An Ode to Nigeria (For Country, For You and For Me)

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By Ojonugwa Yahaya.

 

When you continually tell even the most beautiful creature... hmm, maybe even more beautiful than Agbani Darego 🤔... that she is ugly, in no time she may start believing it and even start looking ugly... that is how dynamic nature and human psychology work.

Functional Illiteracy in Nigeria

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by Vanessa Oyiwodu Audu

illiteracy

/ɪˈlɪt(ə)rəsi/

noun

1. the inability to read or write.

2. lack of knowledge in a particular subject; ignorance.

Women's Rights in Conferring Citizenship

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by Emono Bwacha

A citizen of a country is basically someone who has legal ties to that country. One of the most common definitions of citizenship is that it is “the sum total of rights and duties ensuing for a given person by reason of his legal affiliation to a certain State”^[1] The concept of citizenship legally ties an individual to a particular region or country. As a direct result, the individual has obligations to said region or country and in return, the region or country grants the individual rights to enjoy as a citizen.

Happening in September: The 2021 Abuja Literary and Arts Festival

We. Are. Excited. About. #ALitFest21!

The Stress of Being A 'Tomboy'

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I woke up, went to my wardrobe, opened it, and stared at my clothes, wondering what to wear for the day. I have dresses on the right side, shirts in the middle, and sweaters on the left. I looked at the dresses, most of which I had not worn since I bought them, and said yet again, ‘maybe some time in the future’. Then I went through my shirts, and as I touched each one, I knew just what trousers would go with them and what shoes would be perfect for each look. 

The Agony of Water Scarcity

Photo by Tucker Tangeman on Unsplash

THROUGH THE EYES OF OJONUGWA YAHAYA

INTRODUCTION

Located in an atmosphere of serenity and decorated with the rich savannah vegetation, the communal life and practice of trade by barter is still held with great prestige in the community of Ojokpachi-Odo. 

The First Time

Photo by Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition on Unsplash

‘Remember the family from which you are from and be careful with the things you do.’

Ripple Effects of Poverty: Hunger

A young boy leaning on a corrugated Zinc fence.
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Every time I think of poverty in many African communities, I can’t help but mull over how this poverty is experienced on various levels. Thankfully, there is a term that effectively explains this: multidimensional poverty. 

Bad Roads and Poverty: A CASE OF LELEYI GWARI COMMUNITY IN ABUJA

Cars struggling on a bad road.
Image Credit: Guardian Nigeria Newspaper

By Ojonugwa Yahaya from HipCity Innovation Centre

In every given geographical area occupied by a population of people, either large or small, the first thing that indicates the presence of said people is an access road. Road is very important to human development, and their importance cannot be overemphasized.

Addressing Workplace Harassment

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For some reason, the thought of a former colleague came to mind. And it was followed by such immense disgust that I had to take long, deep breaths to calm myself.

The God Complex of the Old

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In many African countries, young people are raised to have respect for their elders. However, the kind of respect that is expected borders on complete deference, creating a situation where, by default, older people are almost always assumed to be right on all issues, while younger people are expected to acquiesce to their views, choices, and decisions in favor of the more ‘mature’ ones of the old.

Bleeding Trees

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There is this lane that leads to my office in Abuja. It is serene, with a canopy of trees from the sidewalks and road divider joining together to cover the road. It is beautiful, but beyond that, it gives me so much pleasure – and dare I say, calmness – whenever I pass the road. To see those trees shading the streets and pavements, and knowing they provide succor to people, animals, birds, and other living organisms, just fills my lungs with goodness…or just clean oxygen.

A Rookie's Mistake

From the moment I finished my film directing course at the Royal Arts Academy in Lagos, Nigeria, I have been introducing myself as a filmmaker…along with the other titles I like to describe myself as. Yet, four years since I earned that certificate, I do not have any film — short or feature — to my name.

Flip The Switch

Image Credit: Men's Health

Edikan felt Ama turn in her sleep as she gained consciousness. He had listened to her troubled sleep – marked by her slight snoring – for the past hour, even though his back remained turned to her. Their fight last night had been the worst in the six months they had been dating. And for the first time since he moved into her apartment, they had slept on opposite ends of the bed.

‘Silent Treatment’ May Not Be About You

Image Credit: The Independent

When discussing communication with people, there is almost a general consensus among discussants that the best way to solve a problem is by talking about it. It is believed to be the mark of emotional maturity to verbally resolve issues as amicably as possible. When someone is unable to talk about issues of discontent in the approved manner – calmly, without anger or rancor, or immediately – they are classified as either emotionally immature, abusive, controlling or a combination of all.

Cancel Culture

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If you have been using social media for any length of time, it is quite possible that you have heard (or used) the term, ‘Cancel Culture’. Like ‘misogyny’, ‘patriarchy’, ‘feminism’, ‘human rights’, this phrase is one of the buzz words of this generation that gets thrown around when heated socio-cultural issues are being debated – or fought over – on social media. It has become so predominant that many dictionaries now carry a definition for the phrase.

So, what is cancel culture? Dictionary.com has one of the more encompassing definitions.

My Inspiration Wall

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I remember walking into a radio station in Abuja for an interview. When I got to the green – or waiting – room, I was pleasantly surprised by the surrounding wall that had pictures of many icons on it; Martin Luther King, Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Fela, and a host of others. As I basked in memories of the work each person had contributed to humanity, I began to notice something that gradually dropped the smile from my face: there were hardly any women on that wall.

Cherry Blossom - A Collage by Othy

Arunsi Othniel Fortune, better known as Othy, has put out a collage of poems called Cherry Blossom.

Pay That Money

Image: The Guardian Nigeria

I am constantly seeing people rant on social media about the debtors in their lives. It is so common place that I don’t think one week goes by without one person or the other getting called out for owing money.

Overcoming Low Self-Esteem

Gima Okhiulu delivering her speech at the Half the Sky Speech Contest in Akure, Ondo State.

  By Gima Okhiulu

We attended Half the Sky, a speech contest commemorating the International Day of the Girl Child in Akure, Ondo State, and it was at this event that we met Gima Okhiulu, a student from the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) Group of Schools in the State. Gima was amazing with her storytelling, linking each of her points to the next in a way that just made you stay glued to what she was saying. And because of how well she delivered her speech, we gave her a cash prize and promised her a spot on the blog for any article of her choice. Here is Gima’s piece on her struggles with low self-esteem.

Low self-esteem is like a silent destiny killer in the lives of growing kids, especially girls. A lot of unfulfilled destinies can be attributed to this ‘plague’.