Talebearing24 - Nutrition In MRNIGERCAD Part 1

Nutrition is the ability of a living organism to feed while the chemicals taken in by the organism during this process is referred to as nutrients. Examples of these chemicals include Nitrogen, Carbon, Oxygen, Phosphorous, Hydrogen, and Chlorine to mention a few.Ingestion is the process of taking in the food substances into the body while egestion is the process of passing out of the undigested food particles from the body of a living organism through anus. Injection is the insertion of needle and syringe into the body. Modes of Nutrition All living organisms are capable of carrying out different modes of nutrition. However, the mode of nutrition can be group into two major classes referred to as autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition. 1. Autotrophic Nutrition: This is the type of nutrition in which organisms are able to manufacture their food. Organisms which can manufacture their food are called autotrophs.Autotrophic nutrition is further divided into two groups. These are holophytic or photosynthetic nutrition and chemosynthetic nutrition. I. Holophytic (Photosynthetic) nutrition: It is the type of nutrition in which all green plants are able to manufacture their own food making use of Carbon dioxide and water in the presence of sunlight. This process is called Photosynthesis. The green plants derive their energy for making this food from the sunlight which is trapped by Chlorophyll. Examples of organisms that exhibit this process include flowering plants, Spirogyra, Euglena etc. II. Chemosynthetic nutrition: It is another mode of nutrition in which certain bacteria are able to synthesize organic compounds from simple inorganic materials such as carbon dioxide, water, ammonia or nitrite to manufacture their food. The energy used for the synthesis comes from the oxidation of the inorganic materials or chemicals; hence the process is called Chemosynthesis, e.g. Nitrosomonas, Nitrobacter. 2. Heterotrophic nutrition: This is the type of nutrition in which the organisms cannot manufacture their foo but depend directly or indirectly on plants(autotrophs) for their food. Organisms which cannot manufacture their food are called heterotrophs. Most animals, fungi, protozoa and some bacteria belong to this group. I. Holozoic nutrition: This involves the feeding on other organisms or solid organic substances synthesized by green plants. The organisms ingest, digest and assimilate these food substances into their bodies. Examples of organisms that exhibit holozoic mode of nutrition are: (a) Carnivores like cats, dogs, lions etc. that feed on flesh (b) Herbivores like sheep, goats, rabbits etc. that feed on plants (c) Omnivores like man, pig etc. that feed on both flesh and plants/vegetables d. Scavengers like vultures that feed on dead animals II. Parasitic nutrition: This is the type of nutrition in which certain organisms feed on another organism in order to derive nourishment from it. This mode of nutrition is called parasitic nutrition while the association is called Parasitism. Parasitism is an association between two organisms, usually of different species in which one called the parasite gains from the association while the other called the host is harmed or suffered losses. Examples include Tapeworm, plasmodium, ticks, bugs, dodder (plant), mistletoe (plant) etc. Animal parasites are classified as endoparasites and ectoparasites. I.Ectoparasites:- These are parasites which live on (outside) the body of their hosts where they derive food and shelter from e.g. flea, bedbug, and tick. II. Endoparasites:- These are parasites which live inside the body of their hosts such as man and other animals. Examples include Tapeworm (host- pig and man), Liverfluke (Fasciola hepatica, host – sheep), Filaria (Wucheraria brancrofti, host – cattle, sheep and goat), Guinea worm (Drancunculus medinensis).

Talebearing24 - He Reaped What He Showed

In a remote village of Amackpu, once lived a man whose name was Ofuchi Nwosis. Ofuchi was a palm-wine tapper and he lived with his family and step brother in homesteads built on the land they inherited from their father. The name of Ofuchi’s step brother was Nduibisi. Ndubuisi was a farmer and he had a son called Nnaji named after his own father. Ofuchi had three children who were all male.These two brothers built their huts at the two extremes of the land handed over to them by their father. When their father was about to die, he called Ofuchi and took the right hand of his brother, Ndubuisi, handed it to Ofuchi meaning Ofuchi should assume responsibility over his step brother. This was the last assignment the old performed on earth. He said: ‘’if your brother has offended you, forgive him. In him, you have a partner and somebody to rely on; a bunch of broom is always very difficult to break. Be in unity and plan no evil against each other’’. Soon after uttering these words, he surrendered to the cold hands of death.The final words of the old man guided Ofuchi and Ndubuisi’s behaviours towards each other for a number of years. They preferred to live closer to each other, building their huts on the same piece of land their father left behind for them. They both got married. The name of Ofuchi’s wife was Nne while the name of Ndubuisi’s wife was Ifeoma.Nnaji, Ndubuisi’s only child was growing up in the same compound with the three male children of Ofuchi. When he was old enough to start schooling, he was registered in the school that his other brothers were attending. However, Nnaji was very brilliant at school. He was more brilliant than the three children of Ofuchi. He came out top in every examination in the school and so he was loved by his teachers. He was so brilliant that he was given double promotion and soon after enrolling in school, he was in the same class with the second child of Ofuchi.There was a time that Nnaji’s teachers in school followed him home to encourage his father to endeavour to send him to the only secondary school which was about five kilometres from their village after the completion of his primary education.The recognition of Nnaji’s brilliancy began to create animosity and envy at home. Ofuchi decided to give a gap between his wife and that of his brother. It was at this period that Ofuchi remembered what he was told concerning his mother’s death. He was told that his step brother’s mother was responsible for the mysterious death of his mother. He therefore decided to take revenge on Ndubuisi by killing his only child, Nnaji.He thought of a plan of poisoning Nnaji since his children and Nnaji ate together as family. He went to the house of the herbalist to collect poison. On the day he had planned to execute his diabolical plan, his wife had prepared the food of the children as usual before going to the market. Unknown to her, Ofuchi went to put poison in the food he thought Nnaji would eat since he was always the first to arrive from school. On this day, Nnaji was a bit delayed at school and Ofuchi’s first child, Ike was the first to arrive home hungry. He picked the food and hurriedly ate it. Soon after, Ofuchi and his wife arrived and met Ike holding his stomach crying for help. The people in the village heard the noise and rushed into the house, Ofuchi could no longer hide his emotion. He started crying, recounting how he went to procure poison from a herbalist to kill Nnaji, his step brother’s son. The villagers were comforting him, trying to hold him but his brother demanded that he should not be comforted because ‘’he reaped what he showed’’.

Talebearing24-A Local Festival In My Village

The arrival of civilization and western culture has made us to forget our cultural past. Our heritage has been lost and traded off for the western ways. Those cultural heritages which had delighted our fore-fathers are looked down upon by youths who regard these heritages as old-fashioned and anachronistic.I must confess that that I did share this opinion with my peers but I have to give it another thought when I was privileged to accompany my parents to our village to a witness a local festival. The festival is usually celebrated every first Saturday of September in my village, Obong. Every year, the indigenes travel from far and near to convene at Obudu Market Square, the venue of the annual new yam festival. The origin of the festival goes as far back as when the first group of settlers fled to the plateau for safety and decided to dwell there. I can recollect vividly what my grandfather told me about the first festival when the settlers had their first new yam harvested. Tradition has it that the very first celebration was held at the summit of the Obudu plateau. The joy and happiness shared among the people was enough to pull the heavens down according to my grandfather. Ever since, the celebration has taken the same pattern. Last year the new yam festival I witnessed began on Thursday. The day after that Thursday, all men in the village woke up early in the morning and left for their farms. They returned in the evening with their children carrying large tubers of yams on their heads. I joined the village children to carry the tubers which we dropped at the market square. In the evening, the men gathered after taking their bath to discuss over a gourd of freshly-tapped palm-wine. Their discussion took them into far night before they went to sleep in their various homes. Very early the next day, the women started peeling the yams for cooking. They brought all ingredients together for the cooking while the young men prepared themselves to carry masquerades. The girls including myself were not allowed to cook but we helped the women in cooking the food. Saturday finally arrived and the festival was scheduled to begin at noon. As early as 7.00am on that day, the women were up again to add finishing touches to their cooking and finally they pounded the yams. The real festival began with the arrival of ‘Usu’, the chief who was followed by the masquerades. The young girls including myself dressed beautifully with the ‘jigida’ beads around our waists. We danced to entertain the ‘Usu’ and his chiefs who occasionally waved their locally made fans. Then the food was served and there was more than enough to go round. Everybody ate to his or her satisfaction. Finally, after all the dancing, singing and eating, the festival came to an end in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Talebearing24 - ''Where There is a Will, There is a Way''

I have not been able to understand the joy that filled my heart and the wonderful things that have been happening in my life. I now recall as I always do, the last words of my father before he gave up the ghost. I can remember vividly that he said ‘’nothing is impossible under the sun and as long as there is a will, there is always a way’’. More so, I tried to recollect again the incidents that followed the death of my father. I had just finished my senior secondary school promotion examination and I was going home when I noticed that someone was running towards me. She was shouting my name and informing me that something had happened at home. This person, who happened to be my aunty, kept on repeating her words. I was confused as I could not believe that my father was probably dead, though he had been ill for some weeks. Then my aunty finally broke the news: Olu, father is dead’’. I broke down in tears and that was how my trouble began. My mother died when giving birth to me, her first and only child. Ever since then, it had always been my father and I. Now my father was gone. Who was going to cater for my up-bringing? My father’s only sister was poor and she had little means of catering for her little children and herself. She also depended on my father. I then realised that I was in the world alone. I applied as a house-boy in one of my neighbour’s house and out of pity, I was hired. My master took the responsibility of sending me to school. I was very pleased and I always tried my best to please him. I also did all the best I could do well in school so as to encourage my master. Since he had no child, he treated me almost like his own. The only difference was that I called him ‘’master’’ and not ‘’father’’. I counted myself lucky. I then took my final examinations and came out with the best result in my school. Soon after this, my master sent me packing and I felt as if I was born with a curse on my head. He told me that he would not be able to pay for education neither would he be able to accommodate me anymore. And then, it was like all hope was lost and I decided to look for a menial job. I took up a job as a cleaner in a small company in my village and after working for three months; all I could still afford were three square meals. ‘’Was this how I was going to continue’’? I asked myself. While I was considering my depressing condition, the words of my late father came back to me. This raised my enthusiasm and hope and there and then, I decided I must further my education. I then began to save some money to buy Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) form. After about a year of saving money, I purchased the form and wrote the examination and I came out in such flying colours that my community offered me a scholarship to study Accountancy in the university. With determination, I came out of the university with a first class degree in Accountancy. The following year after graduation, I became a Chartered Accountant. Now I am a respectable Accountant in the society and I still owe my success to the saying of my late father that ‘’where there is a will, there is a way’’.

Talebearing24- Obedience is better than sacrifice.

I am in confusion and misery right now as I write this story. Will my father ever find a place in his heart to forgive me? I said this because I have offended my father so greatly that it will take a lot of effort to get his forgiveness. I am twenty-five years old. I took a decision some years ago and now I live to regret it. I will live to curse the day I met Kingsley, the man who ruined my life. I come from a very good Christian family, a God-fearing one. I am the only child and daughter of my parents. Though we were not very wealthy, we were comfortable and morally upright. I had brought shame and disgrace to them with my actions that I now regret. If only I could turn back the hands of the clock. I would do things differently. I had just left secondary school at a tender age of seventeen and my parents were proud of me. They wanted me to go to a higher institution of learning and thereafter, live a good life. This was the dream my father had for me since I was a kid and now, he was ready to make it a reality. When I was about entering the university, my father would always advise me to be a good girl. It was around this time I lost my mother. It was so painful but I had to live with the reality of life. My dad saw that he did everything he could to make me realize and actualize my mother’s wish that I should get married in the church. This was what I had in mind until I met Kingsley. I was still in the university, one fateful morning when I met Kingsley. I was waiting for a taxi on this day when a car stopped beside me and I bent to see if the driver of the vehicle was someone I knew. To my surprise, I saw a very handsome young man smiling at me. His smile was so captivating that I fell in love with him immediately as if I was charmed. Then he said ‘’Hello’’ to me and I was lost in the beauty of his deep voice. My knees became weak and I would have fallen if the car was not beside me to lean on. He told me his name was Kingsley and he was ready to give me a ride to wherever I was going. I didn’t even object. I just got into the car and he started driving. That same day, I ended up in bed with him. I fell head over heels in love with him. For me there was no looking back. I totally forgot all the advice my father gave me and my dreams of becoming a successful woman in life. My father soon noticed that I had changed as I acted absent-mindedly at home. To cut the long story short, I soon found out that I was pregnant and Kingsley was responsible. I was shocked by the way Kingsley behaved when I told him this. He called me ‘’a lying bitch’’ and that I should look for the father of the ‘’bastard’’ I was carrying. He also told me that he was married to a woman who was living in the United States of America with three kids. After that, he slammed the door on me. I could not face my father now and presently, I am squatting with a friend of mine and I am eight month pregnant expecting to put to bed very soon. Anytime I think of the advice my father gave me and all his care and love, I regret my actions which brought shame and disgrace to him. I wish I had listened to him.

Talebearing24- Strike while the Iron is hot

Pa Chima did not stop telling people, who cared to listen to him, about the need to make good use of any favourable occasion without losing valuable time. People living around him wondered why he remained in abject poverty without any breakthrough. In most cases, he would go on memory lane to remember his past of wasted opportunities and tell his neighbours, especially the youths, mainly out of self-pity, to make good use of favourable occasions as soon as they come Pa Chima, as he was fondly referred to, was a man of seventy-two years of age. He was lonely as nobody knew his wife and children. He was born in the palace of a king who was his father. Though he was brought up in the palace of a king, his old age was spent in penury and abject poverty. Though Pa Chima could be said to have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, his parents were not the doting type, they were strict and ready to send him to school. He attended primary and secondary schools in the country and he was later sent abroad, on his insistence, to study. When he got there, he felt that he had escaped from the strict control of his parents and he could do anything he wanted. He started to live a wayward life involving himself in gambling, immorality and other social vices. Most times, he would be arrested by the London police for night crawling but he would be let off the hook because his father was known to be influential. Meanwhile, he had dropped out of school and concealed this fact from his parents. It got to a time, his father contemplated bringing him back home but his mother prevailed on him not to do so. After living in London for ten years, Pa Chima was deported home after he had been arrested for raping, charged to court and found guilty of the offence. He was deported without achieving anything and he could not account for his stay abroad. When he arrived the country, his parents pardoned him and encouraged him to settle down by giving him money to start a business of his own. He told them that he would go into the business of selling American photocopying machines and his parents gave him two million naira to start the business. However, Pa Chima didn’t learn from his past mistakes as he continued his wayward and wanton ways of life. He wasted the money and after some months, he could not account for the money. Meanwhile, his brothers and sisters were doing well and his parents thought that they should not give up on him so that he would not become a liability on his brothers and sisters. They got him a wife and so after he had his own family, they thought that being a family man would help him out of his wanton living. They set him up in a business again with a large sum of money which he wasted. It was at this point in his life that his father died and soon after he lost his mother in a fatal accident. His brothers and sisters neglected him and when things were rough with him; his wife abandoned him and took away his children. He had since then become a lonely man, a failure who found solace only in telling people who cared to listen to the story of his life and urged them not to live a life of wasted opportunities as he had lived but strike while the iron is hot.

Talebearing24- Make Hay while the Sun shines

Amos Inyang and Tunde Lukmon were intimate friends while they were classmates in secondary school. Their friendship started on their very first day at school. Amos’s parents had brought Tunde in their car. From there, they started their friendship and this blossomed soon after. They were very intimate when they were in the junior secondary school. They did things together in the hostel and shared the same desk and chair in the school. Things, however, started changing after their junior secondary school Certificate Examination. They were both promoted to the Senior Secondary School Class one. After their promotion, Tunde began to exhibit a change in the character and behaviour. His disposition to his studies changed and he started keeping bad companies. He played truant and ran away from classes. Tunde’s bad conduct made Amos distance himself from him. He decided to be up and doing in his studies while Tunde misbehaved most of the time and got into trouble with the school authority. Amos continued to be well-behaved, industrious and enterprising. He was hardworking, studious and he believed in making hay while the sun shines. At the end of the year, he was promoted to SS 2 while Tunde was promoted on trial because of his poor performance. When they were promoted, Amos called Tunde and admonished him on his bad behaviour and advised him to make hay while the sun shines and stop wasting his time. Amos’s admonition did not have any effect on Tunde as he proved stubborn and recalcitrant. He became unruly than ever before. One day, Tunde and his gang broke into the school’s poultry at night to steal eggs and fowls and they were caught. The second day, they were called out on the assembly ground and their offence was announced to the whole school. They were flogged openly and suspended for two terms.When Tunde was suspended, he refused to let his parents knew about his misdemeanour. He went to hide in one of his friend’s house and while on suspension, he always sneaked to the school to cause one trouble or the other. His unrepentant attitude made the principal to expel him from school. Amos continued to be diligent and hardworking in his studies. He came out of the school in flying colours and soon after he got admission into the university to study medicine. After seven years in the university, he graduated and became a medical doctor. One day as he was going round the emergency ward of the hospital where he was working, he stumbled on Tunde, his former classmate and friend. Tunde was abandoned on a stretcher half-dead; he was bleeding profusely. Some hours before this time, he had been wounded in a fight which ensued among members of the transport union in one of the motor parks. He was wounded with an axe. Amos took pity on him and took special interest in his case. When Tunde was recuperating on his hospital bed, Amos got to know about his life after leaving secondary school. Indeed, he had wasted his time and he was a tout at Ikeja motor-park where he was wounded while participating in a fight with touts from a rival motor park. In fact, he had no money to pay his hospital bill and Amos had to pay for him. When Amos revealed to him that he had paid his hospital bill, he burst into tears, weeping profusely. Then Dr Amos had to pat him at the back to pacify and he reminded him of his admonition to him some few years back. He said, ‘’you wouldn’t have been in this mess if you had made hay while the sun was shining’’.