Yemi has been talking about Other People's Money.

He has given peculiar insight to the term. Well, let me hasten to add that the use of other people's money (OPM) can also come about as a result of company shares bought by the public, and which that company uses as Capital. The company more or less borrows this money from the public and then uses it as leverage; then it pays 'interest' on the 'loan' in form of dividends.

Hence, to facilitate business, the use of OPM is recommended. In addition to other people's time (OPT). Of course, you can guess that OPT is the result of employing people to whom you can delegate some of your business responsibilities.

OPM and OPT are two prime assets in the hands of a business owner. Money specialists have advised us to get a hold of both OPM and OPT (and thereby become business owners) because 'no one can get rich working for someone else'.

Certain individuals must take note of this.

A portion of a hymn ran thus:

It were my soul's desire
Deep waves of cleansing sighs
It were my soul's desire
From earthly cares to rise.

In the above strain, the songist talks about shedding 'weight'. Relate this to a truism: 'He that must travel far must travel light.' If these do not summarily justify my Sacrifices, perhaps nothing else will. And AlfaPrime, you are right. The one purpose of the Litany was to tell one another sweet things about them. Only sweet things. That certain individuals did not realize this is beyond me.

Just thot u'd like to know: 'His Holiness' does not refer to God, but to the Pope.

With this bit of information, re-read your earlier criticism, 'Konwa.

The way this thread is going, there may soon be no place in it for me. I may soon leave you guys to have your fun your own way. Opokonwa, I thank you.

Once again, I have been misunderstood; by Kenosky, by Jisi, and by Stannesi. I beg to drop the topic henceforth. Let's move course of discussion, Your Excellency.

I am an orphan boy. My father died when I was not yet six years old. And six years later, my mother died as well. I was very young. And I knew nothing.

But I did not stay young. There was a time when I had to go and live with my father's younger brother at Owerri. I found him a viciously wicked and jealous man. He did not want me to be useful in life. He did all in his power to make sure that I ended up good for nothing.

So I left. I discovered that I had to choose between two alternatives: have a family, or succeed in life. So I chose to succeed. When I was leaving him, I did not have a particular destination in mind. I just grabbed my bag, and I was out into the wild world on my own. And all he did was laugh. The last thing he ever told me was: 'Your father thought he was a disciplined man, that he was discipline itself; where is he today, is he not six feet in the grave? And you are going the same way.' I said, 'Back to sender,' and I slammed the door behind me. That was four years ago.

I loved God. As a destitute orphan, he was the only one I had. I prayed to him. I prayed like Queen Esther did, when Haman threatened to annihilate the Jews. She said to Yahweh: 'O God, ever since I was small, my elders have told me that you chose Israel out of all the nations to be your special people.' It was so I told God. I put all my trust in him. I knew he was sufficient for me. I knew that with him I would never have to need the Nze family anymore.

I read my bible fervently, even as I suffered. I prayed the psalms everyday. Even today, there are some I know by heart. My favourite was Psalm 129:

Upon all the bad things they have been doing to me since I was young
Israel must say this again:
Upon all the bad things they have been doing to me since I was young
They have not overcome me;
Plowmen have been plowing on my back with longer and longer furrows
But now Yahweh the Righteous has shattered the yoke of the wicked.
So let them all be thrown into confusion, them that hate Zion;
Let them be like grass on the rooftops that shrivels before it blooms
With which neither the reaper nor the gatherer fills his arms,
And to which no passerby says, 'Yahweh's blessing be on you.'

I also liked Psalm 124:

What if Yahweh was not on our side?
Israel should answer this question:
What if Yahweh was not on our side
When they attacked us?
If Yahweh was not on our side when they attacked us,
They would have swallowed us alive
In the heat of their rage
The waters would have gone over us
The torrents would have swept us away;
Either the waters or the torrents
Would have drowned us in their turbulent waves.
But blessed be Yahweh who has not let us fall prey to their teeth,
Who has let us escape like birds from the net of the fowler;
Having torn the net, he let us escape.
Our help is in the name of Yahweh, who made both heaven and earth.

With these passages of Scripture, I was strengthened for the difficulty of those years. Then I graduated and went to Service. Yahweh was still all I had. I was a fervent Christian, praying all day and all night long.

Until realization struck. It was a name. The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG). I will never forget my NLNG experience. Of all the things I have wanted, perhaps I have wanted NLNG the most. At a point in life, NLNG was all I thought I needed. NLNG seemed like the perfect climax to all my suffering. NLNG, I compose a poem for you:

NLNG
Gas of flaring stops
Purple fires in red bands roaring
Defying terrestrial antidotes of air
Manipulating windy blasts
Filling ocean-going vessels
Taking in her stride
The blue-white ethers convoluting
Strong and pressing, yet condensed
And trapped of steel
Lucrative enterprise on the seas
Selling abroad and filling local coffers
Costly of make, costly of trade
Abounding in the glory of natural wealth
Beneath the earth
Forever wed to black gold
By the Maker's hand.
With helmeted men and office people
With government spending and senators' laws
With poverty stricken communities ogling
The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas company
Stand still sure
Defiant of them all.

I made the second sacrifice. The first had been the sacrifice of family. My so-called uncle and his brothers were jealous of me. They did not want me to succeed. They daily cast spells for my undoing. I knew that with them, I could not stand a chance; I could not be all God intended for me to be. I had to make the first sacrifice. I slaughtered my family on the altar of success. They were to be dead to me, and I to them. You know, these days I think I understand why some of the ritualists ask people to get their closest family member for money ritual. There seems to me to be a sound logic in this: if you can do without your mother, then you are ruthless enough to be wealthy. It is four years plus since I left the Nze family, and I have considered them dead in my psyche. I don't think of my so-called brothers, and I do not feel responsible to them in any way. They don't even exist to me. That is why, Your Excellency, when I read of your telling me to help my brothers and stuff, I just laugh, ha ha ha; ha ha ha; ha ha ha ha aha ahaha. I have no family. Full stop. They are dead to me, and I am dead to them. They killed my father, for no just cause and buried him in the family house at Owerri.

Then I decided I would sacrifice Nigeria. It was to be the second sacrifice. I looked at this my so-called country through and through, and I despised it. I despised it in my heart. When I left the Nze family, I was almost due for the Federal Government Scholarship. In that same year, the scheme was discontinued in my school, and I couldn't get to apply. But even before then, my mother had died, thanks to this country. She had been a Major in the Nigerian Army. Let me tell you how exactly she died. I shall copy the relevant part from Ninety Negro Numbers:


Before The Forty-Second Number

I was in secondary school then. It was Monday morning, and our class teacher, Mr. Oladele, stepped in to call the roll. Then he looked directly at us and said, ‘There was a plane crash yesterday. Military officers going for training to Jaji fell into the swamp. All are feared dead.’ Hot water was in my heart, and I pinched my seatmate, Olayinka. He read the horror in my face. We said nothing, only waited for the teacher to leave, and then I told him.
‘Yinka, mother was on that plane.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘She’s doing the military course at Jaji.’
‘Yes, but that is not proof that she has been involved in the crash. Shall we run after Mr. Oladele and ask him?’
‘Yes, let’s.’
We ran after Mr. Oladele who, on hearing our slapping steps, turned around and demanded to know why we were following him. ‘Sir,’ I said, ‘I fear my mother was on that plane – did the news supply the list of victims?’ My teacher loved each of us dearly.  He took my hands in his. ‘Onyenachi,’ he said, ‘you know how to pray, don’t you?’ I said I did. ‘Do not let the devil paint pictures in your head. You must be strong, Nze, and you must pray.’ I nodded. He looked at me, smiled wryly and left. I must pray. Yinka nodded too, as if he read my mind, and we walked together back to the classroom. Later that day, I did pray.

‘Onyenachi!’
I got up hurriedly from my bed. Muyiwa had come to fetch me. He said there were some people in the general lobby waiting to see me. I at once doubled all the way there. I saw Mr. Odo, Mrs. Osuji, Mrs. Adejumo and Uche. I greeted them well. They looked at me without responding. Finally, it was Mr. Odo, a family friend, who spoke: ‘Onyenachi, something has happened. Is there anything in your dormitory you want to bring along? We have come to fetch you.’ The world had ended. I recalled what Mr. Oladele had said. Prayer had been useless. I nodded. Tears stung my eyes, and then I turned around and ran all the way down to my hostel room. I recalled the little Jane Eyre shut away by her wicked aunt in the dark room, as she prayed that nothing sinister would cascade down the chimney and fetch her away. ‘We have come to fetch you… to fetch you… to fetch you…. No!’ I stopped my ears, and fell on my bed, panting. Then I opened my locker. The first thing I saw was the novel I had been reading. It was Chinua Achebe’s No Longer At Ease. It told the story too well. I grabbed it and a few other things into my bag.  Sinister spirits were singing a dirge about fetching little girls away with dead mothers. I slammed my locker shut and ran back to the lobby.

Along the road back to Festac, my fetchers talked about every other thing, except the something that had happed; which was fine, as it allowed me to soon get bored and sleep off, waking only to Mr. Odo’s voice saying, ‘We’re here!’ I looked around. This was Festac alright, but we were not at our own house. This was the Osuji’s home at Third Avenue.  And here were all my brothers: Chinemere, Chidi and Chima.  I was perplexed.

They all looked morose. I entered the room and sat down. It was Chidi that broke the silence.
                ‘Welcome.  How was school?’  It was an irrelevant question.
‘Chidi,’ I called.
‘Hmmph?’
‘Why did they come to fetch me?’
He did not answer, simply looked away. I sighed, then got up and went to sit on the verandah.  I passed by Chima, our youngest brother.  He was not playing as usual; he too was gazing in stupor. I saw one of my Osuji cousins, Ogechi. I hailed her half-heartedly, and then pulling her aside, I asked, ‘Oge, why did they come to fetch me?’ ‘Let me not be the one that would say what would make someone faint-o!’ And she hurried away.

I slumped onto the flower bed. I had guessed right. Mama was dead. She had not lived up to a hundred and twenty years as I had hoped. She had left me quickly. I did not cry.  There was no need.

Later that day, my maternal uncle Kirian came to introduce us to our new mother. It was to be Mrs. Osuji. I looked at her perched on the tall stool by my side. I knew it would not work. We watched the nine o’clock news later on and heard my mother’s name called of the victims: Major G.N. Nze.  It was all over. Nigeria had killed her.



As a stage hand, fix up a woman’s dressed corpse onto a catafalque, and get a young boy in mourning to kneel by it and chant this poem soulfully to his dead mother on the still hearse. From time to time as the condition grips him, he falls onto the dead body and weeps; at others, he composes himself and talks resolutely of what he must do. He continues to speak, as a soft dirge plays off stage. Curtains.
















You Died, Mama

Mama, what must you have been thinking
As the plane entered the marsh?
You must have been crying for me,
Who will take care of my son!
I see you clutch your breasts in horror
As a gasp escapes your lips
I hear you shout my name,
O, Onyenachi’a!
The tears must have flowed freely
As your head repeatedly hit the backrest
The gargantuan machine whirled speedily down
Your heart sank with it.
The black exhaust tired you
Whimpering of desire to see me again
Imagination could not help
You felt numb.
It was then you died, mama
They left the plane two days in the swamp
They wanted you to die – all of you,
The crème of the Army.
Suffocating heat and stench pressed your chest
Throttled you away to the other side
Where men walk with their heads
Their feet in the air.
I recall you came to me later
To explain it was not your fault
You never wanted to leave me
But I was too pained to listen.
I kept on asking why
A quiz you could not attempt
Why was it you had to die
When you did?
Mama, do you know I am an orphan now?
Those brothers-in-law of yours
Have pushed me off,
I am now destitute.
The other day I was hungry
But I had no money
I remembered wryly how you used to insist
Eat more, you are not stuffed yet.
Mama, things have changed since that day.
Chinemere is no longer doing well
He has left school
He says he can't go on.
All Chidi does is slave for Dominic
That wicked man at Lagos
Chima cries everyday; he is confused
He even says he wants to be a priest.
I am struggling for them all
I want them to change
To be as they were when you
Were still with us.
I have not dropped out again mama,
I will graduate this year
Even if you will not be there
To rejoice with me.
Someday I will make money
And gather my brothers together
As it once was,
It will be like you were here again.
But you will be watching us from heaven
With beady eyes
Not the tears you shed on the plane
But with joy.
I know who killed you, mama
It is Ambrose
He knows a lot of juju
He willed that plane fall down.
As you cascaded from heaven
Into the darkness of the swamp
They rejoiced and clapped,
What will they do when you rise again?
I recall what you used to say, mama.
I am a man now
I will do my best
I will not let you down.
Is papa there with you?
What of that footballer, Samuel?
My name too is Sam,
But I prefer Onyenachi’a.





For many years now my spirit has not been with this nation, though my body has been. It is not as if I hate the country; but I know I'll never amount to anything here. The country limits me with its inferior ways. I feel as if I'm slowly dying everyday in this country. I feel as if the longer I stay in this nation the nearer I draw to my grave. This country has meant sorrow and deprivation, limitation and strife for me. I want out. I want to exhale. I want to stretch. I want to breathe. I want to explode with the greatness of the gods. I want to be with the greatest of the greatest of the great; with the makers of the aeroplane; with the writers of Pilgrim's Progress; with the architects of the Pentagon; with the dicoverers of Einstein's theorem; with the leaders of global thought. That is why when people use words like: proudly Nigerian; Naija l'ewa wa, and so forth, all I can do is sigh. Nigeria is not my country in spirit; I am not of true value here. She killed my mother, whether she meant to or not, and buried her in the Federal Capital, at Abuja.

Most recently, I made the third and last sacrifice. Myself. And it was NLNG that drove me to this third and probably last sacrifice. My uncles had driven me to sacrifice my family. The C-130 plane crash in 1992 had driven me to sacrifice my country. Nlng drove me to sacrifice myself. On that day I realized that I had lost NLNG, I died. That was the last straw. If you read my poem, You Died Mama, you would see that as at the time I wrote it, I had not sacrificed myself. Though I had sacrificed my family, I still reserved a portion for my nuclear household, because I considered them to be part of me. And I felt I could convince them to leave the Nze family with me. That was what I meant by 'gathering them together'. NLNG provided the greatest source of hope that that could happen. I felt with a job like NLNG I could easily call my brothers to me, and help them. Alas, that was not to be. I discovered that not only was I to sacrifice my family, I was to sacrifice my dreams for my brothers. Indeed, I was to sacrifice all my former ideals: marrying Princess Ugonna at age 29; building a house for myself and my children; retaining Jude as my bestfriend; remaining a Christian; indeed, all I used to hold dear died in me, together with the NLNG dream; so that after mourning and burying my NLNG dream, I buried my Christianity, my girlfriend's love; my bestfriend's care; my desire to marry, build a house and settle however briefly in Nigeria; my desire to help my brothers even if not the rest of the family, and everything I trusted, in the same grave with the NLNG dream. I died to everything that was me. I realized that I could not marry Princess; I realized I could not help my brothers and pull them away from the larger family; that it was not mine, but theirs to do for themselves; I realized I could not build a house or settle in this country, as my spirit was really not in it; I realized that my so-called bestfriend and I had two different worlds. I realized so many things, and I saw that my ideas were not going to take me far enough; not as far as I wanted to go. NLNG had made me realize that. So I killed myself; I sacrificed myself, and buried myself with my NLNG dream.

Now I am born again like the eagle. I am transformed. I have made the three sacrifices: I have sacrificed my biological family. I replace it with the world. Now, I will love everyone based on his own merit. I love Kenosky as much as I love Chima for example, if not more. The favourtism of siblinage now holds nothing attractive for me. The whole world is my family: Jews, Americans, Japanese; I am free from the temporal trappings of a family.

I have sacrificed my country, and will not return when I leave for the USA. I replace it now with the USA, a melange of all races and cultures, a true no man's land; a land of opportunity and untold wealth, wealth that I will attain to. I want to be richer than Bill Gates; I want to be the first black man to win both a Nobel prize for Literature, and for Peace. I want to outswell the gods in achievement, without being apologetic to my compares for outshining them; I want to grow; to storm the barbican, to leap the ramparts; I want to tower over Kilimanjaro, bestride Kangayinka; I want to outrun the deer, and beat him to the stream; I want to outstrip Mandela in fame; to be the greatest black man that ever lived.

I have sacrificed myself, all that I am. I replace it now with all I can be; a great, glorious and wonderfully strong personality. I want to study deep the works of sages past and present. I want to read countless books. Bill Gates has said that what troubles him the most is the number of books left unread. I want that to trouble me as well. I want to build my body in the gymnasium; I want to groom my speech in the school, and love a different woman; I want to discover my truest personality, sexuality, spirituality and vocation. I want to be the best I can be. And establish the Cult of Cults for all the world. It will not be a secret society, nor will it oppose anything that is good. It will respect Christianity with a holy passion; but it will also respect Mohammedanism, and Bhuddism, and all other religions. It will teach the separation, full development, organization and transcendence of the human being, and it will make all its members visions of perfection, and measures and ends for all makind.

My three sacrifices have been painful. The first has condemned me to a life without family, except that which I make myself by marriage and association; the second will condemn me to eventual adoption of the citizenship of another man's country; the third has made me give up everything I once held dear, most painful of which is my Christianity and allegiance to His Holiness; but through these sacrifices, I wish to break all the barriers that will stand between me and becoming the very best I can ever be in a cosmic setting. And I willing proceed with my sacrifices.

Because it is said in Iboland that the race of life is never tiring.

Thanks, everyone. It has been a wonderful experience for me, believe me. And whenever I recall it, my joy knows no bounds. And there is hope too, not just joy. I thank you all. And Aniffy, I do know America is not perfect. I never expected it to be.  . Opokonwa has made some declarations in his so-called litany, and there are some other things besides which I would like to put in perspective. I will do so in my next post. It will be long.

I will talk more later.

One thing I know for sure now is this: THERE IS GOD, AND GOD IS GOOD. PERIOD.

opokonwa:

Una don start again?!
'Love'? . . . . Litany of 'love'?
Mmmmmmmmmmmmh . . . . . . litany of . . . . gini

'Love'
I don't know why I should respond to these post other than the fact that Opoks! feel roped in
I don't feel 'love' in the literal sense of the word for the thread of for anyone . . .
This is just where I unwind !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And atimes chat with peeps I barely know. I guess I love chatting.
When company time is boring

Do I have to go on calling people one by one _{even peeps I barely know?}
Well let me try.

Kuwena, I do not love you. I do not hate you either. Let me borrow your words; I am resigned.
From the loudest advocate of God to the one who publicly denounced Him.
From the loudest Hope bearer to the loudest harbinger of despair on the same thread?
From many peeps' model of Faith in God to an untouchable
From the greatest praise singer of Yahweh to obviously the most confused mind on the thread_{no insults meant, just keeping it REAL!}
And lately, from the Catparian secret sect to a 'Litany of love'? Where does all these leave me?
I rather not discuss you further. Had it been only your type on this thread, I probably wouldn't be here.
Don't mean to berate anyone but if I have to speak, I have to speak my mind._{Opoks! leaves no room for pretense.}
I only wish you well.

Aniffy, between you and Opoks!, I don't know who admires the other more.
I do not want to go into another praise-singing. From the 1st time I met you till now, I am impressed.
You were the reason I wanted to visit Bonny; I wanted to tap into your business-savvy mind.
They (Kenosky) say I love money; I have to be successful in life, so mixing with people who think like me is not a bad strategy.
Urbane, smart and intelligent, not to mention confident, I say we have a lot in common.

Kenosky, Isi azu! Hearing you speak on the phone the first times, my impression was that this was a rugged guy. You know the voice na!
Hanging out and in with you a couple of times, I had another impression and puzzle; this guy plays 25hrs a day, how come he's damn brillant?!
Never a dull moment with you man, I used to wonder how you made your First Class in school. There are babes and guys around you 24hrs, abi na you dey around them; yabbing, joking, cursing, jumping up and down?
Your belle nko? E don come down? And the many chicks you change like hankerchiefs; which one dey now, number 129?
Take am easy man; ihe na-ato uto na-egbukwa egbu

Jaisidaisy, it's not hard to place you.Though it's rare to meet gals who can hold a guy (no guys) in conversation eyeball to eyeball, day after day, week after week and going to months. You're obviously having fun. But I wonder who be your Bobolibobo? Gals like you are often hard to get 'cause you do everything guys do; play football (both indoors and outdoors) , drink beer, smoke, gist about chicks, make fun of chics, hang out with guys and strategize like guys. Well, Nne, welcome to the Hood Club! It's obvious that your heart is as open as your conversations!

Alfa, I often think of you as seven years older than the oldest of us. They say you write like Opoks! Actually you do (that was before I kolooooed )
I still sound like you when I go philosophical. Otherwise, there are many sides to me. They say I dey craze; Oh boy! there are many sides to Opoks!
Craze time and reasoning (Alfaprime) time.
I still wonder what keeps you on this thread.

Opoks! I just don't understand you. Must you yarn your mind?
Well, everyone is writing their true (or otherwise pretended) impression about everyone else. Opoks! had to contribute.

To the rest, I don't know any more consistent peeps than those above (not including Opoks! )
All I can say is if I didn't write about you, you probably have not made an impression on me lately You probably need to write more.

Opokonwa, I will take special time to reply you word for word. Believe me.

April ends today. At the start of April I shared with you all the 22nd Anniversary of my father's death. That was on the first day of April.

On this last day of April, something different has happened. I have got my visa to the United States of America. Only today, for the first time in my life I went to an embassy, and for the first time in my life I took an embassy interview. And for the first time in my life I got a visa, to the United States of America.

Soon I shall get on a plane and go to the USA to be a Graduate Teaching Assistant at a University that has paid over 44 thousand US dollars to give me free tuition, free health insurance and free accommodation, just to help teach their undergraduate students and earn a master's while doing so.

I love America.

Oh! I simply love this. Kenosky, well done. I knew I could rely on you. Others, post your own litanies of love. Your Excellency, is there no kind of sanction against those who refuse to post their litanies?

Opoks, Jisidaisy, Aniffy, AlfaPrime, please come and share your own litany so that we can enjoy. I'm counting on you guys. Please.

This Litany of Love is reaching out to all my fellow posters on Which Way Nlng? I'm saying I care about each and every one of you, for all you have done to keep this thread moving for more than one year now.

I love Kenosky well enough to leave a prized possession in his care. He is a brother and friend, and true pride of this thread. When I think of him, I think of a caring lion, and a rock on which I can lean for support. My fondest memory of him was when after I had discovered that I did not make it to Nlng I came online and cried before everyone on this thread, and he said he would gladly give me his Nlng appointment. Though it was something beyond him, I had a feeling he was being sincere in his words. I also love his signature: Fortune favours the brave.

I love Jisidaisy well enough to share with her a secret. She is a sister 'from the hood'. When I think of her I think of a sagely nurse, and someone I can reach out to in times of need. My fondest memory of her was a few days back when I posted something morose that made me come across as needing pity. She said: 'If it is pity you want, Kuwena, you will get plenty; but what will you do with it?' I also love the way she has stuck it out as the only regular female poster on this rugged thread.

I love AlfaPrime well enough to let him marry my sister (if I had one). He is a sure friend. When I think of him, I imagine a born-again neighbour. He speaks with wisdom that is profound and reliable. My fondest memory of him was when he shared his Nlng test story. He came across as someone who had mourned his loss and moved on; and any time he suspected that I was still licking my Nlng wounds, he quickly reminded me that I had my life in front of me, and did not have to dwell in the gory past. I also love him for always sticking out his neck for Jesus, when he felt the Saviour was not seeming to get enough respect. This brother is certainly heaven-bound. Can someone say Amen?

I love Anifowoshe well enough to have a three-hour lunch with him. He is a provoker. Whenever he has noticed that the thread was assuming a lazy kind of peace, he has always come to shake things up and to inspire controversy. When I think of him, I imagine a lucky guy with his own unique style. I also admire his bravery in walking out on an irksome job even before Nlng called him. Yemi has proved that a man must take his destiny in his hands all the time. His Excellency has said that Fortune favours the brave. It is then no wonder that Yemi is ever so fortunate.

I love Opokonwa well enough to show him where I keep my drinks. He too is a provoker. He is so bad at it that, thanks to him, I once became so abusive on this thread that I surprised even myself. He has a way of rubbing in the dust and grit, and bringing out all of it: the good, the bad and the ugly from inside of you. I think of him as a lion, though with a touch of kindness. My fondest memory of him was the first time he called and spent three solid hours and more with me on the phone. I was at Abuja at the time, visiting a friend; and after the call, my friend asked me who it was that had called, and I told him. He asked if Opoks was gay, because 'calls like that were only between a man and his babe'. I laughed. But I sincerely do not think Opoks is anything near being gay.

I also love all the rest of us: Adrianic, Jbyno, Sweetsjoy, Runsaway; Skeelo, Wandel, Sequoia, Lindiwe, Tommyex, and all those who have made this thread what it is today. May God bless you all. This is my litany of love.

I once got to read a story. I think it was sent to me by one of these Yahoo groups or so. The story told of a teacher. The teacher asked her students to each write a lovely thing about their classmates. They all did. The story went that through that simple exercise, every student got to appreciate for the first time that he or she was loved by the class. Many years later, the story continued, one of the students (by now a grown man) died. A good number of his classmates, and the teacher went. When they were dressing the corpse, they found the sheet of paper on which one of the students had earlier written nice things about the now dead man. The dead man's father explained that that sheet of paper had been the man's favourite while he was alive. He had been touched by the nice things his classmates had written about him, and he had never lost the sheet.

Many times it is good to remind someone that you care about him, and that there are some things you cherish about him or her. We on this thread have been like family for more than a year now. We have shared our lives, our hopes and our dreams. There have been times when a brother or a sister needed a shoulder to cry upon, and there came someone offering that shoulder. There have been times when a brother or a sister had good news to share, and the entire family clebrated with him or her. What better time then is there for us to send a Litany of Love to everyone, saying that we care? I set the ball rolling in my next post, and with that I urge His Excellency, Kenosky, to take it up from there, and thereby make every member of this thread compulsorily write a Litany of Love for our benefit.

Your Excellency, copy my example.

kenosky:

Thanx Jisi, though my exam was yesterday- how u dey? Thank God its friday and please do av a great weekend y'all. ciao

Good luck with your exams.

Fresh air! Lots of it.

AlfaPrime, I was misunderstood by you.

I beg to shut up and not discuss this particular issue further.

Sometimes I run away with my ideas.

No need to fear.

All is well.




































































And April is coming to an end.



















































Soon.

Aniffy, permit me to say something about the Catparian Society. You know, ever since I was a kid, I have dreamt of starting a cult. This cult mentality is very high with me. Maybe that is even why at my age I don't have a girlfriend, and have never had sex; I may never even marry. My greatest pleasure in every sense seems to derive from the notion of fraternity. Organization of people solidly committed to a purpose: disciplined, structured; you know, the aura of the cult, the love of the brotherhood, the adhesiveness of the bond; the power of the cult.

'Konwa can recall that those days we used to speak on the phone I repeatedly talked to him of establishing a cult. I told him that a cult could go a long way in solving most of our problems. And many cults indeed have. Rosicrucians, Skulls, Grey Masons, Eckists, Sufists; most of these grand societies have solved millions of the world's mysteries; and in every age and time when cults have formed, be they secret or open, many individuals who otherwise would have no reason to be alive, no definite purpose for continued existence and no life chart, have found themselves transformed by wonderful experiences, like Eckist Soul travels; Sufi Introspections; Rosicrucian Revolutions, and a myriad of other New Age Awarenesses, most of which ultimately aim at Human Self Actualization.

The truth is that many of these cults are compatible with modern religion. One can conveniently be a Rosicrucian and a Christian; one can be a Gray Mason and a Catholic Bishop; one can be a Sufi brother and a pastor. One can join the Catparian Society and serve the Christian Yahweh or the Muslim Allah.

I have always treasured the power of congregationality; the influence a multitude of adherents committed to one thing can wield over the world, especially when they are armed with the modern media, like television; they can sell their ideals globally. My vision for the Catpar is simple: self actualization by the separation, development, coordination and transcendence of the human personality, sexuality, spirituality and vocation. I want several young men (and possibly women) who are intelligent, driven, and willing to create positive change to congregate and jointly bring genuine progress to Africa. It has nothing to do with black hoods and red sashes, or mouths pouring either with Ribena or cockerel's blood; it has nothing to do with eerie pontification and needless chanting of humba-hammmer; it has nothing to do with reading or not reading the Holy book of the Christians. All the Catpar seeks is to transform you, and through you, transform the whole world.

Think about it.

aniffy4eva:

Story of my life. . .

Yes i did. I guess i was just tired of the job and i wasn't happy. I just wasn't happy and it was killing me inside. . .literally. I decided to bite the bullet and went into private business.

You have much more than my courage!!! You have yours!!! I did that because' i was so sure that i was doing the right thing. . . please do not consider this as a command to go and resign o! As for me sha, i knew i wasn't happy and as for me. . . My happiness comes before money. . .

In retrospect, everything worked out fine. I have a job i like, i'm happy and i still run my business. . . . . . what can i say? "The steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord. . . "

You kow what, Yemi? I wish that what happened to you would happen to me too. You're one hell of a lucky chap, do you know that? So lucky! You just walked out on your job and went into a thriving business, and then NLNG called you. You are so blessed!

I hate my job with all my heart, and many times I wish I could leave it, but I never can summon the courage. Anytime I say I will resign, there comes this threatening voice within me: 'Resign and do what? Have you forgotten your job is your greatest defence now?' And then the voice within lets out a mocking laughter:

Ha ha ha ha
Haa haa haa haa
Haaa haaa haaa haaa
Resign and do what?
Resign and do what?
Resign and do what?
Ha ha ha ha
Haa haa haa haa
Haaa haaa haaa haaa
Others are looking for job and you want to resign
Others are looking for job and you want to resign
Others are looking for job and you want to resign
Ha ha ha ha
Haa haa haa haa
Haaa haaa haaa haaa
Resign and do what?
Resign and do what?
Resign and do what?
Ha ha ha ha
Haa haa haa haa
Haaa haaa haaa haaa.

The voice mocks me repeatedly. And then I know I am trapped. Yet the psalmist says: 'Save me O God I trust in you.' Phew! Once again, I wish I had your courage. Yemi, I really do.

kenosky:




brotha, haba ! that is not a fair thing to say o! You know say i go always acknowledge u first na- it probably is an oversight but your excellency per excellence- i defer to u!




aniffy has said it all- u v got even more than courage! What more can i say?





u well? If we all enjoy reading more than posting- na who go dey post for u?



aniffy, you're indeed a trail blazer- keep on rocking!


Jisi, ow wuz your day and how NITEL? Any hope in sight?

Your Excellency, this is a most welcomoe post. Thanks a lot.

JISIDAISY:

Kuwena, Sorry Dear. I'm sure it was the cause of oversightysm. So how are you doing? Kano must be pretty hot. But you sef, you know you can hola at me anytime---------------
Wait wasnt my last staement meant for Opokonwa? Opokonwa! Opokonwa!! Opokonwa!!! How many times did I call you? Hmm. when i shared targets for everyone you didnt say you wanted oh! Now to talk to woman your voice is the loudest hapu----hapu nwane! biko hapu.

Kenosky, Nwanem madu, NITEL is still showing us big time. I don't know when its going to end, hopfully this week.
Aniffy, I'm ok---work is as ---no more stressful than before. God dey sha.

To all my pips-------God Dey. Thats my motto for this month of April.

KUWENA! I still dey greet o.

Thanks for the reassurance.

opokonwa:

Say my name! say my name!! I'm calling you babie!!! You calling me babie!!!! Babie say my name!!!!!
Say my name! say my name!! You acting like a shadie!!! You calling me babie!!!! Babie say my name!!!!!

Or try this one:

Somebody call my name, Opoks!
People them calling my name; Opoks!
Daddy Opoks! make you come back again o!
Papa them, them'a calling my name o!
Even little children them'a calling my name!
Daddy come! . . . Daddy come!! Daddy come!!! Daddy come!!!!
Daddy Opoks! make you come back again! Daddy come!

Ooopoks!_ehee! . . . Oooopoks!!_ehee!! . . . [size=15pt]Ooooooopoks![/size]


You never call my name tire?!

I tell you say I need 'target'? Abi where I dey no get enough 'targets'?
Abeg no give me job . . . just make we discuss 'possible ways to make money' and you dey put your motor for reverse?

You never begin run . . . na today? _{rolls eyes*}
She who hints* and runs away go run tire!

Wait make I catch you for that Abuja!
_{hssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!}

Aha! This is the Opoks I know. Nwannem, nno-o!

I wish I had your courage.

opokonwa:

Thread! Thread!! Thread!!!

@aniffy
I was thinking of giving you a call someday before I saw that you've already extended the invitation.
When it comes to investment, I am your student
You've done it all, been on the streets selling, resigned from a prestigious PWC job when NLNG was not even seriously considered[/i], done your own things, ran your own life (before NLNG) . . ._{and still running it!}
And don't tell me about the designer suits, I saw one on you the day we met; and for a moment, I wished I was the guy putting them on
A combination of urbane, intelligence and street-smartness, that was the feedback I gave Adrianic after you and I met
Keep it up bro! Who knows where we're going


@Kenosky
Enuf harping about my visiting the ROMANCE section.
Am I romantic; I don't think so. I view myself as 'hard' and close friends attest to it. But who knows me well
Am I looking for a 'baby' as you had sometime suggested? Nope. I have a wonderful r/lship.
Why am I often there? It's where I easily escape to if and when I have idle time at work.
I love the passion, excitement and mostly sincere stories that come from the [i]energies that build in affairs of the opposite sex.
So I jump in to read the heartfelt stories, offer advice, yab those I wan yab, give out a dose of either my sarcasm or sincere encouragement.
There are too many wounds to be healed in that section and lot'a entertainment from craaaaazy posters!

Yemi, did you really leave PWC before NLNG even called you?

Haba, Kenosky, Opokonwa, AlfaPrime and Jisidaisy; why do I get the feeling you all are deliberately ignoring me?

Lastly, before I sign out, I want to get back to Tommyex's success.

Recall what we said at the start of April. Both His Excellency and I said that this April was going to be a smash hit for us. And what do we have, a faithful (very faithful) brother indeed has had his dreams actualized in this month of April. (Clears throat first):

For he's a jolly good fellow (2ce)
For he's a jolly good felloooooooow!
And so say say all of us - hurray!
And so say all of us (2ce)
For he's a jolly good fellow (2ce)
For he's a jolly good felloooooooow!
And so say all of us!

(Clears throat again) Hence, in the name of His Excellency, Kenosky, Godfather and Prefect of Which Way Nlng? I say a big 'Congratulations, and jubilations; celebration, in our nation!' Alleluia!

May Yahweh be above you to bless you
Before you to lead you
Beside you to support you
Behind you to shield you;

May you walk and never stumble
May you claim the seats of your enemies
'May no weapon fashioned against you prosper;
All those who rise against you shall fall'
May you swell and grow like the Iroko
May you be favoured and blessed in all you do
May you never lack in anything good
May you have excess and to spare.

Yahweh said to Aaron: This is how you must bless the children of Israel:

May Yahweh bless you and keep you
May he shine his face on you and be gracious to you
May he fill you with joy and give you his peace.

(Then the priest stretches forth his hand in all his glory towards Tommyex and intones):

And may the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you both now and forever. Amen.

Alleluia Chimlei
Jehova, Chim e mela
Ebe izara epere di ya le
Aga ma achurugi mma mma

Alleluia my God
Jehovah, my God you have done well
As you have answered his (Tommyex's) prayer
I shall bless you forever.

Amen.

We love you, brother; and this is just the beginning of all Yahweh has in store for you. Alleluia!

Rejoice, then; it has pleased him to give you the Kingdom!

Let's get back to this whole issue of saving and spending. You know, Yemi is 100% right. I had to read that post of his three times to repeatedly endorse the wisdom contained therein. (Yemi, you really are wise; I must say this again).

You know, the relationship between spending in the way Yemi stipulated (spending on risk assets) and saving, is like the relationship between getting a job and controlling an enterprise (Yemi, I must again defer to your dichotomy of ownership and control, which is akin to the dichotomy between a CEO and a Chairman of a Board; the difference between Gates and Ballmer; between Akingbola and Obieri). I agree with you in that spending on high-yield risk is better than saving in the bank. The former is brave, and the latter is fearful (and recall that His Excellency would say that 'fortune favours the brave').

AlfaPrime:

@Annify
Of course, You can never compare saving with investment. I didn't mean dry, meaningless saving. That would be akin to miserliness! What I meant was saving as a means of raising capital for an investment venture. Actually, I take my guidance in this regard from the the Lord Jesus' parable of the talents. Notice that it was only after one servant had hidden his talent in the ground that the master asked him why he couldn't have at least saved the money with the bankers. In other words, saving is the least You could do with your resources. the first and most preferred is actually to invest it. Fine, but u can't really build up a good enough capital for the investment without some period of saving, and note also that the basic personal fiscal discipline needed for both saving and investment are the same.

@Opoks
You're welcome back warmly, brother! I feel You when I consider the reasons u just revealed as what made u trip off for so long. In fact, I get the impression that, (like I do at times) during your comatose period u were actually still visiting the thread regularly without making contributions. At times it's a bit difficult to break the flow of a certain conversation on the thread without appearing a bit rude, but it's ok. At least you're fully back with the house now.

@Jisi
You said something that just caught my attention. can u reach me on onyx@bornagain.com? I'd like to discuss some business with you.

@Kennosky et al
The intensive training course I had throughout this week gave me an idea of how it must have been with u all this while. keep the dream high!

Stay blessed all. It's Friday again and promising to be a great weekend, especially for those of us all who have been grappling with increasing mountains of work!

But let me make a case for saving, especially at the initial stage of growing one's wealth. To do this, I will borrow supporting arguments from George Clason and Robert Kiyosaki, and from AlfaPrime quoted above.

If you have read The Richest Man in Babylon, you would recall that the chief character lost practically all his money in his first attempt at investing. And why did this happen? Because he had not studied the investment terrain well enough. He just believed he could sponsor certain trades, and ended up wasting both his time and his money. Robert Kiyosaki also said in his book that before one begins investing, he should understudy a guru. So, here's my first case for saving at the start of an investment career: saving up your money gives you time to learn what to do with it later, by way of investment.

Let me use an analogy for my second point: Imagine you were told that toadskins had become an important source of export, and if you bought them at 10 naira, you could export them for 100 dollars (12 thousand naira); now if you had only 60 naira, you could get only 6 toadskins, and then you could make only 600 dollars (72 thousand naira); but if you waited awhile to save up a little more (and in that period study the business more), you would find that you could buy more toadskins and increase your profit. Also, in that period, the prices could go up, making you get more by way of income net costs; and you could even learn other ways to maximize your gains apart from cashing in on price levels. So you see. Hence, the second case I am making for saving is this: saving makes you have more capital to invest with at the right time.

Let me make one final argument for saving, and that is toeing AlfaPrime's way. Yemi, you must agree that there are some people who do not have the knack for making money that certain others do. In their own case, saving would be the wisest alternative. And he was right to use the analogy of the talents. If the man with only one talent were to have deposited that money in the bank, it sincerely would have yielded interest no matter how small, than lazily wasting it as he did. So the third case I am making for saving is: for those who do not have either the interest or the skill to do business, saving especially in mutual funds, or a Pension plan is always a wise way to beat poverty.

I ope with theez fyu points of main I av bin abul to confwuse you that savings is betta than spending 

aniffy4eva:

1. lol! It's called leverage. . . Risky? Yes!! But honestly, to get real and fast advancement , you have to think about using OPT (Other People's Time) or OPM (Other People's Money). The honest truth is that you are either using someone else's leverage OR you are the leverage. Check your job out, you are your employer's leverage. Look at your money deposited in your account doing nothing. The borrowers are leveraging on it. . . . So i think its about time you leveraged on someone else. . . but please be careful. . .

2. Secondly, you'll be surprised that most banks have such packages for willing investors. I'm currently on one like that. Normally, i probably wont be divulging stuff like this, but hey, we are here to share knowledge. . . aren't we? The shares in question are used as collateral (plus your initial contribution which is a percentage of the facility), although you have control, you can only trade them (most times through the bank's brokerage house). . . but you only obtain full ownership (as in transfer to you) when you liquidate the facility. I read somewhere that one difference between the rich and the poor is that while the poor seek ownership, the rich seek control. Now thats a BIG difference.

Aquarius. . . .

Thanks! My admiration of you is 150% more! The GREAT Opoks!

Hey Bros!. . . i won't mind being a part of this o! That is if the real estate deal is for commercial purposes o. . . and not for building your house only , heard of a couple of young guys (below 30) that did one real estate deal and sold off with about N1bn (or so) profit. . . I know some of you might sneer at this possibility, but the honest truth is that what your mind can't see, your hand can't grasp. . . So Opoks! you can holla at me on folayemianifowoshe@gmail.com. I'm sure that Jisi can cook up something. . . as long as the plan is tight. . .

I really don't agree with this line of thought. . . Please by all means be a BIG SUPER spender, just make sure you are spending on the RIGHT things! I'm surprised at people who keep their money in their accounts and when it comes to private placements, they SPEND a little because' they don't want to take risks. There's someone i look up to, she inspires me a lot, when explaining how she made her BIG break, she said she wanted to purchase a block of shares from the existing shareholders, she approached a bank, obtained a HUGE facility and purchased each share at N3.00 plus a little premium. She held onto these shares for 15 months and sold them off at N64.00 a piece. If she was a SUPER SAVER, trust me, i don't think she would have made it that BIG. Why would i want to save for 20 years for an event that may never happen? When i can SPEND at once, have a little bit of temporal HBP and savour the experience of having to do something interesting. Yes! Saving is good, when compared to being wasteful, but having to focus on SPENDING keeps one in a perpetual state of stagnation (or at best your money is making 3% per annum. . .) I would rather focus on being a BIG SPENDER, as long as i SPEND on profitable ventures! I must confess, it may not work the way you plan all the time, but that will not stop me from trying again. Personally, i rarely keep funds in my account. . . anytime i go to the bank, i always wonder what's going through the mind of the person paying me when they look at me in my designer suit and then compare to my account balance. . . . . . na them sabi

Yeah! So please grow with us, because we are going places!!!

Yemi, my dearest brother, you do have a way with words, don't you? But all I see is intelligence displayed in your discourses.

[b]To start with, the issue of spending versus saving: in both of these books: The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason, and Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki, it is not saving that is extolled. Rather, it is the building up of one's asset column to such a level that spending does not eat away at it. In other words, a person may spend all he likes, but his strongly built assets still protect him. It reminds me of one of Jesus' classic statements: The wise man built his house on the rock, and even when the storms came, and pushed at it, the house stood firm. Good thinking, Yemi.

I'm intrigued to know you are an Aquarius, Yemi. My bestfriend (is he still my bestfriend?) is an Aquarius. Aquarians are easy-going, friendly, fun-loving, endearing people. They crave solid relationships, and are very compassionate and giving; they thrive in situations of camaraderie; are creative, romantic and sweet. They can be altruistic, idealistic; and they do have fine taste. Like Libras and Geminis, they are controlled by the wind, which makes them intelligent, creative, and good with people. They are outgoing and gregarious as well.

Sometime ago, I fused the Zodiac (12 signs) with the Enneagram (9 signs), and came up with the Catparian Classification of 48 personality types.

If I guess correctly, I think we both are almost the same personality. I think you are a Four (a Romantic) on the Enneagram, and then you have told me you are an Aquarius on the Zodiac, which means you are what I call an S2. I am originally a Four (a Romantic) on the Enneagram as well, and I am a Libra, what I call an S1. The three S Zodiac signs according to Catparian Classification are: Libra S1; Aquarius S2, and Gemini S3. They are called S signs (Spirituality signs) because they are controlled by the wind, or noumena, as opposed to phenomena.

Hence, according to the Catparian Classification, you are an Se*Se/S2, and I am an Se*Se/S1. And these types share very many core values, and respond similarly to situations. So, if I am correct, then we are very like each other. We've got a lot in common, Yemi. You must believe me when I say so.

I enjoyed chatting with you the other day. Though I don't know if you've given further thought to what I told you concerning the Catparian Society, or indeed anything else for that matter. I look forward to chatting with you sometime in the future. Who knows, we may get to do certain things together, ehn Yemi? The future they say is always pregnant. Anyway, say me hi to your one true love. 

One love, brother. Have I just rapped you? Ha ha ha. Whatever.[/b]

tommyex:

Hi everyone

Hey,its really been a long time i came around ere^{the reason will be explained later},and i miss everyone alot.

Hope this house still rocks,Ken n co i see una hand oo.I go try read some pages before i run commot.

I have some sort of Good news for the house and i hope we all take it coolly,because the reason i dint share it earlier was that i dint want to raise any -ve emotion.
NLNG finally employed me some 2weeks back,I tahnk God for giving me the opportunity to start another phase of my life.I pray that this year will bring miracles for everyone.

I was on the reserve list and God made them employ me.
I am sorry i wont be browsing for now,I need to sort some things out,but this thread is always on my mind

hmmmmmm.so JISI is still entertainin the guys?cool,tot u were a flash in d pan.
KEN
no vex,e be like say levels don change,but its nt my makin not 2 chat ere,hope yall understand.
b t w KEN,i dey expect your calll

OMG! Tommyex! This is the best news I have heard in weeks! Cheiya! So God has made the Mighty NLNG finally call you. Oh, this is such good news. What can I say? Alleluia! Tommyex, believe me when I say from the bottomest part of my soul that I am sincerely very happy for you. You deserve it. Gimme a hug. Take it!

By the way, 'Fowowshe, what's your star on the Zodiac?

aniffy4eva:

That's funny. . .coincidentally. . i went to your PH branch and the lady i saw there said you guys don't do stuff like that. . . Maybe because' i asked specifically about share financing. . .

@ Kuwena

Do you guys have anything for me?

'Lagbaja, nothing for you!'

aniffy4eva:

Yeah. . .i sell suits! I split my stock between British and Italian suits e.g. Paul Smith, Armani, Hugo Boss etc. I have a partner that brings them in and then i sell. I actually like to sell things. . . started when i was in school.

Trainings and workshops have been cool. They just reinforced a lot of values i seemed to have taken for granted.

@ Kuwena

That's really cool. I'm glad you also have a "savings and investment" culture. Please soak yourself well in Robert Kiyosaki's books, but also note that he's skewed towards real estate and not the stock market per se. I have quite a lot of his books and also the "Cashflow" game. . . If you are looking at books on stocks. . . you may want to check out Peter Lynch's book ; "One up on Wall Street", Mary Buffet's "Buffetology" and a host of others. . .

I have made some sales since i resumed, but i'm still trying to build my network. . . i'm sure that my best bet will be bankers like you. . . . . . and not engineers. . . (_{like kenosky})

On the idea of invest early, get rich quickly and retire early. . . i believe it's more of increasing cashflow and passive income. Once your passive income exceeds your expenses, you are financially free but not rich. Your freedom, if exercised appropriately will give you enough time to focus on getting rich, because you have more time for yourself.

And a piece of advice when it comes to brokers. Not all of them are really that knowledgeable so please do your research before listening to them. . . Some are called "broke-ass" for a reason, y'know. . .

Anyone here interested in agriculture OR actively participating

Owning a company is always better than buying non-preference shares in it. The former is wholesale investing, the latter is retail. Perfect observation, Aniffy. And yes, lands may be better than shares. Yes, indeed.

AlfaPrime:

Hi all, Long waited to see some intellectualism and pragmatism show up on the thread again, especially with regards to some unfinished discussions about the way forward for our beloved country, How's work going for everyone?

@ Kuwena
COMMENDABLE. Prudent, dogged savings is always the starting point towards any good business investment. As my broker puts it succinctly, it pays to be a super saver than to be a big spender, Whole lot of the things we spend money on are simply not needed at this point in time.

@ Stan
Buy Land? Very good idea too, but depends on how much capital you're willing to commit to it and how much time You can wait. Undeveloped land could really tie up some good capital which, if traded in stocks, is sure to multiply itself in a way that would guarantee you much greater returns to still buy the land and possibly develope it!

Yes, sir. Well worded.