The death of renowned Politician and former Nigerian Minister of Commerce and Industry, Prince Jubril Martins-Kuye has been described as a deep blow and a huge loss to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ogun State in Particular and Nigeria in general.

A stalwart of the PDP and a community leader, Chief Toyin Amuzu stated this in a condolence message to commiserate with the families, friends and political associates of the deceased.

According to Chief Amuzu who is the Okanlomo Ijeun and the Leragun Igbehin, "the late Prince Jubril Martins-Kuye was a great leader of leaders, a mentor, a patriot and a Pathfinder."

"I am deeply saddened by his demise which is a personal loss for me. His death came at a time when his wealth of experiences and leadership traits are needed to guide and steer the PDP to it's winning ways." he said.

"I have lost not only a senior leader of our Party but also an integral member of the family whose support and guidance are greatly  needed."

Chief Amuzu , while praying to Allah to forgive his sins and comfort the family, said JMK as he was fondly called, will be remembered for his call for 100% improvement in the quality of the Nation's budget and expenditure on projects that would impact directly on the living standard of the people, as a Minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan, in 2010.

The Lagos State Government has been charged to include creative writing and emotional intelligence in the State's school curriculum for primary, secondary and tertiary institutions.

The advice was given by the Director of Platform Schools, Ipaja Lagos, Mr Bola Obe during the presentation of two books and the end-of-year party of the school.

The two books, which were edited by Mr Olusegun Akinsanya have short stories written by 20 students in the primary school session.

The books were titled, ‘Travails of Beauty and Kossi the Houseboy, as well as ‘Ogunsola, a Selfish Hunter and Other Short Stories.’

According to him “It will be good if the government can develop a curriculum on creative writing and emotional intelligence for primary, secondary even to tertiary and it should be made compulsory. Many people have good ideas, but they can’t write it down,” Obe said.

He lamented the poor writing skills of most social media users.

“When we look at the social media you will see the way they write and they are losing the value of writing. In Platform Schools, we are trying to bring back the values of writing.”

A grade 5 pupil, Eunice Akinsanya, who wrote a story on, ‘Ogunsola the Selfish Hunter’ said she decide to pick the title so as to create awareness about farming.

Akinsanya said “i chose the title because of its cultural theme. Writing is fun, it is a way of learning more and I will like to tell people that they should engage in writing. It will help them learn more because education never stops".

Similarly, another author, eight-year-old Amir Obe, a grade four pupil who wrote, ‘’A good bad man’ said, “I didn’t want to keep things to myself and I want to show the world the passion I have for writing. I want to advise every child to think and write more.”

Neehama Adekanye who is in JSS 1 wrote a story titled, ‘Úbong.’ She also called on the government to create more opportunities for school children to write.

“Government can create writing competitions and train school children on how to write because writing is fun and you learn new things when you write,” she said.

 Another author, Asopesoluwa Popoola, a grade 4 student who wrote a story titled, "The poor girl who became rich" said she wrote the book as a form of inspiration for every individual to never give up.

The Chairman of the Parents Teachers Association ,PTA, Mr Abiola Popoola also supported the idea to include both emotional intelligence and creative writing in the school curriculum.

He said this, in no small measure, will enhance the emotional intelligence and capacity of the children thereby resulting in their general development.

The death of Alhaja Modinat Salako, a member of the Peoples Democratic party, PDP has been described as a big loss to the political class in Ogun State, especially the Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun Central Senatorial District.

A PDP Stalwart, Chief Toyin Amuzu stated this in a Press release, to commiserate with the families and friends of the deceased.

Chief Amuzu who described the Late Alhaja Salako as a straightforward and trustworthy individual said, she will be fondly remembered for her patriotic zeal for a better society.

He urged, the families of the deceased to take heart, since death is inevitable saying, "only God knows everything and no one can question Him.

According to Chief Amuzu, "no doubt her death was received with shock and disbelief. But Allah knows everything. It is from Him we have come , and it is to Him, we would all return. No one can say when , how or why" he said.

The PDP Stalwart prayed to Allah to grant the late Alhaja Modinat Salako, Aljanah firdaous and forgive all her sins. 

He also condoled with her families, friends and the entire members of the Peoples' Democratic Party, PDP in Ogun State especially in Abeokuta South Local Government Area.

I was one of seven professors who facilitated a leadership training in my university here in Georgia for local government chairmen from a major Nigerian southwestern state. In the course of the training, I adverted to a January 13, 2018 column I wrote about how power literally damages the brains of people who wield it and causes them to be dissociated from reality.

A few of the chairmen at the training initially said they “rejected” what I said “in Jesus’ name.”But the more I expounded the research on the psychology of power, the less resistant they became. In the light of the interest it excited among these local power wielders, I thought I’d share a revised version of the column for the benefit of other people in power.

Almost everyone I know wonders why people in power change radically; why they become so utterly disconnected from reality that they suddenly become completely unrecognisable to people who knew them before they got to power; why they get puffed-up, susceptible to flattery, and intolerant of even the mildest, best-intentioned censure; why they appear possessed by inexplicably malignant forces; and why they are notoriously insensitive and self-absorbed.

Everyone who has ever had a friend in a position of power, especially political power, can attest to the accuracy of the age-old truism that a friend in power is a lost friend. Of course, there are exceptions, but it is precisely the fact of the existence of exceptions that makes this reality poignant. As the saying goes, “the exception proves the rule.”

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Look at all the power brokers in Nigeria—from the president to your ward councilor—and you’ll discover that there is a vast disconnect between who they were before they got to power and who they are now.

Also look at previously arrogant, narcissistic, power-drunk prigs who have been kicked out of the orbit of power for any number of reasons. You’ll discover that they are suddenly normal again. They share our pains, make pious noises, condemn abuse of power, and identify with popular causes. The legendary amnesia of Nigerians causes the past misdeeds of these previous monsters of power to be explained away, lessened, forgiven, and ultimately forgotten. But when they get back to power again, they become the same insensitive beasts of power that they once were.

So what is it about power that makes people such obtuse, self-centred snobs? It turns out that psychologists have been grappling with this puzzle for years and have a clue. Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at the University of California Berkeley, extensively studied the brains of people in power *_and found that people under the influence of power are neurologically similar to people who suffer traumatic brain injury!_* 

According to the July/August 2017 issue of the Atlantic magazine, *_people who are victims of traumatic brain injury are “more impulsive, less risk-aware, and, crucially, less adept at seeing things from other people’s point of view.”_* In other words, like victims of traumatic brain injury, power causes people to lose their capacity for empathy. This is a surprising scientific corroboration of American historian Henry Adams’ popular wisecrack about how *_power is “a sort of tumour that ends by killing the victim’s sympathies.”_* 

The findings of Sukhvinder Obhi, a professor of neuroscience at McMaster University, in Ontario, Canada, are even more revealing. Obhi also studies the workings of the human brain. “And when he put the heads of the powerful and the not-so-powerful under a transcranial-magnetic-stimulation machine, he found that power, in fact, impairs a specific neural process, ‘mirroring,’ that may be a cornerstone of empathy,” the Atlantic reports. “Which gives a neurological basis to what Keltner has termed the ‘ *power paradox’:* Once we have power, we lose some of the capacities we needed to gain it in the first place.”

 *Take Buhari,* for example. Before 2015, he was - or at least he appeared to be - empathetic. *He supported subsidies for the poor, railed against waste, thought Nigerians deserved to buy petrol at a low price because Nigerian oil was “developed with Nigerian capital,” and so on. He even said foreign medical treatment for elected government officials was immoral and indefensible, and wondered why a Nigerian president would need a fleet of aircraft when even the British Prime Minister didn’t have any.* 

Nothing but power-induced brain damage, which activates narcissism and loss of empathy, can explain Buhari’s dramatic volte-face now that he’s in power. This fact, psychological researchers say, is worsened by the fact that subordinates tend to flatter people in power, mimic their ways in order to ingratiate themselves with them, and shield them from realities that might cause them psychic discomfort.

“But more important, Keltner says, is the fact that the powerful stop mimicking others,” the Atlantic reports. “Laughing when others laugh or tensing when others tense does more than ingratiate. It helps trigger the same feelings those others are experiencing and provides a window into where they are coming from. Powerful people ‘stop simulating the experience of others,’ Keltner says, which leads to what he calls an *‘empathy deficit.’* ”

Researchers also found out that excessive praise from subordinates, sycophantic drooling from people seeking favours, control over vast resources they once didn’t have, and all of the staid rituals and performances of power conspire to cause “functional” changes to the brains of people in power. On a social level, it also creates what Lord David Owen, a British neurologist-turned-politician, called the *“hubris syndrome”* in his 2008 book titled In Sickness and in Power.

 *_Some features of hubris syndrome, Owen points out, are, “manifest contempt for others, loss of contact with reality, restless or reckless actions, and displays of incompetence.”_ Sounds familiar?* You can’t observe Buhari’s governance - or, more correctly, ungovernance - in the last four years and fail to see these features in him.

But it’s not all gloom and doom. Powerful people can, and indeed do, extricate themselves from the psychological snares of power if they so desire. Professor Keltner said one of the most effective psychological strategies for people in power to reconnect with reality and reverse the brain damage of power is to periodically remember moments of powerlessness in their lives - such as when they were victims of natural disasters, accidents, poverty, etc.

They should also have what American journalist Louis McHenry Howe once called a *“toe holder,”* that is, someone who doesn’t fear them, expects no favours from them, and can tell them uncomfortable truths without fear of consequences.

Winston Churchill’s toe holder was his wife, who once wrote a letter to him that read, in part, “I must confess that I have noticed a deterioration in your manner; and you are not as kind as you used to be.” Was Aisha Buhari performing the role of a toe holder when she publicly upbraided her husband in the past? I doubt it.

Her disagreements with her husband are often opportunistic and self-serving. They are triggered only when her husband’s puppeteers in Aso Rock limit her powers to nominate her cronies for political positions and to dispense favours to friends and family.

Another potent way to reverse power-induced brain damage is to periodically get out of the protected silos of power and solitarily observe the quotidian interactions of everyday folks - their humour, laughter, fights, etc. - without the familiar add-ons of power, such as aides, cameras, security, etc. This helps to stimulate the experiences of others and restore empathy.

 _This is particularly important in Nigeria because power, at all levels, is almost absolute and unaccountable._

About 20 Generals of the Nigerian Army have reportedly tested positive for Covid-19, about one week after death of General Officer Commanding, 6 Division, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, John Irefin, who died of complications from the disease.

The infected military officers were believed to have had contact with the deceased during the Chief of Army Staff’s annual conference 2020, in Abuja, last week.

The conference was cancelled following Irefin’s passage and the participants, including Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai; Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi; and GOCs from nearly all the army divisions nationwide, were directed to go on self-isolation.

Following the development, the COAS did not attend the wedding of his son in Abuja on Friday.

Some of the infected GOCs and principal officers were being treated at the Covid-19 isolation centre, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Abuja.

Some of the patients were also being quarantined at other isolation centres in the Federal Capital Territory.

The development, it was learnt, has sparked panic among top military brass who had yet to take the Covid-19 test.

A source said, “The report is true; I know about four generals who returned positive and are being treated for the disease.”

Nigerian Army spokesman, Sagir Musa, could not be reached for comment as he did not respond to calls. He had yet to react to a WhatsApp message as of the time of filing this report.

SGF Boss Mustapha goes into isolation

Meanwhile, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has gone into self-isolation after some members of his household tested positive for Covid-19.

Mustapha, who is also chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, made this known in a statement Sunday.

The statement was titled, ‘Some members of SGF’s household test positive to Covid-19.’

It read, “I would like to inform the general public that some members of my household tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday evening.

“Although they are currently asymptomatic, they have been isolated and are receiving care in one of the government treatment centres.

“My wife and I tested negative, but will remain in self-isolation and work from home according to protocols by the health authorities.

“I would like to remind all Nigerians that Covid-19 is real. As the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control announced last week, we are recording an increase in cases across several states.”

“Please stay safe and protect yourself. Adhere to all public health and safety measures so that we do not lose the gains we have made in the fight against Covid-19.

“As a family, we covet your prayers.

“Please take responsibility for yourself and to protect our country!”

Punch

The International Monetary Fund and World Bank have intensified calls on Nigeria to speed up currency reforms without which Africa’s largest economy may fail to achieve the growth it needs to prevent millions more from falling into penury.

A unified and flexible exchange rate will ease external imbalances and bolster activity in the OPEC nation, which slid into its second recession in four years in the third quarter, the IMF said in a statement on Friday after concluding a virtual mission. A day earlier, the World Bank said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration needed to change foreign-exchange policies if it wanted to get a $1.5 billion loan.

The country is asking for financial help to overcome a crisis that could sink an extra 11 million people into poverty by 2022, bringing the total number to 100 million, or about half of the population.

Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele and Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed have saidthey would seek a more flexible and unified naira as part of a pledge made to the IMF for the release of $3.4 billion in emergency financing in May.

A sharp drop in dollar revenues has forced the country’s administration to devalue the currency by more than 20% this year. Still, the naira remains too expensive and a dollar shortage is starting to hurt local businesses, economists say.

Incomes in Nigeria have fallen back to 1980 levels as population growth outpaced economic expansion. The situation is unlikely to improve without policy changes.

“Under current policies, the outlook is challenging. Real GDP is projected to contract by 3.25% in 2020. The recovery is projected to start in 2021, with subdued growth of 1.5% and output recovering to its pre-pandemic level only in 2022,” the IMF said.

“Nigeria is at a critical juncture in its history,” Shubham Chaudhuri, the World Bank’s director in Nigeria, said in a webinar on Thursday. The country has a choice “whether or not to continue business as usual or decisively break from the past,” he said.

The merger of different exchange rates and allowing the naira to float more freely would speed up the recovery of the economy, according to the World Bank.

Bloomberg

Oil prices rose on Monday, pushing Brent back above $50 a barrel, buoyed by hopes that a rollout of coronavirus vaccines will lift global fuel demand, while an extension of Brexit talks eased jitters on that front for now.

Brent crude futures for February rose 8 cents, or 0.2%, to $50.05 a barrel by 0137 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for January were up 4 cents, or 0.1%, at $46.61 a barrel.

Oil prices have rallied for six consecutive weeks, their longest stretch of gains since June.

The United States kicked off its vaccination campaign against Covid-19, buoying hopes that pandemic restrictions could end soon and lift demand at the world’s largest oil consumer.

An extension of Brexit talks among European powers also buoyed financial markets on Monday.

CMC Markets’ chief markets strategist Michael McCarthy asked: “Having ‘bought the rumour’ of an effective vaccine, now that delivery is here will investors ‘sell the fact’?”

Major European countries continued in lockdown mode to curb the spread of Covid-19 which has reduced fuel demand. For example, Germany, the fourth largest economy in the world, plans to impose stricter lockdown from Wednesday to battle the virus.

Investors are looking ahead to two meetings between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies including Russia, a grouping known as OPEC+.

The OPEC+ joint ministerial monitoring committee (JMMC) that monitors compliance among members will meet on Dec. 16, while OPEC+ will meet on Jan. 4 to study the market after their last decision to limit production rises to 500,000 barrels per day starting next year.

In the United States, energy firms last week added the most oil and natural gas rigs in a week since January as producers continued to return to the wellpad.

Two separate fires occurred at Nigeria’s Qua Iboe crude oil export terminal and at an oil pipeline in Iran on Sunday but the incidents have mostly been contained.

Reuters

Oyo State Police Command yesterday confirmed the kidnap of two foreigners in Ibadan, the state capital. It was gathered that the two foreigners, who are Indians, were kidnapped last Wednesday.

They were kidnapped around 4:00 p.m. at a pharmaceutical firm near Toll Gate on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. They were said to be driving out of the company’s premises when the kidnappers, who were trailing them, opened fire on their vehicle’s tyres, which forced the vehicles to a halt.

Oyo Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olugbenga Fadeyi, confirmed the abduction in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday. Fadeyi said police officers are on the trail of the criminals, but did not say if the kidnappers had made contact with the families. 

He, however, urged expatriates to be vigilant during this period. “Modalities have been emplaced while concerted effort intensified to rescue them from their captor(s).

“Likewise, all expatriates are advised to be vigilant and be watchful especially during this period, while security agencies should be alerted when they see any suspicious movement around their facilities,” he said.

Hundreds of Indian nationals live and work in Nigeria, especially in the pharmaceutical sector. Kidnapping for ransom targeting foreigners and prominent Nigerians is common in Nigeria. The victims are usually released unhurt after ransom payments, but the police rarely confirm any money was paid.

Last week, a Chinese engineer kidnapped in Ekiti State was freed after the payment of ransom. His freedom was confirmed on the day a team of security personnel in neighbouring Ondo State arrested suspects allegedly involved in the murder of Israel Adeusi, the traditional ruler of Ifon in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo.

The Chinese expatriate was one of the engineers working with the company handling the new Ado-Iyin road. Gunmen killed a police officer serving as his escort before whisking him away from the site.

The Guardian

California-based Aptera recently opened pre-orders for its solar electric vehicle that 'never needs charging' and within less than 24 hours, according to the firm, the $26,000 car sold out.

The futuristic-styled structure is designed with lightweight materials, providing low-dray aerodynamics and cooling.

Aptera's Never Charge technology is comprised of an integrate solar package that provides more than 40 miles of ‘free’ driving per day ‘making it the first vehicle that won’t need to fuel up for most daily driving.’

The vehicle is also equipped with a battery pack that provides 1,000 miles of range, which greatly surpasses the Tesla Model S’s 370 miles of range. 

Co-Founder Chris Anthony said: ‘With Aptera’s Never Charge technology, you are driven by the power of the sun.

‘Our built-in solar array keeps your battery pack topped off and anywhere you want to go, you just go.’

Aptera was available for pre-orders on December 4, with pricing starting at $25,900 up to $46,900 for four-wheel drive.

The vehicle is designed liquid-cooled electric motors that allow the vehicle to go from zero to 60 miles per hour (mph) in just 3.5 seconds, with a top speed of 110 mph.

And if you do need power, the vehicle can be charged by a standard 110-volt outlet.

Aptero co-founder Steve Fambro, told the : ‘40 miles doesn’t sound like a lot but it’s the equivalent of parking your car and having it magically fill up with two gallons of gas overnight.’

‘So the fact that you can park it at work or wherever and go back to it with more energy in the tank than when you left it – have it charge itself without having to pay a dime to drive it every day.’

‘That’s the kind of freedom I think a lot of people would love.’

The company had a bit of a rocky start when it was first founded in 2005.

Jay Leno was impressed by the vehicle in 2013, he hosted Apetara on his show Jay Leno’s Garage, which brought in thousands of orders for the three-wheeled car.

However, the firm ran out of money and closed its doors in 2011.

But it revamped its design, which seems sleeker than the original, and appears to be doing well after selling out pre-orders in less than 24 hours.

The firm plans to start production and deliveries sometime next year.

MailOnline

The Nigerian military had located and exchanged fire with gunmen who kidnapped scores of secondary school students in northwestern Katsina state, according to a statement from the president on Saturday.

The gang, armed with AK-47s, stormed the Government Science secondary school in Kankara district at about 9:40 p.m. on Friday, police and locals said. A parent and school employee told Reuters that roughly half of the school’s 800 students were missing.

President Muhammadu Buhari said in a statement that the military had located the kidnappers in a forest and was exchanging fire with them, aided by air support.

In the statement, Buhari condemned the attack in his home state. Police and the military were still working to determine how many were kidnapped and missing.

Police at the scene on Friday exchanged fire with the attackers, allowing some students to run for safety, police spokesman Gambo Isah said in a statement.

Police said they would deploy additional forces to support the search and rescue. One officer was shot and wounded in the exchange of fire with the gang, they said.

Katsina is plagued by violence the government attributes to bandits - a loose term for gangs of outlaws who attack locals and kidnap for ransom. Attacks by Islamist militants are common in northeastern parts of the country.

Violence and insecurity across Nigeria have enraged citizens, particularly after scores of farmers were killed, some beheaded, by Islamist militants in northeast Borno state late last month.

Buhari, who arrived on Friday for a week in his home village some 200 km (125 miles) from Kankara, was scheduled to brief the national assembly on the security situation last week, but cancelled the appearance without official explanation.

Reuters