Four AI-based innovations according to Roselyn Isimeto - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

1) AI-powered Bank Customer Service Assistant
I built an AI-powered assistant for customer service care in Retail Banking. It is an app that engages customers in conversational interactions. 

It automates routine tasks such as customer inquiries, complaints and account management, freeing up human resources to focus on higher-value activities. 

ECOWAS and Niger: Epistle according to Bode George - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

I write to you as a Nigerian, a retired General in the Nigerian military, a patriot and a war tactician.

On July 26, 2023, the Commander of the Presidential Guard in Niger Republic, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, seized power and is now the new strongman of the Nigerien Armed Forces.

Every day fight against false news according to Facebook - ITREALMS

MidWeek Commentary@ITREALMS:

In this new series, we'll look at some pieces of false news that recently circulated on Facebook — both those we've caught, and some we caught too late. 

Every day, our team fights the spread of false news through a combination of technology and assessments from independent third-party fact-checkers. With every false story that surfaces, we learn a bit more about how misinformation takes shape online and, hopefully, how we can detect it earlier. In this new series, we'll look at some pieces of false news that recently circulated on Facebook — both those we've caught and some we missed.

What we saw
This summer, a video featuring CCTV footage was re-shared by multiple accounts across several social networks. In the video, a man wearing a white robe and a shemagh, or head scarf, spits in the face of a blonde woman in what appears to be a hospital reception station. The accompanying caption reads, “Man from Saudi spits in the face of the poor receptionist at a Hospital in London then attacks other staff.”

Was it true?
While the video is real, the AFP reports, the incident occurred in a veterinary hospital in Kuwait in 2017 and was being recirculated this summer with a falsified caption.

What to know
One of the primary types of video- and photo-based misinformation involves old images or videos paired with captions or commentary that misrepresent their context . These posts are often used to fuel xenophobic sentiments and are often targeted at migrants and refugees, as the International Fact-Checking Network — the association that certifies the third-party fact-checkers we partner with — has explained. On Facebook, we've seen years-old images of violent acts, protests and war zones reposted and used to inflame current racial or ethnic tensions.

How we found it
There are two primary ways we find stories that are likely to be false: either we use machine learning to detect potentially false stories on Facebook, or else they're identified by our third-party fact-checkers themselves. In this case, the AFP found the out-of-context video.

Once a potentially false story has been found — regardless of how it was identified — fact-checkers review the claims in the story, rate their accuracy and provide an explanation as to how they arrived at their rating. The AFP investigated this video and its caption and submitted a “false” rating and explainer article, which led us to reduce its distribution in News Feed.

What we saw
Following the September 6 stabbing in Juiz de Fora, Brazil, of Representative Jair Bolsonaro, a candidate in Brazil’s presidential election, a photo circulated on Facebook of a man next to Senator Gleisi Hoffmann. The caption claimed that the man in the photo was Bolsonaro's attacker.

Was it true?
Brazilian fact-checker Aos Fatos reviewed the photo and found that not only was the man standing next to Hoffman not Bolsonaro's attacker, the photo was taken at an event in a completely different city, Curitiba.

What to know
Violent events like the attack on Bolsonaro can lead to a wave of misinformation about perpetrators, with fabricated posts making false claims about an assailant's identity and ideological motivations. Similar internet memes have circulated in the US following events like the Las Vegas shooting in 2017 and the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018.

How we found it 
Our machine learning model identified this photo as being potentially false, and Brazilian fact-checker Aos Fatos reviewed the photo. They determined that the man pictured was not the attacker and that the event depicted was not in Juiz de Fora.

Based on Aos Fatos' “false” rating, we demoted the image in News Feed. We were also able to use photo detection technology to identify and demote thousands of identical photos that had been natively uploaded to Facebook. Using machine learning to find duplicates of debunked stories is an important technique for both photo-based and article-based misinformation. Because so much content is posted to Facebook every day, automation helps make the duplication detection process much more efficient, allowing us to find more instances of misinformation, faster.

What we saw
This story, published by the website World Facts FTW, claimed that NASA was looking to compensate volunteers up to $100,000 to participate in 60-day "bed rest studies.” The headline certainly seemed enticing — the post racked up millions of views on Facebook.

Was it true?
US-based fact-checker Politifact investigated this story and while they found that NASA has paid people to stay in bed for long periods of time, the headline of this particular story was misleading. The photos in the World Facts FTW article came from a 2015 Vice article about a NASA medical research study for which the author stayed in bed for 70 days but was only paid $18,000, not $100,000. (Politifact used a reverse image search to find the Vice article.) Politifact couldn't get verification for the $100,000 claim from either NASA and World Facts FTW, so they rated the article's central claim as false.

What to know
We're getting better at detecting and enforcing against false news, even as perpetrators' tactics continue to evolve. And while we caught and reduced the distribution of many pieces of misinformation on Facebook this summer, there are still some we miss. This can happen when:

• We fail to identify the misinformation at all
• We identify a piece of content as misinformation, but after it's already gone viral
• We identify a piece of misinformation early, but it goes viral in the time it takes for fact-checkers to research it and provide a veracity rating

In this particular case, we were able to identify this older article than had been circulating on Facebook for months, using an improved similarity detection process we've implemented. It took us too long to enforce against this piece, and we continue to develop new technology to catch these kinds of stories in the future, before they go viral.

How we found it
This article was originally posted in September 2017. In July 2018, US-based fact-checker Politifact investigated the story and, as described above, determined the central claim was false.

Our similarity detection process matched the “false” verdict from the investigation article on Politifact's website to the instance of the World Fact FTW article that was circulating on Facebook. Based on this potential match, our system enqueued the version of the story that was circulating on Facebook to our network of fact-checkers and The Weekly Standard reviewed it and also assigned it a “false” rating. Based on this rating, we demoted all Facebook posts linking to the article.

*Contributed by Antonia Woodford, Product Manager, Facebook

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African smart innovation gospel, according to Nkem Begho

ITREALMS:

The Chief Executive Officer of  Future Software Resources Limited, Nkemdilim Begho, today, joined Heads of African State, delegations of 80 member countries, international organizations, government establishments, public corporations, private businesses, financial institutions, media, among others in South Korea, adding voice to the promotion of African smart innovation and entrepreneurship, reports ITRealms.

Speaking at the dual conferences in South Korea, tagged KOAFEC 2018 and the African Development Bank Meeting 2018, alongside other leading voices in Africa including Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Board Chair, Gavi, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, between 21^st May, 2018 through 25th at the BEXCO, Busan.

Begho told ITRealms ahead of the meetings that as a strong promoter of software in Nigeria, that Africa has a lot of potential in embracing and leap-frogging smart infrastructure, as well as building strategic economic growth through innovation and entrepreneurship.

The KOAFEC 2018 panel discussion, according to her, would  focus on how smart infrastructure could contribute to Africa’s socio-economic transformation in the areas such as energy, transportation, agriculture, sustainable environment, health, education, e-government, ICT, etc. 

Some of the panelists, ITRealms gathered, include: Mr. Amadou Hott, Vice President, Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth, African Development Bank,  Ms. Nkemdilim Begho, CEO,  Future Software Resources Ltd, Mr. John Tanui, Chief Executive Officer, Konza Technopolis Development Authority,  Mr. Sérgio Pimenta, Vice President for Africa & MENA, International Finance Corporation, Mr. Mark Hyung-Joon Kim, Executive Vice President, Korea Telecom and  Mr. Young-hoon Chang,Executive Director, EDCF Group, The Export-Import Bank of Korea.

As said by Mrs Begho, who is software guru and leading women in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Nigeria, her discussion would focus on how software and IT consultancy service providers like Future Software Resources Limited could be involved in the development of smart infrastructure in Africa.

ITRealms also gathered that some key talking points for her, include: IT Consultancy Services, Development of end user applications and interfaces, Driving Digital inclusion,  Inclusive Content creation and development in local languages,  

“Digital Marketing to engage with the citizens to drive adoption rates,  Capacity Development to increase skilled labour and ensure self-sustainability of the smart infrastructure, among others are key  touchpoints,” she said.

Further, she said, the second session panelists at the African Development Bank meeting would be dealing with how best to  promote innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa.

Underlining focus, she said, would be the current status of startups in Africa and the future plans for expanding innovation and entrepreneurship on the continent. 

Begho who has represented Nigeria in other global forums to tell the story of how best Nigeria could be retool, said that the key objective on the second panel would contribute to innovation that raises productivity and growth, leading to job creation and poverty reduction in developing countries.

Equally, she said, the discussion, would  focus on  the need for the 4th Industrial Revolution and Entrepreneurship, role of Public - Private sector to activate innovation and entrepreneurship,  International Cooperation to expand join ventures, exchange of Technology and Human Resources of companies in Africa, current status of startups in Africa and action plan, strategies for Startups and Scale-ups,  role of young African Entrepreneurs and  ways  of shared growth and sustainability between Africa and Asia 

Notable panelists at this session, she said, would include Connyong Jennifer Moon, Chief Anchor, Arirang TV Network, Patrick Vermeulen, Professor and Academic Director, Radboud University, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Board Chair, Gavi, Hanan Morsy and Director, Macroeconomic Forecasting and Research, AfDB.

Nenye Dom/ED, Ops

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Mass is boring according to Rev. Fr Leo Awojinrin

SundaySermon@ITREALMS:

There are so many comments I have heard about the Holy Mass from Catholics ranging from how conservative it is, to how it makes them sleep, to how they look forward to seeing certain Priests before they can attend mass. Well, I just feel very sorry for many.

I came by some words written by Matthew Kelly, the New York times best selling Author thus: 'Anyone who says I'm bored actually insults God, but to say Mass is boring is a higher level of insult on God'. My quotation of his writing may not be exact but the sense is well captured. Analytically, no one can be bored because God has given us something to engage us always. If you haven't discovered yours, then think harder!

My own concern is when people think that the Catholic worship must give you the kind of pleasure you get after a meal in an expensive eatery or after seeing Black Panther in a cinema or after shopping for the things you love from Shoprite or after mtn, glo, or airtel give you awoof airtime. No! Little wonder, our new generation of Pastors invite Comedians into Church on Sundays to entertain the members. God, we are sorry!

The Holy Mass is strictly meant to facilitate an encounter with God. Your primary aim of worshipping in Church is to meet with God. You are not in Church to meet with a particular Priest who tells stories during his homily. 

You are not in Church to laugh at anything that is amusing during the sacred worship. You are not in Church to charge your phone as many people do since the generator will always be on. You are not in Church to look for beautiful girls or fine boys who can serve as life partners. You are not in Church to occupy space by just sitting down without being part of the worship.

As the document of the Church Fathers, Sacrosactum Concilium teaches 'our participation at the liturgy of the Church must be full, conscious, active and fruitful'. When you are at Mass, you must sing when they sing, dance when you are meant to dance, stand when it is required, kneel when it is called for, pray when you are meant to, recite where recitation is needed. 

An attempt at this can make the mass a huge blessing to anyone who participates. If you participates fully, consciously, actively and still feel bored then you may have to see your Doctor for a special diagnosis. And please, stop calling the Mass a service. A service is worship led by a lay minister like a Seminarian, Catechist, Lay leader etc but the Mass is the worship celebrated only by a validly ordained Priest. Let us not confuse them. Worship can never be boring. It is always a source of goodness from God. Discover it and you will be blessed.

*Rev. Fr. Leo Awojinrin is of Catholic Diocese of Ijebe-Ode 

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Overcoming depression according to Yudala

Commentary@ITRealms:

Have you ever heard people refer to some illnesses as “White people problem”? Treating some ailments as trivial because we do not understand it, is one of the biggest mistakes we can make. Not only is depression real, it claims lives without any warnings. It is time we started acknowledging these silent killers before they catch up with the next victim.

Yudala, the largest online and offline retail chain examines a few of these mental health disorders and tips to cope.

Mental health issues are often glossed over or rarely given the right attention in this part of the world. Cases abound of people who abruptly ended their lives, leaving behind grieving loved ones who struggle to make meaning of the tragedy.

The stress of daily living in some of our over-crowded cities may be a causative factor for some of these ailments such as social anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and personality disorders, among others. Traumatic situations such as the death of a loved one or job losses could also pre-dispose an individual to such issues.

Being depressed can make you feel helpless. You’re not. Along with therapy and sometimes medication, there’s a lot you can do on your own to fight back. Changing your behavior — your physical activity, lifestyle, and even your way of thinking — are all natural depression treatments.

These tips from Web MD can help you feel better — starting right now.

1. Get in a routine. If you’re depressed, you need a routine, says Ian Cook, a psychiatrist and director of the Depression Research and Clinic Program at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Depression can strip away the structure from your life. One day melts into the next. Setting a gentle daily schedule can help you get back on track.

2. Set goals. When you’re depressed, you may feel like you can’t accomplish anything. That makes you feel worse about yourself. To push back, set daily goals for yourself. As you start to feel better, you can add more challenging daily goals.

3. Exercise. It temporarily boosts feel-good chemicals called endorphins. It may also have long-term benefits for people with depression. Regular exercise seems to encourage the brain to rewire itself in positive ways, Cook says. How much exercise do you need? You don’t need to run marathons to get a benefit. Just walking a few times a week can help.

4. Eat healthy. There is no magic diet that fixes depression. It’s a good idea to watch what you eat, though. If depression tends to make you over-eat, getting in control of your eating will help you feel better. Although nothing is definitive, there’s evidence that foods with omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon and tuna) and folic acid (such as spinach and avocado) could help ease depression.

5. Get enough sleep. Depression can make it hard to get enough shut-eye, and too little sleep can make depression worse. What can you do? Start by making some changes to your lifestyle. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Try not to nap. Take all the distractions out of your bedroom — no computer and no TV. In time, you may find your sleep improves.

6. Take on responsibilities. When you’re depressed, you may want to pull back from life and give up your responsibilities at home and at work. Don’t. Staying involved and having daily responsibilities can help you maintain a lifestyle that can help counter depression. They ground you and give you a sense of accomplishment. If you’re not up to full-time school or work, that’s fine. Think about part-time. If that seems like too much, consider volunteer work.

7. Challenge negative thoughts. In your fight against depression, a lot of the work is mental — changing how you think. When you’re depressed, you leap to the worst possible conclusions. The next time you’re feeling terrible about yourself, use logic as a natural depression treatment. You might feel like no one likes you, but is there real evidence for that? You might feel like the most worthless person on the planet, but is that really likely? It takes practice, but in time you can beat back those negative thoughts before they get out of control.

If you are depressed or thinking of taking your life or if you know someone who does, please reach out for help at the Nigeria Suicide Prevention Initiative – Hotline +234 806 210 6493.

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FGN Savings Bond: Promoting Savings Culture according to DMO

Commentary@ITRealms: 

It’s very much unlikely that there is an adult person, man or woman, who has never borrowed money at one time or the other. It could be from an individual such as parents, brother or sister, friends or from a lending institution. Institutions, states and nations, just like individuals also borrow to augment revenue and execute projects.

But it is disputable to argue that everyone saves. It is even more so to suggest that everyone engages in long term saving, especially in this clime where there is, for the multitude, a huge disparity between income and expenditure, with the later weighing heavier. 

Yet, some experts have argued that anyone who earns income is capable of saving a part of it, notwithstanding the pay cheque. It is a matter of re-ordering priorities, they argue. Saving is good, especially if it is done on a medium to long term basis with a financial institution that pays interest on savings. It will not only allow one save for the rainy day, as they say, but also allows the money to grow.

But this argument is not persuasive enough in Nigerian where financial institutions pay meagre interest on savings, mostly in single digit. Yet when they want to lend the money they charge double digits interest.

This is why the Federal Government Saving Bond that is billed to go on sale later this month is a game changer for Nigerians, especially for retail investors who have not been prominent players in the country’s capital market. The Debt Management Office, MO, announced last week that the FG will put on sale savings bonds with two to three year maturities.

Although Interest rate for the bond has not been announced yet, but going by the rate of other FG bonds, it is expected to be up to 16.5 percent or more, and will be paid quarterly. The bond offer will open on March 13 and end after five days, the debt office said, adding that new issues will be sold every month.

The FG intended to raise money locally to offset growing budget deficit through the bond. The government depends on local borrowing to fund more than half its budget deficit, which is expected to reach N2.36 trillion this year. It issued a $1 billion Eurobond in February and is now seeking National Assembly’s approval for an additional $500 million Eurobond.

There is a plan to also put on offer a N20 billion “Green Bond” in April this year. This is in addition to a plan to sell a $300 million Diaspora Bond abroad this year and its first Sovereign Sukuk in the local mark.

While the government looks to raising fund to finance critical infrastructure projects such as power, roads and rail, and projects aimed at diversifying the economy away from oil and gas, the judicious use of the funds generated will no doubt bring positive turn-around to the economy.Experts have agreed that considering the huge infrastructural deficit currently being experienced in the country and the enormous financial resources required to fill the gap in the face of dwindling government revenue and the inability of our annual budget to bridge the infrastructure deficit, it has become necessary to resort to prudent external and domestic borrowing to bridge the gap. 

Spending on critical capital projects as one planned by the Muhammadu Buhari administration is one of the surest and fastest ways of reflating an economy in depression. Not only would businesses that have closed shop open for business again, but Nigerians who had lost their jobs due to recession would get them back. This would have immediate multiplier effect on all sectors of the economy.

But while the savings bond will help government mobilise domestic resources for deployment into important capital projects to reflate the economy, the savings bond also as its benefit for the ordinary Nigerians.

The bond issuance is part of the Federal Government programme targeted at the lower income earners to encourage savings. Up till now, you have to be among the high-net worth Nigerians to be a player in the capital market and earn fantastic returns on your investments. The FG Saving bond will change all that as ordinary Nigerians with as low as N5000 have the opportunity to invest in this bond. Not only would such persons be saving money for important personal projects, but they will also be in a position to earn more income through double digit interest to be paid on the bond.

Thus the bond enables individuals to enjoy those benefits which accrue to high net-worth investors in the capital market at a competitive fixed interest rate. Moreover, the income earned from interest are tax exempt and the FGN SB Certificate can be used as collateral for bank loan.

One of the strongest rationale for the bond, according to Dr Abraham Nwankwo, Director General of the Debt Management Office, MO, is to “democratise” participation in the investment market so that all classes of Nigerians are partakers. In order words, the FGN saving bond will make investment in the capital market more inclusive and less exclusive as it presently is.

“FGN SB is made to cater for the interest of all groups in the country, all classes of people. The existing instruments, including the Eurobond and other government securities are for the big players. Now we want to democratise it with this bond which is a retail bond. We want those who have smaller income to also participate. It is for all classes of investors, but targeted at the low income,” Nwankwo said in an interview with Channels Television.

While the minimum subscription for other FGN bonds is N50 million, the minimum subscription for the FGN Savings bond is N5, 000.

In a country where pension payment has become a thorny issue, and hundreds die waiting for either gratuity or pension, the bonds offer securities for old age. For those still active, the bonds will be good products for savings towards important personal projects such as marriage, school fees, house rent and sundry expenses that salaries or monthly incomes cannot cover.

The bonds also have the potential to bring some positive changes in the banking sector, such as making banks increase the interest they pay their customers. Savings accounts at Nigeria’s commercial banks pay up to 5 percent in interest which is well below the monetary policy rate (MPR) of 14 percent, but the country’s inflation is running at more than 18 percent annually.

Meanwhile banks charge as high as 23 percent to customers on loans, but pay far less on deposits.

The savings bond offer could push deposits out of commercial banks into Government bonds in which retail investors are mostly shut out of currently. That may put pressure on the banks and force a reform.

The DMO has also addressed concern that the FGN savings bond may increase government borrowing. Nwankwo said the bond is not an happenstance but one of the various instruments the government intend to use to raise loans approved by the National Assembly annually from the administration’s borrowing plan. “The bond is merely an instrument for complementing the various borrowing government do every year when there is a deficit in the budget. The bond will be part of the instrument to borrow what is needed for the economy,” he clarified.

For potential investors who may not be able to afford the luxury of waiting for two or three years for the bond to mature, there is no cause for alarm. Nwankwo said the bond will be listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange, and will be traded everyday. So, if a holder of a two-year bond needs the money after six months, he just goes to his broker who takes it to the secondary market for sale, and he gets his money immediately.

Already not less than 98 stock brokers had been accredited for the sale of the bond.

*Amarachi Eshiogu wrote in from Abuja

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Gospel of broom & change witchcraft according to Fani Kayode

Commentary@ITRealms:

There is a deep rage in me that rises by the day. When I hear the voices of the voiceless and I see the suffering of the despised and the oppressed in our land it wounds my soul.

When I hear the cries of the poor and those that have been reduced to eating one meal a day by a King and court that delights in spreading nothing but hardship and poverty, it stirs my anger.

When I hear the wailing of mothers and fathers whose children, whether they be Shiite Muslims, Biafrans or northern Christians, have been butchered by the military or any of the other agents of our King and state, it kindles the spirit of the Man of War that resides in me.

When I see the tears of the mourners where entire communities have been subjected to genocide and where the weak, the vulnerable and the innocent have been slaughtered simply because of their ethnicity and faith it kindles a fire in my soul.

When I see the injustice and the wholesale persecution that is meted out to all those that dare to say "no more" and "enough is enough" to the tyranny of the tyrant, I marvel at man's inhumanity to man and the sheer depths of his cruelty.

Yet why bother feeling anything at all? Why cry more than the bereaved? Why should I care? What is the essence of writing poems in a nation that despises prose?

What is the point of lamenting about an evil regime before whom 90 per cent of the population that they torment cower, tremble and bow.

What is the point of risking life, liberty and limb for a docile and stoic people who are not prepared to stand up and fight for their own liberty and freedom and who have an obsessive aversion to opposition, activism and dissent.

Alas they do not possess the strength and power of the Vikings, the fighting spirit of the Spartans, the courageous soul of the Romans or the ferocious tenacity of the ancient Greeks.

They do not have the brave heart and decisiveness of the Zulu, the firm resolve and yearning for freedom of the American, the unconquerable resilience of the Russian, the gallantry of the French or the lion-heart of the British.

They do not share the passion and indomitable spirit of the sons of Israel, the courage of the Abyssinians, the pride of the Carthaginians or the decisive ruthlessness of the Hun.

Submission, conformity, timidity and a weak, debilitating and telling silence in the face of tyranny, persecution, incompetence and injustice has become the order of the day in our shores.

The more our government takes our people for granted, destroys their lives, sheds their blood, crushes their spirit, breaks their bones, shatters their dreams, drains and devalues their money, takes their jobs, violates their God-given and constitutionally-guaranteed rights and makes them suffer, the more they applaud them, cringe before them and smile.

What manner of "broom and change"-inflicted witchcraft is this?

They say that it is only in hell that the suffering and afflicted worship and praise the one that torments them. Yet it happens in Nigeria as well.

Just look at our modern-day kings and rulers as they sit and feast in their opulent palaces of pomp and pageantry and their citadels of wickedness and darkness whilst hunger ravages the people and hardship pervades the land.

Their wealth is both obsessive and obscene and their tyranny and oppression has no limits or bounds. They are the darkness that seeks the darkness and cruelty is their pleasure and delight.

They came from the second heaven and they are known as the Nephilim. Half human, half demon entities: hybrids whose life-force is Satan and whose disposition and genetic make-up is reptilian.

They rule our nation with an iron fist: killing, maiming, robbing, destroying, detaining and shaming all those that dare to oppose them.

Not even the women and children are safe from their wicked vice and relentless torment and perfidy.

Yet for the sake of our nation, our loved ones and our children, we that are strong must resist the harbingers of poverty, misery and suffering. We must reject the messengers of death and disease.

We must oppose the sons of perdition and the destroyers of our dreams and aspirations.  We must fight the servants of the Baphomet, the children of the devil, the bondsmen of Lucifer and the seed of the Midianites and the Amalekites.

And in this battle we must not fear because the Lord is with us, victory is assured and I hear the sound of abundant rain. The Finger of God has been loosed. The Hosts of Heaven have been stirred.

The army of the Lord is on the march. The Ancient of Days has risen with a two-edged sword in his hand.

Behold He comes, riding on a cloud, shining like the sun, at the trumpet call. Lift up your voice, its the year of Jubilee, out of Zion's hill salvation comes.

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Defender of the Faithful and the Bright Morning Star rises and roars in His power and glorious splendour.

He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the Valley, the Creator of the Universe, the Beginning and the End before whom the stars, the sun, the moon and the entire firmament bow.

Regardless of the darkness and suffering that we see in the land today and the evil grip of the tyrant, for our nation, deliverance is at hand and salvation beckons.

Why? Because the Lord is our light and our salvation, whom shall we fear?

Why? Because He is mighty in battle and none can stand before Him.

Why? Because in the end He makes all things beautiful.

Why? Because He is the comforter of our souls, the father of the fatherless and the husband of the widow.

Why? Because regardless of the darkness of the night, joy comes in the morning.

Why? Because there is no God like Jehova. Why? Because He never forsakes His own. Why? Because no matter how long it takes light always dispels the darkness and good always prevails over evil.

Why? Because at the mention of His name all things visible and invisible and all that is tangible and intangible must stand to attention and bow.

Why? Because all tyrants die and meet a bitter end. If nothing else remember this: behold He comes, behold He comes, behold He comes.

And when He does, we shall rebuild and restructure our nation, end the suffering, take away the hunger, restore our economy, strengthen our borders, enhance our unity, recognise and honor our ethnic nationalities, bring self-respect and dignity to our people, guarantee our civl liberties, engender and defend our freedom and make Nigeria great again.

By Femi Fani Kayode

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Gospel according to Yudala @Abuja

ITRealms:

… As YZG train moves to coal city

The Yudala Zero Gravity, aka YZG, at the weekend set the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, agog with rock gospel concert, reports ITRealms.

The concert which held at the Ladi Kwali Conference Centre, Sheraton Hotel, Abuja, penultimate, Saturday October 22^nd saw a strong cast of gospel ministers including Chioma Jesus, Samsong, Steve Crown, Chris Morgan and Solomon Lange, Temple to name a few, on stage.

The concert largely described as soul-lifting, ITRealms reports, was a night full of worship and exultations with series of eye-catching performances by upcoming gospel artistes headlined by an enthralling choreographic display by the Dan Supreme Dance Group whose acrobatic feats got the audience screaming for more.

ITRealms also gathered that this paved the way to other eclectic performance from the fast rising United Kingdom (UK)-based Nigerian urban contemporary gospel artiste Nkay, who set the tone for the concert night.

Nkay was followed by Chris Morgan whose dexterity on the piano combined with an unforgettable rendition of some of his most popular songs super-charged the crowd, preparing the stage for Solomon Lange whose powerful, sonorous voice got the audience lifted even higher. His rendition of the hit track – Yabo delivered in his native Hausa language had everyone in the hall on their feet in exultation.

Another crowd favourite, ITRealms gathered, was Steve Crown who rendered gospel song after song prompting everyone on a journey into heavenly praise and by the time he burst into the massively popular track –You are Great; the entire hall literally raptured in ecstasy, with everyone singing along.

The climax of the night came with the introduction of Samsong who combined with fellow Gospel superstar Chioma Jesus to perform Odogwu – their joint hit track. With Samsong thrilling with a succession of effusive praise songs which ended with the crowd dancing along to – Turn Me Around, the entry of Chioma Jesus brought a fitting close to proceedings in what will go down as one of the most star-studded Gospel Praise event witnessed in Abuja this year.

ITRealms recalls that the Yudala Zero Gravity train boast of over 21 leading artistes would on the weekend ending November 5 and 6, light up the coal city, Enugu, with a another set of contemporary music and rock gospel concert respectively at the Michael Okpara Square, Independence Layout, Enugu.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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Pix: Chioma Jesus and SamSong @Yudala zerio Gravity Abuja