IK's Archive

Why More Women Than Men in Church? It's a common sight in many Lagos churches: the congregation has noticeably more women than men. This pattern is widespread in Christian communities, especially in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa, where women often form the majority of active participants—leading prayers, choirs, ushering, and sustaining church life. Key reasons include: - Socialization differences — Girls are raised emphasizing empathy, relationships, and community, aligning with church's relational and nurturing aspects. Boys are often encouraged toward independence and competition, making regular attendance less appealing to some men. - Life challenges and support — Women frequently face greater vulnerabilities like economic pressures, health issues, or caregiving burdens. Church provides emotional comfort, practical help, prayer support, and community solidarity. - Family roles — Mothers typically lead in teaching children faith and morals, attending regularly t...

Title: The Hard Way Regina walked into the classroom with two of her friends, and instantly, every eye turned toward her. The guys were smiling—big, eager smiles that followed her wherever she went. “Why do they always smile like that when they see me?” Regina asked her friends one day. “The guys in class, I mean.” Agnes smiled softly. “Because they like you. You’re beautiful, you make them happy. Honestly, Regina, you’re loved by everyone.” “Not everyone,” Mary cut in quietly, nodding toward the back of the room. “That guy—John—thinks otherwise.” John had watched Regina for months. Yes, she was beautiful, polite, kind, always smiling—but something about her bothered him. She sat with her legs carelessly open, wore clothes that were too short and too tight (mostly hand-me-downs from her mother and aunt), and seemed to welcome every guy’s touch or attention. Every Dick and Harry could hold her hand, brush against her, make her laugh. Mrs. Favour, their class teacher, was con...

You know how some people will tell everybody say you get potential, but when e come to helping you harness am, dem no show? Dem go dey say, “You will go far o,” and you go dey ask, “How na?” Dem get the capacity to help you blow, but dem just dey talk, no action. Not everybody fit see that gold inside earthen vessel. Some people see am but no go mine am. Others see am and quickly begin dig. But that quick miner no be the only destiny helper o. The “farmers” too dey important—those ones wey go motivate you, spread your matter everywhere, till e reach the ear of the third person wey go finally invest and mine the gold. No vex because of the first and second type. Keep working on yourself; most times, you never even ready yet. God dey work something beautiful. Just stay with discipline, consistency, and persistence.

A Balanced Upbringing In the cozy living room of a modest home in Port Harcourt, Mrs. Adebayo was visibly upset. Her ten-year-old son, Chike, stood in the corner with his head bowed after being caught in a lie about his homework. "Why are you behaving like this?" she scolded, her voice rising. "Where on earth did you learn such dishonesty?" Her longtime friend, Mrs. Okonkwo, who had stopped by for a visit, gently intervened. "Sister, why are you blaming the boy so harshly?" Mrs. Adebayo turned to her, incredulous. "What do you mean? Didn't you hear what he did? He lied straight to my face! And this is the same child we take to church every Sunday without fail." Mrs. Okonkwo smiled softly and leaned forward. "That's true—we do take them to church every Sunday. But let me ask you this: how many Sundays are there in a month?" Mrs. Adebayo paused. "Usually four... sometimes five." "Exactly," her frien...

The first thing he did after getting out of bed was light a cigarette — right in front of his children. To them, it’s already normal, so they don’t even blink. And that’s exactly what makes it so dangerous. When something harmful becomes “normal,” children grow up thinking it’s okay. Their hearts gradually harden toward the act, increasing the chances they’ll follow the same path — one that could lead to an early grave or completely derail their destiny. A shameless, lazy father with zero concern for tomorrow. No vision. No focus. All he dreams about at night is smoking and drinking… and the moment he wakes up, he brings those dreams to life. I know you’re different.   I know you love Jesus.   I know you’re trying to be better. So tell me honestly — what was the *first thing you did* this morning when you woke up?   Did you reach for your phone and scroll through social media? Or did you do something different? Be real with us. We really want to...

Today, I met an *aboki* (street fruit vendor) and was about to buy some fruits from him when a strong body odor hit me. It was clear he hadn’t bathed recently — his clothes were also quite dirty. Still, I went ahead and bought the fruits from him. This experience left me wondering: Why can’t people in this situation simply buy soap, wash their clothes, or take a proper bath? I’ve seen real hardship during my time in Kano — yet even there, I made sure to bathe twice a day despite the challenges. Many others, however, still didn’t prioritize it, even when small amounts of water were available. I believe something needs to be done about this issue on a broader scale. *Corpers* (NYSC members) posted in such communities should dedicate more of their *CDS* (Community Development Service) sessions to promoting *physical hygiene* and personal cleanliness education. Unfortunately, some local leaders seem uninterested in pushing this agenda — perhaps because they prefer to keep the p...

I've seen two viral skits online recently, both about people's phones getting stolen. It makes me wonder what real lesson we're supposed to learn from them. Are they teaching the audience how to protect their phones… or subtly showing people how to steal them? Judging by the way most of these skits end, I strongly feel it's the former — they’re basically giving a step-by-step tutorial on theft, wrapped in comedy. I believe many of these creators lack real purpose in what they do. They just make videos because they feel like it, chasing trends and chasing money. But real purpose doesn’t chase money — money chases purpose.

Teacher Joy, already broken by domestic violence, snaps at school over a dropped phone and beats a pupil mercilessly. The child's mother, driven by love and fury, confronts her — with devastating consequences that claim a life and leave a family in ruins. This heartbreaking Nigerian story warns: unresolved trauma breeds more violence, and vengeance destroys more than it heals. Share if you've ever seen anger spiral out of control. Let's talk healing over revenge. 🙏 #MoralStory #ChildProtection #WhenAngerWins

MADAM BOLI I'm Ojo Sunday Ikponmwonsa, a graduate of Ambrose Alli University, walking the streets of Warri, Delta State as God's Kingdom Harvester—preacher, teacher, writer, and soul-chaser. During my prayer walk this afternoon, the sun blazing, I spotted a woman roasting plantain by the roadside. The sweet smoke rose as she "romanced" the bole with her bare, unwashed hands—turning, touching, checking if it's well roasted. I thought: "Are her hands clean enough? People don't wash the plantain before they chop it!" We always say the fire's heat kills the germs from sneezing, scratching, holding kerosene or charcoal. But how true? *Quick truth:* The charcoal fire gets super hot (200–300°C+), killing most bacteria (E. coli, Salmonella, etc.) at 65–75°C. So *yes, the roasting heat usually zaps germs* from her hands—it's a natural kill step! But not 100%: Some toxins survive, and post-roast touching adds risks. Choose hot, fresh ones, ...