A Discovery I made about two people I admire a lot

So one of my favourite websites of recent has been Quora and I've fallen in love more with it over time based on the simple concept of random people answering random questions on random things. More like a Yahoo Answers Reloaded but with more swag.

So today, one of the questions was about what to do when you don't know what to do. This was the particular case I was in today, but as usual the most upvoted answer was spot on. The answer was simple, do something. When you're stuck, then do something about it, pause not stop if need be and review what it is you're not doing right. In those moments, you'll most likely find clarity.

Fixing that Android
So last week, I was at the famous Computer Village in Lagos, Nigeria to help my niece fix her virus-infected phone and in that split second as I was about to part with precious cash, it dawned on me that I could actually fix this thing. So basically, the phone was infected with an adware virus [opens unsolicited ads on every little action you perform on the phone, eventually clogs the phone memory and keeps shutting it down].

Initially, I did a hard restart with some button combinations on the phone...Oh you can already guess it's an Android device if you're a techy. Oops, that reminds me, I need to turn off the debugging mode on the phone. That's a task for tomorrow.
So as I was saying, I decided to take the phone back and gave the technician an excuse of being in a hurry and went home.

After three hard restarts, no show...so I decided it was time to go 'Code Red' which meant 'flashing the phone'/reinstalling the OS or whatever it meant to completely wipe off everything and have a fresh Operating system. Heck, this is not a tech blog but allow me to brag a bit. Lol...anyways I fixed it and it worked. Yay!

A question on Mark Zuckerberg's Success
So, the real reason why I wanted to write this blog post was something I read on Quora again a while back.
Someone asked a question: How did Mark Zuckerberg become a programming prodigy?, which I immediately was answering in my head and wondering what the answers would be. I tried to imagine which programming language he had immersed himself with from a young age or how many cans of endless energy drinks and coffee were consumed to reach that competency level of coding. But, to my surprise, the answers all mostly pointed to the fact that his coding skills were seen as at then not to be top of the game but his success is mostly credited to his business mindedness more than his techy-ness which was just an enabler.

This comment hit home for me:

"Zuckerberg is not a programming prodigy. The application he wrote was not unique, and not all that well-made - that is, not a brilliant, exemplary piece of programming. We can leave it to IT historians to come to a definitive answer for why he was so successful, but my belief is that he happened to strike on the right combination of timing, marketing, and features in a fairly crowded space."

While this is not an excuse not to be good at coding [if you have the interest that is, cos sincerely I HATE programming and everything that looks like it], my point here is that, success is not a one-way street. The key takeaway for me here is that while I strive to improve on my technical skills, Soft skills such as people, negotiation and communication skills are equally as important, if not more important. 

Elon Musk, one great mind
While I was still pondering on that, I stumbled on another Quora article asking about one of my idols, Elon Musk, the mind behind Tesla Motors [electric self driving cars], Space X [private space travel to Mars], Hyperloop [redefining transport from what we know], co-founder Paypal, etc.

So the question went thus:
How did Elon Musk learn enough about rockets to run SpaceX?
Well, learning from my previous experience, I tried to imagine what business skills he had, or right team he was surrounded with and I missed it yet again.

Surprisingly, the top voted answer was not from a random Quora member but Jim Cantrell, a founding member who worked directly with him when He wanted to start SpaceX. Interestingly, Jim had written a book on rocket propulsion and gave Elon Musk practical advice of his grandiose vision of planetary travel that it wasn't going to work.
Wait a sec, it's like Isaac Newton telling you things about Gravity and you are doubting him, who does that? Well, except you're an Einstein who probes and comes up with the Relativity Theory or an Elon Musk who wouldn't just take NO for an answer. THIS is one reason my love for Elon Musk has grown so much.

Image Credit: theodysseyonline.com/elonmusk

Here's an excerpt from Jim Cantrell's observation on Elon Musk:

"So I am going to suggest that he is successful not because his visions are grand, not because he is extraordinarily smart and not because he works incredibly hard. All of those things are true. The one major important distinction that sets him apart is his inability to consider failure. It simply is not even in his thought process. He cannot conceive of failure and that is truly remarkable. It doesn't matter if its going up against the banking system (Paypal), going up against the entire aerospace industry (SpaceX) or going up against the US auto industry (Tesla). He can't imagine NOT succeeding and that is a very critical trait that leads him ultimately to success."

 This just made my day. I believe the best way to start any task is from a position of possibility. It opens us up to new ideas, new ways of doing things and its refreshing and liberating. It's easy to settle for the familiar 'easy' ways but the future sure belongs to those who are ready to take on the tough questions and challenges that have been left unanswered for centuries. As rightly described in the book I'm currently reading 'Zero to One', that is the way to create groundbreaking discoveries and for me, this is my goal regarding the education sector in Nigeria.

P.S. It's sad to know that Mayowa, the lady who fought Ovarian Cancer that I talked about in my last post has passed on. May her gentle soul rest in peace. To all the wonderful women out there, remember early detection is key. Get your pap smears done, go for regular checkups. God bless us all.

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Let me Rant today

So today I went in for a meeting to seek for sponsorship on a project I'm planning and the outcome wasn't too good but that's not even my major issue. I am very concerned right now about the future of Nigeria. Okay hang on, that's normal anyways. To be more specific, I am very very concerned about the state of the educational system in this country. Now I'm not even going to begin with the issues at all. They are numerous. I remember doing a podcast assignment where we were talking about access to technology and quality of usage impacts the digital divide.

We were meant to take different country perspectives and I obviously was talking from the Nigerian perspective and it made me more aware of how far we have to go. While others debated around quality of technology usage, my major issue of debate was even around technology access as quality of usage would have been a case of putting the cart before the horse. Penetration of technology is still relatively low. Relatively.

So this project I'm planning on a good day is as a result of government's neglect to the overall educational system but there seems to be a myopic view to it all even when you try to help. It's like a man who house is on fire that prioritizes finishing the late night news to putting out the fire. Sooner or later, someone's going to be suya.

I remember going for a meeting around Marina and on my way, I passed by a lady buying some items by the road side and two small girls were around her pleading for some money/hand out. And she goes "Go and work". I was almost forced to stop and ask her what she meant. 5 year old girls at 10am in the morning should go and work. Work where? I understand that as humans we tend to be very comfy as long as we are okay and our immediate environment is okay...and that's fine anyways. However, there are some who don't have it easy as you and someone has got to do the job of salvaging the situation, take initiative and put their money where their mouth is.

I personally love people who walk the talk. If you must talk, then by all means walk and work that talk. Too many analysts who do nada. They are good at breaking down and analyzing issues but solutions? Na.

Government has not done much to salvage the situation and if Africa is said to have a youth population of about 60% and we aren't bothered about how these youths will be educated/enlightened, then we are chilling on a ticking time bomb. It's only a matter of time...

There is so much and I choose to make an impact in my own way using technology to enhance learning outcomes.
What is the role you will play on your end in developing Nigeria/Africa?

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As we match to the polls tomorrow...

Hiyaaaaa *waving*

*sips cup of rich creamy Latte* It's barely 24 hours to the D-Day and these past few days have never been so dramatic in Nigerian politics, listening to the news and all. I saw one picture a friend used as his BBM display picture showing a crowd of people at the airport and it was quite surprising, disappointing, and many things at once. Most saddening fact was that it had now come to this. Typically people go to their countries to vote but oh well. As concerned citizens, all we can do is use our weapon (the permanent voter's card) to cast our votes, pray for the peace of this nation and hope for the best.

I remain optimistic about Nigeria being transformed for the better though some will differ, but when all else fails, hope remains. It's all I've got, it's all some of you also have (well...except for the dual citizenship passport in your back pocket, giving you the flexibility to jet out any moment. Hahaha! lucky you.). But for a number of Nigerians whose lives are built in  and around the country, Nigeria is probably all we have as at now and if it scatters, we are impacted also.

Image Source

I find it very surprising though, when people with close ties with Nigeria in one way or the other curse the same land and speak negative against it. To what end is this? This is not an attempt to ignore the issues we have which we are all aware of. We know there is corruption; that topic is overflogged. We know the system is messed up, we know we have leadership issues and that majority of our youths are either unemployable or underemployed talk more of taking up leadership positions. We are aware of the insurgency issues, gender inequality with respect to educating the girl child, not leaving out the alarming school dropout/completion rates.

Yes, Africa is rising (although it's becoming a rather over-used phrase), but what is our role in all of this?

Firstly, we need to be 'critically' aware of these issues before we can engage meaningfully in our individual capacities. There is a huge difference between pointing out obvious issues and engaging critically. One talks about the problem, sometimes knowledgeable with statistics at their fingertips which come in handy for challenging dissenting views on Social Media, not forgetting the priceless joy of winning beer parlour arguments. Action is rare with this group. The other group also understands the problem, may not be as knowledgeable but always probing to unveil the 'why' behind the problem and seeks out ways to contribute to its alleviation. 
As we all know, talk is cheap and sometimes of no value. Let our PVCs do the talking. 

I hear you ask, won't the votes still be rigged? Possibly...I can't say but one part needs to be done before we can address the next. The 2011 elections experienced one of the highest participations of Nigerian citizens in ensuring they cast their votes, monitored the counting and waited till results in their local governments and wards were announced after which they posted on social media. This year also has seen much interest cos really people are TIRED!

Image Source

Secondly, we need to identify our area of contribution. 
Let writers impact, 
let teachers mould,
let artists design, 
let musicians inspire, 
let street sweepers do their thing, 
let preachers edify,

let's just do all with a purpose with God at the center of it all as we render our services to the benefit of our family, society and nation at large.

Come March 28th, I pray for the peace of Nigeria. I pray that the innocent blood of precious lives that have been wasted on this land will not be in vain. I pray our lives will blossom and March 28th shall be the dawn of a new era for this nation in Jesus name!

Still it is important to ponder...what part will we play?

P.S. After I wrote this, I stumbled on this short 7-minute clip by Pastor Sam Adeyemi of Daystar Christian Center which captures part of what I said and even more.

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The Recovering Blogger

So now that our election has been shifted and it is likely that it may be shifted again from the new date of March 28th, I have serious concerns for my beloved country, Nigeria but then this is not the topic of today's post.

So I was looking through my past blog posts and was like wait o, there is a trend here. I post once, leave for a while, come back and apologize and then awayyyy again. So that's why I posted that guilt-inspired first post of the year some days ago on our election instead of following that trend. This is not to say that I'm 100% sure it won't happen but I shall try cos I miss this place!

I decided to update my Twitter bio from 'Creative Writer' to 'Recovering Creative Writer' because that is what I am right now. So so much has changed and I hope to update everyone with the relevant info that matters so I don't bore you.

Also, I have added a new title to my bio which is the Foodie aspect! 9jafoodie I hail o. I am honing my cooking skills at the moment and I must say some meals have turned out great while some? Chayeee...Diariz God. There was one beans I made one time like this ehn...if you see the way salt was competing for relevance with maggi...hmm...life of a pseudo-bachelor. 

I can also say my faith in God is something that has evolved over time and each day I learn more of his goodness and mercies. I am unapologetically grateful for how far he has brought me and the courage He has given me to take up this writing thing again and bless lives.

As simple as it may seem, I have struggled to define reasons why I write and to what end and kinda lost hope in trying to. But I'm thankful for friends who pushed, encouraged, threatened, appealed, pointed gun to my head and other things.

Another thing I'm dealing with is the current exchange rate which is not very cool AT.. ALL. The snapshot on the right was some days ago and all we can do is hope cos this isn't funny. I so much miss Naija in a weird way (yea, I know right...indirectly informing you as it is part of what I haven't updated you guys about so deal with it. Hehe)

But on a more serious note, it's not funny considering that my humble naira keeps falling like a meteor and it may get worse if elections don't hold as planned...which is likely from the indications.

I will share pictures of some of the things I made in subsequent posts but before that I have a deep throbbing question, have you ever wondered where BIG ideas come from??? Have you sat down to think about it? Like, have you?

My brethen, it is from this sizzling bowl of eba, okro and fish that I have chosen to torment you with show you below. Even the note can testify. Serving it in a plate was also a waste of precious time. Please don't judge.

"Big ideas are born from a bowl of eba" - Anon

 Hope to write up a poem or something soon. Peace!

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My thoughts and expectations on the Upcoming Nigerian Elections

It's exactly one week to the general elections in Nigeria and one cannot ignore the discourse that has been stimulated by different interest groups in the days leading to the February 14 Presidential elections.

Before I continue, I'd say a warm happy new year to you if I haven't said so and if you are a Nigerian, you owe this beloved nation your vote.

Four years ago, I did a short interview on this blog and tried to feel the pulse of some passionate individuals who had one or two things to say about the elections. Today, the passion is even more and I must say like you may have heard from various quarters, it's too close to call. In 2011, we could say to a large extent that Goodluck Jonathan was going to win largely due to the power of incumbency and considering the fact that Boko Haram was not as pronounced as it is today. However, in 2015, it seems we have gone through many phases in Nigeria and I will not bore you with what you may already know or have heard in the media.

I have spoken to people and the discussion seems to be centered around the same ideas on the path of those supporting the two main opposition parties (i.e. APC and PDP). The APCites, chanting the change slogan, believe they have had enough of the PDP administration while the PDPites on the other hand can't seem to see anything APC may have to offer. As a result, it has mainly been a case of attack and defense while issue-based politics is a rather distant phenomenon.

But however, the case may be there are some realities we fail to acknowledge or may have become too familiar with such that we fail to see its importance and I'll mention a few. The list however is not exhaustive:

- The Power of your vote really counts. Get your PVC, forget the traffic or hot sun and bikonu, cast that vote of yours for the change you want to see (no pun intended).

- Beyond the elections, after either Goodluck or Buhari may have won and assumed power (since they are the 2 top contenders), we need to understand that magic won't happen. We need to take off the band aid we have had on for years, roll our sleeves and deal with our issues. No magic is going to happen after February 14, 2015. We still have a long way to go (the reason, if properly analysed is worthy of a Post Doctoral thesis topic).

- Pray. Ignore that urge to reply that Facebook post by someone saying something about your preferred candidate and just pray for Nigeria. Truth is, there are far more bigger and deeply entrenched problems than we can imagine and beer-parlour politics and Twitter activism can only go so far.

- Pray more. Need I say more.

- After praying, DO. We tend to talk a lot. Talk that leads nowhere. A bulk of the deciding votes come from the masses who are not lambasting each other on Facebook but can easily be bought with N200 recharge card vouchers. Their votes are as powerful as yours and you have no right to think less of them unless you face what they face on a daily basis. I am however in no way endorsing such acts.
Talk is cheap but action is much needed.

I expect that this election would stir up some interesting discussions around how we can move Education forward (it has to come first cos that's my passion), Power, Infrastructural development, Youth empowerment programs, tackle poverty and other pertinent issues.

May God bless Nigeria and may the best candidate win come February 14 2015.

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What has become of us...?

I still maintain the fact Nigeria will change for the better despite contrary belief but of recent I've had to ask myself some questions such as "How bad do we have to get to become good?", "Will this change happen in my lifetime?" and many more of that sort.

I see the father figures of our times who will one day head families and its saddening to see that there's a lot of distraction and misplacement of values these days. The other day I was listening to Inspiration FM and a woman was almost in tears of how she learnt to tolerate her husband who always verbally abused and put her morale down. She made a statement that she had to learn to treat him as who he should be and not what he currently was. I'm thinking at the same time and asking myself if I should see Nigeria this way too.

Should I see my country for its numerous potential untapped? Should I believe in the youths of today as the leaders of tomorrow? Where have we missed it and how did we get here?
My heart goes out to the souls that were lost in the Helicopter crash. May their gentle souls rest in peace.

This Friday I was on my way home, a bit late though and as a friend dropped me at the bus-stop, I knew I had to walk briskly. I almost got robbed by these men who started walking towards me until I crossed to the other side of the road and took this God-sent bus to a taxi park to take me home. Such is the state of things, kidnapping is the order of the day, corruption is a comedy episode for us.

Numerous innocent souls have lost their lives on Nigerian soil caused by our own negligence and we think we can attain quick fixes by prayers and fasting alone. Even God told us to settle grudges with our fellow neighbours before approaching His presence.How much more, the lives lost so far.

2 Chron. 7:14 - "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

We have blood stains on our hands, it's time we rethink our priorities.
When we read the sad news of innocent people being kidnapped, dying, we should bear in mind that it could have been us. Our witnessing of a new day is another chance at life, a chance to change the plight of someone, a chance to shine our lights to repel the looming darkness.

All we can do is either be a part of the change and/or pray for the change agents. God bless Nigeria!

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