What a day!

I'm at the Foursquare Church, Victoria Garden City at Lagos. I'm thinking as I look at my mum two seats away with my Dad between. The church today is a home for me because she always took her kids to church. She has done more but for this, I say Thank You, Mum.

Finally, the graduation came. It was held at the Flamingo hall of the best Western Hotel at Benin City, Edo State. Chief Michael Ade-ojo of Toyota Nigeria Limited was there, Mr Victor Gbolade Osibodu of Vigeo Holdings was there, I was there too (hmmm, Did I see you smile?). It went well. (No need to talk much) Wait! wait! I actually shook hands with the two business gurus. We all did. Here, I stand with Tosin Ayoko, Kunle Olushola and Hammed Sodiq  We wore safety gears. Everyone including the accountants and mathematicians. I want to believe it is for real. That we would all have our safety gears but there is a teeny-weeny part of me that says it was for show. That the safety gears would not come till maybe after six months cos the company might want to use it for the other GTs that are on the queue. And I got to snap with the present head of the New Economy Department, Mr Gboyega Agunlejika. He wears a lecturer's gown because he was part of the faculty that...

Here's the edited one. I got a little help from Kiity. Sent it to her for a read-through. She did and gave some ideas that led to this. Speech The 8th of October last year marked the beginning of a story. A story whose timing I’ve tried to make into a short clip. A short clip of the field and classroom training. It all started at the waiting room at the Head Office where I sat with my colleagues, graduates who had been recruited alongside myself. The ambience was jovial. We shared experiences of the journey from the test, the interview and the wait till we were sent invitation letters. I could say no one had an inkling of what awaited us within the next 12 months. We didn’t have a chance of speculating as all discussions ended when Mrs Uche of the HR department walked in and made a roll call, verifying all who were present. The first assignment I had was to enumerate customers, index premises, tag transformers and poles and collect individual customer information. A l...

So I was posted last week. To Sapele. A town in Delta State, Nigeria. According to the words people have been giving out, I seem not to have an idea about the town. Someone said, 'Things are expensive there". Another said, "Things are not expensive there". Someone said, "The place is nice". Another said, "The place is not so good". (He didnt say this outrightly though) They seem to be contradicting themselves somehow. I need to block my ears to what they have to say. Or maybe just listen and sieve the words. So it would be Sapele for a while. Don't know how long for now.

So it happens that some days before today, we were toasted on having a graduation ceremony. As a group of 20, the first batch of trainees. We held our group meetings. At a meeting, I was assigned the role of reading the speech.  I came up with something. A story. A day to the supposed graduation day, nothing was said about the graduation. Here's a story I would have read or will still read.   Good morning/afternoon Ladies and gentlemen, all protocols duly observed. My name is Kunle Anjorin. On the 8th of October last year, I stepped into Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) for the first time. I was welcomed by a group of young men and ladies, most of whom I'll be graduating with today. We all sat expectantly in a room. I could say no one had an inkling of what awaited us within the next 12 months. I, for instance, didn't expect to enumerate customers. Walking around the streets, tagging transformers, poles, taking customer details and the rest. Not t...

credits: vml.com Yep! Yep! this guy had an interview with the MD. Like I said, She would be called Mama F. The interview turned out to be a good one. Though I wish I had said some more about the IT part. Still wish so. The interview was held this past weekend, Saturday 10th October, 2015 to be precise. The first set of trainees, Batch 1 as we are called had a time out with her. We were sent a mail some minutes past 5pm on Friday notifying us about the interview. though late, it wasn't surprising to us. We had heard some rumours about it in the morning that same day. That brought a 'no travel' news to the people that would have loved to travel to Lagos (the destination for over 70% of us). A list showing the order that we would follow was attached in the mail sent to us. I was 6th on the list. The timing showed that we would each spend 15mins. This was not to be. Lookman Ogboye, the first on the list, spent about 55 mins. Wow! what were you talking about? ...

And her response on the 13th October, in retaliation to my words were; His hearty laugh His chubby baby-like fingers His lips His voice His patience His savings attitude His love for God, books & people. His excitement when he sees me (smiles, overstretching?) His control (KML) His willingness: to be better & make me better! His words: writing. His pronunciation of my name Sweet to my ears  With butterflies in my tummy His heart:beating in my ears. His responsibility towards doing things the right way. Oremi toh sure! And then on 15th,  You, Adekunlemi are blessed and highly favoured amongst men. You shine because your father has said that you are the light of the world You are simply your father's son A god on this earth Your royalty, Good morning my prince When people have this love thing going on, they somehow turn to poets...Kiitty said on 15th October, 2015.

She was someone I admired from a distance. She was someone I looked at with some definiteness  cos something was unique about her There was joy and fire the first time I talked with her for long Couldn't stop talking  Still haven't lost that fire. She has been my friend My friend at all times Good and not good She has been my love Loving me despite my faults and rash ways Not like I don't have the toosh ways (I do.) But she has been there I want to spend the rest of my life with this girl this funny, naughty, friendly,resourceful, loving, endearing beautiful girl that God made. Good morning darling. Words I sent to Kiitty on Sunday morning, 11-10-2015. I had typed it all in a minute or less in the room I stayed in at Benin. She liked it.

Mum, my cousin, Wumi and Deola, a family friend can be seen in the picture.  Once again, My folks will be moving to another. My first experience of them moving was when I was a little boy, probably about two years old. I could remember I was in a pick-up van. Sometimes I think I dreamt this (Funny I haven't asked my parents about the pick up van). We had lived at Afam, near Port Harcourt in Rivers State. I was born there.  We moved to Jakande estate, Isolo. I Still remember we stayed in Block 385, Flat 6. Some cool place to have stayed. It was there we started worshipping with the Foursquare Gospel Church. We also worshipped with the Christ Apostolic Church, going with a neighbour once or twice and the Methodist Church sometimes (Dad preferred this church as he had an Anglican background). But we were established in the Foursquare gospel.  We would later move when I was twelve, that's in 1998. I remember Dad and the landlord (or was it landlady?) had...

The protests are not new anymore. I've seen so many of them that it has become normal to expect them and act accordingly. But we rarely see the ones where they prepare to cook at the front of the company gate like the one on the pictures. This day last year, I resumed as a BEDC staff, resuming after the muslim holidays that took place on the 6th and 7th day of the month. That was the day I met the great men and ladies I've walked with so far for a year. I say walk cause we've had to do more than work together as colleagues. Its 10.51am on a thursday morning and work has been grounded by the fellows from Ogbe-Igbuya community of Benin city. They claim to have been changed from a feeder (Resevation/GRA feeder) to another (Evboutubu Feeder) about three years ago. When I say Feeder, I do not mean a baby's feeding bottle. Instead, I mean a source of power supply. This source according to them do not supply enough power to them. Its epileptic they say. They coul...

I was suprised to see Osemwegie last Saturday. He cam in some minutes past 8p.m. He had come from Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State where he lectures. I was happy to see the great guy after a very long time. We had communicated on Friday and he didnt mention anything like coming to Benin. So it was more of a suprise to see him. He had a long talk with his dad and mum. Apparently, something serious was up and I would later discover that It was something that had started about three to four years ago, something I knew about. Something that would have to do with his future. Everyone's future actually, but more of his. And then Sunday came, we attended church together (Winners Chapel, Iyekogba, Benin City) and he was almost saying someone would feel somehow about he going to Winners but I just pushed him on. No one felt anyhow afterwards that I knew about. The most suprising thing about the day was the visit to people he knew at Benin. We visited his grand-mum, his mother...

From this week, I've got just two weeks left for my training year with BEDC to end. The journey started October last year. So much has gone down, so much has been added and learnt. Not just about the technical  and financial things but also the culture of the people of Benin and the environment. We should get our postings by the end of the training period. Let me also say we would be having a graduation ceremony by the end of this month. graduating from the Vigeo Power Academy. The postings. After the graduation, we'll know where we would be posted to, I had an agreement with Olaolu with regards to being in Lagos and I still hold on to this. Don't ask me how its gonna happen. I don't know how. I just believe so. I had doubted a lot of times. Times when Pastor Kingsley shook me and told me about not getting married and being far away and I hesistated in saying Amen when he prayed. And you know, As always I got questioned for hesitating. Olaolu does this well (winks)...

image extracted from www.dividenddiplomats.com I'm enjoying teaching now. Teaching about investments. Not that I know it all but I've been taught a little on it since I got to Benin by someone I'll like to call a Mentor. Mr Tim. When I think of Robert Kiyosaki's books, I see Mr Tim. practised most of what Robert talked about. Investing in stocks, businesses, real estate, he was a writer too I should add and a motivational speaker when he was younger and he did all this while working as an employee of a government institution here in Nigeria. He would rather I bought shares with my money than appreciate him in any way. ''Buy Guinness, Buy Nigerian Breweries, Buy PZ '  or  'Go with the Manufacturers, not the banks' he would say whenever we met. I had about four sessions with him where he told me of the inner workings of investing in the stock market. It is about a year now and I haven't stopped telling colleagues about investing, teach...

A Session on Safety/Disaster Management Would I have thought of attending another training school after the training with the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN)? No. I wouldn't. I would have looked at it like I didn't need any other exposure other than what  had at NAPTIN. My practical experience at the Egbin Electric Power should have been okay, coupled with the four weeks spent at Ikeja electric distribution company and the Transmission Company of Nigeria and the classes. That should have been enough to see me through. On second thought, It wasn't. Having gone through the Vigeo Power Academy (by VIPL Global Services Limited/ Elizade University), I'd say my NAPTIN training was incomplete. It wasn't like the Vigeo Power Academy had all the NAPTIN training offered also. I could tag them both 'incomplete' if I was to compare. They have their areas of strength. At Vigeo Power Academy, there were refresher courses that reminded ...

Whew! I don't get to write as often as I want to these days. Got a lot to say. And I have a short time to say them. Today, I worked on a computer system all through. I was learning Microsoft Excel through the New Horizon's Learning Management System. A module which is part of the classroom training I'm undergoing at Elizade University. Did I just say Elizade University? Yes, I did. And as you might have guessed, I signed it. Didn't complain. Just signed it. And the period of the bond? Three years since last year. I didn't know of that part till the day we signed. and that was last week Saturday. Let me get back to the MS Excel gist. I attended an interview last year at Schneider Electric. I told the interviewer I knew Excel 100% and then he asked me two questions, and I was wondering if that was part of Excel. It was Vlookup and Hlookup he asked of. You should know by now, that if the two functions were missing in my 100%, then I didn't know anythin...

I just saw this piece. I typed on my mum's PC last year. A time I spent at the prison. Would love to keep it here.  I was in prison last year.  I'm wondering what the expression of your face would look like now. I really was there. At the Ikoyi maximum or is it the minimum prison? Now let me say the truth, not as an inmate but as a member of an evangelistic group that holds a Sunday service in the prison once every year.  It all started when my sister voiced out the SMS she received from the youth president of our church, Mr Tunde, as we drove. 'Are you going to the prison with the youth team?' She asked. 'Prison?' No. They sent a message to me yesterday. She said. oh! I didn't receive any. Is it on the blackberry group? No. SMS. Okay. I responded. And we didn't talk about it again.  I didn't even hear of it till I got to the church, Foursquare Gospel and behold, there stood Tunde Busari.   He...

I registered with the Writers Bureau in September 2013. I've been a very poor student. Submitted only 1 assignment out of 10. Not communicated with my tutor since 2013 till February this year. Procrastinating has been the game. I read well but when it comes to writing within a particular scope, I need the patience and the focus. No hurrying (which I find hard sometimes). I want to be better and I know I can be. Some stretching I need. I have to find a way.

I want to write well. I want to write better. It could be a task that I find hard to do. A task that requires a lot of thought, creativity (for it to be fun) and hardwork when you've got a project to work on. During the Fidelity Bank Creative writing workshop, Aminatta Forna asked me a question when we had our one-on-One interview. 'What are you working on?' I was dazed. What should I be working on? I thought. Here's a guy who just loved writing about his day. A journal she called it when I told her. So lets put it that way. Here's a guy who loves keeping a journal and it happens he saw an advert. He wrote in and booked a space in the non-fiction class. Hmm. She would later tell me to write 'A memoir of my father' when i mailed her some days after the workshop. I thought she was imposing. I wasn't thinking of that and you know what. I didn't do it then. Now, I'm working on it. A gift it would be for his 60th Birthday. It is a task....