DEAR AWESOME FATHER, I Thank You for Your love towards me; You keep renewing the strength of those that wait on You(Isa40:31) and for making every wilderness/desert in my life a beautiful garden- for Joy and gladness shall be found in me(Isa51:3)!
Today, I shall deal prudently, be exalted and live far above principalities and powers(Isa52:13).
I'm the apple of God's eyes!
Amen
DEAR FRIENDLY FATHER, I Thank You for helping me by Your Spirit to pray always with all prayers and supplications; thereby giving us strength to pray more for others and seeing results(Eph6:18).
I pray that Jesus death and resurrection wouldn't be in vain in my life; men will see the changes in all affairs of my life(Rev5:12).
This week, in the mist of confusion, I'll be at peace! I'm free indeed-Glory! Amen...
HAPPY EASTER MONDAY & HAPPY NEW WEEK
Happy to know that the Federal government has declared Friday the 14th and Monday the 17th of April as public holidays for the Easter celebration.
So happy Easter holiday to you all.
DEAR RELIABLE FATHER, I Thank You for leading me beside the still water; a place where I'll connect with You better, upholding and showcasing Your glory for all to see(Ps23:2).
Today, I'll let my light so shine before men; making all to know that Your love for human is not in vain(Jh9:5).
Consciously, today, I walk having the mind of Christ in me! I'm one with Christ!
Amen.
A few days ago I was listening to Victoria Orenze’s "return worship concert "and she spoke about alignment with passion. She counted all her prayers, service and worship as useless when she is out of alignment. This got me thinking about alignment and how it affects our life’s journey.
_For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Rom 8: 7-8 [KJV]_
Dictionary.com described alignment as the proper adjustment of the components of an electronic circuit, machine, etc., for coordinated functioning.
Dictionary.com also defined alignment as a state of agreement or corporation among persons, groups, nations etc. with a common cause or viewpoint.
Alignment is the proper adjustment of our lives, desires and passions with God and His Will for coordinated functioning in your God given place of assignment and influence. Alignment is agreement and corporation with the Holy Spirit of God in achieving the cause and counsel of God on the earth. Alignment is the proper positioning with the God in you, bringing into harmony all that concerns you to God’s. Alignment with God is critical as it is responsible for our life’s definition, life’s discovery and life and destiny’s fulfilment.
Alignment seeks to please God in thoughts and in actions, seeks to be in the same pace or strides with God, to be attuned with the Spirit of God.
Alignment is a peculiar type of obedience, submission and surrender to God which is propelled and compelled by a desire to please God. It is taking every thought captive to obey Christ. [2Cor. 10:5].
Just as alignment is needed for smooth and straight driving, alignment with God is very important in driving smoothly and straight on your destiny’s journey.
When a car’s tyres are out of alignment, the steering wheel vibrates in a bizarre manner, the wear would be uneven on the tyres and the coordination between driving straight and the steering wheel would not be centralized. On our life’s journey, we need check for alignment with God on a continuous basis so we’d not slip out of alignment with God in our zeal to please God. Alignment is a lifelong, all-time vocation.
One too many of believers are serving God outside the radar of God’s approved services. Many more are in complete rebellion but are not aware. Saul, before he has translated into Paul was passionately serving God in error and out of alignment, the king Saul lost his place because of misalignment (1Sam 15:21-24), Peter, stepped out of alignment few minutes after aligning with The Father to state accurately the identity of The Christ (Matt 16:17-23), the man of God Samuel stepped out of alignment in carrying out God’s assignment of anointing a replacement King for Israel after Saul was rejected by God, even fire-full Elijah at one point in His life went out of alignment. Moses, Abraham and Sarah, the King David and the prophets all had their share of misalignments – these men all were all anointed yet they stepped out of alignment with God, it was the mercies of God that kept them. The anointing does not excuse stepping out of alignment.
It is possible to be on fire for God, to burn for God and be full of zeal for God and still be in misalignment; you might be serving in the God’s Sanctuary as a singer who knows how to access and usher worshippers into God’s presence, you can be hyper passionate about souls and soul winning and sill be out of alignment, you can pray the best prayer outside alignment.
There is a difference between what God has said and what God is saying; in order to be up-to-date, you need to be abreast with what God has said and what God is saying per time.
If you’d be truthful with yourself, you’d query your alignment with God, so, every seconds of your days, every minute of your days and every hour of your life must be lived such that alignment would be maintained with God. It is very easy to stay in alignment with God because God makes it easy. You only need to depend on the Holy Spirit to help you maintain alignment. You must daily ask for grace to remain in alignment.
Whatever you find yourself to do, alignment is required, if you want to be financially free, you need to be aligned to financial keys and principles, if you are in business, you also need to be aligned, whatever you do, if you are not in alignment, be sure you’d fail.
God is not interested in all you do, your alignment is what God cares most about.
Guard your alignment, make sure you are continually in alignment.
Love
Abalaka Paul Eneojo
abalaka.wordpress.com
mhgideon.com
Big Brother Naija winner, Efe Ejeba, arrived Nigeria on Monday night and attended his first ever press conference at the
Wheatbaker Hotel in Ikoyi on Tuesday morning.
The 23-year-old rapper was announced as a new Payporte Brand Ambassador alongside Bisola, the first runner up of the TV Reality
Show. PREMIUM TIMES had a chat with the latest millionaire in town at the event where he spoke about his plans and his experience in the Big Brother Naija house.
PT: How do you feel winning Big Brother
Nigeria?
Efe: I feel blessed and I am full of gratitude to everyone who voted for me and supported me throughout my stay in the Big Brother Naija competition. I was simply living my life and having fun in the house.
I was totally oblivious of the fact that I was receiving so much love outside of the house.I am happy winning but I feel that real success is measured by how many lives I can touch.
PT: Do you think you did anything different that set you apart from your
fellow contestants?
Efe: I really did things different. Everyone came to win but I was just myself while some came with strategies, which we got to find out later. I feel I represent the average Nigerian youth in the house.
PT: How did it feel like to be locked up in a particular place for 78 days?
EFE: It was crazy but I was not worried because I was there for the money. I said if it was 90 days I didn’t care because I was out to win. They say we wouldn’t use our phones and I told them that they could even keep my phone for two years. I was never tired of staying in the BBNaija house.
PT: How would you describe your experience in the
house?
Efe: Its funny that in a place where we expect a lot of immorality, I became more disciplined. I didn’t think I would ordinarily have fitted into the Big Brother House because I am not posh but I was proven wrong. When I got into the BBnaija house I realised that I was a bit different from other housemates. I was not just playing for the
camera, so, when I was angry or happy I showed it. As time went by, I began believing that I would actually win the show.
PT: How did you cope with your fellow housemates?
Efe: I learnt tolerance and learnt that some people may
have great personalities but still exhibit some unacceptable
behaviour. I learnt that I needed to compromise and relate
with these set of people despite their flaws. I lived in a
confined space and several people invaded my space. I
couldn’t keep them aside because of certain things they did,
so I looked beyond their flaws and embraced their positive
side.
PT: You were always placed on eviction every week.
Efe: I’m overwhelmed by this win because I grew up
feeling like people didn’t love me and it turned out to be
my strong point. I don’t try to be nice to people because I
know what people think about me anyway. When I was in
school, I was way ahead in class and people felt threatened
by my young age. So, every week, I knew that I would be
nominated for eviction and that was why I was ready to die
just to win the head of house task. I didn’t believe in
anyone winning the head of house task to save me aside
from myself. So, when it came to those tasks I gave it my
all.
PT: Some people think that Tboss’ infamous chat with
you in the BBNaija house counted against her. Recall
her telling you that if she won the show, she would
splash N25 million in a week. Your reaction was simply
priceless…
Efe: I was stunned when she told me that she would finish
N25 million in a week. I thought within myself that, “Me I
ready die put for N25m but you say you fit spend am in
one week. So wetin you come they do for the house na?
You dey block oda people space na.” The biggest irony of
the house was that the younger ones knew how to manage
their actions but the older ones just said it as it came.
PT: What are your thoughts on the Kemen and the Tboss
episode?
Efe: Based on logistics, my people say I no dey diplomatic
so I won’t comment on the matter.
PT: Your fans in Jos say you never recognised them
while you were in the house?
Efe: I am very proud to be have been born and raised in
Jos; we all know how Jos has blessed a lot of people in the
Nigerian entertainment industry. I say it all the time that
if I was born and raised in Warri, I won’t have been this
disciplined. I spoke a lot of Pidgin English in the house but
don’t be deceived I also speak English very well.
PT: You have clearly become an overnight sensation.
Have you been told that so many Nigerian celebrities
threw their weight behind you while you were in the Big
brother House?
Efe: I am so grateful to a lot of people including Governor
Okowa of Delta State. I heard he threw his weight behind
me. I was also told that comedian; I Go Dye dropped N1
million for my campaign team. When I called him, he
ended my call and called me back. We spoke for hours. I
am also grateful to Ali Baba, Akpororo and so many
Nigerian celebrities whom I had never met but stood
behind me. I hear my family house in Warri can now be
likened to a tourist centre because of the number of people
who have thronged our home to congratulate my parents.
PT: Do you regret any of your actions in the house?
Efe: The only regret I have is drinking. I heard my mum is
upset with me. So, I apologise to her for drinking so much
in the BBNaija house.
PT: What will become of your affair with Mavis now
that you are out of the Big Brother Naija house?
Efe: Based on logistics, what we had in the house was
great, but she has a boyfriend. I was physically attracted to
her and that was why I was close to her in the house.
PT: Are you hooked?
Efe: No I am single.
PT: But there is a picture of you and a certain lady in
NYSC uniform making the round on social media. She is
rumoured to be your fiancée.
Efe: No, it’s a photoshop
PT: Where will you be based now?
Efe: I relocated to Lagos in 2015. So, I will be based in
Lagos.
PT: Will you consider a career in comedy?
Efe : No, I’m not a comedian. My life may be funny but I
don’t think my stories are funny.
PT: So, what’s the next step for you?
Efe: It will be more about my music because music is my
first love. I have realised that my brand is way bigger than
music, so I will definitely explore different areas. If I
receive any movie offer, the money must make sense. I
don’t feel I know how to act and that was my biggest
frustration in the Big Brother House.
PT: Do you have any songs to your credit?
Efe: Yes, I have an EP titled Lagos on ITunes, Amazon and
Spotify .
PT: How do you intend to give back to your immediate
community?
Efe: I love getting involved in things/projects that I am
emotionally attached to. Growing up, potable water was
very difficult to come by so I plan to erect a manual
borehole in my immediate community in Jos and in Warri.
I also hope to assist as much people as I can in the
entertainment industry.
PT: Olamide tweeted that he will love to work on a
music project with you.
Efe: I felt very grateful that Olamide Baddo reached out to
me and promised to work with me. When I meet him, I
will twale for him. Based on logistics, no be lie.
Credit-Premium Times
Ruben Abati, a former media assistant to former president Goodluck Johnathan, let out his thoughts on the just concluded BBNaija.
Here is his analysis, while expressing relief that the show is over .
What a relief! So, the Big Brother Naija reality television
programme is finally over.
It ended Sunday evening with 23- year old Efe Michael Ejemba, University of Jos graduate of Economics and singer winning the N25 million including a Sport utility vehicle at stake, with 57.6% of the votes from over 24 million voters across Africa. Warri, where Efe’s family lives, erupted in excitement.
At the Multichoice viewing centre in Ikeja, Lagos, where
Katung Aduwak took charge so brilliantly, there was a similar
eruption of incandescent joy. I was relieved because for about
70 days, the Big Brother Naija show was a big distraction,
crass capitalism at its most cynical edge, a source of
unmanageable madness in homes and on the streets.
Now
that it is over, it is time for some honest frank talk for the
attention of all stakeholders involved.
Let me start with the lessons, on a positive note, before
delivering the blows. Lesson one: In a very instructive
manner, the Big Brother Naija reality television show
promoted the ideas of choice and people power at the heart
of democracy.
Televised across Africa, the viewers had the final say in
determining who stayed in the house or left during eviction
moments on Sundays. The votes were collated, audited and
confirmed by Deloitte, a firm of auditors and thus, the viewer
as the voter determined the outcomes.
In that regard, a reality show of that sort promoted a
consciousness of democracy, choice and influence and it
further explained why the people from Nigeria to Cape
Agulhas all the way up to the Mediterranean sea took fierce
ownership of the programme.
In a continent where power is the ultimate aphrodisiac and every access to power, fame and influence is seen as an opportunity to oppress and demean, whatever is done to promote a consciousness of choice and the civil society is laudable. Multichoice, thanks.
Lesson two: in every business concept, perseverance pays.
Multichoice has been running its Big Brother Naija and Big
Brother Africa concepts for a number of years. Apparently,
this year’s Big Brother Naija has been the most impactful, the
most profitable and probably also, the most exciting.
In one week, over 11 million persons voted to determine the
eviction.
In the final week of the programme, over 24 million persons voted that is more than the total number of persons who voted in the Nigerian Presidential election in 2015.
This year, Multichoice has made more money from the Big
Brother franchise than it has ever done.
The programme was sponsored by PayPorte, and with all the voting, and the money spent on recharge cards, Big Brother and Multichoice
are the biggest winners. In the end, it is all about business and profit.
Everybody has been used. In business, once you have a good, attractive product and you can capture the market, you can fool everybody and make profit. Multichoice, weh done – in Falz, the bad guy’s voice.
Lesson three: humility pays. At the end of the day, in the last
week of the programme, the decision by the viewing public
was a moral, sentimental one.
The biggest star of the programme was, I don’t know what you think, TBOSS (real name: Tokunbo Idowu), half Nigerian, half-Romanian.
She dominated the space with her Jezebelic antics, even got some
of the male participants ousted by entrapping and outsmarting them with her wiles. She projected herself as a s*x object, the ultimate manipulator, the champion Delilah of the Big Brother Africa series.
She even made a joke of the entire Big Brother concept by saying she didn’t need the money and if she won, she would spend it in two weeks to pay off debts, and in any case, she had men hitting on her,
offering to take her on a ride in their private jets. She played the role of a female barracuda.
Given her looks and talents, she would have been a perfect
winner. She would have looked good on the billboards.
But she lost because of her arrogance. Attitude is everything:
This is the lesson of TBOSS’s disgrace and humiliation.
When she was sent out of the House as the second runner up, the
viewing centre in Ikeja, Lagos, including Kemen whose nemesis she was, danced in joy. “They are taunting me?” shevasked Ebuka, the anchor. No, sweetheart, they were making a far more serious statement about you.
The melodramatic ending of Big Brother Naija 2017 is its only redeeming outcome. Bisola, the first runner up does not even
have a degree but she showed talent and resolve, even if her
whorish flirtation with Thin Tall Tony is so cheap and self-
denigrating.
Her One-Nigeria consolation prize is something big she should take seriously.
Efe won because of his humility. He is considered the poorest
and the most needy of the contestants. Patrons of then
programme chose to vote for the contestant who looked and
sounded like he would need the money and the opportunity.
They gave him a chance in life, although the organizers must
ensure that going forward, the show does not become a
poverty alleviation scheme.
Bisola came second because she too looked like she needed help. Debbie Rise and Marvis also made the finals, but that was meant to be a great compliment to their good conduct, but they didn’t have enough support to make it to the top.
TBOSS is the main star who lost. I hope she was taken out of South Africa with a private jet or maybe a submarine! Beauty is not everything, baby.
Lesson four: Marketing helps. Branding is everything.
Propaganda is profitable. Packaging is nice. Big Brother Naija
is nothing but marketing, branding, propaganda, and
packaging.
A reality show is supposed to be nothing but reality, virtual reality
as it happens, but let no one deceive you, everything that happened in the 70 days of BBNaija was packaged, marketed, carefully branded and manipulated.
Ebuka, the Big Brother, thumbs up, the scenic designers, kudos, the content developers, three hearty cheers, Multichoice, you guys are the smartest capitalists around, well done! The finale was a bit overdone though, dragged out, over-delayed. Tiwa Savage (hey baby, watch that growing fat around your waist and thigh), Tuface (thanks TuBaba but
next time tell Annie to twerk for us- what was that!).
In all, the power of television was well advertised.
Now the hard knocks: I rate the theatre high but I consider
the whole show a sham, a 419 manipulative effort by a
corporate agency, long overdue for an ethical review and
scrutiny, a bad influence on corporate ethics.
The owners of the programme are just a bunch of insultive, manipulative and exploitative capitalists, feeding on public need
for distraction and the negligence of the authorities.
Big Brother Naija 2017 is something that should never happen
again in the shape we have seen. If Multichoice as a corporate
investor wants to make a contribution to Nigeria, it must find
ways of doing so in more meaningful forms.
Reality shows have become an established form on television,
but whereas there are reality shows that promote talent,
music, human capability and genius, enhanced relationships,
and intellect, Multichoice, through its Big Brother Naija and
Big Brother Africa franchises seems committed to the
promotion of base values, chiefly adultery, prostitution, love
of money, nudity and sex.
What just ended as Big Brother Naija 2017 was nothing other
than the corralling of some human beings into a zoo, pressured to behave like nothing but animals.
The organizers made money devaluing other human beings. Multichoice and Payporte, the sponsors, turned alcohol and pornography into legitimate sport.
TBOSS and the other girls kissed and got groped by the boys
on live television putting their upbringing to shame. TBOSS,
who claimed she didn’t need the money even exposed her
breasts on live television more than once. I have seen better
breasts TBOSS.
I am not too sure those private jet owners will be excited by your
fluffy, South-looking, slightly bigger than mangoes breasts. If the same men see bigger assets, I mean, those interesting Ojiakor-like ones that look like papayas, pineapples and watermelons, they will not send private jets, they will deploy submarines and fighter jets! And that‘s why you got N500k in the end, way back behind Bisola with her
hard facial features, and Efe whose victory is based on poverty logistics and appeal.
But I have no doubt that TBOSS will end up doing better in the larger, outside market than the other finalists, because even those who did not vote for her, know in their hearts that she represents the message of the programme.
It is a wrong message and that is why Big Brother Naija drew
more audience in Southern Nigeria than in the North. In the
last week of the programme, every town in Southern Nigeria
was seized by the #BBNaija fever. Prayers were offered in
churches for Efe. One lady threatened to commit suicide if
Efe did not win. Another one said she would not stop crying
until Efe won. Nollywood stars declared support for housemates.
There was Team Bisola, Team Efe, EfeNation, TBOSSNation,
TeamDebbieRise (small), TeamMarvis (even smaller).
There were public processions even in universities. We were told
how to vote. Twitter was on fire. What I saw was nothing but
sheer madness. T-shirts were printed. One musician turned
his personal car into a billboard. Nigeria became a mad
house because of one reality television show. It looked like
mass hypnotism at work.
But it should not be allowed to happen again. BBNaija should
not be hosted and staged in South Africa as has been the
case.
Multichoice, Payporte and their partners made crazy
money and got brand promotion off the back and sweat of
Nigerians.
Do the maths; we got peanuts in return. We were told BBNaija could not be staged in Nigeria due to electricity problems so the studio had to be in South Africa.
And the Nigerian government looked the other way. Wawu! All the
billions that the South Africans are running away with, after
giving our boy a Kia SUV and some N25m, who is going to
collect the Value Added Tax on that? Nigeria or South Africa?
See the real Gobbe! All the staff who worked on the
programme with extremely marginal exception were South
Africans.
Where were the Nigerians? Abi, Lobatan oh.
The Nigerian government must assert itself. Nobody henceforth
must brand anything involving primary production, Nigerian off Nigerian soil. We can’t get far by wearing made-in-Nigerian clothes
on Mondays and Wednesdays, turning the country into an extension
of Nollywood, but we can gain a lot by insisting that economic
production and profit based on Nigerian talent and resource
must have significant Nigerian content.
Congratulations Efe; the grace of God is forever sufficient, but
sorry Nigeria.
