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THE AMBASSADORS SUMMIT 2014

2014-09-29T07:13:00.001+01:00

PRESS RELEASE

THE AMBASSADORS RADIO SHOW AND GLEEHD FOUNDATION AND TO JOINTLY IMPACT THE LIVES OF YOUTH THROUGH A LIFE TRANSFORMING SUMMIT

SEPT, 29, 2014.

[Yaba, Lagos]

Imagine a summit like never experienced, where Nigerian youths and especially students from the higher institutions in Lagos state such as Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Federal College of Education Technical (FCET), Yaba College of Technology (YCT), and the first choice institution, University of Lagos (UNILAG), as well as some selected senior secondary school student participants, would all be converging at a life-transforming summit of the year 2014.

The summit also known as “THE AMBASSADORS SUMMIT” will be held in the main auditorium of the University of Lagos. This will take up nothing less than two thousand (2,000) Nigerian youth (mostly students). The Ambassadors, a Youth Empowerment Initiative, is a brainchild of ‘The Ambassadors Radio Show’ on Nigeria’s First University Radio Station, Unilag 103.1FM which is aired live on Sundays by 5pm to 6pm. This initiative was established by Prince Joshua Oyeniyi, a multiple award winning speaker, writer, University of Lagos Ambassador and radio host, to provide solutions to the challenges of unemployment, unemployability, lack of marketable skill set, poor business skills and entrepreneurial powers, low self esteem, amongst many other encountered by the youth population through seminars, symposia, forums, conferences and workshops powered by highly experienced, skilled and successful Nigerians referred to as ‘THE AMBASSADORS’. This summit will be part of a nationwide effort to draw attention for the good of the Nigerian youths with a theme of the year tagged “You can be more!” The set theme serves to motivate every participant to do their parts in further impacting every other Nigerian youth, so that they can as well get inspired and equipped in the 21^st century. According to the planned concept of the summit, over two thousand intelligent and educated youths from higher learning institutions in Lagos state as well as senior secondary school students will be spreading words about the important role of great acts of an individual to be more.

One of the very great things to note is that THE AMBASSADORS SUMMIT will be majorly partnered by a standard and viable organization which is both a locally and internationally recognized African Youth Impacting and empowerment foundation called “GLEEDH FOUNDATION”

GLEEEDH FOUNDATION, one of the nation’s reputable standard nongovernmental organization founded by Mr. Dayo Israel, has affirmed to collaborate with THE AMBASSADORS of the first University Radio station, Unilag 103.1FM to organize a first of its kind AMBASSADORS SUMMMIT 2014 which will come-up on the 2nd October 2014 by 9am.

As a notable question one may ask, what then is the big deal about THE AMBASSADORS SUMMMIT? There are a whole lot! The core essence of this event extends beyond mere camaraderie to include;

• Inspiration and Motivation of the participants with success stories of guest speakers.

• Practical enlightenments on entrepreneurship and business development through sectorialized workshops

• Access to start-up funds for young viable businesses.

• Evolution of a new breed of young leaders who will be ‘AMBASSADORS’ of integrity, transparency, accountability and patriotism.

• Raising high quality intellectuals with possession of holistic skill set for favourable global competitiveness.

During the event, several preplanned arrangements are set in place to ensure that:

• Internship opportunities are provided for some selected participants,

• Job opportunities are created in favour of some selected participants,

• Scholarship awards are granted to some selected participants.

A thinker may want to ask, how sustainable will the impact from this summit be. Good one! There shall be post summit evaluation strategies to ensure effective values and continuity of the above stated arrangements.

Expected Special guest speakers include Oba of Lagos, Oba RilwanAkiolu II (Royal Father of the Day, First Lady of Lagos State, Dame Mrs AbimbolaFashola (Chairperson of the day), Prof. Rahman Bello- FNSChe, FNSE (Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos and Chief Host of the Summit), Prof Pat Utomi, Toyosi Akerele (Founder, RISE Networks), Joseph Benjamin (MTNProjectFame West Africa Host), Detoun Ogwo(HR Expert), Bowale Oyindamola (13 years old National Winner of the 2014 Pi Presentation Competition), Koffi Da’Guru, THE IGWE TWINS (Titus and Tobias IGWE), (Young and successful multiple-award winning entrepreneurs), Dr Hallowed Olaoluwa (Africa’s Youngest PhD holder with five degrees at age 24), Mr. Segun Oloketuyi (Group Managing Director of WEMA Bank Plc), Teju Babyface (Television Show Host and Comedian as well as the Dean of Student Affairs of the University of Lagos, Professor Olukayode Amund, The National President of the University of Lagos Alumni Association (Host), amongst several successful Nigerians and Speakers.

The forth coming AMBASSADORS SUMMIT 2014 shall be highly ICT-driven with the involvement of various media partners and live streaming on the internet that will cover the day as well as various brand exhibitions of goods and services, thus, reaching the global community. The possible means to be a participant are through notification SMS, free online registration at eventbrite media use, and even open registration on the main day.

For some more information on THE AMBASSADORS SUMMIT 2014, Please visit the GLEEHD FOUNDATION Lagos office at Anthony (GLEEHD OFFICE ADDRESS) or the Ambassadors Radio station on UNILAG 103.1FM at the 7^th floor of the senate building of the University of Lagos. The contacts numbers that can be reached are;

08164847800 – Joshua

08097069198 – Victor

08166765045 – Dayo

RAPE CONVICTS DESERVE DEATH PENALTY - Joshua Oyeniyi (Published by THE NATION and DAILY INDEPENDENT Newspapers on 6th November, 2013)

2013-11-08T14:36:00.000+01:00

I had just alighted from the bus, on a return from a trip, and proceeded to the vendor stand to get a copy of my favourite national daily. I flipped through the first four pages, in an apparent rush to catch the interesting headlines before settling down for proper reading, and staring me in the face were stories that sank my spirit into deep sullenness. Sitting on the third and four pages were horrible, appalling accounts of acts of rape in different dimensions, with one causing the premature death of its nine year old victim, a primary three pupil. A few weeks before this, I had also read of varying reports of the incidences of rape and in a bid to have a break from these distressing news, I logged on to the internet for some ‘better’ news. But no sooner had I started surfing the internet than I saw a video of another rape case. In this video, the young woman was tied by the hands, stuffed in the mouth with a napkin, apparently to stop her from shouting for help, raped and then buried alive. This happened on Bonny Island, Rivers State, Nigeria. The military, however, got wind of the nefarious act, apprehended the perpetrators and forced them to exhume the corpse before the lens of video cameras. It was no less a morbid scene!

Fast forward to the day I bought this newspaper. The story was told of a 14 year old boy, Onyi Adimabua, who allegedly raped a nine year old pupil. Worse still, he committed the act five times with the threat to kill her if she opened up to anybody. However, the poor victim started complaining of pains below her abdomen and when questioned, she exposed to her parents how she had been defiled by her proprietor’s son. Sadly enough, the primary three student died of complications arising from vaginal injuries and forced sexual intercourse. I almost sobbed! Still seething with anger from the story, I proceeded to the opposite page to see yet another rape story. In this case, a vigilance group chief, Liasu Oyedele, had accosted a female student of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her. Even after discovering that the victim was menstruating, Oyedele continued, allegedly for close to two hours, before passers-by came to the rescue of the already exhausted lady.

Rape isn’t just an offence; it is a crime against humanity with sore consequences on its unfortunate victims. It derobes its victims of their human dignity, body sanctity and innocence with its transcendent consequences of exposure to self-absorption, acute depression, resort to prostitution and or outright death. As much as no reason is justifiable for rape crimes, the underlying causes must be pin-pointed. In the case of 14 years Onyi, he had confessed to being obsessed with pornographic films. It is no longer seen as a misnomer when these sellers of movie CDs and DVDs openly display adult movies to the eagle sharp eyes of children and minors. Our house is on fire and we sleep, seemingly unperturbed. A large number of movies churned out by Nollywood shamelessly glamorise sex scenes and our unwary wards get ‘hypnotized’ and excited to try out ‘evil stunts’ by carrying out forced sex on the little girl next door.

Our society is no more a safe haven for our women and female children. Demons, in human flesh, now prowl our streets, abducting women and ripping them of their self-pride. Moreover, the ever-increasing hustle and bustle of city life have made our parents to shift the care of their female wards to ‘caretakers’, ‘tenants’ and ‘big brothers/uncles’. Resultantly, these undisciplined men take advantage of the female kids. For the umpteenth time, I ask that we cease attributing the rise in acts of sexual acts and rape to poor fashion culture of our female folks. It is a lame excuse! As much as I concur that our women ‘show too much flesh’ in the name of fashion, an evil in itself, it will take a demented man to let loose his libidinous urges because of a woman’s sense of dress. This craziness has to stop and this evil monster, tagged rape, quickly brought to a halt.

I propose a capital punishment for convicts of rape crime as it would serve as deterrent to those contemplating it. This, I believe, will help, in no small way, to drastically reduce the high incidences of rape of different dimensions – and no more will the act be seen as a cheap means of sexual gratification while desecrating the bodies of its victims. It is high time the legislative arm of government enact a capital punishment against rape as quickly as they want their bogus salaries paid. Otherwise, apart from losing our sisters and female friends to harsh deaths, decent men, like me, may never get a virgin for wife.

Parents must regularly check up on their female wards. Mothers must take out time to be alone with them and know what transpired during their day at school. It is, however, sad to note that even fathers now lead the pack of rapists, with some producing children through their daughters – an abomination indeed! Our mothers should be most concerned and discerning.

ASUU STRIKE: JUST FOR MR PRESIDENT'S EARS - Joshua Oyeniyi ( Published by Several topnotch Nigerian Newspapers and newsportals including THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER (Sept. 9th), THE NATION, INFORMATION NIGERIA et al)

2013-11-08T13:56:00.000+01:00

Mr. President, please do not mistake this piece for an attack on your person because it is not. Neither would I want you to see me as one of those attention-seeking people because I am not. Of course, Sir, I am also not the son of any governor, senator, local government chairman or any political office holder, otherwise, I would have no business writing such an open letter to you because it is against my family’s ethics to ‘talk while eating’. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness of educational misery, saying, “Prepare the way for either a future of political stability and economic boom or prepare for worse than what religious extremists are meting out to our country now”.

As I write on this sultry day, I am completely at a loss to know what to make of my future from here. If this were just the case, it would, probably, be an insignificant reason to go on the rampage with the sword of the pen. But, I write on behalf of the millions of dreams that are getting squashed by the day as the total shut-down of our universities persists. I write on behalf of the future of the several hundreds of thousands who have been privileged, amidst the stiff competition for admission, to grasp tertiary education but may end up worse than their disadvantaged counterparts, since they may never finish, much less finish on schedule their educational pursuits. The handwriting on the wall, clearly now, more than ever before foretells a dangerous twist to the continuing imbroglio between your administration and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). I do not know if the public keeps the date as much as we do but it is well over 65 days already and I cannot help but wonder if anyone really cares what becomes of our street-wandering undergraduates. If I had a next life, I hope to never be a Nigerian or be born with a silver spoon because the poor are really just ‘on their own’ as long as our government is concerned. Mr President, in three simple words, “We are tired”. We, the students in the federal universities, are always at the receiving end of every impasse between ASUU and the government and all I can ask for now is that you and your think tank reconsider your stand on the matter. We can only bear this much!

I am not ASUU’s spokesman but it is only logical that I expect your administration to honour the 2009 agreement with the Union so normalcy can return to our campuses and of course, our disenchanted academic lives. Personally, I have spent more years than is required to have my first and second degrees and yet I am grappling to take a Bachelor’s degree out of an institution that only recently had an internal strike because you would have our name ‘rebranded’. Mr President, every day this strike continues, more dreams die and more future riff -raff are born. It is my firm belief that children still do bear the sins of their fathers and even when you are no more, posterity will remember your progenitors for good or ill based on how you handle this national educational crisis we suffer now. It goes without saying that for 14 years that your party has held sway over the affairs of this nation, we cannot boast of a Nigerian university (not a single one) amongst the first 2000 in the world. This is more than enough reason to release the requisite fund for the upgrade of our educational infrastructure as well as the welfare of the future’s moulders. It will only be emphatic to say that we can get out of our educational system as much as we invest in it and though investment in educational is long term, it is also long-rewarding. Your administration will only be breeding poor intellectuals, who will, in turn, produce another generation of mediocre graduates and in 10 years, what do we have, sir? A national carnage! Our unborn children are in jeopardy of being societal scum even before their conception. But you can change all of this!

The greatest weapon of mass destruction is to put a teacher who knows nothing before the students. This will be the case if your administration does not honour the 2009 agreement with ASUU such that lecturers’ welfare gets taken care of.

Mr President, the one second of your time which I asked for is almost up but I am optimistic that if you give utmost diligence to putting an end to the incessant strikes that have been plaguing our tertiary educational system as much as you do to security matters or party issues and conventions, we would not be where we are today: struggling to maintain peace in our land.

I reiterate my advice, sir. Honour the 2009 agreement with ASUU so we may return to our lecture rooms and pick up the pieces of our scattered semesters. So I can round off my first degree programme and go on to patriotically serve my fatherland. So, I can focus on growing my baby company to maturity and provide jobs for the teeming unemployed youths. So, I can get married, give my mother her first grandchild and keep my late father’s name as his only son. So, I can fulfil my dreams of helping young people reach the zenith of their potential through my writing, public speaking and role-modelling. Mr President, help me and my fellow undergraduates live decent lives even if our parents are not among the top one per cent who squander our national earnings in the name of political office holders. Would you do this for me, for us, for Nigeria’s future? I hope you do. Thank you, sir, for giving me a second of your time.

TRENDS ON NIGERIAN CAMPUSES - Joshua Oyeniyi (Published by THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER on 14th October, 2013)

2013-11-08T13:05:00.001+01:00

I recall vividly a debating competition I won during my 200 level days. During the competition, all the contestants had to speak impromptu on randomly selected topics and I was asked to speak briefly on “Social activities on campus as a major source of distraction for undergraduates”. I did my best in supporting the motion but my opponent made some punchlines in his retaliatory response. “The university”, he said, “is a place for self-discovery and not necessarily for sitting tight with books”. He went on to make allusions to the possibility of students finding out who they really are and what they were born to do. This, therefore, threw up the mind-boggling question: Are the social activities on campus doing more harm than good?

Having spent over four years in a federal university, I have attended a series of events cutting across the academics, career development, human capital development, music shows, talent hunts and so on. Truth be told, these activities are designed to bring to the fore the innate potential of our undergraduates and the organisers deserve lots of kudos. But how much is too much? One particular type of social events is the talent hunt shows now trending on our campuses nationwide. This is spreading like wildfire throughout the length and breadth of Nigerian institutions of higher learning due to the generous acceptance that greeted their introduction. Whether it is a musical talent show, where the new Tufaces, DBanjs are expected to rise from, or beauty pageants where another Agbani Darego will spring from or a comedy talent hunt from which another Ali Baba, Basket Mouth or Seyi Law could emerge, is another matter entirely.

There has always been an ever-increasing excitement amongst undergraduates about the above-mentioned social activities. Does it not pose a concern that so many Nigerian students in tertiary institutions are turning to these shows and events as a means of escaping academic rigours and finding quick fame and riches?

The thrills and frills that fill the air during such shows speak volumes for how much of an attraction they are. The other day, I got talking with Allen Ekwuru, an undergraduate of the University of Lagos, who won a Macho contest on campus and eventually went on to win the Mr. Universe Nigeria Pageant. He said, “I have been receiving calls from fellow students as to how they can get to where I am.” He even bared his mind on the challenges he has had to confront, one of which that is his receipt of anonymous calls from women asking to be visited with promises to pay for his return tickets.

This writer once attended a musical and theatre art talent show on campus and was mesmerised by the confusion that many undergraduates have about what really their talents are. It is absolute futility to try to be what you are not or venture into a career because someone else has made it via the same route. It was obvious that many of these contestants had no business with music, singing or acting but only wanted the fast lane to stardom.

However, many beautiful talents are being discovered by the day at these shows and the bearers of these talents were born to use them to get to their point of greatness. Another Nigerian undergraduate only recently made Nigeria proud by clinching the spot of World Miss University Africa in far away South Korea. Your guess is right – Tobi Phillips was discovered at a social event competition on campus and the list is endless.

The fact remains that this trend has been a distraction for many undergraduate students who have nothing in common with talent hunt shows. Perhaps, those in this category need be reminded that their primary responsibility on the campus still remains their academic work and full concentration must be given to this. Each one needs to know what his/her talent is and work diligently towards developing same for their benefit other than blindly attending one campus event after another to the sore detriment of their studies. There is no worse path to frustration.

EXCELLING IN UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP APTITUDE TESTS: MY EXPERIENCE (Part 1) - By Joshua Oyeniyi

2013-05-22T22:46:00.001+01:00

Wow! It has been a while I featured in this segment, I have been down with many responsibilities of late. However, I am back with something good for the readership of this column. It is very intriguing to discover the high number organizations and corporations who now offer scholarship opportunities to undergraduate students in higher institutions of learning across Nigeria. For many a student, it has been a major lifeline for him to maintain a fair equilibrium between needs and surplus. No soonerhad I gained admission into the University than I discovered that it can be pretty easy to apply for several scholarships and not get one. Reason being that many undergraduates mistake mere application for the real deal and forget that securing an undergraduate scholarship requires adequate preparation. Much more, the list of credentials requested by these organizations might be burdensomefor students and they eventually end up fumbling with the style and documentation of presentation. Worse still, when asked to write an accompanying letter to back up an application, many undergraduates end up writing out of context and hence, lose out in the race.

Over the years, brands have strengthened efforts in their corporate social responsibility towards supporting undergraduates in higher institutions of learning by granting annual scholarships which can be maintained throughout the undergraduate programme upon meeting laid-down requirements. But while all the applicants, perhaps, meet up with requirements, some seem to eventually be clinching two, three or more scholarships from different companies while others do not even get invited to write the aptitude test. What could be the secret these few have? You might ask. That is why I have taken time out to write this so you could help yourself, that first year student or the sophomore undergraduate to clinch the next scholarship opportunity that comes his way.

Here we go. First, take quality time to read the adverts of such scholarship opportunities. A real story was told of an aptitude test conducted by an organization. Sixty questions were given and only five minutes allotted. It was practically impossible to finish. Many who did not take enough time to read the instructions rushed into the questions. At the end of the test, only one person passed. The instruction was: Write your full name, answer questions One and Sixty and submit. You see why you must read and understand instructions. The company giving out scholarships might have restricted the courses to some faculties and departments and would adhere strictly to that guideline. Applying as a student outside those selected courses automatically disqualifies the applicant.

Also, the scholarship-giving organization or company could have specified the number of distinction grades required to apply for the award. Distinctions, in this sense, are grades in the A’s and B’s categories of ordinary level examinations (SSCE/GCE O’levels). Most times, it could be a stipulated number of five distinctions. Applying with four distinctions is a waste of time. In addition, when asked to submit Curriculum Vitae, it is important to note that there is a slight difference from the type that is submitted for job application. In the case of application for a scholarship grant, you do not need to include job experiences as these are not necessary. Give your full bio-data including phone number and email address. Also, give your home address (if specifically requested) as a letter mail might be dispatched to your home, inviting you for the aptitude test. I got one of such letter posts inviting me to an aptitude test and if had not carefully supplied that information; I would have lost that golden opportunity since it was the only means through whichI got the invitation.

Along with your application letter, you would be asked to submit documents like a stipulated number of passport photographs, photocopy of your 0’level result, school statement of result, jamb result slip, birth certificate and certificate of origin from your local government area in your home state. It is pertinent for me to state here that you might lose your slot in the aptitude testlist if you go ahead to submit a certificate of origin from a liaison office and not from your local government in your home state. The later bears the original signature of your local government chairman and his seal, hence, is more valid when claiming to be an indigene of that state. Every one of these information is to be supplied painstakingly before final submission is made in order to increase your chances of winning a slot in the call-up list for the aptitude test. For students in their second year of study, the scholarship-granting body could request for your first year cumulative grade point average, with attestation by your head of department or registrar. Ensuring your transcripts are correct and duly signed gives you yet an improved chance of getting a call-up for the scholarship test.

I will be focusing on preparing for the aptitude test in the next edition of ‘My Campus My Life’. You will need to know what you are required to have learnt and how smartly you need to work in order to beat the examiners to it. Mind you, aptitude tests of this type are quite different from what you have been used to in conventional examinations.

Till then, keep reading!

American Top Speaker, Wille Jolley, adopts Prince Joshua Oyeniyi as First Nigerian Protege

2013-04-08T23:21:00.001+01:00

Wiilie Jolley adopting Prince Oyeniyi as his first Nigerian student protege at Unilag recently.

What a day it was when on 26th February, The FirstBank Youth Excel Series debuted in Unilag; a youth empowerment cum motivational session. The highlight of the event was the opportunity that Akokites had to be mentored by Guest speaker Willie Jolley, an international celebrity speaker, singer and author. Willie, a recipient of the 'Speaker Hall of Fame' Award five time WAMMIE Avan-Winning singer, international best-selling author and syndicated radio show host on Siriusxm channel 141, was voted one of 'Top 5 Outstanding Speakers in the World' by TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL.

After his powerful motivational talk in the Capacity-filled Main Auditorium of the University of Lagos, he had to answer three questions from students. Prince Joshua was one of them. Moved by what he believed to be a show of persistent courage and self-drive, Willey Jolley congratulated me on stage with a warm handshake. He asked me, "Do you want to be successful?".I said "yes". He asked again, "Do you want to be rich?" And one again, I replied affirmatively. "This is what I'm gonna do. Here's my card - it is your direct link to me. Contact me because you are now my PROTÉGÉ." That was it!!! me? First Nigerian student protégé of American speaker, Willie Jolley. I couldn't have asked for a better day. All Glory to God and Thanks to the FirstBank Brand for this innovation.(See Pics Attached)

#A protégé is a younger person who is mentored, guided and trained to be successful by an older, influential and accomplished person# CU@DTop.

A PANACEA TO NIGERIAN GRADUATES' GLOBAL IRRELEVANCE - By Joshua Oyeniyi (Published in the The Nation and Businessday Newspapers on 1st and 2nd, April, 2013 respectively).

2013-04-05T15:27:00.001+01:00

Robert Kiyosaki in his book, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” asked the question, “Does school prepare children for the real world?” “Study hard and get good grades and you will find a high-paying job with great benefits”, parents used to say. But gone are those days! There has been a paradigm shift from focus on paper qualification to skills acquisition in the last couple of decades. But rather unfortunately, Nigeria and other African nations are awaking to these realities rather too late. It is absolute disillusionment for a twenty first century student to have a mind-set that a first class degree is sufficient to land him that plum job when he knows next to nothing about how real corporations are run. It is a saddening reality that prompts me to address this anomaly as leaving the status quo spells doom for the Nigerian future.

The University of Lagos only recently had its convocation ceremony where over six thousand graduates received degrees in different categories. This writer could not but wonder what these graduates would be doing as jobs. In a discussion with one graduate, Bisi Gbadegeshin, she pointed out that she would be resuming work barely a week after her convocation but how about the 5, 999 graduates. Every year, our ivory towers of higher learning churn out tens of thousands of graduates into the labour market which is already heavily saturated. It is no news that job availability is a mirage but even if there were more jobs than job seekers, the quality of these job applicants leaves more to be desired, constituting one of the main challenges of employers. According to a recent publication by a newspaper, the rate of incompetency displayed by a fearsome number of Nigerian graduates is an outcry against the poor quality being delivered by our dismal educational system. A yearly event, PLATFORM, organized by the Covenant Christian Centre in Lagos, features eminent Nigerians who are worried about the spate and are taking it upon them to arrest the imminent doom that awaits a nation with a crippled and ineffectively trained labour force as ours. In one of such events, startling statistics were revealed by Adetoun Ogwo, a human resource professional and social advocate on the quest to build Impactful solution to Nigeria’s huge skill gap and employability challenges. She pointed that a huge portion of Nigerian graduates are simply not employable. As embarrassing as these revelations might appear, they are a wakeup call to the relevant stakeholders to arrest this surge. How does one explain away an interview scenario where an economics graduate cannot give the basic definition of economics? If the human factor of economic drive is defective, then our fate might just have been sealed as a nation. We must reposition our educational system for global relevance and competitiveness if vision 20:2020 is anything to talk about; assuming it is a realistic goal.

So much noise has been made to have our educational policies reviewed. The ministry of education has been incessantly called upon to embark on a comprehensive overhaul of our curricula and make them relevant to the real world of work. Our students in higher institutions cannot see the gap between what our lecturers teach and what prospective employers would require from them. Hence, they just sit tight with books of the 1950s and ‘60s with no bearing on post-recession economy. The quality of academic staff in these ivory towers is another conglomerate of disturbing issues. As a public speaker put it, “the most destructive weapon of mass destruction is to put a teacher who knows nothing in front of a class”. It is a pathetic situation!

So much as I concur that the bulk of the restructuring lies on the government, we cannot sit put and wait for a government that it took over a decade to come any close to the UNESCO’s prescribed twenty six per cent education budget allocation. The private sector has got to come to the rescue because standing aloof would only be to the detriment of their future business concerns. Many thanks to corporations and organizations which have invested relentlessly to salvage the menace of skill gap existing in our graduate set. It is high time we shifted to a sixty-per cent-practical, forty-percent-theory system of teaching. This would avail our students in higher institutions the exposure to application of learnt theories to real life situations. It is my belief that the present administration is aware of the defects in the educational system more than any before and should be better poised to living up to its responsibility. And this responsibility involves the upgrading of the theory-focussed system to one with a healthy balance between theory and practical applications. This cannot be overstressed if we are serious about curbing the out-bound tendencies of Nigerians to foreign schools as well as reducing the flight of skilled labour from Nigeria.

Moreover, more emphasis should be laid on making the average Nigerian graduate a potential job creator on his exit from the university. He should be armed to think creatively and progressively rather than walking the streets in search of non-existent white collar jobs. Need I mention that the agricultural sector awaits an entry of skilful graduates who can transform it into our pride once gain as it was before the discovery of oil wealth? With the right mechanism in place, these would be achieved in record time and when we have done our home-work, we would be rubbing shoulders with world economic powers in the international performance test come year 2020. I rest my case for now!

A LETTER TO MY UNBORN KIDS

2013-02-12T15:41:00.003+01:00

A LETTER TO MY UNBORN KIDS - By Prince Joshua Oyeniyi

Please, my dear unborn babies, you have to be patient with me. It’s not been easy down here. I have been doing all I can; praying, observing, et al. But getting you the best mum, one good enough to pilot you to this world is not as easy as it seems. It’s not that there have not been prospective mothers. Fact is, there have been a number who have caught my fancy but I wouldn’t choose one who would fail to lead you aright after you are brought in (since you are going to be spending more time with her than with me in your growing up years). I wouldn’t get you a mum who I am not sure has the fear of the Lord and a love for family. I am convinced there is a deep connection between my desire to get you a best mum and to get me the best life partner.

Dear unborns, you know daddy has got to be your role model, a father who can meet all your needs; a spiritual leader, a successful career dad, a blazing light in the society and a family head par excellence. One who would have enough experience to guide you properly through the dangerous paths of life. You must believe me when I tell you that it’s really evil down here. People even kill babies right before they are born and others throw them away into canals, bushes and water right after they are born. Infact, only recently did I read online that a mother dropped her new born baby in a latrine but the baby miraculously survived. It is that wicked down here! Your dad-to-be earlier in life, wished he was never born too and now he wishes he never has to bring innocent little souls like yours into this terrible place to go through all he has gone through. But like it is said, “man proposes, but God disposes”, I am leaving Him to lead my paths. But if and when I do eventually have all three of you down here with me, I want to be very happy everyday of your lives. I want to give you the best any man can give his kids. I want to be able to give you good food so you wouldn’t long for another man’s meal. I want to be able to put the best clothes on your bodies and put a homely shelter over your heads to protect you from the harsh elements of this part. I want you, my sons, to be as plants grown up in their youths and you, dear daughter, to be as a cornerstone, polished after the similitude of a palace.

You know what, dearies? My parents walked so I could run, but now, I have to run so you can fly. It’s highly competitive down. I hear of many children who are out of school, others attend poor schools, while those from privileged homes attend the best schools in town. Many go through school and are unable to find jobs but if I do my part, I believe and am convinced that I can give you the edge to go very far in life. I believe you would see my achievements and be challenged to break the records I would have already set. I know if only other parents thought about these, I wouldn’t be hearing about mindless abortions. Oh, your returnee baby friends who were terminated from their mothers’ wombs would have given you an insight into the cruel world they paid a short visit to. My world down here is terribly sick and needs its Creator to help heal it but they wouldn’t just let Him. These are the reasons for imploring you to wish me the best in preparations for your future arrival.

For a mum, you need one who would respect your daddy in everything as the head of the home. A mum who would help him further the course of his divine purpose as much he’d do hers. One who would love his family, live at peace with them and not attempt to severe him from God or from his friends. One who would fan his spiritual coals and help him to keep the kingdom of God as top priority. One who would not be enticed by the transient things of life as to push him to spend our family resource on unnecessary commodities because other women are buying same. You deserve a mum who knows the importance of prayer over you right from conception and would ensure you are taught to know, love and serve your Creator right from cradle. You deserve a virtuous mum who would not condone your excesses or breed a Jezebel for a daughter. But would be an exemplary Christian wife to daddy as well as a caring mum to her children.

In the meantime, boys and girl, your dad is still in college and in no hurry to get you over here even though his world believes in marriage in the twenty-somethingth years. Be rest assured that daddy would take that step when God says it’s time and would go for the woman God chooses for him.. But for now, he remains married to purpose. You know he has to fulfil God’s plan for him and best the best bachelor any man can ever be and when you do eventually become his kids, you would be so proud of him and mum. Till then, please bear with me!

Professor M.A. Kenku @70: A Worthy Model for Young People

2013-01-19T07:41:00.000+01:00

PROFESSOR M.A. KENKU @ 70: A WORTHY MODEL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE – By Prince Joshua Oyeniyi (As published in the BusinessDay Newspaper on Tuesday, 15^th January, 2012)

If there is a hall of fame for academics who have made their mark in the field of learning and research, professor Monsuru Akangbe Kenku is unarguably a distinguished member of that caste. This celebrated mathematician and administrator, who recently clocked seventy years, is a quintessence of value and excellence. He is one who has proved his mettle in the ivory towers as well as in government circle.

Born on the fourteenth of December, 1942 to Alhaji Nojiu Buraimoh Kenku and Alhaja Nimota Aduke Kenku, Professor Kenku briefly attended Ireti Primary School, then went on to Lagos Government School in 1953. In 1956, he was admitted into Ahmadiyyah College, Agege before taking his school certificate examination in 1960. He later gained admission into the premier university in 1961, where four years later, he graduated with a first class degree in mathematics. That same year, Kenku got admitted into Balloil College, Oxford for his doctorate degree which he completed three years later and then joined the payroll of the University of Ibadan. He rose through the hierarchies to become an associate professor in1981. He was, however, appointed a full professor of mathematics in 1983 in the University of Lagos.

In a chat with this soft spoken man, he reminisced that studying mathematics was one of the most beautiful decisions he ever made. In his words, “I was lucky to have passed through some very good teachers in secondary school and then, mathematics was my best subject. These factors motivated me to go into mathematics as a career in the university.” This goes to underscore the all-important role of competent teachers in the early stages of education. Our educational institutions are long bereft of astute a professionals whose calling is teaching and who have got the content to deliver.

In 1983, Professor Kenku was appointed commissioner of works and transport in Lagos, serving for three and half years before returning to lecturing. He recounts, “When I was a commissioner with Lagos state, I am sure that the government realised that with my mathematical background, I could help in solving problems that would not have been so without the luxury of that background. I remember a particular incident when there scarcity of essential commodities such as food items and the federal government started the distribution of essential commodities to the populace. I, as one of the commissioners of Lagos state at that time, had the duty of supervising the distribution in some of the local governments. So we paid visits to various centres where the distribution was being carried out. When I got to one particular place at Somolu, I realised that the queuing system was problematic and there was no way that enough people would be served through the system that was in operation. So, I quickly changed the system such that we had more service points and outlets and things improved rapidly.” From his experience, it is an obvious fact that the imperativeness of developing creative ingenuity by students cannot be overemphasized as this would transform them from being victims to being problem solvers when they get into the workforce.

Besides these, Professor Kenku had some stints in Berkeley, California and the Institute of Advanced Studies, Princeton, where he made contributions to the field of number theory, particularly arithmetic of elliptic curves. He became an associate fellow of the Institute in ‘80s which led him to participate in sponsoring an insurance company, a group that invested in Crusaders Insurance. The group eventually made him the chairman of Crusaders Insurance, a position he has held from 1993 till date whilst working as a lecturer in the University of Lagos. As a mathematician, ‘Baba’, as his students fondly call him, is a man of intellectual ascendancy and mental immensity. In fact, he did his doctoral research in an area that is cut-off from International world of research and was still able to make an impact owing largely to tenacity of purpose.

One striking virtue that you would leave with from a visit to this iconic mathematician is the humility. He is a man of lowliness despite his many national and international achievements. Professor Kenku would never raise his shoulders neither use his position to intimidate his colleagues and juniors. What a lesson to our current generation of young people. The holy book says “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses” but by imparting lives positively.

Academically, administratively and morally, this septuagenarian professor is an embodiment of values and virtue is as well as a worthy model for those who aspire to be great. Remember, “If you are too big to serve, then you are too big smaller.

Tobi Phillips Wins World Miss University Africa

2012-12-14T00:06:00.002+01:00

Phillips, current World Miss University Nigeria 2012 national title holder, represented the country at the just concluded 25th Edition of World Miss University pageant held in Seoul Korea. With 54 beautiful and intelligent undergraduates from all over the World. Miss Phillips did not win the ultimate crown but she won World Miss University Africa. Becoming the first African woman to clinched the title and also Nigeria to be crowned World Miss University Africa.

Miss Denmark . Mia Hasanagic of Aarhus University is the World Miss University 2012.

Four Nigerian teenage girls develop a urine-powered generator

2012-11-11T22:22:00.003+01:00

Four Nigerian teenage girls - Duro-Aina Adebola (14), Akindele Abiola (14), Faleke Oluwatoyin (14) and Bello Eniola (15) have created something truly incredible, even if it's a little dangerous..:-).

The girls invented a urine powered generator which was showcased at this year's Maker Faire Africa held in Lagos aAccording to Maker Faire Africa, an annual event which showcases inventions, the system works like this:

Urine is put into an electrolytic cell, which separates out the hydrogen.
The hydrogen goes into a water filter for purification, which then gets pushed into the gas cylinder.
The gas cylinder pushes hydrogen into a cylinder of liquid borax, which is used to remove the moisture from the hydrogen gas.
This purified hydrogen gas is pushed into the generator.
1 Liter of urine gives you 6 hours of electricity.

Why is it a little dangerous? Maker Faire Africa ended their report by saying - Along the whole way there are one-way valves for security, but let’s be honest that this is something of an explosive device…

And I agree...but great one girls. All they need now is people who will collaborate with them to improve on it.

Should Our Pastors Be Living This LARGE?

2012-11-11T21:49:00.002+01:00

Bombardier Challenger-601-1a Interior

A lot of comments have trailed the news of the new jet acquired by President, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and founder of Word of Life Bible Church, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor. Judging from the comments I’ve read, a lot of people think it is such a bad idea for the man of God to acquire a jet.

The USA manufactured 10-seater Bombadier/ Challenger 601 aircraft was marked N431CB. The Challenger 601 is a heavy jet that sits up to 10 passengers and has a range of 3,900 nautical miles. It has a full enclosed lavatory and a flight attendant for additional comfort. The luxurious and spacious cabin of the Challenger 601 is perfect to conduct meetings or simply relax.

“l am not interested in pastor having or not having a private jet but how much is the church paying as tax to the government for them to have this kind of luxury? Simple.”

“Pastor,your mother challenged God for a male child in a better church than what you founded.It would have been better if you have been serving God in the baptist church.By now,you would have understood that you do not need this private jet that you have just acquired.Vanity upon vanity.”

“One would think maybe even jesus had some real pimped out donkey with gold and diamonds all over it. Utter foolishness and clear 419. When do pastors have so much money while there are people in the same bloody church who find it hard to afford 3 square meals a day.”

“There’s indeed money, stupendous MONEY IN THE WORD. Little wonder there’s no shortage of potential dealers (some call them Pastors) and aspiring dealerships or churches if you may. LORD HAVE MERCY!”

“Can one buy shares in these churches ?”

“I would’ve been very happy to read that Pastor Ayo is inviting men of God from UK, USA, and those in Nigeria and other African Countries for an interdenominational crusade in the city of Maidugri.
I strongly believe too that people all over would’ve been happy to hear that the leader of CAN in Nigeria in conjunction with Nigerian prays had stage a day national prayers in Jos to mark his 40th yrs on pulpit.
If the CAN president would’ve channeled the huge amount in acquiring private jet into evangelising, holding crusade in the entire northern region, holding talks with his counterpart in the north i sincerely believe there would’ve been a turned around in the life of terrorist and their sponsors as in the life of Pual,”

“God knows about d serious problem of mammon worship. Your advice, prayers and help is needed not your condemnation.”

These are the kind of comments readers of published stories about the new jet made, most as you can see condemns the new acquisition.

Forbes recently made a list of the wealthiest men of God in Nigeria, followed shortly by a report from a UK-based newspaper about alleged accusations by members of Bishop David Oyedepo’s UK church that they were being extorted.

Most of the arguments I’ve heard about the riches of the men of God are geared towards seeing them live modestly and give back to the society. As good as this is, people seem to go too far in challenging and condemning every step men of God take.

They are men of God, they are supposed to watch over God’s people, but they are also humans; men like you and me with families and children who would live after them. Tell me why they should live only for others. What will be the lot of their families?

They are men of God, but being a man of God is their profession as we all have ours. As we get promoted in our works and our wages gets increased, they also deserve better. They shop where we shop, live where we live, they are humans just like us and they deserve good lives.

Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor has been a pastor for 40 years. If you are in a profession for 40 years and still can’t live as well as you’d love to, it means you have failed. More so, reports say the jet was a gift from his church.

We should stop condemning every step they take. They are not superhuman because they are men of God; they are just like you and me, and they can make mistakes, even worse mistakes than you make. There are even mere men that are as close to God as the people tagged ‘men of God’.

Yes, they should help the poor, give as much as possible to their societies, but it doesn’t mean they should not live well.

I’m not disputing that there are some pastors that are in the ministry for business, but who are we to judge? They don’t answer to us, they answer to God. Even the churches with the weirdest of doctrines have members; part of us.

Now, let’s move on to better things and stop condemning, or for some people, feeling bad about the success of men of God.

A White girl Takes on UNILAG Students

2012-11-11T21:41:00.001+01:00

Professor Bello Becomes UNILAG'S 11th Vice Chancellor

2012-11-11T21:21:00.002+01:00

The Governing Council of the University of Lagos has appointed Professor Rahamon Adisa Bello, a Professor of Chemical Engineering as the eleventh Vice-Chancellor of the University.

The appointment which is for a period of five (5) years takes effect from Monday, November 12, 2012.

The Governing Council at its special meeting held on November 10, 2012 unanimously adopted the report of the Selection Board that Professor Rahamon Adisa Bello be appointed Vice-Chancellor with effect from Monday, November 12, 2012.

Professor Bello who was the Deputy Vice-chancellor (Management Services) has been serving in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor in an acting capacity since May 12, 2012.

Born on October 6, 1948, in Iboro, Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Professor Rahamon Adisa Bello attended Egbado College, Ilaro, Ogun State for his secondary school education and passed out in 1966 with Grade One in the West African School Certificate Examination. He later attended Technical College, Ibadan, now The Polytechnic, Ibadan, and obtained the Ordinary National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering in 1968. Professor Bello proceeded to University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) where he graduated with First Class Honours degree in Chemical Engineering (1974).

Professor Bello started work as a Mechanical Engineering Technician with the Nigerian Tobacco Company in 1969, and after graduation at Ile-Ife in 1974, he served his NYSC year with the then North-Eastern State Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Maiduguri. He worked briefly at the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources as a Petroleum Engineer before proceeding to the University of Waterloo, Canada, where he earned M.A.Sc (1977) and PhD (1981) in Chemical Engineering. He joined the service of the University of Lagos as Assistant Lecturer in 1977 and rose steadily to the posts of Lecturer II, Lecturer 1 and Senior Lecturer, in 1981, 1982 and 1985 respectively. He was appointed Associate Professor in 1991 and Professor of Chemical Engineering in 1998.

Professor Bello specializes in Biochemical Engineering Processes and has carried out researches and consultancy in Industrial Biotechnology. He has supervised many postgraduate students and taught courses in Chemical Process Industries, Transport Phenomena, Biochemical Engineering and so on. He has also been a reviewer of various national and international journals including the Journal of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineering, African Journals of Science and Technology and Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering.

Professionally, he has offered consultancy and professional services to various organizations including; Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Nig. Ltd., Elf Petroleum, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Proceng Limited, among others.

He was the National Project Manager for the UNDP/ILO project on “Strategies for Self-Employment Promotion” in 1991/1992. He later in 1994 became a member of the Ogun State Executive Council as the State Commissioner for Special Duties, a position he held till 1996.

Professor Bello was a member of the Central Working Group of Vision 20-2020 and served as alternative Chairman for the Energy and Transportation Sub-section. He has also been a member of the Governing Council of Olabisi Onabanjo University (2007-2011), and Ogun State College of Education.

In the University of Lagos, he was the Head of Department of Chemical Engineering between 1999 and 2002; Chairman, Biotechnology Group from 2000; Chairman, Human Resources Development Board (2003-2009); Chairman, UNILAG Muslim Community from 2005 and Member, University Senate (1988-1992 and 1998 to date).

He was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Management Services) in April 2010 and became the Acting Vice-Chancellor in May 12, 2012. Professor Bello is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers; Fellow, Nigerian Society of Engineers and Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Engineering.

Professor Bello is a community man. He has been the Chairman of his own community’s association in Lagos, Yewa Union Lagos since 2000.

Professor Bello is married and blessed with four children, all of whom are alumni of the University of Lagos.

The Governing Council, Senate, Staff, Students and the University Community in general wish Professor Rahamon Adisa Bello a very successful tenure as the 11^th Vice-Chancellor of the University.

Nigerian Professor becomes First Black VC of University of Illinois

2012-09-18T08:41:00.000+01:00


Add caption		An Ifon, Ondo born Professor, Ilesanmi Adesida, a former Dean, becomes the first black Vice Chancellor of University of Illinois, USA. The 63 year old professor is a naturalized American physicist of Nigerian descent. He was the Dean, College of Engineering at the University before the University Board of Trustees selected him to be the next Vice Chancellor for Academics Affairs and Provost, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Professor Adesida assumed that position last month, August 2012.

CNN African Journalist of the Year Interacts with UNILAG's bright minds

2012-09-18T07:30:00.001+01:00

L-R; Mr Kolade, fresh computer engineering graduate, Mr Philip, 400level Mechanical engineering, Mr Oyeniyi, 400level Mathematics, Toyosi Ogunseye, CNN African Journalist, Mr Esan, engineering graduate, Mr Tola, law graduate and Mr Zimuzo, surveying and geoinfomatics.

Prince Oyeniyi, writer and editor of the INFOMATH magazine with Toyosi Ogunseye of the Punch Newspaper after a workshop in the University of Lagoswww.google.com

The victorious Nigeria paralympics team which made us proud

2012-09-15T04:06:00.000+01:00

WorldWritersWall: WHO PAYS FOR YOUR MISTAKE? ...

2012-07-04T17:55:00.001+01:00

WorldWritersWall:

WHO PAYS FOR YOUR MISTAKE? ...: WHO PAYS FOR YOUR MISTAKE? Article written By Prince Oyeniyi I had left home at about twenty minutes past five am on thi...

2012-06-27T16:07:00.000+01:00

WHO PAYS FOR YOUR MISTAKE?

I had left home at about twenty minutes past five am on this eventful Tuesday to get to the pick up point. It was an early morning journey to secure a good spot for the day’s interview (I got you there; you probably thought it was a job interview, no, it’s not). I took on a couple of motorcycle journeys to get there. As I concluded the payment protocols with the last commercial motorcyclist (popularly called okadaman in south western Nigeria) and went straight at my phone to call Mr Tayo Ojo in order to inform him of my presence at the agreed location, I noticed a Toyota Camry zooming off past me like lightning out of the cloudy sky on a rainy day. I immediately rang his line, “Hello sir, I am at the junction now”.

The said car came to a screeching halt at this statement, replying that he had just left the spot. I replied saying, “so, you are the one who was speeding through just now” and “yes” was the sharp response. He then asked that I rush down to him. If you were carefully observant, I did not include a “Good morning sir” as that was the least of my cares and he never probably noticed; the business of the day and the timing were predominantly our concerns. Who is Mr Tayo Ojo? Where are we headed? What is our purpose? I shall satisfy your curiosity in a jiffy!

Mr Tayo is a big brother, a youth leader in my local assembly and a teaching staff of the high school I graduated from. He has been instrumental in many of the humble exploits I did in the days of yore. Now, back to the matter at hand; On the day preceding this journey, I had gone to pay him a visit at work, we had some nice chat, took ride to his home and played with his beautiful kids. At this juncture, he asked my company to someplace the next morning as early as 6a.m. We were going to the United Kingdom Embassy, Visa application centre, precisely. We were leaving early to secure a good spot for the interview before the characteristic throng of the premises. So the ride began with him speeding through the barely lit roads, more of instinctive driving than distinctive. Shortly afterwards, we were at our destination at Billings way, Oregun, Ikeja. To my dismay, the gate was already swarming with visa-seeking visitors as early as that. I shall get back to this part of the story but Mr Tayo kept making this frantic call to Aminat but her number was out of reach. It was a devastating feeling as it meant all our efforts were just about to go down the drain. She was to be interviewed before getting her visa to join her mum in the United Kingdom.

Many Nigerians desperately want out of the country for greener pastures

Aminat, a young, less-than-eighteen, high school leaver, is a product of yet another failed marriage; A Broken Home. The mother, having divorced her father is now married to one Mr Ojo who is resident in U.K. as well as a Brit, leaving Aminat and her sibling brother with their father but under the tutelage of Mr Tayo while in high school. Now, Amina had concluded her secondary education and her mum wants her over in Britain but the father would have none of it if aware, so, a game had to be played!

Meanwhile, we were still trying to reach this young lady on the phone but our efforts were futile. Aminat was aware she should be at the embassy for an interview and as soon as her name was called, we shouldn’t be looking around for her or she be by-passed. The mum called in from London and upon being told the pensive situation we were in, simply explained that she could be finding it difficult to leave home that early, especially since she was done with school for now, lest her father smelt a rat. Finally, she was here and in good time too. The Game Plan: Her step father happens to also go by the surname of my big brother, Ojo, a real coincidence. So, Mr Ojo, the Briton, wrote a letter to the embassy stating that he wants his daughter over with him, adding that she has been in custody of his ‘brother’, Mr Tayo Ojo (Obviously to evade any scenario that would bring in the real father, who is completely oblivious of the on-goings). Fortunately, Mr Ojo, being a British citizen now, has full claims to British rights and so could ask his daughter over with relative ease. The interview went well, she was asked a couple of questions and requested to return for her documents.

However, this story has many sides but I want to concentrate here and now on the spate of failing marriages. When are we going to have an end of divorce? The two children of this broken home have suffered privation of love, parental guidance, care and tutelage. Aminat, at such a young age, has more exposure to life’s harsh sides than many her age mates simply because her parents could not reconcile their differences even if it was for their children’s sake. The children’s loyalty is divided; loving both parents but would inevitably have to hurt one at one point or the other. The spiral effect is more acrimony, more misunderstandings, more fracas, more, more and, of course, more.

Divorce has become a global problem and I would want to feed you in on some available statistics. Here are some statistics on divorce rates in the United States, for example.

The rate of divorce in America is high and it has even reported by various organizations that the rate is 50%. To be more precise, this is not true. Data reveal that the figure is very close to the actual one. However, if current trends continue, soon the figure will reach 50% and even more.

When we discuss about stats, it should be actual and real. US divorce statistics are gathered by a number of diverse agencies, such as the U.S. Census Bureau, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Centre for Health Statistics, and the independent Americans for Divorce Reform. The stats are not comprehensive but the figures help a lot in understanding the meaning of divorce in the highly modern society of America.


When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers most.....think about the kids please!

So, let’s begin with a table of age at marriage for those who want it to end:

Age	Women	Men
Under 20 years old	27.6%	11.7%
20 to 24 years old	36.6%	38.8%
25 to 29 years old	16.4%	22.3%
30 to 34 years old	8.5%	11.6%
35 to 39 years old	5.1%	6.5%

Divorce Rate Statistics of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Marriages

Various studies on US rate of divorce show significant differences when a comparison is made in 1st, 2nd and 3rd marriage breakups in America. The marriage breakup rate in America for first marriage is 41% to 50%; the rate after second marriage is from 60% to 67% and the rate in America for 3rd marriage are from 73% to 74%. Reports also say that couples with children have a slightly lower rate of breakup as compared to couples without children. This is due to the fact that being childless is one of the prime causes behind divorce in America. However, here are some causes or reasons why couples opt for divorce, according to research;

Lack of commitment to the marriage

Lack of communication between spouses (actually a leading cause of divorce)

Infidelity

Abandonment

Alcohol addiction

Substance abuse

Physical abuse

Sexual abuse

Emotional Abuse

Inability to manage or resolve conflicts

Personality differences or ‘irreconcilable differences.’

Differences in personal and career goals

Financial problem

Different expectations and household tasks

Different expectation about having or rearing children

Interference from parents or in-laws

Lack of maturity

Intellectual incompatibility

Sexual incompatibility

Insistence of sticking to traditional roles and not allowing rooms for personal growth

Falling out of love

Religious conversion or religious beliefs

Cultural and lifestyle differences

Inability to deal with each other’s petty idiosyncrasies

Mental instability or mental illness

Criminal behaviour and incarceration for crime

Also, the children of divorced parents are prone to divorcing 4 times more than the children of couples who are not divorced. This should scare the life out many of us! Divorce is a wicked act to children and the society.


Definitely not, my little friend!

She probably had little resistance when the homefront broke down

We need marriages to work and be successful. We need parents to stay together in peace, love and understanding. For the yet-to-be-married, please understand that marriage is a non-exit bond; no room for divorce. As far as the Master Originator of the institution is concerned, these two adults are to remain together till death parts them. The devastating consequences of divorce are far-reaching on the parents, the children and the larger society. From terminated education of the children, to truancy, to gangsterism, armed robbery, prostitution, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, contraction of deadly diseases and premature death. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave to his wife and they two shall be ONE. What, therefore, God has joined together, let not man put asunder. This is clear enough!

Regular and sharp misunderstandings are serious danger signs

The underlying factors remain that many marriages are contracted upon wrong foundation and as such never last the test of time. Many a marriage was built on stature or physique, financial status, social profile, family connections, or predicted future of the other partner but the so called ‘love’ soon turns sour after the “I do” is said and stark realities set in. Reader, if you are not prepared to give and give, even if it were your very life for your partner, you are not worth a blissful marriage. Let God be your guide because He created the marriage institution and knows the future of persons. He can help you create that synergy with the rightful partner. One mama will say, “IT IS BETTER TO BE ALONE FOR A LIFE TIME THAN TO BE WITH A WRONG COMPANY FOR A MINUTE”. This is Prince Joshua Oyeniyi, over and out!

Reference: Divorcestatistics.info

Images from Google search engine

THAT CHRISTMAS - A VIEW OF EVENTS SURROUNDING 2011 CHRISTMAS PERIOD

2012-01-27T19:39:00.000+01:00

Written by Prince Joshua Oyeniyi
evangprince2008@yahoo.com
+2348086788484

                                                          THAT CHRISTMAS
                 Once, a roman general brought peace to a rebellious province; by killing all its citizens. Even his fellow Romans were shocked, one of them wrote, “Scer atulunum fasciet, pescent apellant”, which means, “they create desolation and call it peace.” I do not want to tread the path of this general but rather unmuzzle the buccal cavity of truth and permit reality to transmit the lights of freedom. Please, do not have me misconstrued for a sadistic writer simply because I chose to say it as it is. Events unfolding towards the eve of this year’s Christmas leave me with no choice but that of profound objectivity, nay, sharp prognosis of the myriads of maladies and malaise bedeviling this country, Nigeria, unbecoming of such a time as this, indeed of such a time as this Christmas. Does it, therefore, call me to banqueting, wining and dining? Or to take a bold step out of the norm to quieten the thrills and frills of such
a pleasurable season so that true peace can be ours and not a masqueraded desolation that, with effrontery, stares us in the face?
            As the Christmas eve rushes in with its characteristic throng of people who, like children, scamper for hampers, gift boxes and their likes, I had embarked on a mini – travel to honour an appointment with a high profile clergyman on the outskirts of Lagos, a metropolis in Nigeria. As I shuttled to the densely populated town of Ipaja. I decided to have a detour, hopefully, to ease the stress of such a tortuous journey. As if to add salt to injury, the threadlike organisms responsible for filtering eaten food in the human sac of food relentlessly bit me with reckless acrimony for depriving them of their breakfast allocation. Little did I know that awaiting me was a gory event with its gargantuan propensity to cause me to forget my personal misery and much more than that, wane the anticipated joys of a Christmas which was just four days away. Pandemonium had broken out, but my fragile heart was pacing with lightening speed like a jackal that had spotted a ready prey atop a far away mountain. Had the worst happened? I could not tell as I witnessed a mammoth crowd of on – lookers with many having both hands on their heads; a sign that a great ill had befallen another son of Adam. I summoned courage to approach the scene of the tragedy but guess my greatest undoing for the day was the elongating of my neck to catch a glance. No sooner had I taken this peep than a series of vibrations and shivers of immeasurable magnitude went down my spine; shaking the entirety of my homo – sapienic being. No! I could not have made a good medical doctor as was advised just before I sat for the university matriculation examinations and consequently admitted into a first choice university. My principal had muttered, “You have it, Josh. Go for medicine" but I had stood my ground like the biblical rock of Gibraltar to study anything but medicine because of my aversion for hospitals and their operations. Back to the tragic drama! Sprouting from the left leg of a middle aged man was the naked length of his femur bone, completely broken from the knee and exposed for all to see! He was a commercial motorcycle rider who had been caught in both his recklessness and that of another commercial bus driver. To put it mildly, he would automatically join the number of amputees if he survives the loss of blood till he gets medical attention. Handicapped for the rest of life just four days from this Christmas! Over the years, this time of the year has consistently witnessed an increased rate of deaths and severe casualties on Nigerian roads, as families travel home en-masse to spend the festive period with loved ones, owing to the poor, dilapidated state of our roads and the confirmed inaction of the government. Motorists and other road users have also contributed immensely to the abrupt termination of lives with their utter recklessness and over speeding. Superstitious as many Nigerians are, we believe these events are machinations of evil spirits who crave human blood for their celebrations but with the killings and bombings in the northern part of the country orchestrated by members of the dreaded Boko – Haram sect, this Christmas is definitely an odd one in recent times. This compels one to muse over the rhetoric, what does ‘this Christmas’ portend?.
                I am obliged to take responsibility for describing our federal government as being almost irredeemably destitute of human milk and sympathy. You may quiz me over this assertion but have you heard of the phrase “conscienceless consciencelessness” or “directionless directionlessness”? You do not require a lexicon to decode these phrases as they are the words of a former member of the Nigeria House of Representatives used in describing the exhibition of gross high handedness by our politicians, no, I prefer to say, 'politricksters'. But terribly appalling is the fact that like a noiseless putrid fart that lingers on, the current nation – wide strike of the academic staff union of universities has crept into ‘this Christmas’ period.
    As I write on this sweltering afternoon, from home, after a disappointed hope of a call – off two weeks into the industrial action, I can not decipher the hand-writing on the wall about the future of my country, but it sure depicts catastrophe. According to the popular maxim, "when two elephants fight, the grass suffers", our undergraduates are the ones caught in this cross fire as the indignant ASUU engages the non – challant federal government in a fight to finish over elongation of active service time of senior academics, improved welfare and standardization of our institutions. This total, comprehensive and indefinite strike action has successfully paralyzed all forms of learning and research in all our tertiary institutions, further allowing the nation’s future to wallow in the mire of uncertainty, dimming, or worse still, putting off the lights of advancement. This quagmire of national shamelessness leaves me wondering what hope is left for the entire black race if the world’s largest black nation suffers intermittent crippling of learning processes in its ivory towers. This thought is sickening enough to erode any bliss associated with 'this Christmas'.
              If you are reading this and you are a citizen of this potentially great country being daily dehumanized by leaders that hate us, I want you to realise that our collective destiny is a function of our present decisions. My objective here is to confute the confusion created by a government that is hell – bent on the removal of oil subsidy without due regards for the feelings and sufferings of a people being pushed to the wall. Permit me to start my discourse from a definitive standpoint and the move on to shed light and bring illumination to this manufactured foggy issue which still generates tons of contentions even as this Christmas dawns. To subsidize is to sell a product below cost of production. Up until now neither the Federal Government nor the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has told us the cost of producing a litre of oil in our Warri, Port – Harcourt and Kaduna refineries, so the nation is not in a position to take an informed stand on whether or not oil is being subsidized. However, according to statistics from the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and the National Bureau of Statistics, getting petrol to Nigerian ports cost N117.74 per litre. And because of deliberated gross inefficiency and ineptitude at the Nigerian ports, an additional cost of N6.25 per litre is incurred. The petrol, which is usually stored at the ports, is not directly transferred from the ships to the trucks and so, the ports charge N3.00 for storage and an administrative cost of N15.00. Other costs include a bridging fund of N3. 95 and then the dealers add their own margin of N1.75 per litre. The transporters add their own margin of N4.60. So the cost of fuel at petrol stations comes to us at N138.19 per litre or approximately N140.00 per litre and because it is sold for N65 per liter, the federal government pays the shortfall of N75.00 or thereabout on every litre of petrol. This extra N75. 00 called subsidy is what the government says will bankrupt the nation if it not stopped forthwith.
    If you have followed my line of argument so far, it will be crystal clear to you that the government is not subsidizing the cost of production of refined oil in the nation. What the government is subsidizing is the alternative cost of importation. Our leaders have allowed their indolence to engulf the entire nation so that we have corporately become a lazy nation. Simply put, due to laziness and lack of diligence, our leaders can not refine enough crude oil for our consumption. Today, the four refineries in Nigerian currently operate at 21% capacity, providing 93, 450 litres daily, while, on average, Nigerians use 294, 000 litres of fuel per day which implies that an additional 200, 550 litres is imported to meet the domestic need. If you multiply that figure of 200, 550 litres by the N75.00 absurdity called subsidy, Nigeria spends N15 million daily to pay for our leadership failure and pathological indolence. The Federal Government has been dangling the carrot of what enormous savings it will make from the withdrawal of the subsidy which it intends to invest in infrastructure development, health care delivery, education, and minimum wage. These half – truths and easy answers are nothing but craftily devised weapons of mass deception as the government cannot save the entirety of the sum being touted for the simple reason that 40% of total fuel consumption is by the government itself. We cannot be made to pay for the kleptomania of government by allowing the removal of subsidy to happen. Like other nations, some less endowed, we have the opportunity to set up our own refineries, refine our products, sell and export refined products and make money. Instead, both the NNPC and the government “explore sleaze, refine roguery and market sharp practices”. The president, in an inflammatory statement, has said the government is ready for mass revolt and well, mass revolt is what he will get even if it means marching out in wild protest on Christmas day itself. This is the least of Christmas packages a government can present to its people: a bag of poverty. We must compel this government to look inwards and not force on us more penury caused by its grossly untamed profligacy.
           After all said and done, this legion of problems that has besieged us, like a malignant cancer which defies the best efforts of chemo-therapists, shall be subdued and I shall sit round the family table to enjoy the thrilling moment and merriment of 'this Christmas' season. I, hereby, exercise these innate gifts of creative ingenuity and intellectual ascendancy, almost bereft of the average undergraduate, like I am, to correct the anomalies that plague our nation with its tendency to depriving us of the true joys and experience of Christmas – the celebration of the birth of Christ, the Saviour of the world. I, hereby, rest my case.

Great Articles: Tales from my jungle 7: Cursed for sexual indiscip...

2011-12-13T17:16:00.000+01:00

Great Articles: Tales from my jungle 7: Cursed for sexual indiscip...: Warning: I know woman rights activists may chance on this. I wish to state that the mutual consent of the participants make legal suit inact...

2011-12-09T00:15:00.000+01:00

STUDENTS AND THE SUBJECT OF INTELLIGENCE

The process of imparting knowledge through classroom teaching is not an easy task. Teachers can tell that students are with varying degrees of perception. They can also confirm that while some students comprehend quite quickly and with ease, others need ample time to grasp what they are taught. Some are even more difficult to deal with as they hardly seem to understand what is being taught--no matter how simple it appears. Many a time, teachers are almost fed up and nearly giving up on a student, concluding that he or she may need a miraculous turn-around
to begin to grasp the arts of reading and writing.

Though intelligence is classified as a hereditary trait, we have had instances where extremely intelligent parents have children who are unimaginably slow in understanding. The reverse is also sometimes the case. What explanations could be given to this non-transfer of intelligence from parents to offspring? Why is there a varying degree of understanding among students who were all born with no in-built mental content?

According to the works of some psychologists and philosophers, man is born mentally blank. According to the theory of Tabula rasa, man is born without any mental content. It emphasises that knowledge is gathered through experience and perception. Ibn Sina, a philosopher, stressed that 'human intellect at birth is like a blank slate and that knowledge is attained through familiarity with objects.' Others submitted that while the brain is 'programmed' to pick up spoken languages, it is not programmed to learn to read and write spontaneously; it must be acquired. Scientists too recognise that the brain is organised to process sensory inputs and that these programmed mechanisms then act to learn and refine the individuals' ability.

From the foregoing arguments and my encounters with students, I have come to conclude that every child in the nursery was born mentally equal, but not as to the rate of perception and acuity. It may not be incorrect to assert that acuity and the varying rates of perception are some of the fundamental factors that contribute to students' varied academic performances.
In schools, there is a category of students who could be best described as fast learners. Some others need greater attention and time to comprehend subjects taught while the third class of students are difficult to teach. Rarely though, the difficult-to-teach students undergo a spontaneous turn-around to become fast learners overnight.

In schools generally, the average and slow learners are in the majority. Slow-learning in a student could be detected at an early age. Such students need special treatments and attention. They should be handled tenderly rather than being punished for not being eggheads. Admittedly, teaching slow learner could be a herculean task, patience should be the watchword in handling such students. They should not be coerced to learn or even denied of the privileges rightly due to them. In addition too, they should be allowed to play as all work without play could make them even duller. A reward system could be devised to encourage them whenever there is a perceived improvement in their learning. Notwithstanding our society that glorifies certificates at the expense of competence, technical education is also a viable option. Learning is a gradual process and the list of suggestions is inexhaustible.

2011-12-09T00:12:00.000+01:00

   MAKING A QUICK MOVE AGAINST ANOTHER MASS FAILURE

   The alarming rates at which students fail in WAEC, NECO and JAMB-conducted examinations have been blamed on several factors. As usual, the government is always under criticism for its neglect of the pivotal education sector due to the annual abysmally-low budgetary allocation to that sector. Although, majority of us are always quick to castigate the government on national issues such as this, only few critics consider the major players in the middle of the whole drama, that is, the students; as they always almost go unblamed. Though, I do not exonerate the government for its lackadaisical attitude towards the moribund educational system, I do not in anyway
too belong to the school of thought that blames the rulers for an individual's failure in personal issues such as passing an external exam.

   It cannot be over-emphasized that a good academic performance can be tied to an enabling learning environment. However, we have failed to realise that even a 90% budgetary allocation to the education sector may not be the ultimate panacea for students' woeful performances in national exams, which without doubt, has reached an endemic stage. It is needless to bore you with the disheartening statistics of how students 'refuse to pass' on yearly basis as this sad news has already been publicised by the various mass media. What is of interest is the way out of this quagmire.

   One of the major factors that lead to students' recurring failure in external exams is the sharp decline in the reading culture of the average Nigerian student. A cursory look at the dailies attests to this as educationists decry the gradual replacement of reading with other trivial and unprofitable engagements that now steal the show.

   In addition too, gainful study hours are now spent on social networks as students prefer to 'twitt' and 'facebook' rather than 'face' their books. They are however always quick to claim that they are surfing the internet in a bid to gather online materials needed to complete their assignments. They also prefer juicy magazines and publications that feature pictures of celebrities and high-profile events to perusing the masterly works of newspapers and magazines' columnists that will not only build their vocabulary banks but will also improve their communication skills too. It is observed too that free mid-night telephone conversations, excessive video game-playing, distracting relationships, inordinate affections for fashion, lack of desire to excel, blurred personal vision, poor parenting and a host of other factors team up to work against the today's students.

   As much as we remain optimistic of a change in this despicable trend, we should not expect an overnight turnaround, except the students personally become dissatisfied with the status quo. No good results will be forthcoming except they make a conscious decision to oust the monster called failure. Students need to manage their time properly, knowing fully well that it is a wasting asset that is irreplaceable once used up.

   More importantly, there is an urgent need to revamp the dying reading culture. Greater time and resources should be devoted to intensive and extensive study. To be candid though, a serious study is a pyschologically-demanding and herculean task, students must therefore approach it with great strength, determination, and focus. Students should focus on the exams rather the examiners (for the average student sees the examiner as an arch-enemy of academic progress). Except the closed books in the bags and those displayed on the library shelves are re-opened, no tangible change from the current trend should be expected.

   In conclusion, though it is arguable in some quaters, I maintain that there is no greater force working against the success of a student in any exam than the student himself. And as long as students, the government and all other stakeholders fail to appreciate the true purpose of formal education, its abuse will remain inevitable. With the next secondary school leaving and higher institution entrance exams in the offing, the ball is still in our courts. The right things could still be put in their right places.

2011-12-08T06:23:00.000+01:00

When Are Your Character’s Supernatural Powers “Occult”?

by MIKE DURAN ·

I recently received this letter from a pastor:

I had just read your article “Why Christians Can’t Agree About Christian Fiction” and I thought that it was a great insight into the debate. I am a brand spanking new pastor, and I am already engaged in a divisive discussion with one of my congregants about fiction, particularly the use of “supernaturalism” in fiction. For example, this person believes that when Aslan uses “magic” or does things “supernaturally” like breathing on Mr. Tumnus, and does NOT give glory and honor and credit to Jesus Christ IN THE STORY, that it is occultism, since his power is derived from elsewhere
than from the one true God. I think this is a bit, shall I say, crazy. I was just wondering if you have encountered such thought elsewhere, or am I the only one so uniquely blessed!!! And what would you say about the claim that any “powers” that occur in a fictional novel, especially Christian novels, are subtly promoting occultism. Thanks for your work.

This pastor may find solace in the fact that not only is he NOT alone in this debate, but that the position assumed by this congregant is, sadly, all too common among Christian readers.

As much as I’d like to offer a definitive answer to this question — How can we know when “‘powers’ that occur in a fictional novel… are subtly promoting occultism”?— I don’t think there is one. In fact, the more we demand a definitive answer, the more we narrow our fiction, dumb down our readers, and drift into a superstitious, and rather unchristian, worldview.

Nevertheless, I want to attempt a response to this pastor and his concerned congregant. Let me begin with a question:

Does attributing a supernatural incident to God or the devil actually change its power source?

Or to use the example above, if Aslan had stopped and given glory to God, would that have turned his magic from “bad” to “good”? If so, what made the supernaturalism bad in the first place?

To follow this line of reasoning, the real “occultism” resides not in the supernatural event (Aslan breathing upon Mr. Tumnus and bringing the faun back to life), but in the author’s defining of it. Thus, to the puritan reader, the greatest potential “evil” for a Christian writer is to depict ambiguous magic, i.e., supernatural power not directly attributed to God.

Which makes fiction, “magic.”

However, this creates huge problems for authors, the least of which is feeling bound to clarify the source of every character’s supernatural action. Spells, miracles, alchemy, and enchantment are only tolerable in our fiction as long as we’re clear where they are coming from. However, this type of approach not only potentially strips our stories of mystery and nuance, we treat our readers like auditors who’ll be combing our novels for pesky theological gnats.

The point here is to highlight how our approach to fiction can often be as problematic as the stories themselves. The congregant above who worried over Aslan’s apparent lack of Divine attribution is emblematic of a breed of religious reader who approaches fiction with a rather rigid doctrinal lens. Am I suggesting that we should put down our “theological” guard when we read and be less discerning? Absolutely not. But we need to see fiction as doing something different than simply illustrating and reinforcing Bible doctrine.

About his then-recent viewing of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, C.S. Lewis wrote:

“…[the play] is merely the scaffolding whereby Shakespeare (probably unconsciously) is able to give us an image of the whole idea of resurrection, [and] I was simply overwhelmed. You will say that I am here doing to Shakespeare just what I did to Macdonald… Perhaps I am. I must confess that more and more the value of plays and novels becomes for me dependent on the moments when, by whatever artifice, they succeed in expressing the greatmyths.”

– C.S. Lewis from a letter dated September 5, 1931 (emphasis mine)

Notice that Lewis describes the actual play as simply “scaffolding” for a bigger idea. In fact, it is this big idea (here, the great myths), expressed “by whatever artifice,” that characterize the great tales. Alas, when we become preoccupied with a story’s “scaffolding” and niggle over literary “artifices,” we will inevitably miss the bigger story. But that’s exactly what the congregant above, and the opponents of fictional “magic,” do.

When it comes to our fiction, the easiest (and worst) thing we can do is to embrace a checklist mentality. Rather than cultivating discernment and rendering creative license, we become “scaffold inspectors,” making sure every plank and cross-beam meets standard. No wands. Check. No spells. Check. No ghosts. Check. No vampires. Check. No crystal balls. Check. No broomsticks. Check. And plenty of explanation. As if this ensures we will never mistakenly promote occultism.

However, in their attempt to maintain theological integrity, many have embraced superstition, a “touch not, taste not” mentality (Col. 2:21) that purports a magic all its own. In other words, we believe there is magic in biblical (?) formulas. As if God was bound by incantations, recipes, rituals, and our personal holiness program.

How is this any different from sorcery?

Yes, Scripture is clear that there can be false prophets and false miracles. The world of occultism, we are warned, is not a plaything. Nevertheless, the Bible is not always clear in defining the source of real magic or the trappings for conjuring it.

Take the case of Moses’ encounter with the Pharaoh’s magicians (Ex. 7). Both sides produced, more or less, the same “magic,” turning staffs into snakes. Question: Is it wrong to turn staffs into snakes? Answer: It can’t be because Moses did it! So the problem wasn’t necessarily with the “magic” (i.e., staff charming), but with the intent, motivations, and allegiances of those who wielded it.

The similar distinction is made in the apostles’ encounter with Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8:9-25). Simon “had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria” (vs. 9) with his magic, so much so that he was called “the Great Power of God” (vs. 10). But after Simon “believed and was baptized” (vs. 13), he coveted the power of the Holy Spirit and asked to pay for it (vs. 19). Notice carefully Peter’s response:

Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” (Acts 8:20-23 NIV)

Interestingly enough, throughout this record Simon’s power is never attributed to Satan. However, he is upbraided “because [his] heart is not right before God.” So what was Simon’s sin? Apparently sorcery wasn’t the big one; his magic was less at issue than his sinful heart.

A case could be made, I think, that supernatural powers (and their fictional depictions) aren’t bad in themselves (see staff charming). It is the hearts and motives of the handlers that is evil.

Not all staff charmers are wicked. Which means staff charming is up for debate.

The concerned congregant above and his kin, the “anti-magic” crowd, go astray when they focus on forms of magic (levitation, incantations, objects, staff charming, breathing upon petrified fauns, etc.), more than the purveyors. It is far easier to make an external checklist — You know your character’s supernatural powers are NOT occult when you _________ (fill in the blank with preferred magic you avoid or attribution you render) — than to allow internal assessment and potential ambiguity.

Either way, no amount of attribution can prevent some readers from misinterpreting you. Heck, even the Bible is misinterpreted to say things it doesn’t. So why should our stories be any different? The truth is, readers can potentially mistake anything I write about as endorsing something I don’t. But just because I fictionalize sex or violence or sorcery or dog fighting or street racing, does not mean I’m an advocate of it.

It’s just the scaffolding.

So when are your character’s supernatural powers occult? Hmm. Probably when you say so.

WHY WRITERS SHOULD ADOPT THE 'WAKING UP EARLY' SYSTEM!

2011-12-08T06:21:00.000+01:00

As a glutton for torture (and as a recent parent, which is kind of the same thing), I’ve been taking advantage of early mornings. My kids wake up at 6:30 or so, and I leave for the day-job at 8:00ish — so if I’ve ever dreamed of getting anything done before I leave (ha ha, I said dreamed), I’d better be doing it early.

I often get asked what my best writing times are. Usually I go on for hours — I’m either the best or worst interview you’ve had, if, you know, you’re an interviewer — but that question
is simple. Late at night or early in the morning. Partly, it’s because no one else is around to distract you. Partly, I think, it’s that those are the times that are closest to sleep, when your mind is most open and your memories are all jumbled up and free-associating and fictionalizing themselves. Those are the times I started writing Automatic. It’s a book where a lot of things blend together, the people I grew up with and growing up Jewish and working-class and my best friend dyingand the music that we were listening to as it was all happening.

Those times are when our inhibitions are at their lowest, too. When you can sort of force yourself to write about all those things that you wouldn’t write about otherwise, unless you were drunk or feeling really intense.

Earliness is in our genes. Abraham was an early riser. He used to pray at the moment the sun rises, and there’s still a tradition that, at the moment the sun clears the horizon, the gates of Heaven are open to any prayer sent their way. One of my favorite bits of Jewish historical apocrypha is this: The first minyan of the morning used to be called the “thieves’ minyan,” since they had to be out early to lie in wait for unsuspecting travelers to pass…and even if you were going to be a thief, you still had to pray.

I remember reading that both Michael Chabon and Salman Rushdie work from 10-3. (I also remember thinking, when I read that, really? They’re both amazing writers, and both masters of the craft, but in my too-hardcore-fanboy estimation, both have gotten a little soft and overconfident with their storytelling. The Chabon who wrote the breathtaking, pulse-stopping first scene of Wonder Boys, I don’t think that could ever have happened at 10:30, between cups of coffee. Same with the page-long description of Saleem Sinai’s nose in Midnight’s Children–which, by the way, I strongly feel should be a mission statement for Jewish writers. Or Jews in general.)

I’m probably venting. Also, I have the luxury of having a day-job and a job writing. Normally, it’s an insane balancing act. But it’s that same stress that keeps my passion intact, I hope. The same way TV shows inevitably go downhill once the two forbidden characters consummate their untouchable lust for each other (Moonlighting, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), great writers always seem to write their greatest books before they get discovered.* I’m not claiming to be a great writer (although I think I’m a pretty good one). But I hope that, relative to the stories I’ve written before, I still have some of my best stuff yet to be written.

________
*–Or, admittedly, maybe we just claim those books as great, and when they try something else, we inevitably have to compare it, to the new work’s detriment. But all love has to spring from somewhere.

Matthue Roth‘s newest book is Automatic. He is also the author of three novels and the memoir Yom Kippur a Go-Go, and is an associate editor at MyJewishLearning.com. His screenplay 1/20 is currently in production as a feature film.

This article was reposted from MyJewishLearning and the Jewish Book Council.