The Experience Hoax: A Case of a Failed Country

This article has a tendency of pissing you off, but that's fine. It has a tendency of pissing off one of your parents or elderly relatives, but that's fine too. This article is about a conversation majority of Nigerians in Nigeria apparently aren't ready to have. In case you are impatient to read, just like me, - let me help you decide whether to close this message and continue surfing the ocean of Internet or continue reading - this article is about those who destroyed Nigeria yet still asking the younger generation to present their experience in leadership as a validation for them having a seat at the table of governance in the country. In case you haven't closed this yet, this article is about the gradual and systemic destruction of Nigeria and how the elders are to be blamed;

Let's start with a scenario not too far from home. The West-African country of Senegal is lately in the news for the right and exciting reasons. Even the western media and "Fake News" channels couldn't dim Senegal's shine. You see, Senegal is handling CoronaVirus with smartness and rare ingenuity that is making even their non-allies raise up her two hands and scream "Twale Baba óò". In case you haven't heard the gist, Senegal has just developed a $1 COVID-19 Testing Kit to enable it test EVERYONE - speedily - in the country! The testing kits are similar to the simple Pregnancy Test kit which makes a line as an indication for a woman to know she's taken in. Senegal is also 3D-printing Ventilators to increase supply and this has crashed the cost of a getting a ventilator from over $15,000 to just $60. Did you just shout "Woow"? Well, I did too. That's what an awesome country - where the young and the old collaborate - feels like and it's only possible when a country is led by Leaders with functional brains. I am tempted to tell you about the "Giant of Africa" in which one of its largest states - Kano (with a population of about 13.5 Million People) - up till recently - couldn't even test ANYBODY until their samples were ferried to Abuja (6 hours away) but I wouldn't, lest they say I'm a hater.

If I say I'm surprised with the recent good news coming from Senegal, I'll be lying. You see, I have lots of Senegalese friends and Fan-mily (based in Senegal and across the world) whom we discuss almost every other week. But this ain't even about me or my friends; It's about how the Senegal's leadership - in the last few decades - is structured and configured to deliver value to her people through the recognition of Ideas and new knowledge. In Senegal, the standards of leadership are "slightly" different from ours. For example, to be a Deputy Director in a Government Ministry or Agency in Nigeria, all you actually need is to have spent some 25+ years working (regardless of whether you contributed ANYTHING tangible over the years or not) and a bit of Office Politics. Promotion in our Civil (some call it Evil) Service is by Cadre, some incoherent "exams" and favouritism. Flash: one of my Senegalese friends is currently an Assistant Director in Senegal's Federal Ministry of Communication (sort of Nigeria's National Communication Commission (NCC)) and he's only 35 Years old. That can only happen in a country where they value Knowledge/Ideas over Age.

Leadership goes beyond elected offices. Everyone in charge of Government Offices, Ministries, Agencies or Committees - serving people directly and indirectly - are leaders in their own rights too. The crop of people in those capacities are just as important as those we vote via the ballot. That's why when you vote an INCOMPETENT half-dead half-alive person as President, Governor, Senator or House of Representative Member, who do you expect him to appoint/endorse in the Ministries and Agencies? Of course half-dead half-alive people like him/her. If you go to any government parastatal in Abuja and see those making decisions, you will weep for your unborn children.

In my little experience of being a Nigerian (in Nigeria), I've seen - first hand - a huge government MDA (name withheld) where the Director of ICT Department didn't have an Email. Amadioha, Ọlọhun and Sango can bear me witness to the validity of this absurdity I saw and experienced. No Gmail, no YahooMail, no Hotmail, not even Okokopioko-mail. Nothing! As in the Director didn't (still doesn't) even know how anything "Email" works and s/he was the one in charge of Information Technology Unit for the whole agency. Money wasted, many years of "service" burnt away, future destroyed! How did s/he get appointed? Of course we know, number of Years of "Experience" aka "Wait for your turn". A sane person will ask "experience doing what exactly"? And that's the system we run while constantly chanting "God will help us in this Country" at the end of every serious conversation. Let's face it: God will NOT help us until we fix this toxic system. Let's stop being foolish and sick.

Don't get me wrong please. I have a huge respect for elderly people óò. But it just doesn't sit with logic when people equate Age with Experience and make that the basis of qualification for leadership. These are two completely different things. The fact that you have been alive for longer (and seen 15 Civil Wars in your lifetime) doesn't mean you are better aware or equipped for Leadership TODAY Sir/Ma. Unfortunately, the political class in Nigeria and the Elites (you feed on their misdemeanours) use this "Experience" narrative wrongly to shut naive young people up so they can intentionally continue damaging the country across sectors.

It took years of advocacy and non-stop canvassing to get the eligibility age for Presidency reduced to 35 years. For a very young (by population) country where 42.54% of the people are within the ages of 0 - 14 years (CIA World Factbook, 10th April 2018), there is no place in the world where the voices of young people should be at the centre of every decision making and conversation. Imagine almost 50% of your population are under 30 year old, it should be a no-brainer for that age group to have seats on the table and not being added as after-thoughts or tools of mere activation of self-centred agenda by the ruling class. But unfortunately, that's not the case. Nigeria's Leadership is built - for a long time now - upon this erroneous "You don't have Experience" fallacy and that's one huge reason God will not NOT help us in our present mode.

The commonest argument against this proposition will come from folks who cite a handful of "young people" who are current Governors or Senators or those echoing instructions from the seat of power via tweets and social media posts. To counter this, it is quite easy to tilt the head of debator to the fact that there is no basis for comparison yet. For every one Governor in Nigeria that's is 45 years old, there are 35 other governors above that. So, what are we comparing - the misbehaviour of one versus the {insert-everything-that-stinks} of the 35 others? It's not a time for comparison yet, but a time to work out practical steps for the adequate inclusion of the age bracket that constitute majority of the country and best fit to tackle the challenges of today.

In fairness to the older folks ehn, they were better Educated than us. They met a Country that worked (to a large extent) - Free Education, Strong Currency, Water, Jobs, Security etc. The only problem is they got lost with the enjoyment and cared less what kind of country they were bequeathing over to the coming generations. That's a riddle they are yet to solve, individually and collectively. They are yet to even agree that they are partly and directly RESPONSIBLE for what Nigeria is today. Professor Wọlé Ṣóyínká must have thought really deeply about this when he described his generation a "wasted generation". In Soyinka's words, he said - in an interview granted in 2019 - “I compare today with dreams and aspirations we had when we all rushed home after studies abroad. We considered ourselves the renaissance people that were going to lift the continent to world standards, competitors anywhere. It hasn’t happened.”

With due respect Sirs and Ma's, most of your parents either partook, benefited or watched the destruction of Nigeria. They are guilty! And they need to apologise and step aside. Sadly some of them are still participating in the gradual and systemic destruction of the country while some of you defend them because your livelihood depends on them. And if you are supporting the whole "Experience Hoax" under the pretence of Love for Dad and Mom or because of FOREIGN religious becloudment, I'll like to tell you that's not love but classical nepotism and no religion supports the injustice and bad leadership. So, you are on your own venture and it doesn't matter under which leaking tent you're trying to hide. To be a little bit straight with you ehn, the Selfishness and Short-sightedness of your Parents (our parents) culminated in the millions of young Nigerians now desperately finding their way out of the country - to go just ANYWHERE even if it's... lips sealed... to do just ANYTHING. Azzin, once great Nigerians now homeless in different parts of the world. It's first-class frustration! Damn!

The next time you have a chance to chat with Dad & Mom, ask them how the Free Education they enjoyed disappeared; Ask them what happened to the Naira; Ask them what happened to Electricity - all in their lifetime! Ask them FFS! The elderly people have messed up this country beyond recognition. The destruction is soooo much they don't even realise it. It's the reason why they can't trust Younger People with Leadership and most of them hide behind that one-finger they like to call "Experience". Isn't it amazing that those who destroyed Nigeria are asking the younger generation for experience.


Unfortunately, most older folks don't realise nor agree that Education is never static. Education changes as fast as the clock. If I may adapt a powerful Yorùbá adage, the intelligence of today is definitely the foolishness of tomorrow. And Experience - as important as it may seem - is relative with time too. You may have a truck load of experience, but is it relevant experience bikonu?

Take for example fam, Mr. Audu Ogbeh (whom I respect a lot) was Minister of Communication in Nigeria between 1982 - 1983. That wasn't a problem until one president - who seemed to have lost touch with life itself - brought Audu back as Minster of Agric in 2015 (till 2019), some 32 years later. Politics they call it, but Audu's daughter could have better delivered than the dad as a Minister at this age and time. Sensible people will ask what happened to all the Young People in the Agricultural space. Oooh I see, nobody is capable out of all the graduates, researchers and Agric thought-leaders we've seen between 1983 and 2015? Ooh okay the answer is more obvious than you think, they all lack EXPERIENCE.

Going a bit down south of Africa, we have Emma Theofelus - the Deputy Minister of Information and Communication in Namibia who is just 23 Years Old. Lemme spell it for you óò, Tu-Wen-Ti-Tiri. Plus, she's the one leading Namibia's Communication Unit on the Presidential Task Force on CoronaVirus. So all this once in two weeks waving of hands, lifeless photoshoot and reading of incoherent Speeches - that Nigerians are supposed to be "grateful" for - don't happen in Namibia. The 23 Year Old girl is addressing the nation on a daily basis and as at when due. It's only fraudulent people that use the word "Experience" the way we use it in Nigeria.

Quick question for the road: how many years of experience did Adam require before God made him to lead in the Garden of Eden and - literally - everything on Earth?

When young people in other countries innovate, build solutions and lead (sometimes) whole industries, the Nigerian elderly fora and political leaders are quick to use them as motivational examples. But tell them to let young people in Nigeria do same, that's when you become a bad child and a devil's advocate. At this rate, one would wonder if - per chance - the world was left in the hands of elderly people of Nigeria, who are drunk on their not-so-relevant "Experience" ideology, young people wouldn't have been allowed to do, lead or build ANYTHING. Which means we wouldn't have Computers, Smart Phones or Facebook; We wouldn't have Telecoms Services; We wouldn't have WhatsApp; We wouldn't have Email; We wouldn't have self-driving cars; Don't even talk about Space Exploration or Instagram óò. Simply put, the world wouldn't work just as Nigeria isn't working at the moment. This isn't a blame game, if you think it is, your bad! It sincerely just feels like this whole drama can be put into a book and the title "Nigeria's Destruction: The Elders Are To Be Blamed" will just be befitting.

Dear Young people of Africa - particularly Nigeria, let no one intimidate you. Let no elderly person box you, discourage you or discredit you on the alter of "Experience". Those who ask you for Experience haven't used theirs any rightly. The evidence for that is this same dysfunctional country we are all in together - no running water in our homes, electricity remains epileptic, over 13 Million Children out of school, internal security TurningOnEOwn and you know where else the Naija shoe hurts.

Dear Young people of Africa - particularly Nigeria, you're not the "Leaders of Tomorrow", you are the Leaders of Today and now is your time! Next time they carelessly say a Young Candidate XYZ "lacks experience... " do not just agree and nod your head, ask them how they have used their own EXPERIENCE to provide Electricity, Access to Education, Security and Potable water for Nigerian in the last 50 years. Ask them! As a Nigerian, it is part of your constitutional rights to answer a question with another question. So, you are still doing well by asking them!

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If you read this till the end, you are the real MVP. Kindly share (AS IT IS and WITHOUT ALTERATIONS) on your websites, Social Media pages and blogspots. Feel free to also share (AS IT IS and WITHOUT ALTERATIONS) as a broadcast on WhatsApp groups. The people who badly need to read this message are on WhatsApp (the WhatsApp young people built WITHOUT experience).
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Thank you for reading .

Emdee Tiamiyu
7TH MAY, 2020

Four Years Don Waka: My First Post-NYSC Job Offer

Today, 13^th of February 2018, marks exactly four (4) years since I concluded my Youth Service under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). That year, 2014, this day was a Thursday. It was one of those days that happened really fast, I almost didn’t know it happened. My colleagues, whom we were being discharged from the National Service (2013 Batch “A”) together, were all excited and so was I. Only that my excitement was beclouded by work and official assignment.

As a youth undergoing NYSC in Nigeria, your main cup-of-tea is how do you get a job after the NYSC. Good or bad, the NYSC gives every graduate a platform to be attached to an employer for a period of one-year. If I would accurately document my service year and the ‘waka-waka’ that happened between March 2013 and February 2014 as a Lagos Corper, chai I would need to write another book (different from “Act Like a Corper, Think Like a Gold” which has now sold 1000+ copies).

As an undergraduate, I had read materials and books about the NYSC including one written by Bro. Rasheed Hashim (I can’t quite remember the title). Most of the books I read spoke about the #LifeOfACorper from different experiential Points of view of the authors. However, almost all of them gave an orientation about the four cardinal points of the NYSC – Orientation Camp, Place of Primary Assignment (PPA), Community Development Service (CDS) and Passing Out Parade (POP). What caught my attention most was the CDS. I loved the idea of youth Corps Members giving back to the society and I resolved, quite early, that I would participate in CDS when I am mobilized for service.

When my Service Year came, I discovered that things aren’t as easy as they seem. CDS Projects take time, energy, money and politics to execute. Plus, you have to cross the hurdles of NYSC’s bureaucratic processes of project approval. As a Lagos Corper, posted to a Local Government Office (Onigbongbo LCDA, Ikeja to be precise), I was meant to deal with No Salary from my Employer. In fact, the day I resumed at the Onigbongo LCDA, along side Shakirah Aregbesola (daughter of the Osun State Governor) who had also been posted there, the Local Government clerk laid two options before us: Accept a Rejection Letter or Decide to Stay at no pay. We chose to stay. Man cannot coman die, this is Lagos.

With the technical support of Noble Microsystems Ltd, I proposed to build the “CopaShun Moblie App” as my CDS project. I laboured for five solid months trying to get an approval for my project, but with no luck. My Local Government Inspector, Zonal Inspector and NYSC State CDS Officials were skeptical about giving me an approval because they felt my project wasn’t “physical”. They were right! Lol! I was proposing to build a Software (a Mobile Application that helps Corps Members access and connect to social and life-saving information), but no matter how much I tried to explain and picture the App, they couldn’t “see” it. I will leave the full gist of how I managed to get the Copashun Project approved (after the sixth month of persistent trials) for another post.

Copashun was finally approved, executed and to the glory of God, it is what metamorphosed to what we now have as the official NYSC Mobile Application ( used by over 75,000 Corpers Nationwide).

In the above picture (R-L) stood Mr. Tim Akano (CEO, New Horizon Systems & WiniGroup), Yours truly (my humble self), Mariam Abdulsalam (another Corps Member who had also being offered employment) and Mrs. Racheal Edeawor (NYSC Lagos State SAED Coordinator).

We had been gathered at the University of Lagos Main Auditorium for an Employability Readiness & Job Fair event organized by the NYSC Lagos State Secretariat in partnership with New Horizon Systems. The programme was setup to get Corps Members ready for the Labour Market. The most interesting part of it is the Job Fair and the LIVE Job Interview in which the ultimate winner is offered instant employment with New Horizons Systems. The event usually takes place few weeks to the end of the Service Year of a batch, in our case it was a week to our POP. For a population of over 4000 Corps Members (in my batch), the NYSC organized an LGA-based Aptitude Test to select the Best five (5) Corps Members whom will be interviewed at the Job Fair and out of whom one will be the Lucky Employee.

As a person who abhors queues, I immediately detested the idea of a free-for-all and uncoordinated testing system where candidates are made to take a piece of paper and scramble answers to a few random questions, while standing under the scorching sun. You remember the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Job Scam? Something like that. I only wrote my name and code number, for the sake of marking the attendance. I knew the chances of me being amongst the 5 Corps Members to be interviewed for the job, out of over 4000 Corpers who took the test was less than 0.00125.

The day (February 4^th 2014) came and we were all seated at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Main Auditorium, watching the event unfold in front of us. I was given a five minutes opportunity to make a presentation about the “CopaShun Mobile Application” that has just been built and was slowly gaining traction. The Keynote speaker at the event was Tim Akano, the CEO of New Horizon Systems and he made his speech about the relevance of Information Technology (IT) Knowledge in the labour market. Tim Akano is an entrepreneur who travels around the world searching for business opportunities and that time he had just returned from a trip to Israel and was very excited to meet with over 4000 Corpers freshly being discharged into the labour market.

Though his presentation was promotional, showcasing the IT courses that New Horizon Systems offer, it was also inspirational. He mentioned and elaborated different IT Skills including A+, Cisco, ITIL etc. When he got to Java, he gave more elaborate examples of job place scenarios and opportunities for people who code in Java. Then he asked the 'golden question'. He wanted to know if any of us understood or knew anything about Java. He could almost bet that no one would have a good answer to his question, because Java is a programming language that a lot of people dread. As he finished asking the question, there was only one hand raised up in the entire auditorium, the hand of Yours Truly. He was surprised that one person wanted to at least try. I was given the microphone and he asked,

“Young man, what do you know about Java”.

“Thank you sir”, I started my response.

“Java is a unique Object-Oriented programming language used in building web and mobile applications.” “I write and code with Java sir.”

“Really?” , he responded in utter surprise.

“Yes sir, Not only that sir, I am an Oracle Certified Professional Java Programmer (OCPJP).” I added. “Really?”, he exclaimed again.

“Come forward, come forward” he repeated with a louder voice.

The hall was elated, filled with a kind of energy that was almost capable of tearing the roof. Then Tim asked his last qualifying question, “What have you done with Java?”

 “Sir, I have built a Sicknesses Diagnosis and Prescription system. Sir, I developed a Virtual Patients Bay (a Java Mobile Application for Medical Students) as my final year project and I also developed the Copa Shaun Mobile Application for the NYSC.” I responded.

The entire hall raged with loud noises of excitement from very MOTIVATED Corpers. Upon hearing all these, Tim’s motivation was twice that of all the Corpers combined. He was super elated. Then he said to me: “Come up, come up.”

I ran up to the stage to meet him, not knowing what to expect. Then he said, “I am going to give you two gifts. First, you have a cash prize.” He reached into his suit’s pocket and brought out a new hundred dollar note.

Then he added, “Your second gift is, if you can come to my office tomorrow and prove to me that you can truly use Java, I will employ you tomorrow.” Once again, the hall was raised to an intense height of motivation. He handed me the crisply new 100 Dollar bill. As I returned to my seat, every corps member wanted to have a feel of the money. Some even suggested how we would ‘goan’ change it at an Aboki’s place. I gave the money out to Corpers sitting in the front rows and everyone who could touch it did until eventually the money was returned to me. The very new note came back with a lot of rough hedges here and there. I sha put my money in my pocket like that.

Tim continued with his presentation until he got to that part of his slide that talked about Oracle Database Management. He added that services of Oracle Database Professionals are always needed in the Telecommunications and Banking Sectors. He then asked the golden question again, “how many of you here know Oracle?”. Guess which hand was up again? Mine of course, but this time we were two. Femi Olaleye, a bosom friend and fellow DBA, had also raised up his hands. Tim’s attention was drawn towards me, partly because I was sitting within the front rows (as a vertically challenge individual you have to use your head. Lol) and partly because he had just finished speaking with me and even gave me hundred dollars.

He instructed that I be given the Microphone and enquired, “What do you know about Oracle, young man?” At that time, Oracle Database Management had just become my new forte. I had worked on Oracle Databases, got certified up to OCPDBA level and even trained others. With confidence, I responded “Sir, I am an Oracle Certified Associate Database Administrator (OCADBA) and an Oracle Certified Professional Database Administrator (OCPDBA)”. Again, the hall went agog.  

“What is your name”, he asked.

“My name is Mubarak Tiamiyu sir.”, I responded.

“The name doesn’t even matter”, he interjected.

“Which school did you attend?”, he further asked.

“LAUTECH Sir”, I replied.

“Ooh okay. That’s good”, Tim said.

I still had the microphone with me at that time. Hence, I took a few minutes to remind him of my first encounter with him. Tim Akano and his team from New Horizon Systems had come to LAUTECH in 2009 to market their IT Courses. I was just in 200 Level, trying to find my feet. His presentation, at the 1200LT caught my attention even though I couldn’t afford any of the courses at the time. The interest I picked from his talk led me to seek alternative pathways (through friends and course-mates) towards learning Information Technology beyond the classroom.

Tim was further elated, his job glorified. It seemed that it was the first time he was meeting anyone who confirms that all his “talk-talk” across 46 countries makes sense. In his own words, “Dear Mubarak, you are a living testimony to all my efforts promoting IT everywhere I have been. Today, I am going to do for you what I have never done for anyone in my life.” 

At this stage, I was already scared, the audience in total suspense. This is a man who had just given me a hundred dollar bill as gift, now that he wants to do for me “what he has never done for anybody before, what could that mean?”, I thought to myself.

SILENCE!

Lo and behold, Tim made the pronouncement.

“Dear Mubarak, you are hereby hired! From today, you have become one of my staff. You have a job with me. Congratulations.”

Wooooow! I thought it was a dream. Is it real that I have gotten a job? Just like that? I didn't write a Job Application Letter, I didn't send any CV neither was I interviewed. How? I looked around and found all 4000+ corpers in my batch still seated.

I was called up stage and given a (white plastic) chair to seat. I sat right on the stage with Tim and other dignitaries till the end of the event.

When the Scheduled interview (for the five Pre-selected Corps Members) took place, the beautiful Maryam Abdulsalam came first position and was offered a job too. Apparently, only one Job Offer was provisioned for the event, but when you are truly and beneficially loaded, protocols don't hold no more.

I started my Post-NYSC job career working with Tim. Because of my technical skills, Tim posted me to his second company (WiniGroup Nig. Ltd) which deploys the nation’s best IT Risk & Security Solutions to a wide range of clients in the banking sector.

It was a great learning experience working at New Horizon Systems c/o WiniGroup and having Tim as a mentor till this day. One of the things that stood out for me was the knowledge and practical skills I had gained before and during my service year. In my book, “Act Like a Corper, Think Like a Gold” I share more practical nuggets and secrets which anyone (particularly the Youth) can implement to make the best use of the opportunities at their disposal. Remember I said, “If you are loaded, you will be needed.”?

If you are a Youth (Corps Member) or know an Undergraduate or a (Prospective) Youth Corps Member whose future is important to you, kindly order a copy of “Act Like a Corper, Think Like a Gold” for them and they will bless your soul forever.

A copy of the book costs 1000 Naira in Nigeria, 5 Dollars in the US and 5 Pounds in the UK.

NB: Delivery costs may apply.  Order via: +2348097870000.

Thanks for reading.

#ActLikeACorper #ThinkLikeAGold #EmdeeTiamiyu #LifeOfAnAuthor #LifeOfASpeaker #LifeOfACorper #YouHaveARightToBeMotivated

The Diary of Social Media Crawler: @nysc_ng

Sometimes, it feels like this MY (lately controversial) LIFE is heading nowhere. I often ask myself that popular kweshun, "Emdee, What is your PURPOSE in LIFE gaaan?" But when I look at the little blessings God has given me, regardless of my age, background (and, of course, height LOL I shed tears of joy in Praises to the Ọlọ́wọ́ Gbọgbọrọ.) Wouldn't it go down in history that God used my very tiny hands to create NYSC's Official Twitter handle (@nysc_ng)? I can recall the former NYSC Director General, Brig-Gen OLAWUMI, asking Japhet Omojuwa if he knew me and also asking me if I knew him. Gaskiya, that was going to be our first time meeting and working together with JayJay. I can remember Omojuwa dashing into my Maitama office over a couple of days while we organized a series of LIVE TWITTER INTERVIEW with the DG. With those little efforts, we got the first early 400 followers on the Twitter Handle. That was sometimes in November, 2014. Through sweats, tears and blood and against all odds, we've scaled 51,000 followers on Twitter ORGANICALLY. 

51K seems like a small number, but it also means a lot to us at the team (and especially to me as the Lead) because Pioneering something like Social Media for a Public Scheme in Nigeria like the NYSC can be very frustrating. Why? Your progress is directly proportional to the interests and/or commitment of the Ogas at the Top. And when it comes to subjects like Tech, Social Media, Innovation etc. guess what their interest looks like? Lemme kúkú write a book about that.
Here's saying THANK YOU to everyone for being with me on this journey. I may not have a lot of (personal) followers, but I can say Social Media has been very good to me. Let's do more

PS: Your IDEAS aren't beautiful until you ACT.

#Alhamdulillah #EmdeeTiamiyu #GratefulSoul
#YouHaveARightToBeMotivated #BodaMajidi
#SoftwareEvangelist

The Upgraded NYSC Official Website: My Testimony!

In 2012 I was just about to graduate from the University; Getting ready to go for National Service, I jumped on the NYSC Official website and it displayed "webpage not available"; "What non-sense!", I cursed. Days later, same problem. It then became apparent to me that the NYSC website has been permanently down and nobody probably noticed. I was further frustrated. Then, I checked again and the website came up. Damn it, it was one boring flat website like that. I hissed, I blamed the government; "Is this worthy to be called the NYSC Website?", I laughed sarcastically. . My other mind said, "Well, what's my own?"

I finally went for National service, worked at a few places, things happened really fast and in 2014, after some twists of events, I found myself working for the same NYSC. Really? Life can sha set somebody up!

It's a huge scheme that is not devoid of all the bureaucratic bottlenecks we know with MDAs; I started off my career on a high note by building NYSC's first and official Mobile Application and setting up the first Social Media Strategy team for the scheme amongst other things, but I kept my eye on how to solve that problem that pissed me off in 2012. Earlier this year the opportunity came and I VOLUNTEERED to help rebuild the NYSC Official website that is as old as (..fill in the gap...); A project team was setup and I was commissioned to lead it. 

To the Glory of God, in the early hours of today 19th June 2017, we uploaded an entirely new website for the NYSC to replace that one that got me disappointed in 2012. This upgraded website is responsive and has new & improved features as approved by the scheme.  Kindly take a look at the new website (www.nysc.gov.ng) and I will be glad to hear and forward your recommendations to the Project Team & Management.

Here is a truth I found out, sometimes the "people at the top" can't change a bad system because they either don't even know it is bad or not convinced enough that anything is wrong with the system. So, if you see a problem: Curate a Solution and Don't keep quiet;

I am not here to gainsay, I only see this as a small step for me and a huge leap for the youthful majority of this country whom I see as the leaders of today, not tomorrow. Change may take time, but if we never give up it will eventually happen. For sure, it is not the strength of a river that makes it break through a rock but its persistence. 

Sometimes we think the government is one invisible thing while we forget that there can't be a GOVERNMENT without a PEOPLE. We, the people, should never underestimate our individual power to positively INFLUENCE and CHANGE the world (around us). You don't have to be the best, you don't have to be the President, you don't have to be a Politician, you just have to SEE YOURSELF AS PART OF THE SOLUTION and VOLUNTEER to make something (no matter how small) work. I am humbled and grateful for God's grace making me the change I wanted to see in the world. Dreams actually come true sha!

I am Emdee Tiamiyu and You Have a Right to be Motivated.

Watch all Episodes of the #YouHaveARightToBeMotivated  Show by #EmdeeTiamiyu here: bit.ly/EmdeeTube

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & COMMENT what you like best about it.

From Ignorance to Stardom (My Mandela Washington Fellowship Story)

So, it’s already another time to apply for the Mandela Washington Fellowship. Around this time in 2015, I got an email from one of my mentors informing me about the opening of the 2016 Application. Truth be told, up until I received that email I knew virtually NOTHING about YALI nor the Mandela Washington Fellowship. I was living in the dark. Knowledge is truly light and that email was the light I needed.

Dr Teresa is one person I respect so much. She must have seen something in me to have taken the stress to send me that email, so I decided to click on the link in the email she sent me. I saw information about YALI, I saw a link to the YALI Network Face2Face group on Facebook, I saw the YALI LEARNS online courses, I read about the YALI Regional Learning Centres (RLCs) and I also saw the Mandela Washington Fellowship. “What a beautiful initiative”, I thought.

Reading about the Mandela Washington Fellowship gave me chills. But, I was first discouraged by the huge competition that surrounds it and the slim chance of being shortlisted. I also had my initial doubts about fairness and discrimination. Reading further, I saw Adepeju Jaiyeoba'(a 2014 Mandela Fellow from Nigeria) picture with President Obama. She looked radiant and super-excited in the picture. Something told me it couldn’t have been Photoshop. Lol! President’s Obama’s gallant posture in the picture reminded me of the American values of merit and due-process. Now, my fears are gone. “I am going to apply for this thing”, I murmured to myself.

True to my latest conviction, the Mandela Washington Fellowship, like every other YALI Program, is executed through a highly-coordinated, merit-based, gender-balanced, fair process. There is no discrimination based on religion, political-affiliation, sexual orientation or physical disability. The application process may seem tedious and tiring, but every bit of it is rewarding. The questions asked will reveal your inner self to you and you’ll become better, even as you answer the questions sincerely.

MY 10 TIPS FOR SUBMITTING A WINNING APPLICATION:

These are from my personal experience and observations.

Before we get into the tips, that's me behind President Barack Obama (in a grey suit and a Naija muffler on my neck) smiling bright beside his right cheek. And it's not Photoshop. Lol! 😅😅😅

1. BE SURE YOU ARE ELIGIBLE: Mandela Washington Fellowship is open to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. I advise you double-check your country is amongst the participating countries. Also, it a programme for “YOUNG” African Leaders so the age range is 25 -35. However, outstanding applicants less than 25 years old are usually considered. Read up full eligibility requirements on goo.gl/xBOnjs. If you meet all the eligibility criteria, you must then importantly CONVINCE yourself that you have the stuff to make it. If you can’t convince yourself, you can’t convince the person reading your application. Read about past fellows, follow their projects (if related to yours), find out what they do and tell yourself “I can do this”. Your mindset and self-belief will ultimately reveal itself in your application and at the interviews.

2. FIGURE OUT YOUR BIG IDEA & STORY: your big idea forms the fabric/backbone of your application. You must be able to communicate your major achievement as a leader. YALI MWF is looking forward to building upon your previous success in your local community by exposing you to tools, people and opportunities for global leverage. Streamline your numerous achievements and years of experience into one or two related BIG IDEA(S). Once you are clear about your BIG IDEA, now it’s time to put together your story. Make your story sooooooooo clear that the reader can “see & feel” WHAT you are passionate about, WHY you are passionate about it, HOW you have demonstrated your passion, the RESULTS you have achieved so far, the CHALLENGES you have faced doing that, HOW you have overcome those challenges, WHAT you need to do next and HOW this fellowship will help you do better at it. More importantly, your story MUST show the LINK between what you are doing and a global issue/challenge the United States is trying to solve or interested in solving. This, more than any other thing will determine if you will make it to the semi-finals.

3. CHOOSE YOUR TRACK APPROPRIATELY: the fellowship has three tracks, Business & Entrepreneurship, Civic Leadership and Public Management tracks. A new Energy track was introduced as a pilot-test in 2016 and should hopefully be sustained this year. Be sure you understand what each track stands for and identify the track that best suits your work/big idea. Getting this right will make your application more precise and your story more focused, it will also help the admin connect faster to your project.

4. BE ORIGINAL & SINCERE: Hey! This is where honesty and integrity comes in. You want to be sure that: (i) the work/big idea is yours or you played a major role in it (ii) You put together your application by yourself. These two are very essential, because if you lie about some important stuff, it will eventually be found out. Never consider giving your Username/Password to a past fellow. That negates PRIVACY rules and the standard of INTEGRITY expected of a Mandela Fellow. You may get help by seeking for advice, but not to the point of giving someone else your entire application to work on. Haba! The US Department of States has its way of finding out what they need to know about you. Why lie? The Mandela Washington Fellowship is more than just travelling to the US. It’s your ticket to a life-long relationship with the US government and plenty of awesome people in the YALI Network. Just be confident and straight forward. You’ll make it.

5. JUSTIFY YOUR SPOT WITHOUT BEING PUSHY: Choosing just a thousand fellows out of over 50,000 applications is a difficult task. In Nigeria, the stakes are even higher. In 2016, it was 100 out of 10,000+ submitted applications. As you can imagine, that is a very huge competition. This is why your BIG IDEA/STORY/ WORK must be highly convincing without you sounding desperate. Don’t try to impress or push the reader by stating too many achievements and all your village titles. Also ensure that your commitment to return to Africa is reflected from your application. The fellowship seeks to INVEST in you, so you can INVEST in others. Make sure your BIG IDEA/STORY and VALUE PROPOSITION is razor sharp and all the small pieces fall in line with the big picture you are trying to paint. You can always find a balance.

6. DISPLAY YOUR AWESOMENESS: don’t be afraid to brag about your success. However, while doing all that, acknowledge the support and help you received from other people. That is what makes a LEADER awesome. Too many good people apply for the fellowship but only the GREAT get selected. Your greatness comes out in your TEAM SPIRIT. This may include acknowledgement of advice from friends, team members’ help or the community support you received on your journey to success etc. As you project your success story, use more of “We” than “I”. This will reflect your ability to work and lead a team.

7. PROOF-READ YOUR APPLICATION: Grammar ooo! Grammar! There is no English Language test or examination required to qualify for the fellowship. But, it is expected that you should be able to write, speak and communicate in simple, basic and error-free English. This will reflect in your application. Read, read, I say read your application again, to be sure it is almost error-free, before submitting. Consider this as part of your first impression.

8. SAVE A COPY: It’s okay to edit on the go. You can save the questions on your local drive to answer as you go and come back to fill the application when you have given each of the questions the best shot. Also, save a copy of your work before or after submission. If you make it to the semi-finals, you’ll find this tip very helpful while preparing for your interview.

9. DON’T RUSH AND DON’T BE LATE: the application window will be open for a few weeks and it’s not a fastest-finger first thing. If you need to take your time, please do within the application window. You shouldn’t submit anything less than your best in the name of “getting there first”. You don’t have to rush and you don’t need to be late. Just make sure you are giving it your best shot, while leaving some time before the application deadline.

10. FORGET ABOUT IT: Your peace of mind is paramount. Meanwhile, Olympics isn’t always to win, but to participate. No amount of your worry will hasten the application calendar or increase your chances of being shortlisted. After you have submitted your application, take a cup of coffee or zobo or kunnu or whatever your heart desires at the moment and forget about it. If you know how to pray, do so, but don’t mistake hope with worry.

Let this post be the light that you need to go out and do great exploits.

Go and submit your winning application here: goo.gl/Q1CPkv.

See you at the semi-finals.

Yours truly.

#YouHaveARightToBeMotivated #EmdeeTiamiyu

Emdee Tiamiyu (OCPJP, OCPDBA, OSHA UK, B.TECH)

2016 Mandela Fellow | Curator, #TEDxIsaleGeneral | Software Evangelist | Public Speaker | Author |

Website: www.emdeetiamiyu.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/justemdee

Facebook: www.facebook.com/emdeetiamiyu

Twitter: www.twitter.com/justemdee

Last Edit: 5th October, 2018.

Let's go to The White House!

There are thousands of houses in the world painted white, but the one located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC is unique. The White House stands out not just because of the architectural style of the mansion, but because it is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. The White House has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. In a few days’ time, I will be heading to the White House to learn more about President Barack Obama's works for The Future of Africa and the Role of Youths in the scheme of things. This is a very special trip and it will be great if you can be a part of it. My grandfather would say, “Son if you want to go FAST, go ALONE; if you want to go FAR, go TOGETHER.” I am inviting you to join me on this journey to the house of the first family in the United States. On this trip, I’ll be sharing lots and lots of Inspiration and Motivation that would help YOU get to your dreams. Join now. www.instagram.com/justemdee; www.twitter.com/justemdee; www.youtube.com/emdeetiamiyung;

www.facebook.com/emdeetiamiyu;

NOTE: Only those who follow the above links can fully participate in the upcoming life-changing engagements. Do it NOW and don’t procrastinate. I can’t wait to follow you back. Welcome on board!

#YouHaveARightToBeMotivated 

#YourFutureFirst 

#LifeOfASpeaker 

#SoftwareEvangelist 

#EmdeeTiamiyu 

#WhiteHouse 

#ForbesAfrica 

#ChaseYourDreams

How the Best Leaders Lead by Brian Tracy

   If you have ever doubted Newton’s postulations about inertia, stop doubting right now. I have been trying to write this post since Nineteen-Ninety-God-Knows-When. Bae, Inertia is real jor! Okay, now that I have overcome the invisible forces of inertia holding me back from writing this post, let me write. I say write. Alaye, stop wasting our time. Write something abeg! Oya, lemme sha write!

         Since January, 2016, Mark Zuckerberg has been running all around the world; Since January, 2016, Emdee Tiamiyu has been reading all around the world (actually a green-white-green world called Nigeria); “How the Best Leaders Lead” by Baba Brian Tracy is my 4^th book for the year and likely my 6^th  Brian Tracy title. I have read so many books on management and some have intimidating sizes that make people do “hmmm!” when they see you holding them, but to be candid some of those books contain absolute jargons and watery stuff. In just 238 pages, Brian Train killed it and passed across the finest strategies of Leadership.

     Again, I have read lots of titles from the same author and most times it gets to a point where the stuffs in the different book become repetitive; You’re like “I’ve read this in his other book”. Can you relate? However, that is not the case for this awesome book. I’ll not like to lie, Baba made a great impression on me again with this book.

         When I discussed this book with some of my mentees, the first thing they thought was “Our leaders in Nigeria should read this kind of book”; As much as they are correct, the book made it clear that Leadership is not by position, but by action; The responsibility of Leadership lies on all of our shoulders at home, business, career and not just the political space;

      The moment you’re in charge of one or more persons or other people’s job depends on the output of yours, you’re a leader. There are lots of interesting Chapters and Subsections in the book, but my favourite is Chapter 6 where Baba talked about “Building Winning Teams”; For the most part of what I do, I am always building, managing and working with teams; that’s why I consider that chapter as my new Team Building Bible.

      If you’re wondering why I keep calling Brian Tracy Baba, here’s my response; Anyone of his AGE, with his WISDOM and who is likely to have an ear infection can be called Baba.

You’re sharing this post at your own risk! LOL!

Thanks for reading.

#FourthBookForTheYear #Amazing2016 #LifeOfAReader #EmdeeTiamiyu #MandelaFellow #ReadABook #BookDiscuss