Deployment Instructions to Mr. Man

I am sending you to go and bring a woman who will open the doors of favour and opportunities onto you. She will also partner with you to achieve your goals.  She cannot be like you at all. She is fragile and very sensitive. You are the head and she is the neck, so you both are partners in progress. You’d be surprised if she finds it bizarre that you did not realize she’s there to help! So, to help your task, here are some vital instructions:

1. Don’t ever try to ignore her but correct her in love if she ever develops a fault. Like our elders say; ‘to remove a creeper waved around the hunter’s neck requires patience’. You’re a husband, a representative of my image on earth. I don’t particularly like it when you shut her down. Talk to her lovingly because I the Lord your God I’m love. You should be a physical manifestation of my love to her. You can only make her better if you love her my way.
2. Well, I’m your God and first love, but your wife is next and your first partner. To get the best of her, you need to respect her like you would your Mom.  She is not an empty barrel; she was created for a purpose too, so help her achieve her dreams. Your savior’s earthly father; Joseph, the husband of Mary is a replica of this, so learn from him.
3. You will realize that she fumes and complains about many things. She is as Shakespeare wrote: “Do you not know that I am a woman? When I think, I must speak!” I know your ego does not like being questioned, so resist the urge to get confrontational. Remember, our level of maturity can be seen by how much it takes to get us upset.
4. She is a woman of God but still human. She needs your words of assurance to aid her self-esteem. Tell her she is beauty the way she is. Tell her you love her-always. Even though she may find it awkward to make the first move, she also has need for attentions so don’t play politics with her emotions.
5. She hates competition; don’t give her the impression that there’s someone out there she has to share your attention with.  She wants to be the centre of your attention and appear chic; that’s why she is crazy about fashion. But there is a trait she wants you to develop: enduring love. So be to her a better teacher, lover, father and more considerate, patient and faithful.
6. She respects intelligence so go the extra mile to develop yourself so she would be able to trust your sense of judgment and respect you. She also wants you to look attractive for her; neat haircut, trimmed nails, neat cloths, good oral hygiene and good physique. With your tight schedule; I know this may be a tough task but you are a man, you should be on top of your game!

I’d give you more but these are what you need for now. You will learn more as you progress into the union. Meanwhile, keep in touch with me in prayers and communion. It is through this that you will get the wisdom needed to rule your family without strife and confusion and you will be able to build a house where I am God like the Psalmist wrote in chapter 144: 12-15 “so that our sons may be like plants grown up in their youth; and our daughters may be like corner-stones, polished like a palace building; and our storehouses may be full, furnishing kind to kind; and our flocks may breed thousands and ten thousands outside”. Love her like Christ loves the church and she will be to you, the wise woman in Proverbs 31.

Follow on twitter @ HannahOjo

‘I HAVE NATIVE INTELLIGENCE AND THE POWER OF A HORSE’

When this reporter met him on a sunny afternoon at under bridge, Oshodi bus stop where he plies his trade with consummate diligence, Agba as he is fondly called was reluctant to spare some minutes. One of his co-traders under the bridge; a lady who sells recharge cards was later to comment that Agba is not in a good mood.  “He has a pain in the leg. He was trampled on in a stampede during the morning rush.  Also, some days ago, he was injured as a police man tried to yank him up in a playful mood which might have strained his muscle”, she explained further.

One look at him says it all. He suffers from growth hormone deficiency. His form of dwarfism is a phenomenon that beggars description.  He hardly fits into the size of an inc and walks on his bottom, dragging and pushing to meet his ‘customers’ who are passengers waiting at the BRT lane.  He gives his name as Anu Akinyande, but he is popularly called Agba by his acquaintance at the park. His bearing gives him away as a beggar with a choice, one who has come to see his condition as permanent and has exchanged despair for hope. His dream, he tells this reporter is to be in charge. He wishes to have workers under him and he wants to sell electronics.

Asked about his decision to beg for a living, Agba, a native of Abeokuta, Ogun state says he does not want to continue to be a burden. In his own words, “Every man is on his own”.  Even though both of his parents are still alive, the midget size man does not see a reason why he should rely on anyone since he is no longer a child. He gives his age as 40 although he has no official document to back up the claim.

A typical day starts for Agba at dawn when he prepares to resume the day’s duty with his younger brother called Dare who carries him from Ifo, Ogun state down to Oshodi, Lagos via public transport.  “I come here around 8: a.m. and leave by 5: p.m.

For someone who works under the sun and has to drag himself to and fro the tarmac to reach his benefactors, he would certainly be a kind of super human if he does not fall sick often or swallow drugs on a daily basis.  Yet, he boasts of having a strength that will rival that of a horse. “I don’t fall sick. Since I was born, I cannot recall the time I went to a hospital. If I have any business there, it is only to visit people”, he submitted amidst riffs of laughter.

Agba believes he is better off a beggar than a thief. He has no royal gear to lay claim to. His lame feet adorn no shoes.  His face-cap which should be a fashion element is used to shield his face from the furry of the sun.  His cloths, tardy and untidy are soiled by sweats which drip from his face.  But in his circumstance, he still finds time to jokes with passengers. Even traders and road workers around the area testify to his cheerful mood.  How much does a beggar of his stature make on a daily basis as income? “It is what God says I will make in a day that I make”, he said tactically avoiding quoting any figure.

One thing that stands him out, apart from his deformity is the audacity of his dream. Agba is a big dreamer who has big plans for the future. One thing you cannot take away from him is the audacity of his dream. “My dream is to own a business. I want to be an Apase (commander). I know my condition will not allow me to work in any organization but I want to run a shop where people will answer to me. In a country where even abled bodied men are cheated by their employees, Agba claims he is too intelligent to be an object of trickery.  “You think if I have a shop today somebody can come around and cheat me out of my gains?” he confidently asked this reporter. “Emi  gangan baba gbigba (I am the father of trickers)!. I have native intelligence so I can manage money”, he said.

On how Nigerians can help him, he said. “I want Nigerians to help me. I want to get a shop where I can do business by selling things. I have been begging for about six years now but I want a change of pattern”.

Asked if he has challenges in the course of his job, he confessed that begging to earn a living could be hard. “Sometimes, some people just look down on you but I enjoy the pity of many, especially women”.

HannaH

                                                 

My Femininity

MY femininity is my dignity,

I guide it with jealousy.

MY femininity is my special privilege,

I don’t take it for granted.

MY femininity is my right,

It shall not be trampled on.

MY femininity is a dignified grace,

I carry it with pride.

MY femininity is my voice,

I speak out against violence and oppression.

MY femininity is influence,

I create the future I want.

MY femininity evokes valour’                                                                            

I am an engine of growth and development.

MY femininity is the badge of courage I wear,

I am an epitome of verve and vitality.

MY femininity is life itself

MY womb is the storehouse of creation

So,                                       

I deserve to be respected!

I deserve to be heard!

NYSC; TO BE OR NOT TO BE?

Any nation that does not invest in it younger generation may inadvertently be heading on the pathway to perdition.  The relevance of the National Youth Service Corps which came into existence as a child of necessity to act as a healing balm in soothing the pains of the aftermath of the civil war cannot be overemphasized.  Since youth is said to be a period of credulity, the scheme became one of the optimal means through which the then military government of Yakubu Gowon aimed at achieving national integration among Nigerians.

                          

The early stage of the NYSC was glorious. It was the time one feels proud donning the uniform with glee. Then it was a delight, not a burden to serve the father land.  Then there was honour in being called “government pikin” and corps members were kings in their host communities as people hover to shower hospitality on these sojourners on national duty. But now, the story has changed, things have taken a turn in a sour direction so much so that the scheme now seems to be achieving its objectives in the reverse.

Recently, the Lagos state House of Assembly asked officials of the scheme to redeploy indigenes of the state posted to volatile states in the north.  Some other states have also followed suit.  Likewise, parents and guardians have expressed worries and concern over the safety of their wards. The gruesome killing of corps members in Jos and Bauchi state left wounds that are yet to heal in the hearts of those affected. The wanton penchant for blood by the deadly boko haram group whose “western education is a sin” ideology has made participants of the scheme a prey is another factor militating against the continued existence of the scheme. Consequently, we are witnessing the reversal of a scheme whose objective is the “encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity.

There have been calls from different quarters for the eradication of the NYSC on the ground that it has outlived its relevance. Even participants see the scheme as a waste of time and energy.

Though the resentments that have greeted the scheme in recent times seem justified, nevertheless it does not still warrant that  the NYSC should be scrapped.  Our fathers say that the antidote to an aching head does not lie in annihilation. In this case, we should not throw the baby away with the bathe water. It is on this ground that I will advocate for a continuation of the NYSC even against the odds that have been mentioned earlier.  

In canvassing for the continued existence of the scheme, I will like to advocate that modifications should be made as regarding the scheme.  Taking a critical lens into the issue of corruption is a means toward achieving this end. We have been told that NYSC gulps over N70 billion per annum. What is the evidence to show for this? Is it in the low quality uniform and substandard kits procured from Chinese and Indian firms which do not last beyond the 3 weeks of the orientation period? Corruption is an ant that eats deeps into the fabrics of the society. Drastic actions ought to be taken in exposing corrupt practices in the scheme in order to ensure efficiency.

In recent times, we have seen the proclivity of most state governments and even private bodies to patronize this scheme through the exploitations of participants. Some institutions that are reluctant at training staffs to meet their organizations needs rely on NYSC for cheap labour. This is also an act that should be checked and stopped.

Scrapping the NYSC scheme is not an option at the moment if we do not want the rate of distrust among Nigerians to worsen.  At a time like this, our response should be at addressing the problems that have bedeviled the scheme.  A way of doing this is to address the issue of leadership and how the scheme operates. Important positions such as that of the DG’s should not be allotted to soldiers who are only adept at regimentation and indoctrination but progressives who will act as social engineers.

Everyman is the architect of his own misfortune. We should not dwell on the hindrance of today but rather keep an eye on the future by working towards returning the scheme to the lofty ideas and ideals for which it was set up 40 years ago.  This will help in ensuring that the need for inculcating discipline in the youths, raising their moral tone, removing prejudice, eliminating ignorance and developing a sense of corporate existence and common destiny for Nigeria (another objective of the scheme) is achieved. God bless Nigeria!

WHITE GARMENT CHURCHES AND INGLORIOUS IDENTITIES

What comes to your mind when you see someone wearing a white garment? It is even worse when the person sits next to you in a bus or comes to preach to you. You approach the person with suspicion, not warmth. Your view lenses begin to work and you remember all that have been said about them- the idol worshipers who use candles and do fetish things on the beach.  You do not think there could be true Christians in their folds. You have heard stories and have even seen some with your eyes. False vision fabricators, satanic clerics, bleached skinned choristers, polyginist leaders, and the list goes on.

Are we justified to judge this people and stereotype them in our minds so much so that even when some of them tend to follow biblical principles, we still do not want to see them as bible believing churches?  Have we taken time to see beyond this inglorious identity and think on the fact that few vegetables might have spoilt the broth?

ROBERT Stock, in a contribution to an article on the Encarta Microsoft shares a stereotyped world view by writing that “Nigeria also has many independent African churches, such as Cherubim and Seraphim, which incorporate African cultural practices such as drumming, dancing, and polygyny (multiple wives) into Christianity (sic)”.  That this statement was once a fact at a time, especially regarding the claim on polygyny cannot be denied. The claim on Polygyny can be explained in the context that white garments churches originated from what is called African indigenous churches in the league of which we have the Celestial Church of Christ and other Pentecostal churches like the Redeemed Christian Church of God, CAC, Mountain of Fire, etc.

TO SAY that all white garment churches engage in pagan worship amounts to hasty generalization. That was obtainable in the past because some of the converts were idol worshipers who joined the fold because they could identify with the use of their native language (which sinks more into their inner deity) other than the practice in the orthodox churches where the language of worship was that of the colonial masters.  But these practices which are validated by the Old Testament have now been eroded with civilization, coupled with a better scriptural understanding. I stand to say that any white garment church that still engages in these old and odd practices does so at the peril of ignorance or even to  deceive people and exhort money;  a practice that is fast gaining ground across denominations in the Nigeria of today.

WE need to re-orientate our viewing lenses on white garment churches.  There have been new developments to show that even a coming together of the numerous splinter groups which now form separate independent  branches may come together to align with the founding vision of Saint Moses Orimolade, the founder of the Cherubim and Seraphim church. Anyone with doubts about the emergence of a new C&S brand should take a look at campus fellowships in institutions of higher learning in Nigeria where  different folds come together  to worship as one body under the umbrella of  Unification. This unity has given way to new developments and a hope of the mother churches coming together as one too.  The C&S Church, aka Unification, Obafemi Awolowo University is an iconic brand that enjoys loyalty among the OAU community and other places.  Joyful Noise, an annual concert organized by the fellowship attracts crowd from various denominations to the 5000 (read five thousand) capacity sitting Amphi- theatre.

SO next time you see anyone wearing a white garment, don’t be quick to give them up as “those people”. Like Chimamanda Adichie said in her global TED talk in 2009, “when we realize that there is not a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise”. So let us concentrate on the good things about white garment churches and refrain from spreading the bad news. Good things abound if we care to look beyond the surface.

 HannaH