Here's a short story to fill our hearts with ❤️
So, 10 years & 8 months ago, I met a little girl who challenged me, inspired me & eventually shaped my life and the lives of thousands of others.
This week, we paid her a surprise visit in Abuja.
I hope her story will inspire you ❤️ In December 2011, we met a little girl in Makoko paddling a large canoe, 10 times her size. She was 8 years old & never been to school. 
We were overwhelmed by her strength, so we trailed her to her house by the waterside.
Why is a smart girl like her not in school? We wondered!

Today is the International Day of Education, & an urgent question to ask is;
Are our universities becoming better?
Will technology disrupt their existence? And
Will they become obsolete very soon?

Here are some reasons why I believe they will, if we fail to redesign them.

>>> 1. Many universities are wasting the time of young people. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is here & it is demand specific. The world needs specializations & universities aren't providing that which is why more companies like Google, IBM, Apple don't prioritize a college degree.

There are 4 key people, we all need in life & career. 
A. Role Models
B. Mentors
C. Coaches & 
D. Cheerleaders 

Understanding each of them, knowing the role they play & how to choose who fills each position can transform your career. So let's find out who they are. 

Thread>>> Every successful person has at some point had a role model, mentor, coach or cheerleader. Some people even have all 4 of them. Like my dad always says, "a dwarf standing on the shoulders of a giant will always see farther than the giant." So what is the difference between all 4.

The world is evolving rapidly but our educational system isn't. We're still practicing an educational model designed for the 19th century to prepare children to be factory workers.
Here's my list of 10 obsolete educational practices that we need to change/reform.

Thread >>> 1. Copying long notes in class: Why would a teacher spend hours copying notes from the textbook to the "blackboard" & then instruct all the students to spend more hours copying that note, even when the students have the textbook and might not understand the content of the note.

Every crisis comes with threats to drown us, as well as opportunities to help us fly.
This is a story of how my barber pivoted his business amidst this pandemic and it could help us rethink, replan and reinvent.
And I pray that we all find ways to swim and not sink.

Thread >>> From March to June all hair salons were shut down & my barber who works in one of the top salons was out of job. He has a small family of 3 and every other week he'll send me a text requesting for support. After a month I asked that he comes over to cut my hair & discuss more.

In 30 years, Nigeria will become the 3rd most populous nation in the world with over 400million people & Lagos will be among the 5 most populous cities in this world, thanks to our growth rate of 3.2%.

Could this be a great opportunity for us or would it destroy us? 

Thread >> Today in Nigeria, can we have a proactive conversation on population control, birth control or even propose a bill to regulate child bearing? Apparently we are religiously, culturally & socially not ready to. So the question is, what do we do with such a fast growing population?

Today I want us to celebrate some young kids from Corona Secondary School. These teens are a perfect definition of love. They were gatekeepers with the key to change a young girls life & not only did they open the gate for Jennifer, they built her a castle.

Part 2
Video thread > In February when Jennifer was invited to Corona Sec. Sch. for a visitation assessment, we were excited & scared. She might just not fit in & this could even affect her badly. What we didn't realize was that the key was in the hands of her peers who'll make or mar her experience.

Impossible is Nothing. I'm so excited to announce the launch of our first Virtual Learning Classroom in Africa.
Today 948 kids can learn remotely but we want to reach 10,000kids.
Kindly RT & let's support kids across communities to learn during & after this period. #Slum2School Thanks to everyone sharing. We appreciate you all. If you want to support more kids or get more information kindly visit slum2school.org/donate
If you want to build a similar virtual learning platform.
Email otto.orondaam@slum2school.org
Cc: ella.togun@slum2school.org

Here's a story of love, faith, community and perseverance.
It's one of the most inspiring stories I've experienced and little Jennifer is now one of our favorite daughters. I hope her story inspires you and millions of young people out here.

Thread >>> In May 2019 we met this adorable 17 year old girl in a remote riverine village on the outskirts of Epe, Lagos State, in a community called Saga, where we had been supporting some young kids in schools for over 6 years but it was the first time we saw Jennifer.

Many Nigerians could have been infected with Covid19 & treated themselves for cough, sore throat, flu & malaria.
Many people have had prolonged symptoms while others have no symptoms at all.
We might not know everyone who's +ve so let's stay safe & keep our immune system strong. The number of +ve covid19 cases/deaths reported by countries is directly proportional to the volume of tests conducted.
USA = 1.1million tests / 184,000 positive cases.
South Africa = 41,072 tests / 1353 +ve cases.
Nigeria = 600 tests / 139 +ve cases.
Date: 31/03/2020

On Sept. 20th 2018, a short BBC video of Mary John went viral on the internet.
The video reminded us of a sad reality faced by several young Nigerians.
But this thread'll remind us that one year & even one minute can totally change our lives.
And this is our wish for 2020

Thread In the video, BBC quoted @Slum2School, so, we woke up with several DMs & tags. Mary spoke about the challenges she faced being unable to get into the university & the pressure of early marriage. She was teaching in a school for N7000/month & had a dream of becoming a journalist.

This story reminds me that in life, we all need the right people around us.
People who'll believe in us even when all hope seems lost.
It's one story that has inspired me so much and I'm excited to share it.

I hope it inspires and challenges us to use our voices.

Thread >>> One rainy Saturday morning in December 2011, we saw a little girl paddle her canoe through the waters of Makoko. It was filled with gallons of water & we wondered, how could she paddle it with so much ease? This girl could be a kayaking champion, so we followed her to her house.

Patriotism isn't a function of location.
They're Nigerians living outside Nigeria who're more patriotic than many living in Nigeria.

That someone leaves Nigeria doesn't mean they do not love Nigeria & because another stays back doesn't mean they're more patriotic!

Thread >>> Everywhere you go around the world there are incredible Nigerians doing great things and creating outstanding impact. They work with intergrity and honesty, lead global brands, help grow the Nigerian economy and that of their host nation.
But we rarely tell their stories.

What can we do urgently to end #Xenophobia in South Africa against Nigerians, Africans & other nationalities.

Here are 11 urgent actions we should take while speaking up.

1. Get the African Union and the UN to call for an emmergency meeting & suspend South-Africa indefinitely. 2. Send an African Union joint-military peace keeping battalion immediately into the streets of South Africa since the South African military can't be deployed and it's police is incompetent or compromised.

Dear educators, why do we still make boys wear shorts to school while girls wear skirts & pinafore? 

This might sound like just a simple dresscode but it imposes several limitations that reminds us that certain activities, behaviors and careers are gender specific!

Thread >>> So one monday morning, I sat by the school lawn watching kids play during the mid-day break. Some kids ran towards me so we sat down chatting & watching others play.
"Why are only the boys playing soccer while the girls aren't"? I asked them. They all looked at me in confusion.

Pt. 2
Few years ago, we met a mother who told us to stop training her daughters in school. "They're meant to be house wives.
My sons are more important & you're destroying how God made Adam & Eve.”
We couldn't change her mind.
She was deeply indoctrinated by religion.

Thread >>> Millions of parents across the world share her views & would train their daughters differently from their sons. When we visit our beneficiaries across communities, the girls're often working while the boys're playing. But it isn't their fault. It's the system they inherited.

Dear Women, Men Are Not Scum!
No man or woman was born a scum or an angel, an abuser or a lover, a believer or non-believer.
No child was born with a homemaking or bread-wining DNA, our societal, cultural & religious systems indoctrinated us into being all that we are.

Thread>>> So rather than hate "men" because we all seem to be broken why don’t we work together to fix the sources of our brokenness. Instead of fighting the broken systems, we end up fighting ourselves, destroying our reputation, winning little battles but losing the greater war.

Hey Friends, Let's do a reality check.
So I'm going to show you a couple of Images and I'll like to know what comes to your mind once you see them.
Slowly spend 5 seconds looking at each of these image and note down what you think it represents.

Are you ready ?

Swipe >>> Two Machetes Lying On The Floor Beside a woman's Legs.
They Could Be Cutlasses or Knives.
What Comes To Your Mind ?
#Picture01

What's the difference between a lady who does cosmetic/plastic surgery
to take out some belle fat and
tuck it into her hips, and another lady who works out 6 times a week
for 2 years to burn the same belle fat
and build her hips by squating regularly?

Thread >>> What's the difference between one who does a one time facial cosmetic surgery to erase dark spots, acne, wrinkles so she could look 10 years younger and another who applies deep layers of cosmetic make-up everyday to have the same look?

Few weeks ago I called a friend I hadn't heard from in a long time & she picked up on the 3rd dial.
Hey dear, how 're you?
She said "I'm fine".
She didn't sound fine, so I asked 3 more times.
She kept quiet for 1 minute & finally broke down crying.
She cried for 80% of the call. She was sick & admitted in the hospital for over a week and couldn't speak to her friends because she didn't want to be vulnerable or mocked.
She had lost her job, her relationship, was terribly depressed and had attempted suicide.
She's doing better today but she's not alone.

Imagine if you were born neither male nor female!
Imagine if your daughter doesn’t have ovaries nor menstruates at puberty!
Imagine you got married only to find out your husband is infertile & attracted to men!
These are all true stories.
Let's talk about #Intersex

Thread>>> I know you weren't expecting such unusual questions but join me with an unbiased mind as we discuss this natural reality which has led us to dehumanize, discriminate and devalue humans who are just different from us, forcing them to hide in shame or commit suicide.