Category: Nigerian Tribune

Unlike her elderly siblings, my one month old baby is yet to shed any tears while crying. Kindly let me know if she is okay.

Lizzy (by SMS)

There are several medical conditions that are associated with decreased tear production or collection. Infants can become dehydrated when they are unable to feed well or are losing body fluids due to an illness. The first sign of dehydration is a reduced number of wet (urine) diapers. If ongoing fluid losses are not replaced, dry lips and an absence of tears while crying may be evident.

Sunken eyes, lethargy, or increased irritability are signs of severe dehydration that require emergency medical treatment. It is common for newborns to have a temporary obstruction of the duct that drains tears from the eyes into the nose. In most cases, the lacrimal duct is blocked by a membrane at birth that takes a few days to open. In other cases, there is a problem with the duct itself, usually due to immature development. This causes pooling of tears at the inner corner of the eye. At times, a white mucous may form that can be easily wiped away.

This differs from the kind of mucous that forms during an eye infection which is typically yellow or green. When the lacrimal gland fails to develop during fetal life, this can result in the absence of tears. This very rare occurrence can be an isolated finding or one component of another genetic disorder. Because of there is no lubrication from tears, the eye is prone to dryness and inflammation.

Other common causes of childhood dry eye are medications such as for acne or allergies and contact lens use. Some studies have shown that environmental allergens and pollutants can alter the amount of mucous or fatty acids in tears Most babies produce tears.

Look closely the next time your baby cries. If the eyes appear dry and irritated, contact your pediatrician. There are medical conditions associated with a lack of or a reduced amount of tears, but they are very rare. If you are concerned that something may not be right about your baby’s eyes, it is best to have them checked by a doctor.

A woman, Omoladun, has brought a divorce suit against her husband, Tijani, at Grade A Customary Court, sitting in Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, on the account of lack of care, physical assault and domestic violence.

Omoladun stated that Tijani apart from constantly neglecting her and their children, hardly stayed at home.

Omoladun explained that she daily bore the responsibility of feeding their children, inculcating morals in them, and meeting other needs.

She further said that on the few occasions the defendant was at home, he refused that she had peace of mind.

She stated that they were either arguing or quarrelling over an issue, adding that he would end up descending on her with punches.

According to Omoladun, Tijani later left home for four years not leaving a clue about his whereabouts.

The plaintiff told the court that she was later informed that the defendant had taken a new wife who bore him a child.

Omoladun added that Tijani later returned home, and also went back to his old ways of assaulting her physically.

Omoladun told the court she had reached the end of her tether and thus prayed the court to dissolve their union.

She further pleaded for their children’s custody, and also entreated the court to rule that her husband be made responsible for their children’s upkeep, giving feeding, education and health care priority.

She further sought an order restraining the defendant from threatening and encroaching on her private life.

Tijani agreed that their union be dissolved.

He claimed that the milk of kindness seem to have run dry in his wife.

Tijani gave an instance of when his wife burnt the buttocks of their seven- year-old son with hot knife for stealing meat in the pot.

He added that she was careless and that the foot of another child of theirs got caught in a bicycle spoke when she was taking him out.

According to him, the foot has remain permanently deformed.

Omoladun, in her testimony, said, ‘My husband and I started living together shortly after we met.

‘We did not have a wedding ceremony, neither did he pay my bride price.

‘My husband is irresponsible and therefore made a mess of our union.

‘He hardly ever stayed at home and therefore failed to develop a bonding with me and our children.

‘He was in the habit of leaving home for weeks without leaving a clue about his whereabouts.

‘We never enjoyed his attention and affection.

‘He daily failed in his responsibilities towards us as head of the home and breadwinner.

‘he never fed or inculcate in them the right values.

‘I work hard every day to ensure that our children are well fed.

‘My husband is cruel.

‘The few times he was home he would refuse that I had rest of mind.

‘He was in the habit of raising argument over trivial issues and would end up descending on me with punches.

‘He once deserted home for four years without contacting us.

‘I was later informed that he had married another woman who bore him a child.

‘He finally returned home without giving any explanation on where he had been.

‘He went back to his old ways of assaulting me physically, and even became worse.

‘I got fed up with his maltreatment of me and instructed him to stop paying the rent.

‘I also insisted he never returned to the residence.

‘I further warned him to desist from harassing and threatening me.

‘My lord, my husband has pushed me to the wall, which was why I came to court.

‘I pray that our union be dissolved.

‘I also plead for our children’s custody, because he has never been there.

‘I, further appeal that the court direct my husband to be responsible for our children’s upkeep, giving feeding, education and health service priority.

‘I, in addition request an order restraining him from harassing, threatening, and interfering with my privacy.’

Tijani responded, ‘I am also through with our marriage.

‘My wife is wicked, and the milk of human kindness seems to have run dry in her.

‘She has no affection for our children.

‘She put hot knife on the buttocks of one of our children which resulted in a deep wound because he stole a piece of meat in the pot.

‘She is also careless.

‘Another child of ours got his foot trapped in a bicycle spoke when she was taking him out.

‘Our child’s foot remains deformed till date.’

The court president, Mrs O.E Owoseni, delivering her judgment stated that there was no marriage to be dissolved because no customary rites were carried out.

She also stated that the pride price was not paid.

Owoseni granted the plaintiff custody of their children.

She further mandated the defendant to be responsible for their upkeep.

Owoseni gave an order restricting the defendant from harassing, threatening and encroaching on the plaintiff’s privacy.

There is something beautifully unapologetic about natural hair.

It does not always fall into place. It may shrink after a wash, stretch in one direction today and another tomorrow, or demand patience before revealing its full beauty. Yet, in its coils, curls, kinks and textures, natural hair carries a beauty that does not need to be forced into a particular shape before it can be appreciated.

For many Nigerian women, natural hair is more than a hairstyle. It is a celebration of what grows naturally from the scalp, a reminder that beauty does not have to look one particular way.

For years, straight hair was often presented as the standard of neatness and elegance. A girl could sit between her mother’s knees or in a salon chair, waiting for her hair to be transformed into something smoother, longer or easier to manage. The experience became almost a rite of passage.

But today, more women are learning to look at their natural hair differently.

They are discovering that the coils they once struggled to understand can be beautiful. The volume they once tried to reduce can become a crown. The texture they once considered difficult can become a form of self-expression.

There is beauty in an afro standing boldly against the wind. There is beauty in carefully defined curls, chunky twists, cornrows, locs and neatly styled coils. There is beauty in the versatility of hair that can become something different without losing what it naturally is.

Natural hair also tells a story of patience.

It teaches its wearer to understand her own texture, to learn what products work, to appreciate the different stages of growth and to accept that not every day will be a perfect hair day.

Sometimes, beauty is found in the process of learning to care for what you have rather than constantly wishing it were something else.

The woman who wears her hair in its natural state should not be considered more confident, more African or more beautiful than the woman who chooses to relax, braid, weave or cover hers. Beauty thrives in choice.

The real victory is not convincing every Nigerian woman to wear her natural hair. It is creating a culture where she can choose how she wants to wear her hair without being made to feel less beautiful because of that choice.

It is the freedom to look at what naturally grows from you and say, ‘This is beautiful too.’

And sometimes, that is all a crown needs, to be recognised as one.

Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says it will carry out urgent maintenance work on Saturday at its Katampe Substation in Abuja.

TCN managment said the maintenance at Katampe Substation was necessary to enable its technical crew to seal an oil leakage from a transformer at the 330/132/33 kilovolt substation.

The company disclosed this in a statement posted on its official X handle in Abuja on Saturday.

According to the company, the maintenance exercise is scheduled to commence at 10 am and end at 7 pm on Saturday.

It explained that some electricity circuits would be affected during the maintenance, resulting in temporary disruption of power supply to some areas.

TCN said the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) would be unable to off-take electricity from some feeders serving customers supplied by the affected transformer.

The company apologised to electricity consumers in the affected areas for any inconvenience the temporary interruption might cause. It appealed for their understanding while the maintenance work is being carried out.

When a Zombie Apocalypse breaks out, those who created it are often not able to control it until it spurns completely out of control. This is the reality of the Nigerian agbero system.

Recently, an Asian tourist touring the beautiful, bustling city of Lagos was harassed by a group of men who identified themselves as ‘citizens’ and went on to demand money. Although the foreigner had stood his ground, we cannot ignore the implications this has on our national image, with him ending the video with ‘Do not visit Nigeria.’

We cannot pretend this is the first time this is happening. The Agbero system has increasingly become a menace, especially in Lagos. This entitlement started with good Nigerians ‘showing love’ to people on the street. Slowly, it metamorphosed into becoming institutionalised.

Over the decades, some political figures have leveraged these agberos into the means of achieving their selfish desires. Out-of-school children grew into jobless youths, who became non-state actors used to fulfil ‘government’ desires. Youths became tools for political figures for votes or for attacking their opponents.

With a brazen confidence that can only be powered by something from above, these agberos extort commercial drivers and private motorists, demanding levies with impunity and intimidating their victims, oftentimes leading to violence.

They harass everybody, including social workers, social media influencers, celebrities, among others. Many in these fields have recounted instances of harassment, extortion, and severe intimidation by these agberos. Outdoor shoots are becoming nearly impossible in Lagos, and entertainment content producers are resorting to shortcuts to achieve near-level excellence that will keep investors in.

Recently, a video went viral of agberos attacking VeryDarkMan’s RATEL and its members while they were cleaning a community in Lagos. RATEL’s community service was halted because they did not give the agberos more money. Imagine demanding money before people can clean their communities.

Like the zombie apocalypse concept, where people are denied movement, ordinary citizens, workers, and business owners increasingly feel like prisoners in their own communities and towns.

An average Lagos resident cannot walk freely on the Third Mainland Bridge without feeling anxious and frightened for their safety. Simple everyday actions like parking your car or fixing it when it breaks down in some parts of the city require negotiating with or paying off these agberos to avoid physical harm, robbery, or even destruction of property.

Most of the time, we have seen them come out in their numbers when they spot celebrities’ cars. They would climb on the cars and cling onto them in some cases and create a blockade, while demanding money, despite the presence of armed security personnel.

This is what happens when greed is given an occupation and extortion is institutionalised. Whether in daytime or at night, agberos continue to pose a threat to people and properties, without contributing anything meaningful to society.

The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State, Tokunbo Wahab, in his reply to an X post showing footage of hooliganism of agberos, had said, ‘…while we fully acknowledge that it is the responsibility of the government to ensure the safety, security, and orderliness of our streets, we must also recognise the role that individual actions play in sustaining these challenges.

‘We therefore urge everyone to desist from activities that may inadvertently encourage lawlessness, insecurity, street begging, and environmental nuisance on our roads…’

But is it really the fault of the citizens? Yes, we cannot deny that Nigerians showing love to street touts has bred the sense of entitlement that now makes them see people as an ATM machine. We cannot overlook what led to the institutionalisation of this system.

The agbero menace in Lagos can only be stopped by the ones who created it. When will the government break its echoing silence and do something drastic about this lingering problem?

The immediate past Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Dr Boss Mustapha, on Saturday said his decision to undertake a library project and donate it to Lutheran University Nigeria (LUN) to mark his 70th birthday was borne out of the need to better the lives of the younger generation.

Dr Mustapha spoke in Demsa, Adamawa State, during the official handover of the library complex.

The former SGF urged young Nigerians to see his life, as the son of a classroom teacher, as a template for building a successful life regardless of their background.

He also advised Nigerian youths to remain determined, reflecting on his life journey as proof that anyone can achieve success regardless of their upbringing.

‘If I, as the son of a classroom teacher, can make it, then you can equally make it regardless of your background,’ he encouraged.

‘I want my life to be a template for the younger generation. Do not allow your background to define your life-use it as a stepping stone.

‘My decision to undertake this project is borne out of the need to better the lives of the generation coming after us.

‘My father was a classroom teacher who rose to become a headmaster at the Government Science School founded by LCCN.’

‘I urge you, the younger generation, to remain determined and use my life journey as proof that anyone can achieve success regardless of their upbringing,’ the former SGF urged.

Nigerian Tribune reports that the facility was named the ‘Wesley Mustapha Library Complex’ by the Archbishop of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN), Most Revd. Musa Panti Filibus, in honour of the celebrant’s late father, who was a devoted teacher.

Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion and Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, commended Mustapha for choosing to invest in public education rather than personal luxury to mark his 70th birthday.

Also speaking, Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, described the library complex as a monument to knowledge that would serve generations of scholars across the state and the country.

In his remarks, the Archbishop of LCCN, Most Revd. Musa Panti Filibus, said the gesture represented an enduring contribution to tertiary education in the North-East region of Nigeria.

The Archbishop urged well-to-do Nigerians, especially those from the North-East, to emulate Boss Mustapha by supporting more developmental projects that would benefit the younger generation.

Workers in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State have pledged their support for the re-election of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare deserves continuity.

The workers made their position known when they received the Kogi State Government’s Workplace Security, Workers’ Welfare and Sustainability Campaign team, led by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Labour Matters, Comrade Onuh Edoka.

The campaign, which focuses on workplace and community security, job protection and workers’ welfare, attracted workers dressed in union uniforms and traditional attire. They welcomed the delegation with solidarity and cultural songs, describing both Governor Ododo and Comrade Edoka as ‘their own.’

Speaking during the engagement, the Chairman of Dekina LGA and the Director of Personnel Management described the visit as a homecoming, saying the people of the area had carefully assessed the administration’s performance and resolved to support its continuity.

The Chairman said the achievements of the Ododo administration were visible in Dekina, particularly in the payment of salaries and attention to workers’ welfare.

‘The achievements of the Ododo administration are visible in Dekina. There is no need for a fresh campaign. The Governor has restored hope to workers and brought smiles to their faces through prompt payment of salaries and genuine attention to welfare,’ he said.

The council officials also commended Edoka for representing the interests of workers, especially those at the local government level, and for taking the government’s message directly to the grassroots.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Dekina Chapter, said the administration’s focus on workers’ welfare represented a departure from the past.

He stressed that sustaining the gains recorded under the present administration required continuity at both the state and federal levels.

‘We need Governor Ododo to continue, and we also need President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to continue,’ he said.

Also speaking, Comrade Tom Abutu, former State President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), and current member of the Kogi State Fiscal Responsibility Commission, described the campaign as a message of hope and consolidation.

Abutu thanked the workers for the warm reception and urged them to remain committed to supporting the Ododo-led administration.

Addressing the gathering, Edoka said the campaign was designed to sensitise workers on workplace and community security while encouraging them to make political choices that would protect their jobs and welfare.

He said the continuity of the Tinubu and Ododo administrations remained the best option for sustaining the progress recorded in workers’ welfare.

‘All options considered, we stand with Gov Ododo. He has shown commitment to workers. He pays salaries as and when due, he implements welfare packages, and he respects the labour community. To protect these gains, we must support his re-election and that of President Tinubu in 2027,’ Edoka declared.

The Dekina engagement is part of the ongoing statewide Workplace Security and Workers’ Welfare Campaign being coordinated by the Office of the Special Adviser on Labour Matters.

The campaign is aimed at sensitising workers on safety, job security and the need to consolidate the achievements of the present administration.

At the event, the workers pledged to mobilise support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections, declaring that Dekina had already made its choice.

Resident doctors at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, have raised concerns over poor working conditions, severe understaffing, unpaid minimum wage arrears and other welfare challenges affecting medical personnel at the institution.

The doctors, under the aegis of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), said they had been compelled to take a stand to protect their profession and dignity amid what they described as persistent neglect and unfulfilled promises.

In a statement jointly signed by the President of ARD, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, Dr Mustapha Adedapo A, and the General Secretary, Dr John Stephen, the association lamented that resident doctors had continued to work under difficult conditions.

The statement read in part: ‘Today, the resident doctors of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, stand united. We took an oath to save lives, but today, we are forced to take a stand to save our own profession and dignity.’

The doctors listed severe understaffing, unpaid minimum wage arrears, unfulfilled allowance promises and dilapidated call rooms among the challenges confronting them.

They stressed that a burnt-out and neglected doctor could not provide the quality healthcare patients deserved, noting that their demands were centred on basic human dignity, fair compensation and proper funding of medical residency training.

The association called on the Oyo State Governor, the Oyo State Government, the hospital management and other relevant stakeholders to urgently address their grievances.

‘We are not asking for luxuries; we are demanding basic human dignity, fair compensation and the proper funding of medical residency training,’ the doctors stated.

They urged the relevant authorities to resolve the issues and improve the welfare and working conditions of resident doctors to enable them to concentrate fully on their responsibility of saving lives.

The association declared that its members remained united in their struggle, insisting that urgent action was needed to fix the challenges facing the hospital and its medical workforce.

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has congratulated a former Governor of the state, Chief Segun Oni, on the occasion of his 72nd birthday.

The Governor, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Yinka Oyebode, described Oni as a man of honour who has rendered immense service to Ekiti State, Nigeria and humanity at large.

Governor Oyebanji commended the former Governor for his enduring contributions to the development of Ekiti, noting that he remains a distinguished statesman, patriot, community leader and politician whose virtues have positively impacted governance both in and out of office.

He further described Oni as a symbol of humility, selflessness and unwavering commitment to the welfare of the people, adding that his concern for the common man and dedication to the Ekiti project have continued to inspire many.

The Governor also lauded Oni for implementing people-oriented and welfarist policies during his tenure, noting that many of such initiatives have stood the test of time and continue to benefit the people of the state.

According to him, the former Governor’s administration marked a significant phase in Ekiti’s multi-sectoral development, particularly in the areas of workers’ welfare, infrastructure, healthcare and economic growth.

Governor Oyebanji added that Oni’s contributions have earned him a lasting place in the positive trajectory of Ekiti’s development, stressing that he remains relevant in the ongoing quest for a more prosperous Ekiti and a greater Nigeria.

He prayed that God would grant the former Governor long life, sound health and more fruitful years of service to the state, the nation and humanity.

‘On behalf of the Government and good people of Ekiti State, I felicitate with our dear distinguished leader and statesman, Chief Segun Oni, and pray that God blesses his new age with good health and happiness.’

In Yorubaland Encircled (June 11, 2022), I wrote: ‘Death lurks in Yoruba forests. Farming is risky: rape without a slit throat is a lucky escape. The forests are no longer the spring from which pen wielders like Tutuola and Fagunwa documented demonology. They are no longer the site of fickle ancestors. They have been taken over by fair men from distant lands, men who maraud for a living and have no subscription to Nigeria’s green-white-green.’ That situation remains today, and it has spawned disparate groups, one of which is the Iru Ekun network floated by the Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, the man his admirers call Igboho Oosa (Igboho the god) in deep veneration.

Fresh from his visit to the palace of the Ooni of Ife, where he received royal blessings and a N100 million pledge, Igboho has been visiting traditional rulers across the South-West, canvassing for his Iru Ekun (Leopard’s Tail) in a region that already has Amotekun. That is not unusual: our people say it is by the way a bird flies that you aim a stone at it. But the optics are not necessarily right, as I argue below.

Prior to the Bola Tinubu presidency, Igboho was a fugitive. He was hunted down by the ethnically insensitive, provocatively partisan, and intensely unpatriotic Muhammadu Buhari government. Buhari, who had told Benue leaders to ‘accommodate’ their ‘countrymen’ following the pogrom staged by Fulani terrorists in the state on New Year’s Day 2018, treated Igboho like public enemy number one simply because of his outspokenness against Fulani marauders whose genocidal onslaughts his government had conveniently overlooked. Having once said that an attack on Boko Haram was an attack on the North, Buhari was a crudely provincial ethnic bigot whose presidency witnessed the decimation of vast numbers of communities by his kith and kin. It was therefore only natural for him to be baying for Igboho’s blood. Security agencies shed blood on Igboho’s homestead, and Buhari later sought, albeit unsuccessfully, to extradite the activist from his place of refuge in the Republic of Benin.

With Tinubu in power, however, Igboho, who had committed no violence whatsoever but had only vigorously protested herder genocide in Yoruba communities, including in Igangan, Oyo State, where the outlaws committed heartrending barbarity, got a lifeline. But lacking the sensibility of a trained security operative, Igboho has adopted a loudmouthed, raucous approach to security issues: witness, for instance, his theatrical performance during the Oriire kidnapping episode, where he supposedly deployed drones and called on the authorities to hand the rescue operation over to him. Predictably, the dogs of empire, including the lawless rogues who recently sought to kidnap the Ifa propagator Talolohun for a second time in Ibadan, have latched onto Igboho’s crudity to canvass the continued subjugation of Yoruba communities in Kwara State.

Buoyed by his reversal of fortune, Igboho declared on Thursday that Iru Ekun would support President Bola Tinubu in the fight against bandits, kidnappers, and other criminals in the South-West. Said His Media Office: ‘It is clear to everyone that the bad actions of dishonest herdsmen, thieves, and kidnappers, who have been troubling our farming areas and other communities, have stopped since the Iru Ekun Security Network started working with support from the police, military, and DSS. We are not going to stop or give in until the South-West forests, highways, and farming areas are safe for everyone. We can’t let criminals turn the area into a safe haven for them.’

If cases of kidnapping and herder onslaughts on farmers have decreased in the South-West, that is not due to Igboho’s Iru Ekun but to the combined efforts of state governments in the zone. Igboho never stops attributing security successes to himself, but that is not the point of this piece. What does Igboho mean by saying that President Tinubu ratified the formation of Iru Ekun? The President, whom I do not blame for redressing the injustice done to Igboho, cannot ratify any ethnic militia. If the President wants any new security agency created, he will do so through the National Assembly, as Obasanjo did in the case of the NSCDC. I suspect that, in his characteristically boastful manner, Igboho is just throwing the President’s name around. Nigeria’s North already has arms-wielding groups performing state functions, so this is not necessarily a legalistic argument. My question is this: what legal instrument created Iru Ekun? No one knows its articles of formation, personnel, modus operandi, or area of coverage. Igboho, no matter who he thinks himself to be, cannot override the governments of the South-West and float an outfit tied to his whims. If Amotekun is operating in South-West states, it is because the governments of the zone created it. Go through the Ekiti State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps Law No. 1 of 2020, the Ondo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps Law, 2020, and allied legislation, and you will find that Amotekun has a solid basis in law.

If left unregulated, Iru Ekun can become the monster it was intended to tame. Ethnic militias have historically been associated with mass killings, retaliation, intimidation of civilians, and the recruitment of young people into armed conflict. The Interahamwe in Rwanda, the Janjaweed in Sudan and the sectarian militias in Lebanon offer useful lessons on how groups can spiral out of control.

If Yorubaland is to be secure, it has to be through collective effort, not through exclusivist groups setting up a binary dichotomy. Igboho poses as the saviour of the Yoruba race, but that is ahistorical. No single individual can secure a race. At the slightest opportunity, his minions attack the Aare Ona Kakanfo, Chief Gani Adams, calling him a woman and claiming the land is secured by their boss. But I was around during the military era when strangers tried to overrun Lagos and even claimed that Alausa (Alawusa: the place of the walnut) belonged to the Hausa! The Sani Abacha government did everything in its power to enslave the Yoruba. It was Gani Adams who rose to challenge that onslaught. No less a personality than Lt-Gen Oladipo Diya later expressed admiration for the bravery of OPC-led Yoruba youths during those terrible days. At the time, someone advised me, as a Man O’War member in Ikorodu, to adopt a northern name to brighten my chances of joining the Nigerian Army. I categorically refused. You can badmouth Gani Adams today simply because he is asking for state authorization before going after criminals in the forests, but history will vindicate his position. The same critics of Gani Adams are the people placing VDM over Omoyele Sowore, a man who confronted military dictators.

In The Steps Yorubaland must take to survive (June 6, 2026), I submitted that securing the South-West will require collective effort. I called for the equipping of Amotekun with requisite weapons; the setting up of State Tactical Guards; the constitution of an Elders Security Council; the creation of a Diaspora Protection Fund, and the actualization of a cattle revolution.

I am open to further suggestions, but I cannot back lone-ranger groups riding roughshod over constituted authority.