Se na like this e go dey be????????????

I guess I should first issue a Caveat...

Beware: it’s ranting all through....... not proffering any solutions here, I however welcome your kind comments, help, advise, prayers etc, it is not an attempt to discourage anyone either.......
I need to vent.......or maybe I'm just Melancholic today......

I watch with a very heavy heart the drama being played out in this country every day.
I wonder....sometimes I know, I hope...other times I despair......I pray and later I doubt.I keep asking....., is this is how things would continue to be?
So many issues are on my mind about our dear country.

Where do I start from?..... Most of us heard about the bizarre event that took place on the Lagos-Benin road, where the death of some Nigerians was caused by armed robbers. Different versions of the 'truth' has been relayed to us; Some claim that a bus was ambushed by some armed robbers, who after raping and robbing the passengers of their possessions, asked those passengers who did not have money to lie in a row on the road while driver of that passenger bus was forced at gun point to drive over these unfortunate individuals....killing them all ( and that this happened just early this year), another version claims that the robbers after raping and robbing the passengers, asked those who did not have money on them to lie on the express road in a row and while they continued their 'operation', an unsuspecting truck carrying some food stuffs approached and as these thieves started to shoot at the oncoming truck, the truck driver on seeing/hearing gun shots in his bid to escape ( from these armed robbers), hurriedly drove over the people lying on the road thinking they were logs of wood and that this happened sometime last year. There are lots of sites with the stories and the disturbing pictures on the internet like here and here.

Whichever of the ‘truths’ is correct, the fact is that our roads are not safe!, armed robbers do as they like on our express roads day in- day out! I tried to imagine how much time it would take to stop a bus (by ambush), ask the passengers to highlight, rob them of their possessions, rape some of them and even lie them down on the road in a row ......the ugly truth is that these robbers knew they had ALL the time in the world to act out their scripts on our roads -their stage, ....they knew of a fact that NO law enforcement agent would catch up with them, and that we had no emergency response systems in place! Whether they asked the driver to ride over them or if another truck driver did it, is immaterial. We all know the particular robbers were sure of not being caught, our roads are play fields for all sorts of men of the under world.

It’s even more disheartening to see the way our lawmakers, government officials and leaders (who at that time were not even sure of the exact picture of things) speaking eloquently, brandishing bogus vocabularies, debate the issue of national security, some condemning the driver of the said truck, asking for his head, calling down hell, fire and brimstone, asking for all sorts of safety measures to be put in place on our roads. Its been many weeks since then....we are yet to feel as little as a finger… the impact of all these talk, we are yet to see more armory or security posts on our roads, neither has the roads been repaired or street lights fixed nor have we had emergency /medical posts stationed on the roads. A lot of 'preventalbel deaths still occur on our roads from accidents and all sorts of evils. I keep wondering for how long our roads will continue to be death traps.

So much for religious crisis....as for the recent Jos crisis, a lot of people have taken time to do good justice to the stories like here and here and here. I watch with shame the way our media, law makers, government official are all calling for immediate action, and all kinds of expedited actions in response to the situation in Jos, while the killers are still having a field day counting more and more victims .............will things continue like this?

In the same breath, still on religious crisis... Its the 3rd year since Toyin Oluwaseesin was brutally wasted by some zealots, her live cut short, her children and husband deprived of the love and embrace of their loved one. Toyin's story can be read here. 3 years! And no one has been brought to book, our country has not been able to give her family justice, it's obvious we are in a country where any person(s) can take laws into their hands, kill others and still go scout free...............for how long will this continue?

I don't want to go into the recent bombings in the south east, the boldness with which the Nigeria delta militia keep claiming they are responsible for different bombings and their ‘dare-you –whole-nation-to-do-anything’ attitude. I don’t even want to talk about the credibility of elections carried out across the nation, the lip service and greed of the leaders/politicians, the corruption and indiscipline that has eaten deep into the fabric of our society, the warped mentality of the average youth growing up in Nigeria which is “anyhow, just get the money, forget integrity, forget a good name, forget humanity” the ineffectiveness and lack –luster state of the of the Nigerian police, the continuous deplorable state of our infrastructures…..I could go on and on, but you know about all these already.

But you see why I’m a bit melancholic today......
The more I think about all the issues around the great nation Nigeria; the more my heart sinks, the more I loose my faith in the unity, the purpose and essence and the bright future of the nation called Nigeria.

What breaks my heart the more is the fact that it is still business as usual in Nigeria. Everyone still carries on like ‘that is how life should be!’Citizens like me (home and in diaspora) just carry on with our lives .....We sigh, we complain, we analyse, we debate, we speak plenty of English and then just ‘go- on’ with our lives. The religious institutions (that should be a voice, pillars of truth and part of the conscience of the nation) are carrying on with their businesses as usual too! I don’t want to talk about the lawmakers or the judiciary. Tthe few Nigerians that try to do something positive are criticised, discouraged or even silenced.

It’s exasperating to see how money is being embezzled, wasted all in the name of allocation, contracts, etc
It seems like a curse or the nation is jinxed; because whenever some silver lining seem to appear, the dark clouds just show up again, ...like we all thought Alhaji Yaradua was a fresh breath from the 'crudeness' of 'Baba', in a short while we discovered that we got in a deeper ‘shit’ instead, and I just cant help to wonder, if this is how things would continue.....

Its so distasteful the kind of popularity we get for being the 'unpopular' giant of Africa....no thanks to the Mutallabs of recent. I see how the world media disparage any of our efforts at something good, honourable or noteworthy ......and I don’t blame them!

you see, I'm, wondering......................
If my generation would see that great Nigeria we dream, pray and hope for.
If my children would know a country where its citizens are proud any day, any where to flaunt their green travel passports.
If stories that are exported about Nigerians would once again be those that would inspire and gladden the hearer.
If we would ever know a leadership that is sincere, could be trusted and ready to work for the good of the citizens of the country
If the hard working, honest Nigerian would be recognized and be proud that ‘there is dignity in labour’
If trust, truth and Integrity would ever be synonymous with the word Nigeria,
If this, If that, If, If, If, If, If, If.............

Because........
I live in a country where ‘abnormal’ has become the new ‘normal’
I am a citizen of a country where you are not sure of authenticity of anything, infact you need to double check whenever you are greeted good morning in Nigeria that its not yet past 12 noon.
I own a passport of a nation who’s chief security officer, leader, commander-in-chief, president, and chief steward has been missing for over 4 months! and all sorts of unimaginable drama attends his disappearance.
I am in a country which is one if the largest exporter of crude oil, and its citizens still suffer untold hardship in the name of ‘fuel scarcity’

and because
We still live in darkness .....with constant ‘no-power’, no electricity supply, and dealers of generating sets/diesel/petrol/gas are having a field day smiling to the banks and have formed a strong-hold against the nation having constant power supply.
We are our own government, we provide, our own electricity, provide our own water, provide our own security, and some people even have provide their own accessible roads to their homes/offices themselves!
We still 'sleep' at different embassies, suffer humiliating treatment there just to get a 'pass' to leave this country.
We have so much, our budget value keeps increasing every year, we make so much revenue from oil export and others, yet we lack so much, the average citizen still lives in poverty!
We seem to be citizens of some banana republic
We know how to add colour to any story of the world....trust Nigerians, ours will be always different with some interesting, corrupt and disappointing twist!

In as much as I belong to the school of thought that believes in miracles, in the eventuality of change, the victory of hope, and the persistence of faith!
The more I see, read, hear and think about the current happenings in this great nation,
My heart fails me,
My faith in challenged,
My hope kinda diminishes,
My mind cannot stop asking................

The more I ponder, the more the lyrics of a popular Nigerian musician's song keeps coming to my mind .... Se na like this we go de dey?

I have faith! I pray for my country, I long for the new Nigeria of our dreams,

But then............ I cannot help but ask.....se na like this e go dey be?*




*Se na like this e go dey be? = local pidgin English in Nigeria for 'Is this how things would continue to be?'

Credit Crunch (3)

What is recession?

A lot has been said and done about the ongoing recession, it’s so sad to see/hear the loss and effect of the global meltdown all around us. I had done a serious post here and a not too serious :-) post here on the credit crunch. This post is just to help us lighten up, lets say...... my attempt at humour.

Please enjoy this story.....

This story is about a man who once upon a time was selling Hotdogs by the road side, He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers. He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio. His eyes were weak, so he never watched television, but enthusiastically, he sold lots of Hotdogs.
He was smart enough to offer some attractive schemes to increase his sales.

His sales and profit went up; He ordered more and more raw material and buns and sold more.

He recruited more support staff to serve more customers, he started offering home deliveries. Eventually he got himself a bigger and better stove. As his business was growing, the son who had recently graduated from college joined his father.

Then something strange happened.
The son asked, “Dad, aren’t you aware of the great recession that is coming our way?” The father replied, “No, but tell me about it”. The son said, “The international situation is terrible! The domestic situation is even worse! We should be prepared for the coming bad times.”

The man thought that since his son had been to college, read the papers, listened to the radio and watched TV, he ought to know and his advice should not be taken lightly.

So the next day onwards, the father cut down his raw material order and buns, took down the colourful signboard, removed all the special schemes he was offering to the customers and was no longer as enthusiastic. He reduced his staff strength by giving layoffs.

Very soon, fewer and fewer people bothered to stop at his Hot dog stand, and his sales started coming down rapidly and so did the profit. The father said to the son, “Son, you were right.” We are in the middle of a recession and crisis. I am glad you warned me ahead of time.”

I am not in anyway trying to undermine the effect or the gravity of the recession, just that I am more interested on how we allow it affect us.

In as much as it looks like we are helpless, there is still a "little" lot we can do,
like I wrote here.
but in all I think we just should not FUEL the recession more than we should, and if it helps anyone, our prayer and confession this season should be;

………..in this recession, God help me experience a progression!

Nice week, you all!

Oluwatoyin Chrstiana OLUWASESIN.

It was in Gombe state, Nigeria, 2 years ago, she was doing her job…. when she met her death.

'Toyin was a teacher at the Government day secondary school, Gandu.

On March 21 morning, she resumed for work as usual, it was during the examinations period, she was invigilating a class, we learn t she distributed the question papers and announced the commencement of the paper.

A few minutes into the session she observed that Fatsuma a female student was copying answers from a book concealed in a newspaper. Confiscating the newspapers and its hidden contents she dumped the lot on the teacher’s desk and some slips of paper containing Arabic writings floated to the floor. They were later confirmed to be pages of the Hadith and Koran, as soon as 'Toyin did this, the female student stood up began to scream Allahu Ahkbar! Allahu Ahkbar! The cheating female ran out of the classroom as the others joined her in the chant. The whole school was thrown into confusion.

When' Toyin saw that the female student had raised a false alarm, she decided to report the incident to the school principal Mallam Sadiq Mohammed.

Her husband said she also called him and told him about the chaos in the school. He in turn alerted a friend in the Gombe metropolis and the family friend promptly turned up in the school premises with uniformed police men but was rebuffed by the principal who said everything was under control.

As soon as the policemen retired, the Muslim students mobilized a huge crowd and demanded that 'Toyin be released to them by the principal, when threatened that his office would be burnt the Principal came out with 'Toyin in tow to face the mob. The Principal was helpless when the students seized her.

We learnt she was tied up, striped naked , beaten up and then a boy slit her throat with a knife, while this was going on, some other students went to burn her car, they brought the spare tire of her car, put it around her and set her ablaze.

After this, they also tried to kill her 10 month old baby, but thank God for a brave woman that agreed to sneak the baby out under her cloth.

It was also more saddening to hear that she had tendered her resignation and the 21st of March (the day she was brutally murdered) was to be her last day at the school. Her husband had secured a job appointment at the Federal Medical Centre in Abeokuta of Ogun State. Her husband was to pick her from Gandu in the last week of March.

I came across a ministry that are involved in seeing that justice is done concerning the deceased and her family, they have been fighting, praying, meeting and going lengths.... The details of her gruesome murder is here

I remember 'Toyin…….,we served (our 1 year National youth Service Corps program me, NYSC) together, we were in the Nigerian Christian Coppers Fellowship (NCCF) together.

'Aunty' we fondly called her, (she was the Assistant Secretary General of the NCCF, Lagos branch). I remember her agility… she was always up and doing and was very firm.

I remember the last time I was opportune to see her, she was gaily dressed (on her way from a function), we were at an alumni meeting, she was explaining she was now at Gombe state, (her husband had been transferred to work there). We all were discussing ideas of jobs she could do there, business opportunities in Gombe state etc......I didn’t know that was the last time we would see on this side of eternity.

Her death really troubled me and every time I remember how she was wasted I shudder.

I am not sure if the real perpetrators have been brought to book, or if her family has been given an official apology or if her children would see evidences that our nation was genuinely concerned and is sorry for the unfortunate incident that happened to their mother.

I am not sure if anything as been done to sanitize the society and children especially of the value of human lives and how it can never be right or justifiable to take another person's life in the name of religion.

I pray her death will not be 'for nothing', I pray her children will grow up and live in;

- A country where a lot of value is placed on a human being's life.
- A country were the barbaric and senseless killings of people in the name of religion would cease.
- A country where people respect the rule of law and where the law prevails

- A country that has laws that protect the right of an individual to life.

- A country where they could freely choose to live anywhere, walk anywhere freely and freely make friends without fear of being prejudiced, segregated, ostracised or even mobbed

I spoke with her husband not too long ago, (they are holding up fine he said), the family launched a foundation in her memory. Her children are doing very well.

We take consolation in the fact we believe Oluwatoyin has gone to better place, where she is watching, smiling, resting and waiting.

Oluwatoyin, we believe you lived for a cause, Good bye till we meet again at the side of our Lord Jesus!

Adieu!

NB: A lot was written and said about her death like here, and here

Episode 'Goat Vs Nigerian Police"

I was shocked, overwhelmed, flabbergasted and even 'flagabasted' when I saw this news title "Police parade goat as robbery suspect" eh! for where ? how come? that can't be true! lai-lai! haba! a goat--robbery suspect! when did this world come to that? etc........

My friend sent me the news link here yesterday, since I read it I have not stopped wondering about a lot of things.........

A goat (abi na ram) has been arrested for attempting to steal a car!....ok the gist is that a man was caught attempting to steal a mazda car and while he was about to be apprehended, he turned his back to the wall and turned into a goat! and the goat has been arrested and would be kept in police custody till all investigations have been concluded.

In as much as I do not doubt our super abilities in Africa; to turn a stick to a human being and turn a human being into a tuber of yam, I also know we have the best air force one technology; we can fly at night to anywhere under any weather condition, etc but our police for shame small, and think twice before parading a ram about as a robbery suspect!

Well, I had fun thinking about it over and over again, imagining the police men dragging about a ram (and you know how sturbborn Nigerian goats can be), to court house, to televesion houses, to and fro the police station, to press conference centres etc. I really do not envy the Police Public Relations Officer that was saddled with the responsibilty of informing the public.

So my people, I have some questions:-

• Will this goat be charged to court for robbery?
  
• If it is charged and it is found guilty, how will it serve its purnishment? .......starve the goat? beat it till it can't bleat again.....or better still till it starts shouting 'ye' 'ye'..or 'ouch' 'ouch' like a proper human being ( that it is supposed to be)?
  
• Can it be proven that true true this goat was a man before now? as we know the forensic technology capability (or prowess) of the Nigerian Police.
  
• And if it is true that the goat was a man, can this skill be harnessed, the technology developed, so that we can be the exporter of the 8th wonder of the world, and then some of us can just turn into a mosquito ( whenever we like) and enter anywhere without any inhibition/restrictions.etc...a lot of things are running through my mind.

Please.......help me to stop wondering............................

Credit Crunch...............(2)

One of the news that caught my eye that morning (over a month ago) was ‘Oil falls below $56 as Japan slips into recession’; my heart sank……

Japan? A whole Japan into recession? Japan is the world’s 2nd largest economy now?

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Meanwhile…..permit me to feel like an economics teacher…….

A recession is a decline in a country's gross domestic product (GDP), or a negative real economic growth, for two or more successive quarters of a year. Credit crunches are usually considered to be an extension of recessions.

A credit crunch makes it nearly impossible for companies to borrow because lenders are scared of bankruptcies or defaults, which results in higher rates.

The consequence is a prolonged recession (or slower recovery), which occurs as a result of the shrinking credit supply.

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All this grammar means there is global meltdown, the world is in financial crisis, there is austerity..........in short 'there is shortage of money all over the world'

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There is recession in the United states, Asia and in Europe, and from all the news and reports, its forecasted the recession would be sustained, I don’t need to bore you with news of recession, or financial crises, record time fall in price of oil or increased terrorism that you are well aware about (after all, our media has been feeding us with no other news but these ills)

.

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While I’m quick to admit that I am not an economist, and I have no professional skills to discuss financial matters……. But after reading so much of people’s comments, fears, forecasts and predictions, I've been forming my own opinion (it's been the same since my last post here on credit crunch-1 )

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For the first time in a lot of years, we are in a ‘direction-less’ world, people are asking where is the safest place to keep ones money? What investment are the wisest to make now? What part of the world would be spared this impending disaster? Where is the world financial power shifting to? There are no answers!…….the hearts of men are failing and every one is just facing the future with dread, caution and in-uncertainty.

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I’ve read that Africa has been ‘untouched’ by the global crisis, but I feel that is just an assumption. I know in Nigeria, even though it may feel like the effect is not that pronounced, the truth is that we have not been spared the effect of the world crisis;

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A lot of Nigerians have lost money in the stock market, the Nigerian stock exchange is crashing by the day, banks are in search of liquid funds, I think the banks would go into depression soon, some bankers may loose their jobs e.t.c

The value of the Naira is dropping gradually (despite the central Bank of Nigeria’s assuring us otherwise) prices of things would go up, cost of living would increse.

Price of oil per barrel has drastically dropped, Federal government is predicting ‘no NEPA”, and with the current drop in real estate……..so many over priced& underpriced properties…little or no cash flow in the society to buy them etc , the list goes on…………………

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Would you permit me to make my own personal submissions thus;

I still want to believe that the recession would not last, I am not trying to be ‘just optimistic’ neither am I shying away from reality or the facts. The realities/facts have stared us in the face these past months…what have we done with them?..NOTHING! …..they’ve only caused our hearts to fail more.

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So, I choose to look up, to the one who made the world, the one who knows all, and the ONLY one that has ALL the solutions to the problems of the world!

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· I choose to believe the report of the Lord, I choose to believe in the prophecies that ‘there would be a lifting up’

· I choose to be optimistic, I should forge ahead in faith and not in fear

· I choose to believe God’s words

· I believe the American economy would improve; I believe God would grant president Obama’s administration the wisdom to make positive changes.

· I believe the world would recover (even though not without a lot of shakings and unseating of some powers that be now)

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I also think this is NOT a time

· To only gist and make comments about the world financial crisis, or shy away from reality; pretending like you don’t know what’s happening.

· To just shudder, sit in hopelessness, just waiting, watching and hoping…thinking "maybe, maybe thing will get better".

· To be scared and start making irrational decisions propelled by fear…'fear and worry have never be known to solve any problem'

· To be selfish or in sensitive…and think: 'whatever is happening in the world does not affect me', ‘I don’t care, me and my household we will survive’ or think you are immune.

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But I think it’s a season

· To spend more time with the one that created you and this world:

· To seek direction; to find out were to go and when to go, what to invest in, where and what to embrace and what to refrain from.

· To make adjustments; we might need to change jobs, businesses, cut down on expenses or change long/short time plans for our families.

· To seek wisdom and counsel, the tread cautiously before making investments and decisions

· To live in faith, to believe that He would not leave us, He owns all the wealth and treasures of this world, and He alone (not even the best financial analyst) determines what happens to world finances!

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I know people all over the world are praying, and I have heard a lot of encouraging prophesies, I also listened to Pat Robertson’s prediction for the year, I’ve read people‘s comments like this here& here and I am also asking God for direction and I believe we would see great things in 2009!

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Even though I agree that it’s a lesson that would shake the world, to remind us that we don’t always have all the answers! and that America may no longer be the world power on finances and world politics……………I choose to believe we would outlast this recession. I must state that despite all I have written I DO NOT KNOW HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE TO RECOVER from the recession. .

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I’m reminding myself that:

Isaiah 60:2. "Darkness will cover the earth and gross darkness the people, but the Lord shall arise upon us and His Glory shall be seen upon us"

Deut 8:18 “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Ps 50: 10 “For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills or upon the mountains where thousands are”

Finally, I should say my thoughts on the global crisis is progressive, I will continue to post as other/different things come to mind on the issue….I really want to say IT IS WELL, (not just a slang to console ourselves) but because I mean it that it will be WELL.

When He appears!

A friend sent the write-up below to me yesterday, reading it I was thinking...'Jesus! my soon coming King' I've been praying that God would help me always remember that a time would come when nothing else would matter.....NOTHING! none of the issues that I hold very dear (or maybe they are holding me), none of the things (legitimate things though) that I am running to achieve today would matter

You know, sometimes in our bid to make a success out of our lives (which I believe is GOd's purpose for us) we run to get all sorts, we loose the ‘real’ focus and tend to forget that we are here temporarily, and that whether we like it or not we would exit this world sometime and give up all ‘these’ things.

I'm praying God would help me live today and the rest of my days with the consciousness that Jesus is coming, and that everything (that I am so consumed in) else will pale in the light of eternity!
and I would hear the words....'welcome faithful servant and daughter'
Enjoy the read.................


"You are in your car driving home. Thoughts wander to the game you want to see or meal you want to eat, when suddenly a sound unlike any you've ever heard fills the air. The sound is high above you. A trumpet? A choir? A choir of trumpets? You don't know, but you want to know. So you pull over, get out of your car, and look up. As you do, you see you aren't the only curious one. The roadside has become a parking lot. Car doors are open, and people are staring at the sky. Shoppers are racing out of the grocery store. The Little League baseball game across the street has come to a halt. P layers and parents are searching the clouds. And what they see, and what you see, has never before been seen.

As if the skies were curtains, the drapes of the atmosphere part. A brilliant light spills onto the earth. There are no shadows. None.From every hue ever seen and a million more never seen. Riding on the flow is an endless fleet of angels. They pass through the curtains one myriad at a time, until they occupy every square inch of the sky. North. South. East. West.Thousands of silvery wings rise and fall in unison, and over the sound of the trumpets, you can hear the cherubim and seraphim chanting, Holy, holy, holy.. The final flank of angels is followed by twenty-four silver-bearded elders and a multitude of souls who join the angels in worship. Presently the movement stops and the trumpets are silent, leaving only the triumphant triplet: Holy, holy, holy. Between each word is a pause. With each word, a profound reverence. You hear your voice join in the chorus. You don't know why you say the words, but you know you must.

Suddenly, the heavens are quiet. All is quiet. The angels turn, you turn, the entire world turns and there He is. Jesus.Through waves of light you see the silhouetted figure of Christ the King. He is atop a great stallion, and the stallion is atop a billowing cloud. He opens his mouth, and you are surrounded by his declaration: I am the Alpha and the Omega.
The angels bow their heads. The elders remove their crowns. And before you is a Figure so consuming that you know, instantly you know:
Nothing else matters. Forget stock markets, office reports, and your family even, nothing else mattersAll that mattered, matters no more.... for Christ has come."

and 'OUR' Obama won!!

............. and Barrack Obama won!
I really wanted to post something else today.....but I cant!
I thought of ignoring all the excitement, disscusions, euphoria &celebrations of Obama's win....I cant!
I wish I can pretend I am not infected with the Obamamania........I cant
so, I decided to help my self with some dose of Obama's positivity.... Yes! we can! Yes , we can! Yes can!

so....I am also commenting on the win! and......... yes! I can!
When I started to watch the drama series '24', (24 is an award-winning American action drama television series. Broadcast by Fox Network in the USA) and the way senator David Palmer (played by Dennis Heysbert), the democratic presidential candidate suprisingly won the elections, against all odds and became America's first black president, I kept telling myself that America would soon see a black man as president, even though I didnt know Obama then (though I must confess here, Obama was not my choice candidate initially) and in all the series that has been aired till date, President Palmer has been the best leader American has had...
and now I can see that the 7th season that woudl be aired, would feature the first female president (and she is white!.............I am not suggesting anything o)

A lot of people have been writing, and sayign a lot, all night parties, rallies, speeches, artists relasing new songs for Obama, I learnt kenya govetment declared a work free day to celebrate, and trust Nigerians....Naija no dey carry last! everybody is now Obama's friend and brother, saying they knew he would win and I have gotten a lot of mails and SMSs from people 'attaching' to Obama, now they know thier father's first cousin's wife brohter is a step brother to Obama, this is an exmapleof an SMS I got yesterday:

" Swearing- in party for our son at 'our' family house in Washigton
Aso oke + Ankara = $6,500
Fila (cap) only = $2500

( no credit sales)

Olufunmi Obama for the family"

while I am enjoying the whole drama......all over the world, there are 2 major things I have learnt from all of this:

- I totally agree with the saying that if you can conceive something, you really can achieve it, All things are possible ( interestingly that has been the sermon in my church for the past 3 weeks that.....with God, ALL things are possible).
my faith is rekindled, my hopes are renewed..........I'm working on my faith walk.

- When its your time, everything, would work for your good , the present econmic crises, some of Obama's competitors errors (I am not taking away the credit from Obama, he is really a great person, I respect him) and American's displeasure ( I should say depression) with the present admisinistration/the Republicans found them looking for anyone that could promise them change and give them something different to look forward to.

Although there are some skepticisms here and there; if his presidency would really make any difference, some are wondering about his foreign policy experience, etc.
I choose to look at the bright side and be hopeful and we congratulate 'our brother' president Obama.
Nice weekend!

My Life, my career???????????????? (part 1)

Laughing at my self……..noticed my new habit of writing things in parts; well…..what can I say? its just that when I start to think of an issue, ideas swell up in my mind of how/what to write, I think of this, …and then think of that, before I know it my mind is overwhelmed with all sorts, and to be able to put them all down, I try to sort and write out bit by bit……..

Am I doing the right job? Is this what I would want to/should do for the rest of my life?
These are lyrics that have been over sung over the years I’ve also found myself, friends and others ponder, wonder and ask…..am I on the right career part? Am I in the right industry? Am I marrying the right person? Am I doing the right business? etc
While there are a lot of reasons for these uncertainties, I have tried to sum up the major concerns; which are;
· financial security ( for ‘ever’ and ‘ever’ and ‘ever’)
· for some its fulfillment ( especially with all the motivational talks and preaching on ‘life of purpose’ ‘destiny’ etc)
· and some are concerned about job security /the continuous relevance of their field or industry, business or ministry
· Social acceptance/relevance ( which in my opinion stems from the above issues)

My first comment is one that is very obvious and probably over flogged;

1) If we really have the desire for change, if we’re convinced we should leave our comfort zone (if there is need) to pursue what we think we should/would like to have (ironically a lot of intelligent people I’ve met know this fact but have rarely taken any step towards anything in recent years)………….and that brings me to point number 2

2) Have we been able to ‘know’ what we want? What to pursue……….,?

We all don’t have leave our present jobs for another job, we all also do not have to resign from paid jobs to be entrepreneurs or go into full time ministry, we all do not have to start that business or marriage proposal now nor have those children now, but I think WE ALL HAVE TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER OURSELVES! (And I think our creator too) THAT WE’RE WHERE WE SHOULD BE AND DOING WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING ‘NOW’!

(I’m laughing, looks like I have written too much ‘grammar’, I should stop here)

I read this long ago (don’t remember who the author is), I edited it a bit, mine in italics

“Do you feel like there's a huge gap between your present job and your ultimate career destination? You say, "Yes, I'd like to be a teacher, but that means I'd have to go back to school and finish my degree. That would take years!" "Sure, I'd love to switch careers, but this job has security; I don't think I could take the risk." "It would be fun to try and market my own product, but I don't know how to get started." The excuses pile up like dirty dishes in a sink; it feels like it would take too long, cost too much, require too many sacrifices to get from point A to point B. Whether it's going back to school, starting your own business or entering the ministry, the temptation is to always put it off until another time. Maybe when my wife gets a job, maybe when the kids are grown, maybe when I get this promotion, maybe, maybe etc

How do you overcome the fear of starting? You reach big goals by taking small steps! While it's tempting to think that the amount of time required is too long, those days and years will pass - whether you're pursuing your goal or not! God wants you to heed His call, to show up for duty and leave the provisions - including the time, money, open doors, favorable relationships and material resources - to Him. If you do your part, He'll do His. The Psalmist writes: "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps 84:11). Just trust God and take the first small step!”

What do you think? I would continue my own thoughts in part 2.........................................

Credit Crunch 1

I've been wondering about the new 'slang' all over the world, credit crunch (sounds like some nice biscuit to me :-)crunchie crunchie crunchie)
I find the whole thing unexplainable and very intruiging and I want to express 'my own opinion' (even though I dont know so much about economics, emerging market, financial graphs and all those things the guys in designers suits say and do on wall street, and please dont quote me like McCain o)

but then I came across this story( I enjoy stories sometimes) I found it interesting and somehow related;
Enjoy..........................

The Stock Exchange Market; Monkey Business!!!
Once upon a time in a village, a man appeared and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each.

The villagers seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest, and started catching them. The man bought thousands at $10 and as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort.

He further announced that he would now buy at $20. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again.

Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer increased to $25 each and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey, let alone catch it!

The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50.
However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now buy on behalf of him.

In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers. "Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at $35 and when the man returns from the city, you can sell them to him for $50 each."

The villagers rounded up all their savings and bought all the monkeys.

Then they never saw the man nor his assistant again, only monkeys everywhere!

Now you have a better understanding of how the stock market works!

Let's all pray for the return of the man and his assistant soonest, otherwise................................!.


I will be back with credit crunch part 2....hopefully that would be soon