Chronicles of The Experience 2010

The Experience is a phenomenon that has come to stay! Hosted by House On The Rock (HOTR) church in Nigeria, in partnership with other ministries including The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Daystar Christian Centre, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Christian Association of Nigeria, Guiding Light Assembly, Global Harvest, media house - HiTV and many others.

The first in the series of this first-of-its-kind event was held on Friday, 1^st of December, 2006. According to the convener of this epoch in Christian concerts in Nigeria, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, only twenty thousand worshippers were expected to be a part of that first edition, which eventually attracted about eighty thousand people. The second edition which was held on the 30^th of November, 2007 brought more people than the organisers could have wished for as the number rose to two hundred and fifty thousand!

It was only wise that the organisers re-arrange the venue to accommodate more people as more and more Nigerians heard about the event and planned ahead of time to be there, even when they had to travel several hours by road! The Experience 3 played host to about five hundred thousand worshippers and that number was not depleted in spite of the heavy rains that came sometime after midnight and lasted till a few hours before day-break. The resilient spirit of Nigerians was on display for the world when men and women cleared their chairs, rolled up their sleeves and trousers and got dancing in committed praise of the Most High. The Experience 3 held and was successful in spite of the rain.

2009 came, and the mammoth crowd that gathered at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), the event venue, for The Experience (number 4) was more than could be numbered. It was indeed a carnival of sorts as the main-bowl of TBS was filled to capacity, and the cricket pitch served for the overflow. The organisers of the event had made arrangements for big screens to be placed everywhere with the feed from cameras that covered the stage and large parts of the venue.

The vision of The Experience was birthed in House On The Rock when a group came together with a burden for a gathering of Nigerians to serve the purposes of contemporary praise, worship and warfare for our beloved country, Nigeria. The choice of TBS as venue is borne out of the sentiment of its place in Nigeria’s history as the home of its independence.

Some of the local and international artistes that The Experience has played host to include Donnie McClurkin, Kurt Carr, Midnight Crew, Kirk Franklin, Bebe & Cece Winans, Tye Tribbett and Dekunle Fuji. Bishop T. Dexter Jakes has also been a part of The Experience.

The most recent edition, The Experience 2010 (number 5), has no doubt set a new standard for concerts all around the world. Its chronicles are given below:

As at 5pm, 60% of the seats in the main-bowl of TBS had been completely taken up, yet the entrances had large numbers of people passing through them – and in orderly fashion too! A good number of volunteers under the aegis of the Rock Foundation Force (RFF) lined the streets of Lagos Island around and about the venue to ensure orderliness of pedestrians and automobiles, and provide direction for attendees. Men of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) were also on hand to give their support. The sound of whistles and vuvuzelas came from all angles and could only be drowned by the occasional blasts of the speakers during the sound-checks by the guest ministers.

By 6pm, the arena was bursting with energy and was almost packed full - but the queue of people entering was endless still!

At 7.05pm, the voice of Victor Oladokun came through the speakers to charge the people further, as Rev Victor Adeyemi led the opening prayer. Then came Chosen Treasures, led by the duo Nikki Laoye & Timi Dakolo, taking Kurt Carr’s “In the Sanctuary”, and Cece Winans’ “He’s a Wonder”. IK Osakioduwa’s voice was something of an interruption as he chose to remind the crowd of the “crew on-board The Experience’s flight”.

At 7.28pm, Minister Lionel Peterson came up to take the worship further with numbers such as “Peace” and “Lift Up Your Eyes”. The Experience crowd was whao-ed when Peterson sang Nigerian “Kabi O osi”. It was the turn of singer-cum-comedian Gordons and Yaw to interrupt the flow session about 17minutes later with the introduction of Sammie Okposo.

A small test of patriotism was raised when Okposo began singing the 2^nd verse of the Nigerian national anthem. He then led The Experience in a series of indigenous songs, some of which are his.

The first session of prayers was held after the leading of Anglican Bishop Joe Musa and Barrister Emeka Nwapa for Electricity, Infrastructure and Power.

The sound of traditional drums – gangan and bata – along with the shekere being swung by the backup lady singers marked the beginning of Mike Aremu’s session. His mastery of the saxophone was the juice for the Afrocentric session which lasted about 20minutes.

Pastor Anselm Madubuko & Baptist Pastor Amos led the second session of prayers, praying for the unity of the body of Christ and against denominational barriers.

It was 8.47pm when the voice of IK brought upstage a man who is arguably the father of ‘gospel’ music in Nigeria, Minister Panam Percy Paul. ‘Apostle’ Paul then led the church in some of the songs that have been used in God’s praise in Nigeria for many years. For 28minutes, the sight of young and relatively old people alike climbing on chairs, and hands waving in the air is all there was to behold as the sound of singing filled the air.

The convener of The Experience, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, made an early appearance on in the night as he was called upon to receive the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola. Fashola commended the efforts of the host church and partner churches in the logistics and security put in place for the event.

Micah Stampley brought his unique touch of vocal pitch in musical warfare at 9.30pm with “War Cry”, and then to the prophetic with “Heaven On Earth”. That pitch went on to a higher level of worship in “Take My Life”.

Stampley’s ministration paved way for an address by Bishop John Francis of Ruach Ministries, London on “The Law of Agreement”.

10.12pm marked time for Jamaican Chevelle Franklin to put the reggae in Nigeria’s national anthem. She proceeded in the Jamaican style with “Days of Elijah”. House On The Rock’s Onos Bikawei enjoyed her moment of fame when her hit song, “Dance”, was performed by her with Franklin’s band with a reggae twist. Next, the lady whose voice was on Shabba Rank’s “Mr. Loverman” did a medley of “Oseiye”, Midnight Crew’s “Igwe” and got The Experience singing “Good Shepherd: You laid down your life for me”, “Be Glorified” and “Thank You” as she exited the stage.

It was an energetic Pastor Taiwo Odukoya who climbed the stage at 10.46pm to lead a prophetic session of prayers for LIFE for families. Dr. Felix Omobude then prayed that reproach, shame, disgrace and sickness would be far removed from Nigeria.

It was 11.04pm when Fred Hammond came in with “Awesome God” off his “Love Unstoppable” album. “Spirit of David” came next, but it was only a teaser, and intro to an undiluted rock version of “He Lives”. Worship then took The Experience from “Lord, How I Love You”, to “Agnus Dei”, “How Great is our God”, “No Weapon”, and a funkified “You Are the Living Word”, ending in a solemn cry of “Jesus”. Freddie signed out with his remake of traditional “This is the Day” and a medley of “Blessed” and “Glory to Glory”.

The prelate of Word of Life Bible Church, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor was called afterwards to lead a prayer for peace and unity in Nigeria. This he did while reading the riot act to the enemies of peace in the nation.

A media presentation followed on the multimedia screens with seasoned ministers and church leaders advocating for Christians to register and participate in the 2011 voting exercise.

Pastor Paul Adefarasin was back at 12.11am to recognise and celebrate the efforts of the 5,000-plus volunteers who with the HOTR team & collaborating churches and pastors made varying degrees of sacrifices to make The Experience a reality. Pastor Paul then called his four siblings as they honoured their 86-year old mother, Mrs. Hilda Adefarasin for her years of ceaseless prayers which made them all and prepared ground for The Experience.

A beautiful rendition of Nigeria’s national anthem by Phil Driscoll, Onos Bikawei & Micah Stampley heralded the appearance of the nation’s president, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on the multimedia screens. He congratulated the organisers on putting together the biggest concert in Africa. After the address, Pastor Paul expressed the willingness of the president to have come in person, but that he was dissuaded on the grounds of the negative impact his security detail could have had on the attendance of the event.

At 12.40am, 63-year old international trumpeter, Phil Driscoll’s 51 years on the instrument came to bear on “Amazing Grace” and “Majesty”, with an extempore rendition, ending with prayers for Nigeria. Driscoll’s session ended with “Lord, You’ve been so good to me” and “I Exalt Thee”, which his son, Jamie’s, trained voice joined him in.

TREM’s Bishop Mike Okonkwo took the next prayer session, praying for the Niger-Delta region while Voice of Adonai’s Collin Adeboboye prayed for the persecuted brethren in northern Nigeria and the forthcoming elections.

At 1.30am, Judy Jacobs came up-stage with “Lift Up the Name of Jesus”, “Turn Around”, Rain Down” and a season of worship with “Here I Am to Worship” & “Spirit of the Living God”. Judy peaked with “Days of Elijah” before exiting the stage.

Victor Oladokun briefly defined leadership as “the use of influence to take people on a journey they would/could otherwise not have taken” before calling on the senior pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, Sam Adeyemi, whose prayer declared the end of an era and the beginning of a new one devoid of corruption, and filled with vision & integrity.

The president of The Rock Foundation Ministries, Damilola Oluwatoyinbo, came up next to lead the youth to pray for Nigeria’s future. Oluwatoyinbo prayed through the words of the 2^nd verse of the Nigerian national anthem, but only after acknowledging the words and efforts of the “fathers” and “mothers”.

At 2.21am, the voice of IK introduced Ron Kenoly, who came with “Hallowed be thy name”, “Jesus is Alive” and “Ancient of Days”, bringing back memories of his best-selling album, “Lift Him Up”. A reggae fusion of “Jesus is a winner man”  and “I’ve Got My Mind made up” came next. And then Kenoly became a Nigerian as he took “You are the Pillar that holds my life” and “I just want to say, ‘Baba o E se’”. For the first time, Ron Kenoly shared the stage with Israel Houghton when he took “Jehovah, You are the Most High” which culminated in “Alpha & Omega”, to end the session.

It was at this point that the mammoth crowd was informed that the event was being broadcast live by HiTV and streamed online as well.

Gordons and MC Abbey then came to crack a few jokes while the stage was being set for Don Moen and his crew. The worship leader’s voice came through at 3.04am with “Our Father”. Don Moen looked ever so young as he swung into a prophetic moment of healing, singing “I AM the Lord that healeth thee”. Then the row of “Thank You, Lord”, “Lord, I offer my life”, “I just wanna be”, “Arise”, “I Will Sing”, “He Never Sleeps” and “Still”. He picked a moment to pray for Nigeria with Isaiah 43 before singing “God will make a way”.

Shock came the way of Don Moen when one of the strings of his violin snapped, just as “God is Good” was to start. When the time came for the violin solo, his guitarist and bassist were so magnificent as to fill in for the violin, as was the maestro, Tom Brooks, who killed the moment in a few seconds of sheer excellence. Alas, the violin could still produce the required notes, so Don Moen played the well-known solo.

Bishop Tudor Bismark, head of Jabula – New Life Ministries, Zimbabwe, was brought up by his host at 3.50am. Bishop Bismark’s message was a declaration of restoration of kingdom government, kingdom finance and kingdom inheritance.

 ‘All the doors came open’ at 4.02am, as Rev Victor Adeyemi gave the altar call alongside Pastor Paul Adefarasin, who recounted how his drug-abusive life came to an end 27years ago when he made the decision to accept Jesus Christ.

At 4.21am, Tina & Erica Campbell (nee Atkins) hit the crowd with “In the Morning”, “Heaven”, “Something Big Done Happen to Me”, “Can’t Give Up Now”, “Yesterday” and a MaryMary arrangement of “Amazing Grace”. Upbeat “God In Me” & “Shackles” came only after Tina had done justice to Fred Hammond’s “No Weapon”. And MaryMary left the stage.

Friend-of-God Israel Houghton came next, singing “Here I Am to Worship”, “Lord You Are Good”, “All around”, “Trading my sorrows” and “Rejoice in the Lord Always”. Then came raga-styled “With Long Life”, and declarations of ‘You will live’, ‘His report says you are filled’ and ‘You have victory’. Houghton relived primary school memories for many when he sang “I have decided to follow Jesus”, leading up to “Moving Forward” and a thick Arabian infusion in “Not Forgotten”. Israel then took an early exit, leaving his band members to finish off at 5.45am.

The comedians were back, helping to crack a few ribs and putting a few chairs out of place as a result of the uncontrollable laughter of many. This preceded the introduction of Papa San at 5.55am. And the morning was opened up to a free-flow of reggae and raga for another 30-sum minutes, ensuring a full session of a rewarding Experience.

Some of the Nigerian dignitaries at The Experience 2010 are Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, Mrs. Adebisi Sosan, Mrs. Bisi Alao-Akala, Mrs. Julie Amaechi,  Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, Hon. Justice Adefowope Okojie, Professor & Mrs. Aboaba, Bishop Lanre Obembe, Rev. Yomi Kasali and Mr. Ben Akabueze.

Misguided Law Enforcement

One of the first things that catch the fancy of a young person getting an opportunity to travel to a civilised country after a life completely lived in darling Nigeria is the existence of order in those communities. Apart from the beauty that results from town planning and tidy queues, there is a certain beauty effect that the maintenance of law creates.

The Police Force in civilised communities of the world is usually made up of an amazing bunch of people; respectful, organised, erudite and (I must say this again) respectful! It is amazing how a law-breaker can be ‘mirandized’: “I’m afraid you are under arrest sir; you have the right to remain silent . . .” or “I’m sorry ma’am but you would have to go back with us to the police department”. The story turns sour when you compare that with what obtains in our own community. Disdain is the treatment you get for daring to drive a nice-looking car past a police post! You are ordered out of the car and pushed around, if you allow, like a criminal who has been on the run! It gets worse if you appear to be a young achiever; I guess to them you automatically qualify as a fraudster who belongs in their coffers – paying the ‘police’ fee of your ‘business’. As people on this side put it, if power supply becomes regular at your home, you can be sure that it is the time of the month when the bill would be delivered. Just the same way, if a policeman starts smiling at you, it is likely that he would ask: “Oga, how far?” or “Madam, how we dey do weekend na?” Lagosians will not forget that black Sunday in August 2010 in a hurry, when several lives were lost in Berger as a result of a series of events starting with a police roadblock.

It is no news that corruption has an exalted place in the systems of life in Nigeria at the moment, and that it is does not only exist in the organs of government. If the corruption in the police force is taken out however, a large fraction would have been dealt with. It is with the police and other law enforcement agencies that you find cab/bus drivers as well as their okada/marwa counterparts paying their ‘dues’ several times in one day! The sadder part of the tale is how excusable the grave offenses of the regular donors become as a result of their burnt sacrifices to Oga Policeman! Of course, the police force is not the only law enforcement agency that is involved in this vice, but it seems to be most unbridled here.

The shamelessness with which these bribes are demanded for is alarming too. A friend of man who was robbed earlier in the year went to the Police station to make a statement. When he was done at had turned to take his leave, he heard the officer on duty asking him for “something for the boys”! Imagine making such a request of someone who was still dealing with the trauma of losing money and other valuables to hoodlums!! And these are the people given the responsibility of ensuring the safety of lives and property!!!

Discipline is definitely one of those things that are profoundly lacking in the Nigerian Police Force. That much can be seen from the demeanour of the regular police officer you find on the road. Many of them can be seen clad in dirty, ill-fitting uniforms that must attempt to accommodate the oversized tummy, without their berets threatening to shoot at innocent motorists who appear not to be keen on parting with bonuses for “the boys” (and the Ogas they claim to be taking returns to in the office). How can anyone in his right senses allow the impression that these people work in our interest? I was amazed when I reported a burglary in my house a while ago and the police officers began a less-than-intellectual discussion on how the spate of robberies on Sunday mornings was on the rise. Should the combatants of crime in our society speak with such hopelessness?!

Only last week, I was told of the massive traffic jam that held motorists up for more than three hours in Egbeda area of Lagos. The amazing thing is that the traffic was reported to have been started first by the scene created when two policemen in uniform took to the streets to fight. Then, it got scary when their service rifles became a part of the scuffle and everyone decided it was best to be far from the site, lest they become victims of another unsolved case of stray bullets. In addition to this, Nigerians are used to seeing men of the police force turn away to the more important business of tip extraction from okada when the road has the peak of traffic situation. It is at times like this that you see the okada riders scampering for safety from the claws of the hijackers! The police could also decide wade through the traffic by blasting the sirens of their vehicles and make room either for themselves, or some more important personality that must not suffer the effects of traffic that the rest of us mere mortals must suffer!

Speaking of the indiscipline, I have observed how residents of Ojodu-Abiodun (on the border of Ogun and Lagos states) have been made to suffer unnecessary traffic snarls as a result of the deposit of a number of accidented vehicles and impounded trucks on their already too-narrow roads. It is just amazing to think of how high (or low) the Intelligence Quotient of the source of such an idea could be. The parked trucks have taken over more than half of the road and the other cars are not helping matters. Yet, these vehicles were imported from some other places and dumped on the roads simply because the Police station does not have space within it for them. Meanwhile, day after day, and night after night residents spend endless avoidable hours in traffic because our misguided and undisciplined force of Police officers.

For a country that plans to move forward, I am unsure if much can be achieved without something drastic being done about our police force.

Stand Up for Change!

A popular saying in these parts - only a mad man would do the same things several times over and expect different outputs - comes to mind. I have heard that statement so many times it was nothing more than a cliche for me at a time. Certain other truths continually stare me in the face to jerk me awake to reality though: the circle my parents (and their parents before them) have run in for years has seen little or no alterations, and it is only normal that this result has rather reduced the quality of our experiences over the years, somewhat steadily.

I speak of the decline in the worth of the life of the African, particularly the Nigerian. Tales abound of how things used to be much better than they are now; how much more expensive things are and how life is a lot more difficult now than it used to be. It is however more worrisome how much less regard humans have for one another. I know for a fact that people on this side have grown a lot more selfish than in yester years; there are many more disrespectful young people around; corruption is a welcome ill that should be minimised at best and a white lie is the exact same thing as the truth. The world preaches safe sex, and Africa has bought that philosophy and taught it to her children in the name of westernization, so much that we forget that sex before marriage was an abomination here just a few decades ago. The things that we know as superstitution today are stories built around rules which our forefathers were guided by when they were growing, and it was not even religion. Today, Africa's battles include affirming the sanctity of our sexes as it kicks against gay marriage. But how can we succeed in our fight against a worldwide anormaly while we are deeply involved in may other dysfunctions?!

The destruction in our society goes beyond the physical; the worm has eaten deep into our sense of right and wrong. It is threatening to wipe our inner personalities and if we allow it go on, history would perhaps not even bear record to our existence, save its negative, maybe. And since we are not mad people, we would need to make an investment of a DIFFERENCE if we would reap change.

I propose that every parent would go back home and instill the discipline of values in their children; that schools will do more than prepare their students for excellence in examinations; that every individual would be responsible enough to realign with the best values and demand the same from his neighbours. If things would get better, our value system needs to be rebuilt. We need to choose not to give or take bribes, not to drive like maniacs on our roads (even when it is the norm), be responsible citizens and demand nothing short of excellence from our leaders. When we have done all that, we would be well on our way to stand up for change!

The Power of the Media

This was written in September 2009, I consider it potent still. Enjoy!

Not many people are unfamiliar with the concept of the spoken word through song. It is not uncommon to put into song things you would like to remember. Education is made a lot easier where there is a sing-along. Ask little children who are fans of the show; Barney and friends! Guardians of the children usually cannot help learning those songs and are educated in the process, or they get reminded of some facts they could have forgotten. Other children’s shows thrive by the same principle and the messages of the songs learnt stick and remain for long periods of time. I remember that it was one of those songs that helped me remember Avogadro’s law in a Chemistry examination. The power of the spoken word through songs! For you to register the information deep within you is only a part of this two-fold magic. The other part which is very important is the concurrence of unseen forces with confessions. An adage to that effect states that the things you call to yourself, you attract. So with a song, you stand a chance of committing the words to memory and attracting to yourself the things that you confess through the songs!

Just as powerful is the theory of pictures. A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. Not much proof is needed for this as everyone has at one time or another been at the point where it was just an image that reminded them of an event, or a circumstance. Little wonder then that advertising agencies put up billboards with images of new products, all built around specific colour themes. Just a glimpse of such can seat in the viewer’s mind and not be recalled for a long period of time. This can make a product that is relatively new in the market and completely unused by a buyer become his favourite simply because the images have made their way into his sub-conscious.

The way a writer can buy his reader over in the orchestration of words is another area worthy of attention. It is almost synonymous with the way a lawyer in an American court phrases his points in his closing statements to the jury in the movies we see. The end result is that readers who do not have particularly strong views about the issues being debated could end up defending the writer in future arguments (without even having a good base knowledge of issues, in the first place). There is no doubt about the fact that it is based on these three theories that the media industry is built. The television advertisements that we see; the newspaper and billboard advertisements; and the beautifully crafted articles we read in magazines, journals and newspapers are proof of the veracity of the channels of communication.

The story turns sour when you bring yourself to the realization that the obscenities of yester years are the proud rulers of the airwaves today. If you grew up in the 70s or earlier, or were raised by old (or old-fashioned) parents, you should not have much difficulty relating to this. Almost all movies back then were decent. The television stations operated for eight hours a day, or less and you were pretty sure that the programmes being aired were family-friendly. These days you need to engage the “Parental Control” facility on your television to be sure that your children (and even you!) are protected. Yet the things you are scared of are only pictures, still or motion! Billboards are not much better: What has a half-naked woman’s photograph got to do with a motor-cycle, or fruit juice?

The musical videos that are being shot these days do not help matters at all; the existence of television channels dedicated to showing such videos is even more damaging. The daringly skimpy clothes the ladies wear, the suggestive maneuvers of the dancers and the provocative acts of the ‘stars’ are at best scary when you consider the signals being sent to young and upcoming generations, who make up a larger percentage of the audience these days. Perhaps we were not too bothered when such videos came from Hollywood only. It was easy to blame those whom we could not even hold responsible for the calamity that was befalling us then. Now that such videos and worse are being created and produced within the shores of our nation brings us to terms with the situation we have on our hands. Yet, we are easily distracted by the quality of the videos and are impressed enough to overlook the messages being passed through those ‘lovely’ videos.

A young friend of mine and I once had a conversation about the musical videos he saw. I felt uncomfortable with the images therein and I said so. The young man looked at me with an expression that asked why I was being old-fashioned and said to me, “it is only a video”! Of course it was; and its effects were far-reaching! Twenty years ago, our rich culture would not have allowed such things, but now we have become so liberal that we gather the wheat and the tares with them. Particularly worrisome for me is the fact that a children’s party these days would have a DJ who would play some of these new songs and you would see the children imitating the dance steps of the artistes in the videos. Scary!

Another trigger point is the words and messages of the songs accompanying the videos (or is it the other way round?). Again, we can pardon the songs from abroad and blame it on their culture, but what shall we say about our local artistes? Forget about the re-branding project for which some of them would like to sing and make quick money from the government, most of the songs we hear are destructive. Unfortunately, those are the songs that end up as hits and make the artistes wealthy overnight. Imagine a song that is all about a woman’s backside, or the one that speaks of how a white man was scammed and prides its writer as the successful conman who orchestrated it all. There are many more like that! It makes me wonder why clean artistry is not being celebrated. The one that gets to me the most is that which speaks of pandemonium in town. Our country being in the state it is, perhaps aggravated by such negative confessions on the lips of a large chunk of its citizenry, should be guided by all on the path of recovery. Yet, here we are condemning it and further subjecting it to depravity not only by the words we speak (and sing), but also by using the (un)popularity of these songs to promote such untoward behaviour. Where are those artistes like Funmi Adams, Princess Bunmi Olagunju, Vero Marioghae and Sunny Okosuns who ruled the airwaves with songs of patriotism and deep sense of nationalism? While parents and teachers are trying to turn their wards to hard work, preaching its numerous rewards, some elements are making success in showing the youth that get-rich-quick syndrome is real. How shameful!

The next time the National Video and Films Censors Board (NVFCB) would endorse or ban songs, the contents of such should be critically examined. As far as I am concerned, some of those songs and videos that have been put out of circulation are much better than some of those that have been allowed to stay. We must not fail to accord the media the importance of its role in developing our nation. Bad or negative press should be frustrated, and while we await the people at the top to take an action that would sweep across the nation, each citizen owes society the responsibility of screening the media items that come our way.

The Death that Waits in the Corner

Education is defined as the imparting and acquiring of knowledge through teaching and learning, especially at a school or similar institution (source: Microsoft Encarta 2009). It makes sense then to say that the lack of education is the lack of knowledge which results from lack of teaching and/or learning. "Half-education" would then be part-acquisition of knowledge - incomplete information - and could also be misinformation or disinformation.

Unlike the impression many have, anyone and everyone can be half-educated: perhaps in the middle of the attainment of a new level of knowledge, or sudden fresh discoveries in the line of one's past knowledge. So half-education by itself is a normal, temporary condition. This situation becomes a problem when the party lacking the knowledge refuses to admit their lack. Continuous lack of education is a gradual yet steady path to stagnation!

The half-education syndrome could be a result of being in a less-privileged position when compared with others. The disorder really is in the defeatist attitude the "half-bred" individual displays in reaction to their situation. Another root-cause is sheer refusal to accept the right of others to information.

As blessed as my beloved  Nigeria is, many of her citizens suffer from half-education syndrome and this unfortunate trend finds room at all levels: the leadership does not have a good grasp of the country's problem yet it strives to impress the citizenry and the international community that it has arrived; the citizens 'understand' that the system is doomed and can only be overcome by cutting corners; the 'masses' are threatened by their despondency and so they 'get back' at the more-privileged members of society jeering at them and stealing from them; the latter in turn marvels at the half-education of the 'masses' and seek to 'use' them to achieve selfish ambitions.

The twists of the situation are enormous and as a result we are deeply disturbed people: frustrated and under a lot of pressure. So the 'highly successful and educated' business executive who has been slaving at some job for a whole day, drives into traffic completely exhausted and shouts at the not-so-lucky jalopee bus driver whose spot he tries to take; the respectable middle-aged lady has to raise her skirt and climb on okada (for lack of better systems of transportation and funds) being driven by a young lad who has no real aspirations in life ( and his driver's licence is nothing more than the tickets he gets from his daily tips to agbero). The motor-cycle tries to escape being hit by an unfulfilled petrol-tanker driver and makes a somewhat indelible mark on the business executive's car, which also gets scratched by the jalopee bus. The drivers of all four vehicles (plus passengers of the bus) stand in the middle of the road and get in an unfruitful and unnecessary verbal street-fight. Root-cause: frustration out of the pangs of uneducation!

Yet education is readily available if only we would take advantage of the numerous opportunities around us, learn to place our priorities appropriately and genuinely develop an interest to grow. The internet offers information on any and every subject, and certain individuals (reserved and unsung) who have exhibited advanced levels of knowledge in certain fields dwell among us, yet pride keeps us from making use of these avenues.

While we continue to create stop-gap solutions to problems that should not exist in the first instance and get comfortable (or adaptive, as we like to term it), the decay in our system gets deeper, and the half-educated few who are making small-time benefits from the incomplete education of the larger population are getting pottier bellies. If we continue like this, one thing is sure: we shall awake only to become aware that we are truly dead!

Music and the Gospel

On my way to work this morning, I turned the radio on and I heard the voice of Sammie Okposo, one of Nigeria's 'gospel' artistes, singing a song where he stated his belief in Nigeria. I must have tuned in somewhere in the middle of the song, but the message still came strong: Nigeria can be much better than it is and that would take the commitment of all.

Mr Okposo's profession on air excited me particularly because I had been nursing some concerns about the role of christians in the area of nation-building; how restricted the doctrines of Christ are to the four walls of church; how that the salt of christianity is nothing more than a cloak that hangs on the doors of church as a ritualistic garment of spiritual rites. It is unclear which one led to the other (the restriction or the ritual), but the result is that the term 'christian' does not make much meaning anymore. It is more fashionable than responsible to be one. Politics does not recognise the brand and society lacks respect for it. The mass media's solution to the somewhat inherent problem of the christian is to further restrict him/her by the creation of such groups as 'gospel music'.

The era of certain musicians being marked 'gospel artistes' because they are Christians is fast coming to an end. Even though some kinds of music are peculiar to church (hence the tag "church music"), it is hardly the music promoted by the musicians dubbed 'gospel artistes'. You are likely to find a 'gospel artiste' in almost as many genres that exist in music, so why must you tag them 'gospel artistes' and box them into a corner? Christianity is not a religion; it is a way of life. In that same way a Christian musician is first and foremost a christian, and he comes into the music scene to air his views, communicate his ideas and speak through the peculiar creativity that is his art. What that message is, should not determine what genre his music would be classified as. Afterall, if I choose to run for political office today, would a different office be created for me in the name of "gospel presidency"?!

The era we are gradually entering into is one where artistes who have a strong belief in issues such as upholding the value system in the country and the zero-tolerance of the new Nigerian spirit for corruption would raise their voices, unencumbered by categorisations or labels, and be forces to reckon with in the task of nation-building. The message of the gospel is to change lives and not be segregated!

Faith

Faith is more than what most of us think it is: it is more than a vague phenomenon that ‘christians’ hold on to. Faith is in fact the basis of Christianity.

Hebrew 11:6 speaks of first accepting God to be more than a concept, then acknowledging Him as the greatest authority and the ultimate ruler in the affairs of men. The seeker is then required to relate to the fact that God is just, so much so that He responds to and meets the needs of those who are committed to Him. This is the category of those whom the writer of the book of Hebrews qualifies as they that ‘please’ God.

Relating to God is first and foremost an act of faith. A regular feature problem is that most of us consider it a ‘religious act’ which basically makes us wear it as a cloak when we come into a ‘Christian gathering’ and take it off when we return to our real lives. For as long as we do this, the bible says it is impossible for us to please God.

Faith, which comes from hearing the word of God, is grown through a relationship with the person of the word. The more we know Him, the more revelation we have and the more our psyche is made alive to the God nature (II Cor 3:18, I Jh 3:2).

For faith to produce fruit, resonance needs to be established between the believer’s heart and the items of expectation. This points at the necessity for building up faith. Expectation, as a concept, is premised on knowledge: a pregnant woman is tagged ‘expecting’ because everyone can see her protruding stomach; a child expects a birthday gift from his/her parent because it is a tradition he has either seen at work or heard of. So it makes sense that one can only expect something he has benefitted from or can relate to. Little wonder then that the bible describes faith as an evidence of things not seen. How can you not see something yet claim to have an evidence of it! What exactly is this evidence? Answer: Faith.

In the same line of reasoning, if I am going to build faith enough to get something, then my faith needs to be fed in the line of my expectation. The people who were healed by Jesus knew about his healing power before they came to him. I would like to put it to you that those who got more than they had previously heard of had worked their expectation to the point of enjoying such benefits as they did and they were commended on having great faith.

Faith, the bible says, comes by hearing (sinking into one’s spirit the possibilities that exist in God and how far beyond man’s ways they are) and hearing the word of God. The aim is to transform the believer’s mind to the point where he can expect more than his human limitations, his seemingly insurmountable challenges and deep-seated mortal convictions. It follows then to say that in all it is, faith is also an attitude.

The dispensation that we have come to is one that demands that we put our mouths where our faith is. II Corinthians 4:13 puts it this way: the fact that we believe makes us to speak what we have believed. And since God’s angels obey the voice of His word, it is a must that we speak the word while putting on the attitude of faith.