EDUCATION NA PREGNANCY

I was thinking this morning.... I woke up this morning reflecting on the looming deadline for me to pay another school fee before the beginning of the September session. 'Na wa o! When will this school fees project end?' I soliloquised. I did a mental calculation to estimate the end date and was relieved to know it isn't far off. Then it dawned on me, educating your child(ren) is like pregnancy.

To conceive, nurse, and deliver a baby requires a high level of love, commitment, and discipline. I remember a period when my dad was out of a job and had zero source of income. He did not as much as suggest that we drop out of school. He went as far as borrowing just to ensure we continued with our education. There are some that have terminated their pregnacies just because they lost their source of finance to care for the pregnancy. It takes a deep commitment to see a pregnancy through. Educating your child is like pregnancy.

There was a time when my dad had exhausted all his credit lines and could no longer borrow. We thought it was over, but not yet. My mum, who also sold out to the ideals of educating the children, started selling off her Judge and Singles wrappers so we could continue schooling. Some ladies have resorted to aborting their babies because their partners or support system abandoned them. Don't tell me school na scam. School na pregnancy.

The good news is that for every pregnancy, there is an EDD (Estimated Date of Delivery). Sometimes, the EDD is passed, and the labour pain is severe, but thinking of the joy of holding your baby gives one the strength to keep pushing. For as many that may be struggling with paying of school fees, be encouraged. Like a difficult pregnancy or false labour pain, bear it because the EDD is near.

My parents gave their all to educate us, and today they are resting. I am doing my very best to educate my children, and my eyes are set on the EDD, by the grace of God (BTGOG). As we approach another school fees week, keep pushing and faint not because it won't be long. Your EDD will come. Galatians 6:9 says, 'And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.' Toiling to pay your children school fees is a good thing. Do not faint.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

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

BORROW-BORROW

I was thinking this morning... The 2024 Paris Olympics have come and gone, but one incident got me thinking deep. It was the incident involving Nigerian cyclist Ese Ukpeseraye. She was called up at short notice to represent Team Nigeria in the Kerin & Sprint event. Unfortunately, she had no bicycle to race with on the tracks. In the spirit of sportsmanship, the German team came to her rescue by lending her a bicycle.

As I read the account of what happened, I recalled my experience as a student in Uniben. We were preparing for an upcoming exam and all I had were my class notes. At some point, I realised I needed the textbook to study. I couldn't afford it at the time. I approached my buddies to lend me their copy, but they all said they needed it to study. I was left with no option than to approach Jane, one of the young ladies I liked but had 'no liver' to 'toast.' 'Hello Jane. I was wondering if I could borrow your textbook,' I asked trying to sound confident. Instead of the expected yes or no answer, Jane gave me this snide look and said, 'You want to borrow my textbook? Again? Hmm! Borrow-borrow.' I felt my face heat up and literally heard an explosive sound, as my ego shattered into a million pieces.

Chai!!! Calling me borrow-borrow was bad enough, but coming from a love interest was a killer punch. I thought about promising myself never to borrow again, but deep down, I knew it wasn't feasible at the time. I consoled myself with the fact that I wasn't borrowing for vanity. In other words, I wasn't a 'Borrow-Pose.' While I felt slightly better, the 'borrow-borrow' label? 'O enter gan,' in the voice of my Ijesha friend.

It is not a shameful or bad thing to borrow. What will be shameful is to borrow to satisfy your lust. Borrowing to invest or develop oneself is actually good. While some persons borrow clothes, cars or even money to show off, the smart ones borrow to invest. Ese borrowed a bicycle to become the very first Nigerian cyclist to participate in the Olympics. I borrowed textbooks to study to become a graduate. What are you borrowing for? If you must be called a borrow-borrow, what will it be for? Borrowing may not necessarily be a bad thing, but you can live a life free of borrowing. Remember Deuteronomy 15:6.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

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

HAVE YOU BEEN IFANGELISED?

 

I was thinking this morning.... Recently, I went out for general evangelism. We had arrived early in church to go out in small groups to distribute tracts and win souls for Christ. As we approached people on the streets, some were willing to listen to the good news, but others would not even as much as accept a flyer or tract. They were too much in a hurry or too busy to even listen for a minute.

Humans have been in the business of winning people to their side since time immemorial. There are different terms to describe winning someone over to ones conviction or to accede to your views. If someone is preached to and he or she accepts Christ, that person has been evangelised. If it is a different religion or conviction, that person has been proselytised. If scammers in Nigeria succeed in convincing their victim to take their bait, it is said that the person has fallen mugu or he has been mugulised.

As we returned, I imagined how challenging it is to win people over. I was still brooding on this when I came across a Hiace bus with the word 'Ifangelism' boldly written in front of it. What does 'Ifangelism' even mean? Is it a new vocabulary in the lexicon? Oh, I see. It is most likely Evangelism misspelt. Hmm! Me I don add am join my vocab. While I define evangelism as spreading the good news or winning people over to a good cause, Ifangelism to me means winning people over to a bad or lost cause.

If you do not have time for the good news but spend your time watching x-rated content on your phone, you have been ifangelised. You complain to everyone about tithes and offering, yet you spend all your money on sports betting. Don't worry about being evangelised, because you have already been ifangelised.

In this unrecognisable world where young girls sell their eggs for flex money and boys willing to sacrifice their parents for a car, we must focus on the root cause. The surge in the attention industry meant a lot more people are ifangelised through their phone than they are evangelised. How you use your time will determine if you will be evangelised or ifangelised. Ephesians 5:15-16.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

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

NO ONE IS A VIRGIN

 

I was thinking this morning.... Last Wednesday, a day before the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest began, I took my young wife shopping at the local market in my neighbourhood. I found a free parking spot by the bench of a lady retailing small bunches of plantain. As I focussed my gaze on the tray of plantain, lost in thought, the lady stood up and picked up a particular bunch that looked like they were going bad. I observed her as she lifted the bunch, turned it around, and looked at it, her eyes twinkling with worry and her face washed with fear and uncertainty.

I peeped at her from the side glass of my air-conditioned car and imagined what could be going through the mind of the woman. If that plantain gets bad, that will be part of her capital gone. How will she feed her children and pay their school fees? 'Oh God, please send a customer to buy this plantain today,' I can imagine her praying. How do people, particularly petty traders with families, survive in present-day Nigeria? Our leaders are really heartless and wicked to not feel the pain of the masses. As I kept looking for who to blame for the predicament of the lady, I had a whisper that says 'there is no virgin in a maternity ward.'

I immediately recalled my experience in 2003 when I was called one midnight to drive a neighbour in labour to the hospital. She sat at my back seat, clutching the husband's hand, even as she moaned, groaned, and screamed. As her husband whispered soft words of encouragement, she barked at him, 'Shut up. No be you do am?' Wow! How can you blame the man for your labour pain? There is no taking in without first receiving. Both the man and woman had a part to play. Truly, there is no virgin in a maternity ward.

When it comes to apportioning blame for our woes, most people see themselves as virgins in a maternity ward. It is very easy to point at leadership or someone else as the source of your problem. While leadership failure plays a key part, we all are culpable. Nigeria is like a maternity ward, and no one is a virgin. We contributed to our current woes by our actions or inactions and must take responsibility. Psalms 139:23 - 24 says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

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

And Sophia Cried

 

I was thinking this morning.... Last week Saturday, I was privileged to be the guest speaker at a graduation and Prize-giving ceremony of Havilah Gold School, a private secondary school at Epe, Lagos. There were speeches followed by academic and cultural presentations by the students. Great atmosphere it was. The high point was the presentation of awards to deserving students.

From one best in this to best in that, the roll call went on with loud rounds of applause. A young female student, Sophia Adeleke, sitting on the second row, watched her classmates being called upstage one by one. She was quiet, head looking to the floor, probably feeling the pangs of disappointment yet again and wondering when in this life, it will be her turn to be called for recognition and award.

Then she heard it 'And the award for the Best Improved Student in Junior Secondary goes to.... Sophia Adeleke.' There was a loud gasp from the students that drew the attention of everyone to poor Sophia. Sophia's jaw dropped. Her? Best Improved Student? She was confused. Did she just hear her name? She looked around, just to be sure, bowed her head and started crying. Everyone clapped, but Sophia was too paralysed by surprise to find her feet. With the support of her friends, she finally stood up, trembling, and with more tears rolling down her face, she slowly made her way to the podium.

Almost moved to tears myself, I imagined what could be running through the mind of the little girl. She was probably used to being at the bottom of her class. People may have called her 'never-do-well.' She may have waited for years to be recognised like others, but it never happened. She has accepted that nothing good can happen to her.

There are so many 'Sophia' out there that have waited all their lives to be recognised and awarded on any stage. They watch others every week climb up the altar and testify of one breakthrough or another and wonder, 'when will it be my turn.' It seems as if everything good passes them by, and they wonder why. The experience of Sophia Adeleke gave me hope that good things can happen to anyone. Give your best in all things, and 'Sophia' may just happen to you. Romans 4:18 - 'Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become...' Only believe.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

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

THE BUSH FLOWER

 

I was thinking this morning.... It was 20 years last Friday since my second missionary journey to Bonny National Grammar School (BNGS) on Bonny Island. As I paused to give thanks that Friday morning, my thoughts drifted to 1991, when I was first posted to BNGS for my NYSC primary assignment. I had prayed and lobbied to be posted to any of the oil companies in Port-Harcourt, but God had other plans for me. With fear and tears, I entered the local boat, which was then called 'See me, see water,' en route to Bonny Island.

It was the first time I was to live in a remote riverine community. I was accommodated within the school premises and assigned to teach biology. After overcoming my initial self-pity, I embraced my reality and made up my mind to make the most of the situation. With the support of fellow teachers like Mr Johnson and Mr Sokari, BNGS became my second home.

Within a few weeks, my high energy and effervescent nature had seeped through my teaching like gravy on hot rib eye steak. I inspired the love of education in so many students and prepared them for schools debates. I remember blowing their minds with the 'This is the beginning of the end and there can be no end if the begining has not ended,' as well as the 'Warsaw never saw war until Warsaw saw war' quotes.

The nine months I spent on Bonny Island between 1991 and 1992 became one of the most fortuitous periods of my life. When it was time to leave, I declared, during my sendforth, that I would be coming back, after my M.Sc, to work with the multinational company that was about to be constructed. July 19, 2004 (20 years ago, last Friday), I walked into BNGS in fulfilment of that prophecy.

As I reflected on how I gave my best in that remote location, I recalled the fact that flowers blossom in a forest even when there is no one to admire their beauty. The truth is, you can't make a real success out of your life if you are unhappy with yourself. Wherever you find yourself today, give your all and blossom. I can never know what would've become of me, if I had rejected my posting to Bonny island. Embrace your reality. God is taking you somewhere. Isaiah 28:29 (GNT) says 'The plans God makes are wise, and they always succeed.'

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

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

THE MIDNIGHT JUJU

 

I was thinking this morning.... Sometime in the eighties, we lived in a 4-flats building with the landlord, in Gbiaye Street, in the Marine Quarters area of Warri. One day, the landlord had sent for my dad and complained that he had been having a problem sleeping at night because of a strange noise. He posited that it seemed someone in one of the flats had juju that came out at midnight, making this ka-ka-ka-ka sound that kept him awake. The landlord and my dad's bedrooms were separated by just a wall.

Despite assurances from my dad that there was nothing of such, the landlord sent his grown sons on a search mission to uncover the juju disturbing them at midnight. They turned my dad's room upside down but found nothing. Then they moved to the two flats downstairs and did the same, but no luck.

Though angered by their ridiculous accusation, we decided to pay attention that night to help unravel the mystery. 'You know say e no dey tay before dem dey catch winch for Warri.' We waited as everyone went to bed. Decibel by decibel, the surrounding noise went down. As the noise finally died after midnight, we listened intently, waiting to hear the steps of the juju. 'Listen. I can hear it now,' one of us said. We inclined our ears and could hear the ka-ka-ka-ka sound. We followed the sound into my dad's room again. We froze and listened. It seems to be coming from above us. We looked up and almost died of shock by what we discovered. We finally caught the juju. It was my dad's old ceiling fan.

Apparently, the ceiling fan, due to wear and tear, makes this tick-tock sound when on low oscillation. It does so all day, but no one hears it because of the noise all around. It seemed louder from midnight when everywhere was dead quiet.

Don't be too quick to jump to a conclusion. Too many Africans are fighting imaginary devils because of their ignorance. Many are too lazy to investigate or do a deep dive. If only they can quiet the noise of their prejudices. Like they say, everyone's mountain is their ignorance. Invest in developing your mind because it is a thought factory. It produces based on the raw material you feed it. If you put in garbage, you get garbage. Proverbs 4:23 says "Keep your heart will all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life."

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

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