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Showing posts from 2012

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS INDEPENDENCE DAY

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I thought of writing a piece on the "occasion of celebrating" (Phrase used as a cliche not necessarily meant) Nigeria's 52nd independence day, but was not convinced of writing anything, as I probably lost all the possible positives a day as this can be, other than being alive a gift we all freely received from God and not any government. I thought that, to scribble a few of my many thoughts today may not be a bad idea, hence the product of my thoughts are represented below; please read responsibly; Abraham, a prominent character in two of the most popular religion in the world, hoped against hope... I would love to know how Abraham would have kept hope in Nigeria, because at this rate all I see is Hopelessness! I would have loved to say happy independence...But I believe that isn't appropriate! (as many of our people are in reality not happy and they are insecure)! So, God Help Nigeria (*would be more like it). When I posted the above on my Facebook page, I soun

TYRANNY OF A NOTE... More than just N5000 naira note.

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As one not given to the intricacies of currency note other than the value and spending power that accompany them, not because am ignorant or lackadaisical about economic policies or because I am not more of an Economist as I am of an International Relations and Political Commentator, yet I am very worried about the denotation and connotation that can be justly deduced from the incessant and tyrannic disposition with which the Central Bank of Nigeria, spearheaded by it's Governor, is pursuing this "unpopular" course. Pardon my "ignorance" as I am a bit at lost at comprehending the justification of introducing/printing a higher denomination of a currency whose exchange rate/ purchasing power is declining. A currency that will cost a minimum of N40 billion to produce for the country that has an inflation rate of about 11.4% as at last check. Between is also the new gospel of a cashless policy which negates the need for a higher denomination. The question any la

REMEMBER 9/11... BEYOND TERRORISM

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Today, we remember thousands who lost their lives on the 11th day of September 2001 otherwise simply known as 9/11 terrorist attack . We remember many things, not just the twin tower crashing down from the two airplanes crashing into them, we unforgettably remember many things encapsulated in one single date ....9/11. Some will say, we remember 9/11 today with some comfort that justice has been relatively served while some will simply say justice in this case can't be aggregated but either ways, we still remember 9/11 and simply pause at the least and say a simple prayer R.I .P to the victims knowing it could be any of us. We remember Osama bin Laden, the twin towers, the airplanes, the wailing , crying of victims (audibly and immaginarily) and many more .... But today in a tiny little part of every sane & passionate Nigerian's heart, we remember 9/11 with an additional & slightly amplified perspective... We remember 9/11 with our own little twist, not only beacu

SHORT NOTES SERIES: Shepherd's Psalm

An actor and an Old preacher once read the 23rd Psalm to the same audience during an audition. The Actor read with perfect intonation, diction, voice modulation and without any linguistic flaw. The Old preacher read the 23rd Psalm with slight errors and with less linguistic proficiency but there was not any dry eye after he finished... A member of the audience with a teary eye said regarding the recitation by both men " the Actor knew the Psalm but the Minister knew the Shepherd" Do you just know the world most popular Psalm or the shepherd in the centre of the Psalm? Are you just another Actor or a prodigy of the old preacher? Do you know "about" the Shepherd or you know the shepherd-Is He really your shepherd? "The Lord is my own Shepherd..." Seth Ogungbe'

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST NIGHT…

As I sat down to have lunch, I had this statement on my imaginative thoughts. Settling down to meal and getting ready to take adevouring swipe at my well prepared plate of sumptuous meal, I had a brief pause only to be unexpectedlyinspired by an emphatic statement. This obviously isn't my favorite way of gettingliterary inspiration, nonetheless, I am confident about the significance of this one. As a matter of fact I probablydon't think I ever had an experience as this form of eureka before but in this case, it happened and it came in the frame of astatement which at that moment I directed at a colleague of mine sitting just a fewdistance away from me on the same dinning table. I couldn't hold it to my self,so after several suppression attempts I had to whisper to her from afar ' …Iknow what you did last night. After being increasingly frustrated that she couldn't readmy lips, I came out uncharacteristically audible, as I articulate these words ofthis statement

The Rollercoaster track

Life appears to all with different faces Sometimes with a smile or with a frown We go through it in different phases We yo-yo bounce up and down like a clown She embraces us all, irrespective of our races We call it ebony or black, sometimes White or brown   A few strive to attain- while others stir their gazes  Trying to make a meaning of life in a whole town We sometimes fall but we can't resign to despair  Irrespective of our challenges we try to climb high ‘Coz If we don't- down we glide without hope of repair With hope, faith and grace we look up to the Most high. With our clinched fist we fight Looking at issues we freight With lost courage we take flight With determination we get insight With passion we get out of sight In this life's darkness we look for light Travails eclipse out shred of sunlight We hang on to God to hear our plight Hoping that someday heaven will shine the light Written By: Seth Ogungbemi 

A TALE OF TWO TEAMS

Sometimes ago, like many of you, I strongly believed that some teams are "killing the art of football" and hence when team "park the bus" like we use the cliché, against team like Arsenal and Barcelona (teams that play with flair and slick passing), we call them anti-football but we forget that the game in itself is a game and like any other game the main aim is achieving success at the end borne out of out-wighting or counter planning or countering the opponent's plan. Tearing a leaf from the ART OF WAR- winning is about employing a strategy that best suits you to achieve your success being it winning or avoiding defeat. Knowing your own strength and weakness vis a vis that of your opponent and using either to your own advantage. So it's not a team's fault playing to win or avoid defeat as long as it falls within the rules and regulation that guides the game (in this case FIFA's status). Its pertinent to note that rules here does not encourage or

THEY TOO ARE HUMANS Part 1

They wake up to face uncertainty They struggle with fears and vanity They are not blessed with sanity They are treated with disparity But… they too are humans.

… AND THE CROWD PAUSED

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Crowd Cheering and chanting with turbulent rhythm Passions and Prowess displayed like an intricate logarithm End to end display- success and counter successes Glory and Trophy up for grabs so they cared less The crowd spurred them to rise and defile humanity They showed fierce, thirst, desire for the glory of invincibility Almost mid way into the quest in a twinkle it all went dead quiet The Crowd paused… Paused at a scenery they never could predict They paused with gruesome fear of a fellow human lying lifeless Paused to help but could do little as they gaze helplessly powerless Suddenly it was no longer about self gratification or conquest, Its now about humanity, hope, faith, supplication and request, The Crowd paused; they did, not because they were exhausted, They pause not because the were vanquished or exasperated, They paused because Humanity prevailed above quest for grandeur Like the Crowd we all need to sometimes pause and look

THE CHRONICLES OF A HEBREW CHILD

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Going through my literary repertoire I stumbled on something I wrote on some years back. It’s something I found very inspiring, informative and thought provoking enough to share with you with some little additions. Succinct and precise to teach young people and help with Parenting- its titled THE CHRONICLES OF A HEBREW CHILD: Decade of learning - Age 0 to 9 years (little wonder, at age 3 an Hebrew child in enrolled at the school with the Rabbi to learn the laws of Moses by heart) Decade of discovery- Age 10 to 19 years- We call it the teenage years, the Hebrew Child is expected to discover himself- David killed his own Goliath- Joseph sold to Egypt and discovered his own gifts and achieved his own dreams, Sheidrach Meshach and Abednego together with Daniel discovered themselves in Babylon. Decade of decision- Age 20 to 29 years - Most Hebrew Boys make decisions that either made or marred them at this period;  Absalom, Solomon for instance- one bad the other good. Decade of Reig

...THEN YOU WILL BE GOOD ENOUGH

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Growing up like other kids, we like you had different thoughts and many aims and ambitions. We had dreams of many things we would love to turn out to be. Even though we never know how we will get there but one thing we knew was that we want to be what we envisioned ourselves to be. Most times we tilted our ambitions or plan as the days went by and we grew up. But ultimately we wanted to be successful and flawless. We wanted to be as good as it gets and be good enough for all to see. In our minds we flew jets, traveled all over the world, walked on the moon, stood in front of millions to talk, sing or preach, we were signing autographs, became the huge successful singer or the irreplaceable actor, great and convincing  preacher, we owned more than we probably would need for ten generations. We smiled why fans cheered, took a bow when others screamed their lungs out. Camera lights flashing, paparazzi struggling to get a piece of us. Strive to be better and much more good enou

MAN UNKIND TO MANKIND

(The Sonnet) Oh Man! Like beautiful rose weaved with thorns Partly beast partly human; in between he is torn Two side of a coin spinning good and bad Rising and falling with mistakes like an indecisive lad Blowing hot and cold – warmth and hostility Kind heart a moment –another unwavering rigidity Oh man! Seems your kindness has falling off the cliff Taking human life he can not create, restore or give Oh man! How and when did you get to this? Wolf in human skin, goat among sheep he is Oh Man! Before the mirror you do not find yourself Like a favourite book mysteriously off the shelf Man now unkind to his fellow mankind without remorse Killings, blood spills, hate, pain are now what he shares with us! Written By: Seth Ogungbemi February 2012 ©sethorunzi All rights reserved by Seth Ogungbemi

IT’S ALMOST MIDNIGHT…

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It’s almost Midnight, a few more strike on the clock…several amplified tick-tack, tickling and freckling the very fiber connected to every muscle attached to the ossicle bones of our ears. It’s almost Midnight, that time that defines the fate of our Cinderellic odyssey with luck and fortunes running out, fear replaces fantasy. It’s almost Midnight… Our Cinderella must retreat to bed and wake up to reality. The grace and elated boom of the moments before are replaced with the solitary gaze and gloom. It’s almost Midnight, the very moments that defines our true existence and tests the resolve of our ingenious and artistic depth. The time that explains how much we had lived and how few or much we may have achieved and remind us how far we are to the mark as we are faced with a startled gaze of reality. It’s almost midnight that moment when all activities swiftly are paused and rewind to undo- freezed and we can only look forward to confronting our realism like a free flowi

WE REACT- WE OCCUPY

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Its not a crime to be poor...One day the poor will have nothing left to eat but the rich Facial muscles squeezed with elastic stretch Grinding teeth coupled with clinched fist Anger fueled by hungered stomach Eyes blaze with fire like horrid skit Sweaty Palms cranked to every arcs Ached Elbows in akimbo and its marks Roaring at every words that fuel our passion Recalling how we’ve been fooled without caution Spits occasionally spilling out Voice blasting with irrepressible shout Arms carrying placards and clubs Venting and cursing without curb Enough is enough as we’re hard-pressed to reach the limit No longer able to live with their economic indiscreet Realizing we actually own that we now starve for Now ready to fight not just for our present but future (Dedicated to everyone who stood up and still stand against corruption & bad leadership) Written By: Seth Ogungbemi ©sethorunzi All rights reserved by Seth Ogungbemi

MY WORDS WHILE I OCCUPY (My top 10 favourite Occupy Nigeria Tweets)

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'A wasteful Government can not suddenly become prudent' (All tweets are note edited) Voice of Caution: GEJ is tolling d part of destruction- every step he is taking is taking him away from d people but closer to destruction! The cabal, imperialist & corupt govt officials should note...THERE COMES A TIME WHEN THE POOR WILL HAVE NOTHING TO EAT BUT THE RICH #occupy I av an idea! Since d so called 'Cabal' is more powerful than this Govt, then I suggest we impeach d Govt & d Cabal takes over!#cabalmyfoot Listening to the great FELA's Basket Mouth-" this uprising will bring out the beast in us" I hope it brings out the best in us #occupy! Humility is not stupidity but its strength upon control_ T.D Jakes... GEJ giving in to d people's wish isn't weakness but strength in itself I am very worried at d rate at which d proponents of subsidy removal insult our Individual & corporate intelligence with fallacious figu