@Mcuzy

Twitter (X) ad revenue in Nigeria. The good, bad and the ugly Twitter; now officially known as X recently started paying Nigerians their share in ad revenue. This means that they get paid based on the amount of impressions or engagement they get per post. The minimum impression is 15 million, though I must admit I don't quite understand how twitter calculated that and the payment. But the whole Nigerian twitter space has gone crazy due to this payment, so much so that some are even ranking twitter above other paying social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Tik Tok. Elon musk the CEO of Twitter has said that he wants Twitter (now X) to be an everything app, i.e a place to play, buy, sell, say and do everything. While the platform hasn't quite gotten there it's safe to say it is on that trajectory. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of this ad revenue in Nigeria, a country where the love of money is the root of all creativity and horrors. Let's take a look at some of the benefits, the side effects and the disadvantage of this in Nigeria. The Good Nigeria is a country that is riddled with poverty and inequality. The rich keeps on getting richer and the poor can only hope for the best. The new Twitter (X) ad revenue is a welcome development on the fight against poverty. Most people have been on Twitter for a long time and only make money through ads done by them personally now they don't have to worry, since they already have the followers they can just continue posting their content and get paid by Twitter. This is not only limited to normal people though, the amount being paid by Twitter is so huge that even celebrities, companies and government officials can get paid for doing basically nothing. Since they already have a large number of active followers who are interested in their posts they can make money by just doing what they normally do daily. The new ad revenue can also encourage creativity amongst youths. While they are already established platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok , people can create a unique kind of content exclusive to Twitter (X) and start posting it there. Twitter can become a full time job for thousands. The bad One of the major disadvantage of this is the way it is designed. The new Twitter (X) is a free space that anyone can post almost anything without being banned which means people will want those engagements badly enough to do some crazy things for it. Anything from fake news to controversy is going to be rampant. People will have a hard time distinguishing what is real or what is just attention seeking. Social media platforms have this bane of being an avenue of people living their best (fake) life. People post their fantasies and project them as their real lives, with the new Twitter (X) that may rise and probably mutate to another level. People posting stuffs they don't believe in or even fantasize about. This type of misleading information may fuel a dangerous crisis and this leads us to the ugly. The ugly When people start posting their engagement seeking posts some may throw shades at a specific religion or sect. We have seen cases where a seemingly harmless post about religion leads to death. Let's not forget this is Nigeria, religion is a big deal here and any post concerning religion is sure to garner response and everyone knows that. The issue of fake news may be taken to a whole new level with people posting about fake suicides or missing persons, just to get people's attention. Someone may post something they don't really mean, but it may anger someone else who might seek to cause harm to the poster in the real world. It's scary to think of someone getting harmed over something they don't believe in. Social media is a dangerous place where people with different psychological frames reside. The country is at a boiling point with religious and tribal tensions building up, a totally unmeaning post may just be the thing to upset the apple cart and let all hell break loose. All these said it is important to note that these are just probable speculations we have been faced with other technological advances before where doomsday prophecies were made and none came true. I think it all boils down to us and how we choose to use the platform. If rightly used the advantages outweigh the disadvantage massively and if certain censorship measures are employed we may just be alright.

How to survive on 3k naira (4dollars) in a week. The money is sent on a Sunday morning. I starve till evening then I cook soup. I buy egusi #300(milk cup) crayfish #50, palm oil #100, maggi and onions #50, ugwu(pumpkin leaves) #50, fresh pepper #50, half paint of Garri #700, stockfish #200. Totalling 1450k, remaining sum: 1550k. I eat the soup on Sunday night, Monday morning and night then Tuesday morning and night. Then I beg my roommates for sugar to soak the remaining Garri on Wednesday morning (note that the method I use in eating the Garri is two milk cups per sitting). On Wednesday evening I cook jollof rice; I buy 3 cups of rice (130 per cup), 1 sachet tomato #100, 1 sachet power oil #130, maggi #30, curry #30, onions #20. Totalling #700, remaining sum #850. I eat the rice on Wednesday evening, Thursday morning and night (it doesn't satisfy me tho but I have no choice). Then on Friday morning I check if the Garri is still remaining if it isn't I starve and curse myself for being a glutton who doesn't know how to manage for the rest of the day, then in the evening I cook beans; I buy four cups of beans (milk cup #100) #400, palm oil #100, maggi #30, onions #20, crayfish #50, pepper #20. Totalling #620, remaining sum #230. I eat the beans on Friday night, Saturday morning and night. Then I wait till Sunday morning or afternoon when my parents may manage to scrape something off here and there and send me 3k . Sometimes they fail to send it and I use the remaining change to buy #200 bread but of they do send it I use #100 from the change to recharge my phone credit. This has been my life's routine for a long time now in the university of Nigeria, Nsukka. I am always among the last to pay class dues and fees, most times I borrow from others just to be able to meet the deadline for payments. I have disgraced myself in front of almost everyone around me due to my lack of funds. My department is theatre and film studies and due to the practicals involved working and schooling is not an option. Other online jobs I could do require money to start up. I am squatting in the hostel I live in as my parents could not pay my school fees on time. A lot of people complain daily of problems and hardships but most of them cannot imagine a hard life like mine whoever you are remember to be thankful for the ability to be able to feed well and earn steadily because someone somewhere is wishing they have that much.

The invisible Man I have always wondered what was wrong with me. Right from my childhood people seem to hardly ever notice me, I could be standing in front of someone and they'll behave as if I wasn't even there. I remember one particular incident, when I went to my home town and me, my dad and my younger brother went to visit my aunt. She cheerfully greeted my father and younger brother but didn't say a word to me. Even though the four of us were the only ones there she did not acknowledge my presence until we left. She visited us the next day and it was the same story . Even when we all drove to Grandma's place in my dad's car she did not acknowledge me until after we spent some time there and suddenly it felt like something clicked in her and she came rushing out of the kitchen and hugging me, apologizing for not noticing me earlier. Everyone else was surprised, but not me, I had already gotten used to it. I attended rehearsals for days and the lecturer doesn't notice me (even though the both of us are acquainted ). He suddenly does after two weeks and asks me where I've been - although he looks to right past me in class and shakes people sitting right next to me. Sometimes I wonder if they really don't notice or just pretend to. The only time people seem to notice me is when they want to make jest of me or when I struggle for their attention. On several occasions some people I am talking with just plain ignore me immediately another person comes along. My voice is hardly regarded in any group discussion, with exception To my family. I don't really blame them, I am a natural freak of nature and my financial status doesn't even allow me look better. I was born extremely dark, red eyed and black smoker's lips - although I have never touched the stuff- , thin and hungry looking, almost nerdy, introverted and from a poor background. I have done several experiments and it seems like there don't really notice me. I have done my best to fit in but it never works. The few friends I have don't last and don't stick around. It's like they don't want to be seen with me . I have been call all kinds of derogatory names and made fun of several times, I don't know if I can take it anymore. I'm at a cliff edge and falling over, only hanging by a thin thread. I am invisible to kind people and visible to the bullies. Maybe this article may end up being invisible to people who may have really cared. I sincerely hope not.

Flaws in the Nigerian educational system Nigeria has one of the biggest economy in Africa and is no doubt growing everyday. It has one of the largest population of black people on the planet and ample natural resources. The country gained independence in the year 1960 . As a blessed country one would expect the education system to have evolved to something wonderful, but the exact opposite happened. Corruption has destroyed the country and the educational system rendered stagnant and almost useless. Since my primary school days the educational curriculum is still the same . When I entered secondary school I was shocked to see that even books used by my father in his schooling days were still in use, same with the university. Where is the innovation and change necessary to match the ever evolving world? Another issue with the Nigerian educational system is that it deals mostly with theory and very little practicals . If students are taught about planes, the only place most of them may get a glimpse of what is been taught to them is on tv or pictures , hence they have no firsthand experience of what an airplane is . During junior secondary school very few practicals were done and they were mostly in art( paper mache , clay Moulding, cooking e t.c). Science is mostly ignored till senior school and even then it's done in minimum. Learning creative arts and having culinary skills is good but what of scientific, engineering and mathematical skills? The world today is run by science and as we move further into the technological age any nation that does not train it's young in these things will regret. They have been so many cases of Nigerian graduates not being capable in their fields; graduates of agriculture who cannot handle simple farm tools, graduates of Mechanical engineering and they cannot tell the front from the back of a screwdriver. Theory teaches about these things but practicals show these things. There are leading fields today in the tech industry which have room for so much more, the Nigerian government should tap on these opportunities and train the upcoming generation to be world pioneers, they should increase the educational budget, refrain from looting it, pay teachers their salaries and re- enact a new and more fitting curriculum for the upcoming generation that will match the times. There is a saying which goes thus; tell me how something is done and I may forget it but show me and I will never forget . To most people talk is very boring, a lot of kids will prefer a trip to the airport to see planes than a teacher standing in class and just telling them about it. We see a lot of people forfeiting school education for trade learning, the government should introduce more practicals and integrate these workshops into schools so as to give the upcoming generation a good platform.

Solving the F2 problem. Nigeria is a diverse, multi cultural, multi religious and multi tribal country. And although we are different in many ways such as opinions and views , we are actually similar in n behaviors due to our Union. The average Nigerian gas a problem which I will like to call F2( food and fear) these are two elements that dominates his/her life . The illustration below will explain better. Illustration 1; The people of owomowo community has experienced blackout for over five years , the electricity company keeps failing to keep their promise of restoring electricity to the community. So one day they decided that enough is enough and protested against the overdue blackout, they marched to the electricity company with Hon. Chief mara mara as their main spokesman . On getting there the manager of the company invited chief mara mara and two other men inside. The three men angrily expressed their discontentment over the blackout issue and vowed to disrupt the activities of the institution. The manager's pleas to give them more time fell on deaf ears and getting frustrated he bribes the three men with three million. Immediately the three raving men became quiet, and after collecting the money, went back outside and told the people gathered outside that they should go home , the issue has been resolved and they should go home and expect electricity very soon. The above illustration depicts the average Nigerian who is ready to place his hunger for monetary food and selfishness over the welfare of the people. Illustration 2; The people of asa state were tired of the steady killing of youths by the police force. Daily, news is heard of one or more youth being killed. So a protest erupted and the people marched in large numbers towards the state government house. On their way an army truck was heading towards them , on sighting the army some of the people panicked and a stampede occured, a lot of people ran away and the brave ones who stood discovered the army were not coming for them, but they returned home since their morale has been terribly downsized. Fear is one of the major weapon the government uses to oppress Nigerians. Food and fear are like remotes in the hands of the government and they use it on the average Nigerian who hasn't learned to overcome these things. Until we solve the F2 issue, our nation may remain in a pitiable state.

Nature Charming, captivating, lovely. Crafted in a most amazing way, your concepts and designs so endearing, Your many wonders leaves us in awe. From the amazing plant colours; yellow, orange, green and blue. Amazing beauties like hibiscus, shaded in red, pink and purple too. Huge mountains as tall as the heavens, enchanting valleys and charming rivers, ferocious beasts and crawling serpents, even the winged and calm are fab. And everyday as I watch your wonders , I go back to cry in my bed ; That you may not last forever cause of the activities of men. As we plough and plunder, destroying all of you in our way, struggling for our own survival we fail to notice as you fade. Burning, scattering, falling and cutting, almost everything we do cause your destruction. Turning your everything to nothing, we push you into oblivion. In our wisdom we turn to fools, survival instincts blind our eyes that your destruction, is ours too. You're the host , we the parasite. You're the great and mighty nature, more beautiful than all creatures, nothing more amazing than your actions, cause beauty lies in your stem,water, land and paws.

The end What are you?" I asked him as he stood, he looked at me with eerie eyes, and answered with a smile. "I am....." So great and unimaginable, the most factual truth, more real than life itself, I am the fate of all of you. More complex than any, more scary than demons, even atheists believe in me, I am more famous than Jesus. Your whole life is a race, always happy over ever finished lap, not realizing that every finished lap only seals your fate, you can't escape no matter how you try hard. The track by the sides are walled to infinity, so high and strong, you can't break or jump, everybody finish line comes differently and nobody decides when I come. But though I cause the bravest to fear, I am the creator's greatest creation As important as breathing air, I am the one who always won.

Fire. A useful but dangerous slave. Ever since we mastered the art of controlling fire, it has been one of the most game changing human discoveries. Before then fire was mostly gotten from fallen trees which had been struck by lightning. Fire is very useful to us . As modern humans, we use fire in almost everything. From moulding metal and plastic products, to cooking, generating electricity and others. Due to recent happenings , fire is fast becoming one of the most feared elements . It alone amounts for millions of death of humans and wildlife worldwide. Wildfires are particularly dangerous as they start without a warning and spread very quickly. The recent australian wildfire was very deadly, it displaced thousands of animals and people. We have heard of fire taxing down houses and entire villages, killing families and causing sorrow. During ancient times fire was used for various purposes; people used it in wars , it was used to destroy forests for farmlands, cooking, fashioning of metal objects, and loads of other stuff. Infact the uses of fire run into hundreds if not thousands. But while this element seems so mighty and powerful, it must be understood that it is only a slave and will do whatever we bid it to if used wisely, it is there for our use and under our control. I personally has had different encounters with fire; once I plugged an electric heater too close to the curtains and it engulfed in flames , I quickly swung into action and was able to control it before things got out of hand . Another time it was a faulty kerosene stove which was missing a stove wick, it exploded and caught fire; I put it out with water mixed with soap. The list is endless, fire has caused a lot of irreparable damages . So in using it one must be very careful. Here are some tips on how to use fire ; 1. Keep it away from flammable materials ( wood, cloth, plastic e.t.c.) 2. Turn off all electrical appliances when not in use. 3. Repair or replace faulty gas cylinders and stove. 4. Know your areas' fire service emergency number 5. Incase of fire accident try the following ( Try covering the flame with a wet cloth, use a fire extinguisher, call the fire department, lock doors and windows to starve the fire of air, don't panic, vacate the premises) With time and dedication we can tame this unruly slave called fire. Hope this was educative.

Inferiority complex. A disease in the African mind. Recently I was in pessu market in Warri, Delta state. Was walking by when I heard a woman commenting on the fact that the ongoing road project made the market look better and a man replied that; "oyibo don enter town na". The statement struck me . We go to the white man's land ona steady basis and we are barely noticed, but just because a white man is part of an ongoing road project that automatically means that the road will be standard. Looking at the present African society we tend to uphold anything foreign and white a right, and black as barbaric. We've abandoned our beliefs and culture as inferior and embrace theirs as modern and true. When the white men first came to Africa, they brought their God's with them , and slowly but surely a larger percentage of the continent are either Christian or Muslim. Then they brought their language, teaching us how to speak in their tongue. They brought their culture, teaching us how to dress, eat, and behave in the white man's way. They rewrite our history, making it seem as if Africa began when the white men came. But all these happened because we let it happen. And we did that by accepting foreign products as original and local products as fake, by believing we can not be as good as them , so we settle for less, by adopting all their modes of dressing, music, culture, and others. Though most of the credits for the amazing tech today goes to the white man, but they also get the credits for a lot of social vices. We revere white men thinking over our own philosophies . We as Africans need to start believing in ourselves, we need to show them that we can do way better than what they think of us, we should not be ashamed of our culture, heritage, skin color and beliefs. White movies, products, people, ideas are more valued bye Africans. The gap between black and white is still wide. They brought a lot of things and we accepted them. We as Africans need to start thinking and doing things the right way. We should uphold our cultural heritage and defeat the demon called; inferiority complex.

Life Scary,shitty, horrific, funny. Best words that describe the world we live in. Hard, bad, mad, fab, all come together to make this place a house. We walk without knowing where to turn, we live through this scare, from the day we are born here. And as we move we care less about us, as we try to survive each year. The harsh reality that we end one day, set me in a mood of depression so deep, but as we see the beautiful things we witness, we try and try and do our best to cling. It's not all bad and harsh, there's a fun part as sweet as honey too; Love, happiness, joy and laughter. oh so sweet it hooks us like glue. Why we are here we do not know, what makes us, us , is another problem. From the little our brains show we make solutions that leaves questions unanswered. To the beauty and positivity we cling, finding joy in everyday life, trying to wave off the harsh reality as it sets in; THAT NO ONE MAKES IT OUT ALIVE!!!

Religion. Should it matter in choosing a leader? A few days ago I met a lady in a transport vehicle and we fell into an argument. She was of the opinion that the president of Nigeria; Muhammadu Buhari, would have been a better leader if he were Christian. I disagreed strongly. Personally to me (even though I am a Christian), quality leadership stems from the mindset of an individual, even though religious beliefs influences an individual's way of thinking, in leadership it contributes very little. We are humans first before belonging to any religion and as humans we all have different attributes. Most religions teach almost the same thing with little variations, and a good Christian or Muslim will strive to always make his place of living a better place. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Dubai are ruled by muslims but they are emerging as one of the best places on earth. Dubai itself is being funded by mostly oil(just like Nigeria) and is doing just fine. Good luck Jonathan is a Christian, and although I personally think he was a better ruler than Buhari, he still wasn't the best as he was found lacking in many areas. Any country can be great it doesn't matter what religion they belong to. A look at the world today will show that even countries that are largely atheists are growing faster than their overtly religious counterparts. Greed and selfishness is the reason Nigeria is backward in many things. If we do away with those two vices then we can grow as a nation. I don't think that backwardness should be attributed to any religion. For any country to grow it needs two major ingredients; Love and patriotism. Every aspiring great leader must be focused, must have love for citizens and country, and must be a true patriot. Religion matters very little in good leadership. The mindset of a person is mostly the determining factor.

Growing up Slowly, slowly I entered the vehicle that took me down memory lane, have me a drive through my life epistle which doesn't seem far away. Nimble hands and happy faces, living life in a carefree manner, living like no worry exists. Never happier? No I can't remember that. Our young days. Oh full of colours, oh sweet days; each one of you glow. Though sometimes our eyes little tears block, they are quickly forgotten and away they go. Minds so young and innocent capturing everything with gleaming eyes, brains so quick and sharp to learn, everything we do is of childish jive. My car comes to a screeching halt with a little bump and dust fumes. I come back with a huge shocking jolt to find my world filled with tragic news. If only I knew all these, I never imagined it to be this bad, never in my wildest dreams, did I see being grown up to be hard. Full of worries and problems,. striving to survive, for you're on your own becoming aware of the reality of death, your fancy childhood dreams away it blows. No longer catered for , no longer asked about. Everywhere is serious, you easily become bored. Working to survive the everyday drought. Yeah, there's a drought everyday in the world. The ground's dry and water scarce, so scarce that you have to dig hard to find. Struggling, toiling, oblivious of what's next, Every day carries one or two sighs. Life is cloudy when ones old, all the colours are nowhere found, so many thrends disturb the soul welcome to boring town. We came here with our hopes up and we're hit by a truckload of surprise. Just emerging from adventure and hoping for more, what we see sets us in mood of crying. I wish I could go back to those amazing and cherished moments. The younger will soon get that, very soon they're getting there. I look at the upcoming and cry, they're so eager to touch the sky . Forgetting that at the sky thunder strikes, and dark clouds plague heaven on high.

Africa. The untapped greatness. Africa is an amazing continent, full of wonders and greatness(almost magical). From the food to the culture, the people, languages and wildlife; it's one of the most diverse continent on the planet. Africa is believed as the birth place of mankind, and although due to strong cultural beliefs , it is believed to be backward, it was once the pinnacle of modernity harbouring amazing intelligence not found anywhere else worldwide. And it still does. In this twenty first century, Africa is mostly seen as a failure, after around two hundred years of contacts with europeans ; the continent is still developing at a very slow rate. This is mostly due to , modern wars(which are indirectly the fault of colonialism), diseases, corruption and religion. It is a well known fact around the world that Africa is rich in human and natural resources. Infact almost half of all the world's gold were mined in south Africa, not to mention the oil. Africa is also the second most populous continent in the world. There are a lot of undiscovered resources hidden inside Africa, but due to the fact that it is under developed a lot of discoveries go unnoticed, talents don't get the required coverage and sponsor they need, most of the forest are unexplored by scientists so slot of species are left undiscovered or are killed by mankind searching for resources. Bad leadership and corruption has become the order of the day, so people who have what it takes to make it better are silenced. But Africa is rising. The impact of cheap education is yielding fruits and more and more Africans are stepping up and taking their places in the world. Going through the thought and ideas of Africans, you'll discover they have a lot to offer than just greed and barbarism. Africa is a people of love, intelligence, understanding and greatness. The best is always saved for last and when we start rising they'll be no stopping. Greatness is a part of our culture and it runs in our veinse, we just need to embrace it, and when we do, the sky will be our steppingstone.

The wrongful hatred and stigmatisation of cats. Cats are lovely, pretty, affectionate and majestic animals. From the Lion to the house cat, they all possess a special trait that makes them irresistible to many. In this article I'm going to talk about the house cat.(pussy cat) Cats are lovely animals no doubt, and they have been a major character in history, sadly they have been misunderstood. In many parts of ancient Nigeria, cats were believed to be witches, owning to the fact that they are Night animals. The Night was usually associated with evil and things if the underworld. Whenever people saw cats outside their homes especially black ones, they start praying vehemently against the believed to be demon cat. The cat is accused of being easily possessed by witches and evil spirit and can cause harm to someone who is not . Some associate the crying of a cat at night to evil , accusing that it cries like a baby, some say it's eyes looks like those of a snake, some , it only moves at night and a host of others. The crying of a cat is normal. When female cats are in heat and are looking for mates, they tend call out loudly some pur and some cry like babies.They also do it at day time but mostly at Night when they are most active. The eyes of a cat are oval shaped to give it better night vision. Cats sleep most of the day and are mostly active at Night cause their major prey(rats) mostly moves at night and in the dark. They sleep most of the day so they can hunt at night. The idea of witches possessing cats are stupid , sadly Even educated people fall prey to this lie. If witches have such power they'll most likely possess stronger animals like snakes. Cats are loveable, adorable and cute animals which can serve as great pets. They are clean and proud. A well trained cat is an asset to any cat owner and I think it's high time we give cats a place in our hearts.

The indiscriminate destruction of mother nature The importance of mother nature is often undermined by the ignorant. As humans we tend to go about our daily business, paying little attention to mother nature. We torture, rape, destroy, kill and maim her on a steady basis. When most people hear the word "NATURE" they only think about the plants, while some think of plants and animals. We tend to forget that we are part of nature and that the destruction of her is indirectly the destruction of ourselves. According to some estimates;over three billion animals are killed daily and hundreds of trees the size of a golf course are cleared. Now animals and plants do not reach maturity within a day and even if double the number of organisms are reproduced daily it may still not get ready for consumption in time , which is why we have so many fake fertilizers causing harm to plants. We underate the purpose of animals forgetting that they all(big and small) contribute in their own way to the circle of life. We are killing far more than we can replenish and if we do not check our excesses, then armageddon is closer than imagined. Each product of nature is very important to our survival in various ways: The animals serve as food, pollination of flowers, food production (honey) and domesticated helps Plants provides food , herbs, stops erosion, shelter and materials for our daily needs. If we continue destroying them on a daily basis, then there may be nothing left (including us). Every second we generate waste which pollute the environment and reduce the quality of life. Climate change, global warming are all caused by the activities of man. Habitat loss is a major reoccurrence as animals are either driving away to make room for farms or have their habitat destroyed by climate change. Wild fires, ice melting, air pollution are all a tip of the iceberg compared to what is coming. We should embrace vegetarianism, use only what you need to cut our generation of wasted, reduce our biological footprints through birth control and learn to live in harmony with nature. Both the Christian Bible and science supports the fact that nature(plants and animals)was here before us and we are the intruders. Let us learn to take care of our environment and fight for the survival nature, which is a fight for our survival.

Love as an instrument of peace As humans we have a natural desire for peace. A peaceful earth, free of war and violence has been our dream for centuries. But throughout the ages all our efforts at bringing peace was all in vain. Almost all the violence perpetuated in human history were caused by humans themselves. The same people who yearn for peace, pushes her far away. But why, why does it seem like we can never really have this peace which we so desire and need? Personally I think the reason a peaceful world seems so far fetched is because we lack love . Love is the key to opening the door of peace. Love can be said to be a strong feeling of mutual attraction towards someone or something. From the aforementioned definition, we can see that love doesn't just entails loving people, love also transcends to animals and inanimate objects. Having love for the people around you means you will not do anything to hurt them, having love for the animals and plants around you means you'll take care of them and treat everything created by God with respect , having love for non living things like your car , house, country and others means you'll take good care of everything around you. With love we can destroy the root cause of violence which is hate. We can destroy other violent attributes such as stray, tribalism, racism , killings, cheating. Peace only exists in an environment where there is love and respect. The love for our fellow humans irrespective of race or religious beliefs is paramount to sustaining a peaceful earth. Almost all religion teaches about love; christianity, islam, hindus, ; they all place emphasis on the need of loving ourselves. As humans we need peace to survive and to get sustainable peace, we need love. We need to put our differences aside and start loving our neighbors as ourselves in order to have a peaceful world.

Patriotism. The key to minimize national corruption. In every Nation , patriotism is paramount for national growth. Patriotism is simply love for your country. Corruption on the other hand is an illegal behavior, which when exercised by national leaders can sabotage the growth of a Nation. As citizens of a Nation, we must have that love and zeal for the good of our respective countries. Corruption in any given Nation surfaces when patriotism is lacking. Every government official who steals public funds, policemen who collect bribes, citizens who sells votes, armed robbers, teachers who engage in Education malpractice and all others which comes under the umbrella of corruption; they all lack patriotism. Every Nation's leaders should endeavor to sow the seeds of patriotism in every citizen through different ways. Examples are; By creating awareness and emphasizing on the need of patriotism. Introducing subjects that involves patriotism into Educational curriculum, especially from a young age so the younger generation will grow to have unwavering love for their country. Enforcing respect for national symbols ( flags, currency, national anthem) Gaining trust of citizens. A patriot won't let anyone disrespect his/her Nation, cheat, accept bribe, divert public funds, steal or do anything that will slow national growth. If ninety percent of citizens in any given country are patriotic , then that Country can truly be called blessed.

Do Africans really have a good reason for religious beliefs? Africa is a multi religious continent and over the years religion has been a strong force in shaping the ideologies of Africans, but the religious beliefs lots of Africans are inherited from their parents and as such a large number of Africans can't really defend their faith. Due to the fact that Africa is a multi religious (and very religious) continent, there's always misunderstanding between religious followers, some people don't even have a valid reason as to why they follow that particular religion except that it was passed down to them. Africans find it very hard to leave a particular religion and cross carpeting in African religion often occurs . Even when missionaries and colonial masters came , the reshaping of religious views was a very slow process and people merely joined for the benefits that came with the religions. And when these same people give birth, their children automatically becomes a follower of a religion they(the parents)hardly believed in. A lot others Even do the opposite of what their religion instructs and bend it to favour their ideas. A lot of people find it hard to leave their beliefs cause it was one of the building blocks of their lives and they adamantly or blindly refuse and fight off any other beliefs contrary to the ones they were taught. Though with the coming of the internet people are becoming more exposed and ideologies are changing. But, a lot of people still find it hard to leave the teachings they were formerly enshrined in. Personally, I think that each person should do their research and be able to stand firm and defend their faith. As a Christian, I see a lot of people who are Christians simply because they were born so , or benefits they receive. The highest amount of change they can achieve is switching to a different church with slightly different ideologies. And when you ask intelligent questions so as to test their knowledge in their beliefs, they give a disappointing reply. I think ignorance plays a major role, but if in the nearest future Africans start believing in Gods because they believe and not some other invalid reason a brighter future is almost unavoidable.