A year today

It was just around this hour 365days ago, fresh out of school, 7-day old Electrical & Electronics Engineering Second class upper degree holder. In the days that preceded, the only people I probably wanted to talk to were Jaye, Funsho, Modupe, Harry, Aniekan and Dami, they were the ones that had come around to help me put things together for the book launch.

I can remember the emptiness on my graduation day, I wasn't just feeling what most people were feeling, all I had on my mind was the launch. The launch came and it was awesome. Many things worked well, all the guests had a wonderful time..I had fun too; in fact looking at the video, I couldn't believe myself.

Everyone that was around when all of these things were happening could testify to it that God was indeed with me. Amazing things happened, great amazing things! Sorry if I hype this one book launch too much, I know many more of my books will be launched, even after I pass away, but there's nothing as magical as your first.

Just last month, my mom sent the book to a friend in the UK and this is what he had to say: 

"Very many thanks for blessing me with copies of your debut. I had a friend with me when i opened the large envelope. After flipping through a copy, he refused to release it. I have read my own copy twice and am keeping it jealously.

Probably unknown to you, you have spoken the mind of God about wisdom, to the young and the old, this generation and generations to come.

I am quite excited with what i saw and read but not surprised. Your mum and i used to discuss the progress of our children many years ago and i have always seen you as someone who has a message for his generation. I thank God for using you in this very special way. I find the book very insightful, moreso, it has a spiritual touch."

365days later I'm sitted on a couch in a neatly furnished 4bedroom apartment that I have all alone to myself in the city of Port Harcourt, my 12th night in this city, it has been raining all day so I've just been pretty chilled, eating as much as I can while reflecting all day. I've talked to many people today and after their congratulatory messages they wanna know when I'm dropping my next book, some wonder why there are cob webs all over my blog and it might be surprising if I say I don't even have answers to some of these questions. I consciously took a break, but seeing as this break was taking too long I decided to break this silence.

I want to bring my blogging mojo back, I like this 30 day ish people have been blogging on, but some of the topics are just to fresh for me...I don't even know what they mean x_x

I would like to talk about how work has been in Port Harcourt some other time, I would like to talk about my observations. I would like to talk about my upcoming book as well. I would like to talk about how lazy I have been in certain aspects of my life. I would love to talk about my new dreams. I would like to talk about some of my fears. I would also like to talk about  my job search. I would like to talk about my inexistent romantic life and something I call the problem of over ambition.

Maybe I have my own list already, just maybe!

But I wrote this piece for one very key reason, and that is to appreciate God before all men. I don't know what things I do to deserve the things He has blessed me with, I've messed up on many levels but He has always been faithful. I love God and I believe Him in a most unique way, I can't find the right words to describe how much I believe God, but I must say I am a BELIEVER. Judging from the environment in which I grew up, judging from my average background, there are many things that my hands have touched that most people that were in those shoes with me are yet to dream of touching, God put me on another level and gave me bragging rights. I'm not the best, but I could have been worse. So as Paul said in 1Cor 1:31 "Let him that boasts boast in the Lord" This day I look at my CV and I boast in this one God. 

"Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof" this journey just started!

Opportunity check: YES or NO

Permit me to quickly blow your mind for the next couple of minutes u will spend in reading this piece....

I'm too happy with the life I'm living right now because I know I touch lives daily!

Day by day I'm getting closer to the actualisation of my dreams and I thank the Lord God Almighty for helping me thus far.

I was on a Virgin Nigeria flight on a Sunday evening, leaving Abuja for Lagos on the last flight for the day and I guess very few persons travel at that hour because the plane was almost empty. In their usual fashion, they had to upgrade some persons from economy to business class just so the aircraft can maintain balance...so the flight attendant approached a particular couple and the following conversation ensued.

"Excuse me, are u both travelling together?"

"Yes"

"We would like to upgrade ur ticket to business class, so if you don't mind can u come down with me"

"NO, we are okay here"

Did someone just say NO to a flight upgrade?????? This is no terrorist move right?

It really hit me and I've been meaning to teach a lesson from that incident but no inspiration has ever come from that area up until now.

That day I didn't know what to conclude on...it was either 'contentment' or 'pride'

It had to be one of those two things, the latter looking more like it.

But right now, I'm not seeing it as pride anymore because I did not in anyway lose respect for that guy, infact they earned my respect big time.

There are two words that guide our existence, YES and NO

Who u are today, they say, is a product of the choices u made yesterday; life is all about choices; and ur choice is either a YES or a NO....so that validates my postulation.

I keep saying that there's nothing CU graduates will come across in life that Papa has not prepared us for, there's no situation in life that  u cant link to something Papa has said or that we might have learnt from him, this is what qualifies him to be my most revered mentor.

"Be very careful, it is not every opportunity that comes your way that is meant for you"

-Dr David Oyedepo '10

Lemme back this up further with a self-example.

A couple of weeks back as I was preparing for my book launch and one of the persons on the event management crew introduced me to a socialite, a fashion person, popular blogger and a successful lady; she had a concept she had always wanted to pull off and she was going to need 30mins of my event time to do her own thing!

Sincerely I never felt right about it from the on-set, but I trust my team members anyday anytime....d offer started out as juicy, a socialite will definitely come around with classy guests, celebrities..they will drop good cash to launch my book and even if they dont. they are celebs, their presence is enough reward.

So I opened talks with her after I had discussed a strategy with another team member, I gave her a good deal only to discover that all she was gonna offer in return was her Socialite ratings and a book review....no cash? no fixed reward!

But again, she sounded convincing...I was a young boy looking for recognition....I hope I'm not missing out of this rare opportunity...bla bla...

and while I was in the middle of this, it just occurred to me that 20mins of my event time is actually not that cheap, the time wasnt even there in the first place. I just picked my fone, typed the SMS and I cut off the deal

GBAM!!!!!!

But u know, when u cut off and u actually don't cut off

I was filled with fear, at some point I would feel bad about the decision, at other times I was just okay with it, at some point again I would feel like a bad guy that just dropped a capital NO.

Post-decisional emotional roller coaster ride!

It is actually no beans saying NO yet we need to say NO on a daily basis

The lesson of this experience is this

"Be very careful, it is not every opportunity that comes your way that is meant for you"

-Dr David Oyedepo '10

That virgin flight experience leaves me to conclude that people actually respect u more when u say NO the right way to whatever it is u dont feel right about

Giving off that 20mins would have been the worst decision of my life, and I would have known that if not because I said NO,

Why am I sayin this?

We planned a 2hour program for the launch. 

We kicked off at 6:20 and by 7:55 I was called up to give the vote of thanks!

Meanwhile, all along I had it at the back of my mind that the event was ending 8:30, so instead of giving the vote of thanks at 7:55 thereby ending the event for 8:00pm...I decided to hold my guests to ransom, I didnt let them go

I spent 20mins entertaining questions from the audience, and if u were around for my book launch, u would agree with me that the 20mins Q&A session was the most important, interesting and entertaining moment of the book launch, because that was the only time I was able to sell myself to the audience as a confident public speaker; for everyone who was seeing me for the first time and even those who knew me before, that was the moment I stole their heart convincing them beyond doubt that I'm not just a word smith on paper but I roll pretty good on the mic as well.

I wouldn't have known what I had missed if I had given out my precious 20mins!

You never can tell what you are missing by not saying NO to that thing you call 'opportunity'

Check it!

The book launch from my own stand point!

The launch

Months of dreaming

Months of planning

Of strategy and of implementation

Of provision and of improvision finally came to an end

All of that crammed into 120minutes

Just 120minutes?

As in 2hours?

Yea! 

2hours of fun

I didn't want it to end

We did a bit of African time ish as we started 6:15. The programme had barely started and I was still checking up on one or two logistics when I heard "now we welcome Tolu Akanni to give his welcome address". The hall was alrady half filled then. It was too sudden for me to feel tensed, so I went up and I did the welcome address as pre-planned. The lyrics for that one came while I was in the Danfo on my way back home from school 2days ago (me n my priceless Danfo moments).

My welcome remarks was followed by the book presentation anchored by my brother - being the one who wrote the foreword of the book. 

Soon we had Harry coming up to do Poetically speaking. Beautiful piece by the owner of the Nigerian Poetry blog of the year. 

I was soon brought back up to do the first book reading from the 1st chapter of the book- Chapter A: ON EXPRESSION. Seeing that the hall was still two-thirds filled I just decided to read Chapter D as well - NETWORKING. There was a message in that chapter which I was quite confident was going to add to someone in the audience, and I'm sure it did at the end of the day.  

My book reading was followed by a song presentation by Ese Peters...beautiful piece on love. He's quite good with the guitar and the strings did bring the song to life. ...watch the video here

Ese's piece was followed by Seye's dramatic poem...he did some stunt with #20 note..really fantastic presentation.. God bless him big time! (he's promised to design a website for the book...so u guys will be seeing that soon)

Then came the main moment of the day - the lauching. My brother anchored this and he had barely spent 3minutes introducing the order of the launch when I decided to toast/excite the audience a lil bit before they drop their envelopes...I started talking and before I knew I lost it!...I was just talking and talking and of cos talking relevant, spitting all of the sense I had in me....making them understand the vision of the book, d motivation and all of that and what value the book has out there...it was some 5-10mins of self marketing!!!

The launch went on well and by then Tosyn Bucknor was already in the building!

Tosyn read CHURCH BOIS by Omoge Black and it was simply fantastic! Her delivery was madddddddddddd...she being an on-air personality u would xpect her book readin to be the maddest and yea...she did justice to it!

Then Ese Peters had a second presentation...another lovely song

Ooops!! I cant believe I've not mentioned the lovely MCs so far

The best combo ever

Aniekan 6"4 towering high over Dami 5"7...humorous and their delivery was professional mehn...they didnt over do it and they just had this way of keeping the ambience alive. I cant think of anyone that would have done it any better!

Seye Ogunlesi of Terra Kulture read the piece Alákádá from my old blog - 100days @ d lobby....yet another humorous piece and Seye being the fresh boy that he is now...his accent n all kept us alive readin the piece to our listening pleasure

Then Gbonju came and read another chapter of the book - LOST

Then Orode came and read BLACK. There was just something captivating about her outfit, her fashion statement was on point!!...I no be fashion person oh...so I dont know wha they call it...but the ash + red combo was on point men....and if u were ther 2 c her in person...u go bow!

I did the last book reading from my favourite Chapter T - GIDI TIMES. That's the A-Z of LAS GIDI piece. The audience was laughing all the way!

Then it came to time for remarks/Q&A...and nobody wanted to talk oh!

Ok, my dad was forced to talk and then that was all...they called me up to do the Vote of thanks. @ 8:00pm

Since I was anticipating the event will end 8:30pm and it was already itching me to talk all day just like the MCs have been doing. I went back to the Q&A session oh...and I was begging for questions...can u imagine? When they didnt want me to feel important...I had to force them

Then Tosyn Bucknor led the way "what inspired u to write this book?"

I spend quality time answering her

Another question came from Gbonju..I think.....ermmm...can't remember what it was anymore but I also did justice to that

Then a major question came from fresh smart dude, Leke (Omoge Black's representative)...he was basically encouraging me to look for like minds to run this vision with, and that was how I burst forth promoting brands for the next 10minutes.

I was quick to let him know that A-Z Life lessons is not a Tolu Akanni production, that the brains behind it plentyyyy gannnnn....so I just incorporated the brand promotion thing we were planning to do

Ok...Gbonju's question was on "wat next?" and the El Fiz Concept vision took care of that.

So on the brand promotion..I recognised all of my friends' brands and I let people understand that they are brands driven by young minds and I'm also appreciating them all here again

Tecknicoleur designs

Hill torch ventures

Bookoo

Omoge black

Unlimited Works

Rebirth media

Mayday graphics

MEDIA Partners -

Thisday Glitz

Fabulous Magazine

Bella Naija

Elan

234next

STV

Beat FM

Mitre Magazine

Top Radio

Yada

Future Awards

Mom took closing prayer and that was followed by my interview with STV..I cant wait to watch that on TV!

Book signing was a bit stressful though...the rush was kinda heavy somehow...and it took quality backdrop picture moments from me..buh I stil had fun signing autographs though.

From autographs to pictures

Pictures

Picturesssssssssss

and so it all ended

and so we drove out of VI

and so I find myself back at hooooooome!

Thanks 4 reading...pictures will be up soon

Only a couple of hours to go!

Only a couple of hours to go...

I'm hours away from my make/mar make/make show
Those manuscripts that were once on notepad.exe
I really cant tell how they found their way to Microsoft Publisher
Then Ade put it on Photoshop
From Photoshop the printer took it to Corel
And from Corel it was printed as a book
The book so fresh, so clean...the printer made me proud
Otta sales: explosive. 200copies cleared in a weekend

So tomorrow comes
Las Gidi is set to receive the book
Las Gidi...the city of hustlers
Las Gidi...the city of big dreams

Tomorrow...funds!!!
God please speak to their pockets
Let it pop out of their hearts
I know it will turn out well
I know it will turn out big
Millions is what I smell
Contracts is what I see knocking

Tomorrow...the best day of my life
Tomorrow....a dream come true!