Nightlife, Afropolitan Vibes

Promo poster for this month's show

I was writing about free markets and the floating Naira, then I thought - why don't I write about something fun since it's a Friday night?

So I scrapped my previous post.

It's Friday!!!

Cheers to the freaking weekend!!!

**7**

When I travel, I always make time to see the nightlife; I could literally be drooping with a backache from sitting all day, but I would always, always get out in the evenings to see how the people have fun. I have walked nearly an hour in almost zero temperatures in Europe while "following the music", I have gotten lost at 3am in East Africa while finding my way back to the hotel after a night out, and I have bluffed my way into a Middle Eastern club by telling the bouncers I was a Nigerian prince (this is technically true, although I am probably a few hundred people away from any thrones).

What is the next right move; #FreeTheNaira

E the mentor recently tagged me in a video on Facebook.

Among other themes, Oprah shares simple but powerful advice for working your way through challenging circumstances (or failures). We've probably all been faced with those. Everything seems to be going off track, you think you're dating the wrong guy (or girl), you're horribly behind schedule on important deliverables - but you're stuck focusing on the storm and can't manage to pull yourself together.

What is the next right move?

I find this to be an incredibly liberating question to ask.

It instantly swings your focus off all the things that are wrong or going wrong, and sets your mind at work on getting out of your current situation.

Next time you feel swamped, confused, or lost - try asking: what is the next right move?

*****

We finally let the Naira float yesterday. I think we did it months too late, but we did it anyways - God be praised!

Feyi Fawehinmi, one person whose every word I read, wrote a great commentary on the release of the Naira. Read it here.

Thank me later.

You are not a Tree

This quote by Jim Rohn is one of my all time favourites.

It is sometimes difficult to just up and move, particularly when you have dependants, do not have a safety net, or simply can't afford the risk. BUT, greatness doesn't come easily. Nobody achieved great stuff without some discomfort.

There is hope for improvement so long as there is life.

You can change things.

You are not a tree.

Stay True to Your Dreams

I struggled to write yesterday, starting and abandoning four posts. While I thought they contained good ideas, they proved extremely laborious to write and I gave up a few minutes after midnight. I am hopeful that I will pick them up and complete them later on in the series.

Thursday's post was very well received. Evidently, many young people are stuck with evolving "hows", and found reassurance in knowing they were not alone. My favourite sentence from that post, which was also the one with the most engagement was: "While there will always be a few people who seem to follow a linear path to greatness, the path for many of us will consist of twists, turns, and pivots."

I think we should talk about something related today, so here goes.

**4**

We have all seen this happen.

What will you be doing in five years?

If you asked me a few years ago what I would be doing today, I would have looked straight into your eyes and given you a confident answer. I would have maintained eye contact all through the conversation and thrown in a few verses from the Bible for good measure. If you were a peer, you may have left thinking something was wrong with you for not having that degree of certainty about your future.

I was absolutely sure what I would be doing by this time.

I was also absolutely wrong.

*****

I recently read my personal mission statement from 2007.

RIP Stephen Keshi, Death is a Bastard

The Big Boss, how I will remember him.

I saw the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations final at a bar in Ogudu. It was not a nice place. It smelled of vomit, the boys were loud, and the waitress was rude. I am generally averse to rough places, but it did not cross my mind to leave. It was the first time in thirteen years that we were in a final and we had a real chance to win. I wanted to witness the making of history.

I screamed when Sunday Mba scored, danced a jig when the referee blew the final whistle, and fist pumped the air all the way back home. It was a big deal. Stephen Keshi had done what many foreign coaches couldn't do - win the Nations Cup. The excitement was palpable, and for a brief period we united as one country behind the win.

Stephen Keshi was good for Nigerian football.

Stephen Keshi was a great Super Eagles player and coach.

Stephen Keshi died last night.

*****

This post chose itself.

Memories from my Childhood

At seven, attending the naming ceremony of my now favourite teenager!

My earliest memory is of being made to kneel in a corner facing the wall for pulling someone's glasses off their face, then falling asleep in the dark corner. That someone must have been one of my parents, more likely to be my dad; my mom would never let me fall asleep in a corner.

It is interesting that this is my earliest memory. Why don't I remember being taken to a park, eating an orange, or getting a toy? What about kneeling in a corner makes for a sticky memory?