Tribute to My Father-in-Law (Pa Oliver Ntuen 1932-2018) Many things can be said about you but your love for God will trump them all. My first encounter with him was the year 2004, we went for introduction with my fiancée. I met this simple unassuming man in the ancient city of Yola, he was welcoming …
The fear of letting go It is ten years since we got married. The marriage is blessed with three lovely children- a girl and two boys. Their company is an experience to behold. They revel in the love and company of each other. Though we have often maintain 3-bedroom apartment since we got married, we …
The Burden of Mental Health Illness I grew knowing my mother was depressed. At a time in 1984 she was hospitalized in the private hospital in my home town – Iyah Gbede. She was critically ill so we went to visit her. My cousin came with his father’s car, a white Peugeot 504 salon car. …
It’s alright to cry Enjoying the pleasure of a music video clip singing about sweet mother in my admirable Hausa language, I left my wife and children to be all alone. Tears welled up my eyes as I recalled my late mother’s memory. “Real men don’t cry”, I was told. It was true with me, …
HIDDEN WOUNDS I met James on the social media. He never hid his hatred for the female folks. He would rant and cuss out at them. Yet, he confessed, he has many ladies as friends, with such admiration. You could literarily feel the anger yet, the supposed love he has for ladies would pass for …
CAN THE RIGHTEOUS BE ENSLAVED? During a chat with a very senior colleague, he sought a counsel from me. The tone of the question suggested he needed my advice for his friend. However, I got to realize he was in dire need of the truth about an issue he was going through. As the talk …
IF YOU’VE GOT IT, FLAUNT IT! We had a brief conversation. He is a dynamic young man that has lots of ideas. His growing up years were inure into books that changed his perspectives about life. The last time he visited me, he read through a lot of books in my library. Now we are …
The price of Success There was this sage in our family that had the skills to combine various leaves and get results. You might call him a native doctor or traditional medicine practitioner. Some even believed that he was a rain maker. As the custom was in the traditional setting of Iyah-Gbede back then, we …
The Merchants of Hope Leaders are rare breeds. Many have argued whether leaders are born or made. Truth is, leaders are made and those born to inherit leadership need to be groomed to take their place in the position of leadership. Many aspire to be leaders but few ever attain it because, to everything there …
The culture of “Put it There” As a student of culture, if you are very much interested in the Nigerian culture, one of the things you cannot ignore even though you have to pay a very keen interest before you understand it, is the attitude of “put it there.” I remember Dr. Ayoola Arowolo while …