₦airaland Forum

I am a Christian who is not afraid to think.

The idea of a loving and compassionate God who sanctioned mass killings as evidenced in the many accounts cited in the Old testament by the author is still unfathomable to me. It is even more puzzling when the same God will discipline someone who refuses to kill or who decided to show mercy as is the case with the man who Saul the King requested to kill him. The case of the fall of Saul the King is particularly pathetic. He was condemned by God for refusing to destroy the city he conquered and for sparing some individuals and items.

My simple justification (which does not appear convincing, even to myself) was that all these occurred in the Old Testament and that Jesus has brought a new covenant which is not based on the the concept of Israel being the only chosen people. He brought salvation to the whole mankind so we can have access to God. The only question will then be, is the God of the New Testament different from that of the Old Testament?

The idea that Jesus sanctioned killings because of his use of descriptive terms like sword and fire is not only pedestrian, it is indeed laughable. The sword symbolises justice or reward for evil while fire probably means sanctification or purification. It is easy to understand Jesus' disposition to violence as manifested in his forgiveness of the female adulterer (in contradiction to the Old Testament Law) and his condemnation of Peter's ear-severing action when he was to be arrested.

The truth is that on the basis of the Old Testament, I am at a loss as to why a loving and compassionate God will sanction mass killing. But as far as Jesus and the New Testament are concerned, he abhors, condemns and reprimands violence.

I refuse to join this bandwagon and I will rather write ThisDay to commend Dele Momodu for his incisive write-ups. Must you necessarily condemn someone just because you disagree with the person on certain issues?
Even if he was a bit overboard in some of his assertions, I actually agree entirely with Dele Momodu on this last article. Whatever may be his motivation, he has valid points and Sanusi has not handled this latest banking crisis well.
I don't expect intellectuals to join kill-and-go mobs just for the sake of it. This is actually sounding childish to me.

I have a feeling that majority of those who are criticising Dele Momodu are not regular readers of his column. I agree with a few of those who have responded and attested to the guy's brilliance (mbulela and ajibawealt). His problem is only when an issue involves his client, then it becomes difficult for him to say the truth. Many of his write-ups have hit hard at the ruling elite in Nigeria and he is even becoming more of an activist these days as he keeps throwing hard punches. But it all depends on the individuals involved.

If you read his piece last weekend for example, you will see that he is already back to his hypocritical self, trying to defend Erastus and Cecilia, possibly his benefactors. SaharaReporters Perceptor described him as someone with a high "patronometer"; that is, he thrives on patronizing past or potential benefactors.

I lost my respect for him the moment he wrote a piece in his ThisDay column where he warned the British government  to stop investigating or prosecuting Ibori because he did not steal their money and that there might be consequences for British interests in Nigeria if they do not desist.

But all these does not mean that he is not a good writer; only that we all know he has his price.

Thanks sandee575, I think you are right.
But is this the normal practice in airports all around the world? Or it is a Nigerian thing?
Should passengers not be informed of this?

I always prefer to go with Chisco or The Young Shall Grow. And their services are always excellent. Apart from bad roads, robbery incidents, police wahala and sleepy drivers (if you choose to go by night). 

Jokes apart, I arrived Abuja on a KLM flight on August 10, this year and you could not believe what I saw. The runway had no lights and our plane was actually led to the arrival terminal by a pick-up van. So anytime you are going to land in a Nigeria Airport, please pray fervently.

@vigasimple

Your quote:
Now, your WAZIRI due process has been their now for over a year, please show me one of OBJ's friend he has convicted, why didn't they go after OBJ according to your logic if you think he is corrupt.

I don't understand your argument.

Are you saying Ribadu is necessarily good just because Farida is a total failure?

Are you saying Obasanjo is not corrupt just because this regime has not charged him to court?

If yes, you might also say Babangida is not corrupt as no government has ever charged him to court for corruption.

Ponder on these.

Ribadu remains a great pretender.
An evidence of this is the fact that he had never regarded Obasanjo as corrupt even when the evidence is glaring even after he left office. In addition, he never saw anything wrong with the apparent immunity he offered Obasanjo's acolytes like Andy Ubah and Bode George.
As far as I am concerned, this is a guy that tried his best to please Obasanjo, and he really did well in that wise.
Obama ko, Osama ni!

Swine flu has already been in naija for some time. I am surprised people are not aware. I even saw him in Agege two weeks ago.

We are the best: Good people, Great nation.

He will network with other invited fellow African leaders on who their best "babalawo" is and how he can reach him to help predict his future and cure his sickness.

anyone who refuses to fall down under the anointing is possessed!

I ignored it because I know that no matter what we do, people will always die in Nigeria, and they are some people's dear ones.
Take the last 24 hours for instance, in Nigeria, thousands of children would have died from various illnesses, scores of women would have died from pregnancy-related causes, tens of young people would have been lost to road traffic accidents, several others to the conflict in the Niger Delta and hundreds more to other common causes of death like stroke, sickle cell disease, HIV/AIDS, heart failure, tuberculosis etc. And no matter what we do, some of them will be close to some people, including us. It is an equilibrium and nature needs it to ensure balance.
Now imagine a scenario where God decides to answer all the prayers being offered to prevent the death of loved ones, then will people  start living up to 300 years and we won't record deaths worldwide again? How will the world cope with the exploding population? Ladies and gentlemen, death is inevitable.

Last shot: Life expectancy in Nigeria is about 45 years, so don't worry yourself. Those you know, and you, and even Adeboye himself will die sooner or later anyway.
Will someone tell me what is peculiar about 11 pm to 1 am? Is that the exact period when the angel of death strikes?

@Jumobi

maybe there's a benefit to that. Look at it as an investment. ALl these Developed countries are powers because of the interest rates they get from loans. Even broke people invest in stocks

This particular loan is interest-free.

Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of SaharaReporters.

He is the greatest living Nigerian as far as I am concerned.
He has done a lot to expose corruption and bad leadership in Nigeria more than anyone else I know, without compromise.
Andy Ubah, Maurice Iwu, Tinubu, Ibori, Turaki, Abacha, Babangida, Yar'Adua and many others have been shown to be crooks  through the effort of this guy.


@Moderator:
Please rectify the hyperlink to this thread on the home page.
It was wrongly linked and many people might have problems getting here.

This is the link as it is presently:

http://www.niraland.com/nigeria/topic-272576.0.html

I only added letter  "a" to "niraland" and I got here.

THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER

Published May 14, 2009

http://www.punchontheweb.com/Article-print2.aspx?theartic=Art200905142573775

Yar’Adua seeks N’Assembly’s approval to lend Sao Tome and Principe N1.45bn


President Umaru Yar’Adua has asked the Senate to approve a $10m (about N1.45bn) loan to the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe to assist the country in addressing some socio-economic problems.

The President made the request through a letter addressed to the President of the Senate, Mr. David Mark, which was read on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday.

Yar‘Adua, while urging the Senate to approve the $10m grant, said the amount would be sourced from his contingency vote.

He said, ”The Senate President and the distinguished senators may kindly wish to note that the government of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, through its Prime Minister, Dr. Patrice Emery Trovoada, made a request for a soft loan of US$30m from the Federal Republic of Nigeria in March 2008.

”The loan is to assist the government address some socio-economic difficulties in the country.”

According to Yar‘Adua, he had directed the Debt Management Office to evaluate the request and it had advised that the soft loan could be considered based on some stated reasons.

He said Nigeria‘s assistance to Sao Tome and Principe, a strategic maritime neighbour, anchored in the framework of the Joint Development Zone, would strengthen and consolidate the security in the Gulf region.

It would take into account the geopolitics of international oil crisis and economic interest of Nigeria.

He noted that, ”By the nature of the request, especially the emergency that the DRSTP faces and considering the relationship between Nigeria and DRSTP, the soft loan could be interest free, while the loan would be repaid within four to six years.”


COMPARING THE TWO COUNTRIES

INDICATOR                             NIGERIA                  SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE
Population                          148.1million                     0.2 million
Infant Mortality Rate       100/1,000 live births 77/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy                            47 years                     64 years
% of population under nourished 9%                      10%
% of population with access to       
improved water sources               47%                      86%

Source: Population Reference Bureau 2008 World Population Data Sheet


INDICATOR             NIGERIA                        SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE
Under five Mortality Rank 8                                 38
Under five Mortality Rate 189/1,000 live births 99/1,000 live births
Adult Literacy Rate                 72%                                 88%
Primary School Enrolment 63%                                 98%
GNI per capita                 $930                                 $870

Source: UNICEF State of World Children 2009

How come K-Solo still has no single vote even though some guys posted here that he is their choice?
Just wondering.

It is clear to everyone that all Yar'Adua is doing is to ensure that he gets another term. That was why he had to exhume Anenih and place him as head of the Nigeria Ports Authority, which is generally known as a goldmine. That is why he refused the recommendation of the Uwais Panel on the appointment of INEC Chairman as well as the completion of electoral litigation before swearing-in. And that is why, rebranding or no rebranding, the President could not resist the urge to rig his party in for the Ekiti rerun. And that is why, all the stakeholders in the PDP has been telling everyone who cares to listen that YarAdua is the party's candidate for 2011. In fact, it will be suicidal for anyone to think of contesting for the party's presidential ticket in 2011
And that brings me to the fore one issue whihc has been bothering me, which is preferrable, an OBJ whose hypocrisy is obvious, or this gentle snake who pretends to believe in rule of law but allowed the police to be used to rig elections in Ekiti. Who fights corruption but refused to investigate Obasanjo. Who is committed to solving the Niger Delta crisis but keeps Henry Okah in solitary confinement.
With Yar'Adua, I think we may be having the greatest hypocrite that ever ruled Nigeria.

My experience at the Airport Hotel gate is similar to what has been mentioned severally. You count your money, it is short of one note, he insists it is complete, you return it, and he recounts it in your presence and agrees that it is short. He replaces the one note but had surreptuosly taken a bigger chunk off. You fail to recount again. My own trickster had someone nearby (who he pretended to be arguing with) who probably helped him pass off the amount.
The dupe was a Yoruba guy and I still see him every time I pass by the place.
I later found a Hausa customer who always brings the note to my office after we agree on the rate and I never had any problems with shortage or fake notes.
I had also patronized BAT inside the Airport Hotel and they are very reliable.
I will never patronize those guys outside the Airport Hotel gate again and I won't advise anyone to. Even if the money is complete, you can never be sure it is not counterfeit

@becomrrich
If he is Africa america, he can do a DNA test, if the DNA test shows he is from a nigeria ethnics group. He as a right to citizen. Since the nigeria constitution allows for root as the means of showing your citizen. He could sue them too.

For the above idea posted by you, I hereby confer on you a lifetime achievement award as the Comedian of the Federal Republic (CFR).

@ Beneli
Not yet time to cut the balderdash (no insult intended).
I am not implying that it is wrong to go into a profession for the financial rewards it may offer.
I am only saying in present day Nigeria, if you decide to go into medical practice because you think you might get rich, you will be sorely disappointed.

Zerocool,
If you are in medical practice for the money, then you have missed your way.
And while Nigeria's Maternal Mortiality Rate is poor indeed, it is not the worst by an stretch of imagination. Double check your facts

I am not given to all this whining. I am already fed up as it is.

Globally, market forces determine what every one earns.
If you think you are not getting your due, move to those other sectors where you think the pay is adequate. Or to those countries where you think you will get what you deserve. Here in Nigeria, there are doctors working as managers in several of the telecommunications companies and even oil companies, some of them doing non-medical/non-clinical jobs.

When you talk about the stress in medical school, have you studied other courses to compare their own level of stress? What gave you the idea that medicine is the most stressful course ever?

So quit whining and get the skills the world is looking for.

Z400,
The BankPHB website says there are no current vacancies!!!!

This is an update on the goat-robber saga in today's Vanguard (I just wonder how come it is only the Vanguard newspaper that got that exclusive news). It has now been confirmed that the suspect was actually a sheep (and not a goat) like some had observed on this thread.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/27330/43/


Police to sell sheep paraded as car thief    
Written by Demola Akinyemi    
Tuesday, 27 January 2009  
*Vigilante head wants mystery animal prosecuted
The dust raised by the mysterious “sheep” that was paraded last week by the Kwara State Police Command as a suspect in an attempt to steal a Mazda car in Ilorin appeared not to be over as the sheep has refused to eat grass or any other thing but has been feeding only on water since the day it was detained by the police.

The sheep which is still in the custody of the police was said to be a 'robbery suspect' which turned into a sheep to avoid arrest when the suspect met a brick wall as he was being pursued by a vigilance team.

The head of the team, Prince Omoniyi Nasirudeen, however, insisted that the “sheep” should be prosecuted, arguing that it was a human being armed robbery suspect that mysteriously turned to the animal.

He said: “The suspected car thief we wanted to apprehend turned to that sheep, we quickly apprehended it and even alerted the residents who all came out to see it.’’


The sheep suspected to be humanHe further explained that the armed robbers who attempted to steal the car were two and that when they beamed torchlight on them with the intention of apprehending them they ran away and they were  chased until one of them disappeared while the second suspect turned to sheep.

He added that “the suspect was actually a human being and was still running until he was pursued to a corner where he quickly put his back behind the wall with one of the legs and turned to the sheep which was quickly grabbed.”

He said further that the entire residents were immediately alerted to come and see what happened and that one elderly woman among the crowd called the sheep Saliu and later went away.''

When asked if he can still identify the elderly woman and why she was not arrested based on the revelation, he said he could not identify the woman and that she was not arrested because there was no clear link between her and the suspects.

Efforts to get the update of the development as at press time from the head of the vigilancte group proved abortive as his GSM line was not available.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Donald Iroham, said yesterday that investigation has been concluded in the matter and that the animal will be sold off within the next 24 hours if no one came forward to claim it.

The police boss, who addressed a press conference yesterday at the Police Headquarters in Ilorin, explained that the command was being guided by the Police Act part 4 section 3 (1) which states that if any property comes to the custody of the police, the court of jurisdiction may on application sell the item and pay the proceed to police reward fund account.

“We are expecting the court order, then we will put the sheep on sale for whoever is interested to come and buy, if within the next 24 hours the owner refused to come and claim it,’’ he stressed.

The police commissioner, who suspended his yearly leave to address the press, however, described the incident as an embarrassment to the police authorities because it was not possible for such incident to happen in this 24 th Century.

According to him, ''it is not possible for a man to turn to a sheep, it is not scientific, it is not possible, it should be discarded, we are not happy about it at all.’’

Meanwhile, the Kwara State Government has appealed to the people of the state, especially the residents of Ilorin to disregard the alleged mysterious sheep accused of being a man who had attempted to snatch a car.