Decades: Chunks of Time

I just got an SMS from Vicky, about Mobile Money provided by MTN. As a typical Nigerian, the first point of call on the mobile money site for me was the Tariffs section. According to the tariff page , to deposit, register, buy airtime, check balance and pay bills is free. To withdraw by an unregistered customer is free as well as the accounts subscription, and SMS traffic generated by transactions. But after that, the charges start piling up: Mini Statement = NGN10. Registered customer's withdrawal of NGN3,000 and less will cost NGN50. Registered customer's withdrawal of between NGN3,001 and NGN6,000 will cost NGN100. Registered customer's withdrawal of between NGN6,001 and NGN9,000 will cost NGN150. Registered customer's withdrawal of above NGN9,000 will cost NGN200. To send to a Registered customer, it will cost you NGN50. To send NGN3,000 or less to an unregistered customer will cost you NGN120. To send between NGN3,001 and NGN6,000 to an unregistered cus...

As I write, a revolution is ongoing in Nigeria. The Youth have finally woken up and realized that they cannot depend on the current 'elders' to secure their future. The youth have finally seen that they cannot just sit on their hands. But while we are all pointing fingers at the Senators, House of Rep members and the President's cabinet, we need to also look into ourselves. Are we also not corrupt? Are we clean? Are we sure it is not a case of the pot calling the kettle black? For those of us that might say, 'I am not corrupt', we need to really do a reality check. Corruption should be eradicated at ALL levels, from the nursery school child to the oldest Nigerian citizen. Here is a brief checklist - not exhaustive but it should clue you in:  - If you sell anything [from garri, to marykay, to land, to flash drives], and you make more than 50% profit margin[profit not selling cost o], YOU ARE CORRUPT.  - If you help someone to get a job, and you expect a p...

Hey Everyone! Yes I know I deserve some spanking for having such a long haitus, and will turn around for it as soon as I finish typing this, I promise [fingers crossed at my back]. I just had to share this great find - I have not seen words of wisdom for Startups and Aspiring Entreprenuers this brief and to the point yet. Its about Fab.com, and their instant success since starting 130 days ago [yes you read right!]. They presently have 750,000 members and 3 million hits on their site per month [I just added to that list, so make it 3 million and 1]. And most importantly, they have $100,000 sales days - very important to the Nigerian Entrepreneur I am sure! They share a set of slides for us to learn the major 21 things they have learnt so far, that keeps them growing. I am sure my Entrepreneur friends and family members will appreciate this. Please take the time to read through - its just 21 points after all :) Click this sentence

This is a poem I wrote for a friend that is having issues....she enjoyed it and has permitted me to share to the world as well - someone out there probably needs the upliftment.... Its family thanksgiving day. Everyone is in church, seated with their families, children, grandparents and all. The pastor calls out all the couples that are a year old, and my husband and I file out with the rest. 10 couples in all. And only one couple is without a baby. Us. It felt like the sore thumb, always sticking out. It doesn’t help matters that both my sisters-in-law are among us. I can’t help but feel like everyone is staring at me, wondering why, wondering when. Well, I don't know too! And I don't like it either! I don’t like not knowing when God will finally answer my prayers and give me the twins I want. I don't like not knowing whether I will menstruate or even ovulate each month. I don't like not knowing how my body could fluctuate between weight levels so rapidly and often. I...

Sorry folks, I know this has been long over-due. You can read part 1 , part 2 , part 3 and part 4 first. =-------= =-------= "Mummy, open the door!" Ajibike shouted as she jumped up and down excitedly at the entrance to her home. She had just come back from a photo session with her best friend, Lanre. They were neighbors- the Adekomi's stayed on the ground floor while their family occupied the upper flat of their building, which was among the staff quarters on campus. Ajibike had been scared at first when her mother had told her Mr. Adekomi would be taking them there, a man so tall that all she ever saw were his long long legs. The only time she ever saw his face was the one time he had carried them all to school, when he yelled that she had not closed the door of his VolksWagen Beetle car properly, and after that, she had cried that she never wanted to follow him to school again. It didn't help that his cheeks were lined from one end to another in tribal marks...

Sorry folks, I know this has been long over-due. You can read part 1 , part 2 and part 3 first. =-------= "What do you think happened?" asked her husband as he joined her on the balcony to watch the coming procession. "I don't know," she replied, "but it cant be good for 7 people to be carrying our daughter home." "She's alive isnt she?" the father mused. "Then it can't be that bad. Just calm down." Thirty minutes later he wasn't sure of his conclusion anymore. The crowd had arrived and were taking up the space in his living room. When he asked what the problem was, they all tried to explain at once. "Silence!" bellowed Daddy Eko. "Only one person should talk." "She has a bead stuck in her nose." the sunday school teacher said. "Is that all?" her mother asked, sighing in releif. "She didn't beat anybody? Didnt steal anything?" "No Ma." replied the man. ...

Well, I never thought I would do this, but here I am. I had an 'eureka' moment while watching....wait, let me start from the beginning. In 2006, I looked forward to graduating with the rest of my class, only to find out the hard way that my name was not on the list of graduands - yeah I found out by checking the late brochure, while sitting in the graduating hall, while my family were waiting to start eating (get the full story here). Anyway, that was ages ago, And I wont rehash the pain and agony I went through trying to rehash the recent past then, trying to find out what I could have done to the department's results coordinator, my course adviser, favourite lecturer and mentor, Mr. Sawyerr. Needless to say his singular action of excluding me from the list caused me a lot of delay in my life's plan, but - I digress. While I was watching 'Being Erica', it all came together for me. You know, when you sit/stand somewhere, and something flashes in your mind from t...