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.

TLA Africa Launches Women In Leadership Scholarship, Seeks Women Representation

 

 

The Learnaholics Academy (TLA) Africa has launched its Women in Leadership Scholarship for Young African Women. It is a fully funded and strict application scholarship program for Young African Women who are passionate about learning, growing and leading.

According to Deborah Benjamin, Spokesperson of the Women In Leadership Scholarship Board and Director, TLA School of Leadership in her welcome address during an online Press Briefing to highlight the purpose of the program, the prospects for African women and the society and the progress in planning, she mentioned that the Women In Leadership Program is an highlight of the School of Leadership, a subset of The Learnaholics Academy.

The programme was birthed to raise African women who are inspired, knowledgeable and passionate enough to take on Leadership roles in the social and corporate space as well as represent the female gender equally in all sectors of Impact and development.

It is an annual conference that trains women who are 18 years and above from across Africa, on corporate governance, Community Leadership and pro-activity.

The program is scheduled to hold for five weeks in a closed WhatsApp group and facilitated by seasoned Social Entrepreneurship and Leadership Coaches and experts.

The Learnaholics Academy is a personal and professional development oriented institution, established to raise the bar in helping people create  values that shall propel their personal and professional life. The  Academy adopts both physical and electronic classroom learning mechanisms to accommodate prospective  students far and near. With aims to be an outstanding academic environment where lives are transformed through education and each individual is valued, TLA Africa devises scholarly and innovative accomplishments in personal and professional endeavors

The Women In Leadership program was proposed on the 1st April 2020 and was subjected to scrutiny until it was approved for implementation. The Academy's Centre for Counselling and Human Development (CCHD) and the School of Leadership was directed to manage the program until a Board was formed on the 8th of April 2020 to manage the program.

The Board is an 11-man membership with 7 females and 3 males. According to Mr Tunbosun, the females serve the Implementation unit of the Board while the Males Monitor and Evaluate its activities

The members of the Board are Abimbola Dasola (Board Chairperson), Abayomi Adeola (Deputy Board Chairperson), Adeleye Deborah (Board Secretary-General) and Benjamin Deborah (Board Spokesperson). Other Distinguished Members of the Implementation Unit of the Board are Faith, Adeosun Eniola Mary and Doherty Precious.

 

Also, the Adhoc Members in charge of Monitoring & Evaluation are Mr. Essang Rawlings Myles, Mr. Olalekan Olatunbosun , Mr. Ajani Oluwakayode and Mr. Yusuf Olamilekan 

According to reports from the press briefing, E-application forms for the Scholarship opened from 13th May - 23rd May 2020 and later extended it till 7th June 2020 with applications from across the continent including Africans in Diaspora. Applications were recorded from countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Morocco, Angola, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Benin, Afghanistan, Netherlands, Bangladesh, among others with about 75% of the application from Nigeria.

In review of the application results, 49% of the applicants hold leadership positions, 49.8% of the applicants do not hold leadership positions (but plan to) and only 1.2% of the applicants do not hold a leadership position and do not plan to.

A deeper review of applications shows that, most women in leadership are not necessarily there because they want to, many of them just want to prove the male wrong about their perception of them in leadership while some just want to challenge the status quo. Also, the fear of discrimination holds many of them back from attempting leadership in a male-dominated society.

According to Mr Olalekan Olatunbosun, ''it is hoped that at the end of the program, a non-toxic confidence is instilled in them to build effective leadership consciousness in them.''

The Director also mentioned that the training content was designed to visit the history of black women in leadership and peculiar problems they have faced as these problems are intertwined in contemporary leadership efforts of women, 

The women in leadership Scholarship will also cover Business,  Politics,  and other areas women can be adopted into leadership.

TLA Africa started in September 1st 2017 with over 3,000 students and have organized several trainings and certified about 289 persons with Certificate on Proficiency. About 418 persons have received badges and certificate of participation in various short crash courses. The organisation has also organized physical trainings at Ijebu Ode, Ago Iwoye, Ile Ife, Ifo and Lagos while her online classroom is specially hosted at www.thelearnaholicsacademy/eclassroom for global participation.

The Learnaholics Academy functions with School of Law and ethics, School of Health, School of Tech and ICT, School of Leadership and School of personal development. Each of these courses have different materials and directors on ground. Also, the materials are the general Content so it is easy to facilitate offline Classes with the same resources

On the restrictions to Africa, Mr Tunbosun restated that Non-Africans CAN NOT APPLY. In his words, ''one of our brand messages is Empowerment for Africans by Africans However,  for Africans in diaspora we make extra effort to confirm their indignity. We are out to empower Africans. And this time,  it is strictly our women!

While this Cohort admitted 250 participants only, Application has closed and will be reopened  by August 15. Interested participants are advised to apply here