What a world!

Hi,

 am glad to see you too made it into this new stretch of time called 2009. May the new year bring us new hopes, happiness and peace of mind.

 But something I experienced driving back from work this evening really made me sad as a human being. It left me feeling empty inside.

At about 8.15pm I drove past a car which had its hazard lights on. From behind it looked to be moving slowly. But as I approached and over-took it, I saw a slim-built man pushing the car from the driver's side. Apparently trying to just keep moving, to get out of that lonely road. Full lights blazing, his engine had to be on or his battery would soon be gone.  

As I sped past I could see what seemed like a flat. I wanted to stop and offer my help. Perhaps he needed a jack or wheel-spanner, I thought. Whatever it was he was in, I just wanted to give a hand.

But it was dark and I feared for my own safety. What if the whole scene was a con, a ploy. Even if he was genuine, does it make sense exposing myself, as well as my car, to the same danger he was exposed to.

Then I thought, if it was me in his situation I'd be real; I'd want to be believed. But most likely, no one would take a chance on me too! What a world we now live in! It's no longer safe to be just plain human being to your fellow man without fear of being compromised. What a shame!

I just hoped he'd make it by himself. What a shame!! This- is this the world we now live in.

Stay On !

Hi,
A thought came to me early this morning and my eyes whelmed with tears. I remembered what I read not long ago about how young people in the developed world, especially America seemed to have a high rate of suicide.
Am really sorry. We, here face harder times but taking our own lives is never an option for consideration. As the common saying here goes ' die die no dey for our book!'
We basically have it hard from day one and we seem to expect it all through life as a matter of course. For us it seems to be a way of life.
Again, religion seem to enable us to just keep going.
I encourage our fellow people in lands where living is relatively easy to learn to stay on. Reach inside and dig in. Determine that there is going to come a better day.
Hey, the God of creation sent you here for a purpose, a good purpose. Ask yourself, have you done your purpose yet?
We all who now live need you to hold your fort. Don't quit on us , please.

On the issue of the so-called nigerian ' wonder-banks

It is almost twenty-four months now since the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, the director of Securities and Exchange Commission in Nigeria and many riled chief-executives of banks ganged-up to brand the then fund managers 'wonder banks' in order to whip-up public sentiment to justify their personal vendetta against the under-dogs.

A case of calling a dog a bad name in order to hang it, the fund managers were likened to the historic Umana Umana savings and loans of the 1980's.

However, let us remember that none of these fund managers actually defaulted in paying the returns to their subscribers . Rather the agents of state ,the EFCC, the police and soldiers were systematically used to frustrate their operations by sending them to extort money from the fund managers, bullying and man-handling them atimes. These rascals , instead of committing their own money by subscribing, forced these firms to cut the agreed percentage return to their clients and remit the difference to them in settlement.
They told us that they were protecting the unwary Nigerians, but have they guarantteed the safety of the money of Nigerians in those truncated schemes ? Inspite of all the disruption to their business these firms kept on going until the hooligans in power commanded the arbitrary freezing of the accounts and closure of their offices. And till today the authorities have not spared any thought for the many poor people who were given hope by these firms ,who turned their stepence into money substantial enough to be used to initiate productive economic activity. When the houseboys and housegirls of the government broke- up these fund managers in the name of sanitizing the financial environment, they also broke the morale of the many hopeless and faceless Nigerians who boldly against common sense staked their widow's mite in the hope of taking that chance to make their life better. Now for almost two years this money has been held -up by the very machinery that is supposed to assist them . The people's money is not held-up because the companies failed to pay. Does the government want to usurp that money too?!The over-fed madam of the SEC, the over-read tyrant of the CBN, the petty and cowardly bosses of involved banks and the shamed EFCC boss should be brought to trial for this mis-use of power against striving Nigerians attempting to make the most of a bad situation.
So the self-righteous say that greedy people desire fantastic returns. And I say who does not? Don't all investors ? All the banks ? Difference is they all pocket their fantastic returns. But these little known fianancial emancipators share their earnings with their subscribers fair and square.The truth seem to be that the class of the wealthy in Nigeria fear that every little person would, in not too long, be able to afford their own way and have a life. They want to forever be tin-gods in this land of plenty and opportunity.
LET THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INTERVENE TO RELEASE THE FUNDS OF NIGERIANS HELD-UP SINCE MAY 2007. BETTER STILL , LET THE FUND MANAGERS GO BACK TO BUSINESS UN-DISTURBED. EX-PRESIDENT OBASANJO ALLOWED THEM, WHY SHOULD IT IRK ANYBODY NOW ?

Funny How Time Changes things !!!

Funny how time changes Things. I was, just awhile ago, going through what is left of my long-kept copy of the Time magazine issue of April 7, 1980. On the Letters page, Sudhangshu B Karmakar in New York City wrote commenting on Mugabe's Victory :
"By leading his party to an honorable victory Robert Mugabe ( March 17 ) has liberated 7 million blacks of Zimbabwe Rhodesia from oppression. This liberation can be compared with the freeing of the Jews by Moses from the Pharaoh's power. The least the world can do is to honor him with a Nobel Prize".
Richard Lerner of Lexinton, Mass. also wrote on the same subject :
"In this harsh and oppressive world, the events in Zimbabwe Rhodesia have portrayed a small but tangible part of the phrase " And justice for all ".
So what went wrong in Zimbabwe to bring about what we are seeing today ? What has gone wrong with Mugabe or is it all propaganda ?
I say, though not judging the man, that mere men can never be a Messiah. Every man operates from a premise given. When it changes , the man changes. We are all men after all. We are not gods as written.
Let the man who loves himself and his world leave the stage when he has done his reasonable bit. For in staying on to play god , God often makes us saddly experience That He alone is God and the supreme architect of times.
Lets all weep for fallen Mugabe and his Zimbabwe. LETS NOT CALL FOR HIS HEAD AS I FEAR THE WORLD LEADERS ARE PLANNING TO!!!!

All the way from Kenya....

I got to work this morning feeling really out of it. My wife has been giving me her now common illogical and unpredictable attitude being a response to things which are only real in her head. And my system/internet service engineer who has bungled my connection for over a week nowstill maintains that the service provider is having some difficulty ! Whereas this evening, while doing my own trouble-shooting, I tracked the fault to him having checked ' Require secured password' under security options. For this I have been unable to use the internet for a week!
So, now see how differently I felt when I got to work and learnt that Barak Obama has indeed been elected the president of America. How sweet the notion, no, the reality of it. The rest of the day felt like christmas has come already. And you should know that I have seen so many christmas days that it has stopped being novel to me. Yet there was something fresh and special about the day. A feeling of new beginning, new hope. I hear Barak has african blood and jewish blood in him. No wonder. He is of God's race. His victory speech, which I believe was impromtu could in time to come rank as famous as Martin-Luther King jnr's I have a dream!
Well, to my african people who think that his policy on africa would be nothing but favourable, my opinion is that we would appear to have faired better under the white presidents of the past. Why? Because he would becareful not to give his oponents reason to accuse him of selling out or compromising america. So, africa should be contented in the knowledge that one of her sons is leading the unargueably number one nation of our time. Having said that, I believe america will know greater peace during Obama's tenure. The hitherto enemies of america will make peace with him on account of his minority status.
It is just as well that he appreciates the enormity of the task ahead of him. The financial crisis being dumped on his shoulders to carry to solution would appear unfair since he did not create it.
But he must succeed. We are all in it with him. We must help him do a good job of his service. Praying that the likes of those who killed Kennedy and Martin-luther King jnr etc would stay their hands this time and let God fulfil his mandate.
Finally, seeing how this man is heralded and accepted, I hope, and you people should drop your stones now; I hope that he is not the anti-christ that was foretold!