₦airaland Forum

These days, I feel as if I am evolving. Before, I was a student; I would ask for money for nearly everything: books, provisions, and all what not. Now I am going to be a man. I am going to have to go to work. I am going to have to get married, and then bear children. There will be some little individuals saying: Daddy, daddy; how scary! And when they say daddy, I have to answer, 'Yes, what do you want?' And they will begin to say more scary things: They want school fees! They want food! And how much do all these things cost? Thousands of naira. And at 28 or 29, I have to start giving money to buy the things I had not so long ago asked others for. How scary! But I have no choice.

The bible tells us that when David died, Solomon succeeded him as king. He asked God for wisdom, because he was but a youth, and he had to lead a great number of people. And God was pleased with his request. Many homes are destroyed these days because the parents do not know God. Certain young men prefer to hang out at the beer parlor drinking to stupor; they go after women. I know a certain boy (believe me, this is a real story); he used to keep a time table for girls he messed wit. On Monday, girl A; on Tuesday, girl B, and so on. Then there was a day he did not have any money in his pocket to sleep with any of his regular girls; he then went to a brothel and knelt down in front of a prostitute and was begging: Please, let me Bleep you on credit; please I beg you, open your legs and let me in; I will pay you tomorrow.' There were tears in his eyes. The girls grumbled and said, 'Okay. But na short time you go do-o.' Te guy said, okay and started to hurriedly denude himself and the LovePeddler. This is a true story. Chibuike caught them redhanded and told me. The guy in question is 32 years old now. He never passed JAMB or entered the university; till date all he does is sleep with girls and mess himself up. Is God mocked? Never.

Many times, the evil in our lives is man-made; many times, we are the architect of our own failures. The bible says: 'O that you would listen to his voice, harden not your hearts as at Meribah; as on that day at Massah in the desert, wen you fathers put me to the test; when they tried me, although they had seen what I could do (cf psalm 95, njb).

We must try to go back to God with all our hearts, even in this NLNG race. We need Jesus now

Chorus:
Jesus now, more than ever
We are sailing through stormy weather
All is children should come together
For we need Jesus now more than ever (2ce)

He touched the blind man and he started seeing
He touched the lame man and he starting walking
He gave his life up for you and me
Yes we need Jesus now more than ever
More than ever

(chorus)

He cured the woman with the issue of blood
He cured the daughter of the man Jairus
He gave his body to be our food
Yes we need Jesus now more than ever
More than ever

(chorus)

By the foregoing, we become so dependent upon God that it becomes hard to tell where God stops and we begin. It is no more us that live at such a moment, but God that lives deep within us. We become mixed with God.

Those days when I used to go and visit my best friend at the seminary at Oke-Are (Adrian's alma mater), I used to attend mass in their chapel. On song I picked up from the students there is:

Chorus:
Great things happen when God mixes with men (2ce)
Oh-oh-oh, great and beautiful, wonderful things
Great things happen when God mixes with men.

Some find life, some find peace
Some people even find joy
Some see their lives as they never could before
Some people find that they can now begin to trust

(chorus)

Some find health, some find hope
Some people even find joy
Some see their lives as they never could before
Some people find that they can now begin to live

(chorus)

Some find hope, some are disturbed
Some people even find joy
Some see their lives as they never could before
Some people find that they must now begin to change.

(chorus)

The truth is that we need God. St. Paul told Timothy to fan into flame the faith he received from him on the day Paul laid hands on him. Again, Jesus told us unequivocally that without him, or cut off from im, we can do nothing. we must make effort to love God and do his will.

These days I see how worthless life without God is; life without purpose is just chasing the wind. If we have no purpose, we could well be dead, as we would just be occupying space. If we have no purpose, we are just like th hat mad man on Te street; we need God, and he it is that will show us how he wants us to live. He it is who will help us when we are down; he it is who will protect us from our enemies.

David said: Blessed be Yahweh who trains my arms for battle, my fingers for war. Living in our country is hard. My one year in Kano made me forget Lagos a little; but when I go to Oshodi, or Yaba, and I see the thousands of young people doing nothing, I marvel. There are hundreds of young people, many of whom handsome and strong, doing nothing: they are under the bridges playing 'ayo'; some are smoking goof; some are selling finger-like batteries at four for ten naira; I wonder, and I sigh. Is this what God made these people for? Yesterday, I went to Yaba; I had forgotten how rowdy Yaba could be; I saw a little boy; he was selling nylon bags; he kept coming to me and saying, 'Brother, buy nylon bag; brother, buy nylon bag.' I did not want to buy the bag at first because I had no use for it; but ten I bought it, to keep him from pestering me; the bag was forty naira (as he said) but I gave him sixty naira, because he was a small boy. And I love children, with all my heart. But why was he there selling bags? I felt so sorry. And yet, I am no better than he; I have never hawked in my life; but only by the grace of God.

'What if Yahweh was not with us when they attacked us?
Israel may say this again:
What if Yahweh was not on our side wen they attacked us?
If Yahweh was not with us when they attacked us
They would have swallowed us alive in the heat of their rage
The torrents would have swept over us
The floods swept us away
Either would have drowned us in their turbulent waves
But blessed be Yahweh (Catholics may here sign themselves with the cross)
Who did not let us fall prey to those teeth
Who let us escape like birds from the fowler's net
He tore the net and we are escaped
Our help is in the name of Yahweh, who made both heaven and earth
(Psalm 124).

Let us examine this psalm carefully. It starts by saying:

What if Yahweh was not on our side when they attacked us?

Beloved, we are under attack each minute of our lives. The songist said in psalm 3 verse one and following: Yahweh, more and more people are turning against me; more and more people are rebelling against me; more and more people are saying about me: "there is no help for him in his God."' We live in a hard country. Even on this thread, certain individuals are complaining of being envied. Envy is a big reality for us. Many people seem to be living far below their potential in this country. And for this reason, many people have bruised egos. Following Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, we see that many individuals are still struggling to satisfy their physiological needs. They cannot even think to satisfy their grander needs of aesthetics or actualization; as a result, they are prone to feel dissatisfied and needy, and wen they see people who seem to be faring better, they naturally feel very envious. Envy then becomes a deep-seated reality for us in this our country. And envy sometimes translates to witchcraft; certain individuals act on their envy and bring others down through underhand means. This as well is a reality with us. These are part of the attacks we face each day. And so we need God. Because, it is suicidal to forsake him.

If Yahweh was not on our side wen they attacked us, they would have swallowed us alive in the heat of their rage; the torrents would have swept over us, Te floods have drowned us; but blessed be Yahweh who did not let us fall prey to those teeth, who let us escape like birds from the fowler's net

When we walk with God, we can go ahead and live successful lives. God shields us and puts us in his care. You know one thing I discover? In this country, one needs to cling on strongly to a spiritual force to succeed. Even in my own case, as I move on in life, I feel a growing need to secure myself spiritually. It seems difficult for a young man to live rich and happy in a country surfeit with competitive envy, if he has not rooted himself in some spiritual cult (religion or voodoo); the fear of losing all what you have struggled to acquire becomes a reality; coupled with the fact that you have heard of successful men dying early. It then seems logical to have one person praying for you, if you are not praying sufficiently for yourself. In my case I am lucky. I have a best friend who loves me more tan even himself, and he is a seminarian soon to be a priest, and he tells me that he is always calling my name before the Blessed Sacrament, in deep prayer. Coupled with the fact that I am always praying for myself, and trying not to displease Yahweh, my God.

He tore the net and we are escaped; our help is in the name of Yahweh that made both heaven and earth.

Somewhere in the bible it is said: 'Oh that man would praise Yahweh for his goodness and wonderful deeds, for breaking Te gates of brass and cutting asunder the bars of iron.' God is a shield for us, he is our glory, and the lifter of our heads (cf psalm 3 v 2). We need God in our situation. We need to pray. Mbaka tells us to PUSH, to Pray Until Someting Happens. We must imitate the prophets of old. These men prayed on and on and on, without stopping. These days I tell God, give me a revival in my heart. Help me to know you. Help me to pray. These days, my life is not about NLNG. It is about pleasing God. A friend of mine told me a story of a guy whop got job in Mobil as an engineer, only to die in four months. Did Mobil save him? We need God. We need to pray. I thank God I am going to Ofada, as it will be a retreat away from normal civilization, and the hustle of Lagos, as I want to rediscover God in my situation. I want to learn to love him more. I realize that I need God. What some people do these days is that they look for a prayer partner; for example I could join forces with say, Opokonwa, and we could choose certain days of the week to pray, and to fast. Because 'whatever two of you should agree, it will be done'. Prayer is essential.

Let us pray; fervently.

These days I keep asking myself a central question, and I am sure that we as youths should always pause to ask ourselves that same question: WHAT IS MY PURPOSE HERE ON EARTH? I recall that there was a time Jesus' disciples came to him to gossip that Herod had killed certain believers and had mixed their blood with pagan sacrifices. Jesus said: Do not imagine that you are alive because you are better than them. Not at all! If you do not repent, you would be like them, or even like those on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed.

Just before I left Kano, there was a very early morning on which I could not sleep. It reminds me of my favourite verse in the Bible. My favourite verse in the bible is: Esther 6:1a, which says: 'That night, the king could not sleep.' The truth is that while we sleep each night, very many things are happening in the spiritual realm. There are witches flying with the speed of light; there are ritual sacrifices: blood is sucked, flesh is eaten, and blessings are tied; so many things happen at night.

That night, as I was saying, I could not sleep. And anytime I cannot sleep, I like going to a secluded place in the dark to pray. I love to pray. While still in the university, I was so notorious for radical prayer that I was called 'hacker,' the hacker of demons, what we call in Ibo, oku n'erere; so like I was saying, I woke up that night to pray. As soon as I opened the door and put out a foot, I stepped on flesh; I thought it was a big rat of some sort. I was alarmed, and could not see clearly because of the dark. I went back into the room and brought out light to see by. I found that what I had stepped on was the hand of a hostel mate. He probably had drunk or drugged himself to stupor, and was sprawled out in front of my door (why he chose my room door and not his remains a mystery). I said under my breath, 'Blood of Jesus.' There he was, a thirty-or-so-year-old man, very strong, agile, youthful and handsome, sprawled out with drug or drink, or both. Is that his purpose in life?

What is my purpose; what is your purpose; why did God make you? For those who are Catholics, this is the second question of the Catechism. The first question in the Catechism is:

1. Who made you?
Answer: God made me.

2. Why did God make you?
Answer: God made me to know him, love him, serve him in this world, and to be together with him in the next.

Again, in the book of Micah (chapter 6 verse 8 ), the prophet says: Three things yahweh asks of you; only this: Act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God. But all the foregoing seem a little simplistic. We must be able to ask ourselves daily why we are on earth. Socrates says that an unreflected life is not wort living. We ave to examine our personality, our sexuality, our spirituality and our vocation and discover if we are at all times doing the right thing at the right time and for the right reason. We must fear God and is holy wrath. Ask yourself: Can God boast about me as he boasted about Job? The bible tells us that when the sons of God came to present themselves to him, there came Satan among them, and God said to Satan, 'Where are you from?' And Satan said, 'From going up and down the earth'; and God said: 'Have you considered my servant, Job, that there is none like him in all the earth; a good and upright man, that fears evil and always does good.'

There was a song I picked up sometime ago:

Would I be like Judas, that's what worrying me
Would I be like Judas, that's what worrying me
Would I be like Judas, that's what worrying me
Let me stop, watch and pray as I go on.

Would I deny my saviour, that's what worrying me
Would I deny my saviour, that's what worrying me
Would I deny my saviour, that's what worrying me
Let me stop, watch and pray as I go on.

We cannot underestimate the advantages of doing God's will. Yahweh once said to Abraham: Walk before me and be blameless. If we do the will of God at all times, he will always be by us. He will never let us fall by the way side. If we keep the laws of Yahweh religiously, and never deviate on a single point, he will always be with us. This takes a lot of discipline. Have you wondered why people like Mbaka are always working great miracles? Because of his holiness which attracts God's favour. Through that holy man of God, people who were blind receive their sight; the lame walk; the deaf hear, and so on. This is because he keeps away from sin and forsakes evil. In an age where people are going on fornication spree, he keeps himself so clean and chaste that even masturbation is anathema to him.

We live in a world that has grown so insensitive to sin that we lose sight of God's call to holiness. We must be ever vigilant of what God is doing in our lives. How he is calling us to repentance. If we seek him with all our hearts, he will never allow us to fail. These days, I tell Yahweh: Please, do not allow me go astray. Help me to follow you. In the Church we pray: 'Grant O Lord that I may know you more, so as to love you more and follow you more closely.'

In this month of November, let us make a resolution to love God with all our hearts and hate sin. Every form of sin, no matter how little it may seem.

It is well with us. Amen.

On Monday, I will have to relocate from Lagos to Ofada (somewhere around Ogun state or so) to continue with my training programme. I do not know if we will have access to the internet there. Also, we are not going with our phones; so it will be quite impossible to reach me on the phone. But we are told that we can leave the premises every Sunday to go to church. Hopefully, I will try and look for any internet location and browse on Sundays. I told Opokonwa all this over the phone yesterday (he called; apparently he cares too much for me that he cannot stop calling me, even though he has sworn he would stop; Opoks, thanks for sending me so much that you can't help it; no wahala; you are welcome to love me as much as you like  ; afterall it's a free world). I am leaving this thread in your hands as I go to bury my head in my books. 'Bata mi a dun ko ko ka, tim ba kawe me.' 

Please, keep me informed with this email address: kuwena@yahoo.com

My dear Thought, @mhm called me. He said I should apologize to you that he has not contacted you all this while. He has been very busy, and has been on leave. He asks us not to worry, as in their own time the wait was longer. They did their assessment in their time in August, and the result came out in February the next year. In our case, the wait is not even as long. He however thinks that we will not have to wait more than November. He is sure that what seems as a delay is just their trying to get things ready for our coming.

I found him very pleasant to talk with him: humble (I greeted him sir, and he said he was not a sir); helpful and cheerful. He wants us all to have hope.

@mhm, if you are reading this, we all love you. Thanks for being there.


PS:
Adrian and Opokonwa, you both are welcome.

Phew! Since Monday I have not used my two naked eyes, as Zebrudaya would say, to see internet, as I have been so engulfed in my training programme. Intercontinental Bank is determined to raise the best workforce in the world of banking, in keeping with her goal of becoming the number one bank in Nigeria, with a strong global presence, and I sympathize with her. I am determined to give my best, by learning everything she has to teach me, and reading the handouts. It feels like school again, and I want to see if I can be the best in my training class. We are about 90, and the best three students will be rewarded. Our class is also to draw up a communique, and I hope to be one of the editors of that; the communique will likely reach Akingboola, our god. It will tell that blessed man how to move us forward.

Another thing I like about my training is the food. This morning, the bank provided us meatpies and tea (or coffee, depending on your preference); and in the afternoon, there was a buffet of different kinds of food: semovita, coconut rice, pounded yam, garri, and series of soups. The classroom is fully air conditioned, and the projector facilities are all working well. We nearly 90 students seem to be handpicked from heaven, and I loved being with them. I particularly loved my seat mates, a girl married to an engineer in Shell, and a young man who dreams of doing banking for only one year, and then getting into the Oil and Gas world. We all have tall dreams, it seems.

May our hopes not be cut short, in Jesus' name. Amen. Let me go and read my notes. See you all later.

And Yahweh said to Aaron: 'When you bless the people, say this:

May Yahweh bless you and keep you;
May he let his face shine on you and be gracious to you
May he defend you and give you his peace.

And the priest adds:

May the blessing of Almighty God; Pater, et filium et spiritus sanctus come down upon you and remain with you both now and forever. Amen.

For all those that are waiting on Yahweh for something good and something new to happen in their lives, I pray that God will surprise you this new month of November. In fact, God will bless you. God will have mercy on you. God will show you live; God will; O God!

Bless my poor heart!

'They that wait upon Yahweh shall renew their strength; they shall march up with wings as eagles; they shall run and shall not be weary; they shall walk and shall not faint.'


Alleluia!


I love you all!


Bless my poor heart.

I'm so happy.


Bless my poor heart


O God.

My darling Tommyex, I am so sorry. Please, I welcome you back.

My dears, please rejoice with me. God has heard my prayer. I am no more to remain at Kopa level with Intercontinental Bank Plc. Just today, I have been called for the compulsory 5-week Training at Lagos, after which I automatically become an executive Trainee with the bank. The best part is that the salary package shoots from 38,500 to about 200,000+; and that is not all. I am leaving Kano back to Lagos, where my family is, hoping I do not have to be posted back to hot Kano.

But all this is nothing compared to the great NLNG.

I love you all.

Make una thank God for me-o! And thank God fro Erastus Akingboola. He is our small god here at IB Plc.

Once again, I love you all. We resume in Lagos the day after tomorrow. So let me go and pack my bags.

I do love you all.

With all my heart.

I love you all!!!!!

Perhaps, @thought, you more than most others have been silent. You know, there was a time I even thought you didn't make it past the second stage. Is that your style? Or does it have to do with your preference for thought rather than speech? Pardon me; are you an engineer? And when did you do your Assessment. I did mine on the fourth of July.

Yes, it is Dr. Phil's test, indeed. How did you know? I had 48. Which means we are in the same group; the group of 41 - 50. A lovely group, I should say. Or don't you think so?

Thanks, @thought; I truly let myself down, didn't I? I sure did. And all I can say is that I am sorry. Even Yahweh reproved me today. For those that are Catholics, you recall that the Gospel reading of today's was the story of the two men who went to pray in the temple. One was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and raised his eyes haughtily to God and said, 'O God, I thank God that I better than most of the people I know. In particular, I thank God that I am not like this publican here; I fast twice each week, and I pay tithes on all I get. And I am not adulterous. But the tax collector fell on his knees while still away from the sanctuary and dared not even raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast and said: MEA CULPA, MEA CULPA MEA MAXIMA CULPA (Have mercy on me, God, a sinner). And Jesus said that it was the tax collector that went home at rights with God, and not the publican, 'for everyone that exalts himself will be humbled; but the man that humbles himself will be exalted.'

Once again, I am sorry. Oh how many times can I apologize in order to blot the stain of emotive foolishness thrown upon the thread in moments of indiscretion? I too, like the publican beat my heart and say: MEA CULPA, MEA CULPA, MEA MAXIMA CULPA, in recognition of my own grievous fault. 

Seun, I am game. I do have talent, and I know I can write or co-write a sitcom. Do contact me, and feel very free to buy my weekends. 08063684321. Thanks.

I'm finding it difficult to stand up from this chair. It's as if all I have wanted to say all this while are choking to come out. Let's play a game shall we; it's played elsewhere on nairaland.com. It's a one-word association thing. You think of one good thought about Nigeria, and post it as a parting shot. Then another person comes and posts a relative to it:

For example:

progress

another person posts:

wealth

another posts:

dangote

another posts:

the richest black person

another posts:

naira, and so on


So as a parting shot I start with:

Reconciliation

Do you guys recall that publicity jingle of the nineties(?)

Country man your work dey important-o, make you do am well
Do your own, I go do my own-o, na operation excellence
No backhand business, no wuru-wuru
No gra-gra for life-o; make you stand for you
Love Nigeria, make you help am grow?


I loved that song with all my heart those days. I recall then, we were living at Fourth Avenue, Festac; we used to go to evening mass every day. Then, I think they used to show The Rich Also Cry by seven or so in the evening (in mass communication, we call the periods from seven to nine prime time teevee); so we would be impatient if the priest (it used to be Father Adegbite then) was saying the mass too slowly; already the opening song would be playing in our heads:

Rosa alate kojo
Rosa alate iwonutisolaso
Rosa talate
Rosa talate
Emerune kumulu
Rosa alate kojo (these are not the words, just onomatopoeic rendition of sorts, please  )

And as children we would be praying silently: 'Dear God, please let Father Adegbite finish this mass.' As the priest called for Holy Communion, we would hurriedly file out and kneel at the altar. He would say: 'Body of Christ,' and we would say 'amen' very quickly. We would then stretch out our tongues like newts and accept the small, white wafer. Then we would hurry back to our seats, open our Simple Prayer books and say the Prayer After Holy Communion; then we would anticipate the final blessing. As soon as that came, we would rush out and run all the way home. We would run from twenty-two road, to forty-one road without stopping; can you beat that! And as we reached the house, we would hear the song:

Rosa alate koso; o my God, they have started! Come and watch, come and watch; Chi, see Louis Alberto and Marianna; will he kiss her; o God, I am not going to watch (I would close my eyes, and ask if they had finished kissing). My brother, Chi would lie: 'Yes, they have finished kissing; open your eyes. I would sigh in relief, only to open my eyes and see them still kissing. Bad boy. Chi was a very bad boy!



Being a child was fun. Sometimes I wish I never grew up. But I have. Somehow. Well, it's okay. No wahala. At least I don't close my eyes these days when people are kissing. 

But the point I am trying to make is this: A company like NLNG could sponsor if not create at least one jingle on national development to be aired on prime time teevee. There used to be another:

Nigeria is a strong country, with abundant resources here
She can hold her own, defend herself, provide the basic things of life
A peace-loving nation where everyone can share the dreams of a better life


Chorus:
Join as we sing there is reason to celebrate better living for all
With your contribution Nigeria could grow stronger, better living for all

(then there would be a pitching with concomitant increase in voice modulation)

Join as we sing there is reason to celebrate better living for all; with your contribution Nigeria could grow stronger; better living for all.


If NLNG could use the teevee (in mass communication, we say: he that must convert the world must use television), to try to re-indoctrinate the people, she would be contributing to national development. In Kano here, we have a programme: A Daita Sahu, which is geared towards reorientation; we need reorientation on a wider scale, and rich companies who have the nation at heart can lead the pace; they can do what Shell does for England, and what Chevron does for Texas. NLNG can indeed make Nigeria better. It is even her calling. Let her work with the teevee, with radio schools and animation, and with direct and syndicated PR, and she would be well on the way. I wish both NLNG and Nigeria all the best.

One last thing; let us not stop praying for ourselves and one another. God is alive. He is with us. He sees what we are facing, and he is sympathetic. For those who are Catholics, like Adrian and Kenosky, dear brothers they are, do you recall last Sunday's Gospel reading? It was a story that Jesus told.

He said that in a certain town, there lived a judge who feared neither God nor man. In that town too, there was a poor widow who kept on coming to him for help. For a long time, he refused to help her. Then one day, he said to himself: 'It is true that I have fear for neither God nor man; but since this poor widow keeps coming to pester me, I had better give her her just rights lest she persists in coming and trouble me to death.

Jesus then went on to say that if an unjust judge could say this, how much more our heavenly father. The only thing is: When Jesus is ready to help, will we still have the faith to invite him into our situation?

As for me, I have not stopped saying my daily rosary. God is teaching me the virtue of long-suffering, and I am learning it as best I can, in spite of my faults.

It is well, with all of us.

I also have a personality test that will help you guys know more about your temparament and disposition. I will send it to you on two conditions:

1. you send me your email addy
2. you send me your score when done; it will help me to understand you better.

A deal?

As I prepare to go to the market, I leave you all a wish for a happy weekend. I will be back in the evening, if I feel too bored staying at home. See you all later! Bye.

CELEBRATING OUR FRIENDS[quote][/quote]Let us celebrate our great friends, who have made this thread what it is today.

We celebrate the likes of:

Kenosky: For all what you are to us; for having once been 'addicted' to us as family; for your poetic justice; for your admirable first-class greatness; for your veritable inspiration. We appreciate you.

Please come back.

Opokonwa: Veritable lion of the clan; for all you have done to move us forward; there has been none quite like you for cheerfulness, wit, disposition, courage, exemplary leadership, charm; lady-friendliness and greatness. You do us proud.

Please come back.

Adrian: Admirable defender of our common cause, and hopeful enthusiast of similar spirit. You have not faltered. The Lord is your strength, and He that is mighty will 'do great things for [you],' because His name is holy, and His mercy is from generation unto generation to them that fear Him, in the might of His arm which scatters the proud in the conceit of heart but raises the lowly.

For all other compatriots: Lindiwe, Jill, Abussyaya; Kenosym, Uche, Wandel, Jbyno, Sequoia; everyone. Please come back. The NLNG train is set to move, very soon. Believe me.

You ask why?

'Cos e don mark am say we go make am; Baba God don sign am say we go rule am-o; na wa destiny, make dem no think am!'

One love, y'all!

Quote
Certain questions, Opokonwa:

1. What did you read in school (UNN, I presume?)
2. What is your star on the Zodiac?
3. Are you only extroverted in writing, or are you that way in real life?
4. On what day did you do your Assessment?
5. Are you head-centered or heart-centered? (Psychologists identify three centers: head, heart and gut.)
6. What church do you attend?
7. What are you hobbies?
8. What are your unique gifts?
9. What is your phone number? (my email addy for sending it if you please is: kuwena@yahoo.com)
10. What are you most afraid of?

Thanks, and God bless you!
from Kuwena


Alright Mr. Interviewer, here we go:


BSc Marketing; MBA Marketing.

It's supposed to be Librabut gossh! . . . I don't believe in those things anymore!I rule my own 'star', 'life' and others through Prayer


I would say I am an extrovertbut you may never tell from a distance'cause I try very hard to moderate it!if not, I go Kolo!

July 10


Bros, na obi o!I dey heart centered! But actually, it's a combination of the three! I do not believe any one can be based only on one. Hence, oftentimes, na gut-feeling, other times na head but most times, I want to believe na obi o!unless I no sabi myself well enough.


REAL GOSPEL BELIEVERS MINISTRY.Though I was born a Catholic! . . . no apologies to you, Adrianic & anyone else!


Bros, I make calls like shit!Though I'll like to believe I don dey control am . . . though I never see significant result yet

I have a new found hobby . . . Which Way Nlng?
Then I dey go church a lot o!Mondays, Saturdays, Sundays and if I fit meet am, Fridays!
I also often thought reading was my hobby until lately . . . I have a full library I built from the scratch of 'Collectors items' worth of books but I no fit cool down read I guess e go come later!


I say my mindfrank to a fault!, extrovert, always want to act and be myself irrespective of the crowd, I'm boldas you may have noticed , I like to think of myself as a leader, I'm very funny, I play a lot, I mix-up with people like 'cake mixer', what else? , I think Human Psychology comes natural with meI read people like a 'Prophet'I no fit exhaust am sha!

E he! Did I add that I sabi take risks?!


Bros, I don send am already!check your mail!


Going to Hell!
Falling out of God's favour!


And Bless you too bro! You all can now re-adjust your sets!

It was here we got to know you better; to begin to appreciate the worth of your mind.

Quote from: kuwena on October 04, 2007, 07:37 PM
I don't feel happy today. I have a terrible headache, and a 'dark night of the soul' is descending on me. But I remember when I was still an undergraduate in my first year. I had a certain cousin; she is a wise girl, and her name is Uchechi. Sometimes I used to go to her when I was sad or frustrated. She would sing this song to me:

Whether you dey first year, or you dey final year, e go beta-o, ooo (2ce)
E go beta-o ooo
E go beta-o ooo chei!
E go beta-o ooo (2ce)

And now, I sing the same song to us, all of us

Whether letter come, or letter never come, e go beta-o, ooo (2ce)
E go beta-o ooo
E go beta-o ooo chei!
E go beta-o ooo (2ce)

Because 'e don mark say we go make am; Baba God don sign am say we go rule am-o; na wa destiny, make them no think am.'

Amen.

Let us pray for one another.


Kuwena,

No be only you have got that 'gloomy' feeling hanging over you.

For some two dayz now, I couldn't help thinking; what if I'm not even on the NLNG train? I be guy wey dey think back and forth and imagine all possibilities.

As the appointed time for our letters to arrive draws nearer; these thoughts are bound to come. and in my opinion, they must be considered.

I couldn't help thinking; What if I just made everyone else happy and finally left out of the 'train'?


What if I'm not part of the '220'? God forbid!

What if I am, but I do not make it to the '70' or whatever number because some peeps have been picked from my state? I'm from Anambra state and I know say as my 'peeps' dey hussle for 'pepper', them sabi hussle for 'book' and 'job' no be small! Quota System; we no dey educationally disadvantaged at all!

I couldn't help thinking; What if my destiny lies elsewhere?


But you know what; anyone I talk to believe I am a candidate worthy of NLNG. But does that give me an automatic 'pass' to NLNG?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I have resolved one thing . . . . . . . and you know what it is?


LET THEM BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I rather 'die' with my eyes open 'in this case' than die 21 times before my time!


If NLNG is not my destiny inspite of my hoping, waiting, trying, making 'friends' and keeping this thread! THEN SO BE IT!

I rather try this hard and 'drop out' than bite my lips and wish I have tried.

NLNG has totally exhausted us! thank God for this thread and the fact that few of us have access to it! We can encourage ourselves, entertain and enlighten ourselves, make 'friends', be one another's shoulder, and let out some 'tensions' and some 'steam'! person would have been crying by now.

I will end this thoughts by saying 'don't die yet'.


Look NLNG in the eye and damn them.


At the end of the day, we may be able to say; we came, we saw and we conquered!

We conquered fears, failures, despair, discouragement, faint hearts, 'waiting', disappointments and 'chance'. If we moved on, we moved on to better placez, better lives, better destinies! We would have conquered ourselves! . . . We conquered NLNG!


CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY THREAD! I bought you a 'cake'?

THIS POST IS MY CAKE.

Those were good old days, when Opoks was in da house. Opoks, we miss you; please come back!

Will it end here, or only begin?

@thought
i can't agree more with your submission! I mean, i can readily identify with it personally. I used to be an academic high-flyer throughout my secondary and university

days. It seemed that i thrived in excellence almost to the extent of perfectionism. All that was to change with my entrance into the corporate world, especially with my

present job! All too often I now find myself being comfortable with the sorrounding level of mediocrity. Everything now seems okay with me as long as my bank account

is credited accordingly. I easily blame the present staff on ground for the systemic decay while no longer seeing myself as a solution especially when colleagues

will not see reason with me on the need for for change . Truth is, I used to have great plans on how to positively affect any organisation I find myself in. I would go on and on with my friends about how I/we would strive to attain world class standards both as a person(s) and as part of a corporation. This tardiness has come to envelope not just my work life but many other facets of my life



For example, I told myself a long time ago that the moment I'm able to acquire a desktop and sufficient funds, I will self-develop into a programmer to reckon with in

the country. Today I have a laptop with sexy specifications and the cash is the least of my problems. Sad to say, I am yet to even download the JDK for Java

programming! I always find myself procrastinating and procrastinating and procrastinating!!! Even with so much time on hand and internet connection, the bulk of my

time is usually spent on frivolities like sports, chatting etc. Even my addiction to nairaland is becoming unbecomingSimply put, my

commitment to excellence took a plunge! I'm still struggling to get back into gear at making things right wherever one finds oneself. NLNG is definitely not the matter.

Long before I even took the second test i had in mind that it may or may not work. In fact whether or whethern't, I'm cool!. Problem is discipline and phaps

motivation/inspiration is the missing ingredient


You see that's why I really really enjoyed your post! I "gbadued" it.

keep it up!!!






As for NLNG,

let's hope for the best and plan for the worst

This is precisely the point, @pgm; personally, I have come to discover that the things that keep us from achievement and point to a lack of motivation and performance are:

1. pessimism
2. dissipation
3. envy
4. inferiority
5. laziness

They can be cured by: optimism, focus, good will, self assertion and hardwork.

It is well with us, Let us excel together!

@uche7869,

You have spoken well, you see most of us forget that the position we are today was given to us by his grace. While aiming for higher positions and "detesting" our present jobs, we forget that there are so many ther that would do anything just to be in our position.
Job dissatifaction -that must be the major reason for the "show of frustration" by many who are already gainfully employed.

I stumbled on a certain thread here:

5 Rules Of Work -- Break Them And Lose Out

Are you a career man or woman? Do you want to get the most out of your work, then follow these 5 rules.

1st Rule: ENJOY YOUR WORK
When you enjoy your work, you enjoy life. We spend an average of 8 hours at work and we will be enslaved if we don't learn to love those 8 hours. So enjoy yor work.

2nd Rule: SEE IT AS A BLESSING:
It is an opportunity to serve others. Work is a blessing and you are setting in motion services to other re in need of it. Your work is a gift from God. Work makes our day go by. A day seems like an hour while the opposite is the case we wake up in the morning and there is no work. A day seems like an hour. It is tough doing nothing all day.

3rd Rule: BE THE BEST
You must be the best at what you do. Perform well at all times. Exceed all expectations. Look out for opportunities to exhibit your skills, to produce results that lasts. Go beyond the call of duty. Go the extra mile. You must work continously. When many have given up, you must continue searching for answers.

4th Rule: SEE BEYOND WORK
For every task you complete, you have said something of yourself. It becomes part of history. The smallest job has a definite place. Leave your foot prints in the sands of your organisation. A man that sets his heart on acheiving a task can do it no matter the challenges.

5th Rule: STAND OUT
You would always be remembered for a job well done. Volunteer yourself or your service. Get noticed. Be enthusiastic because it is contagious. Use the vehicle of work to drive you to your destination. Look for opportunities to do more. Continually develop yourself. Be an example to many within the organisation.

The first three rules are very important.

1) if you feel the work you have now is not good enough for you then resign and sit at home(see if thats a better option) till you get a better one, else enjoy it while you wait for something better.

2) No matter the type of work you do, always see it as a blessing. So many pray to have your job.

3) Always try to be the best at what you do. it might actually be a stepping stone.


For me, I see my university days just as a race- that you beat all other competitors in a 100m race doesn't mean you would beat "even the same competitors " in the 400m, 800, or even 1500m race.

The race at university is over for us, now the umpire has blow the whistle and a "different race" has begun - With good results from the first race, one is at an advantage, but "IT DOES NOT GUARANTEE" our being the best in this other race- THAT IS A BITTER FACT OF LIFE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!!!. As we all know, bill gates is a not genius and was not the best in his class, but today he would easily employ the best from the best universities in the world.

So please lets remove such ideas from our minds and hearts(I have already done that), it is time to sit up and fight the good fight of life, our "past victories" in the battle field can only make other warriors fear us but it cannot defeat them.


A GOOD GRADE ESPECIALLY IN NIGERIA (WITH SO MANY OTHER INTELLIGENT INDIVIDUALS) CAN ONLY FACILITATE YOUR GETTING A GOOD JOB BUT NOT GUARANTEE IT,. . . . . . . PERIOD.

Come, NLNG would, when it time is. So lets sit patiently and wait for them. But while we wait, please join me, lets sit at this "round table" joyfully and think of other ways to achieve greateness and conquer the world,. . . . . . . . or what do you think. . . . . . . are you of a different opinion. . . . . . bring it on. . . . . . . . lets hear and feel it.


My people,. . . I beg to stop at this point,. . . . its been wonderful, have a lovely, nice and fruitful week.





Quote
it takes a great man to see the greatness in others
peace.

Thought, let us think together.

My people, please stop the WAR. I have read through this thread right from the beginning and you have all gained my respect. I was in your shoes about four years ago and to tell you the truth the wait was much longer then. At the end of it all i was succesful, and i must dispell all this talk of the Nigerian factor. After working for about 4 years in this company , i can tell you that i can almost confimr that all the graduates recruited at the time did not have connections to anybody in the company. So fear not, if you performed well and God is by your side you will make it into the company.

For those who will not be succesfull, there is no need to lose hope. i know people who did not make it during my time, who by any standards are quite successful now.

PS: Kuwena, good to know you have cooled down, i was beginning to get disappointed as i had so much respect for you.

That one was by @mhm himself. Oga, thanks sah We have now stopped the war. We do not want NLNG to be like Dafur.

Heave a Praya for Nigeria

Hi landers, Well, we are once again in the notorious 'mber'
months and I pray God keeps us all
It seems like death, which actually kept a low profile
earlier in the year, decided to shock us a bit in the last
few days.
First, it was the case of Honorable Safana and then the
Unlucky (I mean Lucky) Dube tragedy on Friday. I thought
that was the end until I heard of Yomi Tella's death on saturday
and I was like 'What's Gwan?'.
Well I guess we just have to be prayerful and keep thanking
God for little mercies.
Anyway You sometimes keep wonderin what kind of mind death has,
with men like Adedibu, The Mbas (chris and Andy), Alao-Akala
and even Osama Bin laden still around,
How hin dey take choose sef?

A prayer for Naija? Count me in. This is good free-style poetry. Keep it up, guy!

@thought, thanks. At least you came back to post; after a long, long time. Smart boy, ehn? Na wa by you-o!

thought,

give me your number and I will give you a call.

@mhm, this is my own number: 0 8 0 6 3 6 8 4 3 2 1

Give me a call, if you please.

CHE SERA SERA (Whatever will be will be)