Mfon Ekpo, entrepreneur, consultant, maritime lawyer and founder of Premier Pioneers Network was recognised and honoured with the Golden Quill by The National Academy of Best Selling Authors in Hollywood.

The Best Sellers summit and awards gala took place on the 28th of September 2012 at the legendary Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California, where the first ever Oscars were held.

Mfon Ekpo was honoured with the ‘Golden Quill’ for her best selling book,” The Only Business Book You Will Ever Need” which she co – authored with New York times best seller Robert Allen of the Multiple streams of income fame, America’s foremost management expert Brian Tracy, NFL super agent Leigh Steinberg whose career was the inspiration for the ‘Show me the money ‘ character played by Tom Cruise in the Academy award winning movie “Jerry Maguire”, and a host of other renowned world experts.

The book, which was released on the 8th of March 2012,reached best-seller status in three Amazon.com categories on the first day of release – reaching as high as #2 in the Direct Marketing category as well as entrepreneurship and Business Management categories.

Mfon, the founder of Premier Pioneers Network, a platform where professionals from various walks of life come together to teach on areas they are passionate and knowledgeable about, wrote in the new book about “The ‘Voltron’ Formula: Dynamics of Building an Outstanding Team.”

Her contribution in the book also won the Editor’s Choice Award 2012, an award that recognises outstanding contributions in collaborative books.
Mfon Ekpo whose mantra for life and business is “discover, develop, and deploy“also juggles multiple roles as a strategy consultant, professional negotiator and mediator, writer, speaker, singer and songwriter. She has trained people in the art of negotiation, writing, public speaking, ideas generation and implementation since 2006.

Her first book, “Pushing to the front “which she co-authored with Brian Tracy and other thought leaders was also a best seller. Mfon also serves on the board of several companies and is currently the Director of Strategy and Head of H.R at Red Media, a founding partner of the John Maxwell Team and a Member of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law. She trains young people on humanitarian issues as a school speaker for the British Red Cross and enjoys expounding life lessons to readers on her blog, The School Called Life.
(https://theschoolcalledlife.wordpress.com/)

Other recipients of the award from the National Academy of Bestselling Authors include Michael Gerber, Best selling author of the book ‘E-myth’, Brian Tracy, Best selling Author of multiple books including ‘Goals’, Jack Canfield, multiple best selling author famously known for his book, ‘Chicken Soup of the soul’. More about Mfon Ekpo can be seen on www.mfonekpo.com.

Optima Media Group (OMG), who have brought to the continent premium television content such as Nigerian Idol and Nigeria’s Got Talent, to name a few, have announced a broadcast and marketing partnership with leading electronic media company, Continental Broadcasting Services for both radio and television content.
This landmark agreement was signed on Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at the OMG headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria.
“OMG has spent the past few years stealthily re-defining the media space in Nigeria and the continent,” said Ugochi Pedro, Head of Legal and Director of Special Projects of the Group. “This has involved partnerships with content owners and production partners across continents including Freemantle, and Rapid Blue Format.
“We are excited to be partnering with the influential Continental Broadcasting Services brands in extending this frontier and in delivering to the unique Nigerian viewership cutting edge and satisfying content.”
The Optima Media Group is a company operating at the forefront of media in Africa, with activities spanning strategy, content acquisition and distribution. With the African continent enjoying unprecedented economic growth and rapidly integrating into a global media village, OMG stands at a prime vantage point, providing support for brands and businesses across TV advertising and sponsorship, audience viewing demands and satellite based pay-TV, as well as infrastructure needs across the television and film value chain.
“We are very pleased to be working with OMG,” said Mr Richie Dayo Johnson, the Director of Radio Services CBS. “They have continued to lead the way for media businesses across the continent and this is certain to be an excellent partnership.”

On Wednesday, September 19, 2012, Nigerian Idol held a mock competition to engage its media stakeholders. Tagged, ‘Press Idols’, it discovered the hidden talent in journalists at the Shaba Events Centre Ikeja. It coincided with the official launch of Nigerian Idol Season 3.
The one-off ‘Press Idol’ was anchored by Optima Media Group, owners of the Idols property in West Africa, with sponsorship from Etisalat and Pepsi.
“We thought to ourselves: we are very grateful to the media, which has made this Nigeria’s number one reality TV show,” said Tiwa Medubi, the project manager. “So why not reward them… by putting them on the spot! They are weekly shining the spotlight on the victories and mistakes, challenges and highlights of these contestants, and these was a fun way to enable them live the dream!”
The journalists did not disappoint, putting up thrilling freestyle music performances – popular songs from the old school archives, contemporary hits and plenty of humour and applause as they contested for the grand prize of $1000.
The contestants were randomly picked by Season 3 host, Ill Rymz: the first contestant was Efe Tommy of entertainment show Excite on TV who performed Whitney Houston’s timeless ‘Greatest Love of All’; the others were Hip on TV’s Dayo Ephraim, Yes! Magazine’s Gbenga Saba and Hitz on TV’s Daniel Oramai.
“Let’s just say, some of them chose right when they picked journalism over music,” Medubi said, laughing. “But oh there were amazing pleasant surprises!”
The audience chose the winners – first prize going to Oramai, the second place going to Tommy – who won $500 – and third place to Shaba – who won $200.
“Not a bad one at all,” said Shaba. “Nigerian Idol has constantly engaged and surpassed the expectation of its stakeholders, and it has been an impressive show – this is one more step in a string of surprises we have come to expect from the hit show.”
The launch event also had performances from season 2 winner, Naomi Mac, as well as an interactive session and multimedia presentations. Nigerian Idol season three begins airing on xxxxx and will be shown on xxxxx, xxxx, xxxxx and xxxx. For more information, visit the website http://www.Nigerianidol.com/, like on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Nigerian-Idol or follow on Twitter on www.Twitter.com/NigerianIdol. Nigerian Idols Season 3 is sponsored by Etisalat, in conjunction with Pepsi.

It was another astonishing weekend as an incredible array of brilliant talent was unveiled on the Episode 3 of Nigeria’s Got Talent. Lagos, the country’s commercial nerve centre, proved itself as the city of stars – with magical talent, a depth of music and enough talent to make previous cities, of Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Warri go green with envy.
“Lagos contestants of this show have really made true to the ability of the city to suppress, to thrive and to persist,” said the excited Andre Blaze, who is host of Nigeria’s Got Talent. “It’s going to be an amazing ride!”
The first contestant was Bariyu Yusuf, a 36-year-old doctor wthose comedic skills earned him three ‘yes-es’. The ‘Furious Energy’ dance group’s energetic drama-dance also got affirmative, as did Dapo, Craig and Vince, choreographers, aged 20 and 21, who disguised as females to thrown on a brilliant choreography.
“Oh, and there were those cute little girls – so incredibly talented!” crowed judge Kate Henshaw, who couldn’t resist the charm of the group of three girls whose dance moves got them to the next round.
Magic also took centre stage: Gabriel Ayokojo, also known as the ‘Lion Heart’ pulled unbelievable stunts, playing with fire in his mouth and peeling off a coconut with his bare teeth. “This is is simply ‘juju’!” judge Dan Foster exclaimed. He got a yes, alongside Idowu Dayo, another magician whose trickes included water and smoking – he called his magic trick “The more you look the less you see”.
“For everyone who was on our sets across the country, it was a life-changing experience,” said Adaora Mbelu, who is the show’s Project Manager. “Some performances made you laugh hysterically, and others would just overwhelm you with chills you’d begin to cry. We are hugely honored to have come across such amazing talent as was repeated in Lagos, and are truly excited to share these gems with Nigerians.”
The first-of-its-kind showaalto included martial art performances. A group called ‘United Fist’ – aged 24 – 30 year – got a ‘yes’ from the judges, though a ‘Taekwando’ group called ‘Oracle Team’ was adjudged “boring”. Paul Justice Ogbele, 20, presented a rhythmic rapping performance, and Chuka Solace, 18 and also a rapper, got approval to the next round. Then there was Ekeng Bassey, 29, who dazzled everyone with a sonorous presentation of Westlife’s ‘You Raise Me Up’.
Hosted by Andre Blaze, the judges for the season are radio host Dan Foster, actor Kate Henshaw and entertainment entrepreneur, Yibo Koko, the Airtel-sponsored first season of Nigeria’s Got Talent began to air on 16 September and will run until December 2012. Watch Sundays on AIT (10:30 PM), STV (6:00 PM), NTA (4.30PM) and Soundcity (6:30 PM). Fans in the UK can watch the show on HITV UK Sky 193 (8 PM).
The Got Talent franchise worldwide, which is in its sixth year, has produced many notable performers in the last couple of years including Diversity, Bianca Ryan and Britain’s Got Talent’s 2009 1st runner up Susan Boyle, whose debut album became the fastest selling UK debut album of all time, selling over 3 million copies in the U.S. It is the only talent competition show that is open to any age and any talent with auditions taking the show to numerous cities in search of one-of-a-kind talent.
Nigeria’s Got Talent is sponsored by Airtel and supported by Cool FM, Wazobia FM, Nigeria Info 99.3 FM and Tastee Fried Chicken. For embeddable clips and full episodes of the show, as well as artwork, please visit www.GotTalentNigeria.com. Like the show on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/NigeriasGotTalent and follow on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/NigeriasGotTalent.

Forgive the viewers if they were spell-bound. The highly anticipated reality TV show ‘Nigeria’s Got Talent’ took display of talent to a whole new level when it hit the screen yesterday September 16, after touring through major cities in Nigeria searching for the most talented Nigerians.
The show premiered on STV by 6pm, TVC by 9pm, AIT by 11PM, and if you were in the UK, HITV by 8pm.
The show took a thrilling twist as 11-year-old Toke Salami who was accompanied by her family members to the Ibadan auditions yesterday put up a heartfelt performance of a gospel song. Nathaniel wowed the crowd using his whole body, especially his mouth to produce a full range of beats, and the Ayan Agalu Cultural Group were also not left behind in the era of approval for the next round, after showcasing their talent which involved passing messages across with the use of the talking drum.
Some contestants were moved to the second round, sadly, some like Stephen Faunwei – whose magic trick turned ordinary paper to a thousand naira – and the Ever Blazer group did not please the judges.
The talent train made a stop at Port Harcourt, performers including the ‘Padlock Display’ by a man that calls himself, ‘Hero of Africa’ who – oh dear – hung padlocks on his eye lids. Just in case he hadn’t left both audience and judges worried enough, he capped it up by inserting j4 inch nails into his nostrils. He was sent packing alongside a 24-year-old man who showcased what can only be described as a semi-dance (he called it modelling, however). Thankfully, another 24 year old, Marilyn Ogechi redeemed the garden city by showcasing a unique talent of playing the saxophone with her hands. She got two ‘yes-es’ from the judges.
“There are reality shows and then there are reality shows,” said the Project Manager, Adaora Mbelu. “The hilarity of some performances aside, in a country where there is an emphasis on lack of opportunities, it warmed the heart to see a wide range of enthusiastic, excellent performers, far beyond music. This is such an amazing country with truly talented people.”
The Airtel sponsored show will air on TV stations across the country from September to December 2012. The Got Talent franchise worldwide, which is in its sixth year, has produced many notable performers in the last couple of years including Diversity, Bianca Ryan and Britain’s Got Talent’s 2009 1st runner up Susan Boyle, whose debut album became the fastest selling UK debut album of all time, selling over 3 million copies in the U.S.
Nigeria’s Got Talent is sponsored by Airtel and supported by Cool FM, Wazobia FM, Nigeria Info 99.3 FM and Tasty Fried Chicken.

It’s been said time and time again: PR is about relationships.
Although creative ideas and strategic planning are priorities at the agency where I work, establishing authentic relationships with journalists is the key to our media relations success. As opposed to “selling” our clients, we position them as valuable source to journalists. Read More

For two years, Chude Jideonwu, and Adebola Williams started their business, Redstrat, with N0. They never had an office but were with Efere Ozako and Kaine Agary, at the dtalkshop office in Yaba. They did not have a bank account let alone deposit some money in it. All they had was a registered business name.

“We armed ourselves with talent,” recalls Chude, “and a network of goodwill we had built working for five years with late Levi Ajuonuma, Funmi Iyanda, Gina Harry, Agatha Amata, NTA, Jerome, the counselor, and writing for Tempo, Thisday, True Love and Comet. The Future Awards was hosted in 2006 without a dime in corporate support, but on a network of media barriers with service providers. It’s really a testimony, and it’s also testament that much is possible in Nigeria, in spite of Nigeria.”

Chude and Adebola have always had a keen interest in the media hence it is not a surprise that they have decided to tow that path years later. “I have always been attracted to communication,” says Adebola, who has performed as an actor and anchored events and TV programmes at age 17.

“I was presenting and producing a youth show the same time doing same for a business show on the NTA. Then, I enjoyed selling people, products and ideas to others. My friends would tease that I could sell anything with my mouth. Counselling people is something I’ve also been passionate about. I worked as a counsellor in training for two years. For me, it is about communication.”

In the last few years, RedStrat has evolved from a company that just provides communication services and organise the annual Future Awards to one that understands the imperative of creating value through private sector enterprise. The business for Chude and Adebola fully kicked off four years ago with a name change of the company to Red Media Limited, and expansion of its operations.

“Our business is RED,” explains Chude, “and it’s a community of media brands – Red Media Limited, which is a media and communication firm focused on Public Relations, New Media and Street Activations: Y!/YNaija, which are media content platforms on TV, radio, print and online, holdings in a range of firms operating independently including an ad agency, and our affiliated development firm, The Future Project, which focuses on media for development, In Terms of how it grew, it has always been business.”
With staff strength of 24 people, Red Media services clients like Etisalat, the British Council, BlackBerry, Google, the Nigeria LNG, Nigerian Idol, Heirs Holdings, among others. Y! as a content brand offers advertising platforms for brands like Indomie, MTN, Airtel, Close Up, Nokia, among others. “We are excited by the brands that have connected with what we call our Dankateur spirit,” says Chude, with a smile.

He challenges facing young business owners in the country are numerous, but for Chude and his team, it is beyond epileptic power supply and access to finance. For him, it is more about going up against competitors with in-build advantages when pitching for accounts.

“We face challenges peculiar to other businesses of which Chude has mentioned,” explains Adebola, “some but with years of experience, you learn strategies to combat them. We say to ourselves everyday that we can’t afford to fail, we owe it to ourselves, to the society and to God who has given us all these talents and so we face head on each challenge, day by day.”

Breaking even hasn’t been that much of an issue for the Red Media team because, before they became full-time business owners, Chude had worked with Virgin Nigeria and others while running Red Media. “We had always been clear that we would run a profitable enterprise or else there would be no point to it ultimately, we have always focused on the bottom line,” he adds.
The principles that have been sustaining the business Chude describes as being old fashioned, yet they have become indispensable to the growth of their business. A couple of things have been sustaining us.

First, we live within our means – which means, no matter the temptation we don’t overspend. If we don’t have it, we simply don’t spend it. I have worked in too many media companies that have overreached and sunk, and so I am keenly aware of the dangers. Second, we pay what we owe – largely, we are debt-averse; and when in doubt, we air on the side of payment. Never owed a staff or contractor, for instance, we are insistent that we must pay each bill. Third, we follow the money – everything we engage in has to be profitable, because business really is a matter of value for value. If it’s not making money, it really isn’t business.

It’s not a matter of pretty offices, or sexy cars, it’s about balancing income over expense, and we never, ever forget that.”
Chude says the plans they have for the Y! Brands haven’t even kicked off as they are still keeping their heads down and surviving their first two years establishing their presence firmly. “No dazzle, no razzmatazz, just steady moving. Next year, we are unleashing that brand, and we have a 10-year target at the end of which we’ll blanket the market by His grace. The Future Awards really, for us, just kicked into full gear. I know people will think we are trying to be modest. But in terms of what has been our vision, this year we moved into stride. We are expanding that brand and it starts next year. As always with Red Media, we play our cards close to our chests. So, basically, we’ll be working on these products over the next few years, and in five years, we’ll be telling success stories of giant milestones.”

Both Chude and Adebola grew up in very humble homes. Chude had his secondary school education at Adebola Baptist High School and Mayflower, Ikenne, Ogun State. He studied Law at the University of Lagos, had a masters degree from the Pan-African University.

Adebola tried his hands on Public Relations at the University of Lagos and studied Journalism at the London School of Journalism, marketing at the London School of Marketing and School of Media and Communications at the Pan African University.

The Managing Partner of Red Media Group, Chude Jideonwo, has been invited to speak at the first valedictory event of INDIAFRICA titled, ‘A Shared Future’, holding on Tuesday September 25 at the City Hall.
Mr. Jideonwo will be interacting with students, professionals and entrepreneurs in an interactive session that celebrates the spirit of entrepreneurship amongst the youth.
The shared future programme aims to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship among the youth and is a unique people-to-people and youth outreach programme that seeks to create a platform for students and professionals across Africa and India to collaborate through competitions, and creative exchanges.
The programme will include presentations, speeches, awards and end with a music performance by young band, Quantum Vibes. The presentation will involve 9 teams from India and Africa including Nigeria, chosen from the inaugural INDIAFRICA Business Venture Competition and will cover categories such as; Business Venture, Poster Design, Essay Writing, Photography.
The event is organized by INDIAFRICA.

Nigeria does indeed have talents; the half of it has not yet been told. TheNigeria’s Got Talent Season 1 auditions train made its third stop on Tuesday,August 7, 2012 in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, after very successful outings last week in Abuja and Enugu.

Hopefuls from the nook and crannies of Cross River and Akwa Ibom Statesthronged Monty Suites, Calabar, where the audition held, to exhibit their God-given talents and stand a chance of winning the N10 million grand prize. Just like in the FCT and Enugu, the Calabar audition attracted a rich and diverse array of characters.

Some of the stand-out acts who tried out in Calabar include ‘Adult Babies’Teddy White and Bobby Black from the Nigerian Political Infant Preparatory Nursery and Primary School, Wuse, who performed an unusual kind of comedy they called ‘cartoon comedy’. These graduates of engineering drew comparisons with Nollywood stars Aki and Pawpaw.

There was also the generator repairer, Edet, who displayed gracefulathleticism on the skateboard. Edet, who says he’s an ambassador of the sport, trains over 100 skaters in Calabar pro-bono. Stand-up comedian and clown, Kabin Bizkit, who arrived the audition venue with an entourage of well wishers, as well as dance group, The Savages, with their brand of “hard hip-hop,” also displayed in a bid to win the nod of the judges.

The show’s producer, Debbie Schulman, was effusive in her praise of the “creativity of those who auditioned in Calabar”. She particularly commended the dance acts, “who fused drama, acrobatics and stunts into their display and showed brilliant thinking and storytelling”.

Nigeria’s Got Talent, which is in its debut season, will make its next stop in the Garden City of Port Harcourt on Thursday, August 9 at the Beverly Hills Hotel, GRA, before moving to Warri, Benin and Ibadan on the 11th, 13th and 16th. Lagos will be the final stop on the 18th and 19th of August.

With the popular Got Talent franchise now in Nigeria, gifted Nigerians, irrespective of gender or age have the opportunity to showcase their talents and stand a chance of winning N10 million while at it. The talent does not have to be the conventional, as everything from fire eating to acrobatics is allowed.

Interested Nigerians can register on www.gottalentnigeria.com.

The show, which would run on terrestrial from July to December, is sponsored by telecommunications giant, Airtel. It is definitely one to watch out for.

Being an address given by Chude Jideonwo, executive director of The Future Project at The Future Awards 2012, Port Harcourt, Rivers

It occurred to me for the first time as I sat in the car’s front seat and felt my father’s cold corpse in the back seat in May 2007. The nurses at the Ikorodu General Hospital had just said no to his body. He had died from heart failure an hour or two before. They needed a police report.

I could hardly believe the utter coldness of it. But I had yet to see – or hear – the worst. Because I am born and bred in Nigeria, I knew that, at 11pm, the body of my dear father might rot if I sat there pondering the inanity of the request or stood up to argue its inhumanity, so I led the convoy to the nearest police station.

There, with the most pointed lack of compassion I had ever witnessed up onto that point, the police proceeded to haggle with themselves over how much they would extract from a 24-year-old who had just lost his father – a father whose dead body was only a few meters away.

As they dropped my father’s body in that unkempt, abominable mortuary (one in which I had to tip the caretaker daily on my way to work so that the corpse would not be left to decompose), I could only think of what an abominable country I was so unfortunate to come from, and to live in.

I recalled that scene as I came across pictures of rotten corpses stacked on each other in a room – victims of June’s Dana Crash; “rotting carcasses of human beings stacked on each other, fluids mingling.”

That is when it hit me. We are living like animals in this country. I remember my father – and how he, and I, were treated so terribly because our country does not care for any one.

These Dana Crash dead bodies weren’t victims of a serial killer locked in a room for months or of a brutal civil war with shut-down health-care services – these were citizens of a country, who had just been visited by their president a day before, nonetheless treated in death with relentless disrespect. They had been killed by their country – and it couldn’t even pack their bodies well.

It could have been you, or me. It’s not just that it could have been me. That’s not the worst part. This is the worst part: I could have been the one in that flight waiting for 20 minutes after a fatal crash; sitting there in mind-numbing agony, knowing the plane would soon explode and kill me because I live in a country where emergency services would arrive only about an hour after, and people will die who could have been saved.

That’s the part that gets me. And as I watched officials scramble to protect their irrelevant jobs so that they could make enough money to buy First Class tickets on airlines that might crash and kill their children tomorrow, I realized how hopeless we had become as Nigerians.

So I ask myself; why are we still in Nigeria – a country that does not deserve many of us – even when we have a choice? Why are we not like the generation that left town? Why are we living in a country that cannot protect us, has not supported us, will not satisfy us?

The logical thing to do is to leave fastest way we can; once the opportunity that turns up. But we stay and we come back, because e go better, because it is well, because God dey; because somehow somehow we think we can survive it; maybe even improve it .

But let’s tell ourselves the truth – many of you in this hall have already given up on Nigeria. Many of us are convinced that this ship is sinking, this country cannot change. We do not trust our politicians, but that is even cliché. We do not trust the activists. Everyone is seen as searching for a piece of that national cake. That’s what we have become as a country: an unending race for a part of that cake.

It is difficult to have faith in this kind of country; difficult to tell yourself with a straight face that you are proud of being a Nigerian. Proud of what? A country where accusations fly over bribery and both the accuser and the accused are walking free, where dead men are found in Emir’s palaces, pastors chant songs of war, men go into churches in Jos and gun down hundreds. Thousands die on the highways without acknowledgement, power deadlines are postponed without consequences, a country where its president, accused of lacking transparency, could say to his people ‘I don’t give a damn?’

It is difficult to have faith even when you look at the young people – scrambling for crumbs of the table, buffeted by the need to avoid the poverty of their fathers, changing principle on whim just like those before them; perpetuating scams in the name of advocacy, running businesses long on hype and short on substance. It is difficult to have faith in that kind of country. It is herculean to believe in it. It is almost impossible to be proud of it.

We doubt ourselves all the time, believe in the worst of the other, convinced that they are the enemy, that success is driven by fraud, passion driven by the percuniary; it’s every man for himself. It is understandable – this is a country where we have placed hopes in so many time and again, and they have disappointed us. We thought we had people with their hearts in the right place, only to find their eyes were always on their pockets.

No, Nigeria, is not a great country. It wasn’t great yesterday it isn’t great today. It can be great, it should be great, it could have been great, and if we sit down and get serious, it will be great.

After the Dana Crash, I gave up hope in this country; I lost my faith, I struggled with my love. But two day later, I was back working for the country, and that is the real story.

It is okay to fall out of love, it is okay to hate that love every once in a while, it is okay to condemn, to criticise, to react, to fight, to protest, to demand; but you must return to loving it, you must return to being pained

It is the reason despite Governor Amaechi spending two hours debating fiercely with us that our generation is only interested in continuing the “chopping”, he decided that it is crucial to get the brightest of that generation here to inspire the young people in Rivers State and across Nigeria – moving it from an idea in 2006 that couldn’t even pay for the hall in which it held to a movement in 2012 that has taken over this Port Harcourt.

It’s because beneath a tough talking governor lies a tender spot for his country and its future – and I see it daily across this country even from the lips of those who curse it. Even in those who appear to be ripping the country to shreds, every once in a while you see that wistfulness for what might have been.

But, this is the good news, it is not too late. I do not come as a prophet of cliché, I come here as a student of history because other countries have done it. This shipping is sinking, but it hasn’t yet sunk. As long as we are in Nigeria, as long as Nigerians live in Nigeria and work in Nigeria, and fight for Nigeria, and refuse to give up on Nigeria, there is hope.

We cannot ever lose that pain that we should feel for a country that continues to fail us. No matter how disappointed we are in our country, we cannot abandon it. We cannot use Nigeria as an excuse to fail Nigeria.

Pehaps we should handle Nigeria the way a mother handles a drug-addicted child – with tough love sometimes, with deliberate gentility at other times; demanding at one time, encouraging at the other.

Listen guys, we are all we’ve got, and this should be the Turning Point Generation.

I don’t come here to excite you; I come here so we can encourage one another. I come here to remind us that, after all said and done, you and I are still here. And ‘cause we are still here, we have no choice but to keep working.

Let’s keep the faith. If we stumble, let’s rise. When we fall, let’s rebound. Let’s refuse to let Nigeria go, let’s insist that it must work. Let’s keep working until it changes; let’s keep changing until we tear down these walls.

Because we can. Because we have no choice. Because we love this land.

God bless Nigeria.

*Parts of this speech have been reproduced from a previous article by the author on www.ynaija.com