Turkey Earthquake: Ghana legend and former Chelsea and Newcastle United star Christian Atsu found dead

Christian Atsu - Getty Images

CC™ Global News

By Deji Komolafe - Deputy Editor

“What makes this news even more tragic is that Atsu had cancelled his flight scheduled to leave Turkey at 11pm after he scored a dramatic late goal to help his team Hatayspor win their Turkish Super Lig match against Kasimpasa, the night before the earthquake.

He cancelled his 11pm flight and then at 4am, the deadly earthquake struck. Absolute tragedy!”

According to reports, the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria and left the country in ruins claimed around 41,000 lives. Despite the fact that rescue operations are still looking, the number of those who are still missing has not been announced. Meanwhile, the Ghanaian star’s death has been made public knowledge. 

Noteworthy that the Turkish Süper Lig challengers Hatayspor first claimed Atsu had been rescued with injuries after the catastrophe, but the club quickly reversed its stance and then claimed the former Everton player was still missing.  

Days later, the player’s agent, Nana Sechere, publicly stated that his client had passed away, claiming that the corpse was found beneath the wreckage of his house over two weeks after the Turkey earthquake. It was confirmed on Saturday morning that Atsu was killed by the earthquake, which has claimed more than 45,000 lives and injured thousands more.

Millions of people have been left without water, electricity and heating in southern Turkey and northern Syria.

The 31-year-old has played 64 times for Ghana since making his debut under Kwesi Appiah in 2012, tallying 10 goals and 9 assists.

May his soul rest in peace.

Eating Fufu (a Yoruba delicacy) helped me score against Chelsea – Karim Adeyemi

Karim Adeyemi - Getty Images

CC™ - Editor-in-Chief

Borussia Dortmund winger Karim Adeyemi revealed that the reason for his remarkable pace is his consumption of the Nigerian (Yoruba) dish, Fufu.

He disclosed this information in the post-match interview against Chelsea on Wednesday night.

Adeyemi said, “I eat a lot of African food! It’s called Fufu, and it’s a Nigerian (Yoruba) food which is very good. I also have good genetics from my Nigerian dad!” 

The 21-year-old scored the only goal in the game, taking on a solo run against an uninspiring Chelsea defense to show the world how much of a deadly attacker he is.

Consequently, his goal awarded him the Man of the match.

Despite representing the German senior team, he still carries his African heritage with him as footage emerged of him devouring “Fufu’ with his father.

He joined Dortmund from RB Salzburg in July 2022 for €38 million and has scored five goals in 23 appearances for the German side who believe it was a good investment

BVB will now carry their single-goal advantage handed by Adeyemi to face the Blues at Stamford Bridge on the 7th of March.

Bola Tinubu's Islamist running-mate urges northern voters to reject Abubakar Atiku of the PDP for opposing Sharia rule

CC™ Global News

Political Staff

The vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Kashim Shettima, said northerners should reject the Peoples Democratic Party, flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar, for opposing the enactment of Sharia rule across the region.

Shettima, a hardline Islamic fundamentalist and reputed Boko Haram sponsor, urged the northern voters to reject Atiku at the February 25 polls because he fought against the Islamic legal system in the North.

He stated these while addressing the party faithful at an APC local government conference.

“This person you call your own says you should not call him ‘Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, but rather Atiku Abubakar,” Shettima told his audience in the Hausa language. “Your person says he is the only person that fights against Sharia in the north. Is that your person?”

Shettima’s remarks is his latest attempt to whip up ethno-religious rhetoric against the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate.

Recall that Shettima at the Emir's Palace in Daura, Katsina, publicly challenged Atiku to come out and mention eight people he has mentored in the North; or the capital projects he executed in the North while he served as vice president between 1999 to 2007.

The APC vice presidential candidate told his audience that Atiku’s presidency would not serve the North’s ethno-religious interests.

2023 Election: Nigerian military responds to ‘Atiku meeting, coup plot’

CC™ Politico News

By Wale Odunsi

The Armed Forces of Nigeria has condemned the allegation that some of its officers met with a presidential candidate over the 2023 election.

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode alleged that the Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and top military personnel met.

A rebuttal Saturday evening by Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, Acting Director Defence Information, denied the military was involved in a plan to disrupt the general polls.

The spokesperson said the “wicked and very malicious propaganda indicated that a so-called Thursday meeting plotted a Coup d’etat to establish unconstitutional order”.

The Armed Forces expressed dismantled that “politically exposed persons can denigrate themselves into joining agents of destabilization and violence in making false claims just to heighten tension in the polity”.

SOURCE: VANGUARD

The 7 habits of highly successful organizations

Editor's Corner 

                               

As organizations seek ways to improve functional output and operational effectiveness, it becomes incumbent upon business leaders to understand what best practices to adopt, in their quest to achieve sustainable growth and brand stability.

Many are quick to point to the "successes" of some of the world's biggest brands such as GE, Microsoft, Disney, Walmart, Apple and Google, among others. The truth however lies somewhere in between as to what exactly constitutes success beyond just the bottom-line.

A "healthy bottom-line" does not necessarily translate into being an attractive brand or ensure sustainable growth.

What organizations such as Google and more lately Apple have in fact shown, is that there are other mitigating factors that go towards determining the long-term success and brand equity of an organization.

In this piece, a prelude to a more in-depth analysis to come, we explore and profess the key habits that would seem to characterize truly successful organizations.

a) Hire well - As organizations such as Google, Microsoft and Apple (much lately) have learnt, hiring the right talent goes a long way towards building your Intellectual Capital portfolio.

b) Invest in your employees and thus your organization's future - While some of the better known brands are able to attract some of the best talent initially, holding on to that talent pool becomes even more critical. It is not enough to just pay well; in addition to that, organizations that have managed to hold on to their prized talent base, have invested heavily by way of benefits and other quality-of-life perks that are essential to keeping the poachers at bay.

c) Encourage independent thought within your organization - In conversations with peers in the business community, most believe this is one of the areas where Microsoft in particular "went wrong" (the current CEO Satya Nadella has since righted that ship). It's main competitors are said to have seized on a culture (supposedly) within the organization at the time, that did not encourage or value independent thinking.
Organizations that frown on the idea of "thinking-outside-the-box" ultimately leave little room for their business units to procreate. A resulting dearth of unique ideas will ultimately result in the natural death of the said organization.

d) Reward independent thought within your organization - In addition to encouraging a "think-outside-the-box culture within your organization, it is also equally important to acknowledge those with unique and creative ideas. Promotions, raises, bonuses and other forms of recognition should reflect this, as it will only augur well for the continued growth and development of the organization, its brand and of course, its people.

e) Be true to your founding ideals and core corporate principles - Make taking care of your customers/clients a guiding business principle. It is the best practice you could ever indulge in as it engenders brand affinity through credibility.

f) Seek strategic partnerships that complement your business model and strategy - It is important that you align yourself with organizations that share your ideals, beliefs and ideas and subsequently provide a synergistic nirvana.

g) Manage your growth while continuing to innovate - Maintain your identity and stick to a working strategy. Adapt to the pervading business climate in your own unique way and continue to deliver consistently. 

© 2023 2CG Media. All Rights Reserved.

A pleonexic legacy of theft: 27 Items Stolen From Africa By Britain

CC™ Histography

Admiral McRaven Leaves the Audience SPEECHLESS | One of the Best Motivational Speeches

CC™ VideoScope

The Human Brain - A complex but detailed assembly

Editor's Corner

The human brain is probably the most complex but unique creation present in the anatomy of humans. It would be an understatement to refer to the brain as just an extraordinary creation as I would actually go out on a limb and call the brain the most extraordinary creation in the human anatomy. 

The human brain is home, one can say, to everything that makes us tick. In addition to the human mind as well as our various intricate personalities, the brain is the abode of human consciousness, passion, emotion and purpose.

This article marks the beginning of my attempt to find answers to some of the puzzling questions I have always had as to why people do some of the things they do and what the primary triggers for their action or inaction might be. One case that came to mind for me was that of the Vietnamese father in the news a couple of years ago, for killing his four young children. What could have motivated this man to take the life of his own children? The human brain is an organ that essentially is built to learn, hence was this man’s action as a result of some form of defective learning behavior? 

While nature may play a dominant role in our lives, does nurture (one’s environment and learned experiences) however have a more defining role in how we see, interpret and react to events or episodes in our lives? In asking all these questions and having read the details of this particular event, I started to wonder as to what part of his brain cell may have ‘misfired’ and why to lead him to ‘rationalize’ taking the lives of his own children.

In learning to become familiar with our brain, we look to understand not only how its various parts work, but more importantly how we nourish, protect and develop it. I would propose that the human brain in its most basic as well as most complex element is constantly changing and evolving with each experience we encounter. Did the Vietnamese father above therefore ‘readjust’ his notion of what was rational as a result of certain negative experiences in his life or was his action merely a projection of his own self-worth due to a defective processing of information by his brain. 

Was there a critical disconnect between the two hemispheres thus resulting in this defective ‘rationalization’ or was his behavior more as a result of systematic desensitization to what’s wrong as a result of observational learning (modeling) of deviant but admired behavior within the larger American society?

In a society where serial killers, rapists and murderers are ‘revered’ and gain notoriety even over their victims, does the nurture aspect of human brain development through information processing then cloud the Grey area between what is socially acceptable behavior and what is deviant or anti-social behavior? I would hazard a guess that in his native Vietnam, such behavior would lead possibly to immediate execution of the perpetrator or some form of punishment that aims to discourage such anti-social behavior. 

I would also presume that in his native Vietnam, serial killers, rapists and murderers would never be ‘revered’ like the Charles Mansons and Jeffrey Dahmers of the United States; people who actually had movies made about them as well as books written about them.

Therefore it seems as though the human brain, although home to everything from a nature perspective that makes us tick, is however subject to the varying complexities of an individual’s environment and how the same individual reacts or relates to varying stimuli within the said environment. So, while we may nourish our brain by eating the right kinds of foods, getting the right amount of sleep, while also engaging in physiological exercises aimed at maintaining the brain structure at optimum capacity and productivity, the environment might be perhaps the most critical deciding factor as to whether or not information is processed constructively or defectively. 

I would suggest that this might however be open to debate as there are several instances where we can probably show that although the influence of the environment might be a very strong one, how an individual actually processes information on a consistent basis as well as having the right chemical balance within the brain structure may be more of a deciding factor as to the ultimate state of our minds.

Thus, the question arises again. How well do we really know our brain? But more importantly, how do we do our part in ensuring that this most delicate and intricate part of the human ‘anatomy’ remains an asset to the human mind and ambition. The search for answers continues and we are all a part of the process.

© 2023 2CG MEDIA. Coker Confidential™

Decision 2023: Nigeria at a crossroads as a known drug baron and his running mate, a chief sponsor of Islamic terrorists, seem poised to occupy Aso Rock

CC™ Viewpoint

By Boyejo A. Coker - Chief Editor

It was exactly eight years ago (to date) that a certain Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former Senator as well as former Executive Governor of Lagos State, stepped onto the scene at a campaign rally in Southwest Nigeria. The candidate at that time was the current President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Rtd. General Muhammadu Buhari, a failed presidential candidate who had lost his bid for the presidency on three prior attempts to win the plum job of running the affairs of Africa's largest economy and democracy. 

Buhari's campaign was at best fledgling at the time, and needed some infusion of pizzazz, energy and inspiration. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu stepped to the plate and the rest, as they say, is history. 

It was the same Asiwaju Bola Tinubu that sold Buhari to us as a reformed dictator (more or less a tyrant in actuality). Yes, the same Buhari that eight years later has essentially taken Nigeria back to the Stone Age. 

Under Buhari and the current APC government, Nigeria overtook India in having the largest number of people in poverty, in the world. The certified disaster that has been the Buhari administration should in most political climates spell disaster for the ruling party, but in Nigerian politics, the ruling party always has the upper hand - as they use practically every instrument and organ of government at their disposal to hold on to power. 

That last line is actually quite instructive, as it speaks to the arrogance exhibited by the APC hierarchy in presenting a Muslim-Muslim ticket as its choice for President and Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. To understand the importance of this dynamic, Nigeria is a multi-religious nation with the two main religions, Christianity and Islam, roughly evenly split. 

That is why it has always been the unwritten rule to balance the leadership ticket evenly between those two prominent religions, for the sake of national unity and peaceful co-existence. 

Furthermore, the running mate to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the APC flag bearer, is a known sponsor of Boko Haram and other adjacent Islamic terrorist groups. Kashim Shettima, is a former governor of Borno State in the northern part of Nigeria, and it is a documented fact that a notorious terrorist, Kabiru Sokoto, years ago, was found and arrested in the home of the former Borno State governor turned vice presidential candidate.

The highly questionable background of Shettima fits right in with the equally questionable background of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate. Apart from Tinubu’s unverifiable education and birth records, he is also a well documented drug baron and money launderer. 

The APC had the glorious opportunity to present Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo as its flag bearer for the presidency of the nation, and then balance it out with a credible running mate of Islamic persuasion from the north. That they chose these two men of highly questionable backgrounds and character for the top two offices in the nation, speaks to an acerbic dysfunction within the ruling party, and typifies either a lack of requisite foresight, or downright arrogance that has come to embody the brazen insensitivity of the ruling party, to the yearnings and desires of well meaning Nigerians. 

A truly Democratic dispensation was bequeathed to President Muhammadu Buhari. Former President Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat in 2015 to Buhari rather than shed a single drop of Nigerian blood. Under this APC government, the will of the people has been overturned repeatedly by kangaroo courts and tribunals, whose judges and officials have been compromised by the incendiary and inordinate ambitions of defeated APC candidates, with the acquiescence of the Buhari administration.

Things have undoubtedly fallen apart and it is clear that the center cannot hold. The die is indeed cast regarding the future of Nigeria’s corporate existence.

Further proof that Nasir El-Rufai is the devil……

CC™ Politico

The pint-sized ethnic bigot and religious zealot refers to Northern Christians as belonging to the “Christian enclaves in the north”. El-Rufai, along with his now well documented ethnic cleansing campaign against the non-Fulani indigenes of Kaduna State, has always demonstrated his propensity for being unhinged when campaigning against his adversaries during elections. 

The image (above) in this short article by our political desk could not better represent how most well-meaning Nigerians view the vertically-challenged loose-canon. 

When you look at the number of likes (thumbs up) in the pictorial of another one of his media rants, you will see he has exactly 666 likes. 

As would be expected, Satan couldn’t agree more with his apostle of hate, disinformation and destruction.