THE BIGGER THE DREAM (PHASE 2)

Sometime around last week, we started talking about BIG DREAMS; the how's and the why's.
Today, we will continue in that light, but we will take it a step further and a little deeper.

For you to be successful in life, you must first think success! You must see SUCCESS in your life as POSSIBLE. God told Abraham in Genesis 13:14 "As far as your eyes can see, I will give it to you..." It was now Abraham's responsibility to 'see' and imagine great things; away from the lack in his family, away from limitations in his life, away from the evil people were whispering around him about him, away from the shame in his life....! In other words, God was asking Abraham: "How much can you handle?" Whatever he finalized, God gave him. This same God doesn't show partiality, what He did to Abraham is what He wants to do to all His creation'

Dear friend, you will never get more than you can see. The size of your diving package is provoked by the size of your seeing. How much you see is what determines how much you will seize.

Dreams are developed by imaginations. By the way, your imagination is elastic. How far you can stretch is what determines how much you will get from life (Genesis 11:6). Imagination is the tool for dream formation. Your imagination is what prepares your destination. Every man who is a success or failure is actually a product of his imagination.

To be a success in life, it is not just enough to be a 'hard worker', you must also be a 'success thinker'. The bible says it clear: "By strength shall no man prevail..." but "Be get your transformation by renewing [and making use] of your mind..." Success is always inside-out and not outside-in. We have so many hard-workers who have nothing to show for it. It takes wisdom to triumph in this world of ours. It takes a 'good head'. You must use your head, you must let your mind work!

God will only reward you in proportion to what you can handle. The bible says about Him: "He will never put more on you than you can bear..." This works both for good and evil! So, you must stretch your imagination so can get as much as you should from Him. God cannot be limited by the weight of your desires. So, why pity for Him? Think the impossible, think the unusual. Set yourself up for it. That you could think it actually means it is possible.

We will talk about the next phase in my next post.

Have a super-productive day!

ROGUES IN PRIESTLY GARMENTS!

Yesterday, I was at my clothier’s office to fix some things for 2009. Upon entering, I met some kind of discuss on religion. Once the guys noticed my presence, the discuss got heated, I guess this was because some of the folks in my clothier's office had come to appreciate my stand on issues of religion, and by inference, my faith. Guess what? The whole debate was on modern-day ‘Pastors’ and their 'antics!'

Several issues were raised. Heard from the folks how a certain ‘pastor’ was arrested and he allegedly confessed to being the leader of a gang of notorious armed robbers. Another was said to be the backbone of a cartel specialized in car snatching!

The folks also talked about certain ‘pastors’ who they say practically extort money from their congregation.

As I made to sit, one of the folks turned towards me and said: “Imagine! When a pastor knows that the monthly income of his follower is not more than One Hundred Thousand Naira, he still doesn’t raise any eye-brow when such a person brings a ‘seed’ of Five Million naira to him...”

They went on and on. As I made to leave, one of the men, who obviously had come from a nearby shop, made a remark that struck me: “If not that some of us have personal revelation and relationship of and with God, we would have long doubted if God truly exists, taking into cognizance all the fraud perpetuated by these self-styled ‘clergy men’...”

Folks, nothing these guys said was new to me. My only embarrassment was that they also know what was happening within the 'house'.

I am a 'church boy' and also a proud worker in the body of Christ. Thus, if I am really truthful, I should own up to knowing what’s happening within the ‘house’ and shouldn’t be plastic about it.

I have always spoken about certain current practices in the body of Christ and how it was negatively affecting society and several innocent believers of Christ alike. Like I told a friend, it seems to me that those who have failed in various vocations and professions have finally resorted to being ‘pastors’. God’s work is now handled with the approach of a ‘vocation’.

The general notion is that the days are long gone when ‘God’ called people into ministry. Now, you can call yourself into. It is now a game, and the man with the best tongue and manipulation is mostly likely to get into prominence. It is now sheer fraud and deception!

Today’s ‘pastors’ don’t and can’t speak the truth anymore. It is no longer God’s word; it is now our ‘word’. We no longer have ‘Men of God’ but ‘Men of the People’. Why will they even speak the truth when they have no moral standing to do so! It is now all about the money and the fame, as against being examples and a standard for others to live by.
For this present generation of ‘pastors’, God can stay in Heaven for all they care and whatever will be on judgement day, let it be! Instead of being worried about the effect of failing in ministry, they are worried about the effects of failing in life!

We know of a lot of churches happily patronized by fraudsters, not because they are sure of being transformed or gaining salvation, but the ‘pastor’ of this local assembly has a reputation of ‘blessing’ the “works of their hands”. There are certain churches fraudsters won’t attend. This is because they know the pastor will always hit them below the belt. But, these new wave self-styled ‘pastors’ don’t see anything wrong in their choice of vocation. A ‘pastor’ was quoted to have told his congregation: “I have seen and tasted poverty, I know what it means to be miserably poor... DO EVERYTHING you can to make money, provided you don’t kill anybody...”
Hear a ‘pastor’s’ counsel to his flocks: “DO ANYTHING TO GET MONEY!” Little wonder, an ample number of his congregation are purportedly internet fraudsters! According to one of them: “his prayer works like magic... once he prays for me and I get on the internet to chat, it works like an enchantment! But, I make sure after ‘pastor’ touches my hand, I don’t have any handshake with anybody until after using the internet...”

Where on earth has the fear of God exiled to? Where do these superficial ‘pastors’ get their guts from? We know He is rich in Mercy, but can’t God do anything about this particular issue? I mean, His name is being ridiculed here!

I am scared and worried! This is for the reason that every priest has followers, irrespective of whether he is genuine or not. My worry is what the 'false prophets' are doing to their innocent ‘flocks’ and what they are becoming due to their self-seeking and warped view of the real God.

To my mind, what has turned ‘church’ into what it is today is as a result of the craving and demand from the people for certain forms of magic.

Everybody likes a ‘miracle’ pastor. Everybody likes a ‘prophetic’ pastor. Everybody likes a ‘prosperity’ preacher. While there is nothing wrong in this, the approach is wrong. If you are neither of these, you may not go far in this present age. It seems to me like these are the demands of the ‘profession’.

The cravings of the people are; the desire to get rich, the ability to be healed of any physical or spiritual ailment, the desire to be rich and also the power to “kill your enemies”.

Quite naturally, any man who can promise them any of these will capture their hearts and their physical presence, including their pockets. This is one reason ‘pastors’ seek ‘powers’ by all means possible. While some run to God, others return to their master, the devil. Certainly, what the fool teaches them are tricks and deception.

I ask: “why can’t those in the latter group just come out plain and allow themselves gain easy identification as ‘native doctors’? Why use the devil's deception and camouflage with God’s garments?”

So much evil is being done using the name of the Lord as cover, and lots of people are being misdirected. In my own little thoughts, I ask: “why would God wait till ‘judgement day’?”

Certain ‘pastors’ are capitalizing on the vulnerability of people to exploit them. Is there another definition for define deceit? Not too long, there was this issue of how some children in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria, were being branded as “witch children” by some of these self-professing ‘pastors’.

Unsurprisingly, there were some ‘pastors’ who claimed they could ‘cure’ them. Guess what? The 'cure' wasn’t coming FREE! Some of these pastors charged between One Hundred Thousand Naira and Four Hundred Thousand Naira. I like to call these ‘pastors’: the bigger witches!

In the event that the parents of these ‘witch-children’ cannot pay for the deliverance, the ‘cured’ children are kept back with these ‘witch-curing pastors’ to act as slaves to them, until the hapless parents’ can gather the money for their final freedom.

I wonder! I wonder!! How did we get here? What sort of mess is this? Is this what the younger generation will take after? Obviously, it is going to get out of proportion if they do! How do we get out of these muddle we have dragged the Christian faith into? What is the function of the various Christian bodies? Are the leaders ‘pure’ themselves?

More than ever, we need divine intervention. We must get rid of every rogue in priestly garment!

WHAT TIME IS IT?

Hello people, it’s been like 7days without any post. In reality, I wish I could update my blog daily, I truly wish. No thanks to my crazy schedules and several engagements. But for these, this passion of mine won’t be blinking; I will look for a way around it before long. Trust me!

Of late, I have been thinking. Thinking about my generation, our numerous acts of modernism and what we would be offering the next generation. Fact is, we truly can’t talk much about the present or the future without basically looking at the past. Can we please wind the hands of the clock backwards a bit?

Once upon a time...

1. There was dignity in labour, our people were proud to do something with their hands and feed their mouths from their sweat. Women didn’t ‘use’ their bodies to get whatever they wanted, neither did men seek for opportunities to criminally exploit and extort resources.

2. There was the celebrated spirit of communal living; everybody in the community lived like a family. Every child was the responsibility of every parent and every parent was every child’s guardian.

3. Values and morals were not strange to us; only those who were high in morals and values ever got to be honoured or decorated.

4. Our definition of leadership wasn’t different from the global view and civilization.

5. Those we LOANED our votes to did everything to improve our living standard. Because to them, that was what they owed us for the trust we bequeathed on them with our vote.

6. We were spiritual, there was nothing like humanism. We knew God truly exists and EVERYTHING we did was done with this consciousness.

7. We had a security system we could really call secured and safe.

8. We were a people who valued our words and promise; there wasn’t the issue of African time or ‘diplomacy’.

9. Education was the responsibility of the GOVERNMENT. There were [functional] public schools everywhere and education was seen by all as the RIGHT of the Nigerian child. Education wasn’t privatized with those who can afford it made to believe it is a PRIVILEGE. Talk about slavery mentality!

10. We had known criminals who robbed with guns, machetes and other weapons. Unlike now, the HOLY BIBLE wasn’t a prominent weapon of robbery; we didn’t have robbers in priestly garments.

11. We once had fathers children truly adored and respected, as they provided the indispensable father-figure and leadership qualities. Now, children look outside of their homes to choose “role models”.

12. Virginity was a thing of pride. Society didn’t make people ashamed of their sexual innocence. Mothers didn’t put their daughters under pressure to lose theirs before marriage.

13. It wasn’t very difficult to have a reliable and trusted ally. Trust wasn’t very scarce.

14. We did everything to prevent rogues from ascending leadership positions. No gift was big enough, neither was any lie good enough to buy our conscience. We valued leadership, thus we did everything we could to ensure that only people of value ever had the privilege of leading us.

I am wondering which age this is. My questions and worries are much. What age is this? What a blunder we have made of life and living! Do we call this the digital age, the age of Armageddon or have we strolled into to the biblical Perilous times? Are we close to the end of the time? Can life ever be worse than the way it is now?

Since these are not questions I planned to answer, I guess I have to pass them to you!

ONCE AGAIN, OUR POLITICIANS GO BRAINLESS!

You never get bored in Nigeria, there is always something new to ‘bother’ or laugh about. Indeed, this is a ‘happening’ country. But, it becomes really worrisome and nauseating, to both Nigerians and the rest of the world, when the loss of a life is involved in our ‘happenings’. In most cases, the loss is treated with levity and triviality. This further makes the rest of the wonder if we have 'VALUE FOR HUMAN LIFE' in our national dictionary.

The Nigerian people woke up last week to hear of a new political violence and bloodshed in Jos, Plateau State. This is not the first time this is happening in that part of Nigeria. Something similar occurred during the Obasanjo/Dariye days.
However, this present incidence started a day after the local government elections. I don't think anyone needs to be convinced if it was politically motivated or not, we know our people and what they can do if they are denied of anything - irrespective of whether they are right or wrong.
It beats my imagination that in Nigeria, we are still in short supply of gallant losers and genuine winners.
The media was awash with news of massive rigging of the elections. Reports from those on the field say the elections were indisputably won by the opposition party: ANPP. Whereas, the state is governed by a PDP governor. Perhaps, the governor has an 'instruction' to deliver, by all means, to his superiors in Abuja!

Why are our politicians brainless and numb? All of a sudden, the violence is now wrapped with the face of religion; they are trying to divert attention from the main issue by saying it is a case of 'religious intolerance'. Politicians! They say it is a brawl between Moslems and Christians. We are not all fools, our people know when their intelligence is being insulted and their docility treated as stupidity. Most of us have friends and loved ones resident in the city of Jos. They have told us what’s been happening, how it started and who's responsible for it. We hear this has got nothing to do with religion.

As at Sunday 30th November 2008, over 200 Nigerians have lost their lives owing to the mayhem and lots of houses and properties razed. It seems to to me that our ‘rulers’ believe that the loss of 200 of her citizens is really nothing to worry much about. If some governor or high-ranking traditional ruler had been killed in the process, the hypocritical elements in our 'rulers' would have prompted them to call for national mourning.

Right now, the Jos people cannot buy or sell. People are starving and they have no idea when this would end. The markets are not opened. People of the state are hiding in bushes. Many peasants have lost the properties they spent years to gather. Many children cannot find their parents and parents cannot locate their children. The banks are out of operation, people are cash trapped. 3 youth corpers were butchered; one was killed inside the church while he was on phone giving his brother minute by minute report. These are young people who left their parents and family members to a 'strange' land to serve their motherland, only to end up being killed. It is indeed a sorry situation.

For those who don’t know, Jos is one of Nigeria’s most beautiful cities, but it is economically and industrially backward, compared to Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and the likes. There are very few industries operating there and entrepreneurship seems not to be encouraged as the state is largely regarded as a civil service state. Imagine the devastating effect this violence and meaningless destruction of properties will further cause the economy of the state!

What is our problem? Why are our people this heartless? Why has the craze for power and relevance made us lose the most important gift God gave man – CONSCIENCE?
Our youths are being used to perpetuate these evil, just because somebody somewhere must get into political office and continually enjoy undeserved prominence.
Shame! Shame!! Shame!!!

May God help Nigeria.

SOME DREAMS WILL NEVER BECOME REALITY!

Anybody can have [or own] a dream, it cost nothing, absolutely nothing. In fact, it is the freest commodity on planet earth... I once said in one of my articles that the challenge of this generation is actually not the lack of dreams [or ideas], but lack of focus. Focus is the major prerequisite for the realization of any dream.... Every young kid on the street has dreams, but most of these dreams are still in the category of WISHES.

As I travelled around Nigeria during the month of October to honour several speaking engagements, I had the privilege of meeting a number of young Nigerians; the [supposed] hope and determinant of the beauty of the future of this nation.

I was really astounded with the discovery that most of these young ones may end up living the kind of sorry lives their parents had lived, if not worse! One of the core reasons for this conviction is that most of these young ones have very impractical dreams/ideas about the future, their approach and attitude to life and their dreams are not any different. The truth is, our parents had dreams of and for their future... But, where did they end up? Isn't it clear through their lives that having a dream is not the only basis/criterion for greatness? There is more to what success demands than just dreams.

Dreams can’t and don’t fulfil itself. While it is your responsibility to develop dream for yourself, it is also your responsibility to work it out. God’s responsibility is to reward you for fulfilling your responsibility. This is apparent in His word: “I will bless the labour of your hands....... Whatever you lay your hands to do, it shall prosper.........”

I have discovered that many young people in our generation have very lofty dreams, great and fantastic dreams. But, most of these dreams have no ladders. There is no [concrete] plan on how they intend to fulfil it; most of these dreams would finally end up in the trash can of wishes or in the comfort of their graves when they finally exit this earth! Someone once said: “If wishes were horses, everybody would own one!” The question is: “what is a wish?” A wish is a plan-less aspiration. Simply put, a wish is a desire without plans/strategies to meet its actualization. If only we could just think and ask ourselves why our fathers failed!!!

God had to CREATE planet earth... He went beyond dreaming; He constructed a ladder [plan] to the actualization of the dream. Developing a personal dream/vision is the first phase, but most people make it look like the only phase!

In one of my recent meetings, a young lady told me how she has dreams of owning one of the biggest schools in Abuja, she told me how the school would look like and lots of other fantastic things. I was so enthused by this great dream that I asked her: “what are you currently doing to ensure that this great dream become a reality....?” She had no answer, none! All she stopped at was the dreaming aspect of success actualization. I wonder how she hoped it will ever come true! It was obvious she was already thinking like many religious folks who always shy away from responsibility by saying: “God will do it....”

Truth is, every great man who is presently at an enviable height had to begin from where he was... he had to act on whatever dreams he had.... any man who got to the mountain top had to CLIMB there, not JUMP!

At another meeting I had recently, a young man said his dream is to become a presenter on CNN in the next three months... While his case looks in some way ‘nice’, this is because he has given himself a time frame... Yet, the laughable angle is that at present he has nothing to do with any media house in Nigeria.... He’s never had! But, he his dream is to become a top-notch presenter for CNN within a year!

Nothing wrong with the dream, but he needs to create a ladder! I told him CNN is like a ‘destination’. He needs to have bus-stops; places where he needs to horn and refine his skills – he just may need to start out as a co-presenter with any of our local TV/radio station, gradually he would build his confidence and know-how of the job.... A 'height' like CNN is not for amateurs. They don’t give starters the opportunity to learn there. They don’t groom starters, at least his kind.

You may want to conclude that these two folks are really dumb. I beg to disagree! I see folks like these ones everyday... Theirs is quite reasonable, compared to others who can’t even explain their dreams, but they know they have one. This is the challenge of our generation.

Many of our university graduates either have no dreams of where they are taking their lives to, while others have some ludicrous and unworkable dreams. I believe this is one reason why the spirit of entrepreneurship is gradually dying in Africa; the spirit of responsibility! I have interacted with lots of university graduates who just stay in life to grow older – nothing more, nothing less and nothing else!

While I am a strong believer in having big dreams, what however makes a dreamer and his dream look daft and dippy is when there is no ladder to the actualization of his dream.

Success is a product of planning. Success is a product of strategies. Every dreamer must learn how to create plans. You must have a structure/plan of HOW you hope to achieve whatever great dream you have. Most probably, it will require you to start somewhere. Your plan will also tell you where you should start from, how and why.......... A dreamer without a plan is actually playing. He is but a joke, and his life may also end up same way.

In addition, you must learn, understand and appreciate the power of action. The difference between a failure and a success story is that one effectively used the gift called: “NOW!” Any man who truly wants to live his dream must first wake-up and if you will ever make progress, you have to first get started!

A conventional dreamer may know what to do, but the wise ones know what to do next. They don't just hope on their dreams, they ACT on them! They don’t squander their present, hoping miracles will happen! They know that success comes in bits. Thus, they look at their dreams and ask themselves: “What can/must I do now? How can I maximize my present so that my future will appreciate?” They create a plan ---- short term, midterm and long term strategies that will see them getting to top of their game............... These are the few ones that slowly but surely become the celebrities and success stories amongst us.

Folks, it is not enough to dream. Create plans. Start from somewhere. Align yourself with folks who have what you don’t have but what your dream needs. Access your strengths and your weakness. Start strengthening your strengths and look away from your weaknesses; the quality of people you connect with will help cover your areas of vulnerability and deficiencies.

You must happen!

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

Any Nigerian who is truly mindful of the future will be bothered about the present condition of things in this country.... I don’t want to over-flog certain issues, as such; I am looking away from the food crisis, unemployment rate and unemployability dilemma, financial corruption, insensitive political manipulation...

I am very vexed and deeply concerned about the moral future of the average Nigerian youths. At the moment, the picture of the future seems very bleak and depressing. We can’t keep pretending that it is nothing to worry much about. Fact is, each one of us will someday pay for our silence and docility regarding this issue. Sometimes one wonders if our conscience has taken sudden flight from us!

In today’s Nigeria, the average kid of 6, 7 and 8years is becoming very heartless, pitiless, brutal, ruthless and non-emotional. Visit our schools and you will hear of certain degrees of violence meted-out by these minors on their peers. Is this their reaction to what society has forced them to learn? When you hear how some of these violence and insensitivity is meted out by these toddlers, your ears will tingle, you will weep! One is forced to ask: “How did this start? What have we done to ourselves? How did we lose it? Where do we go from here?”

We can’t keep pretending this is not a problem that requires urgent consideration and attention. Deviously fighting financial corruption and other superficial vices without pondering on how to consciously build morals and instill values in the next generation of leaders is an exercise in futility... Insensitivity and moral bankruptcy is being handed down like some form of inheritance to the younger ones... The school system shouldn’t look away from this either; academics without character is not education!

In one of the ASA’s songs, she reeled her viewpoint this way: “There is fire on the mountain and nobody seems to be on the run.... One day the river will overflow and there will be no where for us to go, we will run, run… wishing we had put up a fight…”

Once upon a time, we were a people with high reverence for morals and values! All of a sudden, certain attitudes and actions we formerly considered as taboo, evil and wicked have suddenly become good, nice and right in the eyes of a lot of us... What's more, the spirit of communal living is dead. Everybody minds his/her private concerns... The days when every child was the responsibility of the community he/she lives in is long gone.... every parent now guards and defends their child from the discipline of others, notwithstanding the distasteful attitude he/she puts up.

Every sense of morality and values has since exiled from our midst. Our youths now live life like people who are beheaded; they don’t think before acting anymore! Our sense of the future is virtually comatose... If we keep hiding our heads and shifting responsibility, we may someday wake-up only to realize we have been wasting our national life, due to our downplaying issues concerning morality and values...

One wonders if there’s a future for any nation whose media constitute a deliberate threat to the moral fibre of her young ones. Our music and movies are not any good. Everything is being done with only financial gains in view... The belief of almost every Nigerian artiste and entertainer is that to make it big and rise to fame, you have to exploit the vulnerability of people... Unfortunately for our young ones, most of these morally bankrupt individuals are projected/endorsed as ‘ambassadors’ and role models... By these ones, our children and young ones are constantly bombarded with warped perspectives to life... We are gradually raising an MTV generation, in Nigeria! Nobody seems to worry about its effects!

While I am not [deliberately] trying to sermonize, I want to state here that any country that downplays spirituality, all in the name of modernization is sick and really needs help. It is evident to all that America started losing it when she opted for this path...

It’s time for us to tackle certain fundamental issues. We must hold the future dear to our heart and consciously work towards building it. A child not carefully and appropriately trained will someday become a treat and a dread to society. By this I also mean, an [awful] attitude not addressed in its infancy will someday develop to be a disgrace and a source of embarrassment to the ‘owner’ and her neighbours.

We can build a desirable future, if only we want to! We know exactly what to do, but have constantly focused on what we can do nothing about... It is time for the much needed paradigm shift – in our thinking pattern and attitude to life and our future!

We must speak against and fight anything [and anyone] that attempts to weaken and demoralize our collective future! Our younger ones [future] deserves something better!

MY INDEPENDENCE MESSAGE....

Happy independence, Nigeria!

Unlike every other year, I am so happy about this year’s celebration, maybe it’s because the Nigerian people and the world generally is gradually falling in love with the ‘Nigerian-thing’.

Dear friends, this is the best time to share ideas, not just drink, eat or sleep. It is more than a holiday. This is the best time for us to look at where we’ve been and decide where we want to be in 1year, 5years, 10years time. It is not up to ‘Aso-Rock’ alone, every Nigerian is a decision-maker as far as our national progress is concerned.

To start with, every nation is ruled by systems. America is said to be the greatest nation on earth; this is because of their systems. No president works all by himself... He is under the rule of systems. Thus, the rot in our system is not personage, it is systemic. Therefore, for a better and more virile Nigeria, the system must be re-worked.

The systemic problem is what has defectively affected the mentality of our people. Up until now, our minds have been conditioned to look up to a central body to take care of us and our needs. The ‘slave-master’ thing is still there... Thus, a married man believes his only responsibility is to impregnate his wife; the rest is left to government.

Our minds have to be reconditioned. The million-naira question is: HOW?

Let’s look at 2 very practical ways....

I have discovered that virtually everybody has passed through both or one of these 2 fundamental systems: the religious system or school system. We have all gone or still going through these systems.

If you carry out a very scrupulous scrutiny, you will discover that a lot of our mental conditioning has been a product of these two systems. The defects in our society are a reflection of the rot and decay in these two systems.

First, the school system must be restructured. Up until now, the school system has made everything UNI-DIRECTIONAL. Students are trained to rely on a central body for their wellbeing and future. Thus, when he fails, there is somebody he throws his blame at. Students are not trained to RESPOND TO THEIR ABILITY, but to rely on other people’s ability... The minds of these young ones are conditioned to worship wealth... Their minds are accustomed to be dependent – the SLAVE MENTALITY... These young ones are trained to shift responsibilities. Since most of us have passed through this system, we were also mentally conditioned same way...

For a change, entrepreneurial thinking has to be taught and emphasized. Responsibility thinking. There is more to life and living than what the system currently offers. These young ones, who are supposed to be the productive strength of the Nation, are so ignorant of what truly works. Like Plato once said: “what you know is infinitesimal compared to your size of ignorance...”

There must be conscious redefinition of standards for redirection for the benefit of the FUTURE.

Each citizen of a nation is an independent idea that can develop this country. This implies that we have over 140million ideas to move this nation forward, this is much! All we need now is for each citizen to express his/her unique being. The reason babies are born every day is because the world is not yet what it should be. There is something every person can contribute, there is. We are the most blessed Nation on the face of the earth, yet we live in the poorest conditions.

How do we move Nigerians forward? Simple! Let every Nigerian be courageous enough to express his unique being. Have a personal dream that will profit you and your country, and fight to make it a REALITY. Despite the several odds - where there is a will, there will be a way. As individuals, we must have the “what can I do” mentality.

Let’s embrace the RESPONSIBILITY mentality – RESPONSE TO ABILITY.

I will talk about the defective religious system tomorrow...

Have a most productive and fulfilling 'independence-day' celebration!

THE DANGERS OF UNRESTRAINED ANGER!

For what? I won’t let go!

Not in this life, I must get my pound of flesh!

Me? Never! I must fight back!

Let the heavens fall, my mind is made up – he must go through same pains I went through!

When you hear words like these, it is a pointer that some person is incensed, exasperated or enraged at some other person, event or experience and thus has his/her mind made up on some form of REVENGE! More like, pay-back!

Perhaps I should start this piece by saying that anger is common to man. Each one of us was designed to get angry at some point or the other; it is in our make-up. In other words, every man’s anger has a price tag! The Holy bible doesn’t condemn anger; it only spoke against UNCONTROLLED anger. This, in most cases, is what leads to revenge. I always tell my folks that "before you embark on a revenge plot, make sure you dig two graves – one for you and the other for your target." What’s my point? Revenge always takes something from you. It takes more than it brings! It puts you on a lower level against the person who offended you. It makes you look guiltier!

ANGER IS A PROSPECTIVE DESTROYER. It also doesn't respect gender or age; it ruins anybody who can’t control or keep it in check! Many marriages and relationships have been wrecked on the wings of this destroyer! Many folks have lost their jobs and source of livelihood because they couldn’t manage their anger. A number of well-known celebrities and personalities have been seen fighting and cursing in public arenas because they couldn’t keep their anger in check.

When you fail to control your anger, you will inevitably ruin yourself, your dreams and become a disappointment to those who love you. Let me stress this again: ANGER IS NOT A SIN; IT BECOMES A SIN WHEN IT IS NOT CONTROLLED. By the way, there is old maxim that say: "keep your temper to yourself, nobody needs it..."

Guess you can still remember the story of Moses, it was [uncontrolled] anger that ruined him.... despite all the wonderful things he did for God and his people, anger deprived him of getting his reward. He patiently waited for his reward for forty years, yet [uncontrolled] anger killed his dream...

Beyond uncontrolled anger, there is another twist to this, it is called: misdirected anger! Misdirected anger is as awful as uncontrolled anger. More often than not, it has wrecked many [business and romantic] relationships and marriages!

I have seen folks who were annoyed, irritated or frustrated by certain events or individuals, only to end up visiting their anger on innocent people. I mean, discharging their anger on people who are totally unrelated to it... Transferring aggression to the next available 'object', despite its innocence!

There are husbands who were been frustrated by certain individuals or [work] issues, only to end up unleashing their anger on their [innocent] wives... ANGER IS POWER ONLY WHEN IT IS CONSTRUCTIVELY AND SENSIBLY DIRECTED.

Dear friends, there are trouble-free and uncomplicated ways to handle/manage anger, irrespective of its height. To start with, see anger as a potential destroyer – let it sink in your brains! Nobody needs your temper, keep it! More so, when anger is not controlled, you lose the point you are trying to make.

So, when you are been irritated or exasperated by certain situations or someone, choose to see it as a challenge to prove something, certainly not to your disadvantage! That situation could be an avenue to prove the level of your maturity and self-control. Besides, you will lose nothing if you refuse to act wild!

The late Florence Nightingale was facing certain annoying situations at her place of work and was constantly been frustrated by her [work] colleagues, she chose to see it as a challenge to get to the top of her game, by all [legal] means possible. She did!

Dear friend, make it a deliberate choice to learn wisdom from every situation you are faced with. Avoid any action that will make you look guiltier than whoever offended you. Besides, you don’t have to whine, gripe or fight over everything. Life is too valuable to be wasted living in anger and constant bitterness

This closing point is very very important point: don’t be friends with angry people, else you will learn their ways – this counsel is straight from the Holy bible, God's word!

Therefore, if you are a business owner or a team leader and you notice some UNREPENTANT broody, angry, resentful and indignant fellow in your team, get rid of them as fast as you can, else they will infect others and crumble your entire organization.

Finally dear friend, if you fear God, comply with every bit of His word. The bible says: “anger rest in the bosom of fools...”
What this definitely means is that if you allow anger stay with you over a long period of time, you are equated to a fool.
There are folks who have a bad habit of keeping quarrels with people for ages, they find it impossible to let go! It shouldn’t surprise you that some of these individuals who are in the habit of ‘preserving’ anger at some point even forget what made them angry...

Dear friend, never ever sleep with anger in your heart... Let it go!

BAD ROLE MODELS

Earlier in the week, we woke up to the news of how the Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Sam Edem, paid a lump sum of money to a sorcerer to perform some divinations that would help gain certain favours from 2 prominent high placed individuals in authority...

Isn't it laughable that a one-time Ambassador can still indulge in such primitive practise in this get age? Voodoo in 2008? Some of our leaders can be so desperate and avaricious for power that they could do and even believe in the most insane things!

In a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Agbrebi Akpoebi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), the police said Edem was arrested following an allegation that he paid the sum of N150 million out of an agreed sum of N800 million to one Dr. (?) Perekambowei Oga, a sorcerer.

This was to spiritually influence the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, to award him (Edem) juicy contracts and influence the Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan, to give him protection in the event of any problem.

The police also said that the contract involved the killing of the Managing-Director of the NDDC, Timi Alaibe.

According the statement, Edem and his alleged contractor had a disagreement over non-performance and failure to pay the contract sum in full, adding that the case was under investigation.

I am worried, though not surprised. In Nigeria, always be ready for daily [unpleasant] national surprises.

Every tom, dick and harry seems to be castigating this man and calling him all sorts of names. Something in me tells me this guy is not the only person in leadership involve in this form of insanity. I believe somebody introduced this jazzman to him. The sorcerer must have performed one or two ‘operations’ for somebody in government before now, and was thus proven to be authentic for others to ‘use’.
For a man to spend close to 1billion naira on magicians, then he's been in it for long... A gambler doesn't start gambling with millions....
The silent question is, isn't this the medium through which he got the position he is trying desperately to retain?

By the way, why is everybody castigating and reproving him? Could he be the only one involved in this kind of act? No doubt, he must have a bunch of partners in high position of authority.

Where are the high-profile customers of Okija shrine? Where are the powerful politicians who run to India for powers? Where are those who pay ‘prophets’ to pray for them? Where are those that consult all kinds of spiritualists to ‘see’ for them?

This has been the bane of national development: WRONG ROLE MODELS – BAD EXAMPLES!
Questionable characters in high places, ever claiming to love Nigeria more than all of us, yet their acts and hearts speak contradictorily.

What are some of the downsides? The youths in society are tempted to look up to these funny elements as Role Models simply because of the influence and affluence they command; these young ones try to replicate whatever it is they learn from these sadists, and before you know it, everything in the country starts crumbling!

This guy [Sam Edem] is Chairman of a body saddled with the responsibility of developing the long marginalized oil region of Nigeria.... The same Niger Delta whose people is impoverished and is dying daily of hunger and starvation...
Amazingly, their son who everyone thought would bring them hope and manage their resources for them had the audacity to channel such a large sum of their money for voodoo works.... This is a SHAME!

We are told he has been arrested by the police and his sole offense was that he spent a huge amount of money that does not correlate with his income. Isn't voodoo an offense?
To my mind, this is worse than financial corruption.

It is not surprising that most of these greedy politicians have resorted to voodoo, instead of the now popular means of eliminating people - assassination. I think their belief is hinged on the fact that with this latest mode, police investigations will fail.
This is the height of greediness and wickedness! Imagine having men like these as leaders; they will also fake ‘patriotism’ and love for NIGERIA!
Folks, men like these should be treated as National threats. They should be marked as 'bad role models’. They should be treated like outcasts. They should never be given any form of respect since they blew their opportunities to write their names in history books.

I am particularly worried of what may become of this man few months from now. The case of Tafa Balogun, Sunday Ehindero, Iyabo Obasanjo, Ebitimi Banigo and their likes are still fresh in our minds. These guys soiled their hands in various criminal offenses, they were castigated for a while, given little or no punishments and before anyone could say JACK: they were re-absorbed into the highest echelon of leadership in the country.......
I am just hoping this man's case will not be like the rest.

Should his case turn out like the rest, let it be on record that my generation is watching: WE WILL SURELY MAKE A RUBBISH OF GUYS LIKE THESE WHO HEARTLESSLY RUIN THIS NATION AND INCREASINGLY PUSH US BEHIND DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH, THEY WILL PAY FOR ALL THEIR ACTS OF WICKEDNESS - they won't be spared, even at old age!

A new generation is springing forth. A generation that will not spare even their fathers for their various contributions to national decay. A generation with sincere compassion and passion for Nigeria’s growth. A generation who will refuse to imbibe the questionable values forcefully handled them by their leaders. A generation that will build the four walls of Nigeria....

This country belongs to all of us!

MY FEELINGS AS I ADD ANOTHER YEAR

It’s like my new year just began. Something in me echoes in my ears: “Boy, your 2008 just started...”
By some means, with growth and advancement in age comes increased responsibility and demands... I feel more burdened to do something about the mediocrity I see around....
I feel like being in control of the entire globe just for a day and influencing things my way.... I feel like sending to exile all the folks that have and are still taking our country through and into pains, the kind of exile that the phrase TILL FURTHER NOTICE better explains.
I know you may think my feeling is no more than what it is – MY FEELING! But, with advancement in age comes the duty to translate your feelings to reality..... So, all you haters and doubters, watch your back!

More than ever, I feel the need to be an unsilenceable voice of change in my community and in my nation; to put an end to the shame and psychosis [depravity, mis-entertainment, lopsided perspective about life, dishonesty, gangsterism...] society has up till now accepted and celebrated.... Change mustn't only be effected through politics.... Fact is, anybody can start a 'revolution' from his little compound....
I feel the need more than ever to recruit and network with like minds; folks who have IMPACT as their middle name, folks with undying passion for their community and country.....

I am encouraged by God’s words to me on this great day: “...I have made you a gift to NIGERIA and a BLESSING to the WORLD... This day have I made you a light to Nations...”

Sincerely want to appreciate all my friends and well wishers, not forgetting those in the facebook community, thanks for all the love. Thanks indeed. I am almost tempted to start marking my birthday twice a year... it won’t be a bad idea anyway!

As I celebrate another to my years, I renew my commitment to life and to my Maker: “At the end of my years on earth I forbid to face my God without fruits. My example, Jesus Christ, lived on this planet for 33years - till date, the world hasn’t recovered...

Younger and unborn generations await me to return with fruits; I refuse to return with excuses. All my talents must be properly invested with returns to my Maker; none will be buried or wasted. Frustrations and confusion must be erased from peoples' faces because of my existence. All my days on earth will count positively; I forbid ending up a ‘bad investment’. I forbid returning empty. I must add meaning to lives and flavor to destinies; I must fulfill why He sent me here. I forbid to give my Maker any reason to regret... I desire my whole life to be lived at the centre of His will; living my whole life according to His design and purpose for me, not placing my focus on impressing any mortal.”

SPECIAL DEDICATION TO TIVI

One issue that has given me great concern in recent times is how perverse our world has become. Hardly can you find someone of the opposite sex who wants a ‘friendship only’ relationship. By this I mean, it is very difficult these days to be friend to someone of the opposite sex, without the person thinking or suspecting you are up to something.

The world has gone that perverse! Take for instance, a guy to a lady. The guy becomes friend to a lady and after say, 3 weeks of ‘intense’ friendship, the lady poses the question at him: “Bros, what do you really want?”

What is it with this generation? The morally deficient musicals and movies constantly thrown in our face aren’t helping matters. It celebrates immorality and polluted relationships, thus making one suspicious of the intentions of a member of the opposite sex, no matter how unsuspecting it comes.

I had an experience not quite long that proved to me that there is indeed a breed of people in our generation who have refused to be blown by the mediocrity and moral bankruptcy that has invaded the land.

Some time ago, I visited one of the south eastern states of Nigeria, Enugu, for an official assignment. This was my first time visit to this part of Nigeria. The journey was about 6 hours from my base. No direct flight from my city, I was left with no option than to travel by road.

As we journeyed, my prayer was that we don’t get to the town by night-time. Guess you know how terrible it could be when you get to an ‘unfamiliar’ terrain all by yourself at night.

“At least, if we get to the last bus-stop before 6pm, I will get somebody to give me a little guide on where I could spend the night and possibly do some other stuffs?” I kept encouraging myself.

I wasn’t that lucky after all, we got to the town few minutes 7pm. As we approached the last bus-stop, some passengers started coming down as they reached their stop points, thus making my choice for a guide slimmer. Sadly enough, I had no specific stop point. The ‘city’ was my own stop point.

We finally got to the last bus-stop, the bus was now occupying 4 persons; the driver, myself, a lady and another guy. The guy hadn’t given a friendly look all the while the journey lasted, and I suspect it was a facade as he wasn’t too conversant with the city, judging from the way he kept starring at virtually every high-rise building in the city as we journeyed along.

The driver wasn’t even an option as he was already infuriated that passengers were “dropping anyhow” as though his motor vehicle was some local ‘taxi’.

To save myself any form of embarrassment, I just encouraged myself that this guy wasn’t an option to rely on.

My final option was a lady. I had noticed this sister avidly reading a Christian literature as we journeyed to this town. I suspected 3 things: either she was a born again Christian or maybe she resorted to reading because the journey was boring or maybe she was trying to impress God-knows-who. You never can conclude with ladies.

But, even if my three assumptions were correct, she still was a better option.

Oops, I almost forgot to tell you! I refuse to entertain the thought of relying on bystanders for help. There is well-known trick played out by fraudsters: they pretend to be stranded travellers, trying to win the sympathy of unsuspecting individuals, they end up playing several tricks on them that end up costing the sympathizers their valuables - in some cases, their lives.

Consequently, even sincere transit travellers or first timers don’t get or enjoy the sympathy and attention of the people.

Anyway, Tivi (that’s her name) was my only option. Like they say: when your chances are none or slim, you go with slim. I just had to. So, I approached Tivi and asked her if she knew any hotel close to the University of Nigeria, Enugu campus. I told her that I came for an official assignment and I needed any good but low-cost hotel around. I asked if she knew any.

Politely, she offered to help out. She took me to a local bus-stop where I could get a taxi that will take me to the heart to the city where I could get hotels to choose from. Maybe I didn’t say this earlier, I didn’t have enough money with me and I deliberately left my ATM card in my base to avoid using it at the slightest “I-am-almost-broke” instance. I didn’t have so much money in my bank account that could permit the luxury of unbudgeted spending on this trip.

Tivi entered the taxi with me because, according to her, it was also heading towards her direction. As the taxi got to her bus-stop, she came down and told me to do same.

Who was I not to? Moreover, how was I to know this wasn’t also my ‘destination’?

We alighted from the taxi and made for the other side the road. I was in the dark as to where we were headed. Tivi read my mind and immediately told me she wanted to save my money, she added that she stays alone, and that she was having an all-night prayer in meeting church that evening.

She suggested that I could pass the night in her place and leave for my engagement the next morning, if didn’t mind.

Trouble! I wasn’t comfortable with this help! Hell no! Though this is what I may have, should have or would have prayed for, but face-to-face with its reality made me very uncomfortable.

This brother was scared to his marrows. I started asking myself questions like “what kind of trouble have I entered?”

Why was I scared? This isn’t normal in our society. Ideal things are no more natural in our society. Somebody cannot just offer a ‘I-don’t-know-you-from-Adam’ stranger to stay in her house, for the whole night. She wasn’t even leaving the house for me with somebody; she was ‘giving’ me the house for the night.

I accepted to sleep at her place. At this moment, I was like a monkey tempted with a seemingly poisonous bunch of banana - it was already dark and I just needed a place to spend the night and this new arrangement reduced quite a lot of stress from my pocket!

As we walked to her place, I kept praying within me: “Father, preserve me from my ‘enemies’ this once and I will testify about this experience”. Irrespective of how much of a macho you think you are, certain things are bound to still scare you. Me? I was scared!

Spending a night in a stranger’s place? The thought was really awful. If only I was paying for it, I won’t be this scared. So many asinine thoughts were flowing in my head, right from the bus-stop till we got to her house.

When we finally got to her ‘house’, she introduced to me her best friend; I really can’t remember very clearly, but I think her name is Angel.

Angel is equally a nice person; she received me very lovingly, it seemed to me like everything had been pre-planned. Tivi equally introduced a couple of her student-neighbours to me. I later discovered she was a student of Institute of Management & Technology [IMT], Enugu. Most probably, she was in her finals.

We chatted for some time; I wasn’t still my normal self all through the discussion. I still ‘feared fear’.

All this while I hadn’t entered the room - my ‘lodge’ for the night, I found comfort in the warm ambience of the veranda. I played a complete ‘zombie’.

Like an over-trained kid would do, I told myself that if she didn’t tell me to sit, I won’t. So, I waited for her to tell me to come in before I did.

Tivi is without a doubt a great person; she introduced me to her friends as her ‘friend’. I was amazed. This gave me some form of respect before her other friends, far from what could have been if she had said I was a stranger she that just needed help for the night. Imagine how her folks would have viewed me!

Well, she and her ‘Angel’ friend offered to fix me something to eat, I refused. Far from reality, I wasn’t belly-filled, I was still very scared. Anyway, I had nice discussions with few of Tivi’s co-student neighbours.

Finally, she left for the all-night prayer meeting, together with some of her co-tenants and neighbours. They actually attend the same church. I was now all alone in the room. I truly had a great time, alone. I managed to make it fun.

I wondered endlessly if all “this love shown me was sincere”.

Morning reached and the “all-nighters” returned ‘home’. They entertained me with gist of whom and who slept during the prayers and who didn’t. Tivi cared enough to ask if I read during the night for my presentations, I was really amazed. This type of care can only be likened to the kind that Jesus can show. I was astounded beyond words. “Why all this interest?” I kept asking myself.

It was now a ‘fully bright’ day and I had gotten all-dressed up and ready to hit the street. She saw me off to where I was to take a taxi to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where my engagement was. She later asked me to call her when I return to my base so she will know I arrived safely.

Though it’s been a very long time now, but I still remember TIVI, as though it was yesterday. I dare say she’s been the kindest of all humans I have met.

Whoever knows this young lady called Tivi should please send her my love, prayers and regards. She is indeed my heroine! I believe she graduated from IMT, Enugu [maybe it was ESUT… just can’t place it in my head] with the 2006/2007 session, can’t really figure that out. Indeed, she is a great person and I hoping I see her

From my experience with Tivi, my resolve to help and show love to people unreservedly and selflessly has become stronger. This, I believe, is the easiest way to make lasting impressions in people’s life. Tivi didn’t give me money, she gave care. She showed love. If she had acted ‘questionably’, I would have long forgotten her face, memory of her and her name. But, several years after, I still haven’t seen any man or woman like ANGEL TIVI.

Folks, we must choose to be our brother’s keeper, irrespective of the strength of our relationship with them. Every one of us is on earth for our brothers and sisters. Our brothers and sisters are not just those we are biologically connected to, they are those we see every day – those equally created in the image and likeness of our great God.

I recall this story today; it is also to bolster the all important blessing of having unselfish friendship with a member of the opposite. I mustn’t date you to help you.

We must stop being extensions of the immorality and lopsided way that life has been reduced to. Though this perversion has enjoyed huge applause from society, it still doesn’t make it right. Untainted friendship with a member of the opposite sex is still and very possible – just make sure that you are a reliable part of the pair.

The bible puts it this was, “he that needs a friend must first prove himself friendly…”

You must happen!