You could see the concern on their faces. My family was used to seeing artists by the roadside, trying to sell portraits of celebrities and politicians to passers-by. I had taken an interest in art, and they were afraid for my future.  “Artists find it hard to “make it” in Nigeria, you may want to consider being an architect. At...

My daughter Beulah was born with a congenital limb deformity.  In the first few years after we had her, I was devastated. She was to be amputated at 27 months old, and I cried every day non-stop for those 27 months.  I had too many questions; why is this happening to me? What is going on here? Who did I...

I can remember, my mom would trek long distances to fetch clean water for me and my eight siblings. This wasn’t our reality alone, it was for a lot of people in the community. My community had a lot of impoverished families. We had no access to basic health services and quality education. Growing up here meant your life wouldn’t...

I loved watching my dad dress in his robe, and a wig on his head. As a child, he was my first introduction to what a lawyer looked like and what the justice system was. I grew up to dislike any form of partiality and unfairness. It never sat down well with me. In class, it was almost certain I...

Alhaja gave me the name Abimbola which means born with riches. “I come from a bloodline of very strong, selfless women”. I have worn many hats in the course of my life, but this one describes me the most. My great-grandmother lived for it, my grandmother (Alhaja) lived for it, and my mom also. Alhaja taught me what it meant...

I remember telling my parents I was not going to be a missionary.  My dad, displeased with what he was hearing, said to me “we will see about that”. My mom, however, asked me one day “David, do you know you are a missionary?” I said, “No, I am not a missionary, I am a changemaker”. Then she retorts, “What...

My journey into the world of mental health is a deeply personal one, filled with experiences that have shaped my passion for helping others navigate the complexities of their own mind. In 2017, just six months after giving birth to my first child, I found myself plunged into the depths of postpartum depression. It was a bewildering and challenging time...

Many years ago, my father came to Kaduna as an Almajiri child. The odds were stacked against him, there was no way he wouldn’t live all his life on the streets. Unlike many of his peers, he was able to ultimately craft a life for himself and start a family. This story is not about my father, but of the...

I have always been interested in computers.  Curious and fascinated by it since when I was in primary school, so much so that anytime I saw an adult opening a laptop or sitting by a desktop, I’d eagerly go and stand beside them. I would observe what they did, and soon, I began to recreate what I saw them do. ...

I knew these days would come.  I saw it, what I didn’t see was how fast they were going to come.  As a young man who only had a dream, I started a global nonprofit, Church on the Streets, with about five thousand naira (which is less than eleven dollars) and this is how it all began. In my childhood...

If I build a model that can predict the rate of unemployment in Nigeria, and recommend interventions to bridge the gap, for instance between now and 2030, what would it mean for policymakers? I always think of the last man. In my work, there is a sense of responsibility that tallies with my own life’s purpose, in that in whatever...

The slums are a beautiful place to live in. Not so beautiful when you look at the living conditions, yes, but you find the beauty in community; how the people love each other, how no one is a stranger and how kids play football on the streets, for example. Growing up in this community gave us as kids a chance...