THE DREAM OF A NIGERIAN YOUTH, OR IS IT "UNDREAM"?

Disclaimer

Certain people close to me may be quoted in this blog, in such cases they will be duly attributed. In any case where there be any resemblance of characters in my blog to real life, whether of persons, objects, or circumstances besides the ones who i attribute to are purely coincidental. You should try not to be too critical to matters of this blog post. Just enjoy the read and you could even pick up a few things that will help. *i cant assure you though that none will be detrimental to you ofcourse*. The lot of sane things here will most likely to have been written by Jemimah. However, any inhibition you may have as regards the use of profanity in this blog is purely the fault of Nikky. She is my co-blogger and as others may well know "my alter-ego". Therefore any and all complaints should be forwarded to her desk. And to tell you the truth, she usually doesn't give a hoot. So you might like to do yourself a favour and ignore anything that may offend you.



THE DREAM OF A NIGERIAN YOUTH, OR IS IT "UNDREAM"?

The issue behind my write up is something i have been mulling over in my mind for a while now, but just finally felt brave enough to pen it down. This was brought about by a chat i had last night with a good friend of mine who now lives in America. Our discussion though brief was one of the most insightful exchange i had had with him in a while. He may probably have just brushed it off, but it kept me awake all night thinking about the dream of Nigerian Youths, so much that i woke up with a light headache.

My friend whose name is Bravy read a link i posted on one of the social networks and sent me  a message congratulating me for my insight. Now, that got me very surprised, because since i knew him he never struck me as someone to go through the internet to read such insightful materials. Not because he isnt a smart kid, infact far from it! He is an intelligent chap though playful. We had wrecked quite a few havocs back in the day as kids.

One thing he said that got me thinking was that, had he been in Nigeria when i posted that link he really doubts he would have ever read it. Because his laptop battery may have been dead as there was rarely ever any electricity to get it charged. Also, internet access could have been scrambled or limited and so wouldn't be able to access the net. These among many others are factual scenenarios that abound in our lovely yet far behind country. Others include, the lackadaisical attitude that many youths in Nigeria have about reading. It is general knowledge that reading may not be very interesting to many people, however, to be informed and enlightened you really do have to read. Learn other people's experience and apply them.

This got me thinking about many intelligent, sharp and smart Nigerian youths that i know. Young people with so much potential and great insight as regards happenings around the world and within Nigeria.But they would rather smoke weed than push hard  into developing themselves. Their claim is always that the country is messed up and doesnt care for its youths and wouldnt provide jobs for them. Thers is only so much the governement can do. What with the constant corruption we hear about and the ever increasing large population. But we the youths lack drive. Both those from very priviledged backgrounds and those from less priviledged ones are caught in this trap. Some use  drugs as  some  form of respite. Respite it really does provide, but it is certainly short lived. Next they become renegades and slow brained, then all efforts put into acquiring education becomes a waste.

There are so many untapped industries in this country, if only we the young ones will open our eyes to find them and tap them! You have to look out for yourself and develop yourself so you could stand out among many and get the opportunity to be somebody early in life.

 Not long ago the Federal Government ran a scheme that provided funds for new and budding entrepreneurs. Many people knew of it but didnt apply. Thank God those who did got wonderful grants. The persistent pessimists well what can i say? i do hope we all the light soon and take charge of our destinies.

There is an old time saying by the whites that if you want to hide something from a black man, put it in a book. We thought that was derogatory, but it hasn't totally changed decades later .
if writing for me means atleast one person will read it and apply it, then that piece of information i am passing isn't at all a waste.

Have a good day er'one.

THE IRONY OF ATTAINING A MASTERS DEGREE

Surfing the internet for the past one month trying to decide what university is affordable yet offers qualitative education for my average economic cadre has left me more disillusioned day by day. Being one of those people who believe a UK and/or USA education is much more qualitative than other countries cum that of Nigeria, i very easily began checking those spheres. After checking the rates for over 10 schools, i realized if i approached my mother with such a cost i may give her a heart attack. So i began looking for scholarship offerings that may reduce the cost of tuition for me. There, i "jam rock" as they would say in pigin english.

Now at my wits end and realizing i may not be able to afford Masters in jand right now, i went back to browsing and making inquiries for admission in a Nigerian University. I was specifically looking for one close to my city so schooling wouldn't put a strain on my work and my resources. Asking around i got a couple of schools that could work. That was supposed to have given me some respite, however, it further left me more frustrated.

First, i had to consider the erratic situation of Nigerian colleges, strikes, lecturer issues, sorting and all related shenanigans to education in Nigeria. Then i got an Eastern university which had a study centre in my town and i was elated. This means i could continue working and still school with little or no hitches at all. Just when i was about to get a form, the FG decided to set up a committee that will probe Nigerian universities. Among their portfolio was to re-call centres of universities that are not in the same town with the parent university. There, i struck rock deep down in the well. That meant no headway yet.

Then i got information about a university not so far offering a course close to what i wanted to read. I decided to give it a trial since one masters degree is better no masters degree at all. I got their form, filled it and submitted. Before admissions were slated to be out i took the liberty of asking the course coordinator how much the fees may come to. To my utter surprise, i learnt that to run the course i am applying for, it will cost me about half a million naira!!!! Now that was absurd! wouldn't i rather save and go abroad? where i know sessions end on as at when due and school life may not be as difficult as it is in Nigeria?

After all these, i am more beat down that i ever was. Now thinking, how important is having a secong degree infact? My boss just completed his MSc after over 20 years of finishing his first degree. And he built a successful business using only his first degree. I guess i am just going to blurt all this masters matter from my mind focus my energy into something else that will develop me and wouldn't depress me.

Peace out!

PARTYING WITH KIDS

Disclaimer

Any resemblance of characters in my blog to real life, whether of persons, objects, or circumstances are purely coincidental. Also, try as much as you can not to use contents of this blog to judge my persona, well its not like i care anyway. For the sake of your psychological health, take everytthing on face value. This is because alot of crazy things may be spewed here that can turn even the most stoic into locos and may even depress some -__- . You should just enjoy the read and you could even pick up a few things that will help. *that being detrimental to you ofcourse*. The lot of sane things here will most likely to have been written by Jemimah. However, any inhibition you may have as regards the use of profanity in this blog is purely the fault of Nikky. She is  my co-blogger and as others may well know "my alter-ego". Therefore any and all complaints should be forwarded to her desk. And to tell you the truth, she usually doesn't give a hoot. So you might like to do yourself a favour and ignore anything that may offend you.




PARTYING  WITH  KIDS

Some may already have ran ahead of themselves and imagined that this is an awful topic for a blog. Well you are not far from the truth, but *tatafo* who send you work? me wey write am no know which topic i prefer?
Reason i chose this to write this is as obvious as the fact that the time is 3.30pm on a slow tuesday afternoon and there's nothing to do at work. Recapping over the events of the last weekend i find myself drawn to the rather bizzare event i and my close buddies went for on friday. Invited by some acquaintances who are believed to be the creme de la creme  of town to a pool party thrown by them. I was so excited and so snagged a couple of invites for myself and my friends. So my bestie who stays outta town was coming to visit me and i wanted to show her a good time and thought the pool party was a good idea to kick start the bloody fun weekend. As I had feigned a head ache and so took the day off work, i had plenty time on my hand to try on all my bikinis to see which one would fit more. As i hadn't been to the pool in a while, i had added some weight in some pleasant places, i so needed a pair that will flatter me + make me look gorgeous. So i decided on what i thought was the perfect fit. I texted my friends so much to remind them about the pool affair that they began to get pissed. I fidgeted till twas pool time. My friend, the dude (who i must confess, i kind of had the hots for) was picking we the ladies up. I couldnt wait to show up my improved bikini bod hoping he'll be impressed. and then we jorneyed 30minutes to the "undisclosed location" of the party. Upon reaching the pool, good music was playing and i began to bop my head and get jiggy, while i led the pack in. Just then, i stopped right in my tracks making the entire crew to bump into me. I almost ran out in total shame. Scattered around the pool were teenage kids, many of whom were my juniors in secondary school who i uesd to send to fetch me bathing water + wash my clothes *asper typical 9ja federal govt. school* While i tried to make us turn back and leave, my host unfortunately spotted me and shouted my name. Now everyone's eyes were on us and i felt like the floor should open up and cover me. We were dragged to a place to sit, drinks and small chop *which oyinbo call finger foods* were served and i tried constantly to avoid the gazes of those little kids. The boys ogled and the girls gave us a murderous look like ''old women, wont you go home and allow us to rock?" while they unabashedly sent "my man" the Come-hither-look. As a sabi boy, he basked in their attention, much to my disdain! Like dude these are kids in their late teens and you are like in your late 20s! Well, after we downed our refreshment *asper food cannot waste* we surreptuosly sneaked away from the party. From then i burnt my bridges about attenting all those overly hyped social affairs again!


Remind me later to write on this ever increasing urge for girls/ladies to date + want to marry men way older than they are. talking 10 years and above age difference.And why the men seem to be flattered by that and even blatantly insinuate they can't marry a woman who is above 25years old. Saying things like *"she is no longer fresh", "her juices have been dried up", "what was she doing when her mates were married at 20" etc* Mind you, these guys aren't less than 30years! what irony!

Jemimah Nikky Jatau: Just reading this post in which a guy had the guts...

Jemimah Nikky Jatau: Just reading this post in which a guy had the guts...: Just reading this post in which a guy had the guts to insinuate that in so far as a man (who is in a serious relationship) only sleeps aroun...

Just reading this post in which a guy had the guts to insinuate that in so far as a man (who is in a serious relationship) only sleeps around i.e has sex he isn't exactly cheating. It is only when he "makes love" to another woman that he is cheating. What nerve! What effontry? Are Nigerian men so myopic and dumb? please somebody tell me there are only a few of such dogs, little minded bastards in this country! Women, teach your sons how to respect women, cos a large number of our societal ills are brought about by things that are easily avoidable.

EFFECTS OF BROKEN HOMES ON SOCIETY

The family is undoubtedly the basic unit of the society. It is the pivotal point on which the society revolves. The extent of well-being of the individual families which constitute the society form the yardstick with which the success or failure of the society is measured.
It is therefore not rhetoric to state that once the family system collapses, the society concerned is doomed to fail.

When the average family that constitutes the society is intact, and continually and continuously functions as an integrated unit, the society in turn is integrated, orderly and peaceful. The individual members of the society thus have the opportunity of bringing the various values gotten from their homes to bear towards the development of every sector of the society.

However, where the rate of break-up of homes is on the increase, the reverse is the case. The family members are intellectually, morally, emotionally, psychologically, economically, physically and socially deprived. In the society, they can neither function nor deliver their quota towards the development of the society since they lack the values necessary for same, and which only a stable home can offer. . The children from such homes constitute nuisance in the society, indulging in all sorts of crimes and delinquent activities which pose clogs in the wheels of national development.


The members of the family, by their indulgence in such vicious habits like drunkenness, dependency on drugs, adultery, etc cause the disintegration of their home. The paradox in the whole affair is that the society, which ultimately bears the brunt of the problems caused by the broken-home syndrome, also contributes to its incidence and prevalence. Some of the ways through which the society compounds the problem is by its attitudes towards marriage since the attitude of the society towards the sanctity of marriage, towards the position of women in the home, and towards the importance of restraint in sexual relations, have effects on the broken home rate of any given social group.

In many cases children from such broken homes witnessed violence in their homes. This may cause them to portray violent tendencies right from school and when it is not curbed may turn them into sociopaths.

THE ROLE OF DIET IN DISEASE PREVENTION

Dieting refers to the controlled intake of food and drink designed for weight loss this could be for health or religious reasons, or to control or improve a medical condition. In this case we shall be focusing on the use of diet to prevent certain diseases or at least control those diseases. A healthy diet is important as it could help maintain health by preventing loss of muscle strength, bone mass, and vitamin deficiency states. It also helps to prevent diseases such as ulcers, heart attacks, strokes, obesity, osteoporosis and even certain cancers. Diets may also help control and/or treat chronic diseases and conditions such as high blood pressure. Diabetes mellitus and celiac disease. Many times we ignore the importance of eating healthy foods and would rather indulge in eating all sorts of unhealthy comfort foods that more often than not affect our health negatively. To be able to maintain good health, the body requires carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals to maintain healthy organs, bones, muscles, nerves, and to produce hormones and chemicals that are necessary for the proper function of organs. Vitamins and minerals are naturally occurring substances that are essential for the growth and function of the body. Vitamins and minerals are both necessary (in small amounts) for normal chemical reactions otherwise called metabolism, in the body. Vitamin supplements are not only used to prevent deficiencies but also used to prevent diseases. Certain vitamin supplements (such as folic acid, vitamin B6, and B12) have been used to lower blood levels of homocysteine, which may help prevent heart attacks. Folic acid fortification in cereals and vitamin supplements has been found to decrease the risk of birth defects in women of childbearing age. Obesity and heart attacks are major public-health problems. Therefore, most dietary recommendations are aimed at preventing these diseases. Obesity is caused by eating more calories than the body burns. Obesity, in turn, can be a cause of many diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, liver disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, gout, gallstones, and certain cancers. To lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, one needs to eat more low-energy-dense foods. These Low-energy-dense foods (such as vegetables and fruits) contain few calories per unit volume of food so that one can eat a large volume of it (for example, lettuce) without taking in many calories. One should also eat less of the high-energy-dense foods such as fats, egg yolks, fried foods, sweets, and high-fat salad dressings. Foods with a high energy density also often have high cholesterol and saturated fat content. One should also eat less of those foods that provide calories but little other nutrients, such as alcohol and many packaged snack foods.  For ailments such as Obesity, reduced ration of food is important. That you eat more low fatty/sugar foods doesn’t mean you should wolf down mighty portions of it. Reduction of ration should be a priority. There are certain urges we may have to eat certain unhealthy foods, in those cases if you have the tendency of being obese, try to chew on high mint gums, they keep your mouth busy and subdues the craving. In fact, alcohol particularly affects our physical health by causing problems with the kidneys and liver and in other cases diabetes. It also affects our psychological health. This is because it proves addictive to heavy drinkers. They may begin to get destructive which will affect their mental balance and may even confine them to rehabilitation centers. A healthy diet should be able to emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products. Also, diets should include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and be low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars. Diets low in simple sugar are important in controlling blood glucose levels in people with diabetes mellitus. Eating whole grains help in keeping you full yet minimizing your risk of high carbohydrate.  One thing we should underestimate is the power of exercises. Whether you choose to go for a run or engage in physical activities in your home, you should do something that will keep you active and help keep you fit.

CULTURE’S PLACE IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Thinking about what to write as regards this topic, I thought about a song we sang back then in the Sunday school. The lines went like this “Gimme that old time religion, gimme that old time religion, gimme that old time religions, its good enough for me”. This, to me is our culture.

Culture as a way of life of a group of people is how we have easily characterized its use over the years. In today’s world, culture transcends just the way of life a particular people, but spreads across the entire globe most times. This is made possible through the digitization of the world. The digital era has proved mightily useful in bringing the world under the umbrella of one global village, making communication much easier and engendering exposure.

This new globalized world has seemed to prove as a threat to our cultures through the meshing of several world cultures with ours. In so doing, ours has about gone into extinction as we now strive to adapt and perfect foreign cultures rather than harness ours.

What we don’t understand is that the importance of our culture in today’s digital age cannot be swept under the carpet. Our old time culture strives consistently to cut the excesses of the digital age.

 Now, do not think for one moment I am against the digital age. In fact, I am one of those people who totally embraced the internet and social networks. Coming from a strict Christian family where anything relating to the “world” was assessed with a raised eyebrow, I quickly tried to convince them of the good in widening our scope to see the world in a wider approach and adapt what we can from it so we do not remain in the dark. I don’t go a day without going on Google, or my online social media, or reading up comments on Blogs and Online Magazines. This has proved quite important to my life and whatever I read I enjoy passing it on to others whom I think it may benefit.

Now despite how much I cling to this new “worldly exposure” as I am sure my mom would want to refer to it, I never lose sight of our good ol’ cultures of piety and sobriety. And I do believe there are many more youths like myself who believe so too. In fact, sometimes we take advantage of this digital age to inform and educate each other on our cultures through the use of the internet.

I understand the fear the older generation have about the waning popularity of our culture and the thought that it may soon go into extinction. However, pardon me to say, but this fear may be a little irrational. Believe and trust the young generation whom you have trained to be able to use our sound doctrines in judging between good and evil.

http://blueprintng.com/2012/06/jemima-i-wish-the-weekend-could-be-extended/ via @blueprint_newsp

When did it become cool?---------------Guys Jonzing#

#whendiditbecomecool# for old toasters who foolishly missed their chance with you in past, now return after water has ran under the bridge to pick up from where dey left off? was i supposed to keep vigil and jus keep hoping that you'll return? #YouMustBeJONZING#

First day of my blog life

Hey Beautiful people,
So today marks the first day of my blog life. Funny right? in this computer and internet obsessed days, i just finally brought myself around to creating my personal blog. The so much hype on TV and the internet about blog sites and pages, made me wanna try it out. I do hope i have a wonderful time blogging, and so also, all my future followers, lets all sit tight snd sail beautifully.
With luv,
Jemimah Nikky Jatau