[b][/b]

Samuel is about the most sincere storyteller I have met in recent times. His account of events was sincere. “I was raised by an impecunious father. We lived under continuous years of penury. That was the kind of life that I was raised into- a pedestrian life with neither dreams nor purpose. As I became older, I heard stories about my grandfather and his father, my great grandfather. They did not help my father's case and mine even by the smallest margin. My grandfather mortgaged all the family plots of land to fund his drinking life. He was known as a dipsomaniac even in far away neighbouring communities. There was a story about my grandfather being beaten up collectively by women in our community because of the life he subjected my grandmother to. That was the height of the humiliations he had to be put through in the community for being an addicted alcoholic. He became synonymous with failure. Parents in that era were reported to have always rebuked their wards using him as an example of a failure. They always admonished them saying, ‘Do not end up like Maduka, the drunk’

Samuel was clear about his mission; to tell it the way it is. “This was the nature of the inheritance that he left behind for my father. The liability was too much for him to settle that he took solace in alcohol too. The situation became the tales of two Madukas of separate generations bound by the same fate. My father became entangled in the fight that he came to disengage. He was not as lucky as his father- the alcohol got to his liver. He used the lands that he recovered after settling debts owed by his father, to incur further debt in order to fund his treatment. He left us with a bigger liability at death. ‘All eyes on me’ in my case was not that of Tupac Shakur blasting through the speakers- instead, it was the strength of the expectations placed on me. But honestly, no one, I repeat, no one gave me the chance of ever becoming somebody. I did not equally give myself any chance because I did not see any reason why I should be better than the two key men that arrived before me.”

He continued, “I have experienced many life-changing events in my life but one stood out. There was a day nightfall came upon my community in the day time- a woman slapped a red cap chief in the village square over a small disagreement. It was a taboo in my culture to assault a chief. In fact, any woman that would commit such taboo would wish she was never born. But in this very case, nothing happened. It was later muffled around that the woman was a supreme court judge. It was an event that changed my life because prior to that, I did not know that anything could give a woman that quantum of power or control over any man- much more a red cap chief. The following week, I left town to understudy a wealthy trader from a neighbouring community. There were lots of challenges on my path but I had resolved never to end up like the two men that preceded me. After seven years of meritorious service, my boss released me to start on my own. I was off the block like Usain Bolt and by a stroke of luck, made a flying progress.”

As he approached the end of the story, Samuel said, “Most evenings, after the close of business, we would gather at a small joint to have some goodies and booze to wash it down. I decided to convert this time to something more productive because I knew I needed to do something different. I needed that power that the female judge had. I registered for adult education and started at Basic one. It was tough but within one month, I wasn't relying on my sales boys to issue invoices any longer. It gave me some springs in my step- and it motivated me. I kept going and by the grace of God, I obtained my first master’s degree, MSc in Business Administration, within a couple of years. My desire is to be the first PhD holder in my kindred. I was motivated by the desire to cleanse the mediocrity of my predecessors up to our tenth generation. I was ready to wipe out that poverty that found its way into our home.”

Samuel’s phone rang. He picked it up and after speaking with the person at the other end, he smiled and said to me, “It has been confirmed. His excellency has just made me SSA(Special Senior Adviser) on economic matters. I don't know where to begin. But I give all the glory to God”

REFLECTION
You see, the choices we make are very consequential to what we become at the end of the day (I agree with this submission hook, line and sinker). But I give more credit and put more credence to the reasons behind the decisions we take. The reasons that inform the decisions are like those behind the camera in a movie set; the film crews. People are familiar with ascribing the credit for a good movie to the cast but they forget that a good cast performance is subject to the quality of the crew. Reasons are the drivers of the choices and decisions we make. They are no less important on how our lives pan out. If you want to make good decisions, you have to find the perfect reasons.

The two men in Paul’s life followed a certain destiny. But Paul, who did not want to end up the same way, had to do things differently. And boy, he did just that! If you want a better life, you have to do things differently if you do not want to be tied to the same result. There are pathways surrounding us. They lead to different destinies. Therefore, the doors we walk through or slam shut in our lives determine what destiny we end up with. You must choose wisely to have a better life.

We may not have a perfect life but we have the power to improve the one we have. Whatever it is that you are going through now can be overcome. But first, you must decide to do things differently. It might sound difficult but the moment you find enough reasons to do something about your situation, the decisions would happen spontaneously. It is in your hands!

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