₦airaland Forum

Yet another Lenten Season

Most Rev.(Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins
March 3, 2025

As we enter this season of Lent, I wish to implore us to see it as another opportunity, not just as another Lenten season. It is possible that many older Catholics, who are just counting the liturgical seasons, may see this Lenten season as yet another Lenten season like the ones they had last year and years before. This will not enable them to reap the fruits of the season.

Though the season is familiar, we must approach it and live it with new minds and expectations. This is because the grace and mercy of God are “new every morning” (Lam. 3:22-23). So, He has designed this Lenten season as a new and different encounter. And in this encounter, much depends on our disposition. We know that every encounter with Jesus brings about a positive result. We will recall the encounter of the first disciples of Jesus in Jn. 1:35-51; Zacchaeus in Lk. 19:1-10; the two blind men in Matt. 20:29-34; the Canaanite woman in Matt. 15;21- 28; the paralytic in Mk. 2:1-12; the demoniacs in Lk. 8:26-39; the ten lepers in Lk. 17:11-19.

All of these and other encounters with Jesus always bring about a change, a positive change and a better life. A good disposition towards this Lenten season will bring us this encounter that will definitely yield fruitful spiritual growth and abundant blessing.

• Most Rev.(Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins is the Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos.

femi4:
In democracy, the executive don't act as a dictator

2. Saudi owns the religion

naptu2:
Hey! This post almost did my head in! I don't understand what you wrote or what language it is in, but I'll take the opportunity to explain the very simple things in my post.

In Nigeria, secondary education is in the residual list which means that the primary responsibility for managing secondary education lies with state governments. State governments set the dates for the school term, etc. Most of the public secondary schools are also owned by the state.

You see, in a constitutional democracy, there are separate areas of control. There are things that are reserved for the federal government, things reserved for the state and things reserved for the local government (just as there is separation of power between the executive, legislative and judicial arms of government).

naptu2:
Ha!

I think ****** and the other people on this thread are not being serious. It's probably some joke or something.

They have not made one solid point, they have not rebutted anything, they've just been jumping from sharia to Saudi to Lagos speaker and other things that have nothing to do with my post. I am not even sure that they are capable of understanding my posts.

Obviously engaging them is a waste of time and I shall stop wasting my time now. I am not going to read or respond to their posts anymore.

naptu2:
I wanted my driver to drive in a certain way back when I was a kid and he was taking me to school. I guess I had the idea that he was Mario Andretti. I always wanted him to overtake other cars, I never wanted him to give way to other cars and I always wanted him to go above 100KMPH on the expressway.

Now I'm an adult and I don't drive the way that I wanted my driver to drive.

Similarly, there are many people that think that being in government is easy. They think that they have all the answers and know all the solutions and that the solutions are easy. They have this view because they have never been in government. Their view always changes if and when they actually get to be in government.

naptu2:
I have posted about this many years ago and I've wanted to post about it again in recent times, but I haven't had the time. This tweet is such a perfect example that it explains everything that I wanted to say.

There are many people that keep talking about what they would do if they became president and the truth of the matter is that these people do not know what they are talking about. In fact, most of them will fail woefully if they are ever elected president. That's because they do not know what the duties of the president are and what the limitations on the powers of the president are. I believe that most of these people will spend their tenure fighting other people because they will try to do other people's jobs and those other people will not allow them.


What am I talking about?

Well, Nigeria is a federation, but most Nigerians do not know this. There are certain things that are the exclusive preserve of the Federal Government, but there are also things that are the exclusive preserve of the state and local governments and the Federal Government cannot get involved in those things without the permission of the states and local governments. Many people do not know this.

That's why people will post the education budget of Ghana and post the budget of the Federal Ministry of Education and try to compare the two. For God's sake Nigeria is a federation while Ghana is not! The education budget of Ghana is the total sum of money that the government of Ghana spends on education. The budget of the Federal Ministry of Education is not the total sum of money that governments in Nigeria spend on education. That's because most of the government owned schools in Nigeria are owned by state and local governments and state and local governments have their own budgets!

I remember when Bill Gates analysed the Federal Government's Economic Growth Recovery Plan and stated that he saw a lot of good things about physical infrastructure (roads, rail, etc) but he didn't see enough about human infrastructure (education, healthcare, etc). Governor Nasir El-Rufai then explained that in Nigeria, most of the things that constitute human infrastructure are under the purview of states and local governments. Some very ignorant people criticised El-Rufai and asked who he was to talk when Bill Gates was talking.


There are certain people that are always trying to be elected president and although these people are popular in some circles, I am convinced that Nigeria will be doomed if they ever get elected because they will spend their entire tenure fighting with state and local governments and with the National Assembly because they do not know the duties of the president and the limitations on his power.

femi4:
Both
Did the Governor consult anyone before taking such decision

Even in Saudi, they schools ain't locked down

tollyboy5:
So simple, if you can point where in the constitution it is legal to deny student of their right to learn and wrong if some says he'll defend student right as a president

tollyboy5:
Under the constitutional democracy that allows an impeached speaker remain in Lagos.
Under constitutional democracy that allow Buhari arrest cjn and install his corrupt puppet

Mrchippychappy:
It stil amazes me till this day how someone so stupid and biased was made a moderator on Nairaland

MasterJayJay:
Should sharia court exist in a secular country that practices democracy?