Dec 23, 2020Member-onlyYvette’s Fantasy Dinner Party: Tidjane Thiam, Samin Nosrat, Elizabeth Gilbert, Modupe Fadugba, Alain de Botton, and Amal Clooney.During the global lockdown, The FT started a fantasy dinner party series. Here I am, 9 months after the lockdown in Lagos, and I find myself having a much quieter Christmas than I imagined. So, I decided to write my own fantasy dinner! I’m hosting guests that have fascinated me…Fantasy Dinner3 min read
Aug 17, 2019My Mother is 57 and Just Started Her PhD.- 3 Lessons I’ve LearnedOn a Thursday evening after work, I got home and plopped down on my sofa knowing I was about to spend most of the night helping my mother work through her Powerpoint presentation for a term paper. I was a little tired, but then I reflected on the bravery it…Life Lessons4 min read
Jul 29, 2019“Think you’re escaping and run into yourself” and other advice for the 2019 graduating classI was invited to be the commencement day speaker at The American International School of Lagos, where I spent my 8th and 9th Grade years. Very few people know about one of the toughest months of my life. It was an honor to be invited to share the truth. Abridged…Education6 min read
Published in Human Parts·May 18, 2019Member-onlyMy Last Bad ManLearning to see a relationship without rose-colored glasses — The beginning He danced with me on an empty, pin-drop quiet street in Lagos into the small hours of the morning, moving me through yellow-dim lighting with his breath against my ear, hand below my waist. I miss being spun by him. He understood, intimately, the poetry with which I want to…Love4 min read
May 13, 2019What Shall an Igbo Father Tell his SonAnother short story exploring Igbo men and their houses in the village. I have never seen my father experience shame. On the evening after our New Yam festival, he was humiliated. I wish had not been there, although I am not sure I would have been able to make sense…Fiction6 min read
Apr 25, 2019Strawberry MilkshakeStrawberry milkshake, like I swallowed the sun. I sat there smiling in a sea of strangers, I hate this city. I’ve been hiding from this sea but I tiptoed too briskly toward the deep end. Strawberry milkshake, you found me. I only wanted to see how far I could go. Whipped cream like kind hopeful eyes, I’m not ready for you. But I need you to remind me what is waiting for me in the stars when you belong. Pick me up and put me back. Even the sun cannot survive hellRelationships1 min read
Apr 3, 2019Why Don’t You Ask Me Any Questions?Talking to you on a balmy Lagos night is kind of dreamy. You know the kind of night where the moisture on your face is balanced by a well-spaced breeze. That particular night, the waistline of my skirt wasn’t too tight, I felt perfectly relaxed in my skin. I had…Life4 min read
Mar 31, 2019Dear Publishers, Apple News+ is a Trick, Don’t Fall For It.Dear Publishers, I was at a conference for publishers in Berlin (Digital Innovator’s Summit), the day after Apple announced its news subscription product. We did a quick show of hands on the question “Who here thinks Apple News+ will be good for publishers? Absolutely no one raised their hands. At…Publishing5 min read
Mar 23, 2019Why Does the Igbo Man Build His Castle in the Village?I stood there in a brown silk kaftan, grateful to the grey clouds that shielded us from the sun. Ada anyi, bia nodi nga, the pastor ushered me toward my father’s side. I watched my small feet pick up dirt as I walked over proudly. …Nigeria4 min read
Mar 10, 2019Digital Transformation at BusinessDay — Move It.“Picture a huge, heavy flywheel — a massive metal disk mounted horizontally on an axle, about 30 feet in diameter, 2 feet thick, and weighing about 5,000 pounds. Now imagine that your task is to get the flywheel rotating on the axle as fast and long as possible. Pushing with…Digital Transformation5 min read
