31/12/2023
Straddling Two Worlds
They said it couldn’t be done…
And quite frankly, I had no idea how I was going to pull it off…
Responsibilities were multiplying: Our staff and volunteer numbers were growing; we were expanding our outreaches to more and more cities around the country; our TV Health show was beginning to gain popularity…and we were about to embark on major research in three government hospitals.
On the surface, it certainly seemed like the wrong time.
It would mean maintaining two apartments – one in the US and one in Abuja, running two offices in Abuja, and several satellite centers around the country. My personal and business financial obligations would double almost overnight.
It would mean waking up early to oversee the operations in Nigeria (Nigeria is six hours ahead of the USA).
But it had to be done.
It was hard, it was rough. I was “homeless” (kinda, sorta) for a whole year while traveling across the country (at one time driving solo from Baltimore to Los Angeles and back), relying on the goodwill and kindness of friends…in the middle of a raging pandemic, while taking every opportunity to garner support for our work by giving speeches and engaging with whoever would listen...
But we pressed on, through failure, hardships, disappointments (hint: when someone promises you they’ll do something, don’t count on it. I can’t begin to tell you how many people I talked to, friends and former classmates included – who, upon hearing about what we were doing back home, promised “heaven and hell,” but who soon after refused to take my calls or return my messages…I guess they call that “ghosting” these days), betrayals, and so on…
But eventually, little by little, we began to see signs on the outside that we were on the right track (well, sort of).
Some might call them “Heavenly signs.”
First, it was the Spirit Award for the “Best Health TV Show in Africa,” for our show “Your Health in Your Hands” which we received in 2021.
Then earlier this year, Marquis Who’s Who in America included me in their annual list of most exemplary Americans.
Then, and this was probably the most surprising of all, I was awarded “The Most Respected CEO in Nigeria a few weeks ago.”
Two awards from two different countries in the same year?
To say I was shocked would be a gross understatement. I thought it was a scam (and trust me, I know a thing or two about Nigerians and scams, and so do you, probably 😉).
But it so happened that it was indeed genuine, and my team received it on my behalf.
Speaking of…everything we have accomplished has come through the hard, selfless efforts of the wonderful, loyal, and dedicated staff and volunteers at BBF. None of this would have happened without them. I am deeply grateful to them all, especially Daniel, Solomon, Peculiar, Goodness, Godson, and Hajara, and all our wonderful volunteers around the country.
You young people give me hope for the future of our great country.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us through the last few years (you know yourselves), and to my family, and of course, my God, without Whom none of this would have been possible.
And so, it is with great hope that the BBF team and I are looking forward to the year 2024, a year when we will finally begin to see the fruit of our many years of labor.
Wishing y’all the same, and much, much more
