Decades: Chunks of Time

Today is a new week and we are currently experiencing the stress of strikes - The National Union of Teachers are on strike, and NUPENG has joined, meaning that fuel is now a scarce commodity, and everyone can feel the tension. The thought of it all brought tears to my eyes, not because I was too stressed (Its a Monday morning - you expect the stress on Mondays), but because I realized that we are only suffering ourselves. Its the masses that are feeling the heat, not the government, and most of all, its the children that are suffering for it. I appreciate the actions of NUPENG, don't get me wrong. What just keeps me wondering is the fact that I don't know when Nigerians will understand that striking will never work, and that our leaders are insensitive to anything educational - we have eight years of experience to prove it. And even after electing a former lecturer to the Presidency, it is still the same. All we should be doing is praying, not practicing 'two wrongs' t...

Some days ago I was sitting in a commercial bus on my way to Community Development meeting, on Ikorodu road, when I saw a tricycle in front of us with the caption at its back reading "No food for lazy man". I thought about it and shook my head in disagreement. I have many facts to prove otherwise, especially that morning. I boarded a bus heading for Ojuelegba under bridge, and it stopped (of course) along the way, at known bus stops. It stopped at Town planning (opposite Anthony Village), only to be told to step aside by LASTMA (Lagos State Traffic Management Authority) officials. There were about four of them,and there was also a uniformed official from MOPOL, carrying a rifle and looking very menacing. What was the driver's crime? Nothing that we could put our finger on. Within seconds, they has assigned a plainclothes man to collect the key and drive the bus. We the passengers were left speechless. We tried to evaluate the situation - what was the driver's crime? D...

Has this thought ever crossed your mind - What is the worst that could happen [in a situation]? Well it crossed my mind two days ago. After a long battle of wills, my mother gave me her car to drive to work. I had complained earlier that the cost of transportation was much for me, and it didnt make sense that my car (which is an automatic, and the best option for the terrible traffic on the island) was just sitting there in the house. I had gotten tired of arguing, so i had just relied on God to help me through, only for my mum to start insisting I drive her car (which is a manual) to work instead. As I was getting onto the Third Mainland bridge, a thought flashed into my head: what is the worst that could happen? And the reply came almost instantly, the car stopping in the middle of the bridge. Thirty minutes later it happened. I thought I was dreaming, and it was not funny at all because it was pouring sheets of rain, in torrents and I could not venture out. Two agberos came out of n...

According to some scientists online, fasting actually has its pluses - for one it makes you fresher, helps you check your food intake, and also helps your body to burn the stored fat. It also helps your skin glow.But as for me, the major benefit I have seen so far is the fact that my prayers seem to get through the switchboard, through the verification procedures of Heaven, and to the "Yes" zone in lightning speed. Sometimes I don't even have to finish thinking it. It has also helped me to draw closer to Him who must not be toyed with.I am grateful for being among the living! And I am thankful for the fact that my sins are forgiven and wiped away.It makes me extremely sober you know, and there are some passages that really make me sober, and some others make me think hard and long.*sigh....er where were we? Ah..fasting.I recommend fasting and prayer for everyone - it is the perfect solution to that puzzle you have being battling for so long. It is the best antidote to any...

I really am tired of waiting and waiting for the monthly allowance that NYSC is supposed to pay me.... that was what was running through my head last week. I was just praying to God for favour, the type that a friend of mine got from baba God that he arranged his flat rent fees from nowhere. Anyway, I got to the LG office to submit my monthly clearance forms, and was trying to figure out how to broach the subject, when one of the ladies just looked at me and asked, "Are you really in a rush?" Of course I said no. She told me to finish the submission process and return to her. It turned out that she wanted bread and milo and milk. See how God works - the women in that office are very unpredictable and some of them were already having moody expressions on their faces. I had even given up on who to approach, when God just put her in my debt. Of course I refused to collect any money from her - what is two hundred naira compared to my three months allowance? beancakes! I went in s...

One of the quirks about livin in Lagos is the fact that at one point or the other, especially if you don't have a car, you can get caught in the rain. But the way you view the whole situation determines how you will end up. If you get angry at the elements, and start boiling - you will sizzle alone, but if you try to see the comic aspect of it all, like I did yesterday, then your have successfully avoided a high B.P. and reducing your life span by 20% more, unnecessarily. I was already late by the time I joined the queue for VI bus at Tollgate. After waiting for another forty-five minutes, and watching the third Obalende bus load, I walked up to that bus and entered, thinking that I was doing the wise thing to avoid the rain that the dark clouds were predicting. Before we got halfway, the driver parked and brought out a black nylon (or plastic garbage bag, for all the phonerized people), tore it width-wise, and started cellotaping it to the left side of the bus. Needless to say tha...

Starting from the last line where you said, 'that is all' - No my dear, that is not all We have a lot to talk about, a lot to catch up on, We have a lot to hash up, we have a lot to forgive of each other. We have come a long way, and like trees planted beside each other, we have grown apart. It was inevitable, and inimitable, but the thing is,we are still friends. We have a lot to look back on, together a lot to smile and laugh about, a lot to argue about. There is history for us, and we also have one more thing... We have the future to build a stronger friendship We have tomorrow to ensure that we stay close, we have learnt from the past and we have the rest of our time on earth to ensure that nothing comes in between. We have a long list of memories to weave - our weddings, our children's naming ceremonies and graduations, and a lot more. We have TIME...that is if you are willing to take my hand in friendship again. I'm waiting.....