WELCOME TO UKWUOMA OBELE'S BLOG

President Muhammadu Buhari's selling point coming into the 2015 general elections was his would-be fight against corruption which many Nigerians said was Nigeria's biggest problem and which the international community also said was Nigeria's bane of development. His reelection in 2019 also echoed the same thing although many Nigerians were of course saying they had seen his true colours. In this government's fight against corruption, so much has been witnessed. There have been several convictions of high profile politicians but only people not at the core of the government or those who do not share the same religion with the president. Many embarrassing cases have been swept under the carpet like those of the former secretary to the government of the federation, the reinclusion of a wanted former government official (who was answering for his crimes as ex pensions boss) in this government,  most recently the appointment of a former politician who was tried in court for

It's sad that this is a world where things are not perfect but isn't that why we have laws; to correct the ills in society? I read today on a blog about a filmmaker who said that "nonviolent rape" should be legalized and that the reason rapists were raping girls was because they were sexually frustrated and that girls should accept it and even prepare themselves for it by carrying condoms and cooperating with their rapists. In fact it is clear that civilization is beyond running water and having flushable toilets, a lot of minds are still in a dark place. Before you join the number of people condemning him, think of how you shame victims of rape by suggesting that somehow they did something to provoke the animal instinct in the rapist. The dust hasn't settled yet on the case of Busola Dakolo and Biodun Fatoyinbo where an Abuja high court struck out the case and called an abuse of court processes and said it was statue barred. They were irregularities as cited by

Honestly I am weak. I don't even know where to start from. Is it the the funny arguments I've heard from some blind people justifying rape or those seeking for ways to pick holes in her story? This country is backwards and this is just a reflection of society. That's why we have bigamy and  things like that still in this society. Please how do you not believe a married mother of three coming out to say she was raped about twenty years ago? Does that sound like someone who has something to gain by coming out with this story? Do you know the statistics of rape and abuse in this country? I guess not. Many women are even among those doubting her story when many of them have been abused at one point or the other. I even heard of a so-called British trained lawyer saying her argument would not hold in court, we shall see. I speak from experience. This is personal to me. I remember abuse as a young teenage girl riding in the bus when an old alhaji sitting beside me started touchi

Fathers' day was celebrated quite recently and many people in different quarters were extolling the virtues of fathers. Some were even complaining that we do not celebrate fathers enough. I was in church on that Sunday and the pastor went on and on about obeying fathers so that one could get the 'father's' blessing from  them whether they are connected to God or not. This erroneous teaching has permeated Christendom and is making people feel guilty for standing their ground against their fathers even when such fathers are in the wrong. They quote the bible and say that the bible says that children should obey their parents because this is the first commandment with promise of long life attached to it. They forget the next verse which says parents, do not provoke your children to wrath. A father that is not connected to God can never give you any meaningful blessing. Even if he attempts it, only demons will come out of whatever he is trying to place on you. You can on

In the past I had always been against feminism especially the way it was been described by a lot of feminists. They were bitter, hostile and irreligious. I did not want to be like them because I'm a sucker for love stories. I believe in fairy tales and I am blessed with a good man . I envisage a good marriage and could not understand why a lot of women were agitated and not happy. I reflected on the past and then it was easy for me to understand what feminists were often angry about and why feminism (without going to the extreme) is necessary going forward in our world today. I have had experiences with guys (call them my suitors) which should have opened my eyes to the reality of a lot of relationships. But I was too young to understand. My love for love often blinded me to the flaws of these guys who were around me at that time. And if I had made the mistake of marrying any of them, I would have been miserable and who knows, maybe I would have also been angry and bitter. Based

My heart bleeds as I write this. I'm literally weeping as I pen this down but I know that there is hope. The existence of God tells me so. It's been over a year since this girl was abducted alongside her school mates but while others were freed, Leah Sharibu remains in custody for refusing to denounce her faith and convert forcefully to Islam, the religion of the dreaded boko haram sect. What bothers me is the silence of the Muslim community and powerful leaders across the world on this matter. What I don't understand is why people cannot call a spade a spade. Why cannot they come out to speak out against mindless religious radicalism , oppression and persecution of Christians all over the world? What efforts have been made to free Leah Sharibu and others like her still in captivity? How long will this continue?  I think it's a decision world leaders need to make on the benefits of Islam to mankind. Honestly speaking,  world over the only people guilty of terroism are

We live in a country where we respect thieves and looters. The source of a man's wealth is not scrutinized. We worship and honour thieves especially if they are politicians. I need to speak to my Igbo people from the east, it is more common to find people in that part of the country worshipping fradulent people because of money, many times ill gotten wealth . But it is even spreading to other parts of the country now. Every Nigerian youth wants to be in entertainment. They do not value enterprise anymore. Nobody is willing to start small and grow to become big. Everybody wants quick money. But true and lasting success take time. First you plant the seed, then you water it and allow it to grow to maturity. Not only does this kind of success give you peace of mind, in the final analysis of everything, it's the only kind of success that guarantees wholeness and completeness. Evil may seem to triumph now but it's only for a short while . It's so bad today that it is

After the recent presidential, senatorial and house of representatives election on saturday and with INEC( the Nigerian electoral body) announcing the results, It is clear in which direction the results are heading. It is sad that the only options Nigerians were made to choose from was between an unrepentant bigot and a man with a history of kleptomania. Nigeria boasts of the most educated immigrants worldwide, they are creative and industrious people. Why then should they be ruled by illiterates? What manner of elections were just conducted with Buhari winning in states where he is not even popular like Rivers and Nassarawa states? The problem with Nigeria is squarely a problem of leadership in prof. Chinua Achebes voice. The people left in Nigeria are the weak, illiterate and ignorant masses and these are the people who vote. What Nigeria needs is a re-orientation. A revolution. But how do you re-orientate over 100 million people who are poor, weak and not informed. Should the you

Someone once said "the church is becoming worldly and the world is becoming churchy". I agree. It's not uncommon to find people on secular blogs quoting scriptures when leaving comments and actors and actresses thanking God and attributing success to God even if they have just finished acting sex scenes. Musicians thank God for the success of their music videos after featuring naked girls. The list is endless . It is this same entertainers who go to any length to copy american entertainment and argue that it should also be applicable to their home country. Another person once told me that I could be a model at the same time be a Christian. I just laughed. They use the late Whitney Houston as an example of how she believed in God at the same time was an actress and a singer and how she was going to heaven after she died. Only God knows if they went to heaven and saw her there. People live in self-delusion. You cannot eat your cake and have it. It's either you are in t

Happy new year friends and welcome to a blissful year. I hope the year has been beautiful for you thus far. It's an election year like we already know and the presidential debate just went down last night. My take: Isn't it appalling that the president of a country seeking re-election was absent from this debate for flimsy reasons not that I think that he would have had anything to say at the debate because his performance given the time he had was below par. Obviously he ran away because it is obvious that he wouldn't have been able to stand the brain power of the three candidates who participated in the debate. Maybe he thinks he is bigger than the country and that without lifting a finger, he could win at the next polls, he should think again. His habitual impasse when being spoken to or advised would play against him this time around. The country is starting to wake up. It is not business as usual. Following in his footsteps, his northern brother who many people think