Age Problems In Nigerian Sports

A recent story on the BBC revealed that half of Nigeria’s Under-17 male soccer were disqualified from an upcoming international competition.  An excerpt reads “A staggering 26 members of Nigeria's Under-17 side failed an age test carried out ahead of an African Cup of Nations qualifier.

A mandatory Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) screening of the squad revealed almost half were ineligible to play.

Only last year the Golden Eaglets, as they are known, won the FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile for a record fifth time.

The players who failed the tests have now left the training camp in Abuja.

They were staying there ahead of tomorrow's Cup of Nations U17 qualifying match against neighbouring Niger, which will still go ahead.

Many of the expected starting eleven passed the test.

Accusations of age cheating have blighted Nigeria's success at international age group tournaments in recent years.”

I would not start by bashing the players. Why? Over the last 14 months I have been working in the NGO industry and I am aware, with first-hand experience, how many young people, in both rural and urban communities, may not know their real ages from poor education of their parents to register births and by an overarching system failure to tackle issues surrounding birthing of children, data collection, control and management.

There is a national agency (the National Population Commission of Nigeria) charged with the registration of birth certificate issuance etc., however, due to a lack of sensitisation of its importance and duty and a lack of enlightenment of citizens, as well as high usage of TBAs (traditional birthing assistants) who should link up with the relevant agencies to register birth but may not, many children are born without any documentation of their birth in any national database.

Second blame will be on deep rooted system failure to provide basic amenities for its citizens.  What I mean is this... For many young people, worldwide but most especially in developing nations, sports can often be the ONLY ticket out of a cycle of economic disadvantage and it is indeed a means through which a lot of people have gotten out of slums, ghettos, a life of danger and crime.  So permit me to generalise and say that, often, we find children who haven't had basic services (birth registration, quality education etc.) come out as athletes because it is their last ticket out of poverty. If the system were better prepared to provide for its citizens, issues around age within our society will be history.  We would also have better nurtured young people who opt to become athletes.  Furthermore we must strive for a society and system where it's unthinkable to change age like underwear (a topic for another day).  There is a lot of work to do in terms of national image with strong focus on integrity and honesty.

Finally, I blame the entire structure of sports development through the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development. With the advancement of technology and its uses in all facets of life, it shouldn't take a competition’s MRI scan to disqualify athletes who are supposed to be of a particular age range.  Granted, there may be players who have knowingly falsified papers to have a shot on the team but as a norm in Nigeria and our sporting culture we ought to have routine MRI scans to comb through our pool of athletes so it isn't an international embarrassment, it'll be a routine weeding of wrongly categorised athletes, categorising them correctly to continue their careers and provision of more accurate birth and age records as a matter of national importance for the National Population Commission.

We really have a Ministry headed by a clueless man in Solomon Dalung.  I have never met him so I cannot speak of his person as an individual, but as an appointed officer, he ought to be sacked.

I've looked up his biography and I haven't seen anything to make me believe that he is the ideal Nigerian for the job.  I see a career civil servant, (no slight of any sort) who hasn't had any obvious interaction with sports and/or sports development.  

I admit, that whilst it isn't entirely necessary, it is very helpful if the minister had had some dealings with sports as an athlete, a trainer, a coach or an administrator.  I am yet to read about any ground breaking plan of his to revolutionise, restructure and rejuvenate our sports sector.  To work across other sectors so as to harness the abundance of youth in the country and the opportunities of entrepreneurship, diversification of economy and economic empowerment to the citizens.

We have a long way to go as a country and I am optimistic, often to a fault.  Sports has always been a tool for development if taken seriously and if technology is used to drive it as well.  Wearing a red beret and looking like a Thomas Sankara wannabe doesn't make anyone the ideal candidate to lead the and make a mark in the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, having innovative sports development blueprints and robust implementation plans fit for the 21st century and beyond does.

My two cents.

PS: Hope we get a few medals in Rio!

Source: Naij.com

The BBC link

BBC article on Nigerian Under 17 Squad

Adieu!

Truly Ashamed Of Us

For anyone who hasn't been to Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, in the heart of the Niger Delta, it is a small town.  It is a small town, made popular by the creation of the state in 1996. Since then, 20 years ago, Yenagoa has only managed to have two parallel roads both named after pioneers in their vision of the Izon Nation; Chief Melford Okilo, (a stellar politician and one time governor of old Rivers State) and Major Isaac Adaka Boro (saviour of the Nigerian army during the Nigerian Civil War, from a locked up soldier to a strategic guerrilla warfare hero). These two men, were in their chosen fields the reason there is much to say about the Niger Delta and specifically old Rivers State and Bayelsa State.

For anyone who hasn't been to Yenagoa, we have only two parallel major roads and a “Sani Abacha express-way” that cuts across them both, so really not hard to sketch the map of roads of the city. 

For anyone who hasn't been to Yenagoa, we have no cinemas; we have no museums; we have no amusement parks; we have no statues, monuments or memorials… We have nothing of note to tickle imagination or foster creativity.  We have an abundance of hotels, car washes and joints and we are flooded with churches. 

I am ashamed of us, not because of what we have or what we lack, far from it… These are gradual establishments which come through time and after history…

I am ashamed because on a cool Friday evening in July, about 62 young minds gathered together to showcase their skills in the art of poetry and spoken word, rap and music, enjoy the arts and unwind after labouring through the week, (in an economy that is pegged to the governor’s mood).  I am ashamed that we chose to be expressive of ourselves, we chose to write, read, recite, rap, be comedians and violinists… I'm ashamed that we chose the pens over the pistols; we chose the microphones over the machetes; we chose words over wars.

I'm truly ashamed of us that we are an “embarrassment” to mainstream media, that the lack of “big-man” money behind us is the stain to our achievement and unworthy of applause or recognition.  Ironically, we didn't even seek it.  Without any printed posters, nor television or radio announcements we exceeded our expectations and doubled the attendance of our maiden edition and second edition alike…

I'm ashamed of this success.  Truly, really ashamed. 

PS: Yenagoa can by quite beautiful.

Melford Okilo Road, downtown Yenagoa

Adieu

Age of Worry

grown up too fast

I remember Gary Coleman’s character, Arnold, in Different Strokes once said “I don’t want to grow up...”.  A line that has stuck with me over decades, albeit for no particular reason.  Recently I have been affectionately nicknamed Peter Pan and it has got me thinking... “Is my generation in the Age of Worry John Mayer beautifully sung about?”

Am I, like Peter Pan, refusing to grow up, metaphorically, of course?  I mean, I am constantly trying to figure out the world as it changes every day; lovers turn to bitter enemies, friends to foes, partners face-off in ugly lawsuits.  It is indeed a dangerous and scary world out there.  I remember once overhearing a train conversation when a young man said “I don’t want to get married cuz I don’t want to get divorced...” and that was shocking.  He was worrying about an ending before even starting the journey.  I recently read an article about some traits of unhappy people and the common thread with most of the traits was the burden of worrying.  Unhappy people worry a lot and in most cases unnecessarily.

This generation, in my opinion, is constantly paranoid.  The degrees of paranoia vary but we are worried about everything.  Our worries send us to bed and ironically our worries wake us up and chase us out of our houses.  Our worries make us apply for loans we can ill afford to repay, mortgages we avoid to look at and so on.  Our worries send children to school for and ‘education’ we fear may corrupt their views on the world but do so nonetheless for fear of them being left behind in this factory conveyor belt called life.  Our worries keep us in relationships long after their expiry dates afraid of being ‘alone’ and being happy with just that.  Worrying we will be broke and downtrodden, we apply for jobs we wished never existed  but we turn up anyway worried to be reprimanded and sacked.

On a wider community level we worry about the ozone layer, climate change, wars, diseases, hunger, poverty, slavery, sexism, racism, child trafficking, deforestation, animal rights, human and now I’m literally afraid if I continue listing I would have added a new worry on your ‘list of worries’ so I’ll stop with the listing; but you can imagine that our waking moments must be spent in mental rooms choking on the fumes of worry and paranoia.

In all fairness to this generation we have inherited some of the worries from our parents.  They worried about what kind of members of society they’d be raising and channeled us towards paths they deemed fit and development and we in turn will certainly pick the baton and continue the vicious cycle of worry.  We will worry for our own offspring; we would worry about cloud storage accounts being hacked, about religious extremists, revenge porn, the effects of social media on physical human interaction and our children’s safeties online, the incurable diseases of HIV/AIDS, cancer and Ebola.

In spite of this scary storm of despair, let’s look less at the things we can’t help and focus on the things we can help in the here and now; the sun, the birds and trees; the faces and smiles of children and our loved ones.  We can chose to spend more time in the present.

Worry less...

Adieu!

Virtual Pub- to be free

After my last post, I'm kinda buzzing from the euphoria of writing again and fuelled by mango-infused green tea and chat with a friend I almost instantaneously wrote this... enjoy!

Virtual Pub- 

to be free

I yearn for evenings and weekends,
when my circle of friends can-
gather around our virtual pub circle of life,
After their days at university lectures,
college halls and bread-winning jobs,
And indulge in intellectually stimulating discourse,
behind their touchscreens and keyboards.
Touching on valid points and smirking lines of-
touché when a rebuttal of wit is made.
Sitting upon our virtual pub stools, and around-
the round table, spilled with endless beers of information.
We bite on crackers of knowledge, chewing nuts of gumption-
and sip on wines of wise lines.
I try to sleep away my afternoons,
so I can hang out at night, defying-
time zones and body clocks,
As we banter away on policies in politics or the latest of our odysseys.
I soak it all in before they retire to rest for the night to-
start their routines all over again, as I the same.
For my waking afternoons-
My muse is the news,
Televised or otherwise...
I yearn for the evenings and weekends...
to be free again in our virtual pub...

Adieu!

The Economics of Church

The Economics of Church

The one constant in life, after the certainty of death, is that change will always happen.  Thing will always change; babies will become toddlers, teenager, young adults and then old adults.  Eyes which could see miles away will struggle to see up close.  Speeches of wit at rapper-like speed will slow down to slow inaudible soliloquies.  Fields of seedlings will become forests of time-tested trees; so in life, change will always come and it is most times a good thing to embrace the change and adapt to it accordingly.

I have now become agnostic after years of being a Christian.  I was born and raised in the Anglican Church, grew up with its norms and customs but after several years of research and soul searching I have come to the conclusion that whilst it did a lot of good in my early formative years, I no longer need formal religion of any sort or the doctrines of a holy book to instruct or guide me through my journey in life.  I am still open to the debate of the existence of the Christian God, but that is for another day’s debate.

Because I have a fairly rich knowledge of Christianity in Nigeria, I will limit my address and my concerns to the churches in Nigeria.  After I moved from Ibadan, Nigeria in 2002, attending church in Wageningen, Holland felt like it was a bible study class in comparison to my previous experiences.  There were no cassocks, no choristers, no obvious physical feeling of being in a church (in my eyes) but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I was actively involved; my father had given sermons, as did other members of the congregation and some visitors.  There was only one call for offering collection and most of the congregation emptied their €1 and €2 collections with a few €5 notes gracing the collection basket.  Tea, coffee and biscuits were a routine and if you had some Saturday night leftover homemade pastry you often thought of church to bring it to.  Such was my experience of church until I moved to England in 2006 to start university.  By that time, my journey of questioning the essence of religion and the existence of God was in full swing.  I had begun to feel and realise that some of the things the Bible spoke negatively about were in fact the modern society we now live in which I felt the Bible knew nothing of, but I digress.

I attended several churches in my first few months of my stay in Bradford, England and none of them, for different reasons, felt like church in Wageningen.  I often felt I had been judged in a few of these churches although that didn’t bother me much instead it made me critical of the brand of “flashy Christianity” which they purported.

Fast forward to 2013 and I have now returned to Nigeria and I am gobsmacked at the number of churches dotted around the city of Yenagoa.  In a short 3-minute drive I can count more churches than I have fingers; but we have a bloated population so maybe the number of churches is reflective of this population density.  This is an excuse I’m lending and I’m not convinced in the slightest.

Let me home in on the crux of the matter.  The new Nigerian society, in my opinion, is obsessed with two things; wealth and religion, quite an oxymoron, if you ask me, but who am I to say? After all, I am a despised unbeliever, flirting dangerously with the gates of hell, or so they say.

If we examine the weekly church schedules we would notice church activities for nearly 5 days a week.  The Sunday service and midweek service are staples of almost every church.  Monthly activities often include new month prayer session, end of month night vigils, thanksgiving services, harvests, weddings, funerals, child births, child dedications and most importantly, these days, tithes.  In a 12 month period you may also encounter many special occasions and ceremonies like visiting of bishops, archbishops, overseers, self-styled prophets and apostles.  All of which, might I add, have one thing always on the program – offering.

I have honoured a few invitations to attend church and I listen out attentively, the messages always seem to be about wealth seeking missions and a combination of overt and subtle calls for money to God in return for blessings, life, wealth and prosperity.  So I decided to do a little calculation; in a congregation of 100 people, if there are 4 calls for offering and each member put in N50 each per offering, after 4 rounds that’s N20,000 (just over minimum wage) from one week’s Sunday service.  Now I know there will be costs of maintaining the church building and powering the generators and all other operational costs but at the end of the day I wonder where does the rest of the money go?  The pastors and preachers often have book deals, CDs, shows and other media ventures generating their own income so I ask again, where does the money go?  I see clergymen and clergywomen donning the latest fashion trends and telephoning through the latest Galaxy and iPhone devices; their automobiles matched only by celebrities and government officials (and we know we’ll reserve our comments on the latter), so please I ask, where does the money go?

Stardom and celebrity status are now the vogue for God’s earthly representatives.  They say things like “Our Father God is a rich God, he is a king so we are his royal princes and princesses” then I look around the congregation and see paupers and I think to myself that the preacher and the congregation are supposed to be children of the same God and I’m sure he doesn’t see princes and princesses in his followers.  This new fad to be a star is amusing to say the least.  Talks of wealth, mansions and private jets are commonly associated with athletes and rockstars.  High rise buildings, mansions on acres of land and more luxurious SUVs than in a Hollywood blockbuster movie are now the trending habits of Nigeria’s Christian leaders.  The craze for wealth is driving churches to have expensive schools and universities on national and foreign soils amongst other money making ventures.

I can’t help but think that Jesus Christ borrowed a donkey when he rode into Jerusalem.  He didn’t seek out the best Arabian stallion flanked by a chariot entourage and trumpeters, no... A lowly farm donkey was what he borrowed.

The egocentricity and materialism of modern Nigeria has a bitter taste in my mouth and I detest it.  I refuse to indulge in a society that has come to this, but, to each their own and I often remind myself judge not, lest ye be judged.

I’ll leave you with this article from Forbes - http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2011/06/07/the-five-richest-pastors-in-nigeria/

Enjoy,

Adieu!

Bradford Bears

The past 14 months have gone by really fast but through all that there have been monumental events and lessons learned for the Bradford Bears.

William P. Obubo
+44 786 959 1042

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone

Gone bald, 5 years on. Goodbye to the afro

Anyone who knew me back in 2006/07 period would remember how very insistent I was about never EVER cutting my afro.  I used to even say that even my father could not get me to cut my afro, so why would I cut it for someone less related to me.  I remember insisting it was my identity and trade-mark at the the early stages of  my last relationship, trying to convince my then girlfriend her mother would just have to accept that the afro is part of William.

In 2007 during my time as president of the Afro-Caribbean society, my best friend AJ Esin begged me to cut the afro for different reasons, the other executive members will threaten to hold me down and shear my locks, I'd tell them then, 'I'm not a violent person but you'll be sorry if ever you were the one who cuts my hair'.  When I think back on my life and my hair, it has just been a part of my life that made me stand out first before my personality would be given the chance to shine.  There was once a quote from my very good Trini-man, it read 'the only thing bigger than your ego is your afro'. Such was the appeal of my afro that people got used to the idea that William was first his afro then anything else.  In a room of two William's I was referred to Afro-William.

Looking back I would say that I used my afro as an ice-breaker, a confidence tool, a fashion statement, a play toy, a cushion or pillow amongst many other roles.  I'd elaborate, briefly, I'm lucky to have never been short of confidence and self-belief but my afro did wonders boosting my confidence as I've always been referred to as small or short but with my afro in full bloom the attention to my height is removed and the afro takes the spotlight and all the applauds. The types of shapes it can take, the length, the texture were all part of the package with the afro.  I reckon it is hard not to want to play with an afro or admire an afro.

This week gone by was the RAG Week (Raise and Give Week) in the Students Union of the University of Bradford and all monies raised would be going to the Bradford City Centre Project and Marie Curie Cancer Care.  The week is full of different charitable acts by the students such as a chairty football match, climbing the height of Mount Everest within the gym's climbing wall (911 times it would be) and a promise auction.  My  American Football team the Bradford Bears decided to put me forward in the promise auction. The vice-president asked me 'how much do you value your hair' and my response was 'very much' and he then said 'would you cut it for charity, Marie Curie' within seconds I said 'yes'.  We were both shocked by my response but I must say that the fact that it had something to do with cancer was what made me say yes.  I had had a chat with my dad earlier that day and he told me of a friend of his suffering from bone marrow cancer and it moved me.  I have been secretary of an awareness campaign last year, the Red Ribbon Society and we raised money for the production of child-friendly anti-virals for HIV/AIDS patients.  The fight against cancer is one I have supported for years but not actively contributed and I said to myself this was my opportunity to do my little bit extra.  So I said yes I will cut my 5 year old afro for charity.  The date wasn't set yet and when I told my close friends, I was greeted with sarcasm and disbelief and jest.  Nevertheless it didn't put me off as I was not out there to prove anything to them, I wanted to do my bit to help.  

The week after I agreed, myself and the Bears VP went round asking people to pledge, it had a very slow start, we ended the day with a total pledge of £97, I was not disappointed but I thought we could have done better. With a week to go we picked up pace and we both were excited with the generosity of students and staff, we soon beat the £200 mark we set ourselves so we raised the bar to £500.  The date of the shaving of my hair was set; 24/02/11. With a couple of days to go I was beginning to feel nervous about how I'd look and  how I'd feel without my afro, India Arie's song 'I'm not my hair' was my comfort.  On the morning of the 24th, I woke up washed my hair for a good half hour, dried it and combed it out to its full extent, one last time.  The money we had raised by this time was nearing £400 and the deal was highest pledger gets the opportunity to shave my hair, AJ Esin was determined to beat any pledges for the once in a life time opportunity to shear my locks without any 'retaliation' from me so he pledged £30.

The time was set to 2pm and I was ready and nervous, the cameras has started popping up but the most important tools needed were missing 'clippers and a pair of scissors'. My excuse was 'I've never had nay reason to own clippers for the past 5 years'.  Finally the clippers were brought, the location was set, I wore my Bradford Bears jersey and shoulder pads and clutched tightly unto a helmet for moral support.  

I was sat down, asked a few questions and the count-down began. I pulled on to my longest strands and handed them to Josh aka AJ Esin, he firmly gripped them and placed the blades of the scissors and the moment the crowd hit ZERO I heard the snip! The locks fell helplessly on my laps and I held them with open eyes and bid farewell as I brushed them to the ground. I couldn't bear to watch so I closed my eyes through the process only opening to dab my eyes with a handkerchief as tears were forming.  Moments later the spine-shivering sound of the clippers came and I knew this was the real deal.  Five minutes it took to shave my head of five years growing; a minute per year.

It was all done and I couldn't be any more proud of myself, the maturity and dedication.  I'd like to say a big Thank You to everyone who pledged and supported. As of now we have raised over £470.  Pledges are still welcomed.

I can now proudly say 'I am not my hair, I am the soul that lives within'.

Adieu!

Before

During the shave

After

Why science cannot disprove the existence of God

I wrote an essay for a theory of knowledge assessment on how science cannot disprove the existence of God and I think the topic of God's existence in science has come to the fore this week with Dr. Steve Hawking's statement of how there is no use of God.
I am a Christian, a believer but I also ask questions, thought provoking, and sometimes faith-shaking about God, man and our existence on earth; fate, purpose, heaven, hell and everything else that comes under that discussion.
I have dug up my essay, blown its dust away and here it goes, (it was written in 2005):


The proof of the existence of anything in science is through a process of observation, data collection and careful analysis, followed by a write-up of the findings. This has been the case through centuries of scientific experiments and research. This yearning drive to seek more knowledge is one that places the human species above all other living things. Through our interactions in daily life, we show this longing to know. We want to know why and how and we ask of time periods-when, and places-where.
This ever-inquisitive trait of man has brought us to endless questioning on the existence of a God or some superior and supernatural being. It is not strange that we ask ourselves “Does God exist?” This has become part of our daily living. Across cultures and races, the human mind needs physical, logical and natural explanations to the happenings of events. It is for this reason that scientists have questioned religions and faiths on the actual existence of God. The effort to attain this knowledge is one that can be endless and fruitless.
The questioning of the existence of God cannot but create doubts in the minds of those whose faiths are not well-grounded. Waving aside the question cannot also stop scientists from trying to find out if God does really exist. Our ever-changing societies, through science, would want answers to this life-long question. We need physical, logical and natural justifications. We need to know why there is God? How is God? When did God start to exist? Where is God? Who is God?


The acceptance of the belief of something that cannot be touched or seen is faith. A dictionary definition of faith is “belief in the truth of a revealed religion: confidence and trust in God”. Although this does not consider the question “Does God exist?”, it opens up a path that allows believing. Believing is to accept as true what is said. Science can hereby not mark out in the minds of people what they accept as true and why they do so. The most that can be done is a rationalization on why we think a person believes in one thing over another. Hebrews Chapter 11 verse 1 “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot see yet.” Science cannot disprove the existence of God by tests, research and experiments, because the existence of God is by faith in the hearts and minds of individuals. With our mere knowledge of the physical, logical and natural phenomena, we cannot prove that what we cannot see is not there. That is not to say that all of what we see is actually there, but then again when we do not see that which is not there, but accept it is there, then it is believing that it is there. This is the case when it comes to human relations with God. As humans, for those who accept the existence of God, the explanation of God is not a topic for discussion because we do so by faith. Science cannot prove if faith is indeed believing in a truth or something not yet seen. When scientists ask ‘Does God exist?” the aim is to disprove the existence of God, but due to the nature of human beings and our relation with God, we do not need hard evidence to show that God does indeed exist through what would be termed as the three human phenomena (physical, logical and natural realms). Even when things like miracles do occur, science always steps in to prove how and why it happened to ensure that the sequence of events can be repeated constantly. Those that believe that it was through God’s divine intervention would not care less if science can or cannot prove the miracle. Such reasoning seems to be the closest that science has come in disproving that God does exist.
Scientific theories through centuries have consistently been dynamic and aiming towards a truth. Science once claimed that the earth was flat and if one went too far east or west, one could fall off the earth into oblivion. We now know, through science, that the earth is undeniably a sphere and man can make journeys around it and all matter on earth are held by its gravitational pull. The atom was once known as the smallest particle of matter, but again science proved itself wrong. All these new findings are as a result of the quest to know more in man’s life. Science has constantly had its flaws in trying to confirm or disprove different theories; this is though not to say that science has no use or effect on man’s life. No. Science has its place in man’s existence on earth. With science, we have been able to prevent fatal diseases from resulting into global epidemics. Science has made living easier with various inventions like the incandescent lamp, the motorcar, the microscope and so on and so forth. Despite inventions and scientific breakthroughs, there are things that are beyond the realms of science and faith is one of such. No scientific experiment can explain the faith believers portray. God’s existence is beyond science. This is due to the fact that science deals in the physical, logical and natural realms of life. Believing in a God is outside these realms and therefore cannot be judged under any of the three, whereas believing in a God pertains to the metaphysical and mystical domains. If science would try to disprove the existence of God, it would be futile and biased. A fourth realm would be required and faith would be the in the fourth realm but unfortunately faith cannot be experimented on with research or in laboratories. Due to the fact that experiments need to be seen physically, science would already have its short-coming in trying to prove God’s by analysing faith. As faith cannot be seen, a scientist might want to analyse a person who claims to have faith. The subconscious approach of a scientist would be to address the three realms of science with regards to the person.


To conclude, the effects of religion are beyond the realms of science. Our current knowledge, which is our present perception, learning and reasoning of the world from the bases of science, cannot be the bases for our judgements on whether a God exists or not. The science of today already knows too little to deal with matters that lie in its domain so how cannot it prove a belief that is out this domain. Religious believers are ridiculed for their old-fashioned, unscientific ideas, with their talk of God and Satan, of heaven or paradise and hell, of salvation and damnation. Science may try to kill religion, but cannot kill God, for God lies in the hearts of those who believe.

Time to update football rules, Monsieur Blatter?

I've been watching World Cup football as far back as Italia '90, I know it's two decades ago (gosh that makes me sound so old) but yeah I have been watching football for that long. I can't remember much of the Italian World Cup, but the American, French, Japanese/South Korean, German and I'm still watching the South African.
The debate that has pushed itself to the fore of this World Cup, is not why did the big names flop? or why does the Jabulani swerve even though its the 'perefectest' ball? or why Diego Forlan is the only man that knows how hit the ball so cleanly?.. no it's when will FIFA update the fundamental rules of football? The 'suits' in the FIFA offices prefer to change rules which have very little effect on the game and the players. I was reading the rules recently and the colour of any undergarments such as baselayer tops or compression shorts need to be the same as the jersey or shorts. Sock holders, shinpad holders, wrist and ankle tapes also have be the same colours. If you ask me, I'll say it is a pretty pointless adjustment to the rules. I am sure most players will have my back on this issue, because they'd rather get on with the game and know when the ball has crossed the line for sure or if a player is off-side than have any fashion sense on the pitch.
The decision making has been fairly average or poor at times at this World Cup, the majority of referees seem very keen to compete with the vuvuzelas that the watching the game feels like watch American Football, only difference is technology and the right to challenge decisions exists in the latter.
It does no one any good for Sepp Blatter to come out and apologise for the errors of the referees when in fact FIFA is where the errors lie. You can't punish a law enforcer if he was doing his job in the right way even though the law is outdated. Similarly the refs are only doing their jobs and the rules don't in fact have anything to say about the ref not seeing it before a goal stands. One match in question was the England v Germany, Round of 16 match, where Frank Lampard strike had hit the crossbar, bounced a good yard over the goal-line, then bounced back and hit the cross-bar before landing in the willing grasp of Manuel Neuer. The German defenders saw it, the goalkeeper knew it, Frank Lampard and his team-mates saw it, the whole stadium saw it, Sepp Blatter, Michel Platini, David Cameron, Angela Merkel and millions of viewers saw it but the goal did not stand because the referee and his assistant did not see it. The sound of that makes the whole situation even more ridiculous.


see for yourself...



If FIFA could invest so much technology in getting the Jabulani up to 21st century standards why can't they, in the same vain, get the rules on goals up to 21st century standards. It's very simple put some cameras on the crossbar, or in the nets or above the nets, or a chip in the ball with GPS satellite. There must be some cost-effective way to eliminate such blunders. I don't think it removes the human-element either as some anti-goal-line technology folks will say, it takes 3 seconds to have a review radio the ref and decision is made. Heartbreaks will be prevented, referee jobs will be more secure because they know they can't be judged on the blunders.
Sepp Blatter's apology is a step for us to hope that very soon there will be changes to the game we love, one day goal-line technology will be the normal football world. Hopefully that day is before summer 2014 in Brazil.

A random poem...

I was reading through some of my poetry when I stumbled across this... it makes a good read and quite interesting enjoy:

Walking through the station

I’m not alone, a million and one souls

Are moving at the same time with me

Yet I could see you from afar,

You stood out, sitting by the news agent, one in a million

Brown Skin

I walked into the room

Greeted by the scent of cocoa butter

Your everyday protection of your ebony skin

Stopping by the door, I watched-

I watched you in front of the mirror

Your beauty so radiant, reflected around the room

I watched as you coated your toned legs in the cocoa butter

Your legs, elegantly shaped, curved with accuracy, toned to perfection

As you rose towards your thighs, I widened my eyes

Gazing at your beauty so soft like beaten batter.

You then crossed your legs, your posture, regal it became

I knew you were queen, a goddess of beauty

Suddenly your towel dropped revealing your back,

A cool rush of air upon your spine came upon me

I stand as a mere mortal in awe of your magnificence.

Life Soundtrack - iTunes

Well, well, after a month,  I'm back with a plentyto say but not really knowing how to say it. So we'll kick off with a bit of random trivia type of blog
alright, take your entire itunes library, put it in shuffle, and the first 18 songs correspond to the 18 songs in the soundtrack to every 'scene' in the movie of your life...


here goes mine...



Opening Credits:
So Confused - Pretty Ricky


Waking Up:
Be my #2 - R. Kelly


First Day At School:
Where Does Love Go - Eric Benet


Falling In Love:
Never Again - Justin Timberlake


Fight Song:
We Shall Dance - Demis Roussos


Breaking Up:
I'm Cheatin - Dwele


Prom:
You're The Only One


Life's OK:
You Made Me Love You - R. kelly 


Mental Breakdown:
The Appeal


Driving:
Mrs. Officer - Lil Wayne


Flashback:
Just Me and You - Bobby Valentino


Getting Back Together:
Say, Say Lil Fine Ass Niggah - Joi


Wedding:
Shiver - Maroon 5


Birth of Child:
Making Money Counting Hundreds


Final Battle:
I Have Seen The Rain - Pink


Death Scene:
Charlene - Anthony Hamilton


Funeral Song:
That'll Be the Day


End Credits:
A Kind of Magic - Queen




NOW GO TRY URS OUT....


Adieu!!!

What are you waiting for, come on get your read on

Random title I know, but seeing as I'll be very busy in the coming weeks with extra hard revision for Law of Tort, I figured I'd spice up the blog with a catchy title... I bet it worked!

Lately, what have I been going through you may ask? Well to put it mildly, a lot! Oh yes a lot of nothing... sorry to burst your bubble there, but a lot of nothing has been happening to me and around me... The reason is everyone is on their essay or exam mode so conversations that used to be 'hey what you doing this weekend' now sound like 'how many essays are you handing in on Monday' or pick up lines like this :

(scene: A club, somewhere in Leeds on a Friday night)
Guy: Hey, have we met?
Girl: No, but I'd like to meet you if you buy my next drink
Guy: What you drinking?
Girl: Apple Martini please, and one Cosmo for my friend too

Exam times now make em sound like:
(scene: Level 1, Library in Bradford on a Monday night)
Guy: Hey, when is our next dissertation meeting?
Girl: It's tomorrow 2pm, btw are you going to Sainsburys?
Guy: In 5 mins, why?
Girl: Could you please get me a bottle of water and 2 cans of Red Bull, I'm doing an all nighter

The human body is engineered to go hours without recharging, I've noticed from observing people's study patterns, some can go close to 48 hours refuelling with water, red bull and relentless... I'm sure shopkeepers can't wait for exam time to come around, cuz that's when they sell almost anything and everything. Some students smoke packs of cigs to get by, some stuff their faces with wine gums, others guzzle bottles of Ribena, pretty much everything gets sold in corner shops during exam times.

Moving on, I couldn't help but pause in utter shock when I overheard a passer-by say, 'sometimes, I wish I were back in prison'.  He was comparing his life in the two worlds and the life behind bars gave him a roof, good food, TV, gym and a bed and ironically the 'free' life gave him nothing but anger, hopelessness and a wish to return to the pen.  The government ought to sit up and ask why? Why would a free man prefer life in prison? Something must be wrong with the system outside, and I mean something must be really really wrong. Well, Thursday is less than 48 hours away and the election race could not get any hotter! DC is as cocky as Jose Mourinho (before and after his Chelsea days), NC is playing it cool and not getting 'bugged down' with the 'Cleggmania' while Mr. PM, GB (ironically Great Britain) is calling for 'strategic voting'.  Obvious signs of fear and desperation, I'd say.  But good luck to all the candidates, it is interesting to read their manifestos, even the BNP manifesto made a good read at times, other  times it was just a laughing stock and an indication of an absence of logic and an ignorance of REAL LIFE.

I'm sorry to say but many football fans are more concerned about this weekend's result than the election result. We want to know which set of fans have 1-year bragging right, we want to know who showed class, composure and a clear head on the final day when it mattered most. We want to know who finishes fourth in the hard fought race.  We already know what Arsene Wenger will be saying 'I feel for the fans especially, they deserve more' blah blah blah for 5 years they've constantly been deserving more... Arsenal are a great team when they win and a bunch of Sunday league kids when they lose. They never seem to have an in-between, they rarely do and I think the excessive shrewdness of Monsieur Wenger is to blame for their dusty trophy-less cabinet.  Their London neighbours, who live in Craven Cottage, might  be tasting glory this season and I hope they do, for 'Lord' Hodgson's sake. He is a true gentleman, a role-model sportsman and a fine manager.  Bobby Zamora, looks a different player now, Clint Dempsey turned from a nobody to an American Idol.  When they said there aren't any good British managers they must have been suffering from memory loss.  Even Steve McLaren has proven his critics wrong, he went abroad and conquered and he is now a Dutch title winner.  Football managers, today has become overly scrutinized and criticized when in reality the players should be partly blamed.  Like one manager said recently 'when they cross that white line, there is little I can do for them', which is very true because even the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Fabio Capello know that when it is all said and done the 90 minutes the players spend kick and running defines the game a lot more than the team talk.

Well, it is time for me to hit the sack now but before I go here is a random statement I once heard a young man say 'I don't want to get married, cuz I don't want to get divorced'.  Wow! society must be breaking down if marriage and divorce come together... I shall talk about that next... (remind me)...

Good Night!

44-4 - 3rd World Cardinalz

My next blog is a rap I wrote when I was a member of the group 3rd World Cardinalz... It was a group of myself aka Billy Bones, William P. Obubo (the poet that couldn't rap), Julez Jigsaw, Julian E. Obubo, (the rapper with a stammer), Tha A.N.G., Angelo Portier,  (the shortest basketballer I knew and now established DJ, Music Producer & Engineer).
This was a high-school phase and I guess it kinda made us closer and we had a message to give to the world... we never got to record our music but the beats still exist and the raps are still in hard copy... MAYBE someday the 3WC (3rd World Cardinalz) will hit the charts... Someday...


Well to the rap, 

44-4 – 3^rd World Cardinalz

Where do I start counting after 4:44?

My day just started like the day before

The 44^th second and nearly a quarter past 4

I’m barely a quarter past 4 but I can’t take no more

And I can’t wait no more till I slam that door

Raise my hands; feel like I’m free once more

But no, my day is done at like 5:44

Walking home, blue-red-siren it’s the POPO

Now I’m thinking, be calm, it’s just some routine go

Raise your hands and take a step no more

What I do to invite this-tell me-I don’t know?

Before I could move I’m staring at four 44s

Running aint wise, cuz I’ll be gone before I hit the floor

Excuse me officer but what is the problem to you?

They aint talking still point their four 44s

The Mike Johnson in me wanna mark, set and go

Then I remembered, ey, I got my own 44

Should I respond, damn it’ll be like some Western show

I reached for it- but homie- I was just too slow

Adieu!!!

RE: Letter from the Prime Minister

Well, well... it's been a whole 9 days since my last blog, I sincerely apologize.  I've been pretty caught up with reading books on politics and social change and rounding up an essay on the collapse of apartheid in South Africa.  When I started the essay, I wasn't to sure if I could really write 4,000 words of logic and sense but after research and reading and several toilet and water breaks in-between I finally ended up with an essay I'm very confident in.
Well let's move on from the essays, yesterday I came home from a pretty long and interesting day to open my mailbox and I received a letter from Mr. Gordon Brown, that's right, the Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party as he so eloquently put it in the letter.  Writing about it, it kinda reminds me of times at home in Holland when the fax machine pours out several letters claiming they are from the President of Nigeria, difference is though, the fax letters were scams from 419ers telling us about several unthinkable millions of dollars that needs a bank account to be stored in.  It makes you wonder, are there really people out there that receive such letters or emails and actually fall for the unbelievable claims they make?  Cuz even the lottery just doesn't work that way, but I guess the saying 'money is the root of all evil' is so very true for people to be so greedy.
Well let's get back to the Prime Ministers letter, he opens like this 'Dear William Obubo, Since I last wrote to you...' Let's get the facts straight here Mr. PM, you've never written to me so please don't flatter me by sounding all friendly and familiar but I do commend the personal touch nevertheless.  He goes on to talk about how 'we' are going tough financial times; we? really you and I? Mr. PM, I'm sure you've never checked up on my Tesco shopping or offered to cover my Sky bill or T-mobile bill or even given me £2 to take a bus to the School of Management, so no, I disagree, we haven't been going through tough times together, I have, you haven't.  The truth of the matter is, you have seen several people like me go through tough times, there are even people worse off than myself and they have been immensely affected, so I'm sorry but I'd say the 'we' thing is grossly patronising and might be offensive to some people.
I'd be straight up with you Mr. PM, the attempt to win people over now with just about a week before the elections could not have been more dented by the 'bigotgate' as the media have so kindly named.  The question and answer sessions have done a lot to prove that there is a huge void between the electorate and the politicians, especially the leaders.  The only time they (the politicians) run to us really, is when they need our support or our votes. Once we are done voting, we are dumped on the streets like left over fish'n'chips... If a democracy is a government of the people, by the people, for the people then I'm sorry to say Mr. PM we aren't in a democracy.  The best leaders are the best servants, and simply put the country is lacking any.
So here is my reply Mr. PM;

Dear Gordon Brown,

Thank you for your last letter, it was very kind of you to write.  The events of the week ahead will help me decide how I'd vote.

Yours sincerely

William P. Obubo
Student and Member of the Electorate

Adieu!!!

PS: I'd scan the letter and post it soon....

Watching The Wear

Watching the Wear

The sun’s shining bright
its sparkling reflections upon the river Wear,
makes glaring upon the water a rare sight.

For some strange reason
I’m wearing a jacket,

I know that it is sweltering hot, though.

My right leg is crossed over my left giving-
a slight muscle pull and a sharp tingle in my toes.

I just watched little boys and girls,
kindergarten ages, in baby blue polos-
and ashy grey skirts, trousers and pinafores,
run past me along with their teachers.

Two fishermen, one on either side of the river.

They wait patiently for their catch,
I’m waiting patiently for Julian and my dad.

I’ve only been in Sunderland for 2 hours,
but my ears have tuned into its ambient sounds,
the roaring rustic metro, the buzz of the double-deck buses,
the clanks of modern construction, the Northern English accents and-
the low deep flowing tone of the river Wear.

I am anxiously waiting to see my own town of Bradford.

Adieu!

To Want To

Hey...

A rather dull day I've been through, aside  from the the University of Bradford Students Union Election hustings and American football practise (of course!).

The hustings is an opportunity for candidates to convince the voters why they are the right and suitable candidate for the job (a lot like the candidates debate of last week where Clegg stole the show).  The funny thing is back in March we had the original hustings, however, due to some 'undisclosed' incidents the elections were temporarily suspended, then cancelled, then postponed.  Politics seems to be a dirty game at whatever level.

Well the UBU elections committee have introduced tighter measures to curb any discrepancies so hopefully we'd have a smooth affair.  However, from my opinion, the voters seem to have remembered the details of the manifestos so the turnout was nowhere near the original hustings, besides can you blame them, dissertation deadlines, coursework deadlines are only round the corner.  For a couple new faces it was a slightly nervous experience.

One candidate, yours truly, is running for International Students Officer, who is pretty much the mediator of over 20 nationalities and the Union and University.  As straightforward as it gets... NOT! But we shall see when the results are released.  I do wish all the candidates the best of luck may the right person win.  I extend this same reasoning to the May Elections... Nick Clegg seems to have created quite a force now as the polls are suggesting while dear Gordon says it is a 'brief political honeymoon' sounds like sour grapes to me.  

I really wish people vote for the right reasons.  But hey this is politics nothing, I repeat, nothing is black and white... or grey for that matter.

I do urge you to register in time to be able to vote in the May Elections, and for the Bradfordians go to www.ubuonline.co.uk/elections   VOTE RIGHT!!!

Well I seem to be a little sore in my arm muscles from stretching and my left knee needs a lil' TLC so this post will be coming to its finish line, but like promised about a week ago the daily poem is titled 'To Want To' enjoy!

To Want To

I was told not to

But I wanted to

So much that I thought to

Then I decided not to

But in my head I asked “don’t I want to”

I want to- knowing I’m not supposed to

At night I sleep eyes wide open wanting to

Then I stand believing that I had to

Later in the dark I crept to

Halfway there I decided I didn’t have to

For if I had to

I need not worry how to or when to

So I turned back not having had to

I admitted I didn’t need to

Meaning I heeded not to

I was told not to

But I wanted to

Yet in the end I didn’t need to. 

Adieu!!!

Lost teeth and still searching for meaning...

I generally have trouble remembering all the events and details of my dreams.  I woke up today, knowing I had dreamt about something but the details were slightly fuzzy.  I walked up to my bathroom mirror and in looking at my reflection my dream's details came back to me.... a little scrambled but I knew that I had a bizarre dream of losing all my teeth.  They were falling out of my gums and I picked them out of my mouth.  It is not the first time I have had this dream and I would really like to know the meaning of the dream and the symbolism of losing teeth.
I have looked up on the internet the interpretations of the dream and to my surprise it is a very common dream.  
For a common dream its interpretations are quite hard to find, most websites make general statements and seem copy each other... However, I did find some little bits and bobs of meaning in the meaning of the dream.
From http://www.dreammoods.com/cgibin/teethdreams.pl?method=exact&header=dreamid&search=teethintro I got this interpetation:


"Dreams of falling teeth are the most common dreams that Dream Moods receives. The typical dream scenarios include having your teeth crumble in your hands, fall out one by one with just a light tap, grow crooked or rot. Such dreams are not only horrifying and shocking, but they often leave you with a lasting image of the dream. So what does it mean?

One theory is that dreams about your teeth reflect your anxieties about your appearance and how others perceive you. Sadly, we live in a world where appearance and attractiveness matter and your teeth help to convey that image. Teeth play an important role in the game of flirtation, whether it be flashing those pearly white, kissing or necking. Thus, such dreams may stem from a fear of rejection, sexual impotence or the consequences of getting old. Additionally, a dream research found that women in menopause have frequent dreams about teeth. This further points to teeth dreams as being related to getting older and/or feeling unattractive and less feminine. Teeth are an important feature to your attractiveness and how you are presented to others. Caring about how you look is natural and healthy.

Another rationalization for these falling teeth dreams may be rooted in your fear of being embarrassed or making a fool of yourself in some situation. These dreams are an over-exaggeration of your worries and anxieties. Perhaps the dream may be a result of you being unprepared for the task at hand.

Teeth are used to bite, tear, chew and gnaw. In this regard, teeth represent power. And the loss of teeth in your dream may be from a sense of powerlessness. Are you lacking power in some current situation? Perhaps you are having difficulties expressing yourself or getting your point across. You feel frustrated when your voice is not being heard. You may be experiencing feelings of inferiority and a lack of self-confidence in some situation or relationship in your life. This dream may be an indication that you need to be more assertive and believe in the value of your own opinion.

Traditionally, it was thought that dreaming that you did not have teeth, represent malnutrition which may be applicable to some dreamers.

Other Perspectives

A scriptural interpretation for bad or falling teeth indicate that you are putting your faith, trust, and beliefs in what man thinks rather than in the word of God. The bible says that God speaks once, yea twice in a dream or a vision in order to hide pride from us, to keep us back from the pit, to open our ears (spiritually) and to instruct and correct us.

In the Greek culture, when you dream about loose, rotten, or missing teeth, it indicates that a family member or close friend is very sick or even near death.

According to the Chinese, there is a saying that your teeth will fall out if you are telling lies.

It has also been said that if you dream of your teeth falling out, then it symbolizes money. This is based on the old tooth fairy story. If you lose a tooth and leave it under the pillow, a tooth fairy would bring you money."

Well, my poem for today is titled  SHE

She

From the day she came into my world,

She had my name inscribed upon her,

It took was just minutes to warm up to each other.

And from that moment on I got to like her

While she had almost no other option but to like me.

Her favourite colours are silver and black,

With her big black coat I’d carry her upon me so carefully,

My darling, I love her, she knows the true me.

Like no other, my deepest secrets I store in her.

My different moods she has harboured ever so well

And just like no other she has shown me things I have never seen before

She has been my gateway to the outside world.

So wise she has had the answers to a lot of my questions-

Regardless of how stupid or insignificant they may be.

She has become my whole world; I get jealous and cautious-

When she is touched by others, I’d defend her if she were ever abused.

Of late she hasn’t quite been herself and I hope it’s not the end

I know life will have to go on if she leaves me, but I cannot imagine me without her.

Have a blessed Sunday, Adieu!