The year 2024 has been one year that has many faces. In the early part of the year, things were looking very beautiful and I had hoped that it would be a good season for me. After the first month this hope became bleak as a negative uprising started. The first thing I witnessed was that it was too long for the month to end because I had a lot of expenses to run. When the month eventually ended my salary was not enough to run my expenses so I was very very sad and I started looking elsewhere for how I could raise some funds to clear my head.

My wife and I have agreed not to travel to the east because we have foreseen that the expenses will be too much and that we have a lot of time to visit. As if we knew it, my sister-in-law who works with a new generation bank but lives with us was travelling to Delta state today so I decided to take her to the motor park only to meet the shock of my life.

Compliments of the season, dear friends. This weekend, I will like to share with you one thing you must ensure you do now that you are alive. Though, there are tens of things that one should experience in life but when we place them in order of priority, you will find out that traveling out from your place of origin is one thing that makes us appreciate life to the fullest.

Go to the west, come to the east, there is no place like home. My grandfather would always mention this statement anytime we come back home for the yuletide season. That is the time of the year when our parents usually take us home to know our roots and to familiarise ourselves with the environment of our home town. One thing that is common each time we visited was that there is at least one old person in every household.

The continued ringing of the doorbell woke me up from the deep sleep. I have had a very hectic week at work. My immediate boss had informed me about a month earlier that the inspectorate from the headquarters of our company will be coming over to our branch for audit purposes. He wanted me to get my records ready and presentable. Since I was aware of the visit, I did everything within my power and office to prepare and welcome them.

I come from a large family. There are nine (four ladies and five guys) in my family from a mother and a father. My people do not believe in polygamy. Marriage is believed to be One man, One machete. From time immemorial, my grandfather had difficulty in getting married and in turn having children. He got married to a woman who gave birth to only one daughter and never conceived again.