₦airaland Forum

violent:
The SSS have absolutely no credibility,. . . a complete joke of an organisation which historically has only been useful as a political lapdog---believe them and I'd sell you the bridge my grandad left me in his will!

I remember them arresting Dokpesi and making the loudest noise I've ever heard, about it. . . , they came to courts heavily armed to teeth and told us we can now sleep soundly at night, ----the culprit has been found, and they have a tangible evidence to back their hunt - a text message reportedly saying "Oga, na we do am". . , not funny believe me!

Fast forward 13 months and several bombings after. . . .now they have the real culprit. . .and as expected, they have their evidence. . . .a volunteered statement provided by a "remorseful leader" of a sect who have relentlessly killed/maimed Nigerians in their thousands. . .the same sect who have turned our daily lives to a living nightmare!

If you are not asking what's the catch, then it may be a sign that you are an idio[i]t[/i]!

13 months after, with the same lazy brains working at the SSS. . .using the same outdated technology. . .under the leadership of the same r[i]e[/i]tarded president. . .combating an increasingly relentless violent sect?. . .

If someone is not producing some damming evidence, besides this annoying "he said, they said", then we are simply on that same spot we were 13 months ago, only this time, weaker and likely dumber!

Exactly!

It all looks like a Nollywood movie to me.

Maybe when the SSS has earned my trust, I will start believing them.

Great move, though done in a completely inappropriate way.

http://kudizone.com/blog/2011/11/23/farida-waziri-left-it-behind/

Hi Nairalanders,

We are working on a [url=http://kudizone.com/forum/index.php/topic,755.0.html"]Kudizone List of the Most Influential Nigerians on the Web[/url]. Please nominate your choices. You can do that by replying to this thread. You can also nominate using the link above. Please state who you are nominating and why. Possible criteria could be (but should not be limited to):

Facebook Fan base
Followership on Twitter and other social media
Blogs/website
How viral their online statements are
How much they affect trends on the web in Nigeria

You can nominate as many people as you want. After the nominations, a committee will evaluate based on nominations (and research) to choose the best 10.

So, start nominating!

I think this is worth reading especially for everyone on Nairaland:

http://kudizone.com/blog/2011/11/21/finally-revealed-how-pastor-e-a-adeboye-became-so-rich/

Please read and post your comments.

Wow!

Reuben Abati is,

goooooooood!

Very good as a writer. He raised a very important point and did it masterfully.

I can't but wonder why he is now the official spokesman (Liar-in-Chief) of the presidency.

If you don't understand how paid advertising (especially ppc) works, you may lose a lot of money and achieve nothing. This post will help you. But you should also note that with the web, "free" with "persistence" and "hardwork" may equal to good results. So, don't disregard free advertising completely.

Even 'Yahoo-Yahoo' is hard work. So is ritual money If you don't believe, ask those who are doing it.

For honest and detailed financial information, visit the Finance and Investment portal and join the forum.

Whether online or offline, money flows in the direction of value. You can read this post for how to make money online:

http://kudizone.com/blog/2011/07/05/how-to-make-money-online/

Both options are fine.

However, from experience, if you really wanted to start a business immediately after school, you should have started it while in school even if on a small scale. Business requires taking risks and having experience. While you are in school, you can afford to lose money (especially when the business is small) and run to your parents. You would also be gaining experience and skill while being shielded from the real world. But once you are out of school, you have to cater for yourself. It becomes more difficult to start at that stage.

The other alternative is to pick up a job and work on your business alongside. The job grants you some form of backbone and helps you stabilize financially while you are getting your ground on your own business.

But guess what? If you are really business minded and you are not ready to follow the usual trend of waiting until the age of retirement, plunge into it fast and face it before you even get married. You can bear hunger alone and pay the price. But once you have responsibilities to cater for (such as a wife and family), it would become irresponsible to just quit your job and follow your dreams if you don't have a good pile of cash somewhere.

Visit Kudizone for business tips and information.

I think Eyowo might go very far. There is a post comparing payment gateways (including Eyowo) here:


http://kudizone.com/blog/2011/10/13/how-to-accept-nigerian-cards-on-your-website/

I think you should read this:

Who Really Wins on YouWiN?

We shouldnt be too quick to tear down the scheme.

drlumi@kudizone.com

bossinie:
Adding value is what any business that will thrive is all about & Google is truly ahead in this crusade no doubt.What i am saying is that we need to look beyond the now to the future in the overall interest of our Nation and it's economy.

I have consistently blamed our leadership for it's failure in effectively creating and enforcing policies that seek to protect our indigenous companies from being over-run by foreign ones with bigger financial & technological strength.

Frankly,i support Google's investment in Nigeria but i do not support our government giving them the kind of access that will be detrimental to the survival of our indigenous companies.
Also there should be a compulsory ideological sharing platform for the effective transfer of technology.

Exactly! It would be stupid to scare them off as we could do with some foreign investments. But it would be even more stupid to bring them in without setting limits. We would end up sacrificing our local companies.

Just by the way, ever studied how the slave trade started? White men came to Africa with mirrors and other "products" that our fore-fathers felt were good for the "economy". They welcomed the British and granted them unlimited access because they wanted more of these goods. Soon, the British men found out that by utilizing the greed of some of our fore-fathers, they could get them to sell their own kinsmen. The Whites didn't conquer us through a real war. They conquered us because they divided our forefathers through investments that only baited their greed. The British, even with their weapons, were not large enough to have ruled all the nations they ruled. They ruled them by subtle entry, gave gifts to the kings, gave the people wine and mirrors, even started schools for them, before long, they had infiltrated thoroughly. Then, they came with guns and since they were already well integrated into the systems, it was no more possible to resist them.

I think my point has been made.

Clearly, it is a fraud. GEJ definitely wouldn't have the time to type away on Facebook. Without meaning to be condescending to him, I doubt if he even knows how to operate the account.

It is normal for someone in his position to have someone- or a team- taking care of such matters. But it is a lie to claim that he is the one doing it. If you check through Obama's website, you will be told clearly that it is funded and updated by a group (his campaign organization or so). Same goes for his Twitter page. The Tweets composed by Obama himself are indicated to show that he wrote them himself. All other ones are written by his team. I guess it would be the same for his Facebook page.

That is how it is supposed to be. We don't expect the President to spend all his time on Facebook. But we don't expect him to claim he does when he doesn't. Imagine a president coping with bomb blasts also having the time to tell us about Oronto Douglas. It's not realistic. I can even remember a time when GEJ said something contradicting what his FB status was and he had to ask people not to attribute to him, things he didn't say. A simple acknowledgement that the page is run by so and so would do him a lot of good.

I don't support this at all. I think it is even 'unchristian'.

Yet, I can't but say that it is inevitable because that is what we are driving Nigeria to. When defending a policy like Islamic Banking (that simply could have been non-interest Banking), many people claimed that Christians had universities and so on. We are, by our policies and laws, deliberately dividing this country further on the lines of religion. If I have to call myself a "Mallam" to gain a loan from a bank because it is "Islamic", then perhaps, you should have to call yourself an "Anglican" to gain admission to a school because it is "Christian".

I don't support it. But Nigeria claims to be non-biased on the basis of religion and then in the same breadth, we encourage one over another. It's unfortunate.

I'm surprised at most of the responses here. They show that people don't really understand what is happening (at least, not the big picture). Sure, people are making money from Google through Adsense. That was one of the reasons why Google got liked by most. But the same Google accused Microsoft at a time when they were not this big, even sued, for anti-competition techniques. At that time, Microsoft was the big conglomerate that controlled the tech world. They were using their size to subdue the growth of other companies, including Google. Eventually, the US Justice department ruled against Microsoft and several changes had to be made. In fact, it was ordered that Microsoft should be split into three different companies. Even with those, Google survived only because they were smarter on a new niche- the internet.

The same Google is doing now, what Microsoft was doing then- at least for the internet. Let me respond to a few issues:

softwarezx:
see black  man mentality,dont look for ways whereby you can make a good living out of the opportunities that will be created,people most especially young people are making massive amount of money off the web but in naija we attribute everything to colonalization and what not.are the ruling elites not colonizing us?build a biz for yourself out of this and let the crazies worry about what is not.

Many people have already built businesses around what Google has come to Nigeria to do. All are small. All these guys who advertise web design and hosting on Nairaland are examples. None of them is big enough to effectively compete with Google. Google is offering free hosting, with all their excellent features and you will register a domain for less than what most Nigerian web hosts can give and still make a reasonable profit. Eventually, many of these guys would be forced to crash prices terribly and some of their businesses won't even survive.

E jekwes:
If you don't like d expansion of google, d question i think you should be asking is when will Nigerians start their own search engines, etc.

Nigerians have their own search engines, etc. Nigerians have websites that cover almost anything you have elsewhere in the world. It's just that none is big enough to compete. Guess what? None will ever get big enough when we don't give them a chance and allow foreign companies with unarguably better offers to take over.

E jekwes:
One of the reasons why China and the east asian economies r doing well is because of outsourcing, and other trends like that. It will always to lead technological advancement for it's citizen's. Because these guys are way ahead of us, i think d best we can do is to take these opportunities rather than to let all this technology pass us by. I will say start your own than getting angry, but someone will say Nigerian's will not invest.

If I am right, outsourcing in the context of countries like India and China actually means that local guys (Indians, Chinese) get work from the US and the West, exported to them, not the other way round. It means that they are allowing the differences in their currency to be a plus, rather than a minus for them.

Besides, in China, Google has a hard time. This is because China manipulates it's policies to favour it's own citizens. Google is not China's most popular search engine. Even Facebook is not China's most popular social network. These people deliberately favour their own emerging companies instead of allowing the West to just take control. Ever heard of Baidu? it's the 5th most visited website in the world. It is China's own "Google", encouraged by China's deliberately manipulated laws to keep the real Google China in check. It has little or no relevance outside of China.

So, I agree with the guy who said we lack visionary leadership. If having a fairly popular website that makes money through Adsense is enough for you, that's fine. I do too, so I am not anti-Google. But I also know that there comes a stage when a company becomes so big that it can easily gain a monopoly of everything it touches. In the US, there are laws and other relatively strong companies to checkmate that. In China, there are laws and a government that won't sell out to the West. In Nigeria. . .

I don't see any long term benefits except for Google. It is colonization- nothing else.

If we are not careful, they will use the might and technology of Google (which alone is bigger than all our banks put together) to deliver services at prices and with features that our local producers in the web market can not match. before long, they will push us out of the market.

I think we need to start worrying about the effects now. We are putting a whole emerging industry at risk. I read this morning that Nigeria has the second highest issues of software piracy. We have similar records for internet fraud ("Yahoo Yahoo". Guess what? When they kill the web design/hosting market (or make it almost unprofitable for locals to operate), the same people will publish bad statistics about us and refuse to accept our credit cards.

We better start worrying about it.

yawa-ti-de:
Wow! I didn't know part of Osun's rich culture included roasted corn

yawa-ti-de:
On a serious note, it looks good.  It could use a few changes here and there but overall, it's good.  Your next step should be to do what that guy who did something similar for CRS did - introduce it to the state government and see if they can actually pay you to keep it going beyond your NYSC years.  State governments need more of this.  I am liking the pictures on there.  These are the kinds of things that would make me want to visit Osun.

I am working on that. Actually, the Commissioner for Tourism and Culture seems to like the idea and he has been very encouraging. There is nothing solid yet, though.

yawa-ti-de:
On a more serious note, I would hope that the powers that be in the FG are seeing a site like this.  It is a shame that whereas some state governments have good sites, same can't be said of the FG.  Again, hopefully the SSA on IT can encourage talent and decrease unemployment at the same time by sourcing out people like you to help improve their image online.

I hope so o. If they could just give me the mandate to promote Nigeria's culture and tourism potentials on the web (and provide all I need), they would be surprised at the result within six months. Everyone would be visiting Nigeria, in spite of Boko Haram

Thanks!

joomlaman:
Well done! U try no bi small.
Wishing you a successful service YEAR.

Thanks.

Hi everyone.

I would like you to view this website: www.osunonline.org. It is a part of my personal NYSC CDS project and is meant to showcase the rich culture and tourism potentials that Osun State presents. I believe that as Nigerians, we can not truly re-brand ourselves until we understand and appreciate our own heritage and can showcase the gifts nature has endowed us with to the world. I would appreciate comments (constructive ones), observations and praises . Thanks.

You are right: it's not about the number of pages. Having a good number of pages may be a plus, though. And multi million dollars? That happens only with a clear cut business strategy and in-depth knowledge.

Check this article. It should help.

[url]http://kudizone.com/2011/07/05/how-to-make-money-online/
[/url]
Of course, if you are looking for something that just works without you doing any work (otherwise a scam), it CAN't help!

Dellmor:
The truth is dat Bakare's alliance with Buhari has begun to yield consequences. 1st his house got burnt then take a look at d topic of dis discussion. These ar all happening bcoz he was "unequally yoked"(dat does not mean dat christians should not relate with unbelievers but it just simply means dey shudn't create strong bonds with unbelievers dat can cause dem 2 b influenced negatively), & going by his past utterances concerning Buhari not being meant 2 b d president of Nigeria, he CONTRADICTED himself. D good ting is dat now we all know dat pastor Tunde Bakare is not as holy as we thought & it wud b very sensible 2 start accessing his preachings & prophecies thoroughly b4 accepting dem 4rm now on. I'm not saying he is bad & should b condemned but if one is wise, one will no dat dis thing he did is a reflection of part of his tru character.

Again, I must say that I am not God and I do not wish to determine whether Bakare has offended God or not. But saying that because people are posting bad things, members are leaving his church and his house got burnt- he is facing consequences of his actions: that's really amusing. Have you ever experienced bad things before? Did they come because you sinned?

Jesus was killed in the most disgraceful way possible. Most of the Apostles including Peter and James were brutally murdered. John the Beloved was put in a pot of boiling oil and abandoned on the Isle of Patmos when he didn't die. People like Martin Luther King Jnr, Mahatma Gandhi, JF Kennedy etc. had very rough times and they all died by assassination.

My point is that in history, it is usually the people who know what they are saying and can stand for it that get all the bad things happening to them. It is the price for change. If you can not die for what you believe, you can't change the world. So, him experiencing bad things does not necessarily mean that God is punishing him or he is seeing "consequences".

Dellmor:
The truth is dat Bakare's alliance with Buhari has begun to yield consequences. 1st his house got burnt then take a look at d topic of dis discussion. These ar all happening bcoz he was "unequally yoked"(dat does not mean dat christians should not relate with unbelievers but it just simply means dey shudn't create strong bonds with unbelievers dat can cause dem 2 b influenced negatively), & going by his past utterances concerning Buhari not being meant 2 b d president of Nigeria, he CONTRADICTED himself. D good ting is dat now we all know dat pastor Tunde Bakare is not as holy as we thought & it wud b very sensible 2 start accessing his preachings & prophecies thoroughly b4 accepting dem 4rm now on. I'm not saying he is bad & should b condemned but if one is wise, one will no dat dis thing he did is a reflection of part of his tru character.

jaephoenix:
@drlumi
So '', bb had 2 do what he did''?he had 2 follow 'the old'?he had 2 run with a known islamic fundamentalist who said muslims should vote for muslims, ?he had 2 keep quiet while innocent people r slaughtered? And 2 add 2 that a self acclaimed 'man of God'?
I now believe Nigerians r truly daft.Am ashamed 2 b one

I'm not ashamed to be a Nigerian. As to being daft, it takes a very high level of "daftness" to conclude that a man who runs with a Muslim is a criminal.

Do you read your Bible at all? What is the difference between someone who claims Christianity (but other than attending church once in a while most likely knows nothing at all about how to even be a Christian) and someone who doesn't pretend to be a Christian at all? Have you read the part where God said he preferred a church that was cold to one that was lukewarm? It means that God doesn't like people who sit on the fence. They are the real wolves in sheep's clothing because they don't stand for anything and yet you would think they do. God prefers those who would rather not associate with him and are not pretending about it.

The mark of Christianity is the fruit a person produces, not what he claims. Akala claims Christianity. So does Gbenga Daniel and many of the people ruining this nation. I would rather have a Muslim who stands for what he believes than a "Christian" who stands for nothing at all.

Secondly, there is an important point you have refused to see. When an INEC office was bombed during the elections, I read that most of the people who died died because the police ran away for their own lives instead of rescuing the victims. So there was no prompt medical attention. It is the same thing that happens whenever there is an accident or casualty almost anywhere in Nigeria.

My question is this: if you are so annoyed (justifiably) at the people (who you feel) caused the violence, at least you should allocate an equal part of the blame to those who have controlled our economy for 12 years and yet the police is not working, there is no light, there are bad roads . . . In case you don't see it, people have died more through their actions.

I am not God and I don't wish to determine whether Bakare is guilty or innocent. But at least, I will give him the kudos for trying his best- which is more than I can say for most of the other pastors out there.

canadaik:
well, it's a two way situation in my thinking, pst. bakare wants the best for his country but maybe in his passion for that goal, he pursued it wrongly, wisdom and balance was lacking there,

Hmm. I disagree.

He didn't become VP. Does that mean he failed or pursued his goal wrongly? Absolutely not. Let's put ourselves in his shoes to understand a bit of the intricacies:

You are running for VP against a party like the PDP. PDP is the incumbent president's party and therefore controls a major chunk of the media (whether directly or indirectly). PDP is also renowned for it's unexplainable wealth. They can out-give and out-campaign anybody (and all we would notice is the reduction in our foreign reserves ) Besides, they also have rigging as a trademark.

You want to change the system. Among all the candidates, the only person you feel has a shot at winning is a Moslem. You know that Moslem to be a man of integrity. Although, you have prophesied that this man is not a part of the new Nigeria, it is not because you think he is a fraudstar like the others. So it stands to reason that this guy might be the fore-runner to the actual person that would bring change into Nigeria (because humanly speaking, the PDP doesn't look like that change). Even in the scriptures, a man of the old (John) had to usher in the new (Jesus). King Saul was never God's chosen one, but he had to user in David. In fact, God made sure that David worked with him as oppressive as that regime was to David.

But back to the story. How do you win an election IN NIGERIA without the advantage of looted funds? They had to resort to strategy! Buhari was a name that would sell to the average Hausa. If they could sell that brand well enough, they would get a few people in the SW (enough to meet with the requirements for winning or having a run-off).

There was one small problem, however. How would they solve the problem of rigging? They had to make the opposition realize that no one would stand up for rigging this time. Perhaps in retrospect, they were over-dramatic about it. But if you consider what elections have been in Nigeria, you probably would have done some protesting yourself had it happened again. It didn't help matters that Wikileaks brough Mr Dimeji Bankole's statements to light (saying that he had proof that Yar Adua rigged the elections at the Supreme Court- inferring that Buhari was cheated by the process in the name of encouraging "law and order".

Now, we had the elections. I won't go into the argument of whether it was free and fair. I believe that it was a big improvement and even if it had been perfect, Jonathan would most likely have won. But then, a major force of the North was the Almajiri's. People who are bred to be robots, to think like animals by the society. People who live under unhygenic conditions, suffer malnutrition, have almost zero education and are zombies (I honestly don't mean to be insultive to Hausas). How do you explain to them that peace is the way out when everything they've been exposed to in their lives teaches them about violence?

I am not trying to exonerate BB or CPC. I believe that they did not try hard enough to stop the violence on time. But I also know that most of the rubbish people are saying is hypocritical. The violence was a ticking time bomb. If we must apportion the blame, then we shuld start from the very people who have misused power and made the Almajiris into who they are today. Then next, we should blame the people who turned the Nigerian Police into a den of thieves (do you know that very few people would have died had the police been efficient?). We should even blame the Chief Security Officers of those States and the CSO of the nation because if they claim that violence had been incited before the elections, then they were in position to stop it before it got so bad.

My point again is that if you really look at the situation, Bakare didn't have many choices. He did what he had to do. I don't like the last part of the story, but I would rather have him than most other Nigerians- Pastors included.

reindeer:
Tunde Bakare for me represents what a man of God is supposed to be
not just sitting in the church collecting tithes and organising big crusades to make money.
He is not ashamed to speak the truth he believes in,he stands head and shoulder above most of the other lot
I am just realising that many other christians in Lagos didnt vote for him not because of Buhari as they claimed but because he has criticised their leaders before, he criticised people just buying jets with people's money, hair perming and being cozy with thieves.
Imagine if all other influential(they only are because people are just gullible) ''men of God'' can boldy come out to castigate societal ills , how much better will the country be?
Please leave Tunde Bakare alone, he will forever have my respect as opposed to those just sitting on their bums doing nothing, just comfortable collecting money for their own selfish gains. If i was in Nigeria, honestly i will seek out and start attending his church.
God bless Tunde Bakare

I agree with you.

All those people who are posting rubbish here on Nairaland: where were they when Bakare was marching to free Nigerians from the bondage of the Turai Yaradua? At that time, he was the hero because it looked like what they wanted. It hasn't occurred to most people that while Bakare took a practical step then, many other pastors were "praying".

When Bakare stood up to people like Abacha and Obasanjo, where were they? When his life was in danger, where were all these people?

At least, Bakare has proven that he loves his country. I can't say the same for the people who sit in the comfort of their homes and post insults.

It is not a crime to try something and fail. In fact, the person who tried it unsuccessfully is better off than the one who did nothing.

So, you can sit in your house and turn your laptop into an insult machine. It wouldn't be odd, anyway. Even Jesus rode into the city as a hero. The very next day, the crowd that cheered him was asking for his head. It was then they now remembered that he had said before that he would pull down the temple. . .

The moral of the story is: IF YOU'VE NOT SUCCEEDED WHERE A PERSON HAS FAILED, YOU HAVE NOT EARNED THE RIGHT TO TALK. IF YOU CAN'T BEAT HIS ACHIEVEMENTS OR HIS PASSION, SHUT UP!

tosinaded@:
The uneducated, unemployed and uncivilized Youths in the north, av been killing and wrecking havoc before this election! And they will continue after the election in years to come. . Before cpc, there has been violence and murder, after cpc, it will continues. . .
Until a permanent solution is found!
Those people look 4 any excuse to kill, buhari's loss is just another one for them.
He didnt ask nobody to kill. . .
The other time, a pic of mohammed was used in a cartoon outside naija and people in the northern nigeria started their havoc. . Was tha the fault of cpc?
Before the civil war, when ibos were slaughtered like chickens, was dat cpc also?
The crisis in jos that has refused to end, it also cpc?
The boko haram in borno dat almost cost my life was caused by the lamest and dumbest of reasons! "WESTERN EDUCATION IS SIN" i mean isnt that enuf to show that these peeps are set of not-so-smart people who av been neglected, uncared for, uneducated, uncivilized. . . U need to live in the north, and study how they reason!

Blame buhari and bakare 4 this and u re a coward! I wonder who u will blame for the next crisis in the north, when there is no cpc to push the blame on. . . .

Our govt has failed us, a govt that cant find lasting solution to the ever re-occurent nothern mayhem.

I wonder o.

treasureli:
@ all posters, the link below makes an interesting read

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/guest-articles/pastor-tunde-bakares-disobedience-to-god.html

enjoy

Actually, the article is one of the dumbest I ever read. It is not even scripturally sound (even though so many scriptures are quoted). It sounds like Job's friends telling him he had sinned against God because he had problems. For God's sake, you are not a sinner because things did not work out as planned!

Besides, I thought that God was the one to determine disobedience and unless that man claimed to have been writing by the Spirit of God, he is meddling in affairs that are above him.

Remember Moses. Going by the obvious facts, he had sinned against God by marrying a foreign woman (something God had condemned through laws that he- Moses- gave). Yet, when Aaron and Miriam complained on God's behalf, God was so annoyed that he even struck Miriam with leprosy and told them to go and apologize to Moses. So simply put, the writer should shut up. If Bakare has truly been disobedient, let him sort that out with God. By writing the article, what has he achieved? Has he proclaimed the name of Jesus more or rather condemned on of His own?

EzeUche__:
Remember what happened to the False Prophets of Baal.

I am well versed in the Bible among other things.

[img]http://1.bp..com/-BUxDHyz2HKM/TZtHlvt10pI/AAAAAAAAHCw/N9KQ2-iUo4w/s1600/1%252520Kings%25252018%252520Elijah-Mt%252520Carmel%252520Fire.jpg[/img]

A supposed man of God should not enter politics. Is he not suppose to be shepherds of men who are leading his flock to Christ? Why should he join politics?

My conclusion is that you are not versed in the Bible at all. Looking at it from the angle of logic, why should you blame the Akalas, IBBs and Abachas if good men are not allowed to contest?

Coming back to the scriptures, do you know the meaning of "Be fruitful, multiply and SUBDUE the earth"? Do you know the real meaning of the statement: "thy kingdom come, thy will be done ON EARTH as it is in heaven". Who will do God's will? Abacha or IBB? Do you think God was making a mistake when he said the Israelites had rejected him by even asking for a king (because God preferred that they be ruled by prophets)? Do you even know that the implication of having the Holy Spirit is that everyone is that every Christian is meant to be a "Man of God"? Would you then say that no Christian should be involved in government?

Have you heard at all about Rev. Martin Luther King (Jnr)? Did anyone tell you he was also a pastor?

Church is not all about conducting weddings, burials and thanksgiving services for dismissed governors and politician-ex-convicts. It's also about taking a stand, fighting injustice and "showing your faith by your works". The solution to Nigeria's problem is not just prayer and fasting. It is Men of God bringing the kingdom of God to human beings through practical exemplary leadership. In the days of Jesus, there were no presidents. There were only kings (who were appointed mainly based on lineage) or Roman dictators so if you say Jesus was not involved in politics you are getting it wrong. Besides, do you honestly expect him to spend 9 months campaigning for votes when he had only 3 ministerial years? Why not use examples like David, the man after God's heart who was a king and also a "Pastor"? Or Joshua, Moses. . ,

manugbo:
I ALSO FEEL SORRY FOR HIM.

BUT I WOULD LIKE TO ADVISE THAT HE ENTER INTO HIS SECRET ROOM, TALK TO GOD AND ASKED FOR FORGIVENESS.

ITS NOT JUST AN ORDINARY FIRE.

WHY MUST IT BE NOW?

SINCERELY, HE SHOULD HAVE A RE-THINK CONCERNING HIS WAYSSSSSS

My dear friend, what is wrong with his ways?

People have died and I condemn the killings strongly. But it seems we are being sentimental about this issue.

Pastor Bakare has every right to contest for anything he likes. He is a Nigerian. There is no part of the Bible that states that Pastors should not run for political offices.

Is Pastor Bakare responsible for the years these Alamanjiris have been kept under the darkness of illiteracy and religious extremism? Can we honestly pretend that they are different from the militants in the Niger Delta (who, luckilly are even more exposed)? let's face it. These Almajiris are thee nemesis of years of embezzlement and bad leadership, of a government that prefers to keep them unlearned so as to use them as political tools. So if they revolt, why blame the most convenient excuse?

I teach in a school where there is 'free education'. The implication of that so-called free education is that the students don't even understand English, have no books, If in 10 years, they become thieves and killers, whose fault is it? Are they not being bred from today?

FYI, it is deviants that change the world, not the normal, comliant people. Check out the profiles of Martin Luther King, Gandhi, even Jesus. BTW, find out how many people died in association with each of these people (including Jesus). Does that make them murderers?

History shall show whose right.

Dear Mr President,

I write as a youth corper who has, like most serving members of the Natonal Youth Service Corps, been actively involved in the elections.

I am sure that you are aware, Sir, of our gallant efforts to help achieve our collective goal of free and fair elections in Nigeria. We have worked hard in the spirit of true service and devotion to our fatherland. I am glad that our efforts have been lauded both by your government and the international community. I can confidently state that most of us are proud to be instruments of change and are thankful for the opportunity to serve our country at this critical moment.

It is with dismay however, that we have watched as many of our colleagues have become victims of pre and post election violence, particularly in the North. We have read in the news of an attempt to burn 50 corpers alive in a church. We have also read of incidences of the cold-blooded murder of some corpers. As an individual, I have read Facebook updates from friends, many of whom are stranded and have had to live as refugees in military barracks. Some tell stories of watching as human beings are slaughtered right in front of them. As you would expect, Sir, most of them live in fear, discomfort and have lost all enthusiasm for the electioneering work. Many would give anything to return to the peace of their own states.

It is therefore on this note that I would like to appeal to you, Sir, to reconsider your decision to go ahead with the governorship elections scheduled for Tuesday, 26th April. Although I appreciate the toughness of your stance and assurances on security, I would like to point out that the Northern region is already in a state of high mistrust and volatility. Even the tiniest incident could lead to major upheaval. I want to remind you, Sir, that some of the people whose houses were razed are prominent people of high authority in the North. If they were not spared, how much more youth corpers? Many of the hooligans behind these attacks already consider us to be targets! Besides, I can authoritatively say that a good number of youth corpers are not going to show up at the polling units on Tuesday. If that happens, would INEC conduct emergency training sessions for replacement staff and still have them prepared by Tuesday? Again, with the violence, there is likely to be a low number of voters. This is synonymous with voter intimidation and gives easy room for rigging.

Sir, I am of the opinion that a postponement of at least one week is in order. Funds, security and transportation should also be provided to corp members where necessary. As important as the electioneering process is, I must remind you of your own words: no man’s ambition is worth the blood of others. If the elections should be held on the currently proposed date of Tuesday 26th, it would take a miracle for it not to be the worst in the history of this country. I will willingly join you, Sir, in praying for that miracle. However, it would not matter to the parents of dead, incacerated or missing corp members if the elections actually held or was won by any one. In this case, even a battle between security operatives and thugs might just be the proverbial case of two elephants fighting with the corp members being the grass to suffer the injuries.

Finally Sir, I wish to remind you of one of your campaign promises which was to build Almanjiri schools. As much as I blame everyone who perpetuated this evil act, I must point out that the Almanjiris are merely products of the society in which they live. They are brought up to think and act as they do by the society. If there are no schools, how can we blame them for jumping into unlearned and illogical conclusions? If all the money meant for developing their communities is embezzled by wicked politicians while they are left to hero-worship these same politicains and beg for meals, can we honestly blame them when they revolt? I submit to you Sir, that in order to reap apples, we must plant apples, not tomatoes. Almanjiris are not of any different genetical formation from those of us who are from more previledged parts of the country. The society makes them into who they are.

Today’s violence is but a warning. A warning that if their minds are not developed, they would tear down the nation we have struggled so hard to build.

I thank you, Sir, for your time and wait in eager anticipation of your next line of action.

Yours faithfully,
Olumide Adeleye
NYSC, Osun State
www.olumideadeleye.com | me@olumideadeleye.com