Progress is Not Measured by Stardom - Olalekan Olatunbosun

NNI: Can we meet you? (Personal, Education, Career-wise)

GUEST: My name is Olalekan Olatunbosun Onaopemipo, fondly referred to as Catalyst. Second of 4 Children. A native of Makun, Sagamu LGA, Ogun State. Born and bred in Lagos.

I completed my Senior Secondary School in 2011/2012. Bagged a Diploma in Public and International Relations from Olabisi Onabanjo University in 2015. I'm a graduate of Guidance and Counselling in Obafemi Awolowo University. By career, I'm a Personal Development Enthusiast, Public Speaker, Digital Marketing Strategist, and Business Development Executive.

NNI: How has your Social entrepreneurship journey been so far?

GUEST:  Well, maybe I should say it is about how well not how far. However, the parameter for measuring progress is not necessarily how much we have earned or risen to stardom. I think it is how fulfilled we have felt doing what we love doing. So, permit me to say that, my social/entrepreneurship voyage has brought me a feeling of fulfillment and life to a significant extent.

But the undeniable truth is, the journey gets tougher and sweeter.

NNI: In managing multiple businesses and initiatives as a student, how do you manage your time and balance academics and extracurricular activities?

GUEST: It's not easy I must confess. Time management is a skill that requires a lot of discipline. Managing businesses, initiatives, academics, faith and relationship is strenuous but it demands a lot of commitment. Sometimes, I feel like giving up some of these things but John Mason's words, 'The best place to start is where you are'. I just feel obliged to keep doing these things basically because I found joy in doing them.

NNI:  What is your worst business experience?

GUEST: Hmm. Worst business experience. I think that was sometime in 2016. I got a contract to make over 200 souvenirs, 3 roll-ups for a Bible conference in Ijebu Ode. I was also expected to handle the media presence of the conference online. Due to my busy schedule that period, I gave the job to one Shola at Nepa Road in Abeokuta and he really messed up with those things. It cost me my credibility to the organizer of the conference.

NNI:  Last year you organized The Catalyst Conference 1.0. What inspired and birthed your passion for the conference?

GUEST: The Catalyst Conference has been my dream since 2016. I attempted organizing it in August 2016 at the open space in the palace of Alake of Egbaland in Abeokuta but all efforts proved abortive. Three years later, I was able to achieve my dream. I used the same theme I wanted to use in 2016 last year. The theme was, 'The Youths Nigeria Deserves.'

The conference was actually borne out of the passion to reach the minds of young people and transform their consciousness for positive global influence.

NNI: On Youth Development and growth in Nigeria, do you think we are making progress?

GUEST: Well, I can't say outrightly that we are making progress or not. But I think there are many risk factors exposing us to regression in youth development and growth. It is pathetic that today, the government will rather use youths for hooliganism or the entertainment industry gives us something to nurse. Efforts are rather channeled towards fighting one-sided corruption, getting foreign loans among other anti-growth policies. Little is done to improve the lives of youth. Go and check our educational system.

I can't deny some individuals and organizations are committed to youth development in Nigeria. Ogbeni Dipo, Sunny Smart of African Youths Enterprise and others are really doing their best.

 

Peer influence and Social Media are two notable factors that have a great influence on youths- positive and negative. To what extent can you measure these influences?

Guest: We need no soothsayer to tell us how much these factors have influenced us. Peer pressure is almost becoming archaic. Social media is making this go worse. Cybercrime is flaunted on social media, erotic videos and lifestyles are uncensored. The influence is massive. This has been the basis of which many youths are living their lives.

NNI: You run The Learnaholics Academy.  How do you operate? Can you tell us more about the academy?

GUEST: The Learnaholics Academy is a personal and professional development-oriented institution. The academy is established as a result of cravings to raise the bar at helping people create values that will propel their personal and professional life. The Learnaholics Academy adopts both physical and electronic classroom learning mechanism to accommodate prospective students far and near.

At The Learnaholics Academy, we believe life is a continual learning exercise. Hence, we simply believe in education and information as a crucial recipe to scale new height, personally – in chosen professions. We want to help our students build enviable professional achievement, mature personality, better relationship, happiness, success, and prosperity in their endeavors.

NNI: As an inspirational speaker and life coach, what do you think fuels societal impact?

GUEST: Let me put them in three words, 'Purpose, Information, and Conviction'.

When a man finds his purpose, he can easily influence his society because his purpose will serve two main purposes, 'For the glory of God and benefit of Man'.

Information is second. When you are not informed, you will be deformed. The right information on societal needs and how to reach them will definitely fuel social impact. Lastly, the conviction is important. It is an ardent commitment and determination to raise societal values.

NNI: As it is, you manage different things? What is the fusion point between TOON (The Olalekan Olatunbosun Network), The Learnaholics Academy, Youth Empowerment and Support Initiative and your business brands itself?

GUEST: Everything here revolves around one thing... 'Growth and Development'. TOON is dealing with individuals on life demands. TLA focuses on personal and professional growth using an academic approach. YESI is reaching out to a group of people - youths, to influence them for positive global influence. My business brands still revolve around development and growths for other businesses, individuals or corporate entities.

NNI: What is your advice to fellow young individuals?

GUEST: Keeping doing what you love. It doesn't have to make sense to everybody. The vision is on tours. Keep striving. You are closer to your destination than you think.

Numerous NGOs Exist Due to Government's Laxity - Bolu Okunlola

NNI: Can we meet you?

Guest: I am Okunlola Boluwatife, a graduate of Law from Obafemi Awolowo University. I am passionate about social change and development. I am the founder and Lead Volunteer of The Keturah Movement; a social change organization and also a craftsman at BOJCrafts.

NNI: How has the entrepreneurship journey been for you so far?

Guest: For me, the entrepreneurship journey has been quite interesting because it is more like a hobby.

NNI: In managing multiple businesses and your NGO while as a student, how did you manage your time and balance academics and extra curricular activities?

Guest: There wasn't really a specific balance scheme that I strictly followed.

The major drive for the balance between my academics, entrepreneurship and running an NGO is the fact that I enjoy doing them all. I don't allow the time for any aspect to affect the others and that has somehow helped build a healthy balance between them all.

 

NNI:What is your worst business experience?

Guest: Oh, that would definitely be one time that I had to work with a very difficult customer. I made a wallet and there was a glitch in the finishing that a shoemaker did. She was displeased and said nasty things. I apologized and refunded her money, and it was quite painful because I had put in so much work.

NNI: BOJCrafts follows a unique business trend. What inspires your creative products?

Guest: Usually, what keeps my creative juices flowing is the fact that I enjoy the challenge of coming up with new designs and satisfying other people's fashion cravings. I am inspired by the combination of trends, colors, works and achievements of other creatives.

NNI: On Youth Development and growth in Nigeria, do you think we are making progress?

Guest: In order to seek the long term development and growth of a nation, we all know that youth development is a prerequisite. Personally, I believe we're making progress but we're not there yet. The trend these days is that as youths, we do not give quality time to growth anymore, most people now skip the growth process and jump into leadership.

To an extent, I would say that we're making a heads way in youth development and growth in Nigeria. The "lazy youth" mentality is almost now a thing of the past because an average youth now has one or two things we focus on such as businesses, skills and so on.

NNI: Peer influence and Social Media are two notable factors that have great influence on youths- positive and negative. To what extent can you measure these influence?

 

Guest: The effect of peer Influence on the average youth has been the crux of discuss for the past few years. Most youths do something that they wouldn't otherwise do, because of some form of validation and the hunger to be accepted and valued.

On the other hand, The use of social media has both negative and positive impacts on the youths today. Youths are predominantly the users of the Internet for social interaction. These are the people who cannot imagine life without the Internet, always seeking for ways to connect virtually with everyone in the world.

The effect of peer influence and social media on us today as youths is far reaching, both negatively and positively. And the best antidote for the negative effects is to create a balance in both aspects.

NNI: You run a Non- Governmental Organisation. How do you give back to the society?

Guest: We basically focus on social change and contributing our quota to make the world a better place.

We organize and volunteer for events relating to childcare, female and youth empowerment, community development and poverty alleviation among others.

NNI: What is your take on the existence of many NGOs? Do you think that societal impact is relative to the number of NGOs in existence?

Guest: NGOs play a very crucial role in the well being of mankind. There are many things that the governments would not be able to cater for and  the NGOs cover that field.

The mentality behind the high rise of NGOs is basically a reflection of laxity on the part of the government. But we cannot overemphasize the great positive impact that this brings. More NGOs means more hands to help other people. I believe that the greatest empowerment we can give to societal change is directly empowering our local communities permanently. This is a problem that most NGOs are trying to tackle. However, I agree that societal impact is relative to the number of NGOs in existence.

NNI: What is the Tzedakah4Keturah Project about?

Guest: Tzedakah4Keturah is an initiative of The Keturah Movement. It is a social purpose business where we sell products and the entire profit goes into charity. We set up the enterprise to tackle two social issues: Healthcare and Child education. It was inspired by the idea that every child deserves quality education and human being deserves quality healthcare. The yearly project tagged "Tzedakah" visits public schools to donate learning materials, hospitals to donate healthcare aids and also rural areas for sensitization on physical and mental health.

NNI: What is your advice to fellow young individuals?

Guest: To my fellow young individuals, I'd love to say we should try to let go of worrying too much about the future. Concentrate on being in the here and know and life will be more fulfilling. We can only take care of the future when we learn how to take care of the present moment. What's the fun in it all if we already have it all figured out? I think it's best that we create a space for ourselves to grow at a convenient pace and take it one step at a time.

NNI: Thank you very much for your time

Guest: Thank you so much for your patience.

Creativity is Expression to me - Timi Agbaje

In this interview with Timi Agbaje,  premium content developer, compere, Youtuber and Lawyer,  he discusses his creative side and leads us through the creative process. 

NELOC News: Can we meet you?
Guest: I am Timi Agbaje, I am an entertainer by passion, Lawyer by profession.

NNI: What defines Creativity  for you?
Guest: Creativity is basically expression to me. You conceive an idea or a concept then you express it for the world to see. Nothing is really ever new.  it’s how you express it to the world that stands you and the idea out.

NNI:  Is there any special skill required to create content? How have you been able to consistently create content?
Guest:  Lol. Special skill required to create? I doubt that. It’s a skill that gets better with consistency. I set a goal of many things I want to express over a period of time and I try to fill the timelines. I still even feel there’s a lot more I can achieve by stretching myself.

#Owrong!

NNI: What's your definition of a good content? Creativity or Acceptance by your audience?
Guest:  A good content is creativity well expressed. An idea well conceived and sold to the market right.

NNI: How have you managed celebrity influence and popularity in your space?
Guest: Lol. There’s always something at the back of my mind asides the popularity and the buzz which is Relevance, I care more about that and less about the popularity and the buzz. That keeps me in check.

NELOC News: Is entertainment your alternative to Law?  What is the merger point for both?
Guest: Lol. They’re not alternatives to me. I feel both of them have huge stakes they contribute to life. Without entertainment, the world will be a dry, bland space and without law, there will be chaos.
I try to infuse law minutely in my creations so people catch a hint or two on how things should play.

NNI: There's this popular trend on Twitter that celebrates Nigerian Creatives. What do you think about celebrating Creatives? Do you think Government has a role?
Guest: I totally support celebrating Creatives.  It simply motivates to do more. Everyone has a role to do. There’s a joy that comes with your works being appreciated, you just want to do more. Government and Society must contribute to this.

NNI: What is your view on Global Youth Development and growth? Are we making progress?
Guest: Definitely, things aren’t how and where they used to be but there’s still a lot of work to be done especially by Africa. I mean, Afrobeats has become a global phenomenon and African artistes have been on the forefront of this and this has largely contributed to the business of music and entertainment globally. Youths across different strata of life have pushed the standards higher in different ways, it can only get better from here.

NNI: How did you strike a balance between education and entertainment, bagging a First Class at the Nigerian Law School?

Guest: Simply, Time management. I set my priorities right and I knew when and what to sacrifice for the other. And for something I would love to add, I put a very unbelievable work rate into preparing for my bar exams, studied my books and I studied the system too, the psychology of the examiners, past questions…  I understood what the courses were really about beyond reading them to pass and all of that.

NNI: What is your advice to fellow young individuals?
Guest: Lol. I would love to tell everyone out there to set crazy goals and smash them. There’s no limit to things we can all achieve. Sometimes, it’s not that it’s not working, the dream and work being put in might not just be big enough.

NNI: What should we expect from you in the near future?
Guest: More, More and More

Thank you very much for your time sir.

Awards are Rewards, But May not be a True Reflection of Success - Peter Trailblazer

In this interview, Phenomenal comedian, Skit maker and winner, Golden Pasta Drama Competition, Peter Trailblazer tells our team his content creation process and how Awards are rewards but not a true definition of success...

NNI: Can we meet you? 

Guest: My name is Peter Adeleke popularly known as Peter Trailblazer. I am a phenomenal comedian and skit maker from Ibadan, Oyo state, born 23rd January, 1996. I'm a graduate of Microbiology from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. I grew up in Lagos with interest for comic acting and I decided to explore my talent with skit making. I grew from being a shy boy into an expressive and expansive skit maker. I won the second edition of the Golden Penny Pasta Drama Competition held in Lagos in 2007.

NNI: What birthed your brand name, Trailblazer and the Corporate Mad man identity?

 

Guest: I got the name Trailblazer by divine inspiration while on campus. Trailblazer is my signature and it typifies the phenomenal expression of my brand. I realized that comic actors come out in different form. That was why I decided to use a corporate outfit to create humour. You know once you wear a suit, you are regarded as a white collar person that is responsible. Notwithstanding, I use my corporate outfit to do crazy things so as to bring curiosity to the audience and also create sarcasm. It's just like an average Nigerian believes in packaging to be who they are really not.

NNI: How did your journey into content creation and comedy begin?

Guest: My journey into content creation began in 2015 at Obafemi Awolowo University during which I began a funny Life Partner series which went viral on campus. I just wanted to create organic and spontaneous videos in shorter versions to bring life's perspective into visual reality and to pass across salient message. All I wanted was to "edutain" people and I became better as I kept doing it. It was a bold step and now I am glad things are turning out well.

NNI: As a man of many creative hats, have you ever experienced content blocks? What was your experience?

Guest: Content creation requires you to think and make critical evaluations, not because you are not good but because you have to brainstorm on the best way to project the idea to the people. It's a norm for every content creator to experience content blocks.  Most times when I experience content blocks, I take a pause, think and discuss with my team on the best way to carry out the production to bring maximum result. Sometimes, I leave the project for some days, and when I get back to it, insight will surely come. 

NNI: What is your content creation process like? How do you arrive at the amazing content you dish your audience?

Guest: The process of content creation is fun for me. I always want my skit to inspire people and make them merry. So I combine the element of humor and theatrics to enlighten people and bring relaxation to them. I create content based on trends, inspiration, situation and relatability. I have a team of creative minds that work with me. Though I generally script, direct and edit all my skits myself but I could not have come this far without the support and input of my team. They worked hard to make many of my skits happen. They always had good suggestions and kept encouraging me to go on. I believe that actors must develop relationships within the network so as to provide more opportunities to advance their career. 

NNI:  What do you think of awards and achievements? How do they measure progress for you?

Guest: I won the second edition of the Golden Penny Pasta drama competition held in Lagos. So I can say that awards are ways of rewarding people who have done well. You are recognizing them for the good works they are doing.  Awards also motivate people to do more. However, some awards may not be a true reflection of success because it could be closely competitive and sometimes you only get to nominate the people you know. Some even go a long way to pay for an award. The most important metrics for progress is growth and result. The fact that one doesn't get an award does not mean one is not good. Just keep improving and doing your best. You will definitely be recognized with time.

NNI: As a creative and influencer, how best do you think celebrity status should be managed?

Guest: As a celebrity, a lot of people will actually look up to you. So be real. Be true to yourself. A whole lot of celebrities are living fake life. Just be yourself. Nobody is perfect. Keep improving on your character. More importantly, as a celebrity, why you try to bask in the glory of fame and fan love, you should always be humble. Humility will take you far. 

NNI: Many people complain that entertainment content in recent times has reduced in didactic quality. Do you think it's a matter of the creator's style?

Guest: Creators have a huge role to play in the kind of content to produce. However, the society, the trend, and the market have greater roles in influencing the creator's style. Content creators have now realized the kind of contents that the fans want. So creators are now being intentional about it. Hence the quality we see today.

NNI: What spectacular change do you wish to see in the entertainment and creative industry in the future?

Guest: There have been rapid growths in entertainment over the years. However, I will love to see more creatives using the platform of entertainment to address issues about the Nigerian economy. I will also love to see creatives support each other rather than see themselves as competition.

NNI: What advice will you give creatives interested in building a career in entertainment?

Guest: Persevere. The beginning will never be easy. I did a video on my YouTube channel titled, "why upcoming artist won't blow" where I talked about important things upcoming artist should know. As an upcoming artist, know your audience, focus more on your content, be creative, be consistent, persevere (because the beginning will never be easy), stay humble and don't give up.

Everyone Must Leverage Digital Marketing to Increase Value - Mary Fadare

NELOC News: Can we meet you?

Guest: I am Mary Fadare, a designer, business strategist and digital expert. I am the founder and lead of Mo'Tribe; a community that fosters personal development and business growth for young entrepreneurs where she commits herself to training and developing business owners. I am also the founder of phenomenal Ladies Connect Africa. PLC  Africa, where I lead a community of women who train other ladies to attain excellence across all fields and to amplify the voice of the African woman across the globe. To cap it all, as a graduate of the department of Botany, Obafemi Awolowo University, I am passionate about business and digital technology particularly leveraging digital tools for business growth and profitability.

Read: How GetProspa is Helping Nigerian Businesses Own Corporate Accounts at Zero Cost

NELOC News: How has the digital entrepreneurship journey been for you so far?

Guest: My digital entrepreneurship journey has been different shades of exciting, demanding and profitable for me. Of course it has come with it's own challenges, but I'm grateful for every step of the process.

NELOC News: To you, what is the relevance of digital marketing and how can individuals leverage it for growth?

Guest: Obviously, digital marketing is of high relevance - you almost can't do without it if you want to build a sustainable brand whether it's Business, Personal or even Non-profit. Individuals can leverage digital technology by making themselves visible to the right audience and give out as much value as possible.

NELOC News: How did you come about digital Skills? Are you self taught?

Guest: Well, I attended a conference sometimes in 2016 - The Opportunity Conference and I was completely wowed getting to know the amazing wonders of tech. I stepped out of the conference into a rollercoaster of seeking knowledge, trying out new adventures Online, learning as much as I could, and of course making a lot of mistakes and figuring out stuff on my own. So, yes, I'm self-taught with the help of Google.

NELOC News: How do you think social media management will affect the future of digital revolution?

Guest: New businesses and brands are springing up every minute on social media! A whole lot of people are creating content and making money from their social media followers. I think that goes on to say that it's definitely going to play a major role in changing the norm of how business is being done. The same goes for every other sectors as well. Today, we now have online law firms, online doctors, pharmacists, fitness trainers, just name it! So, like we usually joke, everything is now online! The digital revolution is here already.

 

Read also: Biography of Actress Kehinde Bankole

 

NELOC News: How does internet data price rates affect your productivity online (positively or negatively)? How well have you managed data?

Guest: As regards internet data, I believe that network providers are not taking it easy on us at all. For me, a whopping 20% of my total revenue generated from my online business goes back into buying data. That's pretty much for an average SME. Sincerely, I try to cut down my time Online. At some point, I removed YouTube completely from my list of favorite Online platforms all in a bid to conserve data. The availability and effectiveness of internet data affects my productivity to some extent but like every other challenge in business - we just have to find a way around it by making sure we generate enough Income to cover for data expenses

NELOC News: As a digital expert building a product that revolves round you, what defines social impact for you?

Guest: Social impact for me is value! Being so value oriented, generous and kind in dealing with every single person that comes into my space Online. There's a special joy that fills my heart whenever I am able to deliver the right solution to people's problems and being a part of their business success stories. It's both humbling and overwhelming!

NELOC News: As leader of the Mo'Tribe, what exceptional skill do you think every entrepreneur and business owner should have? Why?

Guest: If there's any skill I'll recommend, it's resilience. Being extremely passionate and focused on your goals such that you'd go any length to make them work regardless of whatever challenge you encounter on the way. It's okay to feel tired sometimes, you may not have all the resources, pay may not see you in your days of little beginnings. But you've got to be "stubborn" enough to stick through and build relevance for yourself and sustainability for your business.

NELOC News:: Tell us more about what you do at Phenomenal Ladies Connect.

Guest: Phenomenal Ladies Connect Africa (PLCAfrica) is a nonprofit organization for ladies. Our vision is to inspire African ladies  towards attaining excellence and relevance in their chosen field everywhere around the world. The goal is to amplify the voice of the African Woman across the globe, to give more recognition and inclusion to us.

NNI: What is your view on Global Youth Development and growth as regards the digital world? 

Guest: I know that many people would respond to this by pointing out incompetence and laziness on the part of many youths out there. But I'd rather commend the efforts of a large number of youths who are consistently committing themselves to growth, making bold moves, challenging the status quo and contributing significantly to the Global Economy at large.

Of course there's always room for improvement. It can only get better. More and more people are waking up and rising to responsibility!

NELOC News: What is your advice to fellow young individuals?

Guest: Work hard while you can. The glory of youths is in their strength. Leverage that strength in you and numerous opportunities at your disposal to make a difference. Find a purpose to live for, focus on what really matters and enjoy your process!

NELOC News: What new heights do you hope to scale in the near future?

Guest: For new heights, I'd love to work with top Consulting firms and land business deals with high profile companies. I also hope to build enough wealth and begin to invest and sponsor small businesses with innovative solutions. I look forward to providing mentorship to young Entrepreneurs as well.

 

 

 

   

Because of my Past, People see me as Imperfect - Fatoye Temitope

Fatoye Temitope, a recent graduate of the Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University, shares her story and her call to give hope to individuals who have a hurting past. in this interview with NELOC News International, she describes the positions of perfection and imperfection.


 
NNI: Can we meet you? Guest: I am Fatoye Temitope Seun and I am the visionary of Getting Past Your Past Magazine. I am from Osun State, and a Law Graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University.
NNI: What is GPYP all about?
Guest: GPYP is an organization called to show God's Love to the brokenhearted. We have been called to show that out of the Broken pieces of your life, the Lord can make an edifice of hope through using the non fictional stories of people who have been in one mess or the other and how they were able to get  a message out of it.

NNI: How has managing GPYP been since inception?
Guest: Although GPYP is still young - about 1 year plus, it has been sweet so far because I just see myself as a mighty tool in God's hands. I do what he wants me to do concerning GPYP. All the managerial instructions comes from Him. I only do what he has concluded.  

NNI: What has been your greatest challenge?
Guest: I had the greatest challenge when preparing for the conference. The challenge came up due to funds until when I got the wisdom (from my mentor) on how to get funds for God ordained programmes.

NNI: Being a student, how have you combined studies with ministry?

Guest: God has helped me by providing strength when I feel so tired and weak. Apart from that, there is wisdom in planning my day and my time. So ministry never disturbed my studies nor my studies affect ministry.

Read: OAU Final Year Student sentenced to Jail for Cybercrime

NNI: What is your general view on Sexual Abuse in the society?

Guest: Sexual abuse is a bad omen for any society where it prevails. Every one of us need to stand up against it with everything we've got. We also need to stand by the victims and help them out of the trauma. Let's Join Hands to fight against Sexual Abuse in our society.

NNI: How well has GPYP helped the society?
Guest: GPYP has helped the society in different areas.

1. Making people who have been victims of circumstances (abuse, mistakes) in the past or still going through them see more to themselves (by making them see Hope in Christ) using the stories of people who had gone through same and the steps they took in getting past it. This is done by the Mess and Message segment of the magazine.

2. We have been able to counsel so many people on how to get out of the bondage of the past and we have exposed them to the healing processes. 


NNI: What are your regrets?
Guest: My regret is that I yielded late to the call and passion to Start Getting Past your past magazine.

NNI: Funding for Organisations is usually a problem. How have you managed funds as an organisation?
Guest: Concerning funds, it has always been done by faith and prayers to see where the resources are. Apart from Faith, personal funds, gifts from my parents and seeds from friends and readers of the magazine have also helped in funding the organization.

NNI: Earlier this year, you organised your debut superb conference, inviting many big names. How were you able to pull through?
Guest: Hmm.. All I can say is God. He made the conference a success with the gift of men He gave unto me. The conference happened just like a surprise. I am still surprised the Conference held. To be candid, a day before the conference we were about cancelling it but God surprised I and my team

NNI: What do you think of team management?
Guest: Actually, Team Management is difficult because you have to make your members see what you see. You have to make your team know that you are all together in "this" course and make them do the task they are given... It's a great task but with God's wisdom, prayers (putting their hearts into God's hands), showing them love and reminding them about what they have been called into, it becomes easier.

NNI: How has your past affected your current relationships with people? 

Guest: My past has affected my relationship with people positively due to the fact that after making people know about my past, they now see me as someone who is not perfect like them, someone who has also gone through what they are going through or they have gone through. So, they tend to come to me, open up and seek counsel without being ashamed. My past has also helped me to love people more and see beyond their actions or attitudes.

NNI: What advice will you give to other similar organisations and the public? 

Guest: My advice to similar organisations is to never relent in their course. Many lives depend on us so, let's join hands.  To the public,  "Don't be ashamed to open up and seek counsel about what you are going through, We are here for You. Don't die in silence. Speak out!"

Influence is not a Function of the Position You Occupy- Daniel Olubunmi

Daniel Olubunmi, a Physiotherapist and Youth Leadership Model shares his views on youths, leadership and the future. Join us as we Walk The Talk with him in this Interview.

NNI: Can we meet you? (Personal, Education, Career wise and everything else you want us to know)

Guest: I'm Daniel Olubunmi, a graduate of Physiotherapy from the College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. I'm the first child of 3 children and hail from Modakeke, Ife East Area Local Government, Osun State. I finished my both primary and secondary education at the Royal Nursery & Primary School and Royal Comprehensive High School, Modakeke, Osun State, respectively. I'm a believer, a Multi-Instrumentalist, a student leader on  Campus, a Corporate Compere and a Public Speaker with major focus on Youth inclusion in politics and leadership, Social media and Entrepreneurship. This is what I basically do, in conquering my locality.

NNI: What defines social development and impactful leadership for you?

Guest: Social development is basically anything that moves the society forward, anything that contributes to the society. My definition of impactful leadership is leadership where one makes impacts, influence lives positively, makes disciples and have people go on to do very amazing things.

NNI: Is leadership a mix of different skills? What exactly makes up complete leadership?

Guest: Yes, leadership is a mix of different skills. There are a lot of skills that come together to make a good leader, and so along the way, we just constantly learn different things, we keep on adding different things to it. For example, empathy, you know, being able to empathize with people, and listen, you have to be able to learn how to listen. Leaders listen. Another example is reading - leaders read. You have to develop yourself. Leaders put others first. Leaders are firm, you have to learn how to be affirmative and not mean, at the same time. Leaders are good decision makers. So there are so many skills that come together to make a good leader. So it's just something we keep on layering on because it's not one thing that makes a leader, a couple of things come together to make good leader.

NNI: It is usually said that a leader must be a follower. How realistic is this?

Guest: When we talk about, a leader being a follower, the first thing I think in this context is, leadership is about the "followers", about  the people that follow you. As a leader, you must make these people your priority, you must listen to their needs. In that way, you follow them. You must make them the centre. That way, you're following the people that you lead. But in another context, when you talk about leaders being followers, it also means, as a leader, you have to have someone that's leading you as well, someone you're mentored by or someone you're constantly learning from. That way, you're a follower. Sometimes, you learn how to be a good leader, by learning how to follow.

NNI: How have you managed leadership and influence?

Guest: Leadership is essentially influence, and influence is not a function of the position you occupy, but a function of the leadership and sound counsel you proffer. Leadership is who you are before what you do.

So leadership is really the ability to influence other people. In this sense, it is to influence other people to do positive things. The most important part of leadership is influence, because if you're not influencing anybody, nobody is going to follow you. If you do not influence anybody, you're not making any impact. These two, cannot be separated.

NNI: By global trends, there is a call for youths to take leadership. How best can a youth position himself to be worthy of leadership?

Guest: A young person can position himself to be a leader by deciding to be a valuable person. The first thing is working on yourself. The first step is YOU. I work on myself, I want to be a "young leader" and position myself as a person of value, so I'm giving value to people in my community. It's just as if I'm giving value to the people that are on my WhatsApp contact list. So basically, developing yourself, and in too little ways that you can contribute. People think leadership is always about being in the front, maybe leadership is as simple as, Ohhh, some people are having a conference, and I want to volunteer to be an Usher, that is leadership. That is positioning yourself in the community to be worthy of leadership.

NNI: What is the measure of good leadership? Do you think social impact  can be measured?

Guest: It can be measured. There are some things you can't exactly measure, but impact will always be seen, like that's the thing, impact will always show, it'll be obvious. You can't have impacts, and it's invisible. So the metric for measuring it may differ, but impact is a measurable stuff, it's something you can see, something tangible. Not like, ohh this is the road I built, sometimes, it is the influence in people lives.

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Influence is not a Function of the Position You Occupy - Daniel Olubunmi @danolubunmi We walked the talk with popular student leader on his views on youth, leadership and influence. Read interview on www.nelocnews.com.ng #nelocmedia #nelocnews #interview

A post shared by NELOC Media (@nelocmedia) on Jul 31, 2020 at 9:57pm PDT

NNI: What is your view on Global Youth Development and growth? Do you think we are making progress?

Guest: Yes, we're making a lot of progress on Global youth development and growth. A lot of young people are becoming more aware, and I think awareness is the first step, and that is growth, especially in Nigeria, across Africa and across the world. So I think that's good, even out of the progress, young people are speaking out, young people are taking actions, young people are leading.

NNI: From your recent social media activities, it shows how well you have fused your personal brand into your love for promising leadership. How did you achieve this?

Guest: Well, there's a need to educate the people coming behind us, it's key. A lot of young people wants to be a leader, but they don't know how to achieve this, they basically don't know where to start from, and some are afraid of the unknown, while others are over-ambitious. So I've been able to gather enough contents on student leadership from my experiences as a student leader, and also pointers from friends in their different fields, tailoring it to meet the needs and curiosities of the younger ones. This is why I have embarked on a campaign for sustainable leadership via my social media platforms, to educate this current generation, and make Nigeria a better place to live.

NNI: What is your advice to fellow young individuals?

Guest: To fellow young individuals, leadership is a process, one step at a time, you have all the time to develop yourself and add value to yourself, this way, you'll stay relevant. Most importantly, build your character and strive to have a strong conviction. Money, position or office could influence and establish relationships, but it's not enough to sustain it. Only a ripe character can.

Ask for help, if there need be, and extend help to the next person, with whatever you have in your capacity, volunteer for an event, meet new people and make friends, it'll help build a network of people, of like minds, around you. Finally, be deliberate, be conscious and be intentional about leadership.

 

NNI: What should we expect from you in the near future? Any intentions to go into full time politics? Any big plans?

Guest: Full-time politics? (Laughs) I cannot categorically say yet. This is just the starting point. Definitely, there are plans, but then, man plans, God decides! The difference will tell in matter of few years to come. Basically, the major goal is to be fruitful and multiply, into building the Nigeria of our dreams, and subsequently, making impacts throughout the Continent of Africa.

Thank you very much for your time sir.