Category: NYSC

Memories from Kaduna [2]

April 16, 2016

In addition to the weekly tests, I decided to tackle the problem of fear by organizing tutorials for maths and physics. The initial plan was to bring all the senior students in Fadan Karshi’s two secondary schools to one location for the tutorial. For this, I requested approval from NYSC to run this community tutorial … More Memories from Kaduna [2]

Memories from Kaduna

April 16, 2016

“You have to redeploy. Find your way back home”. This aptly sums up the reactions of several friends and family members when they heard I was posted to the north. With Boko Haram making the news regularly, only a “fewish” few spoke nicely of Kaduna, and encouraged me to make the best of the service … More Memories from Kaduna

Education’s Relative Value

March 20, 2016

At face value, education is “hyped” as being very important. Civil society organisations and other groups routinely buttress the value of education, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where millions are related to poverty. Even the usually detached government has decreed compulsory basic education. Despite all the uproar about education, some persons still see it as valueless. … More Education’s Relative Value

The ViMP 2016 Experience

March 13, 2016

From 6-12 March, a period spanning one week, 52 young Nigerians were camped together, and had the privilege of learning at the prestigious Lagos Business School. The participants were a motley crew selected from different states in Nigeria, with diverse academic backgrounds. Some were youth corps members, while others had just completed their service year. … More The ViMP 2016 Experience

Culture-Veiled Mistakes

February 28, 2016

Malcolm Gladwell in his book, “Outliers”, examined the effects of culture and environment on individuals’ actions, responses, thoughts and mannerisms. He showed that even seemingly mundane matters are influenced by these two factors. In the little time spent in different parts of Nigeria, I have seen that the way mistakes are viewed and handled leans … More Culture-Veiled Mistakes

Leaders of Never

February 16, 2016

“Youths are the leaders of tomorrow.” “Youths are the future leaders.” Presumably, every person older than a toddler has heard these quotes or any of their numerous cousins. It is ingrained in the human consciousness that every generation will at some point be replaced by a younger one. However, for many youths, tomorrow remains elusive, … More Leaders of Never

A Case for Gratitude

November 8, 2015

When was the last time you showed gratitude to anyone? Thanks to many of us in this generation thinking that the world revolves around us, aided by a sense of entitlement, gratefulness is hardly on the agenda any more. It’s as if everyone around us is an indentured servant.

10 Hours to Failure

October 17, 2015

“Uncle, I use (sic) to sleep from 7 o’clock to 5 o’clock”. As the young student uttered this statement, I looked aghast at her. Good sleep is important for proper development and good health, but sleeping for ten hours tells a lot about one’s priorities.