By Femi Aribisala
When the English bible says something is “forever,” one thing is for sure; that “forever” will come to an end.
Not even once did anyone in the bible ever talk about everlasting
life. At best, they talked about “age-lasting life.” Neither did
anyone say anything would happen forever or forever and ever. As a
matter of fact, the words “forever,” “eternal,” and “everlasting” never
once occur in the bible. If these words are in your bible, they are the
result of wrong translations of the Hebrew word “olam” and the Greek
word “aion;” which correctly mean a period of time or an age in English.
What the scriptures talk about are ages past, this present age and
ages to come. When the English bible says something is “forever,” one
thing is for sure; that “forever” will come to an end.
Not forever
Take a look at the following anomalies. Jonah was swallowed live by a
big fish. While in the belly of the fish, he says: “I went down to the
moorings of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed behind me
FOREVER.” (Jonah 2:6). However, Jonah was not in the fish forever. He
was only there for three days and three nights.
When a slave loved his master and did not wish to go free at the end
of the seventh year: “Then his master shall bring him unto the judges;
he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his
master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him
FOREVER.” (Exodus 21:6). Of course, that “forever” could not possibly
be longer than his lifespan.
When Solomon built the Jerusalem temple, he told God in his prayer of
dedication: “I have surely built You an exalted house, and a place for
You to dwell in FOREVER.” (1 Kings 8:13). The Lord answered Solomon: “I
have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before
Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name
there FOREVER, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.” (1
Kings 9:3). However, Solomon’s temple did not last forever. It only
lasted for about 400 years.
Clearly, these bible translations are wrong and misleading. In one
case “forever” means only three days and nights. In another case, it
means a man’s lifetime. In yet another case, it means 400 years. This
demonstrates the original words could not have meant unending or
eternal. They mean an age with both a beginning and an end. There are
339 “forever” in the Old Testament King James bible and 51 “forever” in
the New Testament, making 390 in all. Not a single one of them means
forever.
Time-bound forever
Given the wrong translations in the English bible, we discover time
in eternity. Revelation says: “The smoke of their torment ascends
FOREVER and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the
beast and his image.” (Revelation 14:11). However, there is no time in
eternity; neither can there be day or night. Once we are still talking
of day and night, it means we are operating in time and have not yet
reached timeless eternity. Therefore, this scripture should not say in
English “their torment ascends for ever and ever.” It should say “their
torment ascends for the ages of the ages.”
Take a second look at this proclamation in Isaiah: “The forts and
towers will become lairs FOREVER, a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of
flocks- until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the
wilderness becomes a fruitful field.” (Isaiah 32:14-15). This
translation has an inherent contradiction. It situates eternity
(forever) within time. Since the forts and the towers will become lairs
until the Spirit is poured from on high, then the situation cannot be
forever. The “forever” is limited by the “until,” meaning the “forever”
is not forever.
Forever and forevers
Moreover, the singular form of a word cannot have the same meaning as
the plural. If both the singular and the plural are used in the
original Hebrew or Greek, the distinctions must also be presented in the
English translation. Yet, in certain places in the English bible, the
plural form of the Greek word “aion” (which is “aions”) is translated as
exactly the same word as the singular form and thereby its true meaning
is lost in the English translation.
For example, in Ephesians 3:21, the original Greek says: “Unto all
generations for the AION of the AIONS.” However, in the English
translation, there is no indication that the first “aion” is singular
and the second plural. It still says: “Unto all generations for ever
and ever” because the translators cannot say “for ever and evers.” In
Revelation 1:6, the original Greek bible says “To him be glory for the
AIONS of the AIONS.” However, the English translation does not indicate
the “aions” are plural. It still says: “To Him be glory for ever and
ever” because the translators cannot say “for evers and evers.” English
translators muddle up everything; failing to differentiate between the
“age of the age;” the “age of the ages;” the “ages of the ages” and
eternity.
Forever and ever
In their arbitrary harmonization of the scriptures, English
translators also rendered what is in the original Greek text as “the
ages of the ages” as “for ever and ever” in the English bible. This is
nonsensical. “For ever” cannot be endless if “and ever” can be added to
it. Only time can be compounded. But no time can be added to
eternity. You cannot have two eternities. Neither can you add one
eternity to another eternity. Eternity is absolute timelessness,
without beginning or end. Granted, we cannot add “and ever” to
“forever;” as obtains in the English bible, making it “forever and
ever.”
But ages are time and time can be added to time. Therefore, when the
Greek New Testament speaks of “the ages of the ages,” it is not
speaking of eternity but of aggregated periods of time. We do not get
eternity by adding up all the ages of the past to the ages of the
future. That means we are still operating in time, which has a
beginning and an end. However, eternity is everlasting; completely
outside of time.
Doctrinal Gaffes
Because the English bible talks of eternity (“forever and ever”),
when no such expression actually exists in the original Hebrew and Greek
scriptures, we have misunderstood the scope of God’s wrath and
judgment. Christians assume these have eternal implications, when in
fact the bible does not say so.
A key example here is the “Christian hell,” where God allegedly burns
and torments sinners “forever and ever.” Such place is without
scriptural validity. The bible only talks of ages to come. It does not
deal with eternity. There is also no indication how long an age or the
ages will last.
Much of what we know about “hell” is extra-biblical, developed long
after the bible was compiled, and often extrapolated into the scriptures
by bible redactors and translators. There is persuasive evidence that
“hell” is something the Catholic Church invented in order to control
lives and scare unbelievers; but that would have to be the
subject-matter of another article of faith.
Vanguard
Saturday, 10 November 2012
Hell on Earth
By Femi Aribisala
God’s fire and brimstone is not rained on disembodied spirits in hell in the world to come.
The Christian concept of hell; a place where God allegedly burns sinners forever in the world to come, is non-existent in the bible. Contrary to popular belief, Jesus never preached it. What he did was to proclaim national judgment on Israel in the tradition of the prophets. This judgment was fulfilled in Israel in this life and not in the life to come. Jesus said: “When you see all these things, know that it is near- at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:33-34).
Worms not dying
Jesus warned the Jews: “If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire, where ‘THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, and the fire is not quenched.’” (Mark 9:47-48). The hell Jesus ostensibly speaks of here is a mistranslation of the Greek word “Gehenna” in the English bible. This Gehenna has no applicability to Christian notions of hell. Gehenna is physical: hell is spiritual. Gehenna is time-bound: hell is eternal.
Jesus’ Gehenna is actually a valley outside Jerusalem where little children were sacrificed to Moloch; an idol god. The sacrifices were abolished by King Josiah. Thereafter, Gehenna became a place where all manner of refuse and even the dead bodies of animals and of unburied criminals were incinerated. It was also referred to as Tophet; a place of burning, a valley of slaughter, and a place of calamitous judgment. Thus, Isaiah and Jeremiah, for example, declared the fiery judgment of Tophet on recalcitrant Jews. (Isaiah 30:33; Jeremiah 19:13).
Following this prophetic tradition, Jesus’ choice of words, “their worm does not die,” is exactly the same as that used by Isaiah to prophesy God’s destruction of Jerusalem in the messianic age: “They shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” (Isaiah 66:24).
This means it would be physically possible to see corpses burning during the fulfilment of this prophecy. Worms are physical; they cannot exist in the Christian hell, which is spiritual. But Isaiah and Jesus talk of physical worms eating decomposing physical bodies. Isaiah says this would be abhorrent to “all flesh” as opposed to “all spirits.” Therefore, this will take place on earth and not in the Christian hell.
Moreover, there is nothing here about the sufferings usually associated with the Christian hell. The decomposing bodies are of dead men who can no longer feel any pain. Since the process is physical, it cannot be deemed to continue for eternity, as in Christian notions of hell.
Unquenchable fire
Similarly, when Jesus proclaimed “unquenchable fire” on unrepentant Jews, his audience would have known he was talking of physical national judgment in the prophetic tradition. For example, God said to Israel in Ezekiel: “Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree in you; THE BLAZING FLAME SHALL NOT BE QUENCHED, and all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it. All flesh shall see that I, the LORD, have kindled it; IT SHALL NOT BE QUENCHED.” (Ezekiel 20:47-49).
Again, this is essentially apocalyptic prophetic language. The “unquenchable fire” is kindled in this life as opposed to the life to come. As in Isaiah’s prophecy, “all flesh,” and not “all spirits” would see it. Therefore, God cannot be referring here to the Christian hell.
Unquenchable fire was also proclaimed on Jerusalem by Jeremiah: “Execute judgment in the morning; and deliver him who is plundered out of the hand of the oppressor, lest My fury go forth like fire and burn so that NO ONE CAN QUENCH IT, because of the evil of your doings.” (Jeremiah 21:12). This unquenchable fire was set by the Babylonians during Jeremiah’s lifetime in 586 B.C. It devoured the palaces and gates of Jerusalem. However, it was only metaphorically unquenchable; it came physically to an end.
Amos also warned the Jews: “Seek the LORD and live, lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, WITH NO ONE TO QUENCH IT in Bethel.” (Amos 5:6). Note that the fire is not in the Christian hell in the world to come but in Bethel, which is in this world. This prophecy was fulfilled on earth in 722 B.C. It was not kindled by demons but by Assyrians. In consuming Israel, it was prophetically unstoppable. However, no one believes it is still burning today.
Consuming Fire
Jesus says: “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49). This statement is location-specific. The fire Jesus says he came to send is on earth and not in hell. Its object is the nation of Israel, which is in this world and not in the world to come. Jesus says furthermore: “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:6).
This is the same kind of apocalyptic language Isaiah used when he proclaimed God’s national judgment upon Assyria: “You shall conceive chaff, you shall bring forth stubble; your breath, as fire, shall devour you. And the people shall be like the burnings of lime; like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire.” (Isaiah 33:11-12). Assyria is in this world and this fiery judgment began and ended in this world.
Fire and brimstone
The same applies to other prophetic proclamations. Christians need to understand that God’s fire and brimstone is not rained on disembodied spirits in hell in the world to come. It is rained on human-beings on earth. That is what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. (Genesis 19:24-25). All Jesus did was to proclaim similar judgment on Israel: “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:28-30).
Thus, Jesus proclaimed the same kind of national judgment that the prophets proclaimed on Israel. He said it would take place in Gehenna, a location outside Jerusalem. He also said it would happen within a generation. (Matthew 23:36). Thus, Peter wrote to the Israelites of his day: “The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God.” (1 Peter 4:17).
This shows Jesus’ Gehenna has nothing to do with Christian notions of hell, which were unknown to Jesus’ Jewish audience. The condemnation Jesus proclaimed on Israel was surely the “unstoppable” fiery destruction of Jerusalem which actually took place in A.D. 70. According to Josephus, over one million Jews were slaughtered by the Roman army. Their bodies were then physically dumped in Gehenna and burnt.
Vanguard
God’s fire and brimstone is not rained on disembodied spirits in hell in the world to come.
The Christian concept of hell; a place where God allegedly burns sinners forever in the world to come, is non-existent in the bible. Contrary to popular belief, Jesus never preached it. What he did was to proclaim national judgment on Israel in the tradition of the prophets. This judgment was fulfilled in Israel in this life and not in the life to come. Jesus said: “When you see all these things, know that it is near- at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:33-34).
Worms not dying
Jesus warned the Jews: “If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire, where ‘THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, and the fire is not quenched.’” (Mark 9:47-48). The hell Jesus ostensibly speaks of here is a mistranslation of the Greek word “Gehenna” in the English bible. This Gehenna has no applicability to Christian notions of hell. Gehenna is physical: hell is spiritual. Gehenna is time-bound: hell is eternal.
Jesus’ Gehenna is actually a valley outside Jerusalem where little children were sacrificed to Moloch; an idol god. The sacrifices were abolished by King Josiah. Thereafter, Gehenna became a place where all manner of refuse and even the dead bodies of animals and of unburied criminals were incinerated. It was also referred to as Tophet; a place of burning, a valley of slaughter, and a place of calamitous judgment. Thus, Isaiah and Jeremiah, for example, declared the fiery judgment of Tophet on recalcitrant Jews. (Isaiah 30:33; Jeremiah 19:13).
Following this prophetic tradition, Jesus’ choice of words, “their worm does not die,” is exactly the same as that used by Isaiah to prophesy God’s destruction of Jerusalem in the messianic age: “They shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” (Isaiah 66:24).
This means it would be physically possible to see corpses burning during the fulfilment of this prophecy. Worms are physical; they cannot exist in the Christian hell, which is spiritual. But Isaiah and Jesus talk of physical worms eating decomposing physical bodies. Isaiah says this would be abhorrent to “all flesh” as opposed to “all spirits.” Therefore, this will take place on earth and not in the Christian hell.
Moreover, there is nothing here about the sufferings usually associated with the Christian hell. The decomposing bodies are of dead men who can no longer feel any pain. Since the process is physical, it cannot be deemed to continue for eternity, as in Christian notions of hell.
Unquenchable fire
Similarly, when Jesus proclaimed “unquenchable fire” on unrepentant Jews, his audience would have known he was talking of physical national judgment in the prophetic tradition. For example, God said to Israel in Ezekiel: “Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree in you; THE BLAZING FLAME SHALL NOT BE QUENCHED, and all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it. All flesh shall see that I, the LORD, have kindled it; IT SHALL NOT BE QUENCHED.” (Ezekiel 20:47-49).
Again, this is essentially apocalyptic prophetic language. The “unquenchable fire” is kindled in this life as opposed to the life to come. As in Isaiah’s prophecy, “all flesh,” and not “all spirits” would see it. Therefore, God cannot be referring here to the Christian hell.
Unquenchable fire was also proclaimed on Jerusalem by Jeremiah: “Execute judgment in the morning; and deliver him who is plundered out of the hand of the oppressor, lest My fury go forth like fire and burn so that NO ONE CAN QUENCH IT, because of the evil of your doings.” (Jeremiah 21:12). This unquenchable fire was set by the Babylonians during Jeremiah’s lifetime in 586 B.C. It devoured the palaces and gates of Jerusalem. However, it was only metaphorically unquenchable; it came physically to an end.
Amos also warned the Jews: “Seek the LORD and live, lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, WITH NO ONE TO QUENCH IT in Bethel.” (Amos 5:6). Note that the fire is not in the Christian hell in the world to come but in Bethel, which is in this world. This prophecy was fulfilled on earth in 722 B.C. It was not kindled by demons but by Assyrians. In consuming Israel, it was prophetically unstoppable. However, no one believes it is still burning today.
Consuming Fire
Jesus says: “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49). This statement is location-specific. The fire Jesus says he came to send is on earth and not in hell. Its object is the nation of Israel, which is in this world and not in the world to come. Jesus says furthermore: “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:6).
This is the same kind of apocalyptic language Isaiah used when he proclaimed God’s national judgment upon Assyria: “You shall conceive chaff, you shall bring forth stubble; your breath, as fire, shall devour you. And the people shall be like the burnings of lime; like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire.” (Isaiah 33:11-12). Assyria is in this world and this fiery judgment began and ended in this world.
Fire and brimstone
The same applies to other prophetic proclamations. Christians need to understand that God’s fire and brimstone is not rained on disembodied spirits in hell in the world to come. It is rained on human-beings on earth. That is what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. (Genesis 19:24-25). All Jesus did was to proclaim similar judgment on Israel: “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:28-30).
Thus, Jesus proclaimed the same kind of national judgment that the prophets proclaimed on Israel. He said it would take place in Gehenna, a location outside Jerusalem. He also said it would happen within a generation. (Matthew 23:36). Thus, Peter wrote to the Israelites of his day: “The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God.” (1 Peter 4:17).
This shows Jesus’ Gehenna has nothing to do with Christian notions of hell, which were unknown to Jesus’ Jewish audience. The condemnation Jesus proclaimed on Israel was surely the “unstoppable” fiery destruction of Jerusalem which actually took place in A.D. 70. According to Josephus, over one million Jews were slaughtered by the Roman army. Their bodies were then physically dumped in Gehenna and burnt.
Vanguard
Wigan coach hails Moses’ rising profile
By Ben Efe
Wigan Athletic coach,Roberto Martinez said that by allowing Victor Moses play for Nigeria, the Three Lions of England missed a player that would have added bite to their team.
Moses’ profile has kept on rising after his £9 million from Wigan to Chelsea and Martinez who had never lost faith in the youngster stated that Moses had something extra as a player and England would have benefited. Moses represented England in the junior cadre, and despite representations made by Martinez to former England coach Fabio Capello, Moses was ignored and he pledged his allegiance to Nigeria.
“Victor is quite a unique player. When you work with him you realise
he is not a normal footballer and not a typical modern winger,” Martinez
told the Daily Mail.
“He is an old-fashioned type of winger, with incredible raw talent that allows him to go past people. He brings real penetration to the wide positions
“Teams are so well set up tactically these days that you need players who can bring something different, and they don’t appear that often.
‘Victor is that type, though. Even if you look at the great footballing cultures, like Spain and Holland, you see that players of this type are very rare. Victor could have been a real weapon for any team in world football.
“Football is a matter of opinions, so there is no right or wrong over whether he should have been tied to England. But it is difficult to find players like him, not just in England, and I am sure he could have adapted anywhere.”
“If he continues to have the same impact at Chelsea, he will get plenty of chances to show his talent. He is ready to compete at that level and show what he is about.
“It is no surprise to see him playing at the highest level, and you have to remember he is still a very young man in football terms.
Vanguard
Wigan Athletic coach,Roberto Martinez said that by allowing Victor Moses play for Nigeria, the Three Lions of England missed a player that would have added bite to their team.
Moses’ profile has kept on rising after his £9 million from Wigan to Chelsea and Martinez who had never lost faith in the youngster stated that Moses had something extra as a player and England would have benefited. Moses represented England in the junior cadre, and despite representations made by Martinez to former England coach Fabio Capello, Moses was ignored and he pledged his allegiance to Nigeria.
*Moses
“He is an old-fashioned type of winger, with incredible raw talent that allows him to go past people. He brings real penetration to the wide positions
“Teams are so well set up tactically these days that you need players who can bring something different, and they don’t appear that often.
‘Victor is that type, though. Even if you look at the great footballing cultures, like Spain and Holland, you see that players of this type are very rare. Victor could have been a real weapon for any team in world football.
“Football is a matter of opinions, so there is no right or wrong over whether he should have been tied to England. But it is difficult to find players like him, not just in England, and I am sure he could have adapted anywhere.”
“If he continues to have the same impact at Chelsea, he will get plenty of chances to show his talent. He is ready to compete at that level and show what he is about.
“It is no surprise to see him playing at the highest level, and you have to remember he is still a very young man in football terms.
Vanguard
Gowon hails Edo people for re-electing Oshiomhole
By Simon Ebegbulem
FORMER head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, was one of the dignitaries that graced the inter-denominational service organized by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), as part of the activities to usher in Governor Adams Oshiomhole for a second term.
While the former head of state hailed Edo people for voting massively for Oshiomhole in the July 14 governorship election, Oshiomhole used the opportunity to explain why his government took a hard stand on teachers, saying “even the Bible says he who does not work does not eat”. Comrade Oshiomhole said he prays to God everyday to have the courage to do the right thing for the people of the state.
The service which attracted the cream of the society in Edo State including former Head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, chieftains of the Action Congress of Nigeria, market women, Youths and students was held at the hard court of the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium.
Responding to a plea by the Chairman of CAN in Edo State , Bishop Peter Imasuen, for him to recall the sacked teachers, Oshiomhole said: “The prayer I ask for everyday is for God to give me the courage and wisdom and to constantly remind me that I am here not because I am the best. I am here because he chose to favour me with the responsibility of leadership to harness the resources of our state and to creatively manage them.
“I have been very fortunate because it is one thing to think you have done your best and it is another thing for the people to appreciate it”.
“The chairman of CAN has asked me to undo all that we have done. I am a Catholic and every day I ask God to forgive me my sins, even as I forgive those who sin against me. I appreciate the power of forgiveness. The Bible says the labourer deserves his wages and the Bible also says that those who do not work should not eat.
And these are the challenges of leadership. The Bible also tells us that if a finger leads you to commit sin, it is better to cut it off. If a teacher would lead us to commit sin we better dismiss that teacher”.
Vanguard
FORMER head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, was one of the dignitaries that graced the inter-denominational service organized by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), as part of the activities to usher in Governor Adams Oshiomhole for a second term.
While the former head of state hailed Edo people for voting massively for Oshiomhole in the July 14 governorship election, Oshiomhole used the opportunity to explain why his government took a hard stand on teachers, saying “even the Bible says he who does not work does not eat”. Comrade Oshiomhole said he prays to God everyday to have the courage to do the right thing for the people of the state.
The service which attracted the cream of the society in Edo State including former Head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, chieftains of the Action Congress of Nigeria, market women, Youths and students was held at the hard court of the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium.
Responding to a plea by the Chairman of CAN in Edo State , Bishop Peter Imasuen, for him to recall the sacked teachers, Oshiomhole said: “The prayer I ask for everyday is for God to give me the courage and wisdom and to constantly remind me that I am here not because I am the best. I am here because he chose to favour me with the responsibility of leadership to harness the resources of our state and to creatively manage them.
“I have been very fortunate because it is one thing to think you have done your best and it is another thing for the people to appreciate it”.
“The chairman of CAN has asked me to undo all that we have done. I am a Catholic and every day I ask God to forgive me my sins, even as I forgive those who sin against me. I appreciate the power of forgiveness. The Bible says the labourer deserves his wages and the Bible also says that those who do not work should not eat.
And these are the challenges of leadership. The Bible also tells us that if a finger leads you to commit sin, it is better to cut it off. If a teacher would lead us to commit sin we better dismiss that teacher”.
Vanguard
Why I left Church of God Mission -Pastor Oritsejafor
As part of a multiple jubilee celebration, the National
President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Joseph
Ayodele Oritsejafor, for the first time, spoke on the controversy that
trailed his exit from the Church of God Mission, CGM where he started
his spiritual voyage 40 years ago. According to him, “after I have left
my life was still connected to that great man” (Archbishop Idahosa). He
spoke with SAM EYOBOKA. Excerpts….
What will say was the turning point in your life?
The turning point in my life was the day I gave my life to Christ which changed every thing. I believe that change begins from the inside. One of the reasons Nigeria is struggling today is because the transformation agenda we are talking about is not yet focused at per-sons and who they are from the inside.
The constitutional amend-ment they are currently talking about…I don’t believe that the problem of Nigeria is the constit-ution. You can amend it, but who will implement the new one? Is it not the same people who have being using the old one. Everything about chan-ge must begin from the inside.
If the man inside doesn’t change the man outside won’t change either. The turning point of my life was the day I took that decision in Sapele to give my life to Christ, because suddenly I saw myself the I way I really was. A clear picture came to me and I realized why I was living that way.
It’s because I was living my life without God. I was trying to live my life the best way I could without realizing that there is a better way. There is an invisible person that influences us as Christians even when you don’t see any-body. That was how the change in my life began because the places I used to go I stopped going there and the people I used to move with I stopped because the change on the inside did not agree with those kind of people. I bought a Bible and I started seeing life in a different light as my eyes opened to better possibilities.
Were these things pre-destined? Is it possible that God decided to take you through that route, ugly it was, in answer to an earlier prayer by your mother?
My mother became pregnant and had me because she desired to have a male child. She went to the First Baptist Church, Broad Street, Lagos which was pastor-ed by Dr. J.T. Ayorinde who later became the first Nigerian General Secretary of the Baptist Conference.
My mother went there to pray and challenged God; ‘if you give me a male child I will give him back to you’. That was the begin-ning of the beginning but you know that was the commitment made by another person on my behalf. I grew up and went my own way but God Who knew those commitments…you see it’s strange that Moses started life in the home of his enemy; he grew up there, understood the lives of his enemies, educated by them and got the best of every thing among them.
When I look back now, I can boldly say that a lot of these experiences, ugly as they are, actual-ly prepared me for what I am today. I have disco-vered that there is no experience that we go through in life that is wasted; good, bad, ugly. They are all useful. That is why the Bible says ‘all things work togeth-er for good…’ I am happy today because there is no way I could have learnt the things I learnt then if I didn’t go through that way. No experience is lost and I am grateful to God.
I cannot applaud myself for those experiences, but I thank God because I have gained a lot and continue to gain from them. While there are bad things in those ex-periences, yet there are some usefulness in them because one can learn, one has learnt and one continues to learn from the experiences.
Can you relive your experience at the Church of God Mission where the turning point actually started?
I will never forget Church of God Mission because that was where I became a Christian. I was in the Baptist Church but I knew nothing about God. I gave my life to Christ under the ministry of the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa and immediately became an active part of the church.
One thing I would be grateful to God for about that man was that he was able identify potentials in people. I knew him from the day I gave my life to Christ but the day I had the closest encounter with him that changed my entire life was during an evening service in Benin; the place was packed and he wanted a song and I jumped out to lead the song.
By the time I fin-ished that ministration, he asked me; “Who are you?” I told him my name and he said; “I know your mother. Tell your mother I want to see you. I want to see her too.” That was how a very close contact started and I started com-ing to his home and spending a few days there even when I had returned to Sapele.
He liked me. I became assist-ant pastor and very vi-brant but there were certain situations I don’t want to get into, that lead me to go to the Baptist seminary. He didn’t like it. However, when I re-turned, my heart was to start a church and I went on a seven-day fast. But on the day fifth day the Lord said to me: “Break the fast.
I have answered your prayer.” So, I had to break the fast and the very next day, I had a knock on my door and it was Archbishop Idahosa with three other persons. It was strange to me. He asked me what I wanted to do now, but I couldn’t answer him.
So he said, you must be a pastor in Church of God Mission. “You don’t have a choice. I didn’t come to ask you. I came to tell you.” The way he said it, there was no room for discussion. He added: “When I leave here, I am going to see your mother to tell her the same thing.”
The interesting aspect was that God spoke to me later: “That’s why I told you to break the fast that I have already answered your prayer.” That was how I came back to Church of God Mission where I was asked to start a church. In six months my branch in Sapele became the larg-est in CGM as a whole.
It grew so much, that in three months I gathered enough money to buy microphones, amplifiers and everything at a time when no other church except the Idahosa branch had a micro-phone. I went to Benin to tell him, I have the money and I wanted to buy these things, because I didn’t know where to buy these things and he was visibly shocked.
He took me in his car and drove to a shop in Benin and show-ed me what to buy and I paid before he took me to garage where I chartered a vehicle to Sapele. I didn’t ask him for any assistance and knowing him, he didn’t even vol-unteer any. He was excited and I could see something in his eyes saying; “I knew it. I know I made the right choice!”
Eventually, I moved to Warri and a lot of people thought that was a mistake. At the service this morning, I said; “when you submit to people they become res-ponsible for your mistakes and what have you.” Idahosa told me to move to Warri.
It didn’t make sense because at that point there were people who knew me as a friend to Reinhard Bonnke and many other heavyweights at that time. Some persons were not happy, wondering what I was going to do in Warri. However, I prayed and God said ‘go.’ Against all odds and advices, I obeyed and moved to Warri.
I had some ugly experiences when I came but it is part of my life that I am ever grateful for because it helped to mould me. If there was anybody I learnt anything from, it was the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa. I don’t care what anybody thinks of him, I think he was a hero as far as I am concerned. He was a great man; an incredible man. I thank God for all the exp-eriences I had in CGM.
But you left the place in not too pleasant circumstances…
It depends on the way you look at it. It wasn’t pleasant because I thought that was where I was going to be for life—especially after the fasting experience and the archbishop walking into my house and the confirmation I got from God—but what I didn’t realize, and most of us do, is that life comes in phases.
There are different levels and at every point when you have to move to another level, sometimes there could be frictions. It could be rough, tough. But all that is just a sign that you are about to move to another level. It was in November 1987.
The interesting thing about my life is that a lot of the very fundamental things in my life seem to always happen in November. I was born in November, got converted in November, I married my late wife in November; I met my present wife in November, Word of Life started in November and many more.
We went for the CGM convention which used to be in the first week of November and certain things began to happen on the platform which shouldn’t be. I tried to go from behind to sort out whatever it was, but what I discovered later was that there were certain people who were instigating crisis.
I didn’t know then, but now I know. I tried to sort out things but no; to the point where it became obvious that I could no longer remain there. There were pronouncements that were made publicly that it would be out of place for you to remain in a place where there were such public pronouncements about you; telling you to move on.
It was that bad that some foreign guest speakers had to stop by in my hotel room to say; ‘young man, you have to move on.’ I can’t even tell you some of the things they said. I tried all my best to contain it but to no avail. The whole country was tensed up be-cause of the incident and I was surprised that the events stirred up so much emotion across the country.
The very next week, my very good friend, Dr. Ezekiel came over to Warri here to see me and we sat together and I drafted a letter of apology to the late Archbishop; while I knew I didn’t do anything. Dr. Ezekiel took it and went to Benin and gave it to him. He waited till the late archbishop read the letter.
Dr. Ezekiel told him to pray for me, which he did in his presence. I wasn’t there. Later, I went on my own to see him and he prayed for me. Though he would still go out there, saying things about me in the media, but I never replied. It would have been very stupid of me to reply, because your father is always right.
Your father is never wrong! Never! It’s a foolish child that goes in public to compete with his father. That is my philosophy even till date. Throughout the period I didn’t make any defence, but I was sneaking in and out of his house and he would laugh. I never questioned him for anything he said, because I think he never meant those things he was saying about me.
The man loved me and I don’t believe he meant to hurt me when he said those things he said about me. When my late wife passed, he was one of the first people that came to my house. He came, sat with me and spent consider-able time with me, praying with me. I could see the tears in his eyes.
Before I got married to my new wife, I took her to him for his approval. He sat her down and threw some bombs at her apparently in his effort to get something out of her and at the end he took me out and told me to go ahead. He prayed with us.
Though I left the CGM but I was still there, in the sense that the connect-ion remained and we contin-ued to work together. For the last two, three years before he passed, I attended his conv-ention uninvited and quite naturally they would put me on the platform and all that. That probably was the most important part of my life in Church of God Mission be-cause after I left, my life was still connected to that great man.
That marked the beginning of Word of Life Bible Church. No doubt there would have been some experiences either pleasant or not. What would you say such experiences were?
When I got saved God ministered to me, saying that at a time I would go back to my beginning. I was born in Lagos where I started my early life. So, my thinking immed-iately I left Church of God Mission, was that I would go back to Lagos. I didn’t un-derstand that my beginning was right here.
My plan was to move to Lagos because that was home or so I thought. But in my usual way of doing things I had to pray just to get proper clearance from God. I prayed and He said: “Son, you are not going anywhere.” I was discouraged because all my things were already packed.
I prayed again but God still said ‘this is home. You are not going anywhere. This is the beginning.’ That was one experience I will never forget. So, I had to start Word of Life Bible Church. It was rough, because I had nobody that I could call my own. There were just one or two people that I could send a message.
To find money to rent a place…..look it was rough! I didn’t have anything. There were those who were just laughing at me, saying ‘you are crazy. You are stupid.’ But I took the risk because this was God’s mind for me. After I prayed, I settled it. I fixed the date.
At that time, being a military era, you couldn’t preach on TV. I couldn’t go on TV, so I couldn’t even make any announcement of TV. Radio and TV stations would not accept any religious advertisement. So what I did was to hire a microphone and one horn speaker and mount-ed them on a rickety vehicle with one of cousins who likes talking inside the vehicle.
While the vehicle was driving round Warri, she was announ-cing the beginning of Word of Life Bible Church. Do you know that even at that I was afraid of what was going to happen on the inaugural day which was a Sunday. I in-tentionally fixed it on a Sunday because I know it was a day of worship and those who want to come would come.
I left my house late that day because of fear, but to my greatest surprise there were people there and I spent most of the service weeping; not out of sorrow as such rather it was joy. I didn’t know that people would turn up but they did. I immediately announced a two-week prayer seminar, which started the next day, Monday. Pastor John Ahre of Life Christian Centre in Ughelli sang for me that day a song he reckoned I loved so much; “Lean on me.”
The next day, I started the prayer seminar and whatever offering we gathered we used to make one or two chairs. I just carpenters around who were coming to our aid. Small small we gradually developed until we moved here.
How has the 40-year journ-ey been?
Trying but exciting. Un-certain but today I can say fulfilling. Adventurous but today, I can say I can see clearly now. I am grateful to God. One thing I would say to young people, don’t do anything if you are not sure, it’s God. The way I see people getting into ministry today, is very troubling to me. As a leader of Christians in this country, I am very troubled. As a leader of the youngest move of God, which is the Pente-costal Movement, I am very troubled.
We are almost an uncontrollable group of people and the way it is, is because we have had an experience which is called the Holy Spirit experience; which is good. The problem that has come out of that is that when people cough, they say its the Holy Spirit. They talk nonsense, they say its the Holy Spirit.
How do challenge a man who says he’s motivated by the Holy Spirit? This is what we have done to the Pentecostal Movement and it very painful. The consolation God gave me is that for every move of God had had its own teething and trying periods beginning with the great Roman Catholic Church to the Protestatant, the Anglican, Lutheran, Method-ist, to the Presbytarian, Baptist and so on. There are trials, problems that happened so long ago that people today don’t really know.
Vanguard
What will say was the turning point in your life?
The turning point in my life was the day I gave my life to Christ which changed every thing. I believe that change begins from the inside. One of the reasons Nigeria is struggling today is because the transformation agenda we are talking about is not yet focused at per-sons and who they are from the inside.
The constitutional amend-ment they are currently talking about…I don’t believe that the problem of Nigeria is the constit-ution. You can amend it, but who will implement the new one? Is it not the same people who have being using the old one. Everything about chan-ge must begin from the inside.
If the man inside doesn’t change the man outside won’t change either. The turning point of my life was the day I took that decision in Sapele to give my life to Christ, because suddenly I saw myself the I way I really was. A clear picture came to me and I realized why I was living that way.
It’s because I was living my life without God. I was trying to live my life the best way I could without realizing that there is a better way. There is an invisible person that influences us as Christians even when you don’t see any-body. That was how the change in my life began because the places I used to go I stopped going there and the people I used to move with I stopped because the change on the inside did not agree with those kind of people. I bought a Bible and I started seeing life in a different light as my eyes opened to better possibilities.
Were these things pre-destined? Is it possible that God decided to take you through that route, ugly it was, in answer to an earlier prayer by your mother?
My mother became pregnant and had me because she desired to have a male child. She went to the First Baptist Church, Broad Street, Lagos which was pastor-ed by Dr. J.T. Ayorinde who later became the first Nigerian General Secretary of the Baptist Conference.
My mother went there to pray and challenged God; ‘if you give me a male child I will give him back to you’. That was the begin-ning of the beginning but you know that was the commitment made by another person on my behalf. I grew up and went my own way but God Who knew those commitments…you see it’s strange that Moses started life in the home of his enemy; he grew up there, understood the lives of his enemies, educated by them and got the best of every thing among them.
When I look back now, I can boldly say that a lot of these experiences, ugly as they are, actual-ly prepared me for what I am today. I have disco-vered that there is no experience that we go through in life that is wasted; good, bad, ugly. They are all useful. That is why the Bible says ‘all things work togeth-er for good…’ I am happy today because there is no way I could have learnt the things I learnt then if I didn’t go through that way. No experience is lost and I am grateful to God.
I cannot applaud myself for those experiences, but I thank God because I have gained a lot and continue to gain from them. While there are bad things in those ex-periences, yet there are some usefulness in them because one can learn, one has learnt and one continues to learn from the experiences.
Pastor Oritsejafor, CAN president
I will never forget Church of God Mission because that was where I became a Christian. I was in the Baptist Church but I knew nothing about God. I gave my life to Christ under the ministry of the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa and immediately became an active part of the church.
One thing I would be grateful to God for about that man was that he was able identify potentials in people. I knew him from the day I gave my life to Christ but the day I had the closest encounter with him that changed my entire life was during an evening service in Benin; the place was packed and he wanted a song and I jumped out to lead the song.
By the time I fin-ished that ministration, he asked me; “Who are you?” I told him my name and he said; “I know your mother. Tell your mother I want to see you. I want to see her too.” That was how a very close contact started and I started com-ing to his home and spending a few days there even when I had returned to Sapele.
He liked me. I became assist-ant pastor and very vi-brant but there were certain situations I don’t want to get into, that lead me to go to the Baptist seminary. He didn’t like it. However, when I re-turned, my heart was to start a church and I went on a seven-day fast. But on the day fifth day the Lord said to me: “Break the fast.
I have answered your prayer.” So, I had to break the fast and the very next day, I had a knock on my door and it was Archbishop Idahosa with three other persons. It was strange to me. He asked me what I wanted to do now, but I couldn’t answer him.
So he said, you must be a pastor in Church of God Mission. “You don’t have a choice. I didn’t come to ask you. I came to tell you.” The way he said it, there was no room for discussion. He added: “When I leave here, I am going to see your mother to tell her the same thing.”
The interesting aspect was that God spoke to me later: “That’s why I told you to break the fast that I have already answered your prayer.” That was how I came back to Church of God Mission where I was asked to start a church. In six months my branch in Sapele became the larg-est in CGM as a whole.
It grew so much, that in three months I gathered enough money to buy microphones, amplifiers and everything at a time when no other church except the Idahosa branch had a micro-phone. I went to Benin to tell him, I have the money and I wanted to buy these things, because I didn’t know where to buy these things and he was visibly shocked.
He took me in his car and drove to a shop in Benin and show-ed me what to buy and I paid before he took me to garage where I chartered a vehicle to Sapele. I didn’t ask him for any assistance and knowing him, he didn’t even vol-unteer any. He was excited and I could see something in his eyes saying; “I knew it. I know I made the right choice!”
Eventually, I moved to Warri and a lot of people thought that was a mistake. At the service this morning, I said; “when you submit to people they become res-ponsible for your mistakes and what have you.” Idahosa told me to move to Warri.
It didn’t make sense because at that point there were people who knew me as a friend to Reinhard Bonnke and many other heavyweights at that time. Some persons were not happy, wondering what I was going to do in Warri. However, I prayed and God said ‘go.’ Against all odds and advices, I obeyed and moved to Warri.
I had some ugly experiences when I came but it is part of my life that I am ever grateful for because it helped to mould me. If there was anybody I learnt anything from, it was the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa. I don’t care what anybody thinks of him, I think he was a hero as far as I am concerned. He was a great man; an incredible man. I thank God for all the exp-eriences I had in CGM.
But you left the place in not too pleasant circumstances…
It depends on the way you look at it. It wasn’t pleasant because I thought that was where I was going to be for life—especially after the fasting experience and the archbishop walking into my house and the confirmation I got from God—but what I didn’t realize, and most of us do, is that life comes in phases.
There are different levels and at every point when you have to move to another level, sometimes there could be frictions. It could be rough, tough. But all that is just a sign that you are about to move to another level. It was in November 1987.
The interesting thing about my life is that a lot of the very fundamental things in my life seem to always happen in November. I was born in November, got converted in November, I married my late wife in November; I met my present wife in November, Word of Life started in November and many more.
We went for the CGM convention which used to be in the first week of November and certain things began to happen on the platform which shouldn’t be. I tried to go from behind to sort out whatever it was, but what I discovered later was that there were certain people who were instigating crisis.
I didn’t know then, but now I know. I tried to sort out things but no; to the point where it became obvious that I could no longer remain there. There were pronouncements that were made publicly that it would be out of place for you to remain in a place where there were such public pronouncements about you; telling you to move on.
It was that bad that some foreign guest speakers had to stop by in my hotel room to say; ‘young man, you have to move on.’ I can’t even tell you some of the things they said. I tried all my best to contain it but to no avail. The whole country was tensed up be-cause of the incident and I was surprised that the events stirred up so much emotion across the country.
The very next week, my very good friend, Dr. Ezekiel came over to Warri here to see me and we sat together and I drafted a letter of apology to the late Archbishop; while I knew I didn’t do anything. Dr. Ezekiel took it and went to Benin and gave it to him. He waited till the late archbishop read the letter.
Dr. Ezekiel told him to pray for me, which he did in his presence. I wasn’t there. Later, I went on my own to see him and he prayed for me. Though he would still go out there, saying things about me in the media, but I never replied. It would have been very stupid of me to reply, because your father is always right.
Your father is never wrong! Never! It’s a foolish child that goes in public to compete with his father. That is my philosophy even till date. Throughout the period I didn’t make any defence, but I was sneaking in and out of his house and he would laugh. I never questioned him for anything he said, because I think he never meant those things he was saying about me.
The man loved me and I don’t believe he meant to hurt me when he said those things he said about me. When my late wife passed, he was one of the first people that came to my house. He came, sat with me and spent consider-able time with me, praying with me. I could see the tears in his eyes.
Before I got married to my new wife, I took her to him for his approval. He sat her down and threw some bombs at her apparently in his effort to get something out of her and at the end he took me out and told me to go ahead. He prayed with us.
Though I left the CGM but I was still there, in the sense that the connect-ion remained and we contin-ued to work together. For the last two, three years before he passed, I attended his conv-ention uninvited and quite naturally they would put me on the platform and all that. That probably was the most important part of my life in Church of God Mission be-cause after I left, my life was still connected to that great man.
That marked the beginning of Word of Life Bible Church. No doubt there would have been some experiences either pleasant or not. What would you say such experiences were?
When I got saved God ministered to me, saying that at a time I would go back to my beginning. I was born in Lagos where I started my early life. So, my thinking immed-iately I left Church of God Mission, was that I would go back to Lagos. I didn’t un-derstand that my beginning was right here.
My plan was to move to Lagos because that was home or so I thought. But in my usual way of doing things I had to pray just to get proper clearance from God. I prayed and He said: “Son, you are not going anywhere.” I was discouraged because all my things were already packed.
I prayed again but God still said ‘this is home. You are not going anywhere. This is the beginning.’ That was one experience I will never forget. So, I had to start Word of Life Bible Church. It was rough, because I had nobody that I could call my own. There were just one or two people that I could send a message.
To find money to rent a place…..look it was rough! I didn’t have anything. There were those who were just laughing at me, saying ‘you are crazy. You are stupid.’ But I took the risk because this was God’s mind for me. After I prayed, I settled it. I fixed the date.
At that time, being a military era, you couldn’t preach on TV. I couldn’t go on TV, so I couldn’t even make any announcement of TV. Radio and TV stations would not accept any religious advertisement. So what I did was to hire a microphone and one horn speaker and mount-ed them on a rickety vehicle with one of cousins who likes talking inside the vehicle.
While the vehicle was driving round Warri, she was announ-cing the beginning of Word of Life Bible Church. Do you know that even at that I was afraid of what was going to happen on the inaugural day which was a Sunday. I in-tentionally fixed it on a Sunday because I know it was a day of worship and those who want to come would come.
I left my house late that day because of fear, but to my greatest surprise there were people there and I spent most of the service weeping; not out of sorrow as such rather it was joy. I didn’t know that people would turn up but they did. I immediately announced a two-week prayer seminar, which started the next day, Monday. Pastor John Ahre of Life Christian Centre in Ughelli sang for me that day a song he reckoned I loved so much; “Lean on me.”
The next day, I started the prayer seminar and whatever offering we gathered we used to make one or two chairs. I just carpenters around who were coming to our aid. Small small we gradually developed until we moved here.
How has the 40-year journ-ey been?
Trying but exciting. Un-certain but today I can say fulfilling. Adventurous but today, I can say I can see clearly now. I am grateful to God. One thing I would say to young people, don’t do anything if you are not sure, it’s God. The way I see people getting into ministry today, is very troubling to me. As a leader of Christians in this country, I am very troubled. As a leader of the youngest move of God, which is the Pente-costal Movement, I am very troubled.
We are almost an uncontrollable group of people and the way it is, is because we have had an experience which is called the Holy Spirit experience; which is good. The problem that has come out of that is that when people cough, they say its the Holy Spirit. They talk nonsense, they say its the Holy Spirit.
How do challenge a man who says he’s motivated by the Holy Spirit? This is what we have done to the Pentecostal Movement and it very painful. The consolation God gave me is that for every move of God had had its own teething and trying periods beginning with the great Roman Catholic Church to the Protestatant, the Anglican, Lutheran, Method-ist, to the Presbytarian, Baptist and so on. There are trials, problems that happened so long ago that people today don’t really know.
Vanguard
Four hours in Lagos largest baby factory
By PATIENCE AKPURU
You probably have heard countless stories about baby factories across the country. Well, it is a fad that has refused to go out of whim. Often, the stories of teenage girls kept in pens to bear and forfeit their babies are part of the touching stories. Some of the centres have been raided by the police, but a host of them are still thriving. Now, think of a baby factory licensed by law and to which people stream to of their own accord. Consider also that this factory delivers more than 300 babies every month.
Then, you are likely thinking what a large number that is! When you calculate that much for a year, you have a staggering 3,600 babies! And it is happening in Lagos. Now, you are wondering where the hell that factory is located. Well, Sunday Sun took a trip to this spectacular outfit and made an interesting discovery. Welcome to Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, the nation’s largest baby factory. It is one baby factory without the ills often associated with the other factories you may have known. Established in 1960, Island Maternity (as it is fondly called) has been caring for expectant mothers for more than 50 years. And that is to say that the first set of babies born in this hospital are already parents themselves; or even grandparents.
So, over the years the hospital has emerged one of the health facilities to reckon with across the country. And like it was reliably gathered, people come to this hospital from every part of Lagos and even neighbouring states. And each time you are there, the crowd is always amazing. Our correspondent recently visited the age-old facility and reports that it is still the largest baby factory in the country. As at 9 a.m. when our correspondent got to the place, a large number of pregnant women were already waiting for hours. It was discovered that but for the walls begging for a coat of paint, most of the facility appeared to be in good shape. The floor is clean and one can conclude that it was swept that morning.
The reception hall, which wore shiny tiles, must have been mopped up that morning. That is a plus, you would say. But beyond that, there is the laboratory, the family planning section, the heart-to-heart centre, the pharmacy (one for free drugs and another for drugs paid for), and then the canteen from which a refreshing aroma steamed. One couldn’t get a feel to justify the taste on the tongue. Well, that is obviously where meals are prepared for patients. It was gathered that meals are served patients free of charge. However one expectant mother decried how long she had to wait each time she came for ante-natal.
The woman, who appeared thin and fragile, told our correspondent she had been there since 7:30 a.m., saying she had waited four hours. “Normally,” she explains, “they will take us inside that hall and hold a lecture for about 30 to 40 minutes. We discuss any subject on pregnancy. After that, they check our BP (Blood Pressure), urine and weight. Then the dietician will tell us what kind of food we should be eating and things like that.” After that begins the long wait for a doctor; after which the women could go home for the day. As our correspondent sat among the pregnant women, it wasn’t difficult knowing what sort of things they often discuss when they come together. One of the patients told the story of a particular woman she didn’t know was pregnant until “I went upstairs (the maternity ward) and saw her with a baby.
I didn’t know she was even pregnant, talk more of giving birth. I was really surprised,” she said. She went on to describe the woman; “she is very tall and fat.” As she made the description, another expectant mother noted that most of ‘such women grow their pregnancies around their waists (rubbing a hand around her waist). So, you will not know until they have delivered.’ In another minute, one other heavily pregnant woman strolled sluggishly past the hall, as she did so, one other woman sitting close-by whispered to yet another, ‘see this woman, her tummy is so big. I am sure she will give birth any moment from now.’
And they had a light-hearted laughter. Then the expectant mothers were called one after the other into the consulting rooms to meet with the doctors. Some nurses made several trips from one room to another with files, obviously belonging to the pregnant mothers. Except for a little show of smugness, one can give the nurses a pass for the way they carried themselves. But once in a while, you would hear one shouting at any sluggish mother as if dealing with some school pupils. But there was indeed one particular nurse that was truly beautiful; her dress was sparkling clean and her hair was woven into large rolls of Didi.
At this juncture, some nurses were seen decorating a table at the extreme end of the hall; and on the other hand, some women were seen standing just by the entrance of the hall in customized ankara outfits. While the show lasted, few people understood what was going on. Sunday Sun soon found out they were members of the Customs Officers Wives Association (COWA). They had come for a courtesy visit and made a handsome donation of maternity stuffs like pads, diapers, towels, toiletries, etc. In fact, a hospital official was heard telling one of the visitors how useful the materials would be to the hospital, because ‘sometimes we have to buy some of these things for them. Some of them come here with nothing’ (referring to the new mothers).
And soon, people began to stream to the table and the donated materials were officially presented by leader of the delegation, Mrs. Jumoke Lawal, to the Managing Director of Island Maternity, Dr. Donald Imosemi. He expressed gratitude for the materials and jokingly assured them that the hospital was open to receive them when they get pregnant. And there was general laughter. The visit of these women gave our correspondent the opportunity to tour the wards with them. The MD led the group to the fourth floor of the building and introduced them to one of the matrons in charge of that particular ward, and instructed her to give them maximum cooperation.
Then he went back to his office, while the women continued from one ward to the other. Later in his office, Dr. Imosemi told Sunday Sun how the hospital fills an important need for the state and the nation at large; because like he noted, Lagos is a mini Nigeria. Child and maternity health, he said, are paramount to the state government and that explains why it has invested immensely in ensuring that every woman who gets into Island Maternity is given the best of care, rich or poor. “Lagos Island Maternity Hospital,” he said, “represents a very important maternity health unit in Lagos State, given the fact that we attend to referrals from most of our sister general hospitals, private hospitals and even some health institutions outside Lagos; that includes referrals from neighbouring states like Ogun and Oyo.
“And it is because we are a stand-alone maternity hospital. It is not like other hospitals that would just have a section for maternity; you can imagine this whole complex just for maternal health. So, that positions us to be able to absorb by way of referrals most emergencies that come around, alongside the fact that we have over 200-bed space. We have appropriate and adequate manpower that helps us to cope with emergencies that come from far and wide.” The doctor also explained why the hospital has continued to be the preferred option for pregnant mothers. “What makes it unique is because the state government operates a very welfarist and highly subsidized medical care, including maternity care services.
Island Maternity is one of the several government hospitals that, if you bring an emergency obstetrical case, even when the patients and relatives do not have money, we are mandated by law to provide succour within 24 hours without making deposition of money mandatory.” He expressed regret that most of the patients were usually brought in in very bad shape. “In a month, for example, we do about 100 emergency caesarian sections. These are emergencies; I am not talking of elective surgeries. I am telling you that less than 30 per cent of these people will even pay fully whatever token fee they may be charged at the end of the day. And that is even after we would have saved them and sorted out things.
So, when you hear that we lose some lives, those are lives of pregnant women brought in very bad condition; where despite our capacity as a well-equipped outfit, the situation may be helpless.” In one month, Dr. Imosemi said, “we deliver between 250 and 300 babies, but that doesn’t tell the true picture, because years back, the figures were even higher. Overtime the government has built capacity in other general hospitals. Why should people come from Epe, Ikorodu, Badagry, etc? So, the Island Maternity of old, where everybody came here may not be again, because it does not augur well for quality care no matter the number of doctors you may have.” It is very likely that some babies born in this hospital years ago are also reading this piece. Hope you had an interesting ride through Nigeria’s largest baby factory.
TheSun
SIN CITY
•Women display breasts 24/7
•Men gamble, watch x-rated movies all day
By SUNDAY ANI (nichsunny@yahoo.com)
The enclave of Ijora Badia in Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State is a constellation of absurdity. It is indeed a melange of miscreants, roughnecks, gangsters, fraudsters and prostitutes. It is an enclave situated along the railway line that runs from Ijora to Iddo. The environment is filthy with euglena infested brackish lagoon, which harbours dangerous reptiles and breeds mosquitoes in millions. From Ijora bus-stop, a macadamized road that links the bus-stop with Ijora Badia railway line community gives a wrong impression of where it leads to.
On both sides of the link road are shops that display different wares ranging from electronic equipment to clothes, shoes, bags, among other articles of trade. But the end of the link road exposes one to the railway line habitat, which bubbles with a plethora of indecent and unspeakable activities. By the swampy side of the railway are clusters of large wooden cabin suspended up to six feet atop the brackish lagoon. There are several of such accommodation housing half-dressed, haggard, dishevelled, fierce-looking women of all sizes, shapes and ages. In fact, one could rightly say the cabins are brothels on the lagoon.
By 12 noon when this reporter visited the enclave, some of the women, especially the older ones appear worn-out with bulging, sleepy, red eyes, an indication that they must have had a busy night, perhaps also, it’s an indication that business is booming. Even as they intermittently shut their eyes and nod their heads involuntarily as they fight against the sleep trying to envelope them, reliable sources swore they were still ‘ready for action if a customer calls’. For the younger women, most of whom appeared tattered and unkempt, they sat in clusters with their navels on display, as well as their breasts shooting out like balloons.
Although, the sight of those riotous stretch-marked breasts may appear repulsive to any reasonable man, the male folks in the community, who appeared morally depraved and seemed no less better, found such commodity very luscious, salacious and sexually arousing. They also wore skimpy tight skirts and shorts that exposed their thighs up to their pubic region, but like the breasts, such exposures were also very repugnant. This is because instead of robust and succulent thighs that would spark a riotous blood through the sexual veins of any healthy man, who would be anxious to see what is hidden beyond the thighs, what was exposed were coarse, rough, stretch-marked and mosquito bite-infested thighs.
The women in this breast terror, navel and thigh exposure business lined up on the railway line. Both young and old women found breast-pumping the new fad. From investigation, it appeared that any lady that failed to expose her breast in very tempting manner could is seen as a deviant. It is right to conclude that at Ijora Badia, breasts are on parade; there is a breasts’ fair of a sort any time, any day and for any willing viewer. While some displayed their wares in front of the make-shift wooden houses, others step forward at the base of the rail to display theirs while pretending to be recharge card sellers or phone call vendors.
Investigation revealed they have a ready and booming market in the male folk of the community, who are mostly gamblers, drug addicts and fraudsters. Fighting is not a novel occurrence in Ijora Badia neighbourhood. Checks revealed that in Lagos State, the neighbourhood has the highest number of brothels where deviant teenagers, who ran away from their parents’ homes, find solace. The constellation of these young ladies, who have sold their souls to sex, attracts criminals in the neighbourhood. They are belligerent, testy, violent and can do anything, including stripping themselves naked to vent their anger.
This reporter witnessed what could have been a live adult movie when a teenager almost stripped herself naked. She was having a fierce argument with a male folk beside one of the wooden cabins, while two other boys and another lady encircled them. She walked briskly away from them to the pavement of the rail line where she sat. But the roughneck would not let her be. He followed her to that point and the girl in readiness for what would follow picked up a big stone. But, before she knew what was happening, the man grabbed her by the waist, raising her feet above the ground. When she eventually freed herself from the man’s grip, she quickly pulled off her T-shirt, exposing her breasts as she did so, because she wasn’t wearing a bra.
The breasts dangled dangerously and violently as she proceeded to unzip and possibly remove her shorts, before the man left the scene. It didn’t even bother her that at such a tender age her breasts had become flabby and saggy. As soon as the man left, others prevailed on her to rescind her action, which was to display her nakedness in broad daylight. As the drama was unfolding, most people were not even interested; they carried on as if nothing was happening. Further checks revealed that similar incidents are commonplace in the neighbourhood.
However, the male folks are seen in clusters of 15 and 20, looking rough and fierce, either drinking gin, smoking marijuana, playing ludo, whot cards or draught games. They appeared so rough and fierce that one actually must be very careful to stare at them. And because they engage in one criminal activity or the other, they are always alert and know when a stranger comes into the habitat. They are not like the women whose only trade is to exchange their bodies for money with any willing man.
Men who live among the women in make-shift wooden houses stay inside during the day, except when they want to enter town, but the ones living separate in their own wooden cabins wander around in company of teenage girls. Ijora Badia is not only about prostitution, gambling, hard drugs and alcohol consumption. There are football viewing centres scattered all over the rail line, just as there are film houses in the place. Like most European football viewing centres in Lagos, you see signposts announcing which teams are playing. You also see viewers patiently waiting for the kick-off time, but their composition also leaves much to be desired.
They looked every inch like those earlier seen smoking and drinking; a confirmation that football is a unifying force. Just as normal, reasonable people enjoy it, so also the hoodlums do. Investigation revealed that at the cinema centres adult films (blue films) are freely shown during the day, while volume of the speakers is raised so that those outside can hear the moaning sounds from porn films.
This reporter corroborated this finding when, on approaching one of the film centres, a deep shrill, humming and moaning sound filled the air. Every discerning ear would know that such sounds only come from a woman in deep sexual intercourse with a man. However, in the midst of all these, carpenters were busy nailing woods together, while hairdressers and barbers were equally busy twisting and creeping through their customers’ hairs. Food vendors as well as beer palour operators were all in this neighbourhood struggle to make ends meet.
TheSun
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