A Nation Under Siege Part 1

The recent events in my Country Nigeria since January 1 2012 has been nothing short of despair coupled with anger.

Perhaps we should back date it to 25th December 2011 the Christmas day gift to Nigerians with the bombing of a Catholic Church by Boko Haram (BH) with the attendant lose of lives including whole families.

BH has grown from a serpent that was crushed on the head but fatally wounded into an hydra headed monster that is blood thirsty and uncontrollable, hungry for revenge.

The spate of bombings carried out by this “faceless” group in the last 24 days has shown how powerful and ruthless the monster has grown.

Kano bombing of security formations across the state on friday with over 200 dead, Damaturu following on Saturday and Bauchi early Sunday morning with our security and intelligence agencies looking lost like a man marooned on an unknown island.

Perhaps most bitter and extremely disgusting is the reaction of the President in person of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. It took him over 7hrs to respond to the Xmas day bomb blast which occured during first mass, that is before he attended church where he danced and was all smiles and received state house delegation who came to visit him before he uttered a word about the bombing. What callousness!

If that was anything to go by, January 1st fuel subsidy was removed shooting up the pump price to N141 from N65! Of course, NLC/TUC called for a strike, and were supported by Civil Liberty Groups across the country. And it resulted into a 5 day all out strike action with peaceful mass rally in different parts of the country and the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota re-christened Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park became synonymous with the movement that is now known as Occupy Nigeria.

The Sinners of Mount Sinai

Came across this interesting article online and i find it very instructive and enlightening.

Happy Reading!

I was on AWOL (Away Without Official Leave) on this page in the last two weeks. My apologies. What caper was I up to? I had quietly slipped out of the country on a 12-day pilgrimage to holy sites in Israel. The trip took me to Jerusalem, Jericho, Galilee, Bethlehem, and then Egypt. Yes, the same Egypt, for that is home to Mount Sinai, the place where God handed out the Ten Commandments to Moses. Every Christian knows (or rather, should know) something about those ten laws, as they are quite fundamental to the faith.

A full account of the spiritual odyssey will come, but let me isolate what happened on the sixth day, as topic for discussion today.
On Tuesday last week, we had crossed the Taba land border from Israel to Egypt, after a rigorous and scrupulous security check. One knew the no love lost relationship between the two countries, and so it was not quite surprising. In Bible times, Egypt had held Israel in bondage for over 400 years, and in modern times, they’ve fought at least three bitter wars. So, naturally, there should be high level of distrust and suspicion between the two countries.

Jesus is weak….

Many of you will wonder why this absurd title…but its the current reality of our faith, what I have come to notice and observe over a while now.

Jesus is weak when we no more believe that the mere mention of his name brings the whole universe to its knees in worship but we add prefixes to make it sound more powerful ie, in the mighty name of….

Jesus is weak when we believe praying in the name of the Holy Spirit and Jesus gives us sure-fire that our prayers will be heard. Not only that, give roles and acts to the Holy Spirit and adjectives that was never mentioned in the scriptures nor used. ie, In the Mighty name of Jesus! Holy Ghost fire! Power of the Holy Ghost! Holy Spirit Fire! Thunder of the Holy Spirit!

Jesus is weak when we believe we have to wake up God very early in the morning with a loud megaphone and speakers and beg him to favor us today and waking up the whole neighbourhood in the process. Wonder why Jesus himself had to go quietly to a place and commune with his Father early in the morning.

Are You Qualified for 2012?!

God doesn’t call people who are qualified. He calls people who are willing, and then He qualifies them. Richard Parker

I believe strongly in my heart that 2012 will be a remarkable year for me. There are things in my mind that am seeing for 2012 that looks quite impossible. But you know what, I have decide to take a step of faith and do the necessary works to back up my faith to achieve the desired result in 2012.

Missed the Daystar Carol this year, first time in 5yrs since I started attending. And why, because I had to attend a meeting that borders on me taking control of my destiny…my finances, to be start the journey to be financially free come 2012. And it tells me, 2012 will be a year of decision, delicate, precise decisions on what should and should not.

A Conversation with my Boss…

Am in a bus on my way to a supposed lecture that was scheduled to hold today. Saying supposed because i learnt ASUU is on strike but seems some few lecturers still deliver lectures.

While that is still uncertain, am stuck in a traffic snare and right now contemplating dropping from the bus and taking the next bike home…Why, not only because of the traffic but i have been exceptionally tired today. Slept twice today in the office..i mean sleep deep because i was tired and worn out.

Right now, i am feeling so sleepy as if i took sleeping tablets… But you know, its all madness…craziness.

Why this Madness!

Atimes i wonder the what is the core essence of life.

You wake up, go out to work, make money, fall in love, out of love, get back home, sleep, and the circle goes on.

Several motivational speakers or put in another way, several folks have talked about getting the vision for your life and setting goals and all the sorts.

Why You Should Stay Hungry & Foolish, By Steve Jobs

Just came across this and its sending me thinking…. Thought to reproduce it here.

Stay hungry and foolish……

This is yet the most celebrated speech made by Steve Jobs. It was the 114th Commencement Address to graduating students of Stanford  University on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories!

The first story is about connecting the dots

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife.

Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.” My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

My Apologies, President Jonathan

Dear President Jonathan,

I’m ashamed of myself. I want to apologize for my heartless abuse of your meek and gentle self. Please accept my sincere apologies.

I did not mean any harm. If I had known that you were as fragile as an egg, I would have been massaging your tiny ego instead of throwing darts to strengthen your muscles.

Just like you, Mr. President, I want to move Nigeria forward. I want to do it in a gentleman’s way – without shedding any sweat. But I have seen that Nigeria is such a heavy load that anyone involved in that venture must be ready to perspire.

Despite the impression I must have given over the years as a professional critic, I am a thoughtful man. I know it must be hard being the president of a dysfunctional country like Nigeria. But I did not know it was this hard. And surely, you did not have the slightest idea how hard it would be when you allowed your name on the ballot.

At a non-denominational service to mark Nigeria ’s 51st Independence Day, you lashed out at me and other critics of yours. I truly deserve it. But your frustrations drew no sympathy in me.

As a member, in good standing, of the National Association of Armchair Critics (Home and Abroad), I want to respond to you.

A Tribute to a Woman of Valor

Early this morning, i got a call from my younger Brother, “Hello Bros, Mama Adamasingba has gone ooo!!!” For a moment i was shocked and told him on the phone, its not possible. Burt why is it not possible?

This is a woman, 90yrs+ who has been on her back for about 10yrs due to an illness that left her paralysed and partially blind. This was a woman, who before she was rendered incapacitated, would come visiting us at home and ready to stand for us and fight for justice and fairness for us.

Words on the Marble

“The alimentary canal of our state ministers does not digest gold”…Dr Tai Solarin.
With the recent spate of events happening in our country, one is left to wonder of our ministers or leaders particularly the presidency is interested in the welfare of their people.

It leaves a sour taste to the mouth when people elected(selected) to lead act inured to the happenings all around us. I am left to wonder the sanity if those who voted them in not to talk of questioning their own sanity that is, if they do have!!!

The spate of bombings in our nation has now reached a peak that i am wondering and asking myself, are we at war?

And of a truth we are at war! War against the forces of mediocrity that has taken over our nation, war against politicians that care only for their belly, war against figurehead presidency who does not know his right from his left. war against poverty, war against environmental nuisance, war against corruption and the list goes on and on…

All these have eaten deep into our fabric as a nation that we have lost all sense of decency and decorum to discern what matters most and what does not.

To us, everything goes inasmuch as it does not hinder bread from coming to our table, not disturb our sleep at night.

We can’t keep like this for long, its high time the docile giant in us gets up and becomes bold and courageous. High time we stop acting like idiots who allow themselves to be governed by an idiot worse off than them (Jonas).

The waters of the ocean never moves, until the tide moves with the wind…….