₦airaland Forum

Last week, my friend sent me a screenshot of a memo sent to the staff of their office by the HR manager. The memo welcomed them back to work after the holiday, and enjoined them to start the year with the Lord. On that premise, the staff were expected to meet for a devotion to usher the business into the new year.

My friend went on to decry the basis of the email; she mentioned that this prayer wheel had been going round for a bit in their office and she was tired of the mandated attendance. She had gotten tired of making excuses for not attending. I calmed her down,stating that she could always go out of the office for a stroll if she didn’t want to attend the devotion.

Whilst I have always believed that religion and spirituality are very personal matters, I am not oblivious of the fact that Nigeria is a very religion-centric nation. We are corporately religious. You find offices where meetings are paused so that staff can go and pray – during work hours. There are also offices where praise and worship sessions go on, and you can hear the clapping/tongue speaking through the walls.

Our constitution provides for freedom of association, and as such every citizen of Nigeria is free to be a part of any constituted body. However, where does one draw the line? Especially in the work place.

If the core purpose of the establishment is not based on religion or spirituality, should staff be invited to come for devotional meetings? Should prayer sessions be held in the office at all? Or is it a case of ‘This is Who We Are, and It Is a Part of Our Lives’.

In secondary schools, and certain universities in Nigeria, there are penalties for not attending prayer meetings. This is almost understandable, since there are rules and regulations in those schools. However, when one transcends into the work place, should such restrictions still be imposed?

I asked another friend who works in a bank about this. According to her, there was morning devotion in her office. While it was not compulsory to attend, those who didn’t attend were looked at ‘one kain’. I asked if that look was not imagined, as I was unable to really digest the idea of Spiritual Stigmatization.

Proponents of religion in the work place state that they would like to incorporate their personal beliefs into every facet of their life, and the office should not be an exception. If having a closer connection to God allows them get their deliverables out better, then they should be allowed to nurture their spirituality – at work.

The third side of this discourse is those who don’t care either way – as long as they’re not disturbed. As long as you don’t ask them not to park in a certain place because it interfere with the spot earmarked for prayer, they’re fine. As long as your tambourine shaking takes place in the basement and doesn’t disturb the conference call they’re having… then keep it up. Someone said she doesn’t mind the joint prayer sessions… as long as all parties invited are allowed to contribute in the way their faith permits.

What do you guys think? Do you think prayer sessions should be kept out of the work place? Or should they be seen as part of a person’s well-being (like having the gym at work) and be allowed to stay? Or will the exclusion of prayer session from the work place be an indication that we’re becoming ‘Godless like the West’?

Let’s talk about it!

Source: http://www.uwilldaily.com/prayer-sessions-held-office/

You tried to be a good father.
You were there when your child was born, you held your wife’s hand as she screamed when the pain became unbearable or you paced and prayed outside the birthing room because the person delivering the baby did not want you in the delivery room. You cried when you saw your child for the first time and exclaimed that the child was the most beautiful in the world. And even if you weren’t there for any of this, you made sure that someone was there and that your better half was not alone.

You helped changed diapers and were there during feeding times and protected your partner’s dignity when she had to feed the baby in public as the baby had been crying for too long and a bottle just wouldn’t cut it. You were there for the first crawl and the first tooth and the first steps and were prouder when baby’s first words were “dada”. And although you did not get paternity leave, you made sure that mama and baby did not feel that you were gone.

You started with cradling your child to sleep, then it was rocking, then you started reading to them. You would hold them and kiss them good night before they slept and would soothe any nightmares that prevented them from sleeping peacefully. Your bed was a safe haven for many a weary soul and your arms are big enough for any type of hug.

You were there for every first day of school- from crèche to kindergarten to big school. You even helped make lunch the night before. You did the school run when you had time and tried as hard possible to make it for all your child’s events. The teachers at each school knew you and so did some of the other parents. You clapped the loudest when your child had a recital or a show or a game and everyone knew that your child was the most beautiful, the most talented and the kindest child in the world. And even the times when your child needed to be disciplined and it hurt you to do so, you made sure that the deed was done in love- whatever method you decided to use.

You taught your child life and love and kindness. You taught your child that education was the best gift that they could receive and that a life of ignorance was the same as slavery. You taught them to believe in and love themselves and to realise that while we are all fallen, the Lord has given us a little good in us and to always look for that good in each other. You taught your child to love and respect God and to seek and search for wisdom in all that they say and do. You taught your child the value of hard work and perseverance and that once you fall, you need to pick yourself up and move on. You taught your child the value of peace, honour and integrity and that a good name is better than rubies. And even if you didn’t practice all of this or believe half of it, you still made sure that your child learnt them.

You were there during the teenage years with the rebellion and the fights and even the beatings and you have the scars to prove it. Your shoulders were broad enough to handle all the tears and you always had a soothing word to give even if you didn’t understand half of what your child was saying. You tried not to push too hard though sometimes you did and you wondered whether your child would forgive you. Don’t worry they will- eventually.

More children came. You tried to treat all your children the same, even though it was difficult sometimes as one child gave you more of a headache than the others. You tried not to let it show. And when it did, you apologized and tried to do better. With the arrival of more children meant a -greater financial burden and you had many sleepless nights because you did not know how your family would survive. There were even times when you wanted to cry but you had to put on a brave face because you believed that this was not the end of the world. You tried not to let your family know about what you were going through and when they did, you promised them that things would get better. And somehow, by God’s grace they did.

The years skip by and you take your child to university or whatever their next step is. You tell them that you are proud of them and leave them to grow up. And all the while you are praying for them not to make the same mistakes that you made and that they make something of their life.

You did not let your child know about your health scare or the stint that you had in the hospital because you did not want them to worry but you are relieved and happy none the same when you wake up in hospital to see them there holding your hand.

You are there for the graduation and the first job and the first apartment- never mind that it took many years of waiting. And then your child brings someone home and tells you they are getting married. And even though you might not like who they have brought, you give your blessing anyway because you can see how happy your child is. You look on proudly at the wedding and look on even more proudly in the nursery when you look at your grandchild for the first time. And even if the sequence of this was all different, you were proud none the less and thanked God all the same.

And even if you were not around to be there for all of this, you still thank God for the moments that He allowed you to try to be a good father.

http://www.uwilldaily.com/denike-benson-ode-good-father/

UWIllDaily has finally luonched it’s Mobile Application which is one the most updated and beautiful mobile application created by a Nigerian, UWillDaily is a fairly new app in the Android market and its already leading the App market in entertainment.

It was luonched few weeks ago by the company UWillDaily and I hear from a reliable source that they are planning to add an amazing function that will drive it’s publication to the international market.

It’s a FREE mobile app that helps it readers receive news on the go instead of searching for news online, you get all your daily entertainment needs on the go such as Audio and video Music Download, Nollywood Movies, Relationship tips, Fashion, Celebrity news, health tips, political news etc.

The design is flawless and very light with a downloadable size of 2.8 MB which is awesome regardless of your phone storage space.

For now, it’s currently only available for Android users. Users can download the app from Android/ Google Play Store

Try it out today and let me know what you think about the FREE New app.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.joomlavogue.uwilldaily&hl=en

Some frontline artistes have reacted to angry backlash from some members of the public over their alleged refusal to lend a helping hand to ailing music producer and artiste, OJB Jezreel.

OJB Jezreel, who produced Tuface’s highly successful song, African Queen, is currently battling with a kidney-related ailment and is reported to be in need of N16 million for a kidney transplant. The social media have been awash with various messages in the past few days, requesting help to raise the sum needed to get him back on his feet.

Many Nigerians received BlackBerry Messenger broadcast messages, Facebook updates, tweets, among others, on social media, while the hashtag, #SaveOJBJezreel was also employed to get the campaign into the hearts of Nigerians on Twitter.

But those whose social media platforms were flooded with several requests for help wondered why OJB Jezreel’s colleagues in the entertainment industry, many of who seem to be in money, based on the luxurious lifestyles they lead, could not put heads together to foot the bill.

In this wise, a handful of them who were taken aback by the development took to the social media to express their disappointment. For instance, a BBM message that circulated last week states, “If Wizkid can damage a N15m Porsche Panamera car in less than two months; if D’Banj can put on a N3m suit just for a show; if Davido can refer to a N10m endorsement deal as chicken change; if PSquare can buy just a property for N400m, if Don Jazzy can pop a $1.5Million champagne for just a bottle oo - and the many others, why can’t they put heads together and donate just $100,000 (N15m) in just 24 hours? It’s obvious there’s beef in the industry. If all these big artistes don’t save OJB Jezreel with their money, Sango kills anyone who goes to studio to produce ‘Tribute to OJB.’’’

Reacting to the backlash, Peter of the Nigerian R and B duo, P Square, took to his Twitter account to inform his over 300,000 fans on the social network he was not shying away from helping him.

He tweeted, “OJB Jezreel, you’ve got our support and prayers. We can’t afford to lose you. Thanks peeps for also showing love for a brother.’’

In a similar fashion, Chief Executive Officer, Mavin Records, Don Jazzy, urges his Twitter fans never to wait for his co-celebrities before they donate to save the life of OJB Jezreel.

“Guys, do not wait for celebrities alone. Anything you can do also can #HelpSaveOjb. May God help us all,’’ he says.

I say good work to all those Nigerians who broadcast it on BBM