Real Life Matters...

Have you prayed and believed God for something and it appears He didn’t answer or His answer is different from your requests? This post brings you some encouragement. It addresses the devastation that many are feeling from the results of last week’s presidential elections in Nigeria that saw the incumbent declared winner. Many have described it as the biggest electoral heist in modern Nigerian history. But the message of this post is relevant to all who are feeling disappointed or confused by God’s seeming silence to their prayers or the answer He has given which doesn’t match their expectations. This week has been a nightmare for many Nigerians. Almost four years of suffering under the present government that has seen Nigeria become a flaming dictatorship and the poverty capital of the world seem set to be doubled following the electoral ‘results’ that have been announced. The implication is that tyranny is digging in but it is well. People are asking, “What was the use of praying? ...

I am delighted to present to you this guest post that captures so eloquently our collective hope that Nigeria will become as great as she is supposed to. This hope which has become a transgenerational feature of our families, was masterfully conveyed by the poet through the disillusionment he painted in the contradictions between our national pledge and our grim reality. It’s a very moving piece and it echoed my mood recently. I’ve felt like saying, “Nigeria will be better,” but I feel she should have been already. So I guess we should say, “Nigeria don better!” in faith and, by God’s grace, we shall see it come to pass. Kindly drop your impressions of the poem in “Comments” and share the piece widely on social media. We need as much hope as we can garner at this depressing time in our nation’s history. Kudos to you, Recluse! This piece is awesome! I pray for more inspiration in your writing and greater recognition for your output. You’re going places in Jesus’ name. Nigeria W...

Boasting isn’t something you would usually associate with a Christian. It seems prideful and Christians are supposed to be the opposite. In Nigeria, it is not uncommon to see someone introduce himself as Barr. (Dr.) … or Chief (Engr.) …. The person wants you to immediately recognise his status in life. Addressing such a person simply as Mr. … will be considered a serious breach of protocol. Some people, including non-Christians, see this as tacky. But is boasting always a bad thing or are there are occasions when it is not only permissible but beneficial? This is the question answered below. I feel led to do this post because we are in the last days and the world wants to shut down the voice of the Body of Christ, which is who we are. Many of us are losing the courage to identify as Christians but we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be cowed and muzzled. How does boasting fit into this context? The post explains. Different kinds of boasting There are different kinds of boasting or rat...

Juanita was in a murderous mood that Thursday evening. It had become a pattern at the same time every week. Thursday evenings were becoming her least favourite time of the week. She was so mad her chest was tight and her breathing hard. Someone clearly needed to be punished for what she had been put through. She wasn’t about to wait for friends, so she trotted to her hostel, Herbert Macaulay Hall. She slammed the door so hard after she entered her room that her roommate jumped. The girl, Julie, who was about to leave for a date, exclaimed,”Whoa, easy! You want to break the door?” Juanita’s reply was a scowl which Julie missed because she was taking a last look in the mirror. She turned and twirled asking Juanita, “How do I look?” “You can’t be serious!” was the caustic reply. “Someone is in a happy mood tonight!” she teased. Juanita lunged at her but she grabbed her purse and dashed out, laughing all the way to the car park where her date was waiting. Still fuming and unab...

1. Embrace tolerance and give others the benefit of the doubt: Do not think the worst of others. If you learn that a celebrity dressed gaily to what was supposed to be a sombre occasion, don’t make a mountain out of the faux pas and insist that they meant to disrespect the matter behind the occasion and all those who care about it. Such things can occur when someone has a busy schedule and his or her handlers make an oversight. They may have come from a more cheerful occasion which their stylist dressed them appropriately for and may have squeezed in the latter occasion without adequate information or time for a change of wardrobe. This applies to other mouth-froth-inducing areas in today’s hate-filled climate like religion and politics. All of us can’t be of the same religious and political persuasion but that does not make everyone who differs from us a moron or a monster. In every religious and political camp, there are crackpots but there are also heroes who go above and beyo...

Patrick was worried that his uncle was about to embark on one of his tirades about the failures of the government. He didn’t have the call credit for that, so he focused his response on his problem. “Exams will start on Monday. That is why today is the deadline.” “Send me your account number. Let me see what I can do.” Patrick’s heart sank. This latest reply from Matthias was worse than his response earlier in the day: “You don’t have a problem. I will transfer the money to you immediately.” He reminded his uncle he’d sent him the account number in the morning and added, “I’m sending it again now, to your two lines. Thank you.” Four hours passed and there was no word from his uncle. Patrick had spent most of his day at the quadrangle hoping to rush to a cyber cafe to generate his receipts, zoom off to a bank to pay the fees and back to the cyber cafe to register his courses. By 6:30 p.m., he left for the lodge where he squatted with a classmate. His last two calls had been cu...

Chigozie was surprised at how polished the language spoken by the labourer sounded. “Where did you learn to speak that way,” he asked. “What way, Sir?” “You don’t sound like a labourer. What are you doing here? Why aren’t you in school?” “Sir, it’s a long story.” “Indulge me,” Chigozie insisted. Patrick looked back at the site and Chigozie understood he was worried the foreman might punish him for not returning promptly. “How much do you make here?” “It depends on the work available. Today, I hope to get Two Thousand Naira.” “I’ll explain to the foreman. Go on, tell me what happened.” Patrick was not convinced, so Chigozie gave him 2,000 Naira. Patrick thanked him and gave him his life story in a nutshell. Chigozie, who had also lost his dad at a young age, sympathised with the boy. He reasoned that if his relatives had not picked him up after his dad’s death, he would not be a permanent US resident with the kind of job that enabled him to be putting up this commercial ...

Patrick was so relieved he decided to buy a bottle of soft drink from a passing vendor’s cooler to go with the N100.00 moi-moi he was eating. He was sitting at the Faculty of Arts Quadrangle amidst scores of other students, some of who were eating, reading, typing their assignments, surfing the Internet or chatting with friends. The quadrangle had become his favourite spot on campus for cooling off between lectures in the overcrowded classrooms where he scarcely got a seat. His Nokia 3310 phone was on top of the books beside him and he was certain that at any moment, he would receive a credit alert from his bank. Patrick was a second-year History student and he hadn’t paid his first semester school fees. The university had announced that the online portal for printing school fees receipts and registering one’s courses would be closed that day. After unsuccessfully soliciting for help from so many people in the past week, he had only one ray of hope to meet the deadline: the promise ...