Category: Create

For some years now, a lot of us have always had a pessimistic attitude to things in Nigeria, and maybe Africa too (some still do to a degree, even myself sometimes) but sometimes we just kinda know deep down that things can still change.

(See some comments from some very important people. One said and I paraphrase, “The average Asian (Japanese, Chinese, Malaysian, Indian) is respected anywhere he goes in the world because Japan and China are getting things right (India has improved slightly too). The average fair-skinned person of European descent, for instance, is respected world-over because the western countries are blazing the trail. The average Latino still has some respect because countries like Argentina, Dominican Republic and maybe Brazil are not doing so badly. However, the average African is virtually disrespected almost everywhere because big countries like Nigeria, Congo DR, Sudan and Ethiopia are doing mostly terribly. Western people, for instance, who are tired of the US can emigrate to Ireland, Scotland, the UK or Australia and live well. People of Japanese and Chinese origin in the US can go back to China, Japan and South Korea and still have a good quality of life. Latinos can go back to Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and not do badly. I honestly do not think an African American or British person of African origin would have the same quality of life if they move back to Africa.

Another one said but expressed loosely with my comments in italics, “…this African poverty stuff is bigger than we think. There’s a lot of factors involved. ‘Most people with melanin-coating or extremely exposed to the UV light close to the equator’ (these are my words though for what people term black as I do not agree with the colour classification of humans, story for another day), generally whether “akata”, aborigines, black Indians, Africans, even Latinos by default we have a similar pattern of thinking which is to be simple and relationship-based. All these have their pros and cons, but I feel those of us that have been able to break away from that simple lifestyle is only by the grace of God.

(Of course, I have no interest in reducing our cultural values to the bare and as much as I think we can harness the strengths of our simple and relationship-based attitude to life, we must incorporate carefully the culture of excellence and embrace true values and principles that can keep us socially responsible)

So, for me, I don’t expect a change really but on the average, a difference!

A difference in the average poverty level

A difference in the average level of underemployment and “unemployability”

A difference in the average level of thinking

A difference in the average level of proficiency

A difference in the average level of productivity

A difference in the average level of quality

A difference in the average level of responsibility

That’s what PQR (a.k.a. #90Bill) is all about.

Expect a difference. It is your right to be Productive in Quality, take Responsibility

*PQR*

#90Bill

Your friend and leadservant-in-training, Wonuola.

My commentary: 

Quite a shame! The mentality of needing alms and reproduction that bedevils the average African mind (mind the word emphasis on average still with no intention to dissent the African race). You’d expect intelligent questions such as how long did it take you to learn? What more would you like to learn? We’d like to observe your vitals n train you better in return for probably a new skill or learning interest or a communal service or international networks… But oops! That’s not it! “Pls give us alms (undeserved wage return for no service rendered)”- we’ve chosen to be perpetual victims in life, we are as darkened in brain capacity as our outer skin probably. “Marry us”- that might redeem our race though we have nothing to offer, all we are interested in is sex, there’s really nothing more, is there? Or is there? Oh! What more in life? If not get a daily wage, reproduce your nothingness of a kind and have nothing to give to life? Of course, she’s only speaking our language out of curiosity n sheer intelligence show-off or laziness or boredom or whatever unproductive, that’s what these fair-skinned people do, curious, ever-invasive, probably set up a school that teaches any language n make a lot of money even from the indegenes who won’t take anything they own seriously even when it is obviously taken from them, colonize more people, break down any barrier in communication, reach out to more people over the world, have Googlee translation, or even more. But who cares? That’s how they are, and that’s how we probably should remain. It’s the dark-skinned way of life most times, we blame the melanin for distorting our thinking process even though it was meant to keep us safe from UV exposure from the sun and add increased survival in our equatorial regions and highest thrive rate in anyplace in the world, but yeah, we didn’t like to show our dark spots around the world. It sure must be a shame to display even though it is probably one of the most beautiful gifts to mankind. We just think differently, mostly not positive. So yeah, welcome to the dark world Titilayo.

-Wonuola Olawale

To you,

Of course, I totally salute our intelligence with learning foreign languages and getting extremely good at speaking it after being colonised. But that’s not the point today.

And so yes, I know the *average* mindset of individuals has self-interest more than the intellectual integrity you’d expect. And that people are almost never inclined to what they can do for the system but what they stand to gain. And trust me, I expect nothing. Only having fun thinking about the interesting dynamics that explains the fundamental differences in our level of social and infrastructural development. While some said this: “If Titilayo went to VI or Lekki (not like I intend to exalt some parts of Lagos or Accra or anywhere for that matter), we probably won’t be having this conversation. Most people living in slums around the world are generally simple, uneducated and take life for granted” (emphasis on uneducated– which to me has nothing to do with the four walls of certain schools, no “beef”  intended). And someone else said; “we probably need values and standards to become benchmark again and that yeah we will get there with people like Wonuola returning home to make Nigeria great again.”

However, this is my reply: It’s not going to take “a while” cos “a while” is not what it takes to undergo a mental shift, it takes conscious efforts and realization of the  current state a man is in to attempt a change not automatic “whiles”. It will take an average Nigerian to look at that video and feel intense discomfort at the level of mediocrity displayed to “get there”.

Again, this person replied saying, “How do you expect a country with corrupt senators governors and their kids grooving with people’s money and nobody talks to understand? Private secondary universities “killing” public school coz the owners are in government circle? Until the right people are in place and how do you fight what is just when government agents are there to victimise you. How many people can stand for the truth collectively not minding  the hurt and pains?” 

Of course this is one intelligent person whom I do respect. Regardless, I do have my viewpoint and it’s this: “It won’t take people returning home to tell you what to do or speak up for you because you have chosen to be victims of your ownselves. No, that’s still the “victim” speaking” and I finally get this responses, “Really it’s true we need to get our mind focused on regenerating the mindset to be objective and to think right” and then from another person I respect a lot, “Our problems are indeed quite enormous but the solutions are so simple, straightforward and achievable. If we are to apportion blames, I will always place the blame at the doorstep of our so-called leaders. Good leadership begets good followership and vice versa. The bone of contention is that attitudinal change starts from the top and flows downwards. Another way to look at this is the terrible effect of poverty. The average Nigerian is poor and would do anything to get out of that state. We first need to solve the issue of poverty by having a responsible government that can invest directly in the people and provide an atmosphere for people to thrive.”

Yippee! One mind at a time or maybe three too…

It is your right to be Productive in Quality, take Responsibility

*PQR*

#90Bill

Your friend and leadservant-in-training, Wonuola.

You maybe looking forward to that secret secret ingredient 

to success or some story about how Solomon or the sadist wrote this chapter. Well, bubbles busted!

Here is it:

Do good wherever you go. After a while, the good you do will come back to you. Invest what you have in several different things. You don’t know what bad things might happen on earth.There are some things you can be sure of. If clouds are full of rain, they will pour water on the earth. If a tree falls—to the south or to the north—then it will stay where it falls. But there are some things that you cannot be sure of. You must take a chance. If you wait for perfect weather, you will never plant your seeds. If you are afraid that every cloud will bring rain, you will never harvest your crops. You don’t know where the wind blows. And you don’t know how a baby grows in its mother’s womb. In the same way, you don’t know what God will do—and he makes everything happen. So begin planting early in the morning, and don’t stop working until evening. 
You don’t know what might make you rich. Maybe everything you do will be successful. It is good to be alive. It is nice to see the light from the sun. You should enjoy every day of your life, no matter how long you live. But remember that you will die, and you will be dead much longer than you were alive. And after you are dead, you cannot do anything. So young people, enjoy yourselves while you are young. Be happy. Do whatever your heart leads you to do. Do whatever you want, but remember that God will judge you for everything you do. Don’t let your anger control you, and don’t let your body lead you to sin. People do foolish things in the dawn of life while they are young.
Ecclesiastes 11:1‭-‬10 ERV

http://bible.com/406/ecc.11.1-10.ERV

It may take time to shed off dead weight sometimes but to keep at it is gain, and to give up is foolhardy.

Wonuola Olawale 

Sad story of being alone and lonely in the midst of multitude. Why be friends when we don’t even understand each other’s ideals, talk more of liking them?

–Wonuola Olawale 

Check out my new Mentorship Program: FM-Program

Picture credit: Pulse Nigeria (not me o 😎)

​Money is a product of people not real people being the product of money

–Wonuola Olawale

Check out the new FLARTED Mentorship Program https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1uZi621s_-LqEp-I9YK0OHkJQEb4A3qAY5FNlkDIQWFY

I salute you for we share the same vision. Thank you for sharing!

Stay blessed.

​It is written in the scriptures that: strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matt 7:14)
There is therefore a gate, and a way. A gate is a crisis point, requiring one to pass through. You are either on this side of the gate, or the other side. Passing through a gate is not a gradual process, it occurs at once. A way on the other hand, is traversed gradually. Walking on a way does not occur at once. Rather, we make progress over time. We have gate experiences and way experiences. And both are essentially different, though connected. 
For instance: when we are faced with the vicissitudes of life, or when someone comes with problems of theirs; we may feel they have a long way to go concerning that particular aspect of life, but it is not always so- sometimes all that is required is an encounter, or an experience and voila- they are on the next level. In that instance, it is a gate before us, not a way. And the kind of counsel needed has to do with us understanding certain ‘key’ things. It does happen the other way too- mistaking a way for a gate, and banging on it instead of walking on.
Now to the point: in walking with God- there is a gate, and there is a way. And which one comes first is debatable, but from the scripture above- the gate first, then the way. And there is the hymn that says Jesus yielded His life an atonement for sin and opened the life-gate that all may go in. At the gate is Christ, at the gate is the Cross, at the gate the Lamb was slain, and our sins forgiven, and guilt rolled away. At the gate Christ met us- He loved us, He took us unto Himself. He died for us and rose again. When He died, we died with Him, and when He rose, were raised together. 
If anyman is in Christ therefore- He is a new creature. The gate is not about what we have done or what we should do, but about what God has done in Christ. Changes here are instantaneous. God has done everything in Christ, and then put us in Him. The moment we believe it, we receive it, and we become it- not in a hidden way, but manifestly. It is credited to our account as righteousness. 
Therefore at the gate we are free, at the gate there is therefore now no condemnation, at the gate old things are passed away, at the gate all things are become new, at the gate we have passed from death to life, at the gate we are a new creation, at the gate we have been healed by His stripes, at the gate we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. It does not occur gradually- but if anyman is in Christ, He is- not that he will be, but he is. Not that old things are passing away, but they have. Not that all things are becoming new- but they have. 
That is the strait gate. 
When people ‘give their lives to Christ’ over and over again thinking they did not do it well the previous time, or because the meeting is intense, or because of the things they have done since the last time they received Christ. When we rededicate our lives to God several times, and confess sins and ask for forgiveness regularly, especially before bed- jolted and even scared by messages of the appearing or coming of Christ and messages of hell. When we feel guilt about past sins and even go ahead to say things like ‘we are all sinners, except for the blood of Jesus.’ When we are always stumbling over the same sins and repenting of them.
-We are trying to walk upon the way without acknowledging that there is a gate to pass through. It will never work. We would need to know that what happened to us at the gate. Without the gate, we will try to make heaven- an impossibility in itself.  Until we see the gate, progress upon the way will be difficult to impossible, and we will keep going back to start point- repenting again, starting again instead of moving on to perfection.
And what is more? Sometimes we focus on the gate, and forget the way. We claim everything has been already done. 

Faith is both he who comes to God and he who diligently seeks Him. A W Tozer says to have found God and to pursue him is the sweet paradox of Christianity.

Sometimes we don’t know the difference between where we are seated, where we are walking, and where we are standing. We forget that while we are seated with Christ in heavenly places, we are pressing towards the mark for the prize of the upward call of God in Him. And that while our seating position is fixed on high, it does not change the fact that progress has to be made here in this realm. Those who pass through the gate must be prepared to walk the way. 
At the gate God found us, on the way we find Him. At the gate- God loved us, on the way we love Him. At the gate- we are planted in Christ, on the way Christ is expressed through us. At the gate victory is delivered, but on the way battles will be fought. At the gate inheritance has been entrusted, but on the way the heirs will be tested. At the gate- we are forgiven, on the way- we must forgive others. At the gate- we are perfected, on the way- we learn perfection. At the gate- we are born again, on the way- we live again. At the gate- we repent out of guilt, on the way- we repent out of relationship. At the gate, faith is received…on the way we add to our faith. At the gate- the Cross carries us…On the way we carry our cross. At the gate- Christ is the Author of our faith, and on the way- He is the Finisher 
That is the narrow way.
P.S. this thought pattern of the Christian walk was borne of one of Watchman Nee’s sermons: a gate and a way.
#copied

​As written by one of the co-supporters of the #90Bill: 

The #90Bill seeks improvement through personal development. While Nigerians are quick to point at the poor services rendered. We don’t see the fact that the poor quality of services we receive is an effect of the poor services we also deliver, indeed there are few who think beyond themselves. For instance, while I was in the University of Benin I had a roommate who said while in secondary school his teacher had asked them to pick melon seeds while they were supposed to be learning. Now this teacher had just acted as a Zero. I imagine the teachers complaining on the poor performance of the student in their exams and perhaps that he grew up to become a nuisance, my question is what right has such a teacher to complain? If when he had the time and chance to make an impact, he chose to be poor in delivery? This is just an example using our so called Educational sector (if we have any though).  In the same manner, the effect of poor services runs in the society. Sometime ago, I was on a bike and we were stopped by some zeroes (“area boys”) who demanded local government permit fee. Amazingly the bike rider asked the man, “how work?”. And then I wondered what work the “collector” was doing. Now, I am not against him collecting this money. But then, the money is collected and spent on personal gains and the customers are to bear the pain and are even mistreated by the drivers (delayed movement, increase in transport fare like I witness a keke rider telling me that the fare has increased because the chairman has increased his money). So my first point of emphasis is this; every Nigerian has the right to be served right in the same way every Nigerian has an obligation to serve right and we must know when we don’t act right in service the effect comes back to us. 

Secondly, service delivery is the bed rock of national development. A lot of failures in Nigeria can be traced to inadequate service delivery. So I propose that all employers (private or government) provide the basic requirements needed for their employees to effectively deliver quality service and I propose also that public officers especially elected officers are barred from seeking medical care abroad. Instead let them ensure that our hospitals are well equipped. And in the event where they fail to do so, adequate sanctions should follow suit. Also, employees should be enlightened on the ABCs of quality service delivery. I think at this point, it is safe to say that the organisation servicom created by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration comes into play. It was saddled with the responsibility of ensuring every Nigerian is served right and also training of employees on how to serve right. Permit me to say that SERVICOM has failed in everyway. But this act should be taken beyond the walls of Abuja to the streets, offices, markets in Nigeria enlightening the people on the mishaps of poor service delivery.

Also, the bill should contain the principle of quality service delivery, mechanism for determining 90%, receiving complaints and ensuring they are adequately dealt with.

Lastly, democracy is government of the people, for the people, by the people. This puts emphasis on the fact that the government is the people. So if our representatives fail to deliver quality service then we have the right to reject their service and provide the basic needs for ourselves. For instance, I dream of a time when graduates in our nations will not complain of the rot in our educational system but will give themselves to saving the system. Imagine if we marched to classes with the public school students drmonstrating how we need to help them learn. Imagine if we changed our outdated curricula that our beloved ministry of education has refused to change. Imagine if teachers are also given targets as private banks give their staffs. Imagine if the old will help challenge the innovative minds of the young. Imagine if our schools spent good time learning for today, tomorrow and not yesterday. We can close down the public schools and train our kids at home if they decide to keep been poor. We can disconnect Eko distribution company. We can generate our power as a united community locally. We must help the service “deliverers” realise that the people hold the power and without the people their service is of no good. They must learn that we can serve ourselves right but that is only when we are united.

In getting people to sign the bill I think we’ll have to work out how they tend to gain from the bill, humans will always follow after a bill that promises them something in return and then also find a way to bring it across their eyes. Make them understand that to every service that has been delivered poorly there is a better alternative, we need to help them see the viable alternatives; how communities can generate their own power supply and not run personal generators. So I think in driving the bill, we carry the alternatives along. That translates to intense research on what alternatives there is. And that we pursue its implementation ONE sector at a time.

Reporting live for #90Bill, Onos Oghomehero

Please share your thoughts and comments. You deserve to be heard. You are a Nigerian. You deserve 10/10 by 9gerians.

Proudly supported by Wonuola Olawale

Founder and Co-sponsor,

#90Bill Movement