Reflections
Monday, 15 April 2013 19:26
Between Their London and Our Lagos
London is a city of shops and shopkeepers. People come to London for different reasons. Many are economic migrants, others students, business and health visitors. London is known across the world for the stability of its legal system and financial institutions. London attracted 15.3 million visitors in 2011. In the same year, visitors spent £9.4 billion, which is a little more than half of the total amount international visitors spent in the whole of the United Kingdom, UK, in the same year. Nigerians enjoy visiting London. If you have money to spend, England is one of the best places to get value for your money. The city never stops. Transport links are excellent except on Christmas Day when everything shuts down. A country filled with contradictions. The people love you if you have money to spend, but politically, the country is especially wary of people from outside the European…
Friday, 29 March 2013 16:51
Mental Health in Children
It is widely accepted that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – or ADHD – is a common neuro-developmental condition in children and adolescents that can be formally diagnosed. ADHD affects children worldwide. However, there is a variation in prevalence across different countries. ADHD is a term used to describe children who typically have the following problems: overactive behaviour, impulsive behaviour, difficulty in paying attention and distractibility (in attention). Children typically have a short attention span and so find it hard to concentrate and learn from especially group situations. This obviously impacts on their education and many of these children underachieve in schools. In adults, it manifests as being easily distracted, depression, mood swings, chronic boredom, chronic lateness, employment problems, lack of organisation, forgetfulness, procrastination, low-self esteem, substance abuse problems and relationship problems. It is important to recognise that not all children with ADHD have all the symptoms. How then…
Tuesday, 05 March 2013 14:01
Enduring Violent Relationships
Why do women stay in abusive or violent relationships? Each woman who chooses to does so for a variety of reasons. There are those women who stay for financial and economic reasons. Many women in Nigeria stay because of their children. The myth that children are best raised in homes abounds loosely in churches and from the unexamined wisdom of concerned counsellors. The issues are complicated and it may be wrong to conclude that some women who stay put, raising children in violent homes are spineless. In most cases, they are not. They are only victims who need our sympathy, support and help. Within the Nigerian framework, religious and cultural reasons inadvertently force women to stay captive in violent relationships. For instance, fundamental Christians forbid divorce. With marriage vows said, these women become imprisoned mentally and socially in order to avoid the wrath and stigma of their…
Wednesday, 20 February 2013 13:28
A Portrait of Gold Diggers
‘Runs girls’ are everyday girls. They look normal and often act normal but they have expensive tastes and a penchant for men with serious money. We know these girls. We went to university with them. It was because of them men with expensive cars parked in front of Queens Hall and Queen Idia Hall at the University of Ibadan. They were girls who were part-time students and ‘runs girls’ full time. They were girls whose hair, makeup, clothes and shoes were more expensive than their lecturers’. We all know them; when they are not in university, they have travelled with someone who can pay sufficiently for their time. When they graduate from university, they become professional as they go for the ‘gold’ in men procurement. ‘Runs girls’ as a phenomenon have been around at least for decades; many understand them as mistresses and concubines. ‘Runs girls’ are…
Wednesday, 13 February 2013 12:37
The Changing Faces of Marriage
The United Kingdom, UK, joined eleven other nations last night in a Second Reading at the House of Commons to change the definition of marriage. Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Sweden are countries that have legalised same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriages have also been introduced in Mexico City, the Brazilian state of Alagoas, the United States, US, District of Columbia and nine US states – Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Maryland, Maine, and Washington State. UK members of parliament, MPs, approved same-sex marriage in a key Commons vote despite opposition of almost half the Conservative MPs. The Commons voted in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill by 400 to 175, at the end of a full day’s debate on the bill. With 136 Conservatives opposing the bill, it is thought that the bill would be strongly opposed…
Wednesday, 30 January 2013 15:16
The Rot that Tells Nigeria’s Story
The view from my desk is surreal. The view presents a picturesque outlook of mountains and an evergreen forest. In the summer months, I would often gaze into the mountains saying prayers or making wishes. On this winter morning, I am seated with my laptop and soft music. The sights are of falling snowflakes. This morning is brighter than normal. The white brightness has come from the accumulation of snow that has fallen over the past four or five days. Tyre marks are dirty black snow, but the rest of the landscape is white snow. Synonymous with bad weather on this scale is news of plane and train service cancellations, closed schools and emergency services bravely responding to the needs of the feeble and vulnerable. The council’s email service has kept us updated with road gritting times. School closures have meant that parents who can are able to…
Monday, 14 January 2013 11:13
Rape: Lessons from India
The brutal rape of a young woman in India and her death in Singapore recently sparked rage, riots and a series of questions about how women are treated in Third World countries. Delhi is the world's capital of gang rape and indecent treatment of women. The brutalisation of women appears to be cultural and religious as well. The BBC reports about the country that “female foetuses are aborted and baby girls killed after birth leading to an appallingly skewed sex ration”. Many of India's women face discrimination, prejudice and violence as single or married women. In the United Kingdom, UK, it is typical for class teachers to complain that young boys of Indian origin find it difficult to accept the authority of female teachers. The idea that a woman's place is in the bedroom and kitchen as taught to girls by their mothers who led…
Monday, 07 January 2013 13:58
Between Planning and Making Resolutions
The London fireworks which marked the start of the New Year were magnificent enough except that they lasted only a mere ten minutes. As the sparks transcended to the heavens, many cheered, but most took pictures immortalising the start of 2013. With free transport (up until 04.30 a.m. in London), a dodgy weather which held up, thankfully, and more than enough booze, Londoners partied into the new year. The new year parade, on the other hand, was fantastic as the city revelled again in its outstanding accomplishments from 2012 (mainly the triumphs of hosting the London 2012 Olympics). 2013 was celebrated by millions across the world in different ways. Whilst some stayed at home, others drank and smoked into the early hours. Caucasians are not known to be religious about new year, even though New Age beliefs, astrology, intellectualism, atheism and paganism are already locked in strong…
It was hard to remember an editorial deadline when Christmas only just ended in the wee hours of Boxing Day. Towards Christmas Eve, the frenzy of Christmas presents peaked and nearly became overwhelming. At that moment, Christmas became a chore. According to the Money Advice service website, Christmas spending in the United Kingdom, UK, is expected to hit £29 billion this year. People are expected to spend, on average, £46 more than last year, and among those set to celebrate Christmas (about 19 million people), 41 per cent anticipated that last Christmas would be more difficult to afford than last year’s. UK adults were expected to spend an average of just under £592 in total on Christmas last year. More than a quarter of us (27 per cent) admit we often get ‘carried away’ and spend more than we can afford at Christmas. We wondered how…
Thursday, 13 December 2012 15:28
When Teachers Write Nonsense
Education is an important prerequisite for anyone. The Metro of November 22, 2012 had this story headlined “Teachers Struggling with Basic Literacy”. The report read: “A team of proofreaders is being drafted in by a school to correct reports written by teachers before they are sent out to parents. These experts will correct grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes”. Critics have called it “a sad reflection on teachers who cannot write English”. The proofreaders were recruited by Northgate High School in Ipswich. They will be “tactfully suggesting strategies 'to help teachers who make frequent mistakes' ”. This obvious embarrassment made the rush hour headline in London. It exposes a problem that is also of concern in Nigeria. Many teachers in Nigeria are only teachers temporarily; at least till something better comes along. If teachers struggle with literacy, what hope do children have? Who is ultimately responsible for…
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Between Their London and Our L
London is a city of shops and shopkeepers. People come to London for different reasons. ...
Read moreMental Health in Children
It is widely accepted that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – or ADHD – is ...
Read moreEnduring Violent Relationships
Why do women stay in abusive or violent relationships? Each woman who chooses to doe...
Read moreA Portrait of Gold Diggers
‘Runs girls’ are everyday girls. They look normal and often act normal but they have...
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- Most Read
- Most Commented
- Private Jet Boom: More Nigerians Fly in Style in Top Story Read 3337 times
- MNP Won’t Solve Problem of Poor Quality of Service – Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, ALTON in Top Story Read 3219 times
- A Carnival of Love for Ileso, Edosa in Entertainment Read 2508 times
- A Call for Openness in The Nation Read 1885 times
- Time to Tackle Our Leaders in Blog Read 1329 times
- President Jonathan declares state of emergency in three northern states in The Nation Read 813 times
- Jonathan’s Last Throw of the Dice in Top Story Read 749 times
Between Their London and Our L
London is a city of shops and shopkeepers. People come to London for different reasons. ...
Read moreMental Health in Children
It is widely accepted that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – or ADHD – is ...
Read moreEnduring Violent Relationships
Why do women stay in abusive or violent relationships? Each woman who chooses to doe...
Read moreA Portrait of Gold Diggers
‘Runs girls’ are everyday girls. They look normal and often act normal but they have...
Read more
