TwinkleThrive

                                        Light is all I see, driving out darkness and darkness calling itself night yet the moon rules in its glory. Void becomes vast in the fullness of His splendor while the power of creativity comes to be. The breath from His nostrils is a smoothing feel over the earth; the earth remains his foot stool. Before the beginning relationships exist between the Father, Son and Spirit. The consubstantial persons create man to share in an unending undiluted love of joy and wisdom. Truly, there is no higher calling or greater honor than being in the plan of the Almighty before the serpent came around. Even at that, man translates into the image of His dear son. There is a state of obedience which came from the depth of man and God lives in their midst as ...

Most Africa’s are fighting spiritual battle they know nothing about. In whatever religion you find yourself in this part of the world, it is common knowledge that there is this Uncle, Aunty, Grandmother/father, brother, sister, step mother and the list is endless who doesn’t want us to do well. The battle ranges from poverty, to failure, to shame, backwardness et al.   Many of those fighting these battles have without fail conquered while many fighting have given up easily. The fact remains at every point we have become angry, sad and dejected. We have often wondered why we have to live cruel life especially when we don’t know why we are faced with such battles. The feeling of low self-esteem and rejection these ‘spiritual battles’ cost us is the same feeling children born into families who didn’t think about them before bring them to this world feel. I weep when a child can’t eat a good meal, I weep when children are sleeping in the cold with no cover and nobody to ...

While the world is at stand still for Texas, Bangladesh, India and Nepal face same disaster. 1200 people have been killed while 16 million others have been affected. Credit: @BBCNewsbeat's Check out @BBCNewsbeat's Tweet:  https://twitter.com/BBCNewsbeat/status/902555670905487360?s=09

A friend was discussing with me on how his wife’s friend came to his office and requested to see him. Being a friend to the family, he went out to meet with her. The woman came with a lodge of complain against her friend. She told her friends husband how he is unfortunate to have married her friend, how her friend’s leg is not good and brings in bad luck, how the friend was prostituting before she met her husband and married her. She said out of love, she has come to warn her friend’s husband to be weary of his wife and think of the best ways he can separate from his wife in other for his life to be long and prosperous. My friend said he was silent but shocked. He is aware that his wife and her friend have been having issues but he didn’t know it had resulted to name calling. He told his wife’s friend that he has heard all she said however, all the things she said are the reason why he married his wife. He said he told her that the prostitution story of his wife is what ...

Sometimes last year my colleague and I visited a community and we had the privilege of speaking with the community leader (Seriki). He told us of a farmer who is married with four wives, thirty two children and five other family members living with him. In summarily we have forty two people living in a small hut devoid of a toilet, portable drinking water, no proper drainage and exposure to mosquitoes. The Seriki told us of how the farmer’s two children almost died of dysentery but for the intervention of an emergency rescue from ABUTH Shika. He said they were given drip and it took the kids eighteen hours to wake up. I felt sad that day. For weeks I kept talking about the situation. This Farmer has a land or two so to say. He plants maize, guinea corn and millet. At the end of the harvest his farm produce is not enough to feed his large family not to talk of taking to the market for sale. I am not angry at this man, religion, culture or the society at large. I am angry a...

Some weeks back I read a post by Nkechi Bianze about chemistry and physic, while I read the post, I agreed with her. The fact that you failed mathematics or English, or failed physic and chemistry is no ground for you to say who the “subject epp.” In my opinion, I think parents should allow their children love all subject at least excel above average in all. I don’t like mathematics in fact I am so poor in maths that I can’t put little percentages together.  I tried to learn maths because I wanted to but somehow, the figures were not adding up and I just didn’t understand how my mates were arriving at the answers. I admired my class mates so much that I personally got a maths teacher to teach me in secondary school. As hard as I tried I just couldn’t put the figures together. Ugochi Mmeje show your face. She was my seatmate and she tried to help me countless times but mathematics was not my thing. If I could trace back I would say my fo...

It is past time women begin to defend themselves. You can’t always wait for a saviour to come rescue you. I understand your personality, I understand you are emotional and the moment you want to talk you start crying, I understand you do not want to offend people. You must understand that offences will come, some people are opportunist and will use you as long as you let them do, you can’t satisfy everyone. You need to start building your skill of assertiveness. You must understand when you are under pressure and can’t bow to ones needs. The ability to say No is what makes people respect you. Fight for what you believe in, demand that you are heard, expect to  be respected and chose to be you. See you on top dear.

So I decided to have a quiet time with my creator, it was the third day in the fast, a raining Saturday morning. I was going to the bank but I stood in front of my house wishing and praying a car will come along and lift me to the junction. Then this car came from nowhere (apparently lost in my thoughts) and he said “Madam Can I drop you?” oooo, thank you because it was a prayer answered immediately. We got talking and we spoke on the bad road, the situation of the country and how the economy isn’t smiling. We spoke on how kids must be comfortable regardless of the economy. He said he is a father of two kids and I told him I have an adorable girl. It was time to alight from his car but he asked where I was going to, and I said GT Bank. He said he was going to Diamond Bank so he could drop me off, see happiness. We kept talking and he said he is an advisor to a certain DG. The moment he said that, I said to myself, God at work. On the third day of my fast tha...

I am very disturbed. I read a post on relationship and marriage, the poster was dishing advice on how couples can love each other and continue to be in love. The comments and replies is what disturb me. People were asking questions and the answers I sincerely do not agree to. Listen, fight for your marriage only if it is voids of violence. Violence of all kind; battery, assault and emotional deprivation. No one should remain in a marriage because you want to remain married and be destroyed. Do you know when a married man or woman sleeps with other partners other than their spouse and the advice given is for them to continue to live with each other and pray that the spirit of God changes such person, we are indirectly digging graves for these individuals. Anyone can afflict the other with a sexual transmitted disease and it can even be a terminal one. These couple will not find joy in themselves and will begin to resent each other, bitterness and unforgiveness will set in. wh...

Immeasurable hunger does not fear the sanctity of a worship place. I heard a gist earlier today that while worshippers were talking to their Almighty, a severely hungry man decided to steal a motor cycle. A man went to the prayer ground with his motor cycle, because it is an open space and broad day light, he parked his motor cycle within reach, just as they were praying, a young guy came and zoomed off with his motor cycle. Worshippers left their prayers unattended to and gave the theft the chase of his life. The theft fell into a gutter and left the motor cycle while he ran for his dear life. While this matter was been discussed and people were laughing, I didn’t think it was one that should be laughed about. Although, the owner of the bike was happy and his friends were glad at the recovery of the bike, but I also saw sadness beneath their joy. People are suffering; many can barely eat a meal. There is hardly a difference between the poor and the middle class. What ...

Temitope Kalejaiye was a class mate during my undergraduate studies at Ahmadu Bello University, she holds a post graduate degree in broadcast journalism from Nottingham Trent University. An award winning broadcast journalist and a human right film maker advocating for marginalised children.  Temi is using education as a means to reduce poverty and improve the lives of marginalised children. Her quote "I want to be the reason why younger Nigerians love Nigeria and are patriotic about it".

Having a disciplinarian as a father taught me a lot. As a child, my Dad had so many expectations from me not regarding the fact that I was a baby. My Dad would wash my clothes, cook, bath, take me to school, pick me back from school, go through my school notes  and when night comes he keeps checking me in my room till dawn. The activities continue again. What I didn’t understand then was that I was been groomed to act in a certain way. My Dad is never late to a function, if he won’t attend he would give a prior notice, he was a clean and tidy man, like saying everything in its place (housekeeping), he can’t look for a thing in the house because we all know where it is. So I grew up this way. I keep to appointments and always on time, my first turnoff against an individual especially the male counterpart is coming to a meeting late and not calling or sending a text why you would be late. I became thorough and as much as possible take responsibility for my ...