JENNIE IFEATU

Decades after decades I have hushed whispers that change will come Will it be like shrewd currencies in hands of Lagos drivers? Will it be like a firefly illuminating the scary dark paths? So they whisper to me to undress This fitting frock I wear It is my only inheritance from the world that is my home What do you call a leopard without its spot? For every step I took I walked ten steps back Because I am a bird with wings perching from tree to tree I am water flowing into waterfalls and rock cracks Only the living find love and acceptance For phantoms bypass each other not identifying themselves So I die a thousand times With a ray of hope that when I resurrect I 'd find what I seek

What would you do if you were to witness the African Igbo deities speak, laugh, eat, love and feel pain? Ekwensu's Harvest explores the rich culture of the Igbo's and the life of the pantheons. This is an intriguing story of love and betrayal. It's a tale of Africans by an African, for Africans and the whole world. Why do you hear about Zeus, Apollo, Athena and never about Amadioha, Ani or Ekwensu? In this book the writer, Andrew Ifeatu Jennifer makes that happen. She explores the world of the Igbo pantheons. They breathe, speak, laugh, cry and sulk like mere mortals. You cannot afford to be left behind. Grab your copy here . You can also make payment N500 to the account below: Account name: Andrew Ifeatu Jennifer Account Number: 0173707750 Bank: Guaranteed Trust Bank Then send details of your payments to 08035725157

Some of the traits that have endeared me to Boluwatiwi Ayo-Opaleke are family values, excellence, respect, integrity, learning and empathy.  She wears many hats; each one attempting to give expression to a specific piece of her. A few friends refer to her as a relationship-centric but she likes to think of herself as a positive change enthusiast who has a passion for writing and music. She often employs them as communication tools to inspire and challenge positive behavioural change.  I had the privilege of doing this feature with her where this mother of four and CEO of Doat & Claire, a fashion company that provides solutions in the area of clothing, footwear and accessories shared her entrepreneurial journey.   What made you take this path towards this line of entrepreneurship? After working in the banking industry for ten years, I resigned to pursue other interests. Even though I have always had a knack for online journaling/blogging, music and presenting, I kne

Last week, I had a chat with an old friend. She had called, we chatted for a long period of time about life in general then she brought up the topic about entreprneurship. I stared at her with quizzed eyes, "You have interest in entreprenurship?" It sounded novelle to me to hear that coming from her. However, it took me a while to remember that she once talked about establishing a startup. I proceeded to check up her business on Google and her social media platforms but there was no trace of the 'said startup.' You might just be like her. The bottomline was that her business lacked online presence. But, wait a minute! Why does your business need online presence? Get a pen and note this down: You need to make it easier for your potential customers to reach you, you need to market your brand with ease and make it easier to build relationships with your customers and potential customers. And the most outstanding remains showcasing your products and servi

My earliest memory of being at the beach should have been at the age of five. Apart from watching the waves roll and people running away from it. Another thrilling experience for me had been picking fine well-shaped pebbles. It was just, PEBBLES! It was just something any kid would do. Years down the line, I have found out that I was learning something else in disguise. I was learning how to pick life lessons. On a lighter note, I love to imagine life like a cow that travels miles dropping her dung. Ofcourse, it's dung, who wants some smelly thing? But if you make use of it properly, you will be grooming a fertile land. The same thing applies to life lessons, you use them well, then they turn around and reward you. I have made some mistakes that sometimes I wish I could reverse. But do I dwell on them? Hell, No! I learn from them. A friend once asked me, "Why do you go so hard on checking up on me? I don't think I am worth it" "It does not matter to m

One of the boxes I would never have checked before now was having breakfast. I would ask, "Wait a minute, What's breakfast?" I had terrible eating habits.  Two years prior to now I would leave home without breakfast and eventually settle for brunch. My mind was always filled with tasks to achieve for the day while the thought of breakfast was well swept under the carpet. My family and friends would hold tonnes of advisory sessions on the importance of having breakfast. The worst part being that I was a black sheep in the field of Public Health which I studied. So how do I advise someone to do something yet go contrary? The guilt began to settle in gradually.  Let long stories be for the 'Leonard's.' I broke that habit after bouts of health challenges due to my poor dietary regime. My evaluation of that period was that I was depriving myself of self-love. If you love yourself, you will eat right.  Incase you are yet to notice, the most grumpy peopl

I have watched her walk up to me in dark rooms Pulling off dark curtains to allow light in I stare at her hands  They were unfamiliar but bore gifts It's a block of rooms in a compound Compact even in diversity Even when I got fed up with her and lost her She found me in the most pleasant ways In the most unfamiliar ways Arms open wide Moist eyes Warm hugs that set my heart on fire  Giving my dead soul a double resuscitation I waited for it from the familiar medics They didn't show up But she came borne by another  I am not very loyal So I tend to throw her away To cast her to the ground But she is rooted in me like a cashew seed So I sowed her like a fertile seed on other lands She is a song that I will sing to fellow travellers She is a scroll that I will hand down through generations She is a vision that I will show to the blind She is a baton that I will pass on to other marathoners But no one told me  Tha

I wish I could tell you that the what fascinates me most is your new haircut, your sleek phone or even  Burj Al Arab  but that will make me a liar. The first thing that entices me about people is their mindset. I actually don't say this all the time. We all have choices, I just shared a secret with you. The human mind is the most powerful tool ever. This is why humans are capable of anything, all you need to do is set your mind to it. This is the same reason why we hold to our convictions, faith and believe like the biblical Jacob held on to his brother, Esau's ankle. The fascinating thing about the mind is that it is closely related to a fallow ground. Add fertilizer, you get a good yield of crops, deprive it of fertilizer and await a harvest of ill-nourished crops. The mind works with just about the same mechanism. Feed it with knowledge and your heart will be merry. Withdraw knowledge from it and it will be like a deserted land. To kn

I watched Fisayo click away on his camera between flashes of light. It was at an event about promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's). I checked some boxes after our interaction. He is industrious, a supporter of social good and very efficient. Call me a stalker of amazing young people and you won't be far from the truth. Olufisayo Giwa popularly known as African Jaguar and Shot On Target is currently an elite footballer at The Future Academy in Lagos and also a photographer. He is the Creative Director and creative mind behind Shot On Target Pictures.  He practically takes shots on the field and off the field as a photographer. He identifies as an ardent lover of God with a knack for providing solutions and creating a support system towards developing our country, Nigeria. "As a kid, one of my favourite toys was a round plastic ball, I grew up having passion for football,.I played it everywhere and was nicknamed after football legend 'Jay-Jay Ok

Between choking laughter, nibbling on groundnut and bananas, we talked calmly. "Why did you offer me bananas?" "I see. So, I can't be nice anymore?" My eyebrows carving an arc in curiosity. "Mother Theresa, you don't give people bananas," He insisted. I chuckled. I was caught red-handed, I do not offer anyone those precious yellow darlings. We talked about a whole lot of things till he said something about people who accompanied others to the world. That struck a chord in my mind. A conversation could teach you a lifelong lesson. In his word, "Some people came to this world for a mission while the others just accompanied them." In split seconds, I imagined politicians alighting from cars while their armed aides jostled to secure their lives. I wondered how they felt after that. It's their job and I understand. I had a sleepless night that day pondering on if I had a mission to fulfil or I was just here to add to the sta

A dark-skinned young man, father of two and a baker. That was my first attraction, there has to be more. I delved in a little more and found out that there was indeed more.  He had taken to baking and cake designing better than a woman would. The African Patriarchy system would label it 'the woman's job' but to him, it was 'his' job. It was the gold mine that fed his wife and children.  He asked the question that I always expect when I am interviewing someone for the #TheNextBigThing. "Why are you doing this." Over time, I have realised that 80% of world failures are not the ones that folded their hands and decided not to do anything rather it was those who were on the process of climbing mountains, slipped, sprawled on the cold concrete and never got to see anyone beckoning on them to get up. People need more encouragement that you can ever imagine to see past who they are, where they are to get to where they should be.  Whether you a

Alexander Graham Bell is quoted to have said: " When one door closes, another opens, but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."  Uzor Gabriel happens to be one who has eyes for open doors even in the midst of closed doors.  When he lost his job some years back, he decided to learn cake designing instead of staying idle. This led to the establishment of his business, Gabby Treasure. A startup actively involved in baking and designing mouth-watering cakes.  The father of two who resides in Kaduna reveals "I never took the vocation seriously, I was called back to work again after some months but I lost the job again, then I decided it was time to take the bold step even if it was challenging, that is how I became who I am today by God's grace. Was it just a normal occurrence or an unfolding of a divine order? Uzor is still on the journey of unravelling this. The Cake Des

I was told that time heals every wound But these sores are fresh through decades Of the thrust of spears of these filial attachments With which I shared umbilical cords With fangs and claws, they charge at me And I am nothing but defenceless The earth has refused me refuge I run to the mountains But they have refused me from climbing their backs Monster Mountains sapping the earth’s nutrients Sole Harvesters of my father’s good Till their bags be completely full I was told We are one family Peace and happiness is all I seek I have cast my life in a box It has to undergo balloting to ascertain it’s worth It is worth nothing; so it is cast to the dogs That sink their teeth in my health They thump around and make death traps on the road Then make plans for tomorrow in flowing gowns and matching caps Laughing at the wounds that will never heal Laughing at my face of death At another stage rehearsal of casting my life in a box

The sky has forgotten its scripted lines  It has lost its knowledge of crying  So it has remained dry  Caked like the dry red earth  Void of moisture  We are parallel lines  Legs stretched worlds apart  From your cup, I no longer drink  Your familiar cheeks I don’t kiss  A sharp dagger slug behind; just around my waistline  Who drew the battle lines? Who pulls out his own intestines? This is insanity  The heart has lost its form  It is a replica of my father’s rumpled trousers A shame to the eye  A sore to the soul  Why did this turn out so? A body in a rift with its soul  Its all I see when I stare  I am the body  You are the soul  I feel nothing anymore  I am bewildered! Is this the seed mortals sow?

Goldfishes have no hiding place, so I guess this is why Ayo could not find a hiding place either. My first contact with her was on Twitter when I was looking out for women in male-dominated industries. I had an open mind while I was on the lookout but my thought had not given me the clue that I 'd stumble a sweet female Mechanic.  Ayotunde Sofela is a 25-year-old Mechanic from Abeokuta in Ogun state. Born and bred in the boisterous city of  Lagos and a 400 level computer science student at the National Open University (NOUN). She is the dedicated hands behind Ayomatics Garage, a young startup focused on delivering efficient, reliable, and trustworthy automobile repair, maintenance and consultation. "I didn’t always have this passion from childhood. Like most children, I wanted to grow up to be a doctor. I think that was influenced by the fact that I spent my childhood days in the midst of medical practitioners. When I got into a secondary school, that idea changed. I

Descend O Comtraitors! Descend o comtraitors, is the call to action Corruption is dispensed in exponential rations The cost of silence paid with bags of rice and salt Our mothers and fathers bought, even the youth, their voices shut A jewel stained, no amount of washing, cleaning Purity is gone, not even prayers can restore healing 2019 is fast approaching, elders humbled Remember yesterday when they left you manacled It's always the same story, no difference A generation almost extinct, power grabbing, a bad influence Failed promises cancel one another Poverty at its peak, election is closed, absence of law and order It's the time to change history not become one Don't give us guns this season, give us funds we no longer want to be a pun We are Kings and queens, royalty is in our blood We can rule as well and even better, it's time we were treated even, everything else is odd Descend o comtr