JENNIE IFEATU

Have you ever watched how rainfall occurs?  If you are indoors and dry, it's an exciting thing but if you are outdoors and wet, there is no doubt you will be a little grumpy. Rainfall starts with little drops of water dropping like micro pellets till it assumes a furious rush of water from the sky and send even the most tiny legs scampering off to seek shelter.  Little drops of rainfall makes that heavy rain.  Tiny whispers of  'I get one gig' makes an industry. I like to refer to a couple of years back when writing was not a thing. It was assumed as just something nerds liked to do to show their intelligence.  Personally, I don't see writing as a test of intelligence.  It is rather an expression of self when it's in fiction and poetry form and when it takes a non-fiction form of business writing, memoirs, content writing and more, I see it as an unveiling.  These days, it is common to hear young people especially the upwardly...

I am one of the small fraction of people who could show at your office on a Monday, wearing my sneakers and beaming the biggest smile because I feel extremely comfortable. This was perhaps the same mindset of the conductor in my bus this morning. The conductor is a lady dressed in brown combat shorts, a  black polo and a black baseball cap to match. No, she didn't have a coarse voice but the way she went about canvassing for passengers and helping them with their luggage made the job look graceful. For a second, I forgot everything I ever knew about being a conductor in Lagos. This is one of the many surprises, Lagos gifts you. To shock you further, the lady conductor's husband was the driver. We were in an official 'Family Bus.' I was running late. I took intermittent glances at my wristwatch. This was definitely not the mornings that I could boast of being an early bird. My body had succumbed to the 'body no be firewood' gimmick.  Few more minutes...

Have noticed that almost everyone you stumble on Social Media carries a tag, Content Writer. 'Content is Queen' - that's the buzzword on the digital space scene.  Over the years, I have watched people build careers around writing articles for money, content marketing,  becoming an authorpreneur,  copywriting and starting a niche blog.  Being a content writer comes with some great perks. Depending on your position, you can have the flexibility to work from home or your favourite coffee shop, decide what topics you want to write about and see your work published and generate real value. But the job isn’t always an easy one and there a few areas of expertise you need to have to be successful other than just being a great writer.  So, here are some essential skillsets that any good content writer needs to have and continue to hone over their career: You need to poke nose  Good research is key for good content wr...

Aluta Continua is one chant that resonates with everyone who has passed through a Public University in Nigeria and allowed school to equally pass through them.  Aluta Continua  is a Portuguese saying, meaning "The struggle continues". It is highly believed that it was discovered as an inscription on Kunta Kinte's commemorate. The correct wording of the phrase is actually " A luta continua , vitória é certa" meaning, "The struggle continues, victory is certain". It is the motto of the all- Nigerian  Students Union across all academic institutions of higher education. Coincidentally, anytime I am opportune to leave Lagos for a couple of days, weeks or months. On return, it's impossible not to observe the yellow striped buses and what comes to my mind is, "Aluta Continua, Drama é certa. I t is impossible for me to guarantee you that there will not be drama on a yellow bus.  This morning, our bus is riding at a slow pace with some passe...

Apart from your identity card, another thing that identifies or characterizes you will be your hat. Hats? Yes, Hats. I hated them. I felt they had their way of denying my scalp air as a little girl plus I though it looked clumsy. This week, I took the time to observe the number of people I have been in contact with. Some wore hats and some didn't.  Here's my observation; Baseballs hats or caps are for the cool kids, fedoras are for the older men, berets are for the frat guys, floppy female hats are for the bourgie and classy women.  Interesting, isn't it? So, perhaps you can decide to embark on this with me and place people wearing hats in a category (But, don't tell them, that I sent you). Credit: CNCAPS  Social media managers too get to wear hats. Most likely not the Fedora, baseball ball or even beret. But they really do. Their hats are more superficial yet innate. These are characteristics they need to have to enble anyone spot them and say," Aha...

They say what you value, you protect. I may not have understood this a couple of years ago but in recent times, I have learnt to understand the intricacies of protecting my mind as a human and as a creative.  I have learnt the act of using and conserving my mental energy. Don't yawn yet. I am not on the route of schooling you on psychology.  This morning, I am on my way to work. My soul has a yearning to flip through few pages of 'Born a Crime by Trevor Noah '. Man's a genius! I am wondering why it took me this long to read his book. No, I don't read instead I binge watch a TV series on my phone. That's what my head says. My actions are often based on concession between my mind and my head. Few minutes later, my eyes are getting tired. I steal a power nap just to avoid being feeling cheated in the building traffic ahead. Don't school me about theft in Lagos buses, I should be called upon to facilitate a masterclass on how to avoid being a vict...

My grandmother 's house was one cool place to visit when I was growing up. Especially between my pre-teens and teenagehood. I am a vintage soul. There were always old newspapers and magazines like TEL L, NewsWatch and Vogue lying carelessly. They were priceless treasures as it was also a period in time when my curiosity was taking higher leaps. Another magazine that often caught my eyes was what my older cousins referred to as a 'Yellow Pages.' No need to sleep on this. It was simply a Directory. The yellow pages are any telephone directory of businesses, organized by category rather than alphabetically by business name, and in which advertising is sold. The directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for non-commercial listings. In present times, Yellow Pages are not the trend. Instead, we do Business Listings. Just like you have a home or office where I can walk into to check up on you, so does your business. Sometimes, in ...

What comes to your mind when you hear about individualism and communal? Probably something related to an individual or a community. You are not far away from the truth. You are in fact sitting on the truth. But spare me a few minutes, I will take you somewhere. I don't bite, so you won't be harmed. I am taking you to Lagos. In this sphere, the moment you board a commercial bus. You share everything, your phone and privacy (there is always a nosy co-passenger snooping to see why you are giving your phone attention), seating space in case you have a 'big co-passenger (on days, like that I low-key wish I was bigger) - Getting squeezed by another human is intimidating honestly. But like you may have heard. This is Lagos. Once the bus conductor yells, "Yes, your money?" The guy next to you stretches his neck and strains his eyes to peep if you have 'change' in your wallet. On those days, even the meanest looking guy next to you will turn with a smil...

One of the most thrilling things about movies and television series is the emergence of love interests among the characters. Fans of these movies and tv series automatically turn the duo into a headline. They are often talked about on every space and suddenly everyone turns to some kind of sailor with a chant of "Ship them" falling in very angle.  Relationships are beautiful to watch as they blossom. While some of us like to raise our's like flag and some like to keep it on the low.  The good thing remains that you are living, loving and laughing.  One relationship that is not often talked about remains the one existying between your brand and colours.  Most people have a general idea of the effect colours can have on you.  You might have heard that a kitchen should never have too much blue decor because blue ruins your appetite. You have probably also heard that red can raise your heart pressure. In all actuality, there is truth behind these ...

I wish I could tell you that I love the title of this article but I honestly can't. I wear a size 43 and I am a lady. I practically go on a world tour when I am shopping for a shoe.  The sound of the word, bigfoot makes me cringe but I have to do what I got to do.  Stories. I love stories. I remember a myth about how a tiny woman who had gone to steal from a giant's hut could not outrun the giant after one of her stealing escapades because each stride of the giant was five times her's.  Hilarious, I know.  Sometimes you need big feet to keep you five times ahead of your competition. Business and career are pedals we keep kicking till we are frail. So, it's important to always be the bigfoot in the game.  How do you stay ahead and make this happen? Don't keep your eyes on the present The present is an illusion. The future is brighter than you can ever imagine or have ever been told. There is always room for expansion. So while you make your deci...

One of the places that you should never judge people by the way they look is in Lagos and Onitsha. In the former, a stray looking guy might be a military officer and in the latter, a guy looking like a pauper might just be your unknown landlord. Fridays are my happiest. I just let myself get lost in my daydreaming and indulge myself in the luxury of waiting for the long-expected weekend. Today, the road is free. We ride in calmness except for the sound from the engine that depicts acceleration in our pace. A man dressed in Ankara is seated by my right and a lady holding her umbrella and looking lost is seated by my left. We approach Costain and just as the bus tends to swerve a careless bike rider attempts a rough overtaking. Our infuriated driver is yelling at him as well as the passengers. In Nigeria, some questions don't pose as questions. "Are you mad? Are you crazy?" Our driver is hurling at the indeed crazy biker. The bike rider is obviously the obstin...

What's that one street lingo that you grew up hearing about Lagos? "Shine your eyes" resonates in my head like the large bell from the catholic church that was located few poles from my home as a teenager. As hilarious as that may sound, not all who look, see. Shine your eyes in Lagos is a street lingo to remind you to be ever vigilant about your immediate surrounding but some people just never play by the rules. Mondays are crazy. Infact, I have been feeling crazy for a while. Being an adult is enough to make you go crazy, there are always responsibilities; at home, at work, circle of friends, social groups; but what can a woman born of a man do? Nothing! You signed up for this voluntarily or involuntarily when you stuck out your pink head from that contracting fetal path screaming out your lungs out to a group of nurses urging your mother to 'push.' Today, I am standing at the bus stop waiting for a bus heading to Victoria Island. There are many ot...

The popular saying when you go to Rome you behave like the Romans does not apply at Lagos Bus Stops when you are new in town. Opting to ask another responsible looking passenger on the routes a bus conductor is calling out is more advisable than rushing with the mad throng of passengers with the hope that you heard him clearly. This is also what led a friend of mine who had been new in town to board the wrong bus. The young man was standing enthusiastically for the first time at the popular Iyana-Iba axis as the bus conductor yelled, "Seme! Seme!" He could bet on his life that he had heard 'CMS!' The rest of the story is being told in our family jokes of how this fellow ended up at Seme, just thirty minutes from Badagry on the coastal road between Lagos and Cotonou. The bus conductors are rapping the routes they are headed to as usual. I am aboard the 'yellow bus' heading to CMS. I am engrossed with replying messages. Having a long list of messages...

Trade? Yes, trade! Everyone in Nigeria is an entrepreneur of some sort, or have you not noticed? But there is something I am NEVER going to trade. My peaceful morning! I love my mornings calm and quiet while I listen to every thought of my heart.  Today is a gifted day. Calm, serene and dry. I have a suggestion that the rain needs to start sending a memo before it rains, considering it's incessant fall.  I am seated between two garrulous women. The one on my left is stout and fair while the one on my right is slightly lanky and dark.  The bus zooms on the dry tarred road, the atmosphere is serene, thanks to the garrulous women who have taken a break.  "Driver, O wa o!' A shrill voice announces in front.  The driver brings the bus to an abrupt halt.  "You for don talk since make you stop where him stop before." "You dey mind am? Just dey waste person time," the fair lady says with a sigh in support. I am tempted to say something in su...