Thursday, December 27, 2012

12 Life Lessons I Learnt In 2012

1. God has perfect timing... Never too late, never too early. It might not be your time, but only the potter knows when to manifest the clay. 2. You don't need everybody in your life, you only need the right people. Stop auditioning for friends, you were not born to befriend everyone. Moreover, you are not a facebook status that thrives on likes. 3. Joy and happiness are not products of the prevailing external circumstances, it is a state of mind that no wealth can truly guarantee. 4. The world does not revolve around anyone, so no one is indispensable. Life goes on when you are gone. 5. Nigeria has gone through a lot as a nation. We have tasted the good, the bad and the ugly. This is enough evidence to make me believe that our best is yet to come. 6. The journey is what makes the trip. Enjoy every moment. The big ones, the small ones. Many ruin today while obsessed with tomorrow. 7. Excellence is attainable, and it is suicidal to think otherwise. 8. At times, determination and brevity are more important than talent and competence. Just look at the way Chelsea fc won the Champions League. 9. Doing good cost nothing. Too many people we meet everyday are fighting a certain battle, carrying a certain burden, and living a difficult life. A mere act of love can help ease them and you are making the world better than you met it by so doing. 10. Lagos is a state in need of both physical and spiritual sanity. I should add that I have come to an irrevocable conclusion that the traffic in Lagos will never get better. 11. Friends come, friends go. Job comes, job goes. Only family remains. Make it a priority. 12. In the final analysis, God is the only one that truly matters.

Taking Stock: Your Best Is Yet To Come

As they say, time truly flies. Like a scalded cat, the last days of 2012 is upon us. For many of us, it will not need a mighty effort of memory-scatching to vividly recollect when the year started. 2012 will be remembered by many for different reasons. As a country, it is a year that was earmarked by incessant security challenges, recurrent air disasters, crude corruption and a host of other vices that is better imagined. As a globe, and perhaps on a lighter note, it was a year that the Mayans pulled up the greatest prank of history, when they told us that our planet will grind to a halt on the 21st of December 2012. Be that as it may, the success of the year can only be better examined, when the assessment is done on an individual level. There is no doubt that everyone started the year with a renewed hope and a fired up attitude. However, as the realities of the days began to dawn upon many, the resolve a lot of people either weaken or completely fizzle out. However, the good news is that no matter the shattered dreams witnessed in 2012, 2013 offers a great platform to get it right. It is salient to observe that success can be measured in phases and you will be doing yourself great disservice to demand too much of yourself. You must learn to celebrate your success and take the disappointments as compulsory courses you must take in the University of Life. Suffice it to say if 2013 will cease to be like this outgoing year, then you must begin to build the foundations. Success is not magical and not all failures are diabolical. You must get a resolve beyond mere resolutions, with which you walk through this year. It starts now. Remember, when it comes to the matter of your dreams and your life only you in conjunction with the Almighty can bring it to reality. There is no good enough excuse for you to finish 2013 as mediocre. Take it one step at a time and always be optimistic. I am confident that your best days resides in 2013... Cheer up!

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Wonder That Is Sir Alex Ferguson!!!

Greatness smiles on some for a while, others seduce greatness for a lifetime. The legacy and enigma that Sir Alex Ferguson has brought to the game of football defies logic and astounds the records. As David Gill once said, Sir Alex Ferguson is to Manchester United what Steve Jobs was to Apple. In his twenty-six glorious years at Old Trafford, the Scot has won twelve Premier League titles, five F.A cup trophies, four League cup medals, ten Community shield medals, two Champions League medals, one Fifa world club championship, and still counting. He might be ruthless at times, but Sir Alex Ferguson is a vivid example of a dynasty that has been hatched through consistency, winning mentality and belief. In his spell at United, he gave the footballing world sublime names such as Cantona, Schmeichel, Beckham and C.Ronaldo to mention but less than a handful. Today, the Statue of Sir Alex adorns the entrance ofthe theatre of dreams; glowing in it's full glory in respect to the man whom has given the club it'sbest days. However, as age begins to take a toll on the Scot, eyebrows are raised over who will fill his large shoes when he finally calls it a day. The prospect of United without Sir Alex is an almost unthinkable thought, but as they say, nothing lasts forever. Suffice it to say, we should savour it while it last. Whenever the Scot will finally bid the game a painful goodbye, he will have succeeded in etching his name in that citadel of football's greatest protagonists.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

The Malady In The Jonathan Administration

In a society where cynical criticisms is the trade of the detractors and the powers that be loathe anyone that attempts a constructive one, this article runs a risk of being dispatched as sceptical and mere rantings. Yet, our ink must not run dry. The burden confronting our nation is too numerous that a rehash here will be uncalled for. The recent kidnapping of the 82 years old mother of our imperious finance minister, is a reminder that ours is a country where the people's patience have been tried for too long and the dissent and rage forour leaders is reaching a tipping point. The Jonathan administration is filled with men of questionable character, bastardized integrity, defied convictions and insincere motives. What principles do they live by? It is a country where dog eat dog. The burden for Mr President is that he has in his ranks, folks that for the love of the presidential booty, have sworn never to tell him the truth. The henchmen of this administration thrives on crude theft and trading of deceits. The home truth is that this current administration has done nothing to inspire confidence in it. Our roads are still death traps, the national treasury is still being looted by rogues in his inner circle, elections are still do or die affairs, Constant power supply are still distant dreams, insecurity remains a crux of our dilemma, morals and values are still misplaced and the root is too numerous to aptly outline. Havingmen of sublime intellect is of no use if they don't possess a character made of steel. How often has people like Labaran Maku insulted our national sense of reason, yet he thinks he is doing his job. Our politicians come on air and with a sense of pure arrogance address us like we are the people that don't just get it. While it is true that the jonathan administration has sworn cynics, it is even a greater truth that the administration is making their job very easy and attractive. It is time to fix Nigeria beyond mere utterances.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Grow Up!

Having swags will certainly not pay your bills in future. You adorn yourself with whizkid's carrot pants when your fame is only within the confines of your compound. We see you with a 'Gallas' and 'Ballotelli' haircut, and you wonder why your life is stagnant. You wear a shirt that reads 'my money grows like grass', but we know how you managed to even buy that shirt. Your parents are still struggling to make ends meet, and you are busy adorning yourself with blings. You know how to dance 'ethigi' and 'azonto' with precision and perfection, and you fool yourself that you are the happening thing. You are 27 and Whizkid, Olamide and Davido are your role models. You attend every available party in your neighbourhood, and you cage yourself that you are the hottest thing in town. You know all the lyrics of 'Kukere', but you can barely mention three ministers inNigeria. You are subscribing your BIS for 1500, but you can't raise enough funds to purchase a Jamb form. You speak with an American 'nigger' accent, and you are thinking it is the forces from village that has made you resit English five times. You are the happening girl in almost all the clubs in your area, and you want to find a responsible husband soon to marry. You take everything that is alcohol at 20, and you tell yourself that you have a bright future ahead of you. You are 32 and Lionel Messi is still your role model. You know all the Nollywood hottest actors, but you don't even know who the governor of your state is. You take every picture raising two fingers in the air, and you call it guy. You have over 900 bb pins, and you think you have contacts. You hug every guy on your street, and you feel you are social. Grow up! Time waits for no man. You reap what you sow. Don't waste your youth catching 'fun', then spend your old age in regrets. It is your life, your decisions, your choices. Remember, you will never live this life twice!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

8 Thoughts You Must Leave in the Past (1)

1. “I don’t have a choice.” – You write your own destiny through the choices you make. You become what you repeatedly do. It is more important to know where you are going and why, than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement. Every time you are tempted to react to the same old circumstances in the same old way, ask yourself, “Do I want to be a prisoner of the past, or a pioneer of the future?” . 2. “Life is easy.” – Life is NOT easy, it IS difficult. That’s the greatest truth there is. It’s great because once you understand and accept this truth, you can move forward with your life. Once you thoroughly know in your heart and mind that life is difficult, then life gets a lot easier to deal with. Because once difficulty is accepted as a foundation, it no longer surprises you or stops you from building a lifestyle that rises above it. 3. “The way it is now is the way it will always be.” – Don’t confuse your path with your destination. Just because it’s stormy now, doesn’t mean you aren’t headed for sunshine. And remember, you cannot heal a lifetime of pain overnight; be patient with yourself , it takes as long as it takes, but your happiness is worth the wait. 4. “The sky is falling.” – When everything in your life is coming together, you can hold on to the belief that ‘everything happens for a reason’ with frivolous ease. But when everything’s falling apart – your relationships, your health, your finances, etc. – it takes tremendous effort to wrap your mind and heart around that belief and hold onto it for dear life. Yet you must. For in that belief lies your hope, your courage, and your strength to move forward. MA...

Nigeria 2023 Elections: A Crime Scene

The 2023 Nigeria general elections have been a complete sham, and a retrogression of our nascent democracy. Whatever gains Professor Jega ma...