The Scratch Board... starting your idea from scratch

Exactly 10years ago my life changed.

In 2005 I got a clear understanding of why I was here and in 2010 "JEWELS NETWORK" a non profit platform for women to express themselves was started.
Along with it came clear pictures of the future and one of them is "THE SCRATCH BOARD" an enterprise education class for ladies who aspire to own their businesses or already have start-ups.


This class will feature modules on cultural entrepreneurship, idea viability, discovering your personal niche and 7 others.
This is the first of its kind and it will be setting the stage for global brands from Nigeria.

Date: 27/06/2015
Location: Lagos

Are you a lady entrepreneur or do you want to be? Get your business plans or ideas written down and lets take you on a journey to building enterprises and institutions.

To sign up for the class and for more info? send a mail to: jewelsnetwork10@gmail.com

"THE SCRATCH BOARD...starting your ideas from scratch" is brought to you by Jewels Network!
Sponsored by; BizImpact Limited & Steve Harris II
Supported by; Paragon Efx, Steph B School, Paul & Lois Legal Practitioners, Wise Planner Consults and others.

Convener/ Facilitator,
Ihotu Joy Amuta
Twitter: @aihot

Leadership By Bullets

On my way to church I noticed that the street to church was blocked off by the police and all the streets down the road as well and I had to turn back and park by the road side to get to church on foot. I asked why there were so many angry-trigger-happy-men-in-black blocking of 4 major streets in Lekki1 and I was told someone with a political office was in one of the houses. My informant noticed my perplexed expression and added that the politician was of the wrong party and on the wrong side of the opposition’s godfather. I laughed out loud before I could control myself and walked off smiling.

How is it possible that a politician who is not the president can block off 4 major streets in a famous neighbourhood and all we can do it stand around and watch to see if other “goons” were coming for a fight. I could see the expectation in the eyes of those standing around and it made me sad.

True leadership is service to the people anything else is terrorism.

You don’t need to bear a certain crest and blow people up to be a terrorist. The fact that those who put you in office now have to cower at your presence and suffer because you came into town is cruel and makes you undeserving of that position.

I was smiling because he was more afraid of his opponents than the man of the street. But the man on the street was his worst enemy. As someone has said, "when the poor have nothing left to eat they will eat the rich".

Leadership entails direction. If you are pointing us to decadence and disruptive behaviour you are an anarchist not a leader

I am one of the millions of Nigerians waiting for the new administration to work a miracle and praying for divine help for right decisions and protection. I didn't write about missing money, election drama, peoples opinion or fuel scarcity because I am holding out for “change” and it has to be a complete “transformation” if not we are only ‘mice on a wheel’.

God help us.



image curtsey nairaland.com

Lady In A Little White Dress

She sat with her legs slightly open. Her dress was a pretty little white piece open to the waist at the back and ending at the knee. She was a black beauty with only red lipstick for makeup and an Afro that said "I'm African and proud" daring the rest of us who had paid good money to own Caucasian hair.

I sat a few paces away from her to the left and wondered if the slight open of her legs was exposing more than just her thighs to those sitting opposite her. She seemed oblivious to the way she sat so I decided to get my answers from the expressions of those opposite her.

Lady with long braids sat with her face set as a flint as if a rod had been placed inside her spine preventing her from moving. As I stared at her waiting for the affirmation that a scene was playing before her I caught her eyes dart at the slightly open legs and knew that was the reason for the ramrod back.

Guy with the jacket had a small smile on his face as he stared unflinchingly at the slightly open legs. He looked up at that point and our eyes met and he eyed me as if to say "do something about it" and I gave a small smile. Now I was sure a major distraction was playing with the concentration of the panellists at my conference.

I began to get uneasy for my new found obsession of the slightly open legs and decided to end it with a note of warning to the lady. My note read, "you may want to shut your legs I think you're feeding the eyes of an unwanted audience". I knew it wasn't the friendliest note to a stranger but since she wouldn't know the origin what did it matter.

As I folded the note to send to her someone walked towards her and whispered something into her ears and she immediately jumped up and walked out. I smiled to myself as I slipped the note into my handbag and as I looked up I again caught the eyes of the guy in the jacket and he heaved a sign of relief and I had to laugh out loud to the chagrin of those beside me.

I had become the distraction.

Voices That Live

I have questioned many things in my life mainly because other people questioned them and this threatens to awaken my slumbering worry-nature.

The concern or sometimes outright pity in their eyes makes me wonder if something went wrong or if I went wrong and I begin to doubt myself and then God.

But then I remember that just His voice brings life into every seemingly dead situation and yet again I lay it all down at the altar, acknowledge my weakness and helplessness and let God rule!!! So when my heart gets heavy by a careless comment made in concern or spite I remember that I listen to His voice and it gives life to my seeming handicap, dead situation or lack and I #rest because HE HAS SPOKEN!!! John 5:24-26

The question is: who's voice speaks to your situations?

Who's voice do you listen to?

#voiceofGod #Jesusbaby #churchgirl #biblestudent #life #peace #love

Saved By Sacrifice

He thought he heard a tremor in the ground

And because he was expecting it Corban knew it had to be it
He had waited 3 days to hear it.
It was what he had read about and what his mother believed but his father was a sceptic being a man of the robes and all. He agreed to the rising but not of a nobody whose activities were questionable or were they?
Corban had always followed his mother to the chagrin of his father but she was always right.
As he trembled from hair tips to toe nails, he wished he was standing right in front of the great stone when it happen.

He wasn't an ordinary spectator like many others.
They had had a conversation once even though he spoke and all he got was a wide smile and a slight nod. But ever since then anytime their eyes met there was recognition in his and of course that smile.

Everybody knew the smile even the men of robes, he smiled at everyone especially the children. Some said his affinity to children was because they had hearts unsoiled by life and his mother said, children were his until they began to make their own choices
He never really understood that but he his mother always read the writings of Moses and they had the ability to make you sound crazy

As he ran to the great stone he saw his mother’s friends leaving in a big hurry and he stopped. They walked past him consumed by their haste and didn't see him. All it seemed Mary kept saying was "alive alive alive" as they broke into a run. He also ran to the great stone that now lay on the ground slightly leaning on the side of the rock but no longer blocking the doorway and he looked in and it was empty. Mary's voice came back to him "alive alive alive" and he laughed out loud for so long he was sure he would wake up the sleeping guards. His mother was right after all. Oh the look on the faces of the men of robes, hehehehehe....now his father would take an early retirement and listen to his wife.

As Corban ran after His mother’s friends, he knew she will be with them at the shelter. They had been therefore the 3 days waiting to prove everyone else wrong.
He entered the room and saw his mother’s eyes awash with tears and she looked up at him and smiled and in the loudest whisper she said YESHUA IS RISEN

As they began to dance and rejoice, 1 of the 70 (you knew them by their wristbands) said,
Lift Him up oh lands and peoples
YESHUA is alive
Just like it was told to us
And now we have experienced
YESHUA is the saviour
He has led us straight to God
We are now made whole by His gift
Free to live free
No more blood sacrifices
YESHUA's blood has done it once for all

Corban was so lost in the frenzy he didn't see his father sneak into the room and hug his mother mouthing a "thank you". His robe was gone now he was just a man saved by sacrifice.