Monday, 28 July 2014

Drugged, Raped, Mocked but Undaunted: I #standwithjada

Jada, a 16-year-old girl, was invited to a party. When she got there, the host gave her a drink of punch and after taking the drink, she passed out and was not aware of every other thing that happened at the party. A few weeks later, she realised that she had been raped and that her photo was taken while she was lying on the ground unconscious. She only became aware of what happened that night when photos of her naked body started circulating on the Internet. As if that was not worrisome enough, some Internet users started taking pictures of themselves mimicking Jada’s pose while she was lying unconscious on the ground and posted those pictures on the Internet with the hash tag #jadapose, which some have termed as a social media low. Some even posted videos, including dance videos to mock her.

But in a rare show of courage, she has decided to come out and speak about the whole incident. Jada, who revealed that she was angry about the whole thing, said, "I had no control. I didn't tell anyone to take my clothes off and do what they did to me." And about her reason for coming out, she said, “There's no point in hiding. Everybody has already seen my face and my body, but that’s not what I am and who I am.”


What is heartwarming is the support Jada has received since she came out to tell her side of the story. These people have also come up with counter hash tags like: #jadacounterpose and #standwithjada with the aim of drumming up support for Jada and also to discourage attacks on the female gender by males. Even the #jadapose meme has been hijacked and is now being used to attack its initial aim.

What is unclear to me is why men see ladies as sex objects who can be had not minding the lady’s consent. Some even believe there are justifiable reasons for rape. I think there should be a serious worldwide campaign against rape like the ones against hunger, child (girl child) education, diseases such as AIDS, polio, malaria, etc. I also think that men should be purposely taught not to give in to bestial instincts and how to redirect their energy whenever they feeling the instincts rising within them.

LET’S ALL SAY NO TO RAPE!
I SAY NO TO RAPE!

I STAND WITH YOU JADA!
















Thursday, 24 July 2014

#BringBackOurGirls: The Picture Story - Hundred Days After

It is now more than a hundred days that innocent schoolgirls were abducted from their school in Chibok in Borno State and they are still in captivity. This post is an imperfect pictorial representation of some of the activities that have trailed the abduction of the girls.
On the night of April 14-April 15, 2014, the girls were abducted and the wailing began...


The Bring Back Our Girls Campaign started:
And then, the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls began with this tweet:
The hashtag Campaign quickly spread all over the world like a wildfire:
Even the Pope joined the campaign:
The campaign was also carried out in other languages

And via other means
The protests also began
Some campaigners were harrassed:
And then, Malala came calling
Before Malala came, support had been pouring in from all over the world... including celebrities:
Students also joined
And even heads of government
And now at the moment, after hundred days of being in captivity, everyone is still hoping for the release of the girls and some are keeping vigil:
My earnest prayer is that the girls will be rescued very soon.
#BringBackOurGirls


P.S: Below are some videos relating to the Chibok abduction.


























"Twisting Rails" by Tomi Colors


Railing rails
We turn from nothing to not
A black world so we hide behind false light
Paint the wall we don’t want the colors we want
As far as broad
As wide as vast
What we think we know
*A mess mixed up a little more
The dance of shame to another’s song of pain
Bleeding beats playing ….. Silence… a little more*
It’s above you they said
What can you do? They asked
But really we all know it is one of us who has
The lieful promises what can we do
The future you don’t but keep moving to
First we ran then we walked then we crawled
All to where
*A mess mixed up a little more
The dance of shame to another’s song of pain
Bleeding beats playing ….. Silence… a little more*
A poor teaching to become rich
“Experience” yes, he called it
A penguin teaching the eagle to fly
I wonder what he would call it
The bridge we now stand before
Covered with the proud fog
To where we know not
Some say its hope others say it can’t be as bad
I pray it’s nowhere like
*A mess mixed up a little more
The dance of shame to another’s song of pain
Bleeding beats playing ….. Silence… a little more*
A glee of faith is raised
A man in white stained with what like blood looks
I think he was just beaten
Looks like he also was pierced
But on his head a crown
Shining like gold indeed
Calling on all to call his name
And out of this
*A mess mixed up a little more
The dance of shame to another’s song of pain
Bleeding beats playing ….. Silence… a little more*
He saves
A name greater than you and I
Deeper than that pit we ARE IN
Saved by the Name am named
To you dear one I write
A letter to u must read
He is just next to you
Calling on HIM is all for good
Living in HIM is more than good
Hidden in here a name THE NAME
He is JESUS ……………
OUT OF
*A mess mixed up a little more
The dance of shame to another’s song of pain
Bleeding beats playing ….. Silence… a little more*
He would SAVE…
                                                                                                             Poet c.

Tuesday, 22 July 2014

"They Say They Love Us" by Isaac Oluyi


They say they love us
Guns in hands,
 Speaking with sugar-coated mouths
Tongue in cheeks,
Promising to build bridges where there is no river
Calling white, black
Each time we complain
They say love us

They say they love us
But act like rogues in suits
Their carriages are not different from touts’
Poised to siphon the system with pens and milk it dry
Yet they say they love us

They say they love us
And shrewd all their actions in secrecy
Operating like a blood-sucking cult
Yet they say they love us.


Monday, 21 July 2014

Abuja Declaration (1989): Boko Haram's Strategic Plan or APC's?

This post has a religious colouration to it and I am not apologetic at all. All I am trying to do is to stand up for my faith. I have tried on this blog not to express religious bias and my religious persuasion except for a few posts like the ones on Pastor Joseph Prince, Hepatitis and Bucket List but today I am not going to shy away from my religious leaning. Actually this post is informed by my religious belief. I am a born again Christian and I am proud to say that. I AM TOTALLY SOLD OUT TO JESUS CHRIST, whom I have accepted as my personal LORD and SAVIOUR. So you will understand how disgusted, appalled, stupefied and horrified I was when I came across a Wikipedia page titled Abuja Declaration (1989). The document outlines a plan by some Muslims to take over Nigeria and some other nations like Ethiopia and Sudan. The content of the page is copied below:

Abuja Declaration (1989)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Abuja Declarion is the outcome of a conference of the African countries of the OIC in 1989 and launched by a communiqué of the Islam in Africa Organisation (IAO) founded during this conference.
The Islam in Africa Organisation (IAO) is a Nigerian satuted Islamic organisation, an initiative of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
Dr. Usman Muhamad Bugaje is the current Secretary-General of the IAO.
The organisation was founded on 28 November 1989 in Abuja, Nigeria, with the goal to win the whole of Africa for Islam. The statutes and goals are ratified in 1991 and this marks her formal definitive founding. The founding-communiqué is also called the Abuja Declaration. Starting point for the conference is the fact that Africa is the only continent with an Islamic majority and therefore Africa should become completely Islamic.
The plan contains a lot of points that are also common for Christian missionary organisations as relief and economic progression.
A battleplan was composed to Islamise Africa with some less innocent points in that decision:
"To ensure only Muslims are elected to all political posts of member nations".
"To eradicate in all its forms and ramifications all non-Muslim religions in member nations (such religions shall include Christianity, Ahmadiyya and other tribal modes of worship unacceptable to Muslim)." (the word Christianity is underlined in the declaration)
"To ensure the ultimate replacement of all western forms of legal and judicial systems with the sharia in all member nations before then next "Islam in Africa conference."
"To ensure the appointment of only Muslims into strategic national and international posts of member nations."
The execution of this strategy can be recognised in countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia and Sudan. In Nigeria more and more provinces choose for the Sharia leading to heavy protests of Christians, oft resulting in violence and bloodshed to both sides. In Sudan the government chose in 1983 for the Sharia, in 1991 sharpened with death punishment for apostasy from Islam.
Funds: The government of Nigeria has donated 21 billion US-dollar conform an IAO-communiqué as donation to this "Islamic Development Fund".
Organisation
The IAO consists of four main organisations:
the General Shura', the highest authority consisting of 43 members from all over Africa and the Diaspora.
the Executive Comité.
the Secretariat housed at Abuja, (Nigeria).
the Necessary organs to the realisation of the goals.
Countries
The organisation mentions the following countries on its website:

Apparently, this document is suspect and the content questionable but as a born again Christian, when I read the Abuja Declaration (1989), I couldn’t believe my eyes. I could not believe that some people could come up with a document like that. I have tried to think deeply about the Declaration and I have been trying to tell myself that the report may not be true but I realised I can’t just wave it away; not with the reality of Boko Haram. I think it is possible that the purported Declaration is the intent of a group of people in Nigeria. With the Boko Haram insurgency not showing any sign of abating, some Christians may not find it difficult to believe that the Abuja Declaration (1989) is the plan of a group of people, even if it did not emanate from the Islam in Africa Organisation.

If there is a grand plan to Islamise Nigeria, then Christians have to be wise in choosing who to vote for, and this is why the All Progressives Congress (APC) has to be more careful as I wrote in an earlier post or else it risks alienating Christian voters. For example, some people are already canvassing for a Christian to be the next governor of Lagos State. They are claiming that perpetuating Muslims as the governor of the state is an implementation of the Abuja Declaration (1989). While this may sound ridiculous to some, I believe it is a plausible argument because Lagos State is a key state in the South West and even Nigeria.

The APC, as a party, has to convince Christians that it is not an Islamic party. While we know that there are also Muslims in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the APC should take some steps to assure Nigerians that it does not have any hidden agenda. In order to win Christians over to their party, I will advise that the APC denounces, in the strongest terms possible, the Abuja Declaration (1989); present a Christian gubernatorial candidate for Lagos State in 2015; demonstrate genuine support for the fight against Boko Haram, among other things. I hope APC realises that the religion card is being played in the build up to the Osun State governorship election and if care is not taken, it will work against the party. Initially, I was thinking the purported Declaration might be the handiwork of the current PDP-led Federal Government but I found out that the document predates the current administration.

As a citizen of this nation, I will willingly give my vote to any party that is a better alternative to the non-performing PDP but in obedience to the scriptural injunction to contend for the faith (Jude 1:3), I will support (and encourage others to do same) a party that will protect my freedom of religion. I strongly believe that no one should be forced to adopt another person’s faith and that people of different faith should live together in peace and tolerance. I am sure that many Nigerians want to live in peace and quiet with other Nigerians of different faith.  We Christians resent and reject any attempt to Islamise Nigeria, and we will feel safer with a party that respects and protects our religion.

N.B: It has come to my notice that the Abuja Declaration (1989) mentioned in this post has been edited to read differently after the post was published on 21/7/2014. Only God knows those who are behind such action. If you go to the website, click on the View History icon at the top right-hand corner of the page. You will be directed to a page showing all the editing done on the page.


P.S. I am using this opportunity to talk about my religious orientation to show you this beautiful video:

Sunday, 20 July 2014

"Good Deal" by Isaac Oluyi


Is it a good deal?

They say it’s a good deal
To put a square peg in a round hole

They say it’s a good deal
To go to bed on empty stomachs
In the midst of plenty


Is it really a good deal? I ask again.

They say it’s a good deal
To slaughter merit on the altar of survival

They say it’s a good deal
To be without any means of livelihood
In a land that flows with milk and honey

Again, I ask: Is this really a good deal?
ABRA-CA-DA-BRA… A voice oozes out

The more you look, the less you see.

Saturday, 19 July 2014

"They Promise to Uplift Us" by Isaac Oluyi


They promise to uplift us
To take us to the 9th heaven
Where roads are macadamised with gold
And streets littered with diamonds

They promise to uplift us
To the level where only angels tread
Where all is fair and just
And there is no abracadabra

To fulfil their promise
They changed the goal-posts in the middle of the game
Empowering a novice as the umpire
Leaving us to wonder the feasibility of the promise

Friday, 18 July 2014

"Prelude to Anomie" by Isaac Oluyi


We were all excited the night before
Joyously looking forward to the morning after
With trumpets, strings and cymbals we prepared for the new dawn
Hoping it would mark a glorious beginning
Alas! It turned out a mirage
As their first confabulation birthed confusion
Leaving us all in sixes and sevens
As we wondered about their intention
Imams were made to eat pork
And pastors hobnobbed with tarts
Our hallowed temple has been desecrated
What a prelude to a new season!

It was a prelude to a season of anomie.


Wednesday, 16 July 2014

"Once in a Life Time" by Isaac Oluyi


I hate wearing other people’s garbs
I like expressing my inner being
Without being subservient to societal norms
To live for others is to be enslaved
To please others at your expense is to live a fake life
Fake life, a propeller of ennui and dissatisfaction
Engenders cacophony in thoughts and actions
But alas! Many are in this web of confusion
To speak like Demosthenes and scribble like Soyinka
I need to dig deep and look inwards
To live out my passion and talent with zeal

Not minding whose ox is gored nor gets entangled by societal dictates.