 |
| Free Syrian Army fighters of the 101 Infantry Division (the missile and artillery battalion) prepare to fire a mortar from Jabal al-Arbaeen towards al-Fanar checkpoint in Ariha, which is controlled by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in Idlib countryside April 16, 2015 |
Osogbo is agog with activities as the festival holds. Tourists are flooding the ancient town to witness this 600 hundred year old festival. The fiesta has evolved over the years to become one of the most anticipated celebrations in Nigeria and the world. It is held in August and commemorated to renew the pact Osun people had with their deity.
It is a fun filled and enthralling event that leaves tourists desiring for more. They should be prepared for a two week idyllic adventure as it features key activities
Procession to Osun River
Natives believe the Osun River has healing and spiritual powers. This mystery adds to the frenzied atmosphere of the festival thus, everyone looks forward to this trek.
The procession starts from the palace of the Ataoja to the Osun Sacred Grove where the river is located. It is led by the Ataoja of Osogbo and Arugba-virgin maiden. The Arugba, a female that has not been deflowered becomes the cynosure of all eyes as she carries out the responsibility of carrying the rituals meant for the Osun goddess. At the river, tourists pour out their desires to the river god and it is believed their wish will be granted.
Oloju-Merindinlogun
The Atupa Oloju-Merindinlogun, meaning lamp, is a significant feature during the celebration. The lamp is 642 years old and has 16 points. It is lit on the 6th day of the festival from 7 am to 7 pm with the Ataoja, his wives, Ifa priest, Osun priest, and traditional chiefs walking circles around it hrice while dancing to the admiration of the people and tourists.
Iwopopo
The Iwopopo or street cleansing is one of the early activities of the festival. The people come out in their numbers to pay respect to the Ataoja of Osogbo as well as pray for peaceful co-existence in town. The programme is spiced by musical performances.
Competitions
The festival has a handful of competitions lined up to entertain visitors. These are mainly traditional games.
Children are also part of the fun as games are organised to encourage them appreciate culture. It is in four divisions namely dancing, drumming, and Yoruba spelling bee.
Jovago.com, Africa’s No 1 hotel booking portal highlight some of these joy-springing traditional performances to look forward to.
Students of mechanical engineering division of UNIZIK assembling a bus transport with locally sourced materials that will convey understudies around the campus. Its still taking shape yet but the idea is awesome.
See more pics bellow.
Who knew such a whimsical man like Charles Oputa could bring up a child who has no tattoo, no piercing, no jewelries, no power bikes and no strangeness. And looks super handsome..
What baffles me is how he managed to evade mainstream media or the blog-sphere. See more photos bellow.
A nation which is seen by a lot of people as the titan of Africa, is an oil-rich nation situated on mid-Africa’s Atlantic coast, or as it is regularly portrayed, West Africa. It is the most populous nation in Africa and the eighth biggest Nation by population on the planet. In the event that Nigeria is to truly experience its desires of rising an extraordinary nation, then it can’t disregard the expanding significance of the Internet in communications, training, business and trade. As of now this noteworthiness is been reflected by the increment in the quantity of cybercafes, ISPs and various Internet based organizations in the nation.
The Internet has impelled the financial and social development of most developed countries and the same impacts are being seen in numerous developing countries. Be that as it may, as reported by Internet world details, Internet entrance in Nigeria remains at just 7.2 percent. Despite the fact that exceptionally poor for a nation priding itself as the goliath of Africa with a tremendous populace of more than 150 million individuals, its potential for development is monstrous and hence positive.
The development of Internet in Nigeria is restricted, contrasted with what is realistic in developed nations. As indicated by late overviews led by one of Nigeria’s principal techonolgy research and managment companies organizations E-shekels limited on effective engagement of the Internet for improvement, has uncovered that individuals were just prepared to utilize an innovation device on the off chance that it enhances their lives. The exploration likewise expressed that there were incredible interest for the Internet offices in Nigeria, yet because of various impediments those requests couldn’t be satisfactorily met. Some of these deterrents impeding ICT and Internet development in Nigeria are listed bellow.
1.) LACK OF POWER SUPPLY –
There is limited and unsteady power supply in the country when compared to the rate of supply in other parts of the world. This has served as one of the major problems hindering Internet growth in the country. The Nigerian government keeps announcing the need for foreign investors to invest in the country without understanding of the fact that no investor would like to push resources, where he would he running at extra cost in energy generation. That is exactly the position of Nigerian investor. Nigeria government has done virtually nothing to ensure steady power supply, her privatization of the PHCN and the change of name to EEDC has not solved the problem. To access the internet fully and steadily, a steady power supply is a criterion, which unfortunately has not been tackled, and this has led to a limited use of the internet by many who desire to use it. With very unreliable power in the country, operators are left with no choice but to acquire and rely constantly on generators; expending huge gallons of fuel daily, in order to distribute internet to offices, homes, or cafes for subscribers. The epileptic power situation in the country has further compounded the woes of the few ISPs and Cyber cafes operating in the country.
2.) POVERTY –
Nigeria is a developing country consisting mainly of poverty-ravaged people who cannot afford three square meals a day. There is high cost of feeding, education, and health in the land. The poor ones will rather not waste their little income to access the internet when they have their priority as food, clothing and shelter. Many cannot afford to own a PC at home, even the fairly used ones being shipped from developed countries; talk less of engagement in internet connectivity for research and exploration.
3.) HIGH LEVEL OF ICT ILLITERACY –
“Illiteracy is a defect,” says the white man’s adage. The high rate of illiteracy in the country is another ugly trend that is hindering the growth of internet use in Nigeria and this has contributed to the decline in the use of this super facility. People are ignorant of what the internet is all about, its uses, applications and benefits in solving their problems. Most people gave not seen a computer before, not to talk of understanding internet concepts. There are other obstacles; just pause, think, and definitely you must remember a few factors you can discuss vividly as an obstacle to growth in Nigeria. Although it must be said that ICT knowledge in Nigeria is growing and being embraced, yet there remain a large majority of rural population that has not seen firsthand, the immense benefits of the internet.
4.) HIGH COST OF GETTING INTERNET – Internet doesn’t come cheap in Nigeria. As it stands, it is arguably the preserve of the rich who often times than one, have access from their homes. One of the reasons for the high cost of connecting to the internet is the costs involved in using satellites due to a lack of cable infrastructure. Most Internet traffic in Nigeria often times needs to be routed by satellite via North America and Europe Website.
5.) LOW SPEED AND TIME-CONSUMING INTERNET – Out of 10 million estimated Internet users in Nigeria, broadband users are few. High-speed broadband requires fiber optic cables. The situation should, however, improve as there are a number of projects underway to connect African countries with the rest of the world through undersea cables which is hoped will eventually lead to affordability and fast internet speed.
6.) INCREASING COMPETITION – Traditional internet service providers are beginning to face increasing competition from internet services offered by mobile operators. The introduction of 3G services in the country has enabled many Nigerians to access the internet through mobile devices. Meanwhile, access to telecom services isn’t necessarily reliant on new cabling. While only 4 percent of people in the country have fixed telephone lines, 30 percent have cell phones.
7.) LACK OF INTERNET READY PCS – Nigerians are not provided with Internet-ready PCs as done in the advanced countries. Though Zinox Computers, a computer manufacturer and a leading CDMA telecom operator are joining forces to make this available, and other efforts are currently being made, much of this still remain in the doldrums.
8.) YAHOO-YAHOO – Another of Nigeria’s Internet problems is the growing internet culture among Nigerian youths representing more than 80 per cent of Nigeria’s population – Young minds due to lack of awareness, low number of Nigerian website on the internet, lack of Nigerian specific e-payment system and poor e-learning culture throng cyber cafes only to check their email accounts, visit pornographic sites, shop online with stolen credit cards and so many other negative vices that has come to be known as YAHOO YAHOO!
Source: nairaland
It can be a painful and frustrating experience if you find it difficult to sway your neck from side to side especially when it leads to a headache, reducing your ability to concentrate.
Jovago.com, Africa’s No 1 hotel booking portal shares 5 things you should stop doing to check stiff neck.
Overloading your backpack
Whether you are hiking or going on an adventure in the mountains of Taraba, you don’t need to overload one backpack with everything you need. Rather than carrying excess baggage, distribute it among your adventurous friends or pull a cart along with you on the journey to lessen the pressure.
Wearing a bag on one shoulder
Wearing your bag on one shoulder can put unnecessary pressure on it, in the long run, this can result in serious neck pain. It is best to wear your bag on two shoulders and walk with a steady gait while at it.
Holding your phone with your shoulders
Your shoulders are not for receiving calls. But, this habit is rampant among many phone users who use this part of their body as a prop while making or receiving phone calls. If this habit helps you multitask, it is helpful to put all other duties on hold while speaking over the phone and resume after speaking.
Pay attention to your posture
The way you sit, stand and walk can determine if you will have an amazing posture. This also applies to a stiff neck. If you sit or walk haphazardly, your neck will bear the brunt because it is located between your back and head. As a solution, exercise often to achieve a posture that will not trigger neck pain.
Doctor’s office
If you suffer from a stiff neck frequently, pay your doctor’s office a visit. Severe neck pains can lead to headaches, nausea, vomiting, night sweats and the inability to fall or stay asleep.
