Sunday 30 January 2011

Nigeria... Where Is Your Humanity...( iConfuse)



The other day, I got a link on FB, something about the most recent occurrence in Jos, inboxed me by a friend  a link As hardcore as I can be, I couldn’t bring myself to play the videos I saw on the link, The pictures  alone spoke a thousand words…

Jos’ situation came to light to Nigerians in Diaspora and at home  when (unconfirmed jist) a bunch of Muslims raided a village in Jos which is supposedly Christian, and massacred them in the most inhuman way possible. Massacred them in such a way that it was only fit for an R18 movie..  

If you think Hotel Rwanda (the movie) was bad… uh uh.. you ain’t seen nothing child… THIS was the deepest.. The one that occurred last year.  I can’t remember the exact month. It was horrible.. the nation was outraged.. Pictures started going up, on facebook, blackberry messenger, there was outrage on Twitter with trending topics such as #stoptheviolenceinJos amongst several others.

So in my mind after a couple of months… I thought the government had done something about it as per you know actually listening to its citizens and intervene in the situation.. and Plateau state governor, whatever his name is, said something had been done and curfews had been posted and some other yanz. But I forgot one crucial thing..

THIS IS NIGERIA! POLITICIANS LIE!!!!  Oh how naïve I was… KMT

So sha, forward a couple of months later.. I see a couple of statuses go up on BBM and pictures about JOS I was like “hold on, I thought this had been rectified or brought under control at least”.  I asked I asked around, and just a couple of whispers, nothing serious, and there was some other yanz about how they were using religion to cover up the happenings, but I didn’t hear anything serious, so I just thought oh okay, this is just small small issue. And besides with the school work I have. I don’t go looking for the news. I have the mind set that “if it’s important enough, I’ll hear about it”

UNTIL!

I got that link.

I was shocked..

Then I blanked out, scrolled down, reading all the information.

Then I laughed (when I laugh it’s not always funny by the way.. it’s more of I don’t know what other reaction to give)

Then I saw the pictures, I dropped my laptop, continued what I was doing. ( I think I was watching Friends on E4, btw they reaaaalllyyyy need to stop the re-runs though)

Then It sank in.. I was maaaddddd… like seriously???? Are these people serious??!?!?!?!

I couldn’t even play the videos

I MEAN DID YOU SEE THE PICTURES?!?!?!!

How is this not front page news in Nigeria?!?!? I mean seriously?!?! 

I mean realllyyyy how far is Jos from Abuja.. I’m pretty sure the last time I checked the map it wasn’t that far.. hold on.. *Checking google maps*  yep..  just a state separating Jos and Abuja…

Forget the fact that it happened for a second.. I’m sorry but is Nigeria’s media censored now?!?!  How is this not Front page news?!?!  I mean that something like this could happen and it’s not on CNN or SKY or at least somewhere prominent..

I mean these pictures were bad bad… like call Obama in for questioning in front of Supreme Court BAD!!

How is JONATHAN still president?!?!

WHERE IS the UN!?!?!

ARE THESE PEOPLE SERIOUSSSS!!!!!

I mean … did you see the pictures?!?!?!

*Okay I breathe…*

I don’t understand, how are the elections still important over this horrific massacre?? I mean I’m pretty sure Hitler’s methods of killing the Jews were less horrific than this.. surely! They were gassed or shot (with no offense to Holocaust victims or Jews) – I did history at some point. I’m not trying to justify Hitler, but surely something more horrific than that should raise a few eyebrows. I mean macheted body parts  of kids that the intestines are falling out kind of death

My goodness!!....  

I honestly don’t understand.. WHAT IS WRONG WITH NIGERIA!!!

Is this until something like this happens in Lagos or Abuja or Port-Harcourt that these people will sit up?!?!
I don’t know again oh.. what kind of inhumane leaders do we have if they can sit back and do nothing about it.. and consider elections more important.. please if any  public statement has been made about it, can someone please inform me?!?!

How has Jonathan not issued a public statement about this?!?! We are only 36 states for goodness sake..
Infact why is Jonathan still going for president anyway.. This is the same president who in 3 short years, has Boko Haram bombings, Niger Delta kidnappings becoming a norm, and Jos under his rulings?? Doesn’t that say anything about him?!?! I mean I cant criticise, cos honestly I don’t know the first thing about politics, but SURELY!!! This must say something about the kind of president we have who can sit back and allow this kind of thing to happen?!?!?!

But Jos..

I can’t shout, biko nu… All I can do now is pray for these unfortunate souls, that they knew God before they died, and they rest in peace, and help the survivors cope with the post trauma of this. God is the defender of the weak. And People, please don’t think for one second you are better than these individuals. It’s just the grace of God. Please if you can do something.. Do it but at the bare minimum, pray that God has mercy on them.  If there’s anyone who knows how I can help.. please  please please let me know…. 419 (Fraudsters and Scammers)  need not apply, I will just call God’s vengeance on you oh! ,. “So are oh!” (be careful o) )

 I don’t know what to say that cannot be said in a better ways by others 

But, I have three questions…
Is this Nigeria?

And the ultimate questions of the year…
Nigeria… Where is your humanity? and Nigeria... Where are you Going? 

May Nigeria not breakdown into a war-torn country in Jesus Name... 

Adios


p.s


okay after been advised by Walter O and with his permission 
i hereby post the link 


please open this link at your own discretion.. and please note I will NOT be held liable for any damages to your sensibilities. you are on your own oh! :P


http://www.streetnaij.com/2010/04/05/see-no-evil-hear-no-evilviewer-discretion-is-advised/


Tuesday 25 January 2011

God, Dreams and the Norm


Until recently, reaching the end of my current educational stage.. I hadn’t really thought much about my future

All that has been my mind until last year, was graduate… then it was finish post grad.

So I’m nearing the end of post-grad.. and it’s time to think about the future..

But I don’t want to wake up at 40 and wonder where did my life go?

Someone close to me said recently, you have to have a dream, Pray to God about it, and work towards it.
And then I realised, I was afraid to dream… simply because it may not fit in with God’s plan. 

I have asked God for stuff before and then it was like my answer was no… and resulted in my getting disappointed. I’m sure millions of Christians like me have felt this way several times. And when that happens, I get passive-angry. Like I’m angry with God, but I ignore it. I mean who am I to be angry with God… and just carry on going and in my mind I think okay God knows best, I’m a human being, my thoughts are limited anyway.

And then now drift away.. cos I didn’t want to acknowledge that anger, and then as a result I realised I have drifted far, I’m like whoa, hold up! Where am I?!?! and I won’t feel that bunzness again, and then I now I have to work at getting back to that bunz relationship stage again, which is draining believe me.

Then until recently I realised, it’s ok to be angry with God..  like be angry with respect kind of thing. God is close to me, I talk to Him about stuff that in even in my most drugged state I will never dream of telling anyone.  I figured okay, it’s not a relationship if I don’t tell God I’m upset with the fact that he’s said no like talk to him about it.

Ok. You see the same way people are in relationships right? Like if the girlfriend does something to the guy, and the guy as a result of his pride will not want to talk about it, cos he’s kinda  too proud to admit that the girl hurt him (this is the case with most Nigerian men.. you have to coax it out of them dieeeeee kai! ) but on the reals tho.. Eventually the passive anger (even though the guy will not realise it) will then start to show and he will start drifting away. Meanwhile the problem would have been solved if the guy had just calmed down and said to the girl “look ok, this is what you did to me, I don’t like it and it hurt me” To me it takes maturity and strength for a guy to do that, and I ALWAYS respect a guy who does that.

I have digressed..  Back to the point,  basically, this is sort of the relationship with me and God. I realised that it’s okay to be angry, and God actually heals me or help me overcome the anger and I realise at the end of the day that so long as He’s there for me.. I will be able to go through anything and I just trust him that okay fine.. “na your way we dey go”..I just trust the fact that it will be good. If not in this earth, then in heaven.


So, I did not have a dream.. Because I was scared.. no scratch that.. I was TERRIFIED that if it didn’t come to pass.. or it wasn’t according to God’s plan.. It would seriously affect my relationship with Him. so I was just in the mind set of “Wherever the Lord takes me, or wherever the Lord’s will” but I’ve been reading my bible, that I have to take that step of faith and ask… and just trust whatever happens..
I read somewhere that God has three answers for us.. He always always always answers.. 

1)      No, not yet.  
2)      Yes
3)      I have something better for you

it takes courage to have faith in God and trust Him.

I know there are several people out there who are struggling with issues, like “why did God not answer me”... to be honest with you... I cannot tell you I Sympathise with you or I know what you are going through.. . cos I probably don’t.. But God does.

So I started formulating my dream/life plan. What bothers me sometimes is when I do talk to some people about it, they will be like, “well pray that you will find husband that will agree to this plan oh, cos if your husband wants to go back to motherland.. you HAVE to follow him” I’m sorry that’s rubbish. I do not HAVE to do anything for anybody, especially follow him somewhere where I don’t want to go simply because he wants to.. nah mate.. not at the expense of my happiness. There is compromise.. Doing something for someone else that you are don’t necessarily like but you can tolerate.. And there is something else giving up what you want for someone else at the expense of your happiness. If I do that.. We will both regret it later.. that would be unfair to myself and him.

Also, I have been advised by my maternals  (this include, mother, aunts, grandmas, and all other older women relevant to me) that Do not go for a man that will make your dream small. I see a lot of guys doing that these days.. It’s saddening.. Heartbreaking to say the least. You hardly find girls with dreams.. Like making something out of themselves.  Most of them want to sit down, be domesticated and have babies and have a job along the way. And the ones that do, you will find guys doing EVERYTHING from emotional abuse to physical abuse to physically stop that girl from amounting to anything in life. It may not be directly oh, like I don’t support your dream kinda thing, but they will damage the girl’s personality so bad like you wouldn’t believe and this affects her ability to dream.

I  recently showed my friend a picture of someone of someone I knew to be emotionally abusive to girls and that… the guy said “this guy looks…. Normal” that’s the thing.. You wouldn't even know that they do such things.. . Guys reading this.. check yourselves… you may do it and you won’t know cos she won’t even know she’s being emotionally abused. if you don't know what it is. Google it abeg.  So bottom line.. A man who cannot support the dream of his woman.. Is a coward.. cos to me he’s simply threatened by the fact that the woman will do better than him.

Women too, no matter how high you may go in this life..NEVER EVER make the mistake of disrespecting   your man, or making him feel like he’s anything less than one of the most important things in your life or inferior (do so with maintaining your self respect) There’s a difference between pride and self respect. All your big madam.. keep it out of the house. Your husband IS the head of the home, support and love him, when he needs you, listen to him, pay attention, sometimes you have to make sacrifices..  let Him be proud to call you his wife or girl as the case may be. Try to be the best mother, the best wife, the best woman you can.  Cos trust me.. if you are not ready.. there are pleeenntty of women ready to take your place.. lol.

Some people might think I just contradicted myself (by saying I cannot follow a man back to the motherland.) I didn’t..  The main point is find a man who’s goals are compatible with yours. Pere!

(The norm, is to finish, and go back to the “motherland” and serve and then start working and then begins the rest of your life…  then get married along the way and have kids too, with the occasional distractions of parties and social events, but that’s it)

Clearly, someone that wants to move back to the motherland immediately, follow the norms and myself, do not have the same goals. In short, I don’t want to follow the most generalised norm.  I want a different life from when I grew up. Not that it was bad or anything. 

But motherland is like a virgin (when i was a kid)  that everyone has slept with and I can’t wife her. #simpleas it’s a crude way to put it.. but that’s the only way I can explain it.

Adios!