Face to face with Peril

A moment, it was just a smooth journey on a tiny road
Another, it was looming death disguised as two crazy truck drivers
As enormous shock ran up my spine at the speed of light,
The idea of prayer absconded at the speed of sound

How could I have escaped tribulation?
Other passengers had even worsened the atmosphere
Suddenly, the pants of the guy next to me was soaked in urine
Again, the girl behind me couldn’t press the stop button- her scream filled my head
And own teeth auto-clenched as my eyes prepared to see an inelastic collision

If you once faced an angry and hungry death
Then, you’d know what I really sensed
Imminent evil struggled in my heart with the want for mustard-seed faith
Who rescued me, the saving grace of God or the angels?

But in the split of a moment, it was all over
Either the driver found the breaks or the breaks stopped the tires
... ... ...

JUST DO IT

If it’s locked up in your heart, open it up
It it’s hooked up in your mind, let it down
If it’s enslaved in your head, let it loose
Don’t mistake a possibility for a ridiculous jargon
No idea is as useless as a rickety lifeless wagon

If it’s an intention, put it down
Never keep it in the dungeon of your brain
A brainchild is about to be born alive
Never cause a still-born by delaying the bringing forth
Nobody gets rewarded for something they wanted to bring forth

You won’t be rewarded for having good intentions
You won’t be awarded for thinking good ideas
It’s what you show as a product that attracts attention
No one would thank the tortoise for having a shell
No one would appreciate the snail for keeping a shell

Don’t let it die in you
... ... ...

Saintly Bandit

One is a bandit, two are saints

Life is a cycle

Time is a straight line

But, Regrets will find their way into both


One is a bandit, two are saints

Money could buy wisdom

Wisdom could make money

But pride finds a way into both



One is a bandit, two are saints

The illiterate may not be innocent

The innocent may not be literate

But poverty has an affinity for both


Corruption captivates a nation’s productivity

Productivity entices corrupt minds

But policies would moderate both

Finally, one is a saint, two are bandits


Two familiar bandits are better

Far better than one strange saint

... ... ...

Youthful Exuberance: the next moment

It’s a wild afternoon at Patmos Island
The want for crazy competition is thick in the air
I look into the deep waterbed and shudder
I shudder at my own reflection
But I see a bloke at the other edge
He’s dressed up for a quick thrust
“Blow me some cool breeze”, he shouts
He dives in and the chase begins
This game of escape or die is an instance of psychosis
It’s either the shark gets fed or the boy gets the money
But on my cynical note,
He will find “comfort” in between the shark’s jaws
And alas, He lunged into the shark!
“Life is not worth more than $20,000”
Those were his last, unspoken words
He said so by diving into the shark’s niche
But no one had thought of the next moment

It’s an evening party at Solomon’s Porch
Here’s a chap that wants some awareness
He’s finished 3 bottles of champagne (blanc de noirs)
But he’s not done yet!
He wants to create a scene
And his friends cheer him on
He’s motivated but almost comatose
I saw an impulsive move as he reached for the bourbon whisky
He staggered and complained, “It is not opened yet”
“Hic hoc”, he punctuated
“Ooh la”, I muttered
My interest moved me to the edge of my seat
As I watched him answer a phone call
He shook his head and dropped the bottle
But before anyone could say, “Jack Rob…”
He grabbed his car keys and jumped off the balcony
I won’t say more than this: we were on the eighteenth floor
But no one thought of the next moment

It’s another semester’s end at BLS.edu
And I’m just heading for my room on the 12th lane
When a boy barked into his mobile, “… when is our exam starting?”
“Ok, just flash me when it commences”
Startled, I looked behind and saw a “sure boy”
My countenance looked indifferent but inside, I was raving with hilarity
What a holy slapstick!
Yet, he walked in my direction
So, I reduced my pace
He got ahead and I trailed behind
I sought to know what was more important than an examination he had paid for
He took a turn and I took the turn
He made a left and I did the same
At last, he stopped at an arcade but I kept walking away
Having seen what was more important, I got confused
Coloured balls and a long stick on a rugged board?
Maybe, a nice time at the snooker board is the ticket to Vegas’ fortune
Sure boy was not thinking of the next moment!

And here’s the charming voodoo girl;
In Lagos, she’s the hottest happening chick
But at family reunions, she’s the anointed sinless angel
If she sinned a little, someone must have corrupted her
If she thought an evil thought, someone must have spoken it to her
She’s so perfect that she never farts,
So calm that she’s never belched!
But the truth is not found at home- it is away
All she has is a compendium of false lives
Deception, seduction & corruption prevails
So, I perceive she could beat the devil at his job
She’s got every political hotline in her directory
She calls, they come and the black powder does its work
It started on campus and grew into a metropolis franchise
Yet, time solicits her will for a change
But she says the only option available is to continue
The money, the fame
The parties, the clubs
The rep, the flow
The booze, the blues
She’s just another blind seer
A believer of the “no-way-out” gospel
Who never thinks of the next moment

I yell, “Youthful exuberance”
We’ve all had it
“Youthful exuberance”
We still have some of it
“Youthful exuberance”
We don’t need all of it
“Youthful exuberance”
It is not right to race down the wrong lane!
What was I seeking at Patmos Island?
What was I doing at Stephan’s Court?
Why was I curious about the bloke at BLS.edu?
Some call it a youth’s adventure
Others call it a custom of sociologists
It’s only an attempt at living a balanced life
But even when we have good intentions,
Our actions project a mirror image of the resident evil in us
Because we scarcely think of the next moment

There is no such thing as unfathomable idiotism
If you can call it idiotism
Then, you have measured it
If you have weighed it
Then, you can fathom it
There are only things that sadden us
They are never things that shock us
The things that sadden us
Are the robbers of our true potentials
But to the things that could shock us
We have become accustomed
So, let’s keep the leisure time low
While keeping the work time up
For the essence of life is that we may work
Epileptic electricity, Fuel Scarcity, Corruption are norms we must fight
In Nigeria, the evidences of the need for work are in excess
And each day, each one cries out for a change
So, let’s get back to work
And start thinking about the next moment.

Whether fiction or futility
We are writers of people’s living
In whose choices lie our national future
And whose individual will can power a change
So, awaken you sleeping giants in Nigeria
For my town-crying voice is almost cracking
Please, save our future and save our country

The Prayerful Purpose-driven Planner

Shile is an honest business man who has everything it takes to be called a wealthy man. He drives the best, wears what he likes and lives in a house that was built to his taste. He is barely forty-two and his net worth already amounts to 105 million naira. Besides, being the dependable husband of one wife and a responsible father of three kids, Shile has several properties and stocks and he sits on the board of 7blue chip companies. He is where he is today because he discovered his path to destiny early and started out based on divine instruction. He has made the right decisions in the major areas of his life and so far, it’s been a good ride. There have been challenges but with God on his side, he has always triumphed.
Faga is a dubious young man who has accumulated the cash equivalence of Shile’s wealth in just two years. By age twenty-six, Faga has defrauded many of his customers and associates to amass riches. He is known to be an unreliable and dangerous individual and many members of his extended family have renounced him. He leads a rough life and thinks that by attending a church every Sunday, God will pardon his continuous act of wickedness. He started out as an internet fraudster during his days at the university and diversified into fraudulent business deals upon graduation. What Faga does not know yet is that; his days are numbered and he will soon run out of God’s grace.
The difference between the two extremes as seen in Shile and Faga’s story is plainly a communion with God. A life lived with a sense of purpose, value for prayer and recognition of the need to plan ahead of the future will yield Shile’s kind of result (if not better). But the seemingly fast track which Faga has chosen has no other end but destruction. It will not just be a false life but also a short-lived one. However, the significance of the breathe we have each day is that we may make good choices towards achieving a particular task and eventually fulfill a purpose. Shile has chosen wisely by combining prayer and purpose with workable plans and God has honoured his labour and blessed the work of his hands. Therefore, we will look into those three values Shile esteemed in his life.
The first key to securing fulfillment in life is the discovery and attainment of one’s purpose. Purpose gives you the awareness of what to do with commitment and what to do with convenience. Whatever you are committed to defines your purpose. When purpose is clearly defined, you know the right direction and the steps to take in getting there. You don’t just gamble; you follow truthful practicable procedures. Not knowing your purpose and living life as it comes is equivalent to a life of experiment. It is like running very fast in a direction that is opposite to the path that leads to destiny. Yet, it is surprising that many still resolve to the school of thought that life is lived for what it is worth! They live each day by chance and make every decision experimentally. You ask them about their purpose and the look on their face says it all, “purpose?” To discover your purpose, you need to consult God. Consult His manual. Once you know where you are going, early arrival is guaranteed. Grey hair represents age not success. Learn from other people’s mistakes! Erase confusion by knowing what you do not want and avoid it. Talk less and act more; God rewards the acts not the intentions. Countless skulls in the cemetery are still rotting out with good intentions. Believe what God has told you, trust Him for its fulfillment and work hard at it. It might be tough, but recognise that the reward of a purposeful life is genuine fulfillment.
The second key is prayer which is simply a means of communicating with God. Man makes his request known unto Him and in response, He gives an answer. For every purpose in existence, there is a point of fulfillment; a specific time during which it must be fulfilled. This timing can only be known if we approach God, the giver and helper of purpose. “Purpose is established by counsel”, The Holy Bible (KJV), Proverbs 15:22. In other words, to fulfill purpose, men must be involved. Men must be at work. These are men who will invest one resource or the other into the purpose. The resource invested could be time, encouragement, ideas, advice, experience or money. But these people must be selected by virtue of God’s direction in the place of prayer. Prayer is inseparable from the process of purpose attainment. Men of purpose are men of prayer. In the discovery, pursuit and fulfillment of purpose, prayer must be involved; for by it, all things pertaining to purpose will be settled.
The final key as found in Shile’s life is planning. Planning is creating a detailed map of the building blocks of every good and successful thing. It is a set of things you must do to meet a target at a set time; a demonstration of possessed wisdom. That is why it applies to you. Once you have a purpose, planning becomes essential. In the Holy Bible, It was recorded that a man named Joseph saved the whole world from severe famine in his own time. We understand that he gave Pharaoh of Egypt strategic means of planning for the future and within seven years, pharaoh became the richest man in the world. Even ants understand the importance of planning. They gather their food during summer so that in the winter, they have plenty of food (The Holy Bible, MSG Proverbs 6:6-10). To every good thing in life, planning is the building block. By working out our plans, we are simply arranging the blocks that form the future we desire to see. Your plans are the greatest power you have; coupled with prayer and a sense of purpose, you can attain the greatest height and realize your true potentials in life.

A Good Woman in Nigeria

If the world refuses to give the women folk a voice
If the scheme of opportunities remain less favourable to ladies
If the girl child is not chanced to maximise her potentials
Then the tale of exploits we keep telling would be a cooked fable

We have told the eternal tale of good deeds
We have written the amazing stories of glorious titans
We have witnessed the unmatchable endurance of fearless heroines
Yet, we have remained silent to the indifference of this sitting generation

How many more women must die with undiscovered potentials?
How many more must die with unmatchable inventive ideas?
How long more shall we attempt to keep female geniuses from the spotlight?
Yet, we clamour the realization of indiscrimination and the arrival of civilization

We praise the ape man for his persistent inventive ability in the medieval ages
But we forget the women who were there to assist and motivate him
We give kudos to the masculine geniuses that ever lived
But we ignore the motherhood that nurtured and trained them

Many a woman is as brave as Kudirat Abiola the kind
A good mother, a faithful wife and a supporter of scarce justice
Many more women would do as well as madam Tinubu the deliverer
Whose wealth and wisdom comforted the lives of countless slaves

The peak of scholastic work is only neared by diligent academicians
But the same was reached by an intelligent Grace Alele Williams
The fight for human rights was reckoned to be a feat for bold men
But the same exploits as performed by Diana Wiwa cannot be forgotten

There has not been another lioness as fearless as Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti
The Lioness of Africa and a colossal force against colonial rule
Yesterday has enjoyed the bravery, brilliance and beauty of the Nigerian woman
Today is pleased to witness the continuity of such exceptional exploits

The sun that shines today has witnessed the commitment of greater women
Dora Akunyili’s contribution to national health security is an indelible mark
Lives of the innocent were kept by her tenacity and commitment to good works
Many ghosts would wish she had received the baton of salvation earlier

Ngozi Nweala’s efforts on our crying economy was dynamic
Her skilfulness in economics worn her a top seat in the bank of this world
Her resignation from the proffered office speaks volume of her righteousness
And, the good woman from Nigeria keeps a home and a family together




Abike Dabiri is a woman of great dreams and outstanding aspirations
The poor of this nation have taken solace in her good works
The orphans in this land have found their lost childhood in her efforts
The politics of this nation have seen a clean hand play a dirty game

My mother has the spirit of a mighty hero living in her heart
Her commitment to hard work has bred a giant in my little heart
Her words of enthusiasm and persistence has killed my many doubts
I am indebted to her with the coin of expectation to succeed in life

This is a debt whose remembrance puts a smile on my lonely face
I will pay her with a wife having good character and a valiant spirit
I will shame her troubles and be the answer to her prayers
And only a virtuous and diligent companion will give these dreams a chance

If there is a good woman in Nigeria,
There can be a good wife in Nigeria
If there can be a good mother in a good wife,
There can be more good women in Nigeria

Indeed, yesterday was good and today could be better
Tomorrow is promising and the future will be the best
For, if one woman can change anything
Then, many women can change everything!

Submitted to CHD Africa(http://www.chdafrica.org/WritingCompetition.html)