Society and humour
Pics : Lagos island “follow follow” beggars
In my early in Lagos, I usually frequented Lagos island aka èkò for anything I needed. Ahhh….. Lagos island.The place was just a life saver. Marina was a popular route and still is.
Only problem I had then was the menace of beggars and I’m not talking of the little kid beggars. I’m referring to the able – bodied rascal men who will snoop from behind you the moment they spot you with a bag or some form of purchase. The next thing you hear is their coarse voice ” egbon ejoor find me something”. How many of y’all feel me? At first, your first instinct and reaction will be to hold your bag tight and walk fast but they quickly catch up with you and others join. You begin to wonder ” is there gold on my forehead? No be this small bag i carry”. Those guys used to annoy me. I recently spotted some of those gum-body beggars harrasing some pretty aso-ebi wearing women along marina and i just had a good laugh………
At this point, I will do either of two things. Either I slap somebody………or I slap somebody.
First, one shows up behind you. Then you walk fast, then he walks fast too. Then another joins him, and another and another. It might not be so bad during the day but picture this scenario at night. E no go funny.
Let’s share our experiences guys. How did you handle them when they came at you? and how can the government arrest this trend biko?…..
Everyman will have his day.
Gospel Comedian Babah’Kay throws surprise birthday party for fiancee
Top Comedian and Host of EFCC (Extremely Funny Comedy Concert) Babah’ Kay blew the mind of his fiancée Jessica when he threw a surprise birthday party for her at Sweet Sensation Surulere on July 13, 2014. She was tricked to believe that she was going for another friend’s birthday party only for Babah ‘Kay to spring the surprise on her…………………..with family and friends around. Fellow comedians Odogwu and koloman were also there. See more pics below…
Congrats Jessica! Happy birthday! ……..also A BIG happy BIRTHDAY to my only kid sister whose birthday is today July 19……..
Get set to laugh as Wazobia FM’s Lolo 1 presents “Oga Madam 2″…….why you cant miss it!
Caller : “Lolo my palaver be say as my wife don travel, e dey hungry me to torchlight her sister. Shebi make I do am?”
Lolo 1 : “No wahala, but what of your wife wey travel. What if e dey hungry her to torchlight anoda man for that side? Shebi make she do am? Make you sef answer the question”
You have to admit……she nailed him with that answer! hehehehehehe. Welcome to “Oga Madam office”, the hilarious but incisive phone-in programme on Wazobia FM hosted by the versatile presenter Omotunde Adebowale David aka Lolo 1.
I usually do my best not to miss her “Oga Madam office show” especially the “Office palaver” segment which comes up daily on the radio station not just because I want to have a good laugh ……..which I usuallly do, but also because I sometimes marvel at the profound wisdom with which she answers several callers who call in with multifarious personal issues during that period ranging from relationship issues to office and business challenges. Her response to the caller in the example I cited at the beginning of this post, happens to be one of my personal favourite. It kinda reminded me of how King Solomon wisely handled the two women who were fighting over a baby.
Lolo , assisted by presenters Igos and Ogbolor, always seems to have a perfect answer for any caller who calls in with a particular issue and she does this almost on the spot without pausing to think. Her response maybe funny but at the end of the day, it always occurs to me that hey she actually made a lot of sense.
Now, Lolo is taking the radio show to the next level as she presents “Oga Madam Office Season 2: Diary of a Lagos Girl”
It will undoubtedly be a massive hilarious show with an impressive line up of artistes and comedians like Olamide, Yaw, Sean- Tizzle, Bovi, Vector, Lepacious Bose, Darey, Koffi, Elenu, Solid Star, Funny bone, Waje, Akpororo, Wiz boy, Ata-wewe (fuji star) and a host of others to make your evening fun filled. One feature of the show which i’m looking forward to this year is the Office Palaver session itself which lolo says will feature during the show.
Listening to her show the other day, Lolo caught my attention when she said that this year’s show will commence with a little gospel flavour from three gospel artistes including PITA (who had a remarkable ministration at House on The Rock’s African Praise Experience concert recently). Isn’t that just a display of spiritual sense and insight by Lolo. What better way to start your show than worshipping God! I bet you the concert is sold out already.
Its happening live on November 3rd, 2013 at the shell hall, MUSON. centre. This is one show you cant afford to miss, and if you do, just be sure to visit Johnson Madichie’s Blog ‘cos we’ll cover the show.
Don’t let her hair in this picture deceive you oh. The ace broadcaster prefers to spot a low hair cut presently. Make sure you go get your tickets now and catch me and lolo at the show
Next up on JM Blog, I’ll be talking about two societal issues that have been bothering my mind recently. Don’t miss it.
Related articles
- Oga-Madam Live with Lolo1 (mimileke.wordpress.com)
Delivered from the power of Blackberry
This has got to be one of my best posts on my blog so far, and for a good reason too. Why you ask?,………well its probably because it’s got to do with a very good companion of yours. Ok, so I was in church a few days ago and the minister in the first service spoke about addictions and talked about the prevailing addiction to Blackberry phones. I stayed for second service and the second minister, different from the first, also made the same point. There and then I knew that I had to do a lil’ research.
Isn’t it funny how all of a sudden, it seems our very lives depend on the existence of these devices. Its practically impossible to come across anyone without one. We sleep with it, wake up with it, work with it, play with it. We practically live off it these days, The young ones are becoming more and more addicted to it ………………
and the high and mighty ones too are not exempted…………….
I very much remember when Blackberry phones first came on the scene, it was more of a “status symbol”. It showed you had class, style and “levels” but these days, hmmmmmm, it will even be easy to convince someone that we are actually born with it.
This got me thinking and I decided to research and come up with 10 symptoms (from the internet and my personal research) that reveal you are a blackberry addict, plus, i’ll share a beautiful video that will help you get off the addiction, so be sure to read till the end. Ready?…here goes…..
Ten Blackberry addiction symptoms
1. You not aware that Blackberry is a fruit: The device has become so popular now that we have even forgotten its originally a fruit!. Someone offers you a blackberry and all you can think about is “Why would someone offer me a phone for lunch!”. On the flip side, someone asks you to come for some Blackberries and you start rehearsing your testimony for a new phone only for you to get there and you see this on the lunch table
2. You drive hands-free, with your knees!: I have been guilty of this several times…Well, maybe not driving with my knees but I’m sure you get the drift. Infact, I have a friend who has practically mastered the art of “ping-driving!”. 
After all you need both hands to BBM your best friend about the shoe you just bought.
3. You get worried if your red BB red light isn’t flashing: You start getting restless if you don’t get any notifications either from your Facebook application or your BlackBerry messenger and start imagining that no one loves you! You keep checking to see if anybody pinged you. Infact, you begin to insult and abuse MTN ‘cos you feel they have started again with poor network just because your BB red light hasn’t blinked in 20 minutes. hehehehe
4. You send a BBM chat to a person who is right next to you: This has got to be my favourite BB addiction symptom. Gossip no longer travels by mouth, but only through the addictive messenger service on the smart phone. Why should you bother talking with someone right beside you when you can just send the person a BB chat and wait for his/her reply. How crazy can that be but some of una dey do am.
5. BlackBerry comes first: This is when you practically begin to lose your mind. You are so consumed with your BB that you even lose `self-consciousness`. You are so oblivious of your environment. Someone could rob you while you are busy pinging and you wouldn’t even notice until the robber snatches your blackberry too. You visit someone and when they ask”what can we offer you”, you reply “BB charger”. You just land in your destination after a long flight and instead of switching on your phone and calling your loved ones, you end up waiting for your messages to load first. Or you wake up in the middle of the night to take a leak, and instead end up checking for notifications. I’ll let the following pictures do the talking…..
6. Your thumb consistently hurts: This is when it gets physical. You suffer from the most common side-effects of being a BlackBerry addict — a BlackBerry Thumb — a sore thumb caused by too much typing.
Back in the days when I was addicted to my Nintendo Game Boy *oh memories*, I used to suffer this as well as I would play till my thumbs hurt me seriously and I would simply massage them and move on.
7. You become a technician: At this stage, you have been with and used your Blackberry long enough that you know how to even fix it when its spoilt. You don’t even bother taking it for repairs `cos now you have all the tools. You know when its a battery problem or when its a panel problem. Congratulations!
8. You always move about with one or two of these……………
`cos men you cant afford to have a flat battery. Infact, if your battery is about to run flat, you quickly enter “emergency mode”; Your BB becomes like an accident victim being rushed to the hospital and you are like “hold on baby, we`ll soon be there” only that you are actually running to the near-by barbing saloon and we all know its not `cos you wanna cut your hair. Infact, real BB addicts don’t even need all that drama to get a power source to charge their battery. There are better ways to handle that………………
9. You take care of your Blackberry so well to the point that people are convinced that you will be a good parent to your children. How? isn’t it obvious?. Your blackberry has the latest skins and covers in various colours. They enjoy shelter. That implies that you will provide good homes for your children. hehehehehehehehe
And you always recharge your BIS or BB subscription. i.e you always feed your BB. That’s the perfect proof that your kids wont go hungry too. *Oh my, I cant believe I came up with this* hehehehehehehe.
10. The last symptom is quite simple. You are probably reading this blog from a Blackberry! ………Gbam!!!
Quite revealing right? Sure it was. Now, if its that easy and dangerous to get hooked to Blackberry, we’ve got to do something about it.
So what’s the plan?……..
Well, I happen to have a beautiful blue-print designed by a friend of mine Kelly Chidi-Ogbonna, which takes care of the situation. I found it so simple, yet so helpful and you will too when you are through. so read on, and don’t forget to view the video I talked about afterwards…..
“I just love a good laugh. Like My Pastor would say, ‘You can fast from anything aside from food’. I’ve realised in these past 5 days how to be concerned with more reasonable & inspiring activities, I switched off my data service & decided to be off social media for a while, Trust me, it was a lovely experience. A lot of people, (youth especially) are so addicted to this device (Blackberry), they change DP constantly, broadcast any kind of message & they feel they’re telling a story about themselves but they’re just an addict & can’t stay 2 days without their BB, Its has become an idol to them. They quickly subscribe if their BIS expires or wait for a day before they do so. 
How about trying to wait for a one week? Don’t forget that you had a life before Blackberry & your clients could still reach you, if that’s your excuse. When last did you read & finish a BOOK in a week?, The red light that beeps distracts you a lot, that you can’t wait to reach for your phone whenever you see it. Even our very own Pastor Kenneth Hagin had to quit his addiction to newspaper in order to spend more time with the Bible & he testified about the experience. Its not about your 30 mins or 1hour morning devotion, or your subscription to ‘verse of the day’ that sends you daily scriptures. How about taking control of your own life & not making the blackberry red light an idol?.
‘Recent Updates’ is the first place you go to whenever you hold your phone. You don’t have to be concerned with what goes on in other people’s life per say, ‘cos you think their DP (display picture) is a story like yours? its just a picture which some people define as ‘make believe’. Spend more time with God and you wont get over the experience. Your spirit would be tuned to God’s voice 24/7 and you would know what to do every second of your day. You’ll know the next step 2 take ‘cos you’re no t distracted. For me, I had to switch off my data service ‘cos I couldn’t wait for my BIS to expire, ‘cos it wasn’t gonna expire anytime soon. It was good to know I could wake up & my phone wasn’t the first thing I could reach for because there was no red light beeping.
Just an advice to some people. Have a good day every one.”
Admit it ……… she was talking to you!. So concise and apt and true. What else can I say. Just heed Kelly’s advice and we can kiss Blackberry addiction good-bye. It may not end immediately but it will bow with time.
Now, time for that video I promised. Even though you may not understand the language, but the message is undoubtedly clear. Enjoy…..
Feel free to tell us your own blackberry addiction symptom in the comment box below and let’s laugh and learn.
That’s all for now guys. Thanks for stopping by and until next time, remember, “Every man will have his day”
Johnson Madichie is an inspirational / social blogger based in Lagos, Nigeria and affects the world from there.
Contact:
E-mail – johnsonmadichie@yahoo.co.uk
Twiiter – @johnsonmadichie
Facebook – Johnson Ifeanyi Madichie
Mobile – +2348055940573
Some fresh air at last
Hi guys. Finally I’m back to lagos. Sorry for the “break” in transmission as it were but believe me eh, the trip was worth it. After all, its not every time you get a “4” day public holiday stretch like that so I really had to maximize.
So, how did I spend the Sallah holidays you asked? Hmmmm. Let’s just say I did a lil’ tour of the Eastern part of the country. I zoomed outta lagos on thursday August 8th for Awka, the anambra state capital by road. Didn’t wanna go by air ‘cos it wouldn’t have been palatable to experience the kind of delayed flight I experienced the last time i took a flight to Kano. I was going for a friends wedding in kano on a saturday morning some months ago and due to several flight delays by the airline, I finally got to kano for the wedding around….wait for it………….. 8pm!. I’m pretty sure the grooms wife would have been wondering if I actually came for their wedding or if I came to join them for their honeymoon.
So this time, I was gonna go by road in a comfy 6 passenger Toyota Sienna car. The journey was smooth all the way except for the driver oh. He was looking haggard right from the park. I even thought he was a park tout only for me and the other 5 passengers to see him take the wheel. Dear God, may we arrive in peace” we prayed. But contrary to our thinking, the driver was nothing near a “james bond” driver. The guy was just moving at snail speed. When we asked him to increase his speed a lil’ bit ‘cos he was doing about 8o km/ph, he just said in igbo “where am I rushing to”. Moreover, he wasn’t even familiar with the route. After he missed the U-turn at mile 2, he was practically helpless and clueless as to how to connect back to Apapa – Oshodi express way until I sorted him out. After that, we were well on our way
Did I mention that I got the best seat in the house!……front seat baby. That’s how I like to travel. I really need my leg room and all the space abeg, plus, I could connect my car charger so I didn’t have to bother about low battery on my phone through out the trip. Low battery……..that’s any bloggers nightmare, whether on a laptop or a smartphone. Well, we got to famous Oré, close to benin and that place has just got to be the hub of travellers on the Lagos-Eastern route. Several eateries there but we stopped at one called Vincents.
It was a beehive of activities. Oré by location kind of marks the middle point of the journey so it was time to stretch, use the convenience, and yes……….food! Getting there, one would be easily confused as per what to eat cos the options are are plentious but I know what I wanted………….suya! (Not my fault guys, I was born in the north and lived there for about 24 years) However, besides suya, I wanted something else but I just couldn’t put my finger on it until I came across this guy……
Men, you needed to see how industrious he was. He prepared the noodles in a matter of seconds and it was well garnished with eggs, pepper, vegetables and all. I knew I was definitely gonna have me some. Infact, he prepared it so well that a passer-by lady who saw me had to ask where she could get hers. I learnt a lesson from the guy though. Never say that there is no job available. Just admit that you are lazy. Its ridiculous when graduates roam the streets in search of jobs. If you don’t find one, then by all means create one. Starting small is the way up. Remember, if you jump up, you will come down, but if you grow up, you will stay there. Who could have imagined that setting up a noodles hotspot could provide a means of livelihood. You needed to see the queue waiting while he prepared the noodles.
The break was over and we continued the journey but crazy traffic at Benin express way spoilt my mood. We must have been there for almost two hours before the military men sorted the gridlock and we moved.
Again as we approached the Benin-Asaba by-pass, the driver zooomed straight ahead instead of making the turn under the bridge. Another passenger in the car had to correct him. It was at that point he opened up that he regularly plys the Lagos-Abuja route and wasn’t too familiar with this route. Imagine! What if none of us knew the way nko?, he might have just driven us to straight to Maiduguri or something.
Well, the rest of the journey was smooth. When we got to Asaba, the driver increased his speed, claiming he was now familiar with the route. At least we could now relax and close our eyes and he could stop using us as GPS. We were approaching Onitsha now and for me, each time I cross the famous Onitsha head bridge, I’m as good as home.
Its the feeling you get when you drive past RCCG camp or the statue of the three wise men while approaching lagos. You’re as good as home!
While at Onitsha, I remembered the Gov. Fashola-Peter Obi “deportation” saga ‘cos the “deportees” where dropped at Onitsha and it baffled me why the incident happened in the first place. Remember I said I would share my view about this. First of all, I believe a Nigerian reserves the right to live in any part of the country whether employed or not as long as such a person is not fermenting trouble, and even if the person is a trouble-maker, the appropriate thing would be to hand over such a person or group of persons to the police.
We never should have gotten to a point where we “deport” people within their own country. In fact, the choice and use of the word “deport” in this context is even wrong because its a misnomer. Instead of saying those people where deported, I’d rather say that they were “unlawfully re-located”. Several correspondences have gone back and forth on this matter with both state governments pointing accusing fingers at each other but frankly I believe that the act was wrong and shouldn’t be allowed to repeat itself otherwise we will get to a point where one would now need both an international passport and a visa to enter another state within Nigeria to avoid “deportation”
Having said that, did I mention we had two passengers who were twins? Yep twin yoruba girls. Taiwo and kehinde I presume. They dropped off at Onitsha to catch another bus heading to Port-Harcourt. I’m pretty sure they were youth corp members. Our own journey continued and we were now headed to Awka, my destination. A few minutes later, a lady passenger in the vehicle starts asking where she was. When we told her we were about entering Awka, she was furious apparently because the driver didn’t drop her at her designated bus stop. Wasn’t the drivers fault though ‘cos she made the arrangement with the officials of the company back at the park in Lagos and the driver wasn’t informed. I felt pity for her ‘cos she had a baby.
Finally we got to Awka around 6pm or so and in a matter of minutes I was home and dry. It was now time for me to sit back and have myself some fun for the next three days…………….or so I thought.
Part two coming up…..
Thats all for now guys. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stay tuned for more. Remember, “Every man will have his day”
Johnson Madichie is a social blogger based in Lagos, Nigeria and affects the world from there.
Contact me
E-mail – johnsonmadichie@yahoo.co.uk
Twiiter – @johnsonmadichie
Facebook – Johnson Ifeanyi Madichie
Mobile – +2348055940573
Rivers state crises: Two Videos!
Ok, I haven’t bothered to blog about the pandemonium the enveloped the Rivers State House of Assembly and I don’t really need to for two reasons……
1. My very good friends at Sahara Reporters did a good job chronicling the events that happened both before and after the popular Chidi Lloyd attack. What most people have seen is the part where Chidi Lloyd went on rampage but this video actually shows Hon Evans Bipi describing how he attacked and punched Chidi Lloyd, and he did so in front of a cheering crowd……….watch
2. My second reason for not bothering to blog about it is because the grammar impresario himself, Hon Patrick Obahiagbon has done justice to the issue. I get amazed each time this man airs his opinion on national events and this one makes the list as one of my favourites. In a recent interview with Channels television, Hon. Patrick describes the Rivers state crisis as………………Watch for your self…….
hehehehehhehe. Cant stop reeling with laughter. ‘Political Crinkum Crankum or political Higi Haga”. May God bless Nigeria.
That will do it for now guys.
I am Johnson Madichie
Start it!
I woke up this morning and……NO RAIN. Thank goodness ‘cos I wasn’t really prepared for a wet day. Hope y’all enjoyed yesterdays post on Stop it! As promised, here’s a follow-up.
A wise man said the best way to stop a bad habit is to start a good one. So let’s take a look at a few things you should consider kicking off…..
Ready, let’s go
START..
1. Start trusting God with all your heart.
2. Start believing in your inner abilities.
3. Start accepting responsibilities for your actions.
4. Start thinking and acting positively.
5. Start your own business
6. Start going early to church.
7. Start something new.
8. Start loving people unconditionally.
9. Start daily exercise.
10. Start contributing to growth and development.
11. Start respecting and helping the elderly . 12. Start seeing yourself as more than an employee.
13. Start reading a book.
14. Start adding value on a daily basis.
15. Start running with clear goals/vision.
16. Start spending quality time with people you love.
17. Start saying things you need to say.
18. Start grabbing opportunities and using them well.
19. Start a savings plan.
20 Start investing in the future.
21. Start learning a skill.
22. Start seeing the bigger picture.
23. Start smiling.
24. Start communicating with the Father.
25. Start living not existing.
26. Start sharing & giving.
27. Start obeying traffic rules.
28. Start positive contributions to the society. 29. Start dressing right.
30. Start relaxing once in a while.
31. Start appreciating peoples uniqueness.
32. Start teaching real values.
33. Start lending a helping hand.
34. Start walking and working towards the top. 35. Start living with eternity in view.
My personal favorite is no.11. Several years ago when I still used to commute via public transport, I developed a habit of paying the bus fare of any elderly person I met in the bus. I didn’t know why I did it but it just gave me great joy. I urge you to think of something nice to do for an elderly person today.
Giggles
After much hulla balloo about the movie, I finally went to see Iron Man 3 at the cinema but after I saw this poster,……
…..I just knew something was wrong somewhere. Hehehehe.
Thats all for now guys. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stay tuned for more. Remember, “Every man will have his day”
Johnson Madichie is a social / inspirational blogger based in Lagos, Nigeria and affects the world from there.
Contact
E-mail – johnsonmadichie@yahoo.co.uk
Twiiter – @johnsonmadichie
Facebook – Johnson Ifeanyi Madichie
Mobile – +2348055940573
BB Pin – 333526F7
Lucky Nigerian lady questions Obama at his Townhall meeting in South Africa.
Well, its no longer news that President Obama didn’t include Nigeria on his travel itenary to Africa, but at least Nigeria got to virtually participate in the town hall meeting the president held in Soweto, South Africa some hours ago.
It held on the campus of the University of Johannesburg where Obama addressed a select group of young leaders and entrepreneurs across the continent. After making his speech, Obama answered questions from the live audience as well as audiences from Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria who connected via satellite.
The Nigerian studio audience was led by Maope of Channels TV (I think she’s the same lady in the famous “My Oga at the Top” interview) and before she introduced the person to ask Obama the question, she created a funny scene by warning Obama that her studio audience was predominately female so he better be careful. Obama hilariously replied her that he lives with three women in his house (his wife and two daughters) and told her that he was used to it.
Aisha was the Nigerian lady who was privileged to ask Obama a question and trust Nigerians naaa, she asked two: One question on Nigerian Human capital resource and the second one was on ……you guessed it………Terrorism with reference to Boko haram.
Obama brilliantly answered both questions but what really struck me was when he said “Terrorism thrives in countries where the government has failed to deliver to its people”. I hope GEJ and all of the sycophants in government were listening, ‘cos for me, this was a swipe on our government. Who knows, that may just be the reason he didn’t bother visiting us sef.
Obama has only visited Africa twice as US president. The first time, he went to Ghana and now its Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania.
I watched the town hall meeting for a while up till when the studio audience from Uganda and Kenya connected via satellite and asked their questions without hitches but trust me, when it was time to connect to Nigeria’s studio audience in Lagos, I had one prayer point, “Oh Lord, abeg make NEPA no show their talent for the studio”. hehehehehehe. Thank God my prayers were answered.
Now however, i look back and ask myself, if I was privileged to be the one to ask Obama a question on behalf of almost 150 million Nigerians, what would I have asked him?…………….. What would you have asked him?…………what would he have asked him?
hehehehehehehehe…………….I can already hear Obama saying “abeg, abeg park well “………….
That’ll do it for now guys. Thanks for stopping by.
I am Johnson Madichie.
Many faces of Fashola (A Birthday Special)
I was driving around Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos state some years ago and noticed there was a motorcade coming close to me and a young man stood through the open roof of one of the cars. What was he doing there? well, he was throwing customized shirts to passers-by as his motorcade drove along. ” That’s Fashola!…….”, my colleague in the car quickly remarked. Apparently he was hot on his campaign for a second term then and he was in Festac to gather votes. That was probably my first encounter with the governor.
Fashola marked his 50th birthday yesterday June 28th, and while I don’t wanna bore you guys by running through all his achievements and short-comings, I just decided to let y’all see some sides of the governor you’ve probably never seen before….
First up, here’s the governor showing his soccer skills…..
The governor was specially invited by Kanu Nwankwo to play on his team to mark kanu’s retirement from football. Here are more pics…
And just in case you were wondering which football club he supports, see for yourself……………
Next up is our beloved governor as a……………..
He also taught this little girl a thing or two about arm wrestling………
After the match, our dear governor is hungry, so his aides decide to take him to an eatery but he refuses and showed them what he really wanted to eat…………………..
As a good citizen leading by example, the governor proceeds to tell the market folks and motor park officials about the importance of cleanliness of the environment……………………..
He went to his office from there but as a good citizen again, he made sure he paid his toll gate fee……….
Oh, and just in case you are wondering why his official car doesn’t have a governor’s seal, hear his reason, “I insist that I must have a licence plate number on my own car not a seal of governor so that the car can be identified if it did anything wrong”
Now for some serious business, Fashola has some office work to do. Don’t forget that he has a state to run…………..
…..but he just got a call that someone was breaking the law so he quickly rushed to the scene……………………..
Next up, the governor remembers that he has to attend to some international guests………….
It was getting late, so Fashola headed home but some Okada riders decided to escort him as a birthday gift…………..
………but he later banned them sha……choi!
It was getting late and Mrs Fashola was getting worried…………………..
so she picks her phone and calls birthday boy . Fashola soon arrived home to spend some quality time with his family and some close friends too……………
Later in the evening, Fashola decided to entertain questions from the press….
When asked what he would want as a birthday gift from the Igbo community in Lagos, Fashola thought for a long while…………..
…”I can afford a car, I can afford houses, I can afford land…………hmmmmm……..lets see…………….How about a CHIEFTENCY TITLE !” Fashola’s birthday wish was granted. Behold, Igwe Fashola!
As the day finally came to an end, I had the privilege of asking him who has been the source of strength and hope and where does he draw his wisdom and inspiration from? He simply smiled and said “Johnson, it all comes from …………..
……”My Oga at the Top”
Happy birthday Governor Fashola !
That’s all for now guys. Hope y’all enjoyed it as much as I did and be sure to leave your comments below.
Thanks once again for visiting my blog and be sure to come back and see what I’ve been up to. Until then, please remember, “Everyman will have his day”.
I am Johnson Madichie
The fear of LASTMA
If you are a regular driver in lagos, there are several prayers to pray as you
leave home. “Oh lord, deliver me from robbers on the road today”. “Baba in
heaven, may I not hit anyone and may no one hit me” . “Oluwa o , may pot-holes
not remove my car bumper”. ” I rebuke the spirit of traffic and hold-up
on the road in Jesus name”…..Some of you have even prayed all the four prayers
together. Hehehehe, but brothers and sisters, if you have not prayed for
deliverance from LASTMA (Lagos State Traffic Management Authority), then it simply means you haven’t had a nasty encounter
with them.
Don’t get me wrong o. I agree that lagos state should have
some sort of system to ensure smooth flow of traffic and also to punish
offenders, going by the nature of the state and its numerous road network but I
do have a problem with the “modus operandi” of Lastma.
I’ve heard people
say that lastma is nothing more than a recruiting agency for “agbero’s” and area
boys working for the state government and while this sounds somewhat harsh and demeaning,
some lastma officials have proven time and time again that it just might
be true.
Recently, Lagos state government decided to do something about
this……..
The publication says the personnel were dismissed for various
offences ranging from bribery, certificate forgery and dereliction of
duty.
The government said it followed due process in the exercise because
those affected were given opportunities to prove their innocence before a
disciplinary panel but could not convincingly defend themselves.
No fewer than 250 LASTMA officials were also dismissed in 2012 over corrupt acts and other
forms of gross misconduct.
Well asides gross misconduct and massive
corruption, there might just be other reasons why lastma officials were sacked
too…….
Driver: “No”
Quite humiliating abi? These are actually law enforcement
agents embarrassing the nation.
I’ve actually seen worse. I remember a particular
incident on my way home about two years ago. There was a commotion on the road
and when I looked further, I saw two lastma officials brandishing cutlasses with
blood stained shirts. Your guess as to what happened is as good as mine.
Here’s another one……..
Like I said earlier, while I applaud the legitimate role of lastma, I
utterly detest their mode of operation. They’ve been known to hide in street
corners only to swoop or pounce on any suspected traffic offender. Its a common
sight to see lastma officials “lying in wait” as it were, just hoping and
praying that one innocent car will make a U-turn where there’s no “no U-turn”
sign.
I personally believe that the law ought to be more “preventive” than “punitive”. The right thing to do would be to disallow drivers from making the turn in the first place
instead of waiting for innocent drivers and pouncing on them at the slightest
opportunity.
I’ve had my own fair share of Lastma rendezvous. It never
really is a pleasant experience. I just concluded a training on this fateful
Saturday and I decided to drive to a couple of cinema’s on the island and see
what’s hot.
I also went to pick up my wristwatch from repairs. When I got to
silverbird galleria, a voice ( the Holy Spirit I believe) told me to park my car
at the galleria and take a bike to Saka Tinubu street to pick my watch ‘cos it was
close-by, but I just waved off the thought and drove straight to Saka Tinubu street.
After I picked my watch, I drove straight back to the galleria via
Adeola Odeku street and the roads were so free that I decided to compensate myself for
all the hours I have spent previously in lagos traffic by zooming at full speed.
Unfortunately I didn’t see that the traffic light had gone red …….
and poor me, I was already on full speed. I managed to stop quite alright but before I knew it, lastma officials quickly swooped on me.
What was my offence? Well, although I stopped in obedience to the traffic
light but my front tyres slightly crossed the “finish line”. Then the voice came back to me, “You should have parked your car at Silverbird Galleria like I told you” . Don’t you just hate it when that happens.
Well for me it was too late now. I was already in trouble and to make matters worse, this was the period when Governor Fashola just introduced the new Lagos Traffic law…with all the punishments.
While I was still taking it cool with the lastma folks, trying to sweet-talk my way out of their hands, they immediately blocked my tyres with spikes
and eventually forced their way into my car. What happened next?
Gehn gehn…….Watch out for part two. Hehehehe. Me sef dey watch Nigerian home
video.
Having said that, I do commend diligent lastma officials who are
on top of their game. As a matter of fact, as I blog about this, I just
witnessed about three different accidents around lagos and I applaud the lastma
officials who I saw on ground controlling traffic. Thumbs up guys.
Some even risk their lives just to get the job done……..
…others receive regular slaps especially from female drivers………..
…while others……….well…..others just need to sit up….
Well, I guess all what I’ve been trying to say is that a little professionalism on the part of Lastma wouldn’t hurt.
Photo of the day.
If you think the “Oga at the top” finger started with this guy…..
well, guess again. See who he copied it from…….
and believe me, he’s the real Oga at the top!!!
Thats all for now guys. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stay tuned for more. Remember, “Every man will have his day”
Johnson Madichie is a social blogger based in Lagos, Nigeria and affects the world from there.
Contact me
E-mail – johnsonmadichie@yahoo.co.uk
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