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Street Skills
By Felix | March 6, 2008
For a couple of months now, even before I started this blog, I had been nursing the idea of starting a network or should I call it an initiative to get boys of the streets, but I didn’t know how to go about it, but sometime this year I met with someone (Praise) who had started such an initiative, but in a different line and has been able to sustain it for a couple of years now.
For the past 2weeks, I have been meeting with a couple of my friends who are still on the streets and sampling opinions on this, surprisingly, some of them are willing and ready to leave the streets, but they think there is nothing else out there for them and that I was just lucky to strike gold when I left. This didn’t come as a surprise to me, because they had forgotten in a hurry the days of my little beginnings, when I used to come out with so much enthusiasm to ask them to join a network then that had something to do with a bank, and funny thing was each time I got a new person I earned just N50. When I think about it now, I wonder why I believed so much that LITTLE DROPS OF WATER WILL SOMEDAY MAKE AN OCEAN, anyway I drove it with so much enthusiasm then and yes I received some responses and sometimes I got a few slaps of disappointment, but this wasn’t enough to deter me from my GOAL of making N500,000 back then. Some of you must have heard of First Inland Bank’s flashmecash Sapphire flash club, that was the program.
No, I didn’t meet the mark of the five hundred grand, I didn’t even go close to it, but I learnt a few things that took me to the heights I have attained today, something that I couldn’t have been taught in school. I learnt how to market and also the Power of Network Marketing. I am sure some of you will cringe at those words (Network Marketing). But really it goes beyond referral programs, I guess that will be a topic for another day, let’s get back to the juice of the day.
On Saturday 8th of March 2008, will be the beginning of the journey into my desire to get boys like myself to tap into their God given talents and potentials and stir it into positive directions. I look forward to this day but as I write, I am not very sure of the things I am going to say that will make them thread the path I chose last year, but what keeps me going is the DESIRE to achieve this feat. The Program is tagged Using Street Skills TO Make Money Legitimately!
I have invited notable speakers, the likes of Adeolu Akinyemi, Emma Utomi and Praise Fowowe. I will be on the spotlight to make some sense to these guys who have believed for a while now, that the only way to make good money in Nigeria is through fraud. I used to be in that school of thought myself until I tried otherwise, and funny enough it took more than twice the effort to earn it illegitimately that it took to earn legit, yes you heard me right, it is easier to do it legit and maybe for me or I have better explanation. It’s because I had some good street skills that I applied in a positive direction and it worked out smoothly.
Come Saturday, this skills that I used, that this same boys possess already, is what I will be teaching them on how to apply in a legit way to make it big and yes in Nigeria. There are so many opportunities to make money in this country and sometimes it baffles me when people say they are leaving for greener pastures elsewhere… let’s not going to that again before I start speaking patriotism again… (lol).
I left the streets sometime in February last year, it’s been about 1yr and a month now and under the watchful eyes of my mentor Adeolu Akinyemi, he has taken me on a path of self discovery and also helped to unleash the potentials that were deposited in me. I remember sometime last year a couple of months of being with him when he told me, we were going to launch out on a massive crusade in the near future and that I was the perfect person for the job, as he wouldn’t be able to send the message out as I will, for obvious reasons… I had been through it so I know what it feels like.
I didn’t understand why he felt he wasn’t the man for the job, when without meeting him face to face, he was able to unknowingly take me through making one of the most important decisions in my life. Anyway, when I look back now I realize that his part of the job is done and it’s time for me to answer to my calling. I know it’s not going to be an easy ride all the way, but I know with eyes like yours watching the progress of the network, contributing and criticizing on this blog when its looks like I am about to go astray, we’ll not only make a statement, but we would have succeeded in lighting a few candles who would light others up too.
I bring the full details of how the turn out of the meeting goes and possible open a forum where we can all contribute to its growth.
At this point I will like to share a story…
A writer went to the open seas to meditate. He was out to see something that could free him from his writer’s block, and get the pages rolling. He had made a commitment with himself to show up at this beach everyday for the next 3 days. On the very first day everything seemed pretty normal, until precisely 2pm in the afternoon. A certain young man approached the waters, bent down, picked something up, ran forward and swung his arm towards the waves. He kept running back and forth each time repeating the same sequence; bent down, picked something up, ran forward and swung his arm towards the waves. The writer did not make much of it, he gathered his thoughts together, and later left.
The writer was back by the beach again the next morning, everything seemed pretty normal, until by 2pm again, this certain young man came again and resumed his dance, or what looked from afar like a dance. Out of curiosity, this writer decided to approach him. On getting closer, he discovered that rather than a dance, this man was doing something really strange. As the waves came in and returned to the sea, they carried millions of seashells with them. These small creatures if not returned to the water immediately would get scorched by the sun and die. The writer watched, after what seemed like eternity had passed, and bewildered by this apparent lunacy, he decided to ask the ‘dancer’ a question. “There are millions of seashells on the shore, by picking them one by one for an hour; do you think you can make a difference?” The ‘dancer’, without hesitating in his strides or discontinuing his work, ran back towards the shore, picked up a seashell, ran towards the water and swung the seashell towards the waves. As it landed in the water he smiled and replied, it sure makes a lot of difference to that one! The writer was deeply touched and joined the routine.
Moral of the story is simple, my reaching to boys on the Streets, might not be able to affect Nigeria immediately, but to the few that will take that bold step, I would have made all the difference in the world.
Peace N a Fist!
Topics: Streets Skills, choice |
March 6th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Great post Felix.
We can all make a difference one at a time.
You are trully a difference maker.
Bookmarked your blog
March 6th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Adeolu, is a very intelligent man, that has seen the potential in you long before u have, and i thank God u have mentors such as he.. I know that u will be a very successful man in what ever you do, you have this gift of starting fires underneith those that dont want to move. Good luck sweets, i truly believe u are the start of a revolution in Africa, with many looking to u as their mentor, as u have with Adeolu, keep up the great work n please stay safe.. be well pray often n love always xxx hagd all
March 6th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
grt one bro. so great to be ur friend and partner at whatever you plan to do. It is time to begin to repossess the lands the devil has stolen from us and can’t wait to be used to redirect these our brodas
great work felix. i love you and u know it
praise
March 7th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
There is a theory that if you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end. Felix you are doing that,so dont lose hope cos your efforts would definately make a great impact.
March 10th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
keep up d good work, its d end that justifies the means.
March 10th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Its is not wrong to share goodness and wonder with the rest of d world..it becomes wrong only when u let ur weakness take u from ur faith in humanity,ur passion 4discovering n sharing dreams..Then u shall bi found guilty as charged..
1
March 12th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
God bless you
March 12th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
This is indeed touching,yet motivating that we could have people such as Felix serving as a springboard for others to change from OLD WAYS-You know Na!I was at the programme and so thrilled i was,and sort of motivated to recruit boys from the street(that is my job) for the success of this project.Oga Felix, well done oo.God go oil ur effort.
March 13th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
U are an agent that will lead lots of youth to the promise land, going through your site leaves me with graet excitement and hope that the future holds great potentials.I am glad to have known you.Keep it up,one love borda.
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 pm
hello felix..
good evning to you and hope you are aiight,well i was outside of a cafe thinking of how to make a legit money in nigeria.coz am a dancer by profession and in nigeria as you know they don’t recognise dance as a whole.i want you to know that thinking brings so many things in you and makes you feel as if it’s the end of the world.i want you to know that am tired of sitting at home when i have something that people abroad uses as their daily bread day by day over there.i read your biography on this site and i found it touching to me,and a message to street guys like us.and it’s time i move to the nextlevel and achiving what i want to become in future.coz time waits for nobody in life.felix i would want you to tell me what you want me to do on the aspect of my dancing, or any order thing that will be useful to me in the nearest future that i can adapt to.i really appreciate you so much and please stay kool as am waiting for reply as to know what to do.takia of yourself bye.