₦airaland Forum

please what of subtitles in. txt

please who has links for subtitles

please I need link to download Episode 6

Mustack:
at one state hospital like that where my friend took me to.

please give us address. did they conduct all the required tests

08162841388 for the Whatsapp group

https://owolabipaul./2017/05/02/​valuing-human-lives-like-bill-gates-and-dangote/

But beyond these two examples, the one that worried me most was the outbreak in Queens College, Yaba. The report by Sahara Reporters says “A recent laboratory report has shown that since the beginning of January 2017, over 1222 students of Queens College in Yaba, Lagos State have been treated at the school’s clinic for abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and diarrhea”. The problem? “The analysis also indicates that the boreholes that provide principal sources of water for the school are too shallow and too close in proximity to the sewage systems, to which the contamination has been traced”. But what one of the kitchen workers said was worrisome. She said the school principal, Mrs Lami Amodu “buys spoilt fish and molded rice at cheap rates for the student’s consumption”. When one of the students died, the school management denied any death and was still trying to allay the fears of the parents. But then the report of another death came to public knowledge. But when you think it can get worse, you read, “ Despite the Lagos State government’s recommendation that the school postpone classes till the premise are cleared of bacterial infections, the management of the school has asked the JSS 3 and SS3 students to resume without taking necessary precautions to ensure the students will be safe when they return to School.” How can repeated cases of same or similar symptoms be ignored from January until it became epidemic in April? How can a principal put her own profit as priority above the students’ health? How can they be indifferent until the intervention of Lagos State Government and Minister of Health? How can they reopen the school without any change in conditions? How can they deny the death of a student and give false security? What height of selfishness and irresponsibility! But the worst of it all that should bring pain to any heart is what was said by the Principal and his Vice as reported by Chidi Anselm ( President of Unity Schools Old Students Association). First the principal, “there is no epidemic, epidemic is when threequarters of the population has died”. Then the Vice, “We are looking after 2800 students and we are being crucified because two die”. Do these people even have blood in their veins? Would they have made those statements if it were their children? The lives of two young ladies with future aspirations are worth nothing? Nigeria, how did we ever get here? How did we grow callous? But while all these ravaging issues were taking place, Nigerians and our media outlets were more concerned about Apostle Suleiman and Stephanie Otobo, Dino Melaye’s certificate, Hammed Ali’s uniform, Saraki’s SUV, Big Brother Nigeria and the married lives of some so called celebrities. Can we focus on issues of greater proportions and issues that deal with the very values that make society possible? As Ayodele Adio stated, “A nation without a conscience and the slightest of compassion will continue to recycle injustice and rebellion at the cost of innocent lives.



But in the midst of all these bad news, I was so encouraged by an article I read on the 30th of April, 2017. I have written in greater depth and details on this issue of the value of human life in an article titled, “The Value of The Human Life” on Fadelessvision..com. The article went beyond the symptoms to the real issues and possible solutions. But I was urged to take up the pen again on this topic, not to go over the explanations again but to show that all hope is not lost. The article was written by Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa and Bill Gates, one of the richest in the world. It was titled, “Why we are Hopeful about Improving Health in Africa”. The article introduced us to what these men have been doing to make sure that Polio is eradicated in Africa. They met in 2010 in a conference concerned about this same issue. Since then, they have been working on complete eradication of the disease. More than 180,000 vaccinators have been sent into 5 African countries. They had supported the establishment of emergency operations centers in Nigeria. In Kano, they are working to ensure that “children can get essential childhood immunizations against Tetanus, pneumonia, liver cancer and measles. They have plans for nutrition programs in 12 states. They have also launched a campaign to end Malaria.

But what impressed me most was not what they have done or plan to do, but what I saw as their motivating ideology. I derive that from this statement, “At the time(referring to when the conference held in 2010), Nigeria had done an amazing job tackling polio- reducing reported cases by 95 percent in just one year. But it was still circulating in six Nigerian States. While 95 percent might seem like success, as long as a single child remains infected, children across Africa and around the world are at risk” Wao! I have not read

something as moving as this in years. True to their ideology, Borno is now the only State out of the 6 where Polio is still circulating and they are working relentlessly to end it there. To them, the life of one single person matters. Is it because they are so rich and wealthy? In fact that should be the reason why they should not care. These are guys that have all the comfort and security anyone can ever wish for. But there is an ideology, a commitment to the value of one single human life that drives them on in this mission. We might not be as rich, but if we have the same mentality like they do, that every single human life is precious and important and deserves life and security and comfort, then we can do the little we can in our corners. We can brighten the corners where we are. When the ideology is there, it will find expression, either in big deeds or in little acts.

All is not gloom, all hope is not lost. Let us as individuals and as far as our voices, pens, influences can go, make a commitment to the sanctity of the human life and commit to live every day of our own lives in view of that fact. We need a massive revolution of mindset in this country, individually and institutions wise. It can begin with us. The Nigerian life is sacred and it should be treated as such. Whether sick or whole, whether in the womb or out, whether male or female, whether theist or atheist, educated or illiterate, poor or rich, privileged or not, irrespective of race, tribe or religion, every human life is precious and we should treat it as such. And it still remains my conviction that this is true because every human being is created in the image of God.









Ayodele Adio, Nigeria We Hail Thee, Opinion.premiumtimes.com.ng, April 30, 2017

Aliko Dangote, Bill Gates, Why We are Hopeful about Improving Health in Africa, Opinion.premiumtimes.com.ng, April 30, 2017

Chidi Anselm, Death of Innocents at Queen’s College: Crime of Involuntary Manslaughter, livebip.com, May 1, 2017

Owolabi Paul, The Value of The Human Life, Fadelessvision..com, June 12, 2016

Simbo Olorunfemi, Are we Doing Enough to Contain this Annual Outbreak of Meningitis, Opinion.premiumtimesng.com, April 5, 2017

Simbo Olorunfemi, More Questions on Soft Drinks, Benzoic Acid and Nigerian Regulators, Opinion.premiumtimesng.com, March 20, 2017

Simbo Olorunfemi, Should We Now Be Worried about Drinking Fanta and Sprite,Opinion.premiumtimesng.com, March 17, 2017

https://owolabipaul./2017/05/02/​valuing-human-lives-like-bill-gates-and-dangote/

We live in a country where we have little or no value for the human life. The security of lives and properties which is a fundamental necessity for the existence of a society are greatly lacking. We live in a place where people can die from very absurd reasons and unimaginable conditions. If you are not killed by a car, you might just be the victim of a drunk police man with his rifle or a crazy driver running away from a police personnel. Life here is not just secured. From people lynched because of religious remarks or an inter-ethnic war arising from mere cases of disrespect for the wife of a leader of a road transport workers association, people live their lives in fear.
Recent issues that have made the news has also shown more or less this chronic disease of our polity. From the Soft drinks saga to the Meningitis outbreak, our deep rooted malady have showcased again. The lackadaisical attitude of NAFDAC and the Standard Organization of Nigeria is beyond words. Even if the fact was granted that the difference in temperature between Nigeria and UK necessitates a higher level of acceptability in regards to the Benzoic acid, the fact that no review in the standards has been made since 2008 is a call for concern. Or are those that were supposed to be the experts in such issues unaware of studies that are being done to show greater health risks in Benzoic acid which has necessitated the drop in the acceptable level? And to think that this particular matter has been dragged in the court for 8 years, leaves much to be desired. And then to think that this issue will not have been raised if not for concerns expressed, not by a Nigerian Laboratory but by a UK laboratory. As noted by Simbo Olorunfemi, for example, the standard set by Codex Alimentarius Commission(CAC)- (who sets international limit) as high as 600mg/kg was reviewed to 250mg/kg. The United Kingdom and other European countries have set theirs at 150mg/kg including Ghana in the same tropical region with us. But even the argument of difference in weather is misplaced. As Simbo noted, “ But then, after learning that benzene was present in some products, research was undertaken by both FDA( their version of NAFDAC) and the soft drinks industry in US to understand the factors that contributed to benzene formation. This revealed that ‘elevated temperature and light can stimulate benzene formation in the presence of benzoate salts and vitamin C’ So, I am left again with more questions: If elevated temperature, as is the case in tropical Nigeria, is a factor that can enhance benzene formation- a well-documented carcinogenic substance, how then does it make sense for the prescribed benzoic acid level in Nigeria manufactured soft drinks to be higher than that of a temperate United Kingdom and other European countries?” And in a country that care less about causes of deaths or sicknesses (but rather give you drugs to cure symptoms), who knows the untold harms that would have been caused by such negligence and carelessness about the value of human lives.

While countries are researching every time to make sure that the health of their citizens are in the best state and to review what needs to be reviewed to achieve that, we here care less. As Simbo concluded in his first piece on this topic, “But then, this is even beyond Fanta and Sprite. The more pertinent question brought to the fore by this are- Are there more things we need to be worried about? Can we be sure there is someone out there really looking out for the safety and best interest of Nigerians? To lose faith in an agency such as NAFDAC with charge over food and drugs is no good for the system. It has a lot of work to do redeeming itself.” And this is not just a NAFDAC issue, it cuts across varied institutions and what their practices tell us about their value for the human life.

Well, weeks have passed after the whole drama and just as the rug was being rolled, another issue related to our value for the human life arose. It was the case of the outbreak of Meningitis in our dear country. Again, Simbo Olorunfemi gives some insights. “According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease control, (NCDC), as of April 3, 2017, a total of 2,997 cases, with 336 deaths, have been reported, with 146 of the cases being laboratory confirmed.” Though these outbreaks have occurred in the past, yet we have not been able to adequately contain these outbreaks. In 2015, “this outbreak lasted 17 weeks, and affected 1039 villages in 21 local government areas in three states- Kebbi, Sokoto, Niger.” Though excuses have been cited that this current one is serogroup C and it is new occurence while the previous ones were of the serogroup A and that vaccines for the former are not easily accessible. But as Simbo noted, “We are told that the C strain is a relatively new occurrence, but the scientific study I read reported that in 2013 and 2014 in North Western Nigeria, ‘two sequential, localized outbreaks of meningitis were caused by a new strain of Neiseeria meningitides Serogroup C (NmC)” And even at that year, the study had already suggested that, “a Vaccination campaign against NmC with a long lasting conjugate vaccine should be considered in the region”. Apparently, no one has cared. We would rather give religious connotations to the problem, than acknowledge our folly and repent of them. In a country where the lives of citizens are not valued, such reports lie useless in one box while life continues, hoping it will not come again. But alas, it came. For many of us, as long as it is not our family members or our friends, who cares? We have gotten so used to so much deaths from preventable causes that we no longer seem to see it as a problem that needs urgent redress. Do we really value the lives of thousands of people that die on our streets, in our half-baked hospitals, in the hands of uncaring nurses and reckless doctors? Do we really care for the lives of our citizens that die on bad roads or those who in the 21st century still have no access to portable water? Do we value the lives of the youth corpers that die yearly just because they want to serve their father land? Do we value the lives of those who die on fake drugs and smuggled products or those who die as victims of the recklessness of our own security agencies? Do we even care? Are these lives worth it? Does it have to continue like this? Are we cursed to this continuous tears and loss

https://owolabipaul./2017/05/02/​valuing-human-lives-like-bill-gates-and-dangote/

But beyond these two examples, the one that worried me most was the outbreak in Queens College, Yaba. The report by Sahara Reporters says “A recent laboratory report has shown that since the beginning of January 2017, over 1222 students of Queens College in Yaba, Lagos State have been treated at the school’s clinic for abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and diarrhea”. The problem? “The analysis also indicates that the boreholes that provide principal sources of water for the school are too shallow and too close in proximity to the sewage systems, to which the contamination has been traced”. But what one of the kitchen workers said was worrisome. She said the school principal, Mrs Lami Amodu “buys spoilt fish and molded rice at cheap rates for the student’s consumption”. When one of the students died, the school management denied any death and was still trying to allay the fears of the parents. But then the report of another death came to public knowledge. But when you think it can get worse, you read, “ Despite the Lagos State government’s recommendation that the school postpone classes till the premise are cleared of bacterial infections, the management of the school has asked the JSS 3 and SS3 students to resume without taking necessary precautions to ensure the students will be safe when they return to School.” How can repeated cases of same or similar symptoms be ignored from January until it became epidemic in April? How can a principal put her own profit as priority above the students’ health? How can they be indifferent until the intervention of Lagos State Government and Minister of Health? How can they reopen the school without any change in conditions? How can they deny the death of a student and give false security? What height of selfishness and irresponsibility! But the worst of it all that should bring pain to any heart is what was said by the Principal and his Vice as reported by Chidi Anselm ( President of Unity Schools Old Students Association). First the principal, “there is no epidemic, epidemic is when threequarters of the population has died”. Then the Vice, “We are looking after 2800 students and we are being crucified because two die”. Do these people even have blood in their veins? Would they have made those statements if it were their children? The lives of two young ladies with future aspirations are worth nothing? Nigeria, how did we ever get here? How did we grow callous? But while all these ravaging issues were taking place, Nigerians and our media outlets were more concerned about Apostle Suleiman and Stephanie Otobo, Dino Melaye’s certificate, Hammed Ali’s uniform, Saraki’s SUV, Big Brother Nigeria and the married lives of some so called celebrities. Can we focus on issues of greater proportions and issues that deal with the very values that make society possible? As Ayodele Adio stated, “A nation without a conscience and the slightest of compassion will continue to recycle injustice and rebellion at the cost of innocent lives.



But in the midst of all these bad news, I was so encouraged by an article I read on the 30th of April, 2017. I have written in greater depth and details on this issue of the value of human life in an article titled, “The Value of The Human Life” on Fadelessvision..com. The article went beyond the symptoms to the real issues and possible solutions. But I was urged to take up the pen again on this topic, not to go over the explanations again but to show that all hope is not lost. The article was written by Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa and Bill Gates, one of the richest in the world. It was titled, “Why we are Hopeful about Improving Health in Africa”. The article introduced us to what these men have been doing to make sure that Polio is eradicated in Africa. They met in 2010 in a conference concerned about this same issue. Since then, they have been working on complete eradication of the disease. More than 180,000 vaccinators have been sent into 5 African countries. They had supported the establishment of emergency operations centers in Nigeria. In Kano, they are working to ensure that “children can get essential childhood immunizations against Tetanus, pneumonia, liver cancer and measles. They have plans for nutrition programs in 12 states. They have also launched a campaign to end Malaria.

But what impressed me most was not what they have done or plan to do, but what I saw as their motivating ideology. I derive that from this statement, “At the time(referring to when the conference held in 2010), Nigeria had done an amazing job tackling polio- reducing reported cases by 95 percent in just one year. But it was still circulating in six Nigerian States. While 95 percent might seem like success, as long as a single child remains infected, children across Africa and around the world are at risk” Wao! I have not read

something as moving as this in years. True to their ideology, Borno is now the only State out of the 6 where Polio is still circulating and they are working relentlessly to end it there. To them, the life of one single person matters. Is it because they are so rich and wealthy? In fact that should be the reason why they should not care. These are guys that have all the comfort and security anyone can ever wish for. But there is an ideology, a commitment to the value of one single human life that drives them on in this mission. We might not be as rich, but if we have the same mentality like they do, that every single human life is precious and important and deserves life and security and comfort, then we can do the little we can in our corners. We can brighten the corners where we are. When the ideology is there, it will find expression, either in big deeds or in little acts.

All is not gloom, all hope is not lost. Let us as individuals and as far as our voices, pens, influences can go, make a commitment to the sanctity of the human life and commit to live every day of our own lives in view of that fact. We need a massive revolution of mindset in this country, individually and institutions wise. It can begin with us. The Nigerian life is sacred and it should be treated as such. Whether sick or whole, whether in the womb or out, whether male or female, whether theist or atheist, educated or illiterate, poor or rich, privileged or not, irrespective of race, tribe or religion, every human life is precious and we should treat it as such. And it still remains my conviction that this is true because every human being is created in the image of God.









Ayodele Adio, Nigeria We Hail Thee, Opinion.premiumtimes.com.ng, April 30, 2017

Aliko Dangote, Bill Gates, Why We are Hopeful about Improving Health in Africa, Opinion.premiumtimes.com.ng, April 30, 2017

Chidi Anselm, Death of Innocents at Queen’s College: Crime of Involuntary Manslaughter, livebip.com, May 1, 2017

Owolabi Paul, The Value of The Human Life, Fadelessvision..com, June 12, 2016

Simbo Olorunfemi, Are we Doing Enough to Contain this Annual Outbreak of Meningitis, Opinion.premiumtimesng.com, April 5, 2017

Simbo Olorunfemi, More Questions on Soft Drinks, Benzoic Acid and Nigerian Regulators, Opinion.premiumtimesng.com, March 20, 2017

Simbo Olorunfemi, Should We Now Be Worried about Drinking Fanta and Sprite,Opinion.premiumtimesng.com, March 17, 2017

https://owolabipaul./2017/05/02/​valuing-human-lives-like-bill-gates-and-dangote/

We live in a country where we have little or no value for the human life. The security of lives and properties which is a fundamental necessity for the existence of a society are greatly lacking. We live in a place where people can die from very absurd reasons and unimaginable conditions. If you are not killed by a car, you might just be the victim of a drunk police man with his rifle or a crazy driver running away from a police personnel. Life here is not just secured. From people lynched because of religious remarks or an inter-ethnic war arising from mere cases of disrespect for the wife of a leader of a road transport workers association, people live their lives in fear.
Recent issues that have made the news has also shown more or less this chronic disease of our polity. From the Soft drinks saga to the Meningitis outbreak, our deep rooted malady have showcased again. The lackadaisical attitude of NAFDAC and the Standard Organization of Nigeria is beyond words. Even if the fact was granted that the difference in temperature between Nigeria and UK necessitates a higher level of acceptability in regards to the Benzoic acid, the fact that no review in the standards has been made since 2008 is a call for concern. Or are those that were supposed to be the experts in such issues unaware of studies that are being done to show greater health risks in Benzoic acid which has necessitated the drop in the acceptable level? And to think that this particular matter has been dragged in the court for 8 years, leaves much to be desired. And then to think that this issue will not have been raised if not for concerns expressed, not by a Nigerian Laboratory but by a UK laboratory. As noted by Simbo Olorunfemi, for example, the standard set by Codex Alimentarius Commission(CAC)- (who sets international limit) as high as 600mg/kg was reviewed to 250mg/kg. The United Kingdom and other European countries have set theirs at 150mg/kg including Ghana in the same tropical region with us. But even the argument of difference in weather is misplaced. As Simbo noted, “ But then, after learning that benzene was present in some products, research was undertaken by both FDA( their version of NAFDAC) and the soft drinks industry in US to understand the factors that contributed to benzene formation. This revealed that ‘elevated temperature and light can stimulate benzene formation in the presence of benzoate salts and vitamin C’ So, I am left again with more questions: If elevated temperature, as is the case in tropical Nigeria, is a factor that can enhance benzene formation- a well-documented carcinogenic substance, how then does it make sense for the prescribed benzoic acid level in Nigeria manufactured soft drinks to be higher than that of a temperate United Kingdom and other European countries?” And in a country that care less about causes of deaths or sicknesses (but rather give you drugs to cure symptoms), who knows the untold harms that would have been caused by such negligence and carelessness about the value of human lives.

While countries are researching every time to make sure that the health of their citizens are in the best state and to review what needs to be reviewed to achieve that, we here care less. As Simbo concluded in his first piece on this topic, “But then, this is even beyond Fanta and Sprite. The more pertinent question brought to the fore by this are- Are there more things we need to be worried about? Can we be sure there is someone out there really looking out for the safety and best interest of Nigerians? To lose faith in an agency such as NAFDAC with charge over food and drugs is no good for the system. It has a lot of work to do redeeming itself.” And this is not just a NAFDAC issue, it cuts across varied institutions and what their practices tell us about their value for the human life.

Well, weeks have passed after the whole drama and just as the rug was being rolled, another issue related to our value for the human life arose. It was the case of the outbreak of Meningitis in our dear country. Again, Simbo Olorunfemi gives some insights. “According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease control, (NCDC), as of April 3, 2017, a total of 2,997 cases, with 336 deaths, have been reported, with 146 of the cases being laboratory confirmed.” Though these outbreaks have occurred in the past, yet we have not been able to adequately contain these outbreaks. In 2015, “this outbreak lasted 17 weeks, and affected 1039 villages in 21 local government areas in three states- Kebbi, Sokoto, Niger.” Though excuses have been cited that this current one is serogroup C and it is new occurence while the previous ones were of the serogroup A and that vaccines for the former are not easily accessible. But as Simbo noted, “We are told that the C strain is a relatively new occurrence, but the scientific study I read reported that in 2013 and 2014 in North Western Nigeria, ‘two sequential, localized outbreaks of meningitis were caused by a new strain of Neiseeria meningitides Serogroup C (NmC)” And even at that year, the study had already suggested that, “a Vaccination campaign against NmC with a long lasting conjugate vaccine should be considered in the region”. Apparently, no one has cared. We would rather give religious connotations to the problem, than acknowledge our folly and repent of them. In a country where the lives of citizens are not valued, such reports lie useless in one box while life continues, hoping it will not come again. But alas, it came. For many of us, as long as it is not our family members or our friends, who cares? We have gotten so used to so much deaths from preventable causes that we no longer seem to see it as a problem that needs urgent redress. Do we really value the lives of thousands of people that die on our streets, in our half-baked hospitals, in the hands of uncaring nurses and reckless doctors? Do we really care for the lives of our citizens that die on bad roads or those who in the 21st century still have no access to portable water? Do we value the lives of the youth corpers that die yearly just because they want to serve their father land? Do we value the lives of those who die on fake drugs and smuggled products or those who die as victims of the recklessness of our own security agencies? Do we even care? Are these lives worth it? Does it have to continue like this? Are we cursed to this continuous tears and loss? :

It bears repeating again that this is not just a new generation of politicians. It’s a new generation of leaders in all of our little spaces. This is not a mad rush for the zenith of political office. But a commitment to be responsible leaders in our offices, communities and every other sociocultural space. These are not people hungry for power and money but who seek to make positive impacts wherever they find themselves. These are committed young people in every state, in every local government, every community, every industry, in every firm, in every arm of the civil service. It is such massive positive leadership everywhere and at every level that will suffice

What will this reform look like? I go back to a quote from Bamidele Olateju. ““The ongoing and never ending dispiriting parade of scandals, thefts, economic sabotage and general financial and political misbehavior that confronts us daily in the media, reminds us that all we have are leaders of misfortune, mired in the lack of public ethics, political and individual morality”. I suggest that there are three very important factors that are critical to achieve this reform which are the three things I believe Leadership should be made up of. CHARACTER, IDEOLOGY AND EDUCATION

CHARACTER

Our present generation is a generation that celebrates hypocrisy. There is a divide between the private life and the public life. It reminds me of a man who said, “These are my ideals, if you don’t like it, I have others” (paraphrase). We live in a world where people who lack character substitute it with reputation. Calvin Coolige said that Character is “the only secure foundation of the state” Peggy Noonan says it this way, “In a President, character is everything. A president doesn’t have to be brilliant…he doesn’t have to be clever; you can hire clever…You can hire pragmatic, and you can hire and bring in policy wonks. But you cannot buy courage and decency; you can’t rent a strong moral sense. A president must bring those things with him” (Quoted from Albert Mohler, Character in Leadership). No one is perfect, but character requires people who have values and morals that cannot be moved by the allurements of circumstances. People who are unshaken by their commitment to right, justice, equity, freedom, morality. We need a generation of young leaders whose inner life conforms to their public image

Ellen White, though speaking about what Christians need to be, made a point so relevant to this discussion. “The greatest want of the world is the want of men,–men who will not be bought or sold; men who in their inmost souls are true and honest; men who do not fear to call sin by its right name; men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole; men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall.–Education, p. 57”. Enough of endless court cases, corruption charges, fraud charges, forgeries, deceptions, denials, pretensions, hypocrisies. There is need for a new generation of leaders who are men of integrity and values

IDEOLOGY

Every golden era in the world has been the result of the outworking of a man’s convictions. We need a new generation of men who have convictions that are rooted in their ideologies. We need young people who stand for something and therefore do not fall for everything. Political parties that are differentiated by their ideologies rather than by opportunities. We want a generation of young men who can stand and debate why their ideas are superior and why it will help solve our problems. We need a new generation of electorate who will not be persuaded by “stomach infrastructure’ but who go to polling units with a clear conviction on why they stand with a particular school of thought. We don’t need campaign promises founded on nothing but sheer optimism and sometimes deceptions but promises founded on ideas and blueprints. We need a generation of leaders who do not seek to manipulate but who stand on the conviction of their ideas. With that, electoral violence and manipulations will be a thing of the past

While I am not a socialist, this is one area I have appreciated the Democratic Socialist Movement, a group of young people with Marxist convictions and who are not ashamed or fearful to advocate their ideology by pen, voice and as the thrust of their campaigns. They always lead political discuss in my school. We need more of those kind of youths. Youths with convictions. Youths with ideas. “Character is rooted in conviction. It was President Harry S. Truman who once remarked: ‘A man cannot have character unless he lives within a fundamental system of morals that creates character.”(Quoted from Albert Mohler, Character in Leadership)

EDUCATION

We need young people who see Education as a lifelong process, something beyond the “la cram la pour’ of our 17th century Universities (as Pius Adesanmi will call them). We need young people with open minds who are ready to interact with others. We need a mass of young people engaging themselves with tolerance, rationality and objectivity. We need young leaders who are not bereaved of ideas because they think they know it all. We need young people who are always reading, always engaging their minds, and always making themselves better to be an asset to their generation.

I believe it is possible but it will be a radical change. A part of me questions if this is not too much optimism, but a part of me believes that Optimism is not a sin and that “The Change Is Possible” (in the words of Vincent Adeoba)

First of all, what we need is not a new leader or a new ‘Messiah’ who is just not 74 but 44 or 34(if the constitution will allow). The problem of Nigeria takes more than a super man from the sky who will dazzle us with his body language and then everything will just be fine. Old or young, just having a leader with integrity (assumed) on the top has proved a failure. Under the reign of the old Mr. Integrity, we have had many situations and occurrences that have dragged us down. From budget padding, to Aisha’s revelation of the Cabals within. From Abba Kyari to Babachir Lawal grass cutting. From Dambazau’s impunity to Solomon Dalung incompetency. Even the special advisers are no better. From unnecessary secrecy to half-truths (or alternative facts). And then to crown it all is our own theatre of dramas, the Almighty Senate (As Dele Agekameh puts it). Every sitting is a fresh drama.

Chinua Achebe commenting on Murtala Muhammed’s reign and its positive effects on the civil servants then, said, “We know, alas, that that transformation was short-lived; it had begun to fade even before the tragic assassination of Murtala Muhammed. In the final analysis a leader’s no-nonsense reputation might induce a favorable climate but in order to effect lasting change it must be followed up with a radical programme of social and economic reorganization or at least a well-conceived and consistent agenda of reform which Nigeria stood, and stands in dire need of.”

What all these should tell us is that what we need is not a change of President but a reorientation among our future leaders. This is where I agree with Tope. One thing that seems to be obvious among the elderly is the almost impossibility to change. The same ideas they have lived with all through their lives, they choose to stay put with it regardless of changing circumstances. Adults have their “comfortable shell” beyond which they don’t want to think and explore. Most Adult politicians have a perception of leadership that is very difficult to change. If we will achieve what we really need, not new leaders or new Messiahs or a new Mr. Integrity, but a new generation of leaders, it must begin with the young people. This is very important. We don’t need young leaders just for the sake of young leaders. We only need young leaders because youths are more open to a massive reorientation. If such reorientation does not take place, I submit that all this talk about youth leaders are a waste of time. If young people are not willing to have a complete change of thought patterns, then nothing will change. If we only have one young person there, it will not solve our problems. We don’t need a positive young leader surrounded by negative ones who will at the end override a positive impact that can be made. We need a whole generation of young people committed to the right leadership ideals. Of course, this does not mean everyone will think alike. It need not. It only needs a movement of many young people willing to learn.

To show us why we can’t just call for young leaders if this massive unlearning and learning don’t take place, let’s just look at the leaders of Students Unions on our campuses. I was privileged to witness two different administration of Student Union Affairs at a foremost Nigerian University. It was no different from what we have today in the larger political world. Political godfatherism, corruption here and there, unbridled exercise of power, lack of concern for the opinions of the populace, personal ambitions, misappropriation of funds and so on. Even in the larger polity, youngsters like Yahaya Bello of Kogi State have not shown much progress in their political thoughts. Then come to informal discussions. Many young people will say it proudly how they will also share the national cake if given the opportunities. They will talk of their plans to take care of their own families. Many sharp ones will say that there is nothing wrong in embezzling funds but don’t do it to the extent that the people’s welfare will be jeopardized. Steal public money but do enough public works to gain the support of the people. Then come to online forums and see politics of tribalism and hate among young Nigerians. If what we have presently does not change massively (which I repeat does not mean everyone), then young leaders will only have more strength, tact, lust to perpetuate the art of irresponsible leadership. What we need is for thought leaders in this country, to come together and launch a massive reform in our thinking. People like Tope Fasua, Simbo Olorunfemi, Chude Jideonwo, Bamidele Olateju and many such people I can’t start naming should start pulling heads together on how to reform our young minds and make us responsible future leaders. Without such, the future is blink, if it exists at all

That we have a leadership problem is generally acknowledged. What is not so clear is how to solve the problem. The situation was so real to me when two of my favorite writers on Nigeria Issues, Simbo Olorunfemi (communication expert) and Tope Fasua (Economist) had a little disagreement. Tope was just about to register a new political party with INEC, “Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party”. Anyone who knows anything about him knows that he is not just a hungry person looking for money and fame but someone so filled with ideas (Presented in his 3 or 4 books and hundreds of articles) that he can longer hold it while those who have the “Pen” cares nothing about ideas. Tope was tired of just looking from afar and hoping one day the change will occur. He wants to be a pioneer of what he advocates. However, Simbo on the other hand was very cautious. He warned against a Plethora of new political parties still trying to register with INEC. He was trying to be factual in consideration of what is involved to be the leader in Nigeria and even more, about the aftermath. He thinks it is the system that needs to be changed and such change should be bottom up rather than top down. He advocates a Parliamentary system of government. Even such beautiful minds and good friends could disagree widely on the solution to our current impasse.

Some have suggested that what we need is a unique individual who will be the ‘Savior’ of Nigeria. Such thoughts led to a massive vote for the present President at the last poll. Almost 2 years after, it seems deliverance and ‘salvation’ is still far from us. Those with this idea are not relenting. Some are already positing another “Messiah’ like Peter Obi and the rest. Some are so dissatisfied that they will even prefer a return to the military regime. Others more daring believe we need a revolution and a total overhaul of the System. Some see an alternative in Socialism. Still yet, others believe that nothing can be done and we are doomed forever. Many still believe that we should only wait for another election cycle. A new party with a new manifesto they contend will solve the problem. There are plethora of different and sometimes opposite ideas to this single but broad problem.

However, I began to notice that there are others who have a new idea. Not so new in its postulation but in its advocacy. Many believe that we have come to that point where what we need are young leaders. They believe that it is time for the youths to take up the helm of leadership and be the drivers of the change we are all looking forward to. One of such persons is Wole Soyinka. The Nobel Laureate needs no introduction. In a short article that has been widely circulated on social media especially among the youths, he goes through the ages at which the pioneering leaders of Nigeria began to rule. In this chronicle, he focused especially on the fact that many leaders like Okotie-Eboh, Ehahoro, K. Nzeogwu, Danjuma, Mohammed, Garba, Abacha, Yaradua, Obasanjo, Buhari and advisers like Pat Utomi, M.T. Ubu served the country when they were still under the age of 30. Those who were above like Gowon, Ojukwu, Akintola, Balewa, Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello were only a few years above the ‘benchmark’ while only Azikwe was above 40( 42 years). He then went on to contrast the condition of most youths under age 30 today. Many of them according to him are still living in their Parents’ home, still collecting money from their parents, still writing Jamb, still sagging trousers, still searching for Jobs, not yet married. And then he comes to the real issue, “Why Is it that this age bracket is today no longer qualified to even be leaders of youth wings of political parties…Why is it that this age bracket is today barred from even aspiring to certain political offices”. Soyinka’s article made so much points that we as youths should reflect on

Tope Fasua also wrote an article sometimes ago on “Ten Reasons Why Younger leaders May Be Better For Nigeria”. He made so many vital points to support his thesis. “We understand rights and responsibilities better because we did not grow up under a colonial overhang. We are not afraid of the white man, or to think our own thoughts. We actually grew up with less fears because we didn’t grow up with many handouts; we haven’t been spoon-fed, and we have fended for ourselves and many of us are today entrepreneurs, intrepid startup guys who bulldoze any impediment rather than whine”. What a great analysis. You hardly read anything from Tope and not be wowed. However, I think there are some points that need to be raised and emphasized to prevent us from falling into some deceptions in this renewed call for youth leadership

“The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership.”

Those were the words with which Chinua Achebe began his thoughts on “the trouble with Nigeria.” Even though he will go through nine different points under that topic, he started off by way of introduction where he thinks at the end of the day the real problem is. Though many of the points raised in his analysis has to do with leaders as well as followers, there is a good reason why he starts off by identifying leadership as “where the problem really lies”. Forty years after, I believe if Chinua Achebe was to update his book, nothing much will change. The factors of our misfortune have not changed, only their intensity has changed for the worse. Tribalism, corruption, a false image of ourselves, lack of Patriotism, Social Injustice, and Indiscipline are still much the bane of our society. But coupled with all of these or more accurately, undergirding all of this is the lack of leaders that will propel the country into a brighter future.

Nigeria is still a country where the most basic infrastructure are not available to a greater portion of the populace. Income equality, illiteracy, poverty, insecurity, wars and so on still stifle our common good. The debate has always ensued whether the real problem is with our leaders or with the followers. Many say that leaders are just a reflection of who the people are. That is, we get the leaders we actually deserve. Others don’t agree and they believe that it is the followers that reflect the leaders. They believe that the reformation must start with the leaders and the citizens will follow suit. Popularizing the former position is the federal government initiative of “Change begins with me”. This seems like a ‘conversion’ experience for a government that promised change during the electioneering period based on the goodwill of its candidate. Perhaps, they have come to realize that it is the followers that drive the change. But many thoughtful Nigerians will not accept such opinions. Someone like Bamidele Olateju reflecting on the current disasters in the present administration will exclaim that Nigerians don’t deserve this kind of leaders and leadership. Her words, “ The ongoing and never ending dispiriting parade of scandals, thefts, economic sabotage and general financial and political misbehavior that confronts us daily in the media, reminds us that all we have are leaders of misfortune, mired in the lack of public ethics, political and individual morality”. Those are very strong words. There are many who support the view that it is the leaders that must take the initiative. A powerful example they use is that Nigerians are not more corrupt than Americans or Britons but it is the system in place that has made it possible for our country to be where it is, compared to those developed countries. They believe corruption is not unique to us but frequent practices and success with it has made it rampant with much impunity. Others like Chude Jideonwo currently writing a series of articles titled the “Office of the citizen” believe that Nigerians deserve more than what they are getting. In his last post, he strongly admonished that we evaluate our leaders based on high objective standards and not by comparing them amongst themselves ( e.g. at least Buhari is better than Jonathan). “All of them were hired by all of us to do a job, and each is to be judged on its own merit. They are not to be defended and protected simply because you like the one and you dislike the other; they are to be assessed independently based on the job they were given to do, and how they did the job”

Personally, I think the only two options left is to believe that either the leaders only are to be blamed or the leaders and the followers. But any mode of assessment that exonerate leadership is not only untruthful but deceptive. Change begins with us but such change must be modeled for us by those who are the leaders. The word ‘begins’ is never used in association with followers but leaders. “Change includes me” or “Change will only succeed with me” will be more appropriate. Revolutions don’t begin with a crowd, the crowd only follow the leader. Whether its abolition of slavery, the fight for the freedom of the black man, the fight for the survival of civilizations, there is always a person that was the pioneer. That’s why names like Luther, Ghandi, Livingstone, Wesley, Theresa ring a bell in our historical ears. The people then were not holier than us, but there was an irresistible leadership that won their heart with conviction and ideology. “It would be no surprise, if a study of secret causes were undertaken, to find that every golden era in human history proceeds from the devotion and passion of one single individual…there are no bonafide mass movements, it just looks that way! At the center column there is always one man who knows God, and knows where he is going” (

Richard Ellsworth Day, Filled With the Spirit, Page 20)But leaving the followers for a while, let’s focus on those who are to be the trail blazers of our national prosperity.

Flawed reasoning can definitely lead to flawed beliefs. But to believe that any reasoning that leads to religious faith is irrational, is to stop being a free thinker

Many scientists in the previous centuries saw no conflict between reason and faith. Reason is the foundation, faith the response and commitment to rational convictions

It's only a naturalistic presupposition that conflicts the two.

But the situation goes beyond this. The problem is not just that freethinking has been redefined, the issue is, the ‘thinking’ in ‘Freethinking’ has been totally erased. Many become freethinkers today not because they have examined the evidence and have come to believe in naturalism but because that is what is in vogue (that is what it means to be brilliant). In fact, to deny the existence of anything beyond the natural is the new standard for intelligence. A desire to belong in these circles is a driving force for many and those outside are seen as ‘chickens’ in terms of intelligence. Just learn some few words, some few arguments, some few names and have some few quotes from Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennet, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens and you are in. And because the church has not empowered her members for such dialogue, they easily get cheap victories and become more confident. Of course, this is not to deny that there are many ‘freethinkers’ who have what to them are good reasons for their unbelief. But a vast majority don’t.

Still, there is something more worrisome. Our generation is one that wants choices but not commitment. Globalization has exposed us to a large array of choices in our economic life. This same ideology has gone beyond its limits and entered every facets of our lives. O S Guinness, author and social critic puts it this way, “From breakfast cereals to restaurants and cuisines to Sexual identities and temptations to possible sexual arrangements of all types to self-help techniques and philosophies of life, we are offered an infinite array of choices, and the focus is always on choice as choosing rather than choice as the content of what is chosen. Just choose. Simply choose. Experiment. Try it out for yourself. How else will you know unless you have tried it”, ““Love to one is only a barbarity,” Nietzsche wrote in Beyond Good and Evil, “for it is exercised at the expense of all others. Love to God also.” There you have it. Even God is reduced to consumer choice, and when truth is taken out of the equation, sticking to one choice is no longer a matter of intellectual conviction but a sign of timidity as well as folly. Surely, the unspoken ad speak tells us, you should always be open-minded, for the genuine freethinker will always wish to choose and keep, choosing, to experiment and keep on Experimenting”,

This is an accurate description of our society as it is. Many today are freethinkers out of intellectual laziness and unwillingness to follow through with the consequences of their thoughts. Many prefer to believe in nothing not out of conviction but out of a desire to not be committed to the consequences of believing in something. Worldview is no longer an intellectual issue but an emotional issue. Many are like Thomas Huxley who does not care about evidence but don’t just want God to exist because he can’t live with the fact that he will be judged. In his own words, “For myself, as no doubt for most of my friends, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom. The supporters of this system claimed that it embodied the meaning-the Christian meaning, they insisted-of the world. There was one admirably simple method of confuting these people and justifying ourselves in our erotic revolt: we would deny that the world had any meaning whatever”. The irony is that such person and many others will be admitted to the class of freethinkers. Many are like Harvard Geneticist, Richard Lewontin who said,” We cannot allow a Divine foot in the door.” “No faith wanted here,”. Yet, such men will be celebrated as great intellectuals. As it is stated on the freethinkers’ site, “A multiplicity of individuals thinking, free from restraints of orthodoxy, allows ideas to be tested, discarded or adopted. The totalitarianism of religious absolutes chokes progress”. The question was never raised whether what is orthodox is true apart from the fact of orthodoxy or whether that which is absolute is true. To have varied choices, they just eliminate it all without a consideration of merit. They want plurality of ideas and yet wants none to be true. They want options, not truth, not commitment. What a height of intellectual laziness and irresponsibility. The disease of our day is the desire for options and a lack of commitment. Philosophy is no longer the love of truth but the love of options. Many are freethinkers not because they have thought deeply through the issues but because of intellectual laziness, they prefer to stay where nothing is required because nothing is believed. To shut out the needed commitment and obligations, many have rejected some worldviews and found solace in a false intellectualism. Maybe G K Chesterton was right when he said, “The Christian Ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried” Of course, this does not mean that this is true of all freethinkers. Some have good arguments that will be considered in future discuss.


To be true freethinkers is to think without prejudice. It is to think without setting up limits we are not willing to pass over. To be freethinkers is to allow any foot in as long as it is true. To be freethinkers is to have enough courage and dignity to make emotional commitments to whatever is true. To be freethinkers is not to make assumptions at the beginning. To be freethinkers is not to seek to arrive at conclusions that will fit us into the elites. To be freethinkers is to examine the evidence without bias and go as long as the evidence leads. To be freethinkers is to look within and conquer our own fears and emotional bias.


Yes we all need to be freethinkers but not the kind that is popular in today’s culture. Maybe they need another name.


I conclude with the words of Michael Austin, a Professor of Philosophy in an article for Psychology today. Commenting on the definition of freethinking from the Freethinkers website, he said, “First, while there are certainly many people who form their opinions about religion by irrational means, and who hold irrational religious beliefs, there are also many who ‘form opinions about religion on the basis of reason’ and conclude that there is a God, perhaps even as this being is understood within one of the major religious traditions. The forced dichotomy between faith and reason is a false dichotomy. Many define faith as belief without or apart from evidence, but historically and philosophically this is a flawed definition. A better definition of faith is a power to believe what you have reason to think is true…… What I am proposing is that we all be freethinkers, in the sense that we all go where we take the evidence to lead us on any particular issue. I’ve discussed religious beliefs here, but the same applies to morality, politics and any other area of human inquiry. Let’s be freethinkers, but let’s allow ourselves to be free to believe the truth based on evidence, even if what ends up being true is not what we initially thought or hoped it will be”

This situation was well analyzed by Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor in his book, ‘The Secular Age’. As stated by Albert Mohler, ‘ Perhaps the central insight from Taylor’s book is his categorization of the pre modern, modern and postmodern time periods with respect to the worldview options available in a culture. As Taylor argues, western history is categorized by three intellectual epochs: pre-Enlightenment impossibility of unbelief; post-Enlightenment possibility of unbelief; and late modern impossibility of belief.” In the pre modern world, people could not just live without appealing to the Bible or to some other forms of revelation. They could not understand the world without an appeal to a theistic framework. “While society had its heretics, there were no atheists among them. Everyone believed in some form of theism, even if it was polytheism.” In fact the word ‘atheist’ did not exist until the 16th century when Coverdale was translating Scriptures. He needed a word to describe those who don’t believe in God. “…he did not know anyone who actually held that conviction. No one in the Elizabethan age would have denied God’s existence”

At the wake of the Enlightenment, and with people like Darwin, Freud, Marx, Nietzsche other worldview options were made available. It was now possible for some to believe in a wholly naturalistic worldview that has no place for supernatural claims and religion (except for social importance). Now, we have come to an age where it is becoming impossible to believe. This is more rampant among the elites especially in America and Europe. But as my intelligent friend will always say, the present of America is the future of Africa. That is, the sociocultural conditions in the West will soon be integrated into ours. A cursory look at our own intellectual elites shows that this is already present. We have come to that age where to be rational is to be antisupernatural. This is the age where to be an intellectual elite is to be anti-religion. “Under the first set of western conditions, not everyone was a Christian, but all were accountable to a Christian worldview because there was no alternative. Secularization in American culture has reversed the conditions: not everyone is a non-Christian, but all must operate under a secular worldview that denies the legitimacy of a Christian worldview”
Moving away from the dogmas of the modern era, we have removed the dogmas without independently examining their truthfulness. In doing so, we have created new dogmas. Many scientists have told stories of how they were convinced on the basis of their investigation that supernaturalism is what does justice to the evidence, but they can’t commit to such because it is expected that to be a Scientist is to a naturalist or to believe in macro evolution. Many are being maligned because their own independent thoughts have led them to Theism. The same people that cry foul at intolerance and clamor for tolerance are the same people who have become intolerant of those who hold beliefs contrary to the ‘new dogma’. Those who oppose persecutions based on religious dogmas have become the new persecutors (Ben Carson and Eric Walsh come to mind). Those that have advocated for freedom of thoughts have been the new cabal that denies it to others.

However, what I began to notice is that majority of those who think worldviews and what constitutes them are important and who are committed to engage with these issues, like to refer to themselves as free thinkers. Whether in school or on online forums, many young and bright minds committed to training their minds have a tendency to identify themselves as free thinkers. It seems that today, to think at all is to be a free thinker. Now what does it mean to be a free thinker? What does it not mean? What are the various stripes and shades? What does it say about our culture? And at the end, should we all be free thinkers.

According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, a free thinker is “a person who forms his or her own opinions about important subjects (such as religion and politics) instead of accepting what other people say”. There is a second definition. “One who forms opinions on the basis of reason independently of authority; especially: one who doubts or denies religious dogma”.

Going by the first definition, we all indeed should be free thinkers. If what it means to be freethinkers is to have an independent mind, to think independently and make our own conclusions on the huge issues of life rather than be told what to think or what to believe by some authority figures, it is very mandatory for every true thinker to be one. We need to get to a point where we don’t just believe certain things because our parents do so or because our teachers do so or our friends. This does not mean that these set of people cannot influence us, but they don’t impose their beliefs on us as dogmas. Free thinking is needed in an age where many have submitted their brains to some pastors, some politicians and what have you. It’s time for us to stand up and do our own thinking. One of the features of our society is that many untestable and unproved ideologies have been transmitted years after years that they have become the facts because every generation has failed to question and investigate such assumptions and dogmas. The list is endless. Politics, Economics, religion, social values have come to be dominated by unquestioned dogmas.

But the discuss gets interesting when we get to the second definition. ““One who forms opinions on the basis of reason independently of authority; especially: one who doubts or denies religious dogma”. The “especially” is where the gist lies. A freethinker is defined no longer by the method he uses. It is here assumed that to be an especial freethinker is to ‘doubt or deny religious dogmas’. If we remain faithful to the first definition, then the second definition should actually be, ‘one who denies religious dogmas when he believes from his independent study that they are wrong and believes them when he affirms from independent study that they are right, not because they are dogmas but because they are true”. A dogma is ‘something held as an established opinion’. Now a free thinker should be someone who believes certain tenets whether they are established or not. That is, a free thinker’s investigation can lead to the acceptance of established opinion or otherwise but he does not believe on the basis of how established or not the opinion is.
But in society today, a freethinker is seen as someone who denies religious claims. It is assumed upfront that any freethinking will lead to the rejection of dogmas. It is assumed also that any thinking that leads to religious beliefs is not freethinking. I submit that these assumptions are attacks against freethinking itself. To prevent dogmatic thinking on one front, we have birthed a different one on another front. The new dogma is that every true thinking will lead to a disbelief or at least an agnostic stance on religious issues. According to a site devoted to free thinkers, “The scientific method is the only trustworthy means of obtaining knowledge”, “Freethinkers are naturalistic”, “Freethinkers include Atheists, agnostics, secular humanists and rationalists”,” Freethinkers are convinced that religious claims are false”

We live in a world where thinking has become very scarce. There is a sense in which it is impossible not to think. We all use our heads and brains and minds everyday whether we want to or not. There are always issues that confront us that we need to think through in order to make decisions, without this, we are no longer rational beings. The problem is that we hardly think on the issues that really matter. Issues like Metaphysics (nature of reality), Epistemology( nature of knowledge), Ethics, Values, Morality rarely engage our attention. Where do we come from? How should we behave? Is there a God? Is religion just a psychological crutch? Is there any meaning and purpose in the universe, if there is, is it discovered or decided? Who or what decides what is moral or otherwise in any circumstances? The answers to these questions form what is called our worldviews. Everyone has a worldview but the problem is for most of us, we don’t make decisions on a day to day basis based on a particular worldview but based on impulses and emotions. Most of us have not really taken time to think through the difficult issues. This is why there are so many inconsistencies in the way we live our lives and so many contradictions in our views about important issues. Aldous Huxley puts it this way, “Most of one’s life is one prolonged effort to prevent thinking.”

Should we all then be philosophers? Of course not. We don’t need to be philosophers to be able to think through life greatest questions. It has always been said, “Ideas have consequences”. The effect of our thought patterns, developed or otherwise will always find a fruitage in how we live our lives. In fact, a person’s worldview is best deduced not from what they say or claim but from how they live. Our lives are the outworking of our thoughts and our thoughts become our emotions and on and on, character is developed. The most defining periods in history are consequences of some people’s thoughts. From the abolition of slavery to Mother Theresa, the liberation movements of Martin Luther King Jr, or the Civil war, the Holocaust and the gas chambers, Fascism and Totalitarianism. All these were the ideas that were in the hearts of some people at some times in history. Ideas do have consequences and beliefs do lead to behavior. “Every golden era in human history proceeds from the devotion and righteous passion of some single individual” and vice versa.

But we live today in a world where thinking is no longer a desired discipline. In a world of materialism, the focus is on the body and not the mind. We are more concerned about buying and owning and fashion and latest trends. No one cares about the ideas that are shaping the sociocultural space. Also, we live in an automated, fast paced world where people have little or no time to really reflect on their worldviews and its consequences. We therefore have people who believe nothing about anything. Life is just a result of many accidental, situational choices. Or on the other hand, we have become mere reflectors of other people’s thought. With the advent of the internet, information has become cheap and most times, valueless. In such age, you can always find cheap information at any time and people just hold to the thoughts of others non critically because they are too busy to have their own thoughts. Ellen Gould White, a 19th century writer puts it this way, “It is the work of true education to develop this power, to train the youth to be thinkers, and not mere reflectors of other men's thought. Instead of confining their study to that which men have said or written, let students be directed to the sources of truth, to the vast fields opened for research in nature and revelation. Let them contemplate the great facts of duty and destiny, and the mind will expand and strengthen. Instead of educated weaklings, institutions of learning may send forth men strong to think and to act, men who are masters and not slaves of circumstances, men who possess breadth of mind, clearness of thought, and the courage of their convictions. “This mental ability is a rare feature of our age. Educational success today is not measured by the depth of your thoughts but by your ability to conform to the thoughts of your lecturers, memorize them well and reproduce them accurately. This is why the products of such education are not men with deep thoughts, deep convictions who don’t mind disagreeing with status quo if need be, on the strength of convictions. What we have today is not education but indoctrination. Only a few people who put in personal efforts are able to get educated and not just schooled. Thank God it’s not just gloom and hazy. In the midst of this, there are a lot of young and old minds alike, who are committed to thinking through the issues that really mater.

Can't I do the registration myself on my PC?

First of all, we need to admit the truth of the reality. We cannot deny that there is a deep erosion of values and morals in our society. The deaf can hear it and the blind can see it. The only morality that many young people admit is the morality of materialism. In a world of globalization, consumerism and mass advertising, materialism has been the new measure of success. And many people will do what they can to meet up with the new societal standard. We are in the age of the I Phones and the I Pads. The spirit of competition has engulfed the society, most especially the young. And this has led to so much immorality. Not just immorality, there is so much lack of seriousness among the young people. Life to many is just about the social media. Many no longer have any driving purpose beyond the present and their Job (at least for those who care to have one). Cheap money is what everyone is looking for. They all want to meet with the standard. University is the best place to analyze what the future of a society will be. There, you find many forms of immorality, laziness, useless relationships filled with deceit etc

However, the point that is being missed in all these is that life is full of both good and bad examples. If you want many influence to be a criminal, there are more than enough. If you need influence to be an agent of change in the society, you have more than enough. Life is filled with the opposites. All men are not the same (neither all women). You want enough examples of modest, pious, focused, dedicated, successful women, you will find enough. You want the opposite, you have more than enough. Though in society, the bad always seem to outweigh the good. In 1 John 3, just as John finished discussing about a certain man called Diotrephes who is proud and spreading bad influence in the church, he then mentioned another man, Demetrius, who “hath good report of all men”. In the same church, two opposite character. In Paul’s writings, you find the same pattern. Demas has forsaken him having loved the world, but Mark has stood by him when everyone else has departed. Such is life

Secondly, we have to notice the hypocrisy of all this. The same set of people will not complain about raising up the male child. But the reality is, young guys are as immoral, indecent, and materialistic as the young ladies. But the truth of the matter is that people are only concerned about being the victim. We are afraid of female children because we are afraid of being the victims but we don’t mind if others are (even if it’s our male children that inflict the pain). At least, the male child will not be pregnant, even though we don’t mind if he does the impregnating of another person’s female child. That’s why you hardly hear of virginity when it comes to the male child. We are concerned about the female child being a flirt but we don’t mind if our male child flirts with the female child of another. Hypocrisy at its heights. My intelligent friend once told me also that many parents get angry when their female child is pregnant not because they care about her but because they care about their image and the image of the family. Most of them will not budge if it were the other way around.

If we will be true to ourselves and shed away our hypocrisy, we will realize that it’s not about the female child. My diagnosis? We have a generation of parents and parents to be who are lazy about parenting. Everyone thinks about the honeymoon, but they don’t think about the huge task of parenting. Many young people are immersed in the pleasures that marriage offers that parenting is not on their radar. The reason why we are afraid of female children is because we are lazy or maybe because we don’t have what it takes to be the parents we need to be. Many in their choice of partners think less about the enduring qualities that will build a good home and godly children but the transient qualities that tend to self-satisfaction. If people think more about parenting than their wedding day, perhaps many would make more rational decisions, including the writer. It reminds me of a photo that was shared on a Whats app group that reads: Father- Son, be careful where you walk, Son- You be careful I walk in your footsteps. The question for my generation is do we have the character to raise any child at all, male or female

WAY FORWARD

What we need is a different kind of education. The first agent of socialization we are told is the family

Education that is intentional: Nowadays, parent leave the primary task of molding the life of their children in the hands of the teachers. Teachers that you neither know his character, his worldview, his social capacity. And what the teacher does most of the times is to school the children. Schooling is not education. Only few teachers are committed to educating children to be men and women of values. It is time for parents to take into their hands the task of nurturing their children in godliness, morals, values, character development. Parents must intentionally sit with their children to have personal, intimate discussions that will shape the life of such children. If parents don’t educate their children, society will do it for them. The celebrities who only care most times about their money and their image are left to the work. And they will do it and allow you bear the hurt. Not even the church is sufficient to replace the parent as the most important agent of socialisation
Education that is engaging: Let’s stop thinking that being known as a disciplinarian is enough to scare children away from the wrong path. Such means don’t work after a while and once children cross that line, they respond in revolt. The best way to engage your children is to deal with them as rational individuals. It is to sit with them and engage them on the issues that matters rather than continue to threaten them with the rod. The virtues we learn with a free, independent mind last more than the ones we are forced to learn.
Education that begins early: Children form the character that will last them through life in their childhood. Don’t assume that your children are too young to be engaged on some issues. They already know those issues anyways. In the information age, don’t be surprised what your 7 year old daughter already know deep in her mind. Engage them when they are young, before society begins to interfere, so that they carry their world view into the society.
Education that is patient: In a fallen and depraved world, good virtues are harder to learn than bad ones. There will be children that find it hard and strenuous to learn good virtues. Parents must be patient enough to engage them and realize that no two children are the same.
Education of a life time: The true goal of education is to teach children to be able to think for themselves. The parents can’t always be there to educate their children but they can educate their children to be thinkers, so that for all the remaining years of their lives, they can independently learn virtues, develop character and engage their culture and society
Education that is humane: Parents should stop telling only tales of their success and achievements. Let your children know you are not perfect. But that life is a continuous learning cycle. The perfectionistic behavior helps no one. It only discourages. Don’t try to just create your children in your own image. Teach them virtues that will sustain them in their own life pursuit.
Lastly, parents should recognize that what your children will remember you for at last is not the clothes you bought for them, it is who you have helped them to become. Many parents are involved in an endless pursuit to satisfy the needs of their children believing that when that is settled everything else falls in place. In a materialistic world, that’s not true and one day there will be something you can’t give them and in its pursuit, they will miss the mark. It’s not all about the clothes, the shoes, the picnics and the sumptuous meals. Life is more than that. “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing” (Mathew 6:25, ESV). Don’t ignore your children’s education as a substitute for their provision. We must learn to strike the balance



CONCLUSION

“Nemo dat quad non habet”. We can’t give what we don’t have. We need more than beautiful photos, good clothes, selfies, parties, fashion, painted faces to be the women that the next generation of children need. We need more than money, football, internet, cute looks, and politics to be the men that the next generation of children need.

Young people, let’s start thinking, life is beyond the issues that consume our attention. Parenting is a big Job. It requires more than what we currently have. Let’s strive to become the person we need to be. Marriage is more than the honeymoon.

May we not be found wanting.



“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. “(Psalms 127:3)

The international women day has just passed by some few days ago. It is a day that has been set apart every year to celebrate the achievements of exceptional women in the global polity. It is also a day to redress the challenges that women face in a world that sometimes is unfavorable to them. Gender equality is most surely now almost a recurrent theme in any day of this kind. The travails of women and the difficulties of them climbing up to the heights of their dreams are issues for discussion. According to the website dedicated to the celebration, “International women’s day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

The need for such a day, of course, cannot be over emphasized. In a world where some still crudely believe that the female child should not be educated and that her education is a liability to the family. In a world where many still see them as properties to be purchased and used, where “the customer (husband) is always right”. In a world where the opinions of the wife is of less significance to the husband( no matter how humbly she gives it) and the wife only belongs to the Kitchen and the other room. In a world where women are mostly the victim of divorce, household violence, the mission of the international women day celebration is most important.

Although there will be many extremes as it always is in any revolutionary movement. The desire for gender equality and the protection of the girl child has been taken too far by many. Any such movement that blurs entirely role distinctions in the family, makes the family less important to the woman and makes the education (not schooling) of the children not the most important priority is misguided. Like in other areas of life, the goal is to find a balance.

There are many issues in this whole concern that are more easily recognized and spoken against. Violence, rape, divorce, sex trafficking and on and on. These are more spoken against by the activists for the girl child. In Nigeria, we live in a culture that Chris Nwogdo refers to as ‘the culture of violence’ where security is not guaranteed. The human life is so devalued and security so ignored that the Principal of a Queens College in Yaba will make an outburst about the intending closure of the School as a result of health challenges and hundreds of students that have been hospitalized in the past. She complained that only two (2) people have died and if in a population of thousands of students, only two die, there is no cause for alarm. Whao! The streets are always filled with news after news of insensitivity to human life at the individual level and the corporate level. In a country where crimes are rarely punished, murderers are easily discharged, Presidency keeps mute on virulent attacks and murders, it seems that a continuous advocacy for the girl child in regards to even the common issues above listed are a must. As ‘weaker vessels’ (strength), they are many times the weak victims of the society we have created. Chibok should be a constant reminder. There must be voices that speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Individually, our conscience has been marred. The greatest issue with evil is not just its effects but the way it numbs the conscience. We have gotten so used to evil that we longer care about it. It has become the norm and the new normal. When we hear of rapes, violence, sex trafficking and the likes, they no longer move our consciences.

Locally, there are more subtle ways in which the girl child has been a victim of our thinking and our misguided society. More common, is the tendency among many families to believe that it is the male child that is really, “the child”. Therefore, you have many who will continue to give birth to as many children as possible, until they can get a male child. For them, they have not given birth to a child at all, until there is a male. Infact, in some insane communities (and we have many of them), the wife will be sent packing from the house and a new wife will be sought to deliver “the real child”. Now, the issue is not really that people desire male children. To have issues with that, is to begin another advocacy for the ‘male child’. The issue is the tendency to believe that the female child is really no child at all and her value lies in the price her husband pays and that is why some communities will estimate with much carefulness as possible, so that the ‘revenue’ will exceed the life cycle cost. I thought it was business enterprises that do accounting and maximize profit. Not in Nigeria. In most household, poverty has broken deep into the family because they have given birth to many children beyond their capacity to nurture. Why? The ultimate search for the “real child” did not succeed until the 6th, 7th attempt. At the end of the day, both the ‘unreal children’ and the ‘real child’ are left to suffer in a world that really don’t care about them.

Many protest that the purpose of it all is to preserve the family name through the male child. The female will join herself to another family. Really! While many are seeking to preserve their names by living a life that contributes positively to society, making a difference in their community, leaving a worthwhile legacy in their society, we are still in the crude days of preserving family names by genealogy. I don’t know the child or the grand child of Martin Luther King Jnr, nor do I know the grand children of David Livingstone. I don’t know the child of Chinua Achebe nor the grand children of Luther, Calvin, Francis Schaeffer, John Bunyan. And I don’t really care to know. These ones have etched their names in the gallery of history not by the preservation of their family names but the quality of their lives.

The female child is a real child and if they are all you have, glory to God. Live a life that they will be proud of and teach them to do likewise. If all you have are male children, do the same. I remember an intelligent friend of mine telling me that the great problem with many parents is the desire to relive their lives in their children. That is one of the banes of the family life. Every child has their unique ability, they must be trained to maximize their potentials.

Less obvious in society is the fact that many today are afraid of giving birth to female children. They complain of how dangerous female children are. They see the immodest dressing all around, immoral behavior, prostitution, bad company prevalent today among the female in the society and they hope they won’t have to go through that stress. They believe the male children are easier to nurture and you don’t need to be afraid that they will one day become a LovePeddler in society or a “runs girl” as they refer to them. After many discussions with friends, I realize it is really a concern for many and I was getting afraid myself. How do we think through all these?

Conclude the reading at

https://owolabipaul./2017/03/22/the-fear-of-the-female-child-3/

Am 8:11 "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it (RSV)
One thing that is very common among the category of books in the Old Testament scriptures referred to as the “Prophets” is their call of God’s people away from a formal, lifeless religion into a genuine, personal relationship with God that produces a life of meekness, goodness, compassion, charity, desire for justice on a personal as well as a national level. Many times, God complained of their sacrifices and gifts because love and grace was lacking in the heart.
Prophet Amos also takes up this meta-narrative, calling Israel to true religion beyond feast days and holy assemblies. Amos reminded them that the days are coming when there will be a famine of the word of God, where people will wander compassing the whole earth but will not find the word of God. Opportunities scorned and unimproved, will finally be taken away.” When men will not listen, in the time of their prosperity, to the messages of God's word, they shall seek from him in their calamity some message of comfort, but receive no answer; then all their vain confidences will fail, and they perish with none to help them.”(Family Bible Notes)
The silent years are referred to as that period of time between the last book of the whole testament and the first book of the New Testament. More accurately, it is the period of time that span from the ministry of Malachi, the last prophet to Ancient Israel (OT) to the beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist. This period is referred to as the “Intertestamental period” by Protestants and the deuterocanonical period by the Catholics. It is a period of 400 years plus where the Jews, the people of God, had no word from the Lord, no prophet to give them divine messages. Ironically, the period was also the most decisive for the identity, the culture and the very existence of the Jews. They faced the greatest period of their existence without “a word from the Lord”
During this period, the Jews were under different set of overloads. From the Persians to the Greeks to the Syrians and the Romans. These overlords in their different ways had profound influence on the culture and identity of the Jews in different ways
THE PERSIAN RULE
The Jews came under the Persian rule when Cyrus invaded and conquered Babylon during the reign of Belshazzar. The Persian rulers were generally, very favorable to the Jews. They allowed them freedom of worship and it was the Persian rulers that allowed them to go back to their land, rebuild their temple and the city (with monetary support) and retain their national identity. It was an indirect rule. For a century after Malachi, Israel was still under the Persian rule where they had much freedom and independence even as a Persian territory with the high priest ruling over their civil matters

THE GREEK RULE

Perhaps this was the most significant period in their history. Alexander the great was a mighty warrior at a very young age. His goal was to conquer the whole world and spread widely the influence of the Greek culture. He defeated the Persian army by 331BC and so Israel became a territory of the Greeks. Unlike the Persians, the Greeks were very much interested in “converting” their colonies to the Greek culture. This is referred to as “Hellenization’.
It was a period of massive influence by the Greek culture in the areas of learning, writing and the social life. As part of the Hellenization policy, the Hebrew Scriptures was translated into the Greek. This translation was referred to as the Septuagint (70). The Greek culture was of pagan polytheistic flavor and the eroding of the Greek culture into Israel was a challenge to the Jews. As a result of this, two parties developed; those who were favorable to the influx of the Greek culture and the Hasidim (pious ones) who objected it. Internal strife was rampant as these two parties struggled for the civil rule of the people

Continue reading

http://fadelessvision..com.ng/2017/03/the-inter-testament-period-lessons-for_20.html?m=1

08182591718

08182591718

Strength or Weakness

Memory Text: Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall - 1 Corinthians 10:12

Among the disciples of Jesus, there were three of them that stood out with greater prominence - Peter, James and John. They were the ones that had the transfiguration experience( Mathew 17), and they were the ones at Gethsemane ( Mathew 26). They were the inner circle of Jesus disciples

Even among the three, there was one who stood out uniquely with a greater distinctiveness. You cannot read the gospels without noticing Peter. When the rest of the disciples were confused about the identity of Jesus, he was the one that made that confession; thou art the Christ(Mathew 16:16). It was him who was bold enough to rebuke Jesus when he(Jesus) was talking about his(Jesus) death.( Mathew 16:22). It was him that was bold enough to request that three tabernacles be made for Jesus, Moses and Elijah( Mathew 17:4). It was he that will come to Jesus and ask how often they were to forgive others (18:21). It was he who asked on behalf of the disciples what their gain will be from following Christ ( 19:27). It was he who represented the disciples to declare - "to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life"(John 6:68)

Peter might have lacked many things, but if there is something he had in abundance, it was boldness. This was his point of strength. He was very strong here. He could fail in anything else but definitely not here.

However, when we get to Mathew 26, the story gets interesting. Earlier on, in verse 35, Peter in his usual boldness claimed that he will not deny his Lord even if all men did. In his boldness, he confronted a roman soldier and even took off the ear. But this same bold, courageous Peter failed at that same very point

He denied his Lord before a damsel, a maid and them that stood by. He stood before a soldier, before Christ himself but failed before a maid and a "small girl". Where he thought he was strong( boldness and courage) turned out to be the very point of his failures. God used this incident to humble his pride

Are there some points where we think we are so strong and can't be moved; are there some temptations that we think are too little for our spiritual height. Have we been proud of our strength and spiritual maturity? We need to be careful and take heed lest we fall

For each of the classes represented by the Pharisee and the publican there is a lesson in the history of the apostle Peter. In his early discipleship Peter thought himself strong. Like the Pharisee, in his own estimation he was “not as other men are.” When Christ on the eve of His betrayal forewarned His disciples, “All ye shall be offended because of Me this night,” Peter confidently declared, “Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.” Mark 14:27, 29. Peter did not know his own danger. Self-confidence misled him. He thought himself able to withstand temptation; but in a few short hours the test came, and with cursing and swearing he denied his Lord.


www.fadelessvision..com