A new year dawned on us with the announcement of increase in pump prices of petrol (PMS) from sixty five Naira(N65) to between N140 and N200! Wow! I was not the only one who wondered and said “wait a minute, were we not told April?”

The inevitable happened on December 18, seven days before Christmas, amidst the mad rushing around that is synonymous with this time of the year. Parents going to pick their wards returning from school, shoppers jostling about for last minute bargains, travellers heading to the airport and other sundry movements on the road.

The only constant thing in life is change, but whether it is good or bad, whether we choose to embrace or reject it is the question. With the passage of time, we have seen changes in the world around us that we never thought would happen.

It read and it continued “Are you ready to pay between N35k-N70k to re-register your already registered car? Are you ready to be ripped off by an executive cartel who seeks only to line their pockets with proceeds of the new license plate scam? Remember the Red Reflector sticker scam that the FRSC illegally enforced till it was scrapped?

They are in our homes and in the work place. We complain incessantly about them but we still keep them on. We feel somewhat helpless without them but with each day, they remain with us, we curse, shout and swear. They are our nannies, cooks and drivers.

Indeed, the saying that health is wealth is not an understatement. When you lead a very busy and hectic lifestyle, you tend to take a lot of things for granted, like our complete physical and mental well being. With each passing day, we wake up and get ready to face the daily grind of our different professions, family life etc.

The world is a stage and everyone is an actor. When the light comes on, that is your opportunity to play a character, become someone else for a time limit and prove your mettle as you convince the audience that you are the character you portray. At the end of your performance, you take a bow and are either booed or applauded for doing a shoddy or great job.

Never one to back down from a challenge or be told that I cannot accomplish nor do something or behave a certain way because of my status as a “celeb” in the society, the moment presented itself where I had to prove to myself that what people perceive I am or the trappings of my lifestyle did not define my persona and I was impressed with my reaction.

I love watching crime, thrillers and court- room or legal-based movies. It is quite intriguing for me to see how the perpetrator of a particular crime could get away with it due to lack of sufficient evidence, how the detectives arrive at a conclusion that leads to the capture of a criminal, or the thrill of the chase when the killer tries to escape from the police.

I have refrained from participating in the drug scandal saga that unfolded in the past two weeks, involving a fellow actor who has brought joy to many homes through his work on television, the Yoruba movie. It was with disappointment that not a few of us received the news of his arrest by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Driving to and fro from my different locations for the past one week and I pondered why some people who drive( be it drivers or the car owner) behave like mad people who have no idea of what it takes to be on the road.

I woke up on Sunday morning and as I performed my morning rituals, I contemplated my country, Nigeria and the attendant hardships that face the common man. I looked in the mirror as I brushed my teeth with water I bought from the store as I cannot drink my tap water and wondered what next lay in store for us. We face an onslaught of negative policies that make us groan more from the weight of the load.

Okada Air, Sosoliso Air line, Kabo Air, ADC Airlines, Bellview Airlines, Nigerian Airways; these were just a few of our local carriers in years past.

Here we go again, another October 1st… . It brings to the fore our yearnings for a nation worth its salt, blessed with abundant human and natural resources to re-assess itself and see if it is where it should be. Well are we? Methinks not! It is not about declaring a public holiday; it is about the next step, where do we go from here?

Who are the people in your neighbourhood? They are the people that we meet when we are walking down the street; they are the people that we meet each day.