Jibo Zhema

Nothing saddens me more than our over-dramatization of religious worship. I saw a video where the person leading a prayer session appeared like he had Kyphosis (hunchback). He only yelled, screamed, and shouted nothing I could understand; which made me believe that he might have been “speaking in tongues”. I felt pity for the “disabled” man until the camera turned to the congregants and I realized that it was not a deformity but their style of posture before screaming the Almighty down from the peace in heaven to bless them with the miracles they so desired. The worship place looked poverty-stricken like the screaming worshippers who were all drenched in sweat due to the unavailability of an air-conditioning system in the tiny space. I have forever noticed how certain worshippers felt that for their god to hear and acknowledge them, they must appear and behave like their “cult leaders” or founders of their religious sect. From bleaching of skin to dressing like pimps or carrying the sa...

Something happened recently and it seemed like something out of a Hollywood movie.  I was driving down a busy intersection in Abuja and this pretty lady standing beside a parked vehicle caught my attention.  Her beauty wasn't the attraction but her outfit sort of made me curious and I had to stare to be sure it was what I was thinking.  She wore what looked like a formal skirt and a covered shoe but only had a sleeveless vest on. She didn't wear a bra and I know this because her breasts were struggling to remain intact within the thin-layered men's vest. Almost a see-through material.  By the time I noticed that I wasn't the only one staring at this Nature's gift to mankind, I remembered my Christian upbringing and decided to focus on my journey and the desire to make heaven.  As I was about to look away, she raised her top and revealed the overripe melons beneath them. Perhaps she did so because almost all the men on foot and inside passing vehicles stared at h...

 I had the privilege of meeting some fantastic humans on my journey through life. Many different characters but all had the same goal; to enjoy themselves while alive and also make it into heaven as their religions promised.  The problem there is that, enjoying life on Earth also means breaking the laws of one's heavenly fortune.  Most religions have made it clear that pleasure is a sin, and one cannot seek both pleasure and salvation in a lifetime. So we either suffer miserably on Earth to make Heaven or enjoy the sumptuous pleasures of the world and miss a life of eternal bliss.  This is what many of us were taught about being ready and prepared to meet God when we die, and it has made the majority of us complacent and lazy. Believing that we only need to dedicate our life and work to the idea of pleasing a religion rather than working to solve societal problems that shorten the lifespan of our people.  We are taught to vilify every rich person as a sinner but...