Art Imitating Life: EvErYdAy

By Ehinome

He wakes up. He aches all over, the mattress is too lean, the mosquitoes needed to feed all night and he was a worthy sacrifice.

Its 5am.

He takes time to pray, we all need GOD.

He takes his bath, boils the last two packs of indomie and leaves the house. As he descended d steps, his shoed feet hit water...

 "Ha! How could I forget that it rained?"

Quietly he bends down, tucks his folder under his arm, he folds his trousers, takes of his shoes and then carefully wades through the small stream... It had rained last night. The Councillor had been promising to make drainages and to ensure the ones available were cleaned out, but that was two years ago. So they had to live with pools every time it rained.

He stood at the bustop for about 10 minutes, a bus came, "200Naira!” his eyes bulged, from 100Naira?

"Why 200Naira?" he asked the conductor.

 "You no know say fuel no dey? Na so we wake no see fuel... You go enter or make we go?" The conductor drawled.

He had an interview to meet up with at 8am; it was 6.30am, so he got in.

He got down from the bus at 7.30am, all dusty. He spent an hour to his destination. The road was a total mess; construction has been going on for three years now, so the result was brown dust, even on his eyelids. He steps aside, dusts himself and begins the trek to the venue for the interview. After all, he spent 200Naira to get here; the extra 100Naira should have taken him to the venue of the interview.

He got there, hungry and tired. He needs a job, his rent is expiring soon and he is tired of hanging on his parents. It’s been two years since he graduated.

As he approached the gate, there was a gathering.

"Na wa o! How dem go just postpone this interview na?" One girl shrilled “I came from Port Harcourt and now this!"

He just stopped at his tracks, looked down at himself and slumps his shoulders. There wasn't going to be any interview, they had chosen those they needed. The so called god fathers had chosen. This had happened to him a couple of times, and they said it was postponed, with no future date.

He sits on a broken fence nearby, and brought out his phone. Maybe he could ping, and recover from the news.

He saw 'edge' at the right corner of the screen. BIS had expired. He mindlessly went on to call his friend...

"Omo, the interview no hold oh"

After all in about eight years, telecommunications was all Nigeria had successfully achieved, even though, it still wasn’t affordable by all and subscribers have to put up with epileptic services.

"Na so Naija don dey oo!"

He continued telling his friend and as he said so... His credit finished...

Better Nigeria: Until We Want Change

By Iphie Manuelz
Until we want change, things would only get worse.
Until we want change, our leaders would continue to get away with their corrupt ways.
Until we want change our children would continue to die in avoidable situations.
Until we want change our situation would not get better.

I saw picture of four young men that were taken out jungle justice style. What was their offence? They allegedly stole laptops and phones, allegedly being the key word. How do you tell a mother that her only son was beaten and then burnt to death because he allegedly stole a phone and a laptop? No arrests, no trial, no judgement? Just death because some villagers decided to be judge and jury over his alleged act of robbery.

And then I saw the video!!!
Dear Lord, nobody deserves to die that way, I cried for at least thirty minutes after that. I continued to shake uncontrollably after that. Sleep wasn't my friend for two nights in a row. How could I sleep, their faces kept showing up the moment i closed my eyes.

How do we expect things to change when our mentality lays buried in the Victorian era? If Nigerian is to change and move forward, we must bring our mentality into the 21st century. We must be willing to change as much as we expect from the next person. Change wouldn't  magically happen in our lives.

Until we are willing to change, things would only stay the same.
Until we are willing to change, mothers would continue to cry for sons lost to jungle justice.
Until we are willing to change, we would be stuck in the past.
Until we are willing to change.

Goodnight Ugonna, Llyod, Tekena and Chidiaka, Rest with the Lord.

Better Nigeria: Aluu 4

By Ehinome

I thought I was going to have so much to say about the incident...but the truth is words would never be enough to express the pain and outrage I feel.
As an person, am besides myself with fear, that a little blow and life could be gone!
As a youth, I have come to the shocking realization that my country doesn't care about my dreams and aspirations.
As a child, I watched the death of another child..am not better off.
As a Nigerian, I feel betrayed.
As a youth, all I ask my self is, which way? What hope? What future is there for us the "so-called" future leaders?
Its like everyone is a government of himself in this country. You struggle to stay off the streets, to give yourself the best of life. You struggle to leave d shackles of a landlord, then you build your house. You provide water for yourself,light for yourself,security for yourself,you hustle for yourself...it goes on and on! And u just freaking realise, it just you..the government isn't aiding your dreams in anyway, its rather crippling it.
Okay, sorry for digressing, I was on the Aluu 4.
You know, I imagined a whole lot of things that would have been running through their minds as they were stripped, As their spines were broken, as their they had their brains exposed, as they felt the burning fire...as they took their last breathe...One thing is for sure they neva imagined they would see their creator that day, through the most gruelsome way.
I imagined, how they must have gotten up that morning, made plans for the day. How they must met up with each other and the last things they said to each other..
I imagined the plans they made for their future, their tall dreams,their aspirations..its all so heart wrenching..just thinking of it. 
The death of these young men is a wake up call to many things!
That an innocent person could be mistaken for a thief and be killed!
That no one is taking responsibility for what happens to lives and property..No one is even pretending to care!
That something of this magnitude could happen to a Nigerian and its leaders won't be perturbed! Because till now, there hasn't been a strong statement from the government.
That it is all man for himself! 
Toku,Tekena,Chidiaka and Ugonna...I never knew you, too bad I got to know you this way. Rest in the bosom of the LORD. I believe 1 day Nigeria would be redeemed, and I would always remember your gruesome death..which is still etched in my brain.
This is for the youths of Nigeria, we are not lazy, we are not dumb, we are the best around, we won't stop shining and not even the evils of these times would stop us.

Young and In Charge: Wonuola Sanni

As a lover of good food with only the barest of skill in the kitchen, discovering where to get good food has become a favourite past time. Discovering Les Hors D'oeurves Magnifique was very refreshing. Meet our very first young person of the week, Wounola Sanni, head chef at Les Hors D'oeurves Magnifique, whose love for food and drive for success has taken her business from catering to a party of 10 to catering to an average of 500-1000 people.

Tell us a little about yourself?

I'm Wonuola Sanni,the head Chef of 'Les Hors D'oeurves Magnifique' AKA The small chops Company, who is very passionate about food preparation and presentation.

What was growing up like?

As an only child,I learnt early to do a lot of things myself especially cooking.I grew up mostly in Lagos and then moved to Abuja for my Senior High School education,I've been in love with the sanity of the town since then. I would say I had a very happy childhood,I learnt to be content with what I have and work hard for what I want.

Tell us a little about your educational background?

I started my Education in Lagos.I attended FGC Ijanikin and FGGC Bwari Abuja and also went to the University of Abuja where I majored in Political Science.

So what is Les Hors D'oeurves Magnifique all about? What does it mean?

"Les Hors D'oeurves Magnifique" which means the Magnificent Finger foods, is a company with a difference(wink). We originally started as a small chops company providing finger foods such as spring rolls,samosas,wings,Batter fried prawns,puffs,Deviled eggs,etc For occasions such as weddings,Birthdays. Which later evolved into a full time catering.We also provide private chef services for any occasion @ any Capacity.

How did you get into it?

In my opinion,I've always been in it,I just started getting paid,lol.

I started the company formally in April 2010.It was a hobby I turned into a career(best decision I ever made) though challenging but with hard work,mentoring from older chef/caterers,research,THE INTERNET,I've been able to stay afloat the ever-rising food industry in Nigeria. 

What is your typical day like?

My day starts with taking orders for "The Lunch Package", a service I started early this year which involves delivering meals on weekdays to our working class clients.Preparation usually takes up d first half of my day n delivery takes the next quarter.Weekends on the other hand we have weddings,birthdays and the likes which we start preparing for from Thursday. Its a time consuming Job.

What do you love most about you what you do?

What I love most about my job is seeing d satisfaction on d faces of clients,That phone call or sms that says "I enjoyed my food". I also love the challenge that the job gives me,having to try out new recipes everyday,spice up old ones,giving my clients a chance to prepare their own menus keeps me on my toes and its a feeling I wouldn't trade for anything else.

What’s been your best work ever?

I love weddings,they make me feel like I'm doing something that actually matters. All jobs come with its own challenges,difficult clients(whom I love regardless).I love all d jobs I've done so far.

What are the difficulties involved?

Anyone in the food industry will tell you, the preparation process especially for big jobs is very tedious.There are times we work all night just to make sure everything is ready in time.

If you weren't doing this, what would you have been doing?

If I wasn't a chef I think I would probably be in the customer care unit of a company.

Have you ever felt like giving up on Les Hors D'oeurves Magnifique?

That thought has never crossed my mind.I believe that challenges and difficulties are signs of progress.Another source of encouragement is the evolution the company has gone through since its inception.From catering to parties of 10,we now cater to 500-1000 people and above.There's no going back for me.

Who or what inspires you?

I get a lot of inspiration from older chefs and people who have been in the business longer.I also watch a lot of Food network programs and download recipes from the internet.Someone who inspires me in particular is Chef Gason,a celebrity chef from New Orleans USA who sends me recipes which I modify to suit my level of clientèle.

Considering the level of success you have attained, youths out there would be itching to know how old you are.

I was 25 in September. 

(happy birthday in arrears to our favourite chef)

Asides work, what do you do for fun?

I love going to the movies. I also like dining out, not just to critique food but also get inspiration. I find cooking very relaxing so even when I'm not working,I cook

Advice to youths that wish to follow in your footsteps.

Never let anything limit you, dreams always elude you @ first but with hard work n consistency there's nothing you cannot achieve. When I started taking orders, I was using a borrowed camp gas cooker(true story),everything big starts small. Hard work pay eventually.

I cant believe I forgot to ask this, so by popular demand, I have to ask, are you spoken for?
LOL, no, i am single.

Enough of the talking, now let Wonu's beautiful work speak for itself. Don't say i didn't warn you, you would find yourself contacting Wonu for a lunch package by the time you are done .

Deviled eggs

Small Chops platter

Chicken parcels

Spaghetti and meatballs

Wild rice with sauteed sole

Mocktails

Chocolate chip pancakes, smoked chicken sausages drizzled with chocolate syrup 

Strawberry crepes

Small chops platter

Sweet and sour Shrimp with steamed rice

Chef Wonu on duty

 Hope you all had as much fun as I did. It was fun discovering such lovely meals.

You can reach Chef Wonu on 07067983223
Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/omowo
Find her on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wonu.sanni?fref=ts
Or drop her a mail: Email-Mailwonu@yahoo.com

The Week in a Flash: 30th Sept - 6th Oct 2012

Hey all, welcome to another beautiful weekend, I know you all had  beautiful week, now its time to rest. Sit back and enjoy a summary of what went down this week in our lovely city.

All my party people i know you represented Abuja very well at The crack your ribs show on Sunday  I am sure you all had fun. Abujans let go of all their worries on sunday and laughed their way into Nigeria's 52nd independence anniversary.

A teenage mother, Peace Asugwo, fell victim to child traffickers, after she was tricked into marriage by an Abuja based driver, Kingsley Linus. Peace bore a son outside marriage and was thus seen as a disgrace to her family and so it seemed her luck had turned when Linus agreed to marry her despite her baby. Unknown to her it was only a ruse to enable him steal and sell her son.

In continued acts of child molestation, an Abuja based pastor, Princewill Amos, head of Mountain of Mover Fire Ministry Church in Nyanya, has been arraigned before a magistrate court sitting in Karu for having unlawful carnal knowledge of two teenage girls. Upon discovering that one of the girls had gotten pregnant, he went ahead to procure an abortion for without the consent of her parents while pretending to be her father.

In happier news, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Grace Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan has been nominated for the 2012 Nobel Peace Price. He was nominated along with the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammed Sa'ad Abubakar III and about 200 others.

The Abuja Hennesy Artistry was held yesterday at Cubbana Lounge.where Naeto C and M.I thrilled the Abuja crowd. M.I went ahead to show his love for his Abuja fans by giving a shout out on twitter.

The DMP for the month of October went ahead as planned at the City Park in Wuse II today, trust the Abuja crowd to turn out in full force.

Were you at any of these amazing events? Do you have pictures, stories of these events? Please feel free to send them in.

Better Nigeria: Me For Change

I had a dream last night, I slept and I never woke up. I said a prayer the moment I woke up and called my Mom and we prayed together. I attended the midday mass, we weren't even up to twenty (lol). That dream scared me.

I had a thought this morning, while the sweetness of a hot shower warmed my body on a cold September day. 'God would not let me die before I achieve what I was put on this earth for' and another thought popped into my head 'well no one lives forever, you have to start working towards what you were put on this earth for Iphie'. And with those thoughts the idea to start ME FOR CHANGE was born.

I had being toying with the idea of starting something that would be the center for the change I envision for Nigeria. I toyed with the names Me for change and change by me, Me for change sounded a lot cooler to me, hehehe. I kept pushing back the need to start a movement for change, I kept saying to myself, 'I would start it in December when I go home, I would start small, with my village being the first point of call'.

The dream I had last night was the wake up call I needed, I don't have forever to bring about the change I want to see in Nigeria, but I can start now and start bringing about change, no matter how little. I can bring about the change I want, doesn't matter that I am not in Nigeria at the moment. The most important thing is that I want a change that would shake Nigeria by her roots, I am not the only one that wants such change for Nigeria. I cannot not bring about such change alone and even if I wanted to I don't even know how.

I can keep dreaming about change or I can go out and work for it. The change I seek starts from me, ME FOR CHANGE (M4C). You can keep dreaming of a better Nigeria or you can work for it. Join me and we can change Nigeria one person at a time.
Follow Me for change on twitter-https://twitter.com/meforchange and join the group on facebook-https://www.facebook.com/groups/433831589997052/ or you can send us an email with your suggestions meforchange1@gmail.com

Abj for JJCs: Bwari Dam

Are you an Abuja JJCs,  are looking for a place to chill with friends,family, or your sweetheart?  Or are you just looking for an adventure.

Then  Bwari dam is d place to be! Yes! Bwari dam.
This is one of the most under-utilised places in Abuja, as a recreational centre because many people do not know about it. You all don't know what you have been missing, say the words Bwari dam to any student or ex-student of The Nigerian Law School Bwari and watch them break into a grin.

The sight is amazing, with water mass about 500m deep. Dont try to take a swim in this beautiful body of water, of course if you intend to pay a visit to the pearly gate feel free, its been aptly named the gateway to heaven, lol. My favorite has to be the rock..its a wonder how the road to the rock looks so near and short, but a stroll to the rock is about 30minutes! The feeling of greatness and fulfilment when I get to the top of is second to none. 
What's more, it has a waterfall. 

If you want a place that's serene,surrounded by nature and cool, do yourself (and you loved ones and friends, enemies too, lol)  a favour, go to Bwari dam. Finding your way to Bwari is not that difficult, it is off the road to Kubuwa, it is a straight road from there. And if you get missing it becomes an adventure, who knows you might discover our next Abj for JJCs spot (lol). Dont forget to send in your pictures and articles.

Beautiful

Abj loving, Abuja living Contributor, Adesuwa

Captivating

*sigh*

oh wow

beauty

looks like the sky and  the water are joined

wow

love and nature

Young and In Charge: YouWIN

Hey peeps, are you young and trying to be in charge?

 Have you heard of YouWIN? YouWIN stands for Youth Enterprise With Innovation in Nigeria. If you haven't, then listen up.

YouWIN is an initiative from the ministry of finance in Nigeria. YouWIN is an innovative business plan competition aimed at job creation by encouraging and supporting entrepreneurial youths in Nigeria to develop and execute business ideas.

 The 2012/2013 season was launched on the 3rd day of September by President Ebele Jonathan in Abuja. About 1200 youths have benefited from this initiative and were celebrated on the day it was launched, and some of them gave testimonies to this fact at the launch.This year 2012, YouWIN seeks to aid young women between the ages of 18-45 yrs with capital to run their businesses. All you have to do is to sign up via https://www.youwin.org.ng/ Sign up, register, then make your application and submit. Entries close at midnight 14th October, 2012. It’s real people!

Have a lil faith and believe in our government just this once.

Abj loving, Abuja living

Hey all, so we were thinking about what we want the blog to have and we came up with a few sections that we think are important. The point of the blog is to have everything Abuja in one place, so here are the few section that we hope portrays everything Abuja.

Get your Calenders Out
This section basically gives information about all the events happening in Abuja for the week. It keeps Abujans informed about all the happening spots.

The Week in a Flash
In this section we try to give you a summary of all that happened during the week, all gist on Abuja can be found here. Be it political, social or entertainment, we have the gist here for you.

Young and In Charge
 This has to be my favourite section of the blog. Every Monday we would bring you the stories of young Abujans who are striving to make their marks. This sections seeks to encourage young Abujans who are making an attempt to leave their marks in the sands of time.

Abuja for JJCs
Are you new to Abuja? Are you an Abujan who is out touch with your Abuja side? No need to panic, Abuja for JJCs was tailor made for you. In this section we would tell you where to stay when you are visiting, where to hang out with friends, where to eat, where to pray, we would discover Abuja together.

Better Nigeria
The youth are the greatest voice of change. In this section we explore reason why we need change  in  Nigeria and we proffer different solutions for the change we seek for Nigeria.

Pictures
In this section we would have pictures of our lovely city and of all events taking place within Her.

As usual, we are open to your suggestions, your articles pictures, contributions and comments are welcome.

Get your calenders out 01 Sept-07 Oct 2012

Hey all welcome to the week's get your calenders out. In this section we would try to keep you informed on all that is going on for the week, so get your calenders out Abujans (we still need a cool name to call ourselves).

First let me start by saying, a Happy Independence to Nigerians everywhere. The progress might be slow but we would surely get there.

So its the independence day in Abuja and as usual we have a public holiday, take this time to spend some quality time with your family but also take out some time to think of what you can do for Nigeria. So do you know of any independence day parties or activities, please feel free to let us know about it.

Get your calenders out people, its the DMP (designer's market place) on the 6th of October, Yayyyyy. The DMP has become a permanent fixture in the social calender of Abujans, a fixture that has come to stay and a fixture that we are happy about. Get you wallets out people and shop till you drop. Get you cameras out and snap away and dont forget to send us your pictures.

Dont forget to keep coming back to your favourite Abuja blog, for Abujans by Abujans, we would keep uploading events as they get to our attention.