Aji retweeted
Nigeria currently has no active Ebola case following the evacuation of the a patient to Switzerland.
The patient arrived from East Africa few days ago and was stablised by medical personnel in Nigeria.
Aji retweeted
Done: abegna.com
Aji retweeted
when i was six, armed robbers came to rob us at night. my dad instinctively went into self-defense mode with a cutlass before he even realized they had guns.
luckily, my great grandmother was sitted in the sitting when they released rounds at my dad, but in the blink of an eye she raised her hand up and the bullets turned to groundnuts and she caught them, and immediately disarmed the robbers and turned their guns to bananas and we all ate it as our night food
Aji retweeted
I’ve watched this video several times, and what disturbs me most isn’t the moment the gate closes. It’s everything that happened before it. For five days, these animals returned to the same place, ate the same food, and walked away unharmed. Each visit made the next one easier. Nothing about the environment appeared to change, yet something important was happening. Their behavior was becoming predictable. What looked like an ordinary feeding routine was gradually becoming the foundation of a trap they had no reason to anticipate.
What makes the situation particularly unsettling is the patience of the person behind it. He didn’t need to chase the animals or force them into the enclosure. He simply created the conditions under which they would enter willingly. The food was real, the rewards were immediate, and the consequences remained hidden. While the animals were responding to what was directly in front of them, someone else was thinking several steps ahead. The difference wasn’t physical strength or intelligence alone. It was the advantage of understanding the entire arrangement while the other side understood only its immediate benefits.
And this is where the video becomes a disturbing reflection of human behavior. Not every dangerous arrangement announces itself through cruelty or deception. Some begin with opportunity, generosity, and an extraordinary degree of convenience. People become attached to what consistently rewards them, often without examining the conditions that make those rewards possible. They confuse being accommodated with being valued, being needed with being indispensable, and having access with having control. The danger isn’t necessarily that someone is lying to them. It’s that they may be making permanent decisions based on circumstances someone else can change overnight.
But there’s an even more uncomfortable realization here. The animals didn’t lose their freedom because they wanted food. They lost it because the environment was designed to turn an ordinary need into an opportunity for capture. And that distinction matters. Having needs doesn’t make someone foolish, and accepting help doesn’t make someone weak. The real danger begins when another person understands your dependencies better than you understand their intentions. At that point, they may not need to control your decisions directly. They only need to control the circumstances under which those decisions are made.
What stays with me is what happened after the gate closed. The food remained exactly where it had always been, but the animals’ attention shifted toward the boundaries of the enclosure. I can’t know what they understood, yet the contrast is striking. Nothing about the reward had changed. What changed was their ability to leave. And perhaps that’s something people rarely consider while life is going well. We spend so much time evaluating what an arrangement gives us that we forget to ask what it would cost to walk away from it. Sometimes the true price of a benefit becomes visible only when you try to refuse it.
The lesson I take from this isn’t that generosity should be feared or that trust should be abandoned. It’s that independence requires more than favorable circumstances. It requires understanding who holds the power to change them. Five days were enough to establish a routine, but one moment exposed the limits of that routine. The food was still there. The benefits hadn’t disappeared. Only the freedom to leave had been taken away. And perhaps the most important question isn’t whether you’re comfortable with what someone offers you, but whether your life would still belong to you if they stopped offering it.
Aji retweeted
The recent tweets about a Ghanaian who quit his doctoral program in the U.S. and returned to Ghana made me reflect on how our generation of PhD students makes pursuing a doctorate look glamorous on social media.
The reality is often much tougher than we make it seem, especially in programs that emphasize rigor.
Before applying to a PhD program or accepting an offer, read the “Requirements” section of the program’s website carefully. Those requirements are no joke.
Some programs require 50-60 credit hours to graduate; others require as many as 70-90 hours of coursework.
Pay close attention to the other graduation requirements, too. Some programs treat qualifying exams, candidacy petitions, guided reading, comprehensive exams, proposal defenses, and seminar presentations as separate milestones. Others consolidate these into one or two examinations.
Some programs require patents, conference papers, or publications before you can graduate. Some insist on primary data for your dissertation, while others allow you to analyze existing data.
Someone told me that his PI had set up alerts for his Google Scholar and ResearchGate profiles without his knowledge. According to him, after he published a paper deemed below standard, he was forced to leave the PhD program with a master’s degree after four years. Meanwhile, there’s someone somewhere whose PI or advisor doesn’t care what they publish or the journals they publish in. These are the internal politics you won’t find on a department’s website.
Beyond attending classes, working in the lab, and writing your dissertation, you still have a life to live. Sometimes, life hits you hard, but the demands of your program continue even when you’re struggling.
I know several PhD students who lost a parent and had to teach or return to the lab the next day. If your PI or department is kind enough to give you a week off, you may return to a week’s worth of accumulated work.
And because many PhD students are underpaid, you have to navigate all of this with limited resources.
I encourage and support prospective graduate students who want to pursue a PhD, but you have to go in with a clear understanding of what it demands.
If you have a terrible advisor or PI, you’re done for!
It is not a walk in the park.
Sending virtual hugs to every PhD student out there.
Aji retweeted
Lagos Life launched on October 1st. Just 9 days later, over 4.7 million people have played the game.
Today, I’m excited to announce that Vatar, the parent company behind Lagos Life, has closed a $500K angel round led by AB Hassan (@ijbguy), Nathan Nwachuku (@_KingNath), and GB Agboola (@TechProd_Arch).
Lagos is just the beginning. We’re building entire worlds, and there’s so much more to come. 🌍
vatar.com
Aji retweeted
Someone said he was asked to pay N20,000 for this demo. Here you go for FREE:
𝗔 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗺𝘂𝘀 𝗠𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 (ignore the errors in the automatic captions 😅)👇🏾
Erasmus Mundus Scholarship
- tuition exemption
- €1,400 monthly stipend
- All disciplines!
Aji retweeted
I wrote sometime ago that if you are born in the trenches like some of us and you want to BREAK OUT, you cannot afford to be mediocre.
I still stand by it.
But let me add something I have learnt since then.
HARD WORK ALONE WILL NOT SAVE YOU.
Yes, I said it.
I know extremely hardworking people who have been working hard for 20 years and they are still struggling.
Because at some point, you must stop confusing MOVEMENT with PROGRESS.
You need STRATEGY.
You need to know when to stay, when to move, when to learn, when to ask for help and sometimes when to START AGAIN.
Coming from nothing means you may not inherit MONEY, but the bigger disadvantage is that you may not inherit INFORMATION.
Nobody tells you which room to enter.
Nobody tells you how money works.
Nobody tells you that your ability to SPEAK, WRITE, NEGOTIATE and build relationships can open doors your certificate alone cannot open.
Sometimes you don't even know the opportunity exists!
That is why I said BOOK was my shield.
Growing up in Ijegun, I saw enough around me to understand very early that one wrong decision could change the direction of my entire life.
"Adija oni marry si Ijegun, koni bimo sibi."
People who knew me then heard it repeatedly.
It wasn't because I thought I was better than anybody.
I simply had a picture in my head of the life I DID NOT WANT.
Sometimes CLARITY starts there.
Maybe you don't know exactly what you want yet, but do you know what you don't want?
Start there.
And please, stop being ashamed of being AMBITIOUS.
Some of us cannot afford casual ambition.
When there is no family wealth waiting for you, no powerful surname opening doors, no inheritance coming, you have to build deliberately.
READ.
LEARN.
ASK QUESTIONS.
Find people doing what you want to do and study them.
Learn how people with access think and communicate.
Improve your vocabulary.
Learn how to negotiate.
Understand MONEY.
Learn a skill people will PAY for.
And when you finally enter rooms that once looked impossible from where you started, don't shrink yourself because everybody else appears more polished than you.
LISTEN.
OBSERVE.
LEARN.
But SPEAK when you have something to say.
You belong in any room your competence has earned you access to.
And another thing.
Your first breakthrough is not permission to relax.
One good salary is not wealth.
One successful business month is not financial freedom.
One degree is not the end of learning.
One connection is not a network.
KEEP BUILDING.
Find a mentor, but don't become a permanent passenger in somebody else's vehicle.
Learn the principles.
Follow instructions.
Do the work.
Then develop enough wisdom to eventually THINK FOR YOURSELF.
And SERVE.
There is something service teaches you that ambition alone cannot.
Finally, PRAY.
Pray seriously.
Ask Allah for favour.
Ask for people who will mention your name in rooms you have never entered.
Ask for wisdom to recognise opportunities.
Ask for protection from decisions that can destroy years of work.
Ask for BARAKAH, because having plenty without peace is another kind of poverty.
But after praying, GET UP.
Send the application.
Read the book.
Take the course.
Start the business.
Make the call.
Learn the skill.
Save the money.
Leave the comfort zone.
Prayer is not an excuse for poor preparation.
If you were born with fewer advantages, your beginning may explain why the journey is harder.
But please don't let it become the reason you stop walking.
Some of us are not just trying to "make it."
We are trying to change what is NORMAL in our families.
And that requires a different level of intentionality.
May Allah put BARAKAH in our efforts, connect us with the right people, protect us from costly mistakes and allow our children to start from places we once prayed to reach.
I stop here again.
Maybe Part 3 someday.
If you are born in the trenches like some of us and you want to break out .
You cannot afford to be mediocre
You must be laser and hyper focus, You need serious clarity! what kind of success do you need ? Define it, Write it down today
Everyone who knows me at Ijegun will tell you "Adija Oni marry si Ijegun, koni bimo sibi" I always say I will never be a victim of teenage pregnancy, it was very rampant around Me. Book was my shield
Be prepared to work harder, yes Harder than an average person. Hard work is the currency you pay the rich and elites to join them
You will read and wider than the Rich, Be aware that an average rich person is an avid reader BUT you must be prepared to do more so that when your opportunity comes you will be able to NEGOTIATE at their level , Trust me on this, If you can communicate with them , you can mix to a certain extent in their group
Find a Mentor in your niche and discipline, listen to Instructions, follow the guidelines and Templates giving to you and be ready to do way more than your mentor, Yes DO IT , and be ready to serve . Serve
BE BOLD AnD Audacious , Knowledge will give you the advantage
Be Extremely prayerful, Ask for favour , Grace, God's help, Ask that your efforts shall be blessed but Remember that Prayer without commensurate work is nothing
May our efforts be blessed , I stop for now
Aji retweeted
I've had the time to review your CV, and honestly, it's not bad. For a fresh graduate. A lot of people leave school with CVs similar to this.
However, there are some things you need to look out for when crafting a compelling CV. Remember, I said it's not bad, so I can be quite brutal when I'm reviewing things because I want the best.
To start with, your headline is okay, but it's not good enough. You can improve on it.
You have your name in bold and a bigger font size, which is good. Then underneath, you have your phone number, email address and LinkedIn profile.
Starting with the phone number, the format isn't really the best. I understand why you used dashes, probably to separate the numbers, but that's not the standard format I would recommend. You can simply use something like +234 followed by the rest of the number, or put 234 in brackets and then space out the remaining digits properly. The key thing is to keep the formatting clean and professional.
Then, regarding your Gmail and LinkedIn profile, make sure both are hyperlinked. If someone clicks on your email address, it should open an email, and clicking on your LinkedIn should take them directly to your profile.
Also, you need to customise your LinkedIn URL. You can only do this using a laptop. Go into your LinkedIn profile settings and look for the option to edit your public profile URL. You can also watch a quick YouTube tutorial if you're not sure where to find it.
At the moment, your LinkedIn link has all those random characters after your name. You don't need them. Make the URL as clean as possible, preferably something based on your name. After "linkedin.com/in/", it should simply be your customised name.
Another thing I noticed is the arrangement of your contact details. Your phone number, email address and LinkedIn should ideally be on one line, rather than being scattered.
You also need a proper headline. Since you're an Economics graduate, you can have something along the lines of "Economics Graduate | Financial Analysis | Data Analysis | ICAN Student" or whatever best represents your actual skills and career direction.
The idea is that, at first glance, someone should immediately have an idea of who you are and what you do. Before they even start reading the CV, your headline should give them that picture.
Then, you need a professional summary.
I've seen some people mention this under your post as well, and I agree with them. You need a professional summary of about three lines at most. It's simply a concise way of telling the recruiter who you are, what you can do and what you're looking to contribute.
Now, regarding your experience, I wouldn't describe what you currently have as strong professional work experience yet. Most of what you've listed appears to be volunteering, campus ambassador roles and leadership experiences.
There's nothing wrong with that. You just need to categorise them correctly.
If you have internship experience, that should be highlighted under "Work Experience" because an internship is still professional experience. Your campus ambassador roles and similar positions can then go under something like "Leadership & Volunteering Experience."
Also, I would change the order of some of your sections.
After your professional summary, I would bring your skills section first. You're a young graduate, so recruiters want to quickly understand what you can actually do and what skills you have developed.
This is where you highlight things like data analysis, financial modelling, statistical analysis, Microsoft Excel, relevant software, research, or any other technical skills you genuinely possess.
Your skills are what you are selling, so present them properly.
After your skills, you can bring in your education. You have a good CGPA, so that's something worth showcasing. Highlight your 4.xx CGPA and make sure it is clearly visible.
After education, you can then bring in your work experience, followed by
Aji retweeted
Reminds me of Joseph Stalin, the Russian dictator who once came to a Politburo meeting holding a chicken in his hand. During the meeting, he began plucking its feathers one by one. The helpless chicken cried out in pain, but he continued until every feather had been removed.
When the chicken was completely naked, Stalin let it go. He then took out some chicken feed from his pocket and began to feed the chicken from his palm. After sometime, Stalin walked away. Surprisingly, the chicken followed him wherever he went. And even when he sat down, the chicken quietly climbed onto his lap and sat there.
Stalin then explained to his surprised Party members; "This chicken represents the people. You must torture them, brutalize them, and take everything away from them. Then when you give them a little, just peanuts, they will treat you like a hero and worship you."
Aji retweeted
Once upon a time, ‘Ete Friday’ was hired to protest for APC, but something else happened.
Were you there? 😅😅😅
Aji retweeted
Somebody's life right now.
You've finished university and you're looking for how to leave Nigeria.
You hear learning French helps, you start learning French.
Your friend tells you German is easier, you start learning Guten Morgen.
Another person says a master's will boost your points, you apply to Miva.
All this while, you still need IELTS Academic or General.
Then someone tells you to get work experience.
Another person says learn a tech skill.
Another says get a professional certification.
At this point, you're not even living anymore. You're just gathering requirements.
When can one actually rest?
Aji retweeted
Speed without awareness might put you in problem
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
This video appears to be AI-generated. A human hand appears pointing in one frame, motion looks unnatural, and timing is perfectly dramatic. Similar clips are flagged as AI.
youtube.com/watch?v=2SQYl0…
Aji retweeted
One thing I keep telling younger friends and colleagues is to develop depth in something.
Chase global opportunities. Apply for the fellowships. Go to the conferences. Build your network. Travel if you get the opportunity. Put yourself in rooms where you can meet people and see what is possible.
All of these things can change your life.
But somewhere along the way, make sure you are actually becoming very good at something.
Know something deeply. Develop a skill people can trust you with. Become the person who understands a subject beyond what can be picked up from a few articles or a weekend workshop.
Because opportunities can give you access, but access eventually exposes your level of competence.
You can get into the room through a fellowship. You can meet important people at a conference. You can build an impressive LinkedIn profile. You can collect certificates from some of the best institutions in the world.
Eventually, somebody will ask you to do the work.
Write the paper.
Analyse the data.
Lead the project.
Edit the story.
Build the product.
Explain the problem.
Manage the team.
Advise the organisation.
And at that point, there is nowhere to hide.
This is why I worry sometimes when I see young people becoming very good at chasing opportunities without spending enough time developing the competence those opportunities are supposed to accelerate.
Your twenties and thirties are a great time to explore. Try different things. Move across fields. Discover what interests you. I certainly do not believe everyone needs to spend their entire career doing one thing.
But exploration should still leave you with accumulated knowledge and ability.
If you have worked in climate for five years, you should understand climate issues much better than someone who arrived yesterday.
If you have covered elections for years, you should know the history, institutions, data, actors and debates around elections.
If you work in AI, go beyond knowing the latest tools. Understand how the technology works, the policy debates, the business models, the limitations and the important questions in the field.
If you are a journalist, learn to report and write exceptionally well.
Whatever it is, go deep enough that people can depend on what you know and what you can do.
And depth takes time.
It comes from reading. Practice. Repetition. Failure. Working with people better than you. Being corrected. Doing difficult assignments. Staying with a problem long enough to understand the things that are invisible from the surface.
Global opportunities are valuable. Networks matter. Visibility can help. I have benefited enormously from all three.
But none of them makes competence obsolete.
If anything, the more access you get, the more important competence becomes.
Because getting into the room is one thing.
Having something valuable to contribute when you get there is another.
Competence will never go out of fashion.
#YouWillNotFail
