Japheth Omojuwa and Malala Yousafzai: Going Strong in the Face of Danger

This write-up is about two persons I have come to respect for their conviction and fearlessness in the pursuit of their dreams. They have not allowed the fear that stops many of us from effecting the change that we desire in our society from stopping them. Thus this piece is dedicated to two very influential young persons, Japheth Omojuwa and Malala Yousafzai, for living their dreams and for inspiring the rest of us to stand up for positive change.

“I had two options…Not to speak and die, or to speak and then die. I chose the second one.” This is the philosophy behind Malala Yousafzai’s human rights campaign. Born in 1997 in Pakistan, this education and women’s rights activist was almost killed in an assassination attempt in 2012. She began blogging for BBC News at age 12 under a pseudonym. She wrote about her daily activities under Taliban rule and her views on education for girls. Her profile rose when she started appearing on television to publicly advocate for female education and as she became more popular, she started receiving death threats. In fact, death threats against her were published in newspapers. In 2012, a Taliban gunman boarded Malala’s school bus in northwestern Pakistan, shot her and two other girls in an attempt to kill her. The bullet went through her head and neck but she survived and had to undergo reconstructive operation in the United Kingdom. The Taliban wanted to punish her for having the courage to stand up for education, freedom and self-determination, particularly for girls and women and they have threatened to kill her if she returns to Pakistan.

Malala’s horrible experience has not stopped her from pursuing her campaign. Listen to her, “They thought that the bullets would silence us, but they failed…I am the same Malala, my ambitions are the same, my hopes are the same and my dreams are the same.” A global campaign in Malala’s name, spearheaded by the United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, a former prime minister of Britain, has now been launched.

In 2013, Time Magazine named her among one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She was also  nominated for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.

Japheth Omojuwa has become a beacon of hope and change for many Nigerians and this is why most of us are eager to hear his views on events in the country, especially socio-political event. “I love meeting people, I love to solve problems and I live life like I’m going to die.” This is the mindset that keeps Omojuwa going in the face of challenges.  He is arguably the most consistent, most ardent and loudest critic of mis-governance and maladministration in Nigeria. He has become the symbol of the change Nigeria desperately needs and also provides platforms for Nigerians to express their views on happenings in the country. Though he comes across as altruistic and truly passionate about justice and good governance in Nigeria, some people are still skeptical of his motives. The reason for their skepticism is obvious: they have seen individuals, who were once vociferous critics of government turn 360 degrees to join the system they were denouncing only some few months back. But some of us are of the view that as of now, he has not given us any reason to doubt his intentions, and until he does that, he will continue to receive our support and encouragement.

Omojuwa, who possesses the ability to transmit his passion, galvanise and inspire others to action, was arrested recently when he led some people to protest the stampede which happened during the National Immigration Service recruitment exercise. But he has refused to be deterred, promising more protests and launching missiles at the political class almost on a daily basis. He is not daunted by the hostile attitude of the political class and security agencies to his utterances/tweets and he has stated over and over his resolve to keep campaigning for good governance and accountability.

It is worthy of note that his activities are being recognised even beyond Nigeria, as he was recently named among the 100 most influential black people on digital/social media in a list including Barack Obama, Beyonce Knowles, Oprah Winfrey, Farrah Gray, among others.

Malala’s and Omojuwa’s lives teach the rest of us to face our fears and stand up for our convictions.

PS: This is on a lighter note. It seems to me that one good way to become influential in the world today is have your life threatened because of activism. What do you think?

Follow me on twitter @Aristotle274

THIS IS THE UNBELIEVABLE STORY OF CLIFF YOUNG WHO DID THE IMPOSSIBLE AT AGE 61

I came across the story of Cliff Young and I was wowed. I just couldn’t resist the urge to share it with others. So please enjoy his story.

In 1983 when Cliff stepped to the line ready to run the Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon no one took him seriously. He didn’t look like he was ready to complete a 5K let alone the 544 mile race from Sidney to Melbourne. He was a side show clown for the media to dramatize; a satirical distraction from the real competitors who took training and racing seriously. In 1983, a man named Cliff Young showed up at the start of this race. Cliff was 61 years old and wore overalls and work boots. To everyone’s shock, Cliff wasn’t a spectator. He picked up his race number and joined the other runners. He was told that he was crazy and could not finish the race. He explained to them that he grew up on a 2,000-acre farm, with thousands of sheep. His family could afford neither horses nor tractors so, when the storms came, his job was to round up the sheep. Sometimes, he said, it would take two or three days of running. “It took a long time, but I’d always catch them. I believe I can run this race,” he said.

When the gun went off, Cliff immediately fell to the very back of the pack.  Soon even the back of the pack disappeared ahead of him. But a 61 year old toothless farmer, racing in overalls and galoshes, was still compelling television so the cameras continued to cover his journey. Calls reportedly came into the station begging for race officials to make him stop. Many spectators believed he would certainly die before he made it even half way to Melbourne. After 18 hours of running, the leaders stopped for some rest.  The conventional wisdom was that running 18 hours straight and then sleeping for 6 was the best recipe for success over this distance. The first night of the race Cliff did not sleep.

During the six hours his competitors slept, Cliff continued to run in the dark, getting closer and closer to the back of the pack. The second night saw the same strategy. As the world class ultra-marathoners rested, Cliff ran on while imagining he was back home chasing sheep on his farm. By the third night it was apparent that something extraordinary was about to happen. Could Cliff Young keep going with no sleep? He stopped only to eat and for bathroom breaks. He had passed everyone in the race and was starting to build a gigantic lead. The man, who no one took seriously at the start, was about to take the gold medal at the finish! Cliff won the race, after running non-stop and without sleep for over 5 days!  He set a new Sydney to Melbourne record and won the hearts of his country and the greater running community. The story could end here and already be an epic tale but Cliff had one more unorthodox surprise up his sleeve.  Claiming to be unaware that there was a $10,000 prize for the winner, Cliff proclaimed that the five finishers behind him deserved it more. He promptly gave each of them $2000. Cliff Young lived another 20 years before he passed away in 2003 at the age of 81. His captivating story reads like a myth, a legend, or perhaps even a fable.

What an incredible story? There are many lessons of life in this really inspirational story. One of them is that you should not allow others to write you off. Another lesson is to never give up. I think a very important lesson is also to be careful not to write others off. Cliff’s competitors would never have thought he had a chance. The story also teaches one to be magnanimous in victory. There are just too many stories one can learn from this story. Please do well to share some with me?

Cliff Young’s story was copied from http://www.runtheedge.com/2011/11/modern-day-running-fable-the-cliff-young-story/

Cobhams Asuquo and the Gift of Blindness

"It's assumed there are many things you can't do because you're blind. And so, for me I had to prove that there are many things I can do because I'm blind, and that there are many things I have done because I'm blind,"
- Cobhams Asuquo

Leading Nigerian music producer and songwriter, Cobhams Asuquo, who was born blind, is calling on all who care to listen to become blind. On a number of occasions, he has spoken about the advantages of blindness and he does not hesitate to encourage others to embrace blindness. In 2012, while talking at TEDxEuston, an event that brings people together to share their experiences, he spoke on the lessons he has learned from being blind. “I believe strongly that one of the strong elements that have fuelled my very strong sense of imagination and my ability to dream is the gift of blindness,” he said at the event.

During the talk, which he titled “The Gift of Blindness,” Cobhams mentioned three lessons that blindness has taught him: 
1. Do not excuse failure for any reason on any account.
2. Trust, even when there’s no reason to.
3. Be blind to be focused.

He related different stories to drive home his message during his inspirational speech which was well received by the audience and which was intermittently punctuated by their applause. Cobhams’ third lesson, ‘Be blind to be focused,’ is the focus of this write-up. “Sight sometimes is a distraction,” he says but he quickly adds, “Now don’t get me wrong, sight is a precious gift. But on your way to your destination, what you see can also be a big distraction from your goal. So, I have learnt that you have to be blind in order to be focused. Focus is blindness in a sense…” There is a profound truth in this statement. We all have goals and aspirations but many a time, we come across some other things that cause our focus to shift. And it can be so distressing when, later in life, we realise what we could have achieved if we had not allowed ourselves to be distracted. This is why Cobhams’ message that we should be blind to be focused is apt.

Truth be told, focusing is not an easy thing to do. It is a habit that must be learned until it becomes a second nature. I must confess that personally, I am still struggling to learn how to focus on the most important things to me, especially as they relate to my aspirations. There are distractions in our world today, with the Internet, television, mobile phones and other electronic devices that are being introduced to the market every day. What I have learned is that focusing on one thing and doing well in it will open other doors for you. There is a halo effect that comes with being focused. Focus makes you a master in whatever you do and this makes people to admire and respect you. Focus defines you. That is why if I mention Warren Buffet, what comes to mind is investing. If I mention Donald Trump, you will start thinking about real estate and if I mention Pastor E. A. Adeboye or Bishop David Oyedepo, preaching comes to mind. Focus helps you to be clear about what you intend to achieve. If you can’t maintain your focus, you won’t achieve your goal, unless it’s such an easy goal that it would have happened anyway.

Cobhams Asuquo, who has nurtured many singers in Nigeria, is thus right in encouraging us to become blind. You will agree with me that not everyone has mastered the art of focusing. Thus the blindness that comes with being focused is indeed a gift not everyone possesses but which we should strive to have. So are you ready to become blind?

Meet Bella Weems, the 17-year-old millionaire founder of Origami Owl

Bella Weems is the 17 year old girl from Chandler, Arizona, United States of America, who founded a company when she was only fourteen and today the company is worth millions of dollars. Bella’s incredible story started when she asked her parents to give her a car as her sixteenth birthday gift but was told by her parents that she had to work for the car. This prompted her to start a business with the sum of $350.00 which she had earned from babysitting, with another $350.00 given to her by her parents.

In 2010, Bella started Origami Owl, a company that makes lockets, and in 2011, the business generated $280,000 in revenue. In 2012, the company made $24 million, which was an incredible achievement. What Origami Owl does is to provide jewelry to independent associates who buy items at a discount and then sell them to customers.

Today, the company has over 60,000 independent associates who are also called designers. Bella also has in her employ, her mom, 2 uncles and an aunt who play various executive roles.

It is interesting to note that Bella has taken on the role of intern at her own enterprise. She goes to the company after school to assist, and works in every department of the company during the summer. All this is in preparation for her to take over the company when she is of age and when she finishes school. This story ends well as Bella purchased a white Jeep in 2012, which she named Alice.

Bella Weem’s story is indeed a fascinating one that contains many lessons that every one of us can learn from.

• Number one, her parents taught her to be self-dependent instead of overly depending on them. Every parent should teach their children from an early age to be self-dependent and to look for ways to solve problems. Chrissy and Warren, Bella’s parents, taught her how to fish instead of giving her fish. This way, she will get her fish by herself instead of coming to them every time she needs fish.
• Bella’s parents supported her business idea by matching the amount she had when she wanted to start the business. They didn’t shoot her idea down by saying it would not work or refusing to assist her financially. Parents should learn to encourage their children.
• We have also seen that working hard and smart pays off at the end. Bella got a better car than the one she wanted her parents to buy for her by working for herself. Instead of enjoying gratification early, she learned to delay gratification. Hear her, “… with lots of hard work, Origami Owl grew from my after school job to a multimillion dollar company.”
• Bella teaches us again by showing that our motivation should not be pecuniary-driven, though eventually, we will be financially rewarded. She reveals her motivation, “From the beginning I wanted my company to be different, I wanted it to be a force for good; to help others achieve their dreams like I achieved mine… It’s been such an incredible journey and I believe our continued success has come from our intention to make a difference in people’s lives, we never put profits before people.”

The story of Bella Weems is one that every parent and every child should hear. What a wonderful story.

Jan Koum, the former cleaner who created WhatsApp and sold it to Facebook for $19 billion.

The two founders of WhatsApp, Jan Koum and Brian Acton were turned down for jobs at Facebook but today Facebook has bought their product, WhatsApp, for 19 billion dollars. But it was not a smooth ride for the Jan and Brian, especially Jan who had to overcome adversity to get to where he is today. Jan’s is an inspirational story that yet again proves that as long as you refuse to give up but continue to look for a way out, you will eventually have your big break.

Jan Koum, a Ukranian, went to the US at the age of 16 due to the hostile treatment Jews were receiving in the country. When they arrived in the US, Jan and his mother lived on food stamps. He met Brian Acton in 1997 at Yahoo, where they were both working and they became friends. By 2007, the two of them men had become disillusioned and they left Yahoo to seek new challenges.

Koum founded WhatsApp in 2009 and was joined by Acton who had been turned down by Twitter and Facebook. They created a project that allowed them to concentrate on creating an easy-to-use messaging product and the approach paid off. WhatsApp amassed 450 million monthly users. Their idea was that smartphone users should be able to easily message each other without incurring fees from phone carriers. The service is free for a year and then costs 99 cents per year after that. They refused to advertise their product  and only relied on the recommendations of  users of the product. In 2014, Facebook decided to purchase WhatsApp for a whooping 19 billion dollars!

Jan Koum’s (and Brian Acton’s) story is full of many lessons that we can all learn from. I have decided to bring out some of these lessons:

Your background is not an excuse for failure in life: Jan Koum did menial jobs like cleaning and mopping at a grocery store while his mother took up a babysitting job. At a point in his life, he and his mother depended on allowances from the government. (Jan signed the agreement with Facebook on the door of the social services office where he and his mother used to stand in line to collect food stamps.)

Adversity should make you stronger and resilient not break you: Jan learnt computer networking all by himself with the help of manuals from a used book store. He couldn’t afford to pay for lessons but he has become a billionaire today.

You can profit from your experience: Jan’s experience in communist Ukraine where phone lines were bugged by secret police greatly influenced his decision to create WhatsApp. He wanted a service that guaranteed messaging privacy. “I grew up in a country where I remember my parents not being able to have a conversation on the phone,” he explained. “The walls had ears and you couldn’t speak freely.”

If you find your job unexciting, get out: Jan and Brian became disillusioned with life at Yahoo and they quit.

Don’t allow disappointment to overwhelm you: Jan and Brian were turned down turned down for employment by Facebook. Brian was also rejected by Twitter and he took it on the chin. Read this: "Got denied by Twitter HQ. That's ok. Would have been a long commute." and this "Facebook turned me down. It was a great opportunity to connect with some fantastic people. Looking forward to life's next adventure."

Be passion-driven not money-driven: Jan wanted to create a product that would meet a need, and when this product filled the need, money came. Today he is a billionaire. Money was not his primary motivation. He says he just wanted to build a great product. "I started WhatsApp, to build a product. I do not want to create a company around it, the goal was not to earn. We wanted to spend our time building a service people wanted to use because it worked and saved them money and made their lives better in a small way.” He tweeted in 2012 that he was not an entrepreneur: "Next person to call me an entrepreneur is getting punched in the face by my bodyguard, seriously."

A good product will advertise itself: WhatsApp has a ‘no ads’ policy. The company refuses to be involved in promotions, marketing and advertising and it has over 450 million active users, reaching the number faster than any other company in history. This is what WhatsApp says about advertising, “No one wakes up excited to see more advertising, no one goes to sleep thinking about the ads they’ll see tomorrow. We know people go to sleep excited about who they chatted with that day (and disappointed about who they didn’t). We want WhatsApp to be the product that keeps you awake… and that you reach for in the morning. No one jumps up from a nap and runs to see an advertisement.”

What other lessons that can be learned from Jan Koum’s story? Please share them with us.

Lupita Nyong'o: The New Face of Black Beauty

Lupita Nyong’o, is undoubtedly the new face of black people, particularly black women, all over the world. The Oscar award winner, who won the 2014 award for the best supporting actress for her role in the film, 12 Years as a Slave, is a Kenyan who was born in Mexico and is currently living in the United States. Apart from her impressive performance in 12 Years as a Slave, she has been wowing audiences and listeners with her speeches. Her speech at the Essence Magazine's 7th Annual Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon last month is a speech that will definitely inspire every black girl, woman, and even, man that reads or hears it. In the speech, she talks about inner beauty as the true beauty and she also encourages people to accept themselves the way they are. What a beautiful speech! And during her gracious speech at the Oscar awards, she blew everyone away with the statement, "No matter where you're from, your dreams are valid."

Who is Lupita Nyong’o?

Lupita Nyong’o is Kenyan who was born in Mexico in 1983. The second of six children grew up in Kenya, having gone to Kenya at less than a year old when her father was appointed a professor at the University of Nairobi. At age sixteen, Lupita’s parents sent her back to Mexico for seven months to learn Spanish. She graduated from Hampshire College with a degree in film and theatre studies and got her master’s degree in acting from Yale School of Drama. The vivacious Lupita is fluent in her native Luo, English, Swahili and Spanish. Some of the production she has been involved in include: Shuga, a 2009 MTV's award-winning drama series where she played the lead role; stage plays such as The Winter's Tale, Uncle Van and The Taming of the Shrew. Her most prominent role, however, has been in the film 12 Years as a Slave, a film that tells the real-life story of Solomon Northup, a free born African American man who was sold into slavery in 1841. In the film, Lupita played the role of Patsey, a slave who works on a cotton plantation, where she is cruelly treated by her master and his wife.

With her recent award, she became the first Kenyan to win an Oscar,

the first African actress to win the award for the Best Supporting Actress and the first Mexican-born actress to win an Oscar. And going by her brilliance, profundity and oratorical prowess, I think Lupita has accidentally or unintentionally begun a career in public speaking. It is a preoccupation she should give serious considerations to because she has become a role model to millions of Africans and blacks all over the world. Listening to her, and hearing her story will certainly encourage many insecure people all over the world to live their dreams, since she too confessed that she was inspired by the success of other black women, among whom are: Alek Wek, Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey.

Lupita has shown that she is capable of making speeches that will go into the history books as some of the greatest speeches ever made. But for now, the major message from Lupita Nyong’o’s speeches and her personal story is that THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING BLACK and that BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL!

Thank You Arsene Wenger, and Yes, Arsenal FC, We CAN!!!

Arsenal FC are in the semi-finals of the F.A. Cup and I am deeply grateful to Monsieur Arsene Wenger. Before the quarter-final match against Everton, I was apprehensive. I had thought Arsenal’s season was going to end that afternoon. This is not because I am a cynic but because I had seen what happened to my darling team in similar situations in the past. I was worried about the team Wenger was going to choose against Everton, considering the fact that we would be facing Bayern Munich a few days later in the Champions League. I was thinking Wenger might field an under-strength team against Everton because of the Bayern match (which I thought was already out of our hands). I thhought Wenger would take a decision that would make Arsenal lose against Everton. But thankfully, Coach Arsene Wenger decided to take the match seriously and we ended up beating Everton 4-1. It was a score line I definitely could not have predicted, and all of a sudden I started to think we might go to Munich and overturn the table against them. Thank you, Mr. Wenger, for taking the F.A. Cup seriously again. Thank you for renewing your desire to win the F.A. Cup.

I have been supporting Arsenal FC of England for a little over 15 years now and I have not regretted my decision, so whatever I write about Arsenal FC is from a passionate heart. A heart that is passionate about such an impressive football club. My love for the club is so great that despite all the taunts and derisive comments I have endured from supporters of other football clubs, even those whose clubs have not recorded the achievements Arsenal have had, I never for once thought of supporting a different club. My support and love for the club have not reduced one bit despite the fact that the club has gone trophy-less for many years now. My respect for the coach, Arsene Wenger, has also not reduced. In fact, season in season out, I keep appreciating his efforts on the team. I admire what he is trying to achieve with the club and I believe that if he does not sell his best players, Arsenal will soon end her trophy drought.

This evening, I am looking forward to a great second leg game between Arsenal and Bayern Munich. From our win on Saturday, my belief in the team has been bolstered and I expect them to go all out and win the game. We beat them at home last season and they edged us out only on goals aggregate. So WE CAN! Yes, WE CAN! I must also add that whatever the outcome of today’s match, Arsene Wenger has made me proud this season because I don’t think any other team had a more difficult run than Arsenal up to this stage of the F.A. Cup competition. Tottenham, Liverpool and Everton were among the adversaries that we have already faced in the F.A. Cup this season and we triumphed over all of them. Barring any upset, which has become a constant feature in the F.A. Cup (It still happened with Wigan beating Manchester City on Sunday), Arsenal are on course to win the F.A. Cup this year. But because of the many years of failure to win a trophy, Arsenal faithfuls are now very cautious in expressing their confidence in their club’s capability to win a trophy.

Tonight, we will be wishing Arsenal good luck and will be praying in our hearts that Arsenal will reenact the magic they performed in 2008 at the San Siro Stadium when Arsenal did the impossible by beating AC Milan at home.

ARSENAL, YES WE CAN!!!