A federal university of technology Yola undergrad recently met her moment of gloom when fellow students pour acid on her for love sake. The 100 level undergrads who recently matriculated was wooed y a 500 level undergrad. Though she said she was not interested because she did not want to be distracted in her first year at school, the lover boy in question thought his love was a do or die affair. According to her, the incident happened while she was in one of the classes reading at about 11pm due to the fact that there was power failure in their female hostel. According to her, someone called her attention to someone who wanted to see her outside the class room. But she refused saying it was late and she was trying to be security conscious. Nearly 10 minutes after she was called and refused, she heard a familiar voice call out her name. She decided to peep from the window to find out who it was and the next was she black OUT. The culprit has inflicted permanent scars on her face and her affected right ear has been chopped off due to the gravity of the acid on that part. Though, the culprit has been expelled from school and arrested by the police, he was bailed few days ago. Her father who happens to be a civil servant claims he has spent his last on her medicals. She is the second of six children and according to her father, his plan was to give his children education as the best legacy but his dream is almost short lived. And her family is calling on well meaning Nigerians and the world at large to assist in sending her to India for a major surgery that would cost 5million naira excluding flight and accommodation

Environmentalist and women’s rights advocate, Wangari Maathai died last night in Kenya. The 71 year old Nobel Peace Prize winner passed on after a protracted battle with cancer.
Her organization, the Green Belt Movement worked to educate people on the dangers of deforestation. In her later years, the organization expanded its focus to include peace, democracy, civil and women’s rights.
Wangari Maathai was a true trailblazer – she was the first woman in East Africa to complete a doctorate and was also the deputy minister for environment and natural resources in Kenya.
If many young women can emulate late Wangari in Africa especially in Nigeria in advocating for womens rights especially with the high rate of domestic violence and rape cases in Nigerian tertiary institutions, prosecute the offenders and give women a right to live free again.
May her soul rest in perfect peace.

I still cannot believe what I did. How could i be so mean? She really loved to be around me and was proud to call me her friend. I mean, she’s just too young for such a trauma and I shouldn’t have betrayed her. She trusted me for everything.........
My family and I were used to moving from one state to another and this time, it was time to move to the north. Though my siblings and I were used to not being stable in a school but this movement came all of a sudden.
Hadiza happened to be the daughter of mallam Hamza the sweet seller who owned a mini, tattered and smelly kiosk across our house (but it didn’t bother him – it was just to make ends meet). Hadiza was pretty ma age mate or I was a little older. She seemed to be very fond of me that whenever I returned from school she always came out of their kiosk with so much eagerness and expectant to hear an interesting gist that happened in my school (whether fabricated or not) since she attended an Islamic school very close to the house and to her there was barely anything new happening each day that passes. Lest i forget, Hadiza loves beads. She actually inspired my love for beads because no matter how torn and smelly her clothes looked, there was always the right bead for it and she was willing to make some for me whether I was in the mood for it or not. She also was good at filling her hands with sweets from mallam Hamza’s shop all for me. Humm...I loved her. We got used to having her around my house and that prompted the idea of letting out my clothes especially dresses, which I dreaded to wear except for Sundays or when my mother enforces them on me. On the other hand, Hadiza loved to wear dresses; easy way to let go of my dresses and truth was she loved me more for letting them go.
As time went on, she became my best friend but one day, I had a couple of my school friends come around to sleep over for the weekend. Hadiza came around but this time she really needed to talk to me but I was ashamed to show her to ma friends for fear of them making fun of me. She left ma house sad and so I was. Sad because i made her less important in my life; I never knew I may never have an opportunity to see her again. How could I have sent out a girl who knew me for who I was? I was eagerly waiting for the weekend to be over for me to find out what or why she came around.
The new week began and i couldn’t wait to see her. I really was burning with guilt and I needed to make every wrongs right; but unfortunately her mom gave me the shocker of my life. In her words, she said: Hadiza e go husband house for kano. WHAT!!!! She’s just 12. She can’t be married!!! I guess that was what she wanted to tell me before leaving. I also heard the wedding was that afternoon she came around.OMG! I guess that was what she needed me to know- I really felt I sold my friend out for no cause.
Few years down, I gained admission into the university which meant I had to be away from home for a while but at that, even while I was at school thoughts of her kept coming to me, how she was fairing. The holidays came and I just couldn’t wait to find out about her were about. I got home and her mom again told me she was already with kids but she has been ill for a while due to the complications she faced during delivery. And she was going to be the 8th wife of this so-called business man! I was not able to see my friend but i ponder on when the problem of early marriage would end in Nigeria. There are many people like Hadiza who never survived their first child. It’s about time we stand up to defend these young girls from untimely death. It’s about time.....

The world we live in is such a crazy place. It’s so crazy that people get away with doing the wrongs they do without getting caught or punished. We never stop to think of the fact that these young people who are victims of circumstances, stigmatised could either be your neighbour, sister, best friend cousin, mother or even you. These people only exist as citizens but do not live a life of their own and no one seems to care about them. Maybe we have heard their stories before, maybe we haven’t but it is about time we listen to these delimited Nigerians. Recently, I caught with a couple of youngsters and they were willing to allow the inner me speak out:
One said: “if I was ever told it would be me, I sure would have raised an eyebrow. But am 17 and thinking of a third abortion—am seen as the good girl at church but I wonder, how good really is this church girl?”
Another said: she was raped at five and it was at her uncle’s house, since her parents were always at logger heads she needed to find solace in someone. Unfortunately, the someone became a monster in her life.
Am not writing these to make anyone feel sorry for them. I believe it is about time we don’t just speak about it but we stand to advocate against violence against women and girls.
Although, there are still so many confused youths, but so far, the just concluded celebration of international women’s day proved how willing and passionate young people could be in their bid to push for change: I was appalled at the number of young people using social networks to talk about the need to safe guard the future of our girls and that of our mothers.
However, let’s raise our glasses to celebrate the international year of the youth. It has been a year of tremendous achievements from youths in different spheres of life. As our theme for this year moves us to mutual understanding, I believe we have attained that level and we are not ready to rest on our oars.
It has really been a year worth celebrating.....

In my growing up years, I came across friends who looked at me in the face and told me I was “not worth it”. That’s enough to increase a teenager or young person’s inferiority complex. I know just like me that many other young people have been told and are still being told how “NOT WORTH IT” they are either by friends, parents or even a loved one. People around us seem to focus more on our weakness than they do with our strengths.

Before now, youths of time past had their rights infringed or trampled upon. Nobody had the guts to speak out and push for change or make a difference, and those that did were either imprisoned or executed. But overtime, many youths within and outside Nigeria have taken a bold step to prove how “worth” it they are, by standing up to cause a change, showing how important they are and making a difference in t he various societies they represent. Some of their giant strides are the mass advocacy on HIV, issues related to SRHR and basically mediums that concerns them in general.
An example is the achievement of the Youth Advocate Group to which I am a member, had to join millions of Nigerians to advocate for the anti-stigma bill to be passed at the National Assembly through the RED-CARD campaign.
Secondly, the mass participation and advocacy done by various youth led organisations during the just concluded elections.
Our strong participation in the move for the national health bill to be passed cannot be over emphasised.
Another achievement of youths in participating in decision making especially in Nigeria, is on the issue of strike facing many federal universities. It almost became a cliché for school to run a full session without going on strike; thereby increasing the years we spend in school.
In short, we had enough of staying idle and involving in various social vices. We made up our minds to intervene in the bone of contention between the academic staffers and the federal government by engaging in a peaceful rally TAGGED: STRIKE OUT STRIKE (SOS).At the end of the rally, they all came to a compromise.
Even as we celebrate globally, the international year of the youth, we can boldly say it has been 365 days of accomplishments on our path. Dwelling on our strengths and making a difference one step at a time. So tell me aren’t we WORTH IT.

Growing up in an environment where childhood was a story we once heard and a dream we taught was never going to come true, but as usual we were just engulfed in our world of fantasy. The ghetto was our only place for solace and the streets our home.ma mom is visually impaired, a single mother of three and she sure has to take care of us since our father had to leave claiming he made a mistake taking our mother as wife. We have to live from hand to mouth...now that means if you don’t have a meal today then you should not be surprised and having a full meal that gets you satisfied meant there had to be a whole lot of work done either by ma mom or by ma elder sister. I was younger, innocent, full of life and expectant of what the future held for me; definitely hoping for the best days ahead never knew those hopes were going to be short-lived.at six months I became a compulsory pupil because no one had the time to baby sit any child at home not even my mother (of course she had to work or else how are we going to eat) ma siblings headed for the streets to seek for green pastures. At three, my father came back and with so much innocence I taught he was coming to make a change I didn’t know he came to explain the difference between a father and a man who just had a child attended a mission school and that meant they had to know your dad before you are released to anyone...been security conscious. Never knew the horror was about to happen. I got home safe but the rest of the day was a nightmare – I was kidnapped and raped by my beloved dad. Helpless as May mom was the police were on the lookout for me and i didn’t return home till the next day with a torn underwear filled with sperm. “How infantile of my father”,my mother exclaimed. She made a rule that no one was allowed t see me anymore. I was always the most vulnerable amongst ma siblings. In the quest to find green pastures, we had to relocate. Mama had to come first then we all had to follow to get ourselves enrolled into school.ma sister attended a public school and i was to go and live in the barracks so history did not have to repeat itself again: but that did not change the inevitable. At six another rape traumas ensued but this time it was mama’s friend and that broke the ice for everybody. Security on the children was tightened and we had so many restrictions. Which meant we didn’t really have a childhood but we survived?
This story may not make a whole lot of sense to someone but all am saying is it’s about time we stop child negligence, STAND UP against rape related issues and DEFEND the rights of women and children. This is the time of our lives where we cause a positive CHANGE. It’s DO or DIE!

my friend inspired me to write this. Just our thoughts about life in general.

1. So tired of okada riders (commercial motorcyclist).Those people are assassins without being hired (it’s a voluntary work for them)
2. So tired of making money after all said and done you may not live to spend a quarter of what you bruised your knee for.
3. So tired of schenking (cheating) even when the Holy Book says DO NOT CHEAT!
4. So tired of relatives, they come around and expect you to always give them money to the younger.
5. So tired Nigerian youths they are just too purpose driven whether for a good or bad reasons-just too diversified,creative,smart (whether wrong or right reasons),intelligent and sometimes broke. But trust me you dare not think you can compete with them and win because you may end up losing.
6. So tired of Xs the thought of making up after a long time of seeing them and telling yourself”oh I’ve missed a lot”. Come on Toni Braxton has made it clear-they are so YESTERDAY.
7. So tired of parties it just increases the worries of the future, trust me even Hennessy cannot help this time. It’s all vanity
 

I am so tired of Agbero’s always littering the major bus stops centres with swear words and illegal professionalism.
2. So tired of BACHELORS’S DEGREE so difficult to match the stress and frustration of getting someone to its end value.
3. so tired of culture, same old same old, we never give room for change and progression.
4. So tired of dreams enjoy it while it last and wake up to the real world feeling so depressed
5. So tired of studying languages, though it would be an area for me to make a living, it bores when you have to poke nose in speaking like a native speaker when you have your own language.
6. So tired of first class people make a big deal about. You struggle, sometimes cheat or lie to get/attain it and now i hate the fact that we wasted time trying.
7. So tired of looking good why can’t you just wear what you feel like anytime anywhere, anyhow?
8. So tired of heart breaks why must i even fall in love in the first place and find myself becoming someone’s yesterday.
9. So tired of jacking, we have being taught overtime that the main aim is to cram, pass and forget? So why stress it?
10. So tired of kabashing with high expectations of a miracle- a fast one at that; but overtime it has taught me to trust in God for everything.
11. So tired of hustling can there be another way to be rich and successful
12. So tired of boyfriend’s they make themselves the centre of attraction with their ego splashing round and being to over protective of their “babes” without putting the gold band on it?
13. So tired of Maga’s hard work pays and it is legal....well so our parents said and it worked for them. So why spend the next prime of life behind bars?
14. So tired of relationships. I mean why can’t i just find someone who is close to me or i have a thing for, live together and the rest of our lives our business. Instead of following procedures of dating—going out- introduction-engagement-wedding- it’s just frustrating.
15. So tired I.T. a time of our lives when we find ourselves in cooperate idleness, addictions to various social networks is not farfetched and little or no take home pay attached except for those you have to pocket on every errand sent on.
16. So tired of Friends who smile and laugh with you when times are good and the currency is pouring in, leave with hysteria.
17. So tired of etiquette makes life so boring.

I met with this emotionally confused freshman recently, though no doubt she is cute but she just was too young for university love. i met her by coincidence(i was talking about ma emotional issues and suddenly she joined in the discussion like someone whose been in search of a friend to really pour her heart to.
With a troubled heart, she told me how long she’s been in school and about the relationship she got hers no before school (just to get the guys off her back...haa I know what she’s talking about cos i also did something like that, but mine kind of worked...).she went further to tell me that she did not really have feelings for the guy in question but she went into the relationship because her pastor and church members were on her because the guy was in love with her and i guess he was already telling her friends to talk on his behalf. According to her, she did not want to fail her friends and her pastor’s wife or rather give herself a bad name with them; in her words,”i had no choice”. The relationship went on well at first because according to her, they first were friends before his emotions controlled him. Though the guy has been talking to his friends about it but he never had the guts t o talk to her directly because he knew her to be very reluctant when it came to matters of the heart. He then devised a means of talking to her about it: inviting her to his house when his friends are around then they talk generally about it and leave her to unravel all they talk about. Though to her, she saw it coming but she didn’t seem to bother because she already told him as a friend that all she wanted was a true friend and not a relationship. Things were not as she hoped because her once friend became someone she could hardly look in the face and talk about how her day went. Everything she seemed to appreciate was becoming a farce their communication was slowly depreciating. Everything he did to make her happy was not exactly what she wanted or what made her happy (now there’s a problem).
In the course of thinking on the way forward because to her, she is so stuck with this guy because church members look forward to a good wedding with this dude (OMG this girl just turned 20-rather too early to make a lifelong decision if you ask me).she met this fresh dude during the period she was swimming in her thoughts and looking for a way out. To her, he was just like her in a different body. She confided in me that even though she had to go into a relationship, her dream guy was going to be someone who would love God (to her, if he loves god, it so easy for him to love her and not make an idol of her. Hmm...nice.),not be confused of what he wants, must be a good leader ,must be her best friend and one more thing i cannot remember right now. Unlike some other girls, she knew what she wanted. The former had one of the above which was he loved god but he seemed to make an idol of her which pissed her off. (So his out of this). But this new guy to her is just what she imagined. He may not have all the qualities she expects but he is realistic unlike the former who she claims was pretending even though others did not see him as that. She wanted to be with someone who will tell her the truth and challenge her to make a difference in her society.
Now this is where the problem lies, her emotions are going to the direction of this new guy but because this guy knows she’s taken, he cannot ask her out. She wants to break up but her pastor’s wife has told her to try to make it work because they want her’s to be a model relationship to other. But she is not happy where she is what model are they referring to? Anyway i tried to let her know she alone can make this decision: what if she leaves where she is and the other side is storm? What if she just needs to be happy ran out of ideas for a while and i think young people like her need to also advice her. It’s up to you peeps.

This seems funny but i learnt a lot from it. On a very beautiful Tuesday evening, two girls and i were t took us a while to make up our minds on whether or not we needed to go. Sooner or later, we found ourselves taking the school shuttle to the mini campus. On getting there pastor gave us a shocker that he changed his mind (means no more meeting).it was getting late but we all had to go back to main campus so as not to miss our early morning classes. A thought came to my mind that we all may have to stop a car going our direction rather than pay. The highest that would have happened was for one of us to be emotionally attracted to any guy that was going to stop for us all in the name of him being single even though he is married with 3 kids, he is still single.

The other girls (ire and ife) were happy with the plan and we decided to give it a shot-but not make it our priority. Sooner than we expected, a lovely white car stopped to give us a ride. We were so lucky-so we thought, seating in a nice brand new car was something for us to be happy about. Few kilometres from where we boarded this lovely car, the tyre went flat and we needed to fix another one. This was about 9:00pm (Nigerian time). As good girls that we were and we also needed to make a difference we told him we were going to stay with him and in the little way we could, we were going to help. In our bid to help, we found a gas station still open so we decided to go up to anybody on duty at that time to see how far they could help us. At first they were reluctant given us the impression that they could not come because robbers attack that place at night.( while we told them we were on a trip from Lagos and we had to leave our brother ;just in case he found a solution to the flat tyre).it took us a lot of begging and at the end we had to keep one of us hostage, just in case we were robbers .
We were already worried for this guy because i mean the car was still new to be undergoing repairs. On getting to the scene of the flat tyre, a couple of guys whom he claimed they were his friends were trying to render their own kind of assistance. All assistance including the ones the guys from the gas station render was not helpful. kaycee as his friends call him was feeling bad not because of just his new car but because some girls decided to take his burden on themselves. They finally released the girl they held hostage. Trust me he was appalled: i guess he never expected us to do what we did. It wasn’t about the fact that he gave us a ride we just felt we needed to pay good with good. Hours passed and the car was still not fixed. After a long wait in the cold, we were able to fix the spare. It was already some minutes past 11pm.kaycee to him was ready to let us go even if he had to pay our fare back to school. These strong willed girls refused till we saw the car in perfect shape. We were happy the car was fixed but we couldn’t continue the trip n order not to complicate issues we had to take a u-turn to mini campus.(some girls are very funny o.situation had made us to become friends but one wanted to tell him about themselves. But he told us of his.lemme share some graduate of unibuja c lass of 04, lost his mom and sister at a very young age, in a serious relationship with a business fine girl, a general manger with an automobile company; and guess what the car in question was a Cadillac with a V8 engine (no wonder the car was very heavy and it took about two hours to fix the tyre on the driver’s side.

Now he has four responsibilities: his car, and these three beauties. He could at least handle us for the night, engaging in long discussions and laughing in the cold. It was fun though. Like a girls night out. We had problems with him first was he smokes (haa ...nauseating), secondly he takes a large quantity of alchol.church girls don’t like guys that do this. Personally, I liked the fact that he was really truthful with us not all church boy will ever do that. All this talk went into midnight but we did not seem to be bothered. Those that had boy friends called theirs to book a sleep over space even though kaycee decided to lodge us three in a hotel till morrow but we did not oblige. He promised to buy dinner Isi-ewu (goat head pepper soup) and they still refused (I was not intending to refuse but I also did not want o be the bad girl, so I agreed) since we did not lodge or stay we had to share our selves .I had to sleep over at ife’s boy friend place though I did not find that idea as comfortable but in that situation, I had no choice.ire stayed in another guy’s house just for the night.

Well no more story to it but i sure learnt a lot of lessons and had fun from the Cadillac girls adventure. One of which is there is no limit to which you can help anybody cos u never know if u just help your own helper. Ciao.