My name is Rev. Fr. Chris and I want to tell you a story about my bestie: Naza (short for Chinaza) is my bestie. Yes, you heard me. She is my cousin, one that has been very close to me, having known me through and through. I was the older one. She calls me ‘uncle’ when she was still a baby. But today, having become a woman that she is, with all the confidence that adorns her very exciting and impressive life, she now calls me ‘bestie’. They say that your bestie is not necessarily your boyfriend or girlfriend which … Continue reading My Bestie – Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke

Intro and analysis: The quote above was followed by the question: “Do you agree?” We received over 60 responses which was very heart-warming. Out of the 60, only 18 (representing 30%) are married while the rest 42 (70%) are not-married. Almost all the married (about 90%) agreed completely with the statement, the remaining 10% did not agree totally. Among the 42 not-married respondents, about 25 (c. 60%) agreed completely while the remaining 17 (c. 40%) either disagreed completely or agreed under certain conditions. May I therefore present below some of the reactions. You will notice that some of the responses … Continue reading Dating in – Marriage out (3): Selected responses

  In response, Zoba began to narrate how a similar incident had happened to her elder sister. Nkiru was the first of the five girls, and Zoba was the immediate younger one, and so both girls make a perfect gossip-band. Their bond was quite thick. Even KC admits of this. NK, as she is fondly called, got married immediately after her National Service year. She had dated Emmanuel for close to 3 years since the beginning of her 300 level in Biochemistry. At that time, Emmanuel was a final year student of Architecture with a very promising future, having gotten … Continue reading Dating-in, Marriage-out? (2) – Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke

She comes off as impulsive and easy-going; all too breezy and naturally skilled in getting all the attention she needs at all times, and in all places, and among all categories of persons. One could be sure that even the very abstemious monks, in all their meditative seriousness, could do with some drama and distraction from Kelechi, at least in their lunch breaks. Rolled up in her dramatic persona are some incredible physical endowments that would make many girls retire to the inapproachable thrones of self-acclaimed divas and self-appointed celebrities: Chocolate brown, impressive height, slender stature, perfect dental set with … Continue reading Dating-in, Marriage-out? (1) – Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke

Growing up in a predominantly Catholic neighbourhood, I felt no tension with others who were not Catholics. The family next door were Pentecostals. This was in the heydays of Pentecostalism, in the 80s when we had only the likes of Assemblies of God, Deeper Life Bible Church and Scripture Union. Our neighbors were just an amazing family. Almost everything blended: their dad had same job as my dad, and their mum was also a primary school teacher as mine. Both families were ‘strangers’ in that little town. Our parents were the best of friends and we, the kids, followed suit. There … Continue reading An Open Household – Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke

I woke up on Thursday morning, May 3, 2018, to be greeted with the picture above. My very good friend who sent me the picture accompanied it with a troubled complaint, “Passy, just negodu”. It was indeed a troubling picture. In the history of diatribes among Christian churches in Nigeria, never before have I seen anybody go to this extent. Never before have I witnessed any church go on the billboards to ridicule another church. Yes, we may have the Jehovah Witnesses with their normal foreign bulletins that try to argue against some core Christian doctrines like the Trinity, but … Continue reading Beware! – Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke