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Tag: Moses Emorinken

World AIDS Day: Let’s fight the scourge
By Moses Emorinken

World AIDS Day is observed every 1^st of December. It is a day dedicated to spreading awareness about the dreadful Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ( AIDS ).

The theme of this year’s World AIDS Day is “Right to health”. The World Health Organization highlights the need for all 36.7 million people living with HIV and those who are vulnerable and affected by the epidemic, to reach the goal of universal health coverage.

Today, we join the World Health Organisation ( WHO ), United Nations ( UN ) and other global organisations to campaign for global public health.

We also remember those who have lost their lives to the disease and commiserate with those that have lost friends, colleagues and family members.

The battle against this disease is not a one-man fight but a collective battle to reduce its effect to the barest minimum.

Whether we like it or not, we all share a common destiny, and as such must contribute our quota to securing and creating a safe and healthy society that we can all be proud of.

Recent statistics from The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS ( UNAIDS ) reveal that in 2016, Nigeria had 220,000 new HIV infections and 160 000 AIDS-related deaths.

There were 3,200,000 people living with HIV in 2016, among whom 30% were accessing antiretroviral therapy.

Among pregnant women living with HIV, 32% were accessing treatment or prophylaxis to prevent transmission of HIV to their children.

An estimated 37,000 children were newly infected with HIV due to mother-to-child transmission. Among people living with HIV, approximately 24% had suppressed viral loads.

Also, globally, UNAIDS statistics revealed that:

In 2016 (June 2017) an estimated:
1. 20.9 million [18.4 million–21.7 million] people were accessing antiretroviral therapy
2. 36.7 million [30.8 million–42.9 million] people globally were living with HIV
3. 1.8 million [1.6 million–2.1 million] people became newly infected with HIV
4. 1.0 million [830 000–1.2 million] people died from AIDS-related illnesses
Major Populations most affected by HIV in Nigeria are:
1. Sex workers, with an HIV prevalence of 14.4%.
2. Gay men and other men who have sex with men, with an HIV prevalence of 23%.
3. People who inject drugs, with an HIV prevalence of 3.4%.
Nigeria’s HIV epidemic affects all population groups and geographic areas of the country. It is the second largest epidemic globally.

We need to begin to take decisive actions as individuals, organisations and government to tackle this pervasive disease threatening our collective survival. The extent to which we can extinguish this scourge depends heavily on each of us.

Although Since 2010, new HIV infections have decreased by 21% and AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 6%; there is still need for further research to improve the current available treatment plans.

Difference between HIV and AIDS:

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This virus leads to infection and weakens the immune system.

It is pertinent to know that HIV can be transmitted from one person to another. On the flip, AIDS is a condition that is acquired only after a person has contracted the HIV infection, and it is the final stage of the HIV infection.

Mediums of HIV transmission:
1. Unprotected sex (anal or vaginal).
2. Sharing contaminated sharp objects like needles, syringes etc. Also, the use of unsterilized clippers for barbing and shaving hairs can be a source of contracting the virus.
3. Receiving unsafe injections, blood transfusions, tissue transplantation etc.
Treatment of HIV:

HIV can be suppressed by the administration of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs.

It cannot be cured at the moment, but its effect can be weakened, thereby strengthening the individual’s ability to resist infections.
December 1, 2017
Black Friday: A festival of dark and shoddy deals?

By Moses Emorinken

The recent frenzy that permeated and circulated every space – from social, terrestrial and print media is simply amazing…all in the name of Black Friday.

Online buyers impulsively cherry-pick items such as home appliances, groceries, electronics, phones and laptops, and other similar appurtenances; they do so with the hope of getting the best deals in prices for the year.

However, their already wide and bright grins sagged as their expectations were dashed to the ground in an epic humpty dumpty style.

According to research in Consumer Psychology, humans are known to be the most impulsive creatures in this massive terraqueous globe we call earth.

Our excessive desire to satisfy our insatiable wants have become a major preoccupation making us hustle and toil day and night or even borrow money that we do not have, to purchase things we do not need, in order to impress people who really do not care about us.

What a wasteful expedition!

In Nigeria, e-commerce sites like Jumia, Konga, DealDey etc., are amongst some of the major players in the Black Friday saga.

Black Friday have wrapped its thick dark sheets around us just like the heavens wrap the horizons of the sky with “black” clouds before sending down the rain; the rain in our case is the purported discount promised us by a lot of these sites.

Little wonder it is called Black Friday because of the surreptitious hoax deployed to legitimately defraud customers of their hard-earned mazuma without them knowing.

Customers have been wooed and lured to believe they would have a blast and slash in the prices of their favourite items. However, just like the majority of gullible teenage girls who get deflowered before they clock 18, Nigerian customers have had their hearts broken, hopes dashed, and expectations dulled and lulled by the failed promissory love notes from these Casanovas called e-commerce stores. This is reminiscent to “daylight” rape and robbery.

How do you explain the rationale behind a product being sold during the discount period, which is more expensive than it was a few weeks ago?

They even have the effrontery to paste a former price against a discounted price and percentage off – we should be grateful…shey!?

This is the case of Sharon: A customer who found a product on one of our popular e-commerce website. She identified the product, saw the price and took note of it; only to wait till black Friday to find that the product which she saw barely 2 weeks ago at N3,000 is now N4,000 at a “supposed” discounted price. This is absurd!

Sometimes, what is most personal is most general; it’s almost certain that Sharon’s pitiable Black Friday story is the same narrative for so many Nigerian customers.

Please, somebody help me…why call it ‘Black Friday’ when the promo lasts from a certain date to end on another date very distant from the start date; why call it Black Friday, why not Black Weekend?

How do you call a bonanza period which lasts for days “Black Friday”? Meaning it was designed to start and end on that day (Friday) – not a second more. What we find today is a twisted narrated and semantics for a day of the week to be equivalent to the entire week or even more.

Is someone trying to play on our intelligence?

Haven’t we suffered enough from sleazy and corrupt politicians and government officials whose job description is to loot our collective patrimony all in the name of giving us the dividends of democracy?

I think the new narrative should be that they (politicians) have promised to give us a Black Friday (instead of dividends of democracy) because Black Friday in Nigeria is reminiscent to exploitation.

No wonder my friend’s grandmother never liked the idea of Black Friday (not because she is old-school), because regardless of the many good that comes with the day as practiced internationally, here in Nigerian, it is merely a show and a bauble.

Locally, especially in the Yoruba parlance, one can literally translate it to – “Oja Ale”; meaning night market.

A well-grounded and cultural person knows that nothing good really comes from Oja Ale.

For those that are already primed to mould and throw balls of accusations at the writer, did you know that e-commerce websites in Nigeria usually rake in billions of Naira in turnover this period than they normally would in a quarter (three months) of their business year?

It is certainly a festival of dark, black and shoddy transactions at the expense of the majority of the Nigerian people.

It is high time the Consumer Protection Council ( CPC ) stepped up its game and live up to its mandate of protecting the people from heartless and unscrupulous bourgeoisies who are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Dear Nigerians, please think twice before picking those items from your favourite e-commerce stores; it is sometimes advisable to walk into a physical store to price and pick the items of your choice that you need and not being manipulated online to impulsively pick items that you don’t need, at a very exploitative price.

Be wise!

November 28, 2017
Mnangagwa sworn in as Zimbabwe’s new president

Former vice-president, Emmerson Mnangagwa has been sworn in as Zimbabwe’s president in the country’s capital, Harare.

This is after the rather dramatic exit of Robert Mugabe after 37 years of ‘draconian’ rule.

Mnangagwa’s dismissal few weeks ago led the ruling Zanu-PF party and the army to intervene and force Mugabe to quit.

It can be recalled that he fled the country in the wake of the political upheaval, only return on Wednesday.

Mnangagwa who was accompanied by his wife Auxilia took the oath of office and was led by Chief Justice Luke Malaba.

Emmerson Mnangagwa and his wife Auxillia arrive at the presidential inauguration ceremony in the capital Harare on Friday. Photograph: Ben Curtis/AP

Tens of thousands of Zimbabweans gathered at a stadium in Harare, jubilating and congratulating one another amidst singing and dancing.

Raised banners with writings such as “Dawn of a new era” and “No to retribution” brandished the atmosphere.

“I Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa swear that as the president of the republic of Zimbabwe I will be faithful to Zimbabwe and obey, uphold and defend the constitution and all other laws of Zimbabwe,”

Read also: Mugabe’s disGraceful end

Details soon…

November 24, 2017
Super Eagles drop nine places in FIFA ranking
By Moses Emorinken

In spite of the Super Eagles sterling performance in the World Cup qualifiers and its convincing defeat of Argentina – one of the world’s finest teams, Nigeria has dropped nine (9) places in the latest football ranking by the International Federation of Association Football ( FIFA ).

FIFA made this latest ranking known on Thursday, putting Nigeria at 50^th position in the world and 8^th in Africa.

Read also: Nigeria moves up in latest FIFA Ranking

It can be recalled that Nigeria occupied the 41^st position in the last ranking. This did not augur well for the die-hard fans of the Super Eagles as they expected the recent exploits of the team to have levitated the Eagles to more desirable position in the upward direction.

A few unexpected teams like Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo etc., ranked higher than Nigeria.

However, we are very hopeful that the forthcoming ranking by FIFA scheduled for 21^st December, 2017 should hold more serendipitous prospects for our national team.

See below the list of the top ten (10) teams in Africa and the world:

Africa
1. Senegal
2. Tunisia
3. Egypt
4. Congo DR
5. Morocco
6. Burkina Faso
7. Cameroon
8. Nigeria
9. Ghana
10. Côte d’Ivoire
World
1. Germany
2. Brazil
3. Portugal
4. Argentina
5. Belgium
6. Spain
7. Poland
8. Switzerland
9. France
10. Chile
November 23, 2017
16-year-old genius makes history in Cowbellpedia mathematics competition

By Moses Emorinken

The highly educational and inspirational TV quiz show – Cowbellpedia Mathematics Competition for Junior and Senior secondary school students is a testament to the undeniable fact that the future of our beloved country is indeed very bright.

The third season (2017) of the competition which witnessed an array of extremely brilliant minds flying and shining naturally without any form of encumbrance is truly a sight to behold.

16-year-old Ernest-Eze Munachi from Loyola Jesuit, Abuja has indeed left an indelible print of excellence in the sands of time as he emerged the overall winner in the senior category of the competition.

Ernest-Eze Munachi

His meteoric rise to fame didn’t come as a surprise because he had won the Cowbellpedia Mathematics Competition for junior category in 2015.

Munachi displayed an exceptional sense of acuity, brilliance and self-confidence; winning the final competition with a total of 110 points.

He has done what no student has done since the inception of the competition by winning in both the Junior category (2015) and Senior category (2017). He now has the bragging right as the Mathematics champion in the whole of Nigeria for 2017.

As the winner of the competition, he went home with a cash prize of one million Naira (N1,000,000), educational trip abroad, five desktop computers + printer + textbooks (for his school) and four hundred thousand Naira (N400,000) for his Mathematics teacher.

Following closely in 2^nd position (1^st runner up) was Oluwanifise Onofowokan from the Ambassadors College, Ota, with 75 points.

Oluwanifise Onofowokan

Her performance was nothing short of sterling. She went home with a cash prize of seven hundred and fifty thousand Naira (N750,000), three desktop computers + printer (for her school) and three hundred thousand Naira (N300,000) for her Mathematics teacher.

In 3^rd place (2^nd runner up) was Evans Owamoyo who rounded off with 70 points. He went home with a cash prize of five hundred thousand Naira (N500,000), two desktop computers + printer (for his school) and two hundred thousand Naira (N200,000) for his Mathematics teacher.

Evans Owamoyo

Other finalists in the senior category were: Tomiwa Olatunbosun (Bibo Oluwa Academy, Ilesha, Osun state), Paul Michael (Excel Grace Academy, Benue state) and Ikechukwu Ibeh (Federal Government Academy, Suleja, Niger state).

Finalists, Senior Category Cowbellpedia

In the junior category of the competition, Jessey Uche-Nwichi from Graceland International School, Port Harcourt, latched upon the first prize by a convincing win with 115 points.

Jessey Uche-Nwichi

His calm, congenial and confident outlook is one that literally sets him apart from his contemporary. With mathematics whiz kids like Jessey, we are rest assured that the futuristic helm of this country will be in safe and capable hands.

As the winner of the junior category of the competition, he went home with a cash prize of one million Naira (N1,000,000), educational trip abroad, five desktop computers + printer + textbooks (for his school) and four hundred thousand Naira (N400,000) for his Mathematics teacher.

In 2^nd position (1^st runner up) was Oluwafemi Adeyanju from Jesuit Memorial College, Port Harcourt, with 80 points. His amazing approach to solving mathematics without raising a pen to calculate is simply amazing.

Oluwafemi Adeyanju

He went home with a cash prize of seven hundred and fifty thousand Naira (N750,000), three desktop computers + printer (for his school) and three hundred thousand Naira (N300,000) for his Mathematics teacher.

In 3^rd place (2^nd runner up) was Ezekiel Ekanem from Advanced Breed Group of schools, Ogun state, with 75 points.

Ezekiel Ekanem

He went home with a cash prize of five hundred thousand Naira (N500,000), two desktop computers + printer (for his school) and two hundred thousand Naira (N200,000) for his Mathematics teacher.

Other finalists in the junior category were: Osasere Egharevba (Graceland International School, Port Harcourt), Joel Ndoh (Maris Brothers Juniorate, Abia state) and Olayinka Abdulwakil (NTIC, Kaduna state).

Finalists, Junior Category Cowbellpedia

Other awards in the completion were:

The most consistent school – Greater Tomorrow High School

Special Award for speed and Accuracy – Emmanuel Mebude

The Cowbellpedia Laureate, 2017 – Samson Osewa

November 13, 2017
Notorious kidnapper Evans seeks bail

Notorious kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, a.k.a Evans, on Friday filed an application for his case to be given accelerated hearing and be released on bail.

However, Ms. Titilayo Shitta-Bay, the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, described his bail application as confusing and an abuse of court processes.

She said it is a ploy to frustrate the trial.

The court proceeding is still in progress.

Details soon.

November 3, 2017
Fela: ‘Statue without head an insult to the family’

Follow @memorinken

Lagos state governor Akinwunmi Ambode recently unveiled a statue in honour of Late Afrobeat musician, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.

Professor TAIWO OGUNADE, in this interview with MOSES EMORINKEN, expressed his opinion concerning Fela’s statue and the representation (or misrepresentation) of the legend and what he stood for.

Do you think it was expedient to erect a statue in honour of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti?

Yes it is important but not to be represented as a blind man without a head.

I was a choreography teacher for Fela’s dancers when he resided at Agege Motor road.

If you go to any system of justice in Nigeria, you will see the statue of a lady holding the sword in one hand and a weighing scale on the other. This symbolises the justice system in Nigeria. On the flip side, we call Fela a liberation artist, yet he does even have a head or even a “clinched” fist.

His head is not in the statue; therefore, it could be anybody’s head. Majority of today’s generation do not even know Fela, not to talk of associating a face or head with him. Imagine a person born ten years ago or even those yet unborn. Will they be able to relate the statue to Fela? Definitely NOT! This is because of the headless feature of the statue.

Therefore, it is a waste of money and resources by Ambode and his advisers.

How can an artist erect a statue without head and call it Fela? That is an insult to his family.

We hear that his family members seem to be fine with the statue. What is your take on this?

Even if the family don’t complain about it, it was obvious that they were stunned at the sight. Everyone was wondering probably a head would descend from the sky.

Don’t you think the artist would have a valid explanation and philosophy behind the headless statue?

Well, I do not know. The governor said it is a liberation statue of Fela. However, a liberator will always have a clinched fist ready to fight. When he was alive, he always had what is called yabis time.

It was a time for him to talk about a lot of things, and get divergent replies. Can someone without a head “yabis” anybody? It is impossible! The signature of the yabis is missing in the statue due to its heedlessness.

It is obvious that the governor and his team were not well advised, or they do not know; I am sure the governor or his advisers never met Fela in their lifetime.

READ ALSO : Fela’s: Liberation: A deserved honour

What do you think the governor and his team should do to remedy the anomaly?

First, the statue needs to be destroyed. It can’t be left as it is.

Also, Fela never wore clothes almost 19 hours a day. When you see him playing with his band, he does not wear clothes. Yes, he wears some fanciful dresses sometimes, but he hardly wears clothes. He normally would have only his pants on.

They therefore, must remedy these by putting a head, a clinched first and nakedness at some point. By nakedness, we know he doesn’t go to stage without his pant. They could use a trouser for him; the important thing is that his chest region is made bare.

What do you think about the statue of Obafemi Awolowo in Lagos?

That also is a waste of money. Awolowo was not as fat as the statue portrayed. Also, the statue had him with a running boot. Awo never wore a boot as far as I know.

I know him well enough because my primary school (Igbagbo Aladura School) in Ibadan was about 50 metres away from his house.

What is your take on the statue of Jacob Zuma erected by the Imo state governor?

I think Rochas Okorocha is misdirecting himself. People like Zuma should not be honoured.

You don’t honour Jagundas (thieves). He is facing corruption serious charges in his country…such a one should not be given a space in our land, not to talk of honouring him with a statue.

What would be your advice to young artists?

This is a country that has a healthy pool of the old and young. The old is called “old school” while the young “new school”; therefore, if you want to do anything that belongs to the old, it is important that you seek the advice of the “old school”.

Fela belonged to the old school, therefore, let the Ambode stop wasting state funds and seek the advice of people from the old school for projects that pertains to the old school. There are old artists who can guide the “new school” artist to do the old school things.

October 28, 2017
Our problems will persist until we find enduring solutions to identity – CHAMS GMD

Chams Plc, one of Nigeria’s leading companies has evolved over the last 3 decades from computer and hardware maintenance to the provision of enterprise technology solutions in identity management and identity transaction systems for the public and private sectors.

Recently, it facilitated the identification process for the government of the state of Osun. The initiative called ‘Kaadi Omoluabi’ has received several accolades and commendations from the Osun citizenry and other stakeholders within and outside the state.

Mr. OLUFEMI WILLIAMS, the Group Managing Director of the firm, in an interview with The Nation reporter MOSES EMORINKEN sheds some light on the relevance and ubiquitous benefits and solutions of data capturing to the social, economic and political problems bedeviling the country.

What is the relevance of the Omoluabi Identity Card to the Osun citizenry?

As His Excellency, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the executive governor of the state of Osun mentioned at the launch of the initiative on Tuesday, the Identity Card Initiative is about knowing the people that he governs. There is no way the government can plan or manage the affairs of the state, especially with respect to what the people want without detailed understanding of biometric statistics.

It also helps the government measure the effectiveness of the services it delivers to the people.

It creates a platform for any member of the state to conveniently transact with the government and vice-versa.

For instance, if the government wants to build new schools or construct new roads, it can easily make objective and informed decisions about which part(s) of the state needs these infrastructural facilities depending on the population of the people, where economic transactions are preponderant, etc.

It allows government institutions to have interconnected database. It cuts out the duplicity in registering and capturing biometric data of its citizenry. This initiative provides a unique number that can be used for such purposes.

We did it for students and the impact was major. Immediately, the cost of managing, sponsoring and promoting affairs around the educational sector was optimized. Before then, there were haphazard approaches because of the paucity in statistics.

Now, with the touch of a button the educational details of a child for can be generated. This leads to measurable results over time.

How long did it take CHAMS to come up with this solution?

This is the forte and core competence area of CHAMS. We have participated in similar projects in the past. We have been on this project for four years. The reason was because the government had more pressing project at the time before very recently it decided to take up the Identity Card Initiative.

This novel innovation in identity capturing is not only opened to indigenes of the state but also to residents within the state.

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What is the level of response of the people of the state to this initiative?

The responses have been very encouraging from members of private organisations and the civil society. They believe that the initiative is very timely and custom-made for the people and government of the state.

Does CHAMS have plans to diversify into other real sectors?

Our core focus lies in delivering intelligent business solutions. However, there are two major industries we intend to dominate in the next few months, they are – Agriculture and Health acre. For now, that is all we can reveal.

Is it possible to have a central database for the biometric data of Nigeria to avoid proliferation and duplicity?

This can be answered in two ways – technical and political. I have an authoritative response to the former but with little or no political explanations for the later.

Technically, one of the projects awarded for data capturing in 1976 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo would have solved it. However, the problems of awarding and re-awarding contracts have brought us to where we are today.

The only solution is what the Federal Government is trying to do – which is harmonization. There is a need to harmonize these databases together. The process will be challenging but not impossible to do. At the moment there exists huge repository of data at the Federal Road Safety Commission ( FRSC ), sim card registration centres, Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ), Nigerian Communications Commission ( NCC ), states etc. There are solutions and technologies that can harmonize data effectively.

What exactly is CHAMS as an organisation doing differently?

Every business goes through series of transformations. For CHAMS, we have evolved overtime according to the overwhelming changes in the needs, expectations and taste of consumers. We started as a Computer Hardware and Maintenance Company, to Networking and then to Smart Card Technology. It was the Smart Card Technology that led to the formation of value card; which was the first successful payment card in Nigeria.

After a while, we moved into Identity Management because we realised that the problem(s) of this country will not disappear until we solve the processes of identity. Identity is like the Certificate of Ownership (C of O) for land. The (C of O) is an ordinary document, however, because we believe that the (C of O) represents a land somewhere, we can conveniently do a transaction with it. The same things can be done with the identity number to represent a person.

The next phase for us is to translate the business from just Identity Management into intelligent businesses that can be built on identity. We have the human capital to deliver. We have a bunch of experienced, versatile and energetic executives to drive the processes.

What should we expect from charms in the next 5 years?

We would have dominated two industries and be listed on the London Stock Exchange.

October 26, 2017
HEARTS…a story of love, heartbreak and life [CONCLUDING PART]

It is 3:30am in the early hours of the morning. The cock is yet to be astir to herald the dawning of a new day. Silence seemed so loud, and the only company Amarachi had was the chirping of crickets, and the “tick tack” rhythmic sounds from the humongous wooden clock that hung on the wall of their living room. Her eyes were heavy and deluged with bags and intermittent downing of tears; her entire being was overwhelmed with sordid emotions.

Ping! Ping!! Ping!!! Femi’s Blackberry phone buzzed with pings from Amarachi. “Where did this Yoruba boy drop his phone?” she said with a slightly worried and contoured face. “Only God knows what he is doing at the moment? He might as well be with a girl, or is he drunk again with his friends…, wait a minute, hope he is not in trouble?” Amarachi’s mind paced back and forth with very squalid thoughts of what her “partner” Femi might be up to.

While Femi was chasing and wooing her, he did not have to overstretch his luck and masculine prowess to win the primed and already vulnerable heart of Amarachi. Femi didn’t only look or talk the part, he also “acted” the part; he sent her gifts, took her to beautiful and exotic places; their lifestyle seemed so perfect that anytime they went out, ladies all around would go green with envy – wishing they were in Amarachi’s shoes. As the saying goes, “only the wearer of a shoe knows where it pinches”, looks can be very deceptive.

Read also: HEARTS…a story of love, heartbreak and life [PART ONE]

If the envious ladies had been more discerning to look closely at the corner eye of Amarachi which was covered with a dark shade of fancy spectacles, they would have noticed her left eye was black; one that Femi so graciously brandished with constant battery, bludgeoning and pummelling. Maybe then, they would not have admired but pitied her condition.

During the early days of their relationship, she had noticed quite a few unsettling behaviours that Femi would usually display. He would call her obnoxious and derogatory names, hit her slightly in the head when he is upset with her, and would hang out with different ladies at different times at night clubs and beer parlours. Because of her desperate need and fixation for a “father figure”, affirmation, and validation she stuck with him, in the hope that she would change him one day.

Read also: HEARTS…a story of love, heartbreak and life [PART TWO]

Now, it is 3:30am in the early hours of the morning. The cock is yet to be astir to herald the dawning of a new day. Silence seemed so loud, and the only company Amarachi had was the chirping of crickets, and the “tick tack” rhythmic sounds from the humongous wooden clock hanging on the wall of their living room. Her eyes were heavy and deluged with intermittent downing of tears; her entire being was overwhelmed with sordid emotions. It seemed like history was about to repeat itself because her mother went through a similar ordeal in the hands of her dad. The only difference was that she wasn’t married to Femi yet, but they were already cohabiting.

Being in a relationship with Femi didn’t complete her because she still felt the void from two years earlier when her parents’ marriage of over twenty years dissolved like a melting ice. There is still a hole in her soul that wouldn’t heal.

Knock! Knock!! Knock!!! “Would you come and open this door for me this minute before I break you with the door?” Femi said. He was outside wallowing in the cesspool of his vomit; he had gone clubbing with his cronies and had gotten himself drunk again. This seems to be the new normal for Femi. Amarachi rushed to the door, her fragile hands were shaky and wobbly because she did not know what to expect after she opens the door. As she summoned the courage to unlock the door, Femi bashed into the house very angrily, irrational, and unsteady because of the excessive alcohol he had drowned his system with.

“Rain, rain, go away, come again another day…hmmm…ahhhh…” Femi sang as he staggered and took a giddy posturing. “Woman, how dare you lock me outside? I will deal mercilessly with you!” Before Amarachi could explain and calm him down, he launched out his already positioned hand and landed a debilitating slap on her already battered face. She fell to the ground, stood up and ran for dear life. He threw his half empty bottle of vodka at her but missed as she pranced and traversed all the corners of the living room. As she ran up the stairs, Femi ran after her; he grabbed her so tightly that she could hardly breathe, and as she struggled with him on the stairs she inadvertently pushed him just to free herself from his bestial clamp. Nooo…she screamed and watched as Femi rolled and desultorily fell down the stairs. SHE SCREAMED…SOME BODY HELP ME!!!

Whether you find yourself in the position of Amarachi or Femi, or neither of the two, it is very important to understand that the coming together or joining of hearts is not meant for two unstable and emotionally infantile individuals.

“Hurting people” hurt people.

A romantic relationship will not cure your inordinate cravings and addictions; neither will it fill the emotional void you constantly feel as a result of trauma or neglect. You cannot steer the ship of your relationship successfully having the wrong notions, mind-sets, and unrealistic expectations.

Looks can be very deceptive. They say not all that glitter is gold, however, as an addendum, not all that is gold is good for you! This might be the singular determinant of whether your life will be a worthy example or a complete disaster. If you feel lost and vulnerable, please don’t suffer in silence, talk to somebody, preferably a counselor.

If you are going through domestic violence or know someone who needs help, please can contact the appropriate agency of government.

By Moses Emorinken

Email: brandphase@yahoo.com

Twitter: @memorinken

Instagram: @memorinken

October 26, 2017
Aarinola Olaiya bags OAU’s first Distinction in Surgery in 28 years

Aarinola Olaiya, a 28-year-old student of the Obafemi Awolowo University ( OAU ), Ile-Ife is set to break the 28-year-old jinx of the Medical School of the university.

She is expected to graduate with distinction and emerge the overall best student for 2017.

This great beacon light of hope and inspiration in the person of Aarinola Olaiya will become the first to graduate with distinction in Surgery from OAU since 1989.

Historical antecedents in the university reveal that John Owotade (now a professor) graduated with distinction in Dentistry in 1989. Ever since, no student from the Medical School of the university has been able to reproduce such amazing academic feat until her emergence.

Twitter was lit (and still is) during the weekend when the Medical Students Association of the university, IFUMSA, celebrated Olaiya’s extraordinary academic feat.

According to the association’s twitter handle @IfumsaOau: “Aarinola Olaiya becomes the 1st Student in 28yrs to have a Distinction in Surgery at the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, OAU, Ife. Congrats!”.

The graduation ceremony to announce and honour Ms. Olaiya alongside her colleagues is set to hold in December at the university’s famous Amphi Theatre.

Read also: Unemployment: Unilorin VC charges graduates to be creative

October 25, 2017