Ogiri John Ogiri

By Ogiri John Ogiri. There is a reason I love the public universities, Polytechnics and Colleges particularly the federal government-owned institutions. Honestly, it is difficult for any student to graduate with a first class degree or diploma without working hard and showing sufficient academic and intellectual justifications for such an award. I graduated from Kaduna Polytechnic with a distinction a few years ago. I knew how hard it was getting that grade. As a public institution, Kaduna Polytechnic ensured that every student provided sufficient proofs of intellectual cum academic capabilities to justify that he or she was worth every single mark one obtained. So I was made to work hard for whatever grade I eventually got.  I literally burned my midnight candles all through, read voraciously every academic material or literary work I ever came into contact with, held free tutorial classes with my course mates and other like-minded students and contemporaries just to s...

By Ogiri John Ogiri Good leadership, accountability, transparency and respect for the rule of law and due process have been identified by political scientists as fundamental indices for evaluating the existence or otherwise of good governance in any political system. Now let me explain. Leadership is the art/process of motivating and influencing group behaviour towards achieving some specific, well-defined, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely goals in line with the overall interest of the majority of the public. A good leader should be accountable, transparent as well as show genuine respect for the rule of law and due process. To be accountable is to be responsible. For me, accountability is responsibility. To be able to offer good governance, a good leader should be able to account for his or her actions and accept responsibility for both success and failure. A good leader should not engage or be seen to engage in blaming others or past administrations for his or her embarra...

By Ogiri John Ogiri One positive consequence of a profound, unbiasedly robust intellectual intercourse on controversial topics is that perspectives hitherto considered paradoxical or absurd are understood better within the boundaries of their own contexts in which they are situated.  In such academic fora, statements of paradox are espoused as theses so that participants, divorced from shackles of sentiments or stereotyped mindsets, can, in uninhibited academic freedom, make informed, logical submissions either to reject or accept the proposed thesis. Let us not shy away from having informed intercourses with our intellectual contemporaries as they help us to understand issues better from broader perspectives offered by a community of scholars in our chosen fields of study.  In doing this, we must avoid falling into the traps of ambiguities for nothing inhibits comprehension faster than ambiguities. Happy Sunday friends. © Ogiri John Ogiri.

Ogiri John Ogiri. If you have no heart to accommodate viewpoints that disagree with yours, you can't be my friend. If we must be friends, then allow me exercise my right to disagree with you just as I give you your right to disagree with me. If your perspectives are always shrouded and expressed in the cloak of uncontrolled emotional outbursts during a debate, then you're merely a demagogue, not a logical debater.  Arguments are necessary to help us situate issues away from what people often hold to be true to what is honestly the truth. So why dread an argumentative encounter with someone? Proving the existence of something usually begins with disproving its existence. To know anything deeply, question it, doubt it and you'll be led by reason to the knowledge of such thing existing. If you shy away from holding paradoxical perspectives, you miss the learning opportunities that come with it. If you're always concerned about what people will say, you'll never start a...

By Ogiri John Ogiri. Husband scarcity in Nigeria seems to have heightened today  because every young lady wants to be the first wife.  This mentality is not helping our young girls at all.  Marriage is about finding peace and so wherever you find peace and happiness, stay there and live out your Christian virtue.  Monogamy has never offered a satisfying guarantee that a man or woman will be happy in marriage. There are happy people in monogamous unions and there are unhappy people there too. Some monogamous unions are more turbulent than most polygamous unions. There are happy people in polygamous unions too. Not everything is bad about polygamy as Africans have been conditioned to believe over the years Honestly, it all narrows down to how partners live their lives and what they make of a marital union. The worst is that we have been wired to think that those in polygamous unions will not make heaven. That is not true. The Bible never mentioned that anywhere. Polyga...

By Ogiri John Ogiri The socio-economic problem of poverty  in Nigeria and elsewhere cannot be  tackled by theology. The solution lies in  education, skill acquisition, technology as well as the deliberate creation of an  enabling environment for innovation and growth to thrive.  Praying for miracle money won't suddenly  end your poverty; getting a purposeful  education, learning a skill, acquiring technology and creating businesses in a  tax-friendly environment will.  Stop expecting that you can be rich by virtue of your church membership, attendance, payment of tithes and commitment to church activities. It doesn't work that way. Remember the church has been infiltrated by elements favourably disposed to the principles and practice of Ponzi schemes. This is why there are many pastors today who tell you to bring your money so that God can have it doubled for you, even when we have yet to be presented with any kind of a weird idea of God as a...

The MANY CHALLENGES OF THE NIGERIAN NATION By Ogiri John Ogiri F rom the North to the South as well as from the East to the West of Nigeria, general insecurities, corruption and deprivations possess the land. It is no longer news that a larger proportion of the over 167 million Nigerians go to bed hungry every day and night. It is also glaring that bombings targeted at government security formations as well as Christian churches have become the order of the day in the country. Only recently, suicide bomb attacks targeted at two separate churches in Kaduna metropolis and Zaria by the Boko Haram Islamic insurgents sparked a devastating wave of reprisal attacks in the metropolis and its environs. In the ensuing pogrom, hundreds of lives were lost, properties worth millions of naira were destroyed and thousands of people were rendered homeless. This is not to mention the colossal loss in terms of lives and properties in similar incidences in Kano, Maiduguri, Yobe, Bauchi and Plateau states...

The day is dark as nightfall hovers around the horizon The sky refuses to wear its usual blue colour and the field around the cathedral has gone pale with the sun smiling only in a sheepish radiance.  For a great priest of the Lord most high has gone the way of his ancestors. At the entrance to the cathedral, parishioners stand in utter disbelief wailing and lamenting in a kaleidoscope of painful emotional expressions And their minds battle with ceaseless questions streaming through their embankments. With their Catholic faces wearing mournful looks as they battle to accept the reality of his death and the painful torment of his unannounced demise,  They stare into the sky in a helpless wish that he could just drive in and say "tell your neighbour, sit down". But Fr Zion is gone to Zion The lion has departed for Zion. But who can question God? No one sure can. Why do the good go soon? Why do the lettered leaves so soon? Why do the humble bow out unannounced? Why d...

By Ogiri John Ogiri I've come face to face with real challenges before. There were times in the past that I had worried about food to eat and clothes to wear. I've gone to bed without food before.  I've taken risks before and I still take.  I travelled out of Benue State in 2003 to Kaduna State knowing no one really except a friend whose address I had to find later. He squatted me. I'm still grateful to him even in death. I went with nothing, started life with nothing but left with something.  In my first year as a student in Kaduna State, I had just one pair of shoes, two pairs of worn-out trousers and three t-shirts. It got so bad at a time, that a friend, overpowered by pity for me, bought me a t-shirt which I wore to support the few ones I had. I've had to contend with the challenge of where to live before. As a student, I've been sent out of the class before for not being able to pay my tuition fee. A close friend and course mate had ...

I see the Twitter ban as an unconsciously planned decoy to deceive and divert attentions of Nigerians away from the failure of the government to secure them. While we were engaged in the conversations on Twitter ban, did we know that armed herdsmen killed many people in Odugbeho, Ado and Igangan? This is exclusive of those being fallen almost on a daily basis by bandits' bullets in Zamfara, Kebbi , Niger, Ebony.  What a successful decoy! Yet, there are those who provide the intellectual lubricants aimed at easing the already obvious but irredeemable frictions between reason and irrationality; civility and barbarism; empathy and indifference; actions and inactions; demystified integrity and corruption; vainglory and genuine achievements; hope and despair, which have become a blanket identity for this pseudo democratic interregnum. How successful this effort will turn out in the end will depend on the sustained propaganda effort of the regime and the gullibility of many Nigerians.

By Ogiri John Ogiri This is piece is only a tentative exposé on what it means to speak in tongues. By this write-up, I don't intend to stir an unnecessary controversy in this area. My intention, however, is to explain an aspect of our Christian practice that, in my observation, is still a long walk away from being deeply understood by many Christians in the 21st century. This exposé is, by no means exhaustive. The phrase "speaking in tongues" is one of the most beautiful gifts of the Holy Spirit. Its beauty, at least, lies in what it has achieved over the centuries in extending the frontier of Christ salvific message to other people and nations of the world. It has helped the Apostles with an ability to speak in tongues other than theirs, in being able to tell nations of the earth about the mighty works of God. But it is equally one of the most misunderstood spiritual gifts and so wrongly practised by many Christians today. It has got so bad nowadays that this beautiful g...

Most violent jihads are purely political revolutions dressed in the ideology of religious puritanism. They are often, clandestinely, aimed at the removal of an existing political structure to pave way for the enthronement of the jihadists' pre-determined political arrangements. Some of these genocidal jihads have already been successful in the past while others are still being hatched in the religious houses of the jihadists. In any case, the struggle continues and there is no arguing that this will fizzle away in the nearest future.  Reason? At the heart of most violent jihads is a yearning for territorial conquests and expansions. Take Nigeria as a case study. ©Ogiri John Ogiri.

By Ogiri John Ogiri. One of the fundamental essence of government existing in any society is for the protection of citizens from any form of social, economic, security and political jeopardy or any other existential threat facing that society. Government provides this in exchange for certain obligations from the citizens to the Government. Where there is an unfavourable shift in the structure of this social contract between the people and the government, an outbreak of chaos becomes a public inevitability. In Nigeria today, the government seems to have failed in this basic area. Blessings and curses now cohabit with oxymoronic shamelessness. A consequence can be seen in what is happening in our country today.  Perhaps, it may not be out of place to ascribe to this country of ours the figurative title of irony. Yes Nigeria can safely be described as a nation of many disturbing ironies. From the North to the South; from the East to the West, rich natural resources straddl...

By Ogiri John Ogiri. Unpalatable phenomena of the last few years in Nigeria as they concern constant conflicts escalating between herdsmen and farmers have thrust upon us a whole new responsibility of devising or adopting new models of pastoralism suitable for a 21st Century Nigeria. A look at many available statistics in the country will reveal that Nigeria has recorded hundreds of herdsmen-related deaths in the last five years across many States namely Benue, Taraba, Plateau, Enugu, Adamawa, Ondo, Oyo among others. This painful development has come to strengthen the evidential proof that the old method of extensive animal herding by herders can no longer be sustainable. This is why, in the interest of national peace and progress, ranching has been (and should continue to be) adopted by many States with bans on open grazing of animals. For instance, in Benue State, the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law was passed in 2017. Others are those of Oyo, Ondo ...

By Ogiri John Ogiri We seem, now, to be witnessing a refurbished era of re-invigorated regional and sub-regional nationalism. Citizens' allegiance now appears to have been tilted away from national defence and survival towards regional survival and self-preservation so that it is now difficult to establish a premise upon which a conclusion can be drawn that our corporate existence as a nation is non-negotiable. This age-long belief in and adoration of the principle of non-negotiability of our corporate existence as a country is now being betrayed by the realities on ground. Nothing threatens our corporate existence as a sovereign country more than these realities. Unfortunately, over time, we have continued to hold on to the choice of living in denial of these unfair, unjust realities. Thanks to the recent shameful escalations in the spate of unprovoked attacks on indigenous communities by suspected marauders or herdsmen, many Nigerians are now resorting to self-help. The body lang...

By Attahiru M. Jega Introduction Federalism is the principle, some would say a conceptual or institutional framework, which defines “the division of authority among national and subnational governments” in a given country (Rozell and Wilcox 2019). Such a country is referred to as a federation, or as operating a federal system. Regardless of whether the subnational governments were priory independent and came voluntarily to form / create a federation, or federal system, or they were compelled by historical circumstances and forced into such a union, the subnational governments have, by legal, constitutional arrangement, become the ‘federating units”, which have coordinate, or shared, responsibilities with the national government. A major objective of a federal system is non-conflictual management of diversity and sharing of power and resources for stable societal progress and socioeconomic development. Both in law and in practice, most federations strive, and take care, to e...

By Ogiri John Ogiri. One prayer practice among many Catholics today is that of beginning their prayers, especially when they find themselves in the midst of our Protesting brethren, with the phrase "in Jesus name". These people follow popular trends in praying more than what the Church teaches. Perhaps, they're ashamed of being Catholics among non-Catholics. Consequently, they sheepishly conceal anything that reveals their Catholic identity whenever they're around our Protesting brethren.  As a Catholic, wherever I find myself, I don't begin my prayer with " In Jesus name " as commonly used by many Christians during their prayer sessions. I wasn't taught that way. I was taught to always begin my prayer "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" and to the best of my knowledge, the Church hasn't adjusted or changed her position on that. So far, in my over 24 years as a Christian of Roman Catholic extrac...

 By Ogiri John Ogiri Whatever your dreams are, however lofty or otherwise they may be, it is important to understand that they are achievable. No dream is crazy. Some have big dreams due to their exposure to great mentors like whom they want to become. These mentors expose them to stories and evidences of successful people whose lives and achievements in turn inspire them to achieve their dreams. On the other hand, there are people whose dreams during childhood years is to become what many people won't want to become in life. For instance, our former President Obasanjo once told an audience about his dream during childhood years. He said that, while growing in his village, he had one dream and that was to become a motor vehicle mechanic. I listened to him on TV that day. It sounded crazy but it was still a dream even though fate would later avail him the privilege of becoming the number one citizen of Nigeria- firstly as a soldier and secondly as a democratically-electe...

By Ogiri John Ogiri I believe that Islam, as a religion, has no problem with peace since it is a religion of peace. Islam, if it is truly lived to its ideals, is an instrument of peace. Rather, it is those who hide under the veil of Islam to pursue and achieve their political and economic ends that pose the greatest threat to peace both in Nigeria and elsewhere in the world. They read the Holy Book but choose to twist its message, morph it into a very dangerous duet of hate and weapon and offer it to the uninformed in their fold. When their political power is threatened or they face the loss of their power advantage over those from without their faith, they garb it with a cloak of Islam and incite other less informed Muslims to kill those fellow human beings who hold and share a view different from theirs. Sometimes too, they can incite their followers to kill other members of the same faith who disagree with their personal opinions usually christened God's command. At the end when...

If there is a problem, you should find the courage to interrogate it. If you can ask questions, you can find the cause. If you can find the cause, you can find the clue to its solution. ©Ogiri John Ogiri.

By Ogiri John Ogiri. One of the most disgusting sights I've ever seen and still see today is a lady with a bleached skin. To know that some guys are equally involved in skin bleaching makes the whole thing more complicated and worrisome. Complicated because I find it difficult to fathom why a guy will choose to destroy his original skin colour for something inferior to his natural possession than maintain it. It is worrisome because many people are now suffering from skin cancer as a result of skin bleaching.  The truth is whoever told you that you must look like the white man or white woman in order to look attractive only exploited your lack of self-esteem and self-confidence for his or her business interest. Of course, only people with low self-confidence and self-esteem can easily be attracted to skin bleaching. Here is the thing. As long as you weren't born white, you can never become a white man or woman. Skin bleaching can only temporarily help you look like ...

By His Lordship Revd Dr Matthew Hassan Kukah Sermon at the Wake keep Mass for His Grace, Archbishop Peter Yariyock Jatau (1932-2020) at St. Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral, Kaduna on January 5th, 2021. 1. As I stand before you, I feel pulled between the poles of honour, humility and trepidation. I am honoured and humbled to be asked to preach in the wake keep of our beloved father, grandfather and great grandfather in the faith, His Grace, Archbishop Peter Yariyock Jatau. However, you are also asking me to perform an almost impossible task, namely, to pull the threads of the life and times of a rare human being within a short time. This is the basis of my trepidation. I therefore crave your indulgence as I, on your behalf, try to paint a few strokes of love on a canvass that is impossible to fill up. Like the six blind men of Hindustan, each of us can only tell a small part of what we experienced of this great man.  2. Today, our dear nation is like the proverbial farmer se...