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The Cashew and the Cage

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I did not set out to indict anyone. I set out only to notice something: that most of us consume, defend, and repeat what we have not verified, and that the few who pause to verify are often made to regret the pause. I used to think this was a flaw in people, a shortage of will, a poverty of thought. It is easier, and more comfortable, to believe that. It lets the system off the hook and puts the failure inside the individual, where it can be privately mourned instead of publicly questioned. But the longer I sat with it, the less it looked like a personal failing and the more it looked like a design, not designed by a hand, but by time, and by whatever survives time. Consider the tree. You plant a cashew and you do not know what it will become. It may rise before it spreads, or spread before it rises. It may stay low and wide, hugging the ground it was given. What it becomes is not chosen so much as negotiated, with soil, with light, with whatever else was already growing nearby. Instit...
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The Myth of Having Life Figured Out at Twenty

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One of the greatest illusion many young people carry into the university is the belief that by twenty, they should already know who they are, what career they will pursue, whom they will marry, and what the rest of life will look like. Then reality arrives. A semester ends with disappointing results. Friendships become uncertain. Convictions are questioned. The future that once seemed carefully mapped begins to disappear beneath unfamiliar roads. At an age when certainty is expected, many students discover only questions. Honestly, that discovery feels more frightening than failure itself. There is a quiet pressure that follows students through the university. It does not come from one place alone. Sometimes it comes from a lecturer whose voice grows sharper as low scores are recorded in an entire class. Sometimes it comes from a parent who, out of genuine fear for a child's future, unknowingly makes love sound conditional upon academic performance. Sometimes it comes from a friend...
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When Failure Is Not the End

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There is a kind of silence that follows disappointing results. It is not the silence of a quiet library or an empty lecture hall. It is the silence that settles within a student after opening a result and realizing that reality has refused to match expectation. I won't sugarcoat this, before resilience, there is often grief. Not the grief of losing a loved one, but the quiet mourning of a future once imagined. The first-class graduate. The scholarship recipient. The child whose parents would proudly say, "That is my son," or, "That is my daughter." In a single moment, that imagined future appears to slip away, and few people speak about the weight of that loss. Sometimes the result itself is not even the hardest part. The harder part is the phone call home. The unanswered questions. The silence from a sponsor who expected more. The feeling that you have disappointed not only yourself but everyone who believed in you. Such moments have a way of making failure fee...
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Faith, Conviction, and the Modern University

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Perhaps one of the least discussed lessons in higher education is that the university does not merely test intelligence; it also tests conviction. For many students, the challenge is not understanding a difficult course but learning how to remain true to values formed long before they entered the lecture hall. The university is a meeting point of cultures, philosophies, and lifestyles. Practices that one student considers normal may conflict with another's cultural upbringing or religious beliefs. Living within such diversity demands maturity, wisdom, and mutual respect. For students of faith, the tension can become deeply personal. A Muslim student may find a lecture, practical, test, or even an examination overlapping with Jumu'ah or another obligatory prayer. Choosing the prayer may mean missing important academic content or facing institutional penalties. Choosing the lecture may leave the student with a troubled conscience and the feeling that academic success came at the ...
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The Loneliness of Crowded Campuses

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One of the most difficult lessons many students learn is that loneliness is not always the absence of people. Sometimes, it is the feeling of being unseen in the middle of a crowd. A campus is filled with conversations, laughter, group photographs, and shared walks to lectures. Yet, behind this constant activity are students who quietly carry a different experience. They participate in discussions, contribute ideas, attend meetings, play games, and make sincere efforts to belong. Still, they often leave with the unsettling feeling that they were merely present, not truly included. A suggestion is overlooked. A contribution receives little attention. The conversation simply moves on. Gradually, the mind begins to ask painful questions: Am I worth listening to? Am I anyone's friend, or merely a familiar face? Others respond differently. Rather than risk embarrassment or rejection, they withdraw before anyone has the opportunity to reject them. They speak less, interact less, and slow...
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The Weight of Comparison

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  One of the heaviest burdens many students carry is not failure itself, but comparison. A student may be hardworking, disciplined, and genuinely intelligent, yet feel inadequate because the results do not reflect the effort invested. Examination scripts are graded, scores are released, and suddenly one's sense of worth becomes tied to numbers on a sheet of paper. The problem often begins when students measure themselves against the highest-performing individuals around them. In such comparisons, they may conclude that because they are not the best, they are not good enough. Yet these are not the same thing. Not being as good as someone else does not mean one is not good. Reality, however, can be difficult. Sometimes a student who dreams of graduating with a first-class degree finds himself struggling to maintain a second-class standing. Despite countless hours of study and sincere effort, the desired results remain out of reach. Repeated disappointment can gradually weaken motivat...
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The Quiet Battles We Do Not See

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There is a kind of struggle that rarely appears on result sheets or graduation photographs. It belongs to the student who is constantly trying, yet never seems to arrive at the place he imagined for himself. He studies, writes examinations, and waits for the results, only to discover that his name is absent from the very top. People may call him intelligent, but he quietly dismisses the compliment because he knows others who perform better. Even his strengths feel ordinary to him. Perhaps he can speak before an audience, but he has seen classmates do the same, sometimes with greater confidence and eloquence. So he concludes that there is nothing exceptional about him. Then comes another layer of the human experience. Many young people enter the university carrying convictions shaped by their families, their faith, and their personal values. Yet they also carry emotions. The desire to be understood, appreciated, and loved is not a moral weakness; it is part of being human. The conflict ...
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The Unseen Curriculum

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  Every university teaches courses, but there are other lessons, about disappointment, identity, friendship, conviction, loss, resilience, and hope, that are never listed in the handbook, yet shape a person's life just as profoundly. These are lessons  lecturers don't write on the board which I believe are embedded in the Unseen Curriculums of our learning institutions.  I will be writing a series on this curriculum that no course outline prepares a student for; the disappointment of trying and still falling short. No examination tests the ability to recover from betrayal, loneliness, or the quiet fear that everyone else is moving ahead while you remain in the same place. Yet these lessons are as real as what one  taught in the lecture hall. A university awards degrees in Medicine, Engineering, Law, and the Sciences, but life within the university often offers another education entirely. It teaches young people how to live with uncertainty, how to face comparison wit...
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The Weight of Democracy

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  Every year, Democracy Day invites us to celebrate a hard-earned national achievement. We remember the long and difficult journey that shaped Nigeria's democratic experience, the voices that demanded justice, the citizens who endured uncertainty, and the men and women who sacrificed comfort, freedom, and in some cases their lives, so that the will of the people could matter. The greatest lesson of democracy is that it is never a finished project. It is a responsibility shared by government and citizens alike. Over the years, Nigeria has recorded important progress. Democratic institutions have endured, elections have continued, and many public servants, security personnel, healthcare workers, teachers, entrepreneurs, and ordinary citizens contribute daily to the nation's development. Their efforts deserve recognition. At the same time, our country continues to face serious challenges. Security concerns affect many communities. Economic pressures weigh heavily on families and b...
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Education and the Price of Integrity

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  One of the greatest responsibilities of any society is the values it passes on to its young people. Beyond academic knowledge, schools and examination systems are expected to teach fairness, integrity, accountability, and the belief that hard work leads to success. It is therefore deeply concerning whenever allegations emerge that students are being asked to make unofficial payments in connection with public examinations. Whether such incidents are isolated or widespread, they raise important questions about the kind of lessons young people are absorbing from the systems around them. For many students, examinations represent the culmination of months, sometimes years, of dedication and sacrifice. They study under challenging conditions, often with limited resources, trusting that their efforts will be rewarded based on merit. Any suggestion that financial contributions could influence outcomes risks undermining that trust. The issue extends beyond the money involved. More troubli...
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When Fear Becomes a Way of Life

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  It is a deeply disheartening experience when students in schools begin to live under the constant fear that they could become targets of violent criminals who parade themselves as bandits. Education is supposed to offer hope, security, and opportunity, yet many young people now attend school with anxiety hanging over their heads. What is even more troubling is the growing boldness of these criminal groups. It is no longer enough that they abduct innocent citizens; they now display their victims on camera, issue outrageous demands, and attempt to dictate terms to society. Demands for enormous ransom payments, the release of imprisoned gang leaders, the provision of arms and vehicles, and even calls for the enforcement of religious laws reveal a level of audacity that should alarm every responsible citizen. If any community desires particular social or religious arrangements, there are constitutional and democratic channels through which such aspirations can be pursued. No armed gr...
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When Evil Wears a Familiar Face

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  The persistent wave of kidnappings, killings, and acts of terror across parts of Nigeria remains one of the most painful realities confronting our nation today. Few incidents are more heartbreaking than the abduction of schoolchildren, the murder of teachers, and the torment inflicted upon innocent citizens whose only desire is to live peacefully and pursue education. These victims have committed no offence. Yet they find themselves at the mercy of criminal groups that have transformed human suffering into a profitable enterprise. What makes this tragedy even more troubling is that many of those responsible often cloak themselves in religious language and symbolism. They invoke sacred expressions, bear Muslim names, and present themselves as adherents of Islam. Consequently, ordinary Muslims who reject violence and uphold the sanctity of human life are left with the burden of constantly distinguishing their faith from the actions of those who have betrayed its principles. We were...
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When Improvement Is an Illusion: Reflections on Persistent Fever and Delayed Diagnosis

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  One of the most deceptive features of disease is its ability to imitate recovery. In medicine, we are often taught to look beyond what is immediately visible. Symptoms may improve temporarily, pain may lessen, and fever may subside, yet the underlying illness may continue to progress silently. This reality becomes especially important in environments where fever is frequently attributed to malaria or typhoid without proper evaluation. Across many communities, the appearance of fever is often followed by a familiar response: an antimalarial drug, an antibiotic, and a few tablets of paracetamol. Sometimes the fever reduces, and this reduction is interpreted as evidence that the treatment is working. Unfortunately, temporary improvement is not always the same thing as recovery. A persistent or recurrent fever deserves attention. When a fever repeatedly returns after treatment, it may be an indication that the diagnosis is incomplete, the treatment is inadequate, or that an entirely ...
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Through a New Lens

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  There is a quiet realization that comes with growing older, the kind that makes you question whether the world has changed, or whether you are only just beginning to see it more clearly. Lately, I have observed myself noticing how common eyeglasses have become among young people. It is no longer an occasional sight; it is almost the norm. And this raises a subtle but important question; has something really changed, or was I simply too young to notice before? On reflection, it seems to be a mixture of both awareness and reality. As children, many of us lived without questioning our vision. We adapted without knowing, squinting at distant objects, sitting closer to the board, or blaming poor visibility on external factors rather than our eyes. Today, however, awareness has improved. Eye tests are more accessible, and there is less hesitation in seeking correction. What once went unnoticed is now identified and addressed. Yet, beyond awareness, there is also a shift in how we live....
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The Role Of Community Health Practitioners in National Development I (Revised)

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  Community health practitioners occupy a vital yet often understated position in the journey toward national development. In a country like Nigeria, where healthcare challenges are as diverse as its people, their presence at the grassroots becomes not just important, but indispensable. They stand as the bridge between the healthcare system and the everyday realities of the people. Long before policies translate into measurable outcomes, it is these practitioners who carry health services into homes, villages, and underserved communities. Working often in difficult and resource-constrained environments, they confront a wide spectrum of issues, from infectious diseases to maternal and child health concerns. Their work may not always be visible, but its impact quietly shapes the health profile of the nation. At the heart of their responsibilities lies health promotion and disease prevention. Rather than waiting for illness to occur, community health practitioners focus on awareness, ...
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Steady Electricity and Student Life in the University.

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  Electricity has remained one of the most persistent challenges in our society, long before many of us in this generation were born. Sadly, instead of witnessing lasting improvement, many students have simply grown used to irregular power supply as though it were a normal condition of life. Yet, it is not normal. It is a serious problem that affects businesses, workplaces, families, and, very significantly, students living and learning in university communities. For a university student, electricity is not merely a convenience; it is part of the foundation for effective learning. Academic life today depends heavily on technology. Reading materials are often stored on phones, tablets, and laptops. Assignments are typed and submitted online. Research frequently requires internet access, digital libraries, and laboratory equipment. When electricity is unstable, all of these are disrupted. A student may be in the middle of studying for an examination or completing an assignment, only ...
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Fact Check II: Where Is the Safe Haven for the Believer?

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On the 21st of February, 2026, several online news outlets, including Kemi Filani, Telegraph Nigeria, and Punch Newspaper reported a case involving a social media user, asakyGRN. In a video, a man claimed that his sister was asked to remove her hijab before being photographed at a JAMB centre. According to him: "I followed my sister to the JAMB centre to collect her form. She was told to remove her hijab before she could be captured. After the capturing, they asked her to sign an undertaking for wearing a hijab. And she signed it to follow the global standards of passport photography since her ears were not captured." In response, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), through its verified account, stated: "Thank you for your concern. However, it is important to state clearly that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, whether in the past or present, has never issued any directive prohibiting candidates from wearing the hijab." Ironically, in th...
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Fact Check: Dehumanization of a Nigerian Citizen

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  The first word that came to my mind when I saw the incident at the Ibadan JAMB centre was dehumanization. I looked it up to gain a clearer understanding and found that the United Nations defines dehumanization as "the process of depriving a person or group of positive human qualities, leading others to view them as less than fully human." Furthermore, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights describes dehumanization in practice as actions or language that "deny the humanity of individuals or groups, often portraying them as animals, vermin, or objects." In this case, she is a suspect even before she arrived at the venue.  We are human beings, and we have been taught that we possess rights, "fundamental human rights." In fact, my Citizenship Education teacher emphasized that these rights cannot be taken away unless one oversteps their lawful limits. Among these rights is the right to freedom of religion. And he taught us these r...
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From Ójé Ébécha to Foreign Rice: Food, Class and Memory.

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As younglings, especially those of us from large families, there was a quiet formula to food in the home. It was so consistent that it became tradition without anyone needing to announce it. We would meet our mummies making rice for lunch, swallow for dinner, and leftovers (ébécha) for breakfast. That was the rhythm of life. It was a formula so keenly maintained that only once in a blue moon would we have rice for dinner or breakfast. Maybe when yam was harvested and there was enough palm oil, we would have boiled yam and oil for breakfast or lunch. That meal was truly sumptuous, especially with ité  ( palm oil sludge), usually extracted from the bottom after the needed oil had been collected during processing. Sometimes we roasted the yams. Fries were usually accompanied by Akamu (pap), with or without sugar. Good old days indeed. We could also have égwa agugu (iron beans), “iron beans” because of how much heat and time it took before it softened enough to become edible. Yet when ...
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Should Poverty Determine Who Receives Healthcare?

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  One of the most troubling questions in medicine is not always how to cure disease, but who gets the chance to be treated at all. In many parts of the world, especially in our various communities here in Nigeria, healthcare is often less available to the poor not because their illnesses are less serious, but because their pockets are less deep. And I believe this is largely part of the reason(s) the services of unlicensed practitioners are being sought after at high rates, especially in our local communities. This raises a difficult but necessary moral question, should poverty determine who receives healthcare? Think it through. On humanitarian grounds, the answer is supposed to be "NO". Illness is already a burden; poverty should not become its punishment. Yet this issue is more complex than it first appears. Many patients cannot afford treatment because of unemployment, low income, inflation, poor insurance coverage(a large percentage of Nigerian citizens have no idea how ...
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