THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE 2

There comes a point in everyone’s life

When you feel nothing is moving

There comes a point in everyone’s life

When flowing is all you feel.

There comes a point in everyone’s life

Where survival is all that is left

There comes a point in everyone’s life

When reminiscence is all that is left

We all dream of a great life

One where we achieve our life dreams

Where our effort is noticed and glorified

Where our every existence is filled with joy

Life is difficult

Life is unfair

Life is rigid

Life is not friendly

How I remember my days of innocence

When I had big dreams to accomplish

Now keeping up with my peers in the daily challenge of life

Is difficult enough

How I dream of my beautiful youth

Wasted in carefree pursuit

If only if only I tell myself

I could have spent it better

Life on its own is difficult enough

Its challenges are just too heavy

Finding a strategy to succeed

Has proved impossible

O lord

All I ask for is peace

Peace to sleep

Peace to wake up.

Challenges of life

The challenges life offers may seem unsurmountable,in fact majority of the time it seems out of our reach. But holding on to Christ even though it looks like putting your hope on nothing. yet we believe with faith even though I am down and out, even thought i have been forgotten by the world yet, just yet I might rise again.

Jamb/ Post Jamb and there relevance in a fast technological growing age.

I was opportune to work as a supervisor in the last jamb exercise, what I witnessed necessitated these write up. As a student in the university I had on a number of occasions wrote both Jamb and GCE exams on behalf of applicants. Back then I fealth we were the In-thing. I was so good that I wrote GCE exams on behalf of female candidates in sexually segregated states. I could beat any new technology put up by Jamb or WAEC. They were like illiterates trying to beat a computer guru in the development of a software. But what I witnessed during the last jamb exercise informed me that compared to the present candidates I am a novice in the game. Before even the commencement of the exams 90% of the students had the answers, and I mean the correct answers. No longer were they using photocopying machines like in my time, now GSM is king. Answers are transferred between candidates in a number of seconds. The beauty of the system was that candidates did not just have the answers but virtually the answers to all the papers, and they text it freely to each other. Phones were hidden in such innovative places like there Bra and Pants. The only way to get at these items was to sexually molest a candidate.
The real question for me was the relevance or non relevance of jamb in these modern times. It is clear no matter the amount of technique/ styles Jamb develops they can never effectively police these crimes. This is because the crimes are aided and committed by the middle men. The higher institutions too show there absolute disregard for jamb as they keep conducting their own aptitude test in the name of ensuring the right candidates get in. But there methods belie them and show them as liars. For God sake just looking at the cut of marks for a post ume, one can clearly see the determining factor for it is available exam space not quality students. What is the meaning of 180/200 we see everywhere. Even as a very unserious student in secondary school back in the days I still had 208 with 100% my effort. The motivating factor for post jamb seems to be revenue generation since cut of points seem to be set based on available exam space. As such the argument about the universities trying to get the best does not hold water as there exams are motivated by greed and self interest. Rather we should motivate Jamb to do a better Job. These can only be done by Jamb cutting off the middle men who act as the source leakage and corruption. Therefore I propose that Jamb should adopt an online testing method. Yes! It has its own logistic problems based on the present level of technological advancement and availability in Nigeria. True cheating can take place still but it minimizes it to a minimum. True! Jamb may need to sack those workers who can no longer fit in, but that is the cost of growth. It is time jamb fights for its life because it is only a matter of time before they scrap it.

The death of the one man squad

Until two weeks ago I never heard of the one man squad. My even knowing about him was by chance. I was at a store beside my house two weeks ago when I heard a guy telling a story in an animated manner. The gist of the story was that a popular criminal had just moved into our area. I did not see anything unique in that afterall criminals abound in any environment and had rights to freedom of movement just like any law abiding citizen. The person telling the story then proceeded to tell me a story that possessed the characteristic of what legends are made of. The story goes thus one man squad got the name because unlike other criminals he operated alone. The primary aim of his crime was to rape. He seemed invincible, as neither guns nor knifes could arm him. He could also disappear in a twinkling of an eye from the scene of a crime. But what really brought fear was that he had HIV and intended spreading it to as many people as possible. Hence he raped as many as 17 ladies a day. I thought these a joke. Seventeen women a day! God, the man should run for stud of the year. Anyway his preference seemed to be married women. He appeared not to differentiate between a newly married woman and a mother of ten. Everybody was game to him and whoever interfered when he was committing his crime he killed. So you can imagine the fear people where living in considering that he had single handedly put most of the occupants of Eneka a suburb in Port Harcourt to flight.
Three days ago Mr. One man squad met his demise in the most unlikely of manner. The man, whom neither bullets nor cutlasses could harm, was burnt to death by an irate crowd who were simply over prepared for him. The story goes that he was caught in the act of raping someone. Following the approved techniques used for catching disappearing entities they held him from the back while others poured sand on him. These I was told would prevent him from disappearing. Thousands rushed from my area to go and watch him. He was interviewed and rape victims identified him, after which jungle justice was meted out to him. People prevented the police from laying their hands on him under the belief they would simply collect bribes and release him. The level of rejoicing witnessed at the scene of his murder and the fact that I who firmly believe in doing things according to the law approved of his murder put me to shame. I did not go and watch the burning, but my conscience approved of it. It caused me to question my values. If I believed Mr. A has the right to life who gave me the right to think Mr. B should not enjoy those same rights. Even worse, the Radio’s and Television stations which should act as the conscience of the people were agog with the good news. Not even once questioning the legality or not of the action. I now realized the problem was not me but the society. Was it the sense of injustice that motivates the society to approve of jungle justice or are we simply barbarians masquerading as enlightened individuals while deep down we crave those good Old Stone Age era when justice was decided by whom was the strongest.

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The man in the mirror

The joy of elections is here and Nigerians are lapping it up. From party conventions to Inec registration, the talk about town is ELECTION. Who is going to win the governorship, presidential, senatorial and local government elections? Already we have had a taste of the pudding with the primaries in various parties where the Jonathan Atiku film show was the most entertaining. Like all things Inec irrespective of the goodwill/ intentions of Jega is giving us a taste of what to expect come April. Already the voters register has been compromised by the youth corpers manning them. In there desire for speed and to help ease the suffering of individuals having problem registering they now volunteer there finger prints while you attach your passport to it. Those individuals who were semi fortunate to scan four fingers successfully while struggling to scan the fifth, our dear youth corpers now assist them by completing it with there own finger. In the quest by our youth corpers to assist Jega meet the 29th January deadline, our self sacrificing corpers now put speed ahead of efficiency, or else how do you explain getting to the pooling booth the day after you successfully scanned three fingers with the hope of completing the battle the next day and be told by our able attendants that your finger print has been used by someone else since you came late. It is my hope and prayer that Jega carries out his treat of prosecuting those who registered more than once so that some of these corpers can go to prison. Tunisian youths just showed us the strength of youths has a leading cause for positive change. Nigerian youths who are ably represented by our corpers are proving the term “Half baked” correct. Such a shame individuals like us once served these country with honours bringing pride to term “corpers”. But now some few individuals who put speed above efficiency are destroying this great institution. The youths have an opportunity in not just participating in this electoral system, but enthroning the culture of free and fair election in the polity. After the April election and we have another election that is not worth talking about, every corper in the2010/2011 set when they want to know who is to blame they should please look at the man in the mirror, because all those small assistance add up to a rigged election.

Another New Year: A New Set of Resolution

I have never been a fan of resolutions, I have always thought of it as a make shift self righteous indignation that comes about once a year. There have not been an end of year in the past 24 years I have not had a resolution, and there has not been an end of year in the past 24 years I could remember what the resolution for that year was. So for 2011 I have decided to adopt a new approach, instead of resolutions I will have a motto. I think a motto has the advantage of being relatively more shorter and also easily remembered. Moreover a motto has the advantage of being directional, meaning it points the direction for the period at hand. In my decision to adopt a motto also I must admit a selfish intention lying under it. Secretly I want to avoid the religious ho ha and attempts at self righteousness that accompanies a resolution. For 2011 my motto is simple and straight to the point "Get rich or die trying". I am naturally borrowing from 50 cent. But who cares let him sue me for copyright infringement and see whether I have a dime to give.