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INTRODUCING NNEWI- MY HOME SWEET HOME
Are you proud of your home town? A lot of people are not proud of their home town because of some reasons best known to them like saying what has the town really done for me not to talk of Nigeria. We all have to start putting ideas together as youths to know how we can help our communities and our home town if not now but in the future. I am proud of my home town regardless of what people think of it. Here is a little biography of my beloved home town Nnewi.
Nnewi is the second largest city in Anambra state (HOME FOR ALL) in southeastern Nigeria (in the region formerly known as Republic of Biafra). Nnewi comprises of four autonomous villages namely Otolo, Uruagu, Umudim, and Nnewi-ichi. It is made up of about 3 million inhabitants
Nnewi city hosts a prestigious center of excellence in medicine, the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH). Nnewi is probably the most industrialized city in Africa. Its industries include palm oil, cosmetics, motor and motorcycle spare parts, books and stationeries, textiles, weaving, and other industries. It is also the home of largest motorcycle spare parts market in Africa. No wonder it is nicknamed “JAPAN OF AFRICA” since virtually all motor and motorcycle parts of all brands can be repaired or reconstructed in the city. Other markets include Nkwo Nnewi and Nwafor market.
Nnewi is rich in human resources as well, with successful entrepreneurs, educators, engineers, industries, medical doctors, traders to mention a few. Nnewi people can be found in every part of Africa and beyond. As business people, they found and nurture small scale business into cooperate investments. Most business, commercial, and residential buildings throughout Nigeria and Africa are owned by Igbo people with Nnewi people as a significant driving force.
Nnewi is the ancestral home of some prominent Nigerians like Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu known as “Ikemba Nnewi”, former President of defunct Republic of Biafra, Chief Nwafor Orizu, former nationalist and first Republic Senate President, Chief M.C.K Ajuluchukwu, nationalist, anti-colonial fighter and first Republic law-maker, and Chief Augustine Illodibe, CEO of Ekene Dili Chukwu industries to mention but a few.
LONG LIVE NNEWI
LONG LIVE ANAMBRA STATE
LONG LIVE IGBOLAND
LONG LIVE NIGERIA
Click here to E-mail Nnenny Or send mail to nnenny@imoonline.org
Modern Relationship Mimics Globalization - Few Winners, Many Losers
Nneamaka Madumelu
March 25, 2006
Have you ever for once thought about why people enter into a
relationships, even as young as 13 or 14 years of age in this day and
age? Could it be that the era of globalization that is making the world
a global village plays a major role? Well, my insight will be drawn from
my own experience as someone who lives abroad and from a female
perspective. Some key words “Relationship” and “Globalization” will be
defined.
Relationship, according to the dictionary, is defined as a
romantic or sexual involvement. In this case; it can be between the
opposite sex or of the same sex. Globalization, on the other
hand, is defined as the intensification of people and goods from one
place to the other.
There are so many reasons why people enter into relationships but in
most cases it is for personal reasons. We now live in a global world,
where technology and the internet have facilitated communication between
one part of the world and another. Events, say in the North (western
world/developed countries) largely affect the rest of the world
(South/developing countries). This is the effect of globalization.
Relationships, also benefit from globalization. It used to be something
that come of age; parents once expected their wards to, at least, bring
their dates home for formal or informal introduction. Today, people can
meet, date, and marry over the internet without the knowledge of their
parents.
Quite a number of young people enter into relationships out of peer
pressure. If their friends are dating, therefore they must date too for
validation, or to fit into the circle of friendship. This process
can destroy young people who get influenced negatively especially by
sexually activities. It can lead to unwanted pregnancy, STD’s (Sexually
Transmitted Diseases), HIV and AIDS etc. I may be wrong, but I am yet to
see such a relationship in recent times that is without sexual
activities. I read in one of the Canadian newspapers that the practice
of sex by youths especially those that are 14 years of age (grade 9…1st
year high school students, equivalent of JSS3) have increased. In
Canada, there are a lot of teenage mothers as young as 14.
Furthermore, it can be a necessity for many. A lot of young ladies in
Toronto enter into a relationship for material reasons (so I concluded).
For them, they need someone to buy their necessities for them. This can
range from going shopping, weekend movies, paying for clubs, lunch and
dinner and most importantly ( which I now come to assume to be their
first criteria) a car. According to some (my friends), they would tell
me “ you know Canada is a cold country so I need someone to be taking me
to school and back etc” . The favorite saying in pidgin English is “
you sabi think fine girl like me go stand for bus stop dey wait for the
bus”. For this reason, most young ladies want someone that is
already made and financial stable. With all the VIP treatment toward the
ladies, the men would want something in return, which obviously is
sex.
Some young women enter into a relationship for the above listed reasons
and on the other hand, men get their own reward, which is sexual
gratification. This is why I assumed that modern relationships have
become too erotic. Even when a guy isn't requesting for sex from his
date, most girls I know would assume he is getting it form somewhere
else.
I see modern relationship going hand in hand with globalization. With
the technologies and the flow of goods and services, one would argue
that it is a positive thing leaving the negative part of it. I would
argue it is a good thing for the developed economies because they are
the super powers of the world controlling everything while the
developing countries are on the receiving side. This also includes
one-way flow of cultural influences that affect relationships.
Therefore, the winner-loser relationship is an integral part of
globalization. The cultures that influence relationships (movies,
hip-hops, internet, materialism etc) flow in one direction, as
well as the benefits.
Therefore, I see relationship as part of Economic Globalization or
purely Economics because there are winners (developed countries) and
losers (developing countries) because the developing countries are
fastly losing their culture to the more attractive western culture. In
another scenario, the winners are men and the losers, women because
women are on the receiving side. I call men 'winners' because they
can date as many women as they wish and end up marrying fresh girls. If
the man lives abroad, he even gets the benefit of abandoning all his
'exploits' and going back home to marry what they refer as “ fresh
and well brought up girl” . His abandoned dates abroad would have
been used and dumped. Some may move on to another 'roving' guy or if she
is getting older, heads back to Nigeria to find a man there.
Like its mother economic globalization, modern relationship flows just in one direction. The developing countries can dump their cheap goods in as many poor countries as they wish but only allow imports from few countries they choose with mean trade restrictions. It's not a fair world I guess.
My question to those men is “ Are the women you dated not a
wife materials?”. I asked this question because I don’t understand
why they can date a woman for 2-5 yrs and end up not marrying her rather
they back to Nigeria or even in to another country to get married to
someone much younger.
To my readers and the youths out there, RELATIONSHIP IS A GAME so
knowing what you want is very important for your survival in this
globalized world.
Click here to E-mail Nnenny Or send mail to nnenny@imoonline.org
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