Legendary American rapper, Eminem is celebrating his 12 years of sobriety.
The Rap God, who has come a long way following his struggles with drugs and alcohol is now clean and living his best life.
Taking to his Instagram to celebrate the special moment, the rapper whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, shared a photo of his 12-year sobriety chip and wrote: ‘ Clean dozen, in the books! I’m not afraid.’

Source: GQBUZZ

Ondo Index Coronavirus Case Recovers, Discharged After Testing Negative Twice It was earlier reported how a military officer, who returned from India to the state, had first brought the virus to the state.
Nigeria has so far record 627 cases.
With 170 patients discharged and 21 deaths.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control(NCDC) has recorded another 49 news COVID-19 cases in Nigeria taking it to total of 542

Forty-nine new cases of #COVID19 have been reported;

23 in Lagos
12 in FCT
10 in Kano
2 in Ogun
1 in Oyo
1 in Ekiti

As at 10:40 pm 18th April there are 542 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria.

Discharged: 166
Deaths: 19

Ariginya: A Festival Of Virginity All over the world, there are dances, practices,

myths and traditions that are peculiar to one ethnic group or the other. This, they often exhibit in their festivals. There is the popular Argungu festival in the East, the Kwahi and the Swange dance in Benue State marking the new yam festival. There is the Eyo and Agere festival in Lagos; the Zangbeto in Badagry; the Osun of Osogbo; the Olojo festival at Ile-Ife; the Ojude Oba festival in Ogun State; the Oke Ibadan; Oke Iragbiji festivals and several others. All of these occasions require a particular peculiarity that draws indigenes and foreigners alike from all over the world to partiale In the aura of the events. Of all these festivals, one is outstandingly different: The Ariginya and the Ijeroba festivals of the Ikare Akoko in the Ondo area of the South-Western states in Nigeria. It is a celebration of the community’s virgins in outright nudity. The origin, the significance, the modalities and the challenges of running a festival like this in a civilised decade that we are, are all the Owa Ale of Ikare -Akoko through his representative, the Asoju Oba, and one of the maidens of the occasion unveiled to YEMISI ADENIRAN. A festival in colours Few months ago, May to be precise, the ancient town of Ikare- Akoko was agog. There was wining, dinning and backslapping in celebration of another year gone by. It was a day when the people of Ikare-Akoko in Ondo State converged one more time to appease the goddess of fertility. It was a moment of renewal of faith and belief in the tradition of the land; renewal of acquaintances and as well, a time to reassert one’s purity and innocence in the presence of families, friends and relatives and the horde of visitors from all over the world. It was the annual Ariginya festival, and expectedly, this year’s event was not in any way different from the previous ones. One week before the event, tell-tale signs of a big event were in the air. There were banners,signposts and posters with various inscriptions welcoming visitors, tourists, sons and daughters of the land to yet another occasion of the wonderful Ariginya festival. All the roads leading to the town were ‘bathed’ in bright colours, indicating the beauty of the said occasion. The people on the other hand, were quite willing.

Right from the palace of the traditional rule, the Owa Ale of the town, His Royal Highness, Oba S.K.A. Adedoyin, down to the market place, everyone was simply in a celebration mood. Foreigners were not left out as some of them, according to the Owa, were around to capture the year’s scene while policemen were also on ground for security purpose. More vehicles had entered the rustic town

more than ever before, with the dwellers

experiencing an unusual traffic jam from taxi

drivers and commercial motorcycle operators, otherwise known as okada riders. Explaining why this is so, the Asoju Oba of the land,

speaking on behalf of the Oba related the issue with a traditional fact. According to him, the history of any group of people or settlement, especially in Africa is incomplete without their ability to lay claim on a particular tradition and culture that would link them with an ancestral home. For the Yoruba, he said, they must have a link with Ile-Ife, their ancestral home and this must be shown in aarticular tradition. His people, on their part,brought many traditions from Ife, notable among which are the Ariginya and the Ijeroba festivals. The intriguing part of this is that while many would celebrate theirs in an array of colourful outfits and accessories, others would do theirs in simple tools and working implements that are peculiar to their community.
For the Ikare-Akoko, their style and motive is peculiarly different. The mandatory unclothedness. The Ariginya festival is celebrated yearly and it is a festival for the goddess of fertility.

During this occasion, all the maidens, the unmarried girls in the land would file out from the palace of the Owa Ale nakedly, to a stream known as the Ariginya stream just a few distance from the palace. At the stream, there is a shrine where a particular sacrifice would be made.
As soon as the sacrifice is made, some water from the stream would be sprinkled on these maidens and off they move to the town’s square which is also close to the stream. While all these are going on, the drummers and traditional songsters are at their bit doing their thing, creating a festive wave in the atmosphere. All these however are made in the public; in the glare of everyone, young and old, male and female. At the village square, another segment of the festival is commenced. A wrestling contest

involving the eligible men ready for marriage that year would be next. The men are to fight vigorously to pick the girl of their choices. The

Ariginya is a festival used to measure the moral standard of the Ikare maidens and prepare them pure and alluring to many men around. Whether crude or not, it is an avenue to show those virgins in their very raw and undefiled form to set the mouth of their male admirers watering. It is a platform where a vital foundation for a blissful marital life is made. For a girl to have participated in this festival of nudity, she has achieved a lot by establishing herurity and a life free of promiscuity. She is therefore the pride of, not only her parents and family members, but of the entire community as a whole.

Wherever she goes henceforth, she raises her head high above her shoulders. Meanwhile, any Ikare maiden who is unable to take part in this festival is outrightly ostracised by her friends and family. She is dismissed as a girl of easy virtue and treated as such. This explains why every girl would always struggle to be part of the occasion that their virginity might be celebrated. Strange as this may

sound, these exhibition of nudity remains the

maidens’ pride anyday. Their age range from one year to any marriageable age of 18 and above.

Even the barren according to the Asoju come

during the festival. “It is not just a festival of fertility, but of progress and co-existence in the Ikare-Akoko town,” he said. Detecting those defiled While it is mandatory and almost a thing of fashion for young ladies to be part of this festival particularly to establish their state of purity, not many of them were able to scale through theprocess. There are some who dare to play a fast one. But, the oracle was also prompt to address the situation. According to records, on the day of the festival, it is an abomination for rain to fall, so,should rain dare fall on that day, the festival

committee instantly would know that a defiler is amidst the group. They then would try and pacify them to tell the truth. If none of them opened up, the oracle would be consulted and the offender on detection would be beheaded by an accompanying masquerade. However, a lot of ladies are no longer part of this festival. Their number has drastically reduced, all

thanks to the high-tech civilisation that is infringing on their sexual purity on a daily basis. On another hand are the parents who would not want to lose their wards to some rigid doctrine and its blood sucking masquerade all because of some sexual immorality consciously or unconsciously

committed. The age bracket has dropped from 18 and above that it used to be to majorly 15 downwards. And whether or not it is acceptable, the festival remains the main festival that the town identifies.

Do you believe in culture and traditions?

While we were younger there are a lot of activities we did that made us unaware of reality around us and our environment, yes we all know kids may not be so wise and do not have things all figured out back then but looking back at old times now I can bet most of us would never want to repeat those things or most people will even wonder how they got involved.

1. Choreography: I can bet that most people have been involved in this in one point or the other while growing up, the sock and white glove is just something you will remember now and ask your self how you volunteered for that.



2. Sunday School Biscuit: Most Sunday school teachers in Nigeria are always harsh when it comes to that moment where they have to share biscuit remembering those moments when you have to line up and probably get beaten or insulted for just one cabin biscuit.

3. Father Christmas coming from abroad: While we were kids we have always listened to the lies our teachers and parent told us about father Christmas being a white man and coming from the united states of America, no doubt we have always been gullible while growing up. The thought of this makes us wonder how this even happened.

4. Pretending to smoke when there is cold /harmattan: This was one of the fun things to do while we were kids, pretending to smoke while the weather is cold, and I don’t even think something like this can cross our mind again or even attempting to do it.



5. Avoid brushing teeth: The moment when you think you are deceiving your parent and you end up playing yourself at the end when you see how bad your teeth turned out, and you are trying to figure out what prompted your actions.

6. Using your pencil to the smallest point: While we were kids most of us had this favorite pencil we prefer using and we do not care how small it gets after sharpening it several times.

7. Picking your nose and licking your finger: This is inseparable for kids while growing up, I can beat my chest that most of us have been engaged in this so many times, sometimes I can’t help but to wonder if this act is reflex.

8. Using paper for artificial nails

This act was basically common among girls, while they gather after school hours or playtime to create ' grown-up by fixing artificial nails since they can't be allowed to have the real thing at that age. This is done by tearing a sheet of paper, rubbing one's spit/saliva on it and sticking it onto your fingernails.

9. Trying to balance the switch of an electric socket

10. Acting the role of Daddy and Mummy

Molding houses with the use of leg as a mold there using red nylon to give it a red effect.

Source: spread.ng

Which one did you do?

In Yoruba mythology, Sango also known as Jakuta is arguably the most popular Orisha; he is god of thunder and lightning and as well one of the most worshipped gods all over the world.

Sango was the third Alaafin of Oyo. He was the second son of Oranmiyan; the founder of Oyo Empire; the youngest of the grandsons of Oduduwa. Sango was a brave and powerful man that inherited most of his special abilities from the Nupe, his mother's people.

Sango was a great man while he was alive. The most people around the world share the belief that Sango often known as Xango or Chango by the Carribeans and the Latin Americans is also known as Jakuta (the thrower of stones or the thrower of thunderbolt-Edun Ara) . he is known as the center point of Lukumi (Olukumi which means my dear one) religion of the Carribeans. Many initiation ceremonies as performed in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Venezuela for hundreds of years past are based on the traditional Sango ceremony of the ancient Oyo.
Wives of Sango

The Story Of Sango And His Wives. Sango, in his lifetime, had three wives: Oba the first wife and in the traditional sense the legitimate, Oshun (a river goddess), the second and Oya, the third, a concubine (as no marriage right or dowry was paid on her) was a spirit who has the power to transform from human to animal.

The Death of sang

Believed to bring prosperity to the people of the Oyo Empire during his reign, Sango's death has been linked to different mythical stories. It is believed that Sango committed suicide by hanging himself in order to avoid humiliation from one of his powerful chiefs who ordered Sango to vacate his throne or face war.