On a sweltering Tuesday afternoon in March 2010, over four hundred young Nigerians embarked on a rally in the nation’s capital Abuja which saw us march from the Eagles square to the National assembly, in what seemed to be a historic effort on the path of us youths to reclaim Nigeria. It was a call for change, a bold statement that we have come of age and apathy is not going to be part of our repertoire. At one point during the procession, a rainbow-like streak suddenly appeared in the sky. “See rainbow!” yelled Chude, the rally coordinator, as he threw both arms in the air. The crowd responded with a cauldron of emotions as the symbolic gesture made by the good heavens reaffirmed our efforts to engage in the Enough-is-Enough youth rally. With renewed zest, we raised our placards displaying several disgruntled messages like “Stop the killing in Jos”, “Give us light” among others which in plain language encapsulated the pent up frustrations and demands of a generation of young Nigerians.
Not even the presence of armed police men who were perched like vultures in waiting could dissuade us, for the course we chose to fight was as much theirs as it was ours. We shrugged our shoulders, and couldn’t care that we were putting ourselves in harm’s way. How can we come this far and allow our courage to waver? I had thought to myself that most of us arrived the night before from Lagos to Abuja and retreating now was not an option. I couldn’t forget the voice of my mother’s sage warning, “I know I can’t get you not to go, but please sandwich yourself in the middle.” When we tore through the human barricade of gun totting policemen that was set up to deny our entry into the national assembly, a girl close by used me as her human shield.
THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
If any young person had to tell the Nigerian story of the last five decades to an untrained ear, what could it possibly be? Maybe, eight military coups, 30 months of civil war, endless political turmoil, religious, geo-political and tribal divides, a streak of missed opportunities due to that hydra headed monster called corruption? All of these grim and disturbing realities are only a part of the story, but not the complete story. This story is a badly written script by those who got here before us, a script we must not accept, and an end we must not allow. The significance of this year’s independence celebration is for us as the next generation which the nation’s hopes are riding on to take stock and determine what we want the next 50 years to be, and write that script. I believe there is a new bright Nigeria emerging in the midst of this chaos. Blessed are they who believe that there is a new Nigeria, but more blessed are those who are committed to bring about this change. Blessed are those solitary light bulbs in the midst of a cynical dark world.
But I would be failing to do justice to this piece if I pretend that there is so much to look forward to for our generation, anyway. A generation whose major offense was being born in a geographical entity called Nigeria, where dreams are deferred, and creativity is stifled; a country where many battle the indignities of having to leave for pastures so green in order to fulfill their dreams. A generation set up to inherit a nation from a greedy, corrupt and recycled political class that has ridden roughshod over its present and its future. A generation that is educated in empty classrooms, treated in caverns called hospitals, made insipid by the harsh economic realities where a good education is a luxury and not a necessity that every child is entitled to, where being a graduate is no longer a passport to a comfortable job. A generation that is being raised in an era where values are skewed and the press headlines find it attractive to parade graduates caught in armed-robbery, forgetting that such idle minds have become the devil’s factory in the monstrous creation of a careless society. My question is, can we survive the macabre beats of this tragic orchestra? How can we cope with all these and how will these challenges affect us in the future? Can we create a better world than we inherited?
All of these stories that have characterized the last 50 years can be doubly disempowering. However, we must be a generation who thrives despite a failing government. We must take responsibility for the state of our lives and nation. Sure, there is plenty of blame to go around, but blame no matter how justified is a luxury we cannot afford. The lives of many young people seem broken, but so is our nation; the breaking may not be our fault, but the duty to fix it lies squarely on our shoulders.
Victor Hugo said it best when he once remarked that ‘there is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come. I believe there is nothing as powerful as a generation whose time has come. History has shown that every society responds to the demands of their youth, their exuberance, and that solemn ideal that change can happen. The onus of this change falls on young people. We cannot afford to sit on the fence because doing so makes it possible for the system to change us rather than us changing the system. We must rise to the challenge, discover who we are and what we are about to do.
In re-writing the script of our nation, we would need that sense of ire that Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala once described when she said, “It is a sense of anger that drives me. Anger, that this country and the Nigerians that I know are being maligned by a small percentage of people. You have to do something to clean things up, you always look up to other people to do it, the fight begins with you.” Such passion will help us confront all the virulent display of impunity that is diametrically opposed to what true democracy stands for. In order to write our script we will need to ask the hard questions; How come we have more pot-holes than roads; and our elected officials cruise around in sirens unfeelingly? Don’t we have a government whose responsibility is to fix the road? Why are we not seeing the dividends of good governance? And yet we seem not to bother? Shouldn’t there be an expectation from the government of the day for those who they govern?
There is never a perfect script without an active imagination. We must dream out of limitation. While circumstances can limit our dreams and imagination, when allowed to thrive our imagination can shatter any limiting circumstance. This is why I dream with my eyes wide open, and my mind bubbles with streams of possibilities. I dream of a Nigeria that is radically different from what we have now, where everything works, where the Nigerian child goes to school and sits on a decent desk, with a classroom far from being over-populated; where libraries are updated and equipped laboratories are necessities provided, not luxuries. I dream of a Nigeria were graduates of our higher institutions can compete favorably with graduates from any other part of the world, and hold their forte; and those graduates would have jobs waiting for them before they graduate. I dream of a Nigeria where youths are not only gainfully employed but are business owners that generate thousands of jobs.
I dream of a Nigeria with a responsive and responsible leadership that condemns fights, reduces, and eliminates corruption. I dream of a Nigeria where electricity is taken for granted; a Nigeria that produces her own cars, refines her own fuel and exports millions of cash crops and locally manufactured goods; a Nigeria that will become the giant of manufacturing in Africa; a technologically superior country. I dream of a Nigeria were the youths are HIV free; where maternal mortality is non-existent, and drugs are genuine and therapeutic, not fake and lethal. I dream of a Nigeria where the youths are patriotic and its leaders selfless and honest; a nation whose policies are people-centered and transparent and its public servants are committed and follow due process; a country where militants are the defenders of our unity, the rule of law is upheld and democracy is allowed to thrive. This is a script you and I have to endorse and produce. It is not just a dream; it is the blueprint of our future.
For the Love of Country
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
WHAT'S YOUR PERSPECTIVE?
Did the meltdown make you lose your to-die-for-job with all the impeccable pecks and benefits that came with it? Huh! Maybe you broke up with that potential hot (or should I say cool) spouse, when you thought the altar was your next destination, and you were fast approaching age…30, right? (You know getting a good one can be like searching for a needle in a haystack, pele). No, maybe yours was losing that brand new ride that kept you on the top ten gossip list for 3 months? I suspect it is the Omonile who duped you what was left of your tumbled and crumbled investments in stocks, for that land you so wanted to buy, right? Well, if none of these, then for a moment, think about the grueling traffic one has to face on a day to day basis, sometimes it is a miracle to stay motivated and survive.
The past few months have been incredibly challenging for most people. It has been for me as well. It was like I was hitched on some kind of hurricane. No sooner had I survived one than another took me by surprise in quick succession. I was like a drowning man at the time, except that I was not in water. The walls had caved in, but the only difference was that I was not in a cave. I was in my meltdown (I can’t tell you if it is over though). Every day, the mere thought of facing the day leaves me not only exasperated but slightly depressed. I always had a grouse that some of our life’s challenges can be senseless tragedy. I somehow managed to pray and believe, but somehow nothing changed. Like Mother Theresa said “Hope Father doesn’t trust us so much as to give us trials beyond our capacity?”
What life has taught me, if it has taught me anything at all, is that God will not stop life from happening to us; he only gets us through life. A couple of months ago, I wrote about a note on Facebook, of how God uses adversity to heighten our sensitivity to build character in us, to bring wisdom to the not too wise, to strengthen the weak, to fortify our faith. This is what I am expanding in this piece. Life is all about playing with the game that fate dealt with you. It is never too much about punishment but about learning as we go through life.
Let’s face it, sometimes the greatest problems we face are not the very issues, but the perspective we hold about them. Often times our poor perspectives make our adversities self-inflicting and bring us needless battles. On the other hand, our apathy, our inflexibilities, our insensitivities, and our prayerlessness our spiritual anorexia brings us into crisis. Sure Father knows us more than we do know of ourselves. I had set my expectations for myself and when I failed to meet those expectations; I became disappointed and foisted same disappointments on God. Truly, God never fails, only humans fail in their false expectations of God. In the first place, He doesn’t just exit to answer our prayers, but by our prayer we come to discern the mind of God. In the letter to Colossians, 9 verse of the first chapter, Paul said, “…do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” The significance of prayer is not give to God, our list of wants and needs; that is not wrong in itself, but it places limit on the benefits we can tap from prayers. The whole significance of prayer is that we get hold of the mind of God and that understanding becomes the answer to prayer. It is true that prayer changes things, but most of all prayer changes me and I change things. Again for emphasis sake, the greatest answer to prayer becomes that my perspective is brought into a perfect understanding with God and that alters my views of actual things. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus said, “Let your will be done; let your kingdom come”, before He said, “Give us this day our daily bread”. We have sort of reversed this; I believe if God’s will is done in our lives, our wants and needs, will fizzle out automatically. This helped me, though my circumstances haven’t changed much, my views of them have.
God is sovereign and is not obliged to use our strategies to meet our needs. God is not easily manipulated by our tears; follow the principles. Save yourself the heartaches and wait on Him for his strategy. We impoverish God in our mind when limit him with out mind. God is not as much interested in our whining as he is of our character. God’s goal is beyond money and trappings of wealth, rather he wants us to become like Christ. Though he cares about our comfort and well being, He values our character more than our comfort and convenience. God does not waste a hurt; there is always a purpose to our crisis. Many times, it is to bring about a paradigm and perspective shift in us. But I prayed, I believed, so what went wrong? Why is life so unfair?
I penned this words a couple of months ago. “I think life can become unfair when we choose to focus on what we don’t have, and let them prevent us from making the most of the little we have. I think life can become unfair when we run a marathon like a 100m dash, and become busted and exhausted, rather than taking the race of life at the pace that is uniquely ours, as to guarantee we arrive alive. I think life can become unfair when we fail to see challenges for what they really are-stepping stones-and see them for what they are not-stumbling blocks. For challenges are not meant to frail us but to firm us. I think life can become unfair when we magnify our problems rather than our God, who can solve the problems. Most of our failures are failures of faith. I think life can become unfair when we choose to see only those who have better living conditions than we do, and forget to see those who have worse living conditions than we have. I think life can become unfair when we focus on those who hurt us, and forget that they are human, and have the tendency to err, while it’s ours to forgive and love again. I think life can be unfair, when we try to set God’s time with our clock rather than set our clock to God’s time.” For He makes all things beautiful in His time, in His time the job will come, the love will come, the child will come, and all you need are already set for an appointed time.”
Now have I stopped believing? Never! Have I stopped praying? Not anytime soon. Have I quit? At least not yet! Challenges are inevitable in life, but misery is optional. The whole essence of this piece is to help us separate what is necessary and what is not in the crisis we face. If you are feeling like I felt, just maybe think about these perspectives. The advantage of speaking in tongues is simply to enable Gods mind bye-pass our mental limitations, but creating a new band width that can get us through the tickling of our limited minds and communicate his will to us.
Love you!
The past few months have been incredibly challenging for most people. It has been for me as well. It was like I was hitched on some kind of hurricane. No sooner had I survived one than another took me by surprise in quick succession. I was like a drowning man at the time, except that I was not in water. The walls had caved in, but the only difference was that I was not in a cave. I was in my meltdown (I can’t tell you if it is over though). Every day, the mere thought of facing the day leaves me not only exasperated but slightly depressed. I always had a grouse that some of our life’s challenges can be senseless tragedy. I somehow managed to pray and believe, but somehow nothing changed. Like Mother Theresa said “Hope Father doesn’t trust us so much as to give us trials beyond our capacity?”
What life has taught me, if it has taught me anything at all, is that God will not stop life from happening to us; he only gets us through life. A couple of months ago, I wrote about a note on Facebook, of how God uses adversity to heighten our sensitivity to build character in us, to bring wisdom to the not too wise, to strengthen the weak, to fortify our faith. This is what I am expanding in this piece. Life is all about playing with the game that fate dealt with you. It is never too much about punishment but about learning as we go through life.
Let’s face it, sometimes the greatest problems we face are not the very issues, but the perspective we hold about them. Often times our poor perspectives make our adversities self-inflicting and bring us needless battles. On the other hand, our apathy, our inflexibilities, our insensitivities, and our prayerlessness our spiritual anorexia brings us into crisis. Sure Father knows us more than we do know of ourselves. I had set my expectations for myself and when I failed to meet those expectations; I became disappointed and foisted same disappointments on God. Truly, God never fails, only humans fail in their false expectations of God. In the first place, He doesn’t just exit to answer our prayers, but by our prayer we come to discern the mind of God. In the letter to Colossians, 9 verse of the first chapter, Paul said, “…do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” The significance of prayer is not give to God, our list of wants and needs; that is not wrong in itself, but it places limit on the benefits we can tap from prayers. The whole significance of prayer is that we get hold of the mind of God and that understanding becomes the answer to prayer. It is true that prayer changes things, but most of all prayer changes me and I change things. Again for emphasis sake, the greatest answer to prayer becomes that my perspective is brought into a perfect understanding with God and that alters my views of actual things. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus said, “Let your will be done; let your kingdom come”, before He said, “Give us this day our daily bread”. We have sort of reversed this; I believe if God’s will is done in our lives, our wants and needs, will fizzle out automatically. This helped me, though my circumstances haven’t changed much, my views of them have.
God is sovereign and is not obliged to use our strategies to meet our needs. God is not easily manipulated by our tears; follow the principles. Save yourself the heartaches and wait on Him for his strategy. We impoverish God in our mind when limit him with out mind. God is not as much interested in our whining as he is of our character. God’s goal is beyond money and trappings of wealth, rather he wants us to become like Christ. Though he cares about our comfort and well being, He values our character more than our comfort and convenience. God does not waste a hurt; there is always a purpose to our crisis. Many times, it is to bring about a paradigm and perspective shift in us. But I prayed, I believed, so what went wrong? Why is life so unfair?
I penned this words a couple of months ago. “I think life can become unfair when we choose to focus on what we don’t have, and let them prevent us from making the most of the little we have. I think life can become unfair when we run a marathon like a 100m dash, and become busted and exhausted, rather than taking the race of life at the pace that is uniquely ours, as to guarantee we arrive alive. I think life can become unfair when we fail to see challenges for what they really are-stepping stones-and see them for what they are not-stumbling blocks. For challenges are not meant to frail us but to firm us. I think life can become unfair when we magnify our problems rather than our God, who can solve the problems. Most of our failures are failures of faith. I think life can become unfair when we choose to see only those who have better living conditions than we do, and forget to see those who have worse living conditions than we have. I think life can become unfair when we focus on those who hurt us, and forget that they are human, and have the tendency to err, while it’s ours to forgive and love again. I think life can be unfair, when we try to set God’s time with our clock rather than set our clock to God’s time.” For He makes all things beautiful in His time, in His time the job will come, the love will come, the child will come, and all you need are already set for an appointed time.”
Now have I stopped believing? Never! Have I stopped praying? Not anytime soon. Have I quit? At least not yet! Challenges are inevitable in life, but misery is optional. The whole essence of this piece is to help us separate what is necessary and what is not in the crisis we face. If you are feeling like I felt, just maybe think about these perspectives. The advantage of speaking in tongues is simply to enable Gods mind bye-pass our mental limitations, but creating a new band width that can get us through the tickling of our limited minds and communicate his will to us.
Love you!
THE REVOLUTION IS HERE
I was stuck at a point in my life; I had so many clues and suddenly was clueless amidst the many clues. Have you ever been there? I am talking about that strange place where you want to move ahead, be more than you are, start that initiative, but the will power is subdued by sight of discouraging events, and sounds of disparaging remarks. You are scared of starting because you are afraid of failing; you have gone for motivational talks and you get pumped up and after you went home you became busted. There are many young Nigeria with fantastic ideas, but seem trapped in the same state of inertia that I was-am not sure if I am out anyway-they just can’t perform.
Somehow it takes more than an entertainment or what I call pedestrian motivational gibberish to get going. If you think those are the answers, forget it! “How can we sustain this aspirational spirit and turn those ideas, concepts, creativity, strategy, and technology into a productive venture?” is the big question that has been on my mind and those of my friends.
What we need is a sustained network of like minds who are also trying to make good sense of their gifts, talents, potentials and lives. We need to build relationships that will create a context where we can express ourselves and help us find our voices and provide a launch pad to build us, expand us, expose us and export us. You get? Enough of a one man army! Let’s synergize friends!
This is what our eponymous INTERFACE conference is all about, it is not just a marketplace of ideas brimming with mind boggling innovations, but it is a place where people share their stories and tell you how they have navigated their road blocks, perhaps you will learn a thing or two about removing your own grind blocks.
Basically, INTERFACE is about meeting new friends that would ignite your passion for the extraordinary. It is about breaking out of the box and making a difference. You have never experienced anything remotely like it.
Like it is often said, there is nothing as formidable as a timely idea. We believe strongly in the power that ideas can change attitude, lives and world. We will like to invite you specially, to join us at the first edition of the Interface conversation, (themed Nigeria and the Creative Economy).The date is July 24, 2010, by 9am to 12noon at Modex Meeting Room, 3 Abiola Segun Ajayi, off Muri Okunola, off Ajose Adeogun, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Speakers include:
Eng Maduka: from Pan African University: speaking on "Innovation: what it is and what it is not"
Pai Gamde: from Hi Tech: Competing in the global village
Others are: Tosin Otitoju, Uche Nworah, Uche Eze (Bellanaija), Tolu Oluketuyi and Lami Idakwo, all sharing interesting topics that would leave you better than you were.
Our speakers are am amazing people who have proven themselves in their diverse interest. They are brilliant people in the true sense of the word.
ABOUT THE BURGEONING INTERFACE COMMUNITY
The Interface is a community of influential, young, aspiring professionals and entrepreneurs from diverse disciples united by our curiosity, open-mindedness and desire to think outside the box. But we are set on building a better future by exploring on how to integrate ideas, enterprise, strategy, creativity and technology that will bring about individual empowerment and national advancement.
The core objectives of the Interface are to provide a forum:
Ø For young people to find like minds and build relationships and friendship that can be mutually beneficial to their dreams
Ø To provide a mentoring system for young people
Ø To initiate a self-development culture and build avid and informed young minds through various reading clubs and schemes
Ø To bring a sense of empowerment by exposing young minds to opportunities around
N/B: Please note that limited seats are available. If you are interested in attending please send us a mail for a seat reservation on or before July 22, 2010.
We look forward to your favorable response.
Ferdinand Adimefe
Curator, INTERFACE
08068057899
Intellectual spa! SHUN THE CONVENTION!
REPORT ON INTERFACE
By Ben Ezeamalu
July 26, 2010 02:31AM
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There is a creative economy in Nigeria that needs to be developed, and there is a need to harness the different potentials, abilities, talents, skills, and bring them on a common platform for expression. This was the purpose of a gathering tagged ‘Nigeria and the Creative Economy,' a forum where young and prospective entrepreneurs from all walks of lives met to network and exchange ideas.
According to The Interface, the organizers of the forum which held on Saturday in Lagos, there is a gap in creativity in the country and so creative minds need a lot of encouragement in this part of the world. "We need a platform where we can collectively build capacity, where we can collectively find mentors that can mentor people in different areas, where we can share our stories, learn our lessons, make our mistakes, correct ourselves, and grow our businesses," said Ferdinand Adimefe, one of the organizers. Some of the speakers at the gathering included Pai Gamde, HiTV's Head of Human Resource and Administration; Uche Nworah, a writer; Tosin Otitoju, poet and lecturer at the Systems Engineering Department, University of Lagos; Uche Eze of Bella Naija, an Entertainment, Fashion, and Lifestyle website.
Youth and excellence
In her presentation titled ‘A Life of Excellence - Duck or Eagle,' Ms. Gamde encouraged the gathering to imbibe excellence as a way of life in all their endeavours. "Excellence is a way of life, it is not a destination," she said. "The difference between excellence and mediocre is the willingness to go beyond your limitation and operate your comfort zone." She enjoined the youth to celebrate their accomplishments and at the same time raise their bar a bit higher. Mr. Nworah also advised the youth to be independent while striving for excellence. "You really have to make a lot of effort for yourself," he said. "As a creative person, you have to make a drive for yourself. Whatever you decide to do, there is a space for you. There is a lot of opportunity in this country."
Motivated youth
Some of the participants at the forum expressed satisfaction at being a part of the gathering. Adewale Oreshade, final year Law student of the University of Lagos, said he had been motivated by the presentations he had witnessed. "I think all of them have been able to simplify and demystify phenomenon and philosophies we've always had in our hearts and have been afraid of all our lives in the entrepreneur world, in the leadership world, in a managerial society and realm," said Mr. Oreshade.
Another participant, Taiwo Fapohunda, said the knowledge gained from the forum would be invested in his recently established cleaning business in Ketu. "When Uche (Eze) said something about structure and strategy. Strategy has always been a big deal for me. Setting up a company, what's the strategy? What's the plan? What are the research and goals behind it? But now I've learnt that it is basically careful planning for future forecast. It's been wonderful being here," he said.
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Thursday, October 15, 2009
THE FACEBOOK REVOLUTION
I was waiting for a cab on the busy street of Bode Thomas in Surulere, one hot sunny afternoon, when I heard someone screamed my name out loud from a taxi. It was a girl called Vera, my secondary school classmate. Unfortunately the car couldn’t stop for us to hail and then she screamed… “Check me up on facebook you will find me”. Guess what? I did find her when I checked. Vera and I have been corresponding ever since. This morning, her Facebook status update reads “I didn’t get enough sleep”. I dropped a comment “Go back to bed…lol”.
Check this out; Ted saw Vera profile picture flash across his wall, he immediately adds her…this went so fast now they are happily married, simply put “Marriage made from facebook.
PHEW! At the sound of the whistle we discovered our lives have gone online, all thanks technology. Facebook happens to be one of the latest buzz words on the internet alongside others such as; Google, Myspace, Youtube, blogs,Twitter, e-Bay, iPhones, podcasts, and whatever the latest buzzword is. But just what is Facebook?
Facebook is a site that is set to enhance social connectivity, where you can catch up on old friends, and meet new friends. It offers us a medium to express ourselves, access cultural trends, opinions and information, advocate for causes close to our hearts, while investing in networking with people from all walks of life. Just with a click to a link, with our own fingers on the mouse, we are exposed to wealth of information about more friends and celebrities or people we admire.People have different reason for being on Facebook,it could be good, bad or ugly” Like Vera and I, most young people have thriving and busy Facebook account large numbers of Facebook fans (less than a quarter percent we hardly know, personal blogs,) and huge twitters following. New lexicon is floating out, sure you must have heard of some terms used in describing people these days, woman are no longer from Venus, but Wikipedia, men are from twitters no longer from Mars, relative to number of words per sentence. With the internet taking us to places we have never been, made us friends, we may never meet in our life time, yet these friendships often transcends kinship. Yet in the midst of this socio-technological milieu, “There’s a worry”, said Tammy, 32, “I joined Facebook but got out after a while, there is so much poke nosing, you would lose your privacy for almost no benefit. I think is for idol people”
Ola, 17, shares a different opinion of this “I have met a girlfriend from facebook, when she discovered I stay in Lagos; we hooked up. I have met a lot of people I didn’t know on facebook”
Mrs. Bolaji 42, is a mother who also has a Facebook account “My son was always too engrossed in Facebook, so I had to open an account at some point. I remember the first time we got to chat, he told me about his poor grades at school, but we lived in the same house and I didn’t know this. I think excessive us means we are losing some of the ability to build interpersonal communication that’s necessary for living together and building a community. More so I think parents should try and be more adaptive with technology so they can follow-up strongly on their children. It is a good time as it will help our children to keep their friends longer than our own generation did.
Answering to whether she thinks there is a disadvantage, she said “I know many people express concern about this networking, but I think that there’s much that is positive about it than there is negative. Sure this Facebook stuff goes wrong when users can’t drawn the lines. I tell my son about moderation in all things as the bible urged us to do. lDr Sigman a biologist based in the US, published a paper in the journal Biologist entitled “Well connected? The biology of ‘social networking’ ”, in which — according to one precise — he “warns us of the dangers of sacrificing old-fashioned social contact for the current trend towards more online interaction”. The problem lies with those who spend too much time on Facebook with people they have never met. How can a few lines in print ever replace the intricacies of tone, body language and laughter of meeting someone face to face?” She wanders.
Maku is a youth teacher who shared her heart said “Now, the argument does not lean towards what we are achieving with technology or how it is changing our world, definitely it is, rather it is more about how technology is affecting our lives. This interconnected world of endless possibilities offers us a rich popular culture, with standards of what is right and wrong as varied as the strings of a harp. I think most of the problems our parents battled with have not reduced or changed any bit, rather the problems, like our cell phones are getting smarter. Pornography is no longer the magazine buried beneath the rumbles in the drawer, or under the traveling bag. It has outmoded the erotic romance novel, the DVD, or even the web page on the Internet. Far beyond that! Today, it is just a flip away, in our mobile phones, iPods, and other communication devices, and it is coming closer, perhaps it would soon be a programme permanently installed in brains, 24/7 assess. And as the perversion among this generation heightens, we are told we do not need to even watch others any more. With the video recording device in our phones, we can ignite our lusts by recording our escapades for our own private indulgence. If you doubt me, check the video of your friends...just that you might have to ask them for the password, it is coded. Here is how relative right and wrong is, unmarried young guys and ladies, believe that being principled is not about abstinence, but being faithful to one partner. Young people are engaging in online sex and other unhealthy practices. There is a need to talk about the threats these people are facing”.
Now let’s talk to ourselves, I very much hate to admit that all around us, in our friends, folks and maybe in ourselves, we see the lethal effect of all of these on our psyche, as it becomes more apparent. Already we seem to be losing most of our talented young people in this generation to drugs, prostitution, violence, militancy, crime, immorality and mindless killings. If you name it, someone is living it right around you. Sometimes I feel for every one youth that is right, there are nine others that are so badly screwed you need help to envy them. They say young people are the future, how so true! Only if we are protected and insulated against the destructive vibrations that lurk in wait ahead of us. My fears is can we survive the macabre beats of this tragic orchestra? How can we cope with all these and how will these challenges affect us in the future?
Facebook and the various forms of technological expression has become a tool that is shaping our world and life. It is a medium to share our faith and our testimony. It is a medium to affect lives positively. The world has changed, so should our strategy for reaching out.
Check this out; Ted saw Vera profile picture flash across his wall, he immediately adds her…this went so fast now they are happily married, simply put “Marriage made from facebook.
PHEW! At the sound of the whistle we discovered our lives have gone online, all thanks technology. Facebook happens to be one of the latest buzz words on the internet alongside others such as; Google, Myspace, Youtube, blogs,Twitter, e-Bay, iPhones, podcasts, and whatever the latest buzzword is. But just what is Facebook?
Facebook is a site that is set to enhance social connectivity, where you can catch up on old friends, and meet new friends. It offers us a medium to express ourselves, access cultural trends, opinions and information, advocate for causes close to our hearts, while investing in networking with people from all walks of life. Just with a click to a link, with our own fingers on the mouse, we are exposed to wealth of information about more friends and celebrities or people we admire.People have different reason for being on Facebook,it could be good, bad or ugly” Like Vera and I, most young people have thriving and busy Facebook account large numbers of Facebook fans (less than a quarter percent we hardly know, personal blogs,) and huge twitters following. New lexicon is floating out, sure you must have heard of some terms used in describing people these days, woman are no longer from Venus, but Wikipedia, men are from twitters no longer from Mars, relative to number of words per sentence. With the internet taking us to places we have never been, made us friends, we may never meet in our life time, yet these friendships often transcends kinship. Yet in the midst of this socio-technological milieu, “There’s a worry”, said Tammy, 32, “I joined Facebook but got out after a while, there is so much poke nosing, you would lose your privacy for almost no benefit. I think is for idol people”
Ola, 17, shares a different opinion of this “I have met a girlfriend from facebook, when she discovered I stay in Lagos; we hooked up. I have met a lot of people I didn’t know on facebook”
Mrs. Bolaji 42, is a mother who also has a Facebook account “My son was always too engrossed in Facebook, so I had to open an account at some point. I remember the first time we got to chat, he told me about his poor grades at school, but we lived in the same house and I didn’t know this. I think excessive us means we are losing some of the ability to build interpersonal communication that’s necessary for living together and building a community. More so I think parents should try and be more adaptive with technology so they can follow-up strongly on their children. It is a good time as it will help our children to keep their friends longer than our own generation did.
Answering to whether she thinks there is a disadvantage, she said “I know many people express concern about this networking, but I think that there’s much that is positive about it than there is negative. Sure this Facebook stuff goes wrong when users can’t drawn the lines. I tell my son about moderation in all things as the bible urged us to do. lDr Sigman a biologist based in the US, published a paper in the journal Biologist entitled “Well connected? The biology of ‘social networking’ ”, in which — according to one precise — he “warns us of the dangers of sacrificing old-fashioned social contact for the current trend towards more online interaction”. The problem lies with those who spend too much time on Facebook with people they have never met. How can a few lines in print ever replace the intricacies of tone, body language and laughter of meeting someone face to face?” She wanders.
Maku is a youth teacher who shared her heart said “Now, the argument does not lean towards what we are achieving with technology or how it is changing our world, definitely it is, rather it is more about how technology is affecting our lives. This interconnected world of endless possibilities offers us a rich popular culture, with standards of what is right and wrong as varied as the strings of a harp. I think most of the problems our parents battled with have not reduced or changed any bit, rather the problems, like our cell phones are getting smarter. Pornography is no longer the magazine buried beneath the rumbles in the drawer, or under the traveling bag. It has outmoded the erotic romance novel, the DVD, or even the web page on the Internet. Far beyond that! Today, it is just a flip away, in our mobile phones, iPods, and other communication devices, and it is coming closer, perhaps it would soon be a programme permanently installed in brains, 24/7 assess. And as the perversion among this generation heightens, we are told we do not need to even watch others any more. With the video recording device in our phones, we can ignite our lusts by recording our escapades for our own private indulgence. If you doubt me, check the video of your friends...just that you might have to ask them for the password, it is coded. Here is how relative right and wrong is, unmarried young guys and ladies, believe that being principled is not about abstinence, but being faithful to one partner. Young people are engaging in online sex and other unhealthy practices. There is a need to talk about the threats these people are facing”.
Now let’s talk to ourselves, I very much hate to admit that all around us, in our friends, folks and maybe in ourselves, we see the lethal effect of all of these on our psyche, as it becomes more apparent. Already we seem to be losing most of our talented young people in this generation to drugs, prostitution, violence, militancy, crime, immorality and mindless killings. If you name it, someone is living it right around you. Sometimes I feel for every one youth that is right, there are nine others that are so badly screwed you need help to envy them. They say young people are the future, how so true! Only if we are protected and insulated against the destructive vibrations that lurk in wait ahead of us. My fears is can we survive the macabre beats of this tragic orchestra? How can we cope with all these and how will these challenges affect us in the future?
Facebook and the various forms of technological expression has become a tool that is shaping our world and life. It is a medium to share our faith and our testimony. It is a medium to affect lives positively. The world has changed, so should our strategy for reaching out.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
MAKING OUR MOMENT IN HISTORY …
Some years back, my friend (Mr. Fix Nigeria) and I was crossing the mile II express road in Lagos, when a tube came off a trailer and rolled to the middle of the expressway. The driver of the trailer perhaps, didn’t know what happened, just moved on. The on-coming vehicles did the James-Bond type of driving, and all made a good dodge of the tube, forming a V-shaped trail as the sped off. Those of us who were trying to cross the express, stood there for a while, trying hard to figure out how to navigate the new dynamics of the road. Suddenly, I found a space and attempted to pull the tube off the road. The rubber was still hot; it did hurt badly, so I pulled away my hands by reflex. The next man crossing saw what I was doing, then stopped and joined me, then another lady joined, then my friend, and together we lifted the tube away from the road. The on-coming vehicles that saw us stopped and waited for us.
This event was simple but startling. I couldn’t help thinking, “Perhaps everyone knew that the tube in the middle of the road was not supposed to be there, but they just needed someone to start before they join”.
Certainly, all over our nation there is that searching for that someone. Who is that someone in your class workplace, home, neighborhood? Could it possibly be you?
Lately, there seem to be a thousand and one change initiatives by young people. So numerous, I get invites every now and then, but really the kind of change we need is not the one of talking and green carpet event, (I guess green is to show patriotism), we have had enough of that jamboree. Trust me, all of such is like a fluff screen illusion, most people will run out of passion very soon because there was no purpose to their method. We need to have an enlightened self interest and not serve ourselves in the disguise of serving Nigeria what I term unfathomable egocentricity. We must depart from business as usual mentality or doing stuff because everybody else is doing stuff and seek the practical ways of getting ahead. I believe the change we seek as a nation lies in us the youth, this is our finest hour; this is our moment in history, we ought to make it a milestone for posterity. But how? You may ask. Read on!
History has shown that change and revolution is a high cost item. The hall of fame is replete with men and women who brought about change not as an adventure but as a quest. For those who birth change, there was no other option for them, but the realities of their dreams. Woodrow Wilson said “The lines of red are lines of blood, blood unselfishly shed by men who loved the liberty of their fellow men more than they loved their lives and their fortunes”. Nelson Mandela paid the price for the freedom that South Africans are enjoying today, what about you?
As a generation we have a role and responsibility to birth change, we must seek deeper understanding of our roles and responsibility beyond the razzmatazz. No doubt, our nation is broken, the breaking may not be our fault, but the duty to fix it lies on our shoulders as the youth. Sure, there is plenty of blame to go around, but blame no matter how justified is a luxury we cannot afford. We cannot afford to be in the back burner but to move to the fore. This is our time to bring about a creative demographical revolution that we await. It is a revolution by the young and from the young. It is what I believe. We are the beautiful ones long awaited; let us not abnegate our role to posterity. I believe I believe then and now that every problem has a solution, and that we are the solution to Nigerians dilemma. I believe we are born not just in this time but for such a time as this, to tie the loose ends of the past and put fresh roots on the ground. I believe it is high time we came away from the passive and talking attitude, and let us put our hands to the plow. It is time to set the gale of change in motion. I believe it is time to shift into a higher gear, climb into the driver’s seat and make things happen in our lives and nation. I believe for us to write our script, face and conquer our fears, and plunge ourselves into what needs to be done. I believe a new country is possible, when people can pay the price. If we fail to do this we are just dead on arrival.
It was Abraham Lincoln who said “I want it to be said of me by those who knew me best that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower should be” We must live by the creed if it is going to be it is up to me. This is the attitude that we must imbibe, if we must succeed. We must move from” why should I to how can I?” Like they say He is invited to do great things, he who does little things greatly. Start with the little you have from where you are. You do not need a podium or a microphone. Forget it! You do not need to be noticed or seen, just do it. You don’t need the intellect of Professor Wole Soyinka, or the congregation of Pastor Adeboye, all you need is a belief in yourself. This is how to make our moment in history a milestone for posterity.
Truly, I believe in what Nelson Mandela said “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others”. I believe in Martin Luther’s mantra “a life that has not found a course to die for is not worth living” I believe in Mahatma Gandhi’s maxim “Be the change you want to see”. I believe in Mother Theresa saying “Each one of them is Jesus in disguise”. I hope that at the end of our living, you and I will join this league of ordinary people with extraordinary heart.
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