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Thinking begets Creativity, by Olurotimi Odejayi

Olurotimi Odejayi

To be creative requires having a clear mind for thinking as well as for receiving inspiration. This however demands that you have prior skill in a particular field of endeavour and be familiar with the kernel of this field of endeavour. This is preferably what you have been practicing on a daily basis. This daily practice gives you an insight into how you can go about doing things in your own unique way. The next thing is for you to ponder. By this, I mean you think deeply so as to be inspired. This must be a specialized kind of thinking that I call “out of the box” thinking, which should eventually produce a newest distinct concept or idea.

“Out of the Box” Thinking!

The phrase “out of the box” is an expression that describes non-conformal creative thinking. The term is used as an adverb to describe the thinking or as an adjective to describe the ideas. It requires openness to new ways of seeing the world and a willingness to explore new ways going forward. Out of the box thinkers know that new ideas demand inner introspection and pondering. They stay put on this pondering status until a new way to doing things eventually come up. This further needs nurturing and support; they also know that having idea is good but Continue reading “Thinking begets Creativity, by Olurotimi Odejayi”

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Madison Robinson, the 16-Year-Old Founder of FishFlops

Madison Robinson’s story is the type of story I like to spread. Such stories inspire others and can galvanise us to action. She is only fifteen years old but she owns her own flourishing business. She is also a philanthropist.

She has created a flip-flop business which she calls FishFlops. Maddies’ FishFlops are beautiful flip-flops, which demonstrate her love of ocean animals and beach. A news article reveals that more than 30 stores placed orders the first time the flip flops were exhibited at a trade show and that so far, no store has rejected them when they have been approached to sell them.

Maddies’ parents and friends have been her major source of encouragement. She disclosed this in an interview: “When I was 8 years old I was drawing and coloring and looked over at my many pair of flip-flops in my room. I thought I would draw some of my favorite ocean creatures on an outline of a flip-flop. I decided to call them FishFlops® and I showed my dad. He was so excited… my family and friends thought the FishFlops® were really neat and they said they would buy them. My family and friends encouraged me to keep on creating.” Continue reading “Madison Robinson, the 16-Year-Old Founder of FishFlops”

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7 LESSONS OF LIFE FROM MY SON’S VISIT TO THE DENTIST, by Isaac Oluyi

Isaac Oluyi

In my almost 4 decades on the surface of the earth, I have never visited a dentist! I am sure most of you may be surprised. My path and that of a dentist have never crossed. As a child I had a lot of issues with my teeth stemming from eating of sweet things. It was an excruciatingly painful experience, yet I did not have the luxury of being attended to by a dentist. It was not because I did not want to see a dentist, but for paucity of financial resources. My barely educated, but resourceful late mother (the one I fondly call my ‘rich teacher’) came up with options so that I would not lose any of my teeth. She gave me ‘orin ata’ (literally translated as pepper chewing stick) each time I complained of toothache. And it worked like talisman of India, as I never lost any of my teeth. As effective as ‘orin ata’ was for my case, can I offer the same to my children in this 21st Century, when we are more westernised than the westerners themselves? The answer is obviously ‘no’!

That what worked for me is no longer fashionable now played out when my first son complained of toothache. I could not give him orin ata as he would have bombarded me with litany of questions. So, I opted for the option of a dentist since I can afford it. Hence, my first visit to the dentist. At least, when you are in Rome you behave like the Romans. The kernel of this piece is not the visit, but the lessons of life I learnt from the experience. Continue reading “7 LESSONS OF LIFE FROM MY SON’S VISIT TO THE DENTIST, by Isaac Oluyi”

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A Tale of Three Teachers, by Isaac Oluyi

by Isaac Oluyi

In my over 3 decades of existence on the surface of the earth I have had the opportunity to interact with three different teachers. I have been impacted one way or the other by all of them. My experience in life has made me to tag two of them as ‘rich teachers’, while the other one a ‘poor teacher’.

In 1984 I lost my father to the icy hands of death. He died at a tender age! Despite the fact that he died young, he achieved so much. He actually became a director in one of the Agencies of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at 38. This is not a mean feat! I work 9-5 with an Agency of government today and I know it is not easy. My father was the breadwinner of the family. He was our all-in-all. When death called, events in our family took a downward trend. My mother was a petty trader with just a First Leaving School Certificate! Things got so bad that we could hardly have a meal per day. Despite the downturn, she did not give in. The situation brought out the best in her.

One event that qualifies her as one of my rich teachers happened in December, 1984. During the festive period, everybody was preparing for how to make the period a memorable one. People were buying new clothes, chickens, goats, rice and all sorts of things. We became crestfallen and dejected because we knew nothing of such would happen in our homestead. But my mother shocked my siblings and me. She invited a tailor to our house to come and take our measurements. At first, we thought she wanted to do ‘April Fool’ for us, but this was December. We reluctantly allowed the tailor to take our measurements. After the tailor left, we enquired for where and how our mother got the money to buy a new cloth. She further amazed us with her response “I took out some of my old wrappers and loosened them.” From this singular event, she taught me to always turn problems into opportunities. Instead of brooding over any situation, she taught to think out of the box and make the best of the situation. With the simple solution she proffered to a hitherto big challenge in our eyes, we had a swell time at Christmas as we wore something ‘new’. My mother was a rich teacher; she taught me by example. She introduced me to “Problem-Solving 101”. Continue reading “A Tale of Three Teachers, by Isaac Oluyi”

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Stealing Is Not Corruption: Why Nigeria Is a Case Study in Absurdity (Part Two)

 By Darasimi Oshodi

In my last post, I started giving reasons why I think Nigeria is a case study in absurdity. The first reason I gave was the way our politicians change parties without caution. They even seem to get a kick out of their actions. I cited the examples of Nuhu Ribadu, Atiku Abubakar, Femi Fani-Kayode, Rotimi Amaechi and many others. I mentioned the governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko and likened him to Nicolas Anelka due to the way he has been hopping from one party to another. And to justify this name I gave him, the governor last week decamped again. He has returned to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In a related development, former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye has revealed he is also returning to PDP. With the rate at which defections are taking place now in Nigeria, it seems the political transfer window is now open and the political clubs with the biggest offers are likely to sign on new players for the 2015 political season. Didn’t our president go for medicals in Germany recently? I am not insinuating that he wants to transfer to another political club but maybe his current club wants to be sure of his fitness in order to avoid a very costly mistake it made some seasons, sorry, years, ago when it fielded an obviously physically unfit person as its presidential candidate.

In this post I will be exemplifying another phenomenon which makes our country a case study in absurdity. A senior friend had suggested that instead of ‘absurdity’ in the title of the last post I should have used ‘wrong norm’. His argument was that I can only call a situation ‘absurd’ if I can provide counterfactual evidences. He posited that what we have in Nigeria is the acceptance of wrong norms. That is, we have come to acknowledge the wrong norms as right. So anyone who attempts to observe the right norms will be seen as the abnormal person. But I am sticking to ‘absurd’ in the title of this post because it’s a continuation of the last post. So my second reason for saying Nigeria is a case study in absurdity is because in Nigeria we celebrate questionable characters, corruption and criminality. I present below instances to substantiate my assertion. Continue reading “Stealing Is Not Corruption: Why Nigeria Is a Case Study in Absurdity (Part Two)”

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Like Nuhu Ribadu Like Christiano Ronaldo: Why Nigeria Is a Case Study in Absurdity (Part One)

By Darasimi Oshodi

Could it have ever occurred to Hillary Clinton to defect from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party when she lost her presidential bid to Barack Obama? I am almost certain it couldn’t because theirs is a rational society where decisions are taken based on principles. So, former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, recently defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party that emerged from the merger among some political parties including the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) which fielded him as its presidential candidate in the last presidential election in Nigeria and some Nigerians are still reacting to his action. While the legality of Ribadu’s action is not in question, I am not totally sure about the morality.

When a senior colleague asked me what my take on the defection was, I told him I had come to a point where I didn’t allow anything to surprise me about Nigeria’s politics. Yes, I don’t allow anything to surprise me again in this nation just like I cannot be surprised by developments in the football transfer market. The day David Beckham left Manchester United – despite the circumstances that surrounded his exit – was the day I ceased to allow myself to be surprised by football transfers. So as a fan of Arsenal FC, I was not surprised when the legendary Thierry Henry left Arsenal for FC Barcelona or when the hugely talented Cesc Fabregas left the club, also for Barcelona. But I must confess that though I still have huge respects for Henry, it is not the same about Fabregas. I still admire Cesc though because of his undeniable talent but within me, I am wishing that he does not ‘click’ at Chelsea FC. Continue reading “Like Nuhu Ribadu Like Christiano Ronaldo: Why Nigeria Is a Case Study in Absurdity (Part One)”

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21 Reasons Why the Government Must #BringBackOurGirls Now! by Darasimi Oshodi

Darasimi Oshodi

BringbackourgirlsFour over months now, more than a hundred schoolgirls have been abducted from a school in Chibok, Borno State and there are no signs of them returning anytime soon. Some parents of the girls have died, with other apparently going through untold pains but the government seems to be at a loss as to how to secure the freedom of the innocent girls. What the girls are going through in captivity is best imagined. The deprivations they must be experiencing and the reality of being forcefully separated from their loved ones must be overwhelming for the girls and this is the reason I am giving 21 reasons why the government must #BringBackOurGirls NOW:

  1. It is long overdue.
  2. The girls have done nothing wrong by going to school.
  3. The girls’ morale would have been totally destroyed
  4. The girls may become brainwashed and dangerous to the society.
  5. The temptation to abuse or rape the girls by the abductors increases every day.
  6. It will show that the government still places some value on human lives.
  7. It will demonstrate that the government is still in charge of every part of Nigeria.
  8. The parents of these girls have been through serious emotional turmoil and psychological stress.
  10. The parents of the girls (and even the girls) can enjoy sound sleep.
  11. Girls in the northern part of Nigeria will not be afraid to go to school.
  12. Failure to secure their release will have negative consequences for the Peoples Democratic Party.
  13. It will save the president’s face a little in the forthcoming presidential election.
  14. It will send a strong signal to Boko Haram that they can’t get away with abductions.
  15. Everyone who has been involved in the agitation for the release of the girls will be able to divert their time and energy to thinking about ways to move our country forward.
  16. It will restore our pride before the international community.
  17. Government will stop spending money on efforts geared towards securing the release of the girls.
  18. Malala’s visit to Nigeria would have been a success.
  19. The First Lady’s tears would not be in vain.
  20. The president and his wife will no longer be bound by their promise not to sleep until the girls are found.
  21. Government spokespersons will have no reasons to misinform Nigerians about the girls’ situation.
  22. Law enforcement officers will no longer have a crisis of conscience since they will no longer be asked to arrest innocent #BringBackOurGirls campaigners.

Continue reading “21 Reasons Why the Government Must #BringBackOurGirls Now! by Darasimi Oshodi”

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Random Musings about Nigeria and Nigerians – Darasimi Oshodi

By Darasimi Oshodi

hardworking nigeriansThis piece is an attempt to write down some of my thoughts on some things I have noticed in my environment. The two sections are from two different trains of thought and that is why I have demarcated them. Enjoy the read.

I have come to the categorical conclusion that Nigerians are hard-working. We are industrious. We want to make honest living. We want to work for our money. Our youths are not the lazy type some adults have been portraying them to be. Anytime I see people hawking, especially in traffic, I usually shake my head and mutter to myself: Nigerians are hardworking. Or how do you explain the actions of men and women, boys and girls who run after vehicles, risking their lives or limbs just to make end meet? Have you noticed that some of them hawk only foams and nothing more? Foams, yes. Foams cut neatly for domestic use. How do you explain what makes a person trek long distances with a heavy load on their head, back or shoulder just to eke out a living? Have you seen old men (and women) with bent back going to or coming back from their farms? Have you seen pregnant women sweating under a sweltering sun just to fend for themselves and their families? To me, all these are demonstrations of Nigerians’ willingness to do something that will bring money into their pockets instead of resorting to crime or begging.

But I usually wonder at how they are able to sustain themselves from their earnings. How much will selling foams only fetch the seller? How much? Yet, you see these people outside everyday going about their businesses. Who then says Nigerians are lazy? I dare say that the number of those people who are ready to sweat for their money is more than those of people who are involved in crimes like cyber fraud, armed robbery, etc. My country men are honest. They are industrious. We are not loafers or idlers. We are a diligent, productive and energetic set of people who expect the government to do its part by providing basic amenities like constant electricity, potable water, good roads, security and so on for us so that we can enjoy our beautiful nation. We expect the government to give our children good schools, support our farmers, encourage SMEs and do all the other things responsible governments do for their citizens. When this will be? When will our government become responsive to our needs? The truth is that I do not know. Continue reading “Random Musings about Nigeria and Nigerians – Darasimi Oshodi”