OneMotolani

Knowledge is a threat to ignorance, a beautiful threat at that- Motolani.  I have read a few of John Mason ’s books, and one of the things that stand out to me every time is his approach.  John is an international speaker who has partnered with the Lord by inspiring millions of people across the globe to reach their God-given potential.  Whether you enjoy reading or not, you can be sure that John’s an enemy called average will have you turning page by page. The 185-page book is divided into three sections.  Each section carries or delivers its own lessons, so you know that they serve different purposes.  In introducing the book, John said,  I don’t know about you, but I hate to read books that take twenty pages to make one point.  I want to give you twenty points on one page !  That is precisely what he delivers. It’s hard to be bored while reading this book because each page is filled with valuable lessons that you could spend hours meditating on...

As 2020 wound to a close, the Lord gave me specific words that marked the beginning of a new phase in my life. It was subtle but unmistakable. To understand the extent of what He was saying at the time, my friends and fiancé advised me to purchase a book titled “The Holy Spirit and His Gifts” and “He Gave Gifts to Men.” That was the start of an unending journey into the works, life, and experiences of a mighty man who knew God and loved Him. As you may imagine, the Bible Prayer Course is exactly what the title says. I believe it to be some of the essential nuggets a Christian needs to fuel for praying culture. The book mixes personal experiences and biblical truths, and realities that we may often miss with this “fast life.” I suppose one truth that has stayed with me is God’s desire for us to interpret tongues. Here, check this out: Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.  1 Corinthians 14: 13 The verse is showing us how we should also desi...

There's a thump in my chest and a familiar urgency within. It's a feeling I've not felt in months. I am not ashamed to say or own it; it's a part of the process. "Forgive me," will you? I know you can, and you will; you have missed me 😍😍😍. It's been almost one year I wrote to you. I never forgot you, how could I? When you creep into my thoughts, and I carry you in my heart all day long. I've experienced several intrigues. I've written titles without content or context. I've even read more than I used to, collecting words from everyone who had some to spare, yet I never got to writing out my heart. Despite authoring another ebook last June, isn't it strange I have been radio silent? It wasn't a writer's block, darling; there is no restriction for anyone born of Christ. It was a careful war, a battle between my feelings and the truth.    When I first recognized my gift, I was writing for freedom, an escape from the realities of lif...

Between now and the last time you read from me, it's been about five months. 5 months!!! How time flies! You've been on my mind; I can't lie to you. I drafted my first write-up for the year on the 19th of December. I never got around finishing it. The same thing happened on the 20th of January, but this is seeing the light of day. I have thought of the several forms I could present my thoughts to you, but the fact that you might not like my approach has drawn me back for so long. Today, I am deciding against all thoughts and odds to let it out regardless. It's going to be a year in June when my life took a tremendous turn, and I've loved it so much.  I finally took the bold step to achieve one of my goals as a writer; getting paid independently for the services I could render. It wasn't without push and shove. But, in these few months, I have come to understand the need to take the first step in every worthy endeavor. Beyond steps, I have come to learn the impor...

Light me up a smoke darling  Oh,  The somber appeal in your eyes Its threatening my conscience Arrghh,  Don't you worry I'll quit tomorrow We'd be happy again In a home without heady clouds In her mind she knows  Tomorrow isn't promised  And promises are fickle So when the day breaks again  And neither is dead She'd light up a couple  Watch him puff hot smoke into the air  Then he'd look into her teary eyes Whilst acting as if it does matter  Stroke a side of her face  Then promise tomorrow again  And when the day breaks  And no one is dead  He'd beckon again  That life you see- is on repeat Because of the strongest force known to human  The force called Love

  Unsplash "Your papa, he find you come". "I no know say e bin dey come, na you he find come o!"  She went on about how Ajepe had been in the room earlier where he had come to talk to her about a scheme. Seven-Seven they called it. But one of her customers had hinted on it being a scam and she had no interest. She had vehemently told this to Ajepe and asked him to leave. He raised his voice saying she must be on board and brought out a knife. She thought she could handle the knife but as she made a run for it, he pinned her to a side of the room and pressed the knife to her side. With the knife to her side, he tore he clothes with the clear intentions of making her a prey to his selfish desires. It was at that an intruder came calling, one neither of them expected. He struggled with Ajepe who succeeded in driving the knife through his belly, sent him tumbling backwards and smashed his head in with a wooden structure.   He then broke bottles the old crate just be...

My lover is in town Wearing the latest designer; Bùbá and Sóró Swallowing his rather thin frame I wonder if those legs ever scream "not fair" His hair cut is to die for Two lone lanes on either side his head Center top like the style of íwófá àdáwójoya Curly clustered strands (and this is how madness begins o)   The shoes are fancier Glittery and spiky With Ends finished off in ropes You would think It was forced off a porcupine   The Omidans are lined up In the best of the best Sányán; the Mother of clothes Iyùn;   Chief of adornment Atiike; the charming powder But none catch his eye For they are glued to someone else The bride of a white man For fate has sealed my fate   My one sided lover is in Town With him a swagger That can never go unnoticed I would gladly oblige Run off to a land where no one knows with him If only he'd form the words Rather than watch me sway my graceful hips To the voice of t...

There is a saying in my local dialect that “ashes from a long-dead fire can still burn you.” That precisely is the case of Kyle McAvoy. The future he had carefully projected and painted on the canvas of his mind is about to go off in confusion. The story started with the job any 25-year-old law student will probably never be caught doing, coaching schoolboys. This ushers readers into the reason he pursued law at all; opening us up to the beginning of his imminent chaos. Kyle McCoy is, without doubt, the lead role in this novel. While it is not all about him, he is the central character. Everything finds a way back to him. A case that passed for young adult exuberance has come to haunt him and “his pals” down like a knife hunts down the good in the woods. Of course, something smells fishy, and amid everything, he must finish his law school, ace the bar exam, work at one of those places he grew up detesting so much. As if the trouble of digging up dead issues was not enough, he has...

'Na Ajepe, send me message.' 'Abeg, no rough handle me, comot your body.' Musings, as well as what could pass for laughter, went around the lot. I am a joke to them, God give me strength. So I acted like the man I am, gave Basira a hot slap that left my palm tingling. Now everyone had their eyes on me again; they knew I meant business. 'Oya, you sef talk wetin you know, e be like say this pikin don dey vex' someone in the front spoke up. No, he was wrong; the anger was not at its early stage; it felt as though it were at the peak. My insides were in chaos, and I felt like I could do anything at this moment. By now, tears had pooled underneath Basira's badly made-up eyes. There was a full imprint of my fingers on her right cheek, and I felt no remorse. "Ajepe bin say make I dey watch you, e say your mama send you message". "I ask am if your mama Sabi de arrangement, e say yes, say dey get something wey dey bin wan discuss and e better mak...

The first time I noticed a grey strand of hair on my head, I thought it was cool.   I paid no mind and forgot about the matter until recently. 2 new strands! Someone call the hair bender! I freaked out a bit; am I growing old or something?  Of course, I am not. G reying hair amongst young adults is not exactly uncommon. There is a belief among people of my tribe, that greying hair signifies wealth. Maybe it’s a good thing, after all.   Okay, I am just kidding. Before you begin to freak out like me, greying hair does not mean you have a medical issue. Although studies show that it is mostly genetically inclined. While race, as well as ethnicity, plays a significant role in the greying timeline, this is not to say that there are no medical challenges associated with greying hair. Sure, there are, and some of these can be corrected. Embracing your grey It is a myth that grey hair makes you look old; I promise you. I think we all love our hair in our mysterious ways. Th...

My first reaction was to make a clean sweep of the faces that watched the situation keenly. Thankfully, one of them will belong to my Mother, or did I have no such luck? Where could she have gone? She was not due for sales until evening; it is a Sunday for the love of Boli. My gaze kept moving around and about until it fell on Basira. The brat, why had she broken into a run when she saw me on my way back, did she know something I did not? My legs instinctively began to carry me to her direction. She was moving too. She sure was backing off. That confirms it, she did know something, and she was no escaping this one, not on my watch. I jumped on Basira without meaning too. I guess this is the work of the adrenaline Uncle Science had spoken of. Thank God for Adrenaline, I couldn't have made the catch in time. The impact that my weight had on Basira's frame is something that shocked me as much as it shocked the onlookers. Their attention was quick to leave the dead body to a new si...

The thrill that comes with learning something new is often explosive; depending on how much of the excitement your heart can contain. You feel as though you're seeing the world through new eyes and of course, you are. Yes, change is a never-ending part of our lives but embracing it is one of the most challenging journeys on which you’d ever embark. Learning a new language is thrilling; however, it is not without hiccups. I have had a picture of Germany in my heart since my lecturer painted my class one during what should have been a biochemistry lecture. It is not news to the World that Biochemistry there is at its finest. So when the opportunity to learn a new language came for me, I practically jumped on it, especially as it was German. I feel as though I'm a step closer (lol) . Learning a new language will take hours upon hours of study,  repetition, quizzes and a lot of consistency. I must add, that the video lessons available on Udemy are as easy as it gets; I wou...

The mysterious noise that ushered me back to the area was uncanny. What now? I asked myself, why did the drama have to come when I should be my Mother's side sipping this dark goodness? Life is never fair, and no two circumstances are ever equal. Such racketeering only occurs in the case of a garage fight which we have thankfully not had in three days. That is some good news. Good news in this area is short-lived, and there we go again. I found my legs moving faster than they had been doing; all I needed was to be sure my Mother had not gone mad again. Not mad, but you know, the crazy kind. Honestly, she could be a handful, but that woman is still all I have. As I moved closer to Mama's shop, the voices only increased, and no one seems to allow anyone to talk. Everyone was trying to speak at once,  sigh, "these people will never change."  I know no one would pay me mind, so I slipped through the forming crowd to see how my Mother was at least faring. Push, s...

                        I have two bottles of chilled Coca-Cola in my hands. My Mother's instructions were clear. Take the Boli she wrapped inside numerous newspapers to the man at the Trailer Park just 15 minutes' walk from the Garage. I needed no extra information to tell me I was to walk back and forth. When I was finally ready to leave, she squeezed a crispy hundred naira note for two Coca-Cola drinks into my pocket. Good gracious! I exclaimed inwardly; it must be my birthday. "Make you buy two bottles of shill Coca-Cola as you dey come back" she smiled knowingly, the one for you, one for me kind of smile. I suppose that the later part of our discussion should be a motivation for my movement. There is no lagging, and I could already feel the slithering progression of the drink down my throat. I believe I made it to my destination in good time, I delivered and waited on the man to send me back to my Mother. He said no...

"The Runaway Jury" is fundamentally a twist within a twist. Four Business Moguls have themselves unavoidably amid a trial. No, the battle did not begin with this trial. They have fought so hard to stay on top of it all, and they will rather keep it at that. The real player behind the scene is Fitch Ranchin. A man who everyone answers to, even his very employers. Fitch is a no-nonsense ex-drinker. His employees quiver at the breath of his nose. He has been sober for about nine years because drinking did not look good on him.   He had an extensive reserve of cash called THE FUND at his disposal; the man could buy anyone.   His significant contenders were the set of Lawyers who had risen to the occasion of aiding the plaintiffs. Fitch is the man working from the shadows. After as much as 55 cases, they had seen enough of each other and Fitch's team had information on everyone. Wendall Rohr, the lead lawyer of the Plaintiff, has fought hard to be a force t...

Basira, the daughter of Iya Basira OniParaga, is one of the girls that allow agberos to  by force  her. I wonder why they speak of it as  by force  since Basira giggles like a wild duck on honeymoon during the act. In my understanding, whatever you enjoy is not forced. At least that is what our English said when a schoolboy told us his Mother forced him to eat his favorite food every day.  Hearing Basira's cherry moan amongst parked cars is everything but  by force. Right, what does a boy know? Everyone in the  Lungu  knew Basira's gist. Well, except, of course, her very Mother. If she knew, she never let it on because Iya Basira was only in the second position to my Mother in curses and fake enmity. Lizards in the wall cracks carry on the tale of Basira's numerous  by force  escapades. Denial is just denial. That woman has heard the stories; she is lying to herself. On this day, Basira and one of these no do-gooders were sh...

Love is  human I met him on an unsuspecting day In the least of all places Somewhere in the crevices of my soul But love is not a man  For now I know That every human is merely it's vessel Love is not how to show  It is how to live  So before you spit hatred Remember there's Love at every turn A phenomenon you could choose to live  Not the hate;with havoc in its wake 

Time passed and the air between my mother and Ajepe got comfortable. I think I was satisfied with the understanding. No familiarity, just mutual acknowledgment. My mother was grateful for his protection and I was grateful I meant that much to her. I never witnessed how it started but I fair knowledge of how it may end.  Jokes began to pass between Ajepe and Maa mi. That smile I seldom saw began to come frequently. Hearty, wide and really beautiful.   The nosy neighbors, customers with half baked skin and most of the people my mother placed curses on never failed to notice. Once or twice, I caught Iya Basira oni paraga giving her the eyes; the kind a child gives when they first see the cake. Soon, he was visiting our stall every other evening marking the gradual decline of my ten naira stipend. I didn’t know how to react at first because it was weird. Coming back from school to meet my mother in the company of a male figure that was neither I nor my faceless father. I su...