JUUC FirstLight

[when being broke feels like signing a contract you never read..] By Jesse Jackson  Poverty isn’t really about lacking money anymore,  it’s a legal and financial ecosystem with its own terms, clauses, and conditions. Somewhere between bank policies, loan app disclaimers, and government relief programs, the poor have become unwilling signatories to a contract they never agreed to. Clause 1: “Access” is a luxury product! In the financial world, the word access is treated like charity; as if inclusion itself were a favour. You want a small loan? There’s an app for that, with 30% interest and a legion of customer service reps ready to harass you if you default. You want to save money? There’s a fintech wallet that will freeze your funds faster than it credits them. It’s ironic: the richer you are, the more financial systems trust you. The poorer you are, the more proof they demand: utility bills, collateral, references, guarantors, BVNs, next of kin, and maybe a blood sample if po...

By Amaefule K. Chimjurumafo Redemption Dear Dahlia Dear Dahlia By the time you read this email I'll be gone. Maybe by this time, you'll also hear my babies have suffocated in the night, and you'll be trying to doubt what your mind is telling you. I'm emailing you because out of all the people in my life, I think that you'll understand what I want to say the most. I think that you'll understand me when I tell you that I don't want to be found. For the longest time, I've always felt like I knew what I wanted in life, like the goal has was clear— Finish with a first class, go to law school, get married, get a doctorate, have a kid or two… I really was not prepared for the amount of emotion that would wash over me when I saw my babies faces for the first time. I could not describe if it was love or futility, as the realization hit me that they were never going to be normal. I know in my heart of hearts that the only thing that awaited them was suffering and ...

  By Idorenyin John EVOLUTION The music industry has undergone significant changes in recent years due to advancements in technology. From the way music is produced and distributed to the methods of promotion and consumption, technology has had a profound impact on every aspect of the industry. The music industry has come a long way since the days of vinyl records and cassette tapes and CDs.  Vinyl records, with their analog quality and the ritual of carefully placing them on a turntable, offered a rich and special experience. Cassettes made music more portable, allowing users to create their own mixes, share them, and carry them around. CDs, in turn, introduced sharper sound quality, easier production, and greater durability. Everything changed with the arrival of the MP3 in the late 1990s. This compressed format allowed large amounts of music to be stored on small devices without significant quality loss. For the first time, you could carry your entire music collection in yo...

By Jesse Jackson  The recent tax demand of ₦36 million from popular TikToker, Habeeb "Peller" Hamzat, by the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) has begun a nationwide conversation about celebrity wealth and tax compliance in Nigeria. The controversy, which began after Peller's public discussion of his earnings, is a clear reminder that the era of conspicuous consumption without tax accountability may be coming to an end for the nation's digital stars. This case proves that the government is now actively monitoring social media to assess the income of influencers and celebrities. Under Nigerian law, all residents must pay tax on their income, regardless of whether it's earned locally or from platforms like TikTok. This serves as a critical warning to all content creators. The era of living a luxurious life online while avoiding taxes is over. Peller has the legal right to challenge the tax bill, but he must provide concrete financial evidence to prove his ...

 BY PRAISE NKANANG Introduction  The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has emerged as a game-changer for the continent's economic landscape, fostering intra-African trade, investment, and economic integration. One of the key challenges facing African businesses is accessing financing and investment opportunities to drive growth and innovation. Intellectual property-backed securitization offers a potential solution to this challenge, enabling businesses to leverage their intellectual property assets to access new funding sources and investment opportunities within the AfCFTA framework. What is Intellectual Property-Backed Securitization? Intellectual property-backed securitization involves converting intellectual property rights into financial assets that can be traded, sold, or used as collateral to raise capital. This financial technique allows businesses to unlock the value of their intellectual property assets, such as patents, trademarks, and copyrights, and use...

BY KAMSI MAFO Her head rests on his lap. His hand runs through her hair. She looks at him, a smile on her face. He seems not to notice, his brow furrowed with thought. She reaches up and touches his cheek lightly and his face lightens. "What smart thing are you thinking now?" she asks. He laughs gently, his baritone voice causing a vibration at the back of her neck that makes her tongue tingle. "Bits and pieces, here and there… nothing much," he responds. She looks at him funnily. "A funny anecdote or a paradox? Perhaps it's another story about another mad man," she says, laughing too. There’s a bit of quiet, and the only sound they hear is the night. "Tell me one of them," she says. "One of your stories." He smiles and tells her that it's not as easy as she thinks. "It comes and goes… like a whisper in the wind," he tells her. "There's a lot of breeze about," she responds. "Listen—perhaps it'll ...