Several years ago while residing at Abuja in the 90s, Alibaba’s show was a program we all couldn’t afford to miss. Comedy wasn’t so popular then so watching and listening to one who knows his onions was indeed fascinating. It is amazing how comedy has metamorphosed into a great commerce and several of them are doing well and have been able to cut their teeth in this terrain. Little wonder most comedians today remain grateful to Alibaba for setting the pace.

Atunyota Alleluya Akporobomerere popularly called Alibab began his professional career with corporate events, appearing on television shows with the likes of Patrick Doyle, Charly Boy and Danladi Bako. He also made cameo appearances on radio shows with Bisi Olatilo, Sani Irabor, Mani Onumonmu and worked briefly with Dapo Adelegan of DP Lekki Limited as executive assistant in 1991.

He had made up his mind he was going to do everything to enhance himself, improve his skill and the service he offered in other words be professional. However at the time there was hardly any precedent to follow because the funny men then were not into Stand-up comedy. Patrick Doyle, John Chukwu, Bisi Olatilo, Femi Segun, Femi Jarret, Leo Onwudi, Smart Otemu, Tony St. Iyke and many more were funny, very funny but did not do full-time comedy.

Through guts, sacrifice and creative dynamism, Ali Baba carved a niche for himself as a comedian for both corporate and non-corporate events. In less than 4 years, he had also become the preferred Master of Ceremony at some events. Ali Baba made the rules, broke them and sometimes even discarded them depending on how effective they were. These days no event is considered complete without a Comedian to MC that event.

“Growing up was a very adventurous time. I had an educated father who instilled me in that with education, especially from books and learning, I could be anything. These have come in handy in my interpersonal, academic, business and social engagements” Says Alibaba.
Sometime in 1988, Alibaba came to the realisation that he could make people laugh just by throwing one liners and making very funny remarks during spare times in the common room and in daily conversations. From the 80s till date, he hasn’t relented in mastering his craft and he has consistently been on top of his game little wonder he describes his sustaining factor through the years as “my ability to be dynamic. I am always hitting the refresher button. I am a strong believer that the comedian is as funny as his last good joke… So to continuously be creative is the best way to stay alive in the industry. That is where spontaneity comes in.”
Comedy as it was practised in the 80s, 90s and even now, keeps changing however, it doesn’t come without its challenges, some of which Alibaba shares when he says “The challenges in the beginning were about letting people know comedy is an ART form that deserves a place on the table of entertainment. After that battle of acceptability was won, then came the challenge of content that will not offend sensibilities and personalities. The hardest challenge was convincing people that you should be paid for this talent that has no overhead. Once that too was achieved, the issue of how to satisfy the customer and justify the pay became the next challenge. These days, a lot has changed. Acceptability is a done deal. Remuneration is a given. People’s sense of humour has grown, so has the line between being offensive and funny faded. Major challenge is how to get comedians to be creative and original with their content.” Alibaba admits.
Truth is, many people don’t take comedians seriously even though most of the time, their jokes are as a result of true life experiences but somehow, Alibaba has been taken very seriously in his industry and he tells why “The rules of engagement in business are universal. If you have a talent, until you make it a service no one will pay you for it even if you are the best thing after sliced bread. So all the dynamics of businesses were activated. Like quality service delivery, advertising, loyalty discount, full page thank you messages in two national dailies in my year end (February), purposeful and well thought through business stationery and business letters, projecting value propositions of the comedy business to draw in the client to patronize my services, were all part of the business development”.

From Alibaba’s explanation, it is obvious there is business in comedy. He elucidates further “The business is in the performances at events, the infusion of same into the role of an Mc, as a brand ambassador that a client can leverage on to reach a certain target market, the live comedy concert that draws out all the guests to our shows across the country, radio shows, comedy shows, script writing, CDs and DVDs, Youtube hits, movies like 30 Days in Atlanta… plus enabling businesses for allied service providers.” He quips.
Today, the business of comedy now has a pride of place in the entertainment sector “Comedians earn a lot more than other entertainers except, well, for the big guns in the music industry. At least an entry level comedian can be sure to earn 50,000 per event and the fees peak at 5million depending on clients, event duration, location and expected services.” The determinant factor of how comedians are paid according to Alibaba depends on “his visibility, his content, his delivery, availability, popularity, the negotiation skills, financial position of the comedian at the time, if the client is desperate to use the comedian, what the client can afford, exiting relationship, event planner,… some events may not pay as well but it might leverage your career into higher paths” Alibaba reveals.
For Alibaba, mentorship is very key. “One on one mentoring is the one of the most common, where a protégée learns at your feet. The other equally most common mentorship is from a distance. Young comedians see how you do your stuff and learn fast. They also can call to ask for directions. It’s working well so far.” Alibaba tells me.
Alibaba keeps upgrading his craft and is always coming up with brilliant ideas, one of which is his annual January 1^st Concert. Hear him share on the vision behind his decision to embark on this mission. “I mentioned to my friend Barrister Efere Ozako, (Zakilo) sometime in 2008 that I think the most boring festive period has got to be New Year. We go for crossover service, come home rest for a bit and go to morning New Year church service (If you have an ‘over sabi’ pastor that is). Then come back after the service and just generally lazy about the house. You may be lucky to have friends and family visit.”

“After that, the day is over. Till next year. So I thought of having a January 1^st Concert. To provide a show where as many people as are in Lagos at the time can come and celebrate with others. Flowing with the theme of the January 1st, we started giving awards to the people who did something for the first time ever. I also thought that most people who made first class always need to do masters but have no funding. So we give out 1 million to a first class winner… It’s a whole new way to celebrate the New Year” Says Alibaba.
I am a diehard Arsenal fan, I know they often break my heart but somehow I still find myself staying loyal…hmn, talk about the influence of allegiance…Glad though I am not in this alone as Alibaba is also an Arsenal fan little wonder his choice of football as his favourite sport “I played football from primary till university on a competitive level. It’s something inborn I think. And besides the skills I am one of the rare kinds of footballers that can use both legs. Football is a team sport. It burns fat, makes you meet people and teaches that your selfishness can affect everyone badly. It is also a true working example of delegating duty. The keeper is delegated to keep. The defender knows why he is there…”

Though not a politician, I asked Alibaba what he would love to change in this dispensation of governance if he had the opportunity to and his response said it all “It will be to punish looters and make sure they know they can’t get away with it. Confiscate their properties and jail them for a very long time.”

Despite being an entire package of poetry, photography, writing, motivational speaking, real estate, events management, ideas development, advertising and copy writing, television, radio, movies and sports yet, Alibaba ends this discourse on a ‘ saying “being funny is serious business!”

Kemi Ajumobi

Pastor Paul Adefarasin

From the popular suburbs of Mushin, to the streets of Oke-afa, Isolo, to the ever bubbling town of Badore, to the popular Elegushi, to Lagos Island on the districts of Ebute-Metta is how far House on The Rock Church has touched over 20,000 families, taking 2015 outreach to a whole different level. Reaching the unreached, touching lives, upholding people and giving hope and putting smiles on faces, in the celebration of Christmas, the birth of Christ.

The set man behind this laudable vision is the founding Pastor of House on the Rock Church, an author, motivator and conference speaker. His weekly television programme ‘something is about to happen!’ is broadcast into millions of homes across Africa and Europe and he is well known for his clear message of hope, healing and empowerment. He is widely regarded as a visionary leader and bridge-builder. His ability to transcend race, tribe and creed with his unique approach to ministry has seen to the forging of many strategic relationships between the church and secular communities in Africa.

He is also the founder and President of the Rock Foundation; a charity based organization committed to social reformation, education, provision of healthcare and relief work for the downtrodden and disadvantaged in Nigeria and West Africa. He is married to the stunning Ifeanyi and they are blessed with three lovely children. Welcome to the fascinating world of Pastor Paul Adefarasin.

It is my Philosophy that whenever I meet great people, there must be something to learn from them hence when I got invited to watch the premiere of the movie Fifty produced by Mo Abudu, while on the red carpet, I sighted Pastor Paul and told myself “He’s not passing by without speaking a word into my life” I walked up to him, shook his hand and he said to me “Nothing great happens without an idea, everything in existence was made with an idea, God is going to give you an idea that will be globally relevant”..uhmm, let’s just say his prophesy is coming to fruition.

Born on January 25, 1963 to a Nigerian father and Jamaican mother, he resided both in Nigeria and the United States early in life. He attended Igbobi College, Yaba in Lagos, and graduated from University of Miami with a professional Bachelors Degree in Architecture and practiced in Florida before his eventual call by God into ministry. He has a burning passion to see the rehabilitation of his generation, his nation and his continent, traits that I saw clearly even in his wife as she preached in church last Sunday on the topic ‘My Steps Are Ordered’…it was an epic moment for me, from when she got up to speak till she was done, it felt like she was speaking to me, I could hardly contain myself…the high points came when Pastor Paul would politely interject while she preached with inspiring utterances to buttress her message, after which he turned around and like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s catch phrase in his role as the title character from the 1984 science fiction film, The Terminator, he would say “I’ll be back” , returned to his seat and Pastor Ifeanyi would pick up immediately from where he stopped. This happened twice and my-oh-my, the synergy was on point!…I mean, it was too intriguing! It felt like I was watching a movie with both of them as lead characters. I could hardly contain myself on my seat, the words were impactful and they came alive…Gosh! thinking about it now, I’m having goose pimples…I learnt something from both of them, while Pastor Ifeanyi spoke, Pastor Paul paid uttermost attention taking notes, while he was speaking, she would smile, nod in affirmation of what he said…I mean it was just too awesome, I see why House on the Rock always gets it right in all they do, it starts from those placed as head over the church, if the head is right, it will flow down to the members.

Pastor Paul Adefarasin

Another high point for me was when members of the choir sang the happy birthday song for him; you could see the love in their eyes, truly appreciating someone who has been a father and mentor to them all. His birthday was on the 25th of January and from all the pictures and words of gratitude expressed on various social media platforms to celebrate him; you can tell that he is indeed a visionary leader deeply committed to change and positively impacting lives so much that when an occasion like his birthday comes, everyone whose life he has blessed never cease to express their gratitude.

I was in South Africa during The Experience 2015 but I won’t say I completely missed out because I watched it live and it was indeed an amazing event…well, that should be cliché because The Experience is always an outstanding event…period!

“ ‘The Experience’ is profound; it has also helped re-brand Nigeria, in the sense that many Americans, who would have said, ‘can any good thing come out of Nigeria?’ come to The Experience in shock and awe that something of this magnitude is done here.” Says Pastor Paul.

“Most importantly, it serves as a bond for the church; we all worship to the same music. So, rather than separating us, worship unites us because it is void of wiles and debate on dogma. This singular act has permitted us through God’s grace to bring together the various denominations to have momentous dialogues. This is a crucial part of ‘The Experience’.” He adds.

“When you have many people worshipping and praying together, it causes convulsion in the kingdom of darkness. It sends a message that Christianity is here to stay; it sends a message that we are a united people, who can work together and provide significant leadership, especially to the youthful generation; that we are people who govern ourselves well.”  Pastor Paul maintains.

Here is wishing Pastor Paul greater years of exploits, blessings and upliftment at all levels, soaring higher where eagles dare!

I am looking forward to another fulfilling birthday for him in 2017 where there will certainly be reasons to celebrate him in writing therefore, permit me to close this expose using ‘his’ lines to bolster my point… so let’s just say “I’ll be back!” (The Terminator mode activated).

Kemi Ajumobi

Isaac Shongwe

It is always very inspiring to find men and women committed to make a change in their country, their continent and even globally. Isaac Shongwe is one of such outstanding individuals. I met him first on his visit to Nigeria and then later in South-Africa in 2015. From my first conversation with him, it was easy to tell his passion for leadership and mentoring. Isaac would do all things possible to bring out the best in you. Call him a coach, mentor, or even ‘Baba’ meaning Father in several Nigerian languages like some of us his ALI Fellowship children call him and you would have correctly described him too.  Isaac is the co-founder of the African Leadership Initiative, which is part of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and is focused on the development of effective, community-spirited and values-based leaders in Africa. Over the past 12 years, the Africa Leadership Initiative has produced 171 Fellows in business, government and civil society. Furthermore, he has founded the Young African Leadership Initiative to focus on developing young leaders between the ages of 25 and 35. His own passion for leadership began at university where he was heavily involved in students’ politics. In 1988, Isaac was named 21st Century Trust Fellow, in recognition of his potential as a future leader in his country, and in 1996 was named “Global Leader of Tomorrow” by the World Economic Forum. He serves on the board of the Aspen Institute and is a Henry Crown Fellow. He also serves as Chairman of the Open Society Foundation for South Africa and the Wits Business School Advisory Board. He also serves on the selection committee of the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship.

Isaac was until the end of May 2014 an Executive Director of Barloworld Limited, a leading global industrial company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange; he remains a non-executive Director of the Company. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Barloworld Logistics, a subsidiary of Barloworld with global operations. He joined Barloworld in 2005 as a result of a transaction involving the purchase of a stake in a subsidiary, Barloworld Logistics Africa (Pty) Ltd.  Isaac is a founder and Chairman of Letsema Holdings and is focused on building a value based, long term, buy-and-hold Investment Company. In 1996, he founded Letsema Consulting which is now a leading black owned and managed management consulting company in South Africa. Off that platform, Isaac created an investment company that has built several successful companies of long standing. Isaac has a demonstrated ability to innovate and grow businesses in challenging economic circumstances. It was as a result of one of these investments that he joined Barloworld ultimately to become an executive director.  Isaac was educated at Wesleyan University, a liberal arts college in Connecticut USA, and Oxford University in the UK where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar and obtained an M.Phil in Management Studies.

“I was raised by my Grandmother with many cousins under very poor conditions. At the age of twelve, I left my Grandparents house for the suburbs of Johannesburg in search for work. I survived by doing gardening work on weekends and I would go to school during the week. This experience taught me how to be self-reliant at a very young age. My ability to fend for myself at an early age has taught me how to cope and adapt in any situation I find myself in. I believe that I draw my strength from my upbringing.” Says Isaac.

At the Age of 30, in 1995, Isaac started his first business, Letsema Consulting. In his words, “I have used this as a platform to start other businesses. In 2005 I did my biggest investment deal when I acquired 26% in a Barloworld subsidiary, Barloworld Logistics for R130 million. Today I group my businesses under Letsema holdings and I serve as a non-executive director of Barloworld Ltd. Barloworld helped me hone my skills at operating a large scale business.” He tells me.

In the late 90’s, Letsema consulting did a lot of advisory work for the department of trade and industry in South Africa. This experience thought Isaac that education is a critical bed rock to success “once knowledgeable about something, no one can ever take that away from you. Through this experience, I gained confidence and started believing that I can leverage the education that I gained.”

Education really has a role to play in determining what our lives can turn out to be. For Isaac, his college experience in the US made him discover the potential he never thought he had. Given the opportunity to try his hands at many things: sports, debating, leadership, writing, made Isaac really believe in himself. His numerous outstanding leadership positions over his years of stay in the US buttressed this point.

Talk about someone who is so positive about development in Africa and Isaac comes to mind. “I Love our continent” he says and continues “I love its people. I am passionate about human development. I want to contribute positively to my country and my continent. I have a passion for Leadership, specifically leadership on the continent. You don’t have to go far to understand the consequences of poor leadership, we have an abundance of examples on the continent.” Isaac insists. As long as Isaac is concerned, there is a need for leadership transformation for our continent to realise its potential and Africa can only rise if those in leadership positions lead to benefit and uplift their countries.

Despite Isaac’s inspiring feat and determination to make positive impact at all levels, he takes me down memory lane of a day in his life he is not quick to forget and I really understand where he is coming from because I lost my mum too the only difference being that I lost my mum in 2015 and he lost his mum when he was 12 years old. “My mother died when I was 12 years old and this was a very significant event in my life. On that day, I knew that my life would never be the same again. In reflection today, I believe that my mother had to die when she did for me to embark on a journey which I am still on today. When things are tough in my life, I think of that day and what would seem impossible or overwhelming becomes simple.” He soberly reflects.

Sometimes, Isaac’s challenges include lacking the courage he needs to have in order to self-actualise and as such, he prays on a daily basis for God to give him courage to do the work that He put him on this earth to do.

Isaac’s desire is to develop leadership and entrepreneurship in the continent. He does this through the Africa Leadership Initiative (ALI). “ALI promotes the idea of values based and community spirited leadership. The Fellowship is an enabler of sharing ideas, working together and helping one another for the betterment of society. I am still searching for my true calling” he quips.

However, Isaac believes that change starts from within “it takes one spark to begin the process of social change. Through influence and commitment, this spark turns into a flame and later a raging fire that forever changes the landscape before us. That is what ALI is about.”

“My earnest desire is to see a prosperous African continent. We have a beautiful continent, beautiful people, and lots of natural resources, yet we are the poorest continent. Our leaders have let us down but I believe that this should be an African century. It can only become that if we, the Africans step up and shape our future and destinies of our people.” Isaac’s optimism speaks.

Asked what greatest lesson life has taught him and he says “I am not my circumstance, to a large extent, I have control of what happens to me.”

Hear Baba’s conclusive words of wisdom “It is not a secret that our young democracy is in a serious crisis of legitimacy. A dream of a new dawn that shone so brightly in 1994 is in serious danger of extinction. Political freedom has not led to economic freedom for the majority of our countryman. For a democracy to survive, it needs to be legitimate.” “Legitimacy requires the citizenry to believe that they have a fair chance of lifting themselves out of the circumstances they find themselves in.  I believe that a virtuous and active citizenry will be one of the key solutions to our country`s problems. We are all uniquely placed to act.”

Kemi Ajumobi

The Quest

Tonye Cole

Love…that word seems to be at the center of so much confusion in our world today. It’s at the heart of troubles in the home and the reason; it seems, for why marriages disintegrate. Love is blamed for the battles of the sexes and wherever peace is elusive on earth, the root cause, I see, can be traced to love…the lack of it that is.

It is love that causes the heart of women to skip so fleetingly and responsible for the giddy highs of girls post puberty. Love has a way of reducing men to do amazingly foolish things; taking dares of extreme irrationality to prove a needless point to mates. Surely love is an enigma many try so hard to comprehend.

Growing up exposed me to what I thought was love; the vain belief that variety was the spice of life and as men, we have the inhuman capacity to love multiple women, spread across various frontiers. A reckless description that making love equates to love. Something, I concluded, was wrong with that equation as it brought too much stress and sorrow to bear.

And so one day, in much despair, I settled upon a quest to discover true love. Is it possible, I asked, to love my wife to the exclusion of all others? To my utter surprise I discovered that love is life. It is tolerant and kind, caring and compassionate. It is sacrificial and unselfish, giving without demanding. It is bears pain to bring a smile to others and stands in harm’s way to protect the other.

I discovered that love was a choice, a very deliberate one at that, to see the best of you in the eyes of another. I learnt by sowing love in the life my partner and I reaped a bountiful harvest of love beyond comprehension, for her life blossomed immeasurably and turned my everyday a pleasure to behold.

And so by giving of myself wholly to my love, I came to understand why God gave wholly of Himself, for indeed God is Love and love is life.

Tonye Cole, Co-Founder, Group Executive Director, Sahara Group

Love, a divine gift

Maymunah Kadri

Love is a divine gift, a light of our life. True love can make our lives happier, more beautiful, and more meaningful.

Valentine should not be a one day ceremony. It’s a NO for me and psychologically, it is not healthy. It causes heightened anxiety, depression and sometimes suicide due to heartbreaks and other disappointments. People should learn to express their LOVE every day, to everyone and everywhere. If this is done, the world will be a better place.

Romantic love has been around a long time, and the idea of falling madly and uncontrollably in love is kind of a paradox. We’re supposed to be in control of so many aspects of our psychics, so many aspects of nature, and here’s something that can be so random and messed up. There’s something very appealing about the edginess of it. Love throws your neatly-ordered universe into turmoil without proper ‘management’. Life is too short to dedicate just one day to love someone…Remember, what you don’t have, you can’t give. Start loving Yourself first and there is never a late time for that..You can begin NOW!

Valentine’s day is NOT a day to express whether you truly love someone or not. It’s just an over hyped day that people are using wrongly for various personal reasons. If you love someone, there shouldn’t be limitations in expressing that.

To us as a couple, our Valentine is every day….If there are reasons for us to be happy, we bask in the euphoria. The days of sadness that sometimes do come and which are part of nature, we find the root cause of the problem and deal with it. After all, a problem shared is half solved.

For this year, and since our Valentine is every day, I and my husband already have activities mapped out for us and our cuties to explore one of the hidden treasures found in Lagos…and sorry, we aren’t telling anyone before it gets populated…lol!

Maymunah Kadri, Consultant Neuro-Psychiatrist & Psychotherapist MD/CEO, Pinnacle Medical Services Founder, SPEAKOUT INITIATIVE

LOVE…

Olajumoke Adenowo

Love can definitely be felt ….

A warm glow enveloping the body and soul…

The heart fluttering at the mere mention of THAT name….

That boundless confidence that all is right with the world….for you belong to that someone and they belong to you….

The FEELINGS of Love – the inspiration of poetry…the stuff of legends….the igniter of wars….. the plot of tomes of books…the fuel of innumerable movies…the pillar of the music industry.. . the FEELINGS of Love….

Feelings…..in reality the work of very powerful hormones…LOL!

Love yields indescribably beautiful feelings but Love, true love, lasting love is beyond a FEELING . Feelings CHANGE, feelings fade… LOVE remains.

Love is a COMMITMENT,

Eyes wide open seeing each other’s flaws but yet committed.

Committed to the loved one’s highest good, their greatest dreams and their best self.

The closest earth has to offer that dare I say compares to the love of God is the love of a MOTHER,

The day s/he is born the little bundle of humanity is placed in her mother’s warm bosom, there her baby lies – nothing but itself to offer – nothing but endless feedings, nappy changes, sleepless nights, runny noses… and itself….

Just itself…. and it’s reciprocal and unconditional love for its mother and….. hours on end of pure joy and elation… and bliss that make the endless sacrifices and toil a mere mist that melts with the rising of the sun.

Joy as… he crawls, walks, speaks… celebrating his every achievement, vicariously luxuriating in every good he encounters, empathising at every level at every challenge… he sleeps, you are awake. Praying… he is admitted to that institution… you buy the car sticker and the sweatshirt….

It’s not about YOU it’s about your child….

That is love… it’s not about YOU… it’s about the ONE you love…

True love is not for the irresponsible……

Love says to the universe “If this wo/man does not fulfil potential, hold me accountable! “.

Olajumoke Adenowo, Principal Partner, AD Consulting Limited Founder, Awesome Treasures Foundation

Love transcends all

Adegoke Coker

Love for me means everything from the genuine care and concern for a friend, forgiving offences and laying aside that feeling of hurt in the heart, that decision to release and overlook being misinterpreted by friends, colleagues, friends, spouses, children, associates and those around us to the deeply rooted romantic disposition of one’s spouse.

Most importantly, love is the unconditional decision of the All Wise Creator to redeem mankind with the death of His only begotten Son to die for our sins so we may have eternal life.

Love is eternal and its celebration cannot be confined, constrained or limited to certain days and dates. Whilst it’s not a bad idea to accentuate love at every opportunity one is presented with, couples should endeavour to make every day as special as possible for themselves, the understanding that Love being the concrete and solid choice they both made as distinct from the emotions, relatively superficial expression and exchange of material things.  Love must be the bedrock and enduring foundation of their marital relationship.

Love transcends beyond the norm, we must look beyond the one-day-one -date event concept to get its real meaning, otherwise the question is then “what becomes of love from February 15”

To love is to give, so the lavish exchange of gifts, flowers, roses, cards, cakes, rings, poetry and all, should continue but there obviously is a lot more to this eternal ideal. Love is not boastful or proud, it’s not self-serving, self seeking, bears and believes all things.

Of all of these distinctive qualities from the book of life, I see no place where “love is blind”, it remains a conscious thoughtful and sober decision one should walk into and not fall in.

Personally, celebrating that day with my wife and daughters, a special and growing relationship, I’m appreciative of enduring love, patience ,friendship and all we have been through in 21 years of being in each other’s lives,19 years of marriage and still counting.

We celebrate God’s goodness of over a decade and a half when we waited for our children yet; He renewed our love and kept the relationship, most of all the joy of parenthood.

To her I say THANK YOU my beautiful bride, love, “Oyinbo Oga” I really do love you. Forever!

Adegoke Coker,  Director, Africa Missions, The Rock Foundation, Author, God’fessions

Kemi Ajumobi

The entertainment industry has a lot to be grateful for, the industry is not where it should be but it is not where it used to be and one of the persons who have consistently impacted the industry tremendously for decades is the astute businessman, politician and CEO/Founder, Silverbird Group, Senator, Ben Murray-Bruce. From 1980, birthing Silverbird in a small corner of the Domino administrative office, six staff and only two business activities, pageant and programme syndication, to today, with hundreds of staff, the company has turned to a conglomerate – three radio stations, Rhythm 93.7 in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt; Silverbird television; the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria; Silverbird Cinema, Silverbird Entertainment, Silverbird Galleria and Silverbird Film distribution which is shooting its first movie right now (Silverbird represents Sony pictures), agriculture…indeed the rest they say is history.

Ben, from a lower middle class family obviously saw beyond where he was and was optimistic about his future. His parents, staunch Catholics and as such, he was raised in a catholic Christian home with the right values. “My father was a very old fashioned man; you had to have breakfast, lunch and dinner with him on the dining table. I loved his friends, I would hang out with his friends and I would learn from them. When I was a kid, I hung out with people 10 times my age and now as an adult, I hang out with people 10 times younger than me so I guess my life has been in a reverse.” He quips.

It’s obvious Ben had an amazing upbringing from parents who’s little meant much in his eyes and today, he has become a wonder!  “My dad was very focused, he didn’t have a great education; he and my mum had a sixth grade education, so he couldn’t help me with my homework but he could help me with my moral values and I’m grateful to him for leading me aright. I had a night club at some point in my life, I didn’t drink or smoke, I ended up killing my own night club because my values didn’t cohere with what obtains in some clubs but for 18 or 20 hours of work in a day? I got that from my dad.”

I remember clearly that whenever the Most Beautiful Girl pageantry is near, the anticipation is high; sometimes you are as tensed as those on stage…an amazing event I dare to say coming from Silverbird Group and the secret to this for Ben, is consistency “You’ve got to be consistent in everything you do”.

Ben has always wanted to go into politics since childhood. He was driven by passion and the thought of injustice appalled him. “Injustice drives me crazy! When I see injustice I go ‘bananas’ and I think that’s what drives me as a person: injustice and misery. If I go to a hotel, and I’m served by a waiter and 30 years later I go to that same hotel and the same waiter is serving me, that’s a terrible thing and that’s why I got into politics, so that a cook can have his own kitchen, have his own restaurant, so there could be equity and we don’t have two classes of people.” He says.

Ben admits he is first a politician and as one, he looks forward to “a society of equity, a society with justice, a society where a poor man’s child and a rich man’s child can go to the same school, go see the same doctor, apply for the same job and get the job because they are qualified and not because the rich man sends a note to the director. There should be equity in the society, a society without equity is a failure and that’s what drives me today, there has to be equity. That’s my dream and that should be the dream of every Nigerian.” Murray-Bruce strongly believes.

Right now, Ben is raising the consciousness of Nigerians, especially the leadership who think they are in office to exploit the masses and consume the resources of the nation. “I think it’s unjust, it is illegal and immoral for someone to come into public office and take everything in sight, and take everything they don’t even need. They consume a disproportional amount of the resources of the nation and leave nothing for poor people who need very basic things.”

Did you know that Ben served as Executive Director, Black Music Association of America? Talk about global relevance and Ben tops the list. He however shares the experience with me. Hear him “It was an amazing experience because I got to interact with the heavy weights in the world. One day I remember, I was in Acapulco, Mexico and this was in 1984. It was the president of Sony and a board of directors at BMA and somebody asked the president of Sony why Michael Jackson’s thriller was the top selling album in the world at that time and the president of Sony said Michael burnt his hair in the Pepsi commercial, Michael got MTV to start showing black videos and he did a video called thriller.”

“He was trying to explain from a marketing perspective why Michael had the No.1 selling album at the time. In just listening to them explain how he got the No.1 selling album, sales and marketing, it made me think deeply and then that same year, we were in Philadelphia, we watched the Jackson’s do the last tour, the ‘Victory Tour’ where Michael announced he won’t be performing with his brothers again. We had great moments, I met a lot of people in the industry and I could understand the business. All the knowledge I acquired in 1984 being around the best executives in the world have no value today, the world has changed but at the time I was grateful and we were promoting black music across Africa and fighting the piracy issue.” Murray Bruce articulates.

Ben recently clocked 60 and yes, after all said, done and achieved, celebrating 60 (though he doesn’t look his age at all) is truly a landmark and for him, “I am celebrating life, the great privilege to be alive; I am celebrating my wife, my children. I am grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to make the kind of changes that I’m embarking on right now”. He gratefully expresses.

So, for his graceful look at 60 he says “It’s a gift from God, I don’t think anybody or individual controls that. I think God gives that to you. He gives it to some people, he doesn’t give to others. God gives it to you and you’re grateful for what you have”

Not someone known to be daunted by challenges, Ben tells me he always has the desire to succeed and he never gives up. In his words, “I don’t quit, I don’t care what is in front of me but I never quit because if you quit, someone else would take your place” insightful words of wisdom from Ben, don’t you think same?

In 1986, George foreman the heavy weight champion of the world came out of retirement and he wanted to fight again so Ben’s friend introduced him to George because Ben wanted to promote George’s come-back fight. Hearing from the proverbial ‘horse’s mouth’ is apt in this instance “I was very excited because I wanted to be a boxing promoter. I went to Emeka Omeruah who was the governor of Anambra state at the time, and I asked him if I could stage a heavy weight fight at the Enugu Stadium and he said “Yes”. He introduced me to Professor Nwuneli who was a Commissioner for Information and the Commissioner of Health, Professor ABC Nwosu. I got in contact with George and told him and he was cool with the idea. He said I should find him a ranked Nigerian he would fight with. I checked and no Nigerian was ranked in the top 100 heavy weight division in the world as at that time.”

“So Goerge Foreman said, okay! Tell the governor I will fight three Nigerians. I will fight the Nigerian Heavy weight champion for three rounds, take a ten minute break, I’ll fight the number one contender for three rounds and take another ten minutes break then I’ll fight the number two contender for three rounds and I’ll knock all of them out. So I went to Enugu and I met with the governor and the team and informed them that George had agreed to fight. They said fantastic! Let’s do the fights. Let’s check the contenders.”

That’s not all to the story, read on “Unfortunately for me, the heavy weight champion of Nigeria was an Igbo man, the number one contender was an Igbo man, the number two contender was an Igbo man and they called me and said; ‘you are crazy, you want an American to come to Nigeria and knock out three Igbo men in one night? Your fight is cancelled’. That was a very funny part of my life, I was miserable and George went on to be the oldest man to become heavy weight champion of the world and he made millions of dollars of his fights. I could have made millions of dollars promoting George but oh well!, that was an incredible time of my life and I didn’t make any money.” Whao! I can’t stop laughing at the latter part of Ben’s story…at least George should have given it a try…perhaps he understood quickly what would have befallen him if he dared to face the ‘Three wise men from the East’ (still laughing).

For Ben, Nigeria is at the cross roads of life “Diamond in the rough, a country with unbelievable potentials. There’s no difference between Nigeria and America. If you look at a Nigerian and you look at an American the charisma is same. We are just the same. The two greatest nations in the world, Nigeria and America and there is no doubt in my mind that with the right leadership, it can happen. I want Nigeria to be a great country and yes! It will be.”

Kemi Ajumobi

For years, I have been privileged to meet great personalities either at events to speak, emcee, sing, recite my poems or even in my line of work and I often overcome the butterflies flying in my stomach almost immediately I start speaking to the person but in this instance it wasn’t so. I am always on top of my game in interviews but with my personality for this week it wasn’t that easy and I have come to know why, he is someone that ‘grew’ with me and by that I mean it was while I was maturing gradually into a young adult that I started watching him on the screen and as I matured fully, his metamorphosis into the enigma that he is today grew with me and on me. From marrying to being a father and now a grandfather…hmn…hope you now get my drift?

I remember clearly many years ago, I came to the balcony of our house and I saw him driving in his red car, I ran in to call my siblings to come and see who was driving by and suddenly my mum (of blessed memory) ran out to come and see him also, she was even more excited than we were. I took a look at her in amazement and said “mummy, easy o…” after which she replied “you people think you are the only ones that know RMD?” she then went on and on and I surrendered… “ok mum, you win, you know him too” I said back then.

Back to my ‘butterflies in my tummy’ they really gave me away, so much that I said to him before the interview began “Sir, there are butterflies truly flying in my stomach now” to which he helped knock it out instantly saying “Kemi, shoot! Just go ahead…” and I felt like I was on a movie set and just got cued in by my director to get into character and play my role and yes it worked because the interview became seamless.

From the titillating soap opera called Ripples in the late 80s, to Out Of Bounds in the 90s, to Keeping Faith in 2003 (Only God knows how many times I watched Keeping Faith…ever green) to 30 days in Atlanta in 2014 and so many others I can’t even mention all, he truly has been an authority in his field and an icon of his craft. Crown him the King of the screen and you would not be contested or challenged in the court.

A legal Luminary, a former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Delta State, a mentor to many and one of the foremost actors in the Nollywood industry, welcome into the fascinating world of Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD).

Though raised in a polygamous home, RMD was an only child of his mum and he was brought up under the strictest moral codes which he tells me is responsible for what he is today. “I grew up with my dad and mum who were both strict disciplinarians and I am one of those who at a point had to decide between good and bad. My mum’s voice will always ring in my head so going wrong wasn’t an option” he says.

You will agree with me that right from when RMD hit the screens decades ago, he always got effortlessly into character, little wonder we all love to watch him. I asked how he has sustained his mastery and delivery of scripts and his answer says it all “I am a trained theatre person and I graduated on top of my class, it will be a shame if I left school and my training as an actor or as a theatre person fails to reflect in everything I did and still do. However, I attribute this feat to God who is the source of all things.”

“I have tried to keep practicing my craft, to keep being responsible to my own. The minute people begin to appreciate what you do as an entertainment person, then you need to improve every time you have an opportunity to stand before your audience. I hold my audience in the highest regard and so anytime I have the opportunity to stand before my audience, it’s a privilege. It is my 32nd year in the business, I am still relevant because my audience believe in my craft, I treat every opportunity to perform in front of the public with the first class regard. For some people, after the first hit, they tend to take their audience for granted. I never take my audience for granted.” RMD states.

Taking a cue from his opinion that some people take their audience for granted, it brings to the fore the importance of mentorship to which RMD responds “I am a teacher, all my life I have mentored people. From comedian to actors to fashion designers and all…anywhere I have a chance to help people I do and I love to work with varieties of people.”

Certainly RMD’s views on an industry he holds dear to heart -Nollywood, is of the essence and in his words, “Nollywood will always be a work-in-progress. Are we trying to get it right? Yes! Are we trying to make sure that we do it better? Yes! There is an injection of new blood now, young boys that went to school in New York, London, in Russia and so on…there are graduates who are coming in, there are all kinds of collaborations now between us and other film makers from countries of the world. Such patterns will change Nollywood in the next 5-10 years.” He foresees.

Having been into acting for so long, you will agree with me that RMD doesn’t feature in just any kind of film. You think he’s being selective? Again he elucidates “I don’t do anything that does not have any value. For me, stories have to have retentive values. They have to promote humanity. They have to show that every human being having gone far should be remorseful or there will be poetic justice or natural justice when wrong has been done. For me, I love stories that have values.”

“Human beings change. What hasn’t changed is that I stay very true to my character. Whatever character I play I try to be true. So the closer it is to true life the better.”

The types of challenges RMD faced starting off his career aren’t completely different from the ones he faces today. According to him, “Challenges will always be there. There will always be insufficient funds, insufficient time, and insufficient roles… same statement producers made since 1984 when they call you to come and work is the same language they speak today.  For me the passion is what moves me. The day passion fails to drive me, that is the day I’ll stop to work. I’ll just face business. I have opportunities to do oil and gas, I am a lawyer, I have the time to write opinions once in a while, I do a lot of I.Q work. I write for television stations and I have enough to make me wealthy enough not to make me act for one day in my life but it’s the passion. It is the love for it. We are paving the way, building a form of legacy” RMD says.

He mentioned it and I had to plunge further. RMD went back to school to read Law after a first degree in Theatre Arts from University of Benin. I sought from him what inspired his decision and he says “When you become a lawyer, a new world opens up to you; I began to see the world from different angles. Time is too short to recount everything but some of the money I made in my life I made them because I am a lawyer.”

RMD was a former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Delta State, Nigeria and he shares with me his experience and lessons learnt. Hear him “I had challenges. Due to how politics is done and played in Nigeria, development or civil service, the instrument of governance has not separated for political office holders so it makes it seem like people come in to do something to show that there is power as opposed to coming in and continuing with whatever development programmes that are there.”

“No matter how good the development programme is, when a new government comes in, there is the possibility of a change or complete overhaul sometimes to the detriment of the people they are supposed to be serving so the challenge I found is that democracy is slow. The kind of politics played in Nigeria is slowing development in Nigeria that is why even 55 years later, we are still where we are. Hopefully, with the present government, things will get better…again I hope it does” He strongly hopes.

And to the million dollar question which I believe is also in the hearts of many, How does RMD manage to look this good despite his age? Again, he speaks “Three years ago, I met a lady that changed my life. She is a trained health person. She knows some nutritional things. She put me under a strict diet and exercise routine. I love to stay healthy. I love to eat healthy and eat nutritional and natural food.”  Now you know, for those who wanted to know his ageless secret, there you go…It is sure time to cut down on the nkwobi, egusi made with assorted meat and the likes. Not easy though but like the saying goes ‘moderation matters’ at least have his picture in mind and let it inspire you to look this good when you are at his age and even beyond.

RMD ends the interview with his parting shots of what life has taught him “Life is simple, life is not as complicated as people think. What God said to us is just to believe and because I believe I get everything I want and life is easier. I believe that Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of my life period. The ones I can’t deal with I hand it over to him.”

Kemi Ajumobi

Richard Nnadi

It really doesn’t matter to a lot of people how wealthy you are, what sure counts is how you are able to be a blessing to others even with the little you have. Such philanthropic acts are ways Richard Nnadi reaches out to the needy through his Duke of Spades Foundation. “Life is short and we can only really live by helping others…that is what I define as living a fulfilled Life” Nnadi states.

Aside co-owning the impressive Nightclub called Escape, this astute businessman is CEO of DV records, a farmer, writer, poet, about to open a restaurant called Eve which launches before the end of the 2nd quarter in the heart of Victoria Island, he’s a Sociologist… name it, Richard sure has his hands full, mastering all at once. Not to worry, he isn’t a jack of all trade and master of none; he is a Master of all trade and slave to none (as he often says).

Richard might not have been born with the proverbial ‘silver spoon’ but today he has distinctively distinguished himself in everything he has set his hands upon to do. Surely, his foundation in life which was laid for him by his parents had morals and principles scrupulously embedded on it “I was taught by my parents that honesty and a good name was important and that has shaped me into the man I have become today” he says.

On Escape, Richard has this to say “Escape was opened in 2014 after two years of construction. It was setup to create an avenue for fun lovers and hardworking individuals to come together to break free from their worries and the norm in other words as the name implies ‘Escape’.

Escape Nightlife is unique in every way with its purpose built infrastructure which is the first of its kind in Nigeria. It holds a capacity of over 1,000 people. We are also well known for our great music, mind blowing lights and above all our service which has been tagged ‘impeccable’”.  Richard confidently articulates.

Now to my main attraction, his philanthropic acts. I am someone who loves children and couldn’t help but admire his efforts at helping children in need not only in Nigeria but other parts of Africa. He does this through his Foundation. Hear him explicate further “My philanthropy under the name Duke Of Spades Foundation is targeted at less privileged kids between the ages 0-5 years old which also extends fully to kids born and living with HIV. I have always had a passion for the less privileged kids who cannot fend for themselves and are brought into this world blind to the hardship and cruelty of the society we live in today.”

“We are currently registered in four countries around Africa and I visited them last year. My foundation is self funded and run solely by me because it’s my passion. We have had individuals and companies offer donations but we always refuse and point them to make all their donations directly to the home I visited that caught their attention and it has really been worth every time and dime” He tells me.

Sharing on a never to be forgotten experience on his philanthropic journey, he says “I remember this beautiful lady I met years ago whose name is Toma and she is one of the most amazing women I have met. She is mentally challenged and uses a wheel chair but she has the most amazing gift which is the ability to paint with her feet and that just blew my mind! That is someone I will never forget.”

Richard Nnadi

Richard is surely an assiduous individual and again, he refers to the timeless and constant intervention of his parents, in this instance, his dad (now I’m ‘jealous’ since I’ve lost my mum and dad…sob! sob!) “My dad always told me that my opportunity to make it or become successful in life passes right by me every day because I will always have something someone else wants… the ability to be in the right place at the right time is not solely placed in the hands of God but also in the hands of man and this entails hard-work, networking and meeting new people every day. I have spent 12 years in the nightlife and entertainment sector and it was never easy… it takes consistency, hard work and a good name to make it in any business” He reveals.

One other fascinating aspect of Nnadi is his love for poetry, an area I also love to express myself freely. I sought to know about this aspect of his life and his latest book which he just launched and he has this to say “Poetry is life, poetry is love, poetry is painting in words… My latest book ‘Words For Caroline’, is about a man’s search for his perfect woman, a woman promised by God to heal and complete him. It started off as a hobby and the feedback was so positive… that is how it turned into a book. It will be up for purchase online and in book stores near you soon”.

Looking at Richard, it’s easy to tell he works out and he looks very fit but guess what? He never looked like this before now “my weight loss was my turning point because it helped with my confidence and is pretty much the genesis of the Duke of Spades” says Nnadi. There is indeed a story behind every glory, don’t you agree?

We all have those unforgettable days or moments don’t we? Well, I sought from Richard what his own was and I haven’t stopped laughing…I remember mine too but I ain’t telling, hear Richard’s own “Mine was the day my dad beat the hell out of me for missing my lesson in primary school and telling my teacher my dad said I had to be somewhere else. When he got to my class and found out I wasn’t there, all hell broke loose and when he caught me later…hmn…I leave the rest to your imagination”

And just incase you are wondering about the reason behind the name ‘Duke Of Spades’, Richard says “it’s just a brand name I created … no story there… lol!”

Signing off on the interview, Richard is grateful for life and family and is hopeful for long life and love and he says to tell you “Consistency is Key… don’t ever stop till you get it done!”

Kemi Ajumobi

The story of Easter…

Wale Adefarasin, Senior Pastor, Guiding Light Assembly

The story of Easter began on Palm Sunday when Jesus stood on the top of the Mount of Olives and viewed the beauty of Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. As the name implies the Mount of Olives had several Olive trees and at the foot of the mountain was a garden, the garden of Gethsemane, where a few days later Jesus would agonise in prayer as the Father prepared Him for the ultimate sacrifice.

As He surveyed Jerusalem, He would have seen the East Gate, through which He would enter the city, this gate had special significance as prophecy had it that the Messiah would enter the city through it. Jerusalem is the only city that the Bible describes as the City of God. Clearly Jerusalem has a special place in God’s heart that is why in Psalm 122, God promises a blessing on those who pray for the peace of Jerusalem. In the week ahead Jesus would spend His days in Jerusalem, returning probably to Bethany each night and returning to Jerusalem along the same route the next morning.

There must have been something special about this trip because Jesus sent two of His disciples ahead of Him to fetch a donkey, they were simply to walk into the city, untie a donkey where He said they would find it and take it to Him. He’d never done this before, neither would He do it again, but that prophecy be fulfilled. Something was happening in the realm of the Spirit, to prepare Jerusalem and indeed the world for what was about to happen in the week ahead.

You know the story, as Jesus entered the city His normally composed disciples threw their garments and palm fronds before Him and went into frenzied praise singing ‘Hosannah in a the highest’, receiving Him as they would a King.

As the people watched Jesus being praised and worshipped as He rode into the city something far weightier was happening in the realm of the Spirit.

Psalm 24:7-10

Lift up your heads, O you gates. And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads O you gates. Lift up you everlasting doors. And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.

In the realm of the Spirit the King of kings had entered into His city, and it would never remain the same.

Easter cannot be truly meaningful until you have lifted up the gates of your life and allowed Jesus, the King of glory to enter in. It cannot be really meaningful till you have opened the doors of your life to Jesus. Doors are really obstacles that are put in place to prevent entry, so opening the doors is to remove all the obstacles that prevent Jesus entry into your life.

Turning to Good Friday. Crucifixion was a punishment the Jews reserved for insurgents, so seeing people carry a cross through the city was not an uncommon sight, and that is probably why Jesus used this to illustrate the requirement for being a disciple. The people secretly admired those who stood up to the Roman government.

The cross Jesus carried weighed 75kg, this brings to mind the sheer weight of my sin laid upon Jesus back. The meaning of Easter is truly lost on those who are not prepared to take up their cross daily and follow after Jesus.

For me Easter Sunday is to celebrate an empty grave, to celebrate the power of resurrection, to celebrate the perpetual defeat of the forces of darkness, to celebrate the fact that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now dwells in me to enliven my mortal body.

Happy Easter!

Easter: The centre of my Christian life

Funke Felix-Adejumo, President, Funke Felix Adejumo Foundation, Convener, Women on the Winning Edge Conference

Love and Hope are at the heart of the message of Easter. It is the love of God that gives us hope in this life and in the life hereafter. For Christ died before we knew Him, loving us before we came to be; and after we were born into this sinful world as sinners, He loved us still. And for as many as receive this love, it brings along with it a hope for a bright tomorrow.

The message of Easter tells of the suffering and shame, but also of Victory. And that no matter what we go through in this life; Jesus makes all the difference, and one thing is certain – in the end, we win!

The message of Easter speaks of grace and redemption. For surely all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God but in Christ, we are no longer sinners, we receive grace by which we can call God, the Creator of the whole earth, our Father. By this we receive son-ship, we are forgiven and restored.

Sacrifice: What do you have that we have not received? These things – hope, love, victory, grace and redemption are freely given to us because Jesus the Son of God paid the ultimate sacrifice; He gave His life for us. What then is too big to let go for Him? What achievements? What losses? What battles? What crowns? What accolades? Knowing that in laying down all these, there is stored for us, a crown of righteousness.

Easter: The suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is the centre of my Christian life.

1 Corinthians 15:19 – If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

The indisputable resurrection of my Lord and Savior; Jesus Christ spices up my Christianity in a way nothing else does!  The wordings of that beautiful song summarize my convictions in no small way.

My soul does magnify the Lord

My Spirit praises His Name

For death could not hold Him captive

Even in the grave Jesus is Lord!

Many people great and low, religious and political leaders died but never resurrected. The proof of my Lord’s resurrection is ‘The empty grave’. As a believer, my hope is beyond this life. And in this hope is victory.

This conviction makes me celebrate Easter in very peculiar ways.  Our Church family organizes a musical event tagged ‘Dear Redeemer’. Different artists gather to celebrate the victory of the cross and the tomb.

My immediate family seizes the season to reach out again to the less privileged in the society, Lepers in particular. Gifts are distributed to them to enable them feel the love of our risen Lord again.

Jesus is alive. He’s no longer in the grave. This is the devil’s nightmare and the victory of the saints!

We Win!!!

Grateful For His Amazing Grace

Easter: God’s sacrificial love for me

Ini Onuk, Lead Consultant/CEO, ThistlePraxis Consulting Limited

So I’ll cherish the old rugged Cross

Till my trophies at last I lay down

I will cling to the old rugged Cross

And exchange it someday for a Crown

Easter brings to mind the reminder of God’s sacrificial love for me. The death and resurrection of Christ clearly defines the intended word: LOVE and indeed the love that gave birth to a new covenant of life and living for me as a Christian.

Easter means the gift of a newness of life to me. The purchase of God by reason of giving His Son on the cross. Easter reminds me of the need for humility in service and obedience to due authority. Easter strengthens my belief in the power of good and it is another reminder to live a more sacrificial life – the journey to dying empty.

Easter is the central event of the Christian faith and the significance of it all is in the resurrection of Christ. He died and rose and that is unique in itself.

I intend spending this Easter in a very reflective and sober mood but also with thanksgiving and will spend at home with my family. The past one year from the last Easter has been very eventful in more ways than one for me and despite how tumultuous the economy has been, I have been greatly blessed. So it’s a season of joy and thanksgiving.

May the resurrection power revive our nation again!

Easter beyond the bunnies and eggs

Jimi Tewe, CEO, Inspiro Consulting, Senior Pastor,  KingsWord Ministries International

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me” 1 Corinthians 15:3–8

On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ. We Christians believe, according to scripture, that Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross. As part of the Easter season, the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion is commemorated on Good Friday, always the Friday just before Easter. Through his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, thus purchasing for all who believe in him, eternal life in Christ Jesus.

In a conversation I had with someone earlier this week, I was reminded again about what Easter means and especially what it should mean to me.

Across the globe, people look forward to the holiday, fun activities and in some cases, the Easter Bunny & eggs. The reality however is that the Easter celebration originated from the recognition of the death & resurrection of Jesus Christ.

To me, every Easter is a reminder that God had long planned for my existence and had sent His Son to die in my place so that when I arrive on earth and receive His sacrifice for me, I can live the best life possible irrespective of my lineage, background or the circumstances I find myself in.

Kemi Ajumobi

When Diekololami Olu-Adegoke my talented friend and music minister asked that I co-compere for her album lunch a while ago, I gladly accepted because I am a supporter of a good cause. When she told me it was Joseph Benjamin that would be my co-compere I said Yaaayy!!! It was indeed one of my best co-compering ever. I am aware he sings well so I thought in my head that we do a duet at some point on the program and guess what? He had the same plan too and while we did an impromptu rehearsal, Dieko walks in and said “That’s exactly what I had in mind for you guys to do during the program” so we were all in sync. Joseph is an amazing singer, if all you know about him are skills that include acting, compering and the likes, please add singing to it…top notch I dare say.

Joseph is an award winning actor in Nollywood history and over the years due to his versatility, has become a house hold name across Africa. He is not only an actor, he is an erudite host, model, voice over artist and role model to a lot of youths.

Joseph started modelling in 1995 and has worked with major brands. He has made cameo appearances on popular TV series like Tinsel, The Bachelor, Young, Single and Free and has featured in several movies. Anybody remember the popular Tales By Moonlight? Well, Joseph has been on it too so we can indeed say he has come a long way.

“Growing up was a beautiful experience for me. I grew in an environment with so much love. I was raised by my step father, he is Dutch from Holland. The orientation helped shape me up for the future.” He tells me as the interview begins and he continues “I started acting at an early age, I made my first screen debut on the popular kid’s folktale show Tales by Moonlight. Acting for me was borne out of passion and talent.”

So I asked Joseph what his first movie experience was like and he says “My first movie experience till date is quite memorable, I was an extra in the movie. This would be my first movie role and it was the last as an extra. The movie was shot in 1995, the rest they say is history, I have enjoyed the roles I have played and I always strive for excellence by God’s grace”.

We all love his excellent delivery and stage mastery while he anchors Project Fame among several others well, Benjamin says he has always loved to talk “I have always had a thing for talking, it is quite funny that, I used to stand in front of my mirror to practice being an emcee and an actor. The mirror is always a very good audience; funny thing is I still use the mirror trick” he says with a smirk…well to that I say ‘don’t we all?’

Well if you think Joseph never has the ‘butterfly moments’ you got it all wrong because he tells me “everyone still has butterflies in  their stomachs till date,  it is just what reminds you that you are human and sensitive. I breathe and tell myself ‘I will pull through’ and I always do to the glory of God’.

Sharing on cherishable moments never to be forgotten, Joseph says “There are a few days and events in my life that are quite memorable like the day I stood out in front of the church to answer the alter call, the day I became a Father and the day I lost my step father.”

Now to the musical side of Joseph, he bares it all “I developed my love for music from a tender age. I remember back in the day my older brother would take me to his school whenever they had a gig…he has always been a lover of music even though he does not sing and yet very supportive of me. I have been singing in my choir since 1997 till date (Revival Assembly Church) my preferred genre is gospel/inspirational. I am a lover of soul, R’nB, jazz and reggae music.” He reveals.

Back to his love for acting; hear him tell you his most challenging role “The most challenging role I have played so far in my career is in a two cast movie. The entire movie happened in one location and it was in a car. It was quite demanding, you have to be on top of your game, you have to be quite engaging to the viewers.  It was intriguing and I had fun on set”

For Joseph, “movies must have value; movie making should be seen as a platform to educate and sensitize the audience. We should see movie making as an avenue to reach out to the viewers even as we strive to entertain them. It is important for movies to be relatable, address societal issues, speak to things that they go through or encounter on a daily basis.” He states.

Guess who Joseph would like to act with? He says “I am looking forwards to act with Richard Mofe-Damijo, Olu Jacobs, Omotola Jalade, Mercy Johnson, Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, Leonardo Di Caprio, Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Tom Hardy, Sean Penn, Meryl Strepp, Idris Elba, Morris Chestnut, Kevin Hart. It is an endless list trust me.” Yes Joseph, we agree, the list is indeed endless.

Joseph also shares his view on Nollywood and how he would effect changes if placed in position of authority in this field. In his words, “Nollywood has been a self sustaining industry that has created notable personalities today. I am one of them; it is the greatest provider of employment. I am proud of the fact that we are the greatest pioneers of the African culture. I would like to implement firm regulatory policies; such as ensuring things are done professionally. We need to start respecting our craft and industry. I will instill discipline; the guild has to be respected. I will make sure you do not hire an actor who is not registered to the Guild. We aren’t there yet but we are making effective progress” he says.

Did you know that Joseph is a foodie? Yes he is however, he works out intensely so don’t go searching for a pot belly when next you see him because he doesn’t have it. Aside food, Joseph tells me other things he loves “I love to watch movies, I play soccer on my game console, I read and I have been working (on set), my music is in the works, there is a lot coming forth so watch out”

Joseph remains grateful to the past administration saying “I would like to commend the past administration of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, his time as President added immensely to the growth of Nollywood. We need more support from the Government in the area of capacity building, Human development and distribution. Piracy has been our greatest challenge; we can only win the war if we have the support of the government.” He concludes.

Kemi Ajumobi

If there is one thing I admire about Omoni Oboli, it is her dedication to her work, her pursuit of excellence and her expertise in delivery of scripts.  The ageless mother of three adorable boys and a blessed husband has been into movie making and acting for many years. Her acting skills were top notch in the movie Fifty and two of her recent movies namely The First lady and Wives on Strike.

In 2010 she won the award for Best Actress – Narrative Feature at the Los Angeles Movie Awards, and the award for Best Actress at the Harlem International Film Festival. She was nominated for the Best Actress in a Leading Role award at the 2011 Africa Movie Academy Awards. In 2014, Omoni won Big Screen Actress of the Year award, at the 2014 ELOY Awards, for her movie Being Mrs Elliot.

A descent of Mosogar in Delta State, Oboli studied Foreign Languages at the University of Benin majoring in French. In 1996, while still at the university, she shot her first films. She then took a 10 year break, got married, and returned to the screen in 2009 with the movie Entanglement. 2010 saw Oboli feature in the award-winning film The Figurine, which won the Best Picture award at the 2010 Africa Movie Academy Awards.

A lover of movie making and acting, Omoni says “Acting has always been my passion, and thanks to the veteran pioneers who made Nollywood possible, I saw the opportunity to make it a career as well and I must confess, I am fulfilling purpose, every struggle and challenge has been worth it and I give all glory to God for how far I have come and where He is taking me to.”  Says Omoni.

Omoni Oboli

Omoni’s passion for Nollywood knows no bounds. According to her, “I am glad to be part of Nollywood and I celebrate our advancement. We are not perfect, we are not ‘there’ yet but we have greatly improved, so much that our films are viewed globally. If we relented on or craft, we would not be third in the world but guess what? We are number three after Hollywood and Bollywood so who says something good cannot come out of Nigeria?”

“We must try and always see the positive side of things and in this case, Nollywood. I am excited about upcoming acts who are proving their onions, I am thrilled about veterans who have remained excellent in their delivery, I am glad about various collaborations at local and international levels and I’m happy it is an industry that has contributed in building hope for the future generation.” Giving her advice to up and coming actors, she says “you must not be discouraged neither should you be so desperate that you do whatever is inhumane so you can get a role. Keep at your craft and one day, you will be recognised. Rome wasn’t built in a day.  Yes, there will be times you feel so discouraged and I understand but it isn’t time to quit because winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win. One day, it will no longer be a dream because you will be enjoying the reality of your persistence.”

Omoni’s commitment to her husband and children despite her busy schedule is worthy of commendation and reference. She has been married for 15 years and whenever you are opportuned to see both of them together at any event; you will think they just got married days ago. I have heard her husband speak at the Awesome Treasure Foundation event and the comments he made about his wife got everyone applauding in awe of them. Hear what she has to say about the ‘apple of her eyes’, Nnamdi Oboli “I love the way he loves me, and he made loving him so simple, I feel comfortable around him and I know I am spending the rest of my life with him. God gave me a gift and a treasure for eternity, his name is Nnamdi”…did I hear you say “uwwwww?” I just said the same thing too.  That’s not all, I asked her to describe him in a few words and she says “Nnamdi is loving and caring… I know that I can count on him. He just makes me comfortable at home and I don’t feel threatened or apprehensive in my own home with my own family. He gives of himself totally, so that I don’t have to worry when I’m away on movie productions. He’s great as a father, and as a husband, he’s not lacking at all in that department. He is a great guy.” Omoni says with a leer.

With over a decade of being into marriage, Omoni sure knows how marriages can stand the test of time. Firstly, she says “Marriage can be tough if that’s what you decide to get out of it, and it can be fun and great if that’s what you want and work towards getting. Perceptions can ruin a beautiful thing, as well as farfetched expectations, so why not aspire to have a great relationship in marriage, rather than look at marriage as another prison sentence. Remember that the person you’re married to is not God, don’t expect him or her to be perfect, because you’re not.” Omoni admonishes.

And her second advise? Hear her “Forgiveness is very key in life and since we are speaking in the context of marriage, I want to say that if you don’t forgive, you will carry enough baggage on your head to destroy the good parts of your marriage. It would take the grace of God to send a breakthrough to deliver your load off your head like TY Bello did for Olajumoke.” She jokingly expresses, yet with an element of seriousness in the message.

Furthermore, she says “Marriage is work! If you want a great marriage, you have to work at it. It doesn’t just happen without your effort, so rise up to the occasion and start working at it, and while you’re at it, women, make sure you don’t lose the essence of why he was attracted to you in the first place. Some women believe once you are married, you can do as you like and not take care of yourself, this is not right”

“I get a lot of ‘what!!!? You gave birth to those three boys?’ I really do understand and appreciate people’s remarks but it is work to look good. Nothing good comes easy, I do my best to eat well and exercise. If you want to live long and enjoy sound health, you must eat wisely and correctly, never miss out on your veggies, exercise regularly and take enough water.” Oboli advices.

On her multi tasking abilities, she says “the kind of work I do is quite demanding and time consuming but I have however been able to multitask effectively by God’s grace. I make time for my family, we go on vacation together. You cannot be a success outside and a failure at home. After God, my family comes next before any other thing and that is how it should be. My family is my number one fan and they will always be priority”

“On being an actress, it has made multitasking easy because I love what I do. I will not stop giving my fans quality movie, I will keep raising the bar, I am excited about my recent films: First Lady and Wives on Strike, I am glad they are getting good reviews and I trust God for more inspiration and support. I trust that with God on my side, all things will work out for my good…I wish you reading this interview same and my advice for you is that you keep holding on to your dreams, one day…one day…it will come to pass” she concludes.

Kemi Ajumobi

Passion for community development

Apart from the family unit, the community is the most important unit of the society. If it fails, the nation will eventually fail. Every community has its unique set of ideals, beliefs, culture and aspirations; and for government to be effective, policies and programs must be felt at the community level. In most cases, the government either due to limited resources or lack of political will might not be able to solve all the problems at the community level, hence visionaries with a passion for service and societal development take on community development projects in order to collectively generate solutions to common problems that we face.

As an individual, I do not have the capacity to solve all the problems faced by the nation but with the dedication and commitment of thousands of other young, vibrant and dynamic individuals with whom I have a shared vision, we can develop our communities and eventually influence national development.

Reason for slum 2 school and success story

I am of the opinion that as young people we must not just sit back, complain and criticize the government, our roles as active citizens should also be backed by action in creating a better society. I have been involved in so many developmental projects right from my teenage years. However, during my national youth service program in 2012, I discovered that there was too many negative news about Nigeria and Africa; negative stories about dying, impoverished and out-of-school children all over CNN. One day I watched a report about the state of our education and learnt that Nigeria had over 10 million out-of-school children which were over 30% of the global figure. This planted a seed in my heart which at  the time I had no idea was there, but as time passed I began to notice that there were a lot of children hawking and doing menial jobs on the street instead of in school and I was deeply bothered, but I couldn’t get away from the discomfort that this new realization about my environment gave me. I tried to forget what I had come to know without success until one evening, I was on the 3rd mainland bridge, in a huge traffic; I noticed the community sitting on the lagoon called Makoko. The traffic was really slow which enabled me take some pictures, but that wasn’t enough. I love the uniqueness of the community, it was so different from the normal as all the houses stood on the water and the only means of transportation was by canoes.

Some days later, out of curiosity I found my way into the community to see for myself what happened in the smoking huts and to my greatest shock I was faced with the reality that I had watched for months. I saw thousands of little children without clothes littered everywhere; children who should be in school but were not. It was too sad to behold, that day birthed the decision to resign from the bank and try to solve some of their problems which at that moment I wasn’t sure of how I would do it. It was a very huge and challenging decision but to cut the long story short that was how Slum2School Africa came to be.

Looking back, we have had so many success stories in 4 years. We have over 700 beneficiaries from Makoko community under our scholarship program and we have provided them with a standard E-Library with over 6500 books, a computer development center which has been adopted by the Lagos state education board and is being used by over 20 primary schools. We have also set up a sick bay for about 3000 children and a standard Early childhood development center. These facilities also have staff/volunteers who manage the daily operations. Our presence has not only been limited to Makoko community, we have reached out to over 11,000 children across 15 communities and IDP camps in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Kaduna and Borno states. We have organized campaigns across 15 countries and attracted thousands of online feedback.

One of our major success stories is the fact that we are a volunteer driven organization and since 2012 we have worked with over 5000 volunteers from 25 countries on several projects and campaigns.

Challenges in running S2S

One thing about such a journey is that one can hardly envisage some of  the challenges that might be encountered. It has been such an amazing journey; all the eight core stages of our integral operational strategy have their unique challenges. You have to advocate, convince, threaten and even force some caregivers to allow their children go to school. There is ensuring that the schools are conducive and equipped enough for the children to learn. Then the issue of funds, sourcing for funds to support the children in schools and provide their school supplies and fees is not an easy task. Imagine when there are 3 children in school, the challenges are both tasking and educative in the sense that with each challenge that the organization overcomes, we learn a new way of doing things. We have hundreds of children, each new day/week brings new challenges, one or two may fall ill, some won’t attend school due to family challenges, others may need to replace their uniforms, etc. all these are issues that we need to respond to in order to ensure that our impact is sustained.

But the beauty of the  journey is in the results that we achieve. I always tell young people that every process has its price and we must be willing to go through the pain to achieve the promise.

How government can intervene

One thing we have realized is that the government cannot solve all the social problems by itself. One critical success factor for any government is building and inclusive governance system where individuals and communities see themselves as critical stakeholders and not just as benefactors. I believe that there are so many social enterprises and developmental organisations doing a whole lot and creating so much impact with limited resources. So I think that the government should: Create an enabling environment for such organizations to thrive. And in doing this facilitate access to information, data, agencies and leaders, boost incentives to encourage corporate organizations to invest in and support such organizations hence building the social capital of the state as well as achieving their social responsibilities, facilitate the development of a structured coalition of such organizations to enable an efficient tracking, collaboration and progress evaluation framework and assign a particular percentage of the budget for such work which in turn will enhance productivity and boost development at a much lesser cost.

What is next for S2S?

As an organisation we have short, medium and long term goals. However, our goal eventually is to reach out to every community and every disadvantaged child across Africa.

We plan to give many young people an opportunity and the best platform to volunteer in creating and building the society they desire.

Over the next few years we plan to build a structured presence and impact across all regions of Nigeria and in two major countries in the West African region.

How NGOs get support for their projects

Personal funding, family and friends, corporate funding and return on investments are ways through which NGOs get support but most importantly when the impact can speak for itself, it will be easy to attract more support once people can see that you are really adding value to the society.

Volunteers who help in running S2S

Our model is majorly a volunteer driven one. We provide a platform for young people to create solutions to the most challenging social issues, so we have a structure that provides carefully selected volunteers with over 40 different teams to actively participate. From Human resources, to children management, to administration and photography, to media/ communications, research and partnership management, fundraising and legal, etc, every volunteer is actively engaged for over a period of 6months to 1year, doing what they love to do and in turn impacting the community at large. They can always renew their volunteer status and even become part of the management team or management support team.

Advice to the youths even in trying times like this

The world’s greatest towers usually come with the strongest foundations, so does the tallest trees with the deepest roots. It takes time to build a strong foundation and whilst doing that someone would have completed several bungalows and duplexes. In most cases it could look like the builders of the towers are not serious, however they are deep beneath the earth building strong foundations that cannot yet be seen. However someday it becomes visible and stands high up in the sky. We must spend our youthful age building strong foundations. You can either decide to build bungalows or towers. Great things don’t come easy and usually comes disguised as challenges. Don’t give up because where there are challenges there are also opportunities. The nights have to get very dark before the morning breaks.

KEMI AJUMOBI

Over the years, he has committed himself to a life of excellence and it sure shows in everything he does and stands for. Described by various people as distinctive, distinguished, exceptional, memorable, competent, outstanding to mention a few, are definitely resultant of his culture of excellence.

Welcome to the enchanting world of Pastor Femi Paul, a prolific speaker and down-to-earth teacher who is highly respected for the impactful and thought provoking style of delivering his message.

He is a lawyer with formidable academic laurels and vast work experience in legal practice as well as in shipping and oil & gas.  He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in law from the renowned University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University). He holds a Master of Law degree in Shipping Law and Intellectual Property from the University of London. He is also a Certificate Graduate of the Oxford Princeton School of Petroleum Studies in England. 

Called to the Bar at the age of 21, Femi Paul began his Law career at the prestigious Bentley Edu & Co. Law firm.  Thereafter, he established Orotope-Paul & Co as the Principal Partner.  He was also at different times; General Manager – Links Lines Ltd, Director of Business Development – Cloverleaf Shipping as well as General Manager, Operations – Ocean and Oil Limited (now OANDO).

Femi has delivered various papers, keynotes and workshops on Excellence in life at several organisations, institutions and conferences around the world.  In 2015, he was honoured with a Doctorate Degree by Northwestern Christian University for his excellent contribution towards Christian Education. He is also a pastor and the founder of Grace Assembly Church, a ministry committed to inspiring people and transforming lives.  In summer 2016, Femi Paul will be launching his long-awaited book, Excellence in life, which is a must read and we can hardly wait!

Speaking with Femi was indeed very enlightening for me as I could see from his demeanour that his passion for excellence is evident in everything he stands for. I wasn’t wrong to hastily conclude that his upbringing has a lot to do with where he is today and he affirms this when he says “My parents greatly helped to shape who I am today because they deliberately brought me up to strive to be better than the environment I grew up in (no matter how good it was!).  My late father especially, he profiled the culture of excellence from the small things, even to the big things.  I saw this virtue in him first hand; he was around us all the time. Parents should spend as much time as possible with their children, that way; they pass on lasting values and enduring culture to their children and wards.  Children learn more from models than words” he articulates brilliantly.

Truth be told, leaving a lucrative job as a legal luminary with shipping, oil & gas influences to full time ministry isn’t for the faint hearted and I am glad he concurs. Hear him “My transition from full time oil and gas executive to full time minister/pastor wasn’t easy. While I was confident of my earning capacity in the business world, I wasn’t so sure how I was going to ‘live totally by faith’, especially because I also had a family to support.” 

“Another factor was that, I was used to giving to churches, brethren, ministries, missionaries and so on and I just couldn’t see myself now receiving an income from a source that I gave to; a source that could do with more…but the Lord straightened me out and I took a leap of faith. That was in year 2001, and 15 years down the line, it is clear that God remains faithful as He has blessed me tremendously.” He explicates.

The greatest lessons Femi has learnt in life are the love of God, gratitude and humility. He further adds that “discovering that God loves me and died to save me has changed my sense of identity. I have stopped defining myself by my background, education and possessions; I am now ‘complete in Christ’. I don’t have that ‘entitlement mentality’ anymore, I am now just grateful for every good thing in my life. Gratitude is not determined by how much you have, but how much you value each and every blessing, some of which many take for granted.”

Paul has learnt humility through the things he suffered “I learnt it because for so long, my life was so good, it seemed like a Nigerian fairy tale and that bred pride and cockiness in me.  So I have become more understanding and accommodating of people’s struggles and challenges.”

Seeing that the culture of excellence is rare in Nigeria, and knowing its immense transformational power, Paul has undertaken the task of spreading the culture of excellence alongside other men and women of excellence who are his guest speakers in his bi-monthly program called Excellence In Life Series in his quest for a new Nigeria.

Borne out of his passion to leave a lasting legacy of excellence for future generations, Excellence In Life (EIL) series is simply the platform by which he strives to eradicate the prevalent culture of mediocrity and propagate in its place, the much needed culture of excellence. In his own words, “The EIL Series is a bi-monthly seminar convened by me but will host speakers who have imbibed and profited from the culture of excellence.  These are men and women of distinction, with undeniable track record of achievement and decency. Solving the Nigerian problem cannot be by building infrastructure or systems that will only inevitably, be run down by our people, just because the culture of mediocrity subsists.  The solution is the planned displacement of this dastardly culture, simultaneously replaced with the national building culture of excellence. This series is a National Re-orientation Initiative.” Femi articulates.

Obviously, Nigeria is going through challenging times economically and since I know Femi is passionate about Nigeria, I asked what he would say if he walked into a room filled with the major business players in Nigeria and his response says it all. “I would say that I sympathise with the position that they are in, they have inherited an incredible problem but it’s not so much a problem of money its more than that. It’s not so much a problem of resources or infrastructure. It is a culture problem.  You can throw all the money at a situation where there is a culture problem, it might not work. If you build infrastructure they are going to break down the infrastructure. You can throw the money at them; they are going to squander the money. It is deep. Culture is deep.”

“So what we are dealing with here is a culture mediocrity poor thinking, bad attitude, small picture of decisions and the solution to that is what I proffer. Excellence needs to take the place of prevalent culture mediocrity. Mediocrity is about doing things poorly, not thinking deeply about things, substandard way of thinking and decision taken. So it’s not the money, it’s to reengineer the thought processes of people. It’s about doing a lot with little. That’s what I bring to the table. The ability of taking the same people, just changing the way they are thinking and they produce incredible results so that whatever money, resources we have we will be able to use it and by God’s grace, this will definitely birth the New Nigeria of our dreams!

Kemi Ajumobi

LEPACIOUS BOSE is a Nigerian stand-up comedian, qualified lawyer and an EZSlim ambassador who is not only known for her humour but also for her long struggle with weight loss. She shares with KEMI AJUMOBI on her journey through this challenging but result showing process in this interview that bares it all.

Growing up

My parents were disciplinarians. They were tutors. We grew up in an environment where no matter how bad it was outside; there was always a home to return to. I grew up in a very academic environment which has helped in who I am. People tell me I quote my parents a lot and it is because of how they have impacted my life.

My love for Physiotherapy

I have always wanted to be a physiotherapist. Whenever there was a career talk in secondary school, the only person who inspired me was the Physiotherapist and I was very clear about it. I did my science subjects so well that my first and second choice was Physiotherapy. I did not see any other alternative because to me, no other alternative existed. I was upset with my dad for years for not using his connection to get me into Obafemi Awolowo Univesity, Ile-Ife even though I didn’t do well in one science subject. I had to do JAMB again and I chose Theatre Arts but my family wasn’t in agreement, to them, that wasn’t a ‘laudable’ course. My family filled my jamb form for me and registered me for Law and that was how I studied law at University of Ibadan.

My Major break in Lagos

Since I had studied theatre arts before at UI, I was already in a comedy group on campus which also produced plays and my brother was very supportive. When I was in UI, I was already a major person on the comedy scene. As far as UI was concerned, I was already a star so when I got to Lagos and found out I wasn’t known; it was a rude shock for me. The comedy industry was already thriving in Lagos. The process of building up a brand in Lagos was what I had to do. When Night Of A Thousand Laughs featured me, it was a major break for me in the papers.

My Weight loss journey

Three years ago, I had been thinking about life and everything my life was about especially as I was approaching a landmark age and I wondered if all I wanted to be famous for was to be the fat black girl. As I took inventory of my life, I was depressed and very unhappy and everytime I tried to trace the reason why I was unhappy, 50percent of it was my weight. I also had hormonal issues, my hormones were not balanced and I travelled out of the country to see a doctor. Most of the medications I was given made me increase my weight. It was a tough decision and the more I tried to lose the weight, the more I put on the weight, this was very frustrating. I travelled to see my in-law in Namibia and while in the room sleeping one night, my 10 year old nephew walked into the room, woke me up and asked if I was ok. I said I was and he asked again if I was sure I was ok and I asked why to which he responded that I was breathing funny in my sleep. I asked what he meant and he told me I was breathing like someone whose heart was about to stop and about to die. Coming from a ten year old, that was shocking. He hugged me and walked away and as he got to the door, he looked back at me and said, ‘ok Aunty, don’t die okay?’ and that was the turning point. I wept like I never wept before. He got to me in a way that several people who had been trying to help me couldn’t, some were aggressive in their approach, my brother for instance didn’t see why I should be making money for being fat. I prayed and prayed and asked God to help me because I did not know how to go about it. After that, information started coming my way and I started seeing things I was doing wrong. I opened a food diary…the biggest lie fat people tell themselves is that they do not eat much which is not true. My sister asked that I open a food diary and write down all I ate through the day even if it was water, you can go a step and write the time.

Tough journey but worth it

At the end of the day, I was amazed at the type of food that I had consumed… I will be in traffic and I will but two packs of plantain chips and ‘wash’ it down with a soft drink and meanwhile, that is not the main meal. The calories of plantain chips fried in oil per pack is about 5 so when I eat two packs I have had 10 calories already not to talk of the soft drink. I would still get home and eat food. I was telling someone recently that I went out to eat in a Chinese restaurant and by the time I got home, I was hungry again but how wouldn’t that happen anyway, we were eating and talking at the same time burning up the food we ate without knowing. How wouldn’t I be hungry when I get home? You walked pass the kitchen and ‘nibble’ on your left over meal you ate earlier in the day and that’s not yet your main food, you are boiling meat and you decide to take a whole piece to ‘taste’ to see if the meat is well cooked and that is not yet the main meal, you open the fridge and take a bottle of chilled soft drink, (not water), and that is not yet your main meal.

I would come back from a show almost at midnight, head to the kitchen and eat two packs of noodles with boiled eggs and back then, I would add chunks of meat because I couldn’t eat anything without meat not realising I was harming myself more harm than good. I realised that everything had to do with my mind so I decided to work on my mind and the more I worked on my mind the more I reduced in weight.

Initially at Namibia, my sister-in-law would make smoothies for me and soups too. She would always read the info on any pack before it was bought for me, when we go out to eat, she would order for healthy meals for me, it was like she took charge of my life, it was irritating to me back then but it was for my own good…as I continued, I observed that I started losing weight. I would wear a pair of jeans and it would fit, I would wear rings that were difficult to wear and it would fit.

When my brother and his wife went out, I would go to the fridge and indulge well and when they returned I would act like nothing happened…when I started seeing results, I was encouraged and gradually I stopped cheating.

I was in Namibia for 6weeks and I had started seeing results so by the time I came back to Nigeria, I was gingered. I used to wear a size 32 but I now wear a 14. There is no way you will lose weight and not feel more confident. You will definitely feel happier and healthier. The fact that you can work into a shop and see your size there is amazing. You don’t have to buy what you see but what you like, all that come together to build up my confidence. The more confident you feel, the more love you feel towards yourself.

Good company helped

Tolani my friend was very supportive, she got me all sort and I would purge my life out. There was even a time I had to take soda because my body needed sugar. She would buy all sorts. I had support from friends and Tolani

was one of such. It is important to have good support around you when undergoing such transformation because you cannot hit your desire goal on your own. What advice do you have for people who is on the line?

You can do it

Never let anyone make you feel you cannot achieve your desired goal. I get hundreds of mails from people wanting to know how to lose weight. Sometimes, I don’t read the lines again; I just know where you are going and what the challenge is because I have been there. It’s an exceptional journey; it’s an intellectual journey and until you see it that way you have not achieved anything yet. Your life style, your mind and soul…you must check what you think about everyday, you must be focused and trust me if I could then Yes! You can!

KEMI AJUMOBI

TONY O. ELUMELU is Founder, The Tony Elumelu Foundation, Chairman, Heirs Holding, Nigeria and United Bank for Africa. He was also co-chair of the World Economic Forum (WEF) for Africa held in Kigali, Rwanda, this month. BusinessDay’s PATRICK ATUANYA, caught up with him at the recently concluded conference and he shared his thoughts on how to increase prosperity in Africa. Excerpts…

Tony Elumelu

What value has Africa benefited from the policy dialogues at WEF Africa meetings since your association with her for over 10 years?

I accepted the role of co-chairman at this World Economic Forum because it aligns with my own principles and belief. I believe that we must as a continent do something about the youth engagement. Secondly, my philosophy as an Africapitalist is that it is not only government; the private sector has a role to play in developing the continent to make long-term investments in key sectors of our continent so as to create economic prosperity and social welfare. So, having a WEF on Africa programme that talks about how to leverage digital transformation in harnessing and mobilising our abundant resources in the continent, I felt that was wonderful. Wonderful because I like to see my friends from outside of Africa to visit the continent so that they can see that what they read in the newspapers or what they watch on the television are far from what is on ground. This is a new Africa. You can only go or invest in business in a place where you are comfortable. So, as they come and see that we are not in the jungle, all things being equal, they would want to bring their money to invest here (Africa). This is because there are so many global private capitals looking for destination.
How do you reduce inequality and attract global capital?

We should position Africa as the destination for this capital because it is a massive capital inflow into Africa or massive capital investments by us Africans to help create the kind of job and economic prosperity that we need. That is where the alignment with Africapitalism comes from. But what I have been preaching is that we move from talking to doing. Let’s go back with a clear agenda, so that by the time we meet next year on in two years’ time, we would look at how the efforts we have made in implementing some of the agreements have reached. We need the media to tell the world that it all about how to create jobs in Africa, advance economic prosperity and advance inclusive growth, so that you don’t say the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is moving and people on the ground are not feeling it. They don’t feel it because we do not engage in industrialisation and processing of our raw materials, everything is imported. I see myself as an Africapitalist in everything that I do and I am concerned about economic empowerment of our youths. I am concerned as many of our participants that we need to be careful in Africa and make sure that our demographic boom does not become demographic doom and the way to do this is to make sure that we economically empower our youths. We have a lot of them, but if we don’t do this, it can become a major trouble for us and I am happy that at WEF on Africa, we are talking about job creation in a manner that is functional in the 21st century and also access to electricity, which would help us to achieve the empowerment of our people.

How are you improving skills and creating jobs on the continent?

The foundation I founded and I are trying to encourage entrepreneurs. We observed that our people have great ideas, but the problem they suffer is lack of mentors, access to capital and proper training. So, we are trying to do this. Two years ago, I endowed $100 million to the Tony Elumelu Foundation to run an entrepreneurship programme across the continent. The programme is open to everyone in 54 African countries. The first batch was very successful. So, the conversation should begin to change. That was why I said I was happy to see people visit Africa, people who manage billions of dollars. If they go back and are impressed, if you present any Africa investment strategy to them at their board meetings, there are chances that they would okay it. But if they have a negative perception and if you ask them to invest in the continent, they would definitely turn it down. This, to me is the significance of what we are doing at the WEF on Africa.

How can technology and finance solve some bottom of the pyramid problems for SMEs?

For me, the way I look at this is ‘what is our vision?’ The purpose is to create an inclusive African society where male, female, old people, young people are able to have a decent standard of living and where poverty is drastically reduced. Interestingly, there are many ways of achieving this. Firstly, it is all about leveraging technology secondly, it is about better education and thirdly, better governance at the sub-national and local government level. So, for me, we all need to work together – the public and private sectors, national partners and development partners, with the objective that we want to alleviate poverty by improving access to finance and we can achieve it. We have seen how Vietnam achieved theirs, so we can achieve it also as a continent, but we need to be serious, talk less and do more.

PATRICK ATUANYA

THE AZEEZS

Oyinda Azeez

Children’s Day is a day of happiness, love and joy! It is a day that is celebrated universally to honour the existence of children. Children are a valuable asset of the nation, the future and as a whole the hope of tomorrow. Although it is a day where children are celebrated, I am particularly grateful for my parents. They are honestly the world’s greatest parents. They go far and beyond to ensure my brothers and I are more than comfortable and there is nothing better in life than knowing you have the best support system you could ever ask for!! Every year we celebrate children’s day happier than we were the year before and only hope and pray that we will continue to celebrate many more days/years like this. Let’s ensure we spread the love especially to those who no longer have parents. Being a blessing to someone else shows you care about the other person and when you care for someone else, God will surely bless you. Spread the love this season to one child at a time HAPPY CHILDREN’S DAY!

Yusuf Azeez

Celebrating Children’s day gives me so much joy, it allows us to witness the miracle of beginnings of life and growth. We children are precious gifts from God, lifelong investments that are blessings to our parents. We are ‘teachers’ who teach parents to be selfless, humble, and compassionate. Every moment with us is an adventure especially with delightful imaginations and contagious positive energy. Although we sometimes tend to be out of behaviour we still appreciate the unconditional love and home training showered unto us by our parents. I have amazing parents who love my siblings and I with a love that cannot be fathomed. Despite our imperfections my mum and dad’s love has never ceased. Like the rising of the morning sun, their love for us is new every day. I am glad I can truly express how I feel at such a time like this. Thanks mum and dad for your selfless love and commitment to us your children, we will always make you proud. We love you…and to every child out there, let our light shine Happy Children’s Day!!!

Demilade Azzez

All over the world, a day is celebrated for children across the world …which is called Children’s Day! That day that is devoted to Children’s Day is May 27th. It is a day of love, joy from a child’s parents to have fun, go out for Children’s Day concerts, soccer tournament and a lot more fun activities. Some children who live in poverty or children who are orphans aren’t as privileged as me or some of my friends who are so lucky we have parents who love and care for us. Those are some of the reasons we give to orphanages and charities so that those children will have as much fun as we have on one day devoted to us to do exactly what we want, to just have fun. My parents always ensure we are doing well academically and socially and I want to say thank you to my mummy and daddy for their love, support and care. I really do like Children’s Day, it feels like I am celebrating my birthday twice a year. First on my date of birth and second on Children’s Day. It is always also an avenue to show love to those in need or those who are orphans. I just want to say thanks to my mummy and daddy for being the best parents ever and I love them so much. Happy Children’s Day!!!

THE ODUWOLES

Zuriel’s message for Nigeria today, Children’s Day

Vision & Mission

As a girl, I am concerned that not every girl has a right to get an education or a chance to accomplish her dreams like me. Not too cool. My vision is to see that this changes one day, and my mission is to use my ‘Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up’ program and other new ideas to inspire girls to accomplish this mission. Because the world is watching, I also like to use my visibility to show the positive things about Africa, using my documentaries to tell Africa’s story. For this, I interview Africa’s political and business leaders.

Nigeria and the Nigerian Child

Many things have been going on. First, everybody reads on the news about Chibok Girls. They are real people who are facing real sadness. As a child, I can’t imagine being taken away and be away from my family for all these months. So as children, we should appreciate when we are at home, and when we are with our parents. We should listen to our parents and learn from them, and take their advice. I’m sure those Girls would want to be home now, but they can’t. We are at home with our parents, so we should be thankful. I am very, very thankful. Lastly, as children, this is our time to show that we can make a difference. We don’t have to wait till we are 18, or 25, or 30, or 50. We can start now. If you don’t believe, look at what I have been blessed to do. Like meeting 19 Presidents and Prime Ministers to talk about education, including President Buhari last month, or direct a TV project in the US and I’m just 13, or create a project on the White House. We can do anything, anything. Don’t forget to pray too because only God has wisdom. All we have is knowledge. So if you add wisdom to knowledge, then for real, no one can touch you.

What I wish for Nigeria and my advice to the government

I would like for Nigeria and Nigerians to know that there is only one Nigeria. Take a look at the map of Africa and just imagine there is a hole where Nigeria is, Africa would never be the same again, and the world would never be the same again. That’s how important Nigeria is. So let’s have pride in ourselves and love one another and by so doing, we would have respect, and if we have respect, we would have honour, and if we have honour, we would not do all the negative things people like Prime Minister David Cameron says about Nigerians – Right?

Advice to fellow youths

First thing is, you can do anything in the world you want to do but you have to take the first step and believe you can achieve what you set out to achieve. Don’t doubt yourself, like the NIKE commercial, ‘Just Do It’, and ask the Lord to guide you. Don’t forget to honour your mother and father so your days may be long….and you would be fine.

What makes Nigeria tick?

I like to say that Nigerians are real people, who have been through a lot, and are still real…I mean, they are just too real…Nigerians are also creative and bright people for example, there is only one show in the world called God’s Children, Great Talent – created by Nigerians. See? Real and Creative people!

KEMI AJUMOBI

Biography

A lawyer with over 15 years’ experience in mergers and acquisition, telecoms law, corporate finance law, regulatory affairs, litigation and investor relations, Akoni is a well-rounded international professional with multi-national experience spanning over 20 countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Until recently, the Group Legal Counsel for Bharti Airtel in Africa, Akoni had direct responsibility for all legal issues and a team of Legal Counsel and Officers across Africa with primary responsibility for the territories of Anglophone and Nigeria comprising 10 countries in Africa. He also served as a board Member in several companies within the Bharti Airtel Group. His exploits as an in-house counsel resulted in his recognition as one of the 100 Corporate Counsel in Africa by the renowned publication Legal 500.

Fela Akoni is now the Chief Executive of WOODBERG, a niche advisory body facilitating investment and development in Africa. Akoni, a tested lawyer, transformational leader and an exceptional manager of resources has recorded great achievements in his career as a professional lawyer. He played an influential role on major multi-jurisdictional commercial agreements including joint venture agreements, infrastructure agreements and outsourcing agreements with Ericsson, NSN and IBM. He has also advised on multi-jurisdictional USD financing agreements and equity/debt fund raisings including structuring of intra-group arrangements across Africa and the restructuring of a USD 1.2 billion facility in Nigeria. A recipient of Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Law from Cambridge University, Akoni also advised on the legal and regulatory issues in connection with the creation and rollout of new businesses across Africa including Tower Companies, Mobile payments/M-Commerce, Direct-To-Home services. He further played an important role in the rebranding of several businesses across Africa and provided comprehensive legal and regulatory advice including resolving both contentious and non-contentious Intellectual Property matters. In addition, Akoni is a Biochemist by training having obtained a first degree in Biochemistry BSc (Hons) from the University of Sussex (UK) and, whilst at GlaxoWellcome, was a member of a team of scientists that developed the leading Anti-Viral drugs, Acyclovir and Valaciclovir. Akoni is married with two daughters. In his spare time, he loves to travel and listen to music. He is a former President of both Cambridge University of Nigeria Society and Sussex University Nigeria Society.

Early years

Growing up was very memorable and enjoyable – I remember always having a house full of relatives, friends and well-wishers! My brother and I were the younger kids at home and therefore we had a very relaxed time growing up with our parents. We did everything together – travel, church and family events. As long as we concentrated on our studies, our parents were quite accommodating. We left to go to boarding school at 11 so it is all a bit of a memory now. The experience has taught me to be accommodating and giving. However, it is important to be self-driven to give your best.

Biochemistry to law?

I started life thinking I was a scientist. I read sciences for A Levels and I went to Sussex University to read Biochemistry. Thereafter I got a job with Glaxo Wellcome (UK) for three and a half years doing clinical research, specifically into herpes viruses – Zovirax and Aciclovir. My father was a Pharmacist, so there was always the intention to read Pharmacy. But I guess somewhere along the line it wasn’t my chosen career path, and in 1996 I got admission to Cambridge University to read law. The rest is history, as they say.

Experience and departure from Airtel

The experience at Airtel (actually starting with Celtel) was a great one – I was involved in quality work, I travelled across many jurisdictions and development a great understanding of the corporate culture across many countries. If you believe in the old adage, one door must close, for another one to open, then leaving Airtel gave birth to Woodberg!

Managing a pan-African legal team of internal, external counsel while with Airtel

I would say the common denominator is common law. That helps because being English law-qualified and trained and practised at Linklaters (City Law Firm), you have a fairly good understanding of common law. Each of them will have their nuances on the corporate side, but essentially that common law thread goes right across the relevant countries. Now, doing business generally, I think you need to appreciate the nuances per country; professional nuances, cultural nuances. Working closely with the legal counsels is important as well – they are part of the team, and you sitting in the centre will not be able to address every single point. You’ve got to rely on and trust your legal counsels to raise the flag (if there is a red flag to be raised), and keep you posted as things go along. So that aspect of creating a good working relationship with members of the team is key, otherwise you’ll be forever on planes, trying to resolve issues.

Oxford Cambridge Club

The Oxford and Cambridge Club of Nigeria is a non-profit and non-political organisation. The objectives of the Club are to provide a forum for individuals who are alumnus of the University of Oxford or the University of  Cambridge, each in the United Kingdom, to interact and to promote social contact between alumni of these two Universities residing in Nigeria, to sponsor lectures, talks or seminars and organize other projects consistent with the objects or otherwise calculated to assist or enhance the education of any person in or from Nigeria, to arrange for the holding of an Oxford and Cambridge celebration in the form of a May Ball and other social gatherings on such other occasions as the Executive Committee shall deem desirable and to promote community based activities for the development of Nigerians and Nigeria. As President, I am responsible for steering the affairs of the Club. In terms of what we want to achieve for the Club, we want to continue to build a reputation for intellectual thought leadership, attracting leaders from the business, diplomatic and academic cadres to our events.

Woodberg Group

Woodberg Group was founded in 2015. The experience gained working across Africa spurned the creation of Woodberg Group. Our vision at Woodberg Group is very simple – To create a world class corporate advisory organisation facilitating investment and development in Africa. Our mission on the other hand is to be the preferred corporate advisory organisation, engaged by both Public and Private sector participants, to execute investment and development projects in Africa.

Facilitating investment, development in Africa

We aim to achieve our goals through a team of highly competent and experienced professionals with sector specific expertise tailored to the individual needs of our clients. We rely heavily on our network and the goodwill established over the years and like any other services business, we rely on referrals and recommendations.

Restructuring of a USD 1.2 billion facility in Nigeria

We inherited a complex structure of bilateral agreements with almost all the banks in Nigeria. Standardising the agreements enabled us to seek better terms for the company. I believe the Banks were also satisfied with the outcome.

Greatest feat achieved in career

Being part of the team that brought Celtel/Zain to Nigeria through the acquisition of a significant stake in Vmobile in 2006 was indeed a great one. Although Celtel/Zain were in some other African countries, over the next 4 years the Group grew to a footprint of 15 countries in Africa culminating in the multibillion dollar disposal to Airtel in 2010 by Zain. As you know, the telecoms industry is heavily regulated. Therefore, a full understanding of the Legal and Regulatory regime in each of the countries the Group was trading was essential to a successful footprint across Africa. I am grateful to have been responsible for the legal counsels for Anglophone and Nigeria.

Nigeria’s current state of economy

Nigeria’s affairs are not easy to master. There is a democratically elected Government who is empowered to deal with the economy (amongst other matters) – let’s give them more time. There is a myriad of political advisers and commentators – I am sure they will be in a far better position to advise the Government. I do have a view on the way forward, Nigeria must strengthen her governance structures in both public and private sectors.

How do you relax?

I enjoy the company of my family and friends. I enjoy playing tennis and an avid supporter of Tottenham Hotspur in the Premiership in the UK. I have a collection of the works of Ebenezer Obey, Sunny Ade and Fela – there is nothing more pleasing than alternating the CDs on a Sunday afternoon. I enjoy reading biographies

KEMI AJUMOBI

Biography

Steve is CEO/Creative Officer of X3M Ideas, an outfit changing the perception of advertising in Nigeria that has adopted a through-the-line marketing approach, cutting through with trade and channel activities and expanding their reach through digital and interactive media. With over 17 years experience, Steve has gathered significant experience building brands across industries and his passion for creativity matches his love for challenges. He holds a B.A in Theatre Arts from A.B.U Zaria and he is an Associate member of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON). He is also Founder, X3M Music, a record label focused primarily on developing young talents.

Early Days

Growing up was very tough as my parents were very poor. My dad was in the Nigerian Army so we moved around the country a bit till I finally moved out of the house at 16 to give myself a shot at breaking the poverty cycle that was my life at the time. I started working and was able to send myself to Federal School of Arts & Science, Suleja, for my A’ levels and Ahmadu Bello University for my Bachelors.

Starting off

I started my career in 1995 that was the last crossover year from analog to digital. Computers and the internet were fairly new phenomenon in those days. Victor Johnson was the Managing Director of MC&A (Saatchi &Saatchi) and he gave a skinny 24 year old, skinny boy with a bit of Hausa accent a shot. That skinny boy is yours truly. It was hard in the beginning but I hung in there and persevered, all the unpleasant treatments in the hands of some creative directors I had to work with. I worked my way up the ladder from MC&A to Prima Garnet and then 141 Worldwide where I was pioneer creative director for 7 years before setting up X3M Ideas.

X3M Ideas

X3M Ideas opened for business on August 1, 2012. At the time I had worked for various agencies for over 17 years. First, I felt I had garnered enough experience to strike out on my own. Secondly, I had different ideas that were a bit radical regarding running a modern day advertising agency. The old business model, I felt was archaic and mostly ineffective yet most agencies are stuck in it. So we basically dismantled that old business model and came up with a new model to give us and our clients an edge.

What makes X3M tick?

We have changed the perception of advertising in Nigeria in several ways. Let me start with the very obvious ones; we have successfully debunked that age-long theory that creative people cannot run an enterprise. We have also contributed to pushing the creative envelope within the Nigerian advertising space. All the awards we have won underscore this point. Finally, I just came back from New York where I was invited by the New York Advertising Festival to be on the Grand Jury of the 2016 edition of the award. We are talking about one of the oldest advertising awards in the world.

What makes Steve different?

Most people would say my dreadlocks stand me out, honestly I will say my passion for my job. I love my Job. I love creating concepts that are  cutting-edge and I love helping my clients to win in a highly volatile and competitive market like Nigeria. If you don’t love this job you won’t survive it because it is a very tough job.

What role is digital media playing in advertising?

Digital is playing a very disruptive role in advertising. The old order of brands talking down at consumers has been upturned. Digital is the Arab spring of advertising, it has totally democratized communication by empowering consumers to create their own content. Unless a brand is savvy enough to join the consumers in the rapid conversations going on in digital space, it could easily become extinct. This is a very exciting time to be in marketing communication, it is also the most dangerous,all thanks to digital. Advertising is a gladiator sport. Most of the terms you hear like Campaign strategy, have military connotation. It’s all about giving the brand your work for comparative advantage in the market place. I am a very competitive person that is why I love my job so much.

What are you grateful for?

I am grateful for life, I am grateful for my lovely wife, Yetunde. I am grateful for our children. I am grateful for the X3M Ideas dream come true. I am grateful for my indefatigable team. I am grateful for our clients and the brands they have entrusted to us.

How is the economy affecting advertising in Nigeria?

The economic situation is tough and I suspect it will still get a lot worse before it gets better; its affecting the clients therefore it affects the agencies as well. The depreciation of the Naira has terribly affected our training plans, and the increase in the pump price of petrol is also taking its toll on our overhead. However, I see it as economic head wind that we all have to contend with before things get better. My advice to the government is that they should urgently declare a state of emergency on the economy. Also assemble a think-tank economic team to navigate our way out of imminent recession. My advice to Nigerians is to cut out frivolous spending till the storm blows over. Nigeria is a great country I believe in this country and I am optimistic that we will pull through this.

How to remain relevant in the advertising industry

To remain relevant in this industry, you have to keep besting your last best work. It is all about the next big idea you have. Nobody cares about what you did yesterday, to be relevant; I keep my hunger for big ideas alive. There is no other way.

Being on the grand jury of the New York Advertising Festival

Being on the Grand Jury of the New York Advertising Festival was an eye-opening experience. The quality of planning and execution was world class. The caliber of the Jury is also worth mentioning, we have a lot to learn and a long way to go. It was a great privilege to be called to serve on that Jury. The biggest lesson I learnt is that wherever you are, keep doing excellent work. We were just doing our thing in Lagos, we knew nobody at the New York Advertising Festival, yet they found me on the strength of the work we have done here and invited me.

X3M Music

X3M Music started way before X3M Ideas; I financed it for years with the salary I earned as an employee of the agencies I used to work. I love music but sadly I cannot sing or play any musical instrument. However, I figured that if we could create a platform to support young Nigerian talents we could help empower a new generation. We have worked with talents like; Ade Bantu, Nneka, Etcetera, Praiz, Simi, Sammy and a young hip-hop artiste called D-truce, watch out for him!

KEMI AJUMOBI

Tonye Cole, Co-Founder/Group Executive Director, Sahara Group

Father’s Day

The concept in itself is somet h i n g t h a t is st rangely viewed in our cultural heritage. Fatherhood, for so long has been viewed as one of those things that happens when you get to a certain age and not something to be specially celebrated. My generation grew up not knowing what ‘Father’s Day’ was and indeed saw fathers as a figure to be wary of. They paid the bills but brokered no nonsense. They walked in majestically and everyone scampered into the shadows of the home. They ruled the home with a force of their manhood that left little room for argument. Much of this has changed today, brought about more by the children of our days who have imbibed the culture of the times and are much more engaging with their fathers than we were with ours. Through their eyes and their open hearts, I have come to appreciate the significance of having a symbolic day when the role the father plays in the lives of the children is recognised and appreciated.

My Father’s influence over my life

My father’s greatest gift to me in life is bequeathing me with the integrity of a good name. As a child growing up, it wasn’t clear to me the importance of not doing anything that would destroy the integrity of one’s name but this was extremely vital to my father. He carried himself with an air authority such that whenever he entered a room, there was no doubt in the space that somebody with aura had walked in, yet he never did so with any iota of pride nor did he rub it in the faces of those present. There was just something about his carriage that lent itself to commanding respect from his superiors, peers and subordinates alike. As I began to grow into the man I was shaping to be and started understanding the gravity of how scarce resource integrity is in our nation, especially amongst those who have held public office and operated in the higher echelons of power, I came to deeply appreciate the sacrifice made by my father to stay unblemished.

Father representative in my life

Different people inspire me in different ways but when it comes to one who does so in a fatherly manner, it would be Pastor E. A. Adeboye. I have known Daddy G.O. since I was 16years old and he contributed in no small means in opening the truth of God’s love for me. But if there is one thing he has inspired and impressed me the most by, it is the power of humility and holiness. Through his life, I have come to see just how powerful a force humility is and how deep in character a man must be to truly remain humble in the face of immense influence and power.

Making time for family

A few years ago, I made a conscious decision to ensure every holiday was spent together as a family. We bond by doing stuff together, especially things that require we confront our fears and overcome them. So we would encourage each other to go on the craziest roller coasters, the wildest rides and the steepest water slides discovering along the way that doing so as a family, we help each other to more than we would individually. Today, they are mostly adults and able to make their choices on what to do with their holidays but the bond of family time instituted through the years remain so strong we still opt to strengthen our bonds during these seasons.

What every father must know

I would say it becomes obvious pretty quickly that being a father is very different from fathering a child. Fathers must learn to be accessible to their children and give them the comfort and confidence to see their father as a friend and a mentor. The greatest feeling of fatherhood comes when your child, male or female, is able to come to you to discuss an issue of profound importance to them they ordinarily would not have done. A boyfriend question from your daughter, an uncertainty of choice between conflicting emotions for a girlfriend from a son.

Naughtiest Teenage experience

If there was one running battle I had with my father all through my teenage years and into my early 20’s, it was over the use of his cars. On this score there was no compromise from him. My father is a collector of things so he buys in multitudes and cars was just one of those things he had many of but they were a no go area for his children. I just could not understand it especially since my father travelled more than anyone I knew, so it became a real game of stealing his cars as often as I could get away with doing so. One day, after one too many occasions, he had had enough and disowned both myself and my immediate younger brother (he had his own battles which had nothing to do with cars). Truth is my father could never disown us no matter what and most definitely not over a car but the mere thought had calmed me down for a season.

To my children on Father’s Day

I love them. I want each of them, TJ, Vanessa and Serena to know they have each surpassed by far who I was at their age and there is no better prayer a father can have than his children become greater than he is. It is vital they know I am a better man because of who they have become and they challenge me to consistently improve on myself, time and time again.

TJ Cole

My father Tonye Cole is an amazing man. Growing up I was always considered a mummy’s boy but my Dad and I have always had a special relationship, which has grown stronger over the years. My Dad is my mentor, my role model and my best friend. He is the man I can always go to for honest advice and if I am in any trouble. This has been especially true in recent years. His guidance and understanding has helped me through so many uncertain times, during my final undergraduate exams, through my masters and leading up to my first job offer. My dad has been my confidant throughout.

Apart from his level headedness and wisdom, my Dad is also an extremely caring man. This is evident when he enters a room and greets everyone like an old friend. This is one of the many things that makes him a special person and an amazing father. I admire him so much for his empathy and his kind hearted nature. For a man that is so busy, he always makes time for his family, which is another thing I admire. From phone calls, to emails and even hand written letters, we are always in touch no matter what part of the globe we find ourselves.

To summarise in so few words how amazing a man my Dad is would be impossible. The man has so many admirable qualities which is why he is much more than a father to me. He has set the example of the kind of man and father that I would hope to become one day. As his firstborn son and his name sake, my challenge is to follow his example.

My Dad is hugely successful and has many friends but it is his strong commitment to God that makes him extra special and the best father a son could ask for. Growing up with a man so devoted to God has definitely influenced me for the better. To see him wake up at the crack of dawn every morning to give praise and worship to God, is testament to his unbreakable faith. My father devotes much of his limited free time to the church and to philanthropic work. He often heads to Redeemed Camp or midnight vigil after a long day’s work. This has taught me the importance of hard work and commitment but has also taught me a deeper lesson which is that a good relationship with God is the ultimate key to success. I am thankful that I have a father that can also act as my spiritual guide to become closer to God.

This Father’s Day I would like to thank my Dad for always being there to support me, for helping me get to the place I am today. I know I could never have done it without him or with any other man as my father. He is the best father a son could ask for and the best man I know. I hope to be able to repay him through my own achievements to make him as proud of me as I am of him. Have a great Father’s Day Dad! See you soon.

Your Son,

TJ

Vanessa Cole

My relationship with my father is something that has grown over the years and continues further as our bond intesifies. I also like to consider myself as the daddy’s girl. Being away from him for some time during my childhood, I have learnt not to waste my time when it comes to opening up to him. Having my dad as a public figure, I have grown up having many people come up to me to express how much they admire him, and also how much of a compassionate spirit he has. We have this joke, whenever we are in a mall or an airport, concerning him meeting someone that he knows. Not to my surprise someone encounters him and I smile inside because he likes to pretend he has no idea who the person he’s been speaking to is. At first, as a child, I was envious concerning sharing my dad with other people, however I have learnt to appreciate that my dad keeps a part of himself for just those close to him. Understanding this, I forget about this feeling and appreciate the time and effort he puts to spending quality time with me and my siblings.

My dad takes extra care in making sure there is a day of the week he dedicates to spending time with us, when we are back from school. On these types of days, he rarely picks up phone calls and as such a busy man he leaves work related assignments for the following day. I can’t begin to imagine how much catching up he has to do however I can’t help but have a warmer heart when it comes to family because of the way he’s shown me how important it is to create such an intimate bond. Whether it be close or extended family, my dad is always creating time for events and get togethers because he is never one to make up an excuse. This shows me the care he has for people and its something I hope I’m learning to acquire. Saying no to family is not a gene in my dad’s body, especially weddings! The man must have a wardrobe filled with aso-ebi…lol!

On the subject of weddings, my dad has told me I must get married by 23. Yes, 23! You heard right… it was originally 22 but we negotiated…lol! I like to take this as a joke because on the low, I can’t imagine him waiting for the day for his little princess to move on, however I like to think he can’t wait for the family events such as these that will take his emotions to a new level.

My dad is a driven inspiration to many. But most importantly, he is God-loving and ready to share his walk with Christ to those who want to hear it. I hope to walk alongside him and fill the expectations he has for me. Happy Fathers Day Daddy, Love you unconditionally!

Serena Cole

My father has always played a special part in my life: from helping me through my many troubles to being a role model of success in religion, family and business.

When I was younger, I spent most of my time with my mother in England but we would always look forward to the short, frequent visits from our dad, bringing back gifts from his travels. Most important of these gifts, were the fridge magnets; I would love to arrange and admire our ever-expanding collection of magnets showing the large amount of places he had visited and we carry on this tradition to the places we go together.

My father is a wise man who would often lay important advice on us as children to help guide us through the dangers of life. I would probably call myself overly sensitive and whenever I would go to him with a problem, I would find a loving father ready with an anecdote to make me feel better.

As a result of having him as a father, my life has been enlightened and I have had experiences beyond compare. What I would like to say to him on this special day is: “You have always looked out for me, I am forever grateful and I will always love you for being such a good father to me.

By: KEMI AJUMOBI

ARTHUR LENK

ARTHUR LENK is the Ambassador of Israel to South Africa, Lesotho, Mauritius and Swaziland. In this interview with KEMI AJUMOBI, he shares on his ambassadorial responsibilities and how Israel and Africa connect. Excerpts

GROWING UP

I am very blessed. I grew in a stable, comfortable family. My mother was a university professor and my father, a book publisher. So books and knowledge were all around me. There was a feeling that I could do anything, be anything if I worked and studied. I still believe that this is true. It is not always easy and there is no “self-made” person but a person can, with perseverance, creativity and education do anything.

Coping with the responsibility as Israel’s Ambassador to South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mauritius

I am Israel’s representative to those countries. Beyond the fancy title, I am really the head of Israel’s “branch office”. Think of my country as a company with 100 or so regional offices with the responsibility of telling our story, helping our citizens who are in the area, promoting trade (both import and export) and investment and ultimately, putting a face and voice for the nearly eight million citizens a tiny, successful country in a very complicated neighbourhood.

As part of Israel’s interaction with the Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee (“The Mitchell Committee”), which examined reasons for the start of violence in the region beginning in the autumn of 2000, what were your roles and how were you able to effectively carry it out?

I studied law at Israel’s Hebrew University and became a lawyer but quickly thought that I did not want to practice law so I joined Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to become a diplomat. But after my first two foreign postings (India and the United States), when I returned to Israel, I was asked to join the Legal department. In the summer of 2000, there was a famous peace conference at Camp David in the US and people thought and hoped that peace would be near and there would be need for many lawyers to take part in the negotiations. Unfortunately, the talks broke down when an Israeli offer was rejected by then Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. When violence started, a committee was formed to look into the reasons and encourage the sides back to dialogue. I was tasked to be on Israel’s team to use both my legal and diplomatic experience to tell Israel’s story. As it turns out, it was very interesting and I realized that I enjoyed the meeting place between law and diplomacy.

What is the Israel South Africa Water Week about?

Africa in general and South Africa in particular are currently suffering from an awful drought. There are real concerns about food security and water management looking forward. Israel, as a very arid country, since the time of the Bible, has faced these challenges very successfully. So, together with my partners at the Israel Embassy, we decided that in 2016, we would redirect our National Day reception budget and instead have three water technology seminars, in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

According to figures published by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, Israeli exports to Azerbaijan grew by nearly 5000 percent during your tenure as ambassador. How did you achieve this?

Well, it wasn’t just me, of course. When I became Ambassador of Israel to Azerbaijan in 2005, there was very little trade between the two countries. But with the opening, in 2006, of an oil pipeline from the Caspian Sea via Georgia and Turkey to the Mediterranean Sea, the quick growth of trade became possible. Israel shares with our friends our agriculture, hi-tech and innovation experience and we bought a lot of the Azeri oil that was now quite near our shore. And since then the relationship has kept growing!

ARTHUR LENK

How are you promoting trade and development between Israel and other African countries?

Israel has 11 Embassies across Africa. In all of them we work to develop trade partner with our neighbours in Africa. We host events like #IsraelSAWater week or participate in regional trade events in a wide variety of areas like education technology, agriculture, cyber security or telecommunications, all areas where Israel has a competitive advantage with products and innovations that we think have a potential to help people in Africa. We also invite companies and individuals from Africa to visit similar events in Israel to see and learn firsthand about how cooperation and partnerships can grow.

Israel is considered the most advanced country in Southwest Asia and the Middle East in economic and industrial development, how have they been able to maintain this?

Lots of people call Israel the “Start-up Nation” and we have more start-up companies than countries with much larger populations. People have put a number of reasons forward. One is that because of our size, anyone with a good idea is not focused on the small local market but thinks globally. Another is that everyone in Israel – boys and girls – spends a significant time in our military after graduating high school. These young people get leadership and decision making experience, often using advanced technologies. They come out of the army at age 21-22 believing that they can do anything. A third reason is we don’t have a choice. We live in a very, very complex and too-often violent neighbourhood. So our choice is to innovate and succeed or be crushed. That feeling of having your back to the wall is very strong motivator!

Israel is a leading country in the development of solar energy, a global leader in water conservation and geothermal energy. How can African countries benefit from this?

We are interested in sharing Israel’s experience in these areas with our friends across Africa. We think that the more we know each other, the more it is possible. And if Israel can succeed in these spheres, despite drought, regional conflict and other challenges, other countries can too. That is one reason that Israel’s Prime Minister is planning to visit four African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Rwanda) in early July 2016. We feel now, more than ever, that Israel and Africa have so much that we can and should do together.

What are you looking forward to achieving in your line of duty?

For the three years that I have been in South Africa, I have tried to tell more and more people about the various aspects of Israel that they might not read in the newspaper or see on TV. So I talk about water and agriculture and cyber security – all areas where Israel is a world leader and is open to cooperation and partnerships. I want to remind people across Africa that since the time of Genesis, Israel and Africa have been neighbours with shared interests and opportunities for cooperation. So Africans should know that they are welcome to visit Israel – to see and experience the unique holy sites and historical places for Jews, Christians and Muslims. And when they visit, they should look into our trade and development potential too.

When you look at Africa as a whole, what is your greatest desire?

I want more and more Africans to see us as neighbours. Israel is the only country that shares a land border with Africa. We have many shared challenges: agriculture, water, security threats that can be faced together. As Prime Minister Netanyahu recently said: “Israel is coming back to Africa and Africa is coming back to Israel!”

Nigeria’s economic challenges and the way forward

I don’t know that I can give specific advice but I do know that Israel and Nigeria have a long standing friendship and record of cooperation. Israeli companies and experts have interacted constructively across Nigeria since the 1960’s and our repeated message is that Israel knows many of the same challenges and frustrations that people in Nigeria feel. We have taken steps, many through leadership and others by companies and individual to face our most difficult problems. And if we can do it, Nigeria can too!

Greatest lesson learnt living several years as an ambassador

The greatest lesson is that people are generally friendly and interested in finding opportunities that allow everyone to “win”. In diplomacy you don’t need to defeat the other side like in a football match. If given an opportunity, or opening of a window, mutual benefit between seemingly different cultures and experiences is possible and rewarding. I am one of the luckiest people I know as I have a job that offers me the chance to spend time in different cultures and find ways to connect them to my country be it in places as different as India, the United States, Azerbaijan and South Africa. In all of these wonderful places, there are things that meaningfully connect to Israel, for the mutual benefit of everyone.

KEMI AJUMOBI