THE SAD PAKISTANI

 

I was thinking this morning.... To commence my return from a recent trip abroad, I booked an Uber to the airport and was picked up by a driver who happened to be a Pakistani sojourning in a foreign land. As we set out, he struck a conversation by asking where I was from. I told him Nigeria. He followed up by asking if I was going home. I responded in the affirmative.

He paused for a few seconds and then said something profound. He said 'You are very lucky.' 'How so?' I asked. 'You see. Whenever I take someone, who is returning home, to the airport, it makes me sad reminding me of how much I miss my family back in Pakistan. My aged parents and wife are back home in Pakistan and I haven't been able to see them in about 2 years. My mum has a heart condition and can't travel, so my wife had to stay back to care for her and my dad. I can't travel as often as I wish because I have to work year round to send money home.'

As he spoke, I mused. One man's home is another man's farm or vacation spot. For some, Canada is home while Nigeria is farmland. A Nigerian with his or her immediate family abroad will board a flight from Lagos and say I am going home, while another visiting abroad will call Nigeria home. Home is where your loved ones are. A man without loved ones because he had chased them away with his bad character is a true definition of a homeless man.

The wife of your youth, loving children, warm family and loyal friends are the key components of a happy home. Cherish them today. My prayer for you is that of Proverbs 5:18 - 'May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.'

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

THE SOULLESS NIGERIAN

 

I was thinking this morning..... In the past couple of weeks, I had conversations with two of my friends on how it has become unreasonably expensive to drive a car in Nigeria. One that works in Port-Harcourt with his family in Warri, lamented that driving his car to Warri and back now cost him about N100k each weekend. The other revealed that in the last one month, just driving from Sangotedo where he lives to his office at Lagos mainland daily and then to Church in Epe on Sundays, he had spent a total of N400k on petrol. I was still doing my own calculation, when I heard that NNPC had again increased pump price of PMS to N1,030, with independent marketers in different parts of the nation selling for between N1,100 and N1,500.

As I pondered on the likely ripple effect of this recent increase, I stumbled on a passionate and emotional discussion by four ladies on News Central TV. One of the ladies was so emotional about the impact on ordinary Nigerians to the point of tears that she walked off stage.

One lady said that things are so tough that some families, once referred to as middle class, can no longer afford to send their children to school at the same time. The children now take turns to go to school. One will attend this term or this year and the other next term or next year. Chai!

Another of the discussant said she met a family where the mother of the children, who happens to be the bread winner, is now forced to eat every other day so that her children can eat one meal a day. If she eats today, she won't eat the next day.

Yet another added that she was told of a once well to do family that, with the current prices of food, the father and mother now shares one egg while their three children share another one egg, because they can no longer afford to buy more than a crate of egg each month.

If the hitherto middle class are groaning, it is difficult to imagine what the poor are going through. More heart-wrenching is that in the midst of this pervasive poverty and economic strangulation, you still see our political leaders wasting and obscenely displaying our stolen wealth. I was tempted to say they are heartless. Not a fitting description. Wicked? No. How best do we describe them? Oh yeah! They are soulless. Too many leaders and followers are soulless. Only a man without a soul would be blind to the suffering in the land. Mark 8:36.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

BETTER TO BE LOT

 

I was thinking this morning.... The year was 2007, and I was in the office singing 'Compassionate Jesus' as I broused my stock portfolio with glee. I had invested millions in the Nigeria stock market and was happy with the growth. Then came 2008, the stock market crashed like no one had anticipated. All our cash literally got burnt. There was blood in the streets as people bled across the country.

Most people immediately switched to real estate as a means to grow their wealth. It has always been the most secured investment to make, experts touted. We jumped in as well. Five years later, in 2013, I got a different perspective of real estate and life. A civil war had broken out in Syria, and within 24 months, the most developed cities were nothing but wastelands. As I watched, I asked within myself what happens to people's lifelong investment in those real estates?

In February 2019, I visited the well-known city of Ephesus in the bible, now in present-day Turkey. As I walked the streets of Ephesus, I saw what used to be the iconic library of Celsus, a huge theater and the temple of Artemis (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world), all lying in ruins, undone by time. I paused and asked, 'What happened to the investment in those real estates?'

Years passed, and it was February 2023, a full year after Russia invaded Ukraine. The once admired cities in Ukraine are now in ruins. Factories, cathedrals, mansions, and apartment blocks, all destroyed by lethal munitions. With tears welling up in my eyes, I wondered, 'What happened to the investments of men?'

Tomorrow, October 7, marks a year since the Gaza war, which has now extended to Lebanon, has been raging. Investments that took years to raise are crashing in minutes. Oh my God, what happens to those investments?'

It's great to have material possessions, stocks and real estates, but let not your life be tied to them because it only takes two political or religious leaders saying 'I no go gree-I no go gree' to bring it all down. Whatever material possessions you have should be such that you can walk away from should there be 'kperegede.' Better to be Lot than Lot's wife. Genesis 19:26.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

THE PATHS OF LIFE

 

I was thinking this morning... It was in May of 1991, a few months before we graduated as microbiologists from the University of Benin. It was about 10 a.m., and the next lecture was not until an hour later. While some strayed out to grab a bite, most of us stayed back in the MCB lab to gist and prepare for the next class.

In our small group, gisting were Quice, Akeem, Osaretin, Rosemary, Robert, Steve, myself, and a few others. We couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and relief. "Only a few more months, and we all will be graduates!" Someone exclaimed. The rest of us nodded vigorously as we discussed the field of microbiology each person will major on.

While someone said food and beverage, setting his thoughts on Cadbury and Nestle, another was more interested in medical microbiology. "For me, it's environmental microbiology. I have to work with one of the oil companies in my community," I chipped in confidently. Our chatter and occasional laughter filled the MCB lab, as we counted down the days until graduation. A few months later, we graduated with fanfare. Standing at this junction of life, we strolled into real life, everyone in a different direction.

Thirty-three (33) years later, last week, four of us in that group met at the Pickle Barrel Restaurant in Toronto. The first time we would be together since that conversation we had as budding Microbiologists at Uniben. We hugged and gisted, looking back on how far we've come in the journey of life.

Though we started with the same background as Microbiologists, we are today worlds apart career wise. One of us is an executive in pension management. Another retired from the US Army. Yet another majored in Health and Safety in Oil and Gas in Nigeria. Only one of the four is working as a microbiologist. Wow! We had similar plans, but life differentiated us.

Studying for a first degree most often brings people to a common platform or junction. That is where it ends. What happens thereafter is at the instance of life. The direction each person goes is not always in our hands. Life happens to everyone and drags us to places and fields we seldom expect. There are as many paths in life as the over 6 billion people on earth. Each person's path is different. Have faith in God, stay the course, and be grateful for wherever you find yourself. 1st Thessalonians 5:18.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

ERIK THE BAMBIALLAH

 

I was thinking this morning.... I spent my childhood and teenage years in Warri in the seventies and eighties. It was full of unforgettable experiences. One of such memories was of blind beggars led by children moving around begging for money. Everyone called them bambiallah. A word I still don't understand the origin or meaning.

The bambiallahs left us with the belief that the blind are unable to provide for themselves nor achieve anything meaningful in life. Residues of this belief still resided in my deepest recess until last Monday when I listened to Erik Weihenmayer, a blind American adventurer and author. He gave the keynote speech, titled "No Barriers," at the National Safety Council (NSC) Congress and Expo in Orlando, Florida.

I have listened to great speeches by great men but have never been challenged by a blind man like I was that day. Erik wasn't seeing the audience or screen but did not miss a line, mix up the story deck, or left out the key messages. It was a riveting speech that blew my mind.

As a blind adventurer, Erik told us how, years after he became fully blind, he climbed Mt. Everest and the seven summits and kayaked the Grand Canyon. He recalled how he and his team once climbed a vertical ice mountain in the Himalayas. When they got to the peak and the snow blew, it got very dark with no light. Within hours, his team started complaining to him that they couldn't see. How ironic. If they are complaining within a few hours of not seeing, what should Erik, that hasn't seen for most of my life, do?

There are many Eriks that ended up being a bambiallah instead of a world conqueror. No doubt, barriers and obstacles are real and can stop us in our tracks. If obstacles stop you, you end up being a bambiallah, but if, like Erik, you figure out a way to harness those obstacles and propel yourself to new places, then you achieve greatness.

Let nothing stop you today. Dig deep and push yourself ahead. Don't be a bambiallah. Philippians 4:13.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

CHALLENGE IS ONLY A BUS STOP

I was thinking this morning..... sometime ago, I received disappointing news that really weighed me down. It hung like a heavy log on my mind for days. I struggled to shake off the darkness that seemed to have settled over me. I might be smiling one minute and immediately become gloomy at the thought of the situation.

I was praying and asking why me one morning, when I remembered the common slang in Nigeria, 'last last everybody go chop breakfast.' I recalled those words not in the way it is usually used but more like telling me that everyone in life goes through one disappointment or another at some point in their life. It is not new that you are disappointed or you failed. Someone else just went through the same or worse ordeal, and you didn't even know about it.

The smiling rich friend you see today might have gone through a heavy disappointment yesterday. Someone burdened by a painful disappointment of childlessness, failed relationship, business failure, or job loss today will most certainly be smiling tomorrow when someone else's heart is heavy from a disappointing event. Life is a leveller. 

As long as you are in this world, life will happen to you. Some mild, some heavy, but the good news is that God has engraced us to go through all. Raise your head, square your shoulders, and walk with hope because disappointment is not a badge of honour you display for everyone to see.

Your outlook in life determines how you handle disappointment. Life is like a garden. Sometimes, it blooms beautifully, and sometimes it withers. But with every season, there is always hope for renewal and growth. Therefore, don't get overwhelmed by disappointment or fazed by challenges. Like someone said, 'Don’t be scared when you face CHALLENGE, it's only a bus stop in Ibadan.' Nothing can be truer. Ibadan people, oye!

1st Peter 4:12 says, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you." Remember, challenge is only a bus stop, not just in Ibadan but in life.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

DON'T BE AN ADESUA

I was thinking this morning..... It was a regular Sunday. The service had just ended, and we were having FAF (fellowship after fellowship) just outside the auditorium when a middle-aged woman walked over, asking to see me. Her eyes were filled with a mix of hope and desperation. 'God bless you, Pastor,' She said, with her voice trembling slightly. 'My name is Maria. I was wondering if I could speak with you for a moment.' 'God bless you too,' I responded as I took her aside. 'How may I be of help?' I asked.

Maria took a deep breath before launching into her story. "It's about my daughter, Adesua. She finished secondary school two years ago and has been trying to get into the university. But we're having trouble with the admission process. We don't know who to meet to help, and I'm worried we'll miss the deadline again."

I nodded sympathetically, recognizing the stress and uncertainty etched on her face. "I'm not sure if I can be of help, but tell Adesua to call me," I said as I wrote my phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to her. Days later, Adesua called. I got more information about her choice of university, and we made a few calls. With the help of God, Adesua got admitted.

Months later, Maria called again. This time, she was worried about the possibility of Adesua dropping out of school because they were unable to raise the money to pay her fees. Adesua reached out, and we made a commitment to help with the fees until she graduated. Years later, I referred a friend's daughter seeking admission in the same university to Adesua, who was in her final year at the time. To my chagrin, Adesua did not only decline to assist, she told the young lady we didn't really do much for her. That all she got was by her hard work.

Really? After helping with her admission and paying her tuition for 3 years, Adesua said we didn't really assist. Wow! Adesua, why? We were disappointed and almost regretted helping Adesua. I learnt a lesson never to regret showing kindness to those who may not appreciate it. Not everyone you assist will appreciate it. The fact that your good deed is not appreciated does not make it less of what it is - kindness. Alway remember that your good deed reflects who you are and must be unto God. Keep being kind, whether it is appreciated or not. Remember Galatians 6:9.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey