I was 18 years old when my first article was published in The Punch newspaper, one of the leading national newspapers in Nigeria, on the 10th of June 1988…
I wrote that article with pen and paper—I couldn’t even afford the cost of typing it—and sent it off. We were being terrorized by some military men on our street, Okedasa Street, Ondo, Ondo State, and I felt it was unjust and needed to be addressed. No one promised me it would be published, but I tried anyway. My egbon, Egin Folajole Olagoke, JP, helped me edit the article…
Fast forward to today, I have not stopped writing since then. By the grace of God, I have kept the fire burning. What was once a little flicker has become a large conflagration—a movement of Personal Development, Sociocultural and Legal Empowerment, and Value-Based Advocacy in my field, recognized as the doyen in Nigeria, arguably Africa, and across the globe. I now have a bibliography over 400 pages long, filled with references to my work, both in print and online. This bibliography is available on the website of our pioneering Child Media Advocacy Project, (http://www.childreninfobank.com), our effort at providing past and live data (news, research, policies, and educational resources) to drive Personal Development, Sociocultural and Legal Empowerment, and Value-Based Advocacy in the fields of Family Strengthening, Securing A Friendly and Protective Environment for Children®, and Rights-Based Parenting® across the continents of the world. I’ve been featured in every major newspapers in Nigeria, taking both the front and back pages multiple times and appearing on major TV programs and international media platforms like BBC and CNBC. Additionally, my work has been showcased by social media giants Facebook and Google at a major conference in Europe. But the seed was sown when I chose to use what I had to start, even though it didn’t seem enough or appropriate.
