The Good Life

I have this funny habit with drinking my soda, most especially Coca-Cola. I don't like rushing or rather, finishing it in one sitting. I'd buy, take few sips and put it back in the fridge. I carry-on the routine all day until the drink is finished. Herein lies the problem. I never knew that someone was undergoing training and preparing a strong coup against me. My son took to taking my drinks ohhhh So long as the drink remains unopened, he'd never go near it. The minute I open and put it back in the fridge to enjoy my soft life all day, small Uncle will be going back and forth the fridge to take his own sips For sometime, I started noticing the speed with which my drink finishes, everyone in the house was a suspect until I met Uncle in active duty. Right now it's a fight in this house oh First to get to the drink Here I am with my son, dancing round each other  with hawk like gaze Drink I'd buy with my hard earned money, I can't drink in peace again ...

We truly no dey hear word for this country We no dey hear at alllllllll For interview before Baba T become president, them ask am wetin make we expect if e win And him answer honestly and truthfully 'Day 1: Hit the ground running Day 2: Continue running Day 3: Don't rest'   Day 1 Inauguration speech, Baba say subsidy don comot. Immediately, fuel price fly to #600 . E hit the ground running abi e no hit am? Good! Day 2 I wake up today to find fuel buy, na so filing stations close. I drive back house empty. We continue running Day 3 E say 'Don't rest' As I dey now I dey fear wetin today go be like. Na so Buhari promise us change, and for speech e tell  us say I am for everybody and for nobody. Indirectly meaning say OYO. We see am abi we no see am? Now Baba T don promise us say e go hit ground running and the man dey deliver as promised for the passed two days. The problem for this country na we citizens. When these politicians come tell us wetin dem g...

Screams, jubilation, rejoicing and all forms of dancing was seen. The happiness was palpable Free food and drinks, transportation,care All everyone cared about was that the nation would be going into a new phase pursuant to the swearing in of a new government that was ready and willing to work and also had the interest and mandate of the people. My joy knew no bounds as well Everyone in my street were celebrating There was so much fun, music and we even made our own ashebi. I was just about to collect my own plate of the party jollof rice when I woke up to face the ongoing nightmare. Indeed it was May 29th and the presidential inauguration was ongoing but it wasn't the man the people wanted, neither was there any form of celebration anywhere. If not for the fact that today was declared a public holiday and neighbours were home, it was more or less business as usual. Who would celebrate where mandates are stolen? Who will celebrate were the choice of the people are utter...

'The winner of this competition is Emmanuel the judges announced Suddenly a woman behind began screaming 'This is cheating, this is some serious cheating. My daughter won the competition'. However, in truth, the boy announced was the true winner of the competition by very great margin. What this woman was teaching her kids with her actions was all shades of wrong. Kids go into competition every time. In life, we'll have times when we suffer loss. Why teach your kids to be sore losers? Things might not always go the way they want or plan, or at the time they plan so what do they do in those times? Blame others, rant and rave instead of learning and growing. Every opportunity, whether we're successful in it or not, is an opportunity to learn. What we do with the opportunity that comes to us is what truly counts. Let's do better by our kids, byshowing them the right way to behave and live. We should be sure that in whatever we do, we have our kids by th...

Everyone's posting beautiful pictures of their kids, nieces and nephews or even kids they generally admire. Ohhhhhhh kids are truly a great blessing The joy they bring to homes The smiles they put on faces The funny things they say The way they act in love and equally annoy Their little diaper days Then the tiny feet's begin walking accompanied by a million screams of 'sttttoooppp it' everyday Off to higher institutions they go Next you're walking your daughter down the isle Or going with your son to see the in-laws Next you're walking your grandchildren down the field holding your cane on your hand And the cycle begins for another generation. The absence of children has been the source of many broken home The presence of some terrible children has equally been the source of broken homes ad well as the ultimate end of their parents. Today however we celebrate children all over the world for the purity and joy they represent and we pray for homes that...

'Spare the rod and spoil the child. The rod is for correction, that's what the Bible says. The Bible cannot lie'  Mummy Paul kept screaming her opinion and wouldn't listen to other opinions.   Five years later, her son became the gang leader of the area. There's a time and place for everything and not everything deserves a parent going physical. Growing up, I can count the number of times my Dad flogged us, that's not to say he didn't but he chose to mostly use his words. His resultant effect of his words were more potent than flogging us. Given the way our parents of old disciplined their children, if flogging was to be the determining factor for children to turn out right, then we never would've had back kids back in the day. Parents should be sensitive enough to know when to apply different methods of correction on their kids. So many parents have so beayen their kids into a stubborn resolve to do things however they please and damn the co...

It was a beautiful sight watching 22 years old Somtochi Ugorji, a Nigerian Igbo boy not only represent but also inculcate the Nigerian Igbo culture in his speech as the best graduating student of the US university, Loyola Marymount University. He taufht everyone present how to chant and respond in his native dialect after proudly identifying his tribe. The Nigerian culture is diverse, and in this diversity lies the beauty. We see, learn and appreciate how colourful our rich heritage is. Watching the people respond 'Hey: to his chant of 'Igbo kwenu' gave such a wonderful thrill. Most importantly I celebrate Somtochi who didn't forget his roots. Our history shouldn't be taken for granted, our language unique, our customs, unique dressing, practices, cuisines and all is what makes us thick. Wherever we find ourselves, we should understand that we're automatic ambassadors of the beautiful people that Nigerians are, so we owe it to ourselves, our future a...

'D surprise, here's your bicycle!' his Hubby said. Of course as expected, the shrill cry of his voice in excitement woke his sister from her siesta but D could care less as he already raced outside to the bike and began riding it. It had indeed been one hell of a period. Some new kids just moved into the neighbourhood and their flashy bicycles got our son attracted. One in awhile he'd try to go play with them but they wouldn't really let him play with it. That marked the beginning of D's cry and clamouring for his own bike. Day in, day out, whenever hubby or anyone is leaving the house he'd ask that we buy him bicycle upon our return. Hubby finally did and peace reigned We could now heave a sigh of relief. Two weeks after, we were the ones reminding D of his bike. The thrill and hype of having it had worn off and the young man resorted to his previous recreational activities of cooking in the sand with his sister, drawing his comics, dismantling ...

' Mummy no, I don't want to sleep' My daughter kept screaming. I was trying to break the habit of having my kids sleep very late at night. Hubby just took them to the room without giving them a chance to protest. However, protest they did and was very much expected. Second, third and fourth day, the tears continued. Gradually it began to cease, until it went off . Eventually the kids were the ones he'd begin shouting 'sleeping time'!  Once it's about your kids, one must be Deliberate in raising them. The instructions, chastising and all is the reason kids today are standing. They grow to become what we teach them. How much commitment do rest on their wo    be.

How can you really claim to be a loving parent when you're lovingly absent in the live of your kids? Inter-house sports Recitals Dance classes Games Take home assignment... Buying the most expensive gifts and toys as well as dressing up your kids in the best of outfits/designers, doesn't equate to being present. You're only trying to replace your parental position with any material thing possible. Hubby has always been a hands-on Dad. He does alot of research, traveling and teachings but whenever he walks into the house, he gets down with the kids and is attentive to their every needs until they all fall asleep. He makes sure his place stays warm in their hearts whenever he's away with calls, videos, voice messages and more. There's something about having your parents present. It adds a spring to your step and boosts your confidence.  I remember what end of year exam used to look like back in the day. That day is characterized with the giving of awards. ...

I was opportuned to be in a leadership position and we all know the beauty of being a leader is that you come across different kinds of people; -Those who are eagerand willing to do whatever is assigned them. Always ready to get things done. -Those whom you need to bring close, and do some form of motivating before they'd wake up any form of responsibility. And finally, - Those who are unteachable. The last class of people is every leader's nightmare. They know it, they have what to say, can't be corrected hence they easily take offence and ultimately, they'll frustrate you and your efforts. Bad character they say is like a flat tyre. You can never go anywhere with it. This simply means a person with a bad character goes nowhere no  matter how excellent your packaging might be. Many have lost jobs , friendships, relationships, opportunities and more for this. Correction comes to better us, sharpen us and then present us as finished products. Therefore an unt...

Boxer's mantra in Animal Farm 'Napoleon is always right' and I will work harder' lee to nothing but his death. Companies, organisations, offices and even down to our homes, this same thing can be seen. There's even a saying that states that the reward for hard work is more work. You find a staff who's willing and enthusiastic about learning, work is thrown his way, he learns, some more are thrown at him and he keeps learning. Little by little, he grows to become very good and an indispensable part of the company. Every work is virtually sent to him. Co-workers first get ignored cos they didn't show that much enthusiasm, and also little by little they become religated to the background, and without their skills being horned nor are they given the opportunity to showcase what they can do. Finally, Mr Excellent worker is now indispensable, nothing can be done without him. This creates serious problems in any organization; 1. The hard worker becomes ...

Adulting ohhhhhhh Or better still adulthood is not a joking matter. You jump up at the sound of the alarm,  Head straight to the kitchen to fix breakfast for the family, Get the kids ready for school Get yourself ready for work; not forgetting the project you're working on Rush to get the kids to school Office time It's from one deadline or target to the other Or you're trying to seal some kinda deal with clients Or grow your business Or you're running home to the circle of chores You get the kids, and you're all home It's nothing but an unending circle of getting things done... One of such times I practically caught myself sleeping, hurriedly tried to conclude my article for the day and posted. Woke up the next day to find that the article I had posted the day before was full of crazy jargon 🤣🤣🤣 . Sometimes we ought to give ourselves that break. Permit ourselves to just lazy around for few hours, take a vacation, sleep in for a day, get a spa tre...

'If I had met you earlier ehhhhh' 'You're just my ideal kind of woman, and I love everything about you' but he can't spare the effort on his partner 'Your son is very intelligent' but they've can't spare the time to be with their kids,to groom them or help with their assignments 'You look so handsome' but she has never helped coordinate her husband to look dashing as well. Yen yen yen... I'm sure most of us have heard lines like these and even more. So many people have left the beautiful relationships and even marriage because of smooth words which become sour when truth is unveiled. If you see any smart child out there today, Be sure that there's a guiding hand behind the curtains If you see someone excelling today, there sure is some hand behind the curtain Same goes for any beautiful woman or man you see our there There surely must be someone behind the scene who helped in their becoming. You do not just stumble upo...

Whhhhhaaaatttt! The alert was yet to be received but Motunde had spent it all. She had also developed the habit of taking  salary advance just to be able to fund her lifestyle. She had the latest luxury brand and all. One look was enough to assure anyone that  she wasn't playing. She was in touch with the latest trends and of course was a girl of high taste. Donald on the other hand was a very great guy. The minute he steps into a place, everyone was sure of having a good time. You can never be with him and not be sure of maximum enjoyment. A very generous fellow, he believed his 'thing' was also meant for everybody, friends and family, so once his salary comes, he's meeting one need or the other of family people, he's making payment for some committee and more. Whatever the reason, these two didn't have any form of investment. In this day and age having an investment should be the topmost priority of any young and even old person. Hmmmmmmm before yo...

Today as I open news, everywhere na domestic violence wey Saint Obi suffer I just dey see. We still never recover from the shock of the news say Saint Obi die, only to wake up to dey hear story say him suffer from Domestic violence wey show am better pepper till e die. Saint Obi na one of the finest Bobo, superstar actor that year wey we dey act better film. Who for think say with all him education and exposure na like this em matter go end? The evil thing about this demon of domestic violence be say na inside secret e dey grow. If you dey in any form of relationship and person start dey abuse you physically, mentally, emotionally in such any type of 'ally', just carry your bag dey run jeje and if your bag go even make you waste time, run leave am.  Na who dey alive dey reason other matter. Domestic violence no dey respect age, influence, wealth, achievement, social status, education, number of children, nothing. This matter don kill many people, e don make people k...

The just concluded cook-a-thon by Hilda Baci, breaking the world record for the longest cooking is no more news and we Nigerians couldn't be more proud. Imagine what it would take to be standing to cook for a 100 hours and more without barely any breaks. We can't help but celebrate the latest record breaker who not only broke the records but set a very high standa9to beat. On the other hand, it took a team. Most importantly, was her assistant, Chef Sunny. He was everything and more. Whenever it looked like she was loosing the will to go on, he was there to be her pillar. Whispering words of encouragement, helping in preparing the ingredients she'd need for any meal and more. He surely stood by her every step of the way.  Nigerians have since taken to his social media handles to shower him with encomium and love. My question goes thus; who do you have in your corner? Who can hold your hand when you fall? Or go crazy with excitement when they see you win? Good or ...

Hilda did it!! Hilda Effiong Bassey, a chef popularly called Hilda Baci decided to set a new world record for the longest duration a person to cooked continuously without break. Was it easy? well, looking beyong the cooking itself to the physical exhaustion she would have felt for the first 24 hours, then 48, then 72 hours, one can only begin to contemplate the hours of work she had to put in. It is said that success has many father's henve in like manner we, the eaters associationwho made sure that the food cooked doesn't go to waste must be applauded. It's not easy to choose to submit your tastebuds as a living sacrifice to enable Hilda achieve the feat that she has. I do not have the details of the preparations and sponsorship for the cook-a-thon, but knowing how Nigerians react to business owners and start-ups, one would have expected that great numbers of doors would have been closed behind her with an emphatic "NO"... however it is the perseveran...

'Daddy's back'! the kids screamed, running out in excitement to hug their father. He had been away on a work related trip for almost two months and in those times, thanks to technology they always called, FaceTimed , sent voice notes, videos, never missed an opportunity to call up their Dad and report whoever they believe wronged them or to request for whatever they wanted or have some funny conversations. It's nothing short of genuine love and a strong bond between our kids and their father. Of course from the minute he got in, they've never left his side, even for times when he went to use the restroom. There are still so many parents in our today's world who are lacking of such closeness and affection with their kids. The home is made to look like some official place. Daddy goes out to make money, comes home from work and hands it over to the Mum who in turn uses it to micromanage the affairs of the home. Both parents are very busy doing everythin...

Travis was a very hard working man. There wasn't any project he got involved in that he didn't give his 100%. He has always been the guy that got things done and it began even from his early days. Handsome, skilled, knowledgeable, name it, he had it and the most beautiful part was, whatever he set his heart to do, he always got it done. He was a very charismatic fellow and so all these qualities and more endeared him to people.  However, it seemed like Travis was on a time pause. Countless number of persons, from friends, colleagues, siblings, everyone and anyone around him, attributed their breakthroughs and success story to Travis, yet it seemed he was barely making any headway personally. He had worked for over 15years at his job and it seemed he wasn't getting the monetary equivalent for his efforts so, he made up his mind to quit. He began sourcing for job in other places, made arrangements to relocate and gave himself a one month deadline without informing...

It had been a long and hectic day, all I wanted was to shower, eat and sleep. Walked into the house to find everywhere upside down! The kids had made a big mess of everything. I literally had tears in my eyes but the minute the kids saw me, they started singing and clapping; 'Mummy Mummy mummy,  Mummy is my Angel,  who takes care of me'... How could I not smile? My Mum would always tell me the story of how she came into the bedroom after taking a break from the laundry she was doing, to find an almost one year old me sitting in the middle of the bed having a white bedspread with the pot of ogbonno soup she made, all soiled. I stretched out my hands to be carried when I saw her, giggling and all happy. How about my almost three year old son telling me 'mummy, I'm cooking for you' when I stepped into the kitchen to find him turning detergent into my boiling pot of stock I was waiting to get ready so I'd make soup for hubby. Kids have a way of getting t...

We were all glued to our tv screens, those who didn't have access to one were on their phones and subsequently almost every social media outlet were focused on the coronation ceremony of the new king and guess who amongst others was invited to perform? Our very own Tiwa Savage! Remember few years ago the very same Tiwa had her sex videos leaked online. Whoever it was decided to destroy her by leaking. Of course, what other intention would such a person have? No, it wasn't a good thing and it's been said severally, as per a celebrity, even for anyone out there, do not have any sex tape and even if you must, guard it cos you never know who could have access to it. So here's this person who sought to destroy Tiwa. It was a crazy time for her, everyone writing their own opinion. Years later instead of going under like was planned against her, she stood, gracing a most coverted platform, being the envy of every musical artist, an gave an incredible performance. H...

'Youth obey the clarion call Let us lift our nation high Under the sun or in the rain With dedication and selflessness Nigeria's ours Nigeria we serve' See how beautifully worded the NYSC anthem is? Youths obey the call to serve Nigeria with dedication and selfishness under the sun or rain right? That's only applicable to people who don't have means serving in rural villages, in states far away from family and friends. Others are serving where they want their money and connect to send them. My Aunt warned me , I passed same on to my friends, some did listen, others didn't believing in the great Nigeria. Hmmmmm where they got posted to would best be described as the ends of the earth. 50 years but there's very little cause to celebrate. However, here are a few tips I'd like to share with future corp members : 1- Do all you can to influence your posting! Please read that twice, read it again, and again, then go start finding ways to get this do...

There's this movie series I follow on Facebook. It's pretty interesting to watch with loads of morals. The movie series is centred on relationship, marriage and in-laws. Yesterday something caught my fancy. After watching, I decided to go through the comment section and among the comments was a funny one that stood out; the sister in-law of a friend, Tamina. In this episode, the MIL and SIL succeed in chasing the wife of the man away, then began celebrating. Tamina's sister in-law wrote a lengthy comment condemning the act, raining curses and all the drama Reality check: Tamina's sister in-law is the devil herself. There have been millions of times Tamina would call me crying. How about the crazy kinds of troubles she's always instigating? Young marriage looking like a war zone. So many persons are on this table. Online they're super nice, kind and all, saying the right words, displaying the right character but they are manipulative and unkind beneat...

' Babe please start getting ready so we'd be there in good time' hubby said . Of course as the good wife that I am, I wouldn't want my hubby and I to be late for any occasion, not to mention such a high profile, strictly by invitation dinner. Well, 15 minutes to start of event and we were racing through traffic like two blood thirsty maniacs. Hubby is gifted with a penchant for going early, doing things early and I, the important thing is that I always deliver. Or hubby don't I?🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗 Isn't that what counts? Marriage will test you The way I can't seem to understand why hubby is always in a hurry is the same way he must be wondering why I take my time to get things done. Sometimes I tend to ask him if he's part of the security or cleaners and he'd ask if I'm the Host or special guest of the occasion. Whatever the case, we somehow always manage to get ourselves to wherever we need to be.😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Na only God fit help ...

My heart was so warmed up, just watching my new born baby girl, my precious perfect angel from God. Hubby was strutting around with so much pride at the arrival of his Princess. He took so many pictures and uploaded it to share the news of her birth. This would be the only picture my baby girl would have in a long long while. I was all excited but then little by little my perspective shifted from staying positive to seeing everything childbirth had done to me. When I had my first child I was lost in the joy of being a first time Mum and couldn't pass on an opportunity to take pictures of and with my baby boy. When my girl came, I was grateful for the blessing of my daughter but I was so lost on all the changes my body had undergone that I missed out on precious moments. I never got to take so many pictures which equalled to creating and saving memories of that phase in both of our live. I rarely have pictures of my baby girl in her early days. I was sad about how I went...

Just watched the video clip on the internet of a brother who threw his sister a surprise on her birthday with the trumpets, a big cakes, some more gifts and he kept spraying money on her and their mum. First, the environment of their house where he was doing all these wasn't by any chance a tush neighbourhood, just a family trying to get by. Further more, the denomination he was spraying her is one of the lowest Nigerian currency.  However, one look at the face of his sister and mother and one could see genuine love, care and affection amongst them. Took me back memory lane of all the countless times my brothers have come through for me. Times they've broken their savings for me, times they've given me their all, a billion times I've turned their wardrobe to my shopping mall, times I've done crazy things/mistakes and I'll call them up and just dump it on their laps and sure enough, they'll clean up after me. I see my kids displace same magic. How...

Hubby came home from the mechanic workshop and the stories he told got me rolling on the ground with laughter. Why? The guys are the workshop all through his stay were trading imaginary stories amongst themselves of how they'll become billionaires and painting the town red. One wished some single rich Babe would become his customer so much so that he'd begin frequenting her house to service her cars and she'd fall in love with him and 5heyll get married (jackpot)! Another said he wished to become the personal mechanic of a billionaire who'd just love him and in a year or two just decide to change his life and he'd become the latest Baby boy in town. What did they have in common? -Zero educational background with little or no interest in pursuing one -All of them were dodging from being assigned any work as apprentice but chose to sit at some corner gisting while their boss worked -They all had pipe dreams. Every step matters in life. There's a progre...

Whenever you're faced with challenges bear it in mind that, it will pass away but most importantly, remember that when the chips are down you're your own cheerleader. There's a man who attends same church as my family. He used to work as the right hand man of the then Accountant General of the Federation. You know how it is; excess money. There was little or nobody who didn't benefit from his benevolence. He gave so much that they began to call him Father Abraham. School fees, house rent, job opportunities, feeding allowance and lots more. Few years down the line is was time to dance and celebrate his successful years in office and his retirement. In less than a year of retirement it was as though this man had nobody. His house that used to be filled non-stop with visitors rare saw any visitor, his car broke down and he had to start trekking. He was so caught up in the circle of doing good that he had no savings, no investments, no one to love on him like be...

One would be tempted to think the smiles on the face of the workers, employers and government is real. Actually it indeed is real until it's time for the workers to get their pay. The government even declared a public holiday in honour of the workers but there's hardly any state in the country that isn't owing the workers. Not just one or two but months that have turned into years and we have our government officials throwing parties and living lavish lifestyles. The pay of some workers can barely carry any family bill. What is the present minimum wage? And when the workers embark on a strike it is seen as though they just like trouble. No no no if you think it ends there you're wrong. How about individual employers of labour who dehumanize, enslave, maltreat and even withhold the pay of their staffs? The Holy book says and rightly so, that a labourer is worthy of his wages but here, the labourer is at the mercy of his employer. As we celebrate the holiday h...