@Danyskillz

Sunset in Nigeria Nigeria as a country has been thrown into turmoil, both financially, economically and otherwise. Since 2009, when the Boko Haram insurgency, the peace and security of Nigeria has never remained the same. Despite several efforts to curb the insurgence, all efforts seem to meet a brick wall. In 2015, after series of failure from the leaders who led the nation as their private enterprise, Nigerians sort for a messaiah in president Mohammadu Buhari who has lost all the previous time he had contested for presidency. But as fate may have it, he was finally elected and his dreams came true. With Nigerians hoping he will lead them to the promises Land. Things turned out differently under his tenure as he failed to deliver on his many promises, some of those promises, he denied. Instead thee country was bedeviled with worse economic and financial crisis. Ethnic and religious crisis were also not left out. He promised that the security of the country was going to improve but security in Nigeria turned out worse as killings, banditry and kidnappings were carried out freely. As Boko Haram continued killing, armed Fulani herdsmen were kidnapping and the government only labelled them as bandits. During the first tenure of the Buhari junta, the Igbo people of eastern Nigeria wanted to stop being Nigerians as they sought to create their own country. They wanted to become the republic of Biafra, under the aiges of the indegineous people of Biafra (IPOB) with mazi Nnamdi Kanu as their leader, but they were clamped down, proscribed as a terrorist group even though they went about it peacefully and their leader was sent to prison. Further agitation led to military invasion of the region and many were killed. Meanwhile, in Northern Nigeria, the Fulani herdsmen on rampage, were killing and sacking communities unchecked, kidnapping for ransome, yet they were not proscribed terrorists, with many Nigerians thinking that this is happening because the president himself is a Fulani man. These same Fulani under the aiges of miyetti Allah cattle breeders association of Nigeria (MACBAN) once claimed on national TV that every land in Nigeria belonged to them and that they can graze their cattles everywhere. No one questioned them and no case was made of it. The Fulani seems to be bringing about the end of Nigeria as they seem to cause trouble everywhere they find themselves, they destroy crops, kill and destroy villages if they dare stand against them. Yet they cannot be asked to leave a region as doing so is incurring the wrath of the presidency such that arrest warrants will be given and innocent citizens who are indegines of such region are subject to torture from the military men, commanded by the presidency. Are the Fulani about to end a peaceful Nigeria?

The power of creativity Many a times, we have underestimated ourselves and the powers we have in being creative and talented. Though some still suffer because they have not discovered the gold mine that resides tn the power of their creativity. Discovering your ability to be creative can be the most lucrative thing that can happen to any living being. Check out everything that is yielding profits today, they lay in man's ability to be creative. Things to strengthen your creative ability: Your ability to think far and fast Your ability to put it to work Your ability to take risks Your ability to try something new Your ability to teach others Your love for humanity and things. If you have the following listed above, your creative ability is sure and you can make millions with just your ability to create. Look for something that your community is lacking, and look for a solution for their lack. Be creative while doing this and you are sure to make it big. The biggest fashion designers today are very creative people, the most expensive makeup artists today are also creative people. What are you doing with your ability to create? Do not be dependent for long on family, relative and friends. Create contents and earn on YouTube, make beautiful designs, be an artiste, be a guitarist, a keyboardist, a fashion designer, a drummer, a musician, produce sounds, write, there are a whole lot of other creative things out there for you. Every human has been created with the ability of being creative, it's a gift unto every human but most of us have lost it because we depend too much on others to find solutions to our problems. We can have solutions to every problem in a short while if we are all able to harness our God given potential of being creative, but most of us do not care as long as this problem is not affecting us directly. We might just randomly talk about this solution but not act on it to save lives and to make money while helping others. Let us all try to harness our creativity and this world could be a better place. We've gone past the era of creating weapons, all the wars are now being fought technologically. We should also harness our technological creativity. Let's be the solution to problems and the world will be a better place. The world is waiting on us to be it's solution, let us do well and be creative, you never know if that little thing you have in mind could make you the next Jeff Bezos, or the Albert Einstein of our time. Our ability to create lies deeply within us, just reach out and see how far you can go.

Do not die I read a story about a young man who has battled with depression for over seven years and decided to end his life. His story was touching because he left a suicide note and in the note he said no one understands what he feels. The truth is depression is common among male folks than the female. Cause of depression among men are not far fetched from pressure, societal pressure, peer pressure, academic pressure, financial pressure and a lot more. If you take statistics, you'll find that eight out of ten young men are actually depressed. To me, I'll say depression is your mind playing limitation games with you. Everyone should be in control of their minds, not the other way round. The moment we allow our minds control us, then a lot of things will go wrong. Fight depression before it leads you to commit suicide, because suicide is not the way out. Before you have suicidal thoughts, think of your family, your parents, siblings, relatives and friends who will miss you. A lot of destinies are attached to your life, how will those people fulfill destiny when their destiny helper had decided to end his life? When you are feeling down and you think of giving it all up, try to talk to someone, leave your shell. Though it's not easy and it doesn't seem like anyone will understand how you feel, but try to say it out, you never know who your story or experience will help, you never know if this person can profer a solution. After talking to someone, let it go off your mind, unburden your mind. Going with a heavy heart can lead you to commit suicide. Hang around people, even if you do not talk with them, just sit and listen to their conversations, watch them play, laugh and smile, that can really help too. If you have any game, try to play games, listen to music, watch movies, give yourself a treat, read books. Life is too precious to be cut off short, if you actually think there is nothing left to live for, think of how many people you can help, think not of yourself but think of how you can make someone happy and cause them to smile. Visit new places, try to write out your story, that thing that is Killing you might be the motivation someone needs. Be around sacarstic people, laugh out your stress, never give yourself a reason to be sad. If you have nothing doing, try to engage yourself in service to humanity. Your life has more value than you think or feel, you are a fighter and you are important. Stay alive and help people fulfill their destinies through you. Live, I beg you.

Do ghosts really exist? While some believe in the supernatural, others do not believe in it as it is impossible to believe something you have not seen or had an encounter with. After all they are invincible, so how do one believe in things he has not seen. Around the world, we've heard stories and watch videos of hollowed places, haunted houses and forests. Video and audio evidences are there but some of us still find it difficult to believe. Maybe it's in the humans nature to doubt. Here is my own experience with ghost: I was around five years old when my best friend died. I couldn't understand the concept of death as my little brain could not comprehend it yet. Reuben was his name, we were best friends, though we didn't attend the same school but after school we spent most of our time together. One day, after school I met people gathered at Reube's family house, when I asked, I was told Reuben had died of some sickness. It was strange to me as I didn't see him the whole day. The next day, I didn't go to school as we all mourned Reuben even though I didn't understand what we were doing but days turned to weeks and my best friend was out of sight. Life goes on. After a few weeks, on my way back from school, I met Reuben on a football pitch not very far from our house. I was so happy, I ran and hugged him and he told me he just wanted to sit there and watch the grasses grow. I asked him to come home with me but he refused and instead asked me to go change and meet him there. The football pitch became our meeting place, he asked me not to tell anyone that I have seen him and that was our secret. We met there everyday, even though I didn't keep count, I'm sure it was more than two months until one day he told me that he was going home. I said well we should go because everyone really missed him and he said not that home but home pointing to the sky. I asked him when and he replied tomorrow. Well I saw him the next day but he was in a hurry to leave and that was the last time I ever saw Reuben. I cried and told my mum, she was shocked and made me promise never to keep such secrets from her. My second encounter was in high school. There was this girl I particularly took interest in bullying. She was smallish but she could say words that will make even the biggest boy in class cry. We were friends and I was the only one allowed to bully her. Because I will fight for her if someone else tried to. On one unfaithful day, I was told she's been possessed by some kind of spirit called 'jinn' I didn't understand what it was until one day, during break time, I just passed and as usual spank her. Y'all need to see the way this girl beat me up. She lifted me with one hand and I was in shocked. Somehow ianaged to escape. Fortunately for me, no one saw what happened and it was the last time I ever tried to bully her. Ladies and gentlemen, based on my experience I can say ghosts truly exist. I had some experience in the university also which I will share with you some other time.

Technology has evolved Over the years, I have watched how technology has evolved. I remember my first encounter with a desktop phone and how it rang like the Bell in my school, watching and listening to people talk over some device left me in awe. After the call ended, I picked the phone and tried to listen but there was no response, I began to doubt the authenticity of the communication, was still wondering with the receiver in my hand when I was slapped and accused of wanting to break the phone. I think that was the last time I touched the phone without being asked to touch it. Months later, our computer teacher told us he will be bringing a computer for us to see and practicalize what we have learned so far, we were all excited and wondering what the computer looks like. On the said day, we were all excited and couldn't wait to touch the keyboard. Well, we all were allowed to type on the computer after series of admonitions and warnings, even though most of us didn't know how to use the caps lock. The memory of that day will last for a very long time as that was how I developed a thing for technology. Years later, phones came into existence and a Sim card was sold for some ridiculous amount of money. . .our parents managed to get them but you dare not touch the phones if you do without permission, you are in for it. I remember the first call o made with the phone, I was so excited and couldn't wait to tell my peers about it. It was called GSM and we have it our meaning as "General Street Madness" as those who were on call were moving about trying to stabilize the network. Years later, I was able to get my own phone, it was a Sony Ericsson K7 phone, I was the biggest boy in town. The phone was gifted to me based on my outstanding performance. Everyone envied me as the phone had a camera and I was able to download games. It was a Java phone and it was phone to use. Things moved so fast and technology advanced so fast that each time I sit and think about those times, I wonder how time flies. Before technology, we did a whole lot of things manually, we read books in the library, wrote letters, go to stores but today we can do all of these at the comfort of our homes. One of the disadvantages is that we spend most of our time being online, making friends online and playing games online. It has made us lost contact with the real world and making real friends now seem an impossible task. Technology has not just advanced but it has moved the world closer.

Growing up Growing up in an African home can be fun, especially when one has extended families, cousins, nephews and nieces, they all tend to make growing up fun. Children grew up without malice, no prejudice, just innocence and pure love. Though I grew up in an urban settlement which is kind of related to the modern world, we still had time to visit our grand parents, living in the villages and meeting other relatives. I must confess that it was fun, learning new things like climbing trees, hunting for rats, birds and squirrels, the fights, it was all fun. I'll tell you about an event I'll never forget, growing up as a child. We were on holidays and we went to our grand parents house, it was a very large house and you can imagine the number of kids around. When the old men went to farm, they returned with bush meat and honey which they harvested and it was so tasty that we always wanted for more and always prayed that their outings are successful. On this fateful day, my cousins and I decided to tour the little bush not very far from the village. One of my cousins spotted a fallen tree and it had bees on it. So he told us that it was where our grand parents got the honey from and we were all eager to prove our worth of providing honey for the entire house not knowing how to go about it. My cousin being the oldest told us he had seen how it was done that we should just stay and watch him harvest the honey. We all stayed back to watch and learn. I decided to ease myself so I excused them while they were harvesting the honey. I cannot tell what or how it happened, the next thing I heard were screams and the sound of them running towards me. I couldn't even think as I lead the race as we were being attacked by the bees. We ran all round the bush and couldn't find our way out but somehow, we managed to get out of the bush and ran home. How I managed not to be stung is still a mystery to me as everyone else has been stung. The cries in our home that day was as if someone had died, as all of my cousins had swollen parts of their body. While some were stung on the head, some had the ears stung and others on various parts. The next morning, I couldn't even recognize some of them as their physical appearances had changed. They all said I was highly favored as I didn't even have a scratch, some of the older ones even said I didn't go with them that maybe I hid somewhere. It was fun really and I can never forget the experience. Leave a like and comment if you grew up in an African home.

Loneliness kills This is a story about myself and how I survived depression. Depression is real and it kills. Here we go. I used to be an introvert, though I'm now amnbivert, that is between introvert and extrovert. The third born in a family of five. Was the brightest among my siblings and was the favorite among my siblings. Though I hate the comparisons but there was little or nothing I could do as a kid. Sometimes I deliberately want to fail in school so I can be like my siblings but no matter how I try, I ended up passing. Life went on like that and my siblings were learning trades but my parents thought I was too good for a trade and should just be in school, get educated and maybe a white collar job with the government. Well everything worked out as they planned, even though that wasn't my own plan. That was how depression crept in. I was working and making money but I wasn't happy. I do not have friends as I find it difficult to communicate with others. I always think ahead of others, so meeting someone with the same level of thought as mine was kind of difficult. A lone ranger is what they called me in the office because I only talk if I have something important to say. My life was about work, movie, food and music. No human friend. Sometimes I feel like talking but there was no one to talk to. My parents are no more but my siblings are all scared of talking to me because they feel like I was too important even though I try to communicate with them, they tend to be so far away. Muy life without anyone was actually killing me slowly, even though I have millions in my account, I had no one. I was so depressed and decided that I was going to end my life but I was too scared to. So I told myself I was going to find happiness at all cost. I started going out often, I don't drink and smoke and at the age of 25, I never had a girlfriend. I was going out more often, going to the cinema and watch people being happy and that gave me so much joy. I just want to be happy. I wanted to go into business, even though I don't know what to trade on yet, I tendered my resignation at my place of work and they were all shocked. My boss begged me to stay and promised me salary increment and even a promotion because I was very important to them but I've made up my mind and I was a man of few words. I just laughed and told him that I was done. I opened a boutique and sent money to my siblings and I was feeling kind happy, I employed some people and that was the beginning of me making friends. I became friends with my employees and I spend most of my time trying to catch up with things I have missed all these years. One of my employees asked me a question and I knew it was time. He asked me about my wife of girlfriend and I said he will meet her soon. Truly, meeting her changed my life. Depression is real, talk to people and do not feel alone. Go out and make friends. Talk to people with love, you never know what they might be going through To be continued. . .