Academic Tourism - Femi Akinwunmi

 Academic tourism have become dangerously expensive for Nigerian parents who are always desperate to send their children to school abroad. I guess the exchange rate was 820/$ as at Friday.

I know the quality of education is very poor in Nigeria, but there are pockets of private high schools and universities still offering good quality education. If you can afford to “try” a foreign education for your child, you should be able to afford some of these private universities.

Nothing wrong if you allow your children to have their first degrees in Nigeria, and they go for masters degree abroad if they so choose. 

There are a lot of Nigerian children abroad in high schools and as undergraduates in Universities who are under severe stress because their parents back home cannot afford to fund their education after the initial compulsive shipping out. A lot of parents have ended up “destroying” the lives of their children because of this elitist mindset of their wards acquiring foreign education by all means. 

Not a few of these children are out of school, some are into drugs and all manners of terrible vices.

Sending your children to foreign schools do not translate into automatic success, so why the rat race to do what you cannot afford?

Now, it is okay, if you can afford it, but it is not okay if you cannot afford it. Maybe it is okay if your child is brilliant enough to get a full scholarship, and you have the resources to fund the extras, but it is not okay if you could merely make ends meet, and you need to sell family assets to pay tuitions. 

Nigerians do not love engaging in this type of honest discussions, we do not share experiences and knowledge, and have no chance to guide others from avoiding the mistakes we have made.

Please, if you do not have the financial power, do not engage, or you will end up “destroying” the lives of your children in ignorance. A lot have gone on this self destructive path, but everyone is covering up their follies. All you know is that his child is in “the abroad”, a child that is already totally lost. 

A word is enough for the wise.

Femi Akinwunmi

THIS IS OUR SOCIETY - Mutiu Popoola

 THIS IS OUR SOCIETY

A poor man went to a rich man's house and found him  seated in the company of his friends. He greeted the big man and, in tears, said: "Sir, I am a poor man. I ate last yesterday afternoon and have had nothing to eat again since then. I have been looking for any kind of job without luck. My wife delivered a baby boy at home last night, and she too has eaten nothing, preventing her breast milk from flowing. The baby has since been crying out of hunger.

I came to you to plead for assistance. I do not need money, just foodstuff, even that, no need to give me directly. I prefer your driver to accompany me, deliver the items directly to my family, and see things for himself."

The rich man thought deeply, then called his driver and said: "Here, take this N50,000 and a bag of rice. Take this man to his house. If he shows you a woman with a newborn baby, give him the money and the rice. If, for any reason, you don't see them, return the gifts to me."

The driver took the man in his car, and they drove into the city. They reached a house, and the man entered, then came out and said that the nursing mother was not in. The driver said the husband should phone her to come back to enable him to fulfill his duty.

The man said she had no phone. The driver said he would then wait till she returned.

When the man noticed the driver was bent on doing as his boss ordered, he looked at him straight in the eye and said: "I have a proposal for you. Forget about a woman or no woman. Take the rice and give me the  money." But the driver refused. The man then said: "Ok, let's do it this way. Take the rice and let us share the  money. " Still, the driver refused. The man finally asked him: "How much do you really want?" The driver said: "I want nothing other than either to see the woman and hand over the items to you, or I return all to my master. "

The man looked at him angrily, hissed, and simply walked away.

🌹 When the man walked away, the driver stopped at a roadside shop and told the owner he needed cash urgently, so he would sell his N20,000 bag of rice for N15,000. The shop owner quickly paid and offloaded the rice.

The driver went home and informed his master that he had carried out the assignment. His master asked him if the poor man's story was true, and he said he really saw the nursing mother. The master then said: "Good. Now take me to the family to enable me assist them more properly. "

The driver took the rich man towards the city, but while the car a/c was on, the master noticed the driver was sweating profusely, his hand was shaking on the steering, and his speech was incoherent.

The master ordered him to park and asked what the problem was. Seeing there was no point lying, the driver confessed to the other man's and his own guilt. He handed over the N50,000 and the N15,000 for the rice and begged for mercy. He then drove them back home.

The rich man told his friends what happened and said: "This is the problem with our society. 

Someone will seek your help. Unknown to you, he is a fraudster. If you help him, he has cheated you and will continue. If you don't, you feel guilty because you are not sure. Society will also say you are merciless.

Similarly, someone will ask for a job, like this driver. If you reject him, you feel you are fuelling social problems. If you employ him, he cheats you. What kind of society is this? How can this problem be solved? Who can correct this anomaly?"

Neither the rich man nor his friends could answer the questions because honesty has become a rare commodity in our society..... guess what?  

These people are not government or the leadership.  They are the same people that complain every day about the LEADERS.

Mutiu Popoola

NB; It doesn't however implies that we don't have enough good people in our society, we need to address issues of morals that have grown greed and entitlement mindset to a high level - Editor/Publisher

Be careful - Ademola Adigun

 It is not an easy thing to manage other people’s money. If you are not careful, you can get to trouble. And financial ruin.

Aunty had prided herself on being prudent. A thing of pride for her. Dutiful and meticulous. She used to say “no one can get to me” I am above temptation. Many tried but failed. Then she met Farida. High flying Farida. Party goer and gorgeous mama. They became friends and rolled together. Soon Farida introduced her to the better life. Aunty enjoyed parties and co.

Farida introduced her to investments in Dubai. Homes and properties. The new destination she told Aunty. Aunty was very cautious. She put in some. She got returns. She played with the rules.

She had considerable cash in her custody. One day she went to meet her boss. That she would be retiring soon. She was leaving the firm. Priced a high rental. Money was coming in. She was going places. She had even started fighting Japan.

She bought a new car. She attended a party and met Sekoni. A hunk. Sekoni soon won her heart. Sekoni was a liger… he made her purr and moan… soon they were doing business together. She introduced him to offshore investors in Dubai. She introduced him to Farida. They were a trio hanging out together.

Then a mega deal came. I don’t need to tell you that story. A predictable end. She could not resign anymore she was stuck with the job and had to pay debts. They did her badly. She later found out that Sekoni and Farida were siblings. One took her heart, the other took her funds.

What worried her most was that Sekoni also packed her underwear. Why? she did not know. But he left her a note …

When she discovered she wailed…”Oko mi lowo.. otun ko pata” 

The note he left read …”Olubadan ki se eni a ri fin”

- Ademola Adigun

NB; Some of this are fictions, but learn from it

Need through vulnerabilities - Ademola Adigun

 I need you in my life.. without you I can’t exist… he/she needs me in their life.. without me they can’t thrive

 A guy’s father is very ill. The guy describes the father as a strong pillar and anchor. The father is in the hospital dying from an illness. He tells the girl he is trying to date that he is overwhelmed and can’t visit the dad that is his anchor. He keeps the girl inundated with the father’s illness. 

But he never visits. He explains to the lady how much he needs her at that hour of need. The lady is smart. She can recognize a manipulator. She thinks low of persons that use situations to pursue affection. She also realizes the play.. to make her feel needed. It works. Most people fall for it. They like to believe they are useful. Man are good at exploiting that need to feel needed.

Case 2

She is a people pleaser. She gets her high from pleasing people. She loves the attention that follows. He recognizes that need in her. He knows how to manipulate that need for approval, for applause, for validation. It works. He celebrates that vulnerability. Constantly shouting about her contributions to the life of others. It works. The drug that screams people should like me. I am helpful. Without me “they” can survive.

People will always see that weakness in you and exploit it. People are not bad. They just sometimes need to feed on your vulnerabilities as you seek adulation.

See a praise singer? Just calls you your name. A security person you will never see hails you “honourable”. A stranger comes into your inbox and manipulates you to meet their needs. You fall… they meet a need you have…. To be thought of as nice. To be celebrated…

It is life.

- Ademola Adigun