No More Early Morning School Assembly Prayers! What?

This morning I read in the newspapers that the Cross River State government has given a directive that the weekly/daily routine of early morning prayers/assembly held in all primary and secondary schools (public and private) across the state should be stopped.

And, hey, before you start going religious!! Take a breather and read on to find out why the directive was given. Okay?

In a statement signed by Anne Odey, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education in the state, the government stated that the directive was given due to anxieties on security which were revealed by the state Commissioner of Police, Henry Fadairo, and thereafter suggested the suspension of the early morning
assembly/prayers for the time being until the prevailing security challenges across the country subside.

Aha! Just when I pictured all those lazy/late rising pupils/students who always dread attending these assemblies/early morning prayers jubilating in a BIG colourful bubble, the state's chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) released a statement not  long after, signed by its Chairman Archbishop Joseph Edra Ukpo, decrying the directive on the suspension of the early morning prayers by the state government as "totally unacceptable," saying this would negatively affect the children's moral upbringing as future leaders of the country. Can you see a potential needle prick heading towards the colourful bubble of jubilating pupil/students?

Earnestly, one would expect that with all the goings-on, where we've heard about suicide bombers dressed in school uniforms enter school gatherings and thereafter detonate the bombs and killing themselves, teachers and pupils, one would think that the directive would be welcomed by all pending when security concerns had been properly handled. Or what do you think? 

Basketmouth And His Basket Of 'Lovelies' To Wife Elsie

Basketmouth and Wife, Elsie

While a lot of celebrities are busy having a war of words on social media and packing up the remains of their troubled marriages which at one time or the other were highly celebrated as 'heaven-made-on-earth' kind of marriages, Nigerian Comedian Bright Okpocha who is popularly known as Basketmouth was busy celebrating his wife Elsie Uzoma Okpocha as they marked their fifth year wedding anniversary.

On Wednesday the 28th of October 2015, Basketmouth sent a lovely message to his wife thanking her for being a source of blessing to him and for giving him a beautiful family. His exact words were " “Elsie, thank you for letting me come into your life, for giving me a beautiful family, for blessing me with your love, affection and care. Happy wedding anniversary.” Hmmm! How lovely!!

Basket and Wife on their wedding day

You sure agree with me that those are heartfelt words from an appreciative husband who no doubts has been having a blissfully peaceful marriage, isn't it? For me, that equals or even more than a basket of tangible 'lovelies' any day. Yeah, sometimes, words are just ENOUGH! I meant SOMETIMES!! Okay?

Now I know a lot of people would give me 'the eye' if I stood right in front of them at this very moment with expressions or statements such as "it's not the first time, we've heard this before, tomorrow now they will start fighting, give them another five years, they are just starting, blah blah blah, and many more pessimistic statements.

I understand to a large extent why some people would make such remarks because nearly 80% of celebrities who have praised/eulogise their spouses in interviews and on social media platforms in the past and even very recently, have turned around to say the opposites when the tides change.

However, for Basketmouth and his wife, I perceive that at the rate they are going, we may have more 'Olu Jacobs and Joke Silva's' kind of marriages reenacted in the marriages of younger couples such as Basketmouth's. I bet you'll all agree with me on that, wouldn't you? *winks*
 
Now (while pondering)  speaking of Uncle' Olu Jacobs and 'Aunty' Joke's stable marriage of many years, I would suggest they start a school on "how to sustain your marriage". We CANNOT rule out the fact that they have their own share of marital issues at one point or the other, but at least they've being able to resolve and sustain their marriage without sending themselves to the 'cleaners' at any time by taking their problems to social media for their fans to take sides. I'm sure there's a lot to learn from that couple.

Before you go on to ask if this (Olu and Joke) is the best couple around, let me beat you to it by saying "NO". We've got many more great couples around (celebrities and others like my parents) but I deemed it fit to use this very popular celebrity couple who have really touched lives in many ways than you can count just by being TOGETHER  and strong all these years and most importantly because this article is focused on marriages of celebrities.

Before I sign out, I would like to get back to what inspired this topic by wishing Basketmouth and his lovely wife a HAPPY anniversary and many more beautiful years ahead TOGETHER hoping that in the next forty five years when they celebrate fifty years together, we will all be there to say 'WELL DONE'!

I STAND FOR PEACE! WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Over the weekend, I read with pain the interview of Gen. Yakubu Gowon in one of the Nigerian dailies where he said that Nigerians have put behind them the bad memories of the 1967 civil war, and that those behind these pro-Biafra protests  don’t have an inkling what the Biafra war cost Nigerians.

After reports were carried in the papers last week that a number of pro-Biafra prostesters were arrested while demanding  the release of  the then-detained Nnamdi Kanu, the Radio Biafra Director who was said to have been arrested at the airport on his arrival from London; today the same papers have come out with a report from the Police that "no supporter of the Radio Biafra director was detained". Confusing isn't it?

Now whom do we believe? I'll leave that confusing part at that!

General Gowon mentioned that those involved in this campaign were being driven by just a few people and that majority of the Igbo people do not share the same view and  added that with Biafra, Nigerian democracy “is finished” even as he accepted  the fact that the protesters have the right to express their feelings.

A lot of people know that I don't really like talking politics, especially Nigerian politics, so as not to get myself and many others who share my views  worked up. Many of our parents who went through the civil war told us mind-blowing stories of their traumatic experiences and other peoples' experiences who did not survive the war. So to a large extent, I kind of agree with Gowon when he said Nigerians don't understand the level of pain/trauma those who witnessed the war encountered. 

I have a lot of Igbo/Ibo  friends. While some of them are pro-Biafran,  others are not and yet others are indifferent.

Pardon me or correct me if I am wrong as I always stand to be corrected. Given all that I've heard, read and seen so far in life especially as regards Nigeria, my intuition (which rarely fails) signals that Nigeria can only conquer all of its problems or challenges if we remain united as one solid nation devoid of any form of hatred for each other irrespective of tribe, class or whatever you deem fit to name it. Just like Gowon admonished that keeping Nigeria united was the objective for doing all that he did during the war which was what Odumegwu-Ojukwu also stood for and not in any way a disguised hatred for the Igbos, let's learn to live as one for any form of war would do us no good.

Having said enough, it's time to sheathe our different swords which includes the war of words on social media laden with tribalistic sentiments and  like the popular saying 'no victor no vanquished' let's all mingle and be merry.

On a lighter note, peradventure this Biafra is allowed, I can already picture (in my mind's eye) how a lot of Easterners would (proudly) be said to be travelling "abroad" whenever they intend to visit Nigeria thereafter *smiles*.

Nevertheless, if Biafra proponents still insist on the separation, PLEASE IS THERE ANYWAY IT CAN BE DONE WITHOUT VIOLENCE?

I stand for PEACE, what about YOU?

 

PERHAPS, WE MAY STILL LEAD OUR COUNTRY 'TOMORROW'

It's like there is a new trend in the air especially on appointments in some parts of the world and here in Nigeria. So you don't misunderstand me, when I say part, I mean SOME very part and not in anyway talking about the recent political appointments so far in Nigeria (I just thought I should get that out of the way).

Now that we have all that sorted out, let's get back on the real track, I want all of us to be. Okay! A few days ago, Canada had their elections and 43 (take note of the age) Justin Pierre James Trudeau MP a Canadian politician under the Liberal party emerged winner to take over from incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper of the Conservative party who actually contested for a fourth term.

The interesting part of this is that Justin Trudeau when eventually sworn into office, will be the second-youngest prime minister in Canadian history. Hmmm! How about that?

Let's come back home! Just yesterday in Osun State, at Ile-Ife, a young good looking well-put-together

Prince Enitan Ogunwusi of the Giesi ruling house emerged as the new soon-to-be-crowned Ooni of Ife few months after the last Oba Sijuade passed on. Now does that call for celebration?

While growing up, there was this popular slogan "the youths of today are the leaders of tomorrow" for many years now the supposed "YOUTHS" have been wondering if that 'TOMORROW' would ever come. Perhaps with this new trend, there's still some hope that maybe, just MAYBE our tomorrow has come 'TODAY', we may still lead our country 'TOMORROW" oops! TODAY, that's like the popular TV (now rested) program titled  "IF TOMORROW EVER COMES".

Hey Mister! Sleep Naked and Boost That Stuff by 25%!!

Researchers have said time and time again that sleeping naked and wearing loose underpants improves the health of sperm in men.

Again recent research has reiterated an improvement by at least 25 percent if men adhered as vital reproductive cells in the testicles are preserved at cooler temperatures which cannot be maintained when wearing tightly-fitting underpants and thus ditching pyjamas and Y-Fronts at night time is thought best.

The study, which was carried out by Stanford University in California and the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, looked at 501 men trying to become dads as population sample.

Alright! It seems buying baggy underwear/night shorts might not seem a bad idea after all because at the end of the study, men who wore loose underpants had a 25% lower level of damage to their sperm’s DNA than those who wore tight-fitting shorts.

The study’s conclusion explains: ‘Among men in the general population attempting pregnancy, type of underwear worn during the day and to bed is associated with semen quality. ‘Reducing exposure for bed decreases DNA fragmentation; better semen quality parameters are observed in men wearing boxers during the day and none to bed.’

Science has previously suggested that holding a laptop on your knees damages sperm because of the heat it gives out.

I guess this is no news to everyone anymore! To all the MISTERS AND MASTERS out there, go get baggy under wears and avoid tight fitting ones if you can't sleep NAKED at nights!!

Your Children Look Delicious, May I Have a Taste? - Anonymous

What would be your first reaction if you got such a text severally from an anonymous person? I bet you would freak out with mixed feelings of anger, fear and more!

Over the weekend, Metro News reported that a woman who sent such weird messages in letters to her neighbours in Minnesota asking if she could eat their children had been arrested.

Carrie Pernula, 38, admitted sending anonymous threats because the children were noisy and left things in her garden, according to a police statement.

After receiving the letter, the neighbours in question posted an image of it to a community Facebook page set up for residents of Champlin, Minnesota.

Pernula (Picture CBS) 

 One sentence of the letter said: ‘The children look delicious. May I have a taste?’

The post attracted a lot of attention from other concerned residents, who became worried for their own children’s safety. Who wouldn't be? And so contacted the Police who thereafter traced the threats to Pernula who was also said to have  admitted sending the letters and magazine subscriptions as well to their house, addressed to ‘tasty children’.

Before I go on let me use this opportunity to send a warning sign to all those whose kids/wards are beyond handling especially such kids who run around while the sermon is going on in church, or running around with shoes when their neighbours who live downstairs are trying to get a nap or even those kids who keep throwing stones at fruit trees of neighbours who enjoy their quiet time and many more as you never can predict what mood your neighbours are in.

According to CBS, Ty Schmidt, the deputy Police Chief‘ of Champlin said "Pernula was angry because the kids were leaving things in her yard and I think being a little noisy, being kids, the way kids are."

Hmm! I guess everyone of us have got some kind of issues or the other. While some of us can handle ours in more humane way, some other persons may find theirs too difficult to handle properly so the best bet is for us to stay out of each other's LANE. Right? I know you would agree with me on that *smiles*.

Pernula now faces possible charges of gross misdemeanor, terroristic threats and stalking. She has not been charged, but the Champlin city attorney is looking into the case

Behold Brelyn Bowman and her certificate of Virginity

Who wouldn't be proud to have his/her daughter present him/her a confirmed certificate of Virginity on her wedding day in a generation where (like the biblical proverb) 'passing a camel through the eye of a needle' has become easier than remaining a virgin until the wedding night for the crop of young girls in the present society and the world at large.

And so a young 22 year old bride,Brelyn Bowman stirred controversy online a few days ago after she presented her father  with a certificate affirming her virginity at her wedding to Gospel singer Tim Bowman who was shocked by the reaction of people as revealed on Instagram and other social media networks..

Now let me digress a bit or should I say spice up the story? This morning I was reading a story of a sex hawker who died in Enugu after having marathon sex romp with a few customers over the night. That was someone's daughter while far away in another world Brelyn Bowman was telling ABC News that she made a pledge of purity at the age of 13 to remain a virgin until marriage as she wanted to prove her word to her father and thus now calls herself 'the preacher of purity' a name she no doubts deserves.

According to KTRK-TV, before her wedding, Brelyn had a gynecologist examine her hymen to verify she had not had sexual intercourse.

"The decision came from honoring God and honoring my father," Brelyn said. "He was very excited and it's like a child and they bring home a progress report."

Brelyn's sister also presented their father, Pastor Mike Freeman, with a similar certificate at her wedding.

The couple says they do not condemn anyone who might have sex before marriage, but says celibacy until marriage can help cut down rates for HIV and other STDs.

Hmm! at this point, I'll leave you to figure out the rest and help me out here. So as a case of two worlds: one 'a preacher of purity' what would you term the dead hawker?

Like a lot of people have asked on social media 'what's the big deal? I'll like to say 'YESSSSS" It's a BIG DEAL!! Eat you hearts out because it's high time we started promoting good things and enough of promoting trash all over the internet which do not in anyway help our kids!!!