Stephen Ladoye's Blog: October 2013

31 October 2013

Kanye says he and Kim are more influential than Obama & Michelle

Kanye needs to change his meds...lol. The talented rapper, who used to constantly criticize the media in the past, now seems to love the media since becoming a member of the Kardashian clan. Kanye now loves promoting himself and his baby mama Kim Kardashian any opportunity he gets. In his latest interview, Kanye explains why he and his fiancee Kim are more influential than president Barrack Obama and the First Lady, Michelle Obama. Kanye tells Ryan Seacrest; "There’s no way Kim Kardashian shouldn’t be on the cover of Vogue. She’s like the most intriguing woman right now. She’s got Barbara Walters calling her like everyday.” “And collectively, we’re the most influential with clothing. No one is looking at what [Barack Obama] is wearing. Michelle Obama cannot Instagram a [bikini] pic like what my girl Instagrammed the other day.”

Deeper Life's Pastor Kumuyi builds N1billion Anchor University Campus

The General Overseer of Deeper Life Bible Ministries, Pastor William Kumuyi is currently building an untra modern campus for his N1billion private university called Anchor University. The proposed site for the campus is a vast expanse of land, which has already been fenced, along the Lagos/Ibadan Express way. The campus will serve as the permanent site of Anchor University whose main campus is sited inside Deeper Life's multibillion IBTC headquarters at Ayobo-Ipaja, Lagos. The new campus will include hostels, faculties, administrative blocks, chalets, laboratories etc.

Tracy Nwapa, Tv presenter, launches hair line in partnership with Lo'lavita

Tracy Nwapa, TV presenter & producer is not only known for her brilliance with the clothes she wears, but in her signature hair style. Tracy in partnership with Lo'lavita hair have now given away "Tracy's hair secret" to every woman out there. Do you have trouble finding affordable hair that is suitable for your lifestyle? Do you love to wear hair extensions without leaving your hair out but you still want to achieve that natural effect? Do you love to experiment with colour, but you are afraid of damaging your natural hair? If you answered yes to all these questions, then Trayciee’s pieces by Lo’lavita hair is for you Trayciee’s pieces by Lo’lavita hair are costumed GLUELESS lace wigs made with hard net lace technology designed to blend in with your natural hair line without the use of glue. Too good to be true? Watch TV personality Tracy, so you know how it’s done in the commercial and tutorial video below: To order yours today, visit Lo’lavita hair and beauty boutique at 20 Admiralty was Lekki Phase 1 Lagos or call 08025275898. Lo'lavita hair ships worldwide!

Women gather at Federal Secretariat in support of Aviation Minister

A small group of women this morning gathered at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, in support of embattled minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah. The women carried placards which read 'a fight against Stella Oduah is a fight against women.

Women gather at Federal Secretariat in support of Aviation Minister

30 October 2013

Akiolu installs Tinubu-Ojo as new Iyaloja-General of Lagos.

Former Lagos State Governor Ahmed Bola Tinubu's first daughter, Folashade Tinubu Ojo was today October 29th installed as the new Iyaloja of Lagos and the President General of the Market Men and Women of Nigeria, taking over from her late grandmother, Habibat Mogaji, who died in June this year. The installation took place at the palace of the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu 1. Before her new appointment, Folashade was the Deputy President General of the Market Men and Women. So is she qualified to be Iyaloja of Lagos or did she get the title because of her father? #Justasking

23-man shortlist for World Footballer of the Year plus Coach of the Year unveiled.

29 October 2013

MultiChoice Nigeria presents the Fashion Protege

If you are a designer, fashionista, fashionisto, stylist or fashion savvy, this is an opportunity you cannot miss! MultiChoice Nigeria is on a hunt for Nigeria’s Most Talented Fashion Protégé! Created to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of MultiChoice Nigeria, The Fashion Protégé is a 5-Episode Nigerian Reality Television Series that will air later this year on DStv’s AfricaMagic. Contestants guided by Mentors will compete to be recognized as Nigeria’s Next Big Fashion star! In explaining why MultiChoice decided to create The Fashion Protégé, a representative from MultiChoice Nigeria says: “As MultiChoice turns 20, it is important that we invest in our communities that have kept African stories alive and foster the next generation of creative talents. This will create an opportunity for them to tell their own stories through their designs.” Get your creative and resilient spirits energized, as the competition will test your ability to succeed in the cutthroat Fashion Industry. If you know you’ve got all it takes to make it big in Fashion, then be ready to prove it! It’s a few hoops to the finish line, but if you’ve got the talent, then you can be on your way to becoming Africa’s most celebrated budding designer. Simply enter the competition by following these few steps: How to Enter Read all there is to know about MultiChoice Nigeria Design a piece inspired by MultiChoice Nigeria Take a photo of your design and submit via email to entries@ng.multichoice.com. Photo must be accompanied by a short explanation of how design is inspired by MultiChoice Nigeria. Spread the word! Criteria Submitted Entries will be judged by a panel of Fashion Experts & a representative of MultiChoice Nigeria for § Creativity § Connection to MultiChoice Nigeria theme § Quality of Garment Next Steps 30 finalists will be shortlisted for the audition 10 contestants will be chosen for the 5 episode reality series 1 winner will emerge! Entry Guidelines Contestants must be between ages 18-35 Designer, Stylist, Fashion Enthusiast. Ability to sew not compulsory for participation. However, Creative Direction must be executed by contestant. If already in business; business must have been established for a period less than 2 years Contestants must be based in Nigeria. Up For grabs is N1,000,000, Mentorship by a renowned Nigerian designer, an International Fashion Trip, a Special Feature Interview on BellaNaija, a Feature in a Top Fashion Magazine & a Lookbook by a Top Photographer. Entries close 18 November 2013 at 23:59 GMT For more information about The Fashion Protégé: Visit www.dstv.com /https://www.facebook.com/dstvng

Police Officers involved in Badagry lynching get bail

According to new reports, the police officers indicted in the lynching of two innocent young men (Ifechukwudi Nwanikpor, 25, and Kazeem Onayemi, 26) in Ajara, Badagry, have been granted bail. From Today's Telegraph The officers were arrested due to their alleged involvement in the mob action that led to the brutal killing of the two young men as captured by various video clips which later went viral on the internet. According to our source, Inspector Adefemi Ashogbon, Sergeant John Sanayon and seven other police officers were granted bail due to their deteriorating health in detention and were allowed to seek medical attention pending the outcome of the investigation and date of their trial. A video recording by some bystanders exposed Inspector Adefemi Ashogbon and Sergeant John Sanayon, who were attached to the Badagry Police station, at the scene of lynching while seven others police officers were detained for allegedly planting guns on the victims and labelling them armed robbers. Several calls were made to the Lagos state police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, in a bid to ascertain the grant of bail. However, they went unanswered.

Breast cancer campaign with MBGN 2013, powered by DealDey.

DealDey will be having a massive sale of top-quality lingerie from renowned designers starting from as low as N700! They’ll also be selling other household items at great give-away prices. The proceeds from all the sales will be committed to raising awareness and providing treatments for women who are battling with the disease in Nigeria. DealDey has been on the E Commerce scene making ripples with their amazing discounts on foods, spas, hotels, training services, coaching lessons, apparel, gadgets, electronics, international travel and more in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and all across Nigeria. They are working to expand their service operations to more states in the coming months. DealDey is known for giving massive discounts on all their items which are available on www.dealdey.com . Follow them on Twitter - @DealDey, Like them on Facebook – facebook.com/dealdey For more information, please call DealDey – 08099997111, 08099997222 Call Sebeccly Cancer Care Helpline for counseling – 08102056469, 08081076764

Breast cancer campaign with MBGN 2013

E Commerce in Nigeria isn’t just about clicking and buying online and once again, DealDey is portraying just that as they partner with Sebeccly Cancer Care this month of October. October is internationally recognized as the Breast Cancer Awareness month and currently, the most common cancer in Nigeria is Breast Cancer. DealDey will be combining forces with Sebeccly to conduct free Breast Examinations and create Breast Cancer awareness for ladies all through this month from the 14th to 31st of October at their newly launched Pick Up/Service Centre at Akron Building, 1st Floor, 92, Allen Avenue, Ikeja.

US Senator Ted Cruz apologizes about offensive remarks to Nigerians.

On Monday Oct. 21st, US Republican Senator Ted Cruz told a rally that Nigerian email scammers have been hired to run the Obamacare website, a comment that a lot of Nigerians found offensive. After being bombarded with several phone calls from Nigerians in Houston and all across the US, the office of Ted Cruz has issued a statement from the Senator apologizing for what he said. The full statement reads: It’s unfortunate that we’re living in a time where just about every joke can be misconstrued to cause offense to someone. To the good people of Nigeria - a beautiful nation where my wife lived briefly as the child of missionaries - no offense was intended. I am fully appreciative of the range of mutual economic and security interests that make Nigeria an important friend to the United States. And even to those few unscrupulous email scammers who were the subject of the joke, I apologize to you for the unfair comparison to the utterly dysfunctional Obamacare website.

28 October 2013

President Jonathan's pilgrimage to Israel

President Jonathan pictured above praying with other Nigerian pilgrims at the side of River Jordan, the place where Jesus Christ was baptised by John The Baptist.

President Jonathan's pilgrimage to Israel

27 October 2013

Dear Stephen Ladoye's blog reader,

Hi there, Today, I just want to tell you to always seize the day as the day after today may not be equally bright. If there’s anything that accurately defines the age we live in, it’s abundant opportunities. They are numerous, almost overwhelming even. There are tons of scholarships, fellowships, sponsored conferences, life-changing internships and business grants awarded every single week. Whatever your field, age, nationality or level of education, there’s just one (actually, many) that’s perfect for you. Don’t ask me where to get them. You know what purpose Google serves. Use it or miss out. So always be on the lookout for opportunities and get yourself ready to use them right. Like the Boy Scout’s slogan, “Be prepared.” Always… The greatest challenge of our age is that opportunities abound and there are no barriers. Whatever prospect you wanna pursue, go after it. So live life to the fullest. And be the best you can. --------- Talk to you at some other time, Stephen Ladoye.

HOW MUCH IS A MIRACLE?

Tess was a precocious eight year old when she heard her Mom and Dad talking about her little brother, Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick and they were completely out of money. They were moving to an apartment complex next month because Daddy didn't have the money for the doctor bills and their house. Only a very costly surgery could save Andrew now and it was looking like there was no one to loan them the money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother with whispered desperation, "Only a miracle can save him now." Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all of the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door. She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was to busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it! "And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages," he said without waiting for a reply to his question. "Well, I want to talk to you about MY brother," Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. "He's really, really sick... and I want to buy a miracle." "I beg your pardon?" asked the pharmacist. "His name is Andrew, and he has something bad growing inside of his head, and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?" "We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you," the pharmacist said, softening a little. "Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs." The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does you brother need?" "I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up. "I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But, my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money." "How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago. "One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly. "And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to. "Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents -- the exact price of a miracle for little brothers." He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need." That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed without charge. And it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well. Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. "That surgery," her Mom whispered, "was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?" Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost... one dollar and eleven cents... plus the faith of a little child. -AUTHOR UNKNOWN This story is to serve as an inspiration. Its validity has not been ascertained since 2007 but that does not change the message therein. THANKS.

HOW MUCH IS A MIRACLE?

Share blood, Share Life.

Today is the day which the Lord has made.

Stephen Ladoye with 100level folks.

26 October 2013

Former miss Nigeria-Ene Lawani

Former Miss Nigeria and business woman Ene Lawani looking like one of the boys on the runway at the Lagos Fashion & Design Week yesterday for designer Mai Atafo.

http://stephensonladoy.blogspot.com/2013/Photos-day-two-of-President-Jonathans trip to israel.

24 October 2013

Stephen Ladoye's Blog-Person of the week.

The appointment of the Nollywood Actress as the new principal protocol to Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State is coming months after sacking Nollywood actress, Nkiru Sylvanus. Gov Okorocha appointed25-year-old ex-Delta Soap model, Shirley Igwe as his Principal Protocol Officer.Her new appointment would involve her coordinating the governor's daily itinerary, ensuring his comfort and that of his visitors every day....

Jumia Supports Breast Cancer Foundation

JUMIA, Nigeria’s leading online retailer and this year’s World Retail Award Winner, partners with 234Give to support the International Cancer Month. A substantial percentage of proceedings made during the Pink Week are given to the “Breast Cancer Foundation of Nigeria: BRECAN”. JUMIA partners with 234Give by creating The Pink Week - an initiative were JUMIA will be selling pink items, including books and fashion products, on the site with a campaign starting from October 23rd to October 30th. In addition to this JUMIA dedicates the last day to support the cause with over 500 staffs wearing pink to honor the breast cancer month as well as the JUMIA Pink Week. Continue 234Give is an online fundraising platform that enables people who are passionate about raising money for charitable causes the means to connect with donors and raise money securely online. Sola Fatoba, CEO, 234give: “We are pleased to be partnering with JUMIA on its Pink Week. This partnership will support JUMIA's mission to create more awareness and raise funds for breast cancer.” Jeremy Hodara, co-founder, Africa Internet Holding: “JUMIA in partnership with 234Give will support the cause and create awareness about breast cancer through its website and other marketing channels. As part of JUMIA’s way of giving back to the society and also to support the Breast Cancer cause, JUMIA is giving a percentage of proceedings made during the Pink Week to a notable charity in Nigeria: ‘Breast Cancer Foundation of Nigeria BRECAN’.” Click Here to Shop From Jumia’s Pink Week Selection, to help Raise Funds. About JUMIA Founded in June 2012 JUMIA is Nigeria’s #1 shopping destination. Within one year, the website enjoys more than 150,000 unique visits daily, being the leading and most trafficked e-commerce website in Nigeria, with a daily subscriber base of more than 400,000 people. At JUMIA, customers across the continent can shop the widest assortment of quality products at affordable prices – offering everything from fashion, consumer electronics, home appliances to beauty products. JUMIA operates in five countries: Nigeria, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Egypt and Kenya with more countries to come. More information: http://www.jumia.com.ng/jumia-in-press/

JUMIA is part of the Africa Internet Holding http://www.africainternetholding.com Press contacts Olamide Amosu 08172238785 I08033295743

1st IBADAN ONLINE GADGET STORE

Hello, We just have great news for you as always. Now shopping online just got easy. With our online store now up and running at www.oniluprime.com, you can now view, select and order your goods and have it delivered to you before you even know it. Here are simple steps to doing this: Log o to www.oniluprime.com, View all products on our well Organized and easy to-use interface. Click Buy Now to buy(this automatically adds the said item To your shopping cart and you can Continue with your shopping.) When you’re done shopping you go to the top right corner And click checkout. The above step takes you to a follow-through set of easy Steps where you’ll create your account(if you haven’t yet) And set your preferred payment options, delivery address, Pay-on- Delivery or Online Payment. Follow through and click Clinfirm Order. Voila!!! You see we were able to summarize ordering from our website in 4 steps. Wouldn’t you rather shop for cheapest prices on all your gadgets without compromising your Comfort with us at www.oniluprime.com? Onilu. Cheapest Prices. Fast Deliveries. We are all about your comfort and happiness. Kindly Follow @ONILUPRIME & like facebook.com/onilugroup for #The Deals of the week Newsletters. Apart from giving you the cheapest prices around, we still choose some products every week To give you an extra-ordinarily great deal on. Watch Out. Anticipate. Cheers

23 October 2013

@oniluprime.com1st IBADAN ONLINE GADGET.STORE

National Confab & its true believers(2)

National Confab and its true believers (2) http://sunnewsonline.com/new/opinion/national-confab-true-believers-2/

The fact about Child Rights International Network

The Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) is an international network that supports the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and child rights. CRIN has a membership of more than 1,400 organisations in over 130 countries. Since 1995 it has been hosted by Save the Children, a charity based in London, and it is managed jointly by several organisations..

The fact about International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) works with partners to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate wealth from agriculture, with the ultimate goals of reducing hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. IITA's research-for-development (R4D) focuses on addressing the development needs of tropical countries. The institute was established in 1967 and is headquartered in Ibadan, Nigeria, with several research stations across Africa. IITA is a nonprofit organization governed by a Board of Trustees, supported by several countries and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

22 October 2013

R (programming language) @ Coursera.com-It's a free online program.

R is a free software programming language and a software environment for statistical computing and graphics. The R language is widely used among statisticians and data miners for developing statistical software[2][3] and data analysis.[3] Polls and surveys of data miners are showing R's popularity has increased substantially in recent years.[4][5][6] R is an implementation of the S programming language combined with lexical scoping semantics inspired by Scheme. S was created by John Chambers while at Bell Labs. R was created by Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman[7] at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and is currently developed by the R Development Core Team, of which Chambers is a member. R is named partly after the first names of the first two R authors and partly as a play on the name of S.[8] R is a GNU project.[9][10] The source code for the R software environment is written primarily in C, Fortran, and R.[11] R is freely available under the GNU General Public License, and pre-compiled binary versions are provided for various operating systems. R uses a command line interface; however, several graphical user interfaces are available for use with R

Governor Okorocha appointed Sharley Igwe as principal protocol

Governor Okorocha and actresses sha! Lol. Months after sacking Nkiru Sylvanus as Special Assistant on Lagos Affairs, he has appointed another Nollywood actress into his his cabinet. This time it's 25 year old ex-Delta Soap model, Shirley Igwe. Shirley is now working for the Government of Imo State as Gov. Rochas Okorocha's Principal Protocol Officer. Her new appointment would entail her coordinating the governor's daily itinerary, ensuring his comfort and that of his visitors every day. She resumed her appointment in September. Congrats to her!!

Fire guts refinery in Warri

A section of the ailing NNPC refinery in Warri, Delta state was gutted by fire this morning, though I hear the situation is now under control as fire fighters have been battling all morning to put the fire out. No word yet on what caused the fire ...details later

The truth about Governments position on ASUU Strike- Okonjo

This is a press statement from the Federal Ministry of Finance about the ongoing ASUU strike. It's been four long months (Quite shameful I must add) with no apparent resolution to the conflict in sight...and some people are blaming the Minister of finance Dr Okonjo Iweala for what's going on. Some people in ASUU have been distributing flyers with abusive messages against Dr Okonjo-Iweala and now the ministry is issuing a statement about it, saying the minister is not the problem. I'd rather read about when ASUU is calling off this strike to be honest. Find the press statement below Contrary to some recent media reports, the Federal government has not adopted a take-it-or-leave-it approach in its negotiations with ASUU. Rather, the approach is focused on positive engagement and achieving sustainable solutions to the challenges facing higher education in the country. That is why President Goodluck Jonathan recently appealed to ASUU to respond to government’s positive steps by calling off its strike in the interest of suffering students and parents.

20 October 2013

And the Word was God.

Experience Peace.

In the beginning was the Word.

And the word was God.

19 October 2013

Stephen Ladoye's Blog

Don't miss update! This is the place where you don't want to miss out quite exciting misery of Life. All is happening here. Stephen Ladoye's Blog, mmmmmmmmH, Can say to it. Experience Peace.

VIDEO: SA charges over toddles' deaths

VIDEO: SA charges over toddlers' deaths http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24591833#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Somali Suicide Bombing.

Somali Suicide Bombing Kills 16 People in Beledweyne - AllAfrica.com http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHOW0bWwOeUEE6Q3084FyYl58O1Ww&url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201310190349.html

18 October 2013

“MY NIGERIA; WHAT IT MEANS TO ME”

In the year 1914, this country came into being as a result of the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates by Lord Frederick Lugard. And on the first day of October, 1960, this same country was granted her independence from the British imperialist and gained her republican status in the year 1963. Since then, many people have been seeing Nigeria as a failed nation. A nation, Awolowo described as "a mere geographical expression"1 was sadly referred to by Ahmadu Bello as “the grave mistake of 1914”2 and by Tafawa Balewa as a "mere British intention"3. From blogs to forums and all over the social networking websites, the saddening stories of the Nigerian state have been widely published by various political pundits. Unfortunately, they failed to realise the truism of the Chinese proverb that states "fine or not, it is my country's wine." It is true that the Nigerian nation has been facing a lot challenges. It is true that plagues dance ballet at her doorstep. It is true that Nigeria is neck-deep drowning in the messy waters of social and economic uncertainties. According to the UNESCO, 70% of her population may be living below the poverty line of one dollar a day4. It is no doubt that poverty may be singing lifeless tunes for many of her citizens to dance. Though the former education minister, Dr. Sam Egwu has said that over 80% of the Nigerian Youths are not just unemployed but are also “unemployable”5 and unemployment may have become a natural phenomenon to the populace. It is true that despite the fact that Nigeria is the largest oil producing county in Africa, her currency keeps devaluing and she still maintains her prestigious position as one of the twenty poorest countries of the world. What a feat she may have achieved! Our health centres may be synonyms for death-centres and our power sector may be plummeting into an eternal chasm of darkness. Our economy may be rolling down the steep slope of diminishment and our education may be in a sorry state that when one put a pen to paper, it may not be anything to write home about. Our land flows with milk and honey, yet our skins may bear the horrific tales of hunger. Many may see Nigeria as a land cursed with bad leaders and selfish public officials. Many, like Dr. Tunde Bakare may see Nigeria as a nation "under attack by the twin forces of violence and corruption, a state of anarchy and lawlessness".6 Nigeria, to many may be a nation constantly baptized with bloodcurdling waters of explosive devices by the terrorists, a nation that is miles away from peace. To many, Nigeria may be that nation where tribalism, nepotism and gruesome ethnic conflicts have a field day ruling. Nigeria, many may see her as a country that has plunged into a "peculiar mess"7 that recovery is almost impossible! However, I see my dearest country from a very different angle. Nigeria, to me is like a little baby that has to go through her teething period and I have an undaunted hope that the future will be bright. Nigeria, to me is a fatherland that we all are responsible for building a glorious prospect for. It is to me a motherland that all of us have to create for her, an everlasting happiness. Nigeria, to me is not the mistake of the "erroneous marriage of 1914"8, because I am a product of that marriage and I am not a bastard. But, Nigeria to me despite all the ranging chaos and crisis is still a nation "bound in freedom, peace and unity."9 To me, Nigeria is a land of tolerance, where a family will consists of a Muslim father from the south and a Christian mother from the North, with their children divided between the two religions and yet living in peaceful co-existence! Nigeria to me is like the palm seedling battling with weeds and unfavourable weather conditions but which in the end is bound to grow to a tall palm tree smiling to the grandeur radiance of the sun. Nigeria to me is still that colossal giant of Africa, who was, who is and who will continue to be the symbol of a glorious Africa. Nigeria is a great nation of good people and industrious youths who are constructing brilliance landmarks in their homeland and all over the world. Nigeria to me, is a land of resilience where despite commotions and myriads of setbacks that bedevilled her, she still stands tall, unshaken from her roots. Wole Soyinka once sang, "I love my country, I no go lie. Na inside am I go live and die…”10 Nigeria to me is a country worth being proud of, it is a country many have died for, many are dying for and many will die for. It is a country worth dying for, a country I love and which I will continue to treasure as long as I live. Though saddening happenings may have pushed some people to refer to her as "a wasted generation"11 but I beg to disagree that Nigeria is not wasted. Nigeria is a fertile and a fruitful land. In conclusion, it is no gainsaying, that Nigeria is a country many foreigners wished to be part of. To me, Nigeria is a land of rich cultures and languages. Nigeria is a land of boundless opportunities, a land of freedom and a land of peace. Nigeria to me is like a stone, which the builder had earlier rejected but which has no place now save to be the corner stone. How well again can I sing melodiously what Nigeria means to me than to agree with Chinua Achebe that "...in my next reincarnation I want to be a Nigerian again"12

a year... 1000 remarkable Once people gather to exchange something incalculable value, their ideas has never been shared until now ....

Trita Parsi: Iran and Israel: Peace is possible #TED : http://on.ted.com/tTJE