kene fights poverty

I was seriously thinking about the challenges of democratization in Africa today and the role that the Western concept of individualism has come to play in Africa’s development. In fact I was not even thinking about it until I had to explain something to my wife. The idea runs this way, in Africa there is individualism, just as in the West but there is where the difference starts. In the West there is a point of conjuncture for individualism and community. In Africa, there are points of disjuncture. In other words, whereas individualism has no human face in Africa, in the West it does. That is the reason why democracy does not work and may never work in Africa. When the West had contact with Africa, they came with an administrative system that was alien to Africa. In fact, Western administrative system inherited by Africans was like a ticking bomb that exploded as soon as it was institutionalized. 

That explosion germinated in form of ethnicity, ethnocentrism, religious fanaticism, state corruption and financial waste, failed elections, failed officers, failed political system, poor health and declining education, child slavery, child trafficking , armed robbery, kidnapping , assassinations,  and now Boko Haram insurgency. Yet, this list has not scratched the surface in the catalogue of woes that Nigeria’s or Africa’s administrative systems have come to represent for the continent. I also made a comparison between President Jonathan and Cameron. One of the most remarkable differences I have noticed is in the area of continuity. Jonathan started as a rookie without any antecedents. He needs to be very knowledgeable to navigate the very murky waters of governance and politics. If he does not have enough knowledge, he will be doomed because he will forever depend on his spin-doctors who can easily mislead him and make him to take unpopular decisions. Jonathan does not have the advantage of his generations governing Nigeria, so, it is a very new role for him. 

The same cannot be said of Cameron who has a long line of family members with high level of education.  Not only is this an advantage, Cameron attended a so-called Ivy League university in Oxford, where he even ended with a first class. In the United Kingdom, there is a tradition of knowledge acquisition and dissemination, which implies that nobody has an excuse to be ignorant, not least the PM. In Nigeria, intellection or knowledge acquisition is not publicly embraced. The idea is that people are free to know, but they should not display their knowledge in the public. What is reserved for the public place is the knowledge gained through spiritual escapades. Such people are elevated to the status of gods in Nigeria and they are so embraced because Nigerians love quick-fix, get rich quick, without any intention to work hard to earn it. That is the reason why spiritually inclined people are the richest people in Nigeria, not the manufacturers of products. It is within this framework that we see the Nigerian president who himself displays zero interest in education, but has a very strong thirst for wealth acquisition.

So, democracy or democratization is another bomb that has recently been dropped on Africa. It will lead Africa to nowhere so long as we refuse to modify it and use common-sense in its application in Nigeria or Africa. Before the coming of the Europeans, Africa operated on a system of communalism. Within each of the communities in Africa, there used to be leaders of thought who was uniquely gifted with wisdom. They exercised superordinate influence over their people at that time. What education ought to have done for us is to enable us refine this system in a way that it will be suited for our democratization. But due to laziness, we accepted the Western liberal democracy without any attempt to adjust it for our use. That is why liberal democracy has become a ticking bomb for Africa today. Globalization flows out of liberalism of the West, and the whole world is embracing it. But the question is, by how far has liberalism helped Africa to be rooted in the markets created by globalization? Instead, whenever anything happens in the West, as we have seen in the recent recession, Africa shares a greater portion of the burden. In the 1980s when the structural adjustment programmes (SAPs) were forced on African states, many of those economies creaked under the weight of the adjustments and debts. African states accepted the conditionalities of the Bretton Woods institutions, such as rationalisation in the public sector, removal of fuel subsidies and reduction of grants. none of those African states recovered from the SAPs because shortly after , the Cold War ended, and the ‘benevolent’ states of the West abandoned the continent. 

There is a sense in which this problem goes deeply to the heart of the attitude of the West to Africa’s development. Even as at the time that there was a romance between Africa and the West, it was because of the unequal exchange in trade, investments and diplomatic relations between Africa and the West. For example, African political elite did not just start the culture of siphoning public money to the West. This is a practice that is as old as the states in Africa themselves. It appears that the relationship forged between the Western and African leaders had been designed deliberately for exploitation and the expropriation of the continent. That was why development was paid a lip service both by the Western aid donors and their African counterparts. It is even more depressing to factor in the idea that actually, African leaders play to the gallery as they consider their inabilities to challenge Western exploitation as an opportunity to ‘join them’, as the old saying goes. This is why we are where we are today. And it is the reason why some Africans in the 80s and 90s foolishly reinforced the belief that only the West can make life worthwhile for them—hence the exodus of many African children to Europe and America towards the end and immediately after the Cold War. 

The deluge of flow to the West since the 1990s empowered the West to indirectly take charge of African economies, justifying capital flight as an evidence of African  leaders inability to govern their people. Whereas, the hidden truth is that the West needs help itself, but in the same breathe, a form of justification for multiculturalism. Now that the West is no longer as it used to be, after the unfortunate episodes of 9/11 and the foolish decisions of Iraq invasion and the war in Afghanistan, the west remains poor, but Africa remains poorer. Yes the African continent is the richest, but the people are kept in the dark, by the conniving African elites who ally their Western masters to keep the lid on Africa. It will take Armageddon for Africa to be really free, I think. Many in Africa know the West is poor, but they feel that regardless of the poverty in Africa, it is better to stay there than to go to the West. Many have now chosen to return to live in Africa. And I was just wondering, why are human beings so foolish. Didn’t they know that nothing lasts forever? 

Would it not have been better for them to develop their father’s continent using all the force necessary rather than selling their birth-rights to the West by asking it to help them take care of their children? We now know that there is a great conspiracy against the black race in the West—and recently in the Eastern Europe.

 Potential Implications of the Millennium Challenge Account and the New Partnership for Africa's Development

What we know:

The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) highlight the important question of the role that criteria relating to democracy should play in decisions about granting development assistance.

The MCA represents a historic increase in foreign assistance, with that assistance directed at countries that meet three broad criteria – investing in people, encouraging economic freedom, and ruling justly. President Bush specifically mentioned good governance – defined as respect for human rights, adherence to the rule of law, and routing out corruption as important determinants of where the U.S. government will invest its resources. He did not specifically mention democracy.

Some analysts look at the question of whether democracy should be an MCA criterion in terms of whether foreign assistance can be effective at reducing poverty, improving healthcare, and increasing education opportunities – all goals of the MCA – in the absence of democracy. The existing evidence is inconclusive. Some countries have seen growth and poverty reduction in the absence of democracy – Korea, Taiwan, and China are such examples. Uganda, although not a democracy, has made significant progress on its primary education program, its HIV/AIDs programs, and its broader economic issues. On the other hand, U.S. foreign assistance experience in such countries as Egypt, Somalia, and Cambodia has shown that assistance efforts which ignore democracy, human rights, and governance concerns have not done well. In other words, the jury is still out.

Therein lies the dilemma with making democracy a criterion of the MCA if one looks at the question from a development perspective. The other way to look at the question, however, is from a values standpoint. U.S. policy has always valued and promoted democracy in and of itself. It would be imprudent to leave democracy by the wayside in the MCA simply because one cannot prove that it is a prerequisite for economic growth. It is right for the U.S. government to say democracy is something it finds important and something which it believes factors into development. Moreover, good governance defined narrowly as that related to the purview of good policies and laws related to economic growth, ignores the political realities and determinants of how to achieve adherence to the rule of law, progress against corruption, and respect for human rights. Democracy is thus also important for the human rights, rule of law, and anti-corruption goals of the MCA.

In the absence of democracy as a specific MCA criterion, the question becomes how best to elaborate the “ruling justly” criterion. Many groups think that the ruling justly criteria should be defined holistically. A coalition of individuals from the democracy, human rights, and development communities outlined possible criteria indicators in a letter to President Bush in July 2002. These included freedom of expression and the media, freedom of association, the right to choose representatives through free and fair elections, independence of the judiciary, and primacy of the rule of law. While elections do not necessarily translate into perfect economic policies, without some system by which people can choose and remove their leaders and processes that facilitate ongoing participation in governmental decision-making, gains in civil liberties will be steadily eroded and improvement in anti-corruption initiatives and rule of law will be short-lived.

Once the criteria and indicators have been established, the next issue at hand is how to weigh them in evaluating a country’s eligibility. Each of the three groups of criteria will probably have four or five indicators, producing a total of about fifteen indicators. Different systems of weighing these indicators produce slightly different results in terms of the countries that do and do not qualify for MCA funding. The key question is whether or not countries will be expected to meet all fifteen indicators to qualify for funding. If they are expected to do so, the standards by which those indicators are evaluated would have to be relatively low; if they are not, then certain criteria, most probably governing justly, may be skirted. The results would be rather different by the two scenarios, as would the effectiveness of the MCA.

NEPAD is a different story. It has been hailed as the first development initiative created by Africans themselves, by which they pledge to eradicate poverty, foster socioeconomic development, and foster democracy and good governance. They have committed themselves to meeting specific standards related to democracy and good governance, and to a peer review process to monitor the enforcement of those standards in the region. The peer review would be carried out by a panel of eminent persons who would first undertake a base review of countries that have committed themselves to the review process. The reviews would be held every two to four years unless an urgent crisis emerged or a participant state requested an early review.

With NEPAD, Africans seem to be committing to take the kind of steps the MCA envisions. The initiative is very promising in many ways, but there are concerns about how tough the peer review process will be. There has also been much concern from civil society groups and parliamentarians that they have been excluded from the top-down NEPAD process. In addition, there are questions about the NEPAD governance structure itself. Together with the democracies on the fifteen-country NEPAD implementation committee are non-democracies, such as Algeria, Egypt, and Tunisia. It is unclear how serious such countries will be about adherence to democratic standards. In the process of being so inclusive, NEPAD undermines some of the strength behind its original idea, which was to distinguish African countries making progress on governance and economic issues from those that are not. The handling of the Zimbabwe situation has been particularly worrisome. There was no official condemnation by the African Union or by NEPAD of President Robert Mugabe’s controversial land seizures policy.

In sum, while NEPAD and the MCA are promising initiatives, which demonstrate how widely democracy and good governance have been accepted as priorities, the details of their implementation continue to cast a shadow of uncertainty.

What we do not know:

Even once the MCA criteria indicators are decided, certain questions remain, and these questions are critical to analyzing how the MCA will affect democracy in Africa and elsewhere.

How will measurement of compliance occur? Who will make the determinations as to which countries have met the standards and by what data? There is concern about the kinds of U.S. government bureaucratic distortions that can occur in any kind of evaluation process. (Embassies, missions, and regional bureaus within the government may sometimes distort measurements of performance to ensure that their countries of concern receive the bulk of assistance).

What level of compliance will be considered acceptable? Will there be a threshold of some sort; how low or high will it be? Will we be looking for number of years in practice of certain measures? How long should the changes be in place? The concern is that countries are likely to pass a certain number of cosmetic measures to get funds.

How do the criteria and indicators interact? Must countries meet all three criteria – investing in people, encouraging economic freedom, and ruling justly – or just some of them? The concern from a democracy standpoint is that the countries will meet the economic indicators while the governance indicators will be given a pass.

Once countries are selected to receive MCA funds, how does one support governance initiatives within those countries? Should countries write their own proposals, or should these be designed by the U.S. government?

What are the next steps; what should be done and by whom?

The MCA will only affect an estimated fifteen countries. Below these will be a larger group of countries that just missed the qualification, and below those, countries that still have a long way to go. The United States must concern itself with these non-qualifying countries as well, particularly those that just missed the MCA funding. As part of the broader foreign assistance issue, the government must think about the kinds of activities and initiatives that will help these countries meet MCA criteria in future years.

Do you know…?

That with God all things are possible?

That you can’t do anything about the length of your life but you can do something about the depth and width?

That you are the success this generation has been waiting for?

That the fullness of God in man is through Christ?

That God is not an imposter?

That the lessons learnt during a process is more important than the goal?

That when you learn from your defeat, you have not really lost?

That when one door closes, a better one opens?

That poverty is a sin?

That success is a limit?

That success is not by luck or by chance but merit?

That you can do more than you have always done?

That hearing tells you that a music is playing but listening tells you the lyrics of the song? 

Have you noticed…?

That when you are doing something great, something bad pops up?

That great men are people who live for others?

That it is easier to destroy than to build?

That pride brings you up to let you fall?

That once you set your mind to achieve something, you usually accomplish it?

That is doesn’t matter how long but how well?

That only fools and dead men don’t change their minds; fools won’t and dead men can’t?

That the world acknowledges only those that have something to offer?

That connections can disappoint but what you have within is always at your service?

That what people say or do shows who really they are?

That there is nothing that is not in the bible?

That procrastination, indecision, past thinking and lack of vision are the canker worm that has eaten deep in the minds of the youths?

Why don’t you…?

Come closer to God whose joy strengthens you , who has impacted in you greatness and has given you the authority to subdue, conquer and till the earth?

Look deep into yourself and see that you are more than a cheese; that you are an image of God?

Come closer to God’s only begotten son; Jesus who has made you a light to the world, a salt to nations and also promised you the Holy Spirit who will be a comforter?

Start believing that ‘I CAN’T’ is dead and buried and is survived by ‘I CAN’, ‘I WILL’ and ‘I SHALL’?

See the fact that you are what the world has been waiting for and that some persons greatness is attached to yours?

Change your old sinful ways and turn on a new live that is worth emulating?

Come to think of it…?

You can do better than you have always done?

Poverty kills, but hard work doesn’t?

Since Christ lives in you, you can do all things because He strengthens you?

There is no better person to execute that plan of God except you?

God can’t work except through a man. Can’t that man be you!

Conclusion

You can do anything because; greater is HIM that lives in you than he that is in the world. God believes that you are a success only that you have to acknowledge this truth. Keep SHIINE’ing’!!!

I must remind us in the word of Christ that what shall it profit a man when he gets the whole world and loses his soul"

The joy is never in the receiving l, it's in the giving and I believe this few words reflects everything I write to you. 

The poor we will always have with us just like our lord Jesus has prophesied but it shouldn't be a s a result of lack of information or platform but as a result of individual choices and I envisage this book (Remembering Paul, remembering the poor) as a booster to push every human to become that information provider and platform for individuals who desire to be free from the taunting grip of poverty.

In my reflection of Paul's initiative in solving or trying to erase/ease the grief poverty has painted on the people opened my eyes to quite an amazing wisdom which I wouldn't want to hoard to myself.

Permit me to break this reflection into 3 parts to help buttress and hopefully pass this wisdom to you.

Obligation:

Most men have asked for their shares and few have asked how they can share. I have come to the understanding that when you are told to engage in a work you love, you end up becoming better at it. Gal 2 described how Paul was eager to become a preacher of the gospel which gave him the responsibility to care for the poor. But he wasn't burdened, he already knew it was an ob ligation.

Now, Paul wasn't just enthusiastic about preaching the gospel, he wanted to reach out to the poor among him and he understood that it wasn't optional but a task, a cross he was willing to carry.

As a Christian, how do you see the poor? As people waiting to benefit from your hardwork? No! We are not rich because of our hardwork. It was (and still is) the grace of God that brought us wealth not just for us and loved ones but for the less privileged than us for Christ who was rich was made poor so that through His poverty, we became rich.

As Christians, how willing are you in giving? Paul was willing to sacrifice everything for the gospel which included giving and urging others to give too. Again it was recorded of Paul's obligation to be accountable not just to God but to men and wanted to avoid any criticism in administering the collections.

Now isn't the time to consider your problems but to give generously to others in worse situation(s) than yours generously, for it's not in the size of what is given but the heart that is giving for it's written, "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give not reluctantly or under compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver".

In conclusion, Paul enthusiasm and eagerness should not go without emulation by us (Christian). If Christ our mediator and model could give up everything that we may be rich and has also wished that we do unto others as we would want to be treated, it's paramount to - as Paul did - take it up as a cross to look after our brethren who might be poor spiritually (through sharing scriptures and building faith together), mentally (through teaching and sponsoring education desires), socially (through giving out friendship hands) and financially. It's time to assume the responsibility of caring for the poor even more than Paul did.

Eschatology:

Going by the history of the word, it's the study of the last. And it is recorded that theologically, it's likened to the four last things -death, judgement, heaven and hell".

Paul understood the consequences of his actions and inaction and always knew how to synchronize it with the aforementioned last things. He would always say, "I run the good fight of faith; or I run for the crown..." This and other statements with similar meaning proves life after death and how much Paul wanted to make the better. It also leaves us with an important question; "Does our life reflect a glorious one"?

Paul had the knowledge of the connection between Christians and the poor and knew it wasn't complete to preach the gospel but also to feed the poor (spiritually, financially, mentally and otherwise) and was set to do the task.

The reflective questions you should ask at this point are; what is my ultimate destiny? Why did God created me? Why do I have so much potentials? What do I need to do before it all disappears?

The first week of creation reveals how beautifully and wonderfully we were made (Gen 1:26-28). Why should so much potent waste without solving the problems of the church and your brethren or at least lead you closer to a better life in eternity? Like I said earlier, the joy isn't in the receiving, but in the giving.

Just like Paul who understood that a core part of a Christian life is in giving, we should follow to his path with the assurance that in the last days, we shall receive each our crown as those who fought the good fight of faith to the glory of God.

Ecumenical:

What makes us  Christians? Most people will quickly say they were fortunate to be born into Christian homes and this makes them Christians. Without neglecting this response fully, it's of great importance to remind us that the word Christian were given to a group of people exhibiting the attributes of their leader. Permit me to stress the word ATTRIBUTE (likeness). In other words, any Christian whose life doesn't reflect that of Christ isn't a Christian but a hypocrite.

1Cor 12:12 elaborates on the unity of Christians to achieve a common goal as long as it glorifies God.

I wouldn't be blind to the different Christian organizations separated by doctrines, history and practices but will quickly put that all together makes the complete body of Christ.

Paul reflected this as he sets off to preach the gospel to the gentiles (which was a different way to preach to the Jew like Peter). The feeding of the Paul was something both Peter and Paul were willing to do and they both represented different doctrine but one body of Christ so reflected that body which in this case is feeding the poor.

Today, can you boldly say you will join resources with a fellow Christian (from a different doctrine) to carter for the less privileged or for a common good? Will you in all truth see a brethren from a different doctrine/practice as an important part in the body of Christ? It's the desire of our lord Jesus that some of us work as the hand, some as the leg, some as the head and all knowing they are as important as the other adding forces together to work to the glory of God the father through Jesus His son.

We are all one body in Christ Jesus and will continue till our lord comes again in His glory.

Finally, in the spirit of giving and unity of all Christians in view of the last days and our brethren less privileged than we are, it's pertinent we take it as a burden with enthusiasm just as Paul showed and not only do we preach the good news and share the joy of knowing our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ but come together in His love to join our resources as different part of His body and achieve a greater good.

Poverty has taken it's deep root in our society today and without doubt has contributed to lots of things of which some includes; Hunger, divorce, frustration, murder, genocide, suicide, unemployment, underdevelopment etc. It's our duty to help the poor amongst us not necessary be feeding them but preferably by teaching them how to feed themselves. That is called empowerment and that is something every Christian should get involved with.

As we live to walk and work with Christ, I pray in the words of Paul in Eph1:17, that the God of our lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him better. I also pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saint and in His comparably great power for us who believe. Amen!

For quite a while now, Mr. Onyeka has not been in time (present), he has been thinking in regret. Sixty-five years of his life has gone down to the dust; he had nothing to show for his life. He looked around the ‘thing’ he called his house, it was nothing to write home about as there is no one to tidy it - Mrs. Onyeka died living her husband and only child Emeka - that was some twenty-five years ago.

                        “OH MY GOD! WHAT HAVE I ACHIEVED”

He murmured to himself. He couldn’t give an account of how his life has been spent. He grieved as though he lost his mother as he remembered how his parent suffered just to get the money to pay his school fees; he was the first issue of his parent, yet he never lived up to their expectation not to mention of living beyond them. He condemned himself as he remembered the ‘good old days’ as it was when they (him and his friends) were parading the campus as ‘DONS’. “I never realized that I was playing life then and that someday I would pay dearly for it”. “Oh! How I flirted with the girls; how I sorted for my courses with ill-gotten money; how I joined the secret cult, how I made fun of the campus fellowship”. Mr. Onyeka made up his mind not to use “HAD I KNOWN” because he could remember vividly the advice of his father on the eve of the day he was to school, “my son, live your life so that your friend will have to defend you but will not have to do so, make it worth emulating and do not let “had I known” get hold of you in the end. Remember, your school fee was borrowed and you have responsibilities”. 

He couldn’t help but cry as he remembered this words again but resolved to advice his son and warn on time as not to end up like the way he did- Emeka looked exactly like his mother. He didn’t know his purpose in life out of ignorance. He never for a moment looked beyond his nose; he was just after what he would do to satisfy himself. Because his mother had died months after he was delivered and his father had no money to train him, he took to the streets. But that very day, something different happened to Emeka and he resolved to go home – Mr. Onyeka was still deep in his thought when Emeka came in. A tap on the back from Emeka almost scared his father to death. Getting control of himself, he asked his son to sit down.

Mr. Onyeka looked up to the sky and then to his son and began, “my son, I have offended you greatly, I couldn’t provide for you and I wasn’t the ideal father that a son would dream of. I didn’t break the yolk of my life as a youth nor did I make something out of it. But you, you have what it takes to be great; that I your father am hopeless does not mean that you have to live a hopeless life. You are meant to bring light to us. Whatever you dream of, because you have the power to dream it, you have the power to realize it. I have lived a life not worth emulating and you have seen where it has landed me. Will you learn from my mistakes or will you let you children suffer also? You can do better than I ever did because you were born differently with unique powers.

My son, you have to know that you have great powers in you which when unleashed and channeled into the society for a positive change will be magnificent. My son, though I didn’t do much in life, but I give you this rules of success;

I have nothing more to give to you but this word of advice my son. Now go out there and make the use of your life, do not look at your age or background because you have what it takes to be great. Please my son, trust God with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding. Trust the words that I have given you for they are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge. A chat with an elder is far better than a picnic with your age-mate. You have to start now for tomorrow might be late for you. I believe in you my son and I love you very much”.

As Mr. Onyeka finished his words, he urged Emeka never to give up in whatever he wanted to do or be in life and to always go for the best or nothing. He looked up again to the sky, now with a smile at least he had invested in the life of his son.

              !!!!!!!!!!!!ZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

My Onyeka woke up as the alarm woke him. In seconds, he was surrounded by his servants in his well furnished room as was the routine. He was treated as though he was king of the world. Down his garage were fleets of car with different drivers. Saying that Mr. Onyeka was rich was an under-statement. He was more than rich. Though his wife was dead, he provided his son, Emeka with everything a son could ask of his father. Emeka on his own part was well-behaved, hardworking and a purpose driven young man. Mr. Onyeka looked around his riches and was glad that he could give an account on how it was spent. He was happy that the advice he had gotten from his father was not a waste but a corner stone to his wealth, he remembered how he would have been if he had done otherwise but he couldn’t help but smile, ‘after all, it was all a DREAM!”

This short story reveals to us the two sides of life as with a coin. It tells us how great we are if only we compose our youthful exuberance and anxiety. I believe you can do it, GOD believes in YOU!!!

I was still wondering why people uses the world IMPOSSIBLE as I surfed through the net. It was 2:15am and I was beginning to feel sleepy. Just then, I came across an article that made me regain my strength, the eagerness and enthusiasm I had wanted. The sleep had disappeared; I couldn’t feel it, not anymore. Was it because of the article or was it because I got what I was searching for-till now, it’s still a puzzle that is yet to be solved. Am I the first to see this was the first question that came to my mind but before I could answer, it disappeared leaving me hopeless. Then came the second that disappeared just as it came, like the flash of a camera. I made up my mind to wait for the next but before I could finish my sentences, it disappeared without even staying for a moment but this time, as prepared as I was, I heard and I listened. “Do people actually apply what they read”? This question came to me because with the kind of article I was looking at and reading without payment was enough to prove to anyone that impossible is possible.

I read of a boy who at the age of 8 raced into a burning school house to rescue his elder brother Floyd who was 10. Floyd died in the school house and when Glenn regained consciousness, the doctor recommended amputating his legs as he had lost all the flesh on his knees and shins and all the toes on his left foot. Also his transverse arch (an important part of his bone) was practically destroyed. The doctor predicted that he might not walk again. But young Glenn pleaded, he begged and because he was distressed, his parent would not allow it. Determined, coupled with hours of therapy, enabled him to gradually regain the ability to walk. It was two years after the accident. He had a positive attitude that there is no glory without a story. He knew that the strength was within and not some iron fixed to the legs. His favorite bible quote, Isaiah 40:31 “but those who wait on the lord shall renew their strengths, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint”, shows his strength in God. He could now walk but he wanted more and behold, he proceed to running.

This same 8 years old boy with determination and God won the Sullivan medal in 1932. In Olympics, he took the 4^th place in the 1500m and in 1934; he set the world record for the mile run at 4:06.8 which stood for three years. In 1936, he set the world record again in the 800m run. This same boy set a world record again in the indoor mile run of 4:04.4.A boy who knew that there is nothing like impossible especially when with God.

After reading this, I just couldn’t stop thinking. I was stunned because it’s just rare to see the kind of determination Glenn Cunningham portrayed. I flashed back to the day I read a similar story but this time, about a grown-up who at 32 years was fired; attempted election to a legislative office and suffered defeat. At 33, he became bankrupt and at 34, he was elected to legislature. He lost his dear wife at 35 and broke down nervously at 36. At the age of 38, ha attempted speakership and lost the election and at 43, he failed Congress nomination. Fortunately for him, at 46, he secured a Congress ticket and lost the nomination at 48; at 49, he was rejected for land officer and he lost senatorial election and yet suffered another vice presidential nomination at 56. He was defeated for senate the second time at 58 and in 1860, this same man became the 16^th president of the United States of America.

I keep asking myself this question, was he elected just to compensate him for his failures, was he elected so that he wouldn’t disturb them again, but the truth is obvious. Abraham Lincoln was determined. He removed the world IMPOSSIBLE from his vocabulary. His quote, “I am slow walker but I never stop” testify to this. Martin Luther King jnr. quoted Lincoln in his popular speech which he made at the steps of Lincoln monument.

Though am convinced at least with these stories and more, why do you still doubt? Believe me, I have taught deeply on this and I tell you, nothing can stand in your way to greatness; not even your parent, your age, your background or your handicap because God has made you great. To be candid, you have powers beyond imagination and   the adversity you encounter is what really strengthens you. Bob Harrison made it clear that, “between you and anything significant, there must be giants in your paths”. And remember the observation of Martin Luther King jnr. that, “the utmost measure of a man is not where he stands in times of comfort and conveniences, but where he stands in time of challenges and controversies”. Nothing good comes easy because you will always have a story to tell at the end, but there is nothing that is IMPOSSIBLE when you are in alliance with GOD. You can do it if you believe you can.

Now that I have written to you to the glory of God, maybe, just maybe I wouldn’t be thinking much on this or better still I won’t be thinking at all because I know you are informed and will help inform others. TOGETHER INDIVIDUALLY, we can make GREAT things HAPPEN.

At least NO MORE fast question to APPEAR and DISSAPPEAR!!!

              

For some time now, I have not been myself. I see and hear things that are referred to as abnormal. When I speak, it comes to me knocking (hard) in my heart, when I sleep, it’s like I dwell yet in another world and even when I do what I love most (writing), it’s all that comes to me. The troubles - the insights - the QUESTIONS. 

When did it start? Was it the day I saw a child abused? Or the day children started hawking, the day our educational system fell like Goliath? Oh! Let me refresh your memory – just 20 years ago, JAMB results were brought to our doors, admission letters were given freely and other incentives were added for scholars to be more relaxed but all has changed. Was it the day our politicians started embezzling OUR money or the day religious crises became the order of the minute? Was it when the Biafra emerged or when the Niger-Delta militants wanted a ‘change’ or when the notorious BOKO HARAM had their ‘vision’?

Tell me, when our founding fathers made their sacrifice, was this what they expected? I often hear that, “Great leaders see the end from the beginning”. Was this the end they saw in the beginning? How I wished I was amidst, perhaps I would have influence the outcome of October 1^st.

Everything has gone worst than anticipated. The breeze of death is inhaled in states like Plateau, Kaduna, Bornu and even the South-South region in the name of selfish desires. I hear some call it ‘Religious right’ and others refer to it as ‘human right’ obviously, it is GENOCIDE. Our ‘so-called-leaders’ whom we didn’t even voted into office (to them, rigging is allowed) uses our money more than we use the toilet papers to invest outside the borders of this nation when the average brethren feeds with below 150 naira a day. They even went to the extent of negotiating with terrorists – I wonder when they will stop. Those who pilot the affair of this nation to better end up in peasantry luxury or six feet below the ground level.

Look at the youths, they have been given ‘forcefully’ the title ‘LEADERS OF TOMORROW’ yet the decisions of ‘next tomorrow’ are made by ‘Grand-fathers’. I have had enough.  Am just tired of looking at them – the unemployed youths, they roam around wondering what next to do, I fear they become the devil’s workshop. What about the prostitutes? I can’t even write anything.

This brings us to the questions

I believe that in the darkest storm lies a silver lining. I have heard many times that stories leads to glory. I believe that we have enough stories to go with. I believe that YOU and I have a role to play. I believe we can form an incorruptible army to sweep Nigeria. I BELIEVE in YOU!