LAGOS DEBUNKS ALLEGED ANTI-IGBO MOVES BY AMBODE

…Says Claim Figment Of Imagination Of Unscrupulous Persons

…Urges Security Agencies To Investigate Source, Prosecute Culprit

AgegePulse

The Lagos State Government on Thursday totally played down a report on social media alleging that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was making some moves against non-indigenes especially Igbos in the State, saying the report was baseless, mischievous and irresponsible.



Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan in a statement, said the claims in the said report were nothing but absolute falsehood and a mere figment of the imagination of unscrupulous persons who concocted it.



The report had alleged that the Governor had outlawed the position of Eze Ndi-Igbo in Lagos and was making other moves against non-indigenes.



The report, which did not state the event where the Governor allegedly made such pronouncements, also quoted the Governor as saying that Lagos was not a colonial settlement, but owned by the Yorubas.



Describing the contents of the alleged report as laughable and ridiculous, Bamigbetan said Governor Ambode had clearly emphasised at the inception of his administration that he would run a government of inclusion regardless of tribe, colour or creed, which he had not only adhered to, but also sustained it.



“While we would have opted to totally ignore such crass report, we have chosen to set the records straight for unsuspecting members of the public who might be tempted to believe such falsehood.



“For emphasis, there is no record anywhere of the Governor making such remarks and we dare the faceless authors to come out with any evidence otherwise. This is certainly the handiwork of enemies of Lagos State whose sole aim is to distort the existing harmonious relationship among ethnic groups in the State.



“They have totally failed in this attempt. Besides, in this season of politics, it is expected that those seeking to gain mileage would stop at nothing and cling to any straw just to score cheap points.



“Indeed, the Governor, precisely in his inauguration speech had stated emphatically that ‘I shall run an open government of inclusion that will not leave anyone behind.  No matter your age, sex, tribe or any other Status, as long as you reside in Lagos, we will make Lagos work for you.’ The Governor has not only lived up to that, but has also sustained it and every Lagosian can attest to it,” Bamigbetan said.



While urging members of the public to disregard the report in its entirety, the Commissioner also urged security agencies to go all out and investigate the mischief makers behind it and mete out appropriate sanctions on them in accordance with the law.

ILE-IFE AGOG AS OONI CELEBRATES YAM FESTIVAL AFTER DECADES OF NEGLECT

In fulfillment of his Cultural Tourism Agenda, the Arole Oodua & Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II was on Wednesday joined by multitude of indigenes, tourists and invited guests to celebrate New Yam Festival which has not been so  elaborately  celebrated in the last 120 years.

The newly revived  festival known as "Odun Isu" in Yorubaland held at the Ile-Oodua palace, Ile-Ife, where  citizens from other Yoruba towns came in large numbers to celebrate with him amid colourful display of culture and traditions.

Ooni Ogunwusi while addressing the mammoth crowd at the festival narrated that a deity called "Oreluere" who was one of the 401 deities sent by God(Olodumare) to establish the world was the first hunter on the planet earth that planted yam before Oduduwa supported him to make  on it a success.

The African foremost monarch acknowledged that God had provided all different necessary foods for sustainability of humanity and annual germination and growth of yam for human consumption.

The Spiritual father of Yoruba race worldwide observed that the process of originality of yam production emanated from the cradle of Yoruba's, (Ile-Ife) emphasising that yam is one of the foods with high carbohydrate that gives energy to the generality.

He stated that Oduduwa collaborated with other deities on how yearly plantation would be guaranteed. He added that "Owo" dynasty also value the celebration yearly maintaining Yam Festival is a very big event across yam belt in the world, saying Yoruba cultural heritage is very keen to this.

"I charge all other neighbouring towns especially Yorubas to emulate the ancient city of Ile-Ife in making the event a continuous exercise."

"Our youths must go into huge commercial farming as Yoruba communities are known as producers of yam for the entire world." Ooni charged

Ooni Ogunwusicontinued
"This belt is called yam belt and these yam belts produce 70% yam for national consumption, while others shared the remaining 30%.

"The plantation started from kingdom of Ife to middle belt of Nigeria straight to Central African Republic and other West African down to Southern Africa.

"Individual has his own capability and strength for production and Yorubas have mastered it and become the experts in yam production." Ooni explained.

The Co-Chairman of National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria added that the past heroes had suffered for the sustainability of human race, therefore, urged people to crown their efforts in appreciating them by embracing farming."

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, congratulated Ooni Ogunwusi on the 2018 yam festival, commending him for promoting culture and tradition of Yoruba race globally.

Ogunbodede said that the festival has exposed all to international community, saying people prefers the celebration for it has attracted a lot of visitors not to Ile-Ife alone but to other Yoruba communities.

He added that celebration of yam festival added values to economic benefit of the nation as it will encourage farming and community development.

The Vice-Chancellor appealed to the three tiers of government to ensure improvement of storage facilities of agricultural produce for adequate safety for human consumption.

He called on government to provide infrastructures such as electricity, portable water  and good roads  for smooth transportation of farm produce from farms to the cities for more patronage.

Ogunbodede lauded Ooni for putting all efforts in maintaining peaceful coexistence on campus of Obafemi Awolowo University and Ile-Ife in general.

"The relative peace we are enjoying in Obafemi Awolowo University Community is the handiwork of God who used Ooni Ogunwusi. As we are enjoying him in Ife and Yoruba land at large, the  entire nation are also enjoying him because of his "peace mantra."
Baba Ooni Adeyeye Ogunwusi is always giving us a tremendous support"

"He has severally organised for people from Brazil, Portugal, and Cuba to come to Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife to learn African languages. I here pledge that the school management would not dissapoint him." Ogunbodede said

The Oba Olopo of Ilode, Oba Oyedotun Akintibubo, commended Ooni for the celebration of yam festival, first in the history of Ife Kingdom.

Oba Akintibubo said that during the past regimes, only his family used to celebrate the festival, before Ooni Ogunwusi elaborated it.

The Olopo of Ilode assured that the community, state and Nigeria at large will experience sulplus over the years, for the farm produce especially yam and corn will maximally grow extensively.

"With this year celebration, people will not experience hunger and hardship again, for the land will strongly produce seeds for the satisfaction of human race" he said

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Exercise: A Future Investment

If current life expectancy is 58 years and adulthood begins at age 18, your midlife crisis is expected to occur between age of 35 to 40. Yoruba have an adage that says life begins at age 40. It is merely described as a time when adults contemplate their mortality and the waning years they have left to enjoy life. Now before the age of 40 many people have started experiencing symptoms of diseases depending on individual life style

According to Arbaje (a well known Psychologist), for many people, the mid-40s is the time in life when our future isn’t a scary unknown, our past is something we can laugh about, and our present is filled with marriage, kids, careers, and a general satisfaction in knowing who we are and what we want out of life. So it’s not surprising that we may feel melancholy beyond our 40s, when the future can once again seem uncertain. Let me tell you the truth, whatever your life style is before the age of 40 matters a lot.


As you grow old, the body physiological parameters also grow and wears out gradually. In some individual it is faster while in others it is slow depending on your lifestyle. Research shows that only 8 percent of young adults reported no daily stressors, compared with 12 percent of middle-aged adults (ages 40 to 59) and 19 percent of older people (ages 60 to 74).

Regular physical exercise boost both your energy and your mood, and it reinforces you more at old age Exercise is about way more than fitting into our clothes as we get older, it is one of the biggest factors determining our quality of life, says Rhonder Anderson.

The day-to-day activities they find hardest at age 50 and above include putting on socks, stockings and trousers, using escalators, stepping up into garden beds or bending down to pull out weeds, carrying groceries, walking up and down stairs, and getting up off the floor.

All of these require balance, strength, flexibility and coordination, which can be developed through circuits and obstacle courses — pulling, pushing, lifting and squatting. To walk up and down stairs, over things and around things, with changes of direction, going backwards and sideways has become so challenging for so many adults all because of lack of regular exercise.

Many of us are investing so much into material things which cannot save us at old age. So many people have fleet of cars but couldn’t at least buy one exercise equipment and even those who manage to buy it use it to decorate their room. Let us look at it this way, when you read, you increase the capacity of your brain. The same way reading increase the capacity of your brain is the same way exercise increase the capacity of your body system to function well at old age.

Human beings often aren’t good at thinking about the long term benefit of exercise, but  I am telling you that nurturing your health and developing good exercise habits in our 20s - 60s is a huge investment in the quality of your 70s and 80s.

To exercise is very cheap but to treat complications arising from lack of regular exercise is very expensive, don’t allow yourself to be a lab rat from which others learn from.

 Check your diet, do your regular exercise

By Toye Okunola
Exercise physiologist
For AgegePulse Magazine
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