Greek mythology always leaves me pondering - it stuns me with the vivid pictures, then allows me to pick lessons.
So is the story of Antaeus. He was born of Poseidon and Gaia. Poseidon ruled over the seas, Gaia was the earth herself - the mother of Uranus.
Long before he was defeated by Heracles, Antaeus was always rumoured to be invincible. Stories recorded that Antaeus would wait at the entrance of Libya and force passersby to wrestle him - he always crushed them, piling their skulls so he could build a temple to his father, Poseidon.
This is where it gets interesting - he was only invincible as long as he maintained contact with Mother Earth. When Heracles eventually crushed him, Heracles did so by suspending him in the air, away from Mother Earth, crushing him in a bear hug.
In reflection, a lot of people have not been truly tested by the realities of the world because they have insulation. Insulation in systems, in parents, in their backgrounds. Just like Antaeus, the illusion of their strength is in contact with Gaia.
On the day Heracles decides to test your resolve, all it takes is for you to fall once, and if there is anything I know, it is the fact that a man who is used to standing and has never fallen will not be able to stand on the day he falls.
An extension of this conversation goes to parents who shield their children entirely from life's realities. You cannot apologise for having leverage in life, especially if your parents paved your way - but it is important to consistently stress-test how much of life you really can handle.
In the absence of the strength that grounds you, how do you survive?
If you are working in the financial sector, there’s no way you won’t have heard about how a girl working in one of the most popular Nigerian Banks in Ikorodu is currently cooling her heels in prison as we speak.
I have never seen a bold idiotic thief like this girl before. As a head teller, she was stationed at a Nigerian University in Lagos. I won’t mention the bank or the school. This girl has access to all the accounts the university has with her bank. The accounts are so many that I doubt the school has wind of amounts flowing in. They don’t even have people monitoring these accounts. (I blame the school on this part).
This girl, Zainab in the past two years has been removing monies from different accounts belonging to this university with huge sums. The day she would remove 1m, 2m or 3m. It was possible because the bank branch she operates in is a very small unit and authorization is done by her. (The branch in the school is small. I think it is just for deposit).
One sunny day like that, someone from the Bursary department of the school noticed it and immediately went to the small bank in the school to meet with the amazing thief. He wasn’t there to stop it, in fact, he was there to negotiate. He negotiated and gave the girl more accounts to penetrate into with a splitting formula. In 2 years, they have moved about 100m according to the school.
How was she caught?
Some months ago, she was transferred out of the branch to a big branch where her roles are limited to authorization. So, she needs someone to initiate the transaction first before she authorizes and that’s the work of smaller tellers. She didn’t have access to direct debiting again.
Some Fridays ago, at the close of business, she codedly and cunningly used the access of one of the newbies teller to make a 3m transfer to the account she was always transferring to. (She has opened an account for her younger brother using her own details. He didn’t even know he has an account with the bank). She has even gone to her desk to authorize it. Omo ogbon.
The newbie teller sensed something was wrong and immediately went back to log in, only to see the transaction she never did. She called another newbie teller and they faced Zainab to provide her the ticket to the transaction she did on her computer. (A crime on its own. Every bank frowns at giving out your login details to another staff). Being the head, the cunningly maneuvered her way out and told them they will get the ticket on Monday.
The newbie teller couldn’t sleep all weekend. Her heart beat fast until she spoke up and explained what happened to her sister who asked her to inform their boss on Monday. It was when she reported that they searched through her login details and found out she has stolen enough in the past two years while she was in the school small branch.
Police were invited and investigation happened broadly. Everyone involved was packed.
Now, what did she spend money on? She has made over 43m but never bought land or house. She dresses newly everyday. She doesn’t repeat clothes. While others are eating mama put, she’s always ordering meals. She orders Uber for everything and will never be caught in danfos like me. She won’t even manage BRT 😭. She didn’t spend 1 Naira on her family. Her mother sells bread on the pavement beside the road in Ikorodu garage. She was buying wigs upon wigs upon wigs. She spent money sleeping in hotels and balling her boyfriend. Nothing tangible was caught with her. In fact, her mother still sell bread by the roadside with her head buried in shame her daughter brought upon her.
Everyone has a fault in this case but a thief is a thief. What she didn’t know is that Freedom is better than 43m. Kirikiri will open your eyes. If you are a thief, you can stop now.
I was at the park heading to Warri because I missed my train yesterday.
While waiting for the bus to fill up, my eyes caught the attention of an almost 65-year-old woman sitting under the harsh early morning sun.
What was she selling?
Gruwel (also called kunu, a local drink loved by Nigerians). I noticed she has leg pains and she finds it difficult to walk...where are her children I asked myself quietly.
While i sat between 7 AM and 8:30, she sat hopeful yet ,no customer came...
I got moved, this could be somebody's mother💔...i asked her how much she sells one for, and she told me 300 naira each.
I wasn't intending to drink because I no wan piss while on a long transit.. I asked her how many the whole bottles were, she told me 22… Wait, whaaaat wtf, ordinary 6,600👀?
Well, I asked her to give one each to any passerby interested (Asherkine vibes🤭.......at first she was sceptical, yet from the way I looked, she knew..This lady isn't capping.
While I sat and watched, she gave out one by one and emptied her cooler.
I called the POS lady at the nearby view to pass her the little I had 20k....and let her rest through tomorrow.
The prayer this maama prayed for me, if God would answer her, I would be richer than Elon Musk overnight 🤭.
Hopefully, on my return from my business trip, I will check up on her to know how she is faring and possibly do more. Show kindness if you can to mothers like this
May we never neglect our mothers!!
May our mothers not suffer in vain!!
REPORT 🇳🇬⚠️: The man seen kneeling was reportedly arrested in Osun State a few days ago. Investigators are examining possible similarities between his joggers and certain leg features visible in photographs taken before the tragic killing of the Oyo teacher, Mr. Oyedokun.
No conclusion has been reached regarding any connection. Authorities are expected to rely on all available evidence as investigations continue in the pursuit of justice for Mr. Oyedokun and his family.
Teachers are protesting because a fellow teacher was beheaded, while many others, alongside students, remain in kidnappers’ dens. Yet, other professions have largely remained silent because they are not the victims, at least not yet. What many seem to forget is that the parents of those children are not all teachers. Some may be traders, artisans, farmers, civil servants, or professionals from different fields. But perhaps because the victims are from rural communities, some people think their lives matter less.
The sad reality is that many of us only speak up when tragedy affects our own group. We wait until someone from our profession, community, or family becomes a victim before demanding justice. If we continue like this, every profession will eventually have its own victim before we unite. By then, the damage may already be done.
A society that only reacts when its own members are affected is a society heading in the wrong direction.
I will never join yall to say God bless Nigeria 🇳🇬