The story of Nigeria's 'untouchables' "osu"

The story of Nigeria's 'untouchables' Cosmos Aneke Chiedozie wants to break the stigma of being 'Osu' Pastor Cosmos Aneke Chiedozie is about to make an admission that virtually no Nigerian like him would be prepared to make. "My grandfather was an Osu," he says. He is standing outside his church in Enugu, south-eastern Nigeria, clutching his Bible which he believes has saved him from being a marked man. Among the Igbo people of eastern Nigeria the Osu are outcasts, the equivalent of being an "untouchable". Years ago he and his family would be shunned by society, banished from communal land, banned from village life and refused the right to marry anyone not from an Osu family. Marriage The vehemence of the tradition has weakened over the last 50 years.  I remember when I was a child, seeing the Osu and running away  Prof Ben Obumselu Nowadays the only trouble the Osu encounter is when they try to get married. But the fear of social stigma is still strong - to the point that most would never admit to being an Osu. They fear the consequences for their families in generations to come or at the hands of people who still believe in the old ways. It took the BBC a long time track down an Osu willing to talk, Igbo journalists, human rights advocates, academics and politicians could suggest no-one. It was only by chance that Cosmos admitted his family were Osu after an interview with the Pentecostal church - known to oppose the tradition. Now a born-again Christian, he has had a hard fight to escape the stigma of the Osu. Sacrifice People say the Osu are the descendants of people sacrificed to the gods, hundreds of years ago.  The village said the reason I was ill was I was being possessed by the spirit of my grandfather, and he was angry that we had rejected the old ways  Cosmos Aneke Chiedozie But an academic who has researched Igbo traditions says he believes the Osu were actually a kind of "living sacrifice" to the gods from the community. "I remember when I was a child, seeing the Osu and running away," says Professor Ben Obumselu, former vice-president of the influential Igbo organisation Ohaneze Ndi Igbo. "They were banned from all forms of civil society; they had no land, lived in the shrine of the gods, and if they could, would farm the land next to the road." "It was believed that they had been dedicated to the gods, that they belonged to them, rather then the world of the human," he said. Nigeria's growing cities began to break down such traditions of village life, he says. "If someone lives in Lagos these days, the only time a person may come into contact with it is when they are planning to get married. They go home to tell their families, their parents turn around and say, 'No you can't marry because they're Osu.'" Initiated Cosmos' father had denounced the traditional beliefs that made him an outcast from society. The Osu are considered to be 'living sacrifices" to spirits He raised Cosmos to be a Christian too, hoping the bloodline of the Osu would be broken. But when Cosmos was a child his grandfather died and at around the same time Cosmos fell sick. "The village said the reason I was ill was I was being possessed by the spirit of my grandfather, and he was angry that we had rejected the old ways," he said. The village elders put pressure on his father to initiate Cosmos into the old traditions and culture. It was either that, or he would die, they said. So he left church, learnt about the spirits and his status in the village. Outlaw But this ostracism, he now believes, left him without "moral direction". He became an itinerant smuggler and outlaw, bringing in goods illegally over Nigeria's northern border from Niger.  The continued belief in ritual avoidance has caused great harm to society  Prof Ben Obumselu Eventually he was arrested and thrown in jail. "It was in the prison yard that I was born again," he said. "When I believed in the old ways, I could not marry or be part of my community," he said. "Now I've been born again, I have rejected all that, and my wife, she is born again too, and doesn't care about it either." His wife's family had also rejected the traditions of the Osu and did not object to their daughter's choice of husband. Education advantage Other Osu have been able to use the ostracism to their advantage, says Mr Obumselu. Unable to make a way in village life, some Osu embraced "Western" education and became Nigeria's first doctors and lawyers, he says. Consequently many of modern Igboland's prominent families are Osu. So why does the stigma remain? Mr Obumselu says the traditions have a lingering hold on people because they are not sure how much power the "old ways" still have. Traditionally the Osu are treated as a people apart, but were never the victims of violence. But today some community conflicts have erupted between people each accusing the other of being Osu, Mr Obumselu says. "The continued belief in ritual avoidance has caused great harm to society, especially in Enugu." Pentecostal churches, like Mr Chiedozie's, are having an effect and a growing population may also drown out the stigma of being Osu, says Mr Obumselu. "After all, if in 1800 there might only be a handful of Osu in any place, in 2000 it may be a third of the village!"

Overflow of crowd @ the Lords Chosen just concluded Oguta crusade

Overflow of crowd in the just concluded Oguta crusade of the Lords Chosen charismatic revival movement in Oguta LGA of Imo State on the 20th and 21st of August 2016.
The online department of the church has this to say:

#OGUTA2016 CLOSING REPORT:

We really appreciate God for the huge success of this Great Crusade - it was unparalleled and unprecedented in all dimensions, God of Chosen really showcased Himself in diverse measures. Everyone present in the program were blessed heavily especially our invited guest, God started with them. Oguta land in general will not forget this event in the annals of her history, generation to come will hear of this visitation. 

We also want to use this medium to express our profound gratitude to God Almighty who in His infinite mercies, granted us journey mercies to this land and we pray that, as we go back to our various destinations, that our safety shall be ensured. 

Moreso, we are glad to bring to our esteemed followers' notice that, Chosen train will be moving to #ICHI2016 in Anambra State on 17th and 18th Sept, 2016 for another Great Visitation of the Lord, after which it will divert to#Mbieri2016 in Imo State on Saturday 1st October, 2016 and #Ngor_Okpala2016 in Imo State for another Great Encounter and after which The Lord's Chosen train shall be heading to TheLords Chosen Fct Abuja #Abuja2016.

Nigeria was handed over to Buhari on a stretcher -Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State

Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State explains why the economic policies of President Buhari must be supported. He also said that the past administration of Goodluck Jonathan handed over Nigeria to Buhari on a stretcher.

He stated this in an interview he granted to Daily Trust

Excerpts:

How would you describe the socio-economic policies of the federal government so far? Would you say they are in the right direction?

Well, I believe the federal government has done remarkably well considering the situation we found ourselves after we were sworn in on May 29th 2015. People tend to forget that the economic downturn actually started manifesting in 2014, due to a growing mismatch between the profligate and reckless spending by the previous government, fueled by high oil prices and the resultant shock to the system when prices started to fall. Nigeria’s case was worsened by the fact that with the falling oil prices, our production targets were affected by militant activities in the Niger Delta and outright theft of the nation’s crude oil on a massive scale, perpetrated with the full backing of government officials.

By 2015, the country’s economy was on life support and was literally handed over to the APC government on a stretcher. If you bother to add up all the billions that were stolen in the name of security and the rot in the oil sector, you will appreciate the fact that these people were not running a government in the last eight years but simply supervising the organized sharing of public funds amongst themselves. It is actually a miracle that the Buhari administration has been able to come this far without a complete collapse of the economy and the government, such as we are seeing in Venezuela, which had the same toxic combination of a collapsing mono economy and an uncaring administration.

Without the massive operation to plug the leakages in the system, and sending a signal that it’s no longer business as usual, Nigeria would not have lasted up to July 2016 with a 70% drop in revenue and the unsustainable recurrent expenditure that continues to take the lions share. President Buhari has very few options with the hand that he was dealt with, and the inevitable road to economic diversification that he is leading the country is the silver lining on the Nigerian economic cloud. This is because, even if oil prices rebound subsequently, the commodity will only be one of the several pillars of a decentralized economic model.

It has not been easy and nobody is pretending that it will be, but Nigerians have to understand that we must pass through this very difficult phase before things get better, and macroeconomics is no respecter of persons or regimes. It took President Obama the whole of his first term to reverse the tide of the economic downturn brought about by the fiscal recklessness of the Bush administration to fund the Iraq war; and the global recession, and it was only halfway through his second term that the outlook turned positive.

Even when people talk about the falling naira, exchange rates are largely a reflection of the confidence people have in any particular currency, and rates are not dependent on what President Buhari or the CBN governor decrees them to be. The indices are your foreign exchange reserves, your trade balance or imbalance and the perception of future outlook. So, there is no way to support a N160 to the dollar rate that was prevalent in a $110 per dollar oil price regimen, and $60 billion reserve scenario with what we have at the moment.

We need to diversify our economy and push towards a basket of exportcommodities that will shore up foreign earnings while concurrently weaning ourselves off foreign non-essential consumer goods that continuously put pressure on the naira, otherwise demand, dollar supply and perception will continue to hold sway in rate determination.

We are on the path to recovery and the outlook is very good, with focus and reorientation we are seeing a threefold increase in rice yield per hectare this harvest season and in a lot of states like Kebbi, Ebonyi etc the story is the same. If dwindling oil prices force us back to the farm and this in turn ensures food security in two to three years, Nigeria will be back to the glory years.

JAMB To Approve Admission Lists Of Various Institutions 2016/17 This WeekBy ZENITH Worthwhile  Last Updated On August 22, 2016  JAMB UTME


JAMB Technical Meeting on Admissions: The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB To Approve Admission Lists Of Various Institutions for the 2016/2017 Admission This Week



The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) will hold its technical meeting on admissions at the Bayero University Kano (BUK) from Monday, 22nd to Friday, 26th August, 2016.

In a statement made available by JAMB’s Head of Media and Information, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the meeting would receive the lists of candidates who had met the admission criteria from the various tertiary institutions for its ratification.


 


Benjamin said, “We are expecting a full complement of representatives from all the tertiary institutions in the country to attend the meeting.

“They are expected to submit the lists of first choice candidates shortlisted for admission into the respective tertiary institutions, comprising universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

“The board and all other stakeholders will collectively go through the lists to see if they had met the admission criteria.

“The board, if satisfied, will ratify the lists and admission print-outs will be issued to the institutions.”

He said that the names of successful candidates would also be uploaded on the website of respective institutions for candidates to print.

According to him, the admission letters will contain details such as admission status, school and course of study, as well as duration of chosen programme.

SUCCESSFUL MEN/WOMEN WHO MADE IT IN LIFE THROUGH PAINS

"YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE"
1>>I was raped at the age of 9 yet am one of the most influential women in the world" >Oprah Winfrey.
2>>"I didn't even complete my university education but became the world richest man" >Bill Gates.
3>>"I was sexually, mentally, emotionally and verbally abused by my father as far back as I can remember until I left home at the age of eighteen yet I am one of the most influential preachers in d world" >Joyce Meyer.
4>>"I struggled academically throughout elementary school yet became d best Neurosurgeons in d world in 1987" >Dr. Ben Carson.
5>>"I told my father we would be very wealthy and rich but he couldn't believe me but today it's a reality" >Christiano Ronaldo.
6>>"I used to serve tea at a shop to support my football training and still became d world best footballer" >Lionel Messi.
7>>"I used to sleep on the floor in friends' rooms, returning Coke bottles for food, money, and getting weekly free meals at a local temple yet founded apple">Steve Jobs.
8>>"My teachers used to call me a failure yet I became a Prime Minister >PM Tony Blair.
10>>"I started Living Faith Church from A Lawn Tennis Court with three members only & Preach prosperity. Many of my friends criticised me, but today we have d largest church auditorium in d world & two world-class universities">Bishop David Oyedepo.
11>>"I was in prison for 27 years and still became president.">Nelson Mandela.
12>>"I drove taxi to finance my university education but today I'm a billionaire" >Mike Adenuga.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Failures or limitations of the past have no control over the greatness in you. To him that believes, all things are possible.
Don't wait for everybody to believe in your ability and dreams...
Never design your life like a Garden where
anyone can walk in and out.
Design it like the Sky where everyone aspires to
reach..
Aim high, Believe and stay focus.

THE LORDS CHOSEN YOUTHS ON DISPLAY @ IKORODU (POWER TO EXCEL)

IKORODU ON FIRE!!! as THE LORDS CHOSEN  youths invades the express in a dynamic, acrobatic and charismatic display  creating awareness of our upcoming HOLYGHOST INSPIRED  POWER PACKED INTERNATIONAL YOUTH PROGRAMME
TAGGED: POWER TO EXCEL!!!!!
DATE: 26th and 27th August 2016
VENUE: the Lords chosen revival ground (10 Odofin  park estate Oshodi Apapa expressway by Ijesha b/stop Lagos)
MINISTRING: General Overseer and many other holy ghost inspired ministers
FEATURING: salvation, sanctisfication, holy ghost baptism, deliverence, breakthrough, career talk, motivational classes, workshop, success/admission/business keys youthful principles and many more

YOU ARE ALL INVITED!!!  MAKE SURE YOU ARE THERE 󾮜 IT WILL BE A DAY OF ALROUND EXPERIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE POWER OF EXCUSES

*THE POWER OF EXCUSES*

While Many People Dream of Becoming a Better Person Than the Previous Year, Only a Few actually Do it.
*WHY?*
While Many People Dream of Quitting their Job and Starting their Own Business, Only a Few actually did it.
*WHY?*
WHY Is It That Some People Are More Successful Than Others?
BECAUSE the Power of their Excuse is *More* Powerful than their *DREAMS*.
1. FEAR.
2. I don't have the Money (who has?).
3. I don't have any contacts to start with (Really?).
4. I'm not smart enough (You have crowned yourself as a mumu)
5. I can't talk (Are you dumb?)
6. I don't have the time (Yet you have the time to wake up at 5am and get dressed to be in traffic)
7. I'm too busy (Doing what exactly?).
8. It takes too long to build a business (But you envy Dangote)
9. I'm afraid. Building a business is too risky for me (Is eating not risky? Is sleeping not risky, people have died in their sleep).
10. I don't like dealing with people ( Mr Island... I greet You your Excellency)
11. I'm too old ( Colonel Sanders started @ 65yrs)
12. Waiting for all the lights to be GREEN (lights turn green when you press the button)
13. MY husband, my wife, my parents didn't support it (They don't support You to be broke either but You are).
14. My job is too demanding and I travel a lot (Arik Wings of Africa)
15. I'm not good at Marketing (Yet you are king of forwarding numerous WhatsApp posts)
16. No, it's Network. I can't do it. (But youwill spread gossip but can't spread a business that will better your life?)
17. I'm not a professional (who was born a professional?)
But if they were the deciding factor, nobody would ever succeed.
For every reason why it's not possible, there are hundreds of people who have faced the same circumstances and succeeded.
Lots of people overcome these so-called limiting factors, so it can't be the limiting factors that limit you.
It's not the external conditions and circumstances that stop you- it's YOU!
We stop ourselves! We think limiting thoughts and engage in self-defeating behaviour.
Now get up, get out & take *ACTION*