(Part 1/2) I’m an actor and a voluntary teacher. I also keep people healthy. Let me tell you my story.

 

In 2001, I was part of a child to child network in secondary school. We contributed our pocket monies to make sure students in public schools had enough school materials. So, I would say my giving spirit started then.

 

In the university, I joined the Orphanage Support Team of Covenant University’s Project One Million Souls started by Reginald Bassey. We visited and worked with Orphanages in Lagos State (and around Ogun State). The philanthropist in me matured.

 

In 2009, I joined Hauwa Abass Hadejia of Silver Lining for the Needy Initiative (SLNI) to refurbish an orphanage in Maitama, Abuja. We got funds for a bus to take kids to school. 

I simply continued along the line of philanthropy and in 2011, I registered ADANSONIA Foundation for arts, education, agriculture and peace keeping in Nigeria, to focus on sustainable development. 

 

In the midst of all these initiatives, I made mistakes. In 2008, I went for NYSC. From that point until 2011, my life revolved around PLAY Lounge in Abuja. I would go for Lapooza Night on Wednesday, then on Thursday, I would go for BYOB while Friday was the normal Club Night. On Saturday, I would also go to the club. I never went to church on Sundays. I didn’t care about church. I was like, “Yeah, God created me but what does he want from me again?” So, I was just living my life. Sometimes, I would even go to the club on Sunday for Tequila Night and stay there until 12 midnight then go to work on Monday morning. I was just 19 at the time. 

 

All the same, because I had learnt how to live the giving life and it was an innate part of me, I had some seed of Jesus in me that was just not very clear. 

 

(Part 2/2) In 2011, I had an encounter after I went to the club. My friends and I had a road accident but I came out unscathed. God kept me but I took it for granted. Then the next day which was a Saturday, I had another accident and this time, it was inside my house. I fell in the bathroom and hit my head. Before then, Akah Nnani kept inviting me to his church, but I never agreed to go; I wasn’t interested. After my accident in the bathroom, I called up Akah and asked him about church. 

 

I went for the service and the Pastor talked as if he was reading my life as a script. That was how I joined the church and the choir. I started allowing God to run my life. Prior to that, I had been changing jobs – 3 months, 2 months and I’m out. I would sit at home feeding on the past salary that I had. I wasn’t stable at all.

 

In 2014, I just handed everything over to God and told him he should handle everything, because I didn’t know what to do. In 2013, I was working with a consulting firm, and in the same year I started the ‘Read to Succeed Project’ which I franchised in 2015 under the umbrella of ADANSONIA Foundation in Lagos. Read to Succeed kept me going because it was a CSR project and I believed that God was in full support. 

 

I came to Lagos in 2014 to study acting at Royal Arts Academy and for 2 years I didn’t get a job. I got my first proper job on TV in December 2016. Previously, I had lived my life how I wanted it and when I allowed Jesus to take over, he gave me my first major job.

 

I applied to join the Global Shapers Community of the World Economic Forum, and in 2016 I became a World Economic Forum Global Shaper. My voice is about to be heard by World Leaders just as promised in Proverbs 22:29. Through ‘Read To Succeed’ and other projects that are coming up, I’m sure Nigeria will be a better place. My aim is to make sure that I train futute leaders to be leaders who will then train other future leaders for a better Nigeria.