ON IGBO "DEPORTATION".

Please permit me to add my own humble two cents to the ongoing debate. First and foremost some of us think the act of "deportation" of fellow citizens (regardless of their state of origins) within Nigerian stateis unconstitutional and it is a war against the poor and the have-nots. 


Having said that I think we also have to sympathize with Lagos state government, because at a time Lagos was fast becoming a dumping ground for all sorts of human wastes and social misfits (excuse my characterization, please!) from all other states in the country, owing largely to the inability of other member states to take adequate care of their people. The truth is, Urban planning and development requires a lot of tough measure and difficult decisions, and as such, the poor are always the first to go. Besides, Lagos has always sounded the warning for all to hear that she can no longer serves as human refuse dump (excuse my language!) for all other federating units. The governor through his body language has been telling everybody that he's driven by the vision of transforming Lagos to mega-cities like Singapore, Dubai etc. 

Many of us travel abroad, we like what we see there. We compare and contrast, and in the process (at times) rain some curses on our leaders back home for not doing the needful. But we fail to realize that to make an omelette, you have got to break some eggs. For development to happen, a lot of sacrifices will have to be made.

Now coming to the issue of "Igbo deportation". In my humble opinion (and I am not afraid to be labelled as being bias) some people, especially political opportunists, are blowing the unfortunate incidents out of proportion just to gain some cheap political mileage. First, the numbers of the "deported" destitute was inflated and the Anambra governor never told the world that there has been correspondence between its government and Lagos state government concerning the issue at hand. To me, that smacks of insincerity and dishonesty. Whipping up tribal sentiments and portraying the Igbos as the objects of victimization, when in actual fact the same exercise is being carried out by other states (and even Anambra state) in the country on a regular basis, is nothing but teary emotionalism!

And, seriously, what gall me most is what Orji Uzor Kalu said and what his ilks have been saying ever since the "deportation" issue has been sensationalized. And, I shouldn't be surprised though, because Kalu has been desperately searching for political relevance and recognition ever since he left office few years ago. The "deportation" issue has become an avenue for him to climb back to recognition. The question that should be asked Kalu and other Igbo social crusaders are: Where were they when the same Anambra State in Dec 2011 arrested and "deported" some 29 beggars to Eboinyi and Akwa Ibom states. Where were they when Abia State in 2011 sacked 3,000 workers on the pretext that they were non-indigene.

Again, I remember, there was no flaring of nostrils, no dilation of eyes, and no delirious talk when Lagos state government sent some indigenes of Oyo, Osun, Kwara and some northern states, packing. With due respect to some of my good Igbo friends (who are far-sighted and less emotional), I really don't understand why the Igbos view everything through ethnic prisms. I don't know why they always give everything that concerns their nation some tribal colourations. There have been a lot of insults here and there since the issue broke out. Some of them are even saying Lagos is a "no man's land" and that "apart from the income from the federal allocation, the second largest source of revenue for Lagos State comes from investments by Igbo". Well, it is really not my pay grade
to defend Lagos in that aspect, as eminent Yoruba Scholars who are expert enough on that matter are already doing so. And, the historical cold facts remain in the public domain for those who have value for history and research.

Lastly, for those who will continue to hurl insults at some of us on social media, the same advice I gave one of your brothers should suffice:
"Spreading hates and insulting people from other race, using uncouth verbiage and gutter language is not only uncharitable but also a descent into the cesspool of infamy.

Since you're a man of considerable intellect with bravura and strong moral fiber, why don't you channel your latent energy and aggression towards fighting against the barbarous butchery of Igbo race in the Northern Nigeria. For starters, you can establish an NGO to fight such a mindless brutality and those brutal bullies.

I think such barbarous cruelty, up there, deserves more attention than flaring nostrils and throwing needless punches at your gracious Landlords here.

By the way, I dont think this page is all about hates or ethnic jingoism. If it is, then I'm taking my leave"

THANK YOU.

ADEDAYO GABRIEL FATOKI

THE PRESIDENT and THE PUNDITS

To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.
--anon.
In _Photo-era magazine: The American Journal of Photography_, vol. 23 [1909]

Censure is the tax a man pays to the public for being eminent.
--Jonathan Swift (1667—1745)
Anglo-Irish poet and satirist.
_Thoughts on Various Subjects_ [October 1706]

All over the world, everybody knows that Presidential seats are hot seats, except perhaps the village idiots and the ditto-heads in our midst, who do not know their backsides from their elbows; who rush in where Angels fear to tread. 

Undoubtedly, the main reason why the seats are so blazing hot is the barrage of criticism (constructive or otherwise) that the occupiers get from the public, especially from the blowhard oppositions, civil rights organisations and many self-acclaimed political pundits. And, from what I can scoop from the public domain, this criticism most and generally arise from failed expectations and extinguished hope. 

For instance, in Nigeria, within weeks or months of a President's inaugurations, he is expected to perform miracles on the economy, wave a magic wand that would stop infant and childbirth mortality, crank out employments from his brainwaves, make the country an investors haven and holiday destination. If he fails to fulfill all these people-centered expectations within their time frames, the public, most notably, the pundits descend on him like vultures and begin to rip him apart.  

Well, do you blame the people at all? Everybody wants a President that would hit the ground running. Nobody wants a slowpoke (a go-slow) who uses almost forever studying a situation before coming to grips with it. Given the insensitivity of the past administrations to the grinding hunger, the degrading poverty and the horrific suffering of vast millions of (Nigerian) citizens who live daily on less than a dollar, one would expect a new President to be down to earth, wrap his brain around the matrix of issues bedeviling the nation and spring into action pronto!  


Frankly, it is kind of a head scratcher as to why a sitting President, in a democratic setting, would pick a bare-knuckle fight with political pundits. As far as I know, it would only draw more attention to their criticisms, elevate their status and the President, at the end of the day would come across as a thin skinned, run-of-the-mill autocrat. An image that's not too good for the party he represents and the country he presides over. After all, free speech and plurality of opinion form parts of the canons of a flourishing democracy. Moreover, if the President cannot stand the heat, let him sprint out of the kitchen! 

A friend of mine, apparently referring to a spiky relation of his, on his Facebook wall, said "This sort of flippant commentary gives a view to the problem of Nigeria, we don't analyze things, our collective thinking is on auto-pilot, it has become fashionable to abuse the President, so we must all indulge in it without thinking". He went further to say, "He is standing up to you all and saying he is his own man, that his style is different. Get used to it or relocate to Ghana". Still talking, he said "Anyway, it's not surprising since you people were eager to put us at the mercy of a despot and your idea of nation building was to create a police state". He ended his post by saying "There has hardly been any other leader that has been as articulate and inspiring, go and read his speeches if you are capable at all not making flippant commentaries while glossing over the kernel of what is being said".

Of course, my reactions to his post went thus: " Arigbs Baba, I don't know if you voted for him like I did o! But all we are saying is: GEJ, wake up and smell the coffee. Enough of empty rhetoric and sophistries. We have had leaders before him who were all sizzle and no steak; all mouth and no trousers! We don't want him to join their ignoble lists! And what are we asking for 'self'? Decisive action on these terrorists and at least 15 hours of electric power everyday.  I don't think these are too much to ask by people who queued in the sun; in the rain to vote him into Aso villa. Thanks".


I actually brought out my friend and I Facebook conversation to highlight the fact that criticism is part of democracy and it is even part of life. Just like the Quotation above rightly points out, "censure (criticism) is the tax a man pays for being eminent". Nobody would derisively mention my name or blame me at any local bar for the problems of Nigeria. Why? I am not Mr President! I don't even serve in his cabinet. The buck stops only on his table!! Truth is, since he's the de facto President, everybody blames him for the ills of the society (just like he would have cornered all the praises if things were going well). As a matter of fact, some men who could not get it up or enjoy a night of steamy passion with their wives (maybe due to power outage ) would still go ahead and blame the President for their bedroom woes!!! So, there goes the blame game again. But the President has no one to blame!

I think it would be delusional for anybody aspiring for the highest office in the land to think that everybody would like him and fall in love with his policies (no matter how benevolent or people's oriented they are) and take them hook, line and sinker. From the day he picks the form signalling his intention to run for the presidency, he should just know that he would be the cynosure of all eyes, the envy of everyone (especially the oppositions) and the very object of criticism and verbal attacks of both the scum and the pundits.

ADEDAYO GABRIEL FATOKI

GADDAFI: MY OPINION.

"Oh, Gaddafi! Mixed feelings! Misty eyes!!!!"

That was my immediate reaction, on my Facebook wall, to the news of Col. Muammar Gaddafi's capture
before I learnt some minutes later that he might have been killed. Of course, not too long, he was confirmed dead.


Trust the global news media, especially the Western lots which have visceral revulsion for the man they have variously described as a dictator, a narcissistic totalitarian and a megalomaniac! As expected, they all went into a frenzy of some sort, treating us to the disturbing video of Muammar Gaddafi's bloodied, mangled body being dragged on the street of Sirte, his home town, and a scene of frenetic jubilation of NTC (National transition Council) soldiers and excited Libyans who were happy about their new found freedom.

Since I know that human memory could be treacherous even verging on mutiny a lot of times, I write this piece to jog the memories of all my friends ( who have been at the mercy of Western media, which daily force-feed them with falsehood, half-truths and propaganda) about the positive side of Col Muammar Gaddafi  who has been portrayed as a heavy-handed eccentric leader. For the good of the world, I think a bigger slice of humanity should know that Gaddafi was just not all about brutality and draconian rule and Libya under him was not a living hell and high water as the West and its prudish media frantically want us to believe. Let me state upfront, that I detest human right abuses in whatever form or shape and I condemn in strong terms, barbaric and extra judicial killings of fellow citizens (under any guise) of which Gaddafi was accused and summarily executed. And then, for good measure, I hate it when somebody under the guise of being a leader seeks to control every neuron in their people's heads and every aspect of their lives. That said, let me go straight to other side of Gaddafi that are not making headlines at the moment and that might never make any headline in any tabloid in the future given the deep-seated hatred the West and its allies have for Gaddafi (he didn't open up his country for another rounds of colonisation!!). Just a Google of "the positive side of Gaddafi" and you would be thunderstruck to discover that:



      1. There is no electricity bill in Libya; electricity is free for all 
        its  citizens.

      2. There is no interest on loans, banks in Libya are state-owned 
           and loans are given
           to all its citizens at 0% interest by law.

      3. Home considered a human right in Libya – Gaddafi vowed   
        that his parents would not get a house until everyone in Libya
         had a home. Gaddafi’s father has died while him, his wife and
          his mother are still living in a tent.

      4. All newlyweds in Libya receive $60,000 Dinar (US$ 50,000 ) 
           by the government to buy their first apartment so to help 
           start  up the family.

       5. Education and medical treatments are free in Libya. Before  
          Gaddafi only 25% of Libyans are literate. Today the figure is 
           83%.

       6. Should Libyans want to take up farming career, they would 
          receive farming land, a farming house, equipments, seeds and           Livestock to kick- start their farms – all for free.

        7.  If Libyans cannot find the education or medical facilities 
            they need in Libya, the government funds them to go abroad 
            for it – onnot only free but they get US $2, 300/month   
              accommodation and car allowance.

        8. In Libyan, if a Libyan buys a car, the government subsidized
            50% of the price.

        9. The price of petrol in Libya is $0. 14 per liter.

       10. Libya has no external debt and its reserves amount to $150 
             billion – now frozen globally.

       11. If a Libyan is unable to get employment after graduation the
             state would pay the average salary of the profession as if he 
             or she is employed until employment is found.

     12. A portion of Libyan oil sale is, credited directly to the bank 
            accounts of all Libyan citizens.

      13. A mother who gave birth to a child receive US $5 ,000

      14. 40 loaves of bread in Libya costs $ 0.15

      15. 25% of Libyans have a university degree

     16. Gaddafi carried out the world’s largest irrigation project, 
           known as the Great Man-Made River project, to make water 
            readily available throughout the desert country.

Furthermore, Gaddafi contributed greatly to the liberation movements in Sub-Saharan Africa when the West would not be bothered. If according to Mo Ibrahim "governance is a basket of political goods that governments are responsible for delivering to their citizens", why do we vilify and try to make a villain out of Gaddafi who had delivered political goods to his citizens, why do we sprint to conclusion when we know little or nothing about him, except what we are being daily fed with by the Media?

But what I still find hardest to understand is why subjecting the man (Gaddafi) and his son to jungle justice after they were captured live in the joint operation of NATO and NTC  forces. According to a respected  Lagos lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, "they should have been handed over to the special prosecutor of the International Criminal Court who had declared them wanted for crimes against humanity. By killing them in a barbaric extra-judicial manner the NATO and NTC violated the Geneva constitution and other relevant human rights instruments in the treatment of war prisoners". Falana went on to say "The shameful endorsement of the brutal killing of Gaddafi by heads of Western government is capable of promoting reckless assassination of political opponents".  

No doubt, Gaddafi ruffled a lot of feathers while he was alive and held the reign of power: he called for Jihad (or arm struggle) against Switzerland; he blamed J.F.K assassination on Israel, he once asked Nigeria to divide along religious lines and many more. But, despite his bare-knuckle confrontation with his perceived enemies ( most times the West), his rough-and-tumble style of government, his oddball notions and banal assertions on global issues, Gaddafi, still remain one of the best leaders Africa has ever produced in its checkered history. Therefore, any attempt, by the Western Media to railroad or bait us into a rash verbal attack of Gaddafi and his 42 years rule should be resisted by all, for the man was not as evil as they have maliciously painted him. 

ADEDAYO GABRIEL FATOKI

ADIEU, MR STEVE JOBS

Wao!!! I can never forget Thursday October 6, 2011 just in a hurry. That was the day almost all Facebookers and subscribers to other social networks momentarily suspended their stock comments and jaundiced viewpoints on mundane and serious issues that have continually hugged the global headlines, to pay tribute to one of American foremost inventor, computer engineer and industrialist. It was a day all vertebrate mammals with the faculty to reason and ability to use personal computers, iPads and iPhones and the like became so effusive in their praise of one man who gave a new meaning to computing in his relatively short but fulfilling life.

Almost all the television channels I switched to, that day were awashed with the news of Steve Jobs' death, the story of his struggle with cancer of the pancreas which later claimed his life, his humble beginning and his sterling innovations which make life more meaningful and less harrowing. In fact it was as if the whole world stood stock-still to pay tribute to the man who, in the words of President Barrack Obama, put "internet in our pockets" and "made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun". Obama would end his tribute to Steve Jobs' life and legacy by saying, "The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented". How true!!!

Steve with Bill Gates

A friend on Facebook, in his grief laden tribute said "Strange! I'm fighting back tears for someone I never met. I don't even use ANY apple products! Boy, this is sad. #Steve Jobs". His statement resonated with me and I'm sure it did with many other Facebookers who had never met Steve, yet loved him to the point of showering on him flowery compliments that were almost verging on hero-worship. But what really caught my attentions and prodded me into writing this piece was his numerous searing and inspirational quotes that were flying around in the media immediately after his demise. While some of these quotes depicted a Steve Jobs that knew the sands are running out and he needed to push out many innovations within a fairly short time frame, many others portrayed him as a Life coach on the touchline, shouting out instructions and inciting the next generation on how to think out of the box, how to be quick on the uptake, how to persevere in the face of difficulties and how to put the best foot forward and seize the day.

Steve at Stanford University, 2005

One particular quote of his that got me thinking and reminded me that time marches on and I'm still lagging behind the original Me, was the one taken from his commencement address at Stanford in 2005:  

" Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary "

Honestly speaking, I see the quote as a clarion call to challenge the status quo and crush out stereotypes wherever they exist with the creative jackboots of a genius! It becomes absolutely clear from the address that, to amount to greatness in life you have got to be ready to step out of line and break the traditional mould that want to stunt your growth and impede your march towards your goal.


Another quote of Steve with subsisting life lessons, which as a matter of importance should be etched in the memory of creative weirdos (all over the world) because of its flaming radical bent, is the one from the Apple - Think Different campaign of 1997:

Steve and his wife, Laurene

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

As if he knew he was on the home stretch, Steve was forever harping on the need for young people to follow their hearts, find the niches that increase their demands, swim against the tide, shun the line of least resistance and beard the Lion in his own den, after all, there is nothing to lose:   

“Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

 Indeed, there is nothing to lose except your fear!!! Thank you Steve for making computing an idyllic experience and more importantly, thank you for all your inspirational quotes which have made a huge impression on me.  Adieu, Mr Steve Jobs.

ADEDAYO GABRIEL FATOKI 

WOMEN AND THEIR MULTITASKING CHARM!

 Apart from Terrorism, a supercharged word, that beat it to a second position, Multitasking is the new word (in my own view and by my own reckoning) on the lips of young and upwardly mobile corporate individuals. Anywhere you go in the corporate world and marketplaces, it is Multitasking! - a new word that has relegated division of labour to the background and has given juggling of different tasks at the same time, a pride of place. You hear it in the board room when Directors and Management are planning about how to optimize efficiency using the cutting-edge technological approach. The same word finds its way stealthily into the bedroom when couples are marshaling plans for increased growth and production (whatever that means!!). It is Multitasking all the way!

I tried to look for the actual meaning of the 'vexed' word (Multitasking) and I discovered that, etymologically it originated in the computer engineering industry. It was used to refer to the ability of a microprocessor to apparently process several tasks simultaneously. But the computer word has been embraced not only by the tech savvy business world who sees it as "the art of being able to switch back and forth from one job or task to another repeatedly " (Dr Samjay Gupta) but also by the indigenous housewives who simply see it as "the ability to do several things at the same time".

Employers of labour wield this newfangled corporate vocabulary (Multitasking) to poisonous effect with the way they, for instance, task their staffs (mostly females) to function as secretaries, receptionists, personal assistants to the M.D and marketers of company's products (when they are off duty). Also, applicants these days are expected to include the word Multitasking in the "skills and abilities" section of their resumes, failing which, their days in the labour market would be without end.

Numerous researches and studies have shown the dangers of Multitasking . But it is beyond my pay grade and my brain power to begin to pontificate about its fatal danger to the brain and the toll it might be taking on the economy. I really must admit I am not expert enough to discuss all of those. Besides they are not the subjects of this article.

However, what really caught my attention is the way and manner the womenfolk have elevated Multitasking to an art form. Don't be surprised that the lady you are chatting with on Facebook or Yahoo Messenger or Skype is also breastfeeding, sending out an email, chopping vegetables (without cutting her fingers), and watching "Desperate Housewife"- all at the same time. Gosh! It is amazing how they do all of those, with just two hands, without losing concentration! Frankly, I reserve a special place of adulation for all ladies who would have to juggle a frenetic workday with an equally chaotic home life and having not a hair out of place, at the end of the day! For me it is a feat! 

And, if you are a man out there, you think this is no big deal, I challenge you to try talking on the phone, send your buddy a fax, change your baby wet diaper, get your toddler girl some snack and monitor what your school-aged boys are watching on television - all at the same time - and see what I am talking about.

Of course, just like everything else, science has some explanations for this phenomenon. It says women are capable of using both hemispheres of the brains at the same time, while men can only use one. It goes further to say, the back part of the Corpus Callosum is larger in women, hence there is better communication between the  two hemispheres in their brains. So, that explains why women are able to focus on a number of different things at one time and men are only able to concentrate for longer periods of time on one task (and do it better than women)? Well, that is one thorny question I really would like the womenfolk to brace up and answer. 

Nevertheless, in my own subjective view, the explanation provided by science lends credence to the reason why men always see the big picture (Vision) while the womenfolks are only concerned with the basic details. Hmm, I know that viewpoint won't wash with a lot of the 21st century modern ladies out there. But before they go beady-eyed and wrinkle their made-up faces; before they clench their beautifully manicured fists and charge at me like a feral cat, they should  just pick up any science textbooks - Physics, Mathematics, chemistry, etc - or medical textbooks, and they would discover to their chagrin that most theorems, principles and discoveries are overwhelmingly named after men!

Does that now mean guys are better than gals? Hell no!!! As a matter of fact without women and their multitasking magic, men are nothing but mere basket-cases; a large mass of disaster going somewhere to happen!!! Just like an architect cannot say he has no need of builders (men are architects, women are builders), no man in his correct state of mind would scorn at a woman or despised her nimble and multitasking fingers, which keep the earth in its orbit! 
Women are just wonderful!!!

ADEDAYO GABRIEL FATOKI

IMAGINE THE FUTURE

Shh ....silent Nigerians! Close your eyes and rip the lid off  your cobwebbed creative faculty! Yes, let your imagination off its leash. Let it soar, soar like an Eagle in the sky. No! This is not a flight of fancy. And of course you are not spinning fantasies here!

Just imagine. Imagine a new Nigeria!

Refuse to dig up the past or rake over the ashes. Resist the temptation to dredge up unhappy memories or revisit old feelings. Don't think about the senseless orgy of violence that has taken up residence in the North or ponder over the ignoble business of kidnapping still going on in the South. Just close your eyes. Close your eyes and shut the door of your mind against the negative mainstream view of your country. Close your eyes and block your ears to the empty rhetoric and sophistries of your present-day leaders, whose emergence is a product of crude manipulations and systemic dysfunction; who are another failed expectations and extinguished hope.

Just close your eyes and imagine. Imagine a new Nigeria!

Imagine Nigeria blazing new trails and charting new frontiers in every sphere of human endeavor. Imagine a Nigeria where the outlaws and the moral Lilliputians will not dominate our political landscape. Imagine a Nigeria where our schools are hatcheries for Visionary and benevolent servant leaders and not hot-beds for the most hideous of crimes and the most horrendous transgressions.

Imagine! Imagine a country where Nigerians will sleep with their two eyes closed without having nervous pangs (or panic attack); a country where the Police is indeed your friend and not ally to godless money-hungry criminals. Imagine a country where the mass of the people are the centre-piece and focal point of Government's policies and spending; a country where corruption is no more the societal ethos and norm; where honesty and integrity become the pervasive culture.

Imagine a made in Nigeria cars in the U.S, in the gulf region and many parts of Europe. Imagine your country, Nigeria, in the G7!!!!

Imagine. Imagine a Nigeria where inaction and blame game would no longer hold sway; a country where her citizens would not bow to mere tokenism and blandishment of government officials; a country where we would no longer resign ourselves to fate in mute indifference and cold complacency. Imagine a Nigeria where everybody makes it a point of honour to grab the wheel and drive the change! 

Imagine. Just imagine a new NIGERIA!

ADEDAYO GABRIEL FATOKI

...JUST THE WAY YOU ARE

"...don't go trying some new fashion; don't change the

colour of your hair; I could not love you any better; I love you just the way you are... "

These are some of the words of the music belting out from the sound system of a cab I boarded while going somewhere important, a day after the 10th year anniversary of 9/11. Not sure who the artiste with such a lush baritone was, I asked my Filipino driver, who said something in smattering English which I could not make head or tail of. But I was enjoying this music. It was freewheeling down my soul. I really relished the lyrics, especially the part that said "I love you just the way you are". Boy! It was as if the music should not end. The music drown my worries and muffled a babel of jarring voices of doubt. However, not quite long, the music came to an end but not in my mind, and the announcer told us the artiste behind the baritone which has held me spell-bound. Barry White!

Of course, I should have known this guy! Any genuine lover of good music should have known this iconic artiste. But, before you go calling me a fuddy-duddy, let me state here that I grew up  as a Christian in an era when the so called Scripture Union (S.U) Christians also known as Born Again Christians used to literally retch at secular music. There was this pervasive belief  then, that secular music came from Satan's 'inner sanctum' of vulgarity and you were in danger of hell if you continued listening to such "unholy" music. So, as a young believer who was still wet between the ears I became so ill-disposed to secular musicians and their music to the point of avoiding them like plaque even when some of these music were not so replete with sexual innuendos and violence as we were made to believe. Thankfully, that mindset helped in a way. Yes, it prevented me from swift descent into the abyss of social vices and guided me through the difficult maze of youthful exuberance. And if truth be told, some of the beliefs acquired at that particular period of my history have formed the bedrock upon which my core values and belief systems are built today.
 

However, now that I am of a free spirit, I have an axe to grind with a provincial thought that says secular songs should not be listened to by (Born Again) Christians or anybody at that. I venture to say that some of these so called secular songs are not only inspirational but also do touch a chord , just like the song (by Barry White) in question had done to me, that beautiful morning.

The wordings of the song kept coming to me even, long after I have alighted from the cab and forgotten about the driver. The song  reminded me of God's love towards me and the fact that He loves me just the way I am. The lyrics of the song, especially the part that says "just the way you are" made God's love towards me so real, so practical and not just another airy-fairy philosophy of a confused theologian. No doubt, Barry White is serenading a belle in that song, but as far as I am concerned, it is God telling me "don't go trying some new fashion; don't change the colour  of  your hair; I could not love you any better; I love you just the way you are".

As a matter of fact, it takes a deeply reflective mind to really appreciate God for His unconditional love and undeserved daily mercies. I do choke back tears when I remember that despite my failings, faults and foibles, He never send me to the pillory or gas chambers like some sexless African gods would have done. In spite of  what I did last summer and this summer and my hole-and-corner activities, He never ask me to do time in the purgatory. He just loves me warts and all!

I do not have to tint my Afro-textured  hair or grow some Arab-style side whiskers to be accepted of Him. I do not have to slather some expensive Paris-made bleaching cream on my body or alter my facial symmetry to impress Him. I do not have to fake an upper crust English accent or go learning one foreign language to have an audience with Him. He just loves me the way I am .

He loves me, with all my morning breath and other breaches of hygiene. He loves me, just the way I am.

ADEDAYO GABRIEL FATOKI