My friend "Love" is a year older today

I have no role models. In fact, talking about my role models is one of my least favorite interview questions because I have none, scratch that, I have one, Christ. Of course, there are qualities I admire in people and there are many people that I look up to for inspiration and mentorship but I do not do role models. However, my friend Love, comes as close as anyone can be to being a role model for me. He is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world! :D

I met my friend Love, through a mutual friend a few years back and I am grateful to God our paths crossed. He has become much more than a friend to me, he is a brother. You see, my friend Love is one of those people that do what they say despite the odds. He is a “dreaming realist.” He dreams big and sets out to achieve those dreams and he does achieve them. He said he was going to be published before age 2X and he did make that happen (and many more examples I won't bore you with) . If my friend Love tells me he will become the president of the United States, I will immediately buy in even though  he has never been to the United States but if Love says he will do something, I simply accept it to be possible because he will make it happen.

My friend Love is absolutely crazy and abnormal. His sense of adventure is unreal. He took a year of work just to explore his creative side. While off work, he auditioned for Desert Warriors and he took a trip across the Sahara by road. Who does that???

By reason of his education, my friend Love is an architect but he is much more than that now. He is a project manager, an entrepreneur, an author, a poet, an investor, a farmer, a musician, a student and at some point, he was a banker. Those are the only ones I know about, I’m sure there are others I am not aware of.

I recently took up writing again and one of those who inspired me to do so was my friend Love. I see him churn out writing after writing and I think to myself “how can one be so disciplined?” He says he isn’t but he recently celebrated his 400th Facebook note and his first note was two years ago. If that is what it means to be undisciplined, God please make me undisciplined.

Now do not get me wrong, my friend Love is not perfect. In fact, he will be the first to tell you of his foibles but then it is his birthday so I will only celebrate him today and I want you to celebrate my friend Love with me.

Here’s wishing my friend Love many more years of fulfilling dreams and impacting lives.

ForIfelanwaomolabinigbatiapadelatibarawasereamoasidupelowoOlodumarefunomooloriretiosifunwatiodesimadieniyanpatakiniayeyi, LOL (It’s a private joke, you should see my friend Love elongate my name)

Happy Birthday OIO

God be with you now and always.

Love,

Odunoluwa… 

#JustWondering… … … @!#&*”#*&^

“Cuss words”, “curse words”, “swear words”, “bad language”, “dirty language”, “four letter words”, “naughty words”, “profanity”, “expletives ”,“ obscenity ”,“ whammy” and several order words are what we use to describe what are generally known as “fillers”. Fillers do not mean anything but when used in a sentence, they portray an emotion be it anger, excitement, sadness, frustration, joy etc. More so, words only mean what society terms them to mean. For instance, growing up “gay” meant happy. I stand to be misinterpreted and probably crucified if I say “I feel gay” :D

Fillers are considered negative and are censored from written, audio and visual literature or media even in the most modernized societies. Decent people do not “swear” hence my dilemma. Decent people do not swear but they substitute with other words. These substitutes are termed “minced oaths”. A minced oath, also known as “pseudo profanity” is used to reduce the profanity of an original expression and is supposed to make the word more acceptable and less offensive to the audience. For instance, I can (and I will), use them in this writing without anyone raising eyebrows, however if I use the words in their original form, I will get a lot of “Odun has backslidden” “Odun has been Americanized” “Do you think Odun is still a Christian?” etc. Examples include “flipping” “shoot” “darn” “Jeez” “Oh mi gosh” “heck” “crap” etc. In fact sometimes regular words are used like “Forget.”

I am unapologetically a confirmed and proud “Gleek”, (Glee fan). I watched the episode where the cast performed “Forget You” featuring Gwyneth Paltrow, (enjoy the video below, one of my all-time Glee faves!) and as usual I immediately went on YouTube to compare with the original version. I discovered that there were two original versions by Cee-Lo Green, “F*!@ You” and the radio edit “Forget You”. Ever since then whenever I listen to “Forget You”, the original words, “F*!@ You” come to mind.  Also the same ways the original words come to mind when I use “shoot” “flipping” “crap” etc.

A friend of mine, when chatting usually writes “WTF (flip)”, yes he puts “flip” in parentheses, but I immediately think “f*!@” when he does that.

I don’t think there is any debate over whether it is what you say or what you mean that matters as a follower of Christ. Both matter, your heart, thoughts and intentions lend credence to your words. For instance I say “flip” but mean “f*!@”, “f*!@ matters not flip. But then, I am just expressing an emotion and do not mean any profanity neither word ought to be considered bad, no? It shouldn’t matter which of the variations I use. Personally, I do not use profanity but I do use pseudo-profanity. I know some are holy “like that” and use neither, well, kudos to you, we stained ones, do stuff like that. I guess that’s why we need redemption. :) 

Jesus said “A tree is identified by its fruit… You must give an account of every empty word you speak…” Matt 12: 33-37.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” Phil 4: 7-9.

“But really, are these words bad considering they simply express emotions?”

#JustWondering

No man is a fountain of knowledge, we learn every day. In my quest to learn and better myself, I am starting a series called #JustWondering. I am unable to predict how regular it will be but I assure you, you will see it every now and then, you see there is a lot I do not know and I really want to learn.

#JustWondering topics will range from the extremely mundane to the most crucial and important issues. Underlying all the issues though is my curiosity to know more and I invite you who indulge me by reading my writings to educate me with your facts, figures, logic, experience, opinion etc. I am hoping as you educate me, you will also learn a thing or two from others. Some topics, scratch that, most topics, are likely to be controversial and may foster debate, but debate is healthy, no? Topics will likely border on behavioral, political, ethical... basically, life issues, of course not leaving out current happenings and events.

If my writing has a #JustWondering tag, it implies I am to a large extent undecided about the issue and can be swayed one way or the other with valid reasoning.

Do not judge me by my #JustWondering, I am only bold enough to invite comments on issues you also question but would rather pretend don’t exist or “accept” and “pray” about. And if you think there is something I ought to be “#JustWondering” about, please let me know, if I am really “Just Wondering” about the issue, I will write about it, If I am not “JustWondering” but I consider it a topic that will foster healthy discussion, I will write on it. However, I may decide not to write on some, remember, it is my blog* and I can do as I please “it’s my party, I can cry if I want to, cry if I want to”  (That line is becoming a cliche in my writings, right? LOL)

#JustWondering will mostly end with the question begging to be answered starting with the words "But really...?"

I'm so looking forward to some moderating healthy (hopefully) discussions.

Watch this space!! “#Just wondering… … … @!#&*”#*&^” coming at you soon 

But really, is that why we are here? 

My nephew was kidnapped, He escaped. Now I’m throwing a party, Kindly RSVP!

"Socioeconomic protests on Social Websites… Crap men!!! Like a case of trying to reach your target via an inappropriate medium #Naija” @De….

Like a Red Bororo, I did some serious chewing of the cud as I regurgitated and ruminated on the quoted tweet since I came across it on my timeline a few days ago. Primarily because if the view expressed in the tweet was right, it would mean I had to some extent failed as I have until recently participated in and promoted activism via social networks.  It would mean I have deluded myself, believed in a useless cause and wasted a lot of time and energy. It made me look inwards as I had to do some serious self-evaluation and assessment of my motives and actions.

Several who know me associate me with #LightUpNigeria, and at some point, it was almost becoming a full-time job for me (#LightUpNigeria is a group of young Nigerians advocating for improved electricity power practices in Nigeria through various means including social networking). However, as a result of several factors, I became inactive. Along the line, my life got busy, complacency set in and I became an “active” observer on all things Nigerian. “Active” because I still believed in a better Nigeria and always gave voice to my belief whenever the opportunity arose, be it in a conversation, a chat session, tweet, Facebook status etc. However, all conscious and deliberate efforts at being a part of this better Nigeria I hope for had become a thing of the past.

As long as I was doing okay, my loved ones were doing great and “God was blessing and protecting” me all was well. After all, I was not personally affected by the goings-on and someday Nigeria would turn out right or maybe not. Little did I know what was lying at my door. January 5, 2011 is a date that will forever be entrenched in the annals of my family history. I spent most of that day crying, the kind of crying that causes hiccups and makes you gasp for breath and break down on the floor. My nephew, Similoluwa was kidnapped right in front of my parents’ house; he was missing from about 9am till about 11pm. Thanks to God Almighty who owns the whole earth and watches over all, Simi escaped from the kidnappers and now I can throw this party asking you to RSVP. That was my wake-up call! I was instantly jolted out of my complacency. It was like pouring both ice cubes and boiling water on me at the same time.

It started out with the Niger-Delta freedom fighters, next it was the Niger-Delta non-freedom fighters, then came the Ibos who in their business nature recognized kidnapping as a lucrative venture, however, such things never happened in Lagos. Lagosians are safe and far from such happenings, Sharon’s experience was a one-time thing, it was a family friend that was involved so it wasn’t exactly indiscriminate kidnapping per se. Now it has happened to Simi and no, there was no family friend or house-help involved, it was a random kidnap simply to demand ransom from his grandfather and guess what? Next it might be you, yes, YOU reading this article! I do not wish upon my enemies (not sure I have any) the kind of experience my family had to go through two days ago, but believe me kidnapping is waiting right at your doorstep ready to pounce on you, or it may be a bomb hidden in someplace you might find yourself next week or religious wars may gradually begin to expand beyond the shores of Jos and Benue. Such degenerate happenings are spreading at an uncontrollable rate and you or a your family member might be the next victim.

It is time we took our fate into our hands my dear friends, it is time to act and quit talking. Yesterday was the Delta state rerun elections, the #DeltaReRun cannot exactly be termed free and fair but it is an election that gives hope. When in the history of INEC has its chairman ever acknowledged that ballot boxes were snatched?  When have election observers been able to call a phone number provided by the police commission to report police harassment during elections and the situation was immediately addressed? When has it happened that the name and number of a police orderly who was seen carrying a ballot box been publicized around the social network sites and reported to authorities and the media? It is not a perfect picture but I am objective enough to recognize baby steps when I see it and hope for maturity.

We do not have a perfect INEC neither do we have a perfect electoral system but these few incidents inspire in me a belief that if Nigerians come out en masse, maybe, just maybe we could  actually protect our votes and vote in people we believe can bring a change to Nigeria.  If there were about fifty @bubusn, (Amara Nwakpa of #LightUpNigeria. He was in Delta state to observe the elections and gave live reports on twitter via the hash-tag #DeltaReRun), at each polling booth in Delta State, I am positive we would have fairer results than the results announced so far. For results collated so far and live feed on the Delta rerun, click on this.

Imagine the possibilities if during the general elections in April, we have huge numbers at each polling booth tweeting, recording, getting evidence and reporting the rigging. #Livefeedtohkwality! Maybe our dreams and hopes could become reality. I was chatting with a friend, who is a non-believer in Nigeria but is somehow in the choir since he knows what is right but chooses not to do it (it is so difficult to convert such cynics), and I told him, the probabilities are not in favor of having free and fair general elections but what if the probabilities just turn out in favour of that low possibility, as long as there is a "what if" and that slim chance exists even if it is as low as  0.0000001%, I choose to hope in that chance (Observe the British weather and you will know probabilities work out that way :D).

Not only am I asking that we come out to vote, I am asking that we preach the #RSVP* message via any means possible, tweet about it, make it your Facebook or Blackberry status. Did you know that as at November 7, 2010, there were about 1,755,840 Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 35 on Facebook? Check out "Some interesting Nigerian Facebook stats here. If a quarter of those Nigerians took it upon themselves to actively solicit 5 people who actively solicit another 5 people who actively solicit another 5 people who actively solicit another 5 people etc. to intelligently #RSVP, I’m no mathematician but I can imagine the far reaching extent that will go. Who knows, you could even be the Nigerian Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner’s character in Swing Vote) :D. Your vote might be the deciding factor!

Convert and motivate everyone you know over 18 to register come January 15-29. Convert your family members, your church, mosque, temple, shrine  or whatever folks, your friends, your fellow club hoppers, your party buddies, your colleagues, your siblings, your parents, the guy you buy credit from, the lady that you buy that Brazillian weave from. Educate them! Preach #RSVP and let’s OWN this election! I cannot tell if the upcoming general elections will be free and fair but I can with all confidence tell that it is a step towards a Nigeria that would conduct free and fair elections some day. 

Contrary to the tweet I quoted at the beginning I do not agree that socioeconomic protests on social networks is crap, in fact I have seen its effect and I know if channeled properly,  would go a long way and have great impact. However it does not stop there, it is NOT enough to tweet alone and do nothing. As my dear friend, Priest of the proles, Rantimus @Plumbtifex  tweeted, , “IT IS NOT 'COOL' 2 Vote, Twitter Generation, WAKE UP!!! IT is NOT COOL 2 EAT, ur LIFE Depends on it.” It is  no exaggeration, your life as a Nigerian depends on your vote! We must go beyond our comfort  zone , we must do something towards righting the wrongs around us. As MLK said, If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Whatever you, do make sure it is a step closer towards RSVP!!

Register. Get your name on that electoral register between January 15 and 29, you have no excuse. There is no work during that period (IMO, ridiculous but necessary notion :D, considering there's so much voter apathy and most Nigerians would find an excuse not to registe). To locate polling booths and registration centers close to you, click on this Google maps link and  if you have a Blackberry with the Google Maps app, search for "polling loc: " and see all the polling booths near your city

Select.  Rationally analyze all the contestants out there, be objective, Select who you think is best to steer this potentially great country of ours effectively.

Vote. Come April, get out there en masse and cast your votes. Make it fun, go in groups so you can gist, and tweet about your observations

Protect. After casting your vote, hang around the polling booth. I’ll advice you take some drinks and food with you because it is likely to be a long, hectic and tiring wait. Ensure everything is done properly. Wait till your votes are counted and announced at the booth. Report  and publicize any discrepancies.

OWN the 2011 elections, Nigerians!

Click here to visit the EnoughisEnough Nigeria  for more information and updates. EnoughisEnough Nigeria is a growing coalition of various youth based Nigerian advocacy groups promoting the RSVP message.

God bless Nigeria! God bless you!

It's 2011, so WHAT???

In case you were thinking that I made the title shocking to attract you to read my article, you are so wrong, I really do mean every word of the title, however read through to the end before you decide to stone me. I am not a kill-joy, neither am I a pessimist but I do believe little changed between 11.59pm Friday, December 31, 2010 and 12.00am Saturday January 1, 2011 except for probably where people found themselves at that time. For most Nigerians, it was probably in one church or the other while for the rest of the world; it was with family at some location admiring fireworks display or getting drunk at a club or a party. Irrespective of location, I wonder if after all the excitement, screams, reveling, dancing, drinking, eating and rejoicing because the calendar now read 1/1/2011, life took a dramatic turn? Did the world change for good? Did the universe make a pivotal spin and decide to perch at a new angle? Was there suddenly world peace? Did global warming (now called climate change) cease? Did corruption end in Nigeria? Did NEPA* decide to #lightupNigeria? Did PDP* decide not to rig at the 2011 elections? Did Odunoluwa lose weight? Did she win Miss Universe? I THINK NOT! My people will say “how has it affected the price of fish in the market?”

Truth and stark reality is nothing has changed. A new year just like a new second, or minute, or hour, or day, or week or month is simply a measurement of time and has no associated magic or charm that reverses or renews lives and situations. Because it is a new year, life is not going to get better, neither is it going to get worse. Because it is a new year, there won’t be a sudden zest for living that will transform an otherwise mundane or under accomplished life. Because it is a new year, no inner inspiration or outward impartation is going to come upon anybody to complete an otherwise unfinished project or begin a new one. Ever wondered why for the vast majority, New Year resolutions are thrown out of the window by the second week in January, okay, I’ll be generous and stretch it to February. You need not be a Socrates, an Aristotle or an Odunoluwa to figure out why that happens.

As you have probably figured out by now, I absolutely do not believe in making New Year resolutions. How can a well formed and developed thinking adult think that because it is 2011, (s)he is going to drop some bad habits or (s)he will develop new ones. Do you in your heart of hearts think because it is a Tuesday, you will stop a habit you indulged in the Monday before? COMMON!! Making any form of resolutions, be it new second or new minute should not be because the second or minute is new, it should be a determined and well-thought out decision having justified the reason(s) for making that resolution.

As I mentioned earlier, the year just like other time parameters such as seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks and months is simply a standard of measurement. It is for measuring blocks of time as miles or meters is for measuring distance. You are probably thinking I do not believe in celebrating the new year, on the contrary, I do think it should be celebrated if you are so inclined (me, I am so inclined, I appreciate every opportunity to count my blessings or give thanks), I celebrate it the same way I will celebrate my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other occasion. It’s simply a day which provides an opportunity to mark a milestone, a day to reflect, a day to bless someone, a day to show your love for another, a day to pray for someone, a day to party and for some it might actually be an opportunity to think and make decisions but nothing happens simply because it is a new year.

I know a few of my friends may consider my next assertion blasphemous but think about it before you crucify me, God is not going to do anything new in your life because it is a new year! I’m sorry but I am neither a fan, nor a believer of yearly slogans. Haba!* How dare you limit my God in time!  He is bigger than time, he is not bound by any standards, be it time, place or whatever!! He dwells in eternity!!! A miracle isn’t going to happen in 2011 because it is 2011, NO WAY, it is going to happen because my timeless God says it will happen and that just so happens to be in the year 2011 or in June, or on a Wednesday or at 10.47am. He is ALWAYS on time, so how can he be bound by years?

Do not get me wrong, my assertion isn’t that having expectations or making plans based on years is wrong, if not for the measurement of time, how else will I be able to organize my life or make plans or have friends, family and foe ask "Odun , when are you getting married"? But in my opinion, that is all there is to 2011, 2020 or any other year, day or month etc. The start of a new year is an opportunity to celebrate life and be thankful for circumstances. It is simply a measurement of life and milestones achieved.

I know not everyone agrees with me, in fact, I am certain I have offended some sensibilities, I have absolutely no apologies, as I said in my “Re-induction into blogging” piece which you can read at http://dunzysworld.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-re-introduction-into-blogging.html, “it’s my parry, I can cry if I want to, cry if I want to” ;)

Please visit again!

*NEPA – one of the first words uttered by many Nigerian children, an acronym meaning National Electric Power Authority, the former name of the electricity regulatory body in Nigeria. However, it is the name still used by many.

*PDP – Peoples’ Democratic Party, the ruling political party in Nigeria sometimes referred to as Peoples' Destruction Party and many other interpretations.

 *Haba – A Nigerian exclamation meaning all sorts depending on the context of usage.