Independence anniversary: What to celebrate

Tomi looked out the window, it was a sunny morning but the brightness does not have any impact on her dreary face. The date is October 1st: independence day, "what could she celebrate for? She thought. The day before, she had been charged more than usual for transport because there were complaints on the price increase of petrol. It has been like that since the beginning of this week, a neighbour told her. She had only returned two days ago from her hometown which is why she was unaware of the change. She would have to cut down on her outings as it seemed the money for her monthly upkeep was being lavished on transportation so her planned trip to the capital city would be canceled, the fare had doubled and she couldn't afford it, the internship will have to wait " There are better days ahead" she told herself  "the recession will implode".
Tomi's neighbor, Mrs Maria was very worried, her daughter's complains were the reason. Since, the daily devaluation of the naira, the money she had been sending to her only girl, who was studying in New Zealand, had become insufficient, she would send more if she had , but she was being owed some months' salary in her place of work, most of her savings went to feeding as her husband was becoming cranky due to the increase in school fees for their remaining five children. Despite these problems, she had to smile at and reply goodwill messages of those who wished her a happy independence day. " Ours is a sovereign nation, after all" she thought.
Kelechi was feeling bad. He had told a lie to avoid attending the function held by the organization he worked for in honor of Nigeria at 56. He had always tried to be honest in his dealings with people but this time, he felt justified to do so. He had been working a lot to avoid being laid off by the organization which was a recent necessity of many organizations especially banks, many employees had lost their jobs and he didn't wish to be added to the list. Besides that, his car had been damaged as a result of the bad roads leading from his home to the office, its repair would cost him a lot, he knew, therefore he would sit at home rather than spend money plying a cramped bus. He had hoped for salary increment but nothing was forthcoming whereas the price of daily living increased by seconds. " its not a lost cause" he said to himself "it will be alright soon".
What are we celebrating? Many ask. Its sad that life in the country gets harder by the day as she gets older instead of the other way round causing the youths, the leaders of her tomorrow, desire to leave the country for greener pastures because there are no jobs, no capital to build upon a skill, frustration and desperation looms in the country. Still, we won't give up, there is hope, things will be better.

The controversial opinions surrounding facial makeup

There are lots of opinions, negative and positive alike, on the use and application of makeup to the skin. The need for and necessity of makeup to humans has been questioned. Facial makeup, especially applied by females, raises the most questions when it comes to the various kinds of makeup. Some people's view on facial makeup is that it is needed and used by those who are ashamed of their looks, who are not good-looking hence use of facial makeup has been attributed to low self esteem with regards to one's physical beauty. Others add to this views by attributing connotative meanings to facial makeup: a tool of deception , it is called, used to lure people into believing that these makeup users are beautiful whereas they are not. When asked what their thoughts were on naturally beautiful girls who applied makeup, replies were that if one possessed natural beauty, there was simply no requirement for artificial enhancement, so the beauty must have been enhanced artificially and needed to be maintained. A friend even asked "have you not heard of nude facial makeup, the kind that makes you appear all pretty without any indication that you've applied makeup?"
How bad is makeup really?  Afterall, in the old days, camwood and other colorants were applied by the women to their bodies and faces, for what other reason than to make them appear attractive.
Generally, makeup is made of substances, colorants and cosmetics that is used to impart beauty, enhance and improve the skin's appearance. In other words, all kinds of makeup is intended to affect the sense of beauty. Therefore, facial makeup aside, people who make use of dye, gels and other products on their hairs, which i'm aware many males use, apply makeup. Vaseline, lotions and creams used by both the female and male gender are considered make up too. These are just few makeup types that almost everyone makes use of today.There are also, those who feel that certain substances applied to the face are considered makeup while others are not. Well, facial makeup isn't just brown powder or concealer, white powder and lip balms are facial makeup too. Everyone wants to look good, maybe not on the same pace so nothing is too plain to be called makeup.
If we are all guilty of applying one kind of makeup or the other because we want to appear attractive, why then should facial makeup be treated as the black sheep?

Tradition and its conflict with the modern world

Modern theories, modern laws seem to have occupied the position of our traditional laws. Certain values which were upheld in the past aren't these days partly because these traditional values were seen as archaic and also due to the awareness that the modern replacements of these laws are easier to observe. Can tradition be totally erased from our activities and daily life and modern values in full control or will there be continuous clashes between the two as is reared often? An incident jolted me back to the realization that tradition still holds great influence.
A certain system that most people assume to have long been abolished yet families who were marked/marred by this traditional system have many limits especially when it comes to social interactions like marriages. A young man was ready to get married and when he sought the lady of his interest, he was asked to come back after enquiries had been made of his background. On his return, to his utter dismay, his marriage proposal was declined on grounds that were tolerable but when the lady and this man she wanted to be her husband would not relent in their choice to be with each other, she was told eventually, the reason she couldn't marry the young man. He was of a lineage that were characterized by seclusion from other indigenes of a place by certain cultural norms. In other words, no contact or social relation is to be made with this ostracised people else their curse becomes yours. Though, we claim to have come very far in enlightenment, it was astonishing to find that a good number of people still abide by that traditional law of "discrimination", the exact word we preach against today, although we are in a modern world. Some native towns allow interaction with these people but decline relation with them on serious issues while others strictly maintain a no-contact with them. Its not declared publicly, it is, after all, an "abolished" law.
Has tradition given way when our cultural diversity still cause clashes between us, towns, villages, hamlets under the same cultural region are at war or cease from communication simply because their traditional and cultural norms differ. Its a single modern nation but there is a tribalistic war because tradition and cultural elements like language differ us.
People still observe certain traditional rites like the traditional marriage, the cultural festivals. Tradition has caused a lot of constraints for women and those limits are still revered today. "A woman cannot have a land in her hometown, it is tradition" , "A man must build a house on his land in the village", " dowries and bride prices must be paid before two people are considered married, it is tradition".
Many people of this "modern" era often face perplexity trying to uphold some cultural values especially when it counters the neo- culture and their modern beliefs, religious or otherwise. Whereas there are others who try to balance both, sometimes, imperfectly and call it "Giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God, what belongs to Him.

Journey to the sun: a Biafran question

 
Biafra is loved and so is Nigeria. All the ndigbo want is peace, rest of mind and recognition and it doesn't seem like it will be gotten in a country that has enjoyed the patriotism of Igbos for over 50 years. It is saddening that no headway can be made and it must come to this secession. What is more saddening however, is that, while some people are fighting in sweat and blood for this "sun to rise", to see the day the easterners will finally have a republic that is truly theirs, there are others who have ulterior motives for agitating for the land of the rising sun not necessarily because the fight for Biafra is important to them rather, that it can be used as a political strategy to satisfy their own selfish interests. Our world, today, is governed by selfishness. Humans who use and exploit other humans to fulfil their desires. In this situation, humans are taking advantage of a supposedly pure cause.
There are chants of Biafra, praise chants but some of these praise singers are struggling to secure political offices in the Nigerian nation. Some are aspirants of positions that they plan to occupy after the 2019 elections. Biafra has become a source of leverage and threat. Requests are made before those in power by some of these " Biafrans" that certain conditions in their personal interests be met. Should these conditions be met, alliance will shift and they shall stand for the sun no more.
Sometime ago, I was in the optical department of a hospital in Abuja and this influential looking Alhaji walked in. Somehow, the conversation that ensued between him and the Hausa doctor involved me. The subject matter of the conversation was Biafra and Nigeria and as I explained to him reasons why I believed Biafra will succeed, he laughed and said " Can you not see? Your brothers are fighting for our lands in Abuja, how can they be fighting for the land of Biafra,  they haven't been given lands, once they get what they want, there will be no noise about Biafra".
Claims are made that the choice is Biafra yet amnesty is still sought after, by the same people who make these claims ,from the country they plan to secede from. I am anything but experienced in matters of such but isn't amnesty granted to those who have allegedly wronged the nation, therefore Biafra is yet to be officially existent and it is already considered a wrong to be pardoned of. Why seek amnesty from a nation you no longer want to be part of?
Is the republic of Biafra, the goal of the Ndigbo or a weapon intended as a hanging threat to the Nigerian government so that some selfish people can have their desires granted? The Biafran objective has to be stated clearly if the true Biafrans ever want this journey we have embarked on to take us to the promised land, the land of the rising Sun.

The darkness that hinders our progress

Darkness everywhere...in different dimensions, In the hearts of men, in our country, in our world. The word "light" is often associated with good things and positivity. So its no shock that a country like ours cannot be aligned with light or positivity when we can't boast of frequent power supply .
We accepted our fate that Nigeria cannot be provided uninterrupted power supply, daily. In fact, it is considered impossible. We realized this long ago and did not dispute hoping that although it wasn't constant, it will be supplied at average level. Alas, it is not so today.
At first, light as our power supply is simply referred to was rationed in many areas, one day:on, the next day:off. Sometime later, this was altered and it was said that power will be supplied without ration, this meant that we were left at the mercy of the power Holding Company of Nigeria to give us "light" on which days it pleased them to. On certain days, its benevolence will be displayed and the power supply will be constant, on other unfortunate days, the electric bulb won't even blink. Although, we pay electricity bills when due, we do not complain when we are not properly treated the way we should and our homes supplied with power. But this inadequacy of power supply has reached a height that can no longer be tolerated. In Awka, residents were forced to go without electricity for five days. It was a total black out, those who were fortunate to have generators had to purchase litres of petrol  at the exorbitant price of N145 per litre. At the end of the month,  these same people are expected to pay the bills else they will be disconnected from getting the almost nonexistent power supply. And we wonder why Nigeria is retrogressive. How can we see progress when we are surrounded by and in darkness. How can our currency have value when there is no "light" to see what is causing its devalue. Why would our economy not be in recession when there is no "light" to find a solution. To stop this darkness hindering our progress, we need light, Light in our families, light in our hearts, light in our brains and especially light in our electric bulbs. This is the beginning

The ironical serenity in a hustle and bustle town

I didn't anticipate my sojourn in this town, this ever busy town called Nnewi. I had tried and failed to speculate how my stay would turn out. Many call it the town of Okada ( motor bike). Its considered one of the busiest and business-centered towns. Of course, as soon as I alighted the bus on getting there,I heard it, the noise and activity welcoming me to the place. I got on a motor bike that took me to the street where my cousins lived. Since the transport vehicle I boarded, got into Nnewi late, it was almost dark when I reached my cousins' home. I was so tired, I didn't bother to look around. I freshened up hurriedly after being welcomed by my cousins and I slept shortly after. Imagine my surprise when I drew the curtains the next day and a gentle breeze caressed my face. I looked around, at the lush greenery, far from the dusty and dry leaves I expected and everyday, from then, I never ceased to admire the beauty of the surroundings, the sublime way in which the light green color of the flat complemented the banana and pawpaw leaves on the trees surrounding the area, the neatly washed roads, the morning dew on the shrubs. I would look down and see the children who lived in the flat too, climb into their parents' cars with their properly starched uniforms in a neat fashion. It wasnt what i had pictured. When walking on the streets, especially in the mornings, I took slow steps so I could savor the tranquility the street brought. Where I expected to hear loud car honks and siren alarms, I heard rustling. It made me feel as one with nature, the peace I felt, the serenity of this Nnewi I had come to love.

Growing up too fast : The things I did not understand

I wished to be liberated from this cage. I was tired of being in the junior class because i had tried and failed to understand many things. I had expected to be treated with more respect because i felt i was almost grown up. In the hostel, we were punished a lot and never given time to ourselves except at night. As if their status wasnt glaring enough, the seniors on my table at the refectory always tried to make me feel small. I felt often, that they saw a bodacious trait in me because I wasn't scared to share a table with them, on the contrary, I was but I had been assigned that table by a member of staff, who was I to heed: my teacher or my seniors? While everyone was eating, I would be sent to get drinking water for them like they only realized then that they would need water, and this earned me slaps from the refectory prefects since it was a rule that no one stands up during dining. I didnt understand why they needed to frustrate me in order to ascertain their authority. To stop them from imposing themselves on me, I started taking my food to seat with my mates but it was a discomfort to some of them, there was no sitting space for me since twelve people were allotted to each table so I stopped coming to the refectory altogether. As soon as the closing prayers were said in the mornings, I hurried to the refectory to see if my share of the bread loaves had been left for me, other times, i never bothered to go until a new session ommenced and we were assigned new eating tables.
On Saturdays, we were given chores and tasks which all amounted to keeping the hostels and surroundings clean. On this particular Saturday, I had been given a chore that needed the use of a bucket, there were no buckets lying around so I rushed in to get mine. It wasn't there, I asked my friends and they told me a senior student had taken my bucket. Actually, she was in the junior class too but we were made to call anyone, as long as they were above us in class, "seniors", this same student had deprived me of my bucket thrice now, I was going to give her a piece of my mind. I confronted her and warned her to desist from taking my bucket. She reported me to the house captain, I was called a rude junior student and punished. I didn't understand, why would I be punished because I queried someone who took my bucket, I was fighting for my rights.
One early morning, senior Tinuke asked me to get her a cup of water so she could have her brush. I was about to start my morning duty then so I decided to wait till it was my turn to fetch water for her. When it got to my turn, I forgot that senior Tinuke sent me on an errand , I fetched water and started my chores. I was almost done when I looked up and saw her watching me. The next thing I heard was " Warka, come up". I ran with the cup to plead with her. I forgot, I tried to explain but all I got were slaps. I was asked to kneel down, it was almost time for classes but Tinuke didn't care, after all she was an Ss2 student. I didn't understand why she wouldn't listen to my pleas, it was just an error of omission.
That same week, I entered Tinuke's trap again. I bought a lip gloss during the holidays. It could change from colorless to pink. I thought it was cool until I got to the chapel and she was there with her friends. "Lipstick" that's what she called me, followed by a slap and one fat JSS2 student burst into laughter mimicking the lipstick nickname Tinuke called me and she was slapped too. I didn't understand why Tinuke had to slap people to emphasize her point, she could have explained to me that I shouldn't apply colored gloss, I didn't understand why she had to slap the fat girl too.
During night prep, some Ss3 students read in our classes, there were no extra seats for them so they displaced some classmates of mine. And whenever, anyone was caught sleeping, they were sent to the fore of the class to frog jump. I didn't understand why students should be punished for sleeping when the senior students often slept during the night prep. Besides, it wasn't during classes, so if we were fatigued and couldn't read anymore, why were we not allowed to sleep?
Senior Jye  was the senior student I admired the most. An intelligent and very mature student, she was given the post of refectory prefect. She was kind too. Of course, there were some things she did that I didn't understand too, like the day she asked me to sneak her potion of food out of the refectory for her and then, when she became prefect, punished a student for sneaking out food for her fellow class mate. Still, I liked her so I talked to her about all these things and she laughed and explained some to me.
What I discovered from Jye's explanation was that what I termed wickedness or bullying was not necessarily that all the time. In the world, there are rules that govern how we live and act and when we break some of these rules, there is an unbalanced situation. I had come to a new world, the boarding school. There were rules that made me know my position and my limits, just like the most senior students had teachers to remind them of their position and limits. I was treated in some ways because I was considered grown up and I was expected to understand the way the world of the boarding school worked. I couldn't be totally free but each new step I took lessened my constraints and limits. All I needed was endurance, keeness, tolerance and reverence to adapt and enjoy the ride. And then everything came into perspective, and when it did,  things turned out better. I tried to make the most of my time in that world. Even the punishments turned to fun.
Eventually, I had to change schools after junior class and I wasnt happy leaving but I wasn't worried either because i  had learnt the rules to adapt in every "world" I found myself. I finally understood.