Gl AS CU EMERGES 1 0F 10 IN 10 orious Impact May, 2015 Maiden Edition A publication Of The Department Of Computer and Information Sciences, CMIS “…So within the next 10 years, we are going to make Africa proud. The hand of God on this University will make Africa proud because we will be sitting side by side with the top most Universities.”-Covenant University 10th year anniversary. Haggai 2:9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts. as cu emerges 1 of 10 in 10 The tireless commitment of the Management of the University as led by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Charles K. Ayo, to the realization of the Vision has continued to generate proofs with numerous awards and achievements such as: 1. 2012 Award of Best Maintained Educational Institution organized by the Nigerian Chapter of International Facility Management Association. 2. 2012 Covenant University was the first University in Nigeria and one of the very few in Africa to start training SAP Consultants in collaboration with SAP University Alliances and SAP Education. 3. 2012: First University in Nigeria with both the Autodesk Authorised Training and Certification Centre. 4. 2013, 2014: Best Performing Higher Institution of the Year Award. 5. 2013, 2014: Top-Four at ARGUS Software International Competition organized by Argus Software Incorporated, Texas, USA. 6. 2014: First Class graduates of the University emerged tops in the Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovation and Development (PRESSID) in Nigeria (2013 & 2014) 7. 2014: The University won the Centenary ICT driven University of the Year Award 8. 2014: Best Private University in Nigeria by the United States based Transparency International Standard (USTIS). 9. 2014: The first University in Nigeria to host Two Nobel Laureates at an International Conference 10. 2014: The Best Private University and No 2 Overall Best University in Nigeria and No 25 in Africa in 2014 Webometrics Ranking 11. 2014: Ranked No 1 in Web of Repositories in Nigeria and No 2 in Africa. 12. 2014: Gold Standard Award of the Nigerian Society of Engineers 13. 2014: Best Private University in Nigeria and best Vice-Chancellor amongst Private Universities in Nigeria by the Centre for Democratic- Governance in Africa 14. 2015: The Overall Best University in Nigeria and No 15 in Africa in 2015 Webometrics Ranking No one is left in doubt about the reality of the actualization of Vision 10:2022 set ahead of us as God is committed to that which He has spoken. Thus, we can boldly say that Vision 10:2022 is a done deal! C ontent The message of Glorious Impact Magazine NACOSS Remark! Enlisting of God’s end time army The concrete measures towards the actualization of the Vision 1 of 10 in 10 The networking of our dots globally (soaring eagles) Following God’s plan for your life The necessity of capacity building: as towards becoming a global leader Living a life of purpose for a glorious future Enlisting of God’s The impact of the Covenant University Core Values on our Graduates Cyber-Crime Security and digital forensic investigation for education, research and development The impact of computer science in the 21st century My parting words to the graduating students: Be responsible! Dr. David Oyedepo end time army Contributions from the Alumni Board Making the right choice, courtship and marriage The making of the giants What must I do to be saved Attaining spiritual robustness Contributions from graduating students This Big God Why did Jesus come? Understanding your position in Christ Jesus! Making your life count Moving your Mountain! What does it mean to be educated? (The Mountain of Education) What is your message? (The Mountain of Media) Advancing the Economy through Technology (The Mountain of Economy) Admirable Set, 2015, Covenant University Covenant University anthem Jokes, riddles poems 9ine astonishing facts about Billy Graham The way we see us! what about we have done? what do we do now? The seed How to stand out in the crowd Prayers, and declaration, prayer of salvation The concrete measures towards the actualization of Prof. Charles Korede Ayo the Vision 1 of 10 in 10 The chancellor, Dr. David Olaniyi Oyedepo, the Vice-chancellor, Prof C.K Ayo, the school management and staff with all other protocols duly observed. It is a great privilege to reel out the: THE MESSAGE OF THE GLORIOUS IMPACT MAGAZINE IN IT'S MAIDEN EDITION TO YOU Because the hour is come indeed, that the son of man should be glorified. In all areas of the world's sector; the Social Media sector, Research sector, Political sector, C o m m u n i c a t i o n s e c t o r, Agriculture sector, Business Sector, and the Education sector, in the industry and in the ministry of the Gospel of Christ Jesus. The aim of this magazine is: To propagate the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the nations of the earth. To bring solutions to the life challenges that the humans are currently faced with. The light is coming from the church into the world; the light is coming from Covenant University into the world, to serve the 6.2 billion people on the planet earth today by the power of light of the gospel of Christ Jesus. Jesus has said it; now is the son of man glorified, God is glorified in him, if God be glorified in him; God shall also GLORIFY HIM IN HIMSELF, and shall straight away GLORIFY HIM. The glory of this latter house shall be Greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts. The Glory of the LORD is about to be revealed to your inner man like never before. 2 ABOUT THE GLORIOUS IMPACT MAGAZINE: The Glorious impact magazine is one of God's publications for this end-time era to radically transform the world with the glorious light of the gospel our Lord Jesus Christ. Sending God's words to the nations of the earth in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, bringing biblical based principles and solutions to bear to all manner of life challenges faced by the human beings of this end-time. Glorious impact magazine publication brings to you, life inspiring articles, informative news and interviews with Global leaders and top leaders at Covenant University, as Covenant University emerges one of ten in ten: this publication would espouse you on the pertinent intercontinental developmental issues that has been ravaging the whole of humanity and concretely proffering holistic and scholastic solutions to these intercontinental developmental issues. Some of which are: S p i r i t u a l i t y, i n t e r - P e r s o n a l Development, nation building, making the right choice, courtship and marriage, the necessity of capacity building as towards becoming a global leader and lots more. As a Christian community we must all understand that we are the light of this world; because it is dark and many people cannot see, so we are here to show the world how to do it right by the power of light. Our mandate is clear and precise as Jesus has said in Matthew5:14, 16 –ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Jesus loves you so much, that He died for your sins, so that you can be holy, and blameless before Him! Now He is risen and He lives forever more. My Prayer is that, Jesus would touch you as you read and come in contact with the pages of this magazine, in Jesus Name. Amen! Everyday ensure to Lift him up! Lift Jesus up. Praise God, Amen! God bless you as you read. N/B This is not a conventional magazine. It is a global message to the World with sparking depths of insights. Ife Odekunle NACOSS SPEAKS Hello all, Ikenna Madu President The 2014/2015 session has been a very interesting one for the Covenant University chapter of the Nigerian Association of Computer Science Students. The work being done by the executives and the entire student body of the department has found expression in various programs and activities. NACOSS Covenant University and the entire CMIS family is happy to present this premier edition of the Glorious Impact Magazine - A magazine sure to take t h e w o r l d b y s t o r m . NACOSS CU aka CMIS had an interesting year filled with various activities. Some of them below: HACKATHON '15: The Nigerian Association of Computer Science Students (NACOSS) Covenant University in conjunction with IEEE CU and the Google Students Club organized the CU HACKATHON 2015 with the motto- “For the love of code”, to help foster a coding culture in Covenant University. The event took place at the College of Science and Technology (CST) and Lecture Theatre 1 on Saturday, 28th February, 2015. It included a coding competition, a web design competition and a learning outfit in which students learned a new language and created new things. Everyone gathered at hall 106/107 and later split into groups for various endeavours. This is slated to become a yearly thing and we thank God for the inspiration. 3 #BYD- Beyond Your Degree Conference: The Nigerian Association of Computer Science Students (NACOSS) Covenant University Chapter held the premier edition of her “Beyond Your Degree” Interactive Conference on Friday, 6th March, 2015. The conference had four alumni speakers who came to talk to the students about what lay ahead as students of the department. They were Kunle Jinadu, Kemi Onabanjo, Bayo Adesanya and Seun Owolabi. The previous president Kazeem Oguntade was also in attendance. Indeed it was an educative, entertaining and inspiring session. This is slated to become a yearly thing and we thank God for the inspiration. CMIS Dinner: The Nigerian Association of Computer Science Students (NACOSS) Covenant University Chapter had its dinner to celebrate the success of the session and award a few outstanding individuals. It was well attended by all the levels and involved a lot of fun fair. Being the trendsetters that we are, we showed others how it was supposed to be done. The final year students especially had fun. Our HOD, Dr. Mrs. Adebiyi, Dr.Olajide and some other members of faculty were in attendance. GENERAL SECRETARY VICE PRESIDENT MALE VICE PRESIDENT FEMALE WELFARE SECRETARY ACADEMIC ADVISER MALE ACADEMIC ADVISER FEMALE FINANCIAL DIRECTOR I.T DIRECTOR P.R.O MALE P.R.O FEMALE SOCIAL DIRECTOR RESOURCE MANAGER CHAPLAIN MALE CHAPLAIN FEMALE ASSISTANT I.T DIRECTOR ASSISTANT WELFARE SECRETARY ASSISTANT FINANCAL SECRETARY 400 LEVEL REP 200 LEVEL REP 100 LEVEL REP H.O.D MATRON PATRON PATRON AKEJU ADEOLA UDALE-AMEH OJIMAOJO KOFI OGHENERUKEVWE MILLER CHERRY ADEREMI-WILLIAMS EKUNDAYO OKEREKE NGOZI A. OGBUSO FRANCIS JENNIFER OLATUNDE GODWIN OLUWAYEMI DAMILOLA OMOH EMILY AMEDE MURUAKO OBINNA AGADUMO JEFFERY OLUWASEYI ADELIYI ADEIZA PRECIOUS AGBOOLA AFOLABI AFOLAYAN OLUWASEUN EZEKWESILI OBINNA AKINOLA VICTOR OSUEZE IKENNA UZOR VIVIENNE DR. A. ADEBIYI DR. MRS. OLADIPUPO DR. ZACCHEUS OMOGBADEGUN DR. A. AZETA Ikenna Obiora - Madu President, NACOSS CU (CMIS) Contributing Names: Bishop David Olaniyi Oyedepo, Prof. Charles Korede Ayo, Dr. Oludayo Muyiwa, Pastor. Promise Omidiora Olusegun, Prof. Aize I. Obayan, Dr. Adebiyi Ariyo, Mr. Azubuike Ezenwoke, Dr Olajide Funminiyi (from Hampshire, UK), Dr. (Mrs.) Oladipupo O.O, Mrs. Isewon Itunu, Dr. (Mrs) Ada Sonia peter, Mr Oluwatobi Stephen, Pastor Iren Emmanuel, Mr.Tolu Oresanya, Laughter Adeoro, Bisi Williams, Omoluyi Benjamin, David Oghenerobo, Emmanuel Okorie, Attah Tochukwu Francis, Amara ugochukwu, Adeola Akeju and Temi Adesina. Editorial team: Editors: Prof Kunle amunwo, Odekunle ifeoluwa, Miss Bisi Williams Photography: Mr Emmanuel Oyedele Glorious impact board members: Dr. Ariyo Adebiyi, Dr. (Mrs.)Oladipupo O. O., Adeola akeju, Emmanuel Okorie, Odekunle Ifeoluwa, Bright Nwachukwu, Amara Okeke, Kelechi Nwaozuzu, Anu Oloruntoba 4 ENLISTING OF GOD'S END-TIME ARMY Dr. David Oyedepo The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. Psalm110:1-3 [KJV] God is preparing His “end-time army” who will take the stage before Jesus returns. They shall be enlisted 'through the beauties of Holiness from the womb of the morning' and they shall be men and women under the dew of the anointing. They represent the end-time glorious army of the Lord that will rescue the saints from servitude. They will precede the coming of the Lord, according to Obadiah vs. 21 which says “saviors shall come up upon mount Zion, to judge the mount of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's”. Fundamental requirements for enlistment: 1.Be an Overcomer: Seek God and Be Strong! I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the 5 wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. 1st John 2:13-14, Only overcomers can be enlisted. You must overcome the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life, and then be separated unto God: Only overcomers with a sense of responsibility are enlistable! You cannot wish your way into the army, you can only overcome your way into it. You must overcome the wicked one, overcome the man of sin, and overcome the vices of the day. It takes a determined separation unto God to overcome and enlist in the army. 1 John 2:14 above emphasizes the need for strength (strength in the word of God) in order to overcome, you don't get enlisted into the army without your endurance being tested! Scripturally, according to Numbers 1, people become qualified for this army from the age of twenty. It is not just any time, there is a period slated for it! Trying to join the Nigerian army at sixty is practically impossible; they wouldn't take you because you will only be a liability. There is no way to get enlisted as an astronaut outside your teenage period. To be separated unto God you need to seek Him! You will undertake fasting expeditions again and again to be spiritually empowered. For example, when I desired the power in the life of Ezekiel the Prophet, I read the book of Ezekiel with three days fast on the mountain. Seeking God is no fun! It is real hard work! Searching for the invisible is a tough task! You have to block all distractions and power leakages! Enlistment requires that you build strength into your system. Whether you are in business or politics. Understand that, there are people in politics that would be there like Daniel, who will never do what others do, yet they will not be sidelined. This is the time to build spiritual energy into your system, by the word of God and by prayers that opens the word of God to you! There are things you would never see, until you pray. And there are others you will never see, until you pray and fast, the bible says… then shall your light break forth as the morningIsaiah58:8. Understand that I am not just talking about an army preaching! I am talking of the end-time army that takes territories in various areas of human endeavors. There is no comparing the values of the secrets of God, with the secrets of man. Wherever you are, know that the fear of God, and your untiring quest for the revelations in the word of God establishes your place in destiny. Job was the greatest business man of his time. He was a highly spiritual man. One that feared God, and refused evil, a perfect man! God testifies of Him in Job 1 vs.9 saying, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth! A perfect and upright man, one that feareth 6 God, and escheweth evil”. That was God's testimony of the greatest business man of those days. Job was a man with access to divine secrets, he said; as I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle; - Job29:4. 2.Be passionate for God and His kingdom To be enlisted in this glorious end-time army, we need passion for God and His kingdom. We need unquenchable passion for humanity. Let us consider a few Biblical examples of individuals with passion for God, His Kingdom and humanity. Moses: In Exodus 2 vs. 11-15, Passion drove Moses to slay the Egyptian that was molesting a Jew, he went to exile, but the passion stayed on, otherwise, he would have ignored the encounter. Now, he was eighty years old, he has been out of Egypt for 40 years but the passion was burning hot! And Moses returned to Egypt on a suicide mission, because of an undying passion to see the assault on God's people come to an end. His end result? He became the greatest mortal according to God's testimony; “there is none in the class of Moses, one with whom I speak face to face and as a man speaks with his friend…….” Passion gave Moses his place in destiny. Passion gave him his place in God's army. Gideon: Passion also gave Gideon his place, who is referred to as God's anointed one man army. According to Judges 6:11, “there came an angel, and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, and there he saw Gideon thresh the corn that he would hide from the Midianites, and the angel said unto him, the Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. But Gideon said, oh my Lord! If the Lord be with me! Why then is all this befallen us?” Gideon was showing that he was not living for himself but for his people; not about me but about us! Why is all this befallen us? And where be all these miracles which our fathers told us, saying did not the Lord, bring us forth from Egypt, where are they? We are under a siege, I don't need to be a man of valor, deliver us! And he was sent to deliver Israel, as one man. From 32, 000 to 22, 000, from 22,000 to 300 men, he smote the Midianite with the mighty roar of the sword of the Lord, and the sword of Gideon, the victory came. He became a heavenly general for passion gave him his place. Nehemiah: Nehemiah was living in the palace and shouldn't have any concern for anybody but this was not so. According to Nehemiah 1:1-4; “As I was in Shushan, the palace… and Hanani, one of my brethren came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, the remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burn with fire. And it came to pass, when I had these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven” It was passion that turned Nehemiah from a cup bearer into a g o v e r n o r, p a s s i o n f o r restoration of the dignity of His people gave him his place in destiny. If you are not about people, you are not on God's side, if you are just about yourself, you do not have a future. You need a passion, what problem around you is catching your attention? What problem are you willing and aspiring and privileged to be a solution to? Most giants in scriptures are born of passion. My prayer today, is that you won't waste this stage of your life in Jesus name. David: What was the motivation of David to confront Goliath? This was found in 1st Samuel 17:36, “Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear … and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing that he has defiled the armies of the living God”. That was the motivation, he wasn't looking for anything from the King, and he wasn't looking for any reward. He was most concerned about how Goliath was defiling the armies of God. David heard it, and said, “I rather die than watch this continue”! He was burning with unquenchable passion for God and His kingdom. Passion gave David his place in destiny. All through contemporary history, you never find a giant emerge without a passion for God, and 7 His kingdom. 3.Be Spiritual Spirituality is a non negotiable requirement. “To be spiritually minded is life and peace and to be carnally minded is death” Romans 8:6. What is spirituality? A quest for God, without any reservations. Spirituality also can mean the fear of God, that is, a desperation to please God at all times. Spirituality simply connotes scripturality, i.e. living by the Word, living on the Word, living with the Word! Making the word of God rule your life, “for man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” according to Matthew4:4 in reference to Deuteronomy 8:3. Spirituality is seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness which puts us in command of all other things. Please, realize that spirituality is the wisest investment. It is hearkening diligently, and subscribing to what God says, by putting them to work! Only then can you emerge on top! I have not had the first regret pursuing Jesus since February 19, 1969, when I met the Lord; I have been pursuing Jesus, selflessly, unreservedly, excitedly since then. There is no software for spirituality; there is no IT innovation for spirituality. You just have to be spiritually engaged with God and to the demands of His kingdom. You are either there or you are not there. It demands you pray! It goes along with a fast! And he said, “study to show yourself approved unto God, otherwise you will be ashamed”- 2nd Timothy2:15. These are all demands of spirituality, they are non transferable responsibilities, and you need that platform to become enlistable into this army. God will not just enlist anybody; to be enlisted in the Nigerian army for example; you are subjected to running, to climbing barriers and more just to see how agile you are. How do you now suppose that God would just enlist anybody on the street? You are in the season of enlistment but you must fulfill the fundamental requirements! The youthful season is the enlistment season, you are to 'rule in the midst of your enemies'. The enemy knows this and that is why he introduces so much vices among the youths to disqualify them from enlistment, so they can remain grounded on the floor. It therefore takes a determined separation unto God, to qualify for enlistment! It is your responsibility to determine whether to be enlisted as God's army for the end time or remain among the victims of the end time. Dr David Oyedepo is the Chancellor, Covenant University. This is an excerpt of his teaching at Shiloh 2014. THE CONCRETE MEASURES FOR THE ACTUALIZATION OF VISION 1 OF 10 IN 10 Prof. Charles Korede Ayo Vice Chancellor, Covenant University ? Covenant University has not ceased to demonstrate the fact that she is out to transform the education landscape of not just Africa but the world at large. Her commitment to excellence is not just evident in her beautiful landscape, gorgeous buildings and structures, but in her products who are fondly referred to as Eagles. Employers around the world have also testified to the fact that Covenant University graduates are change agents. Born out of a compelling vision to raise a new generation of leaders who are committed to restore the dignity of the black man, the University as led by her Visionary Chancellor-Dr. David O. Oyedepo is giving it all it takes to ensure the emergence of a world-class university. Little wonder, on the occasion of her 10th year anniversary on October 21, 2012, the University was given a unique mandate to be ranked amongst the top ten universities in the world within a ten-year period. This has been uniquely christened Vision 10:2022; 1 of 10 in 10. There is no doubting the fact that Vice Chancellor, Covenant University 8 this is a tall order. However, we also understand the fact that our proprietor base, Living Faith Church is a Faithbased Commission with countless proofs to show. Thus, riding on the wings of Eagles, we are confident that this Divine Mandate is a cheap possibility. We are also confident of the Grace of God which has brought us this far. No doubt, He that has begun a great work in us will complete it (Philippians 1 vs. 6). Our confidence also rests in the fact that this is a Divine Mandate and as the Bible clearly states: “The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand” (Isaiah 14 vs. 24). In pursuit of the Divine Mandate of Vision 10:2022, an 8-point agenda was drawn in order to ensure that concrete measures are taken towards the realization of the Vision. They are: Disciplined Atmosphere for Learning; Research: Volume, Income and Reputation; Citations; Teaching; International Outlook: People and Research; Industry Income: Innovation; Alumni (Addition from SJTUR); and Awards (Addition from SJTUR). First on the agenda is to evolve a disciplined atmosphere for learning. This involves evolving a culture among staff and students that depicts high level of Spirituality, Discipline and Responsibility. This agenda also involves the provision of infrastructural facilities for enhanced learning. Second on the agenda is promoting qualitative and quantitative research activities in the University. This agenda demands an extensive review of Curricula to reflect quality and currency in line with the 21st Century Higher Education demands, particularly World Class Universities (WCU). This agenda will also ensure that the research focus of the University is redefined. Thus bringing about the creation of a Directorate of Research, Innovation and Discovery to nurture Centers of Excellence, the establishment of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary Research Clusters in the University's areas of strength, embarking on monthly visits/meetings with the Industry, e n c o u r a g i n g j o i n t r e s e a rc h publications and grant proposals within and outside Nigeria amongst others. Third is to improve the citations of the University. This is being realized by the encouragement of quality research publications, encouraging interdisciplinary publications within a n d o u t s i d e t h e c o u n t r y, establishment of Journal Outlets with International standard based on the competencies of the University and so on. render services to the industrial community. students and many more. Fourth on the agenda is to improve the quality of teaching across the University. This will come about by creating a conducive environment for Learning, ensuring lecture delivery via the state-of-the-art teaching facilities, ensuring high compliance with attendance system, ensuring good tutorial system and improving on the present examination processing system. It is vital to state here, that the University has just acquired e-learning mobile Tablets for all her students across all levels. This is outside the massive investment she has made in the acquisition of learning facilities such as teleconferencing centres, Smart Boards, Projectors and so on. Seventh is to establish a robust Alumni base. The University is achieving this by re-invigorating the Alumni office, connecting all Alumni, and engaging the Alumni at all the developmental phases in Covenant University. The tireless commitment of the Management of the University as led by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Charles K. Ayo, to the realization of the Vision has continued to generate proofs with numerous awards and achievements such as: Finally, on the 8-point agenda is to increase the awards and accolades of the University. The University is on the path towards producing Nobel Laureates. in addition to the foregoing, University has taken her quest towards the realization of Vision 10:2022 yet higher by other prominent initiatives. For example, a Vision 10:2022 committee was inaugurated with the mandate to produce a strategic plan document of Fifth on the 8-point agenda is to promote the international outlook of the University by promoting her people and her research. In order to achieve this, the University is seeking further collaborations and linkages with renowned foreign universities, enhancing Faculty and Staff exchange, recruiting International Faculty and Students, as well as enhancing Research Collaboration. Sixth on the agenda is to promote her industry income via innovation. Covenant University is committed to promoting indigenous solutions to global challenges. Thus, her research endeavours are geared towards solving the challenges of the Industry and the community. Thus, our research products are leaving the shelves and finding their way to the market. This is being actualized by the establishment of a robust Consultancy Unit, empowering the CU Consult to, among other things, 9 1 . 2012 Award of Best Maintained Educational Institution organized by the Nigerian Chapter of International Facility Management Association. 2. 2012 Covenant University was the first University in Nigeria and one of the very few in Africa to start training SAP Consultants in collaboration with SAP University Alliances and SAP Education. 3. 2012: First University in Nigeria with both the Autodesk Au t h o r i s e d Tra i n i n g a n d Certification Centre. 4. 2013, 2014: Best Performing Higher Institution of the Year Award. the Vision as well as advise the Management on further initiatives towards the realization of the Vision. This strategic plan document has been published to keep every stakeholder abreast of the fundamentals of the Vision. The University has also acquired and installed state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities such as Smart-boards, teleconferencing centres, educational tablets for all 5. 2013, 2014: Top-Four at ARGUS Software International Competition organized by Argus Software Incorporated, Texas, USA. 6. 2014: First Class graduates of the University emerged tops in the Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovation and Development (PRESSID) in Nigeria (2013 & 2014) 7. 2014: The University won the Centenary ICT driven University of the Year Award 8.2014: Best Private University in Nigeria by the United States based Transparency International Standard (USTIS). 9.2014: The first University in Nigeria to host Two Nobel Laureates at an International Conference 10.2014: The Best Private University and No 2 Overall Best University in Nigeria and No 25 in Africa in 2014 Webometrics Ranking 11.2014: Ranked No 1 in Web of Repositories in Nigeria and No 2 in Africa. 12.2014: Gold Standard Award of the Nigerian Society of Engineers 13.2014: Best Private University in Nigeria and best Vice-Chancellor amongst Private Universities in Nigeria by the Centre for Democratic- Governance in Africa 14.2015: The Overall Best University in Nigeria and No 15 in Africa in 2015 Webometrics Ranking No one is left in doubt about the reality of the actualization of Vision 10:2022 set ahead of us as God is committed to that which He has spoken. Thus, we can boldly say that Vision 10:2022 is a done deal! 10 The Registrar, Covenant University Dr. Muyiwa O. Speaks on ‘The networking of our dots globally’ Soaring Eagles We are a people built by His resources, we are a people tutored by His principles, we are a people empowered and enabled by His Spirit. Sir, the first question is, we would like to understand the concept behind the Networking of our dots globally: Well, basically it is not a very big deal; when organizations want to reflect on their spread, often time they do it with pasting their logos on a map, for example, you want to look at the spread of a bank across Nigeria, if the bank is making an advertorial, the bank begins to, by putting its logo in say, the southwest region, and the northeast region to say we are all over the place. So, for us it is not just sufficient to say we are all over the place, we want to say that our graduates and the effect of Covenant University is connected all over the place, because we don't see our graduates placement in all parts of the world in an isolated manner, that is to say; a connection of all the graduates, what we call dots, i.e. the placement of our eagles. Dot here means the placement 11 of the eagles on the global map. The networking of dots; the active connection and collaboration of our graduates in all the places that they are; the aim is to achieve the goal of the Alma matter, and the essence of the alumni association. So in a few words, the concept of the networking of dots entails taking advantage of the placement of our graduates by ensuring active networking and collaboration amongst them to reflect the goals of the university i.e. the Alma matter and the essence of the association as alumni members. Sir, what are your soaring experiences since you left as an eagle, your soaring experiences from one level of leadership position to the other, meaning since you graduated from Covenant University? Well, I think soaring is our right. It's not a gift, it is our heritage, and for me as an individual, all I have just been privileged to experience is by grace, a privilege of grace, from one office to the other. I graduated from the University as an undergraduate in 2006, did my NYSC in a bank in the north east zone of Nigeria, where I was responsible to the regional executive. The latter was responsible for overseeing all the branches of the bank in the zone of Nigeria, and so, amongst the three people considered to be his right hand man, as it were, I was separated. It was not just about me, it was about the quality that was evident as graduate of Covenant University. During that period, I represented him, in many occasions and many functions and platforms. Where you expect a regional director to speak, I was speaking, as a copper, on his behalf. I returned to Covenant University in 2010, and the first leadership assignment I was given was to be an assistant chaplain. I was first to Pastor Seyi Macaulay, and afterwards, to Pastor Ntia. After that, I was appointed Dean of Students, after which, I went back to complete my PhD. In between, in August 2013, I was appointed the Registrar of the University. Since then, it's been a story privilege of working on several projects for the University, for the church, that is, the proprietor base of the University. So really, the soaring experiences have been platforms of service, and platforms of contribution rather than celebrating positions and titles, and at different levels. Currently I am the Chairman of the Board that oversees all the strategic business units in the university including cafeterias, I chair the board that oversees the management of that enterprise, the Shopping mall, the buttery, etc. Sir, your advice for the graduating students, class 2015, your message for them: Well, 1.It is imperative, to know where you are going to in life. If you don't know where you are going to, every place would look like it; so there is a need for definiteness of purpose. Where exactly am I going? Because this helps you inform how you use resources, how you relate and associate with people, and how you take decisions. So if you don't have a definite purpose, specific goals you want to achieve, well you will waste resources, and end up wasting opportunities. So one key thing I would tell them is: HAVE A DEFINITE PURPOSE! AND BY THAT I MEAN HAVE A DEFINITE PLANNED ACTION. 2.I would ask them to reflect on the blessings of their journey in Covenant University, Many people may say; Oh! I am out now and then, forget all about it! But if only they could decipher what Covenant University had done for them, in all its ramifications, they would see the edge they have in relation to other graduates in town. 12 3.They should hold on to God, because there is no other secure platform apart from God. We are a people built by His resources; we are a people tutored by His principles; we are a people empowered and enabled by His Spirit. By not ignoring Him, we turn out to be celebrities, not nonentities. That is our heritage in Christ. So, if we were raised by His resources, if we were tutored by His principles, and empowered by His Spirit, we must not ignore Him, because our status as celebrities is marked on it. And we don't have a heritage of being mediocres, and the only one that can guarantee increase success in life is God! He said now, out of Acts 20:32 “And now brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” The Bible says assuredly that: the Lord shall choose our inheritance for us! It also says the Lord's inheritance is His people - Deuteronomy32:9. The Bible also says that, the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all. – (Galatians4:1), even though he has all the inheritance. So God owns everything, and we must intimately be connected to Him. 4.We must love one another, be they Covenant University graduates or anyone else, for love is the greatest gift, the greatest virtue. I love people without a fault. And often times, I am misunderstood. I love everyone, and, I can give attention to anyone, anytime, any day, as far as there is strength in my body. Esteemed So, if our graduates would go out there and love the people, then the solutions that we ought to bring to the world would easily come. God saw a wretched, fallen world, but for His love, he wouldn't have given His Son. We are all loaded with solutions'. It is love for the people with the challenges that enables us to articulate solutions to come to their aid! God had Jesus, but when he saw that the world was groaning, He asked who would go for us! Who? These guys are suffering! The same thing happened when Israel was crying, that God found Moses. The same thing happened when God found Gideon. So somehow, God always has what it takes to solve people's problems. It is love that motivates Him to release His resources. We have been made in the image and likeness of God. Since we are sent to this dark world as light unto the people, we must know that it is only love that can make us draw from our wealth of experience, and reveal our competencies to them. The people we don't love, we cannot help, the people we don't love, we cannot support, the people we don't love, we cannot provide aid to, the people we don't love, we will ignore them, even if they are screaming and wallowing in poverty. And so, ultimately, Love is the key to bring about the change that we desire, and that we have been released to champion. Eagle FOLLOWING GOD’S PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE Pst. Promise Omidiora Olusegun Sir, concerning following God's plan for our lives, we want to know, what is the point of the fact that God has a plan for every one of us as youths. Everything that one would ever have and amount to in life under God, must first of all take note of spirituality. Spirituality is the number one key for accessing God's plan for your lives. The scripture says God is a spirit, and those who worship, worship him in spirit and in truth. So, anyone that would access anything from God, God's plan for his life, must first of all understand the importance of spirituality. It begins with spirituality, John 4:23 – But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him. So, it is spirituality first! AND SPIRITUALITY ENTAILS NEW BIRTH! You must never at any point assume new birth! If you are not born again, you are not born again! You know, there is no other means, to which anyone can reach God without first of all being born again! Alright, I am born again simply means, hmm, coming to term with our state. Ok! Everyone is born in sin, so, there is need for him that would embrace the new birth to genuinely confess his sins in his life, genuinely forsake them, seek the forgiveness of God! And then accept Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior, by accepting Him, as your personal Lord and Savior, you are appropriating His sacrifice for us on the cross, and when you have done that, then that is when you are truly saved, we have embraced the new birth. Of course every child that is born; is expected to grow, so you are expected to begin to grow in God, to grow in God, requires becoming a student of the Bible, no two way about it; you study the word of 13 God, you meditate on the word of God, we live by the word, in other words, we allow the word to shape our lives, we allow the word to dictate the steps that we take, we align our life by the word. So, the word becomes a blue print of our life. You know, it is in that wise we begin to grow in God, and then we take time out to pray. Prayer is communication between man and God. There is no loving relationship that would not entail effective communication, so we must be effective in prayers, we pray, you know, and then a close relationship with the Holy Spirit, and then when we have done that, we must give ourselves to kingdom service; we must serve him with all intent. We must continue to give, spend and be spent for Him; we must serve Him whole heartedly. It is in this wise that we would begin to grow in God, and it is in this wise, that the Holy Spirit would begin to walk with us, work for us, walk by us, work in us, you know, that becomes very important. Ok! It is when we are in this, that we can then begin to think of accessing God's plan for our lives, ok! And then, when we talk about accessing God's plan for your life, it is first of all for us to understand, we did not create ourselves, we are the creation of God! It is the prerogative of every manufacturer to determine what the product would be used for. You cannot tell the chemist what his product should be used for; he is the one that has made this product he is the one that can tell you what the product is used for! We must understand the fact that we did not create ourselves; it is the manufacturer that can tell you, the use of the product. If God created us! Then we must of a necessity access the manual for our life from Him! Every manufacturer has a manual for His product. When you buy a car, there is a manual that shows you the best way for that car to operate, and without taking cognizance of that, the car would not function optimally. God's plan for us is delivered when we discover our vision for life! So, it is in our vision that the plan of God for us is discovered. So, WHAT IS VISION? Vision is simply the unraveling of God's plan for a man; it is simply the unraveling for man; that is vision. People will fulfill destiny only when they discover their vision for living. Your vision is not necessarily a function of the degree you studied in the university. Your vision is about the plan of God for your life. The question he has created you to answer. The solution he has created you to bring or to profer for humanity, that is what vision is all about! Your vision captures the totality about your life. It shows you; The steps to take, It shows you where to go? It shows you, who to meet? What to say? What to do? What not to do? What not to say? Where not to go? So, your vision in a nutshell, encapsulates your total being, so the total man concept of Covenant University is ordained to keep each student to discover his/her God given vision. When you do not know where you are, everywhere would look like it. So people fall into vices, delinquencies, troubles, errors, because they have not discovered their vision. A man of vision is a man of purpose, because your vision would clearly identify your purpose for living. Dr Myles Munroe of blessed memory said, where purpose is not known abuse is inevitable. So, people who have not discovered their vision in life, so they live the life of abuse. They abuse their own destiny by themselves, their life is also abused by others around them and by the 14 viscitude of life, but the man of vision is the man that lives atop the circumstances of life. A wise man said; No bird would fly too high, if it flies on its own wings. In other words, operating within your vision provides you your own life security. When we have discovered our vision, what do we do with it? Because vision can be likened to a blue print, it can be likened to an architectural plan, it can be likened to an engineering drawing, and it can be likened to a visibility study! None of these would see the light of the day, except someone is committed to working it out, so when we have discovered our vision, all we need to do, is then pursue it. So a well defined pursuit agenda is almost as important as a discovery of the vision. So, following God's plan for our lives, would require a tenacious pursuit of our God given vision. Sir, what advice do have for those who are yet to discover their vision? Any graduating student of Covenant University that has not discovered his vision, is a disgrace! How can you be in a University like this, 4 – 5 years, and you have not seen where you are going. That one is just one of the crowd, and has not allowed the school to pass through him or her - he has only been moving like a walking shadow! I would refer anyone, among the graduating students, who has not discovered his/her vision in life, to lay his/her hand on two of the books written by the Chancellor, Dr. David Oyedepo titled, “Understanding Vision” and “Ruling Your World”. Anyone among the graduating students, who has not read that book, has simply done him/herself a great disservice. So I would advice within the time that is left for them here, to ensure they critically access themselves, and go before the Lord to discover, their God given vision and make a commitment to stay within their vision. However, let me add this, the scripture say; this people have I formed for myself, they shall show forth my praise – Isaiah 43:21. As corroborated by Psalm 51:15 David said; O Lord open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. Ever yone graduating should understand, you are not created for yourself. God created you for Himself, so if your life does not bring Glory to God, it is a wasted life. Where ever you go, whatsoever you do, where ever you are found, your life must be an example that points others to God. If the spirituality content of this University finds full expression in the life of anyone, his or her generation must of a necessity wait on his or her word, it is only a matter of time, because spirituality is the gateway to fulfillment of destiny. So every graduating student should consciously genuinely, check him or herself, against the spiritual meter of this University to be able to determine how well, or how less than well he or she is. I PRAY THAT THE PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR EACH ONE, WOULD FIND FULL EXPRESSION IN JESUS NAME. Chaplain, Covenant University Interactive Session With Prof. Aize I. Obayan Aize O. Imouokhome Obayan, PhD I don't know whether the word short would define my leadership encounters or my leadership experience, but let me say that for as long as I can remember, I have always been involved in leadership at one level or the other. You know, talking about the fact that, even in terms of my ordinal positioning in the family I happened to be the very first child in the family, the first born. We are a family of six children and that means that after me, five others. And so I grew up with my parents, virtually on a daily basis, telling me that I was to lead them, I was to show a good example and whatever I did or did not do right would impact on whatever they did. So, right from growing up, I found that I needed to be right there leading the way for my younger 15 ones to follow. And of course, noting going through school, being part of some associations, talking about secondary school, and then ensuring that, whatever assignment I had in terms of maybe, being a secretary or one thing or the other, I think to some extent that was also leadership. And then getting into university and whether group assignment or whatever, I found that I had something or the other again to offer, in terms of providing some insights. I have never seen leadership as solely resting on the platform of whoever is a positional leader in terms of titles; I just believe, a leader is one who is able to take the lead wherever he or she finds himself and so as far as that definition of leadership is concerned, I got into leadership quite early and I had leadership lessons, particularly from my parents very early, in the sense that; this is the family legacy, this is the identity that you have, this is your background, this is the track and the trail leading you, and as such you cannot afford to break that chain, and looking in that particular respect as far as leadership is concerned, it started very early, and that is why I was saying; I don't know whether I can talk about short encounters or short experiences but in terms of what persons have come to see, in terms of visible demonstrations of leadership assignments, several openings, several privileged calls, being Head of Department, being dean of the college, having being vice chancellor, having being coordinator of PG school, serving on a number of boards; board of regent Covenant University by the privilege of God, and then board of NUC, and then vision Dean, CLDS THE NECESSITY OF CAPACITY BUILDING: TOWARDS BECOMING A GLOBAL LEADER 2022, no no no! That is for CU, (laughs) vision 2020 of the nation, you know the CBN, FGN board, you know, I was on that as well, and those are leadership positions where you are not only looking at issues that affect just a certain, but looking at issues that affect the nation, and then, the privilege of having being on a number of conferences, and taking the lead in terms of being the chairpersons for plenary sessions, even in academic leadership, and leadership even in academia with respect to project supervision, thesis supervision, and then mentoring, a number of mentoring encounters, and then being a person that others can look up to, and persons asking you to led and guide them. And so it's always being around, I don't think I set out to be a leader. It was something that I believed God just opened me up to, and I must say that being a leader in several context has been quite a privilege and it has put me also on my toes on a daily basis; virtually minute by minute, knowing that because a number of persons look up to me, I just must do it right, I must show a good example, I must take the lead. And I have also been a student of leadership for as long as I can also remember, and leadership as a subject matter, is the one that I have found very fascinating, and daily, I keep identifying new constructions of leadership, new representations of leadership, and also making sure that I am virtually developing myself and making sure that I'm expanding my base and also observing other people who are in leadership, you know, so that, as far as the study of leadership is concerned, and also noting that there is a dearth of the right kind of leadership, even for the nation state of Africa, it has become a passion for me, even in my current involvement on the leadership certificates and leadership diploma programs of Covenant University, you know, again by privilege, working closely with the Chancellor, Covenant University; who in every sense has provided great example of transformational and visionary leadership and this has been quite inspiring. And let me also say this, my husband is very much involved, you know, in leadership issues as well, so, at home, at work, it's always discussions of leadership and this has been quite exciting. So, let me say that it has been all around; it has been all around me, and by privilege. And I have been so fascinated, you 16 know, by the models of leadership that God himself has put in place, and looking at the spiritual dimensions as well, ever y Christian also being called to take on leadership positions, noting that right from the garden of Eden God asked man to go have dominion, to go take charge, so Christian responsibilities also involves leadership responsibilities, there is no way we can take on the great commission without developing leadership wings for flight. [Thank you very much ma.] What is the necessity of capacity building in the leadership context? able to provide inspiration, and if you are not growing within yourself, and if you are not also giving yourself a demand to develop capacity beyond what you were yesterday, then you really cannot be said to be leading others, because followers like to feel that whoever is leading them is able to inspire them, is also able to make them be beyond what they are, persons who lead should be able to champion the way. I knew one of my favorite definitions of leadership is one that Dr. David Oyedepo , Chancellor, Covenant University has given; a leader is able to lead, a leader shows the way, and a leader is able to take others beyond where they know is possible. Necessity therefore makes it a provision, hmm, in the sense that, leadership that is not forever evolving, leadership that gets stuck, leadership that is not expanding, is leadership that is not going anywhere. A leader must always keep up with chatting new courses, must be able to see farther in terms of insights beyond what others are seeing, must be So, leaders should lead, it is not just by titles, and, blazing the trail, and showing the way, and also setting the pace, and you know breaking new grounds, is what leaders do. And this is called championing new courses, and without building capacity you are not able to do that. And another thing that is obvious again; a leader like Paul the apostle, talking to a mentee of his, Timothy, talked about the fact that, a leader would need to prove with every assurance, you know, that he is definitely expanding the base, and he talked about; seest thou a man, you know, diligent in his business, although that is from proverbs, but again, it's about diligence in studying to be approved, you know, diligence in studying to be approved. A leader cannot be approved of his people, if he is not one committed to books, committed to new learning, committed to unlearning, committed to sharpening his saw. He said, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Paul himself was a man of letters, a man who understood depths, a man that whatever platform he appeared on, he had the words; he was able to stand before king Agrippa and he was not faced at all, he could hold his own, and he was a man who was respected for his depth and our leaders today, we need to have that, and it's not just about certification, it's not just about showing that you have a degree, it's about how to integrate and how to really show dynamism in the fact that you are able to apply the knowledge base with the practical issues and be able to have enough foresight and insight to profer solutions and to be able to decode, you know, even when things are complex and then let people know that you can inspire hope in them, without information, and this is so vital, without information. Without the right kind of information, a leader is left dry. It would not be leadership, if the followership is the one having to teach and suggest pathways; what would it show up in a leader, if things for example are happening around us. Talking about the electoral process right now, if a leader did not know that there are suggestions for example; to postpone, you know, the election date, has already set, and the followers are saying, you know, what do you think of that, are we to go with this, and the leader is saying, oh, really, you know, is anybody suggesting that? So, a leader has to be in touch with his onions, he needs to be ahead of the pack and capacity building therefore. And then, learning and information is ever dynamic, right now in this age with I.C.T, with the E-learning platforms, with the internet; information overload, and the challenge of the leader, particularly in the 21st century is how to be able to have all his fingers on top of all of these things, not knowing is no longer an excuse, because everything is all there for us, how do you sieve the relevant information? How do you stay abreast of the current 17 happenings? How do you know about the global issues? This is the demand of leadership, and without capacity building, without sharpening your skills, without having the right skills; you are not able to do this. So capacity building is a core necessity for leadership particularly in the 21st century. WHAT DOES IT TAKE MA, TO BECOME A GLOBAL LEADER AND HOW DOES IT START? Series To be continued in the next EDITION Ma, in conclusion, what is your advice to the graduating class of 2015? The graduating class of 2015, graduating from Covenant University is not graduating from the school of life. The school of life is always opening up to the next levels and the next levels and the next levels. So, Covenant University has only given you skills, so that you are able to apply the skills to the real world out there, and there are great expectations, and so, you are raised as an eagle, and eagles, are not ground birds, you are raised to soar and look for the high skies, there is no doubt that soar you must. Best wishes! You are raised as an eagle, and eagles must soar. It is indeed a pleasure speaking to you, thank you so much for your time, You are welcome! The Impact of the University Core Values On our Graduates, The Culture of any institution is what determines its future. The Culture of an Institution defines its nature, and nature when lived out determines the perpetuity of that institution and its products. Covenant University's Core values form the building blocks of the expected culture. This is the culture we expect all graduates to have imbibed and manifest. Apart from the degree, which validates the technical skills acquired, the most vital add-on CU graduates take away from CU, are the Core values. There are seven CU Core values: Spirituality, Integrity, Possibility Mentality, Capacity Building, Responsibility, Diligence and Sacrifice. Our motto is Raising a New Generation of Leaders, and these values are the core ingredients that make a CU graduate function as a new generation leader. The CU Core Values emphasize Leadership development. 18 While the graduates were on campus, these values were modelled and lived on a daily basis; and by applying themselves to these values, the leadership seed in these graduates have been nurtured as they become equipped to take on leadership challenges in society. We are raising a new generation of leaders who have the right set of values and skills to accept the leadership challenge of our time. The country is in dire need of credible, dependable, capable and visionary leaders, who can do the seemingly impossible, with whatever resources available, who are not selfcentred but service-oriented, who are not title-seekers but value-adding personalities (as against the popular Very Important Personalities). Nigeria requires a workforce that is committed to national development and burning with a strong passion to see change in every sector of society. The University's core values are founded on sound biblical principles, and that is why spirituality is the arrowhead of the Core Values. The highlights of the impact of the University's Core Values on the graduates are: Spirituality: Spirituality is godliness and godlikeness. The Christian ethos form the basis of all our operations as a university. We strongly emphasize the Jesus-factor in everything we do, and like the Chancellor would fondly say, Jesus is the Founder, 'funder' “Spirituality is godliness and godlikeness. The Christian ethos form the basis of all our operations as a university. We strongly emphasize the Jesus-factor in everything we do, and like the Chancellor would fondly say, Jesus is the Founder, 'Funder' and 'Runner' of Covenant University.” and 'Runner' of Covenant University. The University Chapel is the centre of spiritual activities on campus where amazing lifetransforming experiences take place. Students are strongly advised to maintain a quality relationship with God, work assiduously towards spiritual growth, study their bibles, pray regularly and allow the Holy Spirit to live and work through them. Students are exposed to sound biblical teachings to build them up spiritually and to develop strong moral character. Altar calls are made during each chapel event and many students respond to the call by surrendering their lives to Christ. Also, by the application of prayer and faith, students are taught t o c o u n t e r a n d o v e rc o m e sicknesses, diseases and other oppressions of the devil. Integrity: Graduates are expected to demonstrate honesty and uprightness. They are expected to firmly uphold truth and courageously expose anything illegal or illegitimate. Currently, top on the list of problems in Nigeria is corruption. As a university, since inception, everything we do is based on merit, right from admissions to graduation. The graduates have the mind-set that they can accomplish anything and everything the right way, which mirrors how the University has achieved all its laurels over the years. Covenant University trains and expect her graduates to uphold the highest standards of integrity which is evident in our zero-tolerance for indiscipline, social vices and academic dishonesty. Our students are not allowed to do what they like, but what is right. The system is designed to ensure that ever yone is responsible and doing what is expected per time. We have prepared an army of men and 19 women of integrity, with the courage to say NO to evil and the tenacity to stand for truth at all times. Possibility Mentality: We strongly believe that nobody arrives at a future he/she cannot picture. We expect our graduate to believe and uphold that nothing is impossible, have a healthy and positive selfesteem, and strive for excellence at all times. We through the virtue of possibility mentality have trained our graduates to envision and passionately pursue a new world, by rebuilding the old wastes and restoring wasted cities. Capacity building: we expect our graduates to consciously commit to continuous and life-long personal and career development endeavours. The University runs a custom-built course called “Total man Concept” (TMC) which we like Mr. Azubuike Ezenwoke Dean, Students Affairs to call, “the science of life”. Through TMC, students discover themselves, their gifts and callings, capture and plan for the actualization of their dreams etc. Also, the University recently commenced the Diploma and Certificate Course in Leadership Development to further instill the leadership spirit in her graduates. The leadership seed, being nurtured here at CU, matures and becomes the fruit enjoyed in the various industry sectors where our graduates function. At the end of the academic programme, the students go through an exit course called “Towards a Total Graduate” (TTG) which adds the finishing touches to the overall CU experience. Finally, our graduates have been taught not to join the bandwagon of job seekers, but job creators. We operate under the philosophy that, if what you want is not available, then create it. We don't expect a CU graduate to be stranded in the labour market, they have been taught enough through our Entrepreneurship Development Studies, EDS (another custom-built course) on how to conceive and turn business ideas into business success. Responsibility: George Washington said, 'The price for greatness is responsibility'. Our unique system ensures that the seed of greatness in our graduates have been properly nurtured by imbibing the sense of responsibility. The graduates are obliged to honour the code of conduct they subscribed to as undergraduates such as punctuality to lectures, prompt response to assignments accountability, and other demands-upholding this culture is non-negotiable. Diligence: We expect our graduates to commit themselves to the demands of any task at hand. To work hard, promoting the dignity of labour and thereby generating unmatchable results. ·Sacrifice: We believe that sacrifice is the ultimate price for outstanding success and leadership is not conclusive without sacrifice. We expect all our graduates to go the extra-mile, beyond what is expected, beyond the call-of-duty, paying extra-price for the accomplishment of set goals. To be continued on page: 21 Living A Life Of Purpose For Glorious Future Dr. Adebiyi Ayodele Ariyo, Head of Department, Computer and Information Sciences. Good day Sir, 1.Sir, can you share with us, the early days of your life, the days of humble beginnings? Thank you so much! The early days of my life, I was born in Ilorin, Kwara state. I attended Saint Williams's primary school, Ilorin but I ended up finishing at army children school, Kakuri, Kaduna State. The early days of my life were not rosy, in the sense that, I did not stay with my parents. I started living with my grandmother and all of a sudden I was taken away from her, to my father senior brother. Before I finished my primary school, I can say I spent just two years with my mother before she died. Well, it was the days of humble beginning; things were not too rosy as it were then. 2.Sir, how did you discover your purpose for living, your passion for academics? My coming to academics is divine, in the sense that I have always desired to work in a banking institution, but that was not possible. However, I had always sought God's leading, among my several prayers for direction, God gave me a revelation and I saw myself in the revelation receiving an envelope, I opened the envelope and I saw an admission letter, and I was wondering what the meaning was because as of that time, I 20 already had B.Sc. Computer Science and Masters degree in Business administration (MBA). So receiving an admission letter was contrary to appointment letter that was uppermost in my heart at that time, was something got me thinking. It was about 3 months after the revelation that I had the opportunity to meet someone who was working in Covenant University. I submitted an application, and miraculously I was invited for an interview. One of the major question that was asked, was I willing to pursue a Ph.D program, I said whao in my heart, what a great opportunity. I connected that to the revelation I had, and to my surprise I actually got the admission letter, you know, the way I saw it in the revelation and that was how my teaching career began. Although I started with M.Sc. and later Ph.D. Also, before, I came to Covenant University, I had taught in College of Education as Computer Lecturer, and in the computer school I established after my NYSC service year. 3.Sir, did you ever have any vision that you would be where you are today? Yes, I had a vision of being a leader. I always find myself being appointed as a leader. In my secondary school, I was appointed as the food prefect even in the university; I was a Christian fellowship leader in my department. While in the university I have always imagined myself as the head of IT department wherever am privileged to work over time. This spurs my interest of pursing MBA without anybody advising me after my first degree in Computer Science. The essence was to be equipped with adequate knowledge of managing human and other resources. My other colleagues were pursuing employment, but I chose to build up and be grounded in business administration, hoping that wherever I am to be engaged, I would have necessary skills to rise and become the head of IT department, subsequently maybe the managing director. I can also say that, where I am today, is a function of prophetic declaration. Around 2006, the man that occupies the position of leadership in the University now was then the H.O.D of this department and I was then the examination officer of the department, and all of a sudden he started calling me my “H.O.D” for a number of years. Today the prophesy has been fulfilled. 1.Sir, can you share some of your experiences as regards your encounter with Jesus Christ at salvation? I want to thank God! I got born-again at a very tender age; I was about entering secondary school then. I attend a crusade in Kaduna organized by late Prophet Obadare, the founder of WOSEM. It was in the crusade that my dad and I gave our life to Christ. God has been faithful in this journey, knowing Him and studying His word has really kept me going. With an encounter with Christ, staying by His word, living by His word that has really helped me in the subsequent endeavors in life. Sir, based on your walk with God over the years, what has been its influence over your life (before and after)? The word of God and prayer has been the major influence in my life. I would say things were not working well for me before I gave my life to Christ. One thing I noticed after I gave my life to Christ was that my performance in academics improved significantly. Since that time I have remained consistent with Him, God has been so faithful! Sir, what could you say about keeping friends, close friends? Those you grew up with! Were they instrumental to where you are currently in life? No, like I would say, I don't keep friends! And none of my friends was instrumental to where I am now. I discovered that most of the people that are very close to me as a youth engaged in one unrighteous act or the other, and they are able to sense or see that I am different, so they try not to associate much with me. It is only God that has been instrumental to where I am today. God has been the one that has been guiding me and leading me, not any friend parse, and as a matter of fact, I don't keep friends! Sir, what is your advice and prayer for the new generation of leaders, the EAGLES, class 2015? My first advice is that they should let the core values of Covenant University ring in their hearts continually. They should try to be a blessing rather than a receiver, being a blessing to people around them. When you have that desire, God will place you where you will have opportunity to be a leader, but if you don't have that desire of being a channel of blessing to your world, God might not find you suitable. Just like King Solomon, God blessed him, because his primary desire was to serve God's people. He did not request for money, wealth, longevity or his enemy, but King Solomon requested that God should grant him wisdom, to lead his people aright. And for you to be a new generation leader; the interest of the people should be your primary driving force, how you can influence the people around you, and be a blessing to them, not looking for what you want to get. With these, when God see your heart, He will make a way for you, to actually excel in life. THANK YOU SIR, for having a quality time out with us, we give God all the Glory. continuation... The impact of the University Core Values On our Graduates, It is important to mention that we have the most unique set of graduates in the World. Our graduates become highly disciplined, focused and talented. The packaging of a CU graduate is different. Our graduates are refined, cultured, confident and competent. They have been trained through a unique dress code regimen introduced at the inception of the University, which is responsible for the dignity 21 surrounding a CU graduate. They are constantly reminded of the words of the Chancellor that, 'The way you are dressed is the way you'll be addressed'. They come in unfinished, as though fresh from the mines, and having gone through the University's system, come out as treasures. One word that describes the experience at CU is: Life Changing! In spite of the rigorous demands of discipline and commitment to academic and character excellence, if given the chance for another undergraduate degree programme, many of our graduates would still choose Covenant University and the impact of the culture and Core Values of CU is very evident. Cyber-crime Security AND Digital Forensic Investigation for Education, Research and Development. Dr Funminiyi Olajide The effect of cybercrime continues to permeate the economy, social life, and national defence and security. The criminological concept of cybercrime is imperative as cybercriminals are changing the way they organise, operate and target with new methodologies and diverse platforms. An investigation into the trends of cybercrime activities by TrendMicro in 2013, revealed that Africa is fast becoming a safe harbour for cybercriminals. Yet, Africa is anything but unique and all around the countries of the w o r l d , c y b e rc r i m i n a l s a r e exploiting the internet to target individuals, businesses and governments institutions in order to extract illicit financial gain. Several corporate bodies and in businesses have been victimized by various cybercrime activities, resulting in the policing of cybercrime issues across the nations with attendant challenges. The international legal policies and procedures including the process of prosecuting cyber-criminals across borders have also not been fully implemented. Evidently, hacktivism has been used for 22 planning, organising and influencing crucial political decisions in many countries and also for economic growth in many nations of the world. The effect of cybercrime on businesses can be traced to the vast use of the Internet of Things. Internet has become an integral part of our daily life and is used mostly for business transactions, for example, mobile e-Commerce. For majority of people; Internet is used as a means of social networking and communication. Without the use of Internet, businesses may suffer and people may not be able to communicate effectively, as expected. However, with the increasing usage of Internet technologies, there is a need for research into the criminological concept of cybercrime activities in Africa. The current research into a study of application level information from volatile memory analysis of Windows computer systems revealed user input information on some commonly used business applications (Olajide and Savage, 2 0 1 1 ) . A n o t h e r r e s e a rc h investigation into the identification and analysis of user input found on Windows applications was carried out by Olajide and Savage, 2012. There is no doubt that cybercrime is bound to increase, as access to the Internet and business application increases using the new platform of mobile technology driven by the vast use of social networking (RSA, 2013). The research into criminological concept of cybercrime is still at the infancy stage, but security counter-measures and educational awareness of the trends of cybercrime issues must coherently be employed within businesses. African Scientists need to engage in Cyber Security r e s e a rc h a c t i v i t i e s . T h e prevention, detection and policing of cybercrime will not only help in business transactions, but will also contribute to continuing online safety, campaigns, privacy awareness and intellectual property protection. However, Internet is necessar y for economic growth and advancement of industrialisation in Africa. In the global market, focusing on r e s e a rc h r e p o r t i n A f r i c a , Smartphone shipments have grown speedily, which was first invented in 1992 by IBM and BellSouth. The world's first cur ved- OLED technology of Smartphone was introduced into the retail market with the sale of Samsung Galaxy Round in December 2013, including the use of Android phone technology, which has been powered by Google Technology systems. According to the statistical report made by McAfee, in 2013, the usage of these two famous devices have increased more frequently by almost 43%, over the current mobile trend of “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD). Certainly, “BYOD” is at increasing stages in many business organisations all around the world, thereby resulting, in cybercriminal network gangs developing and refining their methods of cyber-attacks. 23 Cybercrime is a significant problem for businesses, but finding the best way of minimising the effects of cybercrime will not only help in the growing market of mobile technology but will also bring more awareness on different cybercrime issues. The research on Cyber-security by Tendulkar in 2013 revealed that every aspect of cyber-crime is wide and can be legally complicated. Another research work of Brenner (2004) stated that cybercrime is a worldwide problem and no state is beyond vulnerability. This augment supports the development of different cybercrime governance policy frameworks in various countries of the world. Off course, but this may not assist the law enforcement agencies in prosecuting cybercrime across the border. Hence, research into the policing of cybercrimes across borders becomes very vital. Knowledge information on government enforcement laws on cybercrime needs to be t h o ro u g h l y i n v e s t i g a t e d , through the relationships between the victims and offenders. For example, in the UK, the cost of cybercrime has increased over the years. The recently established UK National Cybercrime Agency (NCA) authenticates the need for cyber security. The UK government has promulgated laws, including the newly created National Cybercrime Agency (NCA) that will facilitate the legal prosecution of cybercrimes. A research conducted by Tendulkar in 2013, shows that the US government has recently established laws to deal with many cybercrime issues. These laws are not limited to cyber intrusions, cyber-terrorism, c y b e r- e s p i o n a g e , c o p y r i g h t infringement as well as the Cyber Security Governance policies and knowledge information on cybercrime activities across the borders. Policing of Cybercrime issues across the borders are enormous but the dynamic and connected nature of our environment in Africa has encouraged user relationships through social networking and as such, presents fertile grounds for Worldwide Network of Cybercriminals. This group of Cybercriminals is now targeting users' data and, thereby, causing a major breakdown to the global economy. Therefore, curriculum into training, education and research development in Cybercrime S e c u r i t y, D i g i t a l F o r e n s i c Investigation and Experimentation should be encouraged a foremost agenda amongst Nigerian Universities. Dr Funminiyi Olajide, PhD, Lecturer, Cybercrime Security, Digital Forensic & Techniques Department of Computer and Information Sciences Covenant University Ota, Ogun State. Nigeria. Email: [email protected] DRIVE EFFICIENCY TECHNOLOGY IMPACT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY Computer Science is a prominent field of study and its impact in the 21st century cannot be over emphasised. Computing is actually seen as the science of nearly everything in the 21st century. As a matter of fact Computer Science is now part of everyone's daily life through the innovations and technologies it facilitates. The use of the latter is a big help and assistance to everyone because it makes ease the burden of our daily lives. Computer Science is the study of mathematics and technology of computers and their application in different domains. As a very broad field of study, it has so many specialized areas which allow it to touch base with every aspect of life and make great impact in this 21st century. Some of these areas are Artificial Intelligence, Data mining, Soft and Hard computing, 24 Communication and Networking, Electronic Systems, Software Engineering, Forensic and Security, Information Management Systems, E-Commerce etc. Through innovations and advancement in research, all these specialized areas have been instrumental to transforming Computer Science. It has painted different domains, transforming some from traditional mode of operation to full automation systems and now intelligent systems. Some of these domains are medicine, education, agriculture, business, politics, banking and security. As a result of the transformation agenda, Computer Science has been placed in the forefront of discovery, driving economy growth and transforming culture and life. The impact of Computer Science in the 21st century is apparent in the domains highlighted below. Medical Domain: In order to provide adequate health care in the 21st century, Computer Science is facilitating a muchneeded transformation in health care delivery in the following ways: It makes it possible to mine a large volume of patient data from multiple sources, extracting some useful hidden patterns and effectively presenting the right piece of information to the right person in real time with greater percentage of accuracy to help make the right decision while safeguarding the patient privacy and security. Examples of such available applications are decision support systems and expert systems which are based on the data mining and artificial intelligent areas of computer science. Computer Science also facilitates The field of Computer Science has also enabled a cloud based medical data record which enhances global medical record access and update. From any part of the world, a particular patient medical history could be accessed and updated. This enhances proper monitoring of a patient's health status while the patient's privacy is safeguarded by reliable cloud security algorithm. Examples are Electronic Medical Record (EMRs), cloud-based EMRs etc. Other areas of impact of Computer Science in medical domain in the 21st century are robotic surgery motivated by artificial intelligence, telemedicine motivated by electronic systems, home monitoring, health 2.0 and much more. Business Sector: Computer Science does not leave the business sector untouched. Every stage of business process has been transformed into electronic process called e-commerce in computer science. Now we have eshop, e-market, digital marketing, electronic products selection using optimization theory algorithm in computer science, e-procurement, e-ordering, e-payment, e-auction, electronic banking etc. All these electronic systems allow the parties involved in the business process to interact conveniently via electronic means while their security is guaranteed with the help of security algorithms in Computer Science. Education Domain: Computer Science has really brought innovations into the education system by gradually transforming the traditional classroom system to an on-line classroom and now virtual and digital classroom with the aid of electronic systems. Also, the usually printed textbooks and book shelve physical librar y have been transformed into digital text, digital library and virtual libraries where the Agriculture: This sector has also experienced the impact of Computer Science. Gone are the ages of manual land preparation, cultivation and planting with hoes and cutlasses; intelligent tractors and robotic system are the machines of the century. With the help of Computer Science artificial intelligence, several soil analyses software have been developed; electronic marketing of agricultural produce and a lot more have also 25 been invented to transform the agricultural system in meeting the demand of the 21st century. Communication: With the help of Computer Science, communication has become so easy. Several means of communication have been developed such as Skype, e-mail messages, teleconferencing, WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, etc. Communication barrier is no more a story in the 21st century because a lot of translation softwares are now available, all developed through networking and software development areas of computer science. Politics: With the intervention of computer science, election and government systems have been transformed. Now, there is e-campaign, e-registration, evoting, standard national database management system, cloud data storage, e-governance, e-democracy, e-meeting, e-minute, e-notice board, e-administration. All these are the influences of electronic system in political sector and administration. To be continued on page: 32 Examination officer, Computer and Information Science, CST text can be accessed anywhere, at any time, even at the comfort of someone's room or offices. Among other impacts are electronic board, search engines for learning, on-line examination, on-line registration, on-line result, on-line forum, online tutorial, digital lectures, data mining analysis of student performance, student advisory expert system, etc. All these innovations are based on electronic systems, artificial intelligence and data mining areas of Computer Science. By Dr. (Mrs.) Oladipupo O.O. monitoring and assisting patients' health activities and behaviour in homes, offices and community centres without the patient physical presence in the hospitals or care clinic. Examples of such available applications are online diagnosis system, fuzzy expert system for heart disease risk determination, webbased expert system, etc. These are based on electronic systems, artiificial intelligence and soft computing techniques. All these areas are stems from the field of computer science. Lecturer, CIS Department, Covenant University Parting Words To The GraDuating Students BE RESPONSIBLE! “You must take responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of” – John Rohn. “The price of greatness is responsibility ” –W inston Churchill “The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it” – Lou Holtz “Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility… in the final analysis, the one quality that all success people have is the ability to take responsibility” – Michael Korda Mrs. Isewon Itunuoluwa Pioneer graduate, 2006. 26 Responsibility i.e. "response-ability" – is the ability to choose your response. Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility. They do not blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behaviour. As you go into the real world, you cannot predict what challenges Life will throw at you. One thing you must know is that so much has been deposited into you. Rise up to the challenge, take responsibility and you will be surprised just how far you will go. You should turn your challenges to stepping stones to your next level. Also you must realize the need to act fast. Taking a look at the experience David had with Goliath; 1st Samuel17:48 [KJV]: And it came to pass, when the philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. If you study the above scripture properly, you will discover that David took the action promptly; it is not just taking action but taking prompt action in whatever you are doing in life. Dr, Ada Sonia Peter, PhD Making the right choice, courtship and marriage Good day ma, 1.CAN YOU NARRATE TO US WHAT YOUR EXPERIENCE WAS L I K E A S R E G A R D S PREPARATION FOR MARRIAGE? Preparation for marriage (laughs). Ok, I think the greatest capacity you can ever build to prepare for marriage, is to have the fear of God in you. I mean to walk with God, love God, and know God on your own first, before you start thinking of a life partner because that would determine a lot of things. You need to know God on your own first and know God for yourself, that alone is enough preparation for marriage because as you begin to walk with the Holy Ghost and with God, He begins to direct you and lead you in the path to go, what to do and not to do. In fact, He cuts off excesses that people call, youthful 27 exuberance. These helps you to curtail what you really look out for in a man because when the Holy Ghost has been able to tell you, no fornication and the likes, of course you will not go out looking out for a guy who says, he wants you in bed. So, the fear of God, loving God for yourself first, prepares you for the kind of man you want to meet in life. 2.IN TERMS OF MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE, WHAT WAS YOUR BELIEF SYSTEM, AND WHAT WERE YOUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE? (Laughs) Ok, in terms of making the right decisions, everything still boils down to God, ok. And remember when I say God, I am referring to our God who talks about diligence. He is a God that talks about study, a God who talks about knowledge, a God who talks about understanding. So when you love God, you'll know that you need knowledge of what you are about to go into, you'll know that you need wisdom to guide in what you are about to go into. Ok, and all of these leads you to begin to look for materials, credible materials on marriage, credible materials on courtship, credible materials on the man God wants in your life, do you understand? So that is to say that I actually read a few books, and one of the books that remarkably affected me, is one of Pastor bimbo's books: “100 questions to ask, before you make that move, or before you accept that ring, that courtship ring”. What struck me most from the book and became very pivotal in my decisions for a life partner, was the portion where she talked about parental consent. According to the book, when your parents, say no to a man, the no may not necessarily make sense to you at that time but that is a cause for you to look again, they may just tell you, we don't like his legs because they are bent, and you may ask, why they are criticizing your prospective husband? Because of his legs, I mean, does his legs represent his character and other vital attributes? According to the analogy in the book, the bent leg may signify a bent future. But what your parents may be seeing in place of the bent future is the bent leg and that is the best way they can explain and warn you of the danger ahead. These signals can be anything other than the leg. Do you understand? For instance, they may just give you some other flimsy reasons that, ahh, I don't like his tribe. These observations may be after the first time your parents meet your prospective spouse. If you go a 28 Esteemed Eagle second time and a third time, and they are insisting, then you pray to God, fast and do everything you know to do to convince them and they are still insisting, then look elsewhere, there are other brothers and sisters, do you understand? That is, if the first time they just say, no we don't want him, pray about it. Father, if this is my man touch my parents! You confront them again! Not confront anyway, it is not a battle (laughs), you meet them again, and then talk to them. Somehow, somehow, someone in the family should be able to say, ok well! And that was the first challenge I had or rather, personal experience, this were part of the indicators: The person who initially looked like it in my sight, was a No! No! To everyone around me, even after I tried to, lai lai: (Yoruba, meaning saying “never”), there was just something wrong, it is either they say this about the person, but everything appeared wrong about some of my suitors. At the time there were four persons, but two were looking more likely. So some of my indicators for selection were what my parents had to say, what my siblings had to say, what my friends also had to say, do you understand, I am not saying they necessarily need to approve, but from that book, it gave me a clue that, ok when someone says no, then I need to look two times again, do you understand me. And that for me, made a whole lot of difference, it helped me to cut off, it helped to prune the number of persons I was considering for the marriage, ok. Why should I marry someone that my family would just come for the wedding, all in the name of, ehh well, it is Ada's wedding, let's go, no! I need a wedding where everyone is happy, we are all happy, of course I don't have to die with one man; there are many options. The point for me is that, you can make your choice but choose based on God's principles. There is no one man or woman, that if you don't marry, you will never marry, it is a lie! Just make the right decision, choose the right man or woman by the help of God. 3.WERE THERE CHALLENGES YOU CONQUERED, AS REGARDS MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE? Challenges I conquered! I think the first challenge I conquered was, what people would say, about this particular person who had been with me for a very long time, but I knew I had to make that decision, and forget it, because this is one life, I mean, I am going to be the one living with it and if I don't get it right now, people would not come to my house to know what I am going through. And then secondly, I needed to also conquer an “assumed love” for the sake of destiny, in other words, I opted for fulfilling destiny than sticking on with an inexistent love. Let me explain, this person in question had a problem with my path in life and that was a major decision for me to take, ok. Am I going to alter my path in life and just marry, or choose destiny before marriage. I think I chose destiny, believing that of course there should be someone who likes this destiny, and would passionately want me and this destiny; I needed to make that decision. I think those were the two major things, yes, I needed to conquer, yeah! helped me, was, I was also looking out for a man who loved God for himself, not because of me, in other words, on your own, you are spiritual, yeah! You love God, you are a lover of God on your own, you fear God on your own, not because, oh! this Ada is very spiritual, so I must brace up, (no), you don't need to brace to me. 4.BEFORE COURTSHIP BEGAN, WHAT WERE THE THINGS THAT YOU HAD TO SETTLE? Ok, first (laughs), I would say that even before I got to the point of courtship, yeah, as a young girl, I was still 13, 14, when I made up my mind that, forget it, even if the man's brain is touching, he wouldn't access my sacredness, that's something I had brainwashed myself with. So it wasn't because of courtship or no courtship, it was something innate in me, and let me tell you something about God. He brings to you, what suites you; God brings to you what suites what you want. Yes, there might be other things around you that don't look like it. They may appear to look like it. But what you finally end up with, is what actually suites you. This is what I mean, my husband also was a person who had also made up his mind, and that no matter how “mami water” (Nigerian term for: mermaid spirit) you are, (laughs) he was going to also stay chaste till marriage, so that helped the courtship process, to just stay chaste until we got married. In fact, I also wanted someone who, could lord over me spiritually, do you understand? Yes, lord over me spiritually, he may not pray as much as I pray, but of course when he drops some rhemas and revelations, I know that yes, this one is rooted in the Word, do you understand? Yes, so those were some of the things I was also looking out for, someone who loved God on His own, on his own, not because of me. And then, character also mattered to me, but I believe that the love of God would affect character. So, the love of God from that person mattered more to me than character, because I know, once the love of God is there, character is naturally going to take place and take shape. 5.WHAT WERE THE PRINCIPLES THAT GUIDED YOU DURING C O U R T S H I P, U P U N T I L MARRIAGE? Principles; well, one thing, sorry, to add to the first thing also, one of the things that also 29 6.BEFORE MARRIAGE STARTS, WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT MUST BE PREPARED FOR? (laughs) ok, you need to prepare for number one, your home, you need to prepare for your home, and when I talk about home, you need to prepare for motherhood, wifehood, Daughterhood to your in-laws, you need to prepare for all of those and one thing you also need to keep in mind is to keep the flame of love burning in the home. Now you guys are married, so what next? There is no goose goose anymore (laughs), so it now takes a conscious effort to keep the fire, to keep it burning, to keep the love flaming. On that note, you need to prepare to build your marriage on something more than love and that is what you have to decide before time. You know marriage is beyond, “I love you and you love me”. In fact, it is sweeter when it's built on something in addition to love. I will use an example; the Chancellor had a vision that Mama agreed to, before their marriage. So, I mean, there was something to chase together, so I believe, that vision factor and more has kept the bond going. What am I talking about here? You should marry a man who is going somewhere and you should also be going somewhere, and you are both going to work together. That has a way of keeping the action going, do you understand. It keeps both of you focused, we know we are going somewhere, so, it is not all about: oh, I so love you, I so love you… In fact, when these things begin to get accomplished, it has a way of blossoming in love. Words like oh, thank you so much for being there for me, thank you for standing in for me, thank you for being all of these to me! Starts flowing in, let me read a text my husband sent to me, recently (laughs): that was on Friday he said, (why am I reading this?) (Laughs). He said: my love, in you I have found more than a life partner, you are all in one, I love you plenty. So now, what that tells you is that, I have not only been a wife, I have been several other things. So, in getting into marriage, you have to prepare to be several other things to your husband, or yes, to your spouse. In terms of helping him build his life, you know growing together into the vision he has, and then, he also helps you. The same way I have been a blessing to him, is the same way, my husband has been a blessing to me. He gives me all the support I can think of, for this Job, and all you can think of, of course, I mean, as chaplain, you know I worked night and day, but he never complained one day, rather, each time I come home, we pray together. When I am going to minister at any service, we pray through the message, and then receive more dangerous lights, when these lights come, I now personally pray with it, and then I get greater light, and you guys are blessed (laughs). So, beyond the, “I love you, you love me”, there should be something both of you are working towards, the goal, and the vision should always be there. 7.WHAT DOES IT TAKE, MA, TO BUILD A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE? It takes God! It takes God and God alone. And In God you will find every other thing. In God, you will find the romance. In God, you will find the love, in God, you will find the submission, and in God you will find the 30 honor. Of course, the Bible says; Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it - Ephesians5:25, that's in God. The Bible also, says to the woman, woman submit to your husband, that's also in God. The Bible also talks about, you know, keeping each other warm on the bed, for me that speak of romance. The fear of God also keeps the marriage on. Because when you fear God, it just cuts off a lot of excesses; cheating that people talk about, you know, defiling the bed; that brings about broken homes, you know, not taking responsibility as a mother, or the father also not taking responsibility as the father, the Bible talks about a man that is not able to take care of his home, is worse than an infidel. These scripture helps a man to brace up to his responsibilities to take care of the children, to take care of the family, and the wife also knows that, oh, wait a minute, even though, I am a career person, I have to, you know, submit myself to my husband. For instance, most times I don't remember, I am a Doctor, and that's intentional. It's only when people call me, oh, Dr. Ada, that I remember, wait a minute, I have a degree (laughs). This is a conscious effort so that I can live in my house, normal. Yeah, that's a conscious effort to just stay submissive to the man in the house. Exactly, so to be able to build a successful marriage, it all revolves around God! There is nothing you are looking for, that is not in God, and when I say God, I am talking about His Word. If you really want to build a successful marriage, romance is in the word of God, taking care of your family is in the word of God. If you look at the common things that break up homes today; it is either cheating, or irresponsibility or demonic influence, name it! And tell me which one the bible does not take care of. So in God you will build a successful marriage. 8.WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR THE GRADUATING STUDENTS' CLASS 2015? My advice for them is FOCUS, first things first. Focus; First things first, and when I mean first things, I say so because I know as young people, the blood is very hot now, marriage, marriage, courtship, courtship, spouse, spouse, partner, partner, but that shouldn't come first. Like Pastor. Victor (former chaplain, Covenant University) would always say; you discover yourself first, before you start thinking of adding another person to your life. Discover your vision, Discover where you are going to, Discover your goal, Know what you want to achieve in life. Then, it would help you to decide on who the right partner is. This applies to both male and female. A vivid example, one of the ways, I also pruned the guys around me, was when one said, the kind of life Prof. Obayan is living, is not the kind of life I want you to live, he didn't know, that went a long way for me to decide, because I already knew; wait a minute, I am towing an academic line. That for me was defining! So now, imagine if I didn't know where I was going! That statement wouldn't have meant anything to me, isn't it? Response: yes ma. Yeah! It wouldn't have meant anything to me. I would say, ok, no problem! Of course, I can't live my life like her, I am me. But knowing where I was going, I knew that he was not my life partner. Although this person eventually said, no, no, I didn't mean it that way. Forget it! For me that was the truth, this one you are telling me now is just trying to still win me over. That was defining for me. Focus, discover yourself first, discover where you are going, your vision, before you start thinking of who to take along, or who the partner should be. Once you have been able to discover that then, you are all set. Money is not the criteria, money is not the criteria to start a home, it is a necessity but it is not a criteria. One of my spiritual mama, said to me: If you have seen the man, even though he doesn't have money, if he is hardworking, diligent with a vision and he fears God, go for him, money would always come. And that's true! Money would always come, money is not a criteria. Money shouldn't be the criteria for picking the 31 man or the woman you want to marry, rather look out for the above qualities in place of money. In fact, the one you think has money today, may be the pauper, by the time that your husband becomes rich. What am I saying? The man you think has a flashy car today, tripping you out, taking you to places (national and international), but without a structured life, without a plan, without a vision, without hard work, without diligence, it is a matter of months; he will sell the car, yes! He would sell it to pay his house rent, when that one is done, he might beg for house rent. While the one you left, because at the time you met him, he didn't have so much, but remained diligent, hardworking, committed to God, when I mean committed to God, talking about tithe, offering and all that, habba! The next time you are meeting him, he would not be where you left him because he has a course and a goal! So, he is focused and can only go up, not down! So, the criterion for marriage is not money, leave money out of it! Money would always come, if these other factors are in place! So focus! Mind your business! Question raced by Dr. (Mrs.) Ada Sonia peter: Ok, what if in a situation, someone has several options of, who wants to marry the person, what do you do? You have to pray! And when I mean pray, I am not talking about the religious prayer! A heartfelt prayer, a genuine prayer! I prayed that prayer, and I said God you know if I miss it in this marriage, that is it! My life would take a different course. Just the way, I know that coming to Covenant University kept my life on course, because I often say to people, I know if I have gone to UNILAG, maybe I would be a different Ada. I would still be hard working, you know pushing, not giving up! Aiming for the top, you know all of those things! Maybe I might be doing it from a different light. Like my husband would always humorously say: I might be doing it from a Covenant Church perspective! How many of you know Covenant church, what's the name of the pastor again? Pastor Poju's eyesight not Bishop David Oyedepo's. Yes, because, Bishop David Oyedepo's eyesight plus other men of God that I submit to, gives me a more spiritual background like some depths in prayer, some depths in God, so I am not wishing washy about spirituality though still making strides in my career, do you understand? Back to my prayer on who to marry! So I prayed earnestly at Shiloh 2007 from a depth of my spirit, I knew I prayed! You know when you pray sincerely and when you are not sincere. I prayed sincerely and I heard him clearly; He said “the last man standing”. At that time it made no sense to me, the last man standing! Standing where? I looked around me, there was no man, and that was the first day of Shiloh 2007, and that day my parents, my siblings were around and coincidentally, the four suitors were also around, all in the name that they came for Shiloh! (Laughs). Of course, they knew each other, so I received everybody! The first one stood up and said: Ok I can see, you have a lot of guest, I would see you later! I said, ok that's fine, I would see you. And I was not perturbed! What is my business! The second one stood up and said, even if you want to insult me, I mean, this is not the way to do it, in fact, I am not staying for Shiloh again and he left. That means you actually came for Shiloh because of me. You better come for Shiloh for your life! (Laughs). Only one man was remaining. He sat down there, I mean, he was still sitting, you know, and he didn't say a word to me, in fact, even that evening I was still raking, I was still making noise, like what are you still doing here? Why have you not gone? (Laughs), he said nothing until he said what are we putting as Shiloh sacrifice? I said who are the we? (Laughs); that was really very harsh, It was at that point when he asked the question of sacrifice that the Holy Ghost began to now say, I told you something about the last man standing! And I calmed down for a while, ooh! Ok! Good! Even though, I didn't respond to that Shiloh sacrifice question, at that point, I knew, ok! This was him. So my next agenda was how to cut off the other persons, and that took me, 3-4-5-6 months! Yeah, of course, because they were not also giving up! So I had to tell my husband to please kindly understand and give me a little time let this people know that my mind is made up on who I will marry. And eventually we got married in 2011, after another major determining factor, Papa Bishop David Oyedepo approved! Yes, he needed to approve, because in addition, my mum h i n g e d h e r a p p ro v a l o n whosoever papa says yes to. That is the end of my story! (Laughs). impact of computer continuation... science in the 21st century Research: Also, research has become so easy in this 21st century with the influence of Computer Science. There are several links where you can meet with authorities and experts in a research area such as research gate, Google scholar, etc. So many search engines, repositories and storage media such as Google drive and cloud storage have been developed. Research resources are now well managed and shared through grid and cloud technology. Crowd sourcing is another facility introduced to motivate research both in the academia and in industry. All these are credited to the impact of Computer Science in the 21st 32 century. Social Media: There is much to say about the invention of social media, which has turned the whole world into a small village. You can meet with anybody, at any place in the world, and at any time. Communication is free, expression is free and learning has become so interesting. Social media enhances exposure, chatting, group discussion, advertisement, broadcasting and a lot; all at the convenience of one's home, on a move, or anywhere. All these are linked to the impact of Computer Science in this century. In wrapping up, Computer Science as a prominent field of study is touching base with every other field of study, every domain, culture as well as people's lives. Because of its importance, it has been incorporated into every level of education curriculum, from primary through secondary to the tertiary level regardless of the course of study. It is apparent, therefore, that without Computer Science, the 21st century imagination would have been a mirage, a hallucination or simply a fantasy. Lead speaker, Success Congress. Class 2015. MakeYour Life Sta rt Life is a gift of trust given to each and every one of us by God, but what we make out of it is our responsibility. That's why God put all that the plant needs to grow inside it. The future of anything is within it. The man is locked up inside the boy; the woman is inside the Girl. The Future of any living thing is not in front of it. It is inside it... but only comes to life through growth. Growth is what unveils the possibilities of life. The man that refuses to grow up has refused to go up. That is the first step to making your life count – Resolve to Grow. Make up your life right now to change, to move from one level to another. Not just in terms of academic pursuits, but in the worth of your personality and Value. The worth of people is not in their titles but in their Value. Make sure you add value to Som ethi ng Today illustrated by: 33 Thinkshifts Count yourself, and pull out value from yourself on daily basis. That is what education really means. The word education was derived from a Latin word “EDUCO” meaning to pull from within. This brings us to realization, that life is a game of investment. To better your lot, you need to do a lot better. All men were born equally, but their choices and decisions have stratified them into different levels; Masters and Mediocre, Captains and Captives, Princes and Paupers. Make your choice. It is an open playing field. Focus on what has been given you. Don't regret on your past mistakes, because you see; you can't drive a car forward and you try to look backward without having an accident. Finally, No matter who is backing you, if God is not backing you, you can't see the front – David Oyedepo. Consolidate your relationship with God, that is the surest guarantee of a future. It is not in a man that liveth to direct his steps. Man is too weak and wicked to securely protect his destiny. He needs the hand of God, the Hand that lifts the poor from the dunghill and sets him among princes. Right now, tell the lord that you choose to let him take his place in your life and mean it, and I see you soaring on the wings of destiny. See you at the Top! David Oghenerobor The making of a giant; man must understand that he is a giant; irrespective of how he currently looks, self perception matters, if you think you are a giant. Giants are not born, they are made, just as women are not born, they are made, only girls are born, women are made, boys are born, but men are made, the same way giants are made. There is a process involved therefore in the making of giants; 1.Discipline: it is simply, the ability to control self, every process that requires the making of a giant is a rough road and anyone that would be made a giant would require some degree of self control to survive the journey. 2.Diligence: this has to work hand in hand with discipline. 34 3.Commitment: this is just an expression of dedication to the process. 4.Inquisitiveness: it is the ability to question things and improve on them. 5.Courage: this is the hallmark of a giant. You may have all the rest, but if you do not have courage, you cannot become a giant. What really makes a giant is his/her courage; _ Esteemed Eagle Mr. Oluwatobi Stephen The ability to dream the impossible, step into the unknown, do the impossible, make happen what has not existed before! Create things out of nothing, and to importantly change the world. Everybody dreams but not every dream becomes a reality because of their will and courage turn dreams into reality My conclusion, if you do not get any other thing; understand that courage is what makes a giant. You may not have any of the others, but if you have courage you can make things happen. What Must I Do To Be Saved? The natural man does not know that he is poor. The God of this world has blinded his eyes (2Corinthians4:3-4). How can you convince a lunatic that he is wearing rags? It will take a miracle. Likewise, it will take a miracle for the unsaved to finally see that they have been seeking satisfaction in the wrong places. In five points, I will be sharing from the bible on the subject “What must I do to be saved?” We mustn't be presumptuous about our understanding of the subject. Especially since the Lord Jesus has assured us that on the last day, some persons who were convinced that they knew Him and that they were saved will be disappointed. He tells us that Himself (see Matthew 7:21). What touches me the most is that these rejected people will be so convinced that they will argue with the Lord Himself; trying to remind Him of a relationship He was never aware of. But His response will remain, “I never knew you”. As sincere as you may be about your belief on salvation, it will only count if it is consistent with the provision of God in Christ Jesus. To find saving faith, you must: 1.Believe you need to be saved; Jesus' ministry on earth began with the charge, “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven”. The kingdom of heaven belongs to persons who see the true state of their unsaved human spirit in its poverty and inadequacy. First, we need salvation desperatelysalvation from sin. Until sin is out of the way, we will never have the 35 privilege of an active relationship with God. Until we 'have' God, we have nothing at all. “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD…” Jer9:2324. Until it becomes such a big deal to a man that he doesn't know God, he cannot be saved. need to be saved, you must also know that the salvation you so dearly need can only be found in one- Jesus Christ. “…for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12. 3.It is not enough to believe in Jesus. You will often hear people say that all we need to be saved is to believe in our heart and confess with our mouth, the Lordship of Jesus. They haven't considered that even demons believe that Jesus is Lord. They even tremble at the knowledge! (See James 2:19). Not only do they believe in the Lordship of Jesus, they confess it! Several times, we read of them The trouble, however is, the natural man does not know that he is poor. The God of this world has b l i n d e d h i s e y e s (2Corinthians4:3-4). How can you convince a lunatic that he is wearing rags? It will take a miracle. Likewise, it will take a miracle for the unsaved to finally see that they have been speaking satisfaction in the wrong places. They have forsaken God, the fountain of living waters and hewed for themselves cisterns that neither hold water nor satisfy (Jer2:13). 2.Believe in Jesus Christ; It is not enough to know that you Pastor Emmanuel Iren Lead Pastor and Founder, Celebration Church International. confessing the sonship of Jesus as He expels them from the bodies of people they had inhibited and tormented. The bible also tells us that at the name of Jesus, every knee bows and confesses His Lordship, including things beneath the earth, namely, Satan and his cohorts. If salvation was automatic for people who believed and confess Jesus Christ, demons will be saved. But there is more to salvation than that. Who ever truly believes and confesses Jesus Christ must repent, receiving His Lordship of their life. This truth is too reoccurring in the book of Acts to be ignored. Right from the first time the gospel was publicly preached in Acts 2, and the people eagerly inquired what they must do to be saved, what did Peter say? Place your hands on your chest and say this prayer? No. He said, “Acts2:28 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Other scriptures to consider are Acts 3:19, Acts8:22 and Acts 17:30. When Paul got converted and began to preach the gospel, what did he preach? He says: “Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” Acts 26:20-21. No one who truly comes to the realization of his sin and the tremendous sacrifice Christ paid to redeem him from it will continue in his sins. A Christian might still make mistakes occasionally, but he must never be found 36 perpetually and voluntarily wallowing in sin. His sanctification might be gradual but it must be in existence. Not only must he drop sinful habits, he must pick up godly ones, which includes belonging to a company of believers. As no newly born baby will survive alone, no new Christian will survive alone. God does not intend that he does. 4.Be baptized: The Lord said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved…” Mark 16:16. Baptism is a simple but spiritual and physical demonstration of our death and resurrection with Christ. It has not being properly emphasized in our day. Notwithstanding, it is a scriptural ordinance. We see in the bible, that everyone who gave a believable profession of faith was permitted to be baptized (see Acts 2:41, Acts 8:21, Acts 10:44-46). In summary, what must you do to be saved? Believe you need to be saved, base your faith on the finished work of Christ, repent and follow Him and be baptized. Toluwalope Oresanya Attaining Spiritual Robustness .) know.. u o y e t a s s um (Don' We wake up every morning and there are things we 'must' do daily for comfort and in view of securing a good front-end personality, for example: taking a bath, combing your hair (that's if you are not on skin cut) and probably doing ironed clothes. These are daily "duties"- your interest in doing these things were not consulted- you grew up to learn, you 'must' get them done: else if you had parents like mine, you were going nowhere that day and for some others, no breakfast until you had taken your bath (hmm... You are smiling). Apparently, we even get into the bath tub or look into the mirror daily grumbling about how short the rest we had was, yet in your "absent minded state", you still had to take a 37 bath and wash your mouth- building a robust relationship with God or growing in intimacy with God 'is not' one of those things we would do in an "absent-minded" state. It requires a passion and desire to attain. There are principles (I prefer to call them principles) to be aware of and adhere to if you desire an intimate relationship with God! However, please establish that the Holy Spirit is a person and one of His pronounced nature is that He doesn't force things on people except with their yielded hearts (Psalm 51:12, 2Cor. will draw close to you'- James 4:8(TLB) Dear friend, it begins with you! I would not be giving principles of spiritual growth- as it is safe to assume that at least 70% of believers know these (yet, very few actually do them). Principles such as a consistent study of the Word of God, a good prayer life, waiting on the Lord in a fast, keeping the right company etc can be most impactful! However, I would highlight a few tips that would help consolidate on these foundational principles you already know. These are pivotal to attaining spiritual robustness. So sit back, expect God to teach you something new and provide that long awaited answer. I am sure you have friends and loved ones too? You possibly meet 3:17). someone today and begin reeling out so much fact about your life: There has to be a corresponding desire your interests, passions and deepest from your end. The Scriptures says: aspirations etc all in a day! 'and when you draw close to God, God Absolutely NO! In the same vein, our relationship with God is a progressive one. We grow in intimacy with God (2 Cor. 3:18). As we pray, study, meditate, we receive insight (step after step) from God and we make progress. It's not a one day affair! "He tells us everything over and over again, a line at a time and in such simple words" -Isa. 28:10(TLB). Nurture your relationship with God, feed it, cherish it, guard it and give it adequate attention. It's like tending a garden- you do it meticulously (with such a sense of duty that is borne out of interest). It's progressive; start today, choose to remain committed and watch your growth. Keep a journal where you document outstanding encounters and experiences in your life. I read biographies a lot and I have come to identify this trend among individuals who have built mind-blowing depths of intimacy with God over time! They document, I advocate that you too should. Personally, I have kept journals for a little over 5 years now and each time I go through them, I have the opportunity to smile at how faithful God has remained to His part of the relationship. In there, I share visions, supernatural experiences with God, my deepest heart desires and lessons I have received while praying, worshipping or studying, you too should. Next, I would admonish that you to pray and desire encounters with God. David the Psalmist said: 'Open my eyes to see wonderful things in your Word'. That prayer was borne out of a burning desire, but it had to be expressed through his lips (and your lips too), do you remember God doesn't force things on us? You need encounters as road maps to look up to! It reignites your passion and zeal to draw closer to God. By the mercies of God, I keep having encounters very frequently while praying, meditating or most of the times while studying- encounters 38 would infuse in you fresh drive for more and more! You also need to build a spiritual programjust the same way we have financial expectations, build business goals, set KPIs, weight loss schedules (and for some of us, weight gain schedules), you need to keep spiritual goals ahead of you. It gives you something to look forward to. After a long conversation with a dear friend of mine, she decided on reading through the Bible in six months! (And yes she did) You can't just imagine the joy that came with that when she accomplished it. Fulfilling spiritual goals bring such untold joy and releases Grace to accomplish even greater tasks. As much as possible, I must add that you make these goals short term oriented- say 3 weeks, 3 months for a start (not more than 6months). A short term goal eliminates the temptations of procrastinating, and keeps you diligent enough to get things done in record time considering it's a short term adventure. ·I would like to emphasize this too; you need to build Spiritual connections. Locate friends who share this same passions; believe me, there is nothing as discouraging as having people around you who don't believe in what you are so passionate about (yes! I heard you say- hmmm) yes, it is! Build relationships that spur your desire for intimacy with God. Have people around you who you can conveniently share God's Word, as well as your experiences with, from time to time. This particularly remains something I will forever remain grateful for; I have great friends who are passionate about attaining intimacy with God, that for me is a big plus. You need a Spiritual mentor too, and more importantly, a Spiritual coach. We have financial coaches, Academic Instructors and Professional coaches to whom we have submitted to, in helping our development in those areas- but hardly do we place much emphasis on having a spiritual Coach. You need one. I have one; He's one of the busiest persons you will ever come close enough to observe. However, I had put it to him previously about my desire to have him coach me. 'I report myself' from time to time- thrice a month, sometimes more. Your Pastor can coach you, only if he would have the opportunity to give you some attention in providing you with timely counsel from time to time, as you may need. It's necessary to have someone you have submitted this aspect of your life to. True guidance and timely counsel would help you gain speed and avoid making grave mistakes. Next, avoid missing Church services, I put it to you, that behind the voice of the Preacher, God does speak only if you would care to remain attentive in service (avoid checking your bbm updates while using your bible app)- Yes! I mean you! (How did I know? Oh, I sat right behind you last week) God does speak, again and again while the sermons are on- you should care to listen! Finally and most importantly, strive for consistency. The beauty of spirituality like I always tell my friends; is in consistencyIntimacy is fragile, it takes time and you should be ready to give that to it. When you truly love someone, you are hardly aware how fast time runs, especially when you are having such an engaging conversation (Yes! I can see that smile on your face). Well, Jesus demands and would appreciate your time, even much more than that person, whose thought just crossed your mind. Remember, the journey into intimacy and attaining spiritual robustness is p ro g r e s s i v e - a s y o u d o : document, build connections, set goals and remain consistent! Finally (I said that before, forgive me) you need Grace to get all of these done. The Holy Spirit recently gave me this definition to Grace: 'Man's privilege to leverage on God's ability birthing the humanly impossible'. I am fully persuaded that reading this has imparted that Grace! Just in case, E-mail contact: [email protected]. This Big God This for someone is a message of hope, for another strength but I trust God that He via this thoughts of and from Him would minister His Life and spirit to you in Jesus Name. …from the scriptures to a large extent the word “big” is an understatement to the size of our God. So all I'm going to work towards in this article is to give you an idea of the size of the God, we have as a Father, and are called to serve as Lord and Maker of all as Creator. First instance from Scriptures reveals that this God even commands even the raven to feed His servant and they respond. {1Kings 17:4…and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.} Our big God is the God who said He is the First and the Last, not just that He is from the beginning and He has seen the end, No! He is the First and the Last and He said “fear not. This means, it does not matter what might occur in between, am bigger than it all so “FEAR NOT!” {Rev_1:17 - and when I saw 39 Jesudemiladeoro Laughter, Student Chaplain, Class of ‘15 him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last :} No one ever spoke like this big God. He said also in scriptures I am the Amen. Wow- He is “the trustworthy, firm one!” {Rev_3:14 - And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; these things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God ;} This is the God whose talk is not cheap and they are highly most accurately consistent with these acts. He is one with His word! {John 1:1}. Scripture says that this big God's words NEVER return to Him void, until He has accomplished that which He has sent Him. {Isaiah 55:11} Our big God is the one whom it's recorded that his works are terrible, wondrous, fearful, awestruck - filling wonder... {Psa_145:6 - and men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.} Our big God is the only one that can say He gave us all things that have to do with life and godliness. {2Peter 1:3} BROTHERS AND SISTERS ONLY A BIG GOD CAN TALK LIKE THIS. NOT ONE OR TWO THINGS, ALL THINGS! GLORY TO GOD! Our big God told a man and a woman approaching a hundred years each that they would bear children and He made it so! Wow, Glory to this big God! Our big God speaks to rocks and they respond, speaks to trees and they intelligently listen and respond. He through a man, Moses caused a rock to BRING FORTH WATER, a fig tree He told to at a point in time to dry up! {Gen 18: 9- 11, 21: 3}{Matt 29:19 - 20} This Big God at His voice divides the flames of fire, strips the forest bare, shake the wilderness… {Psalms 29:7- 9} He is the one who lifted His first begotten Son – Jesus, and placed Him far above all principalities (ever y commencement or beginning in authority, the topmost and highest ranks) whoa! {Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet…} never leave you nor forsake you. Heb 13:5 – 6: Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.}! These are some of the credentials of this Big God and He is bigger than all. Bigger than all it looks like you might be going through and He said HE will So friends, I exhort you, be encouraged, and celebrate this Big God on whose side you are, trust Him as you go through life's process with Him and enjoy the triumphant life in Him. For they looked unto Him and were lightened and their faces were no longer ashamed. -Remain ever blessed! Why Did Jesus Come? By Bisi Williams Arthur shepherd had always been a critic of the Christians messiah - Jesus. It beat him as to why a 'so called' mighty God would come in the form of those he claims to have made (man). During the brunt of winter (in December) Arthur Sheperd had an unexpected experienceHe heard some noisy sound on his glass door, so he got up to see what was up, to his utter surprise, he saw a group of humming birds, clustered together; they were shivering and were desiring to enter his house for warmth. Arthur Sheperd was moved with such great sympathy for these cute birds- He stepped out of the house and charged straight for the barn. He opened the door to the barn and stocked it with a lot of hay to provide more warmth- He even brought in a mattress for the birds {just joking}. Excited that the birds would soon be warm and cozy, he went to the front of his house, only to discover that all the birds had gone into hiding. Oh! He had so much to get them to understand that he meant no harm – he spread maize on the path to the barn, hoping they'll walk right into the barn; he even got down on all fours, hoping the birds would perceive him to be a small friendly animal. He was so sad at the thought that despite the nice, warm place he'd built for them, the birds might still die out in the cold. Oh, he thought and thought of a way he could communicate with the birds. He so desperately thought out loud… “If only I could become a bird for a split second, I will be able to communicate with the birds and save them”. It was at this point that the man, Arthur Sheperd realized the reason why the Christian's God chose to come to earth in form of a man (JESUS); it wasn't a sign of 40 weakness, rather a desperate act of love. ROMANS 5:6-9 [MSG] “Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way.” Female student chaplain (class 2015) Understanding Your Position In Christ By Omoluyi Tolu Benjamin Student Council Chairman (class 2015). I pray that your eyes of understanding would be enlightened as you are taught the mysteries of the kingdom of God today on your dominion in Christ and the foundation of Christianity i.e. after you are saved what next? Have you ever asked yourself that question before, after salvation what next? I have good news for you, something is about to happen. Understanding who you are in the spirit is of utmost importance, you have to understand that you have been redeemed a king and a queen. You were created a spirit first before you were created as flesh. Genesis 2:7 [KJV]; “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breadth of life; and man became a living soul.” WOW! THIS IS BIG! You have been created before you were formed in the belly of your mother's womb, that is why God said in the book of Jeremiah 1:5 that; “Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before 41 thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Meaning I have been existing before I was born into this world, wow! You have to be spirit led, spirit filled to understand that kind of dominion; many go from physical to spiritual, while it is meant to be from spiritual to physical. Meaning you are not from the physical into the spiritual, you are from the spiritual (the spirit realm) into the physical world. You are to be envied and not to be pitied, you are to dominate and not to be dominated, you are first created a spirit, then made a body. Take charge in Jesus Name. Amen THE SYSTEM CALLED EDUCATION AND IT'S TRUE FOUNDATION Education as a system is something most people take for granted. It is assumed to be something an individual completely gets as soon as he or she graduates from college. What really is education? Do we ever stop getting educated? These really are sincere questions which when answered correctly would be a stepping stone to your journey towards true and productive education. A system consists of a group of independent but interrelated elements comprising a unified whole. Education is a system which consists of various elements with a major beneficiary in the whole process which is you and I, because age is not a limiting factor to how much one can get educated. Education is a long lasting system that sincerely has no expiry date; it is indeed continuous and it is also dependent on the person involved. True education is nothing if not persistent and determined training of the mind to think, act and reason like the mind of God. Education stems from the study of books, from lectures, from contacts, from travel, from thinking about what you see and hear and read, and from experience. 42 Education aims at empowerment question now is how? This is where which in turn leads to a build-up of education is required. By being any environment in which the system educated about what controls the is engaged rightly. I was privileged to systems that govern our read about a lady who studied environment, you would be placed Industrial Physics from a renowned at a stand point of making it university and went ahead being an conducive for human existence. entrepreneur; she was asked about Little wonder Job 32:8 talks why she decided to be an extensively about inspiration which entrepreneur and she said, “In brings about creativity. Information provides us with knowledge, our school I learnt how to solve absolute grasp of this knowledge problems and that is what I am doing”. Awesome story there, which takes us to the level of exactly is what true education, is understanding, and then wisdom is about. If what you tag as education putting to practice all that has been doesn't lead you to cause a change in harnessed. True education leads your environment, then check you to the point of taking actions yourself to find out what is wrong towards solving problems around because education causes changes. you. It is recorded in scriptures that Jesus Have you ever wondered why evil educated himself in various parts of still persist despite the fact that his life (Luke 2:40, 52) and it knowledge is at an increase? What showed in his conversation with the elites of that time, the bible records that they were astonished at the manner in which he gave answers to their questions. As he spoke, they observed something different about his speech that distinguished him. Adam was taken by God and put in the garden to work it and take care of it, therein is a concept that encapsulates what we tag “Education”. Man was created to be fruitful and multiply, Emmanuel Okorie he was created to subdue and maintain the environment to be conducive for human existence. The Mountain Of Education exactly is the problem? If education is positive then why the persistence of evil around us? We hear of wars, tribal conflicts, broken marriages, human trafficking etc. After various deliberations on this thought, I finally got an answer. The true question that must be answered is what is the foundation of the knowledge? Romans 1:21 says, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened”. If you read further to the end of that Admirable Set Oh GLORY SET… The hour is come actually, for our Glorious flight to be actualized, that hour that the son of man should be glorified in us. Jesus has said, now is the son of man glorified; God is glorified in him. And if God be glorified in him, God shall also GLORFY HIM IN HIMSELF. And shall straightway GLORIFY HIM, the glory of this latter house shall be Greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts. The Glory of the LORD is about to be revealed to our inner man like never before, and the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the seaHabakkuk2:14. Our prayer is that as we depart, we would start towing the part of God has orchestrated for us to thread. OH 43 chapter you would begin to see the consequences around us today. The source of knowledge matters a lot. In the Garden of Eden, the devil started up a revolt infecting the mind of Eve towards rendering the instructions of God of no effect thereby causing Eve to be disobedient. The intention of the prince of this world has always been to alter the foundation of knowledge thereby making it faulty. I read an article few years ago which stated the fact that archaeologists actually use the bible to discover artifacts and findings. Until we get back to the root of knowledge which is the OUR GOD MUST BE GLORIFIED IN US… This is our heartfelt desire and prayer, not just because we are graduating, but because it's one of God's prophecies over our lives as regards the Heaven on Earth accomplishments bringing God's Glory to the Earth… Mt 9:8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. Mr 2:12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion (our set 2015). Lu 5:26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. Lu 7:16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. Lu 13:13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. Lu 17:15 And one of them, when he saw bible and also get back to acknowledging the creator of the universe, the system called “Education” would continue to give rise to evil. “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed” Romans 8:19 The creation truly awaits us to come to our position and liberate them from disorder. We through our understanding of how the systems work and using what we've learnt to influence our environment is true education. that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, Lu 23:47 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, certainly this was a righteous man. Ac 4:21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done (in our set). Ac 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God (in us), saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. Ga 1:24 And they glorified God in me. {Some scriptures were paraphrased}, but listen the best is yet to come. Watch out! Some excerpts from Professor Aize I. Obayan's address to the graduating class 2015. What’s Your Message? Adeola Akeju, General Secretary, NACOSS, 2015, Platforms are built for expression but only good use of these platforms realizes the best performance and impact. The internet has been successful in making the world a global village and giving a voice to even the most obscure. Every day, it presents us with the opportunity to make a difference in our lives and in the lives of others. What you do with that opportunity is entirely up to you. A friend told me the story of a young man who decided to make something trend. He called a couple of his friends together and they unanimously agreed to achieve the goal. They set out to twitter and put in hours of constant tweets and retweets until it finally trended in Lagos. For me, a salient point from this story was the strength of their network. In order to make something trend, a strong network of people is required. As much as they tweeted and retweeted, they still needed so many others to do the same. They had a wide reach. However, I was disappointed 44 when I found out what they were trying to trend. It was #agbalumo. I was at as you shock. Many of us can relate to this story. Many of us have a wide reach and insane numbers of followers on twitter, facebook, instagram, snapchat and much more. Even if you don't have such a network at the moment, you surely know someone who knows someone who does. Passing information to lots of people at once has become a task as easy as ABC. The real question is “what exactly is your message?” It is easy to get carried away and waste the platforms that we have been blessed with. Imagine if those guys w a n t e d t o t r e n d #LoveYourNeighbourAsYourself and a man who had plans to dupe his colleague saw it and his conscience got pricked. Or you posting a testimony on snapchat and someone somewhere gets blessed and encouraged. You could even post a picture on instagram that depicts how life can break you but there's always someone there to pick you up and put you together. All these are positive messages we can share with the world. The social media is a powerful tool! It provides one of the best platforms for expression for the 21st century youth. What message are you passing across? Whose life are you affecting? How are you affecting that life? What difference are you making? Share something positive today and change your world for the better. The Mountain Of Economy By Temi Adesina ADVANCING THE ECONOMY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY What are we saying? Things are happening drastically with the speed of light through the instrumentality of technological facilities, in which internetworking is a part and parcel of. The internet is fast becoming the essential infrastructure of the 21st century. It is as revolutionary in its way to how people live, work, play and interact as previous revolutions in transportation, energy and telephony have been in theirs. For billions of people already and for billions more to come, life without digital interaction and the services it enables is all but unthinkable. -Advancing digital infrastructure. We are at a cross road between analogue and digital communication, recently in Nigeria the Nigerian communications commission's (NCC) put forward a policy to port stations using analogue transmission to digital transmission. This is in line with other International broadcasting stations who also use digital transmission as a form of communication they include ABC, 45 FOX Channel, CNN etc. But why is this so? The internet is revolutionizing the entire world, with a whole lot of information bank, what we have now is information overload. In 4 years, the tide turned for 50 million people, all around the world, impacting them with resourceful information. Covenant University is presenting to her students, a mobile tablet [Samsung] to enhance productivity a n d e f f i c i e n c y t o w a rd s t h e actualization of the vision one of ten in ten. She has seen ahead, and she is taking proactive measures and steps. The president and Chief Executive Officer of IBM, Virginia M. (Ginni) Rometty, has seen Africa as the China of tomorrow, where skills can be developed to capture the future. “There is nothing wrong in Africa that cannot be corrected by the right in Africa.” A statement made by John Okoro; a graduate of Covenant University. The digital infrastructure imperative; if we can keep the pace of the digital infrastructure, the potential of the economy can be realized. We strongly believe that the advent of technology would drive the growth of the economy in a superfluous manner. There is a great desire for change, and to effect any change it would require us to collectively participate in the digital ecosystem. Through this piece, we are encouraged and admonished to embrace the passion towards building a robust digital infrastructure for all systems, in banking, oil and gas, petroleum etc. By this, the race towards advancing the economy through technology would be actualized, without any iota of doubt in Jesus Name. Amen. Be the change, we desire to see! CU Anthem 1. We're a Covenant Generation Pursuing excellence God's own arrow Shot for glory. Covenant generation arise Light and knowledge to shine 2. Glorious foundation stone Leadership skills to show Redeemed to reign Learning to lead We are bound by an oath Obeying rules to rule Making kings of youth Flying high on covenant wings Wisdom calls for change Inspired by fire With courage Marching on in grace !!! Departing from knowledge To empowerment Legalism to realism Wisdom's call for change Inspired by fire With courage marching on in grace God's own arrow Shot for glory. THE ARMY OF THE LORD A friend was in front of me coming out of church one day, and the preacher was standing at the door as he always is to shake hands. He grabbed my friend by the hand and pulled him aside. The Pastor said to him, "You need to join the Army of the Lord!" My friend replied, "I'm already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor." Pastor questioned, "How come I don't see you except at Christmas and Easter?" He whispered back, "I'm in the secret service.” !!! 46 !!! EXCITING RIDDLES: 1. I climbed up into a sycomore tree to see Jesus? Who am I? 2. I offered the people a choice - Barabbas, or Jesus to be released? Who am I? 3. Jesus cast seven devils out if me Who am I? 4. Jesus is called the Lion of my tribe. What tribe am I? Answers would be at the last page, the Salvation page: NO OTHER NAME "For there is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.” God. Jesus! the only name that's given, Through which salvation we may claim; This, this alone, we breathe to Heaven, For God accepts no other name. No other name when skies are bright. And sunshine glows on field and flower; No other name when, dark as night, The heavy clouds tempestuous lower. No other name when, drooping low, O'er burdened by sin's heavy load, The contrite spirit pines to know The way to hope, to Heaven, to 47 No other name when, like a flood, Temptations beat upon the soul; Faith, breathing that one name to God, The raging billows shall control. In peace or conflict, toil or rest, In wealth or want, in praise or blame, Still wear it graven on thy breast, And, dying, plead no other name! - Mrs. J. C. Yule 1. Mr. Graham has preached the Gospel to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history- nearly 215 million people in more than 185 countries and territories. 2. Mr. Graham was born November 7, 1918, four days before the Armistice ended World War I. 3. This man has led hundreds of thousands of individuals to make decisions to live for Christ. 4. At age 15, Mr. Graham made a personal commitment to Christ through the ministry of Mordecai Ham, a traveling evangelist, who visited Charlotte for a series of revival meetings. 5. Mr. Graham during the advent of the World War II, he preached throughout the United States and in Europe, emerging as a rising evangelist. 6. Mr. Graham has written 32 books, many of which have become top sellers. 7. Mr. Graham is regularly listed by the Gallup organization as one of the “Ten Most Admired Men in the World.” 8. Mr. Graham lost his wife of nearly 64 years, Ruth Bell Graham, in June of 2007. Together they had three daughters, two sons, 19 grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren. 9. Mr. Graham resides in their home in the mountains of North Carolina, at age 97. Culled from his biography; http://billygraham.org/about/biographies/ billy-graham/ 48 9ine Astonishing Facts About BillY Graham THE WAY WE SEE US! WHAT COULD WE HAVE DONE WHAT DO WE DO NOW? Hope For Nigeria When anti-religious crises and notribalism gets a handshake, tolerance and acceptance hugs, then bigotry, insecurity and lack of commitment will no longer be our challenge in fighting against criminality and corruption, our problem is within us and if proper care is not taken it may soon get into a genetic-biological transferable. For us to sincerely solve our problem we must be able to find the root of the problem, and then look at the causes for a good solution to emerge, “What is the root of our “Nigeria” problem,” The believe is that we do not belong to one another.” Caused by colonization; Impregnated on 1st January 1914 amalgamation, and was given birth on 1st October 1960, I believe colonization is one of the best things that have happened to us as a nation, at least they gave us education, but we must question its purpose and mission not for bad criticism but to align the original purpose if what it or together change the course and follow the right path as a nation. Nigeria being made up of numerous ethnic groups with wide diversity in cultures and believes, a distinct demarcation in religion, very low tolerance and acceptance of one another, has resulted in the fear that we can't stick together as a nation. The 49 outcome of these have been tribalism, distrust and unfaithfulness, religious preferences and great desire for domination, violence and killing, which has now manifested in high corruption in all manners and different levels, insecurity and dangerous desire for tribalism and conspiracy against our great country Nigeria. I have heard of that saying “ONE NIGERIA” since I could speak and understand, history holds that those two words could be credited to Nnamdi Azikiwe, who was one of the great fighters for Nigeria Independence and Africa as a whole. Attah Tochukwu Francis. Believe in one Nigeria, be tolerant of other people, accept and love other people from different religion and tribe, say no to violence and killing If the founding fathers of our country (Nigeria) believed in one Nigeria, then it's either the walls of independence of our great country are laid on poor foundation or we were not ready for self-governance when we got our independence. Whichever way we can't change the past, but the truth is that our future is in our hands. The fact that is more concrete than the floor I'm standing on is that Nigeria is never going to disintegrate. Hence the earlier the better, our fathers believed that Nigeria was not going to stand as one, leading discrimination and series of crises even to the point of war. Now it's so obvious that they were both wrong and bad intentioned, so we are not continuing that believe, we are ONE NIGERIA and we are standing up for ourselves, there is strength in diversity. In our (Nigeria) history we never had political leaders who died poor even when many of them started poor, we never had leaders that advocated against religious violence and tribalism, and we never had true leaders that were ready to sacrifice just that enough to sustain peace and unity. Now we need the leaders that will right the wrong, where is our Abraham Lincoln? Where is our Mandela? Yes we had wasted potentials but yet we have greater potentials. If we fail to do something more reasonable today, we will have more reasons to regret tomorrow. What will you tell your children? What image will you have before the generations to come? Would you be their HERO? Then believe in one Nigeria, be tolerant of other people, accept and love other people from different religion and tribe, say no to violence and killing. Those are attitude of great Nigeria HEROES of 21st century. Take this HEROIC step! I don't know what you stand for, I don't know what you say; but I say ONE NIGERIA. #onelove “It was mother Teresa that said the reason why there is violence is because we've forgotten we belong to one another” The seed From a distance, we are all instruments... Every human relationship is meant to be a plus in the lives of the people involved in the relationship, but most of what is in existence in our world today end up being a source of pain and ‘brokenness’ not just for the parties involved in the relationship, but also for the product of that relationship. Today, the number of children and adults on the street seem to be on the increase compared to the number of the children living in a home. Many destinies have been put on edge for the things they know nothing about, because of relationships gone wrong. The evil in the society is on the increase because of neglected responsibilities, and the cycle will keep going on until it is broken. So many people enter into relationships for so many wrong reasons and whatever comes out of the relationship becomes a problem to them that needs to be discarded. Every child is a seed and they do not just fall from the sky but are products of relationships and every child needs a home not just a house belonging to a man and a woman that are living as strangers under same roof. There are so many children that have been forced into the streets, lacking the parental love, parental care, and whatever good that brings out the best in the child. No child was born to be bad, but when as a seed these precious gifts are not well nurtured, not well watered and not 50 well fed with the necessary manures of life, they end up choosing their own path that feels right to them and the end product most times is always disastrous. No child was born to become a robber, a prostitute, or anything that represents nothing good but every child grows up to represent what has been deposited inside of him or her. A mother that grew up on the streets will only give to a child what she has inside of her… if she bore the child in regrets, the chances of the child knowing what motherly love is, is a forgotten story. Most times, these children are left to grow up on the streets and the cycle goes on and on. Even in a home, when the parents do not make out time to be there for their children, they have the tendencies of doing things the wrong way, and once these things are missed at their very young age, it takes a miracle for them to get it right when they are grown. No matter how bad a relationship turns out to be, it is not best to leave the child to his/her own. The pain of the past, the anger of the past should not be transferred to the innocent mind because that is what they will live with until love happens to them. No child is indeed an unwanted child, may be they were not planned for but that does not make them not to be wanted and they do not deserve to be treated as such. If there are no plans of taking care of the precious gift, while go the length of bringing them into this world, why not leave them with their Maker…. Every child born into this world whether planned or unplanned for is a seed sown into the future and whatever comes out in the future of the child is as a result of what has been deposited into the innocent mind while growing up. Every child deserves and does better in a home where there is love… it brings out the best in them… if as a parent you do not have plans of becoming a single parent, why venture into a relationship in which you can see no future? If there is anything a child needs, it Ugochukwu Amara /Comp. Sci., class ‘15. is an unending love from a good home and a good parental upbringing to imbibe into the child standards to live by, it is true that there may be peer pressures but it still takes the help of good parents and guardians for a child to survive through peer pressures. Like the saying that says that 'a child is every man's child' makes us all instruments to the development and upbringing of every child out there. If we want to see less of what we see today in our world, all hands must be on deck. Do not because he/she is not your child neglect a destiny you have the opportunity of moulding. If you are tired of seeing lives being wasted, if you had the chance of growing up in a good home, if indeed you have love inside of you, if you understand the value of life, do not pass through this earth without making an investment into a life, be it your own child or that of another. We all are responsible for the outcome of every child out there… Peradventure you have been there; you know how it feels to go through so much pain growing up outside a home, it is something you would not wish for another. Together we can break that cycle. Together we can make life better for every child out there. Together we can mould lives into better destinies. Together we can become better parents and guardians. Together we can reduce the number of people on the streets. Together we can save the future and make our world a better place. Together we can reshape our world with love and inculcate love into our young minds. tree that will produce better seeds and good fruits and as well provide shelter for as many that must have been stranded on the roads of life…. Your child is a seed… My child is a seed… The child dumped somewhere by a broken mother, is a seed… That child on the street is a seed…. The seed in our hands must be nurtured to blossom into a beautiful HOW TO STAND OUT IN THE CROWD 1st Samuel 18:30 “Then the princes of the philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.” 51 1. Decide what standing out in the crowd means to you: is this about looking as different from everyone else around you as you can possibly be or is it about going the extra mile to prove that you are one of a kind in skills, talent, or personality? Standing out in the crowd might be about trying to live your best and be your best. Or, it might be about trying to have a unique style or look that you've created yourself without borrowing from other people's ideas. At its most basic, standing out in the crowd means embracing your individuality and trusting that your own choices are good ones. The person you're projecting out to everyone will stand out more successfully if you're fully confident about yourself. 2. Think for yourself: standing in from the crowd won't happen if you're thinking with the crowd. While there will be times when the crowd-think does align with your own thoughts, what about all those times it hasn't? Be prepared to voice your differences, your concerns, and your preferences. When talking, it is important to come across as selfassured and knowledgeable, so be sure to have done your research and know your facts beforehand. 3. Don't be swayed from the crowd: The pace of the crowd can be relentless and the ease with which the crowd can change its mind, its clothes, or its latest fad is breathtaking. Barely anyone in the crowd stops a moment to wonder if this shared momentum is responsible in a big picture way or whether it's conscious of individual needs. If you want to stand in from the crowd, you're going to need to stop and ask the hard questions, such as “Is there a point to this?” or “Just because everyone else has X gadget, why do I also need one? Will it enhance my life?” Learn how to respond to insistent people who tell you that you're missing out on something if you don't join in. Sometimes their agenda is to ensure that you're as indebted, engrossed, or mystically enthralled by something as they are rather than it being of any real benefit to you personally. 4. Take chances or risks and work hard: Risks and chances are the things in life that can catapult you forward if they work out. Many people won't take up the challenge because they're afraid of failure. Yet, without failure nothing new can be gained and it is only those who are willing to take risks and to work hard at their dreams who eventually break through and succeed. Have a wellplaced sense of faith in your mission, and a willingness to take risks if you want to stand out in from the crowd. 5. Do things differently: Find new ways to get people's attention and to stay noticed. Many people have found out how to create jobs and/or high profiles for themselves by using the internet in amazing ways, such as blogs, gimmicks, videos and more. For example, Kyle Clarke created an online campaign called “Hire Me” in which he encouraged employers to bid for him and he ended up with more job offers than he knew what to do with in a time of recession. And Alex Tew invented the Million Dollar Homepage to raise money for is university education, a 52 website in which he sold one million pixels, grossing him over one million dollars and spawning many copycats. And of course there are sites like Facebook and Twitter, demonstrating the power of being the first to do things differently and to stand out in the crowd. These kinds of unique initiatives are bound to make you stand out in the crowd; you'll just need to be the first to do something differently. 6. Have good manners: Politeness opens doors and keeps them open. Manners might seem old-fashioned to some these days but they are the currency of respect and when a person feels respected, they remember the well-mannered person forever. People are very fond of telling one another about the rare acquaintance of theirs who has “impeccable manners”, make sure that person is you. Say thank you for all the little things people do, as well as the big things. Send thank you cards to people who have helped you with a deadline, held open a door for you when your hands were full, or took you out for a lively evening. In business this is also very important when people you've networked with help you on your way. Shake people's hands with strength and passion. Show them from the outset that you're someone with heart and conviction. Smile. There are never enough smiles to go around; be someone who provides at least five smiles for every one frown you spot. 7. Do what you say you'll do: When you make someone a promise, do your very best to keep it. People who stand out in the crowd are people who keep their word and follow up their promises to help, to be somewhere, to do something for someone. The reason you'll stand out is because so many people do not do what they say they will. Reliability makes you memorable and causes you to stand well above all the forgotten promise-breakers. 8. Show initiative: Standing out in the crowd often means that you take action while everyone else stands back, wondering what to do next. If you learn to sum up situations quickly and to respond according to what needs to be done, you place yourself in a position of being different from the silent majority waiting to be shown what should happen next. Innovative at work, at home, in your volunteer group. Be the first to point out what's working and what is not, and how to make the most of what's great and improve on what's not. Leadership requires tenacity and certainty of purpose and will ensure that you stand out in the crowd. If you see someone in trouble, don't assume they're getting help. Stop and ask if they need help to change the tire, or to pick up their dropped papers. Call the police if you see someone in terrible trouble and it's dangerous to intervene; don't assume someone else has already done so! crowd will also stand tall, no matter your height. Slouching is a defensive strategy that does nothing to draw attention to you in a crowd, not to mention its harm for your overall body alignment. If you're having difficulties standing tall, talk to a physiotherapist who might be able to help you improve your posture through exercise and stretching. Usually though, it's enough to remind yourself to stand up straight, to keep your chin up, and to make eye contact with others. 9. Dress stylishly and wear what suits you: Clothing speaks in its own way, and a well-tailored outfit that fits you perfectly is bound to have people notice you. Get yourself fitted in good clothes and only buy a few of the best rather than a lot of the cheapest. Durable, perfectly-fitting clothes will free you from having to worry about your appearance because you just know you look good, whatever physical attributes you were born with. Ensure good grooming too. Keep your hair in fantastic shape and keep your skin and nails clean and well cared for. If you're going to dress “way out”, make sure the choices are good quality, well made, interesting, and that you're comfortable carrying off something that is very different from the norm around you. 11. Be attentive: The greatest honor you can do another person is to show you've really heard them, and to show that what they've said matters. Since most people are too busy wondering what to say next, and how to explain their own thoughts, feelings, and ideas, a listener will stand out from the rest. Be willing to give people the space to talk themselves and show that you clearly respect their thoughts. Not only will this flatter them and reassure them that they matter, but they'll realize very quickly that you're someone to treasure and they will follow your lead. 10. Check your posture: The person who stands out from the Put away the cell phone in restaurants, at meetings, and during conversations. Nigeria Having a romantic get together? Turn the cell phone right off. Having a chat with friends? Leave the cell phone in your bag, even when it rings. Stop your eyes from wandering around the crowd when you're with someone. Focus fully on them and be truly interested in them; this will show them that they're the one standing out from the crowd in your eyes. In turn, they'll see you as the most amazing person around. 12. Remind people how great they are: Regularly single out people in your life, from the workplace to home, to remind them how great they are. So few of us take the time to acknowledge the people in our lives whom we take for granted that when someone does validate us in this way, it comes as a totally sweet surprise and is so out of the ordinary that it gets remembered. It's also a very genuine way of establishing rapport with people, and maintaining goodwill. Excepts from wikihow Prayers For The Nation (you Can Put Your Own Nation In Place Of Nigeria): Precious Father, We Admire Your Hand Of Glory Upon Our Nation Nigeria; We Would Lift Up Our Voice To Give You All The Glory. Psalm 57:5, 11 Lord We Thank You For The Work Of The Holyspirit Upon The People Of Nigeria, We Are Glad That You Are Glorifying Yourself In The Midst Of Your People In Jesus Name. Amen. Joel 2:27-28. Father We Thank You For The Government Of Nigeria, We Give You All The Glory And Adoration For Your Hand Upon Our Leaders, Causing Them To Do Only Your Will. Lamentation3:22-23. Father, We Are Glad For Your Mercies Endures For Ever, For It Is A Good Thing To Give Thanks Unto You. Father, Thank You For Your Mercies Upon Our Nation. Psalms118:1-2 Prayers For The Institutions: Father, We Thank You For The Impact Of Your Glory Upon Covenant University, To You Alone Be All The Glory. Haggai 2:9 Father, We Thank You For The Concrete Measures And Plans Towards The Actualization Of The Vision One Of Ten In Ten. To You Alone Be All The Glory Jesus. 2nd Chronicle 27:6 Father, In Jesus Name, We Decree The Manisfestation Of Your Wisdom Upon Covenant University In Jesus Name. We Decree A Strange Order Of Grace And Truth In Our Community. Job 22:28 Father, We Thank You For Harvard University, Oxford University, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge And Caltech, We Thank You For Your Outstretched Arm Upon Their Management, Staff And Students In Jesus Name. Job 42:10 53 Declarations PERSONAL DECLARATION: God Is Making My Life A Role Model Unto Others. In My Life, I Shall See The Glory Of The Lord. I Shall Not Fail, Because Jesus Never Fails. God Shall Fight For Me, And I Shall Win All Battles Without A Fight. I Am The Light Of The World, And The Salt Of The Earth. My Life Is Bringing Glory To God. My Life Is A Blessing Unto Trillions Of Lives All Around The World. God Is Blessing Me Super Abundantly To Be A Blessing Unto All Generations. COVENANT UNIVERSITY: Vision One Of Ten In Ten Is A Reality In Jesus Name. Every Student Of Covenant University Is Walking In God's Wisdom. Every Student Is Commanding Excellence In Their Academic Result In Jesus Name. Every Staff And Management Is Commanding Exploits In Their Works. Covenant University Is Ten Times Ahead Of Every Other University In The World, In Worth, Weight And Value. Covenant University Is In A Class Of Its Own, The God Class. The God Of Covenant University Is Taking Covenant University To The Fore Front Of Impact. Covenant University Is Bringing Solutions To The Life Challenges Facing The Nations Of The World. Jesus Is Lord! Answers to the riddles 1.Zacchaeus Luke 19:1-10 2.Pilate Matthew 27:17 3.Mary Magdalene Mark 16:9 4.Judah Revelation 5:5 CONFESSING THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST You have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior: NOW IS THE ACCEPTABLE TIME, BELOVED, YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO REFUSE THIS CALL TO SALVATION. DECLARE WITH ME: LORD JESUS, I COME TO YOU TODAY, FORGIVE ME MY SINS, WASH ME WITH YOUR PRECIOUS BLOOD, I BELIEVE THAT YOU DIED FOR MY SINS AND THAT YOU ROSE ON THE 3RD DAY FOR MY JUSTIFICATION, THANK YOU JESUS, I REPENT OF MY WAYS, DWELL IN MY HEART AS FROM TODAY. THANK YOU JESUS FOR SAVING ME. NOW I AM SAVED. THANK YOU LORD, IN JESUS' NAME I HAVE PRAYED. AMEN. 54 Current Account Savings Account Call Account Fixed Deposit Micro Credits Overdraft Account Local Purchase Order Project Financing Term Loans Equipment Leasing Joint Venture Financing Church Group/Industrial Credit Co-operative/Association Credit Covenant Gold Account Covenant Silver Account Shilo Saving Scheme Electronic 24/7 Banking Mobile Telephone Banking …transforming ordinary individuals into creators of wealth CMIS CLASS OF 2015 The Admirable Set Sun Mon January Tue Wed 4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 Sun Mon Tue 5 12 19 26 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 Sun Mon Tue 5 12 19 26 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 Sun Mon 4 11 18 25 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 April Wed 1 8 15 22 29 July Wed 1 8 15 22 29 Thu Fri 1 8 15 22 29 2 9 16 23 30 Thu Fri 2 9 16 23 30 3 10 17 24 Thu Fri 2 9 16 23 30 3 10 17 24 32 5 12 19 26 Wed 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 3 10 17 24 31 Sat 4 11 18 25 Sat October Tue Sat Thu Fri 1 8 15 22 29 2 9 16 23 30 4 11 18 25 Sat 3 10 17 24 31 February Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon 1 8 15 22 2 9 16 23 3 10 17 24 4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 1 8 15 22 29 2 9 16 23 30 Sun Mon Tue Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon 31 34 11 10 18 17 25 24 4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 7 14 21 28 1 8 15 22 29 2 9 16 23 30 7 14 21 28 1 8 15 22 29 Sun Mon Tue 30 24 911 18 16 25 23 31 3 10 17 24 4 11 18 25 Sun 1 8 15 22 29 May Wed 6 13 20 27 August Wed 5 12 19 26 Thu Fri Sat Sun 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 1 8 15 22 29 6 13 20 27 November Mon Tue Wed Thu 2 9 16 23 30 3 10 17 24 4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 Fri Sat 6 7 13 14 20 21 27 28 Sun 6 13 20 27 March Tue Wed Thu 3 10 17 24 31 4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 June Tue Wed Thu 2 9 16 23 30 3 10 17 24 4 11 18 25 Fri Sat 6 7 13 14 20 21 27 28 Fri Sat 5 6 12 13 19 20 26 27 September Mon Tue Wed Thu 7 14 21 28 1 8 15 22 29 2 9 16 23 30 3 10 17 24 Fri Sat 4 5 11 12 18 19 25 26 Decmeber Mon Tue Wed Thu 7 14 21 28 1 8 15 22 29 2 9 16 23 30 3 10 17 24 31 Fri Sat 4 5 11 12 18 19 25 26 You could reach us for prayers, counselling and enquiries Ifeoluwa Odekunle Email: [email protected], Gmail: [email protected], web: www.ifeoluwaodekunle.com Dr. (Mrs.) Oladipupo O.O [email protected], phone: 08033319370, Bright Nwachukwu/Daniel Adike [email protected], 08060934939: [email protected] Jesus Is Lord! 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