Happy Birthday To A Worthy Mentee
By Babafemi Ojudu
Let me tell you a short story about Foluso Ojo , this friend of mine who is 40 today.
One day in 2018 , while I was campaigning to be governor of Ekiti State, a young man walked up to me and said I want to handle your social media. I loved his looks ( looks matter you know) . I loved his boldness. He was darn right sure he knows what he claimed to know.
As it is never difficult for me to spot a talent I immediately took him on. We ran the best campaign of that season online and offline. He was there 24 hours working tirelessly with little or no compensation. He really acquitted himself. With him and many others who worked their ass out we were sure of victory some fellows of power brought out all their accoutrement of raw power to ensure lack of fairness in the race ( a story for another day).
He repeated this feat the following year during the Presidential campaign. He and Engr Mike Oluwagbemi coordinate 60 other young men and women did a yeoman’s job on a shoe string budget.
I left Ekiti for Abuja after the Ekiti charade to continue my journey of life.
One morning, some months after, I got a call from Mr Foluso Ojo. With excitement in his voice he shouted ‘ Oga , Oga, I am with Hon Salindo in Oye. Please talk to him, he will be of help in our next bid for governor’.
“Foluso, come will your life be only about this?” I asked him. “Will you get out of that place and get something productive to do”, I commanded him.
I could imagine the phone dropped off his hand as I barked at him.
A few days after he showed up in Abuja. His life has not been the same again.
He listened to my advice, took up the challenge , sharpen his trade . Today he is an employer of labour. Not less than 50 people work under him.
Contrast him with another who I called and told to report in Abuja to proceed to Kaduna and learn Solar Power installation. An engineering graduate, jobless but acclaimed local politician. I fully paid his training cost and made arrangements for accommodation etc. He never showed up. They were two. The other person Anifowose Clement reported promptly , underwent the training and has since been on rampage installing Solar Power and inverter across the country. He has done good with his life and he is very proud and confident, always thanking me for pointing him to the right path in life.
When Anifowose, a graduate of political science, visited me during the campaign and volunteered to work with me I asked him if he wanted money, immediate gratification or a purposeful life. He opted for the later and I immediately took him on. He has not looked back ever since . When a month ago a friend needed to instal solar energy in her poultry in Abuja I enthusiastically recommended him. I was delighted when his employees arrived Abuja from Lagos to carry out the assignment.
Young people will have to make the choice between wanting to succeed in life and being laggards.
Many are there looking for free money and putting their burden on others . When you failed to satisfy their wants they malign you and go from one beer parlor to the other destroying your name.
They come to your house , take some shots of Hennessy and demand for transport money and walk off with what is left in the bottle under their armpit. The following day they are back demanding for money for rent or to celebrate their birthday . If you are not able to give they go on Facebook and abuse you.
I have many success stories of young men and women who I have nudged to make something good of their lives as I have many who have voted for failure.
I am a proud mentor of Foluso and today I heartily wish him a happy birthday. He is worth emulating by other young people who have made the beer parlor their abode and gossip their pastime in the name of being politicians.
As my grandfather always said ‘ e sun ki ira ule a se lugba kero oko a de.” Translated it means the lazy man who sits at home doing nothing will accomplish nothing when the man who goes to the farm would have returned.
