2020 Taught Me: 5 Lessons Learnt

LifestyleBy Ololade Ajekigbe December 9, 2020 4 Comments

The year that shook us our core. The year that made us reevaluate our beliefs and life choices. The year where plans went to nought and the need to stay alive trumped every other need. Stating that the year 2020 has been an unusual year would be an understatement. It’s been a gruelling year; one characterised by an avalanche of bad news. Many deaths recorded…many families thrown into mourning, jobs lost, economies in shambles. As 2020 grinds to a halt within the next two weeks, it’s instructive that we do not forget the lessons it taught us. I have chosen to share mine in this post.

Social Media Is “Real” Life

EssayBy Ololade Ajekigbe December 2, 2020 6 Comments

Quite often, we talk about how different social media is from the real world. We allude to the interactions that happen between strangers in the virtual community as incomparable to what obtains when people can see each other and gauge firsthand emotions. While online mediums represent ivory towers: a cocoon of sorts where realities of physical living take a backseat, it’s imperative to understand that humans exist behind the thoughts, banters, and interactions on social platforms. It is the inability to recognise this that results in uncomfortable or embarrassing situations.

Drowning In The Hustle

EssayBy Ololade Ajekigbe November 25, 2020 4 Comments

In the last couple of years, it hasn’t really felt like Christmas was in the air in November or even early December. This year, it’s even worse. The travails of 2020 have subdued many of us. Because we are just grateful to be alive, we aren’t too bothered about the yuletide or whether we’ll get to do our favourite things during that time. However, the realisation that the bills are no respecter of COVID-19 and other sundry challenges is enough to jolt us from the state of inertia if we ever dare to remain in it for too long.

What Do We Do With Ourselves Before 2023?

EssayBy Ololade Ajekigbe November 18, 2020 4 Comments

Recently, the Lagos State government delivered the annual Land Use Charge notice to our residence. In previous years, the charge varied between N3,500 and N7,000 in previous years, However, in the year of the Lord 2020, someone thought it was a brilliant idea to increase the tax by more than 1,600%. Yes, you read right. We got a charge of over N113,000 as Land Use Charge when we do not live on a yacht.

Trump’s Loss: A Win For Old-Time Values

Politics/GovernanceBy Ololade Ajekigbe November 11, 2020 8 Comments

Old-time values of empathy, kindness, compassion, and emotional intelligence still reign supreme as evidenced in the results of the 2020 US Presidential Elections, and it’s a huge relief. I couldn’t have dared to bet that Trump would lose. Scratch that. I expected Trump to win. I had been jolted by the outcome of the 2016 elections because I had been certain Hilary Clinton would take the day. As far as I was concerned, the odds were stacked against her rival. Donald Trump was supposed to be the long-shot candidate whose braggadocio and xenophobia irked Americans enough to shun him, let alone the allegations of sexual abuse and gross disregard for decorum. I thought these were more foreboding than the exaggerated sins of leaked emails. But I was wrong.

Nigerian Politicians and Their Failed Diversionary Tactics

Politics/GovernanceBy Ololade Ajekigbe November 4, 2020 2 Comments

Image: Channels TV

The awakening is in effect. There’s a tidal wave of renaissance coursing through the socio-economic landscape of Nigeria right now, and those who are at the helm of affairs need to read the room for their own benefit. The #EndSARS protests brought many issues to the fore, one of which is the conduct of politicians and the role they continue to play in the precarious state of the nation. The days of docile youths who are only concerned about reality TV shows and the latest hip hop album belongs in the past and any public officer who desires to court the goodwill of the electorate will do well to accept the new status quo.

Sergeant Jeremy

Flash FictionBy Ololade Ajekigbe October 21, 2020 6 Comments

“Park! Park!”

The 18-seater Toyota Hiace bus screeched to a halt. stopping just a few inches before the gun-wielding police officer.

The burning smell of a burnt clutch hit the air as the driver switched gears and wiped the sweat off his brow.

The deep creases on the face of the burly officer and his flared nostrils made even more sinister by the pointing gun barrel was all the warning the driver needed to be cooperative.

Some passengers hissed and slapped their palms together. A baby let out a wail, he had been suckling happily before the abrupt stop had forced his mother to withdraw her breast.

“Officer, wetin happen na?” The driver asked in a thick Ijaw accent.

#EndSARS: The World Belongs To Fighters

EssayBy Ololade Ajekigbe October 14, 2020 2 Comments

If there’s any lesson to be learned from the events of the past week, it is that every individual must possess an appreciable level of fight in them. The cojones to say enough is enough, the willingness to risk it all if need be in pursuit of what they want. The gumption to speak up when it matters despite natural temperament. What will happen if you do not toe this path, you may ask. Well, you will most likely live a life of dissatisfaction as a result of your docility. And you may tell yourself that’s fine, but deep within…many years down the line, you will rue your cowardice.

Oloture: A Poignant Story That Begged To Be Told

ReviewsBy Ololade Ajekigbe October 7, 2020 11 Comments

Oloture did not bother to do the cinema rounds unlike other big-budget movies, it went straight to Netflix, and this might be the reason for the low awareness that heralded its premier. Not sure what to expect, I tempered my expectations of it. After happening upon the synopsis of a review that tagged it “A Very Good Disappointment,” and one or two others that were mostly complimentary, my interest in the motion picture was sufficiently piqued to make it my first activity in the wee hours of Saturday.

The Strength In Every Season

InspirationBy Ololade Ajekigbe September 30, 2020 Leave a comment

As a child, I was desperate to grow up and start doing adult things. And by adult things, I mean having my own money and make my own decisions. I thought adults were the luckiest people on the planet. They could come and go as they pleased, nobody could question them on how they spent their money, and the best one—they did not get spanked. How cool was that? Those were my thoughts as a kid. By my judgement, childhood was all about people telling you what to do, and that sucked. Until I grew up,

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