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We can sometimes harbor romantic illusions about what the Church should be like, a company of saints in shining armor!

But then we meet some local congregation, and we become disillusioned.

It is never a good thing to live with illusions.

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The reality about the Church is much more splendid.

It is among this frail, struggling, sinful community of folk that we find heroes and heroines of the faith who outshine and outshame those whom the world admires for their power, their wealth, and their strength.

The gospel speaks its word of liberation, not through the powerful but through the oppressed. May God make us humble enough to receive it from them. Read Hebrews 11:7

Nigerians have expressed visible worries over the activities of criminals operating in commercial motorcycles, vehicles with tinted glasses, vehicles with foreign plate numbers, and vehicles without number plates.

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They argue that most crimes in different parts of the country are committed through these motorcycles and vehicles and express surprise over the way the criminals beat the scrutiny of law enforcement agents along the road.

Innocent citizens who reside in Lagos, Ibadan, Benin City, Port Harcourt, Warri, Onitsha, Aba, Kaduna, Kano, and Abuja, among others, have continued to recount their tales of woe to whoever cared to listen.

Sadly, the law enforcement agents, saddled with the responsibility of ensuring law and order and the adherence to the road safety rules and regulations, have for long adopted a conspiratorial attitude, mainly because of the benefits that would accrue from aiding and abetting criminals.

Nigerians are now of the opinion that the laws of the land are either no longer functional or  those in charge and the law enforcement agencies are deliberately sabotaging the enforcement of the laws for their self-centered motives. 

A victim of the worrisome state of insecurity in Ibadan, Nigeria, who spoke incognito, reveals his experience.

‘’There is a beer parlor opposite the Iyanganku Magistrate; it is among the several shops that share the same fence with the police barracks. A door inside the beer parlor leads into the barracks. Visit the beer parlor and observe those who patronize the beer parlor, and you will agree that those who break the law have the blessing of the persons whose statutory functions include the protection of lives and property, he stated.

The general feeling is that some criminally minded law enforcement agents make use of criminals as proxies in carrying out their statutory functions, which has resulted in the harassment, intimidation, and arrest of unsuspecting citizens.

Of worry is the adopted official status of lawlessness, indiscipline, and criminality in different parts of the country.

Indeed, illiteracy and ignorance have also contributed significantly to the scheme of things as presently constituted.

The mental psyche of millions of Nigerians has been dehumanized and degraded; this has resulted in unthinkable occurrences.

These occurrences have consumed a sizable chunk of those in charge.

The widespread, uninhibited prevalence of  lawless acts, to millions of Nigerians, is an indication that there is already a failure in leadership; with no visible remedy in sight for now.

Health workers in the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, Nigeria, have declared that the internally generated revenue of the hospital is insufficient to cater for the monthly astronomical electricity bills brought by the officials of the Ibadan Eelectricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).

The health workers who made this declaration on Tuesday, through the chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union and Associated Institutions (NASU), Comrade Kehinde Abiona, appealed to the Federal Government to rechannel the gains of the subsidy removal to fund the health sector's challenges.

''Management cannot pay the prohibitive tariffs; even before the increment, the hospital had been grappling to cope with the increasing costs of administration. It is just like a patient that is struggling to survive and the oxygen line is suddnely removed.''

''The Federal Government should rechannel the subsidy it removed on petrol to the power sector. The government should subsidize power consumption. It promised to subsidize electricity in teaching hospitals, but surprisingly this promise has no seen the light of the day.'' Comrade Abiona stated.

He called on well meaning Nigerians to prevail on the government to do the necessary for teaching hospitals in the country,  saying''everyone is a potential patient, we should all be concenred about how the hospitals are run.''

Your little action goes a long way in revealing the will of God in your life.

Limitless opportunities abound in little responsibilities.

God puts together little actions here and there to make something big out of it for you.

Those little actions, which are not noticeable, pave the way for the fulfillment of great accomplishments.

It is now left for you to identify these great opportunities that abound in the little responsibilities you carry out day by day.

Be painstaking in all you do and take responsibilities with all seriousness. Read  Nehemiah 4:14

Be vigilant detractors are everywhere.

 Chief Obafemi Awolowo was a political leader of Yoruba extraction who lived by example.

His leadership impacted positively on the Yoruba people in all spheres of life. However, it is doubtful if those who hold sway in this dispensation followed in his footsteps.

Chief Awolowo had a formidable political structure that outlived him. In his time, political meetings were held at his Ikenne home in Ogun State.

After the passing on to glory of Chief Awolowo, in the days of military rule, Chief Adekunle Ajasin took over the mantle of leadership, and meetings were held at his Owo home, Ondo State.

During this period, the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) came into being.

After Chief Ajasin did his beat, Pa Abraham Adesanya  took over the structure up till the end of the military era.

In the course of Pa Adesanya's leadership, those who could best be described as pseudo-Awoists and pseudo-democrats were accepted into the fold; sadly, the true and real progressives were barred due to the fact that they took up appointments in the military regime of the late despot, Gen. Sani Abacha.

Now known as Afenifere, the group restricted its membership while maintaining a closely knit relationship with the Alliance for Democracy (AD).

At a glance, Afenifere was composed of the first generation of Awoists, the second 11, and the unknown elements. 

The unknown elements eventually hijacked the structure through unconventional means.

A prominent first-generation Awoist was a one-time governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande.

However, Chiefs Bisi Akande and Segun Osoba belong to the second 11, while others were not yet into reckoning during the functional period of the group.

At a point in time, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, the director of organization of  the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), then stated that in 1982, during the last convention of the UPN, Chief Awolowo expressed the hope that a time will come when the good elements in the conservatives ill join the good elements in the progressives to form a synthesis.

But present happenings in the political sphere have defied this theory; rather, polarization and division are tools that have brought about the present scheme of things.

Of note is the fact that the progressives of the time past embarked on laudable programs such as free education to empower the Yoruba people.

Sadly, capitalist-inclined policies and nocturnal ideals and preferences are the working tools of today's leaders in the southwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria, to the chagrin of the disillusioned and impoverished people.

The new definition of the progressives includes, but is not limited to, the payment of school fees in primary and secondary schools, the introduction of multiple tax regimes, and the preference for mediocrity and people with doubtful educational qualifications to carry out government duties. So sad.

Today, the mindset and body language of the political leadership at the center is best represented by  their  followers on the streets, offices, worship centers and other public places across the country. Very disturbing.

People react to the pressure of  events and never to the changes of their character and attitude.

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Make it a duty to examine yourself periodically and spiritually, to determine your closeness to the Lord or distance from Him.

Most Christians live on the surface of life.

Once you expose your heart and life to Jesus Christ, who is the light, then all illusions will be  stripped away, and the gate will open for the healing and redeeming power of Christ in your  life.

Accepting Christ will give you a direction and make you to know yourself.

Knowing yourself will prevent you from committing sins, while if you don't allow God in you, you will never discover God.

Read Daniel 12:1, John 4:25

Cultists have, for over 5 years running now, taken over most of the communities of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State.

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These cultists, who operate with impunity, boast of their untouchable status openly, to the consternation of members of the public.

Their presence in the midst of unscrupulous law enforcement agents has not helped matters.

Indeed, residents have decided to keep quiet when all their complaints have never attracted any uplifting response from those in charge.

Of great worry is the nonchalance of the state government and the state legislature towards breathing constitutional and statutory life into the anti-cultism law in the state.

The cultists have, for long, broken into the houses of residents and forcefully made away with property documents.

On Monday, at about 7.40 am in the morning, cultists led by one Lekan Adewale made a failed attempt to break into an apartment at 3, Kehinde Aderibigbe Street, Olorunsogo, Molete.

Sadly, occupants of No. 5 (a two-story building) served as accomplices.

The leader of the cultists operates from No. 8 Kehinde Aderibgbe Street, Olorunsogo, Molete.

For long, the cultists have been forcefully evicting residents from their landed property and disposing of such property with the aid of erring law enforcement agents and government officials.

The judgment of God shall always come upon parents who fail to bring up their children in the Lord's way.

Indeed, a sizable number of fathers and mothers do very well in guiding other people's children towards the right path, but this is not so for their biological children.

Even though the children of this category of parents are lacking and deficient in several aspects of life, their parents see all the goodness and perfection in them.

Today, most parents have failed to instill moral discipline in their children.

It is imperative for all to care for their vineyards, as they also care for the vineyards of others. Read 2 Kings 16:3