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Which Way Nigerians?

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In a few hours, I will don my sackcloth, my October 1 uniform, like I have done for the past few years. The Nigerians who see me will recognize the map of Nigeria when they see me. Maybe they will smile and tell me, “Happy Independence Day.” Maybe they will smile and say nothing. Maybe they will look away. October is a very complicated month for me. It has not been the easiest month for me, historically. It starts with October 1 and the commemoration of the fiction called Nigeria’s Independence Day, and I am compelled to write about it. I doubt there is anything I will write about the state of Nigeria and the type of rulers we have that any Nigerian reading this has not heard before. I have blog posts that address some of these issues, including some that I wrote on a day like today. In 1984, Sonny Okosun, released a song, “Which Way Nigeria?” In 2025, the question is still relevant. In the song, Okosun says, “Many years after independence, we still find it hard to start. How long sh...
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A Beautiful Madness - A Gracious God

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Photo by Faris Mohammed on Unsplash PREAMBLE I had meant to write this for a long time, and finally, my landlord, Google, has given me a conditional quit notice if I don't want to use this space. So, here I am. Sharing my musings here, after a long time. I am writing this for two reasons: 1. For those who have been concerned to understand somewhat, why I have been mostly silent and distant 2. For those who struggle to be encouraged or reminded that you are not alone, and to invite you to audaciously believe. Borrowing words from one of my literary foremothers, Harriet Jacobs, "it is not to awaken sympathy for myself" that I write about my personal experiences. Rather, "I do it to kindle a flame of compassion in your heart," for yourself and others who struggle as I do. Here is what you must not do while or after reading this. You must not pity me. You must not rebuke me for oversharing. If you do, you have missed the point and need to reread this post from the ...
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OPEN LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE, HE MR BABAJIDE SANWO-OLU

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Dear Sir, In the past two weeks, you have written several letters to the people of Lagos through various platforms. I am a troubled Nigerian who lives in Lagos, and I have had it in mind to write to you for some time now. What better time to do it than in reply to your several missives these past days? Have you heard of the story of the emperor's new clothes, Sir? I grew up reading folktales written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, and one of my favourite stories is "The Emperor's New Clothes." Since 2020, I have thought of you whenever I think of this beautiful story. Let me summarize it for you, Sir, in case you haven't read it yet.  It is about an emperor of a city who cared so much about how well-dressed he was. He invested so much in his outfits. Two men, claiming to be weavers of the finest, most luxurious clothes, came to the emperor's town. They had a caveat: their clothes were invisible to anyone unfit for their position and to simpletons...
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My Vote is For Sale

(I have hurriedly put this together because I want you to see it before you vote. I have had a crazy two weeks, but my mind wouldn't let me rest until I penned this down. Bear with any errors, please.) I used to scorn those who sold their votes for sachets of rice, noodles, and some change, until I realized that everyone sells their votes, consciously or subconsciously. Whether it is for rice, noodles, five hundred naira, five thousand naira, family peace, juicy contracts, ministerial positions, improved health care, or restructuring, elections are transactional. Everyone has a price. We debate passionately with family, friends, and even strangers about our preferred candidates, not because we just love them and want to see them realize their ambitions, but because of what is in it for us. We all sell our votes. The real question is, what is your vote worth? What is your price? Are you selling your vote for profit or for loss? Consider the amount of investment and the cost price ...
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EVERY DAY IS NOT CHRISTMAS AND CHRISTMAS IS COMING

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Photo by KaLisa Veer on Unsplash Some of my fondest memories of my childhood Decembers include Brenda and I designing and making greeting cards and house decorations. Thanks to our parents’ generosity, we would buy cardboard papers in assorted colours, pencils, poster colours, markers, and glue, and we would make the loveliest cards you could ever imagine, pen the most imaginative blessings and greetings, and send them to our loved ones. It didn’t matter whether we used “Season’s Greetings” or “Merry Xmas.” Those types of debates were unthinkable at the time, and those alternate greetings did not in any way minimize our understanding that Christmas was a commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world. As we grew older, our family transitioned from Western Orthodox congregations to Pentecostal ones, and we started to hear, “Every day is Christmas.” The Pentecostal churches threw the baby out with the bath water (and eventually dirtied their new bath, but that...
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TURNING 35

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  I am excited about my 35 th birthday. I have been looking forward to this day since November 2021, when I started writing this, during one of the most difficult times of my life. By the time this is published, I would have lived for 420 months, 1820 weeks, 12,740 days, 305,760 hours, 18,345,600 minutes, and 1,100,736,000 seconds. That is a lot of numbers, and I am thankful to God for every second of these 35 years. On April 5 this year, I read from Psalm 138 , it resonated then and now, and it’s my Scripture and Psalm for today. I praise the L ORD with all my heart. I praise the L ORD, for unfailing love and faithfulness, for answering me when I call and for greatly emboldening me. I praise the L ORD who will vindicate me, whose love endures forever. Thirty-five is a big deal. Did you know that the life expectancy for females in Nigeria is about 63 years and globally, it is about 74 years? Life expectancy is based on the average age at death of people in the category. The ...
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COMING TO TERMS WITH MY MORTALITY -- PREPARING TO DIE (JOURNEY TO THE PAST 2)

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  Another piece from the past. I referred to it in my article " Against Time ". No edits, except maybe a few typos corrected.  Every year, for the past 5 years, I write something to share with my friends and family on my birthday anniversary. This year, I have chosen what might be considered as a morbid topic, but it is what has been on my mind for a while now. Yes, I am preparing to die. I have slowly come to realize the truth: I am not immortal! It is definitely going to be either one of two things for me – it is either that I die someday, or Jesus comes to take his own. The same is true for you too. I came to terms with being unmarried, long before the pressures started mounting, and I have peace with it, and have been able to thrive when some of my peers are burdened with worry and fear. Now, I am coming to terms with my mortality. Realizing that every moment gets me closer to the moment when I die got me thinking. I had to ask myself the BIG question: Am I ready to d...
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