₦airaland Forum

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Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Governor Kayode Fayemi, Tonye Cole & more gathered in Ekiti for the 2nd edition of The Future Awards Symposium for Young & Emerging Leaders.

It was a notable event as dignitaries like Chike Ogeah, Delta state commissioner for information, Kola Oyeneyi of Venia Hub,Oke Okechukwu of Thisday, Tonye Cole CEO of Sahara Group, Pat Utomi, Yemi Adamolekun, celebrities and pace setters were hosted by the Ekiti state government for the 2nd edition of  Nigeria Symposium for Young and Emerging Leaders from the 5th – 7th of April 2013 at the Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort in Ekiti state.

The event themed, Project 2015: ‘The Character of our Involvement’ started with a dinner aimed at introducing the guests to the vision of the weekend. The two day symposium commenced with a speech from Pat Utomi who later joined the panel of discussants treating a review of Nigeria alongside Kola Oyneyi, Japheth Omojuwa, Ajayi Olowu, Gbenga Sesan and Oke Okechukwu of Thisday.

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Kola Oyeneyi, Gbenga Sesan, Japheth Omojuwa, Prof. Pat Utomi, Ajayi Olowu and Oke Okechukwu

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The 2nd Group of Panelists

Delivering a speech titled ‘Friends, Fellows, Countrymen- we have so much work to do’, the Executive Director of The Future Project, Chude Jideonwo said “We need to build our capacity for leadership and we must learn from the massive pool of political knowledge our speakers dish out today, only with this will we as young Nigerians be able to define our character of involvement for the 2015 Election.”

The second discussion for the day titled ‘Getting your Hands Dirty: A Practical Guide to Political Participation’ had as discussants, Governor Kayode Fayemi, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Tonye Cole, Chike Ogeah, Pat Utomi and Odia Ofeium, who all dished out nuggets aiding effective political participation. “You cannot change the government from outside. If you don’t get involved now, you will continue to protest from the outside for the rest of your lives,” said Tonye Cole.

The last part of the event held on Sunday 7th April, 2013 and started with a panel titled “This is our Stand: Outlining the Steps for Engagement” presented by EnoughisEnough Nigeria. The panel consisted of Executive Director of EnoughisEnough Nigeria, Yemi Adamolekun, Salihu Tanko- Yakassai, Ife Adebayo, Temi Giwa, Akintunde Oyebode and Kayode Daniel and was moderated by Idris Akinbanjo who said, “Tell politicians the truth every time you have the opportunity to engage them.”

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Governor Kayode Fayemi with Tonye Cole

Present to deliver the keynote speech for the event was Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala who spoke on the topic, ‘The Cost of Involvement: Why your Generation Must Get Involved’. She explained “I think the young people today with all your systems will begin to focus on the gaps in the systems and economy of the nation. The only way you can change the government or the society is to change yourself.”

The Managing Partner of The Future Project, Adebola Williams commented that “The 2nd edition of The Nigeria Symposium for Young and Emerging Leaders turned out to be an impactful, intellectual and engaging event that has helped redirect the thought process of the youths both in and out of government. This would lead to deeper and greater impact and involvement in the 2015 election. The discussions from the governors, political and economic leaders and young thought leaders in the nation have collated as a baton to help young Nigerians run this nation better.”

The Nigeria Symposium for Young & Emerging Leaders, a platform leading from The Future Awards, is the next stage of its involvement in building a new generation of leaders to engage the nation’s governance and economy through knowledge exchange and building of networks. Registration for the 2013 event ended on 22nd March, 2013.

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Adebola Williams, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Chude Jideonwo


Courtesy: BN.

NIGERIAN ENTERTAINMENT CONFERENCE DEBUT

Description:
The conference, is an invaluable initiative needed at this critical time in our industry, to steer the different sectors and associated elements, in the appropriate direction, according to NET founder Ayeni Adekunle.
Nigerian Entertainment Conference, Ayeni says, will cover all the sectors associated with the entertainment industry. These include Fashion, Music, Movies/Films, and Media. Others are Sports, Arts, IT, Comedy and Events.
To hold at the Eko Hotel and Suites, the first-of-its-kind conference, Ayeni says, will feature sessions on Nollywood, Music, Media, and more, as well as the inaugural NET Honours to reward distinguished practitioners.

The theme of the conference is building the industry of our dreams.

Confirmed speakers include Kennis founder and CEO Keke Ogungbe, iconic writer and producer Amaka Igwe, GM Consumer Marketing MTN Nigeria Kola Oyeyemi, and Charterhouse Ghana founder Iyiola Ayoade while the likes of star actress Nse Ikpe-Etim, Headies founder Ayo Animashaun, filmmaker Kunle Afolayan, comedian Tee A, singer-songwriter Darey, entrepreneur Steve Babaeko, recording artiste Weird MC, the iconic DJ Jimmy JATT, National Mirror MD Steve Ayorinde, new media expert Elo Umeh, writer Tolu Ogunlesi, AGN president Ibinabo Fiberesima and Chocolate City president Audu Maikori will serve on different panels. More speakers and panelists will be announced.

Date: April 26th, 2013.
Time: 12:00PM
Venue: Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Fee: N/A

RED BALL FOR CHARITY

Description:
Experience an evening of glitz, glam and an engaging conversation in support of cervical cancer awareness/prevention at Eve Afrique’s Red Ball for Charity.
Eve Afrique, a family and lifestyle magazine connecting Nigeria’s South-South to the world is set to host the 3rd edition of this charity ball at the Grace Event Centre.
The event will focus on cervical cancer awareness and prevention in partnership with the Medical Women Association of Nigeria. There will be free pap smear tests for the first women to register.

Date: April 21st, 2013.
Time: 4:00PM
Venue: Grace Event Centre, 3B Evo Road, GRA Phase II, Port Harcourt, Rivers.
Fee: N5,000
Contact Number: 08033095050 | 08091542466 | 08060030449 | 08098652036

ABUJA YOUNG INTERPRENEURS (AYE) AWARDS

Description:
The countdown to the 2nd edition of The Abuja Young Entrepreneurs Awards has officially begun.
On Friday 19th April 2013, the event will be a night of glamour and entertainment with an exhibition, 16 awards, music, comedy, and a fashion show.
Hosted by Bovi and Chigul, the event will feature musical performances by Praiz, Burna Boy, Di’Ja and Ice Prince. Comedian Tee-A  and dance group Krump Studios will also be present to entertain you.

Date: April 19th, 2013.
Time: 6:00PM
Venue: The Abuja International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Fee: Regular N5,000 | Student/Corper (Valid ID required) N2500 | VIP N20,000 | Table of 8 N150,000
For a chance to win tickets to the show, follow @ayeawards, @venussbay and @abujafood on Twitter
Contact Number: 08098389882
Email: info@ayeawards.com
Twitter Account: @ayeawards
Website: www.ayeawards.com

MTV AFRICA ALL STARS

Description:
Music authority MTV Base is to set Lagos ablaze with an all star urban club night. African urban MTVAfrica All Stars- brought to you by The KwaZulu-Natal Province, taking place at the Federal Palace Hotel on Saturday 13 April 2013, is part of the sensational new pan-African music and youth empowerment campaign that salutes the star quality and widespread appeal of contemporary African musicians, and provides exposure to the continents hottest musical innovators and pacesetters. Hosted jointly by MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) and the KwaZulu-Natal Province, MTV Africa All Stars also aims to raise the international profile of KwaZulu-Natal as a premier destination for tourism and economic development. Having already visited Durban on 28 March and Nairobi on 5 April, the All Stars tour will culminate in the inaugural MTV Africa All Stars concert in Durban, South Africa, on 18 May 2013, headlined by entertainment icon and multi-platinum artist Snoop Lion (@SnoopLion), aka Snoop Dogg. The Reincarnated rapper, singer-songwriter, producer, actor and reality star will perform alongside the most popular contemporary artists from across the African continent at Moses Mabhida Stadium, Peoples Park, Durban. The concert will subsequently broadcast around the world as part of MTVs acclaimed World Stage franchise on MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) and MTVs global TV network.

Date: April 13th, 2013.
Time: 9:00PM
Venue: Federal Palace Hotel, 6-8 Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Fee: N5,000

Lol, centje. Polyandry, must be happening for some reason, though.

And Vicky, you should. The vows entail things, that partners wish to do for each other. So why can't they be allowed to choose which promises, to make?

True Ije. But you wouldn't want to rush through that part of the ceremony and make everyone think that you don't ackshually mean everything.

chinedumo: Rocy is unmarried.

What is this world turning into?

This mountain must be moved!

HBD!

I stumbled upon these. And while i think they're cute, somewhat, our Naijarian officiants might be forced to slap the tastes outta our mouths. Lol.

Groom: I, (Name), choose you, (Name), to be my wife. In front of our friends and family gathered here I promise to love and cherish you throughout the good times and bad times. I promise to try to remember to put my dirty clothes in the hamper and to replace the toilet paper roll when it's empty. I promise to remember this day with love and roses. I will love you always.

Bride: I, (Name), choose you, (Name), to by my husband. In front of our friends and family, I promise to love and cherish you through every obstacle that may come into our path. I promise to learn how to check the oil in my car and how to roll up a garden hose. I will comfort you when your team loses and drink beer with you when they win. I will love you always.

Here're two samples I created. If I could just turn back time's hands.

I, Rocktation, take you, Hope-To-Be-A-Nairalander-Someday, to be my husband, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not know yet. I look forward to sharing my life with you, getting to know the man you will become, and falling in love, a little more every day. In Cholera, Health, Wants, Plenty, Failures, Triumph, I promise to Respect, Support, Comfort, Cherish and Love you through whatever life may bring us.

Response;
I, Hope-To-Be-A-Nairalander-Someday, take you, Rocktation, to be my wife, my constant friend, my faithful partner and love, from this day forward. I anticipate working by your side to create a beautiful life together. I offer you my solemn vow to be your Faithful partner right back and Love you unconditionally, to Laugh and Cry with you, to Protect, to Encourage, Honor, Respect, Cherish and Stick with you throughout the seasons of life.


After you both must have said your individual vows, you may wish to say something in unison such as:

"Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you, For where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. And where you die, I will die and there I will be buried. May the Lord do with me and more if anything but death parts you from me".

This here, is a traditional Jewish text that I love, by the way. Minus the "Lord do with me and more" part *rolls eyes*
Translation; I'm not the author.


So just because a little interaction will not harm anybody, you can also do some tryouts on this thread or post some likeable wedding vows that you came across and let us rate them together.

Writing your own vows can be quite a feat. It's like writing a public speaking, poetry and having the deepest conversation of your life all at once. I for one, doubt that Naijarians (that wed in Nigeria, especially), ever write their own wedding vows. I didn't . One thing I know for sure though is; doing it yourself can be really eye-opening, emotional and an extremely memorable experience. So if you're up for the challenge or wanna break some kind of record in Naija, lol...here's the homework you need to do (and the questions you should ask) to make your vows, exactly perfecto.

1. Get Approval

Certain celebrants and houses of worship may require you to recite a specific set of traditional vows. So make sure your ceremony officiant will actually allow personalized vows. Most accomodating officiants, will want to review your words in advance, however.

2. Get Started Early

This cannot be said enough: Don't leave writing your vows until the day before the wedding! Giving them the thought and time they deserve will be impossible, as you'll be too nervous, excited and rattled. Take at least a month, or work on your vows in that pocket of time after you've set up all your major vendors and before you have to start thinking about the details. Vow writing should be done in a frame of mind, that is relaxed and not rushed. Some loose deadlines to aim for would be to try getting a first draft together, about three weeks before the wedding...and to have your final version completed, at least two days out.

3. Look To Tradition

Even Shakespeare needed inspiration. So to get some, you should start by reading traditional, by-the-book vows from your own religion, -- if you practice a certain faith, but from others, as well -- to see what strikes a chord with you. You can incorporate these into the original words you write, or simply use them as a jumping-off point/bases, for your personalized vows.

4. Set The Tone

Decide what overall tone you want to achieve, before you put pen to paper. Would you want it to be poetic and romantic? Humorous, yet touching? The call is yours. What is of utmost importance, is that your vows ring true and sound like they're from the heart.
A word of advice: While your vows can be lighthearted (or even hilarious), they should, in some way, acknowledge the seriousness of the commitment you're about to make. One way to do that is to knit little jokes into traditional vows. For example: "I promise to love you, cherish you and always watch Enyimba Football matches with you".

5. Figure Out The Logistics

You and your fiance, should both be on the same page. Make sure of that. *Are you each going to write your own vows, or will you write them together?
*If you're writing them separately, will you want to run them by each other before the wedding?
*If you're writing them together, will they be completely different for each of you, or will you recite some of the same words and make the same promises to each other, as you would with traditional vows?

If you want them to be a surprise on your wedding day, make sure you both send a copy of what you've written to your officiant or to one friend or family member, so they can check that your vows are about the same length and similar in tone.

6. Make A Vow Date

When it's time to come up with the actual content of your vows, set aside an evening at home to brainstorm or hang out with your "to be"-- go out to dinner, maybe. Talk about your relationship and what marriage means to each of you. Discuss what you expect from each other and the relationship. Why did you decide to get married? What are you most looking forward to about married life? What hard times have you gone through together? What have you supported each other through? What challenges do you envision in your future? What do you want to accomplish together? What makes your relationship tick? Answering these questions will help you make and keep your promises, and talking about your bond may expose your inner Wordsworth and help you come up with phrases and stories you can incorporate into your vows.

7. Find Some Alone Time

Following the chat session with your future spouse, take some self-reflection time to think about how you feel about your partner. What was the impression they made, when you first saw them? When did you realize your feelings for them? Love, can be a bogus word. Lol. What do you most respect about your partner? How has your life gotten better since meeting your mate? What about them inspires you? What do you miss most about them when you're apart? What qualities do you most admire in each other? What do you have now that you didn't have before you met? You may be surprised how these answers may lead you to the perfect words.

8. Steal Ideas

Oh yes. Borrow freely from poetry, books, religious and spiritual texts -- even from romantic movies. Jerry Macguire's "you complete me", comes to mind. Jot down words and phrases that capture your feelings. Widely recognized works ring true for a reason.

9. Create An Outline

An outline helps to establish a structure and can really get you started. For example, plan to first talk about how great your fiance is and then about how you work together as a couple; pause to quote your favorite writer and then go into your promises to each other.

10. Remember Your Audience

Don't make your vows so personal that they're cryptic -- or embarrassing! You've invited your family and friends to witness your vows in order to make your bond public, so be sure everyone feels included in the moment. That means putting a limit on inside jokes, deeply personal anecdotes and obscure nicknames or code words.
Yes, I mean it. Don't go Da Vinci on your guests, just because you suddenly experience a rush to mention your in-house fun farting competition!

11. Time It Right

Your vows shouldn't be too long -- aim for about one minute or so ( I swear, it's always longer than it sounds!). Your vows are the most important element of your ceremony, but that doesn't mean they should go on for hours. Get at the heart of what marrying this person means to you with your vows; pick the most important points and make them well. Save some thoughts for the reception toasts -- and for the wedding night.

12. Practice Out Loud (Seriously now!)

These are words meant to be heard by a live audience, so check that they sound good when spoken. Read your vows out loud to make sure they flow easily. Watch out for tongue twisters and super-long sentences -- you don't want to get out of breath or stumble, when EverRrrrRyborrry is attentive!!

azeeza: Dear Ladies,
Not all Men Who come For us are after sex they also need Love And not Sex
Not all men Like to be with pretty women but we need an independent decent women not a must for her to be beautiful
we dont depend on our boyfriend or fiance...

Mbok, which one are you again?

Do it. You've nothing to lose. If she likes it and accepts it, she'll reach you and say thank you. If she doesn't, she'll reach you anyway and preach to you about how expensive she is and then you can have another chance to hit a chord with her, by telling her it was a last resort to get her attention.
All she might need's a little jolt, to make her really see you some more. That way, if she rejects you again, you can be certain she wasn't punking around the first time.

Careful, man. It might be nothing. We wouldn't want a thunderous slap to scar that pretty face now, would we?

While we appreciate all these news you bring to us, you need to learn how to actually give them to us.
Translation? Post them here!

Poster, why can't you just post the news here?
You want to share info and yet, don't want to.

Poster, locate a church where Naijarians frequent.

My dear, you might never be as mentally ready, as a lot of people would deem fit. There's really no standard by which everybody can actually measure their mental readiness. People do things for different kinds of reasons, and that my reason worked for me, is not enough to make you think that it is the right or best reason and that it must work for you. Noo. Most of the time, our resolutions are influenced and our paths are formed, by the happenings around us. If you look around right now and truly believe that it is time to face life a little differently, then oh yes, it is. Do not tie your hopes to being caught in some kind of mystical whirlpool of emotions that must surmount the ones you're having right now. Go for what you want, if it refuses to find you. It's not desperation. It's go-getting.
I wish you luck.

Congrats man.

Haha!
Didn't know these were things though.

"Died peacefully following a stroke".

Smh.

2 million: can anything gud come outta nigeria?

So how do these affect "world" peace, again?

I've never had the displeasure to meet anyone or even read a true story of one, who wants to stay married and yet, hold off on having babies for a career or so. I only see such in my zebra fictions and movies. Which just makes this sadder, cos typical Africans are groomed in the knowledge that children are much more than optional offshoots of intimacy and are the actual reason for intimacy and marriage. Else, you'll only be marrying an intimate partner, that you became used to.

However Sir, I really don't think there's the need to discuss divorce or revenge, yet. Please give her the benefit of doubt this last time, given that she might actually be swamped with her marvelous biz, to notice that you've finally ceased to be that unbelievably understanding husband, that she must have been bragging about to her friends. Engage her in a dialogue. Let her know that you've been trying to reach her and through her family, as well. Give her your reasonable terms and make it clear that you'll leave, if she does not want to act right. And see how it goes from there.

All this talk of divorce here and there, gets us, young couples, really scared. If I read half the things I read these days, I seriously doubt that I would've gotten hitched! Everything seems to annoy people, following the exchange of vows. If you work; problem. Remain a full housewife; problem. To cook for your partner; problem. Carry belle...problem!
I knee down de beg una oooo.

I think the answer's supposed to be a man or stomach (because of the fat arrow). Still can't figure out why only the man on the chair has an arrow pointing to them, though.

As far as I'm concerned, he's one helluva smart kid; having followed the exact tip of the arrow and even gave the correct adult name, as opposed to the "peepee", a lot of kids would call that.

Trouble maker!

This is how I plan to harass all the sections, that try to steal our traffic. Even though they have too much already.

Hahaha. Ndo. Sorry ehn. Lemme send this to phones. Maybe others might know a way out. I believe you can still go and fight those SAfricans at their offices. They're putting too many fountains of tears on Naijarians' faces, these days.

Cute!