Lafup has got IT! This is an exclusive story and it's amazing too!

WARNING-Forgive the essay below as this interview comes with a lot of history from my perspective, but there are loads of hilarious pictures to make up for it! Lafup, please forgive me for some of these pictures! he he. Let the essay begin.

If you are following @that20sblog on Instagram, you would have seen my campaign to be Lafup's "deputy governor"(you can "shek it out" here). Lafup is having his annual comedy show on the 26th of December at Jogor Centre, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, and in true fashion of a socially aware entertainer, the publicity campaign for this year's show centers around him contesting for an election on the 26th and YOU get to vote for him by buying a ticket and attending the show!

I expect you to know Lafup, but in case you don't, just accept that he is one of the most talented entertainers in Nigeria today. He is a comedian, MC, businessman, actor and so much more. This story is so important to me because of our upcoming #vlogpost (anticipate it) and also because I watched Lafup happen right before my eyes at the Arts theatre University of Ibadan (U.I), and at the U.I choir concerts he used to compere, and suddenly (actually not so suddenly) Lafup is hosting TV shows and has built a solid brand.

There are a few things I admire about Lafup but there are two things I want us to pick from his story today, but before we do that, let me just say that the reason why I do this blog is to encourage you and encourage me too,lol, because sometimes the road to discovery could be tortuous, and its even worse when you feel you are walking alone. You are never alone dear friend, I can assure you... Anyway, before I go all preachy on you, where was I? Yes, the two things we need to learn from Lafup. We need to learn how to be daring and tenacious and both are very difficult things to do.

I knew Lafup way back in 2008 from his "Efrebor" shows in U.I, and from a distance, I could observe that this was someone who knew what he was good at, and his attitude was like "this art, this comedy, this entertainment, I will do it! This hustle must work! There is no alternative and there will be no alternative! This is what I want to do and I will do it!"

I was at this show, I even remember what I wore, because it was an opportunity for a fresher to turn up! lol. 2008!

And he succeeded in bringing Ali Baba!

Tell me what Google is making you see. Is this an issue?

I was doing a Google search on a Nigerian I intend to feature in the "Our Heroes in Their 20s" segment of this blog, but as is characteristic of Google, I was attracted to something else. I noticed a trend in Google's suggestions for my search and I thought to share with you. Read the comments underneath the pictures and tell me if you see what I see or if I'm being slightly paranoid!

20s Diaries Post- The 20s Guide to STOP Famzing

Let me paint a picture real quick... So you get invited to a party, and you decide to get a friend of yours to tag along. The two of you get to the party and for some reason, your friend is able to make friends with all your other friends and even people you don't know. Your friend is having an amazing time and you are just there, enduring the party! This is definitely how you will look, lol.

When it's at a party, the effect of your friend being able to network properly and you not being able to do the same is not really a big deal, but when you have the opportunity to meet people who could probably change your life (yes, I'm being dramatic) but you are unable to say a few sentences, then it might become an issue.

For many people, the problem is that networking appears to be sucking up or what is commonly known as famzing and it doesn't seem very genuine...well, we are here to dispel that notion. If you do it right, networking has the potential to be that extra spice you need to get you going.

Enjoy our video and please share your views on famzing... sorry I meant networking! 

Aminu Jahun has got "IT"

I met Aminu first on Facebook (the things social media will do) and then I bumped into him at the train station, and luckily, we were going to the same place, so we got talking. Aminu and I had a conversation for about an hour and I was totally inspired. In order to understand what I mean you really need to read his interview. Aminu is a medical doctor who just bagged a masters in immunology from Oxford, and is currently doing a PHD at Cambridge, aimed at basically finding out how to cure diseases (it is way more technical than that!)

From reading Aminu's story, you will see that not everywhere in Nigeria is terrible and not every young person lacks passion for the country! When he told me that the government hospital in Jigawa provided free food for patients and paid a fantastic salary to its doctors, I was shocked, because that couldn't be reconciled with my reality! Aminu spoke so passionately about returning to Nigeria after his PHD  to start a world class lab and find cures for diseases. You could feel the pain when he explained to me that finding a cure for Ebola and other diseases was not something Nigeria couldn't do, but the lack of skilled persons and equipment was the constraint. I was so ashamed of myself when I got off the train because after deep soul searching I wasn't sure I had a grand plan to to improve my country.

We celebrate entrepreneurs, intellectual, artists and all those who have Innovative plans that will surely make them Thrive. I think you will be inspired by Aminu's story.

20's diaries post- You Have to Sell Spare Parts!

If you have been following this blog, you would have seen a post about a young lady called Grace (see here). Well, this 20's diaries session addresses that pride that some millennials seem to have. Some of us have a sense of entitlement and we feel that once we are done with school, life should just align. Newsflash! It doesn't happen that way all the time. Sometimes, you may have to take detours or you may have to start very small before you can achieve your goal.
Today we are not pampering yhall in this video. We are talking to those who want to work in Chevron and nowhere else. We are talking to those who are sitting about complaining because no one is willing to invest 10 million Naira into their start-up, and we are also talking to those whose only strategy for raising capital is by hoping to win Miss fine face competition (sorry, I couldn't resist taking a pass at that). However, if you have realized that there is no shame in starting small, you can still watch the video to get a kick out of it and also to remind yourself that a small beginning is not necessarily a bad beginning!

Your heroes in their twenties- Arnold Schwarzenegger (video at the bottom)

He was quite the looker in his days oh

Be rest assured, I cannot spell Schwarzenegger. It was very politely copied and pasted everywhere you see it in this post, so I think it will be easier to refer to him as the Terminator.  I won't bore you with too many details about him, rather, I will go straight to the facts. Terminator was born in 1947, probably many decades before you or even possibly your parents became an idea, but his story is inspiring and relevant even now.

The Terminator had a plan early on and he started weight training at the age of 15. He was not one of us who just chilled till they got into their 20s and discovered that they needed to do something with themselves, (touche) because by the age of 20, he had won Mr Universe and he won it three more times. Do I need to explain the hours of training and dedication that got him this body? I think not. 

Sorry to assault your eyes, focus on the message!

The terminator is actually of Austrian descent and when he moved to the USA, he could not speak English. What fascinates me about his story is how a young Austrian body builder could dare to captivate the heart of many around the world as an actor and then turn out to become the governor of California. This man has absolutely no chill!

I saw a video about him which made me write this post, and I encourage you to watch it. I discovered that the key to his continued success is his mindset. Without sounding "Obamaic" the Terminator felt that he could be anything he chose to be and he gave it a shot. Paulo Coelho would say that the universe then conspired to give him his innermost desires. When he started his journey, I doubt if he knew where he would end up, but i think that's what makes the journey even more interesting. Please watch this video and if you don't get goose pimples from listening to what he says, then... you are very strong indeed.

Some things are beneath me.

Some things are beneath me. I just can’t imagine how anyone in their right senses can suggest silly things, lace such suggestions with insults and deliver them so boldly. The blame for the insult I received should be on me though, because if I had respected myself by staying in my house instead of visiting Tayo, I would not have received any insult from her mother. Tayo’s mum has absolutely no idea about what I need, what I deserve and what I’m going through. Her unsolicited advice and insult today was completely unwarranted.

If anyone told me that after university, I would not get a job immediately, I would have called that person an enemy of progress.  With a strong 2:1 and a prize upon graduation from a leading university in Nigeria, a sense of humour that would put Trevor Noah to shame, work ethics that can make ants feel inadequate, all within a very attractive and highly fashionable (yes, I dare to say so) package; the plan in my head was that I would have at least three job offers upon graduation, from oil companies and investment banks and I would simply choose the highest bidder.

Banke Fasominu has got "IT"

I knew Banke in the University of Ibadan. She was a fine undergraduate babe, living the normal undergraduate life, or so I thought. Banke branched out from being just an economics student to becoming an entrepreneur. I remember when she handled the make up for a particular photo shoot, I couldn't help but notice that she was very professional and she knew exactly what she was doing. Since then, I have been using "side eyes" to monitor her, because I was so sure that she would succeed because of her immense drive.

On the 25th of October, 2014, Banke shared a post on Facebook about her journey and the journey of her brand "Oludidit" and her story is very inspirational. Her business now incorporates interior design with such a unique African flavour. It is obvious that her products come from a place of innovation and  I know that Banke has only just begun, because if my suspicions are right, she has many other fantastic things in the offing. 

Banke is young and is making huge demands from life, she is navigating her way through the 20s and is in the process of becoming an even bigger star. She deserves to be celebrated for her courage, and I believe her story is more than enough to encourage you to follow your heart and give life to your innermost dreams. You can follow Banke on Instagram @oludidit and you can check out Oludidit on Faccebook https://www.facebook.com/OludiditStudios. Drum rolls please...

New Segment on the Blog! You've Got "IT"

Innovation to Thrive

Remember when we talked about the orange and the orange juice? If not, you can find that discussion here. We complained about the fact that the process of achieving success is never celebrated while the end result is given too much hype. We also promised to begin to celebrate the process, by looking out for young people in their 20s or early 30s who are doing good stuff, thus we have created a new segment!
This segment is called You've Got "IT" and IT stands for "Innovation to Thrive". We will have a wide array of young people in business, academics, entertainment and all sorts, and hopefully, you will be inspired by their stories and maybe also get IT. The attraction of this segment is that these people who are being featured are NOT finished products, they have not gotten their perfect #surulere picture, but on our 20shonour, we are sure that they are very much on their way there.

Our very first feature is coming up in the next couple of hours and I'm super excited about the young lady you will be introduced to. Also, if you know anyone who has inspired you or whose story is worth sharing, you know we are just an email away!

20's Diaries Post- Millennials and the Proverbial Box.

(This vlog post will resonate more if you read the article here first) 

It is very fulfilling to interact with 20s and find out that they echo the same sentiments I have, because it reinforces my belief that this space is important. Thus far, we have discussed generally about what it means to be at this defining stage of life, but our vlog posts are going to another level next week, where we begin to give life hacks, some of which may not be so easy to swallow- you have been warned!lol.

In this vlog post, I referred to a millennial who I saw perform and who prompted me to do this. His name is Deji and you can check out his song "Trapped" and his website here.

Meet the Millennials.

One of the very first places I heard the word “millennial” was on Richard Quest’s CNN show. On his show, he would ask questions like “how are millennials holiday patterns affecting the tourism industry?” or “how are millennials’ spending habits affecting the online retail market?” My immediate reaction was “this millennial thing has such a cool ring to it, I wonder if I’m within that generation?” Well, luckily I am and I think you most likely are as well. Roughly, millennials are people born between 1980 and 2000 and we are different from anything the world has ever seen. We are so different that our spending patterns, attitude to life and “can do spirit” defies and constantly shocks older generations. Millennials are confident, daring, fast, innovative and technology savvy. We believe that the world is our stage and we deserve to be the star actors. Millennials dare to have dreams of being rich, famous and young all at the same time! We want to define who we want to be, or more appropriately, we want to create who we want to be, and don’t appreciate being confined to a box.

Your heroes in their 20s- Bill Cosby.

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I wrote this a while ago, but with renewed buzz about Bill Cosby's alleged sexual abuse, I wondered if this was inappropriate to share. I have however decided to share anyway, as part of the "Your Heroes in Their Twenties" segment of this blog, (Achebe was the focus for last week and this segment is one of our attempts at celebrating the process rather than the end product. See this post to understand more about that) so here it goes.

I found some interesting facts about Bill Cosby that I want to share with you. His name is synonymous with success, laughter and Hollywood, but I found some details about his younger years that you might never have guessed.

Who cares about the orange? Where is the orange juice?

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As weird as this title sounds, I assure you that this is not a health related post. In fact, its more of an everything-related post. I have been fascinated over the past couple of days with the way we seem to disregard the raw materials and the process of transforming raw materials, but are eager to consume the finished product.

Let me break it down in less esoteric terms. No one celebrates the countless hours spent working in the library, but everyone turns up at the graduation to drink a bottle of coke and eat jollof rice. No one cares about how you felt when your first two businesses crashed, but everyone is eager to interview you about how you made your latest business a success. No one cares about how many years Bill Gates spent writing codes for Microsoft, but everyone cares so very deeply about the billions of dollars he has, and of course who cares about Dangote's history when he is busy making sugar, cement and building factories across Africa?

I am cold and shivering too

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I remember thinking that teenage-hood was the worst time ever! I knew everything, was mature enough to handle anyone but I was still being treated like a child in kindergarten. Life was bursting with the allure of rebellion, the spewing of snide comments, the watching of Mario's dance steps in "How do I breathe" (despite the size of his nostrils, see evidence) and the contemplation of  why Omarion was not the hottest guy in "B2K". 

Little did I know that the clouds of the 20's were gathering and without warning, the tropical rain drops of bills, getting a job, responsibilities of making choices and the social media race to success would fall hard and soak me right through.

20's Diaries Post- Blame it on the Pi-i-i-i-i-i-i-low

Typing out the title of this video involved counting on fingers, to be sure that the right number of "I"s were inserted, so make sure you sing along.

Enjoy the diary session, and don't even try to justify yourself if you know you are guilty. I am guilty to a large extent, but that has got to change and if you like, we can go on the challenge together. 

Your feedback is important to us. Send a mail to thattwentiesblog@gmail.com or tweet @that20sblog.
Enjoy. 

Blame it on the Pi-i-i-i-i-i-i-low (Sentence better if sung *wink*)

Not so innocent
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There is something I am very sure we have done at one point in our lives- snoozing an alarm! There is that moment, usually a split second, when you put the reason why you decided to set the alarm in the first place and the allure of your bed on an imaginary scale of importance, and usually the attractiveness of sleep comes out looking like the American president, and your task like a whiff of smoke.

Keep Calm and Make a List (the puzzle of the 20s)

Unbelievable but true! A bonus episode of #20sdiaries! Watch the video, leave your comments and be duly informed that the next #20sdiaries will involve a pillow!

Achebe was not shouting out to his haters... or the equivalent of that in his days.

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A Young Achebe
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Today let’s look at Chinua Achebe. His name is synonymous with literary prowess, intelligence and many other good things, but do you know how old he was when he published his first book, “Things Fall Apart”? Our dear Prof. Achebe published this literary classic in 1958, and he was born in 1930. It’s time to do the maths. Roughly, depending on the month of publication, Prof. Achebe would have been 27 or 28 years old. Achebe went on to publish “No Longer at Ease” in 1960, “Arrow of God” in 1964,  “A Man of the People” 1966 and “Anthills of the Savannah” in 1987.

This is not in any way implying that if you have not found your niche by the age of 27, you are still on track according to Achebe’s time line.  Rather the message is this- what are you doing to prepare and equip yourself for the task ahead? Achebe was getting an education at the University of Ibadan (whoop whoop!) he was reading Joseph Conrad’s novels and other novels that depicted Africa wrongly, and in 1958 he decided to do something about the perception of Africa by publishing his own side of the story (by the way, books don’t get written in a second).

Achebe searched for and found himself in his twenties. If all you are doing right now is chilling, calling out imaginary haters on Instagram and Facebook, and blaming the government for your woes, I’m sorry to say you may not be on the right track.

First 20's Diaries post. 2 minutes of your online day spent well!

Yes, you are indeed welcome to the very first diary session (of sorts). Don't worry if this one does not have Hollywood or Nollywood effects, just watch it and anticipate the next one.

There is always a message to pass across, and I don't think that has to be done in a boring and unattractive way, so today, the simple message is for you to check out this blog regularly and let this be your daily online time well spent. I can assure you that you will leave smiling and will also have learnt something.

If you went through the post below about  Foluke, I am sure you can relate to it. Time is such a scarce thing, yet we don't recognise when we are using it badly. Imagine if you received a diamond for each hour spent productively, how rich or how poor will you be? Unfortunately I don't think I will be blinging that much, but that has got to change for me and you!

Where is your popcorn and diet coke? Enjoy.

It’s going to be a busy day... indeed.

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The alarm went off at exactly 7:00 am and as Foluke stretched on her bed like an enthusiastic yoga novice, she wondered why alarms could not have bad memories. She yawned and acknowledged that this was going to be yet another busy day, as a mental check list of her obligations for this unwelcome Monday morning flittered through her mind. Foluke lives for the weekend, but from her experience, the weekend does not seem to care much about her, as it is always in a hurry to take off and usher in that dreaded cousin of its, Monday.

Welcome...I have been waiting for you.

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Hello and welcome! I have been waiting for you for so long, where have you been? You see, I want to introduce you properly to this amazing new blog that you currently are on. I can tell you that this is where you want to be, and if you are wondering why, let me ask you a few questions

1. Are you in your twenties or going into your twenties soon?

2. Are you trying to make sense of what you want to do with yourself?

3. Do you feel everyone you know has made it except you?

4. Do you have a great idea but don't know what to do about it?

5. Have you once asked yourself the questions above and already found a solution to them?

If your answer to any of these is yes then you are in luck. This blog aims to decipher these very formative years (yawn yawn) actually more like it intends to show as many people what they can do to enjoy these fun years, have a positive impact on people, make good money (wink wink) and ten years down the line, look back with pride and say "I did good".

You have to come on this ride with me, I don't want you to miss out on all the fun!