Terrorists in our midst-strictly Naija.

I am beginning to question the rationale behind this incessant call for dialogue with terrorist.  How will any reasonable person think that you can reason with unreasonable people??? Have any of these negotiators gone through the timeline of the bombings and killings so far??? Has any of them totaled the number of lives that these unreasonable faceless cowards killed so far and the number of innocent families affected so far??? Do they think that this will be their reaction if they were directly affected that is if they lost a limb or a member of their family to the unjust violence???

These people have conscientiously and deliberately targeted human beings and you say they have a point and therefore the Federal Government should invite their leaders to the round table. Killers??? Round table?

MEND in driving home their point (employed tactics that still respected the sanctity of the Human life) kidnapped but released their victims. They blew up oil facilities that, yes set us back but it could still be repaired but these terrorist under a most unreasonable and insane idea are causing irreparable damage to families, taking lives that they can’t bring back, and yet some people including a former Inspector General of Police in Nigeria are asking us to wipe our tears, bear our pains, bury our dead and negotiate with them. Note carefully that unlike the media and others I have deliberately chosen not to deign the terrorist group with any form of dignity and recognition by calling them by the name that espouses their stupid ideology. I am into development work and we have a practice of not discarding any idea no matter how foolish, but I daresay that their idea of anti western education is the most foolish of all ideas that any one will concoct.

The guns and ammunition they use in fighting their unfounded cause dropped from heaven? If they have issues with western education what stops them from carving out their own colony and remove themselves from civilization??? Why don’t they go back to the era before western education came by their lifestyle and shun any trappings of westernization??? After all, we have nudist colonies in certain countries and they don’t go around burning those that choose to wear clothes. We have people using creative means to fight for or promote a cause, why must our desire to seek attention be violence based in Nigeria (I never supported MEND’s methods too but MEND and these faceless cowards are miles apart in the question of sanity. MEND is just the lesser of two evils to me.)???

 To the murderers and their supporters, is anybody forcing western education down your throats??? To those like Okiro that are calling for negotiations, what is the basis for negotiation??? What is the rationale??? Ok, let’s say we are now at the negotiating table so they say no more western education and the FG says ok, put down your arms we will abolish all schools, I am confused can any of you negotiators explain what this negotiation will look like??? As in, do you negotiate with criminals??? A couple of attention seeking cowards come together, start fomenting trouble, killing people and some people desire negotiation…. That is absurd and insane to say the least. Who do you want to negotiate with in the first place when nobody has chosen to come out in the open to say he is part of the cowards???

Let all media henceforth desist from giving them undue and undeserved attention.

Let all us from now henceforth adopt a practice and regime of strict vigilance. Let us not take anything for granted.

Let us work to heighten the level of our security consciousness. We must not take the law into our hands but instead let us report any suspicious looking person and package to nearest authorities.

These people are nothing else but cold blooded murderers that have no qualms whatsoever in taking human life and their cause is not just. I fail to see how they have been wronged and therefore see no basis for any form of negotiation with them. We have a constitution and we have laws. Aspects of these laws cover our response to such acts as a nation, therefore let us call a spade a spade and not a shovel and take necessary actions and sanctions against these cowards.

Take heed all of you who are calling for negotiation with criminals, please from henceforth if you have nothing good to say, keep quiet. You are inadvertently heating up the polity and encouraging all sorts by such statement. Some other unwise persons may rise up tomorrow to unleash mayhem on the innocent emboldened by your views. Nigeria does not need such now or ever please…

Finally, my advice to you faceless cowards is, stop the shedding of innocent blood, shun violence, remove your veil and come out from hiding. If you feel you have a just cause, come out and use creative means to push your cause. If you fail to heed my advice, there shall be no hiding place for you anywhere in the world. No hole will be big enough to contain you. You shall be fully exposed and the law will deal with you appropriately. Heed my words…

I am single……

In your dreams, me single? No way and let me bust it already, or should i??? Pardon my attempt at suspense and follow me through.

The issue is there is a saying that goes, Jack of all trades, master of none and many other sayings that espouse the principle of focus. I mean chasing two rats at once is crazy except you are chasing them through a narrow tube that is closed at the other end.

Every man has an inner craving to be relevant; it’s in all of us. A desire to be recognized, to be noticed you can add famous and so on. The issue now is what is the platform for recognition??? I have dreams, not just me. We hear stories of and witness people who are making impact in life and we want to be like them. Remember that success has many relatives, friends and well wishers. Everyone identifies with success and desires to be successful.

Now, having established the innate desire for relevance, it now boils down to what to do to attain this relevance. That will be the focus of today’s blog. Ooooooops! Thought I was going to talk about relationship, as in the single that mingles in a bid to double? Naaaaaaaa.

I am quickly discovering that all successful people are single, yes single. O.k., let me start Eddie Murphy, single, Jamie Foxx, single, Genevive Nnaji, single, Pastor Adeboye, single, John Maxwell, single, Ali Baba, single, Donald Trump, single, Tiger Woods, single, Usain Bolt, single, Didier Drogba, single, Chinua Achebe, single, the list is endless and all of them are SINGLE!!!!

By single, I mean, when your hear their names mentioned only one thing comes to your mind, what they do, for instance Tiger Woods is known for singing true or false? Jamie Foxx is an actor, true or false? Eddie Murphy is a musician, true or false? Especially Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy, most people I know will never believe that Eddie Murphy then used to be a singer too and I have seen Jamie Foxx’s song on Channel O and it doesn’t just click with me that he is a singer in the mold of say, 50 Cents. 50 Cents has appeared in a few movies but you still get to describe him as a rap artiste. Forget about all the possible diversifications, only one thing sticks to our minds about people and that is whatever it is that got them fame in the first place. It doesn’t matter how many areas one develops expertise, people will only remember you for one thing.

Here is the kernel of my gist so far, find that one thing and do it. The process may be short, long, difficult, easy, anyhow. But you can only make the impact you desire to make by discovering that single thing that will launch you out. Jesus didn’t make his fame as a carpenter, or healer, or teacher, or because He is the son of God, all this wouldn’t have mattered if He didn’t die and rise again. That was and is the only thing that matters because that is the single thing that had far reaching and most lasting effect on mankind. People will still feel the effect till tomorrow and for as long as the world remains and I am almost sure that we will sing about it when we get to Heaven.

As you look to manuals to get a hang of your newly purchased device, so you have to look to God to discover that which will bring you forth and which people will most remember you by. He is our maker and He has a purpose for creating every being. Fulfillment only comes with discovering that single but impactful purpose for your life and doing it. Pouring yourself into it whole heartedly because by doing so, you obey Him, you find joy and you add to others meaningfully.

The path to the singleness I am talking about today may not be easy for all, but the gains far exceed the pains. The road to self discovery is the only way I know that doesn’t always makes sense from the beginning and through the course of the journey but at the end; all things are clear and peace reigns. One thing that will make a lot of sense is to be guided all the way and God will gladly be your guide if you let Him.

Today, it’s I am single. Watch out for “I am scattered” next blog…..

Should I die, today…

How often do you think about death or dying? When you do, what do you think about? When I talk of thinking about death, I mean just plain pondering the thought that someday, you will die. Considering that dying is not restricted to old age, I mean now we have what we term ‘life expectancy’ and this varies from Nation to Nation. Are you prepared to die? Or sorry, are you prepared for death? Should one even think about it? Here I am mentioning it so much that I feel you may begin to think that this is a horror article. Relax, it is not.

I occasionally mull over this issue of death and here are my thoughts; what is going to happen to those that are close to me when I die? What are people going to say about me? How many people are going to miss me? Why will they miss me? How will I be remembered? For how long will memories of me last in the minds of people that know me? Note that I don’t bother myself about when death will come neither am I afraid of it; my only concern is what legacy will I leave behind? If the world continues for many years after I have left, will my life affect generations that will come after me? What am I doing now that will last till the world remains? Or most importantly, have I lived my life to please Him who sent me?

This and more such questions run through my mind from time to time. What about you? Are you afraid of death? Or you are one of those who desire to postpone dying or even attain immortality? The only way you can attain immortality is through Christ’s atoning death. Man must die and that is certain and those who won’t experience the physical death will be transformed – read 1^st Thessalonians 4: 17.

Our duration in this world is limited and therefore we must think about death and related issues i.e. Life. I have Life, hence my confident handling of this issue but my main focus in this piece is; how are we prepared for death knowing that we all are not going to die at once at least not yet but we are likely to leave people behind, e.g., spouse, children, parents, relatives, friends the list goes on – I hope I am not hearing that God forbid? – the reality that death can come knocking at any time T and occasion O where T and O are undefined should be frequently considered after all death is not a punishment especially for those who embrace Grace and I say like Paul the Apostle in Phi 1:21  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. e-Sword KJV.

One way to prepare for this eventuality called death is for all, especially African men to write their will. Failure to do so complicates matters for those left behind. You make it very difficult for your life’s work to be transferred to those who deserve it. Remember that we are yet to totally do away with some of our barbarous traditions and practices that disinherit our loved ones after our demise and the law permits the Government to allocate a percentage of such unwilled wealth to herself. Okay, forget that I used the word remember to start the last sentence, let me not assume that you already know therefore note now and commit the earlier sentence to memory. Our death should not cause heart ache for those that will be left behind. It shouldn’t be reason for any kind of conflict, strife or even war. As we are making plans for the future, let’s never forget that DEATH is a real and tangible part of that future because the last I remember, no one knows tomorrow and only God is privy to that. Those who know God stand a chance to know too because He sometimes chooses to share some things with us.

If you wish to do away with your fear of death, get to know God through Christ. He loves you more than you’ll ever know. And please, make sure you write your will soon, please. You don’t have to wait till you own the world. Poor people die too and their death causes untold hardship for the left behind as even the little they left behind does not get to their beneficiaries, very baaaaaaad.  My fellow African men please don’t let the superstitiousness of the African mindset hinder you from doing the right thing. Write your will today; better still make all future investments in the name of your spouse and children. This helps too.

Einstein, Shakespeare, Martin Luther Jnr., Plato, Homer, Michel Angelo, Mozart Ghandi and a lot more, I never had the opportunity to meet one on one but I will certainly feel them till tomorrow. What about you??? 

I believe I have briefly discussed one main issue with two points here and that is death is a constant this side of eternity so, live your life in such a way that people will have fond memories of you and be impacted by your legacy. Also, leave your loved ones in peace after you are gone by writing a will now before your time comes.

Ooops, lest I forget, seek to know God and a lot will be settled by that. A relationship with our Maker is gem, life, peace, joy, name it… in Him, we can live forever together in eternity. Oh, death where is thy sting… 1^st Corinthians 15:55.

who do i marry??? 2

It is June, the beginning of the end of the 1^st half of 2011 and I am sure a time of serious stock taking for many, myself inclusive.

I discovered that my write-up titled “who do I marry???” enjoys the highest viewage among my 19 blogs up to date. It alone has drawn over 60 people to my blog site and I am ticklishly happy. Ticklish for obvious reasons, marriage is still very much a hot topic and happy because it is drawing traffic to my blog site. Isn’t that just pat???

Disappointing though is the fact that the blog only had 2 comments, awwwwww PLEASE!!! Drop comments now. It helps to know if one needs to make any adjustments, you know now.

That be that, I seriously wonder why we quickly label some aspects of our being “Old School” and this is a common thing among the newer generation – to think that one day my children may refer to my ideas as old school. So tell me. What is new under the sun??? Or like the Yorubas will put it, “ki l’oju o ri ri?” that is what has the eyes not seen before?  Or the other powerful saying of the Yorubas that I love which goes “a ri iru eleyi ri, a fi n da eru ba oloro” which translates literarily that saying we have not seen this before is only to scare the affected person which means, there is nothing new under the sun. There is an English saying that aligns with all these and it goes, we cannot keep reinventing the wheel. We can make it last longer, look finer, stronger but to try to reinvent the wheel is obviously a stupid venture.

Why am I stressing this nothing new under the sun message??? I know how my mum met my dad and indeed how most of my friends parents, met each other. Things were not this complicated then. Recommendation and referrals was the in thing. People trusted the judgment of family and friends in the choice of a future spouse as in all that was needed was a good word from a friend and the relationship starts and blossoms. Maybe there was more room for trust then than now.

I must say that the fact that distractions abound now is why things are getting rather complicated. The advent of much advancement especially the media (entertainment) has colored the eyes of many. A lot more people are not founded on any particular principle so they get blown here and there by any and every fad. This equally affects the ability to make a decision on who to marry. When you don’t have a mind of your own, you will never be able to make any concrete decision. Check out the rate of divorce these days, compare it what it was like then discounting the increase in population.

In all this present confusion, you can find your spouse and enjoy a blissful married life. I can gladly say that I have enjoyed every bit of my marriage to my wife and mother of my children. I have God to thank for making very wonderful people abound for me – I can’t begin to mention names – and beautiful resources that help renew my mind and most especially the Bible, the word of God.

In this vast decaying world with all its confused and complicated complexity, the only source of sanity is the Word of God. It has answers to every of life’s questions as it leads you to Life. Making choices become easier when you are anchored to Christ the source of all things.

I hope someone is blessed by this and gets righted. You can only have it all when you have Christ. That marriage that career that dream, that desire can only be satisfying in God.