20022021 - INSECURITY Give us state police now - Govs

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24—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 20, 2021 bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk Romance - The great stress buster! (Valentine’s Day Special) To renounce your individuality completely, to see with another’s eyes, to hear with another’s ears, to be two, and yet, but one, to so melt and mingle that you no longer know you are you or another, to constantly absorb and constantly radiate, to double your personality in bestowing it – that is love” - Theophile Gauter. “Few things”, said Alain, a chronic romantic; “can rival stumbling bleary-eyed on the morning mail and finding a letter bearing the handwriting of your beloved. I imagine tearing open the envelope and being caressed by a flow of prose, full of tender compliments, unambiguous sentiment and courageous displays of affection. He misses you; he can think of nothing else or no one else but you. He stumbles to find the right words. He could never bring himself to say it before, but yes, you are his flower, his Venus, his honey pie. He longs to hold you in his arms to kiss the nape of your neck and caress your eye-brows till the end of time...” My God! Can this be the same tongue tied character who yesterday would rather have climbed Everest than say, “I missed you?” Who would have thought that beneath this exterior lurked a most passionate and sensual wordsmith? It’s St. Valentine’s season once again dear readers. Yes, romance ought to be in the air. This hasn’t been a particularly happy year so far. What with the aftermath of political and non-political shenanigans, the ASUU sixmonth strike actions and your stress over how you’re going to pay that huge over draft you wheedled but of your disapproving bank manager to pay yet another batch of school fees? But optimistic we should be and the year is not ended yet. Who knows what pleasant surprise these adventures that are our leaders have up their sleeves for us? So cheer up then! I’ve gone through my archives with a tooth comb to bring you few of the best passionate letters that spanned three centuries. So, sit back and enjoy them! Should take your mind off the seething rage you now feel! Remember the French warrior, Napoleon Bonaparte and his Waterloo fiasco? Beneath his warring heart apparently beat a very romantic and passionate one: In 1776, he wrote the love of his life, Josephine: “I have not spent a day without loving you; I have not spent a night without embracing you; I have not drunk a single cup of tea without cursing the pride and ambition which force me to remain separated from the moving spirit of my life. In the midst of my cities, whether I’m at the head of my, army or inspecting the camps, my beloved Josephine stands alone in my heart, occupies my mind, fills my thoughts. If am moving away from you with the speed of the Rhone torrent, it is only that I may see you again more quickly. “Dear Nora”, wrote James Joyce, the author of classics like Ulysses and The Portrait of the Artist As A Young Man, in 1904: “I came in at half past eleven, since then I have been sitting in an easy chair like a fool. I could do nothing. I hear nothing but your voice... I am like a fool, hearing you call me “dear”. “When I am with you, I leave aside my contemptuous, suspicious nature. I wish I felt your head on my shoulder. I think I will go to bed...” Zelda Sayre, fiancé of Scott Fitzgeralf wrote in 1919 before they got married: “Sweetheart, please don’t be so depressed. We’ll be married soon and then these lonesome nights will be over for ever – Scott, there’s nothing in all the world I want but you and your precious love... I would do anything to keep your heart for my own. I don’t want to live, I want to love first, and live incidentally. Don’t ever think of the things you can’t give me; you have trusted me with the dearest heart of all and it is so damn much more than anybody else in all the world has ever had...” Franz Liszi, whose lover Marie d’ Agoult, left her husband to elope with him wrote her this: “My heart overflows with emotion and joy! I do not know what heavenly languor, what infinite pleasure permeates it and burns me up. It is as if I have never loved!!!. Tell me, whence these uncanny disturbances spring, these inexpressible foretastes of delight, these divine tremors of love... All this can only be, is surely nothing less than a gentle ray screaming from your fiery soul, or else, some secret pregnant tear-drop which you have long since left in my breast. “Marie! Marie! Oh, let me repeat that name a hundred times over; for three days now, it has lived within me, oppressed me, set me afire ... Oh! Leave me free, to rave in my delirium. Drab, tame, constricting reality is no longer enough for me. We must live our life to the full, living and suffering to extremes! This is to be! To be!!!” Another literary giant, John Keats in 1819, wrote his heartthrob, Fanny Brawne: “Even when I’m not thinking of you, I receive your influence and tenderer nature stealing upon me. All my thoughts, my unhappiest days and nights have I found not at all cured of my love of beauty, but made it so intense that I am miserable that you are not with me or rather I Good fortunes can actually come your way Forget four-leaf clovers, horse-shoes, and lucky charms – “If you want good fortune to smile on you, all you need to do is get into a lucky frame of mind, then sit back and enjoy as everything starts going your way...” advises Professor R. Wiseman in his book: The Lucky factor. Here are some of the steps he recommends to help you find your lucky self: Step 1: Reset your mind: The first step on the road to good fortune is to programme your mind to think of yourself as fortunate. Start, by resisting the temptation to relive your past failures and worries. Many of us do this, but all it achieves is to blind you to any good coming your way. Lucky people get things in perspective, look for opportunities in a disaster and focus on the future. Try this: ‘Refraining’ is a technique often employed by psychotherapists to help clients get positive perspective. It involves placing an experience that you’re viewing negatively into another frame, which still fits the facts of the situation equally well or even better, but changes its entire meaning. So if, for example, you were unsuccessful in a job interview, instead of concluding that you’re always unlucky, congratulate yourself on getting an interview and consider the positive things that have come out of it. Step 2: Pat yourself on the back: Professor Wiseman’s studies show that successful people don’t assume their winning catch in a netball game was due to change – they put it down to their skill. So don’t tell yourself that what you’ve achieved is a fluke; think of it as an example of your ability. Try this: Wiseman recommends keeping a luck ‘Journal’, where you note down all the good things that have happened to you along with how you’ve influenced the outcome. So, for example, it might be that you looked great in a pair of jeans you’ve just bought (because you’ve been to the gym regularly). Step 3: Look Lucky: Lucky people expect, and are always open to good fortune, which radiates from the way they carry themselves. Make yourself one of them by mimicking their body language. Folded arms hunched shoulders and lack of eye contact are all clear signals that you’re feeling uncomfortable, which won’t make people warm to you. Instead, look up and around and smile – how else are you going to get lucky in love if you miss the opportunity to catch the eye of the handsome guy at the bar? Try this: If you find yourself worried about making a fool of yourself, or messing up, Wiseman suggests creating your own lucky mantra. Start and end each day by repeating a sentence that makes you feel positive such as, “Things are going to go my way.” Soon, it will filter into your subconscious and become part of the way you perceive yourself, and a natural part of how you interact with others.” Step 4:Become a social butterfly: Lucky people have broader social networks than others, which increases the chances of them having lucky encounters,” says Professor Wiseman. “We asked thousands of people to classify themselves as either lucky, neutral (neither lucky nor unlucky), or unlucky. Next, they were presented with a list of 15 common British surnames and asked to indicate whether they were on first-name terms with at least one person for each surname. The results were dramatic and demonstrated the huge relationship between lucky and social connectivity. breathe in that dull sort of patience that cannot be called life. I never knew before what such a love as you have made me feel was; I did not believe in it, my fancy was afraid of it lest it should bum me up... I would never see nothing but pleasure in your eyes, love on your tips, and happiness in your steps...” Our last letter is from an unknown housewife who could compete with the best wordsmith any day. She wrote her husband. “It’s been fifteen years now since I became your wife. I never got a diamond, but I got a wonderful life. I’ve become a wealthy woman, have riches without price. You’ve given me beautiful children, not just once, not twice, but thrice. “You’re there to boost my ego, and help my confidence grow. I’ve become a better person, with your love for me, I know. Yes, I’m a wealthy woman. I’ve riches beyond measure. I don’t need valentine present. You are my greatest treasure”. Still deliberating on St. Valentine’s Day, do you know that Valentine card originated through St. Valentine, a third century Christian who was martyred on 14 th February in AD270? During imprisonment, he restored the sight of his gaoler’s daughter, and on the eve of his execution, sent her a farewell note, signing it ‘from your Valentine.’ The custom of sending Valentine cards was later revived in 1926 by Lady Jeanette Tuck, the wife of the greetings card planner, Sir Adoph Tuck. She realised that the Victorian lady, no longer young and a little unhappy with the pace of the twenties, would welcome the opportunity to send a courtly token of affection to someone she loved. The custom has since gone from strength to strength! So, this is hoping that you will all have a lovely celebration of love, (and life, come to think of it!). With naughty smiles on your face remembering that: “Nature couldn’t make us perfect, so, she did the best thing – she made us blind to our faults, just as love is blind to the faults of the one upon whom it is bestowed”.
SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 20, 2021—25 Abefe has finally been dislodged from her exalted position as the Queen of the Manor. The one who reigned supreme until the most brutal and unkind dethronement recently, as the official matriarch of the family, has been pushed off the top of the ladder. In the most intriguing and damning manner, Abefe is no longer the one to be referred to as “Madam” by all. She can no longer determine who gets what and when it is due to them, of her husband’s wealth and connections. No more is she the woman to whom all the PR and patronages for oga’s favours must be deposited. For, at the height of her reign, you might not be able to see oga, either at home or in the office without her consent. As the official Mrs., She attended all the social and official functions, even registering her presence with or without her husband in tow. As “Emi-oga”, Abefe was the all in all of the title and all it entails. But like a flash of lightning, Abefe’s world had come crashing down all around her. In a twinkle of an eye, everything she had come to identify as her own, right or wrong was snatched from her, leaving her in a state of shock and bewilderment. As the reality of what has transpired right before her eyes dawned on Abefe, the once exalted queen of the manor, has found herself desolate, alone and bereft of the will to live. For without her king, she is nought. Now, weeks after, Abefe looks like one in mourning, only that the one for whom she mourns is still alive, hale and hearty but lost to her now cold arms. Her king has acquired a new queen. This one, much younger, more beautiful and classy, better educated, exotic to behold, soft to the touch, above all, is still very flexible at the joints and knows how to tickle the king’s fanny, such that Abefe is no longer top on his list of pleasure items. Abefe no longer gave him the kind of pleasures this younger, beautiful arm candy does. Yes, she made him feel young, needed as a child needs her loving daddy to care for her. The young Yetunde Arebi The fall of Abefe’s kingdom lady’s hopes, safety and happiness depends of Abefe’s king and he was going to give her his cover, openly and officially. Only Abefe could come against his wishes and he was prepared to sacrifice her and all they’d shared in over 20 years. The die was cast. Abefe just had to take the fall, so he could move on with his quest for the desires of the heart and the pleasures on the loins. Abefe, now thrown from grace to grace battles with humiliation, her pride and honour snatched away, she desires nothing except for the ground to open up and swallow her. She thinks that death is better than the shame she is going through. Better than the segregation she will suffer from the circle of honoured For in Nigeria, you only need to have the right connection and not necessarily what good you have to offer Stanford Wives’ Association. Better that the exclusion from creme de la creme of high society parties and functions. Yeah, better than being subject to the questioning gazes of people once regarded as friends, trying to figure out if all she’d been accused of are indeed true. And better than stand by, out in the cold, to watch as a little slip of a girl mount her throne to fit perfectly into her shoes. Had anyone informed Abefe that her throne was under threat by another devouring female a couple of years back, she would have scorned it off as anyone as sure of her position ought to. For Abefe was sure that her king had reached his final destination in the journey of life and love. At close to three scores and ten, was there anything extraordinary to be searching for on the love track? All he needed was some stability in his life to enable him enjoy his wealth and status in society. So, with respect, she’d ‘mummied’ him into boredom, packing his lunch and cleaning his mess after him in silence. For her king did mess up a lot, not sparing maids and nieces in the trail of his rampaging libido. All these she’d endured for the sake of the throne, dragging her family along on the journey of emotional and sexual abuse. A sacrifice now in vain. However, Abefe is not as innocent as she appears. Nay, Abefe has only fallen by the sword she’d once wielded against another as herself. She has only been given a dose Twitter: @yetundearebi yetty5050@yahoo.co.uk 08054700825 of her own medicine, only this time, a more potent brand. For Abefe was not the first queen to mount the throne of honour as Mrs. Her king once had a Queen with whom he’d started life’s journey back in their rustic village. She was once his girl in the days of their youth, back in the dark ages when neither of them knew not what laid ahead. She later became his woman and finally wife with whom he bore four blessed children, male and female of equal numbers. Together, they’d struggled to raise their young family, created wealth and dreamt of the good life happily ever after. The good life did come. For in Nigeria, you only need to have the right connection and not necessarily what good you have to offer. The connections bought positions, power and wealth. Alas, it also brought along pain. Abefe was one of the women who walked into the palace another had built with her sweat and blood and quickly decided to covet it for herself. Smitten with her beauty, youth and social lifestyle, a once devoted lover, husband and father soon became estranged from the wife of his youth, and a stranger to his helpless children. He found every reason in the book to convince their family and friends that his once best friend had become an enemy who wished him no good. The queen went from pillar to post, deploring missiles and emissaries to her aid in a bid to secure her palace. Only, it was too late. Abefe’s wiles were too sophisticated to be ignored and the king’s heart had been captured. Thus, Abefe reigned for over 20 years after the banishment of the first queen. It is now Abefe’s turn to be banished from the palace. This time, in a more vicious and well articulated plot. Abefe was led out of the palace in handcuffs on trumped up charges of attempted murder of the king. What a world! Let him that thinks he stands, take heed. Do have a wonderful weekend!! OKONJO-IWEALA: Hope rises for global trade accord By Victoria Ojeme Prior to Monday’s announcement of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the new Di rector-General of the World Trade Organisation, it was not clear who would be the next DG following the impasse orchestrated by former U.S President, Donald Trump’s administration decision not to support the election of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. While Okonjo secured the support of 110 of the 164 member countries and was set to defeat South Korea’s trade minister, Yoo Myunghee at the final stage of the race on October 28th, the United States opposed her candidacy. However, things took a new turn after Yoo Myung-Hee of South Korea, withdrew from the race, leaving just Okonjo-Iweala as the sole candidate. Okonjo-Iweala, was appointed the head of WTO by representatives of the 164 member countries, according to a statement from the body. The appointment came after new U.S. President Joe Biden endorsed her candidacy, which had been blocked by Trump. Biden’s move was a step toward his aim of supporting more cooperative approaches to international problems after Trump’s “America first” approach that launched multiple trade disputes. Okonjo-Iweala is actively involved in mobilizing financial support in the fight against COVID-19 as African Union’s (AU) Special Envoy and a Special Envoy to mobilize International Health Organization’s Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator. According to Wendy Cutler, the Vice President of the Asia Society Policy Institute, Washington DC, “by lifting the US reservation on Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for director-general, Joe Biden stands to gain immediate international goodwill.” The WTO’s decline accelerated dramatically over the past four years, with the United States retreating from leadership, the US–China trade war spilling over to Geneva, and the many excessive trade restrictions imposed worldwide through the COVID-19 crisis. With Director- General Roberto Azevedo’s early departure, the WTO leadership transition has since been less than smooth, with no one serving in an •Okonjo-Iweala acting capacity and the United States blocking consensus on a new director-general. There are still glimmers of hope. Middle powers have undertaken important work, such as the recent statement on trade and health issued by Canada, the European Union, Japan, Australia and others. Biden has also emphasised the importance of working with allies and partners and through international organisations to achieve US foreign and economic policy objectives. And it is hoped that Okonjo-Iweala’s selection will set Nigeria ahead in the International community. Okonjo-Iweala has emphasised her experience fighting COVID-19 as her strong suit. As head of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI) she understands the importance of open trade so that vital supplies can get to where they are needed. During her campaign, she promised to empower the WTO’s secretariat. Some analysts say that could be controversial as some members will resist what they see as a threat to their power over negotiations. But it could also help poorer countries, some of which lack the capacity to draft proposals on their own, making it hard to participate in talks. Her political clout will be useful too. If the problems of the global trading system were purely technical, “they would have been solved long ago”, she told members in July. The Economist suggests that Okonjo-Iweala’s success would also say something about the geopolitics of trade. China rejected Ms Myung-hee which allows it to keep its deputydirector-general spot. (Historically, jobs have been divvied up among regions.) Japan’s nasty trade dispute with South Korea makes it unlikely to support Ms Myung-hee. Brazil, a big exporter of farm products, may have been put off by South Korea’s membership of the G10 group of countries, which staunchly defends agricultural subsidies. Indeed, the agreement on the next director-general was born from a host of disagreements. Former colleagues of Okonjo-Iweala also believe she is well-suited for the position. “Ngozi is one of the most qualified people for that particular post she vied for. So I wish her well in terms of the final decision,” Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, a former minister of national planning, told DW. Okonjo-Iweala and Usman had served alongside each other as ministers under Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011. Before taking up the Cabinet portfolio, Okonjo- Iweala had resigned at the World Bank, where she served for 25 years. An internal memo, addressed to World Bank employees on July 8, 2011, seen by DW, notes that Okonjo-Iweala had played an exceptional role there. Bob Zoellick, the World Bank’s president at the time, wrote that her contribution had been stellar. “Along with her oversight of the bank’s work in Africa, South Asia, Europe, and Central Asia, and Human Resources, Ngozi has played a pivotal role in overseeing the Bank’s work to help countries hurt by high and volatile food prices,” Zoellick wrote in the memo. “As you are aware, with Ngozi’s leadership, we put together a food crisis response fund to allow for fast assistance to countries in need. It has helped more than 40 million people in 44 countries.” “I know that she will discharge her duties very well as she has done in a lot of jobs she has held before,” Usman said of his former colleague. Okonjo-Iweala will have her work cut out for her particularly in terms of the ongoing dispute between the US and China. She will become the first African and the first woman The appointment came after new U.S. President Joe Biden endorsed her candidacy, which had been blocked by Trump to hold the top position at the WTO. “I see her appointment as a validation of African women’s competency and leadership skills, and of African women’s excelling despite the systematic hurdles and obstacles facing them,” Fadumo Dayib, the first female Somali presidential candidate, told DW. Dayib added that the choice of Okonjo-Iweala is a sign that “the tide is turning in favour of competent women and it’s about time that happened.” Nigerian economist Tunji Andrews agrees with Dayib. He says the international community has finally realized that Africans can sit at the table with global powers. “Many people across the world will start to say, let’s put more Africans in such roles, not just roles of peacekeeping, but roles of intellectual capacity and roles of pedigree.” Although Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will make history by becoming the first female and black African to lead WTO, Amara Nwankpa says his fellow Nigerian brings more than just “diversity and inclusion” to the world stage. “I’m optimistic that her impact on global trade will be positive, given that her antecedents suggest that she’s passionately committed to reducing inequality, poverty, and corruption across the world,” Nwankpa, director of Public Policy Initiative at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation, a Nigerian nonprofit that is committed to promoting national unity and good governance, told DW. During her second term as finance minister, Okonjo-Iweala was “credited with developing reform programs that helped improve governmental transparency and stabilize the economy,” according to the US business magazine Forbes, which ranked her No. 48 in the world’s top 50 “Power Women” in 2015. The Harvard-educated economist holds a Ph.D. from MIT and chairs the Gavi board, a global vaccine alliance instrumental in ensuring that developing countries have much-needed access to COV- ID-19 vaccines. Nwankpa says her background shows that “she brings to this job impressive skills in international negotiations and leadership capacity to confront the key challenges currently facing the planet.” “She’s exactly the person that the world needs at the helm of international trade in these turbulent times,” he added.
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20022021 - INSECURITY Give us state police now - Govs

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