So, I had just finished my West African School Certificate Examination, (WASC), in 1975. In my own eyes, the world was my oyster. I was not only 16, I was also a ‘big boy’ with my well manicured Afro. I had a girlfriend who was turning 14. Her birthday was going to be in a…
A fair skinned boy was born into a modest household in the valley of Ozenyen, Ohordua in present day Esan South East Local Government of Edo State circa 1915. He was named David Omozokpia Ovienmhada. His mother whom they called Oboh, a name which in my language means—Native doctor, probably because she was very skilled…
The year was 1992. I had a great job in a marketing company. Life was good. My wife had just given birth to our third daughter. We lived in a posh neighborhood in Accra, Ghana. My address was 45B Kwame Osei Street. My neighbor at 45A was a man I rarely saw. It appeared he lived outside the…
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…
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…
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…
As I was saying last week, I saw my staff Bello, walking towards the policeman to try and stop him from peeing in the parking lot. Instinctively, I began to come down the hill, and as I did, I was screaming, trying to get Bello’s attention to stop him, but he could not hear me….
In 2007, I made the decision to pursue my dream of building a highway restaurant for travelers. It was a dream I had long held in a part of my heart from when I opened my first restaurant at the age of 19 while in the University. The highway town of Ore has been a…
After 6 years of Primary School, we were all required to take the Common Entrance to qualify us for the next level of our lives. There was a famous teacher in Benin City in those days. He was famous for being great at preparing children for the Common Entrance. His name was Mr. Oluyemi. He…
Starting primary school was a unique, and unforgettable experience. As a little boy of 6, my father had taken me to Bata at the time situated on Forestry Road in Benin City to buy me a pair of sandals, and a tin box for my books. For a child, there’s nothing like the smell of…
