Achievement

When can one say that they have achieved what they wanted in life? What is achievement and by what standards can it be measured. Some say they have achieved when they have completed their education, some say they have achieved when they have met Mr. Right. Others believe achievement has to be something grand. Well, I do not think any one is wrong with their definition or views on achievement. I wanted to talk on this topic because there was a dialogue that just went on with a mate on How “Abuja babes” are making it. Such stories are not my cup of tea but it seems to be just the normal gist of babes who maybe “envy such a lifestyle or want similar life style. The story goes on about how these “big chicks” make their money. I hate such stories and I think without proof, there is no need to indulge in such fantasy stories. For all we know, these “bigger babes” might just be hard working and earning a decent living. And if a man decides to spoil them rotten, take them abroad, buy houses for them and big car then Hi five to them after all it is not easy and not all babes who indulge in same business get anything tangible from it.

Second story was about a mutual mate getting married to a member of “who is who” in Nigeria. Again, such issues do not rock my boat. If one meets a good man, fantastic but a man does not determine who one is or does it?

Again, to be an ass licker is not what I admire in people in fact I cannot stand such people. They lick the ass of any rich person, any person they can gain from, and any person with big names etc just to feel among. Such people I am even scared of as they will do anything to be accepted in “the fold”. They will back stab, gossip, even plan evil for one. I say this because I have had an experience where people would back stab in a second just to use one to make friends with so called (to their standard) “high class” people.

Anyway, the crux of this write up is that some people see achievement as any of these, making friends with important names, marrying into rich homes or famous people, etc. but for me, achievement means that one is constantly challenging one’s self to improve, to make it, to be a better person, to touch lives positively. It means more than just personal gratification. To me, it means that lives are also touched with my achievement and not just me. I am extremely proud of my self, where I have come from and where I am today. I am extremely optimistic about the future because with what I have invested today and with the love of family and few great friends, tomorrow will be fantastic. My sweat, my self, that is what I base achievement on.

Life appreciated

Hello everyone, I hope you are all having a very lovely day and looking forward to spoiling your mums this mother's day. I am down because I can’t get time off work to go to church with my mum but never the less that will not stop me giving her a fantastic day. I have been busy with my research work. I need to send a paper for publication. I am also doing other things by the side like learning how to swim. I am really loving it. I managed to do another 10 meters. Small steps I say make the big changes.

Yesterday about past 1.00am I felt the whole house shaking. I woke up so shocked as to the reason of such a tremor. I woke up and ready to get out of the house cause this particular shaking I have never felt. It felt like the house was going to cave in but that feeling didn't last for long. I went back to sleep. I woke up to the news that an earthquake hit Britain at the same time. The same shaking and movements was felt by many. Well I have every reason to give thanks to God Almighty. Anything could have happened but he didn't let the enemy succeed. When you think of it, you'll realise that nothing makes us more special than those who died in the tsunami tragedy or other natural disaster.

From me, have a brilliant day.

Mother's day comments

Evelyn said...
To me,every day should be mothers day.Mother's Day is a great day to show your mum what she means to you,to give her back as much love as you can ,which can never equal the one she has always had for you.
on that day,I will sleep on the same bed with my mum and hold her so close to my heart,and pet her and kiss her.She is my Best friend,and she knows it,cos we agree and disagree,but then still,our love is stronger.
What will i do for my mum on that day,well will try my best to Please her and make her happy and do all the things she tells me to do.
Come to think of it Lily,we have the same mother,so let's put our heads together and make it a day to remember for her,a Blessed day and a Wonderful day.
My mother has always been there for me,through good and bad times,she has always been besides me,i cant forget her,never.I love her.

Thanks Eve for a very touching comment. I have published it as promised. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend?

Accomplishment

Hello all, I have been having a fantastic week. I have got my Little sister with me and my beautiful mum is also here to spend some wonderful time with me. I have been also going for swimming lessons and I am having a fantastic time. I got my first badge for 10 meters and hopefully will get another for 25 meters. I will keep going until I can swim properly and then raise some funds for some development projects in Nigeria. In all we do, we have to think of ways we can contribute to making our country great wherever in the World we are. I cannot really wait for the day when my impact will begin to be felt in Africa.

Hope you are having the time of your life if not make it happen. Do something for yourself, pamper yourself or just go out and enjoy the sunshine (If you are where there is one LOL). Praise yourself, smile and give to those who do not have. Life is great and should be enjoyed. Have a lovely day and a fantastic weekend. Still waiting for articles to be published in praise to our wonderful MUMs. Much love, Lily

Mother's day

Hello everyone, Guess you know Sunday the 2nd of March is mother's day. Well, I have lots of plans for my Mum. I hope to spend some quality time with her, tell her how much I love her and appreciate all the things she has done for us (her Children). I cannot begin to say how fantastic my mum is. She has contributed immensely in making me who I am today. She has pushed us to God, she always prayed and fasted for us. One day when I become a mother,I'll see my self showing such unconditional love to my children because such love was shown to me.

What will you be doing for your mum this mother's day? How has your mum touched your life? From this week, I will be publishing comments on what you'll be doing for your mum this mother's day. If you have poems, songs, articles please do not hesitate to share them with me. Our mothers do deserve them. And to all mums out there, you truly deserve this day. You are deeply loved and appreciated. God bless you mums.

Population overload

An article on today's paper caught my attention. It was an article that suggests that there are too many people on planet Earth. It states we are about 1.2 billion people too many and if populations continue to grow at present rates, it could cause wars and starvation. On the same article page was another spread on Africa. Child deaths in the continent are reaching an all time high even in rich African countries. From the index, Sub Saharan Africa is the home to 19 of the worst performing countries.

I wonder what African government are doing about these trends in the region. There are many children who are living a life of misery. A high percentage of people in Nigeria or many other countries in Africa are without jobs, have low quality of life. My question is why do we keep giving birth with current situation. I thought there was a time we had a law to limit the maximum number of children in a family to 4. I think it should be further reduced honestly. I think there should be a system whereby, women and men can readily get contraception, advice and education from old ways of thinking that having many children leads to wealth or any other old belief that comes with having lots of children.

In this day of HIV/AIDS, I believe whether married or not, condoms should be a must and other contraception (especially in Africa) No excuses. There are so many idle people in the continent doing nothing, neither innovative nor constructive. We need to give better lives to our children and if we know we do not have the means to have more children, why bring in an innocent life to suffer?

Love is in the air

Hello everyone, as Val’s day has come and gone, hope you all had a lovely day? My day was lovely. My sister and I went out with some girlfriends of mine to have a girlie day. It is fun to be out with girlfriends just to have a laugh and have some fun. I know Nigerians do not play with Val’s day, in fact I remember while I was at Uni in ABU Zaria, Val’s day was always so hipped. Many girls got laptops, cars etc (LOL) (lucky babes) any way, who says that Blacks are not romantic?

I pray that the poor, motherless babies and orphans had someone special to spend the day with. I know God is with the widows and widowers showing them he is now their partner. For all you who feel you are all alone, not loved, broken hearted etc...God loves you and from the bottom of my heart, I wish you all God's love all around. Have a lovely day.
Love you

History

Hello Everyone, I hope you are all ok? I was going through some articles for my research and came across this section on Africa. I just have to share it and see what people actually think of this.
The section goes like this: Hegel in his work "reason in history" describes the unenviable fate reserved for Africans, whom he regards as the rejects of humanity. He goes on to say that if one wants to be acquainted with the horrible manifestations of human nature, one can find them in Africa. In sum, what the name Africa signifies is an a historical and underdeveloped world, entirely enslaved to the natural mind, and situated at the threshold of universal history.
Hegel glorifies the genius of humanity, or more precisely, European genius. This fascinating article was written by Paténéma François Sedogo and it is titled Civil Society in Sub-Saharan Africa: How Can Western Countries Help Civil Society in Africa?

This type of articles is what drives me to keep praying that Africa will one day be great. I know we can do it if we put our minds to it. We are not all unintelligent people. We have highly intelligent and intellectual people all over Africa. That is why it frustrates me when I hear of Fighting, killings, corruption, disease etc in Africa. We honestly can do better.

Home!!!!!!!!!

What do you like most about Africa or your country? I love the friendliness of the people in Nigeria. I love our food, culture, dress sence and self pride. I love going to Nigeria and spending loads of time with my friends, Mum, brothers and sisters. I love the SUN!!!!! Oh how wonderful it is to feel the heat. That said, have a lovely day.
Love, Lily.

What would you do?

Hello Everyone,
I hope you all had a lovely weekend? I came across an article on today's paper and my heart went out to the man on the article. Mr Nyang who is of African origin deliberately broke his neck in an attempt to avoid being deported. In the course of this injury, three main vertebrae in his neck snapped and as a result, he is paralysed and it has been said it is very unlikely that he will ever walk again.

My question now is: Is it really worth it? Is abroad so great that one would rather die than go back to his/her home country? I really do not blame Mr. Nyang. I cannot begin to imagine what has made him to detest his country so much that his only alternative not to go back is put himself in this condition. I wish him quick recovery and pray that he is able to walk again and make a positive change to his country through this negative experience.

Backwardness?

I was at uni today doing some work when a fellow Nigerian came to me so that I can help find the Dutch consulate's telephone number. We found the number online and he gave them a call as he wanted to book an appointment for visitor’s visa. When he spoke to the consulate, they told him that people from that Nationality (Nigeria) has to book 6 to 8 weeks in advance. He was told the policy on Nigerian Nationality changed since the beginning of the year. Well, I said to him that I do not blame any country taking measures against Nigerian. We have made our bed so let us lie on it like that. When other countries are moving forward, introducing break through technology, we are there battling with crime, armed robbery, killings etc.

I know of many Nigerians abroad who have given up on the country and would never want anything to do with it. I still believe there is hope for that country. As we are all identified by our skin colour (Abroad), When one Black person does something negative, it affects every black person. that negative act is used to stereotype everyone of that race (which it shouldn’t be because we are all different).That is why I preach for parents to show their children what it is to have integrity, be their children's role model.














Meanwhile, I saw a guy today at the bus stop (don't know where in Africa he comes from) chewing chewing stick. The type they chew in the village. I was looking at this man and was wondering, if he realised he had a chewing stick in his mouth (a big one for that matter). A friend of mine and I were speaking the other day and we were talking about how alot of Africans carry some of their habits overseas. I have seen women backing their babies while pushing an empty pram ( I wonder why they are carrying the pram in the first place?)It is acceptable in Nigeria but here it is seen as strange. The pram is there for health and safety. We also talked about wearing our native wears abroad. In Nigeria or other African countries, when we put on our gear, we look fantastic, fabulous but in western countries, how do you think we are perceived when we wear our attire? Do you think we are admired in it or do you think we look outrageous? (No preaching about national pride).

And finally, are there any Igbos or Hausas in the UK? I have met only a few. Thanks alot for reading. Now it is time for you to send your views. Lots of love from me.

It seems all of a sudden many Black stars are speaking out about racism. Just recently, Supermodel Naomi Campbell says the fashion industry is more racist than ever. She talked about how black models are being sidelined by major modelling agencies. She also talked about how her white friends will demand for her to be in a show if not they will pull out. Institutional racism does exist but amidst all these buhaha there are wonderful people out there who will not just tolerate any form of discrimination. I believe that until the Black race starts doing well; until Africa starts moving forward, these types of stories will be rampant. Black magazines, cosmetics, fashion industry should do their part. I am forever proud of black people who have made it in any aspect of life be it good mothers or Oscar winning actors.

More news

Wahbi Mohammed, 25, Abdul Sherif, 30, Muhedin Ali, 29, Ismail Abdurahman, 25, and Siraj Ali, 32 were jailed for up to 17 years. Two of the men were found guilty of knowing in advance of the plot to kill dozens just days after the July 7 atrocities but doing nothing to stop it. The men, all originally from Africa were granted stay in the UK but now immigration officials are now reviewing whether the men should remain in the UK, or be deported after serving their sentences.
Well well well!!!!! I have no sympathy whatsoever for anyone who would support or protect a murderer. Innocent lives were lost. People from all colors, nations were affected and families all over the world mourned for their loved ones. These men, who came from a very poorly deprived country, a country which on a daily basis saw innocent people killed, were granted refuge in a developed country and what do the citizens of this country get in return?....... You tell me. There is no reason whatsoever to kill innocent civilians who are going about their business. Men like this are the reason behind the negative stereotyping of young black men. Men like this are the reason why one is greeted on the arrival terminal with a huge dog. When next an innocent black man gets stopped by police, or gets watched by store owners, dont be angry because they are just doing their jobs based on the emperical results of reality they see on a daily basis.








On another note, Miraculously, this baby survived being thrown from a fourth-floor window of a building believed to have been set alight by neo-nazis. The building was a hostel mainly occupied by Turkish refugees. I hope the baby's parents survived. Innocent lives were lost. Hatred is truely EVIL.

Your views

I want to hear your views on being black or being African. Tell me what you are most proud of. I also want to hear your views. What changes can we make now so that we can get were we ought to be? Have a lovely day.

Racial Hatred!!!!!!!

Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton was subjected to racial abuse in Spain. Hamilton was jeered whenever he made his way from the team motorhome. As I read on, the horrors of the World we live in becomes a reality. Racism is real and it hurts but so is any type of discrimination. In Africa, india and other developing countries, we have the caste system. We do it to others whether of different tribe or different caste, we do it to people we feel we are superior to, economically or otherwise but we do not want anyone to do it to us.

I love what a commentator put on the net about this incident and I really agree with him. He said racism against black people will only recede when Africa makes progress towards middle-income status. As long as we behave like foolish poeple, killing one another, bringing money that should be used to develop our countries to UK, Swiss Banks, as long as we still flee our countries begging to be immigrants, then the sad story continues. The image Africa has created for herself is that of poverty, corruption, fraud, violence and crime. May we see what we are doing to generations to come and turn our ways.

Africa My Africa

Africa My Africa, When will you learn? The rest of the world is moving forward economically. Look at how China, India are all doing.....Look at the elections in America.....You can see the genuine passion in the eyes of the contestants....everybody wants a better future for their children, effective and efficient facilities and infrastructure..... but in Africa.....people are killing one another. Look at what is happening in Kenya, Chad, Sudan..People are suffering, dying, in pain, agony, sorrow and no body cares. It seems we so much hate ourselves we cannot bear to see our fellow black man alive or do well. People want to get out of that continent that has inflicted unimaginable pain and sorrow. The leaders are disgraceful and not fit to be mentioned. They have let their people down. We all seem to be giving up and killing one another. Please wake up Africa and see What God has bestowed on you. I am willing and praying for you Africa. May God help us all.