MAYBE IT'S YOU.

Frankly, I think this I-am-sorry-I-have-been-away thing is already too old. So, why don't we try something new? How about I gist you a bit of what I can say kept me away? You like that, don’t you?

Here it goes, I’m now in 400L. While that’s final year for most people who aren't going for Songhai, nah one year remain for me. So, let’s save the bottles for later. I was not with the crew that went in search of the moon, exam kept me. My exam was fine, thanks for asking. You were going to ask right? And one of my pretty sister lost her maiden name. Yeah, they said I am not supposed to cry. They said it’s a good thing. They said I’m all grown up. Who else gets that often? 

And while I was away, I noticed everyone, including me, was blaming society for the several things they got wrong. That’s what I’m talking about today. Yeah, I’m happy to see you too.

I’m weary of listening or even hearing by chance the whining of men and women. Those, who will take the slightest window to dodge responsibility for their poor choices. Anytime they succeed, even when it’s by pure luck, they’d say they took the risk, took impossible decisions, made sophisticated plans, and this and that. But, when they fail at anything, someone is behind it! It has to be Iye and her gang of Azens and Osos. Pick a struggle, my friend! 

See, I don’t wanna use this to dispute the outside factor. No! I just want us to think together. Aren’t we giving too much credit to society? More than they even deserve! My friend, the cause of your troubles is not and will not always be external! Think am nah! Maybe we are giving society more credit than they deserve is all I'm saying. 

You blamed society for how you bleached your skin to mimic snow when your problem simply was a poor self-image.  You blamed societal opinions for how you picked a course you never wanted and will never want to study, hence the lack of drive. When your only problem was your sac full of insecurity. Your blame your age and how society will raise their nose at you for how you ended in a leaking marriage. When your problem was obviously inpatients and your nah-only-me-remain-wey-never-marry mentality. Are you listening to yourself now? Should I remind you more? That’s how you got here. You are afraid and Irresponsible. Are you offended? I’m not sorry. See, I know being responsible is not cheap, but it's the only way.

Let me tell you some truth;
(1) when you choose your path (any path!), you become responsible for how you end up. You don’t compare! You don’t complain! You neither throw nor honor a blame party!

(2) Society is many things but your problem. They are your spectators, onlookers, challenge, springboard, market, and reason, but never your problem.

(3) Remember 1 and 2!

Here’s for a fresh start. Take a thorough inventory of your life. Pick out the broken pieces. The part you are not proud of and you’d rather apportion blames. Those parts that you think are not your fault. Now, be responsible and accept that it’s your fault. Yeah…it's your fault.  Then, start again. You will prefer it, trust me.

THE NEW NOISE

When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful - Malala Yousafzi

Back in the overpopulated primary 5B class where there were no shining louvres, whiteboards, and magic markers, Auntie Ruth will meticulously mark our hurriedly written class work and ask us to take down the homework (for our own good, else the rod).

We would eagerly await the closing bell at 1:45pm, but as is always the case, the clock becomes mischievously slow. So, we took to the only trade we knew...producing noise!

A reprimanding song by our class teacher will always immediately follow,

'You talk too much(2*)
Is this a marketplace?'

...and we would reply,
'No!'

Afterwards, the class goes cold.

That was many years ago and it was how I then understood noise.
However, as with many other things, my understanding of noise has also grown.

Not too long a night ago in my faculty's beautiful garden(it's NAAS garden baby), I was hanging out with a bunch of friends. Some of them were stepping on the seats instead of sitting. Somehow, I went dumb about it. Then out of nowhere, a concerned young man (whom I later discovered was in year 2) politely asked my year 3 friends that they sit properly. And they did! I quickly called him and commended his resolve. That day, by playing dumb, I made a noise! 

And that's how I've come to know and understand that silence and conformity are THE NEW NOISE. And stopping this noise is not easy as a different and courageous voice is required.

The most convenient thing to do is just keep quiet and blend. After all, others will talk. That's the one thing we do well; allow others to do the talking! It is shameful that the world has gone mute while you're still around.
Never in man's existence have so many voices been needed than now.

Please, understand that talking here means your actions and words

When you murmur and whine but don't proffer solutions, you are making a noise!
If you are afraid of stepping out and blessing the world with your dream, you are making a noise!
Anytime you fail to rebuke any form of evil or lazily conform to mediocrity, you are making a noise!
When you scorn instead of giving hope, you are making a noise!
Whenever you jump on the bandwagon and say "abeg eeh! nor be me start am", you are making a noise!

Simply put, anytime you don't do the right thing, you are making a noise! My pretty friend, Jocelyn (hbd jare), reminded me of when she would always say 'Be the voice, not an echo"

That day in Montgomery, Rosa Park, by mere sitting spoke so loudly that the civil right movement was born.
In those years in Calcutta, Mother Teresa by mere loving so soundly voiced so strongly that even history had to give her room to be an example.

I don't know what you think of yourself,  but more than ever, our world needs your talk!

...

This piece is dedicated to my friend, Davidson Obilor Nwaonu (Securus Generalis), his respect for his fellows and accountability to his world speak volumes. Respect bro!

WHAT ONLY DAVID KNEW

This harmattan is not honest at all. I thought it said it had left for good?
Well, that"s a matter for another day.

...
A man walked up to a concert pianist after hearing him play and said, "I'd give anything to play like you!". The pianist replied, "No, you wouldn't. Would you give 12hours a day to practice? Would you deny every other area of your life to excel at piano?"

Today, I reread one of my choicest Bible story; David vs Goliath. I should say that this story first came alive to me in those carefully coloured pages of My Book of Bible Story and later, in Sunday school. The story both won my naive mind and also satisfied my childish quest for a hero. It always tripped me to picture a tinkele (small) David shooting a smooth stone into the gigantic head of a 9ft Goliath.

While I have no doubt that this story need not be retold, allow me to show you something.

See this...

"Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them..."
                                -1samuel 17:35

You see that? Even David had a Curriculum Vitae(CV). He made it clear to Saul that this was not going to be the first time he will defeating an intruder, he had done it twice before! Now, while everyone saw an oversabi boy trying to kill himself, David knew that the skill he had gotten from past practices would to come to use here!

I humbly disagree with anyone who thinks David got lucky. He earned his skills by practice.

I read one time that success is when opportunity greets preparation. No doubt, opportunity will knock soon, but will you be ready?  I'm still waiting to see, hear or read about a soul who succeeded by mistake.

The easiest way to get good at anything is practice. I know of no shortcut. It is not too late to start preparing for the future you've dreamt endlessly about. See ehn, stop all those 'it-is-too-late' song and start again today. You can choose to be anything and excel. Just practice enough. TDJakes remarked, "It is not so much about where you are going to as it is about what you are willing to give up to get there".

Do you want to be smarter? Brush up on your grammar? Write better? Read more? Talk less? Be friendly? What do you want? The solution is simple, continuous practice!  As the concert pianist replied, "can you...?"

 

As one of Nigeria's music mogul irritably said, "If it's the __________ you want, come and get it!" (You fill it).

...

TOMORROW WILL COME.

Wait oh, did you watch the President's media chat yesterday? Don't tell me you missed it , we go talk am later.

...

"You don't consult the oracle 'on credit'" - Bini adage

As I write this, the excruciating hold of harmattan has loosen its grip. A good number of bulls are continually led to the slaughter. Kids in every nook are loudly blabbing about how surreal they'd look tomorrow. Many people are already declaring of how greater and better next year must turn out. Others are so busy writing unending list of resolutions as it has become aged tradition.

When I was still very small, I saw an interesting phrase on one provision store. It read, "NO CREDIT TODAY, COME TOMORROW". I was not surprise when i was passing the next day, the frail board still hanging with the words boldly written. I remember thinking to myself and smiling at the realization that there will always be tomorrow.

 Each new year flies out almost as quickly as they come. And I soon learnt that Life too does not sell 'on credit'. It is also boldly holding in its hands a sign, "NO CREDIT TODAY, COME TOMORROW". 

How many times have you gone to life hoping to get something for free only to be disappointed at it's refusal?

At the beginning of every new year, we meet life with so much energy only to beg it to give us something 'on credit'. Life will always simply says, "NO CREDIT TODAY, COME TOMORROW". So, some of us quickly take a chair and sleep, waiting for the following year, so we can go back to life again EMPTY...to beg! We literally pause our lives, waiting only for next year before we play the routine. Are you not bored and tired already? Whatever prize you seek in life has a price! Are you willing to pay it?

You can't buy from life 'on credit'!

Anytime you seek for change in the name of resolutions, you must pay in the currency of discipline. If you want a degree, you'll have to pay the price of study and tuition. You want a blissful marital life life? Pay the steep price of fidelity and unconditional care. Do you crave fulfilment? Then you need to pay with purpose.

The list is endless...the grammar is plain...the plea is clear; don't ask for life what you don't want to pay for!

The next you go to life's store, don't beg it to sell on credit. Ask "how much?"

So, if you haven't seen the sign yet, go now and get a legal tender to bargain with! If life has already put you out, I guess you now know what it takes?

And to those waiting for tomorrow to see if it will change;

 Life has vowed that there will be "NO CREDIT TODAY, COME TOMORROW". 

...

This piece is dedicated to Gloria, Pst Chris, Auntie Rosie, Achu, Sochi, Asem, Debbie, Yochabel, Aufuray, marvellous and other December babies around the world. We rock!

A LITTLE CRAZINESS, AND MORE.

Blessed are the crazy ones, for they force us to see the world differently! - unknown

You know those sweet counsel you get when you are leaving home for the higher institution for the first time? It usually goes like, "pls oh my child, don't forget where you are from oh, be quiet, be normal, don't look for trouble, only study and get d grades, stay away from boys/girls, be very religious so those gangs won't approach you, make good friends, don't show yourself, etc". Did you get one of those?

The counsel was cool, but it wasn't complete!

Maybe that's why even though we go to school, we don't get much education!

We were not told to dream with our eyes opened. We were not told that dissatisfaction with the status quo budded progress. We were never advised to take life by the throat until it vomited result. We were not warned that being average and accepting mediocrity have no place in the world. Maybe they should have added that the world is an adventurous place and 'sit-down-look' is a bore.

Have  you ever thought  of a better way to do that business? Do you wanna leave school with solutions or with only a degree? Are you sending CV or a proposal around? Are you thinking or breeding complaints?

See, the world has not always been like this! some folks were crazy enough to demand for a move forward. Do you wanna accept the erroneous notion that life is there and you’re just gonna live in it? Or you are gonna embrace it, change it, improve it, make your mark upon it?

In this life, you either go forward or backward! Stagnation is a myth. What we call stagnation is actually uniform backwardness. The world is too in motion to remain in one place.

Did you ever see that piece for the Apple company commercial? Well, here it is;

"Here's to the crazy ones.
The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you cant do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They push the human race forward.
And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

"are you crazy?" is not so insulting afterall, because yes!...I'm crazy!

Martin Luther King jnr. was crazy enough to demand the death of segregation. Mother Teresa was crazy enough to dedicate her life to caring for the same people that society rejected. Mahatma Gandhi was crazy enough to fight the British with peace and nonviolence. Bill Gates was  crazy enough to change forever the way office work would be done. You are crazy enough to...? It's up to you!

At first they will call  you foolish, crazy, a misfit, unteachable...but later they will start to call you a genius, innovator, different!

So, to those kids who were called oversabi when they asked too many questions; to those girls who because they wanted more were called stubborn; to those fellas who were told it's unrealistic, because they dreamt differently....hold on and keep on, for it's your crazy kinds that have always given the world a new way to see!

Happy Birthday YESHUA!
Merry Christmas to the crazy ones!

EVERYDAY, AN ANGEL

To heal a heart is to live on celestial grounds - unknown.

No doubt, we all have had to be children once. We've had the audacity to dream and care less. We all had our 'impossible' and wild wishes before life and adults taught us the concept of boundaries and the trap of rationality.

One of my keenest wishes was to cross paths with an angel!
There was just one problem! I had never seen an angel, save for paintings and pictures. Then, I read about the angels that visited Abraham. How they came in human form and didn't have wings. It bothered me for a while that they didn't match all the artistic glamour I had read about.
Well, like I would later learn, the ingredient of an angel is not in the wings.

So, today I met an angel on a bus. He didn't promise me a child nor overshadow me with great light. No! He simply showed love! He gave me a phone to call (when i ran low on airtime) and paid for my shuttle fair. Yeah, that's all he did. Doesn't seem much like the act of an Angel, does it? Well, I take it as one.

Everyday, we cross path with Angels and other times, we become one. Never be too busy to notice! Every time you wipe any tears, touch a heart, heal a wound, stretch out a hand, help a soul...you've acted in the capacity of an angel. You need the heart, not the wings. Look out henceforth, and deliberately be an angel to someone!

Happy Birthday Achu Blessing, you are an Angel indeed!

...AND THE CHILD GREW!

When I was much younger, I practically believed everything. OK, maybe not everything, but a lot of funnily crippy stuff. Did you? Well, it's called innocence.

I believed in all darkness had ghost in it. I believed all smiles were real and everybody loved everybody. I believed 'How was your night?' was a harmless question, even though some people prayed some kind of evil befell you while you sleep. I sincerely believed that 'how are you?' genuinely required an answer, until folks turned away almost as quick as they asked. I believed santa claus (father Christmas) actually came from heaven.

Yeah, I believed all that.  

Well, I've grown a bit older and a lot has since changed. My believes too have grown. Apostle Paul said it best, "when I was a child, I behaved like a child. Now that I'm grown, I've put away childish things".

The Bible recorded about Jesus, "...and the child grew!"
I do agree that growth is suppose to be peaceful and fun, but live does not agree.  Innocence has been stolen from most of us. Responsibility has broken some of our backs. A lot of hopes has been dashed. The once beautiful dreams are now nightmares to which we can't seen to wake up from. 

Are you gonna let life win or you will put up a good fight. I'll counsel you take the latter. Life is like Google search engine; type something in, you will always get a hit. There might network itch, result might get modified, you might need to do it again, but you will surely get it right.

A Bishop once preached, "life's not fair, but God is good". Have some faith and just believe.
#GodBeWithYou

GET FOUND!

It’s a noisy evening in the room here in my hostel (it is hall 4, baby). If you were here, you will notice that my roommates are either cooking, sleeping, getting set for night class or making noise like me. Just as quickly as scientist described lightening, an avalanche of memories sweeps through my wandering mind. 

There’s one that seem to have completely seized my head, the childhood game (or should I say play!): Hide-and-Seek. C’mon, tell me you remember! You also remember those folks who hid too well. The unending search for them always brought the fun game to an abrupt end. After what seemed like hours of searching, I’ll usually shout “where you dey? Oya, come out…game up!” I guess you still remember the many argument that greeted their coming out? I once overheard a man saying to a bunch of kids, “hide-and-seek becomes interesting when you GET FOUND! So true!

A girl I love needed some money to enroll for a holiday writing workshop that was hosted by her lifelong literary mentor. The program meant a lot to her. It came to pass, the workshop came to an end and she couldn't attend, so she became depressed. Later in her own words, she said “I didn’t wanna bother anyone” (bother? What are friends & family for?). Some people praised her on what they called maturity. But, her family and friends (me included) said how pissed they were that she didn’t trust them enough to share in her dreams. She played Hide-and-Seek, adult style. According to Robert Fulghum, “Wanting to hide, needing to be sought, confused about being found”.

It come in form of sentences like, “i don’t want to bother anyone”. ”I don’t know how people will see it” “What if?” “What if not?” C’mon brothers and sisters stop hiding too well and GET FOUND! We need each other to survive. The wound you don’t open won’t heal. Don’t worry about folks who might injure it with scorn, others will be there to treat it with the plaster of friendship. Swallow your pride and GET FOUND!

Get in the game. Oh! What fun it is to be found! You keep struggling with that course and a friend has the light…GET FOUND! You are starving and a sister got a table for two…GET FOUND! You are lonely and you could use a friend...GET FOUND! You are broke and a brother got some cash to spare…GET FOUND! Enough tears, enough wishes, enough loneliness, enough reclusion, enough hiding, just GET FOUND!

To everybody who has been hiding too well… GET FOUND and make life interesting!

pulished in LAWSAN EDITORIAL, 2014 edition.