Spent all of yesterday in Okokomaiko, the town that made me; with siblings, friends, and early mentors: those who were kind enough to pass me used clothes; those who gave me my first taste of marijuana; the one who taught me the basics of Hausa; the one who ‘borrowed’ me my first ‘fire line’; the ones who taught me the ways of the streets.
Went inside the home I was raised, the primary school that shaped me; I even stepped on ‘Pako’ – the wooden bridge connecting Seriki street with Alaba International market where I would often volunteer as a payment collector.
It was meant to be another sad day, having to bury the second family member in three weeks. And it was, in many ways. But it was also a really happy one, because of the memories we brought back; the new ones we made. Because going back home, to where it all began – where I got education, where I first found literature, where I first fell in love with music and the arts; where I found myself and learnt everything that got me here – was a much needed sermon no preacher could have delivered.
I’m a very ambitious young man. And I’ve been in a hurry to get so much done and do my bit since I was 16. I’m not quite there yet and the past few years have been excruciatingly tough. But we often don’t realize how lucky we are; how far we’ve come; how much we’ve grown and achieved until we step out of all the chaos and just play back all the tapes from day one. I did yesterday and found out how lucky and blessed I’ve been, how much I’ve packed into a career that started in 1998, and how much Okokomaiko, Aganju Aka Primary School, FOA, Awori College, The Ayeni family and so many friends and helpers helped me get here.
Just wanted to say I’m grateful. I pray God gives me the Grace to finish strong, the Grace to pay back, and to pay it forward in full measure. It is possible. ATG
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