October 1st Nigeria is 52! This is what I have to say!

This is not a blog post, it is just me talking to myself-so please pardon any errors. You can call it a soliloquy or monologue, even trilogue-me, myself and I. I should have posted this earlier but PHCN decided that today of all days, they would not supply my community with power till late this evening. Anyway, yesterday I wasn't really feeling myself. No enthusiasm, no motivation, no will-power, nothing...just little me playing with my phone and with my ear piece plugged into my ears listening to some Enya and Yanni music.

I was having my dinner when I saw something on a popular TV station about Nigeria being 52...yada yada yada...tune in at 7am. My aunt actually brought my attention to it when she said, "na who dey want make e wake at that time pscheww?" I laughed and agreed in silence. I also thought to myself, even if one decides to wake up to watch/listen, will there be power supply? 

In the Twitter mood, I tweeted about it.

@yincah tomorrow is for sleeping, not excited at all. A station showing Nig @ 52 7am. Who r dey expectin to b awake @dat tym? PHCN go gree?  and my friend replied

@frediliamomodu fredilia is vexing

which I replied back

@yincah Vexing ke. I get tym! I'm even enjoyin a plate of peppersoup with catfish and turkey. 

After some time on Twitter, I went into a shallow trance, swimming in thoughts of how life would have been if Nigeria was a land where the dreams of children and youths were not frustrated. I watch American films and hear Americans talk about the American dream; but I hardly hear of the Nigerian dream. Please if you do, let me know. Maybe that is too ambiguous, let me rephrase. What is my dream as a person and how can Nigeria make it happen? Nigeria hmmm...(screaming in my mind) Nigeria how can you make my dreams happen? JAMB question abi! 

If Nigeria were one person, these are what I would ask her (like a mother scolding her child): 

Why did you allow me spend 3years doing JAMB without admission? It is not as if I was not passing. 

Why did you pressure me to choose Chemistry all because I wanted to gain admission? Lack of proper counselling.
Why don't you ensure that there are career counselling centres in secondary schools to give our young ones a sense of direction before choosing a course of study in the university?

Why is it that schools are all about books at the expense of a child's natural abilities? I was good at speaking, writing, drawing and performing arts but who cared. 

Why are  graduates working in places where their talents and education don't fit just because they want to make a living? 
Why do we import virtually everything when God has blessed Nigeria with numerous natural resources?
Why can't we have stable power supply after 52 years? A piece of advise: you don't need to change the name again, PHCN=NEPA.
Why is corruption the order of the day amongst those who are supposed to be our leaders? They accumulate wealth at the expense of the people and still get national awards.
Why do perpetrators of evil go scot-free?
Why do the Rich keep getting richer and the Poor poorer?  

Why do our parents and grandparents say you were better in their time? What has happened to you Nigeria? What has happened to you o?
I am positive we all have our different answers to these questions. 

What can man or woman do? I thank God for our flexible and resilient nature, because anywhichway, we must make things work for us. That is why we are Nigerians!

I woke this morning and thought of the president's speech came to mind. I looked at my clock it was 8am. I checked, no light. Then I remembered the past gifts (fuel subsidy, renaming Unilag, my Alma mater) GEJ surprised us with and said to myself, "hope he doesn't give us a gift this time."     
Talk never finish but I wan stop...as a sign of respect 

Happy Independence Nigeria!
... I still love you. 

I am way too VIP to be RIP!

Maybe I could have been in the emergency room crying (that's if I had the strength to or if I would be even conscious) asking God why He let it happen; or maybe I would have been talking to Him face to face explaining to Him how I made the most of the life He gave to me. Maybe you guys would have been cursing and swearing for my sake, and tweeting RIP tweets @frediliamomodu. Well, Glory be to our forever awesome God, the story is the opposite. 

 On Monday morning, I felt weak and drowsy. It was like the weight of the whole world was placed on my shoulders; I wanted to collapse. I managed to attend to an elderly man who had issues with the ATM. After attending to him as best as I could, he showered me with prayers and he said and I quote, "this week is your week of favours. God will shower you with favours". I said Amen in a low voice and smiled at him as he made his way out of the bank. As myopic and selfish as my mind was, I thought of another job with a mouth watery salary and loads of time for me to do the things I love.

A few minutes later, my stomach started hurting real bad and all the strength in me vanished into space. I went into the store and cried like a child. With the help of my colleagues, the secretary wrote me a letter to go a particular private hospital. I couldn't go by myself so a driver took me there. By then, I was groaning in pains, my temperature began to rise and I began to shiver. Different tests were carried out on me and I was found to be positive for malaria. As an AA and O+ person, I hardly have malaria, but when I do, it's dead serious. I was to prepare for a scan too by drinking lots of water till I felt pressed to use the rest room. 

It was more or less a torment because I was still hurting in my stomach, I was very weak and drinking water just made me feel nauseated. The nurses kept asking me if I wanted to urinate and I kept telling them I didn't know. I had lost total control of my entire body; I didn't know what I felt anymore. I just wanted to do scan and get it over with. In a mixture of pain and frustration, I continued to drink warm water from the dispenser. The nurses and other patients stared at me waiting for me to say I was ready for the scan. I bowed down to the pressure from their piercing eyes and announced that I was ready for the scan. Just for the record, the lady who went in for her scan before I did mine congratulated me thinking I was pregnant. 

When the doctor started the scan, the first thing she said was, "your bladder is too full! I can't see anything, please go and urinate a little!" I obeyed like a timid kitten and wondered why I did not feel pressed. The only thing I could feel was the  pain I was going through. After I eased myself a bit, she did a successful scan, and from the scan, I was perfect. She told me to completely empty my bladder and did some physical examinations on me. After everything, I was diagnosed of appendicitis and an operation was recommended. After a brief talk and phone calls to the surgeon, the time for operation was scheduled because she claimed it was urgent. I was just staring at the two doctors telling me that I needed to do an operation. 

After the consultation, I called the driver to pick me up. I was given just paracetamol to ease the pains. I had taken only oats without milk and sugar the whole day. I was famished and fatigued. This was about 5hours after I got to the hospital. When I got to the office, I told my colleagues and my boss about my encounter and they advised me to get a second opinion from another doctor.

I did that and glory to God, ain't no knife passing through this lovely tummy of mine. Met with my family doctor, an experienced doctor at that. He did a thorough check up on me. Any operation whatsoever could have killed me, because I had acute malaria and my PCV was low. (God will let none of us die before our time...)
Come to think of it...didn't the hospital didn't think it fit to treat me first so I would be in a better shape for the operation? They were just interested in cutting me open and getting my money from the fat bill they would write. How can you operate someone who has acute malaria and is short of blood? What the fuck and hell were they thinking?  I don't even have enough strength to waste on being angry.

Even though I spent the last week shuttling between the hospital and my home, I just thank God for everything. I was given proper treatment in forms of drips, injections, drugs and a proper diet. I can now sing, tweet, blog, smile, talk, run a little and do the things I could not do few days back. 

I now remember that elderly man's prayers and smile. God is forever good.





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A dose of motivation-Four Cardinal Points for everyone

Hi sweet people, remember when I told you I was writing an article for our church's children's harvest brochure in My Saturday blog post, and I said I would share it with you after it is published? Well, this is it! Enjoy!

It is the prayer of everyone to live a happy and fulfilled life on earth and we have various desires, goals, and dreams we all hope to achieve - to help us attain this. However, circumstances surrounding us may not be so encouraging and in contrast with what we desire. Also, some people may have a strong conviction that they could make it in a particular field but the fear that they might not succeed prevents them from taking a bold step. While others keep procrastinating, when all they need to make it are all around them.

The bible passage from Mark 5:21-43 has the perfect words for us.

1. Always have a purpose and set goals

One thing was pretty obvious as Jesus was passing through the crowd; many people touched Him. What happened to them? Nothing!  All of them that came in contact with Him did not get what they wanted or needed except the woman who had a purpose in her heart-the woman with the issue of blood. Imagine everyone in the crowd had set goals and believed it; the story would have been entirely different with many people receiving solutions to their problems.

At any point you are in your life; don’t just drag your feet through life. Always have a purpose based on the dreams you have for yourself-set goals and go for them.

2. Don't let obstacles distract you from achieving your goals

There was no laid down fact that touching Jesus' garment brought healing. She believed and went for it. However, she had to pass through the crowd to get to Jesus. She had a target and did not let anything hold her back. She made her way to Jesus (and I am very sure she would have received many criticisms from the people in the crowd as she forced her way through them). She ignored all of that, touched his garment and got her healing.

Obstacles are different things for different people. For instance, you might to start up your own business as a hair stylist, and finance may be your obstacle. As long as you are passionate about it, start with what you have. You could start from home service doing the styles you have the tools for. Just do your job well, word will spread, you get more clients and all your dreams will start becoming a reality.

3. Stay away from negative influences
When Jesus wanted to heal Jairus' daughter, he made sure those who were laughing left the premises. He didn't perform the miracle in their presence because they had contrasting goals. The disciples and the parents of the damsel wanted to see healing but the others didn't believe she could be healed. That is why they thought it was ridiculous when Jesus said she was sleeping. Jesus didn't waste precious time trying to convince them to believe, the result would convince them. He did away with them and did what He came for.

Some people may ridicule you when you tell them your goals and plans; some may even discourage you with all sorts of stories. You don’t need such company. Move with like minds. It doesn’t mean you should not be open to criticisms and advices, but take them wisely. No matter what you are told, you hold the power to make the final decision. Your results will convince them.

4. With God all things are possible
While Jesus was speaking with the healed woman, one of the rulers informed them that the damsel had died and there was no need to bother Jesus. But Jesus said to him, ''Be not afraid, only believe''. I don't think I need to expatiate on this; the words speak for themselves.
God did not bless you with natural gifts or talents for nothing, so why should you be afraid to use what God has deposited in you? He didn’t give you the spirit of fear but of a sound mind. Stop being afraid but believe God will give you all you need to succeed.

Well, with these four cardinal points in mind, nothing should stop you from bearing the best of fruits with the seeds God has planted in you. God created you for a purpose and you don't have to rack your brain trying to figure it out. He reveals them to us in different ways: through talents, skills, gifts, feelings, convictions, interests, hobbies, what people say about you, revelations, dream and other numerous ways.

Make sure you set goals for yourself and make the best use of your time, your resources and the opportunities each day presents. Always do your best and let God take care of the rest.

Remember, when you walk with God you are like a seed planted by the riverside and watered by God himself. 

Memoirs of a Nigerian Youth Corps Member-Episode 5

Having shared my NYSC roomy experiences with you, let us go straight to my Place of Primary Assignment proper. Anytime I think about it, I still feel very sorry for the inhabitants of Bataki-Idiya, the village where I served, especially the younger ones who have so much ahead of them. Not one of them could speak the English language fluently, as Yoruba language was their means of communication. Their lifestyle was outdated and void of civilisation. 
There was no good source of water supply. They drank coloured water straight from the well. What they called a stream was a pool of dark-coloured stagnant water with spirogyra growing around it. There were some days I had to use sachet water to have my bath. This occurred mostly during the rainy season when the well water became muddy after downpours. 

The telecommunication system was so poor that we had to go to certain spots to get network. I literally hung my phone with a scarf close to my window to get network. They used sacks to make their beds and most of them used firewood to cook (only few could afford a kerosene stove). There was no electric power supply in the entire village though few had generators. To be more explicit, Ibadan was their London and Cornflakes was strange to them.  There was no structure to attract anyone to the village; they just stayed in an isolated world of their own.

However, one beautiful thing about them was their attitude. They were very accommodating, respectful and generous. They never discriminated. They respect individuals for who they are and don't force their culture on anyone.
As for the younger ones, the beautiful thing about them was their willingness to learn. The students were always excited in class and showed genuine interest in what they were taught. I taught Basic Science and Mathematics to the Junior Secondary School students. I could have taught Chemistry but there were no resources to teach the science. There was no laboratory and in my opinion, Physics and Chemistry would scatter their head-Fela.
I was as patient and practical as possible when explaining because, that was the best way they could understand. I remember vividly when I taught them about the different forms of drugs, I had to take some drugs to the class such as capsules, tablets, creams for illustration. They found it difficult to relate with me when I taught them ICT-Information Communication and Technology,  as they were not familiar with computer systems let alone the internet. A funny incident was when I asked them to give me an example of a carbohydrate and a group of students confidently chorused ewa (beans in Yoruba language).
After school hours, most of them went to the farm, hawked goods or went to sell in shops at the expense of their studies. I could not blame them as their parents saw those activities as more important since they brought food to the table. To them going to school was just a routine.

Below are some pictures I took when I was in the village.

a cross section of the students in assembly-look at that boy in the 3rd row posing for the camera

the staff room

a female student sitting in front of the staff room during break

a student getting ready to go to the farm for Agric practical

the head boy

a villager wishing us goodbye

It is no surprise corps members posted there refused to stay. I thank God I served there. At least, I can talk about it and I learnt a whole lot. Though I am not abreast with the current state of affairs in the village, I would love the Government of Oyo state to look into that village under Ido LG. They are humans like us and deserve a better life, as least for the sake of the children and youths who are the leaders of tomorrow or today. They deserve a better telecommunication system, power supply, standard houses, and most importantly a better formal education and civilisation. Hopefully I will visit there in the nearest future and keep you all posted.