Managing Workplace Politics: If You Don’t Play, You Will Pay
Two bosses of mine wanted me to work with them directly in 2002. Both bosses were highly competitive and I was caught in a crossfire, kind of. Both of them sent emails to HR requesting for me. HR then sent me an email that I should make a choice. The HR person copied both bosses on the mail sent...
Bójú Rí, Ẹnu A Dákẹ́: Before You Speak Your Mind, Use Your Head
That's one of the Yoruba proverbs I learnt from my mum. It means that it is not everything the eye sees that the mouth speaks. That is a classic lesson in emotional intelligence. Our forefathers may not have seen the four walls of a school, but they were nevertheless well endowed with wisdom and...
Face to Face with Death, Again and Again… But God Kept Me
I've been through horrible things. It's amazing that I'm still alive. I'm a candidate of God's grace. I choose to count my blessings today and thank God for the gift of life. I should have been long gone. But His mercy kept me. 1998. A soldier put his gun on my chest during the Abacha years....
Never Marry a Man Who Has Television but No Vision
When I met my wife, my salary was N33,000 monthly. That was what I earned as an entry-level hire then. Yes, I agree that N33,000 at that time had more value than the same amount does now. However, to put things in proper perspective, a SIM card around the time when I got married in 2002 was...
Stop Wasting Time and Start Living Your Dreams
On Sunday, August 2, 2020, I got the news of the demise of a childhood friend. I was shattered. On Tuesday, I attended her funeral. As we stood by her graveside, I listened to the minister who spoke about how few our days here on earth are. As I left the funeral, I got another call about a father...
How I Bought My First Car Without Money
It was in 2001. The man came into our branch with so many items for sale. What caught my attention was a set of key holders with different car crests and logos. I was attracted to the one for Honda and I recall clearly as a few people laughed when I bought the key holder. What would I do with such...
How a Danfo Ride Turned into a Nightmare at the Police Station
Photo Credit: Ayano Tosin on Unsplash. “Oga, this useless man no see ashawo again, he come dey press policewoman for breast,” was his response. Here's the story: I lived at Ikotun-Egbe then. There were about five of us staying in a friend's apartment. Squatting actually. That was 25 years...
I Believe in the Supernatural: God Sent an Angel to My Campaign Ground
I was contesting for the Students Union Presidency that year. As I went around on campus for my campaign that particular day, a lady approached me. She told me her name is Bola, and God sent her to me. She told me God said I should give her six people who would join her to pray for me each day I'm...
The Day God Used My Mess to Deliver Me
I had just finished my National Youth Service. I was desperately in need of a job. 'Allowee' had stopped. I practically had nothing. I was sending job applications everywhere. On one occasion, I went with a friend from Ibadan to drop our applications at a particular address in Agege. We saw an...
Timeless Wisdom for Daily Living: Ọ̀la Ọ̀ Yá Bọ̀rọ̀ and Six Other Lessons From My Father
I want to share a few lessons my father taught me while I was growing up. My father is a very good storyteller. He often talks in pictures. He is so very descriptive that he can talk for hours, and no one will get bored. 1. ISẸ́ KÌÍ PA NI, AYỌ̀ NÍÍ PÀ’YÀN I was in primary school many years ago...