Gaddafi as a Personification of Innovation

Last week, I opened one of our national dailies here in Nigeria and was shocked to see an advertorial on the first year remembrance of the Late Isaac Durojaiye, popularly known as Otunba Gaddafi. Two things were responsible for the shock. First, that Otunba Gaddafi was dead at a young age. Second and more shocking was the fact that he had been dead for over a year and I did not know. I pride myself as someone who is aware of what is going on around me, so I was utterly astonished to discover that one of Nigeria’s finest died and I did not know about it for one year. I tried to think about what might have been responsible for my unawareness and I came to the conclusion that my penchant for reading newspapers has reduced.

Today, I am dedicating this write up to the memory of a trailblazer, an innovator, a risk taker, an entrepreneur and a philanthropist; a man who changed the face of business in Nigeria; a man who brought dignity to the otherwise demeaning sanitary business in Nigeria.

Isaac Durojaiye a.k.a. Otunba Gadaffi attended Accra Polytechnic in Ghana briefly before proceeding to United Kingdom where he graduated in Graphic Design and Business Administration from Eastern College of Technology. After his education, he was involved in providing security for private individuals and government in the UK. He later worked for American Express Cards, UK Security Division as a credit card fraud investigator. At a point, he decided to come back to Nigeria but survival was difficult for him. He had to sell his personal effects like his car stereo to be able to feed. His situation led him to think of relocating to the UK but he was persuaded by his friends to stay back.

He later got a job as Chief Security Officer to the Late Chief M.K.O. Abiola. His defining moment came in 1991 during the planning of Kola Abiola’s (Chief Abiola’s son) wedding. Being in charge of security, he discovered that there were only two toilets available for the expected 10,000 guests. He brought this to the attention of the planning committee and was mandated to look for a mobile toilet company but there was none in existence at the time. He decided to solve the problem by constructing some units. So with three containers, he constructed 18 toilets, 6 toilets in each container. This led him to start the business of mobile toilets but for four years not a single order came for his mobile toilet. 

His break came in 1996 and since then it has been a different story. In 1999, on a trip abroad for an Interpol conference, he saw some plastic mobile toilets, took interest and later imported 40 of them. He later decided to start manufacturing the toilets. Dignified Mobile Toilet (DMT) – Otunba Gaddafi’s corporate outfit- has manufactured over 3000 mobile toilets of international standard and many of the toilets were purchased by users from outside Nigeria. Today DMT Toilets are being used as official toilets in some states. The company now has over 19 branches in Nigeria and 7 branches in the West African sub-region.

During the 8th All African Games, held in Abuja, Nigeria in 2003, DMT was contracted to provide toilet facilities during the 8th All African Games, COJA, in Abuja. The company supplied and managed over 300 mobile toilets. Also during the commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, CHOGM, hosted by Nigeria in 2003, DMT provided and managed over 100 toilets. DMT has now become synonymous with public toilets in Nigeria. A state in Nigeria has provided ten acres of land for DMT to locate a plant where human waste will be processed into fertiliser and to generate biogas. (Source: Financial Freedom Inspiration).

Otunba Gaddafi’s life taught many Nigerians to see opportunity in challenges instead of complaining about them. His life demonstrated what we can achieve great things if we refuse to give up in the face of disappointment. His experiences have shown us that we must make our demand from life or else we will be forced to take from life anything life offers us. His story never fails to inspire me and other young Nigerians. His short earthly sojourn was packed with so many glorious achievements. Otunba Gaddafi also proved that there is indeed dignity in honest labour. I have learnt that I am the one that will bring respect and honour to whatever it is I am doing.

Thank you, Otunba Gaddafi for living a life of impact.

Cassidy Hooper: The girl who was born without eyes and nose

Some weeks ago I wrote about Jessica Cox, the first licensed armless pilot and first armless black belt. Very recently I came across the story of Cassidy Hooper, a girl born without eyes and nose and I felt compelled to share it through this medium because she is an inspiration to me. As often as I come across inspirational stories, I will endeavour to share them via this medium. This is the story of Cassidy Hooper:

Cassidy Hooper, 16, of North Carolina was born with a rare and unexplained birth defect. Doctors can’t explain why Cassidy was born without eyes or a nose. Apart from this defect, she is otherwise healthy. Hers is a rare birth defect that likely occurred during the first two weeks of gestation. As a child, Cassidy was fitted with prosthetic eyes but the family has not been able to afford to replace the $5000-a-piece eyes as she outgrew them. She currently attends The Governor Morehead School in Raleigh, North Carolina, a residential K-12 school for the blind. There is no challenge that is too big for her: She runs on the track team and recently qualified for a scholarship to the Charlotte Curling Club. Despite her physical challenges, she hopes to pursue a career in radio broadcasting. Nothing has been able to withstand Cassidy's optimism and ambition. "Things always may be hard," Cassidy says, "but here's what I think: I don't need easy, I just need possible." 

Cassidy has been undergoing facial reconstruction surgeries since she was 11 years old and she is preparing to have reconstructive surgery that will allow her to smell and breathe through nostrils for the first time. The high school student is set to have three final surgeries in the next few weeks to give her her own nose. She is anxious and excited to get a nose. "I'll have a real nose like everyone else's," she says. She is the kind of person who lets you understand that your problems are nothing compared to the challenges you could be facing. Despite not having eyes and a nose like everyone else, she is determined to live her dream. Her mom says she is outgoing, affable, loves to talk and self-confident.

I don’t know what else to add to this story because if you are not inspired by it, I don’t think I will be able to do a very good of inspiring you. If a girl without a nose and eyes is not undaunted in the pursuit of her dream, then what about you? If a girl with such physical challenges has chosen to be upbeat about life, then what excuse do you have to be discouraged, frustrated or negative about life?

Quail Eggs: How Much Do You Know about these Wonder Eggs?

Late last year, on a visit to my parent’s home, I saw my dad carrying some funny looking objects in a container and I asked him what they were. He told me they were quail eggs. I probed further, asking what he wanted to do with them. He said they were meant to be eaten. I asked him why. He replied by saying quail eggs have medicinal properties, so they are good for one’s health. That was the first time I was seeing quail eggs or even hearing about their health benefits.

After that episode, I forgot about quail eggs and their acclaimed health benefits. But since early this year, my attention has shifted to quail eggs. This is due to a number of factors. First, a very dear person had a challenge with her health and she was asked to eat quail eggs. This dear person has been talking highly about the benefits of the eggs. Second, my landlady has just started the business of rearing quails and selling quail eggs. My boss is also about starting the business. In fact, it seems people are just waking up to this business in this part of the world.

Why is quail business now receiving huge attention? Why are quail eggs being sold at higher prices than chicken eggs (at least in Nigeria)? What is so special about quails or their eggs? Are these eggs really the wonder eggs they are called? I carried out an online search on quail eggs and the following are some of the things I came up with.

Quail eggs are… a very valuable source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12 and vitamin D, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, phosphorus and other essential micro-nutrients, minerals and amino acids, which is why they are recommended for regular consumption. To eat quail eggs as part of a healthy diet it is recommended to consume them raw. Obviously no one is suggesting that quail eggs are any kind of a wonder-medicine and will cure serious illnesses like cancer or similar, but their positive effect on human body has been proven.

Quail eggs are considered to be one of the best known natural treatment products. Chinese medical practitioners have been using quail eggs as a treatment for hundreds of years with brilliant results. As quail eggs are slowly becoming an easy to get product on the market more and more people are beginning to show interest in their use as an active natural medicine instead of the chemical products with so many side effects.

As an alkaline forming product, quail eggs have been prescribed as a dietary remedy against tract disorders such as gastritis and ulcers. Along with its enriched source of antioxidants, magnesium, Vitamin B6 and potassium, the quail egg can remove stones formed in the kidneys, liver and gall bladder. They also have the nutrients and properties to help give you the needed energy, resistance from illness, and faster recovery following surgery or from chemotherapy effects and other cancer treatments. Finally, as a low carb, low calorie food, quail eggs are ideal as a non-invasive approach to heart conditions and diabetes treatment. Finally, as a 100% natural source of iron, Vitamin A & B12, quail eggs can greatly benefit those suffering from anemia. 

It is no wonder that quail eggs are a common staple in Asian diets. As an enriched source of cholineand omega-3 fatty acids, nutritionists recognize the benefits of quail eggs in promoting good memory, enhancing brain activity and regulating the nervous system. Body builders recognize the advantages of quail eggs over chicken eggs as a high protein food without... carbohydrates. Now add its phosphorus and Vitamin B, D & E for testosterone, and men have a 100% natural aphrodisiac that does not compromise weight maintenance.

Another important quail egg fact is that quail eggs have not been shown to cause allergies or diathesis. They can actually help to fight allergy symptoms due to the ovomucoid protein they contain.

Having read the foregoing, hope you are now fascinated by these wonder eggs. All I have tried to do is to tickle your fancy so that you can go ahead and find out more about quail eggs and their benefits. Ciao!

Super Stars and Super Flaws

Just recently, it was Lance Armstrong and currently it is Oscar Pistorius. Why are superstars falling from grace to grass? Pistorius’ case is still in court so, it is subjudice, using the legal parlance and due to this one cannot make any conclusive statement on it, at least not in public. The sports world was shaken earlier this year when Armstrong admitted that he had been using drugs for a very long time despite repeated denials. He admitted he used performance-enhancing drugs during all seven of his Tour de France wins. During his confession, which he made to Oprah Winfrey, one of America’s top show hosts, he said, "I view this situation as one big lie I repeated a lot of times. I made those decisions, they were my mistake and I'm here to say sorry."

One question that probably has been running through the minds of sports followers/lovers is why our revered sports heroes fall from their place of exaltation to great depths of ignominy. Why do people we have come to admire and hero worship turn out to be pretenders, hypocrites and at times criminals or lawbreakers? These individuals were once stars who were famous because of their dazzling sports career but due to crucial errors in judgment and sometimes, persistent ill habits, their names and careers have been tarnished. Check this short list:

Tiger Woods: Top golfer and former champion Tiger Woods was charged with infidelity and extra-marital affair. The scandal cost him his marriage and sponsors. It is believed he had extra-marital affairs with as many as 17 women. Woods accepted that he was a sex-addict and was admitted to re-hab. Only recently has he managed to get a few sponsors back though his form remains shaky on the golf course.

Mike Tyson: A former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion who had the record of knocking down his opponent in the first 91 seconds of the fight. He was arrested for rape and was later sentenced to six years in prison followed by four years of probation. Apart from rape, he has been embroiled in different controversies but his most remembered controversy was when he bit both ears off Evander Holyfield during a match.

Ben Johnson:  Johnson tested positive for performance enhancing drugs after winning the 100 metres sprint at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and was forced to give up his medal. He later admitted to having used the banned substance the previous year at the World Championship and was stripped of that title as well. He attempted to stage a return but failed another test and was banned for life.

Marion Jones finished with three gold medals and two bronze at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, a feat that had never been done. But Jones was stripped of her medals after she admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. After the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Jones was accused of taking steroids by her ex-husband, among others. Tests proved nothing but Jones confessed to lying to federal agents about her drug use. She returned the five medals she had won and was also handed a six month prison sentence. She had been accused of using illicit substances from her school days. As if that was not enough, she was also accused of being part of a check-counterfeiting scheme linked to her former coach, Steve Riddick, her sports agent Charles Wells, and her ex-boyfriend, Tim Montgomery.

The stories related above are sad because the characters involved were, at one time, on top of the world but came crashing down and even out of our consciousness. What must have caused this? Simply put, lack of character. All of these sport stars either lacked character or lost their character at a point. They got to the top but could not stay at the top. At different times and for a, I have heard that ability/talent can take you to the top but character will keep you there. This is indeed true of the characters in the aforementioned stories and many other celebrated personalities who have been disgraced. The absence of character has caused many to fall from grace to grass in all spheres of life. The list is endless.

So what is character? Character is much more than just what we try to display for others to see, it is who we are even when no one is watching. Good character is doing the right thing because it is right to do what is right. People without character live hypocritical lives. The personality they present to people is different from what they are in their closet. And eventually their secrets are exposed bringing them great opprobrium. There is a saying in Yoruba land, where I come from, that character is like smoke and that no matter how hard one tries to hide it, it will eventually be detected

From these stories, I have again learned that character is essential and must be maintained at all times. While we all have our weaknesses, we must ensure to deal with them. Why? The weakness we don’t deal with will deal with us. The vice that we don’t overcome will overcome us and may disgrace us. If we must stay at the top, we must maintain good character.

P.S: I pray that justice will be rightly dispensed in the Oscar Pistorius’ case.

Jessica Cox: The Pilot Who Has No Arms

Jessica Cox was born 1983 in Sierra Vista, Arizona, United States without arms, and today, she flies airplanes, drives cars and lives a normal life using her feet the way others use their hands. Jessica is the world's first licensed armless pilot, as well as the first armless black-belt in the American Taekwondo Association (ATA). She is also an inspirational speaker who travels around the world using her own life as an example of what you can achieve if you want it badly enough.

As a child, Jessica studied dance in her home town. At the age of 14, Jessica earned her first black belt in the International Taekwondo Federation. She attended the University of Arizona where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. During college, Jessica found a club of the American Taekwondo Association and resumed training in the sport. The instructors created a curriculum that would be accessible to any future armless students. Jessica then became the first armless person to earn a black belt in the ATA (she now has two black belts in Taekwondo). Her most famous accomplishment has been learning how to fly. After three years of training, she earned her pilot's license on October 10, 2008. She holds the Guinness World Record for being the first person certified to fly an airplane with only their feet. She is able to type on a keyboard (25 words per minute), to pump her own gas, insert and remove her contact lenses, apply make-up using only her feet and she is also a certified SCUBA diver. In 2012, she married Patrick, her former Taekwondo instructor. During their wedding, rather than presenting Jessica with a ring, her husband wrapped an anklet around her left ankle and during the cutting of the wedding cake, she used her feet.

Jessica, whose slogan is ‘motivating people to think outside the shoe’, believes in combining creativity, desire, persistence and fearlessness and that with them, nothing is impossible. She is such a huge inspiration to me. And again, she has demonstrated to me that none of us has any excuse to be less than what we can be in life. According to one of her admirers, she proves to everyone that everything is possible and that you can do what you dream of. I hope that after reading this story, you will be inspired to surmount every challenge and overcome any difficulty on your way in life. I end this piece with the following questions on Jessica’s website: Are you letting fears stand in the way of your opportunities? Is it easier to come up with an excuse than a creative solution to a challenge? What handicaps do you and others harbor that you do not need? How soon should you give up when confronted with a difficult challenge?

Deadlier Than HIV: Hepatitis

The First Service in my church on Sunday is tagged “Empowerment Service’, where issues like entrepreneurship, academics, health, wealth, purpose, etc, are addressed. Last Sunday’s Empowerment Service was on health and it was a revealing and enlightening experience for most of us who were present at the service. The speaker at the programme, a medical doctor, spoke on the deadliness of Hepatitis infection and its prevalence in Nigeria. So, I am using this platform to present some of the things I gleaned from the talk.
A staggering revelation the speaker made was that Hepatitis infection is deadlier than HIV and costlier to manage. Hepatitis B, he told us, is incurable while Hepatitis C can be treated but can you imagine spending 30,000 naira per week on treatment for 48 consecutive weeks? That should be around 200 dollars per week. Please try to calculate what that amounts to. How many people in Nigeria can afford such a treatment? It is however surprising to know that vaccination for this disease is not supposed to be more than 1000 naira (that should be around 7 dollars) and I want to hazard a guess that many people are not aware of this. What is painful about this disease is the fact it is prevalent in Nigeria and many people are ignorant about it. How many Nigerians have died from Hepatitis infection with the death attributed to something else? How many Nigerian are carrying the virus around now? We may not know. I believe that our society should embark on an aggressive drive to sensitise and vaccinate people against this deadly disease.

The Hepatitis infection is an inflammation affecting the liver. It can be contagious or non-contagious. It can also be fulminant. I looked up ‘fulminant’ in the dictionary and I got these meanings: coming on suddenly and with great severity; (of a disease or symptom) severe and sudden in onset. This means Hepatitis infection can come upon one suddenly with very severe effects. Some cases of Hepatitis infection may give you signs, some may not. There are different types of Hepatitis: A, B, C, D and E. Some of the symptoms of Hepatitis infection are: passage of dark urine, yellowing of the eyes (jaundice), abdominal discomfort on the right side, weight loss, easy bruising, bleeding tendencies, swelling, and it can be contacted through blood transfusion, sex, seminal fluids, etc.
My advice to you is to go for Hepatitis test, if you have done that. And if you test negative, please go for vaccination against this disease. If you test positive, please seek medical advice immediately. I have done the test and I have been vaccinated.

The Man who shocked Nigerians

Stephen Okechukwu Keshi became only the second person to win the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and a coach. He achieved this feat by leading Nigeria’s Super Eagles to victory at the just concluded Orange Africa Cup of Nations which took place in South Africa. The only other person to have achieved the feat is Egypt's Mahmoud El-Gohary. Keshi, who had his coaching education in the United States, was the head coach of the Nigeria national under-20 football team at the 2001 African Youth Championship which also served as qualification for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship but did not any record success.

Between 2004 and 2006 Keshi coached the Togo national football team and qualified them, against all expectations, for the FIFA World Cup in Germany in 2006 but was unable to lead the team to the World Cup having been relieved of his position and replaced by German coach, Otto Pfister after Togo failed to advance to the knock-out stage in the 2006 African Cup of Nations in Egypt. Pfister did not last long in the position. He too was asked to go after an unsuccessful World Cup campaign and Keshi became the Manager of the Togo national football. Keshi was later appointed manager of the Mali national football team in April 2008 on a two-year deal and was sacked in January 2010, after Mali's early exit in the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Keshi became coach of the Super Eagles in 2011. He qualified Nigeria for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and shocked Nigerians by leading the Super Eagles to victory at the tournament. He shocked Nigerians again when handed in his resignation a day after leading Nigeria to clinch a trophy that had eluded the nation for 19 years but rescinded his decision the day after. According to reports, it took the intervention of the nation’s sports minister to make Keshi withdraw his resignation. His employers, the NFF, we learnt also begged him to change his mind.

My initial reaction to Keshi’s decision to quit his position as coach of Super Eagles was that of disgust but after some reflection and after seeing his reasons for resigning, I felt he might have been justified. He claimed the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) did not put faith in him and also accused them of undue interference.

Keshi’s story, for me, has some lessons to teach every one of us. This is a man who many Nigerians, including myself, never gave a chance to lead his team beyond the quarter-final of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations but he surprised all of us. He was probably the only one who believed the team could record some achievements. He kept faith in his team and he was rewarded. And at the moment Stephen Okechukwu Keshi is the toast of all Nigerians. The person who was being threatened with sack is now being begged not to leave the same job over which he was being threatened before.

Keshi’s story has again reinforced the importance of self-belief if anybody wants to achieve anything worthwhile in life. Oppositions will come. Threats may be issued. Discouragement will stare one in the face. Frustration may set in. But one thing will keep one going and that is self-belief. Self-belief has been defined as confidence or trust in your own abilities or judgment that you will succeed in an endeavour and that is what Keshi has demonstrated since he took over as coach of the Super Eagles. He believed that his decision (judgment) to drop some players from the team and include some players, especially home-based players was, a good one and that he had the ability to build a good team. If the truth must be told, his decision has paid off. The following quote sums up what I have been trying to say, “The only person who can pull me down is myself and I'm not going to let myself pull me down anymore.”

Another interesting thing about the Keshi story is the fact that he is being begged not to leave his position. This tells me something. When a person records success in life, he gets to a level where he dictates the terms and conditions under which he will function. He finds himself in the driver’s seat and is able to make his demands on life and from people.

It was these realisations that made me change my initial reaction to Keshi’s decision to resign even if my reaction does not in any way affect the Big Boss.