By Yamilenu Bamgboye
Let me ask you a question. If you had to live as a teenager again, what would you do differently? Would you still have a crush on the boy that didn’t like you back? Would you still star in that ‘’mama and papa’’ play under a tree in a quiet neighbourhood or behind closed doors? Maybe it would be those football skills you left behind to acquire an education like everyone else. So, one more time, I ask: what would you do differently if you were a teenager again?
When Jason Njoku of Iroko TV was reflecting on the wrong choices he made, he said it’s only in hindsight would one know what would have worked and what wouldn’t. Sounds familiar? Life unfolds differently for everyone. While some find purpose in their formation years, many don’t. However, one thing I know for sure is that fate has a way of using certain circumstances like pain, struggles, irreversible errors, loss, spiritual encounters,limitations, coincidences, etc. to unlock purpose. For the spiritually intelligent (SI --- heard that before?), a little sensitivity always does the magic. Now, I’m so counting on it that you won’t doubt this. Lol.
Taking a cue from Dunsi Oyekan, one of Nigeria’s foremost gospel singers, nothing ever worked for him. He had an oil servicing company he had been helped to put up by his father-in-law and other rich persons around him but it was running aground. Then, his father died. Then his wife died. It was in this period of loss and pain that his singing purpose became unlocked. Amina Salisu Bello a.k.a Amina SB’s foray into writing at a very young age wasn’t consequent upon her mere gift neither was it something she did to pastime. It was her healing balm while she grappled with depression as a 14 year old kid trying to find her footing in an adult environment.
