Quo Vadis?

I have often heard that what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger.

My simple understanding and interpretation of this is that in learning from one's mistakes and past experiences, one can follow a better path to success in life.

At the risk of sounding like a broken gramophone record that repeats/ replays the same ugly sounds from its damaged portion, I'll say it again; Key point to note here is: learning from one's past errors, mistakes and experiences so as not to repeat same and end up in the same quagmire or cul de sac.

But I have seen this evil under the sun!

A nation that refuses to learn from past mistakes, a nation that consistently courts the very devils that have been responsible for her stunted growth and retrogression.

Why am I surprised anyways? When we are still governerned by the same recycled fellows that have always been in the corridors of power. Having nothing new to offer but the same old warped values and distorted visions if any.

Forty nine years after and still counting, we are yet to rise from the ashes of corruption.

Our non existent road networks are still riddled with craters and potholes, never for once ceasing to be the death traps that they have always been. We still dream of steady power supply and other basic infrastructure. Our children learn under the most appaling conditions, when their teachers are not on strike for one reason or the other.

And presently the most annoying of all, we still have long fuel qeues everywhere! And we are an oil producing nation.

Nigeria we hail thee!

I grew up as a child learning up to the point of dexterity, the art of siphoning fuel. Many years after, the fuel scarcities that necessitated this skill are still here, biting just as hard, if not harder.

So when are we going to change?

When are we going to learn from past mistakes?

When are we going to do things differently?

When are our leaders going to brace up to the challenges of true leadership and resume the arduous task of nation building?

When are they going to learn that it is impossible to teach an old dog new tricks?

When will they tell us exactly in what direction we are headed?

When?

Nigeria: Quo Vadis?

Olusola Olaoluwakitan.

The Jar with the crooked handle

Adonis Papadipoulos was a potter. To speak modestly of him, he was a gifted and successful potter. Well he was jolly well the best that there was in his time. Rumour had it that as a little boy, he once had an encounter with Athena herself, the Greek goddess of craft.

He owned several stalls in the big market in Athens and he was never short of customers who came to buy his masterpieces that were constantly on display. He made artefacts, vases, pottery of all kinds and even sculptures.

They came in droves from far and near. His works were a wonder to behold, tending very near perfection.

You see, it was difficult to find anything he had made having any flaws as he knew his craft well and worked tirelessly to produce the best.

If anyone ever cared to ask him in awe which one of his works he deemed the very best, he would quickly reach to a conspicuous corner of his stall and produce an old, ugly looking clay jar with a crooked handle.

That has never failed to draw more questions from the now confused customer. 'Your works are known for their beauty and perfection, how come you choose to keep this ugly jar as your best work?' the customer would say.

Adonis always offered the same explanation with a wry smile and a bright twinkle in his eyes.

'I keep this to remind me and everyone who cares to stop and ponder with me that near perfection is possible but happens as a process. A long painstaking process that one has to pass through with utmost patience and perseverance.'

He points to all the beautiful artefacts in his stall.

'Look at all these' he says, I would never have been able to make them if I had given up on this ugly looking jar. But in this ugly jar with the crooked handle, I find inspiration and wisdom to know that though it is crooked and ugly now, if worked on with a little more patience, tolerance, perseverance, wisdom, it can become the masterpiece it ought to be'.

Beautiful, elegant, shiny and perfect to behold.

I'll take a cue from Adonis and admit that I'm like that little jar, complete with the crooked handle.

I have my shortcomings, I have my flaws and I cannot in the least way claim to be a perfect person. That won't be hard to tell once you come a little closer and see through whatever facade of finesse and sophistication I may put up. I guess that makes me human like everyone else.

But I can be better. I strive to be a better person.

I can be like that rough uncut diamond that if worked on becomes a beautiful gem.

So don't look at my crooked handle today, but look at the beautiful masterpiece that I can become if worked on with a little more patience, understanding and tolerance.


Olusola Olaoluwakitan.

Anjola Olanbiwoninu Olayiwola Daniels

His name alone reeks of opulence and wealth. If you do not carry a good head on your shoulder and have some sense of self worth, you would easily develop a chronic case of inferiority complex. You might even get green enough with jealousy to ask silly questions like 'why didn't they think of giving me such names!' or simply wish u were him.

Why?

Because he's got it and much more.

Anjola was not born with a silver spoon. Oh no he wasn't. He was born with a diamond encrusted 24carat gold spoon. Born into wealth, his father was a wealthy business mogul with an empire traversing several continents. Anything that had to do with everyday living, they dealt in it.

Food and confectionary, Cars, Real Estate, Oil & Gas, Transport and Logistics, Furniture and Home Appliances,steel, Chemicals and Agriculture, stocks and money market, the whole nine yards. Their businesses practically kept the economy running, their sales turnover figures large enough to be the entire yearly budgets of some small countries!

Life couldn't be any better.

Now Anjola happened to be an only child, being a male, he automatically qualified to be the heir apparent to the colossal family estate with combined honours.

The best of choice houses in town, sleekest of cars, money in the pocket, money in the bank, title to the bank.

Growing up was good for Anjola. Everyone was at his beck and call. He had every comfort known to man (or boy), he was the reality of every other child's fantasies. He only had to ask for whatever he wanted and he had it.

Since his father wasn't opportuned to have the best of education, he sent his precious heir to the best of schools and since Anjola was destined to become the next King of the family's business empire, he attended the best of Ivy league business schools.

If you are guessing that Anjola was afterall a spoilt brat and would probably not think much of education or that he would squander and mismanage the family's good fortunes then you have another thing coming.

He graduated 'summa cum laude'.

Not only was he a bright brain, a true intellectual, he had unmatched and outstanding business acumen. Immediately he got out of school, he was initiated into running the family business and before long drove the businesses to lofty heights that even his father could not have dreamt of or achieved.

Anjola had the 'Midas Touch' and really, everything he touched turned to Gold.

Wow! What else can anyone ask for I hear you whisper to yourself. And in the midst of that I figure that you're suspecting that like the home videos, that this is a sweet story that somehow gets a funny twist and eventually gets a bitter end. Again, sorry to dissapoint you.

Anjola got married to the beautiful daughter of the then Honourable Minister of Internal affairs. One of the most Influential men in the country and a true Titan. Olaitan was a paragon of beauty and a woman of substance. Together they raised another generation of great Olayiwola-Daniels, just like their father.

If there ever existed anything close to a perfect life, it was Anjola's because like a well oiled machine, everthing worked for him, nothing ever failed.

In trying to give back to society, he delved into Politics. Ofcourse, he was known and loved by all easily since he had always been a large hearted philantropist. He ran for office of the President and...

Pause!

Okay, I must warn you dear reader at this point, since I figured that you have started expecting that I would tell you about a free and fair election in which Anjola emerged the winner. Again.

I warn you that a life like Anjola's in reality must be one of the rarest occurences in nature. I'll give you some credit, ofcourse you were right, it's just too good to be true.

Now for the truth.

Not everyone of us would have evrything fall into our laps the way we want them.

Life is a challenge, a raging bull that we must learn to take by the horns,face, fight. For the vast majority of humanity, we are destined to fight for what we want, take our destinies into our hands against all odds and shapen our future.

Nothing good comes easy except by the grace of God.

So long as we are here on this side of eternity, we would have to brace up, reach deep down into the wells of determination, engage the gear of dilligence and live out our dreams.

Not all of us would have it served on a platter of Gold complete with toppings like Anjola, but all of us have the potential to break limitations, defy the odds and succeed.

Olusola Olaoluwakitan.

Silence!

Louder than Lagos in it's elements on a busy work day.
Louder than the drums of war that beat in deadly rythms in the heated conflict zones of our dear mother earth.
Louder than the drowning sounds of power generating sets that threaten our sanity and that many a night rob us of sweet sleep.
Louder than the droning sound of a '747' or the sharp outburst of the F-16.
Louder than the clapping thunder and the raging blue sea at high tide.
Louder than the tune of heavy percussion from the steady beats of a heart that's found love.

Silence!

Screaming Silence!

Ear piercing, high pitched, glass shattering Silence!

Into the deep recesses of my soul I must search and find this wonderful gift.

For in it I can gather strength and focus.
In it I can open the portals of hindsight, dwell on the threshes of insight, and embrace the infinite frontiers of foresight.

In silence I can dream.

In silence I can momentarily leave the terrestrial and attendant woes and commune with the celestial.

In silence I can heal from the deep wounds, bruises and scars that have rocked my tender heart.

In silence I can muster courage to face the giant, life and snatch my sanity back from the madness of everyday living!

Silence!, my loudest and most cherished noise form.

Olusola Olaoluwakitan.

Seasons of Life

Many times we wonder where we're headed or why we find ourselves in certain life situations and circumstances.

A barrage of questions always abound, the most prominent; Why?

My favorite answer:

Life is in seasons.

There will be stormy times, rain, blizzards, hail and snow.

There will be seasons of drought and dryness, dry skin chaffing winds and insufficient moisture or the outright lack of it.

Seasons of ice frosty cold and gloom.

But they will only last for so long, just for a while. For there will be other seasons.

There will be seasons of calm, bliss, brightness and life that come with sunshine. There will be Spring and Summer, Flowers and our Chirpy friends would sing again.

There will be seasons of harvest, abundance and plenty.

Whenever you're in the rain, it's a sure sign that the sun would shine again in all its glory, crowned with a rainbow!

Life is in Seasons.

Olusola Olaoluwakitan.