Tuesday 20 August 2019

The Myth of Ease

Ease
I always thought that growing older will be easier.

I secretly envied my Dad because I thought he had everything at his beck and call. He had a woman (stop thinking, its my mum), a room to himself, a car and always a bowl of soup infested with all manner of protein (though he always shared after his meal).


He would go and come at will, maybe with a level of consent from my Mum (hmmmm...the ultimate envy of any well caged teenager like myself).

But not long, I had to leave home for school, then it became very apparent that 'freedom is the burden that only the mature can bear.'

Oh! I suddenly realized how difficult it was to operate a civil and functional human being called SELF to the admiration of society. It was and is still very demanding, exhaustive, and if you may, excruciating to engage in the process of personal development. To do otherwise is doom looming.

With age creeping in, I have come to admit that to succeed, being strategic must be a daily approach. 

I have placed premium on my thoughts, winks, smiles, finger clicking, gestures, motives, engagements, and even redeeming time. Knowing now that everything tangible and intangible are working in concert to deliver on my aspirations. 

So at the end of every single day, nothing is left to caution. Every action is evaluated and a mental appraisal given. 

I have learnt that the elements of the earth are governed by principles, and consequences are a vital composite of what balances our active and inactive deeds.

I have learnt that moderation is golden. 

In this period, not many phrase have embellished my life's journey more than this word from a mentor - 'that a good gambler knows when to play, when to wait, and when to quit'; and I have applied this attitude in my attacking, waiting, retreating, surrendering, and even 'foolishly' walking away from well deserved inheritance of mine. 

Now repeatedly, the whatever kind of envy I had for my Dad has become a growing respect for him though he is long demised. 

So my parting thoughts here will be: let the arena of life be your education. Don't seek ease, grow competence. Don't act carelessly, preempt consequences and possibly the EASE someday maybe a reality that providence may reward you with. 

Friday 22 March 2019

The Rebirth of a Nation - Part One



It just dawned on me that it has been 20 years since I ventured into the world of entrepreneurship as a young funky teenage undergraduate with a group of friends.

We were untamed, wildly adventurous about our beliefs, completely encapsulated in a raging passion to do what the likes of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, etc. had done.
Moi


In the process, we experienced our share of how Africa emasculates the aspirations of its teeming youth. We were beaten, trodden upon, our self-esteem crushed, and on several occasions, rejected for daring to think this way by all and sundry. But with all these, it has not deterred us from our once conceived ambition of building corporations.

The fact remains that the only hope of this continent, particularly Nigeria, to compete favourably with other advanced nations of the world is for us to build a strong and vibrant entrepreneurial base.
We need to totally decimate the culture of massive job hunting and begin putting our gifts/skills into productive and commercial use.

I always use this analogy to buttress this point in seminars:

Let us take 120 Higher Institutions of learning in the country and assume averagely, 1500 students graduate from each and are deployed for the annual National Youth Service Corps programme. So at the end of the year, you have about 180,000 young Nigerians ready for the marketplace. Multiply that number by 5, you will have 900,000 youths entering the job market within 5 years.

My question is always this: ‘where are they all going to be employed’?; with the National Bureau of Statistics reporting that Nigeria’s unemployment rate increased from 18.8 per cent in the third quarter of 2017 to 23.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2018. Besides, no single company in the country has an employment base of 100,000 staff. This last point is underlined by a tweet in 2014 by the former Vice-President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in which he stated that he is the largest employer of labour in the country with a staff strength of 'only' 50,000 people.

Hopefully, you see my point! The future of our nation lies in us believing in ourselves enough, to trade with our inherent talent, develop cutting edge skills, create support systems around these enterprises, and engage with a legacy consciousness, as part of the strategic tool in achieving a robust economy.

Believe me, a private sector comprising of a large turn-out of start-ups is our only true hope of an economic revival that will startle the rest of the world and give us that competitive advantage.

Thursday 20 December 2018

The Extinct Breed


As we all dance in the next few days into the political space to decide the fate of our father's land, whether as a campaigner or a supporter I want you to ponder upon this question, when you find the time at any given hour to recess from all human contact, "what really is the motive of my ambition?"

Permit me to guide your imagination. For now all may seem well, but after 1,460 days (4 years) or if you are fortunate 2,920 days (8 years), what happens thereafter? What really?

What will you truly be remembered for, when time comes testing your deeds. Will it endure? I have met former 'great' office holders queuing for public service only to be met with the same very inefficient service that during their golden days, they would have easily influenced the necessary change, that now they themselves would have been major beneficiary with their names spiced all around the achievement as an aroma emitting from a bottle of perfume.


But oh no, we now all suffer the same fate. I see their faces wrinkled with regrets over wasted opportunities that would have now written their names forever on the sands of time. Heed to this reader, naming a street or an inanimate structure after a person will not immortalize him/her. It is the good deeds of men for men that immortalizes men! 

I hope my words of caution falls on fertile soil. How conscious are you of legacy? Do you care what the consequences are thereafter you have carried out your deeds either as an office holder or supporter? Because there will be consequence and you will either be glad or bitter at it.

From the benefits of hindsight, how many ex-known political figures have you seen dash for safety when a failed project that is attributed to their names are mentioned? Many I will say! I am almost in near doubt that we would have any example in this regards that we will sincerely want to emulate and follow in their footsteps, that is, if our visible followership won't be influenced by externalities such as money and faults loyalty.

Friend, life will always come judging. So why not adequately prepare to render selfless service to mankind. Indeed, the most humbling opportunity that life offers us is service to others. And when done well, there is always immense benefits that transcends known territories.

Friday 7 December 2018

WHY PERSONAL RETREAT 2?


WHY PERSONAL RETREAT?



CULTURE OF READING

CULTURE OF READING


I opened a teaching on the 'culture of reading' with this phrase. Seven years after, two young men at different occasion approached me and said, 'sir, this phrase altered my life, while sitting in that auditorium.'