MentorAfrica: AFRICAN SUCCESS STORY

MentorAfrica: AFRICAN SUCCESS STORY: A 22-year-old Nigerian has emerged one of the top graduating students of John Hopkins University in the United States with a Grade Point ...

AFRICAN SUCCESS STORY

A 22-year-old Nigerian has emerged one of the top graduating students of John Hopkins University in the United States with a Grade Point Average of 3.98 out of a possible 4.0 to earn a degree in Neurosciences

A 22-year-old Nigerian, Emmanuel Ohuabunwa, has made history at John Hopkins University, United States of America. Ohuabunwa from Arochukwu, Abia State, has done the nation proud by becoming the first black man to make a Grade Point Average of 3.98 out of 4.0 to bag a degree in Neurosciences in the university. He was also adjudged as having the highest honours during the graduation that was held on May 24 this year.

In an online interview with our correspondent, Ohuabunwa, who was born in Okota, Lagos and attended Lilly Fields Primary School, Lagos, said he left Nigeria after his junior secondary school education at Air Force Comprehensive School, Ibadan, Oyo State.

“My parents moved the whole family when I was 13 years old. I was about to begin SS1 at Air Force, Ibadan. When I got to the US, I was enrolled with my age mates, which meant at 13, I was in middle school. I went to Fondren Middle School, which was in the middle of the ghetto. That was one of the darkest years for me because I encountered a lot of peer pressure. Some of the students, ignorant about Africa, bullied me and called me names such as ‘African booty scratcher’ because to them, Africans were dirty and scratched their butts all the time.

“Some asked me if I lived in mud huts and ate faeces for breakfast. I remember one day, when I was walking to the school bus, a boy came from behind and punched me in the face, called me an African and walked away. It took everything in me not to retaliate. I knew that God had put me in the U.S for a purpose and it did not involve fighting or selling drugs or doing the wrong things.

“My experience during that year gave me a thick skin. I learned to stand for what I thought was right even when the opposition seemed insurmountable. I also learned to look at the positive in all situations. Even though these kids were bullying me, I was still gaining an opportunity to school in America and nothing would stop me from making the best of this opportunity.

“The shocker was that the kid that punched me in the face was black. I would have expected the blacks to be nicer to me. Nevertheless, I don’t blame those kids because they were ignorant about Africa. All they knew about us was the stuff they had watched on TV or documentaries, showing primitive African tribes, living in the jungle and making noises like monkeys.

“In regards to the whites, there might have been some minor episodes but again I don’t blame them for it because it is a problem with stereotypes,” he said.

But would he come back to Nigeria after the completion of his programme, he said yes.

“I am absolutely interested in the health care policy decisions in Nigeria. Because there are many changes that need to occur, I will not rule out the possibility of coming back after my studies, in order to join hands with the leaders to make these changes possible.’’

Credit: Excerpts from story published by SEGUN OLUGBILE of Punch Newspaper

MentorAfrica: DO NOT ALLOW YOUR FARM TO LIE FALLOW - NE LAISSEZ ...

MentorAfrica: DO NOT ALLOW YOUR FARM TO LIE FALLOW - NE LAISSEZ ...: In the region where I come from land is a family inheritance that is guarded very jealously, family members will do anything within their p...

DO NOT ALLOW YOUR FARM TO LIE FALLOW - NE LAISSEZ PAS VOTRE FERME EN JACHERE

In the region where I come from land is a family inheritance that is guarded very jealously, family members will do anything within their power to keep the territorial inheritance. In fact I did not know how serious this was until recently when my family relocated to the village. I hear all kinds of comments about the family land and what they are doing to keep it within the family. This is not to say they cannot sell some portions to others, even non-natives for development but they still save some portions for the family , even for future generations.

However, when the land is not properly taken care of, others will trespass and develop without the permission of the family and before the family realizes, their land is either totally overrun or there are litigation all over the courts.

My main aim in this discuss is the way that we as Africans blame foreigners for taking over our territorial space; during slavery and colonization, that cry would have been realistic not now. You cannot allow your farm to lie fallow for long periods and complain when others take advantage and cultivate your farm. If you cannot cultivate your farm for whatever reasons, you can lease it to someone who will use it for that period but when you do not show any interest in cultivating your farm, someone else will and this time, it might be completely taken from you since there was no proper agreement and the person cannot be blamed.

We as Africans must learn to value our farm so that we either cultivate it ourselves or we partner with others who are willing to help us, that way the partnership is mutual and the development is profitable to all.

DO NOT LEAVE YOUR FARM FALLOW THEN TURN BACK AND COMPLAIN THAT SOMEONE HAS TAKEN IT FROM YOU.

photo credit: bigindianfarms.com

Dans la région d'où je viens la terre est un héritage familial que l'on garde très jalousement, membres de la famille feront tout en leur pouvoir pour garder l'héritage territorial. En fait, je ne savais pas le degré de l'importance de cet héritage jusqu'à récemment quand ma famille a déménagé au village. J'entends toutes sortes de commentaires au sujet de la terre et ce qu'ils font pour le garder dans la famille. Cela ne veut pas à dire qu'ils ne peuvent pas vendre certaines parties à d'autres, même les non-autochtones pour le développement, mais on doit toujours sauver certaines parties de cet héritage la familial, même pour les générations futures. 

Cependant, quand la terre n'est pas correctement pris en charge, d'autres empiètent et se développer sans la permission de la famille et avant que la famille se rend compte, leur terre est soit totalement dépassement ou il ya des litiges partout dans les tribunaux. 

Mon principal objectif dans ce discours est la façon dont nous les Africains accusent les étrangers pour la prise en charge de notre espace territorial; pendant l'esclavage et de la colonisation, ce cri aurait été réaliste pas maintenant. Vous ne pouvez pas permettre à votre ferme en jachère pendant de longues périodes et se plaindre quand d'autres en profitent pour cultiver votre ferme. Si vous ne pouvez pas cultiver votre ferme pour une raison quelconque, vous pouvez le louer à quelqu'un qui va l'utiliser pour cette période, mais quand vous ne vous présentez pas tout intérêt à cultiver votre ferme, quelqu'un d'autre le faira et cette fois, il pourrait être complètement pris auprès de vous car il n'y avait pas d'accord proprement dite et la personne ne peut être blâmé. 

Nous, les Africains, devons apprendre à valoriser notre ferme afin que nous le cultivons soit nous-mêmes soit nous nous associons avec d'autres qui sont prêts à nous aider, de cette façon le partenariat est mutuelle et le développement profitable à tous. 

NE LAISSEZ PAS VOTRE FERME EN JACHERE PUIS COMMENCEZ A SE PLAINDRE QUAND QUELQU'UN VOUS LE PRENDRE.

Originally shared on www.kabissa.org

MentorAfrica: THOUGHTS GROW - LES PENSEES S'ACCROITRENT

MentorAfrica: THOUGHTS GROW - LES PENSEES S'ACCROITRENT: There are those who spend a lot of time in front of their TV sets just for entertainment but I have discovered that if we spent just a tiny...

THOUGHTS GROW - LES PENSEES S'ACCROITRENT

There are those who spend a lot of time in front of their TV sets just for entertainment but I have discovered that if we spent just a tiny fraction of that time looking beyond entertainment, we would find images and statements that could inspire us to go beyond what we can presently imagine. I was watching a documentary this morning on CCTV on the UAE PAVILLION and it drove home the point for me that thoughts are living and they can either grow or die. If we have an idea and we do not give it serious attention, it will wither and die but if we feed it by thinking deeply and critically about it, it will grow to astonishing dimensions. This is the reason an architect can take a look at the sand dunes in the UAE and come up with something as magnificent as the UAE PAVILLION. The problem why we do not have more people coming up with desired changes and progress is the fact that we trivialize our thoughts or maybe we are too mentally lazy to stay with them until they grow and crystallize. Some of us speak out our thoughts too soon and allow the opinions of others to choke them to death. Some have too many thoughts coming at them like a flood and they do not have the discipline and patience to sift through them and give room for the main ones to be fertilized and grow into actions and the realization of a vision. To develop an idea we must allow it to be properly fertilized in the soil of meditation and education; these are no shortcuts, they are painstaking processes. Any major achievement the world over, has taken time, research, patience and sweat, yours cannot be different.

PHOTO CREDIT : contructionweek online.com

Il ya ceux qui passent beaucoup de temps devant leur téléviseur juste pour le divertissement, mais j'ai découvert que si nous avons passé seulement une fraction minuscule de ce temps à regarder au-delà du divertissement, nous trouver des images et des déclarations qui pourraient nous inspirer à aller au-delà de ce que nous pouvons imaginer aujourd'hui. Je regardais un documentaire, ce matin, sur CCTV sur LE PAVILLION des EAU et il a enfoncé le clou pour moi que les pensées sont vivants et ils peuvent croitre ou mourir. Si nous avons une idée et nous ne la donnons pas une attention sérieuse, elle se dessécher et mourir, mais si nous l'alimentons en pensant profondément à ce sujet, cela se développera aux dimensions étonnantes. C'est la raison pour laquelle un architecte peut prendre un regard sur les dunes de sable dans les Émirats Arabes Unis et le traduit en quelque chose d'aussi magnifique comme le Pavillon des EAU. Le problème pourquoi nous n'avons pas plus de gens qui arrivent à faire des changements et les progrès souhaités est le fait que nous banaliser nos pensées ou peut-être que nous sommes trop paresseux mentalement pour les engager jusqu'à ce qu'ils grandissent et se cristalliser. Certains d'entre nous discutent nos pensées trop tôt et cela permet  l'opinion des autres à les étouffer à mort. Certains ont trop de pensées qui leur viennent comme une inondation, et ils n'ont pas la discipline et la patience pour les passer au crible et faire de la place pour les principales, pour être fécondés et se développent dans les actions et la réalisation d'une vision. Pour développer une idée que nous devons la permettre d'être correctement fécondé dans le sol de la méditation et de l'éducation; ce ne sont pas des raccourcis, ce sont des processus laborieux. Toute réalisation majeure dans le monde entier a demandé du temps, de la recherche, de la patience et de la sueur, la vôtre ne peut pas être différent.

MentorAfrica: PERCEIVING INEQUALITY - SAISISSANT L'INEGALITE

MentorAfrica: PERCEIVING INEQUALITY - SAISISSANT L'INEGALITE: We cannot overemphasis the power of perception, that is why we must do all that is in our power to educate ourselves in such a way as to ha...