Gbenga Awomodu

Ferdinand Adimefe is a creative entrepreneur, intellectual buff, and a passionate lover of God. In this interview with OnBecomingAMan.com, Ferdy shares a lot about masculinity, faith, family, fatherhood, and his most recent foray into ministry via The Tribe Lagos, a new approach to church targeted at capturing the hearts of the unchurched. Read and enjoy the full interview below!

Please tell us about yourself – profession, education, growing up, etc.
I am a husband and father, roles which I consider very important. I have had several professions in the last decade; I started out as a brand strategist with an advertising agency just after my youth service program after which I went to obtain my master’s degree in media and communications. I took a job as a brand and communications manager for an oil and gas company, did that for about 5 years and ventured into entrepreneurship.

Presently, I am driving Imaginarium Creative Group, which is pioneering creative technology, strong on ideation, digitalization, data analysis, mobile marketing, value added services and product development. One of our young companies, Imaginaire is a brand and digital marketing agency as well. Besides all of these, I have a passion for film and writing. I have a published book called Pulse, which has also been adapted into a stage play. I have staged quite a few Broadway-style theatre shows in the last five years. I am currently working on an animation film project with an exciting team of young people. In my opinion, I think film and theatre, as art, can be used to drive social constructivism and citizen enlightenment. Aside this, I pastor a gospel expression called The Tribe Lagos situated in Lekki, Lagos.

If you reflect on your journey first as a full-time employee and then as a full-time entrepreneur, what are the most notable pros and cons for each side of the coin? What could you have done differently if you were to decide on leaving a cozy job for building your own business?

They are two different realities. As a staff, I never worried about money; at the end of the month I got an alert and that settled it. However, as an entrepreneur, towards the end of the month I have to figure out how people get paid. The entrepreneur’s reality is that you have good days and not-so-good days. Entrepreneurship can seem like an extreme sport; you do have infinite possibilities to explore and pursue opportunities that you consider more rewarding and fulfilling.

Everyone who is celebrated today for building a company often had to take that leap; so, it is not a question of whether you should take the leap, but when? When my “when” came, I had to make a move. I had become exceedingly dissatisfied with my job and wasn’t looking forward to anything. I wanted to do something with my full (artistic) expression and be part of something that could task all of me. So, I just made that move.

One major challenge for Nigerian entrepreneurs is that we often get caught in the grip of culture. We get caught up in the label of titles, forgetting that we have work to do. Entrepreneurship shouldn’t be anything that is decorated, you must grind! I always advocate for lean entrepreneurship. Bigger is not always better. Starting out doesn’t mean you must already have everything you want; securing a loan too early can be a huge distraction. Most times we spend the money on trivialities that cater to our ego, maybe a big office space – before you even know whether you need them.

If you have a job, but you aspire to be an entrepreneur, I think, one should make the transition gradual. You could start by setting up a website, incorporating your company, and/or building a portfolio of what you intend to put in the market. Entrepreneurship is about value proposition. If you do not have value to offer, you are not going to get the market. Ask yourself, “What need am I going to meet in the market? What is that problem I intend to solve?” Don’t just jump into entrepreneurship because someone else is doing it, or you just feel like doing it.

Entrepreneurship requires a lot of sacrifice, so you must be able to stay and delay gratification; you must be able to think of your company and your people before yourself. Entrepreneurship is like a special relationship that you must nurture. The first few years require intense sacrifice and grinding to stay on course. Eventually, your business can, in turn, nourish you.

You have been involved in several projects tied to leadership, community service, and youth development. Why do you get involved in such projects?

Early on in life I caught a sense of what it meant to be a citizen. I think it was from my grandmother. She was in the Red Cross well into her 70s. My siblings, cousins and I grew up having a healthy sense of social consciousness and civic participation. I see my involvement and efforts in volunteering for credible platforms as part of my rites of passage of some sort; it is both an education in and of itself as well as a personal development opportunity. I got involved with GOTNI, “Rubbing Minds” with The Future Project, interviewing people on TV and as a news analyst on Smooth FM, they are not paid jobs, but are part of how I my developed myself.

Our leadership abilities are forged in the furnace of social conflict, where we compete for superior ideas amongst our peers, process contradictions, forced to question our biases, unpack our prejudices, manage projects and teams, source for resources, harness potentials and skills to achieve a goal. There are people looking for something to belong to, to be part of something bigger than themselves, to build, and if you can give them something they can identify with, they can support you and help you build it.

I curated a project called “Creative Nigeria Project” for about 5 years, with a keen focus on fast tracking the growth of the Nigerian economy. The Creative Nigeria Project involved staging plays because we wanted to use theatre as a tool for social constructivism – to drive education and inspire Nigerians to rise and better understand the concept of nation building. We must see Nigeria before we begin to see the divides.

It is part of my claim to having a voice; part of my pain is that governments have not been able to pay attention to the creative sector. We have failed to see that with the right policies, institutions and programs it would significantly reduce our high rate of unemployment. A lot more people are into photography, fashion, music, etc.; and are succeeding despite the absence of the right policies, structures and interventions.

I am politically conscious. I try to keep an eye on our political trajectory. I try to see what policies can work; what has worked in other parts of the world. What we can adapt and adopt into our country to make it work. I still feel very strongly that we need a lot of people with the same kind of thinking to come together and start the process of building what will become a great Nigeria; we don’t have that yet.

What role does Faith/walk with God play in the types of project you get involved in?

My faith is the essence of who I am and not just a part of me. I hold the belief that we are salt and light to our world. We bring order to chaos, beauty to ugliness. I believe anyone who will come in and bring about drastic change in this country must have benefited immensely from a reformation process of some sort and only faith can alter a man at that level. Only those who are reformed can drive transformation in a system.

Please share with us any new or key projects you are currently working on, especially those relating to young men?

We are building a new gospel movement called “The Tribe Lagos”. The TRIBE is a new gospel movement, a non-traditional model of church.  What is central to our faith is Christ and what we want to do with The TRIBE is to take the God-centered message of Christ to our generation. Men are an essential part of this movement. We are planning a series of programs for men; this is important because the society fails if the man fails. Having the right father figure in a young man’s life often provides direction in life. It is important, in the wake of the different views about masculinity, that we revisit God’s patterns and purpose for creating men.

Our men are still growing up with a broken template that gives them an exaggerated sense of self importance and sometimes lesser opinion of women. We need to help guys get things right; it is an essential part of our movement and conversations.

What is the role of a mentor in the life of a young man? How would you describe your experience both as a mentor to many and a mentee of older men?

A mentor is an invaluable asset. You can’t go through life alone; you need to climb on the shoulders of giants who have gone ahead of you. I am also deliberate about my choice of mentors; older people I really admire. This year, part of my plans is to see that I deliberately go after them and, regardless of their busy schedules, to have times where they can help me work through some of the things I am working on. I recommend having a mentor. I do have younger people who look up to me as a mentor; I do my best to keep up the relationship with them, to see how I can help shape their thinking some more and help them clarify their priorities.

What are your thoughts on discipleship in the Christian Faith, particularly for young men? Are we losing more men today who otherwise should be leading their families in the way of the Lord and setting the examples for others to follow?

I think we are losing more men, and discipleship is not something we have completely figured how to drive to a full conclusion. Discipleship must be more holistic than that. It should come along with theology, psychology and biology – a lot of those things must come into the mix because culturally, we must deconstruct many psychological roadblocks. In biology, we must help men realize “you are not your libido.” You must rein it in.

Discipleship is a journey, not a 3- month course! It lasts through one’s lifetime and the greatest model that every man should emulate is Christ.

How would you describe your experience so far as a husband and father? How does it feel recalling when you first saw your son and the process it has taken to get to where he is now?

He is 3 in May, so he is still young. Being a husband, and now a father, has been one of the most exciting experiences of my life. Just having someone learn from me, look at me, and try to make sense of the world around him from everything that I do or say, in a way, has helped me become more cautious of what I watch/see, say, and do.

Since he came into our lives, myself and Lily, it has been an interesting journey.

If you could solve one single problem in the world right now, what would that be; why; and, what would be your solution?

I think ignorance is one major plague in our world today. People have outsourced their brains to institutions and leaders rather than think for themselves. We need to teach our children the art of thinking and not just what they should think about. We need to reform citizenship education and raise a generation of people who are in love with our country and can boldly and proudly identify themselves as Nigerians.

What else should we be expecting from you in 2017?

In 2017 my time is divided between the Tribe Lagos and Imaginarium.

At the Tribe Lagos, we are raising a community of people who are passionate about God, deeply rooted in their sense of identity in Christ, and who have an accurate understanding of how the gift of imagination and creativity can be used in advancing the gospel today. We are big on culture and renewal, so we want to bring in a lot of theatre; and have worship songs that can capture imagination and reveal God to our generation. The Tribe is an exciting journey for me. For Imaginarium, we are growing to become a group, setting up a board, and soon, we will be having new staffs join us. For me, it is not just about running a company, it is taking that company and translating it into a cultural icon.

It’s a really exciting year for me to be at this point driving two passion points: my passion for God with The Tribe and my passion for creative technology with Imaginarium.

Which is your favorite bible verse and why? What is your favorite inspirational quote and why?

My favorite bible verse is Galatians 5:21: “It is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me.” Paul implies here that God’s goal is the incarnation of Christ in every man. My favorite quote changes over time, but one that has stuck with me is “Our problem is not the unanswered questions, but the unquestioned answers out there.” [Attributed to Timothy Keller, Founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church and City to City, New York, USA, tweeted via ‏@timkellernyc on 7 Dec 2015]. It is important for us to learn to question the answers we have received before we got here, so we do not accept just anything and live life on assumptions.

Any other additional words of advice or encouragement for young men.

Live life as an exciting adventure, not as a path to safety and security – that’s not just why we are here! Go after your dreams with everything that you have.

The Men’s Round-table is a quarterly 3-hour gathering of young Christian men from across different walks of life. It is held in small groups, usually with not more than 30 attendees at any single location. The first edition will be held in Lagos (Saturday, March 11th, 2017) and Port Harcourt (Saturday, March 25th, 2017). Register below:

In this interview with OnBecomingAMan.com, award-winning Afro-fusion artiste, Akinade Ibuoye, a.k.a GAISE, shares about his music career, being a Christian in entertainment industry, life as a family man, and much more. Enjoy!

Please tell us about yourself – education, growing, career, family, etc.

I was born in the mid-80s to a family of nine; 7 children. I am youngest of the 7 and the only guy. I was born in Ile-Ife and attended First Foundation Primary school, before my family moved to Lagos. I attended Kings College, Lagos, and returned to Ile-Ife to study Economics at the Obafemi Awolowo University. That’s as far as I have gone with academics. Right after the mandatory National Youth Service Corps programme, I went straight into professional music. I got signed to a label and here I am today.

I am a musician, an Afro-fusion artiste, with an album and couple of singles to my credit. I’m married to Funto Ibuoye and blessed with a son – Adegbolabo

What’s the meaning/story behind the pseudonym/acronym “GAISE”? Please share more about how your singing career began.

GAISE is an acronym for my initials, Gboluwaga Akinade Ibuoye Samuel. The “E” is cosmetic; just to make the pronunciation of the “GAISE” more obvious. Music as a profession for me started after NYSC; however, I had been writing and singing for about 6 years before this point; that was in 2003/4. I started to perform at small gatherings in 2004. I got into OAU, Ife in 2004 and started to perform in OAU in 2005. I organised my first concert in Uni in 2006 and the second in 2008. Those were all the steps I had been taking before it was time to launch out professionally and take seriously as a career. My music career officially started after Youth Service when I was signed on to Sanctified Records.

You graduated with a 2.1 degree in Economics from OAU; one would think you’d have pursued that career path. Why did you deviate from economics as a possible career path?

I did for two reasons: firstly, I really wanted to do music. I was passionate about it then and I still am. Secondly, the opportunity to be signed to a label right after youth service – that was the opportunity I had to pursue music. I had found out from my own individual attempts that music is capital-intensive, and I didn’t have the wherewithal to pursue it on my own. So when my path crossed with someone who was willing to take a chance with a Christian artiste and invest in him, I took the chance and just moved on.
We have listened to your songs and can’t help, but chuckle and marvel at the witty style of delivery. Why do you choose to sing the way you do?

I’m not sure that it’s like I choose to. That’s how it comes.  That’s how I write. I am a playful person when I’m in my elements and I think that’s what shines through when I’m writing.

With your experience in the industry, what are the challenges you faced and those you still encounter? Has there been any improvement?

Well, maybe because my music is rather more conscious and message-driven, not so much in line with pop culture, it hasn’t been as easy to push as the more mainstream or pedestrian content that gets to ride more easily. For the first 5 years, that was the major challenge. That push, that publicity, that promotion for it .

I’ll say we probably didn’t have the best know-how and the best strategies and all of that; which is something I’m improving on at this moment.

The improvement has been more internal, within my setup. It is yet to be revealed on the outside. But I’m fully persuaded that in 2017, these improvements will manifest without and outside for the fans to see.

How have you been able to keep your faith vibrant in such an industry as yours?

I don’t forsake the gathering and fellowship of the believers; that’s the best way to put it and, by that I don’t just mean going to church, I mean …the friends that I keep, the acquaintances that I have; going to church regularly where you keep receiving the light of God’s word weekly. Then, you have your own personal time with God through his Word and prayer; all these basic Christian principles are the same things I believe have kept me.

You are married and blessed with a son. How did you meet your wife and what were some of the most notable experiences you had whilst in courtship?

I went to a conference, a business of your talent conference. I was an attendee at the event and she was at the registration table as a volunteer …she caught my eye, we exchanged numbers, more like BB pins, that day. We got chatting after that day.

Memorable experiences while in courtship: oh, we broke up once! We broke up on a day, and made up the next day. I think that’s notable. We met October 20, 2012, and we were married in November 2014, which was about two years and one month after we met. We started dating/courting in July 2013 and by November the following year we were married. We had a quick work in holiness…or judgment and that is notable I think… It was quite quick.

At the time we were dating, my wife was making five times what I was earning. I had come clean from the beginning before we started so there were no grey areas; it was clear from the start and all through that period she was understanding and supportive. It was during that period that I registered GAISE as a trademark. My wife supported with the funds I used to register GAISE because at the time I didn’t have it; that’s one thing that she did that I will always remember. I guess that passes for a notable experience as well.

How do you manage being a celebrity, a husband, and a father? Has anything changed about you since you became a father?

Oh yeah, I’m calmer, more balanced, and more mature. I think through my decisions more, because now there are two lives that I am responsible for, and that I’ll have to answer for. There is a higher sense of responsibility that comes with that.

How do I manage being a celebrity? I don’t think I can answer that question. I’m just me. I don’t act different because I am a celebrity, or think I am a celebrity, if I am a celebrity.  I’m just myself. I speak with everyone I can. I still go to the market occasionally. I gist with people, my barber, my friends that are there. At the end of the day, I’m just me Akinade Ibuoye. GAISE is my career; GAISE is my work; GAISE is purpose. I just try to keep it as real as I can.

What are your thoughts concerning the role of the man in the home and in the body of Christ? Are men standing up to the task, or do we have a major problem at hand in that regard; if yes, how can this be solved?

In the body of Christ, my thoughts are there are no gender specific roles, as the Bible says there’s neither Jew nor Gentile, slave or free, male or female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.

In the home however, I think the man ought to be the Priest, Provider and Protector. Give his utmost best to ensure his wife and children are leading good lives and are in the center of God’s will for their lives. To be a husband and father is indeed a high call. This, in the home, is where we as men need to do better, much better, and the entire society will be better for it. You can’t be a responsible man at home and be irresponsible outside, or raise kids who will be irresponsible outside!

Do you currently support any men-focused ministry or initiative? How would you describe the importance of raising young men as disciples of Christ in the 21-st century?

As a body or organisation, no I don’t. At least not at the moment. But I am in a small group of married friends, men, who meet as often as we can to pray, play, interact and as well encourage and learn from one another.

Raising young men as disciples of Christ in the 21st century isn’t just important, it’s urgent! Young men who are truly consecrated and committed to God, yet have a practical understanding of the times and can speak the language of this generation. There are agendas of different kingdoms all over the place gaining ground and capturing the minds and hearts of the next generation. There must be a young and vibrant crop of Christian youth who go carry God agenda for head, and boldly, yet strategically, advance the cause of His kingdom!

Some believe that a career in music isn’t financially sustainable. Do you face the same challenge? How do you overcome it?

I have faced it in times past. Things are much better now, but things can still be a lot a better, so we are working towards ensuring that things get a lot better. We are working towards being financially sustainable and financially buoyant. Music, right now,  not just abroad, is bringing some cool “cheese” the way of many people and music is a very profitable thing to get into.  One needs to play the cards right. One needs to know the strategy to employ and the people to engage so as to get into the centre of things.

Please share some tips and advice for young men who are interested in pursuing a career in music?

Keep writing and every opportunity you get to perform, perform and, for more info, follow me on social media so We Can Talk More; the handle is @gaisebaba everywhere.

What book(s) are you currently reading? How about your favourite bible verse?

Truth and Transformation by Vishal Mangalwadi. I am also reading A Practical Guide to Prayer by Olubi Johnson. I read it to learn more about prayer – it’s a workbook. My favourite Bible verse is Isaiah 49:6, ” …I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

Any other thing you would like to talk about – new projects, etc.

I’m recording a song right now that will help kick-start a movement by God’s grace; a movement of kingdom minded artistes going mainstream to influence/define culture through entertainment. That’s what this year will be about… It’s time to take our LIGHT OUT!

Thank you so much for your time, GAISE! We are glad you could make out time to share with us!

Follow @gaisebaba on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also listen to some of GAISE’s songs: Titi Lai; Wonbiliki Wobia; and Little Drops;

In this in-depth interview, 28-year-old Chef Fregz shares straight from the heart about his career journey, peculiarities of running a culinary business in Nigeria, the significance of faith in God in his life, as well as thoughts on becoming a man. Read more:

Hi Chef Fregz, please tell us a bit about yourself – growing up, education, career, age, and the meaning of your names.

My name Is Gbubemi Fregene. I was born in Abeokuta. I grew up in Benin City where I went to primary school. I got my secondary school education from Olashore International School in Iloko Ijesha, Osun State. I also studied at Covenant University where I graduated with a 2.1 in Industrial Relations and Human Resources Management. I started cooking for friends and little functions at home; soon after NYSC, I got the chance to go to a culinary school in France. I am 28 years old. The meaning of my name – Orishagbubemi means God heard my cry. God answered my prayer.

When did you start your business and how did it come to be?

I started my business shortly after NYSC. I came back to Lagos with a plan… the plan was no plan but it was a plan because after long periods of prayers and fasting, I got validation and conviction that I was to do food. However, I didn’t really know the business of food. My mum helped with the basic costing. If it costs x to do this, it should cost you 2x to sell. I went to a culinary school and I came back to revamp what used to be a barbeque and grill setup to become a complete chef setup.
I got my first major opportunity by doing my friend’s graduation party; I started getting recommendations by friends and family and, like they say, the rest is history.

Who/what inspires your business drive and how big do you hope to build your personal brand and business/investments over the next 3-5 years?

People inspire my business. People’s responses have been encouraging and, over the years, we have had better days than bad days; and that encourages me. There is also the sheer passion to be a better chef, a better person and to grow as a business. I think I’ve gotten to the point where I feel validated in who I am as a person and as a chef that I want to start sharing my ideas with the world. I want to do things that are a bit more intimate in the New Year. Possibly start working on my first restaurant as well as putting myself in people’s homes because the Chef Fregz brand has quite an aspiring homey feel to it. I want to see how I can share myself with people in their homes, on their TV screens and in so many different ways.

What were the challenges you faced at the beginning? How about right now?

The challenges are the same. People never want to pay for the best and the problem of the Nigerian employee. I have a good team, but sometimes little things like paying attention to details is a big problem. The economy and the government does not make doing business easy either; sometimes, supplies are inconsistent, then the more you grow as a business, there is the issue of paying the government who does absolutely nothing for you. Clients and crazy deadlines are equally challenges coupled with the fact that ultimately, people never want to pay! Despite all these, we aren’t doing too badly. We are doing okay.

What is the place of getting an education in your line of business?

Haa… It is very important. Get an education, either formal, informal or both. I was privileged to go to Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute in Paris. I didn’t appreciate that education till much later because it was a very systematic way of taking me through what would have taken me many years of informal education to learn. It helped me understand the science behind why I do certain things, the science behind cooking techniques, when they were invented and so on. Beyond just learning about food, and probably more importantly, I got the opportunity to mix with other people like me, who saw food as the centre of their world. It was very encouraging and it also opened my eyes to see that I am not alone. An education also helps you look good and presentable; it gives you networking opportunities and it looks good on your CV! Nothing is lost by learning; we often pick up knowledge and skills that prepare us for where we need to get to.

There are so many catering companies out there. How have you been able to build yours up to what it is now? How profitable has it been and how have you been able to stay at the top of your game?

Wow! To the so many catering companies out there, the many iya alases and iya basiras, thank you for giving people like me hope; God bless you all, for paving the way. I started working at Oleander Catering in 2006; I equally worked at Protea hotel for a bit, but as regards building my own business, it has been God. I can’t tell you that I had enough knowledge at the time I started or that I even knew what branding was all about yet. People often tell me your brand is so great! Honestly, God is My P. I however chose to be original and different; I saw what people before me had done and I thought, “what new thing do I bring to the table?” For example, when I started finger foods, I decided not to do puff-puff and spring rolls, as finger food options, but explored other alternatives outside of the regular. Daring to be different made me stand out, and it paid off!

Regarding profitability, we are still looking for the profit *laughs out loud*. I mean that jokingly, though. It has been profitable. I have been able to do things that in a million years I never thought I could; I have made decent money, but I can make more. There is so much more potential and we still have a long way to go.

I have been able to stay at the top of my game because I am hungry. I am hungry, I am passionate, I am original. I am not in this for people to know my name, I am not in this because I have anything to prove.

Your meals usually look so yummy and scrumptious. How do you come up with concepts for your dishes? And how do you keep them fresh, because it can’t be easy having to go to the market every time you are to rustle up delicacies for different occasions?

Well, thank you first of all for saying my meals look scrumptious. How do I come up with good dishes? I Read, I Watch, I Learn. The food committee around the world is so big. I look up to a lot of international chefs. I am greatly inspired by them. Lately, there has been a push for the new Nigerian food movement too, which hopes to find ways to make Nigerian food more global. We love our food, but we are yet to have our own restaurants and our flavours celebrated around the world. I always think of how to make Nigeria look better on a plate; I think of flavours, I combine dream flavours, and I substitute ingredients that become new dishes.

Keeping the ideas and recipes fresh is hard because, I have to come up with new ideas every day; thankfully, I have some people who push my creativity. I am equally greatly inspired by the market, sometimes I have an idea for creating something new, I go to the market, see a fresh ingredient, and decide to do something new with it. Due to my potential to splurge in the market, I don’t like holding money. I could go to the market with a plan to buy 2 apples and come back with 600 different things!

How has the present economic situation in Nigeria affected you and your business? Has it in fact affected you? What keeps your hopes alive?

Well, what has affected us the most is pricing; we have to charge a bit more for our services, because everything has increased in price. But we thank God that we are in an industry that people can’t do without. We are blessed that people must eat and people – especially Nigerians – love to celebrate.  Beyond these, God has said that, Gbubemi, you are meant to be in this business and in this business I am the Chairman, so I put my complete trust in him. Ironically, we grew in this period; we recorded new milestones, increased staff numbers, acquired more equipment, and we did more work!

We did more high-profile jobs and we launched a new product recently, the Fregzaporter; it has been an amazing 12 months plus for all of us. I did more traveling, I went for the Nigerian food tour, and I got to travel to a few states in America. We did quite a bit in 2016. Unfortunately, the economic situation has been felt more by our clients who must pay more for our services. But it’s the chauffeur’s experience.

There used to be the belief and stereotype in certain circles that catering and gourmet cooking jobs/roles are for women. What are your thoughts on that? Have you ever had to prove to others that you excel at this?

Well, this is really an African stereotype. When you think of top chefs internationally, you hear names like Gordon Ramsay, Anthony Bourdain, Charlie Trotter, Paul Bucose and Marco Pierre White. These are all men. It’s so ironical that globally, the chef world is saturated by men. But in Nigeria, I think I have proven my point as a male chef. There are equally a number of male chefs now so much so the females feel intimidated, but I must add there are a few female chefs who are outstanding and exceptional; we call them the chef’s chef!

I really think the stereotype is dying slowly.

Besides your work/job, what other activities do you take on in your spare time? Do you have any community development/ faith-based initiatives you have been a part of and/or are looking to implement?

Well in my spare time, honestly, I try to rest. I try to sleep. I also try to spend time with family. On faith-based initiatives, there is something I wanted to start in 2016, but I couldn’t get around doing it. I believe men go through problems and difficult phases in life and God laid it on my heart to create an atmosphere/place where men can come and talk about their issues and most importantly, find solutions in the place of prayer. Whilst I am yet to get around bringing this to life, I often find myself doing a bible-study course from time to time and being a part of whatever church project that I can be a part of.

How would you describe what it means to be a man in light of the scriptures? What could be done better in order to build/ groom men of integrity who are faith-filled and still vibrant in their communities, workplace, and the marketplace?

To be a man in light of the scriptures, as a child of God and as a believer in Christ, you need to discover who you are in Christ and be centered in on that; you must equally understand what God has designed for you. We shouldn’t be filling any shoes of what the world thinks we should look like.

As men, there is the stereotype that you are meant to be rough and gruff, you are not supposed to cry, and you are not supposed to have feelings. You are not supposed to be a certain way, laugh a certain way; you are supposed to be macho… NO. Not every man is like that. Whoever you are in Christ, you need to understand and accept who God has called you to be. You need to understand that you are loved by God. Many men that are supposed to be men of God; children of Christ don’t realize how much Christ loves them and that is a problem. When you get that, your heart is more open to obedience to the Word. It’s really hard when you are already dedicated, but the flesh wants the best of you. When your heart is so sold out to the love of God and you understand how God is crazy about you, no matter the evil that might happen in your life, you are rest assured that he actually does love you and your experiences with him help to build your faith; it is a relationship!

For example, I have been learning faith in my walk with God; he dealt with me on money issues. Today, I have a big faith for money. For about 2 years, I’ve not worried about money. If I don’t have, praise God; if I ask a friend to loan me and he doesn’t have, praise God. When I saw God come through for me time after time on issues of money, I learnt to move on and believe Him for the next level. Like I start to believe him for marriage and for children. Before now I used to have questions like who would want to marry me? Because I had serious self-esteem issues. But now, I love myself so much that I count it a plus to the person that would marry me!

Sometimes we take these things for granted. Some people have actual issues bearing children and I’m not going to take it for granted that when I get married, I will have kids. I thank God already for the kids. Then raising good children that would not give you problems is another thing. But it all starts with knowing who you are. When you don’t know, you are similar to a BMW that doesn’t realize its worth and assumes it is a regular car. You are like a BMW designed to destroy and break boundaries. When you understand the kind of engine and specifications you are made of, you understand that you are pretty much limitless. You become so self-aware that when you need maintenance, you can always go back to your manufacturer to be updated and be maintained.

So, to remain vibrant in your community you need to understand that as a child of God, you are to make impact. You are not here to judge, nor lord your religion or your faith over someone else. You are here to love, to be an example, to encourage and when people ask you what your secret is, you tell them it is God. They may believe, they may not want to believe, but they should see that something is working for you and something is different about you.

How would you advise boys and other young men who aspire to build a career in your profession?

My advice to young boys and men looking to build a career in the culinary industry is very simple; once you are certain it is your dream and you are sure it is what God wants for you, go for it! Pick up books; read, read and bombard yourself with knowledge. Work at a restaurant to get to a culinary school and start to climb your ladder; you can even start to mop floors till you are an executive chef one day! Keep moving.

Which books are you currently reading, and why? What’s your favourite scripture, and why?

I’m not reading any books right now. At this time of the year, I only read the menu and invoices. *chuckles*

My favourite scriptures right now are Gal. 5:1 which talks about not being yoked again to the slavery of sin because Christ came so that we would not be burdened by the yoke of our sins; Isaiah 59:1 – the arm of the Lord is not cut short to deliver you of all your tribulations; 1 John 4:18 – perfect love casteth out fear, and 1 Cor 13: 5 – love holds no record of wrongs.

Any other thing you would like to discuss/talk about/ add?

I have pretty much said everything, I really want to thank you all for taking out time to interview me, and I’ll just like to add that becoming a man is becoming centered on who you are and understanding what God has designed for you, understanding what he says that you are as a person and waking up every day improving on that person. It is like a painting, and God’s directions do not deceive; they don’t steer you off the right course. People may say “how does God speak to you?”; keep talking to Him until you hear Him and understand His voice. Don’t close your Bible. I have been in a season where my Bible was closed and I was expecting God to speak. When my Bible is closed and I don’t know what to discuss with Him, I tend to be a lamenting child as opposed to a child who is supposed to be talking to his Father with wisdom. So, wisdom is profitable to direct and I just want every young man as they start the New Year to search inwards, everything that is not of God, take it to God’s feet and He will deal with it.

Bon Chance.

Photo credit:

• Featured Image via BellaNaija.com
• Other images as provided by Chef Fregz

‘Seun Salami is a Writer, Publisher and the founder of Bookvine and the author of several published works. In this in-depth interview with OnBecomingAMan.com, he shares how his writing career began, how his life as a Christian influences his work, challenges he’s faced and how he conquered them, as well as his plans for the future.

Tell us a bit about yourself – growing up, education, career, marriage, etc.
My name is ‘Seun Salami, as you may already know, or Sean, as my Canadian friends call me (Laughs). I am a child of God. I am also a writer and publisher. I have three fiction books published and two new non-fiction books – Ten Times Better and Good Better Best, aimed at helping students and young people move from being average to excellent. I have a couple of degrees in Mass Communication. I am happily married and I am blessed with a son. I spent my early years with my grandmother in Lagos and then with my parents in Ibadan before we all returned to Lagos when I was about nine or so.

When and how did you start writing professionally; what kind of writing do you do; what inspires your style of writing?
It depends on whether professionally means making money from writing or when I began to take my writing seriously. I have been writing since I was a teenager. I started a magazine called Teenagers of Light when I was about fifteen or so and I had always been a very good reader; bible, books, everything. I wrote articles for that magazine, a few articles for other publications and I wrote different things from time to time. I also worked at a news magazine during my third and final year in school. But it wasn’t until my National Youth Service year that I decided to try my hands on fiction writing. I read so much fiction during that one year because I had a lot of time on my hands. I was writing for a newspaper and I had a couple of stories and a column to deliver every week. Once I was done with that, I had time to read a lot. One day, I said to myself, you know, I think I can write better than these people. Don’t blame me, I was reading most of these books with a pencil in hand, correcting errors in published books. A few months later, I had written about half a dozen short stories and I started from there, giving to my friends to read and give me feedback. Nine years later, I have written two more short story collections and a novella, one of which mainly came out of writing regularly on YNaija.com.

That said, there is also the non-fiction side to my writing. In my second year at Lagos State University, I was awarded a University scholarship along with a few other students who had outstanding academic performances, and I was also leading a campus fellowship at the time so I decided to write a book to help other students do better academically. That book was called Ten Times Better and it sold out quickly. This year I released a sequel to the book called Good Better Best, along with a revised edition of Ten Times Better. I intend to do a lot of non-fiction writing in different areas while also releasing fiction books because I believe that non-fiction books are very different from fiction books because they serve a different purpose.

Tell us about your most recent (re-introduced) books.
Ten Times Better is a book purely for students. It is about the most important secret of successful students that I learnt as a student. It is a book that has helped a lot of students I know transform their G.Ps, just by applying the secrets and principles in the book. In Good Better Best, I went further to provide even more insight and a practical guide to going from being average to excellent. This second book is for everyone, not just students. The foreword to the book was written by my mentor, Fela Durotoye. It is, by the way, the biggest of all my five books because I tried not to leave any stones unturned; from practical study strategies, to how personality styles affect our study patterns and how to set standards for yourself beyond what others may be achieving. It is a loaded and very practical book, even if I say so myself. The books are available at Laterna bookshop and other leading bookstores in Nigeria or on the Bookvine website and on Amazon.

Do you ever experience writer’s block? If yes, how do you handle/overcome it?
This is an interesting question because there are people who say there is no writers’ block but I am sure if you are a true writer who tries to write often, you will know that there are times that you are simply uninspired to write. Whether you choose to call this writer’s block or anything else, is another matter. However, I strongly believe that when it comes to writing, if you have taken it as a serious task and something that gives your life some form of meaning, you will not entertain a lack of inspiration. Discipline is more important than inspiration when it comes to writing. If the inspiration comes, fine, make use of it. If not, you have to discipline yourself to get your work done. I am sure there are people who work in offices and get to work on some days and don’t feel inspired but they still have to do their jobs regardless. Do you hear them say “I have writer’s block”? Until writing becomes something that gives true meaning to your life, beyond even putting food on your table, you may not take it seriously.

You may even see writers’ block as something fashionable that makes you a cool writer. I think it is just a lack of discipline. That said, there are a few things to do if you feel uninspired. What I usually do is to take a break from what I’m writing and do something inspiring, especially reading. I read something similar to what I’m writing, or an author I love to read. That’s why I usually have a lot of carefully chosen unread books because you never know what you’ll need at a given time. I also take a lot of walks especially when I am in Canada where there are a lot of beautiful parks and nature is cultivated. But if I’m in Lagos, I just take a break to read something nice or watch soccer for a while, listen to music or do something else and then make sure I come back to sit with what I am working on until something breaks.

What are the key challenges you’ve faced since you became a writer and would you say that it has been worth it?
For me, I did not start writing because I wanted to be a ‘superstar writer’ or ‘make it big’ as a writer. I started writing fiction because I felt it was something I could do very well and my non-fiction books came out of a desire to help others. So maybe the fact that I never had any super expectations has helped in a way. We all know how challenging being a writer in Nigeria can be. Over in Canada, books and writers are not just appreciated but celebrated, so it is always interesting to experience the contrast whenever I’m out of Nigeria. The other thing is that I haven’t had to look for a publisher in Nigeria because I founded Bookvine Publishers early on and the company has published my books and those of almost thirty other authors till date. It has absolutely been worth it for me. My books have gone to places I could never get to. I have gotten feedback from people in places I have never been to and just the fact that I am giving expression to a gift God gave me that could otherwise have been dormant is fulfilling for me. And I have made some money from writing too, unlike what I hear from a lot of writers, even without winning any big awards or prize money.

You double as a writer and publisher, and maybe you also serve as a preacher now as well. How profitable has publishing in Nigeria been for you; any thoughts on what could be done better in the Nigerian publishing industry?
I am happy you called me a preacher and not a motivational speaker (laughs). I am not exactly a preacher, neither am I a motivational speaker. I have been getting a lot of that since I began to put videos of my speaking engagements and messages on YouTube. I recently began to pastor a small group of young people at my local church in Canada, and that is probably where a lot of those things come from. So I am simply giving expression to the gift of God in me, although it has always been a part of me, from my teenage years when I led the teens church in a Redeemed parish to my University days when I pastored a school fellowship.

Having said that, publishing in Nigeria has not been as profitable as other businesses and ventures can be. I think that publishing is not something anyone should go into in Nigeria because you want to be rich but because you love books and publishing books is something you want to do regardless of whether it is profitable or not, otherwise you will be frustrated out of it. Still, I believe it will only get better because the industry is making giant strides and there are more publishers popping up here and there, so there is hope.

What is the place of spirituality in your work; in what ways does your faith influence your writing; are there any topics you would never write on/publish?
I am first a child of God before anything else. I am a Christian and I strongly believe that the primary purpose of one’s gifts and talents is to give glory to God, the giver. This is what guides everything I do. So even when I want to write on a controversial subject like sex, like I did with my book, The Sex Life of a Lagos Mad Woman, I make sure I am not contradicting my faith in any way as much as I want my fiction to be real and be a proper representation of reality. I remember reading a review of the book where the reviewer stated that despite the subject I was writing on, it was clear from my writing that I am a Christian and my faith was evident in the choice of characters and things like that. I joke a lot that my first collection of short stories, The Son of Your Father’s Concubine can be used to teach Sunday School. Ten Times Better was drawn out of the lives of the four Hebrew children in the Bible who chose to be different from their peers in their time. So everywhere you look, my faith is evident, even in the things I put out on social media and on my YouTube channel. Someone asked me why I would make a call for salvation and pray for people to get born again in a YouTube video and I said because, that, for me, is the essence of everything. If I am not using my gifts and platforms to promote the gospel of Jesus, then it’s a waste of God’s investment in my life. As for topics I would never write about, I think I have written on the worst possible topics I could have been afraid of, sex and ritual killing in my second short story collection, and it has not made me less of a Christian (laughs).

The financial aspect of writing and publishing is rarely talked about. How do you make money from writing and publishing?
I make money from the sale of my books, especially when they are newly released. Subsequent income is usually here and there. Some of them have done better than others and thankfully it keeps getting better because my new books surpassed the others in profit through bulk orders even before it was released in Nigeria. Publishing also makes money, but the cost of doing business in Nigeria, paying staff and bills, makes it seem like it doesn’t in the end.

Could you please describe how you have evolved creatively over the years, and share specific steps you take to improve your writing.
The best way to answer this question would have been to give you my first fiction book and then give you the second one and then the novella, so you can see the evolution for yourself. I like to think I am someone who is constantly seeking knowledge and trying to get better at what I do. Interestingly, I took a Creative Writing course in Canada, and a few weeks in, I began to wish I could rewrite all my books with the knowledge I now had and I am putting that to good use with all the new work I am writing. That’s the fun of it, you keep getting better, keep improving and never feel like you know enough, otherwise you stop growing. I think the most important steps are the steps I build with the books I read. I read a lot. I have (and read) more books that anything else in my life. There are so many things nobody can teach you about writing but you simply learn them by reading good writers.

What advice do you have for writers and emerging publishers who see you as a role model and possibly get to read this interview?
It is humbling to think I can be a role model to someone. Like I said before, it is possible to make money from publishing or writing, but it shouldn’t be your motivation. For writers, the quality of your work is more important than the hype, when it comes down to it. A lot of so-called writers feed on social media hype, and once people start sending them tweets about how fantastic their work is, which by the way is just to get retweets from them, they feel they have arrived and start acting arrogantly. You must be constantly improving the quality of your work. It will show, from one piece of writing to the next, and you will also know it. Keep reading, keep writing, take a course if the opportunity shows up. If not, just keep at it, look out for opportunities for contests and grants and keep working.

What social issues relating to men are you passionate about; what have you done to address such issues? Please share with us about key projects you are passionate about and have already started to implement within the last 6 – 12 months.
I am part of a ministry called ‘Boyz2Men’ which is an initiative to raise men of excellence. I believe that young men need a lot of mentoring in so many areas of their lives as the world is lacking real men these days; men who know how to treat women, men who will be priests in their homes and will stand up for truth and righteousness in our generation. So, in my own little way, I speak at the events we organize from time to time and also mentor a lot of young men privately. You can see a video of one of our Boyz2Men events on my YouTube channel.

What have been your biggest accomplishments in 2016 and why?
When I think about 2016, I will be grateful to God that I was able to get two books released this year. It’s been many years in the making and I am glad the opportunity finally presented itself this year and I was able to take it. I also had many personal accomplishments along with my family but I’ll rather keep those private and thank God for them privately.

What particular thing would you like to change about you/ how you do things in 2017?
Every day I try to get closer to God and listen to obey Him even more. I would love to be able to do more of this in 2017 and also learn to listen to my wife more.

What book(s) are you currently reading, and why?
I am currently re-reading ‘The Purpose Driven Church’ by Rick Warren and ‘Ask Me Anything’ (provocative answers for college students) by Professor Theophilus. I am reading these books to help me in my new roles in my local assembly.

What is your favourite bible verse, and why?
I love a lot of Bible verses, so this one is rather difficult, but for the sake of answering your question, I’ll pick Romans 8:28 because it is a life tool that comforts me through a lot of situations and gives an assurance that *Oluwa is always involved.

Any other thing you would like to talk about – new projects, projections into the New Year, advice to young men?
2017 is going to be a great year by God’s grace and quite a lot is planned but I’ll be revealing them gradually. My final advice to young men would be that we all are here on different assignments, and we should never look at what another person is doing and feel like we are behind in life because we don’t have what others have or we’ve not done the things they have done. It is important to realise that your race is different from that of your best friend or even your twin. Let the word of God be the light unto your feet and the lamp unto your path and you will reach your destination in God regardless of what may come your way.

All images courtesy of Seun Salami.

*Oluwa means God in the Yoruba language

Mental health practitioner and mindset coach, Dr. Ayomide Adebayo is passionate about helping people lead the best life ever. Through his blog, www.docayomide.com, he has shared educational, informative, and inspiring articles over the last couple of years. In this in-depth interview with OnBecomingAMan.com, the recently married doctor shares his thoughts and insights on mental health for young men and addresses several societal notions about masculinity. Enjoy!

What informed you choice of career, and how would you describe your professional experience so far – any significant decisions, accomplishments, challenges you overcame?

What is the role of faith in mental health issues and how do you apply it in your work/ Are there any particular wrong notions or lines that shouldn’t be crossed when trying to apply faith in treating/managing mental health issues?

What are your thoughts about the roles of a man as a Prophet, a Priest, and a King over his family?

What are your thoughts on the social issues of rape and female (sexual) abuse; could a lady’s manner of dressing ever justify abuse from male perpetrators; how can this issue be addressed?

What  is your favourite bible verse; which is your favourite inspirational/ motivational quote?

I’ll simply close with this, to all men (and it’s something I say to myself all the time): Keep reaching, keep stretching, keep doing the hard things. Don’t hold back, don’t play safe. Live the adventure that life is, and let it grow and mature you. I think that’s something we all need to hear again and again, and it’s something the best people in your life don’t let you forget.

Olawale Joseph Lawal, a.k.a. Mr. Perfect , graduated with First Class Honours from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, in 2010. However, the man who graduated top of his class decided to follow a deep conviction for media and eventually has turned out to be a serial entrepreneur. In this in-depth interview with OnBecomingAMan.com, he shares his inspiring story of courage, passion for souls, and lots more. Enjoy reading!

Please tell us about yourself and what you do

My name is Lawal Olawale Joseph. Perfect is the name I adopted.

I am a Christian and lover of God. I am the CEO of WiGRadio (Wisdom Gate Radio), an online Gospel radio station saddled with the responsibility of reaching the world with Good News. By the grace of God, we’ve been able to reach over 110 countries since inception. I’m also the CEO of Wisdom Gate TV, an online Gospel Television, and WiG Properties, a real estate firm. I also serve as the Director of WiG Media Institute, which is a media training organization, and several other organizations which are under Wisdom Gate Communications. I see myself as a serial entrepreneur. I am passionate about the media and entrepreneurship.

When and what made you decide you were going to become a Christian media practitioner/entrepreneur?

As early as 2004, I already knew I had a passion for the media. I felt I could leave a mark. Whilst studying Biochemistry at the University of Lagos, I remember telling my course mates that I wasn’t a Biochemist. I decided to continue because of my background in the Science, though I knew I might not practice. So, whilst serving under the National Youth Service Corps programme, I prayed and trusted God to show me the next step and phase of this journey. The normal thing would have been to go back to lecture at the Biochemistry department, especially since I graduated at the top of my class with a First Class degree. I meant to do that, but while I was praying, the Spirit of God laid it on my heart that He would not have me go back to Biochemistry. Instead, he had an assignment for me in the media. This was substantiating what I already knew as far back as 2004. So, I decided to go back for a Postgraduate Diploma in Mass Communication to get myself prepared and equipped for that particular assignment.

When I went for the Post-graduate Diploma in Mass Communication, my eyes were opened and I saw more reasons why we needed Christians in the media. I saw some of the rot in the media sector, and I realised that there was no point in sitting down, folding my arms and praying that God would do something about it. After the completion of my PGD, I prayed again and the Spirit of God laid it in my heart that it was time to start a radio station. Then, I felt God didn’t know what it meant to start up a radio station in Nigeria, because on looking at my bank account, I realised that all I had then was just 200 Naira – less than a dollar, even at that time!

I took the first step and the next, and with a group of committed team members, wonderful people, and of course with faith and God’s backing, we were able to start up our first broadcast and it’s been wonderful. We have continued to make progress on a daily basis since then.

How did your family react/respond to your decision to venture into Christian media?

Any parent would think, “Oh, my child finished with a first class, he should either go to the bank or to an oil company.” In fact, one of my dad’s dreams was that I would go back to study Medicine, you know, the hope of, “My son is a medical doctor”. But when I was convinced about my decision. What I did was that I told myself that I would rather pay attention to what I believe in my heart. It wasn’t about my family, but it was all about me and my personal relationship with God.

I remember one early morning, my dad called me to ask, “What exactly is the correlation between Biochemistry and Mass Communication?” That day I tried to form some things, but I am not good at lying. But I had conviction. I believe that there are some people reading this interview, who for one reason or the other are in the wrong environment, not because they want to be in such places, but because they are afraid of certain people. I believe you need to get to the point where you tell yourself that “I need to do what I believe I should do”.

I went ahead with the PGD with no support from anybody. When my parents saw that I was convinced about what I was doing, they began to support me, even though they were skeptical initially. I remember paying the acceptance fee by myself. When it was time to pay my tuition, they were like, “Come, we need to help this guy”. This reminds me of a scripture: “Then the LORD said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.” (Habk. 2:2, NLT)

The vision will surely speak, though it tarries. Now, they can see that the vision is speaking. I remember the first time my parent appeared in the national dailies because of the influence of one of my friends who had seen something I posted about them on Facebook. They were very happy as they never thought something like that could/would happen. This was because of my going in the direction of what I wanted to do. So, they’ve been very supportive. The current WiGRadio studio used to be my dad’s office, although it started from inside my room, on my bed. My dad let us make use of his former office, and he hasn’t collected rent from us.

How supportive has your family been to your calling?

I will say that parents and siblings supporting the vision of their loved ones goes a long way. My family has been very supportive of the vision. I can imagine that if they hadn’t given me that support at that point in time, WiGRadio might not have been able to achieve all that we have achieved so far.

Another set of people that constitute my family are the WiGRadio team. I usually say that they are the best team on planet earth. Most of the exploits we record in WiGRadio is because of the great things that these wonderful people do. Some of them are not seen, but I can tell you that they are indeed awesome and they are the real brains behind the great things we achieve daily.

Please describe a typical day as a Christian Media entrepreneur and what the life entails?    

I usually wake up sometimes at about between 4:30 to 5, 5:30 or thereabout. I start by observing my personal devotion. I prepare breakfast on days that I am not fasting.

I must resume at work between 7:30 – 7:45am and that gives me enough time to get to work, rest and reflect and pray at work before I come up with my broadcast for the day which begins at 8am every day. After that, I go into my personal office where I have the opportunity of receiving guests. Our wonderful staff continues with the remaining broadcast for the day. The day is always packed full with several activities, you know. There are always so many things to do. We also have some sponsored programmes that we run. While all these are going on, I am always glued to my headset. I make sure I am listening to every programme to ensure that it meets spiritual and professional standards. We also run training classes for the WiGRadio Media Institute from 11:45 am to 2:45pm. After that, I have enough time to rest. Somewhere in between, I’m reminded to eat if I haven’t eaten from home. I forget to do so sometimes due to my focus on work.

Sometimes, I can have a couple of meetings outside the studio when I need to meet with people or make some phone calls. Occasionally, I meet clients that we need to do external broadcasts for. I ensure that I close no later than 6pm and take my journey back home. When I get back home in the evening, I prepare dinner and then catch up with friends and family on social media. I ensure that daily, I interact with at least one person that I have not spoken with in a long time, including WiGRadio family members. I try to ensure that I follow up on their spiritual growth and personal life.

I sleep off and I wake up by 12 am to pray. After that, I sometimes reflect and plan for the next day and also prepare the wisdom bank. Then I go to sleep. Weekends are sometimes much busier because of external broadcasts. The only day that I think I give myself a day off is Friday.

What steps did you take towards actualizing your goal to become a Christian media entrepreneur?

The first major step that I took was to spend quality time in prayer. In fact, this is the one aspect of the story that a lot of people are not aware of. WiGRadio started on 1st of March, 2013. Towards the end of the year 2012, I spent about almost 3 months fasting and praying. I did a 40-day fast and prayer twice and another for 21 days. It was a wonderful year for me spiritually. It was a year of spiritual growth and God helped me.

Fasting helped me grow in my walk with God. My eyes of understanding were enlightened that I might be able to know what exactly I was supposed to do at that point in time. The place of prayer cannot be over-emphasized. And then there’s the place of wonderful teammates. No matter how much God has spoken to you, you must also understand that there are people that God wants you to work with. Your ability to recognize them is very important. One of the things God has helped me to do is when I meet with people, I just know that this person is part of the vision. God has blessed us with wonderful people. At the risk of sounding boastful, I will say I am a man that believes that there is nothing impossible. In fact, that’s one of our slogans: “Be careful what you call impossible”.

There are times that we come up with a particular idea of what we want to do and we give no thought to how it’s going to happen. It might look far-fetched and unattainable, but we tell ourselves that it is possible.

With a mixture of prayer, faith, believing that all things are possible and with wonderful team mates, I think that any Christian business person can go to any height.

How do you fund operations for WiGRadio and other initiatives under your organisation?

We have been primarily faith-funded since inception. We trust God for all our needs. In fact, I will never forget times that we were pushed to the wall and felt that this cannot continue. I have learnt early enough that whenever there are financial needs like that, I just get on my knees in the place of prayer. I enter the studio and I tell God, “I did not tell myself I wanted to do these things. You were the one that asked me to do these things. I had my life laid out ahead of me and I knew what I wanted to do. So, you must open my eyes to see your way of provision.” And, you know, at such times an idea will just drop and by the time I do it, money would come in. Other times, God would just lay it in the heart of somebody who would then give me a call, “Oh, Mr Perfect, please send me your account number, or send me the account number of WiGRadio.” Things like that; and our needs are met. They have always been met.

It’s not just about sitting down all the time expecting somebody to call and to provide the money. Some of the time, one needs to also think outside the box, think of business ideas. So, it means that one needs to get the money. That’s why I said I am a serial entrepreneur. I have done as many businesses as possible. If it’s legal, ethical and not going to harm anybody, I am always willing to do it. There was a time that I started selling land. I got an opportunity to do so with some acres outside Lagos. Money was coming in and there was this understanding that I had which is, the money wasn’t there so that I can boast to people and prove that I have arrived. It was there to enable us fund the work of God in WiGRadio. It could get challenging sometimes, but I can tell you that God has never failed us and He will never fail us.

How did you plan to ensure sustainability of your idea from the onset?

Sincerely, I never thought about the sustainability initially, I just knew that we have started and we would go all out for it. It was more of a step of faith. I didn’t know how all of those things were going to happen. I only knew that, for me, this is God. So, there was no way I could say these were the steps that we took at the beginning to ensure sustainability. But if you ask me how we’re doing that now, it’s grooming people to help them develop their capacity.

We know fully well that as we keep developing others, these people will be the ones that will continually uphold that which we are doing. We have alumni who have gone on to other aspects of the media and are doing great and wonderful things. They have gotten employed in various places.

At WiGRadio, we allow people to come the way they are. Most of those we receive don’t know much about the media and we train them. We invest time, energy and effort and, at the end of the day, they become professionals and are always there to sustain that which we are doing, but, most importantly, God is our sustainer.

What are the top 3 lessons you have learned in your journey as an entrepreneur?

Treat people right, treat people well and you will get the best out of them. I can say that more of the things that I see around me today are a result of knowing how to manage relationships with people. I have learnt that if we should manage people well, you can get anything from them; people will be willing to go to any length to help you achieve whatever it is that you want to achieve.

I have also learnt to put my faith in God, you know. Taking a step is very much important than just sitting down. There are a lot of people who have great ideas, have written them down, and talk about all those things. If they don’t take any step, even though it’s God speaking, nothing will happen. For us, it’s always been a step of faith, which is why we are where we are today.

I didn’t allow the fact that I had just 200 Naira prevent me from taking that step. Today, we have been able to employ several staff, with a couple of people on salary. We have people doing broadcast work for us from outside Nigeria and have been able to reach over 110 countries. We have been in different parts of Nigeria for live broadcast. I just look at all of these things and I am grateful to God. My greatest happiness comes when I look at people that God has blessed us with and those to whom we are also a blessing.

Are you married?

I am not married yet.

Do you intend to get married?

Of course, I intend to get married. You know, the Bible says that it is not good for a man to be alone. So, I am at that point in my life where I realize that I need a help-meet who will help me actualize more of that which I have started just like Adam. He was busy working in the garden and God gave him Eve and through her, he was able to actualize more of God’s plan and purpose.

How has your work as a missionary, Christian media entrepreneur, amongst other hats, impacted your relationships and preparation for marriage?

Well, I know that there was a time I was in a relationship and that relationship did not work out because I was a workaholic. But by the Grace of God, I am more balanced now and I trust God to get married sometime soon, according to the will of God.

Any other thing you would like to share with us?

With faith, all things are possible.

I’m also an author. I’ve written about 5 books. “Be Careful What You Call Impossible” is a best seller. About more than 5,000 copies of it out in circulation. “We are not Here to Play” is a book on purpose discovery. “You will See What will Become of My Dream” was my first book. I wrote that book when I was in my final year at the University of Lagos. Then there’s “Do not despise your days of little beginnings“. “I Believe in Miracles” is my latest book.

Thank you so much, Mr. Perfect, for your time and inspiration!

This week, OnBecomingAMan.com interviews Rotimi, a Nigerian missionary who has witnessed in all the 36 states of the country and currently serving in Northern Nigeria.

God’s people are called to go, make disciples, baptize, teach, and witness. Many of us do just that in our personal witness here in the city and surrounding areas. However, there are people who are called to do this across the across the nation, border towns, and across the globe. This week, OnBecomingAMan.com interviews Rotimi, a Nigerian missionary who has witnessed in all the 36 states of the country and currently serving in Northern Nigeria. He shares his missionary journey so far, the intricacies, the joy, and hope for a world that thirsts after God. (NB: Rotimi’s pictures and last name have not been published for privacy reasons). Enjoy reading and be blessed! 

Please tell us about yourself.

Photo credit: www.tongiecc.org

Adekunle Kehinde, a.k.a. Kunle Kenny, is a Christian recording artiste, voice coach, music director, and music entrepreneur. He holds a B.Sc.  in Cell Biology & Genetics and a Masters degree in Molecular Genetics, both from the University of Lagos. However, the Oyo state-born minister followed a stronger passion for gospel music. In this interview with OnBecomingAMan.com, Kunle shares his journey thus far with us, what inspired his 2015 EP (Ose Baba), his most recent single (Holy is the Lord), and insights about his source of inspiration for new songs, amongst other details.

You have a degree in Cell Biology and Genetics; Why music?

What inspired your latest song, Holy Is The LORD?

When is your next album coming out?

“The bad news is: time flies. The good news is: you’re the pilot.” – Michael Altshuler

Just before dusk, you arrived. You came, and you saw. You saw hell on this brown dust. The world is a battlefield, whether you agree or not. And, that is more than just a cliché: fighter jets, submarines, missiles; culture, religion, politics.

Every day you wake to the rooster’s crow, the chirping of the early birds, noise from the poultry, the gathering murmur and hoots from cranky automobiles in the far distance. Nature’s light is such a pleasant beauty to behold.

They say that every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It does not matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle: when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.

At risk is he who yawns, bites a morsel, downs a gourd of palm wine, but yields to slumber again just as the day breaks; even if he commands a bunch of slaves. Hunger, penury and shame soon come knocking hard to recover the looted time and resources. Time is precious.

The ticking clock waits for no man, not the one who fails to plan his way, not the one who refuses to toil while it is yet daytime.
At dusk, you dust your feet and number your fleet. Yet, there is a man who toils all day, but gathers no commensurate increase. Time and chance happens, and the race does not always belong to the swift.

Young man, on a day when you wake up at dusk, let regret and biting of the lips go. Pick up your tools and redeem the moments left. May you, in your remorse, find wisdom soon enough.

Night comes, but maybe, just maybe, in this new reality you do not need the glamour of the sun to have all the fun and be truly happy. Accept a thought that limits your growth, and it becomes your reality. In this place, all is set for you, lights and all that glitters. It is never too late to live your dreams and take over the world.

They tell you the bad piece of news: that time flies.

The good news, I tell you, is: that you can still take charge of whatever that is left. Renew your hope and become the navigator of your own time, your own life. Tell it to him who slumbers; you can still wake up, though it is just before dusk!