PRAISE AND PASSION

PART 6

The camera flashes exploded like gunfire, each one searing Bukola’s vision with white-hot judgment. She could feel the crowd’s hatred like physical blows—the hissed prayers, the iPhones thrust in her face, the way Pastor Adeleke’s smirk deepened as her fingers trembled in Tobi’s grip.

"Repent now!" a woman shrieked from the mob, waving a Bible like a weapon. "Confess your sins before hell claims you!"

Tobi’s arm tightened around her waist. "Keep walking," he muttered through clenched teeth.

But then—

"BROTHER TOBI!"

A voice sliced through the chaos.

A young woman in a ripped choir robe fought against security, her braids wild around a face streaked with tears. "You promised!" she screamed. "You promised he’d pay for what he did to me!"

Tobi went rigid.

Bukola felt the shift in him—the way his breath stopped, the way his fingers dug into her hip hard enough to bruise. "Tobi? Who is—"

Pastor Adeleke’s microphone shrieked with feedback as he stepped between them and the girl. "Another deceived soul! But we must focus on the sinner before us!" He gestured grandly at Bukola. "Will you repent, Gospel Girl?"

The crowd roared.

Bukola opened her mouth—

CRACK.

A sound like lightning split the air.

Every head whipped toward the hotel’s giant LED screen.

Where Bukola’s face should have been, there was…

Audio waves.

And then Pastor Adeleke’s voice, slick with sin, filled the lobby:

"You’ll sleep with me, or your brother loses his scholarship. Unless you want his blood on your hands?"

The girl in the choir robe—Tobi’s sister—burst into fresh sobs.

The crowd’s fury turned like a tidal wave.

"Liar!" Adeleke shouted, but the recording continued:

"Such a pretty little mouth. Open it for your pastor, eh?"

Silence.

Then—

Chaos.

Tobi moved like a man possessed, shoving through the now-enraged crowd, dragging Bukola behind him. Mama Nkechi materialized at their side, shoving car keys into his hand. "Take her. Now."

Bukola barely had time to process before she was thrown into a black SUV, Tobi peeling out as fists pounded on the windows.

"Who was that girl?" Bukola demanded, her voice raw.

Tobi’s knuckles whitened on the wheel. "My baby sister. Adeleke raped her three years ago. When I confronted him, he had me thrown out of three churches." A muscle jumped in his jaw. "I joined your tour to get close to him. To destroy him."

The confession hit like a slap. "So I was… what? Bait?"

Tobi swerved down a dark alley, killing the headlights. Then he turned to her, eyes burning. "At first." His hand cupped her cheek. "Then I fell for you. Hard."

Bukola wanted to pull away.

She couldn’t.

The abandoned church on Lagos’ outskirts smelled of dust and old hymns. Moonlight bled through stained glass, painting Tobi’s skin in fractured colors as he backed her against the peeling altar.

"You used me," she whispered.

"I saved you," he corrected, hands caging her hips. "That recording was mine. I’ve waited years to ruin him."

Bukola’s pulse pounded in her throat. "You lied."

"So did you." His thumb traced her lower lip. "All those pretty sermons about purity. While you moaned my name in the studio."

A whimper escaped her.

Tobi’s mouth crashed down.


This wasn’t love.

This was war.

His teeth scraped her neck as he lifted her onto the altar, her legs wrapping around his waist. The wood creaked beneath them, a blasphemous counterpoint to their ragged breaths.

"Tell me to stop," he growled, hands tearing at her dress.

She arched into him instead.

When he entered her, it was with a groan that sounded like **prayer and punishment** tangled together. Each thrust was a vow— lied, I want you, I’ll burn for this.

Bukola clawed at his back, her cries echoing off the vaulted ceiling like a corrupted choir. Above them, a broken stained-glass angel watched, its face shattered.

She came with a sob.

Tobi followed, his forehead pressed to hers, their sweat mingling like holy water and sin.

After, as they lay tangled on a pew, Bukola’s phone buzzed.

A notification from Mama Nkechi:

"Adeleke arrested. But he has powerful friends. They’re coming for you both. RUN."

Tobi sat up, muscles tense. "We need to—"

Sirens wailed in the distance.

Bukola’s blood froze.

Tobi grabbed her hand. "Back door. Now."

They barely made it to the car before headlights flooded the parking lot.

As tires screeched into the night, one question burned hotter than guilt:

Who betrayed them this time?

TO BE CONTINUED…

WILL THEY TRUST EACH OTHER—OR WILL THE PAST TEAR THEM APART?

#fictionalwritter #fictionalstories #africanstoryteller #africantales #talesmoonlight #africanlovesaga #hotromancedrama #storytelling #Storytime #kenyanfolktales #ghanianfolktales #zambianfolktales #gambianfolktales #nigeriafolktales #ugandanfolktales

Got a creative mind and a passion for money matters? This Children’s Day, it’s time to turn your imagination into currency!

Join the #MyMoneyMyCurrency Challenge and show us your dream currency, inspired by your values, culture, or big ideas for the future.

Ready to show off your creativity?

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- Create Your Own Currency: Design a unique currency using drawing, painting, or digital art.
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- Show a screenshot of your GenFi app home screen (this is mandatory).
- Follow @unitybankplc on the platform where you post your entry.
- Post your video using the campaign hashtags: #MyMoneyMyCurrency #UnityBank #GenFi #SucceedingTogether
- Participants must follow or be following @unitybankplc on all social media platforms.
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Stand a chance to win amazing rewards!

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#MyMoneyMyCurrency
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Beautiful cabin crew

Scarlett Johansson

.

.

.

P-0327

#Art

#Artist

#ArtGallery

#Painting

#Imagination

#BOOMchallange

#MeganFox

#cabincrewlife

Beautiful cabin crew
scarlett johansson

P-0327

#Art
#Artist
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#MeganFox
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ACHALUGO:
(morning after, stretching)
Last night was divine, Odogwu.
But tell me… what did you eat yesterday?

ODOGWU:
(smiles)
6 boiled eggs, beef suya with onions, avocado, and tiger nuts soaked in coconut milk.

ACHALUGO:
(claps slowly)
Odogwu… so you finally listened?

ODOGWU:
My stroke was painting, wasn’t it?

ACHALUGO:
It wasn’t just art.
It was ancestral jazz.

Your stamina? That was egg protein + zinc.
Your grip? Magnesium + potassium.
The way you lasted? That’s not just talent.
That’s stable blood sugar + healthy fats doing overtime in your bloodstream.

ODOGWU:
(low laugh)
So food really dey enter Mekwe matter like that?

ACHALUGO:
Enter?
It starts there.
You can’t stroke like a king if you eat like a peasant.

ODOGWU:
(touches her thigh)
And you—what made you so warm, so juicy, so damn responsive?

ACHALUGO:
Babe…
I had okra soup with goat meat.
Then Greek yoghurt and sauerkraut.
My gut was singing.
My hormones were balanced.
And my p*ssy?
Lubricated like a new engine.

ODOGWU:
(smirking)
We’ve been looking for Mekwe power in supplements…
When all we needed was real food?

ACHALUGO:
Exactly.
Your libido is in your liver.
Your performance is in your plate.
Your orgasm?
It begins with what you chew—not just who you choose.


#MekweWeekend
#EatToStroke
#FoodBeforeForeplay
#DOF
#OdogwuAndAchalugo

The High Priestess

Chapter Two: The Whispering Moon

The sun rose sluggishly over Enugwu Ukwu, casting long shadows over the red earth and tired rooftops. Amaka sat on the back step of their house, hugging her knees to her chest. The water pot beside her lay forgotten. Her mother's words echoed in her ears like a haunting chorus. She had barely slept. The snakes had returned in her dreams again, but this time they didn't just bow. They danced around her, swaying in rhythm to drums that echoed from the heavens.

One massive serpent, white with eyes like molten gold, slithered up to her and placed its head on her lap. "You are the one," it whispered in a tongue she somehow understood. "Chosen."

Amaka jolted awake that night, gasping for breath, her night wrapper soaked with sweat. This was no ordinary dream. This was a summons.

She didn't go to the market that morning. She didn't speak much during breakfast either. Her parents noticed but said nothing, stealing glances at each other.

She wandered toward the stream that cut through the edge of the village. It was quiet, save for the occasional chirp of birds. She bent beside the water, staring at her reflection. Her eyes looked different, sharper, darker, older.

Tears welled up in them. "How can I live like this?" she asked the water, as if it held the answers. "I only wanted to go to school."

The wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it an eerie hum. She felt a strange presence behind her and turned swiftly. There was no one. But the ground nearby bore a winding pattern, like something had slithered by recently.

That night, dinner was a quiet affair. The air was thick with unspoken fears. As her siblings cleared the plates, Amaka sat with her parents. Her heart thudded in her chest.

"I need to ask you something," she said. Her parents looked up.

"If someone was being chosen by the gods, what would happen if they refused?"

Her father shifted in his seat. Her mother's face paled.

"They cannot refuse," her mother whispered. "The gods don't ask. They take."

Amaka's breath caught in her throat. Her father sighed, rubbing his temples.

"The last girl who tried to run, she vanished. Her mother said the gods dragged her into the forest. The snakes came and took her."

Amaka pushed back from the table and stormed outside. The walls were closing in. The dreams. The whispers. The festival. Two days. Just two days left.

She stood beneath the moonlight, its silver glow painting her face in ghostly hues. It looked full and watchful, as though it too waited.

Amaka trembled. Was there truly no way out? Was her future already sealed? And worst of all, a part of her, the part that bowed back to the snakes in her dreams, was beginning to feel drawn to it. To them. To the power.

She clenched her fists. "I am not yours," she hissed to the night. "I am Amaka. I am not a priestess. I am not!"

But the wind picked up again. And from the shadows, unseen eyes watched her. Waiting.

Only Joy Samson

Many men are dying slowly, just like the male anaconda—especially those who chase anything under the skirt. And here’s why:

I read something recently that really caught my attention—it was about the female anaconda.

Apparently, when the female anaconda mates, she has a 100% chance of getting pregnant. And once that happens, she does something shocking—she wraps herself around the male, kills him, and eats him. Yes. She consumes the same male she just mated with.

Why? For protein.

She won’t eat again for the next seven months while her body develops the babies. So the protein from the male becomes essential, as a full 30 percent of her bodyweight goes into making those babies.

That one moment of pleasure cost the male his life. Literally.

And somehow, it made me think of something that happens among humans too—adultery.

Let me explain.

A married man leaves his wife at home and goes after what people casually call a “side chick.” Before anything happens, there’s hotel bills, feeding, transport, gifts, even rent for some. Expenses keep rising—just for a fleeting moment of pleasure that drains his finances.

He returns home, and his wife is asking for money to buy food, pay school fees, or fix something in the house. But oga is now shouting, frustrated, and unnecessary angry. Pressure piles up. High BP. Stress. He begins to run helter-skelter.

If you ask some men today why life is hard, they can't even trace the root. But they’ve been flaming a hidden fire.

Just like that male anaconda—his hunger for pleasure led him to the jaws of destruction. It may not be physical death for the man, but many die in pieces—financially, emotionally, spiritually.

This isn’t gender bias. If tomorrow the Spirit leads me to speak to women, I will—with the same energy. But today, it’s a warning to the men.

And just to be clear—this isn’t about painting women as the enemy. The female anaconda isn’t wicked; she’s simply acting according to nature. The real message here is this: when a man lets his desires rule him, he opens the door to his own downfall. It’s not about avoiding women—it’s about mastering yourself.

Think twice before you take any step. Don’t let moments of pleasure cost you your peace, your health—or your life.

May God help us.

Sermon over.

Written by: James Terna
Follow my profile. You won't want to miss my next post.

#Shalom

Doing what I no how to do best. #handwork #work #whatido #whatidobest #painting #housepainting

**Notification of Vocational Trainings to the General**

This is a call by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) for citizens nationwide wishing to undertake free vocational training in the underlisted trades/vocations:
1. Scaffolding
2. Embroidery
3. House Keeping
4. Masonry
5. Painting and Decoration
6. Designing
7. POP (Plaster of Paris)
8. Animal Husbandry
9. Waiter
10. Floor Supervisor
11. Sewing and Cutting
12. Roofing
13. Iron Steel and Reinforcement
14. Post Harvest
15. Plumbing and Pipe Fitting
16. Tilling
17. Electrical Installation
18. Welding and Fabrication
19. Carpentry and Joinery
20. Crop Production
21. Poultry Farming
22. Automobile Mechanic
23. Cyber Security
24. Front Desk Officer

Intending trainees wishing to undertake training of their choice in the above listed trades are to log onto this ITF portal:
https://supa.itf.gov.ng/register for registration.

The training and registration is FREE.

All intending trainees are to NOTE that those wishing to learn a vocation for the first time are to fill the portion for *INTENDED ARTISAN* while those with some prior knowledge/Skill but wish to upskill are to fill out the portion for *ARTISAN*.

You are to please share this notice widely among your families, neighbours, churches and mosques to commence registration from Monday 14th April, 2025, before the portal closes.

God bless Nigeria!

*SOME NIGERIAN NEWSPAPER HEADLINES+, 09/05/2025*

World leaders welcome Leo, first US pope

Nigeria taps additional $215m W’Bank loan for palliatives

Nnamdi Kanu ordered Lagos court burning, cops’ beheading – DSS

Kano govt bans live political programmes on TV, radio

Gov Radda At National Assembly As 3 Katsina PDP Reps Defect To APC

Tinubu vows to revive S’East gas plant, fix Anambra erosion

Anambra unveils iconic national tourism tower

PalmPay hits 15m daily transactions

IMF confirms Nigeria’s full repayment of $3.4bn loan

US to deport African migrants to Equatorial Guinea

Trump calls for ‘unconditional’ 30-day Russia-Ukraine ceasefire

UK police recover Nigerian teenager’s corpse inside lake

Wigwe: US helicopter firm may face criminal charges

China commends Nigeria’s loyalty to ‘One-China’ policy

Refitting & repainting: Newly acquired presidential jet flown to South Africa

---------------------------
*DID YOU KNOW?*

* Latin is no longer spoken as a native language, though it’s a foundational language for many modern languages. It however, still plays crucial roles in the Catholic Church.

* Country music artiste Dolly Parton once lost in a Dolly Parton look-alike contest.
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Economic reforms not to punish Nigerians, but to avert collapse – Tinubu

Tinubu urges Senate to confirm nominees as Board members for SWDC, NCDC, SSDC

FG’ll continue to partner with Anambra to harness it’s huge potentialities – Tinubu

I won’t resign over Natasha’s sexual harassment allegations – Akpabio

Insecurity: Don’t pit Senate against Tinubu, Akpabio warns minister

Akpabio slams Obi for saying Nigeria’s past heroes failed

Senate passes Joint Revenue Board, Nigeria Tax Bill

Senate, House to reconcile differences in Tax Reform Bills

Reps panel gives Benue, Zamfara govs fresh deadline over lawmakers’ suspension

Reps summon CBN gov, finance minister over contractors’ funds

Reps urge FG to establish more NYSC camps

Torrent of tributes for Clark at Senate’s valedictory session

MultiChoice loses bid to stop FCCPC’s probe of DStv, GOtv subscription hike

IPOB: Why we want Simon Ekpa back in Nigeria – AGF Fagbemi

Appeal Court strikes out NNPP candidate’s suit against Aiyedatiwa’s victory

No proof of Yahaya Bello’s children’s fees paid from Kogi funds, says witness

Judge withdraws from hearing Osun NULGE, APC suit over bias allegation

Ghana court jails Nigerian trafficking HIV patient for prostitution

DHQ links foreign herdsmen to Benue, Plateau killings

Troops arrest four suspected terrorists, recover arms in Taraba

Govs forum plans summit to address education challenges

7% GDP Growth Achievable — Finance Minister

No recognised national chairman, secretary for Labour Party, INEC declares

200,000 Nigerians Die Annually From Food-Related Diseases – FG

Passenger maltreatment: NCAA slams N3m fine on Kenya Airways

FAAN Upgrades Lagos Hajj Terminal’s Facilities

2025 UTME: JAMB to release results Friday

Nigeria launches AfCFTA Hackathon

Dangote, NNPC boss meet, pledge collaboration for national growth

FG hails milestones of naira-for-crude deal

OPEC April oil output falls – Report

Pension scheme: PenCom, Lagos advocate informal sector inclusion

FCTA to demolish over 10 buildings on waterways, green areas

Wike seeks access to natural resources development fund for Abuja infrastructure projects

Kaduna poly expels 63 students for malpractices

Law School DG dismisses allegations of withholding results

Lateef Jakande academy seeks fellows

Meta’s exit may devastate 20m MSMEs – IT firms

Airtel Africa rebounds with $661m pre-tax profit

VFD Group Shareholders Approve N3.17bn Final Dividend

NASCON Shareholders Approve N2 Per Share Dividend

Shadow govt: APC hits Utomi for comparing Tinubu with Hitler

2027: Al-Makura, Masari mobilise CPC bloc for Tinubu

Labour Party NEC suspends Abure, Farouk for six months

APGA committed to re-election of Tinubu – Bianca Ojukwu

Sowore blasts Peter Obi for ‘gaslighting’ Nigerians who protested against Jonathan’s govt

Delta APC lauds Tinubu over Nigeria’s IMF debt repayment

Concerns mount over disbursement of El-Rufai’s $350m World Bank loan in Kaduna

LP vows to defeat APC in Lagos LG poll

Shehu Sani: If Coalition Fails, Tinubu’s Re-Election Done Deal

Ododo under fire over Kogi housing deficit

Gov Buni donates cash, food to families of slain soldiers

Gov Buni hails Yobe farmers’ readiness to tackle food security challenges

Kogi lawmakers threaten showdown with political office holders

Gombe CJ frees 84 inmates

Lagos marks 39 buildings for demolition over encroachment

Abia Airport: Host community fears loss of ancestral land

Bauchi plans by-election to replace impeached LG chair, deputy

Kano to reactivate water plant for improved supply

KWAM 1 is my son, I can’t fight him – Kollington

Queen Amina Old Students Commend Uba Sani Over Land Revocation

Gombe judge withdraws from ongoing land dispute

Court adjourns ruling on self-crowned Ondo monarch to May 12

Niger police neutralise drug lord during face-off

Toy gun-wielding robbers snatch car from Niger resident

I don’t want to die rich – Bill Gates

---------------------------

*TODAY IN HISTORY*

* On this day in 1960, the first birth control pill was approved. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it would add birth control as a new indication for the drug “Enovid”.

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Money is the best deodorant. – Elizabeth Taylor

Good evening *Compiled by Hon. Osuji George osujis@yahoo.com +234-8122200446*.

Where can you capture the most dazzling spring scenes in #Jinan?
At Hongye Valley, the 20th Tulip Festival is in full bloom, turning the landscape into a breathtaking tapestry of color! Over a million tulips blanket the valley in saturated hues, creating an immersive “oil painting” experience that blends Dutch floral charm with Chinese landscape artistry^^
#TourAcrossJinan #AmazingJinan #HolidayEconomy #ChinaTravel
(Source/Jinan Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Photo by Li Feng)

A 10 YEARS OLD BOY BECAME A FATHER TO HIS 3 SIBLINGS AFTER THEIR MOM DISAPPEARED3️⃣

The next morning, Destiny woke up to the soft smell of pancakes. At first, he thought he was dreaming. But when he opened his eyes, he saw a tray by the bed: warm food, fresh juice, even tiny slices of strawberries shaped like hearts. Joy and Prosper were still asleep, curled up together under the thick hotel blankets.

Dr. Vanessa sat at the small table by the window, flipping through her phone. She looked up and smiled warmly.

“You’re awake,” she said. “Eat something. You’re safe here.”

Destiny sat up, blinking at her. For the first time in months, he felt... not alone.

Later that day, Vanessa made calls—to child services, to the police, to every missing person’s department she could find. But Destiny was clear: he didn’t want to be separated from his siblings.

“They’re all I got,” he said, voice firm.

Vanessa saw something fierce in him—something rare. So she decided to fight for him.

News spread fast. A young boy, raising his siblings alone after their mother vanished. The local news picked up the story first. Then the national stations. Then the world.

#DestinyStrong trended online. Donations poured in. People offered clothes, toys, school scholarships. Offers to adopt the children flooded the inboxes of social workers. But Destiny refused them all.

“We’re a family already,” he said. “I’m their brother. Their father. I’m everything they need.”

Vanessa helped Destiny get appointed a temporary legal guardian, with her acting as their sponsor. She rented a small, cozy house with a garden. Volunteers helped furnish it. Destiny, Joy, and Prosper moved in, laughing as they chose their own rooms for the first time.

But Destiny wasn’t content with just surviving.

He enrolled in online classes so he could finish school from home while caring for Joy and Prosper. He learned to cook, sew, clean, even handle simple first aid—all by watching YouTube videos. Vanessa came by every few days, tutoring him, helping him with paperwork, reminding him he wasn’t truly alone.

At night, Destiny would tuck Joy and Prosper into bed, whispering promises into the dark.

“I’ll always take care of you. No matter what.”

Months passed.

Angel got stronger. She took her first steps holding onto Destiny’s finger. Joy started painting colorful pictures of their family. Prosper began calling Destiny “Dada” without even thinking about it.

And Destiny? He grew too. Not just taller, but braver, wiser.

One year later, standing in front of a crowd of reporters, Destiny received an award: "The Young Guardian of the Year." Tears welled in his eyes as he held the plaque.

But he shook his head humbly.

“I didn’t do anything special,” he said. “I just did what family’s supposed to do. You hold on. You don’t let go.”

Behind him, Vanessa smiled proudly, knowing the world was a better place because a ten-year-old boy had refused to give up.

And somewhere in the swirling sky above them, it felt like even the stars were cheering Destiny on.