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Showing posts from December, 2022

My favorite uncle, a product of grace

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Happy birthday great guy. I hope you find joy in everything that matters to you. (Photo credit: Mobolaji Gold) There’s only one human that can make me do this, it’s a day I set aside to brag, to remind y’all of the consistency that I’ve achieved on this space, and to tell a story of how amazing my 2022 has been but this man will make that wait, we call him Hulk. Abiodun Hulk Opawole is my favorite uncle, he gave me a second chance in 2008 and the rest is history. I learned a lot from him during that time and while I wish things panned out differently with his wife, the tutorial I got from both of them shaped the man that I have become. Hulk was painted as a rebel to us while we were growing up but he came around during one of our holidays in 2005 and he gave all of us fifty Naira each, whatever it was that Baba Opa said after that day fell on deaf ears, yes I was happily bought and I hope that makes you happy. I had my episode in 2008, everyone was pouring words on me and I will

How do people thrive in chaos?

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  What is the urge to share bad news to people? Why do people thrive on chaos? (Photo credit: Google) No matter how things play out, I insist that I’m not going to continue this journey after tomorrow; things are coming up in a way and topics are springing up but the devil is a stinking liar, tomorrow is the end of this journey and I can finally go wash my boxers. Was going to write about Lawal Abiodun Kazeem (LAK) today but I guess bad things happen to bad people, it means he won’t get to feature on this space. Tomorrow is taken already, it’s my favorite uncle’s birthday and I have to give him the honors. Today, I’ll reiterate something I mentioned on this space not too long ago; it was about Socrates’ information sieve and I hope you learn a thing or two in case you missed it the first time. When you hear some kinda information, what do you do? Run off and spread it or investigate? Many times, we’ve seen promising relationships ruined at the altar of unverified rumors and the n

That special feeling...

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  Christmas is special, the feeling isn't the same but we keep it moving. (Photo credit: Google) A lot has changed about the Christmas feeling but one thing remains constant regardless and that is the beauty of reunion. It’s a little tricky because some have abused the trend but in all, seeing families, friends, and old folks again is something we don’t take for granted. For the first time in my entire life, I spent my Christmas away from my core family members (many of them have japa) but seeing my good people of Naija Pundits in our annual event (SEQUEL) made my season, you should see the part where we sang Johnny Drille’s song, it was sensational. Family is everything, the people you call your own, not necessarily by blood but by a bond that comes in many forms. I know many of you feel some type of way, probably because IJGBs hijacked your girls or whatnot, Jesus is still Lord whether you like it or not, don’t be angry. Growing up, the highlight used to be about dad receiv

Yoruba movie industry and the mediocrity within

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  I admire the hardworking people in this industry but there's a mansion for improvement from production, to acting and marketing. (Photo credit: TAMPAN) Shey we should not steal and we should not lie? The Yoruba film industry has to be the home of mediocrity and it’s getting worse by the day; it’s painful to write about this because I have lots of friends among them but omo, these people no dey try. Truth be told, some of them are trying but the gulf in class, quality, and effort between them and the English arm of the Nigerian film industry are unbelievable. I will try not to mention names and it’s not for fear but for the fact that it’s not my joy to rubbish someone’s hustle. I have lots of problems with their directors most times, while I know for sure that many of the so-called A-list actors don’t listen as they think they’re too big to be corrected or to be told what to do, I also feel if you can’t command respect as a film director then you should go learn shoemaking.

I'm not doing again

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  For about five minutes I was in total darkness but we live to tell the story. However, a quick reminder that I'm not writing daily again after 31st December. Thank you. (Photo credit: Google) The most convenient topic to write about today is #Sequel because the party is today but it’s 9:37am in Lagos and the party starts around 11am, so I’ll pass on that as I quickly try to pen something before I lose lucidity at the table of men. A lot of people have told me they don’t expect me to stop this journey after the 31 st of December, I’m happy to tell you all that I hear you loud and clear but no, I am not doing again and there’s no amount of blackmail or “aspire to Maguire” that will make me continue. To be honest, when I started on the first of January, I didn’t think I’d be consistent and what this goes to show is that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. I know there were days I wrote pure nonsense but it’s the consistency for me, you can block your ears now becau

The humans of Riquesa - My magical strategists

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  Queen Latifah with a man that actually married a woman named Queen. My amazing teammates. (Photo credit: Ramsey's iPhone) It’s been an amazing year by all standards and part of why I can boldly say that is the fact that I got to work with people that know their job, teammates that challenged me to be better while I already wrote about some of them, today is for my professional next of kins, my Strategy teammates. Strategy is the fulcrum that balances any agency, while I always maintain it’s never a competition and each of us is as important as all of us, I also like to throw in my all-time favorite quote: " there’s no amount of creative execution that can rescue a bad strategy." Strategy folks are like the traditional number 10 in football; close your eyes and imagine possibilities, hand it over to the guys across the room, and voila! We have a sensational experience to deliver to our clients, so in the context of Riquesa, these humans have helped me to stay alive.

Let me tell you about Jesus Christ, the birthday Boy!

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  There's no other one than the lowly Jesus, no not one. Happy birthday sweet Jesus. Stay Kinging. (Photo credit: RCG) Merry Christmas everyone! Happy birthday to Jesus Christ, my ever-dependable Lord and personal savior; the Lion of the tribe of Judah, a sure plug that doesn’t disconnect. Stay kinging my G. I know y’all are probably on third or fourth plate by the time you’ll be reading this but don’t be surprised that I’ve not gotten any but it’s fine. Today is all about Jesus Christ and I’ll keep it that way; No one comes through as much as He does so permit me to gloat about my savior. I don’t know if you can relate but He has never failed me. Through my irresponsible unfaithfulness to the promises I make to Him yearly, He has never forsaken me. There are things I pray about, and I see His hands but how about those things I didn’t even pray about that He still delivered? Late night drives and dangerous moves, walking through the valley of the shadow of death and He still

Damilare, my good friend from Obehi's 30+ group

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  Happy birthday my brother. Have fun G. (Photo credit: Damilare) So I was supposed to conclude the story of my teammates today with my professional next of kins but I’ll have to defer it for two days because today is Damilare’s birthday and it’s only right I write few lines for him while tomorrow is Jesus’ birthday. Damilare is a friend I made in Obehi’s toxic 30+ group last year and he’s been a great friend ever since; Damilare legit looks out for me and sincerely has my interest at heart. He’s a natural peace maker too, I remember how many times he talked me into certain decisions and all were for good. Damilare is an accountant, works hard and deserves all the good things of life. Although he’s a Chelsea fan but he’s not a crude one like dem LAK and Folachi of Riquesa but as Arsenal is humbling them these days, I’m sure he’s considering moving to the happening side of London. Damilare and I were the only ones that didn’t run any show on that infamous 30+ group LOL, if you kno

The humans of Riquesa - My creative engines

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Introducing Innocent (in Jean Jacket) and Deepsea (right behind him) on one of those days we had to work late. These are two of the amazing folks that make me shine. (Photo credit: Innodum) Today is the day the Lord has made and I’ll be glad enough to talk about my other ten gladiators; these are the amazing people, sometimes annoying but damn right productive that passed through my team this year at Riquesa Africa. I think I wrote about how unlucky I felt when a couple of them had to leave at different points under different circumstances but each and every one of them holds a place in my heart for their magic and how they individually made me shine, I present the gladiators of my Creative & Strategy agency within the agency. Trend, the one that held forth, and my John the Baptist; one wise that gives nothing away. Class of Glenfiddich this moment and on sachet action bitters the next. I rate this guy highly and we even live in the same neighborhood, dude walked not long after

Why are we quick to encourage divorce?

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  Happy first wedding anniversary my people. One down, forever to go. (Photo credit: Adedimeji Lateef) It’s my friends’ first wedding anniversary today and I’ll have to write about the marriage institution and how I feel about it right now. I remember talking about how much I dread divorce on this journey, I still do and I have enough reasons to be a lot more afraid. I’m happy for a few celebrity marriages I have in my circle. Pamilerin Adegoke got married about a month ago now and I’m excited about him and Motun his wife; David walked the aisle with Sandra and Ebuka Bullet crossed seven seas to bring home his wife too, I’m super happy for my men. However, why do we have homes breaking every day with folks eager to encourage couples to break up as e dey hot when they’re no longer enjoying it? I know I stand a risk of contradicting myself a bit but I’ll still go ahead and share my take. Take it from me, humans are fickle. I remember I wrote about domestic violence and the fact tha

Ovation Red Carol: Has Tuface lost his magic?

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I'm a big TuFace fan but is it time to admit that baba is gradually exiting the big stage? (Photo credit: TuFace) Last night was surreal I must say. In the spirit of the famous #DettyDecember season, I was out all night and I enjoyed every bit of it. At the rate I’m going this month, I’ll probably need a lot of hypo in January. I was at the Ovation Red Carol and I still have goosebumps from the experience. It was a quadruple header for Dele Momodu but at some points, it was looking like a PDP rally but I didn’t care, I was there to enjoy myself and so I did to the fullest beyond words. The accomplished publisher was celebrating his 30 th wedding anniversary, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo of the Trinity house took them through the vows renewals and again, I saw the joy of the marriage institution but I won’t go further with that before I text the wrong person. It was also the 55 th birthday of Dele Momodu’s wife as well as the 25 th birthday of their fashion entrepreneur son, Eniaf

There's no sense in "I suffered with him" stories

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  I find it disgusting when people say a woman suffered with a man or whatnot, it's an agenda that should be given a befitting burial. (Photo credit: Pulse) I’m outside today so, I’ll do this as quickly as possible. Where am I off to? It’s a triple header actually and it starts with Activity fest at the Good Beach, then stop by at Wonderland before heading to Ovation Red Carol, it’s #DettyDecember. So, I’ve been reading different takes on marriages breaking like lips in harmattan and how some people come up with the “she suffered with him” nonsense, how do you people even have the courage to share these nonsense and shameless takes? Why don’t we ever see these stories around unsuccessful men? Why do we only see them when a man makes it and he’s probably moving on with another woman due to situations we’re not privy to but as it’s written in the social media constitution, the man must take the blame. Let me take it back a bit to Tyler Perry’s Acrimony; most people castigated R

The humans of Riquesa - Part one

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  It's been an amazing year working with these mad brains. Thank you and let's do it again next year. (Photo credit: Ramsey's iPhone) Today started off on an emotional note and I still have goosebumps as I type this. Our Monday ritual, progress meeting turned into a vote of thanks session, and this brings some electrifying feeling. I was hoping I’d write about the World Cup today or probably drag Halima for offending me on Saturday (I’m unforgiving like that) but my teammates already stole the show and it’s only right I do the honors today in my own space to appreciate every single one of them. I was going to actually talk about the gladiators, I mean the ten people that passed through my team this year at Riquesa but I’ll make this about the entire team and then pick another day to discuss my immediate family members (Strategy and creative). Step forward, my ever-demanding project folks, from Tolu Ayeola-George, to Tumi Armari – the energy goddess and even the one th

Tunde Fancy, Duke my friend and a prayer for France

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  My prayer is with France and that's because we don't want the GOAT conversation to ruin the week. (Photo credit: BBC) God knows I had genuine plans of dragging Halima Momodu (she has a new surname now tho after getting married to a Yoruba man sometime in 2019 after a series of Ibadan activation) but I’ll keep the sabbath day holy. Today is the World Cup final between Argentina and France and as much as I can say to the satisfaction of my conscience that Lionel Messi deserves the World Cup title, I hope France wins it for peace to reign in the world. I can’t stand an unnecessary debate in my football groups and on Twitter. Yesterday was Tunde Fancy’s birthday and of course, I was supposed to write about him but mumsy came to town to take care of me and that overruled it; to be honest, it’s hard to write about Fancy because the dude is just who he is but I’ll try to share a thing or two about him. Fancy and I have a few things in common but I am not a politician like him.

My celebrity drama queen in town over small malaria

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  Guess who's in town to see me, my very own drama queen. (Photo credit: Bennie Gold) It’s a random musing day and that’s because I’m still struggling. I don’t know who is after my life by sending malaria my way. I don’t know how to feel right now but I will be fine. I know I have haters who are bent on pouring hypo on my Detty December but God will not allow them to overcome me because I don’t know why malaria is visiting the lion’s chamber at this crucial time. Again, it’s about random musings so let’s do it. Today is Dara’s wedding, my former senior art director that Noah’s Ark stole from me; great guy by all standards but today is not the day to write about him or any of my other ten gladiators that brought sunshine into my work as the Strategy Lead at Riquesa… Not today but soon. So my mom heard I’m sick and guess what? She blitzed into town to come take care of me, can your mom ever? LMAO small malaria, mamma don show. I’m already asking her to pack her load and return

There's someone I like...

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  This article isn't about my illness alone, you can like to read till the end. (Photo credit: Google) I’m ill, it’s not a surprise and there’s no one around me that would bat an eyelid. The only part of this I don’t like is the timing, Moiste beach tonight with Showmax/TikTok and Magodo with Despe are important events to attend but the son of man cannot can. Dara’s wedding is tomorrow, I must be there even if I have drip hanging on my arms, Kizz Daniel live in concert later tomorrow night is another event I cannot miss. Adekunle Gold’s catch me if you can follows on Sunday… The devil can’t win this battle. What am I writing about today? Certainly not about my illness. There are few interesting developments and I will share three of them. One is extremely heartwarming, or can I say all are interestingly heartwarming? But one of them gives me butterflies. I have found a new worship partner. I wrote about my take on Dunsin Oyekan and a few people came for me LOL but my very goo

The dating pool and a broken generation

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  We're gradually becoming a generation of broken people, where do we go from here? (Photo credit: Medium) This is scary but it is what it is. We can’t deny it, it’s all in our faces and it’s beginning to look like a norm. The implication of this on the emerging generation will even be worse, can rapture happen already? There are too many damaged people in the world. Each of them trying to get into relationships with fellow damaged people and you can only imagine the outcome. One can even look away from those ones, how about broken humans trying to date pure-hearted individuals? God Abeg! I was going through some posts on Toni Tones’ TL and all I can say is OMO! To think some people seem to enjoy some bloody revelation on her #TellToniTones; those that are happily married don’t know how lucky they are, the dating pool out there is messy and nearly hopeless. You know how people pray for the right person but never thought they should be right for whomever they meet too; it’s al

Will things actually get better?

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  Is there actually hope on this side of life? Will Nigeria ever get better? (Photo credit: Google) Fela was blasting hard through the speakers, reminding us of the state of the nation and giving us good reasons to consider our choices at the forthcoming elections; this makes one feel the late music sensation was a prophet but in the words of Deepsea, is Nigeria really hard to predict? You too see: I’m not a preacher of doom but if you are being honest with yourself, the fate of Nigerians in the next eight years is scary because no matter who wins the next election, not much is going to change and that is if things don’t get worse because they’re all the same if we’re keeping it a buck. This article is not about any candidate, all of them are rogues. So, if anyone comes up with a song now to predict a tough regime in this country come 2030, anyone that listens to the song in 2030 would hail the singer as being a prophet, as easy as handling Messi a penalty, he’ll score nine out of

Allow me to enjoy my Detty December in peace

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  I'm putting this out there because I'm fed up. Make of it what you will but I'm not sorry. Leave me the fuck alone. (Photo credit: Osas's status) I don’t know why people are making me look like an angry bird but today, I’m talking about random people that have conspired to annoy me again. Not like it’s new but na today e vex me so here we go! For a couple of weeks before December, I’ve been announcing and preparing myself a December to remember; I was very clear that it will be one hell of a #DettyDecember, and I am unapologetic about that but some people have decided to take advantage of that to do what they do best. When you ignore someone all year long and suddenly remember they can help you when you see peng pictures of them, don't you think it's demonic? It's okay to find ourselves needing to lean on someone but you can only lean on me if you're in my corner, I'm not doing Father Christmas again, they have stolen my red gown. Corporate beg

Why are pople mad like this?

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  I don't like how people are making me angry unnecessarily but we move. (Photo credit: Google) Consideration for others is something that needs to be taught in schools. The curriculum must be updated to accommodate a sense of empathy and it shouldn’t be all about dy/dx alone in schools. Where do I start? I don’t care whose horse is gored but y’all need to do better. How can you live in a house where you share a prepaid meter and they will be begging you to pay for utility when it is due? Do you think others that pay don’t have what to do with the money they pay? I remember when I was on Victoria Street, there was this particular neighbor that would never pay a LAWMA bill that was just 500 naira per month and this idiot had money. He would jokingly ask me to pay for him and because mumu me too paid twice he turned it to his birthright and would ask them to come to meet me whenever it was due until I changed it for him. You work in a corporate organization and you’ll comfortably lea

This one is for the whole of Africa

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  Y'all have made us proud, thank you and all the best in the semifinals against France. Impossibility is nothing. (Photo credit: Sky Sports) I'll happily ignore the talks about the fact they don’t see themselves as Africans, it’s a victory for the entire continent and wherever you are under the sun, Morocco has qualified for the World Cup semifinals and we’ll gloat about it. England thought it was coming home and has gone home, the top favorites, Brazil has gone home; Spain scored seven times in their World Cup opener and they have gone home, Germany with their fire powers has gone home, Belgium as highly rated as they are have forgotten they went to Qatar, all hail Morocco. For once in the history of African participation at the FIFA World Cup, the continent will have a representative in the semifinal of the World Cup after Morocco beat Portugal 1-0 on Saturday in their quarter-final bout. One or two lessons from yesterday? Yes, please! I learned from Ronaldo’s saga tha

Let people be

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  Ignore the way I joked about it in this article but no one should ever be denied of fundamental human rights, it's not too much to ask for. (Photo credit: Google) Today is World Human Rights Day and I’m here to remind you that every single one of us is guilty of this crime and, the earlier we realize and make conscious efforts to stop infringing on people’s rights, the best for the entire world. I’ve come to realize that most people that like to be heard don’t like listening and it’s a problem; your opinion is entirely your right but don’t you think others have full rights to theirs too? The hypocrisy is what irritates me and it’s the reason I’ll drink to Gary Neville’s tears whenever they drag him on his Qatar comments. Don’t be mistaken, I am not in support of Qatar’s inhumane history, but if they offer you money and you choose to take it, you have no rights to criticize them. I know I just digressed a bit but I’ve been looking for a way to squeeze in that Manchester United

Shey these skit makers dey whine me ni?

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  The talent pool available to us as Nigerians is heartwarming but are these people as rich as their lifestyles suggest? (Photo credit: Pulse NG) Today, I choose to demystify another perception and trust me, I know for sure that it’s not hearsay or assumptions; it will help you to stop seeing yourself as a failure or probably think some people have it better. You must have seen skit makers lounging and swiping cards everywhere like they’re the richest in town, announcing new houses at Banana and highbrow areas and you wonder if you’re scissors or teaspoon, my dear, listen to me like you’re listening to all those CAC revivalists, all na lie! I am quite close to a number of them and I have people that know many of them, there’s no industry with a faux lifestyle like Nigerian entertainment and the height of it all is the skit-making/content creation arm; only a handful of them made money from content and I’ll walk you through what I mean. Again, this is not me trying to play down so