Working For The Good Of All.

I am a loyal follower of leadership at all levels. What that means is that my leaders can count on me to do what is right at all times and in all circumstances. Common good and commonwealth are more important to me than my  personal interest. I will never sacrifice common good and commonwealth on the altar of avarice and selfishness. It is my personal choice and I live by it.

That is why I pursue my visions and dreams within the confines of the rule of law, due process and constitutionality and, in all, I recognize and respect the rights of others and the inalienable value of every human being, regardless their circumstance or background. The good and prosperity of my fellow human being comes first. Oneupmanship has no place in my toolbox, nor do I promote it in any of my associations.

I recognize that organized and systematized leadership and government is necessary for the good and growth of all units of society and the nation as a whole. Good leadership, as I see it, is visionary, practical, proactive, fully engaged and stands on accountability, rule of law, due process and constitutionality, promoting human rights, equity, justice and fairness. You see, without good and visionary leadership, society and the state will wallow in mediocrity, disorder, poverty and all other attendant vices. And that, to me, is unacceptable.

Leadership, on the other hand, need the support, understanding and cooperation of the people, at all levels, to succeed. You see, without the people, leadership can not succeed. As a matter of fact, without the people, there is no need for leadership in the first instance. It is the people who confer legitimacy on the leader, and not the other way round.The leader, therefore, is a hoax and an empty nothingness without the people. Hence, the leader's chief preoccupation should be working to secure the safety, well being and prosperity of the people.

This is why respect and support, as far as leaders and the led are concerned, must be mutual and reciprocal in the fullest sense of the words. Leadership that has no regard for the people has derailed and, certainly, will eventually fail. By the same token, followers that have no regard for their leaders, will not enjoy the benefits of leadership and, certainly, will fail too. The two must work together for the sake of security, prosperity and continuity. Where this two fail to understand each other and work together, there will be disorder and resultant systemic failure and, eventually, anarchy.

It is in pursuit of the benefits of good leadership, both for me and the society, that I give total regard and loyalty to my leaders at all levels: civil, traditional and religious. I give to Ceasar what is due to Ceasar and to God what is due to God. This way there will be no failure on my part to uphold the principles of good followership and, thus, catalyse the conditions for good leadership to emerge and thrive. In this case, common good and commonwealth are enriched and, thus, the people are the winners.

But, and this must be underlined and emphasized, my regard and loyalty to my leaders is not blind, deaf or dumb and, therefore, should not be taken for granted. You see, I am fully aware of the fact that my leaders, both temporal and spiritual, are human beings and, hence, prone to mistakes, failings and shortcomings. Leadership position, regardless the promoted claim and spiritualized rhetoric, does not confer on anyone divinity or infallibility. Leaders, therefore, are as human as the rest of us and the best of them are as fallible as the weakest of us. They are, hence, to be supported and not idolized or worshipped

Conscious of that fact and being fully alive to my responsibility as a loyal and patriotic citizen, I do not hesitate to point out leadership failings with a view to correcting the flaws by offering better alternatives. I use all the channels available to me to carry out this very crucial citizenship responsibility. And, when I do it, I do it with the utmost sense of humility, not for show or any such personal considerations, but for the benefit of all. Common good and commonwealth are topmost on my mind, always. Nothing can detract me from that, not even the lure of the richest of rewards.

I want the best for Nigeria and all Nigerians, regardless race, religion, region, ethnicity and social status. You see, development and progress has no race or tribe or religion. Progress and development are good for all, and everyone has the right to benefit therefrom. Therefore, I show no difference or partially to any on any grounds. When I work for the good of one, I work for the good of all. When I speak up for the benefit of one, I speak up for the benefit of all. When I defend the rights of one, I defend the rights of all.

All I see and consider and work for, with everything I have got, is the common good and the commonwealth of the nation and the welfare of the ordinary people.

All is well.

Long live Nigeria.

I remain Agoso Bamaiyi, your friend for a greater Nigeria and the best things of life.

#Agosotó
#DrArnobb
#NigeriaGoBetter
#NigeriaWillBeGreat

Tips For Aspiring Writers And Public Speakers.

A young, aspiring writer once asked me: "Sir, you have such a powerful narative and descriptive ability that when I read your writings or listen to you speak, it is as good as watching a movie or following real life events. How did you develop such a powerful writing and speaking skill?"

I looked at him carefully and I could see in his eyes that he was expecting a magical formula, a sort of an abracadabra, that will confer on him that ability in an instant. But I knew better than that. There are no such quick-fix, fix-all, instant formulas. I am afraid, a lot of time and energy goes into developing this very useful skills.

Two (2) important skills:
Before I go ahead and emphasize the things that I pointed out to this young man, things that every aspiring writer and public speaker needs to know and work on to become better and do better, let me say here that the ability to write well and speak well are two of the most important abilities that all young people, regardless their area of interest and endeavour in life, should have. You see, the ability to write and speak well increases your connectivity to the rest of the World and, with that, your value and marketability, eventually positively impacting on your productivity and profitability. Simply put, the ability to write and speak well, greatly increases your chances of success in life and profession, regardless your location or profession.

A good observer:
Now, I pointed out to this young man that, first, you must be a very good observer with a good presence of mind. Do not miss or ignore anything, no matter how small or insignificant.

A good listener:
Secondly, you must be a good listener. It pays more to shut your mouth up and listen. Speak only when you need clarification on some point. You learn more that way and such learning gives your writing and speaking added wieght and punch.

Pay attention to details:
Thirdly, pay attention to details and keep records of incidences, sequences, and consequences. Meaning, keep a sharp mind. In other words, use all your senses in all situations and all the time. Be mindful in all situations and at all times. Do not allow any detail to pass you by unnoticed and uncaptured. In other words, master all environments and situations you find yourself in.

Practice makes perfect:
Fourthly, and this is the nitty-gritty that most aspiring writers and speakers want to avoid: practice recounting events, even if its an imaginary event, in long-hand writing. I am not talking about writing for publication. No. I am talking about writing long and hard, correcting spellings and rephrasing sentences, just for practice. Do the same with speaking. Verbalize what you have written, over and over again, paying close attention to:

1. Pronunciation - correct pronunciation is an important key to effective speaking. Always pronounce works deliberately and correctly.

- Avoid slangs and street pronunciation.

- Every language has its accent. Always use the recognized accent of the language you are using.

2. Pace - the main requirement for effective speaking is intelligibility. If you are not understood, your thoughts are not conveyed, and if you are to be understood, then you must speak at a pace that enables your listeners to get your message. So, strive to be unhurried, measured and not frantic.

- Avoid speaking too fast. Rapid-fire speech is not an acceptable form of regular and good communication.

- Avoid speaking too slow. Slow-motion speech is also not an acceptable form of regular and good communication.

3. Pauses - everyone pauses from time to time in the course of giving a talk.

- Avoid hemming, using the all-purpose "uh" and its cousin "um".

- Avoid bogging down in mid-sentence.

- Use breathing to fill-in spaces instead of hemming or bogging.

- Pause for a few seconds and collect your thoughts, then carry on confidently, measuredly and smoothly.

Practice! Practice!! Practice!!!

My experience:
I mentioned to him the endless stack of exercise and note books in my study, containing writings that will never be published because they represent endless hours of mental practice and exercise. I also mentioned the countless times I stood in front of a full-length mirror in my room and blew endless spoken English at myself. I also formed the habit of walking to the farms and bushes on the edge of Numan town and shouting sentences into the air, punctuated only by the sweet chorus of the birds.

It was not a waste of time. No. My descriptive and narative powers, both in writing and in speech, were developed and honed during those long hours of exercise and practice.

Confidence:
Let me add here that confidence is important in becoming a successful writer and public speaker. No matter how much you practice writing and speaking, if you are not confident to present to the public what you have written, or stand up and speak before an audience, and be critiqued, then all your effort is wasted. It is never easy for first timers, but (and this very important) the more you present your work and speak publicly, the more confident you will become. So, overcome your initial fear, present your work to the public, and you will be on your way to success.

Conclusion:
There you have it folks. If you are an aspiring writer or public speaker hoping to follow my example, I just shared with you some of my 'secrets', for free!

Please note (for emphasise): the ability to write and speak clearly are among the topmost skills that every youth should have, regardless their primary professional interest or preoccupation. As I have pointed out earlier, they increase your value and enhance your marketability. You see, ever since paper and pen were invented and the first public colloquiums were organized, writing and public speaking have not diminished in value. Even with the coming of the World Wide Web and the growth of Information and Communication Technology, basic writing and basic public speaking skills remain hugely relevant, and will remain so as long as human beings exist. This is because communication is a basic human need. Without the ability to communicate, there won't be community and all the interactions and engagements that entails.

Get down to practice, therefore, because you will be needing this skills for the rest of your life!

Quotations:
Let me leave you with two quotations that I find very helpful. The first is on writing and the second is on public speaking. These quotations are by people who are well-experienced and, therefore, know what they are talking about. You will find useful hints that will help improve your game:

1. "A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” - Richard Bach.

2. “There are three things to aim at in public speaking: first, to get into your subject, then to get your subject into yourself, and lastly, to get your subject into the heart of your audience.” - Alexander Gregg.

I expect you to go ahead and do better than I have done. Oya, wetin you dey wait for?

You can do it!

It is all within you!

It is Agoso Bamaiyi, your friend for a greater Nigeria and the best things of life.

Smelly Farty Encounters!

Well, I guess human beings are the same - in terms of body functions or malfunctions, as the case may be - whether they can afford to travel by air or just by road. I had two smelly chance encounters recently that aptly illustrate this assertion.

The first is something I would love to forget but, alas, I cant due to the disorienting force with which it assaulted my smell buds, lodging in my subconscious mind permanently.

I flew into Lagos, from Yola, for a weekend teaching engagement. I also used the time to huddle with my family. Monday morning saw me in the local wing of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, to catch a flight back to Yola for an important appointment. It was tight and, unfortunately, I missed the only flight out of Lagos going to Yola in the North East that day. The famous early morning Lagos traffic jam was to blame for my arriving late. The only alternative was to catch another flight to Abuja, the beautiful capital city, and connect another flight to Yola.

So, I booked a seat on a Dana Air plane, checked-in and waited in the roomy departure lounge of MMA2 for my flight to be called. About 45 minutes later the flight was called and I joined other passengers on queue to go through documentation and security. Then I walked down to gate 8 and boarded the Apron Bus that would take us to the airplane.

In the bus, I noticed an elderly man. He was dressed in typical South Western dress and spoke, to no one in particular, in Yoruba. His clothes looked neat but his teeth appeared coated with deposits of smoke and palm wine. He looked to me like someone who enjoyed the "good life" but did not care much for oral and personal hygien.

I boarded the plane and took my seat, on the left aisle, before the old man. A dignified lady, dressed in embroidered lace material, occupied the window seat on my row. A sweet scent, gentle and graceful, hung around her. It must be one of those expensive designer brands. I like it when people smell nice. The seat between us was empty.

A classy youngman, a Banky-W look-a-like, wearing designer denims and sweat shirt and a 50cent-type face cap, complemented with a loud masculine scent, sat on the aisle seat on my right. He paid no mind to no one as he nodded to some music fed into his brain by a flashy aerpiece connected to a fancy handset - one of three on him.

As I sat there and watched other passengers justling for their assigned seats, a handsome halfcast walked pass me and took the seat directly behind me. He answered a call briefly, speaking in good English, with a Nigerian accent. Then the elderly man shambled along, struggling with his carry-on and mumbling incoherently to no one in particular. He walked pass me and, in all honesty, he smelled like he had not taken bath for days. He raised his bag and deposited it in the overhead cabin and then asked the halfcast to let him in. The handsome man complied and the old man took his seat by the window.

We were soon airborne, devouring the air miles toward Abuja. The old man promptly fell asleep and then the farting game began. In the depth of his slumber he must have dreamt of visiting the loo to answer the call of nature: he released the first farty installment in a series of three. Oh boy, was it bad?! It jolted me out of my deep meditation - something I do alot when I travel - back into my senses and involuntarily forced my eyes open. It defied the airconditioning as it tormentingly and heavily hung on the air, refusing to budge even an inch.

Boy, this thing bad o! The blood of Jesus!

This fart must be made up of a unigue molecular structure, a cross breed of some of the baddest farts, that conferred on it some special aggressive defiance. It stirred my guts and gave me instant headache. I would bet a million Naira that, if there was a standard measure for smelly farts, this one would score ten on a scale of one to ten!

The lady beside me quickly brought out a hand fan from her handbag and briskly fanned herself, with an expression of disgust on her face, to no avail. She looked like she was going to faint. She bent her head forward and pulled the neck of her dress over her nose, burying it in the cup of her breasts. You could tell that she was in serious torment. Such a fine lady should never be put through such disgusting pain.

The Banky-W look-a-like acted like he was stung by a bee. He jerked abruptly and looked around as if to find the rascally bee. He pulled off the earpiece in an attempt to ascertain the nature of the intruding disturbance. He then pulled out the safety manual from the seat pocket in front of him and fanned himself vigoriously. I could not help but say in my mind:

"So, even this dandy swaggerd, who could not care a hoot who sat beside him, minded the rude assault on the peace of his nostrils?"

It was funny, but I could not laugh, being a co-sufferer in the fartuous misadventure.

Fifteen minutes later, still sleeping, the old man released the second fartuous installment. This too bad o! You can imagine the reaction from all of us who had the misfortune of sharing proximity with the sleeping old man. The handsome halfcast got up and changed seat, tracing the sign of the cross over his face and shoulders. It was that bad!

A few minutes later, the third installment arrived. Gush! By this time, I was agonizingly praying for the plane to land and bring an end to this airborne tribulation. Boy, man suffer o!

Mercifully, the plane touched down without further farty installments. When the pilot engaged the reverse thrust to slow down the plane on the runway, the loud noise and increased vibrations woke the old man up. He streched and innocently asked if we had landed in Abuja. He was completely unaware of the trouble he had caused! Sokushipe!

My second fartuous encounter was almost as bad as the first one. The main difference is that this one was at ground level, in a bus as we traversed the distance between Numan and Jos, and not at 35, 000 feet above sea level. I was on my way to Jos to deliver a lecture at the inauguration and swearing-in ceremony of the new exco of the Pene Da Bwatiye, Jos branch. Since I was travelling alone, I decided to go by public trasportation to stay within budget.

I sat by the door in the front of the bus along with the driver on the other side. A middle aged man sat in the middle front seat. He looked neat and well-kempt, with eye-salve tracing his eyes and giving him a feminine look. He smelled heavily of the Binta Sudan-type cologne. He had a tendency to argumentatively dominate every conversation. He seemed to have a ready answer for every topic and cared next to nothing whether his opinion was factual or not. All that mattered was that he had the opinion and everybody else must fall in line. When he adjudged that I was the "acada" type, he made it a duty to carpet me at every topic. I was getting nowhere with superior logic and, not wanting to get down into the gutter just to prove a point to this obnoxious stranger, I admonished myself to shut up and work my mind on the tricky topic I was travelling to tackle. He kept up his "intelligent" social commentary with the longsuffering driver. Well, I thought to myself, at least his diatribe will serve to keep the driver awake and alert!

Before we got to Kaltungo, Mr. Cicero slept off, leaving me and the driver to our thoughts. Then the farting series began. The first one was silent and stealthy, but what it lacked in sound, it made up for in smelly fury. It was revoltingly pungent and had an oppressive urgency to it, so much so that, without conferring with each other, the driver and I grapped our various winders and rolled down our glasses almost simultaneuosly, to let in fresh air and repel the nasal assault! The glasses stayed down, despite the thick Harmattan, untill we got to Alkaleri, through Kashere, and our man woke up at the Military Check Point. He promptly resumed his "smart" monologue as he offered solutions to all the problems of Nigeria. I came to appreciate his empty talk more than his eventful sleep with the resultant loaded fartuous discharges.

Those are the two life-changing smelly farty experiences that I had recently. They taught me that humans are the same - at least in terms of their body functions or, rather, malfunctions - whether they can afford to travel by air or just by road.

What is that smell? Eh?

😜😜😜😂😂😂😎😎😎👍👍👍

I remain Agoso Bamaiyi, your friend for a greater Nigeria and the best things of life.

#Agosotó
#DrArnobb
#SmellyFarts
#NigeriaGoBetter
#LaughterIsGoodForHealth

Grace And Labor.

Apostle Paul was an extraordinary man. He was a world changer whose uncommon influence is still impacting the world 2000 years after. It is said in theological circles that Jesus Christ founded Christianity, but Paul established it. He authored half of the books in the New Testament and is responsible for our understanding of the practice of Christianity. Against superhuman odds, he took on the Roman Empire and changed it more than any armies could. He, himself, attributed his uncommon success to two factors; the grace of God and his willingness to labor.

“For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I but the grace of God which was with me” - 1 Corinthians 15: 9, 10.

Grace, without going into theological technicalities, is simply defined as “unmerited favor”; that is, when something happens to or is done for or through you that is far and above what you deserve or what you are capable of in your natural abilities. It is God’s blessings, or what is called “anointing”, upon your life, or talent, or work, such that you produce outstanding results that are beyond and above what you can do at your natural best. Apostle Paul had such grace. He knew that the outstanding results and performances in his life were beyond the ordinary run of things, even at their best. He acknowledged that only grace could do that. But even grace, even anointing, needs committed labor to be at its best. Without committed labor, talent, gifts, genius, etc., will end up in “brilliant” mediocrity; awesome potential with no commensurate manifestation in reality. Nothing works well in life until it is worked.

Apostle Paul knew this fact and so he labored more than any of the apostles. And because he made himself available, through his committed and untiring labors, God found in him a capable and willing vessel. This is why God used him more than any of the apostles, resulting in an extraordinarily outstanding and unique life and ministry. He, like all the other apostles, had grace. What made him outstanding was that he “labored more abundantly than they all”. His success had very little to do with color, race, nationality, birth, talent, IQ, connection, etc., but a lot more to do with committed labor. If Apostle Paul was not willing to work as hard as he did, for as long as he did, under the trying circumstance that he did, he would have ended up average and we will not be holding him up as a good example today.

This truth applies to us all. None of us can rise up to and fulfill potential and see the kind of results that will be reckoned with as outstanding, if we are not willing to labor committedly at our potential and all the factors of success therein. Nothing works in life until it is worked. Life itself is programmed to yield fruits only to work. That is why the first assignment God gave Adam, the progenitor of the human race, is to till the garden – to work it. That assignment and principle still stands today. Work is not a curse because the command to work came before the fall – before sin and its consequences came into the world. That’s right.

Gordon B. Hinckley, 15h President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, emphasized the truth that nothing good works in nature until it is worked, when he observed that:

“Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds” – Gordon B. Hinckley

If you do not work your farm, nothing grows well and yields bountifully except weeds. Rice, wheat, corn, millet, beans, etc., never do well if left unattended. Your life-garden will not do well and yield bountiful returns if left unattended. Work brings out the best in you and lead to outstanding success. Your dreams will remain mere dreams and not manifested in reality if you are not willing to pay the price to secure success through hard work, no matter what else you do. Collin Powell, former Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first black man to serve as the U. S. Secretary of State, stated as much when he said:

“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work” – Collin Powell.

You see, work purchased all the wealth of the world and only work can secure it. Adam smith, the father of modern economics and a moral philosopher, made this powerful observation about work:

“Labour was the first price, the original purchase-money that was paid for all things. It was not by gold or by silver, but by labour, that all wealth of the world was originally purchased” – Adam Smith (1723 – 1790).

The smartest people are those who see and take opportunities and chances that come their way. Yet opportunities and chances never come to those who sit down and fold their hands. No. No. No. They come only to those who are out there working, willingly. Willingness to work, therefore, is the greatest foresight. No one knows that better than Thomas Edison, foremost inventor and entrepreneur. Hear him speak about it:

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work” – Thomas Edison (1847 – 1931).

This is where work is superior to talent; the ability to make the most of opportunities and chances. Do not believe the lie that talent alone is enough. While talent is a good thing to have, I must emphasize that talent without committed and purposeful work will end as a talented failure, unable to take and make the most of opportunities. That is a universal truth that you cannot go around or successfully avoid, no matter how gifted you are. You must be willing to work if you are to get the best out of your talent. Work is the mobility talent needs to travel to success and eventually arrive at greatness. Stephen king, a hard working American author who has sold over 350 million copies of his books, said as much when he observed that:

“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work” – Stephen King.

You want your life to count for something in time and eternity? Then work. Work at your work. Work at your life. Work at your relationships. Work at your studies. Work at your calling. Work at your talents and gifts. Work at your character and integrity. Work at your dreams. Work at any and every project or pursuit before you. Work wholeheartedly. Work committedly. Work happily. Give life, not just your best, but your all also. That is the way to true happiness and success in life.

“It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man” – Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790).

Without work, let me repeat this for emphasis, you will not come into success. It is just not possible, except, perhaps, you come into an inheritance or discover a fortune. Even then, without labor, you are bound to lose the inheritance and fortune. You see, work precedes success in all ramifications. Nowhere in life does success precede work, except in the dictionary. It was Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach, who first made this observation. Hear him speak:

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary”- Vince Lombardi (1913 – 1970).

There you have it; be ready to work or else be ready to fail. It’s as simple as that. Do you desire or dream of a great life? Do you desire success in your call or profession? Do you want to make a difference in this life? Do you want your life to count for something? If your answer is yes to any or all of the above questions, then work. That is my advice and the advice of history, both ancient and contemporary. Work is the key, the master key to life.

Get down to it!

You can do it!

It is all within you!

It is Agoso Bamaiyi, your friend for a greater Nigeria and the best things of life.

#Agosotó
#DrArnobb
#HardWorkPays
#GetDownToIt
#YouCanDoIt
#ItIsAllWithinYou