Two weeks ago, I went for a run along Airport Road, a popular route where hundreds of people walk and run.
Two men were staring in my direction and catcalling me. Mind you, I had my headphones on. One of them eventually walked up to me, lifted my headphones off my ears without my consent and said, “Smile, you be fine girl.”
They did this while other men stood watching and cars drove past, navigating the bumps on the road. I felt so violated and humiliated.
I turned around, walked back and emptied the contents of my water bottle on him.
That was when things escalated. Other men began charging towards me. Thankfully, a few people who had witnessed what happened spoke up and explained the situation to a man who stepped in to mediate.
He told the men plainly that the two of them were wrong and that the CCTV cameras had captured the incident.
The man who harassed me kept insisting that what he did wasn’t harassment. Another tried to justify his behaviour by saying he was simply appreciating what God had created.
The mediator had to explain something that should be basic knowledge saying, “You do not know this woman, you have no right to touch her, pull her headphones off or demand that she smile for you”
Imagine having to explain something as fundamental as bodily autonomy to grown men.
They eventually asked whether pouring water on him was justified, and the mediator told them that his actions had invited that reaction.
Meanwhile, because I had recorded videos earlier, they became even more upset about the footage. They started pleading with the mediator to ask me to delete the videos.
It is exhausting being a woman. Exhausting to simply exist in public without being subjected to unsolicited attention, entitlement, harassment and the expectation that you must always be pleasant and accommodating.
You cannot simply run, walk, mind your business or exist in your own body without someone feeling entitled to your attention, your smile or your compliance.
It’s almost as though being born a woman means being assigned a lifelong responsibility to anticipate, manage and protect yourself from other people’s entitlement.
You can never know someone completely but you can take your time to understand their character, observe their actions and look out for red flags. Marriage is a big decision,don't rush it.
Dear Plateau people,
I want to remind you that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu visited Plateau State following the Angwan Rukuba massacre, where innocent lives were brutally cut short.
But rather than visiting Angwan Rukuba, the very community where the bloodshed occurred, he remained at the airport, several miles away from the scene of the tragedy.
In fact, grieving families, still nursing fresh wounds and struggling to come to terms with the horrific loss of their loved ones, were transported all the way to the airport to meet the President.
Imagine that!
Families who had just buried, or were preparing to bury, their loved ones were made to travel to meet the very person who should have gone to them.
And as if that wasn't painful enough, the President reportedly cut his visit short, complaining about the lack of electricity at the airport, despite the cool weather of the Plateau highlands.
Now, on the 15th, he will be returning to Plateau State. But this time, not to console grieving families or stand with communities devastated by insecurity.
He is coming to campaign for his re-election.
And guess what? This time, the airport will not be his final destination. He will make his way to the stadium at Farin Gada, where the political stage is being prepared for him.
So, let me understand something.
When innocent Plateau people were slaughtered, visiting the affected community was apparently too much to ask. But when it is time to solicit our votes, suddenly, the journey into Jos is worth making?
Are political campaigns more important than the lives of Plateau people?
Because that is precisely the message this government is sending to us.
The lives lost at Angwan Rukuba were not statistics. They were fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. They were human beings with dreams, families and futures that were violently taken away from them.
And yet, we are expected to forget, move on, welcome the political entourage, applaud the speeches and pretend that nothing happened.
I refuse!
Plateau State has suffered enough from insecurity, neglect and the repeated failure of those entrusted with protecting its people.
When the benefits of governance are being distributed, Plateau often seems forgotten. But when election season approaches and votes are needed, our state suddenly becomes important enough to host political rallies.
What an insult to our collective intelligence, to the grieving families and to the memories of those whose blood was spilled on Plateau soil!
With this level of disregard for human life, I cannot understand how anyone who witnessed the pain of Angwan Rukuba can so easily overlook what happened and reward this administration with another mandate.
For me, the memories of those who died will remain a painful reminder of the leadership failures we must never normalise.
As for me and my family, we will not vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Our lives must matter beyond election seasons.
Plateau deserves better. Our people deserve better. And the souls of those we have lost deserve more than political speeches, freshly painted stadiums and promises that disappear once the votes have been counted.
“Combat-modified tricycle”. As in war keke. As in keke napep to take into the forest to navigate the forest terrain to fight against terrorism? Again, I ask, as in WAR KEKE????????????
The APC are acting like they’re the opposition and the NDC with Peter Obi are the ones in power.
What do you mean by, “I will provide you with electricity” after 4 freaking years, another promises?
What happened to, “If I don’t provide you electricity after 4 years, don’t vote me back”?
Nigerian men will put everyone else on accountability watch, yet they refuse to hold themselves to the same standard.
It doesn’t make any sense.
You all behave as if you’re saints.