ABU STUDENTS CREATE ECO-FRIENDLY CARS

Students from the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria have manufactured two eco-friendly cars that were specially constructed for this year’s ‘Shell Eco Marathon Competition’. The locally-made cars named ABUCAR 1 and ABUCAR 2 were displayed on the university’s campus.

According to the Head of Mechanical Engineering Department, Dr. Mohammed Dauda, they started to manufacture the cars as Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited invited the ABU to participate in what they call ‘Shell Eco Marathon Competition’.

“The car should be one that consumes little fuel but goes long distances. This competition is held in America, Europe and Asia and we are participating in the European one in Netherlands in May this year. All materials used for this car were sourced locally,” Dr. Dauda said.

Dr. Dauda, who doubles as the Dean, Faculty of Engineering, also said that, though, there are things that they did not fabricate themselves, everybody would be surprised that some of the components like the electrical, they just looked at an old computer system and then adopted some of the components that were useful.“So, this is one example of what we did, which is recycling, otherwise, I will say 100 per cent of the things we used were produced here in Zaria,” he added.

NIGERIAN GIRL NAMED AMONG THE 50 SMARTEST TEENAGERS IN THE WORLD

A 19 year old Nigerian student Saheela Ibraheem was listed among the 50 smartest teenagers in the world in a recent ranking by the TheBestSchools.org, a website that identifies smart and intelligent teenagers from around the world. She was ranked 21st.

Saheela was recently invited by the US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle to the Green Room of the White House for the Black History month event. Acknowledging her exceptional nature, Obama said "We are so proud of your accomplishments and all that lies ahead of you, and you reflect our history. Young people like you inspire our future" the President added.  

In 2011, she had a SAT score of 2,340 and was accepted into Harvard University's Department of Neurobiology one of thirteen (MIT, Stanford, Cornell, Princeton, Columbia) of the 14 schools she applied for. She intends to become a research scientist, who studies the brain.

Her parents totally support her and sometimes teach her subjects the school didn't offer. She believes the key to success is knowing what you love to learn as early as possible. A knowledge she says she came about at the early age of 5. As for her intelligence she claims she is nothing special. "I try my best in everything I do. Anyone who's motivated can work wonders.

Saheela combines her academics with other extra-curricular activities like softball, soccer and trombone. She also sings in the school's choir and serves as the President of the school's Investment Club. She is fluent in four languages including Latin and Yoruba.

GREAT QUOTES THAT WILL INSPIRE YOU TO EMBRACE CHANGE

1. Change to the fearful is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make them stronger.

2. When people tell you that you have changed, it means that you have stopped living life their way.

3. Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.

4. People don’t change their priorities do. So don’t bother to change someone, but you can be the reason for the person to change.

5. Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable and change the unacceptable

6. The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but building the new.

7. Isn’t it funny how day by day we think nothing changes but when we look back, everything is different.

8. If you do not like your position in life, change it. After all, you are not a tree.

9. People change for two reasons, either they have learnt a lot or they have been hurt too much.

10. Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.

11. Do not be afraid of change, you might lose something good but you will get something better. Change always leads you to a new beginning.

12. A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions. Change your thoughts and you change your world.

13. To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating yourself endlessly.

14. Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them that only create sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.

15. Change is never easy, you fight to hold on and you fight to let go.

16. Nothing happens until the pain of remaining the same outweighs the pain of change

17. Change does not change tradition, it strengthens it. Change is a challenge and an opportunity not a threat.

18. Focus on becoming a better person. Don’t let the world’s negativity change you.

19. If you don’t like something, change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.

20. Sometimes, it is the smallest decision you make that changes your life forever.

21. Change is sometimes needed to better yourself, love yourself and truly be happy. All you change is yourself but sometimes that changes everything.

22. You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of success is found in your daily routine.

23. To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change constantly.

24. Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.

25. It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.

26. When you're finished changing, you are completely finished. Each of us has the opportunity to change and grow until our very last breath. 

27. All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.

28. Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find perfect composure. But unfortunately, although it is true, it is difficult for us to accept it because we cannot accept the truth.

29. Unless you are prepared to give up something valuable you will never be able to truly change at all, because you'll be forever in the control of things you can't give up.

30. Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have - and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up.


#HappiestManInTheWorld

OVERCOMING SELF CONDEMNATION

Self condemnation can be likened to a negative commentary of your value, personality, actions and feelings. It can sometimes be mistaken as the voice of conscience or as a form of self-punishment for shortcomings. We condemn ourselves when there is this overwhelming sense of helplessness, hopelessness and uncontrollable guilt.

It is very simple for us to condemn ourselves or develop a low sense of worth. We may have gone through a failed relationship, financial difficulty, or other unfortunate incidents in life. Other things from our obsession to perfection, our competitive society, to our background, can be responsible for us condemning ourselves. Then if we aren’t careful, we start to identify with the failure and subsequently fall victim to self dislike or guilt.

In most cases, self-condemnation is brought about by unresolved sexual guilt. We find ourselves in a society where children are raised to believe that the most evil action a person can be involved in is sexual activity. As a result, victims of sexual abuse carry the weight of guilt on their shoulders for the rest of their lives.

Many young women grow up condemning themselves for the abuse meted on them by sometimes close friends or family members. They constantly blame themselves for the unfortunate episode and it sometimes denies them of a happy future.

How To Overcome Self Condemnation

First we have to identify the source of the condemnation. Once we discover it, we can then choose to readdress our line of thoughts. We are each responding to various currents of thought, and in responding, we can choose to stop responding to the offensive influences. These influences of thought keep us trapped until we refuse to accept them.

Always find something good about your life to be grateful for, even if it is just the fact that you are still breathing.

Self-forgiveness is the best way to handle self-condemnation. We can do this recognizing the fact that we are humans who are subject to mistakes, and to accept God’s forgiveness. When we do accept our good through forgiveness, then we are open to the possibility for new opportunities.

Only when we are willing to let go of our past, and release ourselves from self captivity, can we truly be transformed.

Sometimes a person is set free from self-condemnation steadily over time and sometimes it happens instantly. However, overcoming self condemnation demands constant love and deep commitment to oneself. And when we open ourselves up to this love, it transforms our lives and reaches us even when we have done something we regret.


#HappiestManInTheWorld

TEN YEAR OLD NIGERIAN GIRL ACCEPTED TO STUDY AT OPEN UNIVERSITY

Esther Okade, a ten year old British-Nigerian has been accepted to study for a maths degree at the UK’s Open University.

At age six, she gained a C grade in her maths GCSE at Ounsdale High School in Wombourne, Wolverhampton. She applied to the Open University in August 2014 – and after a phone interview, an essay and an exam, she was told in December that she had been accepted to study Maths at the institution.

Esther and her younger brother Isiah, who is already studying for his A-levels, are both home-schooled by their mother Omonefe Okade. Omonefe a mathematician herself converted the living room of their semi-detached, three-bedroom house into a makeshift classroom.

She enrolled three weeks ago and is already top of the class, scoring 100 per cent on a recent test.

In addition to math, Okade also loves Frozen and playing with doll. She has dreams of obtaining a PhD, running her own bank, and becoming a millionaire.

IF I BECOME PRESIDENT IN 2015

Despite all the challenges that this country is currently faced with, I believe that things can change for the better if the right people are given the opportunity. The problem with politicians is that no one is willing to deal with the problem squarely because they do not have the overall interest of the country at heart. So I have decided to run for the office of the President in the forth coming elections.

I will like to start by appealing to the relevant authorities to ensure that there is a level playing ground for those aspiring for this office. Its critical nature demands that there is little or no distraction from political godfathers or juggernauts.

If elected by the good people of this country, my first objective will be to secure the country’s borders and wipe out all the elements threatening our territorial integrity as a nation. I will re-position the military, the Police Force, the Secret Security Service and relevant security agencies by providing them with adequate training, competent personnel and modern weaponry to protect the nation from internal and external threats.

I will prosecute all past political office holders that have enriched themselves at the expense of the masses. They will be sent to Corruption Rehabilitation Centres before they can be welcomed back into the society.

There shall be a ban on lobbying for political appointments. Appointments will not be limited to political party, religion, social status or ethnicity. Anyone who is qualified to serve will be given an opportunity but they must have performed excellently in their communities. My government will also stop the overdue influence of foreign corporations in our polity. These companies only help in furthering their interest and not our national interest.

The office of The First Lady will be scrapped with immediate effect. Funds that were previously allocated to the office will be used to empower rural women to set up their own businesses. Our women and youths will be given 50% allocation in the various government positions.

The Civil Service will totally be overhauled. Adequate training will be provided for civil servants and their salaries will be increased by 100%. However, lateness, absenteeism and lack of productivity will attract a cut in salary for that month. Redundant workers will be laid off periodically.

There will be a reduction in the pay of all government representatives. They must undergo compulsory psychiatric and physical examination, to curb the frequent acts of aggression and sloppiness. They would be made to submit a report on the impact they have made before they are paid.

I will send a bill to the National Assembly for every child born to have free education, health care and social welfare. Funds to cater for this will be generated from various avenues that my government will put in place.

The Government under me will commence taxation of every organization that generates revenue including Churches, Mosques, Spiritual Centres and even Shrines.

It will become mandatory for Institutions of higher learning to pay larger attention to molding characters rather than just flooding the labour market with certificate wielding liabilities. Before the completion of any programme, government will set up structures that will help identify graduates who will become entrepreneurs and those who will be employees. This will create the needed balance and further reduce the rate of unemployment.

We will stop the over reliance on petroleum and pay greater attention to sectors like agriculture and the Small and Medium Enterprises.

Indiscipline will be greatly frowned at by my government. CCTV cameras will be installed at public places and anybody caught violating the law will be made to face its wrought. Street touts and urchins will be detained by a task force and sent to work in government owned farms and factories.

My government will offer Common Sense courses for all its citizens because knowledge is power. It will also help to bridge the literacy gap in the populace.

We will take the issue of Rape, armed robbery and financial crimes, very seriously. Anyone convicted of the above mentioned crimes will be drafted into a special police force that will be responsible for combating terrorism and insurgency in the country.

The importation of foreign goods will be reduced to its barest minimum. Citizens will be put under strict compliance to have at least 75% locally made merchandise in their possession. Anybody found flouting this directive will be severely sanctioned. My government will also pay enormous attention to exportation of our local resources. Only countries who buy from us will be allowed to sell to us.

I am not promising that it’s going to be an easy thing to accomplish but you may never know until you vote for me as your President.

SO YOU THINK YOU ARE IN LOVE?

I always thought I had fallen in love at one point or the other in my life. First time would be as early as 12 years old. Yes! I had those butterflies running in my small stomach and used to see that first girl in my dreams. And that process has come and gone a few times down the years with of course new co-stars.

It is very easy for us to put ourselves in ‘love mode’ and go on and on about love like we have a clue. I actually did think I knew something about love (I have been reading relationship books since I had my first crush). But early this week, I had this life changing encounter. 

THE OBSESSION OF PERFECTION

I apologize in advance if this post doesn’t sink properly into your system by the time you are done because it is not perfect.

According to Wikipedia; Perfectionism is a personality trait characterized by a person's striving for flawlessness and setting excessively high performance standards, accompanied by overly critical self-evaluations and concerns regarding others' evaluations. It is best conceptualized as a multidimensional characteristic, as psychologists agree that there are many positive and negative aspects. 

In its manipulative form, perfectionism drives people to attempt to achieve an unattainable ideal, and their adaptive perfectionism can sometimes motivate them to reach their goals. In the end, they derive pleasure from doing so. When perfectionists do not reach their goals, they often fall into depression.

Let’s be honest, society’s obsession with perfection has a somewhat damaging consequence on our lives and good judgement. Ever since I can recall, I have always wanted to be the best in everything. For me, it was not enough to score 90% in an exam; I wanted to be top of the class. It was not enough to just be handsome; I wanted to be Mr. Nigeria and eventually Mr. Universe. I simply wanted to be perfect in everything and remain on top of the world. In the same manner, many young people feel very awkward and incomplete if they don’t have those things which are perceived by society to be a must have.

In our society, it’s absolutely normal to listen up when our parents or guardians begins a sentence with ‘You must’, ‘You have to’, ‘you should’ or ‘you better’. I find it rather puzzling. We have been so moulded by society’s strong idea of perfection that it’s now second-nature for it to dictate how we live our lives, what career to choose, how many children we should have, how to treat our partners, our religious preference and so on.

I would like us to look deeper into the implications of our obsession with perfection. The perfect life, job, partner, parents, deal, children, car, house, phone, friend, holiday and it goes on and on. On the surface, the struggle itself may not be a terrible idea, as long as one is not deluded with the concept of perfection and can forgive oneself for falling short of society’s expectations. For instance, every parent wants a well brought-up child but they are so obsessed with shaping the child’s perfect identity that they lose sight of accepting the child’s innocence in his/her imperfections.

Perfectionism in its essence is an extremely dangerous scheme and is an adversary of the Good life. The very idea of perfection is what it is – a concept, a mental impression, a probability, an opinion and a belief. We set such high standards for ourselves (and for others) and we end up thwarting our best interests. There’s nothing wrong with having a passion for excellence unless that determination to maintain the highest possible standard starts working against our own best efforts.

We stigmatize mistakes and make it look like the worst thing that anyone can do. And the problem this causes is that it drives people from their goal and makes them feel that making a mistake is wrong. Many people end up as failures in life because they are pushed too far by the society to attain perfection and they fail to realize that perfection is not attained over a given period of time but throughout a lifetime.

And that is how so many of us try so hard to prove to people around us that we are perfect just to boost our ego. We are so obsessed with being perfect that we are blinded to the strengths in imperfection. I have come to a point where I am comfortable making mistakes and learning from them every day.

When next you meet anyone you think is perfect, ask them if they make mistakes. Ask them if they are really prefect. I can promise you they are not but still you adore them. Like most perfection-possessed individuals have learnt, that perfect life can be a wasted life after all. In the end, the moral of the story is that nobody is perfect. 

#HappiestManInTheWorld

UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTREY OF SEXUAL FULFILLMENT

The craving for connection between the opposite sexes is the most powerful force in human relations, particularly in a sexual context. Sex is like the merging two souls together and was originally intended as a solidifying component in the relationship between a man and woman. The impact of sex is so strong that it can be used to accomplish other human endeavours. Many couples are oblivious of the effect that sexual fulfillment has in consolidating their relationship. It’s difficult for a couple with an amazing sexual connection to have a frustrating relationship or marriage.

Sex plays a very significant role in the strengthening of many relationships. Despite its importance, it remains somewhat a mystery to several couples who find it challenging to converse about sex. Many sexually unfulfilled people who cheat on their partners often seek for greener pastures outside of their relationships with persons who they feel can relate with them on the same sexual frequency. This is because they are not wired to discuss about sex, except with those who they are very confident with.

CARPE DIEM: DEATH PROVOKING QUOTES THAT WILL INSPIRE YOUR LIFE

So many people avoid talking about death because they love their life so much that they never think of dying. But death is a price that we must all pay some day. We do not know how much time we have left, so we have to make the best of the moment. I have compiled 40 of the most inspirational quotes that would help you focus more on living a worthy life before you eventually die. Get Inspired! 


"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new"
~ Steve Jobs 

"If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, then he isn’t fit to live"
~ Martin Luther King Jr                   
"If you listen to your fears, you will die never knowing what a great person you might have been"
~ Robert Schuller 

"If you spend all your time worrying about death, then living is not going to be much fun"
~ Anonymous

"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victories for humanity"
~ Horace Mann

"We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will"
~ Chuck Palahnuik

"Always do something that will make you look good if you were to die in the middle of it"
~ Anonymous

"Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered, either by themselves or by others"
~ Mike Twain

"A lot of people do not muster the courage to live their dreams because they are too afraid to die"
~ Les Brown

"Because we do not know when we would die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well"
~ Brandon Lee

You must realize that one day you will die, until then you are worthless.
~ Chuck Palahnuik

Our death is not an end if we can live in our children and the younger generation. For they are us, our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life.
~ Albert Einstein

When I die it will be a shipwreck and as when a huge ship sinks, many people all around will be sunk down with it.
~ Pablo Picasso

I have been a fighter. If you tell me I can’t, I will die trying to prove you wrong.
~ R.A Salvatore

When you cease to make any contribution, you begin to die.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

There is nothing certain in a man's life except this; that he must lose it.
~ Aeschylus

To die is poignantly bitter but the idea of having to die without having lived is unbearable.
~ Anonymous

The death of someone we know always reminds us that we are still alive - Perhaps for some purpose which we ought to re-examine.
~ Mignon McLaughlin

Find what you love and let it kill you. Let it drain you of your all. Let it cling unto your back and weigh you down into eventual nothingness.
~ Charles Bokowski

Live rich, die poor. Never make the mistake of doing it the other way round.
~ Walter Annenberg

Each night when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning when I wake up I am reborn.
~ Mahatma Gandhi

To execute great things, one should live as though one will never die.
~ Luc De Clapiers

Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.
~ Norman Cousins

I believe we should die with decency, so that at least decency will survive.
~ Dag HammarskJold

Dying is not scary at all; it is the sadness of not been prepared for it scares the shit out of us.
~ Anonymous

Live as you would have wished to live when you are dying.
~ Christain Furchtegoff

Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives; that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.
~ Pope Paul VI

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.
~ Mark Twain

Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways.
~ Stephen Vincent Benét

Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Every man dies but not every man lives.
~ William Ross Wallace

Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live. ~ Henry Van Dyke

You only live once; but if you live it right, once is enough. 
~ Adam Marshall
Death helps us to see what is worth trusting and loving and what is a waste of time.
~ J. Neville Ward

As you grow older, you'll find the only things you regret are the things you didn't do.
~ Zachary Scott

The question is not whether we would die but how we will live.
~ Joan Borysenko

Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you will die today. ~ James Dean

As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings happy death.
~ Leonardo da Vinci

I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.
 ~ Diane Ackerman

We are born alone, we live alone and we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we are not alone.
 ~ Orson Welles



#HappiestManInTheWorld