Young people struggle at life right from their choice of vocation at secondary school level.
Unfortunately it’s not even the young person’s fault.
They’re in the care of parents who should know better but don’t. The child’s problems begin there.
For example, Little Tomiwa somehow fixes the radio at home.
Mummy is happy and says Tomiwa will be an electrician.
She proudly boasts about it to her middle class friends who also don’t know better.
They cheer her on.
Tomiwa is a kid and is therefore happy because mummy is happy. He affirms “Yay! I will be an electrician”
He writes Jamb and fills in “Electrical Electronics” as his course of study.
Choice of Uni - FUTO.
16 years later, Toyin is working as a bank teller.
Whoever the new president is, is still on television blaming the opposition for the state of the country.
He advises the youth to stop waiting for handouts, embrace agriculture and start farming yam… but his own kids are not on that farm.
He promises that Nigeria will soon become the land of milk and honey. Patience, he urges.
Yet another public speaker is on YouTube passionately calling on the youth to be patriotic and join hands to build the nation… while he secretly begs the German embassy for asylum.
Tomiwa is not a quite a youth anymore. He’s seen it all. He’s tired.
The mainland-island commute is taking its toll and he’s aging quicker than he ought to.
Mum needs money for hospital bills while hinting that he needs to get married and give her grandchildren whilst she’s still alive.
“Okay” he says, non confrontationally.
He picks up his phone to read up “The ultimate guide to japa to Canada”
Who knows? This might be it.
He saw the ad on Facebook and took his chances on the info product.
It was either that or attend yet another MLM presentation.
A WhatsApp message from Bisi drops…
“Heyyyyyy 😊”
Wow. This hey dragged on for longer than the last time, armed with an emoji.
Pineapple flavored greetings from Bisi are not free of charge.
He reads it from notifications but won’t open it.
He’s home now and there’s still no light. Nothing new. Just normal Band-B wahala.
——-
In 2021, I taught a Night School series “The Game of Life”, only streamed live, not recorded.
There, I properly defined the metaphysical nature and intent of poverty.
And to close last year (‘24), we concluded the “Alchemy of Wealth” series.
These teachings are what you needed before you turned 10.
Going back to Tomiwa… how could he have lived differently?
If his mother had been better educated or known of John Obidi, she wouldn’t have jumped to a conclusion of Electrician just because he showed some talent.
She would have approached his choice of vocation from a place of power.
If Tomiwa can put a radio together, he should learn how to organize and lead other geniuses who also know how to put radios together.
He should learn to pull the wealth levers of his chosen industry - hiring, retaining and managing talent, filing patents, selling the idea of his craft to investors, customers and clients, etc.
He should learn to fill his network, not with geniuses that put radios together, but with geniuses that also pull the levers of wealth in the previous paragraph.
He would learn that life is designed to be a Ponzi scheme… and he should never be caught at the bottom of it.
———
The first Night School episode of the year is this Saturday.
Watch this space for the update.
This will be your money year, I guarantee it.
— J.O.
PS: Join our WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9ERxI7dmeRx7pLG40Q
