JENNIE IFEATU

I am not a genius neither do I have a see-through eye but I figured out that you have an inner Ebuka Uchendu- Obi and Austin Azuka 'Jay Jay' Okocha.  Hol' up! I am not about to take you on a Peak Milk's - It's in You road trip. I am just stating the obvious. The former is known for his mastery of the media scene as well as fashion sense while the latter is famous for his  confidence with the ball, technique, creativity, and  dribbling  skills, as well as his use of  feints . We are a generation that idolises the now but forgets there was a past.  I am a weird one. Perhaps it's one of the reasons why I like to read autobiographies, biographies and fact files. These two Nigerian giants rose from a point to get to the pinnacle where they are.  Jay-Jay Okocha began playing football on the streets just like many other football stars.  In an interview with BBC sports he said, “As far as I can remember, we used to play with ...

My earliest memory of me standing up for something or probably anything was at the age of six. When I gulped mid-sized bolus of eba immersed in oily, spicy egwusi soup and when I displayed my lame dance steps to the beats of Rosemary Chukwu’s “Kunie nu n’oge eruwo” in our wide sitting room.  At school, I would proudly say to the others, “I am Igbo” when my origin was misplaced for another tribe. It was my pride, my identity and something I felt anyone should tuck in their breast pocket and caress at different time interval.  Before the arrival of our cushions and settee, our sitting room served as our ‘Maracana.’ My tiny legs would fire shots from end to end of the large room while I watched in delight as my cousin, Uju scrambled to chase the yellow Aladin- designed rubber ball that served as one of my birthday gifts. Who in this world gifts a girl-child a ball? Our neighbourhood was usually quiet by day and as dusk announced its arrival, it was not unusual to...