Man In Progress, I.

While this might mean Man In Progress, I (the first person singular), it can also mean Man In Progress, I (the first of the Roman numeral) signifying the first of a series. It’s a double entendre maybe. Like those road signs they put up when they’re working on a raod, “Work In Progress”, I’m not there yet, I’m not a man, neither am I a child, but I’m still in process. I’m a Man In Progress.

I’ve reached a milestone, or few hours back I reached a milestone, for this time yesterday, many years back, I started existing, yesterday was my existence day, my birthday. For my year note, I wasn’t sure what to drop, a poem? A short write up? A lengthy one? Ideas, phrases, interesting quotes all scurried upward my head for my attention. At the time, I understood what my teacher used to say, what he wanted us to remember something pretty important for exam. “Keep that at the back of your mind”. I heard that time and again that when I finished primary and junior secondary, I figured the reason I had ógó (head backyard) was because there’s so much behind there.

Growing up, I learned to read books like my surviving depended on it; I started reading as soon as I learned the alphabets. I courted books and read everything and anything, read as much as I could.
In senior high school, I became a nightmare to the authorities. I can smile now as I fondly remember escapades upon escapades. There was one moment in SSI, a classmate came squealing to us to be quiet, “V.P is coming!”, he yelled. V.P actually came and stood in front of the class. But I was bent on my work, I was not looking. The class fell quiet, after like a full minute, I expected the feared voice to rouse me from my work. I heard nothing; to me it was another prank, no V.P. Without looking up still, I hissed loudly, “V.P koor, vampire ni!”, I blurted into the silence. Most laughed, few gasped in horror. He simply marched me down to his office, by the time I was returning, I was sorry for that action, and ones I’ll still commit.

Finding myself in UNILAG was quite startling. I already knew a lot of things from reading a lot of things; I hoped to terrify my course mates with those. But the University, I would later learn is a complex place. Here, no matter how much you think you know something and can do it well, there are usually a handful of people who do it ‘more better’ (sic) than you. I found a few, I gave up terrorising, I chose complex words instead. Living with roomies as a rookie in school then was fun, and by the time we were separating, it was hard. We was separated still (sic), UNILAG had broken my heart so early in our 4 year relationship. My new roomies weren’t just it, I once thought they were a bunch of gung-ho refugees from Mogadishu, Somalia. We got along, interestingly, we did not just ‘got along’, we knitted.

There came January, cupid shot his arrow, he shot me and got me in Febuary, a year and half on, I still have the arrow. It’s a fine little arrow, deftly crafted for a purpose, you bend the arrow a little, you abuse the purpose. I bonded in many ways than 10. Loyalty has no date, responsibility has no age. I heard your heart is a muscle; exercise is by breathing more, I heard. Uh-oh! Interestingly, the proponents of the theory seem to have. . . Later on, cupid actually threw another or, I guess I walked into his target practice area. I had two arrows, or so it seem, but later errrr… we thank God sha!

On friends, I have many! The list is endless, there are some I won’t exchange for all the tea in China, nor all the coffees in Europe, nor all the turkeys in Turkey, nor all the chickens in the Republic, nor all the pretty ivory in Ivory Coast, nor all the golds in Gold Coast, . Since I have too many, I keep few close to my heart. If you’re reading this, you’re close to my heart and I would not exchange you for tea, coffee, turkey, chicken, ivory but gold? I’ll give it a thought. LOL!

In my field, I’d always admire the Piers Morgans of this world, I read his twitter feed religiously, spell bound. Piers’ command of the language is terrific, the dexterity the man expends in carving his words to make the meaning very imponderable, laced with the right dose of humour, slays me!
I’ve read books too o, one I can never forget, El-Nukoya’s ‘Nine Lives’. I later learned that was his pen name, his real name can be derived spelled backwards. I’m in my element when I write, like the cartoon characters of Avaters, Avatar Toph, the earth bender, Avatar Aang, the air bender etc. when these characters are in their elements, what they can do is limitless. I’m in my element when I write, there’s always a pen and paper, I’m limitless!

This part is incomplete without the mention of Robert Greene’s 48 Laws Of Power – what informed my ‘Enter With Boldness’ mantra, sourced form his 28th Law: Enter Action With Boldness. Another Law, the 29th, Plan All The Way To The End, struck me. Also, the 34th, Be Royal Your Own Fashion, Act Like A King To Be Treated Like One. Overtime, the book slowly moulded an enigma, SuperAkerele. Just in case you haven’t heard of him;

SuperAkerele built the hospital he was born in,

Superkerele can count the number of corners in a circle.

When you Google SuperAkerele, hit “I’m Feeling Lucky”

SuperAkerele doesn’t watch T.V, T.V watches him.

SuperAkerele sets fire on ants with a magnifying glass, at night.

SuperAkerele has been to Mars, now there’s no sign of life there.

He gave the virus a flu, and the flu a virus.

When you need to find something, you ask Google, when Google needs to find something you now know who it asks.

The President calls him “SIR!”

When he hit puberty, it died.

He put “laughter” in “manslaughter”.

No street is named after him, no one crosses him and live.

He makes onions cry.

He stared at the sun for an hour, and half, the sun blinked.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, SuperAkerele was obviously somewhere at the time.

Giraffes were created when he uppercutted a horse. Horses were created when he knocked a giraffe.

My friend, there’s plenty more where that came from (sic).

Life not being a bed of roses, I have come to learn is more than just a saying. Someone said, life is like a bicycle to keep your balance, you have to keep riding. Life only comes around once, do whatever makes you happy, remember, you are only responsible for you. In the pursuit of happiness, self-aggrandisemnt is key.

I’m a futuristic person, I’m growing to be a man. Though I’m not there yet, I’m still in process. There are dreams and aspirations. When Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech at Lincoln Memorial in August, 1963, watching it again, you can bet your last nickel he knew what he was saying. Five years later the world heard his Mephis, Tennesse speech; “I Have Been To The Mountaintop. … and I’ve seen the Promiseland”. Though the actualisation of his dream came many years after, in the man with the name like an African breed of the koala. Someone said, if you want to live a fulfilled life, tie it to a dream not to people, friends or things. To help you through reality, you need a dream, your destination would make it worth the while. Push through the darkness, just another mile. Be dogged and determined and undeterred, in the end everything will be alright, if everything is not alright, that’s not the end.
Whether it is like the Biblical Joseph, the Dreamer, or Martin Luther King Jr, or Westlife, I HAVE A DREAM, I’m purposeful in pursuit.

“A man’s gift maketh room for him and bringeth him before great men” – Proverbs 18:16
#SuperAkerele®, 2:49am
August, 2, 2014.