19 July, 2015

As Buhari leaves for the U.S today



As Buhari leaves for the U.S today he should not not defer to Obama when he gets there. The is especially so on issues pertaining to what the people of Nigeria nay,Africa holds dear. The unnatural phenomenon presently sweeping the West is especially in mind. This is the homosexual movement that seems to be the vogue in the U.S and some European nations. To equate same sex relationship and marriage to its heterosexual counterpart is to stretch freedom to its elastic limit. Procreatively, homosexual relationship cannot produce children. Humanity as we know it can't last with homosexuality. It is an aberration. The problem lies with attempting to paint an unnatural act as being natural. Homosexuals have always been with us. They can jolly well survive like they have been surviving. Apart from the immediate problem of relationship, homosexuality throws up a lot of legal issues like sperm donor issues, calling a male a wife and vice versa etc. If the west will not give us aids because of Nigeria's refusal to bow to pressure then let them be. We should look inward and put our house in order. It may well be an opportunity to pick ourselves up, roll up our sleeves and do the needful to make our nation great again.

As Buhari leaves for the U.S today



As Buhari leaves for the U.S today he should not not defer to Obama when he gets there. The is especially so on issues pertaining to what the people of Nigeria nay,Africa holds dear. The unnatural phenomenon presently sweeping the West is especially in mind. This is the homosexual movement that seems to be the vogue in the U.S and some European nations. To equate same sex relationship and marriage to its heterosexual counterpart is to stretch freedom to its elastic limit. Procreatively, homosexual relationship cannot produce children. Humanity as we know it can't last with homosexuality. It is an aberration. The problem lies with attempting to paint an unnatural act as being natural. Homosexuals have always been with us. They can jolly well survive like they have been surviving. Apart from the immediate problem of relationship, homosexuality throws up a lot of legal issues like sperm donor issues, calling a male a wife and vice versa etc. If the west will not give us aids because of Nigeria's refusal to bow to pressure then let them be. We should look inward and put our house in order. It may well be an opportunity to pick ourselves up, roll up our sleeves and do the needful to make our nation great again.

10 June, 2014

NEPA Go NEPA Come



When NEPA was disbanded not a few of us shouted hosanna. We optimistically thought the new dispensation would herald an era of fresh breath in Nigeria power sector. We thought lessons have been learnt by the new Distribution Companies (DISCOS) as per the mistakes of their predecessors. With the advent of the DISCOS things have remained the same if not worse. Power outages are as frequent as ever. Outages remain a constant factor come rain or dry season. I believe due diligence was not properly undertaken by these DISCOS before the commencement of their homework before bidding for a piece of the defunct NEPA.

They now have assets which they obviously lack the knowledge of what to do with. The new power distribution companies can still be seen in town carrying ladders about, disconnection electricity to defaulting customers. If they had invested in pre paid meters their personnel would have been better allocated to other duties. The customers will also not feel shortchanged as they will be paying for electricity actually consumed instead of the current estimated bills. The backward looking concept of estimated bills should be discarded in favour of pre paid meters. This scheme will also conserve scarce power because consumers will be more prudent in their electricity usages. For examples they would not leave their houses with security lights on or over boil water etc. this will have an overall effect of conserving much needed power. People should pay for what they use for the sake of equity and fairness.

NEPA Go NEPA Come



When NEPA was disbanded not a few of us shouted hosanna. We optimistically thought the new dispensation would herald an era of fresh breath in Nigeria power sector. We thought lessons have been learnt by the new Distribution Companies (DISCOS) as per the mistakes of their predecessors. With the advent of the DISCOS things have remained the same if not worse. Power outages are as frequent as ever. Outages remain a constant factor come rain or dry season. I believe due diligence was not properly undertaken by these DISCOS before the commencement of their homework before bidding for a piece of the defunct NEPA.

They now have assets which they obviously lack the knowledge of what to do with. The new power distribution companies can still be seen in town carrying ladders about, disconnection electricity to defaulting customers. If they had invested in pre paid meters their personnel would have been better allocated to other duties. The customers will also not feel shortchanged as they will be paying for electricity actually consumed instead of the current estimated bills. The backward looking concept of estimated bills should be discarded in favour of pre paid meters. This scheme will also conserve scarce power because consumers will be more prudent in their electricity usages. For examples they would not leave their houses with security lights on or over boil water etc. this will have an overall effect of conserving much needed power. People should pay for what they use for the sake of equity and fairness.

06 June, 2014

The Motor Dealer, The Buyer and The Custom Service

Imagine this scenario: you are travelling with your family in your newly acquired tokunbo car while enjoying the countryside. All of a sudden you are flagged to a stop at a Customs checkpoint. You are requested to produce the car documents which you confidently proffered. . to your utter dismay and horror the document are said not to be in order. You are told that your car was not processed legally. Despite your pleadings that your car is bought at a dealer’s forecourt it is impounded. Your journey is rudely cut short and you and your family left stranded. The above scenario plays out in one form or the other every day on our highways. Meanwhile the numbers of motor car dealers continue to increase daily. However, the argument remains that with the open display of Tokunbo cars on the dealer’s forecourts why do the Custom Service turn a blind eye only to embarrass defenseless buyers of such cars. 

Methinks the Custom Service will do well to impound these cars while they are still in the possession of such car dealers and not wait till a car is bought before swinging into a belated action. If an illegal product is being sold openly the onus lies on the concerned agency to arrest the seller and not wait till it was bought before doing the needful. Whatever the anomaly observed by the Customs it should be solved at the dealers’ and not subjecting the unwary buyer to unnecessary hassles after purchase. 

Come to think of it, what are the Customs doing in the towns instead of the International borders? If such unusual efforts and industry on the part of the Customs was put into policing our borders these cars would not have entered the country in the first place. I tried to check the papers of a car at the customs office before purchase only to be directed to the local airport where they demanded N5000 just to check the custom duty status of a car. This is not good enough. It is not encouraging people to know the status of car's duty before purchase. The appropriate authority should up to their duties.

04 June, 2014

Petrol Palava

  Petroleum Pump Price

For a while now the pump price of petrol has been hovering any where above ₦110 per litre. Surprisingly, some South-South states buy at well above ₦130. This is happening in a country where the legal pump price is pegged at ₦97 per litre. It will take some hard argument to convince anyone that the FG is not tacitly condoning the situation. This is due to the obvious lack of interest of government to call the dealers to order. The petrol dealers are given free reinto fix the price of the commodity. If the government intends to remove the petrol subsidy it should just go ahead and do so.



  A situation where station owners are feeding fat on the general population should be arrested forthwith. The problem lies with enforcement. Some people are being paid with the tax payers money to enforce compliance but choose to sit on their hands. Nowadays they don’t even bother to bark not to talk of bite. The Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR) saddled with enforcing regulation is a toothless bulldog as regulations are routinely flouted by the filling stations operators. This is hardly surprising since most of the personnel has strings of filling stations. It is a clique thing. most commissioners and political advisers have filling stations hence the lack of political will by the DPR to do the needful. 

01 June, 2014

The Loot Called Security Vote

The issue of the so called security vote in the Nigeria political reality is something of an anolamy. The security vote is the money ‘allocated’ to the Governors in Nigeria whereby they are meant to use the fund to deal with the security issues that may be bedeviling their respective domain. This is all well and good if not for the fact that the governors are not meant to account for the said vote. This obvious anomaly has continued to generate much discourse in the political space. As a matter of fact security vote is an alien concept to the Nigeria constitution.
     The Nigeria constitution distributes powers and allocates responsibilities. It matches perks of office with accountabilities. It is therefore strange that a concept like security vote, where the recipient owes NO ONE any accountability, has been allowed to take root in the Nigeria body polity. The so called security vote is therefore unconstitutional, illegal, and totally immoral in all its ramifications. Where the enabling powers emanate beat me. I challenge anyone to show me where the constitution mentions anything resembling the concept of ‘security vote’. What has it been able to achieve thus far except allowing the governors to extra constitutionally stash away at least N300 million every month in private accounts. Its proponents say the fund is needed in order to keep the level of crime and criminality down. But pray, why the secrecy? If the fund is truly being used to provide security why can’t they come clean and do the needful by accounting.
   The Governors of the North Eastern states collect same every month but has it brought any actionable intelligence to combat the militants operating in that corner? The truth is that the governors see the security vote as legalized loot and as the dividend of democracy. It comes with the territory as it were. This is an area the ongoing National confab should look into in order to correct this obvious anomaly. The issue should be put up to the light of the letter and spirit of the constitution.

Meanwhile: BringBackOurGirls

28 May, 2014

Still On The Chibok Girls: A Nation Without Borders


   That about 300 school girls can just disappear into the thin air of Borno state is as mysterious as it is mindboggling. The Boko Haram insurgents came on that fateful day of April the 14th  to spirit away the young girls from Chibok to God know where. The level of impunity of these guys is just too hard to imagine. They came in a convoy and they left same way. This in a state under the cloud of a so called state of emergency. For criminals too operate for hours in normal times and climes are eyebrow-raising not to talk of during a so called state of emergency. It is obvious the Islamic militants are stealing a march on our security agencies and apparently tying them in a knot. They seem to have better intelligence, mobility, and motivation. 
Our borders are hopelessly porous. These are the same borders that are supposed to be manned by the Customs Service, Immigration Service, and other security personnel. The question that begs an answer is: where are the security guys when convoys of motorcycles and cars move so frefreely across our borders. If they can not spot and intercept a mass movement of people how can they be expected to put a stop to organized gun running across our frontier. If the criminal elements within the country continue to have access to guns and other offensive materiels, it is a no brainer to expect anything less than the current level of criminality and lawlessness currently holding the country by the jugular.

  • Meanwhile #BringBackOurGirls

22 March, 2014

Collective Amnesia


Nigerians are a rare breed indeed. We tend to have the shortest memories of all humankind. You can always bet that a villain today will be the hero tomorrow. A known criminal will always be feted tomorrow. There was a time Sanusi was accusing the National Assembly of getting virtually all Federal allocation of financial resources. He was shouted down by the N.A. In a dramatic turnaround he is being heavily defended by the same N.A especially the lower arm. Ditto for Obasanjo. When he was in government he was hated by not a few for a myriad of perceived wrongs .He was accused of hounding his enemies with the E.F.C.C, and the third term debacle. They called for his head. He is now being invited to be the pathfinder of a party led by his former traducers. Week is really a long time in politics. El-rufai the former minister of the F.C.T was a pariah among the people for being elitist. his enemies cited his destruction of peoples’ homes and business in his pursuit of the F.C.T master plan, his riddance of okada riding business within the F.C.T metropolis, his allocation of plot to his family members on the very last day of his tenure of office. El-rufai has now somehow wormed his way into the peoples’ consciousness as the champion of the masses. It is a dramatic volte face to say the least. Bola Tinubu too was accused of cornering every juicy contract for himself. They said he has the contract for tax collection in Lagos, that his company collects toll on the Lekki-Ajah axis, that he made his wife a senator, his in-law a House of representative member, his daughter the Iyaloja of Lagos etc,etc. Apparently, however, the hoi polloi conveniently refuse to remember all these alleged sins in their desperate bid to oust one allegedly corrupt regime for the other. Saints are in short supply across the Nigeria political firmament. The ugly cream will always rise to the surface in our tolerant clime. The liver to come clean of the tainted political class is sadly lacking within the nation. Old wine continues to be recycled in new bottles. We continue to see the same tired and worn old faces. Nigeria surely needs a clean break with other soiled and sullied political class. The great impediment however, is our collective short memories.

29 December, 2013

Can A Leopard Change Its Spots?

The recent cross-carpetting of the 37 House of representative members has been applauded by some political pundits and their fellow ACN co-travellers. However, a critical analysis of the move shows that the ecampees are politicians who will always behave to type. They would tend to do what favours their political future rather than the interest of the masses who 'elected' them.


For example can anybody name any of the cross-carpeters that sought the opinion of their constituency? One would expect a move this weighty should have been sanctioned by the very people they are supposed to be representing. By jumping ship have their self serving toga been shed and left behind in their old ship? I guess not. Are they now new creatures spotless and clean? Will they now tell naija how much their take home pay packet is? Are they not the same people that constitute the party ACN sees as Nigeria number one public enemy? By changing party nomenclature can it be said they have changed their ways? I believe thye were the problem that IS the PDP. This momentous gamble of theirs is self seeking to say the least. Really, can a leopard change its spots?

06 December, 2013

Mandela | History



Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (18 July, 1918 - 05 December, 2013)

Born July 18,1918 in Mveso,Transkei, South Africa Nelson Mandela the first black president of South Africa died today Thurday the 5th.Nelson Mandela aka Rolihlahla (he who tugs at the branch of a tree i.e troublemaker) and fondly called Madiba,a clan name, lost his dad at the tender age of nine. His father Gadla Henry Mphakanyisiwa was the chief of Mveso "by blood and custom". Mandela who was given the name 'Nelson' on his first day at school by his tea her, joined the ANC in 1942. Nelson Mandela majored on Roman Dutch law at the University College of Fort Hare which was a key institution offering excellent western education to black Africans.It was here Mandela met Oliver Thambo. Mandela dropped out of the Student Representative Council due to activism. He was expelled in 1940 alongside Oliver Thambo. Mandela went back to the village but ran back to town when he discovered his uncle was planning an impromptu wedding for him. He thereafter worked as a guard on a goldmine and as a clerk in a law firm. He later went on to study law at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. By 1948 Nelson Mandela had failed to pass the requisite examinations for his LLB degree. He undertook to take the qualifying exam which would grant him the license to practice as an attorney. He and Oliver Thambo thereafter set up the 'Mandela &Thambo Law Firm' which provided free and affordable legal services. Mandela was also a co founder of Umkhonto we Siswe (MK),the spear of the nation. This was the armed wing of the African National Congress ANC.
Nelson Mandela

MK launched its first guerrilla attacks against government installations on 16 December 1961. Consequently branded a terrorist organisation,the MK was banned by both the US and the South African government. The manifesto of MK published on 16 December 1961 declared: "The time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices – submit or fight. That time has now come to South Africa. We shall not submit and we have no choice but to hit back by all means in our power in defence of our people, our future, and our freedom.' Firstly, we believed that as a result of Government policy, violence by the African people had become inevitable, and that unless responsible leadership was given to canalise and control the feelings of our people, there would be outbreaks of terrorism which would produce an intensity of bitterness and hostility between the various races of this country which is not produced even by war. Secondly, we felt that without violence there would be no way open to the African people to succeed in their struggle against the principle of white supremacy. All lawful modes of expressing opposition to this principle had been closed by legislation, and we were placed in a position in which we had either to accept a permanent state of inferiority, or take over the Government". Mandela along with ten other ANC activists was sentenced to life imprisonment for 221 acts of sabotage and other political offences. He will subsequently spend 27 years in prison with 18 of those spent on Robben Island. Nelson Mandela was released by Frederick W. de Klerk on February 11, 1990. The two shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Having won the April 27,1994 general election, Nelson Mandela was sworn in as South Africa first black president on the 10th of May 1994 at the age of 77. He supervised the writing of a new constitution in 1996. Thrice married, Mandela was married to Evelyn Ntoko Mase, Walter Sisulu's cousin, from 1944 to 1957. The marriage produced Maditha Thembekile, Makgatho (who died of AIDS in 2005), Makaziwe, and Maki. Madela was married to Winnie Madikizela Madela from 1958 to 1996. Theirchildren together are daughters Zenani Dlamini, the South African ambassador to Argentina, and Zindziswa. Nelson Mandela married Graca Machel the widowed first lady of Mozambique in 1998. Mandela had been down with recurring lung infection no doubt contracted through tuberculosis during his long incarceration.

17 November, 2013

Fumbling INEC


Methink Jega should be removed like jigger. 4 years to organise Anambra election yet the result is abysmal and inconclusive. He is not justifying his pay and Nigerians' expectation. Materials not reaching polling stations,names disappearing from the voting registers,etc smacks of non preparedness and a woeful lackadaisical approach to national assignment on the part of INEC.

Prof. Attahiru Jega INEC Chairman
INEC has let me and a lot of people down. The only good thing from the debacle is the unusual agreement of PDP,LABOUR, and APC that the conduct is way below par. Why is it so hard to conduct election seamlessly in naija. Is it asking for the impossible?

30 October, 2013

Look who is NOT talking!


Lai Moh'd is not talking now. The Tinubunisation of Lagos State is going on apace.With a Senator wife, a House of Rep cum Iyaloja General General of Lagos daughter, a lackey as the State governor ,control of about 6 governors ,control of money spinning Toll gates,etc Senator Tinubu has it all made. Some folks simply has all the luck! However, if the shoe is on the other leg ala Jonathan, Lai would have shouted himself hoarse telling all who cares to listen about the evils of nepotism and Godfatherism etc etc. My point is : you no holy pass. Either PDP or APC none has the higher moral ground. Lai Mohammed should therefore, spare us the sabre rattling,sanctimony, and false indignation.

09 September, 2013

Rogue Coconut


A coconut is being held by police in the Maldives amid allegations that black magic was used in an attempt to disrupt a bitterly-contested presidential election. The coconut, bearing inscriptions, was found close to a school which is to be used as a polling station on the remote Kaafu atoll, Guraidhoo, one of the hundreds of islands that comprise the Indian Ocean archipelago state. The local Minivan News website reported that police "took the coconut into their possession" after receiving a complaint. Black magic is often used in an attempt to prevent people from voting or influence them on the islands, with coconuts used in rituals and inscribed with spells.
It was reported earlier this year that the school authorities on Guraidhoo had resisted using their buildings as polling stations, citing previous instances of problems being caused by magic. In a bid to allay their fears the national election commission said it would accept responsibility "if anyone falls under a spell or comes down ill". As for the ‘kurumba’ (young coconut) detained by police, officers brought in a 'ruqyah' practitioner or white magician, to examine the fruit, who found there was no case

30 August, 2013

A Pastor and his Accuser: A case of pastor Fatoyinbo

SCANDAL: My Sex Affair With Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo Of COZA – Ese Walter This article contains stories that most ‘church people’ don’t want to address. So, if you are one of those living in denial and covering up crap going on in the church, this is where you should stop reading. Thanks for stopping by. Now, for the rest of us, please sit down and switch on your open mind. I want to talk about something I have kept bottled up inside for longer than necessary. I have also decided to use real names, as my defense for any accusation of slander is justification. I tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but. However, feel free to throw your doubt around but know that I am past the shaming game (where victims of abuse are shot down by blame) I am no longer a victim but a survivor who is sharing her experience to help others caught in same web of abuse, guilt and shame. We only get to live once right? So here, it goes… I recently came to know this event too was abuse (recently here means about 6 months ago). It has literally been eating me up having to drive by another billboard advertising preachers, or hearing his name, or even trying to ask about the validity of the entire salvation story and whether or not there is a God that truly watches over his people. That being said, I’m just going to say it as it is. This is a recap of my affair with Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo of COZA (Common Wealth Of Zion Assembly) Abuja chapter. This affair I have come to know as a form of abuse as you would see the different elements of abuse very present. I met Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo many years ago. I was getting bored of the church I was attending and someone suggested COZA. At the time, I had never heard about it. My friend said, go there, I’m sure you would enjoy the word. But he also gave me a strong warning. He said he would advice that I remain a member only and not join the workforce. I agreed. The first time I attended COZA, I felt it was my church and decided I was going to plant my ass there. About eleven months had gone by and I was still attending the services quietly and faithfully. I really did like the church. One day a worker in the church approached me that the senior pastor wanted to see me. Me? I thought. Why would the senior pastor want to see me? Not the second man but the head nigga in charge? Ok na! I started to think my sin was oozing so bad the pastor could tell I needed Jesus. (Poor old me.) I saw him at the end of the second service (they had two services at the time) and he said to me that he would like me to work with him. I knew I had no intentions of becoming a pastor so I had to ask in what capacity. He said he’d like for me to join a department, preferably the Pastoral Care Unit (PCU). A few weeks later, against my friend’s advice not to join the workforce, I was a PCU member. All of a sudden, I had some status in church. I was ‘somebody.’ Dress had to be on point, hair, shoes and what not… As workers, we were literally trying to outshine each other or so it seemed. Anyways, I felt like I was a privileged member of an elite circle. Hehehe. (It did feel good though, for the most part.) About a year after joining the workforce, I was on my way to London for a Masters degree program that would last two years. As was the rule for workers travelling, I wrote to say I would be away for 2 years and Pastor Biodun Fotoyinbo asked that I keep in touch by sending him my number and email when I had settled in London so he “makes sure I continue in the faith” because according to him, people loose their faith when they leave home and he wanted to make sure I didn’t. So, on that note, as soon as I got a phone line in London, I was sure to call ‘my pastor’ to say I arrived safe, had settled in and also gave my phone number. We had spoken a few times especially when COZA started to stream online. I always watched and would give feedback on quality of production and share a little bit on the challenges I faced settling in a new land. One evening, Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo called me that he was coming to London and needed me to help him make some hotel bookings as the person who was meant to do it couldn’t get it done (this was rather strange as I had never been involved in his travel itinerary) Later that day, he said it had been sorted and my help would not be required but that he would like me to arrange a cab to pick him up from Heathrow. I was happy to help my pastor from Nigeria and even saw it as a privilege. (I would later come to learn that all of this was a calculated attempt to hatch a plan that I suspect was set in motion when I was asked to join the workforce.) The cab guy was there to get him the next day and when he arrived, he called to ask why I didn’t accompany the cab to pick him up (again, this was strange but I stopped my mind from overanalyzing the situation as I knew I had no business with his visit to London) About two hours later, he called me and said he would like to see me. When I arrived his hotel, I called from the reception but he asked that I come upstairs. I got to the room and tried to stop my mind from thinking why I was going to his room. As he opened the door and invited me in, I had to speak to my heart to stop its palpitations. My better judgment asked me not to go into the room but the kind of reverence I had for Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo bordered on fear and I steeped into that room. “Care for a drink?” Asked Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo. “No sir,” I said. “You don’t have to be shy Ese, even if it’s alcohol, feel free and order what you want.” I wasn’t sure I heard my pastor asking me to order alcohol. I imagined it was a test and ignored the voice inside that was saying, “I’d have henny and coke please.” He proceeded to ask how I had been coping in London and if I was a committed member of any church. He also said he thought there was something special about me and wanted to know that I had not strayed from my faith. I really thought he had heard I was doing something I shouldn’t while in London but tried my best to focus on the conversation instead of my straying thoughts. He kept telling me to relax and feel comfortable with talking to him. After a few minutes, he asked that we go to the roof of the hotel as his room was a pent suite and had a connecting door to the roof. While there, he sat on a reclining chair and asked me to come sit on his laps. This was a bit awkward for me and I froze for a moment as I asked why. He said he had told me to feel free with him and loosen up. I found myself strolling to sit on his laps. At that moment, I felt like a little girl who was experiencing something her mind couldn’t fathom. He asked me to kiss him and all I could think about was seeing him preach on the pulpit back in COZA Abuja, Nigeria, which was my home church. He again said ‘feel free Ese.’ And asked again, that I kiss him. A few hours later, let’s just say, we were rolling under the sheets. It felt as though my mind had paused. I am not saying I was jazzed, (although it’s possible I was in some trancelike state and didn’t know it but I just was so afraid that I couldn’t say or think otherwise.) That was the beginning of this affair. A sexual affair that went on for a little over a week, DAILY! I can hear somebody’s mind thinking, ‘well, you weren’t raped.” And I remember a pastor I opened up to when I couldn’t take all the mind games asking if I seduced him. No, I didn’t seduce him and no, I wasn’t raped but I felt trapped in this affair. Come to think of it, how could I have seduced him when I wanted nothing from him? I mean, I was too busy minding my business in London trying to get through with my masters program and I was overly comfortable. And even if I wanted to seduce anyone, it wouldn’t be a married man, not to mention a married pastor. What I couldn’t reconcile the whole time, was how the same person who preached against the very things we were doing (i.e drinking in pubs, fornicating, committing adultery) was the same person endorsing and encouraging it. At some point, I got really confused about what Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo and I were doing that I had to ask how he handles it. I will never forget what he said to me. He said and I quote, “I will teach you a level of grace that you don’t understand.” My mind couldn’t fathom that somehow grace was enough covering for not just fornication on my path, adultery on his path and the many lies that was bound to follow what we were doing that was clearly abominable. I somehow dealt with the thoughts and fears that followed on my path. He had said to me that he wanted me to be his girlfriend and he would take me around the world and spoil me with money and things. Somehow, money had never been one of the things that motivated me (I am from a home where all my needs have been adequately met) In all my ‘badness’ through finding myself, I never did things I did for money but more of rebellion against rules and authority. Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo also said to me that he had a dream where I exposed what was happening to the media. Said it was all over the place and that people were calling me the girl that caused chaos in COZA. He also said I should remember the bible said to “touch not God’s anointed.” I immediately started to rebuke the devil and said I could never do anything like that. I was almost swearing with my entire family as I thought really I had touched God’s anointed by submitting my body to be used. Little did I know at the time that all of these were ways to mess with my mind and even manipulate my thoughts. Fast-forward a few months later, I was back in Nigeria and my church had become uncomfortable. Anytime I sat in church and listened to Pastor Biodun preach, I felt shame. I finally sent him a message saying I wasn’t comfortable anymore. I was confused and needed to talk about what had happened. He said I should meet him to talk and I did. It was a really weird meeting for me especially when he tried to kiss me at our meeting. I finally realized at this point that he couldn’t help me. I thought God was angry with me and I couldn’t pray so I decided to withdraw completely from COZA. This was the beginning of my mental torture. I couldn’t talk to my family because already, I was the only one attending a different church and somehow my mom never liked the idea. As the days went by I tried to use drinking and smoking to cover up the deep shame and guilt I was battling with. But as soon as the high was over, the thoughts came back and I felt stuck like I couldn’t move forward. I felt I had to talk to someone and I decided to speak to my then good friend, Ernest Akale but unfortunately for me, Mr. Ernest did not have the capacity to hold what I said to him. He broke down completely the days that followed and I found myself having to pause how I was feeling and what I was struggling with to help my friend be strong. After a while, he withdrew from not just me but his then fiancé and friends. I had to then tell the fiancé what had caused it (she suspected we were having an affair so I had to clear the air) To my surprise she was a lot stronger than her man and told me to suck it up (I’m paraphrasing). She said if she were me, she wouldn’t leave the church but stay to torment Pastor Biodun and collect money from him. Ok! That sounded extreme for me, as my intention was not to blackmail but to heal my broken self. Anyways, I finally found the courage to speak to my then unit head who said he was going to talk to Pastor Biodun but didn’t have the liver to do so. Before long, the story was spreading and naturally getting twisted. I went to a new church and it seemed like the COZA bug had chased me there. The pastor would always refer to COZA as some example and each time that was done, it seemed like a spear was thrust through my chest. One day, I broke down in the service and started crying uncontrollably, as I couldn’t take another mention of COZA and the pictures it painted in my head. Very long, boring story cut short, for the last 5 months I gave the whole church thing a big space and break. I wasn’t sure I believed in God. I wasn’t sure I understood what it meant when people said ‘Jesus saves” and I definitely wasn’t sure how to deal with the mental torture that was affecting not just me but my relationships with family and friends. I was very unstable, fearful and worst of all guilty. I got a chance to talk to Pastor Folarin of COZA Lagos Chapter, popularly called Pastor flo about everything. I made an effort to reach out to him because I realized the right thing to do was talk to an elder in the church and seek some sort of remedy to a wrong I believed had been done me. Instead, Pastor Flo said, Pastor Biodun had confessed to him and they had ‘talked’ about it and somehow that was supposed to be Ok. He asked what it was I wanted coming to talk to him about it when I did, I told him I realized what happened between Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo and I was wrong and not just that I felt abused and manipulated. I also said I thought it was wrong for Pastor Biodun to go on preaching without taking time to deal with his personal character flaws. I said I thought he was danger to all the young women that attended the church. Come to think of it, maybe he meant if I wanted something monetary or material (as someone had suggested when I opened up to her) but the truth is, I never wanted his money (or is it the church member’s money.) All I wanted was to meet with him and have him accept that he misled me, betrayed his wife and the church he pastors. I wasn’t the only lady in COZA who had been a victim of his sexcapades and manipulative patterns but I was the one who could come back after months of struggle with not just my faith but also my affair with him. And I wanted to set things right. I wanted to talk to Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo maybe for closure and I felt like I needed an apology because he played the “touch not my anointed” card to keep me locked in guilt, shame and fear when all along it was a calculated plan and I dare say, it started when he asked me to join the workforce. Not to mention the audacity to talk about teaching me a level of grace I didn’t understand. I had no intention of understanding a grace that would permit me to go on doing things that were wrong and what’s worse having to carry the burden for almost a year. Different surprising advises came up in the weeks that followed the rumour making rounds. I was told to hush because Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo had been a cultist in the past and could send people to shut me up. All my so-called friends in COZA withdrew from me and treated me like I had the plague. What was worse was Pastor Flo finally saw my then pastor to ‘talk’ about what had happened with Pastor Biodun and lied that it happened once and was a mistake. My question then became, ‘do these people even care how broken I had become?’ ’do they care about the emotional and spiritual welfare of the people they were pastoring?’ The sad answer was NO. Most of us old members of COZA kept leaving but they couldn’t care less. What was important was to keep growing the church and having more and more cars with stickers that read “More than enough.” Back then, I always felt horrible when I saw another car drive past me with the sticker. I was breaking, I was struggling but no one could help. All they could do was ask me to hide so Pastor Biodun’s goons don’t hurt me. And then the interesting one was if I had evidence to prove my claim. Let me just say here that, it isn’t a claim, it’s a confession to free me from all of the guilt and shame I have had to live with for no reason at all. (That being said, I have evidence to prove all I have said here, the latest being a 58 minutes recording of my meeting with Pastor Flo a few months back) This is my confession and I cannot begin to describe how much weight has been lifted off of my shoulders just pouring the truth out about what went down. So, to all my ex COZA friends gossiping about me, get your facts right. To those who said they’d help me deal with the pain but didn’t, I forgive you, I have learnt how to deal with it and I am doing just fine. To those who fear for my safety saying Pastor Biodun would send people to shut me up, I really have gone past fearing for my life. To live is gain and to die is Christ (or how does Paul say it again?) And to the only person who ever supported me through it all, thank you, I am learning to be brave. Please don’t think I am perfect in all of this but in line with living my authentic life and putting all forms of abuse behind me, this is where I press the stop button and stop the bleeding. This is where I break the silence and call the church to stand up for what it has been commissioned to do. If you will not enter the Kingdom, please don’t stop others who are trying to enter. I still remember when I used to nurse the idea of digging up emails, text messages, hotel billings (as once I used my card to pay for his room when his master card failed to work) to prove there was an affair. It was pathetic. Why for the love of heaven was I trying to dig up evidence? I am satisfied setting the record straight. I am ready for any shaming or bashing that would follow because the truth is, because of what I have suffered and come through, I am really not moved by what people say or think about me anymore. I am a stronger woman and a damn abuse survivor seeking to connect with other victims of abuse to show them how to deal with the shame, hurt and guilt and how to come out stronger. Turning their mess into their message. I am Ese Walter and I have gone through all forms of abuse from family, boyfriends, my ex pastor and some strangers not to break me, but so I stand and so I qualify to help victims. My scars have qualified me and when all is said and done, I will still be standing. I AM WOMAN, I BEND, I DON’T BREAK!

28 August, 2013

Whiz Kid & Criticism

Whiz Kid reacted angrily to a fan who suggested he goes back to school because of his wrong use of 'an' in an instagram post. He called the fan a 'broke fan'.
Whiz Kid A lot of people have weighed in to call Whizkid to order. But is the fan's tone corrective? Should Whiz Kid react angrily every time he is criticised? Should celebrities react to criticisms or are they human beings who have a right to react?
Whiz Kid

Clerics and Abuses

Any pastor found to have raped any member of the congregation should be dealt with according to the law of the land. Things should not be left to God alone. No one has the right to rape another either physically or emotionally. Don't support your pastor blindly.That is why ALL should look unto GOD alone so that when things like this happens one will not be disappointed. When a pastor does anything good he is applauded by his congregation. When he does bad they should also demand accountaability from especially if he is reluctant to come clean. I vote for moral accountability from our men of God. The doctrine of 'touch not my annointed' should not hold when men of God are called to accountability. If you don't practice what you preach and you break the law then you should face the music.

A Beached Whale


t the Alpha beach yesterday. A dead whale was beached at the Alpha beach yesterday and people went there to see the big fish. Surprisingly to me some were cutting the fish to go and cook.Others cut the bones to,they told me,sell to traditional medicine practitioners. Can't,for the life of me,begin to imagine how some one will want to eat dead meat. I won't say its poverty though.
Cutting a piece from the slab
A big chunk of whale meat
The dead beached whale

27 August, 2013

Interview with Boko Haram

Captured Boko Haram Member Confirms Shekau's Death
 
A suspected member of the Boko Haram sect recently arrested by the Borno Youths Volunteer Vigilante Group (BYVVG) in Maiduguri has admitted that their leader, Abubakar Shekau, was dead.
The suspect, simply identified as Baba Goni said Shekau was killed in Marte in May 2013.

His confession, however, contradicts the claim by the Joint Task Force (JTF), which said in a statement released last week that Shekau was wounded in Sambisa Forest on June 30, 2013 and might have died of gunshot injuries at Amitchide village in Cameroon between July 25 and August 3, 2013. Though the JTF said Shekau was injured on June 30, the operation at Kirenowa (Marte) took place in the second week of May.
Media reports that three days after President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency on May 14, 2013 and federal troops mobilised to Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.  military operatives shelled many training camps of insurgents around Marte. Prominent among the camps were the Hausari and Kirenowa campslocated not far from Nigeria’s border with Cameroon in the northern fringes of the state.
In an amateur video circulating in Maiduguri, the alleged Boko Haram member, who is in his early 20s, was asked over 100 questions by the vigilantes. His answers to some of the questions were quite revealing.
During interrogation, the suspect, who wore a white singlet and surrounded by dozens of vigilantes said he was certain Shekau was dead because one of their commanders had shown himthe video clips of the funeral prayers of Shekau. He said the commander, Ari Kadai,  personally participated in Shekau’s burial rites.
A top security personnel said the glimpse into Shekau’s death was based on intercepted communication among Boko Haram leaders. “The sect is being tracked with special gadgets and all the discussions between the leaders, including Shekau, are recorded. We have reliably gathered that Shekau was seriously wounded in an encounter with troops and was taken to an unknown location in Cameroon for medical attention and he had no chances of survival. We have also gathered that he died as result of the injuries he suffered in the encounter,” the personnel informed.
He admitted  that Shekau’s corpse has not been seen by the security forces. Also, his grave has notbeen located.
The source added that Shekau sustained fractures last year in the legs from gunshots in a different encounter and was moved from village to village taking medication. “Months after the fractures have healed, he was wounded again in the hand,” he said.

Meanwhile, the News Agency of Nigeria reported two days ago that dozens of suspected Boko Haram militants in Magumeri forest, Borno, had been starving after being stranded for days without food or water. Magumeri forest is about 150 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital.
Mallam Momodu Bukar, a suspected militant, toldnewsmen on Saturday in Maiduguri that he fled the camp in the forest on Thursday when it became obvious that his life was not safe.
“I thank God that I escaped because I would have been slaughtered by now to provide meal for my colleagues at the camp,’” Bukar said.
The suspected militant was captured by a Youth Vigilante Group, popularly known as the civilian JTF at Baga Road motor park, Maiduguri, on Friday. He said the militants had been in the forest since May, after they were dislodged from Marte, Marte Local Government Area, by the JTF. “Our group, consisting of about 300 well-armed combatants, headed for Magumeri on the orders of the sect leader, Abubakar Shekau, shortly before the military took over  Marte Camp.

Below is a transcript of part of the interview which was conducted in Hausa language reads:

Vigilante: You have been arrested now, where are your colleagues?

Suspects:They have gone to war

Where?

They have gone to the villages

Have you participated in the killing of anyone?
Yes

With whom did you go and kill your targets?

With Bana Kadai and Ari Kadai
How did you join the Boko Haram?

I was in front of my shop and they came and called me. They handed me a gun and said I should hold it for them. They threatened that if I did not obey their orders, they will kill me. I was therefore compelled to take the gun. We went to the main road and killed one Tajo. They showed me a loop and directed that I should escape. We went somewhere and they gave me money.
How much did they give you?
N1, 500. They then collected the gun and I went home. Later, soldiers came but I escaped.
What happened after you escaped?
I went to my shop the next day but the guys cameand called me again…I went and told my mother and she warned me not to join the insurgents. In order to convince her, I swore that I will not join the Boko Haram movement. However, one of the guys warned me that I must join them or else I would be killed. We therefore went for training.

What kind of training…shooting training?
No, just exercise, I was watching them.

Did you ever flee from Maiduguri when people were being killed?

No, I have never left the town. I am always with the gunmen.
Can you give the names of some of the people killed in your presence?

Baari kana and Abbari na Ba Bulama.

Are you the one who killed them?

No, I only held the gun.

Who killed Wawu?

I only held the gun.

Who killed him?
Baba Goni Bandam.
Where is Baba Goni Bandam now?
He has been killed.
What about Juju, who killed him?
No, I don’t know who killed him.
Who killed Ba Bulama?

It was Baba Ari Kala who killed him.

Can you show us where you keep your guns?

In the house of Baba Adama and the house of Ari Gidam and in the ceiling of the nearby mosque…in fact, the guns have been taken away from all the houses where they used to be kept.
Who is slaughtering people?

Sani Kan Kuliya and Sani Gurgu. These are the only people that I know are slaughtering people.

How many people have they slaughtered?

They killed many people.

Do you know other people in Sabon Layi
?
No, I don’t.

Where is Bamusa?

He has fled.

In the list of your members, how many are still alive?

There is Kulluma, Abbagana, Madu Ali, Yahaya, Alaramma, Ari Kara, Kaka Ali …

Do you have their pictures?

No, I don’t

Where can we locate them?

I don’t know, some are in Bama, some in Lagos.

Did your father not warn you against joining the Boko Haram?
My father is dead.

What about your mother?

She warned me but I had no option, if I didn’t jointhem, they would kill me.

How do you slaughter people?

The victims are normally held by at least four people…but I only watch

Now, if two people kill somebody, how much do they get?

N5,000 for the two of them to share. If they are three, they get like N7,000 to share

Who is paying you?

Kulloma

Who is giving Kulloma money?

He gets the money from Black

Who is giving Black?

Yusuf, the brother kakale who was arrested during the fighting in Bama.

And who is giving Yusuf money?

He collects money directly from Shekau

Is he the one who told you that he gets money from Shekau?
Yes

You just take orders to kill people?

People are killed when they provoke the Boko Haram

Like what?

I cannot tell you.

Where is Shekau?

He died in Marte

Have you seen his dead body?

Ari Kadai showed me the video of the funeral. He (Ari kadai) participated in the funeral.

He told you that Shekau was shot in Marte?

Yes

When?

When they closed the road and seized GSM services in Kirenowa (Between  14 and 16th May).

Ari Kadai showed you the video?

Yes.

Who is paying Ari Kadai?

He is with Kulloma and co.

So, Yusuf is in charge of Gwange area?

Yes

What about Baba Adama?

He is the Amir of Layin Kasuwan Dare

What about Layin Kwalta?

Baari Bandam

What about Layin Borehole?
Abba Gana
Layin Gawo?Kulloma is the one
What about Layin Jahannama?
Baba Ali
Did you ever swear with the Qur’an?
No
Why?
Because I was never arrested…it is today that I was arrested.
Who are the insurgents that killed people in Baga?

Yusuf and others

What about Kunduga?

I don’t know
What about the attack in Bama?
Alaramma and co.

25 August, 2013

Dare Devil Stowaway Boy


Lagos,Igbos, and the Reality


Does the Nigeria constitution allow for the deportation of fellow citizens from one state to the citizens' home state? I believe not. Nigeria is a federation that gives her citizens the inalienable right to live anywhere within the federation. Before the recent hoopla regarding the deportation of people of Igbo extraction to Anambra there have been numerous cases of deportation which did not garner much public attention and noise.Beggars of Northern extraction have always been routinely sent back to their home states via the railways and other modes of transportation. As much as the assertion of Mr Femi Fani Kayode raised some hackles(mostly in the East), the Ibo response is also instructive. The kernel of the Ndi Igbo response is that since the Ibos contributed and are contributing in no small measure to making Lagos what it is today they also share in the Lagos Yoruba patrimony.
The deported Ibos
In Nigeria of today irrespective of how ,long you stayed or contributed to a locality you may not be accepted or fielded as a candidate for an elected office representing that area. You will always be asked to go to your state of origin in order to fulfill your political aspiration. Your 'state of origin' is also a prominent field in any form you need to fill in Naija. Don't also forget the quota system where you are employed based on the quota allocated .The states go to the center cap in hand every month end to collect their allocations(read handouts).The above examples are just to show that the so called Nigeria Federation exists only on paper. It bears no relation to the realities on ground. All these examples are antithetical to the letter and spirit of federalism. The recent action of Lagos state should therefore be situated in the light of our so called federalism. As long as the constitution status quo remains Igbos can not lay claim to Lagos patrimony. Hence the call for a Sovereign Nation Conference to discuss the terms and conditions of our collective future.

24 August, 2013

Obadare's burial cost

Obadare’s burial gulped N96m, reveals first son Pastor Paul Obadare.
He declared that the casket in which the corpse was buried cost N5 million while N61 million was spent on the construction a mausoleum,where the late seer was interred. A whopping N30 million was also spent on entertainment.Pray,to what end is this declaration. Should we clap or weep?The late prophet would have loved his people to spend this huge amount on feeding the hungry and needy.I know he used to feed people free of charge at his numerous religious gatherings. A little humility would not hurt the prophet's scion i believe.
Anyway, food for thought.

Obadare's burial cost

Obadare’s burial gulped N96m, reveals first son Pastor Paul Obadare.
He declared that the casket in which the corpse was buried cost N5 million while N61 million was spent on the construction a mausoleum,where the late seer was interred. A whopping N30 million was also spent on entertainment.Pray,to what end is this declaration. Should we clap or weep?The late prophet would have loved his people to spend this huge amount on feeding the hungry and needy.I know he used to feed people free of charge at his numerous religious gatherings. A little humility would not hurt the prophet's scion i believe.
Anyway, food for thought.

20 August, 2013

Naija and Religion


"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people"- Karl Marx(1844). Trust naija to always pray where the situation demands action. 'Nigeria prays' is a pet project of former Head of State Yakubu Gowon.Two days ago he said with prayers Nigeria will not break up in 2015. The reason why people are saying naija will break up should be tackled and not simply resorting to prayers.The West do not pray much yet they have functioning societies. While our 'leaders' are milking the country dry he says we should pray. No wonder our churches and mosques are bursting at the seams with worshippers. The prayer points mostly are issues that could be solved with a little bit of action. Problems with the in-law,jobs,witches,sickness,etc. Sickness mostly caused by malaria in turn caused by mosquitoes caused by blocked drainages and bad environmental hygiene, lack of awareness etc. Virtually all problems in Naija can be solved by a purposeful political class. The prayer points of worshippers are MARKEDLY different from those of their counterpart in these developed climes. Here, religion is being used mainly to hide the hurt and the pains of reality.Religion is increasingly used as an expression of material realities and economic injustice used by leaders to give the downtrodden a feel good feeling. We are still operating at the basics of human development unfortunately. We have a large quantity of gas yet the populace still gathers firewood to cook. We are daily being exhorted to pray while the looters are daily smiling to their banks. Talk of religion being the opium of the people. The people are daily been brutalised by the police, uniformed officers, leaders in mufti etc and still we must pray. Advocates of praying say without prayers of Naija things would have been worse. But can things get any worse? Or how much worse can worse get?

17 August, 2013

Naija: Land of Contradiction


Naija is a land of contradiction.We have petroleum in abundance but import all our daily oil requirement. We have abundance gas but cook with firewood. We don't have enough electricity but export same to neighbouring countries. We have no security yet our soldiers are all over the world maintaining the peace. We have a Federal Constitution yet run a Unitary one. Rich yet so poor.Naija should be lending to nations money not the other way round.Talk of exporting what you don't have and importing what you have. A contradiction if there ever was one.A continental leader in female football but our girls are everywhere but Naija. Sometimes ago some girls came to naija to play in our league but left when they found nothing on ground. Can't blame them. Every problem will be solved by the year 2000. The year came and went. Vision 2010? Shonekan and his team went everywhere to put a document together. It was dumped after lot of efforts and fund had been expended. Now we have Vision 202020. Without political will no amount of vision this or that will see the light of day. We've been truly blessed. Truly blessed with one of the worst leadership cadre in the world.

10 August, 2013

Of Cyber-bullies & Trolls


Cyber-bullying has become a recurring decimal on many internet sites of recent.The case of Hannah Smith who killed herself Friday,2nd of August is the the most recent statistic. She logged on to the ask.fm website to seek help for her recurring eczema.Rather than offer the needed assistance some internet trolls told her to 'go commit suicide', 'do us all a favour n kill urself', 'go cut ur self n die', etc. She promptly tidied her room and hung herself in her bedroom. She joined a growing list of youngsters who committed suicide after being bullied on the site.They include Joshua Unsworth, 15 who died April, Ciara Pugsley,15 who died September, and Erin Gallagher 13, who died October. The trolls were unrelenting even after her death. They went on Hanna's Facebook tribute page with one branding her a coward.
The fact remains that the world is a cruel place and to a more or less extent, the internet where the bully could be faceless by hiding their identity. The trolls would always be with us therefore my suggestion would be to be wise to their wiles and tactics. Immature youngsters should join sites with the utmost caution.Some youngsters claim to be above 18 when signing up while they are in fact below.Parents should teach their
children and wards to be aware of trolls and bullies where ever they may be especially on the net. When a youth suspects or actually experiences bullying on the net such individual should opt out of such sites. It is much easier and tidier that way.

06 August, 2013

Epic Fail

David,a spectator at a ballgame in Connecticut popped the question. However he was in for a rude awakening as he got a resounding 'NO' for his efforts.Jessica was not to be cowed by the spectators looking on.
He ran off with his tail between his legs. Sorry, better luck next time or better still :Think and calculate well next time.

04 August, 2013

Igbo and Lagos Yoruba Patrimony

What is this talk about the Igbos being hard working and the Yorubas being lazy?I always read this on many threads. I believe once you can feed your family without resorting to illegalities nobody has a right to call you lazy. The Igbos are adept at buying and selling while the Yorubas are captains of Industry. Don't also forget it is not ALL items the Igbos buy and sell. Where i live only Yorubas sell Mothercare items for example. Please don't ever call the Yorubas lazy again. If you are so hardworking stay in your enclave and sell to yourselves. The Igbos need people to buy from them too. They are not doing anybody any favour. Igbos generally are wise to another Igbo's wiles and tactics hence they need other tribes to buy their wares. Igbos should be grateful for the patronage they receive. They should not therefore call others lazy or hold others on derison. If it is that easy they should stay in their villages or enclaves and try to develop such places. They should not say they develop Lagos as they are wont to say.