Better Nigeria: Checking The Excesses Of The VIO

By Iphie Obiechina
I recently had cause to visit the VIO’s (Vehicle Inspection Office), office in Mabushi Abuja. I had gone to collect my permanent driver’s licence, the temporary one which I had been given when I applied for a renewal when I came home in February had expired in April. I was told to come back for the permanent one as soon as the temporary licence expired, ad so as soon as I returned home in early May, I skipped along to the VIO office for collection. I was rudely told, ‘your licence is not ready, please “check back” later’, and when I innocently asked when I got an even ‘ruder’ ‘I don’t know, just keep checking’. And I check back I did, on about three other occasions all with the same rude reception. Come on, if you are not happy doing your job, do not take it out on the general public, who you are being paid to attend to. I am still yet to get my permanent licence; anyway as long as I am not arrested for using the temporary one, I don’t have a problem.

Anyway, the crappy service at the Abuja VIO office was the not the reason why I decided to come out of my tiredness/laziness induced hiatus,  well technically, it is, sort of. So while I was waiting to be rudely told ‘your licence is not ready, keep checking’, some other drivers who were lucky enough found their permanent driver’s licence amongst those that were ready. Lucky them, right? Wrong!!! These lucky few were told that without their receipt for the e-coding, they were not going to get their permanent licence, and guess what, their temporary licence had already been collected, so I am sure you know that means they no longer had any licence, permanent or temporary.

What this e-coding that we were made to pay for was meant is what I don’t know, but it was one of the requirements for renewing my licence so I happily paid the requested 1000 Naira. Nigerians typically don’t keep receipts, and so you can imagine the shock on most people’s faces when they were told that without that little yellow paper, they were not going to get their licences. And so they either had to take the risk of being arrested without a licence or just pay the 1000 Naira again, your guess is as good as mine, everyone went for the later. You can imagine the amount of money this people are fraudulently raking in. Let us do the maths, lets assume everyday in all the thirty six states plus the FCT, 250 people renew their licences,  250 people in the 37 locations gives you 9,250 paying 1000 Naira and that sums up to a hefty sum of 9,250,000 Naira, WOW!! Fast forward to four months later and those 250 people have to pay 1000 Naira ‘only’ again, WOW!!!!!!

To be honest I knew I had to come back with my receipt when coming to get my driver’s licence, not because I was instructed to come back with it, it was in the process of clarifying a clerical error that I got to know. I misplaced my receipt and so I came prepared with a thousand naira to pay all over again, I didn’t mind, I was at fault. But imagine the shock on the faces of the other applicants when they were rudely told ‘no receipt, no licence’. No one had told the applicant that they had to bring the receipt when coming to get their driver’s licence, we all know Nigerians don’t have a culture of keeping receipt, and in my opinion these officials were banking on this, to line their pocket with ill gotten wealth.

I raised a valid point, but I was quickly shouted down by these corrupt officials. I saw the officer, issuing new receipts to applicants and noticed that even after giving the applicant their receipt, they had two duplicate copies left. So I suggested that they bring out these duplicate copies to confirm who had paid and who had not paid for the e-coding. I was rudely told that the duplicates do not remain with them but were submitted to their 'oga at the top'. I asked who the ogas were, maybe we would be able to get the duplicate from them, but no one could give me a cogent answer as to who this oga was or where to find him.

What’s mypoint in all this? You cant expect Nigeria to change if you indulge in all these corrupt practices. You have no right insulting our corrupt leader if you are as corrupt as they are, the difference between you two being the magnitude and the publicity. Anyway there is no need flogging the corruption issue, I just have some suggestions to make on how to avoid all these hassle.

·      For the VIO officials, they should try to make these duplicates easily accessible and they should have them properly labelled according to the dates within which they were used.

·      Just like banks, despite having these duplicate copies, they should have a register where those that have paid can register their receipt, so that in the event that the duplicate is missing or that the applicant misplaced his receipt, the name can be cross checked in the register.

·      The officials should let applicants know that they have to come back with this receipt  when they return for their permanent driver’s licence.

·      There should be some sort of  avenue for applicants to report corrupt officials and officials who are too frustrated to do the job they are being paid to.

·      My fellow Nigerians/applicants, until you have fully received the service you paid for, do not do away with the receipt, it is very important, sometimes you even have to keep it long after you have received full value for your money. Where it is possible please make a photocopy.

Enough is enough, this has to stop, these corrupt officials cant keep lining their pockets with our hard earned money.

Image from Integrity Nigeria Website

Just My 2Kobo: What Are Our Kids Up To On The Social Media

By Ella
A lot has been happening lately on our social media that has got me thinking. When the social media started out (especially in Nigeria) it came with a new level of communication for people, then it extended to helping promote businesses, increase awareness of various things happening around us locally and globally, etc. But suddenly it seems it has gone up to another level, entirely different from what it used to be.

We are now in an era where being famous seems to be everything. It marvels me to see that  a lot of people are now doing anything, and I mean anything to get their names out there – doesn’t matter if they have to go the immoral route. With social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Keek and Instagram, our youths do not bother to work hard for fame and success anymore. And who can blame them, when girls instantly trend just by posting their unclad photos on Twitter and Instagram?  They get worldwide attention just by posting a Youtube or Keek video- it just seems like the perfect answer for fame-obsessed young people.

Let’s face it, we can go on and on about how repugnant some of those acts are, but the fact remains that they still pique our interests, we still talk about them and give them what they are looking for – ATTENTION!  Very recently, even some well known celebs are also trying to raise their profile and have now resorted to posting virtually unclad photos of themselves, pictures of them doing drugs and the likes. Disgusting.

The young ones are not exempted. Secondary school students now put up “sexual” pictures of themselves on these social media sites, and since most parents don’t even get the appeal of some of these sites, they have no idea what their kids are up to.

70% of parents are either terribly ignorant or way too careless! If not, how do we explain the high rate of immorality and early exposure among kids nowadays? I still maintain that these checks should start from the home because that is the bane and root of any society. Agreed, some of our parents are illiterate and may be forgiven but these days we have more parents who are aware than those who aren't. if the right amount of check is put in place it will drastically cut down these excesses. We all can't claim to be too busy making money and leave our children at the mercy of the social media and bad company.

It is not too late to make amends. If we must get it right, the importance of parents knowing their children and what they do,watch or read cannot be over emphasised .I also implore our celebrities who these young ones look up too to show better examples . Great caution has to be taken.  We cannot allow something (social media) we (man) created become an uncontrollable  monster and destroy the future of this generation.

I write this in good faith, hoping and praying for a better Nigeria.

Get Your Calendars Out: 28th July - August 3rd 2013

2nd August 2013

Abuja are you ready to party Cambridge style? Get ready to party with Cambridge's finest in our beautiful capital city. Join the Team Let's Get Wasted Crew on Friday the 2nd as they show Abuja how to party, Cambridge style at the Cravings Lounge Apo.

Don't be told, be there! You might catch a glimpse of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with the new prince.

Art Imitating Life: To Spit Or Not To Spit

By Adesuwa

"Mtchew!" I hissed...for no reason I could see but feel. I was drenched to my skin with sweat. I looked up but Mr sun didn't oblige me that previledge...it just blinded my eyes with its smile.

I stood and surveyed the street, I was looking for 10 lockaway...

"Wetin you dey find?"

Swirling around to find a little man..midget if you like ,  sizing me up while backing the gate to the house, whose tree I was  taking shelter. "where lockaway street dey?"..."Err Goodafternoon sir" I remembered my manners.

He spat...growled and spat again.

I looked away and then looked down at myself, it must be my shoes...Lily had advised against them! Could they be that bad? They are only 5yrs old! For all I know there were the only things I had on that 'may' be nauseating...'May' because I still love them.

"Just dey waka dey go straight..take second turn by your right..u go see am" he replied

"Thank you sir"

"Ehen!" He spat again

Okay now its not about me...I can't be the reason for spitting. I  remembered primary school "catarrh, cough, tuberculosis are airborne diseases and can be spread  by spitting about,  blowing your nose in open spaces and so on!".  I remember my primary one teacher teaching us that. So why do people spit about anyway?

I mused..till I got to lockaway street, finally I found the shoe shop I was looking for...my search online proved successful.

After 3 hours, shoe bought and paid for I was happily skipping away when "kpa!" something moist landed on my already worn shoes! An okada rider had spat as he rode aand of course it landed on my sorry shoe!

"Arrghhhh"

"Aunty no vex!" A school urchin smiled "that's how they spit about"

"Ha! Okay! One should be alert o! " I was angry and he laughed "this is not a joking matter...do you know you can spread diseases by spitting?  If you are so nauseated and must spit, spit into a handkerchief or tissue paper...oh my! It irritates the very essence of my saneness!" Okay what did I just say now?

He stopped laughing...and tried to comprehend what I was saying..Obviously he is just hearing this for the first time.

I shook my head and frantically cleaned my shoes against the grass by the pedestrian walk. Maybe our bad habits are not the problem...ignorance is.

Young and In Charge: Mahogany Obodozie

Our interview for today promises to be very interesting, there is no way we can bring you anything less after being away for so long, LOL. On a more serious note, we are sorry for the absence, work has kept us busy.
When I heard the name Mahogany, I remembered the radio personality that worked at Cool FM and I knew I had to interview her, even if it was just find out what the story behind her name is. I was in for a nice little surprise when I sat with her for a chat and realised there was more to her than just the 'radio thing'. Her story promises to be both fun and inspirational, the highlight of her interview for me has to be, standing up to her dad in order to follow her dream. Hopefully her story would inspire other Nigerian youth who are living their parents' dream, to stand up and follow their. Meet Our Young Person of the week Mahogany Obodozie.

Tell us a little about yourself?

I'm just a strong young woman passionate about myself, my famly and the media.

Your name, Mahogany, is not your typical Nigerian name, is it your stage name, is there a story to it?

Lol, stage name? who would need a stage name with a given name like Mahogany?? There is no real story to it, despite what people think. My dad is a retired ambassador, and he did a term in the United states before he met my mom. and thats where I believe he came across and fell in love with the name. I was named after the characteristics of the tree rather than the tree its self, it means love, beauty, strength, persistence, domination and riches. I'm gonna give my daughter the name too. *smiles*

What was growing up like?

Growing up was privileged when I was much younger. That is because the family got to move with my dad whenever he was posted somewhere. apart from being privileged, it was an adventure, I've lived in seven different countries including Nigeria. Growing up exposed me to a lot of racism and segregation in the foreign schools because I was black, so I guess thats what fueled my imagination, as I used to play alot by myself, or imagine I was somewhere else. The segregation continued into High School and I just withdrew into my own world. I didn't start to express my self until I got to the University

Tell us a little about your educational background?

Wow. I've been to way too many schools, because of the constant moving around. But my last schools were Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja, St Mary's DSG, Pretoria, University of Pretoria, South Africa and Covenant University, Ogun. I'm a graduate of Mass communication.

You went from reading Law to reading Mass Communication, what changed your mind about Law?

I was studying Law at the University of Pretoria. I started out with Industrial Sociology and Labour Studies and was to go on to study for an LLM. To be honest, I was never ever sold on Law, but you know how Nigerian parents can be, they would lay out careers for their kid, you just have to be bold enough to say “no”. So after my BA in Industrial Sociology and Labour Studies, I left South Africa because my Dad would not send me to school to study anything media related. I moved in with my mom, and she paid for me to study Mass Communication at Covenant university, which I appreciate with all my heart. It helped me understand the different aspects of media and decided exactly what area I wanted to be involved in. I also gained a little experience, it was during my IT period in covenant university that my 3yr old love relationship with Cool FM started.

You are a bundle of talent, from hosting a radio show on Cool FM, to modelling, to acting, to producing, are there other hidden talents that we do not know about?

Yes! I am a bundle of talents. I feel anyone that was born with the creative bug is multi talented. My talent started out in acting school plays. then I went onto drawing and painting. I was pretty good too. I came in second in an Abuja wide competition for Primary and High School kids when I was nine. The kid that beat me was in Jss3, so *shrugs* he can have it. I'm also into documentary Photography and film making. I partner up with some free lance agents here in abuja. writing is second nature to me. I have my own style of writing, its very light and fluffy, except when it comes to my monologues and poetry, they are more along the lines of dark and deep art. I was an active part of a dance group called refections for about 5yrs. I do hiphop, salsa and contemporary. I don't have time for rehersals anymore, I am not very active *smiles* I think I'm blessed when it comes to talent.

That’s a lot, most people would take it to mean you have issues committing to one of them, why do you do all these, what drives you to do all of these?

What drives me?? I love them all. They are all my mistresses but being a director is 'wife'!! Thats my goal, thats my dream. I dabble in radio, modeling and acting because I’m good at it and it helps know  more and have a grounded experience in each. But when I start directing, modeling would definitely stop, but I would still do some radio and acting. Any other creative thing would be for my own relaxation i.e drawing and painting

Due to the society we find ourselves, people seem to conclude that people in the entertainment circles have loose moral, what is your take this notion?

Well, it is true, just like there are people with loose morals in all industries. So I’m not bothered when people talk. But the key is not to do anything immoral, no matter how hard the industry gets, you have to be morally upright. I mean the truth or scandal would always come out and taint your image… so why do it in the first place. I’m blessed to come from a strong Christian family, my mom warns me everyday, to not get caught up with immoral things and make sure my attitude and character glorifies God. if you’ve met my Moma, girl you better listen *giggles*, I’m not up for shaming my family. So it all depends on each persons personal take on life. If you are loose in the entertainment industry, you be loose anywhere else, it is not restricted to the industry

What has the experience with each of them been like, they must be a lot of fun.

Oh my gosh. its been so much fun. But I must say i had the most fun working at Cool FM. They would forever be my family, i made a lot of connections there, and grew tremulously. Modeling is super fun. a bit tedious if it is a live show, the photoshoots are great though. Acting, film work and documentary work is incredibly tasking and stressful, but it is what I call enjoyable stress because I enjoy the work. Plus when the project is complete, and you see the final product, you has this sense of pride and everything was all worth it.

There is bound to be favorite, which of them is your favorite?

I can't pick! Its like asking a parent to pick one out of all his/her kids, but if I absolutely have to, I would totally pick Directing, its my first real love and would be my last.

Who or what inspired you to go into each of them?

I always wanted to go into radio. but when i came to Nigeria in 2007, I fell in love with Cool FM, and I promised myself that I would work there some day. In 2009 I started my IT there and worked there for the next 3yrs. As for modelling, I got into it when was in South Africa, my friends used to push me to try it out, but I was way to shy. When i came to Nigeria, I had already grown in my confidence, and gave it a shot. As for acting i’ve been doing that since I was four. As for directing… this might be silly, but when I was living ing in South Africa (I was there for 8years), I got inspired from their adverts. South African Adverts can give you goosebumps, the adverts are so good that they even have an award show for their adverts called “The Vuka Awards”. I wasnt sure what I wanted to do was called directing, but I knew I wanted to create masterpieces on screen, and cause people to have goosebumps. I have to give a lot of credit to my very close friends, they know themselves, they encourage  my talent and push me to do more every day. Tom Saater is my mentor. My little sister though, has to be my greatest fan.

What is your typical day like?

My typical day; I have a 9-5 job working with the FCTA, I'm serving, so the work load is not too much. I have a couple of meetings about up coming projects. When I am not having meetings, I'm hanging with my friends at the cinema (foreign movies give me inspiration), or fooling around with the camera. I usually write when im highly emotional (so girlie, I know). But my day is hard to explain, because different things go on everyday, its unpredictable always. I absolutely hate monotony. if you wanna put me in hell, put me on a routine.

What do you love most about what you do?

The freedom to express yourself. That has to be the number one thing. and also the traveling is always fun. I guess it part of the occupational hazard of being a diplomats daughter. But I love the traveling part. I'm a sucker for power, so with being into film and ultimately directing you have the power to create and invoke emotion. As for my other fields, I just love being free to express myself.

It must be tedious following all you dreams. How do you keep up, how do you meet your set goal for each of your dreams? What difficulties do you encounter?

In this industry no matter what you are doing, you have to start with an agent, because the agent would act as your parent in the industry, they would look out for you, they would protect you. People get duped or used alot especially when they do not have a management team or an agent.

Another thing I had to learn hard and fast, is that things don't always happen according to your time. I set time goals for myself, and it was killing me that i couldn't meet up. You can't live like that it would discourage you. In this industry you just to have work hard, pray and keep positive, and take it one step at a time. and when you blow, my gosh, you would even believe it! It would happen so fast it would make your head spin. I'm about to blow *giggles* I can feel it, everything I've been doing since has been child's play.



Have you ever felt like giving up on any of your dreams?

Oh never! Because it's what keeps me ticking. If i’m not in media or entertainment what am I gonna be doing with myself??? Thats what scares me, I was born for this, I have no option but to keep on keeping on.

You have achieved a lot for someone so young, everyone is itching to know how old you are?

*laughs* how old am I? I'm old enough. I do not think I have achieved half as much as I should have by now. I only started venturing into this business professionally in 2010 basically. if I had started early maybe. But I'm just old enough, lets leave it at that *smiles*

Asides work what do you do for fun?

Movies! Movies!! Movies!!! If not that, I just like hanging with my friends at their yard. I'm a very chilled and relaxed person. Besides the things I would like to do, they don't have them very much in this country. I'm an adventures person, so, I would really love to go deep sea diving, bungy jumping and such. Weird right? Go hard or go home.

Where do you see yourself, five years from now?

Married with a kid. plus owning my own production company with an impressive CV of films (documentary or entertainment) I have acted in or directed. and I hope to have my own charity for abused women and children by then.

How do you intend to bring about change in Nigeria with what you do?

Everyone knows that the media is the most important medium of change or influence in the world. i was built for greatness, God knew what he was doing when he gave me “the bug”. There are alot of things that Nigerian’s are not aware of because of traditions or our myopic way of thinking, I aim to give a voice to people without voices, and hold the ears of people who never really wanted to listen in the first place.

Advice to young people out there that wish to follow in your footsteps? 

You have to pray first and foremost. Second, go to school, it doest have to be formal school, go to school or workshops concerning what you want to do, networking is also very important. And lastly always be positive, if your negative you would either pshyc yourself out and you would fail, or you would make your passion a hustle. Stay positive and stay moving forward.

Time for some pictures.

Mahogany the Model

Mahogany the Photographer and Director

A documentary by Mahogany, Tom Saater and Kassim Brimah, for sights savers a UK based NGO. Click here to watch the video.

You can follow Mahogany's work on:
Facebook: Mahogany Obodozie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miz_Mahogany
Instagram: Miz_Mahogany
Keek: Miz_Mahogany

Get Your Calendars Out: 30th June - 6th July 2013

Get your calendars out people and don't forget to put out reminders for these important events in our lovely city.

30th June 2013:
Comedy Assembly
This comedy show promises to be fun, with its line up of Abuja's biggest comedians, you cant afford to mss it. With comedians like Mc Bluetooth, D2, Shortcut, Rasky, Mc Jubilee, Triple White, Fred Bright, Alh Aboki, Mc Sam, Stainless, Mc Bob, Wale Baba, General, Mr Odey, Mc Phillip, Mc Asanwa, Longs, Dr Ayuba, Onome da Saint, Amb Wahala, Mc Amana, Ghana Must Go, Nick B, Kessy Lafta, Don J, Mc Miracle, DJ Rackafella. It promises to be a night filled with laughter
Venue: 3js Hotel Utako
Time: 5pm
Gate fee:
Regular - 2000 Naira
VIP -5000 Naira

6th July 2013:
Designer Market Place
The monthly shopping event have become a permanent fixture in our calendars. Dont forget to put out a reminder for this, it comes up on the 1st saturday of each month at the City Park Wuse 2 from 12pm-7pm. Do not be told, be there.

Young and In Charge: Brenda Chidinma Ogbukaa

The young people, it has been said, are the future of any nation, and so they have very important roles to play in the nation today to ensure that the future comes and that, that future is better than the present. With the advent of the internet and the social media, it has become easier for the voices of the younger generation of Nigerians to be heard. Meet our young person of the week, Brenda Chidinma Ogbukaa, a young script writer and actress, who is contributing her own quota to make sure Nigeria has a bright future.

Tell us a little about yourself?
My name Brenda Chidinma Ogbukaa. I’m a script writer and an actress for now.

What was growing up like?
Growing up for me was challenging, interesting and fun. I have two brothers, and having two brothers is horrible. Just kidding its fun, I have two young men to watch my back. My mum is the disciplinarian, and my dad is the one we run to. He makes you feel better, and then makes you do what’s right. My parents are my best friends.

Tell us a little about your educational background?
I had my nursery and primary education at Rahma Nursery and Primary school Suleja in Niger state, and then I had my secondary education at School for the Gifted Gwagwalada Abuja. I studied educational psychology at the University of Abuja.

So what is Dizzle Notes all about? What does it mean and how did the name come about?
DIZZLE’S NOTES is a screen/script writing company, we also write articles, poems and short stories. We do short films that are child friendly, morally sound and have positive effect on the society. My friends call me BRENDIZZLE, that’s how DIZZLE came about.

How did you go from reading Educational Psychology to Script Writing?
Well I met with veteran actor Zack Amata, he discovered I had a gift in telling stories and creating ideas for film. So he became my teacher and taught me how to put my ideas and stories into movie scripts.

Do you see yourself mixing the both of them?
Like they say no knowledge is wasted. Educational psychology has helped me gain knowledge that I feel I can transfer to other people via stories and movies. There are certain things we do or certain ways we relate with each other that if we knew better we would change. So what I learnt has made great impact on the kind of stories I tell.

What is your typical day like?
When I’m not on set, I go to the library to write. I go out every day because I learn and get inspiration from outside my house. I could be inspired by a bus conductor, or the woman who insist on paying less because of her circumstance, or the man who sells gala on the street to take care of his home, or the female child hawking banana on the street so she can go to school. I’m sometimes inspired by even plants. My typical day is a learning process.

What do you love most about you what you do?
What I love most about my job is the fact that a get to turn a little idea into a big project. And that I can entertain people. For some I give them hope, others I just make them happy. Trust me a job that puts a smile on someone’s face is worth doing.

What has been your best work ever?
My best work so far is a story titled ‘AT ALL COST’ it’s a working title, it might change. I wrote it for Dr. Ben Williams CEO of Lenstrokes Production. It has not been shot yet, but it’s the best work I have ever done.

What are the difficulties involved?
There are a lot of challenges. You might have a writer’s block, and it will take some time to get back to the place you were, getting sponsors for your story, and people taking credit for your work. Those are the biggest challenges.

If you weren't doing this, what would you have been doing?
Writing is my life. Telling stories, making people happy, giving them hope is all I can do. Maybe I’ll be a motivational speaker or a journalist if I wasn’t writing.

Have you ever felt like giving up on writing scripts?
I've never felt like giving up writing, and I pray I’ll never be in such a situation.

Who or what inspires you?
My parents inspire me. I remember telling my dad once about starting up a business because I felt writing wasn’t paying me well. My dad called me and said “Never give up your dream because it is not putting enough money in your pocket yet, develop your writing skills, be the best at what you do and you will go places”. It was a bit hard convincing my mum that this is what I want to do, but when she got the picture she said “The gift of a man makes way for him. I’ll always be here for you” the knowledge that they both have my back is my driving force. I just have a wonderful family who are always there for me; their faith in me inspires me.

Considering the level of success you have attained, youths out there would be itching to know how old you are.
Level of success… hmm, well I’m still growing, but I’m glad that God has brought me this far. I’m twenty three years old.

 Asides work, what do you do for fun?
I watch movies, read books and hang out with my friends for fun.

How do you intend to make a difference with what you do?
What DIZZLE’S NOTES does is to bring young talented writers together. I intend to produce more child friendly films. It’s not just about entertainment, but infotainment and edutainment. And in my own little way bring about peace and preach togetherness.

Advice to youths that wish to follow in your footsteps.
My advice to youths who plan to follow this path is. Stay focused; keep an open mind, first love the job and every other thing will follow. If you do not love what you do you can’t make your audience love it. Thus once nobody learns from your job you have failed. Feedback is the breakfast for champions.

Where do you see yourself and Dizzle's Notes five years from now?
Five years from now I intend to go beyond the shores of Nigeria with my work, do a lot of award winning films, and also have a strong working team. I would love to walk on the streets and hear someone say “I love your work, it changed my life” that’s all that matters to me. 

Its a mixture of pictures and short videos for today, hope you enjoy them.

'Toilet Pidgin', an educational video on HIV/AIDS

'How Condom Saved The Day'

Better Nigeria: The Me For Change Challenge

Our democracy day comes around on the 29th of May every year since 1999. It is an opportunity to take stock of how our democracy has grown in the past year, it is an opportunity to set out the course we want our country to take for the next year. It is an opportunity to celebrate our (not so free) freedom, its an opportunity to ask ourselves what we as individuals have been doing wrong, that has left Nigeria in the corrupt state that we all complain about.

For the Me For Change Initiative it is an opportunity to challenge Nigerians to be better citizens and to see how we can move Nigeria forward. The M4C initiative throws out a challenge to all Nigerian, hopefully we would all come out better citizens after taking the challenge.

What does the challenge entail?

It's very simple, you are to try to go about your daily activities for one week, but the catch is, you are to go about doing them while following due process. For example, where ordinarily you would have given bribe to get things done faster, don't give that bribe, or don't take it if you are in a position to take bribe. Where ordinarily in a bank for example where you know somebody, you could have easily jumped the really long queue to get some money, try leaving your house early so you don't have to stay on that long queue or just join the long queue with the others.

There are various aspects of our lives where we opt for taking the short cut out of situations, the M4C challenge, challenges you to do things differently, challenges you to follow due process. Don't take this challenge as a competition, rather take it as a personal challenge to see how far you can go, to see what you can do differently to help move Nigeria forward.

Take the me for change challenge and share your story with us on our Facebook group, twitter or by sending us a mail.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/meforchange

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/433831589997052/

Email: meforchangeng@gmail.com

Good luck.
Wishing you all a happy and splendid democracy day celebration. 

Better Nigeria: For the Sake of Our Children

By Ella

May 27 celebrations reminded me of recently when i went in search of a new school for my two younger siblings (twins), three  απϑ  half years olds. They have been in another school for almost a year and their is nothing useful to show in terms of learning.

The search led me to several basic private schools in and around the wuse axis of Abuja. I never spared a thought for public schools even though i had one 5 minutes away from our residence, Why? The answer should be obvious but i will come back to it later.

My discovery at  these schools was quite disturbing. The cheapest school i came across quoted its school fees at #75,000 (and does not include uniforms,sports wear,school bus fee  απϑ  lesson fees etc) when added to the rest, the total rises  to about #120,000 per term for a child in pre-nursery (or reception as they are called these days). For both boys i was looking at #240,000 per term.

One of the schools had its fee for that class at #220,000 per child for a term. That makes it #440,000 for the boys! Nothing has been said about the money the parents will spend on the snacks or lunch packs the kids have to take to school every school day. i have 1st hand information on this so trust me when i say the figures are alarming!

Children's' day celebrations got me thinking απϑ  wondering  how we (nigeria) got to this place, where good education has become a luxury only the rich can afford. I am greatly disturbed at the extent of decline  απϑ  decay of our educational system, mostly and especially in public schools.


The quality of education in the country have being in constant decline  απϑ  the sectors gradual decay can be traced back to the 90's. Over time, teachers have become substandard  απϑ  structures poorly or no longer maintained.

Proliferation of private universities is the latest in the trend of our educational sector's decline since the  implementation of the law allowing private tertiary operators was passed in 1993 . This was to  help absorb the number of  students leaving the public tertiary schools due to incessant riots  απϑ  strikes.

Parents who could afford these schools sent their wards there to prevent them from sitting at home  απϑ  wasting away. Those whose parents were financially handicapped either sat at  home restless or in the case of the mischievous ones, turned to a life of crime .

The government authorities in charge has turned a blind eye to this development  απϑ instead government officials have busied themselves with enriching their bottomless pockets   απϑ  has  helped place nigeria on the top of the list of most corrupt nations in the world.

Of course, they don't need the public schools because they can afford to send their children and wards abroad for better education,  ‎so our educational sector can rot away for all they care!

Invariably, the fees of private schools have skyrocketed. According to a report by the United States Diplomatic Mission, the average fee in a private secondary school in Nigeria annually ranges between $1,000 - $2,000 (#160,000 - #320,000) . How many people can actually afford that? Your guess is as good as mine.

I recall watching  few months ago a TV documentary on public schools of one of the states  απϑ  what i saw deeply saddened me. These children had no chairs, desks or good uniforms. They sit on  pot-holed floors in dilapidated classrooms with blackboards that have definitely seen better days. Watching these children plead with the government to come to their aid  απϑ  provide a better learning environment for them broke my heart.

I am presently working with an NGO that focuses on education in the rural communities, so i can confidently say that this is obtainable in most rural communities in Nigeria today.  All this is because our priorities as a nation has been so misplaced!

I am more than certain that this wasn't the dreams  our heroes past, Zik, Awolowo, Balewa, Enahoro, Opara etc had for the beloved country they fought for.

It is a known fact that performances of students in national examinations like WASSCE, NECO  απϑ  JAMB have taken a nose dive. Results obtained at these exams have been very disappointing. More failures are recorded with each passing year especially in math  απϑ  english. Students are finding it difficult to scale through this examinations each year.

In 2012, only 37.92% of the 413,206 candidates that sat for WASSCE obtained credits in 5 subjects including math  απϑ  english. In other words, about 62% failed to secure credits in 5 subjects including math  απϑ  english. What do these figures tell u?

Each year, huge monies are budgeted for education with no tangible results.  We have slept on this issue for long. We have talked about this too much but to deaf ears. We must begin to ask questions  απϑ  demand answers!  Why is this sector failing us? And more so after billions has been sunk in? What are the monies used for really? Why is there no result? Why aren't  we holding those in charge accountable? Why can't   every Nigerian child enjoy the right to good quality education  in this 21st century?

As we celebrate "children's' day" and i cannot help but wonder what exactly we are celebrating. Children we haven't been fair to? Children who can't boast of free good education  after 52yrs of independence and 14yrs of democracy rule ? A rotten,decaying  απϑ  failing educational system is all they have.

Many of our leaders attended these public schools  απϑ  came out as good products. I myself is a beneficiary of the public school system from Basic primary school up to university. It will be a thing of joy to see our own children benefit from a system that once worked too.

I have some suggestions for the all stake holders that I believe will help revive our public schools:
    •Concerted effort towards a holistic.      review of our education policies should be encouraged. Policy makers should come out with policies that will improve the system απϑ  benefit the people they are serving.
    •Instead of increasing the number of private universities  απϑ  secondary schools in the country which the children of the poor have no access to, the government should look towards improving the quality and standards of these public schools  ‎so no child is left out.
    •Government should equip the public schools adequately with modern infrastructure απϑ create a good maintenance and development structure in other to revive the healthy competition between public  απϑ  private schools that was once was.
    •Also ensure that qualified teachers are employed  απϑ that these schools are not understaffed.

Finally, i will say i am happy with what the governments of Imo state  απϑ  Lagos state are doing to improve public schools in their states. But of course more can  απϑ  should be done especially in our rural communities. The advancement of any society lies in the education of their children.

It is possible for every Nigerian child to go to school and get a good education!

Emmanuella Nwabundo Enweonwu is a lawyer, a volunteer program officer with Society for Community development (SCD), free lance writer and a makeup artist. She is passionate about what she does and very enthusiastic about the quest for a Better Nigeria.

Young and In Charge: Loré

Not everybody has the luxury of doing what they love, some do not have the talent, some do not have the time. I remember the first thing I ever drew, a fish, let's just say that if by some miracle that fish came to life, it would hate me for the rest of its life, yes, it was that bad. Our young person for this week is a mixture of  beauty and talent, not only is she a talented young artist she is also a philanthropist. Meet our Young Person of the week, artist, philanthropist and blogger, meet Loré.

Tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Loré and I am a master of many trades.

What was growing up like?
I grew up in three continents and I had a wonderful childhood.

Tell us a little about your educational background?
I finished high school and got my first degree in Finance in the States and my Masters in International Relations in the United Kingdom. Both great schools.

So what is BillionDollarBella all about? What does it mean and how did the name come about?
BillionDollarBella is the name of my blog www.billiondollarbella.com, which is an avenue for me to express my creative side. The name BIllionDollarBella reflects me… I think big, I’m very business-minded and Bella is a nickname I picked up along the way.

How did you go from reading Finance and International Relations to painting?
I have been painting since the age of 2 and it’s always been a passion of mine. By the grace of God, I have been able to paint and still work within my areas of specialization.

Do you see yourself mixing the both of them?
Right now, it’s hard to see the correlation, so I’ll have to say no.

What is your typical day like?
I wake up in the morning, work, do some writing, then paint. I find it easier to paint when I am calm and the stress of the day is behind me.

What do you love most about you what you do?
I love everything about what I do.  But as per painting in particular, I love the fact that I can create anything from a blank canvas. Also, I always tell people, in painting, there are never any mistakes because art is art!

What has been your best work ever?
In terms of paintings, I would say my best work is a painting named “Rebekah,” inspired from the story of Rebekah in the Bible.  That painting is one of my favorites.

What are the difficulties involved?
Making time to do what I love.

If you weren't doing this, what would you have been doing?
I’m actually doing what I would be doing if I wasn’t doing this, while doing this. Not everyone has that luxury!

Have you ever felt like giving up on what you do?
Never. Sometimes, I might not feel like I am where I would like to be but I always keep my eye on my long-term goals and objectives.

Who or what inspires you? 
God.

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

Asides work, what do you do for fun?
That’s a great question. I love to travel, cook, read and eat exotic food. I’ll try anything once.

How do you intend to make a difference with what you do?
I am currently involved in an amazing outreach ministry that provides free clothes, food, medicine and medical consultation to those in need, so some of the proceeds from my work goes into helping others. I believe we are all blessed to be a blessing.

Advice to youths that wish to follow in your footsteps.
Follow your dreams and whatever you do, do it well. Also, know that you have God-given talent; find it, use it and develop it. You never know, your talent can take you to your place of success, joy and fulfillment.

Where do you see yourself and your enterprise five years from now?
Five years from now, I see myself firmly established as an authority within my fields of specialization, painting included.

Keep up with Lore Here