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I Came To Win by Faith Oyadiran

Growing up in the suburbs of Ojo town in Lagos State came with its blessings. I grew up in my father’s three-room apartment, which lies a few blocks from the bustling Alaba International Market. Our proximity to this hub of commercial activities ignited in me a strong affinity for entrepreneurship . At age seven, I developed a deep passion for entrepreneurship, though without a defined niche. I fell in love with the various shows on display at the market: of people haggling over the prices of goods, the result of which could be a spontaneous fracas that leaves a receipt of swollen red lumps on the face of a customer who had haggled beyond the seller’s patience limit or a smile that lights up the face of someone who had just struck a bargain. My parents had expected me to indulge myself in some childhood rituals by playing video games with my friend Chike or dragging ownership rights to the TV remote with my siblings. The fun in such exuberance had eluded me. Instead, I would drop my bag, immediately change into my favourite baggy shorts and an oversized T-shirt, and head straight to my father’s shop. My father’s electronic store occupies the second floor of a three-story building situated along the main road. It had a large signpost lined with fancy neon lights attached to the frontage that read, “From grass to grace.” Astonished by my unwavering commitment, my father would pat me on the back, an act I have come to understand as his show of affirmation of my precocious traits. On one occasion, my father recounted, “At eight, I was busy hunting innocent lizards on the streets of Afor_ugwu in Aguobuowa, Enugu state”. My father would recline in his revolving armchair and tell me stories of how he had felt an urgency to leave the village and start something for himself. “I left my village with only a pair of clothes and shoes and promised never to return until I became successful.” His success story stirred up a desire in me to write my own narrative. At night, I will bring out my dog-eared velvet diary, which has been deprived of its best years. I would recreate scenes I had witnessed earlier in the market in detail. I would sketch, as appendages to my stories, the images of real-life people that detailed their varying dispositions toward their new acquisitions or their disappointments at their inability to obtain what they had come for. I had unconsciously developed an uncanny ability to string words and images into a narrative. At eighteen, I became obsessed with giving the family’s business a little prodding. I stumbled upon an advertisement offering free training on social media marketing and other packages that seemed overpriced. I enrolled for the free class and later paid for the extra packages on offer, such as video editing and graphic design using Canva. My love for video creation grew more. I began creating video ads in the form of skits to promote the business. I uploaded the video skits to my YouTube channel with high hopes of instant success, but to my dismay, I discovered that success itself is an adventure. I encountered more challenges, the most memorable being the day I was cornered by some of my father’s competitors and was accused of fraternizing with voodoo to boost our patronage. I remained resilient, seeing each obstacle as an opportunity to learn and grow. I began experimenting with different genres and styles until I eventually resorted to acting out the scenes I had enacted in my dog-eared diary as a seven-year-old. I gripped my audience by projecting the joy and enthusiasm visibly reflected on the faces of the clients that eventually make a purchase, while comically presenting the red, swollen face as a consequence of a decision to ignore what I’m offering. This level of creativity caught the online community unawares, and by implication, my followers and subscriber list had risen astronomically overnight from nothing to a little above 30k. I sat down to reflect on my journey so far, I was convinced that it was time to write my own story. I poured my heart and soul into producing vivid and compelling scripts alongside high-quality video skits highlighting the attitude it takes to thrive as an entrepreneur. I meticulously researched each topic to ensure accuracy and relevance while infusing my content with a playful and imaginative approach. My game went viral and consequently, opportunities began to knock at my door. I received invitations to collaborate with renowned organizations to amplify their brands while projecting them for an even broader reach. I had earned myself a valid reputation that booked me romantic dates with different brands and sponsors who could not resist the mouth-watering potential that our partnership had to offer. The Redridge Consortium, a firm worth billions of dollars, offered me a deal to create video ads for an entire section of their properties on Banana Island. It was a once-in-a-lifetime offer that included an acre of land in Ajah and a whopping sum of one hundred million dollars. I only had to do what I have always done. I executed the project to my client’s expectations. The video recorded over a million views within the next five days of its uploading on all social media platforms. It was a landmark achievement. I couldn’t contain my excitement at becoming the latest millionaire in town, so I chartered a private flight and headed straight to the Amazons to fulfil my lifelong dream of a cruise under the Aspen trees that overlay the bank of the Amazon River and an evening spent listening to the melodies of thrushes and other mysterious birds that had made the Amazons their home. My BIO Oyadiran Faith is a graduate of English Language and Literary Studies from Obafemi Awolowo University Osun State, Nigeria. He is an avid reader and a passionate writer. He currently works as a Diction instructor. He is on

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Electronic Devices: How To Manage Your Kid’s Well Being.

From 2009–2017, rates of depression among those aged between 14 to 17 in America spiked more than 60%. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the suicide rates among teenage girls are at a 40-year high. ~ TIME Magazine In the wake of the horrific New Zealand Mosque shooting which left about 50 people dead, I am sure I wasn’t the only parent who had butterflies in their breadbasket as reports emerged that the 28-year old shooter grew up as a lonely teen who was obsessed with guns and violent video games. Trying to find a balance between kids’ use of mobile devices and other useful activities is perhaps the toughest challenge faced by today’s parents in a digital age where almost everything is done on the screen. Like many kids of his age my son loves video games but I wouldn’t call it an addiction, at least not yet and I hope never. I often tell him that if my father succeeded in raising three sons and countless other male cousins and relatives, I will be a complete failure if I cannot raise him properly. So I wasn’t amused when on my return from Nigeria recently I discovered that his teacher had left critical remarks in his log book. I immediately rang up the school and scheduled a meeting with him. It was a brief candid chat and I learned that my boy sits right in front of the teacher because he had to keep an eye on him else he wouldn’t get much done in class. He had become disruptive and often skipped his homework the teacher narrated. I asked if this was peculiar to my son and the teacher smartly evaded the question. I guessed that he may not be at liberty to discuss his wards with people other than their parents. He ended by saying that the sad thing is that my boy is bright but that he just needs to focus more to achieve great things. Well, I had always known that. I often do his homework corrections and surely an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. He is my son for crying out loud. If anything this situation could be peculiar to boys. I remember when I slipped about 10 positions in class 2 during my secondary school years. My dad was so livid with anger that he drove me to school (about 150km) on the reopening day to find out why. My teacher then informed him that I had made a new friend who was obsessed with comics and caught on to the habit. I loved Tiger & Speed then and even though it was a big distraction in class I just couldn’t get enough of it. My dad insisted there and then that I should be relocated to the front row and that any comic seen with me should be torn. There was no sparing the rod back in the days. So at the end of the term, I came 2nd. I cannot take these measures for my son now because for one he is already sitting in front of his teacher and mobile devices have replaced our good old comics. Moreover, times have changed and we live in a society where the rod is spared and a balance between studies and entertainment is taken seriously by the authorities. So, what to do? In the Nigerian parlance. I had taken the first steps of sternly warning my son to pay more attention in class and ensure his homework is done by 6 pm daily so that I can make corrections if need be before bedtime. And in my usual manner, I planned to have a hearty talk with him over a stroll this weekend about the second part which is his love for games before I came across an article in TIME Magazine of which I will share some excerpts from. So if you are a parent like me caught between the worry of your kids’ technology use and the anxiety of impeding their happiness then the following simple tips from Jean Twenge a professor of psychology at San Diego State University may be helpful. No mobile devices in the bedroom at night. Switch them off and use an alarm clock instead. No mobile devices at least an hour to bedtime. This reduces psychological stimulation which can hamper sleep — a major risk factor for depression. Limit device time to less than two hours daily excluding device based homework. The kids can read books, novels, and journals instead. Try this with me and let’s see the results over a given period say 6 months to a year. I believe it should work well since it will only limit and not eliminate our kids’ use of electronic devices. I will still have a chat with my son though. I have come to realize that besides other measures we take to bring up these kids properly such parent and child moments like a stroll in the park is priceless!

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