I am in church and we were asked to pray for Nigeria,I must confess i prayed with half of my heart, and that is saying something because I am one who in every speech I make I am fighting for the course of Nigeria. I mean if you are around me and someone - no matter how much I love the person- as much as sneezes a negative comment about Nigeria, I would balk. So it hit me wam in the face when I struggled to pray for Nigeria. Why this hit me all the more was that, in the same breathe we were asked to pray for burkina faso,and immediately, compassion flowed through me for that country. This is a country that all I know about it was probably playing “find the nation” with my brother as a child. But compassion flowed through me for that country almost immediately. I was “convicted” on the spot. I a preacher of patriotism, couldn’t find enough compassion in me to truly pray for my beloved country, Nigeria.

I could come up with a lot of theories as to why I fought to pray for Nigeria, but NONE will justify my actions. Yes the country ( better put the custodians of the country) haven’t allowed the country yield or is it continue to yield her increase for her citizens. It is so painful that this country that was once tagged the big brother of African countries now is being scorned by the same (some) of these countries they have helped. It’s not like other African Countries don’t have their issues, it seems to me that the world and indeed Africa thinks Nigeria shouldn’t be found in the anals of her country.

I don’t want to go into an intellectual rhetoric about what and how Nigeria should be run. I’ll keep my thoughts really basic, and since my gist started in the church,I’d get a little esoteric. I’m sure most of us listen to comedians and even critics of “foreign”/developed countries, I am not sure I’ve heard any of them actually speak I’ll of their country. They speak about entities and people causing the imbalance in their polity, but never say anything particularly negative about the country itself. This may not go down well with die hard critics, however, I choose like I said earlier to be esoteric. I believe every country (the spatial entity) has ears, and hears what we all say, about it. Am I suggesting we shouldn’t speak out against the plethora of socio political problems facing Nigeria? By no means, No! I am only implying that we live with the understanding that we all contribute to the “state” in which Nigeria has found herself.

The other day, I was driving through two states, lagos and ogun and it broke my heart that even the police stations that are supposed to be the epitome of patriotism, have weathered flags - the Nigerian flag and the police flag- flying in their compounds. As heart breaking as that was its nothing compared to how we treat ourselves as a people. We have absolutely no regard for ourselves or place any real value on how we should exist. We complain daily on how the government seems to have no value for our lives and living, but then I see how, we as a people do not position ourselves in such a way that sends a message we want to be valued. Examples? Driving against the flow of traffic, “shaunting” lanes in ordered queues, and generally “haters” of order.

Femke van Zeijl, puts it succinctly in this piece: http://saharareporters.com/article/femke-becomes-funke-celebrating-mediocrity-nigeria-femke-van-zeijl and she couldn’t have painted it more clearer.

On further emotional investigation, on why i couldnt pray for Nigeria, I found I was grieving. Grieving the fact that, as much as we love to pray and call on God in Nigeria, we seem to have no clue on how to live right to back the prayers.

I am just getting to this mail. Gold color is not a commercial vehicle. But you send an SMS to the chief vio, he will clarify thanks

I came across this great man through a friend who share “I Hate You” from the 2nd coming album. Mali, says to you what you want to say to yourself. He takes it further to help you say what you would love to say to God! In simple words: Mali helps you understand grace! Ready: Aim: Fire! Song of Purpose!

Listen to Mali Music’s new single “Ready Aim”

Starting the year very spiritually has become a fad, and indeed is should be, however, spirituality or seeming esoterism, is not the exclusive rights of the beginning of the year. The deep soul searching that goes on in (almost) every heart, between November and December can make an atheist believe in God. Anyways, I had wondered what my message (pun intended) will be about this my year, considering there was a kind of drought here last year. I wanted something that mirrored my exact feelings about Nigeria. Something, a message that captured what the Nigerian and the Nigerian state needed right now. Something , with words that reflect my faith.
The embers of what I was to write began to ignite, when my mentor was speaking about loving and how love was the major solution to the Nigerian question. Then it came to a robust spiritual high when I had a discussion with a dear friend. With her permission I will post on here what she has decided to do, according to her faith as a Nigerian.
By the time you read her “action plan”, you will know that for her singing “Greenland” was/is not to hit the top of the chat list, nor saying “The future” is here, mere ” lipsyncing” motivation. It is a fight, a spiritual battle, to win Nigeria,and indeed her youth for the Glory, that “she” should have.

tunmiseokuku:

Starting the year very spiritually has become a fad, and indeed is should be, however, spirituality or seeming esoterism, is not the exclusive rights of the beginning of the year. The deep soul searching that goes on in (almost) every heart, between November and December can make an atheist…

This will be one of the most difficult piece for me to write. It saddens me that in such an “educated” country, we are vastly illiterates.
We use our education as a tool to denigrate the very essence of humanity. In my country once you have a college(university) degree you are automatically clothed with the garment of arrogance and eat from the pot of further ignorance. At this point my thoughts are so scattered and this opening paragraph may not even capture the essence of this post. Truth is I am going to drop my “pen” now,and see if I can make any sense of what is happening and then put my thoughts down.
I fear that I will end up adding to the plethora of debate concerning Nigeria, but not to put down the thoughts in my head is service against myself in the least.
This weekend (oct 5-7 2012) some publication was released that has garnered reaction from every corner.

What breaks my heart is not the publication itself but the review of the same. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it hit me straight in the guts that we have no true picture of what our history (good and bad) truly is. By we I mean people born from 1970 till date in Nigeria. The little we know about our country we are not even sure of. How then do we build a country of pride & glory if we do not understand AND accept the good and bad that gave this country birth.

One thing these debates have cleared for me is most Nigerians want a split they just don’t know on what terms. My own pain stems from the fact that we all pretend to accept each other even marrying and being friends with other ethnicities, yet when the big picture is laid, that one person we are “acquainted ” with is logically/emotionally removed from the lump of his/her race.

Now there are a couple of things we can’t run from as a nation. Colonization, the civil war, the oil boom, the military era and yes corruption. My take on all the aforementioned is to take a long had objective look and them, and fight as much as we can to save what we have or is it don’t have?

The book/ publication in question: “there was a country: a personal history of Biafra” written by Pa Chinua Achebe, as far as I am concerned is a piece of history that we should all pick up and read to understand where we are coming from in this our fight for a better society.

In one and my only response to the debates drawn, I said my wish, is for every Nigerian born within the stated years above consciously create a clean slate in our minds and fight for - as intellectually as possible- a new society; where you are regarded as human first before you are put in the box of gender, ethnicity, or religion. A society where we will place values on lives and not thinks because you are educated it is a right to break say the traffic laws, (tongue in cheek).

I am not advocating anything other than for those who like to read, pick up this book (if you get it before me buy me a copy?;) ), and let’s see it as a part of our history and make the most of it rather than let it drive a deeper wedge than already exists.

It is of my own opinion, that every form of history is tinted in some way, because it is someone else’s interpretation. If it had been you and I in the setting of this( these) history(ies), we would have said it the way we saw it.

I hope I made some sense in my frenzied state of mind.

Love conquers all; love yourself ; love your neighbor ; love your COUNTRY ; above these Love God He is the essence of your being.

T D K

Good intentions always begins with that; good intention. You sit down in the confines of your ‘thought’ room and various ideas swim in and out of your consciousness then one sticks and you decide to go with it. Of all the “swimmers” this lone survivor begins its journey to realization and like a pregnant woman you begin to nurture hoping the womb of your mind will carry to full term the rigors of incubating a seed. Unlike being pregnant, you do not know the exact incubation period , whilst its 40 weeks to plant and harvest a human seed, the seeds of good intention(s) may take a life time. Borrowing from the words of ‘Tunde Fashola, it may take a lifetime investing in the industry of the mind.
This lone “swimmer” begins to grow, and the growth is of no equal or certain proportion, sometimes it develops it’s own wings and fly at altitudes you never thought was possible, at other times the growth percentile is soo slow you are tempted to “abort” the process. It begins to take shape, shedding off unwanted anatomy, yet springing up needed “body part” for optimal survival.
Good intention, then begins to gather friends from different walks of life sucking in ideas as a fetus will draw on strength from its mother for its necessary survival.
Like the seed in the womb , so is good intention(s) in the womb of a man, its survival can only be truncated by the conscious efforts of “they” that carry it.

Every single day I wake up with an idea, I promise myself today is the day I will get back to my blog…. Yet everyday,I remember to put things down in piecemeal fashion, dropping a note for an idea here, then talking about what I want to write there…I never get around to actually writing a full piece.
This is not an excuse “mail” it’s just a thought on how we get carried away and forget our good intentions on the way to where we are going.
I know all the motivation(al) speakers make it sound foolproof that once you put your mind to it everything will fall in place, and this is true, only that all that is in between an idea, a good intention, and the end never gets “preached” the character that trying times will build in you, the patience
Time and “friends” will carve in you,the silent screams, the moments you doubt not only yourself, your existence sometimes.
The near depressive state that leads to giving up. All coated in the poetic beauty of words to engender hope, the one ingredient you need to keep pushing through……
At the risk of sounding motivational, you may just be like me,picking up and dropping your good intentions, starting with a fire that can only burn in a heart full of purpose, then reality hits! Keep picking ; keep dropping; soon enough you will get a good grip!

Love yourself;love your neighbor;love your country; above all these;Love God He is the essence of your being
TDK

Kai! So many things to write about;None written yet! From the issues charging up the Nigerian polity;namely-fuel subsidy&the National Honours/Merit awards, to things happening in the world polity- now that’s a bummer! Where do I start?
As I write its past midnight in Naija,and of course most will wake up to the news of Demi&Ashton(I was sooo rooting for them! :’(). But really that’s not news enough for me.
What’s keeping me awake is plethora of issues in Naija! And the reality that seems to stare us in the face. The reality? That this country will cease to be a Nation by 2015. And by all indication we are working towards fulfilling this prophecy.
Nigeria is not yet at war;yet all the indices that a nation is at war is present! Labour is threatening;yet government spends N45m on adverts for the National Awards Recipient;Yet fuel subsidy is a waste of national resources… As in really?
There’s a sponsored advert on a tv station,showing dilapidated roads, bad schools,malnourished children etc and the advert claims all these are prevalent in Nigeria because Government subsidises fuel!!! Shaking my head in sorrow.
The Government may as well blame the security issues of Naija on fuel subsidy. Oh oh, ethnic&tribal disagreement… Its because government pays subsidy. And please don’t forget the fact that an average Nigerian lives below $1 per day. Of course it because FG pays subsidy on fuel. Oh I remember, the “artist” fund(that one they gave nollywood) its because Govt pays subsidy on fuel!
You can add the rest by yourself….
I’m awake now, masterminding how many kinds of “ending” I can give these “comedy of errors” and all ends or seem to end like Oedipus &Olawale ended…
I wander off to seek the rest I desperately need…

Ps :tribute to William Shakespeare@comedy of errors.

Love yourself;Love your neighbour;Love your Country;Above all Love God He’s the essence of your Being.
T D K

Its been almost 9months I posted on here! So many things have happened in my life and obviously in the happenings of my country. These are not excuses, and I sincerely apologise for the draught!
Truth is sometimes I have so many things to write or comment on,and the share thought of them overwhelm me! Some are very current issues and others are stale or almost stale and I just decide not to comment.
Forgive me if it takes me forever to comment on political,even entertainment issues, I’m a slow thinker.
On this note I rest my fingers for now,I’m not promising a deluge of updates henceforth,but more regularly. Thanks y’all.

Love yourself;Love your neighbour;love your country; above all love God He’s the essence of your being!!
T D K