GSM Wahala

The inception of the GSM in '01 was of course a welcome development in Nigeria and a lot of us folks felt that we were 'getting there' upon acquisition of our own lines and phones... But of course, the gsm has come fraught with its attendant wahala as well...
It has wrecked relationships/marriages, caused people to lose jobs and caused untold embarrassment to lots of people.
Am I making sense here? I'm willing to bet I'm not, but let me share some stories with you...

1. I have these friends from Secondary School, we all know each other and I recently found out both of them are not so cool with each other anymore, they're only on Hello-Hi levels... Caused some surprise I tell you, so I enquired from them separately as to what the matter was...I asked the girl first and she went, "don't mind him jo...I saw him at a wedding and he was being very cold so I just decided to give him space since then..." Humph...nothing there...I asked the guy and he was like "I saw her at a wedding...some of my friends I went with were admiring her from afar so I told them, OH, I know that babe now, we were in school together, bla bla bla..she's my buddy"... he further decided to call her to prove "tightness?" to his guys and they all watched her from where they were seated....He saw her reach into her bag.....take her phone....look at the caller name... make a really nasty face and return the phone into her bag...he assured me it wasn't funny as his guys still yap him about it to date... Of course they 'ran into' themselves at the wedding but he was not as warm as she wanted him to be...

2. I was driving out with my hubby one weekend and he got a call from one of his Oga's at work... he was supposed to be at work that morning but did not go thanks to my *clears throat* persuasiveness.. anyway, he checked his phone and saw his oga's number and asked me to answer and tell him he had gone out and left his phone at home. Here's how it went:
Me- Hello?
Mr. T- Hello Madam, how are you? Give the phone to Mr. Nyemoni, tell him it's Mr. T
Me- I'm sorry but he's not around, he.....
Mr. T- (laffing really hard) Hahahaha...Tell him I'm driving behind him...so he's sending his wife to cover up for him eh? Hahahaha
Let's just say we're glad the guy is an understanding Oga or else....

3. My daughter has on countless occasions tried to embarrass me when I do the "my husband left his phone at home thing"...she always screams, my daddy is at HOME!!! lol..Now when I want to lie, I run of her earshot....

4. There are countless incidents of people reading their partners text messages and finding out what they really did not expect... I don't want to go into that because I heard too may horror stories... People please...share your GSM gist! Laterz!


`moni

It's all in the Jazz!

Let's face it. Some of us pretend we like some genres of music just so we can be seen as being "in the know". We are all guilty of this. Some people choke down food they don't like, others read a book or watch a movie they don't like and because everyone else is raving about it, they go- that book was Faaaab! I couldn't wait to get to the end.....Uh, wait a minute....maybe so, but for entirely different reasons. Some go, "How I loved that movie, my favourite scene was bla bla bla.... I could watch it again and again.." Like really?

For me, it was all about the jazz! I have deceived myself for as long as I can remember that I like jazz, probably because the rest of my family does and have even gone as far as buying a jazz CD or two....I finally faced it last 2 weeks or so when I was in training and had to listen to jazz every morning before the training session began. This went on until....Lord...I couldn't take it anymore.....the last day of training, I actually asked the guy who set up the projectors and all to kindly play something else.....lol! I finally accepted the fact that Jazz doesn't soothe me, it doesn't calm my nerves, it doesn't do ANYTHING for me! I'm sorry Kenny G, but what I do like are instrumentals, I like the piano, the guitar, the cello, the harmonica, and the drums...any kind of drums...but the SAX does absolutely nothing except annoy me! I've decided I'm going to give out my Jazz CD's to true lovers of Jazz, maybe my sister or one of my brothers. Let's just hope they really love jazz and aren't kidding themselves ;-) As for me.... I've decided to come out of the closet... I DON'T LIKE JAZZ!!!

By the way, I'm reading.....

Think devil wears Prada...if you like chic, witty books you'll like this one! I'll fill you in on this one next week! Laters people! ;-)

'moni

EUREKA!

Guys, I found the vid.... Enjoy!!!

'moni

TY Bello - Greenland

*pix courtesy this blog

I'm not usually one to do this, but I just have to cos I'm sooooooooo feeling this girl... I'm talking about TY Bello. She used to belong to the girl band KUSH which comprised Lara Bajomo, Emem Ema and TY Sokefun and they had the popular hit: Let's live together.

A graduate of Economics from the University of Lagos, TY also belongs to Depth of Field, a collective of six Nigerian Photographers: Kelechi Amadi Obi, Emeka Okereke, Uchechukwu James-Iroha, Zaynab Odunsi, Amaize Ojeikere and TY Bello. Their aim? Creating a complex portrait of the Lagos and its multitude of dimensions....from what I have seen of them, they have done very well...

The girls from KUSH have gone on to do their own things and TY Bello's new album Greenland is one of the products of the disbandment of the group.. I have so far heard only one song from the Album: Green Land and I am completely blown away! I heard it about a month and a half ago on CoolFM and I heard it on and on.... yesterday I was watching MTV Base- which is usually not my fav spot on TV- and I saw the video..It was simply a breath of fresh air!! I was so impressed by the video, I just kept dancing and singing along....I will SO buy that Album the minute I see it!!!

Anyway, everyone should look out for it cos it's really a nice song and I'm not going to list any other song as is my tradition on Fridays...

Guys, enjoy your weekend, stay safe and don't do anything I wouldn't do!!!

One love my people...

`moni

Monday Update

I'm back to work! Yeah so United won Chelsea yesterday in the fight for the Community Shield at Wembley. Yay!! Edwin van der Sar was the man... Big ups my fellow United suppoters and OUCH you blues, try again! Our next challenge: Glentoran FC on the 8th... Let's give it all we've got!
ONE UNITED!

This PHCN sef.....
So it's possible to have almost constant power supply in Nigeria? Who would have thought. Can someone please tell me why PHCN always supplies light in Lagos these days? I say Lagos cos I don't know for sure about the other states of the Federation but everywhere I go, everyone says the same thing: There's amost always light - at least 70% of the time. I am scared cos I think they're going to get ugly real soon...some one tell me to be more optimistic cos I fear I'm being a pessimist

Who gave the order?
What's up with the fashion police? Who appointed anyone Lord over outfits Lagosians wear? I've been hearing this "confirmed" rumor that people are being picked up because of their attire. Guys with dread locks and earrings on are being arrested, as well as ladies who show off more than they care to see..... I want to know if anyone can confirm what I heard on the radio today, that they take these people they arrest to an undisclosed location in Lagos and force them to Learn a trade...I'm concerned because we have serious security issues in Lagos with Armed men controlling a lot of places in the Lagos Metropolis, e.g, Akpongbon Bridge, Lekki- Ajah Expressway, Oshodi Expressway, Orile -Mile 12 Route, etc and nothing is being done about this... Pray tell, is fashion the most pressing of our issues? Tell me, WHO GAVE THE ORDER?

Big Brother Africa
BBA is back with the second edition... it features 12 people, 6 guys, 6 gals from 12 different countries in Africa: Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe..
Nigerian Ofunneka is repping for 9ja... I watched it for a bit yesterday and so fa? I'm not so impressed, well lets just watch and see shall we?

Take care....
'moni

In training................

Hello Blogfam,
Thanks for all the love as per my Blogiversary lol.... I have been at some random place on the Island for a training programme... I'm supposed to come back with more skillz to equip me to give better service to my employers bla bla bla... just came in to the office now to write a report and couldn't resist dropping a line...anyway, I have a helluva catching up to do on all your blogs...

My sister who gave birth on May 15th is in Nigeria with her baby for her maternity leave - in Canada, they have 1 years' maternity leave - I get to see her this weekend after almost a year, plus she has a thanksgiving service on Sunday! I'm super excited! Anyway, spoke to her earlier today and she was asking about my blogfam... she sends her love!
I'll be back in the office on Monday 6th August so expect a post then...Until then, have a lovely weekend!


Mad love!
'moni...

P.S

Music I've been listenin' to....
Plain white T's -Hey there Delilah
KD Lang - Crying
The Fray - How to save a life
Green Day - Working Class Hero

1st Blogiversary!!

Hey! It's my 1st blogiversary! I started blogging on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 and it's been quite an experience! Blogging has opened a whole new page in my life and I tuly have no regrets starting this blog... I've made many friends and some enemies too but Hey! It's mostly been worthwhile... Thanks to blogging, I now have these group of people who I call my blog fam...

It took me quite a while before I decided to start this blog mostly because of my desire to remain anonymous and also because I thought it would be too much quality time spent killing my eyes, but I'm glad I took the leap O' faith and ventured into the blog world.

I remember the very first blog I stumbled upon, sometime in June last year. The layout was pink and I saw the eyes of a young lady staring at me...I'd been trying to get some info on coolfm and I was led by google to this post... I read through a lot of her posts and left with tired eyes, didn't go back for another month...but then I returned.. opening link after link and I discovered a whole new world...

The journey's been fun so far, sometimes I come to blogsville just to get away from reality for a bit and to have a laugh.... I'm just really glad I started this... Here's to many more blogiversaries! Guys, thanks for taking this journey with me and I hope blogging has been as much fun for you as it has been for me.... Cheers y'all!

Me-me

I am …NYEMONI
My ex-boyfriend ….turned out to be my husband..... Maybe I should …get another job? I love …Music! I don't understand.....accounting! I'm not even interested in the least! I lost my....toe ring last year My current boyfriend is …my husband People say I'm ….fun to be with Love is …diverse Somewhere, someone is…getting murdered
I will always... love books Forever is....eternity I never want to…have to kill anyone I think the current President is….a subject under review
When I wake up in the morning….I thank the Lord for yet another day Life is full of....mysteries My past is.....incredibly bland! I get annoyed when….I see bad quality customer service Parties are for...having fun! Girls are ...complex creatures Sex is…. overrated I wish...I had more financial prowess Tomorrow I'm going to…..take my daughter out! I really want some….more of God in my life! I have low tolerance for people who….are pathological liars If I had a million dollars... I’d never be broke again My job makes me…. wanna go crazy!

What's on my playlist? Robin Thicke - Lost without you (finally caught the bug) Rihanna - Umbrella Gwen Stefani - 4 in the morning Justin Timberlake - Ayo Technology Ciara - Like a boy Beyonce - Get me bodied Akon feat Bone Thugs n Harmony - I tried Nickleback -If everyone cared Fergie - Glamorous (This is cos of my daughter!)

Have a great weekend everyone! I'll try to post something "sensible" next week... It's been really tough at the office these few weeks...and all ye reading this are hereby tagged! CIAO for now!

'moni

Friday the 13th

"The superstitious man is to the rogue what the slave is to the tyrant." -Voltaire

They say Friday the 13th is an unlucky day.... True, for people who believe in superstition but I don't belong to that category of people. I however want to blog about Friday the 13th and also list some superstitious beliefs I've heard....

Friday the 13th
As we all know, the 13th of any month which falls on a Friday is considered Friday the 13th. The number 13 is considered an unlucky number and Friday is considered an unlucky day, I think this has a lot to do with Friday the 13th theory, i.e. two unlucky factors...The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia.

Other superstitious beliefs

- The number 13 is unlucky. 12a is sometimes used as a substitute and some buildings skip floor 13 completely. Other superstitious beliefs related to the number 13 are:
More than 80 percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor.
Many airports skip the 13th gate.
Airplanes have no 13th aisle.
Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13.
Italians omit the number 13 from their national lottery.
On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12
and a half.
Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue
- Breaking a mirror will result in 7 years of bad luck.
- The numbers 7 and 9 are "lucky."
- It will bring you bad luck if you step on the cracks in a sidewalk.
- Expectant mother should throw salt three times behind herself shortly before her 'Due Date'
to ease her labour
- Placing a hat on a table is bad luck.
- In the United States, many people believe that two-dollar bill brings bad luck. Gamblers
sometimes call it a "deuce", a term for two which also means "devil."
- Black cats are generally considered unlucky; when a black cat crosses one's path, something
bad will happen
- Wearing clothes/ Underwear inside out brings good luck
- A penny is found heads up, it will grant good luck, however, tails up will grant bad luck.
- If one walks underneath an open ladder it brings bad luck.
- It is considered bad luck to open an Umbrella indoors.
- If your right eye twitches you will soon have good luck. If the left eye twitches the reverse
applies.
- To drop a fork means a man is coming to visit.
- If the palm of your right hand itches it means you will soon be getting money.
- If the palm of your left hand itches it means you will soon be paying out money.
- A mirror should be covered during a thunderstorm because it attracts lightning.
- All wishes on shooting stars come true. (Star light, star bright First star I see tonight, I wish I
may, I wish I might Have the wish I wish tonight)
- Knock three times on wood after mentioning good fortune so evil spirits won't ruin it.
- If you make a wish while throwing a coin into a well or fountain, the wish will come true.
- For a lucky bride: Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something blue and a
lucky sixpence In her shoe.

Do share the superstitious beliefs you've heard, whether you believe them or not!

`moni

Random Wednesday

MICHELIN MAN DENIES PATERNITY SUIT... Claims child is not his




What do you think?

What my mother taught me

My mother taught me Endurance. Her words were “what cannot be cured must be endured” She taught me to endure whatever obstacle life brings my way such that it would not bring me down; rather I would learn a lesson and be better for it.
My mother taught me resilience. She taught me to get up if and when I fall down.
My mother taught me kindness. She showed me how to look at every man as an equal and not to think that I was better than any just because I had certain privileges they didn’t have.
She also taught me humility. That’s the only thing one cant brag about having so I’ll leave it at that and let someone else say it on my behalf!
My mother taught me perseverance. She made me understand that the road may be long and I would be weary, but showed me that I’ve been equipped to handle all of life’s challenges.
She taught me to live well beneath my means. That way, I’d be able to manage most of my affairs (if not all) without having to borrow unnecessarily and thus compromise my stability.
My mother taught me the beauty of giving…… I now understand what it means to give without expecting anything in return and I love the feeling I have when I give, no matter how little it is………
She taught me Laughter. She taught me how laughter can change situations no matter how bad and she taught me how to take a joke. She taught me to pay now, play later… that’s the way I learned responsibility.
She taught me how to earn trust. It showed in the way I was alone and unsupervised for four years in the University paying all my fees, going to classes religiously, studying, earning my grades and graduating. All that was done without one visit from my parents to my school, from my matriculation day to graduation day.
My mother taught me Faith. She taught me the word of God which says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…..
She taught me the power of prayers…I’ve learnt that its power is immeasurable………she also taught me hope… sometimes it’s all some people have got……most of all, my mother taught me love. She taught me to love beyond reason, without reason and to love just because God says so.

My mother taught me all these and much more… I cannot imagine my life without her guidance, counseling and direction. She’s played the most important role in my life by miles and I cannot thank God enough for giving me to her … I wish that I be wise and patient enough to teach my children as she taught my siblings and I and pray that her children are able to show her how much she means to us… She may or may never get to read this but I just hope she hears the song of my heart… Mummy, I love and appreciate you… May God bless you with long life and show you His salvation.



‘moni

it's da weekend.......

Hey Guys,

It's been such a long minute.... and it's not just about the strike... Yeah, the strike has taken it's toll on me but it's not just the strike... it's something in the air.... like the world has come to a standstill... but then I know the world's not at a standstill.....but what with No Power supply, No fuel for my car or generator and to top it all, I went to the market today and things were three times the usual price! I'm not talking about tinned food or cleaning items, I'm talking about the kind of food I like to eat- Plantains, Yams, goat meat, etc... Plantain was sold at 400 Naira for four fingers.... Oranges were 25o Naira for a dozen, everything was so expensive and when you complained, they went... "no be me do o! Na fuel cause am... transport wey I carry come market today...." Na wah o! Nigeria na wah...

I asked a friend who is coming from obodoyibo to buy me a pair of these slippers below...

I had them when I was younger, and they were so comfy... I kept reminding her to buy them and she was like "no be dat skoll? No worry now, I go buy am" And I remembered that I used to call them skolls as a child.... in fact everyone in my family used to call them that. I realized that we found a way of twisting the name Dr. Scholl around to suit us and the name skoll was formed, and it was not just us, everyone around was calling them skolls. I printed out a copy of the lovelies and took them home to my hubby and asked him if he had seen those around in the late '80's and he went.... those are skolls now, my mum and sisters used to have them then! lol...

It got me thinking of other names Nigerians had reinvented..... I have a few lined up for you....

Real Name..........Nigerian version
Scribbling.......................Jagajaga
Slides..............................Jangulova (Ekpu Motor)
Bottle cork.....................Counter
Platforms.......................Secretariat
briefs..............................Soccer pant
rouge..............................rosy cheeks
Clean shaven head.......Gorimapa
albino..............................opulo pulo
the words
move over......................dress or shift
the day after tomorrow..... next tomorrow

LOL....there are so many others... I just can't think...feel free to remind me! I just needed to put my thoughts down for some comic relief....

Songs I'm feeling
I wanna have your babies - Natasha Bedingfield
Lil Star - Kelis ft. Cee-lo
Who knew- P!nk
Break it off- Sean Paul and Rihanna
Buy you a drank- Tpayne
Lost one -Jay Z

This is all for the weekend guys..... stay safe y'all.... have fun!

Cheers,
`mon!

Blogville Idols...and more

Hey guys, wassup? Nothing new is happening oh! I've been too busy to blog, but I've been around blogville dropping comments here and there... Wow, so much is going on in blogville, most importantly Blogville Idols, an initiative of Pink Satin and Naija Opeke and hosted by Cheetarah..... check it out here.

So yesterday, we saw Naijadude and Nigerican leave.... it was so sad, but well, people had to leave... I see a bright future for them cos I think they've got what it takes to make it...lol! Well done guys! The show is now down to 12 contestants...Bimbylads, 2nd Corinthians 5:17, Abujababe, Bobby, Chicala, Diary of a G, Everybody loves a 9ja girl, I am a Babe, Idemilli, Lurlar, Mimi, Sparkle & Taureanminx...let's see how the next e-LIVE show will go!

In Nigeria, there are two major things making headlines...Mujahid Asari Dokubo has been released medical grounds.. You may read more here

Peter Obi has also been reinstated by the Supreme Court as the Anambra State Governor. The court ordered Obi to remain in office till March 17, 2010, when his four-year tenure would terminate. Obi’s reinstatement came just 17 days after Andy Uba was inaugurated governor following the controversial April 14 gubernatorial election in the state.In a landmark unanimous judgment, the apex court ruled that since Obi was sworn as Anambra State governor on March 17 2006, the constitutionally guaranteed four-year tenure must be respected. The reinstated governor had gone to the Supreme Court to appeal the earlier ruling of the high court and court of appeal that had declined jurisdiction to hear the suit."The Independent National Electoral Commission was wrong to have conducted elections to fill a non-existent governorship in Anambra State," Aloysius Katsina-Alu said in the unanimous judgment of the full complement of a panel of seven Supreme Court justices.

They ordered Uba to vacate office immediately. In Awka, the capital of Anambra State, Uba, the erstwhile governor, was addressing a gathering of traditional rulers when one of his aides handed over the phone to him. After receiving the call, his countenance changed. He quickly ended his speech, drove straight to the Government House and hurried out of the premises 20 minutes later at 2.45 pm with his personal aides in a convoy. The special adviser on media and strategy to Uba, Okey Ifionu, said that they were taking the judgment with "philosophical calmness".

Former governor of the state, Chris Ngige, while congratulating Obi "on his victory" said the judgment will mark the end of the crisis in the state.The pan-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze nd’Igbo, praised the judiciary for upholding the ethos of the democratic process. Dozie Ikedife, its president general, said: "This has gone to show that the judiciary in Nigeria can be trusted and this has also shown that Anambra State remains a reference point in the political permutations of Nigeria. It has in a way proved to us that our democracy is growing and we in Ohaneze congratulate Obi for ensuring that the due democracy is growing."

Obi’s deputy, Virgy Etiaba, who was at the court when judgment was delivered, could not hide her joy as she danced and sang praises to God. Uba who was declared winner of the controversial governorship election in the state ran under the platform of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), while Obi, representing the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), won the 2003 election but could only assume office after three bitter years of legal struggle.
In Onitsha, Awka and other towns in the state, it was celebrations galore on the streets when news broke on the Supreme Court judgment. Ike Olisa, an Onitsha-based trader, told Business Day that justice had been done to the people of Anambra State. "The whole election process that brought Andy Uba was a farce and magical," he said.

Reacting to the judgment, Olisa Agbakoba, the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and an indigene of Anambra State, said it was a fantastic decision. "I am delighted that Andy Uba is out of office. He rigged his way into office. Anambra people did not vote for him. There was no election in Anambra State. Andy Uba should leave office immediately", he said.
Commending the judgment, Agbakoba said the judiciary had been the "saviour of the 2007 election. At every point that government and its machinery tried to undermine the process and subvert the will of the people during the last general election, it is the judiciary that intervened to bring justice and restore confidence of Nigerians."

Lagos lawyer Femi Falana hailed the judgment, saying last April’s election where Uba was declared winner was a nullity, adding that there was no need for an election in the first place.Mike Ahamba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said no governorship election would be due in Anambra State until 2010 when Obi would complete his tenure.

Info on Anambra State Courtesy Businessday....

More to come...

`moni

Happy Weekend Everyone!!

Thank God it's Friday!!!!!

So I got off work late.... so what? I'm grateful to God that He has taken me through this week without any mishaps and everything concerning me is well by His grace!

I pray that next week will be better that this week...Amen...

and the week after that will be better than next week... etc...Amen...

I just want to wish everyone who reads this a lovely, fun filled weekend!!! May the hand of the Almighty always be upon your lives... Enjoy your weekend! Mwah!

xoxoxoxoxo

`moni

Did I read that sign right?

TOILET OUT OF ORDER. PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW

In a Laundromat:AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT

In a London department store:BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS

In an office:WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN

In an office:AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD

Outside a secondhand shop: WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?

Notice in health food shop window:CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS

Spotted in a safari park:(I sure hope so)ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR

Seen during a conference:FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR

Notice in a farmer's field: THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES.

Message on a leaflet:IF YOU CANNOT READ, THIS LEAFLET WILL TELL YOU HOW TO GET LESSONS

On a repair shop door:WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR - THE BELL DOESN'T WORK)

LOL!!!

`moni

Breaking News: Paris Hilton Out of Jail

I don't usually do this, but I just couldn't resist!

US celebrity hotel heiress Paris Hilton has been released from prison in Los Angeles after serving just three days of her 23-day sentence for a probation violation, it was reported today.Website TMZ had learned that Paris Hilton has not only had her sentence cut short, she was already out of jail."Unimpeachable sources tell TMZ the deal was sealed yesterday, and that Hilton made her exit early this morning," said TMZ.She was originally sentenced to 45 days in jail, but that was reduced to 23. She served a total of three days.

Read more here, here and here

Why am I not surprised?

`moni

Introducing Nigeria's first female Reps Speaker!

Mrs. Patricia Olubumni Etteh, representing Ikire/Irewole Federal Constituency in Osun State, made history by becoming the first female Speaker of Nigeria's House of Representatives.
And, recognising the historic occasion, she pledged not to disappoint womanhood.

The new Speaker, whose election was unopposed, was the Deputy Whip of the House at the last dispensation. She pledged to use the position to quicken the delivery of "democracy dividends" by ensuring a smooth relationship between the House and other organs of government......

(read more here , here and here!

This is such a milestone for Nigerian women in politics!!

What do y'all think???

`moni

7even Things Me-me

It's June... thank God!! For my first June Post, I've decided to catch this 7even things meme bug which has been going around blogville...Yeah, I know I've not been tagged, but who cares??? I don't!

1. I studied Geology in the University... Yeah... that's my brand of science... I like all them talk of liquid Gold!!! Talk about seismic interpretation, petrophysical evaluation, etc and you'll certainly get me interested!

2. I'm extremely secretive.... tell me something you'd like to be kept under wraps and even my hubby wouldn't hear it... a lot of my friends trust me with things they would tell no other!

3. On the contrary, I detest talking about my very personal life to all and sundry... I hardly even discuss it with family! maybe that's why I find it difficult to go the whole hog with blogging! I like to seperate blogging from my real life although sometimes the two interwine when someone who knows me discovers my blog!!! Everything for me is on a need-to-know basis and you don't need to know!

4. I am proud of where I'm from...I am from NYEMONI, i.e. Abonnema, one of the small Islands that make up the Kalabari kingdom...That's where I got the name of my blog from...I love my people, the language and the food...NYEMONI 4 lyfe!

5. I dislike the sports golf and cricket.... I think they're painstakingly boring!!! Too long! A friend has explained the rudiments of golf to me before so I understand it a bit more but I refuse to give it a chance to grow on me!!

6. I'm an information junkie... I like to know a bit of everything!!! I love to watch TV shows like "The Weakest link" and "Who wants to be a millionaire" so I can test my general knowledge.....

7. Photography is an untapped hobby of mine.... I would like to delve into it soon!!!

P.S
I hereby tag the 7even peeps underlisted:
april, mimi, pamela, solomonsydelle, jaja, believer and beyond... Get to it guys! End of!

`moni

Nigerian Politics....my views

Hi everyone! I've been out of it for a bit... not that I've been I'll, but I just stayed off the internet for a while 'cos I wanted to rest! Now I'm back and feeling more tired than before! Does anyone feel me? You take a break of work for 1 week and you're expected to return with renewed vigour... instead you come back lazier and more tired than before....Phew! Life seems so hectic sometimes!

Now a lot has happened during my absence and I have had to go round my fav blogs and fill myself in on what's up....not that I'm done blog-trotting anyway...

In Nigeria, we watched history unfold on Tuesday the 29th of May as Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and his deputy Goodluck Ebele Jonathan were sworn in as the new President and VP at the Eagle square in Abuja in the first civilian handover of power since Nigeria's independence....Interestingly, it was reported that tens of millions were spent on the handover ceremony alone.... that aside, Former President Olusegun Obasanjo in a public broadcast on Monday 28th May said...."Tomorrow, May 29th, will usher in a new and glorious dawn for our country. A new generation of Nigerian leaders will take over the great responsibility of running this great and diverse nation."

Overall, I would say that OBJ did a fair job as our president (my view, so shoot me!) I feel it is not an easy task to control the affairs of a country like Nigeria with diverse minded people, who can be so unreasonable to the point of committing murder (think Reverend, Dr. Pastor King), people who can be so indiscipline (You! yes, you jumping that queue to fuel your car..) and also people who dare to stand for what is right to the point of risking their lives (Prof Dora. Akunyili) We have them all in Nigeria..the good, the bad, the awful, the awesome!

In the beginning, i.e. the early part of the first four years, he was on a constant high- I mean air-bound.... I remember he was reported to have spent half his time flying from one country to the next.... we are all witnesses....

Later on he started to make positive changes....his government made NAFDAC a force to reckon with, his government introduced the GSM, therefore making communication easier for all Nigerians, EFCC started with initially good intentions which turned to bad when they were used to witch-hunt the enemies of his government....more good changes in between with the hiring of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who helped the country secure debt relief from the Paris Club....major draw-backs were experienced in the security sector as Nigeria experienced an all time high crime rate in the Niger-Delta region as well as in the Urban areas...

The power sector progressively declined to the point where people have lost hope in getting 24 hour electricity...Traveling by land or air became a source of major concern as we all witnessed numerous Plane crashes and Road accidents.... We lost so many Nigerians to accidents in the last few years and these need to be addressed i.e. AVIATION and ROADS.... the Health and Education sectors did not fare any better as we had strikes on the regular from healthcare practitioners and Teachers in Primary, Secondary and Higher Institutions.....

Just before the expiration of OBJ's tenure, we saw his government in what seemed to me as a desperate bid to line the pockets of the powers that be conduct a bid round in a very wishy washy way, the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries were 'sold' to the friends of the government with one getting a 51% stake in the Kaduna refinery and the other acquiring a 51% stake in the Port Harcourt refinery....

In what some have described as a final parting gift to us, the price of petrol rose from N65 to N75, the VAT in Nigeria was hiked from 5% to 10% effective last week, and a new tax payable by oil companies was introduced whereby they pay 1% of their profit after tax to the government...pray tell, what's the tax we pay used for? Healthcare? Road rehabilitation? Fuel subsidy for the citizens? what???

Whoa! Let me take a very deep breath here.... this government was also one that 'made' a lot of unknowns....and generally a lot of love was spread all around... left, right, centre, people were getting rich!

At this point, I'd like to say kudos to the bloggers who initiated and were a part of the Nigerian bloggers proclaimation....You go peeps!! Let's make our voice heard... let's leave our mark in the sands of time...

For our new President, I have Hope......very unlike me because I'm usually a skeptic when it comes to Nigeria..... call me foolish, but I am indeed hopeful now.... Let me recall the words of our former president...."Tomorrow, May 29th, will usher in a new and glorious dawn for our country. A new generation of Nigerian leaders will take over the great responsibility of running this great and diverse nation."......let's just hope that by the year 2015, I would not have cause to regret because take it or leave it, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's going to be here for another 8 years!


`moni

And then there were three...

Hey Peeps, thanks for all your love as regards my last post.....I am truly grateful for all your prayers and comments, one can never have a thing as too much prayers can one???? And thanks from my sis as well, guys!!!

In about an hour or so, we'll know who the Top 2 Idols are, but first.... a run down of the performances of the Top 3. Yesterday, the idols were given the opportunity to sing whatever song they wanted in any music genre..... they basically were given a free hand to make or do themselves in! Here are the highlights....

Timi started the first show with Lemar’s ‘If there’s any justice’ , Temitayo was next with ‘I’ll be there’ by Mariah Carey. Omawumi followed with “I don’t want to wait in vain” by Bob Marley....

I thought Timi played very safe on this one... he does Lemar very well as his voice is uncannily like Lemars' and he nailed the song... Temitayo had a few hiccups but there were no major issues in her singing and she delivered it well... Omawumi I would say took a risk singing this song... she gambled and it paid off 'cos she rocked the house with her sassy attitude as usual..

For the second group of songs, Timi sang ‘Everything I do, I do it for You’ by Brian Adam’s. Temitayo followed with ‘He lives in You’ by Diana Ross and Omawumi ended the show with ‘Ain’t No Other Man’ by Christina Aguilera.

Timi, I felt did not deliver on the song... he should have, but somewhere along the line, it did not work for me... He didn't fall flat, but I would say he has not upped his game...Temitayo sang OK, but I was not blown away by her performance....all in all though, it was fair.... Now Omawumi was something else.... she totally rocked that song... No one could have done it better than her and I liked the fact that she took a chance with singing a particularly difficult song and delivered it so well.... I wonder how the votes will swing??? Only time will tell.....

I cannot say at this time who will leave and who will stay, but I daresay I will be SHOCKED to say the least if Omawumi goes home.... I wouldn't like that at all.....

That's my 2 cents on this post.... for more on the Idols, check this link out!

Take care fellaz!

`moni