Such Is Life.

Life comes in contrasts, even contradictions. One has got to take it in his stride and move on with focus and purpose, regardless the incidence or outcome. 

Take this as an example. Sometime back in Lamurde, as I worked on my computer system in the room, I heard a funeral service going on. The public address system transported the sounds right into the room. Not long after, the funeral procession passed and went up the main road that straddled Lamurde into the neighbourhoods for burial. It was the end of the road for someone.

A couple of hours later a boisterous bevy of beautiful Bwatiye ladies, carrying the Lokei (marriage procession) and singing joyfully at the top of their voices, came down the same road as they headed for the Hwodi Lokei (marriage house). Someone is getting married; the begining of a journey.

Same day, same town, same road, but two contrasting events and outcomes. People reacted to both events appropriately, depending on how close or related they were to the people involved. Then everyone eventually returned to face their own lives and the issues therein.

Cooped up in the room and bent over my laptop, I said a silent prayer for the family of the bereaved and wished the best for the new couple as I trudged on purposefully with the work before me. I was working on a strategy paper on how to push Adamawa State forward on the path of sustainable development.

The day you were born is the day someone, somewhere, died. The day you got married is the day someone,  somewhere, got divorced. The day you received your appointment letter is the day someone, somewhere, received a job termination letter. The day you were promoted is the day someone, somewhere, got demoted. Your moment of joy and happiness is someone's moment of sadness. Life goes on, regardless.

Annually, 1.2 million people die of road crashes (with between 20-50 million either injured or disabled), over 17 million people die from CardioVascular Disease (CVD), over 400, 000 die from Malaria and about 800, 000 die from AIDS-related illnesses. As a matter of fact, there are over 56 million deaths globally per year. Juxtapose that with birth statistics and you immediately see the struggle between death and life: 4.3 births per second, 258 births per minute, 15, 480 births per hour, 371, 520 births per day and over 130 million births per year. Double the number of people who die are born to take their place. In the midst of death life happens. Such is life.

Life goes on, no matter the incidences and experiences, close by or faraway, sad or joyful. Destiny must be attained. In reality, no one stops for any one. No destiny stops for another destiny. You must carry your cross and make your way to your destination, no matter what is happening around you. You do not wait for a complete alignment of events and incidences before you move out your forces. You get up and move when you are ready. If things are not happening as they should, you do not keep waiting. You make them happen as you want them to.

As a matter of course, we do mix and engage and support each other, but we can only stand by others, or others can only stand by us, to a certain point. Even siblings and other family members can only support each other so far. In the final analysis, we must carry our own weight, walk our own path and arrive our own destination, at our own pace and time, no matter what else is happening to others around us. You do not give up your life because someone, even if it is a loved one, lost theirs. You see, ready or not, life goes on.

Life is a mix of bitter and sweet. Storm and rain, pain and gain, hard work and comfort, negative and positive; all go together. The final outcome depends on what you do with the blend. So, when life throws you a Lemon, do as my mentor, Dr. Ige Olumide, used to advice us; turn it into a Lemonade. Process and convert the bitterness into something nutritious and healthy. When life throws corn at you, turn it into cornmeal. When the Sun beats down on you, capture its rays and turn them into Solar Energy. Also, take the wind and storms of life and turn them into power. Beat the odds and stand tall.

Have you noticed that the rainbow is a combination of seven contradicting colours all happening at once? Yet, it is so beautiful. In competing against each other, the colours actually bring out the best in one another. So, do not be fazed by the contradictions of life. Like the rainbow, harness the contradictions and shine forth beautifully. The vicissitudes of life are not meant to mar you but to make you. Take it as it comes and roll forward with each blow. You are wired to overcome and shine in life.

Such is life.

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

No Condition Is Permanent.

Ponder this: the fact that you are first does not automatically mean that you are the best. Inversely, the fact that you are the last does not automatically mean you are the worst. Things are not always what they appear to be. You see, things can and do change, depending on how you make use of the time and chances life gives to you; the first now can end up as the last and the last now can end up as the first tomorrow. No condition is permanent.

You need to know that where you are now is a position and not a conclusion. You can, therefore, move on to better things and improve your position and condition. You can change your position to a far better condition. You can turn the table for your good and go on to enjoy the very best of life. It is all possible.

For those of you who are currently doing well and occupy the front row, let me tell you a bit about the psychology of success: it is like an intoxicant. It gives you a false feeling of security and invincibility, making you lose both perspective and objectivity. You soon begin to believe your own propaganda and, in doing so, you stop doing the very things that propelled you to this position in the first place. Without you noticing it at first, you start to regress and those who you thought you were superior to, who kept working the processes of success, begin to make progress ahead of you. Except you check the fall and bounce back, you soon become a "has been"!

Do not lose your advantage. How? By keeping your perspective and objectivity clear. Maintain and sustain your ambition. Maintain and sustain your hunger. Maintain and sustain your drive. Maintain and sustain your curiosity. Remain at the top of your game. Be up and doing. Go after your aims and goals with unrelenting zeal and commitment. Work harder. Work smarter. Like Usain Bolt, continually break your old records and set new ones. That is the key to remaining first and relevant.

And if you are last right this moment? Its not all bad news, you know. Believe me, you can bounce higher and climb to better things and attain greatness. You can go all the way to be the very best and sit at the very top. It is a possibility that is fully within your reach. It is a possibility that is as real as the daily rise of the Sun and the air you breathe. You can take this fact to the bank.

The question is "how?" It follows the same principle as remaining the best; work harder, smarter and longer, and do not accept the mirage of defeat that thunders at you that you are good for nothing; that you will always be a failure; that you will never win; that you will never be celebrated. It is a mirage, a false appearance. Success is not exclusive to any particular race, tribe, religion or family. It is universally available to everyone that pays the price in relevant preparation, work and risk-taking. Your name can be written on the wall in the hall of success.

Therefore stay calm. Remain at your duty post. Keep your heart, your head and your hands on the job. Plough forwards and upwards. Observe. Ask questions. Learn and grow. Never give in to doubt, fear or complacency. Do not settle for good, when you can become better and go on and become the best. Keep working because work makes greatness possible. You never climb a wall with your hands in your pockets, do you? Pull your hands out of your pockets and work. Grab hold of the ladder of life and climb upward. Get up and get going.

My personal experience bear testimony to the fact that no condition is permanent. Things can  change for good. You can bounce back from worse to bad and from bad to good and then move on to success and greatness. You see, I was once labelled "purposeless" and "useless". I performed far below average in almost everything. My teachers beat me, hoping to spark some comprehension in me. My mates and friends mocked me. People in the neighbourhood wrote me off as a hopeless case. I personally felt lost and hopeless. 

Then I got a divine nudge, an unexpected chance to make good. I took it with both hands. I worked hard and I am a changed person today. It took time and effort but today I have become relevant and, from hopelessness, I give hope to people all around the World. Those who mocked me have had to swallow their words and cover their faces in shame. I say this, not in pride or self-praise, but to encourage anyone who might be going through a low time right at this moment. You also can bounce unto success and greatness.

Nothing in your divine origins say you cannot attain greatness. You are made in the image of God and God is great. Do not listen to negative people. Do not give in to negative circumstances. Do not listen to your personal self-doubt and negative self-projections. Be positive. Be strong. Be confident. Be bold. Be true to your divine roots. Work out your greatness.

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

Lesson From Grandma.

When mama gained admission and left for ABU Zaria to study for a degree, my five siblings and I moved, from the staff quarters in Villanova,  to the notorious Hwodi Pare, a neighbourhood in Numan, to live with our maternal grandmother. It was way back in 77 and dad had been dead for about 2 years.

Soon after, both Vidiyeno and Dadi (my older brothers) left for secondary school and I, taking to delinquency, dropped out of school for over 3 years. During that period, I tried my hands in animal husbandry (Pig rearing) and farming, mainly helping out grandma Margie Shittu. 

It was during this time that I learnt a very powerful life lesson from the wise lips of my gentle, but strong, grandmother.

You see,  helping her with the harvest (she cultivated maize, Sorghum, Garden egg, some vegetables, etc, mainly for subsistence purposes), I noticed she carefully took out the best produce (biggest sizes, well-formed seeds,  deep colours, infection-free and so on) from the rest of the lot, carefully prepared and hanged them out to air and dry properly. This means they will not be eaten but will be used as seeds for the next farming season. 

My adolescent mind could not work out the logic behind this practice. My thinking was that the biggest and the best should be eaten and enjoyed,  while the smallest and the wilted can then be preserved as seed. 

My grandmother pointed out to me that it did not work like that. The quality of what you sow, barring weather and natural interference beyond human control,  directly determines the quality of your harvest. If you sow malformed and wilted seeds, you will reap a mediocre harvest. If you sow well-formed and healthy seeds,  you will reap a bumper harvest.

Now I understand,  both from personal experience and study, that the quality of the harvest (output)  is in the quality of the seed (input). It is a simple but powerful universal principle. 

If you sow rofo-rofo, you will reap multiplied rofo-rofo. If you sow goodie-goodie, you will reap multiplied goodie-goodie. If you sow bwaraune (Ubuntu), you will reap multiplied bwaraune. Life is a boomerang: what you throw out eventually finds it's way back to you, for good or for bad.

The Bible also teaches that "...Whatsoever a man soweth,  that shall he reap... " (Gal. 6:7).

This principle I learnt from my grandma guides my actions now: I always put forward my best foot in all things and at all times. This has resulted in a productive life, from a delinquent one. It is a principle I am sure you will find very useful. 

Always give the best to life and you will get the best from life. 

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

The Topmost Priority.

A journalist once asked me, "if you were the President of Nigeria, what will be your number one priority? What will you emphasize above all others?"

"Education", I answered without hesitation. My answer surprised the journalist. She did not expect it. She expected me to say something like Petroleum Resources or Power and Steel or Agriculture and Natural Resources or Health. Education did not feature high on her list of priorities because, to be honest, it does not feature high on the list of the priorities of successive governments in Nigeria for a long time now. Nigerians are used to our Presidents appointing themselves Minister of Petroleum Resources. 

Somehow we, as a country, have come to believe that our "salvation" lies in the Petroleum Sector. It is a grossly mistaken belief. No resource-based sector, no matter how richly endowed, holds the key to genuine sustainable growth and development. Besides - and we do not seem to grasp this sobering fact! - the World is fast moving away from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy. Very soon oil will lose its value, and then it will matter very little, in practical terms, how much petroleum resources we have. Only human-based sectors, such as education and other social services sectors, hold the key to genuine, sustainable development and prosperity. Nations only truly grow and develop, in a sustainable manner, with highly developed and functional human capital. Education is the primary driver of human capital development and, hence, all forms of development. Get your educational sector right and you eventually rise to your potential and master your national destiny.

This is so because education ties into all sectors and aspects of national life and human existence. Without education, both formal and informal, the President cannot be the President in the first place! Apart from citizenship and age requirements, the constitution requires also that the President be educated to a certain minimum level. Addtionally, education confers on the human resource the skills and expertise necessary to develop and deploy all other forms of resources as goods and services for national growth, development, profitability and prosperity. Without a highly educated and capable human resource, all other resources will remain fallow and, hence, useless and unprofitable.

Not able to hide her surprise, the journalist asked me why I choose education as my topmost priority. I answered her as follows:

"You see, without education, there will not be the required manpower in all aspects, to run the nation purposefully and productively, nor will there be the purposefully proactive and productively engaged citizenry necessary to administer the country successfully. Education develops and builds the human being and the human being, in turn, fully develops and productively and sustainably uses and manages all the resources available to the nation. Thus education is the key to a great future for any nation and the most powerful weapon with which the World can be changed."

 

That is what the Madiba, Nelson Mandela, had in mind when he said:

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

You want to change Nigeria for good? Invest heavily in all aspects and levels of education; sustain the investment for the long-term; leverage on international relationships and partnerships to help finance such investments, and empower universities and research institutes to deliberately work on solving the various developmental challenges that beset us as a nation.

This, in practice, will involve drastically improving the condition of service of all categories of teachers (this will attract the best brains to teaching and motivate them to give their best), training enough teachers all across the country, building standard schools in all communities all across the country (perimeter fencing, adequate classrooms, well-equipped laboratories, well-equipped libraries, well-equipped workshops, adequate hostels and dining facilities in boarding schools, well-balanced meals, beautiful landscaping, adequate sporting and other extracurricular infrastructure, 24/7 power supply, adequate teaching and learning aids, etc.), international best practice administration, adequate number of teachers in all schools and in all subjects (including coaching and auxiliary teaching staff, and lab attendants and technicians, etc.), timely and regular payments of salaries and other entitlements, etc.

You see, paying mere lip service or engaging in token, drop-in-the-Ocean, investments in the sector, as has been the practice so far, will not do. It has to be massive and all-encompassing. It has to be an emergency, a "brutal" revolution in the educational sector. It has to be, massive, all-encompassing, sustained and longterm. It has to be well-planned and well-executed. It has to affect every community, ward, Local Government Area, State and the entire nation. It has to begin now and be sustained Ad Infinitum. 

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

Tips For Surviving The Heat Season.

The Heat Season is upon us and, with temperatures daily hovering over 40 Degrees Celsius, we must adopt a practical survival strategy to go through it with our health and sanity intact.

Here are a few tips that will help you along this harsh season:

 1. Avoid stepping into the Sun as much as possible.

But if you must step out into the Sun, use a sunscreen cream, sunshades and an umbrella.

2. Avoid thick, heavy clothes for now. Use light dresses made of cotton or other natural substances. These allow air into your body and, thus, help cool you down, stemming off the possibility of getting those prickly heat rashes that make you feel like your body is on fire!

Synthetic materials do not breath and are, therefore, ventilation-blockers. Clothes made of synthetic materials are definitely non-starters for this harsh season, no matter how trendy they may be. You do not want to "cook" your beautiful skin just for fashion, do you?

3. As much as possible, use white clothes, especially during sunshine hours. Whites repel heat, while keeping you cool. Dark colours, especially black, attract heat, thus, intensifying your discomfort.

This applies to shoes, caps, cars, offices, classrooms and homes. If you can afford everything white, this is the prescribed season to do so.

4. Talking about affordability, this is the prime time to aircondition everywhere, if you can afford it; your home, office, car, etc. If it keeps the tormenting heat and all associated ills at bay, it wont be money wasted, I assure you!

5. If the money available to you is limited and you cannot afford airconditioning, then joyfully make use of the general, ever-reliable rule of thumb for tackling heat and the many ailments associated with it: throw your windows wide open and keep your home and office well ventilated.

Also, make use of your electric fans, whether they be standing or ceiling fans, as often as good old NEPA permits or your pocket can afford to service and power your generating set, that is assumming you have one.

Or you can buy one of those hand-held, muscle-powered fans, whether it is made of plastic or palm frond.

The key to all these, and it is a Master Key, is to keep as aerated and ventillated as possible all through this season of the year.

Now, we can all afford that, cant we?

Or, you can do as we used to do in Hwodi Pare when I was growing up: take your beddings outside and sleep under the natural aircondition. Now, you can afford that too, at least until the Hot Season is over!

6. Whether you sleep outside or inside, avoid crowding. This will help prevent the outbreak and spread of deseases, such as Cerebruspinal Meningitis. You do not want to go there, do you? It is an expensive place to be, not to mention potentially deadly.

7. This is the underpinning rule to surviving the Heat Season with your health and sanity intact: make generous use of water!

Yes, water.
Water, water, water.
Life-giver that doubles during this season as a life-saver

At the foundational level, (and a building is only as strong as its foundation!) drink as much water as you can comfortably hold in. Do not hold back. I assure you you wont get a pot belly before this season is over!

The water will keep your body well hydrated, ready and able to successfy fight any heat-sponsored invasion. If there is anytime you ever need your body to be at its best, its during this season! So, give it water.

Then, at the secondary and superficial level, but equally as important, is the need to keep cool and clean using water.

Shower, oh, my sweet shower! What better time to indulge in you purposefully and generously than now?

The simple use of soap and water over your body, two or three times a day during this season can, not only keep you cool but also, save your life.

The shower is the right place to be this season. So, get to it and stay in it all through this season, so long as it does not distract from your other legitimate pursuits!

Before I go, let me draw your attention to the need to beware of snakes, scorpions and other paste that ordinarily stay out of our way. They too feel the heat and share with us humans the need to cool down and to survive. You are most likely to encounter such uninvited and unwanted guests this time of the year than at any other time.

Take necessary actions to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Now, do not say I did not warn you!

May you and your loved ones survive the Heat Season (and any other harsh season life throws at you) with your confidnce and your sense of humour intact!

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

No Work, No Success!

Do not be fooled by those who would want you to believe you can succeed in life without any form of exertion. There is nothing like "workless" or "sweatless" success. Even 4-1-9, and other forms of fraud schemes, involve an appreciable degree of planning and execution, both forms of exertion. Juju and ritual wealth or success also involves planning and execution and sacrifice. Do not get me wrong; I do not support 4-1-9 or juju. I am merely pointing to the fact that even with them, you will still need to work. And even in church, after you are anointed for wealth, you still have to open your shop and be diligent at your business, otherwise you get nothing. You must work or else forget success in life. It is a universal truth.

Money or success does not fall from heaven. You want to succeed and get to some place great in life? You want your life to make meaning and have recognisable relevance? You want to be counted among the successful and great? You want to have an impactful life? You must be willing to work. Otherwise, forget genuine success. Work is the only legitimate way to success. Any other way to, or any other form of, success is a fraud. In life, it is no work, no success.

As a matter of fact, the only place where success comes before work is in the arrangement of the alphabet in the English dictionary! In practical life work comes before success. To succeed in life, you must work committedly on the processes of life. You must sacrifice time, energy, intellect and, sometimes, money. What people call "goodluck" and "fortune" are actually rewards for deligent and determined work. Goodluck and fortune never happen in a void. They are always triggered by sacrificial work.

This is how both Benjamin Franklin - American polymath and one of the founding fathers of the United States of America - and Emily Dickinson - American writer and poet - made the connection between luck and fortune and diligence:

"Diligence is the mother of good luck." - Benjamin Franklin.

"Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned." - Emily Dickinson.

You are looking for good luck and fortune? Do not look any further than work, because you will find them (legal forms of good luck and fortune) nowhere else.

Listen to King Solomon, the wise king of Israel, and benefit from ageless wisdom:

"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men" - Proverbs 22:29.

Without diligence in what you do, you are going nowhere great. You will not attain recognition and promotion in life. You will do nothing celebratory. Nothing great will come from you or your pursuits. You will remain average, or even somewhere below average. Step up your game, therefore, and benefit from diligence. Avoid laziness like the plague. Get to work.

Like we say in local parlance: good soup na money kill am. So also, a successful life na work make am. No more, no less.

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.

The Power Of Preparation.

The book of Proverbs, chapter twenty four and verse twenty seven says:

"Prepare thy work without, make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house."

This verse clearly points out that if you are to successfully complete building a house,  you must first prepare adequately. This preparation involves buying a land, getting experts to do a site plan and developing a building plan, doing a cost analysis and quantity survey, raising and putting aside enough money, hiring a building engineer and other workers, getting the prescribed building materials in the prescribed quantities, building according to plan, etc. This truth applies to every area of life. 

Preparation is the Master Key to success in all pursuits and endeavours in life, including areas for which we are eminently talented and/or naturally gifted. No matter the depth of talent of an individual athlete or a team, if they are not adequately prepared,  they will be beaten by a less talented individual or team that is more prepared. Talent and natural gifting are not a guarantee for success. Preparation is the only guarantee for success. It unlocks doors that talent and natural ability alone cannot open.

We see this daily all around us; less talented or less gifted individuals doing better than highly talented and gifted individuals, simply because they are more prepared. You see, whatever you do not adequately prepare for,  you will not prosper in. When you are not prepared, you will be taken unawares, and whatever takes you unawares will reduce you. 

Please understand that success and greatness never come to those who merely sit around and wait, banking on their talents or connections alone to carry then through,  but to those who work in anticipation of success and greatness. You are not worth what you do not work for, and if you do not work for success, it won't come to you, no matter who you think you are.

Your future is as bright as you are willing to make sacrifices and prepare for now. You know the saying, "as you make your bed,  so will you lie on it". This is a true saying. So, what kind of bed are you making right now? Are you ploughing the grounds and planting the seeds of success or are you just fooling and playing around? Are you planning and working hard or just wishing and wasting time? 

It is up to you, really. If you fail in life, therefore, blame yourself and not the village witch or your mother (I do not know where they got the idea from that a mother can wish for and actively pursue the failure of her child!). Nobody can stop you from succeeding, even if they have the intention and actually try, except you. Only you can stop you. If you fail to prepare, or you give up the struggle too easily, then you will fail.

Listen to what inventor Alexander Graham Bell says about preparation:

"Before anything else, preparation is key to success."

Trust Mr. Alexander Graham Bell. He knows what he is saying. Apart from inventing the telephone, he held 18 other patents. All his inventions are products of preparation and work. 

Inventor Thomas Alva Edison, who held over 1000 patents, put it this way:

"I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work."

I conclude with this powerful observation I made in my first published work HANDLING OFFENCES AND DISAPPOINTMENTS:

"He who lays up for the future, will find the future laid up for him" - Agoso Bamaiyi.

What are you laying up for tomorrow? 

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