We were in Class 4 in Secondary School when two friends of mine transferred to my school from their old school in Benin City. The year was 1974. I had known one of them since childhood. The other one, I had known from afar as the first son of my Primary One teacher. He was…
Thanksgiving is here! While it may not be a Nigerian holiday, trust Nigerians to embrace it with a flair that’s unmistakably ours. For those in the diaspora, it’s more than just an American tradition—it’s an opportunity to gather, feast, and reflect on how far we’ve come. And of course, it’s also a warm-up for another…
My father, David O. Ovienmhada of blessed memory was a walking encyclopedia of idiomatic expressions. When we were little, we all used to think of him as a giant of immense knowledge. He never said much to express himself, but he always said enough. He loved to employ idioms. It was then left for you…
This week, we will be rolling out the drums for all the men in our lives.We will be singing praise songs with rampant ululations. Do men deserve these shout-outs?Yes, they do… No matter what women say, men are their better halves. Well, we are also acutely aware of some women who repeatedly take delight in…
In Nigeria, “family” isn’t just a word—it’s a force of nature. Weddings, birthdays, graduations, naming ceremonies, and even the occasional Tuesday, are all occasions where family involvement is not just encouraged, but expected. Now, imagine taking that same cultural fervor and trying to fit it into the often individualistic world of the diaspora. Welcome to…
It’s MAGA Time. On Wednesday last week, Donald J. Trump, Biden’s predecessor returned to the White House as successor to Biden on a courtesy visit that he refused to extend to Biden in 2021. It all seemed like only yesterday that ‘January 6th’ happened. Time must really be an illusion. Maybe there really is no…
In all the melee that was going on, the two gentlemen in the black SUV got in their vehicle, and sped off, tires screeching. I screamed for help, but within seconds, every single vehicle, including the one that brought in the passenger who now lay lifeless on the ground had disappeared from my premises. In…
This right here is the new poser for you ladies this week. Can marriage really thrive between an educated woman, and an illiterate man in Nigeria? Can a university graduate find love, and happiness amongst artisans, and unlettered men? I have found that this arrangement is not alien in the Western nations. The emphasis is…
I thought I had done justice to this topic until I started to receive enormous responses that necessitated this final article. Clearly, marriage is such an emotive issue, and we’re all looking for ways and means to make things better. So, I will be unpacking the following posers this week: How come multiple wives in…
Let’s face it: marriage is a beautiful thing, but throw in a culture clash, the pressures of life abroad, and the Nigerian tradition that everyone has a say in your business, and you’ve got yourself a complex recipe. A Nigerian marriage abroad is like cooking jollof rice in a foreign kitchen. The ingredients are there,…
