our
Lord Jesus and we are confident
that because He lives, we
shall <strong>over</strong>come.
As human beings we are
sometimes confronted with
challenges that are beyond
our capacity to resolve. These
challenges are either physical
or spiritual. At other times, a
combination of both.
Some are opportunities
missed, others opportunities
that never came our way.
The good news for us as
Christians is that we can rec<strong>over</strong>
all.
I don’t know what you may
have lost in the course of the
year but with God on your side,
you shall rec<strong>over</strong> all.
For someone in business,
who has had to contend with
low patronage, such a person
is not likely to record any
boom. Indeed, she may be recording
losses.
Joyfulhomes2015@gmail.com
For a young graduate
whose school mates have secured
good jobs but he still
goes about seeking a job, that
person is likely to have sense
of loss.
For the woman who has not
been able to raise her biological
marriage, she is likely to
have a sense of loss. Especially
when she is in the company
of her friends who got married
about the same time and
has raised children.
Or the case of a woman that
gets pregnant but has been unable
to carry her baby in her
hands as a result of continuous
miscarriages or still birth.
The point here is that we
sometimes have a sense of
loss not just for what we posses
and lost but also those
things that we desire to have
but have not been able to obtain.
Whatever it is that we are
going through, we must always
bear in mind that the level
of our faith is a factor that
keeps us going. Hardly will a
person whose faith level is
high contemplate suicide as
a solution to any challenge.
Truly, there are situations in
life that could make one wonder
if indeed God answers
prayers.
Indeed God answers prayers
but faith is crucial.
A person who decides to abstain
from church activities
or any gathering of fellow
Christians may be dropping
in his or her level of faith.
The Holy Bible tells us in
Romans 10 vs. 17 ( GNB) “
So then, faith comes from
hearing the message, and the
message comes through
preaching Christ”.
For those who have faith in
God, any loss is seen as temporary
because they have faith
that they can rec<strong>over</strong>.
Once we are still alive, we
can rec<strong>over</strong>. It is only the dead
that cannot rec<strong>over</strong>.
A good example of someone
who lost all but never lost
his faith is Job
Job 1 vs. 13- 22 tells us how
Job lost his children, his
wealth, property etc.
See how Job reacted in verses
20-22 ( Good News Bible) “
Then Job stood up and tore
his clothes in grief. He shaved
his head and threw himself
downwards on the ground.
He said, I was born with nothing,
and I will die with nothing.
The Lord gave , and now
he has taken away. May his
name be praised. In spite of
everything that had happened,
Job did not sin by blaming
God”.
Brethren, how many of us
can behave like Job? Do you
Our God is able to
deliver us from all
challenges; physical
or spiritual. We have
a duty to remain
strong in faith
not say to yourself, that you
have nothing to do with Christianity
because of your inability
to achieve your goals ? Did
you also note that Job refused
to blame God as many of us
do today?,
Whereas, Job who owned
the children, property and
other things didn’t blame
God, the reaction of his wife
was different. Job 2 vs. 9
(GNB) “ His wife said to him
, “ You are still as faithful as
ever, aren’t you? Why don’t you
curse God and die?”.
Many of us today have the
attitude of Job’s wife , which
is that of low level or faith or
lack of faith.
This is one reason why we
must be careful with the kind
of advice we adhere to when
we are faced with challenges.
When we are <strong>over</strong>whelmed
with challenges, it takes the
grace of God to remain faithful
.
Verse 10 of the same chapter
tells us how Job reacted to
his wife’s suggestion. “ Job answered,
“ You are talking nonsense!
When God sends us
something good, we welcome
it . How can we complain
when he sends us trouble?. In
spite of everything he suffered,
Job said nothing against
God”.
With Job’s response, it is
clear that he didn’t know that
what befell him was not from
God but he kept his faith by
saying nothing against God.
In the same way, many of
the challenges we experience
today are not from God. They
are mainly from human beings
who are in alliance with
demonic forces.
After all that Job went
through, God rose for him.
For someone reading this
column today, God will arise
for you in the name of Jesus.
Job 42 vs. 12 & 13 (GNB) “
The LORD blessed the last
part of Job’s life even more
than he had blessed the first.
Job owned 14,000 sheep,
6,000 camels, 2.000 head of
cattle, and 1,000 donkeys. He
was the father of seven sons
and three daughters “.
That was not all, it was stated
in verses 16 &17 “ Job lived
140 years after this, long
enough to see his grandchildren
and great- grand children.
And then he died at a
very great age”.
Brethren, the Holy Bible
gives many of such examples.
The key message here is that
we should never give up on
the Almighty God.
I’ll share with you the story
of two young ladies who got
married about the same time.
One was fruitful immediately
but the other waited on Lord
for years. The one who started
bearing early had three
children but once the Lord
opened the womb of the one
who was waiting, she had a
set of twins twice. She had
more children than her friend
who didn’t have to wait.
We must also remember like
Job did that we came into the
world with nothing and will
depart with nothing including
children.
This is the reason why we
must not use any method especially
the ones that are not
in line with the word of God
to seek solutions to our challenges.
As we move into the last three
months of the year, let’s intensify
our cries to God for his
mercy so that we end this year
better than we started it.
Our God is able to deliver
us from all challenges; physical
or spiritual.
We have a duty to remain
strong in faith . Whatever you
may be going through, please
don’t stop going to a church
where the word of God is truly
being preached.
The word of God is enough
to change that unpleasant situation.
Trust God, worship
him, serve him, give him
thanks and you will see the
hand of the Almighty God in
your life.
At this time, let’s spare some
time to pray for our country
Nigeria as we mark our 59th
independence anniversary on
October 1st.
May the Lord have mercy
on us all.
Peace of the Lord be with us
all in Jesus name. Amen.
Too Good to Cut
j a n e t . a d e t u
janet.adetu@gmail.com
'Cake Etiquette'(Part 1)
hat’s the mystery be
Whind the wedding
cake? Your wedding day celebration
is incomplete without
that famous wedding delight.
Some brides go simple and
settle for a two tier cake, others
go the whole nine yards
and do as many as a 5-7 tier
cake or better still a cake with
individual layers garnished
with elaborate sugar craft
flowers and embellishments.
Today we are seeing even the
simplest of wedding cakes by
way of multiple cupcakes arranged
in tiers, how times are
changing. The wedding cake
is one of the most eye catching
themes of the wedding,
usually strategically placed
for all to see. The ceremonial
nature of the couple getting
up to cut the cake sends paparazzi
on a frenzy and you
too at times.
Did you know that the wedding
cake has a tradition and
customary role in weddings,
starting as far back as the days
of the Roman Empire?
THE IMPORTANCE OF
THE WEDDING CAKE
AND IT’S SYMBOLISM
(i)Traditionally the wedding
cake is to symbolize the couple
having a prosperous life
together
(ii) The original symbol of
the cake was for the groom to
show his dominance in the
marriage.
(iii)Most cakes are white as
a symbol of purity.
(iv) The cutting of the cake
symbolizes the first joint task
in married life.
(v)The Bride feeding the
groom is a commitment to
vow to help her groom wherever
possible.
(vi) The freezing of the first
layer symbolizes the portion
of the cake to be used during
Flood: Akpabio donates relief materials to
affected communities in Delta, Bayelsa
T
he people of Kpakiama
Community, Bomadi
Local G<strong>over</strong>nment, Delta
State and Ebedebiri Community
in Sagbama Local
G<strong>over</strong>nment, Bayelsa State,
have commended the Minister
of Niger Delta, Senator
Godswill Akpabio for the donation
of relief materials to
flood affected communities.
It was learnt that the minister,
who was touched by the
devastating situation and
damages caused by the flood,
immediately sent relief materials
distributed to the affected
communities.
Prominent Niger Delta activist
and leader from the affected
community, Mr. Tamuno
George confirmed to
newsmen that Senator Akpabio
donated relief materials
to the communities and
thanked him for showing love
to the people.
Meanwhile, youth leaders
in the communities have appreciated
Akpabio for his
kind gestures and also
thanked President Muhammadu
Buhari for appointing
him as minister of Niger Delta.
George said: “ the Minister
of Niger Delta, Senator Akpabio,
on his personal capacity
has demonstrated love to
the people and communities
ravaged by flood, the people
were very happy to receive the
relief materials. We have always
known that the Minister
has good plans for the Niger
Delta region”.
He called on Niger Deltans
to support the minister as he
has outlines laudable programmes
aimed at empowering
youths of the region positively,
adding that Niger Deltans
should expect the best
from the present NDDC under
his supervision . It has been
reported that lives were lost
and several household properties
worth millions of naira
have been destroyed by the
ravaging flood.
the christening of the first
child or in celebration of the
1st wedding anniversary.
Now that you have a fair
idea of what the wedding cake
stands for, it is paramount for
all brides to follow a few basic
rules when choosing their
cake. Remember that your
cake will form one of the center
pieces of attraction as I
mentioned earlier. Everybody
looks forward to that moment,
another time to shine
after all it is your unique day.
Whether you are the bride or
the groom, planning now or
later, I have come up with a
few Etiquette Tips for you
when it comes to settling for a
wedding cake, take note:
10 WEDDING CAKE ETI-
QUETTE TIPS
Today’s wedding cakes
come in all shapes and sizes,
models as well as themes, it is
truly a case of how artistic
your cake designer is.
#1 CHOOSE A CAKE
DESIGNER
In choosing a designer research
into it at least three,
who have either been recommended
or have proven to do
beautiful cakes by reputation.
The designer should be able
to recommend and advise
you on styles according to
your pocket. The cake designer
should be seasoned enough
to tell you the latest trends and
be willing to show off recent
works plus offer cakes to taste.
#2 HAVE A BUDGET
Even if you have the most
ambitious, designers remember
that the average wedding
cake is not cheap. It is a good
idea to set yourself a budget
to work with according to
your entire wedding budget.
Try to stay within it as much
as possible. Your budget will
also determine how durable
the cake may be highly influenced
by the ingredients used.
Some cakes use a dash of alcohol
for preservation so
Aviation infrastructure: Minister calls for
private partnership initiative
The Minister of Avia
tion, Hadi Sirika has
called for private partnership
collaboration in upgrading
infrastructure across
the airports in Nigeria, in order
to promote safety of air
travellers.
He said this through his
chief of staff, Dr Ibrahim Idris,
at a summit organised by
Association of Foreign Airlines
and Representatives in
Nigeria (AFARN), at Sheraton
hotel, Lagos.
According to him, the Federal
G<strong>over</strong>nment is putting
measures in place to upgrade
infrastructure at airports
across the country. This, he
said, requires private partnership
synergy to ensure safety
at all times.
He said, “Nigeria has been
recognised by the international
community as the most improved
country in Aviation
safety. The g<strong>over</strong>nment is still
working tirelessly to contin-
ue improving on safety measures
in the industry because
this is very crucial”.
Also speaking, the president
of AFARN, Mr Kingsley
Nwokoma said, “The theme
of this year’s summit is ‘Unlocking
potentials in Aviation
through safety’. This topic was
carefully chosen as safety remains
the bedrock of Aviation
practice the world <strong>over</strong>, without
which those who ply their
trade in the industry may seem
to be paying lip service.
“There are remarkable improvements
and growth in the
system given that the number
of flying public has not
dropped. We can do better by
upgrading infrastructure
across board to give room for
more investment opportunities”.
The summit ended with
awards presentation to outstanding
stakeholders in Aviation
business, as well as journalists
c<strong>over</strong>ing the industry.
think carefully when deciding
your budget.
#3 CHOOSE YOUR DE-
SIGN
It is your wedding and your
theme, most times the designer
will run with your thoughts
and imagination. However
the view of an expert is always
welcoming so it is a good idea
to solicit advice when choosing
a cake maker. Research
into various designs and have
your own creative idea. Ensure
your cake maker is also creative
enough and experienced
to do what you asked for and
possibly more. Why not search
the internet or use your social
media platforms to see a
world of beautifully designed
wedding cakes. I once attended
a wedding when the cake
was in the design of a sleek
car because the couple were
both engineers, it was so original.
#4 IDENTIFY YOUR
THEME/COLOUR
SCHEME
Your theme can include floral
designs like sugar flowers,
ribbons or drapes. You may
decide to choose round,
square, hexagon or heart
shapes for your cakes.
It is important that the colours
of your cake match the
decor of the reception and the
colour theme of your wedding
including dresses. Be careful
when choosing colours because
not all colours work
well with cakes and the icing,
The prettier the cake the more
inclined your guests would be
to eat it.
CAKE TASTING
It is important to make an
appointment with different
cake designers to taste their
different cakes and flavours.
You should be looking out for:-
·Texture: - Moist, Firm.
·Flavour: - Vanilla, Chocolate,
Almond lemon, orange,
coffee or chocolate and many
more.
·Type/Texture: - Fruit, Carrot,
Sponge
·Fillings: - Cream, Jam, Butter
cream
·Decor: - Flowers, edible/
non-edible
·Design: - Tiers or Cupcakes
Watch out for Part 2
Experts make case for Biogas as
alternative to energy resource
By Perez Brisibe
NERGY experts in the
Ecountry have met at
Abuja to brainstorm on
measures for a sustainable
Biogas technology adaptation
and utilization in Nigeria as
an alternative energy source
for economic development
capable of unlocking foreign
direct investment in the country
Ṫhe experts at the 3rd Federal
University of Petroleum/
University of Abuja Higher
Education Partnership for
Sub-Saharan Africa (HEP-
SSA) project: Biogas for Sustainable
Energy and Offgrid
project sharing workshop,
focused on the need for
Nigeria to have a policy
framework for implementation
as an urgent and necessary
way forward to obtaining
energy through Biogas
production.
In a communique at the end
of the workshop which had
paper presentations from the
academia in the energy sector,
the experts who spoke lamented
the energy deficit in
the country, lack of biogas
standards, its prospects and
challenges, lack of adequate
public awareness among others
challenges bedeviling the
country.
In a resolution signed by the
FUPRE-HEP-SSA project coordinator
and local organizing
committee chairman,
Engr. Omonigho Otanocha
and Dr. Musa Zarmai at the
end of the event, the experts
resolved that policy formation
and implementation is a necessity
at the current stage of
biogas development construction
and utilization in Nigeria
Ȯther resolutions reached
include: The need to adhere
to standards which must be
developed and adhered to,
research, development and
retraining; among others