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For the longest time, I debated hitting “Publish” on this post. Until now, only my closest friends had any idea about how my pregnancy progressed, and it all felt too d
Like on Amazon. I’d meet the mom of my son’s classmate and as we shook hands a band on her wrist would flash: 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. A disembodied voice would read
If you’ve been meaning to cop great books at a giveaway price, here’s your chance. I’m donating dozens of books to a book drive for a good cause. It’s a strange feeling giv
If you have to choose between three pairs of shoes of okay quality, and one pair of higher quality, pick the latter. There are few things worse than cheap shoes that fit badly. You
According to topic. Because I tried to do that Instagram thing of arranging according to colour, and it was an epic fail. I mean, it looked pretty. But it was perfectly useless. To
What do you do when ghosts from your past darken your threshold? It’s the call from an ex that you don’t expect. First, incredulity. Then recovery. A stab at politeness
I don’t remember what sparked the thought. Maybe it was a random tweet that showed a clip of Gorillaz’ “Feel Good”. Or it was my Apple Music subscription re
The journey to 30 starts weeks, months before September 15th. There is brooding involved, as expected. I brood with books for company. Too many to count here. But there is “E
Dear Acquaintance, We’ve met. You know we’ve met. I know you know we’ve met. You know I know you know we’ve met. We met when your brother introduced us afte
Congratulations! You have either convinced a naturalista to become your wife Or your wife has decided to stop putting relaxers in her hair. Either way, you have become a member o
So I listened to this interesting video today And the rabbi essentially makes the point that many times, when we say we love someone (or something), we actually mean that we love w
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo & Juliet. Someone called me “Jennifer” today. It̵
Early 2011, one of my aunts (not so much aunt, as friend of an aunt but everyone is an aunt) called me to find out how I was doing and what my romantic prospects looked like. At th
You make it seem all glamorous. It being “working motherhood”. I was chatting with one of my friends and we were discussing my prayer intentions. I admitted being ove
When Renate checked, she saw that Preye had left a single message. Call Me. It was like her sister to be cryptic and annoying. Whatever it is, why didn’t she just text the e
It’s almost cliché, isn’t it? My first post this year is on the first day of Lent. I think it’s safe to say Lent is my favorite part of the Catholic calendar. D
Kosidinma, my friend’s son passed away last week. His mother, Ehimemen wrote this for him. Words cannot express the pain I feel at your demise. You entered my life and made m
We hardly ever think about these things except to say, “It’s not my portion.” But events can blind side us on any given Tuesday and emergencies don’t discri
When I count my blessings, having a roof over my head comes in the top 5. I never take it for granted because at a point in my childhood, we were almost homeless. Our landlord de
“…I was naked and you clothed me.” Matthew 25: 35-36 I wonder what I should write about this. It seems easy enough, doesn’t it? “Clothe the naked
What are you mad about? When I was younger, I was taught/told that all I had to do was get good marks, pass my exams and graduate with a good degree. I’d have a job, and with
Look. Look at her, the woman you married. Look at her dozing as she nurses your child, make-up still on her face, one shoe off. Look at her doing the last of the dishes in the even
Thank you, guys, for sticking around despite my inconsistent blogging. 🙂 How’ve you been? I’ve missed this. Anyways, I’m so behind on my posting schedule for t
My friend, Ozoz, is a phenomenon. She’s a geologist, a blogger, a recipe creator, a “traveller by plate”, a photographer and a cook. She’s also a mom. She&#
I wish I could say I was adapting to motherhood. But it’s not exactly true, is it? Motherhood doesn’t give room for “adaptation”. It seizes its share of you
One of my blog resolutions is to share bloggers I love with my readers. I think it’s important for you to know there are so many good bloggers out there. I don’t
We interrupt our regular “Blessed Are The Merciful” series to bring you this Lenten edition. 😀 So Lent begins officially on Wednesday. That’s tomorrow. Traditi
I’ve been asked many times about a simple weekly regimen for natural hair care. So I’m going to share what works for me. I’m pretty lazy about my hair, I’m
Sooo…you might have noticed that it’s been awfully quiet around here for a while. I literally just found the time to open WordPress…and to breathe…and to ta
Hola, everyone! Thanks for being patient; this post was supposed to go up last week Sunday but I’ve been super busy with a lot of things. Thank you for all the likes, shares,
Thank you to everyone who responded to my call for feedback in my last post! It was very helpful and I will definitely be taking your ideas onboard. The winners of the giveaway are
Hello, guys. So 2015 was a good year. I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised by the number of views I got. Thank you all for sharing this blog with your friends, for reading, for
In typical eurekanaija fashion, I’d like to talk about my favourite books of 2015. My criteria for this list are: Re-readability: I’d totally read these books again in
“Well, madam. I’m pleased to inform you that you’re pregnant.” I face the doctor, stunned. It is such a cliche moment. The day before, I nearly cut myself w
TedTalks are my second favourite podcast series to listen to, after The New Yorker Fiction Series. I think I get just a little bit smarter every time I hear one. Sadly, however I f
Warning: this syrup is addictive. Not suitable for #fitfam followers. Lol. Try it. Let me know. 😉
Hello! As promised, I’m continuing the Works of Mercy series. But first, how did last month go? We dedicated November to burying the dead and praying for the Living and the D
On November 29th, I would’ve been married “traditionally” for one year. Looking back now, I realize I never blogged about the whole experience of planning a ̶
So what are you doing this weekend? How about “bake a cake”? The first cake I ever baked was a coconut pound cake. It remains an all-time favorite in my family. This le
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” Winnie The Pooh. This is how it happened, Okha. November 12, 2014. I am chatting with Ozoz about a
So I’m very lazy when it comes to shopping. (The husband would disagree but it’s true. Lol.) I love shopping online. It’s so…precise. I want x, I google whe
Pope Francis is pretty much everyone’s favorite Pope at the moment. It’s not difficult to see why. No disrespect to Pope Benedict (Emeritus), but Pope Francis inspires
Jollof Rice courtesy KitchenButterfly.com When you Google “Health Benefits of Jollof Rice” (because you’re feeling guilty about the copious amounts of Jollof Rice
The Perfect Morning Wake at 4:00 am. Wash face. Study till 5:00 am. At 5:00 am Read Bible. Read Mass Readings. Meditate. At 5:30, change into sneakers and workout pants. Go for mor
Some of you visited my blog because you Googled "how to sacrifice to Amadioha". Why? Why do you want to sacrifice to Amadioha? And why do you think you'll get answers on the Google
I’ve meant to blog about this for a while but I kept losing my drafts… Super late, I know but our Pemi won the Writivism Prize 2015! I say our Pemi because she’s
Hola! I’m so sorry for the long silence. I’m right in the middle of moving from one flat to another and while it’s not super hectic (because we’re taking ou
Someone (you know yourself :)) went on a reading spree on this blog and this was one of the posts she liked. I re-read it and liked it so much I decided to reblog it. It reminded m
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLJsdqxnZb0] We like to think that we’d be happier if we were richer, better-looking, taller, thinner, fatter, married, single, (had m
I can see how this exercise could be a first step to falling in love. It's definitely a 2nd or 3rd date activity, not a 1st date. The things you could easily love the other person
Sometimes, women walk up to me and ask how long I've had natural hair for. I tell them the truth: 3 years and counting. Some of them look so disappointed that Kingsley has asked me
Like I’m not even kidding. The book should be called Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems. Because that’s what happened. Mr. Wang Lung starts the book as a poor ma
I'll talk about ogiri, the curious flavouring that gives this soup its characteristic pungency and umami-ness. It's made from fermented cottonseed (thanks for that, Ozoz) and it do
Disclaimer: This post does not aim to preempt the gubernatorial election results in any state, in any way. Fiction. Strictly fiction, albeit inspired by real events.
picture from www.cardiphonia.org He was dead. After three years of the most unbelievable miracles, of awakening hope in the hearts of the people, of bringing light to hearts dark
The short answer: because this is a democracy. The long answer: because this is a democracy and not a monarchy and there are multiple arms of government. Let me paint a pi
If we want statues of Amadioha, we will have to put them in our own museums.
I noticed when you joined the queue, you both wore suits and I wondered if you were married. I wondered where you worked. Idle thoughts, I was more concerned with getting a seat on
I know, I know. In the last post, more readers voted for the Zeus and Amadioha piece. But as I started writing it, I realized that the pictures I wanted to use were in my camera an
Today I smiled at my own reflection in the mirror. I was alone. This hasn’t happened in a long time, a very long time. Don’t get me wrong, I smile all the time, everyda
I thought I knew what loss was when I wrote “Laughter & Champagne.” But this is worse. His room still smells of him. I never noticed till he was gone. But his room
So I have a bit of news 🙂 I may or may not have mentioned that one of my stories got accepted for publication in an anthology. The good news is that the anthology is finally out
I was going to do a proper blog post but my heart is too full. Instead, I’m sharing my favourite memories from the past year (as captured in various pictures). In chronologic
Hello, everyone So I thought I’d share some of the things I use/do that make my life easier. This might help you if you’re trying to get a handle on living as a respons
But I got bored with Excel sheets, and VLOOKUP and Pivot tables so I decided to doodle instead. And I wrote this. Hope it relieves the doldrums of your Monday like it did mine. Her
This is who I am. This woman in her mid-twenties, with a day job and a writing itch. A daughter. A sister. The “best girlfriend in the world”. A cousin. A niece. A best
The year’s winding up, and as usual, I want to find out which of the books you read in 2013 had the most effect on you, and why. Please share your favourite fiction book, and y
Someone asked me what my holiday plans are. I don’t have a lot. My ideal Christmas would have a fierce harmattan, and find me curled up in an armchair with hot Bournvita and
This is how to break up with the juvenile, codeine addict who fancies himself Goth because he paints his fingernails black and wears black eyeliner. This is how to pretend to be mi
So today, Nigerians are outraged over the purchase of two armoured vehicles for Stella Oduah’s safety. Said vehicles cost over 250 million naira (About 1.6 million dollars)
So I gave a natural hair interview. I really enjoyed giving it, and I hope you enjoy reading it as well. 🙂 http://www.africanaturalistas.com/2013/10/mane-matters-with-osemhen-ak
One of the most popular mantras these days is about being yourself and doing what makes you happy. The focus is on self-satisfaction. And finding your peace in being secure only in
I remember thinking the conversation a bit dramatic. We were in first year, Jide and I, and it was one of those idle days where all we had to do was gist, waiting for one le
I’m a sucker for beautiful things. And I don’t mean physical beauty, though I appreciate symmetry and intricacy and elegance and all those things that define physical a
I turned 25 on Sunday. It’s the silver age, I hear. Of quarter-life crises and self doubt/realization. It’s the knowledge that I am older than my mother was when she
The best part of being an adult is earning proper money. You can’t convince me otherwise; when I compare my childhood to my adulthood, the key difference is that I can now bu
I’m conducting this for my youngest sister and her friends. They start university, hopefully, in September. What Do You Know Now That You Wish You’d Known Before You St
I will be young forever. We. Us. Just listen to our raucous laughter, our gist, our stories. We are forever cool, Forever 21. Does it seem possible that we won’t be young for
Disclaimer: this blog is rated G. That said, here’s my secret. I’m a pretty slow learner. (Don’t tell my bosses!). S. L. O. W. I never understand anything the fir
I unpacked yesterday. Finally. A whole week after I returned. I unpacked my clothes, and my shoes. My trinkets and my creams. I unpacked memories. Early sunrises, late sunsets. Col
Hey! So I’m finally on vacation. It’s many firsts. My first vacation by myself, no family or anything. My first trip to Europe. My first trip to the UK. Honestly, I was
Gender equality battles aren't complete if we don't fight for men's rights, as well. Does this sound odd?
It drives me nuts when people say they’re spiritual and not religious Christians or anyone who claims to be any kind of theist, says they’re spiritual and not religious
Sometimes, she lost herself. In the world, and it’s noise. In opinions and perceptions. In work. In the internet and its distractions. In Nigeria and its problems. In gossip.
O., How do I make the perfect Jollof Rice? R. Dear R., Are you expecting a recipe? I have none. I do have a few tips I don’t mind sharing.
It’s been a tumultuous year. In a good way and in a bad way. Good in the sense that I was always busy, meaning that I was never bored. Bad in the sense that I rode many emoti
If you asked me, it, the beginning of the end, started one Sunday evening, with a phone call from my brothers’ principal that said Datonye and Damiebi had been suspended for a
When I do my daily prayers, I try to make resolutions based on the promptings I receive. Nothing major. It could be to call someone I haven’t spoken to in a while, or to writ
There are many ways to destroy a life. Stop. It’s just life, you see. Just life. Everyday. Wake up, eat breakfast (rice), fight with little brother on the way to school, sit
I can’t help it, the pictures are everywhere. The Aluu4. And from the first time I saw the bloody pictures, all I could say was, “I’m sorry.” I don’t
I can’t help it, the pictures are everywhere. The Aluu4. And from the first time I saw the bloody pictures, all I could say was, “I’m sorry.” I don’t
Dear Random-Guy-Who-Asked-If-He-Could-Share-My-Mini-Umbrella-At-The-Busstop, I don’t judge you for not having your own umbrella. I don’t even hesitate when you ask if y
“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays” The first humans, our direct ancestors, walked this Earth maybe 250, 000
Value : a person’s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment of what is important in life. (Oxford Dictionary) 3 weeks ago, I began a Leadership Development cour
It may sound weird but when I first met Tahirah, I was struck by how similar our thought patterns were. We’re both nerds, scientists turned writers (or is it vice versa), a
Clash of the Tolus this week 🙂 Dr. Oloruntoba shares with three other young men the dubious honour of outwitting me. Twice. It was the Zain Africa Challenge; and his team eventu
Continuing the TedPosts with one by Tolu Talabi. I met Tolu at the Farafina Creative Writing Workshop last year. I literally have no words to describe him but for an idea on how hi
Today, I put up the second Ted-Post by Mark Amaza. I met Mark (Twitter handle: @amasonic) at the Zain Africa Challenge in 2009. In the 3 years I’ve known him, Mark’s pa
I first “met” Joseph last year when I was sourcing for writers to write in for the soon-to-be-released City Issue of Klorofyl. I use the term “met” loosely.
Early this year, one of my friends asked me, “If you could give a Ted-Talk on any subject of your choice, what would you talk about?” It took me awhile to answer but
You were born, bred and “buttered” in Lagos. It wasn’t that your parents consciously made the effort. Secondary school was incidental; the schools you applied to outside Lago
And it sucks. Pun intended. Saturday, I travelled to Enugu. I’d never been there, and just the thought of the journey by road filled me with all sorts of queasiness. I imagin
I was going to write one of those blog posts about how fabulous/horrible my year was but I chickened out at the last moment for three reasons. First, it’s so cliché, isn’t i
Don’t flinch when the doctor asks to examine you. Act like it’s the most natural thing in the world, like you regularly take off your top and bra for anyone who asks you. When
Hi, guys 🙂 Sorry, I’ve been away for so long. I’ve got a new job that I had to relocate for and I’m still getting my bearings. In the mean time (because gettin
Hola! Been a bit, how’ve you been? Okay, so I wrote this a couple of years ago for a magazine. I was a bit more idealistic, so forgive me if I come off a bit strong. 🙂 Ari
MBA Entrepreneurs – Engineer and Blogger: Osemhen Elohor Akhibi – BusinessBecause.
YAY! IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!!! And it’s also Chimamanda’s, so I’m putting up a picture I took with her. I’d like to share 23 lessons I’ve learned over the yea
30 Things We Need — and 30 We Don’t – Tony Schwartz – Harvard Business Review. Someone shared this on Google+ and I thought I’d share it with you.
Hi, people! I have a short story up on my group’s blog. I’ve included the link here so you can check it out. Please tell me what you think in the comments
The first thing I miss is waking up to memories of last night’s Smirnoffs. Waking up to the thought of breakfast with my literary kindred: litres of orange juice and mounds o
In a few weeks’ time, two writing workshops will begin. The first is organized by the Farafina Trust and hosted by Chimamanda Adichie. The second is organized by Fidelity Bank an
Even saints have a past. And in Roland Joffe’s new movie, There Be Dragons, he attempts to outline the past of one of the most controversial saints of the twentieth century, Jos
So I plugged in my trusty Azure (she’s a solid black HP, not blue like her name says), booted her up and opened a new page in MS Word. My story was quite a simple one. A love s
Dear Network Provider, Hi. Odd, isn’t it, how my text messages bounce back but the ones that political parties send me, the ones that you send me, manage to find their way to my
First, FELA! Amazing. The dancing, the music, the sheer energy! Out of this world! The storyline itself, meh. But then again, I didn’t go to see Fela’s biography enacted. I wen
I think the Westerners may just have lost the plot. About a month ago, a Christian couple in the UK lost an adoption bid in court. The judges ruled that precisely because they were
It was a random tweet. My eyes skipped over it the first time. Returned to it a second time. Then it sunk. I made one phone call. It was true. It is true. And even though my eyes b
On a lighter note, please welcome guest writer, the incorrigible Elaine! All opinions expressed herein are solely hers, and I”m hereby indemnified against any liabilities
I have been accused of being unnecessarily anti-establishment. I suppose I am, it’s the circles I run in these days; it’s fashionable to be contrary and leftist enough to alarm
In a sense, it was my fault. I must have hit the snooze button on my alarm like ten times before I finally convinced myself that I did not have malaria and so did not have a valid
Auntie Patience, Good mornin’, ma. I know say you no sabi me. My name na Osemhen, and I get one business wey I wan make we discuss. D tin consan the campaign wey you dey helep ou
I’ve started, and discarded many posts over the last week. Laziness, ennui, hormones, sleeplessness, blasted writers’ block (thank God for whoever coined this term) took over a
I’ve started, and discarded many posts over the last week. Laziness, ennui, hormones, sleeplessness, blasted writers’ block (thank God for whoever coined this term) took over a
She was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. Hashim approached the counter holding a loaf of bread and a can of insecticide. Yesterday, it had been a bottle of bleach and a si
I’m unbelievably self-absorbed. Not content to simply ‘feel’ emotions, I poke and analyse my feelings in a quest for further meaning, implications, deductions and failing all
The first time I heard of Lola Shoneyin, it was in an interview she gave where she stated that she wrote because it beat ironing! I wish I could make a similar choice… ‘No,
I found this while searching for my birth certificate. My Dad can be pretty wry at times, but this just cracked us up. He wrote this in university, way before he met my Mum. Her na
Every now and then, a twinge of conscience, an account in red or a well-meaning (or not!) adviser – friend, relative, busybody article, banker – will prompt you to do something
(I wrote this at the writing workshop I attended recently. It was inspired by the most intelligent company ever, their intellectual discourse *straight face* and a bus ride :D) The
Drink lots and lots and lots of water. Water is, usually, free. And it does this whole detoxifying and rehydrating thing that just makes your skin glow from inside out, something a
So a while ago, I rummaged through my diaries and ‘wrote’a letter basically to me. Ten year old me (she answered to Jennifer) wrote to 21 year old me. You can read it a
I am left-handed. And proudly, too. People stare (admiringly, I think … I hope) when I wield my left hand. Most are surprised my hand-writing’s neat (it is!). Others expect
Ten year old me was average height, skinny with a slight pot-belly, very tan and had a boy’s cropped hair cut (will locate picture soon). Ten year old had only one wish: more
To all the dads out there, who have to put up with kids with brains that seem the size of peanuts, self-destruct offspring, untidy wannabe bums, chin up! Beneath the grumpy glares
every morning, look into the mirror and ask yourself "If today was my last day, would I want to do what I'm about to?". If the answer is no, too many times in a row, then you have
I’m a first child, with all the responsibilities, attitudes and whatnot that comes with. I am responsible for my siblings, the one they look up to, the one who has to have al
In these days of LAMATA and LAGBUS buses, there exists a need to clearly define personal and public boundaries. The buses aren’t public places, per se, like restaurants but neith
