Annual Review: 2020
Mid 2019…
For two years, my identity had been crafted strongly around being a teacher and the work I did as a Fellow of Teach For Nigeria. But that had come to an end, and I was stuck. “What next?” was an important question I needed to answer. It was a question, to be honest, that I had been trying to answer for a long time – months before the end of the fellowship. I had certain options on the path I should pursue but I wasn’t sure. So, I was stuck. I was moving towards starting my own nonprofit to solve the very problems I had encountered in the classroom but I was clueless on how to even start. I had never nursed the idea of beginning my own thing and here I was trying to do it. In September 2019, I was blessed to take part in Incubator Africa’s “Reform Entrepreneurs Programme” that forced me to create the first draft of the solution I wanted to bring into the world. The program was the foundation I needed to take myself seriously as a nonprofit founder and also ground my identity as the founder of Sharing Life Africa. Today, I’m grateful for Mrs Alero Ayida-Otobo for letting me see the power I had to transform the world, her book, “Reformers Arise: Calling Out a People of Dignity to Influence and Action” remains a bible for me as I continue to navigate the world trying to reform systems around me. I’m also grateful to Williams, Kome and every other person at Incubator Africa who led the program.
December 2019…
In December 2019, I had an accident. A tire of the car I was travelling in blew out, after the driver struggled to stay in control, the car somersaulted, hit the concrete and stopped in the bush by the wayside, mangled and broken. I remember every moment, and in some weird cinematic way, it plays in slow motion when I think of it. I remember opening my eyes, I was on someone else, the vehicle was on its side, my glasses were missing, adrenaline was pulsing through my body and the only feeling I had was “get out”.
After climbing out through the broken windows, I was dazed and started walking far from the accident site. A road user, I remember, ran up to me asking if I were ok. That was when I stopped and immediately felt the ache from knee and jaws and back.
Memento mori…
But the most salient memories of the December accident were not the injuries I got, it was the reflection that came after. I had been close to death, so I started considering ‘what if’. What if everything turned out different, what then?
I was happy with the life I was living – both as a Christian and as a human being with aspirations. But yet I had some regrets – I thought I had not done enough; I had not used my time efficiently to impact as many people as I should have. It reads strangely now that this was my regret, but it was. I had not left my mark in the world. Of course, this is all vanity in some ways, because what is it to the dead that a legacy exists or not.
I made a promise to myself to get busy with the job of making a difference in as many people as possible before my time in the world comes to a close. But of course, by January this promise was only a faint image – but it remained there, etched in some part of my thoughts.
2020…
2020 didn’t begin well. I wasn’t still clear on what direction I wanted to lead. Can I manage Sharing Life Africa full time? Should it be a project I maintained while pursuing a full-time job? Should it be a weekend project? Should I let that idea go, close this chapter of my life, and pursue other profitable opportunities? I was lost within these questions but the work of making a difference in low-income communities still held strongly in my heart.
In January, I decided to be vulnerable on LinkedIn and to express where I was in life, so I made this post:
“I’ve been feeling a little lost lately. So I tried to unplug and reflect on where I am at, where I’m going, and how I want to continue doing what I do. That’s why I’ve been absent. I apologize for the unanswered messages and questions directed at me. I’m still learning to accept that we must not have everything figured out; that it’s ok to be unsure. And more importantly, to pause, take a deep breath and take stock.”
I had the amazing community on LinkedIn reach out via email, there in the comments and phone as well. I had a lot of helpful conversation that kept me going notwithstanding.
I wasn’t shy about letting people know I didn’t have clarity, perhaps because I needed all the help I could get. And now I’m glad for the patience and wisdom of my mentors who did not rush or push me towards a particular path.
One of the most effective advice I had during this time came from Ije Nwokorie, who in an email wrote to me saying:
“Keep going.
Make sure you’re optimising for the fewest things that have the most impact. That’s not easy to work out but it is well worth it. Your talent will open a lot of doors; you don’t need to walk through all of them!”
I have huge respect and admiration for Ije, and I do not take any of his words lightly, so I dwelled on these, poring over each detail trying to unpeel every wisdom laced within and to live by them.
Keep going…
I think this is probably the most important advice anyone seeking clarity must execute. You have to keep going. Being clear about your direction in life is not a beach you coast into; it is a mountain you climb. You have to keep going, you have to keep trying and in doing so you invariably find what you want to continue, what you want to shave off. Clarity comes from doing is a true statement.
The Nigerian social impact space is a very busy one and there’s so much happening at the same time: conferences, speaking engagements, awards, etc. The first thing I did in the latter half of 2020 was to refine how many public opportunities II wanted to engage in. I put out a public service announcement on Instagram saying: “No longer taking speaking requests”. This helped me find the things that had the most impact and focus on them.
Some wins…
2020 brought considerable achievements my way. I’m truly blessed to have been invited to be a part of global teams and national projects that had considerable impact in the world, especially during the Covid19 pandemic.
In 2020 I got my first international speaking gig, I travelled to Ghana where I represented youths in Nigeria at the 2020 Africa Impact Forum speaking on the theme of Leadership and systems. It was a profound moment for me as it exposed me to regional thought leadership across Africa. I was in small groups with leaders in Africa, such as Ken Ofori-Atta Ghana’s Minister of Finance and Economic planning, creating strategic solutions to critical problems in Africa’s education system. Best of all, I had the singular honour to speak before a large gathering of leaders and share my vision of Africa alongside a brilliant set of co-panellists from Ghana, Tanzania, and South Africa. The conference set a different burning in my heart, one that led me to think bigger than Nigeria, to think of solutions for Africa as a whole.
In 2020, I also received the very first Teach For Nigeria Alumni of the Year Award. It’s one thing to be recognized by organizations who only see your work from afar, and it’s another to be recognized by one that is family. It was a huge honour for me and I do not take it for granted. I also received nominations from Junior Chambers International Nigeria as one of the Ten Outstanding Young People. SalesRuby acknowledged me as a Top 50 voice on LinkedIn, and I featured on Donors for Africa’s “40 African Men in Development”.
Here some side projects I was proud of in 2020:
In February 2020, I accepted an offer to work on Teach For Nigeria’s comms as an independent contractor. This gig ran for 7 months (February – August) and it was certainly an exciting experience for me working on the digital strategy of an organization whose mission I love so much and has built me up to the changemaker I am today. I love storytelling, am skilled in marketing and I see the world through narratives. This was, to me, an opportunity to use what I had to share the work of Teach For Nigeria and the achievements its courageous Fellows were making in the classroom and the world.
When Covid19 hit, it took the world by storm and most marketing strategies were ineffective and worse, tone-deaf. At Teach For Nigeria, we pivoted fast, creating a social media sand email marketing strategy that uplifted our community during the trying times, and also inspired them to find solutions to the many problems challenging education during the lockdown. Through this model, we kept our audience informed of the impact we were making regardless of the global shutdown caused by the pandemic. It was stirring to see the innovation and courage with which Fellows and Alumni tackled hard problems. And it was an honour to have spent several hours of my day as well speaking with them about their work and finding new ways to tell the world of their good works. The unique ways we applied digital strategies to amplify our impact at Teach For Nigeria caught the attention of the global organization, Teach For All, and I was invited to speak with the global marketing team comprising as well of CEOs from other regions, Europe, Asia, and South America. I shared what we were doing, how we were doing it and how they too can contextualize these in their settings. I learned a whole lot while I handled digital strategy at Teach For Nigeria, lessons I continue to put to use as I go on to work on other endeavours.
Another really exciting project I was a part of was the organizing of the world’s largest teacher conference, bringing together over 100,000 teachers globally, including personalities from the World Bank Education Group and UNESCO. It was such a privilege to be invited by Vikas Pota to join a small team of global education champions and digital strategy leaders to plan and execute such a prodigious event that had an impact for education in every continent of the world, including Antarctica. The lessons in teamwork, especially with a more experienced, more acclaimed global team. It was an incredible experience for me; I had the opportunity to wield my influence in the Nigeria education space to bring thousands of teachers together for the global conference and I learned the ropes and the work that went into planning an event of such magnitude. It was a time where educators and teachers globally were unsure about the future of the sector. What we brought together created a tremendous difference and defined the New Normal for education everywhere.
In 2020 I was also accepted into the Teach For All Network Connectors Initiative, where I met some of the most amazing individuals and made some amazing friends. Working with young people, like me, is teaching me what it means to apply empathy to the culture of others and work together towards one mission. At the Network Connectors Initiative, I work with 51 Alumni from 23 network partners to build bridges between network teachers and alumni worldwide and accelerate our collective vision of One Day where every child will have access to quality education.
Teachers are one of the most important people in the world. I’m happy I do not have to go on and on to justify this statement. 2020 has shown us how pivotal they are in our lives, and I’m happy to say I dedicated a lot this year to helping teachers and helping organizations that support teachers.
In January of 2020, I worked closely with the recruitment coordinators at Teach For Nigeria to speak to young Nigerian graduates across two different states, showing them the immense importance they can play in defining the future if only they choose to teach. We reached over 2000 graduates and at the end recruited about 500 teachers to teach For Nigeria who will continue the important work of expanding access to quality education in some of the most marginalized communities.
This passion for teachers also led me to work with Teach For Kenya where I advised the team in setting up their marketing structures as well as a social media strategy.
All the work I did in 2020, showed me what I wanted to do and what I did not want to do. It also pointed me to the things that had the biggest impact and what I should optimize.
Building Sharing Life Africa…
I founded Sharing Life Africa in August 2019, but it was in August 2020 that I gave it everything I had. I had been seeking clarity and executing so many other projects that the organization laid in the background. But I am thankful for all the projects I did. They gave the experience and skill I’ll need in running an organization and led me to realize that Sharing Life Africa’s mission is my mission, its story is my story, and the work we do is a mandate that has been given to me. This is the clarity I achieved!
It’s certainly not as smooth as this sounds. It’s been a lot of work building from the ground up. I’ve had to go beyond my comfort zone, to learn new skills, and hit a new level of execution.
We are still building our work and expending our impact in the communities we’ve devoted ourselves to. But we could never have done any of it without the time and resources the chairman of our board, Mr Mobolaji Sokunbi has invested in the progress of the organization. I’m also thankful to our team of volunteers, especially Adedayo, Odejobi, Gideon, Mabs and so many others for working to ensure that our work is strengthened in the communities. I’m grateful and feel so blessed to have an enormous community of supporters who keep our working going by their radical generosity. We’ve not even started, 2021 will be a year of service and immense impact. I’m excited just thinking about all the work we’ll do.
Some other projects…
I had two other small exciting projects in 2020 as well. I started a personal newsletter where I shared everything I was learning with a community of 500 changemakers. I focused specifically on storytelling – a topic I’m passionate about. But I also shared several other topics, articles and projects as they came. I hope in 2021 to grow our community and broaden the topic I share weekly.
The Just Write Bootcamp was another thrilling work I did in the middle of the year. It was based on the idea that no matter the work we do, writing is still at the centre of it. But so many people struggle to build up the habit of sitting down to write, so, I brought together about 30 individuals from across the world from different fields and created a curriculum where we built the habit of consistent writing. Today, I’m happy to see the projects that were birthed out of the Bootcamp: books, PhD theses, Masters dissertations, anthologies, essays, etc.
Close…
2020 was an incredible year for me filled with lessons and growth. I’m proud of the projects I executed, the new habits I built, the new skills I acquired and the man am becoming. 2020 was also the year I grew even more in my relationship with God and I look forward to growing in his presence.
Writing this review has been a particularly fruitful activity. It’s my first time and I’m looking on writing one again next year – by God’s grace.
To close this year’s review, here are some lessons I learned through the year, summed in pithy quotes:
Reject appearances, do what works
Build boundaries early and stick to them
Your reputation will always go before you
Don’t create conflict – Don’t run from conflict
It’s ok to be afraid but don’t let it limit you
Always stay true to your core values
Don’t be in haste. Success is a marathon
Define what success means for you
Create systems for your life goals
Don’t be drawn into Life’s race
Be kind. Always!
Always put yourself out in the world
Remember, life is short
Always give!
Build community, shun competition
Always journey with God
Leave your mark in the world
Believe in the power of compound interest
Be ready to learn
You are not perfect
Listen to others
Ask questions
Be humble
