₦airaland Forum

If you are a parent choosing where your children spend the summer holiday is a critical decision fraught with confusing options:should they come up to speed with their education by getting them lesson teachers to drill Them? Should they learn a Sport? Skill like cooking, make Up? Or improve their etiquette? So how to choose? Consider holistic programs, check long term values beyond convenience/ price, speak with the organisers access their vision, capacity, etc. Below are some lagos summer camps you should consider:

1. Dream camp- aims to teach children aged 5-12 life skills like strategy, global citizenship, financial intelligence, safety, leadership, public speaking, media, etc. Meets 9-4.30 pm
Fees: N18,000/30,000 per week. N 50,000/80,000 for 3 weeks
location: Adam & Eve, 8, Isaac John Street, Ikeja, Lagos, Lagos
Enquiries: Chinedu: 08178804180, Timi: 07010458286

2.CIS Summer Camp Lagos offers boys and girls between the ages of 5-16 one week long and wilskill acquisition, character building, and lots of fun activities! All camps meet Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Children’s International School, Funke Zainab Usman Street, Off Admiralty Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
Times: 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. 6th– 10th July or 13th – 17th July or 20th – 24th July or 27th – 31st July
Price: N25, 000 (Twenty Five Thousand Naira) per week per camper.
For more information visit the CIS website

3. Tph summer blast offers prayer academy,literacy, numeracy, bead making, French, cooking, etc
location: This present house Junior dome. End of Admiralty way. Lekki one
price: N10,000/ week
enquiries: 07054634922

As elections draw close, I tot it would be a nice idea to share something I wrote sometime ago. I believe strongly in the possibility of our dreams, but I'm convinced that it takes more than our just wishing it! We must all work together for it! GOD bless Nigeria! NIGERIA WILL BE GREAT AGAIN!

TO THINK IS TO DIFFER


“What is wrong with Nigeria?” I asked in my search for my ‘own’ answer. “LEADERSHIP”, “CORRUPTION”, “POOR STRUCTURES”, “LACK OF INTEGRITY”… the answers were as varied as the people. I stumbled on my answer accidentally: our collective guilt and shame (or its absence). What?? I hear you say, but you are as guilty as I am. Let me explain….



It’s 9pm; you are on your way home when you notice a bleeding okada man (commercial motorcyclist), the incident is fresh- probably a hit and run…”Quick!” Your brain says, “You must do something!” “He could still be alive….” But your Nigerian brain says; “then again, he could die in my car or worse…it could be a setup…” Before you get both brains in sync, your car (which has a life of its own) has gone past. You feel guilty for a few seconds, but really, what could you do?? You go home to hot pounded yam and forget all about the blood and the shame you feel….



The next morning, you drive past a dead body (another) RITUALISTS! You mutter. The body is still there on the second, third and by the fourth day, the stench is horrendous! If you are squeamish or have children in the car, you make sure you all look in the opposite direction. All the while you are thinking: someone should do something about this! In an organized society this won’t be!



Being the erudite fellow you are, you discuss this over tea with thinkers like you. Predictably; you lament the deplorable conditions in the country, name a few culpable persons who are mindlessly living large- not to blame, innocent folk like you, striving to make a living in these hard conditions. What can you do? On the fifth day the body is miraculously gone! You heave a sigh of relief but feel no release you see; by our collective silence we could as well have killed that man! In ignoring him we all gave unspoken approval and the guilt we feel is one all murderers must feel. At least the murderers GAINED something, but we doubly lost! No monetary gain, just our peace and voice… gone!



But that’s not the only guilt we live with; residents of Lagos are familiar with mob action for thieves (AKA beat them to death!!) its proponents claim it dissuades future criminal acts (Yeah! Just like your mothers’ beatings stopped you lying!!), children hawking when they should be in school- of course it’s not your fault that the GOVERNMENT has faulty priorities. You are just so glad your children will never have to go through this! You return quickly to your notes- you really have to clinch this deal, Angel wants to summer in Disneyland Paris and your wife NEEDS that fabric of N250, 000 … No one ever accused you of shirking your duties!



By our collective actions and inactions, their resultant guilt and shame or its absence (for some) we collectively made today’s’ Nigeria! Democracy is not just for a few in Abuja or state capitals, it demands our input. Not someday when you win elections but TODAY! So how well are you ruling your home, office and street? Are your children passionate about Nigeria or are they in too many cities of Europe and America (Via MNET) to care?



We all think- this differentiates us from beasts! But few act and therein lies the difference! By our collective inertia in doing the little that matter: speaking up for justice, insisting on better schools and salaries (not just moving our wards to private schools) making government accountable… we became as guilty as the plunderers, murderers and cheats. The guilty are afraid you know? Scarred people achieve little…. Please don’t start the chicken before the egg argument with me (How you must think in order to act and then think again to improve your act) Think if you must, but please do something! We have too many thinkers and talkers and far too few doers! I’d like to see some action please. So WHAT HAVE YOU DONE LATELY? DO SOMETHING! DIFFER!


CHINEDU AKITI