April 8, 2011

It’s Time to Pray


The Polity in Nigeria is quite heated, friends are willing to quarrel over aspirants they did not know 4 months ago. Strangers are willing to mal-handle each other over aspirants they do not truly know. Everybody want’s their person to win, nobody wants to lose.

Sometimes I play the video of my imagination past the now, into the future, I evaluate the possibilities if my candidate wins, and if others win. Will the momentum built by the opposition parties be well managed, or will it create instability? I did a survey based on these thoughts, the results I got were scary and I think it depends on many factors.

My analysis of the political terrain however shows one interesting reality. No matter who wins, Nigeria can never be the same again. The heated debates and campaigns have made all the parties promise us what we the Nigerian people truly deserve, a New Nigeria. Nobody can get there and take us for granted anymore. Rigging is no longer sufficient, the will of the people and their desires will count!

My heart silently aches over the tense arguments and discourteous use of words by old and young! Most of us are too far from where anything is being shared (when it’s being shared), hence our words and arguments are devoid of financial motivation, but by our desires for change. Our desires for a Nigeria we can be proud of, our desires to tell our children that when they sing the phrase “the labors of our hero’s past”, that our names are in there. Our desire for a Nigeria we can believe in, not one we can be leaving. That even though we were inspired by men, what we passionately strove for was a New Nigeria! And that win or lose, we actually won, because we may not get what we want, but we’ll get what we need! We are certain that when we do our best, God helps us with the rest. We are confident, that God desires that we live to our fullest expression, as individuals and as a nation and that he is more interested in a New Nigeria than all of us.

My heart is burdened, that if the leaders and candidates are at war with themselves and dedicate articles to demean each other, our fight should not be against people, but against corrupting systems, against poverty, against unemployment, against violence, insecurity and so many vices that bedevil our otherwise great country. Oh, I’m not free of blame myself and I indeed apologize. My passion for change has made me utter words not befitting a king. I have lashed out at people I hold in high esteem, demonized people with different views, castigated great yet opposing candidates and criticized pastors. Though I have my claim to truth, I am sorry indeed. The first step in our prayer for change, is that we the people that are called by God’s name, must humble ourselves, and turn from our wicked ways. Then God will hear from heaven, and heal our land.

If we focus more on counting our blessings, we’ll realize that never in our nation’s recent history have we been blessed with such a quality of aspirants. If we challenge ourselves to find the positives in every aspirant, we would indeed find, and some of what we will find would be exciting.

Brothers and Sisters, let’s quit the war. Let’s turn our swords to agricultural instruments and be ready to support the change we desire once voting is done. All those who are in the political scenes today, have 10-15yrs of Political relevance. We have 30-40 active years ahead of us, the future is ours, and it’s our responsibility to guard it. It’s time to pray for God’s will, time to pray for peace and healing. It’s time to rebuild our walls and infrastructures, it’s time for a fresh start. While we pray, it’s also time to watch. To cast our votes for our conscience, and to understand that in a democracy, the winner is the one that the majority wants, and that it is our responsibility as citizens, to accept whoever wins and provide the necessary support and checks to move our democracy forward.

I have a dream of a Nigeria that works, a Nigeria that my children can school in and stand taller than students from anywhere in the world in every way. I have a dream of a Nigeria where corruption, power failure, insecurity, poverty, ethnic or religious bias only exists as history topics. I have a dream of a Nigeria where the street cleaner has her own house, where announcing “I’m a Nigerian” makes everybody around you feel comfortable that a competent and trustworthy person is here. The future we desire is possible, from now till the elections are over, I invite you to join us as we pray! If you can even fast, you are welcome as well. Wherever you are, at Noon daily. Let’s pray! Prayer points will be seen across the facebook status pages of many of us.

North, South, East, West, Muslim, Christian or neither, under God, we are One!КартиниПравославни икони

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March 28, 2011

The Partisan Church


As the elections draw near, people are getting more conscious and sensitive about the future of Nigeria, the political landscape, the key players and the possibilities. In the midst of the  heated political spaces, faithfuls go to church hoping for a word of direction and comfort from the same pastors that they have relied on for direction, wisdom and guidance. Instead of direction however, the drums beating out of the synagogues today are of strange frequencies. The shepherds are playing the politics of silence. In the midst of their tactical silence however, they are beating strange drums and playing all kinds of music. The keen observers know that in trying to appear neutral, they have betrayed that they have no desire for change, and are in firm endorsement of status quo. In being criminally silent about offering even the basic direction of asking the pew to study the candidates and vote for merit, standards, values or competence, they have subtly betrayed their alignment with the powers that be. Who can blame them though, many pastors have prospered at the expense of the nations citizens. It is in the best interest of pastors who have no care for the people, for Nigeria to continue to live massively below the poverty line. It is in the best interest of these partisan preachers, who deceive us with their silence, that Nigerians continue to pray for light and every basic need! In the next few paragraphs, I’ll be saying it as a I see it, if your pastors position is unclear and you are close to him, ask him, I have asked mine! Continue reading

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February 21, 2011

Why I’m Voting Buhari-Bakare in 2011 Elections


I wrote this article about 3 weeks ago, and it seems to have made the rounds, and is gradually becoming viral. I wrote it on the BB2011 Volunteers Group forum and titled it it, “Why We Will Win!”. I’m glad it’s creating the much needed buzz, and circulating fast. People have developed slides with it, made videos with it, and cut out some part of it for emails, bb chats e.t.c. While my loyalty to great men like Prof Pat Utomi is still intact and unwavering as someone who will lead this nation in it’s near future, I humbly submit with the words of Donald Duke, that the current terrain requires firm and strong princes to clear the cub webs and create a level playing platform. The duo of these two honest men wins my vote this year, and hopefully 10 million others with me. Enjoy reading.

I am glad to announce to you, that the future of our burning desire seems even brighter today. I don’t know if you feel the energy or if you know what is going on around the country. The chances of our winning are getting higher by the day. In 2007 without us, the General Won in Oyo and Ogun State, thanks to a team of ardent believers in the leadership of GMB. In seeking the rule of law in contesting the elections, 3 judges ruled in his favor for having also won the entire elections- these rulings were based purely on integrity of the Judges, as GMB could not afford to hire a lawyer, much less bribing his way through.

In 2011, GMB is not alone. He’s supported by a team of volunteers online and offline like me, who never voted for him before. We didn’t vote for him, because we didn’t know. We didn’t know that he supervised and birthed our only existing refineries. We didn’t know that what he did in road construction while in the PTF hasn’t been matched by 12yrs of the PDP, even though we claimed they were lopsided. We didn’t know that in his time as head of state he reduced inflation from 23% to 4%, by fiscal discipline and a homegrown economic team (not achieved under any other era, even military). We didn’t know that there was no religious crisis while he led. We didn’t know that JJ Rawlings of Ghana took over 2yrs before him, and killed all the corrupt leaders, while GMB merely gave his own, long-term jail sentences. We didn’t know that the hospitals and universities around the country never witnessed as much benefits they got from the PTF from any government after or before his time. We did not know, that this man haven been in all the oil sectors in Nigeria, has no petrol station, much less a refinery or an oil rig like so many of our leaders. We never voted him, because we did not know.

But now we know… We know that he has followership in the north that money can’t buy. We know that those who follow him are poor, and follow him out of hope and belief in his values. I have met old men who know him, who have said… “All I need from Buhari is his word, I can take it to the bank”. Now we know that here is someone that has been in everything to make him a Dan-Something, but didn’t take the road. We feared he was an Islamic fundamentalist, but he challenged us to provide any human being who can point at anything he did to show the same. His Cook and Drivers… two roles that can be influenced to have your life are Christians. In his passion for discipline, he has pulled down mosques, punished emirs, and followed principles over the respect of people. Then this year, to the utter shock of the world, he picks the most radically outspoken no nonsense Christian Preacher in Nigeria to be his vice. Now we know, that it’s about the values, not religion and certainly not the fact that he becomes the first (correct me if I’m wrong) Nigerian president without multiple wives or an array of concubines.

On the other hand, we analyze the man, Pastor Tunde Bakare, and every interaction with him is inspiring. His words are laced with wisdom, and his actions show he didn’t only read Awolowo…he follows him. Very personable, very charismatic and yet so very humble and approachable. No nonsense no doubt and honest to an extreme. One day he spoke of how he had the opportunity of saving a few millions by accepting the favour of a government official… he turned it down and gladly lost the millions. A good name to him, is more than silver or Gold. I judge myself patriotic, but sometimes I wonder if it was not Pastor Bakare’s Patriotism that inspired mine. One thing is sure; our treasury is safe under these men. Another thing is sure, the expectations we’ll have of them, and what they will set out to do, will radically turn Nigeria forward.

I long for light in Nigeria. I long for when we will travel overseas without humiliating ourselves early in the morning to queue at embassies for VISA. I long for when our roads will be motor-able, and when the best of our men and women will find it normal to go for political office.

I have never carried the card of any party or taken sufficient interest. Now I have.

Ladies and Gentlemen… We Will Win… Oh Yes we will! I saw we, because it’s in the best interest of our future and collective destinies, that we reset the button on corruption and start building the Nigeria of our dreams. This time it’s not about empty promises, it’s about promises with a will and character to execute it.

-      Adeolu Akinyemi

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January 5, 2011

Video – How Power Works


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December 8, 2010

Who should be our President in 2011?


I can’t help but remember how when I was very young and in primary school how my ambition when asked was to one day become the president of Nigeria. Then, all I could do was visualize myself as a military president because General Ibrahim Babangida was Head of State then. I’d also read in civics about the former presidents and regimes that had occurred and found out that the military had ruled for most of the time since our independence.

I obviously took it for granted as a naive young school pupil that the military uniform will perpetually remain the costume of our presidents. I therefore kept visualizing with all sorts of armed forces uniforms as my attire. Needless to say that things took a turn for the better and now in the civilian era. Many people will argue that we were better off during the military era than during the civil regime. That is a topic for another day. However, looking critically at Nigeria since the new civilian era started in 1999 with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo flagging it off, the country seems to have moved 2 paces forward and 5 backward. Continue reading

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November 21, 2010

300 Wanted!


Question 6:  List 2 benefits of MTN Play. Please send the answers to the last 3 questions to seun.adelana at gmail.com. This is the question that get’s the second phone :)

The outcome of the upcoming elections has never been so unpredictable. For the first election in a long time, I’m not only excited to vote, I’m enthusiastic about motivating people to participate and be involved. I don’t know if you know, but there is a window of opportunity in 2011 to begin to birth the Nigeria of our dreams. Almost 3yrs ago, the New Nigeria Club was born, and the aspiration in our hearts was and still is that we will be involved in the birthing of a New Nigeria. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am glad to announce to you that the time is here! The year 2011 will go down in Nigeria’s history as the year of the voter!

The good news is that there is no future without you! We have gone past the times when we have allowed those whose tight hold on the reigns of political power have constantly convinced us that we have no say in the matter. This coming year, things will be different. I speak not merely with the authority of one that has gotten a revelation from God, but also with the authority of one who is privy to how advanced some processes have progressed already. If we blow this opportunity before us in the coming elections, getting Nigeria on the right path again will become very difficult. This is why we need these 300! Continue reading

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October 25, 2010

DSTV – Don’t Sell Tomorrow’s Votes


“Question 1 for Winning a Samsung GT-S3100 – State the Activation codes and price for the daily, weekly and monthly mobile internet bundle plan” Please do not send the answers until you see question 3. Answers to be sent to seun.adelana at gmail.com

The hottest news on the Nigerian landscape today, are the inner maneuvers of those who desire to rule or lead us. Please pardon my seeming use of tautology, there is a world of difference between ruling and leading, we might actually not know the difference, haven been ruled for too long! There is an ongoing battle for the steering wheel of Nigeria, a lot of young people are being lobbied in different directions, myself inclusive. The strange phone calls from people whose reputations you only knew, the show of appreciation for the efforts that are almost 10yrs old that never won any notice, the invitations to meetings with the who is who? Handshakes are fast becoming tight hugs, the battle for the soul of the nation, is done on negotiation tables for the hearts of it’s youth.  Continue reading

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October 2, 2010

A Week in My Life


Key activities in my week – 26th of September to 2nd of October .

Sunday

Went for an early Sunday service. I split my time in two, spent the first service in the adult church and the second service in the teens church. We returned home after the second service, rested and spent some time reviewing my work and life also read, chatted, prayed and meditated. Got involved with the house fellowship meeting in the evening. Spent quality after evening fellowship time in meetings with friends and ministry partners. Guests left my house after 11pm, had a late night, and then resumed the regulars.

Monday

Of course it was a Dollar Green Monday, with Avenues to Wealth/ Holidays and Cash, Mondays are green. Developed an update for Avenues to Wealth members, had a burning theme in my heart on – “it’s not all about you”. Realized the value of having someone else to help, and the effect it has on minimizing one’s personal problems. Commenced with negotiations with company interested in online promotions of about to be launched product. Had the regular Monday one to one meetings, read, meditated, prayed… also with my wife. Had a late evening out. A friend and distributor had scheduled a meeting with Rev. Victor Adeyemi on Avenues to Wealth. I was in his house till very late. Got home around 11pm. Spent quality time doing my regulars till usually 2am. Started creating awareness for the charity event slated for Friday. Continue reading

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