The Nation Newspaper

Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

  • Foundation rates conservation awareness low

    The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has described the level of awareness on natural resource conservation among Nigerians as very low.

    Its Programme Lead, Green Recovery Nigeria and Forest Programme, Mr. Adedayo Mahmud has, therefore, urged wildlife stakeholders to embark on grassroots advocacy to raise the level of awareness in nature conservation work.

    Mahmud who spoke with reporters  during the  commemoration of this year’s  International World Wildlife Day in Lagos, noted that most people were yet see cogent reasons for nature conservation which he attributed to  lack of proper knowledge and understanding.

    Mahmud stated that the Day is an advocacy opportunity for engaging local people and relevant stakeholders to support wildlife conservation efforts worldwide.

    He identified the Endangered Species Act, National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species as relevant laws governing wildlife conservation in the country.

    According to him, Nigeria is a signatory to many international treaties for wildlife conservation, such as the Convention on Biodiversity. He pointed out that one of the major challenges of wildlife is that most of the laws are obsolete and weak, stressing that the capacity for enforcement is weak as there is also lack of political will on the part of government.

    He tasked relevant institutions to ensure that wildlife resources are properly conserved so as to function effectively.

    He stated that the country has seven National Parks and numerous Game Reserves, such as Yankari Game Reserve, saying the government has the capacity to do more than it is doing.

    He said: “But the truth is nature conservation is big business and hugely capital-intensive venture. Therefore, government cannot do it alone and needs to encourage the private sectors to participate. We need public private partnership and collaborations to be able to effectively manage our national parks and the game reserves in the country as is being done in East and Central Africa.

    “It will be a shame and a great loss to humanity if Pangolins are allowed to go into extinction due to ignorance, greed among other issues. Pangolins are an integral component of the ecosystem, food chain and web of life where they play vital roles in evolution and ecological well-being of the planet earth. The delicate biological equilibrium will be distorted with grave consequences for human kind should Pangolins go extinct”.

    According to him, “Nigeria still has forest guards. The number of forest guards is grossly inadequate to effectively police our forest estates and the resources therein. We should also be talking about the effectiveness of the forest guards in terms of how well they are equipped to function as they should. The truth is that our forest guards are ill-equipped to deliver on the job mandates. They are also not well motivated as many of them don’t receive patrol and hazards allowances that they are statutorily entitled to. All of these rub off on their productivity. There are lots of risks and hazards associated with the job of a forest guard.”

    He advised the government and policy makers to ensure there were adequate pronouncements in support of wildlife conservation efforts.

    “Nigeria has never and is yet to take full advantage of the potentials of tourism resources as it should have done to enhance income generation abilities, potentials and opportunities that abound in the sector. Tourism can best be described as evolving. Government has established a coordinating Ministry and the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation to coordinate tourism resources development. Government needs to invest more to develop the sector and encourage public private partnership as well as corporate sponsorship to develop the sector.

    “The advocacy on pangolin is to raise awareness and inspire positive action in aid of pangolin conservation wherever they still remain in the wild.

    “The World Conservation Union (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has developed a Red List of Threatened Species) to guide global conservation efforts. It is difficult to rate one animal over another on the list. We should step up our efforts to prevent further extinctions of species. There are structured already in place but there is no synergy cooperation to effectively address national cause,” he said.

  • Nigeria loses another world class curator

    Barely one month after the death of Nigeria’s renowned independent curator and Founder Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos, Ms Bisi Silva, Nigeria has lost yet another renowned curator Okwui Enwezor, 55. He died of cancer, which he has been battling for years.

    According to Artnews, Enwezor, whose incisive, free-thinking and ambitious exhibitions were essential in pushing the art world to embrace a global view of contemporary art and art history.

    Among the first to share news of his passing was the Venice Biennale, whose 56th edition he curated in 2015.

    Enwezor was the first African-born curator to organize the Biennale, a show that began in 1895, and the first non-European to oversee Documenta, the every-five-years exhibition in Kassel, Germany, which he staged in 2002. That latter show, Documenta XI, defined his curatorial sensibility: venturesome, unabashedly intellectual, and intent on rethinking how institutions operate.

    In the run-up to the opening of Documenta in June of 2002, Enwezor presented what he termed platforms—conferences, seminars, and other projects—in Berlin, Vienna, New Delhi, St. Lucia, and Lagos, Nigeria, and for the main exhibition he showcased artists from beyond Europe and the United States, which had historically dominated the affair.

    Discussing his career with Melissa Chiu at the Asia Society in New York in 2014, he said, “When I started, I always had what I thought was a change agenda.” He worked tirelessly over the course of more than 30 years to fulfill that mission, shaping, indelibly, the way art is presented and taught.

    READ ALSO: Art amazon Bisi Silva is dead

    “He was one of the leaders of, let’s call it, the free curatorial world, one of the people who believed in intelligence and scholarly research and passion and the power of the curatorial,” Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, the director of the Castello di Rivoli in Turin, Italy, and curator of Documenta 13 in 2012, said by phone this morning.

    Curator Cuauhtémoc Medina said on Twitter that Enwezor “was a major force of contemporary culture. His achievement as curator of some of the most important global exhibitions of the last decade punctuated the emergence of the South as a global cultural movement.”

    Enwezor was born in Calabar, Nigeria, in 1963, and grew up in Enugu. He moved to New York in 1982 and earned his undergraduate degree in political science from what is now New Jersey City University. He wrote and performed poetry, and like so many in that field, soon found his way into art criticism. In the early 1990s, he began curating shows regularly, and in 1994, while based in Brooklyn, he co-founded Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art.

    Asked about that name in an interview with the Vitra Design Museum, Enwezor said he was “searching for a term that projected an aesthetic horizon, but would also constitute a forum of ideological resistance.” He explained that Nka, “in Igbo, the language I grew up with in Eastern Nigeria, means to create, to make, to invent. It also means art. Then in Basaa, a language in Cameroon, Nka means discourse. People oftentimes ask me, ‘When was the first time you went to a museum?’ As if a museum is the only space where one encounters art! Calling the magazine Nka was a way of disarming this particular notion.”

    In 1996, Enwezor organized “In/Sight: African Photographers, 1940 to the Present” at the Guggenheim Museum’s location in the SoHo section of Manhattan, featuring 30 artists, including canonical figures like Seydou Keïta, of Mali, and Samuel Fosso, of Nigeria. Max Kozloff, writing in Artforum, said that the show “broke ground here, offering practically all its subjects a U.S. debut” and Holland Cotter, in the New York Times, termed it a “mandatory stop.”

  • Hymnodia to boost religious tourism with hymns

    Founder of Hymnodia Lagos, Kufre Ekanem has expressed optimism over the role of hymns in advancing Nigeria’s religious tourism across globe.

    Ekanem said Hymnodia Reality Show will be aired regularly on Lagos Television every Sunday till April 25,  at 4: pm.

    Already, he disclosed that Royal School of Church Music (RSCM} has entered into a partnership arrangement aimed at supporting 14 hymntestants for a year course in United Kingdom.

    According to Ekanem, RSCM has a mandate to set standard for church music around the world, noting that this is a helpful contribution for Hymnodia team to accept responsibilities to keep the standards.

    READ ALSO: 14 contestants make final list for Hymnodia

    In a recent chat, Ekanem who is also the Managing Director, Philosoville Ltd said “It is pertinent to note that  countries like Canada, Scotland and England are ready to partner with the non-denomination activities known as  Hymnodia; by so doing, audience will explore the nation’s tourism destinations. We have entries in India United States, UK and from other parts of Africa”.

    Speaking further, Ekanem said “we are going to sing hymn in a way that it would be entertaining, educating and edifying. The whole essence of Hymnodia is to reignite the culture of hymn singing, hymn writing and hymn making.

    He noted that they use the classes to have them sing hymns, write hymns, create hymns, adding at every stanza they performed for live audience strive to see, that they could be vote and win the Asaph.

    Ekanem said that Asaph which is a specially created trophy named after David Chief Choir Master in the bible, comes with five million Naira cash and a brand new car.

    “One person can win the prize every year”, he said.

    “Most of the sounds in the bible that are generally called the psalms of David were written by Asaph wholot who was his chief choir master. It shows that people write the sound and that it was written by human beings. We have chosen to honor him with prize of the Hymnodia competition.

    “Along this fact, 14 hymntestants came from diverse part of the country and they came from different denominations but the diversity is there.   Hymns, worships, God are the three constant things, he pointed out.”

    The show witnessed Country Director of RSCM Mr. Sunday Olawuwo, Onyeka Onwenu as well as Dupe Igekachi as panelists.

    He identified rhyming, synthetic discipline among others as different dimensions of hymn discipline, reiterating, hymns, worships and God himself are three things that are constant.

    Narrating how the Hymnodia idea started, he said “I have been thinking of Hymnodia for 10 years. I later presented the idea with friends and built it up. With the demands of my earlier career in the corporate world, I couldn’t do well that time. However, due to the passion I have, I took a break from the corporate world to start Hymnodia”, Ekanem said.

     

     

  • ‘Why I pound yam at Mama Afrika Restaurant, Newark’

    As a new corner in New Jersey with a base in Newark and having been treated to various foods at Popeyes, MacDonald, Wendy’s and the Chinese, there was hunger for a taste of pure African meal. Interestingly, cold weather seemed to have given one away as a ‘Jonny Just Come’.

    The hotel’s meals, though of buffet continental breakfast, are not different from those ones at the fast food dispensing shops.

    So, where is the place in Newark, where one can eat a truly homely meal?

    I made few calls to some Nigerians who provided me some options. “There are different menus, but as an Ekiti man, your best bet is Iya Ekiti at Ellis Junction, Irvington. Just find your way to Ellis Avenue Junction, Irvington in Newark. The woman is the only one that pounds yam, as in pounding yam in a real sense,” one of them said.

    Without wasting more time, I walked to the taxi park, engaged the cabman who happened to be from Haiti. “I know the place. Mama Afrika Restaurant. You are from where in Africa?”

    “From Nigeria,” I announced proudly.

    “That woman knows how to cook African food. I am her regular customer and I do convey many whites, you know those whites that marry blacks there. Sure Restaurant,” the cabman said.

    Nothing gave out the house as a restaurant, except for the cars parked beside and in front of it as well as the many winter coats hung at the hanger as one entered the flat.

    Whatever one missed outside was available inside the flat – a crowd of people eating, discussing Nigerian politics over bottles of beer and food while a group, including a lawyer, with bottles of exotic wines, brandy and whisky on their table was deep in discussion.

    As the centre bar filled up, I secured a place at the inner room, where very few customers were discussing on how best they could breakthrough in their cabbie business.

    I made an order of pounded yam. I emphasised that I needed pounded yam not poundo yam, (remember I have been told, which I don’t even believe).

    The lady, Tomi, nodded. I re-affirmed: “Pounded yam please, (making a gesture of a pounding act).” She confidently said: ‘Yes.’

    Being unable to buy a bottle of my stuff, I ordered for three pints of Double Black on Ice. And within 15 minutes, a bowl of pounded yam was placed before me with a chilled bottle of coke. Sincerely, the yam was pounded. Yes, pounded. I could feel the texture, the freshness and the steam.

    Iyan Ololo in Newark! I smiled. And the stage shifted to who prepared it. “Ma, I am surprised that I am eating real pounded yam here, right in the US. I thought you were going to serve me pounded yam or machine tilled pounded yam.

    “Not at all since you demanded pounded yam – the one pounded in the mortar and beaten with pestle, it is our speciality here. Although we serve poundo yam too, it depends on your order,” said the woman, later identified as Mrs Dupe Ogundare.

    Why do you think it is necessary to carry mortar and pestle all the way from Nigeria to Newark because you want to sell pounded yam when there are machines and poundo yam?” I asked.

    Ogundare replied: “I think what is worth doing at all is what doing well. Pestle and mortar is the traditional instrument meant to pound yam. That is why I am a traditional cook and restaurateur, having sold food in Ibadan and served at The Polytechnic, Ibadan Guest House.  You know there are some people whose preference is yam pounded with a mortar. The only instrument I know which is for pounded yam is pestle and mortal. So, it is a normal thing for me to carry it to wherever I am practising this trade. Look, my brother, any Nigerian restaurant without pestle and mortar is not a Nigerian restaurant. Do you know that no matter how small the mortar is, our Igbo brother will have to talk of me. A typical Ekiti woman born into the art of cooking good food? And you know, in Ekiti land, pounded yam is the king of all food and it is mixed and pounded in a mortar with a pestle.”

    What value has the pounding added to your outfit?

    “Look, you are one of the values our act of pounding yam has deserved and added to this place. You came here purposely because of the information that you can get the real pounded yam here. That is why you boarded a taxi to feel it yourself and thank God, you saw it, felt and tasted it. What more value can I use to indicate this? Also, it is not the same as poundo yam. And I am informing you that that has been the niche for this restaurant, Mama Afrika Restaurant or Mama Iyan Ekiti,” she added.

    Also, is the pounded yam served with only vegetable soup?

    “Please follow me and let me show you some of the varieties of stews and soups we have here (we left for the kitchen). We serve with various types of soup as you can see egusi, ogbono, vegetable, okro, edikaikon, fisherman soup, Ofe Owerri, ila lasepo, ewedu and gbegiri, just to show you that here you will have the best,” she said of the varieties of soup.

    When asked which is her trade name Mama Afrika or Mama Iyan Ekiti pounded yam, she said both adding that Mama Afrika is the name registered with the State of New Jersey but my customers call it Iya Ekiti Pounded Yam Centre just because of the pounded yam.

    Is this restaurant all about pounded yam? Mrs Ogundare: “You are just asking that question for asking sake. You saw that man eating amala with abula, look at the man beside us, eating eba and the other person here having rice and dodo. We cook for parties and events. We are the major cook for most of the leading African churches here for any event. The fact is that, people believe that for you to have that traditional food cooked with the best of traditional ingredients and seasoning like iru and efinrin, Mama Afrika, opposite Ellis Avenue Junction, Irvington in Newark is the best. And it is, or is it not? she proudly asked. And I concurred: “It is ma, Mama Afrika Restaurant, Irvington New York, Is It. I testify.’’

     

  • Multi-million naira Lagos community project under threat

    In this report, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME writes that serial burglaries at the Prince Claus fund sponsored multi-million naira workstation at Iwaya, Yaba, Lagos, Mainland are threatening the project.

    •Facility looted four times since August

    A multi-million naira Workstation of Communal Re-Imagination, Iwaya, Lagos, a project funded by Prince Claus Fund, is under threat. The multipurpose space that provides alternative art school for the youth of Iwaya community has been burgled  four times since its inception last August.

    The first two burglaries occured last October 24 and 25. Some people allegedly broke into the workstation through the window and ceiling and carted away valuable items, such as bead works by participants, materials for bead workshop and paints bought for the space. Bulks of the books destroyed were donated to the library by an artist Abraham Ogbobase who relocated to Canada last year. Some of the books and artworks destroyed and stolen include InterInvention by Wole Soyinka,  Lagos Street Maps Unifying Africa by Uche James Iroha,  The Contemporary Art Book by David Hodge And Charlotte Bonham- Carter  Lagos: A City At Work by Kunle Tejuosho (Glendora Books),  We Face Forward ( Art Form),  Techniques Of Photography by Available Light by Colin Glanfield,  Limbus- Saara Estrom by Kiasama, Between Man And Nature by Sunmi Smart Cole,  Time Frames (The Story Of Photography) by Ian Jeffrey and Element of Philosophy by B. E Nwigwe.

    The project is worth about 20,000 Euro and will last for one year.

    Executive Director, Workstation of Communal Re-Imagination, Aderemi Adegbite, who raised the alarm, said in a statement that the latest attack on the facility was on January 29, when almost all the books were destroyed and thrown outside the workstation.

    He said going by the spate of attacks and vandalisation of the workstation, it was clear that those behind the attacks were on a mission. Their intent, he added, is to stop ‘’us from using the space for the purpose for which it was built, which is education. They know that without the books and materials, we will not be able to do anything and thereby get frustrated’’.

    Communal Re-Imagination was conceived and proposed by Mr. Aderemi Adegbite, for the Next Generation Project of Prince Claus Fund, to  help engage the minds and hands of youths in the community. The workstation was built as part of the project as a meeting point for participants and other youths in the community, who are creative and talented.

    Adegbite, an interdisciplinary artist, who works with media photography, is very depressed about the losses. He said his main reason for creating the project was to show youths that there are other means of making life meaningful.

    He recalled that his challenges started when he reported last October’s attacks to the traditional head of Iwaya community, who summoned other chiefs for explanation. He noted that the traditional ruler advised him not to report to the police because a “formal report at the police station will not solve the problem, because the workstation is built in a volatile section of the community, where the police will not even bother themselves to go to.”

    “Two Baales who attended the meeting said to the king that before they could reckon with the project, I must pay N500,000 to them as bribe. My response was that the project was conceived and created for the community to complement what the community leaders are doing in the community by re-channelling the untamed youth energy in the community through art. They all said they understood the motive behind the project, but I still must make the payment for them to fully endorse the project. I made them realise that the funding received from Prince Claus Fund has been used to build the space, so it could be useful for the project and as well the community. But they were adamant,” he said.

    On the third break-in, Adegbite recalled:”When we arrived at the workstation on November 13, 2018, we realised that some of the books in our library were missing. Project manager of Communal Re-Imagination, Taiwo Ayeidogbon, asked participants if they took some of the books home for research and they all said no. So, we were disturbed by the number of books that were missing on the book shelves. We searched every corner of the workstation and saw some book covers in the dustbin. It was appalling the number of books that had been destroyed overnight. The contents of the books were taken away and the covers were dumped in the dustbin.”

    Adegbite stated that he reported the burglaries to two of the three Baales (chiefs, sectional community leaders) who are fully aware of the project from the inception and they promised to look into it. But, that after two days, three Baales were summoned to the palace and were acquainted with the theft case.

    “At the beginning of the project, I met with the Oba-in-Council (King-in-Council) to inform them about the grant and what the project was all about. I was asked series of questions by the king and the chiefs present at the meeting. I explained to them in details all about the project phases and payment procedures by the funding organisation – Prince Claus Fund. Their major concern at that time was about raising fund to build a proper space for the school project and the property that could be used. This was because there is no community owned property in Iwaya community.

    “In fact, some of them mentioned the fact that there is no community cultural centre and therefore it would stress the fund meant for the project because a lot of unforeseen payments have to be made. I assured them that I already have a space I started developing four years ago but couldn’t develop it beyond foundation level and it will be used for the workstation, which will be built as a multipurpose space where the alternative art school project will take place and other community events. And the workstation was built for that purpose. In September 2018, there was Iwaya Community Celebration, I was made the Chair-of-Art/Cultural events. The workstation was used for rehearsals and meetings for the Regatta that was part of Iwaya Community Day celebration. And all the chiefs visited The Workstation during this event in September 2018,” he added.

    On the latest attack, he said: “On 29th January, I received a call from the workstation Manager, Olufela Omokeko, that our library has been once again attacked and almost all the books destroyed this time and thrown outside the workstation.”

    It will be recalled that the image of the community changed from its infamous hoodlum ridden status in the recent time because of the community art projects. In 2015, Adegbite started his community art projects in Iwaya as an alternative engagement for the young people to see and choose alternative means of life through art. In 2016, he created a community-based international art festival to help the youth shun violence and embrace art.

    The international artists invited for Iwaya Community Art Festival, for one month, lived and carried out research in collaboration with the youth in the community. Between 2016 and last year, the festival hosted 13 international artists from Africa, Europe, South America and Middle East.

     

     

  • NGO tackles sexual abuse

    It was a fun-filled afternoon, with education and enlightenment on sex last Wednesday, when a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Impact Her Initiative (IHI), hosted students and other young women to a special Valentine treat, with the theme: “Pas A Girl (PAG) this Valentine’.

    The event held at Mabchris Comprehensive College, Surulere in Lagos State.

    The girls had the opportunity to ask questions about sex and other matters arising in that line. They went home with sanitary pads, among other gifts.

    The afternoon also featured talk on feminine hygiene.

    IHI founder, ChiomaUwando, said the event was aimed at educating the girls on sex and to prevent them from teenage pregnancies as well as other societal influences.

    Read also: Our Girls; Election, what election? Stop Sexual Abuse – ‘Do No Harm’

    She urged female youths to pursue their dreams, beautify themselves and be confident in what they do; noting that unprotected sex among youths is a bitter occurrence that is prevalent and should be prevented.

    “During Valentine season, lots of activities happen, such as lovers’ retreat, and lovers’ day. Whenever girls hear the word ‘                Valentine’, they should know that they love themselves before that day. As these young girls are growing and becoming teenagers, they will soon experience puberty, they might be misled by societal influences but that is why this program has been brought up to guide them aright and to impact knowledge in the society.”

    The guest speaker, Lydian John, an actress, urged the girls not to be carried away by what they see, but rather that they should focus on how they want to be seen.

    She added that they should beware of everyone around them and never let themselves be lured into sexual abuse.

    Another speaker, Brenda Nwafor, told the girls how to take care of themselves. She said IHI also enlightens people on self-employment, skills empowerment, how to take good care of their body and become responsible in the society.

    She stressed the need for parents to educate their girls on sex, noting that would make them know everything about it rather than be taught from outside.

     

  • The politics of priorities

    A few days after the elections I was with a friend, and we were talking about our great nation Nigeria.He was visibly upset especially at the youth of the country. According to him ‘can you imagine that in Lagos state a whole Lagos state, we had less than 1 million people come out to vote but when it was time to go for auditions for Big Brother Nigeria, did you see the crowd? They were even fighting to get in, but when it was time to vote for their future leaders they stayed at home. I listened earnestly to my friend, and after he expressed his grievances I smiled and gave a light shrug, and tried to change the topic of discussion.

    This upset him even more, ahahhn aren’t you a life coach he blurted out? Shouldn’t this bother you?This time around I laughed and shared my thoughts with him. The thoughts are what I have decided to title ‘the politics of priorities’

    When I was going through training to become certified as a Life coach, the first thing I was taught by my instructor was never to judge anybody. In practice having coached people from all walks of life I have discovered this to be helpful because everyone is doing the best with what they have. This is exactly why I couldn’t be upset at the Nigerian youth like my friend.

    I listened to my friend and all I could see was a difference in priorities, and no one should be judged or bashed for their priorities.

    Every action or inaction taken by us is fueled by what we have been given. What we have been given therefore forms our priorities and this ultimately influences our actions.

    PRIORITIES this simple word is what is responsible for so many things today. E.g the state of a nation is as a result of the priorities of it’s leaders; the yearly profit of an organization is directly proportional to the priorities of the staff of the organization; the quality of spouse you marry is a result of the priorities you look out for in the choice of a life partner. The reason why Lagos had more young people going out to contest for Big Brother Naija and less turn out for votes is a result of the priorities of the people.

    The difference between where you are now and where you ought to be is a function of your priorities.

    In simple terms priority is something that is regarded or treated as more important than others. The truth is that in life we are all running different scripts and how our scripts play out is dependent on our priorities. Our priorities have the power to subtly make or break us.

    Many of us are living below potential, because of our priorities. Without priorities you end up running around chasing what you think you want instead of what you need.If you think you are currently living below par ask yourself the following questions:

    -Determine what your priorities are

    -Examine your priorities

    -Challenge your priorities by asking yourself questions about them e.g at what point did this become my priority, who taught me to make this a priority?

    Priorities are the best kept secret of successful people, priorities encourage focus, having priorities help you focus on what you is important to you at every moment. With priorities you are able to organize your life, organize your needs and organize your wants. Priorities also help you wean out distractions, you easily save time with your priorities in case this is because you spend time chasing what you need instead of what you think you want. If you live in a metropolitan city like Lagos or Newyork, you should know that having your priorities in place relieve you of stress.

    I like to tell my clients that there are no right or wrong priorities, there are no good or bad priorities, when setting priorities what matters essentially is you and your goals, or the results you want out of life.

    Here are some tips to help you set priorities that work for you. Ask yourself the following questions

    –            What are my top five priorities

    –            How much time and energy do I devote daily, weekly, monthly to this priorities

    –            Are my priorities empowering me or limiting me

    –            Do I need to change or re-organise my priorities?

    –            If I continue with this priorities in the next three years, will I be proud of my life or will I be ashamed of my life

    For more enquiries on how to change your life through setting priorities please follow me on Instagram @coachgbemz or e-mail me at gbemieobadan@gmail.com

    Remember to change your life, there must be a shift in your priorities, be brutally honest with yourself and daily challenge yourself to set priorities that empower you.

  • Will you pay attention if I say “Please”?

    Betty was excited that her husband had returned from work. She had a lot to tell him, ranging from her day at work to the issues the children had in school. Unfortunately, Fred wasn’t in the mood for any of that. He had a tough day and needed to free his mind from everything by watching a game of football. Betty tried to show how much she cared by asking him about his day at work. For Fred, however, that was the worst conversation he could have at that time, so, he managed a few incoherent statements while keeping his eyes “glued” to football game on the television.

    Since it was obvious that Fred wasn’t ready to share his “day-time” experiences, Betty would readily share hers. So, she started her narration. After a few “hum”, “really”, “ok” responses from Fred, she was certain he hadn’t heard her at all in the last 10 minutes. “Fred, did you hear what I just said?” She asked. “Of course darling, you said…” Fred was once again lost in his game so he didn’t complete his sentence. “Fred!” She called. “Yes dear?” “You weren’t listening!” “Of course I was, I just told you what you said,” he defended. “No you didn’t,” she said. “Ok, please give me a few minutes. I will give you my undivided attention during the halftime,” Fred pleased.

    Finally, it was halftime and Betty started her story again. “Like I was trying to say earlier, I just discovered this morning that the…” “One minute dear,” Fred interrupted, “Francis told me about this commercial at the office and I promised to look out for it”. After the commercial, Fred said, “I’m sorry dear, you were saying…” “No! I was TRYING to say that…” Then there was the sound of a phone ringing. Fred looked around for his phone but couldn’t find it. He frantically moved books, papers, etc until he found his phone. “Hello Billy,” Fred said. “What, he commented on my blog post? That is crazy! And how many likes do I have now? Wow, I’ll check it right away.” All the while, Betty looked on helplessly.

    After the blog post episode, Fred said, “I’m so sorry darling. So, what happened to the kitchen knife?” He was trying to be nice. “Never mind the kitchen knife. There is a major plumbing problem in our room. The bathtub is…” Betty stopped because Fred had sheepishly raised a finger in objection. “What is it this time?” She asked. “May I use the bathroom?” Betty was exasperated but she let him go. A few minutes later, Fred walked into the room while chatting on Whatsapp. In frustration, Betty screamed, “Will you pay attention if I say ‘Please’?” Fred was shocked by the outburst, so he dropped his device and settled down quietly to listen to his wife. But before she could get a statement out, Fred said, “Sweetheart, will you mind terribly if we continue this conversation after the game? The halftime is over.”

    There used to be a time when the problem was lack of information. In this age, however, the problem is information overload. We are told that the term “information overload” was coined by Bertram Myron Gross, an American social scientist, in his 1964 book titled, “The Managing of Organizations: The Administrative Struggle”.  If too much information truly exists, then there must be some direct or indirect consequences. Dr. Marsden, citing Miller’s Law, stated that the “maximum number of pieces of information a human brain can handle concurrently is seven.” If this is true, don’t you think we have a lot of problems today? Too many things are fighting for our attention, yet we can’t attend to all of them at the same time if we must be effective. Marsden also claimed that greater stress and poorer health are linked to information overload. It makes sense, therefore, for people to develop a sorting process through which they determine what is important and what is not. You must take responsibility for what you pay attention to; and whatever you choose to pay attention should be what will profit you.

    Thanks for reading my article today. I would really love to hear from you. So, do share your views with me by sending SMS to 07034737394, visiting www.olanreamodu.com and following me on twitter @lanreamodu. Remember, you are currently nothing compared to what you can become. This can be your year if you want it to be!

     

  • British Council, others battle female genital mutilation in Osun

    With the intention to eliminate the practice, UnCUT Initiative and the British Council and Action Health Incorporated (AHI) have joined forces to fight female genital mutilation (FGM).

    They have embarked on a social intervention drive in five communities in Ola-Oluwa Local Government Area of Osun State – Tankoka, Aba Omooba, Olupo, Manlaye and Ile-Ogo in Asa village.

    The initiative is meant to ensure that young women across high-risk communities are free from FGM practice and in full protection of their rights through proper implementation of the Anti-FGM policy.

    FGM, according to the Project Director of the UnCUT Initiative, Dolapo Olaniyan, is harmful and a gross violation of human rights, and the host communities during the intervention unanimously agreed to discontinue the practice.

    UnCUT Initiative Project Director Dolapo Olaniyan, during the declaration, expressed joy in the successful implementation of this public declaration. She further stated the various hurdles the project had faced in the communities and why advocacy had to be intensified.

    Read also: INEC: 63 card readers missing in Bayelsa

    “Last year, I got reports from one of the Anti-FGM champions about a month-old baby that was circumcised in Ile-Ogo community.  This sparked a new drive in me to support the champions in carrying out strict advocacy in these regions.  I am happy we achieved this was and I hope other communities in the state will follow suit,” she said.

    The declaration, which was supported by the British Council, Action Health Incorporated and the New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative (NIGAWD), had in attendance the Chairman of the local government, Hon. Oyediran Asimiyu, traditional rulers and chiefs from the host communities.

    It was made possible through the cooperation of anti-FGM Champions – Oyebamiji Olalekan, Ogundipe Abass, Adesina Kikelomo, Isa Sekinat, Akeeb Monsurat and Makinde Bolaji and perpetrators which constituted quack doctors and traditional birth attendants. All stakeholders signed the social agreement, which clearly stated that they were aware of the adverse effects of FGM, its implication by law and support advocacy against it.

    At the end of the declaration, certificates of recognition were given to the anti-FGM champions for their great commitment towards ending female genital mutilation in the state.

    They were also admonished by traditional rulers to put in more efforts in reaching other practicing communities across the state, by working hand-in-hand with other anti FGM champions.

    The initiative was in commemoration of the United Nations International Day of Zero Tolerance for female genital mutilation yearly.

  • Face of Nigeria Beauty queen to save lives

    The overall winner of the 2018 ‘Face of Nigeria Beauty Contest,’ Miss Joy Nguma, is out to save lives.

    Joy, who was crowned the best among four others, in a highly contested pageant that saw over 20 contestants drawn from across the states, which  was organised by Angelz Eyes Communication, sees her crown as a call to duty and not for show.

    The well-determined beauty queen, shortly after winning the crown, established a foundation  – Joy Nguma Foundation.

    The foundation is a platform built to enhance community health care by providing free medical services and potable water supply to rural communities, quality education to children and young people who are less than 18, and empowerment for women.

    Other things include, giving hope to prisoners and rehabilitating drug addicts as well as rape victims and sex workers with skill acquisition programmes to better their lives.

    Recently, the beauty queen inaugurated the foundation in Yaba, Lagos to kick-start some programmes. According to her, the foundation is a not-for-profit organisation committed to improving the quality of life for disadvantaged Nigerians by supporting primarily every person going through crisis, mentally, materially and physically.

    She also launched a campaign  against trafficking of young women and girls. The foundation’s long-term mission is to create a Nigeria where all people have access to affordable quality health care education and equal opportunity to realise their potential.

    “It is a usual occurrence as most beauty queens see beyond their physical attraction that earned them  the crown to innate understanding of humanity. A reigning queen’s office has also gone beyond business and advert endorsement to reach out – programmes to better the life of the less privileged in our midst. Often said, most beauty queens are not really born with silver spoon, and had yearned after crown to give back to the society,” says Queen Nguma.

    She added: “so far, the drive has been overwhelming. The reception I got when I visited some communities in Lagos, especially Makoko in Yaba, is encouraging. The children ran to me after the show, saying they want to go with me and I was touched, and vowed to do more for them”.

    Face of Nigeria Chief Executive Officer Ozoya Salami said: “I think it is a start of a good journey. The foundation has properly launched and even if it is not yet active, she is very prepared for the project. She’s been a kind hearted person that will be more committed to giving back to society. For the funding, many donors have shown interest and my organisation will work with the donors to actualise her dreams.’’