LIFESTYLE

  Back to School Wahala: Why First Week Already Feels Like the Twelfth Week Imagine Credit: Pinterest   Joy Olu-Ajayi  Every time school resumes, it feels like a movie we have all watched before. The first few days are full of energy; fresh haircuts, new and long braids, new books with fine first pages, new shoes and bouncy loafers and that bold promise: “This semester, I must change.” But give it just one week, and you will start hearing students sighing, “I can't wait to go home.” It is almost like the semester grows older than us. The energy fades, stress takes over, and suddenly school feels longer than the Ramadan fasting. Trekking, Trekking, Trekking One thing that drains students faster than any lecture is trekking. If you have never trekked under hot sun from hostel to faculty, then from faculty to library, and back to hostel again, you have not truly resumed. Some days, it feels like you are competing in the Olympics without a medal at the end. The worst part? A...

The Japa Dream: Between Escape and Reality Image Credit: Pixabey Joy Olu-Ajayi  In today’s Nigerian universities, few words spark as much energy and conversation as “Japa.” The Yoruba word which in the English language means “to run away,” has now become a lifestyle, a hope, and for many students, the main life plan. It is no longer just about running; it is about leaving Nigeria for good and escaping spontaneous exorbitant school fees, poor electricity, insecurity, and an uncertain future. For a lot of students, Japa is not just an option. It is the plan A, B, C, D, E down to Y.  The dream looks simple: graduate, find a scholarship, job, or visa abroad, pack your bags, leave the country for good and start a brand new life and it is rather important to say that social media has made this dream even more attractive. TikTok is full of videos of young Nigerians arriving at airports in the United Kingdom, Mexico or Canada, smiling and posting “Finally Japa’d.” Instagram shows shin...

  The Silent Work of Friendship  Lovina Ita Crushed. Pained. Heartbroken. That was how I felt when I realised the person I once called a friend was never really there for me. Maybe I should have noticed the signs earlier,the friendship was one-sided. When I had something to give, the bond seemed alive; but the moment I had nothing, it withered away. At my lowest, broke, hungry, weak, I thought of her. “At least she’ll help me,” I whispered to myself. But she didn’t. Did I die? No. Did I hate her? Not even then. I was bitter, yes, but in that same moment I also discovered something else: the quiet power of true friendship. Because someone else showed up. A friend who didn’t ask for anything in return. A friend who reminded me that real friendship doesn’t shout, it whispers. It’s not always in the grand gestures but in the simple acts; the plate of food, the listening ear, the call that interrupts your spiral of overthinking. And that’s when it hit me: friendship does its deepe...