CHILD NOT BRIDE

These are my thoughts on the issue of giving out the girl child for marriage. This year alone, I have addressed over three thousand girls in different top secondary schools, non-governmental organizations and religious bodies in Lagos, Nigeria. I can boldly say that, they are just starting to discover who they are, what’s going on (especially with their bodies), what to do with their lives and where they are heading to.

Therefore, I could not imagine any of these wonderful developing ladies been married off. It is very heart-breaking to know that this kind of evil thought will be passed into law. Thank God, lots of Nigerians are rising up to sign the petition against this evil act.

From my experience and interaction with youngsters, I can say that the child is being given to be molested, abused and married. I have seen cases where the child was raped at a tender age by five different close members at different times. In some situations, the parents know about the abuse, but they keep quiet and pretend that it never happened.

Also, there are some parents that give up their children for hawking, prostitution, etc. Sometimes these children are handed over to relatives or friends, which might be due to financial constraints and family issues.

Personally, I believe everyone should be involved in looking out for the interest of these children. These are some tips we can follow:

-   Government must enact and pass laws that protect, defend, provide and fight for the child

-   Mothers should know their children ( their moods, likes, dislikes, fears, friends, etc)

-   Mothers, you must be close to your children

-   Husband and wife should set a good example to the child

-   Men (Father, uncle, brother, male friend, nephew, teacher, guardian, religious leader, driver, gardener, etc. ) must protect the girl child instead of abusing her

-   Women (Mother, Aunty, niece, cousin) should be open and trust-worthy, so that the girl child can feel free to converse with you

-   Organizations such as religious bodies, NGOs must protect the child

-   Activists must rise up and speak for the child

-  Law enforcement agencies must defend the rights of the child.

                                                                                                                                                                      I Believe In Future Leaders

I Speak & Motivate Future Leaders

Gracias

My Story...

Where to start from exactly? Parents, one of the worst things you can do to a child is to raise him/her in a broken home......simply put "no child deserves to live with parents separated".

This is the story of a couple that were madly in love with each other. They decided to get married to each other and start a family together. They got married and had two children (a boy and a girl), all seemed fine for a while, but it was just for a while. I'll be telling this story from their little girl's point of view, "I was barely 3 years old when my parents got separated, the sad part is I can't even remember seeing them together as a  family. All I can remember is that I started my life with my parents separated, so it was my brother and I against the world.

 My brother was everything I had in this world while growing up, he was my friend, confidant, role model and he encouraged me in every aspect of life, he was my big brother indeed. Memories of my childhood had a lot of sad days, crying, wishing and hoping my family could just be one of those normal families.

Every member of my family was affected in one way or the other; my father blamed my mother and vice-versa. The only way for my brother and I to survive was by not laying blame on anybody. I remember that I really didn't have a reason for existing as a growing child, thinking back my mother was always so worried about me and then if she said something like be careful when you are crossing the road, I would think to myself "what's the worst that can happen, I get hit by a car and I die. No biggy, moreover I don't even know why I'm alive anyways". I tell my friends that if I weren't black, I would definitely have committed suicide, guess blacks don't just think like that no matter how bad things get.

My mother lived in so much fear that she even robbed it on me. At one point in my life, I was afraid to do anything, was even afraid to live my life. There was no love in my family, each member was just trying to survive. To make matters worse was the fact that we had financial constraint. There were days we had to ask family friends for food, or buy on credit from people that sold food. I thank God, we survived those trying times.

My mother and I never got along well, because when she said anything negative about my father I was always ready to defend him. Don't get me wrong, my dad also said a lot of negative things about my mum, but you can never break a father-daughter bond. They were both very hurt by the fact that the marriage didn't turn out well, and they both just shifted blame on the other party, while their children were caught between it all. I don't even think they realized the amount of emotional and psychological stress we were put through.

At some point, we received the gospel of Christ and it began to have it's way in us and   then love that I could not understand came into my family. Although, my parents remained separated, there was a light that shined in my family that wasn't always there. We had lengthy discussions as a family, and it helped us greatly. You should come to  my home now, there is so much expression of love that we know it could only have been God."

We didn’t even realise that there was a problem for a long while, but as the years went by, all the hurt and hatred began to die down and we began to discuss and relate as a family. It was then we all realized that there was so much hurt in their family and so much sadness. With the help of God, my brother and I learnt to love and appreciate both parents in their capacity and they lived better afterwards.

This is the story of my family and I was willing to tell it. Presently, there are many more broken homes with sad parents and children. The way to live is to let God's love take away your hurt, it's not too late to start living. 

Finally, you need to speak to someone you trust, read books, attend seminars that will help you understand God’s love.

There is always hope...

Thanks.

Written By: Dr Dolapo.A

REST IN PEACE ( R.I.P )

All Is Well

 

This is the usual statement people make when a person dies. It is gotten from a Latin phrase; Requiescat in pace (R.I.P.) which means let him rest in peace. It appears on gravestones.

Most times, people reflect on their lives when someone dies, especially when the person(s) involved are close.I have experienced losing someone dear to me. It was shocking and unbelievable, because the person played an important role in training me, especially in things of God. I learnt to recite Psalm 91, because of her emphasis on the word of God. This is just an example of one of the things I learnt from her.

 

After her death, I thought of the good things she had done for me. I knew that I would never have the opportunity of interacting with her, until we meet in Heaven.This showed me that I need to appreciate life and people more, especially the ones dear to me. Right now, I try as much as possible to celebrate, encourage and appreciate people I come in contact with.

 

There are some of my friends that think it is too much. I tell them that I don’t want to wait till they die (am expecting them to live long), before I will now start saying all the good things they have done. No, I prefer doing that now. 

Therefore, I recognize the grace, mercy of God in the lives of people and I do not take it for granted. Well, people around me are getting used to it.I implore you to appreciate every person, no matter the religion or status of the person. No one is too small to be highly rated.

This will help in boosting the self-esteem of people. We live in a place where people are going through economic hardship and trials. Definitely, your regard for them will elevate their spirits and likely prevent suicide, addictions.     

I commiserate with all my friends and everyone that has lost someone. I can’t give reasons for the occurrence of death, but I know that the Holy Spirit is the comforter.

I encourage you to be strong in the Lord. Remember all the good times and things enjoyed with the person(s) that have died. Ensure that you live right and if you can, help fulfill their dreams.

I Celebrate You,

I Congratulate You,

I Believe In You.

Gracias

What Do You Call You?

This is one question that you have to answer, whether consciously or subconsciously. Using myself as an example, I was tagged as a person that was stubborn, playful, talked too much.This nature gave me away, because everyone called me sanguine, I started seeing myself that way.

 

Most of the time, we let people and the environment form opinions of who we are. For example, you are born into a family were everyone eats at the same time on the dining table, even if you don’t like it, with time, you will see it as the proper thing to do. Eventually, when you go out and exhibit table manners, you will be seen as a person from the upper class.

Thoughts:

The things you think about may be due to what you have seen, heard and experienced. There are times we give excuses for our actions, but the truth about is, you are the one making decisions and always be ready to face the consequence of every decision.

You are an identity, no one can ever be like you and people can only copy or clone you. Therefore, be a custodian of yourself.

Tosin, you don’t understand, there are times I did not have money to feed or clothe for a very long time. I am a broken homes and I faced tough times. I even did business for some time, before my friend and I started speaking at Queens College.

 

It is when you have challenges that you will know the true colour of people. At some point, I blamed my parents separation for all the challenges I was facing in my life. This continued, until I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I made up my mind to be Christ like.

I told God I wanted to influence lives, because I have always loved to help people. I was trained, as I began to read the Bible, inspirational books. I started hanging out with friends that wanted something different and more out of life. I went to events where I was motivated and perception about life changed.

I still had challenges, but I focused on dealing with them with a proper mindset. I made up my mind to work on my self esteem instead of comparing my life to someone else’s life.

Right now, I see myself as a child of God doing great and mighty things all over the world. I appreciate God for all the things I went through, even though it was painful and I was almost lost in the crowd.I am a world changer, the best youth speaker, because I see the best in myself and am working on been the best.

 

What you think about yourself will definitely show in your actions and that is going to reflect on the thoughts people will have towards you.

What do you think about you?

 Gracias

Graduation Ceremony Of The Queens

It was a glorious day for the 2012/2013 set of  queen's college, sabo yaba, as they had their valedictory and graduation ceremony on Sunday 14th July, 2013. Even though the rain started heavily in the morning, it did not stop the glamour at the event. 

The ladies looked very radiant and beautiful and they were elegantly dressed in their white attire.It was a sweet-bitter experience as there was excitement in the air, but sadly, they will never have the opportunity to be all gathered in one place, at the same time.Joy, smiles and hugs filled the hall and yes, so many pictures were taken( You trust babes now).

Parents, teachers,clergy men and well-wishers were present.One of the high points of the ceremony was the head girl's speech, she asked that they should all sing the protestant family's song at the end of her speech.The peak of the event, was the induction of the ladies as "Queens" into the old girls association with the torch been passed on from the out-going head girl to the incoming head girl.Candles were lit all over the hall and it was a beautiful sight.

Yes, it was a beautiful event

On behalf of Ofure Odigwe and myself, we give thanks to God  for the privilege to have been a part of the lives of these ladies for three years.We know they are going to be great women, because we believe in them.

Welcome To The Future.

Best Wishes To Graduating Students

Once again we celebrate the passing out of our lovely students from Secondary school into the outer world...No more 'boundaries', boarding house and such restrictions. The whole world seems to lie at your feet as you move to pursue a career in higher institutions of learning.

You have chosen your different areas of interest in career. Don't be discouraged by the numerous challenges you will face. They are not typical to you, others have faced them and conquered. Be focused, don't relent in your pursuit for excellence. If you want to be indispensable you have to be different. Don't be content with just being tolerated. Rather be determined to be celebrated.

You have your whole life ahead of you so make the best use of every opportunity to get to create an exceptional life.

Always remember that nobody is too big to be envied or too small to be insulted or degraded.

Finally, stand strong, trust God and remember you were built to last!!!

I love you all dearly.

OFURE ODIGWE

She is a pharmacist, graduated with a first class and was the best graduating student in her department.Her principles are founded on God's word. She is a nice, young, virtuous lady.

Dear Student,

Congratulations to you!!! I wish you God's grace on your graduation. It is such an honour to share this bit of important advice with you all. As a young Nigerian and fresh grandaunt, it is important that you discover that innate ability deposited in you. In our world where one's survival is increasingly determined by one's level of output, the earlier you discover your talent, the better.

This would aid you to focus on your strength in order to cancel your flaws. By God's grace, I have been able to channel my strengths as an entertainer to steer a successful career in stand-up comedy. I owe this to God's blessings, self discovery, focus, hard work, diligence, etc.

I started out comedy in secondary school and I haven't looked back ever since. I worked on myself and continued at the University. I dare to say that, I was able to pay my bills and fend for myself through my earnings from doing comedy.

I contributed in the best way I could to aid the efforts of my parents especially my loving mother. It is better to start small than do nothing at all, little drops of water make a mighty ocean.

Saco is a well recognised comedian, master of ceremony and event consultant.He is a very excellent man. He is happily married. 

 Follow @Sacocomedian

 

 

Six years in Secondary School is not beans... So let me start by saying BIG Congratulations to all of YOU!!!

As you proceed to another stage of your lives, remember that there will be excited times & trying times.In all of it, enjoy each moment along the way, tough times never last, only tough people do.

You have been created with utmost specialty. God didn't make a mistake with you.In fact, you are a celebrity, there's greatness inside you waiting to be unleashed and you are a Blessing to Nigeria.

Go ahead and be the very BEST. You must, Yes You Can and I know you will...

I have so much to say, but in all of it,  remember that Godliness Pays and in all that you do, always remain humble.

See you at the TOP.

Love Always.

Princess Simysola

She is a banker, self-esteem coach, inspirational speaker to young people.She is the Co- founder LACE (Girl Teen Club) and also the editor SimRoyalE Magazine. 

Agunbiadesimi@gmail.com

@princessimysola

08035788231