VIRTUE AND VALUE: THE TWO PILLARS OF A GODLY LIFE

CC™ PersPective

By Pastor Amos Dada

In a world obsessed with fame, wealth, and appearances, many have lost sight of what truly matters: virtue and value. These two elements form the foundation of a purposeful, impactful Christian life. While value speaks of what you carry — your God-given worth and contribution — virtue reflects how you carry it — the godly character that upholds and preserves your value.

What Is Virtue?

Virtue refers to moral excellence, goodness, purity, and strength of character. It is the visible fruit of inner transformation by the Holy Spirit.

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance… godliness… brotherly kindness… charity.”2 Peter 1:5-7 

Virtue is not optional for believers — it is the first thing Peter says to add to our faith. Why? Because without virtue, our faith becomes empty profession.

Examples of Virtue: Integrity (Proverbs 10:9)Purity (Matthew 5:8).Patience (James 1:4).Kindness (Ephesians 4:32)

What Is Value?

Value is the unique worth and purpose God has placed in your life. You are not random. You were made to add something meaningful to the world and the Body of Christ.

“Ye are the salt of the earth… Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.”Matthew 5:13-14 (KJV)

This means your presence should preserve, brighten, and influence your world positively. To live a valueless life is to bury your God-given talent (see Matthew 25:14–30).

The more value you add to your self the more your worth. 

Example of value

Spiritual Gifts:Teaching, healing, prophecy, intercession, wisdom(1 Corinthians 12:7–11 )“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” Are you a teacher, add more value be upgrading your knowledge daily. Learn something new daily not only in your area of expertise but in general knowledge.

God-Given Talents and Skills: Singing, writing, organizing, leadership, craftsmanship, hospitality(Exodus 31:2-5 ) God filled Bezalel with skill and ability to design for the tabernacle. Are you a singer? Keep composing until your song not only go viral but is rendered in every home around the world .

Experience and Wisdom:Life lessons, maturity, counsel, spiritual insight(Job 12:12) “With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.” A you a pastor, come to the pulpit every time with a fresh revelation soaked in prayer. Bishop Oyedepo says where there is rain people will bring there bucket to fetch water. Don’t complain that people are leaving your church, add value to yourself and even those who left with return and you will attract fresh members daily- Acts 2:47. Don’t fake prophecy just stay more in God’s presence and you will have more heavenly, accurate prophecies to give to your parishioners. 

Your Capacity to Solve Problems: The more problems you solve the more valuable you become. Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “There is none so discreet and wise as thou art. He established the universal system of retirement. Daniel in Babylon, established the philosophy of self discipline. Esther in the palace, established the principle of purity and solving national problem .

The Relationship Between Virtue and Value

Your virtue sustains your value. Gifting and charisma may take you to a high place, but without godly character (virtue), you won’t last there.

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.” Proverbs 22:1 (KJV):

This is why some rise fast but fall even faster — they had value but lacked virtue. A person of great value without virtue is like a powerful engine with no brakes — bound for destruction.

How to Add Virtue and Value to Your Life

Daily Devotion and the Word of God – (Psalm 119:9)

Fellowship with the Holy Spirit – (Galatians 5:22-23)

Learning and Personal Development (Proverbs 4:7)

Serving Others – (Mark 10:45)

Living with Eternal Purpose – (Colossians 3:2)

Keep in mind: God won’t anoint who you pretend to be; He empowers who you are becoming in Christ.

Conclusion:

In a world that celebrates outward success but often neglects inner substance, God is calling His people to a higher standard — one marked by virtue and value. Your value is what God has deposited in you to bless the world; your virtue is the character that protects and expresses that value with integrity. One without the other is incomplete. As believers, we must not only know our worth but also walk in holiness so that our impact will be lasting and our lives will truly reflect Christ.

Let us pursue both with diligence — building our lives on truth, walking in the Spirit, and being vessels of honor in our generation.

FULANI TERRORISM, THE OPEN SORE IN NIGERIA

CC™ PersPective

By E.O. Eke

The latest killing of innocent civilians in Benue State has raised the question of when this perennial evil will force good Nigerians to do the right thing to end this cycle of killings. 

The continuing misrepresentation of the facts by the government is another salt to the gaping wound of those who continue to pay the blood price of this pogrom suggesting that the people Benue state and other indigenous communities in Nigeria have been sold to Fulanis by Nigerian government. Why would the government call this pogrom farmer herder conflict? Where are the cows of Fulani terrorists?

The Nigerian government obfuscation and inaction in the face of such monstrous evil is beyond odious. It is beyond abdication of responsibility. It is a complete shameless and remorseless sell out of the people, a betrayal of unparalleled comparison in history.

There is no word strong enough to describe the vapidity of the response of the government of Nigeria to this unfolding and persistent crime against humanity. 

The government’s refusal to see this pogrom for what it is, a genocidal ethnic cleansing by Fulani terrorists imported into Nigeria by some northern politicians, betrays its complicity.

The question is, how did fulanis in political positions in Nigeria and the military tie the hands of Nigeria government and military behind their back, while their terrorists continue the ethnic cleansing of Nigerian villages all these years unchallenged? 

When will Nigerians ask the most basic question about this genocide- who has been benefiting from it and who will continue to gain from it in the long run? 

When will Nigerians realise that the indigenous communities are making a fatal mistake by not asking who stands to gain by the success of Fulani terrorists.

Why is it so hard to fathom that Fulani leaders in Nigeria, the clerics who defend Fulani terrorists, the senior Fulani military officers who leak information to terrorists, sabotage operations and stops the army and police from confronting the terrorists, the politicians who ensure delivery of their supplies and arms and the Fulani ruling class amongst them who would administer the conquered territories are behind this genocide. 

I wonder how much more evil and atrocities Nigerians want to see from Fulani terrorists before rising up and rejecting the evil, these

Monster represent. 

The tragedy of the fractured Nigerian situation is that Nigerians are not rallying over philosophical theory of the type of society they believe Nigeria should be, but along the divisive fault lives of religion and ethnicity. 

This absurd reality creates the environment for the protection of the state which Fulani terrorists who are killing Nigerians and cleansing Nigerian villages exploits and enjoy. 

Many years ago when I hoped that Nigeria would be spared the fate of Pakistan and Afghanistan, I wrote a piece on the terror industry and how terrorism sustains itself by creating a money making economy which is difficult to shut down. 

Today, I can say that terror economy is up and running in Nigeria and that the Nigeria I grew up in is dead. 

Those who will survive in Nigeria of today, must first of all, know how to use the gun and have the wisdom to defeat the existential threat which Fulani terrorists pose. 

Nigerians must understand that Nigeria has ceased to be a civil society. Security in Nigeria is no longer guaranteed by the law and the government of Nigeria can no longer protect Nigerians from Fulani terrorists. 

What was bad under Buhari is getting worse under Tinubu. These two leaders have shown commitment in taking Nigeria back from civilisation. Nigeria is now a county of rogue military officers working for terrorists, bandits, terrorists, kidnappers, corrupt politicians, ritual killers and warlords. 

The pictures of the victims of Fulani terrorists is devastating. I keep asking myself what kind of people are Nigerians who can keep quiet in the face of such evil? 

Nigerian governments have been presiding over ethnic cleansing of indigenous people by Fulani terrorists for several years. . Buhari and Brutari did nothing about it and Tinubu is not doing any better. 

Nigerians please wake up, read history and prepare to defend your land from people who want to turn it into grazing grounds for their cows and hunt you like preys. Terrorists commit atrocities in Nigeria because they have guns. No religions forbids a man from defending himself. Since the police and army have failed to protect Nigerians, law abiding Nigerian citizens should now acquire AK 47 to protect themselves, their families and way of life. It is not rocket science. History tells us that invariably, those with guns, rule those without. 

Please Nigerians stop eating cow meat. If you must eat meat, eat chicken, goat, sheep, but please stop funding genocide by Fulani terrorists by eating cow meat. The Fulani terrorists already have guns. Nigerians must use everything, including our purchasing power, as economic weapon in this warfare or become slaves of Fulani terrorists and their masters. Stop funding Miyetti Allah and Fulani terrorism. Stop eating cow meat 

It is time for the Nigerian government and military to protect Nigerians from Fulani terrorism and build a safe country for all under the rule of law. 

May the souls of victims of Fulani terrorism in Nigeria rest in peace and may all Nigerians rise up with one voice to say, never again. unless we do this, we are just waiting for the next attack to claim its victims and once again, the wailing will start again.

Mayor of Federal Way: Political intimidation as November elections loom

CC™ VideoSpective

THE MYSTICAL POLITICAL POWER OF JAGABAN AS ALBATROSS FOR ATIKU AND OBI

CC™ PersPective

By Yahaya Balogun

In many ways, the ceaseless ambitions of both Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi for the presidency have ignited a downward spiral for the People Democratic Party-PDP, serving as the spark for its symbolic demise. Their repeated pursuits of the nation's highest office not only complicated the landscape of political aspirations but also laid bare the irreparable fractures within the party. Now, there's no doubt that opportunistic Peter Obi must be shopping for another ramshackle party like the unserious Labor Party, using it as a political Ponzi scheme for his political ambition.

As opportunistic politicians with substantial followings and experience, Atiku and Obi's continuous attempts to capture the presidential nomination illuminated the internal divisions and ideological divergences that had been quietly brewing. Each campaign revealed a story of ambition and rivalry that eclipsed the party's dubious foundational values, eroding its unity and cementing its incoherence.

Abubakar Atiku and Peter Obi's aspirations wielded a double-edged sword in Nigeria's fiercely competitive political arena. While they aimed to ascend their personal political ladders, they inadvertently cast long shadows over the PDP's stature as once a formidable political entity in Nigeria. Each presidential bid, laden with challenges and controversies, inadvertently highlighted the party's diminishing clout and its struggle to project a cohesive image. As factions splintered and loyalties shifted, it became increasingly apparent that the PDP was not merely contending with external rivals; it was ensnared in an existential crisis from within, paving for the tsunami and influx of political jobber into the Alliance of People's Congress-APC. 

Thus, as Atiku and Obi relentlessly chased their presidential dreams, the PDP appeared to be edging toward a crucial turning point. Rather than rejuvenating the party, their ambitions were nails in its coffin, signifying the curtain closing on an era for an organization that once dominated Nigeria's political theater. The phrase 'sealed the coffin' captures a moment of irrevocable change, revealing how, amidst towering aspirations, the party's legacy now teeters on the brink as it struggles to redefine itself in an evolving political landscape.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, known as 'Jagaban,' emerges as a monumental presence in Nigerian politics, embodying a unique blend of insight and strategic prowess that few can rival. Often characterized as a political maverick, he navigates the perilous currents of governance and public life with a boldness that has earned him both fervent supporters and staunch critics. Overlooking the depth of his influence and the complexities of his political tactics would be a significant oversight—an oversight fueled by naivety.

It would be shortsighted to disregard the fact that many of his political adversaries have, in essence, woven the fabric of their own declines through a series of blunders. Dismissing the imposing presence of Tinubu, affectionately dubbed 'Jagaban,' could very well lead to calamity for those who underestimate his political shrewdness. More than just a contender on the political stage, he represents an unwavering force—a true juggernaut capable of reshaping and redefining the political landscape of Nigeria.

His substantial influence has not merely disrupted the existing order; Tinubu has played a pivotal role in shaking the foundations of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and other opposition factions, entities rooted in a political epoch marked by military takeovers and upheaval. Once considered stable pillars of Nigeria's political scene, these parties now confront a palpable atmosphere of uncertainty and turmoil.

Under Tinubu's watchful eye, Nigeria stands at a crucial intersection, teetering between a past characterized by turbulent political crises and a future that could promise stability or further discord. As he continues to navigate this contentious crossroads, the implications of his strategic leadership extend far beyond the political realm, touching the lives of millions of Nigerians watching with bated breath to see how this complex saga unfolds to collective fruition. In recognizing the historical significance of this moment, one cannot ignore the ongoing transformation of Nigeria's political scene. This transformation is both exhilarating and rife with the imperils and political peril of Atiku and Obi—serial presidential contestants.

European powers tell UN they are ready to reimpose Iran sanctions

CC™ Global News

By Staff

Britain, France and Germany have told the United Nations they are ready to reimpose UN-mandated sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program if no diplomatic solution is found by the end of August, according to a communique obtained by CC™

The letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council says the three European powers are “committed to use all diplomatic tools at our disposal to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon” unless Tehran meets the deadline.

The foreign ministers from the so-called E3 group threaten to use a “snapback mechanism” that was part of a 2015 international deal with Iran that eased UN Security Council sanctions.

Under the deal, which terminates in October, any party to the accord can restore the sanctions.

All three have stepped up warnings to Iran about its suspension of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

That came after Israel launched a 12-day war with Iran in June, partly seeking to destroy its nuclear capability. The United States staged its own bombing raid during the war.

“We have made clear that if Iran is not willing to reach a diplomatic solution before the end of August 2025, or does not seize the opportunity of an extension, E3 are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism,” foreign ministers Jean-Noel Barrot of France, David Lammy of Britain and Johann Wadephul of Germany said in the letter.

All three countries were signatories to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with the United States, China and Russia that offered the carrot and stick deal for Iran to slow its enrichment of uranium needed for a nuclear weapon.

President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the accord in 2018 during his first term and ordered new sanctions.

The European countries said they would stick to the accord. But their letter sets out engagements that the ministers say Iran has breached, including building up a uranium stock more than 40 times the permitted level under the 2015 deal.

“The E3 remain fully committed to a diplomatic resolution to the crisis caused by Iran’s nuclear program and will continue to engage with a view to reaching a negotiated solution.

“We are equally ready, and have unambiguous legal grounds, to notify the significant non-performance of JCPOA commitments by Iran … thereby triggering the snapback mechanism, should no satisfactory solution be reached by the end of August 2025,” the ministers wrote in the letter first reported by the Financial Times.

The United States had already started contacts with Iran, which denies seeking a weapon, over its nuclear activities.

But these were halted by the Israeli strikes in June on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Even before the strikes, the international powers had raised concerns about the lack of access given to IAEA inspectors.

Iran halted all cooperation with the IAEA after the strikes, but it announced that the agency’s deputy chief was expected in Teheran for talks on a new cooperation deal.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sent a letter to the UN last month saying that the European countries did not have the legal right to restore sanctions.

The European ministers called this allegation “unfounded”.

They insisted that as JCPOA signatories, they would be “clearly and unambiguously legally justified in using relevant provisions” of UN resolutions “to trigger UN snapback to reinstate UNSC resolutions against Iran which would prohibit enrichment and re-impose UN sanctions.”

South Africa denounces ‘deeply flawed’ US human rights report

CC™ News

By Staff

South Africa has denounced a “deeply flawed” US report highlighting its “deteriorating” human rights situation, days after Donald Trump’s administration slapped 30 percent tariffs on many of the country’s exports.

In its annual human rights report released Tuesday, the US State Department accused South Africa of taking “a substantially worrying step towards land expropriation of so-called Afrikaners and further abuses against racial minorities”.

Hit with the highest US tariffs of any sub-Saharan country, South Africa has been a regular target of Trump, who has criticised land and employment laws meant to redress lingering racial inequalities.

Pretoria’s foreign ministry responded Tuesday by expressing “profound disappointment” in the US report.

“We find the report to be an inaccurate and deeply flawed account that fails to reflect the reality of our constitutional democracy,” it said.

A law signed this year by President Cyril Ramaphosa and denounced by Trump allows for the expropriation of land without compensation in rare circumstances.

Land ownership remains a contentious issue in South Africa, with most farmland still owned by white settlers, a full three decades after the end of apartheid.

Pretoria still hopes to strike a deal with Washington, its third-largest trading partner, to save tens of thousands of jobs in the agricultural, automotive and textiles sectors that are highly dependent on the US market.

Possible use of City Hall apparatus for political intimidation in Federal Way?

CC™ VideoSpective

The indispensable impact of Nigerians globally

CC™ VideoSpective

CREDITS - NaTivi

Mexico rejects reported U.S. military plan to target drug cartels

CC™ PersPective

By Staff

Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum has dismissed the possibility of U.S. troops operating on Mexican soil, following reports that U.S. President Donald Trump had authorized the Pentagon to prepare for military action against Latin American drug cartels.

“The United States is not going to come to Mexico with the military,” Sheinbaum told reporters. “We cooperate, we collaborate, but there is not going to be an invasion. That is ruled out, absolutely ruled out.”

Her comments came after The New York Times reported that Trump had secretly signed a directive granting the Pentagon authority to conduct direct military operations against drug cartels abroad.

The reported order follows Trump’s earlier executive designation of eight cartels as terrorist organizations, six of which are based in Mexico.

While the White House did not confirm the directive, it reiterated in a statement to the BBC that the president’s “top priority is protecting the homeland.”

Sheinbaum said her government was informed in advance that new measures targeting cartels were planned but stressed they involved no U.S. military deployment in Mexico.

“It is not part of any agreement, far from it. When it has been brought up, we have always said ‘No’,” she added.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said Thursday, that the terrorist designation would allow Washington to use intelligence and defense resources against cartels.

“We have to start treating them as armed terrorist organizations, not simply drug-dealing organizations,” Rubio said.

Despite the tensions, Mexico and the U.S. have recently intensified cooperation on border security and anti-narcotics efforts.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows June recorded the lowest number of illegal border crossings on record, while fentanyl seizures dropped by more than half compared to earlier this year.

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson praised the joint efforts on X, writing that cooperation between Sheinbaum and Trump had left cartels “going bankrupt” and both countries “safer because of it.”

Flashback: The GOP and the dearth of true conservatives

Reagan takes oath of office

Editor-in-Chief 

--- Boyejo A. Coker

This piece was written (ahead of the 2012 U.S. general elections) as a sequel to a preceding piece titled "Whither the GOP and true conservatism." Both pieces served to profess a prelude to the emergence of both Barack Obama and Donald Trump on opposite sides of the political spectrum. The article continues below.....

In an article I wrote a few years ago, I touched on the debilitating frailties of the GOP as presently constituted and how they may have led to the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.

As we get into the decisive months of presidential politics in the U.S. general elections, one sees the same pattern beginning to unfold once again, as the GOP-led Congress (at least on the House side) would much rather play side-bar politics, that could ultimately re-energize the left to turn out in solidarity of what most observers perceive to be an under-performing president.

There is no question that the president is vulnerable and worse-still is the fact that he seems unsure of what he needs to do, in order to get the economy moving again.

For independent voters (they hold the "swing votes" in key elections), the two choices for the White House would seem to be a replay of 2008 all over again.

Then, most independents seemed to initially lean towards John McCain, as they respected his service to country as well as his penchant for reaching across the aisle, to get the business of the nation done, when it was absolutely necessary.

The fringe right of the GOP was however cool to the McCain candidacy and they eventually forced his hand into choosing someone that many felt became a liability to both his candidacy as well as the poignant message true conservatives were trying to send to the American people.

Key political watchers would argue that true conservatives never warmed up to Sarah Palin the minute they realized there was nothing behind the looks or between the ears.

For all the so-called Tea Party would like most Americans to believe, conservatism is not defined by a resentment for a sterling educational pedigree or impeccable intellectual acumen. Rather than see those with the preceding qualities as snubs, a true conservative views the composite as an invaluable asset; one that typifies a sense of ambition, responsibility and ultimately speaks to the crux of the conservative message of a commitment to excellence.

The reality is that this president is way in over his head, but the GOP leadership in the House of Representatives has consistently giving him a way out by stalling and styming his feckless efforts aimed at "reviving" the American economy.

And when they are not styming the president's "well intended efforts" they are busy issuing subpoenas to the Attorney General of the United States for a program that was actually started under a Republican president; it was then called Operation Wide Receiver and it was the first known ATF "gunwalking" operation to the Mexican drug cartels, beginning in early 2006 (under the Bush White House) and ran till late 2007.

Not to digress onto this matter, but what makes the Darrell Issa-led over-reach even more laughable and at best mis-directed, is the fact that under the Bush administration, there were no known reviews by either the DOJ or the Congress at the time. In fact, it was not until Barack Obama took office in 2009, that the Eric Holder-led DOJ started an intensive review into Operation Wide Receiver, with arrests and indictments subsequently made, as a result of the investigations.

Rather than focus on the key issues that continue to affect the generality of the American people, the ECONOMY, ECONOMY and the ECONOMY, key GOP leadership and their surrogates, would much rather play divisive politics and once again, give a much needed opening and life-line to a struggling presidency.

True conservatives are not blinded by their parochial and ideological idiosyncrasies, but are instead committed to espousing the true values and ideals of transparency, accountability and responsible governance; doing so with dignity and firmness, as well as a sense of cordiality that belies their resolve and determination.

The message of individual responsibility, self-determination, personal discipline and accountability must not be lost in the abyss of incendiary vituperations laced with jingoistic redundancies.

The American people deserve much better this time around, than a default presidency as that may ultimately lead to a couple of plausible scenarios that could eventually obtain here. The first is that Barack Obama's "third term" is ensured (4 years from now) by the lack of purpose and direction currently being exhibited by the core GOP establishment. The other scenario is that an anti-establishment candidate may arise out of the ashes of the impending GOP establishment's implosion. That person would then become an unlikely but much welcome voice (to the far right) of parochial irredentism that may change the political landscape of the United States forever.

Chief Editor's commentary: The 'anti-establishment candidate' I predicted almost a decade ago, in this piece, turned out to be Donald J. Trump. Four years of his chaotic presidency has turned American democracy on its head and January 6, 2021 was indeed a defining day in the history of the United States of America. Let no one be fooled here either by the incendiary posturing of some GOP fringe stalwarts of the disgraced former president, as it relates to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. 

The facts are that Donald Trump was first impeached for withholding military aid to a friendly nation in exchange for a purported favor from that nation (Ukraine) against a potential opponent (Joe Biden) of his, in the upcoming presidential elections, at the time. Trump’s feckless presidency and rudderless leadership strengthened Putin’s hand politically, as it relates to the former Soviet Republics, Ukraine especially, from a strategic standpoint, geopolitically.