TAIWO ISOLA'S BLOG

I never knew another March 14 will catch up with me in Maiduguri. Now that it has, let me give a preview of what happened on March 14, 2014. Then the analysis of our race to automated genocide will be clearer:   It was a Friday morning. At exactly 7.50am, the first grenade was launched into the campus of the University of Maiduguri. The explosion reverberated through the campus. Pandemonium broke out. Confusion everywhere. This was followed by another explosion and another and another. Armour tanks clashed and bullets rained like autumn showers. Everyone scampered for safety where there was none. Armageddon was let loose and we saw war. The falcon beckoned but it could not hear the falconets; it became a race for survival. The not-so-fortunately were caught, and bodies dropped dead after being hit by either the explosions or the bullets. Vultures perched; an ugly conglomeration of grave-side wailers. I am very sure, double sure that none of the thousands of stude...

Many of us were robbed of our childhood. We never experienced real childhood because someone stole our innocence away from us. We were never allowed to be a child before being rushed into adulthood. We were given too much responsibilities very early, our toys were taken away from us very quickly and our innocence was snatched away painfully. When we needed love, they gave us responsibilities. When we needed approval, they heaped condemnation. When we needed acceptance, they pointed to our faults!  Our development men is shaped by the things we encountered as children. What each of us will eventually become will be shaped or influenced by the people who parented us and the environment we grew up in. What painful childhood memories haunt you? Who took away your innocence? What domestic abuse were you exposed to? What images kept replaying themselves in your skull? What are the voices drowning your dreams and lowering your self-esteem? What remembrance stir pain a...