My childhood was a bountiful basket of abuses—physical, emotional, sexual, and neglect. I suffered them all, but that’s a story for another day…
In 2004, my brother and friend, Bethel Obioma, introduced me to Mr. Onyema Omenuwa, the editor of the Legal Page of the Daily Independent newspaper. He afforded me the rare opportunity to write a column known as “Children’s Rights with Taiwo Akinlami.” The focus of the column was to provide insightful analysis of the newly promulgated Child’s Rights Act 2003. My first article was published on January 22, 2004, and I went on to publish 52 seminal works on the subject, without missing one week, helping my learned colleagues and the public understand the intricacies of the new law and simplify compliance, often using my personal stories. I wrote about legal principles from a human and philosophical perspective. Initially, nobody seemed to be reading my articles. I received only one response from a gentleman named Leslie Odega, who shared how my articles had positively impacted him…
It was that column that Mr. Njoku saw, which led to my introduction to UNICEF in 2005. My relationship with UNICEF introduced me to key figures like Ngozi Okoro, Mrs. Caroline Akosile and Mrs. Roseline Akinroye, forming the bedrock of my professional exploits today. Who are you connecting with? What are you doing with your connections?
These experiences have touched my soul deeply. If I hadn’t started the column in the Daily Independent, many of these connections might never have been made. I wrote that column under strenuous circumstances; without a laptop of my own, I often checked myself into cyber cafes to write. Despite the challenges, I did not miss a single week, by God’s grace, even when no one seemed to be reading or responding, except Leslie Odega, as I mentioned above. Unknown to me, a critical eye, Mr. Njoku in the UNICEF Abuja office, was busy following and collating my articles. He reached out to me after I wrote my 52nd article, which marked the first anniversary of the column.
