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Rantings against Nigeria's Poor Standards

I wrote this piece while waiting for my flight on Saturday June 2, 2012. I had to stand for about five hours, and I was too angry to even smile. Little did I know that a tragedy was due to grace our country the next day...May the victims' souls rest in peace.... I am so angry right now. My anger surpasses the physical, because it is not about my present issues, but about the whole country in general. I booked a return flight to Lagos from Abuja from a popular airline here in Nigeria, some weeks ago. A day before the flight, I got a message that the time had been postponed to about two hours later, so we set out for the airport an hour later than planned. We are one of those people that love getting to the airport and checking in exactly when the airlines say - two hours before. We spent the better part of the first hour in traffic. We got so frustrated that I came down from the car and began walking towards the toll gate. Now those who are familiar with Abuja airport road

Hey Mum

Hey mum, I just wanted to thank you. I thank you for deciding to get married - some women didn't see the need. I thank you for deciding to have kids - some women didn't want to mess up their figures. I thank you for going through discomfort all through the pregnancy. For going through all the pain. I will be forever grateful to you for allowing God to use you to bring me to this world. But that's not all. You didn't give me away - some women did that to their kids. So I thank you for putting your needs, your wants, your career aside, to raise me. I thank you for taking the time to teach me the Lord's way. I thank you for loving me with all my faults. I thank you for ensuring that I had the best you could afford. You are a mother, and blessed are you amongst all women. I LOVE YOU

Website made from Chocolate

Ever heard of a website made completely from Chocolate? Yes, you read right! Every tiny itsy bitsy details made entirely from chocolate. And the best part is the pieces are for sale too! Read about it here

WELCOME TO CASHLESS NIGERIA

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

Kill Corruption, not Subsidy

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

Fab - ulous Tips

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

Not Knowing

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