The entire community of the University of Ibadan was on monday 29th of april 2012 thrown into a state of mourning when the school lost one of her student to the cold hands of death. Asha Deborah Odunayo until her death was a 200L student of the department of Guidance and Counselling,Faculty of Education. 20 year-old Deborah who dreamt of becoming an Executive PR consultant upon graduation was hit by a Vehicle while she was trying to cross the road in the ojoo suburb of the Ibadan metropolis,good samaritans had quickly rushed her to an hospital but unfortunately she gave up the ghost few hours later.

Culled from my blog craymistress.

As a child growing up, I was told by my music instructor that music is any sound that is pleasing to the ears, bringing joy to the mind and gladdening the heart. Music is largely believed to be the food of the soul,as meat and bread is of great importance in the nourishment of the body,so is music in the nourishment of the soul. The power of music is felt in every sphere of life,music is a spirit on its own,it intoxicates,with the right kind of music,the right mood can be set,In the words of the great thinker;Plato,“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything; It is the essence of order and lends to all that is good, just, and beautiful”. Music is believed to have therapeutic properties,it calms the mind and restores peace to an otherwise disturbed soul. Till date,the usefulness of music is vast, some students cannot assimilate properly if they do not listen to music while reading, surgical procedures are carried out with cool music playing in the background,sculptors derive inspiration from listening to good music, Patients with specific mental conditions are made to undergo musical therapies as it is believed to aid the healing process,music relaxes the body and the whole being. In the words of a fourteen year-old,"when my earphones are plugged in,the world is shut out",have you ever wondered the magic behind lullaby and a child drifting off to dreamland?Such is the power of music. Noise on the other hand is sound that is "unpleasing" to the ears,irritating and annoying it.


It is therefore saddening that the Nigerian music industry today reel out tons of noise under the guise of making music,day in,day out. I do not understand the motive behind it but the fad now is musicians assaulting the ears of the populace with dirty music, songs with no messages hide under the facade of good beats to corrupt the soul and the mind. Music is supposed to be the food of the soul,what then happens when the soul is fed with the wrong type of music? It becomes malnourished and diseased. We all wonder the reason moral values among youths continue to decline ,it is not unconnected to the type of the music favored by this particular component of the society,the songs are like radio active wastes,seemingly harmless but in reality poisoning the being of whoever listens to it morally and psychologically. Songs with little or no moral message is favored by today's youths,the kind of music the elders cannot listen to without flinching. The messages passed across by these songs is one that talks about sex in blatant way and glorify all manners of vices leaving one to wonder if these songs were subjected to the censor's board,and to think the musicians who sing these worthless songs are encouraged with numerous awards for concocting such rubbish makes one sick. It is so bad that every man walking on the street has a record to his name,social-networking sites are flooded with download links of different songs(mostly worthless ones), songs are released every other day and nobody seem ready to make a difference,musicians who try to do things in a different way are greeted with apathy by the listening audience and are soon forced to join the "great beat,empty music" fad as no one wants to run at a loss. These musicians compromise and make music people want to hear,throwing their talents away in the process. Good music by such maestros as Fela Anikulapo-Kuti,King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey are not appreciated by the youths. These are musicians that passed(and one or two are still passing) the right messages with their songs,their songs are written off by youths as old-fashioned.


The number of delinquent roaming the streets cannot be unconnected to the examples laid down by the so-called musicians, youths are susceptible to emulating their role-models who are mostly musicians blindly,for example,the act of sagging was made popular by hip hop artistes,today's musicians live rough lives, drink excessively,are drug-addicts,they are sexually and morally loose,engage in club brawls and make music about same. Ladies on their part dress as they female musicians do in various videos,the musical videos are soft porns of some sort as they depict women as sex symbols displaying parts of their bodies that should be kept away from public view and men "mauling" at these parts with reckless abandon,all in the name of dancing,these ladies are mostly half-clad and have their faces painted like jezebel herself,this must probably be the reason there are more half-clad women walking the streets of the country than before. Is the situation entirely hopeless?


There are musicians who have changed the world with their music,who have impacted the world positively,the Micheal Jacksons of this world,the Diana Ross,the Onyeka Onwennus,the Victor Olaiyas and even in recent times, musicians like 2face,9ice,Dare Art-Alade,Sound Sultan and even Faze still continue to wow the audience with moral and good music but these individuals are few when compared to the "keep on rocking" type of musicians. What then can be done to reverse the situation?


The National Censor's Board should do a painstaking job in determining what songs and videos should be released to the general public,some of the songs enjoying massive airplay have no business "in the air" in the first place. Songs that do not have positive messages should be banned and those who release such songs illegally(I.e without the knowledge of the censor's board) should be brought to book.


In addition,awards should only be given to deserving musicians,the songs awarded should meet the criteria of good beats, right content and the right messages.


Furthermore,there is a need for value re-orientation ,youths should be enlightened on the right of type of music,they should not follow fads blindly, more often than not, the kind of music a youth listens to is influenced by peers, youths should learn to differentiate between right and wrong. They should be encouraged to listen to the right kind of music,with the right kind of message by the parent and the society.


“ Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul, on which they mightily fasten, imparting grace, and making the soul of him who is rightly educated graceful, or of him who is ill-educated ungraceful”.
- Socrates

Culled from my blog: Craymistress.

The University of Ibadan is perhaps one of the most socially backward tertiary institutions in Nigeria, the uplift of the ban on student union activities did little or nothing to help matters,our focus is mostly on academics and how to make “seven points”. We are socially behind the likes of OAU,UNIBEN and the fun city of UNILAG although we would rather die than admit it. However,what we lack in social activities we make up for in academics as I earlier mentioned and of course religion. There are currently over thirty fellowships in the university with students at the helms of affairs and the executives of such fellowships taking such titles a "momsy","popsy" etc. Most of these fellowship are subsidiaries of bigger churches in the society, Redeemed Christian Fellowship(RCF),Winners Campus Fellowship(WCF),CACSA to mention a few, taking after the steps of the bigger churches,the structure of these fellowships is a hierarchy of some sort as there are fellowship presidents,hall pastors,block representatives etc. Meetings are held every other day of the week,from morning devotions to hall meetings and retreats, it is not uncommon to hear brethrens "casting and binding" in one room or the other. Posters announcing different religious programmes grace strategic places in the institution leaving one to wonder how many of these gatherings to attend. One of the hilarious issue about the whole show is the early morning announcements in halls of residence by member of fellowships seeking to publicise one religious programme or the other,the announcement is often form in of a call and response,below is a typical example;
Call: Good morning Awoites...
Response: Good morning...
Call: This is the voice of...
Response: Assembly of the faith children.
Call: We are here to remind you of...
Response: Watercircle 2013... etc till they communicate the venue,date and other necessary information about the programme. This they do as early as 5 in the morning and on top of their voices too,needless to say most students' sleep are disturbed.
Student sow seeds of faith and contribute towards such causes as procurement of musical instruments and most importantly,felloship buses. It is therefore surprising that some of these buses turn a blind eye when the same set of students need help with transportation,it is not uncommon to see a church bus speed past students waiting for transportation to convey them to various destinations. Particularly affected are residents of such halls as Obafemi Awolowo and Queen Idia,these halls are located far from the academic area of the university of Ibadan and getting transportation to "school area" from these hall is like a camel going through a needle's eye,most times, the inhabitants of these hall go late to class and sometimes miss classes not because they were not ready in time but because they did not get transportation early,it would therefore be of relief if fellowship buses can render help to such students but the reverse is the case. Awo hall for instance, is very close to an area known as "mount zion",a religious arena where different fellowships have pitched their tents,it is not a new thing to see a fellowship bus emerge from the arena after having dropped off members of the congregation or musical instrument and zoom pass Awoites with reckless abandon,one is therefore forced to ask,of what cost will it be to transport students to their destinations,saving them from the stress of having to wait under the scorching sun and also save them money,even if the driver(who are oftentimes students) cannot convey everybody,they can enquire about those going towards the same direction the bus is headed and help them. Some of these buses would zoom pass you even if the rain is threatening to beat the hell of you and it is obvious you are headed towards the same direction.
Are these buses only meant to transport UItes to and fro fellowship centres only on sundays,during weekly services and during rural rugged evangelism? Apart from funds by students,some of these buses were donated by alumni and other well meaning individuals and organisations,did these bodies forbid that these buses help needy students? We all complain about the nonchalant attitude of leaders in the country,yet we shy from carrying out social responsibilities, Is it the money to fuel these buses that are keeping their drivers from helping students or the need to maintain the tyres? Did God not promise to provide for our needs according to his riches in glory? We should not shut our eyes towards the predicament of others,Jesus christ in his time was a helper and was merciful,are christians then not supposed to be christ-like and as such render help to those who need it? Even the holy book states that "Be merciful as your father is merciful", helping students in dire need is therefore only the right thing to do.

culled from my blog: craymistress.
Two days ago, the cut for Bieber trend shook the whole twitter community. Some fans of Justin Bieber, a teenage American pop star were cutting themselves and uploading pictures of their cuts to twitter with the hashtag #cutforbieber. This was in an effort to stop the pop star from smoking weed. Justin Bieber had allegedly been caught by the paparazzi’s camera smoking weed with the YMCMB star Lil’ Twist in Mexico. His fans, knowing the implication of this behavior took actions to stop him in a rather ridiculous way, hurting themselves in the process. Earlier this week, it was reported that a camera man was crushed to death while he was trying to take a picture of this same pop star. Justin Bieber probably does not know that something like that occurred. Very late last year, a video of Nicki Minaj’s tour popped up on the Internet, a fan was videoed trying to grab her waist prompting Nicki’s bodyguard to give him a few good punches as she looked on showing no sign of emotion, watching the video reminded me of the late Micheal Jackson’s lyrics “All I wanna say is that they don’t really care about us”. Few months back, 19 year-old Sonia Jumbo aka Sonia la bomb was suspended indefinitely from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Ghana where she is a student, this might not be unconnected with the pictures she posted on twitter of herself and Davido, a Nigerian hip-hop star, in a compromising position. People have been crushed to death, fainted, sustained minor and major injuries at concerts where their favorite artistes were billed to perform. Ladies have thrown caution to the wind, offering body parts as papers for autographs to be signed on, they have cheapened themselves throwing themselves at male artistes with reckless abandon just to have a taste of the forbidden fruit. The Nigerian pop icon, 2Face has children from three different women and is only getting married to one. What happens to the other two? People will hurt themselves and others over sweaty singlets, wristwatches, CDs and other souvenirs thrown by artistes at concerts. Just recently at the much publicized Koko Concert, people were asked to pay fifteen thousand Naira to take pictures with their favorite artistes. A VIP table went for one million Naira at the same concert. At the summer Jam festival last year, it cost Nigerians around 500k to sit a the same table with Rick Ross, the Maybach Music Group guru. A Nigerian on Nairaland, the Nigerian forum, apparently pissed off by the ridiculous amount of money wasted asked if “it was the table Jesus Christ and his disciples sat on at the last supper”. This write-up will not be complete if I forget to add the way tweeps (as twitter users are called) beg artistes for follow-backs and abuse each other on issues related to their favorite artistes; the artistes probably don’t know these people exist. The artistes on their part have taken the stance of Demigods, basking in the attention and generally feeling as if the world revolves around them. Some even see their position as an opportunity to dish insults to fans that would not lick their feet and tell the bitter truth. A little allegiance is good but when it turns to obsession then something must be wrong somewhere. Going to concerts to support your favorite artiste is good but when the situation there is detrimental to your health then it is not worth it. Entertainment is a good thing but when your favorite artiste becomes more important than God then you need to see a shrink. Having fun is good but when your life-savings (sitting at a table with Rick Ross or paying one million naira for VIP ticket) goes into it then you need help. Calabar state government allegedly paid 200,000 Dollars for Nicki Minaj to perform at the Calabar Carnival,that is around 30 million naira. Our own Eva Alordiah would put up a nice performance if paid around 15% of the same amount. Now I understand the reason there are more Akpans and Ekaettes earning their living by working as house boys and house girls. Abi I lie? Think of the children that can be gotten off the street with that money, think of better infrastructures that can be put in place, think of how many scholarships that can be given out, think of the widows, the impoverished and the sick at heart. Chris Brown recently stormed Nigeria after an amount equivalent to 1 million Dollars had changed hands while we continue to suffer and smile, must we live fake lives? Who are we trying to fool? Really. Nigerian ladies need to be given proper orientation, selling yourself cheap to an artiste because he has one hit track is not just it, Sonia is on indefinite suspension while Davido’s musical career continues to soar, who is at a loss? Are the people really worth the hype? Are they worth the stress? Enjoy yourself, live life but in the course of doing so, do it responsibly. I Rest My Case.

Tell dem oh my sister.

Culled from my blog: craymistress.
Vivian cannot do without her Eyelashes extending and her Contact lenses. According to her, they add to her beauty and as such she does not deem her look complete without them. In fact, she added, "I look like I am sick without my fake lashes because my natural lashes are so short". Many ladies today are like Vivian and cannot do without the aforementioned items. The eyelashes extension can be made from different materials ranging from synthetic to natural and can come in different shades of colours... think Goldie. They can also come in different lengths, as short as my natural lashes or as long as Nicki's. Whichever way, the bearer usually has a reason for choosing a colour or length. Some extensions are detachable, that is you can apply and remove them whenever you want while some are permanent; once they are fixed they are there till you are tired of them. Contact lenses on their part can come in different colours- blue, green, brown, grey; Grey being the favoured colour among Naija Babes. They can also be recommended or Fashionable.
However, these two fashion items are grossly abused by Naija babes. As I said earlier, grey is the favoured colour of contact lens among Naija babes. Babes of different complexions use them which is very wrong. One should choose a contact lens that would blend nicely with one's complexion, for example, grey contacts would do nicely on a light-complexioned babe and brown on a Chocolate-complexioned one. It would not be nice if a babe's eyes send an intending suitor packing. It is also of immense importance that your contacts are well taken care of; endeavo to disinfect them from time to time. The good thing is that most contact lenses come with their own disinfectant. Be very careful in applying your contact tens, I don't know how true this is, but a lady's contact lens allegedly melted while she was trying to put off her gas cooker. Be extremely careful.
Contact Lenses are abused but more abused is the Eyelashes Extensions, I see it on every babe I come across whether it looks good on them or not. The sad part is that most of these babes do not go to professionals to have their extensions applied, apart from the part that it is safer, it looks better and would only cost you a few Naira more. Some of these quack-stylists apply the extensions in such a way that the adhesive used is visible. This is unsightly as it is distasteful. Your extensions should blend in with your natural lashes and compliment it. Another issue is that of length. Some ladies in their bid to rival Lady Gaga fix ridiculously long lashes. What they do not know is that the Lady Gagas and the Goldies are only trying to carve a niche for themselves as entertainers. Fix your extensions moderately. Your appearance tells a lot about you. Guys of nowadays are on the prowl for natural ladies. Your attachment if overused would only make you look vain. In addition, be careful when applying your extensions. There is an adhesive called "peppered" and another "pepperless". The peppered is said to make your extensions last longer but whichever one you opt for, tell your stylist to be careful with your eyes. They are the light of your body. Eyes have been lost to these adhesives and even to the extensions. Be careful.
Contact lenses and eyelashes are supposed to compliment your natural look and not kill it. Modesty is the Word.

I do not know what has gone wrong or where it has but it seems Blasphemy is no longer considered a sin. With the way people carry on, blasphemy is just like "normal trips", you know, the way you drink water after a meal. Before I start blowing grammar, what is blasphemy really? According to Wikipedia the free encyclopedia, blasphemy is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for a religious deity or irrelevance towards religious or holy person or things. I am a Christian and I have heard people say things with their mouths that could make God strike them dead on the spot. Don't get it twisted, I am not trying to judge here, I am just expressing myself, this same set of people would still ask God for forgiveness and he would accept them, such is his mercy.
It so happened on new year's day that I passed by a barber's shop in my quest to purchase airtime with which to call my loved ones; fuji music was blaring from the speakers in the shop. I am not a fan of Fuji Music but the lyrics of this song caught my attention, the musician kept repeating,"Ta lo pa Jesu", that is, "Who killed Jesus Christ?" I do not know the motive for this. maybe the musician thought it was lyrically-inviting or maybe it was a way of selling his music, but if I were to be the president of this country, I'd have all the CDs confiscated and have the musician thrown into prison for life; that is after I must have banned him from making music ever! But alas! The barber and his friends were listening to the music with glee and were even singing along. The name of Jesus Christ seems to be the greatest object of blasphemy. It is the bout of jokes. Nigerian comedians especially think they cannot be hilarious without abusing Jesus. Is it the sign of the End Time or what? I do not Understand. Funny Videos depicting Christ as a caricature flood the Internet and people keep downloading them. I keep asking myself why a right thinking person would have those videos on his phone. It got so bad that a user on one of the Social Networking sites-twitter to be precise called Jesus Christ a Bastard. His reason? His parents were not married at his birth. Sad, very sad. Abuse people's pastors and all hell would be let loose, but use Jesus Christ as a bout of jokes and no-one bats an eyelid.
Every time you tweet in church while a sermon is going on, anytime you put torn money in the offering basket and every time you leave the church during service to pick a call, you are guilty as charged. All these actions we take for granted but in reality things are not supposed to be the way they are. Would you leave The President's presence to answer a Call? The Fear Of The Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. Do away with Blasphemy.

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