The one thing many people complain about in Lagos is the lack of customer service, from the surly cashier to the uninterested store assistant. It is a common refrain that customer service and Lagos do not go in the same sentence. I recently had the opposite that showed me great customer service exists in Lagos.

I recently had to order cupcakes for my daughters birthday. As is common with many schools in Lagos only cupcakes are allowed in school to celebrate birthdays. I cannot say I blame schools as some parents seem to go all out to compete with each other on the party packs.

Every year we pick a theme or character for our cakes and this year my daughter asked for “Wonder Girl”. I called the store to place the order for the cupcakes, the lady on the phone was very pleasant and encouraged me to get the cakes specialized as this would be more special than plain cupcakes. I decided to go ahead and asked for them to be decorated with her chosen character. I asked for all vanilla cakes as well (some children react to coloring so I like to keep it plain). She seemed to get the order alright, I made payment and waited to collect the cupcakes.

The cupcakes got to the house and the order was wrong, the cakes were not all vanilla (which the birthday girl was happy about) and the cupcakes were not decorated with Wonder Girl as expected. My daughter looked at her cupcakes and was like “Mummy who are these?” I had no clue myself.

Now this was the evening before the birthday and I was not sure that this was something that would be fixable. I tried to call the store but of course by this time they were closed. I then sent a text mentioning the errors and asking what we could do about it.

Within 5 minutes of sending the text, the founder of the company called me. She was not in the Country and so the order was taken by her staff but she immediately apologized for the errors. Then she asked for what the correct order was meant to be and asked me to send her pictures confirming the character we wanted. It turned out that there was another group called “Wonder Girls” (a Japanese girl group) which is very different from the “Wonder Girl (a.k.a. Wonder Woman) comic character we were referring to. Her staff had apparently found the Japanese wonder girls online and decided to use this.

She rushed the new order and had it ready for us by the next day in time for the birthday celebration. I was very impressed by the speed with which she responded and being a true leader by apologizing for her teams mistake. Her immediate desire and focus was to have a happy customer and not about who was wrong or right.

She has won my household’s future cake orders and in addition the cupcakes were absolutely delicious! I totally forgot about any diet for the day.

It is so easy to complain about bad customer service or when we are not happy with a product or service. We should also give feedback when we have had positive experiences.

So here is to HansandRene for giving great customer service! Thank You!

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LagosMums Fashion Looks on a Lagos Friday. This is an easy combination for a dress down work day, throw on a jacket if it gets cold.

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Most of the children are back in school. Hopefully easing back into school schedule and sleeping patterns has not been too difficult an adjustment and everyone has settled into the back to school routine. There is so much to do that it is easy to forget some amidst all the activity. Below are some tips to help with settling back in, taking into account the changes – new teachers that need to be briefed, new domestic staff that need to know the rules etc.

Health

• Vitamins can help to boost your kids immunity to the rigors of back to school. Also make sure they take a lot of fruits, which are natural source of vitamin C.
• Make sure immunizations are up to date for immunization aged kids
• Make sure your child’s school has any updated list of medications and provide extra medication (e.g. an inhaler in school). If you had medication in their school bag from last term make sure it is not expired.
• Update all medical records and doctors information

General

• Label all new school items, flasks, clothes, bags and all other items that might need labeling depending on the age of the children.
• Sign up for any extra curricular activities your child might be interested in, make sure to discuss with them and let them have a say in whether they would like to continue those piano classes or not (this will save a lot of frustration)
• Meet the teacher and mention any changes to your child’s life such as family moves and births to help a teacher understand any changes.
• Usually when the school starts there will be a school calendar sent with the welcome packet. It is helpful for both parents and other caregivers to update calendars with upcoming events and set reminders. This should help with planning as well for half terms, public holidays and vacations coming up.
• You could also print out and fill calendars for the term which, you can paste somewhere everyone can see and use as a guide for daily and weekly activities.

Security

• Go over all school run details with everyone including the gateman, driver and nannies. Be sure to repeat it don’t assume they remember your rules from last term, especially if you have some new staff.
• Go over rules with your children as well about school pickup security, watching for cars in the school parking lot. Nannies should be sure children’s clothes are not caught in the door of the car when it is shut, driver should make sure the children have used their seatbelts before he starts driving.
• Update the school if you have new people authorized to pick your children who need new ID cards as necessary.
• Go over details with your children, such as emergency phone numbers, he/she should memorize at least one parents phone number. It is also advisable the children know their parents full names and where they work/how they can be reached.

Wishing everyone a safe school term!

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Raising children is a universal matter, however there are some characteristics particular to the Nigerian child which most parents cannot avoid or control. You might not have noticed but we did and had a good laugh compiling these. How and where children pick these “habits” from is another discussion, until then, find out if you are raising a Nigerian child. You know you are raising a uniquely “Nigerian” child when he or she does or says these..

1. Rejoice there is light: The Nigerian child seems to understand the power situation in the country and would rejoice at the sight of light. Some even pick up the popular chant “Up Nepa”
2. Can you put on the generator?: this is quite common, they want you to put on the generator so they can watch TV, in the absence of the generator, they will ask for the inverter so they can at least use the fan.
3. Calls everyone Uncle & Aunty: they call everyone who is older uncle and aunty, their parents friends, their nanny, the class teacher in Sunday school…any adult they cannot call by name is an automatic uncle or aunty.
4. Many Grandma’s and Grandpa’s: Has more Grandma’s and Pa’s than is humanly possible – every senior adult that cannot be called aunty and uncle is bumped up to Grandma and Grandpa status.
5. Birthday Parties: To the Nigerian child, a birthday party is not complete without a bouncy castle, dancing competition, musical chairs, chapman and small chops.
6. Erhn?: This is a favourite one. The Nigerian child responds with “erhn” especially when they don’t seem to understand you. Actually this behaviour I’m sure they must have picked from their parents as we are all fond of making that noise rather than saying sorry? say that again or some other variation.
7. Naow Emphasis: the typical Nigerian child always adds “Na-ow” to their requests to give it emphasis, it is also their way of hiding frustration and their way of cajoling you to do something a.k.a “Mummy naow”
8. Funny Food Terms: Only Nigerian children know the meaning of “swallows” and that it goes with different kinds of soup. Also high on the list is suya, puff puff and small-chops.
9. Food Requests: Would eat jollof rice and dodo rather than pizza.
10. On-the-Go Shopping: A Nigerian child expects that you can do your shopping in traffic, they are hungry? there is gurudi and chinchin. Need some music? get some cd’s.

Do you agree with these characteristics in Nigerian Children? Have you noticed any others, kindly share with us in the comment boxes below.

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LagosMums Fashion Looks – Lady

Getting ready to dress up for dress down Friday and for the weekend is always a great way to end the working week and get the weekend started.

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Introducing Lily Pad Nanny Services

Lily Pad hospitality services is a UK based child care service that is run and owned by Nora Jones who has got over 11 years experience in the child care sector. The agency provides a wide range of nannying services to families.

Thorough screening and background checks are conducted on all nannies to ensure the right suitability for the roles. All the nannies are highly experienced and trained to a high standard. The agency has been providing nanny services to families  for 5 years and has a high success rate in the UK and have made an expansion to offer its services in Lagos Nigeria.

They offer the most secure and professional services to families who intend to use their services. Their aim is to offer a reliable professional and secure services to families and to ensure the protection of every child is met. Presently the agency is offering %5 for families that use their services long term on a monthly basis the agency will also be running a first aid training for all their nannies to ensure health and safety protocols are met.

For more information please visit the website at www.lilypadhospitalityservices.com

Email: Nora-Jones@lilypadhospitalityservices.com

Call:     08142529455

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AACE FOODS FEED THE CHILDREN FUND was initiated by AACE Foods Processing & Distribution Limited to provide at least 2,500 displaced children with nutritious food for 3 months.

OUR INTERVENTION
For just $5, you can feed one child for a week. For $50,000 we can collectively feed 2,500 children for 3 months.

CHILDREN IN IDP CAMPS

Prior to the Boko Haram insurgency, according to the 2008 DHS Survey, 41% of Nigerian children under 5 were stunted. Pockets of Northern Nigeria had rates closer to 60%. Sadly, anecdotal evidence suggests that in the IDP camps, with many orphans, fighting for survival, the rates of malnutrition are even higher!

Malnutrition is one of the leading causes of child death in Nigeria, and leads to serious life-long consequences for children that survive.

Despite the efforts of the Nigerian government, private and nonprofit organizations, the numbers of children in IDP camps continues to rise and their malnutrition burden persists.

As at April 2015,  1,491,706 people have taken refuge in the IDP camps in Nigeria in the following 6 states such as Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe State.

To donate now click here to visit GoFundMe 

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Empowering Women with Technology, a program sponsored by Wild Fusion Digital Centre and Access Bank is holding on September 29 – 30, 2015 in Lagos. Join the training to be equipped with the digital marketing training and overcome business obstacles and be a social media influencer. 

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I watched a cooking show on Ebony Life which showed how to make a groundnut stew and plantain meal. It did look quite tasty and I looked for how to make it at home. Here is a recipe on how to make groundnut stew (source Afrolems) that shows how to re-create the dish at home.

Ingredients

• 1.5 Cups of Chopped Chicken (or any other meat of your choice)
• 1 Cup of groundnut (Blended) or 1 Cooking spoon of peanut Butter
• 1.5 Cooking spoons of Blended tomato
• 1 Chopped small tomato
• 2 handfuls of chopped onions
• Small piece of chopped ginger
• 2 garlic cloves
• Pinch of thyme
• 1 teaspoon of Curry
• 2 cooking spoons of oil
• Seasoning of your choice
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

• Season and Boil the Chicken for 10 minutes with salt, pepper, seasoning, a handful of onions. Keep the stock for use later.
• In a pot, heat up one cooking spoon of oil and fry the chicken till it turns brown. Take it out and heat up the remaining oil and fry the onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic.
• Add your seasoning, curry, thyme, salt and pepper to the pot.
• Pour in the stock and chicken and cook.
• Stir in your peanut butter and allow to cook for 10 minutes on low heat.
• If your sauce gets too thick, add a little water to it.
• Serve with rice or boiled plantain

photo source: foodienumnum

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Children are a bundle of joy and blessing, deserving only the best things in life according to each parent. Gazing lovingly at your beautiful newborn, education and school fees may be the last thing on your mind.

Education is regarded as the most essential weapon used by man to control his environment and shape his destiny. Education is a necessity in today’s world and your children education might be one of your family’s biggest expenses. As Parents, a very sound education is the main heritage we can give to our children.

We want our children to have the best education possible, yet school and university expenses and fees are costly these days and are on steady rise.

This article will not go into the beauty of education and its importance but rather we will look at the many ways to ensure we can afford good quality education for our kids without drilling a dent in our pockets. [READ: Back To School Routine]

START NOW

Many parents wonder how much to save for their child’s education. They also wonder how soon they should start. It is quite simple. Save Early, Earn More. Even small savings each year will translate into substantial savings later. The truth is you never really know how much you’re going to need but a simple fact is, the more you put aside for education, the more options you will have.

HOW MUCH WOULD YOU NEED

How much you will need will depend on the kind of schools and education you plan for your children. Whether public or private schools, university or vocational training, you need a target.

For example, if you send two kids to a private primary school which costs an average of N300,000 a year for each child, by the time they both graduate you will have spent N2,400,000 on school fees. And that’s not counting extras such as school uniforms, trips and sporting clinics.

Having a savings target is a helpful motivator. Consider some schools beforehand, calculate their fees and pinpoint an end date for the saving plan.

The earlier you start saving for your children’s education, the better. Education costs are usually a long-term goal that can take more than 5 years to achieve. Use the savings goal calculator and work out how much you can save. [READ: How Much Does Curriculum Matter?]

SAVING OPTIONS

Savings Account: Open a savings account specifically for putting away a percentage of your income monthly. An account with interest that compounds monthly is one way to prepare for your children education.

Education Savings Plan: major banks and insurance companies in Nigeria offer this option as a service/product. When you set up an education savings plan, you may be purchasing insurance bonds or investing in a range of underlying assets, depending on the plan. This means in addition to the money you put into the plan, you should generate investment returns.

Investment: Apart from saving, financial experts say it is also wise to invest in property, stocks and the likes; especially for long term targets. Real estate investment is a safe option to consider when looking for an alternative to saving. The value of land is bound to appreciate over time. Another option is stocks market. Investing in shares is a good way to save money for the future.

INVOLVE THE CHILDREN

Let your children know your savings plan. It’s important they understand the benefit of long-term saving. Including your children in the savings process can help them develop the love for saving and appreciate its importance. You could even open a savings account and teach them to deposit their pocket money in it. 

Let young children see you recording deposits and interest. Older children can help do the maths themselves. This will help them develop mentally, so when preparing for the university or higher education, they will already know how to save and fund their own projects.

The post How To Save For Your Child’s Education appeared first on Lagosmums.

LM Mum for the month of September is the beautiful, strong and intelligent Bola Onada Sokunbi, founder of CleverGirlFinance.com. We caught up with the excited mother of two year old twins for an insight into motherhood and being a wife in the city.

Please introduce yourself

My name is Bola Onada Sokunbi. I’m a wife and mum to two year old twins and founder of CleverGirlFinance.com – A platform dedicated to empowering women to make the right decisions for their current and future selves. I created CleverGirlFinance because I believe that every woman can be financially successful in her own right no matter where she comes from if she has access to the right resources and support.

 

LM MUM OF THE MONTH

What do you love most about being a mum? What has the journey been so far?

I love the unconditional love, hearing them say “mummy!” and watching them grow and change everyday. The journey has been amazing and totally worth it. Motherhood has been the best thing and also most challenging thing to ever happen to me. I didn’t realize I had this much love in me and I’ve grown to be a better person because of my children and what I want to be for them.

 

What scares you most about /challenges you face being a mum?

My biggest challenge was having two babies at once, even with help. It truly takes a village. It took a lot of adjusting and a lot of support and now while it’s still a ton of work, I’ve gotten the hang of things. My biggest fear about being a mum is disappointing my children and so my main focus is being the best mother I can be to them, giving them the best life and teaching them the best way that I can.

 

Could you share any funny moments as a mum? Or a #funnythingskidssay moment?

My kids are just starting to talk but my daughter is all about kisses and hugs but my son runs off when I ask for a kiss or try to kiss him!

“Motherhood has been the best thing and also most challenging thing to ever happen to me….I’ve grown to be a better person because of my children and what I want to be for them”

One step at a time, one day at a time. Rome was not built in a day – focus on what’s most important first and everything else can come after. I love this platform and the insights and advice you are providing to women like me – it’s wonderful!

The post LM Mum Of The Month: Bola Sokunbi appeared first on Lagosmums.

Its that time of the year again and our little ones are bustling with joy of rejoining their mates at school and playground or perhaps for others it is the very first time they will experience this.

LagosMums and Konga want to share this beautiful experience with you in our #BacktoSchoolLM photo contest. Share a cute photo of your child/children dressed up for school with the hashtag #BacktoSchoolLM, also tell us 3 things your kid needs to complete his/her back to school essentials.

The Childs photo with the most likes WINS a N15,000 gift voucher to shop on Konga.com

HOW TO ENTER

Follow @lagosmums on Instagram and Twitter, Like our page on Facebook

Upload pictures your child/children dressed up for school on Instagram with the hashtag #BacktoSchoolLM and mention 3 things your kid needs to complete his/her back to school pack.

Tag @lagosmums and @Konga.

We will repost all entries for voting on Wednesday 30th September. The photos with the most likes WINS.

Entry closes on Tuesday 29th September. So start sending in those cute pictures mums.

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What do you see? You can only build according to the pattern you see. Because sometimes we don’t have a picture in mind, we build haphazardly. You must have a picture in your mind of what you want that child to be. It’s that picture in your mind that guides your decisions, your actions and the course of your child’s life.

A few examples; the William sisters were groomed from the age of 4, Tiger Woods from that age of 3, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Mozart, Handel, we could go on and on. Most of the stars were groomed to be what they are at an early age. Why? Their parents saw a picture and built their lives according to that picture.

The tragedy however is that whether you realize it or not, you are building a life. You can either build according to the picture you see or the picture you don’t see. What do I mean? Your child’s life is in your hands. Even if you don’t see a picture of where your child is going, you are still building and because you don’t have a pattern or a structure, you build haphazardly. We all know what happens to a house without a plan, it comes out really horrible.

Having a picture makes life easy. It’s easy to have a dream and live out that dream through your child. That’s not what I’m talking about. What I’m talking about is having a picture in your mind that God gives you. That picture is God’s purpose for your child’s life, only then can you be sure that you are building according to God’s pattern of life. Career decisions are easier when you have a picture from God. You won’t be putting your son in the arts, if his call is in sciences; you won’t be expecting him to be a ball player if he has dancing in his genes because you already have a picture. I admit that sometimes the picture is not clear. For the gray areas, you go back to God and ask for clarity and He’ll show you in different ways; through a book, by observing your children, other people, or a TV program or in any way He chooses. Parenting is deliberate when you have a picture.

One day, I was teasing my husband and I said, I’m going to train my son to be such a well behaved gentleman that there will be lines of girls wanting to marry him. My husband couldn’t help laughing, I’m sure in his mind; he went; “Sola and her crazy ideas.” But I was serious. Suddenly a thought popped in my head, when we think about pictures of how you see your children, we only see them in terms of careers. Do you have a character picture for your children?

In the last few days, I’ve seen great stars and respected people crumble under moral pressure; adultery, infidelity, drugs, the whole works… I’ve seen great successes loose in the battle of character, choosing right from wrong and making decisions of life and death. Life is not about charisma but character. Character sustains the successes we become.

I have decided to begin to see a character picture; to raise children that can stand in the face of adversity and not crumble, children that will stand for what they believe even to the detriment of their lives, children that believe in honour and integrity, children that love the Lord with their whole heart, strength and might.

Immediately, I began to see this picture, my attitude changed. That was my dilemma as I faced my son again in the battle of wills. I was determined to change the attitude and focus which said you can do things at your time, or that you don’t have to push yourself beyond what you term your normal capacity, or you can manipulate your way out of a situation that is not favourable. Things I could have pushed aside were no longer pushed aside. You know why? I had a picture in my mind. I am going somewhere and to allow those things were to put a hole in the building I was constructing.

In engaging this battle, I found out that I also became stronger. You see if parenting is done right, it not only builds the child’s life, it changes the parent. You are forced to be a better parent to create a better child.

I can hear you asking who won in this battle of wills. Round 1, my son won, round 2, I won, round 3 starts today and I can assure you the battle lines have been drawn; I plan to win this one and every other one after this.

Contributed by Sola Agudah

Photo Source: www.pixshark.com

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The IWOW Zumbathon –  in its 4th year is an annual Autism & Breast Cancer Awareness campaign designed to raise awareness, as well as strengthen community support for families, children and women living with Autism and Breast cancer.

The Zumbathon depicts life, fun and energy, focuses on giving hope and saving lives.

Join us as we get our Zumba work out and dance for a worthy cause – to raise awareness for Autism & Breast Cancer and to spread knowledge and possibilities to as many families as possible.

To register visit i-wow website.

The event holds on October 1st 2015 at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos.

Time: 7.30am to 11.30am.

Join this worthy cause!

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There are several ways to parent and there are several styles but I always like to look at raising children based on scripture for the best guidelines on parenting. Here are some that I would like to share.

Guidance

we are meant to direct our children on the right path, to teach them and encourage them to guard their hearts and their minds, who and what they are exposed to. You are not too tough when you tell your children certain things are not good for them.

Scripture Reference: 

• Direct your children onto the right path and when they are older they will not leave it. (Pro 22:6)

• The bible also advises “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Pro 4:23)

Discipline

As parents and guardians we are meant to discipline our children. The idea that we should not be allowed to spank our children is not biblical. As with all things moderation is the key, discipline must not turn abusive. Every disciplining act should be with a goal in mind – to develop disciplined children and to teach appropriate behaviors.  One of our main goals as parents it to train children to become independent adults. This is one of the ways to ensure that parents in their old ages can sit back and enjoy the fruit of their hard work. An undisciplined unruly child is more likely to grow up into a “delinquent” adult.

Scripture Reference:

• This one scripture for me sums up the discipline argument – Discipline your child while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives (Pro 19:18)

• A youngsters heart is filled with foolishness, but physical discipline will drive it far away (Pro 22: 15)

• Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them (Pro 13:24)

• People (children) who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray (Pro 10:17)

• Don’t fail to discipline your children. They wont die if you spank them. Physical discipline may well save them from death (Pro 23:13 – 14)

• To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child. Discipline your children and they will give you peace of mind and will make your heart glad (Pro 29:15, 17)

We do all this so that we don’t have children who grow up into unruly adults.

• A person without self-control is like a city without broken-down walls (Pro 25:28). 

Godliness

Every human is made up of mind, soul and body. It is our duty as parents to nourish all the parts in our children. Grounding them in godliness is key to a successful parenting job.

Scripture Reference:

• The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise. (Pro 23:24-25)

Wisdom 

This is probably the most important ingredient in being a parent and one of the key characteristics every child should seek and grow with. Wisdom is more valuable than logic, brains, strength or wealth alone!  Wisdom guarantees a bright future.

Scripture Reference:

• My child eat honey for it is good and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste. In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short. (Pro 24:13-14).

• If you become wise you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom you will be the one to suffer (Pro 9:12)

• Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding, seek his will in all you do and he will show you which path to take (Pro 3:5-6)

• My child don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment (these are byproducts of wisdom). Hang on to them. They will keep you safe on your way and your feet will not stumble. You can go to bed without fear, you will lie down and sleep soundly. You will not be afraid of sudden disaster (Pro 3:21-25)

Giving

Teach children from a young age to understand the importance of giving their best to the Lord. This includes giving from the finances to their talents. 

Scripture Reference:

• Honour the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. (Pro 3:9)

• It is painful to be the parent of a fool, there is no joy for the father (or mother) of a rebel. (Pro 17:21)

We cannot hide behind the excuse that they are just children, while there are some acceptable childish behaviours, some behaviours shows a child who is not properly disciplined and trained.  

Even children are known by the way they act, whether their conduct is pure and whether it is right (Pro 20:11)

We have to be able to separate “being a child” from “being a misbehaving child”. If the children don’t learn at home they will surely be taught rudely outside.

So lets’ parent with love and using God’s template as the roadmap.

The post Raising Children based on Scripture appeared first on Lagosmums.

As we celebrate our beloved country’s 55 years of independence from colonial rule, Lagosmus would like to take you through a couple facts you may or may not know about Nigeria.

Largly a nation of diversity and oppourtunities, Nigeria is known for its hospitality and the commercial/cultural nerve of Africa. But these facts would wow you and your home…

1. The entire population of Nigeria accounts for about 2.5% of the entire earth’s population. This means that about 1 out of every 40 people in the world are from Nigeria.
2. The Niger Delta is the second largest delta on planet Earth!

   The Niger Delta source: Wikipedia

3. A study of more than 65 countries published in the UK’s New Scientist magazine suggests that the happiest people in the world live in Nigeria. In a 53-country Gallup poll, Nigerians were rated 70 points for optimism.
4. The Third Mainland Bridge connecting Lagos Island to the mainland, is the longest bridge in Africa. It measures about 11.8km and was completed in 1990.
5. Nigeria has the largest diversity of butterflies.  Areas surrounding Calabar, Cross River State in the southern part of Nigeria, harbors the world’s largest diversity of butterflies.
6. The Cross River Forest is the only evergreen rainforest in Africa and contains over 1000 species of birds and amphibians
7. According to archeological discovries, Nigeria is one of the oldest locations of human existence, dating back to 9000 BC. The Nok civilization is the earliest known civilization since 500 BC – 200 AD

   Nigeria has the largest diversity of butterflies in the world

8. The highest peak in Nigeria is located in Taraba State. Its called the Chappal Waddi, which means the mountain of Death
9. Nigeria is the first country to launch a space satellite in Africa
10. There are over 500 ethnic groups in Nigeria, of which the three largest are Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. Although the lingua franca (or official language) is English, there are over 600 distinct ethnic languages spoken in Nigeria.
11. Nigerian billionaire industrialist, Aliko Dangote, is Africa’s richest man. His worth is estimated at $12 billion.
12. The Nigerian film industry, Nollywood, is now the second largest in the world in terms of output, producing between 1000 to 2000 films annually with an annual turnover of around $250million.

Well that is all for now, do you know any other facts we are missing? Share with us in the comment boxes below

Happy Independence Day Nigeria!

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I personally love plantain chips, tasty and crunchy, a handy snack especially when in Lagos traffic. I’ve also always wondered how its being made, I know you have that thought too. Our reciepie this week shows how to prepare plantain chips and will get you confident enough to try it out.

Ingredients

• Unripe plantain (for savory)
• Semi ripe plantain (for sweet)
• Water
• Salt (table salt or sea salt)
• Oil (Vegetable, Sunflower or Canola oil preferred)
• Handful of chopped onions

Tools:

• Deep frying pan
• Slicer / Mandolin
• Deep bowl
• Sieve
• Paper Towels (optional)

Method:

1. Pour the water into a deep bowl and add salt to taste. The water shouldn’t be salty as the plantain soaks up the salt quite effectively.
2. Using the slicer, slice through as many plantains as you like directly into the bowl of salt water.  The water should cover the plantain completely. If you don’t have a separate slicer, most graters have a section for slicing which is just as effective. If using a mandolin, select the thickness setting you prefer, I usually opt for medium to thick.
3. Pour the oil into the deep frying pan and set to high heat. Oil should cover a third to half the pan. Once the oil is hot reduce the heat to medium.
4. Pout the chopped onions into the oil and fry for one minute. Take out and discard. The onions simply balance out the flavours of the oil to prevent the smell of oil from lingering on the chips.
5. Place a sample of about 4 slices of plantain directly from the water into the hot oil and fry. Some people prefer to strain and even mop the water off first. The water does not affect the crunchiness so I don’t think this is necessary, but feel free to experiment and choose the option you prefer. Toss regularly to ensure an even fry through out. For unripe plantain you should take off the heat once the plantain starts to turn golden in colour. For ripe plantain look out for a slight browning colour and firm texture. In both cases be careful not to leave on the heat for too long as the colours darken even further once off the heat. Place directly unto the sieve, some people prefer to line the sieve with a paper towel. Either is fine. Test for crunchiness by snapping through your sample crisps. Also taste for saltiness and adjust as required.
6. If above test yields desired result go ahead and fry the rest of the plantain in the same manner. Be careful not to overfill the pan to avoid the chips sticking together. Adjust the cooking time depending on the outcome of step 5.
7. Once fried set aside and allow to cool, then turn into an airtight container.

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Celebrating Independence Day! Nigeria at 55. We join in on the celebration with this green ensemble.

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Have you ever been bothered or thought about asking your child “Do You love Nigeria“? You might be surprised what you hear. I have found out that many young children and youths when discussing their thoughts about Nigeria tend to focus on the negatives. Maybe it should not be too shocking anyway considering the sentiments of many of the adults that they spend their time around.

Without thinking about it, there are many disparaging comments that adults make around children that do not paint Nigeria in a positive light. In reality it is very difficult to make only positive comments about Nigeria but for sure no one can learn to love their Country if all the hear are negative reports.

We need to be careful on how we present the problems of the Nation around our impressionable minds. As my DH will say “No one good finish…and no one bad finish” so we can apply that to Nigeria. It is not all bad! There are a lot of areas and issues that need improvement but there is an alternative to being part of the bad mouthing party. We should use it as an opportunity to encourage the children, the youth, the future of the Country to be problem solvers and look for ways to change what they do not like about the Nation. Whether or not you are one of the .0001% that manages to have another passport or not, there is only one true home and Country where you are from.

The Nigerian blood is strong and no matter where you find a Nigerian they will always long for things from home, from the music, to the food, to the clothing and more. So lets help our young people love their Country, Nigeria. There are a number of things that we (and the Government) need to fix – corruption, lack of infrastructure, pollution, traffic, education etc. We can only find solutions together when we look for ways to solve the gaps across generations. I shudder to think what will happen if we raise a whole generation who idolise and look forward only to things that are Non- Nigerian.

So when next your child or a youth around you talks about Nigeria in a disparaging way – ask them what they can do differently? Can you be a Malala who is an activist for female education and the youngest ever Nobel Prize laureate? Can you be a Zuriel Oduwole whose vision is to see that every child in the World gets the chance of an education, as she puts it “We want Africa to look good too“. Or can you turn waste into business like Bilikiss Adebeyi, CEO and founder of Wecyclers.

The point is there are two ways to react to problems and challenge. Allowing our children and youth to see Nigeria only for its problems does them a disservice and encourages them to be finger pointers and not problem solvers.

Happy Independence Day!

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We might think that the pressure to be cool and to look good does not affect children. Recent research from the University of Sussex psychologists suggests that the pressure to be cool and look good does affect children and is actually bad for them.

The world we live in is a world of having more, looking good by wearing the right clothes and having the right gadgets. Social media is chug full with pictures of people having fun and looking flawless. The Internet and media are full of new products launched and tagged as the must have new gadget. Adults are affected by this “more, more, more” culture and it is definitely trickling down to our youth and children.

According to the researchers, while talking to young people aged 8 – 14 they found out that this age group thought that the way to be liked included having cool stuff and looking good. The alarming thing is that children who grow up with this mentality will always feel that they are judged by what they have and not by who they are. If not managed properly this leads to a sense of insecurity. This can ultimately lead to an attitude of always looking for more things and seeking approval from all the wrong places and people.

This consumer culture is wide spread and is focused on selling goods to the consumer and encouraging the consumers to spend money.

From very young, children are targeted by advertising and media with messages about who is ‘cool’ and what is beautiful. According to these messages, having the ‘right’ things and looking the ‘right’ way are linked with a positive identity, relationships, and high social status. In reality when children focus on this, it leads to materialism.

How can Parents help?

Since it is widespread, parents need to be aware and help their children from being swept away by the consumer culture and materialism. One of the most effective ways is by avoiding the trap of rewarding children with material goods.

Raising Materialistic Children

Research shows that there are some parenting strategies that can lead to a child being materialistic:

1) rewarding a child’s accomplishment by giving her a gift (excessively)

2) showing affection by giving material items (replacing other forms of affection such as spending time)

3) punishing a child by taking away one of her possessions, like a favourite toy (this in itself is not discipline)

Children who receive excessive material rewards from their parents will likely continue rewarding themselves with material goods when they become adults. Where parents replace spending time with providing material goods, the children grow up placing more value on material goods than is healthy. [Read: Saving Our Children From Affluenza]

There is nothing wrong with giving your children material goods, but the key is that they realise that they are just things. More important is that children are taught to have an attitude of gratitude. They should also be grateful for the things they do have. Materialistic people many times are not truly grateful for the things in their lives, they simply want more and are busy focused on how they measure up.

More important is that children are taught to have an attitude of gratitude
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The pressure from the world and media to have more and to keep amassing is not going anywhere in a hurry. The job of raising children who are not swept away by the consumer culture lies with the parents (and the adults in their lives). If we teach them that there are more important things in life than material goods, they will grow up with this mindset.

However it starts with us at home – do not celebrate people for what they have over what good they do.

The job of raising children who are not swept away by the consumer culture lies with the parents
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• Pressure to be ‘cool’ and look good harmful to kids

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