The First Time I Saw My Name in Print

 

By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

I started writing when I was a little girl. I was very young, but I loved holding a pen and putting words on paper. Sometimes, I would take a piece of paper and write nonsense. There was no story behind it and no particular reason for doing it. I simply wanted to write. I could sit down and put whatever came into my head on paper, even when it did not make sense. Sometimes I would read it again and laugh at what I had written, but that did not stop me from doing it again. I enjoyed the writing itself. I liked seeing words appear on a blank piece of paper. I did not think of myself as a writer then, and I certainly did not know where writing would take me. I was just a little girl with a pen who enjoyed putting her thoughts on paper.

My father, Rev. Prof. Ben Onyeukwu, had a lot to do with my love for writing. He is a writer and journalist, and I loved reading the things he wrote. He wrote articles, tracts, pamphlets and other works, and I enjoyed seeing his words on paper. Having a writer so close to me made writing feel familiar. I could see my father putting his thoughts into words and creating things that other people could read. I would read his works and sometimes go back to them. I did not fully understand what this meant for me at the time, but it became part of my childhood. I was reading, and I was writing too. Even before I knew what it meant to be an author, I knew that I enjoyed reading and putting my own thoughts on paper.

The books I read introduced me to other writers whose works I still remember. I read Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and William Shakespeare. They were different from one another, and I enjoyed that. I liked Chinua Achebe's stories and the way he could tell so much through simple words. I enjoyed reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's books and following the lives of her characters. Shakespeare was different again, and some of his language was difficult for me, but I still enjoyed reading his works. I was not reading them because I wanted to write exactly like them. I was simply a reader who loved books. But the more I read, the more I wanted to write my own stories. I wanted to create people who existed only in my imagination and give them lives of their own.

In those early days, I did not take writing too seriously. I would start something and leave it. I could have an idea, write a few pages and then move on to another idea. Sometimes I had a story in mind, and sometimes I had nothing at all. Even then, I could still pick up a pen and write. There was no pressure to finish anything. With time, my writing changed. The few pages became longer, and I started creating characters, giving them names and thinking about what might happen to them. I began to understand that an idea could become a story if I gave it enough time. What had started with a child writing nonsense was gradually becoming something I cared about.

My love for writing also influenced the course I chose to study. I decided to study Mass Communication because I wanted to become a journalist. I wanted to work with words and tell stories about people and things that mattered. At a higher institution, I began to see writing from another side. It was not only about creating characters and imaginary situations. There were real people with real experiences, problems, achievements and struggles. Their stories mattered too. Journalism gave me another way to use the thing I had loved since childhood. I could write about people who were actually living the stories instead of only creating stories in my imagination.

Becoming a journalist did not take me away from creative writing. I continued writing novels, especially romance. I have always enjoyed romance because love can change people in many ways. It can make someone happy, confused, hopeful or afraid. It can bring two people together, but it can also leave people hurt. I enjoy creating characters and following their relationships as a story develops. Sometimes I begin a novel knowing exactly where I want it to go. At other times, the characters seem to take the story in another direction. I may start with one idea and end up somewhere I did not expect. I enjoy that part of writing because there is always something to discover along the way.

Writing has also taken me into other areas. I run a blog, Nightengaleben.blogspot.com, where I publish my writing and other stories. I also edit stories written by young writers. I enjoy doing this because I understand what it feels like to have ideas in your head and want to put them into words. A young writer may have a good story but struggle with how to present it. Sometimes all that is needed is someone who will sit down, read the work carefully, point out what needs to be changed and encourage the writer to continue. I have also written a few biographies. Writing about real people is different from writing fiction because there is a responsibility to preserve their lives and experiences as accurately as possible. Both forms of writing have given me different ways to work with words.

My works are on Amazon, Wattpad, Webnovel, Inkitt, Dreame, NovelUp, Medium, Feedcover and other platforms. I also share my writing on social media under the name Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu. When I think about this now, I remember that none of these things was in my mind when I was a little girl. I did not know anything about publishing platforms or readers waiting for new stories. I only knew that I liked writing. That is why seeing my own name on my work has always meant so much to me. Behind that name are many years of writing, reading, starting stories, abandoning some of them, changing others and learning from my mistakes.

The first time I saw my name in print, I looked at it differently from the way I had looked at the names of other writers. For years, I had opened books and seen someone else's name before reading the words inside. I had read my father's works. I had read Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and William Shakespeare. Their names were attached to the stories I was reading. Then I saw my own name attached to something I had written. It was a simple thing to see a name on a page, but I knew what was behind mine. I remembered the little girl who used to write nonsense without caring whether anyone would read it. I remembered the many stories I had written since then. I remembered the times I had wondered whether my writing was good enough. Looking at my name in print made all those memories come back to me.

There was happiness in that moment, but there was also a new feeling. Once your work is in front of other people, you cannot decide how they will receive it. Someone may enjoy your story while another person may not like it at all. Someone may understand what you were trying to say, while another reader may see something completely different. I have had to learn not to let that fear stop me. A writer cannot please everybody. If I kept every story to myself because I was worried about what people might say, many of the things I have written would still be sitting somewhere unseen.

I have also learnt through my mistakes. I have written stories that I later changed because I was not happy with them. There are chapters I have read again and wondered what I was thinking when I wrote them. I have started stories and stopped because I could not find the right way to continue. There are also days when writing comes easily and I can keep going without thinking too much about every sentence. Then there are days when I have an idea but cannot seem to get it down properly. I have learnt to live with both sides of writing. Even now, I can pick up a pen without knowing exactly what I want to say. I may write a few lines and leave them for another day. Sometimes those lines grow into something. Sometimes they remain just a few lines. I am no longer worried about that.

Writing has become part of my daily meal. It is something I have become used to having in my life. I write as a journalist, and I write novels and other stories. I edit stories for young writers, write biographies and run my blog, Nightengaleben.blogspot.com. There are days when an idea will stay in my head until I put it on paper. There are other days when I simply want to write because writing still gives me the same satisfaction it gave me as a child. The little girl who used to write nonsense has not completely gone away. I still have that part of me that can sit with a blank page and wonder what might come from it.

My love for writing has also made me want to create opportunities for other people who love words. I am the founder of Nightengale Awards, where I give awards to recognise people and their work. Under Nightengale Awards, I also run the Nightengale Literary Awards, a live writing competition where writers come together to write and compete, after which prizes are given to the winners. This is something I am proud of because writing is not only about the person holding the pen. Writers also need places where their work can be seen and appreciated. When I think about the little girl who used to sit with a piece of paper and write nonsense, it is interesting to know that I now help create opportunities for other writers to write, compete and be recognised.

When I look at my journey, I can see how one thing led to another. Reading my father's works helped deepen my interest in writing. The books of Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and William Shakespeare gave me more reasons to read. My love for writing influenced my decision to study Mass Communication and become a journalist. Journalism gave me a way to tell real people's stories, while writing novels gave me a place to create stories of my own. Along the way, I started my blog, wrote biographies, edited stories for young writers and created Nightengale Awards. My writing has reached readers through Amazon, Wattpad, Webnovel, Inkitt, Dreame, NovelUp, Medium, Feedcover and other platforms, as well as through social media. None of these things happened at once. They came one step at a time.

I did not begin writing with a plan. I had no idea that the simple habit of putting words on paper would stay with me for so long. I certainly did not imagine that writing would take me into journalism, novels, biographies, editing and eventually creating opportunities for other writers. In the beginning, there was only a pen and a piece of paper. I wrote because I enjoyed writing.

Today, when I see the name Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu on my work, I still think about where it began. I think about the little girl who could write nonsense on a piece of paper and be perfectly happy with it. She was not thinking about readers, publishing platforms, journalism or awards. She was only enjoying the words in front of her. The writing has changed since then. The stories are longer, the purpose is clearer and there are now people who read what I write. But something important has remained the same. I still love putting words on paper.

And perhaps that is the best part of the journey. I started with a pen because I wanted to write, and after all these years, I still do.

 

The Day I Bought Something I Did Not Need

 

By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

I went out that day to buy one thing. I already knew what I wanted and how much it would cost, so I also knew how much money I would have left after buying it. I was not planning to buy anything else because I did not have much money to spend. I only wanted to get what I needed and go home. I had no idea that I would return with something I never planned to buy.

When I got to the shop, I went straight to the seller and told her what I wanted. She brought it out and I checked it before paying. I was about to bring out my money when I noticed something on one of the shelves. I looked at it and then looked away. I knew I did not need it, so I tried to ignore it and pay for what I had come to buy. But after a few seconds, I looked at it again.

I asked the seller how much it was. She told me the price, and I started thinking about whether I should buy it. It was not very expensive, but it was not part of my plan either. I had enough money for what I came to buy, but if I bought this other thing, I would have less money left. I knew that, but I still kept looking at it. I started telling myself that I could buy it because I liked it and the price was not too high.

I picked it up and looked at it properly. I asked the seller a few questions, and she answered me. I checked it again and kept thinking about it. The funny thing was that I had entered the shop knowing exactly what I wanted, but now I was spending more time looking at something I had never planned to buy. After standing there for some time, I finally decided to buy it.

I paid for both things, collected my bag and left the shop. As I walked away, I was happy with what I had bought. I kept looking at the new thing and telling myself that I would use it. At that moment, I did not feel that I had made a bad decision. I was simply happy that I had seen something I liked and bought it.

After walking for a while, I remembered the money I had left. I brought out my wallet and counted it. I started thinking about what I had spent and what I still needed to pay for later. I still had enough to get home, but I had spent money I had not planned to spend. I looked at the things in my bag and laughed because I knew what had happened. I had gone to the shop for one thing, seen another thing I liked and allowed myself to buy it.

When I got home, I took the things out of the bag and looked at them again. I still liked the thing I had bought, but I also remembered that I had not needed it. I thought about how easy it was for me to change my plan. Before entering the shop, I had already decided what I was going to buy. I had even decided how much money I was going to spend. But seeing something I liked was enough to make me change my mind.

The next day, I passed the same shop again. I looked at the shelf and saw that the same item was still there. I remembered how I had stood in the shop the day before, looking at it and trying to decide whether to buy it. This time, I did not stop. I did not even go into the shop. I just looked at it and continued walking.

Since then, I have tried to be more careful when I go out to buy things. If I see something I like, I first ask myself if I really need it. If it was not part of my plan and I do not have extra money, I try to leave it. I do not always succeed, but I now think about it before spending the money.

I went to that shop that day knowing exactly what I wanted. I came back with what I needed and something I did not need. The funny part is that I was the one who made the decision to buy it, and I was also the one who later wondered why I had bought it in the first place.

 

The Day I Entered the Wrong Bus

 

By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

I was in a hurry that morning. I had somewhere to be and I was already thinking about the time because I did not want to arrive late. When I got to the bus stop, it was busy as usual. Buses were coming and going, conductors were calling out the names of different places, passengers were getting down while others were trying to get in, and people were standing by the roadside waiting for the bus going to their different destinations. I was also looking around for one going my way. I had already started feeling that I was wasting time, so when I heard a conductor call the name of the place I was going to, I quickly moved towards the bus and entered.

I did not ask the conductor to repeat the name, and I did not even look properly at the writing on the bus. I simply heard the name, assumed it was my destination and got in. I found a seat by the window and sat down. The bus started moving almost immediately, and I felt relieved that I had finally got one. I looked outside as we moved along the road, but I was not really paying attention to where we were going. My mind was already on where I was headed and what I needed to do when I arrived. I was thinking more about getting there on time than anything else.

For the first few minutes, everything seemed fine. The bus stopped at a few places to pick up passengers and then continued. I was still looking outside, but most of the places did not mean anything to me because I was not familiar with that particular route. After some time, however, I started noticing that something was different. The road was not looking the way I expected it to look. I told myself that maybe the driver had taken another route because of traffic, so I did not worry about it immediately. I continued sitting quietly and looking outside, hoping that I would soon recognise somewhere.

Then we got to a junction I knew very well. I knew that if I was going to my destination, the driver should turn there. I watched the road, expecting him to turn, but he continued straight. I looked outside again and then looked ahead at the road. For a few seconds, I was not sure what to think. I started remembering what the conductor had called when I entered the bus, and that was when it occurred to me that perhaps I had heard him wrongly.

I turned to the woman sitting beside me and asked, 'Please, where is this bus going?' She told me the name of the place, and as soon as she said it, I knew I had made a mistake. That was not where I was going. I had entered the wrong bus.

I did not know whether to laugh or be annoyed with myself. I had been in such a hurry that I had not listened properly or checked the bus before entering. I had heard a name that sounded like my destination and immediately assumed I was in the right place. Now I was sitting in a bus going in a completely different direction. I told the woman that I wanted to get down, but she told me to wait until the next stop because the bus was already moving. I had no choice, so I stayed in my seat and waited.

As the bus continued, I kept thinking about how easily I could have avoided the whole problem. I only needed to ask the conductor one simple question before getting in. Even if I had spent another few seconds checking the destination, I would have known that I was about to enter the wrong bus. Instead, I had been too focused on leaving quickly because I did not want to waste time. Now I was sitting there knowing that I had already wasted even more time.

When the bus finally stopped, I got down and stood by the roadside for a moment. I looked around, trying to decide what to do next. I knew the general area, but I had not planned to come there that morning, and I was now farther away from my destination than I had been before. I checked the time and shook my head when I realised how late I had become. For a moment, I was annoyed with myself, but then I started laughing because the whole thing was almost funny. There was no point standing there blaming myself. I had made the mistake, and I just needed to find the right bus.

I crossed the road and waited. This time, I was not going to rush into anything. When another bus came, I looked carefully at the destination before getting close to it. I asked the conductor where the bus was going and listened to his answer. I even asked another passenger who was nearby just to make sure I had heard correctly. Only after I was certain that it was the right bus did I enter. I found a seat and sat down, this time paying much more attention to the road.

As the second bus moved, I began recognising the places along the way. I knew I was finally going in the right direction, and I felt more relaxed. I could not help thinking about the first bus and how such a simple mistake had changed my whole morning. I had left home worried about being late, rushed into a bus because I did not want to waste time, and ended up spending even more time going in the wrong direction. It was one of those mistakes that could have been avoided if I had simply slowed down for a few seconds.

By the time I finally got to my destination, I was already late. There was nothing I could do about that anymore. I had spent part of the morning going in the wrong direction and then finding my way back. I just had to accept it and continue with what I had come to do.

Since that day, I have become more careful whenever I am taking a bus, especially when I am in a hurry. I check the destination properly, listen to the conductor and ask questions if I am not sure. I would rather spend a few extra seconds making sure I am entering the right bus than enter quickly and later discover that I am going somewhere completely different.

That morning, I thought I was saving time by rushing into the first bus. In the end, I only rushed myself in the wrong direction.

 

The Woman Who Always Said 'Take Care'

 

By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

There was a woman I used to see often. We were not close friends, and we did not have long conversations. Most of the time, we only exchanged a few words whenever we met. But there was one thing she always said whenever I was leaving. She would look at me and say, 'Take care.' Sometimes she said it while she was busy with something else, and sometimes she looked at me with a smile. It was only two simple words, so I did not think much about them at first.

After some time, I noticed that I had started waiting to hear those words before I left. I do not know when it happened. Maybe I had become used to hearing them. Maybe I simply liked the way she said them. She did not know everything that was happening in my life. She did not know if I was having a good day or a difficult one. She did not know what I was thinking about when I walked away. But she still told me to take care, as if she wanted me to be safe.

It made me think about the simple words we use when we care about people. Sometimes we say, 'I love you.' Sometimes we ask, 'Have you eaten?' We ask, 'How are you?' or 'Are you feeling better?' When someone is going somewhere, we say, 'Take care.' These words may sound ordinary because we hear them so often, but they can carry a lot of love. Sometimes, asking someone if they have eaten is another way of saying, 'I care about you.'

We often remember the big moments in our lives. We remember birthdays, weddings, celebrations, gifts and important events. But there are also small moments that stay in our minds for a long time. We may remember the person who called to check on us. We may remember the friend who asked if we had eaten when we were having a difficult day. We may remember someone who noticed that we were not ourselves and simply asked, 'Are you okay?' These things may look small, but they can mean a lot to the person receiving them.

I think many people need these small acts of care more than we realise. There are days when someone may not need advice or a long conversation. They may only need to know that somebody noticed them. A simple 'How are you?' can mean something when it comes from a person who really wants to know. 'Have you eaten?' can make someone feel remembered. 'I love you' can give comfort. And 'Take care' can remind someone that there is a person who wants them to be safe.

As I have grown older, I have started to notice these little things more. Life can be busy. We wake up thinking about work, school, money, family and the many things we need to do. We move from one place to another without paying much attention to the people around us. Sometimes, we are so busy that we forget to ask the people we love how they are doing. We may think the words are too simple to matter, but sometimes simple words are exactly what a person needs to hear.

The woman who always said 'Take care' probably never knew how much I noticed those words. She may have said them to many other people. For her, it may have been nothing more than a normal way of saying goodbye. But for me, those two words became something I remembered. They reminded me that kindness and care do not always have to come in big ways. Sometimes, they come through the smallest words.

Sometimes, love is asking, 'Have you eaten?' Sometimes, it is saying, 'How are you?' when you can see that something is wrong. Sometimes, it is saying, 'I love you' even when you have said it many times before. Sometimes, it is checking on someone when you have not heard from them. And sometimes, it is simply saying, 'Take care,' before someone walks away.

We may not know what a person is going through, and we may never know what our words mean to them. We may forget that we said them, while the other person carries them in their heart for a long time.

That is why I now try to be more careful with the little things I say and do. I do not want to think that a kind word is too small to matter. We may forget the words we said, but the person who heard them may remember them for a long time.

So whenever someone is leaving, I try not to say goodbye carelessly. I say, 'Take care.' And when someone I care about tells me they have not eaten, I ask again, 'Have you eaten?' Maybe these are only simple words, but sometimes simple words are how we tell people that they matter to us.

 

Why I Keep Writing Stories About Ordinary People

 

By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

I have always liked stories about ordinary people. People who wake up every morning and face life as it comes. People who have dreams but may not have enough money, support or opportunity to achieve them easily. I like the mother who wakes up early to prepare food for her children, the student who keeps trying even when school is difficult, the young person who has a dream but does not know how to begin, and the person who goes through a hard day and still finds a reason to smile. These people may not be famous, but their lives are full of stories.

Growing up and living in Nigeria has made me notice many of these stories. You can find them almost everywhere. They are in the streets, schools, markets, buses, offices and homes. Sometimes, all it takes is paying attention. A woman selling food by the roadside may be doing more than just selling food. She may be working hard to take care of her children. A young boy walking home from school may be thinking about the kind of person he wants to become. A father sitting quietly after work may be thinking about how to provide for his family. We may pass these people every day without knowing what they are carrying in their hearts.

That is one reason I write. I want to tell stories that people can recognise. I want my readers to meet characters who feel real and situations that do not seem far from their own lives. I want someone to read one of my stories and remember a person they know, a place they have been or something they have experienced. Sometimes, a story does not have to be about something very big to mean something to someone. A small moment can stay with a person for a long time.

I also believe that every person has a story worth telling. We often celebrate people after they become successful, but we do not always talk about the years when they were struggling, making mistakes and trying to find their way. Those parts of life matter too. I enjoy writing about people who are still becoming who they want to be. They may fall, make wrong choices, lose hope for a while and then try again. To me, there is something beautiful about that kind of story because it is close to real life.

I write because I believe ordinary lives deserve attention too. Not every story needs a famous person, a rich family or a big event. Sometimes, a story about a girl trying to help her mother, a boy chasing a dream, a family facing a difficult time or two people meeting at the right moment can say something important about life. These are the stories that interest me, and they are the stories I want to keep telling.

As a journalist and writer, I am still learning. Every story teaches me something new about people and about myself. I may not have all the answers, and I know I still have a lot to learn, but I know why I write. I write for people whose stories may never appear in the newspaper or on television. I write for people who are trying, hoping, failing and starting again. Most of all, I write because I believe that the story of an ordinary person can touch someone's heart.

 

How Modern Food, Environment, and Lifestyle Choices Are Shaping Human Health and What the Future May Hold

 

By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

There is something worrying about the way people are becoming sick today. Almost every day, we hear stories of people going to hospitals with serious illnesses, families losing loved ones and people being diagnosed with diseases at ages that seem too young. Cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and other long-term illnesses are now part of many families' experiences. This does not mean that these diseases did not exist in the past. They did. But the number of people talking about them, worrying about them and looking for answers has made many of us stop and think about the kind of world we are living in.

Many people are now asking simple but important questions. What are we eating? What are we breathing? How are we living? What is happening to the food we grow and buy? What is happening to the air around us? And what will all these changes mean for the children who will come after us? These questions deserve honest answers. They also deserve careful thinking because human health is not controlled by one thing. The food we eat is important, but so are the air we breathe, the water we drink, the amount we move, the way we sleep and many other things around us.

This article is not written to frighten anyone. It is not saying that every packaged food is dangerous or that every person who eats processed food will develop cancer. It is also not saying that modern life is completely bad. Modern life has given us many good things. Technology has made communication easier. Medicine has saved many lives. Transportation has made it easier to move from one place to another. Food can now reach people in places where it could not easily reach before. The concern is that while enjoying these benefits, we must also pay attention to the problems that can come with them.

The world is changing very quickly, and our health is part of that change. The way food is produced has changed. The way people work has changed. The way people spend their free time has changed. Cities have become bigger, traffic has increased and many people spend more time indoors. Some of these changes are helpful, while others may create health problems when they become part of everyday life for many years. This is why the conversation about health needs to go beyond hospitals and medicine. We also need to talk about what happens before a person becomes sick.

A Changing World and Changing Health

Life today is very different from the life many of our parents and grandparents knew. In many communities, people once walked more, worked more with their hands and spent more time outside. Farming, walking to nearby places, carrying things and other physical activities were part of normal life for many people. Food was also often bought from nearby farms or markets and taken home to be cooked. Life was not easy, but many daily activities naturally kept people moving.

Today, things are different. Many people wake up, enter a car or bus, sit at work for several hours, return home and spend more time sitting with a phone or computer. A person may spend most of the day without doing much physical activity. Technology has made many tasks easier. We can order food without leaving the house, shop without walking through a market and communicate without meeting anyone face to face. These things are useful, but they can also reduce the amount of movement in our daily lives.

Food has also become easier to get. A person does not always need to spend hours cooking. There are foods that can be opened and eaten almost immediately. There are drinks that are already prepared and snacks that can be carried anywhere. For people who are busy with work, school or business, this convenience can be very attractive. The problem comes when convenience becomes more important than balance and when these foods begin to replace healthier choices on a regular basis.

Our environment has changed too. Many cities now have more vehicles, more buildings, more factories and more waste. Some people live close to busy roads where they are exposed to traffic fumes every day. Others live in areas where rubbish is burned in the open. In some places, generators, factories and other sources add more smoke to the air. These things may seem normal because people see them every day, but normal does not always mean safe.

This does not mean that modern life is the only reason people become sick. Disease is often caused by many things working together. Age, family history, infections, lifestyle, environment and other factors can all play a part. That is why it is dangerous to blame one food or one habit for every illness. What we can do is look at the bigger picture and ask whether some of the things around us are increasing health risks.

The Modern Plate: Convenience Over Natural Living

Food is one of the biggest changes we can see around us. In the past, many families depended more on fresh ingredients and prepared their meals at home. Today, supermarkets and shops are filled with foods that are already prepared or heavily processed. Instant noodles, biscuits, sweets, soft drinks, packaged snacks, fast foods, frozen meals and many ready-to-eat products have become common parts of modern diets.

These foods are not all the same, and eating them sometimes does not automatically make a person unhealthy. The bigger concern is how often they are eaten and what they replace. If someone eats a packet of biscuits occasionally, that is very different from depending on biscuits, sugary drinks, instant noodles and other packaged foods for most meals every day.

Many highly processed foods are made to last for a long time. They may contain preservatives and other ingredients that help keep them from spoiling quickly. Some contain large amounts of sugar, salt or fat. Others are made with different flavours and ingredients that make them attractive and easy to eat. This is useful for businesses because the food can stay on shelves for longer and be transported to different places. It is also convenient for consumers because they can buy food and keep it for a long time.

But there is another side to this convenience. When highly processed foods become a large part of a person's diet, they may push out foods that provide important nutrients. A person may eat plenty of food and still not have a balanced diet. The body needs a mixture of nutrients, and fresh foods such as vegetables, fruits, beans, grains, fish, eggs and other healthy foods can help provide them.

Research has linked diets high in highly processed foods with several health problems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Some studies have also found an association between certain eating patterns and some cancers. It is important to understand what this means. It does not mean that one particular biscuit, noodle or soft drink causes cancer. Cancer is a complex disease and can have many causes. The concern is about long-term patterns of eating and the way they may affect the body over time.

This is why the conversation should not be about being afraid of food. It should be about balance. People should not feel that they have to stop eating every packaged product. Instead, there should be more attention to how often highly processed foods are eaten and whether fresh and nutritious foods are also part of the diet. A meal does not have to be expensive or fancy to be healthy. Sometimes simple food prepared at home can be enough.

The question we should ask is not, 'Is this one food going to make me sick?' The better question is, 'What does my normal diet look like, and what will happen if I continue eating this way for many years?'

Fruits, Farming and Modern Agriculture

Fruits and vegetables are some of the foods we are encouraged to eat for good health. They provide vitamins, minerals, fibre and other nutrients that the body needs. A banana, orange, mango, apple, watermelon or other fruit can be a healthy part of a person's diet. There is no reason to fear fruits simply because farming and food production have changed.

However, the way fruits and vegetables are produced today is worth discussing. Farmers have to grow enough food to feed large populations. To protect their crops from insects, weeds and diseases, some farmers use pesticides. These chemicals can help farmers protect their crops, but they must be used correctly. When pesticides are used wrongly or without proper control, they can create problems for farmers, consumers and the environment.

There can also be small amounts of pesticide residue left on food after it has been treated. Food safety authorities set limits for these residues, and when rules are followed, the amounts are generally kept within accepted safety levels. The bigger concern is where food safety rules are weak, poorly enforced or ignored. This is why farmers need proper information, safe farming practices and access to good agricultural support.

Another issue people sometimes discuss is the way fruits are ripened. Some fruits are picked before they are fully ripe because they need to travel long distances before reaching the market. They may then be allowed to ripen before being sold. There are safe and approved ways of doing this, but there can also be unsafe practices when people use substances that are not meant for food.

This does not mean that people should stop buying fruits. It means that food safety needs to be taken seriously. Farmers, traders, food sellers and government agencies all have a role to play in making sure that food is grown, transported, stored and sold safely.

There is also the question of how long food stays in storage. A fruit may travel from a farm to a market and then remain there for some time before someone buys it. Long storage does not automatically make food dangerous, but freshness and some nutrients can change over time. This is another reason why access to fresh food matters.

There is also a lot of discussion today about genetically modified foods, often called GM foods. It is important not to mix up different things. A fruit being bigger, sweeter or different from fruits grown many years ago does not automatically mean it is genetically modified. Farmers have been changing crops through selective breeding for a very long time. Genetic modification is a different process that involves modern biotechnology.

Most importantly, fruit itself is not the enemy. Fruits are an important part of a healthy diet. The bigger issue is making sure that the food we eat is safely grown, properly handled and properly regulated.

The Air We Breathe: An Invisible Risk

Food is not the only thing that can affect our health. The environment around us also matters. One of the biggest environmental concerns is the air we breathe every day.

Air pollution can be difficult to notice because it is not always visible. Sometimes there is no thick cloud of smoke in front of us, yet the air may still contain tiny particles and harmful substances. We breathe several times every minute, so whatever is in the air around us can enter our bodies.

In busy cities, pollution can come from many sources. Cars, buses, trucks, generators, factories and other machines can release pollutants into the air. Burning petrol, diesel, coal and other fuels can also add to air pollution. In some communities, people burn rubbish in the open because there are not enough proper waste disposal systems. Smoke from some cooking methods can also affect indoor air quality.

People can become so used to these things that they stop noticing them. A person may sit in traffic every morning and breathe vehicle fumes without thinking about it. Someone may live close to a place where rubbish is regularly burned and simply accept it as part of life. But being used to something does not mean that it cannot affect health.

Breathing polluted air for a short time can cause coughing, eye irritation and breathing problems. Long-term exposure can cause greater harm and has been linked to diseases affecting the lungs and heart. Air pollution has also been recognised as a cancer risk. This does not mean that every person exposed to polluted air will develop cancer. It means that long-term exposure to certain types of air pollution can increase the risk.

This should make us think differently about the environment. Clean air is not something that only belongs to people who live in wealthy areas. Everyone needs it. A child walking to school, a trader sitting by a roadside, a driver stuck in traffic and a factory worker all have the right to breathe air that is as clean as possible.

Reducing pollution will not be easy, but it is possible. Better public transport, cleaner energy, proper waste disposal and stronger control of harmful emissions can all help. Communities also need to understand the dangers of burning rubbish and other activities that add unnecessary pollution to the air.

When we talk about health, we often talk about food and medicine. We should also remember the air that enters our lungs every day.

Lifestyle Shifts and Rising Health Concerns

The way we live has also changed, and this can affect our health. Many people now sit for long periods at work, at school, in cars and at home. Phones and computers have made work and communication easier, but they have also made it possible to spend many hours without moving.

In previous generations, many people got exercise simply by doing their daily work. Farmers worked on farms. People walked to places that were not far away. Many jobs required physical effort. Today, a person can spend most of the day sitting and still complete their work.

This does not mean that everyone needs to return to the way people lived in the past. Technology is useful and modern work is important. But the body still needs movement. Walking, exercising, playing sports, doing housework and other forms of physical activity can help people stay active.

Sleep is another issue. Many people stay awake late because of work, school, entertainment or their phones. Some people sleep with their phones beside them and continue checking messages late into the night. Others have work schedules that make regular sleep difficult.

Stress is also part of modern life. People worry about money, jobs, school, relationships, family responsibilities and the future. Constant stress can make it harder for people to sleep, eat well and take care of themselves.

When poor eating habits, little exercise, poor sleep and high stress continue for years, they can affect health. Problems such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure are now major health concerns in many parts of the world. Some cancers are also linked to factors such as tobacco use, alcohol, excess body weight, physical inactivity and other lifestyle and environmental factors.

But we should be careful when talking about these issues. It is not correct to say that every illness is caused by lifestyle. A person can live a healthy life and still become sick. Some diseases are linked to genetics, infections, age and other factors that people cannot control.

The point is that some risks can be reduced. Eating better, moving more, sleeping well, avoiding tobacco and making healthier choices can help. These things may sound simple, but simple does not mean unimportant.

The Question of the Future

When we look at all these changes, it is natural to wonder what the future will look like. What will food be like in another hundred years? Will people eat more natural food or more food made in factories? Will cities become cleaner or more polluted? Will technology make people healthier or make them even less active? What kind of environment will children inherit from us? Nobody can answer all these questions with certainty.

We may imagine the year 2200 and wonder whether the health problems we see today will become much worse. It is possible to imagine a future where some diseases become more common if unhealthy habits and environmental problems are allowed to continue. But it would be wrong to say that babies born in 2200 will die immediately because the world will have become a 'cancerous world'. There is no scientific evidence to support such a prediction.

What we can say is that the choices made today can affect the future. If pollution continues to grow, more people may be exposed to harmful air. If unhealthy diets become even more common, more people may face diet-related health problems. If people continue to sit for long periods and remain physically inactive, some lifestyle-related diseases may become a greater burden.

Healthcare systems could also face more pressure. More people may need treatment for long-term illnesses. Families may spend more money on healthcare. Poorer communities may suffer more because they may not have the same access to good hospitals, healthy food or clean environments.

This is where the future becomes a question of responsibility. The children of the future did not choose the world they will be born into. They will inherit what we leave behind. They will inherit our cities, our food systems, our roads, our industries and our environment. That does not mean we should live in fear of the future. It means we should prepare for it.

Hope in Awareness and Change

There is still hope because many of the problems we are discussing can be reduced. We may not be able to control everything that happens to us, but there are things we can control.

People can make better food choices when they have the knowledge and the opportunity to do so. Families can include more fresh foods in their meals. People can reduce how often they depend on highly processed foods. They can drink more water, eat fruits and vegetables and make time for physical activity. But responsibility should not be placed only on individuals.

A poor family cannot always choose the most expensive healthy food. A person living beside a polluted road cannot simply decide to breathe cleaner air. A community without proper waste collection cannot solve its pollution problem by personal effort alone.

This is why governments have an important role. Governments can improve food safety rules and make sure those rules are actually enforced. They can support farmers with information about safe farming methods. They can improve waste collection and stop dangerous dumping and burning. They can support cleaner transport and cleaner energy. They can also make healthcare easier for ordinary people to access.

Businesses also have a role. Food companies can produce products that give consumers better choices. Farmers and food sellers can follow safe practices. Industries can work to reduce harmful pollution instead of treating the environment as something that can be used without limits.

Schools can also help. Children should learn about healthy eating, physical activity, clean surroundings and the importance of taking care of their bodies. What children learn early can influence the choices they make when they become adults.

Communities can help too. People can keep their surroundings clean, support healthy activities and speak up when pollution or unsafe food practices become a problem.

No single person can fix all these problems. But change does not always begin with one big action. Sometimes it begins with many small actions repeated over time.

A family choosing more fresh food. A person choosing to walk instead of sitting all day. A community refusing to burn rubbish. A government enforcing food safety rules. A company reducing pollution.

These things may look small on their own, but together they can make a difference.

Conclusion

The modern world has given us many things that people in the past could only imagine. We can communicate with someone on the other side of the world within seconds. We have better transport, better technology and medicines that can treat illnesses that once took many lives. There is a lot to be thankful for.

But as the world changes, we also need to look at the things that are changing around us. The food we eat is changing. The way food is grown, stored and sold is changing. Our cities are getting bigger, the air in some places is becoming more polluted, and many people are living very different lives from the generations before them.

This does not mean that everything modern is bad. A packaged food is not automatically dangerous, and eating processed food does not mean a person will develop cancer. Fruits do not become harmful simply because they are grown using modern farming methods. Cancer itself is a complicated disease, and there is usually more than one reason why someone develops it.

What matters is that we do not stop asking questions. We should know more about the food we eat and how it is produced. We should care about the air our children breathe. We should pay attention to the chemicals that enter our environment and the way our cities are developing. We should also encourage people to eat well, stay active and take care of their health.

There is no way to know exactly what life will be like in 2200. Maybe some diseases will have better treatments by then. Maybe new diseases will appear. Maybe technology will change the way people grow and eat food completely. We simply do not know.

But one thing is certain. The people who live then will inherit whatever world we leave behind.

They will live with the results of the way we treat the soil, the water and the air. They will depend on the food systems we build. They will live in the cities we leave for them. Some of the choices being made today may still affect their lives long after we are gone.

That is why this conversation is worth having now. We may not be able to change everything, but we can change some things. We can make better choices about what we eat. We can support safer food production. We can take pollution more seriously. We can teach young people to care about their health and the environment.

Perhaps we should not wait until the problems become much bigger before we begin to pay attention. The children who will live in 2200 have no voice in the choices we are making today. But one day, they will have to live with them.

 

An Open Letter to Dr Chima Matthew Amadi (Mazi Gburugburu)

 

Dear Dr Chima Matthew Amadi (Mazi Gburugburu),

I am writing this letter at a time when your name is travelling from one community to another, from one conversation to another, and from one gathering to another. You have chosen to enter a political contest that will demand much from you, but before politics becomes about numbers, meetings, posters and the final decision of the people, I want to speak to the man who has chosen to take this journey.

There is something courageous about putting yourself forward for public service. It means accepting that people will look at your life from different angles. Some will admire you, some will question you, some will support you because of what they know about you, while others may form opinions without knowing your story. Once you step into the public space, you cannot control every opinion about you. What you can control is the kind of person you choose to remain. That, perhaps, is the most important part of this journey.

Dr Chima, as you travel through Owerri Zone and meet different people, I hope you remember that every face you see carries a story. The woman who welcomes you at an August meeting has her own struggles. The young person who approaches you may be carrying a dream that he has not told anyone. The elderly man who shakes your hand has memories of a different Nigeria and may have watched many political seasons come and go. The mother who smiles at you may have worries hidden behind that smile. You may meet hundreds of people during this campaign, and it may not be possible to remember every name, but for some of them, meeting you may be a moment they remember for a very long time.

That is why I hope you will never underestimate the importance of kindness. Politics can make people forget the simple things. It can make every gathering feel like a contest and every conversation feel like an opportunity to gain an advantage. But beneath all of that is humanity. People still want to be respected. They want to be heard. They want to know that those who seek to represent them understand that their lives are real and their concerns are not merely campaign material.

You have chosen a road that will place you among people from many different backgrounds. Some will welcome you warmly. Some will ask difficult questions. Some will disagree with you openly. Some will not understand your intentions. Do not allow any of these things to make you lose the patience to listen. A person does not become weaker by listening. Sometimes, listening is the strongest thing a person can do.

There will also be moments when you will be tired. There will be days when the journey from one engagement to another feels long. There will be evenings when you return home and realise how much energy a political campaign can take from a person. When those moments come, remember that you are not the first person to discover that public service comes with sacrifice. The road to public office is never only about the destination. It is also about everything the journey teaches you.

You will learn about people you might never have met otherwise. You will hear stories that may change the way you look at certain issues. You will see the strength of communities and the determination of people who continue to build despite difficulties. Allow those experiences to shape you. Do not let politics harden your heart. That is one of the greatest dangers of public life.

It is easy to become surrounded by people who tell you only what you want to hear. It is easy to believe every cheer means agreement and every criticism means hatred. But a person who truly wants to serve must be able to separate praise from truth and criticism from malice. Keep people around you who can tell you when you are wrong. Keep people around you who will remind you of the promises you made to yourself before the applause became loud. Keep people around you who will never allow public office to make you forget where you came from.

And when you meet ordinary people, never treat them as ordinary. The trader who leaves her shop to attend a meeting is important. The farmer who works under the sun is important. The student worrying about tomorrow is important. The worker struggling to provide for a family is important. The woman building a small business with little support is important. Their lives are part of the reason public service exists. This is why your political journey should always remain connected to the human beings behind the statistics.

One day, this campaign will be over. The meetings will end. The speeches will stop. The vehicles will no longer move from one gathering to another with the same frequency. The posters will gradually disappear, and people will return to their ordinary routines. And when that happens, what will remain? Your title may remain for a while. Your photographs may remain in people's phones. Your name may remain in political conversations. But the deepest thing that will remain is how people remember you.

Did you make them feel respected? Did you encourage them? Did you keep your word? Did you remember the people you met when there was no camera present? Did you remain accessible after the excitement had gone? Those are questions that no campaign team can answer for you. Only your life can answer them.

Dr Chima, you are now asking the people of Owerri Zone to look at you as someone who can carry a responsibility on their behalf. That is a serious request, and I hope you carry it with the seriousness it deserves. Do not be in a hurry to prove everything. Let your actions speak. Let your character speak. Let your consistency speak. Let time speak.

There will always be another slogan, another speech and another political argument. But there is only one you. Protect the person you are beneath the politics. And if the road becomes difficult, do not be ashamed of the difficulty. Some journeys are difficult because what lies at the end of them matters.

Your journey has only begun, and nobody can predict every turn it will take. There will be unexpected doors, unexpected friendships, unexpected challenges and perhaps moments that will test you more than you imagined. Meet each one with wisdom. If you succeed, remain humble. If you are criticised, remain calm. If you are praised, remain grounded. If you make a mistake, have the courage to admit it. If you are given an opportunity to serve, remember that the office belongs to the people, not to the person occupying it. That is the difference between holding a position and leaving a legacy.

I hope that years from now, when you look back at this period of your life, you will remember more than the political outcome. I hope you will remember the people you met, the hands you shook, the stories you heard, the communities you entered and the lessons you learnt. I hope you will remember the faces behind the crowds. And most of all, I hope you will remain the kind of person who understands that public life is ultimately about people.

Dr Chima Matthew Amadi (Mazi Gburugburu), this is an open letter, but it is also a simple reminder. The road ahead is yours to walk. Walk it with courage, walk it with humility and walk it with a heart that remains open. Walk it knowing that people are watching, but also knowing that beyond the eyes of the public is your own conscience, which will one day ask you whether you truly gave the journey your best.

May you have the strength for the difficult days, the wisdom for the important decisions and the humility to remember the people who make every political journey possible. And when this chapter eventually becomes history, may it be a chapter worth remembering.

With sincere wishes for the journey ahead,

Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu