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Traveling on a budget…My Bucketlist

The universal answer that holds Africans back from traveling around the world is money, this prevents a lot of youths and young adult of my age to embark on their dream trips. I am going to share with you my simple tips to achieve a greater and affordable trip this year.

“I state you don’t need to be rich to travel the world” it’s that simple.

There are actually numerous ways to travel cheap or even free, Yes! free. There are plenty of ways to travel around the world when you have no money if you’re willing to be creative. Sounds like a distant dream, an impossible dream, traveling the world without money. But trust me it’s possible, and can be achieved without breaking the bank. It can be done responsibly.

Traveling for free means taking advantage of the free housing, transport and events that are already out there and reducing the expenses to zero.

Traveling need not to be expensive. You can make your travel dreams a reality, with the right budget and the right mindset. Even if you don’t earn much or are in debt, there’s still plenty of ways to go overseas. They may not be luxurious or fancy, but if travel is your priority then you can certainly make it happen by following these steps…

If you’re from Nigeria like me with a Nigerian passport or any other African country then first of all, need to check the visa free countries which you are allowed to enter.
Make a bucklist of which countries you wish to travel to within the year and based on your passport you are allowed a certain number of stay.
Your expenses for the trip will depend on the number of days you wish to stay. You can book for your flights on Hopper.
Top of your list, check out the flight tickets for the desired country you wish to visit first and to get the cheapest rates, always book a month ahead of time for your round trip on sites like.
Book for accommodation for the desired number of days you wish to stay on Booking.com.

For Nigerian passport holders these are some countries worth traveling to…

Barbados – visa free for 6 months
Bangladesh – visa on arrival, 30 days permit
Cambodia – visa on arrival, 30 days permit
Dominica – visa on arrival, 21 days permit
Fiji – visa free for 4 months
Haiti – visa free for 3 months
Madagascar – visa on arrival, 90 days permit
Mauritius – visa free for 90 days
Maldives – visa on arrival, 30 days permit
Ghana – visa free

If you wish to travel, don’t let an entry-level salary, a student loan balance or whatever the case may be stop you. With the right attitude, information, savings and strategy, anyone can see the world on even the smallest of budgets.

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Food Porn…For my food lovers

I’ve been in Dublin for a year now and have been craving for different types meals be it English, Irish, Japanese or Chinese…I just wanted to try something new. I happen to discover Zozimus bar in the heart of Anne’s Lane, Dublin.

First things first I ordered for a Pork yuk sung meal as the starter followed by a cocktail to refresh me up for the day. I am already looking forward to my second visit to try more on their menu 🙂

Pork shu mai
Steamed pork dumpling with shitake mushroom and spring onion in a won ton pastry

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Alomo Bitters at 20

Alomo Bitters is a herbal based alcoholic drink produced in Ghana by Kasapreko Company Limited. It is popular not only in Ghana but also in Nigeria, Togo, Ivory Coast South Africa and Burkina Faso.

With sales growth of 56 per cent in two years since the launch of the herbal drink in Nigeria back then in 2010.

Mr. John Adesoye, Nigerian Sales Representative in the Kasapreko Company Limited Annual Report reported that 558,0000 Alomo Bitter cartons were sold in 2018 in Nigeria alone, that’s 13,920,000 bottles (14 million bottles). Who are the consumers…As of last year 2019 Alomo Bitters had entered the US market.

Photo credit: @Alomobase – Alomo Bitters, Alomo Silver, Alomo Gold, Alomo Black

Since ancient times herbs have been used to maintain good health. Alomo Bitters is a blend of herbal extracts from carefully selected tropical plant extracts based on a secret family recipe, developed scientifically to ensure that your body absorbs the herbs in the manner intended by nature. They come in four different variants now Alomo Silver with the a minty taste, Alomo Gold with a fruity taste and Alomo Black with a hazelwood taste. Enjoy it straight, on the rocks or with your favorite mixer and now in cocktails. Below are some cocktail mixes you can try. Drink responsibly!

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Black folks don’t get depressed. They all say…

Black people are believed to be mentally, physically and emotionally strong and white folks illness are difficult to find among us. But if you’re spooked off your ethnic identity or heritage was erased cause you leave in a White’s man world, you tend to do and leave life their way.

It was in 11th grade this African boy realized he was getting depressed cause of school. It was obvious he was going through it being the only black African boy his grade in a white kids school. This affected his academics activities both at school and home.

He told his father about it and as an African father he is told the boy to man. He couldn’t bare the load any longer, he finally opened to his mother about it. His mother went to the school and told the principal she’s taking her son out of school until he feels like himself again.

The principal told her she can’t do that, the boy will be forced to repeat that year. All the teachers told her was crazy… she said “My son is not okay. I don’t care if he gets expelled. My boy is DEPRESSED.” And took the son home.

For a month she will leave work early everyday. Kept his son out of school, spent time hanging out and having thoughtful conversations together. Once she realized he was mentally ok, she took him back to school. The boy thrived, excelled and finished top of his class. The principal called the mother over to apologize.

Lessons learnt, parents especially Africans should listen to their kids more. My mother has always been big a mental health advocate. She didn’t care about what people thought or expected of her… all she wanted was to get her son back. If it wasn’t for the month off… who knows what have been this boys faith today to share his story.

–Kay Frimpong

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Hidden Mystery behind sniper in Nigeria

Did you know depression could be the face of someone who seems constantly happy, and looking out for others? It is never written in the face of an individual or easily noticed.

Zika was 23 when she gave in to depression and no one around her noticed, she was the ‘life of the party’, a shoulder to lean on, constantly putting others before herself, always happy.

She got the attention she needed when we read her suicide note but by then it was already too late. She was depressed for 2 years, she tried speaking out especially to her parents but the typical response of an average African parent ‘God forbid, you can’t go through depression, do you know what depression is?’ was all she got.

Zika had always been pressured to be the ideal child, to suit the role of her African parents, studied a course she was uninterested in to make them happy, always wanting to please them, her friends admired her because she seemed happy with her parents choices for her, she embodied her parents passion like it was hers.

“We need a country where depression is not taken as a joke but treated with utmost seriousness. Forget the popular saying by Nigerians; ‘Depression no dey do black man’ it is a lie, it is real! And I have lost someone I love to it”.

However, a time came when Zika was numb emotionally and had little motivation to do anything. Her friends noticed but they thought just in a bad mood because she had lost a close relative. As friends, they tried to get her out of the ‘bad mood’ every time or so they thought. Being the kind of person, she was, she played along.

But then a day came when she made a shocking revelation to one of her friends, that she is depressed and has been seeing a therapist, who advised her to open up to her closet friend which happened to be Amanda, since her parents were immune to her suffering. Amanda said “I laughed out so loud, and told her in pidgin English that, ‘Sis, depression no dey do black man, that therapist just dey chop your money’ and I dragged her back to our fun night so she can get out of her ‘bad mood’”. Few days later Amanda got to learn that Zika ended her life with the poisonous insecticide ‘sniper’ it was such a heartbreaking news because she could have been helped if only, she was taken more seriously.

“We need a country where depression is not taken as a joke but treated with utmost seriousness. Forget the popular saying by Nigerians; ‘Depression no dey do black man’ it is a lie, it is real! And I have lost someone I love to it”.

According to the American psychiatric Association, Depression a (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home

In Nigeria, it is no longer a hidden fact that most people suffer from this mental illness, but fail to admit to it due to the nonchalant behavior of family and friends. And due to this, they cut their lives short.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says, while the link between suicide and mental disorders (in particular, depression and alcohol use disorders) is well established in high income countries, many suicides happen impulsively in moments of crisis with a breakdown in the ability to deal with life stresses, such as financial problems, relationship breakup or chronic pain and illness, poverty, cyber bullying, violence and abuse etc.

In Nigeria, suicide rates are high amongst vulnerable groups who experience poverty, discrimination, such as refugees and migrants, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex (LGBTI) persons. By far the strongest risk factor for suicide is a previous suicide attempt.

It is estimated by WHO that around 20 per cent of global suicides are due to the consumption of the deadly popular brand of insecticide, Sniper. Although some of these victims used other methods to end their lives. Worldwide, an estimated three million cases of pesticide poisoning occur every year, resulting in an excess of 250,000 deaths. However, the powerful pesticide, Sniper is readily accessible at a very affordable price in every shop across Nigeria and in many households.

Hardly a week passes by without news of suicide cases in Nigeria. Some affected families remain silent and stay away from media due to the stigma attached to this death.

But while many nations have discovered the importance of mental health by setting up functional systems to at least mitigate the number of incidents through proactive actions, Nigeria, which is ranked number one in West Africa in suicide rate, has no clear-cut programs or law to address the increasing scourge.

Nigeria, which still relies on a colonial framework (Lunacy Act of 1958) as the only law that has anything connected to mentally unstable persons, with only a few psychologists and an intangible number of qualified psychiatric specialists, is still folding its hands while an increasing number of its citizens are fast killing themselves through suicide act.

Meanwhile, The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) explained that the agency is doing everything possible to regulate dangerous substances in Nigeria. NAFDAC announced that they would direct a change in the packaging of Sniper. Christiana Adeyeye, the Director General of NAFDAC, said that Sniper containers “could be made difficult to open, or turned into a spray rather than the usual known liquid contents.” The announcement came after considerable commentary about the fact that these victims and other members of the society seem to have very easy access to this powerful poisonous chemical. The question about whether Sniper and other poisonous chemicals should be banned is a growing conversation in Nigeria and several health professionals weighed in on the question of whether NAFDAC’s announcement was an effective and sufficient policy response to the issue.

Initiatives should be put into action to ensure that proper care is received from both professionals and programmes like Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) which helps to highlight some of the simple things that we as non-professionals can do for each other, to provide social, emotional, and psychological support when we have troubles.

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“Recording Artist and Co-Founder of QAP Photography, Olokun Adefolarin, speaks on the road to fame”

Folarin Oluokun, is a Dublin based photographer and musician who happens to be a student at Griffith College has been making waves in his career path both as an Artiste and co-founder QAP photography. He has been very successful with his performances, especially in the western part of Nigeria where he is popularly known.

In a chat with Circular team, he opens up on the challenges so far and how he combines both talents with his studies.

Circular: Can we meet you?

FO: I am Oluokun Adefolarin Adekunle, a student of Griffith College, a musical artiste and also a photographer.

Circular: So, tell us about your photography, what does QAP stand for?

FO: QAP stands Queen and Prince Photography, it started in the year 2018 with my sister as the founder after which we employed some hands.

Circular: How did you discover your interest in photography?

FO: The passion I have for creativity and beautiful pictures. Behind every picture is a story or a time or a feeling that I like to capture the moment, because no matter what happens later, that moment will never change. I also have believed that creativity is a wellspring of virtues. Music and Photography are the two things that stood out for me and I believe they have a lot in common.

Circular: Are there specific products or instruments you like to work with?

FO: I Prefer to use DSLR cameras, but so far, I have used Nikon d40 and Canon d4000. I prefer the canon because it gives me clearer pictures and they are more user friendly, the way the cameras are built and the general outlook just works with how many minds work, it also gives more options to control my picture.

Circular: How well do you collaborate with other photographers or assistants?

FO: I enjoy working with other people, because you get a second insight or opinion as the popular saying “Two heads is better than one” I believe when you have the opinion of other photographers the work only gets better and easier to achieve.

Circular: Do you possess any formal trainings or certification in this field?

FO: Yes, I learnt a bit of Photography.

Circular: Which is your favorite lens and why?

FO: I like to use a “Prime Lens”. Majorly because it gives the freedom to create effects even from the raw image file.

Circular: Aside being a photographer, we learnt that you are also a student and a Musical Artiste. Tell us about that.

FO: Yeah, I am currently undergoing my higher Diploma at Griffith College. I am also an artist and I write my own songs It’s all about proper planning and scale of preference. Days I don’t have classes, I go out with the camera and take pictures and as for music I could get inspiration anywhere, even in the bus and begin to write down my lyrics. I stick to school schedule, so I don’t have to play catch up later.

Circular: What brought about your passion for music?

FO: Self-expression in a positive creative way. Music has had a way of influencing my mood. Started making music to express my bottled-up emotions, while growing up I always had issues expressing myself but with music I could easily set those emotions free.

Circular: Can you please tell us about your creative process?

FO: Different songs come with different processes. Sometimes I hear a beat and just challenge myself to write the songs and the melody from there I try to create the best. I sometimes feel emotionally great and turn it into music.

Circular: What would be your definition of an average?

FO: An average day for me would be; wake up, make people around me smile/happy, on a school day attend my classes and during the weekends take pictures or write down lyrics (depending on how I feel), sing or play the guitar. Listen to new music to expand my boundaries.

Circular: Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music? Where does your inspiration come from?

FO: No hidden meaning in my music. My first song was about how I miss my mum, but it wasn’t explicitly stated.

Circular: Do collaborate with others? What is the process like?

FO: Yes, I collaborate with others like Lil Torn, Mr Piyano, Jay Buzz, Jatrey and its basically when I have heard their song and they have heard mine and we feel so impressed with each other that we decide to collaborate.

I would like to collaborate with great artistes such as;Timi Dakolo, Davido, Cobhams, Johnny Drille, Simi, Asa, Praiz, Ed Sheeran, John Legend, Tuface just to name a few in the near future.

Circular: How do you respond to the attention and engage your fans?

FO: Interactions with fans of my music is usually on social media platforms such as; Instagram, WhatsApp etc.

Circular: Tell us about your performance have you ever dealt with performance anxiety?

FO: Yes, I have stage fright but the love of singing and making people happy usually overshadows the fright.

Circular: which would you recall as your favorite venue?

FO: I don’t really have a venue. So long as there is an audience, I am good to go.

Circular: Thank you very much for your time and we look forward to seeing more creative works from you.

FO: Thank you.

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My First Blog Post

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

Radio Documentary on the truth about Academic stress students face

In this programme, I will go on a journey to explore the stress and difficulties international students go through in adapting to the education system they are faced with. The education system is changing fast from being fun for students to becoming frustrating, stressful and tedious to most students. Being a student, I have discovered so far that it comes with a lot of emotional and physical stress. These stress if not properly handled can sometimes lead to depression and in extreme cases suicide. In Nigeria, recent studies have shown that most suicide by students majorly come from academic frustration.

This documentary will be an original approach to an old idea. It would focus on how international students adapt to the new education system which includes. Academic frustration among students is currently on the increase. Many students struggle to cope with the academic demands placed on them. In this programme, I will meet with students to hear about how they cope with the academic stress they go through also, academic counselors to hear what advice they have for students who are academically frustrated.

This story will be told by a student in Griffith college who have suffered academic frustration, stress, depression and how she was able to handle and move pass it. Students from other colleges such as; DBS, NCI and UCD will also be interviewed to make the documentary more informative.

This will be a mixed documentary with narration and interview. This will be a combination of both formal and informal documentary to make it light-hearted and fun filled. The English vocabulary will be non-formal to make it appeal to a wider range of people and more entertaining to listen.

First, I will meet with the student from Griffith college who will tell her story on academic frustration, then I will have a Vox pop session with students from other colleges and finally with an academic counselor who will share advice on how students can deal with academic frustration.

According to Rodero “Audio is one of the most intimate forms of media because you are constantly building your own images of the story in your mind and you’re creating your own production” using audio to tell the story, Radio stings, eloquent characters, sound effects, music, sound shots and jingles will be used to evoke emotions, increase the level of mental imagery, establish a setting and develop characters which will cause listeners to pay more attention and advance the story’s plot. I will make use of appropriate low-key instrumental music, to build a connection with the listeners.

I have been in touch with the students that will tell their stories on how they handle academic frustration. I have also booked an appointment with an academic consultant who will give his advice on academic frustration students face and how they can handle it.

Radio Documentary on the truth about Academic stress students face

The different approaches to press regulation in the USA, Britain and Ireland

This essay details the different approaches to press regulation between USA, Britain, and Ireland along the lines of the different period in which press regulation took place, regulation bodies, principles, and control-ability.

Freedom of Speech, as a starting point of press regulation, will therefore always be one of the main topics regarding press regulation. Currently, Ireland is on place 15 (from total 180) of the World Press Freedom Index of 2019, the United Kingdom is on place 33 and the United States are on place 48 (RSF, 2019a). The ranking shows how the countries deal with those seven indicators: Pluralism (degree of opinion representation), media independence, environment and self-censorship (operation environment of the media), legislative framework, transparency, and the quality of the infrastructure that supports the production of news and information.

REGULATORY INSTITUTIONS

Britain has long established its press councils whereas the press council for Ireland is comparatively new. The USA is yet to set up a press council. There aren’t any active press councils in united states. Countries might not have press councils thanks to the politics, economics, legalization or within the culture of the country. Within the USA it’s mainly owing to the prevailing law system that they have, that handles a lot around media/press regulation. Some countries have ombudsmen, that are (mostly senior journalist/media) people that handle complains and recommends remedies. Since 1967 ombudsmen exist within the United States yet, when is compared to e.g. Japan (1922) is relatively late (ONO, 2018).

MEDIA PHILOSOPHIES

The main differences in the written principles are (1) where they are embedded, (2) range of validity, (3) number of principles, (4) content of the principles. In the USA they are embedded in the law system, unlike the principles in Britain and Ireland (UNESCO, 2014; Lewis, 2017). In the USA the principles have an absolutism status (Lewis, 2017), in Britain exist exceptions if the principles will be in huge confrontation with the public interest (the public interest outrank the principles). There is scarce information with respect to this for the Irish Principles. The number and the content of the principles differ extremely between the USA and Britain/Ireland. Britain is more precise in their principles (more separations between the principles) in comparison to Ireland. An example is that Britain has a special antidiscrimination principle:

“The press must avoid prejudicial or pejorative reference to an individual’s race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or to any physical or mental illness or disability. Details of an individual’s race, colour, religion, sexual orientation, physical or mental illness or disability must be avoided unless these are genuinely relevant to the story.” (IPSO, 2018)

As distinguished from USA and Britain, Ireland has one extra principle regarding the press regulation of the regulatory authority and complain body of the country. Another interesting point is that because the freedom of speech is embedded in the law in the USA, they can’t forbid also negative outcomes of freedom of speech, like hate speech (Lewis, 2017). With a closer look to online media/social press regulation in those three countries, we can see a hugely different approach between USA and EU (Britain, Ireland). The USA decided to not regulate or tax it (Lewis, 2017), but it exists a copyright clause: the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, since 1998 (UNESCO, 2014). This Act supported the fundamentally no-restriction attitude because it enables the USA to restrain publications. Lewis (2017) opinion is that the pressure mainly comes from the Silicon Valley and all the big firms there: “Silicon Valley executives hate regulation and will move to block it”. As a result, the frustration level in the EU is high, which wants to regulate them. Their latest statement was: “regulate yourselves (and not just a charade), or we will regulate you” (Lewis, 2017). In Europe, the E-Commerce Directive handle internet intermediaries so far (UNESCO, 2014).

MEDIA CONTROL

The market is through ownership concentration controlled in all three countries. Differences occur in the different ways of content control. The US, Britain, and Ireland have a high to very high concentration of media plurality and ownership even though all of them have some restrictions on this issue. It is an ongoing concern.

Britain and Ireland are one of the main regulated countries of western Europe. In general counts everything above 30% of the market share that is owned by one person as excessive. In Europe, the main national and regional newspapers are typically divided between less than a half dozen owners. In the United States, there are more groups, but a small number have a very dominant position in the large city and regional press. McQuail (2010). In the USA Bertelsmann counts as the most suspicious case regarding ownership concentration. He owns over 30 radio stations, 280 publishing outlets, and 15 record companies (University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2010). In Britain 60-70% of the market is controlled by three companies, mainly newspaper publisher (RSF, 2019b), one of the famous person is Rupert Murdoch, who owns The Sun, News of the World, Daily Mirror (Brady, 2018), Times, Sunday Times, Sky Television, BSkyB and eventually more. In Ireland most is owned by Independent News and Media (INM) and RTE (Freedom House, 2016).

As an example, the FCC of the USA have the restriction that one person can (only) own one of the top-four local television stations but many undermine this restriction through Merger and Acquisitions or Joint Ventures (Freedom House, 2017a). In Britain exist the regulation that broadcaster can (only) own a limited amount of newspaper interest. This doesn’t include interest in satellite broadcasters (McQuail, 2010). In Ireland, one of the restrictions is that it is not allowed to own one of the fourth biggest radio and TV firms if you already own one of the biggest newspapers (Smyth, 2018). Media control is in each of the European countries/ states different. Each state of the EU has different rules under the umbrella of the EU rules. In the EU you don’t sell your product once, you sell it per country, e.g. once for Germany and once for Ireland (Smyth, 2018). In the USA in all the states the same, you sell your product (e.g. a movie) license only once to the country.

THE BEAUTY OF THE RIVER LIFFEY

One of the most serene countries in the world is Ireland, it is known for its unique and captivating beauty. While some tourists in Ireland spend most of their time shopping, visiting the Dublin Castle and many more, others find the riverside as a pleasant attraction.

The River Liffey is a very popular river in Ireland which supplies much of Dublin’s water. Although now called the Liffey in ancient times, the famous river was known as ‘An Ruirthech’ meaning “the stampeding one”, a name which reflects the watercourse’s propensity to sudden floods of fast flowing water. It gets its source from Kippure, county Wicklow. The River Liffey which runs through the center of Dublin and has been used for many centuries for trade, from the Vikings beginning of the city up to recent times. It is also connected to the River Shannon via the Grand Canal and the Royal Canal.

The Liffey river is used by private universities and Garda rowing clubs. it is widely used for recreational activities such as canoeing, rafting, fishing, swimming. Although, the River Liffey does not look like an inviting spot for a swim by anybody’s standard once a year more than 200 swimmers brave the waters on the first Saturday of September.

Liffey is most especially very beautiful at night when the lights around the O’Connell bridge reflects into the river depicting its calm nature as the sweet evening breeze brushes through the water setting a calm, peaceful and serene environment, this is, however, the best time to take a stroll along its banks and you will be surprised how beautiful the River Liffey looks at night.

Cooking African Yam Porridge on a budget in Dublin

Do you know that you can make yourself a very nice pot of yam porridge without having to break the bank with just 6 euros! Yam porridge is one of the popular dishes in Nigeria and can also be described as the fastest meal to prepare when you feel extremely hungry.

Here are the ingredients you will need to prepare this sumptuous meal; A tuber of yam, palm oil, salt, maggi seasoning, spinach from tesco, peppers, (dry or fresh which ever one you prefer), onions and dry fish, liver, beef (optional if you want to live large).

steps to follow when preparing Yam porridge: Peel the skin of the yam to reveal the white edible part, wash in cold water, put in a pot, add water, turn on the stove heat and place the pot of yam, allow to boil for like 10 mins, when you notice the yam is getting a bit soft (pierce with fork), add the fresh pepper and onion, leave to boil for 5mins,add the palm-oil, salt to taste and seasoning, the spinach or whatever vegetable you are using should always come last.

The measure of water fro the yam porridge is dependent on you as the more water you use to cook the yam the more porridgey (if that is actually a word) your yam porridge looks!

Mary McAleese becomes second Female Chancellor of Trinity College Dublin By Ufuoma Ughakpoteni

*Caption: McAleese putting on the Chancellors robe with the help of Trinity College Provost Patrick Prendergast*

Former president Professor Mary McAleese was officially inaugurated as Chancellor of Trinity College on Friday [12th] December 2019 as the second female Chancellor of the College.
The event commenced with a formal introduction of Professor McAleese by the Provost of the college Patrick Prendergast, before she was officially inaugurated as the Chancellor of the University.
Speaking at the ceremony in the provost’s house, Provost Prendergast said, “Trinity is honored and very lucky to have her as the head of the university. Trinity has a mission and a positivity plan to fearlessly engage in actions that advance the cores of a pluralistic, just and sustainable society. Chancellor McAleese embodies this mission indeed pluralism, justice and of course fearless are exactly the adjectives that comes to mind in connection with her”.
Caption: McAleese putting on the Chancellors robe with the help of Trinity College Provost Patrick Prendergast

McAleese who said the declaration of her commencement in Latin, a Trinity tradition and put on the chancellor robe before addressing her audience said,

“This university is something very special and unique and with God in the years that fly ahead I will honor the trust and the faith that you have placed in me and in those that elected me in this position, that definitely is my
intention”. She said

The new Chancellor in her speech thanked the Provost, members of the university community and friends for the honor of becoming the chancellor of
the doyen of Irish University. She said “it is a source of great pride to the Irish people that we have this jewel in the academic prime here in the heart of the capital city and have had it for so many years, so I feel particularly proud as someone who walked through the door for the first time in 1975 to attend the interview for the Reid professorship… I remember coming through that door feeling a sense of awe and wonder”.
She also went further to praise the University for the opportunities she gave her gave her to perform in a national stage and an international stage, the life and confidence it gave her, her child and so many students to face the world knowing they were well equipped and better equipped than many.

“I think it is thanks to Jonathan that women have been given the opportunity to shine, to make their mark in the world and to contribute among men today, to perform well among and three Trinity women who were the first through the door who were the first barristers to practice not just in Ireland but through the world… they made headlines all over the world”. She said…

Professor McAleese has a long-standing history with Trinity College, being an Alumnus of the prestigious college, having held the position of Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology from 1975 to 1987 and been involved in the numerous events and initiatives held by the university in subsequent years.
She is a native of Northern Ireland (Belfast), a Journalist, holds an honors degree in law, has written several important books and became the first pro-vice-chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast in 1994.
Her position as chancellor of Trinity College will involve overseeing important ceremonies such as commencement ceremonies when various degrees in Trinity College are awarded, as well as deciding who is awarded honorary Degrees.
McAleese replaces Mary Robinson, who is also the former president and was elected as the first woman chancellor in 1998.
“Trinity is honored and very lucky to have her as the head of the university. Trinity has a mission and a positivity plan to fearlessly engage in actions that advance the cores of a pluralistic, just and sustainable society. Chancellor McAleese embodies this mission indeed pluralism, justice and of course fearless are exactly the adjectives that comes to mind in connection with her”.

L-R: Professor Mary McAleese and Mary Robinson

The Diary of a Scolombo Child

The term “scolombo” is one I got to know about during my service days in Cross River state Nigeria. It is a word used to describe young kids from about 1-27 years of age. These children roam around the street of Calabar both at night and during the day committing grievous criminal offenses down to killing unsuspecting victims. Yes you read right a child as young as 1 kills his fellow human being just to survive this difficult world!

Many might wonder why are these children subjected to such life? Where are their parents that’s if they have any? What happened to their loved ones? Relatives? Friends? Why is the government silent about all of these?

Well here is a little story for you.

I was a young Corp member in Calabar and under the CDS group Media and communication, we decided to have an outreach with these children in order to get a better understanding of their predicaments and some of us had the opportunity to speak to some of these kids. The story of Christian(not real name) struck me hard.

Christian is a young boy of about 16years of age, he lived with his mother, father and two siblings, attended a very good school in Uyo another city not so far away from Calabar although in a different state, he received all the love a parent could shower on a child until tragedy struck in. Christian lost his mother to the cold hands of death and his father had to take another wife with the hope that she would help look after the kids his late wife left behind,

It was all rosey when she first moved in big immediately, when she bore her first child things changed she began treating Christian and his siblings very badly, she made him eat from the dustbin most times and on some days starved him, she beat him as much as she could and sometimes deprive this boy from going to school.

Being fed up and tired Christian decided to leave home at the age of 10, he traveled all the way to Calabar and met with other kids who have lived on the streets for long. Some were abandoned by their parents based on witchcraft allegations from pastors and family members, some were children not wanted from their mothers who abandoned them on the streets and some were just normal street rascals.

Faced with this kind of life Christian began to do despicable things in order to survive the streets.

The popular slang “nomi phone” is quite popular in Calabar because it is used by these children to steal from their victims. It simply means “give me your phone” and when the victim gets defensive and refuse to corporate they get stabbed.

His only wish is to return to school achieve something great and become responsible in life. How? can this dream be achieved when the government does not provide for these kids, instead they are maltreated and some left to die by the road side when they get ill with no proper care.

My Top 10 new year songs, you should have in your playlist.

This year I would be sharing a list of newly released songs, I think are bangers each week and a must have in your playlist. Here are some of the best releases so far for me and if you’ve got any to share kindly drop them in the comment section below. Enjoy!