WAITING WITH BATED BREATH.

At a time when the nation is going through a transition process, this painful metamorphosis, it's difficult to endure the dying days of this present administration. A few individuals have put the country on a standstill. In these last few days, systems are shutting down and Africa's biggest economy is descending on her knees. I wish I can hear our President speak to us and reassure us before the days ebb out. We can do better than this.

Sometimes, I'm choked by the air of current happenings. No power, no fuel, everything is rising and falling, no one is catching it. I heard the major oil marketers have called off their strike, interesting. But does this give us a lasting solution to the problem in our hands? How can we tackle this fuel subsidy problem? Can we have a ten-year plan to achieve self sufficiency in petroleum products? A ten year plan to increase refining capacity? A ten year plan to diversify from fossil fuel? What's the road map to leaving this subsidy rat race? Too many questions begging for attention.

In the last days of President Jonathan's administration, we are witnessing such a handshake with confusion. Everything seems suspended in limbo, except of course, occasional hasty sacking and appointment of new miracle workers in certain government parastatals, people who perhaps, the present administration have forgotten to appoint since its inception.But these we shall soon forget, because we are Nigerians. We don't usually remember too much, we forgive and forget as soon as the immediate evil is postponed for a later arrival. Nigerians do not usually demand so much from their leaders, just the basics and everything will be fine. But who will give us these basics?

Since the ruling party lost election, we have been served peace in chequered boxes. We thank God for Jonathan's peace-loving personality. We will always remember him. Yet, when the peace we have leaves us high and dry, hungry and angry over persistent fuel scarcity, it leaves much to be desired. From accusations to counter accusations on missing campaign funds to defections from PDP to APC and then fuel crisis, we have had a dose of activity, with little or no productivity. We have a fundamental value problem. Ours is a country where there is no political ideology, we are all crammed in like sardine, oiled by our collective poverty, wrapped up in our economic rat races.

I agree with Noviolet Bulawayo's title, We Need New Names. We need new names to redefine leadership for Nigeria. New names like Ben-Murray Bruce, who will not be afraid to speak his mind about issues, names like you and me, if we can stand up to be the change we seek and new names that will build on the good things that this present administration has achieved.

I am hoping Gen Buhari and Prof Osibanjo will change the status quo. But to how much? This is why I am waiting with bated breath. It's one thing to have good intentions just like this out-going administration, but to make that forward leap will need a strong will that can break the camel's back.
I fear there's going to be a fight soon. A fight between those who want to buy Nigeria and those unwilling to sell Nigeria. May we all be standing through the storm and the rain, to hug one another when all is said and done, with chants of 'We made it! We made it to a better Nigeria!'

Time To Man Up

When you are very kindhearted, many people will mistake it that you are weak. They often feel you won't do anything, afterall, you're meek. And the Bible says the meek will inherit the earth, right? But the meekness of a Lion does not change its identity to roar when the need arises. Many people want to shove every junk down your throat and have you say, 'Hey, brother, bless you!' You know what, no matter how kind you are, you will sometimes have to draw a line to sieve the chaff from the real deal. The Bible reminds us of something profound, wisdom is profitable to direct. Eccl.10:10
Jesus, at some point in his ministry came to the house of God and over turned the tables of those who were buying and selling, telling them that his father's house has to be a house of prayer, not a den of robbers,Matt.21:13. People would have been shocked, how would gentle Jesus be able to kill an ant. But he who is the Prince of Peace is also the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. It's a complete identity, a full package.

Sometime ago, we contracted a lawyer and he commenced the registration of our NGO, Motivators International. After he received all the payment and every other document processed, he kept telling stories before the certificate would be out, apparently something fishy has happened to part of the money. After more than three months of waiting, of calling, pleading, imploring, I drew the line. I went back to report him to higher authorities where he works and in less than 24 hours, the certificate got processed. When I saw the certificate, I found out that it was supposed to have been ready more than one month ago. Nature needed me to put in a little straight face.

Along the part to your next level, you may have to man up. You may have to stop petting your problems. Confront your challenges, head on. Look your mountain in the face and tell it, "Get lost!" This is what life is. Wisdom whispers to our ears when to hold on, when to go in for a fight, when to show restraint, when to have patience.

Diplomacy is important but in the event that this fails, draw from your arsenals, confront your challenges in the place of prayer, speak to someone, make a move, back up your faith with action. If you are married to a man who keeps using you as a talking drum, making you cry like you are married to Onions, you have to man up. Don't die in silence, seek counseling.

The only way to become a hero is to demolish your Goliath. But you can't be a giant-killer when you lack the David kind of guts, that runs after giants with a sling, a rock and the name of the Lord. You have to believe that your five loaves and two fish can feed your five thousand when you give thanks, you have to switch on your faith and trust that your pot of oil will not run dry if God is involved.
Man up friend, if God be for you, who can be against you?

BECOMING AN ENGINE ROOM

When I was in Secondary School, Government Secondary School, Owerri, that congregation of going-somewhere students, I belonged to the french club. At the supervision of our french teachers, we perfected the art of la-cram-la-pour of our french script. One of those scripts says something like,

"Dire que je suis Citoyen d'un pays petrolier, dire que je suis Citoyen d'un pays qui est geant d'un continent, citoyen d'un pay supposer d'etre un des plus riches du monde. Depuis deux jours, je n'aie mangeais que cet orange" (From the script Quel Pays. A character in the play was lamenting being a citizen of a rich Nigeria, yet suffering from hunger.)

Even though we didn't quite understand what the script was saying then, we would recite our parts in the drama, run up and down the stage like marionettes, trying to shine. And we did shine, winning the State level competition for almost 6 years if not more. We took the first, second, third and fourth positions at different times at the National Stage and we traveled to many places also.

One of our teachers at that time, Mrs Ebiringa, wrote those brilliant dramas; La Jalousie, Quel Pays, Le Mystere de L'Ordinateur, among others. She is such a genius. When she writes the drama, we will start the cramming and the other teachers will start directing. It was later we would unravel the meaning of what we crammed. But Mrs Ebiringa was the engine room of those french plays. She never ceased to amaze me, her creativity and imagination. We had other excellent french teachers but the success of the french club revolved around her innovation.

Then after we graduated from the school, she became a lecturer in Imo State University and little has been known about the french club ever since. She is still a lecturer there as I write this.

Looking back, I appreciate even better her commitment, her zeal and knowledge of her craft. I wonder how long it took her. But when you have one or two Ebiringas in your establishment, you will make progress, for her type is like a gift to a generation, like the light through which others see their dark tunnels.

Becoming an engine room most of the time, is a combination of talent and training and appreciation of small defining moments. I am wowed when I watch Usain Bolt on the tracks, Lionel Messi or Christiano Ronaldo in football and other persons who are the stars of their different niches.

In every company, someone is in the engine room, in every family, in a country, where ever. In every church, someone is the Engine room, praying. In a team, it could be the coach or a star person in that team. But it doesn't always take too much to be the engine room. Fulfilling that your little commitment could be what will keep the engine going. Will you do your best so that your own part of the engine will not suffer?


Today, I remember Mrs Ebiringa, the engine room of our French club, the Shakespeare of our winning dramas. May God bless her and all the people who are the engine rooms, making things happen, people who do their best to take responsibility where ever they find themselves.

 May your days be long.