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Mohbad: Death as the ultimate promotion By Toni kan …and how we killed him

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Mohbad: When The Highly-Connected Can Kill And Go By Felix Oboagwina

Mohbad: Death as the ultimate promotion By Toni kan

…and how we killed him

 

The question everyone is asking is – Who killed Mohbad?

But the question no one seems to be asking is – what do we do when we find out who killed Mohbad?

 

 

 

 

No Nigerian musician has been mourned with such an overwhelming outpouring of emotion verging on hysteria in the manner that MohBad, (Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba) aka Imole has been mourned since his passing in controversial circumstances on September 12, 2023.

 

 

 

Mohbad: Death as the ultimate promotion By Toni kan

…and how we killed him

 

There have been protests and candlelight processions in states across Nigeria and in cities across the globe.

His sophomore album, Blessed has been topping charts across platforms. In death, MohBad has found the global acclaim that eluded him in life.

 

 

 

 

He may be dead but God has answered the prayer he uttered in Sabi – “don’t let my foes rejoice over me.”

 

 

 

 

 

But such is the nature and irony of dying young and joining the 27 Club, no less. Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Jimmy Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Jim Jones. The list grows and Mohbad has joined them in Rock n Roll heaven.

 

 

 

 

 

Before we proceed, it might be pertinent to moderate that third paragraph by adding a qualifier…not since Dagrin and Fela Anikulapo Kuti has a Nigerian musical artist been mourned with so much emotion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dagrin’s death hit hard because it was not just the death of a musical artist but the death of potential. He was primed to take over from the likes of Lord of Ajasa and would probably if he had lived longer, contested for Olamide’s shine and street cred and even Naira Marley’s with the vice grip he had on the jugular of the streets in his short run. But death had other plans.

 

 

Mohbad's Mother Narrates Ordeals

 

Fela was different. He had lived long, accomplished much and his death was a matter of time what with him being afflicted with AIDS which back then was akin to an instant death sentence.

 

 

 

But Mohbad is a different kettle of fish (and a smelly one at that). He was young, on the up and has died in circumstances mired in controversies.

 

 

 

 

 

Two EPs and four to five monster hits and the Light of his Blessed life has been snuffed out.

 

 

 

Since his passing, blame has been passed around and names have been mentioned. Former label honcho, Naira Marley has been mentioned as has music promoter, Sam Larry. There is also the insinuation that he was forced to drink a substance by officials of the anti-drug agency.

 

 

 

Twitter has been abuzz in the past two weeks becoming a fertile patch with conspiracy theories sprouting like blades of corn piercing the earth after rain.

 

 

 

MOHBAD AND CANCEL CULTURE

But while the autopsy result is being awaited, losses are being calculated. Former label mate, Zinolesky has seen his American tour cancelled before it even took off. DJs and record stations have stopped playing Naira Marley’s songs.

 

Folks are also demanding that Sam Larry be found and made to answer questions.

All this is befuddling because the first reports about Mohbad’s death reveal that he passed on after being given an injection.

A nurse has now been arrested and an autopsy carried out to determine the cause of his death.

But questions remain and no matter what we learn at the end, Naira Marley’s reputation (or whatever was left of it) is gone. That is the nature of cancel culture and the lynch mob mentality of social media. Shoot first, then ask questions later!

 

 

Stop Interfering With Mohbad’s Death Probe, Police Warn Bloggers, Others

 

 

 

DID MOHBAD’S FATHER ABANDON HIM?

MohBad’s paterfamilias has also been in the eye of the storm thanks to an ill-advised  television interview during which he is reported to have said:  “look at the house I am living in”. The statement has placed a bulls-eye sign on his back. Folks are incensed; how dare he talk about his living condition when the son he abandoned has just died?

But people will die and life must go on.

That said we need to fact-check the emotional outbursts. Did Mohbad’s father really abandon him and his siblings after he married another woman?

Mohbad’s words seem to answer this question as he sings in Sorry, the first song on his debut album Light.

Daddy no get salary/Ten years I no see mummy/Step mother no care/ Landlord dey worry/My brothers are hungry/Daddy gather money/Make I go poly/I go poly but I no go class/Daddy I’m sorry/I don dey yahoo/I don dey take banku/Omo pastor ti wonu aye/Mummy just dey pray/Daddy just dey pray for me/make e better for me

When MohBad sings  – Omo pastor ti wonu aye (the pastor’s son has become worldly) – the portrait he paints is not of a delinquent father. Indigent yes, but not delinquent!

And to play devil’s advocate; what are we to expect from a father who has invested all? One who has begged and borrowed to send his son to school only for that son to leave school to become a fraudster or “join bad gang” as we say on the streets.

We could say yes, Mohbad finally made it but at what cost? Success is a lottery and when it comes to the lottery of life there are no guarantees but getting an education is a surer bet.

So, his father did not abandon him but he clearly misspoke in that interview but is that enough to also cancel him?

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE SAM LARRY AND NAIRA MARLEY ANGLE

Who is Sam Larry and why is his name turning up like the tortoise in a folktale? Aside from the fact that he is supposed to be a music promoter with supposed connections to people in high places (people who have now disavowed him) Mohbad appears to name-check him on the song, Holy:

Owo mi oope

Oma di gobe

Ma pe Sammy Larry wa

Ah

Emi ti mi o holy

Mohbad clearly had a relationship with Sam Larry, one that went south and social media is replete with videos and pictures of a cane-wielding bearded goon believed to be Sam Larry disrupting Mohbad’s video shoot. That was in June 2023.

A while before that, videos had circulated of a bruised and bloodied Mohbad who alleged that he had gone to a meeting to discuss his change of management and had ended up being beaten by Naira Marley’s boys in the latter’s residence.

These instances as well as the well-reported falling out between label owner Naira Marley and his Marlian House recording artist, Mohbad are at the core of insinuations that Mohbad’s death is linked to his falling out with Marley.

His mother while receiving a delegation told her audience – “I know my son, he told me that Naira Marley usually threatened him. Please Nigerians help me to look for him; please have mercy on me; that is all you can do for me. I cannot singlehandedly fish him out. Also, he told me the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) gave him some water in a bottle to drink sometimes ago. Help me please.

In Nigeria, artistes and label owners have been falling out since the time of Jide Obi and Tabansi Records, through Snoop Dog and Suge Knight all the way to last week when Aubrey O’Day of Danity Kane called out Puff Daddy (or whatever his current moniker is) over a request to sign an NDA.

There is even a trending story about Sunny Ade and his travails at the hand of his former label owner Chief Bolarinwa Abioro who ran African Songs Limited.

The fact is simple; to blow, an artiste needs a leg up. Cue the Svengali-like label owner aka Naira Marley in this instance. Studio sessions have to be booked. Producers have to be paid and those bottles of Hennessy and Martell don’t buy themselves. They are paid for by the label and label owner who is looking forward to recouping his investment.

So, while no one is holding brief for the alleged battery, one must also not lose sight of the fact that if MohBad needed to exit the Marlian family, he had to do it within the terms of his contract.

This is important because before he joined the Marlian family he was living in Ikorodu and going through hard times.

When he rhapsodises that “Hustle dey Odo Naira”on the song Holy, he is clearly a long way from the trenches he sings about in Feel good where he confesses that: “When I dey Ikorodu sapa mumi moma ronu, moma sukun.” – (When I was in Ikorodu, poverty held me in a vice grip, I wallowed in my thoughts, I drowned in tears).

The Marlian affiliation clearly wiped away his tears, for a while, it now seems, before things went awry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WE ALL KILLED MOHBAD

The world is mourning the musical artiste known by the stage name MohBad aka Imole but how good was he? If he had not died on September 12th, 2023, would the world have noticed him the way they did?

And if we say he was so good and so full of potential, we must ask ourselves how many shows he played this year and by that I mean how many A-list shows?

The word on the streets is that promoters gave him a wide berth because he was hard to manage. They say he forgot lyrics and turned up late for shoes. Is all that true?

but if those are lies, the question to ask is why didn’t he get the big shows? Why was he not included in trips to O2 and world tours by artists he had collaborated with in the past?

Why didn’t the millions of people who have downloaded his songs and albums since his passing do so before he died?

Did Naira Marley have such a huge influence that he stopped promoters from booking MohBad and you and I from downloading his songs and albums? How many of us even knew he had a music label or what it was called?

Bella Schmurda has acknowledged that he didn’t include MohBad on his album because he didn’t want trouble from the Marlians.

Sure he was nominated for The Beatz and The Headies off the success of his first album, but since his death, his second album, Blessed has climbed to No. 1 on Apples album charts, knocking off Burna Boy and Davido.

 

 

 

 

If we had supported him while alive, he could have called Naira Marley’s bluff and paid no heed to the promoters who would not book him for shows. He would have been truly independent with the resources to take care of his family and grow his Imolenization record label.

You and I and all those expressing faux outrage on Twitter failed him. That is a fact.

And if you don’t believe me listen to Patoranking’s hit song “Celebrate Me” where he sings “Celebrate me now wey I dey alive/Appreciate me now I dey alive/No be when I leave this life/ You go dey fake am for my wife.”

 

 

 

 

 

WAS MOHBAD’S MUSIC ANY GOOD?

Now, to the music.

MohBad stamped his foot firmly in the Nigerian musical firmament with the release of his song, Ponmo, a risqué and infectious ditty featuring Naira Marley and Lil Kesh. It opens with a reference to a woman’s vagina and then trundles downhill from there.

The streets loved it. The salaciousness , the lewdness and the seeming panting of rabid dogs after Ponmo which is shorthand for you-know-what.

Ponmo is the number 3 song on his debut Light and even though the album opens with Sorry, a deeply contemplative song about his struggles and his home situation which borrows a verse from Sunny Ade’s 1974 hit, Esu biribiri pe bo mi o, it was to the risqué and the salacious that we flocked and now we mourn.

In borrowing from Sunny Ade, MohBad was calling on the world to come bear witness the story of his struggle. Did we bear witness?

Another hit song was KPK with Rexxie from which the line “Talo so pe ko po ke –  was made a street anthem.

His first album which featured Naira Marley, Davido and Lil Kesh was clearly a Marlian House project as is evident from the production and sound except for the  aforementioned Sorry and Father Abraham which stick out because of their subject matter and socially conscious lyrics spiced with scriptural references.

The album reflected MohBad’s promise and potential and aside from Ponmo, other stand-out tracks are Once Debe featuring Davido and Cinderella. The former enlists Davido and over a bouncy beat re-christens what we know as Okafor’s law. Davido’s lyrics anticipates Na Money featuring Cave Men and Angelique Kidjo off his Timeless album.

Where the first outing saw Mohbad through prism of the Marlians,  in terms of aural aesthetics and lyrics, the second album, Blessed, is more mature, more contemplative and more self-assured and a reflection of who Mohbad is; the son of a pastor who wanted to escape a live of privation through music which he saw as a blessing.

Taken now with the benefit of hindsight, the songs in Blessed seem loaded and prescient. The first song Beast and Peace opens with “Mo silent mood but beast ni mi/Mo le cause violence but still, peace ni mi/You don’t have to hurt me, before you win/You don’t have to kill somebody before you sin.”

It appears that whoever he might have been addressing did not pay heed to his words and did not only hurt him but sinned by killing him but the jury is still out on whether it was a “win”.

 

 

 

In the second song, Sabi, Mohbad returns to church as he closes out with the already referenced “Don’t let my foes rejoice over.”

The fuji inflected Account Balance with Zlatan continues on the same trajectory with copious references to Jesu and keeping the peace but peace kept eluding him.

La pio pio sees Mohbad return to his Marlian roots with a catchy danceable tune that recalls the best of Naira Marley and here the boastfulness returns as he reference Don Jazzy in a beautiful pun –  “because I turn Don dem say I use Jazz.”

Muted are the risqué references and allusions and where there was boasting about sexual prowess, Mohbad exhibits a more mature bent of mind. On Blessing for instance he drops wisdom as he thanks God – “I’m covered by your blessings/I’m living by your grace.”

The most underwhelming song on the album is Omo mi, a love song intended for his lover but it is a song stymied by the need to be politically correct in celebrating a loved one. It never rises to the heights of Cinderella or Omokomo from the Light EP.

But despite God’s blessing, MohBad seemed able to shake off dread as is evident in his constant references to enemies, frenemies, violence, hurt and death.

In Peace he opens with – Plenty enemy wey dey follow me/Maje  ko mu mi (Don’t let them catch me).

Since his passing on September 12 and if the conspiracy theories are to be believed, it seems those enemies finally “caught him” but as he prophesied in the same song – I know there is a day all my pain will go away/ So then I party away.”

MohBad is likely looking down on us from Rock n Roll heaven and smiling with a spliff in his hand as he parties away while we work ourselves into a frenzy because all that  pain has finally gone away.

 

@Lagosreview

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Laffmattazz: Lagos 3rd Coming Features Star-Studded Lineup with Dbanj Gandoki, Akpororo, Taooma, Seriki Dariya, others

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Laffmattazz: Lagos 3rd Coming Features Star-Studded Lineup with Dbanj Gandoki, Akpororo, Taooma, Seriki Dariya, others

 

Legendary comedian Gbenga Adeyinka is set to host the much-anticipated third edition of his comedy show, Laffmattazz: Lagos 3rd Coming on November 17, 2024. The event will take place at the prestigious Balmoral Convention Center, Victoria Island, Lagos, promising an unforgettable night of laughter and entertainment.

The lineup features a mix of iconic comedians and musicians, including Omobaba No.1, Gandoki, Dr. Smile, Bash, Queen Salawa Abeni, Reminisce, and a host of surprise acts, with D’Banj headlining the show.

Gbenga Adeyinka remarked, “Laffmattazz: Lagos 3rd Coming will be the biggest comedy show of the year! We’ve curated an incredible roster of iconic headliners, and I’m excited to bring this level of entertainment to Lagos.”

Laffmattazz has cemented its place as a leading comedy brand, showcasing Nigeria’s finest comedic talent. This year’s event is poised to outdo its predecessors, featuring performances from Akpororo, Forever, Seriki Dariya, Princephelar, Dee One, Taooma, Baba Alariya, Madiba of Comedy, ATM, and more.

The night will also include musical performances by Tee Famous, The Countryman, Dami Cruz, and others, with DJ Wiki spinning on the decks.

Event Details:
– Date: Sunday, November 17, 2024
– Time: Red Carpet (3:00 PM), Show Start (5:00 PM)
– Venue: Balmoral Convention Center, Victoria Island, Lagos

Ticket Information:
– Regular: ₦7,000
– VIP: ₦20,000
– Table of 8 Gold: ₦1.5 million
– Table of 8 Platinum: ₦3 million

Purchase Tickets at:
1. Ile Iyan by PODs, GRA Ikeja
2. Ofada Boy, Surulere
3. Prince Ebeano Supermarket, Lekki

Online Tickets Available at:
1. Ariiyatickets.com
2. Grandtickets.ng
3. Laffmattazz.ng

For ticket purchases, sponsorships, inquiries, and collaboration opportunities, please contact: (+234) 08156111111.

Brought to you by: Maltina, Goldberg, Ace Roots, Goldberg Black
Supported by: Parralex Bank, Enclave Green Homes, FIRS, Lagos State Government
Media Partners: African Magic, Royal Roots Cinema, Hip TV, Views Channel, Vybz FM, Ibrand TV, Rapid Broadcasting Network, City FM, Jordan FM, Rainbow FM, Mainland FM, Boom Radio, TVC, Kennis FM, Beat FM
Outdoor Partners: Nimbus Media, FPL Media, Folham, Media Crush, Elev8 Media

Stay updated by following Laffmattazz on social media @laffmattazz_ga1st for the latest news and behind-the-scenes content.

Don’t miss this epic comedy event! Secure your tickets now and join the conversation online using #LaffmattazzLagos3rdComing #GbengaAdeyinka.

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We Must Build A Virile Legislature For The Future, Speaker Obasa Says

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We Must Build A Virile Legislature For The Future, Speaker Obasa Says

 

 

Speaker Mudashiru Obasa of the Lagos State House of Assembly, on Sunday, counselled members of the House to strengthen the legislative arm of government ahead of the future.

Dr. Obasa gave the advice in Abeokuta, Ogun State at the opening of a three-day budget retreat for lawmakers and staff of the House with the theme: ‘Optimising the legislature’s power of the Purse’ for effective service delivery in Lagos State’.

The Speaker challenged the lawmakers to be committed in their legislative duties as they must leave lasting legacies for the future, strengthen governance, responsibility and accountability.

He charged the lawmakers on improved and effective legislative oversight functions being one of the responsibilities of the legislature.

“What we do now is really not about us; it is for the totality of the system.

“I appreciate this budget retreat. Each one of us must be responsible in carrying out the assignments we are tasked with. This is very essential.

“We carry out budget scrutiny based on what is presented by the executive. Once we give a go-ahead, it means the executive must comply and treat it accordingly because it has become a law.

“Going forward, all the reports of each committee must be presented at the floor of the House. This will help us decide on how to act for the sake of transparency and accountability,” the Speaker said.

He advised the lawmakers against docility in the task of ensuring that Lagos continues to weather economic storms.

“We all have roles to play and, in doing that, sentiments and self-benefits must be removed. The day you start with self-benefit, you have become a failure.

“If you do your job the way you should do it, you will earn your respect and will be held in high esteem by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

“We are here today again to look at how we can improve on the laws we make at the House of Assembly as well as our oversight functions.

‘Let’s continue to be dedicated and loyal and I am sure we will get there. Let’s always straighten the path for Lagosians and those coming behind us,” he urged.

In his opening remark, the Clerk and Head of Service of the House, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko, described the retreat as an avenue to have insights into the state’s budget.

While commending the Speaker, he urged the participants to “be attentive and take home fresh ideas and knowledge.”

 

We Must Build A Virile Legislature For The Future, Speaker Obasa Says

Eromosele Ebhomele
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

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Bridging the Gap, Dr Anthony Aduro’s Vision for World-Class Healthcare in Nigeria”

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Bridging the Gap, Dr Anthony Aduro’s Vision for World-Class Healthcare in Nigeria”

In a nation grappling with an ailing healthcare system, Dr. Anthony Aduro, a dedicated healthcare practitioner and CEO of Aduro Foundation, is emerging as a beacon of hope. Driven by a deep-seated passion for improving the lives of his fellow Nigerians, Aduro is spearheading a transformative approach to healthcare in Nigeria.
In a media chat the CEO noted that the Nigerian healthcare system is a mess, urging the government to
invest in healthcare infrastructure and partner with private sectors.
As a healthcare professional, Aduro explained that he witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by patients in accessing quality care, noting that the lack of adequate infrastructure, limited resources, and the prevailing apathy towards healthcare among government officials fueled his determination to make a difference.
He said: “The state of healthcare system in Nigeria is saddening, about 80 percent of Nigerians
use the general hospitals where you sometimes go and see patients sharing bed space, some of them not properly equipped.
“That is why I have a lot of interest in the healthcare system in Nigeria, and I’m putting in efforts to develop something where we can have an impact that if other people see, they can actually assist in building the health sector of the country.”
Speaking on some of his significant milestones in the healthcare of Nigeria, he said: “During the #EndSARS protest, my home town was affected. The healthcare centre there was demolished, and I reached out to the local government chairman, and they took me there. So, I rebuilt it, and equipped it, and I told them that it should be for the community. I thank God, a lot of things are going on there, it’s like a mustard seed; something that is small, but it will still grow and I still intend to build more health centres so that a lot of people, especially the low income earners will benefit from it.”
He disclosed plans to facilitate medical outreach in underserved communities in Okitipupa, Ondo state, where he hails from and also employ manpower to drive the growth of the healthcare sector.
In light of the above, the healthcare practitioner outlined strategies to revamp Nigeria’s
healthcare, including partnership with the private healthcare sector; Creating insurance systems for low-income earners; Investing in healthcare infrastructure; Telemedicine solutions.
“Telemedicine is one of my areas of research. Telemedicine is where you can still have the doctors and nurses in the US, and they can still treat you here,’’ Dr. Aduro explained.
Speaking on some of his philanthropic activities, he stated “I believe so much in a clean environment. When the environment is clean and you have some clean water, you are solving some problem that you don’t even know is there.”
Aduro explained that he has drilled a solar powered clean borehole water in seven villages including Okitipupa, Oloto, Ilumeje in Ondo State, noting that his core objective is to set a pace that others can emulate, and create employment opportunities.
“I was there at the commissioning of the town hall that I built and that was where one of the community members proposed to donate books for the students. That was the time I promised them that I’m going to build a library for them, and today, I opened the library and it cost N150 million. The library is an ultra modern one, powered by solar energy,” the healthcare practitioner noted.
Aduro believes that giving back doesn’t have to be monetary, stressing the need to create lasting impacts through job opportunities and infrastructure development.
The CEO noted that the Aduro Foundation was established to transform life through community empowerment, and creating opportunities. He noted that the core objective of the foundation is just to give back to, and have an impact on the community.
“You have to be creative when you want to give back to the community. It doesn’t have to be money, rather let it be something that will create a lasting impact. For example, if you create job opportunities, where you employ people, they will take care of others which gives ride to multiple effects. Giving back to the community entails making sure that something which will positively impact their lives is happening and it is continuous. It will not be one-off,’’ the CEO noted.
Speaking on his farm project, Aduro Farm, he explained that he got the idea while thinking of a way to reduce unemployment in Nigeria and boost sustainability.
He said: “It is just like creating an opportunity economy for people to get employed, and some people will have the opportunity to trade and do businesses with it. It is a highly mechanised farm, and there are staff working there. There are close to 60 people working there.
“We’re building a large piggery farm right now. We have a poultry pen that will take about 20, 000 layers. We have a fish outdoor pond that will probably take up to half a million fishes, we have about 15 people working there. And then you see people doing business, for instance we have egg sellers coming to buy eggs and resell them,’’ he added.
Dr. Aduro’s philanthropic endeavours are driven by a belief in the power of community-based solutions. He emphasises the importance of creating lasting impact through initiatives that empower individuals and communities. By providing access to healthcare, clean water, and economic opportunities, Aduro’s foundation is helping to build a more resilient and equitable Nigeria.
The CEO expressed optimism over the future of healthcare in Nigeria. He believes that
with the right investments and a commitment to community-driven solutions, it is
possible to transform the country’s healthcare system and improve the lives of millions
of Nigerians.
On how his upbringing influenced his present personality and values, he said: “My upbringing was very humble. It takes a community to raise a child. I was raised within a community and that influenced me because I love to have people around me. I was surrounded by people while growing up and I saw the knowledge my mother and father impacted on me on how I have to be nice to people. With that at the back of my mind, I grew up within a very large family comprising uncles, aunties, cousins etc while in Okitipupa and that influenced my upbringing, I really respect the communal life, I can never go away from that, and then the influence I saw within the community is what actually brought me to where I am today. Whatever I am doing or what I am trying to do, that community influence will always come into it and I can never forget that community which I grew up from.”

Educational background
“I attended St. John RCM School, it is a Roman Catholic school that time. I later moved to Joala, where my father was working then. I later moved Saint Columbus RCM School. After graduating from there, I think that should be around 1975 or 1974 or thereabout, I then moved to Modern School, from there to Local Authority Modern School at Okitipupa for three years, after that I went to Government Secondary School, Idanre.
“During that time, things were tough for me. I think the secondary school fees that time was less than N500 per year but it was a tough thing to pay but my parents tried. My mother had to sell her propperties put things together for myself and my siblings to go through secondary school. After my secondary school, I go admission to read anthropology in Maiduguri and I really did not like it because I have interest in health.
“I was actually thinking that I should be a doctor, which was my dream, because if I am a doctor I will be able to give something back to the society; I would be able to take care of other things at home but it did not walk out that way. I went to a technical school, it is more of an engineering school that time but it was a private school. I was there for one year but things were not going like I wanted it.
Going to India
:The purpose of my travelling to India was for education. It was hard in India, very tough, I left Nigeria with $100 that time. During that time, you can only take $100 out of Nigeria and then but being a strong headed person, I went through a lot of things in India. When I got to India, it became so difficult even that $100 was stolen from me because we were placed in a dormitory, like an hostel. We were like 16 of us in the hostel. Before I could register, the money was gone. But I thank God, I went to a church and I told them what happened to me because my passport was stolen also. Then a church community in India, though they are Hindus. The church community gave all they could, their offerings, everything like that, they gave it to me. Till now, that thing never left my memory because when people come together to give you a purpose for life, it will ever stay there.
“That is how I started. I went to Nigerian embassy, I got a little money, I was able to register for college because didn’t register for the university in Belgrade and I couldn’t go to medical school there. I have to go to a Business school. So I got myself into commerce and then I moved to the central part of India, that is Mapal, where I graduated with a Bachelor degree in Commerce and Accounting after which I did Master’s degree in Business and Commerce. But health was still very much in my head.

Why I moved to Kenya
I moved to Kenya for educational purpose. That was where I thought I can survive. there was no job, so we were looking for a best way to survive. I am very entrepreneurial. I have a lot of Kenyan friends when I was in India and from there I knew what was going on there. They are so much involved in coffee and tea export and I got into horticultural export in Kenya. My wife is a Kenyan. I went there to see if I could see a better opportunity rather than going into a main stream employment, maybe I could actually create employment, that was why I set up the horticultural export in Kenya. I did it for a while, exporting to France, UK and Italy. It was very competitive then because I was competing with Indians. Indians were exporters and importers, I didn’t make much in Kenya at all. It was tough.

My sojourn to USA
Things were becoming so difficult, the competition was very high, I love to be in competition but it was very higher for me. The Kenyans and Indians dominated the economy and for you to be able to be successful you have to go through them. The Kenyans and Indians fixed the prices for everything, prices that you are going to use to export and that is only price you’re going to use to export unless you have other means of getting your own deal from London or France or so.
When it was becoming so difficult I just have to move on and I said I would be focused on my dream. It was not because of education that I moved to US, I moved because I was looking for a better opportunity. So when I got to the US I have to start from scratch, that is what a lot of people don’t know. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are coming from or something like that, America will humble you, whether you have Ph.D or whatever you have, you’ll start from the scratch.

The American dream
“The American dream is always there, if you open your eyes, if you are determined, then you are very committed to what you are doing, straight forward, you’ll make it. You can be who you want to be and that is what is there. So,m I got into US and then started working in the healthcare sector. I was employed just like a programme kind of something, to co ordinate programmes within the health sector. “I was in finance, I had a Master’s degree in Finance from India but when you can coordinate programme, it doesn’t mean you are practising. You coordinate programme like the finance part of it, although that is in the heath sector. Then I have to start changing my ways. That was when I developed interest in how the health system works, like how to take care of aged and disabled people, people with disabilities, like autism, various types of disabilities. It is a different sector of health care system that actually focuses on human not on symptoms or treatment. It focuses on you and your health outcome. So healthcare is a big field where you have the physician and co.
“So I got into that and I started developing, I was actually growing in the heath sector. I became the residential manager for healthcare system which was Anthony Wince Services in Texas, Houston then after working in Houston about two years, I moved to Forthwin, Indiana through one pastor from Zambia. We got talking and he said “if you are in this sector, you can get something better in Forthwin in Indiana.” And he spoke with a friend of mine from South Africa. He spoke to Anthony Wince Services. It is one of the biggest health care providers for people with age and disabilities. That was in year 2001. That time I was made a programme coordinator for a sector of heath care, that is residential service of people with disabilities.
“That was what led me into the healthcare education. I moved from there and then I also have a doctorate degree in health care from World University in Minnesota. I grew up and I saw what I was doing there, I have to set up my own. I grew up to the policy level when we started doing policy for Anthony Wince Services now called Benchmark and from there I kind of broke out and started my own called Medị-link. That was the very first aspect of it, it is the first amputatery kind of services that deal with the people leaving with disabilities. I was able to talk to the state of Indiana that I have a better policy on healthcare sector and I was told to bring a proposal.
“That was why I was saying that your dream is possible, the American dream, if you are focused but the idea is that you have to be humble, because whatever the case, you are going to start from zero. It doesn’t matter what and how you are and then. I put my proposal together and it was approved. I started my own healthcare operation system in 2013

Have you been intimidated or were you affected by racism which is usually in practice?
“First of all, I don’t feel intimidated. I remembered one time in 2003 when I was a programme coordinator for Benchmark and we would go for healthcare. the entire hall would be filled and I would be the only black person there. Racism is something that cannot be taken away but you can actually create an opportunity from racism. That is what led me to where I am today, when you use that kind of negativity to create a positive thing for yourself. When you are able to modify the thinking and make use of the best of racism.

Any particular incident when you were in the US Healthcare sector, you were subjected to any form of racism before?
“It is like an unmentioned racism, it is something that you feel and know. There were a couple of times that, I think 2005/2006, I was supposed to be a programme director of a major programme for the healthcare system, we were five of us that were there and I was the most qualified when it comes to that aspect but things moved here and there but I am very grateful for the organisation.
“Everything I am able to build up on my own, it is because of that issue of racism. I won’t say it is a big issue but it has always been there, you’ll feel it. You know, the position you are supposed to get, you’ll probably not get them. There are so many people that I have trained that they will put on top of me. “Those are areas that I told myself that there must be opportunity in this thing. If I can train this person to be in this position, I can actually step out and create opportunities for myself
Regardless of who you are or the colour you are, you can achieve the American dream. It might be difficult but you can always achieve it.”

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