Remembering the Nigerian Fallen Heroes this day...

I looked at the man. It was 31st December, 2015. I wondered why he was not home with his family. I wondered if he had emotions and could express them. He looked strong like steel and stood firmly as a rock, ready to protect and defend- not fearing death itself if it met him right on that spot. He was an 'army man'.

The Mission Statement of the Nigerian Army; 'To win all Land Battles in defence of the Territorial integrity of Nigeria, protect Her National Interests and accomplish other Tasks in aid of Civil authority'.

People (fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters) lose their lives to make the above happen.

This is to honour them all, both living and dead.

You guys make Nigeria, Nigeria.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

#IStandWithBuhari

Outliers...machines in human form

First, Happy New Year.

Each time a new year comes, I am reminded that one of the 'simple joys' of life is having new beginnings. If you ask me to define 'new', I'll define it as 'never existing before'- this consequently means life itself presents us with fresh opportunities to do things we have never done before.

May God help us to do new things, go new places and do new stuff this year

*******

Second, He won it for the 5th time! Like, H.e w.o.n i.t f.o.r t.h.e f.i.f.t.h t.i.m.e!!!

I was about to trip for him when I remembered my new year resolution not to trip in vain.

Funnily, I don't agree with the text on the picture above. Messi is human...very human sef. He was asked in a Guardian story how he was able to get so good. He said:
     
 'First of all you've got to love the game'. How much? 'Well, from the age of three I played every day: every morning, afternoon and night. Inside the house, too...I'd break things. My mum would go mad...'

Dassit!!! Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice and more Practice. However, I am quickly reminded that you cannot take God out of any success story. Things don't randomly happen, there's a planner behind the scenes- GOD.

I congratulate him on this unbelievable feat and I think he got a beautiful wife to match the Ballon d'Or *TeethySmile*

Cheers to the New Year.

Similoluwa

THE MAN OF MY DREAMS by Adegoke Olawunmi

So my friend, Olawunmi, decided to dip her hands into her heart to bring out a poem. She came up with one of the most beautiful poems I have ever read. Please enjoy it and leave your comments below...

The man of my dreams                                                      

 Can't wait for dusk to fall                                          

To catch a glimpse of him                                                

 Though the night may seem short                                         

 It’s always a feel of heaven on earth                                                                                                                                                

The man of my dreams                                                

An admire to all                                             

Gorgeous and well crafted                                               

Heaven knows and well speak                                                        

 His name with time I will know and tell                         

Ifeanyichuckwu I call him for now                                           

 Ifeanyichuckwu                                                                                                        

His face I love to see                                                        

 I will squint my eyes to stare                                                                                        

 Even in darkest of night                                         

 Till we see and meet in face    

 Ifeanyichuckwu.                                                         

 Ever seated amongst the kings                                  

 A Geber for real I know                                            

 He shall cover my under garment                           

 For none other save him to see                                                                                   

His heart finds trust                                                                    

As he delights in me by day          

Ifeanyichuckwu                                                                                                         

Bends knees at rising                                           

And never bares his back on bed                                        

Without flipping through pages of    script                                                                                                                                 

 Little wonder he's an embodiment of wisdom    

Ifeanyichuckwu                                                       

 God's very beloved                                                                                               

Whose members are kept safe                               

Till that very day                                                                                       

 We both say I do before Him                                                                                          

 And all bare record to the command kept

Ifeanyichuckwu

I behold and see Him in him                                                         

 My heart is captured from within                                         

My senses intact I keep

The man of my dreams shall come to me in due time                                                                                

 Fair or dark he may be                                                         

 I will choose to care less                                                   

Then I will know and say                                                                                                      

 "Ifeanyichuckwu is sent from God himself”                    

Olawunmi can be contacted at wunmytte@yahoo.com

NIGERIA AT 70

I took time this morning to go over the course of events in the past 55 years.

Truth be told, if after everything we have been through in this country, we still stand and we still refer to Nigeria as Nigeria, then we have done well with holding faith in our possibilities. Truth is, with that FAITH blended with UNITY, we’ll have PEACE and PROGRESS as yields.

Timi Dakolo always does it for me with his song on Nigeria…

*********

I project to 15 years' time and I see a Country where EVERYTHING works

A civil society where everybody sees the success of the Federal Republic as a JOINT RESPONSIBILITY

A place where people operate with Natural Excellence and achieve outstanding results.

I see growth in Our Economy, I see the Economy diversified with multiple streams of income for the Country and multiple exploration of the many beautiful resources we have been endowed with

I see transparency and accountability in all leadership positions. I see Servant Leaders and people of Integrity rise to the occasion

I see with all brightness the ‘death’ of corruption

I see Civil Servants that are ready to give their best to ensure that the country is effectively and efficiently run…administrative processes that result in positive yields that can be evidently seen

I see the Educational system work with experts in different field produced.

I see Innovation per excellence. I see ideas and strategies being conceived and implemented

I see Statistics that are a true reflection of the state of things. I see Policies that WORK

I see ALL sectors work…from Health to Power to Security to Infrastructure to Aviation to EVERYTHING

I see a government which is OF the people indeed, by the people indeed and FOR the people indeed.

Arise O’Compatriots, Nigeria’s Call Obey!

God Bless Our Nigeria

Happy Independence!!!

Yes,Sex....So what?

                                                                 Originally published January 22, 2014

I stared at him in unbelief.” No, this cannot be true”, I said to myself. He continued talking “yes, that’s where grace comes in, after committing a sin; you ask God to  forgive you and you move on; Simi, do you think sexual sins are so grievous that God won't forgive? Each time I have sex with a lady, I ask for forgiveness and I move on with life”. I was shocked at the statement. This was a discussion with a ”Christian” friend who told me about how grace will always cover his sins.

Just when I left him, wondering the manner of men we have in this world, I met another “church” guy who asked me out and promised to give me the deepest kiss of my life the day I give him a yes, all the while I was talking to him, he was busy paying attention to my lips and it was obvious that he got attracted to what he could see only and not the woman in me. Shock was an understatement this time around; I was shaken to my foundations. I left that day promising myself never to even mistakenly mention the word “Yes” to him even in our subsequent casual conversations.

A friend, Favour Omoruyi posted something on Facebook. He said “if there is one thing the church has always done, it is to keep quiet on some sensitive and important issues... I feel the time of silence is long over”. We don’t really talk much about Sex in church; some people even feel that the word “Sex” should not be mentioned in the Church because the Church is a “holy ground” but wait… who created Sex? Who made it an act of worship to Him between a man and a woman within the sacred confines of marriage? Is it not God? So why do we act as though sex is so unholy and dirty?

Well, I've learned not to argue scriptures... it's a waste of time to do so, but I am of the opinion that grace is not a license to sin; grace is a teacher. The bible says the grace of God that brought salvation has appeared to all men,TEACHING us that having denied impiety and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, and justly, and piously in the present course of things. Grace does not tolerate sin, grace teaches us to live right. So, if I would answer the first guy, I would say God is not a fool; we cannot continue in sin and expect grace to abound.  God forgives truly… but God should not be taken as a fool. And to the second guy, I’ll doff my hat to the guy who looks beyond a lady’s curves, hip, lips and fingertips and looks into her heart and her soul to discover the woman she is. I’ll respect a guy who is not only attracted to the way I look, but to my potentials, my abilities, a guy who will sow seeds to see me grow, a guy who will look into my eyes when my dark long hair has turned gray and my smooth chocolate African skin has wrinkled and still see the beauty in me.

Enough of these panting after a woman’s body like it is oxygen, enough of these Sex craziness in our culture… we need men and women to rise, people that despite the decadence in our society will stick to God’s word and wait for sex till marriage. We need men that will make up their minds to stay faithful to God and their spouses despite the raging hormones and nude ladies all over the place and women that will stand firm in decency and never compromise their stand.

 May God help us all.

Nigeria's Educational System. See this...

I got to the school around 10:26am.  I saw pupils gathering stones outside. I muttered to myself, ‘What on earth are these big stones needed for?’ Some of these pupils looked really tired and miserable while the others looked hungry, I later got to know some had not taken breakfast and had come to school ‘emptily stomached’ that day. I asked myself, ‘What’s the methodology of teaching hungry pupils?’ I later learnt the teachers were last paid 6 months ago-‘Wait…how do they survive and cater for their own families?’ Well, the straw that broke the Carmel’s back was that their promotional examination questions were written on the blackboard for them to answer *DeepSigh*

Now, Nigeria is a great Country. In the Nigeria I was born into, people still laugh and smile. Businesses still boom, ideas still thrive and results still get achieved in My Nigeria. I don’t intend joining the millions that address our weaknesses without applauding our strengths.

However, the educational system, particularly Public Education needs to be paid serious attention to. Quality education for the Youth is a nation’s greatest assurance of a worthy future. I remember discussing with the headmistress of the school I went and asking her whose responsibility it is to take care of children- the government or the parent? She paused and stared into space like my question took her to the depth of her core beliefs. I’ll have to answer that myself.

I’m not ready to debate whose responsibility it is.

What I think;

Abraham Lincoln defined Democracy as government of the people, by the people for the people. If this has been mutually agreed to be true across all cultures, then the government has a principal role to play in making life easy for the people and in making education luxurious, interesting and affordable.  As much as parents should be responsible for their children (I mean… why bring children into this world without plans for their survival?), I still think that the government is responsible for the people. If education should be 25% of the National budget, then let it be. Incorporate plans, implement policies and yes…. Flush out corruption and its perpetrators.

I still see it. I see nations wondering how Nigeria gets things done. I see people trooping to Nigeria to see how our systems and institutions work. I see a land that flows with so much milk and honey. I see our children compete favourably and lead children from other great countries of the world. I see Nigeria being referred to as a developed country and our economy, one of the leading world economies.

It will happen in my lifetime.

Cheers to the weekend!
Mosimiloluwa.

THE WOMAN AND THE CULTURE

‘Ssshhhhhhhhhh……….keep quiet! Don’t you know women are better heard when silent?’ says Culture in lots of African countries.

I was on my way from the community market in Ile-Ife, Osun State on Tuesday. I entered a public bus and mid-way back home, we got to a bad part of the road where we were delayed because the car in front of us which was obviously driven by a woman had to navigate through the road. Suddenly, the driver bloated out- ‘Obinrin ni jare, ko perfect! (meaning she’s a woman, she’s not perfect!). Well, trust me; I had a 5 minute discussion with the man on the difference between GENDER and COMPETENCE.

Culture has been defined as the totality of the way of life of a group of people. Culture influences almost everything. This includes our values, our belief system, the way we see things, our language, our dressing etc etc. The truth is this, for so long, culture has taught us that women are not perfect like the bus driver thinks and that women can rarely pull great stunts; that women should be silenced, that women should stay away from family meetings and have no input into decision making. You see this in instances where the girl-child stays at home to learn how to ‘keep the kitchen’ while the male-child goes to school. You see this when a family elders meeting is called and you wonder if female elders don’t exist in the clan. You see this when a woman is blamed by her husband’s family for giving birth to female children only (For God’s sake, the man repeatedly donated the X-Chromosome- if you ever have to blame, which is totally uncalled for anyways, face him instead!)

What I think….

Things have to change. The culture that promotes female subjugation is a blindfold: It prevents us from seeing far and seeing well. Such culture limits and imprisons, we should break out of that.

I define Change as a journey that starts when the problem is defined and ends when the solution is provided. Change is when you see that woman who sits near you as human and you listen to her input. Change is when the women sit up at the family meetings and lend their voice. Change is when we choose to challenge conventional wisdom and give way for the woman.

Remember! Culture is made for the people, not people for the culture-Chimamanda Adichie.

Be that change, free that woman and see her fly.

Cheers to the weekend!

Mosimiloluwa.