It was a Monday morning, and my dad was taking me for registration in the most prestigious primary school in Zaria, Kaduna State. I was excited because I had new uniforms, new white socks, a new school bag, new books and pencils, you know the feeling that comes with having new things. I was being registered to begin nursery one. My first encounter with anxiety was a few weeks into the...
I still remember my university days as a young singer in the Nigerian Federation of Catholic Students (NFCS). Our Thursday evening prayer and worship sessions were a highlight of my week. Although I wasn’t always given the opportunity to lead, when I did, my performances were always met with enthusiasm and appreciation. People would approach me after the sessions, acknowledging my gift and...
The Two Silent Thieves Robbing Your Everyday Joy We all know the iconic Easter scene: Jesus on the cross, bounded by two thieves. It’s a powerful image from Scripture, but have you ever considered how it mirrors the subtle battles we face every single day? Stay with me for a moment. Imagine those two thieves aren’t just figures from history, but representations of the very things that...
There are some things I find questionable about humanity. When asked where I am from, I am expected to say unequivocally where my father is from. I love my father a lot. Almost more than I love my life. So that is not the point of this sentence. Bearing a child does not necessarily make you a parent. Nurturing and raising one does. While it makes absolute sense that a child must bear the father’s...
I believe joy must feel different to everyone. What joy feels like to me must be different from what joy feels like to you. But sadness must be universal, and so must grief. Losing someone you love is the highest quality grief you would ever feel. I am sorry about the word quality. But the depth and breath of that emotion give to its quality. But you see, losing yourself is the greatest loss...
My time in Enugu taught me a few things about myself, in the way travelling does. I have a great fondness for locales with lots of old trees clustered together. And so I loved the village a lot. It was free, it was fun, I was very happy. Travelling engages you especially for a child’s curious mind. I asked an endless numbers of question on my first sights of many things. The zuma rock was...
Nkita was the first Igbo word I learnt. I do not think I knew another Igbo word for a long time after that. I am fluent in my language now. I will tell you the story of how I learnt to speak it later. During the time I spent in Enugu away from Kaduna, I managed to drink kerosene because I thought it was water. I had my first taste of breadfruit. I did not like it then. I do not like it now. My...
This is the story of my life. I have found it is necessary to not take life personally. I failed at a lot of things. I hope at the end of this series I have started to win at more things than I fail at. And that my successes are on a scale tremendously bigger than my failures. CN is an acronym of my name. CN is the first of five children born to Igbo parents of Nigeria, born in northern Kaduna...
It was a chilled day at work and all of a sudden, here comes the lingering debate on who the biggest afro-beat artist is. At the heart of this are my work colleagues; Belema, a sworn member of the Wizkid’s FC nation, and Sayo a loyal daughter of the 30BG family. Who wins an argument against a Nigerian??? Good thing both are… Amidst all these, their fantasies didn’t fascinate...
The world as we know it today is built on the ruins of impossibilities. Every groundbreaking achievement—whether in science, technology, medicine, or human resilience—was once deemed impossible. If history has taught us anything, it is that “impossible” is merely a temporary state of mind, not an absolute reality. Many people allow doubt to become a wall between them and their dreams...