For a long time, I didn't believe men get heard when they actually speak.
Last year I wanted to die or felt it was better to. I told my mum. She said it was an evil spirit from hell. She opened her Bible and read four passages. I read them but I didn't feel much better.
I started talking to ChatGPT. Some nights it helped. Then the day I really meant it, Chat GPT told me to try therapy first before trying anything. It gave me a mental health handle on X. Three days passed before they replied. Seven more days to get me a therapist. She charged ₦80,000 for one hour. I couldn't afford it. So, I took the free one. She felt like a human version of ChatGPT.
Next, I tried opening up to my friend. She laughed. The whole thing was so funny to her, I felt ashamed.
The day I lost it in front of my friend, he went: Simon, big man like you, how you go dey cry?
So, ny question is "Who can we speak to?"
Yes, by the 10th day of our captivity, my family had already paid my ransom. Sadly, the driver's family could not raise the ₦15 million the bandits' leader was demanding. They were only able to gather ₦2 million, with support from the company we worked for.
When they informed the bandits about the ₦2 million, the leader became furious. He said, "What is ₦2 million? ₦2 million is not money. If this money doesn't reach 10 million or 5 million, wallahi, I go kill am for driver."
At that moment, we knew he was serious.
Right before my eyes, he shot the driver twice one bullet hit his chest, and another hit the side of his stomach. I was sitting right beside him when it happened. The fear was overwhelming. I urinated on myself. I thought I would be next.
After killing him, the bandit leader ordered me and another Tife boy to carry his body and dump it in a nearby bush. We had no choice. We dragged his lifeless body through the forest and left him where we were told. It is a moment that still haunts me to this day.
When we returned, the bandit leader ordered everyone to move immediately. That same day, we trekked for hours deeper into the forest to another location.
That was how the driver's story ended.
I will never forget what I witnessed that day. The sound of the gunshots, the fear, the helplessness, and the pain are memories that will stay with me forever. 💔
Before I became irreligious, I was a Christian and my deconstruction started when I started reading the Bible.
And I’ve read the Bible enough to notice some serious inconsistencies which are the major reason for my deconstruction.
I want to make a thread of some of the questions I had and couldn’t get response to, so if there’s any one with honest theological explanations, please help.
From the trenches of Ikon Allah Football Academy in Kaduna, to AIK in Stockholm, and now to the biggest football stage in the world, the English Premier League with Brighton.
Zadok Yohanna's journey is a powerful reminder that when talent meets hard work, preparation, and God's grace, remarkable things can happen.
His talent has opened doors not only for himself but also for his family, whose lives are set to change forever. At just 18 years old, he now has the opportunity to earn well, develop his game at the highest level, and showcase his abilities to the world.
Wishing him success as he takes this next big step. May this be only the beginning of an even greater story.
🚨 Official: Zadok Yohanna joins Brighton from AIK Stockholm on a contract until June 2031, winning the race against 4 clubs. 🇳🇬
£21.5m fee invested on talented winger by #BHAFC. 🔵⚪️
Tiping your office security N1k for buying your lunch, is not you doing him a favour. He earned it. If e easy, stand up from your seat and go get the food yourself. Calculate the financial cost of the stress of going the distance to get the food and back.
If you want to do him a favour, give him money for no reason. Someone would do you a favour, but you would see yourslf as the one doing them a favour because you earn higher than them and don't respect them.
If you send money to your colleague that does the same work with you and asked them to please get you lunch on their way back from wherever they were going, you see it as them doing you a favour because you respect them. You don't see it as a favour done to you when it is done by the office security or cleaner because you don't respect them. If you treat these people well and respect them, they will be happy to do things for you. You've become entitled to their help that you now expect them to use their money to fund your lunch.
My security does errands for me, and every errand comes with a tip. That is thank you for doing this because it is not his job. Favour is when I give him money for no reason which happens often or when he has special needs and makes a request and I give him money. You need to start respecting people as human beings, not by how much they earn. This thing is a common problem in our society.
met a little angel yesterday 🥹❤️
i was in a cab yesterday when this little hausa boy (about 10–11 years old) joined us, he sells screen guards and similar items
on our way, a female student (maybe 14–15) stopped the cab and stated where she was headed. The driver said ₦500, but she begged to pay ₦300 instead. The driver refused, saying ₦400 was the best he could do because she was a student. It seemed the girl only had ₦300.
as the driver was about to drive off, the little boy said, and I quote:
“Shebi na ₦100 remain? Carry her, I’ll complete the money for her.”
everybody in that car was stunned.
the fact that even I, as an adult, didn’t immediately think of paying the extra ₦100 or even her full transport fare but that young boy did, was truly fascinating.
i offered to pay his transport fare because one good turn deserves another, and the way he said, “Thank you so much, ma,” melted my heart. For a moment, I wished I was rich enough to send him back to school, but my own dey my body too 😭😂
I sincerely hope he grows into an even better person as an adult❤️
bless is heart, man❤️.