Venting politely.

October 23, 2024October 23, 2024 jacquelineobyikochaLeave a comment

If you live in a society where your health care system works, you simply have no idea how that is such a wonderful blessing. I have been opportune to experience different societies and their health services, and I must tell you that some places simply take the piss. In such places, the only way that you can get a decent attention is if you are a money bag who can afford the expensive private hospitals or if you’ve robbed the government coffers – as our darling Nigerian politicians tend to do – thus, can afford the luxury of travelling overseas for medical care; a situation which can easily be enabled within the country if the leaders did the right thing to get the sector running as it should.

How do you explain having to take a biopsy twice with 10 days waiting interval for the results and each time during your scheduled appointment, the hospital comes up with a sorry excuse that the result is not yet ready? In essence, leaving the patient on tenterhooks, stressed and depressed and wasted a month of their valuable time and money. 2 days ago, I had made a post about my dear one who is waiting for her second biopsy result as the 1st result was inconclusive. As if she’s not having a challenging time at present, the hospital which is meant to be a national hospital; with the best consultants and well-equipped with the necessary systems in place, have been dilly-dallying with no cogent reason for their lackadaisical attitude.

Knowing that time is of essence with health-related matters especially if it is a suspected case of the ‘Big C’, I feel so mad about this ineptitude, lack of concern, and failed Nigerian leadership that seeps into every aspect of the society. I truly wonder when such scenarios will become a thing of the past and the Nigerian populace will begin to enjoy the benefits of being citizens of a richly endowed Nation.

It is not a surprise that the level of brain-drain in the sector keeps rising. The system is broken and can be so frustrating. Nigeria has some of the brightest and most hardworking medical personnel globally and they are recruited in large numbers by Western countries, that it seems like it’s quickly becoming a case of raised and trained in Nigeria for foreign use to the detriment of the local populace.

We keep waiting and trusting God.

One shot, Two shots…

March 22, 2018March 22, 2018 jacquelineobyikocha4 Comments

one shot,

two shots,

three shots

… twenty more

target is down,

and he’s stone cold dead.

A life is lost,

a son is gone,

a brother is taken,

a husband is no more,

a father is killed,

a friend is dead

the list goes on…

To them,

he’s just another

disposable black man.

His phone,

a weapon

that struck fear

in their hearts.

How is it that a black man can be killed in his own backyard where even his phone is mistaken as a weapon. He’s riddled with enough bullets to take a small army, yet serial killers get taken peacefully, living at the expense of taxpayers and they get to have their day in court?

Hope · Inspiration - Motivation · Love · Quotes For You · Societal Issues · The Daily Post

Hocus-Pocus!…and it’s all peaches…

December 11, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha30 Comments

Without much ado, if I had one shot as a Super Power to change the law of Nature, I have no need to set my eye’s too far.

I will weave my spell that all mankind will have innate and undeniable abilities to love selflessly, without prejudice.

Wouldn’t that be out-rightly peachy?

If we take our minds off for a moment and think of everything that plagues mankind and where it emanates from, we would find that the deep roots of all problems simply generates from lack or insufficient love.

Insufficient love for God gives birth to disobedience, lack of trust, dishonesty, wickedness and a long list of negativity.

Our inner spirit’s are forever in a state of turmoil due to this disobedience and consequently gives birth to its own fruits; from self fulfilling hatred that is cascaded down to others – because, one cannot give that which they lack – to avarice and greed, envy, corruption, moral decrepitude and an endless list of vices.

Indeed where there is no love, there in lies a multitude of sins.

So, it’s got to be love all the way, if I had my way to some hocus-pocus.

When we love we respect. When we love we are patient and kind. When we love we care. When we love we are understanding. When we love we are generous with our laughter, our light, our riches and ourselves. When we love we are not proud. When we love there is absence of greed and self-seeking. When we love we are free.

The Daily Post If I ruled the World.

You’ve been given the superpower to change one law of nature. How do you use it?

”There are three things that last; Faith, Hope and Love but the greatest of all these is Love.” 1 Cor – 13:13

A link to my neighbours/Community · Hope · Inspiration - Motivation · Little rants · Quotes For You · Societal Issues

When One Finger Picks Oil….

November 22, 2015November 22, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha13 Comments

Blanket Race or Religious castigating remarks always feed off the wilful, ugly actions of the misguided among us in society.

These actions earn names and virulent comments from those who perfect the act of positing themselves as armchair judges, pointing fingers, pontificating and lumping people under labels.

In fairness to others, we should learn to stop herding and lumping people into categories to suit our lack of open-mindedness and to satisfy our cravings for ”I told you so’s” as is the case of an African proverb that says “when one finger picks palm oil, it spreads to the rest.”

It is a given and natural phenomenon that the influence of one’s upbringing and society will not only rub off on them, but will dictate and shape their views, behavioral tendencies and if this is the case, then it stands to reason that the individual is not necessarily to blame for how they turn out, but the society at large and their upbringing.

Who are society? We! We form society and not aliens from Mars.

What have we done as a society to improve these situations that we find ugly, which keeps perpetuating itself until they are fast replacing the normal with the abnormal?

Since we are too busy being politically correct, we are all to blame.

If we truly love and want to change our World as much as we claim, is this not then the time to stop playing Possum and to stop hiding our heads in the sand?

Is it not yet time for Muslim leaders to stand as one voice and castigate the bad eggs who perpetrate evil in the name of Islam?

Is it not yet time for the people to question the status-quo and raise eyebrows at those who do these so-called brainwashing?

Is it not yet time for Christians to open their hearts and express that love that we profess?

Is it not yet time for every Religious leader worth his salt to speak up and condemn these inhumane practices and other behavioural tendencies that hurts the society at large?

Or, have they lost their essence as the salt of the Earth?

Is it not time for the arm-chair pontificators to get off their butts and do something more useful other than to be judgmental?

Let us steadfastly attempt in seeking positive ways to do better things for the benefit of our society and not by the spate of ugly words spouting off peoples mouth all over the place.

Today, I will share these African proverbs with you, which should help us realize that our little works can have ripple effects since we are not in isolation and that:

”It takes a village to raise a child.’‘

”If your child is dancing clumsily, tell him, my child you are dancing clumsily. Don’t not tell him “darling, do as you please.”

”A child is what you put inside him.”

”One should shout when a child comes home with a stolen egg, otherwise the day he comes with a stolen ox, it will be too late.”

We are society. Let us stand for the truth.

Thank you Chape for providing the opportunity to enjoy ruminating over these proverbs. I would encourage you to visit his blog. You will find lots of useful fitness tips and neighbourliness.

My invitation extends to these 3 awesome bloggers:

Ngobesing Romanus of Success Inspirer

Tony Burgess

Beth at Nutsrok

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Image credit: Pinterest

Creative Writing · Haiku · Societal Issues · Writing

This Thing Called Television…Haiku

October 5, 2015October 5, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha40 Comments

Attractive apparatus of beguiling nature;
Young minds beckoned, cajoled, confused, deceived, taunted;
Traditions changed, formed over time.

In fulfillment of Writing 201 Poetry Day 1: Screen, Haiku, Alliteration

Societal Issues · The Daily Post

Yes, There Are Boundaries…

October 4, 2015October 4, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha29 Comments

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Too Soon?.”

Can anything be funny, or are some things off limits?

A well developed sense of humor is something I think I possess.

I am a Christian but not a dour faced sanctimonious one!

I love good jokes any day and will even laugh at myself with ease.

There is no need sweating all the stuff (hard and small) because life is already hard enough and rather too short!

However, there are jokes that I will not be shining my teeth at ever at all!

I find such funnies to be insensitive and in very bad taste!

Things to do with Child Sexual Abuse, Domestic Violence, Terrorism of any sort, Rape, Murder are an absolute NO! NO! for me.

I am aware that some comedians thrive on such tripe and I do question at times if they are perpetrators of such acts themselves!

I am very doubtful that victims and survivors of certain obscene act would be laughing it off.

If that is the case, we won’t hear of women who often fall to pieces and commit suicide after acts of sexual molestation.

If it was so funny, we won’t have so many issues of troubled children who were abused till they lost their sense of self and are left battling with hangovers of such issues.

If it were hilarious, we wouldn’t have so many dysfunctional families due to domestic violence.

If it were rib-cracking, our jails will not be spilling over with perpetrators of nefarious crimes.

Indeed, there is a limit to a joke and a fine line should be drawn on such jokes that are in poor taste!

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha