Nigerian woman scaling the odds

Mrs. Nneka Eneanya is a graduate of Insurance. After graduation from the University she worked in a white colar firm for a few years.

Unknown to her, she was yet to tread a new path career wise after she lost her job. She was heart broken, she thought of getting another job since losing the previous one, but none was forthcoming,  so she sought God's direction. She remembered when she was younger, she used to enjoy watching her aunt make people's hair, according to her, she gets fascinated by the different hairstyles made by her aunt in her hair dressing shop.

SOS: Zainab, 17-year-old bride who attempted suicide

The recent meeting of the World Bank Group (WBG) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Lima, Peru, revealed that girls in the rural part of Nigeria are married off at the average age of 17. Zainab Hamit wished her story was any different from this ill that seems to be defining rural Nigeria and the life of a girl child. But she’s not that fortunate – her story is heartbreaking. Zainab hails from Maiduguri, Borno state, but today resides in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, with her parents.  Like many young girls of her age, she was exposed to primary education and went on to the Model Girls Secondary School till junior secondary class three (JSS 3). After her JSS 3, her father pulled her out of school, forcing her into an early marriage at the age of 16 to a total stranger. For Zainab, love was a luxury, care was too much to ask, and compassion was nowhere to be found. She became bed mates with a strange fellow, who cared less about her personal aspirations. He could barely care for himself; he  clearly lacked the means to cater for a family. Zainab resisted her father’s decision to get her married to a total stranger, but the only alternative was to kick her out of the house with no regard for her humanity.

"MYSOGYNOIR"

London nightclub Dstrkt was accused of turning away two young black women for being “too fat” and “too dark”, prompting a swift, strident response on social media. The club was quick to deny the allegations and the council equally quick to express its concern. News outlets went into overdrive, to find “voices” to give the incident context. In the Guardian, one writer explained that young black people often resort to unlikely methods to get into certain clubs – the kind, like Dstrkt in Soho, that aren’t really about the music anyway – while in the Independent, DJ Edward Adoo discussed the pervasive racism of London’s nightclubs as a matter of fact.But what is alleged to have happened at Dstrkt isn’t just about race; the accused promoter is black. It’s about gender too. Discrimination, prejudice and unchecked fear aimed specifically at black women now has a name: misogynoir.

A note from an aid worker in the Middle East

With hundreds of thousands dead and millions fleeing their homes, how do you even begin to pray for a situation as terrible and complex as the Syria/Iraq refugee crisis? One of our Tearfund workers in the Middle East has some thoughts…I’m a frontline worker in the Syria and Iraq crises. Yet if I’m honest, when it comes to praying for the region I often don’t know where to start.The recent heartbreaking images of refugees travelling to Europe are moving many, thankfully, to pray and act. But what about the source of the problem – the conflicts in the Middle East triggering the mass movements?In a tragedy so vast and complex, can I believe my prayers will make any real dent? I mean, ‘Peace in the Middle East, please’ feels vague and frankly a bit unrealistic, given everything I’ve seen and heard here.I dared to pray a crazy prayer: that the monthly food packages we deliver would stretch to feed extra mouths.The other day I decided to put the question to God: what can I pray that will make a concrete difference? Just thinking about the array of needs was overwhelming, so I decided to start small.I found myself praying that today, if anyone was planning a suicide bombing in the region, the detonator would malfunction.I could believe that might happen. People and their struggles may be complicated and unpredictable, but I can always focus on practical things.In that vein I could also pray that today, somewhere, a weapon aimed at an innocent person would miss its target.

Sexually abused victims tell their stories

Participants displaying placards at a museum organised by the Dream Project for Africa in partnership with Junior Chamber International with the theme: "End Sexual Harassment and Bribery in Nigerian Colleges". The event held at the Afe Babalola Hall, University of Lagos.Facilitator of Ornaments of Grace and Virtue, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to promoting the welfare of young girls, Mrs Kehinde Omojola, speaks to OLUWATOYIN ADELEYE on how they can prevent sexual harassment.THE rape scandal rocking the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has, once again, thrown up questions on why undergraduates fail to seek redress through  the channels provided by their institutions when sexually harassed by their lecturers.Dr. Akin Baruwa, a part-time lecturer of UNILAG, on Thursday, July 23, this year raped a teenager, one Cecilia (not real name), who was seeking admission into the university in an office in the Faculty of Business Administration.The victim’s father and Baruwa are said to belong to the same landlord association in Abesan, Ipaja area of Lagos.