Soja Go, Soja Come, Barracks Stay

The above statement, a popular Nigerian saying, is about the same as saying that tough times do not last, but that tough people do, since tough times, like the soldier, come and go, but a tough person, like the barracks, is a permanent feature.

The Bible Falls Apart

Atheism is not a religion. It is simply a rejection of the belief in any and all deities. If we are to start from the 'creation' according to the bible, then we will be made to believe that mankind came into existence a mere 6000, or so, years ago. This does not hold true for many reasons, and for me, the one that I think is the most glaring evidence that we have been here for much longer is the fact that we could not have grown to a population of over 7 billion in just 6000 years. Even if every human being born  since Adam and Eve started having children was still alive today, and you can do the math for yourself, we still would not total over 7 billion.

Prophet Fela

"Pastor’s house na him dey fine pass, my people dem dey stay for poor surroundings; pastor’s dress na him dey clean pass, e hard for my people to buy soap. Pastor na him dem give respect pass…" - Coffin for Head of State by Fela Anikulapo Kuti (1981).

Spacecrafts And Witchcraft

Picture Jesus ascending into heaven; he walks away from his disciples, slowly levitates into the air until he exits earth and into space. And then...; well, there could be a few scenarios here. He may have boarded a spacecraft that could have been waiting to take him straight to heaven. He could have continued floating through space until he got to heaven, meaning he could still be on his way, depending on how far heaven is. Little wonder then that he is yet to come back! If he got to heaven this way, he may still be resting and it would be a while before he thinks about his second coming. So fear ye not sinners, the second coming is still a long while away!

A childhood friend of mine told me a story  about his aunt who lives in the UK. She was a deaconess at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, and a devout member of the church who prayed at every opportunity. It was her 'prayerfulness' that was responsible for his reluctance to visit her, despite her regular entreaties. He finally succumbed and went to see her, more because he wanted to eat Nigerian food, than actually for her company. As each prayer opportunity, during the visit, came and went, my friend became increasingly apprehensive about his aunty's religious loyalties. His curiosity got the better of him as she was walking him to the bus stop at the end of his visit, and he asked her why she had not said a single word of prayer all the while he was at her home, which was totally out of character. She looked at him and asked him, "why should I pray?" She lived in a decent area, and she highlighted the fact that utilities and emergency services were reliable, there was world class healthcare which she enjoyed as she was diabetic, and a host of other existential differences between Nigeria and the UK. My friend, to say the least, was stunned beyond belief but he managed to conceal it.

Despicable Them

During the ebola virus scare in Nigeria last year, I read this post about Nigeria's very own TB Joshua, of the collapsed building fame. He was called a conman, which is exactly what he is. I really cannot describe what I feel whenever I see hundreds of thousands of desperate (and quite frankly, stupid) people from all over Nigeria, Africa, and elsewhere around the world literally falling over themselves to see this semi-illiterate charlatan, and snake oil salesman.

Today is Sunday, and in Nigeria, it means church for tens of millions of people. Attendance is essentially non-negotiable, from those who go compulsorily, to those who are forced or coerced, or who do it to avoid being labelled as an agent of the devil. One who does not go to church is invariably seen as  diabolic, and there are usually dire consequences.

Your Money And Your Life

I could not help but share this post since I talked a lot about the Catholic church in my last post. The interference, and intrusion, of religion into our lives is not only no longer acceptable, it has become abusive - physically and emotionally. Religion is a form of control. It is like the government, the only difference being that, like a dictatorship, we have no say in how we are governed; it is not a democracy. Our lives are left to the whims of the head of the regime.

Random Musings

Oscar Wilde once said that "there is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book, books are either well written or badly written." Muslim women have called Islam "a beautiful religion" despite its position on women as full blown second class citizens. Only a woman blinded by the dogma of religion, or who has never read the koran cover to cover, will defend Islam as a beautiful religion.

Why The Delay In Prosecuting TB Joshua?

On September 12 2014, a five-storey building which was to serve as a guesthouse for the numerous  miracle-seeking foreign visitors to the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) collapsed and killed 118 persons (some reports quoted 115). The guesthouse was in the latter stages of construction, but it was already accommodating guests. Two days later, this video surfaced claiming that the collapse was caused by a "mysterious aircraft" which flew past the building three times at different intervals before it collapsed.

I begin

Nigerians are one people you would find in virtually every country of the world. You would also find them excelling in nearly every human endeavour. In a gathering of Nigerians at home and abroad, one would not be surprised to hear that the topic of discussion is the litany of woes bedevilling this country with obvious world superpower potentials. Our government has simply failed us, and the late Chinua Achebe put it succinctly when he said that "the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership." This failure has pushed Nigerians elsewhere - into the grubby hands of those who make a living selling the supernatural.