Sorting Realities

As a young man I was fed 
in the dream often! 
I remember vividly eating 
all sorts in my dream from 
the age of 4 
My grandfather, a simple 
Christian, used to say 
“Orisa ba n bo” Meaning 
(The deities fed you for us) 
whenever I told him of the 
feasts I used to have in the 
dream! It was an affliction 
of witchcraft! 
I never knew this 
My parents attended an 
Orthodox Church where one 
of the reverends boldly said

“Witchcraft is real, the name 
of Jesus does not give you 
a license to look for the 
trouble of a witch. 
If you mind your business, 
they will leave you Alone!" 
They didn’t leave me alone! 
I remember growing up 
and praying this way 
“Devil, you know I didn’t 
join anybody to pray against 
you or disrespect you, 
please don’t afflict me!” 
I would pray like this in the 
church when I see other 
people afflicted or hear 
gory tales of such!
The downside of my eating
 in the dream was that I 
was a kleptomaniac! 
I stole a lot! 
It was so bad that I used 
to equate how much I stole 
with my academic prowess! 
The term I stole a lot 
I always came 1st. 
The terms I stole little, 
I came 3rd or 4th! 
My mind was quite twisted!
Twice I could have been 
lynched for stealing! 
Once when I was in JSS 2! 
I was going to school with 
my lunch pack fully loaded 
one morning and somehow 
I stole a 5 Naira bread! 
The urge would suddenly 
come over me and I wouldn’t 
be able to control it! 
I was caught and almost 
killed!
An elderly woman begged 
on my behalf and even paid 
for the bread! 
The second time I was in 
the boarding house and I 
stole a cup of gaari from a 
senior’s locker! 
I was caught and beaten 
blue-black! 
They called it “Baptism” in 
the boarding house! 
It was hell! 
I had a big problem
My parents prayed! 
But they were my primary 
victims 
I robbed them blind! 
I robbed my father to the 
extent that he used to keep 
his wallet with the 
neighbours before coming 
into our flat at a point! 
He had beaten, negotiated,
cajoled, begged and appealed 
to me several times!
I just couldn’t stop! 
When I became a “born again
”Christian in 2004 I thought 
it would stop. 
It didn’t!!! 
When I got baptized by 
immersion I thought it would 
stop 
It didn’t!!!
When I started speaking in

tongues I thought it would 
stop 
It didn’t! 
Don’t laugh at me! 
I was a victim!
Stealing cost me a lot of 
things! 
A lot of friendships 
A lot of relationships 
It was a bad name and a 
bad reputation! 
I was not only stealing, 
I was fraud smart too! 
I forged my JSSCE certificate 
and my father who was a 
principal didn’t even notice! 
I would forge our principal’s

signature on letters I typed 
myself and give the letters 
to my friends and classmates 
to give to their parents asking 
for Excursion levies! 
Parents would pay and I will 
get a cut from every student! 
I ran this racket for years 
in secondary school! 
There was no hope for me! 
None!
On September 17, 2007, I 
had an encounter with the 
Holy Spirit while I was at 
Bowen University! 
That encounter was the 
turning point! 
I met the Holy Spirit! 
God became real! 
Two weeks later a former 
herbalist who had converted 
to Christianity was brought 
to Bowen University to hold 
a revival service I was 
nominated to be his 
interpreter 
He preached on and on 
At a point he said 
“In witchcraft when we see 
a child with glory we turn 
such to shame! 
If such a child is male, we 
will turn him to a Kleptomaniac 
and feed him often in the 
dream to keep him going!
If such is a female, we will 
turn such into a bed wetter! 
She will bed wet in the day 
and at night! 
Her beauty and essence as 
a woman would be taken 
away and replaced by scorn 
and jeers! 
We will kill her confidence 
and joy 
She would be a carrier of 
shame and pain! 
Wow! 
O my God!
The man was talking to 
me! 
I have a cousin who was 
living with us who couldn’t 
stop bedwetting! 
We both fit into his narrative! 
I planned to meet the 
revivalist after service so 
that he can pray for me 
But by the time I got to 
the chaplain’s office, he 
was gone! 
I cried that Night! 
As I cried, I prayed! 
Lord, please wipe away 
my shame! 
I don’t want to steal again 
I rather want to be a blessing
to the needy 
I want to be a giver and a 
helper 
I prayed in tongues all night 
The next morning the Holy 
Spirit told me to go and visit 
my grandma in the village
She was not a witch but 
the “prophets” my mother
consulted when the journey
became difficult had said 
I shouldn’t go to my father’s 
house because the witches 
were planning to cook me 
in their special soup! 
I had stayed away for years 
out of fear 
This didn’t stop the feeding 
in the dream! 
I sometimes ate twice 
before daybreak!
My grandmother welcomed 
me 
We talked and laughed 
I went back to school in 
the evening 
Four days later, my mother 
called me “I heard you went 
to the village! 
What did you do? 
People are dying! 
Within a week nine 
principalities were dead! 
Those who had a hand in 
the tying of many destinies
My cousin got married two 
years later 
I also miraculously 
stopped stealing 
The urge died completely! 
I am asking you to consider 
Jesus! 
Believing in the flesh as I 
once did was 
counterproductive 
But believing in Him through 
the Help and leading of the 
Holy Spirit is a wonder!
You don’t have to suffer 
any affliction 
Your family history and evil 
pattern need not reoccur 
You can be totally free 
today 
You can rule and reign in 
life as a new creature if you 
so desire 
All it will take is a decision 
You shall be birthed into the 
Son through the Spirit 
Hallelujah

PS: Months after my freedom 
I had a dream 
A woman brought me food 
in the dream 
It was corn meal and palm oil 
She put it down and called 
me by my traditional name

“Alayede, your food is ready” 
I looked at the food 
I looked at her 
As she turned to leave, 
I called her back! 
I said
“Hey you, come here. 
This is not my food. 
Go and prepare pounded yam 
and vegetable soup and bring 
it in a jiffy. 
The woman was petrified. 
She ran. 
A few minutes later she 
brought the food I told her 
to kneel down and hold the 
plates 
I ate everything with relish 
When I was done, I smiled
I washed my hands and 
used her wrapper to clean 
them 
Then I said “From today, 
I have recovered my authority 
from you and your kind! 
You must never bring me 
food again or come into my dreams! 
She was very scared 
She said “Yes my Lord” 
That was the last time I ever 
ate in the dream