Chronicles of Iyale ookan

Ninety-nine days  for  the  encoder , one  day  for  the  decoder. Someone  will  just  be  on her  own  trying  to  make  the  world  a better  place and  gist  will  just  come  and  locate  you  effortlessly. So I was  minding my  business jejely, throwing out  trash,when I noticed  a folded piece of  paper  around  the  trash can,  I picked  up  the  the  paper  and  opened  it.... involuntarily  I sucked  in  my  breath  and  my  jaw  dropped  to  the  floor.... Literally... Lo and  behold!!!!  It  was my  neighbor's  flight  itinerary  print -out of  her  "summer  trip  to  Dubai".The  real  bewilderment  was  that her  " summer...

Though the  shopping  destinations  may differ,yet the  same exhilarating  feeling  resonates through out  each shopping experience . The  intense  craving, the  insatiable  quest  for acquiring /procuring and the  indescribable  bliss it brings after you  have  liberated those  merchandise  from  the  shackles of  the  stores. The  surge  of  excitement you feel  clutching   your  shopping  bags  in  your arms  and   more  shopping  bags  in tow, makes  you stand so  tall with  your  head  almost  touching sky.  The  intimate, almost  sensual  yet  liberating experience retail  therapy  provides . The  anticipation and the  build-up that  keeps you  up  at  night  when  the   urge  to...

  I can  hear  the  rhythm again.... The  slow rhythmic melody almost hypnotic like  the  Piper belting out  tunes so wanton... so  bewitching ...causing my  resolute  to  slowly  ebb  away and in my  head I moved  to  the sound with  snake - like  precision, slithering from side  to  side .         THEN!  all  of  a sudden!! The  tempo quickened.... Pulsating, palpitating almost like  War-chant and in  my  head  still,  I made  movements like  a Roman warrior ,the forth and  back movements of  Abija in  the  Arelu series.... Prancing  as swift as  a cheetah  yet as  elegant as  a gazelle. The sudden  halt  of  the car snapped  me  out  of  the  trance. This  is Balogun  market in  Lagos...

Reminisce :A time to  remind us of the path we have walked... A reminder  of  the journey  ahead..... The  various  heights  to  conquer. Watching the  premiere of the  2nd season of  the series, Sons of  the  Caliphate last Night on  Ebony live TV opened flood  of  memories; my  mandatory one year NYSC  service  in  Sokoto. It made me  recall the  royal grandeur, grace and  glory of  the  Sokoto  caliphate. The rich  cultural milieu, the  sights and  sounds of the  state, the  warm, generous ,generally amazing  people and  other things  that  made  Sokoto a cultural jewel of  the Savannah. Not forgetting  the  era   that  marked  the  beginning of a change  in  my narrative  ..... A place  where my luck turned  around. My...