The Curious Case Of Patience Jonathan

For some, it is a search for Nigeria's first lady, for some others it is a wait for the Dame, and for a strong few, it is time to play games. It's been more than a forthnight that Nigeria's first lady, Patience Jonathan went at large. The power brokers at Aso Rock will have us believe that she went on a sabbatical, a rest as they coined it. However, the news has finally gone viral and it is now common news that the Dame is in far away Germany, where she is receiving treatment for an undisclosed medical ailment. There is something pathetic and fundamentally inimical about the way that the media handlers at the Villá ply their trade. They told us she went to rest. Is there not a better dignified way of decieving 166 million people? And we heard that the president was infuriated that news of his wife's ill health became public knowldge. Perhaps, he needs reminding that this was the conundrum that became the achilles heels of his predecessor's handlers, and attempting to bottle a top secret in this age is like trying to guide the flow of the river. Patience Jonathan is a figure that polarises opinion. Many jesters have made her spoken english a tool for their trade, while her emergence as a Permanent Secetary in Bayelsa state has fuelled the ink of many penpushers, and has given more than a few public analyst a topic of debate to tussle their tongues over. However, Patience Jonathan must be one of the most ridiculed first lady on our planet. It is a harsh truth that if you google her name, the related post you will see are Patience Jonathan bad grammar, english and speeech. Unforunanetly, this is what the average Nigerian has come to identify her with. Yet, at times like this, there is no pride in taking solace in the ills of another man. But, we live in a society where the misfortune of a member of the nouveau riché glitters a certain joy to the downtrodden. What exactly is wrong with the Dame? Some say it's fibriods, some say it's worse, while some others insist that it's food poison. We night never know for sure which version of the story is closer to the truth. However, the best we could give her at times like this are our best wishes and sincere prayers.

Remaking The Nigerian Premier League: Issues and Analysis

It has become a national creed that the Nigerian Premier League is still years behind it's contemporaries, and it's development over the past ten years have not only been at a snail's pace, but have often been stunted. Certainly, it is a pathetic reality that our youths are still very intoxicated with European leagues. So much so that an average Nigerian youth can reel out the names of both the first and second team list of Arsenal football club but, ask that same youth to mention just one name from the NPL, and he will keep looking at you in perplextion. Just before one starts throwing stones on the youths for being unpatriotic, the question of what makes the NPL so disdainfully followed within and outside the country must first be answered. I dare say with every ounce of conviction in me that the problem is not entirely that of the media. Our league gets fair coverage from Supersport and one must commend journalists such as Emeka Nwani and Colin Udoh for astutely reporting the league despite of the odds engaged in sourcing and venturing into such reportage. Be that as it may, it will not harm if many more journalist makes the NPL their hub of reporting. However, it has been said, and not without reason, thatthe true bane of the Nigerian league lies with the administrators and stakeholders. It is an axiom in the co-operate world that a good product naturally sells itself. It is not lack of sponsors that have kept the NPL in the doldrums, rather, it is the primordial attitude and unguarded interest of the powers that be at the glasshouse that has continued to be our albatross. Until we start having true technocrats at the helm of our footballing affairs, we might keep nagging over this issue. Club owners should be held accountable for some erratic decisions that they make in their clubside. Success in the NPL will surely translate into success for the national teams at all levels. But, are we resolved enough to bring about the watershed?

The God That Saves...

'God Saves'. You must have probably seen it in a sticker on the wheelscreen of a car before, or on the door of one of those your christain folks. There is a popular cliché that asserts that 'Life is a university of hard knocks'. The saying goes to show that the journey of life is a topsy-turvy one that does not often go the way we plan. It is a truism that so many people have given up on their lives, their pursuits, and their dreams. For some, nothing good can come out of their lives anymore. However, the good news is that there is God, whose speciality is turning seemingly impossible and improbable situations around. In a world that is often tempting us to join the bandwagon of it's basterdized system, there is the need to cling to the saving power of God. He might not show up in your time, but he will surely show up in due time. That is why it is not mere balderdash to say that there is no failure with God. If he says it, that settles it. We have to learn to believe God for whom he is. Fear is often the menace that hovers around us like a cloud. It makes us doubt the potency of God to see us through, but each time fear springs up, the panacea to fighting it is faith. God is still in the business of salvaging destines, putting smiles in the faces of the depressed and changing the fortunes of many. But, you have to against hope, put your hope on him. No man is irredemable for God's use. If Paul,an ex-killer could be saved, if David, with his randy nature could be in God's plan, if Jeremeieh, with all his inadequecies could be used, if Peter, with his igniting temper could be considered, who says your case is beyond repair? You must believe that your life is not finished, and that your best days are ahead of you. God saves!