China to pick 17 African countries for debt forgiveness, offers $10 billion in IMF Funds
Peter Obi
APGA warns members against campaigning for other parties
#omega1017fm
These sorrows abound.
Most of them unspoken.
Of what we do to our own kind.
When we are all out in the uncharitable sea of the 'abroad'.
Where a piece of paper gives some of us the power over some of us, who the lack of that same paper makes us powerless.
Just like this of a certain acquaintance of mine.
A Nigerian traveller with a visiting visa.
Who became a settler without papers.
And in the course of living.
Had to borrow a legal identity from a legitimate Nigerian sojourner.
In order to 'break back' on top of the table work that paid more instead of under the table with cash jobs that paid far less.
With the proceeds of the work that paid more going to the bank account of the "helpful" sojourner.
Who then plays lord and saviour with withdrawing cash for the illegal Nigerian worker after holding back a portion for "commission" that fluctuates with his mood and conscience.
Making a slave out of his fellow Nigerian who he boasts to others as "I am helping..."
Yes, these sorrows abound.
Particularly of this older Nigerian woman I know through her daughter.
Who came to do the traditional Omugwo.
And wanting to return back to Nigeria handsomely richer than she came asked her daughter to get "something" for her to do.
The daughter being strong enough to take care of her own baby connected her mother with a lady who ran personal support worker agency.
That sent staff to nursing homes and the likes to take care of the old, the infirm, and the physically and mentally challenged.
Being the lady is a Nigerian, she could bend the law and not break it for fellow Africans and some Eastern Europeans and Asians she could trust.
So she would send the undocumented out to do the work of the documented.
And thus be prey for those willing to exploit their vulnerability.
They discussed at length.
With the woman asking the daughter.
"You sure say your mama fit do dis kain work?"
"Ahh no take dat kain eye dey look my mama like old woman o, na just grey hair she get, as you see her so na seventy one she be. Na me no quick marry, no quick born join. And me be her last pikin. Na tiri she born senior me and na so she do Omugwo for all dia pikin. So if na to take care of pipo, ma mama get plenty experience for dat one."
"I hear you. But wetin our eye dey see for dis work, mouth no fit talk o. You sure say your mama fit cope?"
The daughter turned to her mother and said.
"Mama, oya talk to am yoresef."
Her mother smiled.
Genially.
Then said in her soft spoken way.
"I can do anything, madam. Just show me what to do and I will do it."
"Mama, these people are not like us o. It is very difficult to take care of them, but they come to me, because they know my staff are well trained and no how to keep their mouth shut."
Her mother looked at her.
There was concern on her face.
Her daughter quickly said.
"Mama no dey look me, shebi na you say you dey find work?"
The lady owner of the agency butted in.
"Mama, I no sure say you fit..."
Her mother turned to her, the concern gone, in its place was a resolute stare.
"Just give me the opportunity and God being my witness, I promise you, I will not disappoint you."
The poor old woman resumed work in the home of a well to do family one friday night after her her one month training which she did in three days..
The client was a young man in his early twenties who was physically challenged and mentally partially challenged as a result of Cerebral Palsy.
It was a 12 hour shift.
8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
To feed, bath, dress, watch over and do anything else that was needed.
His room and some parts of the house was retro-fitted for him.
She resumed two hours before her shift so the slightly younger undocumented Ghanaian lady she was relieving could show her the lay of the house and allow her watch as she bathed for the man, fed him and the runs.
Once done the lady left.
After whispering to her.
"Please Madam doesn't want any trouble here. This client is off-book and his people pay very well. So whatever he asks for just do it. Also, his parents and siblings are at the other wing of the house, do not disturb them. They don't want him or us interfering with their lives. He communicates with his computer monitor. Just read it and respond by speaking to him calmy as you saw me do and you will both get on fine."
She nodded in understanding.
Then the Ghanaian lady leaned closer to her.
And she lowered her voice just above a whisper.
"As long as you treat him right, and give him what he wants he will sleep early and would not wake up throughout the night so you too can sleep. If not he will make your night miserable. Although his words are not intelligible, his screams are very loud. So just give him what he wants and your night will be okay."
Then she stepped back.
Smiled gayly and picking up her back to leave, she announced with her voice back to its normal cadence.
... continue in the comment section.
Won't you like to have a President like PO who pays attention to detail?
PO double checking his facts while lounging after his NBA outing.
#newscast
This thing about us.
And our penchant to Godify.
Even the most normal of processes where our own intelligence and experience should rule supreme.
Like this dear friend of mine in Canada.
Who was ready to 'settle down'.
As she put it.
She started dating this guy who she met at church.
A handsome, soft spoken, and well dressed professional.
In six weeks.
She was already talking marriage with him.
I told her to take things easy and get to know him.
She said she is walking on God's time and not the time of man.
I told her that once you are captured by the urgent desire to marry, all you will see are the reasons to marrry and not the reasons not to marry when you date somebody.
She said that God is the one to authenticate the particulars of the man as her destiny husband.
And because of that she had given God three different tests for Him to confirm if the man was the man for her.
First one.
He should not ask me for sex, and when I ask him for sex, he should say there is time enough for that when we marry and insist we wait.
She did it and the man said exactly what she told God she wanted the man to say.
She was ecstatic.
Second one.
She asked God that if the man was her destiny husband, he should send her a bouquet at work out of the blue with twelve red roses and 12 white roses, and a card saying 'You are my life.'
At work a bouquet arrived from him with the note as she asked for and the exact number of roses.
She was blown away.
Third one.
She asked God that when she asks the man what name they should give their first child if it is a girl, he should say, that they should name the girl after her.
She asked him and he answered as she wanted.
She was in awe of God.
And like that everything went into full gear.
The traditional marriage was done in Nigeria in their absence.
The white wedding was done in Canada.
And she moved into his.
Life moved on as it should.
After several years of silence.
I got a call from her.
Where she told me that she had got my number from a mutual friend and wanted to find out how the experience of relocating to Nigeria is.
Since she believed my long absence from Canada meant I had relocated back to Nigeria.
We spoke expansively.
And when I asked her about her husband since she kept on mentioning schools for the kids and nothing about him.
She sighed deeply before she said.
"Jude, if you know what that man made my eye to see, you will thank God that I am alive today talking to you. If I tell you that I married the devil himself in human flesh, please believe me. Intellectual babanlala demon. Expert abuser who will never touch you so he doesn't end up in prison but will beat the living daylight out of your mind, sorrow and spirit and be using his mouth to tell you, when II finish with you, I swear you are the one that will kill yourself with your own two hands, go and ask what happened to my first wife..."
"First wife?"
"Juuuuude! He was a widower with two children in Nigeria, who were staying with his in-laws and I had no idea. His first wife killed herself."
"Wooow."
"It reach to woow. Ahhhhhhh! He showed me shege!"
I was shocked.
Then I asked still stupefied.
"But what about the tests?"
She kissed her teeth.
Then said.
"Which stupid tests? Someone that insisted that I name our daughter after his mother after saying that rubbish that we will name her after me."
"Really?"
"Yes really. Me I just want to come back to Nigeria and get as far away as possible from him now that the divorce is finalised and I have full custody."
"I am so sorry."
"Thank you my brother. I am happy to be alive for my children. And I believe that as long as I hold on to God, when I get to Nigeria, inspite of my four children, he will direct me straight to my true destiny husband..."
Lagos
Jude Idada
August 21, 2022