"93 Days"

"93 Days"

Of the many things the holiday season affords us is some well-deserved rest, downtime and time-off to relax with family. Recently I have been on a movie binge! Not just regular movies but animated ones - yes cartoons (shout out to Pixel and the rest). I sincerely believe there is a link between cartoons and creativity or maybe that's just me giving an adult excuse to indulge myself - the kid in me! 2016 itself has been dramatic; everyday seems to be acting out a script from Nollywood. Speaking of Nollywood, I didn't have a challenge with picking my favourite movie of 2016.

Mavrodi's Mondial Moneybox - MMM

Mr. Mavro's Miracle

Tuesday 13th December 2016 will be a day most people won't forget in a hurry. MMM - a pyramid money scheme that offers juicy percentages in returns decided to "freeze" its operations.
For emphasis, this is not an i-told-you-so Op-Ed. It would be utterly irresponsible and most insensitive to poke at people battling with extreme emotions at this time. This is rather an attempt to take a cursory look at how we got here.

The Person Of The Year

"YUGE!"

No pun intended, Trump is having the 'time' of his life! Like other eccentric figures, it can be much of a task writing about Trump because the line between objectivity and subjectivity is greatly blurred.

Say Hello To The Man Of The Year!

"YUGE!" Donald J. Trump is TIME Magazine's Person of the Year for 2016! His selection didn't come as a surprise, an otherwise choice would have been. Hitherto we have known Trump for many things other things aside politics: a real estate mogul with properties littered all over the place, a best-selling author with classics like "The Art of the Deal", owner of the popular franchise "The Celebrity Apprentice", a highly successful business reality TV show and generally as a shrewd businessman. All that now is relegated to the background as he takes on a more prestigious title - the 45th President of the United States of America!

"Beg-Bug"

"Uncle give me small money"

The sight of them is ubiquitous, they are so visible it's almost impossible to miss them. They adorn the landscape of the street corners. Inadvertently, they have become skilled in the "Art of the Deal", possessing oratory and persuasive acumen that make people like me dazed. In an interesting sense I can relate with their situation - having to talk for a living.

The 2016 US Elections - UNPRECEDENTED!

Clinton or Trump?

This is it! This is by far the most anticipated elections of all time. I can boast of being there from the beginning. From the chatter of Clinton's candidacy after she dropped her book "Hard Choices". Not forgetting Mr. Trump who has always nursed the ambition, only this time he cashed in on it " bigly".

Google It!

Google: The World's Number One Search Engine

In a career class, I remember Jimi Tewe once said: "there are two factors that determine your success in the marketplace; God and Google!" Looking closely at that statement, it can be argued that he is not far from the truth. It is said that money answers all things. Well Google has an answer for everything!

My NLP Story

At PUSH with friends

One of my goals for this year was to participate in specific trainings and self-development workshops. In the course of the year I have attended a handful but today I write about one that gladdens my heart.

The Nigerian Story

Nigeria: Great Nation

Nigeria like many other nations of the world has had her fair share of challenges spanning politics, religion, economic and social issues. After 56 years of nationhood it has become instructive to identify trends that stand us out.
Questions more than answers. How did we get here? Aren't we better than this? Between 1960 and 2016 what haven't we learnt? What has changed?

Of the myriad of concerns for me is how we manage these issues. In a world where people and countries are quick to impose negative stereotypes on others, we must learn to call ourselves who we really are.
Again questions. What does it means to be Nigerian? What are we known for? What is our brand?

Work, Work, Work, Work, Work!

Work that thing honey!

Interesting. I love the English Language - obviously. Many say it is not our original tongue; a "second language" they call it. Agreed. However in this day and age; given the world we live in - you might want to be open about that. To function in the global village; you must be able to effectively communicate the global language - except the guys in Malaysia, Germany and Qatar can understand your "village" dialect. Just saying.

What Is On Your Mind?

The Future; can you see it?

That's the question Facebook poses to you each time you open the app. Mark Zukerberg the 'face' of the popular social media network graced Nigeria with his presence. In his first-ever sourjourn to "sub-saharan" Africa; there were lots of talking points and positives from his time here.

About Babel And Zerubbabels

About Babel and Zerubbabels

Cohesion in any sphere of life is crucial. Diversity and variety is the spice of life. However successful people, organizations and nations will tell you that when efforts cannot be concerted to achieve a single objective - it spells doom!

The Truth About The Youths

Youth Ministry

This piece being reproduced here was originally shared by Nathaniel Bassey*. I found it very profound and instructive. The depth and layers of wisdom certainly will bless you. I am sure you will find it very edifying. Enjoy!

Lightning Bolt!

Lightning Bolt!

In different sports, we usually have the greats. In boxing we have the legendary Mohammed Ali. In football, we have Pele. In Tennis we have Andre Agasse. In swimming we have Michael Phelps. The list goes on. In athletics, one man has written his name in gold; his name is Usain Bolt - the fastest man alive on the planet.
If you ask me, these are lessons Bolt would love to share with you. Of the lot, I chose only seven.

Respet Yasef!

Respet Yasef!

Yes you read it right...and no it's not a typo error. Respet yasef! I initially thought of using "Value Yourself" but I looked at it again and in my head it appeared like a Bloomberg headline - too cliché for the millenials. If you're reading this , then I believe I succeeded in connecting. 💗

#IYD2016

#YouthDay #Youth2030 

Young people all over the world are becoming more conscious of the things around them. From politics, business, sports, religion etc. The fact is that half of the world's population is under 30 years. Yet the inclusion of young people in matters that concern them is abysmal!

GROWTH

GROWTH

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things."
This text is priceless. To say that I respect Paul is an understatement. Paul is someone who put to bed many vague and ambiguous issues. Just follow the line of thought.

Stages

"...when I was a child." "When" immediately suggests a period of time. 'child' here may not just apply literally but more likely metaphorically. Meaning he acted less intelligently or less maturely than he did at the time. As a child, he necessarily thought as a child and understood as a child. Meaning also that his actions were consistent with his stages in life. When he grew into being a man (I.e an adult or maturity in thinking) he put away childish things. Meaning that based on his new stage, his actions were now consistent with his current stage.

NASSISM?

NASS

It is actually Narcissism. An ancient Greek mythology is told of Narcissus, a hunter from Thespiae in Boeotia was known for his beauty. Son of the river god Cephissus. Nemesis (a goddess herself) led Narcissus to a river where he fell in love with his own reflection thinking it was someone else. He eventually died staring at himself. Although other versions say he committed suicide because the image he saw wouldn't reciprocate his love. The story was so compelling that the word "narcissism" found its way into the English Language.

YEARS We Can!

Youth Empowerment And Remodeling School (Y.E.A.R.S)

Good day friends.
We sincerely thank God for His many graces. We also thank you all for your support, encouragement and contributions so far. We could not have made it this far without them.
One of the greatest blessings of God come in form of people. Without vision people will perish but without people the vision will be frustrated.

All Men Are Not The Same!

It's okay. Really.

You. You're the only you that ever existed. The only you that exists. The only you that will ever exist. God "The Creator" is too creative to mass produce. You're not a duplicate. You're not a clone. You are you! You're not just "another one" (in Khaled's voice) off the assembly line.

The Difference Is Clear!

Think about it. Out of the over 7 billion people on the planet, you're an original. This means it's a privilege for anyone who meets you - because you're the only you they will ever meet. Knowing how you're and who you're should do many things to you. It should inform your thinking, approach, value and esteem. This alone should make you walk with your head held high.

Dinosaurs and Lions

Dinosaurs and Lions

There has been many unfortunate statements that have been uttered by political actors in Nigeria. A former president once said: "winning this election is a do or die affair". A sitting governor once told a roadside vendor to: "...go and die!". Now it seems another has found its way into the infamous lexicon. A member of the legislative allegedly said "nothing will happen" alongside other French words I can't reprint.

What Do You Mean?

What are you exactly saying?

For those who have been following this trend religiously, you will remember one of my previous blog posts "CHANGES" where I raised some genuine concerns about an existing communication crises. Leaders are saddled with the responsibility of effectively sharing their vision and generally carrying the people along. When this is absent, a crises may be subtly brewing.

This Too Shall Pass!

Since God's got you, then you goin' be alright!

Look at you; you're still here! You thought you wouldn't make it this far. Your income didn't suggest you would still be standing. The numbers you crunched up in the imaginary device of your head didn't help either... but you're still here.
Your cute self made it through!

Flip Side

There are no words for the past six months of this year. It seemed that everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Your finances may not have added up; your education, relationships and other facets of your space may be out of balance as a result but be assured that the past is not an accurate predictor of the future! Cheer up!

No!

You say, Mr. Inspirational "if I didn't meet my goals, or since what I thought would happen didn't happen, does it mean something is wrong with me or is there something I am not doing right?
I can't answer that, but I know enough about God to tell you that when He says 'no', it doesn't mean 'never', it simply means 'not now'.
Believe me when I say that some of the things we believe for, we're not adequately prepared for. You don't want something you lack the capacity to handle - it won't be a blessing; it would be a burden!

Superman Syndrome

Superman vs Clark Kent

As a fallout of Father's Day, I thought about all the wonderful things we all did and said to our respective fathers. Fathers are indeed awesome, we can never appreciate them enough!
In this piece I write about something we don't get to discuss, not just about fathers but men. I believe we should jettison social media correctness here. Yes, it's OK to rant (not a 'Kanye' though). We are told in leadership classes to always be diplomatic with our words - right. I think I have been nice and dandy thus far so a little 'anti' won't hurt shebi? So I will be playing Ugly Duckling here. I trust you can handle it. (It will be our little secret).

Not Too Young To Run!

The Young and the Old need each other!

Again, I intend to continue the tread. Last blog post, I alluded to the bill seeking the downward review of the legal age for people to run for elective positions. Thanks to Hon. Tony Nwulu, the bill has passed the Second Reading and is now at Committee level.
So this piece to a very large extent was inspired by the conversations that ensued and are a continuum.

Mavins And Mavericks

PMB with a cross-section of youths in a "selfie"

In my penultimate blogpost, I ended on the importance of proffering solutions. Understand that the same energy we use in antagonizing and agonizing is the same energy we can channel into organizing. Yes the economy seems to be at a nadir but I can tell you for free that I know people who are prospering more than when things were seemingly "ok".

ALI - G.O.A.T

Ali - G.O.A.T

Real quick! Five points from Ali.
If you read my earlier blog posts "Stand Down" and "Faith to Faith" you would think I had the physique for boxing or at the very least had the passion for it. No, don't be afraid I don't think I even qualify for the Lightweight Division. I just love watching great people do what they love to do with excellence - this man was without question the greatest.

CHANGES

Changes

I do beseech you by the mercies of God to indulge me this one time as i introduce you to my extended family of thoughts. It's quite a read.

Somebody Sai Baba!
As we celebrate 17 years of unbroken democracy, I congratulate the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Mohammodu Buhari (GCFR). Being the president of the world's most populous black democracy is no joke.
We continue to pray for God's strength and guidance for him and the nation as a whole.

Anti-kwarupshun
Apparently this has been the theme song of this present administration. This has been unanimously agreed by all stakeholders as absolutely necessary for the progress of the nation. Stopping the looting of our commonwealth by criminal minds is heartily welcomed by Nigerians anytime. So nobody is asking for the US' version of the Fifth Amendment here.
However, anti-corruption is NOT a vision! It is not necessarily a national policy. At best, it is like deworming a child - while there is still proper feeding to be done. It is wonderful that there is the political will to fight graft but is never a surrogate for sound economic policies and a well-articulated national agenda.

Mr. Fantastic

Nigeria: Fastically blessed!

Mr. Fantastic
There are somethings you see and hear such that it becomes unnecessary to add your two cents; because there is nothing to really add. No need over flogging a dead horse.
By the way I do love Marvel Comics. My friends tell me I should see Captain America which they say is the new sensation at the movies. No, I would rather watch the classic, "Fantastic Four". Some of us have decided to call Nigeria as she can become and not as she presently is. Selah.

May I?

???

Again from my piggy bank I have to share my two cents - that's what I can afford for now.

FAITH TO FAITH

#WC2016
"...for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, the just shall live by faith." - Romans 1:17 (KJV)

For the just shall live (lead his life) by faith...
In as much as faith is the fundamental tenet of our lives, it becomes more instructive to understand that there are levels of faith required to deal with the respective issues in our lives, hence the need to move from FAITH to FAITH.

Nation Building: Do You Believe?

We believe, do you?

Believe what?
I have always been fascinated by the transformation of countries from awful to awesome status. Fascinating stories of how one of the city-states of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai literally transformed from being a desert, an arid and parched mass of land to being one of the many wonders of the world.
Stories of how Singapore grew from total dependency from its neighbouring countries to being one of the fastest growing economies of the world. Or how America moved from being a colony of Britain to being the most powerful nation on the face of the earth and her president, the leader of the free world.

Stand Down!

Floyd 'Money' Mayweather

The saying that January is the longest month of the year lived up to its billing. The last time we had a January this dramatic was probably in 1967. I almost thought to myself that today was the first day of a new year. Lol.

2016

2016

Already. It has been explosive already! You get the feeling this year is going to be quite eventful. The days are getting by quicker than ever, reminding us that it is a 'leap year' indeed.