When It Comes To Volunteering I’m Not Sure I Can Sit Still – Is This My Weakness?
You see, I think I have a weakness in my life. This weakness weakens me a lot. It’s not sex and it isn’t food. It’s not even parties (oh c’mon! Having one day of peaceful rest and sleep at home is party enough for me). This weakness is about volunteering to do something I know I can do. Like to teach people about something, or just hanging around a youth program or initiative. I always want to help out any way I can in these events and this got me into lots of trouble at the university. I didn’t finish my first degree. I studied Educational Management for half a year and dropped out. Oh yeah, I got admission into English & Literary Studies so I left that first course. I would’ve finished my one year, but I was busy serving as a publicity & publications leader at a youth…
KENNETHCOLLINS AJAGU – BRING US BACK!!!
#ChibokGirls 276 abducted 57 escaped 3 found 21 released 4 infants with girls 19 parents dead Still missing 195! This story is in commiseration of the missing Chibok School Girls. That night I sat outside, staring into nothing. The familiar bells of the church hadn’t rung in years, the stars that once gave me companionship at night stopped its visits. The air was dusty and stung when it hit the white of the eye while tears fought themselves into streams on my face. I knew we were going on another journey, another journey filled with screams and barks of short orders rolled out in Hausa. My memory never failed me this last 2 years, it stayed by me taunting me with images of home, of a time when I could cradle my innocence and be proud about it, a time when the bells rang and my feet hurried home from…
Winners Of The Public Speaking Competition themed “Education Eradicates Gender Violence”
We love it when people read that’s why we love to give out books in book giveaways! On the 2nd of April, Blankpaperz went into a partnership with Voice of Reason and the Calabar Youth Council for Women’s Right to give out book gifts to the top three winners of The Public Speaking Competition themed “Education Eradicates Gender Violence,” organized by Calabar Youth Council for Women’s Right. Congratulations to Olga Chiazo from Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti for winning first place and for carrying home the heaviest set of book gifts to be won that day. Of course, the 1st runner up and the 2nd runner up also got book gifts. Every winner is a reader and every reader is a leader.
Happy Birthday To Chibuzor Agomuoh, The Man Repositioning Nigerian Teenagers For Greatness
Personally, the first time I interacted with Chibuzor was sometime in 2015. We connected over Facebook and he requested for an online interview with me. Trust me I was wowed! Little teenage me? Really? Interesting. Afterwards, I came back to Calabar and we met sometime in 2016. Ever since then, it’s been a glorious arrangement meeting this young man here. All the times I have joined him in his SunRise School Tours, I have personally been impacted on. So Blankpaperz today wishes Chibuzor a HAPPY MERRY BIRTHDAY! So relax, let me tell you a little about Chibuzor and many of the things he has done for teenagers in Calabar. The SunRise Youth Intervention Organisation is a NonProfit Organisation which puts effort into Curbing Youth Restiveness and promoting Sexual & Reproductive Health Awareness in Nigeria. The SunRise Youth Intervention Organisation for the last five years has been actively involved in securing…
A Chat With TECH me Founder Jerry Odili
My name is Jerry Odili. I am a Nigerian and I live in Lagos. I am a socialpreneur and Founder of TECH me. I love technology so I decided to start a social enterprise which uses ICT to solve social and community problems. I play and watch a lot of sports. I also love reading books. What were you like in High School? And did you expect to be where you are today, while you were in school? In High School, I was the guy sitting at the back of the class. I had absolutely no idea I would be going down this career path when I was younger. I always pictured myself wearing a suit and tie, sitting behind a big desk, working in a bank or an oil company. Have you figured out how exactly your life in 30 years should be? Yes, I have and I’m working…
An Exclusive Interview With Oluwatoyin Olabisi Oloruntola-Taiwo Founder/Chief Executive of The Women and Girl-Child Capabilities Enhancement and Empowerment Organization (WGCCEEO)
Life can be serious. The business of changing Africa’s story bit by bit isn’t easy but sometimes these change makers are normal humans like Ayo & Kofi and like you and I. The only difference is that they put in more work and more efforts and do not have two heads… Let’s meet Toyin, this particular change agent. My name is Oluwatoyin Olabisi Oloruntola-Taiwo; I am from Kogi State Nigeria. I am the Founder/Chief Executive of a Non-Governmental Organization –The Women and Girl-Child Capabilities Enhancement and Empowerment Organization (WGCCEEO) an organization committed to the promotion of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Girl Child Education and the Economic Empowerment of Rural Women through access to information and resources. My hobbies are reading and making friends. My strange habits are writing on tiny pieces of paper and waking up in the early hours of the morning to read. I am also…
Inspiring You Today Is Ikechukwu Chukwure A Musician, Writer and Surveyor
That would be the sense of entitlement some of our young people have, you know that attitude that suggests that someone or the society owes you something. Or it is someone else’s responsibility to make your life better while you sleep. No way! See, I believe if you want something so bad, you really have to go and get it. That means taking responsibility for your life. What were you like in High School? And did you expect to be where you are today, while you were in school? It was OK, I was a good science student. I did well in maths, physics, and chemistry. Have you figured out how exactly your life in 30 years should be? Yeah, in 30 years, I see myself taking on new and exciting challenges in leadership in and around Africa. You’re a new addition to the crayon box. What color would you…
For All Women by Marycollette Matiki
When I cook, I am made to stand by the curtain and watch you eat. I have to tell from your expressions if my meal was good or not. If I can, I am supposed to genuflect when I drop the food after I hold the bowl for you to wash your hand. When you nod your head as the food travels down your throat, I am supposed to rejoice as I have won a good wife batch. I am told it is a crime to make you wait for food. As you knock on the door to announce your presence, I am to welcome you with a gentle massage and genuine inquiry about your day. I have been told and taught a thousand and one things to do to be a good wife, but I am scared. I am scared the lessons ended with me. No one bothered to…
THE OTHER ROOM BY OFEM UBI
Right from inception, I always saw my mom as warrior How she battled the tick-tock time to make sure she made the day before it made her With shoulders padded with grace that pre-pardoned my sins seconds before they were committed She was Sampson in eve’s form With muscles and biceps sown deep in the soil of her fertile heart that grew nothing but love, kindness and smiles beautiful as salvation sounds And that made see women as rare species I often saw her in every girl young and old And that always pushed my magnetic heart to each of them Until the media changed my perception And distorted my in born view from the truth Until she was transformed into a utensil for pleasure And her temple became Sodom’s castle with Delilah as the gatekeeper Until she began to mask her skin in the guise of make-ups and contour…
The Tripod by Ofem Ubi
WHEN GIRLS PONDER Does he find me pretty? Am I sexy enough to grace the cover page of his DP? Does he ever fantasize about me? And did he ever wish I was skinny or plumpy No seriously Am I the only girl he double-taps for Or am I number 4 in the list of his call log My minds on standby And its time I knew if I make the headlines or the highlight Am I his compulsory option? Does he ever smile when his thoughts enters my lane Or am I just too lame to see that he’s playing games I need to step up First I’ll begin with my make-up WHEN BOYS PONDER Is she a hit and run? Is she the digger made to excavate my gold at first sight? I heard she’s into guys with biceps And it’s high time I became friends…
Thank God It’s Just A Dream By Passion
“Oooh!!!” “Ahhh!!!” “C’omon!!!” ” Yea!!! right there!” “Ahhhhhhh!!!” “Wheew!!!” That was so cool! Felix heaved a huge sigh of relief. That was the 5th round of sex they had had today and he still came after 50 seconds later much to Salome’s disappointment. She rolled her wrapper over and looked at him in disdain, she couldn’t imagine it was always going to be like this. She had bought him drugs, both traditional and English yet there was no improvement, he would start with so much agressiveness only to fall flat few seconds later. He noticed she wasn’t pleased with him and moved closer to her. “Baby I’m trying my best here, I think it’s work stress I promise I’ll do better. See, I drank all the concoction you mixed for me, I really want to mke u happy too.” “I have heard!” Was the swift response she gave him. She…
SLAVE PRICE BY OFEM UBI
SLAVE-PRICE I am the new slave of the century And silence is my voice My lips have been sealed with selotep of fear And only my kind see my heavy chains So why should I raise alarm? I was present when he handed over those cowries clothed in costumes of a bride-price And my smiles hindered my eyes from seeing the exchange rates attached to those naira notes The terms and conditions applied the very first day we smiled against each other And those hidden charges took the center stage the very night he took me home So why should why I speak when he molests me? Why should I scream when he threatens to deport me? When he makes me his dictionary of curses I am like a ram taken up to the altar for slaughter I certainly have no say in the hands of my Master I was…
Hello Afia Serwaah Owusu Sekyere – The Entreprenurial African Shero
I love Afiah! Infact she gave me a new Ghanian name, Adwoa. Afiah is just so funny and interesting. She’s also known as ASOS. This young lady is an entrepreneur and is so much more. This one is interesting, let’s read this amazing shero’s profile as she changes Africa slowly. Afia Serwaah Owusu Sekyere is a student of Ghana Institute of Journalism-GIJ, pursuing a degree program in Communication Studies with a major in Broadcast Journalism. Due to her passion for youth empowerment, she founded the campus based Grow Africa Network to create a platform for young people to launch initiatives and harness ideas aimed at sustainable development with young people at the forefront. As the GIJ Ambassador for Women Entrepreneurship Day-WED, an initiative that helps to support, empower and celebrate women in entrepreneurship, she leads in organizing entrepreneurial events and related campaigns, culminating in an event in late 2015 attended…