IT IS 2022: LET'S WIN TOGETHER

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In the early hours of December 26^th, I dreamt that I was gruesomely murdered while trying to protect my family. Every moment I remember this nightmare, I ask myself if I would die for those I love if the chips were down. From the moment my late dad left to start another family and I have had to step up. Every event that has shaped my life, and every decision I have made has always been about putting my family first.

From the first day of 2021 to the last, some interesting and not so pleasant events have happened to me and I will be sharing the moments that made 2021 a memorable one with all the wonderful friends of the SHEFFA family.

On January 1^st, 2021, my late dad visited to celebrate the New Year with us. My dad prayed to the point of tears. How were we supposed to know it was his last New Year with us?

On February 7^th, my family and I were at breakfast when the news of Auntie Oyinda’s demise hit the family. Mum and I were in tears in a matter of minutes, Taiwo dripped a couple of waters too. We just lost our Auntie – Mrs. Oyindamola M. Thomas, my Mum’s friend, and big sister for more than 50 years. You can read the tribute to My Auntie here.

In March, the Red Book was launched, the Red Book is an anthology from The Sophians, an NGO in which I am actively involved. I am also the group’s Treasurer. My article – If Love Is A Crime made Chapter 17. Contributing to the Red Book was one of my biggest achievement in the past year because I have always wanted to author a book but I have never gathered enough courage to take the step. Procrastination and Laziness haunt more than village people. You can download a copy of the Red Book at thesophians.com

In April, I was struggling to get out of a toxic relationship. I was in love with the wrong person and I needed to snap back to reality, I had to leave and Ibrahim here opened my eyes to all the lies and deceit, I thank God, I did. My friend Folake provided more than a shoulder to cry on. She was there for me through the thick and thin. It was comforting to have someone you can pour out your heart to. Just let it all out. Folake will always have a special place in my heart. Thank You, Ibrahim and Folake.

About a month after, my younger brother, Taiwo, got a job in the organization I work for and I was more than happy for him. He’d concluded his mandatory NYSC a few days before the Federal Government coronavirus curfew was imposed. He was billed to resume in my Uncle’s company but the coronavirus pandemic messed up our plans. Taiwo was becoming depressed and I needed to intervene. Sterling Bank presented the perfect opportunity at the perfect time.

On June 20^th, at about 2:00 am my stepmom called to inform us of my dad’s demise. We had to travel to Ikorodu the same day to bury him according to Islamic rites. My dad and I had our differences, we didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of issues. I remembered looking at my dad’s lifeless body as I began to question why we are in mad pursuit to acquire material wealth at the expense of what matters - Family. Everything happened so fast, and Baba was in the ground before 4:00 pm the same day, and exactly a week after, it was Baba’s funeral. Life is a movie.

Sometime in July, I was making plans for a career change. The Local Government elections were fast approaching and one of the candidates asked me to join his campaign team’s media department in exchange for a political appointment in his administration. I was working on his manifesto and campaign declaration speech before I was told that a much richer candidate has been imposed on them.

However, I still participated in the local government elections as a LASIEC staff through a friend and big brother that works with LASIEC. It was only less than 24 hours before the election that I found out that someone had taken out my name from the list of Supervising Polling Officers (SPO). Participating in the electioneering process helped to provide a clearer understanding of why our dear country is so messed up. There are some things I cannot discuss here but we have a long way to go. We are far from being on the right track.

It was my birthday in August. The cake, the calls, the messages were usual but a dream about my late dad was the most special gift I received that day. This man didn’t even remember my birthday when he was alive. Here he was, trying to right his wrongs from his grave. Otunba’s death also made August a month to remember. Otunba (Senator) Olabiyi Durojaiye was my customer and dad, he was a father figure and a wonderful source of inspiration. Losing him left a dent in our plans for 2023. The Late Otunba died at 88, he was until his death, the Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission. Rest On, Otunba.

It was a September to remember because it came with a promotion at work. The same promotion I lost three years ago. There are a few things I am grateful for this year, this promotion is one of them but the ‘September to Remember’ levels didn’t stop at getting a promotion at work, I also got a UKP150 (One Hundred and Fifty Pounds) free voucher from the University of South Wales to further my studies. The University’s generous offer provided enough money to clear my outstanding balance but I had to pay close to NGN100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira Only) to enroll for the next module and I needed to get a new phone. No be small wahala o but Thank God, Taiwo stepped in.

October went on very fast and November came with the loss of my new phone. OMG, my Samsung was just 6 weeks old. It was the first day in November and I could not believe that my phone has been stolen in the staff bus that takes me to and from work. I thought I was in the midst of friends but it was obvious that I have trusted the wrong people. Six days after, I got a much bigger and more expensive phone. Femi, thank you for always being there.

Sometimes around October and November, I decided to give love another chance, Ibrahim went out of his way to fix me up. Some friends want you to be happy and will always go the extra mile for you, if you find your own Ibrahim, never let him go.

Trust me, I will not conclude this little memoir without talking about the MOST IMPORTANT project in my life code-named – SHEFFA. I need to be honest because you deserve an honest appraisal if you have read up to this point, we didn’t achieve much on the website this past year.

We could not launch a new interface to celebrate our first anniversary and a lot of other things we wanted to do, we didn’t. It is crazy when you have to finance a project, pay for your studies abroad, provide for your family and invest in your passion at the same time in this crazy Nigerian economy.

As at the time of putting this lovely piece together, a pound to a Naira is NGN755 (Seven Hundred and Fifty-Five Naira Only) parallel market rate. However, it was not all gory stories;

·         We were able to add 10 new columnists on SHEFFA in 2021. Today, we have a total of 34 freelance columnists on SHEFFA.

·         Our #100DaysWithSHEFFA achieved some wonderful results. Segun Makinde, from Facebook, became an active member of our WhatsApp group through one of such campaigns.

·         Olamide Agemo was invited to her first public book reading session through an advert on our WhatsApp group.

My passion to get SHEFFA to enviable heights has always been my greatest tool, it is the reason I will not stop until everyone subscribes to our creed, #WeAreSHEFFA, we never back down. 

Today, 1^st January 2022, I welcome you into the New Year. I promise you that it is going to be your best year yet. It is 2022, #LetsWinTogether.

‘Odun Yi’ – Jaywon.

 

 

Oluwole Olusanya is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of one of the fastest-growing lifestyle and entertainment websites in the country. He is a banker, writer, blogger, public affairs analyst and a tax consultant. He anchors Trending Topics on SHEFFA where he shares his thoughts and opinions on trending issues.

He is currently studying for a Master’s Degree in Business Administration at the University of South Wales, Wales, United Kingdom. He has diplomas in Banking and Finance, Investigative Journalism, Creative Writing, and Linguistics from Lagos State Polytechnic, Isolo, Lagos, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland and The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.