ECHOES OF WISDOM

ECHOES OF WISDOM: BOYS 2 MEN

2011-08-01T17:23:00.000+01:00

ECHOES OF WISDOM: BOYS 2 MEN

He'll show up

2010-10-25T10:59:00.001+01:00

When the very foundations upon which you build is shaken

When you are tempted to put question marks on the things you’ve always believed

When all your convictions are fast becoming confusions

When even God appears not to make sense any more

And you see nonsense in everything that used to make sense

When life tosses you in a million directions

And the only logical thing to do is give up

Just hold on a little longer my dear friend

At the nick of time he’ll be right there

To catch you when like everything around you

You are falling faster than you can imagine

BOYS 2 MEN

2010-09-22T12:03:00.002+01:00

Pacing expectantly through the lobby, sweating profusely under the ice-cold air condition, waiting anxiously as the clock ticks by, asking the same question over a million times within such a short time...Praying that someone will finally be the harbinger of the great news…"Nurse how far" was the question that came through his buccal-cavity directed at the tired looking nurse who just strolled out of the labor room that has been shut for several hours . "Congrats, it's a boy" was the answer. Finally, their waiting period was over, a boy has been born...born to make a difference, born to be a change agent in his time, born with zillions of innate potentials, born to be great, born to impact the world with the investment of his personality. Little did we know that this boy though loaded with myriads of potentials will not automatically be all that he's been crafted to be? He’s got a big question mark hanging over his head, a question he must during his life’s foray find answers to for in the answer is the key to unlocking the vista of opportunities life will be throwing at him. He must answer the question “What on earth am I here for”? He's got work to do and herein lays the difference.

The phenomenon called time is witty in several respects chief of which lies in the fact that it has precipitated a myth that presents it as the almighty antidote to solving all of the riddles a man will be presented with during his life’s endeavors hence the popular axiom "time heals all wounds". However, it has to become abundantly clear to this boy that the journey to manhood is not to be attained only as time unfolds, nay; this boy has to unfold his sleeves and get to work. You don't become a man by passing time, accepting whatever life tosses at you, hoping that in the sweet-by-and-by things will ultimately turn out well. This boy needs to know that you don't become a man by developing some attractive masculine biceps, cultivating some thick bushes of hair called moustache on the soil of your face, speaking with some thick baritone voice or better still chasing ladies in the neighborhood to satisfy some hormonal instincts, far from it, becoming a man comes with one word RESPONSIBILITY.

Yeah you cultivate being responsible by taking on responsibilities. Sorry to burn your cable friend, you don't become a man simply because you are thirty or forty years old, we've got loads of forty-year-old-boys walking the streets of our world...look around you I bet you'll see them in their numbers. Funny enough the word responsibility is a compound word (a permutation of two words: RESPONSE & ABILITY). Yes, it is your ability to respond to the things life throws at you in a way that whatever it is, you become better and wiser. It is your ability to spring into action and not just being docile accepting everything as your fate. It is your ability to squeeze out lemonade out of the several bitter lemons life throws at you. It is your ability to rise up after every fall with invaluable experiences to become a better person. It is your ability to build a tastefully furnished mansion out of the tons of stones and bricks life tosses at you. It is your ability to go from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. It is your ability to move on with determination to succeed despite all odds. It is your ability to stick your neck out, stick to your convictions even though the whole world against you convene. It is your ability to believe in yourself and the potentials you carry even if no one believes in you. Bottom line, becoming a man lies in your ability. Man is not what you become as you pass through time; man is what you become as you get processed by time. Don't go through life wishing that things just turn out fine, work through life willing to turn the tide in your favor, remember "if wishes were horses, even beggars will ride". You deserve the very best, it's time for you to demand for it...stop being a boy, be a man: hit the ground running and let's meet at the convocation of great men where I look forward to proposing a toast in celebration of your humongous achievements as a man indeed. See you there and please don't be late - you won't keep great men waiting will you?

To be or not to be

2010-04-13T15:42:00.000+01:00

What’s gonna be is gonna be

What goes up must come down

What’s gonna be is gonna be

There’s nothing you can do about it…

This old tune just popped into my mind and for the first time since I’ve been hearing it, I saw something wrong with these lyrics. Truth is: what’s gonna be is gonna be only if you let it be. Hmmm... pregnant statement if you ask me.

The submission that what’s gonna be is gonna be, there’s nothing you can do about it is fallacious in all its ramifications because it tactically abdicated the responsilbilty placed on our shoulders as the ultimate determinant of our predicament to some unknown forces. Don’t be deceived friend, if it must be then it is up to you. You are so powerful that what you allow comes to bear and what you disallow cannot come to fruition, the sad thing however is that we seem to have lost consciousness of the latent power resident within us such that we live our life to chances. Listen to me life is not governed by chance it is ruled by choice, there is no such thing as luck in the school of success (if there is anything called luck I believe it is more like preparation plus opportunity that we so call for want of appropriate nomenclature) hence the concept of luck as something that falls on one’s lap without his input is alien to the principle upon which the world operates. The gospel that God has pre-ordained everything that must happen to happen even without any human participation is very far from the truth because the dynamics of the workings of God dictates that nothing is to be forced on man else he is no longer a human being but a robot. You are not just some inanimate object tossed here and there by every wind of circumstance, that you have a will is indicative of the fact that you are not just to assume a sit-down-look-posture accepting whatever life tosses at you as your fate, you can choose to either accept or reject whatever it is - every operation requires your cooperation.

Arise mate, stop been docile in the game of life, get active and begin to influence things with your willpower as life does not respond to those who go through it hands akimbo expecting to wake up one day to find things taking shape on their own accord. Shape it for it to take shape, keep at the back of your mind that what will be will be if you let it be… and if you don’t want it to be, stand your ground and turn the tide in your favour.

SHALLOM!

THIS TOO SHALL PASS

2010-02-19T11:44:00.000+01:00

Reading through the holy writ you'll come across this phrase

"…and it came to pass in the process of time…"

A statement pregnant with deep meaning that if we spend some time to unravel we’ll be amazed at the rich message embedded therein. Let’s take some time to x-ray this two-pronged phrase shall we?

The first life changing lesson to be learnt from this phrase is in the 'not-too-spectacular' statement

"...And it came to pass…"

My dear friend,

In what situations have you found yourself today?

What impregnable mountains are staring you right in the face?

What challenges do you have to grapple with in your life’s foray?

What ravenous wolves do you have to confront with every passing day?

Whatever it is, find solace in this my dear…it has only come to pass; it did not come to stay. It might have lingered on for so long with no solution in the horizon, I have a good news for you, weeping is only permitted to endure for a night; the dawn of a new day is just by the corner. The challenges of life have only come to make you better not bitter so stand your ground and ride out the storm. We’ve all had to at one point or the other in our life confront some seemingly insurmountable situations, occasions when we want to smile but we can only sigh, circumstances when we want to dance but we are weighed down by loads of challenges and encumbered by myriads of encumberances, listen to me friend this too shall pass. Hold on to your conviction and confession of faith for no matter what it is, it has come to pass. I think the popular axiom 'no condition is permanent' is apt in this circumstance, that unpalatable situation may be lasting but it is not everlasting. Very soon, you shall be singing a new song.

I’ll also like to draw your attention to the second part of the phrase…in the process of time.

I have come to discover that everything that must stand the test of time must be processed by time. It takes a process dear. Hear me friend; those who take a lift when they should have trekked will trek when they should have been lifted. There is a time for everything. That your mates and contemporaries seem to have gone ahead of you does not in any way mean that God has forgotten you; it only means that your time has not yet come. Why don’t you exercise some patience and wait for your turn or should I say wait for your time? Remember dear friend to everything there is a season and a time to every activity under the heaven. Don’t just go through time allow time process you so you can come out shining in the process of time.

Take some time to study gold, look at the different process it had to go through right from the time it was discovered and mined up until the time it spent in the furnace but alas it didn't get destroyed in the furnace, it made a grand exit from the furnace shining and sparkling becoming something of high value just because it went through a process. This storm will not swallow you my friend, you are coming out like the hero that you are 'cos you are work in progress. Go through the process, come out a finished product manufactured in the process of time.

Shallom!

WHAT IS THAT IN YOUR HAND?

2010-01-21T13:53:00.002+01:00

Just after hanging my jungle boot having collected the piece of paper on which was boldly written ‘certificate of national service’ attesting to the fact that I have donated a year of my life to serve (don’t ask me if it was voluntary) my fatherland then came the time for reality check. Few days down the line the message began to sink that the era of monthly ‘alawe’ was over. There is no doubting the fact that though the monthly stipend could hardly meet my needs it was better than not having a source of income at all after all 'half bread is better than 'poff-poff' but with this half bread gone and the fact that ‘man must wack’ which means by implication that man must work hence came the era of job hunting which I must confess was not funny at all. I remember travelling the length and breadth of Nigeria writing aptitude tests: both the ones I was invited for and the ones I had to ‘gate crash’ (by the way that word was introduced into my dictionary during that period). From NLNG to first bank to access bank to firstinland bank to…the list is long, i kept on writing hoping that at least one will 'click' – by the way these aptitude test centers became my point of rendezvous, meeting several schoolmates that I had lost touch with after graduation. So apart from going to write aptitude test, it presents a platform to catch up on old gist which a times could be therapeutic giving the psychological trauma one was going through at the time.

A direct fallout from this job hunting experience is its clear indictment of our institutions that has been busy churning out tons of graduates – brilliant minds who have been well groomed and prepared for a bright future save that they were not prepared for such eventualities as having to stay jobless or out of job for a long time. The question then remains how do we handle such circumstances should we be confronted with them? I am all out for having a positive mentality and approaching everything with a ‘can do’ attitude but truth be told there are times when things refused to go the way we want it. If anybody had told me when I was passing out from NYSC that I’ll be jobless for more than one whole year I’ll simply refer the person to a psychiatrist to have his head examined because apart from graduating as one of the best in my class, I also have innate potentials which I know will give me a hedge coupled with the God factor – common with this trio on my side I should land a dream job almost immediately, but alas to my greatest chagrin, there was I writing one aptitude test after another without getting the job.

If for anything, this episode taught me to get back to the drawing board and redefine my expectations. Believe me the moment I decided to look inwards I was able to open a vista of opportunities which eventually landed me a good job. I suddenly discovered that I was at least good at something – talking, so I decided to go into motivational and public speaking cum event compeering and trust me there was no need to look for job any more. So when eventually I got a job, it was more like the job came to me. I stopped being desperate about getting a job, I focused more on developing myself and building my business even though I still wanted to have a working experience but now my value has changed, I saw getting a job more like an opportunity to learn and garner the requisite experience to build my own organization as opposed to looking for job just as a means of livelihood.

What led to this paradigm shift in my mentality?

Simple; looking inwards.

We are apt to look up, look around, look down…look everywhere but within.

If only we turn the searchlight inwards we’ll be amazed at the latent potentials we carry. You’ll be shocked to know that the solution to your predicament is in your hands, if only you can stop running back and forth invest your time in some deep thinking you’ll be surprised at the myriads of solutions that you’ll come up with which will eventually land you in your place of rest. I for one believe that we are all born naked but no one is born empty, so I ask you my dear friend “what is that in your hand”? Take it from me, it’s in your hand just go ahead and use it or like peak milk will say “it’s in you”.

Let's meet at the top shall we? it's up to you yes you.

THE ‘ME’ I SEE

2009-12-09T16:52:00.000+01:00

I’ve always wondered what life has in store for me

I’ve always wondered what lies beneath the surface

I’ve always wondered what will become of me

I am extremely anxious about my tomorrow

I am constantly hunted by the thought of not maximizing my potentials

I have fears, load of them

Chief of which is departing without impacting

Every passing day I strive to make my life count

Peradventure I can also be counted among the great

But a fundamental truth I seem to be ignoring

That the ‘me’ I see is the ‘me’ I’ll be

Then came the Eureka moment!

When finally I got the ancient secret

Consequent upon which I began speaking another language

I see me affecting my world positively

I see me putting smiles on the faces of millions

I see me being the answer to the question of many

I see me being the solution to the problem of many

I see me providing the leadership that my world needs

I see me being a voice in my generation

I see me being the change that my world has been waiting for

I see me lending a hand to millions of helpless folks around the world

I see me being the catalyst of global revolution

I see me being the hero of my time

I see me facing my creator with a sense of satisfaction

Cos the me I see is the me I’ll be

Take a look into the mirror my dear friend

What exactly do you see?

Begin to declare that which you have seen

Cos the ‘you’ you see is the ‘you’ you’ll be

SHALLOM!

EMOTIONAL BANK ACCOUNT

2009-12-09T12:51:00.001+01:00

It’s incredibly amazing the principles by which life on earth is governed – simple yet profound principles. We seem to look at things from a complex stand point simply because we have succeeded in complicating our simple world (Hmmm, thought provoking if you ask me). One of the fundamental simple principles of life is that of saving – it’s a culture that is as old as man. You only need to remember the great famine that ravaged the then known world and the wisdom with which the world was preserved shared by Joseph a man that knows the benefit of saving in time of abundance to be enjoyed in time of adverse scarcity.

In our life’s foray, we’ll always have seasons of plenty as well as periods of scarcity, there’ll always be booms and dooms just as the world is experiencing right now. However, it seems we have ignored this timeless principle or we simply don’t have a saving culture in our time such that we enjoy (or over enjoy) the period of plenty only to be greeted by a global crunch and alas we have to endure the excruciating pain because we’ve got no reserve.

Quick one: Don’t serve all, reserve some.

Sincerely, I for one think that this attitude has permeated every department of our lives such that even in our human relationships we treat people like thrash. I doubt if there is any justifiable reason why we should relate with our fellow men as though the whole world revolves around only us. You know for some folks, the only definitive article in their dictionary is I, Me and Myself, but either we like it or not we all have an imaginary (but real) account with everyone in our world – it is called the emotional bank account and truth be told, we need to continually make deposits in this account because either we like it or not, a time will come when we need to make withdrawals; woe betide the individual whose account is in the red at such hour of need. Your cash bank account might be in negative balance and there won’t be much qualms but for your emotional account ensure that you are always in credit.

A tree can never make a forest just as no one is an island on his own hence in whatever you do friend remember that the principle of seed time and harvest governs our world so make sure you are planting the right seed for posterity sake. The American writer Wilson Mizner says “be nice to people on your way up because you might meet them on your way down” how do you intend to face those you practically trampled underfoot to attain that height when the chips start making their downward descent. Let me borrow you a gem of wisdom friend: despise no man, be good to all because after all said and done just as I use to say “as powerful as a microscope is, you can’t use it to see a man’s future” the nonentity of today might have a great identity tomorrow and become a some-entity that holds the key to your breakthrough.

I charge you mate, put a smile on someone’s face today and always remember that your candle loses nothing by lighting up another.

I ask you have you made deposit into your emotional bank account today?

Peaks, Valleys, and Rails

2009-11-18T16:19:00.000+01:00

Many of us long for mountaintop moments. Those times of shared success, satisfaction, and celebration. Times when the nail-biting drive of daily life is behind us for a while and forgotten, and all we can think about is the happiness of the moment.

A honeymoon can be that kind of experience: the rush of shared sex, the joy of loving someone and being loved in return, the bright hopes for years of happiness together.

The birth of a child can be a mountaintop: the wonder of little eyes opening for the first time, the sacred squall of a newborn's first cry, the way an infant can bring parents and in-laws together.

A dream vacation with your spouse can be a mountaintop: time to relax and enjoy each other and a beautiful place, without worries, without work.

It's tempting to think of life as a continual climb, looking for the next mountaintop. We may tell ourselves that most of life is lived in the valleys, but we hope we're on the road to another mountaintop experience, and that we'll get there before too long or after too many years on the switchbacks, we can lose hope that we'll ever see another mountaintop. Some people sink into dreary stagnation: "My life is what it is. Not bad enough to end, but I’m not finding any mountaintops."

But is life best seen as a series of mountaintop and valley experiences? Mountaintops that never last long enough, and valleys that seem endless?

"Why does life have to be a series of ups and downs?" "Why can't we just go from one mountaintop to another, from one up to an upper up?"

But what if peaks and valleys aren't the best way to describe life? What if God didn't intend us just to endure down times so we could enjoy an occasional up?

Rick Warren, pastor and author of The Purpose-Driven Life, made an observation a couple of years ago that seems to describe the terrain of life. In a single year, his book reached the top of the best-seller lists and his wife was diagnosed with cancer. A mountaintop? A deep valley? Or something else?

"This past year has been the greatest year of my life," wrote Rick, "but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys—you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth.

"I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life."

For a train to make progress, it's always in contact with both rails. Life rides parallel rails of blessing and adversity.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death," writes David in Psalm 23, "I will fear no evil, for you are with me." This songwriter of the Bible is describing a comfort and relationship that emerges only in the difficult times. In fact, the closeness of that relationship develops in the difficult times.

Likewise, as we mature, we begin to notice that joy and difficulty aren't either/or. They coexist constantly.

"No matter how good things are in your life," writes Warren, "there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for."

So maybe the purpose of life isn't about always looking for the next mountaintop.

Joy and difficulty are an odd combination, but much of life is lived seeking one and avoiding the other. I used to think they came one at a time, like alternating currents. Now I realize they're both present, all the time and developing eyes to see both simultaneously is a proof of our maturity.

I'm glad that life isn't just mountaintops and valleys, but that both joy and adversity are with us always for by this we learn one of the most important lessons about life – DEPENDENCE.

FREED BUT NOT FREE

2009-10-02T16:16:00.005+01:00

When on the 4th of july 1776 congress adopted the declaration of independence of the United States it was a landmark, epoch-making and indeed history making event and even though the document as far as I am concerned is to serve as the compass for the journey of the great nation that was birthed that day, to sit down and debate if America has lost that compass will be to leave the log in one’s eyes only to be pointing at the speck in the eyes of one’s neighbor, hence even though I’ll look at the text of the declaration of American independence, I’ll be looking at it in the context of my dear country Nigeria who graciously gained her independence on the 1st of October, 1960.

“When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government”.

Hmmm...pregnant declaration if you ask me. Nigeria, oh my darling country as we celebrate our 49th year of freedom I am tempted to ask are we free indeed? Freedom as far as I am concerned goes beyond celebrations which is what we seem to have reduced it to and take it from me that is the greatest aberration to the principle of independence, to me it looks like what we have are the paraphernalia of freedom devoid of freedom itself and sadly we appear to have confused freedom as a concept ( idea) with freedom as a concrete (reality). Wherein lies the difference? I’ll use a simple analogy – Wedding and Marriage. Just like loads of folks are confusing the two as they get carried away with the motions and theatrics of wedding preparation that they suffer from acute amnesia to keep at the fore front of the mind that wedding is one day marriage is a lifetime, of course reality begins to dawn on folks when after all the merriment and noise making of wedding which by the way is short lived they are awaken to the real world of marriage and alas they are ill prepared. The crack in several homes can be traced to this silent issue and it is a classical case of misplacement of priority which is exactly Nigeria's present dilemma .

In the wake of events leading up to 1st October, 1960, our leaders were carried away with the ceremonies and preparations for the ‘great event’ of independence that they somehow forgot that with independence comes responsibility and it looks as if we took freedom and mortgaged the responsibility that comes with it for something that has a form of freedom but in actual sense is bondage in disguise. If not how can we explain the fact that our history is replete with leaders who at best are rulers? We were freed but are we free? Are we free from corruption and all its attendant consequences? Are we sincerely free as a nation to move into our ‘promised land’? Are we free to properly and judiciously utilize the natural resources with which we have been abundantly blessed by the almighty? Are we free to exercise our right as a sovereign nation in dealing with the challenges that we face as a people? Are we truly free? I think the real question is have we paid the price for freedom? because the reality of it is that freedom has a price tag attached to it. Food for thought if you ask me.

EUREKA

2009-09-14T12:37:00.003+01:00

Just going down memory lane and decided to stay at my secondary school ‘avenue’, precisely at physics class ‘bus stop’ and the word Eureka from Archimedes principle just jumped at me. As I ruminated on this some burning issues unveiled themselves beckoning on my consideration. For those who do not have a background in the sciences let me give you a brief history of this word so we can flow together.

It is most famously attributed to the ancient Greek scholar Archimedes; he reportedly proclaimed "Eureka!" when he stepped into a bath and noticed that the water level rose — he suddenly understood that the volume of water displaced must be equal to the volume of the part of his body he had submerged. This meant that the volume of irregular objects could be calculated with precision, a previously intractable problem. He is said to have been so eager to share his realization that he leapt out of his bathtub and ran through the streets of Syracuse naked.

Just a simple experiment will validate this principle: fill a glass to its brim with water and push a table tennis ball into the glass, the water runs over the side. The volume or amount of water that overflows the glass is the volume that has been displaced.

If you weigh the water that overflows and the table tennis ball, you find that the water weighs more than the ball. If an object displaces an amount of water weighting more than it does, it floats. If an object displaces an amount of water weighing less than it does, it sinks. If an object displaces an amount of water weighing the same as it does, it hovers.

Archimedes' insight led to the solution of a problem posed by Hiero of Syracuse, on how to assess the purity of an irregular golden crown. Equipment for weighing objects already existed, and now that Archimedes could also measure volume, their ratio would give the object's density, an important indicator of purity; it also explains why a steel ship will float on water.

Now enough of physics, let’s focus on central message of this discourse.

Borrowing a dose of wisdom from the words of Helen Keller who once opined that the “greatest tragedy in life is people who have sight but no vision”, I hope that you’ll accede to my tweaking this a little to make my submission that it is a tragedy to have sight without insight. How that several times we approach issues from a dysfunctional stance simply because someone said it cannot be done, we throw in the towel and give up. We look but we refuse to see. History is replete with men who defied stereotypes, who dared to ask ‘why not’ and achieved feats that were once considered impossible . The story of Archimedes once again reminded me of the fact that tenacity is the rule of the game for anyone who wants to inscribe his name on the sands of history as having made a tremendous contribution to the course of making the world a better place. Permit me to at this juncture underscore some life’s principles I was able to glean from Archimedes principle:

 Sight – the issue of having a vision has been flogged (if not over flogged) at several fora and in different circumstances to the point that loads of people has come to accept it as the panacea to the myriads of challenges they face. As much as there is no one-size-fits-all principle to getting ahead in life I will like to submit that as good as vision is it is not enough. The holy writ says “where there is no vision the people perish”, where there are no people, what happens to the vision? Hence as good as vision is, it needs human instruments to bring it to the realm of reality and by ‘instruments’ I’m talking of that specie of humans with a ‘can do’ attitude towards life.

 Foresight – this has to do with planning for the morrow, it is analyzing where one is, setting achievable goals and charting the course of action(s) that will transport one to where one desires to be. How we need men with fore sight in our days, those with an uncommon drive who can draw a clear map of the journey that will ultimately land us in our land of abundance.

 Hindsight – experience they say is the best teacher, there is no gainsaying the fact that we learn invaluable lessons from the things that have happened to us in the past. The danger however lies in not knowing where to draw the line between learning and letting go. Several folks are so tied to their past that they cannot be released into their future. As good as hindsight is extract the requisite lessons from it and throw them to where they belong – behind (that’s why it is called hindsight). It’s no use flogging a dead horse, look back, learn and look forward.

 Insight – this is a sight whose source is not external but internal. It is the ‘thermometer’ of the soul – the instrument for measuring our true sense of sight. The euphemism for insight is revelation and trust me it births revolution.

Turn the searchlight inwards activate your inner eyes and engage the forces of nature on a higher realm by unlocking the solution to your situation through the instrumentality of insight and as you unlock the streams of possibilities from within like Archimedes you will shout EUREKA.

ReBuilding Nigeria!

2009-09-11T13:30:00.000+01:00

Hello friend,

Today being the 8th anniversary of the 9/11 attack on the US, i decided to have a moment of sober reflection peradventure i can receive a unique revelation to lend my voice to the war against terrrorism precipitated by this historic event. To my greatest chagrin, my antenae was tuned to the happenings in my fatherland and in trying to find a correlation between 9/11 and the present state of our nation i came to discover that we have a 'terrorist' invasion that we seem to be oblivious of and in trying to give words to my thoughts i came across Adeolu Akinyemi's blog and i couldn't just get away from the thought provoking posts. I am reproducing (verbatim) a particualr article from this blog here for your reading pleasure... opps is pleasure the right word? cos i doubt if the situation is pleasurable.

What I want to write today is an article I will love you to pirate. I’ll like you to dub it, and put it on your blog post. Modify it if you like, give me credit if you want, or give me none at all. They say we’ll achieve a lot more if we don’t care who gets the credit.

I have refrained deliberately for a long time to make any comments about our National Rebranding exercise. I hope I will be able to say what boils in my throat and wrists tonight, without making too much reference to it. For all it’s worth though, I think the fundamental error I can see, is that Nigerians have not been made to own it, and hence rather than having people championing it, and helping others buy in, what we have is criticism and condemnation by the same people who would have been it’s champions.

Having said that however, I have a proposition of an exercise that we can own as Nigerians. It’s a simple idea and it came as a fallout of a discussion that ensued in my office yesterday. It’s an answer of what we can do to focus our leaders on the problems that we have as citizens and to assist them in giving it the attention it deserves. We no longer need any assitance from any source to know that our most crucial problem in Nigeria is Leadership! If we are all on the same page in this realization, then our efforts towards a better Nigeria must be channeled to support, focus and direct our leaders.

I remember shortly before the elections last year I wrote an article I titled, “Power is all we need!” I pleaded with our would be leaders not to promise us roads or education, but to promise us just one thing – Power! That if in any leaders 4yrs we can celebrate 1yr of uniterupted power supply, then we should imortalize that president. Haven been to Egypt now to watch tombs, I say we must do the same, but before they die however.

First for the nation, then the states, then our local governments. Once we have a new president for example, we should as a nation analyze our most significant problem that we want solved in his or her tenure. After we have agreed on this problem, we should then go ahead and give that problem the same name with our president. We should substitute the name of our leader with this problem in our conversations, in our articles in newspapers, in our slang’s, in our music and drama. We should do this per state and per local government as well.

Let’s say for example that we have discovered that our biggest problem in Nigeria is Electricity, and for example that our president’s name for the tenure was Yaradua. Then everytime light goes, every time we are in darkeness, everytime we have any issues, our conversations should be like this.

When it is bad as it is – “Chai, Yaradua has gone again”, “Ah, we have not had Yaradua for the last 2 days”, “This Yaradua is so unstable”, “Ah what did we do today oh, we have half Yaradua today”,” What’s wrong with you, you are complaining that you haven’t seen Yaradua for 3 days, what about people that haven’t seen Yaradua for one year! or ever!”, “I wasn’t able to do it overnight, because Yaradua kept fainting”, “We have been using Yaradua as backup to our Generator”, “Iron your shirts, Yaradua may soon go oh”, ”

When this start becoming good – ” Up Yaradua!”, “Yaradua is really trying oh, we are not where we want to be, but we are far from where we were”, “Yaradua has been consistent for the past 24hrs”, “Ah, we need to celebrate 1yr of uninterrupted Yaradua”, “Yaradua is so much better these days”, “With Yaradua so constant, Nigeria is really becoming the most desirable nation to live in on earth”. “Yaradua is constant in all the states of Nigeria and the structures are in place to get Yaradua into all the local governments.”

Can you for your own new ones?

If we keep speaking this way, our leaders will know that we mean business with our desire for solutions. The next president will also know that one critical unsolved problem will bear his name until it’s solved. I recommend, that whichever president fixes electric power be given the opportunity to forever bear the same name with electricity in Nigeria and be forever immortalized in the lips and minds of Nigerians. The same for every future identified problem. A similar approach should be taken to the state levels. Whatever problem we align and identify must be instantly changed to the name of the Governor. If the issue in Lagos for example was Transportation and assuming the Governor was Fashola, then by now, people should be saying “Fashola is getting better in Lagos now”, or ” I entered one wrong fashola and they collected my phone and laptop.” or “Big Fashola (BRT) is actually making life easy for Lagosians”. We can identify the states one by one and identify the problems that need to be solved and replaced with their name.

My people say that whatever hurts one, must be primary in one’s conversation – “Oun to ba duni lo n po loro eni”

If you use this on your blog, just put a litte comment here saying you are using it so I can follow on to your site and register my solidarity. I think this is something that we the people can own and gradually take things to the way things should be. We deserve more than what we are getting, and UNTIL we the people are clear about what we want and about our commitment to make sure it happen, then nothing happens. Let’s make this happen!

Now I really need to sleep before Yarauda’ goes!

STANDING TALL IN A BENT WORLD

2009-09-03T10:19:00.000+01:00

I have always nursed the ambition of making a difference in my time; I have always resisted the idea of being just a statistic or a figure, I have a desire to be the answer to people’s questions, the solution to people’s problems, I constantly feel pained when someone approaches me for a favour and I lacked the wherewithal to provide or grant their request, how I crave to always put a smile (or at least a dimple) on peoples face – bottom line, I have a strong desire to be an agent of change. I know that in the crevices of our heart a part of us yearns to be the change our world has been waiting for. But how do we make a difference? Take it from me; to be outstanding you need to stand out, Q.E.D.
No doubt you’ve severally found yourself in compromising positions (I do too) and one way or the other you are bombarded with loads of choices most of which are unpalatable and there were times when figuratively you find yourself standing between the devil and the deep blue sea with all routes of escape completely blocked. What do you do in such situations? Do you make a deal with the devil (which obviously will require you to make sacrifices some of which might be grave) or do you just plunge yourself into the sea hoping and praying that by a whim of divine intervention an escape route will appear. No doubt your choice naturally will tilt towards a less risky and viable of the two which most often than not will be to rationalise your position and make a deal with the devil after all, he who fights to run lives to fight another day. Contrariwise, I am of the opinion that ‘he does not make a difference who dares not to be different’. You know the popular saying if you cannot beat them you join them is so untrue for one who wants to make a difference because making a difference has to do with ‘beating them’ – yeah you need to beat them pal. I have been a student in the school of leadership for some time now (and when I say leadership, I hope your mind is not drifting towards position because that ain’t leadership – leadership for me is setting the pace) and have come to cherish a law I came across some years ago which says “if you think you are leading and no one is following you then you are only taking a walk”. One can safely conclude from the aforementioned therefore that making a difference is influencing them (or beating them) hence you have no business being with them if you cannot beat them. For a leader, joining them is not an option beating them is. Let the leader in you emerge, stand tall and set the standard.
We live in a time when people will always have justifications for their actions (and inactions), when there is no longer an exception to the rule, the exception has become the rule (if you know what I mean), things are no longer seen as black or white, several shades of grey have appeared and are the norm, even our vocabulary have undergone what I call ‘creative metamorphosis’, stealing has got a new nomenclature – misappropriation (what a tongue twisting word), and to worsen the situation some people who over the years were of impeccable character are beginning to dance to a different melody the lyrics of which we don’t understand. Pressures are mounting from every side but my friend stand your ground and refuse to bend – it is a proof of your character strength. I strongly believe that in the face of intimidations and decadence we still can stand tall even if everyone around us is bending and changing exclamation mark (!) to question mark (?). After all even in Israel of old when everybody deviated from the path of life to embrace foreign gods (values, ideals, ways E.t.c) there were still some seven thousand young men who refused to bow. I charge you friend: Dare to be different, stand tall in this bent world.

THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER

2009-08-27T11:42:00.000+01:00

Optimism I believe is the fuel of change. This is predicated on the time tested premise that all those who in one way or the other spearheaded major revolutions in their time achieved such great feats by first defeating pessimism – a hydra headed change killer, which probably explains why I gave this piece an ‘optimistic caption’. For a pessimist following the developments in Nigeria, his/her submission will be that things are going from bad to worse but I beg to disagree, I for one believe that things are getting better (you might wish to call that a statement of faith and not a statement of fact), you however need to bear in mind that as sacred as facts are they can't always be sacrificed in lieu of truths hence my conclusion that the fact is not always the truth (I hope a pessimist will agree with me on this one). That Nigeria is grappling with an overwhelming arsenal of challenges is a statement of fact to however conclude that Nigeria is a failed state based on this fact is in my opinion several kilometers far from the truth. The truth is things are getting better.

Probably a trip to the dictionary will shed more light on this powerful word. The English Thesaurus gave the following words as synonyms to optimism; hopefulness, cheerfulness, sanguinity, confidence, buoyancy and brightness. The following definitions from the dictionary further lends credence to my stance on this matter; Optimism is...
I the tendency to believe, expect, or hope that things will turn out well
II. the attitude of somebody who feels positive or confident
III. a philosophical doctrine, first proposed by Leibnitz, that ours is the best of all possible worlds
IV. the belief that things are continually getting better and that good will ultimately triumph over evil
For me all these capture the very virtues we need in Nigeria right now in the face of the myriads of challenges that we face as a people. Needless to say that we need to keep hope alive because after all said and done whatever we as a people can conceive, we sure can achieve albeit in the process of time.
Taking a cue from a colleague of mine who always says that the best thing about a disaster is that it can’t get any worse and also from the way God works - He steps in most times when man has reached his wits end because most times we as humans will not relinquish the steering wheels to him until we have ran the ship aground and it becomes obvious to us that there is absolutely no humanly possible way to get the ship up and running, that is when we crave for divine intervention. It is time for God to step in and trust me he specialises in turning seemingly hopeless situations around, just as man is putting the final full stop to a story, He opens a new page and writes his-story: with time we call it history. To be sincere, I am one of those who are beckoning on the almighty to navigate for us because you and I know that the leaders we have in this ‘ship’ seem not to know which direction to turn the rudder of this large ship called Nigeria. They seem to have gotten to their wits end which to me is good news.
Permit me to submit that we will get there with time. As we move along the way we are sure to make necessary adjustment which will require us to either adopt or adapt to the various situations that might be encountered. We sure will adapt as occasion demands as this will further bring out the genius in us. The world stands still for the man who knows exactly where he is going, this will serve as our guidepost as we journey on in this all important cruise. I believe that things will work out as we synergize to cause the change that we all have been praying and hoping for in our beloved country. Things will not continue this way, I have a strong faith that things will take a turn in the right direction as we steer the course of our land in the proper direction that is our responsibility and the task to which we have been betrothed by the almighty creator who is committed to making sure that we succeed in charting the right course that will land us at our safe harbour - the Nigeria of our dream. To this I say bon voyage. Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

WAZZUP?

2009-08-07T18:22:00.000+01:00

I’m pretty sure you are wondering what this is all about. I’m also sure that instantly your wonder has metamorphosed into curiosity which surely has further graduated into inquisitiveness all of which will fuel in you a quest to read this write up (Oh my God I hope am right) of course with a poignant question in your mind: “what is this all about”? Yeah let me lay my cards on the table before we journey too far in this discourse. This caption just flashed through my mind and I decided to ruminate about it peradventure there is a succinct message embedded in this cliché and to my greatest surprise I saw this common slang in a different light. There is no gainsaying the fact that we live in a dynamic world where everything including language is changing and with the change came a word that has been introduced into our lexicon courtesy of the western world, that word is no other that wazzup. From the market place to the academic circle not leaving out the work environment, wazzup though not an official language has come handy as a way of expression especially between friends. I have come to discover in my life’s foray that life is an unconventional teacher – her lessons are delivered in ways that at best are eccentric and several times we just miss out of the lessons of life because we are looking for the spectacular when for our 'teacher LIFE' ordinary is spectacular. It is against this backdrop that I invite you to come along as we just spend a few moments to X-ray this 'ordinary' word and see if we are missing out a thing or two from this question?

The entire Wazzup phenomenon began with a delightful Budweiser commercial played during the Super bowl. In this television advertisement, Philadelphia residents were seen yelling "Wazzup" at each other from across the room, over the phone, and even via intercom.

Wazzup is a poignant question (what is up?) and for us it comes in handy when greetings between close acquaintances is to be expressed so much so that we already have a programmed response – the four letter word FINE. But alas! Are we fine indeed and in truth? Is the answer to this question fine? For me wazzup is more like a reality check question more like what are you up to or what are you doing? It’s more like a rhetorical question which should send a right thinking individual thinking. Am I really passing through life doing something worthwhile? am I adding value to the system am operating within? Am I making every moment count? Am I making sacrifices for the greater good of humanity? Am I taking steps that will shape history and steer it in the right direction? Am I ...? believe me, WAZZUP is pregnant and can birth a zillion other questions that each of us must sincerely provide answers to of course with a dogged resolve to make a difference and make our life count because ultimately we will be remembered for one of two things either the problems we solved or the ones we created. So when next your friend asks you wazzup, think well and deeply before you answer because he/she might just be asking you a question that will generate other questions that will ultimately set you on course to make your life count for posterity sake, it might just be a wakeup call for you.

MUCH ADO ABOUT UNIFORM

2009-07-22T11:30:00.000+01:00

Just like most Lagosians, I was at the bus stop as early as 5:45am (to beat the normal rush hour traffic gridlock on Lagos roads) en route the office. Not long had we taken off that we encountered a scenario which though is normal in this part of the globe gave rise to this piece.
In their characteristic manner, an 'okada' rider was trying to wriggle his way through a narrow opening beside the road (off course you are greeted with this kind of situation every day on Lagos roads) and before we knew it, his 'okada' was in the gutter without my driver even knowing let alone touching him. Pronto, the 'okada' rider went on rampage as he sprang to his feet suing for a fight with my driver and before we could say Jack Robinson, he had pulled the mufti he was wearing (he needed to disguise with mufti which further proves that he is not proud of the uniform – except of course to use it as a means to an end) just to announce to all of us that he is a policeman of the federal republic of Nigeria. One event lead to the other and before you could spell G-O-D his kinsmen in the force started arriving the scene one after the other as if they had received a distress call, one of them dangling a thick belt in his hands to deal with our driver and whoever is bold enough to challenge them. Every explanation fell on deaf ears (as if most of them are not deaf – at least figuratively) and my driver was compelled to pull out the motorcycle from the gutter which he obediently obliged defying his passengers insistence not to since in all honesty he wasn’t at fault.
This brings to the fore the reckless abandon with which most of this uniformed guys intimidate ‘civilians’ turning them into ‘villains’ in their quest to prove that they are in charge. Needless to say that many evil is perpetuated in uniform and I ask should we continue to fold our hands and watch as these guys take the law into their hands? These are guys that will not pay their fares should they enter a commercial bus all in the name of ‘staff’ – excuse me, staff of which company. They have erected illegal toll gates on almost every street where your receipt is a tally of arbitrary numbers given to the driver once he has paid his toll fee. They have neglected their primary assignment of upholding the law cum maintaining order and have over the night metamorphosed into symbols of lawlessness. I am perplexed nay flabbergasted at the rate at which these guys bend the rules just to milk innocent citizens dry and the length to which they will go to lace their pockets with miserable naira notes that can’t solve a fraction of their problems (needless to say they have loads of problems which paradoxically money can’t solve) – these guys have perfected the act of sacrificing their ultimate on the altar of immediate. What else can i say (or write or type as the case may be), that occasion further accentuated the reason several Nigerians have no jot of respect for the Nigerian police - I am not their greatest fan either.
If only they can change for the best, would Nigerians be asking for too much? I guess not for we deserve a lot more than this...YES WE DO.

LESSONS FROM A LEGEND

2009-07-16T12:01:00.000+01:00

Boxing Legend George Foreman
When he was a boy his sister taunted him, "You'll never be anything." He skipped classes and slept during the day. But that taunt hurt him. It angered him. It awakened the fighting spirit within him. He wanted to change but he didn't know how.George Foreman became heavy weight boxing champion of the world. Today he is a preacher, entrepreneur and the spokesperson for the George Foreman Grill with over 1 million units sold. And yes a motivational speaker.
What could George Foreman, a former boxer, say that might motivate you?
"Look at me."
That was his opening line at a seminar he presented in Toronto and one that he repeated like a refrain throughout his presentation.
What did that mean? "Look at me." Don't look at my scars, my color, education or obstacles. "Look at me." See the fighting spirit within me. See me for who I am and can be. Although Foreman shouted that to his fight manager - the phrase is one that he might have shouted at his sister, his teacher and at his own reflection in the mirror. His own self talk - to push himself to look at himself.
And maybe the best lesson he offered that day was for each of the participants to have the courage to look in the mirror and look at themselves. To see the possibilities and to fight for what they believe they can be.
I dare you, look in the mirror and shout, "Look at me."
George Foreman fits the role of motivational speaker exceptionally well. He told his own story - a poor black kid who did not fit in, who didn't want to go to school, who only wanted to use his physical advantage to intimidate and beat up other kids…
As a child, George Foreman did not have a future nor a direction. The only motivation he had might have been anger and a fighting spirit.
A guidance counselor told him - "If you only want to beat up people you might as well become a boxer."George Foreman pointed out that he was never a boxer - he was a fighter. The difference as he illustrated was that a boxer was one who took the perfect stance - hands and feet in the perfect position - looks pretty - almost like a dancer. A fighter was one who ignored the blood and pain and simply fought.As a true motivational speaker, George Foreman talked about his inner fears and doubts. He laughed at himself and encouraged his listeners to do the same. A true motivational speaker knows that it is not about appearing superior to his audience. You can only motivate people who can identify with you and your pain.When he started to fight, he confessed that he got scared, closed his eyes and swung his huge fists at his opponent. He was the surprised one when he opened his eyes to discover his opponent on the floor.That strategy worked until he met better boxers who danced out of the way of his blind-fury fists. The new surprise for him was that after he opened his eyes his opponent was still standing and grinning at him. That demanded a new strategy - time to keep his eyes open when he swung his massive fists.A motivational speaker must demonstrate the power of his opponent. No one is motivated by an easy victory.George Foreman talked about his fear of fighting "Smokin' Joe Frasier". George Foreman had to knock Joe Frasier down six times to win that fight. Six times! And each time that Foreman knocked Frasier to the mat Foreman prayed that Frasier would stay down this time. How many of us are willing to do the same thing six times just to win one fight? How many give up too soon?
Then it was time to face Mohamed Ali. Five rounds and Ali did not throw a punch. Ali simply danced. George thought he had Ali beat. In the fifth round as they embraced - Ali taunted him with "Is that all you got George?" That taunt chilled George and foreshadowed what was still to come.George was spent and Ali had made an accurate analysis of his opponent's endurance. Mohamed Ali won that fight, not because he was tougher, but because he fought smarter.George Foreman was defeated that day by more than a boxer; he was defeated by a smart fighter.In his presentation Foreman honored his opponent. George did not whine nor complain. A real motivational speaker tells life the way it is - not the way it should be.As he marched purposely off stage, motivational speaker George Foreman closed his presentation with this message: Fight - Fight - Fight! and i make bold to say to you my friends FIGHT.

2009-07-16T09:01:00.000+01:00

THIS BOAT CANNOT SINK

Trying all you can to keep your boat afloat
The wind so boisterous against you blow
You want to sing but you can only sigh
It seems from the cradle you've thrown away the paddle
Vulnerable and defenseless you stand on the river of life
Hey fellow comrade before you throw in the towel
A second look i plead you take
The master is on board! oh what a relieve
With him be rest assured this boat cannot sink

The journey for you appears to be without direction
The compass seem to have been lost with your daily struggle
'It is finished' is the only lexicon left in your dictionary
Hard as you try the shore seems unreachable
Several questions all begging for answer
Cascade from your head to the crevices of your heart
Relax! The master is an occupant of the boat
Unequivocally I can hear him echo..."This boat cannot sink"

How I wish for a moment you will just pause to check
If by your labor you've not left him at the harbor
For no doubt in this all important journey of life
He remains an anchor both sure and steadfast
And if by chance he is not in the boat
Invite him I beg of you my friend
For without him a safe landing cannot be guaranteed
But with him I make bold to declare
Surely this boat cannot sink