Uniting Nigeria via the Unity Schools, scores apart

The ministry of education recently released the cut off mark for admission into Unity schools across the country and the disparity has generated so much controversies. Some people expressed their surprise that candidates from Anambra state have their cut off mark set at 139 (a decision the state has promised to challenge) while Adamawa students need to score as low as 64, Ekiti 119 and a Zamfara kid will be given admission with a score of 4 and 2 for male and female candidates respectively. A commentator described the ministry's decision as a debasing of the Federal character system while other respondents felt it was an attempt at promoting mediocrity, drawing back the nation's education system and one of the reasons for the fallen standard of education in the country. I object to every of the reasons above.

"Heaven I love thee"

     

             

                      Heaven I love thee

The abode of God                          My home to be

Not for your treasures                    I love you

Neither for the joy                         unending too

A lasting hope                               you are offering

After on earth                               an end to my suffering

                            Heaven I love thee

                                                                                                Ojo Olayinka

This is an attempt at depicting my love for heaven. No matter what and how you view heaven to be, from whatever perspective, it's all and the same.This poem is to be read as you wish.You can read from the first line "Heaven I love thee" through the dichotomous verses at once or from the first line through each verse separately. You can read as a continuum starting from the first line and through the verses whichever you choose to be the first. You can read following the same arrangement from bottom-up. You should try and read it at least in 12(twelve) to twenty different ways. You can try alternating the lines diagonally.I hope you'll get your muse of heaven reading this.

10 richest players at the 2013 Confederation Cup

As the 2013 FIFA Confederation Cup kicks off in Brazil, the biggest and the richest names, Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are not in the competition but there are couples of money bags around. Below is a list of 10 richest footballers that will dazzle the world in the next few days and hope to boost their earnings with a win.

1. David Villa (Barcelona) - £37m

David Villa’s fortune has been tied to his transfer in the La liga. He has benefited 15% of his £10 million transfer fees to Valencia in 2005 and £34m to Barcelona in 2010. Barcelona offered him a contract worth £94,000-a-week, with up to £814,000 a year on offer through bonuses.

The Spanish striker has been an important member of the Spanish side that conquered the world winning the World Cup and the European Championship.

As la Roja's all-time top goalscorer, Villa will hope to push further his goal tallies at the confederation cup.

The striker also rake in revenue from lucrative and long-running agreement with Adidas, and sponsorship agreements with Big Cola, Mahou, Maxibon and Gameloft.

2. Iker Casillas (Spain) - £30m

The all conquering Iker Casillas is the goalkeeper and captain of Spain. Although he was kept on the bench for a good part of the last season by Jose Mourinho, Del Bosquet dimmed it fit to bring the 30 million-dollar man to the competition.

The keeper has five Liga titles, two Champions League titles, a World Cup and two European Championship medals to his name, and at 31 he is already Spain’s most capped player having made 134 appearances for his country.

His current earning is from a £94,000-a-week deal and a further £488,000 a year in bonuses. Casillas enjoys several multi-million pound sponsorship deals with Adidas, Hyundai, Phillips, Head and Mahou. During Euro 2012 he also appeared in marketing campaigns for the likes of Iberd, Movistar, Chevrolet and Continental.

He boasts a £1.5m luxury mansion in northern Madrid and a three-story luxury mansion in his hometown of Avila.

3. Fernando Torres (Spain) - £25m

Fernando Torres has earned over 100 caps and helped his team to win a World Cup and two European Championships. He also picked up Champions League and FA Cup winners' medals with Chelsea in 2012 and the EUROPA cup in 2013.

The Spain international currently earn salary of $17m and has endorsements valued at $3m. Torres is ranked 72 among the Forbe's 100 richest athletes. The striker's fortune got a boost when he completed a record £50 million transfer from Liverpool in January 2011, that saw his weekly salary rise to £175,000 per week. He has endured a horrible spell at Chelsea since his arrival and will hope for better outing at the confederation cup.

4. Neymar (Brazil) £20 M

After several years in Santos, Neymar took the much expected move that boost his finances. The 21-year-old Brazilian superstar signed a five-year contract with Barcelona in May with a transfer fee of $74 million, after racking up 138 goals in 230 matches with Santos. Brazil is expected to make him the face of the 2014 World Cup. This will expectedly boost the striker's fortune even further.

“Esu Stadium”

Methodisti lo je'ko alagbon lo k'ewe, Idi ope lo sa'le je”

That's a song of victory, if you don't know. It simply means “Methodist ate the pap, Alagbon packed the wraps while Idi Ope picked the crumbs.”

It is a thing of pride to have graduated from a public primary school. If you don't have any stint at those LEAs and you are 30, then you must have missed important fun that trended in your generation. So this piece is a catch up for you and a reminiscence for those of us that rode on the back of those glorious days. We are proudly kpako! If you were butty in my time you were a 'borlor”

Every bird like to hear itself sing. So the song above could have the names of the schools mentioned inverted and disarranged. Trust me, that is the correct version, because I graduated from Akeetan Methodist primary School, Oyo. We are the Blues!

So many things were of fancy when we were in the primary school, although some were like rigorous routines but we endeavoured them diligently. The early morning devotion on the “line” as we call the assembly and the introductory greeting; “Class stand! Greet!” “Good moooorrrning ma” then the teacher would march in and peruse the class like a president inspecting a guard of honour. Then the roll call which usually starts from the Ades.