When hypocrisy and doublespeak define a nation, by Ikechukwu Amaechi
On this day, October 1, 66 years ago, Nigeria gained flag independence from Britain. Within these years, the country reached another milestone – 27 years of unbroken civilian rule, which many confuse as democracy. Ours is not yet a democracy. It may well be with time, but democracy and civilian rule are poles apart. In […]
One down, two to go
There was this story among the popular folklore in the South Western part of the country. It was a story of the tortoise and his In-law. For some strange reasons, many of the stories in the ancient folk-lore were woven around the tortoise. Some depicted him as very clever, some had him as very stupid; he was dubious in some and very greedy in some others. But they all invariably taught lessons about character and life. This particular story depicted him as a thief who was caught red-handed by his In-law. As the story went, the In-law tied him to a tree very early in the morning and started caning him. The villagers saw the spectacle on their way to the farm and wondered why his In-law was publicly humiliating him.
Before we crucify Akinrinade
This soldier is different even if in the Army you are paid to kill or get killed. Lt. General Julius Alani Ipoola Akinrinade deserves recognition as an officer who tried as much as possible to keep to the rules of engagement during the Civil War.
“No perfect family”
There is no perfect family. We do not have perfect parents, we do not marry perfect people nor have perfect children. We have issues with one another. We disappoint one another. So there is no healthy marriage or healthy family without the exercise of forgiveness. Forgiveness is vital to our emotional health and spiritual survival. Without forgiveness the family becomes an arena of conflict and a stronghold of hurt. Without forgiveness, the family becomes ill. Forgiveness is the asepsis of the soul, the cleansing of the mind and the liberation of the heart. Hurt is poison that intoxicates and kills. Keeping heartache in the heart is a self-destructive gesture. It is autophagy. Those who do not forgive are physically, emotionally and spiritually ill – Pope Francis I
Who will save us from the African Big Man?
To look to the family for values to help us disable the big man, revamp our systems and build strong institutions, we must repair the broken hedge
The sphinx of violence
I have read about fears by some Africans that Trump might have revealed secrets to the Russians and I am amused; if he did, what business of ours is that?
