SHAMEFUL. That is the word I have for it. Hours after Donald Trump, the ebullient presidential candidate of the Republican Party defeated Hillary Clinton his Democratic Party counterpart, her supporters flooded the streets and blocked major highways in some American cities saying they do not want Trump as their president.

In an article published on 29/12/05, titled ‘Compassionate Debt Relief or Paris Club 419?’, this writer observed as follows: “Despite the effusive enthusiasm of this Administration, some Nigerians refuse to celebrate the conditions for the recent ‘debt relief’ in which Nigeria will see $18bn of its total debt of over $30bn cancelled on condition that it pays the remaining $12.4bn between now and March 2006.”

When the currenyear ends on December 31, 2016, several previously sterling reputations would have been diminished because they were deaf to advice which did not emanate from official circles. Despite all the nonsense about having all hands on deck, they preferred to err their own way instead of being corrected by others. In order of protocol, the reputations steadily declining are those of President Buhari, Vice President Osinbajo, SAN, the Minister of Budget and Planning, the Minister of Finance and Mrs Uwais, wife of the former Chief Justice of the Federation who is the Director of the N500 billion Social Welfare Programme, SWP.

In no other department has the Christian church gone as completely astray as on the issue of tithes and offerings. Week in week out, Christian congregations are exhorted, harassed, cajoled, blackmailed, threatened and bewitched into giving more and more tithes and offerings.

There are times such as this, that all you can do is: take a deep breath and shake off the news and carry on. Such is life. Life throws curveballs, it is just the way things are and we should know that life is about taking the rough with the smooth. It is only when such events occur that there is growth.