The Nation Newspaper

Tag: kid

  • World of kid models

    For kids, life is play. And when they have to be dressed up, propped up and made to saunter and act in front of the cameras – whether still or motion, it gets even more exciting and they just let go. Welcome to the emerging world of kid models. Yetunde Oladeinde writes.

    It was a colourful evening. A variety of male and female models thronged the runway, as they sashayed to the excitement of the crowd, wearing outfits that thrilled.

    Just while the audience thougth this was the greatest thing they had seen in recent times, the young ones stepped out, looking radiant in apparels and accessories that simply wowed the audience.

    Like the mature models, the kids on runway have mastered the art and you cannot but marvel at their presentation and dexterity.

    Welcome to the world of kid models. It is indeed an amazing world and you find them on the runway, calendar jobs, TV commercials as well as billboards.

    Chiamaka Eustace is a kid model rocking her world. “Modeling has been a very interesting experience for me and it brings out your creativity in a natural way”, she enthused.

    Apart from modeling, she is also an actress and she won the 2018 edition of the little Queen of Miss Green and White Nigeria Peace Pageant. Her words; “Winning the competition was very interesting and I took my time preparing for it. I am also a musical artiste known with the name Chiamakadavoice.  That is not all, I like to be creative and I am lively and fun to be with.”

    Twelve-year-old Ivanna Chukwudumebi Ogaga has conquered the modeling scene as a kid. For her the experience has been, “very good and interesting. I admire models like Naomi Campbell who have made it to the top,” she says.

    That dream and desire was made possible by her mum, Faith Ifeoma Ogaga, who is also a model and the 2017 winner of the Miss Nigeria Universe pageant.

    Like Ivanna, Colberth Chukwuemeka Ogaga, who is her younger brother, has also been on the modeling scene and he loves the experience too. Happily, Faith takes you into their world, experience and how it all started: “I have used my kids for modeling and it has been a very interesting experience for us. The first experience was for a fashion advert for a friend’s boutique and it was awesome.”

    Interestingly, she created the second opportunity for them and that became an eye-opener for them. “At this point, I started my fashion outfit called Omawura’s Creation and that opportunity opened other doors for us.”

    One memorable experience was modeling with her son for a product depicting mother and son. “At that point, my son was about eight months old and we modeled for a mother and child company and the experience was really good. Since then, my children have cherished every moment spent posing and smiling for the cameras.”

    The children, like their mum, have moments to cherish while modeling. However, she believes that the ultimate decision about the future rests with the children. “I cannot determine for them where they would be in the next few years. I can only direct their paths to a good choice that would in turn benefit them and the world around them. My prayer, especially, is for them to enjoy their chosen fields,” she said.

    Asked about the challenges and she replies this way: “For them, there isn’t much challenges during the photo-shoot because they simply love the cameras. The main challenge is getting them jobs as models. I literarily went to most advertising agencies in Lagos, taking their picture portfolios and their soft copies on CD’s along but I was turned away.”

    She continued: “Unfortunately, I noticed that one needed to know someone in the company to get your kids profiled despite the fact that the kids loved the cameras. It was so bad that I had to give up and started using them for my fashion line.”

    Is the pay right to inspire the young ones to pursue a career and be successful? “No, definitely not! It was just the love for the art of modeling. I, personally as a model, did ‘pro bono’ for most fashion events. But the love and satisfaction from the shows and catwalk was enough. That is why even as a mother of two kids, I am still modeling. Unfortunately, the industry doesn’t recognise those with the love and passion for it. It is now a give and take situation.”

    Earning extra income and exposure to limelight are some of the gains for these children. However there is the school of thought that also believes that it could be unnecessary exposure and distraction to them.

    That perhaps explains why Hauwa Idris’ dreams of becoming a big time model were aborted by her parents. “I remember that at that point, I was in primary school and because I was very tall, my friends gave me the nickname ‘Model’. A company came to market some children’s products in my school and when they saw me, I was singled out. They wanted me to be the face of the product.”

    Her parents were contacted and they gave their consent initially. “It was a very memorable part of my life and I did a couple of things for them. I found the experience very interesting but when I got into junior secondary school, my parents stopped me from modeling. They said that the exposure was going to distract me from my studies. That was how it ended, but I think that when I grow older and finished with my studies, I may go back to it.”

    In Port Harcourt, Frank Obia, Young CEO of Kid Star Models rocks with his team. “We are the first kids modeling agency here and we are keen on giving the kids an early start, so that they can reach the peak of their career while still in their prime. This is why we teach them finesse, good morals, poise and the art of fashion and design, especially in the African sense of beauty. And the age range of the children we work with is five to eleven years.”

    In addition, the outfit features  competitive academic exercises, moral sensitisation as well as runway catwalk; showcasing a plethora of African fabrics, designs and hairstyles, which brings to bare the many opportunities available in the Nigerian economy.

    Angela Chioma John known as Annjay, an actress and model, takes you into the wonderful world of trendy kid models from celebrity parents and grandparents. “There are a number of them and they are really going places. The daughter of Mercy Aigbe, Michelle Gentry, is one and she recently made the list as one of the most dressed celebrity teens. Michelle is a young fashionista with over 300,000 followers on Instagram and she was recently unveiled as the new face of eponymous fashion label, Abbyke Domina’s new teen line.”

    That is not all!  “On the list, we also have the grandsons of Charly Boy: Michael and Daniel Flora, who have become very popular on Instagram  with over 127,000 followers. This four-year-olds, based in the UK, are premium models and they are managed by their mum. You also have the beautiful teenage daughter of Nollywood actress, Omotola Jolade Ekeinde, Meraiah, who dresses to kill just like her mum.”

    Next, she informs you about Cameron Okoye, another fashionista kid that keeps up with his father’s pace on the fashion scene. “The adorable son of Peter Okoye is always spotted rocking similar outfits with his dad and he has become a big time fashion influencer amongst kids.”

    Next, she goes on to talk about Chacha Eke Faani, who she dubs ‘a baby with an attitude.’

    “She is a budding model to be. This little kiddo can rock anything and totally pull it off.  There is also Emmanuella Odom, daughter of Egberi Papa of Bayelsa, who is seen in several designer outfits that cannot be resisted. Last on the list is mini Wizkid, Boluwatife Balogun, who stuns in dapper outfits like his dad.”

    Good to catch them young – Babaeko    

    For Yetunde Ayeni Babaeko, CEO Camara Studios and Mara Models, set up to change the game in the Nigerian modeling space, it is good to catch them young and give them a better direction.

    “However, I must say that there are a number of challenges working with children. Most times, they have to wait for their parents to drop them at the studio and we all know how busy parents are these days.”

    She also thinks that to make the sector interesting and lucrative, it is important to give them proper training and grooming.

    “Many models just jump into the modelling business without proper grooming or the slightest clue what they are doing, which is where Mara Models Agency comes in. Here, we have the facilities and skills to groom and shape our models into the professionals most advertising agencies need for a successful production.”

    She adds: “The Mara Models team is young and dynamic, with many years of experience in the advertising and photography world. Because of our close affiliation to a professional photo studio, our models are constantly in front of the camera; be it for video production or photography.”

    Also important is the legal advice when it comes to signing contract agreement, which a number of models do not handle with caution, she says.

    ”A lot of times, models just sign contracts without understanding what they are doing or even reading through it. It is very important to understand the terms and conditions before signing. This way, you would avoid being trapped, as well as know what you can do or cannot do during the contract period.”

  • FRSC official killed as gunmen abduct reporter’s wife, kid

    FRSC official killed as gunmen abduct reporter’s wife, kid

    Some unknown gunmen yesterday in Kaduna abducted the wife and child of a Voice of America (VOA) reporter.

    The abductors killed an official of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), who attempted to help the victims.

    The reporter, Malam Nasir Birnin-Yero, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that about 30 men attacked his residence in Birnin Yero, near Kaduna at about 1:30 am.

    “They came to my house at about 1:30 am. I was not at home. They forced themselves into my house and asked my wife of my whereabouts and she told them I was not at home.

    “They vandalised my television set and refrigerator before taking my wife and son away, insisting that they must take them to where I was.

    “One of my neighbours, who works with the FRSC, Mr. Sabitu Abdulhamid, was shot dead when he rushed out in an attempt to save my family.

    “The kidnappers have not made any contact yet,” Birnin-Yero said

    Kaduna State FRSC Sector Commander Umar Ibrahim confirmed the death of the corps personnel.

    Ibrahim described the deceased as a very hard working person, who was also a member of the community’s vigilante.

    “I am just coming back from the burial. It is a sad day for members of his family and the entire FRSC family, “the sector commander said.

  • RRS arrests suspected kid robbers in Oshodi

    RRS arrests suspected kid robbers in Oshodi

    Rapid Response Squad (RRS) operatives have arrested six suspected teenage robbers in Oshodi.

    The suspects, who were brought in batches to the RRS Headquarters in Alausa, Ikeja were apprehended the same day while dispossessing commuters of their belongings.

    The suspects – Ganiyu Rahman, 18, Sadiq Adebayo, 15, Timilehin Oluwaseun, 14, Moyinoluwa Ogundare, 18, Toheeb Tijani, 19 and Sodiq Adeleke, 17 – were arrested on Friday morning in Oshodi Oke.

    RRS quoted Rahman as saying: “We are over 50 boys. We are always in Oshodi – Oke, from morning till late night. Some of us genuinely help people to carry their loads while a lot of us are there to snatch handbags, phones and other valuables from people.

    “At time, we pretend to be helping them but our focus is their valuables. Most times, we work in groups. While the other is helping out, another person is stealing the victim’s valuables either from bag or pocket.

    “There some other guys who forcibly dispossess passers-by of their belongings. They operate early in the morning and late at night when their victims are helpless”.

    Rahman told RRS that he is a product of a broken home which has seen his parents remarrying, adding: “I have been sleeping in Oshodi under Bridge since 2013. I work as conductor and whenever i’m not, I am with my peer to rob and snatch valuables in Oshodi.

    “We were three when we stole the Microsoft phone from a woman’s bag. We pretended to be helping the woman to get a bus meanwhile, our intent was her phones. I have been committed to 13 month rehabilitation by the Lagos State Task Force but my home is in Oshodi under Bridge.”

    His victim, Sarah Obende, a student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) told RRS that she discovered her phone was missing after she boarded a bus in Oshodi.

    “I later received a call in the evening that I should come to Alausa to collect my phone,” she said.

    The 15-year-old suspect, who was allegedly in company of two other boys while stealing an iphone and a phantom Tecno phone from a car, said, “Osas and Janbele stole the two phones in my presence. We have sold the two phones along with seven other phones to Tuwo in Idi-Oro, Mushin. They gave me N7,000 from the proceeds.

    Four of the remaining suspects – Oluwaseun, Ogundare, Tijani and Adeleke were all separately apprehended while stealing phones and purse from commuters in similar circumstances.

    Police spokesperson Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent (SP) urged parents to monitor the activities of their children.

    The suspects, Badmos said, have been transferred to the task force.

  • Osoba, the ‘recurrent comeback kid’ at 77

    On Sunday April 3, a most momentous event took place at the Bourdillion, Ikoyi residence of Aremo Olusegun Osoba, former two time governor of Ogun State. In attendance were the leading lights of current progressive politics in the South-west and indeed Nigeria that were instrumental to midwifing the first time an opposition party electorally took over power from a ruling party since 1999. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, a host of sitting governors and their representatives and other diehard progressives all converged in the house of Osoba with a singular aim: Bring Back Osoba into APC.

    At the end of the day, the aim was achieved and Osoba is back in APC that he helped midwife before local politics of his home state, Ogun, forced him to briefly sojourn in SDP. The details of the forces and events that led to his surprising exit from APC may rightly be situated in the merger of sometimes strange bedfellows that produced the APC and the dilution of progressive politics with individuals that hardly shared the ideals of progressivism. And of course there were issues of personal animosities and clash of egos with some agenda to demystify if not erase the political stature of Osoba from the landscape of Ogun State politics once and for all times.

    Any intelligent political observer can readily see that the come-back of Osoba into APC is about one of the most important political developments in 2016, not only in Ogun State, but in the South-west and indeed our national politics as by all standards, Osoba is an elder statesman that has paid his dues adequately in national development, first as a renowned journalist, then as administrator and politician. Indeed, in the trajectory of his life, Osoba has had many successful comeback bids in the past with the man passing through some trying times that nearly snuffed out his life in the struggle for a democratic Nigeria. In his home state of Ogun, there are probably no political leaders alive outside former President Olusegun Obasanjo that has had a more chequered political history over the years than Osoba.

    As the democratically elected successor to the first elected governor of the state, Chief Bisi Onabanjo, Osoba continued to build on the solid foundation laid by Onabanjo but the continuation was cut short barely two years after by a military interregnum that led Osoba to join the democratic struggle to free Nigeria from military rule. His roles in NADECO under the regime of General Sani Abacha nearly cost him his life on more than one occasion and he had to go underground at some point at a great cost to his personal and family life. The stories of his life during these periods are in the public domain and do not bear rehearsing here. But suffice to say that at the end of that era, Osoba made a comeback as the third elected governor of Ogun State in 1999 under the Alliance for Democracy, AD. The next four years saw him executing perhaps the best rural development strategy in the history of the state in the areas of provision of rural electrification, water and rural roads. Till date, the rural areas of the state sill see his administration as a reference point.

    The year 2003 saw him leave the centre-stage again as he ‘lost’ his re- election bid in the “capture politics” that saw the conservative ruling PDP at the federal level sweeping the poll in South-west with the singular exception of Lagos State. It was from Lagos that progressive politics was re-launched into the South-west including Ogun State. Osoba left the centre stage in Ogun to the progressive enclave in Lagos where he plotted his comeback to political relevance in Ogun State. The first attempt floundered in 2007 with his party then Action Congress fielding Otunba Dipo Dina who came third in the election that saw Otunba Gbenga Daniel of PDP defeating Senator Ibikunle Amosun and Dina for a second term. Apparently it was then no easy task unseating an incumbent with a divided opposition.

    But by 2011, Osoba’s progressive party that has now metamorphosised  to Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN was in the clear reckoning to present a winning candidate with Asiwaju Tinubu playing the yeoman’s role of a catalyzer. At the end of the day, by the logic of using an opposition figure on a popular platform, ACN fielded Senator Amosun as its candidate with Osoba as undisputed leader. It was easy for ACN to defeat the fissiparous PDP that fractured in PDP and PPN. Once again, Osoba’s political come back in Ogun State was assured. Or so it seems. For as it turned out, Senator Amosun began to play exclusive politics that saw the then ACN divided between Osoba group and SIA group. That division underlies the division in APC that led to the exit of Osoba’s group from APC to SDP to contest the 2015 election.

    Now Osoba is back in another comeback bid with his political structure backed by the progressives of the South-west. There has been grumbling and uneasiness in some quarters in Ogun State about his return. However the game of democratic politics is a game of numbers where every political group works to gain the most numbers among the electorate. Only selfish and exclusionist politicians would not welcome new members, more so members that they once co-habited with and benefitted from their membership and support. Indeed, we are daily regaled with opposition PDP members decamping to APC and being welcome.

    Now the question on the mind of many is would this be yet another successful comeback bid for Osoba to be politically relevant in Ogun State? Would he be part and influential in the process leading to selecting a candidate for APC as the incumbent serves out his eight-year mandatory two terms? Only time will tell but from the realities on the ground, there is no way Osoba will not be a factor in the event leading to 2019 election in Ogun State. Certainly like all great politicians that are not flash in a pan, he has had his ups and downs. At present one can only see him going up again in not only local politics but regional and national in a truly comeback fashion that is now traditional to him.

    Born to the family of Pa and Madam Jonathan Babatunde Osoba at an Egba settlement, Egbatedo, in Osogbo on July 15, 1939, Osoba attended African Church School, Osogbo, Methodist Boys High School, Lagos. He was at University of Lagos for his Diploma in Journalism. He took courses at Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom, Indiana University, USA and Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Beginning a career in journalism that spanned 25 years at the Daily Times and moving from the bottom rung to the pinnacle of the profession, Osoba naturally identified with popular causes and advocacy for the downtrodden that the profession of journalism entails in addition to its enlightening role. Osoba is accepted as a role model in the profession of journalism from his days as a reporter in Daily Times, to his managerial position at Nigerian Herald, Sketch newspapers and Daily Times, all of which flourished under his management. Internationally, Osoba practiced the profession with BBC, Times of London, Newsweek Magazine of USA, UPI News Agency and is a prominent member of the International Press Institute (IPI) being the second African to be a member of the Executive Board of the prestigious international professional body after Alhaji Lateef Jakande, another prominent journalist and former governor.

     

    • Chief Odunaro, was former Chief Press Secretary to ex-Governor Osoba.
  • Inside Kaduna’s kid mechanics’ workshop

    Inside Kaduna’s kid mechanics’ workshop

    They come from different family backgrounds but share many things in common. They are young, some barely 10. TONY AKOWE caught up with the child mechanics of Kaduna, and reports on their drive and vision

    They are heroes in their own right. Theirs are low-income families, but the last thing they want to do is sit around and bemoan their challenges or join idle mates on the playground. Or, worse still, take to petty crimes. They rather chose to learn auto-mechanics after their public school hours.

    Little Sadiq, just 10 year old, goes to the workshop everyday to learn to fix cars. His dream is that when he graduates from the workshop, he would one day be called upon to repair the cars in the presidential fleet.

    He told The Nation: “I like the mechanic’s work, but not spraying of cars, and that was why I abandoned painting work my uncle asked me to learn and ran to learn car repairs in order to become a mechanic. I am busier in learning car repairs than painting, and that was why I did not want painting apprenticeship. I hate to be idle; I want to be seen doing something all the time. It is my hope and prayer that one day, after my graduation as a qualified mechanic I will be called upon to repair Mr. President’s cars. It could be President Goodluck Jonathan or any other president after him”.

    Sunday is another underage mechanic apprentice. He is a primary five pupil of Command Primary School located inside the old Artillery Barracks in the Kakuri area of Kaduna metropolis. He has what could be regarded as two different lives. He is a student between the hours of 8.00am and 2.00pm every week day. He is also an apprentice mechanic between 2.00pm and 6.00pm daily, as well as on Saturdays and throughout the holiday period. He is only 11 year old and prefer to spend his time at the mechanic village rather than play around with his mates after school hours or during the holidays. He told The Nation that he chose to do that as a way of planning his future.

    Already, Sunday has started performing some simple tasks in vehicle repairs and is optimistic that when he completes his secondary education, he would have qualified as an auto mechanic. He said he hoped to raise enough money from the trade to sponsor himself and help his family.

    Sunday and other young boys in the mechanic village have a tall dream. Some of them want to be mechanical engineers; some want to join the military, among other professions.

    Gabriel Adejo under whom Sunday and two other young boys are training, told The Nation that Sunday actually lived with him and he has decided to engage him rather than leave him to mix with children and be a liability. Gabriel believes that  the decision to engage Sunday has paid off as he has become useful to himself.

    Across the bridge is yet another mechanic village located in the Oriakpata area of the metropolis. Even though the area is known more for the sale of spare parts by Igbo traders, the mechanic village located there also boasts a good number of small boy mechanics.

    Saqid’s master, Mishood Adewale, told The Nation that Sadiq’s family initially wanted him to learn how to spray cars. He said when his uncle brought him to the workshop, he wanted Sadiq to learn car spraying, but after some time, Sadiq decided to abandon that, picking interest in the repair of cars.

    He said, “Since nobody forced him to pick interest in car repairing, I decided to accept him into my workshop and started training him. And so far he has shown a good level of intelligence and sharpness in learning car repairs these few months he had spent in the workshop. But when he was with painting of car, he showed dullness and reluctance in learning the trade of car spraying. As a small boy who is still growing up, I see him becoming a good motor mechanic, and by the time he spent most of his growing age years here, he will master the act very well. He is still a school boy, and whenever he closes from school, he comes back to the workshop to continue with the apprenticeship. However, I cannot tell how many years he is going to spend, but if he is a grown up person, I will say, he will spend five years to graduate from the apprenticeship. He is currently in primary four, and he is just ten years old, and he is learning fast. I can see seriousness in him, and I need to encourage and support him because there is seriousness in him. He is more committed to learning repairs of cars than learning car spraying. In my own workshop, we repair Japanese vehicles, but we have other mechanics that deal in the repairs of Peugeot and other brands of cars here. Personally, I started mechanic apprenticeship when I was in secondary school, and after school hours I would go back to learn how to repair cars, so after I completed my secondary school education, I spent another four years doing the mechanic apprenticeship. I can say that I spent almost nine years in the apprenticeship. There is another boy under me, he has spent close to four years so far under me, and he was very small when I admitted him here, and now he is up to 12 years of age. I am proud to say that I have trained not less than nine persons as mechanics. Today, all of them are on their own. And currently I have six apprentices under me”.

    Adewale has another apprentice nicknamed Senator. He told The Nation that he has already spent four years learning how to be an auto mechanic. Senator who is just 13 years old said “I have completed my primary school education, and I want to go to secondary school while I am still learning how to repairs cars. I see car repairs as a lucrative business, and I hope to make fortunes from it in future in order to help my parents”. Senator, according to Adewale has progressed very well and has shown a high level of commitment in learning the trade. His interest surpassed that of his seniors as he is always inquisitive and ask a lot of questions.

    At the Artillery mechanic village, The Nation discovered that there is quite a large number of kid mechanics learning the trade. Two brothers between the ages of seven and nine whose name could not be ascertained are also engaged in the trade. The elder of the two brothers was said to have taken a special liking to the trade and told the parents that he wants to be learning the trade after school hours. His younger brother also decided to be following him to the workshop. They are seen running errands for the big boys and assisting them whenever they are carrying out any repair. They are already familiar with the names of all the tools used by the mechanics as well as the names of the spare parts for each vehicle. Gabriel in whose workshop the boys are attached told The Nation that if they keep up with their present commitment, the boys will grow to be great mechanics and probably become excellent mechanical engineers.

  • Kid writer wants scholarship for Niger Delta talents

    Kid writer wants scholarship for Niger Delta talents

    A young writer and aspiring author, Miss Mercy Nmachukwu Mere has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to consider the plights of talented children whose talents may die because of lack of inspiration in Niger Delta region.

    She pleaded with the President to set machinery in place to identify such talents in order to award scholarships and provide other incentives to them.

    The Imo State-born Mere made the call shortly after her nomination, along with two others, to represent the African Youths for Democratic Movement in the forthcoming children writing contest in Ghana.

    The 11-year-old Mere, who presented her previous works, which mostly dwelled on kids upbringing, got the nods of the judges for the contest.

    Speaking with Niger Delta Report after her nomination at MicDon Hotel Port Harcourt, the JSS-2 student of Randolph Secondary Port Harcourt, was ecstatic. She said she did not expect to be nominated considering her background and the works of other children.

    She said something urgent must be done by the government to ensure that young talents were not allowed to go to waste on the street, adding that 90 per cent of children of the poor have no confidence of becoming something in future.

    “I have an unpublished work entitled: The future of the Nigerian Kid. We are suffering; the government should come to our aid. I want the President to award scholarship to talented children in Niger Delta.

    “Nigerian children are happy that our father is the president of this country; we want the wife of the President who is our mother to push our problem before the president and if possible add it during his independence speech.

    “I am very happy today for being nominated among 55 children who came to this programme. It is a great privilege and an opportunity to thank my parents. I want to, especially, thank AYDM for sponsoring this event and I promise to represent Niger Delta very well.”

    Some of her unpublished works include: The Reward of Good and Evil; Nkechi and Her Wicked Life; The Kind Princess and Bad Mother, which was well-received by the guests.

     

     

  • Prepare your kids for global challenges, parents told

    Prepare your kids for global challenges, parents told

    Parents have been told to prepare their children for global challenges instead of focusing on their immediate environments.

    The charge was given by Mr Tokunbo Taiwo of Express Discount Ltd at the first graduation /speech-making day of The Lord’s Kiddiz Schools, Ibafo, Ogun State.

    Speaking on the topic: 21st century parenting, challenges and coping techniques, Taiwo said it would be a regrettable mistake for any parent in the 21st century to allow his child to be pigeonholed in his development. He stressed that due to the globalised nature of today’s world, students must be seen as not competing with their peers in their immediate state, country and continent but the world at large. Therefore, they must be given a solid foundation.

    Speaking earlier, chairman of the occasion, and Executive Director, Vigtag Distributions Ltd, Matthew Agboola, expressed satisfaction at the pace at which the school has grown in such a short period since its establishment. He also praised the management and staff of the school for giving the children good orientation and solid foundation, morally and academically.

    The school’s proprietor, Mrs Oyinade Adekunle said: “It is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. For any school to have an enduring legacy in this era, it must be dynamic, pro-active and respond promptly and adequately to the various critical issues peculiar to these young minds. At The Lord’s Kiddiz, we have an idea, a strong belief that every child is an embodiment of talents and a blessing to his /her generation. We believe that these children who are considered little today are great men and women tomorrow. So, we see beyond today; our interaction with these children is strictly, with tomorrow in mind,” she said.

    The ceremony featured presentation of gifts to pupils who excelled in their academics, dance drama by the pupils, choreography and special presentation by the school orchestra. In all, 18 pupils graduated from the Nursery cadre while 11 pupils graduated from the primary cadre.

  • New kid on the internet block

    T HE Chief Executive, Business Impact Limited, Olatunde Samson, hit it at 24. He was an undergraduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, when he started his own company.

    He started after seeing potential business opportunities. He studied Business Administration and graduated in 2007. They call him the youngest whiz kid because of his exploits on the Internet.

    He moved from receiving N4,000 as a monthly allowance from his parents to making his first million while in the university.

    His company trains young entrepreneurs on how to build and sustain their businesses. Samson is an example of success, because he overcame poverty to become one of the most successful entrepreneurs today.

    A characteristic that has set Samson apart, is his strong will to achieve and a resourceful spirit. His first taste of success was in online business. He poured his life into the business.

    “I came about Internet business when I was in 200 level. After gaining admission, I studied the environment for one year and I discovered that you have to do something to keep body and soul together.

    “When I got to 200 level, I tried to raise funds to augment my little allowance from my home. That was how I stumbled on Internet business. It was my pastor at RCCG (Maranatha Parish) that introduced me to the business. He was also into Internet business. That was how I started. The pastor monitors my progress even up till today. The Internet business is what I do for a living.

    Though young, inexperienced and without capital then, Samson took the leap of faith and started his own company. Not having enough business knowledge, he had to learn the rudiments from his mentors.

    On how he made his first break from the Internet business, Samson said: ”What I did to make my first million was to sell products of experts. We call it resale right business.

    “Different experts write often to create products, which they put on the net for sale they give copyright out after you buy.

    “You can re-brand the product. Change the name if you like or sell it the way it is, you will make your money. It is a legal business. The first method I used was to get access to those products. I observed that most Nigerians were not open to making money on the Internet. I had to look for a way to recreate the product, then resell it. I made N2.5 million in two weeks in September 2008 from creating and selling my products. What I did was to turn what I know to a video. I did about six videos on how to go about the business .

    “I combined the videos and sold it out to Nigerians. In two weeks, my income was N2.5 million.”

    Looking back, Samson has proved to be a skilled risk-taker, who has demonstrated intuitive ability to recognise and meet unfilled needs in the market. His eye for innovation spills over to all areas of the business, as he is continually seeking out and listening for new ways to improve life for the company’s clients and team members. Samson has come a long way.

    “Doing everything on my own without outside help; and growing it to this point with no large capital investment”is his greatest business accomplishment. He has a tremendous amount of energy, which is balanced between his entrepreneurial and technical abilities.

    That is, his talent lies both in starting ventures and following through with the attention it takes to sustain them at a level of excellence. He saw an unclaimed, yet promising niche in the computer industry that people failed to see.

    According to him, there are a lot of things to do on the Interne . “We have a lot of opportunities, but some will not work for Nigerians because of limitations brought about by yahoo-yahoo boys.

    “We have close to 25 businesses we can do on the Internet. What you have to do is to get a computer system (Pentium 11 or 111) or a laptop, am internet connection and you need the basic knowledge on how to use the Internet effectively. You need someone to mentor you. You also need focus and dedication. Lastly, you need God to bless you. One thing about Internet business is that if you can locate a need, you create solution for it. You will keep on making money in Nigeria.

    “If you look around, you will see different opportunities, different needs which need solution. People need you to give them solution and they will pay you any amount. What we did was to look for a loophole of what people could do to make a living. We were able to locate the need, create solution to it by putting it on video. Till today, we are still selling the videos. The package is N25,000.“

    For his efforts, Success Digest awarded him the Small Business Person of the Year. The entrepreneur must have a backbone, and capacity to sustain and to be agile enough to organise ideas and business growth, he said.

    He is committed to helping the unemployed. He is working with non-profit organisations to help them start home-based businesses. He believes his aims are achievable. His vision is to expand.

    His advice to young Nigerians: “One of the greatest instruments that can help to achieve this is for young people to develop a new mindset. We must begin to see possibilities in impossibilities.

    “The Nigerian dream is a possibility and we youths must not focus on the ills of this country but see bliss. John Mason wrote that Edison was afraid of the dark—yet he overcame that obstacle in a big way and invented the light bulb.

    “That should be our attitude to Nigeria.We must cease to be complainers, but endeavour to be problem solvers. What’s more, Charles Caleb Colton said: ‘Times of general calamity and confusion have ever been productive of the greatest minds. The purest ore is produced from the hottest furnace, and the brightest thunderbolt is the one elicited from the darkest storm.’

    “So every youth must make sure to see gains even in the midst of pains and then take up the campaign for peace and positive change. Firstly, however, we must heed the words of the legendary Gandhi: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”