From Me To You

Teen Connect 
By Nkechi Ibeneme

Get angry, but ….
As humans, we have a right to get angry; why not? We are no saints. Even those that try to be saintly cannot achieve 100% sainthood because they live amongst fellow humans and have adrenalin pumping through their system. As long as you are breathing, you are bound to get angry once in a while. However, the ability to control oneself when angry is what defines an individual.
From time, there have been stories of people who got killed or maimed because someone around them got angry. These sort of unfortunate stories have become even more prevalent and more widely spread since the advent of cell phones and social media.

In recent times, our media (traditional and new) have been awash with story after story of anger killings happening in the least expected place – the home. The home used to be a place of safety, but that is fast being eroded going by the kind of stories we read on a daily basis.
Anger, when uncontrolled becomes devilish and often leads to regrettable yet irreversible actions like culpable homicide; the stories of which daily pervade our media space in recent times. One cannot forget in a hurry the celebrated trial of award winning South African athlete, Oscar Pistorius over the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp; because, she made him ‘angry’. In Nigeria, such stories abound that one does not even know which of it to talk about. However, a few known cases readily come to mind: Titilayo Omozoje Arowolo, a banker murdered by her husband, Ronke Shonde, also murdered by her husband, Oyewole Oyediran stabbed to death by his Lawyer wife while asleep, Bilyamin Bello, stabbed to death by his angry wife while asleep, and just last week, 28-year- old Maureen Adejo who was tortured to death by her ‘angry’ husband. These are just a few out of many reported cases, who knows how many more that remain unreported till date.
Cases of people treating their domestic helps violently also abound. We’ve heard of cases of madams making their wards to sit over a burning stove; because, they wet the bed and of others stamping their helps with hot irons; because, they stole and madam was ‘angry’.
Anger is a fleeting emotion, but any damage done within that moment, is usually irreversible and sadly so. The fact that you are angry, which you have a right to be, does not permit you to launch an onslaught of verbal and physical abuse on the person that made you angry or worse still, transfer the aggression to an innocent person – there’ve been bizarre stories of parents killing or maiming their own children just to get at spouses who had made them ‘angry’. When anger assumes this dimension, it calls for an urgent need for a mental examination. Not everybody moving around in a nice dress is mentally sound and certainly not everybody sitting or living with you is, either. We all need to watch out for the tell tale signs and scamper to safety before we fall victims.
For those who fly off the handle at the slightest provocation, there’s a law which frowns at murder or manslaughter (whatever nick name lawyers call it) and which MUST take its full course whenever such a heinous crime is committed. Posterity will also judge such a person, leaving in its trail a stigma that will last beyond a lifetime. Above all else, is the God factor and the fact that there is going to be judgment after death. How do you defend such actions when the time comes? Because of a fleeting moment of ‘madness’, you stand to lose everything, is it really worth it?
Get angry if you will, but, don’t vent using your fists or weapons or whatsoever that can cause another grievous bodily harm or emotional pain or even death. You have no such rights!

Financial literacy 
By Sylvia Ignatius

More steps to financial freedom…

Two weeks ago, we started a series on steps to financial freedom. Here are more tips:
• Spend wisely – Yes! Spend wisely. I know not a few teenagers will chuckle at this point. Apart from the fact that a good number of teens are spendthrifts, you will also wonder at how much disposable income you really have. Well….he that is faithful in little things will no doubt be great in big things. Instead of spending frivolously, you can invest on worthwhile things or even save. You will be amazed at how much your ‘small’ pocket money will amount to; if and when you save part of it. Talk of little drops of water that make an ocean.
• Get a holiday job – It is an economic waste to spend your holidays, especially long holidays idling away; watching television, visiting friends and chatting away on social media platforms. Now, nobody says you shouldn’t do any of these but, do not over indulge to the extent that that’s all you ever get to do. Apart from additional income, holiday jobs also expose one to valuable on-the-job experience. This equips the teenager for future productivity.
• Set goals – Before a building construction is undertaken, there must be an architectural design to guide the actual construction. Likewise, in building your life and finance, you must set a goal. A goal is a roadmap to your journey through life. Anyone that fails to plan plans to fail; therefore, goal setting is very vital to achieving a successful and financially free life. When setting your goal, ensure you set a smart goal; must be: specific, measurable, achievable and time bound. This way, you could assess your progress and be able to make adjustments when necessary.
• Pursue your goal – A goal no matter how smart is worthless if action is not taken towards its actualization. Take practical steps towards achieving your set goals and never relent no matter the obstacles you may encounter along the way.
•To be continued

Blow the whistle…..
Whenever cases of domestic violence, sexual abuse or abuse of any kind happens to you or anyone you know, please, dial this number: *6820# to report it immediately.

Talk to Judy
Hi guys! My name is Judy. I am here to share your problems with you. Trust me to proffer solutions to those mind boggling problems you wouldn’t dare share with friends, siblings, parents or anyone else.
A lot of people; teenagers alike, hurt secretly with problems they can’t discuss openly for fear of being judged. You may hide your identity if you wish, but do write in and let’s discuss that problem. It is not healthy to bottle up problems. Moreover, problems shared are problems half solved. Or, you think no one cares? I do care!
I will be here every week to help you solve that problem. But, I can’t, if you don’t talk about it, so do write in. you never know, what you call a problem may just be a normal growing up experience.
*****Send your mails to: teensconnectmag@gmail.com. Subject: Dear Judy.
You can also like our facebook page:  www.facebook.com/teensconnectmag.
•Or visit our website: www.teensconnectmag.com

Teens Speak

Towards a better Nigeria

Following the opinion poll conducted by TEENS CONNECT; teenagers lend their voices to the discourse on what the Nigerian government should do to make the country a better place:

Akanimo Inyang – 18
• The government should provide places where people can learn crafts for free.
• It should do everything within its power to reduce inflation.
• Government should promote the doctrine of love; Love will reduce crime, terrorism, tribal war and other vices.

Ayomide Temiloluwa Aremu – 13
I want the Nigerian government to build good hospitals with world class facilities, in other to reduce the rate of unnecessary deaths in Nigeria – Accidents happen on a daily basis, and most times when victims are rushed to the hospital, there is a case of inadequate facility. More often than not, the victim may die in the process of looking for a better equipped hospital.
I want the Nigerian government to construct and also upgrade our roads. This gives birth to better road networks and invariably reduces unnecessary traffic, accidents and untimely deaths.
I want the Nigerian government to punish offenders according to the degree of their offences. No one should be placed above the law. Politicians caught contradicting the law should b arrested and punished.

Ezevilo God’s Favour – 16
Imagine Nigeria with a bettered economy. We possess a lot of resources but it’s our mono resourcing that is causing what we know as “recession”. We have a lot of crops and equipment to feed our nation and others but we leave our economy to fend for itself while we better that of others by buying what we already possess; we have rice but we still import, we have wood but we import toothpick. Why won’t our economy go down?. I want the government to also invest in agriculture for the betterment of our economy as my first point.
The next area to be touched is that of the educational system. Most undergraduates are going abroad to study and if they are asked the reason they refer to how messed up our educational system is. For example a state university can admit an indigene with a poor WAEC and JAMB result and deny a non-indigene having good results in both .This point is calling out to the government to flush out corruption, inefficiency and lack of interest towards the education of our future leaders.
Finally…….The end of bribery and corruption at all levels of government.

Onuweri Oghenefejiro – 15
• The government should invest in other economic sectors which they have comparative cost advantage over to improve the economy
• The government should provide jobs and give loans to qualified youths who are able and willing to work to reduce  the rate of social vices like robbery, kidnapping, vandalism and other relared crimes
• The government should enact laws that allows for the prosecution of human right abusers and law breakers, irrespective of age, gender, social and political status.

Ayankunbi Olamilekan – 14
•    The government should provide quality, affordable and compulsory education for all children.
•     Adequate and appreciable security of lives and properties.
Uninterrupted electricity/power supply.

Chidinma Orji – 16
The first thing the Government of Nigeria should do is to provide free education to all corners of the federation and improve the quality and standard of education in the country by employing qualified trained teachers. They should also equip the laboratories and provide adequate study materials in the schools. These will help to reduce the rate of  iliteracy in the country.
Secondly, I think they should also look into the medical standard in the country to provide the required equipment in hospitals and health centers to reduce death rates in the society.
Thirdly, the Government should create room for job opportunities for youths; to reduce the rate of poverty and minimize criminal acts such as fraud, stealing, kidnapping and prostitution.

Kosi Ayah  – 14
In my opinion, the government needs to do a whole lot to make Nigeria a better place. But, three things stand out:
The government should build good roads in all the states.
The government should place more emphasis on education and agriculture and support same with adequate financing.
Finally but certainly not the least, the government should endeavour to pay workers well and promptly too. It is not right to owe workers for so long when they have bills to pay and children to feed; it is very bad.

Ayankunbi Olamilekan – 14
•    The government should provide quality, affordable and compulsory education for all children.
•     Adequate and appreciable security of lives and properties.
Uninterrupted electricity/power supply.

Damilola Adebayo – 11
1. Government should provide quality and free education to all.
2. Secure our country from external and internal attacks.
3. Provide needed infrastructure to grow small businesses.

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