By Lanre Modu

Knowledge is everywhere if we care to notice. Everything around us teaches us a lesson if we choose to be observant students. We can learn a lot by observing. We must begin to ask the right questions and pay attention to our environment; more often than not, we will find our answers there.

We sometimes take important things for granted. For instance, we have become all too familiar with nature that we give it little or no thought. However, several inventions and innovations that have changed our lives were inspired by nature. This is known as biomimicry.

When George de Mestral, a Swiss engineer, decided to go on a hunting trip 1941, he had no idea that he would return with one of the most revolutionary ideas that would change the clothing industry forever.

Having walked through grasses and weeds, he was faced with the unpleasant task most people in his shoes were quite familiar with- picking off sticky burrs from his pants and his dog’s fur.

Most people would get overwhelmed at the sight of the numerous burrs and the thought of first picking them off their clothes and then shaking them off their fingers but Mestral was different.

He took a careful look at the burrs and asked himself, “Why are they so sticky?” His curiosity didn’t end there; he took a closer look at the seeds under his microscope and that was how he discovered the idea of hooks and loops.

He began to produce a fastener made up of two surfaces- a linear strip of fabric with tiny hooks referred to as mate, and another strip of fabric with smaller loops.

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On contact, the hooks slip into the loops; pulling them apart produces a tear-like sound. This invention is commonly used for military uniform, sportswear- particularly footwears, bags, etc. De Mestral went on to name the product and his company Velcro.

How many people had carelessly brushed off burrs before 1941? How many more have done it since 1941 without even realising that the burrs inspired their favourite Velcro products? We can learn a few things from Mestral:

• We must ask the question others are not asking to get answers others are not getting. There is tremendous power in asking questions. They open up our minds to the possibility that things can be different. Questions challenge the norm and create the atmosphere for innovation. If we can ask smart questions and we don’t stop there, but we go on to seek out the answers, we will change our lives.
• We must pay attention. We do a lot of things absent mindedly and we fail to notice great ideas. The detail we miss is the reason for someone else’s genius. Our minds are too filled with unnecessary thoughts to accommodate creativity. If we take a moment to actually observe our environment, we may notice several things we’ve taken for granted or hardly ever noticed. The answers we need may be right there.
• No idea is too small to worth our trouble. We must be willing to explore. Everything big started small. If we are not willing to grow a small idea, we are not deserving of a big one.
• A nuisance can inspire us to do things differently. Someone’s problem is another person’s inspiration. If it’s a problem to you, it probably is for other people too; if you solve it for yourself, you have solved it for others. Guess what? You are already in business!

Thanks for reading my article today. I would really love to hear from you. So, do share your views with me by sending SMS to 07034737394, visiting www.olanreamodu.com and following me on twitter @lanreamodu. Remember, if you can change your mind, you can change your life. Grow your mind and every other thing will catch up!

 

By Ozolua Uhakheme, Assistant Editor Arts

 

A joint art exhibition titled The Adventure by the duo of Damola Ayegbayo and Tosin Oyeniyi will open at No 78 Younis Bashorun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos on Sunday February 9th, by 6pm.

The one-day exhibition, which is organised by Victor Arts and The Metaphor, will feature no fewer than 20 paintings and mixed media works that highlight some critical aspects of our environmental and cultural life as a nation.

Some of the works include Vision of hope, Black task, Mutual benefit, Culture and love, The bow, Black pride, Perception, Reflection, The Ankara ballerina, and The Nigerian amazon.

Osun state-born Ayegbayo is a hardworking and talented artist with strong skill in all areas of the art. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Education from the Department of Fine and Applied Arts specializing in painting at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun state.

At a tender age, Ayegbayo who is proprietor of Victor Arts Gallery got inspired by his late grandfather who was a painter, sculptor and ceramist. But his love to practise art increased at the university when he met greater like minds in the arts department and art galleries of other universities.

Having decided to become a full time studio artist after his university education, he chose to communicate the power and beauty of black African women, realities of life and morals through his use of colours.

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He has over the years researched into the use of media like postal colours, oil colours, acrylics and others. His works are in the collections of organisations such as KPMG Lagos, Super Sports TV, Standard Chartered Bank among others.

To him, no barrier is unassailable if you work hard, believe and be committed to what you love to do best.

For Oyeniyi (Tosartworld) also a graduate of Department of Fine and Applied Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University (Adeyemi College of Education chapter) Ondo, his love for art from teen made him to choose art as career.

Art research, study, practice, discovery and exploration help in exposing him to many art ideologies and renditions in the field of career he has chosen that lead him into adoption of painting style from linography (lino etching and printing) been a graphic specialist in his university days.

He also worked on mixed media and art installations because he believes art is all about creativity and aesthetics.

As an indigenous artist with traditional background blended with modern exposure, most of his works are coined from nature, philosophy of life, day to day activities, history, occurrence and experience.

“My belief about art was derived from an early stage art definition which says ‘art is life, representation and expression of inner thoughts and feelings’ that gives birth to creativity and aesthetics.

By Evelyn Osagie

 

It was not the usual exhibition when documentary photographer, Washington Uba, held an art campaign to mark the 2020 World Leprosy Day.

With the theme: “Leaving no one behind”, the day is commemorated globally on the last Sunday of January. Known globally as the Hansen disease, leprosy is linked to a French philanthropist in 1956, a Catholic passionate for assisting people with the disease.

Tagged: “StoryBoard” awareness campaign, Uba’s eight-day event, which ended last Sunday, was meant to create awareness on the disease through the vehicle, “Art Against Leprosy”. It drew advocates from civil societies, the arts, medicine and the media.

It featured the display of diverse 4 by 114 feet flex banner on walls, educating guests about the disease and pushing against its stigmatisation by telling a friend about leprosy. The displays documented the history of the disease, the current situation, global trends, the number of people affected, among others. There were also academic and interactive sessions.

“Together we can defeat the world’s oldest disease. If we continue to play the lukewarm attitude to it, the whole world would suffer greatly for it is increasing rapidly,” began the artist.

He decried the deplorable state of colonies across Nigeria, calling for the intervention of government and well-meaning Nigerians.

He lamented thus:  “Currently we have colonies in Kwara, Edo, Delta, Abia and Kaduna states. If we say kick against malaria, Tuberculosis, HIV, we should equally say kick against leprosy because there are people affected but they are not treated as humans. We need to make clear the myths and facts about leprosy for people to understand better.

“This year’s theme is “Leaving no one behind”, which highlights the need to show these fellow human beings love. Through the “StoryBoard” awareness campaign with the hashtag ‘Tell a friend’ for 2020 World Leprosy Day, we are saying end stigmatisation now even as we call for more interventions by government, such as funding and medical provisions.”

For over a decade, the artist who has used his art to draw attention to the predicament of people affected by leprosy, developed the ‘StoryBoard’ campaign to sensitise people.

He said: “I am doing this out of passion, the truth is that most people do not know that there are colonies in this country managed by either missionaries of private individuals, all the colonies I visited, there is no colony managed by government in Nigeria, unfortunately we do not know exactly the accurate figure of persons affected by leprosy in Nigeria because we lack data and information management, but globally there are 220,000 of persons affected by leprosy.

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“We implore everyone especially the government to show these people love, let’s make them know that there is hope for them, we must stop discrimination, stigmatisation and relegation against them because leprosy on anyone is not a death sentence. I wish people would have empathy and compassion on people affected by this debilitating disease.

Reiterating the artist’s submission, Women’s rights advocate and founder of Leadership for Girls Foundation, Viola, called for more sensitisation programmes to ensure the public is duly educated about the disease and its prevention. She  observed that all hands must be on deck to curb its spread.

A medical doctor, Dr. Odunfa Kolawole, has lamented over the neglect of people affected by leprosy in the country.

The medical practitioner said leprosy being one of the old diseases in the world ought not to be heard of or seen in Nigeria again as it is in some countries. The physician said lack of awareness, sensitisation and campaign against this Hansen disease has aggravated the plights of people affected by this disease.

He maintained that the disease is not idiopathic, therefore has antidote, so the need for everyone to thoroughly treat every illness with utmost attention becomes indispensable because some mistreated and untreated illnesses can metamorphosed into some other diseases more dangerous and inimical to the body.

“We call on the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies to come to the aid of these persons affected by leprosy because scientists are no longer paying more attention to it (since so many countries has eradicated it), making the available antibacterial vaccines very expensive.

“This disease is curable humanly and divinely, the vaccines are free, and the disease is not easily transmitted from one person to another, so we must not discriminate against survivors, it’s imperative we join hands to spread the news to show them some sense of belonging, some countries have  eradicated leprosy, so Nigeria must do everything possible to get rid of this disease,” he said.

One of Nigeria’s second generation arts graduates of the famous Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Mr. Emmanuel Oladunjoye Abejide, is a retired ethnographer. At 80, he is still very active in his private studio at Ilasa Ekiti where he paints, sculpts and makes drums from waste and found objects. He has over 200 works of art in his collection, Assistant Editor (Arts) Ozolua Uhakheme reports.

 

At 80, not many of his peers are still very active in the studio. Mr. Emmanuel Oladunjoye Abejide, a retired ethnographer is fulfilled producing incredible arts and crafts at his private studio in Ilasa, Ekiti State.

Abejide, a second generation fine art graduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, had a rewarding career at the National Commission for Museums and Monuments before he retired in June 21, 1999 as Curator, National Museum, Kaduna.  Two decades after retirement, Abejide is in love with his art.

He was one of the major exhibitors at the last Ekiti State Festival of Arts and Culture, where he exhibited a large collection of his rare art, especially sculptures.

Until he left service, in spite of being the best graduating student in fine art at the Ahmadu Bello University in 1968, he was relatively unknown among exhibiting artists because he was confined to ethnography at the museum.

“That’s how God wants it because when I was in the university, I was the best in my set and General Gowon’s administration felt I should be honoured. I was given Federal Government scholarship with automatic employment.

But when I came to Lagos, I was told that there was no work in teaching and I was asked to go to the museum. At the museum, they said the only work I could do was ethnography; that is, researching into culture,” he recalled his journey into ethnography.

Abejide does not regret his career as a museum professional because, according to him, he had an ‘eventful life studying culture and interrogating cultural objects, codes, signs, symbols and artefacts.’

Today, his experiences at the museum are very handy in his private life as a studio artist. He is always excited to be part of any art exhibition in and outside the country.

“Today, it has helped me because I’ve been exposed to culture a lot, and at the same time, I buried art for the period but it was hitting me. That was why I could still introduce Mirror Art in 1983, at the height of my career. It means I didn’t forget art outrightly,” he said.

Reflecting on his career at the museum, he said: “It has been fulfilling, in that, today, when I write my curriculum vitae, I pride myself in being curator of Owo and Akure Museums.

I was the first ever curator who called it the museum. That’s the Olowo’s Palace in Owo, Ondo State. And again, I was sent  from Ibadan after 10 years of ethnographic research to start the museum in Akure and that was in July 1998.”

After he graduated from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he studied fine art between 1964 and 1968, majoring in painting, Abejide did his Master’s degree in visual arts at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan.

There he met one of his university mates, Prof Cornelius Adepegba, (his junior at the university) who until his death was Director, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. Like a twist, Prof Adepegba eventually supervised his Masters project at the University of Ibadan.

“Adepegba was my junior at the university in Zaria, and interestingly he was my supervisor for the Masters. He was a good friend of mine.

He is late now. It was under him I had my Masters. I chose not to go for my PhD programme because at that time, I was given the option to write my Ph.D thesis.

But, I was already on level 13 in the Federal Service — National Commission for Museums and Monuments — and I thought I was almost reaching the top, so, I didn’t feel like going into academics.”

Abejide’s creativity gets sweeter like an old wine. He is not disposed  to sculpting or painting the regulars. Some of his rare collections wowed many guests in the office of the Director, Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture, Mr. Wale Ojo Lanre, during the last Ekiti Festival for Arts and Culture.

At first sight, you would mistake the sculptural pieces as real food items for a bazaar. But behold, they are sculptures of ripe cocoa pods, yam tubers arranged neatly on a barn, freshly harvested cassava tubers, banana and plantain, which are known to be farm products of Ilasa.

Many guests had to touch the pieces to be convinced that they are art works by Abejide. All these form the core of his exhibits at the festival where he had a booth showing his works. He is also strong on the canvass.

He said most of the works exhibited at the festival were done after his retirement in 1999.  “All the artworks that you’re seeing here, most of them were done immediately I retired from service on June 21, 1999. By that time, I was the curator of Kaduna Museum.

I was transferred as curator of Jos Museum to Kaduna Museum, where I retired. By the time I was in Ibadan, I was already the supervisor of ethnographers in Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Kwara, former Bendel and Lagos states. I introduced Mirror Arts into Nigerian technique of painting.

It is etching of mirror from the back and colouring to make mirror art. I became the originator, the first in Africa and I exhibited it in 1993 at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos.”

Beyond the aesthetics, Abejide uses mirror art to interrogate how an artist holds conversation with his object and subject in a manner that does not degenerate into absurd or banal narrative. Interestingly, the mirror in his art says much as it speaks of anything: relationship between sex and power, men and women and cultures in a globalised world.

He acknowledged that he was among the‘second generation’ of Zaria trained artists, while Yusuf Grillo, Timothy Fasuyi and others were the first generation. “I belong to the second generation of graduating students. We were the first set of people who started as undergraduates and graduated in ABU.

 

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I couldn’t have been popular because I was not into teaching. Kolade Oshinowo of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos was three years my junior and he was under-studying me. But I didn’t go into teaching as I was in the museum. And museum was showcasing Kolade’s works and others then,” he said.

Asked if he had encounters with the trio of Uche Okeke, Yusuf Grillo and Bruce Onobrakpeya, he said: “Those were my seniors. But, when it comes to their works, we are from Zaria school.

Therefore, we are all using the pastel stroke, but I graduated from the pastel to the graffito impressions. People steal works and write their names but my identity cannot be stolen,” Abejide explained, drawing attention to Nigerian soil and the natural synthesis developed by the Zaria rebels.

“We are all creative and my creativity pushes me to using materials around me to make sure they are not useless,” he noted,  adding that ‘maybe because I was employed as an ethnographer, to research into culture, not art.’ There was a day he corrected one of his junior colleagues, who was employed as an artist, about what he was doing. His boss scolded him, reminding him that he was not an authority on that subject.

“I reminded him that I’m a fine art graduate from ABU. So, it was just like that. Once you are employed in a civil service, your line is what you should continue on, no regret whatsoever.” Abejide says sarcastically, “it was as if I wasted the years in museum.”

He, however, recalled that “When I saw what was coming out from the experiences, I thank God that I worked there. I took part in so many exhibitions and a major solo show in 1993 to showcase Mirror Art.

The exhibition was titled, Echoes of cultural reflections. It held at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos. I have also participated in SNA exhibitions and was the key exhibitor at the convocation exhibition of Obafemi Awolowo University in 2003.

On his post-retirement life as a studio artist, he said: “After retirement as a deputy director, I was to settle down in Lagos as an artist, but was told in a ‘dream’ to remain in Ilasa. I went back to my village (Ilasa) and in the modest house I built and continued working there.

‘’Yes, I work round the clock even yesterday night till this morning, I still worked. I am also into drum making too. All these thrown away or bad coolers, I turn them to drums, but I use imported leather. Back home in Ilasa what I have is over 200 works. Often people call me to showcase my works.

“Art has no market value in Ekiti State because nothing is sold, and then, all I do is to think of moving out and selling whatever I can. I have cards of buyers I can talk to.

I don’t allow them to carry away my work, because a lot of them have been lost to these people. They will carry them away and will not pay. Yet, I am not living on art but on what I did in the museum and what I earned as a retiree.”

Abejide, who is very passionate about his art, urged the younger generations to know that the future of art is great, because today’s employment is not for many but an artist will always be employed. “If you are not employed by corporate organisations or government, you will be self-employed and you can market your work anywhere,” he added.

By Olaitan Ganiu

 

It was a special drumming experience last weekend at the first quarter graduation concert of Janggu and Samulnori Drumming Workshop as audience were treated to usual melodies.

The event tagged Janggu with Papa and held at Seaside Cottage, Akoka-Bariga, Lagos was organised by the Korean Cultural Centre and Drumview Concept.

No fewer than 21 youths participated in the four-month intensive drum workshop and were presented with certificate. 12 of the students have mastered the art of playing the Janggu drum while 9 others in Samulnori drumming.

The Janggu is the most representative drum in traditional Korean music. It is available in different forms and consists of an hourglass-shaped body with two heads made from animal skin. The two heads produce sounds of different pitch and timbre, which when played together are believed to represent the harmony of man and woman. Janggu is one of the instruments of Samulnori. Samulnori consists of Janggu, Buk, Jing, and Kkwaenggwari.

All dressed in Korean attires the graduates took to the stage to display their craft as they wowed the crowd with their impressive drumming and dancing styles which drew applause from the cheerful viewers.

Head, Janggu drum in Nigeria, Isiagwu Williams said he felt fulfilled seeing the youths embracing and learning traditional drums, noting that Nigerians need to cherish our own culture.

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“This is the second time Janggu is coming to Bariga environs and it always feel good to catch them young. It is really my pleasure to see them showcasing their talent here today,” said the award winning choreographer.

“What I am trying to do is: change the perception of Nigerian towards our traditional drums. We cherish our drums and art and cultural activities as the Koreans and other foreign countries value theirs. Many Nigerians sees our culture as fetish and this has really affected our growth as a Nation,” he added.

On the benefits of South Korean drumming in Nigeria, Williams said he wanted Nigerians especially youth to tap from the idea, skill and style the Koreans used in developing their drums.

He said: “I learnt a lot during my sponsorship programme in South Korea. I played their drums using percussion theory, notate and score. So, if we can also adapt these formulas to document our traditional beats like Sakara, Bata, Gangan so that anybody from around the world can play it. My primary aim of organising this workshop is to let our traditional drummers especially the youth to know how to notate, read music note so they can transform it to build our own drum playing. Also, we need to be putting perfect touches to our drum like Janggu drum are polished.”

Willams who studied traditional music composition and arrangement at the National Theatre of South Korea said he has mentored over 60 students since 2014 courtesy of Korea Culture Centre in Nigeria.

From Khalid Imam

 

Retired Federal permanent secretary Dr. Bukar Usman, is 77 years. He served at the presidency with distinction “largely for his selflessness and great love of his country”.

This well experienced administrator and soft-spoken septuagenarian son of Biu, a northeast ancient town in Borno State, has all the attributes of an eagle for his foresightedness and focus.

Dr. Usman, the president of the Dr. Bukar Usman Foundation who is also the president of the Nigerian Folklore Society, is an excellent role model to emulate for anyone in search for a mentor who will be a guide teaching one to be diligent and to believe in oneself.

Denzel Washington once stated that “Without commitment you never start, without consistency you never finish… ease is the greater threat to progress than hardship” (Washington, October, 2018).

And according to Tony Buzan, the author of “Mind Map Mastery” and an acclaimed brilliant motivational speaker, “Everybody has the potential for genius.” Why? This is largely, as he would allude, because the human brain has the breathtaking capacity to mysteriously and meticulously work faster than a super computer.

It is not hard to comprehend that what Buzan seems to emphasise here is the fact that no one, yes, no individual, no matter one’s exceptional brilliance, has the complete monopoly of genius; and that accomplishment is also not a medal strictly reserved for the special ones or the few gifted minds one is stunningly marvelled by their seemingly remarkable superhuman exploits.

To properly comprehend Buzan’s thesis, one needs to clearly appreciate that everyone blessed with a healthy brain and stable mind has equal potential to display uncommon genius and/or marvellous success.

Sure, it is not difficult to believe that the road to harness one’s full potential to genius or achieve outstanding accomplishment is to discover oneself.

This is to say, in life, self – awareness, more than any other thing, is one very critical success pathway – a smooth pathway leading one to the palace of brilliance and success.

Therefore, there is no gainsaying the fact that self – awareness is one very fundamental life – changing factor that helps even animals to live a life of great genius and fascination.

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No close observer of the animals’ distinct and wonderful lives would fail to be amazed by the great talent, wit and ingenuity they often display while hunting for games or building a shelter against any harm visiting them.

For instance, even one with a faint knowledge of life in the animal kingdom can’t fail to understand that the eagle is a very unique and most powerful bird for its sharp sight and great focus.

From far distance, the eagle can spot a swimming fish inside the sea, and within a blink it would swoop and have it for lunch. A lion, although not the wisest or the biggest animal, still rules the animal kingdom for its unmatched bravery, uncommon discipline and exemplary attitude.

A lion is fully aware of itself as the king in the jungle hence it only goes for a kill when hungry. This attitude and sense of pride earns the lion respect from all.

The ants tiny as they are, are blessed with diligence and outstanding organisational capacity to slowly but steadily move a mountain while the tortoise and the fox often regarded as the most cunning if not the wisest animals too do demonstrate uncommon behaviours for humans to learn.

Even though, it is common knowledge that animals are not so endowed with super brain and other traits like humans, a careful study of their wonderful and mysterious lives stresses that all animals are aware of their special endowments, unique qualities and distinctive ways of life.

Unarguably, a close observation at animals and their fascinating lives would help the wise among humans to easily discover oneself. To stress, one who discovers oneself is one whose understanding of oneself is like a rudder in the canoe of one’s life.

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And since the human mind, according to Tony Buzan, is broadly divided into two, the self-realised person is one whose brain is functionally at work, allowing its logical left side and its critical right side to be the captain of one’s life.

Therefore, it is important to admit that mind mapping helps one to sail through the sea of life because a mind properly mapped is like a train on a track.

This long background, if anything, invites the reader looking for one individual whose well mapped mind has succeeded in helping him to have his eyes on the long game of life as a role model, one should be happy to have my mentor, Dr. Usman.

To be a person worthy of becoming a true leader or a mentor to a generation of young people, as Hillary Clinton would say, one must avoid persons notoriously known for dishing out “outright lies and incoherent dangerous ideas,” or one struggling with “personal feuds”.

For sure, as Hillary Clinton would have re-echoed, an outright liar or intolerant snake ready to strike is not someone everyone in his right senses should trust or accept as a president, a captain or a mentor.

And if one with adequate knowledge, stability of mind, great sense of direction and full understanding of all the responsibilities leadership places on him being an elder statesman or a leader, is the ready-made choice for a captain or a leader, for sure, my mentor, Dr. Usman, is the perfect choice.

Usman, who turned 77 years last December, has the discipline and organisational prowess of an ant considering the remarkable success he, as a writer of over thirty books and the many lives his foundation has touched within its short lifespan.

Soon after his retirement in 1999, he mind-mapped his way, and against all lures to derail him, he remains steady and dogged, resulting in bumper harvest of dozens of books from him.

The books he authored cover topics such as history, culture, literature, security, media, international relations, African regional politics, national integration and good governance.

In short, Denzel Washington’s perfect description of the path to success quoted in the epigraph to this piece aptly describes Dr. Bukar Usman.

Here is a man who working with a handful of dedicated staff and resourceful research assistants, demonstrates that “without commitment you never start and without consistency you never finish.”

True, his commitment and consistency helped to give birth to dozens and volumes of groundbreaking published well – researched books that only serious universities or research centers can produce.

Here is a man whose old age has not hindered him from pursuing his mapped-out goals and achieving excellence simply because of his firm belief that “ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship.”

While rejoicing with my mentor, Usman, I pray to Allah to continue to strengthen him. Oh Dr. Usman, may you age with grace as you enjoy your 77th birthday in good health.

 

• Khalid Imam, a teacher, a poet and the Coordinator of All Poets Network is based in Kano. His email is khalidimam2002@gmail.com

Lanre Amodu

 

Ade adjusted his position for a better view of the sky, the sea, in fact everything he could see. That was why he got a window seat after all.

He’d been looking forward to the Dubai trip for months- since his company got the invite to discuss possible investment deal with Al Michel Ltd.

He jumped at the opportunity to represent his company since he’d always wanted to visit Dubai. Imagine all the places he would visit and all the pictures he would take… his colleagues would be green with envy! He specifically booked a non-stop flight to have more time for sightseeing. Meanwhile, he would enjoy his 7 hours 5 minutes journey.

On arrival, Tade checked into his hotel room and turned in for the night. He could hardly wait for daybreak to begin his adventure. The next morning, he was up bright and early.

It was such a blessing that his business meeting was scheduled for 4:30pm. Al Michel observed business hours of 9.00am to 5.30pm. After the deal had been made, and he had no doubt about he would succeed, he would proceed to a diner with the CEO.

Tade got into a cab and told the driver, “Take me everywhere”. “Ah, a tourist!” Said the driver with a knowing smile. And the adventure began! He visited several wonderful places.

In no particular order, he visited the Burj Khalifa- the tallest man-made structure in the world! Wow, it looked better than all its pictures.

Burj Al Arab was a sight to behold; imagine lodging at the world’s only 7-star hotel! Oh, how could he describe the Dubai Miracle Garden? The world’s largest flower garden practically took his breath away. And ah, Palm Jumeirah, the awesome chain of artificial islands.

Wouldn’t it be great to take the monorail and see the island up-close? “How can I get on the monorail?” He asked the driver. The driver looked at him curiously through the rear-view mirror and said, “we should be going back now”.

“But I haven’t been everywhere” blurted out Tade. “You can’t get everywhere,” said the driver, “besides, didn’t I hear you mention a meeting on the phone this morning?” The meeting! Tade quickly checked the time and he froze. He blinked several times to make sure he wasn’t mistaken.

He wasn’t! The time was 4.20pm and he was on the other end of the city! Tade’s adventure was exciting but there is more to life than excitement.

Here are a few lessons to • Majoring on the minor: one wouldn’t blame the cab driver for referring to Tade as a tourist. He definitely didn’t seem like a businessman.

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He focused on sightseeing at the expense of his main mission. In 2020, I strongly suggest that you focus on your major goals first and let the “fun” be the reward for mission accomplished.

• You can’t get everywhere: it is a very loose category. What qualifies as everywhere? In the same way, you shouldn’t aim to do everything in 2020. When you know the specific places you need to go or what you need to do, you can prioritize.
• Drifting is risky: without a specific destination in mind, drifting becomes a high possibility. Unfortunately, the further you drift, the farther away you may be to your actual destination. Not only did Tade miss his priority, he wasn’t conscious how far he had gone from the venue of his meeting.
• Beware of time illusion: at the beginning of anything, there seems to be a lot of time ahead and most people decide to take their time. Like Tade, people usually think they have a lot of time to spare. January is a long time to December, right? Wrong!!! Before you know it, your calendar will become outdated one-leaf-at-a-time.

  What miracle would take Tade across the city in 10 minutes? In the same way, people get desperate and start to rush when the year is also over. Let every minute take you towards your desired destination. Going everywhere is going nowhere.

Thanks for reading my article today. I would really love to hear from you. So, do share your views with me by sending SMS to 07034737394, visiting www.olanreamodu.com and following me on twitter @lanreamodu. Remember, if you can change your mind, you can change your life. Grow your mind and every other thing will catch up!

 

By Olaniyi Olayemi Luke

 

Foods lined in an assembly

as long as the Great Wall

attract veggies and meatatarians

of different gastronomical appeal

in the lukewarm weather of Addis Ababa.

 

Some had helpings from every food

building mointains on ceramics.

The faddy foodies cause a traffic

as they ponder their choices

from Injera to some diminutive specie of Rice.

 

The corn cooked here in the Horn of Africa

teaches the convoluted phonology

of Amharic as the first-timer

masticates their horrors in an unrhythmic chewing.

 

Sour is sweet

and piquancy is blandness

in the cuisine of Addis Ababa.

 

You lash on the hopes

of when you get back home

like a prodigal son

to taste familiar flavours.

 

I guess my tastebuds

are too old to learn the new tricks

of an Abyssinian buffet.