“Come over to Macedonia,” were the exact words of the coordinator of Ondo State Information Technology Devenlopment Centre (SITDEC) after I finished speaking. It was during this past weekend while I spent time visiting family and discussing how I can help improve the lives of young people in the state I have inscribed on my birth certificate, Ondo State — aka Sunshine State.

The journey began with various eMails with the governor’s Special Adviser on ICTs (who also doubles as the coordinaor of SITDEC), an award in recognition of my contribution to the development of ICT in the state, and an earlier interview for a government publication hinting about the State’s interest in my input. I was born in Akure and spent the first ten years of my life there before sharing my time between Idoani and Akure while I grew from 11 to 16. I visit my family in Akure but also spend a few days speaking at selected meetings every year, especially due to the comradeship I feel within the state at large, and the thought of my opportunity to inspire other young people with my now almost-popular story, “From Akure to the World.”

Sometime towards the end of last year, I was in discussions with my brother and friend, Praise Fowowe (who also happens to write “Ondo State” each time the popular “state of origin” question comes up). We stumbled upon a few names that are strongly related to Ondo State either by birth or “origin,” or both. Titi Akinsanmi, Fela Durotoye, Joshua Awesome… and the world-famous Philip Emeagwali. These individuals’ link to Akure are a major source of inspiration to any young person who’s growing up in that state today (or grew up there a few years ago). While location has nothing to do with success or failure, the fact that people you can identify with are seen as heroes is a great way to know that your excuses for vailure are limited. You probably see their parents drive around the city, or you walked past the house he grew up in just a few weeks ago. Somehow, we draw inspiration from the fact that there are people who grew up under the same circumstances with us, and are now seemingly doing well for themselves!

I arrived Akure on Sunday night after spending some time alone with my parents, and seeing my nieces and nephews again! Irawo has grown up so fast, wow! Thanks to Celtel, I had access from every location, including the unforgettable moment while I was enjoying the best delicacy from this side of Nigeria, pounded yam, and now as I post this blog. My mum rose up to the challenge of proving that red carpets and airport pick-ups are nothing compared to time spent with one’s family! Watching a movie with my cousin, along with the lifelong act of sleeping off and refusing to retire to my room, brought memories. I called up the team that has been helping me with the background work towards my planned projects in Ondo State and we agreed to meet up at 10am on Monday, at the newest eatery in town.

By 11am on Monday, we had done more work than I possibly could have imagined done from a rather unconventional location. The usual introductions added flavour to the meeting as each person kept giving me the “wow, he has changed a lot” look. We made our way to the SITDEC office and arrived about 15 minutes early. An earlier call from the office to confirm that they were expecting me planted a smile on my face because I must confess my displeasure with the bureaucracy associated with government establishments. I had just handed my card to the receptionist when Engr. Ariyo, my host, arrived and took over the job of welcoming the team and introducing us to the staff of the centre and his other guests. After a few minutes, arrangements were made to take us round the state’s ICT projects — ahead of a feedback session during which I was to tell them what I thought, and how resources could be best maximized. “This is Mr. ‘Gbenga Sesan, an Ondo State indigene and Nigeria’s pioneer IT Youth Ambassador. We must get as much as possible from his ICT expertise during his short visit…” Then we set off for the tour.

At some point during the tour, I turned to Ayo Ojeniyi and said, “I can change the world with the ICT infrastructure that this state has put up.” And I meant it. I visited three facilities outside the imposing SITDEC office itself and each facility (though yet to be put to effective use) whispered to me, “‘Gbenga, we’re here when the state decides to use us towards a grand ICT vision, and to produce some of the best ICT minds in Nigeria!” I hear you, infrastructure, I feel the need too and I’m ready to roll up my sleeves.” There were 295 PCs, about 40 laptops, numerous accessories and enough bandwidth to set Ondo State on eFire! And the little chat I had with the staff shows the readiness to line up behind a grand vision the moment the whistle is blown.

We returned to the briefing session after lunch with the team, and it was a really charged moment. While I was a bit concerned that government officials may not take kindly to my blunt assessment, I was surprised when the coordinator responded with some huge warmth that melted the side of me that was scared of bureaucracy.He went as far as sharing some documents (when are we going to finally have the FolI bill so I can ask for more documents) and explaining how they’d been on my trail for a while. Well, the next steps are clear: official report back through the relevant process, returning for the initial planning session, commencement of the long-term work and hosting the Ondo State Youth Empowerment Summit (OSYES).

With the duo of Bayode Atandeyi and Ireti Adesida at the driver’s seat, the OSYES will debut sometime in July 2008 with the vision of connecting young people with life changing opportunities through an annual summit that will focus on three themes — ICTs, Entrepreneurship, and Self Discovery. I will be asking my friends, brothers and sisters that share the same state of origin to join me as we fix as many lives as possible before they give up on their future. The summit will clolse with a dinner on Sunday, where relevant stakeholders will be tasked with the responsibility of sustaining OSYES and the many follow-up activities that will take the lessons beyond conference rooms. Each year, I will do all I can to get my mentors to keynote at the closing dinner. Ondo State? Yes! OSYES… Is there someone thinking that this is a huge marketing opportunity for the bank that claims to say YES to all dreams?

It was, for me, a weekend of sunshine even in the face of the harsh harmattan. I am on my way back to Lagos and look forward to briefing the PIN team, and to resume our evidently busy 2008 calendar, but think it’s time for each of us to redouble our efforts towards improving the lives of other young people, especially those within our visible line of influence. The best of life is not measured in duration, but in donation!

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I still remember the first day I heard the phrase, “kick the bucket.” It must have been 1991 during Mr Ojumu’s English Language class while I was in JS 3B in Federal Government College,Idoani. As much as he tried to explain that it was an idiomatic expression, I just couldn’t understand how buckets could be related to death. Come on! Buckets were very sensitive things to talk about while I was in that school because it was the most itinerant item — making it’s way from the original owner through many “borrowers” and then back to the owner one morning as he takes his shower in our characteristic open bathroom. So, you must appreciate the silence that visited the class when Mr Ojumu drew that particular expression about kicking the bucket from his entire vocabulary.

Seventeen years later, I watched the movie, “The Bucket List.” Trust me, I wouldn’t have thought anything of the movie but for the you-just-can’t-ignore-them actors, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. When I saw the movie title, I remembered Mr Ojumu and my last bucket at FGC Idoani (it was stolen but I had told my mum that I would bring it back home soon). Other movies fought for my attention, and time hasn’t proved very abundant since I turned the first calendar page this month. Sometime earlier today, I saw the movie. As expected, Jack and Morgan didn’t disappoint me but there was more to The Bucket List.

You should see the movie yourself but allow me to highlight three major lessons. First, the bucket list (the duo’s list of what they wanted to do before passing on a few months later) itself reminds me of my auto accident in October 2005. When the car decided to stop its random dance, I looked around to check that everyone was okay and stood a few meters away remembering how everything I’d wanted to do with my life played through my mind within that instant when I thought the end had come. I don’t have a “bucket list” in anticipation of a terminated life but I always keep a list of what needs to be done. Just as the duo ticked off after each experience, I have a few ticks gone — but a lot more work lay ahead. Ask yourself, “if I had only 3 more years to live, what would you have on your to-do (or “bucket”) list?” Then, go for it — and make another list after those 3 years come to an end.

Then, the speech by Jack’s character at his new-found friend’s funeral service. He said, “[h]is last few months were my best. He changed my life and I didn’t know it.” What would friends, enemies, family and fans say if you funeral service held today? How much impact does your life have beyond your daily rituals? It’s time to ask that question: “what will the world remember me for?” That a shy young man from the corner of Nigeria used what he knew best to bring positive change to the lives of underserved people across the world? How about, “Well, well, hmmmm, what did you say his name was again?” The climax for me was the moment when both terminally ill men stood at the top of one of Egypt’s famous pyramids and Morgan’s character told the story of how the Egyptian myth goes about gaining entry into heaven. The custodians of the gate would ask two questions to decide who was qualified for heaven: “Did you find joy in your life?” And, “Did your life bring joy to others?”

Not much needs to be said after those two questions. Hmm…

[NB: It’s 10:05pm and I’m with my parents in Igbabra Oke, Ondo State, Nigeria. I have just explained how I got online to my dad, and he’s obviously glad he got himself a Celtel SIM pack — which he did after I told him about One Network. One can only imagine what interesting options Nigerians will have access to over the next few years as ICT competition heats up ]

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Today, many young people graduate (or generally move on in life) as “still births” – dead on delivery, unable to cope with the expectations of the New Economy, and as green horns joining the mass labour market at the mercy of employers. Striving at the base of the pyramid, much of today’s youth stand the risk of being frustrated after years of training within the four walls of our tertiary institutions… but it should not be so! True, dynamic global precedence is not in conformity with the present level of preparation young Nigerians are exposed to but we need to take the bull by the horns and carve a path for ourselves within our chosen career sphere. Let me share seven quick tips with you, as defined by the lessons I have learnt over a relatively busy three-decade period.

A baby will never walk from the mother’s back! Many people love to remain in what has been severally described as “comfort zones,” hoping that they will be able to move on to better things from there. Unfortunately, it never happens that a baby that stays on the mother’s back will learn to walk; it comes with practice, failure (from which one just needs to rise and move on), triumphs (which will always be a great reference point when failure stares you in the eye again) and repeated attempts. I can’t forget the day my younger sister walked for the first time; she would walk a few steps, fall, stand up, walk… and then she really walked without support! Just as a closed palm can never receive anything, a life that will not dare can never achieve the extraordinary. Take the step, get off mummy’s back… and tell the great story of your success later.

1 minus 2 is impossible until you know the answer. In my elementary school, we were told that it was impossible to subtract a higher number from a lower one. The answer, in the rare moments the questions was asked, was actually “impossible!” But a few years later, in secondary school, I was told that if a higher number was subtracted from a lower number, I would have a negative number. It was no longer termed impossible, simply because we had an answer to it at this point. How many times in life are we almost tempted to call certain things impossible? If you could just learn more about the problem, you will soon come to terms with the fact that “impossible” is just an excuse we give when we do not have enough knowledge to tackle a problem. The answer may be strange, but every problem has a solution. As a student who loved his advanced mathematics, I came to realize that the more complex the problem, the better your chance at explaining the solution with some air of confidence (and pride). 1 minus 2 is not “impossible”, you only need to gain enough knowledge to know the answer.

Today is a snapshot, tomorrow is in the full-length movie. Have you ever thought about the difference between a snapshot – that simply shows where things stand only at the moment the shutter went off, nothing more – and a full-length movie, which usually tells the complete story? For a snap-shot, you may see a dull face. But for the movie, that dull face may regain a smile few minutes later. It would be wrong for you to then judge that face by what the snap-shot says. Today is like that, it is only a reflection of the temporary state of things, it does not define the final outcome of any process. Today may look dull and helpless, but there’s always a chance to change tomorrow. While many will look at today’s picture and laugh at you, what they have no access to is the brighter tomorrow that follows – as long as you commit yourself to the efforts that can transform a day of tears into a lifetime of laughter. Move on, there’s still a chance to change the eventual outcome.

20 friends for 20 years? No way! I thought it was a joke each time I heard this said. Twenty years after leaving primary school, I’m now wondering where some of my “20 friends” from St. Peters’ Demonstration Primary School in Akure are. Reality is that some of them are doing very well and I can probably get through to them by asking a few others, but there will be those who have either moved on geographically or down on the social pyramid. Twenty years from now, will I still be able to look around to see my 2008 “20 friends”? I doubt it. Naturally, water will find its level and even if new technologies help friends stay in touch, some of them will find out that they really don’t have much in common anymore. While you speak of career development, some are wondering if you’re not “taking that thing too far”. Twenty friends could even chose to remain in the same location for more than twenty years but the chances are that some will break away from the pack. Where will you be in 20 years? Look around you today, and note that based on the choices we make and relevant actions that follow, only few out of every twenty will break beyond the glass ceiling.

Don’t take that job, build a career! There is a great difference between a job and a career. A job earns you a monthly cheque, and maybe some prestige but a career does all that and also allows you to stand at a vantage position through which you can influence positive change. Many people are trapped in 9-to-5 cages, waking up everyday to the annoying reality of having to perform that boring routine often masked as “work.” While it is true that many young Nigerians do not have a fair idea of what they wish to do by the time they choose (or have chosen for them) their courses of study, it is also true that certain levels of education (and learning, even outside the walls of an academic institution) should expose us to the opportunity of defining what can give us both satisfaction and an opportunity to get reward for the value we provide. Stop and think about what career path allows you to combine your passion with your skills – and offers you economic value – and start the journey towards it. It may not be a straight road to your career path, but you’d be glad you took the time (and pain) to locate that path. There is nothing as exciting as doing what you would gladly do for free, and being handsomely rewarded for it!

The whole world only stands aside for those who know where they’re going. This statement is as true as the fact that day comes after night, and has stuck with me as a life-long lesson. As it were, not much of the world have an idea of where they’re headed – and that explains why the few who do enjoy the ovation of others. If you’ve ever been in a crowd, try this: tell the crowd around you to please make way for you. Some would turn around as if to say, “who’s this rude guy who thinks he knows better than us all” but just as they do that, there’s some room for you to take a step forward. It’s like that when the world comes to know you as a focused person; every time they are aware of something related to what you proclaim as your life’s direction, they send you a text message to notify you. At various points in my life, I have learnt to speak up about my life’s direction and I have been rewarded with many periods when the world stands aside for me because I have given expression to a clear direction. Life gets easier and opportunities become clearer when we have a better idea of where we are headed. Where are you headed in life?

Nigeria is a land of opportunities - only for the prepared! In a few years, we will see some people and call them lucky, saying that they seem to be getting all the attention. It won’t be a matter of luck but adequate preparation. I have often said that Nigeria is on sale because smart people are learning and working hard to position themselves as solution providers in various areas of the economy. As young people, we often stand the benefit of being able to see farther into the future and possibly predict how new attempts will offer solutions to the problems we see around today. It is my submission that there will be two categories of Nigerians in the next few years – those who will keep complaining, and others that will be rewarded for the problems they solve. The choice, really, belongs to each individual. Nigeria has many problems, but haven’t you noticed how certain people have been getting rewards for solving key problems? Actually, I think those things we call problems are actually opportunities begging for exploitation. As I told my Ajegunle.org students in August 2007, shine your eye!

I continue to learn more lessons by the day, and trust that I will be able to share them before my fingers slow down on keyboards. With the opportunity to look back at my life on the 1st of January, 2008, I could only laugh at some of the moments when I failed to heed the lessons of life myself. But as usual, tomorrow (which begins the moment after you read this phrase) presents another opportunity for us to improve our lives based on the lessons we have learnt from life – and those other lessons we are able to pick from others’ lives, through books or other channels.

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I have been told a number of times that it takes a lot to impress me, but I doubt that it’s true. However, I do know that it takes a lot for me to make the name of a 21-year old the title of my blog – for reasons as simple as being accused of praise-singing, and as complex as defending why the particular individual merits the mention. That said, ‘Seun Salami is an example of the Nigeria we speak so proudly of when we use the phrase, New Nigeria.

I had scheduled a media appointment for 1pm at a location closest to my 11am meeting venue with the hope that I’ll just meet up with the journalist and then leave for my next assignment. At 12:29pm, however, I was still in the middle of this meeting (which I’ll write about later) and then had to inform the journalist that I would be late and he should please note that I had no intentions to be rude. Then, my phone rang: “My name is Seun and _____ said I should meet you for the interview…” I paused for a second as if to ask why the change was necessary but said a polite thank you, asked for some time to get to the meeting location and continued to bring my 11am to a close.

I walked into the room calling the new journalist’s number and after a few minutes, we introduced each other. I thought the handsome young man who walked up the stairs looked like the person I was to meet with but wondered if the journalist would recognize me. Well, we introduced ourselves and he went on to explain why he was the one who would be interviewing me. He was at the New Nigeria Club launch, had seen my resume online and thought it’d be great to interview me – but little did he know that I was a lot more inspired by his story than he was of mine. The interview went well, as has now become customary, but I’m still sitting here and tapping away on the keyboard with ‘Seun long gone.

I couldn’t help wondering how such a fresh face would be responsible for all the excellent back-page con-versation articles in the National Standard. After he made me provide more information that I thought I could possibly do within the 60 minutes we spent together, it was my turn to ask questions. “What’s your background?” I wasn’t through. “How old are you, if you don’t mind?” His answers were not very surprising but they proved the point I was making during the interview when I spoke about how some Nigerians are already benefiting from the simple fact that they dared to stand out from the usual crowd.

Seun is a final-year student but already holds his own within a major media outfit. He had been at the National Standard’s office for his industrial attachment (a compulsory component of some Nigerian degrees) but they wouldn’t let him go. Why? Because while many are complaining and saying that there are no jobs, smart employers also know that great employees are hard to come by. ‘Seun has no idea that I’m writing this, and will probably discover this when a friend refers him to it, but he’s made my day! I have spent years telling anyone who cares to listen about how there are so many young Nigerians who are occupying strategic positions and may be called lucky when they begin to reap their rewards – and ‘Seun is a visible example. While some of his colleagues are busy undertaking the CPF rule (cram, pass, forget), he’s carving a niche for himself.

It was people like ‘Seun Salami that I had in mind on November 26, 2001 when I wrote: “I see a new Nigeria emerging, one that will be built on the labours of our heroes past, hewn out of the debris of the present waste and engineered by the strength of the future leaders: the youth. These young men and women will adopt Information [and Communications] Technology for the purpose of personal development, nation building, regional cooperation and global participation. They may be unknown today, but in the secrecy of their abode, they master the tool that will change their lives and that of their nation. They’re building the nation’s tomorrow today!”

‘Seun Salami, I salute you!

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No doubt, I hate cybercrime. If one thing has eaten deep into any little trust that the world had for Nigeria, cybercrime will top any chart. Yahoo! Boys (and Girls), as they are popularly known, spend their time seeking to exploit unsuspecting — and of course, some outrightly greedy — people with the sole aim of robbing them of their hard-earned resources. While I do not understand why some people will respond to (and even act on) most of the eMails that start the chain, I hate the act all the same. If only for its huge cost to Nigeria’s (and by extension, innocent Nigerians’) image, I am moved way beyond emotions to take action!

That explains why, a few years ago, a few friends and I teamed up to start the Nigerian Anti-Scam Network. We held seminars, some members of the team conducted research for relevant agencies and we all pushed the bar in pointing young people towards alternative lifestyles that can allow them redirect their passion (and for some, skills) towards clean online activities. I remember some of our meetings and bow in respect for these young men who went beyond personal career feats to save our generation from what I once referred to (at a United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime event) as the new face of crime.

After what I will call the first phase of our work at NAN, the work we started is now wearing a new look — and has some extra administrative and technical support. After a few hours of discussions with Ayo Oladejo, the then coordinator of the network, we decided to review operational strategy and core content of NAN’s work — for increased efficiency and sustainability. Enters NIGHT Force, an effort that is managed by Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, which is receiving huge support from stakeholders. Nigerian Internet Governance Hybrid Task (NIGHT) Force hopes to work while it’s dark so that the morning meets us with pleasant smiles. With a focus on Internet Governance issues (including cybercrime) in Africa, NIGHT Force will focus on research, training and stakeholder consultation.

In the past few days, we have held meetings with partners in the media and with Economic & Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) Fix Nigeria Initiative (FNI) staff on the immediate action items that deserve urgent attention. At the meetings, I’m quick to announce that Ayo is the techie while I’m the loudspeaker — doesn’t that make for a great team? Over the next few days, we’ll be doing a TV recording (details of show time will be made known) and preparing for a comprehensive research assignment. I am excited about the opportunity to add to Africa’s knowledge pool on Internet Governance while also defining a few issues around cybercrime. For example, what is the economic cost of cybercrime? What are the things that serve as alternative engagements for some of these kids who are willing to redirect their energy and skills?

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