Must you listen to your ego?

Must you listen to your ego?

Between your ego and integrity, which one should you choose?

What reply do you always give if you are asked how you are doing? Do you know that your answer most likely is a program?

Please know today that human beings are programmed!

So the question is: Who programmed you?
It's either you or whoever you give the power directly or indirectly to do so.

But then,

There is this program found in many of us (if not all), and ever since I have discovered it in me, i have been rewriting the program to what i think is better.

This limiting program is what i called "Selfish conclusion"

Sometimes, i wonder if you don't know that as human, Jumoke operates on a complex program of which is uneasy to decode. Why then do you conclude easily?

If you think you don't need Jumoke the bread seller at all (anymore) and so you throw cold shoulder, one day, her Ty Bello will discover her and you may be surprised to see her at the height you dreamt of attaining!

I was wondering if I wouldn't have taken Jumoke for granted if i had met her when she was selling bread. Although, it's not me really but it's because i am programmed.

What a limiting program it is ....

Hear this,

Everyone has the potential to become great. So will you try to stop taking people from granted?

Rather, will you remove that 'selfish conclusion' program?

Think about this!!!

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This is IWAYA: concluding Episodes

This is IWAYA

Episode 10

What i know is that, though it is not easy, but it is not impossible. We will continue to cast our votes for our own person until our votes count.

Thank God voter’s card registration is still out. We must make this happen and we must now.

 We must get our PVC now because YOUTHS MUST TAKE OVER!”

(This got a new trend on social media. The youths took it up; every one of them with the hash tag ‘#YouthMustTakeOver’.

 They took the bold step to register for their voter’s card. Some young adults joined them and this was gaining more attention.


Iwaya voters card registration

“This is where you start seeing the problem. This is my life and i can choose to live it the way i like but then, i have rights and one of them is to vote and to be voted for. And in case you have forgotten, nobody will pay me for voting or will they? Who are the they? I am just trying to exercise my rights and so i want to vote. Even with the little time i have for myself, i still have to squeeze out time to register for my voters card,  only to get to the center at 8o’clock in the morning and find a large crowd (pregnant women, old, physically challenged and young ones). At that time of the morning, i can already see 1234 number of people on the list and the most annoying thing is that, they have just two people registering. Can I be that patient to wait? Something that they will not give me money for, why should i kill myself on it? Something that even after my stress to get this and that, my vote will not still count, then why bother? Is this not Iwaya? (He hissed). If not for those stupid bank people, why will i even bother myself again? See, i logout! I will register later” PhilipBet and so many youths couldn’t stop facing this. PhilipBet was already loosing hope of registering; “if i get a place with less crowd, i will register” he said to his friend who asked him about his PVC.

Truly, he did get a center with less crowd and this was because people didn’t know about center that much.

So happy to hear that there is a center with less crowd, PhilipBet got up as early as possible the next day to get registered. He got there at around 8am and truely, there was no crowd this time. He was the number 14 to write the name on the list. So joyous, he took his phone and started telling as many as possible to come make use of this opportunity and many young ones turned up that day.

The officials came in at around nine (9am) and put up some serious actions to show how serious they were. But for about three hours, they didn’t call anyone in. All we were told was that they were updating their system. What can we do? We waited until they were done updating.
12 noon, the updating was updated but they shocked us with a news.

Episode 11

“we couldn’t finish registering those that came yesterday and we promised them that they will be the first to register today, so we will be starting with them” an official came telling us this.

 It was really true as some of them bore witness. “we are just about 20 or thereabout” one of them said.

What can we do? We allowed them get theirs done first.

At around 2pm, our number one hasn’t been called still. How can we explain this? So we got up and questioned them only for us to know that they have been doing dubious works calling in their candidate.  “How can just 20 people have .... “ we questioned. We raised our voice. We protested; we started aluta but then, they changed the story. They said:

“ Afterall, this is IWAYA town, if you are not from this town,you cannot register. We must first attend to OUR PEOPLE” they said.

We protested the more and after much shouting and vibrations, they started number one by 3pm and they couldn’t do much because they were closing by 5pm.

“Thank God i had mine done that day. The lady behind me later told me that she couldn’t finish her registration because the laptop switched off while she was registering” PhilipBet said jokingly to his friend Chisom.

Imagine, where do we start fighting this political demon when even PVC registration is painted black? How can the number 14th person on the list have himself registered in the evening? Do you now see we need a fresh blood to lead Iwaya?  As for me, as long i am still being called PhilipBet, i believe in a new Iwaya and i will make it happen. What about you?

Fifteen years down the line

"PhilipBet at last! PhilipBet at last! PhilipBet at last!"
All over the social media. Everyone joyfully twittering others sharing.

The young and old; the rich and the incumbent rich, male and female cannot stop shouting for joy about the success of the result of the just concluded election. If you call it battle, you are taking it for granted because it was actually a war.

Even in streets, you will see people drumming and dancing, free transportation was possible that day. So IWAYA people can be so generous? Someone even celebrated this day by tracking a long distance you can ever imagine to wish the incoming governance well. What a spirit! The excitement is really at its peak

"I really appreciate everyone for this great step taken. It is now that my dream came through and this is the first battle i fight and i will eventually win. Though it almost happened again that we almost lost this, but thanks to every citizen who fight for what they want. At first, i challenged a lecturer for failing me but instead of getting a better result i deserved, i was punished and later, i got to realize that the so called lecturer paid his way to win- the power of money in a country blindfolded by corruption. But then, as from that day, the lecturer didn't fail any student again. So let me say i pay the price for a better result.

Secondly, i contested for the student union president and i won but on the day of my inauguration, i was denied what was mine. It was later i discovered that the main reason for this was because the cultist who came visiting me and i rejected their request went ahead to threaten the school management and they couldn't help but to look for a legal reason to disqualify me coupled with the fact that most of those lecturers don't want me in too. So i lost that duty to my running mate. But then, this birthed a journey to a new IWAYA. We started a journey because of this 15years ago and now, we are reaping what we've sown.

I didn't know where the strength came from. Even in the midst of several opposition, i had this strong motivation.
As the elected President of IWAYA, i pledge allegiance to the great IWAYA that we will take this country to our dream land. If we can come this far, we can go that far!!!

PhilipBet: is it easy?
People of IWAYA : not at all
PhilipBet: but is it impossible?
People of IWAYA: still not at all

The END

We will like to hear from you the lessons you gained and conclusions drawn from this story.

 Use any of the links above as a medium o reaching out to us.
Thanks for reading! More varieties coming your way.

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This is IWAYA: Episode 8 & 9

This is IWAYA

Episode 8

“I welcome you all to this great occasion. It is this day that my dream come true. While i was young, my belief about everything was different but most of it were not accepted in this society and that made me sad.

 But today, seeing a young generation now taking the bold step to achieve what used to be my dream gladdens my heart and i must say a very big well done to PhilipBet for making this happen.

 Because of this, now i believe we can have a better Iwaya and you have my support anytime. (All the students cheer him and some others including PhilipBet gave him a standing ovation)

Now into the inauguration, there is no doubt that the winner of the election for the student union government goes to PhilipBet but a news got to me lately concerning the eligibility of a person to represent the student of which PhilipBet has bridged.

He had issues with the school which was his sole disqualification for the post.

 I am not happy about this but we have to follow the rules and i know he himself love to stick to the rules.

Therefore, by the power vested on me, backed up by the evidence available to me.

I declare Lucky Oriyomi the student union president.
You are now going to say this after me....” 
as he was about to land, the students begin protest and will not listen despite the intervention of the mobile forces.

So PhilipBet walked up to the VC and asked him for his permission to say something to his fellow students if it will help to calm the auditorium. Immediately, he was granted his request.

“My people (there was an echo immediately in the hall. Everyone shouting and vibrating in one voice that:

Episode 9

‘this is our man. We want him. We no go gree o.. we no go gree..’)... 

My people, i love you all and thanks for the support thus far but you definitely know that a tree cannot make a forest. If the law has disqualified me, the law hasn’t disqualified the spirit within each and every one of us and that is  most important.

We have others in the government who are ready to do this. So let’s not kill the spirit. We can still make this happen!

Just like the water poured in a hot dry pot, they stop protesting and start grumbling. What can they do again? After all, this is Iwaya.

 Silent discussions going on between them
 “Who knows maybe they have bribed him or maybe they have threatened him. If not, how come will he have to succumb so soon and it’s not as if he had been told before now.

How can someone who got my courage back be tamed just like this? We must do something about this”.

Chisom took up his phone, got typing. “It’s time to start a social media campaign” he said

“Hi guys, can’t we see that we couldn’t get what we wanted even after all our effort to choose our candidate? Sometimes, i tend to ignore our common slang ‘this is Iwaya’ because i thought that if we make our decision, we can get what we want but then, now i see that it’s not really easy like that.

I think the problem is really from the top or what do you think? So if we must fight this, we need to vote in our own candidate. We need to get to that top. But then, how do we get there? Even the small one here in our school, they manipulated us, let alone the real one. How can we now achieve this?

Watch out for the concluding Episodes

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This is IWAYA: Episode 5 to 7

This is IWAYA

Episode 5, 6 & 7

If i may ask; who are those that are supposed to vote, the lecturers or the students?
If he has the backup of the students who have the power and right to elect their leader, what else does he need? If the students make up their minds to make it possible, can it still be impossible? “But this is Iwaya where anything is possible”
....

“Mr Phil, we are who you don’t want to know. We are here to get the sacrifices for peace. Fine you haven’t been elected as the student union president but it’s so glaring to us that you will definitely win. We will support you but we want to let you know that we have our dues and it’s a fixed percentage of the SUG fees. So we are here to let you know and then show ourselves to you” they stood akimbo while ‘Skipo-the number one’ adjusted his colourful beret; his face looking gentle and cool-gentle like lion.

“My people, i understand all you said and i had been informed that you will come. I love peace and i definitely want peace for all the students in school. I am ready to do anything that will promote peace in as much it is documented and accepted by the law.

 Look, i am a representative here and my duty is to manage our resources well enough that i will be transparent to all and that is what we are lacking in Iwaya. I am ready to actualize what you have asked for, if we can get it into the law but will you want to take that step? Can we even buy peace? I love your courage.

Episode 6

I am ready to actualize what you have asked for, if we can get it into the law but will you want to take that step? Can we even buy peace? I love your courage.

If there is anything i will like to pay for or give you money for, then it will be human feeling. As soon as i am in, i will definitely follow the law and i hope you understand me guys” PhilipBet explained to them. They all shook his hands and left without saying anything. He thought for a while and fear engrossed him before he finally altered that “it’s not easy to put your integrity over everything”

Election came and passed by, but just as always in Iwaya, the number of voters who voted that day was more than the number of students of the school not to even talk about those that are eligible to vote. Those that registered and are eligible to vote were just about fifty percent of the total population of the students-you must wonder why just half of the total is eligible?

How do we describe people who want change but are not ready to stand for it? They are the ones that said that the problem of their society is their leaders but refuse to stand for the right leader. Instead, they stand aloof and do nothing. Oh!! Sorry; they actually do something-they complain and will find excuses for everything. After all, this is Iwaya.

But this time, the support was strong. Even after pouring black into white, the white still ends up the winner-probably with a narrow escape; PhilipBet won the election. The story of the school is about to change for better for the students. The journey started immediately but will officially kick start after their inauguration.

 The vibrant ‘President to be’ couldn’t wait for that. He has started typing letters that will be disbursed to some sections of the school.
One of his letters was the one written to the security section of the DSA concerning the frequent harassment of students which is shown below:

....

Episode 7

Good day sir. I trust you are doing well. I really want to appreciate all your efforts to curb our excesses as students in terms of dressing and attitude. The punishments and other things you did have really helped us but just as you know, it is normal that we the students will not see it as a good thing now.

But sir, don’t you think some of these securities misuse this power? 

A quick example i experienced was on a sunny afternoon, i was passing through the main gate, the security guard on duty stopped a student and asked him to go back home to comb his hair. The student explained that he combed it but his hair is hard and easily get rough and that he planned to cut the hair after his lectures. The security insisted he goes back home and that if he makes any complain again, he will slap him,of which he can do. He drove him away like a goat.

What do you think about this sir? I will be glad to hear from you soon about it sir.

We want to learn manners from you but we want to learn it in the right way and not like a goat is being taught.  

Yours Faithfully
PhilipBet
SUG president

.....

The joy on the student’s face, the confidence growing again. The power of letting the pain go, after being drained, caned by lecturers who are disdain-probably they are insane or they are just a little lain. The students are ready to stand for their right-many came present on the inauguration day.

The securities present that day were so much and of different categories; the students wonder why they need all of that for a small event like this.

 Rumours were spreading so fast about this and that but who is ready to listen? All their mind is in the new administration, ‘fearless’.

 They were all required to be searched before entering the hall and they all yielded.

The old three-legged professors,the vice chancellor walked up to the stage and gave an Iwaya speech.

Of course this is IWAYA in as much he hasn't been announced anything can still happen. So watch out for the next Episode.

Episode 8.. Watch out

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This is IWAYA: Episode 4

This is IWAYA

Episode 4

While at home, instead of getting sad and angry with himself, he decided to use that period to learn something different from his course of study.

 He was surfing the internet when he saw a news headline that goes thus, “News reaching us now that a sum of five hundred million dollars was washed away by flood yesterday at the finance minister’s office and they haven’t been able to locate whereabouts”

“How on earth will i believe this? How can they put such a huge amount in an office? How will rain wash it away?” PhilipBet couldn’t stop asking questions no one else could answer except the minister of finance of Iwaya who gave the report. “I think I have gotten what I want to use my time for-POLITICS!” He jumped up from his bed and went straight to the kitchen to have some cassava flakes (Garri Ijebu) with chilled water.

By the time he was going back to school after a semester, he had learnt a lot about the political instability of Iwaya.  He knew about the four pillars of Iwaya-the old giants who indirectly ruled the city and did so many atrocities without being punished. He was ready to take over from them and stop all this corruption of a thing. He was ready to start from school. He got his bags and set to go back to school.

“Chisom, please don’t tell anybody what i want to tell you now. I want to contest for SUG president in my year four and i am sure that i will win” that was the first thing PhilipBet told his friend after hugging him as he arrived school.
......

By the time he was leaving year three going to his final year, he obtained the form and he started his campaign as an aspirant for the president of the student union government, popularly known as SUG.

 He had an opponent who happened to be the son of the DSA-Directorate of Student’s Affair-Lucky Oriyomi.

 “I thought education was to make us literate but how is it that we are becoming illiterates? I thought it should add more to our knowledge but what it provides is packaged ignorance. Every student here is scared of one thing or the other in this school. Some are scared of getting failed by lecturers who want to have sex with them. Others are scared of saying the right thing because he just doesn’t want fail. The other time i tried challenging a lecturer for giving me a lower grade; i had enough advice to pull out by both students and other lecturers because of ‘fear’ of the lecturer. Though i didn’t win, but it was glaring to all that i won just like the Presidential aspirant then- Abiola. I was punished and served my punishment term but that never discouraged me neither did it stop me. While serving my punishment, i learnt a new thing-POLITICS.

 I conquered fear, i got punished for it but through it, i learnt what i wouldn’t have learnt in my life time.

How then are we going to be the future leaders if all we are taught in the so called institution is how to be scared of one powerful person because of his/her position? Even when we get out there, these old people control all the sectors, leaving none to us. They bastardize everything and make us write as many application letters to companies before we can finally get a job that will majestically want to pay less-with all our first classes.

My campaign is this, if we must take over what is ours, if we must get to the top of that ladder, we must first kill every unnecessary fear and we must start from here. It is a fight to curb fear and embrace courage-in regard of this, if you elect me as your student union president, you and i will create a voice for ourselves right in this school without violence but with the law. Our education must be without fear! Great Iwaya students! I remain your loyal boy. Thank you” PhilipBet rendered his manifesto with passion in his voice.

The students couldn’t help but to support him based on his manifesto and his integrity. They believed him and will definitely support him but then he has lost the support of lecturers-if not all, definitely most of them. Also, the DSA will also be supporting their candidate who happened to be the son their leader.
So, he has the support of the students only. But is that to his favour?

Watch out for Episode 5

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This is IWAYA: Episode 3

This is IWAYA

Episode 3

They wanted their share of the child and so they decided to give him the name PhilipBet.

On the day of delivery, just as God will have it, the rain-sun event happened again. This was a great sign to Philip and Betty and so they decided to take care of PhilipBet with all they've got; to give him the best mental education.
......

At age nine, PhilipBet was already gaining attention in the city of Iwaya. He became the overall best student of his class. He is not just brilliant, he is a genius. He has a mentality different from the average people of iwaya. He always challenged their beliefs and ready to prove them wrong.

“Didn’t you know that you cannot have an ‘A’ in Professor Ugo’s course? For him to give you a ‘B’ is a miracle and you need to share testimony in church. I remembered he said that ‘A’ is for him, ‘B’ is for his wife and the rest are for us or have you forgotten? If i had a ‘B’ in that course, i will be the happiest person that day because it is impossible to have that. So my friend, you better be happy with it. Don’t even try to call for your script or else, you want to be the enemy of the school. You know he is the most respected lecturer and his colleagues do fear him. So who are you to challenge what he does?” Chisom advised PhilipBet

Hearing this got PhilipBet angry and so he walked straight to his course adviser’s office to ask for the procedures to call for one’s script. He was so sure of what he has written and he is ready to prove his friend wrong-at least to break that mentality.

Mr Kenny-the course adviser-tried to talk him out of calling for his script by telling him how dangerous it is but he has made up his mind to do so. He even got more reasons to do so when Mr Kenny said almost the same thing Chisom said.

“What kind of fear has this man built in people so much that they are scared to do their right-the right thing. All of them will always conclude their fearful state with this annoying sentence ‘this is Iwaya and not America’ and i wonder, “what can i do about this” PhilipBet was caught in this deep thought.

The information got to his Dean and he was called upon. The dean also adviced him to withdraw the letter stating the same reasons but he still insisted and finally he got what he wanted.

As Mr Kenny, Chisom and the Dean has rightly said, the manipulation was done. The Prof changed the marking scheme and also bribed with the external interventions. Though while the investigation was going on, it was clear without reasonable doubt that PhilipBet was right but then ‘this is Iwaya’

He still didn’t want to accept. He was left with no choice but to face the music.

Though, he was not able to prove his friend and others wrong through winning the case. He was not able to remove the fear from them, but he was able to build same fear in the Prof and other lecturers in the school.

 He couldn’t get the ‘A’ for himself, but other sets after him had an ‘A’ and more good grades in the Prof Course.

He was rusticated for one semester as the punishment for his action.

What will he do at home?
Is he planning to sue the school? Is he going to just accept the punishment?

Episode 4 will tell us.

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This is IWAYA;Episode 2

This is IWAYA!

Episode 2

‘Professor’ as people do call Philip was a genius and the top of his class. He wasn’t just brilliant; he was also a good teacher who loves to teach others.

On this day, Betty and her friends were supposed to go to Philip’s house for extra lesson, but they chose to attend a birthday party instead. Betty came alone and was taught to her understanding. After few hours of studying, she was saturated and decided to go home. She thanked Philip and hugged him for the great help-she was happy to hug her crush.

She left and was heading home but in about a few Kilometers away from Philip’s house, the shining sky began to pour heavily. Betty looked for a shed around but couldn’t find and so she finally decided to go back to where she was coming from. She was already drenched and was running to prevent her valuables from been soaked too.

About a stone throw to get in, she slipped and fell. Her white shirt got stained and her jean trouser was nothing to write home about. She stood up immediately and rushed in to the room.

Philip was surprised seeing her like that and he quickly helped her with her bag.

“You need to change your dresses” Philip said.
Betty knew that that will be a problem because she always needs an assistance to pull off her trousers. While she was thinking on how to explain to him, Philip brought out a pair of shirt, trouser and a wrapper for her. He left the room and was waiting for her in the balcony.

Betty removed her top and inners and used the wrapper and was still battling with the trousers at the neck of her legs.

 After a while, she called on Philip to help her out. In about two minutes, he was able to remove one leg and while on the second leg, Betty was struggling to force it out forgetting that she was tying a wrapper. The wrapper loosened and Philip’s eye fed. The chemistry was activated and the beginning was begun.

After the deed had been done, she got dressed and left for home without saying a word. At every point they met thereafter, they both started misbehaving -i guess the shock was still on them.

Exactly three weeks after, Betty confirmed she was pregnant and she rushed to Philip’s house to inform him. They both concluded to abort it but one part of them didn’t want to. She tried using pills but didn’t work and after a while both of them took up the courage and was ready to keep the undying baby- this was because the hidden love between them was professed. 

It was really uneasy for them to keep the child. The pressure and frustration from family and friends was enough to discourage them but instead, the love between them grew bigger.

What will they do now?

Watch out for episode 3

You don't wanna miss what will happen next

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This is IWAYA; episode 1

This is IWAYA

Episode 1

Echoes! Energy! Courage! Movement!

Crowd! Voices! Unity! Passion!

Everybody is dressed in white stained in strategic places. The echo was musical in call and response; sonorously shouting:

Call: Is it easy?

Response: not at all.

Call: but is it impossible?

Response: still not at all.

The whole of Iwaya was saturated with this movement. Even if you were sleeping on that day as at that time, you will definitely be dreaming about it.

The four line strategy has driven the lazy lads to do what seems impossible. The question then is?

• How were they able to overcome the undying godfathers?

• How come the dubious work of the manipulators didn’t work?

• How on earth will the prescription from elders fail?

How?

“Truly, it is really a call to action; a unity with purpose, a fight to finish!” PhilipBet whispered to his wife as they celebrate their victory
......

ANALEPSIS

Just at about 2 o’clock in the afternoon, the shining sun was graced with rain. The rain couldn’t wait for the sun to pack up and as we were told, we believed a lioness is giving birth

Though this time, it was not the birthing of a lion that coincide with this sun-rain event, but it was the making of a man like lion-the day the special spermatozoa hit the fortunate egg.

The love story of Philip and Betty yielded fruit on this day. Though they both called it a mistake but God knows it was a needed mistake. It was actually business mathematics that landed into romance which moves further to what birthed PhilipBet. Was it really mathematics?

Watch out for the next episode coming up soon.

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