₦airaland Forum

It is January and very soon , the African footballer of the year 2013 will be named in Lagos Nigeria precisely on the 9th of January. The player to be crowned with this feat should however be very much evaluated and deemed fit to earn this prestigious honour because his personality on the field of play either in the national team or club will go a long way in speaking for African football.

CAF released the final 10-man shortlist of the contenders of this prestigious award last year and interestingly, four Nigerian players made the list. Many Nigerians and even Africans have however tipped John Obi Mikel as the possible winner evident from the fact that he won the Nations cup last year, Europa cup in Europe, participated in d Confederations cup and so on.

MY VIEW
As a Nigerian and a proud African, I see it as not just underscoring but extremely insulting to African football if a player like Mikel wins the award. How can a mere bench warmer in Europe be crowned the African footballer of the year just by virtue of the fact that his national team wins a title or his club wins the European league?

A deserving footballer of the hear should be such that is very resourceful both at home and in clubs. A reigning footballer of the year should at least even make the top three best player in his club even if he doesn't get a spot in the FIFA ranking.

Mikel Obi surely can't make the best ten in Chelsea's team despite being a senior player. I'm of the view that its better not to name anyone the footballer of the year than titling a bench warmer in Europe, what a mock, an insult I can't tolerate as an African.

Nigerians should be please stop being sentimental, selfish and self centred and canvass for a better representative for African football.

Left to me, if at all a Nigerian merits the award, it is Vincent Enyeama, the Nigeria's assistant skipper at goal but Cote d'Ivoire's Yaya Toure surely represents Africa better.

What's your view?

What is TCN?

MY JOURNEY TO ISLAM
By Maya Crizel Dorado
Assalamu alaykum! My name is Maya, 25 years old and here’s my story on how I
became a Muslim.
This story is basically divided into three parts:
(1)My life before Islam
(2) How I became a Muslim
(3) My life as a Muslim
I’ve written this with the intention of inspiring other people and somehow be a
way of calling our not-yet-Muslim brothers and sisters to check out this beautiful
religion, Islam.
My Life before Islam
I was brought up as a catholic, though my immediate family are not active on
church and religious activities. Coming from a humble background, we are not
very fortunate to have everything we want growing up, but Alhamdulillah (all
praise be to Allah) with my parent’s help and by working at McDonalds for quite
some time, I was able to finish my Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science
(2008).
Typical girl on her early 20s who is socially active was rarely home, I only gave
credit to myself, it was all about me me me. I was ungrateful; I would always
want more, never contented.
My life was just about having fun, I always love my family but I didn’t care about
them enough, more so ever since my dad died (2008). I was all over the place! I
have a job but my life has no clear direction.
Also in 2008, when I was working for a research company, I had quite a lot of
born-again Christian friends and I got exposed to their beliefs and eventually in
2010, I accepted Christianity as my religion.
However, the strange thing was, subhanAllah even when I accepted Christianity
and that pretty much equates accepting Jesus as my savior, for some reason, I
never really prayed to Jesus, ever. I remember when I was praying at that time, I
always prayed to God, one God (not with Jesus in it, not with the trinity god).
Don’t get me wrong, I love Jesus, even more now.
I practiced being a born-again Christian for like two or three months, I think. I
would always go to church on Sunday, attend some group for sharing and bible
reading, I lessened drinking and refrained from partying. However, that didn’t last
because I still don’t feel complete deep down. don’t really grasp what it means. It
made me even more confused. So I stopped practicing and went back to my old
self.
Islam never really crossed my mind at that time. But I think I suffered from this
terrible disease called Islamophobia back then , because every time I saw
Muslims, I felt uneasy and confused believing what the media said about them.
How I became a Muslim
I met a Muslim crowd who were not practicing one of them was talkative and we
became friends, he had a good character and values. I frequently saw him pray,
he sometimes read Qu’ran, and listens to a lot of lectures on youtube. I remember
he would always listen to Sh. Ahmed Deedat (may Allah grant him Jannah),
sometimes he invites me to join him to listen so I did. I find it interesting and
thought provoking. MashaAllah.
One day we had a conversation, It was about Jesus (peace be upon him) He
asked me about Jesus. I explained it to him with my Christian point of view. Then
he asked me if I really believe that he is God. I couldn’t immediately say ‘yes’
because I know deep inside me, I don’t really feel it. But being me, with my pride
and all that, and just for the sake of argument I said “Yes. I believe that Jesus is
god”. Then he calmly explained to me who Jesus is in Islam and why he can’t be
God…
SubhanAllah! There was something about the way he explained it… I didn’t even
know him to be that articulate!!! But right then and there, everything he said went
straight to my heart like a sharp arrow. JESUS IS NOT GOD! Those are just words
but the effect of it on me that time was too heavy… I was stunned. I froze and
somewhat irritated, I felt cheated and fooled because I believed in this all my life!
My initial reaction was to deny everything that he was saying. I kept on reasoning
and rejecting even though I know that my heart and my brain wholeheartedly
accepted it. It was just my ego that was so stubborn.
I think that conversation was my turning point. After that, I started reading,
watching and researching more about Islam on my own. I’m working as a
researcher so it was easy for me to dig more, though he was still helping me. He
set up an appointment for me to meet a person with more knowledge about Islam
around his area so I can ask some questions, so I did and Alhamdulillah I was
satisfied with the answers, it got me more and more inclined to this ‘new’ faith
mashaAllah.
Then months passed, he had to go back to his country and he advised me to
continue learning about Islam. That was the time when I was fully convinced that
Islam is the truth, though I was still asking for a sign. I knew that our relationship
was haram, and I also want to prove to myself that I am not embracing Islam for
him, that he had nothing to do with it. I came to a point where I asked Allah to
and give me inner peace and that would be enough sign for me. And
subhanAllah!!!! I felt better and relaxed although I lost a great friend.
The 29th of December 2012, I called the couple who helped me on learning Islam,
mashaAllah they helped me with a lot of things all throughout my search (may
Allah bless their family). They took me to a masjid in Sucat, that was after Isha
time when I read my shahadah (declaration of faith).
“La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah (There is absolutely no deity worthy of
worship except Allah, and Muhammad peace be upon him is His messenger.)”
I couldn’t even say the words right, tears kept on gushing from my eyes, I can
also see my friends crying out of joy. Allahu Akbar! I feel light, like I can fly… No
exaggeration but it was a surreal moment. I felt loved, blessed and the mercy of
The Creator is just undeniable at that very moment, words just can’t explain how
I felt at that time.
My life as a Muslim
This is where the real journey begins…
So I embraced Islam as my religion and way of life, I am a Muslim and I am not a
terrorist. I think that was the best thing that ever happened to me, the most
valuable gift that I have ever received from The Creator. It was the true ‘born-
again’ feeling. All my sins from before was erased and I started all over again
with a clean slate. Not just able to start a new chapter, but a completely new
book.
Slowly slowly, I started to learn the basics… First, the Salah (prayer) which took
me few weeks to memorize and understand. That same couple thought me,
alhamdulillah now everytime I pray, they get some reward from Allah(swt)
MashaAllah!
My family has always been supporting me. Before I embraced Islam, I told my
Mom (actually just the night before my shahadah) that I will be embracing Islam.
Ofcourse her initial reaction was negative, then I explained that I was sure and
that I have been looking at it for quite some time, so she just trusted me and let
me be. When I came home after the shahadah, I was wearing the headscarf and
they said “So you were serious about it, huh?” I said “Yes! This is not just a
fashion statement!”. I know it was not easy for them to accept it and get used to
it as it was hard for me, but by the help of Allah, everything went well after some
time. Actually now, my Mom thinks that all the change was for the better because
I totally stopped drinking and partying, I frequently go home and spend quality
time with them, I told them this is because of me being a Muslim, this is what
Islam requires us to do. To always be a good person. They respect my newly
embraced belief. They don’t eat or cook pork when I am there, and my Mom even
prepared my Sahoor and Iftar when I spent Ramadan at home. I can feel their
support, I am so blessed and in sha Allah, hidayah (guidance) from Allah will also
reach their hearts. That is my ultimate duaa (prayer).
My friends, I also told them about my plan to embrace Islam and Alhamdulillah,
they were all very supportive and understanding. I lost some friends too but, it’s
okay. That’s when I realized that when we give something up for the sake of
Allah, He will help us and make things easy for us, everything we lost will be
replaced with something soooo much better. We just have to submit and trust
Him subhanahu wa ta’ala. True enough, at that time I made a duaa to Allah to
bless me with more friends that has the same beliefs and goals as I have and
Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alamin!!! Now I have a looooot of sisters and brothers (not
just friends, but family and there are over 1.7billion of us!) who are helping me to
practice better and supporting me with everything! I can’t be grateful enough to
have people around me who also strives to be better and keeps on reminding
each other about Allah and our real destination. May Allah protect us, make it
easy for us, and guide our family and friends to the right path. Ameen.
I am currently working as a Lead Generation Researcher in Alabang and I think,
Allah being Al-Kareem (The Generous) has blessed me with the best employer,
Alhamdulillah. When I embraced Islam, I immediately told my bosses and I
informed them that few things will change and I asked their permission if I can
pray somewhere in the office… Allahu Akbar! They gave me permission to pray at
the server room!!!! Even until now, I can’t thank them enough for the kindness and
support that they are showing me, may Allah make the company proper, may
Allah increase us in knowledge and give us proper understanding. Ameen.
Allah grant me courage to immediately put on a head scarf just right after my
shahadah. Allhamdulillah. I know a lot of sisters are still struggling to put/keep it
on. One of my advocacies is to support our not-yet-hijabi sisters and try to
inspire them to wear a hijab by trying to be a good example. Let them take their
time. Each of us has different struggles, let us try not to judge but motivate each
other with kind words and actions.
SubhanAllah, just recently, I was asked to be a part of an organization which has
a mission that’s really close to my heart, the New Muslim Care Philippines. We
are an organization focused on providing support services to Filipino individuals
who have newly accepted Islam. May Allah bless us and inspire us to play our
part in such a way that will benefit then ummah. Answered prayer indeed.
ISLAM gave me REAL freedom by worshipping The One True God, our Creator, no
partners, no son, Sufficient and in no need of any help. The only One worthy of
our worship and submission, He is ALLAH. He is The Master, I am His slave and
that is the highest and most honorable position one can ever achieve, ever.
To all my not-yet-Muslim brothers and sisters who might end up reading this, I
invite you all to check out Islam. Just like the first revelation that came to the
prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through Angel Gabriel, he said “Read.”
Read and search about the Qur’an. Don’t just rely on what the media and the
society is teaching you. Don’t be afraid, there is nothing to lose but so much to
gain. In sha Allah.
I pray that Allah accept all our efforts and that He give us more beneficial
knowledge. I also pray that He inspire us to strive more and follow the Qur’an
and the sunnah.
May Allah guide us all to the straight path. Ameen.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=599293856786245&substory_index=0&id=137173459664956&refid=28&_ft_=qid.5963266682779340514%3Amf_story_key.7649090455649701508

CHRISTIANITY
The bible itself was created from a voting procedure.
The name 'bible' neva appeared just for once in ds book.
A 'holy' book wt different nd numerous versions all over d world.
"Christianity", d religion they claim to practise neva appeared in their "holy" book.
Different denominations, different beliefs, yet they hide under d phantom name ,Christianity'.
mmm...Baba God dey watch.....

# Team Name P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Arsenal 19 13 3 3 37 18 19 42
2 Manchester City 19 13 2 4 54 21 33 41
3 Chelsea 18 11 4 3 33 18 15 37
4 Everton 19 10 7 2 31 18 13 37
5 Liverpool 18 11 3 4 43 21 22 36
6 Manchester United 19 10 4 5 32 22 10 34
7 Newcastle United 19 10 3 6 29 24 5 33
8 Tottenham Hotspur 18 9 4 5 19 24 -5 31
9 Southampton 19 7 6 6 26 20 6 27
10 Hull City 19 6 5 8 22 23 -1 23
11 Swansea City 19 5 6 8 24 25 -1 21
12 Stoke City 18 5 6 7 18 26 -8 21
13 Aston Villa 19 5 5 9 18 25 -7 20
14 Norwich City 19 5 4 10 16 32 -16 19
15 West Bromwich Albion 19 3 9 7 22 27 -5 18
16 Cardiff City 19 4 6 9 15 30 -15 18
17 Crystal Palace 19 5 1 13 12 28 -16 16
18 Fulham 19 5 1 13 19 41 -22 16
19 West Ham United 19 3 6 10 18 28 -10 15
20 Sunderland 19 3 5 11 15 32 -17 14

If it were to be in a nollywood movie, u wouldnt be able to procreate wt ur new wife wch will prompt u to claim ur extra-marital child nd d tussle will be where d drama will dwell.

1 Arsenal 18 12 3 3 36 18 18 39
2 Manchester City 18 12 2 4 53 21 32 38
3 Chelsea 18 11 4 3 33 18 15 37
4 Liverpool 18 11 3 4 43 21 22 36
5 Everton 18 9 7 2 29 17 12 34
6 Newcastle United 18 10 3 5 29 23 6 33
7 Manchester United 18 9 4 5 31 22 9 31
8 Tottenham Hotspur 18 9 4 5 19 24 -5 31
9 Southampton 18 7 6 5 25 18 7 27
10 Stoke City 18 5 6 7 18 26 -8 21
11 Swansea City 18 5 5 8 23 24 -1 20
12 Hull City 18 5 5 8 16 23 -7 20
13 Aston Villa 18 5 4 9 17 24 -7 19
14 Norwich City 18 5 4 9 16 31 -15 19
15 West Bromwich Albion 18 3 8 7 19 24 -5 17
16 Cardiff City 18 4 5 9 13 28 -15 17
17 Crystal Palace 18 5 1 12 12 27 -15 16
18 Fulham 18 5 1 12 19 35 -16 16
19 West Ham United 18 3 5 10 15 25 -10 14
20 Sunderland 18 3 4 11 13 30 -17 13

Mod, update scores now

Premier League P PTS
1 Arsenal 18 39
2 Chelsea 18 37
3 Liverpool 17 36
4 Manchester City 17 35
5 Everton 18 34
6 Newcastle United 18 33
7 Manchester Uni... 18 31
8 Tottenham Hot... 18 31
9 Southampton 18 27
10 Stoke City 18 21
11 Swansea City 18 20
12 Hull City 18 20
13 Aston Villa 18 19
14 Norwich City 18 19
15 West Bromwich... 18 17
16 Cardiff City 18 17
17 Crystal Palace 18 16
18 Fulham 18 16
19 West Ham United 18 14
20 Sunderland 18 13

OLAADEGBU: Which of the Nigerian's medical specialists abide by the hyppocratic oath to uphold the duty of care to preserve life at all cost? And with the instances you've given how many of these contribute to the number of murders you've committed in the name of abortion?

Religion or whatever u believe in has blindfolded u nd has taken over ur reasoning faculty. If at all u re going to commend any country as regards to the constitutional prohibition of abortion, then Nigeria sud be on d front list. Though many of d western countries legalize abortion, it is a crime in Nigeria EXCEPT when d life of d mother is compromised. Any abortion u hear dt is carried out in Nigerian govt hospitals must av met d criteria except in some private hospitals where they re illegally done nd in fact most of those illegal abortions re not done by medical doctors but by nurses nd some other paramedicals.
I advise u to start reasoning autonomously....

OLAADEGBU: Whatever term it is given it is still cold blood murder. Can you give one instance of pregnancy where the mother's life is threatened, and how often this takes place?

"In my 36 years in pediatric surgery, I've never known of one instance where the child had to be aborted to save the mother's life"

-- C. Everett Koop U.S. Surgeon General, 1982-89

Why not quote a Nigerian specialist obstetrician or paediatrician. There are many specialist obstetricians in d western countries dt have neva seen a case of pregnancy induced maternal death nd wud have to fly to a distant developing country to see at least a case before they retire whereas a mere medical student in Nigeria sees it frequently.
Now back to ur question, conditions where d mother's life is threatened include severe pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, preterm rupture of membrane(coz of infection), nd varieties of malignancies(cancers, sarcomas) in pregnancies.

OLAADEGBU: Who told you a 28 week pregnancy has to be aborted? A baby that is born by C/S at 24 weeks will survive and the mother's life will also be preserved. You don't have to commit murder in the pretence that you want to save the life of the mother, both lives can be preserved.

This is y I said u talking ignorantly. In Nigeria, any baby expelled tru d birth canal before 28wks is considered as abortion coz they rarely survive. However, dt age of viability is different in UK (24wks) nd US (22wks). For ur information, any operation 'caesarian' done to deliver d baby before ds age of viability wch is 28wks in Nigeria is not called C/S coz d baby is not even expected to survive, it us called laparotomy. The mother is always d number one priority, so if any pregnancy effect dares threatens d mother's life, get rid of d baby.

OLAADEGBU: GWG said: "Is abortion wrong in cases of rape, incest or when it threatens the mother's life?"

Response:

It's wrong to kill the baby for the crime of the father. If the mother's life is in danger, the standard procedure is to have a cesarean and save the lives of both the mother and child. Not to kill the baby. Incest is against the law, so again, you shouldn't kill the baby for the crime of the father.

Mr fanatic, better stop talking nonsense nd go seek knowledge abt what u don't know. Caesarian in less dn 28wks pregnancy in Nigeria is as good as performing abortion. The hallmark is bring out d baby not caring if it will survive or not if d life of d mother is in danger. In such cases, abortion is highly welcome.

Yea, I've been having having problem wt my phone downloading Mobogenie autonomously anytime I want to download from d web. Does it serve any benefit dn d playstore?

abubaka101: Try MoboGenie. The store allows u watch and download from YouTube. It also gives u access to songs, pictures, games and apps....

Yea, I've been having having problem wt my phone downloading Mobogenie autonomously anytime I want to download from d web. Does it serve any benefit dn d playstore?

He is a boy, u re a woman, tame him. Honestly it's all in ur hands.
Besides, u just joined nairaland today, u sud have been a member a long time ago so as to know more abt Nigeria nd Nigerians.

stan4b: No b who get money dey go withdraw!!!!!!!!

O je maa pray (better begin praying).

What happened to immunity during active service?

ayobami52: as far as i know for now...have rooted almst 5 n9,and no glich..it depend on your wish may be to root or not..you can root it using pdanet and eroot ..

What benefits does rooting present wt?

Pls d real football 13 game dt came wt my tab just stopped working saying I sud download d game again. Why is ds plz?
When I checked d playstore, d app is very bulky, more dn 1gig. The memory I av left for application on my tab isn't up to 1 gig, wat do I do plz or can I download d app on my memory card?
My tab isn't rooted.

Maybe we sud reason ds out.
Why wud all health workers exempting d medical doctors form a union, JOHESU despite d fact dt they all have their individual associations/unions?
What is d motive behind d formation of d union if not to tackle d exempted party, conspiracy??
No shaking NMA......

dan jalingo: Trust Buhari at your peril. from his antecedence as the head of state - how he murdered 3 young men, how he imprisoned the VP and let the president stay at home, the 22 briefcases etc. honestly, he is not a very honest man.

VERY honest men re scarce, him being just an honest man will surfice.
BUHARI ALL D WAY

Promhize: It is not Seun, and I don't understand why he's taking this issue lightly. It is MUKINA2!! I already plan on deactivating my account January cos of ;

I) Tribalism
II) Perceived Political affiliation

I'd rather just read news and get out.

*Sexkillz should have such power, Mukina2 is a tribal, bias schmuck.*

Plz don't just deactivate. U also can seek a storey building nd jump forth. U die a GEJ united fan ds time around. U may also earn a minute silence on nairaland. What a record!

I'm sure buhari won't deny d fact dt he said it unlike our oga at d top.

Alikaxon: Its a wrong asumption that women love doctors. Women don't love doctors because they are doctors. Women love anyman that have achieved, irrespective of profession. There is no preference for doctor. Hit like if u agree.

are u a woman?

[quote author=Alikaxon]Its a wrong asumption that women love doctors. Women don't love doctors because they are doctors. Women love anyman that have achieved, irrespective of profession. There is no preference for doctor. Hit like if u agree.[/quote
are u a woman?

I wonder y people keep corpses in mortuaries stocked among other bodies, I pray my body neva grace dt cold room in decades to come.

Channels.......At last, strike suspended- UNILAG ASUU CHAIRMAN