Friday, September 28, 2012

Catching the Reading Express


The American author Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a Dr. Seuss, a renowned writer of children books once said “the more that you read, the more things you will know…”  As cliché as that may sound, I’m sure we can all agree there is an element of truth to it. Reading opens up the mind and broadens our imagination. It therefore was not a surprise when over 200 children were signed up to participate in the American Corner Abuja Summer Reading Program for children aged 5-13.

The Library table was filled with books of all kinds, spanning a broad range of topics:  the Underground Railroad, the United States Constitution, history of the White House, American singers, American sports legends, animal and plant life, mostly written in a language that children can understand.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Nigerian Youth Discuss Future of Urban Development in Lagos

Carrington Youth fellowship Initiative
U.S. Consulate General Lagos
In its quest to turn Lagos into a megacity of the future, several Nigerian youth said they felt the Lagos state government should focus on education and long-term solutions rather than expecting rapid and sweeping change.

The youths are fellows in the Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative, a Consulate-sponsored youth outreach program for which 15 young Nigerians were selected and grouped into teams to design and implement projects with a social impact. At the fellowship’s monthly meeting on September 15, which was attended by U.S. Consul General Jeffrey Hawkins, the fellows viewed segments of the BBC documentary “Welcome to Lagos” and discussed issues relating to urban development in Lagos.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Know America – Expansion of U.S. Territory, Part 2


As the United States reached celebrated 60 years as a nation, the territory inhabited by Americans had more than tripled and the number of states had doubled to 26 – not including territories not considered states yet. At the time it seemed the only factor limiting the continued expansion of the United States was getting enough pioneers to move to these territories so that they could be considered states.