Each day presents me vista of opportunities for new discoveries and adventures. As nature adds years to my life and as I consciously add life to my years, I discovered a fact about life. The freest human beings are those who do things their way. I found out that the life of an imitator is a very stressful life. Those who do things their way are quick to borrow from the knowledge of others but they are not stereotyped. They don’t pretend to know everything but they don’t allow themselves to be caged to a thought process. They fear less about what tomorrow will bring because they are not restricted to a one size fits all approach to any problem.

We live in a mobile world where everything is happening at the speed of light. Innovation is catching up with those who are too stereotyped to be bothered. The upwardly mobile have an eye for the slightest opportunity and they waste no time to seize it for personal gains and self development. Whenever it is time for you to move to the next level, please close the door gently behind you. To be called restless is no longer an abuse. Restlessness in the current age best describes the innovative and creative fellows who are causing the needed disruptions in a fast changing world. Even in your restless state, you can still be patient and pay attention to little details. It is very risky to be restless and impatient at the same time so you are not blinded to the path that can get you to your destination faster.

It is not too difficult to get a patriotic citizenry but it is difficult to ask a people to be patriotic in a country that further impoverishes the poor. Nigeria legitimately impoverishes the poor, unfortunately so. All of us are bearing the brunt of poor judgement by policy makers when they chase shadows and address the symptoms of a big problem, the cause of which they usually ignore. I attended a webinar organised by my state government last week and I challenged a decision of my state government to have concentrated the establishment of model schools in a particular location. These model schools were funded with resources that belong to all citizens of the state. The Commissioner for Education justified the decision when she said that the establishment of these model schools in particular locations, at the expense of other parts of the state, is demand driven. She was right, her reason was justifiable but I did not have the opportunity to tell the Honourable Commissioner that in advanced climes, planning is futuristic and not reactive.

There are things we take for granted, self indulgence is one of them. Sometimes you just feel like crossing your legs and indulge yourself to unwind. If you ignore such moments, it is at a great cost to your productivity and inner fulfillment. Productivity has a direct correlation with your state of mind. Your mind has a powerful influence on you that others don’t see. Jim Kerry opined that your soul is not contained in the limit of your body. Rather, your body is contained in the limitlessness of your soul. Let that sink in. If you collaborate with your mind, your time will be better spent and not wasted. Indulge yourself if you have to, just like me at this moment. Have a productive week.

Leadership entails identifying a problem and proffering anticipatory solution before it becomes an emergency. Call it proactive leadership and you won’t be wrong. Whether this could be said of leadership at all levels of government in Nigeria, from local to state and federal is a subject of national debate. What exactly is the value of the life of an average Nigerian whose death is announced casually like every other news? What is a Nigerian worth? Concerned public office holders allow a pothole on a highway to manifest to a gully until it results in accidents that claim lives before they act. Why? Why do we allow red alerts of insecurity to snowball to imminent emergencies and loss of lives before we start calling for dialogue? Why?

America is in the eye of the storm and many are wondering if the land of liberty can still flaunt the title of the beacon of democracy as it is wont to. While I admit that there is a big question mark on America’s moral right to police the entrenchment of democracy anywhere else, I still believe that America’s democracy remains a model, even in spite of the brazen assault it suffered in the hands of President Trump and his allies

It’s a season of wishes. In the true spirit of the season, please permit me to wish you a happy new year filled with pleasant surprises. Truly, wishes become dreams and when dreams are formed into achievable goals they become accomplishments. What we call achievement are accomplished goals which is otherwise described as dream fulfilled. May your dreams come true in 2021.

I’m excited to see the dawn of 2021. Mercy did it, grace abound. Mine is an attitude of gratitude, to God and to you. THANK YOU. Regardless of the divide you belong in a war situation, whether the victorious side or the subdued side, if there is an attribute of war, it is the gathering of the spoils of war or the rueing of the losses in preparation for a rebuild. With gratitude, we won victory over 2020. Hallelujah. 2021 provides humanity with the opportunity of a fresh start. Welcome to a new beginning.

The year 2020 came with such a Big Bang. The sound of it was so unique and we all looked forward to an amazing year. What we did not suspect was that it was going to be a year of new discoveries, at least not in the fashion that we are used to. The world would have wished to have everything about 2019 gone with the wind but not with the novel Coronavirus. That was how COVID-19 (Corona Virus Discovered in 2019) changed the colour of 2020 and the world never remained the same again.

Christmas is all about the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Who is this Jesus? He is the Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counsellor. He is the reason for this season. Christ came to save the world. What if I wish you a safe Christmas? What makes Christmas merry? The fun in the atmosphere is peculiar to Yuletide more than any other time all year through. The wining, the dining, the sharing and the exchange of love make Christmas truly merry.