The Pathway to Wealth by Olumide O. Emmanuel

Pathway to Wealth

One decision I took a few years back, that I am grateful to God for is the decision to pursue financial literacy. When I think about the kind of wealth I would like to control, I genuinely wonder if I am crazy. I also wonder how it is even possible to think about money like that. Sometimes, I ask myself in Yoruba whether money grows on trees, and whether I should go and start plucking it.

I listened to Mr. Emmanuel for the first time in 2023 at the Youth Aflame Conference organised by PDan (Pastor Daniel Olawande). He had some of his books at the event, so I bought a copy of this. Have I said that my ultimate financial goal is to be able to control and allocate immeasurable wealth for the advancement of God’s kingdom here on earth? Yes. So, I have been on the pathway to wealth for nearly half a decade. (Did you see what I did there?)

Let us get straight into the review. First let me say, it is not a lengthy book. It only appears bulky because of the formatting style used. I think it is double line spacing with a smaller paper size (it is definitely smaller than 8.5×5.5 by half an inch). It also comes with a CD, although I wondered when I bought it if the CD was ever going to be used. I haven’t seen a laptop with a CD player in a long time, (Lol, my age is coming through. At least, I know what it is. Some people have no idea.) Finally, it also has an inbuilt workbook which is an absolute idea. The workbook is quite a resource, and if properly responded to, gives you an opportunity to read the book again, as each chapter has a number of questions dedicated to it.

Although it is not a faith-based book, it relies quite heavily on scriptural passages to support some of the principles. This is not bad in itself. In fact, it is not a problem, but if you are not a Christian you don’t need to be bothered. The Bible contains a lot of nuggets of wisdom that can apply to both Christians and Non-Christians. If you are Christian, you would really appreciate the scriptural references because it gives a deeper insights on some of well quoted but sometimes improperly explained scriptures that have been a source of problematic doctrines in the Christian faith.

One of the first things I learned when I started my financial literacy journey that financial freedom is really dependent on your mindset than what you actually do with your finances. If your mindset is wrong, you will always do the wrong things. If you have the right mindset, then you are more likely to succeed. And I see that the book is written along these lines. It tries to lay a very good foundation by helping you question what you really think and know about money or wealth. What do you know about savings? What do you know about investments? What do you know about wealth? Is your knowledge accurate? What is the gap in your knowledge? The book then goes on to lay down principles that you need to imbibe in order to develop the right mindset. Some of these principles are supported with anecdotes, which you would enjoy if they appeal to you.

Àlejò: Crossing Times by Wole Olayinka

Source: Africa.com

I should open this book review with a confession. I read the story before it became a book, and when I read the book again, I couldn’t bring myself to put it down until I finished it. I mean, I had a few breaks, because adulthood, but I generally picked it up after the breaks at the speed of light.

I should also add that Wole is a very expressive writer who creates characters that have depth. For example, see what he did with Laaroye and Salako. You cannot help but like them. When I think about both of them, I think I have a full picture of the personalities that Wole tried to create. I don’t have to assume or fill any gaps, because Wole’s portrayal of them is quite rich.

I love the story – the fusion of sci-fi and Yoruba folklore. It looked so good when it was in draft form, and even much better now as a completed story. But I have so many questions. Why did Ileri’s grandmother fail? Don’t we deserve to know why? Why did the second chance go to her granddaughter? Why did they even get the first chance in the first place? Why did the Prince die such a needless death? I would have preferred a love triangle – Ileri and the Prince in the past, then Ileri and Nachi, in the present. Or maybe this is the side effect of watching Kdramas.

If you have been following my book reviews, you should know that I try to avoid spoilers. If this is your first time, you are welcome indeed. What I can however tell you is that it is a great book. At first, you are wondering who all these characters are and how they are connected. But as you flip each page, you see that Wole has done a very good job of connecting all the dots – Ileri’s link to Esubiyi, Bantale’s simultaneous disappearance with Ileri’s, Elemii’s relevant and mysterious death and so on and so forth. There are some things that you could miss if you are not careful. How exactly did Ileri “succeed” in her mission. It just felt like it was mentioned in passing that she was asked to keep the ansia seeds on her at all times.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Wole’s Àlejò: Crossing Times. It is not a lengthy read. It is a well written story and its ends on a very happy note (I hate sad endings so much). Highly recommend for anyone who loves fiction – particularly sci-fi and african literature.

W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne in “Blue Ocean Strategy”

Source: Gintaa

I should probably start this review with two confessions. The first is, I spent too much time reading this book. It is not really because the book is not interesting, it is more of me not wanting to miss out the details. It is that kind of book. Second, I definitely have to read the book again, but preferably a hard copy because I need to highlight and underline and even book mark. It is seriously that kind of book.

The book tries to push a single idea – that a business or enterprise will succeed at competition not by fighting for market share, but creating its own market. Does that make sense? Perhaps. I like how the authors start to dissect businesses that have successfully applied this idea to their products and services, and so you start to get persuaded.

I was so persuaded that I started a project at work solely in application of the ideas that I learned in this book, but for some reasons I would rather not disclose, I pulled the plug. You see why I said it is that kind of book. That is precisely why I want to read it again. I will share two anecdotes that I picked up from the book, and then conclude the review.

Oluwafemi Ojosu’s Collection of Poems titled My Thief is Bigger Than Your Thief

Cover – My Thief is Bigger than Your Thief

Oluwafemi’s anthology is such a painful read. About a decade ago, we thought Nigeria was going to drown under terrorism and kidnapping, and what we thought was unimaginable corruption. Ten years later, we are even in a worse state, and it appears that we have all forgotten how angry we were at the time.

Oluwafemi relies a lot on satire, and that is a good thing because you are able to temper your rage with laughter, but it is only for a short while. The resulting sadness and despair at the end of the fleeting comic relief is so overwhelming. In “Decadence”, Oluwafemi speaks of “the Naira began its oily slide”. Although this poem was written in 2016, the Naira is no longer interested in appreciating. In the 2014 “Fighting for Democracy”, one cannot help to recall the violence and oppression that took away the people’s choices in the 2023 elections. My “Thief is Bigger Than Your Thief” brings to mind the outrage that followed a statement by an erstwhile President that “stealing is not corruption”.

You get the point already. Some of my personal favourites are “Take My Letter to the Queen”, #Child Not Bride, Losing My Voice, Nigerian Independence, the Nigerian Dream, To Sapa or to Japa and Nigeria Yi, Ti Gbogbo Wa Ni.

The themes of my these poems are not strange to the average Nigerian. “Take My Letter to the Queen” explores the decision by Lord Lugard to forcefully combine the geographical mass that makes up the modern day Nigeria. It is a decision that a lot of people say continues to haunt Nigeria till today. #ChildNotBride explores the practice in some parts of the country of marrying off girls to elderly men. Losing My Voice was inspired by Martin Niemöller’s First They Came. It is a reminder to Nigerians whom seemingly love to “mind their business” when they should rather speak up against inequality or oppression. Nigerian Independence asks the question on the lips of every Nigerian on every Independence Day. We have always heard since time immemorial that one day Nigeria will get better, but it seems like that day will never come. The Nigerian Dream may have become outdated though. It is no longer to have “bastard money”. It is now to “earn in dollars” and have a second citizenship. In Sapa or Japa, Oluwafemi again asks the question a lot of young Nigerians have in their hearts – to leave or to stay in Nigeria? In Nigeria Yi Ti Gbogbo Wa Ni, Oluwafemi lures us in as we reminisce on the lyrics of a popular song that encourages us not to give up in Nigeria. Oluwafemi then forces us back to the present where he reminds us because the situation in Nigeria has badly deteriorated, and we cannot be asked to believe in Nigeria that no longer belongs to anybody.

I would recommend if you like satire and witty poems. The anthology is replete with those.

THE SON OF THE HOUSE AS TOLD BY PROF. CHELUCHI ONYEMELUKWE-ONUOBIA

The Son of the House

Let me start this review with a confession. For a very long time, the kind of fiction I have strictly consumed is Christian Romance. As I would jokingly say, I like to keep my head light. I would then add that adulthood is a little too serious to also read “serious” fiction. If is not inducing butterflies in my tummy, please count me out. A few years ago, I started reading books that won the Booker prize. A couple of them stressed me out, but I found a number of them to be worth my while. I have not been able to keep up anyway.

Why did you just read that confession? Well, when I picked “The Son of the House” I really did not know what to expect. I have interacted with Prof. Onyemelukwe on a couple of occasions and I think she is intelligent and warm. There was a part of me that felt that I would like the book, because I like her. The other part of me was just suspicious of reading anything that had no romance in it. You may go ahead to judge me for being shallow.

I got into it and I was dying to get to the end. First of all, I enjoyed every bit of the story. Second, the plot twists were unpredictable! You know I won’t go into details because I hate spoilers. Third, my craving for “ora” soup hit the roof because one of the main characters referred to it a lot. Interestingly, I learnt to make the soup (before reading the book) from one of the very popular food bloggers, and I have made it about three times since then. Each time was a bangerrrrr!!!

Back to the review – it is the plot twists for me. (I believe that is how people say it these days.) I envisaged a different kind of ending for Nwabulu (especially in relation to Urenna and that is head filled with lies). Even for Julie, I am not sure that I saw how her marriage with Eugene would play out. I expected her to have more sympathy for Onyemaechi – I don’t know why, maybe #womensupportingwomen. I started out thinking I didn’t like Julie very much. I felt she was selfish and greedy. It is very difficult not to love Nwabulu. You would initially think she was very gullible. However, it actually comes with the territory if you are pursuing romance as a teenager. You are more naive than you think, and you would typically pay for it especially if you fell into the wrong hands e.g. Urenna. All eventually ends well for her, and we can assume that even the biggest source of pain in her life will be carefully unraveled if Julie is able to make it alive post-kidnap. Assume, because Prof. Onyemelukwe has left us to piece together the end that we would like. I choose this end. When you finish reading the book, you can piece together the end that you like!!!