https://www.facebook.com/656324244237107/

Lines That Moves, Mangu, Jos (2026)

25/05/2026

Weekly Peace Talks (WPT) 8
Monday, 25th May 2026

Are You a Good Ambassador?

You may doubt me if I say you are an ambassador to both your ethnic group and your religion. You may ask, “How?” thinking you are just an individual living your life for yourself. But wait, let us look at the argument and tailor it to our Nigerian reality. There is a problem with that assumption.

I have come to noticed that in Nigeria we often tie an individual’s behavior to the identity they belong to. Personally, I put a lot of effort into enlightening people around me that this is not the best way to go. However, it seems unlikely to change anytime soon, perhaps not even in the next century. I have also noticed our deep obsession with identity. We constantly try to prove that our tribe is good, our religion is good, or our group is good. Unfortunately, in trying to defend these identities, we sometimes damage them without even knowing it.

The truth is this, If someone says your tribe, religion, or group are killers, terrorists, or dangerous people, and your response is aggression be it physical or emotional, you are proving them right. If someone insults your ethnicity and you respond with violence or hostility, you are not protecting the image of your people; you are damaging it further.

So what then is the better approach?

Going back to our earlier point, since society often connects individual behavior with group identity, this means that whether you like it or not, you are indeed an ambassador of your religion, ethnicity, or any social group you identify with. And ofcourse, your behavior influences how people perceive your people. It is always difficult to convince people to separate an individual’s behavior from the image of the larger group in the minds of many people. You also can not control how people interpret things, how they'd interpret your behavior and that of your ethnicity or religion you identified with, but you can control how you coordinate yourself.

So wherever you are, be it market, office, school, or anywhere else, remember that you represent your people. Teach others the best about your tribe, your hospitality, your respect, your cuisine, your attire, your kindness,your values; whatever. One thing I know for sure is that the best thing about your people can never be hatred.

Have a peaceful week teaching people the beauty of your identity.

18/05/2026

Weekly Peace Talks (WPT) 7
Monday, 18th May 2026

The Shortest Route to Travel Your Name Into Rooms You May Never Walk Into

Firstly, have you ever wondered how a single prayer from an anonymous person during hard times may magically turn things around?

How do you make someone pray for you even when you are not there? It is not impossible. Just imagine: two decades from now, you are facing one of the toughest moments of your life, and help does not seem to be coming anytime soon. Then somehow, yes, somehow, your name rang in someone’s head. Someone you once treated so kindly two decades ago. Imagine that person smiling wholeheartedly by just remembering that moment of kindness from you. Imagine them sincerely saying “May God bless (your name).”

Tell me, would God not bless you?
Tell me, would things not turn around through such sincere prayers?

This has happened to many people, and it can happen to you too. You can genuinely make an anonymous people pray for you in your absence simply by being kind to everyone you come across, regardless of the person's dentity, faith, or social status.

Two decades from now, someone may come across a life-changing opportunity wrapped up in something you do best. They person won't hesitate to recommend or refer you but only if you were genuinely kind to them back in the days. Yes, it is not uncommon for someone to refer you despite having a rough experience with you. But the chances are much higher when the memory attached to you is one of kindness, respect, and genuine care.

In a final note, your relationship with people, anywhere, including campus, may be the reason your name echoes in rooms you may never enter physically. But what follows after your name is mentioned be it positivity or negativity solely depend on the kind of relationship you built.
You have all the choice.

Remember that the person sitting beside you today may someday become the reason your life changes for the better, perhaps through a simple recommendation, an opportunity, or even a sincere prayer when you least expect it. Also put it on a note that the person may not even be your closest friend, it may be someone from afar. And all these depend on how you treat that person today.

Have a peaceful week filled with healthy relationships.

11/05/2026

Let's have your response to this question:
Would you defend your WIFE against your MUM if it appears that Mum is really wrong?

11/05/2026

Weekly Peace Talks (WPT) 6
Monday, 11th May 2026

Your Personal Peace is Gold, Protect It Like Something Valuable, Because It Is Really Is.

Many people will tell you that others will offend you no matter what. And honestly, the much you interact with people is as much as times you will get angry or frustrated. Fair enough. In fact, understanding this is itself valuable and very important in protecting your personal peace. Personal peace refers to your inner peace, a state of calmness, an unchaotic mind, freedom from grudges, and the ability to focus on what matters most. (Remember the “bigger ball” in our last week’s edition).

Do not allow people or situations to disrupt your inner peace.

You will come across people who are simply angry, frustrated, or silently struggling because life is treating them harshly. Some may attempt to transfer that aggression onto you. Do not allow them. Put them into perspective and move on, instead.

What does “putting them into perspective” mean?

It means refraining from seeing them as wicked, evil, or intentionally trying to fight or harm you. It means resisting the urge to confront them simply because you feel strong enough to do so or you aren't scared, reacting in the manner like theirs only drags you down to their level. Why not consider that maybe:
- they are dealing with family problems (wife dey pepe them for house),
- someone elsewhere whom they probably can't fight has hurt or humiliated them,
- they are battling some emotional or spiritual struggles,
- even career or finance problem,
- things somewhere isn't just adding up for them.

Think about it, in Nigeria today, we are all frustrated by one struggle or another. That rude and furious person you met today might probably be one of the nicest person you could ever know, but is temporarily overwhelmed by battles he's silently fighting. So rather than fighting or holding grudges, why not guide or help the person if you can, or just allow the moment to pass. By so doing, you are not only protecting your inner peace but also earning yourself respect.

Another thing centrally connected to inner peace is the frustration many people experience during periods of learning and growth. You may be learning something much like a process or a skill or anything one may find himself learning but getting frustrated. The frustration is most likely because you expect it to work immediately, much like magic. Why not reposition your mindset toward the learning process itself rather than immediate mastery? Yes because we do not begin life from the future; we build the future from where we currently are. Why not stop mistaking the growth process for the destination itself. It is not and most likely never will be.

So what does protecting your personal peace do for you?
It does not only de-escalate unnecessary conflict; it also protects your mental health. And your mental health is not something you should trade for anything.

In a nutshell, When next someone approaches you aggressively, put the werey into perspective. They may be behaving that way because of silent battles you know nothing about. And when your personal growth journey becomes frustrating, remind yourself that growth is a process, not magic. Do all these while remembering that you are protecting your inner peace, preserving your mental health, reducing unnecessary friction, and, in bonus account, earning yourself respect.

Have a peaceful week.

04/05/2026

Weekly Peace Talks (WPT) 5
Monday, 4th May 2026

There is always a bigger objective and it is more important.

Wise people use to say that when things go not as you wish, and you begin to think of reacting negatively, you should ask yourself: Is it really important? This simple question can work magic. Many quarrels would not have occurred had one party, just one party stopped to ask whether the matter in question was really important.

Now, this may sound somehow sophisticated. How can asking myself this question stop me from reacting aggressively? It seems unrealistic, because we are used to believing that our interests are always important. So why would they appear unimportant or less important all of a sudden? Here is the science, as armies would say, it is better to lose the battle and win the war than to win the battle and lose the war. It is that simple. In every situation, there is always something bigger. If you focus on the bigger goal, you will not quarrel over smaller or petty matters.

Still, this may seem impractical. Let me share a personal example. Some years ago, I worked for an Igbo boss. He is a such a fantastic man, he don't have much problem and he liked me too. But someday things went wrong, and we had tense words exchanges such that I left out of pride. Though we use to say, there is no innocence in a game of two, but I still believed I was right. My father called me, upon hearing all that happened, he instruct that I go back and apologize. Ewe! after all that I did I should still apologize? “You heard me right,” he insisted.

As Hausa people would say, abinda babba ya gani daga kasa, yaro ko ya hau tsauni ba zai gani ba (A child can't see even from above hill what an elder see while standing from the ground). So, because I had no option but to obey my father, I went and sincerely apologized. My boss smiled and said, “Apologize for wetin, e don past na Abba, e don do". To cut the long story short, today I run my own shop. I can go to this my boss now, take goods for any amount just not more than one million naira without paying a dime, yes, not even five naira. I would settle later after sales. And just Incase of school If I don’t sell everything, I return the remaining goods at the same price he gave me. Typical example of lose the battle and win the war. I would not have this benefit if I had not swallow my pride that time. Now I lost that battle and won the war.

So always, anywhere, whatsoever is the matter in question, there is a bigger objective. It may be protecting a relationship, it may be improving a process, it may be ensuring long-term success, it may be completing project, it may be anything; and it is more important.

The principle is to focus on the bigger ball. It is better to lose the battle and win the war than to win the battle and lose the war.

Have a peaceful week.

01/05/2026

Why do they kill?
This is a title of a peer-reviewed journal article. The paper explores what led ordinary people to participate in the Cambodian genocide, which resulted in the killing of approximately 1.7–2.2 million people a number equivalent to about 1/4 of Cambodia’s population within a four-year period (1975–1979).

If you placed this beside “Killing Neighbors,” which explores why friends, neighbors, and even families suddenly became adversaries overnight in the context of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, further examines the complexities associated with actors in the genocide where we have victims, perpetrators, bystanders, and helpers; and how these roles are not mutually exclusive, but often overlap, you'd be scared.

The findings in these studies are scary, bruh! Even more frightening when you observe that some of these patterns are subtly present in Nigeria today.

Anyways, the bottom line is: we should be very careful, Nigerians. This different conscious does not help matters. Let’s embrace one another.

29/04/2026

We have lot of problems in Nigeria. A lot of factors interplays toward denying us what we crave so badly, Peace and Stability. As a Nigerian, you are responsible, I am responsible for working these problems out. Look around you, ask ask yourself what need to be done.

Be a crusader! Ask yourself what you can do from among those things need to be done. Take the bull by head and run.

We only have two exhaustive options, either we choose to be talkatives or actiontives. It completely our choice to make. But whichever we choose has a price we must pay.

Let's choose wisely.
Good Morning.

27/04/2026

Weekly Peace Talks (WPT) 4
Monday, 27th April 2026

Are we not waiting for too long?

It is understandable that we expect the state to work out these problems; after all, we are not wrong. It is also arguable that many of these state institutions have failed us. But come on, let’s get this straight.

Who told us we need the help of institutions this badly in order to build peace? Because, from my last check, we are waiting for actors that offer little or no help at all.

It is not a debate, we have a very complex problem: communal conflicts, religious intolerance, banditry, kidnappings, and all. But should we fold our hands and keep watching things go bad, acting helpless when we are not?

Be a leader. Look around you!
Whoever you are: a student, a teacher, a religious leader, a political leader, a philanthropist, marketer, media personnel, infact even if you're babalawo. Whoever you may be, look around and ask yourself: what needs to be done?

Be a crusader! Think now, don’t leave it later.

Ask yourself what you can do from that which needs to be done. Don’t ask whether you can do something, you really can do something. Ask what you can do, listen to your mind, and start doing it now.

What you could do may be as simple as changing yourself, as simple as speaking, as simple as writing, or as simple as taking a stand. You just have a role to play and it can never be too small.

24/04/2026

Another year has passed yet again. It was a very long year, rough but also fruitful. I am grateful to Almighty Allah for life and for the remarkable growth I recorded.

The year was difficult, it's filled with ups and downs, highs and lows, long nights and long days, darkness and light. Big thank you to everyone who has walked with me throughout the year. Now matter how little difference you think your stepping forth did, I don't and won't take it for granted.

It has been a year of intense confrontation between doubt and belief, procrastination and action, learning and unlearning. Not uncommon for those who choose the path of learning, growth, and impact.

It has been a wonderful year!
The transformation speaks for itself.

Now, it is a new year!
a new lifestyle, an entirely new Idris.
But that hunger for learning and growth will remain.

I am -1, anyway.
I extend my warmest birthday wishes to my humble self.

20/04/2026

Weekly Peace Talks (WPT) 3
Monday, 20th April 2026

The Power of Words
In a real sense, words are not just utterances; they, in many cases, carry a lot of emotional weight.

Come a bit closer, let’s see something. That idea of “I will talk my mind and nothing will happen,” or “I don’t care what effect it may have on others,” or “I don’t give a s**t, it’s what I feel”; is it really ideal we should not care about how others feel about our words? Who told us this half-truth?

Another thing is that, in conversation, you as a speaker or communicator in your day-to-day activities, your control ends at what you say. I can only regulate what I say, but I absolutely have no control over the meaning listeners make out of it; that is completely out of my domain. You can speak but the power to give meaning remain with the listener. (We will come back to this at the end).

One more thing is that, given the emotional weight our words carry, they can build or destroy. Some words can de-escalate frictions like sorry, some can form grudges like do your worst; some would leave their listeners distressed, unhappy, and demoralized; some would leave their listeners happy, encouraged, and loved.

It is also worth noting that, in almost all instances in our day-to-day activities, we engage more with people within our close proximity. We interact with friends, family, colleagues, and all; before strangers. Where it becomes more complex is when you remember that you and your best friend today were once strangers. So you can't tell how far it might go with the stranger next to you today. One thing remain certain, he will tell your story when he left. Whether he narrate positive or negative depends on how you treat him. These things always do start with words.

Another thing we should not shy away from is that, when someone feels happy, genuinely happy with what we do or say, we genuinely feel happy too. Try it and see: make someone happy and see if you will not feel happy yourself.

Finally, as wise people would say, your words should at least pass through three gates before you let them out:
Is it true?
Is it necessary?
Is it kind?
If by chance any of the answers to these questions is no, those words are better left unsaid.

Please, when next you speak, remember that your words can wound or heal. Now, human to human: your words should empower your brother; they should make that other human listening to you feel safe.

Ma’assalam.

Lines That Moves

25/05/2026

18/05/2026

11/05/2026

11/05/2026

04/05/2026

01/05/2026

29/04/2026

27/04/2026

24/04/2026

20/04/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category