The numbers 2020 engraved on the beach sand with waves sweeping ashore

2020 Taught Me: 5 Lessons Learnt

Lifestyle4 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.

Faceless policeman cradling a gun

Sergeant Jeremy

Flash Fiction6 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.

Different colours and shapes of leaves representing different seasons

The Strength In Every Season

InspirationLeave 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,

Cartoon of a man and woman dragging along an apparently heavy baggage

The Burden Of Labels

Essay6 Comments

I had a friend who thought I was a genius. Each time we were in a gathering and there was some knotty issue or a word everyone was struggling to understand, he would turn to me and announce that Lolade would have the answer. When it came to words, he saw me as a walking dictionary. I warned him that he would one day embarrass the both of us when I came up blank after one of his random “Lolade would know it” episodes. Thankfully, that never happened. But it could have because my friend couldn’t have been more wrong.

Birthing Purpose: My EBook For Writers And Content Creators Is Out!

Reviews2 Comments

Today is a special day for me.

I’m thrilled because a book whose concept I conceived about a year ago and worked to bring to reality over the last couple of months is birthing. My journey to the world of creating art through words was borne out a nagging desire to find my path in life. At some point, I was so discontented with my career path and where it was headed that I knew if I failed to take charge of the situation and find something I truly loved doing, I would sink into depression. I had to find purpose or die trying. It was that critical.

Black shirtless man cradling a white rose

The Impostor

Flash Fiction, Stories6 Comments

He was due to arrive in a couple of hours.

Mum had worn her wig and that floral scent she reserved for those times when dad was coming from one of his regular trips.

“Guys, I know I promised we would go to grandma’s place this weekend, but I’m sorry that won’t be possible anymore…”

Before he finished, Ire had yanked off the arm that held him on dad’s lap and flung himself on the blue Persian rug in the middle of the living room.

My younger brother was only seven years old, but already, everyone knew about his legendary emotional reactions. He was quick to get hurt and throw a tantrum, but that was just because he had a soft heart.

Big Brother Naija And The Closet Fans

Opinion Pieces8 Comments

We have been here before. We are here every year the reality television show makes an appearance. Anytime, the Big Brother social experiment hits our screens, the moral police are always there, waiting in the wings to pounce. It’s amusing to see how they are never tired of deriding a show they claim to loathe so much. I mean…if I hated something or someone, I’d pretend they didn’t exist. I’d do everything to avoid it and do a mental block. This concept is however alien to critics of Big Brother Naija.

Of Vulnerable Moments And Husband Materials

Essay6 Comments

I had quite a few vulnerable moments during my university days. Days when I struggled to juggle the demands of school work and life outside of school. Days when I loathed hostel life and the idea of having a roommate because a girl just needs to be alone sometimes. There were many challenges, and of course, there were good times. But I can never forget that ONE time I was constipated. 

Genie-like shadow chatising aman whose head is bowed

Between The Critic And The Doer

Inspiration2 Comments

They are not mutually exclusive. Not by any stretch. Yet, it’s a wonder how some of the greatest critics have nothing much going for them by way of achievements. I have always said I’d rather be the one doing something (even if mediocre) others get a chance to criticise rather than be the one who’s always on the lookout for the mistakes of others. It makes sense to carry out even the most mundane tasks with unfettered gusto. It makes sense because the attitude and diligence with which we execute the basest of tasks is a reflection of how well we’d do if we took up more complex assignments.

Young girl in denim skipping

Young And Restless Or Just Reckless

Essay4 Comments

I remember when I was a newbie driver some 12 years ago. I was excited; I was thrilled because finally, I could get into a car and move it on the road by myself. Without the help of a driving instructor or friend. My “learner vehicle” was an old, hitherto abandoned Mazda 626 which had to be retrieved from the mechanic’s workshop for my driving lessons. It was a car none of my siblings would touch with a long pole because it would “demarket” them. But I didn’t care. I just wanted to drive and anything on wheels was good enough.