Japheth Omojuwa and Linda Ikeji: Why They Are The Two Most Influential Young Nigerians

I want to admit from the outset that this post is a rather subjective one but I strongly believe it contains truth and facts. I have decided to write about two persons whom I deem as the two most influential young Nigerians; why they have become persons of influence and lessons to learn from their stories. So, in this post, I will be talking about Japheth Omojuwa and Linda Ikeji.

Japheth Omojuwa, the last time I checked had 87,627, followers on his twitter handle, @omojuwa. He is followed on twitter by major Nigerian Newspapers, notable Nigerians and even my club, Arsenal Football Club of England! He is the founder of omojuwa.com, a popular site with Nigerians, where you can get information on a wide range of issues. Omojuwa who was in the forefront of the #OccupyNigeria struggle gets hundreds of followers every week. According to him, one of his write-ups had over two million hits in two days (I would celebrate wildly if I had that in six months or even one year!). What is the secret of this young man, a socio-economic and political commentator, consultant and social media expert, who also calls himself a cyberpreneur? Why does he wield so much influence among Nigerians?

I believe Nigerians, especially the young ones, see Omojuwa as a beacon of hope and change. This is why most of them are eager to hear his views on certain events in the country. He has become the symbol of the change Nigeria desperately needs. He also provides platforms for Nigerians to express their views on happenings in the country. He is seen as the voice/mouthpiece of the ruled and the conscience of the rulers. Young Nigerians see him as the leader they had been yearning to have; a leader who is altruistic, blunt, witty, brilliant, strong and who is passionate about justice and good governance. He possesses the ability to transmit his passion to others and he is seen by Nigerians as the galvaniser with the capability to inspire them to action. This is why they are loyal and ready to do whatever he asks them to do. And these are my reasons for picking Japheth Omojuwa as the most influential young Nigerian.

Linda Ikeji is arguably Nigeria’s number one entertainment blogger. She gets up to 50,000 visits from up to 180 countries every day, making her site one of the most visited sites in Nigeria. The Queen of Entertainment Blogging used to be a model before eventually venturing into the world of blogging, a decision that has brought her fame and wealth. Through her blog, www.lindaikeji.blogspot.com, Linda provides news, entertainment, celebrity gist, gossip, photos, etc. In 2012, she was mentioned as one of Africa’s 20 Most Prominent Women by Forbes Africa. I read somewhere that she walked into the American embassy and got a visa because they checked out her blog. The truth is that Linda Ikeji is an individual who cannot be ignored in Nigeria today and this is why, in my opinion, she is the second most influential young person in Nigeria?

Why has Linda become so influential? It is because of her ability to attract huge numbers of readers to her blog. She has discovered what people want to read and she continually gives it to them. There is no doubt that whatever she posts will find its way into millions of hearts and minds. This has really put her in a position to influence what a lot of Nigerians read daily. Through her posts, she continuously shapes the worldview of a lot of people. The angle through which she presents her story determines the way people will react to such a story. If she is critical about a particular story, readers will go away with that view and if she decides to be mild or pleasant to the actors in her story, that is almost definitely the way readers will perceive such people. (I think it is safe to add that many Nigerian celebrities will be careful to always stay in her good books.)

Some of the lessons I have been able to take away from the story of these two amazing Nigerians are:

1. Find a need and fill it. This is one timeless principle that has never failed to work. Omojuwa saw the need for someone to drive the process of change in Nigeria; he made himself available and Nigerians instinctively followed. Linda, on her own part, saw the people’s need for quick access to hot ‘gists’ and filled it, and today, she has become the toast of blogging in Nigeria.
2. Both of them identified the most appropriate tool to achieve their goals: technology/social media.
3. Both of them are courageous and have refused to bulge in the face of intimidation, criticism and cynicism.
4.  And also very important is the fact that both of them are passionate about what they do.

What else can I say but to say, “Go Omojuwa, go Linda, we are all learning from you.”

Find Out What These Four Powerful Women Have in Common

This post is strictly about women, and not just ordinary women but women who have impacted the world. They are women whose actions have reverberated and are still reverberating around the globe. These are women from whom we have so much to learn. They are women extraordinaire! They are women who have become inspirations to other women and even men.

Helen Adams Keller was a blind woman who brought hope and happiness to many.  Born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama, an illness in 1882 made her to lose her sight, hearing and ability to speak. She learned to read and write through the tireless efforts of her extraordinary teacher, Anne Sullivan, growing up to become an author and activist. She was the first deaf and blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. Outspoken about her convictions, she campaigned for women's suffrage, labour rights, socialism, etc., using her writing proficiency to pass her message across. She was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). She brought encouragement to millions of blind people and was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 1971. By the time of her death in 1968, she had received many awards and her birthday on June 27 is commemorated as Helen Keller Day in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks lived from 1913 to 2005 but her name can never be forgotten by the blacks in the United States. She is called "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement". Parks came into national consciousness in the United States when on December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, she refused to give up her seat in the coloured section to a white passenger.

Her refusal to give up her seat led to her being arrested and charged to court but this would spark a city-wide boycott. Eventually, the law requiring segregation on public buses in Montgomery was lifted. Her act of defiance and the Montgomery Bus Boycott became important symbols of the modern Civil Rights Movement. Park, who was a contemporary of Martin Luther King Jr., received manyrecognitions, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and a posthumous statue in the United States Capitol's National Statuary Hall. She was the first woman and second non-U.S. government official to lie in honor at the Capitol Rotunda when she died. Her birthday, February 4, and the day she was arrested, December 1, have both become Rosa Parks Day, commemorated in the U.S. states of California and Ohio.

Mary Kathlyn Wagner, known as Mary Kay Ash, was born in 1918; married at age 17; had three children; was divorced in 1945; in 1963 alone, she retired from her job, lost her second husband to heart attack and started her beauty business in 1963 with an initial investment of $5,ooo; the business became a household name after some years and she died in 2001. Ash’s story is that of courage and resilience. She resigned from her job due to sexism; she was passed over for promotion in favour of a man. In 1963 at 45 years, with $5,000 she got from her oldest son, she started Mary Kay Cosmetics. Today, Mary Kay products are used all over the world. She received many awards and distinctions, one of which was the Horatio Alger Distinguished American Citizen Award from Horatio Alger Association. She was named as one of the “100 Most Important Women in America" by Ladies' Home Journal in 1983 and one of “America's 25 Most Influential Women” in 1985.

Television idol, Oprah Winfrey, who was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on January 29, 1954, weathered a troubled beginning to become one of the most popular persons on earth today. As an adolescent, she was sexually abused by some male relatives and friends of her mother. She became pregnant at fourteen but lost the baby at infancy. At a point in her career, Oprah was removed from her job as a news reporter for Baltimore’s WJZ-TV but today she has her own TV network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). She is regarded as the greatest black philanthropist in American history. According to Forbes magazine, Oprah was the richest African American of the 20th century and the world's only Black billionaire for three years running. She has given more than $51,000,000 for charitable programs, including girls' education in South Africa and relief to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. She is also a dedicated activist for children's rights; in 1994.

Reading about these women, these are some of the things I find common to them:

1. They all overcame difficult circumstances that stared them in the face.
2. They were/are courageous women.
3. They were/are outspoken about their convictions and would go to great lengths to defend them.
4. They were/are compassionate and kind hearted.
5. They live(d) for worthy causes.
6. Their efforts have been recognised and rewarded by the society.

Rejected But Not Dejected: Oprah, Spielberg, Disney and Others

Don't let anyone, or any rejection, keep you from what you want.

-         Ashley Tisdale

In this post I will be sharing stories of people who refused to allow rejection define them, limit them or kill their dreams. They are stories of phenomenal success in the face of rejection and failure. I believe you will find them informative and inspiring.

In 1919, Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star. According to his editor, he "lacked imagination and had no good ideas."  Disney would later found the Walt Disney Productions, now known as The Walt Disney Company, a company that has become one of the best-known motion picture producers in the world.

Disney became particularly noted as a film producer and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design. He and his staff created some of the world's most well-known fictional characters including Mickey Mouse, for whom Disney himself provided the original voice. Years later, The Walt Disney Company bought ABC which owned The Kansas City Star, the same outfit that fired Disney ‘for lacking imagination and good ideas’

Talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist, Oprah Winfrey, is best known for her show, The Oprah Winfrey Show. But before her rise to fame Oprah was removed from her job as a news reporter for Baltimore’s WJZ-TV. Oprah, who now runs her own TV network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is one of the most influential women in the world. She is said to be currently North America's only black billionaire and the greatest black philanthropist in American history.

Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen was rejected by over 140 publishers before it was finally accepted. The Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, currently has nearly 200 titles and 112 million copies in print in over 40 languages. According to USA Today, Chicken Soup for the Soul and several of the series titles were among the top 150 best-selling books of the last 15 years

American film director, screenwriter, producer, and business magnate, Steven Spielberg’s application to attend the film school at University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television was rejected on two different occasions but he went ahead to become one of the most popular and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. In 2006, he was named as the most powerful and influential figure in the motion picture industry by Premiere, an American and New York City-based film magazine.

He is on Time Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Important People of the Century. Life Magazine named him the most influential person of his generation and in 2009, Boston University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Regarded as the highest grossing filmmaker of all time; his films having made nearly $8 billion internationally, Spielberg was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Southern California (the same university that had rejected his application for admission) in 1994. He became a trustee of the university in 1996. This was after he had become famous.

In 1936, Japanese engineer, industrialist and founder of Honda, Soichiro Honda, sent 30,000 piston rings to Toyota, 50 were accepted for consideration out of which only three pieces passed quality control tests but this did not stop him from producing piston rings. In 1937, he founded Tokai Seiki, a company that specialised in producing piston rings. A US B-29 bomber attack destroyed Tōkai Seiki's plant in 1944 during World War II. In 1946, he founded the Honda Technical Research Institute in October and the company started with the production of a motorised bicycles.

Honda went on to turn the company into a billion-dollar multinational that produced the best-selling motorcycles in the world.

In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field. In 1967, he starred in three successful films: To Sir, with Love, In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner; making him the top box-office star of that year. Before his achievements, it is reported that a casting director had made this statement to Poitier, “Why don’t you stop wasting people’s time and go out and become a dishwasher or something?” In 1999, the American Film Institute named Poitier among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time, ranking 22nd on the list of 25.

On August 12, 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America's highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama.

American businessman who founded the department store chain R.H. Macy and Company, Rowland Hussey Macy, Sr. had a history of failed investments and business adventures. Between 1843 and 1855 he opened four retail dry goods stores but they all failed. He also ventured into a needle-and-thread store which also went bankrupt. Lady Luck would eventually smile on him when he moved to New York where his store became known for its then-innovative policy of clearly marking prices which reduced haggling with customers and advertising his prices in the newspaper. He also employed the first in-store Santa Claus. By the time of his death in 1877, Macy's store had grown to a tangle of eleven connected buildings on New York's 13th and 14th Streets making his business to be one of the largest department store retailers in the world

The foregoing stories have shown to us what happens when we refuse to give up in the face of rejection, embarrassment or failure. You may be down but you don’t have to be out. You may be down and out but you can still bounce back stronger. So how do you deal with rejection? Realise that the fact that an individual/organisation is not interested in you doesn't mean the rest of the world is also not interested in you. It is equally important to settle it with yourself that you will not define or see yourself based on another person’s opinion of you or their attitude toward you.

YOU ARE UNIQUE!

YOU HAVE YOUR OWN CROWD THAT IS ROOTING FOR YOU!

YOUR BEST IS ON THE WAY!

"What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Extraordinary Life of Martha Mason Who Lived in an Iron Lung for Sixty Years

Martha Mason lived in an iron long for 60 out of the 71 years she spent on earth and she had a more fulfilling life than many ‘normal’ human beings will have. The iron lung (or a negative pressure ventilator) is a cylindrical steel drum with a central chamber where a human being can be placed. The drum has a door which allows the head and neck to remain free while the rest of the body is enclosed in an air-tight compartment. The ventilator enables a person to breathe when normal muscle control has been lost or when they find it extremely difficult to breathe.

Despite living in this immobilised state, Martha, who was born on May 31, 1937, in Lattimore and became paralysed from polio at 11, still went ahead to high school and college. She also wrote a book, Breath: Life in the Rhythm of an Iron Lung. She defied not only doctors, who had given her just a year to live but also death by going ahead to live for 60 more years of excitement. She finished high school at the top of her class and went to two colleges, where she received an associate’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in English. She was a writer for a local newspaper. She later wrote her memoirs, which she was able to finish with the aid of voice recognition software. She also spent her time hosting dinner parties, book club meetings and travelling around the world.

Martha died at the age of 71 in 2009. She had spent 60 years in the ventilator but her zest for life was never dampened. Her seemingly helpless situation was never able to prevent her from living a fulfilling life. In 2003, during an interview, she declared, “I’m happy with who I am, where I am… I wouldn’t have chosen this life, certainly. But given this life, I’ve probably had the best situation anyone could ask for.” Martha might have been physically limited but she was not mentally limited. Her movement might have been hampered, her imagination was not. Her abilities were obviously not many but her desire was huge. Hers is an unbelievable story of optimism and vivacity in the face of gloom and seeming hopelessness.

Martha’s life has again demonstrated that the way I respond to circumstances is what matters. Situations do not define me, my response does. My attitude in or to any situation is what is important. This is why I agree with John Maxwell that though attitude may not be everything, it is nevertheless the difference maker. Martha had the right perspective about her situation and she did not dwell on it. Hear her, “‘It has become such a normal thing for me – I don’t even think about it – I really never give it a lot of thought.” What an amazing person! 

It is important that you keep the right perspective in whatever situation you find yourself because, according Joel Osteen, “We all face challenges, but it's not the size of the problem that's important, it's our perception of the problem; it's how big or small we make it in our minds.”

The Power of Positive Mental Attitude: The Amazing Story of Barbie Thomas, an Armless Body Builder

Barbie Thomas is a competitive body builder and model but she is not your run off the mill body builder or model. She is armless. Yes, she has no arms and that is why her story is amazing and inspiring. In this post, you will read some interesting information about her. I present to you another shining example of determination and doggedness in our world.

1. Barbie Thomas lost her two arms at age 2 when she climbed onto a transformer and held live wires. The electric current from the wires burned her arms so severely that they had to be amputated at the shoulders.

2. The doctors were of the opinion that she would be seriously hampered in performing physical functions but her mother made a commitment to ensure that Barbie lived a good life.

3. The doctors were surprised by her recovery and she says she survived the incident because God had plans for her life.

4. While growing up, she played soccer, danced and did aerobic running.

5. She was not allowed to be negative or say she couldn’t do something. She was taught to focus on what she could do and not on what she couldn't do. This gave her a positive mental attitude.

6. She loathes being regarded as a handicapped. "You can't use the word handicapped with her or she may punch you in the face," someone remarked.

7. She uses her shoulders as arms and uses her feet to open doors, plug in her music and grab her bags, and she uses her mouth to fasten the Velcro snaps on her dance shoes.

8. Her interest in competitive body building was aroused when she read about it an athletes’ magazine. A friend encouraged her and her journey into fitness fitness competition began.

9. She began competing in 2003.

10. The sport is grueling, demanding weight training five days a week and cardio work every day.

11. Her dance routines include splits and high kicks and even the ninja kip-up, where she makes full use of her feet.

12. She received the first-ever Inspiration Award of the National Physique Committee (NPC), the largest amateur bodybuilding organisation in the United States, last year. The Committee had been so impressed with her performance.

13. Barbie has two sons, aged 13 and 17.

As I end this post, I will like you to hear what Barbie has to say concerning her story: "I realise it inspires many people, and not just those with physical challenges…Follow your dreams and keep pushing and where there is a will, there is a way. We all have our own stuff to deal with and our own limitations and handicaps. Mine are just more visible. There's always someone else out there who has it worse."

What else can I add?

Heroes of 9/11 and Other Stories of Selflessness: Lessons

During the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, passengers on United Flight 93 fought off the hijackers who had taken over the plane and stopped the terrorists from striking their intended target. The passengers on the plane, which was the last of the four planes hijacked by the terrorists, had heard of the events at the World Trade Centre and Pentagon and they decided to foil the terrorist’s plan, not minding if the plane crashed. One passenger, Todd Beamer, told a telephone operator of their plan and asked the operator to pray with him. The operator said he heard Beamer say, “Are you ready?” and later, “OK, let’s roll.” The plane eventually crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Since the plane was headed toward the Washington, D.C. area, the passengers apparently thought the hijackers were headed for the White House and could not bear the humiliation of the desecration of the symbol of their government. The phrase “Let’s roll” became a U.S. rallying cry in the war on terrorism.

Kimberly Dear was learning skydiving. On her first ever dive, things went wrong. The plane’s engine failed and the plane was falling rapidly. Kimberly’s instructor, Robert Cook took charge of the situation. He asked Kimberly to sit on his lap; hooked her harness to his and clung to her in order to bear the impact of the fall. He positioned his body to be under hers. When the aircraft hit the ground, Robert’s body absorbed the impact reducing the effect on Kimberly. Robert lost his life but Kimberly survived. He gave up his life to save a stranger.

At 54 years, Shirley Dygert decided to learn skydiving and on her first try things went wrong. When it was time for her instructor, to whom she was harnessed, to open their parachute, it opened only partially. The backup parachute got tangled with the first and they started falling. Dave Hartsock, Shirley’s instructor positioned himself to be under her and when they hit the ground, he bore most of the impact. Dave’s backbone broke and he was paralysed from the neck down while Shirley sustained injuries from which she fully recovered.

On September 19, 2009, a child molester who was running way after assaulting a young girl was stopped by Cameron Aulner. Cameron, a 22-year-old confined to a wheelchair held the fleeing man until the police arrived.

Colton Reeb was attacked by a cougar while on a trip with his family. Colton’s screams caught the attention of Marc Patterson who rushed to his aid and fought off the marauding predator. Colton recovered from the wounds he sustained from the attack.

On a fateful day in January, 2007, Cameron Hollopeter, while standing in a train station, fell down on a track between two rails. Around that time, a train was approaching and Cameron was unable to stand up but luckily Wesley Autrey was around. Seeing that Cameron helpless, Wesley jumped on him and covered him with his body, pushing him down into the gap between the rails. Though the train went over them, Cameron suffered only minor bruises while Wesley didn’t sustain any injury.

In 2010, a gunman attacked Deer Creek Middle School shooting indiscriminately into the crowd of students. Two students were hit. David Benke, a math teacher, heard the shots and decided to do something. He approached the gunman and wrestled him to the ground, where he was assisted by two other members of staff who helped him to dispossess the gunman of his gun.

What can I say about these stories? That the world would be a better place if more people would think not only about themselves but also of others. I am not implying that people die literally for others. But I am asking that we die to our comfort if there’s need. I am asking that we go the extra mile for our neighbour without thinking about what’s in it for us. I am saying that altruism should be our attitude. I am saying we should carry each other’s burden. I am saying we should not be blinded to the needs/welfare/wellbeing of others by our own interests. I am challenging myself to be as humane as I can be. I am telling myself to be willing to inconvenience myself for the good of others.

Why Albert Einstein Does Not Deserve to Be Called a Genius

“Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

The quotation above is one of the quotations attributed to Albert Einstein, himself a genius. How often do we refer to some people as geniuses while we don’t see ourselves as one? Who is a genius? A genius is someone who we see as extremely talented/brilliant; a person of extraordinary intellect/intelligence and talent; an extremely creative person. It is said that a genius has an exceptionally high intelligence quotient, typically above 140.

We usually think a genius knows everything and is almost always right. It is obvious that Albert Einstein exhibited some of the traits of a genius, but if some facts about him (which are presented below) are critically considered, he should not be considered a genius. The main thrust of this piece is that we can all be geniuses, if only we concentrate on our strengths and ignore our weaknesses and distractions. Those we call geniuses are those who developed their areas of strength.

The following individuals are some of the persons who have been able to stand themselves out in their various endeavours and whom I consider geniuses: Lionel Messi, Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Helen Keller, Mary Kay Ash, Christiano Ronaldo, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federrer, Tiger Woods, Jay Jay Okocha, Kanu Nwakwo, Mesut Ozil (this is not because I support Arsenal FC), Richard Branson, Steven Spielberg, Joseph Prince, T. D. Jakes, Michael Jackson, Gbenga Adeboye, Michael Jordan, David Oyedepo, Larry King Jr., Don Moen, Mahatma Ghandi, John Maxwell, etc.

I want you to consider the following facts about Albert Einstein and see if they are fitting for not just a genius but Time Magazine Person of Century.

1.    Einstein was a very late starter.  He began to talk at four and had to try out entire sentences in his head or muttered them under his breath until he got them right before speaking aloud. He did this until he became fluent at 9.

2.    He failed his university entrance exam. He passed the math and science aspects of the exam but failed in history, languages and geography. He had to go to a trade school before taking the exam again the following year.

3.    He had a poor memory and often forgot birthdays of relatives and his home address. He did not know his phone number. There is a story that when he was working in Princeton University, one day he forgot his home address on his way home. The driver of the cab did not recognise him. Einstein asked the driver if he knows Einstein's home. The driver said "Who does not know Einstein's address? Everyone in Princeton knows. Do you want to meet him? Einstein replied "I am Einstein. I forgot my home address, can you take me there? The driver took him to his home and did not collect his fare from him. It is also said that it was not uncommon to see Einstein wandering around the Princeton area in the afternoon because he could not remember where he lived.

4.    Though he was a genius in physics, he was bad at spelling and he never learned how to drive a car. He was often seen riding a bicycle or walking.

5.    When he was offered the presidency of Israel, he declined the offer and stated in his official letter of refusal he lacked the "natural aptitude and the experience to deal properly with people," and that he was getting old.

6.    He was estranged from his wife; had a difficult relationship with his first son and allegedly had an illegitimate daughter. He was also a serious smoker.

So what is your conclusion after reading the foregoing facts? Einstein was a late starter but the general assumption is that geniuses can be recognised from childhood. He failed his university entrance examination. Do geniuses ever fail in their studies? Einstein had a poor memory and even forgot his home address! A genius who forgets things easily seems unheard of. He was also not good at spelling. What kind of genius is that? I thought geniuses had photographic memories!

So what was Einstein’s secret? From his quote above, I can conclude that he knew very well to concentrate on his area of strength. He knew his limitations and that was why he rejected the offer to become the president of Israel. How many of us can turn down such an offer of a lifetime? That Einstein had marital and family challenges, and that he was a chain smoker show to us that geniuses are also humans who have their own frailties.

Let me state here before you start getting me wrong that I strongly believe that Einstein was a genius. In fact, I believe he was one of the brightest minds to have ever lived and that he deserves to be called a genius. Yes, he deserves to be called a genius.

The point I am driving at is that a genius is not someone who is perfect but someone who knows how to exploit his strengths (and understands his limitations). I believe all of us can reach the level of a genius, if only we can concentrate on our strongest areas.

Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered - either by themselves or by others.                  - Mark Twain