Born Naked But Not Empty

Today, Nigeria marks another Democracy Day.  There will be speeches. There will be ceremonies. There will be congratulatory messages celebrating twenty-seven years of uninterrupted democratic governance. There will be reminders of how far we have come from military rule and the sacrifices of those who fought for democratic freedoms. Yet, beyond the official celebrations lies a painful reality that millions of Nigerians cannot ignore. As another Democracy Day arrives, many citizens are not asking how long democracy has survived. They are asking whether democracy is truly working for them. For a nation proudly called the "Giant of Africa," the contrast between potential and reality has become increasingly difficult to bear. A giant should inspire confidence. A giant should provide leadership. A giant should protect its people. A giant should create opportunities for prosperity and advancement. Yet today, many Nigerians wake up each morning uncertain not only...

Congratulations! We've succeeded mastering a lot of things in life; Some of which are of great importance, while others are of less value. But come, have we been taking out time to master perhaps the most significant figure in the entire universe, 'self'? Of course, we can't master 'self' in one day but we're sure can commit to self mastery on a daily basis. Here are some steps to 'Self' mastery we can begin to comit to Master your Thoughts Master your Speech Master your Temperament Master your Attitude Master your Patience Master your Courage Master your Appetite Master your Self! ©IBreakBarriersAfrica

So what! If they trash talk you, is that supposed to define you? So you will put your life on hold, regret your actions, change your decisions, sink into depression and unhappiness because of some half baked story??? I have often wondered why humans (youth in particular) think they need other peoples' approval; no matter how hard they try, people will only know you as much as you want them to, So why bother what they say about you or think of you? People will always talk about your life, your beliefs, your family, your job, your choices, your failures and of course your victory..... that is their job!!! You give them an advantage over you if you allow them run your life with their opinions. Someone will ask me if that's THEIR JOB what is mine? There was a time in my life when I thought pleasing people, having them say only good things about me is all that matters to live right. Guess what..I realised I was trying so hard, putting in too much effort to live; I was unh...

I am a dark skinned lady, a beautiful one at that and I am proud of my skin color... Imagine my shock when I met someone who thought my being dark skinned makes people uncomfortable and I should be apologetic about that instead of proud. You know at first I was on the verge of saying am sorry if my skin color makes you uncomfortable but I had to stop myself and instead said "I a m am who I am, can't be sorry for being dark skinned and I can't apologise for being me or for doing me....If you're uncomfortable, then you're your own problem...I am not your problem" We shouldnt apologize for being who we are, not for the way we walk, talk or look like. If I am not okay with something about myself then I can decide to change but nobody will shut down my self-esteem, make me unsure of myself or  think less of myself because he or she's got issues I know often times we overlook these things but if you have ever found yourself in a situation like I found myse...

LYRICS Intro: No no no no no one Biyi Dayniel Say so Chorus: The thing that makes me dey love her No one can take ooo, Away away Gbape no one can take ooo Forward backward never I no dey shake ooo, No way no way Kampe, i dey awake ooo My only African bella got me hypnotize You know i love you wella, you realize Only you fit wear my fila, e be your size Na na na girl, you are the apple of my eyes Verse 1: Every blessed day she gives me butterflies So colourful, so beautiful Ever since she came my way have got the strength to fly You are so magical, my sweet sweet Monica Hook: Baby ooo awelewa, i call you Adesewa Ololufemi, Oya famomi Fenuko mi, ki n fowo kan e oooo Oya roll am circular This your body is spectacular With you me, with me you baby ooo Life is beautiful. Chorus: The thing that makes me dey love her No one can take ooo, Away away Gbape no one can take ooo Forward backward never I no dey shake ooo, No way no way Kampe, i dey awake ooo My only African bella got me hypnotize Y...

"Understanding, Compassion, Kindness and Love are the only True life ideas.  When we compromise on these, we become what we despise and lose our humanity." A bit unlike recent years that I visited prisons and orphanage homes, this year in celebrating my birthday, we shall be visiting a rural settlement in Kwara state, Nigeria where I and my team; Two nurses and three other volunteers shall be giving food, clothing and a mild medical aid to about forty widows and widowers in this settlement. No! We CAN'T help ALL of them, BUT we CAN help SOME of them. And BECAUSE we CAN, we SHOULD! Please pray along with us

As Nigerians grapple with the dire situation in the country, President Buhari’s ailing health is a great concern to some of us who believe in our President’s efforts to rescue Nigeria from the claws of corruption. The presidency continue to play slyly into the hands of Buhari’s foes and adversaries. This is the age of information dissemination. It is practically impossible to hide under one canopy in a country that is shrinking into a global village. In this period of reminiscence of the late Yar’Adua’s twilight life, the patriots in Nigeria are very concerned. Nigerians have the right to ask for their president when they suspect something is going wrong. The poor tasks of Buhari’s handlers are a vindication to his foes and death- wishers! The haters of Buhari seem to be winning over some of us (Buharists) who believe in his incorruptible persona, and his unblemished vision for Nigeria. We are again returning to the dark days of confusion. The presidency has been very conflicted abou...

Most times we think we can handle it, and we sometimes believe the more we think(worry) the higher our chances of getting it fixed. Unfortunately, we are wrong! We unconsciously conclude that prayer is overrated. No, no it can't be, no! Fervent prayers 'garnished' in faith still do wonders. And the good news is, no matter how skyrocketed the prices of things get lately, the price of prayer is never affected by recession or inflation. Just be bold to approach the throne of grace and you'll see Every Damaged things RESTORED! #ItPaysToPray# #JearyJoe|IBBA#

“Whatever a man can do a woman can also do…even better” (Nigerian Feminist Jargon). Gender equality, or inequality, is a very serious stuff; it is the kind of stuff sociologists, anthropologist, policy wonks and feminist scholars spend eternity writing and preaching about. I hope this writeup makes light of it in ways that cracks the bones and induce tear- droplets without being dismissive or condescending. Let me warn you here and now and say that this is not an attempt to offer a full disclosure of my views on gender equality. No. This is simply a related topic that concerns Africans and the Western culture. That said, I sometimes wonder if we truly can speak of gender equality; and even if we can, I wonder if equality is always healthy and always desirable. Like most people, I believe that humans evolve in their worldview, reasoning and intellect; however, there is something about the African interpretation and practice of equality within the western setting. When it comes ...

What would you call a market Woman who after setting up her shop, left it and wandered about? "Soo gbá e", a statement in Yoruba (one of the popular African languages especially in Nigeria and Benin Republic). Although the phrase literally means 'watch your lot' ", soo gbá e" connotes that you mind your own business. While this statement is mostly used as a slang I believe it carries a gem of knowledge that can help us in living our true life. If we spend most of our time talking about other people business... Then we have conceded that there is nothing great we can offer to others of our thoughts or precious time. What we talk about tells other our stand in life, our maturity level and our mental state. It's quite annoying, perhaps saddening to see men and women, boys and girls alike chattering other people's matter. Those with positive attitude in life choose silence over negative noise. They lift people up instead of tearing them down....

Time may be tough. The storm may be raging. But your Faith and Hope will allow you to bend without breaking. And when the storm is over (sure it soon will be), you will not be flat on the ground. You will be stronger, healthier, and promoted. Get up, Cheer up, and put your hopes up!

Generals who make military plans based on "knowing"what the enemy is going to do are "predicting the enemy". They usually turn out to be losing generals. Winning generals on the other hand, tend to make military plans that are workable regardless of the enemy's movement. This is the essence of good strategy. When you predict and plan based on what the opositons are going to be in living your dream, you are buying a lottery ticket with your destiny at stake. Gambling may be all right in Las Vegas, in Atlantic City, or in Wall Street, even there at Nairabet or here at Tokpa. But it's not good enough for your destiny. Dare to map out a strategy that wins no matter what

Have you been in a public place lately such as an amusement park, an airport, a game resort etc.? Did you come across some of the supposedly innocent children? Did you notice how these children were dressed? Most of them, especially the girls are dressed in bum shorts, halter necks, cut off jeans, etc. One might even want to assume the clothes in themselves aren't issue per se, but the overall look of the children had me bothered as I recently paid a visit to a resort centre with my lil niece. That was definitely not the first time I noticed that... I have equally observed how children birthday parties have turned to what could easily be called a night club for kids; Scanty clothing such as tight or very short clothes, bum shorts, long weaves, etc seemed to be the dress code. With a glance around, the questions that popped off my mind were "what in God's world are these children wearing?" "Who on earth are their parents?" Of course the latter was more or...

We have the same time in a day;... 24 hours... fourteen hundred and forty minutes. So, with time being such a precious commodity, why is it that so many of us spend our days worrying? Worry has almost become a national pastime for most! Some of you may be reading this and thinking, "Yeah, he probably doesn't have anything to worry about." But, that's not true. I have plenty to worry about, I just choose not to and I'd like to suggest that you follow suit and resolve right now, as you read this piece, that you are not going to invest even one of those fourteen hundred and forty minutes worrying... about anything. Clearly understand, Worry serves only one purpose... it makes matters worse. How? Well, quite simply, when you're focused on worrying about something, you'll never be able to focus on a solution. Be aware that your mind cannot focus on two things at the same time... it can either focus on the current situation and worry or a solutio...

“Ohh look at me! See my titties! See? Nice huh? You can't have it, I'm married!” It’s clear why divorce rates are so high. All you have to do is browse female profiles for 10 minutes and count all the “in a relationship” and “married” women who post photos of themselves in scantily clad provocative poses. I'm inclined to think that these women have emotional issues and are man-trolling behind their hubbys’ back. I don't care if I'm out of synch with the times, but I personally lose a certain amount of respect for women in relationships who striptease for attention. I'm speaking from strictly observing and reading people’s blogs; apart from the fact that some have built a career in posting the unclad images of women, many of these married cyber-teases tend to create headlines, comments, or surveys, disparraging men because they are always being hit on. But come to think of it; what drives this age to embracing this seemingly sicko act?

Have you been in a public place lately such as an amusement park, an airport, a game resort etc.? Did you come across some of the supposedly innocent children? Did you notice how these children were dressed? Most of them, especially the girls are dressed in bum shorts, halter necks, cut off jeans, etc. One might even want to assume the clothes in themselves aren't issue per se, but the overall look of the children had me bothered as I recently paid a visit to a resort centre with my lil niece. That was definitely not the first time I noticed that... I have equally observed how children birthday parties have turned to what could easily be called a night club for kids; Scanty clothing such as tight or very short clothes, bum shorts, long weaves, etc seemed to be the dress code. With a glance around, the questions that popped off my mind were "what in God's world are these children wearing?" "Who on earth are their parents?" Of course the latter was more or...

You often hear that billionaires are stingy. Some are even known to bring their own lunch to work. They learned early to make every Dollar counts. What you do with $10 is what you will eventually do with $100, 000. Respect the seemingly little you have even in this festive period and always. Remember, What You Don’t Respect,You Will Eventually Lose

√Gorgeous sunrise. √Laughter of children. √Hot baths (It's still alright if u had a cold one). √A vacant parking space at the mall. √Hug of a friend or a loved one Celebrate each little blessing. Life is afterwards a journey. Focus on all the little things that make it pleasurable. Do not take today for granted. You have already received...and received... and received so much from God this year. Talk it up! Remember, when you celebrate the seemingly little you've received, you create a good ground for receiving greater ones.

It's quite ironic how we detest some life's outcomes yet we take deep pleasure in the actions that create them forgetting that every cause generates an effect, sometimes more than one. I recently suffered a severe tooth ache- the kind of pain that can be defined only by the person experiencing it. But more than the pain was the ugly fact that I was the sole cause of it all. I never anticipated such a nightmare even in my wildest dreams. From all indications I did all I could with the help of good friends around but couldn’t avoid the bitter effect of my childhood days of ‘Candy-Delight’... just about a month later I found my shaking body lying on a dentist’s bench with a sun-beaming light flooding my wide-open jaws - the inevitable had caught up with me…I’m about losing a Precious Premolar. On this dire experience I’ve come to fully realize that there’s always an inevitable eventuality to all our actions and inactions.  If you drin...

Do not write yourself off! Your life is still waiting to unfold. Dig deep within yourself and put your heart in the game. Refuse to throw in the towel on yourself. Make up your mind that surrendering is not an option! You can still pull this off. Become resourceful and get some advice. Tap into your persistence, perseverance and power! Make it happen! You have something special. You have GREATNESS within you!