As the clock hit 12 on the 1st of January, shouts of halleluyah echoed from homes and a few churches, fireworks and music also followed as the night turned into day. And then came the announcement that the fuel price had become 141naira per litre! fuel Subsidy had been removed...Protests began and the Nigerian Labour Congress declared a strike action.
Protests started on the 9th of January and from day one, the Nigerian people sang the same song. Not only was the removal of fuel subsidy condemned, the people released pent-up emotions flowing from past inefficient government policies.The common denominator being that the people lack trust in the government and are tired of corruption in the polity.
The protests revealed another side of the Nigerian people! The unity of purpose has been awesome and the solidarity unparalleled! Christians, Muslims, traditionalists, elites, masses, illiterates and literates alike came together within and outside Nigeria to sing the same song: "Enough is Enough". Even a blind man can see amidst gross darkness that the Nigerian people are hungry for change...
Seven days have past and it seems the government won't budge in the hope that Nigerians would relent. They wish! *Yimu* And even if we relent i am happy for Nigeria! I am happy that the year 2012 has ushered us into the beginning of the end of an unjust era, the beginning of the end of corruption, the beginning of the end of insensitive and ineffective governance!Indeed, this is just the beginning!
Let the Nigerian people continue the fight even though the road be rough. Let us not give up, even when darkness overshadows us; For, in the words of the greatest president Nigeria never had,Obafemi Awolowo, after darkness comes a glorious dawn!
LONG LIVE NIGERIA!
ALUTA CONTINUA!
*yimu* in the Yoruba language is a sarcastic facial expression.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Saturday, December 31, 2011
And the year 2011 Ends...
The number 'Eleven'(11) looks pleasantly dangerous. Thus, most were unsure of what to expect...or were'nt you? The year rolled slowly and then suddenly, it rolled faster and faster and now the end has come!
For the World,there were more 'ups' than 'downs' for the fall of the world's mighty was a really big 'up' (Osama,Ghadaffi,Mubarack, Mugabe...)Also, when compared to the penultimate years,i believe there were fewer reported cases of natural disasters around the globe and this i must say is another big up, big enough to over-write the world's many 'downs'.
For Nigeria,I'm sure any Nigerian would say it's been more 'downs' than 'ups', not with moot issues like the irrational budget, fuel subsidy removal and Boko Haram. One can only wonder how Nigerians still go around the world with their heads up high!
And Omowunmi Aderoba? she wouldnt dare count any 'downs' as there is no gainsaying that 2011 has been dangerously pleasant for her:Call to the Nigerian Bar, Call to serve the nation,good health, good jobs and a special man are a few of her many blessings! And even as the year ends, she is sure to expect greater things in 2012!
Goodbye 2011 and welcome 2012!
For the World,there were more 'ups' than 'downs' for the fall of the world's mighty was a really big 'up' (Osama,Ghadaffi,Mubarack, Mugabe...)Also, when compared to the penultimate years,i believe there were fewer reported cases of natural disasters around the globe and this i must say is another big up, big enough to over-write the world's many 'downs'.
For Nigeria,I'm sure any Nigerian would say it's been more 'downs' than 'ups', not with moot issues like the irrational budget, fuel subsidy removal and Boko Haram. One can only wonder how Nigerians still go around the world with their heads up high!
And Omowunmi Aderoba? she wouldnt dare count any 'downs' as there is no gainsaying that 2011 has been dangerously pleasant for her:Call to the Nigerian Bar, Call to serve the nation,good health, good jobs and a special man are a few of her many blessings! And even as the year ends, she is sure to expect greater things in 2012!
Goodbye 2011 and welcome 2012!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
He chose me
Back in the University of Lagos, I was at the frontline of activities in the Christian Law Students Fellowship(CLASFON); two term prayer secretary, one time Vice- President, committee head and even as a member, I was a member indeed.
So involved was I that my parents became against it, especially when my grades fell. Consequently, I decided to ‘pipe low’ in the law school but alas just when I thought I had it under control, I was given an assignment in CLASFON. By then, I had chosen Chapel of Hope as my place of worship and unfortunately, I had been co-opted into the Student’s Representative Council (SRC).
Did I have a choice? Oh Yes I did! I could have left one church for the other, but I was unsure about which to leave, so I asked God to help me make a choice. I prayed and waited but got no specific instructions. So I went on with both, hoping that I would get a sign somehow. Perhaps, something would annoy me in one of the churches and I would have an excuse to just leave. Time passed, and nothing seemed a sufficient excuse, so I carried on.
The examination term came and just when I thought I had the perfect excuse, God spoke to me through His word in Hebrew 6:11-12. ‘Chai! This kain God’, I thought; and while I was still thinking, He said to me: You did not Choose me but I Chose you...John15:16.
Certainly, when God chooses you, you can’t hide, you can’t run, and you can’t ‘pipe low’. Like Jonah in the Bible, if you run, He’ll catch you, if you hide, He’ll find you, and when you try to pipe low, he’ll blow your trumpet because He CHOSE YOU!
Some say to me, ‘Na everyday you dey go church?’, others wonder where I get the strength and a number are waiting to see my end...For me, I’m neither wondering nor waiting...rather, I’m assured of His grace more than ever before. The one who did the choosing and has done the keeping would do the finishing...
Now to Him who made my stay in Agbani worthwhile, To Him who has preserved me and blessed me with good people, and To Him who chose me for a time as this and for a place as this...To Him be all the Glory for ever. AMEN.
(published in CH-NLS year book)
So involved was I that my parents became against it, especially when my grades fell. Consequently, I decided to ‘pipe low’ in the law school but alas just when I thought I had it under control, I was given an assignment in CLASFON. By then, I had chosen Chapel of Hope as my place of worship and unfortunately, I had been co-opted into the Student’s Representative Council (SRC).
Did I have a choice? Oh Yes I did! I could have left one church for the other, but I was unsure about which to leave, so I asked God to help me make a choice. I prayed and waited but got no specific instructions. So I went on with both, hoping that I would get a sign somehow. Perhaps, something would annoy me in one of the churches and I would have an excuse to just leave. Time passed, and nothing seemed a sufficient excuse, so I carried on.
The examination term came and just when I thought I had the perfect excuse, God spoke to me through His word in Hebrew 6:11-12. ‘Chai! This kain God’, I thought; and while I was still thinking, He said to me: You did not Choose me but I Chose you...John15:16.
Certainly, when God chooses you, you can’t hide, you can’t run, and you can’t ‘pipe low’. Like Jonah in the Bible, if you run, He’ll catch you, if you hide, He’ll find you, and when you try to pipe low, he’ll blow your trumpet because He CHOSE YOU!
Some say to me, ‘Na everyday you dey go church?’, others wonder where I get the strength and a number are waiting to see my end...For me, I’m neither wondering nor waiting...rather, I’m assured of His grace more than ever before. The one who did the choosing and has done the keeping would do the finishing...
Now to Him who made my stay in Agbani worthwhile, To Him who has preserved me and blessed me with good people, and To Him who chose me for a time as this and for a place as this...To Him be all the Glory for ever. AMEN.
(published in CH-NLS year book)
Friday, January 21, 2011
SEASONS GREETINGS
One, two, three... thirty one people slept in this house today! Aside the dogs, parrots, tortoise, geckos and insects of course!
Yes! That’s what Christmas is about for me; MY FAMILY. It’s a time for all of us to get together and be together! It’s a time for us to be family! All through the year, work, school and varying itinerary won’t just let us be! But at Christmas, we actually become family...
It’s a season where we get to play, pray and study the word together. It’s a season where I get to eat less because I cook more, it’s a season where I yell all the more(guess that’s typical of a choleric (Cholmel actually) firstborn...) It’s a season when I get to leave my bed to sleep on the floor or couch. And for my parents, it’s a season when they certainly spend more! In all, it’s a season of LOVE and SACRIFICE. Actually, that’s what the birth of Jesus is about, that’s what Christmas is about.
Some say Christmas is not what it used to be and true, they just might be right; considering the dwindling economy and polity and even the general decadence in moral socio-cultural/ traditional values: a world where people and governments no longer value the ‘concept’ of Christmas.
Indeed, for me, all these and more are variables. Through the years and through it all, MY FAMILY has remained a constant at the yuletide; we come together and share what we have: the joy of living together in love, the joy of Christmas.
Although I fear for a time when either I or any of my siblings’ would get married and our spouse or new family life would not permit our yuletide gathering. Still, I’m enjoying it while it lasts and I can only pray that we would always remain family in and out of season!
Seasons Greetings to ma famile! And to my friends, especially you reading this; Felix Navidad et/ou Bon annee!
Yes! That’s what Christmas is about for me; MY FAMILY. It’s a time for all of us to get together and be together! It’s a time for us to be family! All through the year, work, school and varying itinerary won’t just let us be! But at Christmas, we actually become family...
It’s a season where we get to play, pray and study the word together. It’s a season where I get to eat less because I cook more, it’s a season where I yell all the more(guess that’s typical of a choleric (Cholmel actually) firstborn...) It’s a season when I get to leave my bed to sleep on the floor or couch. And for my parents, it’s a season when they certainly spend more! In all, it’s a season of LOVE and SACRIFICE. Actually, that’s what the birth of Jesus is about, that’s what Christmas is about.
Some say Christmas is not what it used to be and true, they just might be right; considering the dwindling economy and polity and even the general decadence in moral socio-cultural/ traditional values: a world where people and governments no longer value the ‘concept’ of Christmas.
Indeed, for me, all these and more are variables. Through the years and through it all, MY FAMILY has remained a constant at the yuletide; we come together and share what we have: the joy of living together in love, the joy of Christmas.
Although I fear for a time when either I or any of my siblings’ would get married and our spouse or new family life would not permit our yuletide gathering. Still, I’m enjoying it while it lasts and I can only pray that we would always remain family in and out of season!
Seasons Greetings to ma famile! And to my friends, especially you reading this; Felix Navidad et/ou Bon annee!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Butterfly love2
Like walking down the stairs, missing a step and falling down, falling in love is not deliberate; it just happens! And before you know it, you’re rolling over! Been there before? You meet this person and jack! You’re in love! Perhaps, for you it was love at first sight, second sight or even fifteenth! Butterflies flapping, Hormones pumping, Heart racing, Brain waving, and even Body vibrations are all consequences of this fall; I mean, ‘the fall into love’.
Like all other accidents, where injuries are sustained, injuries can also be sustained when one falls in love and so we must be careful for the injuries are internal and difficult to treat. In fact, no pharmacist, doctor or psychiatrist can treat it except YOU. You’ll need to pause, think, decide and reposition yourself to take proper action and trust me, it’s a herculean task!
In my opinion, It’s okay to ‘fall in love’ but when you fall, quickly, you must get up and ‘be in love’; I mean you have to be deliberate (and not accidental) about it. You have to DECIDE; and that’s when you begin to ‘be in love’! That’s when you love truly...
It’s beautiful to ‘be in love’ and very heavenly when you decide to love. We all have the power to decide how, why and who we want to love (It could be everybody).
True love isn’t just feelings; it’s a decision sustainable by commitment.
Remain in His love,
thesire!
Like all other accidents, where injuries are sustained, injuries can also be sustained when one falls in love and so we must be careful for the injuries are internal and difficult to treat. In fact, no pharmacist, doctor or psychiatrist can treat it except YOU. You’ll need to pause, think, decide and reposition yourself to take proper action and trust me, it’s a herculean task!
In my opinion, It’s okay to ‘fall in love’ but when you fall, quickly, you must get up and ‘be in love’; I mean you have to be deliberate (and not accidental) about it. You have to DECIDE; and that’s when you begin to ‘be in love’! That’s when you love truly...
It’s beautiful to ‘be in love’ and very heavenly when you decide to love. We all have the power to decide how, why and who we want to love (It could be everybody).
True love isn’t just feelings; it’s a decision sustainable by commitment.
Remain in His love,
thesire!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
50 or 05? Random thoughts
Nigeria is 50, so we are told and we ought to celebrate...
Nigeria is 50, so they say and the drums have been rolled out...
Nigeria is 50, so is the belief and 6.4 billion is the ‘worthy’ budget!
Tabloids, Radio, TV and even the internet only seem to tell this ‘tale’:
Nigeria is 50! Let’s celebrate! Celebrate what? I wonder... the ‘Nation’ or the age?
‘Who’ is Nigeria by the way? And how old is this Nigeria?
Is Nigeria really 50? Or 05? I wonder, I just wonder.....
Me? I’m ‘Wunmi, Omowunmi Aderoba and I’m 28
I’m apolitical but not apathetic, learned yet typical;
A ‘Wunmi with an Aderoba Spirit but a Nigeian without a Nigerian Spirit and so is
a plethora of the population of the entity called Nigeria.
I represent the average Nigerian in today’s Nigeria. I represent Nigeria. I’m Nigerian;
Yet, except for the giggles on local radio and TV and the theme colours(Green and white) of the deco in most outfits ‘we’ really do not know what’s being celebrated and do we care? Hmmm! When doctors are on strike and teachers are crying out for pay, pensioners dying on queues and children roam the streets hawking sachet water and groundnuts for their parents to feed while the parents only worry and wish that they could send them to school...or is it the youths that struggle for space each night under the bridges just to lay their head?
Feeding, Shelter, employment, and freedom from poverty...that’s what we care about...And a celebration that fails to touch these is a colossal waste!
Some say Nigeria is 50 and yet crawling, some say at 5O, there’s still hope...some say Nigerians need to stop complaining and instead reflect on what they can do for Nigeria..About these varying recommendations or suggestions I can only ponder and wonder but my bother is that my brother is bothered not with the ideals but the realities and I can only wish that the next time there’s a celebration, instead of importing fireworks and balloons, every child on the street will be given a free pencil and notebook, instead of buying a huge independence cake, bills of indigent citizens lying in government hospitals will be paid off. I wish that rather than rebranding the brand, the product will be improved...that our future celebrations will neither be centred on the colours nor the age but on the needs of the people; That’s when Nigerians will begin to possess the Nigerian Spirit and that’s when Nigeria will begin to grow and ultimately reach an age worthy of a celebration with fanfare.
For now, I can only wish... I can only hope and pray: LONG LIVE NIGERIA!
Nigeria is 50, so they say and the drums have been rolled out...
Nigeria is 50, so is the belief and 6.4 billion is the ‘worthy’ budget!
Tabloids, Radio, TV and even the internet only seem to tell this ‘tale’:
Nigeria is 50! Let’s celebrate! Celebrate what? I wonder... the ‘Nation’ or the age?
‘Who’ is Nigeria by the way? And how old is this Nigeria?
Is Nigeria really 50? Or 05? I wonder, I just wonder.....
Me? I’m ‘Wunmi, Omowunmi Aderoba and I’m 28
I’m apolitical but not apathetic, learned yet typical;
A ‘Wunmi with an Aderoba Spirit but a Nigeian without a Nigerian Spirit and so is
a plethora of the population of the entity called Nigeria.
I represent the average Nigerian in today’s Nigeria. I represent Nigeria. I’m Nigerian;
Yet, except for the giggles on local radio and TV and the theme colours(Green and white) of the deco in most outfits ‘we’ really do not know what’s being celebrated and do we care? Hmmm! When doctors are on strike and teachers are crying out for pay, pensioners dying on queues and children roam the streets hawking sachet water and groundnuts for their parents to feed while the parents only worry and wish that they could send them to school...or is it the youths that struggle for space each night under the bridges just to lay their head?
Feeding, Shelter, employment, and freedom from poverty...that’s what we care about...And a celebration that fails to touch these is a colossal waste!
Some say Nigeria is 50 and yet crawling, some say at 5O, there’s still hope...some say Nigerians need to stop complaining and instead reflect on what they can do for Nigeria..About these varying recommendations or suggestions I can only ponder and wonder but my bother is that my brother is bothered not with the ideals but the realities and I can only wish that the next time there’s a celebration, instead of importing fireworks and balloons, every child on the street will be given a free pencil and notebook, instead of buying a huge independence cake, bills of indigent citizens lying in government hospitals will be paid off. I wish that rather than rebranding the brand, the product will be improved...that our future celebrations will neither be centred on the colours nor the age but on the needs of the people; That’s when Nigerians will begin to possess the Nigerian Spirit and that’s when Nigeria will begin to grow and ultimately reach an age worthy of a celebration with fanfare.
For now, I can only wish... I can only hope and pray: LONG LIVE NIGERIA!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
RETURN!
Adisa Kowe was born into a Christian home; From the time he was in the womb, he leaped when his mother read scriptures, by the time he was 16, he had read the bible 6 times; immediately he got into the university, he joined a fellowship where he taught others the bible. But a time came when he thought to himself: ‘I’m tired of this routine; of what use is all this...’
Maggie Dawadawa gave her life to Christ in 2002 at a crusade where God healed her of cancer. She joined a local church immediately where she joined the choir and soon gained popularity for her sonorous voice. At a point, happenings in the church began to disgust her and she left the church for another. As she was about to join the choir in the new church, she found that the music director there was her ex-boyfriend’s fiancée and she left...
Professor Tamedo was a deacon until his wife died of a mysterious illness, Everyone knew Mrs. Tamedo, a very lovely woman who loved God, she had been taken from Church to church, crusade to crusade and yet she died...Prof. wasn’t just pained, he convinced himself that God didn’t exist and even wrote his thesis on it...
As for Randy Rawlings, he had given his life to Christ a million times and taken it back a million times. For him, it was like, the more he gave his life and tried to live a good life the more he stole and got drunk and did all the things he wanted to stop. What’s the point anyway? He thought...
And you? Perhaps, you are not like Randy, Prof, Maggie or Adisa, you’re still in the church, you don’t really have any vice and like Martha (Luke10: 40-42), you are so entangled in your work for him that you’ve neglected your walk with Him...
Whatever case is yours, He wants you back, He’s hurt that you left and he’s longing for a real relationship with you but it’s up to you to let him in (Revelations3:20). It’s not about Church, it’s about Christ. Stop sitting on the fence, make a choice! And the truth, it’s safer to choose Jesus...
Return to Him! And do so today for tomorrow might just be to late...what if you die tomorrow? Return today dear friend, Return to Him.
Maggie Dawadawa gave her life to Christ in 2002 at a crusade where God healed her of cancer. She joined a local church immediately where she joined the choir and soon gained popularity for her sonorous voice. At a point, happenings in the church began to disgust her and she left the church for another. As she was about to join the choir in the new church, she found that the music director there was her ex-boyfriend’s fiancée and she left...
Professor Tamedo was a deacon until his wife died of a mysterious illness, Everyone knew Mrs. Tamedo, a very lovely woman who loved God, she had been taken from Church to church, crusade to crusade and yet she died...Prof. wasn’t just pained, he convinced himself that God didn’t exist and even wrote his thesis on it...
As for Randy Rawlings, he had given his life to Christ a million times and taken it back a million times. For him, it was like, the more he gave his life and tried to live a good life the more he stole and got drunk and did all the things he wanted to stop. What’s the point anyway? He thought...
And you? Perhaps, you are not like Randy, Prof, Maggie or Adisa, you’re still in the church, you don’t really have any vice and like Martha (Luke10: 40-42), you are so entangled in your work for him that you’ve neglected your walk with Him...
Whatever case is yours, He wants you back, He’s hurt that you left and he’s longing for a real relationship with you but it’s up to you to let him in (Revelations3:20). It’s not about Church, it’s about Christ. Stop sitting on the fence, make a choice! And the truth, it’s safer to choose Jesus...
Return to Him! And do so today for tomorrow might just be to late...what if you die tomorrow? Return today dear friend, Return to Him.
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