Letter to Uncle Useni Obama

Uncle Useni,

This might be a long letter or paradeventure a very short one depending on when ink finishes and when NEPA or now PHCN takes power abi na electricity. We do not have petrol in the generator, yes no fuel. The marketers, the aunty Ngozi, Brother Jona and co haff not solve this fuel palaver.

Apologies for not greeting you joor, E ku orire ojosi, Congrats on the Victory over your enemy,(did i say enemy, no mind me na how we see opposition for here be dat). As i was going to work that early morning, i heard the brothers on the truck screaming Sai Obama , Sai Obama, although i could not see their faces, i saw the onions. I knew definitely you must have won. How are you? How is everything? How is madam Aunty Michelle and the shildren, Hope they are doing well, If so Glory be to God. I am happy for you in this election matter especially because you wont have to move house in another four years, and you have a job. Imagine!

Ok, let me go straight to the matter before the battery of this laptop die finally. I have like 7 things i want you to do for me. Pls oh , Broda Barack, na beg i dey beg. U know say i no campaign for you because say i no like second term, but as you don enter abeg, make i beg you some small things.

1. Abeg give us light

I no sabi whether e dey possible oh but if i want anything from you Uncle Obama, na say make Naija get light, Seriously e tire me. This light matter don worry us sote, my heart just dey break steady, the heart don pafuka sef e no remain again. The last time wey i go Kenya for una people place, i hear say light dey wella. When dem announce say dem wan dey off light for some place for Nairobi six hours a day people dey complain. Abeg if you fit helep us arrange something like dat. I go appreciate am. I hear say dem don distribute all the power companies amongst themselves. Na Abdulsalami get the contract for the power wey go reach my village but abeg help us, Na beg i beg you, if e go need make we tap wire from dat side, i sabi plenty boys for NEPA wey dey do contract job, dem fit tap anything, all so dem go fit become permanent staff. If dem see that kain opportunity dem go do am.
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2. Take Uncle Jona with you

Broda Hussein, this looks like a tall task but can you come for Broda Jona and take him with you. Let him come and intern in the White House. Seriously you wont believe it but i believe so much on learning on the Job. I hear say some machine wan do magomago during una election abi carry head of INEC join for the matter. I for say make aunty Michelle sef carry Madam patience for the Journey but i no too sure oh. well i leave that tory for another day. If you think by taking the President we no go get leader , Oga you lie oh, Bros we no mind, we no get leader before sef, at least the money wey dem dey use chop for Aso rock for those days wey dem dey your side go dey national purse before Aunty Ngo decide where the money dey go.
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3. Call Fashola to Order

Bros, Now i dey write you this one as President of the world oh. Before everybody for our obodo Lagos dey sing, Baba ni guvnor wa na Tunde Fashola, Baba ni guvnor wa na Tunde Fashola, Fashola baba ni guvnor but recently the song don change oh, Na everybody Loves Jimi Agbaje, Everybody Loves Jimi Agbaje, Everybody Everybody, Everybody, Everybody Loves Jumi Agbaje. You see am, na becos of Okada oh. Broda Tunde Fashola wey many people think say na the Obama of Lagos don fumble oh. Abeg if u get him number call am say make him provide alternative means of movement for the people. We hear say Jagaban Bourdillon sef na your padi so e no suppose hard you abi no be you invite am come that debate. If you fit send us any train for that side abeg or any of una bus wey una don tire of abeg send am, many BRT buses don spoil oh based on lack of maintenance and these Okada people wey dey vex.
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4. We fit Change Police?

Not long ago bros, I hear say one Vigilante abi na Police for una side kill one innocent boy, Chai, na wa oh. Na one una see wey the whole country dey cry. No be so for this domot oh, Police dey slaughter people like fowl. Today na Ketu, tommorrow na Ibadan, next tomoro na another side. Bros e don tire us, if na to swap policemen from that side come this side e go dey alright small. My only fear na say una go need put all una officer for hotel as our barracks no try. Government no gree repair barrack, police moto no get fuel and if you think say na all those fine moto wey una dey use for police moto na im we dey use for here, No oh , Na Davido and other musicians get that kain moto for here.
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5. Boys dey find Job

Baba Sasha, e no easy for here oh, u know say as you be fellow black man i no fit dey blow you grammar. Boys find job sote PHD dey apply for driver. You see am so. Abeg if you fit do anything, abeg do am, I know say no be you be our president but if you see as people for this area take dey interested for this your election wey pass, BROS , you go sabi say we gbadun you for this side. You fit do am say make we join America or maybe if you complete your term for that side, join us join Kenya rule the two both of them. I know say unemployment sef dey dat side oh but no be like here. U sef talk am for your speech na say whatever person wan be for Oboda America e fit be am. Na so e suppose be my man. Abeg oh no forget boys, any job whether na dat side oh or this side, Just find chair and table for the boys with alert at the end of the month.

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6. Too many things Abeg!

Bros, as i check my palm see the list of things wey i still wan write send to you, i look say make i free you, i go still write you another letter, But Abeg put these ones sef for mind. Boko Haram: Na dem be our own Al-qaeda, I hear say the man wey kill Osama don die, abeg send im next in command make e come helep us, we no wan kill them oh, just so we go fit stop the bombing and killing of the innocent. Oh i don forget Jona and dem don dey negotiate. Ok bros, make i no forget as i dey travel now sef, Our roads no good, i sabi say no be you be our governor abi na you be FERMA wey do road last week and the road don dey spoil, i just say make i tell you. Baba Malia, if you dey interested for our matter the way wey we dey interested for your matter, you for do pass all this things wey i ask you. if you wan sabi whether na true i talk, ask how many Naija people no sleep during your debate, Ask how many tweet Obama, Ask them how many use u as Status or DP, Bros na uncountable oh, Anyways we go talk sha for my next letter about other things. I for say make you send us that person wey conduct your election but as hear say machine sef change election result for some side, if na for our side that one happen na matchete and bullet go sort the matter.
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7. That Visa wey we talk

Bros, as i dey celebrate that your Victory, no be say i too celebrate oh because as money no dey account, and food never arrange, but i still try celebrate, i see Ayobamiadebayo message say we go need buy aso ebi for January 20, that is for the Owambe for that side. I dey try follow some people talk wey go fit arrange me for the aso ebi package so i go dey dat side. Bros you owe me picture oh, you know say if i get that picture now, at least my campaign for next election don dey set be dat. Also i get suggestion for the gift pack oh. Abeg for those of us your family wey dey this side wey don buy aso ebi, abeg you fit put that una Ogbonge American passport for inside take away give  us make we sef become citizen. If we go need passport, no problem , Baba Photo dey near our house. If the passpor never ready we fit bring the green one make dem help us put one correct visa wey no need renewal till our blue one come. Bros no be say we wan change country oh na just to ease movement. In case if all this one no work abeg i no say you sabi head of Visa Lottery department, na your party e suppose dey from na abi no be from your zone. Abeg make he pick me sha, if he no pick me make he pick some of my padi dem oh.
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Bros i don tire
We go talk later
Una wey dey wonder why i introduce Hussein as Useni, na im real name be dat oh.
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Greet Aunty Michelle for me and my little sisters Sasha and Malia, tell dem say Uncle Ife is coming soon to greet them. I go bring Aadun, Ipakere, guguru, epa, boli, donkwa, kilishi, dambu nama, ugwu leaves and whatever you want from this side in January. Abeg no mind that Donald Trump, Na money dey worry am.
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Your brother in Melanin

Ife Bamidele

GOOD FOOD, WAY TO A MAN'S HEART!!!!

Hello my mummies, my aunties, my sisters, my colleagues, my friends. How are you all doing today? am sure good.
Today i want to talk about food, not only because food is important and essential to the body, but trust me food does keep a family together. i have seen a couple fight because of food before and true true it wasn't a funny one, but what can i do? i laughed and pretended like i didn't see it happen.
People often say good food is the way to man's heart, is it true? or some men love it? and most men don't? or some cant just be bothered? Personally, i think all men love food a bit.(Wink Wink)
I wont be talking about heavy food today just because of the whole diet issue going on, everyone seems to be conscious of their diets these days, i wonder why? me i will eat and chop the life of your head (laughs)
Now to the deal of the day, i will to be talking about this food with the recipe  i use to lounge when am bored, because its not so heavy and i can either have it grilled or fried. and of course its my wonderful Tilapia fish. 
RECIPE FOR GRILLED STUFFED TILAPIA FISH WITH PLANTAIN.

TILAPIA FISH

MIXED PEPPERS

ONIONS

SCOTCH BONNET (RODO)

KNORR (MAGGIE CUBES)

PLANTAIN.

TOMATOES

                                                                 

   

















































NOW THEN, LET THE COOKING BEGIN!!!!!!
FISH
You clean the fish inside out, cut the fin out with scissors. don't use hot water to clean it, use cold water instead. usually when i get the fish it comes clean already so its i don't have to do some much cleaning to it.
when the fish is cleaned without blood dripping from it, you marinate it with some knorr cubes or maggi. i use about 5cubes depending on how many fish i would be cooking. i don't use salt that much.
cover it up with a cling film and leave it for about 15mins.
VEGETABLES (MIXED PEPPERS, TOMATOES, GARLIC, ONIONS, SCOTCH BONNET(RODO)
Chop up all this into small pieces, that you know would go into the fish that has been cleaned, the smaller the more the filling of the fish.
when this is done, you add some maggie cubes or knorr cubes. mix it together, add some vegetable oil or sunflower oil.
After like 5mins, you stuff your fish up with all the vegetables u chopped up.
Grill or Fry
preheat your oven for about 15mins so that its a bit hot before you put your fish init.
Put the fish in the Grill and turn the heat up to about 150 depending on the temperature of your oven/grill. leave the fish in the oven for about 30mins.
if i want to fry, then i opt for deep frying because of the stuffing, just that  it doesn't come out and it gets cooked abit inside too.
PLANTAIN
 When its cooking in the oven, i cut the plantain to get it ready for frying. i don't use salt or seasoning on my plantain, i like the sweet taste still.
I fry my plantain on low heat. i like it quite brown.
hoops, did i forget the fish in the oven. i better check up on it. the fish is well down
Stuff the fish up with some of the plantain n leave it in the oven for some minutes.

This is what it looks like in the process of making.

You can also decide to have this with rice or noodles with salad on the side


I hope you will agree with me that men love good food, it doesn't have to be pounded yam or eba or amala it could just be something light but done in a nice way that would attract them and not make it look its just fish they are served.
Let me know what you think about this.
Thumbs up for more food recipe.

Obama's Victory Speech 2012 For the Records.

President Barack Obama's speech in Chicago after his re-election:

Thank you so much.

Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward.

It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people.

Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come.

I want to thank every American who participated in this election, whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very long time. By the way, we have to fix that. Whether you pounded the pavement or picked up the phone, whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a difference.

I just spoke with Gov. Romney and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan on a hard-fought campaign. We may have battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future. From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service and that is the legacy that we honor and applaud tonight. In the weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down with Gov. Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward.

I want to thank my friend and partner of the last four years, America's happy warrior, the best vice president anybody could ever hope for, Joe Biden.

And I wouldn't be the man I am today without the woman who agreed to marry me 20 years ago. Let me say this publicly: Michelle, I have never loved you more. I have never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you, too, as our nation's first lady. Sasha and Malia, before our very eyes you're growing up to become two strong, smart beautiful young women, just like your mom. And I'm so proud of you guys. But I will say that for now one dog's probably enough.

To the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics. The best. The best ever. Some of you were new this time around, and some of you have been at my side since the very beginning. But all of you are family. No matter what you do or where you go from here, you will carry the memory of the history we made together and you will have the lifelong appreciation of a grateful president. Thank you for believing all the way, through every hill, through every valley. You lifted me up the whole way and I will always be grateful for everything that you've done and all the incredible work that you put in.

I know that political campaigns can sometimes seem small, even silly. And that provides plenty of fodder for the cynics that tell us that politics is nothing more than a contest of egos or the domain of special interests. But if you ever get the chance to talk to folks who turned out at our rallies and crowded along a rope line in a high school gym, or saw folks working late in a campaign office in some tiny country far away from home, you'll discover something else.

You'll hear the determination in the voice of a young field organizer who's working his way through college and wants to make sure every child has that same opportunity. You'll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer who's going door to door because her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift. You'll hear the deep patriotism in the voice of a military spouse who's working the phones late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this country ever has to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they come home.

That's why we do this. That's what politics can be. That's why elections matter. It's not small, it's big. It's important. Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy. That won't change after tonight, and it shouldn't. These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty. We can never forget that as we speak people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter, the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.

But despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for America's future. We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers. A country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation, with all the good jobs and new businesses that follow.

We want our children to live in an America that isn't burdened by debt, that isn't weakened by inequality, that isn't threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet. We want to pass on a country that's safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops this — this world has ever known. But also a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of war, to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being.

We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a tolerant America, open to the dreams of an immigrant's daughter who studies in our schools and pledges to our flag. To the young boy on the south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner. To the furniture worker's child in North Carolina who wants to become a doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or even a president — that's the future we hope for. That's the vision we share. That's where we need to go — forward. That's where we need to go.

Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and starts. It's not always a straight line. It's not always a smooth path. By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won't end all the gridlock or solve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward. But that common bond is where we must begin.

Our economy is recovering. A decade of war is ending. A long campaign is now over. And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you, and you've made me a better president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.

Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together. Reducing our deficit. Reforming our tax code. Fixing our immigration system. Freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We've got more work to do.

But that doesn't mean your work is done. The role of citizen in our democracy does not end with your vote. America's never been about what can be done for us. It's about what can be done by us together through the hard and frustrating, but necessary work of self-government. That's the principle we were founded on.

This country has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military in history, but that's not what makes us strong. Our university, our culture are all the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on earth. The belief that our destiny is shared; that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations. The freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights. And among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That's what makes America great.

I am hopeful tonight because I've seen the spirit at work in America. I've seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut their own pay than lay off their neighbors, and in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job. I've seen it in the soldiers who reenlist after losing a limb and in those SEALs who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they knew there was a buddy behind them watching their back.

I've seen it on the shores of New Jersey and New York, where leaders from every party and level of government have swept aside their differences to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm. And I saw just the other day, in Mentor, Ohio, where a father told the story of his 8-year-old daughter, whose long battle with leukemia nearly cost their family everything had it not been for health care reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care.

I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father, but meet this incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to the crowd listening to that father's story, every parent in that room had tears in their eyes, because we knew that little girl could be our own. And I know that every American wants her future to be just as bright. That's who we are. That's the country I'm so proud to lead as your president.

And tonight, despite all the hardship we've been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I've never been more hopeful about our future. I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain that hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. I'm not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight.

I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.

America, I believe we can build on the progress we've made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunity and new security for the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founders, the idea that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn't matter whether you're black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight, you can make it here in America if you're willing to try.

I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We're not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are and forever will be the United States of America.

And together with your help and God's grace we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on Earth.

Thank you, America. God bless you. God bless these United States. 




Posted with Permission of The Times

ON THE LAST PAGE OF MY OBITUARY PAMPHLET

Good day to you all, permit me to share something very important to me with you this morning, very rare treaded pathway but lets go together.

At the end of time, when water and blood is gone, and all we have is the lifeless body wrapped in a piece of cloth, mat or placed in a box called coffin or even perhaps cremated, then we shall have a paper printed with the order of service. It will have the hymns or songs for the day, the reading of the day, probably things that were written on the condelence register and at the end 'The Life and Times'of the man/who has passed away.

Many shy away from this inevitable debt called death but i believe someday we all shall be translated if Jesus tarries and for those who are alive till then, this may not directly affect you though i suggest you read on. When the time comes for us to finally go, something has to be written on that final page of the Obituary booklet/pamphlet, the years and days of the deceased have to be arranged, either doctored or accurately in those final pages of the obituary book and can i ask you a question, Have you thought about what will be written about you?

Have you considered what will be written in the who he was column of your Obituary, Have you? If you have, great thinking, if you havent, not bad after all, its nothing to worry about, Why do i say so? Some of us have already written some paragraphs of that page depending on how far you have gone in life, either by virtue of age or achievement. You remember that column, Papa or Mama's Early Life or some say Educational Life, that part of your life might just have been written, maybe you are in the working years, or whatever phase you call it. My word to you today is to write what you will love to read by living it out. Whatever you did not live out will not be written on those pages of truth, If the early years did not reflect what you would have loved, what about now, In a bid to die honourably and gracefully live as such.

Praise singers always exist after the demise of a loved one but what you have lived for cannot be easily twisted. Your works will speak for you. I remember my loved ones who are gone to glory and all i can think of about them are the things they have done, their footprints on the sands of time. If you are not scared, then write on the wall of your heart who you wish to die as and if you are more courageous as the rest of us, Write it down or write it out, Write out how many destinies you hoped to have shaped before you pay the inevitable debt, write what change you would have brought in your own little corner, Write where you hope to have shone your little lamp before its six feet under the ground. Whatever you hope to see said about you, written about you is what you should live as.

Have a great day in the hope of a greater future living forever in the hearts of those you affected.

Jesus Christ of Nazareth lived just 33 years and i am sure his life has affected billions and will affect more. Also we have had heros whose simple life have made a difference in their time. Today i begin to live the way i desire the last page of my obituary should look like so when i am gone i can recieve the final well done, Good and faithful servant

Ife Bamidele

WHY ARE YOU WHERE YOU ARE?

Good day people,

As we go out today to get, Let us always remember the underlying purpose for what we do each day. Let us know why we do what we do. Take a look back at why you took that job offer, why you volunteered to do what you doing, why you sitting doing nothing. Just get to the roots again and be sure you still on the right path.

The race up the hill often makes us forget why we actually made those crucial decisions. 'I choose to work here', so i can have time for the kids. 'I choose to get another job so i can take care of my husband'. 'I choose to take a professional course so i can change career'. However some of us seem to have lost track and forgotten what made us come this way. 

Today i urge you to have a rethink, Why did i come to this city, this workplace, this marriage, this business. It might just be a helpful thought to get you back on the right track.

There is no point running when you facing the wrong direction, be sure where you are and where you are facing and juxtapose it with where you are going. You will be suprised how this can help decisions and directions.

Have a productive week.

Ife Bamidele


Photocredits: creativecommunicator.

CHURCH ON THE BLOG : DO NOT FAINT

Hallo everyone,

Hope you having a good day, Its Sunday and as usual i have church on the blog on Sunday, sorry Sunday service is starting late but that simply depends on what part of the globe you are in.

                                                         BE NOT WEARY

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
                                                                                        Galatians 6:9

Thats my message for you today, dont stop doing good for there is a reward for doing good, however it doesnt stop there, there is also the place of continuity in doing good. This is what can lead to a reward. So no matter how you feel about the good you do, please dont stop. Do you think others who are taking shortcuts seem to be doing better? or do you have a feeling your good is not being appreciated? Keep keeping on, for in due season you will reap if you dont faint. 

Have a beautiful Sunday 

Stand Tall and Faint Not

Adieu Remi Lagos

News coming in say we have lost a fashion icon. I have tried to confirm officially but no direct information yet but its all over the news. Her website remilagos.com is unchanged but BellaNaija, Lindaikeji, StreetJournal and ynaija and a few other sources state she died after a battle with cancer and passed on at 51. May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace.

On Saturdays we do fashion on this blog and today we lost a Remi (Osholake) Lagos a pioneer in the Nigeria fashion industry.

Sleep on

A good work lasts forever. Adieu

Photo credits: www.remilagos.com