The One Thing That Will Make Your Relationship Last
With marriages breaking up these days and tales of infidelity all around us, I can’t help but wonder what hope there is for single ones. Does it make sense getting married? Or even falling in love? With one new story of spousal abuse, or a couple parting ways after 5 years of marriage, I had […]
This Maga Can’t Pay
The first time I heard the word “maga” I thought David, my aunt’s brother-in-law, had wanted to say mugu or, rather, that he intentionally mispronounced the word to indicate variations of stupidity. I have always thought mugu to mean a stupid person in the local Nigerian parlance we call Pidgin or Broken English. The Urban […]
Okechukwu Ofili: How Stupidity and Laziness Saved His Life [2/2]
This is the second part of the Connectnigeria.com interview with Okechukwu Ofili. Read the first part here: Okechukwu Ofilili: How Stupidity and Laziness Saved His Life (Part 1). Who, or what, would you consider as your greatest influences? That’s a difficult question. But, it’s my dad. What I admire about my dad is that he prized education […]
Okechukwu Ofili: How Stupidity and Laziness Saved His Life [1/2]
As an author, a motivational speaker, a success coach, an entrepreneur, an artist, a trained engineer – with a full-time job as one – and a blogger, Okechukwu Ofili is a remarkable and unassuming young man, with a passion for life and for impacting people. He is the author of How Stupidity Saved My Life, […]
Some More Ways to Flavour Your Meals
Spice in Jars. Photo: roadkillrescue.net Last week, we discussed Better Ways to Flavour Your Meals, where I talked about how I was inspired by Rob Rainford to explore some natural, healthy, and different ways to flavour my meals. In the kitchen cupboard of an average Nigerian household, the basic spices you will likely find are: […]
Swan Lake Studios: Where Dance Meets Photography
What do photography and dance have in common? Not so much, you may say. But someone, somewhere, has fused these two arts to create an exciting mix. Top class, inspiring photography; hip, fun, and body-sculpting dance, you have it all at Swan Lake Studios. And the lady behind it: the multi-talented Ibifaka ben-Kalio. Ibifaka Ben-Kalio is […]
The Best Companies to Work for in Nigeria
With the maxim the best workplaces produce better results, Great Place to Work Institute Nigeria last week organised the 2012 and maiden edition of the Best Companies to Work for Awards. The survey, which identified the best companies to work for in Nigeria, focused on employee/employer relationship, culture, and people management practices. Speaking during the awards […]
Get Those Rodents Out of Your Home
One Sunday, some weeks ago, I had to cook rice for lunch, for the family. Because it was parboiled, I decided to measure a few cups straight into a pot of boiling water. I noticed a few black spots while pouring in the rice. I thought it might be some bad grains, and that I […]
Better Ways To Flavour Your Meals
I have been a fan of the show Licence to Grill, which originally airs on Food Network Canada, but is shown on the BET channel on Dstv. The host, Rob Rainford, makes grilling look fun and easy, with amazing and ambitious barbecue recipes. His meals are made with mostly natural and fresh ingredients and, when […]
The 2012 Farafina Trust Creative Writing Workshop
Sometime in 2007, I was among the few people selected to participate in the inaugural creative writing workshop facilitated by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Kenyan writer, Binyavanga Wainaina, and journalist, Jason Cowley. Then, it was sponsored by Fidelity Bank. It was an amazing experience and one of the highlights of my writing career. I’ve watched the yearly event […]
Don’t Eat Your Rice With Chicken
Food combination focuses on the way you combine foods at each meal—the animal and vegetable proteins, the fats and oil, the starches…and the fruits and vegetables. Some food combinations are easy to digest. They are quickly broken down, and the nutrients are thoroughly assimilated. Other combinations can be a digestive disaster, producing gas, bloating and other […]
Four Things You Can Do This Easter
The Easter holidays are upon us. You probably would be off work and, if you have kids, they would be at home. It’s likely going to be a full house. Unless you’ve got something planned, it would either be a time filled with boredom or chaos. And depending on how it goes you’re likely facing next week […]
Ime Anwana: The Portrait of a Young Leader
On Sunday, the 25th of March 2012, NTA’s Newsline featured the story of Ime Anwana, a youth corps member who made a visible difference in her NYSC area of primary assignment. The village of Kaffin Koro paid homage to this young lady for the remarkable work she did for them. The District Head of the […]
Start Your Day Right
“The average, healthy, well-adjusted adult gets up at seven-thirty in the morning feeling just plain terrible.” Jean Kerr. How do you start your day? Chances are you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock ten times (for many of us it’s our mobile phone!). By the time your senses are fully alive, you find […]
Friday Fiction: Earth and Fire
The rain fell, fast and eager, tapping on the glass window like the fingers of a skilled drummer. I shivered and thought about how wind and rain made a horribly spectacular combination. Whistling and rattling, howling and sloshing. I thought about how Eze and I loved to cuddle by the window, in a chocolate blanket, […]
Dance Your Way to Fitness
It can be a chore to maintain an exercise or workout routine. You have to push yourself, most times, to stay inspired and motivated — especially if you really need to lose weight. Yes, it is hard work — but who says hard work can’t be fun? Why can’t we have it all: the hard […]