Der Monat Juli!

Dear Diary,

"Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgement."

Is it just me or is the year running a little too fast? The days are just zooming past and all of a sudden, 24 hours is no longer enough. I'm back with my monthly recap. The title of this post is in German and it means, "the month of July". Let's count our losses and be thankful for the blessings that July dealt us. What rocked and sucked this July? Find out!

Ebola!!! Yes, I had to start with it. 

The first case of Ebola was diagnosed in Nigeria this month. Our fears became real when the Ministry of health confirmed it in Lagos after  a Liberian, Patrick sawyer who boarded a plane from Liberia into Nigeria, collapsed at the airport. He was rushed to the hospital where it was confirmed that he had the disease. He Died on Friday, the 24th of July. Apparently, 59 people came in contact with him while he was in the country. Despite the Frantic efforts being made by the government to contain the virus, it is our individual responsibility to ensure adequate personal hygiene. Wash hands properly with soap and water as hand sanitizers are only 99% protective against Bacteria and not Viruses (Ebola is caused by a Virus). This disease spreads through direct contact with the blood, or other bodily fluids of infected people. It is also a dangerous time for the health workers and care givers as they are prone to be infected while treating patients. 

Dr sheik Umar Kahn who treated about 100 patients in Liberia, has died from the disease. It is advised that infection control is adequately effected in our clinics and hospitals. There's a lot of information available online, please google 'Ebola' and find images and articles that'll increase your knowledge base.

On July 17, a Malaysian plane crashed in Ukraine. Flight MH17 was reportedly shot down by Russian rebels who thought it was a military aircraft flying in their zone. More than 100 passengers on that plane were going to Melbourne for the World Aids Conference. Another plane crash involving Air Algerie also occurred. May God comfort the bereaved and grant the departed, eternal rest.

Dentist turned musician, Dr Sid married his fiancée Simi Osomo in a state of the art traditional wedding. Also, one of the sons of Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo (KICC) Tomi Ashimolowo, married his heartthrob, Dorothy Jeneba Kamara. 

Jude Okoye, elder brother of the p'square brothers, married former  beauty queen, Ify Umeokeke. Cheers to a fulfilling marriage filled with beautiful children. Only MC with an M.Sc, Naetochukwu Chikwe and wife welcomed their second child this month, hearty congratulations to them. 

The World Cup ended on the 12th of July with a beautiful closing ceremony. Germany took the cup home after battling it out for 120mins with the Argentines. In other news, Drogba is back at Stamford Bridge. He signed a one year contract with Chelsea this month. Welcome back DD!

Glasgow 2014 is now live and as expected, team Nigeria is already making us proud. Nigeria won her first gold at the commonwealth games when weightlifter Chika Amalaha pulled a total of 196 points in the 53kg class coming out tops. Blessing Okagbare did it again, she won the 100m women's final. Go Team Nigeria!

A number of people including 3 sons of Sheikh Ibraheem El Zakzaky, who led the Shiite protest in Zaria, a March dedicated to the conflict between Israel and Palestine were killed in a clash with soldiers who were trying to disperse them. It was supposed to be a peaceful protest and the soldiers were to disperse them quietly but something happened along the way and violence erupted. Elrufai's  23 yr old son Hamza Elrufai was involved in a ghastly motor accident and died at the scene. May the souls of the faithful departed, rest in peace. 

Boko haram spread their tent over our sister country, Cameroon and kidnaped the Vice Prime minister's wife, Amadou Ali in the process. Luckily she was rescued after 3 days.  

Bombs, bombs and more bombs! A market in Maiduguri was bombed on the first day of July and that was the beginning of the July season of bombings. A bridge was bombed in Yobe state and bombs also exploded in Kaduna. In the last week of July, Kano state was bombed 5 times! With every explosion, a family is thrown into mourning. The average nigerian has gotten so used to this way of life that the announcement of an explosion does not even cause the batting of an eyelid. It is well!

Over 100 days since the Chibok girls went missing and now there is a new trend of female bombers. A 10 year old girl found wearing explosive device apparatus in katsina, any correlation? I hope not. #MH370 is still missing and no clue in sight. The world is boiling at the moment. Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Palestine, Nigeria, Iraq, Sudan, e.t.c, each with their story to tell. It would seem absurd to see the light at the end of this very dark tunnel, still, when there is life, there is hope.

May the month of August, wipe away the tears of the previous months and give us a reason to smile.

HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

BRAZIL 2014

Dear diary,

A photoblog has been long overdue on this space. I present to you the 2014 world cup, in pictures!!!

This tournament is one that won't be forgotten in a long time. History was made again and again. Little wonder why it's celebrated every 4 years. 

You could feel the excitement in the air. Every match left you breathless, wanting more and more. We saw the good, the bad and the ugly. 

The teams (32 in number) arrived in style for the tournament. Each team hoping to take the trophy home but alas! There can only be one winner.

The fans came prepared... 

The goalkeepers??? Phenomenal! 

Only goalkeeper to have 19 saves in one match; Tim Howard, won my heart after that match. Others like Ochoa and even our very own Enyeama were quite exceptional. 

There is very little you can do as a goal keeper when your team is not corroborating your effort.

Surely, you do not expect the young black woman not to be partial about her own country. The boys played a goalless draw against Iran, defeated Bosnia Herzigovinia by 1-0, were beaten by Argentina by one goal before they proceeded to the knock out stage. 

At the knock out stage, France knocked us out of the competition. Yeah we didn't get to the semi's like we hoped (dodges slippers and bucket) but at least we didn't go down without a fight. Thumbs up Super Eagles, we await Russia 2018.

There was a particular stage of the competition where matches kept moving into extra time and then penalty kicks. I couldn't even watch, I was just holding my chest like... 

While some goalkeepers stood like this in front of a goal post... 

Underdogs? Surely they did not come for this tournament. Every country was a potential winner. Infact, it was the "bigger boys" that chickened out at the group stage. Countries like Italy, England et Spain (the defending champions) were shown the way out in the most embarrassing way.

Talk about Spain's defeat and all I can do is shake my head.

  

World Cup revelation?James Rodriguez!!! I did not even know that he existed before the World Cup but now that I know, he has got himself a fan for life (until he Suarez's somebody)

The Suarez moment...

Some players went down with serious injuries and they had to watch the rest of the tournament from the bench or in some cases, their home countries. Players like Neymar, Onazi, Babatunde, Dimaria e.t.c. We wish them safe recovery.

There were a lot of tears at this World Cup... 

Never have I seen a player so determined to succeed. Schweinsteiger actually bled for his country in the process...

Germany played Brazil and scored the 2000th World Cup goal. Miroslav Klose became the all time goal scorer of the World Cup with 16 goals to his cap.  Brazil was humiliated in a 7-1 defeat by the German machines. 

It is without doubt, the most humiliating World Cup match of all time. We really missed these guys at the tournament... 

Germany played Argentina at the World Cup finals and truth be told, any of the two teams deserved to win it. The German machines won the competition by a goal margin in extra time...

Congratulations to the 2014 champions, GERMANY!!! 

A few lessons from the tournament:

1. Never, ever underestimate anybody!

2. Don't miss an opportunity to showcase yourself (imagine if J.Rodriguez did not come for the competition, who would have known he had potentials?)

3. Learn to control yourself even in your subconscious (Suarez made a mistake at the world stage and he'll be paying for it for a long time)

4. Every player in a team needs to work cohesively with the other player. A team should play together and not depend on one or two key players.

5. In all situations, give thanks! 

I had fun following this tournament, I can't wait for the next one. Russia 2018, here we come!

*Picture credit: Instagram (Fifaworldcup2014live), twitter, google, my TV :) 

THE SPECIAL ONE

Dear diary, 

How are you enjoying the weather? Since the rains have decided to take residence in this side of the world, we might as well relax and enjoy it while it lasts. Meanwhile, I have something important  to discuss with you, do read.

They kept shouting her name but she just wouldn't turn. Obviously a 7 year old child like her should be able to answer her own name, what was wrong? She was unscrewing the handle of the tap and someone had to stop her before it would burst open. I was the closest to her so I walked up to her and tapped her but she wouldn't budge. I had to force her hand off the tap before she finally let go.

Her hair was cut low like some of her peers that came with her. She had 2 legs, 2 eyes, 2 hands, 2 ears, 2 nostrils and other normal features of the human body. One peculiar thing I noticed is that she smiled more than the others did, revealing some missing teeth. She had a flat face and she opened her mouth more often revealing her tongue which was larger than normal and she salivated a lot. As she walked back to her seat, I noticed that she couldn't walk in a straight line, she walked like she just started learning how to. She looked restless and really enjoyed playing and running about the place. I didn't hear her talk much, but she kept making incoherent sounds. 

There was something special about this child because everybody kept looking at her. 

Down syndrome (Trisomy 21) is a genetic disorder involving an extra chromosome. This extra chromosome is responsible for the physical growth delays, manual dexterity problems, certain facial characteristics we see in special people. The incidence of births of children with Down syndrome increases with the age of the mother. They are also called special needs people because they require more attention and care than the average human being.

The society looks at the birth of a child with Down syndrome as a curse upon the family. This alone is one of the many reasons why some mothers abandon such children in the hospitals and bushes. Others do so out of fear of the challenges that may come in the long run. Some parents hide the special child at home and carry the other children to the beach to have fun. Socio-developmentally speaking, that child gets worse. Special people may have issues with making friends therefore the family is the most important unit in that child's life and as such they should not be segregated.

They usually have an intelligence quotient of about 50 meaning they'll usually function like kids half their age. These special people may not be able to compete intellectually with their age mates, but they can be  very creative. They usually have an inkling for the arts and athletics.

Have you recently discovered that your child is a special child? Don't fret. There would be challenges and moments of frustration but they will pass. Early intervention programes with speech therapists, occupational therapists e.t.c should be implemented by the parents. The cost of bringing up such a child can be nerve wrecking, time-wise and financially speaking, but it's important to do so with love and hope.You have been given the responsibility of bringing up a child that the society may frown upon, you might as well do the job beautifully and prove them wrong. No, you are not being punished by God for your sins in the past, You are only being used as an instrument of grace in that child's life. He will not give you more than you can take, so you better believe that you are more than equal to task ahead.

Dear 'society', in your moments of stigmatization and unjust dislike towards these special people, try and put yourself in their shoes and try to see the world through their eyes. Maybe, just maybe, you'll have a changed heart. Show love to them, they are people too. There are ignorant ones amongst us, people that don't know that special children are people like us and not witches or wizards, it's our duty to shed more light and correct these ideologies on the spot.

Dear parents, please don't hide  your child at home, expecting a miracle to happen. Take them out to see things, let them go to school and see children like them. Don't be afraid to take them to the hospital when you discover something you are not comfortable with. Discuss with other parents and find out how they are coping. Education, quality health care and a caring society would give a special child the much needed happiness and strength to cruise through life's journey. You as a parent should strive to make these requirements available. 

At the moment, it seems frustrating and tiring, taking care of the special one but one day you will look back and smile, forever grateful that you raised a special child.

Are you living with a special child? Do you know one? How has the journey been so far? Please share your stories and encourage others.

*Photo credit: Google