Through My Glasses

A few weeks ago, I accepted an invitation to hang out with a childhood friend who came into town. This friend and I have known each other for more than 10 years and naturally, I looked forward to catching up on old times and also finding out what was going on in her life. Midway into our meeting, the conversation became tilted and somewhat forced.  It became glaringly obvious that my friend and I no longer resonated with each other. We, or should I say, I have evolved quite a bit in the past years. Carrying on with the conversation became a huge struggle. This was because after we were done reminiscing about our 10 year old history; we had nothing to keep the conversational juices flowing. Whereas I was interested in finding out what my friend’s goals and aspirations for the future were, she was more interested in talking about who was married and who was still single. No matter how hard I tried to move the conversation away from ‘who was doing who’, she somehow mana...

I couldn't move. How could I, when I was staring into the most beautiful pair of eyes I had ever seen? People who know me know that I am at least  three things when it comes to the opposite sex: a brain girl, eyes girl, and abs girl. Words will not do me justice to accurately describe how beautiful my stranger's eyes were, but I will try. He had large eye balls and I was enraptured by the light golden specks that  colored  his pupils. His eyes were unusual. Common but not common big brown eyes. There was a sense of  openness  in his eyes. But they were also enigmatic. Like there were several layers of secret buried in them. I stared and stared. I couldn't get enough. I felt like I was drowning in his eyes. I was certain they were looking into my soul. Dangerously deadly beautiful eyes. Searching. Prodding. I can't recollect how long I stood staring into my perfect stranger's eyes. 10 seconds? 1 minute? 10 minutes? Who cared about time anyw...

I saw him again. My perfect stranger. For the third week running, he was standing where he always stood, beside his black Hyundai Saloon car. His legs were crossed as he leaned leisurely on his car. I had since realized this was premeditated. Carefully planned. Like he had my itinerary all figured out.  First time could be excused on the altar of time and chance. Second time could be called coincidence. But a full three weeks? Story for the gods. This was strategically orchestrated.   Even though this was was supposed to be disconcerting, I found it somewhat  exhilarating. I knew he was watching me as I approached the turn that would lead to my office. I tried so hard to ignore him. I couldn't. It was a battle I lost before it even started. I felt his steady gaze on me.  Staring. Deeply.  I took a deep breath and tried to walk past him. I couldn't help myself. Our eyes met briefly and I looked away. In that short moment, I knew that he knew that I kn...

Over the course of my life, I have been blessed by wonderful teachers- both formal and informal. Throughout the years of adolescence, when I was at my most vulnerable state, when I was still struggling to reconcile myself to the adult world, there were a few who stood by me and helped me through our moments of uncertainty. These people  include my parents, teachers and pastor (s). My parents, mum especially, were my first teachers. They taught me life values needed to navigate life. Through their life styles, my parents mirrored life, more than any formal teaching would have done. My parents taught me that there was nothing I couldn't achieve if I put my mind to it. They taught me that gender was no barrier to greatness and success. They taught me the value of hard work, discipline and contentment. Above all, they taught me how to love and depend on Jesus. Next came my Grade 3 teacher in D-Nals Middle School- Ms. Ijeoma Okam. Ms Ijeoma was the first person who recogniz...

The greatest assets of any nation are not its mineral deposits or its oil wells. The greatest assets of any nation are not those on Forbes rich list, having more private jets and yachts than they know what to do with. The greatest assets of any nation are its youths. The future of a nation lies in its posterity and is determined by the quality of its youths. This is because youths are the powerhouse, the stronghold and the nucleus of any nation. They are the drivers of any nation’s prosperity. The hope of Nigeria’s future is hung on the shoulders of its future leaders- the youths.  Youths are the ones with the power to define the success or failure of a nation.  Any nation serious about development has to treat its youths as what they really are- potentials to be harnessed, and not problems to be solved. Statistically, youths make up about 60% of Nigeria’s over 170 million population. This is huge by any standard. This percentage also constitutes the major resource ba...

On April 1 st , 2015, Nigeria’s Election management body, the Independent National Electoral Commission, under the leadership of Prof. Attahiru Jega  declared former military dictator and the APC flag bearer, Muhammadu Buhari, the winner of the 2015 Presidential elections. For the 15million Nigerians who voted Buhari, their joy knew no bounds. Buhari  who ran his entire election campaign on the change and anti-corruption mantra was enthusiastically welcomed by not a few million Nigerians who were tired of the farcicality in the political space that had become the status quo.  They were tired of the massive corruption existent in virtually all the sectors of the economy. They were tired of the daily slaughter of human lives by Boko Haram. They were tired of the PDP and their 16 years of wasteful rule. For the millions who voted Buhari, they wanted change and change they got.  Fast forward to 50 days of President Buhari at the helm of Nigeria’s affair...