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Pendulum: Why Are We So Obsessed with Negativity These Days?

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By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, I flew out of Nigeria two days ago on one of my latest preferred airlines, Rwandair, with some of the Ovation Crew of seasoned photographer, TV cameraman and interviewer and TV producer to attend Jimoh Ibrahim’s latest venture, the International conference on Infrastructure Development for Africa, taking place in Dubai between 25 August and 27 August 2018 at the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel. The long journey to Dubai through Kigali gave me time for some deep reflection and I came to the conclusion that we must change our negative attitude urgently or collapse Nigeria totally. As soon as we took off and gained some altitude, a video was played showing the awesome beauty of Rwanda and someone was shown marketing the country so passionately and admirably. I can’t remember his exact words but he went thus, “my name is Paul Kagame, I’m the Chief Tour Operator on this journey through a country that suffered some of the worst tragedies in human history but through genuine reconciliation, our people have reunited today and we have put our ugly past behind us…”

I was stunned at the ease with which President Paul Kagame was selling his country to the world. Having visited Kigali several times in the last one year, I am a living witness not just to the remarkable transformation of Rwanda, but also to the great marketing of the potentials and prospects of the country by virtually everybody from top to bottom. The marketing is not just through advertisements.  It is the simple things that the Government and its people do.  It has become a way of life.

On my recent visit to Kigali, just weeks ago, and as I was heading to my hotel, I heard some shrilling sirens out of the blue, and my driver quickly branched into a nearby petrol station, and she informed me their President was on his way. Within minutes the convoy sped past. There was what must have been a Range Rover in the middle somewhere and my obviously excited driver said “that’s our President driving himself…” I asked her, as if for definite confirmation, your President drives himself?” She answered in the affirmative. “Wonderful,” I exclaimed. I was immediately reminded of President John Mahama who not only sometimes drove himself around Accra, but also rode his power-bikes on occasions for relaxation and getting around town speedily. This simplicity and unobtrusiveness endeared him to his many ardent fans and supporters, in just the same way that Kagame is much loved in Rwanda today.

Seeing is believing, Rwanda is a twenty-first century wonder. The country is wonderful to me, not because of its serenity but for the incredible way it has successfully converted its tragic past to a magical present. All my friends in Rwanda are marketers of their country. As a matter of fact, they do it so well that I have joined them in marketing Rwanda to anyone who cares to listen to me. I’m sure there must be some ugly things going on in Rwanda that are not so obvious to visitors like me, but the citizens, and in particular their media, have cleverly downplayed those negative things. They must have realised that they stand to gain nothing if they expose the ugliness of their country to everybody. Their attitude is simple and straight forward. The best and easiest way to keep their economy growing, and visitors coming, is to give the impression that all is well, even if all is not perfect. So, to their credit, whilst negative news is still good news and must be highlighted, greater prominence is given to news which show the spectacular non-violent revolution that has taken place in Rwanda and the ensuing beauty and peace of the country.

From Kigali, we flew immediately to Dubai and landed yesterday morning. There is no point describing the beauty of Dubai. That would almost be an exercise in futility because words do not seem adequate to graphically capture and depict the sensation that is Dubai. In fact, to say that Dubai is the mythical Eldorado could almost amount to an understatement. Dubai has achieved this distinction because it has been well marketed and superbly positioned as one of the countries every soul should visit in a lifetime. Those behind the philosophy and principles upon which the Dubai fantasy is based are not only constantly developing ideas which create superlatives in buildings, resorts, hotels, environment, and more importantly people, they are also busy showcasing these accomplishments at every opportunity. This is done not only locally but also on a world-wide stage through the effective and exceptional use of public relations stunts.  The PR starts from the media within.  As in Rwanda, they have found a way of downplaying the negatives like falling property prices, scandal of the bouncing cheques, the liquidation of one of the largest equity funds, Abraaj to mention a few. Instead, they have even used these potentially grave setbacks to interest investors and visitors about how very efficient Dubai is and how things work. As they say it has never been a more profitable time to invest in and visit Dubai with things becoming cheaper than before. You can see the media at work both domestically and internationally in a concerted effort to raise the profile of Dubai and its people rather than to bring them down.

I then turn my mind to my dear country Nigeria and what do I see. Negativity, negativism and negative ideas, feelings and people. I realised that for far too long, we have never seen anything beautiful in ourselves. Indeed, it dawned on me that this was one of the reasons that motivated me at the time to establish Ovation Magazine. In 1996, when we founded Ovation International in London, we decided we were only going to publish positive stories about Africa, our rich culture, taste, values, wealth, intellect and people.

Our intervention gave rise to many Africans and African countries getting to meet and know and appreciate our respective countries, the attractions and the diversity yet similarity of culture as well as the powerful iconic figures and worthy Ambassadors in all areas of human endeavour. We demonstrated to the world that we are truly blessed in Africa and, although we have not yet made the necessary transition in leaving the Third World appellation behind, we have the human, natural and material resources to excel on the globe. Many countries and their people have taken advantage of our platform. Many still do! The countries include The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Dubai, Liberia, Commonwealth of Dominica, Ghana, Benin Republic, United States, France, United Kingdom, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Tanzania, Barbados, India, Cameroon, Gabon, Seychelles, Kenya, Ethiopia, and so many others, directly or indirectly. We have introduced and linked up the people of those countries to one another. We caused a fashion revolution globally to the extent that our Designers, their designs and even our fabrics are now well recognised and patronised globally and there is a growing clamour for our African fashion to take its rightful place in the centre stage of world fashion.

Our events coverage has ignited and provided jobs for millions of Africans all over the world in music, events planning, music, comedy, disc jockeying, MCs, security, catering, food and beverages, photography, media, equipment rentals, technicians, events centres, decorators, newspaper distribution and so on. We are extremely proud of our humble and modest contributions to the staggering economic growth of the entertainment/showbiz industry even if it is very easy for some people to think otherwise. The essence of this is that we must learn to think positively about ourselves.

The biggest danger facing our country today is that of the exponential explosion of unemployment which has given rise to the mass hysteria we are experiencing from children of anger. Politicians have also greatly mismanaged the situation. Rather than encourage our youths and offer them hope, they have decided to manipulate them into seeing every successful man as the cause of their failure. From street thugs they’ve been converted to social media trolls who lament endlessly and attack everyone without any modicum of evidence or facts about supposed crimes committed.

The sad thing is that unless our leaders get more imaginatively creative, the condition of our young ones would never improve. Due to acute frustration and desperation, they would be forced to take to hard-drugs, Yahoo Yahoo scams, prostitution, child and adult trafficking to foreign lands, violent crimes, and all manner of dastardly acts. The politicians may succeed in the short run in using our unsuspecting youths as their cannon-fodder to abuse and attack their opponents for a mere pittance, but these kids will someday turn against their masters. The level of despicable intolerance I see is unprecedented in my 58 years on earth. I shudder to think what will happen if these enraged youths spill over their vitriol and venom from the fantasy and imaginary world of the Cloud into the real and visible world of the streets. Yet these young ones and their anger can be turned into something positive and profitable if their talents and tools are properly harnessed to market the nation and its people. For them to do this, there must be something powerful they can sell. Whilst these abound, the climate of negativism prevents such marketing.

We must begin the process of re-orientation urgently. Something has to be done about the collapse of education. History must be made compulsory in our schools. We are among the greatest people on earth. Many unsung heroes have sacrificed a lot for Nigeria. There are legions of Nigerians doing great things at home and abroad. Nobody hears anything about them because our media is addicted to regaling us with tales of woe, instead. These great Nigerians have never taken contracts from any government. They have never belonged to any mainstream political parties. They have had to struggle for every kobo they made. Thinking that some people found life to easy and rosy is a fallacy that must be scrapped. Assuming that you can’t make it in life unless you turn to begging shamelessly must be discouraged.

Our great men and women must endeavour to work hard and write their true and accurate biographies for posterity sake. Our Historians have failed to do their duty in this regard. They have failed to properly and adequately chronicle our past and our personalities and personages. I feel very sad about many prominent and eminent Nigerians who have died without any trace that they ever existed. It is such a monumental tragedy. But the situation has become desperately urgent to write about our greatness. We should not allow our children to get so brainwashed into thinking there are no good people around or that it is not worth it to be honourable and have integrity. The poverty mentality that they have been fed must be purged by all means. The ignorance that has become the in-thing must be exterminated. We must tell stories of heroism because we want to say our true stories and not because we just feel like romanticising ourselves or massaging egos.

In literature, medicine, law, science and technology, music, sports, entertainment, entrepreneurship, academic, fashion, and other facets of human endeavour, we have been phenomenally brilliant. We should stop destroying ourselves and demeaning, denigrating and decimating our best. Those who have no properties don’t care about outbreak of wars or natural and artificial disasters. The children of the politicians are somewhere enjoying themselves. All without exception are living large while using the children of the poor to use their own heads to break coconuts. This must be eradicated. The only way to do so is to engender positive thoughts and feelings about ourselves. Let us raise the bar of acceptable conduct and standards by focussing more on stellar achievements. Constantly shouting about evil does not help if good and righteousness are not promoted. The more we relegate negativity to the background and foster and nurture positive thoughts, ideas, principles and success, the more likely we are to gradually draw away from certain darkness and doom and emerge into the glorious dawn and light.

It is time for my brothers and sisters in all variants of the media to see themselves as advocates and chroniclers of a brighter, happier Nigeria. Today should be the start of that day. Let us put a positive spin even on negative events.  We will be amazed at the transformation that this will bring to our national ethos and our advancement and progress as a country.

 God bless Nigeria!   

 

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Henry Ukazu: Celebrating a Catalyst of Pathfinding

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By Abdulakeem Sodeeq Sulyman
In a world where everyone uses others’ yardsticks to measure their progress, the trailblazers are set apart by the utmost pursuit of their passion to actualise their purpose.” – Abdulakeem Sodeeq SULYMAN
Those who are familiar with Henry Ukazu would have heard about his life’s trajectory and a certain point in his life would prompt them to ask how a potentially-thoroughbred legal practitioner turned to a leadership trainer, self-discovery coach and youth advocate, using his platform to transform lives globally. For those who are still in the wilderness, imagining how Henry Ukazu settled for the path he had chosen, the answer is not far-fetched. The turning points in everyone’s life beckons when we realise what we have to do to carve a niche for ourselves.
The above assertion perfectly depicts the life of Henry Ukazu. Another aspect of Henry Ukazu’s life that can cause one to raise eyebrows is knowing that Taxation Law was his major during his master’s in New York Law School. Those who are familiar with the arithmetical demands of taxation would know that settling for it as a practitioner goes beyond being faint-hearted! Yet, Henry Ukazu overcame all odds by not only graduated in taxation; but also earning a laurel by winning the Dean’s prize.
Knowing that Henry Ukazu won the Dean’s prize in Taxation Law and still chosen another path makes it important to stress that the hallmark of every life’s achievement is the one connected with personnel fulfillment. It was the pursuit of this fulfillment that made Henry Ukazu swerved from legal practice and taxation into the pursuit of enculturing people for their purpose and nurturing them for lifetime impact. To me, Henry Ukazu is a replica of Robin Sharma, a trained lawyer, who abandoned one of the Ivy-league chambers, to pursue the quest of leading people to harness their healthset, heartset, mindset and soulset.
Don’t get me wrong readers. I am not saying that Henry Ukazu wouldn’t have attained greatness if he had chosen to venture into legal practice. I know many legal practitioners who are lightening people’s lives through their works; many of those lawyers I have unalloyed admirations for! What I am trying to say is that how Henry Ukazu abandoned the temptations of the social recognitions and financial rewards that accompanied the revered, learned profession is uncommon.
That reflects Henry Ukazu’s selflessness and dedication to worship God with everything he has. A revered pastor, Rick Warren, states that the human potential begins to manifest when they believe in God and allow Him to take absolute control of the courses of their lives. He cited the likes of Abraham, Joseph and others, who, despite being chosen by the Most High, faced their challenges with positive attitudes. Their beliefs in God slotted them in admirable places in the books of histories.
Henry Ukazu’s personality is one that exudes the aura of companionship and humanity. Any encounters I have with him always prompt me to think about the words of Gary Thomas, in the book, “The Sacred Pathways,” where he outlined nine ways human beings worship God, the supreme being. To me, Henry Ukazu is an enigma, who falls into the realms of Ascetics, Activists, Enthusiasts, Caregivers, Contemplatives and Intellectuals.
Henry Ukazu is an Ascetic because he devoted certain hours of his days to worship God in solitude and simplicity. There are certain hours of the day that he would neither receive calls nor respond to messages all because he is strengthening his ties with his Creator. Henry Ukazu is also an Activist by using his resources to battle evil, fight injustices and strive to make the world a better place. To him, nothing makes the world when its adherents are suffering! This justifies why Henry Ukazu is always ready to spend his last penny on appreciating talents and ingenuities.
Anyone who had witnessed Henry Ukazu’s celebration of successes and landmarks would attest to his Enthusiastic nature. No doubt that as today marks his birthday, it is very certain that his mouth would be full of praise for God’s favours showered upon him! Moreso, I can also say that Henry Ukazu is an Intellectual because he worships and loves God by studying other people’s minds. Anyone meeting Henry Ukazu for the first time without narcisurfing about him would never have a clue of his intellectual mettle. He is an intellectual of yore imbued with sound and robust absorptive capacity.
As the day breaks daily to set people apart for what they would be celebrated for, it is imperative to state that Henry Ukazu is one of the global icons that have deployed their intellectual and spiritual resources to brighten the lives of many. His utmost devotion to the pursuit of God’s purpose for his life has distinguished him, positioned him to stand with the giants and catapulted him to the heights of his ambitions.
Today, I joined other colleagues, acquaintances, protégés, well-wishers, friends, brothers and family members across the world to celebrate Henry Ukazu, thank God for his life; pray to God to continue to perfect his ways and crown his efforts with rewards that will elevate him to the league of change-makers and life-changers.
Many more productive, fulfilling and prosperous years!!!
Abdulakeem Sodeeq SULYMAN is an Author, Librarian and Researcher, who writes from Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. He can be reached via +2348132226994
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Alimosho LG Boss Pledges Support As Glo Opens Outlet in Iyana-Ipaja

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As technology company, Globacom, opened  another customer service outlet in Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos, on Friday, the Chairman, Alimosho Local Government, Honourable Jelili Suleiman Adewale, has assured the company of quality patronage by the community.

Hon. Adewale, who was the special guest at the commissioning of the Gloworld shop, commended Globacom for bringing its services closer to the people of Alimosho. “Globacom is our company; we are going to patronise you; we will ensure that this shop flourishes.  You will never regret that you brought your branch to Iyana Ipaja”, he declared.

Also at the event  were Hon. Obadina Ahmed, Speaker, Alimosho LGA House, council officials, Jamin Shotayo Tadeyo, Chief Akeweje of Alimosho General, who stood in for the Baale of Iyana Ipaja, High Chief Rasak Mosaku.

Globacom’s business partner who covers the area, Mr Chukwuma Leonard, Managing Director, Talkpoint Telecommunications, also lauded Glo for siting its outlet in Iyana Ipaja.

Abdulrazaq Ande who represented Globacom  at the event said that the new premium experiential center is another in a new generation of iconic contact centers which are aesthetically appealing and equipped for comfort and speedy services.

It added that the commissioning was in line with its desire to bring its services closer to the people, and give them more exciting experience on the network, adding, “Our approach to customer service is that we are consistently seeking innovative channels to make available our array of products and services to them”.

According to the company, the retail shop is equipped with well-trained, polite and customer-friendly customer care staff who will provide first-class services and attend to customers’ complaints and enquiries as well as their service and product needs.

“They will also help you to access services including Glo Berekete 10X, which offers ten times the value of every recharge, double data value, amazing benefits on voice calls, free Instagram and TikTok access and audio and video streaming platforms perks as well as Glo Café, a one-stop app for all digital services and other Glo products and offerings, and also offers a more user-friendly experience, with ample benefits for customers who download it.”.

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Abimboye Fetes Ode Omu Residents with Food, Cash to Celebrate Adeleke’s Second Year in Office

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In a heartfelt celebration of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s second anniversary in office, Hon. Babatunde Michael Abimboye, a stalwart of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), extended goodwill to members of the party in Ode Omu, Ayedaade Local Government Area of Osun State. The event, held on Friday, November 29, 2024, brought together party loyalists to commemorate the Governor’s remarkable achievements over the past two years.

The atmosphere in Ode Omu was vibrant, as PDP members gathered to receive food items and cash gifts distributed by Hon. Abimboye. The initiative, which underscored the importance of grassroots engagement, was described as both a celebration of democracy and a recognition of the efforts of party members in supporting the state’s leadership.

Speaking at the event, Hon. Abimboye highlighted the importance of the gesture, framing it as an appreciation for the loyalty and dedication of PDP members in the area. “This celebration goes beyond distributing food and cash gifts; it is a reflection of the Governor’s impact in transforming Osun State and ensuring that no community is left behind. As PDP members, we are proud to stand by him and share the dividends of democracy with our people,” he stated.

He added that Governor Ademola Adeleke’s two years in office have been marked by a focus on transformative governance, with initiatives aimed at improving infrastructure, education, healthcare, and economic opportunities across Osun State. These efforts have not only earned him the admiration of residents but also solidified his reputation as a leader committed to inclusivity and development.
Hon. Abimboye’s event served as a platform to reflect on these accomplishments, with attendees lauding Governor Adeleke’s approach to leadership. Many described the past two years as a period of renewed hope and tangible progress, particularly in rural communities like Ode Omu.

In Ode Omu, Abimboye listed the Governor’s impact has been particularly evident through targeted projects aimed at improving the lives of residents. These include the rehabilitation of two Primary Health Centres in the town as well as the total reconstructuon of the Oke-Eso Road which has facilitated easier movement of goods and people within the community.

Hon. Abimboye’s outreach in Ode Omu is reflective of the Governor’s broader commitment to grassroots engagement. By directly connecting with party members, the event reinforced the importance of unity within the PDP and underscored the administration’s dedication to inclusive governance.

Party members expressed their gratitude for the initiative, describing it as a reaffirmation of the bond between the leadership and the grassroots. One attendee remarked, “This is not just about food or cash; it is about recognizing our contributions and making us feel valued in the governance process.”

As Osun State celebrates Governor Adeleke’s second anniversary in office, events like the one in Ode Omu serve as a reminder of the administration’s achievements and the work that lies ahead. Hon. Abimboye’s gesture highlights the importance of fostering a strong connection between leadership and the people, ensuring that the dividends of democracy are felt across every community.

With ongoing projects and a vision for a brighter future, Governor Adeleke’s administration continues to set a standard for transformational governance in Osun State. As celebrations extend across the state, the focus remains on building a more prosperous, inclusive, and equitable society for all.

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