INSPIRATIONAL STORY: THE MAN AND HIS SHADOW

The man and his shadow

This is an inspiration story about a man who desired to catch his own shadow.

The story of the man and his shadow is one that exposes us to concept of desire.

“Ultimately it’s the desire, not the desired that we love” Friedrich N

There was a certain man who desired to catch his own shadow. He makes a step or two toward it, but it moved away from him. He quickens his pace; it does the same. At last he takes to running; but the

AFRICAN FOLKTALE: THE SNAKE, THE FARMER, AND THE HERON

This is an African folktale of the Hausa, a diverse but culturally homogeneous people predominantly concentrated in the Northern Nigeria and South-Eastern Nigeria. Significant numbers of Hausa can also be found in parts of Chad, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Sudan, Togo, Gabon, and Ghana.

A snake chased by hunters asked a farmer to save its life. To hide it from its pursuers, "Farmer, please hide me," said the snake. "Where shall I hide you?" The farmer replied. "All I ask is that you save

my life," the snake continued. Out of sympathy, the farmer squatted and let the snake crawl into his belly.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM GREAT CEOs

The SpeedMeal Story (Titus and Tobias Igwe )

The Igwe brothers are some of the many Nigerians who have come face to face with the grim reality of the Nigerian situation. Considering the untimely death of their father and other intricate variants.

6 Things You Don't Know About The New Glo/CAF African Footballer Of The Year; Aubameyang

The Glo/CAF awards, held Thursday 7 January 2015, in Abuja at the International Conference Centre, saw Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang emerge the new king of African football.

Since its inception in 1992, only Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon and Yaya Toure of Côte d'Ivoire - who won it four times consecutively immediately preceding this years’s- have won the much coveted award four times.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang defeated the Manchester City star and Andre Ayew, son of Ghana legend, Abedi Pelé; the first winner of the (CAF) African footballer of the year award in 1992.


Here are 6 things you didn’t know about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Aubameyang Started His Youth Career At ACMilan

The Gabonese star made his very first cameo appearance and came to limelight in August 2007 in the inaugural Champions' Youth Cup held in Malaysia, appearing for the AcMilan's Youth team. Aubameyang had a string of Steller performances at the youth championship scoring against all the opponents that came up against his team in the championship. He finished the competition with seven goals to boot in six matches, making him the top scorer of the competition.

The Search For Relevance

Following his impressive performances with Acmilan youth team in 2007, Aubameyang was sent out on loan to three French clubs, Dijon, Lille, monaco and St Etienne between 2008 to 2011, in order to gain first team experience. Although he had impressive seasons at Monaco and St Etienne, he had a forgettable stint at Dijon. In December 2011, St Ettiene signed him on a permanent deal. In the 2012/13 season, he established himself as a key figure in the Ligue 1 side's campaign with 19 goals and 8 assists in 37 appearances, becoming the league’s second most prolific scorer. In 2013, Aubameyang left the club to join Dortumund.

The first Gabonese player to play in the Bundesliga.

When he made his debut in 2013 against Bayern Munich in the fourth edition of  DFL-Supercup -an annual football match contested for by the winners of the previous season's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal competitions - he became the first Gabonese to appear in the Bundesliga

Proficiency: A goal per game

Incredible is the word to define Aubameyang's 2015 campaign with Borussia Dortmund. His 27 goals in 27 games for the Bundesliga side made the versatile attacker - who can player anywhere in the front three attacking positions - the top scorer in the Bundesliga in 2015 and launched him as one of the most prolific strikers in Europe. When he signed a new contract in July 2015, he said  "Every part of me wants to be here and I have never wanted to leave." He remained on the wish list of top European sides, with Arsenal leading the pack in the chase.

Bundesliga Goal Scoring Record

Aubameyang set a record when he scored his team's LONE goal in the 1-1 draw against 1899 Hoffenheim. The goal made him the first player in Bundesliga history to score In each of his team's opening six matches. Scoring in the subsequent two games against Darmstadt 98 and Bayern Munich saw him extend his own record to eight matches.

Aubameyang Becomes The First Player To Win The Award From Gabon

Following his debut appearance in the Gabonese national team in 2009, the Dortmund striker has quickly  become an integral part of the Gabonese national team. His announcement as the 2015 African footballer of the year makes him the first player ever from his country to win the biggest individual award in African football.

7 Kickass Fact You Don’t Know About Africa And Africans

President Robert Mugabe: World's Most Educated President

Regardless of your opinion about the man who has being described by many as a dictator, tyrant, purveyor of  murder, corrupt and wife snatcher, the reality is President Mugabe of Zimbabwe has an enviable academic qualifications. He holds seven academic degrees from South Africa’s Fort Hare University, University of South Africa (Unisa) and University of London, which qualifies him as the world's most educated president.

The Seychellois Are The Most Educated Africans. 

A new report published by UNESCO’s Regional Office in Dakar revealed that Seychelles is the only African country that fulfilled the six Education For All ( EFA ) goals set out by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO.

EFA goals are:
* To encourage and improve early childhood care and education
* To ensure that all children have access to free compulsory primary education
* To meet the academic needs of Africans
* To achieve 50 percent improvement in adult literacy
* To achieve gender equality in education by 2015. Among other things

Seychelles’ literacy rates: Adult: 92%, Youth: 99%. Zimbabwe comes second with Adult literacy of  91.2% and Youth 99%

Rwanda Beats UK And USA To Gender Equality

According to the World Economic Forum's global gender gap index 2015, gender equality is now better in Rwanda (ranked 6th) than the USA (28th) and UK. The report shows that Rwandan women enjoy greater gender equality than their counterparts in the USA and UK.

Teodoro Obiang Nguema: African Current Longest Ruling President

I don't think there is any current African president who has abused democracy more than Teodoro Obiang Nguema, president of Equitoria Guinea who has been in power for 34 years. The Equatoguinean politician ousted his uncle in a military coup in 1979 and has remained in office up till now.

Angola Has More Portuguese Speakers Than Portugal.

About 60% to 75% of the Angolan  population speak Portuguese language. A study conducted by the Angolan National Institute for Statistics in 2012 revealed that Portuguese is the native language of 39% of the Angolan population.
With around 260 million total speakers of the language, Portugal’s population represents only about 5% of the total.

President Jacob Zuma Was Once A Referee In Prison.

Jacob Zuma alongside 45 recruits of the African National Congress were arrested and convicted in 1963 for conspiring to overthrow the apartheid government. During his jail term on Robben Island along with other prominent leaders of the ANC, including Nelson Mandela, Zouma was appointed a referee for the Prisoners’ Association football games. The games were organised by the Prisoners’ Governing Body, Makana F.A.

Al-Ahly of Egypt Is The Richest Club In Africa.

Egyptian football Club was named by CAF as the "African Club of the Century" in 2001. Apart from being the most decorated team with 101 championship recognised by fifa, Al-Ahly is the richest football club in Africa. Al-Ahly's Market Value is €13,95 m, followed by Esperance of Tunisia Valued at €12,75 m.

4 Problems Zinadine Zidane Will Face As Real Madrid Coach

Zinedine Zidane was appointed the new manager of the spainish capital club Real Madrid following the sacking of Rafael Benitez.

The question hanging on everyone’s lips is how long will it take Florentino Perez to call the next press conference? Zidane’s job the subject of course. Florentino Perez comes off like a little brat who always wants new toys. He gets the toys but time ticks fast for his next demand for new ones.

Zidane becomes the 11th Real Madrid coach in 12 years under Perez. The three times FIFA world player of the Year and World Cup winner faces a herculean task to take the Los Blancos - who are currently positioned 3rd on the League Table - back to the winning ways.

5 Problems Zinadine Zidane MAY Face As Real Madrid’s Coach

Lack Of Experience 

Coaching Real Madrid is like walking on a banana peel; it's not a question of IF you will fall over, it's a question of WHEN. Florentino and Real Madrid is all about the bass, they don't do treble. You can win 20 straight matches and everything is fine but losing one or two games may put your job on the line. In Madrid, Zidane is guaranteed to have some of the most talented footballers in A team. He will be caught between balancing ego and maximizing the team's potential. Luckily, Zidane has a friendly relationship with most of the big guns in the team. But its left to be seen if that will translate to collective will to achieve specific goal’s.

EL-CLASSICO PRESSURE AND THE BATTLE AGAINST THE BIG TEAMS

The Classico games have always been one of the deciding factors of the life span of A Real Madrid coach. Recall that Bernard Schauster's famous comment that inspired his sack? "winning El Classico is impossible.'' For over a decade, Real Madrid have been walking in the shadows of Barcelona. Despite its rich history, the Los Blancos have been suffering relative drought and are desperate to play catch up with their Catalan rival.
Apart from the Classico pressure, Zidane will be faced with the challenge of leading Madrid to their first win against the Laliga big guns.

MOURINHO WAITING ON THE WING

Former Real Madrid president, Ramon Calderon insisted that the Portuguese will make a return to the Benarbeu, add that to the pressure of managing a club as delicate as Madrid. Whether Calderon claims are valid or not, he has set the tone for the media. The media will exaggerate every win, every set back will be over analysed. Zidane will enjoy the support of the Board, the fans and the team but he will always be under the spotlight. Mourinho’s image will be sending chills down his spine.

His Promise Will Not Be Forgotten

Florentino Perez is in a class of his own in the world of football. Not many football club will sack a coach and hire a new one in the same press conference. Speaking at the brief press conference where he was unveiled,  Zidane promised to "try my best to do, and ensure the team wins at the end of the season.” With Madrid thrown out of the Copa del Rey following Rafa Benitez's administrative error of fielding an ineligible player, there are a couple of competitions for the ex France skipper to redeem that pledge. You'll recall that Benitez wrongly fielded Denis Cheryshev - who was suspended after an accumulation of yellow cards during his loan spell at Villareal last season - in their first leg tie at Cadiz. Cheryshev scored the opener however Real Madrid were thrown out of the competition in an embarrassing manner. Zidane's hope of winning a silverware for Madrid this season lies in the League and the Champions League.

Now, the trillion dollar question is: When will Florentino Perez call the next press conference to announce Zidane’s successor?

Top 10 Nigerian Hottest Songs On ITunes

As the vibrant Nigerian Music Industry continues to witness exponential growth, the popular musicians continue to wow their audience. The top ten hottest Nigerian song on iTune was ranked according to the numbers of current plays,  sales and downloads

Here are the top ten Nigerian hottest songs on iTunes

10. Eruku Sa’ye Po- Seantizzle

9. Duro Remix – Tekno ft Flavour & Phyno

8. Seantizzle- Hold up

7. Is it because I love you- Lil Kesh ft Patoranking

6. Connect- Phyno

5. The Money- Davido ft Olamide

4. open and close- Similar

3. Wash- Tekno

2. Pickup- Adekunle Gold

1. Baba Nla – Wizkid

6 Silly Complains of Nigerian Girl Friends

Nigerian girl friends, like African mothers are at their best, the special creatures who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who makes our lives blossom. However, inside the most loving, caring and affectionate Nigerian girlfriend is a devoted complainer who reacts to every little thing. I guess Marilyn Monroe had the Nigerian girlfriend in mind when she said, "If you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."

You'll surely have great times with your Nigerian girlfriend but you need to tolerate her when she gets into a whining and nagging mood.

She Always Complains About Being Fat

fat black woman

The typical Nigerian girl friend is always watchful of her weight and she always calls her partner's attention to it, she exaggerate so much that he becomes her make-shift animated mirror. Interestingly she does nothing to change it. Instead she eats and eats and gives you sundry explanations on why it's important for her to eat.

She Complains That You Have Become Less Affectionate

She may not be entirely wrong; there are times in every relationship where one partner feels less affectionate than the other. But you must always remember that girls crave for affection almost as much as they crave sex. When she starts complaining about affection, simply shut her up by: grabbing her ass while she's doing random chores, giving her little compliments as she walks by. Do those little things that gets her tripping, you'll be surprised how quickly she starts feeling the affection again.

She Complains That You Watch Too Much Football

My philosophy is very clear on this one 'if your girlfriend complains about you Watching too much football' she is not a wife material. It would be inhuman not to feel a massive jolt of sympathy for a guy whose girl friend complains that he watches too much football. A football

A football match takes only 90 minutes, if he can afford to spare you 90 minutes to get dressed every time he goes out with you, It's only fair that you spare him 90 minutes to watch his favorite club.

She Complains That You Spend Too Much Time with Your Friends

The typical Nigerian girlfriend is characteristically too clingy. She is all about quantity rather than quality. She fails to realize that seven or eight hours of laying around and watching TV is not as qualitative as having an hour of serious heartfelt discussion or a romantic outing that lasted an hour or two. She never seem to get enough of your time or attention, no matter how much effort you put into it, don't fight it - you can't win this endless battle - spend as much time as possible with her.

She Complains You Are Not Bad Enough

You will be making a huge mistake if you judge your Nigerian girl friend by her words. An average Nigerian girl is euphemistic in nature, what she prays for or wishes are almost always in contrast with what she really desires. Most times she prays to find an easy going, loving, caring, affectionate and Godly man, but when she eventually finds him, she complains he is too straight, submissive or laid back. She can't understand why he doesn't drink or go clubbing.

She Complains That You Don't Text Her Back As Soon As She Texts You

Like their African mothers, Nigerian Girlfriends are sometimes as annoying as a drunken girl walking on a peer of heels. She's texting you every minute to ask you what you are doing, who you are talking to, what you are talking to them about; she wants to know everything, and you are expected to reply all the texts. Although, she doesn't want you texting on the wheels –yes, because she loves you so much - but she can't understand why you wouldn't pull-over to reply her messages.

She Complains That You Don't Compliment Her Enough

Honesty, they say is the back bone of love and relationships but there are always sometimes when your girlfriend appreciates you for lying. For instance, when your 'fat' girlfriend looked in the mirror and said “I am too fat “you told her, "No! I think you are trim", both of you knew you lied, but She loves you for telling her that little white lie. There are many things all over the place that make her insecure; hence she need positive feedback from you. She just wants to be sure you still find her sexy and attractive. You don’t have to be honest with your compliment, she just want to hear something positive

6 Things You'll Miss If You Grew Up In The 80s

"Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days."

Doug Larson

Growing up in the 1980s is a special privilege, the 80s was the greatest decade to grow up. But honestly, I think every one can have the same opinion for whatever decade they grew up. For some of our parents, the 50s and 60s were the best decades to grow up and they wouldn't trade it for our 80s' experiences just like I will not trade my 80s' experience with the '00s.

Here are 6 things you will miss if you grew up in the 80s

Cartoons

ninja turtles

Who else feels that children of this generation now get deprived of feeling the 'real' excitement of being kids? What happened to Saturday morning cartoons and so many other good shows that cared about the kids and helped us build our own creativity? The 80s gave us plenty of creative cartoons, you just have to feel sorry for the kids today.

Not Being Connected To The Internet 24/7

We may never truly comprehend how much the internet has taken away from us. I genuinely feel that we have all been lost in today's world of internet and social media and cell phones. Remember the glorious old days when you don't have to compete with the cell phones and internet to gain the attention of your siblings and friends with whom you could talk and entertain yourselves for hours with nothing but your imagination or some simple toys.

Now, nobody has time for anybody and are all engrossed with their cell phones. People don't have real friends anymore, all we have these days are networks of acquaintances (AKA people we are friends with on social media but hardly hangout with in real life)

Simplicity

I miss those days when tying your shoe lace is the most problematic thing in the world. You know what that means? There were no real problems.

Suspense

Do you remember those days when everything have elements of suspension? If a movie - which are definitely more iconic and innovative than anything you have now - was coming to the theaters, you only get to see a short trailer that only tells you the actors that featured in it, or you read a magazine article announcing the imminent release of the blockbuster video only a few weeks or months before it finally came out. You couldn't have known or heard anything about the movie a year before it hits theaters.

But now? we  already know almost everything about a movie before we watch it. Sadly that means there's no need to go see certain movies, we've already had our fun from the preview copy thanks to ever dependable pirates.

Creativity

youtube.com

Remember those days when after coming home from school, you rush out to go and play outside till the street lights came on. We Created something from everything: Castles can be built on sand, guns can be made of wood, airplanes and boats can be made from papers. The imaginative and creative world of kids is dead and buried.

Happiness

Once upon a time, we didn't need to fake smiles and pretend to be happy just to take a selfie; we found happiness in everything we did. Today, many people believe that happiness is having fun at a party, and drinking themselves into stupor.

4 Unusual Marriage Tradition Across Nigeria

Marriage is an important institution all over the world, particularly in Africa and Nigeria. Traditional marriage in Nigeria is special and unique according to each ethnic group. Nigeria's rich cultural heritage makes up for fascinating traditional marriages, however, some of them are quite unusual.

Listed below are four unusual traditional marriages across Nigeria

5 Different Shades Of Relationships: Africans and Europeans in Perspective.

When I think of relationships, I think of friendship blended with passion, intimacy, commitment and loyalty with the goal of building a lifetime together in marriage.

 

Marriage is the prerequisite for building a family and ultimately a society. There is an  apparent relativity in relationship forms  between Africans and Europeans and it will be safe to conclude that what are acceptable habits or trend in one are unthinkable in others.

5 things we learned From The El Classico

There were a lot to discuss before yesterday's El-Classico: tactics, injuries and expectations. Given their pre-Classico forms, not many would have expected to see Barcelona "Hannibal- lectured" Real Madrid the way they did. Barca were all about the 'BASS'! While Real Madrid resorted to playING the 'TREBLE'.

Here are 5 things we learned from the Classico

The Bernabau is Barca's Comfort Zone

In recent years, FC Barcelona have recorded some memorable wins at the Bernabau. The last time Madrid scored 4+ goals at the Camp Nou Clasico was back in 1963. However,  Barça have scored 4+ goals at the Bernabeu 3 times in the last 6 years !

Barca's Biggest big wins at the Bernabeu:

1974:    Real Madrid 0-5

2009:    Real Madrid 2-6

2015:    Real Madrid  0-4

2005:     Real Madrid  0-3

1984: 0-3

Neymar And Suarez Telepathic Partnership

In the absence of Lionel Messi,  Neymar and Suárez are the trees that don't let people see the forest. Many pundits and observers have predicted that Barca will suffer in the absence of the Argentine, however, Neymar and Suarez have seized the opportunity to prove the doubters wrong. They both top the goal scoring chart with 12 and 11 strikes respectively.

Gareth Bale Flops Again

Since joining Madrid in Sep 2013, Bale has flopped in all OF the 5 la liga El-ClassicoS he has played. Bale's first major contribution in the game was in the twentieth minute when he stamped on Alba's feet. His majour competitor for the best flop of the match has to be Christiano Ronaldo who curiously completed the game.

Enrique Out-Classed Benitez In The Tactical Battle

Enrique is reknowned for introducing brave tactics; switching from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 to accommodate Sergi Roberto - who started ahead of Lionel Messi - proved to be a smart decision. Benitez on the other hand made some questionable selectionS. Starting Danilo ahead of Carvajal against Neymar is like getting a divorce and asking a hooker to raise your kids. The decision to play Benzema and James who are not fully fit proved to be a wrong call too.

Iniesta And Busquets' Artistry

Much like the Nike slo-gan which accompanied Barca's kits last

season, Iniesta and Busquets are 'crafted to win’, the midfield duo totally outplayed their opposing numbers as they left Luca Modric and Tony Kroos admiring their skillful displays like the spectators at the Bernabau. During the Classico match  football found itself woven in Iniesta and Busquets' genes.

7 Things You Need to Know this Monday Morning

Abubakar Audu Died Of Stroke

According to Premium Times, Abubakar Audu, may not have died as a result of the news of the declaration of Saturday’s election as inconclusive. The newspaper reported that Mr. Audu’s health problem started on Saturday evening. The  candidate of the All Progressives Congress for Saturday’s governorship election was reported to have suffered a stroke on Saturday morning.

10 Interesting Facts You Need to Know About Africa

Their are some interesting facts about Africa you don't get thought in school, these facts do not fit into the school curriculum. The history teachers only cover the teaching of core academic subject, while leaving out the fun and juicy part. It's up to us to look for these information ourselves

Today In History (Nov 21): Famous Birthdays

Davido

David Adedeji Adeleke better known by his stage name Davido , is an American-born Nigerian recording artist, performer and record producer. 1992.

El Clasico 2015: Five players to watch out for

The football World comes to a standstill once again when Real Madrid takes on  Barcelona in this weekend's ( Nov 21, 2015) Clasico fixture.

This weekend’s El Clasico could prove to be pivotal in the La Liga title race. Barca currently sits at the summit of the table, three points clear of their fiercest rival in the title race. A win for the  Luis Enrique's side will open up a six points gap at the top of the league table.

The focus will once again be on the two world best footballers, Lionell Messi and Christiano Ronaldo, when the two teams relaunch their eternal rivalry in yet another edition of El Clasico, however, there are few other players who will play key roles in deciding the outcome of this much anticipated game.

Here are the 5 players in the first El Classico of the season.

6 Apps That Can Solve The Problms You Wish You Never Had

Do you have a problem that you wish an app could solve? Here is a good news, Developers (the experienced and the boot- strapping startups), are working day and night to make life easier for you, they are always introducing new apps to solve specific problems.

The following apps will make your life simple.

Five Basic Rules Of the Leptin Diet

If you have been struggling to lose weight, you may want to consider the Leptin Diet. This will not only help you Lose Some Weight, it will also help you live a life free of worries about gaining extra pounds in weight.

SOURCE: www.cumc.columbia.edu

Leptin is one of the many hormones produced by your fat cells, which plays a role in your appetite control. the levels leptin in human body rises when excess fat is stored which then triggers the brain to eliminate the urge for food.
However, genetic deficiencies can make you grow resistant to letin, hence, your hunger level increases uncontrollably thereby leading to leading to weight gain.

Meet The Sexiest Man Alive 2015

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10 Memorable Quotes Of Obafemi Awolowo

“It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations.” Winston Churchill

Chief Obafemi Awolowo is widely recognized as a storehouse of wisdom. Awolowo, in my opinion is the best President Nigeria never had.

His wisdom and discernment were special gifts from God. Being an influential nationalists and a political writer whose works touched on nearly every practical area of the nation’s life, Awolowo had a very good way of putting his wisdom to use, and there are so many quotable quotes from his various speeches and public comments.

Here are 10 memorable quotes from Chief Awolowo's