Listen to this Insight <span class="html-content"><p>Nzu (White Chalk) is a very significant substance in&nbsp; Igbo culture. It is a symbol of purity, innocence, peace and progress. Nzu, as it Is called by Igbo people s believed to have the capability to reveal the mysteries and activities of that take place in the spiritual realm. Although, going by its physical feature, one may mistake It for an ordinary clay substance that could be thrown away but the truth remains that that same clay substance stands as a representation of both the physical and metaphysical world.</p> <p>In Igbo land and according to the Igbo culture, Nzu can be used to perform many activities and functions, each having its distinct meaning. Some of these functions include the following. First, it is used to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving to Chukwu Okike Abiama (God), in which it represents purity and justice. Alongside Oji Igbo (Igbo Kolanut), or even separately, Nzu can be used to offer sacrifices of plea and request from the gods.</p> <p>Second, it could be eaten and this is usually done by pregnant women based on the belief that it could prevent them from vomiting and spitting uncontrollably. In fact, in Igbo land and even outside Igbo land, there is hardly a pregnant woman who doesn't know the relevance of Nzu - their biggest but minute companion.</p> <p>Third it could be used to welcome visitors in which case, it shows that the visitor is well received with open and very clean heart. When the host presents Nzu to his visitor, it signifies his homeliness and guarantee of the visitor's security while in his house. The moment Nzu is offered to the visitor, he usually takes a piece of it and makes a drawing of four or eight parallel lines on the floor depending on his social status in the society. For instance, if the visitor have received any title such as Nze or Ozo, he is qualified to draw more lines that a non-titled fellow.The ritual of drawing lines with the Nzu in this situation becomes a symbol of "Igba ndu" (Covenant) which serves as an indication of absolute trust between the host and the visitor. </p> <p>Fourth, Nzu can be grounded into powdered substance and used for decorating important personalities occasionally. Some of these personalities include: dancers and warriors. </p> <p>Fifth, it is used by native doctors because it is believed that Nzu possesses spiritual powers. Igbo people believe that when a native doctor rubs nzu on his left eye, it helps him connect with the spiritual world and make divinations.</p> <p>Sixth, the white chalk comprises medicinal substances that helps smoothen the body abs keep it in good shape. It treats skin illnesses like measles and chicken pox. Nzu can also be used to write on the wall to keep record of important events at home and in the society.</p> <p>Overall, just like mustard seed, Nzu does more wonders that one can ever imagine. Though, it looks small and tiny, it does big and nighty wonders.</p> </span>

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Listen to this Insight The race for who will occupy Aso Rock in 2023 is gradually gaining momentum. In the past month the 2 major parties had their primaries and elected their flag bearers. There was also a pleasant surprise which no one anticipated. Peter Obi moved to Labour Party from PDP just a few days to the PDP primaries. A move akin to that of a football player on the last day of the January transfer window. With this, Peter Obi took the formerly unknown Labour Party from obscurity to the 3rd force in the country in less than 24hrs. Scintillating. Isn't it?Although, he said he left the PDP, quote and unquote, due to some practices that do not sit well with his persona. I believe part of it was the delegate buying and the fact that he knew he stood no chance if he wasn't willing to conform. Smart man, I must say. He didnt take the famous saying by Socrates "Man, know thyself!" for granted. He realised the odds were stacked against him quickly enough to port like "Saka" from Etisalat to MTN.In a turn of events, this unexpected move seems to be the best thing to have happened to Nigerians in the first half of 2022.

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Listen to this Insight <span class="html-content"><p><span class="html-content"></span></p><p>Dear all, Yesterday I experienced the great walk toward freedom. In other words, I trekked until my legs started shaking. Oh yeah, with my shoes on. I walked from Idimu to Ogba. If you live in Lagos, you can imagine the distance. Most Nigerians have been complaining about the recent switch in currency aimed at curbing corruption in the forthcoming elections that may not hold. Yeah, previous elections have always been postponed, so it won't be surprising.&nbsp;</p><p>The events this week have left me down in the dumps, so much that I couldn't declutter with my book and pen (through writing). I've had things to write on but just couldn't ink them. In case of an attack, I now walk around with personal protective equipment. There's hardly a week that I have not had to fight or push my way through Agege under the bridge because of thugs. I have now changed my route completely because of the frequency of GBAS GBOS.&nbsp;</p><p>My resolve to leave Nigeria has deepened. I believe in patriotism from abroad! How did we get here in the first place? by voting for people who made us believe that they had been through similar things. The whole narrative is a PR stunt to win the hearts of the populace and leave them impoverished. We have allowed our struggle to survive to cloud our judgment. We have taken bags of rice as gifts from politicians, not knowing that these leaders will bring us famine.&nbsp;</p><p>Yesterday, I watched the riots build up from a distance at Agege, and I'm doubting if we will ever experience peace. Because if hunger drives you, you will be less motivated after eating. Stop voting for those who feed you before the elections. You can vote for character, history, competence, order, etc.; you can add the rest yourself. If you see me ask for crowdfunding on social media, just know that I tried and I'm done.&nbsp;</p><p>Sometimes, in the right climate, less is actually more. Nigeria almost got me, but God got me. I hope you caught the swerve! And yeah, after my long trek to Ogba, I decided to use a bus because I only had a N200 old note, which is still accepted. I still had other denominations that were rejected. Person go get money but him no fit spend am!&nbsp;</p><p>At the point of entering the bus, a student asked that I help lap him. I rejected it at first but later accepted it because we rise by lapping others! As he sat on my lap, the commuter beside me echoed, "Tomorrow you will say I suffered when I was in school." People lapped me because I had no transportation money and no shoes, but you will forget those who helped you. Boom, everyone joined him, and I felt for the innocent young student, but their complaints came from a point of fact. I pondered what they said as I alighted from the bus to continue the great trek to work.&nbsp;</p><p>To think of it, I actually trekked over an hour and 30 minutes to work.&nbsp;</p><p>May our journeys not be in vain, and when we eventually have shoes, may we not forget those who stood by us when we had no shoes.</p> <p></p> </span>

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Listen to this Insight Scrolling through my Instagram feed on Saturday, I came across the news of Nigerian public figure, and comedian; Mr Jollof declaring his support for APC presidential flag bearer, Bola Tinubu. But rather than the news itself, what was most interesting about that post, were the comments. It's no secret that the Nigerian youths see APC and PDP, as synonymous to backwardness and 'evil'. So it came as no surprise to see the negative comments aimed at Mr.Jollof. The youths were angry and boy did they let him know. How dare he support Tinubu, rather than the man of the people; Peter Obi. He was accused of being part of our nation's problems, an enemy of Nigeria's development amongst other names. The question here however, is; did he really do anything wrong in declaring his support for the APC man? Going by the true meaning of democracy, Mr. Jollof is well within his rights to support whomever he chooses to. And as such, shouldn't be subjected to insults and accusations of being an unpatriotic Nigerian. I understand the frustrations of Nigerians concerning PDP, and APC - both parties have failed us in all honesty. But bullying and abusing anyone who decides to vote for any of their flag bearers is wrong, and certainly not the way to go about campaigning for Peter Obi. The truth remains, in times like this, people most likely pitch their tents wherever it would favor them. Reasons for supporting a political candidate, range from collective development, to personal gain. We should understand that not everyone is after collective development. That's one of the 'uglies' in politics. I believe there is a better way to go about ensuring the right man gets the job. Rather than insults, we should aim to win others over to our side convincingly. Insults would only make those on the other side more defiant. During the election period, it is guaranteed to meet others with varying opinions, and preferred candidates. Are we going to keep abusing and bullying them? We can do better, we have to do better.

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Listen to this Insight It's election season. With less than a year to the 2023 General elections, beautiful things, it seems are happening. The politically inactive South seems to be waking up from a very deep slumber. I wouldn't like to attribute this to anyone or anything in particular. Just the fact that there's an increase in awareness and interest of the people is a joyous development. In the not so distant past, we had people who would see you as a fool for vying for political positions if they deemed you not "strong enough" as politics has always been seen as a dirty game, only for those with strong hearts and machismo. People used to be mocked for being a part of the electoral process. Their usual argument being, "Our votes don't count", so why waste precious time and resources that could be diverted somewhere else for better productivity and result. Presently, the reverse seems to be the case. If feels like a wake up call was sounded, like there's this alarm which just buzzed and reminded everyone who they are and what they need to do. People are now encouraging themselves to register for their PVCs and exercise their franchise. More people are beginning to register in political parties and vye for elective positions. It seems there's a paradigm shift in the thought process of these people. It seems the wind of change has blown enough air into the sails of the peoples' ship has picked up speed. There's this unexplainable gusto about 2023 and the Electoral process. It feels like real change cannot wait any longer. Could this be providence or mere coincidence . INEC recently declared that there's been over 10 million new registrations and majority of them, from the South. More people are even lining up at INEC offices daily across the southern states to either register or sort out issues related to the election process. Interesting stats. The people are beginning to want to do their bit but is INEC ready to do its bit? It would seem so but it's bit goes beyond registering the people for their Voter's card and conducting elections. What processes have been set up to get these PVCs to their owners when ready? I, my friends and a whole lot of other students registered for our Voter's card in 2010 while we were still undergraduates. We were so enthused about the forthcoming 2011 general elections because Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the Vice President at the time who was from our state was contesting for the presidency. Most of us had just attained the age of majority so were so excited about exercising these newly bestowed rights. While we got our temporary voter's card immediately after the registrations, as is the norm, it was quiet for a while. There was no word from INEC or anyone as to when we'd receive our PVCs. It seemed like forever and most of us took out minds off it. Then one evening, just as the harsh afternoon sun was retiring, news began to trickle in that the PVCs were ready. All our PVCs were in the possession of some unidentified persons who were distributing them at certain points across the small town. Some people were lucky enough to get theirs, others not so lucky as the ran to every point they had heard the distribution was going on, yet they couldn't find theirs. I even heard that at some of the distribution points, boxes of PVCs were thrown in the floor and scattered all over when the distributors became hard pressed. Those who could find theirs picked it and went away while the larger number of PVCs without owners were abandoned. Some people picked up the cards of their friends and those of others who they were able to recognise. Many others like me, didn't even hear about the distribution until a few days later. How would we get our PVCs following the melee of a few days back, the distributors largely unidentified? The whole process was just so disorganised and aim of even registering for the PVC in the first place, partly defeated as huge number of people disenfranchised by this callousness. If I can't get my PVC, why register in the first place. I was lucky to find mine about 2 weeks later when a junior colleague saw me on the road and informed me that he was in possession of my PVC. A few days ago, I spoke to a friend who also registered in 2011 while we were still undergraduates. She never got her PVC. She decided to go apply for a reprint and transfer of Polling unit. It's been months now, she still hasn't got her PVC. It's been from one office to the other and at the end of the day, it's either gone missing midway or hasn't been printed at all. It's been over 10 years and till date, you still get complains of people never getting their PVCs after they registered. Since then, I have thought about how easy it is to get these PVCs get to their owners and not go missing midway or whether it's a deliberate act to disenfranchise the large demography of Voter's or would be voters. I think it's quite easy to achieve if we compare it the banking system of ATM cards' distribution. Create collection points at designated areas, likely polling units, open a register where people can sign to confirm collection and make sure that a card cannot be picked up by proxy. What is INEC's solution to this problem? Or 12 years down the line, are we still going to go the same route of missing PVCs which never reach their owners?

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Listen to this Insight <span class="html-content"> <p>I believe the goal of everyone learning a skill or a craft should be to master that craft. Notably, it takes a great deal of devotion in terms of discipline and consistency to attain mastery of something. Similarly, it'll mean staying resolute even in the face of difficulty. In other words, there's a degree of hunger required to sustain you throughout the journey to mastery. </p> <p>The big question is, what happens when you gain mastery? Do you bask in the celebration and remain complacent, or do you remain focused? </p> <p>It's funny how a lot of people cannot deal with ease! </p> <p>Yes, the idea of ease can be very tricky. If you're not careful, you'll end up procrastinating. This is because you would tell yourself that you could easily complete that task. It's like saying, "Why do it now when you can easily do it later?" In another case, you could lose sight of growth. Starting a fire may be easy, but sustaining it would be difficult. I'm of the opinion that "mastery is progressive".</p> <p>"Once relevant is not always relevant."&nbsp;</p><p>If it took doggedness, discipline, and consistency to attain mastery, then you must not lose sight of these elements when you attain some form of mastery. You'll become sloppy over time when you stop honing your skills. This puts excellence in jeopardy, and your results will become mediocre!</p> <p>Beware of ease!</p> <p>Learn Unlearn Relearn </p> </span>

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Listen to this Insight <span class="html-content"> <p>When I was much younger, I was seriously stubborn. This may come as a surprise to many who know me now. You may think it's the conventional stubborness, but I can assure you that if it hadn't been for God, my parents' prayers, and a change of heart, I would have become THANOS!</p> <p>Reflecting on some of my mischievous deeds often leaves me wondering what was wrong with me back then. I would like to share some details about those vices and my journey to having sense, but you see, the Internet never forgets and I have plans to blow in this life!&nbsp;</p><p>Oh, and I also stand the chance of getting arrested! Who stabs his colleague in the eyes at a young age?&nbsp;</p><p>Definitely not me!</p> <p>I've come to terms with the fact that my actions and inactions were a product of my ignorance and my environment. I grew up in "Akai Nyoho" in Eket, Akwa Ibom State. The direct translation of Akai Nyoho is "a forest area," and yes, it wasn't the tush area of town.</p> <p>When we eventually moved to civilization and I changed schools, some changes in my behavior became noticeable! It wasn't immediate though. One of the things I can now say with my full chest is the fact that peer pressure in my new environment was limited. I could barely access it!</p> <p>My previous association wasn't utterly terrible; in fact, it was cool to me, but then it had affected me a lot and it was all I had. Later on, I improved academically, and as we say in Nigeria, "I came to get sense small." I even became a "Senior Prefect" in my new school. I still don't understand how I became a senior prefect because Omooooooo!&nbsp;</p><p>This is not me shading those I knew before all this seemingly good change happened or cancelling my previous school/environment. I know people from that same Akai Nyoho who turned out great, so this ain't shading.&nbsp;</p><p>The point to note is that my choices and actions got better as my climate changed. As my association changed, I really did become a better version of myself. I believe a lot of people are somehow stagnated by their associations.&nbsp;</p><p>You have plans you'd like to work on, but somehow your friends limit you or the plans are not realistic in your current environment. When people can't share in your vision, they may not know how to help you realize it.&nbsp;</p><p>Your valid dreams are not valid everywhere.&nbsp;</p><p>Put differently, your valid dreams may become invalid due to your climate. It could be difficult, but it's okay to leave. You have to be intentional about your growth.&nbsp;</p><p>It's okay to burn bridges when you've secured a boat! Lol. Don't remain unequally yoked.</p> <p>Sometimes we rise by leaving others.</p> <p>Learn Unlearn Relearn </p> </span>

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Listen to this Insight <span class="html-content"><p>The first time I waxed, it was because of peer pressure. I had seen a lot of people do it- my friends inclusive so I decided to try it, in order to understand what the fuss was all about 😅. First of all, I’m a cry baby with a very low tolerance for pain. A soft babe ! So when the lady was cleaning my underarms in preparation for the procedure, I was laughing; cackling even (did I mention that I am very ticklish ?). My brain went from 0-100 real quick as soon as the hot wax left my skin with a huge chunk of my hair; the laughter turned into screams 😩😭. Ouch ! I swear it hurt, but only for that moment. She repeated that step a couple of times so you can imagine how many “ouches” left my throat during the session. It hurt like a beech. But as soon as it was done, I said to myself “it was definitely worth it”. Throughout that week, I kept showing my fresh-looking armpits to anyone who cared to look; my mum, my aunts and my partner(of course). Not sure why I did that… which is why I’m currently hiding my face in shame🙈.</p> <p>It’s 2023, you should ditch shaving for waxing. Here’s why…</p> <ol> <li><p>First of all, let's talk about time. Shaving is like a chore, it has to be done often. Who has the time for that? With waxing, you only need to do it every few weeks, depending on your hair growth. That means more time for other things like; sticking your nose into someone else’s business 😌. (I do not recommend that and I shall not be responsible for whatever happens to your nose).</p> </li> <li><p>Yes, waxing can be uncomfortable, but it's a quick and efficient way to get rid of unwanted hair. Plus, the more you do it, the less it hurts. The first time I waxed my underarms, the pain was 4 on a scale of 1-10 and like I said, it hurts only in that moment that the hair is getting pulled out; it doesn’t hurt afterwards. A person with a high threshold for pain would probably feel nothing. After I did it 2 to 3 times, I became used to it.</p> </li> <li><p>With shaving, you're risking nicks, cuts, ingrown hairs, shaving bumps and razor burn. And let's not forget the itching that comes with regrowth. Who needs that kind of wahala in their life? As long as you do your “after care” after waxing, you will be fine. I have never had any “after-wax” issues since I started waxing. Waxing just makes your underarms (and other parts) fresh and aesthetically pleasing 😉.</p> </li> <li><p>Waxing leads to longer-lasting results. When you shave, you're only cutting the hair at the surface level, which means it grows back quickly and prickly. Waxing removes the hair from the root, so it takes longer to grow back. This can also lead to a reduction in hair growth over time. By continually removing the hair from the root, you can actually delay its growth and when it eventually grows, it's much softer and smoother. Emphasis on SOFTER and SMOOTHER 😌. Shaving, on the other hand, will cause the hair to grow back faster, thicker and darker.</p> </li> </ol> <p>In conclusion, waxing is the clear winner when it comes to hair removal. It's more efficient, longer-lasting, and can even lead to reduced hair growth over time. So, ditch that razor and make the switch to waxing. Your skin (and your schedule) will thank you. 🤗 </p> </span>

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Listen to this Insight This was either you at some point or you right now… You are about to graduate, you are soon going to move from undergraduate and unemployed and you have absolutely no idea what you are going to do with your life now. You are probably studying an engineering course that you chose because you were good at maths and everyone just shoved you into the department. It made sense then but now it doesn’t. It has been five years and you are not sure you know what you want to do with that degree. Expectations are all around you, parents and lecturers are all there just blatantly assuming that you have your life together and are going to land a big job in Shell just because you scraped by and got a First class. Jokes on them…wait...jokes on you too. Convocation is finally here, 5 years of school are over! Yay! but whilst you are excited, you can’t help the memory of future joblessness flashing through your eyes and the dread of certainty working its way up your spine even as you dig into the convocation rice. I felt this dread even though I did a course that people told me will be easy to find a job with. ‘Is it not mass communication, you can work anywhere’, they told me. Alas! It was all a lie. There is good news though. I will have you know that I and some people have been able to successfully navigate this strange reality and are now settled in our different career paths. Congratulations to us…we made it! I am happy for us but for some who are yet to figure things out or those for who this will soon be their reality, sit tight and read this closely. I gained a lot of experience in this and I am happy to share. I started my career journey armed with nothing but a pocket full of random experiences, a degree, no connections, and absolutely no street sense whatsoever. I don’t even know why people trusted me enough to go out looking for a job just because I earned a degree. Why??? I was expected to begin my career journey but I had no idea about what I wanted to do or what I could even do. I can assume that this is the case for a whole lot of graduates and here’s what you need to know…it is fine, it is not the end of the world. You might suffer a little than those who already have their life figured out but the fun thing about not knowing what you want to do is that you are more open to gaining experiences in more fields and exploring more industries than others. The good news is that once you figure things out, you’ll be armed with a wealth of knowledge from all your trial and error. Now here’s where my advice starts The first thing you need to know is that you do not need to have a career path to start a career journey, you just need to start doing something and then figure it all out on the way. My biggest worry was that whilst my mate were working towards a clearly defined goal because they had clearly defined career path, I was doing all kinds of jobs that I was relatively good at and so it felt like I didn’t have a career. After 4 years of wandering however, I can boldly say that it makes sense now…and when I apply for jobs now, I can choose from as many selections as I want or combine them in one and demand a higher pay. The second thing you might need to jot down is, try hard not to panic if you were like me. Instead, sit with yourself and take note of the following things. First, identify what it is you like doing or what you are good at or what you are willing to try at the moment. It doesn’t matter whether or not it applies to yur degree or who you dreamt you will become in future. Find the closest space to your current self and start your career journey from there. For me, I had just completed a very impressive research project for my final defense and so the first career thing I started was working as a research assistant with my supervisor. I know this doesn’t look as glamorous as it sounds but you will ne surprised how far I was able to go by being in that space and how much impact it has on my current career journey. What you will need to do next is to begin a self discovery journey whilst you have a stable job. Find out what you hate about what you are doing currently, what you love about it, what you would change and what you would rather be doing. When you figure this out, it will help guide the skills you would learn, the experiences you would have and how to apply for your next job. I moved from being a research assistant to a teaching assistant as the opportunity came and I learnt a lot about myself. The experiences I gained in this position gave me the opportunity to apply as a social media manager at another company. I can hear you thinking? How did that even connect? Think about it deeply, what does a researcher and teacher have in common with a social media manager: Research, writing, ideation, creating content, monitoring trends, gathering data…and a lot more. Working as a social media manager allowed me to realize that I enjoyed creating content especially visual content and so I applied next to work as a graphics designer and then a design associate as things progressed. Long story short, I now work as a marketing manager and all of these random jobs have come together to make me appear as someone who is well rounded and knows what she is doing. Let me even shock you further, I ammoving from a marketing manager to a UI/UX writer next. Yes, I said it. So for you who is worried that you keep going around different fields, fear not, it will make sense in the end. The final advice is that you remain intentional about your journey whether it is on the same path or across different paths. Take note of every stage you are in and evaluate yourself constantly. What do I hate about this job? What would I rather be doing? And a whole lot more. There is more advice but I’ll keep that for part two. Until next time!

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