You Are Valuable.

You Are Valuable. 

I studied and worked under Dr. Ige Olumide for 5 years. I learnt a lot from this humble and self-effacing, but highly gifted and educated man.

One of the most important lessons I learnt from him is respect for fellow human beings. He showed courteous respect to everyone, no matter their social standing or station in life.

With 5 earned doctoral degrees, over 60 honorary doctoral degrees from universities all around the World, a knighthood from the kingdom of Malta, a prodigious brain and handsome looks, he listened respectfully to us, his protégés, and addressed us as "Sir/Ma"!

We once asked him why he did it. His answer was simple, but deeply profound. It changed the way I looked at myself and the way I related with others:

" All human beings, no matter their status or station in life, deserve to be respected. It is a right. I am not more valuable or superior to you just because I am older, richer or more educated than you. All that is relative and not absolute. The only absolute value in life is the fact of your humanity. Now, if God gave His best gift to redeem humanity, who am I not to respect this creature that Divinity places premium value on?"

Now, how about that for a life-changing lesson?! 

I have not been the same ever since. I now seek the good and wellbeing of my fellow humans above my personal interest. Your success is my success and I find true joy when my efforts help to lift a fellow being to a higher life. It is so because I respect one and all. I value the fact of your humanity above your class, race, status, station, creed, religion, location, etc. You are valuable because you are a human being and nothing more or less.

If you are human, you are my brother/sister. I am because you are and, together, we are taller and stronger.

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

You Are The Best.

Relax, you are the best that there ever was, is and will be! Just up your game to make yourself better. 

Compare yourself with no one.

Compete with no one.

Be jealous of no one.

Hate no one.

Fear no one.

Be intimidated by no one.

Just be yourself with confidence and enthusiasm.

Orderliness For Efficiency.

One of the outstanding things about Lagos is the large population crammed into a small landmass. Every square inch is taken, and when you walk down any street in Mile 12, Mile 2, Oshodi, Mushin, Ojuelegba or Obalende, you feel like, for some strange reason, the whole world is out for a walk. Come see a sea of people!

During my days in Lagos, I avoided the crowds as much as I could. I operated my office from my house and ventured out only when absolutely necessary, like when I have to go to the bank. Even at the bank the crowds can be massively crazy, especially at the end of the month when salaries are paid. If you operate an account with one of those old time banks that pay salaries on behalf of the government and you have to do business there during such time, your name is 'sorry'! 

Wahala dey!

The main reason for this wahala is our inability to master ourselves and do things in an orderly manner. This disorderliness causes unnecessary delays, resulting in huge stress and frayed nerves, occasionally resulting in fisticuffs and other forms of show of shame.

Little wonder then that General Mohammadu Buhari and General Tunde Idiagbon found it necessary to regimentalize us into the queueing battalion. That was when the generals were younger and stronger. We are lucky now, in his second coming, PMB is not in uniform and is no longer as young, and Idiagbon's place has been taken by the scholarly and pious Pastor Yemi Osinbajo (no relation to the wily Obasanjo, even though their names can be used together in the lines of a rhyming poem!).

But our penchant for disorderliness and, therefore our need for a Buhari/Idiagbon-type regimentalization, persists. I look forward to a day soon when we all will be 'decreed' into orderliness. Then we will quickly see that, as a result of orderliness, our effectiveness and productivity will increase exponentially.

Back to my days in crowded Lagos (and the crowding gets tighter with each new birth!).

One particularly tight month end, on a particularly trying day, I had reason to go to the bank; the Union Bank by the roundabout on Shasha Road, Dopemu. When I entered, I was greeted by a scene of disorderliness that is worse than Ngurore on a market day. There was no style or class to it, and no pretensions whatsoever. It was raw disorderliness of the strong-headed type: the type of headache that required Panadol Extra! 

My first impulse was to turn around and return home, but necessity persuaded me to stay. I scanned the motley crowd to see if I could make any sense of it. It had no decipherable handle nor angle to it. I pressed my way to a guard standing there like a lost child, with an expression on his face like fish out of water. I asked him why he and his colleagues had allowed things to get so out of control. He looked into my face closely, trying to determine who or what I was, before replying resignedly that the crowd got out of hand, almost violent, leading the bank manager to order the security guards to leave the crowd to its devices.

Not good. Not good at all. One can be here all day and not get anything done.

I turned around and looked at the bustling crowd once more. I concluded that someone needed to take charge and bring some order to this asymmetric madness. I asked the guard if I could give a try in attempting to bring some order to this sweltering mess. He stretched out both his hands towards the crowd resignedly, as if to say "ga fili, ga doki!" (Hausa, meaning - Behold the field, behold the horse!).

I took the cue and forced my way to the middle of the crowd. Then, assuming an air of authority, I commanded everyone to listen to me. The strength in my voice and the confidence in my manners compelled them all to quieten down and listen to me.

"We are all educated and civilized people", I thundered, " but our behaviour here today does not reflect that noble truth." I paused for a brief moment to allow my words to sink in. 

"If you will humbly follow my lead, I want us to form two orderly lines and take alternate turns at any free teller among the four that are available for business today" I announced and, without wasting a moment, I commanded further, "Oya everyone, fall into line!".

I pointed at where I wanted the lines to begin and the people, not sure who I was or what authority I carried, began to quickly fall in line. Before long we had two orderly lines and the hullabaloo quickly died down. I stood in front of the lines and guided the first few individuals to the free tellers. When normalcy returned and efficiency resumed, I walked to the end of one of the lines and took a place to await my turn.

As soon as the people established that I was a regular customer who took it upon himself to bring orderliness in place of chaos, they unanimously insisted that I come to the front and transact my business ahead of them. I flatly refused, insisting that my action was purely altruistic and not for personal advantage. Besides, I just stepped into the bank not long ago, behind everyone else.

I will never forget what one elderly man said to me as I stood in line and awaited my turn:

" My son, I do not know who you are or what you do for a living, but you need to go into politics. We need people like you as our leaders; people who will see an area of need and step out to solve it, even if it will not pay them personally. You are a born leader. God will reward you."

I thanked him and said 'amen' to his prayer.

After I finished my transaction, I returned home wondering why Nigerians cannot order themselves. We lose a lot of good for our disorderliness. Where is our sense of decorum and civility? Why are we so jaga-jaga about everything? Eadris Abdulkareem was not far from the truth, you know, (never mind the lively protestation of OBJ against the song!) When he sang "Nigeria jaga-jaga, everything scatter-scatter".

But, I see a better day...

Take some time to ponder on the following quotes about orderliness. Orderliness creates the conditions for increased productivity and prosperity. It facilitates creativity and originality, thus bringing out the best in humanity. We lose a lot when we act in disorderliness:

1. "Not only is orderliness an economy; it produces rest." - Alice Foote MacDougall - American businesswoman and restuarant owner.

2. "I am a big believer that orderliness begets wealth." - Susan Lynn "Suze" Orman - American financial advisor, author and podcast host.

3. "Without order in your life, you will realize that you will only be busy but without commensurate results." - Sunday Adelaja - Nigerian-born Ukrainian pastor, international speaker and author.

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

Practice Makes Perfect.

Sometime ago, an intelligent and talented young man came to me for counseling and advice. He had some personal problems he was struggling with and was also concerned about how he could improve his writing skills. I had read some of his writings and was convinced he had the potential to become a very good, even a great, writer. After counseling him on the personal challenges he faced, we began to talk about writing. For a gifted fellow like this young man, I did not have much advice to give except to emphasize to him the universal truth that champions all over the world know and religiously follow: practice makes perfect. This truth is universal because it holds true for all time, places, professions, races, nations and persons. Whatever you practice smartly, regularly, and consistently, you will become very good at eventually.

Publilius Syrus, writer, orator, and dramatist that lived in the first century B. C., captured this truth very aptly when he said:

“Practice is the best of all instructors” – Publilius Syrus. 

No matter the quality of the instruction you receive, if you, on your part, do not take the time to practice and practice some more, you will not rise to your potential, no matter the depth of your primary potential.

Pop Warner, former football and baseball player, who went ahead to become a great coach, tied the quality of play to the quality of practice. He said:

“You play the way you practice” – Pop Warner.

In other words, you can never be better than the quantity and quality of your practice. Pete Rose, former Major League Baseball player and coach, agrees. He is quoted as saying:

“My father taught me that the only way you can make good at anything is to practice, and then practice some more” – Pete Rose.

Lack of practice will firmly fix your feet on losing grounds. This fact was underlined by Ed Macauley, professional Basketball player. He made this powerful observation:

“When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you meet him he will win” – Ed Macauley.

Practice, indeed, makes perfect. I am a witness to this truth. My public speaking  is a blessing anywhere and anytime I speak. When I speak, lives are impacted upon positively and powerfully. This is not a vain claim but a humble statement of fact. Testimonies abound in this regard. You just cannot seat under the influence of my voice and not be touched, moved, or stirred! It is not possible. I know my speaking ability is a talent, backed by divine power to produce outstanding results. But it was not and still is not automatic. I did not just stand up one day and started speaking powerfully. No. As a matter of fact, there used to be a time when I struggled to utter a single coherent sentence. When I stood up, my mind sat down and I fumbled pitifully.

Then I began to practice. Long before opportunities to deliver public speeches came my way, I practiced long and hard, daily. I gave countless speeches to myself, standing before a mirror in my room, all the while imagining I was speaking to radio and television audiences and crowds and congregations in their thousands. I took walks in the outskirts of my home town, Numan, speaking to myself and projecting the images of a great speaker in my mind. I spent whole days in the surrounding bushes around Numan and the banks of the Benue, talking and praying and psyching and imagining great speaking scenarios and possibilities. 

I did not only practiced speaking. I read relevant books and materials on public speaking and then practiced the lessons I learnt. I also listened to speakers in fellowship, such as Asaph Zadok (who later became Hama Bachama), Leonard Nzadon, Amon Ishaya, Stephen Gyebgon, Bulus Taiya, and Vidiyeno Bamaiyi, and then imitated them in private. I followed Timawus Mathias, John Momoh, and Frank Olizie on Nigeria Television Authority and imagined myself speaking with the same elocution and power. I listened endlessly to R. W. schambach and Jimmy Swaggart on tape and imagined myself doing the same thing. Fred Addo, the Love Teaching Centre phenomenon, and Phillip Mokungah were additional influences and sources of inspiration. My life, during that period, was an endless chain of practice and more practice. 

Finally, when the opportunity to speak in public came my way, I was ready. I echoed and parroted, as a matter of course, some of my role models and influences for a while, but eventually I found my voice and style and gradually became a man of my own and, today, I am a recognized authority. Give me ten minutes and a platform and I will give you a rapturous audience and changed lives! That is just who I am, by the grace of God and my commitment to labor. 

Anybody can be as good, even better, in what they do, as long as they are committed to purposeful training and practice. That is how champions and world beaters and world changers are made. 

Mohammad Ali stands today as the greatest boxer of all time. He holds the record as the first Heavyweight boxer to win the title three times. He is famed for his speed, agility, technical ability, and unusual tactic which he called “rub-a-dub.” He retired from boxing undefeated and lives on as the greatest heavyweight boxer to ever grace the ring. He attributes his record-setting success to consistent and persistent training and practice:

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion’” – Muhammad Ali. 

There you have it. Without consistent training and practice, Muhammad Ali will not be the Great Muhammad Ali. Even though training and practice are not pleasant, he kept at them, knowing fully well that there will not be a great tomorrow for him, if he does not endure the unpleasantness of training and practice.

Are you gifted and talented? Are you ambitious? Are you pursuing excellence and greatness in life and profession? Do you want to be outstanding in what you do? Are you reaching for the top? Do you want your life to count for something in this world? If your answer is “yes” to any of these questions, then do as all champions and outstanding successes have done all over the world and throughout history: train and practice hard. Learn and learn some more. Train and train some more. Practice and practice some more. Hold on confidently and consistently. Your break will come. When it comes, it will find you ready and capable. You will shine in this life.

You can do it!

It is all within you!

All is well.

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

Investing In The People.

While speaking to Nigeria's leadership on Thursday, 22 March, 2018, the founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, mentioned repeatedly, that investing in people is the key that will unlock Nigeria's awesome potential. This is so because people make nations great and not natural resources. 

Among several points made by Bill Gates, I find these words very instructive:

"The most important choice you can make is to maximize your greatest resource, the Nigerian people. Nigeria will thrive when every Nigerian is able to thrive.

If you invest in their health, education, and opportunities—the "human capital" we are talking about today—then they will lay the foundation for sustained prosperity. If you don't, however, then it is very important to recognize that there will be a sharp limit on how much the country can grow." - Bill Gates.

This tallies with what The Madiba, Nelson Mandela, said about the power of education:

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

You see, without a highly educated and healthy people to relevantly exploit and develop resources and direct them to profitability, resources, no matter how great, will remain a potential. And nobody feeds on or takes potential to the market!

Great nations invest in people and the people, in turn, drive the nations to prosperity and greatness. That is a universal fact and Nigeria cannot be an exception.

What we need are more highly and relevantly educated and healthy people, and not more oil wells. We have overrated oil and given it such an exalted position over everything else that it has become an Albatross on the neck of Nigeria. It has blindsided us to what real development entails and given us a false sense of security and prosperity and, at the end of the day, leaving us with a highly vulnerable economy and the poorest polity in the World.

What our leaders need to do urgently and with the greatest commitment is to fiix our schools and hospitals. Build standard schools and medical facilities in our rural and semi-urban communities. Invest heavily in teacher training and procurement of relevant teaching and learning aids. Do the same with medical workers and medical consumables. Insentivise the posting of teachers and medical workers to rural communities so they will be willing to stay and work there. What we need is more brain exploration and not more oil exploration. 

Or can't we see that the world economy is knowledge-driven? Can't we see that ideas and knowledge has far more value and greater positive impact than oil or any other natural resource? Without building a knowledge-driven economy, we will remain a perpetual consumer nation. We will continue to produce raw materials, ship them out very cheap and then buy them back expensively as finished and packaged goods. 

No consumer nation ever becomes a high-income and high-net-worth nation. Given our large population, we cannot afford to remain a mere consumer nation anymore. If we continue as a consumer nation, we will eventually sink. To prevent this, we must invest in the people's education and health. You see, the true wealth of Nigeria is more in the health and brainpower of its citizens, than in any solid, liquid or gaseous mineral or resource.

This is the main task before the federal, state and local governments: educating all our citizens so as to secure genuine and sustainable development for Nigeria, giving its citizens a living standard comparable to that in Scandinavian countries. Good health and qualitative education will bring out the best in the citizenry and, thus, bestow the best on the country.

Let me leave you with these powerful quotations on education and health:

1. "Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” - Malcolm X - American Muslim Minister and Civil Rights Activist.

2. "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver." - Mahatma Gandhi - Indian lawyer and nationalist.

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

Find Bill Gates' full speech here:

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/263194-for-the-records-bill-gates-speech-that-rattled-nigerian-govt-full-text.html#.Xnuo8D8ftvk.link

Making The Best Of Your Chances.

I have been writing since the early 1980s, but my work was first published in the year 2000. It was an inspirational/motivational book titled "HOW TO HANDLE OFFENCES AND DISAPPOINTMENTS: overcoming the rough edges of life". 

It was not by any means an award winner, but it contained a very powerful message that had a positive resonance in the heart of almost all that read it. It circulated far and wide, as people passed it around from person to person, and I received positive feedback from around the World.

One of those that were positively touched by this little book was an African migrant that was imprisoned in France. She got a copy from a friend who is a sister to my protege, the irrepressible Ahmed Magem. Ahmed had sent his sister a few copies.

This prisoner told me, in a letter she wrote to me after reading the book, how she had given up hope on a meaningful life because of the many offences and disappointments that life had thrown in her path. When she read my book, fresh hope rose in her and the fire of a productive and meaningful life was kindle in her heart. She recommitted herself to living positively.

Another woman, a rather saintly woman, whose world was destroyed when her highly popular husband was implicated in a murder case and thrown behind bars, leaving her and her children in a dazing maze of fear and confusion, got a copy of the book and went through it. I do not know how she got the book, but she told me how the book gave her hope and motivated her to remain positive and sweet, believing that her husband will be vindicated and set free. She found strength in the face of weakness, courage in the face of challenge and faith in the face of hopelessness. She stood her ground in faith and her husband was eventually vindicated and released.

Many such stories of how this little book positively impacted the lives of people abound. Up to this day, 20 years after it was released, I still run into people who tell me what a blessing the book has been to them. 

I remember lifting two middle aged men several months ago. I had closed from office and was driving out of the Government House when I met them walking the long distance to the main gate under the scorching Jimeta Sun. They both introduced themselves as soon as they entered the car. We got talking and one of them began to thank me for changing his life. I was lost a bit as I have never met the fellow, as far as I could recall, until that moment. He opened his handbag and brought out two of my books. One of them was this little book we are talking about. He told me that those books made such powerful impact on his life such that he decided to carry them around in his briefcase! 

Why am I telling you all this?

Simply this: you do not have to wait for perfect conditions to do what is right or what will bless humanity. I wrote this little book, that has become such a blessing, under the most imperfect conditions. All I had in my favour was the inspiration and determination to write and carry through to the logical conclusion. 

Come to think about it; is there really any such thing as "perfect conditions" for one to do what needs to be done? The answer is an emphatic NO! You just do what you have got to do with what you have got, despite the conditions. Otherwise, you never get to do anything worthwhile.

When I wrote my first book, my circumstances and conditions in life were far from perfect. My family and I (Rosabel wasn't born yet and Christabel was in early elementary school) were living in a single room with no furnishing, except a big foam on the ground on one side of the room and a clothes hangar hanging on the wall on the other side. We had a single upright chair, which was a sort of a hand-me-down that I got from my friend Zethan Hellon when he was leaving Lagos, and no table. We cooked our frugal meals using a small kerosine stove and the barest of utensils. We lived on hope for a better day, fired by faith in a God that can do all things.

How did I write?

Femi Boyede, an international businessman and an expert in the import/export sector of the Nigerian economy, had heard me speak and asked if I had published any of my works. I answered in the negative. There and then he promised to sponsor the printing of any of my works as soon as I was ready to publish. The ball was in my court. It was up to me to get one of my many manuscripts ready for publishing. I decided not to miss this chance.

I opted to write a fresh book. Despite the fact that the conditions were not favourable, I did my research, gathered material and started writing. I had no computer (laptops were few in circulation back then) and no internet connectivity. GSM was trying to find its feet in Nigeria. Precious few people had those heavy cell phones.

I wrote seating on that single straight-back chair, with a pillow on my laps, a hardcover higher education exercise book on the pillow, providing firmness for the 80-leafs exercise book into which I wrote. There was no fan, talk less of air conditioning, so I sweated profusely as I worked. Many times, I took off my shirt and vest and worked bare-chested. It was anything but comfortable, but I kept going, day after day, until I was done. Then I took it to Mr. Boyede. He kept his promise and the rest, as they say, is history.

One of the illusions that deprive us the chance to do great things is the thinking that conditions are not perfect, therefore, we will wait until conditions get perfect. They never get perfect, at least not in time for us to do what we wanted to do. We lose our chance in the waiting. What we eventually gain is regret.

Let me draw your attention to two important facts of life that you need to understand and utilize if you plan on doing well in life:

1. Use what you have, no matter how small it is, to get what you need and not wait for what you need before you exert yourself.

Those who wait for perfect conditions never arrive the Promised Land.

2. Take the chances with which you are presented in life. Do not ever allow chances to pass you by. Do something about them. And, if the conditions are not favourable, do not roll over and give up; create favourable circumstances.

Remember: no good thing ever come easy. "Easy" is the denominator that underlines mediocrity and failure. Those who rise above "easy" master the realms of excellence and abundance. Go beyond your comfort zone and create greatness in life. Take your chances in life, as they come. 

Let me leave you with three quotes about taking chances that you will find very useful:

1. "The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it." - Debbi Fields.

2. “You learn so much from taking chances, whether they work out or not. Either way, you can grow from the experience and become stronger and smarter." - John Legend.

3. “Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave." - Mary Tyler Moore.

You are created for excellence. Make the best use of what you have to get what you need. Do not wait for perfect conditions. Take your chances by challenging your circumstances. Create your world. Define your value. Be a blessing.

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.

Action And Reaction.

Every one who has studied Introductory Science or Physics in secondary school is familiar with Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Now, that law holds true for every physical motion. That is why you can stand up and walk upright, without falling over, despite gravitational pull and the interplay of other forces on your body. The inherent reaction engendered by the action from those forces ensures that you do not tip over and fall to one side or the other. Occasionally, however, there is a deficit in the counteraction or reaction to the interplay of these forces and the result is a fall. Equilibrium is, therefore, a function of balance of action and reaction.

This law holds true in life also, only that, in this case, the reaction that ensures balance and equilibrium is not automatic. There is a daily constant action of forces, both positive and negative, on our lives that threaten, sometimes, to tip us over the edge. How we react to these forces and events largely determines whether we fail or succeed in life. How you react to what happens to you in life, therefore, is more important in determining the outcome of your life. In other words, what you do with what is done to you is more important than what happened to you in the first place.

Let me give you an example so you understand my point. I was a bad (very dull) student during my primary school days. My brain was as thick as a reinforced concrete wall. Nothing penetrated my brain and I could not read or write. My case was bad and my mates knew it and some of them took sinister pleasure in rubbing salt into my injury. They mocked me mercilessly and even composed a song to illustrate my dullness!

That action was bad enough to cripple my spirit and confine me to the fringes for life, but it did not. Why? Because I refused to believe that I was dull. So, instead of running away and hiding behind the dark cloak of failure, I stood my ground and fought back by reacting positively. The mockery and jeering and name-calling drove me to work harder and longer and smarter. 

And then (thank God!) my brain began to stir and come alive. Gradually, I could put letters together and pronounce words and my writing began to gel. My literacy and numeracy grew by leaps and bounds and, by my second year in secondary school, I was literally cruising academically. My friends and mates stopped mocking me and started, though reluctantly in many instances, respecting me. Some of them celebrate me today.

My story changed mainly because I refused to fall over and roll with my dull circumstances and accept the uncharitableness of some of my teachers, mates and friends. Instead of discouraging me, mockery and jeering motivated me to work harder and smarter. My positive reaction to a negative event in my life resulted in positive outcomes that continue to benefit me, my family and humanity at large, even to date. As long as I did not give up, I eventually overcame and succeeded.

That is one of the reasons I am always so positive. I see a happy ending in every situation, no matter how bad. I believe that things are bound to get better, as long as I remain positively committed to taking the right actions and doing the right things. As long as there is life, there is always hope for better things.

Let me leave you with three quotations that I find very useful and instructive:

1. "The difference between a strong man and a weak one is that the former does not give up after a defeat.” – Woodrow Wilson.

2. "It is inevitable that some defeat will enter even the most victorious life. The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated…it is finished when it surrenders.” – Ben Stein.

3. "Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.” – Robert T. Kiyosaki.

You can be a thousand times better than you are right now. Do not be beaten down by the negative events of life. Do not be beaten by defeat or failure or loss. What you do in reaction to what happens to you is the determining factor. Beat down the negative action by reacting positively. Bounce back and stand tall.

Yes you can!

You are victorious!

It is all within you!

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