₦airaland Forum

treasuremabel:
a. Am a smart 18years old girl
b. No way! Am 18!
c. Well, I don't seem to understand this question, please shed more light if you don't mind

Great. You're indeed a smart, brave and tough lady.

My third questions is precipitated on the herditary nature of sickle cell anaemia (union of AS & AS, AS & SS and SS & SS). However I have come across some sickle cell sufferers and carriers who would not be guided by this scientific rule but choose their spouse irrespective of his/her genotype.

Many of these people are people of faith who choose miracle & faith over scientific guidance. What is your take on this?

@treasuremabel, Congratulations on being a successful warrior. May you continue to win the battles again sickle cell anaemia.

2008, I was in a church one sunday, when a lady gave testimony on her 52nd birthday. The special aspect of the testimony is that she is a sickle cell patient and against all odds & crisis she survived that long, (and still alive i believed) so I concur that with healthy lifestyle sickle cell anaemia need not be a death sentence of life of pain.

I pray thee to tell
a. How old are you
b. Are you married
c. Is your relationship ( if single) guided by your heart/love or by your head/genotype.

The reason for the above questions is not to invade your privacy but encourage several others with the SS genes as well as to shed light on the societal influence/pressure experienced by sickle cell patients.

The infamous apartheid regime in South Africa was crushed in 1994 by a concerted enormous pressure exerted by the international communities of which Nigeria play a key role. But South Africa has been in the news for the wrong reasons since a couple of weeks back

Events in South Africa recently suggests that while Apartheid held sway in South Africa, it unfortunately distorted the psyche of many South Africans hence while the political demise of Apartheid was celebrated in 1994, it left in its wake a more cruel and dangerous monster known as XENOPHOBIA.

Xenophobia like its predecessor Apartheid is not going away by wishing it away or prayers alone (Nigerians are very good at prayers alone without back up actions despite the biblical injunction that faith without work is dead) Just like in the case of Apartheid, enormous pressure has to be exerted on the South African authorities else Zuma led government will only condemn xenophobic acts on main stream and social media but do next to nothing to stop this grievous acts of inhumanity.

The best form of pressure to exert on South Africa at this time is economic pressure/sanctions. This is a time tested and proven method of dissuasion. No Country can survive in economic isolation. hard lines countries like North Korea, Iran and even stubborn Russia had been force to fall back in line through economic sanctions of the international communities.

African histories from Johannesburg to Kinshasa to Ibadan to Yaounde to Casablanca to Cairo et. al is replete of how African native communities use ostracism to successfully correct erring member of the community for the ultimate good of the larger society even Churches and mosques suspend their members when they go out of order.

Hence if communities ostracize and countries are sanctions to correct evil in the society, boycotting of South Africans business interests in Nigeria as a tool of putting pressure on the SA government to clamp down on xenophobic acts/murder/looting is a call that should not be ignored by Nigerians.

The truth is no Nation is self sufficient on its own, not South Africa, not Germany not even USA. the inter-dependency of Nations is one of the greatest factor of human survival on planet earth.

ABOLISH XENOPHOBIA IN SOUTH AFRICA!

Wole Soyinka leaning on his father's leg, Mr S.A Soyinka reminds me of Isaac Newton quote "If i have seen farther than my contemporaries, it is because i stood on the shoulder of giants who went before me"

Wole Soyinka became who he is today ( a world renowned Nobel laureate, literary colossus) because of the rigorous foundation set for him by his father S.A Soyinka who mandated Wole to write one essay every day while growing up hence nicknamed Mr. Essay Soyinka.

The influence of fathers can not be over emphasized, unfortunately many fathers today feel they have done all that needed to be done once the Child School's fees is paid without paying attention to his/her progress in academics and character.

Thank you Mr. S.A Soyinka for giving us the world Prof Oluwole Soyinka, the indefatigable Kongi himself.

By all means ask him, because if you don't, you will never be able to trust him again and nothing destroys marriage faster than distrust.

When you ask him and it is confirmed he cheated on you, leave him and quit the relationship because not only did he not love you enough, he disrespect you.

Moreso you can't change him and he may not change either when you're married.

On the flip side, when you ask him and he deny ownership of the used condoms and you're fully convinced and persuaded he is telling you the whole truth (don't indulge in self deceit here) then you can go ahead with the marital plan as there is nothing to fear.

Marriage is too crucial to start it on a shaky foundation.

Save yourself future regrets/tears, do it right now.

This is the last part, Part 6

Probably a more urgent reason why I feel this sixth part of the article is important is because of all the sentiments, bigotry and prejudice that I see from the side of my fellow Christian brothers and sisters.
I feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulder to destroy the mountain of ignorance and darkness that I see emanating from the Christian community. I’m amazed and alarmed that Christians who are supposed to be having the mind of Christ, the wisdom of God and the analytical faculty to digest any complex situation are out rightly refusing to use their minds or their intellect for that matter.
I agree that we all have our choices to make and every one of us has his or her own reasons why we make one decision or the other- but there must be reasons, there must be arguments, there must be facts and these facts and reasons must be credible. However, sadly from the Christian reactions that I have seen so far, excuse me for my use of words but it’s like we are hypnotized, brain washed or just out rightly biased. Too much of emotions and clichés but too little substance.
To buttress my arguments I want to state the reasons why I cannot endorse the Jonathan/Sambo tickets below, every point being backed up with facts and evidences.
1) I believe God chose President Jonathan for a reason and I also believe that his time span is over. Just like God choose Saul, he had his time, but God also chose David to take over from him. I personally think that President Jonathan has had his time to prove his worth in the last six years. What he could not do in six years I doubt that he will be able to do in the next four.
• Five trillion naira is the summation of government funds said to have been stolen, according to: Mallam Nuhu Ribadu led Petroleum Task Force report, the Minister of Trade and Investment’s report on stolen crude, the House of Representatives fuel subsidy report and investigations into the ecological fund, SIM card registration and frequency band spectrum sale.
• The Nuhu Ribadu report on the oil and gas sector put daily crude oil theft at a high 250,000 barrels daily at a cost of $6.3bn (N1.2trn) a year. This puts the total amount lost through oil theft in two years of Jonathan’s government at over $12.6bn (N2trn).
2) In October 2012, the African Insurance Organization ranked Nigeria as the “Kidnap-for-Ransom Capital of the World,” accounting for 25 per cent of global kidnappings.
The President admitted that there are sponsors of Boko Haram in his government, if that is the case why don’t you bring them to book? Why can’t you catch them? Why can’t you prosecute them? Are you not the president?
A president that will admit such a thing and yet do nothing about it should not be occupying that sit.
President Jonathan alleged that the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, had infiltrated his government. He claimed some members of the group, which had claimed responsibility for the killings in parts of the North, were in the executive, legislative and judiciary arms of government as well as the police and armed forces.
Give me a break, am I the President? Why complain to me? I am only a citizen. One of the most fundamental reasons for governments is to provide security for its citizens, if a government is not doing that then we don’t have a government.
Jonathan spoke during an inter-denominational service to mark the 2012 Armed Forces Remembrance Day.
http://www.punchng.com/…/boko-haram-has-infiltrated-my-gov…/
3) Recently the respected global audit financial advisory firm KPMG rated Nigeria as the most fraudulent country in Africa. The firm also said that Nigeria’s fraud profile has been compounded by fraud and corruption in the oil sector, with “bribes in the private and public sector, misappropriation, and contract inflation” as common forms of fraud.
Nigeria is regarded as one of the most corrupt nations in the world. This should be no news, but what is however news, is the response of our Nation’s Commander-in-Chief, President Goodluck Jonathan. He said “There is no corruption but mere stealing in Nigeria” during one of his last Presidential Media Chats. This statement is not only alarming, but it is upsetting and disquieting. It is simply terrifying. A man who is saying stealing is not corruption has nothing to do in government especially being the president of a nation.
http://www.naij.com/60572-66357.html
4) If some respected Individuals who fought for President Jonathan to take over from Yar’ Adua are now leading the campaign for him to step down even though they were his staunch supporters yesterday, that tells me that we must read in between the lines.
• Pastor Tunde Bakare led the “Save Nigeria Group” to campaign for the instalment of President Jonathan in place of the ailing president Yar’ Adua. Today Pastor Tunde Bakare is one of the most passionate people calling for a change in the Nigerian government.
• It was after the popular outburst of President Obasanjo against the Yar’ Adua’s cabal that a real change took place and President Jonathan was instated, today however President Obasanjo is leading the call for President Jonathan not to run for another term.
• Gov. Rotimi Ameachi and an array of other famous individuals of integrity who once supported President Jonathan are now leading the call for his resignation.
• One other person is Oby Ezekwesili an exceptionally gifted Nigerian woman. I know she supported President Jonathan to replace President Yar’Adua, but she is now leading the protest against President Jonathan’s government through the organization, ‘Bring Back Our Girls’. That should tell any thoughtful person something.
• I know these people are being accused of having ulterior motives. I think the truth is that they simply love Nigeria more than they love President Jonathan. They all have the opportunity to go the easy way and sell their allegiance, but they have refused to compromise at the price of personal loss. If these people who have access to inside information about President Jonathan and his regime more than an average Nigeria are saying he must go, let’s think twice.
5) Leading countries of the world are appalled by the level of corruption in President Jonathan’s government and if they are not afraid to voice out their concerns about Nigeria, why should we be silent? Normally nations are careful to voice their opinion on matters of other sovereign countries.
Things have gotten so bad that countries that were willing to come to our aid to help fight Boko haram and bring back our girls are now leaving, getting frustrated and saying there is nothing they can do as far as this government is in power.
Former United States’ Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in a public interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts, lambasted President Jonathans’ government, in her words, “They have squandered their oil wealth, they have allowed corruption to fester and now they are losing control of parts of their territory because they wouldn’t make hard choices”

6) On a personal note, I have reasons to have pledged my allegiance to President Jonathan like many other Christian leaders.
First of all he was kind enough to receive me at Aso rock Presidential Villa.
Secondly his government gave the opportunity to serve to another sound, unique and exceptional Nigerian who happens to be my Premier disciple, Prof Vincent Anigbogu.
He has had exclusive privilege and opportunity to be invited to minister and serve President Jonathan on several occasions. At least for the sake of friendship, it would have been easier for me to keep quite.
However like I said earlier, ‘Plato is my friend — Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is the truth’- Isaac newton. In my words, ‘Jonathan is my president, Goodluck is a Christian but Nigeria is my greatest love’.
Nigeria is at the verge of a complete destruction and collapse. So I must raise my voice, despite the inconveniences this might be to me personally. I’m doing this as an example to the next generation for them to know how to stand up for the truth, regardless of who is involved Christians, Muslims or whoever. The truth is worth defending without bias and bigotry.
7) It is my belief that things would have been worse under the Jonathan’s Presidency, but for some exceptional leaders and ministers he was able to bring to his team.
People like the:
Prof. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala minister of Finance,
Akinwumi Adesina minister of Agriculture,
Olusegun Aganga Minister of Trade and investment
Prof. Chinedu O. Nebo the minister of power.
These are the few that I either know personally or of whom I have received the highest commendation. I pray that when the next government in Nigeria emerges, they will have the wisdom to include all the best Nigerians from past regimes. Especially these individuals who have proven over the years that they are some of the best professionals that this country has ever produced.
But despite how good these men are, they all needed a commander – in - chief that is strong enough to give them a better leadership. I don’t believe President Jonathan is strong enough to provide that leadership.
Everything rises and falls on leadership.
A president must be able to provide leadership. Even with the best of men, if the man at the top is not strong much would not be accomplished. Some of the best performing government officials in our recent past that I had the opportunity to listen to all credited their success in government to one factor- their leader.
Most Nigerians are grateful to the late Professor Dora Akunyili. She personally told me that she would not have achieved all she achieved in government without the backing of the then President.
At a meeting with the finance Minister (Hon. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala) as I was thanking her for eradicating our debt burden and all other land mark achievements during her tenure in the Nigerian government. She was quick to note that it was due to the fact that she had a strong commander - in - Chief in the person of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
I heard Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai say the same thing. The same notion was echoed by Nuhu Ribadu.
The point I am making is everything rises and falls on good or bad leadership – Nigeria deserves a more qualified leader.

9) The Economic Intelligence Unit EIC declared that Nigeria is the worst country for anyone to be born in in 2013.
Nigeria ranked 80 among the 80 countries accessed.
A president that cannot demand for accountability and efficiency despite all the wealth generated in the land is not fit to rule.

Here comes Part 5

Introduction:
To paraphrase the great quotation ‘Plato is my friend — Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is the truth’ by Isaac newton. In my words, I will say ‘Jonathan is my president, Goodluck is a Christian, but Nigeria is my greatest love’
I would like to appeal to everyone that will see this article not to be in a hurry to ‘stone’ me, especially before you finish reading it. This is because I have seen a lot of emotions, sentiments and prejudices from the comments that were written under the article I had earlier posted on my Facebook page. As a matter of fact, I was not planning to make my position a public knowledge, but seeing the reactions and the emotions that any form of support for Buhari/Osinbajo generates among Christians, I decided to make my position known at least to those who see me as a leader in the body of Christ. Mainly because of the above mentioned quotation that to me the destiny and future of Nigeria is paramount to any sentiment.
I therefore believe that I owe it to my friends, colleges and posterity to explain why I believe the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket is the life line to the Nigerian nation right now. Of course you all have the right to your opinions and you have the right to agree or disagree, but I think it would be fair for you to hear my point of view.
From the comments on my Facebook, I can envisage disappointment and disillusionment in a lot of my followers as a result of my position, I might actually be losing some friends and fans as a result but let’s not forget the words of Isaac newton ‘Plato is my friend— Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is the truth’ . Therefore I say ‘Jonathan is my president, Goodluck is a Christian, but Nigeria is my greatest love’
Here we are continuing with part 5 of this 6 part article.
Part 5. ‘‘Pastor Sunday how dare you support a Muslim candidate’’?
Ecclesiastics 10:16-17
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
And your princes feast in the morning!
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,
And your princes feast at the proper time—
For strength and not for drunkenness
‘Plato is my friend— Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is the truth’. Therefore I say ‘Jonathan is my president, Goodluck is a Christian, but Nigeria is my greatest love’
1) Apart from the points that I have highlighted in the previous parts (1-4), I think it is legitimate for me and any other Nigerian to support any good ticket even if the representatives are not of your own religion. As long as the flag bearer for that ticket is a Nigerian, he has the right to be elected as the president or into any other position, because he is a citizen of this country. Fellow Nigerians, brothers and sisters, what if somebody comes up to say a Muslim should never vote for a Christian, that means no Christian will ever win the presidential elections in Nigeria because without the Muslim votes from the north, south, east and west, it just won’t be possible. So it is not fair to say no Christian should vote for a Muslim, because we are not talking about religion here but about good leadership.
2) What determines whom I support depends on the personality, competence, integrity and reputation of the person involved. Another factor is the program the candidate puts forward. If I believe in the program, I will support them even if they are Muslims. I Am aware that many Nigerians have the habit in the last decades of traveling to Dubai which is an Islamic nation, ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, yet we go to learn from them, they are doing better than us, they have built a better country, so what is the argument about? Hey, let’s use our minds. Let’s wakeup, let’s face reality, let’s be less religious and ambiguous in our thinking.
3) I support the Buhari ticket because I believe in the leadership attributes of the man. Gen. Buhari is one of the most disciplined, diligent, focused and hardworking Nigerian leaders alive today. His track record confirms this. Gen. Buhari ruled Nigeria for less than 2 years and accomplished much more than what most governments in Nigeria history has ever accomplished. Let’s see the facts.
Some of his Achievements:
i) His administration initiated a public campaign against indiscipline known as "War against Indiscipline (WAI)" when he realized the civilian government he took over from as head of states was HOPELESSLY CORRUPT. The campaign is still lauded by many to have instilled the most orderly conduct of public and private affairs in Nigeria since its independence in 1960.
ii) In his time as head of state he reduced inflation from 23% to 4%, by fiscal discipline and a homegrown economic team (not achieved under any other era both civilian and military).
iii) He supervised and birthed our only existing refineries (1976-1978)
iv) What he did in road construction while in the PTF hasn't been matched in 16 years of democracy.
v) The hospitals and universities around the country never witnessed as much benefits as they got from the PTF than any other government after or before his time.
vi) The Buhari regime rebuffed all entreaties by IMF and World Bank to devalue the naira, remove subsidies on services and increase pump price on fuel.
vii) The Nigerian Naira was exchanged between 0.724 -0.894 to 1 Us Dollar during Buhari's regime (1983-1985). Imagine our Naira was more than the dollar just 29 years ago when I left the country to study in Europe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_naira
4) Please check out these facts about Gen. Buhari. By the time you confirm the information below, you will agree with me that this is not just the best presidential candidate we have running today, but maybe he is one of the best citizens Nigeria has ever produced. I hope after finding out about the statistics below you will also join me in praying and hoping that Buhari/Osinbajo ticket takes the day.
While former leaders came to line their pockets with the national wealth by promoting themselves to ‘Generals of fortune’. By naming some important streets, edifices, and towns in Nigeria after themselves. It was not so with General Buhari. He was driven by patriotic zeal to serve Nigeria. Even after being the Head of State for 20 months, he never promoted himself to a four-star general like others who came before or after him. It’s also important to note that he did not create the office of First Lady, which others did as a means of stealing the national and common wealth.
• Gen. Buhari presently has 2 houses, one owned by his father and one he built with his pension
• He has no house or land in Abuja
• No property or savings abroad
• He has 2 cars (one belongs to his wife)
• He has no oil wells, no petrol station.
• His monetary assets was 6.5 million naira which now remains 1million naira after he paid 5.5 million naira for his presidential nomination form (compared to 750 million declared by GEJ)
• Gen. Buhari and Nelson Mandela were the only private African individuals invited to the white house during president Barrack Obama’s Inauguration why? Because they are men of integrity.
• Above all, he is not associated with corruption of any form or sort.

5) Gen. Buhari being a septuagenarian, and knowing that not too many people are given a second chance in life, would like to exceed his previous achievements. So I believe it is better to give Gen. Buhari the chance to render his best service and to leave the best legacy he could possibly leave for the posterity of Nigerians. President Jonathan has already been given 6 years to prove his worth and Nigerians can now give a similar chance to Gen. Buhari. If he fails to deliver then we are free to remove him as well and give the chance to another person. If we reelect President Jonathan now it means he will be ruling Nigeria for 10 years and the only person to have ruled Nigeria for that long was Gen. Gowon (9 years).

6) Gen. Buhari achieved so much in his war against corruption between Dec1983 and Aug 1985.He is a man of integrity. He is the only or one of a few ex-leaders not living in opulence. Gen. Buhari’s government jailed over 600 corrupt politicians and businessmen and refused to release them until their loot was recovered. I must admit though, that there were probably a lot of excesses in his government’s fight against corruption, yet we cannot but commend his efforts. Only those who do nothing make no mistakes. He even tried to forcefully kidnap President Shagari's defence minister from the UK, who had stolen from the coffers of the government. This action was necessary after British government refused to send him back to Nigeria. During his rule, there was less crime, he took a hard line on all crime especially armed robbers and drug traffickers. Jerry Rawlings of Ghana, that many Nigerians admire, actually modelled himself after Gen. Buhari.
Nigeria's number one problem is corruption. Once corruption is tackled, all other challenges facing the nation from credible elections to economic development and infrastructures like electricity, water, transports would work better.

7) I believe that if Pastor Bakare will agree to be a running mate to someone, then that must be a good person, because Pastor Tunde Bakare is a no nonsense pastor yet he agreed to run with Buhari in 2011. After that experience even now Pastor Bakare though not running still says he will never speak against Gen. Buhari because he has seen the content of his character. Now if Pastor Osinbajo is supporting the same presidential candidate, it means there is something in this man that Nigerians should pay attention to. These are not people that can be easily manipulated or bought over. These two Nigerians cannot be bought over by any amount of money.
I have heard from reliable sources about Gen. Buhari’s impeccable reputation people whose names I will not like to disclose here without a prior agreement. These are men of integrity, Christian men, pastors who have met one on one with Gen Buhari and their testimony is that they have never seen a man of such quality, humility and strength of character in Nigeria. These are pastors talking of how impeccable Gen. Buhari’s character is among all the people they have ever met. I would rather vote for that kind of man than support someone who is just a ‘Christian’ without character or integrity. Another friend of mine who is also a pastor of a great repute whom I don’t have any basis to doubt, told me that Gen. Buhari himself disclosed to him that his personal driver of over two or three decades is a Christian. He also disclosed that Gen. Buhari told him that his personal Cook, is a Christian woman. These are two of the closest and most trust worthy people in any body’s life as your life depends on them- your cook and your driver. Gen. Buhari surrounds himself with Christians not just Muslims. I don’t believe such a man hates Christians. More so I also have another firsthand information from another friend about Gen buhari’s quality. This friend of mine is a Christian from the south-south region of Nigeria, and he wanted to get some assurances from Gov. Tinubu about the personality of Gen Buhari, He therefor asked Gov. Tinubu the question, if Gen. Buhari was a Muslim fundamentalist that did not like Christians, to which Tinubu said, ‘you don’t need to believe my words, come here tomorrow morning, Gen Buhari will be here then you can sit down with him and ask him whatever questions you have yourself’. The meeting took place and at the end of this meeting this south-south Christian leader became a converted believer in the integrity and credibility of Gen. Buhari as one of the soundest, most realistic and most sincere persons he has ever met in his entire life. Dear friends these are people I know personally with Character of the highest level, I believe them, so I choose to support Buhari /Oshibajo ticket.
9) The next reason why I support the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket is because I believe God has used Gen. Buhari to highlight and to bring to the forefront one of the best men that was ever born in the nation of Nigeria, which is Professor Yemi oshibajo. I believe that by the grace of God, this ticket has a very good chance of winning just at least for Nigerians to have something to write home about their nation. So that this next generation will not be a wasted generation. Believe me friends if anyone can do it Gen Buhari/Prof Oshibajo can, they have what it takes. These men, friends are the real deal.
10) Even though I have high regard for President Jonathan as a person and for other Christian gentlemen that are in his government, but I dare to say that there is no body that brings a better representation of the church of the lord Jesus Christ to the Nigerian Government like professor Osinbajo. I believe with him as vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Christian world view and the kingdom perspective will have a better expression than what we have right now.
11) Though Gen. Buhari is strong and I pray and believe God will give him long life, strength and vigor, yet he might not want to go for the second term, but might prefer to step down for his vice president for the second term. He might decide that he is too old to go for the second term after the first 4 years when he will be seventy six years old which could present the vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo a chance of supernaturally emerging as the next president of Nigeria. If that happens I believe that might be the best dream for the next generation of Nigerians.
12) I believe that Gen. Buhari has what it takes to unite Nigeria like no other leader today in the country. Why? Because his biography and his track record proves that he is a committed Nigerian. I don’t believe that Gen. Buhari wants to divide Nigeria, because he risked his life by going to war for Nigeria. He went to war to protect the territorial integrity of Nigeria. He was ready to die for Nigeria. He sacrificed his comfort, his youth, and his family’s comfort. He risked everything to allow us to grow up in a united Nigeria. His life is a better proof that he is a better Nigerian than most of the people who are criticizing him now. Most of the people criticizing him have not made the sacrifice he has made for Nigeria.
Gen. Buhari has held the following positions in Nigeria enough to understand better than most people how to govern and unite Nigeria:
I) Governor of North-Eastern State of Nigeria (August 1975 – March 1976)
II) Minister For Petroleum and Natural Resources (March 1976- June 1978)
III) Chairman Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (June 1978- July 1978)
IV) 7th Head of State of Nigeria (Dec 31,1983- August 27, 1985)
V) Chairman PTF(Mid 1994- July 1999)
Antecedence of individuals is very important in human history, therefore General M. Buhari's antecedence speaks for itself. Whenever the history of corporate Nigeria is written, Gen. Buhari's contribution will be written in Gold!!!

My dear brothers and sister don’t let us be overly agitated. God still rules in the affairs of men. I remember I had this type of feeling when Gen. Obasanjo was coming out from the prison to rule Nigeria in 1999, then also so many Christian leaders and believers refused to support him, because they said he was a stooge of the northern Muslims. Even most Yorubas in the south west where he himself comes from refused to vote for him. But because it was the will of God and because God rules in the affairs of men, His will could not be stopped. Gen. Obasanjo emerged as the president in spite of the opposition from his own people and from his own Christian brethren. There are times when God will use the Cyrus’s of this world and the Babylonians to accomplish his purpose on earth for which He calls them his servants and his army. I believe this ticket Buhari/Osinbajo is Gods dream team to rescue Nigeria from an imminent ship wreck. God bless Nigeria!
TO BE CONTINUED

Source: https://www.facebook.com/pastor.sunday.adelaja/posts/10152697703733845

This is Part 4

Introduction:
To paraphrase the great quotation ‘Plato is my friend — Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is the truth’ by Isaac newton. In my words, I will say ‘Jonathan is my president, Goodluck is a Christian, but Nigeria is my greatest love’
I would like to appeal to everyone that will see this article not to be in a hurry to ‘stone’ me, especially before you finish reading it. This is because I have seen a lot of emotions, sentiments and prejudices from the comments that were written under the article I had earlier posted on my Facebook page. As a matter of fact, I was not planning to make my position a public knowledge, but seeing the reactions and the emotions that any form of support for Buhari/Osinbajo generates among Christians, I decided to make my position known at least to those who see me as a leader in the body of Christ. Mainly because of the above mentioned quotation that to me the destiny and future of Nigeria is paramount to any sentiment.
I therefore believe that I owe it to my friends, colleges and posterity to explain why I believe the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket is the life line to the Nigerian nation right now. Of course you all have the right to your opinions and you have the right to agree or disagree, but I think it would be fair for you to hear my point of view.
From the comments on my Facebook, I can envisage disappointment and disillusionment in a lot of my followers as a result of my position, I might actually be losing some friends and fans as a result but let’s not forget the words of Isaac newton ‘Plato is my friend— Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is the truth’ . Therefore I say ‘Jonathan is my president, Goodluck is a Christian, but Nigeria is my greatest love’
Here we are continuing with part 4 of this 6 part article.
Part 4. Why I believe President Jonathan is far more a fundamentalist than Gen. Buhari
Ecclesiastics 10:16-17
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
and your princes feast in the morning!
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,
and your princes feast at the proper time—
For strength and not for drunkenness
‘Plato is my friend— Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is the truth’. Therefore I say ‘Jonathan is my president, Goodluck is a Christian, but Nigeria is my greatest love’
I am a pastor and I am happy that we have so many growing ministries and churches in Nigeria. It is our pride that Christianity is so popular in our country and that we have such a freedom of religion.
Dear reader, let’s imagine ourselves as Muslims for a minute. Let’s assume you are a Muslim and what you see almost on a weekly basis is that your president is always flanked by leaders of his religion in a country where we don’t just have only Christians. In a diverse country like ours where Christians and Muslim are mostly on an equal footing, a Muslim could easily think why should his President often be surrounded mainly by Christian leaders? Either he is with the respected leaders of the Christian association of Nigeria (CAN) or on the prayer ground of some of the highly regarded and respected Christian churches. Supposing you are a Muslim and you see your president in such situations, is it not understandable for a Muslim to call him a Christian fundamentalist?
Now let’s imagine that it’s a Muslim president (for example Gen. Buhari) that is always going from one mosque to the other always surrounded by various Muslim groups. I can imagine what kind of accusations would have been coming from my Christian brothers and sisters, in which case Gen.Buhari would not only be accused of been a fundamentalist, he would also have been accused of Islamizing Nigeria. But here is a Christian president doing what we would have called a fundamentalist act, yet we are accusing Gen. Buhari of been a fundamentalist when he doesn’t even do such things.
As a pastor myself, I think it’s a good thing that the president is doing this. I would be happy if the president comes to my church too. I think it’s a good thing that we have that kind of freedom of worship in Nigeria. But let’s be fair, what would we actually say If Gen. Buhari is seen doing the same thing? My point is that we should have a fair play. Gen. Buhari should be allowed to practice his religion just as president Jonathan is allowed to practice his religion. The fundamental principle of the Christian faith states that we should treat others like we would like them to treat us.
Matthew 7:12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Most often we don’t want to give a fair treatment to our fellow countrymen that belong to another religion.
That is wrong!
It is not fair!!
Our God is first and foremost a God of love!!!
Can someone tell me the last time you saw Gen. Buhari been flanked by popular leaders of his religion or kneeling down, praying with his Muslim clerics in a mosque? No, he makes his faith a personal affair. This is not the action of a Muslim fundamentalist! But rather from the actions of President Jonathan, it is tempting to say he is more of a fundamentalist than Gen. Buhari.
Now, my Christian brothers and sisters- believe it, I am a Pastor and am not backsliding. Let’s just be objective! Put yourself in the shoes of another Nigerian who is not a Christian, someone who is not in any way a more inferior Nigerian by our constitution. Would you deny him the right to have a Muslim president in his own country just like we have our Christian president in President Goodluck Jonathan? How comfortable should a Muslim be to call himself a Nigerian after seeing that his president is always with leaders of his Christian religion? How comfortable will you be to say that this man is still my president if you were in their shoes? However, the Muslims in Nigeria have largely been gracious enough to know and understand that this is freedom of religion and not to raise too much alarm about it. But here we are as Christians calling a decent, a modest Muslim believer a fundamentalist just because he is serious about his religion, despite his efforts to keep it private. He is not even the president yet!
What would we then say if he were to be flaunting his faith out there just like President Jonathan does? Please understand me, I am not saying this is necessarily bad but let’s put ourselves in others position. That is what objectivity means. That is what tolerance demands.
It is bigotry, and it is religious nepotism that makes us think that when it benefits us we have all the right, but when it comes to others they don’t have the same right. For us it is acceptable. For us everything goes, but for others it is not acceptable. Why should we feel as Christians that we have a better or greater ownership of the country? Are we not all citizens of the same country with equal rights?
Please let us think about the feelings of others who are fellow Nigerians of different religions who are not to be blamed that they were born in a non-Christian home. It could be anyone of us in their position.
Mark 12:31- And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ‘There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The greatest commandment of our Christian religion demands of us to be considerate of others. My fellow brothers and sister, let us be Christians not just in name but also in practice. To love your neighbor as yourself means we should love the Muslims and the pagans as we will love our fellow Christians and even more so we should love them as much as we love ourselves. That is to say we should wish for them those things that we wish for ourselves.
TO BE CONTINUED…..

Source: https://www.facebook.com/pastor.sunday.adelaja/posts/10152696096488845

And this is Part 3

Introduction:
To paraphrase the great quotation ‘Plato is my friend — Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is the truth’ by Isaac newton. In my words, I will say ‘Jonathan is my president, Goodluck is a Christian, but Nigeria is my greatest love’
I would like to appeal to everyone that will see this article not to be in a hurry to ‘stone’ me, especially before you finish reading it. This is because I have seen a lot of emotions, sentiments and prejudices from the comments that were written under the article I had earlier posted on my Facebook page. As a matter of fact, I was not planning to make my position a public knowledge, but seeing the reactions and the emotions that any form of support for Buhari/Osinbajo generates among Christians, I decided to make my position known at least to those who see me as a leader in the body of Christ. Mainly because of the above mentioned quotation that to me the destiny and future of Nigeria is paramount to any sentiment.
I therefore believe that I owe it to my friends, colleges and posterity to explain why I believe the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket is the life line to the Nigerian nation right now. Of course you all have the right to your opinions and you have the right to agree or disagree, but I think it would be fair for you to hear my point of view.
From the comments on my Facebook, I can envisage disappointment and disillusionment in a lot of my followers as a result of my position, I might actually be losing some friends and fans as a result but let’s not forget the words of Isaac newton ‘Plato is my friend— Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is the truth’ . Therefore I say ‘Jonathan is my president, Goodluck is a Christian, but Nigeria is my greatest love’
Here we are continuing with part 3 of this 6 part article.
Part 3. Is Gen. Buhari an Islamic fundamentalist?
Ecclesiastics 10:16-17
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
And your princes feast in the morning!
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles
and your princes feast at the proper time—
For strength and not for drunkenness
‘Plato is my friend— Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is the truth’. Therefore I say ‘Jonathan is my president, Goodluck is a Christian, but Nigeria is my greatest love’
You can sell that propaganda to anyone but a thinking person, this propaganda is the cheapest and the most unthoughtful by people who use it.
1) If Gen. Buhari had been a fundamentalist, he would have Islamized Nigeria the very first time he became the head of state and had all the military power. A time when no one could tell him what to do or what not to do.
I was a young man in Nigeria at the time of his presidency and I remember clearly the kind of awe and fear everyone had for his government. Almost nobody could stop him from doing whatever he wanted to do at that time. So if he had wanted to Islamize Nigeria why didn’t he do it then? Remember that both Gen. Buhari and his deputy Gen. Tunde Idiagbon were committed Muslims, yet they did not Islamize Nigeria. So it is ludicrous to bring forth this argument in a democratic setting.
Hello my dear, propagandists of the theory of Gen. Buhari been an Islamic fundamentalist, why didn’t he turn Nigeria into a Muslim state when he had all the power in a non-democratic system of Government? If he didn’t do that when he had all the 3 arms of government, the legislative, executive and judiciary in his hands, What makes you think he would be able to do that now? Even if he has that intention now, when he has just one arm of government, the executive in his hands, he still cannot with such a formidable opposition in PDP.
Who on earth is believing this type of propaganda?
Friends wake up!
2) Why is it that it is not Buhari that took us to the organization of Islamic cooperation (OIC)?
The documents are there to prove that it was Babangida’s government that did it, contrary to the rumors dubious individuals are spreading about Buhari.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibrahim_Babangida
3) Contrary to the wide spread belief in some circles in Nigeria, Buhari is not the sponsor of Boko Haram and it is so sad that Nigerians will be so mischievous to be saying things they cannot substantiate. How do I know this? Because the track record of Gen. Buhari tells us that he cannot be Boko Haram’s sponsor.
I was in Nigeria as a young man when another Islamic sect called Maitatsine was trying to rise up in the then Kano state much like Boko Haram is doing now, it was Buhari’s government that crushed the uprising in 1985.
(http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/…/19169-how-i-ended-maitatsine…)
Matthew 7: 16- You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?
Jesus said that by their fruits you shall know them not by people’s propaganda, the fruits of Gen. Buhari’s life prove to me that he is the direct opposite of what the propagandists say he is.
The fact that Gen. Buhari crushed the uprising of Maitatsine radical Muslim uprising shows that he has what it takes to deal with the present predicament we are facing with Boko Haram.
4) As an Army General I think Gen. Buhari has the rudiments and qualifications to adequately respond to our national security challenges. Especially with him coming from the north and a Muslim. It would be easier for him to crack down on Islamic extremism because he will not be accused of discrimination because he is not a Christian who could later be accused of discriminating against Muslims.
5) HOW BUHARI CONSTITUTED HIS GOVERNMENT WHEN HE WAS HEAD OF STATE IN 1982-1984:
Buhari's Governors
1984-1985:
1. Allison Madueke - Christian-Anambra.
2. Jeremiah Useni - Christian - Bendel.
3. Micheal Bamidele - Christian Ondo.
4. Oladipo Diya - Christian - Ogun.
5. David Mark - Christian - Niger.
6. John Kpera - Christian - Benue.
7. Dan Achibong - Christian - C/Rivers.
8. Ike Nwachukwu -Christian -Imo.
9. Oladipo Popoola - Christian - Oyo.
10.Bitrus Atukum - Christian - Plateau.
11.B.L. Letimah - Christian - Rivers.
12.Salaudeen Latinwo - Muslim-Kwara.
13. Gbolahan Mudasiru - Atheist-Lagos.
14. Sani Sami -Muslim - Bauchi.
15. Abubakar Waziri - Muslim - Borno.
16. Muhammadu Jega - Muslim - Gongola.
17. Usman Mu'azu - Muslim - Kaduna.
18. Hamza Abdullahi - Muslim - Kano.
19. Garba Duba -Muslim -Sokoto
Out of 19 governors: 11 Christians, 1 atheist, 7 Muslims.
Buhari's Ministers:
1. Domkat Bali - Christian - Defence.
2. Onaolapo Sholeye -Christian-Finance.
3. Emmanuel Nsan - Christian - Health.
4. Sam Omeruah - Christian-Information.
5. Tam David West - Christian - Petroleum.
6. Patrick Koshoni - Christian - Works.
7. Chike Offodile - Christian - Justice. *Clement Isong - Christian Gov, CBN.
Defence, works, petroleum, justice, finance and CBN governor were all Christians.
It is a pity that many have given themselves to deceit.
Let’s stop the baseless accusation against this revolutionist and face reality.
Let us vote for change. Don't let them deceive you. Let's Change Nigeria!
Friends wakeup and don’t be deceived by baseless accusations, an Islamic fundamentalist would not put in his government, Christians mostly.
TO BE CONTINUED….

Source: https://www.facebook.com/pastor.sunday.adelaja/posts/10152695620923845

Here is Part 2

Introduction:
To paraphrase the great quotation ‘Plato is my friend — Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is the truth’ by Isaac newton. In my words, I will say ‘Jonathan is my president, Goodluck is a Christian, but Nigeria is my greatest love’
I would like to appeal to everyone that will see this article not to be in a hurry to ‘stone’ me, especially before you finish reading it. This is because I have seen a lot of emotions, sentiments and prejudices from the comments that were written under the article I had earlier posted on my Facebook page. As a matter of fact, I was not planning to make my position a public knowledge, but seeing the reactions and the emotions that any form of support for Buhari/Osinbajo generates among Christians, I decided to make my position known at least to those who see me as a leader in the body of Christ. Mainly because of the above mentioned quotation that to me the destiny and future of Nigeria is paramount to any sentiment.
I therefore believe that I owe it to my friends, colleges and posterity to explain why I believe the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket is the life line to the Nigerian nation right now. Of course you all have the right to your opinions and you have the right to agree or disagree, but I think it would be fair for you to hear my point of view.
From the comments on my Facebook, I can envisage disappointment and disillusionment in a lot of my followers as a result of my position, I might actually be losing some friends and fans as a result but let’s not forget the words of Isaac newton ‘Plato is my friend— Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is the truth’ . Therefore I say ‘Jonathan is my president, Goodluck is a Christian, but Nigeria is my greatest love’
Here we are continuing with part 2 of this 6 part article.
Part 2. My main reason for endorsing Buhari/Osinbajo ticket is because of my personal encounter with President Goodluck Jonathan.
Ecclesiastics 10:16-17
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
And your princes feast in the morning!
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,
And your princes feast at the proper time—
For strength and not for drunkenness
‘Plato is my friend— Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is the truth’. Therefore I say ‘Jonathan is my president, Goodluck is a Christian, but Nigeria is my greatest love’
I have personally met President Jonathan on two occasions while he was the vice-president of the country. There is no doubt that President Jonathan is a good and gentle man from my observations, but a good man does not always translate to a good or efficient leader.
I have told everybody that cares to listen in my private conversations with my friends since 2007 that even though God must have given President Jonathan the chance to become Nigeria’s president, he is not capable. He would need a team of super-efficient leaders to make his government work, otherwise on his own he is simply not in the consciousness of what good governance is all about.
My first major concern during our meetings is that He was always in a ‘sleep mode’. I don’t think he is ever fully awake and this was my impression on both occasions.
He was always looking lost, sleepy and even out rightly dozing off during conversations, at least during my meetings with him. Please bare in mind that in both cases I came with teams of leaders from different countries such as: USA, Sweden, Spain, Ukraine, Nigeria, yet my vice-president was listening to us half asleep.
Now friends, I am not such that would be quick to judge, so I tried to give him the benefit of a doubt. However, my subsequent observations of President Jonathan through videos and photographs of his meetings, confirm the obvious, that this man is never in the ‘here and now’.
If you compare my experience with President Jonathan to my meetings with President Olusegun Obasanjo. President Obasanjo wasn’t just awake, in the ‘here and now’. He was always at alert, sharp, responsive and more so, he would immediately pick up his phone calling ministers and assistants to act on the proposals and suggestions that we were bringing to the table.
President Jonathan in my opinion Lacks decision making skills.
I brought in some proposals that could earn the nation of Nigeria and every state of the federation investments worth millions of US dollars yearly.
I was expecting him to respond with action like President Obasanjo did, instead his response was passive, he suggested that I should go to the states and meet with the Governors, which I had done, but the foreign philanthropists needed assurance from a top government official. But, here was my vice president not acting and not been proactive in any way. The foreigners who were with me had to leave Nigeria disappointed with the lack of interest and inactive position of the second citizen of the country.
I am sure some people will be reading this thinking I was offended and had some business interests. No! These were not business interests at all, these were projects concerning humanitarian aids for the poor, disabled and elderly. These were projects to help train our police force in values and integrity. These were projects to equip our states with technical schools and colleges. I had nothing really to gain from it whatsoever. They were supposed to be Christian donations to the people of Nigeria as a whole.
The point I am making is about the necessary skills and sharpness required of the leader of a nation to take decisive decisions. His ability to make things happen. We are talking about his ability to provide solutions.
These are things that make great leaders. More so, when you are the president of a nation you surely need these qualities.
TO BE CONTINUED….

Source: https://www.facebook.com/pastor.sunday.adelaja/posts/10152694334303845

This is a long read, but trust me it is illuminating, thought-provoking and worth the time invested

Here is part 1

’ Why I endorse Buhari/Osinbajo ticket’’
By Pastor Sunday Adelaja
Dear friends,
This article is going to be divided into six parts for easier reading and digestion.
Part 1: - The Professor Yemi Osinbajo that I know
Part 2: - Reasons for my endorsement.
Part 3: - Is Gen. Buhari an Islamic fundamentalist?
Part 4: - why I believe President Jonathan is far more a fundamentalist than Gen. Buhari
Part 5: - ‘‘Pastor Sunday how dare you support a Muslim candidate’’?
Part 6: - Reasons why I cannot Support the Jonathan/sambo ticket.
Today we are starting with part 1: The Professor Yemi Osinbajo that I know.
Introduction:
To paraphrase the great quotation ‘Plato is my friend — Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is the truth’ by Isaac newton. In my words, I will say ‘Jonathan is my president, Goodluck is a Christian, but Nigeria is my greatest love’
I would like to appeal to everyone that will see this article not to be in a hurry to ‘stone’ me, especially before you finish reading it. This is because I have seen a lot of emotions, sentiments and prejudices from the comments that were written under the article I had earlier posted on my Facebook page. As a matter of fact, I was not planning to make my position a public knowledge, but seeing the reactions and the emotions that any form of support for Buhari/Osinbajo generates among Christians, I decided to make my position known at least to those who see me as a leader in the body of Christ. Mainly because of the above mentioned quotation that to me the destiny and future of Nigeria is paramount to any sentiment.
I therefore believe that I owe it to my friends, colleges and posterity to explain why I believe the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket is the life line to the Nigerian nation right now. Of course you all have the right to your opinions and you have the right to agree or disagree, but I think it would be fair for you to hear my point of view.
From the comments on my Facebook, I can envisage disappointment and disillusionment in a lot of my followers as a result of my position, I might actually be losing some friends and fans as a result but let’s not forget the words of Isaac newton ‘Plato is my friend— Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is the truth’ . Therefore I say ‘Jonathan is my president, Goodluck is a Christian, but Nigeria is my greatest love’
I have never done this before, to voice my position on the political issues of Nigeria publicly, especially through social media, newspaper or internet but the future of Nigeria compels me.
Ecclesiastics 10:16-17
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
And your princes feast in the morning!
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,
And your princes feast at the proper time—
For strength and not for drunkenness!
Part 1: - The Professor Yemi Osinbajo that I know
Until Gen. Buhari picked Professor Yemi Osinbajo as his running mate, I was not certain about my decision. In my opinion the choice of Professor Osinbajo wasn’t just a choice made by man, I believe it was God who handpicked him as Buhari’s running mate.
Why do I think so?
I know the man!
I would dare to say that I personally do not know any other Christian leader in Nigeria with the kind of impeccable reputation, character and integrity as that of Professor Osinbajo. Friends, THE MAN IS REAL!
Everyone talks about the integrity and the purity of Pastor Adeboye and rightly so, I dare to say that Professor Osinbajo is a son and a carbon copy of Pastor Adeboye when it comes to integrity and character. Anybody who has met him will affirm the same.
There is no other person like Professor Osinbajo! Anyone that knows him very well will tell you the same thing. He is in a class of his own. I can confidently vouch for him and say to my fellow Nigerians that with the emergence of Professor Osinbajo, we can say at last that Nigeria as a nation has started releasing her best sons to the seat of government.
Ecclesiastics 10:16-17
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
And your princes feast in the morning!
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,
And your princes feast at the proper time—
For strength and not for drunkenness!
In the ticket of Gen. Buhari and Professor Osinbajo, I see sons of nobles becoming the kings of Nigeria. I see in these people, princes that would feast at the proper time- for strength and not for drunkenness.
Unfortunately what has been happening in Nigeria in the last six years can only be compared to a situation where the kings of our land has been like children, who feast in the morning. The predictable outcome of such a predicament is a tale of woes.
As a result, Nigeria has not been able to set herself free from all sorts of calamities, adversaries, woes and troubles, because our rulers have been as children and our princes (government officials) are those who like to feast in the morning. No purposeful person goes to feast in the morning, the morning is a time of labor, hard work and diligence. But from the stories we have been hearing of how our natural resources and billions of dollars are been depleted, we could see that our princes are on a ‘shopping and spending spree’. However, we need sons of nobles, those who will know how to delay their gratification, restrain their appetite and those who will go to work hard on behalf of the nation.
The Osinbajo and Buhari that I know are men of Nobles that know how to delay gratification, men who don’t expect something for nothing, men of diligent labor.
Professor Osinbajo is one of the youngest and most brilliant Professor of Law Nigeria has ever produced. He understands law, academics and economics. He is perfectly prepared to manage the nation. His eight years in the executive arm of the Lagos state government attests to this. He brought more reforms to the government than any attorney general has ever done. His reputation was so outstanding, pure and incorruptible that it gained a legendary status among those who know him. Friends, believe me, if he could do that in Lagos state, he can do that for Nigeria.
Professor Osinbajo is not just an intellectual per excellence, but he is a genuine child of God, a Pastor who cannot be a stooge to anyone.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/pastor.sunday.adelaja/posts/10152694075008845

How transient life can be. From Inspiration FM to Rhythm FM, your followership was cult like and huge.
Adieu Chaz B!

As soon as he opened his eyes, he felt it. A strange peace, a calm clarity. He stretched. Even his limbs were stronger and surer. He looked at his phone. Thirty-seven new text messages – and all while he was asleep. With one click, he deleted them. The empty screen buoyed him. Then he got up to bathe, determined to fold the day into the exact shape that he wanted. Those Levick people had to go. No more foreign PR firms. They should have made that article in the American newspaper sound like him, they should have known better. They had to go. And he would not pay their balance; they had not fulfilled the purpose of the contract after all. He pressed the intercom. Man Friday came in, face set in a placidly praise-singing smile. “Good morning, Your Excellency!” “Good morning,” Oga Jona said. “I had a revelation from God.” Man Friday stared at him with bulging eyes. “I said I had a revelation from God,” he repeated. “Find me new Public Relations people. Here in Nigeria. Is this country not full of mass communication departments and graduates?” “Yes, Your Excellency.” Man Friday’s eyes narrowed; he was already thinking of whom he would bring, of how he would benefit. “I want a shortlist on my table on Wednesday,” Oga Jona said. “I don’t want any of the usual suspects. I want fresh blood. Like that student who asked that frank question during the economic summit.” “Your Excellency… the procurement rules…we need somebody who is licensed by the agency licensed by the agency that licenses PR consultants…” Oga Jona snorted. Man Friday used civil service restrictions as a weapon to fight off competition. Anybody who might push him out of his privileged position was suddenly not licensed, not approved, not registered. “I don’t want you to bring your own candidates, do you hear me? I said I want fresh blood, I’m not joking.” “Yes, Your Excellency,” Man Friday said, voice now high-pitched with alarmed confusion. “Put that DVD for me before you go,” Oga Jona said. He watched the recording on the widescreen television, unhappy with his appearance in the footage. His trousers seemed too big and why had nobody adjusted his hat? Next to The Girl from Pakistan, he looked timid, scrunched into his seat. She was inspiring, that young girl, and he wished her well. But he saw now how bad this made him appear: he had ignored all the Nigerians asking him to go to Chibok, and now The Girl From Pakistan was telling the world that he promised her he would go. He promised me, she said. As if the abducted Nigerian girls did not truly matter until this girl said they did. As if what mattered to him was a photo-op with this girl made famous by surviving a gunshot wound. It made him look small. It made him look unpresidential. It made him look like a leader without a rudder. Why had they advised him to do this? He pressed a button on his desk and waited. Violence was unfamiliar to Oga Jona. Yet when Man Monday came in, his belly rounded and his shirt a size too tight as usual, Oga Jona fought the urge to hit and punch and slap. Instead, he settled for less: he threw a teacup at Man Monday. “Why have you people been advising me not to go to Chibok? Why have you people been telling me that my enemies will exploit it?” “Sah?” Man Monday had dodged the teacup and now stood flustered. “I am going to Chibok tomorrow. I should have gone a long time ago. Now it will look as if I am going only because a foreigner, a small girl at that, told me to go. But I will still go. Nigerians have to see that this thing is troubling me too.” “But Sah, you know…” “Don’t ‘Sah you know’ me!” This was how his people always started. “Sah, you know…” Then they would bring up conspiracies, plots, enemies, evil spirits. No wonder giant snakes were always chasing him in his dreams: he had listened to too much of their nonsense. He remembered a quote from a teacher in his secondary school:

‘The best answer to give your enemies is continued excellence.’ What he needed, he saw now, was an adviser like that teacher. “Sah, the security situation…” “Have you not seen Obama appear in Afghanistan or Iraq in the middle of the night to greet American troops? Is Chibok more dangerous than the war the Americans are always fighting up and down? Arrange it immediately. Keep it quiet. I want to meet the parents of the girls. Make gifts and provisions available to the families, as a small token of goodwill from the federal government.” He knew how much people liked such things. A tin of vegetable oil would soften some bitter hearts. “Sah…” “From Borno we go to Yobe. I want to meet the families of the boys who were killed. I want to visit the school. Fifty-nine boys! They shot those innocent boys and burnt them to ashes! Chai! There is evil in the world o!” “Yes Sah.” “These people are evil. That man Yusuf was evil. The policemen who killed him, we have to arrest them and parade them before the press. Make sure the world knows we are handling the case. But it is even more important that we tell the true story about Yusuf himself. Yes, the police should not have killed him. But does that mean his followers should now start shedding blood all over this country? Is there any Nigerian who does not have a bad story about the police? Was it not last year that my own cousin was nearly killed in police detention? Let us tell people why the Army caught him in the first place. He was evil.
Remember that pastor in Maiduguri that he beheaded. Find that pastor’s wife. Let her tell her story. Let the world hear it. Show pictures of the pastor. Why have we not been telling the full story? Why didn’t we fight back when The Man From Borno was running around abroad, blaming me for everything when he too failed in his own responsibilities?” Oga Jona was getting angrier as he spoke, angry with his people, angry with himself. How could he have remained, for so long, in that darkness, that demon possession of ineptitude? “Yes Sah!” “You can go.” He picked up the iphone and spoke slowly. “I want to expand that Terror Victims Support Committee. Add one woman. Add two people personally affected by terrorism. How can you have a committee on terrorism victims with no diversity?” On the other end of the phone, the voice was stilled by surprise. “Yes Sah!” Finally emerged, in a croak. He put down the phone. There would be no more committees. At least until he was re-elected. And no more unending consultations.

He picked up the Galaxy, scrolled through the list of contacts. He called two Big Men in the Armed Forces, the ones stealing most of the money meant for the soldiers. “I want your resignation by Friday,” He said simply. Their shock blistered down the phone. “But Your Excellency…” “Or you want me to announce that I am sacking you? At least resignation will save you embarrassment.” If those left knew he was now serious as commander-in-chief, serious about punishing misdeed and demanding performance, they would sit up. He ate some roasted groundnuts before making the next call. To another Big Man in the Armed Forces. They had to stop arresting Northerners just like that. He remembered his former gateman in Port Harcourt. Mohammed, pleasant Mohammed with his buck teeth and his radio pressed to his ear. Mohammed would not even have the liver to support any terrorist. He told the Big Man in the Armed Forces, “You need to carry people along. Win hearts and minds. Make Nigerians feel that you are fighting for them, not against them… And when you talk to the press and say that Nigerians should do their part to fight terrorism, stop sounding as if you are accusing them. After all, let us tell the truth, what can an ordinary person do? Nothing! Even those people who check cars, if they open a boot and see a big bomb, what will they do? Will they try to subdue an armed suicide bomber? Will they pour water on the bomb to defuse it? Will they not turn and run as fast as their legs can carry them? Let’s start a mass education campaign. Get proposals on how best to do it without scaring people. When we tell Nigerians to report suspicious behavior, let’s give them examples. Suspicious behavior does not mean anybody wearing a jellabiya. After all, was the one in Lagos not done by a woman?” He paused. “Yes, Your Excellency!” “As for the girls, we have to go back to negotiation. Move in immediately.” “Yes, Your Excellency.” “I should not have listened to what they told me in that Paris summit. Why did I even agree to follow them and go to Paris, all of us looking like colonised goats?” From the other end, came a complete and lip-sealed silence. The Big Man in the Armed Forces dared not make a sound, lest it be mistaken as agreement on the word ‘goat.’ Besides, he had been part of the entourage for that trip and had collected even more than the normal fat juicy estacode. “I don’t want to hear about any other mutiny,” Oga Jona continued. “You will get the funds. But I want real results! Improve the conditions of your boys. I want to see results!” The Big Man in the Armed Forces started saying something about the Americans. Oga Jona cut him short. “Shut up! If somebody shits inside your father’s house, is it a foreigner that will come and clean the house for you? Is Sambisa on Google Maps? How much local intelligence have you gathered? Before you ask for help, you first do your best!” “Yes Your Excellency.” “And why is it that nobody interviewed the girls who escaped?” There was a pause. “By tomorrow night I want a report on the local intelligence gathered so far!” “Yes, Your Excellency.” Oga Jona turned on the television and briefly watched a local channel. Who even designed those ugly studio backgrounds?

There was a knock on the door. It had to be Man Thursday. Nobody else could come in anyhow. “Good afternoon, My President,” Man Thursday said. Short and stocky, Man Thursday was the soother who always came cradling bottles of liquid peace. This time, Oga Jona pushed away the bottle. “Not now!’ “My President, I hope you’re feeling fine.” “I received a revelation from God. From now on, I will stop giving interviews to foreign journalists while ignoring our own journalists.” “But My President, you know how useless our journalists are…” “Will Obama give an interview to AIT and ignore CBS?” “No, Your Excellency.” “I know some of our journalists support Bourdillon, but we also have others on our side. I will beat them at their game! I want to do interviews with two journalists that support us and one journalist that supports Bourdillon. Find one that will be easy to intimidate.” “But…” “I want names in the next hour.” “Yes, Your Excellency.” Man Thursday now stood still, lips parted in the slack expression of a person no longer sure what day it was. “Tell the Supporters Club to change their television advertisements. They should stop mentioning ‘those who are against me.’ I will no longer give power to my enemies. They should mention only the things that I am doing. I like that one with the almajiri boy. It shows Nigerians that I have helped with education in the North. They should make more advertisements like that.” In response, Man Thursday could only nod vigorously but mutely. Later, after eating vegetable soup with periwinkle and a plate of sliced fruits – he was determined to keep himself from looking like Man Monday – he asked Sharp Woman to meet him in the residence. Not in the main living room, but in the smaller relaxing white parlor. Sharp Woman was the only one he fully trusted. He had sometimes allowed himself to sideline her, when he had felt blown this way and that way by the small-minded pettiness of other people. She was the only one who had not allowed him to dwell too much on his own victimhood. Once, she had told him quietly, “You have real enemies. There are people in this country who do not think you should be president simply because of where you come from. Did they not say they would make the country ungovernable for you? But not everything is the fault of your enemies. If we keep on blaming the enemies then we are making them powerful. The Bourdillon people are disorganized. They don’t have a real platform. Their platform is just anti-you. They don’t even have a credible person they can field, the only major candidate they have is the one they will not select. So stop mentioning them. Face your work.” He should have listened then, despite the many choruses that drowned her voice. It was she who, a few days later, and after the four rubbish candidates stage-managed by Man Friday, brought the new PR people, Kikelola Obi, Bola Usman and Chinwe Adeniyi – when he first saw their names, he thought: and some crazy people are saying we should divide Nigeria. They were in their early thirties, with rough faces and no make up; they looked too serious, as if they attended Deeper Life church and disapproved of laughter. They started their presentation, all three taking turns to speak. They stood straight and fearless. Their directness and confidence unnerved him. “Sir, we voted for you the first time. We felt that you would do well if you had the mandate of the people instead of just an inherited throne. We liked you because you had no shoes. We really liked you. We had hope in you. You seemed humble and different. But with all due respect sir, we will not vote for you again unless something changes.” He nearly jumped up from his seat. Small girls of nowadays! They had no respect! As if to make it worse, one of them added that if the election were held today, the only person she could vote for was The Man From Lagos. Oga Jona bristled. That annoying man. Even if a mosquito bit him in his state, he would find a way to blame the president for it. Still, Oga Jona could see why these foolish small girls were saying they would vote for him. The man had tried in Lagos. But their mentioning The Man From Lagos was now a challenge. He would rise to the challenge. “Sir, the good news is that Nigerians forgive easily and Nigerians forget even more easily. You have to change strategy. Be more visible. Stop politicizing everything. Stop blaming your enemies for everything. You have to be, and seem to be, a strong, uniting leader. Make sure to keep repeating that this is not a Muslim vs. Christian thing.” Oga Jona cut in, pleased to be able to challenge these over-sabi girls. “You think Nigerians don’t know that it is mostly Christian areas that they are targeting in Borno? And what about all those church bombings?” The three shook their heads, uniformly, like robots. They were sipping water; they had declined everything else. “With all due respect sir, if you look at the names of bombing victims, they are Muslims and Christians. If God forbid another terror attack occurs, you have to come out yourself and talk to Nigerians. Stop releasing wooden statements saying you condemn the attacks. We will prep you before each public appearance. You have a tendency to ramble. That’s the most important thing to watch out for. Be alert when you answer each question. Keep your answers short. You don’t have to elaborate if there is nothing to elaborate. Stick to the point. If they ask you something negative, be willing to admit past mistakes but always give the answer a positive spin. Something like ‘yes, I could have handled it better and I regret that but I am now doing better, and am determined to do even more because Nigerians want and deserve results.’

You have to start reaching out beyond your comfort zone. Nigeria has talent. Look for the best Nigerians on any subject at hand, wherever they may be, and persuade them to come and contribute on their area of expertise. Especially the ones who have no interest in government work. Even one or two who don’t completely agree with you. Think of Lincoln’s Team of Rivals.” “What?” “Don’t worry, sir. The important thing is to reach out beyond your circle. Oga Segi was not a calm person like you. He even used to threaten to flog people. But he had a good network. Jimmy Carter is his friend. If he needed expertise from a university in Zaria or Edinburgh or Boston, he would pick up his phone and know somebody who knew or somebody who knew somebody who knew. But with all due respect, sir, you don’t have that. Bayelsa is a small place.” These girls really had no respect o! He glared at Sharp Woman, who shrugged and muttered, “You said you wanted people who would tell you the truth.” But he listened. In his first interview, the words rolled off his tongue. Those girls had made him repeat himself so many times. “I want to apologize to the Nigerian people for some actions of my government. We could have done better. No country fighting terrorism can let everything be open. But we owe our country men and women honest, clear assurance that we are taking decisive action, with enough details to be convincing. I ask for your prayers and support. I have directed the security services to set up a website that will give Nigerians accurate and up-to-date information about our war against terrorism. I have also hired specialists to manage the flow and presentation of the information.” And the words came easily when he shook hands with the parents in Chibok, simple polite people who clutched his hand with both of theirs. He should have done this much earlier; it was so touching. “Sorry,” he said, over and over again. “Sorry. Please keep strong. We will rescue them.” The words were more reluctant when he wore a red shirt and asked to be taken to the gathering of The People in Red at the park. But he cleared his throat and urged himself to speak, particularly because, as he emerged from within his circle of security men, the People in Red all stopped and stared. Silence reigned. “I came to salute you,” Oga Jona started. “We are on the same side. My government has made mistakes. We are learning from them and correcting them. Please work with us. Together, we will defeat this evil.” They were still silent and still staring; they were disarmed. He thanked them and, before they could marshal their old distrust, he turned and left. That night, as he sank to his knees in prayer, he heard the muted singing of angels.

*Chimamanda Adichie is the author of four award-winning books, the most recent of which is AMERICANAH

Source http://www.thecable.ng/the-miraculous-deliverance-of-oga-jona | TheCable

Kings Johnson, you are not alone in this perception of seemingly unfairness of life, a great king had the same feelings many years ago but luckily for him, he got an answer to his question, howbeit this same question, his answer is reproduced below in Today's English version for your benefits hope you find the much sought after answer to your question too.

PSALM 73

1 [b]God is indeed good to Israel, to those who have pure hearts.
2 But I had nearly lost confidence; my faith was almost gone
3 because I was jealous of the proud when I saw that things go well for the wicked.
4 They do not suffer pain; they are strong and healthy.
5 They do not suffer as other people do; they do not have the troubles that others have.
6 And so they wear pride like a necklace and violence like a robe;
7 their hearts pour out evil, and their minds are busy with wicked schemes.
8 They laugh at other people and speak of evil things; they are proud and make plans to oppress others.
9 They speak evil of God in heaven and give arrogant orders to men on earth,
10 so that even God's people turn to them and eagerly believe whatever they say.
11 They say, "God will not know; the Most High will not find out."
12 That is what the wicked are like. They have plenty and are always getting more.
13 Is it for nothing, then, that I have kept myself pure and have not committed sin?
14 O God, you have made me suffer all day long; every morning you have punished me.
15 If I had said such things, I would not be acting as one of your people.
16 I tried to think this problem through, but it was too difficult for me
17 until I went into your Temple. Then I understood what will happen to the wicked.
18 You will put them in slippery places and make them fall to destruction!
19 They are instantly destroyed; they go down to a horrible end.
20 They are like a dream that goes away in the morning; when you rouse yourself, O Lord, they disappear.
21 When my thoughts were bitter and my feelings were hurt,
22 I was as stupid as an animal; I did not understand you.
23 Yet I always stay close to you, and you hold me by the hand.
24 You guide me with your instruction and at the end you will receive me with honor.
25 What else do I have in heaven but you? Since I have you, what else could I want on earth?
26 My mind and my body may grow weak, but God is my strength; he is all I ever need.
27 Those who abandon you will certainly perish; you will destroy those who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, how wonderful to be near God, to find protection with the Sovereign LORD and to proclaim all that he has done![/b]

[color=#006600][/color] Congratulations Apoti
I salute your patience, I salute your courage, wisdom and determination especially in the last 9 months.

May God continue to make your labour of love fruitful

Welcome to fatherhood, the most awesome job for every man

Tiwanna: Well I just got through with driving sch, I learned my driving skill using a manual car. I have been disturbing my dad to give me the opportunity to drive with an automatic car, but he said that I need to be in the car with someone who knows how to drive for a week or so b4 he will let me go behind the wheels. So on a faithful sunday morning my dad had gone on a trip. I told my mum that I want to give them a ride to church, but she said no, after gaining the votes of my siblings she then agreed. So I eagerly entered the car along side my mum, sisters and bro and we drove all the way to marine base, I was seeing my church and the church too could see me lmao then I decided to make a u turn @ the round about, my mum was like are u sure u can do it? let's take the civic centre route, I told her ah ah why I nor go fit do am nau. As I took the turn mumu like me just went straight hitting on the acceleration instead of the clutch, knocked down a woman pricing a motorcycle that will take her to church, she fell directly on my wind screen with her two hands widely spread, I tot she was dead oh. I destroyed the two okada drivers motorcycles. I was shock so I left the stirring and the car was just pushing all this people forward heading for a big pointing rod tiny, the police men were shouting, the people where shouting stop the car stop the car my mum was crying, my siblings where shouting chaii tiwanna u don kill us oh. It then dawn on me to match the break, put the car on neutral then off the ignition. I was almost arrested it was our church members and the lady who I hit that pleaded with the police men to leave me. But my dad paid for the damages I caused. Since that day I have never ever tot of going behind the wheels again ly ly I respect motor no be small thing.

waoh! you got me in stitches there! lovely dramatic effect! but don't give up on driving, summon on courage and get behind the wheels again not without going for tutorial though.

Yvete: Wanna cry
First accident was in Christmas 2005. I was learning how to drive, no license permit, no driver's license, no insurance, minimal experience. I was driving a friend's car and he was sitting at the passenger's front seat. Rule is, to make a left turn at a traffic stop, you need to give right of way, I didn't know. I got to an intersection speeding as usual, next thing I know, I ran into a brand new Toyota Avalon. Did you read brand new? Yes and the car was wrecked beyond recognition and the driver (really old man), picked up by an ambulance. Before the police arrived the scene, my friend jumped into the driver's seat to claim responsibility for everything or else, maybe I would have gone to jail that night.

A friend indeed. just in case he propose, I think he is a husband material !

Siena: Unless your engine's really oily and filthy, I wouldn't steam clean it. But should you wish to go ahead, here are the main areas to avoid:

Distributor.
Coilpack.
HT leads.
Air intake.
Scuttle area (ECU lives there, and hates water).

Good job Siena, could you do a pictorial follow-up of the part mentioned for the sake of some learners like yours truly.

Looking forward to your response.

Thanks.

Most good thing in live come to men in turn. Djokovic lived in Roger and Nadal's shadow for so long but eventually broke loose and is now celebrated. Maybe it is the turn of Andy to break loose too, let us wait with bated breath and rejoice with him if and when it happen.
For the records Andy Murray is Scottish and not English.

ifesly:
thanks bro. can u giv me a rough estimate of the cost of the program?

The training ranges between N70K and N100K. While the examination itself costs $555 for non PMI members and $405 for PMI members.

ifesly:
edokamifeanyi@yahoo.com. pls whr can i get a cheap training in lagos and at what estimated cost.
thanks bro. ur type is rare in naija

Ifeanyi, you now have the PMBOK 4th Edition in your mail. For your training you can try out JK Michaels on Adeniyi jones Ikeja or First logic On Oba-Akran road Ikeja. All the best in your endeavour.

Delebayo:
I am an HND graduate in Accounting from Yabatech, I have worked for three years in an airline industry. I wish to diversify my career. So am planning to sit for the PMP exams in Jan 2012. I have already attended class.

I need help as to what material to study, and where to get relavant material online or else where.

Thanks

check out this link http://www.examcentral.net/pmp/pmp-exam-questions It is an awesome preparatory tools. i used it and aced the PMP exam at my first sitting last year.
you can also drop your email and i will send you a soft copy of PMBOK 4th Edition.

A mason alias bricklayer earns on average N2500 to N3000 per day which is approximately 10 to 15 pounds daily. whichever way you look at it, Nigeria underpay her workers, cheat her working population to satisfy the excessive greed of her politicians.

Things women do and why they do it most times remain a mystery ! including who they marry and why they do!

it is interesting and highly educative reading the various perspective on this topics especially from Upendo 98 and Frank3.16 ( even though i do not concur with all their viewpoints)
Another angle to look at this topic is the angle of choice. While love is an active choice to accept and care (most-times unconditionally) for someone irrespective of that persons weaknesses and shortcomings. In order words Love choose to love even when you dont feel it.

Lust and Infatuation are passive, they are majorly driven by feelings. Lust or Infatuation is surrendering to the tingling waves of feelings usually for the fulfilment of sensual and selfish desires. a classic example of lust is this https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-693823.0.html