Masculinity and Feminism in Perspective: 

After a refreshing service that Sunday, I rushed back to my room to prepare a typical student's rice (without meat of course, who meet epp? Hehehehe).
Just as I switched off the burner, ready to munch my hastily prepared delicacy, a heavy knock on the door interrupted the activity. It couldn't had been Bro.C (my usual Sunday visitor, always on time...hehehe), his usual gentle knock left me confused on the identity of the person behind the door.

I was bewildered as I opened the door, two hefty men each with AK 47 riffle gun. I immediately felt a movement in my body, from my head, through my chest down to my legs (a fainting procedure...). I came back to 'life' when one of them flashed his police ID card.
I followed them (like a sheep to the slaughter) alongside three other occupants of the hostel located at Okpuno, Awka. As I saw their van with the inscription: Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), I Wondered what my crime was.

As we proceeded to an undisclosed station, I noticed a white Mercedes Benz 240 C-class trailing our path and direction. I just guessed he would be the complainant. But my worry remains 'what did we do'? The police refused to answer us and the only guy that attempted resisting arrest bleed till we got to the Station. The rest of us had to learn from example (SARS police no dey smile).

Fast forward to the Station:  at Area command police station, they collected our items (phones, wrist watches, clothes etc) we were left with only boxers. Without any interrogation, we were asked to enter the cell, a monster in me was erupted as I heard the word 'cell' (a previous despicable cell experience with a very serious unfortunate situation replayed on my head).

I demanded to see the Divisional Police Officer (D.P.O) at once. When they blatantly refused, I started speaking grammar....shouting and lamenting until a higher officer appeared, I later learnt that he was the District Crime Officer (D.C.O) of the station. I introduced myself, and went ahead and narrated the situation that culminated to our predicament. I added some other ingredients to the narrative in order to engage his emotions ( I didn't lie ooh...lol). But the first thing I demanded from the D.C.O was to tell us our crime.

He consulted the team that arrested us, and came up thus:

That we stole a pair of leather slippers belonging to a man who was said to have visited his girlfriend in our hostel. True to my thoughts, the slippers belonged to the man who drove the white Benz C class.

Chai, I was weakened by that unserious accusation.

The said 'leather slippers' was valued at #10,000 (about #50,000 in today's Buhari economy...lol)
My narrative to the D.C.O only secured us waiver from being cast into the cell. He latter disappeared into thin air, leaving no trace of his whereabouts.

The police insist that we pay for the slippers and an additional #5000 per head for bail.(highest level of injustice. Chai, life can be hard sometimes).

A friend and mentor later showed up and engaged them in war of words for the next two hours. Thanks to him, we were released at about 7.00pm that Sunday.

In retrospect, I analyzed thus:

1. We were over 40 occupants in the hostel of which 80% were female. But when SARS came to arrest suspects, they went for guys (Men)

2. Apart from the fact that I seriously believed that a 'jealous' girl stole the 'leather slippers. I wondered the rationale behind the polices' decision to arrest guys whose room were very far from the 'host' room at which the slippers was stolen from.

3. Why would crime always be associated to male gender?

Last week, I wrote a small article on the increasing negative influence of female feminists' (with the aid of their social media influence) on our girls.
In case you missed it, read up by clicking on the link below
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1924427617573588&id=100000191047882

The post generated different reactions both on the comment section and on my inbox. The average opinion points that feminism is all about 'equality' and fairness' to our women. Some went ahead to enumerate the misdoings and unfair treatment meted on our ladies, depriving them some certain rights and privileges.
I quite agree with them, I sympathize with them and I vehemently sermonize 'fairness' to all genders.

Masculinity comes with its challenges too. Against the popular believe that 'its a mans world' I wish to point out that its not all rosy for 'men'.
A teenage boy will sacrifice his strength to protect his sisters and sustain various forms of injury. If he fails to do that, the society deems him a boy girl

Daily, police arrest innocent 'men' for the crime they didn't commit. Their only crime is 'cos God created them 'male'.
Alot of them have even given their lives to it. You can imagine how many men that have been incarcerated due to indiscriminate arrest made on the streets in Nigeria just because they belong to that 'endangered' specie .

In as much as I don't want to over bloat the men narrative, I just want to emphasis that each gender comes with its challenges. Our society sometimes aren't always fair to either of the gender, we should always learn to contain the ill treatment the society presents while we anticipate a corrective measure to be effected.

African culture is rich with biased gender sentiments, no doubt.

‘Gender equity may not be in the mind of our ancestors when they structured our society, no doubt.

But, they may have gotten a clue from the Bible: when God spoke to Eve
 . . . and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee (Gen.3:16b)

Thank you.

#myopinion

© Ezekute, I.A

FROM A FIRE BRAND CHRISTIAN TO AN ATHEIST: EMMANUEL's STORY

He held his dying father in his arms, he prayed fervently for a healing miracle, he made a vow to forever dedicate his life to the service of God if He intervenes in his father's situation.
He laboured in the place of prayer for about three months, he fasted through out the period, he was shuttling between the hospital and the church, the pastor and top power blazers in the prayer wing were daily interceding on his behalf.
He's full of faith, mustard seed is but a small fraction of the size of his faith.
Bills were pilling up, daily routine drugs were so costly that his pocket appeared like a desert land, his SME business has suffered tremendously to a point that there's nothing left. Thank God for friends and family that still support.

On that fateful day, the surgery was successful. The dim light at the end of the tunnel has started glowing. He called brethren for a high powered prophetic praise, it was all full of testimonies. What an awesome God he exclaimed.
The hospital bill amounted to #800,000. Brethren gathered up to #400,000. He wasn't perturbed about the balance, for him, his father is going to live. That's all that mattered. Otito diri Jisus, Praise God.

Two days later, he went to Aba in bid to offset the bill, his uncles promised to help, he's confident of one thing, that's he's coming back to Awka with the complete money. True to their words, his uncles complied, what a joyous day for him, faithful God, he quipped!!
He didn't notice the recklessness of the driver, he was just humming and praising God with songs through his journey back, he picked up his phone that has been in his pocket to call his only sister and to hear his father's voice once more, he was consequently interrupted with an SMS from same sister, oh, the spirit is one, he muttered. The text read, 'FATHER IS DEAD'

He was blank for the next 30minutes of the journey, a typically example for the biblical description, 'and the earth was without form and void'. He lost touch with the material world until he saw the mortician working on his father's body. Oh Gooooooooooood where art thou, he screamed with a loud voice. He was led out of the mortuary, brethren were apt in their consoling response.
They sang praises, shared words of encouragement, prayed fervently, but Emmanuel was just full of eyes, filled with misery and was totally disconnected from the reality on ground.

A month later, burial rites has been concluded, he trekked to Pastor Ike's residence, walked up to him,  looked him in the face and asked, My name is Emmanuel, meaning, 'God with us' kedu ebe Chukwu ahu no?, where is the God? Pastor Ikechukwu aptly brought out his bible, started searching the scriptures, Emma dropped a heavy sigh and left. That was the last time he was seen in the church premises.

Days passed,
Weeks passed,
Months followed,
Even years....

Bro. Emmanuel has become an atheist. Full blown one!!!

He knows the scriptures.
He quotes Paul's epistles.
He sings the psalms.
He still loves ecclesiastical matters.

But he doesn't believe in God.

Emmanuel fought hard, but he lost.
Emmanuel lost touch with God.
Emmanuel lost the battle of the mind.

Emmanuel has no idea that sometimes, Gods blessings are not in what He gives; but in what He takes away. He knows best.

No wonder Joyce Meyer said, "battles are fought in our minds every day. When we begin to feel the battle is just too difficult and want to give up, we must choose to resist negative thoughts and be determined to rise above our problems. We must decide that when we're bombarded with doubts and fears, we must take a stand and say: 'I will never give up! God's on my side, He loves me, and He's helping me! I'm going to make it!'".

For the Emmanuels' in our society today, 'BE ENCOURAGED'

FRIENDS, LET'S NOT GIVE UP ON THEM.

WE MUST CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THEM!

Its going to be well...

#basedonatruestory
#wordoffaith

Ezekute, I.A ©

KEEP FEMINISM AT A BAY

I tapped her on the shoulder, pointing at a cooler of Nigerian jellof rice. she immediately whispered to my ear, 'I will not share the food, I should be served just like any other guy seated here'.
I wasn't surprised though, owing to her recent indoctrination to the biased feminist movement.
One week later, she demanded I help her lift a 25kg bag of rice she bought down the street.
I smiled, whispered to her ears, 'I have two hands, you have got same, or didn't they teach you that in your class?' She opened her mouth in amazement. I helped her still (as nwa chineke) but I guess she got the message.

That's  how a well trained girl with a wonderful mother will come to Facebook and have her mindset deprogrammed by the so called female media influencers.

This decade has witnessed an upsurge of hardcore feminist, who  will stop at nothing until they turn all our ladies against the societal norms. These social media 'celebrities' have become so influential that subtly they have penetrated the hearts of our girls making mockery of the value system enshrined in their hearts and the labours of their mothers.

Someone will now think that am tending towards male chauvinism, hell no!! My close friends will tell you how I encourage young girls to engage actively in entrepreneurial and creative venture capable of making them financially independent.
I tell them that men are not superior to them but there's this unique leadership role bestowed on men by divinity which they should esteem.
I also inform them that Africa has a biased cultural value in favour of 'men', which validates the outcry for women emancipation, but they should not masquerade their effort with a gender switch.
I tell them that women are stronger than men, that they should not seek equality when they possess an admirable strength.
I don't mean physical muscle or the strength in their tongue, but in terms of endurance, tolerance and managerial skills.

My dear female friends, do not heed to the deception flying around which is fast turning you against the society. Be informed that most of the proponents of this ideology are casualties of 'war', instead of  going through the normal healing process, they took to social media to infect our unsuspecting girls.
I will talk about this 'war' later.

They will tell you that men are trash but could it be that their sexual orientation are quite unnatural?
Feminism is not entirely bad, but keep those extremist tendencies at bay. Take charge of your life and don't allow the labours of our mothers to be in vain.

Be guided!!!

#myopinion

Ezekute, I.A ©