Nigeria Beats Mali To Make it to AFCON Finals

One of my male readers on Twitter one day complained that I was talking love while Burkina Faso held Nigeria hostage. Well, let me talk some football, and since I've been monitoring the AFCON, it's an easy task. I'm happy to bring the good news that we made it, lol...

I'm so excited for Nigeria and the Super Eagles. Now let's bring the trophy home.

Nigeria cruised to a 4-1 win over Mali on Wednesday to reach the African Cup final for the first time in more than a decade.

Nigeria dominated from the start and opened the scoring with a header by Elderson Echiejile in the 25th minute. Brown Ideye added to the lead in a breakaway in the 30th and Emmanuel Emenike netted from a free kick in the 44th.

Ahmed Musa scored the fourth goal in the 60th as Nigeria ended Mali’s hopes of lifting the trophy to bring joy to the fans enduring political instability and conflicts back home.

A Man asks me for Money - Search Query

We have had two posts dealing with men asking women they're supposedly in a relationship with for money. There is the suitor con, and there is the stingy boyfriend. I know some men who do so may sometimes mean well, and can be genuine, but mostly that is not the case. I won't label it a red flag if it happens once, but if it happens more than twice, and something is just off, be careful. #thatisall.

4 Tips To Maintain A Supportive Relationship

Some women often find that as their careers take off or when they decided to delve into their passion as a business, their relationships take a hit. They either find that their husbands and/or partners are not as supportive as they used to be.

This could either be true from the man's ego and insecurities acting up, or it could be that the woman has changed as the career or business thrives, taking her attention away from her family and thereby affecting the dynamics of her relationship with her man. Below are some tips to help to maintain balance in such a situation.

Tiwa Savage Gets a Most Public Proposal

At Tiwa's Birthday Dinner, her manager Tee Billz, now fiance, proposed on bended knees with a very lovely ring. And Tiwa said yes. Congrats to the couple and all the best in their relationship. For those who have been asking and speculating about the two, now they know :)

Richard Mofe Damijo - Removed

Richard Mofe Damijo is a veteran Nollywood actor, and I actually had him in mind while writing A Heart to Mend. He is becoming a silver fox these days but retains a classic handsome look. He is married with children.

How to Make Squash Salad - Serve with Roast Beef

This is related to my carb-free menu ideas, sometimes I just want to load up with vegetables and protein and stay away from carbohydrates for a meal or two. Squash is a great vegetable and when it is roasted, it has a deep flavor that stands and gives your salad so much more personality. I made this with roast beef, but chicken and other meats or fish will suffice too.

Ingredients

One large green pepper
2 medium sized green or yellow squash
5 medium sized tomatoes
1/2 a large onion
a small pack of mushroom

Shapewear for Women - In Search of Figure Eight

Is this topic too hush-hush for a blog? LOL...well it has been on my mind and I decided to share. I use shape wear for my slightly superflous tummy and especially when I intend to wear a figure hugging outfit. My body type is an apple, I think and once I add a bit of weight, it goes straight to my abdomen and back.

So in some particular clothes I need help to give a good silhoutte, you know, that much touted figure eight or coke bottle shape. I currently use two generic shape wear outfits and would like to get a discussion going with some of my blog readers on what they use, if they do of course, and their thoughts on shape wear.

14 Days of Romance

Being the month that hosts Valentine's Day, February is the de facto month of love. And where else is love celebrated as much as it is in Romance novels? So starting today, myself and the other members of the Romance Writers of West Africa (RWoWA) will be taking you all on a journey of love.

The 14 Days of Romance comes with a Treasure Hunt and a $10 Amazon GC Giveaway. In each daily post will be a CAPITAL LETTER in Blue. Collect all the letters and rearrange them to form a 3-word phrase. Email the phrase to romancewritersofwestafrica@gmail.com by midnight 28 February 2013 for your chance to win the $10 Amazon giftcard. This contest is open internationally.

Join us on the RWoWA website for a line up of great books for you at great prices. There’s even a chance to pick up one or two books free. The 14 Days of Romance starts today, February 5 and will be ending February 22, 2013. For today is Tolu Popoola's Nothing Comes Close with the letter M. Subscribe to the blog or Facebook to get the updates on time. Good luck!

10 Mistakes Men Make in Relationships

We all know that relationships can be tough. They begin with an awkward dating period where both persons are on their best behavior. After a few months, those curtains start to unravel and you begin to see shadows of the real person.

Men often make a number of relationship blunders during these crucial initial phases, and we're here to help you recognize the ten worst ones. If you're just getting started in a relationship, or part of a long-term affair, get pen and paper. (Or, you could just print it!). You'll want to keep track of these tips.

Giving a woman too much power.
Guys usually get into trouble when they allow a woman to have too much (if not all) of the control in a relationship. She decides when you go out; she decides when you have sex; she decides which friends you can keep; and may even decide what color slacks you should wear to a party.

Yesterday and Today's Men in Nigerian Government

There is rarely one side to any story, and when I championed Oby Ezekwesili's call for a debate with someone in the current administration, I meant it. Not because I think she is a messiah for Nigeria, but because I am all for transperancy and accountability, qualities that are barely lacking in the political climate, and basically what she was asking for.

Since then, a lot of articles in defense of Jonathan have been written, it is just unfortunate that most are from paid aides or people in his cabinet. That said, Reuben Abati came out with a view from the other side in one of his best opinion pieces since he became a media man for the president. The commentary is hard-hitting and places a mirror before some of the ministers and members of the national assembly during the previous administration. I see a lot of truth in the what he says, and I think it is worth reading.

A loosely bound group of yesterday’s men and women seems to be on the offensive against the Jonathan administration. They pick issues with virtually every effort of the administration, pretending to do so in the public interest; positing that they alone, know it all.  Arrogantly, they claim to be better and smarter than everyone else in the current government. They are ever so censorious, contrarian and supercilious.

They have no original claim to their pretensions other than they were privileged to have been in the corridors of power once upon a time in their lives. They obviously got so engrossed with their own sense of importance they began to imagine themselves indispensable to Nigeria.  It is dangerous to have such a navel-gazing, narcissistic group inflict themselves with so much ferocity on an otherwise impressionable public. We are in reality dealing with a bunch of hypocrites.