Author: Osmond Agbo
If we truly want to empower the next generation, we must shift the focus from just giving money to building systems. Because at the end of the day, you don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems. Like many other “bothers” (our corrupted version of “brother”), I receive countless requests for financial assistance daily, relatives, friends, and even total strangers. These pleas have become woven into our social fabric, something we’ve come to expect, even in times of economic stability. But in these recent years of Baba Go-Slow and T-Pain, Nigerians are…
While trying to make sense of all this, the one thing that comes to my mind is the song, “Kasongo ye ye ee, mobali na ngai!” If you’re an avid TikToker or frequently find yourself scrolling through Facebook and Instagram during downtime, chances are you’ve come across this meme. It’s often deployed in situations of confusion or dilemma, where one is trying to make sense of a perplexing scenario. “Kasongo ye ye” it turns out, is actually a song by Orchestra Super Mazembe, a renowned Kenyan soukous band with roots in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). Formed in…
In Africa, we like to revel in the notion that we are the last bastion of moral conservatism, standing firm while the West descends into moral anarchy. We view their societies as unmoored, decadent, and irreverent, while ours remain sanctuaries of divine order. This illusion is often reinforced by the sheer omnipresence of churches, which dot every street corner of our lands like monuments to our piety. Yet, beneath this façade of righteousness lurks an unsettling reality: societies riddled with corruption, overrun by kidnappers, ritualists, and criminals who render our cities uninhabitable, forcing an exodus of our best minds, some…
These examples underscore a fundamental truth: people are often more willing to spend money to satisfy emotional and social needs rather than purely practical ones. The value of an object or experience is not just in what it is but in what it represents—and ultimately, that value is determined collectively. This phenomenon extends beyond everyday consumer behavior into the world of high fashion and art. A close friend of mine recently commemorated his birthday, and as a true epicurean, he sought to mark the occasion with an unforgettable gastronomic experience. Naturally, we, his friends, took it upon ourselves to…
Thus, when someone requests that you be brutally honest with them, do not fall into the trap. The reality is that most people do not seek raw truth; rather, they crave affirmation, and those who speak with unfiltered honesty often bear the brunt of society’s disdain. Does this mean one should resort to deceit, or that I should have feigned admiration for how stunning my sister-in-law looked with that makeup? Certainly not. Flattery, on the other hand, is not merely insincere; it is manipulative and driven by self-interest, one that many can easily see through. A few years ago, I…
At some point, we all wake up to the reality that some of our closest friends have drifted away, often without explanation, and without closure. As painful as it may be, we must come to terms with the fact that, over time, people grow, change, and sometimes outgrow each other. And inevitably, we too will distance ourselves from people who no longer align with our present or future. It is not done out of spite, but rather out of necessity—because life moves on, and so must we. In an age where information flows ceaselessly from every direction, we are often…