YOUTHVILLE ISSUE #113
Friday, January 1 13 13, 3, 2 20 2017 017 17
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...young at heart
Let men be happy, informed, skillful, well behaved, and productive. - B.F. Skinner
Writing digital, audio books ‘ll boost authoring among youth — Akah Isaac Newton Akah is a writer of stories and screenplays. He has a Computer Science degree but fell for storytelling. He recently published an e-book “Living in Gidi” that has gone viral. He spoke to YOUTHVILLE about the e-book and the future of publishing. By Bamas Victoria
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hat is the focus of your recently published e-book? “Living in Gidi”, just as the name reads, is about Lagos, from the eyes of an ardent observer. It is a collection of witty stories a about life here. It follows tthe accounts on the streets, p providing insight into this iintrigue that is a city. It is written w with less seriousness than the c city connotes. The street photos iin the pages help project the iimageries the stories are trying to p paint. I wrote this book because I llived these experiences—most o of them. I thought it would be iinteresting to people who don’t llive here, and nostalgic (at least) tto Gidi folks. I also wanted to m make people laugh. What does it feel to be an iinternet author where people ttalk more of hard copy books? Internet authorship is a term tthat has come to stay, especially a as all the publishing houses c can’t publish us all. It feels p pretty important for me to be rrecognised and celebrated for m my e-book. The people who rread the paperbacks are the ones w who read e-books, too. Their rrecognitions and regards for the b book are universal. I feel cool w when they say, yeah, Bro, the w work is cool. How can a writer get a piece p published online and attract
Mandela fellows donate to IDPs From Abdullateef Aliyu, Lagos Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Association of Nigeria (MWFAAN) has donated relief items to victims of insurgency at an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) settlement in Masaka, an outskirt town near Abuja. MWFAAN is a group of Nigerian youth who participated in the United State sponsored Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) fellowship programme. The team comprising seven MWFAAN was led by the Northern Coordinator, Hauwa Liman and a YALI network member, Nkem Ukandu. The settlement, located in
Zhewun Community of Masaka in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, is largely occupied by IDPs from Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State. Items distributed are drugs, clothing, children shoes, toiletries, mosquito nets, food items and medical supplies. The MWFAAN Zonal Coordinator (North) who briefed the gathering on the purpose of the visit said it was the widow’s mite by the association to assist the IDPs and to compliment government’s efforts. President of MWFAAN, Olumide Lawal in a statement said more of the outreach programmes would be done soon.
market? There are many platforms to publish your work online as an e-book. You just have to find which one suits you, and which of them have more followers. These platforms accept ePUB formats and a cover image. That’s basically all you need. And it is at zero cost for the author. My book is on Amazon and Okadabooks. About getting it to readers, the avenues are plenty. For me, the social media is king. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and blogs are the platforms where I promote my book; it is free, and the right people will key in. If your work is interesting, even unknown persons could become your promoters online. This is what “Living in Gidi” is riding on. There’s also the need to have followers yourself. You get them by constantly writing little things for them to read on your timeline. Do you see digital and audio books taking over traditional print in Nigeria soon? Digital and audio books are already the thing. More people than you know do their reading via their phones and laptops. And there’s a reason why these formats will be a lot more in our faces. They don’t hold restricting guidelines, and the platforms don’t do risk assessments before having an author published. You don’t have to be an author with a name to attract a publisher. You’re mainly your
own publisher. So, more authors will toe this path. And with that, more readers will follow. Yeah, I think these forms are mainstays in our world now. How do e-books affect reading culture, since smart phones are trending? E-books are especially suited for this time. People are with their cell phones a lot more than they are with anything or anyone else. Why not get your work to them right there? Back when a guy holds a book, and he becomes an attraction to girls. Now that is no longer the case, digital books and digital audios are a necessity. So yes, e-books help sustain the reading culture of Nigerians and people everywhere. And sure, the debates about published works online help stimulate more interest. What must young people do to become successful authors? Write as much as you can when your basic needs are still someone else’s to cater. When you become your own caregiver, responsibilities treat your muse like an unwelcomed guest. But if you’re already ready to publish, don’t think too much about getting fed from the returns. Get a job, or get something going. Most people who say they can’t wait for your book to drop are joking with you. Too few are serious about purchasing it. It can only get better though. We get big with time.
Youth empowerment, my utmost priority — WYO President By Simon E. Sunday @SimonEchewofun Ambassador Adeyemi Adeniyi, the newly elected President, World Youth Organisation (WYO), has said youth empowerment will be his priority on assumption of office. He made this known to newsmen on Wednesday in Ibadan during a courtesy call on Gov. Abiola Ajimobi, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported. The Nigerian-born Adeniyi is the first democratically elected president of WYO, the youth organ of the United Nations (UN). Adeniyi stated that the recent statistics of the World Bank, which placed the number of unemployed youths across the world at 620 million, was alarming and needed to be addressed. “Youth empowerment will be my priority on assuming office to ensure adequate positioning of youth across the world. “This is the first thing to do if youth restiveness must be addressed. Idle mind, they say, is the devil’s workshop,” he said.
Adeniyi said that he has launched a 10,000 youth empowerment scheme in his hometown, Ogbomoso, Nigeria, while the next phase of the scheme would be launched in Iwo, Osun State soon. He said that his new position was a great opportunity for Nigeria and Africa, promising to give his best in ensuring that youth across the world were empowered. Adeniyi was elected as the new WYO at a World Youth Conference held on Nov. 12, 2016, in New Delhi, India. He had contested the election with nine others and won with 1,679 votes, while the first runner up from the U.S. secured 501 votes. Adeniyi was a former aide of the eighth and former United Nation’s Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, before his new position. The new WYO President has a degree in Agronomy from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso in Nigeria, and Accounting from the Western University of Ontario in Canada.
DAILY TRUST, Friday, January 13, 2017
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YOUTHVILLE
Talkstuff to reshape youth ICT engagement — Minister
Beauty: Keep your skin glowing during the harmattan By Eseohe Ebhota @EbhotaEseohe
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he harmattan season is a dry, dusty and cold period and the dryness in the air makes everything to lose moisture: the skin, hair, and it causes chapped lips, then in some cases too, cough and catarrh (due to the cold weather). A dry weather is not an excuse for looking unkempt or having a scaly skin. Hence, the Daily Trust YOUTHVILLE gives you some tips that would help you to have a glowing skin. Drink lots of water: the importance of water during this period cannot be over emphasized because it will refresh and hydrate you, and ensure that your skin keeps glowing. Water is nature’s gift to us so we need to make good use of it especially during this period so drink as much water as possible Wear protective clothing:
By Zakariyya Adaramola
tan, During the harmattan, ually the afternoons are us usually orn nings hot while the mornings hilly. ly and evenings are chilly. ere Because of this, there d would be no need at to wear clothes that reveal and exposee your skin to the weather. But if you think it is necessary, then use moisturizers to lock in the moisture. Use moisturizers: Moisturizers havee a big role to playy se this season because they help to retain the moisture level of thee skin. To do this, oils made from coconut oil and Shea butter help in moisturizing and nourishing your skin. Take care of your lips and feet: The lips and the feet usually get dry and peel off this season. While
applying il coconutt oil or Shea butter on your skin, give some attention to your feet. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to invest in a good lip balm and apply frequently.
Olumide’s basketball championship dunks off in Lagos today By Simon E. Sunday @SimonEchewofun Olumide Oyedeji, the organiser, Olumide Oyedeji Inter-Collegiate Basketball Championship, on Wednesday said the competition would dunk off on Friday and run till Jan. 21 in Lagos. Oyedeji told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that arrangements had been concluded for the invitational basketball tournament to hold at the University of Lagos Sports Complex. According to him, all logistics are on ground to see that the participants, who would come from 10 tertiary institutions in Nigeria and Ghana, are well catered for. “We are set to jump ball on Friday, Jan. 13, at the University of Lagos Sports Complex. As the teams arrive, they will be moved to their hostels and settle down before they get into
match day. “We are looking forward to another successful event, and we are confident of another exciting basketball fiesta which will bring the best out of the players,” Oyedeji said. Provides a unifying platform where tertiary institutions can play competitive basketball. Other objectives of the competition include determining the overall best institution and bridging the gap between institutional and professional basketball. The maiden edition was held in September, 2015, at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, with the Federal University of Technology, Minna, and emerging champions. This second edition will have series of events on the sidelines such as media day/photo session, threepoint shootout and slam dunk contest.
The Minister of Communications Adebayo Shittu has said the recently launched web platform, Talkstuff, will reshape how Nigerian youth engage with themselves in terms of ICT. Speaking when he formally unveiled Talkstuff in Abuja, Adebayo explained that the event “represents a new vista in our collective resolve and drive to evolve a workable synergy and positioning of the ICT for inclusiveness.” He said: “My presence should serve as an impetus and inspiration to the youth and attestation to the Government’s commitment to empower ICT start-ups in Nigeria, given our geography and demography.” The Minister who was impressed by the strides of the CEO of Talkstuff confirmed that he would recommend the platform to the government and particularly his colleagues at the Federal Executive Council so as to support the initiative and encourage other Nigerians The CEO of Talkstuff, Rachel Ogbonna explained that talkstuff has succeeded in developing and creating a robust single platform. “This is building a community where all social, political and economic development campaign could be initiated, unlike other platforms, making the platform user centric with better experience,” Ogbonna said. Ogbonna said recent advances in ICTs have been seen as important vehicles for accelerating the development of information exchange and knowledge as valuable commodities. She further said: “Exactly a decade ago the World Bank and the World Economic Forum attested to the fact that economic development of any nation depends on the overall progress of its ICT sector. “Talkstuff is the platform where you can experience a time for yourself to relax within the market place, opportunities to list your business and of course, forums to access variety of ideas,” she said.
English phrases and their proper usage By Eseohe Ebhota @EbhotaEseohe Whatever language we speak, it is one area that undergoes consistent change. And English is not left out. But most students find it difficult to keep up with the pace because they do not read to update themselves; as a result they make careless mistakes. This week, we present some English phrases and their proper usage. ENGLISH PHRASES CORRECT USAGE Very disgusting Irritating Very far Distant Very tired Exhausted Very dirty Unkempt/Untidy Very late Tardy Be quick Hasten up Too cold Chilly Very happy Excited Very fine Beautiful Very accommodating Hospitable Source: Merriam Webster Dictionary
Kaduna Electric engages 310 Corpers for customer enumeration By Simon E. Sunday @SimonEchewofun
Kaduna Electric has engaged 310 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members for its customer enumeration exercise. The exercise which started in Kaduna metropolis would spread across the state, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states. The Head, Human Resources of Kaduna Electric, Hajiya Khadijah Kabir, said, “We intend to engage 200 corps members in Kaduna; 50 in Sokoto; 50 in Zamfara and 10 in Kebbi state. The number
for Kebbi state is low because we have already engaged some students from the state university of technology, Birnin Kebbi. “We are going to train them and each corps member will be given a tablet that is going to be used for the exercise and we are going to have some of our staff that will be monitoring them closely so that we achieve the desired goals of the exercise”, she said. The project will be conducted feeder by feeder to ensure proper monitoring and is expected to last for six months, she said in a statement.
Learn of the skillful; he that teaches himself, has a fool for his master - Benjamin Franklin