Images of Ebiraland

By Ismail M. Kabir To many, the name Christy Chapman always rings a bell. Yes! She is closer to her community than many home-based individuals with whom she shares similar capacity. U.S based Chief Christy Chapman has been a source of benevolence to multitudes of the down trodden members of her immediate community and the Ebira society at large. Her life is characterized by philanthropic works devoid of discrimination. She considers every Ebira youth her own child, offering them support in all facet of life. Chief Christy Chapman has, besides other silent gestures, contributed to the educational development of Orphans, the youths and empowered widows among other numerous contributions to the well being of the less privileged. Worthy of mention is the donation of her house in Agassa that eventually became the first set of classrooms to an Orphanage school founded by Shehu Beida in Agassa Okene. Today, the school has attracted the intervention of World Bank. Chief Christy is loved b

By Ismail M. Kabir The day was bright; a heavy downpour was imminent as the cloudy weather shifted northward. It was few minutes past eight this morning, Tu esday June 17th 2014. To me and my team, the time was right for another exploration but this time we choose the wrong transport, a tricycle popularly called Keke Napep. Me (left) and the pilot, Abdulsalam The day was bright; a heavy downpour was imminent as the cloudy weather shifted northward. It was few minutes past eight this morning, Tu Ignoring the disappointment that may arise from other members of Ebira Youth Explorers, a group that explores Ebira tourism potentials, upon their discovery of my selfish exploration, we left Okene town for the long and risky journey. Riding at a maximum speed of 60km per hour, Abdulsalam, our Lagos based pilot who arrived home the previous night pumped the throttle to declare the journey started. Ahead of us laid a dual carriage highway notorious for its daily armed rob

Book Title:                  Sacred Pond Author:                       Mualimu, H. Al-Raheed Bello Type:                          Prose, a Novel No. of Pages:             167 Year of Publication:   2014 Publisher:                   Gender and Youth Development Reviewed by:              Professor Sunday Ododo                                     Theatre Arts Department, University of Maiduguri   A Better Nigeria is Still Possible Preamble: It is not the best of times for me to do an important public presentation such as this. I have actually in the last nine weeks cancelled all public invitations with functional roles to continue to mourn four of my friends and colleagues of the Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, who died in auto-crash on the 7 th February, 2014 on Abuja – Zaria road. We were told that the accident occurred while the driver of the bus conveying them tried to avoid running into an Achaba motorcyc

By: Pastor Joseph Suleiman (Manjoe) I would rather have one little rose From the garden of a friend Than to have the choicest flowers When my stay on earth must end I would rather have a pleasant word In kindness said to me Than flattery when my heart is still And life has ceased to be I would rather have a loving smile From friends I know are true Than tears shed around my casket When to this world I bid adieu Bring me all your flowers today Whether pick, or white or red I’d rather have one blossom now Than a truckload when I’m dead. -           Anonymous Nigerians have an obnoxious tradition of easily forgetting their erstwhile good leaders. The immediate past despot of Kogi State, “Emperor” Alhaji Abubakar Audu, bemoaned this tradition in his mournful valediction when traditional rulers paid him a farewell visit. Emperor Audu did say correctly, that it is only when rulers are in power that they are recognized and respecte