HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Childhood was fun.My first major break,that saw me winning a prize, was at the annual Christmas party,way back in the good old days,at St. Thomas' Teachers College,Ibusa.All the kids residing in the staff quarters are hosted to a Christmas party every Christmas day.We were made to recite poems.The then Principal of the college,Rev.Fr. Jones,an Irish priest,playing the Santa Claus,will hand out toys and books to us,after every good poem,well recited.I can still recall vividly,how I stood before the huge Priest and other children,with sweat on my forehead and knees shaking, to recite what was then my most favorite 'poem': 'Sweet mother,I no go forget you...For the suffer wey you suffer for me yee! When I de hungry,My mother no go chop,When I de sick,my mother no go sleep...She no de tire eh,Sweet mother............'

Everyone reeled with laughter.I was unperturbed.My excitement knew no bounds when after I had recited my 'poem',Fr. Jones handed me a beautiful cartoon book of Walt Disney characters.Honestly, even though Prince Nico Mbarga's 'Sweet Mother', did the trick,It took me years later before I could really appreciate the meaning of the 'poem' I rendered. Today,as Mothers in the Catholic Church observe mothers day,I will gladly recite that good old poem again...A very wonderful Mother's day to all great moms all over the world.

PICTURES FROM VICTOR KAYODE'S WEDDING

Got very beautiful pictures from Kayode and Esther's wedding which took place in Port Harcourt last week.It was so colourful.Victor Kayode is the Eastern Regional Investigator for Telecommunication giant,MTN Nigeria.Happy married life to the couple.

IF ONLY WISHES WERE HORSES..

Easter Sunday was cool.Had great fun. I spent the better part of it visiting as many Naija blogsites as I could get to.The experience of this cyberic adventure was enriching.Pride simply overwhelmed me,as I savoured the effect of the Nigerian spirit in the various blog postings.If you want to have a good feel of your Nigerianness,do the Niaja blogging thing.Nigerian,be them at home or in the diaspora are deeply passionate about their country.Everone is wishing that things really gets moving. Just immagine if all the trillions upon trillions of Nairas fritted away,through corruption, since independence were judiciously utilized on infrastructural development,Education,Security,Health,Science and Technology and citizen's welfare? We sure would be in leagues with those countries in the West,Asia and the East where quality of life has value...

To all Nigerians on Blogsphere:Thank you for keeping the faith!May you have a very fulfilling week.

HAPPY EASTER

May the significance of the Easter season bring you so much blessings. Live love...keep peace...be true.

To Orikinla Osinachi (http://www.kissesandroses.blogspot.com/): Thanks for the comments.More thanks too for the correction. I had erroneously referred to him as 'she/her' in my last posting.

A GATHERING STORM

Orikinla Osinachi-www.kissesandroses.blogspot.com will surely be stirring the hornets nest within the Naija Bloggers community, with the contents in her recent post titled 'Many Nigerian Girls and Women Are Shameless Liars.'She accused Nigerian female bloggers of lying 'about many things to hide their insecurities and indignities.' Specific mention is made about a 'young Nigerian publisher of a glossy fashion magazine who shamelessly lied' in her blog about a Valentine's day romance that never happened and so on.Do we need all these mud splashings and dirty G-string washing in the Blogger's community? Or could this be another prologue to a new adaptation of the V-monologues stuff? We don't need this drama.

THE CROOK OF ARGUNGU

These are indeed not the best of times for Bello Ya'u,the winner of the recently concluded Argungu Fishing Festival Competition,in Kebbi,Northern Nigeria.The man,who some days ago won the star prize of a Honda Car,2 seat tickets to the next Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and 2 Million Naira cash for catching the prized 65.95 kg fish at the fishing competition,has turned out to be a fishy crook,a cheat,a fraudster and a disgrace.Officials of the festival alleged that the fish was already dead when it was caught.Ya'u and an accomplice known as Zazzagawa,had smuggled the dead fish into the river,a day before the competition.Both men had since been arrested and handed over to the police,with Ya'u stripped of the winner's title and all prizes withdrawn from him.What a sad and disgraceful end for a young man who wanted to win at all cost,by every crooked means.

THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST OF NIGERIAN DEMOCRACY

Benin City,the ancient capital of Edo state was frenzied up in wild jubilations after Justice Peter Umeadi,Chairman of the Edo State election petition tribunal, at the end of a six hour judgement ruled that Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomole,and not Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor,is the rightful Governor of the state.Justice Umeadi,ruled that Oshiomole,the flagbearer for the Action Congress (AC) Party in the April 14 2007 Gubernatorial elections,polled 166,557 votes against 129,057 for PDP's Prof. Osunbor.By this,Oshiomole 'satisfied the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the provision of sections 41 and 147(2) of the electoral Acts 2006.Adams had sought the annulment of Osunbor's mandate on the grounds that the election was grossly marred by fraud,voters intimidation,multiple voters registration,over voting and electoral violence.

Addressing supporters after the court's judgement,Oshiomole described it as a victory for the ordinary people of Edo state.' We said that we will defend the votes...together,we will start afresh to rebuild our state.It is bye bye to bad governance..'

However,Prof. Osunbor has said that he will head for the supreme court to challenge the verdict.If only this Prof would listen to the voice of his conscience telling him 'don't bother going to the Appeal court. Adams will still floor you yaakaataaa!!'.