RiverNaija

There is a high incentive to use juju to settle scores in Africa; hence I came up with possible elements that could motivate the practise of juju: •The psychological nature of Africa’s people is inherently superstitious (Illogical) and not solution driven (Logical) - Africans keep discharging stories and tales of juju powers (influence) over their day to day activities. A lot of these stories are mostly unproven, delusional and when investigated, lacks logical supposition. This in turn breeds fear amongst the people which in turn motivates individuals to choose Juju as an option to intimidate others and seek revenge for perceived wrongs done to them. It is also our superstitious thinking that is responsible for the large Church congregation that has since infested the African society (Always looking for superstitious or spiritual solution to their problems instead of thinking through their problems and coming up with findings for their next steps). Africans love outsourcing their respo...

As a gadget lover I have found myself owning some of the latest tech gadgets in the last five years. I remember journeying all the way to China town in Boston just to get my hands on the very first Ipad a month after it went on sales, only to find out months later that a newer model was going to be released. This was back in 2010 and just four years later there are over four newer versions of the same Ipad rendering my four-year old gadget obsolete. Many of us at one time in our life have found ourselves in situations where we own things we actually do not need and probably cannot dispose of. It is even worse if these are things that cost us even more money to maintain regardless of whether we use them or not. It could be cars, clothes, gadgets, wearable’s etc. Just how one can minimise the habit of buying things we actually do not need and prioritising the need to buy what we absolutely need. First the causes; Sell pressure I found out that most of the things I own that I actually ...

Last week, I got a mail from a young man who reminded me of a series I once did regarding “choosing a career as a medical doctor”. He said he needed the writings for himself and his siblings. Having found in my archives the two-part column which I wrote in February 2007, (three months before I took up appointment as spokesman to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua) I sent it to him. Titled “Who Wants to be a Doctor?” I consider the message therein important for a time like this, perhaps so that some of us might temper our anger against members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) who, in clear violation of their professional oath to save lives, have been on strike for almost a month now. I am not in support of the ongoing strike by the doctors and the timing could not be more inauspicious given the outbreak of Ebola virus within the West African sub-region with serious threats on our shores. With the death yesterday of a Nurse who was involved in treating the late Liberian v...

There has been much backlash towards Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s ‘feminist’ views, as well as towards her tasteless style of performance. Chimamanda Adichie Chimamanda Adichie Photo Credit:Huffington Post I have, until now, wanted to stay out of the debate, mainly because of her arguments being pathetic as opposed to well-thought-out. But as the conversation has grown on social media—it seems to linger eternally, for Adichie keeps fuelling it with her well-timed, divisive remarks—I realise thoroughly the significance of the debate per se, and the need for me to partake in it. I should mention here that because of certain factors I consider myself well-positioned to examine and to present opinions on the matters in question. 1) The first is that the Igbo culture of south-eastern Nigeria, which Adichie constantly attempts to exploit to support her positions, is equally mine. 2) I left Nigeria to study and settle overseas at about the same age as Adichie. I left Nigeria for Fi...

Ever wish you had the answers to a test before you walked into the classroom? Maybe some of you did have the answers, but you better keep that to yourself. I took some really hard tests during my college tenure. An engineering curriculum will do that. And if you spent time in college you remember review days. The professor would walk into a class full of students (some of which I had never seen) and give some insights about the impending test. Miss review day, and it would be foolish to expect a passing grade. But it never failed. I would follow the guideline. I would study the handout. But on the day of the exam, the professor would put the exam on my desk…and there it was. A foreign formula or equation I had never seen. At least one I did not see on the study guide. Looking back, I realize something…the teacher did not intend for the study guide to be comprehensive. It was simply not possible to include everything from the required reading, class notes, and lectures. Such is the case...

Does your mental soundtrack go anything like this? ‘’I don’t want to go out tonight, but Mike will think I’m boring if I stay in.’’ ‘’I can’t wear these same shoes I wore last week again – people will think there’s something wrong with me.’’ ‘’I’m over-committed already, but how can I say no to John? He’ll think I don’t like him.’’ ‘’I’d be really refreshed by taking a day off just to do what I like … but my colleagues will think I’m just being lazy.’’ When we were kids, we didn’t have many things to worry about. We saw adulthood as a place of amazing freedom: when you’re an adult, you can do the things you like and go to places you like. Yeah, so much freedom But somehow, by the time we reach adulthood, this world of vast possibilities has narrowed. We go to tertiary institution, because that’s what everyone else is doing. Then we look for a sensible, entry-level job, because that’s what everyone else is doing. Pretty soon, we think about getting a house, getting a better car, workin...

By Uche Igwe :- Nigerians find it very difficult these days to trust others and even themselves. Corruption, dishonesty and cheating have become the rule of the game rather than an exception to the rule. It has permeated all sectors of the economy. In anything you are doing with anybody, you must remain vigilant, literally with one of your eyes open except you want them to undercut you. The country has become so corrupt that a majority of the people now believe that it is the only way to survive. If you decide not to cheat, you will lose out. It is a game of the smart– each person trying to outsmart the other. Some people say that it is a cultural thing. I disagree, in indigenous Igbo culture, those who have questionable wealth are ostracised and their children will hardly get married. I suspect that white collar jobs i.e. civil service and politics changed everything. At a time, it was only those who worked with the colonial masters and who collected taxes and rents who could afford...