HUNGER: THE DRIVE THAT SEPARATES MEN

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By Gbenga Owotoki

There is a reason why some rise in God and others remain where they have always been. It is not luck. It is not chance. It is hunger. Not the kind that fades when prayers are answered, but the kind that burns even when nothing seems to be happening. The kind that makes a man restless until he touches what men before him only dreamt of.

Hunger is the difference between those who encounter God and those who only talk about Him. It was hunger that made Moses cry, "Show me Your glory!" even after he had seen the Red Sea part. It was hunger that made Jacob wrestle till daybreak, refusing to let go until he was changed. It was hunger that made Elisha follow Elijah till the very end, not satisfied with being called a prophet's servant, but desperate for the double portion.

God does not waste Himself on men who are satisfied too easily. He walks past those who think they have arrived and invests in those who are still searching, still yearning, still desperate for more. Because when hunger dies, pursuit dies. And when pursuit dies, encounters cease.

Many have lost their fire, not because they sinned, but because they settled. They prayed, but they stopped pressing. They worshipped, but they stopped wondering if there was more. They saw God move once and built a monument around it, forgetting that the cloud moves, that the river flows, that yesterday's outpouring is not enough for today.

This is why some men burn, and others barely flicker. It is why some grow until they shake nations, while others plateau into irrelevance. Because hunger is not an emotion-it is a law in the Spirit. Those who have it will be filled. Those who don't will be replaced.

Jesus stood in the temple and cried, "If any man thirsts, let him come unto me and drink." Not if any man is talented. Not if any man is influential. Not if any man is well-connected. But if any man thirsts-because God's power does not follow titles, it follows desperation.

Some of us are in a season where God is testing our hunger. He has not answered yet-not because He cannot, but because He is watching to see if we will give up too soon. He has not opened the door-not because it is locked, but because He is measuring how far we are willing to push. If what you are asking for can be abandoned after one delay, then you were never truly hungry for it.

This is not the time to retreat. This is not the time to let tiredness win. This is the time to stretch, to press, to cry out like blind Bartimaeus who refused to be silenced, to knock like the woman who troubled the unjust judge until he responded. Because in this Kingdom, it is not the passive who inherit promises-it is the desperate.

Let your hunger rise again. Let your pursuit intensify. Heaven is watching to see who will hold on, who will press in, who will refuse to let go until the heavens tear open and something shifts.

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Why I won’t honour US visa reinterview invitation – Soyinka

CC™ Politico

By Staff

Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has turned down an invitation from the United States Consulate in Nigeria to attend a visa reinterview.

According to reports, the literary icon has said he will not take part in the process under the administration of President Donald Trump, whom he compared to former Ugandan leader Idi Amin.

The invitation was sent to Nigerians holding B1/B2 visas, with Soyinka’s appointment fixed for last Thursday, September 11.

Soyinka explained that he initially thought the letter was a scam because he had never received such a request before, but later confirmed its authenticity.

Soyinka questioned the timing of the exercise, saying that September 11 is a day of mourning for Americans and should not be used for bureaucratic matters.

He said the Consulate should have suspended activities on that date in remembrance of lives lost in the 2001 attacks.

The playwright also stated that he had no interest in pursuing travel to countries where he does not feel welcome.

According to him, he has more pressing commitments than seeking visas and would not step into an embassy linked to a government he distrusts.

He maintained that his decision was not personal but rooted in principle, adding that he would rather cut ties than honour the reinterview on September 11.

He said: “Are we looking in the case of the United States, at the white Idi Amin, for instance? If you look very closely at the conduct, the behaviour, the mentality of the present incumbent president, you find out there are Idi Amins of different colours. And if Idi Amin says I should come to his embassy, I would think twice before going because I don’t know what is waiting for me on the other side of the door.”

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Victor Osimhen to miss Nigeria’s crucial game against South Africa

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Having picked up yet another avoidable injury in the team’s last match against Rwanda, Victor Osimhen will miss yet another crucial World Cup qualifier, this time against South Africa. And regarding Samson SiaSia’s claims that the Rwandan players set out to injure Osimhen, that is utter balderdash as the injury was in fact due to an overexertion by Osimhen himself on the particular play.

The best ability is availability. Victor Osimhen has been absent from majority of the Super Eagles World Cup qualifiers. It’s the same thing with him at the club level where he is never fully available for the full duration of games. 

While there is no doubting his ability and commitment to the national team, Nigeria is too blessed with talent,  both raw and developed, to continually depend on one player. This is an opportunity for the likes of Dessers and co to lay claim to their own place in the team.

Osimhen has got to adapt his game to reach his full potential. His injuries are mostly avoidable. He has also not developed the requisite football IQ expected of a world class center forward, such as holding the line just right and not being offside at crucial moments. He must also become a true leader. Leadership does not depend on how vocal or loud you are. In fact, the most effective leaders hardly say a thing. They just lead by example with their conduct, dedication and strong sense of personal discipline and requisite self awareness. 

Nigeria should beat South Africa with or without Osimhen as the onus is on the coach and the FA to find the right solution to this hick-up. The talent is there. Take politics out of it and have a plan-of-action.

Visiting the US is about to get even more expensive for foreign travellers

CC™ NewsWatch

By Jeanne Bonner 

Visitors to the US from some of the nation’s closest allies will soon be required to pay higher fees outlined in the Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Specifically, a hike to the fees associated with the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, which processes travel applications from residents of more than 40 countries that are part of the Visa Waiver Program.

Those countries include the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and most of Europe, as well as a handful of countries in other regions, including Qatar in the Middle East.

Prior to the passage of President Trump’s signature legislation, applicants to the ESTA system, as it’s known, paid $21. Now that mandatory fee will nearly double on September 30 to $40.

It’s one of several fee increases associated with travel to the US from abroad. Travelers arriving through a land border will also see their fees go up with an increase in the I-94 Arrival/Departure Record cost. Right now, travelers required to pay the fee only have to part with $6.
That amount jumps to $30 at the end of the month.

Lastly, travelers from China will be asked to pay a $30 enrollment fee for the Electronic Visa Update System. The September 30 effective date for the fee increases was outlined in a recent notice in the Federal Register.

The increase in fees, combined with the looming $250 “visa integrity fee” for many travelers from non-visa waiver countries, comes at a time when travel to the US from abroad is in a major slump.

Already many Canadians and other international visitors to the US are staying away. The World Travel and Tourism Council projected in May that the United States will lose $12.5 billion in international visitor spending in 2025. It was the only country out of 184 economies analyzed by the council, a global tourism advocacy organization, that will see a decline this year.

The new visa integrity fee has not yet been applied. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security repeated to CNN that it “requires cross-agency coordination before implementation.”

Houston-based immigration attorney Steven Brown said he didn’t think the increase in fees will be much of a “hindrance” for most travelers. But he said the visa integrity fee is an entirely new thing.

“It will be intriguing to see because lots of questions are out there,” he told a reporter. “So we pay the fee, but how does it get refunded? Who is tracking compliance? How do you prove compliance?”

CNN

Burkina Faso arrests French head of NGO for spying

CC™ Politico

By Staff

The French head of an NGO in Burkina Faso specialising in humanitarian safety was arrested in Ouagadougou at the end of July on suspicion of spying, sources said Wednesday, confirming a media report.

Burkina Faso’s military junta has turned away from the West and, in particular, former colonial master France since it seized power in a September 2022 coup.

Security experts contacted by AFP said the French national, who is the country leader for the INSO organisation in the West African state, was accused of espionage.

He is “well treated” and his organisation is in contact with Burkinabe authorities to secure his release, a source said.

INSO, based in the Netherlands, provides security analyses for other humanitarian organisations.

It was suspended for three months on July 31 by Burkina Faso’s authorities for “collecting sensitive data without prior authorisation”.

The military authorities have not released a statement on the arrest of the French national.

In one month between June and July, the junta revoked the operating permits of 21 NGOs and suspended 10 other associations for three months.

Burkinabe authorities often repress dissent, notably within civil society and the media, claiming it as part of the battle against jihadist violence that has plagued the country for a decade.

The junta regularly says it has thwarted “destabilisation attempts”.

Four French civil servants accused of espionage were detained for a year in the capital Ouagadougou before their release last December following mediation by Morocco.

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I regret ever supporting him – El-Rufai’s ex-aide, Ben Kure, says…..

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By Staff

Ben Kure, a former political adviser to the erstwhile governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has described his ex-boss as a devilish manipulator, who can not be trusted. 

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television, Kure stated that El-Rufai is a bad person whose time in power was marked by exclusion and manipulation.

Kure, now the managing director of Kaduna State Media Corporation, said he initially championed El-Rufai’s rise to power, only to later regret his role.

According to him, “I was Director-General of his campaigns in 2015 and 2019. In my life, I have never regretted an action as much as supporting Malam Nasir El-Rufai.

“He was presented to us as a nationalist. But what we saw was politics of exclusion, politics of discrimination, and divide-and-rule. He thrives in crisis by knocking people’s heads together.”

Kure recounted how he, alongside other APC pioneers, helped build the party structure in Kaduna and delivered the ticket to El-Rufai, who had little political base at the time. According to him, the image of El-Rufai as a unifying figure quickly unravelled once he assumed office.

“He used religion and ethnicity to achieve his goals. He pitted communities against each other so he could have his way. That is not leadership, that is manipulation,” Kure declared.

Pressed on why he continued to serve under El-Rufai despite these misgivings, Kure explained that his disillusionment grew gradually. He had served in multiple roles, including local government chairman, executive secretary of the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency, and political adviser, but he said he eventually saw through what he called the governor’s divisive style.

“I did not know he was a bad person at first. The truth became clear during his leadership. The Bible says you can do nothing against the truth but for the truth. We endured him because of the party, but we always believed the future would bring someone to redeem the ills he inflicted on the people of Kaduna,” Kure said.

Liverpool reach deal to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle United for British record £130 million fee

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By Staff

Alexander Isak is headed to Liverpool. The club reached a £130 million deal ($176 million) to sign the Newcastle star on Sunday night, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein. That deal would break the Premier League transfer record set earlier this summer when Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for $153 million. Sunday's deal took place just in time before Monday's transfer deadline.

Isak made it clear that he wanted out of Newcastle. He has not played in any of the club's first three Premier League games this season. Isak posted earlier this month that his relationship with Newcastle "can't continue," though Newcastle appeared to reject his requests to leave at every step. Isak missed the team's trip to Asia and didn't play in a preseason friendly, either. The striker has been training with Real Sociedad, his former club, since July and has been away from Newcastle.

Liverpool intially sent Newcastle a £110 million offer for Isak, which Newcastle rejected. Now, having raised the price, Liverpool secured their latest record-breaking addition.

Isak has spent the past three seasons with Newcastle, which marked his first stint in the Premier League in his career. He had a career-high 23 goals and six assists in 34 matches last season. He's previously spent time with Real Sociedad in La Liga and Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

Liverpool, fresh off its Premier League title last season, opened the year with three straight wins, including a one-nil victory over Arsenal on Sunday. The Reds have spent more than £250 million this transfer window, bringing in other big names like Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni.