Who Would Save Africa

It was some time two years ago
when someone looked back at the past
on what our ancestors suffered during the slave trade
Then she cried loud for help asking,
who would save Africa?

I was there and
I saw her
she knelt down
and shed tears
tears of blood,
straight from her heart
who would save Africa?
It was indeed a cry,
a cry over split milk

Her hopes were high
She could offer to help
But she lack the capability
The best she could do
was all she was doing
with an unimmagine solemnly
wailing and mourning
crying and yearning for help
not for herself
but for Africa,
the dying Africa

And at last
someone heard her cry
pittied her and said
your pains I share from
stand up from your knee
and cry no more
I would build a school
it shall be a place
where African children would dream
It shall be a place
that would prepare them
preparing them for the challenge
the present challenge
the global challenge
So that they would never lag again.

Abti-American University of Nigeria:
a place where African children are encourage to dream

Fall 2007 break

I've deceided to blog today despite that I havn't yet got a full doze of sleep. As you know already, this blog will mostly contain my activities. Yesterday was salah night party here at AUN. That's why it's easy to tell why I am behaving like a drunkard. Yeah, I am really. I walk as if I'm gonna fall and I write as if I am in primary one. As thursday and friday were class free day, lots of people travelled. So that's one reason why it wasn't a very great party. The turn out wasn't very great as compared to previous parties. However, it was just fun all through. The music was more of the "gbedu' and students really liked it and danced in the "gbedu" way. Then comes "ko ko bi lo" of Lagbaja. Beside the friday party, I've enjoeyd the salah break in a very unique way: cycling. I've not yet got a bycicle here in Yola. But I borrowed the Samuel's (5 parkistanis students who are of the same family). It really was a muscle stretcher as observed after cycling for about 30 minutes, visiting friends for the salah celebratioin, going to joing Boy's Brigade among others. I probably had not mentioned on this blog thtat I like matching and playing band. I had always wanted to join the Boy's Brigade but dad never like things like this, you know. This is one reason I started fighting for my freeedom since I was 19 and today I'm a frree man. At 8pm today, I would be in the Media club meeting. In less than two hours from now, I would be in the Washington Hall of the Multi Purpose Building for a lecture on HIV and AIDs to be delivered by one Micheal Obiefuna, a guest from University of Maryland. Only a prophet can tell if I can wait till the end of this lecture. Whao, I have another club meeting at 8; Media club. Currently, I work (full time or part time? don't ask me) in the Printing and Photocopy shop, attending to fellow students for their printing and photocopy needs. It was set up of recent and is a kind of extension from the library. Never mind me if I'm not giving every details in this blog. Remember, I did mention that I'm gonna make my posts on this blog brief. Again, writters often leave certain things out just for readers to infer for themselves. So, since bloggers are also writters, we aren't left out. Be rest assured that what you infer isn't wrong, although isn't absolutely correct either. Happy Salah to to you. Barka De Salah.

Freshmen on the Campus as AAUN becomes AUN

I have really not blogged for a while. I have been too busy working in the admissions office. Well, if you say summer job or work-study program, you aren't wrong, but you aren't absolutely correct either. It's actually been a voluntary work. Someone said I'm probably the only student volunteer on the AAUN campus. Any way, that's not the essence of this post. It's just to let you readers out there know that I'm still breathing and also that school has resume for this fall semester. There is a big news that every student was happy with. The change, no not change, streamlining of our school's name from Abti American University of Nigeria to American University of Nigeria. According to the 5th edition of the AUN Newsletter, "Mr Abba Tahir, AUN's Director of Public Affairs, revealed that the new name was chosen by the University's Board of Trustees to reflect a general trend in the naming of American Unviersities worldwide." American University in Cairo and american University of Bulgaria are examples of American Universities abroad and are named with the name American University while the geographical location is just added to it. also, it was stated in the Newsletter that "the name 'ABTI' prefix, sometimes causes confusion among international audiences including potential donors." With this, it believed that the confusion is removed. Well it's delighting to see new students on campus. There are just green, you know; having never taken any of the series of baptism of reflection papers and seemingly unending assisgnments, and probably having ever even known what it means to have a deadline approach as well as the meaning of 'good morning quiz'. Many, if not all I think, wouldn't even know how many hours there is in a week, by heart; only that in a day. For them, it would be the first time they would know that the number one problem of a college student is time management. It would be the first time they would probably know that the day is very short and seem less than the 24hours they had known it to be. So the words "Time Flies", "No Time" or "Ba Locaci" are going to be their favourite words as the semester rolls by. During the orientation, I saw lots of things which I may not be able to say base on poor recall of events by that milky convulated matter that hides inside my skull. Sure, I can't forget that I saw some greeen leaves (males) that pulled their trousers almost half way, far below their waste exposing their boxers, and then to feel that it's the reigning thing. Well, probably they are just delighted to be in an American University or probably just happy that they aren't in a school where dressing code is enforced. But if I had a sharp memory, I would have tried to take note of those students if they can still do same in their second semester; that's actually if they have not been kicked out of the university. Not many prospective students and freshmen know that students get expelled from the university. Many think if they can afford the tuition then there isn't any way the school would want to rusticate them. Well if you are one of those that think like that, it's high time you desisted from it because it's not true or put more empatically, it is A WHITE LIE. Ask upperclassmen and they would tell you that students get driven from the univesity every year, base on one problem or the other. It could be behavioural or on academic ground. This post is getting too long. I must end it now, but not until I have mentioned that two days ago was the orientation party where freshmen really tear it out with the upperclassmen in the dance floor. This years party was held at the court yard of Dorm F, one of the new dorms. I didn't tell you that during this semester four new dorms have been built and they are really nice. Three of these have rooms that are 4-in-1 with the facilities inside while the last one is a Luxury dorm i.e. has rooms partitioned, with a wider bed (family size) and the toilet and bathroom facilities in one section while the other has sitting chairs, a center table and a shelf where you can place your personal TV and video in. All of these dorms have DSTV and wireless internet conectivity just like the old ones. Personally I prefer them to those in the permanent sites. I would post pictures of them as soon as they become available. The AUN league is gathering momentum. I heard freshman have a league called Ashanti and that will bring to a total of seven leagues. I also understand that AUN will be represented in this years Private University Games to be hosted by Barbock University in Ogun State. I am sure I would begin training now since I plan to participate. It's being long I trained. I do hope that I would be fit. There are lots of other people that are qualified and they might just be prefered than me. No bad in trying my best, anyway. Let me hear you say good luck to me.

Activities for this Up-Coming Semester

As school starts next week, I'm already planing for it. This is a draft of the e-mail I just sent to the Director of Athletics. I met him last week and I was exited to know that our school is having athletics among the sport this semester.

Dear Coach Bello, I am writing to notify you of my interest in AAUN
Athletics.
As I told you, when we met in the Admissions Office the other day, I'm a maraton runner. I should have sent you this e-mail earlier, but I needed to see first if I could still run. So on sunday, i.e. two days ago, I made out to the street of Yola, heeding to Jimeta. I however broke down on getting to Yola run-about after having ran 25 minutes. Some how, I think it is still a nice start as it's been eight years ago since I ran this far. Right now, I really don't know whether to train myself for short distance (to gain speed) instead of for long distance race (to gain stamina). This is because training for long distance race is highly demanding and in this coming semester, I've got lots of activities to engage in. I'm in the school choir, newspaper club, hope to join one of the intra mural football league, engage in work study, have 22 credits to register (which sur-passes the highest number of credits-19, aloud to register in) and with honor in each, joining book club, joining AAUN ACM (i.e. Association of Computer Machinery) and probably engaging in high jump. I am really not very good at the latter but I love it greatly. I could squize out some few miniutes each week preparing for it if available. I may also spend 20 mins every week, playing lawn tennis. Until I hear rom you, Omorx

If it is not obvious, I would let you know that most things here is an exergeration. I really thought I was going to do them. But there is a big difference between what is ideal and reality. Someone could say I am a big dreamer. That's true and I like it. But daily, I strive hard to be an achiever. This is my greatest daily struggle.

A Pagan in the Church

I did mentioned in my last post that I was going to tell you the reason I went to church on the first of July and why I would again continue to go, at least before school resumes. Right now, I’m really bored here in Yola. This gets worst on Saturdays and Sundays when the school library does not open and so I don’t go to school to read. You know it sucks when you don’t have anything to entertain you while you are alone in the hut in which you live and on stepping out of the room the faces you meet can’t interact with you because they are speak Hausa which for now, I still can’t understand clearly (really ashamed of this). But don’t think you too can’t be a victim of this if you can’t speak Fulani because this is the Indigenous Language of the people here. So, many a time, they miss up this language with Hausa which makes it more difficult for a learner of Hausa. Of course you now see why, no matter what your level of paganism is, you would definitely oblige the invitation of a friend to church especially if you like social life like me. This was one of the reasons I went to church last week. During the church service, I was ambivalent whether to come again in the following Sunday or manage the little boredom that characterizes my weekends at home. The preaching was full of trite stories heard from my pre-teenage days; irrational stories of old and how we must be godly to make heaven, how Abraham was faith to God and God said he would have the same number of children as the number of stars in the sky, etc. I however did love the music; the acoustic combination was really great. I loved the way I was welcomed (song, hand shake with almost every member of the church and an offer of a bottle of Soft drink after the service) and the manner in which every one welcomed the other. I latter learnt that this was a tradition and I did know at once that it was peculiar to that church alone. This is because in all the years in which I had been “church halorting” I never found this. I probably love the beautiful faces of the girls that sat around me ( Any way, I did promise to keep my post short. So, I would stop here now.