POLITICS WHERE IS YOUR LION? WHERE IS YOUR BEAR?

By Femi Abulude

The title of this article is credited to Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo the wife of the Vice President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. This brilliant lady made an inference to what David said in (1 Samuel 17:34-36) when he was confronting the war Lord, Goliath. “But David said to Saul, your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock. I went out after it and struck it and deliver the lamb from its mouth, and when it arose against me, I caught it by its bear and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God”

According to Dolapo, David relied on his previous exploits that was what gave him the confidence and audacity to face the intimidating giant Goliath. She made this statement in the concluding part of her closing remark during the 4^th Annual Birthday lecture of Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). The lecture was delivered by erudite lecturer, Professor Jide Osuntokun.

The lady advised that if any politician knocks on our doors and solicits for our votes, we should ask him/her for his or her lion or bear. What she is simply saying was that if you want our votes, you should let us know your previous achievements.

Your previous achievements could be at any level of endeavor. What have you done in your Local Community? What did you do when  in school? What have you contributed no matter how small to benefit the life of people?

God is so passionate about the poor and masses. He knows their weakness and vulnerability. Jesus said the poor are blessed because theirs is the Kingdom of God. (Luke 6:20b) our leaders don’t appreciate this; they cheat the poor and make them more impoverished. Probably if we have been asking them salient questions and making them accountable for their previous actions, governance would not have fallen into the hands of adventurists, fraudulent and selfish individuals. When these people get into office, they become power drunk and fallible because they have nothing to build on, unlike David who built on his exploits in the jungle to defeat Goliath on the battle field.

Some of these politicians bought their ways into the corridor of power, playing on the vulnerability of the hungry masses. Most of them had the opportunities but wasted them. They had the opportunities of slaying lions and bears but allowed the rampaging animals to escape with their loots. These set of politicians should be blocked out completely.

Succinctly put this phrase, “Where is your Lion? Where is your Bear?” should be our watch words as we are marching towards  another election period.

God will guide us aright.              

WHAT DECEPTION HAS JOINED......

By Femi Abulude

Brother Michael was a converted Christian. He gave his life to Christ during one of our outreach crusades. Since he joined our church he had not hidden his interest in me. He made it so obvious that people were already calling him my husband at my back. As a new convert he went through all the normal workers trainings and did baptism by emersion.

Everybody was impressed by his zeal and enthusiasm in the work of God. He eventually approached our pastor and disclosed his intention to marry me. This was the normal protocol in our church the pastor called and briefed me accordingly he said both of us should go and pray over it and sick God’s face. After these, we should come back to tell him because God must speak to us.

The pastor called me few weeks later and said brother Michael had intimated him that God had revealed to him that I was his wife. This came as a surprise because God had not spoken to me about this issue. I told our pastor this but he said it did not matter and that both of us should give it a trial. He later on called both of us together in a meeting and introduced us to the marriage counselors in our church. That was how we started our marriage counseling programme I did not find it difficult introducing him to my parents because they knew him already. He played the drums in the church and more over, they had been pressurizing me for marriage. He was good looking and had a respectable job. Within eight months of our courtship, we had our marriage ceremony. Neither of his parents took active part in the ceremony. It was his elder sister and her husband that represented his parents. I got curious and asked him why this was so, he said his parents were not in support of the marriage because they were against his conversion to Christianity.

The first bomb shell came after the exchange of marital vow. Right there on the altar, brother Michael did the abominable. He shouted ‘Allau – Akbar’ three times and same rough looking guys chorused “Allau-Akbar form the congregation. There was a confusion and pandemonium in the church. His followers left the church chanting their refrain. Brother Michael stayed put and completed the church ceremony. When we got to the reception hall, his Muslim friends had almost taken over all the seats. I have never been exposed to ridicule like that in my life.

          When we got to his house later on in the evening, brother Michael brought out his praying mat, Tesbil and kettle. I watched in horror as he did his abolition and prayed right there on the mat. Since, then it had become a regular occurrence. I was not against the Islam religion but this sudden transformation baffled me.

          Understandably, he had stopped attending the Church. When I queried him over his sudden actions, he answered in a rude voice that I was his attraction to the Church and since he had won me over, he was satisfied. He knew what he was talking about, because our Church forbids divorce, no matter the cause or challenges one is facing under that vow. It was the matter of “till death do us apart” once the marriage had been consummated.

          As if this deceit was not enough, another bomb shell was waiting for me when he did not extend any amorous feelings towards me, I thought it was because of what he did. Both of us were living together as strangers. When after several months, he failed to tamper with my virginity I went to our pastor and complained bitterly to him about my ordeal. He called his wife and told her what I had just said. The wife was enraged and blamed me for not reporting this in good time

“Ah! We thought it was the issue of his religion that you were copping with, this one is beyond me o! Pastor what shall we do now? That was the pastor’s wife lamenting.

          The pastor wrote a letter inviting him for a meeting he said I should go home and that he would find a way how the letter would get to him. When he got the letter, he refused to honor the invitation, he claimed that the pastor did not have authority over him because he was not a Christian.

I reported him to his sister and her husband. Surprisingly, this was not new to them; she said it was an open secret among his immediate family that Brother Michael was impotent. Her advice to me was to find a way of satisfying myself sexually and if it resulted it pregnancy, I should leave it the family would claim it. This would also make Michael happy.

I broke down and wept sorrowfully what have I led myself into? The church insisted “NO DIVORCE” his family said I should go on fornicating. “Ah this fake Michael had destroyed me. I am thinking of committing suicide as a way out of this shame and gang mire.

What do you think?

LEAN ON ME AUNTY MEG

Dear Aunty Meg,

          I’m impressed how you have been helping people solved their problems. I hope you would be able to help me out of my present predicament.

          I am in love with this guy, in fact we have set in motion our marriage plans before I got to know that he had been deceiving me all alone. We started our relationship on a platonic note right from our secondary school days.

          When I gained admission into the University in the South Eastern part of Nigeria he claimed he had been admitted into a polytechnic at the North Western part of the country. He later on went for his national youth service. I completed mine a year earlier than his because of the mandatory one year industrial attachment for national diploma courses. I then proceeded on my masters programme

          My problem started when a cousin of his claimed that my lover had not gone to any higher institution. She said he had been deceiving me all along. When I confronted him, his answer baffled me. He said what had education got to do with love and marriage. On further enquires, I realized that he had been deceiving me. What should I do Aunty? ----- Jelly

RESPONSE

Dear jelly,

          Accept my sympathy on your present predicament. This guy has no doubt betrayed your trust and love. This is deceit written in capital letters. Apart from the fact that both of you are no longer on the same plane social status wise, he is not also trustworthy. Only God knows what he could do next.

          A house built on quick sand without solid foundation will surely collapse. Count your teeth with your tongue sister!

___ Aunty Meg

ADVENTURES OF MR FAARI : BIBI IDI-IKAN!

By Femi Abulude

Bibilari, Bibi for short was my school mate way back then. This girl was of average

height and pretty, her problem was her forlorn look. We used to call her sad Bibi at her back. Some even gave her the sobriquet “the face that never smiles!” Rumour had it that she was a product of broken home. Some people also called her “Idi-Ikan” I know you will be interested in knowing the meaning of that word. You will have to take a course in Yoruba language or better still, I will introduce you to my boss, who has connections with ALAROYE newspaper. What I know is that Adebisi Idi – Ikan used to be a wealthy man in the ancient city of Ibadan in the olden days.

          Trust Faari, I made several attempts at breaking her iron curtain to no avail. All my tricks and efforts to court her friendship failed woefully then, after an unpleasant encounter. I decided to call on her one Friday evening and expressed how I felt for her she blurted out thus:

          “Faari or what do they call you, whom do you think you are? You always carry yourself as if your father owns the central bank. I hate you. You irritate me! Don’t ever come across my path again. For your information, I cannot date a wretched lousy guy like you.” She hissed and spat, the spit fell on my well polished brown shoe. Bibi left me standing there stupefied. Me Faari, Omo onikoko! No girl has ever talked to me like that. The cold war continued until we left school for higher institution.

          Our path crossed again recently during our class mates re-union meeting. Bibi has not changed a hoot we learnt she lost her husband in a ghastly auto crash she was still her sad self all our efforts to make her happy failed woefully. I was the master of ceremony everybody was laughing and enjoying the jokes, but not Bibi. You need to see the group photograph taken after the event. Bibi was the stone face at the extreme left side of the picture. When I gave a joke of a mask face which never smiled when we were in school all eyes turned to Bibi, but she was unperturbed

          I called her on phone four days after the outing, she picked her call quite alright attempt and her response put me off balance.

“Faari is that you? Many things had happened since we left school. I liked you way back then, but we were too young for what you were asking. However I enjoyed the looks on your face anytime I put up that my forlorn look. I was not as bad as you thought. Your perception of me was your own imagination. My friends told me all the names you created for me. They were amusing though. But where you got the Idi-Ikan sobriquet baffled me. A friend said probably it was because of my hips. Faari you were my friend at large. We can still be friends. Faari? Are you still there?” I did not know what to say. Am I dreaming? Someone should wake me up now….

BEHAVE REPONSIBLE; AIDS IS REAL.