OF ESE WALTER, PASTOR FATOYINBO & OUR SENTIMENTALITY

                      

Scandals in the church is now almost an everyday thing. The media gets hold of the stories and is supposed to bring it to the knowledge of the populace but it is not uncommon for some of these stories to be twisted or blown out of proportion not until proper evidence is shown or brought forth. These scandals in the church had taken different forms from child abuse on the part of Catholic priests, staged miracles in some pentecostal churches, the use of diabolical means to carry out 'God's work' and also supposed Men of God sleeping with members of the church.

The most recent of these scandals is the revelation/accusation/publicity stunt as many have called it by Ese Walters about her abuse/sexcapade/relationship (whichever you choose to believe) with Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo of Common Wealth Of Zion Assembly (COZA) Abuja Chapter. You can read the story HERE. I still maintain that this issue shouldn't be judged sentimentally. It could be true or fabricated, we wouldn't know. One thing we shouldn't treat with a wave of hand is that a lot of things go on in some churches which some of the members know of but won't talk or speak about because they have been caged by 'Touch not God's anointed' even when some of the people involved are 'devil's anointed' and also because some of these Pastors/Priests/Men of God are revered and treated as gods. From that story which she shared on her Blog, she seemed bold and sounded like someone that is really hurt and willing to face whatever the outcome of her action is but you would agree with me that some people would do more than that for a handsome pay.(I mean this is Nigeria where people gang-up with friends to facilitate their own kidnapping so as to get ransom from their families). Some people even argued that this might be a case of a rosy relationship gone wrong and one party trying to rubbish the other's name.

Just as people are still debating about the genuineness of Ese's story, One Franca E. also spoke up, not just endorsing Ese's claims but stated how the same Pastor also attempted to commit the act with her. Franca went to the extent of daring the Pastor to refute her claims and see 'American wonder' as she claims to have both photo and recorded evidences. Meanwhile the Sunday after the week which this story sprung was a normal one at COZA, Abuja as Pastor Biodun oversaw the service. Reports from the media was that he commented about the incident saying that he asked God about it and was told not to respond. He further added that a robust reply should be expected in due time. I followed this story and was amazed at people's comment. While some people are commending her(Ese) for speaking-up, others are accusing her of slander and even calling her unprintable names. The pastor is not left out as he is getting some bashing too from some people.

An analysis of that her story and Franca's could be done by anyone and judgement passed but the truth still remains that you can't judge such a case from the statement made by just one party. While we wait for the Pastor to tell his own side of the story(that is if he would) and also for evidences to be provided (because she stated that she have some), I urge us to remove every form of sentimentality and look at this issue objectively.

Victor is a freelance writer, blogger, currently a Biochemistry student and a lover of 'sofia'. He Tweets from @Victorikeji

SOARING HIGHER

By Victor Ikeji

I thought about giving some tips which I felt would be helpful when applied and 'Soaring higher' was conceived. Four principles; Several applications.

TAKE A RISK: Life is all about risks but some people fail to understand this fact. Some of the influential people in the world today knew the importance of risk taking and that is why they are where they are today. What would you say about one dropping out of school just to have enough time to start-up something OR someone investing a whole fortune into something he only perceived to be successful. The above-mentioned illustrations are talking about the Facebook Guy- Mark Zuckerberg and the owner of Honda automobile company- Soichiro Honda. See where this two are today owing to the risks they took. There are a lot of other examples.

TAKE A CHANCE: Opportunities they say comes but once. When it comes knocking, go for it. Many a times people fail to recognize opportunities because they have eyes on the bigger goal. A story was told of an admission seeker who was offered a job as a casual worker in a multinational company, when he was about to be made a staff of the company, he was offered admission. His parents talked to him about the importance of education but he wanted the money. He aspired to be a manager [even without a certificate]. After some years, the company was hit by recession, workers were to be laid and they started with those without credentials. He didn't just loose the job but also the ability to get an education because by then he has a wife (unemployed) and kids. This is just one of several instances.

MAKE A CHANGE: Many run from it, some are afraid of it and others don't want to hear about it but it is still the only constant thing in life. A change of clothes, a change of plans, a change of season, etc most people remain stagnant today because they refuse to embrace change. Doing things a little differently had over the years proven to yield overwhelming results. A story was told about a woman who runs a store dealing in baby products, this lady complains of little sales which are not even enough to pay her staffs and settle her bills. She had been using the traditional sales method for years until someone introduced her to Google Adword which she tried and her sales rose by over 500%. That's the effect of change, if she had settled for those traditional method, who knows she might go out of business after sometime. When you use the same method and notice no results, try doing things a little differently.

BREAKAWAY: In this regard, breaking away entails breaking from the norm i.e. not doing the usual but attempting the extraordinary. It entails distinguishing oneself from the crowd, not succumbing to the ‘Herd mentality’ or maintaining the Status quo. Just because everyone in your family is into buying and selling doesn't mean you must be a businessman or woman. Your managerial skills could be harnessed by getting a University Degree in Management or a related field. That it-has-never-been-done-and-can’t-be-done attitude should be swept off the back door. The problem with some people is that instead of setting goals, they set limits. That extra study time could change a D grade to an A grade, that extra time you spend at the lab when others have left could lead to a groundbreaking discovery, learning that new language or skill that others see as irrelevant could give you that dream job.

So just like a famous songwriter said: Take a risk. Take a chance. Make a change and Breakaway.

Follow me on twitter: @Victorikeji

THE PROBLEM WITH ONLINE SHOPPING IN NIGERIA

"They are all fraudulent. Online shopping in Nigeria is the fastest way to loose your money."

"Ordered for a wristwatch from an online store on Valentine's day. Called them that morning to confirm my order. They confirmed it. Waited all day for the watch, no delivery.
They called me two days later to come downstairs and pick up my order. I asked the delivery man to go to hell"

"Rule number 1 in Nigeria is never pay for what you haven't seen. Take this advice to the grave with you."

The aforementioned statements are among several made by some Nigerians when asked about their Online shopping experience. These problems I believe are not just peculiar to Online stores in Nigeria as some of them in other countries which we perceive as 'developed' also have had or is still having similar problems.

Online shopping is exciting/fun as you look through products you want, add them to your virtual cart, make payments with your MasterCard or ATM cards and have the items delivered to your doorstep. Its stress and hassle free save for the problems associated with them atimes. In Nigeria, there are several Online stores including the well known Jumia and Konga, but their services can't be compared with that of Amazon, eBay and their likes because these ones have been around for a while. The major problem with online shopping in Nigeria is delivery and trust. The problem of delivery is as a result of some of these stores dealing on several category of products. Mind you, some of these stores rely on sub retail physical stores and when the demand is too much for a particular product, there is the issue of late delivery.

Also, the 'yahoo boys' and 'scammers' have made online transaction a no go area for Nigerians as most people have a problem with revealing their account details or ATM card PINs online owing to their past bitter experiences. This lack of trust on the part of Nigerians is still why most people would prefer to stick with the traditional means of shopping rather than shop online.

The problem of delivery I think would be a thing of the past soon because of the huge investments being made on some of these Online stores which I think would make service delivery more efficient and reliable but the trust issue would linger for a while not until the activities of the so called 'yahoo boys' are reduced to the barest minimum by our Graft agencies with the help of the Government.

PS: What are the other problems you think are associated with online shopping in Nigeria? The comment box is there for your usage.

Twitter: @victorikeji