YOU AND THE POVERTY IN THE LAND

Jesus son of David have mercy on me-Mark 10:47, Luke18:38. These were the words that came to my mind not up to an hour before this write up.

There had been a discussion in a public vehicle I had entered in the morning of the day. The weather had been far from friendly, it rained intermittently and here was a multitude of children of varying ages numbering in thousands all queued up to far distances that I could only see a section of them.

As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest-Nelson Mandela. Here I wonder how many of us have gone to rest.

I could not but ask what this whole thing was all about. No sooner had I finished asking than I got multiples of answers flying in from different directions. This had initiated a discourse.

This children had queued up to be given free items like school materials and food items by Daystar Christian Centre Oregun, Ikeja shepherd by Pastor Sam Adeyemi and I learnt that so many children were seen coming all the way from Lagos Island in buses and different means of road transport to the venue.

For those of us that are familiar with Lagos terrain, you could imagine a far stretch from the Centre to down Christ Embassy LCA, Billings Way.

Hmm! To think about it that many will get back home shivering from cold but that still does not underscore this act of love and kindness. The centre can in subsequent times plan to arrange the programme to be better, putting many factors into consideration but for now, it is very much welcomed especially in this period of recession that the country has found herself in.

Many wondered why parents could allow their children and wards go such far distances and experience these harsh conditions. The answers were springing up from me as I would say that many would not have known of the great number they were going to face because the hope of having ones needs met could on its own interfere with some sense of reasoning. So one family leaves as the other and thus the number grows to what it becomes.

While many blamed their parents, all I could see was the ravaging effect of poverty. Poverty gets one’s mind knackered to the point of disillusionment were almost every sense of being human is lost.

The mind is the field of creation and resourcefulness, when this centre itself loses its purpose what becomes of the life it’s supposed to make and control? The life only becomes a container of emptiness were anything goes.

I saw a woman get in the vehicle, and no one could reason why because there was no reason to. I had mentioned that it was a public vehicle. It was conveying people to their destinations with stoppages at different bus stops. She sat down and almost immediately started with the challenges she was facing. She was in her 60’s and has been a widow with two children that came in late in her marriage, jobs had not been there amongst other prevailing factors she emphasized.

She sounded as one that was educated, as the English she spoke was very constructive and good. The woman ended the story of her predicament asked for help saying she only needed help to start up a business even if it was biro, pencil or recharge card business. Her manner of appeal caused me to reach out to her and so did many others.

What struck me was the glee on her face, she was so happy like she never thought people would respond as they did. I like to believe that the act of giving we had earlier seen had unconsciously played out in that collective magnanimity. Imagine what a single spark of love had caused!

THE PERISCOPE: DEMOCRATIC MISNOMER

Time they say waits for no man. It is just like yesterday and the chorus, jingles and chants of ‘’CHANGE” was sung to the high heavens. Sai baba! Jonathan to Otuoke!

It was quite a heated up campaign and there we saw the true and actual meaning of the cliché that Nigeria is of many divides. The North went their way and the South theirs with only the South-west of the Southern protectorate to decide who eventually emerges as the President.

It was not a shock to me to have seen the South-west go the side of the North because a well respected personality from the Northern extraction, General Mohammadu Buhari had emerged from the alignment of Northern parties like CPC, ANPP with the APC of the South-western region and the break-away New PDP.

The elections are gone and the winner has long been declared and no head rolled nor were there spilling of blood as predicted. Violence was minimal. All thanks to the Ex-president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

This is April, the eleventh month of this new administration but in actual sense, can it be called new? This question is occasioned by the fact that the life span of any administration is four years except in the case of a sack or re-election.

Several failed promises and denials are now staring us right in our faces. Remember the N5000 promised to unemployed youths and feeding of school pupils amongst many others. All these were lofty promises to seize power.

I told my friends, some days back that no true government would intentionally come to power to impoverish its citizens but that hardship can result from failed policies and laxities on different angles.

True as people might point out the mismanagement of previous administrations especially the most recent but I strongly believe that that was why the masses chanted “CHANGE” and the wind swept through the land to bring down the largest party in Africa, the PDP and unseat a sitting President.

Here is the misnomer that causes me to rage; it is with the administration not taking responsibility for what they do and what happens but rather they quickly resort to blaming previous government(s). If previous governments had dwelt on blame games on the Military regimes of the past, I wonder if Nigeria would even have survived till now. I beg to ask if we didn’t know something was wrong before we voted. Gosh! We voted for correction, sanitization and better management. If there were to be a way of seeing into the future and questions were asked the APC party and its Presidential aspirant back then about what to do to avert forthcoming untold hardship on Nigerians, I believe they would come up with quick-fix answers all just to win the election. So they should stop being wailing wailers and get fully to work.

In view of this, I utterly believe that the Party was just all after seizing power but not prepared for governance. What they seem to be doing is “learning on the job” but it is delicate to do so with a country as ours.

They say “We must fight corruption and root it out from our land”. Boys well done but is that just what we need to do? Every day, it was now a culture to come out on paper stands and see in bold letters, painted in the most captivating ways the names of those being paraded and tried for graft and the most topping one was Sambo Dasuki, the former NSA. I am not an Advocate for folks who may have amassed the wealth of the masses. I never had links with them nor had a share of their loots and I pray they pay for this evil if found guilty but my pain remained in the diversion of attention of the masses tactically played in connivance with the Media. People were and are still more tried on pages of newspapers than the supposed courts.

Sooner or later the fuel scarcity began to gradually set in and now what seemed like a little storm in a tea cup has snow-balled into an economic flood. Fuel scarcity was the song of the whole of the first quarter now we are in the second quarter. Electricity distribution jamboree that had greeted the entrance of the new government has plummeted, the naira began to nose-dive as against the dollar, water distribution pipes and taps for areas with government provision have gone dry.

Baba na wetin dey happen? Blame PDP the President and his party chorused and are still chorusing. Media corruption stunts stopped working because as they say, “Na person wey chop dey fit read”.

I am critical about what I am writing not that I hate any party, I do not have business with party affiliations so long the system works.

What Nigerians have faced in the last nine months is enough to cause an uprising if it were to be in other climes. An average Nigerian has gotten poorer than he was nine months ago. True! If an average Nigerian that cannot change a job for a better one or that has been laid off due to the harsh economic situation or that cannot source well for his business due to hyper-inflation compares what he spends to what he spent nine months ago with a fixed or declining income, what we come up with is increase in poverty. Simple economics!

Nigerians are not patient, Nigerians should give this government a chance to work, it is easier to destroy than to build-These are the common words you’d hear from Buhari Apologists.

My friend, you must not be in the opposition to criticize and criticism is not wishing a government bad.

Before I forget why is President Buhari busy globetrotting? No wonder the budget he presented to the National House of Assembly was padded with all sorts of mischievous figures, unwanted and un-matching Ministry allocations that even serving Ministers were miffed with what they saw.

My friend would ask me a question;Chris, why not you leave Nigeria alone? Some Nigerians are living in splendor in the midst of all these hardship and I would answer that we don’t have to be poor to speak for the downtrodden. Collective voices could actually help us actualize the change we wanted.

Now is the twist, every true critic must advise on what he thinks can work.

I.                    Mr President, sit more at home even as you continue with PMS Price modulation, sustained subsidy removal and a possible privatization of the oil sector with government just monitoring it. I know you and the then opposition marched against this when former President Jonathan proposed the idea of Privatization but do not worry; we will not nickname you a hypocrite by doing it. Do not be too blind and sentimental to throw away some of the policies of previous government like the oil provision ratio between NPMC a subsidiary of NNPC and the IPMAN that used to be 40:60 that you have now reverted to.

Let’s keep to that ratio and gradually change it with increase in domestic refining till we attain self-sufficiency.

II.                  Stop spending huge sums in search of oil in Chad basin. That investment does not seem right.

III.                The enormous profile of three compressed Ministries given to Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) should be readdressed. First among many reasons is that though he is a born worker, the portfolio is too big and he is not an expert in any of these comprised critical Ministries.

IV.                We have vast arable lands of 80million hectares accounting for 23% of total sum in West Africa. The Minister of Agriculture should double his effort to increase produce both for domestic and export purposes to help boost back the GDP.

V.                  Let this low pricing of crude oil per barrel be a blessing to the Ministry of Solid Minerals. That Ministry should be given quarterly production benchmarks to help revert back the relapse on the Naira through increased exports.

VI.                CBN to help formulate better financial policies 

VII.              Education sector should be fine tuned with a total overhaul to meet our demands. Graduates to be taught to proffer solutions to meet our demands unlike what is obtainable now though there are skills acquisition centres but that to me seems to be medicine for just survival. We need adequate academic fortification to revamp every ailing sector of our economy.

These and many advices I have to share in future writings but at the mean time, I do hope and pray we get it right as a nation.

I am Obaze Chris, a concerned socio and political commentator.

Transgendered Caitlyn Jenner

Would you welcome the former Bruce, now Caitlyn Jenner, into your church family?

We all have that option, because within each of our communities are struggling souls trapped in bodies they deem to be wrong for any variety of reasons. And now we are able to medically alter ourselves—but does that transformation doom us in the eyes of God?

I’m not a theologian, but I am a woman who has helped teens and adults struggling through many addiction issues and various challenges brought upon them by life. God asks me to love. So, I need to love. While it’s much easier to distance myself and even point fingers, Jesus would probably sit down with Caitlyn Jenner and ask questions, delve into the complexities of the former Olympiad, and offer love, concern, and compassion.

The world will have more Bruce-Caitlyn Jenners—just as we will have more gay marriages, live-in lovers, and a smorgasbord of other sins. I have to remind myself to hold off on the judgment, respond with love, and then perhaps, only then, will they welcome the truth of God’s Word.

Hundreds of Jewish Protesters Block Christians From Visiting King David's Tomb, Site of Jesus' Last Supper

Hundreds of Jewish protesters blocked a group of Greek Orthodox Christians from entering the site in Old Jerusalem that Jewish tradition believes is where King David is buried and where Christians believe Jesus held his infamous Last Supper on Sunday.

The protesters held a mass prayer service and study while attempting to block access to the building. Israeli Police managed to ensure the Christians' access to the site where they held a religious ceremony to celebrate Pentecost, according to a spokesman for the department.

Should God Be Called 'She?' Anglican Women Priests Say God Is 'Both Male and Female,' but Church Only Speaks of the Creator as Male

A group of female priests within the Church of England is calling for more gender-neutral language to be used when referring to God in church services, in what it says is a campaign for equality between men and women in the church.

"Orthodox theology says all human beings are made in the image of God, that God does not have a gender. He encompasses gender — He is both male and female and beyond male and female. So when we only speak of God in the male form, that's actually giving us a deficient understanding of who God is," said Rev. Jody Stowell, a member of Women and the Church group

The Rev. Emma Percy, chaplain of Trinity College Oxford and a member of WATCH, added that both male and female language should be used in church services, in order to distance the church from "the notion that God is some kind of old man in the sky."

Abercrombie & Fitch Guilty of Religious Discrimination, Supreme Court Decides in Muslim Head Scarf Case

Muslim woman Samantha Elauf (R), who was denied a sales job at an Abercrombie Kids store in Tulsa in 2008, stands with U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lead attorney Barbara Seely (C) at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, February 25, 2015. The Court on Wednesday considered whether Elauf, who wears a head scarf, or hijab, was required to specifically request a religious accommodation at her job interview at the store in Tulsa in 2008 when she was 17. The company denied Elauf the job on the grounds that wearing the scarf violated its "look policy" for members of the sales staff.

Bishop T.D. Jakes: 'I'm Much More Concerned About Being a Good Person Than Being a Good Preacher'

NEW YORK — Bishop T.D. Jakes, founder and lead pastor of The Potter's House in Dallas, Texas, recently revealed what he thinks is his greatest accomplishment in life so far and said he's "more concerned about being a good person" than he is about being a good preacher.

"The things that are most dear to me are the things that are most personal to me," Jakes, 57, told The Christian Post in an interview last month.

The megachurch pastor, who leads a 30,000-member church, has come a long way since he first began ministering to a congregation of just 10 people at Greater Emanuel Temple of Faith in 1980. In addition to founding one of the largest megachurches in the United States, Jakes has won numerous accolades over the years for notable books, films and music he has produced. None of these accomplishments, he says, compares to family.

"It is not the outward accolades in success of men because I find that to be so fickle, but there are moments I have had with my children and watching them grow," he said, before touching on his 34-year marriage to his wife, Serita Jakes.

"It is the fact that our relationship has survived and flourished for 34 years between my wife and I. It is the fact that I took care of my mother until the day she died of Alzheimer's and I got to be a good son. I'm much more concerned about being a good person than I am about being a good preacher."

50 Cent Frightens Security at ‘Scream 4′ Party

50 Cent created a security nightmare for the people handling a SMALL “Scream 4” afterparty tonight … when he passed along the event details to a few MILLION people.

TMZ has learned … 50 and the Weinstein Brothers are co-hosting the party at a restaurant in NY tonight … an event that was only supposed to cater to roughly 100 people.
But event organizers freaked out when they noticed 50 posted the invitation on his Twitter page — because 50 has 4 million followers … and they now have to prep in case an army of fans try to crash.
According to Mike Zimet, event security specialist for the Weinstein Company, additional security has already been called in… because, “While we appreciate 50′s enthusiasm, we are not quite prepared in the event that his 4 million followers turn up.”

Facebook sued by family of murder victim after grisly picture posted

The outraged family of New York murder victim Caroline Wimmer is taking on Facebook. A paramedic took a cell phone photo of the crime scene and posted it on the site in a case of what parents Martha and Ronald Wimmer are calling "disrespecting the dead."
"This is on the second anniversary of our daughter's death. I just want to get by, day by day," Martha Wimmer said.

Rihanna not dating Colin Farrell

According to People magazine, Rihanna and actor Colin Farrell are not dating. Rumors spread when the two celebrities were spotted in Los Angeles at an upscale Italian restaurant. A source told the mag that while they did in fact eat at the same place, both sat separately and explained, “It was absolute coincidence they were at Giorgio Baldi at the same time. Colin was there at a business dinner and Rihanna was across the room.” There you have it.

Chris Brown insists he didn’t leak nude picture

While promoting his newly released F.A.M.E. album, Chris Brown refuted reports that he intentionally leaked his nude picture as a publicity stunt. The “Look At Me Now” singer told MTV News that he only sent the photo to a woman, who he wouldn’t name. He went on to say, “I didn't want to put no pictures out; that's not my intention.” Breezy knows that people would assume he was trying to get promotion, but he stated, “Unless I'm planning on trying to do porn, I don't think I'd want to just leak my wang out to the world before my album comes out.” WHO DID?

Bieber’s Never Say Never tops MJ’s This Is It

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never has earned 72.2-million dollars at the domestic box office so far, passing Michael Jackson's 72.1-million haul for This Is It. Bieber still has a little way to go to climb the list of the top-grossing documentaries of all time. According to Box Office Mojo, Never Say Never is currently at the number three position, around five-million dollars behind March of the Penguins and nearly 50-million dollars short of the all-time record held by Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, which raked in over 119-million dollars.WOW!!!

Jennifer Lopez delays album

According to Island Def Jam, Jennifer Lopez has once again delayed the release of her upcoming album, Love? The “On The Floor” singer has decided to now launch her seventh studio project on May 3rd. The delay will give fans time to digest her next single, “I’m Into You” featuring Lil Wayne, which arrives on April 5th. In addition, fans will be able to check out another offering called “Papi” as well as the title track, just a few weeks before the disc drops.

J.Lo teamed with noted producers including RedOne, Tricky Stewart, The-Dream and Danja.What could she be up to?

Solange turns to fashion industry

WENN.com reports Solange intends to leap into the fashion industry by becoming a consultant for a line that she says she really “respects and was already a fan of.” While she can’t reveal “too much,” Solo will collaborate with the unnamed clothing company for collections and give her input on design ideas and prints. It’s unknown when the “I Decided” singer will complete the follow-up to 2008’s Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams.

50 Cent gets tattoos removed, warns on face tattoos

While gracing the cover of VIBE’s international issue, 50 Cent shared his opinions on rappers getting face tattoos. Not directly to point out Gucci Mane, who has a huge ice cream tat on his cheek, 50 warns those who decide to put ink on their face. The mogul explained, “To tattoo your face says that there’s not a possibility that you can actually walk into a legitimate establishment without makeup covering your face every day...It creates a separation.” 50 feels it’s a “crazy” idea because “the public will not have interest in you as an artist for life.” So true!

50 recently had some of this tattoos removed because he was tired of spending hours on movie sets getting the tats covered up with make-up. Has 50 changed for good?

Ja Rule pleads guilty to tax evasion

Things are not looking good for Ja Rule. The rapper has just pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion for failing to fork over three-million dollars between 2004 and 2006. The rap vet, who will begin a two year sentence in June for a weapons possession charge, is yet to comment on the situation. The Wall Street Journal reports the rapper will be sentenced on his tax evasion charges in June. He is facing up to one year in prison and 100-thousand dollars in fines for each count he’s found guilty for.

Fans can still expect Rule to issue two albums, The Renaissance Project and the sequel to his classic album, Pain Is Love.

INSPIRATION OF THE DAY :Successful People Who Were Once Told They Were Failures

 Have you ever had a dream and people told you to keep your day job? Have people rejected your idea of what you knew was your calling in life? If so, you are not alone. A lot of famous and successful people did not have the support of those they looked up to. Teachers and other authority figures told these people they couldn't make it.
The list of people who were rejected in their field include artists, musicians, athletes, entrepreneurs, television personalities, actors, actresses, inventors and writers.
Look through the chart and see how some of your favorite people were once rejected. That should give you a lot of hope for fulfilling your life long dream even when people tell you that you won't.

Small Japanese village vanishes after tsunami

Lord have mercy!!!!

US eye more firepower to hit pro-Gadhafi forces

WASHINGTON – Battered by a week of air strikes, forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi still remain a potent threat to civilians, according to Pentagon officials, who are considering more firepower and airborne surveillance systems to find and attack the enemy troops.
As the military eyes other tools in its arsenal, the White House announced late Friday that President Barack Obama will give a speech to the nation Monday evening explaining his decision-making on Libya to a public weary of a decade of war.

12 Year Old Boy With IQ Higher Than Einstein Develops Own Theory

A 12-year-old child has astounded university professors after grappling with some of the most advanced concepts in mathematics. Jacob Barnett has an IQ of 170 - higher than Albert Einstein - and is now so far advanced in his Indiana university studies that professors are lining him up for a PHD research role.The wonder boy, who taught himself calculus, algebra, geometry and trigonometry in a week, is now tutoring fellow college classmates after hours. He is so far ahead of his age group he is now leaving university and embarking on his most ambitious project yet - his own 'expanded version of Einstein's theory of relativity'.  According to the Indiana Star, Institute astrophysics professor Scott Tremaine  -himself a world renowned expert - confirmed the authenticity of Jake's theory. In an email to the family, Tremaine wrote: 'I'm impressed by his interest in physics and the amount that he has learned so far. 'The theory that he's working on involves several of the toughest problems in astrophysics and theoretical physics. 'Anyone who solves these will be in line for a Nobel Prize.' Jake was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome, a mild form of autism, from an early age. His parents were worried when he didn't talk until the age of two, suspecting he was educationally abnormal. It was only as he began to grow up that they realised just how special his gift was. He would fill up note pads of paper with drawings of complex geometrical shapes and calculations, before picking up felt tip pens and writing equations on windows. By the age of three he was solving 5,000-piece puzzles and he even studied a state road map, reciting every highway and license plate prefix from memory. By the age of eight he had left high school and was attending Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis advanced astrophysics classes.