Making Sound New Year Resolutions Amid Challenges

By Fred Nwaozor

The last time I checked, the long awaited 2022 had eventually arrived to people’s utmost amazement. Hence, it’s not anymore news that the year in question is already here with us. Just like an odyssey, the beginning of every year is invariably accompanied with influx of fresh dreams, anticipations, plans, or what have you, and 2022 isn’t exceptional.

It’s imperative to acknowledge that towards actualization of these wishes, the bearer is expected to inculcate reasonable resolutions into his or her life to enable him or her stick to the rules as the journey progresses. The resolution would serve as a viable guide as you pursue the dream vigorously. One thing we must take into cognizance is that two major factors – altitude and attitude – determine the realization of any plan at all times. The former, which literally means the distance you are meant to cover during the journey, cannot be actualized if proper planning is taken for granted; secondly, you must follow the apt route for you to get to the anticipated destination. The latter, which signifies the lifestyle or policies of the plan bearer, is needed to enable him do the right thing while relating with his fellow humans whilst the odyssey is on.

One’s attitude indeed speaks volumes when pursuing anything whatsoever. Your attitude or character would make your partners – benefactors, colleagues, or associates, as the case may be – give you the required support or attention when need be. It would equally put you in a form that would enable you apply the overall needed strategies adequately. For instance, if you are used to drinking indiscriminately, such attitude could ruin your plans, because it can make you not to concentrate, or do the right thing, as well as make your intending partners detest your person, thus wouldn’t like to work or cooperate with you. A bad attitude would make the journey crash along the line owing to your inability to relate well with your fellow travellers. A bad attitude is simply like a flat tyre; it can never go anywhere until you change it irrespective of the circumstance. In view of this, a sound resolution serves as a recipe to a viable plan or concept. Having initiated a plan in accordance with your dreams or wishes, courtesy demands that you draw good resolutions that would help to reshape your attitudes. The proposed resolutions must be in respect of your flaws, and not that of your relatives or friends. Hence, you must design a resolution that would suit your person. Don’t make resolutions in line with what others are making. It ought to be done to address your shortcomings, and not that of others.

Since a dream or wish is expected to beget a plan, it’s needless to state that a dream without adequate resolutions is seemingly meaningless or would remain futile. So, as every year often unveils a distinct dream, it is worthy of note that the dream might suffer a severe setback in the process if its bearer fails to summon good resolutions prior to implementing the strategies begotten by the plan. In other words, without a resolution, a dream is virtually useless, and vice-versa. It suffices to say that dream and resolution are interwoven. But it takes only a sound resolution for a dream to excel as expected. Though making a resolution is very crucial, it’s noteworthy that sustaining it is a different issue entirely. Several factors – including influence, environment and idleness – serve as a deterrent toward the sustenance of any resolution. The company you keep can jeopardize your chances of maintaining your resolution due to influence. So, as you make a resolution, you ought to endeavour to delete some names from your friendship list.

In the same vein, in his words, the great philosopher, Karl Marx stated that ‘Environment determines the action of the mind’. I strongly concur with this ancient assertion. Where you live or the place you found yourself at a given time plays a key role in keeping a resolution. Among all, idleness on its part can also contribute negatively to the sustenance of a certain set of resolutions. The saying that ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop’ is enough reason to worry. A well conceived concept can be bedevilled by idleness. It’s noteworthy that all forms of challenges can pose threat to any kind of resolution irrespective of the level of determination of the bearer. This implies a certain challenge can constitute nuisance in the long run, thus can destruct the wholesomeness of the journey in question. In some cases, such a circumstance makes it so difficult for one to make a resolution let alone sustain it.

Making resolutions amid challenges might seem very tough but there’s need to comprehend that such a challenge can be subdued if the needful is done. In a situation of this kind, one who truly intends to make as well as keep a resolution is required to be resolute and resilient at all cost. You must stick strongly and passionately to your dreams and resolutions regardless of the nature of the challenges, and always endeavour to return to the original plan having suffered a setback. Let the anticipated destination remain your driving force as long as the journey lasts.

Inter alia, you are required to be deeply prayerful and faithful. You must build your spiritual life to the core and never depart from your faith. Prayer is as powerful as faith, but always note that the latter is arguably more powerful. However, it’s worth noting that a certain challenge might be to your advantage. Those whom their flaw has been about indulgence in excesses or debauchery ought to see a challenge such as financial incapacitation as a blessing in disguise. The aforementioned condition would enable such persons to go only for their needs, not wants; hence, should be seen as a welcome development. Even if the circumstance later became a thing of the past, the truth or good news is that it had succeeded in making you discover your frivolous lifestyles, thereby addressing them. Hence, you are urged to make a sound resolution today, and work towards sustaining it by sticking to the specified rules. You alone is bound to determine how your dream can materialize into reality, so do not wait for someone to do the thinking on your behalf. I can’t wait to celebrate with you towards the end of 2022 when you would be informing us on the various resolutions you were able to keep throughout the odyssey. So, never be carried away by frivolities, as you are enjoined to focus on priorities at all cost. Think about it!

Christmas Commemoration And The Expectations Ahead

Fred Nwaozor

Many of us have taken to wearing visors and other similar devices to protect our eyes and visages from the possible effects of harmattan. Taking Nigeria as a case study, many would testify that the ongoing climatic phase causes virulent feelings, and may as well lead to various virulent diseases, whilst some would definitely testify that it is a welcome scene, therefore ought to continue for eternity. Honestly, these and more similar phenomena observe amongst mankind is not man-made but wholly natural.

Let’s put it this way; if brandy is good in bringing the real man or woman in you as a person at any given time, and that fellow that appears to be intimate to you believes in the work of whisky in respect of similar purpose; then conclusively, it signifies you both are of different nature, or possess distinct idiosyncrasies. Thus significantly, no matter the level of intimacy in any relationship or affair, be it symbiotic or parasitic, the exact nature of the two or more parties involved can never be compromised or interchanged. In geography, we were taught that about seventy percent (70%) of the earth crust is covered with water, while about thirty percent (30%) is engulfed by land. There’s a big problem or error attached to this geographic estimation coupled with approximation. The astronomers who carried out the research and rounded off with such conclusion were so myopic to understand the fact that, even the part of the earth crust covered with water is equally made up of land. It’s not a paradox. It’s a fact, and it is natural.

Of course the bedrock of any sea, ocean, river, pond, lake, et cetera, is land. In agriculture, we call it the soil. It suffices to say that every part of the earth crust is covered with the soil (land). But this is not my optimum interest in this piece. My concern is; despite the level of intimacy between the land and the natural water, they still don’t mix together. This simply signifies each of the compounds or substances in question is made of a certain distinct nature. This is a fact. Each of the paragraphs above has proven to us that nature is indeed very powerful. Nature could be regarded as all the animals, plants and other things in the world that are not made by man; and all the events, features and processes that are not caused by mankind. In a nut shell, nature is anything that is not man-made. In other words, it’s older than the world. Yes, nature has been in existence before the world was created. This is the reason most times anything caused by it seems to be mysterious; that is, beyond man’s imagination, creativity or creative ingenuity. Therefore, nature controls; it rules; inter alia, it finalizes.

Let’s I digress; this piece is solely focused on Christmas otherwise known as Xmas. We’re discussing its annual commemoration. First and foremost, what is Christmas celebration or commemoration? It’s simply a religious festival or ritual being observed on every 25th December by the Christendom to mark the birth of Christ. Then, who is Christ? Christ is one of the names of Jesus whom Christians believe to be the only begotten son of God and whose teachings are the basis of Christianity. According to the Christian writ, the Creator sent Him to sanctify the sinful world and He wholeheartedly obliged.

He came, saw, taught, healed and delivered the world. Most importantly, He died for our sins to be forgiven. It’s needless to assert that He eventually conquered during His sojourn on earth. As a devoted Christian, Catholic to be precise, I understand that Christ was not really born on the 25th of December, but such date was selected by the ancient Christendom in order to mark the day such generous being came into the world since the actual date of His birth was not recorded by the scribes or historians of His time. They considered it consequential for such date to be monumental or be remembered by mankind, because the day in question marked the beginning of mankind’s sanctification, deliverance as well as total emancipation, which remains the most vital Christian tool in existence. Truly, Christ came or was born, saw and conquered. Above all, He accomplished His mission, because mankind was freed from bondage by His death. After the death of Christ, He resurrected. Before His death, He resurrected many souls; this remains the most mysterious act performed by Him.

Hence, resurrection is nature. If truly we believe that such vital tool is nature, in other words, Christ is nature. He’s beyond man’s imagination. Starting from His birth down to His death, everything about Him was mysterious. So, as we commemorate this season of holy birth and love, let’s endeavour to recall the spiritual essence of its existence towards doing the needful as long as it lasts. Therefore, I enjoin us to use the period to have a rethink in our respective endeavours with a view to making our immediate societies a better place for the residents or occupants. There is really a tremendous reason for this season. Such a moment set aside to mark the day Christ was born ought to not in any way be compromised, because it’s the birthday of our Messiah. This signifies that Christmas remains a worthwhile Christian virtue, which is arguably ‘the best of its kind’. Think about it!

Godfatherism And Finacing In Politics

by Fred Nwaozor

As Nigerians as a people are ostensibly determined to nurture their nascent democratic terrain, it’s expected of them to keenly and extensively look inwards toward discovering the encumbrances surrounding the said process with a candid view to holistically addressing them. It isn’t anymore news that every electioneering era across the global community, particularly on the African continent, invariably begets a set of peculiar stories that ordinarily aren’t meant to be harboured in the nature’s womb let alone seeing the light of the day.

If your thought is as good as mine, then you would agree with me that as regards financing, the Nigeria’s political system is presently characterized by nauseous happenings, thereby causing the innocent polity and its teeming watchers ceaseless nightmares. This unabated and seeming acceptable activity is cut across all elective posts, hence isn’t peculiar to when one is vying for a particular position. For example, someone who’s aspiring for the post of the executive chairman of a certain local government council may end up spending millions of naira in the process and might not even secure the anticipated position afterwards. One may ask, what exactly are these aspirants really financing? Officially, they are expected to finance the purchase of their nomination and expression of interest forms. The forms as being sold by various political parties to their respective members are reportedly exorbitant that the prospective office holders or aspirants, in most cases, have to borrow to foot the bills.

Aside purchase of forms and other allied matters, the campaign process that usually succeeds the primary elections – thus preceding the main elections – is another avenue where the aspirants resort to indulging in money politics. If you are well informed, then you wouldn’t hesitate to concur with the survey that indicates that in the contemporary Nigerian society, for instance, the citizenry have been compelled to boldly and proudly sell their birthright for a mere pot of porridge yam. This show of shame cannot be unconnected with ignorance and/or poverty. It’s noteworthy that whatever uncalled practice being showcased by the electorate is arguably attributable to the liberty granted to the teeming politicians to ‘mess around’ while canvassing for a given political office. It can’t be argued that every practising politician in Nigeria that’s seeking for any position of authority has the ‘right’ to spend any sum of money in the process.

It’s worth noting that, in this case, not just the electorate are at the receiving side. The so-called political gladiators are equally lavished with bags of money by the aspirants in order to buy their consent. This very act often precedes the primary election of a given party. These are the cogent reasons an aspirant who’s not financially buoyant would be left with no choice than to accept the lending hand of a godfather, a step that in the long run might bastardize his/her political career. Sometimes, it’s even the aspirants that go about seeking for who would sponsor their ambitions. Since politics has regrettably been considered as an investment or business venture, rather than an avenue to render selfless service, what else would you expect from an average politician who eventually clinched victory at the polls? Such a person, if assumed duty, wouldn’t fail to please the desires of the political mafia. In view of the above, most of the funds budgeted for various infrastructural/developmental projects in the concerned locality might be siphoned into the private purse of a godfather, thereby relegating governance to the background. This singular act has overtime crippled our god-sent nascent democracy. In a situation where the demands of the bigwig aren’t met, the society may be plunged into shambles.

Apart from the financial implications of godfatherism, a certain godfather might at anytime decide to unseat his beneficiary. This kind of case was recently sighted in Lagos State in the melodrama that ensued between the immediate past governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode and the erstwhile governor of the State, Chief Bola Tinubu. Likewise issues have been, and are still, occurring ubiquitously not just in Nigeria but on the entire African continent. What’s the way out of this quagmire? First, we must completely silence the ongoing high rate of nomination form introduced by the various parties. This can be made possible by specifying in the Electoral Act the maximum price any party should charge for each of the forms to be purchased by their members aspiring for different offices. More so, any aspirant ought to be mandated by law to declare his/her assets. Hence, after the elections, the electoral umpire would be required to crosscheck the affected assets towards ascertaining how much the aspirant actually ‘invested’ in the campaign activity. The aspirants must be mandated not to exceed a certain threshold in regard to expenditure in accordance with the position he’s biding for.

If he’s found culpable after the thorough investigations, he ought to be charged to court for onward prosecution. If found guilty, such a politician should not just pay fine but be jailed. This would strongly help to eradicate godfatherism from the system. The electorate must, on their part, be reasonable. It’s unequivocally only insane person that could freely mortgage his or her future merely for peanut’s sake. They must comprehend fully that their respective futures lie in their palms, hence are imbued with the power to decide how it would appear. It’s therefore needless to assert that it all centres on amending our existing individual and collective policies. Think about it!