What I know for sure.

I know most of us are picking wars of words about the election while those who own the war solely; listen, sign what they must, but do what they please.

I know we give so much; burn cars, blow up offices. Get blood on our hands and guilt on consciences to make a point. We do it all for people who do nothing for us at all.

I know our war should not be fought on the high land of prejudice and sentiment, but we should, if we must, fight to the death to make a worthy difference on the lowland of capacity and worth.

I know we deserve more than this “election worthy only” way they see us. Like we are nothing until they need us for something. If stomach infrastructure is key, where has it been all the while we starved in the last three years? If we will be protected in the future, why weren't we in the past?

I know in battle the strategies are not solely attack and defense. There is also one that lurks in the shadows; sabotage. Things are almost never what they seem.

I know our poverty is not a mistake; our ignorance is not a thing of chance. They keep us this way because they need us this way; vulnerable. I know we are only independent in the history books, but are still heavily dependent on everyone but ourselves.

I know we are too scared to accept change because the “familiar” is more comfortable than “what if" But if you say you can do better, why should you be forgiven for wasting our time with less than your best?  We never said heal our hurt, Visit our injured, or bury our dead. We only begged you pretend you cared!

I know it spells trouble that our best resource is the adage on "the devils we know", like a woman in an abusive relationship. We refuse to give love a chance because, we’re scared we’d be put through worse. But how much worse can it get? There have been too many of us who slept in beds but now awaken at the light of day under the grasses that have grown on the bed of earth that marks where we lay.

       I know I know nothing. Maybe that’s why I see through everything.

 Photo credit:  http://www.facenfacts.com/NewsDetails/13236/kashmir-rape:-id-parade-postponed.htm

A call to arms – Daisy Odey and Kristen Haruna.

 Life dares to bloom on a plain far away, where Akin met Haruna, Haruna met Uche, and all three visited death.

In a city where the sun  rises at midnight, but sets at dawn. I hear the blood taps are still running on the hills, where Akin, Haruna and Uche were killed.

We scream, off with their heads for mutiny! They ran from a war, ran from corruption, Ran to us. They came to our homes screaming;

“I saw her guts, the womb of my mother opened. Not just bones, I saw my unborn sister, Could have been a brother, Dragged out chopped to chunks”
but what did we do? A troubled man with a troubled man, who will save who?
We said;
“Not this day, maybe tomorrow when our troubles go away” we turned our backs in innocence and our innocence became guilt.

They turned to the leaders, who brought upon us the wars, they returned to the mountains of power singing;
“it doesn't concern us that you feed fat in your homes. While we fight a gun war with arrows and stones. We know someday you’d sign treaties for peace. Forgetting those we lost to fleas, cold and disease. So please, for this, look upon us, with a little mercy”
and the mountain grumbled;
“Tied to a barrel, one wound to the chest, for running from a war being fought in the west. You lived by the sword; it’s our fault we know. But then by that sword, you also must go”

A rusty gun, a helmet, dusty boots laid on camouflage. That’s all that came home to the mother who wept into a crumpled green, white, and green flag.

Today we answer the call to arms,
 We without arms,
Our empty hands locked in unity.
Lets for today,
Tribe, religion, and, prejudice aside lay,
And Pray,
standing for our sons dying,
In the forests of the North,
 On the hills of the West,
In the rivers of the South,
lying in the cemeteries in the east.
To the dead and alive,
Nigeria acknowledges your sacrifice

Sabinus speaks.

Nigeria, you see terrorist situation in Paris? You see turn out? You watch professional reporting? You see president?

You see commando? You have Boko-haram, why you no have commando? Maybe commandos rescue Chibok girls. Commando trained for terrorist, them no stand at road blocks on road. Them no disturb with “happy weekend” even when it no be weekend. Paris have road blocks now after attack? Put commando on road? Use commandos terrorize people? I call friend in Paris, I ask him.

You see French president? You see him address his people? Why he no send his own Reuben Abati? Why he no send spokesperson? French president no have spokesperson? Where first lady? First lady no talk? No cry?  Why Obama no speak after every bomb blast or terrorist attack?  Terrorist attack too often in Nigeria for Obama? Or Obama just no like us? Why Obama talk to us when Jonathan no talk to us either.

You see president walk to scene?  Why no siren? Why no long files of army follow? I see few security service officers, I no see guns.  Jonathan ever walk to scene of tragedy same day? No, he go days later, if him go at all. Him need to dance at rally first before him go, scene need be clean and safe before him go. When he go him go with camera crew, camera crew must snap president good side for campaign publicity.

How they catch the terrorist? Plus save hostages? Why they no say “terrorist will be brought to book” Then do nothing? They just bring them to book gbam! Plus avoid killing too many people. French do juju? Or bring miracle pastor? French government wait for America to send weapons before she protect her people?

But we president busy.  French president no busy campaigning, him no busy worrying about gathering funds. Him no worry about billions flying out of treasury, him no worry about strikes here and there. No, him no worry. Him no have worries about past president pestering like housefly, writing scandalous book.   Him can act like president because him no worry about staying president. Maybe we president be president after him win election.  Maybe after February Nigeria celebrate, Nigeria stop cry, Chibok girls return and kidnapped boys too. Maybe after February we Nigeria finally have president.

Forgiven or forgotten

Have we forgotten? Have we forgiven? The 16th of February in Izghe, 25th of February in Yobe, 20th of May - Jos, 28th June – Abuja, 29th of November- Kano. Have we forgotten how we almost broke the internet with the “Bring back our girls” campaign? Was empathy from our president too much to ask?  Have we forgotten the promises in 2011? Have we forgiven the embezzling? Who told our children stealing was not corruption? Isn't a man’s integrity best judged by the little things he chooses to ignore? We can continue to pretend all is well, but can we afford to?

After all, whose children lie in shallow graves? Whose daughters sit in the claws of captivity? Whose sons were trampled in an examination exercise? Who visited the hospitals only to be told the doctors or health workers were on strike, again? Who braved the sun's scourging to occupy Nigeria? Whose children were massacred in schools? Whose sisters, brothers and mothers left for business but never returned? Who dies of thirst at the well of empty promises? Who can save us from this menace? Who votes?

Come February, we will not be caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. We will be standing between the devil, the deep blue sea, and our prejudice. We admire the battle cry of change, but we know too well from past experience, a promise made is not a promise fulfilled. We are standing in the darkness of the familiar, from five presidential candidates we only acknowledge two potential presidents. Politics might just be more like athletics and less like wine, older is not better. Caught between the lesser of two evils, whomever we pick is a bad choice. Nigerians, what reason do we have to vote come February?

To an unborn child.

Dear child, 

Growing up happens fast. It’s not about the numbers that we keep count of but the person you slowly and unknowingly become. The level of understanding you start to attain. Being grown up is beautiful, but I must advise you;

Recognize the job trap. Being jobless does not mean being useless, because feeling useless often ends in feeling life is meaningless. Literally! Man shall not live by bread alone. Do not become an adult with all to live by but nothing to live for, with all the means but no meaning.

When you come to the cloud that will for a period, wrap your silver lining. Beware of the three brothers; depression, aggression, addiction. They come in bottles; they come as cancer sticks caked with nicotine; they come as colorful foil packed capsules. They are often one small thing that begs you indulge, just once. Beware of fleeting satisfaction. The devil is not one big demon we slay once, but the little nothing's that come dressed as pleasures to which we must constantly deny ourselves.

Your conscience is not a nagging wife, it is a cautious guide; the rudder of your ship, your inbuilt constitution. Do not murder it with constant ignoring. What a man can do once, he might do again. It is easier to curb the first desire than it will be to satisfy the one’s that will follow. 

 
Have new experiences.  Soon you will begin to forget the last time you did something for the first time. Routine and passivity sets in.  Experience is as valuable as achieving. It is the inward companion to its outward counterpart. After all you keep your achievements for the world but your experiences are all you keep for yourself.

Most things in life are like fine china, you will learn this with time. They break with ease. Do not let anything that breaks leave you broken; Relationships, dreams or trust. Fear generalization, what applies to some does not apply to all. 

You were not made to be perfect. Adulthood comes with a bucket of excuses where you can pick when you go wrong. “The devil made me do it?”, “It’s because of the bad economy”, or my favorite “I had to do it”…. stop it! You can be wrong, you will be wrong. Explain but do not excuse. Take responsibility. Seek forgiveness and forgive yourself.

Finally, never forget you don't live once. You live daily through your good decisions, and die daily still by the bad ones. Believe in faith, but leave nothing to chance. In the words of Viktor E. FrankL “if you must howl with the wolves remain a sheep in wolves clothing”.

Forget feminism and be a woman.

  Feminism is the new black. Any woman who prefers to make a lot out of her supposedly little self must be either a self acclaimed or society proclaimed feminist. I have come to despise this stereotype that puts together in a box of rebellion, outspokenness, and ambition all women who dare to want to be something. So after one too many confrontations with friends and strangers I want to state publicly I do not know what feminism is I only know about being a woman.

  A woman earns her respect by being respectable, working for what she desire's and not waiting on a man like a sunflower waits for the sun to bloom.  A woman believes in the values of marriage but it isn't  the only thing she's defined by.  A woman does not challenge the strength of a man; she only refuse's to be called weak because she is a woman.

   I believe in what I believe in not because I am a woman but because I am human. We are all human first and anything else second. That alone should be enough reason to treat a woman like one.

Why wait for 1/01...

   Our flight through 2014 is slowly coming to its climax. At this juncture if you, like myself made resolutions, promises, and goals at the beginning of the year you might be taking stock. Assessing the kept, the fulfilled, and the never attempted. Satisfaction being equal to how many do’s we got round to achieving.

   Fact is, we often know what we need to do. The poisonous darlings we ought to kill, the habits we should break, but we all prefer to wait for the famous first of January to begin.

   We must realize the New Year is just that, a new year. It does not suddenly confer on us greater self discipline or stronger will power. You want to shed some weight? Forget the first of January, start running today. Need to quit smoking? Don’t drag that next stick of cigarette. The company that’s doing you no good, if you intend to cut the strings in the New Year you might as well cut them now. Better sooner than later.
   Today, tomorrow, any day is equally appropriate. You do not need to plan towards being a better you next year, enter the next year better, healthier and wiser.