Ogiri John Ogiri

By  Ogiri John Ogiri According to the Mobile version of Merriam Webster’s Dictionary (2019), apartheid is a former social system in South Africa in which black people and people from other racial groups did not have the same political and economic rights as white people and was forced to live separately from the white. The first time the word “apartheid” was used was in the 19 th century precisely around 1947.   It became more popular from then onward in the Southern African area when the occupying Dutch settlers introduced the policy in South Africa. The policy, among other things, established and encouraged deliberate segregation between the Dutch White settlers and indigenous black South Africans. For instance, some areas were solely reserved for white with other areas designated black areas. According to Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson in their Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy published in 2006 by the Cambridge University Press in New Yo...

Who are my true generals? My real generals are not those who become generals through quota system and political connections. No, it is not those who sit comfortably in the lavishness of luxury Defence offices in Abuja as well as in the comfort of their homes with their families far detached from the theatre of war. No it does not include the pot-belied military aristocrats in defence offices in the nation's capital of Abuj Photo credit: Fhipi On the other hand, my real generals are the brave men and women who put their lives on the line for the safety of our dear nation, denying themselves the comforts and conveniences of life. Under the sun and in the rain, they trudge on without trepidation. They are willing and able to obey the last order even if it implies payment of the supreme price- death. While we enjoy the luxury of sleeping in the warm embrace of our comfortable rooms; they lay out there in the dark only wrapped in the cold embrace of dunes and dew...

What an intelligent and unprejudiced rejoinder to a historical rubbish dressed in a garment of fact! That a person has his name prefixed with "pastor" does not automatically confer on such a person the prerogative of biblical knowledge. Find out where he got such knowledge on the Bible from. I was not disappointed at all by Mr Reno's so-called exposition of the truth about Catholicism and the Catholic Church titled "Some Facts About The First State Sponsored Church." On the  other hand, I was curiously impressed when I read his vitriolic assault on the Catholic Church few days ago. But, I had to rest in the conviction that whoever criticizes a religious practice of another religious body offers himself or herself as a convert waiting to be won if such a person can be lectured without sentiment about the truth. I think Mr Reno is trying to come back home but he just does not want to come without some hard convictions. Catholic Priests and Religious are always...

Polygamy in Africa Polygamy Several times,I have regurgitated over and over again on two diametrically-opposed anomalies in the church of today -Polygamy and gay union, particularly in the Western world. I have wondered why the one,polygamy, predominantly practised by Africans before the advent of the white colonialists and their Christian missionaries, should be denounced and passed as evil by the whites who brought us Christianity and the churches while its twin,Gay Union, is tolerated, elevated and applauded by the same whites in the church. In the US and Europe, Polygamy is discouraged while gay union is vigorously encouraged, pursued and promoted. In fact,it belongs in the public policy of many Western Nations today as a powerful determinant of how much aids the Less Developed Countries (LDCs) can get from them. The question is why? Which between the two can be more morally reprehensible and disgusting -Polygamy or gay union? Even the churches whose missionaries told ...

Becoming a good Christian,Muslim,Jew,Buddhist, Hinduist or traditionalist is simple: love God, love your neighbour and then do what you please knowing fully well that doing what you please will take cognizance of your love for God and your neighbour. This is my religion, outside which I have no other religion. I'm less concerned about all the hullabaloos about religious supremacy or the unnecessary fights for religious dominance by adherents of the various world's religions, which is at the heart of why we are so divided that we forget to love one another as God's children. Those who fight and kill for religious supremacy have no love for God; they only love power and influence. A true child of God will have so much love for God that he works to protect his or her neighbour from harm's ways.  The day we decide to abandon supremacism and enlist in the altruistic defence of humanity is the day we will find absolute internal peace. But as long as we still staunchly fight o...

The wind of change that swept across Europe in the 19th century was a consequence of the dawn of an age of enlightenment. Scientific discoveries by various scientists had ushered in new technological inventions that made the people of that era to begin to subject to serious intellectual scrutiny traditional beliefs and crude methods of doing things in a bid to understand why such beliefs and methods remained sustained. A need for change was therefore felt, ushering in a new e ra. Eventually, the great industrial revolution of the latter part of the 19th century (c.1760-1840) became the last thing that altered traditional thinking in the most fundamentally profound ways. For instance, the controversial theory of evolution and Darwinism was let loose by Charles Darwin in 1859, the steam engine by Thomas Newcomen in 1712, telegraph communications by Sir William Fothergill Cooke and Charles Wheatstone (1837), Dynamite invented by Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist, in the 1860s, William Guten...

We are all speaking up against the infamous court invasion and the controversial re-arrest of Sowore in court, not because we love Sowore (considering his role in bringing this government to power) but because we love our country. We are simply speaking up for the survival of the soul of our nation. If we do not speak up now that they have come for Sowore, there may be no one left to speak for us by the time they come for all of us.  Today,if we let this government get away with their deliberate affront on the rule of law, the backbone of any constitutional democracy, one day all of us will become the victims of the same abuse we may be allowing to fester and gather momentum by our conspired silence. This has little or nothing to do with APC or PDP. This is beyond party politics; it is about our nation.  In a constitutional democracy, the biggest threat to national security is not a call for revolution, but the deliberate disobedience to court verdicts and order. The most dang...

Mediocrity and stupidity are never a part of our directive principles of state's Policy as encapsulated in our constitution, (though imperfect it is). Yet, on a daily basis, Nigerians are inundated with tragic cases of shameful dramatizations of these stunting traits by some of those who are supposed to be giving us quality representations in government. And the fact that this government seems to be highly comfortable in elevating to higher offices individuals with these embarrassing traits leaves greater rooms for disappointment. Is Nigeria actually deficient in terms of knowledge? Have we so exhausted the finest pool of our highly educated individuals that we now have to fall back on drinking from the stream of daft, half-baked individuals masquerading as professionals in the current administration? Ours is an obvious case of a people blessed with an ocean but who still thirsts for water in winter. How did we stoop so low to mediocrity? How did we slip, very fast, into this nadir...

Several times,I have regurgitated over and over again on two diametrically-opposed anomalies in the church of today -Polygamy and gay union, particularly in the Western world. I have wondered why the one,polygamy, predominantly practised by Africans before the advent of the white colonialists and their Christian missionaries, should be denounced and passed as evil by the whites who brought us Christianity and the churches while its twin,Gay Union, is tolerated, elevated and applauded by the same whites in the church. In the US and Europe, Polygamy is discouraged while gay union is vigorously encouraged, pursued and promoted. In fact,it belongs in the public policy of many Western Nations today as a powerful determinant of how much aids the Less Developed Countries (LDCs) can get from them. The question is why? Which between the two can be more morally reprehensible and disgusting -Polygamy or gay union? Even the churches whose missionaries told Africans during their arrival between 184...

Our perceived enemies cannot exist beyond the boundaries of our imaginations and beliefs in their existence and omnipotence. Why stunt your growth and happiness with the crude belief that someone must be responsible for your life's challenges to the extent that you lose grip of your mind and powerful self. Unfortunately, two types of deities currently reign in Nigeria: the God who created man in his image and likeness and the one the Nigerian man has successfully created in his  image and likeness. The former is considered too merciful and slow in action while the former is seen to be a god of 'here and now', sharp-sharp god. Sadly, it is the latter god that we believe in and serve more than the former. My friends, identifying and understanding the god you serve will help you identify which pastor is for which God. That your pastor prays,fasts,speaks in, sometimes, unintelligible tongues, casts pre-conceived and imagined demons, healing "in the name of Jesus" does...

Many people don't hear from God anymore because they keep talking all the time. If you want to hear from God,you must learn to be silent. You can't be talking all the time and expect to hear from God at the same time.  If you want to pray,pray in the silence of your heart,crying and pouring your hearts to God as Hannah did. Prayers don't have to be noisy and violent for God to hear for he is not too deaf to hear you. Whenever you are around others, as you pray, remember they too have their rights to pray to God. Don't let your prayers become a distraction for them else you become uncharitable to others. Be charitable. Consider the other person too. Whenever you want to pray to God, just imagine for a moment if God was your physical father, the same father who gave birth to you, would you shout,commanding him to do something for you? If you need something from your earthly father, do you shout at him? Do you command him to do it? Do you go blabbing meaningless cacophonie...

I have been ruminating over this, that, if only we, Nigerians, read and understood Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, (the base subjects of technological innovation,) with the same fervour and frequency with which we read, understand and preach the Bible and the Qu'ran; if we spent our long nights doing researches the same way we spend them keeping vigils in religious houses; if we fought for development and good governance with the same motivations and united fronts with which we fight for our religions and politicians; if we built more industries and technological research centres than we build churches and mosques; if we gathered together and raised funds for the purpose of empowering at least five (5) entrepreneurs every week in every church and mosque more than we raise funds to build cathedrals and erect the most expensive mosque with the most towering minaret; the country would be better for it; the country would move to the top of the world's development table as a hig...

"A man who abhors or dreads encounters with challenges denies himself an opportunity to discover something new about himself and others. Life is about risk-taking but what is interesting about it is that, the more we take calculated risks,the more we make new discoveries about our capabilities and incapabilities as well as about others, and hence,the more experienced and wise we become to face tomorrow " -Ogiri John Ogiri

"Before you listen to anybody, first listen to yourself. What can you hear from you? Before you advise anyone,or take any advice from anyone, first advise yourself. Before teaching someone, first teach yourself. Before you can understand anyone, you must first understand yourself. Before loving someone,first love yourself.The reason is simple; you cannot give what you lack." -Ogiri John Ogiri (Culled from "How To Achieve Real Happiness in Life" unpublished by Ogiri John Ogiri.)

One fact so incontrovertible I have come to accept is that,there is no limitation for anybody who believes in God and in him or herself. To be a poor man is to be a pest;to be a rich man is to be a guest.If you want to put your hands on the arc of history of poverty and lack in your life and turn it towards success,then believe in yourself.Stop believing those who say you can't. Choose what you want out of life(make sure it's the right thing) and pursue it with untiring vigours.Make success your habit,practise it and get used to it.Orison Swett Marden wrote "The beginning of habit is like an invisible thread,but every time we repeat the act,we strengthen the strand,add to it another filament,until it becomes a great cable and binds us irrevocably,thought and act." Those who tell you that poverty is a virtue haven't been where you've been.Work hard,read and research hard until you find the answer and you will find the answer.Think right!

I have come observe that one of most latent reasons many leaders take to dictatorship is that they lack intellectual power to comprehend, defend,embrace and manage the dynamics,contradictions and fascinations of democracy. For these people, brutal dictatorship comes handy. A dictator is more impatient than a Democrat. A democrat is more likely to make concessions than a dictator is. A true democrat does not easily engage in buck-passing or play the blame game; instead, he admits his mistakes, acknowledges the severity of a national crisis, tells the people the truth about it while making frantic efforts to provide solutions. These attributes are almost unpopular with a dictator.

Perhaps, you were not born with a silver spoon in the mouth – you were born into a poor background - where you are faced with many discouraging realities, enormous problems and overwhelming challenges, or may be, you were born into a wealthy background, but one characterized by challenges such as broken homes and marriages, crumbling sources of financial resources and certain other general insecurities. The question is this; what are you doing to change this situation? Do you, like the major character in the above story, fold your hands and do nothing necessary to change it or like the fishermen, you swing into action to change the situation for the better?When some people find themselves in a challenging situation or background, they think to themselves “I can’t change anything. There is nothing I can do about it” and then they resign to fate and self-pity. But let us be honest;do you think you can do something to change that situation by resigning to fate and self-pity either? ...

I WISH THEY KNEW by Ogiri John Ogiri I wish the APC-led federal government knew that Nigeria as a country is not as strong and united today as it was before 1967. I wish the federal government knew that any policy encouraging domination of one ethnic group by another is inimical to the very unity it seeks to promote. I wish the federal government knew that 1804 is not 2019. I wish they knew that many Nigerians have become more knowledgeable and wiser than they were before 1967. I wish the federal government knew that if many Nigerians had known then what they know and see now, Biafra would have succeeded. I wish the government and those formulating divisive policies knew that no one nation can conveniently survive two civil wars and still remain the same. I wish the federal government knew that the structure forced on us in 1914 is now faulty and currently yearns for restructuring, and that, unless we restructure now, we can not avoid the danger of bursting one day. I wish the...

Peace-keeping Intervention in Liberia By Ogiri John Ogiri INTRODUCTION Since the end of the cold war (1948-1989), states and international organizations have repeatedly engaged in Peace-keeping, peace-building and peace-making to help solve international and intra-national problems (Dawson, 2004) One of the countries which has witnessed protracted intra-national conflicts in Africa is Liberia. Liberia has had Peace-keeping intervention in the course of her civil war years. Hence the choice of the country for this discussion. Liberia’s civil war began in 1989. Though most violence ended in 1997, renewed clashes in 2003 drew international attention, and led to the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force to the country. An estimated 150,000 people – one in twenty Liberians – died in the conflict. The fighting involved widespread killing and rape of civilians and forced recruitment of child soldiers. From Liberia’s founding in 1847, its politics were dominated by Ame...