Can This Be True?

President Goodluck Jonathan said yesterday Saturday May 25th that his first name has brought some good luck to Nigeria. While granting an interview yesterday, the president said: "Traditional societies attach some values to names. That is why people select good names for their children. In the scriptures sometimes, when God sends you on some special assignment, He could even direct, ‘change the name of this child from this to that. But the name in itself does not make much difference because even from my village, there is one of my peers that also answers Goodluck. Another one that is a little older than me answers Lucky from my small village and I didn’t see the good luck and lucky in them. “In terms of bringing my name to bear in Nigerian affairs, within this period, we have our challenges. Of course, you are aware that we have our security challenges. But in spite of the security challenges, the country is moving on. I will say yes, it (his name) brought some good luck to the country.”

CHILDREN'S DAY PERSONAL NOTE...2013

It is always said that children are the future of tomorrow. This aphorism is arguable as old as man or will I say Nigeria. Growing up for us is quite challenging, because we hold the belief that we need to develop ourselves properly so as to become the viable future Nigeria needs and who the past generation can reckon with. It is so sad to note that, the older generation are not so friendly and truthful for calling the children the future of tomorrow thereby not leaving anything for the tomorrow that is yet to come. The point here is that, having in mind that children are the future of tomorrow and still keeping up with the attitude of corruption, embezzlement and all sorts is a threat and danger for the tomorrow that is yet to come, in which children of today are believed to be partakers of. It is more sardonic to emphasis here that, children of this present Nigeria or better put, the future of tomorrow’s Nigeria are being victim of all sorts of social ills, pseudo-family background, lost history, child abuse and all manner of child injustice or assault. Our culture is obviously going into extinction; this is so evident in the way we perceive bringing up a child in our present society. Traditionally speaking, bringing up a child use to be a communal thing or task, unlike the western setting whereby, bringing up a child is solely the duty of the family. Even the communal setting is corrupt with all sorts of indecency and decay in morality. My call here is that we put a stop to this deed of degenerating the future of Nigeria, by doing away with corruption, environmental pollution and embracing sustainable development in our immediate society. All manner of indecency and immoral act and publicity should stop. HAPPY CHILDREN’S DAY TO YOU ALL

Meet the Contestants for the 2013 Mr Universe Nigeria competition

It’s that time of the year again to crown the next Mr Universe Nigeria. 34 eligible Nigerian gents will vie for the coveted titled of the 2013 Mr Universe Nigeria. The contestants will be present in Lagos on Tuesday 28th May 2013 for the camp – where they will be groomed for the D-Day. The first assignment for the contestants was to create a signature look. A look that describes their totality in just a single picture. Seriously, are these the hottest guys in Nigeria?

TO THE LADY IN MY LIFE…

The lady in my life is all I can think of writing about at this point of my life, not because she propelled me to do the writing about her but because I see reasons to do such. You might think of her as not this magnificence empress, but I can beat my shaggy chest to contend that she is as beautiful as flowers that sprout out in the break of the day, her skin suave and garden-fresh like that of a Lillie in the garden with no furrow at all. The lady in my life, her eyes is as clear as the blue sky. To tell the truth, I lack the linguistic construction to describe this angel cast down from heaven to look after me or mollycoddle me, her beauty and characteristic are intrinsic and cannot be ordinarily describe with human understanding. To tell an alternative truth, this lady in my life is so sufficient that you cannot resist her beauty, wealth and fame because she so much have them to give a man who take her as a wife. I will be introducing you all my experiences with this lady in my life, but before then it is important that you understand that I am only talking about one lady in my life that have influenced me greatly and not numerous numbers of women who are no script writers in my life but figure head figures, who are neither influencing me greatly or helping me to realize my potentials. Over the years I have been a victim of a selfish kind of love, now I realize I have to give kudos and acknowledgement to the lady in my life who is working tirelessly to see me become wealthy and famous and positively impact my society and not to be a dormant being who is alive but not living. There are countless times I act virtuously and she chastise me, I often misjudge her that she hates me but now I realize that she loves me more than I can imagine. There are countless times I am as broke as a broke ass and she comes around to rescue me and save me from shame and segregation from my friends and those women who are just after my downfall and shame who pretend to be the ladies in my life. Funny enough, this lady in question might have no knowledge that she is the lady in my life but if she search inside of her she will know that she is mine and I can do anything for her as long as she remains faithful, loyal and do not treat me like she treats other guys who are six fit underground facing judgment now or who are almost six fit under the ground. If you are not convinced about the lady in my life that she is all mine and loyal, what about the pledges that she made to me, she said, after loving me she couldn’t love another that was after she had told those other men that she loved them, and then she found me and said this pledge and promise. Before I fell in love with her, I remember always pleading if she can give me the permission to touch her there, touching her deeply, I mean her heart the way she touches mine and to my greatest dismay she exclaimed “Yes baby!”. Very well, I will be explaining this aspect of her touching my heart; with her tender hands she touched my fragile heart and thought me how to love. You might call me insane, yes I am for her. I really wish I can help it or you can be in my shoes to experience what I am experiencing with the love of my life. Funny isn’t it, how people look out for the crash of our love and how with their great cynicism we become stronger with those things they expect to make us weak. When love captures you, you either go blind or you go insane…

2Face Idibia, Tiwa Savage, P-Square, M.I, Ice Prince & More to Perform at Star Music Trek 2013

Nigerian superstars which include; 2Face Idibia, D’banj, Psquare, M.I, Wande Coal, Seyi Shay, Ice Prince, Naeto C, Timaya, Tiwa Savage, Olamide and Dr Sid are among the artists selected to perform at this year’s Star Trek Music Trek. Some days ago a star studded sign-on ceremony, which officially heralded Star Music Trek 2013 took place at Rhapsody Lounge, Victoria Island. The exclusive event had in attendance celebrities, industry top shots, consumers as well as media present at the venue. Other artists who were signed also include Obesere, KCee, J Martins, Kas, Phyno, Yinka Best, Mr Raw, Juke Box, Da Beatz and Obesere, KCee, J Martins, Kas, Phyno, Yinka Best, Mr Raw, Juke Box, Da Beatz and Crystalz. This year the musical event will span 10 weeks and take place in 10 cities across the country namely; Aba, Abeokuta, Agege (Lagos), Asaba, Enugu, Festac (Lagos), Lokoja, Nnewi, Owerri, and V.I (Lagos) and will kick off on Saturday 8th June 2013.

THE CONCEPT OF NIGERIA'S CITIZENSHIP- By Omoniyi Oluwafeyikemi

INTRODUCTION The concept of the Nigerian citizenship can only be said to be meaningful or not when there is a thorough analysis of what the concept “citizenship” means. Citizenship, it is claimed, ‘is as old as settle human community’ with groups and tribes in specific territories developing rudimentary social contract for mutual benefit. According to T.H Marshal; “citizenship is the statue conferred on an individual as a member of a country. Citizenship is governed by the norm of reciprocity the imperative which compels an individual to serve the state in exchange for his rights. The concept of citizenship has long acquired the connotation of a conglomeration of rights, which includes political participation in the life of the community- the right to vote and be voted for. It also includes the right to receive certain basic protection from the state. Citizenship is most closely identified with being a member of a particular nation. Citizenship is the state of being a member of a particular social, political, national or human resource community. According to the dictionary, citizenship is the character of an individual, viewed as a member of a particular society; behavior in terms of duties, obligations and functions as a citizen. Also, citizenship denotes a link between a individual and a state, under international law, citizenship is synonymous to nationality although the two have different meanings. A person who does not have citizenship of any state is regarded as being stateless. However, the term ‘citizenship’ could also be applicable at sub-national levels. It could entail an identity and such identity could be defined in multiple terms: a member of a nation-state, a member of an ethnic group or a member of a communal group within an ethnic group. All humans ought to be active citizens of the community in which they find themselves as the concept is identified with membership of a political community or a particular country and carries with it, rights to political participation. Historically, many states limited citizenship to only a proportion of their population, thereby creating a citizen class with political rights, superior to other sections of the population. Full citizenship which meant not only civil rights under the law but also the right to vote in elections and stand for parliament was originally limited to a privileged minority of the population. Citizenship in the modern state should not only be based on what legal rights citizens have what they can expect from their government, but should also be based on citizenship as an active political role. In some western countries, residents from other countries having met some laid down requirements are entitled to political rights such as the right to vote in local and national elections and in some cases even the right to stand for elections. Citizenship in its modern form consists of three essential and central propositions: the notion of individual and human rights, the idea of political participation and the principles of socio-economic welfare. The entrenchment of these basic constituents of citizenship will go a long way in resolving the dynamics of conflict in any political community. Also, in a modern state structure, the acceptance of ethnic and cultural groups that are not indigenous to the majority can represent one of the greatest challenges, yet this diversity could be an enormous asset if these differences I identity, culture and values are treated as an advantage that can strengthen and enrich them, not as a threat. National citizenship in Nigeria is far from being resolved and this inability is due to the fact that various ethnic groups that compose the Nigerian nation state have conceived different attitudes to Nigerian Citizenship. In the Nigerian system, there are ways of acquiring citizenship. According to chapter 3, section 27 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria [1990], a person is a Nigerian by birth if the parents or grandparents belong to a community indigenous to Nigeria even if given birth to outside Nigeria so far as the parents are Nigerians. A person can also be a Nigerian through registration. A British woman who is or has been married to a Nigerian becomes a Nigerian through registration. To qualify for this, the individual must be a person of good character, must have shown a clear intention to be domiciled in Nigeria, the individual must have taken the oath of allegiance. A person can also be a citizen of Nigeria through naturalisation if the person has; resided in Nigeria for a continuous period of fifteen years. To qualify for this, the individual must be of full age and capacity, must be of good character, must have shown the intention to live, the Governor of the state he resides in, must certify him acceptable to the local community he is to live in permanently, must be a person capable of making useful contribution to the progress of Nigeria have taken the oath of allegiance. Though there are other forms of citizenship such as dual citizenship and honorary citizenship, Nigeria majorly recognizes the three mentioned above. Nigeria does have identity differences which have heightened to the point of political significance bringing about the incidence and outbreak of conflict in the country. The Nigerian state promotes indigenity, it does not promote citizenship. The term ‘indigenity’ is coined from the word ‘indigene’ which means a person who is not pat of a particular sect or ethnic group of a particular country or nation state. Indigenity is simply a segregational term commonly used in the Nigerian state to distinguish between the indigenous or native of a state or locality and those who are referred to as non-indigene or settlers. It is a common way of being hostile to complete strangers who come to live in that community. In Nigeria, the success of a particular region to hold onto power since independence due to an erroneous belief in the strength of its geographical and numerical size ha succeeded in generating a sense and feeling of alienation and marginalization on the part of other regional groups. Where minority groups are divided in an ethnically diverse community especially where a majority group is in control of power, they find their citizenship status threatened and as such, this sense of relative deprivation has the tendency of breaking into conflict especially with the ethnic group in power For example, a Urobo woman who comes to live in Osun State in Nigeria, might have problem with the indigenes of the community because of the language barrier. Her language is foreign to them, while their language is foreign to her. In some cases, she may not be able to go to the market to buy things also because of communication barrier but majorly because people are not willing to help because she is an “alien”. This in turn can make her live the place dejected and go back to the place where she came from. This can cause a dangerous ethnic conflict that can result into war because, if she goes back to her place in Urobo and tells her people what she suffered in the hands of the other ethnic group, this breeds some kind of animosity to the ethnic group. As a result of Nigeria’s history of electoral fraud, elections often have been associated with political tension, crisis or violence. Inter-ethnic/regional tensions and conflicts are also on the increase. Unfortunately, in the 2011 elections, southern politicians were exerting pressure to retain power, while northern politicians insisted that power should revert to their region. This has made every successive election progressively worse than the ones before it. However, the 2011 election is widely believed to be better in terms of integrity; there was an impartial or balanced system of conducting the elections and verifying election results. There were politically independent and trained election officials, there were party representatives overseeing the electoral processes, there were accessible polling places, secure ballot boxes and transparent ballot counting. There were also legal mechanisms ad processes to ensure that elections were conducted properly and tribunals to see redress where the parties are dissatisfied with the result; yet, the presidential election divide the country along ethnic and religious lines. This also applies to people who come to reside in the country or in a particular state is segregated and left to sort themselves and this same 1999 constitution states that every citizen of Nigeria has full rights and privileges so far as he is domiciled in the country. But, so far, it has been noticed that not all Nigerians have the full pledged rights of a citizen. Also for example, the 1999 constitution limited the guarantee of property rights with the incorporation into the constitution of the Land Use Act which began in the 1979 constitution. The land use act of 1979 abolished all private ownership of land and transferred it to the state free from any obligation to pay compensation to whoever is affected, but it is still in this country that someone still claims the land a foreigner or a non-indigene wants to get as his inheritance from his father or great-grand father. It is in this same country that no law enforcement official comes to the aid of this foreigner. Is it that the constitution is no more valued or is it that people are now more powerful than the law that they are not bound by it and can freely do what they want and get away with it? It is still in this country that you see a Hausa man who resides in a local community of the Ibo tribe and immensely contributing his quota to the development of the community and also Nigeria but is still being denied fundamental rights such as the right to vote and be voted for, though he might have lived in the place for more than fifteen years, he also may not be able to speak in some gatherings or attend some functions because he is still not regarded as an indigene of that community. It is also applicable to foreigners who come into a country and have lived in the country for over a space of time. Some are not able to vote and be voted for. In The United States Of America, Barack Obama who was a black man, from Kenya, became a president after residing in the country for over a period of time. This is because their constitution still binds and no one is above the law. In a modern state structure citizens join political parties and campaign for the candidate of their choice they accept the fact their party may not always be in power. Aristotle saw the citizen as a political being who took turns in ruling and being ruled. However, Nigerians resort to religious and sectarian discourse while campaigning and this could be dangerous as such a discourse could and has led to violence. Politics ought not to have any link with religion or ethnicity. According to Femi Taiwo, Nigerian citizenship is merely geographical, it is without a moral ideological content – part of what typifies citizenship, especially in the modern state is de-emphasizing of geography and other natural facts in its composition. The freedom to locate anywhere outside the boundaries of one’s geopolitical zone is inherently non-existent in Nigeria. This is why a citizen of Nigeria who resides in a state other than his state of origin, no matter how long can still not take part in the political life of his state of residence. Citizenship in Nigeria is only operative at the home land level. The Nigerian constitution makes no distinction between the rights of a citizen and of inhabitants of a political community who are not indigenous to that community; so there ought not to be discrimination and thus rivalry. The people of Nigeria may have various over-lapping identities based on such factors such as religion, race, ethnicity and social class, yet the single identity possessed by all citizens is a civil identity – it is the tie that holds us together in a single democratic political order and thus we all still remain citizens of Nigeria, regardless of which par of the country we find ourselves in. ever eligible Nigerian citizen should be allowed to take part in the political life of the country and of his state of residence irrespective of his state of origin. Nigerian citizenship should stop being operative at the home land level. In conclusion, I am of the opinion that on a theoretical level (letter), the concept of Nigerian citizenship is meaningful but on the practical level of the ways things are being carried out, it is nothing to write about. Certain examples have been given above to show the laws binding citizenship in Nigeria and also to show how the country has failed to follow the constitution. I would implore that rapid measures be taken to follow the constitution before it gets worse than this. A nation that does not carry out her own duties to her citizens should not expect the citizens to in turn serve the state.

Morgan Freeman sleeps off during a Live TV interview

The Actor who is 75years old was caught sleeping on live TV during an interview with Fox News. The interview was done with the aim of promoting his latest movie 'Now You See Me' with fellow actor Michael Caine, who is 80years old. Michael Caine was answering a question when Morgan Freeman fell into a deep sleep...but woke up moments later and fully joined the interview. After the video went viral, Morgan released a statement to E! News saying: "I wasn’t actually sleeping, I’m a beta tester for Google Eyelids. I was merely updating my Facebook page". #LOL!!! He was actually sleeping, the statement is just a play off with Google Glass, a device which is supposed to allow users to update their social networks through a pair of glasses and access the internet through voice commands.

THE BODY OF LATE LITERARY ICON, PROF. CHINUA ACHEBE ARRIVED NIGERIA

The body of late literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe arrived Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport Abuja, as at yesterday, May 21, where it was received by government officials. The late icon's body was then flown to Enugu aboard a private plane en-route his hometown, Ogidi, Anambra state, where it was received by Achebe's elder brother, Chief Augustine Achebe, other family members and state govt officials. This is in preparation of his burial ceremony to be held Thursday May 23, 2013.

WIZKID FLUNT HIS NEW CAR

Recently Star Boy Wizkid shared on Instagram, images of his newly acquired sleek Porsche Panamera S. Posing next to the sleek car with a price ranging from $75,000 to $175,000 depending on the spec. What a life these guys must be living...

Coolest Picture of the Week

As Peter and Cameron Okoye strike a pose...

HOLD ON!!!! IS ILLUMINATI AT IT AGAIN?

Kim Kardashian uploads a picture of Kanye West's new album, Yeezus... confirming his narcissistic title choice. What do you think pals?

THIS IS FOR THE LADIES; CAN YOU SPEND $3.8 million (570M Naira) ON A BAG?

The Mouawad's 1001 Nights Diamond Purse - $3.8 million Officially certified by Guinness World Records the Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse is now the most expensive designer handbag in the world at $3.8 million. The heart-shaped purse is handcrafted from 18kt gold and has 4,517 diamonds (4,356 colorless, 105 yellow, 56 pink) with a total weight of 381.92 carats. It was made by ten artisans who worked on it for a total of 8,800 hours. Why and Why not cant you get it?

Draft...

Pick Your Choice...

WHY SEX SELLS

COPIED! I honestly have never paid much attention to her, but suddenly when I read that ‘someone’ in Nigeria – don’t worry it wasn’t Dare – paid $500,000 ( that is over N80 million Naira if you didn’t know) as appearance fee to have Kim Kardarshian make the briefest appearance in the history of Nigerian showbiz, I got interested in her, very interested. I was not as interested in the fee as I became interested in what a woman who could attract such a fee does and what she represents. What female personality will draw that kind of sensational attention from our garbage consuming Nigerian public? Kim – to any seasoned image manager – is the obvious choice! The real question then is, Who is Kim? Wiki describes her as an American socialite and TV personality who came to light in the event of winning a court case where she got awarded a $5,000,000 over the issue of a sex tape. Kim’s fame has grown on the followership she has garnered on her family reality show – Keeping up with the Kardarshians. Kim and her sisters also co-own a fashion line called D-A-S-H. In 2011, Kim got married to a basketballer and then sensationally got a divorce 72 days after. She is also in an ongoing relationship with Kanye West and expecting his baby. I am not going to bore you with stuff you already know about her, but Kim’s life does not read like one of an ideal role model. Yet Kim represents all that is trendy, entertaining and is considered the good life to us today – She is Sexy, and she represents Sensuality. Permit me take a quick detour to the real issue at this point. It has become weird what we term ‘fashion’, what we call trendy, and what is in vogue today – the things that ‘trip‘ us. It’s a wonder the phrase ‘common sense’ still exists especially as our sense of what is important, really has flown out of the window. Trends seem to havereplaced our common sense. This lack of common sense is most evident in our lifestyle, fashion, entertainment and moral culture. The sad thing is we really don’t realize that this is a war we are losing – The war to keep our sanity and our souls and those of coming generations. Let me take fashion first. Today it seems so normal that people consider ‘nakedness’ a fashion statement. Everywhere we go now, we see boobs and laps flapping around like flags in the wind. Ladies with cleavages as open as bedroom windows and clothes so tight, even their skin can’t catch a breath. Most of what we call fashion today 15 -20 years ago would have been referred to as outfits only fit for harlots. Men today are wearing skinny jeans that were called leggings back in the day, outfits only fit for faggots, boys sagging jeans and looking like touts out of American correctional facilities. We live with these things everyday, and it is no longer an anomaly. What am I saying that is new anyway? However, what it is doing to our minds is where the real problem is. Our minds have dulled beyond recognition, warped beyond conscious awareness. It seems we now think we live in a virtual reality, where what we do, does not affect our lives. We push the bounds of choice, daring to do anything in order to enjoy ourselves, get noticed, using the liberty and freedom we have to break all laws of moral restraint, and yet somehow we think we can evade the inevitable consequences of our choice? The biggest lie we tell ourselves is that it really doesn’t matter. Recently, I stood at the entrance waiting to catch an 18-year-old cousin of mine that I found out would sneak out of school to go celebrate her birthday party at a night club. As I stood there and watched the Lagos night life unfold, I saw several young girls of her age coming out of cabs in the most outrageous outfits. Skimpies, shorties, and slickies, clothes with more holes and see-through, that any rag would have seemed less torn. Young pretty girls between the ages of 16 – 21 entered the club in droves and, I wondered how so many fathers would be asleep thinking their daughters are in bed, while the girls are out at night selling sex. Did I hear you say ahan! Are they all having sex in nightclubs? No that is definitely not what I am saying but the clothes and lifestyle is one that sells sex, saying ‘Hey, I am old enough, I can have sex and I am available’. Again most nightclubs are filled with harlots waiting to pick up men for commercial sex. How then do we tell a harlot from a regular girl? Our fashion and clothes that we wear today leave no way for us to tell. No wonder the term lady and bitch can be used in one sentence these days. In entertainment, musicians seem to have nothing else to sing about. I bought an 18 track album released by Iyanya recently and all I heard was omoge oloson gbewa o!, ’your waist…your waist all I want is your waist’, Kukere kukere, I getti money o!, Sex mama oya kajo mama, her yansh dey make me maga. At the Africa Magic Viewers Choice awards AMVCA awards Ike, the presenter of the big brother Africa competition said he wondered what people liked about Iyanya’s music, especially as it seemed to have no evident message other than sex. In fairness to Iyanya, I once heard he said when he was making proper music, we the public, didn’t buy his tapes. His accusation means that we sub-consciously­ prefer obscenities in our music these days to sensible music. Today he dishes us crap and we lap it up greedily and he is not the only one. Is it Wizkid or the Ice prince or D’banj that has anything else to say? They all just sell sex, money, fame and sex again. Our movies are no better. The Tonto Dikehs, Ini Edos Uche Jombos and Mercy Johnsons seem to be trying harder and harder to reveal more and more. It is said that these things are a reflection of our society…a society constantly trying to copy and consume western culture without counting the cost. Our moral culture which really is what we call ‘common sense’- is a sense of right and wrong which we all commonly agree to. Did we all agree that nakedness and lewd dressing are the next level of sociocultural advancement? At what point in time did we all come to a consensus that sex and sexuality are the most important things to us in life? This uncontrolled consumption of sex and sexuality is the reason for the indigestion of social sicknesses we see in our environment. Rape, homosexuality, prostitution, child molestation, divorce, STD’s, broken homes, infidelity, to mention only a few are the order of the day. Today I woke to find trending, a video of another set of boys gang-raping a girl who was begging and wailing as the boys recorded their wicked lasciviousness.­ As usual the public outcry and the man-hunt for the perpetrators begin again until a few weeks from now when the public’s conscience settles down, we all forget and go back to minding our businesses until the next event that goes public happens again. We do nothing but bleat like sheep as the evil continues. Have we ever stopped to ask why these evils don’t go away? No, it is not only the devil that is at fault. We all are part of this vicious circle of evil. How are we complicit you may ask? Simple, because every man has refused to take up his communal responsibilitie­s and decided to mind only his own business. For instance, you may ask, what is my business with a road-side seller who has decided to pitch his tent at my junction to sell pornographic videos? Well, who do you think is going to buy those videos? Your friends, your sons, your house boys, your neighbours sons, your mechanic, your guard, your laundryman. Who do you think they are going to want to test it out on? Your daughters, your sisters, your girlfriends, or even your wife and possibly every lady you know. The truth is, every sexual vice we permit in the name of liberalism, sophistication and social tolerance will rear its ugly head in a place too close for comfort. The sexual perversion and subtle hints we permit in our movies, music, fashion and wave aside as no big deal, have their manifestations in the sexual vice in the environments we live in. The boys we see in the molestation videos today are a product of several hours and days on end, spent watching all the different forms of pornography, boys who feel the pent-up pressure of the social perversion we permit and now seek release in acts of rape and violence. I fear that sociopaths and psychopaths are soon to manifest in our society, a malaise that plagues the western world that we are so quick to emulate. What can we then do? We may ask how did our demon-believing­ ancestors keep the devil and his cohorts at bay in the dark ages. Why does it seem that our morals were better in the age of darkness than in the age of enlightenment? I will tell you why. When the villages were ravaged by diseases and death, the people would repent and together they would go and swear before their gods that they will not commit offences real or perceived anymore, and the people would hold themselves responsible by ensuring that whosoever grieved the gods were pushed or cast out or killed. This culture however barbaric and archaic, had its social benefit. This cultural mien is today called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). All of us must understand that the solution starts with us all, realizing that we have a responsibility to be our brothers and sisters keepers, understanding that what afflicts one afflicts all. So if your neighbour’s daughter is behaving in an unbecoming manner, it is your responsibility to speak to her and where appropriate, reports to her parents may be required. We still have a lot to learn from the past, and if we were to ask what God’s opinion is about all this… this article will not end. Not all of our cultural heritage is bad, and God’s ways still seem most relevant, let’s not lose it all in the name of selling modern sensuality. My opinion, what is yours? Enjoy

MY LIFE, MY STORY… in 2012 (MY BIRTHDAY MESSAGE)

Funny how life can be, I have been living with this grief and sorrow for over many months and I have decided to hold them back pretending and hoping everything will be fine. I know I am not the first nor I am going to be the last to experience failure, but belief me not, I have experienced some massive failure and draw backs in my life in 2012. My heart confronts me not to write these thoughts of mine down not even to post them to my friends and readers to have a pip into the life I am living and sorrow I have been going through. Actually, it is time to break that silence and cry out those tears stored in my tear bank until I have no reason to cry no more. I have been broken by my failures and I have fallen by my faults, really I need to pick myself up and mend my broken wings, pathetic how most times I see myself as a walking copse, because I see myself failing in most things I get myself involved in, whether; academically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually and what have you. I choose to speak up because so many youths my age are facing similar psychological masturbation and depression and decide to keep it to their hearts and commit vicious act, but I don’t want my story to end that way. Sadly, how I was broken to the point to think that God is interested in punishing me and He careless about me. I am always also confronted by the fear of the future even after believing that I have a bright future set in place to assist my peers and helpless youths and children in the world, I still question my existence and His’ as well. Most times I am being frustrated into cursing the country and putting all blames of my shortcomings as the fault of the government. Every day, I erode my mind with thoughts of becoming successful, I develop the zeal of doing great things but most times I am pushed by my failures into thinking that God is not in support of making me successful either because of my sins or my fathers. This is not the way I want to live my life, sitting on the fence and folding my hands without moving things or making things happen I can beat my chest to repeatedly say. I am now seen as a laughing stock, mockery and tagged as a failure by my peers, friends and foes at school and at home. I have visited so many counselling centres in Lagos and Ibadan, I get the same rather pathetic advice and saying “keep doing what you do, it is just the experience and the storm you are supposed to face, you will end well to be successful in whatever you do…” And I still can’t figure out where the problem is coming from aside from the fact that something is wrong with me. I have heard and read about it, “nothing good comes easy” or “all success stories come with a prize or some challenges”; maybe you all don’t know when I have been on the street hustling or where I am coming from. My family and background is another kind of a rueful story, as we go through some ‘life painful experiences’. Talking about my dad( I will avoid talking about his academic qualification and background because it doesn’t flow with what he is going through today), all I can say is that, he usually sit on a chair located in one of the two rooms in our ‘face me and face me’ apartment, my dad sits there thinking and feeling pathetic about how life is treating him, he even gets frustrated to the point of accusing my mom as a witch responsible for his failure and shortcoming in life, what a gross depression he must be going through(intellectual masturbation I call it, despite his degree of education). He stopped fending for the family and stop paying his children school fees all with the excuse that he invested money in a business that flopped and he has to keep paying debts for the rest of his life, what a pathetic life you may say. Lets stop for now about my dad and begin talks about my mom, she is out there feeding four children of hers, I didn’t say five because one of us who is a lady after me have decided to feed herself and leave the house since she was fifteen(15), don’t ask me what kind of job she is involved in because I am not going to answer, but every day I pray in my mind that God touches her and bring her back into the family(maybe to continue suffering with us) so that my mom can be happy. Back to my mom, she is always stressed out and share in the frustration of my dad’s, even though she pretends to be fine so as not to make us feel sad, I can see them(frustration and unhappiness) in her face as she starts developing a black face with stress on it when things left frying pan to fire in the family. She earns around seventy thousand naira per months from her place of work and she has two kids who are in the university struggling to get a good grade and she have one who recently secure admission into a private college where he can study Education Management, while lastly she has her last kid in a private missionary primary school, I wonder how she can survive. Well, God has being providing and helping her in many ways to be able to get money to finance all her expenses and that of her children. Many a time she console my dad by telling him not to think of money as a problem but should be thankful and happy about the fact that the family has good health, i was almost in doubt of her claim or consoling words when myself and my elder brother had to go through a life and death illness. I can’t say what really happened or caused it but I can say it was God who rescued us and made us alive, my little sister (the last born) is not left out of this ill-fated sickness that has come to rob my mom and the family the last of our happiness and hope. Consequently, before now I use to read books and hear talks that opines that your background shouldn’t stop you from achieving your dreams and living your ideas, but apparently, those sayings seems to be false to me as even after ignoring my background and gathering resources for myself and decided to work on my ideas and my dreams I encountered the biggest failure of my life, ignoring my background and living by the words of some of these sweet talkers. ‘My life!’, I usually exclaim for every little thing that happens, it is very pitiable when I recall all the money, time and academic sacrifice I have put in the line to become successful in the publishing industry, only to lose all of them to challenges that I can’t pinpoint. But I am grateful today that I am alive, hale and healthy coupled with the fact that life has thought me lessons that I cannot forget. Conclusively, this is not a grief message or write-up but an essay filled with hope and great aspirations that the future will be bright for me as I undergo the process of learning life teachings. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME AS I CLOCK 24YEARS OF AGE TODAY MARCH 15 2013.

THE SHORT STORY WAS WRITTEN BY ME ABOUT MY SISTER (BOSE) IN 2005 WHEN SHE BROKE OUT FROM HOME.

THINGS I CAN REMINISCENCE ABOUT MY SISTER The year 1990, Nigeria during the military administration was filled with fraught antecedents. During this time the President General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida was the helmsman from the early 80’s and early 90’s. He was a con-man in his tyrannical dispensation; passing Governmental Policies. Thus the Military era was known for his dictatorship character especially to the democratic minded citizens. However, there was malfeasance and unbridle breach to human right, there was no respecter for fellow citizens in the country. The mentality they have is: “who his this bloody civilian, How dare you challenge me? “ The country was so enmeshed to a point that no man dear speak or write against the free-booter Government in power, they put the journalists and the press to their toes. The Pressmen and the media were so gaunt that many deft and finest journalist and Pressmen had to flee for their dear lives. Do you remember the sordid story of Dele Giwa? And the dauntless Wole Soyinka who almost lost his life to the Government at that era, the concept of armed robbery was newly born and erupting. The economy was dwindling while there was oil boom yet there was poverty in the land. What was in vogue was “Tintinnabulary” Telephone which was most found in the Government quarters in Lagos (i.e. as the then FCT). You also remember the desultory public statement David Mark made:”Telephone is not meant for the Poor; it is for the Rich”. The Military men were like Brawn gods to many Civilians. Then, it was rift for parents to send their sons to the Military so their sons can be in the affairs of the Government, it was as though the Military are the highest paid, most respected and most powerful men in the land. Since the civilians have lost their voice at that era, it was replaced with high lax spate of mundane hip-hop music that could corrupt the Young mind, it was as though there revolution in the air for change, Spearheaded by Fela’s Afrobeat genre of Music. Although, he sings against the Government in Power and yet he was beaten to stupor but never give up in the struggle in advocating for human right and abdicating justice in Government. I could remember the radio station shimmering different old songs on ray power. This particular day of the year which was not different from other days, there was slight woof of zephyr caressing the brown skin of those at Dolphin Estate. My young mind was still childish. In the year 1990, November on the 11th day, the news reached us that mother has given birth and some friends and relatives came over to congratulate her successful delivery. The people of the state were preparing their way to the Christmas eve. As usual the orthodox churches and the new generation churches were organizing Christmas carol concert and other blitheful merry events coming up at this time at very young age was becoming aware of some foreign obscene music. Modernity was beginning to creep into people’s mind. And people are now working hard to get more money and there were blatant misappropriation of Money in the Government in the full oil boom and all vices that one could think of was beginning to be the order of the day. The naira began to depreciate because of the international relations; it was not at par with dollars again. All of a sudden the rain started to cascade and it stopped abruptly. Father with Mother was carrying the baby tenderly, neighbours coming in dotting numbers sauntered in to block 22 block 1 to greet and pray for the new baby girl: “eku ewu omo o”. while the Father respond by saying: “ e se ma… e se sir….e se gan ni”. Thus the brothers seye and I were gleeful frolicking about mischievously. Ayo said: “…we now have sister”. Seye replied:” Yes” with a resorted childish nod. “ we’ll play with her when she grow…”. Some weeks after she was christened ABOSEDE YEMISI RICHARD with a baptismal name GETRUDE, she was cherubic pulchritudinous in nature. she was blemish to the extent that people started calling her Princess. Her immediate younger brother Seye was just a year older. Two months later she was already babbling! She was sharp than her pairs at one years old. She learnt how to stand upright and walk at a very early age. During her one year birth day she was adorned with clothing and style by putting a red spot on her forehead like and Indian and it was indeed apt for her as a child. They celebrated the birthday at her Grandma’s place. The party was known to be a big one for the neighbourhood children at that time, throughout the… (TO BE CONTINUED)

NIGERIA AT 52

Nigeria, a country not a nation as it claims to be celebrates her 52 years of independence from Britain who claims to be the nursing mother of this African country, ironically, a child given birth to since 1960 is expected to have grown up and successfully build a family, but it’s funny how our country is still struggling. It is not a new thing to know that on October 1st every year, Nigeria as a country celebrates her independence, this was a period recorded to be the time the “green white green” flag was raised. I sit wondering and pondering on the present state of my dear country and the journey so far, with great disenchantment and melancholy my mind bothers on what exactly we are celebrating. I believe this date should be tagged a day of sober reflection and an avenue for retreat of both leaders and followers, because I believe both the leaders and people are confused hiding under the shadow and pretense of a nation. With plethora of problems faced today in Nigeria, from the rise of militancy now at Boko Haram, from privatization to corruption, to underprivileged athletes who go around the world without winning any medals, privatization of the oil sector to increased price of fuel among many other issues, we can conclude that the country needs more than just what both the people and leaders are doing. I don’t mean to be cynical about this whole situation or talk about Nigeria, but I believe that if we get our priorities right, we can go beyond a fluctuating economic system, bad road network, corruptions both among government officials and in the academic environment. Nigeria they say is the ‘land of dreams’, but I ask myself, how could one possibly sleep in an atmosphere where explosion hits news headlines every week, or more so, how could I possibly sleep in a country where one sleeps with fear of increased fuel price or tuition fee for education. With a more sober reflection I weep for a country where the people do not govern in a democratic society rather a few people rule and dictate on what the future of Nigeria holds. Conclusively, I humbly sing again the tune of our heroes past ‘God bless Nigeria’.

Was the Nationwide Strike by NLC and TUC Called Off or Sold Out?RICHARD OLUSEYE

Pathetically and sadistically this is coming so soon, I long expect that all these ills will come long before now, maybe my thought was erroneous or their think is off beam. I slept, on my scrappy bed pondering about the drama my country Nigeria is acting for the past few days, I saw how Nigerians where being forced to pick several characterization on the scene in the name of fuel subsidy, some youths mention Arab Spring, while some argued that with will sooner than later occur in Nigeria, some other who are educated with foresight and vision beat their chest claiming that such will never happen in this multi-ethical country called Nigeria. People flagged the occupy Nigeria logo everywhere, in their cars, blackberry Display Picture, Face book Profile picture and wall photo and so on. The drama was as going on as if it were never gonna come to an end. Some Dedicated and fingered Nigerians where carried away, that they belief the time for revolution is here.
I was moved by the crowed that enthusiastically participated in the protest, from Lagos, Ibadan, Kaduna and others. I was poignant and filled with contempt when I noticed some people not coming out for the protest at the expense of other Nigerians who came out. I was wondering, are Nigerians not fighting for the same thing, and then I remembered, that I have not better understanding of what Nigerians are fighting for. So these set of questions began to rollercoaster right in my mind that I can’t still deduce the essence of the protest and nationwide strike. I wondered is it because of the removal of fuel subsidy or incompetence in government or corruption of our government and people that Nigerians are embarking the street amassed all in the name of protest. We have several civil societies coming up to address people and see reason why they should go on strike, it is pathetic that these civil societies successfully lure the market women and traders who manage themselves and family on the daily sales of goods and services, these people I belief depend so well on what they do on daily base to get money. I cannot forget a gentle man who approached me for money all in the name of treating his sick child who needed some drugs and I can’t shy away from the fact that my brother was also ill that my parent had to run hither scatter to get money to take him to the hospital that was billing over 70000naira, during strike! I cannot blame the hospital because I am sure they will have to pay their workers to fend for their families.
Far from this, many Nigerians had to sacrifice their time, job and listen to the appeal of NLC and TUC who jointly agreed that people should embark on strike, roads were scanty, protest ground were ample and people were dedicated, but many fail to understand what this was all about, many people were seen acting based on emotion and many see Nigerians to have woken up, even, international bodies were interested in seeing how everything ends.
As many people feel that the fight between NLC and the government is a fight against corruption many thought that the fight was for the government to reverse fuel price to its initial price. NLC reacted to the government not keeping to its word when government says that the removal of fuel subsidy will commence April. The NLC then said that government better reverse the fuel price to 65naira or nothing, it is however shocking that NLC is a victim of what it preaches against, NLC misled the people and lie to itself.
After long hours of meeting upon meeting that ends in a deadlock, NLC decides to call of the strike January 16, 2012, taking Nigerians for a fool and making many protesters look like a fools. Suffice to note that, many lives were lost in the protest; many citizens are in the hospital bed thanks to enforcing agents, like the Nigerian Police. It is pathetic also that what was brought to the round table by NLC to the government do not include ASSU strike and cut down of government allowance among many other things that the people of Nigeria demands from her government, rather, issue of fuel subsidy or no fuel subsidy was the issue of the day. I am lost to this kind of government and the various organizations that flaunt themselves as fighting for the people, as I have not trust whatsoever for these organization. Before the strike was called off, I had a report from an anonymous source that NLC has received a token from the government of the people to call off the strike, while others belief that the strike was a deliberate action to call for attention and all that, as we find many celebrities coming out to claim that they are against the decision of the government and for occupy Nigeria. Many folks claim they are ready for a revolution in Nigeria, but sadly, I see them not ready, because as we know the Arab spring people are drawing allusion to, was not triggered or done by any Union but rather by youths who feel they can die for a just cause for their country to “revolutionarize”. I have observed with great pain in my heart, that many Nigerians enjoy listing to sentimental words with baseless fact, they don’t only stop there, they allow their emotion to be the judge of their actions. I have watched with enormous lust, that the fight that we need is not against the government but we ourselves, for we make up the government and if we fail to be do away with corruption right from our intellectual capacity to monetary issues, Nigeria will continue to be where it is without growth in development and standard of living.
Let me say this in a conclusive note, that a fool at fifty is a fool forever, I belief Nigeria is old enough note to be fingered or intellectually masturbated. God bless Nigeria

HAPPY CHILDREN DAY FROM A HEART THAT CARES

The 27th of this month of may is a month set aside for total reminiscence, but most people take time out to either reflect or merry!
Once in our lifetime, there comes a stage that is so inevitable, that we never can escape from, this stage is tagged or mostly called the Childs stage.
Once in our lifetime there comes a memory that we do cherish and never want to do away with and that we never want it to fade away. That memory is what we call children memory.
I am very sure those of us who are adult and have misplaced our cherished photos of our childhood, will be ready to pay over a million dollars to retrieve them…..
HAPPY CHILDREN DAY TO ALL CHILDREN OF THE WORLD…
This period that is aforementioned is a very vital stage in every human’s life. It vital because it plays many roles in shaping the future of human person, I will love to make myself clear as much as possible. To great extent, our association as children, our environment our foundation our parent play major role in determining our destiny our future and our later life.
We ought to remember this that children are gift from God, no matter the shape or physical features they are born with; they are real gift of mercy from God. Another basic thing that parent ought to know is that, the tomorrow they clamor for is determined by how they treat their children or wards. It is our basic responsibility as a government as parents and as adult to develop these children in a godly way that they should grow.
In the world today, there are million of children roaming the street without no clear and elusive future or destination all because their predestination has been ridden off or influenced by many factors affecting our community. It is with pain however that I write this piece dedicated to all children of the world, especially the motherless babies, the young teenagers who have been forced into all sorts of crimes and prostitution. I really love them and feel their pain, they should never give up rather they should be strong and use their challenges as ladder to the apex of success and zenith of fulfillment.