I still remembered the first time I travelled by air in my entire life. It was March 2006. I was not anymore fresh out of Secondary School (it was almost 2 years already). However, the admission into the university just seemed not to be coming forth. A door seemed to be opening at the University of Ibadan but I was required to appear at the university in less than 24 hours. The only alternative then was to take the first flight out of Kano the next day.
Tuesday 11 September 2012
Monday 10 September 2012
Voyage to Kano Series 1: UNPATRIOTIC ME
It’s 4:30 pm Sunday and I had just dropped from the bus that conveyed me to the tarmac for my Arik Air flight to Kano. I was particularly glad considering my flight had been rescheduled twice on that day already and I could have missed the flight but for my Uncle’s insistence on dropping me earlier at the airport. I was more ecstatic that I was making a trip back to my “Home” after 8 months. I was clearly in Cloud 9.
As we proceeded for the final security screening before boarding the plane, I noticed the overwhelming presence of some officials and players of the Kano Pillars Football Club also waiting to board. The man just in front of me on the queue turned to a man on a Kano Pillars jacket saying @ “Congratulations”. I cut into the conversation that, “what are you congratulating them for?” The fellow with the massive build, who probably is the coach, chipped in, “We won”. I enquired from him on what they won. “The league”, he replied, albeit uninterestingly. Unknown to me, the Kano Pillars had just won the Nigerian Premier League for the 2011/2012 Season.
He must have felt embarrassed that after a momentous feat as winning the Nigerian Premier League, a fellow Nigerian man could still ask, “Won what?”
For the rest of my flight to Kano, which was routed through Jos,
Friday 1 June 2012
THE TRAVESTY OF A NAME: UNILAG, MAULAG et al
On the 13th
year commemoration of the return of Nigeria back to democratic rule, precisely
on the 29th May, 2012, Nigerians woke up to the jolting announcement
by their Commander-in-Chief that the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has been
renamed the Moshood Abiola University, Lagos (MAULAG). The manner of
presidential (or is it monarchical?)
fiat with which the christening was done brought back to mind, alas with bitter
nostalgia, the days of the uniformed men and goggled faces when orders were
given and decrees were carried out with utmost alacrity without due recourse to
existing laws nor to the prevailing mood and circumstances. It was a phase in
our history, where unpredictability was the order of the day and we basked in
the fear of the unknown.
All that seemed to
change with the advent of the 4th Republic on the 29th of
May, 1999. We rejoiced merely in the fact that our ‘head of state’ from then on
would no more subject us to the harrowing and traumatic experiences of
‘pleasant’ surprises, albeit the guiding arms of the rule ensured that all our
policies, decisions and proceedings are done in a responsible, respectable and
responsive manner. The presence of our 3 arms of government was meant to
function as a check and balance system that would not allow any arm of the
government to arbitrarily overrule the law and take decisions it considers best
in whoever’s interest and in the prevailing circumstances.
Alas, all that seemed
to reverse with the manner President Jonathan renamed the University of Lagos
which coincidentally would be celebrating the Golden Jubilee of her existence
this year. The University of Lagos, I am told is Nigeria’s first Federal
University, considering that others before her were established by Regional
Governments.
Immediately the
announcement was made, the Akokites, as the UNILAG students are famously known,
sprung out in protests against the name change of which the protests have led
to the institution being shut down for a 2 week forced leave. Many notable
Nigerians have commended the President for the noble gesture of honouring President Moshood Abiola, owing more to
the refusal of the greatest beneficiary of the ultimate price that MKO paid,
President Obasanjo, to accord him the honour in the 8 years he headed the
State. This commendation has however, attracted not a few knocks here and there,
especially for the choice of UNILAG as the sacrificial lamb.
While for most students
of MAULAG, their reason for protests is not farfetched as they are finding it
unusually hard being called Moshoodites,
MAULAGites, MAUites
Thursday 26 April 2012
THE ART OF PUBLICITY
This would be
extremely useful for those who work with the marketing and publicity units of
banks, organisations, churches and fellowships.
What is Publicity?
Publicity is gotten from the word ‘Public’.
Publicity is any activity that is done and designed to
increase awareness in something or somebody. It could also be designed as
personal branding to gain more exposure and essentially, more public awareness.
Publicity takes you from the unknown
to become known.
What are different
means of publicity?
·
Mouth to Mouth
·
Paper based – cards, posters, banners,
brochures, newsletters etc
·
Electronic (static) – television adverts, radio
jingles, etc
·
Mobile Media – a procession,
·
Internet based – blogs, Facebook, Twitter etc
How to create a
Publicity Plan?
Monday 23 April 2012
Koye's Blog: A Tribute to My Mother at 50
Koye's Blog: A Tribute to My Mother at 50: My mom was 50 yesterday, and I wrote her the following for her birthday... Please read, and comment if you like what you see... I remem...
Thursday 12 April 2012
THE MUSTARD SEED FAITH
“You didn't have enough faith," Jesus told
them. “I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could
say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing
would be impossible." Matt. 17:20 (NLT)
When Jesus talked about the
seed of mustard as a level of faith, He wasn’t talking more about the littleness
of the seed than He was talking literally about a mountain. Instead, He was
making an analogy of the size of the plant to which the mustard seed grows to
when it is planted.
CULTIVATING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
What comes to your mind when you think of taking risks with your life – driving recklessly, accidents, smoking? These are certainly risky but do not in reality pose enough risk as some of the ‘harmless’ habits or everyday behaviours which in itself might not look a risk but in accumulated amounts, are the leading causes of death in the world. This could include but not limited to unbalanced nutrition, a lack of physical exercise, sleep deprivation, stress build-up et al. Sounds familiar? Yeah, probably part of the reasons why the life expectancy of Nigeria is far lower than that of other developing nations. However, developing a healthy life is a choice we have to make. Share with me this quote from Benjamin Disraeli, former British Prime Minister in the 19thcentury:
“The health of the people is really the foundation upon which all their happiness and all their powers as a State depend.”
In this age of alcohol addictions, fast foods, obesity, the rat race and various kinds of environmental pollution, developing this culture, though difficult, could be easier only if you would EAT, PLAY, RELAX and BALANCE. Yes, it’s that simple.
EAT – build up good energy
To get a better understanding of how our food affects our health, think about the human body as a machine and the food as the fuel. The old adage, you are what you eat, still rings true.The truth is that most of us don't get the "fuel" we need each day to maintain our bodies. We either eat too much of the foods that cause our bodies to give out quickly or don't drink enough fluids to stay properly hydrated.
§ If you eat a variety of foods in the recommended amount throughout the day, you will ensure that your body is getting the food it needs to stay healthy. Everyone can recite
Wednesday 11 April 2012
I DO BELIEVE I AM A WRITER
I do believe I am a writer. I probably have been in this writing business as far back as my late primary school days. I remember how I would take my school’s magazine and write out all the articles and featured presentations on the magazine into my notebook. You would almost have thought I wanted to infringe on my school’s copyright and produce exactly the same stuffs in my own magazine as were featured in my primary school’s magazine.
Anyway, it will be probably more
right to infer that my interest in writing was kindled during that period. I most
likely didn’t start writing anything then. It’s occurring to me now that I was
more interested in improving my writing aesthetics than in writing articles. I really
had a bad handwriting in those days.
In my secondary school days,
precisely in September 2000, I met Uncle Seyi Akinyoyenu, he is my mum’s
younger cousin, which makes him my cousin too. And then I stumbled on his diary
Sunday 8 April 2012
BURNT YAM
I saw this lovely write-up and knew I had to share with you...
When I was a kid, my Mum liked to make food for dinner every now & then.
I remember one night in particular when she made dinner after a long, hard day at work.
On that evening so long ago, my Mum placed a plate of stew and extremely burnt yam in front of my dad.
I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet, all my dad did was reach for his yam, smiled at my Mum and asked me how my day was at school.
I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember hearing my Mum apologize to my dad for burning the yam. I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burnt yam."
Later that night, I went to kiss
When I was a kid, my Mum liked to make food for dinner every now & then.
I remember one night in particular when she made dinner after a long, hard day at work.
On that evening so long ago, my Mum placed a plate of stew and extremely burnt yam in front of my dad.
I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet, all my dad did was reach for his yam, smiled at my Mum and asked me how my day was at school.
I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember hearing my Mum apologize to my dad for burning the yam. I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burnt yam."
Later that night, I went to kiss
Lifestyle
A man was being tailgated by a
stressed out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just
in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though
he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.
The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup.
As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer
The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup.
As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer
Secret to a Happy Married Life:
I once asked
my friend, "What is the secret behind your happy married life?"
He replied, "You should share responsibilities with due love, and respect to each other. Then absolutely there will be no problems.”
He replied, "You should share responsibilities with due love, and respect to each other. Then absolutely there will be no problems.”
I asked,
“Can you explain?” He said, “In my house, I take
decisions o " I asked, "Can you explain?" He said, "In my
house, I take decisions on bigger issues whereas my wife decides on smaller
issues. We do not interfere in each other's decisions." . .
Still
not convinced, I
asked him to give me some examples…
He said,
“Smaller issues like how many kids to have, the neighborhood to live,
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